~Taking the Time~ to enjoy the beautiful day today....

Today was such a beautiful day. Rain Free!! yeah!!!! So took the time to sit on the deck and enjoy a glass of iced tea and have some lunch.

Our Hummingbird feeder has been ready since last Friday. This morning we saw a beautiful male Ruby Throat  Hummingbird come to the two feeders that we have on the back deck. He was checking it out, as the female will come later. The two Hummingbirds in the picture are made of metal, they are just there for a decoration, in case  you thought we had Gigantic Hummingbirds!!

Than we took a walk around the yard as some new trees and flowers are coming out.

Each week something new starts blooming, and we get so excited. Doesn't take much to make us smile.  :-)

The Rhododendron bush is producing many new blooms. Some still in the bud stage, but they will soon be out as the warm weather continues.

The Clematis is also coming out in full splendor. And is gracefully climbing up the trellis.

A very different tree is the Cucumber Tree.  It belongs to the Magnolia Tree family.  It is the only Native Magnolia  in the Northern Tempera area of North America.

The Columbine plant is also coming out and producing colorful flowers.

I found this Crane in a magazine and fell in love with it. So ordered it and it came the other day. I went out today, since it was rain free and positioned him in his own little spot next to the pond.  The pond still needs some work from over the winter.  So Mr. Crane can overlook the process and make sure we are doing it to his satisfaction.

My dear husband bought this waterfall fountain last year . He knows I like water, no matter what it is in.  We have it set up on the deck, but some little insect got into the hole where the water comes out and clogged it with his nesting, so we have to clean it out. It will not run right now, when it does I will post a picture of what it should  look like at another time.

As the day was ending  our Little Sarah decided she wanted to watch some HGTV and see what they were remodeling this time.

She must have gotten some pretty good ideas, because she went right over to her "Pad" and starting redecorating it to her likening.  :-)

Hope everyone had a great weekend and a wonderful upcoming week.!!!

                                                        

~Taking the Time~ to go back over past vacations.

                                               
                                                       A cup of coffee and a book to read, overlooking
                                                                 Lake George, New York....   June 2005

Good Morning everyone,
I decided to take the time and go through some of our old trips that we have taken and revisit some of them with pictures that are stuck in my computer picture file..  It pays to visit them sometimes. :-)

In June of 2005, we decided to take a long trip to New York and visit Lake George. We always like to go where there is some type of body of water and mountains. This was the perfect place to go.

                                                                
                We found a wonderful motel right on the lake, we had a small apartment and it was such a beautiful spot.

A LITTLE HISTORY OF THE LAKE......Lake George is one of the most beautiful bodies of water in the world and is known as the Queen of American Lakes.  The lake is 32 miles long and is fed by mammoth underground springs, it includes 109 miles of shoreline, about 300 islands, and covers an  approximation of 44 square miles.  The lake varies in dept from one foot to 195 feet and width from one to three miles.

The Lake George and Adirondack area had a prominent role in famous French and Indian Wars as well as the American Revolution.

"Thomas Jefferson said..........."Lake George is without comparison the most beautiful water I ever saw; formed by a contour of mountains into a basin 35 miles long and from two to four miles broad, finely interspersed with island, its water limped as crystal and the mountainsides covered with rich groves of  Silver Fir, White Pine, Aspen and Paper birch down to the water,here and there precipices of rock to checker the scene and save it from monotony an abundance of speckled Trout, Salmon Trout, Bass and other fish which it is stored, have added to our other amusements the sport of taking them."

The moon rising over the boat house next to our motel.  What a beautiful sight. The next picture is what we saw in the daylight. So quiet and serene.

An overlook on a ride around the lake. Large homes along the shoreline. It was a place for the rich to visit and have homes.  Some of the homes are very large and beautiful. But there are only certain places where they are located, so it does not take away from the scenery.

One of the piers where you can go swimming, take a cruise ride around the lake, or just sit and enjoy the scenery. Many people visit here every year. We found it to be a little slow when we went, especially that some of the restaurants did not open until supper time. Depending on when you go. A lot  depends on when the schools are closed for the season.  This may have changed since it has been seven years since we visited.

