Our Weekend

I was so happy to have my husband home this weekend. He was gone with his job all week and I have missed him so much!
He worked around the house and hung many pictures for me. He also painted the front door:

I love a black front door! I hung the wreath that I made a long time ago onto it. So Spring/Summery looking :)
Next up my husband hung hanging planters from the front porch, along with flower boxes..I picked out fern type plants at the store and impatients. I am not very good with plants..but I am hoping these are hardy enough to live for me:

He put up a bracket for a beautiful new American Flag, and I also put out two garden flags..one with a little bluebird on it, and the other a United States Naval emblem flag in honor of our Son while he is in bootcamp. I love the look of the front of our house! Here is how it looks now!! :

 We have an awesome screened porch out back. I just love the view! I haven't seen any deer roaming back there yet..but hopefully one day I will. I have to stop sleeping in so much, then maybe I will see one :)

I am glad the back porch is screened in...because this is the type of bugs we have here in North Carolina, I do not, I repeat, I DO NOT want to be the recipient of an attack from one of these beetles, and I don't want to find one crawling up my leg, thank you very much!! hee hee

The Royal family Rabbit, Peter has been quite happily romping around the screen room since we have moved in. I must say, he is quite spoiled! He is litter trained and a very smart fella. We leave him loose in the screen room all day long now and I visit him with his favorite treats of almonds, spinach leaves and celery:

I put a hummingbird feeder out front and thought I would never get any hummingbirds. I bought a more expensive feeder and it wound up leaking..and never saw one hummingbird as of last week. Then, I went to Walmart and bought my favorite 5 dollar hummingbird feeder and made up my own solution of food, and within two days a hummer arrived!!! I was so excited! The same little birdie visits me every day all day long now. I have been trying to snap a picture of it while sitting on the front porch..it is a little bit afraid of me however..but I managed to get this picture today...if you look to the left of the picture you can see the hummingbird peeking around the feeder, so sweet! :)

I noticed the hummingbird up in the tree on a branch..I don't have the best camera, but tried to take a picture of it sitting up there..when I snapped the picture, this is what I got..it was on it's way back to the feeder!

Do you see that tiny little spec near the little branch? lol
That's our little hummer!
I have been working on teaching myself to crochet Japanese flowers. Still having a bit of trouble, but getting better at it! Here is what I have come up with so far. I really like making these, they are fun!

I haven't done too much in the way of cross stitching in a while...I need to get back to that soon. I want to work on my chart "Roots and Wings" again. I need to pull that one out :)
I hope to be getting together with a friend this week to deliver meals to elderly people with the Christian Mission. I so enjoy helping others. :)

I wish you all a beautiful Blessed week ahead.
Louise

HOME!

We are finally HOME! :)
I cannot believe it, but our move to North Carolina is finally over. The past couple of months have been so hectic and so full of emotions. We sold our house, saw our son off to the military, bought a new house, packed up and moved to another state, all within a couple of months!
I know that this was all in God's plan, for it seems that it all worked out in perfect timing.."HIS" timing.

I must say, it was very hard to pack up the truck without our son. My  husband and I are getting older now and we can't do as much as we used to do.
It was very difficult! We did it though...a friend helped us in Florida move the furniture onto the truck..here is the back of the truck in front of our Florida home jam packed!!!

We used a 26 foot truck for this final load for our move (we had previously taken a 26 foot truck up to storage in the Carolina's before selling the house)...can you say too much "stuff"!!!

When we arrived in North Carolina, I contacted one of my son's friends who was more than happy to help us unload the big heavy furniture, I prayed so hard that somehow we would have help, God answers prayers! We were two days shy of closing on our new home...we stayed with wonderful friends who have a house on the Lake..it was WONDERFUL!!
We spent time on the lake in their boat...

Their lake house is gorgeous!

After our boat trip, we came back and had a lovely dinner made by my sweet friend...she eats all the healthy things I do. For the guys there was burgers, for us nice healthy salads with turkey burgers and avocados!

It's amazing through all of this I have even lost a couple of more pounds. I continue to eat healthy and like wearing a smaller size too! :) I hope I can continue to live my life this way for my health and long term benefits.
It was fun to eat dinner on the deck and watch the baby geese with their Mama's :)

Since my son has left for the military, I have been seeing bluebirds here and there..makes me think of him so much...

We finally closed on our new home and transferred our pet birds and Peter Rabbit to the new house. I am sure they were probably wondering what was going on! Our daughter was so happy to start setting up her new bedroom...we have a very long way to go though. There are boxes everywhere!!
We are fortunate that there are plenty of bedrooms in this house, so when our son comes to stay, he will always have his own room...
I am very excited...there is a bonus room that will be my very own sewing room!!!
Can you hear me scream with excitement?!!
YES!! A sewing room and a place just for ME!!
It will need cabinets of some sort, but for now, I am happy setting up on the floor! lol
Look at the wonderful window too..lots of light comes in during the daytime.
This will be my creative space! YIPPEE!!
A place to call my OWN!

