National Time Change Hangover Day

Did you know that there's a "national day" for practically everything?

A friend told me that this weekend I missed National Love Your Red Hair Day. Aw, shucks. But apparently it was also National Donut Day, and I didn't have any donuts, either.

Some of the observances are serious, of course, and I appreciate those. For instance, November is National COPD Month. My mom had COPD and died in November 18 years ago, so I am grateful for the push to raise awareness and to raise money for research.

Lots of the days, though, appear to be just for fun, and it seems that they spring up out of nowhere. So by the power vested in me by no one in particular, I am declaring the Monday after falling back to Standard Time

National Time Change Hangover Day.

Henceforth shall this day be filled with such observances as 

• drinking an extra cup of coffee
• staring mindlessly into space
• yawning until your face hurts
• changing into your jammies at 7:30 P.M.

Who's with me?

A super Super Bowl

Of all the NFL fans in the country, I think we're the luckiest as we look forward to tomorrow's Super Bowl 50. (By the way, am I the only one who finds it weird that this Super Bowl is not denoted with Roman numerals?)

Why? Because we can't lose.

We're big Broncos fans in this house. Last summer we vacationed in Colorado, and a highlight of our time there was the day that my husband and youngest son got to attend Broncos training camp and tour Sports Authority Field.

I have a friend who worked for the Broncos in the 1990's, and last fall, I got to hold a real Broncos Super Bowl ring from the 1997 season (the year my youngest son was born).  Here's the photo I texted my son, with whom my street cred went up considerably:

And here's a close-up of the beautiful ring:

Even more precious, here's a photo of my son taken on the day of Super Bowl XLVIII, two years ago. Pictured with Lee is Clyde Christensen, who at that time was Quarterbacks Coach for the Indianapolis Colts. Christensen, a wonderful Christian man, is the father of a dear friend of mine. He was part of the Colts' coaching staff from 2002 through 2015, so he worked closely with my son's all-time favorite player, Peyton Manning.



Super Bowl XLVIII didn't turn out well for Broncos fans. We're hoping for a different outcome tomorrow.

But since we live in North Carolina, we're also excited that the Carolina Panthers are headed to their second Super Bowl appearance.

So no matter how the game turns out tomorrow, one of our favorite teams will win! How exciting is that?

Do you watch the Super Bowl? Are you excited about the Super Bowl 50 match-up?

Things get worse before they get better

My life is chock-full of transitions right now.  For a brief moment in time, all three of my sons are at home again, each one awaiting a new stage in his life.

I know this big ole house is going to feel empty very soon.  Right now, though, it's very full.  And busy.  And kind of chaotic.

So, just for grins, it's time to do some much-needed work on the house, right?

Our timing is not so great, but this week carpenters began work on replacing our deck.  This is how things looked yesterday:



And this morning:



While we're doing the work on the deck, we're also changing the style of the railing all around the screened-in porch.  We've never liked the spindles that have always been there, so we'll get new ones to match the new deck railing.



Unfortunately, the deck is the route to the back yard for our doggies.  They've always let themselves in and out of the house via a doggie door, which is closed for now.  They're a little confused.

Innocent looking little things, aren't they?

I probably shouldn't have been surprised yesterday morning when Snickers the beagle knocked over the watering can on the deck while I was conferring with the carpenter.  She was nosing her way around, trying to figure out what's going on.



But guess who was standing on the downstairs patio, directly UNDER the watering can?

At least the carpenter didn't get drenched.  And it was clean water.  Thank God for small mercies.

In the midst of the mess this morning, I'm reminding myself that things always get worse before they get better.  Right?  Right??

Historic moment

My oldest son went to Duke.  My middle son is a senior at UNC-Chapel Hill.  As you can imagine, we are big time college basketball fans.  We bleed two different shades of blue around here.

Yes, I cheer for both teams.

And now may I present something that will likely never happen again.  Of all the brackets in the house, mine was the best.  I finished in the 99th percentile!

I didn't do any score predicting, but I sure am proud that I predicted the Final Four match-ups.  And of course I had to choose Duke to win.

Here's what I posted on Facebook before the big game:

We moved to North Carolina in 2002. Since we've lived here, we've celebrated one national championship with Duke and two with UNC. I'm blessed to be able to cheer for both teams, since one of our sons went to Duke and one to UNC! Today, though, I'm especially grateful for what a fun NCAA tournament this has been. ACC teams did themselves proud throughout the tournament. It all came down to a great Final Four with awesome teams. We lived in Michigan for seven years and Tom Izzo is one of my favorite coaches, so I'm proud that Michigan State made it to the Final Four. Lots of my loved ones are Kentucky fans, so my hat is off to that team, and I think they should be remembered for their amazing 38-win season, not for their one loss. And the Wisconsin Badgers are a wonderful team. How can you not be a college basketball fan today?

