Celebrating life with a little giveaway

I am happy to say that I had some time to smell the flowers. The battery was recharged a bit and definitely was tested. It is nice to be back blogging again.

To celebrate life and my 100+ post, I have a French inspired giveaway.

The rules could not be easier, just leave a comment to be entered into the drawing.


You have lots of time to enter. The drawing will end on the evening of October 4th (Saturday).

There are 3 goodies. I was fortunate to receive 2 Chanel Anti-Fatigue Gel Masks. One for me and one to share so I thought I would share with my blogging friends. This is one of my favorite things. I know mentally I feel less tired when I use it and that is what it is all about!

The print is one that I got in Cannes. It is of Le Suquet and the port. I think it is such a peaceful print.

Last but not least, a set of 16 note cards featuring a vintage Paris and New york scene.

I am off to a birthday celebration but will be catching up this week with all my blogging friends.
I want each of you to know how special you are to me. When I started blogging I didn't know what to expect and this journey has been incredible thanks to all of you.

Have a truly blessed weekend.

Taking a little time

I am taking a couple of days to just smell the flowers and recharge the battery.

Be back soon!

PLEASE, WATCH THIS SHORT VIDEO

Two posts in one day! Please take a moment and view this video. It affects all of us.

It takes about 1 minute or so for the story to load but I promise it is well worth the wait.
Once the commercial is over the story regarding the FDA Globalization Act comes on.
You will be able to see where business is heading (not just for me either) and how it affects all of us.

This now is my 101st post. Yay Barb

MHR Friday

If it is Friday, it must be My Husband Rocks! Katy Lin came up with this idea a while ago and I think it is pure genius. With so much negativity in the world it is a nice change of pace.

Next month, it will be our 5th anniversary. Yayyy!

When our friendship started to get serious, I thought how great it would have been to have spent my entire adulthood with this man. What I know now, is that everything I experienced ( both good and not so good) made me into the right person for this man.

We have had an interesting journey to say the least. I am so glad he came into my life when he was supposed to. When you least expect it.......

Honey, if you are reading this at work- "I love you more better"- hehe.

I don't have a problem with Wine but...

I do have a problem with wine bottles!
I LOVE THEM!

Friends, family, even the manager of a local restaurant (thank you Isidro) have been saving bottles for me.

Here's the story... last year I started making collages on various bottles (wine, tequila). I have quite a few vintage photo's and thought I might make something with them. Throughout the years I have hung onto bits and pieces of memorabilia and have added to the collection via Antique stores and most recently Etsy.

Working on "my projects" is my kind of relaxation. My days are filled with work (thank you God) and spending time with my youngest son. He lives 45 minutes away so there is quite a lot of "road time".
Driving back home one day was when the "wine bottle" idea came rolling into my mind. I have repurposed for years-hehe.

I started making the collages for family and friends. I have been fortunate to have some orders come in so I thought I would put a few on Etsy (their temporary house).

If you have a chance, please check them out. I value your opinion.

A Big Thank you and soon a giveaway

Thank you ladies and gentleman for your comments. I appreciate your support! You all rock!

To tell you the truth, I was kind of blind sighted the other day. I usually check my emails first thing in the morning. When I pulled them up, there was a very mean spirited email that obviously was disturbing. What is sad is the fact that the person spent time finding the email address and firing off a nasty email. How sad.
Not a good way to start the day for either one of us. My day was going to be a long one and certainly not a fun filled day. That is when I decided to post very quickly before heading out. I think this picture that was taken in Paris shows that you can be very different but still get along just fine.

I have been the lucky recipient of the "I love your blog" award from Cielo. If you have not visited her blog, you are in for a treat. It is beautiful visually and spiritually. She was one of my first blogging friends and a true sweetheart. Her writing is incredible! Thank you my friend.

NanaTrish has tagged me with sharing 6 quirks. I just love her blog. Her spirit is lovely, her blog is inspiring and she is a lot of fun! Thank you my friend.

Here goes...... 1. I always state what is on my mind (tactfully I hope, most of the time).

2. I am not a "car girl" but I love the BBC show "Top Gear" which is a car show.

3. I sing loudly along with the radio in my car. I'm sure I may scare people!

4. As a child, I had to keep my food separated on my plate.

5. I start the day by being thankful for another day on earth.

6. I give it my best shot to be positive every day.

Instead of passing this on to a certain number of people, I am passing this on to any one that would like to play along. I guess #7 is that I don't always play by the rules-hehe!

