What I'm Reading

 Books I'm Enjoying...And More

Hello everyone! I thought I would pop on and share some of the books I am reading right now. I'm on a quest this summer to read "new to me" books and not re-read all of my favorites all the time, so most of what I will share with you fits that quest. 

Now, there's nothing wrong with re-reading beloved authors and their books but I just feel that I want to explore some new authors and books. I went shopping at our local used bookstore and thrift stores and found some really good choices!

The "Tearoom Mysteries" that are published by Guideposts are just delightful books. I finished the first book in the series, "Teamroom for Two" and really enjoyed it so I looked for the next book in the series, "Tea Rose" and ordered it from one of the used booksellers on Amazon. It arrived a couple days ago and I will be starting it soon. These books follow two widowed cousins who move back to the town where they grew up to start a Tearoom in a beautiful big old house. Of course, they meet up with old friends and new and a mystery unfolds surrounding an old teapot they buy and an old ring they find in the wall of their old house. The first book really held my attention and I certainly identified with the concept of a Tearoom and tea pots! As you know, I love to drink tea, both cold and hot! The only critique I have of Guidepost series books is that they use different authors for different books in the series. We'll see how I respond to a new author for the second book!

The book, Creed, by Adam Hamilton appealed to me because I have read another of his books and our former pastor used to reference Adam Hamilton in some of his sermons. I thought this would be a good book to own to not only read but also to use in some of the sermons that I write. 

  In the last year and a half or so, I have begun preaching fairly frequently at both my home church and at other churches. As a certified Lay Servant in the United Methodist Church, I serve as the pastor needs me and she has called on me several times to preach in her absence. Other churches have now begun calling on me to preach on Sundays when their pastor must be absent and I am willing to listen to this new calling from God in my life. 

  This particular book by Adam Hamilton takes each part of the Apostles' Creed and explains it and I am enjoying the book very much. I will preach for the second Sunday in a row this coming Sunday at Bald Creek UMC and I plan to use some of what I am reading in Adam Hamilton's book in my sermon. 

The final book that I am reading right now is a book of short mysteries written by famed mystery writer, Mary Roberts Rinehart. I have owned this book for several years and have read it before but it caught my attention again and I haven't read the stories in a long, long time so I am once again enjoying her mysteries. I finished the first short story, "The Frightened Wife" which takes place in or around the late 1940's and has a "Perry Mason" type feel to it. It also involved a love story which made for pleasant reading as well. Books by Mary Roberts Rinehart were a favorite of my mother's as well as me so I always feel a connection to my mom when I read one. 

I have some other books on my shelf waiting to be read so I will share them with you in the future as I get to them. 

I hope that you will share what you are currently reading in the comments. Or share anything else you would like to share! I always enjoy hearing from my readers. And I want to wish all of you in the USA a very happy 4th of July! Be safe and take care. 

Until Next Time,

Debbie This and That

                            

Long Time, No See!!

 Let's Catch Up!

artellliii72/pixabay.com

Oh my goodness, friends, the summer is moving right along! And I have been very remiss in checking in here on the blog with new posts. So, let me rectify that right now and let's do some catching up, okay?

I've been kind of busy lately doing some traveling. I drove myself all the way to West Virginia to see my family there and to attend my great niece's baby "sprinkle." I think a sprinkle is a baby shower for the second baby in today's lingo. You can see me standing here next to my very pregnant great niece, Emily, who is expecting her second little boy in late July! I was so happy to be able to attend her Sprinkle. The theme for the Sprinkle was, "Here Comes The Son." Get it?! It took me a minute to get it. I'm a slow learner, Lol! Emily, her husband, and their four year old all wore clothing printed with "Here Comes The Son" on them.

I also got to spend some fun pool time with Emily's four year old, my great-great nephew, Lincoln. My great-nephew, Grant, was there, also, and entertained Lincoln by diving for the plastic rings that Lincoln would throw into the pool.

I enjoyed a very delicious breakfast at Cracker Barrel with my sister, Sharon, her husband, Larry, and my niece, Janna. It was so good to spend time with them. I saw as many family members as possible during my travels. Understandably, it was impossible to see everyone due to work and school schedules. I also spent time with my sister, Barbara. (not pictured)

I left West Virginia and drove on up to Pittsburgh, PA to see my family there. This is my sister, Joyce, with her grand-dog, Dixie. 

Dixie is such a little cutie! She loves playing with her blue ball that is kept at "grandma's house" just for her.

Joyce and I enjoyed visiting and lunching out together.

We stopped by my nephew Tim's house and visited with his wife, Jennifer, and my great-nephew, Derek. Also, they have three adorable dogs that greeted us at the door. 

