My Sweetest Things

I started blogging back in late August as a creative outlet and a way for my family to catch a glimpse of the everyday things I do in life. With the majority of my family living in Texas it’s a great way to share my world here in Georgia. My blogging experience has been so wonderful. More than I expected! I have come across so many strong, creative, lovely people. All of who I would have never known about without the power of the internet. This has been a blessing. Two of my favorite blogger friends are Wendy aka Kiss that frog and Adele aka DillypooChatter. Both of these lovelies are from Texas so of course I hold them in the highest regards! They both stop by my little space in the world and leave sweet comments that make me smile and that’s a great thing!

Wendy’s sister Erin sent her a Sunshine Blog Award which of course she deserved! Wendy posts regularly and shares awesome recipes with great photos that make you want to try them all to get a bite! She shares sweet stories of her husband and beautiful daughter. I check her blog daily to catch up with her. Wendy is so kind and she passed the blog award onto me! So unexpected and such a nice treat!

To pay this forward I pass this along to DillyPoo! She makes me giggle with her witty take on life.  I enjoy reading of her life adventures with her man who she refers to as   “The Professor”. Stop by both of these beautiful ladies blogs for a visit. You will be glad you did!

Wendy and Adele, thanks so much for the support and kind words. We all must meet one day on one of my trips home to Texas for a grand girl’s gathering. Whataburger anyone??

It’s all good ~ Donna

Saturday was a beautiful day here in Duluth, Georgia. Blue Skies and warm weather were most welcomed! We grabbed the Frisbee Golf set, put the dog on his leash, grabbed the camera and headed out for a walk to the park. Bunten Road Park is right across the street from our neighborhood. The park has tennis, baseball, soccer fields and there is a lovely walking path. The recreation center offers many classes and camps for children. It’s really nice having it so close by and we appreciate it.  We had a sweet time enjoying the sunshine and it was a well deserved break.

My husband, turning cartwheels for me. Love this guy!

It’s all good ~ Donna

Whataburger. This Texas girl knows all about Whataburger. This hamburger chain opened its first location in the 1950’s in Corpus Christi, Texas. It is a legend in Texas! Growing up in San Antonio, this was our burger joint. No McDonald’s for us. We would drive up to the orange and white building with the Big W and pull into the car port. Those burgers with mustard, diced onions and yummy buns so big (cause everything is bigger in Texas) were a tasty treat. Their fries are perfection and their “fancy ketchup”, well I could eat it with a spoon!

A few weeks ago I heard rumors of a Whataburger coming to our area in Duluth, Georgia. I was so happy to hear that. Thrilled! I googled for news about it and came across an article in  the local paper stating sure enough they were opening a location very near our house! My son called to tell me it was opening down the street from his house. Yippee! I got a text from my son’s roommate. “Whataburger is Open!” Yahoo!!

I made plans with my son to meet him at our new Whataburger and with my mouth watering I make the drive. I pulled into the parking lot and DON’T see the orange and white building. I think to myself, “well maybe they changed the design for this location”. I turned the corner and see this………

WHAT??? Salad, Wings, Seafood??? This is NOT my Whataburger!!! So disappointed! Total name rip off! See how they changed it up just a bit? That dash and the exclamation point make all the difference. Bah!

Since we were there in all our disappointment, we decided to give this place a try. They  sell Salads, Wings, Fried Rice and an assortment of Seafood Sandwiches. In our Whataburger Mode we ordered this…..

This is their What-A-Burger! Tasty but again NOT the same. The patties are really thick and the crinkly fries tasted like Ore-Ida. No fancy ketchup in sight. It was a good burger but not good enough to make it my hamburger joint.

I love Fancy Ketchup so much I take photos of it. (My Texas trip last year)

If they could build a Bill Miller’s here. A REAL Bill Miller’s then all would be good again.

I miss you Texas and all my favorite restaurants. And for all of you  lucky to be near a Whataburger….send fancy ketchup my way please.

It’s all good~ Donna

My cats are my loves. All four of them. My husband saved me from being that “crazy old cat woman” and I don’t go as far as collecting all things cat related or wear cat clothing. I know many cat lovers that do it’s just not my thing. 5 years or so ago I had one cat. Toby Cat. I was very content with my one kitty and really had no plans for another cat. One afternoon I came home from work and walked into the kitchen just like every other night. I hear the kids coming down the stairs and giggles then a Meow. Not my big Toby Cat meow, the soft, high meow of a BABY cat. After the “Mom, we found her in a ditch” abandoned story and the cute white fur ball in front of me with no home, I easily caved and we have Mia. I still refer to her as Baby Cat though she is a mother who had two kittens which is why I now have four cats. Four is my limit…..for now….

