"Question for you, Mamacita!"

 "What is your _____________ recipe?"  Awwww, I love those kind of texts!  I pulled out the book that sits on our counter and took a picture of what I used for all their growing up years.  After a little thought, I added some more helpful tips that I have used on and off depending on what I had on hand.

I am so thankful for all the things I learned from my dear Momma!  It is my desire to pass on the information to our children...hence the blog and the recipe box that really needs to be organized and tidied up.  I am thankful for technology!  When I moved out and away...Dad and Mom moved to Canada shortly after that.  We had a phone connected to the wall by a springy cord with long distance call charges to Canada and the US postal service provided you had a 32 cent stamp...but to Canada was 45 cents!

So many memories and moments of thankfulness!

And taking time to pass on a wonderful legacy that touches so many daily life routines!

It's all new again...yet the same!

Morning cuddles in the chair are starting a little bit earlier these days.  I have decided to get up out of bed when I wake up instead of lay there and go back to sleep.  I get more done when I get up and get moving.  Coffee and music when Ted leaves for work while we sit and read God's Word to get the right thinking process going for the day.

Afternoons across the desk from Ted as we work through and work on our investment projects.  Often I leave with a headache and a long to do list.  I am still learning a lot of things and juggling it all to keep it straight. 

Cooking differently...for just the two of us...yet trying to make it interesting and yummy!  I have to have variety...so I'm pulling up the recipes I have saved on Pinterest.

For the nights that I just need a little sweet...smore in the microwave!  A few chocolate chips and a giant marshmallow....yummy and sticky.
 

Doing "Mom" things

"If you give a Mom a Q-tip...and a screw driver...she will clean the fan!"

We worked on different projects and listened to music while we chatted.  Such a normal routine to life lately...and I realized that this is all changing when I pull out on Sunday to head north.  

Alisa got the call this morning to seal the offer of the job!  She will start August 19th!  And yes, there were tears of relief and gratefulness to God.  We took a break from unpacking and cleaning to go get our nails done.  

We grabbed some lunch...Alisa's choice.  "You know...when I moved Ashlynn down to TN...our first meal was at Subway...but we were all sweaty!"  We stopped at the store and headed home to wait for Ashlynn and Alex to get off work.

We went to a yummy Mexican restaurant for supper together to celebrate Alisa's move!

Ashlynn and Alex suggested this yummy place!  We enjoyed our time together.

And shared dessert...deep fried cheesecake and churros!

My heart is full and I was wishing Ted was here with us too!

Mom always finds and gets treats to try!  Alisa took me to Bargain Hunt.  We walked the whole store that had a very interesting mix of items.  I found these treats...and they were pretty good!

Saturday morning...

Cleaning out the gunk in the washer...

Alisa made a delicious supper for us!  

Ashlynn got off work late and we crashed with a movie and Bruster's mint chocolate chip ice cream.

Sunday morning church with Alisa at Corryton and then it was time to say "Goodbye for now!"

Alex brought a treat to us.  I got to taste Granny S's red velvet cake!  Ashlynn made sure I had a sandwich for the road, and it was time to hug the girls and get on the road.

I let Ted know I was leaving and my ETA in Michigan was 7:55pm!  I rolled down the road and saw the time jump up to 10:00pm and knew something was up!  Right at the perfect time, I found out there was an accident with wait times of at least 2 hours!  I was able to get off at the exit and take an alternate route!  Thank you, Lord!  I followed this semi and my GPS with a whole line of cars behind us through 14 plus miles of curvy roads up and down the mountains and through Elk Valley and finally into Jellico...around the accident site!  I was so thankful that I was driving because I would have been very sick!  I was feeling woozy by the time I got on straight roads.  I stopped in Dry Ridge, KY, to gas up and get a DD coffee!

As I hit Cincinnati, OH, and traffic slowed down, I thought about the last time I was traveling through here by myself...and sat for a long time...and called Mom.  The tears started and sweet memories washed over me as music played reminding me that God carries us through the hard times of life!

