Mid-July Catch=up

How is it possible that we are already in the middle of July?!  It was another busy week for us, which is the way most of this summer has been.  I had hoped to do an update on Sunday night, but here I am on Monday evening playing catch-up once again.

Last Monday, I met up at the IHOP restaurant shown above to have lunch with my cousin.  We enjoy meeting up every few months.  

Charly and I decided that we wanted to sell this area rug that we have had for a long time, and get something new.  I had my doubts that anyone would want to buy it, but I listed it on Facebook Marketplace and it sold right away.  

This is the new area rug we found at Lowe's to replace the old one.  I love that it is much different than the old one and has lot of bright and cheerful colors that go with the decor of the home. 

I've been looking for a bench for the covered front porch area of our new home.  I found this fun yellow one on Facebook Marketplace, and knew that it was just the thing for this space.  

As I was pursuing Facebook Market place, I also found this great bench with the Coca-Cola logo. Charly and I both fell in love with this Coke bench and just had to have it. We decided to put the it in our family room/dining room area.  

This is what the room looks like now with the new rug and Coke bench. 

While we were in the mood for buying benches, we got this one that has storage in the seat.  It will go on our back patio.  Like the other two, I found it on Facebook Marketplace.  

I hung the Mixtiles we had in our living room and hallway at the old house, up and down the stairway in our new place.  I really like how this arrangement turned out.  I found the large canvas at a thrift store for only $15.  It is a photograph of Lake Powell in Southern Utah, a place we have seen many times, as we drove between Arizona and Utah. 

I've been going on a walk almost every morning. This park and walking track near our house is a great place for some morning exercise. 

I've also been going on evening walks.  I find that I sleep better and more soundly if I take an evening walk.  I love these sunflowers I often pass on my evening walk route. 

One day last week, Charly and I went to a huge antique mall which is about 15 minutes from our home.  We had fun browsing two large buildings with all kinds of fun antiques.  

We didn't buy a lot, but I did find these three Nancy Drew volumes that I need for my collection. 

Another night, we went to the Farmer's Market in our town.  It was super-hot that evening, but Charly and I browsed the different booths for a while and ultimately bought some really good, fresh-baked sour dough bread.

We have been unhappy with the realtor we listed our house with back in April, so we asked him to cancel our listing agreement which he did.  Last Friday, we met with our new real estate agent and signed a new listing agreement.  She gave us some suggestions to help sell the house, and will put our home back up on the market this week.  There will be another open house this coming Saturday. 

Friday night, on our way home from checking on our old house, we stopped in at our favorite Asian place.  I always get the Mongolian Beef at this place because it is so delicious.  

Saturday morning, I went out for a walk and passed a yard sale that had some fun things.  I couldn't resist these little snowmen that will decorate our home at Christmas time. 

Later Saturday, we went to the temple with our daughter and her family.  After worshipping, we all went to lunch at a popular pizza place in the area.  

It was great to spend the afternoon with our daughter, her husband and all of their five children. 

Sunday morning we went to church.  We had not been there for two weeks, so it was good to be back.  

Sunday's dinner was crock-pot beef and rice casserole.  Here is the recipe.  Josh came over and had Sunday dinner with us. 

Sunday was very hot - 109 degrees which broke the all time temperature record.   Monday was in the upper 90s. 

We had some work done at our old house on Monday. We had our exterior doors painted and all the windows and storm doors in the house washed. The place looks really good now, just in time for the open house with the new realtor. 

That's all for now.  I hope be back in blogland more often this week.  Thanks for stopping by. 

Until next time,

😊Deb💖

The End of June and First Part of July

We have ended yet another month, and it's already the 250th anniversary of our independence as a nation!  Happy 4th of July to all Americans who celebrate this amazing country, and it's beginnings.   More about that later.  Now it's time for another catch-up about the end of June and the first few days of July.

Here are a few more highlights of our belated anniversary/summer getaway to Las Vegas. 

We had the opportunity to get BOGO (buy one get one free) tickets to this place, The Sphere of Las Vegas.  I was very skeptical because the tickets were expensive.  Even with the special deal we got, it was $200 for both of us to go.  Charly really wanted to go, and we were, after all, on vacation, so we went. 

Seeing The Wizard of Oz at The Sphere was one of the coolest and most unique entertainment experiences I've ever had.  It was awesome.  For anyone visiting Las Vegas, go see it!

After we returned to our room, we ate dinner, Charly needed to get something from a nearby 7-11 store, so we took a little evening walk along one of the major streets near the resort where we are staying.  

The hotels on The Strip looked pretty all lit up.  It was a very warm evening, but with the sun down, it was not as hot as the 106 degrees it had been earlier that day. 

