A PAJAMA AND SOUP DAY

I rarely have a day that I do not have somewhere to go but, thankfully, today was one of those days.  So I decided it was a good day for a “pajama day.”  I caught up on some ironing and made a pot of Ham, Potato, and Corn Chowder this morning.  And had a relaxing afternoon watching a movie and reading.

I will spare you a picture of me in my PJs, but will show a picture of the yummy chowder.

A simple, but delicious supper and a perfect ending to a restful day.

I hope you are finding some time to rest and relax after this busy season. 

Blessings,
Sue

TWAS THE NIGHT AFTER CHRISTMAS

Twas the night after Christmas
and as you look all around
not a Christmas decoration can be found.

When do you put away your Christmas decorations?

For me it is sometime between Christmas and New Year’s Day.  This year it was today.  This morning as I was tidying up from our family celebration, I began to gather up a few decorations and the next thing I knew I had grouped everything but the tree on the dining table.  Hubby brought in the storage bins and it was all packed away.

Then we went out for a couple of hours to make some returns.  Although the stores were busy the return lines weren’t very long, so there was time left over to do some shopping.  We found a great deal on some shirts for hubby.  I’m always on the lookout for a bargain.

After returning home this afternoon I took all of the ornaments off of the tree and put them away.  The only thing left is the tree and hubby will put that away in the morning.  It is so nice to have the house clean and back to normal.

I hope each of you had a wonderful day of celebration with family and friends.  We enjoyed a snack supper and gift exchange with our kids and grands on Christmas Eve.  And then on Christmas Day our kids and their families joined us at my parents’ home for dinner.  Time spent with family is always a joy and a blessing.

Wishing each of you a blessed New Year,
Sue

A BIT OF CHRISTMAS AROUND OUR HOME

I love decorating for Christmas and have often been a bit excessive with my décor, but this year I chose to simplify.  I think this is probably the least amount of decorating I have ever done.  We usually put up 3 or more trees, but last year we only put up one tree and I chose to decorate that one in a prim theme.  Well this year we chose to put up one tree again, but our grandchildren requested that I do this one with all of my vintage glass ornaments – and of course I want to please them.

A couple of views of the tree with some close ups.          

I have a huge Santa collection, but this year I chose to use just a few of my favorites – all are gifts from family or friends. These are located on top of our entertainment center.

 

We have had this kissing couple since we got married and I could never leave them out of the décor. 

Trencher filled with greens and faux snowballs on Dining table.
  

Faux “feather” tree from Hobby Lobby decorated with rusty cookie cutter ornaments and prim candy canes.

Small wire tree with mini prim candy canes and mercury ornaments on Kitchen counter.

My favorite nativities.   
        

                       For 
                      unto
                     you is
                  born this
                 day in the
              city of David 
            a Savior, who is
       Christ the Lord. And
     this shall be a sign unto
  you; You shall find the babe
wrapped in swaddling clothes,
                    lying in a
                    manger.
                     Luke 2:
                     11 & 12

Christmas blessings,
Sue

A PARISIAN AFFAIR AND A BIT OF THIS & THAT

I should have made this post in October and here it is the end of November.  But I’m going to post it anyway because don’t want to miss the opportunity to share another special birthday celebration.

In September I shared that our granddaughter, Hannah, had turned 16 – well eighteen days later our number four granddaughter, Kaley, also turned 16. 

Kaley celebrated her birthday at a joint party with her friend Maddie, who also turned 16 in October.  The theme of their party was A PARISIAN AFFAIR.  Everything was decorated in black, white, and pink, with touches of Paris all around (they had replicas of the Eifel tower and large black and white pictures depicting scenes from Paris).  Over 100 hundred friends attended this semi-formal affair for dancing, fun, and lots of great food. 

A candy buffet – all done up in pink and black.

Kaley, our birthday girl.

Kaley and Maddie hamming up as they blow out the candles.

The girls said it was everything they had dreamed it would be.  I know we, as grandparents, had a great time watching them enjoy their celebration.

A FALL GET AWAY

We left right after Kaley’s party for a get away to the mountains.  We had a great time relaxing, hiking, and enjoying the fall foliage.  For us Central Floridians it was a real treat.

Not the best pictures – but the leaves were gorgeous.



We spent a day at the Biltmore – the gardens were beautiful.



By the time we got home it was November.  I have spent several days this month taking my Mom to doctor’s appointments.  She is having some heart problems and has been referred to a cardiac surgeon.  We have her consultation on Monday and will see what her next step is to be.  I would greatly appreciate your prayers for her, and wisdom for the family as we help her make health care decisions.

I hope you al1 had a wonderful Thanksgiving and are able to take the time to enjoy the month of December as we celebrate the birth of Jesus – the reason for the  Christmas season.

Blessings,
Sue

WHAT WE DID ON SATURDAY

A typical Saturday will find us at the ball park along with various grandkids and their parents. We currently have four grands playing ball – either soccer or softball.