Anyhoo, a few weeks ago while I was getting ready for bed I did my cat check. Making sure all four were in the house for the night. Yes, 3 of them sleep in our bed. Yes, I wash the bedding all the time and I have an air purifier in my room. I have to do all that. Did I mention I am ALLERGIC to cats? Crazy huh? I ‘ll talk about my allergy treatments another time. They really do work! So back to my cat check….All four cats inside. Mia, comes to hop onto my lap for t.v. before bed time and her face is right in my eyes and I see this….

Her eye was looking in the wrong direction! I love her but CREEPY! I grabbed my camera phone from the bedside table and snapped this photo. I yelled downstairs to my husband and tried to breathe as I was a TAD bit freaked out. After further inspection I could see small scratches around her nose and ears. Cat fight! Bah! My sweet kitty.

I took her to the Vet the next day and turns out that she has a protrusion of the Third Eyelid. All these years with cats and I just found out about this Third Eyelid? I  searched Google for more information and read that the third eyelid (TE) is usually retracted beneath the eyelids and barely noticeable. The ability to move the TE is involuntary in most animals; however, cats have some control over the movement of this membrane. Mia had a prolapse in her third eyelid due to a scratch. Interesting?! Our Vet the Awesome Dr. Woods, gave her an antibiotic shot, and eye ointment which we have to put in her eye three times a day.

This is Mia on the stairs a few days ago. She is looking much better and now that I know about the Third Eyelid, I am not so freaked out.

The two photos above are Mia from last month. She is a beauty and even though her eye is just a bit gimpy right now, she’s still my lovely Baby Cat and hopefully soon she will be back to 100%!

It’s all good ~ Donna

Dear Winter,

I guess you must have met up with Spring and the conversation about my letter came up. I did not mean to offend you. Tuesday you made you made your point. You are here to stay for a little longer. We did enjoy the snowfall and once again we were happy to see the snowflakes. Thank you for the gentle reminder as it was nice to not have the ice on the roads that you brought to us a few weeks ago. The kids were a bit sad since they still attended school but there were no major accidents this time and snow for the third time this year was a treat. Enjoy your stay, we really do like you. Yes we do.

Your Friend in Winter Wear,

Donna

Dear Spring,

Please hurry up and get here. We thank Mr. Winter for our beautiful snow days. We really enjoyed them. You my dear Spring, we are waiting for you. Our gardens are ready for flowers to bloom. The birds have been teasing us with lovely song in the early mornings. The Sun will shine then the wind blows the cold air and Mr. Winter lets us know he is still here. He is like that sweet guest who extends their welcome. The photo below is just to let you know we are preparing for your return and we will welcome you with baskets full of flowers.

Your Biggest Fan,

Donna

Mod Podge. Love it! Super Fan I am. Years ago when we moved into our home I wanted to add a special touch to the walls. Something different. I decided to add some art in unexpected places. Switch Plates! Now that would be a conversation piece.  Many different types of papers can be used. I bought some textured art paper and pulled out my old Dali Calendars.They turned out great and I was thrilled with the results.

After living in the house for nine years I was ready to redecorate several rooms in the house. First came paint and next came the decorative switch plates.

Switch Plate Cover, Exacto Knife, Mod Podge, Foam Brush

Arrange cover on paper and leave room around the edges so you can fold the paper behind the cover.

I brushed two coats of Mod Podge on the top.

Place cover face down over the paper. Use Exacto knife to make a small cut in the middle for switch.

Fold paper back and apply more Mod Podge to secure it to the cover.

Use the pencil and gently rub around the rectangle to smooth the paper out.

Make cuts and fold over the back of  the cover.

Brush Mod Podge all over the back to secure the paper.

I set the cover on a container so the sides would not stick to the newspaper I was working on when the cover was drying. After it is dry, flip over and add two layers of Mod Podge to the front.

When the front is dry, use the pencil to poke holes for the screws.

Here is a second one I did using layers of a Dali calendar. I added some sparkle to this one!

When both covers were completely dry I used Low Odor Clear Finish to protect them.

I did not want to use the white screws that came with the cover since they would not match the artwork. It had to match!  I went to Home Depot looking for “artsy screws” and the nice gentleman at Home Depot looked puzzled when I tried to explain to him what I was looking for. We came up with these screws in Brown which worked well.

Tada! This beauty is in my Bedroom by my closet door. Salvador Dali – Mae West c. 1934

This beauty is in our downstairs bathroom. See how those Brown screws fit really well?

