Goodbye February

They're here They're Here !  

Our shower doors finally came in Thursday (for the second time). 

This time, they were even the right size.

 They were installed and look great. 

 I can't wait to take my next shower.

It was 72° again today. Brooke got me outside to go "jogging" with her. I can jog for about twenty yards and then we are back to walking. Kimba went with us, thank goodness we don't have to keep up her pace. I bet she can run 40mph. 

Friday, February 24, 2017 was even nicer outside. Sunny and 80°.  I made a taco salad for dinner so we could stay home and enjoy the weather.  It's nice to stay home on a Friday night sometimes.

After bedtime, some storms rolled through from the unusual warm temperatures today. The winds got up and it poured the rain, but nothing severe thank the Lord.

The bottom fell out of the temperature Saturday. It got down to 42°. We had a couple of outdoor activities scheduled, but they were close by.

On Sunday, February 26, 2017, we went to Sparta before church and  Jamestown after church. We spent the day at Pickett State Park and all the surroundings of Fentress County. We went back to Sparta at 7pm and got home by 8:30.  We had a good day, but we sure were tired.

I took Brooke to pick up her unsold consignment items on Monday, February 27, 2017. She was excited to see that she made $88.50 off of her old clothes. We also took mom some dinner and went by to pay her electric bill. I got my first Dia&Co order in the mail today. I think I'm really gonna like this. 

😀

I had a hair appointment Tuesday evening. I decided to have some lighter streaks put back into it. I had went a little darker for winter, but let's face it, there is not going to be a winter this year.  I also cooked dinner...with the windows open, because it is that warm outside.

 Did I mention how much I have been chauffeured around here lately. I may never have to drive again.

A Great Day!

It is so crazy that it is February and yet the temperatures have been in the 70's for the most part. 

It was a pretty day on my birthday. I got a free gift from Starbuck's

Diana took me to lunch at Craw Daddy's because it is one of my fav's.  

Flowers were delivered to my office from my honey and kids

 Amanda made cupcakes for me.

 and she brought me a present that was too pretty to unwrap.

 I took pizza to church for the kids and we had dinner at Cracker Barrel after church.

It was a great day to have a great day!

I Love Long Weekends

I caught a gorgeous view of the sunset on Saturday, February 18, 2017. 

We were coming off a mountain in Sparta and the timing was perfect to watch it disappear behind the trees. 

After church on Sunday, February 19, 2017. we went to lunch at El Tapatio with our church group. We went to Hollyn's dedication later in the evening at the River Church.

We had dinner at O'Charley's with Delano, Stacia, the boys and Darlene.
The next morning, Brookelynn went through her old clothes and we tagged them for the consignment sale. It sounds pretty simple, but we spent the whole day doing it. Our yard looked like Sanford and Son at one point.
It was perfect weather for it though. Sunny and 70 degrees.  It was President's Day so there was no school.
Tuesday, February 21, 2017 turned out to be a nice day too. I went by JC Penney and Kohls while Stroker cooked steaks on the grill for all of us.  Yuummm!

All I Want Is a Couple Days Off

I decided on Wednesday, February 15, 2017 that I would take happy meals to the kiddos at church.

They were excited to see food come in the door. I got all of them the same because I didn't want to start a war over who got chicken nuggets and who got a cheese burger.

I haven't mentioned it, but there has been a lot of sickness going on these last few weeks. Surrounding counties have already shut down schools to give germs time to die out.

Our school director decided to shut down everything

  Thursday, February 16 and Friday. February 17, 2017 for illness.

Brooke, Mary and I took Thursday for a shopping day in Knoxville. We spent the entire day on our feet from store to store.  I also bought a bamboo pillow for Stroker because he wasn't happy with his memory foam pillow, beauty rest pillow, contour pillow, MyPillow or any other pillow that he has tried.

We had an excellent Girls Day. 

On Friday, I took mom to pay her land taxes after I attended a luncheon with the YMCA.

Stroker and I joined the group from church for dinner at the Doodle.

The Greatest of These Is LOVE

Some people get so excited on Valentines Day. They can't wait to see what their "honey bunny" buys for them, sends to them, or does for them to make sure they feel extra loved. 

I on the other hand have never been big on Valentines Day.  It is actually one of my least favorites.

Love for me is not defined by how I'm treated on one special day; instead,  I evaluate peoples love for me based on how I am treated the other 364 days of the year, not by words on a card and 12 roses.

• I can tell that I am loved every Friday night when my husband and my kids are at home at bedtime.
• I can tell that my husband and kids love me because they help me when I ask.
• I can tell that my husband and kids love me when they pick up their own messes instead of leaving them for me to clean.
• I can tell that my husband and kids love me when they ask for my opinion because my opinion matters to them.

There are so many ways that I feel loved on a daily basis. Not only by my family, but by God above. There is not a day that goes by that I do not spend time thinking about, talking to, or praying to Him. I can see God working in my life every single day.  Things fall into place, questions are answered and worries are relieved all because of His love.   I have seen God show up in too many situations, there is no way that I could ever question His love for us. 

