Sunday, November 6, 2011

Random Ramblings!


Hello Blog Friends...Happy Autumn!
I thought I would show you a little of my fall decorations first of all...and then I will tell you what we have been doing recently. So since I went nearly a month without blogging..(other than posting a poem I wrote recently), I have a lot to catch up on. So, this will be a long one! I hope I don't bore you. I just had some pictures I wanted to post, so I thought I'd just "get 'er done!" (:>)



I saw these big sparkly leaves at a boutique here in town and added them to my table to make it feel fall~ish!



I had fun setting the table as though I was having dinner guests! Ha! I haven't had dinner guests in such a long while. Everything takes so much effort these days...and I just don't do as much as I used to do.



I set my pumpkins on the floor by the door to greet my visitors. I had fun painting a design on one of them.



I placed my two cute little turtles down there with my pumpkins, cuz I thought they were cute. (You can click on the picture to make it bigger so you can see them better.)



I sat a few little pumpkins on my sofa table too...but I don't really do a lot of decorating for the fall season.



My granddaughter Bailey walked her new doggy Duncan over to meet grandma. He is a cute 3 year old Corgi that someone gave them! They also have another Corgi named Riley who is 6 years old! They are good little dogs. The Queen of England has Corgis too.



Grandpa recently bought Bailey her first car! It's a little Ford Focus.



Bailey said she thought a small car would be good on gas mileage! Since she will be paying for her own gas, and also insurance she is wise to be aware of that.



We had 4 Autumn Birthdays to celebrate, so we finally got around to doing that. Here is Adelynn showing us her Birthday money. Grandpa gave it all to her in one dollar bills! He thought it would impress her...but she was quickly talking about getting it changed into bigger bills! (Oh and on the front he stuck a fake million dollar bill! He is such a jokester!)



Here's our daughter Lynnette showing us her birthday bucks too!



And here are all of the birthday people...Jared, Lynnette and Kyle, and Adelynn. We had birthday pies instead of cake.



We met our friend Toni and her youngest daughter Kerri at the airport in Springfield Mo., and then spent a week in Branson with them in Oct. They live in Arizona, and invited us to share their time-share condo with them for the week! It was nice, and we enjoyed time together.



We have been friends for 32 years, and we feel like sisters! And I am Auntie Linda to her girls, and she is like an Auntie to my girls.



Here is Toni and her daughter Kerri in a quaint little shopping village in Branson Mo. They have a Christmas shop in there and then a whole lot of specialty shops. The day we were there there was a man playing a saxophone and selling cd's. I bought one, cuz I love saxophone music.



This is the big Sight and Sound Theater where we went to see The Noah Musical. It was Awesome! Just an amazing production! It was the last week that it would be there and I had wanted to see it for years. Next season they will have The Joseph Story...and I want to see that too!



I just loved this statue of the lion laying down with the lamb.



This was a fun display of pumpkins at Silver Dollar City. Yes,...we went there again! (:>) We always get season tickets. And then we get discount tickets for guests. It was the fall Craft Festival, so lots of artists were there.



This is a glass chapel in Eureka Springs Arkansas, we took a little side trip to Arkansas one day. Toni and Kerri wanted to see this cool chapel, so we rode the trolley up the hill to see it. We stayed there about 30 minutes and also went inside. It is such a peaceful setting!



My friend Myrna's daughter got married there 5 years ago. It was a neat place to have a wedding, out there among the trees.



People come from all over the place to see this chapel, and to sit inside and pray. It is pretty in each different season. Eureka Springs is a tourist attraction...but it is a Victorian town and has several neat old homes nestled in the hills. They have turned several of them into Bed and Breakfasts.



When the trolley returned for us we had it leave us at the top of the hill in town and we walked down through the town and shopped in different shops. This was a neat park in the middle of town, so we sat there for awhile and enjoyed listening to a guy play guitar and sing. It was a peaceful setting too.




We took some pictures and just enjoyed the park, and the beautiful day.





There were some neat old buildings in Eureka Springs.




John liked the old advertising that was painted on the side of one of the brick buildings.



We enjoyed our day in Eureka Springs Arkansas and then headed back to Missouri before it got dark, since there were lots of winding roads that we didn't want to drive on after the sun went down.



While in Branson we also saw several shows. One of them was the brother's group called SIX. They were fantastic. We bought a cd...but nothing is ever as good as it is in person. Six is good music and lots of comedy. We loved them.



When we got home from our trip, I felt like making a fall arrangement for a bucket I bought at my friend Rodgie's antique store. I have been enjoying it.



I got my haircut when we got home too.



And then a few days later I got it colored. It is darker, so I am having to adjust to it. It will fade and lighten up each time I wash it...but if I don't get used to it I may have to have it highlighted again! (I never seem to be content with it these days! But I think it's part of me just getting older and not wanting to admit it!)



Last night my daughter Lisa and I went to see Amy Grant in concert with Michael W. Smith. We got there early and got our seat. It was in a big church here in Wichita.



It was fun and we both enjoyed the concert and being together for a girls night out.



Just before the show was over we felt like someone was kicking the back of our seats and causing them to vibrate. But after the lights came on Lisa had a text from her husband who told us we had just had a 5.6 earthquake! I have lived in Kansas for 32 years and have never felt an earthquake here. It was a little unnerving. The son-in-law said that here in Derby, he felt the whole house shaking. The center of the quake was near Oklahoma City and it was felt hundreds of miles away.

