FAMILY STAYCATION: THE PERFECT WEEKEND “GETAWAY”……..AT HOME!

 

My husband and I would love to whisk our family off on a wonderful 5 star vacation, but with another child to put through college and the restraints of our adult children’s own work schedules it was simply not possible this year.  So we, along with our kids, decided that a staycation was the way to go.  Everyone would come stay at our house for a weekend and we’d have a our own little makeshift vacation.  I originally wanted to do it in the summer, but before we knew it our summer was over and the first fall weekend our schedules would allow for an entire weekend with all of us together was in November.

So when the weekend finally arrived I got the guest rooms ready….

One for  Ryan and Katie…

And one for Daniel and Melissa….

I decided to have fun with it and put a welcome basket in each of their rooms with a couple of small bottles of wine, some wine glasses……

And a little notecard…..

Just for a little fun.

(And I made a basket with water instead of wine for Alyssa, who’s only 18.)

For dinner the first night I set my table up for a buffet style meal……

And dressed it up so it would look a bit like a restaurant buffet for a pizza and salad bar.

Then laid out all the fixins

I placed the weekend itinerary on the center of the table….

As well as instructions for the pizza bar…

After each pizza was personally “decorated” each family member took a parchment paper flag (that I had pre-cut earlier)  and wrote their initials on it, then marked their slice by adhering it with a toothpick so we could bake them all together.  That way there was no wondering who’s pizza was who’s.

I had the salad bar instructions on the table as well (not that I needed it)…

The nice thing about a Pizza/Salad Bar is that most of the toppings could be used for both the pizza and the salad…….the perfect Martin family meal.

For dessert I decided we’d have a DIY Martini cake contest.

Each “kid” would create their own martini cake and decorate it with their own unique style….

They chose their own food coloring for the batter and also for the icing….

I admit this was something the girl’s were more interested in doing than the boys, but they were sweet and humored  me…..

They played along.

Turns out they actually had a little fun with it…

And they made some very impressive martini cakes!  (Find the recipe here)

I wanted to create a little game room of sorts in the garage and since I don’t have a ping pong table I bought a portable table tennis set and created one myself.

 

This is the table top I use on top of my marble dining room table when I need to expand it which is simply two pieces of hinged particle boards.  We keep it stored in the garage so it came in very handy for a ping pong table.  It was even regulation length – just a little more narrow.  But, it worked like a charm.

We all played, but Ryan remained the overall winner and we (I) dubbed him the King Kong of Ping Pong.

I also bought this three game set…..

And set up the bean bag toss – and, we just sort of hung out and had some no frills fun in our garage turned game room….

Even our youngest little Martin man hung out…..

Then it was time for the big “treasure hunt”.

This is a fun little game my own kids grew up doing every Easter and Christmas.  I write out clues and they have to follow the clues to the grand prize.  Since this was my granddaughter, Kaisley’s (aka KK), first “hunt” I explained the game to her…..

And, the hunt was on….

The first clue led to her bookshelves……

Then the back of her rocking chair…..

Which lead her to one of my pumpkins……

And, finally the grand prize – her goody bag. One for her…..

And, one for her baby brother, Elijah.

Once the kids were snuggled up in bed…..

It was time for the adult treasure hunt…..

The funny thing is…..even as adults they still have fun with this long standing Martin tradition….

They took turns reading the clues until they made their way to the big surprise….

Their “grand prize” was individual envelopes of money for each one of them.  The only rule was they all had to go shopping together on Saturday and all the money had to be spent on something fun for them not for anyone else.  (Mimi and Doogie would babysit the grandkiddo’s and take them to the park to feed the ducks between naps)

  After shopping it was church together, then dinner (Pasta Fagioli by Doogie) – which we’ve nicknamed Pasta Fa-Doogie – and, lastly a movie.  (An oldie, but goodie by the way – “Spy Games” with Robert Redford and Brad Pitt.  Great flick!) Dessert was Cookies & Cream ice cream with chocolate syrup.

The next morning we had a piñata for Kaisley…..

Which required a little help from Daddy and Doogie.

And, although she was happy with the goodies that poured out of it….she was none too happy she wasn’t allowed to eat it all at that moment.

Next it was time to bury our family time capsule….yes, a time capsule.

Inside the capsule I put a picture of Doogie and I…..

And a picture of our kids and grandkids. 