Las Vegas ended up being way more fun than we remembered from our last visit.  The city seemed to be cleaner, safer, and more family friendly than last time we were here.  People were polite, kind and helpful. We had a really great time.  I think we will have to go back!

We stayed in St. George one more night to break up the drive back home to Utah County.  We stayed here at this very nice Ramada.  We used accumulated "points" we had so it didn't cost us a thing, which is always nice. 

We got back home about mid-day on Sunday. I was very glad that the sprinkler timers we had set for our little backyard garden worked correctly and the plants survived!  

The last weekend of June was cold and rainy, which was fine with just about everyone, because the state of Utah had several major fires and the rain and cooler temps helped firefighters get a handle on them. We woke up Monday to snow on the peaks of Mount Timpanogos, which is the large mountain nearest to our home in Orem.  Snow at the end of June was actually a blessing to help get the fires out!

Josh had some extra time off of work this week, so he came over Monday afternoon and helped us by trimming our big front yard bushes. They all look great now!

Tuesday afternoon, we went to worship at the temple. You tell from the dark clouds that it was another cool and blustery day. 

Wednesday, we spent most of the day at home, but in the evening, we went to a farmer's market at a park near where we live. We got some fresh baked bread and cookies from one of the vendors to take to our grandchildren.  

Thursday, we went out to the old house to mow and trim. Josh had the day off and he helped us empty the big shed in back. We threw lots of stuff away.  We still haven't sold this place, but we have had a lot more showings lately, and our realtor tells us that there are some people who are considering making an offer.  Obviously, we would like to sell it sooner, rather than later.  

After working at the house for several hours, we all went to lunch, then over to a nearby hospital to see a dear friend who is not doing well at all. He has some very serious health problems, and doctors have said he may only live another 3-6 months.  While that is not good news at all, we did have a nice visit with him, and even got him laughing a little bit at one point.  It was nice to be able to see him.  When he is well enough, he will be taken back to a care center in Wyoming where he lives. 

When we got home Thursday, I was excited to find a package waiting on the door step.  It contained these two t-shirts celebrating our nation and the 250th Anniversary of our Independence.  I had ordered the shirts last week and was afraid I wouldn't get them in time to wear on Independence Day, so I was glad that they came, and yes, I have the white one on as I am typing this post. 

Friday morning, Charly and I went for a walk. When we got home, I hung some more pictures.  I found these cute floral panels at a thrift store and knew they would be just perfect in my downstairs hobby and book room.  I think they look just perfect above the daybed.  

Friday afternoon, Charly and I went to see the new movie that just came out, Young Washington.  It was an excellent movie about young George Washington and his role in the French-Indian War, which really prepared him to command American armies in the Revolutionary War.  I thought the movie would be a great one to see on the 250th anniversary of our independence, and it was!  If you haven't seen this movie, go see it! It was produced by Angel Studios, which is the same group that made The Chosen series.  It is a really good film that is historically accurate and gives the viewer an appreciation for this nation.  It shows that we truly are "one nation under God."

That pretty much catches up the last week, which was another busy one.  I honestly thought I would have much more time to relax, read and blog when I retired. So far that hasn't seemed to be the case.  Last week was very busy, and the coming Independence Day weekend will also be filled with lots of fun things.  It will start out with me getting up about 5 a.m. Saturday to pick up our granddaughters and take them to a 250th Anniversary Parade.  We are then going to Colonial Heritage Festival, complete with reenactments of Revolutionary War Battles. Next, we are going to a family cookout and then hopefully, we will catch some fireworks tomorrow night.  It will be busy, but fun, and good memories will be made!

That's all for now. Thanks for stopping by and have a very happy 4th of July, no matter where you live! God bless the USA!

Until next time, 

🎆Deb🎆

"It is impossible to govern 

the world without God. 

It is the duty of all nations to acknowledge 

the Providence of Almighty God, 

to obey his will, 

to be grateful for his benefits

 and humbly implore 

his protection and favor."

~George Washington

 

Catching Up - Again

I'm behind on posting again and haven't been in blogland much for the past week, so I haven't been around to visit my blogging friends.  I was out of town part of last week, so there's that, but I've also been busy with lots of other stuff, so here is a little update.  

My first week of retirement, I got this lovely retirement card from my blogging friend Faith over at Gold in the Clouds.  It is always nice to be remembered with kindness.

We are now completely moved into our new home, and while we aren't completely unpacked, we are making progress in settling in and we love our new place.

I have had a few moments of relaxation and downtime, but mostly this last week was just very busy.   One of the goals I have for my retirement is to increase the time I spend reading to about two hours a day.  So far, I haven't been able to achieve that although I do begin every day by reading from scripture and I end every night by reading a novel or nonfiction book.  

