A Dancing Orchid?!

Before my hubby suffered his health issues, he took great pride, and spent many happy moments tending his collection of orchids.  He had different sizes, colors and varieties.  It became an easy, no fail winner when it came to buying him a little gift. Sadly, after he became disabled, he was no longer able to care for his beloved orchids as he once did, and they slowly, one by one, all withered away.  Oh, I tried to help him with them, but I don't think they "felt the love" from me.  They simply did not flourish under my care.

I really miss the sight of his happy little orchid family that used to live on the table in our family room that was dedicated solely to those stately, graceful plants.

Enter Commercial Palm Trees, offering to send me one of their beautiful, life like, faux plants in exchange for a neutral review.  I went straight to their website to see what they offered and was immediately bowled over by the wide array of faux plants that even I couldn't kill!  So much to choose from!  But when I spotted this sweet beauty, I felt I had to give it a shot, and see if it would come close to the living, breathing orchids that used to inhabit our abode.

From the moment it arrived at our front door, securely packaged and presented so no damage would occur while in transit...

to the moment when, after unswaddling it and showing it to my husband without any sort of forwarning or explanation, (I had not mentioned any of it to him beforehand) and his face lighting up because he thought it was real,

and even before zhushing it,

this beauty has brought life back to the "orchid table" and smiles to our faces!

I soon set about arranging the tiny blossoms' stems and leaves since they are easily manipulated and hold whatever position you desire, and stood back to admire the delicate shape.  Coming in at a little over 2 pounds 6 ounces, (yes, I weighed it, lol!) it is a good weight that will not topple easily.  How big is it you may be asking?  The company's official measurements are: 19" X 15" X 12".

I am enthralled with the pure white flowers that are tinged with the most eye catching chartreuse-y green, and how the plant is nestled in pebbles and realistic looking "water" inside a real glass container!  The glass container, pebbles and "water" are what give this arrangement it's substantial weight.

I can in all honesty say I would recommend this wonderful company if you are in the market for faux greenery and/or flowers.  From beginning to end, I have had the best experience with Commercial Palm Trees!  Even if you aren't looking to bring any new plants into your home or office right now, may I gently suggest you at least do some browsing on their website?  After all, it's a "no sweat" experience, unlike traipsing the rows upon rows of plants at the local nursery in the blazing sun.  And BONUS!  You won't have that nagging feeling in the back of your mind saying, "yeah, it's pretty and I know just where to put it, but will it live once I get it home?"  (Maybe that's just what goes on in my mind...?)

A special thanks to Commercial Palm Trees for reaching out to me and sending us this gorgeous Dancing Orchid!  Our "orchid table" is no longer a barren, sad reminder of what once was!

And an added bonus for my readers!  When you pick out your special plant to bring home from their site, you can take 10% of of your  purchase when you use code: BLOGGER10 (does not apply to custom orders).  What a great opportunity!  Now's the time to add that little "spruce up" touch to your home and save money while doing so!

Have you had a personal experience with Commercial Palm Trees?  I would love to know what plant(s) you brought home and all about your experience!  If you have any questions, feel free to ask!

Thanks for stopping by! ~TJ


*Disclosure: this product was received as a sample in exchange for my neutral, honest opinion and review.  I did not receive monetary compensation for this review and I was not required to give a positive review in exchange for receiving the sample.

Memorial Day 2018

Prayers, peace and thanks...

image thanks:  the graphics fairy

today and every day.

The Heat is On!

strolling the beach on Galveston island in TX, with a lone fisherman in the distance

As much as I would like to be one of those people that embrace the hot, sultry summer months here on the coast of Texas, sadly, it just doesn't happen for this girl.  And never has.  As a child and teen, while all my classmates were hoping for sunshine and warm weather for their weekend beach plans, I was silently praying for a cool, rainy weekend, so that I could curl up with a good book.

Once the heat and humidity really set in, I easily become physically ill.  Spending too much time in the hot outdoors leaves me feeling, exhausted, queasy, and like I might pass out at any moment.  Our first official day of over 90 degree Fahrenheit temperature was on the 8th of this month.  That is about the temperature that I notice I just can't take the heat anymore and have to spend most of my time indoors.  I become phantomlike, waiting for sunset, if at all possible, before venturing out to run errands.  Even then, the humidity can make my evening and nighttime outings as unbearable as during the heat of the day.

