Flashback and Fun Friday

Yes, that's me on the right, 

a flower child of the 70's.

That's the blue and white dress!

circa 1970

Some of my favorite characters

in real life and fiction:

Pippi Lockstocking

Please pray for Melana.

She's having some health problems

and they are still doing tests. 

Spider Man 

Snow White

There were so many princesses, 

and these were two of my favorites.

Cat Woman?

Is she not the puuuuur-fect kitty!

Ariel, my favorite

 Disney princess!

This is when Halloween is fun!

Bonnie:)

These are characters anyway,
with or without costume.

Scary! Creepy!

See, I told you!

There was even a guy with dreads walking around.

Fun Friday!

Fall Festival: We Let the Sonshine IN!

The last fall festival I attended 

was when my children were at 

Elder Primary and Sandersville Elementary Schools.

I remembered tonight how it felt to be a kid again. 

Yes, that's me with the big mouth.

Someone said, "Where's your nose?"

I realized she thought I was a witch.

LOL!  "Not tonight, Sweetie."

I always wanted to be a hippie.

Don't laugh.  Seriously.

I just couldn't and be a preacher's kid.

I had the fear of God and my daddy.

I was a child of the 60's and a teen of the 70's.

When I was 12, I attended my first boy/girl hayride.

I dressed up as a flower child

with blue eye shadow, white lip gloss, 

beads, maxi and flip flops. 

I already had the straight, blond hair down my back.

When I was in the 5th grade, I wore a maxi dress to school.

It was blue with yellow flowers and a yellow ribbon tied in the back

from the empire waistline.

 A boy stepped on the hem and it ripped down the front.

 The teacher said, "Well, you knew better than to wear 

that to school." I never did like that teacher.

I wore clogs and flip flops, smocks and scooter skirts, 

maxi and mini dresses.

I listened to good music on 45's and LP albums,

8 Tracks and cassettes.

I had the best of both worlds.

Shoot, tonight we had it all too!

The cool girl playing the guitar and singing, 

"Leaving on a Jet Plane,"

feeling the love and offering peace.

I'm wondering, 

"Where Have All the Flowers Gone."

Yes,

she's high on JESUS!

He's the only real PEACE!

Grace snatched the cool decor from her bedroom. 

Beth brought the incense and the music 

and we "Let the SONshine in."

It was GROOVY!

Feeling the Love, 

Bonnie:)

More festival photos to follow.  

Pump It UP

I'm so embarrassed by how my last post looked.

It was posted from my Iphone and Instagram. 

The boys were busy and my photography skills

are poor so the photos were blurry.

Please humor me as I share the weekend. 

The birthday boy's party was at Pump It Up.

I don't know that I have ever seen a group 

of little boys play so hard and get along so well.

The slides were huge and fast, 

but it didn't seem to bother the little ones. 

Bonbon and Maymay

went down the slide too. 

My hip is still sore.  

After about an hour of play,

the boys were ready to chow down.

I've been to some parties where the birthday boy 

tears open the presents without as much as 

a thought for each gift. 

Connor was so precious.  He took the time to inspect each

one and offer a thank-you.

Thank God, for parents who still teach manners. 

We were able to enjoy Cora Joy

while the other little ones played.

Grandma, Connor and Cora's GREAT GRAND is 83 years old.

She was the oldest kid there 

and got lots of love and attention from her little ones. 

Sunday morning we all enjoyed a little time 

together before heading home.

These babies hold my heart in their hands. 

I am still pumped!

Bonnie:)

"The Lure of the Label"

When my nest became empty, 

I had to fill it with something. 

My present-day fill, 

Junk!

It is often at an auction that I get

the best deals on

crates and wooden boxes.

My daddy's first cousin lived 

in Florida so we got a cardboard box 

or a nylon bag of oranges for Christmas every year-

no wooden box in my day.

In antique stores and flea markets.
a crate like this may sell in range from $35-$50.

Wooden crates are collected now and are often 

found in sheds, under junk, under the house, 

in storage or in the attic.

Dusted off they are used as bedside tables, 

book cases, toy chests, storage and 

of course, displays in antique stores, 

booths and flea markets. 

I recently read an article entitled, 

"The Lure of the Label."

In early years, fruits and vegetables 

were shipped in large quantities by railroad.

Labels with colorful art

attracted buyers and boosted growth.

Around 1955, the wooden box

was replaced with cardboard.

Nothing can replace the character of aged-old wood, 

loose nails and water stains

unless it's the natural wood grain and holes or the label.

Now crates are produced in mass production

and sold in home good stores and 

leading retail craft stores.

Will have fun using my crate 

for display this weekend.

This is the time of year 

to get busy in the booth. 

Have a Happy Week, 

Bonnie:)

Sorry that I've been absent these days. 

I've been burning up 1-20, I-75. amd I-24.

Anne, I'm Finding a New Normal Too!

I want to share with you, my friends

a recent post by Anne at 

Fiona  and Twig: A New Normal.

Click here to read her story.

Fiona and Twig

I was overwhelmed with compassion

and empathy because I can so relate

to all she is feeling.

I know what it's like to want to pull the covers 

over my head and stay in bed.

Comments on her blog have been turned off

but I somehow want to 

convey to Anne that I understand

what she is feeling.

Anne is an incredibly successful woman.

Her photographs are featured in 

magazines like Romantic Homes

and Flea Market Decor'.

However successful, none of us 

are without pain.

Losing her mom, she has sought

to find a new normal.

Success does not shield one from trouble.

None of us are exempt.

This lady right here taught me how to live,

how to love life,

how to act like a lady in public,

and how to act wild and crazy in our home. 

She taught me how to laugh.

Mama said, "Every day you need to have a good "belly" laugh."

Most of our laughs ended with puddles on the floor.