One of the cruise ships in the distance.  We had taken a ride on one. There was a storm as we were half way out on the lake. A little rocky ride, but thank goodness it cleared up. They went into a cove and we sat there for a bit. They take you around the shore line and you can see the beautiful homes, and the beautiful natural settings. So pretty and what an experience. If you want you can take a dinner or lunch cruise. We did not get a chance to do that. but it would have been nice to do.

Like a lot of our trips, we have rain. We think we draw it to where ever we go.   And this trip was no different. Lol  but the dark clouds over the lake and the mountains provided a beauty of its own. When my husband was working, it would be a standing joke with his co-workers. NO ONE would take a vacation around the same time he did, because they knew there would be rain.

Hope you enjoyed this visit with me. If you would like to find out more about the area you can put it in Search on the computer.

Have a good weekend.  And  ~Take the Time ~ to enjoy life. No matter where you are.!

                                                 

~Taking the Time~ for some memories...

Today was a dreary day and we had to run into town to do a few things. We decided to stop at Roy Roger's and grab some lunch.  There is a Community Pond just a stone's throw from there.  So we decided to ~Take the Time~ to pull in there and eat our lunch.  Now many years ago, when I taught Pre-school children, we would take a bus load and bring them to this pond.  The teachers and about 40 little ones.  We never went empty handed....we had bags of day old bread to take with us.

Sitting there today brought back many wonderful moments of that time in my life.  Thinking now that these little ones are in their 20's. Wow!

The  pond now is home to many different types of  birds. Many more than years ago. I remember there was this tiny little boy in our class. This one goose would go after him whenever we went. He liked to peck at him. Never failed, same duck, same child. We would have to chase that pesty duck from this little guy all the time. Thinking now, it might have been love pecks...because the little guy was not much taller than the goose.

This beauty was a cross mix of a Mallard and maybe a domestic duck.  He came up close to our van and was very verbal. There were a few swans among the flock of ducks. Made for a very pretty picture. Except when I went to take their pictures, they always went bottom up. lol

We finished up our lunch and decided to take a long way back home using the back roads. As we started the motor our friend decided to go back and join the others.

Even though it was a dreary, foggy day, it still was a nice ride through the farmlands. The fields are being prepared and some planted .  Hopefully the weather will be just  right for the planting and growing this year.

An old empty school house sitting in an open field.  Now surrounded by  new housing developments. How sad for the days gone by. Wonder how many children went to this school and are they still around now to talk about it.  Wonder if any of my little ones, will remember the things they did when they were in pre-school. Wonder if the little guy will remember that pesty goose.

My goodness, as we turned around one corner, we were met by the assembling of a carnival already!   This was a big one on a Walmart parking lot.  Wonder if anyone has told Mother Nature

that it is the season and we are waiting for the right type of weather to celebrate.  There will be many cold and wet riders if the weather stays as nasty as they say it will be this weekend.  :-(

After our trip to town, and our back road drive, we headed home. And you can tell we were on the right track.. We always seem to be behind a farmer and  his tractor this time of the year. Just have to love them.!!!   :-)

Have a wonderful day. Maybe take a few minutes and ~Take the Time~ to remember something of your childhood during your school days.

                                      

This past weekend we had spent the time with our daughter Jill.  Last weekend our oldest daughter Kimberly~Took the Time~ to spend Saturday with me and her daughter Neve.

We live closer together, only one half hour away, but because Kimberly works all week, we do not get to see each other that  much.

We decided to spend the day shopping for some clothes for the two of them.  But first our Sweet Neve wanted to go out to lunch at Isach's. She loves that restaurant. So that was top priory on our list.

                                         
We had a good lunch and than the All important question........where to go shopping.  I left it up to them as I was just going for the ride and having some quality time with them.

