Reflections on life, faith, being a wife, mother, grandmother, sister, girlfriend, artist and anything else I can toss on the pile!
God's Word for Today
Wednesday, April 29, 2009
Wordless Wednesday - Buster 101
Friday, April 24, 2009
A stolen MeMe
Now that I am recovered from my travels and have finish the series that wouldn't end I move on. I know y'all are breathing a sigh of relief.
Several days ago Linda @ 2nd Cup did a meme that I really liked. (follow the link below if you did not read her original post)
So here's a stolen meme about blogging.
I guess it is better to be a day (or a week) late and a dollar short than to have missed the party all together. So here goes!
1. What is your blog about?
When I began this blog 14 months ago I did it on a whim. I had no real purpose or direction in mind. I had a sweet friend at church who had a blog and it sounded fun so one day for no particular reason (very Forest Gump) other than “I wanted one” I set up my blogger account.
Over the course of the past 14 months I have written about many things and if I had to place a definition or theme for my blog I would simply say “ME”.
When you click over to this blog there are days when I will be sharing about my faith and how my amazing God works in my life. My opinion, God is awesome and when He shows up in an amazing way, which He always does, then I have to share!
There are times when I have to share a belly laugh with you or an embarrassing moment, my motto is if I'm going to make a fool of myself in public then I need to be willing to share it with the rest of the world. I am nothing if not honest in my deep desire to be as real a possible with all of y'all. If I have a break from reality and go postal on the poor server at the neighborhood Zaxby’s then you are going to hear about it.
2. What will you never write about?
I am not a huge fan of politics, I know who I voted for but I feel so bombarded by the political machine that when I come to my blog I want to get away for the tedious and ridiculous minutia that the political arena brings with it. So politics, not so much!
I am not huge fan of blogs that bash, except for when Oprah send me over the edge, then I feel moral compulsion to set the records straight. So I hopeful try to keep it positive and refrain from undue negativity!
I also feel that there are some thing that just need to be kept private, if I can’t utter the words out loud in a conversation with a friend then it won’t be content for a blog post.
3. Have you ever considered quitting blogging?
I have moments when I feel either overwhelmed or at a complete loss.
I either have too much to do and not enough time to do it and putting a post together is the last thing on my to-do-list. In those moments I feel the slightest pangs of “Is this the best use of my time…..” kind of feelings.
There are other times when I am sitting at the keyboard just staring at the page in front of me and drawing a complete blank. During those times I feel like a vacant mannequin with nothing relevant to say and then I begin wondering why anyone would ever want to ready anything I have written.
Then I fix myself a latte’ and remember that thankfully the world does not revolve around me. I then remind myself again that the universe is safe from spinning off it axis if I don’t have anything relevant to say and that blogging is supposed to be fun and not burdensome. Then I take another sip of my latte’ and just tell myself to lighten up and move on.
4. What would you do instead?
Good question?
That’s like asking “Which came first the chicken or the egg?”
or
“If a tree fall in the forest and no one is around to hear it does it make any noise?”
Maybe lean how to throw pots, (y'all duck, bad joke I know!!) I’ve always wanted a potter’s wheel and a kiln. It always looks like so much fun!
5. What do you think blogging will be like in 5 years?
In five years I will be officially eligible for the senior citizen discount in many of the fine dinning establishments such as IHOP and Shoney’s and maybe even a few movie theaters so I may expand my blogging repertoire to the occasional restaurant or movie review. I may also consider weekly segments such as “What hurts this week?” as well as “Remember when I could remember….”
6. What is the most extraordinary thing that happened to you because of blogging?
I finally got over my fear of sharing what I write with the general public. For the longest time I had this ingrained notion that I could not call myself a writer because I have never felt like I was “smart”. I do not have a collage degree like many of my contemporaries. One day I plan to remedy that, just maybe when my girl child is finally out from under foot I may find myself back in the classroom, who knows……so with each post and the positive reinforcement I have received for my comments I feel hugely more confident in placing my thoughts and experiences down for the world to read.
7. Did you write a blog post or comment you later regretted?
I have written many posts that have been deeply personal to me. As I said before being open and honest about my life, warts and all, is critical. At times I feel lead to post about things in my life that cause me great pain. I have never regretted (yet) opening up my heart and revealing the pain or the heartbreak that I have experienced. I have had moments of doubt, but most times I simple hit the publish button and place it in God’s capable hands.
8. Pet peeves?
I’m with Lid, I am not fan of music on a blog. I find it distributing and most times if a blog has music in the background I will almost immediatly hit my mute button on the ol’ laptop.
Secondly, black or dark backgrounds with white type, or very little type, or when the font color and the background color are very similar, hurts my eyes! It just makes me nuts!!!!!!
Third, huge long unending paragraphs that go on and on on on and on and on………………. enough all ready. If I can't scroll through your post in a few short strokes then I start having the TMTR mantra in my head, that is everyone’s post but mine of course...
End on a happy note:
10 things I love about Blogging:
All of my faithful followers!
Anyone who stops and leaves a comment!
All y’all who love my accent (God love each and everyone one of y’all!)