Most people would not consider that lady-like.

But mama was every bit a lady.

I lost her to dementia three years before she left.

She lost those tears of emotion. 

She lost the ability to feel, laugh or cry.

I just want Anne to know that I sympathize 

with her pain. 

There is not a day that goes by that I don't 

think of my mama and miss her.

When my grandchildren were born, 

I wanted to call Mama. 

When we got the news that my daughter 

was pregnant, my first thought was, 

"I need to call Mama."

Every time I'm sick I'm want my mama.

Don't we all?

When I'm incredibly lonely 

or ecstatically happy, 

I want to share it with my mama.

I feel like when I lost my mama

I lost my family.

I, too have had to find a new normal.

Thanks Anne, for sharing.

After four years, I am still missing my mama.

Bonnie:) 

Let Me Introduce You to Joyce and Nerium

Meet my friend, Joyce. 

Three generations of beautiful,

Joyce is the beauty on the left. 

She is daughter to the sweet lady in the middle,
 mom to this sweet girl (and 3 boys)

and a grandmother to the sweet babies below.

Most of all, she is a beautiful Child of the Most High King.

She loves with a gammy's heart.

Who can resist these loves???

Ahhhh. 

There's nothing like snoozing with our babies, huh?

Joyce and I became friends in high school.

She actually married the brother of one of my best guy friends

and, our children were friends in high school.

Like me, Joyce is the daughter of a preacher-man.

Unlike me, she is the wife of a farmer-man.
I don't know that I've ever been on a tractor in my life:)

Her husband, Bill comes from a farming family.
A great family, for sure!

It looks like he's passing the family business on to the next generation.

Joyce rotates her time between the farm and home, the church, 

work and her new business.

As a registered nurse, she has dedicated her life to helping people.
She's found a new way to help people.
I'll show you in a minute.

Joyce teaches women's Bible classes, sings in the church choir 

and on the praise team, but that is not who she is.

She is a beautiful person who loves people.
She has a servant's heart and her heart shows
in the way she cares for others.

Recently, Joyce and I reconnected.

We reached out to each other when we both lost our dads.

I started attending one of her Bible classes shortly thereafter.

I've shared on my blog, my struggles of feeling young and looking old.

While spending time with Joyce, I begin to see the changes in her complexion.

Joyce has always been beautiful, but I began to notice a glow about her. 

She is radiant and her skin is smooth.

I asked the questions...

What are you doing?

How can I look like that?

She showed me this,

and said, "Here, try this."

Nerium.

Here are photos after 2 weeks.
I could actually tell the difference in my skin's texture
after one application.
I can tell the most difference in the lines around my lips
and between my eyebrows.

I expect a whole new me in 3 months!
They've even got this body stuff!
I promise!

Tell you more!

Just Ask Me,


Bonnie:)

The Lord is My Shepherd

What a beautiful Fall Sunday morning!

I walked out this morning to get breakfast

and a cup of coffee from McDonald's 

and was nicely surprised to find sunshine and cool:)

What a beautiful day to celebrate and worship!

 I'm copying something that I posted 

on The Upside of Down blog.

http://livinglifeupside.blogspot.com/

Psalm 23 Explained Beautifully . . .

The Lord is my Shepherd - That's Relationship!

I shall not want - That's Supply

He maketh me to lie down in green pastures- That's Rest!
He leadeth me beside the still waters -That's Refreshment
He restoreth my soul -That's Healing!
He leadeth me in the paths of righteousness -That's Guidance!
For His name sake - That's Purpose!
Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death -That's Testing! 

I will fear no evil -That's Protection!
For Thou art with me -That's Faithfulness!
Thy rod and Thy staff they comfort me -That's Discipline!
Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies-That's Hope!
Thou annointest my head with oil - That's Consecration!
My cup runneth over -That's Abundance!
Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life -That's Blessing!
And I will dwell in the house of the Lord - That's Security 

Forever -That's Eternity! 

May God Bless You Today As You Seek Him, 

Bonnie:)

Granny's Sewing Notions

I still remember Granny's sewing notions. 

A button here, a button there,

in a drawer, in an apron pocket.

Old shirts were never discarded.

Buttons were cut off and cloth was used 

to make other garments or undergarments.

I can remember the "clothes pin bag"

hanging on a nail on the back porch

where the wringer washer sat. 

Granny's apron pocket held a little bit of everything.

I imagine once in a while you may find 

a couple of clothespins left over from the line.

A Granny's apron may be full

but a Granny's heart is never too full to hold one more.

Our Connor man got a haircut with candy and a movie

 at a kid's salon in Franklin last week. 

He likes to help mommy cook.

He will turn three this month and he is potty trained now.

No more pull-ups for the big boy.  

"I'm wearing big-boy britches."

At 6 months, our Cora bug is ready to crawl.

She is being introduced to rice cereal and veggies.

She is a sweetheart.  She makes my heart melt.

Cora adores her big brother and
she's mommy and daddy's little girl.

   

Some have asked me about my daughter and Baby Harper.  

I don't have a belly bump photo to show.  

Next weekend we will be in Nashville for Connor's birthday

and I'll come back with photos for sure.  

Harper is growing and both mommy and baby are doing well.  

Daddy can now feel her kick.  She can open her eyes

and she can hear.  I say, "Sing, baby girl, sing."

She weighs 1 1/2  pounds and is 13 1/2 inches in length.  

This week Christy had the glucose tolerance test

and we anxiously await the results. 

These two are as happy as can be. 

They just don't do pictures. 

That will have to change when our baby gets here!

I'm sure Daddy will buy a camera.

These two are TN and GA fans

but are happily on the same "team" in life. 

I don't sew and I don't hang clothes on the line, 

but I love like a Granny!

My Heart is Full to Overflowing, 

Bonnie:)