Do You Remember That One Time I Had a Blog?

Do You Remember That One Time I Had a Blog?

5 months.

No blogging.

I can't believe that Blogger hasn't kicked me to the curb.

Apparently, no one is monitoring 

this crap.

I'm giving it another shot.

I got a call from an old friend the other day.

She told me I needed to start blogging again.

I began giving excuses as to why I no longer posted.

"I only have my iPhone to take pictures with."

"It's too time consuming."

"Sometimes I don't feel like commenting on other blogs 

and it's bad blogger protocol to write posts and not

comment on other's blogs."

(Yes, I'll admit it, I still look at each of your blogs 

and I don't comment because I'm lazy 

and I don't want you to know I've been there.)

This is not nice and I take full responsibility for my actions.

(I probably won't change)

For those of you that follow me on Instagram

or Facebook,

you are all caught up with my life 

and don't need to read any further.

Have a nice day.

For everyone else, all 2 of you,

here's what's going on around here.

Spring has sprung in Phoenix.

We had a very mild winter unlike many of you out there.

This I know because I read your blogs.

And didn't comment.

Even though you probably needed 

to hear some words of encouragement.

Sometimes, I'm a douche canoe.

We had an issue with roof rats.

Rats!

 (not my rat)

These are somewhat common in the Phoenix area.

They love to eat the citrus off the trees.

Many of them make their way into attics.

We were fortunate that our attic was sealed very well 

and didn't have any in ours.

They were living in our orange tree though.

 This pic was taken the day we moved in and

everything was overgrown.

You can see the grapefruit tree on the left and the 

orange tree on the right.

This orange tree had been planted right up against the house 

so trimming it was not an option.

It had to go.

I will miss my fresh squeezed juice.

After the orange tree was brutally mutilated,

the rats moved into our huge grapefruit tree.

Since it was not near the house, 

we were able to trim it up and get all the fruit off it.

The rats moved on to the neighbors.

This made me happy.

(Douche canoe, remember?)

Brian was little sad because he really enjoyed

sitting on the patio in the evening 

and shooting them out of the tree with his BB gun.

They kind of scream when you hit them.

You can see why he's bummed.

We've been digging up old ugly bushes

and planting new pretty ones.

 I think we are really going to enjoy this 

Yellow Bell as it grows.

We have some purple Lantana around the pool

but decided to get some red that will provide ground cover 

under the Yellow Bells.

See Facebook friends?

I told you that you needn't continue.

We are having the front yard tree trimmed today.

This picture was also taken the day we moved in.

The tree is much bigger now.

I'd take a picture of it for you

but I'm not getting dressed to go outside 

and no one really cares what my tree looks like.

Am I right, or am I right?

 

 I'll catch you up on more stuff tomorrow.

Hopefully.

In the meantime,

Happy Birthday to my amazing husband.

You spend way too much time sitting on the couch.

You have no idea how to load a dishwasher.

I've been waiting for 3 months for you to replace the light

in the garage.

You snore like a wart hog.

You leave your beard trimmings in the sink.

All in All,

you're perfect for me.

xxx-ooo

Holly

 

 

 

 

 

In The Poor House

Not to be confused with a whore house.

Although, living in a whore house would

certainly be more exciting.

I've always believed that if there were such a thing as a past life,

I would have either been a 

Madame of a Ladies House of Ill Repute,

a Lounge Singer,

or Jessica Rabbit.

Either way, I would have been kinda slutty.

Alas, I am not.

I am just a middle aged women living in a house that is trying to kill me.

Financially, that is.

Let me start by telling you that there are so many things

that I love about this house.

I love my kitchen.

It's small and easy to work in.

I have a place for everything.

 I love my back yard.

Even though caring for it is very time consuming.

 I love that I have that ash tree there between the two patios.

The leaves change to orange and red in the fall and remind me of Indiana.

I love all the storage in this house.

However, since buying this home almost a year ago,

it is being a total douche canoe.

I am so grateful that we have a home warranty.

In the past year, this is what we have experienced.

Leak under the jetted tub causing damage to bedroom carpet.

Toilet leaking all over the bathroom floor.

Air conditioner going out twice.

Evaporative cooler going out.

Water softener leak.

Leak in the roof causing damage to bedroom ceiling.

Garage door opener calling it quits.

Tree in front yard infested with bore beetles.

Sprinkler system not working.

Polybutelene pipes replaced in garage.

Pool pump needing repair

Leak in the pool fountain

You may be asking yourself why we didn't get an inspection

prior to moving in.

We did, and all was fine.

Like I said, I am so thankful to have a home warranty

so that many of these things were covered and didn't

cost a lot out of pocket.

We have put ourselves back on a really strict budget.

Our paychecks just don't stretch like they used to.

Times are hard.

