I always think I am going to get the Word Garden posted early – and then… I don’t! But I did sleep well last night, as I was very tired at the end of the day. It was a good tired. The only crazy thing was that we had a lot of water left over from the party, and I was trying to stack it. I knocked into the stand where I keep the extras, and there were a few cans of soda on the top. Two of them flew through the air, hit the garage floor, and burst open. Sticky pop all over everything! So after I got the car unloaded I got the hose and some cleaner and got everything cleaned up. Today I took some time to organize the shelves and it’s much better now!

We didn’t have any students in Sunday School this morning – so Mary and I changed the bulletin board and organized the supply closet down the hall. We also found some crafts that we can use for our upcoming lessons so it was a profitable day. Our music leader was on vacation, so Patty, Jim and Dianne (along with Isaac on the drums) took the stage and it was so lovely to have them back, even for one week. Todd’s message was about Oppression – We have to recognize that God sees oppression and responds. 1) God always has a plan. 2) God’s plan rarely plays out like we think it will. Do you trust God? Proverbs 16:3.

But now let’s recap the Loyalhanna Review party. In the morning Tamara and her husband and I got everything decorated. They did most of it – but I got the tables done. We tested the sound system and I was amazed that it went smoothly. We got back to the church about 5:30pm and started putting out the last minute things. Nancy and Tom and their daughter Nicole, plus Joe and Susan Potts and Stacy D., helped set everything up.

Linda, Anita, and Judith worked the registration table, and Ruth (Editor) acted as M.C. Ruth had about a dozen people read excerpts from their essays and poems. There were a lot of lovely photos in the magazine, as well.

The food was very well received and almost everything was consumed. It was lovely visiting with everyone. My friend Alicia brought me prints of some waterfall pictures she took at Watkins Glen. I plan to frame one or two and hand them up.

Once the program was over, about a dozen people pitched in and helped tear everything down. I was so grateful for the help, and we had everything neat and tidy in no time. I even managed to shut the sound system down correctly!

After lunch today I went through all the boxes and bins and sorted everything out. Now decorations and supplies are all tucked away where they belong, much of it ready for Kelly to borrow when it’s time for Peyton’s party. Kathy stopped over with a check for the cabin taxes, and we stood in the garage and talked for about half an hour! It was good to catch up.

There were fresh veggies on the table at church, so in between everything else I made a zucchini casserole and roasted veggies. That will be several meals this week. Since I didn’t have the energy or motivation to cut the grass, I pulled weeds for about an hour. I saw my neighbor Al walking his dog (he’s the one with the antique cars), and got some details about his wife Joyce. She’s in the hospital and is struggling with pain and very weak. Please pray for both of them – much appreciated!

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TOMORROW July 24th is:

National Tequila Day; National Drive-thru Day; National Amelia Earhart Day; International Self Care Day; National Thermal Engineer Day; National Cousins Day.

YEA FOR COUSINS! Sending hugs to the Violets and the Skunk Hollow Girls! Love you! And tomorrow is also five months until Christmas Eve. God bless!

Today was the Loyalhanna Review Publication Party. It was very nice to have some help – and Tamara and her husband came out early and did a great job with decorations. They were very creative. Everything looks great.

Before we left that morning session, we went into the sound board and did a test run to turn on and off the sound system and mic. It wasn’t as intimidating as I feared so I think for the ‘main event’ it will be fine. Here is a ‘teaser’ from the party – I’ll post details tomorrow!

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TOMORROW July 23rd is:

National Vanilla Ice Cream Day; Gorgeous Grandma Day; National Parents Day.

Ice Cream! Yes! And I know SO MANY gorgeous grandmas. I can celebrate parents day because: 1) I had parents and 2) I am a parent and 3) I know TONS of parents. God bless…

I seldom do this, but this is going to be a very short post! Not much to report. Kelly and Chase left this morning before 8am, just as the neighbor’s workers started ripping their roof off. Noisy! I spent most of the day catching up on laundry and cleaning. The house really needed a thorough going-over.

