Merry Christmas everyone!

It has been a busy year with the move to Kentucky

and us working, but we are so

blessed to be here with some of

our family.

May the Lord bless you all and have

a wonderful 2009!

POWER PLAY!

This story began on Sunday, Sept. 14th with a wind storm created from Ike. We lost power (but did have generator that kept the refrigerators running and the fans). Little did we know that it would be 9 days before the lights and air conditioning came on again!
We were also blessed with mild weather and the evenings were delightful. Needless to say we were glad to see the trucks coming on Tuesday the 23rd to fix the power lines and get us back on line again. As I was talking with my daughter on Tuesday afternoon the lights blinked and we were up and running. Both of us were shouting with joy!!!

The outages were around 330,000 and they were working on the last 6,000 on Tuesday. Yeah!!!

It Runs In the Family!

Ann's Photography...flowers from her backyard

Bill and I are on a 10 day trip to Easley, SC and Atlanta, GA visiting 2 of our children and their families (7 of our 11 grandchildren!!!).  Actually we have 3 of our Louisville grandchildren with us on this trip and we are all having a ball!   Our oldest granddaughter Ann (daughter of our son Bill) is becoming quite the photographer.   We had a wonderful visit with them and now we are in Atlanta visiting our daughter Anna and her family.  

Have a great week!

A Special Birthday

Happy Birthday Kim! Our first born...wow! I love celebrating all my children's birthdays...each one is so special, but Kim was the first. She's a wonderful daughter, wife, mother of 4 and has a heart that belongs to the Lord. I'm smiling as I write these words.

Tranquility

Today I was off from work and the day has been beautiful. Not just the weather but how I spent my day. Time with the Lord, time with my daughter Kim (and granddaughter Alexandria) and ended the day spending time with my husband and best friend Bill. It has truly been a tranquil day.



Note: this is one of the suncatchers that was designed from photos that our daughter Anna had taken. She gave us this before we moved to Kentucky.

Project Black: Roxy

Meet "Roxy". She's a Lab mix and she loves her life at the Shrout home. Sarah (13) feeds, bathes and brushes her all the time (well, most of the time!). They brought her back from North Carolina about 4 years ago and she rules the backyard now. The funniest thing about Roxy is since we have moved here she has fallen in love with Bill. She follows him everywhere (literally on his heels) and even though he acts like it bothers him sometimes...he really enjoys her a lot!

Project Black: Ring, Ring, Ring

Okay, I was somewhat desperate tonight looking for something black and there was Kim sitting in a chair holding her iPhone. All the feet (her family) were taken at the beach during spring break this year. Anna and her family were there too and we made some wonderful memories together.

Project Black: Checkers

Let's play checkers!!!! This is my daughter Kim's kitchen floor. You can imagine how hard it is to keep this floor clean with 4 children running around. I'm off to find more black things tomorrow. Have a blessed week.

Project Black: Tempus Fugit

...when you're having fun! And we are having fun in Kentucky!!! This sundial came with us from Raleigh, NC and now sits under the magnolia tree (6/25/08 post) that also came from NC many years ago. We do find clocks much more reliable...

Project Black: Swingin...

Bill added this tire swing to our grandchildren's back yard about 5 years ago. As you can see from the ground below it is used quite a bit. I've even seen some adults on it over the years!

Heaven on Earth

This afternoon I was able to sit outside on the deck and enjoy a beautiful day. When I looked up I saw the blue skies through the trees. I wonder if times like this are a little bit of "heaven on earth". It feels like that to me...

Have a great evening!

Why Women Need Catalogs

My sister sent me this video last week. Hope you enjoy it...I thought it was soooo funny! Be sure and turn up the sound. Have a great day!

North Carolina Transplant...

This is a magnolia bloom on a transplanted 18" twig from my husband's family home in Raleigh. We gave it to our daughter Kim around 1999-2000. It's really becoming a beautiful tree (see below) in her back yard.

"Happy Father's Day" DAD!

This is my wonderful Dad...Art! He is 89 years old and he is a very active man. For 40+ years he's been a Shrine Santa at Christmas and as you can see he makes a beautiful Santa Claus! He has brought me love and joy for all the years of my life. God couldn't have blessed me with a better Dad. He has a wonderful wife Flo, and then there's my favorite sister Linda and of course "me". My mother passed away in 2002 and my brother passed away last fall (Oct 31st blog) but I know they're watching over us all. My dad is also the grandfather of 3 and great grandfather of 11 (and he knows them all!!!). HAPPY FATHER'S DAY... DAD!!!

Highlights of Blue

I have been finding blues in the strangest places...take my granddaughters hair! This is her summer fun look and I love it. Actually I have 2 granddaughters that have done this but Sadie (Anna's daughter) has pink. Alex loves the Lord, playing soccer, old movies, all kinds of music and has her own style (enlarge her picture and check out her earrings). She made the ceramic lighthouse in a previous post.

