"Let it Go..."

 FROZEN ❄❅❆

How many of you have seen this animated musical either on TV or on the big screen?  I must confess....I had not.  I went, completely unaware of the storyline, the music, or what emotions it might stir up. 

BUT....last evening....Oh my dear heart!!

I had the sweetest opportunity to attend this musical at Mylee's school, and let me tell you...I  was more than impressed...It honestly was captivating. 

Shanda, Mylee, Trista and I all enjoyed watching the show and seeing many of Shanda's students as well as Mylee's friends playing some of the main characters in this production. 

This theatrical presentation was well worth the cost of my ticket. This story came together through young hearts who are very talented. 

The costumes, the lighting, the music....all of it was beautiful. What truly made the night unforgettable was the passion shining through each student on that stage...The audience could feel it through every song that was sung and in every step they took.  I know that I certainly did.  

I walked in not knowing a single thing about this musical ..... and walked out feeling like I had experienced something truly meaningful.  

This morning I woke up singing

"Let it Go, let it go" which was the main number.. I have heard the song before, but now it has meaning for me. 

This theatrical performance was a reminder for me that sometimes we hold onto things a little too tightly.

Worries, expectations, even fears.  

Maybe just maybe this song is one that we need to keep close to our hearts...

"let it Go..."

I'm here this morning....waving at you all from my front porch..  

Wish you were here to join me in a warm cup of coffee...or hot cocoa.  

I HAVE PLENTY OF BLANKETS..

It's chilly outside this morning...

hugs, 

Shug...💛

  

Rain, Rain.....

    

Here in East Texas, we've officially entered the season of "Rain, rain, go away....come again another day," and we mean sometime in August when we are standing in the yard with a garden hose pretending it's rain.

Meanwhile, my friends over in Florida are singing a completely different tune:  "Rain, rain, come today..Please, please make plans to stay."  They are out doing rain dances while I'm considering the need to build an ark. 

My rock garden area is loving all this wet stuff. ...The few plants that I've planted in this area are really liking the natural fertilizer (nitrogen) that is coming from all the lightning we have had.  

We have had several inches of rain over the past two weeks and the grass is thriving a little too much.  I think the frogs are throwing nightly concerts, and my poor zinnias are looking at me like ..."Ma'am, we did not sign up for this...We are Sunshine flowers."

I do enjoy the sound of rain, but I am ready to be singing...  "Here comes the sun" (the Beatles 1969)

Can you see me?  I am laughing at this picture...It looks like my biceps are the size of apples.. 

I was actually taking a picture of my shadow in one of the water puddles.  

Hoping everyone gets what they need...If you need rain...I hope you get some.

If you need a breeze...I hope it blows your way.

If you need some sunshine....I hope the sun brightens your day... 

Shug...💛

The Skirt

 Sewing!!  I do not sew.  Not because I don't want to, it's because I don't know how.  

BUT....BUT...

Sometimes you can do things without knowing how to use a sewing machine..

I have been working on a skirt for over a month and here is the outcome....↓↓↓↓

I actually feel pretty good about the way it turned out.  

Mylee (youngest granddaughter) attends a private school and they wear uniforms each day.  

She is a senior and every year, just before the end of school, the school holds a "Senior Chapel."

The senior girls get to decorate one of their uniform skirts to represent the College they are planning on attending in the Fall.  The guys usually wear a Tie that represents the college they will be attending.

Yesterday was the day....and Mylee's skirt was finished just in time. 

She looked so cute in her SFA skirt and her SFA white boots.  

This chapel is about each senior choosing a teacher that has been a big influence to them during their high school years.  The students then give the teacher a KEY which is meant to represent ..... 

Gratitude...

Trust....

lasting impact....

Appreciation....

It's a symbolic token, recognizing that the teacher helped unlock potential knowledge or opportunities for the senior...acting as a guide for their future.  

Mylee selected her mother (Shanda) as her teacher...

Shanda is a Dyslexia Specialist and she recognized that Mylee had severe Dyslexia issues during Mylee's early school years. 

 

Shanda teaches her students New ways of learning to where their minds can absorb the information. The kids are taught with multi-sensory activities as well as phonemic awareness, phonics, decoding, reading fluency and sound-symbol association.  

 

 Shanda was actually selected by 6 other students as the teacher who would receive their key... this is such an Honor for Shanda.   

Another student giving Shan her key..

The skirts were all so cute...however, Mylee's was my favorite...

Why?  Because I must have put hundreds of hand sewn stitches into decorating that skirt.  lol. 😂

I had a lot of fun working on this...

I am very thankful that Mylee has had the opportunity to attend a school where they teach the bible and they place a strong emphasis on teaching their students about serving the Lord.

🩷🌸🩷🌸🩷

Anyways... this skirt is my sewing adventure for the Year!!

Shug....💜

  

`    

May Calendar and a Hodgepodge

       

It's a May Calendar and a Hodgepodge!!

Joyce asks the Questions:

We answer the Questions:

Join Here

1. Are you feeling more reset, restart, or full speed ahead as we move into May? Tell us why. 

As we step into May, I'm not easing in....I am going full speed ahead.  

My calendar is packed so tight I'm surprised it hasn't asked me for a break.  Doctor's appointments here and there, a graduation party for our granddaughter, her big graduation day, and all the little things in between that somehow take up big space. It's one of those seasons where life is moving fast, but it's moving with purpose....and I'm holding on and showing up for every bit of it.  

It's busy...but it's the kind of busy that reminds me just how blessed my "heart calendar" really is.  

2. Painting, sculpture, architecture, literature, cinema, theatre, music...what's your favorite form of art? Elaborate. 

Painting, arts and crafts, DECORATING, ....anything that lets me create something beautiful with my hands.  I love to take a blank space or simple piece and try turning it into something that feels alive. I don't need a rulebook or a perfect plan...I just need inspiration and the freedom to make it my own.   

3. What time is dinner at your house? How do you feel about leftovers? 

Dinner at our house stays pretty simple.  You'll find us eating somewhere between 5:00 and 6:00 pm.  Nothing fancy, just steady and familiar.  

Leftovers?  Bless it....I just don't do them. I cook enough for Sam and me, and when the meal is done, it's done.  No containers waiting in the fridge giving me side-eyes the next day.  When I was growing up there were never any leftovers.  My parents and us four kids usually ate everything that my mom prepared.  Our food was always freshly cooked.  

4.What's the last thing you fell down a rabbit hole investigating? 

As for the last rabbit hole I went down.....well, it must have been long enough ago that I can't even remember.  And maybe this if for the best. Not everything needs to stay stored in this head of mine.  

5. And now for a question from the book Marilyn (Memphis Bridges) gave me...

At what are you 'self-taught?' 

I taught myself floral design.  I didn't learn it from a book. I learned by doing it.  By owning my own floral shop (back years ago) I worked by trying...adjusting things and using my natural abilities to create something beautiful out of what was in front of me.  I taught myself how to make bows, homecoming mums, floral arrangements, funeral pieces, rose vases, corsages, wedding bouquets, and all of the other things that went along with owning your own shop.  

Flowers taught me patience, balance and how a little creativity can turn something ordinary into something that makes people pause and smile.   

6. Insert your own random thought here. 

How much more I can fit onto my May calendar?  

I love Hodgepodge Wednesday....

Shug...💛