I typed up a little “document” with our names, the year, some current events and a little bit about our family.  We each signed it – including KK.  Then I rolled it all up with our pictures and put it in a jar…..

And then in this plastic container.  At Ryan’s suggestion I taped it up with red duct tape and marked it so that if someone comes across it years and years from now they won’t mistake it for trash and just throw it away.

We pitched in and took turns digging the hole….

Had a little “photo op” as a record of the event……(early in the morning before makeup…..so don’t judge us!)

Then Doug (Doogie) buried it.

Hopefully it won’t be discovered for twenty to thirty years or more!  Regardless…..it was just a fun little adventure…..

As was the rest of the weekend.  It wasn’t lavish, just simple fun….

We hung out…..

Had lots of laughs….

Enjoyed some family bonding….

And, ultimately isn’t that what it’s all about?

We weren’t on a beach somewhere…..or at a mountain chalet……but, fortunately for Doug and I our family doesn’t require all that to enjoy each other’s company and have fun…..

We just enjoy being together….no matter where we are!

And, they’ve all announced they want to do the staycation weekend at least once a year now.  And, that makes this little Mimi very happy!

Happy Family-Time….

and

Happy Decorating!!!

An Extraordinary Ordinary Life

Given the recent unrest in this world which gets more chaotic everyday…..along with my birthday earlier this month and other events in my life – it’s made me a bit reflective, nostalgic and introspective.  It leads me to sort of think about my place in this crazy, volatile world – and the incredible blessings God has bestowed upon me in my simple, quiet little life – one I very much take for granted.   I know I’m right where God would have me be at this stage of my life….and, sometimes, in the midst of all the “busy-ness” (though not often enough) I stop a minute and realize just how precious my ordinary life is.

My Ordinary Life

I’m an ordinary girl

With an ordinary life…

I’m an ordinary mom

And an ordinary wife

I live on an ordinary street

In an ordinary house

I have ordinary children

And an ordinary spouse

I’m extraordinarily grateful

For this ordinary life

Which brings extraordinary joy

To this mother and this wife

I see extraordinary things

In this ordinary-“ness”

For I know in my heart

I’m extraordinarily blessed…

For my ordinary children

Are extraordinary to me –

My ordinary spouse

The best a man could be -

A roof over my head…

An extraordinary thing

Food on the table

An extra blessing –

Let me never lose sight

Of these extraordinary gifts

In my ordinary life…

That I so greatly cherish

by Sheri Martin © 2012

Life At Home: My Sweet Dad

 

For those of you who follow my blog you will have seen a couple of these pictures of me with my dad before.  But they’re pictures that I love so I wanted to post them again, one more time, in remembrance of him. 

Sunday, the 9th, was the first anniversary of his death and the reminder that we’ve now spent an entire year without him.  My sister came down to be with my mom so we spent Saturday night and Sunday with her to reminisce and just help her (and each other) get through it. 

We had some sweet,  pleasant talks about him – reminisced about what a great dad and husband and grandfather he was.  And, how much we miss him!

Time does make things easier – I admit that’s so true.  And that’s such a blessing.  But, there are times when the pain and grief just strike unexpectedly……like no other pain…..a deep pain that literally takes your breath away.  Which is what happened to me Sunday night and why I couldn’t post this till now.   (I know so many of you understand exactly how it feels.) 

And, when that kind of grief hits I stop and remind myself that he’s in heaven with the Lord now – free of pain and sorrow and fear.  I know he’s happy and at peace…and that gives me great comfort. 

I love and miss you Dad……

so much!

Easy Wedding Crafts For The “Not So Crafty”

 

For you not so crafty folks out there that are looking for ways to spruce up your wedding, your party or even your home – remember……… paint is our friend!  And, no matter what you say – anyone can paint.  Especially spray paint.  And, something as simple as paint can completely change the personality of the piece. So keep that in mind for just about any and everything you need to decorate your wedding (or whatever) with.  Here’s some un-crafty crafts below that might help:

For the “photo booth” at my son’s wedding I painted several different frames that a designer friend of mine gave me for free.   (Her framer was getting rid of them so she snagged them for me.) I painted a couple of them silver to match several of the other accessories we were using.  Easy, breezy.  (The smaller ones were for the rehearsal dinner)

I took this rusty old chandelier from my back yard….

And painted it turquoise….

Along with this frame…..