I am getting close to my 100th post. Unbelievable! I never thought I would have anything to talk about. Stay tuned for a French themed giveaway.

God bless all of you that have suffered damage in the storm. The pictures are just heartbreaking. You have a whole community praying for you.

I am slowly making my way around to visit blogs. This has been a crazy week and another one is coming up.

Have a beautiful Sunday.

Sorry if you were offended....

When I started my blog, I thought I would tie it into my business. Well, that lasted a very short
time. I found a great community and the blog took a different turn. I recently heard from
someone who finds my prayer requests, etc. offensive. If I have a request, I certainly ask for it.

If I feel the need to post about a family in crisis, I am going to post about it.

Today would have been a my husband rocks post but it is not. Prayer rocks!

For those of you living in Ike's path, I am offering up prayer and a whole lot of other bloggers are
too.

I have learned over the years you can't please everyone. I am not trying to please everyone. I
will continue to ask for prayer when needed. I will continue to be myself. If that is offensive,
then it is offensive.

I hope all of you that read this, have a wonderful, blessed weekend.

Stay safe.

hugs,
Barb

Prayer and giving

I think every blogger around the world is aware of the horrific accident involving the Nielson family.

Our blogging community is a great one for praying and helping. As is our state. There have been benefits, fund raisers and much more around town and throughout the country. I have put the donation button on the sidebar of my blog. It goes directly to the paypal account that has been set up in their name.

If there is a silver lining, Maricopa County Hospital has one of the best burn units in the United States. God Bless The entire Nielson family.


To read more, please click here. Christian, Stephanie, and their beautiful children can feel the strength of our prayers and our love. If you are able, please click on the sidebar button.

Those of you that are in Ike's path, your blogging pals are holding you up in prayer as well.

Still summer here

First, for those in the storm's path, your blogging friends are praying for you and will continue to do so. May you be kept safe in His arms.

Summer is still here in AZ with temperatures around 107. The kids are enjoying it but I am ready for a little coolness. The picture above is Jayde's first jump off the diving board. Very exciting for her.


Miss Hailey jumping too.


Jayde loves to have her picture taken. I wonder what she will be when she grows up?


A little walk back in time now. This is my youngest granddaughter Annika at 1 day old.


Grandma and her sweet pea.




Last summer with her first birthday cake. What a fun mess!
Annika today at 2 years old. She loves the water.

Grandchildren are true blessings.


I hope everyone has a wonderful week.

A port in the storm. MHR's a day early

The sweet Katy Lin started My Husband Rocks several months ago and I try to participate often. It's fun and it definitely is something positive since there is so much negative talk in this world. O.k, I am getting off the soapbox to bring you this weeks episode of my husband rocks! It is a day early but tomorrow is a very hectic day.


Love has no limits, no bounds. A lot of you already know that my husband knew my children before I had even met him. Although my children are grown, my youngest is still very much a child. My husband knew from the first time he met him. He treated him no differently than he did my oldest son. Once I was introduced into the picture (my oldest son played match maker) I saw that he saw my son as no different from any one else. How refreshing is that? He did not judge (trust me, I've seen a lot of that over the years), he accepted his limitations and health problems as being very normal. Not a problem.

He knew the road would be bumpy, o.k., beyond bumpy at times but he still wanted to be a part of our lives.


I was very used to taking care of everything myself. It is wonderful to have a partner that has learned over the years what is important in life. He is my port in the storm and I am very proud to call him my husband.

Does he rock? You betcha he does.

The countdown and Bebe's back in town

This is one of my favorite pictures of the Eiffel Tower.
It was taken on a COLD, wet day but I was happy to be in that cold, wet weather. Actually, I love France in any weather. I realized earlier today that my 100th post is coming up soon. Yayyyy! I will be having a giveaway and of course it will be French related. It might not be what you think though. Tease, tease.


One of my favorite bloggers is back. Bebe of Bebe's Peaches and Dreams. If you haven't visited her (she was MIA for a while) you need to run over right now. Her blog is so much fun and Bebe is a sweetheart. She was one of my first blogging friends. Bebe gave me the "I love your blog" award and I am passing it on to those that visit. Please, help yourself to the image on the sidebar. It really is coming from my heart. I appreciate each visitor and every comment. Thank you so much Miss Bebe.
Welcome back!