Since I have trouble walking any distance I sat in the van and people watched while they went on their journey.  I love watching people. It can be very interesting at times. :-) 

After a few stores, we headed back to their home, where my husband picked me up and than we all went out to supper.  Hmmm seems like we are always going out to eat.  Something we learned when we went into Retirement. lol

Before we had started the day out, Pop Pop and I had been working on the back deck. Getting it ready for the warmer weather. In fact the day we were working on it, it was in the 90's. So that really got us in the mood . I have been talking about getting a glider swing for the porch for a few years.  Well one day, while on a mission to get some things at the hardware store, he saw a swing set sitting out front of the store for sale.  So "Bless his heart" he ~Took the Time~ to check  it out. And decided to get it for me as an early Mother's Day gift.

Neve was so excited as all three granddaughters love to swing. As does Nana and Pop pop. So she had the chance before we headed out on the shopping trip.

                                                                
Doesn't swinging on a swing bring back memories of days of old.  And adds to  the new ones ahead.

 
Of course Pop pop does not go anywhere without his glass of milk!  :-)  

So we had another Thumbs Up day enjoying each other and the time together.  Life does pass too quickly, and we need to ~Take the Time~ to enjoy it and spend it with the ones we love as much as we can.

                                                   Have a Wonderful Day!




                                  

~What A Wonderful Weekend~

This past weekend, my husband and I spent the time with our youngest daughter Jill and her family. Our Youngest Granddaughter was having her Kindergarten Ball on Friday night.  So we thought this would be a good time to take our oldest granddaughter out for the evening and spend it with her.  She had her choice of where she would like to go for supper.  Her choice was "Outback Steak House". That was fine with us.  So off we went, while Jill, Jerry and Kathleen headed off to the magical night of the Kindergarten Ball.

When we arrived at the restaurant, we were fortunate to get a seat right away. As many of you know these restaurants are packed on Friday nights. We called and they said they do not take reservations but they would make sure we did not wait for more than 20 minutes  by calling in ahead of time. And we did not have to wait at all!!

So we sat down to order, I ordered a steak and shrimp meal, my  husband got a huge hamburger and guess what our "Dear Hayley" ordered at a Steak House.  Macaroni and Cheese, and a tossed salad along with stringbeans!!  :-)  Almost put me to shame with my steak and shrimp dinner.  But she said she loves their Mac and Cheese.   More power to her, and not eating any meat.  We decided to get dessert there instead of making another trip to "Rita's" for ice cream. Blaine got a slice of carrot cake and Hayley got some kind of Brownie with ice cream on it. I was quite full from my meal, therefore did not get dessert, but that isn't to say that I didn't sample a spoonful or two of their desserts.  I think Hayley's eyes were bigger than her stomach as she only took two bites and brought the rest home.  I am not even sure how it looked before she put it in the freezer, as we made a few stops after leaving the restaurant.

The next stop was at a mall where she wanted a certain purse that would match an outfit she just had bought a few days before. My goodness she is getting so into clothes and accessories and everything has to match.  Hmmmm ...sounds a little like her Nana!

We had a special time and we were glad we could share the evening with her. She was the only child for 5 years and the times we have together are usually spent with her and Kathleen now. So it was a little "Me" time for Hayley that night.

The next day, they decided to take me for a ride. They know there is one special place that I like to visit.  It has a lake and a playground. So they ~Took the Time~ out of their busy weekend schedule and took me to the lake.  We stopped and picked up lunch and took it to the lake to eat there.

It was cloudy and chance of rain that day, but it still was a nice time together with them. After eating lunch, the girls got on the playground and met some other children there.

   Pop pop decided to stay home and dog sit all the dogs. Theirs and ours. He was kept quite busy as they have 4 little ones and we have one.

We were planning on leaving on Sunday to head home, but the weather was bad, and they did not want us taking the 3 hour ride  home in all the rain.

Which was great and worked out well.  As Jill had fallen on Saturday and turned her ankle and this gave her the day to rest.

