Annual Decorating Class

Last night was my annual Decorating Class that I teach for ladies in our church. I always have a little pumpkin for them to take home, as well as many pages of notes.

The little piece of paper says:

Being a Chrisitian is like being a pumpkin. God lifts you up, takes
you in, and washes all the dirt off of you. He opens you up, touches you deep inside and
scoops out the yucky stuff--including the seeds of doubt, hate, greed, etc. The He
carves you anew smiling face and puts His light inside you to shine for the whole world to see.


We used pretty Fall paper goods.


I made mint tea with mint from my garden.

Hot cider is a must at this time of year. Flavored with the Wassail pkg. seen on the left. Sooo good!

I make Pumpkin Cobbler every year and it's always a big hit! I'll have to share the recipe sometime. It's soooo easy!

Everything in the kitchen...set for the event. The Keurig turned on with a variety of drinks to choose from.

Then it was time to teach. I use a slide presentation for part of the lesson.

Chairs are everywhere. It just started to rain and became a bit dark. I should have used a flash.

And, of course, the lovely ladies and their mentors.

After a large crowd, it's always nice to clean up and have things back to normal again.

There..... Much better!

It will be nice & tidy for a few days, at least. Then Ceekay, my sister, two nieces, and my two daughters will be flying in next week. What a fun week that will be. All seven of us together! Can't wait for you to get here, girls! Party time for us ! lol Lots of shopping, eating, laughing and Ceekay will do the crying, I'm sure. She is soooo sentimental! We love her though!

What have you been up to this week?

Thanks for stopping by...tilll next time!

Fall Foyer

The foyer is the first thing people see when entering our home. I added a few Fall touches to welcome them.
This is the front door shooting from our family room. When you enter you see the front staircase and dining room is to the left.

I've had these metal pumpkins from Kirkland for several years. They have been in different rooms and even outside on the porch. They will probably get painted at some point because they are showing signs of age. Hey, that's exactly what I have to do every morning with makeup, as I age . lol

Hubby said the pumpkins were too plain in and of themselves and that I needed to add color or something.

So out came the picks. Much better!

A floral basket sits at the top of the landing.

My pumpkin tree is at the top on the cat walk.

A night shot coming down the cat walk.

Shooting down from upstairs you see this table and mirror behind the front door.

A pumpkin display is on the floor.

Wall art is above the door! I did this a couple of years ago. It was an easy project.

Looking way up at the chandy.

This is the other side of the foyer leading up the stairs.

I hope you enjoyed the tour and that you have a fun filled, safe weekend!

Till next time!

Joining kristens @ Share Your Creations!

Broccoli Soup

Several ladies that visit my blog has asked for this soup recipe and I finally got around to taking a few pics and thought I'd share it with you!
It tastes heavenly, especially on a cool Fall evening!


Start with boiling broccoli and chicken bouillon cubes.  ( Recipe is at the end of post.)
The brown color you see is the bouillon cubes dissolving.

Velveeta Cheese cubed.

Half & Half and whole milk.

Flour mixed with milk.

Add to the cooking pot.

Cook on low till thickened.

Warm some French or Sourdough bread and ENJOY!

Soooo Yummy!

Broccoli Soup:  Serves 4 to 6


1 c. water
1 10 oz. of  broccoli
2 c. milk
1/2 c. flour
1 c. cubed Velveeta cheese
1 c. half & half
2 chicken bouillon cubes

Cook broccoli in water with bouillon cubes.   Do not drain.
Mix flour & milk and add to mixture.
Add cheese and blend on low heat.
Add half & half
Keep stirring till thickened.

I always double this recipe.
Let me know if you try it!  

I'm joining Michael @Designs by Gollum for Foodie Friday

Touring an Aircraft Carrier and A Submarine

My brother and sis-in-law came for a visit from MI a couple of weeks ago. Being that my brother is an ex-Navy man, all he wanted to do was go to Charleston and go aboard the USS Yorktown. It was the best thing we could have done for him. He was like a kid in a candy shop! lol

Hubby is ex-Army, so my brother was showing him every inch of the ship....literally! It took us half the day to get through part of it. lol

Here it is in all it's glory! The USS Yorktown We were getting ready to cross the bridge to board. WARNING: There are a lot of pictures!

It's hard to believe so many planes take off and land on a carrier.

Even harder to realize how are military sleep in all kinds of conditions. They release the chains to lower their "beds" for the night.

The hospital had cots that were more "plush". lol

The armory.

Look at the size of those bullets.

I've never climbed so many narrow stairways in my life!

The many planes on one of the decks.

This is the catapault that propells the planes off the ship at over 100 miles per hour.

This is the hook that catches the plane to slow it down and stop it on the upper deck when it comes in for a landing.

Hubby sitting on a Gunner.

It was a perfect day, weather wise, and the scenery was beautiful!
We ate lunch on board in the officer's lounge.   Not the big brass, though.

Another steep staircase. I told you I was climbing them of day. lol

I thought we were leaving the pier and the next thing I knew the guys were taking aboard this submarine......it's a whole different ballgame from the carrier!!

Can you see my apprehension????

Officer's dining quarters on the Sub.

Servicemen's dining quarters. Very small!

If you thought the sleeping quarters were bad on the carrier....look at this! The men slept with the torpedos on the same wall. Officer's sleeping quarters coming up...

Talk about tight quarters....Yikes!

The bathroom facilities were barely better than an airplane and those poor sailors they lived on the sub for months at a time.

This officer has been on many tours aboard this very Sub.

Again, I am reminded of all our great military personnel that are serving in different ways to keep us safe! You have and deserve our admiration and deepest thanks!!

Well we're heading off the bridge after a full day in the life of a sailor.

If you still with me, thanks for hanging in there! I appreciate each of your visits.

Till next time!