Thank you Carol and Bizarre Phoenix weather!

Update: Saturday morning.

It was our turn last night with the storm. We are fine and praise God very easy clean up.




Carol from Charli and Me has passed this award to me ( and Tommy)
and we are just tickled pink. Carol has a terrific blog and if you haven't visited, you need to! It is fun, thought provoking and the pictures of Charli will lift your spirits up. Many, many thanks, Carol. I so appreciate it!

I appreciate everyone that stops by and leaves a comment. I enjoy all your blogs and would like to pass this along to all my blogging buddies. I know not everyone likes receiving an award this way. Those of you that do, Please take this one for your blog. It really is coming from my heart!


We have been praying for those affected by Gustav and those that may be affected this weekend as it rolls in. Little did I think we would have our own version last night. Three monsoon storms came into the valley and really did some major damage. Thousands are without power now as the power poles broke into match sticks. There was hail, winds in excess of 85 miles an hour and so much damage. Radar reported that winds could have been 100 miles an hour in areas. The temperature even dropped 30 degrees within a 2 hour span. We were very fortunate that we had just a little wind. My heart goes out to everyone affected.

About 12 years ago, we had a micro burst
rip through our neighborhood. At the time, I had a 2 story house and it was hit hard. My son had been in the hospital for 10 months and had only been home for 2 weeks when the storm hit. His bedroom was destroyed when that part of the roof was ripped off. The storm happened in August and it wasn't until March that all the work was completed. I never thought living in AZ I would go through anything like that. My early years were spent in Mi and we always had tornado warnings and watches. It was part of life.

God bless all those in the Phoenix area that have been hit hard. Our prayers and thoughts are with you.

Those of you that may be dealing with Gustav, know that your blogging buddies are holding you up in prayer.

I hope everyone has a safe Holiday weekend. I will be "flitting" in and out and hope to visit all of you throughout the weekend.

Happy Labor Day.

hugs to everyone!

Thank you Angie and an update

The sweet Angie from Sandals and Daisies gave me this award and I am just tickled pink.
I just love every blog I visit and have found a great group of people out in blogland. I only wish I had more time in the day to visit everyone. Since I love everyone's blog, I am passing this on to every one that stops by. I know the rules don't state that but it would take forever (for me at least) to link this to every one. So please, if you read this post, feel free to put this on your blog from me. Sorry Angie, for not playing by the rules but it is too difficult to link to everyone .O.k, now for some updates. Above is one of my favorite places especially during the Holiday season. It is one of those stores that you could spend days in and still not see everything!
The Holidays are right around the corner. 4 months away, OH MY. I am busy working on getting things ready to go. I am also busy working on some items for Etsy. Hopefully I will have that up and running soon.

Quite a few of you have asked about the health situation with my family. There is some good news for me. I had a colonoscopy yesterday and all went well! Yayyy, doing the happy dance. I no longer need to have one yearly. That was prayer answered. The procedure isn't bad but the prep is not the way to spend a day-hehe.

My husband has his results back from the endoscopy and he has Barrett's Esophagus. This is something that can be watched by the doctor. We are thrilled there is no cancer and no surgery at this time. Again, doing the happy dance.

My son continues to have more bad days than good days. Bless his heart. He has endured so much in his 25 years. I can't imagine going through everything he goes through. I know there is a reason and someday it will be revealed but it is very hard for a mother to watch her child suffer so (regardless of how old he is). He really is my hero.

So, there you have it my friends.
I hope you all have a marvelous week if I don't get around to visiting every one I would like to.

Lots of hugs to each of you.

A Short Commercial Break

A few months ago, I told the tale
of how "my " car was going to be in a Toyota Scion commercial. I kind of "dissed" hubby, so I was told-hehe.
It is a quick read.

The lovely resort that the company put us at was just incredible. I'd go back there in a heartbeat. Very good vibe!

Well, the commercial is finally out. It turned out well (I'm no expert, but I like it). I thought I'd share it here in case anyone might be interested in seeing it. If you are interested in taking a peek, click on GRID SPOT, when the site is pulled up.


