Fun In The Sun

I am working on sprucing up the back yard. I don’t have the luxury of all the wonderful colorful flowers that are found in the south and with water being a valuable commodity here in the west I decided to add some splashes of color to the back yard with paint. This is only a sneak preview! You will have to wait for the finished project to see it all. See if you can guess what the theme of my back yard will be. I will give you a hint. Where do people go to relax and have fun? If you think you might know the answer, please join my followers and leave me a comment. I will disclose the theme when the project is completed and is posted.

Before

After

Before

After
I found the flowers and butterfly at a thrift store my last visit to the South.

Before

After
I have had these metal candle holders forever! What an improvement!
Remember, send me a comment if you can guess the theme. Making Memories, Maime

Mother's Day

I hope all of you wonderful Mothers had a great day on Sunday! It was a special day for me! First, because I got to share my daughter Mary’s first mother’s day with her, and secondly, because all of my daughters really made me feel honored. They all pitched in with their Dad and made one of my favorite meals. In fact I think it should become a Mother’s Day tradition! We had homemade grilled hamburgers. Yes, I said hamburgers. I have come to embrace the fact that a good old fashioned hamburger is one of my favorite things to eat. Along with the burgers and all the trimmings we had Mary’s wonderful twice baked potatoes! Of course let’s not forget the great chocolate cake with chocolate icing that Rachel made, add Rebekah’s sweet tea,Bethany’s finishing touches on the table setting and I’ll just say it was wonderful! Oh, I must not forget to mention the beautiful fresh flowers that Tim contributed! Those girls and their Dad sure know what makes me feel special!
 

My granddaughter Julia was feeling a bit feverish due to teething so all she wanted to do was lay on Maime (I might add that her mommy wasn’t available and that’s the only reason I would do). It was a dream come true! Julia and I literally laid on the sofa all afternoon, drifting in an out of a nap while everyone else was busy in the kitchen. Cuddling with Julia is another one of those special moments that words can’t define.

What more could a mother/grandmother desire? Well, there is only one more thing I would have wanted; my son-in-law being with us! Benjamin had to work on Sunday and boy did we all miss him. He adds so much life to our family and has become a fixture that we all love and appreciate. Though he couldn’t be there he made my day by calling and wishing me a happy Mother’s day. What a great guy!
I almost forgot to mention that my children all put together and got me rocking chairs for my front porch.
 
 

I am looking forward to the many memories that will be made in those chairs. Making Memories, Maime

John Ryan's Graduation

Most of our family spent Saturday in Brownwood enjoying family and friends as we celebrated John Ryan's graduation from university. We are so proud of him for all that he has accomplished!

Beth, Mary, Benj, and Julia

Bethany and John Ryan

One big happy family!

Flower Pot Centerpiece

Thought I would share a little craft I did for a couple of events recently. There are many modifications you can make to this as far as color, height, and flowers go.
Supplies Needed:
Six inch terracotta pot
Eight to nine inch dowel
Small cat food or tuna can
Square foam
Your choice of greenery and silk flowers
Hurricane globe
Your choice of votive or tea candle
Your color choice of spray paint
One screw


Spray paint the tuna can, dowel, and flower pot the color of your choice and let dry thoroughly. Then insert the foam into the pot. Connect the tuna can to the dowel with a screw and press the dowel into the foam.




Add greenery and flowers of your choice.



Put a votive or tea light inside the tuna can. Add a hurricane globe and voila, you have a nifty centerpiece.



I have used these for many years for many different occasions, and they have been many different colors. It’s almost time for me to throw them out and start over with new ones.

Make a Memory, Maime

Trip To The South

I recently made a trip to visit my family and friends in the south. It was so nice to come from the dry west and see all the vibrant colors of Spring in the south. Here are a few pics from my Mom's yard. I did not inherit her green thumb. I take that back, in reference to a previous post, I can grow things in my frig like her. She wouldn't let me take pictures of those fuzzy multicolored plants.