Now if I could just get a little sleep!

Did you follow the NCAA tournament?

Somewhere in France

Just popping in to say hello and to share what my sunsets have looked like in the past week.

First this:

Then this:



I'll bet you can guess where I am!

If you follow me on Instagram, you may have seen these already.  If you don't, I'd love for you to join me there!

Where have you been watching sunsets lately?

A birthday joke (and a winner!)

Yesterday was my 50th birthday, and it was wonderful.  So far I don't feel much older than I felt at age 49.  But I haven't had anyone say, "How old are you?" yet.  We'll see how it goes.

I did have one particular moment of excitement yesterday.  I had gone out to run some errands, and when I came home, a FedEx delivery truck was in my driveway.  My heart skipped a beat with excitement.  A package!  Delivered right on my birthday!

I eagerly picked up the box and ripped it open, only to find this:



Aha.  Flushable wipes and toilet paper.  Welcome to your 50's, Richella!

Turns out that the package was from the kind folks at Cottonelle, one of the sponsors of this year's Haven Conference.  I'm guessing lots of Haven Conference attendees got this same package yesterday, but I'll bet that no one else received it on her 50th birthday!  Anyway, it was generous of the team at Cottonelle to send this out, and I thank them.

My friend Sonya said,  "At least it wasn't Depends."  True enough.

Now on to important news!  Thank you to everyone who entered my 50th birthday giveaway.  I chose a winner this morning:

Entry #165, Kristin S!  Kristin, I sent you an email!

905total entries

0/0entries earned

• $50 Cash!

• ENTER TO WIN
• HI, RICHELLA

AND THE WINNERS ARE...

results powered by Random.org

Entry #165Kristin S.

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**What's the funniest present you've ever received?

Just when you need a laugh

Some people own gift shops.  Some run booths at antique malls.  Some sell their items online.

And some, apparently, simply use restroom stalls at gas stations to display their wares.  Stalls in the men's room, no less.

An actual photo snapped by my husband

Gotta admire the entrepreneurial spirit, right?

My favorite part is the availability of a layaway plan for large items.  What's yours?

Weekend fun in the springtime

Hi friends!  Hope you're having a wonderful weekend!

Take a look at what's blooming around here:



See the wisteria hanging just above the azaleas?



And just look at this perfect dogwood blossom:



There's a price to pay for living in such a lush locale as North Carolina, though.  The pollen is absolutely choking.  I wiped off the table on my screened porch (or tried to)--and here's my cloth:



Now it's coated even more thickly than before.  Sneeze, cough, sneeze.

Just for fun, I'll share this photo my husband snapped last night with his iPhone:



We went to a gala to raise money for the Ronald McDonald House at the North Carolina Children's Hospital.  Such a good cause!  As you might guess, the theme was The Wizard of Oz.  Aren't the characters cute?  Yes, there was a yellow brick road that we followed to enter the ballroom.  Such fun.

Lots of us were wearing black, though, and when went out onto the patio, the staff warned us not to lean up against anything.  Black dresses and tuxedos don't look so great with pollen smeared all over them.  So today I wore a chartreuse dress to church--I figured if you can't beat 'em, join 'em!

What have you been up to this weekend?  Has spring arrived in your neck of the woods?

My favorite Pantone colors

You may know that every year Pantone designates one of its colors as the Pantone Color of the Year.  Now a subsidiary of X-Rite, Inc., the Pantone company started as a commercial printer in the 1950's.  Pantone is recognized world-wide as the provider of professional color standards for design.

This year's Pantone Color of the Year is Emerald (Pantone #17-5641).  Last year's was Tangerine Tango (Pantene #17-1463).  It's fun to look at the history of the colors chosen to be Color of the Year. Pantone's press about the color of the year states: "For more than a decade, Pantone's Color of the Year has influenced product development and purchasing decisions in multiple industries, including fashion, home and industrial design, as well as product packaging and graphic design."

As for my favorite Pantone colors, that's easy.  I have a few.  First, the blues.  Pantone #287: Duke blue.  Pantone #278: Carolina blue.  Did you know that there's an official Pantone color for your favorite teams?  (I have one son at Duke and one son at UNC-Chapel Hill, so there's rivalry in my favorite blues!)

Some of my other favorite colors are grandly represented in this gift from my oldest son:



Aren't these great?  For an Anglophile such as I, what could be better than mugs for colour-matching my tea?  (I have to admit, though, that I also use these for coffee.  They're great mugs!)

