What the Heck??

JJ was playing with my camera this morning and caught Muffin...I think mid-yawn.

Scary and cute all at the same time!

Christmas in July!

I am a Christmas fan. There. I've said it.

I always have the best of intentions when it comes to Christmas preparations, decorations, shopping, you name it. But it seems I'm always rushing around at the last minute, every year.

No more.

I have been a frequent viewer but only occasional poster at Magical Holiday Home, a wonderful site I followed from its predecessor Organized Christmas. And through MHH I've discovered a whole new world of blogs--Christmas blogs! More Christmas than you can imagine!

Today I discovered Christmas Memories in My Heart, from MHH poster printersdevil. She is hosting a Christmas in July giveaway for the whole month. (I'm sorry I missed out earlier.) Please take some time to check out her blog and leave her a comment to get a chance at winning the fabulous prizes!

In the spirit of Christmas, here's one of my pictures from last Christmas:

This was the dining room table all ready for dinner. The dishes were my parents', and not Christmas ones, but I love them. We always have Christmas crackers for after dinner. That's my dear mother-in-law Dolores at the end of the table.

Merry Christmas in July! Only 170 days until Christmas!

Come Sail Away With Me

Last night JJ and I got to see one of the all-time best arena rock bands, Styx! It was a great show...they still know how to rock!

My pictures aren't all that great, as our camera doesn't take pictures well from far away (we were in the 35th row) and especially not at night. But I tried!

Opening act was a young man named Tyler Bryant, from Texas. 18 years old and what a guitar player!


Second up was good old Southern rock band 38 Special. They were my first concert ever, along with Molly Hatchet, when I was a senior in high school. They had 1 hit at the time, so last night's show was much better, as they had many more songs to play.



Then the finale...Styx! Tommy Shaw is supposed to be the lead singer now, but the main players seemed to take turns with lead vocals. It really made for an enjoyable show! The keyboardist was amazing! Well, really they all were!


Tommy Shaw, still rockin' after all these years!

We were Rockin' Into the Night with these bands and all the other Renegades present! Thanks for a great time!

Domo arigato.

Campin' on a Monday

You've gotta love technology. Eric sent me these pictures from his Blackberry from the wilderness surrounding Goshen Scout Reservation in southern Virginia.
This is the closing ceremony from the first day of Boy Scout camp yesterday. That's Nicky in the light blue shorts with the American flag over his head. After the closing, they hiked about a half-mile away and had the week's religious ceremony (I know it was Monday, but they didn't have one scheduled for Sunday as it was the arrival day for all the troops). This serves as the chapel at Goshen.

It's nice to see what they're doing from so far away!

This Couch was Made for Sleepin'

We replaced our couches for our living room last year. The set we had was my parents', and it was old and in bad shape. The couch went to the dump, but the love seat was still in decent shape, so we brought it to the basement for extra seating. It faces the back door and windows leading to the back yard. It gets lots of sunshine in the morning and has a lovely view of the woods. The dogs have claimed it for their own and love to nap in the same corner, sometimes at the same time.

Here's Muffin with Nicky:

And Bingo:

I guess we'll keep the love seat for a while longer...it looks like it's still getting some use...and love.

Another 7-Year Marker

Seven years ago today I lost my father, Bill Whitten. Pop had been in the hospital for a few weeks with pneumonia, and never recovered. It was only 3 months since Ma had passed, so I think he was just done and ready to follow her. Here's one of my favorite pictures of Pop, from his early Army days in the 1950s:

My dad was the greatest; he never met a stranger, and would do anything for anyone, no questions asked. He was one of the nicest men you'd ever meet.

Little girls never get too old to need their daddies. I wish I still had mine. I miss you, Pop.

Withering Salad...But Great Table!

I posted a picture a few months ago of Eric building a salad table. Here is the finished product along with some wilting lettuce leaves:

The weather has gotten really dry and we have gotten lazy, so the greens have begun wilting. But the table is fantastic, and we hope to plant some herbs in there and keep it going!

Happy Independence Day!