Here you can see a cover I did years ago for our bedroom. Not some old boring white switch plate cover! That’s another Dali! Three Young Surrealist Women Holding in Their Arms the Skins of an Orchestra c.1936

These are the covers I did nine years ago! I wanted you to see that they hold up very well. All of these covers are in high use areas. I added sequins and sparkle paint to some of the covers. If you use sequins add a small drop of Mod Podge to where you want the sequins placed and use tweezers to place it on top of the drop. You will spray with the clear coat to set it when the whole cover is finished.

I still have a few more covers to make and I am still working on my bedroom makeover. That’s new paint you see on the walls. They were Burgandy before!

Now, what to do with that mirror?

It’s all good ~ Donna

Once again we were blessed with the beauty of snow. So lovely to see the world in white. Taking a walk with the one you love is a perfect way to spend a Saturday Snow Day. Our neighborhood has a beautiful lake so we bundled up and headed outside.  Here’s a peek of the lovely view that we enjoyed so much.

All this beautiful snow slowly melted away and by late afternoon it was just about gone. What a wonderful gift!

It’s all good ~ Donna

Over the Holidays I did a whole lot of baking. Spices always show up as an ingredient for a recipe and I happen to have a whole lot of those in my pantry. Pumpkin Pie was on my list of baking goods so I reached in the pantry and pulled out some of my spices.  I set them on the counter and thought I had them for awhile so I went to check the expiration dates.  To my surprise there was no expiration date listed.  Really now? They have to expire don’t they?

These are the spices I pulled out to check. No date on the front.

No date on the back. There is an address though. Like I would write them? Hello. It’s called websites.

On the bottom they have these number and letter codes.  No date. No luck. I headed to the McCormick website for information and I found a nifty little spice checker! You can enter the code and then add the city the spice was made in.  The address comes in handy after all.

I entered the codes and the city and here is what I found.

This little message. “The 2000 election lasted way too long. Your spices have outstayed their welcome too.”  Your Spice was made on 5/4/2000

WHAT?? I was 33 years old when this spice was made? My husband was 20? Weeps. I packed and moved it twice?!

“Hobbits were everywhere and lawyers were blonde. If your spices are from 2002 it’s time to replace them.” Your spice was made on 9/13/2002

I can’t even remember what happened in 2002. Where was I? Who was I?

“Dinosaurs ruled the theater. If you have Jurassic spices then it’s time to make them extinct.” Your spice was made 9/19/1993

In 1993 my youngest son was 2 years old. I stilled lived in Texas. That means this spice was moved across County and State lines into Georgia into 3 different houses! This is bad.

“Baby Doll dresses and clunky shoes use to be a fresh look , but like your old spices, they’ve lost their flavor.” Your spice was made on 11/2/1995

I don’t know which is worse, that I still have the spice or that I still have the clunky shoes?!

This little spice did not have a code on the bottom. Well, thank goodness for that! I get the message. My spices are Expired! It seems I really did not use them very often as some of them were still quite full. They were sitting nice and pretty in the back of the pantry. Just hanging out sharing stories about Elections, Dinosaurs, Blonde Lawyers and High Fashion.

So long my old friends. Thanks for the few good times I enjoyed you. You are expired. Say Goodbye.

It’s all good ~ Donna

P.S.

The lighting in my house is not so great due to the beautiful large trees that surround it. I found a large box, placed a white foam board on it, took a small white box for the background and used a white poster board to reflect the light. I placed this in front of my back living room window and I was very happy with the results! No flash used only natural light with my Canon and 24-70 lens.

We have seen some record low temperatures here in Atlanta the last week. Waking up to wind chills of 0 degrees. What? The slightest hint of snowfall and the grocery stores are packed and milk and bread are emptied off the shelves. Throw some eggs in there and make French Toast I suppose. Thursday night the sleet and snow flurries started to fall. So pretty and I enjoyed every minute of it since we don’t see that very often. Friday morning I was up early to check on school closings and lucky for my son they were closed. I called my office and sure enough we also had a stay home day. I enjoyed hot coffee from the comfort of my sofa and watched the news and listened to stories of cars sliding on the ice and a 27 car pile up.

When the sun started to rise I geared up in my winter wear and headed out to take a peek.

This is what snow day looked like at my house. Snow dusting. Ice was the problem on our neighborhood streets.

On any other snow day I might have had photos of the family playing in the snow. My Andrew slept all morning

and Justin and the cats and dog were all warm inside the house.

This was Snow Day January 2008! Now that was some snow fun!

Anyhoo, thank you for Snow Day 2010. We all were safe and warm

and well rested!

It’s all good. ~ Donna