Duck Dynasty!

Now this TV show is truly hilarious, I mean, laugh-out-loud funny!  These people are laughing all the way to the bank...while the rest of us crack up at them.  Actually, Phil, the patriarch of this family, my hubby actually knew back in college.  He was (believe it or not) the star quarterback of his college football team (my hubby's rival team), and a friend who knew him at the time (lived next door to him in the married students' dorm--yes, he was married to "Miss Kay" when she was 16--true redneck style!)...reported that they had 7 (count em 7) hound dogs living in the dorm with them! 

Apparently all these guys are college educated and know exactly what they are doing, and are all gazillion-aires making duck calls, of all things!  And sometimes pawpaw Phil comes out with some real wisdom, especially with the grandkids..gotta love him! :)

Australia: My second favorite country

(originally written over a year ago!)
I find Australia a diverse and fascinating continent. Believed to have been one of the first continents to break away form Pangea long ago, the land was isolated for centuries and therefore devoloped unique wildlife, unlike any other wildlife system on earth. With most of the continent being desert and grassland, the animals and native peoples alike are tough and accusomed to the hot, dry climate of the outback. The Aborigines are the native peoples and are believed to have come from the Pacific islands. Later on, England took control of the land and began shipping prisoners there to work. Australia was a prison isle for quite some time. My knowledge of it all is very fuzzy, and I wish I knew more. I plan to read up on my Australian history some this summer. What I do know I gained from my World Geography course this past freshman year in high school.

Getting my beach and shabby-chic on

Recently, I got in the creative zone, so decided to convert just one of my (empty nest) guestrooms into a home office for just me. Now, we already have an "official" home office, with the obligatory computer desk, bills and family info filed, etc. That's actually the one my husband uses, and umm..let's just say he keeps a tad of a messy desk. (Good thing that desk has close-able doors, LOL!)

Certainly he knows where EVERYTHING is..but with my bent toward the orderly (and the pretty), it does not seem to my psyche to be a workable solution. He just does not appreciate my nice neat piles and cute accessories..but he does have an industrial sized shredder..it's all in how you look at it, isn't it?

 Enter..my own office! Fortunately, I have a good laptop, a kindle and now a smartphone (finally got one at the urging of the grandkids..all the while I was protesting "why would I want to see the internet on that tiny screen???"...however, I have now entered the 21st century and am finding it quite useful..my favorite feature being the voice feature for messaging! No more hunt and peck on that tiny keyboard for me! Plus of course the apps...but..I digress..)

 All those electronic gadgets now..the docking stations were starting to clutter up my bedside table..and I do so hate clutter! Therefore, I can easily justify the use of a whole room for that, plus a new opportunity to decorate (which I never could do when I had an office at work!) and organize my stuff. Decorating and organizing being WAY cheaper than therapy in my view! (you know how it is when you can't "fix" something, well cleaning/decorating/organizing is my way to fix something else! Works for me!)

My dear husband built me a shabby-chic desk (I LOVE HIM), and I brought my sister's Victorian fainting chaise in, and some things a dear old friend gave me after Katrina, an old ornate dining room chair I covered with yellow chenille..you get the picture, it is turning into a beach cottage/shabby chic office! Lots of light, looking out on the golf course and the back yard. Hydrangeas abloom outside my windows, and my own little private deck with my Mother's day fountain that my hubby gave me (did I mention I LOVE HIM??) with adirondack chairs and pots of flowers and herbs and veggies.

Then, to feed my un-ashamed addiction to office supplies, I have a large double-door closet to organize them in. Haven't really had to buy anything, just had to gather it all up from other places in the house. The only problem I can see is, when the grandboys come, putting down air mattresses in this very girly office may not suit them..oh well, so far they have enjoyed putting together model airplanes in here! We have lots of other places they can sleep!

Broken things

As I guess it may be with many bloggers, sometimes you take a blog-break, which is what I have done for awhile.  My Cuppycake and I (as well as the rest of our family) have gone through a truly difficult time in the last year or so.  Tragically, her parents are separated and divorcing.  Candidly, I never thought I would see that happen in our children's families..but alas, it has. And I will not pretend that it has not been very hard on our Cuppycake and her little brothers, and her dad, as well as for all of us extended. 

The Lord has taken us through some rough waters with this, and His grace has been sufficient, although there are times we may all have been in less-than-ideal places.  Not to diminish what is an ongoing trial, we have tried to be open to what the Lord is teaching us through this.  And of course, what the enemy means for harm, if we let Him, the Lord will always use it for our ultimate good.  Isn't that just like Him?? 

What seems impossible in our circumstances, will (and has) actually grown us.  I feel confident in Him that my son and grandchildren will be strengthened through this, and will always always always pray for my dear daughter-in-law's restoration and happiness.  My Cuppycake is on the mend, and is a priceless pearl, learning and growing through it all!  OK, enough said for today on that subject..she has her own story to tell...we press on.

I will say this: prophetic declaration prayer from the Word over those you love and see suffering simply..WORKS.  Be bold, be aggressive, and refuse the enemy any more ground..then take back what he has tried to steal by violence in the spiritual realm! Just sayin' yall.