10 Things I Know For Sure

 

1.  There is no such thing as purple rain.

2.  Chickens will break your heart…..and so will children.

3.  You should never sneeze with a sleeping cat on your lap.

 

4.  If you don’t like one of these: Football, Baseball, Hunting or Fishing, you can’t live in the South.

 

5.  If you start an exercise program and you are sweating, huffing, puffing, moaning and groaning just getting out of bed then you need to stick to it.

(Image Source Page: http://sliceofmidlife.com/category/friends/)

 

6.  Sweat pants are not acceptable to wear to a funeral but yoga pants are as long as you color the yoga man with a black magic marker.

7.  Your college kid will always answer yes if you ask him if he needs money.

(Image Source Page: http://www.ethicalim.com/affiliate-marketing/how-to-run-a-flexible-successful-affiliate-program/)

 

8.  What goes up will come down……except my weight.

9.  Someone will always be prettier, skinnier, smarter and younger so just be happy with yourself just as you are.

10.  Jesus is the answer to everything.

 

(Image Source Page: http://www.trebledexerience.com/?cat=11)

How am I doing?

 

I’ve really enjoyed the blog so far.  I still have many, many things to get better at.

  I would love some feed back IF anyone is reading this.

Are the posts too long, too many pictures, not enough pictures, boring….etc?  Part of the joy of writing anything is a reader’s involvement so I hope you are enjoying the blog.

Now on to more interesting news.

I started a Bible study with two wonderful ladies on Thursday.  It is a Beth Moore study called Breaking Free.  I’m really looking forward to growing and learning.

And speaking of growing………..I had this for breakfast.

Yes, I need serious help.

I’m really hoping the Bible study will also help me “break free” from some bad habits such as this.

I know it is going to take some “divine” intervention.

I’ll let you know how it works out for me.

My heart was happy this morning.

  Both of my boys are at home this weekend.

  We had a chicken roundup this morning.  Just my boys being boys and that’s how I like it.

They caught some chickens for me to put in the chicken tractor. So, though the chickens weren’t happy about being chased, they loved it when we put them where there was fresh grass and dirt.

All in all a good morning.  I can’t wait to see what the rest of the weekend has for us.  I hope you have a great day!

The Power of Words

 

It doesn’t take much, really.  I don’t need things to make me happy.  I don’t need awards or trophies or words of praise.

This is what I need.

This is from my son who is in college.  I melt.

Or this sentence “Hey mom, what did you cook for supper?”

  This is from my son who lives on his own. I melt.

What about the phone call I got this morning from my husband asking if I was feeling better……..yes, this is what I need. I melt.

These words sink into the marrow of my bones.  They fill me up.

I treasure when my Mom calls and asks me to take her to her hair appointment.

I love when someone tells me that I’m just like my Dad.

My sister and my brothers texts.

Simple things, what are you getting Mom for her birthday?

My opinion matters. I melt.

The friends face book message……do you want to do lunch?

My Bible….”I will never leave you nor forsake you.”

Words……beautiful, wonderful words. 

Clean up yo house!

 

I am a fair housekeeper.

I could definitely use some type A personality traits. 

You know, the “everything has to be perfect” part.

  Because that is not me.

I’m not nasty or need to be on Hoarders but I’m cluttered.

Sometimes, ok most of the time I don’t stress over the dirty fingerprints on the white doors.  I don’t notice the assortment of clutter under the coffee table (you will see what I mean later).

  But you want to know how to clean your house really, really, well, I mean, really, really well?

Invite a type A personality over to your house for dinner.

Then you will see the dust and dirt on your baseboards, you will notice every door that needs repainting, you will see the cat hair on the cushions, and you will not have enough time in this year to get it all done.

I looked like the Tasmanian Devil wiping off counters, scrubbing floors, lint brushing cat hair, spray painting old wicker furniture, sweeping, dusting, cleaning windows…..whew!

(Image Source Page: http://www.toonfind.com/cartoon_page.php?cartoon_idnr)

 

The poor animals thought I was nuts!

They didn’t understand why they couldn’t come in….they all stood at the glass door watching me.

  I can hear their conversation..Cat-”What’s wrong with momma?”  Dog- “I don’t know but I’m a little scared. I tried to go in and she ran me off.”…..Cat- “Well, I don’t blame her, you stink.”…..Dog-“Do not!”….Cat-“Do too!”..Dog-“ well if you’re so clean why don’t you try to go in?”…..Cat (licking paw)- “Cause I don’t want to right now.”…..Dog- “You’re scared.haha.”…..Cat-“am not!”….Dog-“Are too!”

