Our new Patio

On July 5 th we started the demolition of our old deck and brick patio. The wood was starting to splinter and we were tired of having to put a sealer on it every two years. The brick patio was starting to sink and we would of had to pull it all up and redo the whole thing So we decided to get rid of all of it and get one big slab of concrete. Here are the before and after photos.

It took the workers one day for demo and they poured the concrete the next day.

We now have one step up into the house through the sliding door.
Its so much bigger, we were able to fit our swing and two more chairs on it.

Being ground level is a plus also

Wordless Wednesday

DOWN BY THE OLD MILL STREAM

What a Mess

FUN MONDAY

Gattina our Belgium friend is our fun hostess this week, here's the challenge......

In the last weeks we had quite a lot to write for FUN MONDAY, I thought we should see something for a change.That's why I just want to know what you call a messy place and put a picture of it in your post. It's just to compare, if I am messy ...It can be a room, your basement, the attic, a drawer or whatever, but it has to be messy !Those who are the perfect housewives or men, please leave one room or other place untouched for 24 h !

Well Gattina, you hit a nerve for me. My Garage is my messy, messy room. My hubby and I butt heads when it comes to keeping it clean. I want to get new enclosed cabinets so we can store things without being seen. He says, this is my space and leave it alone. One day I hope I will win this battle. This is the first thing you see when we pull into our garage and it has become my "pet peeve"

I can't figure out how to make this wall neater. Its filled with the kids toys!
This is our reclyling center, its manadatory in our town. Once again how do I make it look neater??

My Hubs work bench is a catch all. See the ladder on the left side...I want to hang it on hooks and the Hubs just refuses to do it. The floor is so dirty, it needs to be scrubbed out real good, we usually do this every year, just haven't gotten around to it yet. The shelving is unorganized and it drives me crazy. It would be so nice to get storage cabinets with door so the mess will be hidden. We have been doing other projects to our home so the garage is low on the piority list. So there you go....I fess up to my mess....now go see everybody elses mess click here!

First woman on the Moon

Ok all you bloggers out there....here is a test! How many of you know who this woman is???? The ones who know will think this is sooooo funny.






And the answer is......The wife of Ralph Kramden of the "Honeymooners" (Jackie Gleason) oh boy am I ever dating myself! He was always saying to his wife..."To the moon Alice" it was a very funny show in the 50's.

Ship High In Transit

Just a few interesting facts for you!

Manure... An interesting fact Manure:

In the 16th and 17th centuries, everything had to be transported by ship and it was also before commercial fertilizer's invention, so large shipments of manure were common.

It was shipped dry, because in dry form it weighed a lot less than when wet, but once water (at sea) hit it, it not only became heavier, but the process of fermentation began again, of which a by product is methane gas. As the stuff was stored below decks in bundles you can see what could (and did) happen. Methane began to build up below decks and the first time someone came below at night with a lantern, BOOOOM!

Several ships were destroyed in this manner before it was determined just what was happening After that, the bundles of manure were always stamped with the letters S.H.I.T. (Ship High In Transit) on them, which meant for the sailors to stow it high enough off the lower decks so that any water that came into the hold would not touch this volatile cargo and start the production of methane.

Thus evolved the term ' S.H.I.T ' , (Ship High In Transit) which has come down through the centuries and is in use to this very day. You probably did not know the true history of this word. Neither did I. I had always thought it was a term used after someone shouted BINGO

Wordless Wednesday

FIRE IN THE SKY

All about Tears

Our friend mariposa is our gracious host this week and here is her challenge.

Let's talk about TEARS. What images spring to mind when you hear the word ‘tears’? Have you ever had tears of laughter and tears of joy? When was the last time you had tears of joy? Tears of laughter? Tell us about it!

I shed lots of tears of Joy, when we sing my favorite hymns at church, when I attend a wedding, when I married my Hubby, when I hear a song on the radio that brings back a certain memory. But by far the most joyous tears that I have shed are pictured below.. to hold that newborn grandchild just minutes after being born is the most overwhelming emotion you could ever experience. They still bring me Joy every time I am with them and I know it will continue for the rest of my life.