Right now I’m sitting here listening to Hallmark’s A CHRISTMAS WALTZ movie and watching the fireflies out the window. I just came back from Irwin Walmart and got almost everything I needed. Two stops in the morning to pick up the helium balloons and a few bags of ice and I’m set. Tomorrow will be a busy day!

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TOMORROW July 22nd is:

National Rat Catchers Day; National Hammock Day; National Day of the Cowboy; National Penuche Fudge Day.

I think I’ll leave tomorrow alone, and celebrate the Loyalhanna Review! Have a happy day. God bless…

Today my mom would have been 93. I miss her in so many different ways! She was very excited that the first moon landing was on her birthday. She took it personally! Happy birthday, Mom!

I worked this morning while chase slept in. When I got to the Greensburg store Joe had his little granddaughter Ella with him for the morning. I found my crayons and markers and she set about creating pictures. I have one hanging on the wall. I’ll have to take a picture next week. I think she’s 4 or 5. Kelly txt me a picture of all the kids at the 4H camp at Jackson’s Mill in West Virginia. She said, “The boys (Peyton and Logan) are in there somewhere!

I came home and made Chase French toast, then he went back to playing video games and I got some chores done: Laundry, ran the dishwasher, cut the grass (it always feels so rewarding when it’s neat and cut!), changed the sheets. About half-hour ago he was again hungry, so we made Quilla-Dillas (quesadillas). So hopefully meals are done for the day!

Chrissy sent me a photo of her and Autmn at the pool – she is wearing her new suit. Autmn has her baby bump!

Chase and I carried the trunk that Beth brought down to me up to the living room. I had to move several things to different places in the room to make it work — it’s still not ideal — but at lease the trunk is out of the garage and won’t be exposed to extreme temperatures until we decide where it’s going to live. Kelly just called and she’s on her way up – so she’ll be ready for a rest once she’s here!

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TOMORROW July 21st is:

National Junk Food Day; National Be Someone Day; National Lamington Day.

I’m sure the junk food will be flowing tomorrow! And we will ALL be someone! Have a great start to the weekend. God bless…

I’ll try to recap the last two days, since I didn’t post yesterday. I worked yesterday morning and by the time I got home, Kelly and Chase were here and settled in. We managed to get organized and to make a quick lunch, then made a Walmart run for a little food and supplies. We had things to do! The first thing we did was to do a leaf walk. The boys had a 4H project to get leaves from trees and shrubs native to West Virginia. They picked 17 different leaves – and they all dried out and got ruined. So Kelly scooped them up again but needed a few more. Once we found the right ones in my neighborhood, we came in and I ironed them flat and she will take them home for the boys to finish the project.

Our next project was to make the centerpieces for the LR event on Saturday. Kelly was helping because she is using them for Peyton’s party in August. It took us the rest of the afternoon and evening to get them done. But they are awesome! Canning jars and the floral foam, and crinkle paper stuffed in. Then colored straws with tiny clothespins. We took piles of stars and layered them, and clipped them to the clothespins. They look super nice.

Kelly had to do some prep work for a taco bar they are doing on Sunday. I also had to make a new directional sign for the LR party as the old one fell apart. That didn’t take long. But by the time we were done we were tired and ready to call it a night.

This morning we made scones and worked on some VBS curriculum for her church. At noon we picked up Chris and Hope and took them bathing suit shopping. They each got a new one. Can’t believe Chrissy finally got one that wasn’t black! She looked cute, and so did Hope.

I made potato soup while Kelly worked on making constellation cups that make patterns on the wall with flashlights. By the time the laundry was finished she was ready to leave. Chase is staying here with me, as Kelly is coming back tomorrow evening before picking up Logan and Peyton at camp. We had a busy couple of days!

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TOMORROW July 20th is:

Get to Know Your Customer Day; National Lollipop Day; International Chess Day; National Fortune cookie Day; National Pennsylvania Day; World Jump Day; National Moon Day.

It’s also my Mom’s birthday! I’m guessing it’s National Moon Day because of the first walk on the moon. Celebrate grandly! God bless…

It’s been a busy day – Kelly & I have not stopped and it’s almost 10pm. So even though we have things to share and pictures to post, it will have to wait until tomorrow!

