Being Flexible

I have come to the realization that, even though I may want to be, when it comes to big changes, I am not that flexible. For years, I thought I was very flexible, being able to go with the flow like the best. But, alas, that is not so. When something big changes (kids getting out of school, kids going to school, small changes in my daily routine or plans, etc), it throws me for a loop. I wander around like a zombie, trying to get my bearings straight. All of this finally hit me this year when the kids got out for the summer. (Everyone else probably noticed it long before I did - sometimes I'm slow.) My normal routine of going to the gym after dropping the kids off at school came to a screeching halt. Now, the kids and I were sleeping later, while Andrew was still taking his naps at the same time. This put going to the gym low on my list of priorities. Now that the kids are back in school, it is taking me a long time to get the idea in my head that now I can go to the Y and work out again, without having to drag the kids with me or interrupting Andrew's nap.

Little changes are okay, for the most part. But, even those can make my head spin at times (which is a unique thing to see - LOL).

Case in point - this morning, my plan was to drop the kids off and head to Sam's to get a tire replaced. If I got there early enough, maybe the wait wouldn't be as long. Well, that idea was blown out of the water when Andrew didn't wake up at his usual time. As of 9:30 this morning, he is STILL sleeping. (In his defense, he only got about a ten minute nap yesterday in the car. Mike said Andrew also woke up a couple of times during the night.) So, instead of going to Sam's today, I guess it will have to be tomorrow or Wednesday. There is plenty for me to do around here; I just need to get my head in order and get to work.

One other thing - my dear, sweet friend Stacy sent me an e-mail last night. She and her family are praying about coming to this area during Spring Break. I am hoping and praying they can come. It has been about ten years since we last saw each other. Pray that God will work out all the details and they can make it. It would be awesome to get to see her and her family again!! We've both added a few kids to our families since I saw her last.

Idea

If any of my readers knows someone who is moving out on their own and needs to purchase items for their kitchen, I have an idea. I can combine quite a bit of our cabin kitchen items and sell it all for one price. The items would include:

dishes (dinner plates, salad plates, bowls and coffee mugs)
glassware (tea and juice glasses)
silverware
metal mixing bowls
cooking utensils (spoons, pizza cutter, spatula, etc)
cookware (Farberware pots and pans)
tea kettle
toaster
mixer
knife set with storage carousel
small canister set
salt and pepper shakers
steam iron
small ironing board

Also available are a 12-cup coffee maker, microwave, and bathroom accessories at an additional cost. The bathroom accessories would include a shower curtain, curtain rings, lotion dispenser and soap dish. There are two different bathroom accessories from which to choose.

The cost of just the kitchen items would be $150. If you want to include the other items, let me know what you want. If you are interested or know someone who is, e-mail me or send me a message on Facebook.

Back-to-School Fiction Blog Tour

This blog tour review consists of three books: Rose House by Tina Ann Forkner, The Sweetgum Ladies: Knit for Love by Beth Pattillo, and The Confidential Life of Eugenia Cooper by Kathleen Y'Barbo.

Rose House
Tina Ann Forkner

Lillian Diamon, mourning the tragic loss of her family, is drawn to a quiet cottage called the Rose House where, four years earlier, she grieved and poured out her heart among the blooms. When she finds a painting in the La Rosaleda Gallery in the Sonoma Valley that captures this private moment in intimate detail, she sets out to find the painter. During her quest, she is forced to think about the events and mystery surrounding her husband and children's deaths.

This book was good, but I was looking for more. When I first read the description, I imagined a suspense/mystery type of book. There was some mystery and suspense, but not enough. The ending was anti-climatic for me. I felt that the appearance of Tom Bentley was added as an afterthought. I did like how Lillian came to terms with the deaths of her family, and how she restored the relationship with her sister, Geena, who was with Lillian's family at the time of the accident. The epilogue was the best part, seeing how everyone was settling in and how time can heal all wounds.

Tina Ann Fortner also wrote Ruby Among Us, which could be considered either a prequel or first in a series to Rose House. It is the story of Kitty and Blake DiCamello, their granddaughter Lucy and Lucy's search for information about her mother, Ruby.

The Sweetgum Ladies: Knit for Love
Beth Pattillo

The Sweetgum Knit Lit Society is a group of six women who gather once a month to discuss books and share their knitting projects. Eugenie, their leader, chooses "Great Love Stories in Literature" as this year's reading list theme. As the ladies read and discuss stories such as Romeo and Juliet, Song of Solomon, and Gone With The Wind, they have to deal with their own preceptions about love.

This book was awesome!! Knit for Love is the second in a series. Even though I had not read the first book, The Sweetgum Knit Lit Society, I was able to jump right into the story and understand what was going on with the characters. Beth did a wonderful job detailing each woman's struggles with the stories, their perceptions of love, and dealing with the problems they faced. I can't wait to go to my local library and see if they have the first book and hope many more Sweetgum Knit Lit books are to come. I highly recommend this book.

Beth Pattillo has written nine books including Heavens to Betsy and Jane Austen Ruined My Life.

