Mother's Day Surprise!

More on May before it flits away!

So blessed and happy to have my Mom here for dinner on Mother's Day!

After a delicious dinner prepared by my husband and kids,

we did my mom's fav thing...played SkipBo!

Notice the lovely flowers on the table?

A gift from Brad! :)

Phil gave me a beautiful hydrangea that blooms all summer!

Took a few pics before my Mom left...

Three generations

My mom always look so small between my kids! :)

Our family

After my Mom left, I thought all was over...but it wasn't!

My kids went together and got me a suprise gift...

a Hot Air Balloon Ride!

It's on my bucket list...I can't wait to go!

Thanks so much you two!

It was a lovely day, and I look forward to my ride!

Hope your Mother's Day was a blessing to you too!

Free At Last! :0)

Before May is over, I wanted to hit a couple of highlights...

Our yard looks so lovely in this shot--I just love it!

The BIG news from the month of May???

We paid of our MORTGAGE!
Yippeeee!!!!!

We had a fun family bonfire to celebrate :)

We burned the rest of our payment slips :)

My husband worked a lot of hours to get that paid off!

No wonder he's smiling--all paid!!!

Brad has been learning some golfing tips from his grandfather,

and he gave us some pointers...

Bri turned out to be a natural!

Fun stuff!

(although Brad hit one clear back into our neighbors yard--yikes!)

We thank God for providing for us and allowing us to have a home...that's paid for!

And, we're one step closer to being debt-free!

It seems like we should have extra money right now, but we don't yet.

We have to save for the real estate/school tax bill due Sept 1st,

and for our Homeowners Insurance.

But, we're getting there!!!!

Still Plugging Away!

Yep, I'm still cleaning and decluttering!

Above is a pic of my bedroom when I finished it.

I even cleaned out all the drawers and closets.

As I've gone along, I've made little notes of things I need to replace.

Above is a new throw rug for the entryway.

(I really like the colors!)

I also found this sweet little lamp for the top of the bookshelf in my bedroom.

To the left of it is a picture that I found a frame for (took me forever to find the right size!)

The picture is special because my dear Mom painted it. :)

This week, I am tackling the family room.

I am happy it worked out this way--it's hot outside,

an my family room is in the basement...nice and COOL!

I'm Still At It!

Yep, I'm still cleaning up a storm in my home these days!

I am sort of Spring Cleaning...yet not. Click here to read the

explanation and previous post on this.

So far I have decluttered and cleaned our:

• Foyer
• Dining Room
• Kitchen
• Office
• Downstairs Bath

And I'm about 2/3 done the Master Bedroom.

I am doing all the drawer, cabinets, etc...

Plus, washing throw rugs, curtains, dust ruffles, and windows...

I also touched up the paint.

It's a lot of work, but I am so happy with what I've gotten done so far!

Lord willing, I will be finishing the Bedroom on Monday.

(this will including "switching the summer/winter clothes as we do not have big enough

closets to keep both seasons in them at the same time-thus they are stored in the attic)

Then I will do the Upstairs Bath, the Living Room, Family Room, and Play Room.

After that, I will have to do the dreaded workshop and garage...I am hoping for help

with those! :)

Once I am finished, I will continue doing my Zones monthly, and

only have to spend 15 min/daily to do that.

Much easier than letting it all go and having to "play catch up"!

Hope you are enjoying this lovely Spring weather

-I have gotten out some during my breaks and really love this time of year!

Blessings!

Cute and Quick!

I saw this on fb--thought it was neat!

How very simple

Apple Pie Bites.1 tube Crescent rolls
1 Slice apple per triangle
Sprinkle with cinnamon & sugar
Roll up &Bake for 11-13 minutes at 350 degrees.

Right Out of the Garden!

This is my favorite veggie that we grow!

Asparagus!

We've had several meals off of them already...YUM!

Another fav of mine--this neat, splotchy lettuce!

Not only is it beautiful, it's very tasty!

And, it doesn't bolt, and winters over! :)

We get the seeds at Baker's Creek

The Time of the Lilacs Has Come!

Anyone who knows me well...knows that Lilacs are my very favorite flower!

Their smell is so fragrant--divine!

I also love their color--purple is my fav!

They are so delicate and lovely...

My husband picked the bouquet below and brought them in--

you could smell them all through the kitchen!

Their season is almost over already, but fortunatley

my family bought me a lilac bush that blooms all summer!

It's tiny, but still smells fragrant and the the blooms are small, but just as lovely!

Spring Cleaning....

Spring Cleaning...yet not!

Ever since I was sick in 2011--things in my home have gotten away from me!

So, I decided to make a plan and try to stick to it to get things under control!

I got the book out of the library written by the Fly Lady-made a plan, and got started!

I divided my house up into five zones--the first one being the foyer, front porch, and dining room.

Above was my first project.

The dreaded hall closet...I decluttered by getting rid of many items, then decobwebed,

reorganized, cleaned and viola!

Then I tackled the Dining Room...

Took out these Precious Moments--all of them have been given to me by dear friends and family...

My Tea Cup from Prince Edward Island...

A gift from my dear friend Wilma--this is her and I hugging :)

Cleaned out the curio--and all the stuff that went in it

Then on to the China Closet/Hutch

Got rid of some things, cleaned it all, reorganized too

Then I did the bookshelf, the woodwork, and floor and I was done!

This week I am doing the kitchen--but forgot to take pics! :/

It's going well, I'm almost done and it's only Wed.

Yesterday I did the frig, washed and rehung the curtains, did the floor and windows.

Today I did the freezer, & reorganized several cabinets.

It's coming along nicely!

The goal of doing this is to repeat the zones every month-& never have to Spring Clean again--because you're always "caught up".

You're only supposed to spend 15 min. per day--but I am doing lots more than that so

I can get caught up!

If you are doing this method, I'd love to have your input!