I think Derek looks so much like his late grandfather in this picture!

Look at this cute doggie!  Again, I couldn't see all of my Pittsburgh area family due to work and travel schedules but it was wonderful to see those I could. 

We also visited the golf club where my nephew, Matt, manages the kitchen. 

It was fun to look out the restaurant window at the 18th hole and enjoy some good food!

And, of course, while I was in WV I had to eat at Mary B's, a local restaurant that serves delicious homestyle cooking and rolls that, as my husband always says, have their own atmosphere! Yes, the rolls are that big!

I was so glad to see my family and very proud of myself for doing all the driving on my own. The Pittsburgh traffic was a bit daunting but I managed my way through it all! It's always good to come home, though. The Mr. held down the fort here at home with all of our fur family while I traveled. Now, I'm home and have done loads of laundry and tried to rest up from my travels. 

I'm sorry to have been away from the blog for so long. I have a few ideas for posts that I will be sharing with all of you in the coming weeks. I hope each of you dear readers are having a good summer. Be sure to share what's been going on in your life in the comments. You know I enjoy hearing from you!

Until Next Time,

Debbie

Bee Happy and Sewing Adventures

 Catching Up On The Latest News

Hi there everyone! It's been awhile since we last connected so how about if we all catch up today? I'll share what's been happening around the blog here lately and you be sure to share what's been happening in your life as well in the comments. I can't wait to hear!

First up is this new "Bee Happy" vignette on the foyer table. I picked up these adorable bee items at Hobby Lobby and I just think they are the cutest! The expressions on the bees caught my attention and I smile each time I walk by the foyer table and see their goofy faces. I think this vignette is fun for late Spring and early Summer. Plus the bee pincushion will come in handy in the sewing room later!

Since Easter, I have been working on planting flowers in our patio pots and in our little backyard garden. Here I am at the garden center at Home Depot a few weeks ago. That place has been hopping each time we go there! I think that folks are doing even more planting this year in the aftermath of all of the storm damage from Helene. So many plants and shrubs and trees were lost from people's properties. 

Here are some of the patio containers. They got moved all around when the roofers were working on our new roof last week so that's why you see bricks where they should not be. We will have gutters installed next week so they will most likely get moved around again. Just ignore the arrangement and look at the pretty flowers, lol!

Because our back patio gets much more sun now, I'm experimenting with some different flowers than what I usually plant. In addition to my faithful impatiens, you will see zinnias, petunias, marigolds and snapdragons. 

The coral bells in our little backyard garden have decided to really bloom this Spring. See the long shoots coming out of them? 

Our rhododendron plants really got beat up during the hurricane but they are bravely blooming this Spring anyway! The Mr. took this spectacular pic of one of the blooms. 

And, our azaleas are blooming beautifully as well. Wish I could keep these blooms going all summer but it doesn't work that way. 

And we have beautiful flowers inside the house, as well, thanks to The Mr. who brought me two beautiful bouquets of flowers on Sunday for being a "fur mama" to our three fur babies. I decided to break up the flowers into three different arrangements. This is a gorgeous pink long stemmed rose. 

And these lovely red long stemmed roses and berries are gracing the bookcase in "my" music room.

And the chrysanthemums and daisies are on the mantel in the living room. Flowers, flowers, everywhere! 

The Mr. has been super busy here lately playing concerts at various venues. He is in five different brass groups plus has a piano/trumpet duo so, as you can imagine, we keep the road hot going to various music concerts. I'm very proud of his musical abilities!

I've also been trying my hand at doing some sewing these last few weeks. This is a gorgeous dress that I ordered from Blair recently in my usual size. But, when it arrived, it was much too large in the waist and top for me. So, I got out my sewing machine and took the dress in on the sides. It fits me much better now. I really like the softness of the dress and the fabric's pattern. 

I also created this stretch waist skirt using fabric from a lounging robe that belonged to my mother. I had kept this robe as a remembrance of my Mom and it was stored in a box for close to 30 years. She loved wearing her lounging robes in the evenings after a long day on her feet at work. I can remember that one of the first things she would do each evening was to get comfortable in one of her many lounging robes. Rather than keep her robe in a box any longer, I decided to fashion a summer skirt that I could wear. I will always think of my Mom when I wear this skirt. 

I also sewed a set of pillowcases for our bed using two fabrics that are so pretty. I don't consider myself a great seamstress, but every once in a while I enjoy trying my hand at creating something new. I thank my friend, Sharon, for her inspiration to try sewing. It continues to be a fun adventure!