I guess these last few years, my husband has felt the pressure (from other men) to join the crowd of card, candy a flower givers.  

Don't get me wrong, it is a sweet gesture and politically correct. 

It's just that those aren't the kind of things that make me feel treasured.  

Nevertheless, I woke up on Valentine's Day to this.

 

I do love tulips...and chocolate, but totally would have felt loved today even if I had been empty handed.
I decided to show my family how much I loved them by cooking a home cooked dinner.

My Chauffeur

One day, I woke up and BAM!...my kids were grown. 

It still does not seem real that Brookelynn (my baby) is driving me around town.

She went for her permit test on Monday, February 13, 2017...and passed!

Immediately after passing the test, she drove me to Sparta to see mom.

We delivered her a dozen yellow roses for Valentines day and some dinner.

Mom loved the roses. She was excited and said "I wasn't expecting that!".

We visited for a while and went to the store for her to get a few things that she had ran out of.

It is a lot safer and faster these days to just run her errands for her.

When we made it back to Cookeville, Brookelynn chose Cracker Barrel for her permit celebration dinner.

Sunday Funday

Although business never completely comes to a halt, we have enjoyed and appreciated the slower months.  With spring arriving in just a few short weeks, reservations are gradually starting to increase. So far, we still have time on the weekends to enjoy lunches at our favorite restaurants, take Sunday drives in between reservations and rest some. 

We tried a new place in Gainesboro on Sunday. It was called "The Spot". It is located on the square and not only had great burgers, but a fun atmosphere. 

After lunch, we spent some time just walking around the square and taking in the old town feel of Gainesboro.

We took a drive through Granville and stopped by a cave and the marina. 

  

It was a great sunshiney day. A great day for a drive. 

Good Film Making

We went to see "Lion" this week. Talk about a heavy movie. We left the theater feeling relieved, broken hearted and wanting to adopt a child from India.

to see the trailer, click HERE

Several of us went the following day to have lunch at India Palace.  It was a good experience, but I have learned that Indian food is something that I can live without.

We had a fellowship meal at church this Wednesday so I made spaghetti. When I got to church, I found that two other people were thinking the same thing for dinner. 

I got excited Thursday, February, 9, 2017 because the installers came to put up our new shower doors.

Once the got everything out of the boxes, they realized that the wrong size doors had been ordered.

He told me that they would have to be returned and it would be a couple more weeks before the correct ones arrived.  :(

We didn't have much to celebrate, but we went to dinner at Logan's.  Lee and Judy met us there. All the talk around town is whether or not school will be closed due to flu and strep throat going around like crazy.

We did end the week feeling accomplished. We watched the final episodes of One Tree Hill Friday night.

 9 seasons and 187 (forty-five minute) episodes later...we reached the end.

Winter Jam 2017

Brooke didn't come to church with us on Wednesday, February 1, 2017.  She came home from school and fell asleep.  We were feeling pretty tired too. So after church, we went to grab some dinner at Zaxby's and headed home to get ready for bed.

On Thursday, February 2, 2017, I made fried green beans, scalloped potatoes and rolls while Stroker grilled some pork chops. Wouldn't you know, we cook a home cooked meal on the one day that Devin was not at home.  When his friend dropped him back off later on, he cleaned up all the food that was left. (Must've been good).

After distributing all 13 of the Winter Jam tickets on Friday, February 3, 2017, we headed to Nashville. It was about 3:00 when we headed out. We got there around 4:30 and the concert lasted until 11:50pm.  What a night!

Music, Prayer and Worship...all in one.

We had a great time. 

We got in so late on Friday Night (Saturday morning), that we slept in until about 9am on Saturday, February 4, 2017.

When I finally got up and got myself together, I went to visit daddy for a while and worked on my family tree.  I visited mom too. She was at Kevin's.  It was late in the afternoon before I got back home.   Too bad every Saturday can't be for visiting.

After Church on Sunday, February 5, 2017, we went to lunch at Cheddar's.  

We went to visit Ila after church at Bethesda.  She was glad to see us come by. 

When we made it back home, I took a nap. I think I was still tired from the late night Friday night.

I got up just in time to make some Superbowl snacks. I didn't watch the game of course, but I didn't let Stroker watch it hungry either.

Brookes Room Reveal

Brooke's latest remodel to her bedroom.  

She wanted to go with an all black and white theme.

Here is her monogrammed wall and new duvet and pillow shams.

 Her framed prints of herself and her besties.

New black shelves and magnetic wall art. 

She still wants a black butterfly chair to finish out this corner.

Her new black vanity and make-up station along with the additional black table to hold her new black jewelry organizer and other things.

I may have saved myself from the painting, but we sure ended up investing a lot in all these other accessories to complete the room.  

Hopefully she doesn't change her mind or style anytime soon.