Yes, I even painted a grapevine wreath.  I had an old one I hadn’t used in years so I thought, why not.   I had an extra piece of scrap wood that I painted turquoise, stenciled on the word “photo’s” to signify the photo booth area, then dry brushed on a Martha Stewart’s Pearl glaze to give it an antique look.  I added some flowers to match those used on the tables.

I had this iron piece that I used to have in my office for mail, but no longer had a use for.  So I painted it turquoise and placed some disposable cameras in it just in case someone in the camera phone world might need it.  (It wasn’t necessary…just so you know.)

I borrowed these baskets from my sister and filled each one with his and her props.  To designate each one I bought craft paper from Hobby Lobby and layered two different sheets.  On the turquoise sheets I stenciled on the “His” and “Hers” in the same stencil I used for the “Photo” sign.  To keep the signs protected I used clear stick-on laminate paper.   The laminate paper looks like this:

 

You just adhere the laminate to the craft paper and then cut around the shape. 

I hole punched a couple of holes at the top and tied them on with ribbon.  Doesn’t take a craft guru…promise.

At the wedding I layered the frames and chandelier, brought a chair and some accessories from home…

And, it worked like a charm for the photo booth.

A completely inexpensive way to create a little fun.

     All with very little “craftiness”, just a little recycling with our handy tool…..paint.

As you can see it worked well…

And, everyone had fun with it.

No, this isn’t the new Charlie’s Angels….it’s my daughter and nieces.

And, to top it off, they made great use of the frames after the wedding, too.  The turquoise one hangs in their dining room and the silver one is in their bedroom.   Love that!

I took a couple of brown wicker pieces off my patio and spray painted them silver to hold a couple of palm trees.

I used them at the rehearsal dinner.  You can see that blog post here.

Then I used them again at the wedding.  Here I covered the top of the container with wedding tulle at the suggestion of my friend, Joan.  Great idea, Joan!   (The palms were only $8.99 at Lowes, by the way.)

And, I purchased these black initials……

And immediately painted them silver.

One for the grooms cake….

And, one for the bridal cake – or, actually – the cupcake tower.  (It’s blurry, but it’s there in the corner.)

I had an old metal container and painted it turquoise, then distressed it with Martha Stewart’s Pearl glaze.  I placed it on the gift table for cards.  I printed out on craft paper “Place Wedding Cards Here”, laminated it and displayed it on an iron cup and saucer holder I know longer used.  Of course I painted it turquoise, too. 

Here I took an artist canvas that I had here in a closet, painted it silver and distressed it with pearl glaze.  These wooden letters were unfinished letters from Hobby Lobby that I painted and distressed to match the canvas along with the matt I used for this picture.  I glued all this and a wedding invitation to the canvas and displayed this on the sign in table.

Again what’s fun about these “crafts” is that they were able to find a new use for these pieces in their apartment.  These are all also on display in their dining room.  Cool, huh.

I wanted a charming sign to greet guests as they walked in so since I had some loose ends in my “stash” at home I decided to make use of them.  This is another artist canvas and iron embellishment I had on hand for another project that I never got around to so they came in quite handy. Yea!  See, sometimes procrastinating projects works in your favor! I screwed the iron piece into the frame at the top of the canvas then painted it turquoise and pearl like I did everything else.  Next I adhered this pearl stick on design that I got at, where else, Hobby Lobby.  I ended up having to reinforce it with a tiny bit of glue.  Then, using the same stencil I used for everything else I stenciled on their names and added the little flowers in the corner for a romantic wedding touch.

It’s the one thing I ended up not getting a picture of at the wedding.  But, I had it hanging on a turquoise wreath holder next to a lantern at the entrance.

And, it too, is hanging on the wall in there apartment now.  Again, love that!

Using another scrap of wood I nabbed from my mother’s garage I used the same process as I did on the entrance sign to create this plaque.  Only this time I used brown paint for the back ground which was another color in their wedding.  I distressed it with the pearl like the others, though, and added the same stenciling. I added the iron embellishment at the top with screws.

And, placed it in the wagon with my grandson as he was pulled down the aisle by Melissa’s little sister who was one of the flower girls.

He’s sitting on a turquoise bombo seat covered in brown organza!  Ha!  Isn’t he cute!

On the back it said “Just Married”, but in all the hoopla it didn’t end up getting flipped and used.  Bummer!