Do you see what I have to put up with?

Anyway, I cleaned from sun up to sun down.

  What I couldn’t get to, I threw in the laundry room and shut the door.  I thought about barricading the door but I thought she might get suspicious.

My son walked in and said “wow, it looks nice in here, who’s coming over?”  The nerve of him!  I said “I don’t know what you mean?…….ok ok….my friend is coming over. Now get out of here…wait…..pick up that empty gatorade bottle you just put on my table! Shoo! Shoo!”

So finally my friend comes over and I’m pretending like this is how my house always looks.  We ordered pizza (I couldn’t mess up my kitchen!) and we watched a movie and I was almost too exhausted to watch it.

  But it was a great night and I need to do this more often just so I will clean my house!  It is so nice to wake up this morning and have very little to do except……..eeeek!!!……the laundry room……:(

But I will show a few pictures.  Now although things are cleaner it doesn’t mean that things don’t need to be worked on.  I need a new kitchen and a new deck and to repaint the living room  and yada, yada, yada.  But I did try to spruce up the place as best as I could…..so don’t judge….:)

The cat did come in…..that sneaky little joker!  Wow, I should have cleaned under the coffee table.

I realize that is some bad looking green cabinets but they have grown on me and one day I will get a new kitchen.

Wow….that is a mish mash of style.

This is my desk and my collage wall.  Everything on it was given to me by a friend.  It makes me smile…..:)

Please do not look to closely because everything out here is old but it is amazing what a little spray paint will do and a few mums.  That’s my chicken coop in the background. 

I even made this while I was in my Tasmanian Devil mode!

Well, that’s it for now.  My house needs a lot but I’m going to tell you the truth, I love it!  I don’t mind shabby things, I embrace them.  If everything was brand new I would be scared to put my own little touches on them. Sure there is a long list of things I would like to change but part of the fun is figuring out how to “spruce” things up on a shoe string budget!

Hope you enjoyed it……have a great day!

Christmas across the street...

You know the expression the grass is always greener on the other side………well it literally is at my neighbors house. 

What do they put on that stuff?

I love my neighbor…she is my friend…but I tell you their place is beautiful.

  Our house is nice, it’s a small two story that sits a little off the road. It’s brown, of course because I live with all men, husband and two boys, so I gave up many years ago and we have brown cedar siding and brown walls inside.

 Picture a cave.

  My mom came over to look at something new I had bought and she literally said “I can’t see in here…it is so dark”.  Which completely serves my purpose of hiding the dirt and dust.

Sorry, I got side tracked.

Anyway, my friend lives across the street.  She also has a two story house,

much bigger,

creamy white siding,

  further off the road because she has a beautiful pond in front of her house.

Imagine something like this, without the tree blocking the house and even prettier.

Image Source Page: http://luxuryhomemagazineblog.wordpress.com/2010/11/05

.  You see what I’m saying?

  True story….I received a phone call one day and it was a girl and this is what she said. “Mrs. Tucker, this is so and so from the annual staff.  Every year we take group Senior pictures using someones’ porch.”

And I’m thinking…Wow, I really don’t think my porch is big enough but I’m so flattered that they are calling me….

then she said…”So Mrs. Tucker, could you tell me who lives across the street from you?”

You see what I’m saying?

  Now, imagine at Christmas with the whole house outlined in white icicle lights and green wreaths on all the windows, beautiful right?  Then imagine this whole beautiful sight reflected in the pond.

  It looks like a Norman Rockwell painting.

  I’m telling you that I could stand butt naked in my yard and no one would ever see me.

  Every Christmas there are people who drive by just to see their house.  They slooooowly drive by and I see the back of their heads.  Then they go down the road just a little bit and turn around and they slooooowly drive by again, and again, the back of their heads.

I tried, I really did but I couldn’t reach the top of the dormers, my roof is too steep, never enough lights, not organized at all, yada, yada, yada. 

And then there was the year that my boys, bless their hearts, surprised me.

  I came home one day and they were so excited because they had fixed the house up with Christmas lights.

Yes……they……..did.

They had hung colored lights all over the house that blinked along with the tune of the Christmas song that they were playing.

  Imagine randomly placed colored lights dancing to the tune of “Grandma got run over by a reindeer”.

Well, if you can’t compete just go in the opposite direction.

Well, that’s all I’ve got to say so I better go so I can start taking the Christmas lights down….heehee…..

Have a great day.

Love and Loss

 

You wouldn’t think I would be talking about a chicken by the title of this post….but I am…..sort of.