I was born and raised in Southern California, and I grew up experiencing earthquakes. When I was a kid we always had earthquake drills at school. They would tell us to get under our desks or stand in a door frame.

I have forgotten the fear of earthquakes since I moved to the Midwest and tornadoes have taken their place. I experienced one of those and it blew out all of the glass in my car and the light pole next to my car crashed on the car right next to mine, as I worked in the mall and we all had to run to the inner hallways to take cover.

Life is full of unsettling things...but when you know the Lord he is our refuge and strength!

We enjoyed singing praises to God along with Amy Grant and Michael W. Smith last night and while we were singing our Hallelujahs, the earth was moving and we didn't even realize it! Praise you King Jesus...You hold the whole world in your mighty hands!

17 comments:

Sarah Robbins said...

You've been busy! I've missed your posts, but I am so happy to hear about all the fun you have been having! Thanks for catching us all up.

Karin said...

It was great to catch up with you! Lots happening here too - just haven't found time to write about it!
Great PHOTOS!! Be blessed!

Deanna said...

Hi Linda! I hope my comment sticks this time. I tried to comment from facebook and couldn't get through. Will try again.

Like your cute haircut...the flip is really cute. Looks nice on you.

Your post is full of fun with family and friends. Good to read about the news and sweet that your Granddaughter has a new car! That has got to be exciting for her.

Birthday Pie sounds pretty good to me. Just blow the candle out and serve it up. You have a really sweet family and it must be wonderful to celebrate the birthdays together.

Your home is lovely! The decorations are beautiful and I really like the shiny pumpkins.

Last night my husband felt the tremor, but I didn't. I was sitting in the same room as him! Payton was upstairs and she felt it. Back in 1974 when I lived in Liberal Kansas I felt a quake. Very odd sensation.

My Oklahoma son and family felt the quake and it terrified my 9 year old Granddaughter. They aren't use to them. I'm not sure I could get use to them!

Which is worse...tornadoes or quakes? Not much warning quakes are coming. Scary!

Have a terrific week!!!

Thankful we can cry out to God,
d

BARBIE said...

I love your fall decorations! I haven't even decorated yet. Might just wait until Christmas now. Have a wonderful week.

Bethe77 said...

Linda what lovely adventures you ahve shared with us. Such fun! The beauty of your Fall arrangements are gorgous! Glad no one was hurt in the earthquake. I have heard you ahve several mini ones that have followed. I know the Lord holds you all.
Glad to see your post.
Many blessings

LC said...

Lovely photos and memories of fall, family and friends!

Lois Christensen said...

Love the pictures from your trip! I went to college in Springfield MO and have friends that live there. Love the fall arrangement! And the birthday money is a cute thing! Glad you had a nice time!

Maryellen said...

Enjoyed your Branson trip brought back great memories for me of our trip this time 2 years ago. We also shopped at those little shops. So pretty there. We got to see the Andy Williams Christmas show - I couldn't get Moon River out of my head for weeks hah

Veronica said...

The way you ended this post says it all, Momma! So true!

I enjoyed reading all about your adventures and seeing your fall decorations! How fun getting to celebrate all the birthday and getting to go to the concert too!

That is just crazy about the earthquakes! I hope things calm down again soon over there!

Love you!

Rachel Lundy said...

You have some beautiful fall decorations! I like your artistic eye.

I've never been to the Sight and Sound theater, but I've heard good things about it. I hope I get to go someday.

Rachel

P.S. I'm having a giveaway on my blog today (and through the weekend). You are welcome to come and enter!

Tami said...

Gorgeous decorations and a wonderful trip. Those life-long "sister friends" are the best. Between the family and the friends, seems like you're having a wonderful autumn. Thanks for sharing.

Anonymous said...

Morning my friend, I have missed you....I love Eureka Springs...I think I should move there...let me check with God...uhm said no he wants me right here ..He has a divine purpose for me in the middle of nowhere... LOL ...but I can visit Eureka Springs! Isn't He wonderful?

betty said...

Thanks for visiting our blog (a corgi in southern california) and your kind comment. Duncan is so cute! He does look a lot like Koda, Koda is a redhead tri-color corgi, saw that Duncan had black fur on his head; that was how Koda's was before it changed to red. They are great dogs!

You have been busy! I liked the glass chapel; I bet it was neat to spend time in there in person!

Great concert to be at when the earth was moving under your feet with the earthquake!

hope your Sunday is a great one!

betty

Kristin said...

Wow, Momma...you've been a busy lady! I love all your decorations and the design you painted on your pumpkin. That glass chapel is so amazing! It looks like you had such a fun time on your trip. That would be my kind of place to visit, with all the shops and neat things to see. How fun to go to a concert too, but so crazy with all these earthquakes in strange places, huh? I just love that picture of you and John :)

Unknown said...

Thank you for the sweet comment on my blog! It's nice to meet you. :) I love all of your Autumn decorations, they are all so pretty! Those turtles are especially cute. My mom collects little turtle figurines so I suppose I've always had a soft spot for them too. :)

{Grace} said...

thanks for checking out my blog! ;)

It's All Good said...

Love your post, sounds like you all had so much fun! I also have a ford focus and it does get great gas mileage. Looking forward to more updates.

-Olivia