The weather and seasons change.  The miles across the United States bring scenery changes.  The life experiences change us.  I had time to think about all of those things as I drove.  How quickly life can change in a year...in less than a year!

It seems that life is all about change!  I am grateful that through all the change...God never changes!  He gives us exactly what we need...when we need it...till we reach our Heavenly Home.  For now, I am so thankful for God's provision and protection...and the home we have to share here on earth.

 

A morning drive with our son

Teddy worked a couple hours and then came and picked me up for a tour of his new place.

The day and the drive was just beautiful!  Teddy's house is at the base of the the mountain on the left.

His driveway is very unique!

It was fun to see in person all the things he has been talking about for the last couple months!  His shower set up for the times he doesn't shower over at Ashlynn's place.

Teddy had a busy weekend with the guys to celebrate an upcoming wedding.  It was fun to have a short visit with him as he packed up with all the clean laundry.

"Hey...what is that for?"  Oh, yeah, that is my snake grabber!

Such a pretty setting!  He has some more work to do and then we can come stay with him and help on some projects.  First up...bathroom!  "Mom, once I get a toilet in...you guys can come stay!"  

Tennessee is a beautiful part of the country!

And now that all three kids are there...the mountains seem to call us!  "You know...we are going to have to make plans about the holidays!"  Yeah!  Mom, you guys will have to come here this year...since all three of us are here in TN...it just makes sense!

Yep, we would travel to the ends of the earth to see our kids...our young adults!
 

The last little bird flew from the nest!

The countdown is on!  Alisa took a break from packing to go visit Grandma Jan.  We are so thankful for all the people that pour into our lives.  A few minutes into our visit, I had to leave and go help Ted, which included another check-in with the ER crew.  Some weird symptoms and concern had us going to get checked out.  After some fluids and more tests, we were on our way home just before sunset.  We are still asking the Lord to show us what to do and when to find some more answers.  Ted insisted that we go ahead with the plan for me to help move Alisa down to TN.  So after we got home,  Alisa and I finished loading the van.

We slept fitfully and got up ready to start the trip south.

A few final comments and instructions from Dad, prayer, and a hug...and we all hit the road.  Ted went to work and we headed south on I-75.

It was bittersweet to pack her up and let her go!  Alisa has been our resident Helper Extraordinaire!  She has also been my shopping/crafting/movie-watching/coffee or tea drinking buddy.

I'm going to miss her and all her fun ideas!  But I am so excited for her to take this next big leap of faith!  She has done all the interviews for a job and is waiting for the final offer.

We stopped in Sidney, OH, for gas and comfort stop.  I grossed Alisa out with my choice of a snack at 10:30am....a tuna salad sandwich and pineapple.  Both of which hit the spot!

We stopped at Buc-ees in Richmond, KY, in order to walk around and use the bathroom.  Alisa filled her tank up.  The place was filled with LOTS of vacationers!

"There are too many people here!"

Next stop...Ashlynn's place!

The sweet tea WAS NOT GOOD!  I am not sure what happened...end of the batch or what??? It was SO disappointing.  The chips were good.

God gave safety in travel and moderate traffic.  We were thankful for the cloud cover which made for a cooler travel day.

A little sweet treat to savor...

which came in handy during a 45 minute slow down!  I got to catch up on messages as we inched our way along due to an earlier accident and clean up.  We hit another 15 minute slow down as we got closer to our Knoxville exit.

We arrived safely at 4:55pm and unloaded.  Teddy came after getting off work and helped get the big things upstairs.  He is a busy guy these days!  He took a shower and spent some time with us.

Off to his small group for the evening!  

Ashlynn got home from work and we shared a pizza for supper.

Catching up and crashing after a busy day.

Alisa has to figure out how to set up her new room!  The same room Teddy lived in for almost two years!

I got to be helpful by folding Teddy's clothes...a non-stop job for the working man!