Now onto my tears of laughter....I have lots of those also. Most of the time when I have those laughter tears I also wind up having wet pants....yep that's right...I pee my pants. I can't really single out one moment, it's always over something simple that strikes me funny. My hubby n I get into laughing fits when we least expect it. When I was growing up, my sister n I would get to laughing just having a certain look at each other, most of the time it was after our Mom yelled at us to do something....we would start laughing and this made my Mom even madder. There was a lot of laughter in my house and I guess that's why I love it to this day. I think having a good laugh is good for the soul.

Now go see what everyone else is laughing about click here. Thank you Marisposa, that was fun.

Capt. John Smith

I found this very interesting. I can't help but wonder, did he have Pocahontas with him at this time??? (click to enlarge so you can read)

Wordless Wednesday

Balloon Flower

Summertime Favorites

FUN MONDAY

SOME OF THE THINGS I LOVE TO DO DURING THE SUMMER ARE, AS FOLLOWS.

SIT ON MY FRONT PORCH AND ROCK IN MY ROCKER. USUALLY LISTENING TO MY IPOD and enjoying a glass of wine.

SIT OUTBACK IN MY YARD AND SWING


WATCH A BEAUTIFUL SUNSET


WAIT FOR THE BIRDS TO COME TO THE BIRD BATH

BE STILL AND PHOTOGRAPH THE WILD LIFE

PLANT FLOWERS AND CARE FOR THEM LIKE THEY ARE MY CHILDREN. MY ACTIVITIES HAVE CHANGED OVER THE YEARS. I HAVE LEARNED TO BE STILL AND TAKE IT ALL IN...AND GUESS WHAT! I LOVE IT.

HOW DO I STAY COOL??? FIRST OF ALL I DRINK PLENTY OF WATER

AND THANK GOD FOR CENTRAL AIR. IF ITS TOO HOT N HUMID AND YOU SWEAT JUST SITTING STILL,AND THE BUGS ARE BITING.... THAT'S WHEN I GO IN THE HOUSE WHERE IT'S COOL!

THANK YOU ALL FOR PARTICIPATING IN FUN MONDAY.....DO I HAVE A VOLUNTEER FOR NEXT WEEK??? LET ME KNOW. Scan down for this weeks FM list....

NEWS FLASH, WE HAVE A HOST FOR FM NEXT WEEK JULY 20...AND IT IS OUR FRIEND Marisposa

Fun Monday for July 13

Hello everyone welcome to Fun Monday, we would love for you to join in. Here is the challenge this week.

Since the Lazy Hazy Days of summer are upon us now, tell us what activities you enjoy doing outside and how do you stay cool. Share some photos of both if you wish.
If you would like to host the next FM on July 20, let me know in the comments. Thanx

attention all...we have a host for next Weeks FM July 20...and that is our friend..Mariposa

Sign up below and leave a comment also

She Had To Have Them

Last week, daughter Tracy, took her two darling little girls shopping. Holly, the two year old grabbed the "Dora Shoes" and would not put them back. You can see who won that battle. Check them out, they are two sizes too big. She just loves them!

July 4th Fun

Our hostess this week is Grace and here is her fun assignment

July 4th is US Independence day, for Fun Monday, please tell how you spend your Independence Day either this year or in the past. Do you have a July 4th funny story you would like to share? Do you have a family tradition for this day? For those who are not US residents, please tell us when your country’s Independence day is and share with us how you celebrate/spend it. We would love some pictures too, you can share your stories in pictures too.

The fourth of July is a time of celebration for our family. We are all proud Americans and feel so fortunate to live in this great country. Since our families are so scattered, we spend this holiday with the family members who live close by. Last year our Hanover Pa family went up to my Brothers cabin in the mountains of Western Maryland. It rained for two of the three days we were there, but it stopped long enough to see the fireworks. In between the raindrops we managed to enjoy ourselves, we even got a campfire in. Three years in a row, prior to that, my hubby n I had a big cookout and fireworks with family, neighbors n friends

Casey, Holly, Gabby n Carley having fun at the cabin July 4, 2008

This year 2009 our Independence day fell on a Saturday, therefor most people had Friday off. So our festivities started on Thursday evening July 2 with a cookout at my daughter Kelly's house.