Easter Weekend

I realized this Easter that our family has very few traditions for this holiday other than celebrating with our church family through a resurrection service. We do normally spend the day together enjoying food and chocolate. I really enjoy giving everyone “happies” as I call them. “Happies are just a little unexpected something that you would randomly give to someone to make them feel special. I should mention that I’m really bad about waiting till the last minute to shop for “happies.” Tim and I were out late on Thursday evening searching for “happies” when I stumbled upon these neat Velcro towels for the girls. I had the most difficult time finding something for the guys. Could it be that I’m not accustom to buying “happies” for more than one man? Well, I didn’t do so good this time. Sorry guys. All they got were kites and money to buy themselves honkers (sodas). Of course Tim pulled the reins back when I started shopping for Julia’s “happy”. I do tend to go overboard. She got a swimming pool that will stay at Maime’s house, so she can swim when she comes to visit, a book that sings Jesus Loves Me when it opens and of course a big ole beach ball to play with in the pool, all stuffed in a neat little felt basket. The book drove everyone crazy except her! I don’t know what it is about me, but I love to give “happies”!
The fun filled weekend cranked up early on Saturday morning as we headed out to some garage sales. I found just what I was looking for, twelve yellow pastel place mats for my Easter dinner tablescape for just$3.00. They appeared to have never been used!



I also found a box of books for Julia that were brand new. I got about fifteen baby books that were just so cute for only $3.00!

We finished off the morning with breakfast at IHOP! After waiting for a table for forty-five minute I was pretty exasperated, to say the least. Besides, I needed to get home to start the preparations for the special meal planned for Resurrection Sunday!

On Saturday afternoon John Ryan and Bethany made burgers and Tim grilled them.

After dinner we had an impromptu dance party and croquet game in the front yard. I was glad most of my neighbors weren’t home. It was quite interesting, but… we made memories! That’s what it’s all about!




On Saturday evening I went to bed knowing that John Ryan was going to propose to Bethany as the sun rose the next morning. He had persuaded her that their very own Easter sunrise service would be a neat thing for them to do together. Being the great planner that he is John Ryan had already lined up Tim’s truck for the outing. He had scoped out the terrain the day before and felt a truck would get them where they wanted to go to get the best view of the sunrise. At some point in the early hours of the morning we had a huge downpour. Now you have to know that a downpour is a rare thing in west Texas. Half asleep I recall thinking that I hoped John Ryan had an alternate plan because the rain sure was coming down heavy. I got up early and found that they had already left. As I went about the task of the morning all I could think about was the awaited phone call from the elated bride and groom to be. Unfortunately the clock kept ticking without a call. As the time neared for us to head off to church service, my anxiety level heightened. Just before we left our house we got a phone call from John Ryan informing us that they were stuck in the mud in Tim’s truck and after trying for quite a while they were unable to get the truck out. Of course at this point Tim and I were unable to help them, so we sent Rachel to get them and decided to go back for the truck later in the afternoon. The encouraging part about this muddy engagement is, in Bethany’s words “ At least we know when to ask for help.” They later met us at the church service and we were then able to rejoice with them and laugh about the truck incident (more memories). You can go to www.bethanyandjohnryan.com to see pictures and hear the rest of their story.


Bethany and John Ryan's shoes when they returned home


I spent the rest of that special day rejoicing over all that God has done in my life. Were it not for His death, and resurrection it would not be possible for me to enjoy the beauty of family. I otherwise would live a life burdened by my sin. Because of His great sacrifice my life has been saved from destruction. All that I enjoy is made possible through His love. I hope that you know that love. If not, write me. I would love to tell you more about Him.

Making Memories,
Maime

Julia's First Tea Set

My granddaughter Julia has finally reached the age where she can start having tea parties with her Maime! Well, maybe we are pushing it just a bit. Nevertheless we have started. I recently found Julia’s first very own tea set! It’s so cute! The tea pot sings little songs about sharing and manners. It has a learning section where it teaches counting and other concepts. It even makes a pouring sound when you tip it over. Julia thinks it is wonderful! She especially likes to drink tea out of the little cups, until of course she finds out that its imaginary tea. We then have a lesson on self control and patience! Along with her first tea set, Pops picked up a tea table at a garage sale and painted it red to match her Maime’s kitchen. I think Pops knows just how special tea time is to me as well as all the wonderful people I get to share it with. I want to teach Julia that taking tea is about more than tea itself (for her it will be taking juice until she is older). Taking Tea is only a ceremony that presents an opportunity to share our lives with others. I want her to know that by making time to spend special moments together, we are placing value on each other. My life has been greatly enriched by sharing tea time with many special people, both young and old. I look forward to many tea parties with sweet little Julia and the many other people who bring so much joy to my life.