Kaley (who turns 16 next week) plays competitive soccer and also plays on her high school’s varsity team. She is on the left in the photo below.

Kevin (age 9) plays city league soccer. I need to learn to use the sports mode on my camera.

Caelyn (age 7) is Kevin’s sister and also plays city league soccer. Her team is in purple - she is the one on the left in the group in the middle. I forgot to zoom before taking her picture.

Abbey (age 11) is Kaley’s sister and plays competitive softball. She was making her first hit of the game in this picture.  The blur in the lower left corner is the fence that I was taking the picture through.

Sometimes there is more than one game playing at the same time and sometimes they may even be at different parks. We just catch as many as we can and try to support each of them. Today’s soccer games happened to be at the same park – one at 9:00 am and two at 10:00 am on adjacent fields, so we were able to go back and forth and watch all of them play some. Abbey’s softball game was across town at 3:00 pm, so we had time to eat lunch and rest a bit before going back out into the heat.

We are so blessed to have all of our grandkids living near us and to be able to participate in their activities. Being a grandparent is one of the great joys of life!

Blessings,
Sue

A SHARED BIRTHDAY

My granddaughter Hannah and I share our birthday – September 17th.  This year she celebrated her Sweet 16.  What a joy to share this special day with her. 

She went out to dinner with friends last night and when she returned this was waiting for her.

Since it was dark when the above picture was taken, she sent me this one today so that I could see what the smile was all about.

She had no idea she was getting a car, so she was really surprised and obviously thrilled.

I got a nice birthday surprise too.

My hubby got me a Toshiba Excite!  I have an Android phone and wanted an Android tablet – just didn’t want to have to learn to use something different.  It is just what I wanted and I love it.

I have already discovered a benefit from my tablet.  I have mentioned in previous posts that I am not able to leave comments on blogs that do not have a popup comment window.  Well, that has not changed on my laptop - but I am able to publish comments on my tablet.  Don’t know why, but I am glad that when I visit you I will now be able to leave a comment. 

I hope you are all having a wonderful week.

Blessings,
Sue 

HOW I CAME UP WITH MY BLOG’S NAME –(A Challenge From “My Colonial Home”) & A BIT OF FALL AROUND OUR HOME

Karen, of My Colonial Home challenged bloggers to share how they came up with the name for their blog.  Read her post here.

MY  STORY
In the spring of 2010 a friend shared a link with me to a cottage style decorating blog.  Her blog is adorable and I love her style, but it isn’t me.  I noticed on her sidebar that she followed other cottage style blogs and I checked out a few.  Then I thought… if there are blogs for people who like the cottage style then maybe there are blogs for those who like primitive style.  So…I googled “primitive style decorating blogs” and found a plethora of choices – among them was My Colonial Home.  Since I knew nothing about blogging, I just browsed around -  a lot!  I had no idea how to leave comments, much less start a blog of my own.  I noticed on a few sidebars some links to forums and I decided to check one out, only to find that I had to register.  As I started to register I learned that I had to have a username.  I tried a couple and they were already taken, then Primsue popped into my head and it was available, so that became my username.  After visiting blogs and forums for a few months I decided to give blogging a try.  I contacted Karen (My Colonial Home) and asked questions about blogging and she so graciously took the time to give me some pointers.

So, in September 2010 – wow, two years ago – I took the plunge into Blogland.  Of course one of the first things you have to do is come up with a name.  Since I had used Primsue on the forum I decided to stick with it.  Then I thought about what is dear to my heart – my love for God and my family; and what I enjoy - caring for and decorating our home.  So I put all of these thoughts together and Primsue’s Heart and Home was born.

I have met so many wonderful people and have enjoyed getting to know each of you through blogging.  Thank you to my dear followers who have stuck with me, even when I haven’t been as active as I would like. You are all amazing!

Be sure to check out Karen’s blog.  You will be so glad you did.

A BIT OF FALL
I didn’t do much decorating for Fall this year.  I just added a few pumpkins or a bit of foliage to my regular décor. 

My dining table display is the same as last year, but I really liked it so I didn’t change it.

The following pictures are of a few things I did differently this year.

Small pumpkins and a few Fall leaves tucked in around my pewter.

Dried gourds in bowl on coffee table.

Top of dry sink.

Entry way.

Thank you for stopping by.

Fall Blessings,
Sue

AN HONOR STAR CEREMONY & THE GRANDS GO BACK TO SCHOOL

We were privileged to attend our granddaughter Abbey’s Honor Star Ceremony on Saturday.  She has participated in the Honor Star program at her church for the past three years.  Some of the requirements were memorizing the books of the Bible and many Bible verses, reading the entire New Testament, doing service projects, and attending a weekly class.  (Her older sister, Kaley, was an Honor Star graduate four years ago.)  We are so proud of both of them.