Something did get my favorite chicken, the one that would run to me and want me to hold her.  The only one  that would follow me everywhere. 

My little Nugget.

Why am I wearing a shark headband you say?  This picture was taken on my birthday and my nieces had given me this shark headband for my present.

Isn’t that precious?

  And that’s my favorite chicken of all time Nugget!  Who went missing yesterday and I can only assume killed by a predator.

Believe it or not I was heartbroken.

  And as I was going through my day yesterday, heartbroken, my heart started aching for people who have experienced real loss.

I can’t imagine a parent losing a child or a wife losing her husband. Children losing their parents, or the loss of a sister or a brother.

I have lost some friends and relatives and was so very sad about it but I still have my parents, my siblings, my husband, and my children.

I still have the people that I interact with daily, the loved ones that I’m not sure I could breathe without.

  I’m not ready.

I kept looking for Nugget all day yesterday thinking maybe she is just in shock and lying in the bushes.  I didn’t want to give up hope.

  Can you imagine the parents of a kidnapped child?

How do you go on? 

I know God has to make you stronger at this time or there would be no way to cope.

  I know that usually when someone has suffered a loss they are surrounded by friends and family.  But I can’t help but think eventually there will be a morning that they  wake up and no one is there. 

Life doesn’t stop and that’s not fair.

  So I guess the point of this post is that we will all suffer loss and there really is no way to prepare for it except to surrender to faith in God.

But also, don’t forget the people who have suffered a tragedy.  Mourn with them.

  Romans 12:15 – Rejoice with them that do rejoice, and weep with them that weep.

Six months or a year later, check on them.  Sometimes just a phone call or a card can make a difference.

  Believe me I’m preaching to myself on this one.

I promise to be more upbeat tomorrow but today, and not just for myself,  I will weep.

Bras and Spanx

 

I went shopping yesterday with my mom and the day was going great until……we decided to go into the lingerie department of a big department store.

Have you ever  encountered  the “overly” helpful saleswoman? 

We were in the bra and spanx section and I know when she saw us she thought she had hit the jackpot.

Before we knew it she had slapped us in a dressing room and bringing in “letters” way down the alphabet, if you know what I mean ladies.  Men at this moment would have no clue.

She’d say things like “Come on outta that dressing room and turn around, tsk tsk, that’s way too small, it’s squishing all that fat out under your arm, you see that?”

“Let me go see if I can find a bigger size.”

She walks out and mom grabs my arm and whispers like we are trying to plan a jail break.  She said “I’m NOT trying on another thing and we are getting out of here!”

So I say “I’ll distract her while you get out of the dressing room.”

  I hurry out into the “bigger” section of lingerie and just grab the first cheap thing I could find and say to the saleswoman “I’d like to buy this please.”

While she is ringing up my purchase I see mom slip out of the dressing room and walk behind all  of the racks to get out unseen.

We celebrated the “great escape” by eating out at the Olive Garden with their donut thingies that you dip in chocolate as dessert!!

It’s the least we could do to “support” the “G” cup girls out there….;)

Edit!

 

Synonyms: correct, tidy up, check over, amend, change, alter, revise, rewrite, rework, rearrange, rehash, improve

That sums it up…that’s exactly what I need to do.  All of the above.

I need to correct….. my attitude, almost daily, or I will catch myself grumbling and complaining and wasting a perfectly good day.

I need to tidy up…..oh my do I need to tidy up, enough said.

I need to check over….. all my personal and financial documents for peace of mind.

I need to amend…..some of my last conversations, possibly say I’m sorry.

I need to change…..my eating habits.

I need to alter…..my footprint on earth.

I need to revise…..my opinion of carrots.

I need to rewrite…..my blog many times before I hit publish.

I need to rework…..my bucket list, some things aren’t that important any more.

I need to rearrange…..my time to lead a more balanced life.

I like to rehash…..my twenties, or as  I like to call them “the skinny years”

I want to improve…..my self discipline.

EDIT…….yes, it IS a four letter word but it doesn’t have to be a bad one.

Rainy days and cozy corners…..

I love rainy days.

  I love the darkened sky and the coziness of the day.

I turn on all the lamps in my house and I feel comforted.  I turn on the radio and get my housework done.  I like my cozy corners.

I’ll read my Bible and say prayers for my children.

  I’ll fold the laundry and watch the squirrels out my window.

I’ll pet the cat and hear him purr. 

Maybe I’ll balance the checkbook tomorrow.  I’ll put a pork roast in the crock pot and text a friend.

I’ll call my husband just to hear his voice.

