Catching Up on News...

The beautiful trim work and details on this farmhouse have always made it one of my very favorite.

I haven't visited in a while so I thought it might be time to catch up with you.  I can hardly believe we are looking at the end of March!  Where did time go?  

I am so happy to see spring arrive, but couldn't resist sharing a couple photos from winter when I was traveling back roads one afternoon during a snowstorm.  This beautiful white farmhouse is one of the most lovely in the area.  You like it?

Since I've been home from visiting Jamie and her family in Alabama earlier this month, things have pretty much been a whirlwind. Spring arrived when I arrived home and the grass greened up and is beautiful emerald and thick and lush, leaves are bursting forth and spring blooms are everywhere.  It's been a most unusual March.  

This has meant that spring yard work had to be done and the lawnmower has been busy, too!

The old windmill still stands in the farm yard.

While I was away visiting Jamie and the kids, my husband had a routine vision appointment.  While there, he did poorly on the peripheral vision test.  

This result caused his optometrist to send him to an specialist.  This man took tests, had him come back the next day and took some more.  He immediately sent him to get an MRI of the head and neck.  This MRI showed a tumor on the pituitary -- located behind the eyes and nose.  It's about 3 cm or about the size of a walnut.  What happens is this presses on the optic nerves and affects the field of vision.

This is most times benign but must be removed to prevent further vision problems.

We were told to go to the University of Michigan Hospital and we had an appointment there yesterday with a neurologist and an endocrinologist.  A blood test was done and it was determined that the tumor could not be removed with drug treatment, as these sorts sometimes can.  

So surgery is scheduled two weeks from today.  It's been a busy time with many appointments and tests and life and driver's education thrown in between.  :-)

The barns are covered in white as well...so calming.

We are praying for a safe surgery and a full recovery.  If left intact or else undetected, this tumor could cause blindness and other health issues related to the thyroid.  Lem was prescribed thyroid medication, also right away and has never needed a daily medication in his life.  All of this will be a new road for us.

So if I don't show up as often here in the coming weeks, I know you'll forgive me!  I'll be back as often as I am able--sharing photos and life with you when I can.  


The surgery will be followed by a two-week recovery time at home.  My schedule won't be normal until the end of April, and I'm sure we'll have follow-up appointments to see to--the hospital is about an hour and a half from home.

But, among the thorns there are roses...the good news?  We have a cheerful trip planned for seeing those sweet grand babies for spring break, right before his surgery is scheduled.  This will make the time pass so pleasantly while we wait for him to be admitted to the hospital.  

It's time for me now to wish you a blessed Easter Season, my friends, in case we don't get to visit again before that beautiful holiday.

Sunny Days! In March?

See the sunshine? It's glorious!

It has been one of the most unusual months of March in my whole life.  Michigan doesn't experience sunshine for this many days in a row, and summer like temperatures in March.  

 The ruffled daffodils look just right in this bottle.

It has been so unusual, in fact that there are many things that I've done this March that I've never in my life done before in Michigan.


I'll make a list.


1.  I've never seen bugs on my windshield in March.


2.  I've never mowed the lawn in March--we've already mowed, TWICE and the month isn't over yet!


3.  I've never hauled out the summer clothes and needed to wear them in March.


4.  It has never been so hot in March that I've had to click on the central air--NEVER.


5.  I've never been sunburned in March and had flip flop tan lines being in March.


6.  I've never been able to drive the convertible with the top down in March.


7.  I've never seen spring blooms so early in March.  The crocuses, snowdrops, are all done.  The daffodils and hyacinths are blooming and the tulips will only take another week or so and they'll be blooming!


8.  I've never had the leafs burst out of their protective covers on our trees in March.


9.  I've never seen the lilac bush greening up in March.


10. I've never ever seen so.many.bugs. in March!

This is a Arizona Iced Tea bottle that my daughter brought home years ago...and I loved it so much I saved it.  I wish they still made their bottles to look like this, so adorable!  

Our surroundings outdoors actually look about six weeks ahead of where they normally are.  It's hard to believe we're only in the third month of the year!


How has your weather been?  

$4 gas, $1 Abortions

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness.

Those words are beautiful, inspired words, written and agreed upon by men who understood that we could not leave them until last, that they must appear first, the premise upon which all other words in their sacred document must follow.


I don't know about you, but I hardly recognize America any longer.  


Forget that "Affordable Care" law is two years old today, and we STILL don't know all that is in it.


Forget about the fact that the CBO underestimated by HALF the cost of this megatron, it's TWICE as expensive as originally estimated, therefore guaranteeing our bankruptcy even more quickly if implemented.


Forget about the fact that twenty-seven states have appealed their case on the unconstitutionality of this issue to the Supreme Court of the United States.  (Why there aren't fifty involved is disturbing!) 


Forget about the fact that SEVENTY PERCENT of Americans want it completely repealed.


There's more.  And you may not realize it, but there's something insidious in that law that makes my blood run cold.