Kathleen our little "Girlie Girl" said "Nana can you fix my hair in a special way and we can play dress ups." So I told her to get all her hair things together and let's see what we could come up with. She brings a big box of all kinds of hair clips, rubber bands, ribbons, etc. And she even had a little eyeshadow box for little girls hidden in there. Just in case I thought she needed a little extra color on her eyelids. :-)  She went and changed into a beautiful dress and the hair style began.  She picked out the turquoise hair clips and black rubber bands. And her dress of choice was RED!!

       Who ever said "Redheads should not wear red?  Isn't she just adorable. We had the best time doing Girlie things and coming up with a new hairdo for her.

                                                 
Hayley spent some time that day working on her jewelry business. This granddaughter of  ours just amazes us. She started making her own jewelry to sell when she was only 6 years old. She has sold alot to family and friends. And guess who her biggest customer is?   She showed me some of her new pieces and telling me how good they would go with such and such an outfit. And you know being a NANA I couldn't resist her selling tactics.

So sadly this morning we had to leave. They had to get back to their busy weekly  schedules and we needed to get back home . 

We are glad that we could ~Take the Time ~ to be with them and them with us. The girls are growing so fast, and every bit of time we have with them is cherished. Sometimes the simple things in life can last a lifetime.

Have a wonderful week.

                                                                                                                        

"The Healing Powers of Hot Tea.......

 

Good Morning Blogger Friends,

I thought I would ~Take the Time~ this morning to share an article that I found  in our neighborhood flyer.  In fact I was enjoying my first cup of hot tea when I came across this information.
Being an avid tea drinker I was happy to see that my favorite drink has some health benefits.

                                         
        "  Tea is an ancient beverage that has been enjoyed for centuries thanks to its healing benefits. Here are just some of the many ways sipping hot tea can be beneficial to you.

           * Decreased risk of heart disease. Drinking more than two cups of tea a day decreased the risk of death from a  heart attack by 44 percent. Even if  you aren't having several cups a day, tea can provide marked improvement in cardiovascular health and reduction of fatal heart attacks.

            *Reduction in blood pressure:  Drinking merely a half-cup of green or oblong tea may reduce blood pressure by up to 50 percent. It could also have benefits in stroke reduction as well.

             * Antiseptic properties:  People who rinse their mouth with tea or drink it frequently may benefit from a reduction in cavities or periodontal diseases.  The bioflavonoids in tea have antiseptic and astringent properties.  A tea gargle can help prevent bad breath and kill germs in the mouth that contribute to poor oral health.  Because many viruses, such as the flu and cold, are airborne, drinking or gargling with tea may also help fight cold and flu.

                                                    

               * Lowers cancer risk:  The polyphenols in tea may be responsible for inhibiting factors that promote cancer growth in the body, according to some studies.  In addition, the antioxidants in tea can help improve overall health. Green tea was shown to inhibit bladder cancer cell growth  in the laboratory.  Some doctors surmise that drinking tea can fend off certain gastrointestinal cancers.

                  * Neurological benefits:   Some research suggest that tea is valuable in the fight against neurological conditions such as Parkinson's disease and dementia.  

                                                                                                            
 What many people like about drinking tea is that there are not apparent side effects.  Even if tea doesn't produce all the benefits it promises, there is still the comfort in knowing the beverage is not harmful, either.   In addition to its antioxidant properties, tea is a soothing drink that can calm a sore throat, hydrate the body, relieve symptoms of upper respiratory infections, and  warm a person up when there is a nip in the air.  Add a little honey~~~which has its own nutritive value~~and you may have a potent remedy in a cup.

Hope you have enjoyed reading this little tidbit on tea.  I also am sharing some of my teacups and pots that I have collected throughout the years.  Two of them, I have had since we were married 46 years ago. I had gotten them as wedding gifts.

My daughters enjoy having Tea Parties with their daughters. If you have visited my daughter Jill's blog...Blessings of a Stay at Home Mom.... you will see some of her creative tea parties , she has had  with her daughters. A special time for all of them.  They even have learned at an early age, the proper way to drink out of a tea cup is to  hold up their little pinkie finger.  :-)

Enjoy the day.... and if you like tea  ~Take the Time~ to have a cup. Or as the weather is getting warmer, maybe a glass of iced tea. Yum...