The ceremony was beautiful.  Each girl wears a white dress and is escorted down the aisle by her father.  During the ceremony their mother and father stand with them and the pastor prays for each girl and her parents.  As part of the ceremony the mother’s place a crown on their daughter’s head.  The whole ceremony is a time of commitment to purity and service to God by the girls and their parent’s dedicating them to the Lord.  It was so moving.

Abbey with Dad (our son) and Mom


Abbey with sister Kaley

During the program the girls signed to a song. Doesn’t she look like an angel?


It seems that summer has flown by and our grands have started back to school this week.  We have two in college, and one of each in the following grades: 11th, 10th, 6th, 4th, and 2nd.  Caleb, the grandson we babysit, is attending Preschool in the mornings.  We pick him up each day at 12:30 and he spends the afternoon with us.  Having the morning free is an adjustment for us, but I’m sure we will quickly learn to fill the time.

I think one of the first things I am going to do with my extra time is get out my Fall decorations and start decorating a bit.  It may be hot, but I am ready for some Fall.

Wishing each of you a glorious end to your summer.

Blessings,
Sue

STILL HAVING PROBLEMS LEAVING COMMENTS - AND MY CRAZY MORNING

I am still not able to leave a comment on most blogs.  The only ones that the comment will publish on are the ones that have a popup comment box.  It is so frustrating to not be able to tell you all how much I am enjoying reading your blogs.  I have checked my settings and just don’t see anything that should be causing this. Is anyone else having this problem?

I had an early morning dental appoint – not a fun way to start the day.  Just before I went in for my appointment my DIL texted me and asked if there was anyway I could take a pillowcase to Caleb at Preschool for a project they were doing that day.  I asked the hygienist to do a rush job and hurried to Dollar General – it was on the way – planning to buy a pillowcase.  I just knew they would have one, but they didn’t.  So I detoured to Walmart – finally mission accomplished.  Thankfully, I did get it to the Preschool before they started their project. 

I just couldn’t disappoint this little guy.
Last week they had a clown day – this is what was left of his painted face when I picked him up.

Next I drove back across town to have lab work done.  After waiting a bit and being called into the lab, the tech asked me if I was fasting – OH NO, I forgot I needed to fast and drank a protein shake on the way to the lab.  I had to leave without having the lab work done and will now have to go back another day. 

On to my next errand – a return at Bealls.  After the clerk had made the return and handed me my receipt I asked her if she have given my my money back.  She told me that it was credited to my debit card – she had already told me this, but I forgot.  I apologized and told her I was having one of those days and thought I just needed to go home. 

I went home, had lunch and then went to pick Caleb up from Preschool.  When I laid down with him to get him to go to sleep, I went to sleep too.  I guess I needed it because I slept all afternoon.

My day did have a nice ending though.  My sweet
hubby cooked supper and cleaned up the kitchen.  Gotta love him – he is too good to me.

Looking forward to a better day tomorrow.  I will be babysitting five of our grandchildren – I’m sure it will be lots of fun.

I am blessed,
Sue

A PERFECT ENDING TO A BUSY MONTH

(First, I want to apologize - I am still not able to leave a comment on most blogs – very frustrating.) 

We were able to spend a few unexpected days on Longboat Key (Tuesday-Sunday).  Our daughter’s family had rented a cottage there and they invited us to join them.  We had a great time with the grands and some much needed rest and relaxation.  This is one of the most peaceful places we have ever visited.  There are a group of seven cottages with private beach access and no crowds.

Walking down the path to the beach.

The view as you enter the beach area.

The path as you walk back to the cottage.

View of the beach to the south.

View of the beach to the north.

Caelyn and Kevin playing in the sand.

Carlie headed into the water.

We also took a couple of day trips while we were at the beach.  One day we drove to Sarasota and had lunch at Yoder’s Amish Village Restaurant.  The portions were so large we all brought home leftovers and there was no room for dessert, so we each had to bring home slices of pie – apple, peach, peanut butter, banana cream, coconut cream and shoo fly pies – Yum!

On Saturday Adolph and I went to Arcadia for their monthly Street Fair.  It was hot and there were fewer outside venders than usual, but Maddy’s Antiques hosted some select venders inside, who had great prim goodies available.  Maddy’s is my favorite primitive antique store – I have my eye on a small cupboard that I saw there on Saturday.  I didn’t buy it because I couldn’t think of a place I could use it, but when I got home I couldn’t get it off my mind and found the perfect place for it.  I hope we are able to get back there before someone else grabs it up.

Of course I found a few things to bring home.

I put the wax pantry cake on my stove board.

The brown coverlet pillow went in my blue & brown guest room.

And the treenware bowl is on the kitchen counter for now.

Beach, resting and relaxing, eating good food, and antiquing – a perfect ending to a busy month.

Thank you for visiting.  I hope you are having a wonderful summer.

Blessings,
Sue