We also visited the "Parade of Homes" a few weekends ago and saw this interesting new home. An artist lives in it and she was on site to talk with as we toured her beautiful home filled with her artwork. The Parade of Homes didn't happen last year due to the devastation of the hurricane so it felt lovely and normal to be able to participate in this once again!

So, as you can see, we've been pretty busy during the end of April and the current month of May! Our house restoration is moving along slowly but we are making progress which is a good thing! 

And, I'm always grateful for these three furry members of our family! Cassie, Garden and River fill our days with smiles, laughter and some exasperation on occasion! And that's what family is all about, right?!

I hope this "catch up" post has been enjoyable for you. Just a little bit of this and that. Take good care and be sure to leave a comment letting me know a little bit of this and that in your life, okay?

Until Next Time,

Debbie (This and That)

*Pet photos, rhododendron photo and me in the dress photo taken by Bill Ross. 

A Little Bit of This and That for April

 Easter/Spring Decor and More

Tiered Bunny and Egg Tray

Hello friends!  Well, here we are in April and I'm ready to share a little bit of this and that with you here on the blog. First off, is some Easter/Spring decor around the house. I'm using the colorful ceramic bunny, yellow and blue bunnies and some new yellow and blue Easter eggs to grace the tiered tray on top of the curio cabinet in the dining room. 

My little tiered tray fits just perfectly with the amount of bunnies and eggs I have to display on top of the dining room cabinet. I have a larger, round tiered tray but, more and more, I prefer this one. I picked it up at Target a few years ago and find that I use it throughout the house for different seasons. 

These colorful bunnies are on display on the side table in the living room. The green Easter egg is a new purchase from a fun day out in Hendersonville, NC awhile back. 

And on the foyer table you see one of my Longaberger baskets filled with a pretty placemat, bunnies and an Easter egg wreath. Using a wreath as a basket filler is a unique way to use wreaths. 

I don't have a ton of decor I use for Easter and Spring but I really enjoy what I do own. It's wonderful to know that we are in Springtime now and we are already starting to have some really warm days here in Asheville. Today, it's been in the 80's and it's only early April!

I've been doing some card crafting this Spring and this is a display type card I created recently. I covered the card with scrapbook paper in teal and gold and then added stickers that have sayings I really like. "Trust the timing of your Life" is especially meaningful to me.

I used butterfly scrapbook paper on the inside of the card with more lovely stickers. This isn't a card to send but, rather, a card to keep on display. This one is now on the shelf in "my" music room. 

In other news, how cute are these two "furever" friends?! I call Cassie and River the two amigos because they are typically not far apart. We don't let Cassie go outdoors by herself, but she likes to be carried out to sniff the great outdoors and sit on the big rock with her dog brother. You can't see it, but The Mr. is holding her with one hand and taking this pic with the other! Garden, our other cat, prefers to remain indoors. 

This pic, with River's tongue hanging out, makes me laugh! He can be such a goofy dog! But, he's a very good boy!

And, finally, I thought I would share a post-Hurricane Helene update report. Folks are still trying to rebuild and repair and get rid of storm debris over six months since Helene roared through Western North Carolina. The sounds of chainsaws and huge trucks and heavy equipment doing debris removal have become a normal part of each day here. I'll share some pics of our own property to give you an idea of what things look like here at this point.

This is a huge root ball from a very large tree that blew down during the tornado that spun out from Hurricane Helene in our neighborhood. It left a gaping hole as you can see. This is behind the big boulder that Cassie and River like to sit on.

And remember the waterfall and my sitting rock where I have taken many pictures for the blog? This is what it looks like now. You can see another huge root ball on its side right next to the creek. This is the creek where The Mr. got water for us to use right after the storm. Our entire driveway was covered with downed trees so he had to climb over and under the trees to get to this stream with buckets. This went on for many days until crews could get through all the fallen trees on our road and get us cut out of our driveway. Just on our property, alone, we lost hundreds of trees.

Signs of tree cutting are everywhere on our property. This is next to the hiking trail on our land where we hike with River. 

We continue to have piles of wood laying everywhere. We have had several crews come in to cut plus The Mr. is out frequently cutting. More and more our property is looking better even with piles of wood everywhere. 

And, good news, we are finally on track with a roofer to get a new roof and new gutters in the next 4-6 weeks! The trees hitting our house caused damage to our gutters and roof. You can see some of the damage here. 

So, that's the update. Things are moving along and slowly returning to normal. God is good. All the time!

I hope you have enjoyed my this and that post. I hope you are able to get out and enjoy some beautiful Spring weather. Take good care and, if you can, leave me a comment which I will surely read and enjoy!

Until Next Time,

Debbie This and That