On each table we used these little signs to designate table numbers.  These are the plain plastic frames you can get at any craft store, craft paper that I cut to fit the frame and labels that I created through a website called My Own Labels (www.myownlabels.com).  I found these stick on turquoise numbers at Hobby Lobby and placed them in the center of each label.  Each label says Daniel and Melissa at the top and  “Happily Ever After” at the bottom.  Inexpensive and sweet.

So there you have it.  Plenty of easy to do crafts for the “not so crafty”.  You could take these ideas and use them not only for a wedding, but any party or gathering you may be having.  Have fun!

Happy Decorating!

Happy 34th Anniversary!

 

Today I’m celebrating 34 years of marriage to my hubby, Doug (aka Doogie).  It’s funny, because with our three kids grown we jokingly refer to ourselves now as newlyweds, because we are, once again, able to do what we want, when we want without having to worry about school functions, cheer, dance or sports.

We had the opportunity, thanks to good friends of ours, to join them for a week at their cabin in Angelfire, New Mexico.  One of our favorite spots on the planet.   A perfect place to celebrate an anniversary…….we’ve been able to enjoy riding on Doug’s Harley all through the mountains everyday.  Breathtaking views and perfect weather…..

We also brought our bikes and had fun on them as well  It’s a work out going up and down these hills let me tell you, but with scenery and weather like this it’s worth the extra effort.

We set up an evening picnic with our friends, the Powell’s, complete with wine, sausage, cheese and crackers while we waited for Elk to show up on their evening route. An incredibly cool experience.

We toured a creepy, but cool, haunted house called the St. James Hotel in Cimmarron.  It’s supposedly haunted and one of the most haunted rooms is pad locked shut so no one can ever enter.  No one that works there ever wants to set foot in this room due to some of the spooky “goings on” they’ve had there.  (It’s been featured on a couple of ghost inspired TV shows) We stood outside the door  of the pad locked room for a picture.  Ca-reepy!

We sat in the St. James original card room where the likes of Jesse James, William T. Cody, Bat Masterson and others played serious card games…..sometimes to the death. (Google the hotel if you want to find out more about it.  It has a very interesting history.)

We old married folks still really like each other after 34 years which is a huge blessing and we know it.

And, we rather like this newlywed lifestyle again!

Still two more days of celebrating and then looking forward to another 34+ years!

Happy Anniversary, Doogie!

DIY Wedding Fan For An Outdoor Wedding

 

When you go to an outdoor wedding in Texas at almost anytime of the year it’s not a bad idea to have some type of fan for the guests to use if necessary.  And when it’s the end of May it’s a sure fire bet they’ll be needed.  So with my son’s wedding May 26th we knew it was a must have.   But, what style, how much would it cost, how many did we need? 

So of course we searched the web and Pinterest, etc. looking for ideas….

There were tons of designs out there….and the prices weren’t bad on many of them.

But, we needed (or thought we needed) 150-160 of them so it still added up.

So even though there were some great ideas……we found we could still save money if we did them ourselves.

Using pictures online I tried my hand at cutting my own shapes and various styles and somehow they all came out looking wonky.  Can we just say disaster? 

Then I came up with the idea to just try the old fashion accordion style fans we used to make as children.  Remember?  With notebook paper…..it was always either fans or airplanes.

I purchased card stock at Hobby Lobby (on sale half price, of course) and started playing around with colors and widths, etc.  I tried several looks -  the neutrals with a jewel and the turquoise with a jewel (I just used scotch tape to experiment with the different colors), I tried combining two colors, using just one color…..

I tried white with a monogram and white with a jewel……tried a single sheet of paper and gluing two sheets together….and experimented with how wide to make the “pleats”.  Who knew deciding on an old fashion fan would ultimately have so many options.  Ugh!

I decided it was easiest to come up with the right size pleat for all of them and keep them all uniform if I folded the sheet in half..

Then folded it in half again….

And, again….

And, again….of course, flipping the folds back and forth to create the accordion style.

This made managing the pleat size and the fan size much easier.

We voted on putting two sheets together for a fuller look.  I just used a glue stick and pressed the inside pleats together and stapled the bottoms together to form a “handle”.

We also decided on turquoise card stock to match her bridesmaids dresses and going with a ribbon handle to cover up the bottom of the fan where we stapled the pleats together.

Melissa wanted ivory so we got this half price at Hobby Lobby.

We wrapped the handle and hot glued the seam and the bottom together for a finished look.

