AND SO IT BEGINS ... AGAIN

First full day of school today ~ a day of lasts and firsts. For grandson Elijah, he is in fourth grade, his last year in elementary school. I asked him how his day was and he said, "Awesome!" He's excited about this new school year and he likes his teachers.

Granddaughter Shelby is in ninth grade ~ her first year in high school. She describes it as being "a little fish in a big pond" and admits to being a bit freaked out this morning when her mom dropped her off ~ it is a huge school with over 2200 students ~ but she's happy to have survived her first day. 

Looking forward to seeing all the great things these two will accomplish this year. 

NASHVILLE FLEA MARKET

Neil and I went to the Nashville Flea Market today. Haven’t been in forever. While he was browsing through retro T shirts, I was looking up at the big blue sky and saw this heart-shaped cloud. Pretty cool. And free of charge.

This time of year at the flea market, you can find all sorts of fresh fruits and veggies ~ like these beautiful tomatoes. Home Grown. In the soil, no less. Would make a tasty addition to a home grown BLT.

If you’re old enough to remember this, then you are pretty darned old. And dig those pink flamingos and blue chairs.

Love the colors of these glass bottles.

Cheese! Patron saint of dentists, perhaps?

I’m in this mess of stuff. Can you see me?

No big surprise finding Confederate flags for sale at the Nashville Flea Market. They’re always available. Today we saw them everywhere. This vendor said he had to raise his price on them because they were in such demand now and he can’t keep them in stock for long. No big surprise there, either. Was tempted to buy one just for the heck of it. We did buy one of his beautiful American flags, stitched and (perhaps) tea dyed to look aged (not the one in the frame BTW). We’re going to hang it in our hallway.

A cool metal Tennessee sign. In Big Orange, of course.

153 days or 13,193,304 seconds until Christmas (yeah, I Googled it) This Santa can’t believe it, either. Good thing he’s in a display case with a watch so he can count down the seconds until the big day.

Green eyed lady, lovely lady

Hey I just met you
And this is crazy
But here’s my number
So call me maybe

Blackbird singing in the dead of night …
Hey, I’m on a roll with these song lyrics.

The gang’s all here. Let’s party!

Hey, hey, we’re the monkeys!

Snappers! For a minute there, I thought we were in Florida. Felt like Florida today.

This chair made me sad. I don’t even know why.

There is nothing automatic about this contraption, whatever it is.

You can make up your own caption for this.

These signs are always at the flea market. I’d love to have this one. We’re all here because we’re not all there.

I don’t even know what this is.

Greetings from the Nashville Flea Market! Me and the hubby ~ gratuitous selfie, photo-bombed by the Confederacy. [I tell you, they were everywhere.] I did end up with a red neck, though. The sun was brutal. Almost melted once or twice out there. So glad we could escape to the air conditioned buildings now and then.

One of those books you might need but you’re not sure why. Apparently, a manual on how to shoot perpetual trouble, volume 17 for those of us who are annoyed by Roman numbers.

This is by far the wackiest thing I saw today. $400 for the pair. Wouldn’t want to break up this couple. They would be great fun on Halloween.

Disclaimer: there is no Jack in these barrels

Strangest combo I saw today ~ Pez dispensers corralled in a bed pan

True? Probably

One more delicious reason to go to the Nashville Flea Market. Yum!

When we got home, we enjoyed supper with Kelly and Knox at Ocha (and a Coke with Mom and Dad ~ that’s us!)

A couple of Minions joined us

Knox already owned one Minion. He found another one that someone had left behind at the park today. He likes them. The movie, not so much.

Sorry I cut your head off, Kelly.
Happy TGIF, y’all!!

HAPPY 14TH BIRTHDAY, SHELBY!

Child of my child, heart of my heart.
Your smile bridges the years between us...
I am young again, discovering the world through your eyes.
You have the time to listen and I have the time to spend,
Delighted to gaze at familiar, loved features made new in you again.
Through you, I see the future. Through me, you'll see the past.
In the present, we'll love one another as long as these moments last. ― Author Unknown


Granddaughter Shelby celebrated her 14th birthday today, July 18, 2015 with a party at her house. She broke with tradition; instead of birthday cake, she had birthday pie. Three of them! She made a Snicker/Caramel Apple pie, her aunt Kelly made a fudge pie, and courtesy of Mrs. Smith, an apple pie. Each pie was to die for, and we just might since we sampled all of them. In another break from tradition, Shelby also requested her Grandpa’s yummy home made vanilla ice cream to go with the pies. We sang the Birthday Song, she blew out 14 candles [all in one breath ~ I didn’t even have time to snap that picture] and after we stuffed ourselves with pie and ice cream, she opened her gifts ~ beautiful clothes and shoes, iTunes gift card, the novel Paper Towns, a Daryl Dixon keychain and a home made card from her brother, Elijah, with a dollar attached. Yesterday, she and her mom went to Nashville to shop, and they visited the Bluebird Café, something Shelby has been wanting to do for a long time, but tickets were sold out and the lines were long, so they plan to go again another time. She had a fun birthday, and we loved helping her celebrate. Happy Birthday, Shelby!! Our first grandchild and only granddaughter, you are so special to us in so many ways. We love you always!! Wishing you a wonderful year!

HAPPY 20TH BIRTHDAY, SARAH!

My sweet niece peep Sarah, one of my most favorite people on the planet and maybe in the entire universe, left her teenage years behind on July 13 and celebrated this milestone with cousins at Six Flags in Kentucky and then again this evening with pineapple upside down cake, ice cream, punch and assorted aunts, uncles, cousins, sister and parents who all love her dearly. Happy 20th, Sarah Catherine! Love you always.

Psalm 37

3Trust in the Lord and do good;

dwell in the land and enjoy safe pasture.

4Take delight in the Lord,

and he will give you the desires of your heart.

5Commit your way to the Lord;

trust in him and he will do this:

6He will make your righteous reward shine like the dawn,

your vindication like the noonday sun.

Love is the beauty of the soul. ~Saint Augustine

My niece Sarah gave a fabulous waffle brunch this morning for her nearest and dearest ~ just because she wanted to show her love for us and how much we mean to her. She and her family worked hard to make this occasion special and beautiful and delicious and it was all that and much more. She wrote notes of love and gratitude for each of us. Thank you, Sarah. I do love you and your tender heart.

CELEBRATING INDEPENDENCE DAY 2015

When in the Course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another, and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.
We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.

The 4th of July is a cherished tradition in my family. Every year we get together in my back yard, laugh, talk, eat great food until we’re about to explode, then eat yummy desserts until we finally do explode, play corn hole, take lots of pictures, go for a walk around the neighborhood and pretend that’s going to burn off the mass calories we just consumed, then eat homemade ice cream while we enjoy a spectacular fireworks show, all the while thanking God for blessings too many to count ~ freedom, family, friends, food, fun and of course fireworks, just to name a few. This year, we did all these things and got to do it all outside ~no rain! ~ plus we also got to enjoy the awesome fireworks show our town provided ~ we’ve really missed that these past few years. Thank God for Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness! Happy Independence Day from the Ranft/Myers/Kimbrough/Foy/Sissom Families!