Post that make me laugh out loud!
Post that make my cry!
A good meme. (like this one!)
Contest, Carnivals, Give-A-Ways and Mr. Linkey!!!!!
Finding a great new bloggy friend from someplace far away!
Feeling like a rocket scientist when I figure out some new bloggy trick!!!! I am still amazed that I was able to configure a third column on my blog…..
Blog language: Blogosphere, vlog, DD, DH, MIL and expressions like Whoo to the Hooo!
Blessings
Robin
Feel free to steal away... this was fun!!!!!!
Wednesday, April 22, 2009
Road Trip - Part Two... Trapped in the kitchen, A fire in the oven and Easter Morning at the waters edge...
Tuesday, April 21, 2009
Road Trip - Part One...On the road again...
I would love to say that this second trip was going to be for rest and relaxation, however I am sure that after everything is said and done I will return home with sore feet and a kink in my back.
One of my oldest and dearest friends daughters is getting married.
She and I were expecting at the very same time. Me with my first and her with her second. My son was born and then eight days later her daughter was born. Although our children are not BFF's they have been part of each other lives since they day they were born.
The BFF's DD wanted to get married at the family beach house in Cape San Blas Florida.
The wedding was going to be on the beach and the reception to follow at a larger house just down the street from my BFF's parents home.
Now let me just state up front that what I am about to share with you is public and common knowledge.
My very dear friend has quite possible walked through her kitchen, even opened her refrigerator to retrieve a diet coke, however the operations of the various appliances such as the oven or the food processor or or to even cook a meal, well sadly this talent has missed the mark where she is concerned.
I think that in the entire 30 years of our friendship I have no memory of her ever cooking a meal, making a sandwich, yes, pouring a bowl of cereal you bet, but beyond that she has no desire what so ever to make her mark in the culinary world.
So off I went to handle all the details of getting every one fed at the wedding.
I had a long car ride in front of me and no one to talk to so I had a stroke of what could be considered sheer genius and grabbed my camera and began to document my road trip.
So here it is...
Stay tuned for Road Trip - Part Two
My Journey Home
and maybe a few wedding details as well.
Blessings
Robin
Sunday, April 19, 2009
Savannah - Part Four - We go exploring...A Cemetery, A Fort, A Lighthouse and some grilled oysters
The statues were amazing!
Friday, April 17, 2009
Savannah - Part Three - Deep Fried Ecstasy
As I said in my earlier post, my dear friends daughter was able to wrangle us the much prised reservations. And after a long day of walking the city we headed back to our hotel for a bit of a nap before dinner. We needed to be fortified for the experience of entering the inner sanctum of all things southern.
After a very short walk, it was raining, but just a light spring shower and we had a large umbrella so we arrived dry and cool after our short walk from our hotel. We found ourselves standing in front of the sanctuary of fried chicken and black eyed peas.
My mouth is watering just thinking about the food.
The Lady & Son's
This same sweet smiling faced young woman then came by with a huge basket filled to overflowing with hot fresh from the oven cheese biscuit. She placed one on my plate as well. I took a tiny bit, not wanting to spoil my appetite for the main event. It was light and fluffy with just the right amount of cheese as well as buttery and melt in your mouth. Oh my stars, y'all it was too good!
On Sunday's the Lady and Son's only serves a buffet, so after savoring our hoe cakes and cheese biscuits we made our way up to the buffet.
The meal we had was one for the books. I have to tell ya that there was not one thing on the buffet that was a disappointment. I am not a real fan of collard greens but I vowed to at least sample a tiny bite of most everything. The greens were really good. The only thing I did not try were the candies yams. Off to the side of the buffet was a small and rarely visited salad bar. In my wildest imagination can I ever picture myself visiting "Paula's" for a salad. That just isn't happening.
Our servers name was Nic. He was a personable young man with a friendly conversational way. I asked him how many times a day he got his picture taken, and he just smiled and said that it as "a lot".
Gooey Butter Cake....very good
Wednesday, April 15, 2009
Savannah - Part Two - Were walking...were walking...
With our tummies full we set to explore Savannah.
The minute we stepped out of the hotel it was a constant feast for the eyes.
Around every corner were....
Beautiful homes
Carriage rides...
Picturesque squares, 22 of them to be exact, each one we strolled through was unique and you could just envision yourself whiling away a spring morning with your coffee and paper under the dappled shade of the life oaks.
With only a few days we did not get to visit all 22 of these wonderful little parks but we saw almost half of them.
Each park had a name and most times some sort of historical statue or plaque telling you about the famous person represented in the statue or marker. Some of the squares even were the final resting place of some of the more prominent Savannah citizens back in the day.
This next place was by far one of my favorites.
Forsyth Park.
I had seen this fountain many times on television, however standing in front of it was amazing. The tree lined view of it form a distance was stunning. As we approached the central focus of this beautiful park we noticed that there was a wedding be set up.
A wedding in Savannah
Can you imagine having this as the backdrop for your wedding!
or walking down this rose petal lined path to meet the man you love??
Sadly, we did not have time to linger to actually see the wedding, but it was nice to imagine it.
