Autumn is here



Autumn has arrived. I have begun some ‘preparations’ for the cooler weather.


• Outside faucets drained and covered
• Window air-conditioner removed and stored
• Hoses in shed

I still need to do some raking. I have no trees in my yard; however, the neighbors’ trees haven’t lost all their leaves yet. I can wait 

I have put out my “fall” decorations in the house. I have a couple of pillows and some Partylite leaf tealight holders to place on shelves.

My house is not situated in the “line of fire” for trick-or-treaters, so I don’t put any decorations outside.

I love pumpkin and all of the yummies it can be made into. I just found this recipe for Dark Chocolate Pumpkin Bread that I am anxious to try – I can just imagine the smell that will fill my little home.

Update on the newlyweds for those interested: doing well. Both busy with each working two jobs and my daughter in her last year at GU. I used to see her in the evenings at home and that was about it; now since she doesn’t live at home we try to connect at church service on Sundays.

Keeping On



Hmmm, it has been a few weeks since I “logged in” to my blog.

After the wedding, I got back to doing my evening walking workouts with Leslie Sansone’s DVDs. In Home Walking is a great idea for those that are uncomfortable exercising in public – whether that is on the sidewalks or in gyms. It also incorporates resistance training for the upper body – yahoo!

I am pleased to report that I have been told by multiple people that they can see a difference. I also tried on a top the other day that was a bit small. It fits great!

I am getting ready to add a morning routine for an added ‘boost of burning’ :-)

I have decided to take Sundays off as a day of rest – at least from a specific workout, because I am definitely busy on Sundays with church-oriented activities.

I get these awesome daily devotional e-mails from Heartlight. Here is one from the other day:

         Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said, “Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.” Hebrews 13:5 (NIV)

What a wonderful reminder that our Lord cares for us always!

Blessings :-)



I made it!

No breakdowns, freakouts or plain old crying jags.  I believe I have survived the first 2 1/2 weeks of being a single empty-nester.

I am sure this has much to do with the prayers of my small group, friends and family ~ thank you!

I have decided not to replace the TV I gave to my daughter and her husband.  I am so enjoying the reading I have been doing.  I know with the cooler weather and shorter days, I will begin with some crafting, too.

Fall is moving ever closer and that means school starting, small group getting back together, winterizing the home and snuggling in for the winter months.

I am so blessed by the Lord and I hope to share the blessings with others!

Aftermath

Whew, the whirl~wind has come to an end. I am officially a single empty-nester. My daughter is now a “Mrs.” It was an exciting ride and I don’t think I am ‘normal’ yet. I have a feeling that will set in over the weekend.

I am so thankful for all of the family and friends that joined my daughter and her husband for the ceremony and reception. A celebration of a journey being started – a blessing of family and friends to share it with.

In other news, I have planted some of my native, low-watering plants in the front yard. I have solar lights along the walkway, too. It is coming along nicely. I will be planting the groundcover in the spring. I am also hoping to build raised garden beds this fall in my side yard.

I am blessed with a wonderful network of family and friends to help me through this transition of being a mom with a child at home to a mom with a married child.

Thank you everyone!!

Wedding

Thirty-two days until the Wedding! Many items have been accomplished and a few are still pending.


I know the bride and groom are excited and looking forward to the culmination of all of the planning, organizing, calling, meetings and doling out money.

My daughter finished summer school and is working full-time through the end of August with a 5 day break for the wedding. My future son-in-law is working three jobs which keeps him pretty busy; however, he will also be taking a 5 day break for the wedding :-)

They rented an apartment in mid-May and he is living there ~ being a bachelor for a few months. We did move most of my daughter’s belongs into the apartment so that it wouldn’t be such a shock when they got married. She has her daily necessities and is at the apartment enough that she can pick up what she needs.

Each day brings closer the realization that I may not have daily contact with my daughter anymore. I go through the highs and lows of a parent whose only child is getting married and moving out. Mostly happiness and excitement for the newlyweds, a bit of sadness for myself (not trying to sound selfish). I am also curious to see what this new leg of the journey holds for me :-)

This is my third spring at my little house.  The first year was seeing what we had, the second year we decided to remove our front lawn in an eco-friendly way and this year I need to weed our front yard as it is a dirt patch with lots and lots of weeds.  The goal is to put in a walk-way and some native, low-watering plants.  LOL - I still haven't gotten the hang of yardwork :-(  It's great when it is done; it is the doing that is rough (kind of like housework!)...  I still have my daughter at home through the middle of August, so I need to get busy as she will help me get things going  :-)

Otherwise, life is status quo around here :-)

Here I Am

Goodness, where does the time go!  I have had a second "dry run" with my daughter doing a 15 day house sitting job.  I think I will survive her getting married and being a single empty nester  :-)

The MS Walk is tomorrow and I will be there with my tennis shoes on :-)  What a great cause to help fundraise for ~ the best part is that the money raised stays in the local area.

Wedding plans are moving forward.  I think she has everything figured out; just needs to have a bit of time to finish stuff up, YAY!

Spring is here and so is the yard work and landscaping that we didn't do last year  :-(  Since I still have my daughter living here this summer, I am going to make sure I get all I can done with my helper...