Coastal Wreath

How excited was I when my sweet friend Kim snuck by my house and dropped this off.

I have been wanting a beachy wreath for my front door.

How great is the whale?

I love him!

See the sand dollars scattered around?

Kim is so talented.

Here's the problem...

I was perfectly happy with my reddish door and now,

not so much.

When I tried it on my white kitchen door,

I love it more.

See my dilemma?

Just not sure if I want the door white.

Any suggestions?

It shows up well on the red.

Maybe black.

Decisions, decisions.

Thank you Kim!

You are amazing!

Christmas On The River

I love Christmas!

I love decorating and baking and shopping and giving.

This year was extra special 

because we are in our new home on the river.

The traditional tree that I've been loving all my life 

just wouldn't do.

It wouldn't look right in this house.

It took me a jiffy to know I was going with teal.

I'm very decisive,

ask anyone.

I put this tree up a few days after Thanksgiving.

I didn't want to take it down.

I grabbed my camera just before I took it down
so the presents are long gone.
In retrospect,
I wish I would have cleaned out the fireplace.
No worries,
I cropped out the soot and ashes.
That's how I love you.

I added fresh branches to the fireplace mantle.

It shedded needles everywhere but the smell was well worth it.

I found lots of wonderful ornaments at Belk.

I love Belk.

Found some more at At Home.

Have you been there?

It is my new favorite store.

Good thing it's 45 minutes down the road.

Found out recently we are getting an IKEA!

I got the sailboat soon after we moved in.

It blends in with any of my decorating.

Same with the mirror.

Found it at Kirklands.

I scattered ball ornaments everywhere.

I'm late to the game with this blog.

I hope you had a wonderful Christmas!

Miami In January

Hello all my beautiful friends!

I hope you are doing well.

The weather looks a bit precarious through most of the U.S.

I must admit,

I miss the beautiful snow.

I will always have warm fuzzies when I remember

 the winters I lived in Kansas & New Mexico.

In the meantime...

Mark has been given a detail which allows 

us to enjoy some glorious beach time

in Miami, Florida.

My current view.

I spend my day walking or lying by the pool.

Isn't the water beautiful?!

On a previous trip,

Dani & Abi accompanied us.

The Fontainebleau had a gorgeous glass Christmas tree.

Abi is my party.

She wanted to reenact Buddy from The Elf

by running around the revolving doors.

Never a dull moment!

Hope you are having a great week.

I plan to get down to the beach and get some rays.

XXOOXXOOXXX

Love to all!

Grandkids at the Beach

School Lunch With Kacey

Kacey started kindergarten this year.

I took advantage of my time in Florida 

by having lunch with her at school.

Abi was excited to have lunch with her big sister too.

We needed a "selfie".

Snaggle Tooth.

 Miss Priss.

Following our "Happy Meal" lunch...

I checked her out of school.

I grabbed Eli & Dani too. 

I was having beach withdrawals

so we loaded up the van and headed east.

Oh how I love these kiddos.

Happy Kids

Danielle surprised the kids and took them to the beach 

the other day when she had to miss work.

Don't they look like the happiest kids!

Nothing thrills me more than knowing 

these munchkins are enjoying their days.

MiMi loves you Eli, Kacey, Dani & Abi.

Now get mommy's phone and call me.

XXXOOXXOOXXX

A New Vacation Location

Ocean City, New Jersey

That's where I've been for the week.

It's my first time to visit this area 

& not my last (I hope).

As we drove onto the island the first thing I noticed was all the charming homes.

Each home has it's own individuality. 

This is the my favorite street. 

It leads to this...

The weather was overcast all week

but it didn't bother me.

I was happy to just be here.

I want one of these please.

A few things not like I'm used to...

1. The beach sand isn't as white as Florida.

2. The water is colder. 

(guess I should have assumed that)

3. The birds have more feathers.

(yes, I find that interesting)

4. surfers wear wetsuits

5. the people are so friendly

They have an amazing boardwalk with an amusement park, lots of options to shop and so many restaurants to choose from.

It's been a divine week.

I fell off my back porch last week and have been struggling with some aches.

Therefore, 

I did a little walking this week but not much.

I  was able to do little shopping, because, well, 

it must be done

 but mostly enjoyed the porch of our B&B with a book.

Ocean City is a neat place.

Hopefully Mark will have to work here 

often so I can accompany him. 

