Hummingbird Adoration

It's Blue Monday, again, hosted by my friend, Sally, over at Smiling Sally. Participants are supposed to post things that are blue. Pop over when you get a chance and see what everyone else is sharing today!

My mom, pictured below, was known for many things. She was an excellent pie baker...her Coconut Cream Pie would put any one's to shame! She had an incredible talent for growing plants and flowers. She, of course, was a loving wife, mother, and grandmother. She was, also, known for having a deep appreciation for hummingbirds. She always had a hummingbird feeder hanging from her front porch and she loved to watch them buzzing by for a quick fill-up. She'd often get amazed by how many would congregate at the feeder at one time. It was because of her passion for these fascinating creatures that she decided to start collecting hummingbird figurines and plates. When she passed away in 2000, it was handed on to me. I have most of Mom's hummingbird collection displayed in a curio cabinet, but these plates are hanging on a wall in our sunroom...not sure why the color of the wall looks different in each of these pictures. I can assure you that I painted all the walls in the sunroom exactly the same color!
And here's a couple of her hummingbird figurines with some touches of blue on them.

Each time I look at an item in Mom's collection or see an actual hummingbird in flight, I can't help but think of her...and remember.

"My Mother was the most beautiful woman I ever saw. I attribute all my success in my life to the moral, intellectual, and physical education I received from her."~George Washington



P.S. My girls will be SO excited! We received our first snow of the season yesterday! It snowed non-stop from the time we got home from church until about 7 PM last night. It was so beautiful, but it didn't really stick...the ground was too wet. They kept hoping that school would be cancelled, but by 10 PM, still no word. I rose this morning at 5 AM to check the news and, lo, and behold...SCHOOL IS CANCELLED! I'm guessing that with the falling temps over night, the roads are icy in some spots. They are going to be thrilled to sleep in...I'm off to crawl back in bed for a little more shut-eye myself! I'll check in with each of you later on today.

Cinderella For A Day

What time is it??? It's time for Blue Monday hosted by my friend, Sally, over at Smiling Sally. Participants are asked to share something that's blue, and I have the perfect thing!

On Saturday, Chris decided to go work out at the gym, then he mowed the yard when he got home. No, our grass is NOT green just yet, but he wanted to take off the dead top layer. Well, Brittany has been asking me to take her shopping for her prom dress, which is in April, so I thought that would be the perfect opportunity, since Chris was going to be busy for awhile. Abby, Brittany, and I piled in the car and we were off in search for the "perfect" dress.

Now, a few weeks ago, we'd stopped by a local antique store that we'd never been in before. It had aisles and aisles of all sorts of great things. If Chris hadn't been with us, I could have made a killing! Well, when we walked down one aisle, the girls and I saw a gorgeous dress on display. It was a hot pink color and had ruffles all around from the waistline to the floor. It was just so different from anything we'd ever seen. The only problem is that it was a size 8 and Brittany wears a 1/2. So, we really didn't think much more about it until Saturday. I told her that we should go back to the antique store, first, and see if she could try it on. The owner of the dress was, actually, in the store and she told us that the dress had come right off the runway in New York City and that it was such a special one-of a-kind dress. She said it would easily sell for $1000, but she had it priced at $189. I, of course, WAS NOT going to pay that much money, but she said she'd work with me.

Well, Brittany, Abby, and I went to the bathroom in the store so that she could try it on. The color looked really pretty on her, but it was too big around. I asked the owner of the dress if she thought it could be altered and she said that it could, but that it would probably cost around $150, which was about the same price as the cost of the dress. I told Brittany that it just wasn't going to work, and she agreed. Then, the lady told me that her daughter was a senior in high school and that said she'd found her prom dress at a consignment store about 20 miles down the road. She gave me the address and we headed that way.

It was a very cute little store that was tucked alongside a brand new modern shopping center. There were all sorts of long, formal dresses running the entire length of one wall. We were in hog heaven! We all picked out several dresses that we liked and Brittany took them to the dressing room to try on. She narrowed her choices down to 3 dresses. Abby and I, along with the shop owner, agreed that this long, royal blue dress was THE ONE for her. It looked so gorgeous on her and fit her like a glove. We will have to get the length altered just a little. Best part is that I paid only $73 for it! Chris was thrilled because I'd prepared him before we left that it might be hard to find a prom dress under$150. So, whatcha think? It laces up in the back and ties in a big bow...so pretty! Now, you want to hear the real kicker? Brittany's boyfriend called her when we were leaving the antique store asking if they we going to get to see each other or not. She told him that she was out with me and her sister to look for a prom dress and you'll never believe what he told her! He said, "OK, I tell you what...when you get back home, you find yourself a new prom date!" Then, he hung up on her...and broke up with her over Facebook by changing his status from 'in a relationship' to 'single'! Oh, it's been a mess, but let me just say that I'm very thankful that their relationship has come to an end! God has answered my prayers! Brittany is a very strong young woman and she's doing fine...God had his hand in this.