Carolina Blue

This post is for our son-in-law John. He's a Carolina graduate and over the years has made all of us big UNC fans. I hope all the family is having a great Colorado vacation.

Kentucky Lighthouse!!!

Okay...so there aren't any lighthouses in Kentucky! I knew that!!! My granddaughter Alex is very creative and loves all kinds of art. She made this and brought it home to me at the end of this school year. I think she has "Hatteras" in her blood. I love the way she's transformed the stripes from black to blue. Since Bill and I have moved from NC, this is a fun reminder of our many day trips to the beach...minus the ocean...and the seafood...and the hush puppies...and so on.

A "Blue Plate Special"

Happy Birthday to you...Happy Birthday to you! Today is our youngest daughter Anna's birthday! In our family there are these plates that pop up at mealtime when someone is having a special day. Our oldest daughter Kim started using a fish plate years ago and now she has this one to put on the table and make someone feel extra special. It's a really fun way to bless someone around your table. Happy Birthday Anna Marie...we love you, Mom & Dad

Summer Camp Blues

We have two granddaughters that for the last 8 years have been going to camp every summer for two weeks. The trunks are out of the basement and guess what...one of them is "blue" so this is my first color post.

Trying to "Move On"

First thing that needs to happen when you are moving is to break-down! So that's what happened before we ever left Raleigh, NC. We spent one more night there and got a new "something" and off we went to Louisville, KY to live nearer family. We downsized 45 years of stuff into a small U-Haul and a trailer (WOW!). It was a smooth trip and we have been here about a month now. We have settled in our place here and I have gone back to work. As soon as I get my camera back from Anna I'll post pictures of this beautiful part of the country.

Carolina Blue Skies

What a day!! We live in America...the skies are Carolina blue...and UNC won the ACC!!! What a day!!! God bless America!

Spring's Coming!

I am so ready for Spring! Our neighborhood is full of white blossoms and bulbs starting to peak out of the ground. This is truly one of my favorite seasons.

Water Water Everywhere!

North Carolina is one of the states that has been dealing with major drought issues. Raleigh, where we live, has put major restrictions on water usage since our water supply has been dwindling since early summer. Many people have made or purchased rain barrels to collect water. Well today, for the second time this week, we are getting much needed rain. Praise the Lord!

Special Routines

I remember when I'd visit my parents and I used to chuckle at their "routines" that they enjoyed so much. Especially the ones in the evening before they headed to bed. It was such a special time in their lives and it was fun to see them do these different things together. For us "hot chocolate at bedtime" has become a daily item. I don't know when it started but it has become part of our evenings and I love it! BTW...Bill makes really good hot chocolate!!

Speculatin' on Kentucky!

Tonight, after working I came home to candlelights, wine and beautiful music (Michael Utley and the Coral Reefers Band which played for Jimmy Buffett). Bill has blessed me with so many wonderful moments like this through our years together. The horse on our table was bought in Lexington, KY and reminds us of where we are headed. Our home is back on the market after some work that needed to be done and we are now looking forward to a good offer and then our move back to Kentucky. Our prayer is for everything to be smooth and uneventful. God has truly blessed us...

A Warm Fire...

Yesterday was a cold and windy day here in Raleigh...which in my head means it's time to build a fire!! One of my favorite things about winter is building a fire to cozy up to and either read or watch a good movie. I remember when my mom was living she'd have a fire going pretty much all day long during the winters in Oklahoma. Anyway, we are trying to get all the use out of this fireplace before we move on to Kentucky...

Alexandria

She turns 16 today! I remember holding her as a newborn and the joy I felt. Our first daughter giving birth to our first grandchild...priceless. Anyway, Alex is one of a kind...she's a trendsetter, she makes us laugh, she's very artistic and creative like her dad and she loves the Lord. It has been a joy to watch her grow in so many ways. In the above picture she is wearing a "Sweet 16" corsage that my good friend Judy (kenju) made for her. It was popular where I grew up and I had one too (many, many years ago!). I knew Alex would enjoy it!! Happy Birthday Alex? We love you, Grandma & Granddaddy...

Unfolding Memories

As we are preparing to move back to Kentucky to be closer to our families we are finding some wonderful memories while going through boxes in the attic. This Bible was given to me Christmas, 1957 (14 years old) by my mom & dad. I remember lying in bed each night reading it cover to cover trying to understand all I could about Jesus and His love for me. When I think back now I don't know how much I really understood since it is the King James Version. As I continued reading and studying His word it began to take on more and more meaning in my daily life. Over the years, through life's ups and downs, I have always known that the Lord walks with me...and I am both grateful and amazed at his awesome love and forgiveness.

Winter Color

January is always a difficult time for me with all the color and joy of Christmas gone and basically there seems to be much gray. These bushes are in our front yard and I was drawn to the brilliant color. It made me smile at the brightness of the red. I am also enjoying a new camera by way of my daughter Anna. She got a new and improved one...so I now have her D50 Digital SLR. Right now there's alot of blurry pictures but it's improving!

I wish for you all a wonderful 2008!!