(I really just want to be a good wife)

Fun In Florida

I had to come home to get some rest 

from my two jam-packed weeks in Florida.

I had the privilege of keeping the kids

while Danielle finished up her school year.

I now have the Shark Tale movie memorized. 

 Good times!

We enjoyed lots of backyard fun.

From flying kites,

riding 4-wheelers,

golfing

& swinging for hours.

Dani has just figured out the art of swinging.

She has the sweetest personality and is so persistent.

She says, "If you move your legs back and forth,

you'll go higher.

& if you lightly touch your feet to the ground,

 you will stop."

Oh how I enjoyed how pleased she was to learn this art.

We went to the beach 

on what had to be the most perfect day ever.

(unless you are a surfer)

The water was so clear.

We found starfish.

Each day was filled with go, go, go.

Eli turned 6 and celebrated with a Lego Party.

That's a blog for another day.

We celebrated my mother-in-laws birthday.

Mark & I played cards almost every night with my parents.

I can't tell you how much fun we had.

Between being a little delirious from lack of sleep and playing till the wee hours,

We laughed till we cried.

We did some home projects for different family members because that is truly what thrills us.

We spent a day floating down Ichetucknee Springs.

Have you been there?

You need to go.

Freezing clear water to lazily float down for hours.

The time flew by so quickly and I had to board the plane to come home.

I am overwhelmed how blessed I am.

I truly believe that God delights in blessing Wendy.

I flew home first class on that Delta jet

because I got bumped up because the

"Powers That Be" love me.

I looked out that window at this great big world

and was thankful.

Thankful that He knows my name.

Thankful that He cares for me.

Thankful that He sent His Son.

Overwhelmingly blessed!

I hope you are having a wonderful day

& I truly hope you know my sweet Jesus.

He loves You dearly.   

Enjoying The Sunshine State

Thank the Lord, on the 8th Day, 
He created air conditioning

 and swimming pools.

I arrived in Florida a couple days ago 
and I'm having a blast.

"MiMi, Can I spend the night?"
Of course!

Birthday parties.

Beach.

Late night cards with my parents.

Poolside.

Golf.

BBQ's.

I just can't tell you how happy my heart 
is to be spending time with my 
precious family and friends.


I plan to give more detail soon but for now...
hope you are near a pool
with a cool beverage.

Would You Rather?

Happy Wednesday to you!

Mark & I went to the movies and saw 
God's Not Dead.
Have you seen it yet?
It wasn't the greatest film production ever
but we enjoyed it.
I think Christian film-makers are 
getting better but have a ways to go. 
They just don't have the Hollywood money.
It did have a few big names in it Kevin Sorbo (Hercules) and Dean Cain (Superman).
I am encouraged to see more faith based films in the theaters.

Other than some therapy on my shoulder and some enjoyable moments in Trader Joes,
that pretty much sums up my day.

So...
Without further ado,
Back by popular demand!

It's time for another episode of Would You Rather…

I hear your cheers.

1. Would you rather lose your hearing or your sight?

2. Paper or plastic?

3. Live at the beach or in the mountains?

1. You know, I've actually thought about this before. 
It's a tough one but if I must choose then I choose to lose my hearing. I can't fathom not seeing my family. Hard to imagine not hearing their voices or music either.
It's not funny that in my current stage of life,
I'm having trouble seeing the TV and my honey can't hear out of his right ear.  Oy-veh!

2. Paper or plastic?
I always choose paper. 
I come from a logging town where livelihoods are dependent on the need for trees to be cut and delivered to the plants.
Makes much better sense to me to use a product which is quicker to break down in our land fills. 
Why is it that the check-out clerks usually assume I want plastic?
While we are on the subject,
what's your take on reusable bags?

I think they are so cool, (well maybe not the Walmart ones) 
but for some reason I can't seem to remember them.
I have bought them because I want to be responsible and "green" and be cool. I have a pile up in my closet.
Are you supposed to take the Publix bag into Trader Joes or Walmart. That just doesn't seem cool.
I know I am ranting so I'm going on to the next question. 

3. Beach or mountains?
The beach! 
How do I love thee, let me count the ways.
Give me the sunshine.
Give me a sunrise.
Give me the sound of the waves.
Sand in my toes.
The salty air.
Pretty umbrellas.
Shells.
Dolphins.
Ships.
I could go on and on but one truth remains,
I am a beach girl, through & through.