Yes, I will play scrabble online with a friend and may even gloat when I spell a great word.

I’ll enjoy the peace and quiet of this day.

When the rain is over I will walk in the yard and breathe the cool, fresh air.

  I will watch the birds drink from the bird bath.

  I will be grateful for this day.

Men! You can’t live with em’ but you just can’t shoot em’!

 

Let’s talk about men.  I wonder how they all have not been strangled by their women.  Why, you ask?

Is there a such thing as true love?

Let’s just say you’re going to have a party at your house.

 You call everyone or send out invitations, clean the house, shop for food, unload the groceries, cook the food, sweep the floors, mop the floors, sweep the porch, call the babysitter, chill the wine,

drink some wine,

walk past your husband 100 times who is sitting on the couch watching t.v., you take a shower, set the table, make sure there’s ice, put the animals in their kennels, glare at husband,

drink some wine,

take food out of oven, light some candles,  iron your clothes, iron your husbands clothes, yell at your husband to get off the couch and get ready,

drink some wine,

stub your toe, burn the rolls,

drink some wine,

ask your husband where the extra card table is, wonder how he could have forgotten  the only thing you asked him to do,

drink some wine,

greet the guests, and overhear your husband apologizing to the guests because you are tipsy from drinking too much wine!!!

Example #2.

You and your husband decide to build a deck. 

You buy deck magazines, you look up deck pictures on Pinterest, you read all about decks, you study deck structures.

You have many restless nights dreaming about the perfect deck for your house.  You finally, after much agonizing pick your deck plan.

This decision was reached because of how well this deck will integrate with your landscaping. 

You have waited years to build this perfect deck.

Your husband hires the builder and you go out of town.  You come home to a deck that is nothing like the deck you picked out.

You feel your heart beating faster, your face getting hot and you are in a state of shock.  You sputter to your husband…”What happened??? Why is this nothing like the deck I picked out?” 

He shrugs and says..

”He (the builder) called me and said he was having problems figuring out the plans to your deck so I just told him to build it like he wanted to.

Why?  Is that not o.k.?”

But then………………….

You can be having the worst day of your life and your husband call and ask if you’re o.k.

  You can come home and he will have already cooked supper.

You can get in your car and it has been filled with gas and cleaned. 

You can feel his hand find yours during the night.

He will call you and tell you to listen to his radio and it will be playing your favorite song.

You will overhear him tell someone that you are the reason his kids are good kids.

He will worry when you’re sick and he will want you by his side when he is.

  He will make you so mad you want to strangle him but he will make you so happy that you don’t.

 This is what you call…….true love.

BLESSED…

I’m sitting here this morning realizing how blessed we are.  In the simple things, like drinking a hot cup of coffee on a cool morning.

I love that one son is sleeping upstairs and the other one is right down the road at his house.

  I love that I can hear birds and roosters and I even hear a power saw in the distance and I think,  isn’t it great that we live in the country and isn’t it great that we live in this country, this great USA.

I love that I can read blogs and facebook and see what my friends are doing today.

I love my chickens.

I love when my husband holds my hand during the night.  I love when a friend texts me and asks me to pray for someone.

I love when my college kid comes home and sits on our bed and talks to us.  I love when my other grown son stops by to eat supper and watch a movie with us.

I love dogs at my feet and a cat on my lap.

I love watching ballgames with my friends and planning the food for that day.

I love when my mom calls and wants to do a project and when my dad goes fishing with my guys.

I love when my driveway is full of trucks and boots by the door.

Just not such dirty boots….:(..ugg.

I love that God gave us seasons, and just when we are tired of one the other springs forth.

I love when last years jeans still fit. I love left over pound cake for breakfast with my coffee.

I love precious children who are happy to see you. I love chippy swings and the color red.

I could go on and on about the things I love but I will have to save it for another post.

I hope you all realize how blessed we all are and I hope you enjoy the simple pleasures in life.  It really all boils down to one word………..LOVE………..

I love my Lord Jesus Christ and I hope you all enjoy your blessed day!

Good Morning! It’s Friday y’all!

Another glorious day! 

I’m up with the chickens!

My husband and I had our morning coffee together before he had to go to work.  I say goodbye to him and I’m off to feed the chickens.

You know all the sweet blogs that show beautiful farms and the cute ladies that live on them.

You know, they wear precious aprons and are a size 4 and have beautiful gardens and homes and yards.

  Well, this is nothing like that….

This, is my chicken feeding attire most every morning.

Yes, this is my pajamas and rubber boots that I found in Dirt Cheap for $5.