I have learned to wholeheartedly embrace the months that have temperatures that agree with me to the fullest, and that's just what I have been up to.

any day that leaves you, your dog, and your vehicle covered in sand from stem to stern, is a good day!

One of the things I did before the mercury hit the high 80's, is take a little day trip to my hometown of Galveston, Texas.  I explored my old stomping grounds, walked the beach and closed out the day with a late lunch, parked at Sonic, overlooking the Gulf of Mexico.  While noshing, I was treated to the sight of birds, divebombing into the water to catch a little lunch of their own!  The weather was glorious, with light, sea salt scented breezes!  The high that day was 80°F.

a late lunch at Sonic enjoying the view

How is the weather where you are?

Thanks for stopping by!  I'm off to sit in front of a fan, lol!~ TJ

Happy {belated} Mother's Day!

I hope y'all had an amazing Mother's Day!  I'd love to hear about it! Here's a glimpse into mine...

XO~ TJ 

Recharging Our Batteries in the Middle of the Day

There are many fine areas where we live, to pause and take a little walk in the middle of our day. 

Often, where we choose to walk is only determined by one of many locations I find myself working that day as Avon Lady TJ.  

This water conservation park is conveniently close to one of my clients homes and offers a nice shady stroll even on the hottest, most humid days.

Today it was especially nice to "get away" in the middle of our day.

After many days of yard work, trying to get as much done before I begin my summer hibernation begins (ahhh sweet air conditioner, how I love thee!), there's still some work yet to be done.  But when the chance for a bit of spirit restoration presents itself, who am I to deny myself?

I would love to hear how you "get away" right in the middle of where you are for a little R&R!

Thanks for stopping by! ~TJ

This Past Week~

This past week has seen us through Easter and was quiet and uneventful  (in terms of any stressors happening.  If anyone happens upon this blog looking for excitement and fast livin', they surely won't find any satisfaction, lol!)

I tackled a small pile of mending that has been taunting me for a good while now.  As good as that feels, there's still some to do.

I've also been really focused on (and yes I say this often but it is, admittedly, an ongoing endeavor and probably always will be) utilizing leftovers, pantry and freezer foods that we already have on hand to come up with creative meals, sweets and treats.  Being that it's mainly just my hubby and me left at home to consume food on a regular basis, we don't go through as much food as when there were hungry teens at home.  So, try as I may, there is still sometimes food that goes to waste, which I REALLY hate.  My daughter still lives at home, but between her job and social life, she isn't home on a regular basis.  So, she eats very little of what we have on hand, choosing instead to buy her own groceries, order in take out, or go out to eat.

A few things I've made this week:

•  since I buy canned pumpkin to add to my dog's meals, and she is a small dog that can't eat that much pumpkin before it goes bad, I always have plenty to spare for making recipes with.  This week I made (my own free wheelin' version*) of this Chewy Pumpkin Blondie recipe.  *I doubled the recipe, used butter instead of coconut oil, regular white granulated sugar, three whole eggs total (remember, I doubled the recipe, so instead of two whole eggs and two egg yolks, I used three whole eggs. I hope that makes sense.), all purpose white flour and white chocolate chips that I did have on hand, just not as much as the recipe called for~ maybe 3/4 cup-ish.  The final result was more cake like than chewy (probably because of all my tweaks OR I baked it too long) but totally flavorful and delicious!  (Made even more decadently delicious when I whipped up some cream cheese frosting and slathered it on top!)
Since that recipe didn't use much pumpkin puree, even with doubling it, I still have some left to cook with.  I'm thinking I might use some to make this muffin recipe from Amy Dacyczyn's Tightwad Gazette book that my sweet blogger friend Miss Jeannie from Get Me To The Country blog reminded me of (thanks Jeannie!).

•since I recently snagged ten pounds of potatoes at Aldi for pennies on the pound, I baked up a pan full (along with a couple of sweet potatoes also bought on sale).  A couple were had as loaded baked potatoes the first night they came out of the oven, piping hot, using butter, sour cream, cheese, bacon bits (I snipped bacon strips and cooked until crispy) and green onions sprinkled on top.  All toppings were bought on sale, in multiples, with the exception of the green onions, which I grow.  The next morning, I took a small potato, diced it up and cooked it until browned & slightly crispy in a bit of butter and olive.  Then I plunked a few eggs on top, scrambled it all together, added some cheese and leftover bacon bits, and then tucked all that goodness into warmed flour tortillas for breakfast burritos.  And one night, while hubby had another loaded baked potato for dinner, I ate the sweet potatoes with just a bit of butter, salt and pepper-plain, simple & delicious!  There's still baked potatoes left for more quick meals in the days to come!  Where will they take me (recipe wise😅)?