While cooking the burgers, we had a brief shower

Put on the feed bag!

The kids enjoyed our brief fireworks display


Getting ready for smores on the fire pit

On Friday July 3, Jer n I headed to sister Linda and brother in law Scott's home on the upper Eastern Shore in Maryland. Jerry's brother Frank and good friend Johnny also joined us.




We started with happy hour on Friday and didn't stop eating until we left for home on Sunday. Linda had some delicious food. On Sat. July 4, we went for a cruise up the Sassafras river on Linda's boat (Knot His), we dropped anchor to watch the boat parade. There were about a dozen boats decorated with a theme. Afterwards we headed back to the host home and pigged out on pulled pork, potato salad and tons of left overs from the day before. After dinner we were treated to a spectacular sun set, compliments of our most Gracious Lord. The evening ended with watching fireworks from the patio. It was a fun relaxing weekend and one of the better July 4th celebrations. Not to mention the weather was fabulous!

So that is what we did, now go see the fun everyone else had click here. Thanks for hosting Grace.

FYI...I will be the host for Monday July 13, I will have the post up on Thursday. Hope to see you then.

Happy Birthday U.S.A

In honor of the 4th of July, I thought this would be helpful to know the proper etiquette of Our American Flag. You would be surprised of how many people have no clue.

Pledge of Allegiance to the flag; manner of delivery

The Pledge of Allegiance to the Flag, "I pledge allegiance to the Flag of the United States of America, and to the Republic for which it stands, one Nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.", should be rendered by standing at attention facing the flag with the right hand over the heart. When not in uniform men should remove their headdress with their right hand and hold it at the left shoulder, the hand being over the heart. Persons in uniform should remain silent, face the flag, and render the military salute.

Time and occasions for display

(a) It is the universal custom to display the flag only from sunrise to sunset on buildings and on stationary flagstaffs in the open. However, when a patriotic effect is desired, the flag may be displayed twenty-four hours a day if properly illuminated during the hours of darkness.
(b) The flag should be hoisted briskly and lowered ceremoniously.
(c) The flag should not be displayed on days when the weather is inclement, except when an all weather flag is displayed.
(d) The flag should be displayed on all days, especially on New Year's Day, January 1; Inauguration Day, January 20; Lincoln's Birthday, February 12; Washington's Birthday, third Monday in February; Easter Sunday (variable), Mother's Day, second Sunday in May; Armed Forces Day, third Saturday in May: Memorial Day (half-staff until noon), the last Monday in May; Flag Day, June 14; Independence Day, July 4; Labor Day, first Monday in September; Constitution Day, September 17; Columbus Day, second Monday in October; Navy Day, October 27; Veterans Day, November 11; Thanksgiving Day, fourth Thursday in November; Christmas Day, December 25; and such other days as may be proclaimed by the President of the United States; the birthdays of States (date of admission); and on State holidays.

To all who may be reading this....HAPPY INDEPENDENCE DAY, MAY GOD BLESS YOU AND OUR GREAT COUNTRY!

A Fun Day in The Park

This past Saturday our family went to Codorus State park to spend the day. Every year they have a "Summer Blast" They have entertainment all day, along with amusement rides for the kids and lots of nature exhibits. This is our fourth year going and we always have a great time. We take our lawn chairs n coolers and find a spot by the band shell. There are lots of food vendors and craft vendors as well. The demonstrations this year were the k9 police dogs and the water dog and log rolling competitions. Different bands play all day long. We always get a pit beef sandwich, curly fries and a root beer float. Isn't it funny how you tend to do the same thing year after year. The weather was absolutely gorgeous, 82 degrees and no humidity, a lovely breeze was blowing all day long.

Wordless Wednesday

AMBER WAVES OF GRAIN