One morning I was out running some errands, and found myself in the area where Josh lives, so I asked him if he wanted to go get an early lunch.  Josh suggested this place, The Brunch House.  

The food at this place was absolutely delicious!  I want to go back to this place again. 

We had the carpet cleaned at our now empty old house. 

We also had some yard clean-up work done at the old house.   A lot of overgrown plants were removed from areas in the front and back.  I think it looks great. Even though I really like flowers and plants, I think the new look is clean and has better curb appeal while the house is on the market. 

Yes, the old house is till on the market. We got a little statue of St. Joseph and buried in the garden.   We are not Catholic, but we are Christians and we believe in God, and we are praying that God will intervene and help our house to sell.    If St. Joseph can help us, so be it!

Here's the area in our garden where we buried the little statue of St. Joseph. After we sell the house, we will dig up the statue and display in a special place in our home. 

At the end of last week, we went to Idaho with Josh for a few days.  The first day we were there, we ate at one of our favorite all-you-can eat pizza places, Pizza Pie Cafe. Josh went here a lot where he was going to college in Idaho. 

Another day, we went to a fun farmer's market one afternoon and got some very delicious home baked treats

We went to Yellowstone National Park, and had a lovely visit there.  It was a beautiful, sunny day - not too warm or too cool.  It was a perfect day to be at the park.   Here are some more pictures of our day at Yellowstone. 

We had a great day at Yellowstone.  It is truly one of my favorite places, and I look forward to going back there again before too long, and being able to spend more time there. 

Monday, was our 47th wedding anniversary.  We had a nice day, but didn't do anything special because we have an anniversary trip planned for later in June. 

Tuesday morning, we decided to get back on our walking schedule, so we went to the mall in our new city and walked for about 40 minutes. 

Before we left the mall, we got Philly Cheesesteak sandwiches for lunch. They were delicious!  I atae half of mine for lunch, and save half for dinner.

I've been spending a lot of time going through boxes and throwing away what we don't need.  I've also been hanging some pictures.  These are our framed family Christmas cards from over the years. They are hanging in the hallway right outside our bedroom.  

Here are a few more pictures of the inside of our home as we get settled in.  I love the picture of Jesus that is the first thing you see when you come into the entry way. This is looking into the formal living room. 

This is the entry way looking into the formal living room, with the stairs going down into the basement.  The basement has two more bedrooms and a large family room, which is 100% finished, but is still a work in progress with unpacking and arranging. 

Another view of the living room - looking away from the fireplace. 

This is the living room looking at the fireplace and bookshelves, which I love!

This is the entry way looking into the family room. 

This is the dining room and family room or great room area, which is on the other side of the entry way. 

This view is looking at the family room with our two recliners positioned so we can watch TV.   Everything is still a work in progress, especially in the garage and basement. We are still sorting through things and getting rid of a lot, and trying to decide where to put the things we want to keep. It's a big job.

This is the kitchen of our home which is part of the great room (family room, dining room, kitchen) area. 

Downstairs, this is our large family room area, which is taking shape, but still a work in progress, with some boxes to unpack and organizing to do. 

This is the other view of the family room, looking at the entertainment center, which still has some empty shelves. 

We have enough space in this house, that both Charly and I have our own room for our books and hobbies. This is mine, and again, it is a work in progress. 

Wednesday morning, we went to a used book sell at a library in a nearby town.  We each got a few books, but not too many. because we are trying to get rid of things, not accumulate more. We have plenty of books, but it was fun to go to the book sale. 

After lunch, our handyman came to help us with a few repair items around the house.  Here he is, on a ladder, replacing a light in the garage.  You can see what I said our garage is still a work in progress, but a lot of the boxes are empty and just waiting for space in the recycle bin.  

The afternoon and evening on Wednesday were spent sorting through things to determine what might needed to be donated or thrown away.  In one box, I found these two old comic books.  I did a little research and found out that they were not very valuable. We took them in to a store that sells old comic books, and while they were not worth a lot, I did get enough for Charly to get a book from a sci-fi/fantasy series he likes. We exchanged items we didn't need for a book Charly will enjoy, so it was a win-win.

It's late and I want to get this posted, so that's all for now. Tomorrow and Friday will be busy days, but I'll make time to visit you all and post another update. Thanks for stopping by.  I'll see you all again soon!

Until next time,

😊Deb💖

"You will never be happy is your

happiness depends on getting solely 

what you want. Change the focus.

Get a new center.  Will what God wills, 

and your joy no man shall take from you."

~Archbishop Fulton Sheen