Lots of Work--Some Play

I went from enjoying a great cruise to lending a helping hand to a friend. However, it involved a road trip of nearly 1000 miles to complete this assignment. In less than 24 hours after I returned to my home from the cruise, I was on my way to Hilton Head Island, SC.


My friend, Judy, and her husband have a condo there in Palmetto Dunes. Judy had helped me when I did some re-modeling at my home, including some very pain-staking wall paper removal. So I agreed to go with her to clean and organize the condo.

There had been some water damage and they had to replace some drywall, tear up carpet, etc. So they had new carpet and hardwood floors installed. Needless to say, everything was dusty. We washed all the bed linens for 3 bedrooms, as well as window curtains. And of course we washed down all the furniture, woodwork, windows and washed all the dishes--lots of them! You get the idea. It was MAJOR fall cleaning!

She also had the overwhelming task of sewing together drapes for two patio doors. We first had to rip out the seams so that she could sew the panels together. Judy sewed three panels together for each door. They had 3 layers, and she sewed each layer individually. When we finished with them Monday morning, including inserting the pleater hooks, and ironing, they fit perfectly. (One of the rods had been installed wrong, but we were able to figure out how to fix it).


Of course all work and no play is just not good. So we did have some fun and relaxing times. We walked along the beach one morning, probably about 2 miles. The weather was great!


One afternoon while she worked on drapes, I relaxed at the pool. The water was perfect, not too cold, the sun was great, and I even spent a little time in the hot tub.


I checked out the time for sunrise one morning, and we got to the beach at the perfect time to watch the sun come up. So beautiful and peaceful.


Sunday morning, after attending church, we had brunch at the "Black Marlin". They had some very interesting entrees. Judy and I had Bananas Foster French Toast, which had a carmelized syrup that was melt-in-your-mouth delicious. The gal on the right, also named Judy, was also working on her home that week.


After brunch we headed for Savannah, Georgia, and took a trolley tour of the this beautiful city. Once again, it was terrific weather and we were able to see the wonderful homes and parks in the historic district.




We left early Tuesday morning for the long trip back home, having had some fun as well as leaving the condo clean and decorated and ready to rent. The drive through the Smokey mountains was beautiful (I see I forgot to include a picture, although my pictures couldn't really capture the view.) We got into a rain storm and wind in Kentucky and some tense driving for a while. All in all, it was a productive and fun trip.

An Amazing Adventure

Because I'm such a world traveler, I haven't had a chance to post about our wonderful cruise to Key West and Cozumel, Mexico, except for the preview of the dolphin experience. I spent the last week in Hilton Head, SC (but that's a story for another time).

My sister Brenda,on her blog "Bee's Nest", has done a fantastic summary of our cruise,so you might check that out, as I can't add much to it. But there were a few things I thought I might share.

On our walking tour of Key West, we not only tasted some great food, but saw some interesting sights. These statues were interesting for me because I had seen a similar display this past summer in Auburn, Indiana with my friend Rebecca. They are done by Seward Johnson. The large one was also on display in Auburn.





On Sunday, on board the ship, they had a "Parade of Nations". There were people from 35 countries working on the ship, and they displayed the flags of their countries.




I was so impressed with the staff and crew members--dining room servers, state room staff, etc. They were absolutely gracious, kind and helpful. They must have excellent training in customer relations. However, even with training, sometimes it's difficult to maintain such a gracious demeanor. I would do well, as a christian woman, to make sure I am that gracious and kind to those I meet, as well as friends and family.

I am so thankful I had this opportunity to share such a wonderful experience with my sisters. It was full of fun, fellowship and food--three important ingredients for any trip!

Dolphin Push-Pull

I just got home from my cruise today, and will be leaving again tomorrow, so I will have more pics and details later. But I thought you might enjoy this short video clip and some photos of our fun time with the dolphins.

Look for more to come--We had a great cruise!

Pre-Cruise Anticipation!

Almost a year ago now, I happened to see an insert in one of Karen Kingsbury's books, advertising a cruise. It is called a "Girl's Get-Away Cruise" and hosted by Karen Kingsbury.

I have never been on a cruise, and my hubby has said he'll probably never go on one, so I decided I would go. I asked my sisters if they would like to join me, so we are making it a "sista's" get-away as well. They have both been on cruises before, but this is my "maiden voyage". (I'm not sure that's the correct use of that term!)

Now that it's almost here, I'm getting very excited! This picture is of Royal Caribbean's "Grandeur of the Seas" which is the ship we will be sailing on. We start in Ft. Lauderdale, and go to Key West and Cozumel, Mexico. Among other things, we are going to try our hand at snorkeling (well, Brenda has done it before, but it's a little adventurous for Lou and I.)

I have much to do before we leave on Wednesday, so I will probably miss out on some of your blogging for a few days. Rest assured, I will have a report, complete with pictures when we return. I know we are planning on having a "Bon Voyage"!

A Welcome Respite

Webster defines "respite" as: "a temporary intermission of labor, or of any process or operation." I am retired, so I am able to rest and relax at times. However, my hubby still works full time, takes care of our farm house and grounds as well as helping his daughter with hers, and spends a lot of time working (repairing equipment, etc) for the radio ministry in Haiti. So he really needs an occassional respite.