It is difficult to hide all my craft and cross stitching stash from the hubby when we move....it all comes out from hiding then...he even had to carry it up the steps!!
Yes, that is all my "stuff". lol
He just shakes his head.....
Our backyard is quite large and beautiful..it reminds me of a park:

I ventured around and look what I found!
Honeysuckle...it smells wonderful!!

And then...I found this!.....
Wild berries too!

We have a "block" window above our garden bathtub in the master bathroom...it does not exactly give you full privacy..so for now I purchased a spring rod to put inside the window frame and I also purchased pretty "sheer" curtains with flowers on them....I am hoping this helps....

I probably need to hem the curtains ..but for now I just "scrunched" them up on the bottom (being lazy)! lol
I love the nook for the table in the kitchen! I used my Waverly curtains I purchased many years ago at Target for the windows...

We put new hardware and locks on our front door...I really like the front door, it's so pretty!

Our neighbors dog comes to visit me..he is the cutest thing ever!!

I finally have the front porch I have always dreamed of having..can you imagine all the crocheting and cross stitching that will be happening on this porch?! Endless hours...yes, endless my friends. :)

I am so happy, but yet, my heart still hurts. I wish I could hear from my son. I know he is safe in boot camp, but I miss him so much. I wish I could hear his voice and tell me that he is doing fine. A Mother will always worry about her children. We are so proud of him. I wish he could be here to share in the joy of our new family home, but I know that will come in time. He does have his own room here too, his own place in this house, as he will always have. I miss him terribly.

 Thank you for letting me share a bit of my life with you,

I'm Still Here

I have been very busy. It has been a very hectic and emotional past couple of weeks. Things are going fast forward at this point and we are trying to squeeze so much in at the last minute. I had a mishap happen at the dentist office. They put a crown into my mouth that was much too light in color. I was so upset and now have to have it done all over again. I had told them that I was about to move in a couple of weeks, and somehow they made me feel as if it was my fault. The assistant told me that she had showed me the mirror and said that I told her I was happy with it. I never saw a mirror , in fact, I had to wait until I went into my car to look in my rear view mirror which I pulled towards me to check it out to see how it looked before I went back into the office to say I was unhappy!
So....back to the office I went the other day to have the crown drilled off and we start all over again. Not what I wanted to do with so many other things going on in my life.
I know so many people want to see me before I move away from Florida, but physically and emotionally, I don't think it will be possible. I am trying my best though. We will be going to our nephews graduation, which we look forward to, we are so proud of our nephew! In just over a week, our own son will be leaving for the  military.
To be honest with you, I am having a very hard time thinking of it all. I am very close with my son.
We have a wonderful Mother/Son relationship, and I am so happy for that. I love him so much!
I know he has to go on his own, and I am so proud of him, both I and his Dad. He has always made us proud.
It is hard, and will continue to be hard for me though. My little family unit is so important to me. I have never had anything much in the way of family except for my husband and my two children. They are my life.
I will have to learn to cope, for I want my son to succeed and to grow, and to have a wonderful life for himself. This is what every parent wants for their child.
Then, I will know for sure that I have raised him well.
I hurt with the thought of leaving Florida again. I know this time it is forever. We won't be back this time again. To live anyways.
Perhaps we will be by to visit. I love Florida, it is to me, my home. My husband prefers North Carolina, and it is beautiful there, I will agree. But...I just feel this closeness to Florida. Our children grew up in Florida and I feel so comfortable here.
I want my husband to be happy. I will adjust.

My son took me out to the gun range to target practice! This was my first time. I must say, I had a pretty good aim and I did very well. We had a nice day out together with lunch and also visited some thrift shops too..

I guess after looking at all these pictures on my blog, my crafting and now target practicing..I guess I am well rounded. I just laughed out so loud! :) Keep in mind I grew up with three brothers and a Dad that hunted...

We have begun the changes and preparations for leaving...our son gave away his old car....

Pictures are being removed now from our walls...

more packing is being done....the dining room is being cleared out...

I feel sort of numb..I cannot believe I am moving again. Although, I am trying my best to be excited. We do have a beautiful home we are moving to..it will just be so hard to move there without our son. I am glad however that there are enough bedrooms in it that there will be a room just for him for when he decides to visit...a place to call his own, whenever he wants to drop by, if he wants to. I plan on making it his own, with all his decor. I have found fabric with a "Navy" logo and I plan on making him pillowcases as a surprise to put on his bed. I look forward to doing this for him. I want him to feel that although he is out on his own now, he can always feel he has a home with us if need be.
Although things have been so hectic and busy, I am trying to find time to occupy myself, my hands and my mind on some other things, so as to not cry so much!
My beautiful niece is making her First Holy Communion soon...I did a little cross stitch for her which I will frame shortly..isn't it pretty! :)

Also, special friends of ours are going to be Grandparents to a sweet baby girl soon...so I thought I would make a pretty pink and white baby blanket for the little Angel's arrival! (I sure hope I finish it in time, if not I will have to post an IOU!) (Hi Jackie and Dave!!!) :)

So, as you can see, I have a lot going on...I am going to hold onto this next week and count each minute as an extra special blessing of special time with our dear son Patrick. Then, next up will be our move to North Carolina.
Sometimes I think it is all too much with our son leaving for the military, and us moving the following week, but then again, perhaps God planned it that way so I wouldn't have too much time to think about being so upset..I will be too busy and tired. I will all be ok, I know it will..it always turns out fine in the end.
After all, We have God, and I know that he is watching over us.
All our pictures are down..but we left the crucifix up...He will come down at the very end.