And, for that added wedding touch we purchased a string of pearl ribbon – yes, of course – where else….Hobby Lobby half price! – and hot glued it along the top of the ribbon.

We were very happy with the end result and we saved quite a bit of money, but I’m not going to lie…..it was very time consuming!  So unless you have  team of friends and family to help or you start way early this isn’t the route to go.  We were fortunate enough to have a group of friends and family help out and even then the amount of time it took was overwhelming. (We waited too long to do this so it was a bit stressful trying to knock it out the last couple weeks before the wedding with everything else left to do.  Don’t make that mistake!) 

And, you don’t need one for every guest!  So just make enough for about half the guests.  Most men won’t use them and kids don’t necessarily need them so it’s overkill to have one for every single guest.  Something we now know in hind sight so spare yourself the extra effort!

Hope this gave you Brides-To-Be some ideas to ponder for your own wedding!  Good luck and have fun!

Happy Decorating!

Timeless Treasures In Taos!

 

Every time I escape the Texas heat and go to Angelfire, New Mexico with my gal pals we always make a trip to Taos for a day.  We love the vibe there and the overall personality.

It’s so charming….and a little bit bohemian…..

It’s fun to lollygag through the shops (in weather that doesn’t wear you out!)…

And enjoy the architecture and style….

Check out new places to eat…..

People watch….

\

Admire the flowers that still look alive at the end of July or August….

Something that’s always somewhat astonishing to Texans who fight to keep their flowers alive, much less looking healthy and vibrant in 106 degree temperatures.

 

It’s also fun to look at the interesting artwork and pottery they have.  We found a great little store filled with this amazing dishware.

This kind of pottery is artwork.

And so much fun…..

The colors…..

The patterns…..

So unique and wacky…..in a fun way!

Don’t know what this thing is – but what a conversation piece you could have!

Happy Decorating!!!

A Year Full Of Changes: Graduation Time For My Little Girl

 

As if the wedding festivities didn’t keep us hopping enough during that busy wedding weekend – my daughter decided she wanted to have her graduation party a week early so that all the out of town family who came in for the wedding could also celebrate with her.  She loves having them around and didn’t want the special moment to pass by.  After giving it some thought my husband and I decided, what the heck…..call us crazy…..exhausted or not…..we agreed to go for it.

So the Sunday afternoon after the wedding I quickly decorated the entry with pictures and balloons and we had fifty or so family members over to our house to celebrate the next big occasion: My daughter’s graduation. 

Since I couldn’t possibly find the time with all the wedding prep going on to create by hand the decorative poster boards I did for her brother’s graduation parties, I had this poster made at Walgreens earlier in the week.  But, it was filled with sweet memories. just like theirs, and I think I actually liked the way it turned out even better….

I’m not a scrapper, but since it’s so easy now to do at places like Walgreens I also created a keepsake photo album of memories for her….

Filled with pages and pages of happy family times when she was a teeny little thing….

And, as she was growing up…..

And, special occasions we all shared together.

It was also a dual celebration for my niece, Paige’s graduation.  The same age – they’ve been close all their lives.  Just not sure how they got from here…..

To here quite so fast.  An age old question mothers everywhere grapple with.  Right?  How does this happen so quickly?

My sister had this fun sign made that I hung on the stairs so guests could see it when they walked in.

And, she composed a poster of pictures for Paige and laid out some memorabilia from her accomplishments and interests over the years……

Including this amazing picture of Paige dancing.  That’s really her!  Is this incredible or what?

The house was filled with lots of loving, wonderful family for a barbecue, relaxation and fun.  (And, later that evening a sweet video of the graduates my sister put together.)  A fun, special night.

A week later a group of her friends, some as far back as elementary school, came over to get ready for graduation night.  (Our air conditioning went out that morning and they still came over!)  I walked into my bedroom to find them having a pizza party on my bedroom floor!   No, really, I did!

Besties for years….they just wanted to be together for this eventful, momentous day.  So cute and sweet!  Love them!

And, then it was time for the big occasion.

As families do at such exciting times – the whole family came to cheer her on….

Including her cute, little grandmothers.

Her older brothers were especially proud of their baby sister.

Two exciting back to back changes for our family – one newly married and one newly graduated.  A new chapter in their lives…. and the lives of their parents as well..

They grow up….

And, move on……

But, they’ll always be our babies.

Happy Life…..

and always…

Happy Decorating!