Making Memories,Maime

"Family Night"

For as long as I can remember, we have had “Family Night.” If my memory serves me well, I think “Family Night” started out of necessity. My husband was a student in a ministers training institute which required him to be away from home quite a bit. In our attempt to establish some priorities, “Family Night” was born. Amazingly, “Family Night” has survived through the many seasons in our life: job changes, moves, teenage years, college years, empty nest, wedding, grandchild, the return of the daughters and nothing has yet to detour us. In case you are wondering at this point what “Family Night” is, I should explain. Our family members come together one night each week to spend time together. The purpose is always the same—to be an active part of each others lives. It usually entails a meal (that we all take turns preparing), some type of learning experience (like Dave Ramsey DVDs), or something fun like a game. Occasionally, the agenda is planned but we are spontaneous. Though we guard “Family Night” from intruders, we have been known to occasionally invite someone from the outside to join us. After all, it is “Family Night.” This week was extra fun because we had a visitor. I’ll share a little bit of what went on. It was mine and Tim’s turn to cook so we whipped up a big pot of turkey necks, chicken, and sausage gumbo. We also had rice, potato salad, and some cupcakes that our daughter Mary brought over. As you can see in the picture, our guest really enjoyed the turkey necks. It was such a wonderful evening! After dinner, we all went outside and played a round of “Big Bootie.” Then, we came back inside for a game of Nertz before we called it a night. Nothing is more special to me than spending time with my family and friends. Jane Howard said, “Call it a clan, call it a network, call it a tribe, call it a family: whatever you call it, whoever you are, you need one.” There are many things we take for granted in this life, one being family. It’s easy to assume they will always be there. Our family is open for new ideas so please leave a comment and share what you do for fun in your family. Making memories, Maime

Fuzzy Multicolored Plants

I don’t know if any of your mothers taught you what mine taught me so in case you don’t know this yet I will share. Did you know that you can grow multicolored fuzzy plants in the refrigerator? All you have to do is leave your leftovers in the frig for a long time, with the lid on them and voila, there you have it! The only problem is that these particular plants don’t smell very good! I have even heard that you might be able to make penicillin out of them. Surely there is a way to market this! Sorry, Mom hope I didn’t share a secret. All jokes aside, my refrigerator has never been as messy as it was this week. I typically have a bit of confidence when it comes to being an organized homemaker but my confidence was shattered over the past few weeks as busyness propelled my home into disarray. I would say apart from the pile of laundry that I am currently working at, my refrigerator was the biggest mess. Every day that went by I would say to myself “I must get the refrigerator cleaned out” but it just didn’t happen! Finally, this Saturday, after spending the morning writing articles for Grace-Works, I decided it was time to let the decontamination begin! With trash can at hand and clothes pin on my nose, I commenced to cleaning the refrigerator! Below you will find a before and after picture. Don’t you judge me; you know yours has been this bad at least once in your lifetime! I spent the entire afternoon in my kitchen and by the time I was finished all I wanted to do was take a shower! Spring cleaning has officially begun at Maime’s! I hope you are inspired to get in that kitchen and throw away those stinky, fuzzy multicolored plants! Making memories, Maime

Rescued Bird

My daughter Rachel went to a Women’s retreat over the weekend. One of her friends won a mosaic bird as a door prize! Rachel said they all thought it was ugly so she decided to rescue it from its certain death, by chiming in that “her mom would love it.” That girl knows her mama! When she arrived home with a happy (what we call little unexpected gifts) for me, I was elated! As I pulled the bird out of the gift bag, I went on and on about how cute it was and how thoughtful it was for her to think of me in this way! Overcome with guilt for all the accolades, she fesses up and tells me all about the bird rescue. It really didn’t matter to me that she hadn’t shopped and picked out the bird especially for me. I thought it took more out of her to admit to her friend that her mom would absolutely love something she was willing to discard. Besides, the little critter is helping out with my spring décor! Thanks to who ever gave the gift as a door prize, gave up the gift so I could have it and to Rachel for thinking about her mama!