Money is tight.

The only shopping I do is at the grocery.

I don't go out for lunches.

Budgets are hard and boring.

But still, I sit here in my living room,

with my TV on mute,

listening for any strange noise that may indicate 

that the next shoe has dropped.

Seriously, how many shoes can this house have???!!

Brian:  Did you hear that?

Holly:  Yes, it was just the ice maker.

Brian:  Is it supposed to sound like that?

Holly:  I think we have heavy ice.

Brian:  That's not a real thing.

Holly:  Turn the TV up.

Holly

xxx-ooo

 

I Remember How To Do This

Did you know that I haven't blogged in ages?

Possibly no one noticed.

My friend, Jo, stopped blogging almost a year ago 

and I followed suit.

And because I want to be just like Jo, 

when she posted yesterday, I had to do it also.

I have to do everything she does because 

I don't have a mind of my own.

Many things have happened since I last posted 

and I'm going to try to get everything in 

within the next few posts.

Let's start here:

That is my mother's engagement ring.

It is now perched, along with a gold band

on my daughter's finger.

I've been saving it for her

since my mother passed away almost twenty years ago.

She's always loved this ring.

Katie married Travis in June.

They decided to elope in Palm Springs.

I was just so thrilled for them both.

Travis is in the Marines.

He is stationed in Twenty Nine Palms, California.

Katie was living here in Glendale

and they were driving back and forth

every weekend to see one another.

This handsome boy is our dream come true for her.

We love him like no body's business.

He is loving,

tenderhearted,

and just as goofy as our Katie.

They came over for dinner several months ago

and Travis asked me for her hand.

I knew this was coming so I had prepared for it. 

Here is what I had written out and said to this boy:

Travis:

For the most part, I raised this beautiful girl by myself.

I was the first person to hold her when she was born.

I was the first person in this world to even know she existed.

And I was the first person to love her.

And that love is fierce.

There is nothing I can begin to compare it to.

I would do anything for my daughter.

I live for her; I would die for her,

And just so you know, I could kill for her.

I’ve invested everything I have in her.

There is nothing more precious to me.

You come to me now, not just asking for my daughter’s hand,

But asking for everything I’ve invested in over the past 25 years.

You’re asking for all the training I’ve provided,

the money I’ve sank into medical bills,

the clothes and education. 

You are asking to reap the harvest that I so carefully tended

and protected for the best part of my life.

And now she’s a woman.

A beautiful, caring, loving, woman.

Yes, she’s opinionated, strong willed, and highly emotional. 

She stands up for what she believes in.

She’s strong, but so fragile.

She’s the most precious thing I have in this world.

And not just anyone can come and take that from me.

It would have to be a man that knows himself,

that would be willing to protect her with his life.

That would love her not because of who she is in good times,

But in spite of all the hard times.

I need you to understand how hard God and I have worked to get her ready for you.

I believe that you know your own heart,

And that you know hers too.

I would do anything to see her happy.

And that includes giving my blessing to you both.

Your parents raised you to be the wonderful man that you’ve become.

And I couldn’t be more thankful for that.

And I couldn’t see giving my most precious gift to anyone but you.

Take good care of each other.

 

 

After they were married,

Katie and Travis moved into a house in Yucca Valley, CA.

It's difficult for me that she is so far away 

but I am am just so happy for them both.

They are in town this weekend and

she is on her way over with their new puppy.

That's what I've got today.

I'm hoping to start posting at least once a week.

xxx-ooo

Holly

Been Gone a Long Long Time

Hi Everyone!

Remember me?

I know, it's been a while.

I've been keeping myself busy around the house lately.

The weather here has been toasty.

We had our first triple digit number last week.

I think we were at 101 degrees last Wednesday.

I've been enjoying spending some time outside

working in the yard.

It's not been too bad and when I do get hot

I have to say I sure am enjoying this baby.

The garden is growing like crazy.

I have more lettuce than I know what to do with.

The tomatoes are growing so fast.

These Big Boy Varieties are about the size of my fist right now.

My first bell pepper.

Our hibiscus are looking good right now.

I wasn't sure this one was going to make it

but with a little loving care

she's turning out beautiful blooms.

We have four bird feeders in our back yard.

We live in bird central.

I fill these large feeders in the mornings and by the afternoon,

all four of them are empty.

Next to the feeders,

I keep suet cake cases.

When I ran out of suet cakes,

I began filling them with bits of yarn

and I like to watch the birds come and grab some

for their nests.

We have two back patios.

The main one runs almost the length of the house,

the other is under a Ramada next to the pool.

The Ramada patio has been empty since we've moved in

since we didn't have enough patio furniture.

Last weekend we finally found a good sale and now

have some furniture in there.

I'd like to make some new pillows to brighten up the space.

