Forever Neighbor

 

My Favorite Neighbor and Forever Friend...

Joining Michelle 

Here

I feel very Blessed to have a forever friend as my neighbor. Some people move into a neighborhood and barely learn thier neighbors' names.  Not me!

I have known my precious neighbor for a very, very long time.  Dorothy aka..Dotta was my 5th grade teacher and my all-time favorite!

Dorothy and her husband Bill.  Bill passed away 3 years ago.  I loved him as much as I love Dorothy.  

I went from raising my hand in her classroom to borrowing sugar from her kitchen..... Life has a funny way of circling back, doesn't it?  

We have been neighbors for years now and honestly, I think God knew I needed her close by....and she needed me.  

We are like two peas in a pod.  We both love turning our homes into cozy, Pinterest-worthy spaces (though her home always seems just a little more magazine ready.)  We get giddy over holiday decorating....Pumpkins, Garland, Twinkling Lights, Christmas everything!  

You name it, and we have probably hot-glued it together....at midnight... while trying to decide what we would be creating  next.  

She tells me if something doesn't look right, and I do the same at her place.  

I am so very thankful for her friendship that feels more like family..I'm thankful for the comfort of knowing there is someone just across the street who truly knows me well.  One thing I must share about my Dorothy is that she gets up early everyday, and before 7:00 am....she is fully dressed in the cutest outfits!!  Hair is done, jewelry is in place (earrings, bracelets, necklaces...rings) and she has on the cutest outfits around...shoes matching.  Speaking of shoes, when I was in her class at school, she always wore the most gorgeous high heels.  She would let a few of us girls in her class wear her shoes for a while in the classroom.  We really thought we were big!! 

How old is my friend?  She is 86!!

I am thankful for her.....for her kindness, her humor, her big heart and for the way she always seems to know when to pop in for a chat.  She is living proof that the best neighbors are not just close in distance, they're close in heart.  

I love lifelong connections, and I must say that it is pretty sweet when your favorite teacher becomes your favorite neighbor.....

This is an A+ blessing!!

Happy Thursday....

Shug 💛

An Apple-Licious Hodgepodge

An Apple-Licious Hodgepodge 

Sweet Friends....today is Wednesday, and this means it's time for the Hodgepodge...

Joyce asks the questions.

We Answer he questions.

1.  The apple doesn't fall far from the tree.  How does this saying ring true in your own family, either the one you grew up in or the one you made?

In our case, our daughters have picked up several traits as well as habits from Sam and I.  I like to think they we have shared our fun laughs and our kindness with them...there might possibly be a few stubborn streaks that go along with this.  I do love how this age old saying reminds us how our influences run deep..our words, our actions, and our love has a way of showing up in the next generation, mostly in beautiful and surprising ways.  

2.  Something you're nuts about these days? How about something that's driving you nuts?

One thing that drives me nuts is that the stores change seasons way before it is time.  We are still having 90 temps and yet the stores are filled with sweaters and coats.  I kinda understand but location is important and when your Winter's are barely cool enough for sweaters, then why not try to stock what people need.  

Lets see...what am I nuts about right now.  The sunsets have been so very pretty and the fresh flowers that I've been buying for our home have been gorgeous...  Also...Fresh sheets!  I love to crawl into bed with fresh sheets greeting me...

3.  What does abundance mean to you?

Living in abundance is seeing life through a lens of gratitude...There is goodness all around us and I enjoy investigating what is to come.  Love, JOY, peace are all sweet blessings and I feel that my life is very content in these.

4.  Caramel apple-caramel cake - caramel corn - caramel sundae - caramel macchiato.....what's your caramel treat of choice?

When it comes to caramel, is there a favorite?  I suppose my very favorite would be caramel pie!!  My granny (Bless her heart) was the best at making caramel pies.  There was one time that I rode my bike to her house and she had two fresh caramel pies setting on the counter.  She could see me eyeing them, but she never offered me a slice...they were for her company that was coming by.  

5. What's a childhood memory that always comes to mind as the leaves start to fall?

Playing in the leaves with my brothers and sister....and of course, having a huge pile of leaves in the back of my dads truck and us driving through the country on top of the leaves.  By the time we would get home, there were no leaves left to burn.  We did this when our daughters were growing up as well.  great memories!

6.  Insert, your own random thought here.

My random thought is about the man in the photo above.  The love of my life, the apple of my eye!!  What can I do to help him feel better?  What traditional medicine is out there?  Dandelions?  Ivermectin? Medicinal teas?  I'm doing a little research.  Sometimes we have to try other things especially when you are in a waiting period.  

Happy Wednesday

Shug...💛

                         

 

Our Trip!!

Hey Friends....I am back!

Oh Friends....our little get-away to Midland was just what we needed! We spent time with both of our grandsons and their sweet families, and it filled my heart right up.  They have homes that are very welcoming and we could feel the instant sweetness and excitement of us being there.  

Now...I want to be honest. When I first pictured Midland, I imagined nothing but tumbleweeds rolling across dusty roads, oil wells stretching for miles, and a tiny gas station on every corner. And YES...there were those thousands of oil wells!! But what a pleasant surprise to find a city that's not at all what I expected.  It is a very clean, vibrant and bustling city.  The sunsets were out of this world as the sun fell to meet the earth.  And..of course, I didn't get a picture of a single one.  

We ate some delicious food for sure...steaks, salmon, some awesome Mexican food and Ice cream...  I am not even a fan of ice cream, but my salted caramel scoop was super yummy!!  As a bonus, I got to visit with a great-nephew and his family.  It had been a couple of years since I last saw him and it was great to share dinner and conversation with him and his fam. 

             My nephew and family

         Tucker, Emily and William

The Newlyweds, Trey and Savannah

Sam, Tucker and Trey

Halloween must be a big deal out there because we saw one house....NO, we actually saw several homes that were so decked out in scary decorations that we could barely see the homes.  I think the ghost and goblins were enjoying us stopping to take pics.  

Crazy!!!!

Our flights were easy, parking at DFW was a breeze (I am still amazed by that) and the whole trip felt smooth from the start to finish.  Sam and I even learned a few things about getting from one terminal to another with great ease.  I love it when everything falls into place and this was definitely one of these times.  Thank you Lord!!

We came home feeling so refreshed...body, mind and soul.  Midland, you were such a delightful surprise, and to our grandsons and families ...thank you for the love and the sweet memories we made.  

Glad to be home and to the sweet smell of cinnamon flowing through the house.  

shug....💛

Thankful Thursday.

WIFI and TV service was out all day on Wednesday!!

My deepest apologies to everyone who had joined Joyce's Hodgepodge yesterday...  Just after I had posted...the WIFI and TV service in our area went out and was off all day long!!  I could not read post and could not comment.  

I'll give this another try today by joining Michelle @ It's a small town life.     Thankful Thursday.

I am thankful for Breast Cancer Awareness!!🩷💕🩷

October always brings a little more pink into our days....on ribbons, T-shirts, ballfields, storefronts, and social feeds.  Not because pink alone changes the world, but because it reminds us to link arms for something that touches so many lives: Breast Cancer Awareness and the beautiful web of support wrapped around it. 

This October, may our gratitude turn into action, our awareness into compassion, and our pink ribbons into real-life support...

Meals delivered, rides offered, hands held, prayers prayed.  🩷

May October fill your hearts with Peace... 

Shug 🩷

PS:  I will be away from my computer until Sunday night.. guess this means I will be away from blog world for a few days!  love y'all