I finally have a rose on my new rose bushes! Knock-out is the first to bloom this season and I think it's beautiful.

My plans are to have a "sister's" rose arbor in the back eventually, but there are several big projects that come before that (finish the barn, build a porch, relocate the greenhouse ...). However, I wanted the rose bushes now so they will get larger and more hardy and I can propogate additional plants from them. I've never propagated anything before, so this should be interesting and exciting!

Retirement is fu-u-un!

When I was planning my "formal" retirement party back in August, I had decided on a color scheme of turquoise and ivory. I wanted to have some special plates to serve the Sacher tortes, so I went to the local thrift store & Goodwill to see if I could find something appropriate in either glass or plain ivory. What I found instead was a set of plates rimmed in turquoise that looked perfect, so I bought the set ($3.00 for six plates) and used those to hold the tortes, rumballs, etc. It was a real low cost way to jazz things up a little.

When I brought the plates home after the party, Bob and I decided to keep them rather than re-donating to Goodwill. Shortly afterwards I bought some placemats from the Dollar Tree that look great with the plates. On Friday I was in Big Lots and found some glasses I HAD to have. I have been looking for juice glasses to brighten the breakfast table and VOILA these also match the plates! I love it when a plan comes together -- on the cheap!

On a completely different note, Billie gave me an assignment on Friday. It went something like this ... "Your mission, should you choose to accept it, is to find an alternate option for Sister's Weekend located in the general DFW area". So, instead of working outside today (good grief, the thermometer says it's only 60 out there!), I've spent the afternoon looking at B&B's in the plains & prairies region of Texas.

My best bets so far are:
http://www.lakewhitneybandb.com/
This has rooms from $95.00 to $135.00. It has a pool and it overlooks Lake Whitney. It's fairly close to Hillsboro which provides plenty of shopping & dining.

http://www.letsgocountry.com/
This is located in Waco and has rooms from $120.00 to 150.00. It's a 127 acre working farm that is very highly rated as a B&B.

I'm still looking, so more info will follow. What I'd truly love to find is an inexpensive place where we can be pampered. Sounds good, huh? I'll post new discoveries as I make them.

It's cooler today - unusually cool for April in North Central Texas - but it's going to be gorgeous, so I'm going to be outside as much as possible.

The insurance adjuster came yesterday to look at the damage from the April 4th storm. It appears we had hail damage on the roof as well as the siding, so she included the cost of replacing the roof. Boyz howdie am I glad for insurance!

I'm going to put a multi-green crochet rag rug on ebay today. I made it from old curtains several years ago because it went with our color scheme at the time. However, we're moving in a completely different color direction, so I'll sell this one. My sweet Bob wanted me to keep it. He thinks if I make something with my own hands we should treasure it, but I've talked him into selling this on ebay because we can't use it and I don't have the storage space to keep it. And, if it can bless someone else's home, then I would be very happy.

I've recently finished a little sampler using a tiny punch needle. I'm intrigued by the concept and had a good time working on the project. The needle is very small, but the process replicates (somewhat) the look of a hooked rug ... for Lilliputians - because it's so small.

Mark came over yesterday. It was so good to see him. He's been busy with his life and I've been too sick to go visit with him, but it was good to see his sweet face. It means so much to me to see him becoming the man God intended him to be. The process is beautiful and I feel blessed to witness it. God is GOOOOOOD.

Spring is definitely here. The grass is growing on our ten acres (gotta get moving on it), the trees are leafing out and the weather is much, much warmer. This morning I saw Mr. & Mrs. Cardinal in a tree right next to the house. That's a first for us because they usually stay in the woods not far from here. I love this time of year. Need to gather some more Irises to brighten up the house.

Recently I read about an interesting study in Barbara Currie's book Look 15 Years Younger.

"Harvard psychologist Ellen Langer conducted a fascinating experiment. She took
groups of men in their seventies and eighties and encouraged them to think, act
and be as if they were 20 years younger. After doing this for only 5 days these
men showed a number of physical changes associated with age reversal. Their
bearing and vision had improved, they performed better on tests of manual
dexterity and joint mobility had improved."

So, this morning Billie, Nancy and I decided we are triplets who are all 38. I'm not going to wear granny clothes anymore. No need to dress like I'm over the hill anymore. Wearing my BlowPop PJ's. Can't feel old in bright orange BlowPops PJ's!

RealAge has an article about how to lose fat around the middle. http://www.realage.com/ct/eat-smart/food-and-nutrition/tip/5487 This is exactly what I need!

And the article included a link to an Amazon book which looks great! Whole Grain Breads by Machine or Hand: 200 Delicious, Healthful, Simple Recipes. I previewed the book and one thing I really like is you have several choices regarding how you're going to make the bread. You can mix and knead by hand OR use a heavy-duty mixer OR use a food processor OR use a bread machine. I already have a pizza dough recipe for the food processer which I love because it;s quick and easy and I can morph it into cinnamon rolls or breadsticks or whatever. So I think this book will be perfect for me because I was wanting to add more whole grains into our meals. And I can use my Kitchen Aid mixer or my food processor to make the recipes. Good find! Go me!

I found a great blog (through Martha Stewart). It's http://bakerella.blogspot.com/ and you should check it out. I'm trying to make those pretty little "Cupcake pops" today but my icing isn't as good as hers. Gonna keep working on it. Love it!

God bless you and keep you. Have a FABULOUS Monday and a wonderful week. Whoopeee! Glad to be feeling better!