It's time for Blue Monday over at Smiling Sally's - and anything blue always makes me smile!
I thought that I would share a few of the signs that I have hanging throughout my house.
This Family Matters sign hangs above my mantle.
This Primitive and Antiques, the letters are blue, signs hang in my living room next to my curio cabinet with all my Boyd's Bears figurine collection. That gorgeous counted cross stitch picture was a Christmas gift from my mother a few years ago.

Hangs in my living room and is above the door to my kitchen.

This is on the opposite side.

This is in the eating area of my kitchen.

And finally, this sign hangs in my family room.

Well, that's just a few of the signs that I have hanging throughout my house. Now don't forget to go by Smiling Sally's for more beautiful blue-scapes!

Hugs,

Cindy

It's finally here.....Bella Vista's Rooster Party and I am joining in on all the fun!
Ain't nobody here but us chickens......ahhhh roosters I mean!
This rooster adorns my kitchen table.

These four pieces of Royal Copley sit on the ledge above my kitchen cabinets. I actually have a total of 55 different pieces that cover the entire ledge! I'll share those another day!

This gorgeous guy sits on top of my refrigerator!

This antique cabinet sits right next to my refrigerator and I use it as a pantry of sorts. I absolutely love my collection of roosters here!

Let's take a closer look....

The rooster and hen in the back I got somewhere in Colorado at a wonderful little gift shop. I really love that pair!!! Love the Fresh Eggs Sign - courtesy of Hobby Lobby!

Another view.

Well, I do have a few more, but I guess that I will save those for the next rooster party!

Thanks for stopping by and don't forget to go by Bella Vista's and visit the other party-goers! I'm on my way to do that very thing!
Hugs,

Cindy

Tomorrow is the first day of clinicals!

You see, not only do I work full time....

I have a part time job as well - and it starts tomorrow!

I am adjunct faculty at a local college and I am responsible for the clinical experience of 8 second semester nursing students. The first 8 weeks we do med-surg and the second 8 weeks we do labor and delivery, postpartum and newborns - ahhhh....this is where my heart is!!! I love watching people become parents - that never, ever gets old!

I absolutely love, love, love working with the students! They remind me of why I wanted to be a nurse, cough out very loud....30 years ago~! I just love their enthusiasm! I love playing a part in their journey to becoming Registered Nurses!

Downside - 64 care plans to grade. Oh well, I even love a good care plan!

Hugs,

Cindy

Winter is an etching,
Spring a watercolor,

Summer an oil painting,

and autumn a mosaic of them all!

Stanley Horowitz

I'm ready for cool, crisp autumn air.

Soups that slow cook all day long, homemade bread!

Acorns, pumpkins and grandchildren that think that there is nothing better than to throw leaves in the air!

Friday night high school football games, cuddled under a blanket and drinking hot chocolate - Chery's ~Apple~ Basket that's for you !

Wearing sweaters.

A fire in the fire place and cookies in the oven!

I'm ready for fall y'all!

Hugs,

Cindy

O.K. so I have to do one last post on my son's graduation from Army basic training!
It was really a wonderful ceremony steeped in tradition - including the very soil on which they walked. This field was composed of soil from previous battlefields - Vicksburg, Normandy, Korea, etc.
After the Army band played a few patriotic, inspiring numbers - we began to see the smoke plumes in the distance!
The Drill Sergeant's were leading their men and advancing on the enemy! Believe it or not, that is my son, on the very left. He was one of only 2 in his platoon that was picked to participate in this part of the graduation ceremony!
To the left of us out of the woods we began to hear gun fire and what sounded like gernades or mortar fire!

I hope and pray in my heart of hearts that my son never has to do this for real!

He ended up right in front of us! We were sitting right on the front row!

He's showing the audience whatever that is on his back - you'd think that this army mom would remember what it is....Sorry, I was to busy trying not to cry and take pictures at the same time!

Really....hard to believe that is my son!

All of their equipment had already been turned in and so this equipment was all borrowed. He could tell that his helmet with night vision capabilities was crooked - but, he couldn't fix it!My son, a U.S. Army Soldier. A member of the Infantry! Blood before surrender or dishonor!

I am so proud of him!

At the time, it was hard not to think of all the soldiers that graduated that day.....how many of those young men would pay the ultimate price serving their country to protect the very freedoms that we are blessed with! It was a fleeting thought - because that day was a day of celebration!
My cup runneth over that day!!

Thank goodness that he is now home! In a matter of 2 days he went from sleeping in the barracks in Ft. Benning, GA. to sleeping in the dorms at Oklahoma State University! He will be a sophmore and will now serve in the Oklahoma National Guard while he obtains his degree after which he will then consider his military options!