I’m sorry. 

As you can tell even from this angle, I am not a size 4.

  My only excuse is that the chickens are hungry and they don’t care what I wear, except Aunt Bea .

She just has a bad attitude…all….the…time.

I love going to the chicken yard and talking to them.  They all gather at the fence and are so excited to see me.

My dogs come out there and lie around in the cool dirt.

My cats follow me around and sometimes climb the fence and get inside with the chickens.  They are all friends.

I love looking inside the coop and seeing this.

It’s a great start to a great day!  As I’m walking back to the house I check out my flowers

and birdhouses.

How do you start your day?

I’m the Bomb!

Do you want to know why I’m the bomb?

It goes like this.

I’m a beginner, of blogging.  I’ve never done anything like this before (as you can probably tell).  I am

still trying to figure a lot out.  But I have been a blog reader for a long time.

I love them!  One of

my favorite blogs of all time is

talefromthecoopkeeper.blogspot.com

She is awesome!  She is the reason I

have chickens.  If I am the bomb then she is the atomic bomb! 

www.image.net

(Does anyone else see a clown is this picture?)

Seriously trust me on this if you

want to start your day with a smile then you must read her blog.

I also love  many, many more.  You will see

my list

if I can ever figure out how to put them on my side bar.  But back to the question of why I’m the bomb!

I sent Jayme, from

talefromthecoopkeeper.blogspot.com

, a question about how to learn how to blog and she answered me!

Not on her blog but on mine!!

It is the ONLY comment I have on my blog but it is oh so special to me.  I couldn’t wait to tell my husband so I called him at work. He was like, “that’s good honey but I’ve got to go”.

  And that, ladies and gentlemen, is why I am the bomb!

I told everyone that I talked to that day.  My husband came home from work and he was watching  t.v. and I strutted into the room and said “I am the bomb and do you know why?”

and he said “I know, I know….that chicken lady commented on your blog.”

Well that’s my story of why I’m the bomb and I was about to “explode” (like that?) to tell you about it.  I hope you enjoyed it.

A Beautiful Day!

 

http://www.prospecthillnc.com/general.htm

What a beautiful day!  After doing my housework I sat down to Pinterest.  Big mistake!  I started looking at pretty porches. Oh, the inspirations that are on there.  So I decided to get off of my behind and go spruce mine up…(porch, not behind).  I realize quickly that I need to clean up some things before I can decorate.  Some items just need to go to the garage, or inside.  Then I looked around some more and saw that my flower beds need weeding and my sidewalk trimmed and the furniture wiped down and……. run, slam, whew, I think I’ll just sit on the couch and do a little more research…..;)  How did you enjoy this beautiful day?

Always Remember

It’s Time…

It’s my favorite time of year!  I love fall, it is yearned for after 100 degree days of the summer, especially if you live in the South. The animals love it too.  The dogs are friskier, running and chasing each other, the chickens are clucking and scratching in the cool dirt and seem to be happier. Have I ever shown you my coop?  I love my chicken coop. Here is a picture of it when it was first built by my sweet husband and my sons.

We have eight hens and one rooster.  They seem to be very happy here.

Now, where was I?….Oh, the animals, and last but not least the cats.  This weather does not particularly make them frisky, in fact they seem to be turning into lap cats.  Sleeping all the time.

 

Now, I think I will get off this computer and go for a walk.  What’s your favorite time of the year?

PUTTING UP PEAS AND COLLEGE FOOTBALL

IT’S A GOOD DAY!

HOW IS YOUR DAY?

HAIR!! IT’S NOT FAIR!! I WANT LONG, BEAUTIFUL HAIR!!

Do we all dream of having long, beautiful hair? I'm sure of it!! I know i do! I dream of having thick, shiny, long hair. I would wake up in the mornings, looking a little sexy, messy, and depending on my mood gather my hair in a cute, sassy ponytail.

                                                     bellamumma.com

Or….if my mood was romantic, I could put it up in a bun or a beautiful braid.

                                              iammommahearmeroarblogspot.com

But the reality is this….but not that good because I have a fat face.        

                                                slhairstyles.com

And I have tried…..oh how I’ve tried….to let it grow out.  That’s when the barrettes, headbands, and bobby pins all come out.  But the final straw, when I know I can’t take it anymore, is when I walk around the house holding my bangs in a wad and pulling them straight up….I can’t take it!!  So my hats off to you (or in my case maybe I need to leave the hat on..) to all of you that can grow your hair out after you have had a short haircut.  I think I will go watch G.I. Jane now.