Last year, for our anniversary trip, we went to Chain O' Lakes to a cabin like this. I wasn't crazy about the idea, as you take all your own food, supplies, dishes, linens etc. But we went, and I enjoyed it, and he got some much needed rest.

So this year, I suggested that we do this again. (What was I thinking?) Last year we went the last weekend of October (our anniversary is Nov. 5) and it was very cold the entire time. The cabin is heated with a wood stove. So this year I suggested we go a little earlier.

Kitchen

We got there last Thursday afternoon, and it was warm, so much so that I needed a fan to be comfortable. But Saturday morning we woke up about 5:00 am and were very cold! So we started a fire, and kept it going the rest of the weekend.

Lynn began to relax, and actually slept quite a bit Thursday evening, and Friday. By Saturday afternoon he was beginning to feel more energized again, and worked on some electronics projects he had brought with him.

Friday for lunch we drove in to Churubusco, about 12 miles, and had lunch at this little restaurant. It was really good food, a really good price, and we took some left overs back with us. We then went to the Churubusco library, so that I could get my "computer" fix. I checked e-mails and blogs and facebook. He enjoyed reading a magazine while we were there.

I spent my time doing some Bible study, reading, working sudoku puzzles, and taking walks. This is a side view of our cabin. You can't really see it very well, but it has a screened in porch along this side, with a porch swing, and I spent some time out there during the day when it was warmer, reading and enjoying the fresh air.

These are the steps going down from our cabin to the lake. I was going to count them but never did. There are at least 30-40 steps, so I was able to get my stair-stepping activity.

The lake was beautiful. Sometimes when I was down there, the sun was shining on the water, and it was just very peaceful. I loved just feeling the quietness and peacefulness of it all.

I enjoyed my walks as well. However, the trees were not very pretty or colorful. They were already dropping a lot of their leaves. My hubby explained that this is because of the dry weather we had. (Since I've been back, I also heard someone on TV say the Indiana trees would not be very colorful because of the drought.)

I did manage to find a little bit of color here and there. So it was a restful time, as well as time to talk, discuss and reflect on various things.

Jeremiah 6:16 This is what the Lord says: "Stand at the crossroads and look; ask for the ancient paths, ask where the good way is, and walk in it, and you will find rest for your souls."

Matthew 11:28 "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give your rest."

Treasures To Claim

When I was cleaning out the attic and going through my things, I decided it was time to do something about my salt and pepper shakers. I started a collection a long time ago. When I lived in Oklahoma I had room to display them. But now, they've been sitting in storage for 5 years.

I'm not much of an e-bay person--it seems like a hassle to try to sell them that way, and I'm quite sure most of them are not worth much. So I thought I would post them here; who knows, someone out there in blogland might see one or two, or several that they just can't live without.

So here's my fantastic offer. I would be happy to send you one or more (or all!) of these if you would like them. I don't want anything for them, other than the satisfaction of knowing that they have found a happy home.

In the above photo, 4 of these are sets that together form part of a whole; the yolk and egg separate into salt and pepper, the teapot and tea cup come out of the table, etc.

Just let me know if you are interested. I might want you to help with postage, but it should be minimal.

Maybe these can add some flavor to someone's life, just as salt and pepper add flavor to our food, and just as we are to be the "salt of the earth".

Fall--A Time For Cleaning

For a long time now I have been wanting to clean out my attic. I had things just sitting in other places upstairs, as there was literally not room for one more thing in the attic. I knew that much of what was there belongs to my husband's daughter. She has her own home, so I felt it would be good to let her "re-claim" her treasures.

I started last Friday and worked pretty much all day. By the end of the day I had most of Janelle's belongings neatly stacked in my garage. I decided, with the nice weather, that my car could stay outside for a while. That way, she can get her things over to her home at her convenience. (I'm sure it may require some help from my hubby).

I didn't want to put anything back in the attic on Saturday, as Lynn and Janelle wanted to go through what was left and see if there were more things she wanted. They couldn't do it Saturday, as they were spray-painting some buildings at her place. So Saturday I began going through some of my things and now have quite a large stack of things to go to Goodwill.

Sunday afternoon, Lynn and Janelle did go through the attic, and removed several more things. So yesterday, I began to re-organize the attic, putting some of my things back in there, and transferring things from the other two bedrooms to the attic.

As a result, the bedrooms upstairs are now organized, and the attic still has plenty of room for future needs. I wish I had a before and after picture of the attic, but failed to take one before I started. Today, I'm going to vacuum and dust the upstairs rooms and the stairway. Then--Voila--a project completed.

I must say, after one hundred trips (that may be an exaggeration, but maybe not) up and down the stairs, I am rather stiff and sore this morning. But the up side is, I'm sure I needed to exercise those muscles anyway!

As wonderful and liberating as it feels to have my attic clean, I would do well to make sure my heart is clean as well.

Psalm 51:10 Create in me a clean heart, O Lord and renew a right spirit within me.