Monthly Musings ~ May 2021

Good morning!  I am linking up with Patti and Holly for this month's Monthly Musings all about summer.

 1.  Favorite summer tradition?

Nothing specific comes to mind, with the exception of going swimming from time to time.  We don't have a pool, but we will either go to a friend's house or my sister's house to swim.

2.  Any vacation plans this summer?

A few highlights are some travel plans.  First, we are taking a family beach vacation next month. Second, I am going to see a friend I haven't seen in 2 years in a new city I have never visited.  Third, our girls are going to see their grandparents so my husband and I will take a weekend trip during that time.

3.  Ocean, pool or lake?

I like all of these, but a pool is the most realistic.  However, I do live by a lake, but for the most part, I don't go as much in the summer because it is so hot.  I am not a lake swimming person.  If I could choose, I would sit and stare at the ocean.  I have just always been amazed at the vastness of this view and the goodness of God's beautiful creation.

4.  Favorite summer fashion items?

I have a new skort that I actually got from Costco.  It is the perfect combination of skirt/shorts at the right length that can be paired with a t-shirt. Mine is blue pinstripe, but they may have other colors and designs online or instore.

5.  Favorite summer recipe?

I love anything strawberry and this is my favorite recipe!

6.  Strawberry shortcake or Blueberry pie?

Given these choices, I would say strawberry shortcake.  I am strawberry fan over blueberry, but my preference would be for strawberry pie vs. cake.

7.  What couldn't you do in 2020 that you can now do this summer?

I am definitely planning to travel more and just the freedom to go to church, gym and see friends.  

8.  Favorite sunscreen?

My new favorite sunscreen is Supergoop.  I finally bought some this season on sale and I have loved using it so far under my makeup as a good sunscreen.

9.  Favorite summer beverage?

My favorite is sweet tea, sweetened with Stevia or artificial sweetner.

10.  Do you have a garden? Flowers?

I don't have a garden, but I do have some flowers.  I am trying to get better with this each year.  I have a few blooms in our yard now and it is so fun to see the colors come to life.

That's all for this week so hope you all have a good, long Memorial Day holiday weekend!

What's Up Wednesday ~ May 2021

 It is always good to reflect back on the month, so here is a recap of May 2021.  That seems so strange to type as I feel like we just finished Christmas not long ago!

What we're eating this week....

Monday - Rigatoni w/sauce and grilled chicken, apple slices

Tuesday - pork chops, hash browns

Wednesday - out

Thursday - grilled chicken strips, broccoli, mac-n-cheese

Friday - hamburgers, corn on the cob, salad

Saturday - leftovers

Sunday - cookout with friends

What I'm reminiscing about.....

I think lately I have reminisced about our life in South America.  I said the same thing last month as well.  This month, we had a couple for an overnight stay who we served with on our missionary team there.  I had not seen them in 4 years, so it was so fun to just reconnect and talk about ministry and life there.  Also, I have talked to a few people in Bogota and re-connected with another friend I met there recently.  I am so thankful for friendships made from all over the world during our missionary journey!

What I'm loving.......

I went to a class at the gym this week and it felt good to do that again.  Normally, I go and just walk but a friend invited me to a class.  It was energizing and exhausting all at the same time.  I am hoping to go to the gym more often as summer approaches.

What we've been up to.......

We celebrated lots of things last weekend...our wedding anniversary and a birthday party for my great niece.

  We also had a big fan installed on our back porch, just in time for the warmer weather.

What I'm dreading......

The past 2 months this answer was taxes.  I am happy to report that was finally completed!

What I'm working on.......

I am working on getting motivated to clean out spaces again.  I did a lot of this during 2020 and it is time to clean up some spaces again.  I just honestly haven't had the motivation, so hoping that kicks in soon.

What I'm excited about..........

I am excited about some upcoming travel.  I have two trips next month!

What I'm watching/reading.........