Please be sure to pay Sally a visit and wish her and all the other participants a Happy BLUE MONDAY! “Somewhere over the rainbow, skies are blue, and the dreams that you dare to dream really do come true.”~Lyman Frank Baum

P.S. I'm a bit bummed...I've lost two of my followers since this morning! I've heard others mention that the same thing happened to them! An epidemic? Who knows! I just hope and pray that I didn't offend anyone, or bore you half to death with my stories about my family, but I'm just being ME. Please, dear followers...come back!

Reapin' the Rewards...

Sorry for the delay...our Internet wasn't working this morning, so Chris had to sit on the phone for over an hour with a AT & T customer service representative. Thankfully, he was able to get it up and running, again, before he left to go to New Orleans for the week. I definitely owe him one!

Once again, I'm joining my friend, Sally, for Blue Monday. I really had quite a struggle because, as I mentioned last week, I just don't have very much blue in my house. Well, with a little help from Abby, I came up with some things. Be sure to head over to Sally's blog and see what everyone else is sharing today.

After my mom passed away, I made the decision to take up running. As I've said before, it was therapeutic and helped me cope with her loss. I soon discovered that it was something I enjoyed a lot, so I entered a 5K race and won first place for my age division! I was hooked immediately...the smell of victory was, oh, so sweet! :) Here's a few of the awards I've won in various 5K's over the past years...the Relay for Life one is my favorite. It was handpainted by some local school children in Alabama. Now, it wasn't long after I began running that Brittany and Abby started showing interest in it, too. Abby has competed in several Fun Runs, which are 1-mile races. Here's the ribbon she won a couple of summers ago for placing third, overall! I've never seen a girl more excited in all her life!
Brittany began competing in 5k's when she was about 12 years old. She didn't start getting serious about it, though, until she became a freshman in high school. She ended her first cross country season as the #2 runner on the varsity team. Since then, she's moved her way up to be the #1 varsity runner for the past two years. She has high hopes of being able to run cross country in college. Here's just some of the medals she's won in the past three years in both cross country and track...
Here we are prior to a race we all ran in back in 2007...The great thing about running is that it's something we can all enjoy together as a family, or as individuals. It's taught us that we can reach any goal we set for ourselves with lots of hard work, determination...and plenty of sore muscles!!! Momma is rapidly finding out that she's no spring chicken, anymore!

Now, here's the final thing that Abby suggested I share. It's a cute dachshund figurine that Chris and I bought for her when we went to Colorado a few years ago. I really love what it says... "Life is short, so shop long!" I couldn't have said it better myself!Always remember that whatever race in life you're running, as long as you put your heart and soul into it...you're going to come out a winner! Enjoy your Monday and be blessed!♥

Blue...Where For Art Thou???

My friend, Sally, hosts Blue Mondays...so thought I'd take part this week! Now, since I don't have very much blue in my house (hence the title of my post), I had to search high and low for something to share, but I ended up finding a few things.

When I was in junior high and high school, way back in the DARK AGES, as my girls seem to think, I was a cheerleader and I had the best time! I attended a small school in Arkansas (my graduating class had only 50 students!). At the time, our school didn't have football, so basketball was a VERY big thing. Our cheerleading squad would practice everyday after school and go to camp in the summer...oh, what fun that was!!! Here's my treasured blue cheerleading sweater that I wore with pride...GO LIONS!!! Remarkably, that cheerleader is still in me! You should hear how loud I can yell at Brittany's cross country and track meets, or when Abby finishes singing at her choral performances! I can even yell pretty loudly at Chris when he doesn't snap to attention as quickly as I'd like! Hee, hee! Yes, I may be little, but my voice is B-I-G!!! Here is yours truly! Aren't you lovin' the french braid? We'd get so hot in the summertime that this style was the only way to go! It would keep our hair out of our eyes when sweat was streaming down our faces. Notice my blue pom poms and cheerleading uniform? See, I'm doing better than I thought! :)
Next up is the uniform Chris wore when he went to college at The Citadel in Charleston, SC. It's a very heavy wool ensemble. He said it was so miserable to wear in that South Carolina heat and humidity when they'd have to march out on the field in formation. He said they couldn't move their hands to scratch themselves because they'd get in trouble if they got caught. That rule wouldn't sit well with me...I'd be scratching like crazy with that itchy wool on!
Here he is in his "dress blues"...mighty handsome, if I have to say so myself! I think I'll keep him...for a little while longer, anyway! :) Boy, we sure looked young back then! Lastly, here's a music box Chris gave me one year for our wedding anniversary. It plays "You Light Up My Life" and he said the frogs made him think of US... hmm, not quite sure if that's a compliment or not! Anyhow, it's one of my favorites in my music box collection. Looking at it makes me smile...ribbet, ribbet! Hope you enjoyed looking at my blue items on this Blue Monday! Remember to..."Laugh as much as you breathe; love as long as you live." Have a good one!♥