The flowers on the table are so pretty.

I love the contrast of the lime green sweet potato vine

with the dark green of the vincas.

I've been busy inside too.

No, I still haven't redone my bedroom.

I'm still pretending it doesn't exist.

I do have to get on that shortly though.

I've been working on some smaller projects.

Remember my pantry jars?

I love these jars but I find that I'm constantly

in and out of the pantry grabbing them.

I don't like a lot of stuff on the counters

but I wanted these to be more accessible.

As you can see,

they had the original shiny silver lids 

with key tags for labels.

If I wanted them on the counters,

they would need an update.

I sprayed the lids with

Oiled Bronze Spray Paint.

Then I attached oiled bronze knobs to the tops

with E6000 glue.

I found the free printable labels

over here at The Painted Hive.

I didn't have the right label paper to print it out on

but I did have some clear contact paper

so I used that.

I found out the hard way that even after they sit

for an hour, the ink does not dry

very well on the contact paper

and it smudges very easily.

I redid the labels and this time

hit each one with a shot of hairspray.

Yup.

It worked.

As soon as the hairspray was dry,

the labels didn't smudge.

I just peeled the back off the contact paper 

and applied them to the jars.

They look so much better in my kitchen now.

And one last thing.

Katie's dear sweet boyfriend, Travis,

is home from his third tour in Afghanistan.

We have been so thrilled he is home safe and sound.

Of course,

I haven't seen very much of my Katie lately.

She's been busy with this guy, I guess.

Have a great weekend!

xxx-ooo

Holly

Simple Honest Living

Follow my blog with Bloglovin

Anyone who uses social networks

such as Facebook, Blogs, or  Pinterest,

 can see there is a huge trend

 toward consumers making  more frugal choices.

Homemade laundry soap.

Refurbishing their old furniture instead of buying new.

Making simple home cooked meals instead of eating out.

Not too long ago,

It seemed that everyone was trying to keep up with the Joneses.

Buy Bigger!  Buy Better!

It was a cause for embarrassment to admit that you were

making frugal choices, budgeting, 

and looking for ways to cut back on spending.

It meant that you were not quite successful enough.

I think that this is the one good thing 

that has come out of this recession.

People are making better choices.

We are no longer afraid to admit that money is tight

And that we are doing the best we can to hold on to

Whatever it is we have.

We are reusing,

Reducing,

And trying to live more simply.

We’ve gone back to simple pleasures such as,

Hanging our laundry to dry in the sun,

Growing our own vegetables,

Creating beauty from things we already have.

source

Can you imagine dumpster diving or “shopping the curb”

Just ten short years ago?

If you did, you certainly didn’t tell anyone about it.

If you’re a Pinterest user like I am,

You probably have the same phobia that I do.

The fear of throwing something away that you could possibly reuse.

“Well, I guess I’ll just throw this empty tomato can away.”

But wait…..what if I just…..

 source

“This old suitcase is about to fall apart, I should just toss it.”

But hold on a minute, maybe I could….

source

I enjoy learning new ways to
live more simply.
Ways to save money.
Paying down our debt.

I'm amazed at the number of women 
who have been willing to open up
on their blogs
and share their financial hardships
and their ideas for saving money.
And so thankful for that.


And it's a good thing.

xxx
Holly

Grab It Fore It Bolts

The garden looks a little crazy right now.

New to gardening, 

we may not have planned it as well as we thought.

The potatoes have taken over.

Perhaps we planted too many.

Perhaps we have not a clue what we are doing.

We're hoping to see them flower and fall over soon

which will tell us that they are ready to harvest.

The lettuce is looking lovely though

and looks like it may bolt soon

so I picked some for a salad tonight.

They are soaking right now in my kitchen sink

in a bath of vinegar and cold water.

I'm not really fooled into thinking

that this will take care of every single tiny bug.

We will probably have a couple of bugs mixed in 

with our croutons.

What?

You're not coming for dinner?

I'm having issues with our strawberry plants.

I don't think I provided enough drainage

and I should have mixed a little sand in with the soil.

See that strawberry?

That's what we are getting out of these.

Teensy, weensy.

Advice, anyone?

I've planted some sweet potato vines in 

a wine barrel in the yard.

Hopefully, we will have a nice trailing vine

this summer.

I thought for the longest time that

this thing was a weed

but stopped myself from pulling it out several times.

Yesterday,

the beautiful Gerbera Daisies opened up.

So glad I didn't pull it out.

We bought three gardenia bushes

and planted them under the kitchen window

where they get plenty of shade.

Hard to come by here in Arizona.

Such pretty fragrant blooms!

We're looking at a high of 84 degrees today.

Low 90's for the weekend.

Can't wait to use this

for the first time!

Have a Happy Tuesday!!

xxx

Holly