Blessings to you This Mother's Day,
This one will be my most special Mothers Day yet,
Louise

House Hunting

We are back from a weekend away. We continued our search for a new home for our family and this was the weekend to find one! It was a very interesting weekend indeed. Our son was not able to come along with military restrictions, not being able to go out of town. Such a short time till he will be departing for bootcamp. This is so hard for a Mom's heart to take, I feel as if I cannot get enough hugs and kisses until that day comes. It seems all too soon!
We left last Thursday, giving us a nice early start to our house hunting. We drove up to the Carolina's, making stops for fast food along the way. So glad Wendy's has those salad's with grilled chicken in them..oh, and the pomegranate dressing is really good. So, It is possible to go to fast food restaurants and eat healthy!

 Our realtors were wonderful, so helpful and knew exactly what we were looking for. We knew we couldn't get everything we wanted in a home, being as we weren't building one..but we came pretty close!
We saw big homes, little homes and in-between homes.
We were a little taken back when walking through the door of this home.
I don't think the owners of this house knew exactly how to stage a home? I also think they will have a hard time selling it!

Each room was worse than the other! My husband just walked out...I of course could not believe it..and I continued on into other rooms, because I really did not think all the rest of the rooms of this house would look like this...but as you will see....they were.....
the kitchen...

After passing through the kitchen, I thought surely the master bedroom had to be a little more tidy? After all, with all this chaos, wouldn't the owners need a quiet calm relaxing place to unwind???
I guess not....

 I tried to look beyond the clutter to imagine what the house looked like beneath all this "stuff"..but it was just impossible!!! How can this house sell, especially in this market??
How can anyone even find a sock to wear??
There was one plus to looking at this home...it was when I walked into the garage...I saw a lamp on top of a cage..look what was inside!!

 yes, they had baby chickens in the garage! Sooooo sweet!...Then..we moved on to seeing other homes.
Many of them were very nice with pretty yards. One house had a wreath out front with a nest of baby birds in it!
I snapped a photo of the baby birds....

Not sure what type of birds they are..but they are adorable! Interesting looking beaks.
The next day our car broke down...then it started to rain..and then I started to cry!!
I guess I was feeling a little overwhelmed. I guess I was thinking that it wasn't exactly good timing for the car
to break down, the rains to start and we were stuck in another state ....no tools and not sure what was wrong with the car.
But, my dear sweet husband is just amazing..as I have always said before. He is a ROCK! He never waivers and is always so calm.
Our friends came to help us. We used his tools, and he drove my husband to the auto store to get a new alternator. My husband felt that this was the problem with the car. Bless my husband, he is so good at fixing everything! In the meantime I went with my friend  and my daughter to mass at our soon to be new Catholic church . I have never prayed so hard!!
We left church, drove to our friends house, and there was our car...at their house, so we knew it was FIXED! My husband had said, while the car was stuck, tons of people had come by offering to help. Sounds like we will be moving to a wonderful new town in North Carolina!
We looked at more houses but knew we had found the perfect house when we found one with just about everything we were looking for.
I had always loved the look of a home with dormered windows. I have always wanted a rocking chair front porch too.
We finally found a place we can settle and call HOME!
We are very excited!!!

Hubby cannot wait to work on the landscaping, and I cannot wait to decorate and put a wreath on the front door! I am finally going to get a craft and sewing room again, and I will have plenty of space to spread out in the room over the garage! YAY!
After the stress of the car ordeal, and the signing of papers was done..we had a most relaxing rest of the weekend at our friends home on the lake. They have the most beautiful scenery as you sit on the deck in their backyard. Their backyard is the lake!
Soooo peaceful. :)

 Our friends showed us their wine bottle collection...they save bottles that people give them so they can fill them with their own homemade wine!

As it looks right now, the dates of our closings should work out well..the closing of the Florida house will take place, then a couple of days later, the closing in NC should be just a couple of days later. We are praying for a smooth transition, and that all will go well with this house selling/purchasing and that our sons transition will also go well with the United States Navy.
So much happening in such a short time.
May God continue to Bless our family one day at a time.

Until next time,
 

Wonderful Getaway!

My husband surprised me with a wonderful getaway to the North Carolina mountains.
We had a lovely time, we didn't want to leave!
The scenery was breathtaking, and the waterfalls were stunning.
It is something that I will never ever forget. I am so glad we had this opportunity to visit such beautiful mountains!

To see such grand beauty, you know there is a God!
Raggedystitches,
Louise