The live oaks were amazing and covered with the elegantly draped Spanish moss. There is something about strolling beneath the tree lined streets with the Spanish moss swaying over your head that transports you back to simpler times. It set the tone of days gone by. Visions of southern bells strolling down the avenues under there parasols (I can't seem to stop using the word strolling) or dapper young gentlemen in morning coats discussing the purchase of a new thoroughbred, or the gray haired patriarch's of the town having their afternoon tea on the shade of there front porch.
Sadly we had missed the peak of the blooming of the azaleas, but there were a few left tucked her and there.
The iron work on some of the houses was amazing.
We took another stroll to City Market. This is a small avenue lined with open air cafe's and storefronts.
I am still enjoying the divinity and the pralines I bought at The Savannah's Candy Kitchen.
I am not sure what these were but anything covered with chocolate and chopped pecans is a winner in my book.
Look how beautiful these candy apples were. They are almost to pretty to eat.
We saw Mercer Williams home. If you saw the movie or read the book "Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil" you will know who this is. I must admit the quirky Savannah you see in the move is a bit exaggerated from the Savannah we experienced.
We did see the occasional SCAD student with bright red hair or the odd looking homeless person but sadly we failed to see anyone walking an invisible dogs or the herds of hat wearing socialites or the cross dressing working girls. If you saw the move you will know what I am talking about.
The Mercer Williams Home
And of course you can't go to Savannah with out at least walking by the birth place of Juliet Gordon Low. We did however run into several troops of eager girl scouts in rout to this historic girl scout destination.
Tuesday, April 14, 2009
Savannah - Part One - Bumper to Bumper Traffic & an Emu
I have much to share about the happening of my spring break and in an effort to be systematic as well as refraining from long windiness I have decided to launch my first ever ....
Blog Mini Series.
Please, please...... try to contain you excitement!
Now that you have had a few seconds to let the awsomeness of this groundbreaking blog event wash over you I move on to.....
The Great Escape....
Savannah, Spring Break 2009 - Part One
Our adventure begins on Saturday, April 4th.
We along with all the other parents of middle school and high school children joyfully drop our beloved off-spring off for the annual UMYF Spring Break Retreat. It is a much anticipated event in the lives of all the youth and this will be my DD second trip with this group. The chaos is organized and the noise vibrates as they all patiently wait to board the bus.
This is a picture of my DD (far right) and her BFF's as they gear up for Spring Break fun!!!!!
Having experienced this rite of passage before as well a sending off my DS for many many years the allure of hanging around to see the buses pull from the parking lot has lost it's poignancy, not to mention that we had our bags pack and we were anxious to be on the road for a much needed bit of husband and wife time.
We snapped a few pictures gave a quick kiss and a hug and then we high tailed it out of there like we were on fire.
Can you tell that we were eager to take advantage of the opportunity to be free of the parental responsibilities for a few days.
Our exuberance was short lives as we found ourselves in bumper to bumper traffic for over an hour and a half.
Being the first travel day of the spring break holiday the Georgia Department of Transportation thought that it was also an appropriate day to close down all but two lanes heading out of town to replace a few signs along the highway.
Another example of our tax dollars being put to good use.
Don'tcha just wanna be here!
Finally we cleared all the in town traffic and we it the open road..........for about 15 minutes.
Yes, more bumper to bumper traffic, by this time my DH was about to blow a gasket but with a bit of effort and many many different topics of conversation we managed to persevere the inching along.
Needless to say we spent from 9:00 AM until about 12:30 PM just trying to get out of town!
In desperation we inched off the expressway to find a bathroom, along with about 500 of our fellow travelers. By this point people were just throwing caution to the wind and using the shoulder of the road as an additional lane. We exit off and pull into the nearest gas station, the hubby goes in and promptly returns announcing that if I "really have to go", which I did, then unfortunately this was not an option as the line for the ladies room was 30 plus deep.
A quick scan of the surroundings, and we were saved.
My beloved Kohl's, I knew they would have a bathroom. We pulled into the parking lot and quickly took care of our necessary functions and then since we weren't going anywhere and I had a 30% off coupon in my purse we took the opportunity to do a bit of shopping.
The hubby got a couple pairs of shorts and I was able to return a bathing suit that I had bought for the DD.
Boring boring boring yes I know.
However a kindly sales lady took pity on us as we were ringing up our purchases and gave us directions to bypass the rest of the traffic.
Praise Jesus for the kindness of strangers.
Finally free of the constrains of the bumper to bumper madness we found out tummies grumbling.
Gotta love a spicy chicken sandwich and fries and of course a frosty for the road.
I am partial to the new vanilla flavor.
On our thirds pit stop we found a small roadside gas station. Along with a bathroom break we got to visit with a donkey...
an emu
There were some cows, chicken and goats as well, but you had to pay to get inside the enclosure so I opted to enjoy the livestock from afar with the zoom lens of my camera.
At last we arrive at our destination.
The Hilton DeSoto in Savannah, GA. There are some benefits to business travel. The hubs had enough hotel points to get us the entire weekend for free and they even comped us the breakfast buffet for our entire stay as well.
The Lobby. WOW!