THE ROOST

Sandy Thoughts

Well, the dilemma is over on the swimming suits.  Aren't you relieved? 

 I picked #1

The suit that makes you look slimmer with the apron support....and I also chose

#4

Not only is the pattern fun and more colorful but like Sara & Pamela said tankinis make going to the bathroom a lot easier.   Not that I have to go every five minutes or anything.  

Thanks for all your input and sorry to those who liked 2 & 3 better.  The swim dress, #2 was really cute but it had a little too much fabric on it and I was afraid that when I got wet I would get waded down and sink.  

Now that the swimsuit issue is over I can start packing my suit case to meet up with Mr. Perfect.

He is just shocked at how much water God put in the ocean and how nice it was of Him to put a huge sand box right on the shore.

Now he is ready for Mammy to dig in it with him...

And I can't think of a thing I had rather do!

Ps 139: v17-18  How precious also are Your thoughts to me, O God!  How great is the sum of them!  If I should count them, they would be more in number than the sand;

 

My Bathing Suit Dilemma

Why in the world would a woman who is 1/2 of a hundred even think about getting into a bathing suit?  Especially when she is sporting an apron?  

This is why.....

Mr. Perfect has a new swimming pool and he really wants me to join him in it.  Plus he is going to the beach and I he really thinks it would be more fun if Mammy was with him.  

Yes, you read my new name right it is now Mammy instead of Grammie.  See GR.... is hard for even an exceptionally bright child to say.    When he started calling me Mammy I just went with it.  I think it sounds kind of hip and cool don't you?   NO comment on that one please.

Back to the swimming suit.  Here are the options I have scoped out for the past month in every store that sells bathing suits quickly picked up.

Option #1

The one above has a tummy control feature built into it.  

Option # 2

The one above is the new swim-dress.

Option #3.....(thanks for hanging in there on this ridiculous post)

Let me just say that when I put this one on it looks like a one piece.....I felt I needed to make that clear since I am now a Mammy.  Same on the one below.

Option #4

"they" say alot of pattern confuses the eye and makes you look smaller or something like that.

I am not sure any of this matters when I will be keeping this on 99% of the time...(in black of course)

But I would still love to know what you think......Mammy is counting on your input!

Celebrating With Friends

This Thursday I am joining Between Naps on the Porch and her Tablescape Thursday.  

Last week I hosted a birthday lunch for one of my really good friends.  I wanted it to be fun & special and at the same time on the casual side.  These are the dishes I decided to use.  I had them all on hand.  Many of them are gifts from friends.  They know my weakness for beautiful dishes.

 

Half the fun is deciding what dishes you will use & trying to stretch yourself to use things you already have on hand.  

For this particular lunch I used basket treys instead of place mats since I was serving buffet style.

It helped keep things on the casual side too.  The striped square plates are paper and were a gift from a friend.

A mix of patterns makes it much more interesting while the bright pallet set a cheerful tone for the party.

I love the texture the baskets brought to the table.....

.

The centerpiece consisted of a red pitcher filled with fresh lilies in assorted colors. The little strawberry fly and mini bee skep helped keep it fun and lighthearted. 

Of course all the fun was in sharing food and conversation with wonderful old friends.

It is such a blessing to celebrate life!

Now go over to Between Naps on the Porch  and see the other wonderful Tablescapes!

Mr. Perfect is One Smart Kid

I have been dying to tell you about my trip to Mr. Perfect's house a couple of weeks ago.  First of all I want you to know....... the whole biting thing...........WAY over blown......I mean I think it was only a few times and no blood was drawn so we will just brush that aside.  

I really think Mr. Perfect wanted me to come down to see how he is taking care of his mom & dad. It is really amazing but of course I am not surprised at all. 

He knows how to load the dryer....

and the dishwasher.

He keeps his mom's headbands all in order for her.

And even waters the grass for his dad.

He does still find time to ride his horse....

But most importantly he always lets Grammie know how much he loves her....

In more ways than one!

 

Like I said he is ONE SMART KID!

My Embarrassingly Toxic Pantry

Well....... I finally got the lap-top up and going again.  I know you are hanging on the edge of your seat to hear about my visit to Mr. Perfect's house.  I promise I am getting to that really soon but first I have to tell on myself. 

I have prided myself in being a pretty good house keeper.  I actually enjoy keeping things orderly and weeding out is fun to me.  Weird I know! 