I am watching some of the new Hallmark movies as they are released on Saturdays.  I was sad to see one my new favorite shows, All Rise, hasn't been renewed for another season.  

What I'm listening to..........

If you have read this before, I am a podcast person.  However, last month, I unsubscribed from some of favorite podcasts.  I know that sounds silly, but I had so many and it was honestly information overload.  I still have a few favorites, so I am trying to figure out what I want to listen to on a weekly basis and which ones to listen to from time to time, depending on guests.

What I'm wearing.......

As this warmer weather comes, I am wearing more short sleeve shirts, dresses and even shorts from time to time.   

What I'm doing this weekend.........

My college girl is coming home for the weekend.  We will be cheering on the Memphis Grizzlies in their NBA playoffs and we have some friends coming over too.  I am hoping to get in a little yard work too.

What I'm looking forward to next month......

As mentioned earlier, I have 2 trips planned.  One is a family vacation, just the 4 of us and  I am looking forward to that time together.  I know as the girls get older, these are precious times and will be harder to schedule.  The second trip is just me going to see one of my dear friends I haven't seen in 2 years.  This is friend I met while living in South America. 

What else is new................

My youngest daughter got her driver's license last week so we went to our favorite Mexican restaurant to celebrate.  

Also, I met my parents at Trader Joe's last week and they bought these beautiful flowers for me for my wedding anniversary.

Happy mid-week, last week of May!

Weekend Wrap-Up ~ May 24, 2021

 Happy Monday!  Well, some weekends are just pretty low key and then some weekends have events with all the pictures.  That happened to be my weekend, so I will share some of the highlights today from all the celebrations.

Friday night, we had friends over for dinner that we had not seen since 2019.  They have 5 kids, so it was a busy night and I didn't take any pictures. Thankfully, the weather was nice so we ate on the back porch and kept all the kids outside :).

Saturday night, we went to our local AAA baseball game.  It felt so nice to do something normal without masks!  The weather was nice and the game was exciting.  We tied in the bottom of the 8th then won the game in extra innings.  There was a firework show after the game, which was fun.

Our faces when we go into extra innings...

Thankfully, it just went to 10 innings.

Sunday, my husband and I celebrated our 23rd anniversary.  We went to breakfast then celebrated my great niece's 1st birthday party and it was my mom's birthday too! So many celebrations on Sunday!

Um, this was the cinnamon roll we ordered.  It was like having dessert first.

It was a good weekend and fun to have events again.  Now off to tackle a new week.  As always, Lord, please be with me. 

Linking up with Tanya this Monday.  

Tuesday Talk ~ Art

 Today I am sharing all about art.  Both my daughters have been interested in art, like most young girls are at some age.  My oldest took lessons and really enjoyed.  Little sister started taking lessons too, but her real interest didn't take place until middle school.  We started to notice her talent and she entered into a high school with an art program where she had to be interviewed and show a portfolio to be a part of this program at the school.  

Two of her achievements have been her art selected for our county's school Christmas card and having art work selected to be displayed at the airport.  Her art at the airport has been on display for the last year, which of course, hasn't seen as many travelers.  However, I will get pictures from time to time of friends who have seen her artwork.  I am so happy that family and friends have been able to see this.  

The artist and I

Her sister and father

Cousins & aunts saw it too

And both set of grandparents were able to see her artwork at the airport too!

Here is my daughter with the artwork and she put so many hours into this.  Here is a little behind the scenes work from last year...

The before and after canvas

She is a detailed artist and has been commissioned to do some drawings and paintings of homes and of people.  She draws people for fun and the work is impeccable, if I do say so myself.  This trend of doing art work for people as gifts began with a Christmas gift in 2018 for her cousin with a drawing of them on Main Street at Disneyland.  

Below is a picture and then a drawing of the house she drew as a going away gift for a friend.

Check out her art Instagram page to see some more amazing drawings.  These portrait pictures are so good!  The details are insane and often these drawings look like photographs. 

