My First Pair of Socks-- A Friday Favorite

On our trip to see Little Man and his folks, I decided to knit my first pair of socks.  They were a very portable project, fast and fun.  I love funky, comfortable footwear!

And, they fit!!  These are my only pair of homemade socks... so, they are my favorites!  I'm adding them to The WhistleStop Cafe's Friday Favorites. 

Had a super fun day playing golf with my friends!  Hope you had a fabulous Friday, too!

The Old Girls--A Labor of Love

Here is the latest progress on one of our Old Girls, a small collection of historic (OLD) multi-family properties.  We have had this one for not quite three years and we have finally gotten to her exterior. 

Here is her "before" exterior.

Here is the "after", that is the after BEFORE we worked on the landscaping yesterday.

Yesterday, we planted azaleas and sweet potato vines...  Thanks to one of our great tenants, Paul, who had the strength to dig up the snarly, scraggly, old holly bushes and roots!  The rocks were donated by a friend of ours who was changing their landscaping.  She is starting to look as good on the outside as she deserves.

Here are a few photos from the interior of one of the four apartments. 

The building is about 4800 square feet, with each unit consisiting of a living room, dining room, kitchen, bedroom, bath and "bonus" room that has been used as a second bedroom, an office, an art studio and a yoga room since we have had it.

I can imagine that in its day, this was a fine old apartment building. 

There is so much character in the Old Girls and I love them every one.

If you are interested in seeing a before and after of another of the interior units see this post.

I say, find one, love one, save one!  ;)

That's How I Roll...

On our recent visit with Little Man, he shared with me that he loves his Mom to push him round and round and round through the house on his Radio Flyer.  He pushes buttons; Mom pushes him.

He also liked Pop Pop to push him on the swings in the park nearby...

I'm starting to see a trend here...

Little Man likes some accelerated motion...

He said, "That's how I roll, Noni!"

Noni is missing her Little Man!

(photo by LM's Mom)

The 6th Photo You Ever Put on Your Blog

My friend, Kim at Savvvy Southern Style is participating in a game with other bloggers where you find and post the 6th photo you posted on your blog.  This photo of one of my friend's living room in a house they renovated.  It was my sixth; the rest of the blog post can be found here. 

I'm inviting anyone who wants to participate to leave a comment that you are so we can come see your sixth photo!! 

Driving Miss Daisy

A couple of years ago, I spotted this bike in a magazine.  It just made me laugh!  I showed it to Evan, my beloved, and sure enough, he tracked it down and I had the most wonderful birthday surprise that year!!

I love Miss Daisy.  She is big and heavy and only has three gears... but, I'm doing this for exercise, aren't I?  Riding Daisy reminds me of a time when I was training for a marathon... well into a 20 mile run... feeling very tired and not really having a good run.  Then, I spotted a balloon bouquet, past its prime, hovering just above ground level being blown gently along by the wind. 

Immediately, my spirits were lifted and I felt a new burst of energy.  I chased down the bouquet and tied it to the back of my water bottle belt.  I looked a bit like a crazy peacock with a balloon bouquet for a colorful tail.

Now, the point of this story is that I found that experience to be a very revealing study of human nature (I'm always fascinated by experiments).  As I finished that run with cars passing by, I was amazed by the diversity of response by the people.  Pretty much, they fell into two categories.  The first and most common was an immediate expression of surprise and joy!  They honked; they waved.  I made them smile; they made me smile in return.  A win win situation.  Then, there was the second group; they were predominated by expressions of incredulity and disdain.  Just unhappy.  And, unhappy that I would be happy or silly or crazy enough to strap a big bouquet of balloons on my butt. 

I'm so glad I live in the first group (most days). 

Driving Daisy is a lot like that accidental experiment in human nature.  Folks usually respond in one of two ways.  I'm happy to report that most seem to, just like me, smile when they see the big old colorful girl.

I think we have to keep our eyes open for things that make us smile... lift our spirits... give us moments of joy. 

I hope you find your moment of joy today.

I'm adding this to Theme Thursday-- Bicyles... just couldn't help myself.  LOL.

Hospitality

hospitality (New Webster's Dictionary):  The generous reception and gracious entertainment of strangers or guests; the disposition to extend friendly treatment to guests.

I've been busy since we returned from our visit with Little Man and his folks and there are still things I want to post about our visit.  But, one of the things I most want to say is how very much I appreciate a loving welcome from my daughter and son-in-law.  And, to say that I notice and appreciate her attention to so many sweet little details.  Flowers nestled throughout the house.  My favorite candy beside the bed.  The most soft and lucious bedding to rest our heads upon.

Warmth and welcome... shelves emptied in the bathroom so that we could make ourselves at home.  Joy was indeed scattered about everywhere we looked... just for us. 

Easter prizes, which Pop Pop enjoyed very much!!  All the details... all the thoughtfulness... all the love.  In our family, the definition of hospitality could be expanded to include an expression or act of love.  It is an act of service, an attention to needs, a work of caring.  Amanda makes it an art.

But, the greatest piece of hospitality is the loving welcome from this part of our family.  And, while I want my daughter to know that I deeply appreciate all her work and her attention to our needs, I most want her to know that her love is all I ever really need.  The rest is icing on the cake!  She and Jerry always make us feel special and loved.  I could not ask for more.  Thank you, my children.  Thank you from the bottom of my heart.

Friday Favorites with Sandi

I finally remembered on a Friday morning to link to Sandi's Friday Favorites at Whistlestop Cafe Cooking!  So, here are two of my favorites:

This shawl was so easy and fun to make!  And, the colors just make me happy when I wear it! 

Then, there is this:

Okay, I'll admit it... I want a happy ending.  There are tons of parodies of the Nike commercial released yesterday; this was my favorite.  I want to believe Tiger will find his way.

Easter Hugs and Kisses

The most handsome Little Man wore his (too large) sweater and hugged on his bunny.  All to his Noni's delight!

He lights up our world.

And adds lots of laughter and lots of love!

Little Man also wore his Uncle Zack's Easter outfit... vintage... lol... 26 years old!  Smocked with love for Wild Man (Uncle Zack) by his Mom, a.k.a. Little Man's Noni.  We know he made Uncle Zack proud.

Little Man loved the biscuits at the Chateau Morisette.  He ate and ate and ate... until his mom said he had to be cut off!  Someone should have cut the rest of us off, too!

It was a wonderful Easter holiday.

While happy to be home again... I miss this little family.