TOMORROW July 19th is:

National Words With Friends Day; National Hot Dog Day; International Retainer Day; National Daiquiri Day.

Have a Hot Dog with a friend! Love to all – God bless…

As I write this I am watching a colorized version of THE LITTLE PRINCESS with Shirley Temple. I found it on the firestick. I haven’t watched it in decades. How fun she is to watch! She was an amazing child actress.

Work went well this morning at both stores. Sir Regis still isn’t feeling his best. Joe was very busy with lots going on. It probably got a whole lot quieter once Ken and I left. I stopped at Dollar Tree and ordered the star balloons for Saturday.

I worked on making lists, answering and creating emails, and doing research for the Loyalhanna Review Publication Party (hereafter called the LR event). I went over to Ruth’s house at 5pm to pick up the bin of supplies. I’ll go through it and take inventory later – or tomorrow!

In between the rain showers I checked out the gardens. My hydrangea is blooming but hasn’t gotten nearly as big as previous summers. The flowers sometimes bloom blue and sometimes purple. The Pinky Winkey is supposed to be white and pink, but so far it’s only white. I saw a new color of day lily – I prefer the brightest ones!

I noticed that my red Azealia had a white bloom! Turns out it is a phlox blooming up through the bottom. The Azealia blooms in May, generally.

My little self-indulgence came today in the mail. I’m excited as I love the first two movies, and really like Kimberly Sustad in the third one.

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TOMORROW July 18th is:

National Tropical Fruit Day; World Listening Day; National Caviar Day; National Sour Candy Day.

Tomorrow Kelly and Chase are coming up for two days to help with party prep. That is something to celebrate! God bless…

We had Max and Gracie at Sunday School. It was Gracie’s birthday last week, and her dad took her shopping. She picked out a really cute shorts-dress and headband and she looked adorable. She was so excited, and carried herself like a little princess. She was smiling from ear to ear. She is the sweetest child!

Todd is still on vacation so we had a guest minister from the Norwin church preach this morning. His message was about Cleansing our Hearts — like Jesus cleansed the temple of the money changers. He wanted to rearrange the temple back to what it should be – like rearranging the furniture. He stressed that we should not just know ABOUT God, but KNOW God. The temple is now within our hearts; it’s not a building anymore.

I came home from church and changed clothes, then cut the grass and cut back some dead branches from the shrubs. I was meeting Deb at the movie theater so I changed and headed out there. When I got back, I weed-whacked and blew everything clean and bagged all the dead branches and flower stalks. Again, the yard looks nice — for another few days.

We went to see the movie THE SOUND OF FREEDOM, which is a true story. I was really nervous about going, because often those intense, dark movies upset me. This one totally didn’t. The concept was distressing and horrid and made you angry and tense, but the movie was mostly about the rescue efforts. It was still heartbreaking but enlightening. At the end the credits said that there is more slavery in the world today than when it was legal, and most of it is in the US. That is not only sad, but it’s wrong, and it breaks God’s heart. Worth seeing (you could handle it, Beth!).

And just a side note, unlike Spider-man, the theater was FULL!!!

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TOMORROW July 17th is:

National Peach Ice Cream Day; National Lottery Day; World Emoji Day; National Tattoo Day; National Wrong Way Corrigan Day; National Yellow Pig Day; National Get Out of the Dog House day.

Not a fan of peaches. I do have one tattoo but I feel that’s enough. I’ve been known to do things the wrong way. I’ll just see what tomorrow brings! God bless…

I spent the morning getting Chase fed, packed and organized to end up his vacation week. I took him down to Sheetz in New Stanton to meet his Aunt Kimmie and Uncle Greg for the trip home. I think he had a great time; he said the movie was his favorite thing!

When I got back home I had an hour to get MYSELF organized and ready for our Skunk Hollow Summer Event at Kathy’s. There was so much food, and fun, and ten precious family girls! Holly had accepted a challenge to write a story about Grama Crooks by our event. She did a wonderful job, capturing the spirit of Grama by incorporating the Fruits of the Spirit (as in Galatians). We all shared special memories of time spent with Grama.