A Fresh, New Look For An Old Fashion Screened In Porch

 

These days the outdoor living area has morphed into a covered area with flagstone floors, a fireplace and a kitchen.   And, they are wonderful, functional and tons of fun.  But, there’s something oddly cozy and charming about the good old fashioned screened in porch.  

We had a screened in porch built years ago – long before the current outdoor living area became so popular. And, it’s probably the favorite room in the house. We lounge out there, have dinner out there……coffee and newspaper in the morning, wine in the evening. Whenever the Texas weather allows it’s the most used room we have.

  But, recently my rattan furniture has looked a bit “tired” and in desperate need of a facelift.

I didn’t want to spend the money on new furniture, but wanted something fresh and fun.  I haggled back and forth between paint colors……did I want sage green or did I want black?

After giving it some thought I settled on black.  So I hauled all my wicker furniture out into the back yard, wiped it all down with a moist rag…..

Then started painting…..

And, painting…..

And, painting!

Everything thing got a couple of coats of glossy black spray paint.

Including this $50.00 rattan bench I purchased on clearance from Big Lots to add more seating to my dining table……

And, this tall storage chest.  (This was originally a natural fence post color for my boy’s play room from twenty years ago that I later painted this creamy white for my daughter.  She had this color in her room for a few years and then I moved it to my porch. It worked for a time in this creamy color, but now it’s time for a new look again in black to match the rest of the outdoor space.)

When I finished painting it looked like this.  Fresh, fun and new.  I got this fun rug at Walmart for $59.00.  Love the bright, bold colors and pattern.

But, I felt the space still needed “something”, so I tried hanging sheers to see if it gave me the final look I wanted or if it was just too much.  When I stepped back to check it out I immediately knew it gave the porch the cozy look I was shooting for…..

So I went to Bed, Bath and Beyond and bought enough sheers to cover each corner.  I used my $5.00 off coupons and my 20% off coupons and got each $20.00 panel for $15.00-$16.00 per panel.  By the way did you know at Bed, Bath and Beyond you can use a coupon for each item you buy?  I had ten panels and ten coupons – one for each sheer.  And, for those of you who don’t know this – they will take expired coupons up to seven years old!

Adding the sheers created the charm and coziness that I was looking for.

Then I tweaked the accessories, adding lime green flowers to my arrangement and bringing in this antique plate from my collection in the house to compliment the lime green in the new rug….

I also added this adorable dog bed from Hobby Lobby for our cute little Chihuahua, Harley.  It was already black so it fit perfectly.  (And, of course it was on clearance or I probably wouldn’t have gotten it.)

I painted some of the accessories black….

Added some lime green to my potpourri – again to pull the green from the new rug in.

I also painted all the dining chairs black and switched out my cushions to this fun red and cream from Gardenridge.  This chandelier over the table was originally cream…..

Then I painted it turquoise for the wedding photo booth….

….then recycled it again by painting it black to hang above my table on my porch.  Remember paint is our easiest, cheapest design tool…..it makes everything better!

I made good use of this palm that was left over from the wedding by placing it in the corner for a cozy touch and painted this urn black (originally gray) to match everything else.

Then I added some some new accessories like these garden balls to give it a fresh, new look.  Notice my black cabinet in the corner?  Love it in this color!  Simple, inexpensive paint has helped me re-create this piece that I’ve now had for twenty years.

I have a collection of birdhouses and bird cages sprinkled all over the porch.  I just gave them a quick clean.

I painted these tall candle holders black from the rusty brown color they were originally.  You can see them used at a shower I did on my blog post here.  The shorter candle holders were originally gray.  I got them at Hobby Lobby for $5.00 on clearance and painted them black, too.  (I was on such a roll painting everything I think my husband was afraid if he walked by I’d paint him black, too!)

The end result is a fresh, updated “old fashioned screened in porch”.  Though it’s mostly recycled items that have been painted, rearranged, or tweaked  -  it feels brand new now, and I know we’ll continue to enjoy it as a family for many more years.

Happy Decorating!

Happy Father’s Day, Daddy!

 

There were two great gifts my father gave me while he was here on this earth.  The first was the unconditional devotion and love he gave my mother and the second was the absolute unconditional devotion and love he gave me, my siblings and our families throughout our lives.

Those are the foundations in life that can’t be replaced by money or things.  And, those are the precious heartfelt memories that no one can ever take away.

Thank you, Dad!  We love and miss you.

Happy Father’s Day!