 I am excited to see where she goes in the future with this talent.  

Weekend/Week Wrap-Up ~ May 17, 2021

 Good morning!  Hope you all had a great weekend.  We had beautiful weather here.

 I am linking up today with Tanya with a weekend and well, a week wrap-up from last week.  

First, I am throwing it back to last Sunday and Mother's Day.  Both my girls were home and we went to the annual crawfish boil at my sister's house.  It is always a fun time with good food, extended family and laughs with my greats!

A friend bought me this small size of Diva laundry soap to use.  Has anyone out there used this?  I am using it right now just on my sheets and trying to figure out the best proportion to mix with my regular detergent. 

Saturday, I went to the gun range with my husband.  It was my first time there and I had some practice.  

Over the course of last week, we had a metal roof put on our roof over our back porch.  This was the before...

During....

And after

Sunday was low key with church, lunch with friends, watching sports, laundry and relaxing.  Not much to report from this way, but with each Monday, I am hoping for a good week ahead.  We have some fun visitors coming this week so we are looking forward to that.  School doesn't end until June for my high schooler, so we are still pressing on with a fairly normal schedule around here.

Have a great day!

Not Just a Mom ~ Concerts

 Happy Monday and here's to a new week!  Today I am linking up with the Not Just a Mom monthly topic of concerts & with Tanya.  Oh my, this is a fun one for me!

I have always loved music and concerts too.  I went to a few as a child, then a lot more as teenager and then occasionally as an adult.  I will list what I can remember with a few pictures, which are probably not great quality considering they were taken with old fashioned cameras :).

First and foremost, my first concert was a great one to tell about....Elvis Presley!  I saw his last concert in Memphis.  This is actually one of my earliest childhood memories.  Who knew I would grow up and work at Graceland (it was my summer job while in college) and still today, listen to Elvis music quite a bit?  Here are some pictures from that night in 1976 I found online.  

I was a big Donny Osmond fan as well.  I saw him and later saw he and Marie as a teenager, then I saw their show in Las Vegas, where I was able to meet them (thanks Mom & Dad for arranging that!), and then saw them a few years ago at a local venue.  They are such good entertainers!

At my first Osmond concert :)

This is a picture of my sister and I when we met Donny & Marie backstage after their Las Vegas show.

These are pictures from when my sister and I went with our parents to see Donny & Marie at a local venue a few years ago.  I know it seems like a lot of Osmonds, but hey, I am a child of the 70's and this is what I watched every Friday night!

When I was a teenager, I began going to see my favorite artists when they would come in town.  I remember concert tickets being between $12-$15.  Oh, where are the days?

Then concert tickets increased and I didn't go as much, but did still go occasionally.

Here are some others I have seen throughout the years:

Shawn Cassidy (from the 70's)

Beach Boys

Jimmy Buffet

Hootie and the Blowfish

Rod Stewart

John Mellencamp

Steven Curtis Chapman

Rick Springfield

Eurythmics

Howard Jones

Lee Anne Rimes

Tim McGraw/Faith Hill

George Strait

Johnny Cash

Bruce Springsteen

Phil Collins

Duran Duran (I was a huge fan when I was in Jr. High, but didn't see them until after I was married.  I have seen them a few times now and would still go back to see them for the sake of nostalgia and I like their music.)

Hall & Oates

Sting

KC & the Sunshine Band (They played at a state fair.)

Ariana Grande

Kacey Musgravves (She opened for Harry Styles.)

Harry Styles (This was another fun one because it was my youngest daughter's first concert and my oldest daughter's second concert, but my first with them both.  We have tickets to see him again this fall!)

And of course, my all time favorite....Huey Lewis and the News!  I have seen them about 8 or 9 times and have met Huey twice.  Unfortunately, he has lost some hearing and doesn't tour anymore.  

This is a fun topic so I am excited to read about other's concerts.