The Confidential Life of Eugenia Cooper
Kathleen Y'Barbo

Eugenia "Gennie" Cooper is a New York socialite who secretly longs for a life like her favorite dime-novel heroine. When the opportunity arises, Gennie jumps at the chance and heads to Denver in search for adventure. Though she is hired as a governess for silver baron Daniel Beck's daughter, Charlotte, Gennie finds herself drawn to Daniel and caring for him and his daughter more than is prudent. Gennie must decide whether or not to return to New York, her old life and marry her former suiter or to stay in Denver and risk falling for Daniel Beck.

This is another awesome book!! I have always been drawn to historical adventures and this one fit the bill perfectly. The story kept me turning the pages, wondering how things were going to work out. The ending was unexpected but was perfect. This was a great story and I can't wait to read other books by this author.

Kathleen Y'Barbo is a best-selling, award-winning author of more than thirty novels, novellas, and young adult books with more than 850,000 books in print.

Use the links below to learn more about or purchase these books at RandomHouse.com:

The Sweetgum Ladies Knit for Love
The Confidential Life of Eugenia Cooper
Rose House

Rocking Chairs and Shower Curtain Hooks

Here are the two rocking chairs we are selling. I thought I had posted them with everything else. Since they had some water spots from being outside, Mike is sanding them down and painting them. The ladder back rocker is now white. Mike hasn't started on the spindle back rocker yet.

Here are some more pictures of the Remington/Peters shower curtain hooks. They look like shotgun shells. The quality of the picture isn't the best because I took it with my cell phone but it will give you an idea as to what they look like.

Green

Red

Blue

A few more items

Here are a few more pictures of some things we are selling. There are also some close up pictures that I didn't have earlier.

This is a picture of the top of a glass-top end table we had in our house.
There are two end tables; one is a little taller than the other. There is also have a matching coffee table that has three pieces of glass. I wasn't able to get a picture of it.

Another look at the end table.

This is a closer look at the vacuum.
It is a Bissell Powerforce.

This is a closer look at the side of the silver shower curtain rings that we have with the blue duck shower curtain.

This is a look at the front of the silver shower curtain ring.

One of two bar stools

The only picture we had before was in a picture of the kitchen.

All you could see was part of the seat top.

Cabin Items For Sale

Below are pictures of items from our cabin that are for sale. Unfortunately, we weren't able to get pictures of everything but we did get the majority of items photographed. If you see something that you are interested in, let us know. Double click on the picture to get a closer look. When my pictures loaded, they did not load in order. I will try to correct this later when I get a chance. I just wanted to get them up so they could be seen.

Here in the kitchen, you will see some of the objects of which we were not able to get separate pictures. They are the cooktop stove, dishwasher, bar stools, knives and caddy, coffee maker, toaster, canister set and salt and pepper shakers.

Bissell Vacuum cleaner

19" RCA television with DVD player

Another picture of the RCA television

A look at the built in DVD player

The shower curtain, hooks, silver lotion dispenser and soap holder can be sold together

Night stand (part of a three piece bedroom set)

Pheasant Lamp with a leather shade

(There are two lamps for sale along with a matching pheasant statue)

Suede-type sleeper sofa

The bed is queen sized.

Deocorative pillows are optional.

King-size bed (part of the three piece bedroom set)

Alarm clock with AM/FM radio

Decorative Pine trees

(One large, one medium, one small)
Can be sold together or separately

Tall Chest of Drawers

Another look at the Chest of Drawers

Metal poster (one of set)

Metal poster (one of a set)

Metal poster (one of a set)

The set of metal posters

(can be sold together or separately)

Silverware and basket

Fridgedaire Refrigerator with adjustable glass shelves and ice maker

(works great!)

Farberware Pots and pans

Three piece slate pool table

Pool table label

Duck picture (there are two)

Pool cues and holder

Decorative artifical plant

Pine tree

(can be sold with previous listing of trees)

Fridgedaire Microwave

Metal towel racks

(there are four total that can be sold together or separately)

27" RCA Television

Tapestry with Lab and Pointer

Second pheasant lamp

Mallard lamp with burlap shade

RCA DVD player

(separate from 27" tv)

Sconces - 2 sets

(sold in pairs)

Black Lab picture

Small ironing board

Iron

Tea and juice glasses

Ottoman showing storage

Another picture of the ottoman

Dresser with mirror

(part of three piece bedroom set)

Metal moose toilet paper holder

Nightstand

Nightstand showing cabinet and drawer

Nightstand showing writing surface

Chocolate Lab picture

Shower curtain rings decorated like Peters and Remington shotgun shells

Remington and Peters shower curtain

Remington lotion dispenser and soap dish

Stoneware plates, salad plates and bowls

Tapestry of woods, stream and ducks

Dining room table and chairs (seats 4-6)

Table top and seat bottoms are brown while the rest of the set is black

Table has a removable leaf

Another look at the duck picture

(there are two pictures)

Mugs that go with dishes

Metal chandelier

Another look at the chandelier

Oversized chair with ottoman

Another look at the oversized chair

Spaniel decorative bottle (one of three)
(can be sold as a set or individually)

Irish Setter and Black Lab decorative bottles (two of three)

(can be sold together or individually)

Pheasant over field tapestry

Black Lab lamp with burlap shade
(can be sold as a set with Mallard lamp)