My son - this is for you.

Know how very proud I am of what you have accomplished!

Know how very proud your father would have been of you!

I love you my son!
Hugs and Kisses,

Momma

Licks and Shakes,

Hudson

That is how I signed every letter that I sent him - from me and our precious Hudson, the dog!

Thanks for listening!

I thought that I would join in on Smiling Sally's Blue Monday!
One of the things that bring me great joy are mixing bowls - of all things! But, I do have a thing for bowls - be still my heart!
I have a Hoosier type kitchen cabinet and a Possum Belly cabinet in my eating area in my kitchen. So let's just take a look for the blue bowls....
This one holds my potatoes!

Function as well as beauty! I remember picking this one up in an antique store in Guthrie, OK.

O.K. now, take a look at the top shelf of my possum belly cabinet...Oh by the way, notice where my rooster pictures ended up?!

Three sets of mixing bowls. I use the middle one for the Fourth of July!

Some I have had so long that I have forgotten where I got them! But, I still love them!!
Yes, that's blue around those bowls!
Now, let's take a look inside my kitchen cabinet - middle shelf...
I just love this set of Pyrex mixing bowls!
Well, girls I had better not overwhelm you with all my blue bowls, but that was a definite taste!

Now let's go on over and see Smiling Sally and peruse the blue!!

Hugs,

Cindy

I shared my blog with one of the girls that I work with and she fell in love with my plate vignettes. She asked me to be on the look out for plates for her and to pick them up for her if I found any. Well, on our trip down to Ft. Benning, GA. we stopped for dinner in Alabaster, Alabama and just adjacent to the restaurant was a strip mall with my favorite store TJ Maxx. I begged the girls to let me go and thank goodness they indulged me!! Well....look what I found!

Now, this happens to be a color that my co-worker was looking for, it was only $3.99 and in the event that she didn't like it, I thought that it would go well in my master bedroom. So, I made my purchase and back on the road we went! When we got to the hotel that night I unwrapped my purchase to really look at it. Can you see what I found! There are 2 price stickers - the one from TJ Maxx and then...is that a European pound mark that I see??

And then take a look at the back. This was the Spode mark on the back. Again, not what I am used to.

This is the Spode markings that I am used to.

Now, I'm not really sure what I have found! Was it for sale somewhere in Europe? Was it on it's way to be sold in Europe? Is it a Spode wanna-be? I'm not really sure. But, needless to say.....Jane, my friend, I'm sorry, but I think that I just might have to keep this one!
Hugs,
Cindy

As you know who would say....
"I'M BAAAAACK!"
Sorry for my absence.....With my son's basic training winding down, I was truly distracted mentally and emotionally and could really think of little else!
But, I sit here today, and can finally say that my precious baby boy has finished and survived basic training and is now a soldier in the U.S. Army!! Can I get an "AMEN!"

'You don't raise heros, you raise sons. And if you treat them like sons, they'll turn out to be heros, even if it's just in your own eyes."
There are no words that can begin to describe how - in my own eyes, and to the very core of my being - proud I am of my son!

We had a whirlwind trip to Fort Benning, Georgia! We left on Wednesday, August 12th, drove for 14 hours, had his Turning Blue Ceremony on Thursday, his Graduation Ceremony on Friday and by 10:45 a.m. we were back on the road for another 14 hour drive back home! Over 28 hours on the road in just 3 days....this fifty something mother was exhausted!

I did just want to share a few pictures from his Turning Blue Ceremony! You know that I will have to post about his graduation later!
This was the view as we walked into Kanell Field for his Turning Blue Ceremony!

There were speeches by commanders and prayers by the chaplain as they stood in formation prepared to receive their blue cord that signifies there induction into the Infantry. My son, Kale, is the third from the right.While we waited we were able to get a picture of Drill Sergeant Brownlee with my daughter Erin and Kale's girlfriend Kacey. We even got his autograph for Kale in a book that told about his experiences while in boot camp. The girls thought that he was HOT, HOT, HOT!!! Girls..put that clevage away LOL!!!Family members were then allowed on the field to place the cord onto their soldier! Boy, were my hands shaking! This is Pvt. Williams (my son) and Pvt. Warner - not sure who that is lurking in the back!

Back in formation.....induction into the Infantry complete!!

Then we were able to have a day pass with our soldiers. We didn't do to much! Hung around the hotel - I think that I was even able to sneak in a nap while the kids went swimming!

Will tell you about his broken foot - got that during FTX and how his return home was jeopardized by his name of all things!!

Girls....It's good to be back!!!

I just want normal back, if that's even possible!

BIG HUGS,

Cindy