As usual, this proves to be a very busy weekend but I will be making my way around blogland.
I hope all of you have a truly wonderful weekend and week ahead.

A BIG MERCI

I just wanted to take a little time to thank all of you for your well wishes. They mean the world to the two of us.


We are waiting on the news from the biopsies.
One lesson I have learned over the years is the lesson of patience. Not the easiest thing to do.
I know there is a time for everything and I've learned that includes medical reports.

I've also learned over the years that every moment has it's place in the "big plan" of life.
Every moment needs to be savored and enjoyed. You can be anxious or you can be in peace. I can tell you from experience, peace is a whole lot better!

Again, thank you. thank you, from the bottom of my heart.

Thank you, thank you Theresa

Yayy!!!! Look what came in the mail.

I won Theresa's giveaway and it could not have come at a better time.

The packaging was beautiful and she tucked in lots of little goodies which my husband snatched right up. I am so excited about finding some great new recipes. Thank you, thank you, thank you.

I am still walking on air.

I can't wait to visit everyone.

Happy Anniversary Jeff and Dorothy

Happy Anniversary to my sweet ones. I have to be very honest with you here. When the kids first started talking about getting married, I thought they were too young. Give it a little more time, how about 6 more months? We discussed it in detail. I decided if they were going to get married, it was their business, not mine and I could totally be on board or not. Well, guess what?
I jumped on the band wagon and never looked back. Today is their 9th anniversary and I couldn't be happier for them. The years have flown by and produced many blessings.



Jayde and Hailey (my dancing Queens), are just 2 of those blessings.
Any woman that is a grandma, knows what I am talking about.

Two years ago, Annika came on board. This is an old picture but one of my favorites.
Three precious little girls. What could be better than that?

I am so glad the kids didn't listen to me and went ahead to start their life together. Mother always doesn't know best.

Happy Anniversary, I love you both very much!

Yay!!! Thank you Theresa!

WHOO HOO! Thank you Theresa! I feel very blessed to have won your giveaway.

I love to cook and so does my husband. We are so excited. I honestly can't remember the last time I won anything. Thank you for drawing my name.

Just sit right back and you'll hear a tale....

a tale about a tag on embarrassing songs!

Nana Trish has tagged me to share 5 songs that I am embarrassed to say that I enjoy.

I can't think of any that embarrass me so I will share some that make me smile.

1. Gilligan's Island theme song. It was 1964 and I was 10 years old. Loved that show. I thought the whole island thing would be great!

2. Joy to the World- 3 dog night
When my youngest son was a toddler, bath time was not his favorite time. I would sing this song and it made bath time much easier. Every time I hear it, it takes me back in time.


3. Wake me up before you go go- Wham
This song came out in 1984. It was a difficult year and every time I heard it, it made me laugh.

4. Achy Breaky Heart- Billy Ray
I used to dance to this and truly embarrass my oldest son.

5. I'm Just a guy- Brad Paisley
I was driving home from the hospital when this came on the radio. It just made me laugh out loud.

Here are the rules if you decide to play along with the tag:

1. Link back to the person who tagged you and post the rules on your blog.
2. Share 5 songs that you are embarrassed to admit to others that you like and tell why.
3. Tag 7 people at the end of your post.

Pretty easy.

I tag: Amy

Diane

Patty

Lorrie

Brenda

Kelli

Sheila

Ladies, I know everyone is busy, so no worries if you pass.

Have a wonderful weekend.

Rocking Friday

Katy lin came up with the idea of My Husband Rocks as a Friday theme.
I've participated several times and today I thought I would take liberty with the theme.

My theme today is My Boys Rock!
I am thanking you in advance for indulging me.

My oldest son is on the right. He has been a real trooper throughout his life.
He is 29 (ouch, I can't believe I have a son that age) and has grown into an amazing young man. He is there for me and there for his precious family. He loves life, counts his blessings, and although his life has not always been easy, he continues on the right path. He can always make me laugh even when tears are flowing. He is a rock!

My youngest son (25) has had a life with many challenges. Just look at that smile though. It can light up a room. He has the ability to be laugh out loud funny at times. He has endured much and still keeps going.

This is my favorite picture from many years ago. It was taken in France and they were having a marvelous time in just being in the moment. I am so proud of both of them.

Do my boys rock? You betcha ya!