What I'm doing this week

The pattern blocks found at a yard sale are for children but I've been enjoying them too.  It is relaxing fitting the shapes together, kind of like quilt making.

Our $5 bucket contained 2 kinds of pattern blocks, the shapes and colors are the same but the ones in the bucket are wood and the ones on the table are plastic.

Thanks to Tammy and Pam, I found some free printable sheets for the grand children.  Thank you both!

Reading - the devotions book was from a church rummage sale and I won the "all you need is less" book from a blog giveaway.

To do list and bills to pay- I've been busy all morning but with other random things and have not crossed a single thing off of today's list, yet, but I plan to! 

I am sad and disturbed about what is going on in the Middle East and the Central American children immigrating alone 

I have no answers and no blame - I don't want to talk politics either, that gets too ugly

But I am so thankful to live in the USA.  So, I decked out the dining room with some our patriotic things...

I found the window bunting at a thrift store for $1.50.  My mom made the little quilt by the door and the doilies. I made or probably thrifted the rest.

A very simple arrangement- just little flags in a jar.

Also on to do list is a trip to the post office to mail a letter and 2 small packages off. 

Supper will be stuffed Bell Peppers and a green salad.

What is going on in your home? 

3 parties 3 days in a row

Party #1

Grand daughter Elizabeth turned 4 and her parents hosted a magical Frozen party for her, complete with the "real" Elsa and Anna. All the children believed they were the real royalty anyway.

The princesses are actually actresses from a company in Oklahoma City and made the party special in many ways.

The food table - the water bottles are labeled "melted snowman" 

The blue drink is Hawaiin Punch and was a favorite of the children party goers. 

Treats were kisses, special chocolate bars and some blue glittered goo that is not messy at all. 

The princesses visited with everyone, lead the games, signed autographs on the children's colored pictures and sang songs.

They also posed for lots of photos and were smiling the whole time.  

Party #2

This was a birthday party for daughter Nina, hosted by her brothers. The meal was 3 trays of entrees from Olive Garden and a fruit tray and salad. All I did was make a loaf of bread in the ABM machine.

One of their coworkers named Jessica baked this pretty cake. It was lemon layers with blackberry filling and delicious! 

Sweet little girls in party dresses

One of her gifts was this vintage book - it had a gift card inside.

This beach wreath was bought from LLBean- it is really pretty. 

After the gifts were unwrapped, the little ones had the most fun with a sheet of bubble wrap.

Party #3

My Uncle Rex turns 93 this month and there was a big party at his retirement home for him and the other 5 June birthday residents.  About 40 of his relatives attended and my mother said it was more fun than any of the recent family reunions. One of my cousins sang, she picked some sweet songs from the 30s and 40s and some patriotic songs. Another cousin accompanied her on the piano. 

sadly, I did not take a camera so I don't have photos of this event.

My Uncle Rex is quite a man. He was a Sailor during WWII. His ship was sunk and he spent 3 days in the middle of the Pacific Ocean before the rescue ship arrived. His wife and daughter both died young and he raised his only grandson alone.

Now he is a champion pie maker and bakes a pie almost everyday and shares them with his neighbors. 

There are even more June birthdays for family yet to be  - but I don't think any of them will have parties quite like these. 

Neighborhood yard sale - mostly 25 cents each

My husband, son and I walked through for neighborhood for the annual yard sale early Saturday. It was cool with a light breeze so it was a pleasant morning.  We found a few treasures......

4 big hard back books by Mary Alice Jones. 25 cents each.  I remember reading many books by Jones when I was a child. Her messages are so sweet and

The illustrations are pretty and calming, I think.

My son bought this big old metal piece. It is not as big as a turkey roaster but close. He thought he might put several potted plants in it.

Sippy and snack cups- all 25 cents each.  These are all in great condition and sell new for about $4 each so I am happy to have them.

Funny Erma Bombeck paperbacks.....

2 sets of pajamas and a pair of kitchen towels - all 25 cents

A very nice big board book for 25 cents

And a Justin Wilson cookbook for 25 cents. Justin Wilson was a Cajun cook on PBS years ago. My dad and brother were just talking about him at last weekends yard sales and hoping they would find one of his books. Now, they will be happy to read this one!

Not pictured-  I also got some plastic drinking glasses from a free box and 3 jars- 1 is 2 quart and the other 2 are 1 quart for 25 cents each.  I store pantry items in glass jars and when I was trying to put something away  Friday, I did not have an empty jar for this new ingredient so I am really glad to get a few more jars. 

2 other nice areas in our town are having neighborhood yard sales today but we are going to skip them. 

Tell me if you found any second hand treasures :)

June 14-USA's National Flag Day

It is a beautiful day and I put our flags out early.  

Today is a special day as it is the 60th anniversary of our current Pledge of Allegiance. 

I pledge allegiance to the Flag      of the United States of America, and to the Republic for which it stands:      one Nation under God, indivisible, With Liberty and Justice for all. June 14, 1954

A few yard sale finds

I didn't mean to take such a long blogging break,  but you all know how life just gets really busy with family and other  things just don't get done, like new blog posts. 

Thank you everyone who wrote or called and were concerned about my cyber-absence. :)

Saturday morning was the neighborhood yard sale in a big housing addition near us. I try to go every year. This year, my dad, son and 2 brothers came too. 

I

The Lucky Ducks game was $3

My Grandsons and brother  had a lot of fun with it and I think it will get played often.

Like new beginning reader book set $2

Bead set $1.50 - it had been opened and the instructions are gone but I think most or all of the beads are still in it.

Clock for the craft -computer room 25 cents! 

Gallon bucket full of wood geometric shapes $5 (the seller had 2 buckets, I only bought 1 and regret not buying both of them)

Bead set above and block set below

The wood shapes were played with by most all family - this is Grand daughter Andie with her 2 Great Uncles, my brothers.  Yes, they are wearing leas. It was a birthday party.  More on the 3 very fun parties that were 3 days in a row in the next post

I don't have photos of the other yard sale finds but one of my brothers is moving into a new home that is a lot bigger than his old home. He found 2 nice framed prints and I bought him a framed mirror that was just $2. I think my dad bought a coffee table type book about Harley Davidsons. 

I found one of my brother's prints on Amazon- http://www.amazon.com/Black-Framed-Master-Bedroom-Andrew/dp/B000Y115EA

It is perfect for him and he got his a lot cheaper at the yard sale. 

I have been cleaning out my home as well as my children cleaning out their homes. We had amassed a huge pile of cast offs. While I love shopping at yard sales, I dislike hosting yard sales. So my son arranged for a coworker with a pickup truck to come get that pile and haul it to a thrift store.  It would of probably been more frugal to sell but certainly not more enjoyable.