A few days ago I was getting an ingredient out of my pantry that I don't use often. When I checked the date on the item I was shocked to see how out of date it was.  My pantry had gotten out of order the past few weeks anyway and I thought I would just go through and do a little straightening and see if I had one or two other things that might be out of date that I was not aware of.

All I can say is it is a miracle that hubby and I are still alive!

Here are a few of the MANY things that were out of date in the pantry!

The more I dug the more I found.....

Most of the items I rarely use (thank the Lord) or had bought and never opened like the Hot Chocolate.  I filled this trash can up NOT once, or twice but THREE times!!!

I decided to peek in the refrigerator and see if I could find an item or two in there.

Yep!  BOTH of my ketchup's were past date!  Why I had two is a whole other issue. What really mad me mad enough to spit frustrated me were the items that I could not find expiration dates on.  It should be a law that the USE BY date is easy to find and clearly visible.  

A few hours later I had a nice, tidy, toxic free pantry and refrigerator. 

I hope if you check your pantry or refrigerator out that you don't find as many items as I did......But if you do let me know so I will feel a tiny bit better.  So much for the pride thing! 

My Silly Ole Computer

Chicks the computer died for a few days......boy did I miss visiting you.  And I have SO much to fill you in on.......My last visit with Mr. Perfect, my bathing suit dilemma & a new recipe that you have to fix. 

I am hosting a birthday celebration for a dear friend of mine on Thursday but after that I will be back in the saddle.......whatever that means!  

 Hope your week is going well. 

Garden Tour Wrap Up

On the second half of this Garden Tour we will focus on the patio since that is basically all my backyard is. 

 When hubbie and I bought this 75 year old home a little over 2 years ago, one of the things that appealed to us was the lack of yard in the back.   We had taken care of a large yard for years & as empty nesters we were ready to have less yard work. 

 In this backyard patio we can relax by a cozy fire on cool evenings.....

or enjoy out door dining with family & friends.

There is also a cozy spot for two to visit.

We added a gas grill for all our outdoor cooking.

Building these beds around the fence line helped to soften all the hard surfaces.

Water features placed at different locations added interest.....

as well as a soothing sound.

An unexpected piece can really bring interest to the patio....

Along with "garden friends".

And of course flowers......

spilling out of beds.....

in hanging pots...

and large containers.......

and in baskets attached to the fence.

I had to highlight Ms. Foxglove, my favorite among the bunch.

I was thrilled when I came across this garden chair at a local antique store.

On the side of our home we have a small grass area that is just right for the dogs.  

There is a small screened porch right off the patio.....

That way I can leave the door open to let the breeze in the house & it gives me a place to display my bird houses.

This plaque was giving to my hubbie by his best friend.

I hope you enjoyed touring our garden.  Most importantly I hope you enjoy your own out door space this summer.

We sure will!  

A Tour of My Garden

Chicks, I am at Mr. Prefect's house helping him sort out this biting issue he his friend has.  Of course I have seen no sign of biting yet.......  You know I will give you a full report when I return home.

While I am gone I thought you might enjoy seeing the progress we have made in our yard over the past few weeks.  You have to remember we had a lot of destruction from an ice-storm that hit our area in January.

We really had our work cut out for us this spring.  At times it seemed almost impossible.  But we rolled up our sleeves and dug in.

Now a few months later and lots of hard work we have things pretty much back to normal.  

We will begin the garden tour in the front yard.  I think it is so important to make an inviting entrance for your friends and family.

Always give special attention to the area by the front door.

Using a contrast of color in your landscape adds both beauty and interest.  

The lime colored perennial "Bishop's Weed" or  "Snow in the Mountian"  provides that contrast here.

This concrete fountain is set off by the flowering Astilbe, one of my favorite perennials. 

Layering your plants and shrubs at different levels provides even more interest.

I use as many perennials as I can in my garden.  Not only is it cheaper but that way I have something different flowering through-out the season. 

 This refreshing spot for the birds is accented by blue hosta's. 

Statuary placed at different locations helps bring texture to the garden.

Don't underestimate the impact one lovely plant can make.......along with a cute little snail.

 

In the next post we will tour the garden & patio in the back yard.   It is one of my favorite places to sit & relax as well as entertain. 

It has been well worth all the work.