•combining my "I'm kinda over slaving away in the kitchen" attitude and my stockpile of chocolate chips (yeah, we have a sweet tooth *blush*) I made a pan of Toll House Bar Cookies. With warm weather fast approaching, I have made the quality decision 😉to stop making individual cookies, when at all possible, and instead make bar cookies.  I surmise it will get the job of cookie making done in one batch and won't keep the oven heating up the kitchen and house for as long a period of time as making sheet after sheet of individual cookies.

•bowls brimming with popcorn made from the gourmet organic kernels bought when marked down 50 percent, that have been sitting, neglected and overlooked, on our pantry shelf.  Hits the spot when that salty, crunchy, snack-y craving hits.  And since we have this popcorn popper, there really is no excuse not to enjoy hot, buttery popcorn!

my grandsons Easter basket~all items were a dollar each, with the exception of the chocolate bunny and the batteries I included for the hand held fan~we always keep fresh batteries on hand so I took two and taped them on the back of the fan package

On Wednesday, I got to visit with my son and grandson and give him his Easter basket that I put together for him.  In addition to what's in the photos, I included two pool noodles for him to enjoy when he goes to the pool.

I used packing tape to secure these two items in the frisbee

I tried to include a few items that would encourage outdoor play with friends

Of course, there were the usual errands, homekeeping and gardening tasks!  

I hope you are enjoying your Springtime activities! 

Thanks for stopping by! ~TJ

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Focus: The Here and Now

sweet, honey scented blossoms right outside our front door

When I first thought of writing this, we were still experiencing what, for us, is winter weather.  It was very rainy and cold for days on end.  But I was getting the itch to get to gardenin'!  I knew, sooner than later though, I would be aggravated by our tropical, swamplike weather and not want to go outside at all.  To garden or anything else.  So, I did what I could do with the cards I had been dealt.  I looked up winter sowing and set about sowing seeds on the darkest, wettest, chilliest of days.  And I loved every minute of it!  I was able to satisfy my itch to garden, and I believe it will help me feel better on the days, deep in the summer swelter, when I have begun my hot weather hibernation, to think, "I should be out there gardening, but NO."  We'll see.  This is the first year I'm trying this.      

What does all this yappin' have to do with this post?  Well, focusing on the here and now was last on the list of things I wanted to zero in on for the foreseeable future. However, in practice, it soon became number one in my mind.  Each time I started to feel a little grouchy about...well, anything, from weather to housework, my thoughts tended to automatically adjust.  I soon was able to correct my "stinkin' thinkin'" by reminding myself that, "this too shall pass" and to focus on the here and now, and savor the good bits of the present moment.  Because there is always something good somewhere if we will look hard enough.  I know some would argue that, especially when it comes to health challenges and other hardships in life.  But, I, like everyone, have experienced those things, and still have been able to find something good to focus on.  It may be miniscule, but hey, it's something.  And in my experience, sometimes those teeny tiny things are the only thing that may see us through to the other side.

But since I don't want to get all heavy on you here, I'll just talk about the things that have been relevant to me on this journey recently.

I can't resist pausing to savor the aroma of these tiny gems

As mentioned above, I was looking and longing for, an imagined future on those winter days.  And if I will be honest, have lived my whole life like that.  "I can't wait until...", etc., etc.  Always mentally rushing to the next thing.  An unguaranteed future moment, hour, day.  Missing the here and now.

I don't want to live like that anymore, missing out on my life.  So, I am retraining myself to focus on the sights, sounds and smells of now.  The gift of now.

And my "now" focus has been to spend as much time doing all the outdoor things that I will refuse to do once the heat has set in, only coming inside to do indoor tasks and activities when the weather is beyond my comfort zone.  The shift is happening.  I find myself doing shorter stints outside already.

intoxicating!

The ebb and flow of life.  Letting the tide carry me has been so much more enjoyable than fighting it.  (Living near the ocean, I was always taught that if you get caught in a rip current, to just let it carry you, don't fight it.  It will eventually let you loose.  But if you fight it, it could kill you. I don't want the rip current of life to do me in!)

I'd love to hear what your "work in progress" might be (even if it's different than mine)!  How do you focus on the here and now and not get caught up in rushing through your days?

As always...

Thanks for stopping by! ~TJ