Then Kath had asked us all to bring old pictures of ourselves and family to share and remember. Such wonderful memories. We all brought a special photo to pass around the room and explain the stories behind them. Lots of laughter! We spent some time talking about Danny, and some of the photos included him. I read my essay in remembrance, and although my relationship with him was very different we still had a lot of fun things to share.

Kathy dazzled the group with her beautiful, comfortable, welcoming home. Each and every one of them would have moved in next door given the chance! So perfect for ‘senior’ living – even capable, healthy young ones! It was a beautiful afternoon. Thank you, Kathy, for hosting, and to the eight travelers who came to make the day perfect! Love you all!

Kelly had me order her a card game with my Amazon Prime order: We LOVED playing Authors growing up! She is going to use it for her homeschool literature classes in the fall.

She also told me that Logan won the Blue & Gold award at 4H camp last week – for campers who show leadership and camp spirit and service (and have already won the green and white award!) Good job Logan. And Peyton got the Health H award! So proud of my boys!

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TOMORROW July 16th is:

National Ice Cream Day; Corn Fritters day; National Personal Chef Day; World Snake Day.

NO NO NO NO NO NO NO SNAKES!!!! DONE! But I’ll take the ice cream and the personal chef. Tomorrow I will continue to bask in the love and friendship of my precious cousins! God bless….

Last night’s sky was pink and blue – we never did get a storm. OK by me!

I got up early (for my day off!) — showered and dressed and went outside to check out the neighborhood garage sales. Looked like Al’s items were mostly tools and a few small things, so I was going to check out Dottie’s stuff. As it turned out she didn’t start setting things out until after 9:30am. I did finally walk over several times and chatted with them. She gave me a baby picture frame for Autmn. I’ll probably walk back over tomorrow morning. She was still setting things out when we left the house at a little before 11am.

Chase and I picked up Chrissy and Hope, then dropped Hope off at her house. Hope & Lexi had gone with Chrissy, Nate and Jen to a concert Wednesday night. Looks like they were having a good time!

We went through town to get gas in the car, then went to Willowbrook Mini-Golf. There was a group of about 20 people just starting on Hole #1, so they told us to start on #2 and swing back around later to pick up the first hole — which worked fine. We had a lot of fun playing, and the scores were pretty even.

By the time we were done playing we were all ready for lunch. I told them I would take them for food if they could agree on a place. They did: THE MALL!! So Chase got Chick-Fil-A, and Chrissy and I got Panera Bread. We both love the Cheddar Broccoli Soup.

I checked Aldi for Shrimp Rings – no luck. So we swung by Diane’s house for a box of stuff she had for me, then took Chrissy home. Shop & Save in Youngwood has Shrimp Rings. Yea. Chase decided he was ready to have his hair cut (buzzed in the back, trimmed in the front) so we went to Great Clips. I’m pretty sure Kelly will be excited to have that done. He isn’t always willing to do that.

From there we stopped at Walmart for markers and checked out a collectible Chase was looking for. They didn’t have the figure, so we went to Game Stop next door; neither did they. We couldn’t get the store on the phone at the Mall so we drove out to check. The girl at the Mall really knew her stuff, and explained the limited edition series and even checked around the Greensburg area for availability. No luck. So not sure where he’s going to find it.

So that was our day – and we avoided the rain. Very thankful about that, especially for the kids’ sake. They were very excited to go golfing. Chase is right now sound asleep on the couch! He’ll wake up hungry…. He can finish the pizza from last night.

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TOMORROW July 15th is:

National Pet Fire Safety Day; National Tapioca Pudding Day; National I Love Horses Day; World Youth Skills Day; National Give Something Away Day; Social Media Giving Day; National Gummi Worm Day; Toss Away ‘Could Haves’ and ‘Should Haves’ Day.

Let’s go with — tomorrow is our Summer Skunk Hollow Event Day! Yes! Can’t wait to see my sweet cousins. God bless…