In addition to mandated "free birth control", I saw a news story last week that told of $1 abortions that must be available to every woman in the new so-called "affordable care act", I was absolutely appalled.  


Not that the price of the abortion is the important thing; of course it isn't.  What's paramount is the fact that it happens at all.  That is still the most awful destruction ever there was.

However, to cheapen an abortion to the point where it costs less to destroy a life on an innocent human than it does to buy a gallon of gas...incredible.

That we've even arrived at this point shows how very small the value life is to this administration.  Are we then supposed to feel safe and trust that their plan for our health care is any more well-intentioned toward us?!   


This hardly received any coverage in the news, and I can't really question the motives for avoiding this, to tell the truth, there is so much bad news and perverted legislation happening, and so fast, one can barely keep up with all that's coming out of Washington, D.C.  

I fear for my children and grandchildren.  


This particular dictate in the "affordable care act" is because if this is how low we can go toward the life of an innocent, what value will a human have who is already born, yet is unable to care for him or herself, ever?  


What value will an elderly person who is sick have under this plan?  I think we all know the answer.

This all came out as a result of the discovery that religious organizations (well, most of them anyway, as with everything Obama decrees, there ARE exceptions, thus removing the idea that there will be equal treatment under the law!) would be forced to participate in the mandated birth control and abortion drugs.

All of this is dribbling out in bits and pieces. A few days ago, another story was dribbled out and this left me breathless:  free sterilizations for college girls!  WHY?!  What college girl has the insight to make such a decision as this at that age?!  

Why is this so important to "affordable health care"!?!  

There is, as we can clearly see if we take the time to look: a culture of hatred toward new life.  How can any country expect to be blessed when this is our outlook on something as sacred as LIFE?

Why does it feel like the forces of evil are running our country from Washington, D.C.?


The war on Christianity, and our founding documents and everything that is truth and good is surely here and it's here now! 

My New Friends...

While I was in Alabama, week before last, I tore myself away from my cute little grand babies and was finally able to connect with the beautiful and delightful Sandie, of Steadman's Corner Blog fame.

Sandie has an absolutely adorable blog you would want to visit:  full of vintage finds Sandie puts together and displays with aplomb, a place full of eye-candy I always enjoy visiting very much!  


And there was a bonus...!

Sandie brought along her friend Angie, and she is also beautiful and cheerful and was so much fun!  We met up at an antique store Candlelight Antiques in Elkmont, Alabama, and shopped until our hearts were content! 


Then Sandie took us to another little antique mall where her parents have a booth full of adorable vintage finds that Sandie helps them to display.  There's nothing we like better than looking through the castaways and finding ourselves a little treasure or two.  Or three.  Or four.  Heh.  

We then when to a restaurant called "The Snack Shack"...and GIRL...we had some good southern vittles for lunch.  It was a vegetable plate with field peas, fried okra, and a couple other goodies we chose, but the highlight of lunch was our heaped-up plate of FRIED PICKLES!  Oh, man were they good, my mouth is watering now.


We had the nicest visit during lunch and found that we all have a lot in common and we laughed and talked like old friends.  What fun!


After lunch, we visited another antique mall and laughed even more, harder than was probably polite, but oh, those girls are funny!

I had to share some pictures I took of "The Shack" ... the interior was something that was so detailed we had to take time to look to notice all the details of this "re-purposed" restaurant interior.

One of the most noticeable characteristics of the restaurant was the reused doors that were everywhere, and they were all colors, all textures.  

The doors separated the booths.

On one side of the restaurant, the booths sat below a canopy of beautiful brackets with a tin roof.   We were told that the brackets here came from an antique carousel.

Doors lead you to and let you into the restrooms...

Old tin and old wood were treated with paint in gorgeous hues and used in such creative ways.

Old barn-style lighting shows off the artwork.

I had to shoot the bathroom door for you in all its chippy glory, wit the adorable oval-shaped knob...

We visited for a while with the waitress and she said paint and acid were used to make the textures on the surfaces of the restaurant.




And, old homes that sat near the restaurant site were razed and picked for rescued wood to use here.

This particular shade of blue was my favorite, that and the aqua.

In the restroom, they had used an old dresser as a vanity, isn't it something?!

Oh, say can you see?  The aqua paint that lies beneath that chippy top coat?

Enjoy the colors...!

This aqua church pew sits right inside the door welcoming those waiting to be seated.  The vintage policeman cutout cheerfully greets us.

I loved the way they displayed their pictures.  I believe behind each picture here is galvanized gutter straps!  They set each photo off gorgeously and unify the photos on this gorgeous red wall.

Old rusty tin was on some of the ceiling surfaces.

There were gorgeous choices in lighting everywhere.

A tiered galvanized container holds their candy and gum selection.

Chippy and rusty surfaces are gorgeous against the concrete floor.

My new friends, Sandie and Angie!

Lots of barn wood was  re-purposed.  


I cannot wait to get back to Alabama and see my daughter and her family, and to go see my new friends again!

Hope you enjoyed your tour of the Snack Shack!