No doubt about it: my favorite is Pantone #729-C.

Pantone makes a number of fun products.  You can even order a mug in Emerald Green, although they're a bit pricey right now; click here to see those.  (This is not a sponsored post; I'm just fascinated by color and by the artists who do cool things with it.) 

I find this utterly amazing: even including all the hundreds and hundreds of colors in Pantone's color library, there are still more glorious colors in God's creation.  Even with the most sophisticated technology, we can't possibly represent ever color in God's spectrum.  Breathtaking, isn't it?

"The heavens declare the glory of God; the firmament shows his handiwork" (Psalm 19:1).

Do you have a favorite color?

Quick, easy birthday gift

Ever need a quick birthday gift for a kid?  Or get tired of giving the same old Target gift card?  Me, too.

My own children assure me that kids love to receive money as a gift, even more than gift cards.  But tucking a bill into a card doesn't seem like much fun to me.

Here's a fun way to give a money gift.  Obtain dollar bills, quarters, dimes, nickels, and pennies in the number of years that the birthday boy or girl is celebrating.  For instance, here's the money you'd need for a gift for a 5-year-old:

Now package the money however you like--in a small gift bag, in a clear plastic bag tied with festive ribbon, or maybe in a little bucket from the dollar store, like this:

This made a great birthday gift for a total cost of $7.05 plus an extra dollar for the packaging.  (And since I had the spare change just sitting in a drawer, it felt like it only cost $5.00.)  Not a bad price for a fun birthday gift!

Needless to say, this gets more expensive for the older the kids get, but for younger kids it's lots of fun.  I've made a tradition of giving this gift to my boys every year, starting when the oldest turned five.  It's an extra little gift from Mom to the boys.  This year, Will's gift totalled $29.61 of cash.  I asked the boys if they felt like they'd outgrown this little tradition, and Preston replied, "Are you kidding?  We'll never outgrow this!"  I'm hoping that I'm still around when they turn 40; it would be fun to wrap up $56.40 in small bills and loose change and watch them open it.

Have any ideas for quick and easy kid's gifts?  Please share!

I'm joining Beth at Home Stories A to Z for Tutorials and Tips
Vanessa and Heather At the Picket Fence for Inspiration Friday

and Lorie at Be Different, Act Normal for Show and Tell.

When in Rome . . .

. . . do as the tourists do.

At least some of the time.  Especially if you can get your guys to have photos made with you.

I can hardly believe we're here!  It's hot and crowded, but we're having a wonderful time with Will.  I'm so glad to see him I can hardly stand it, but I think the one who's happiest to see him is Lee.  Lee has missed his big brother!  The Ambassador's office gave Will a couple of days off, so he's showing us the sights.  More photos to come.

Hope you're having a wonderful day!  Ciao!

Leap Day Fun

Today is February 29. Leap Day! My youngest son's birthday is March 29, and he reminded me that he only gets to say "It's one month 'til my birthday" every four years!

I get that that this is the day when we re-align our Gregorian, 365-days-per-year calendar with the actual time it takes Earth to travel around the sun, which is close to 365 1/4 days. And although I understand a little of the science behind having an extra day in our calendar every four years, my Southern-fried brain can't help but think about this exchange between Andy and Opie from the first season of The Andy Griffith Show. Andy is upset with Opie for giving only three cents to a collection for underprivileged children, but when he tries to talk to Opie about it, things get a little muddled:

Andy: Opie, you can't give a little bitty piddlin' amount like three cents to a worthy cause like the Underprivileged Children's Drive. Why, I was reading here the other day where there's somewhere like 400 needy boys in this county alone, or one and a half boys per square mile.

Opie: There is?

Andy: Sure is.

Opie: I never seen one, Pa.

Andy: Never seen one what?

Opie: A half a boy.

Andy: Well, it's not really half a boy. It's a ratio.

Opie: Horatio who?

Oh, my lands. It gets even better from there. Since you have a whole extra day in your calendar, surely you have time to watch a couple of minutes of this clip from "Opie's Charity." I promise it'll make you smile!

(If you're reading this in an email, click over to my blog's home page to view the video.)
Do you have any special plans for Leap Day?

Best Valentine's gift

My husband Jack is a gift-giver. Birthdays, holidays, you name it--he always gives me a gift. He has an uncanny ability to give me something, large or small, to make me feel special. This Valentine's Day, though, Jack outdid himself. He chose a gift absolutely sure to please.

When I got home from taking Lee to school, I found a note on my computer saying: "Open iTunes. Click on TV shows. I love you!"

Can you see what's captured in this screen shot? Both seasons of Downton Abbey. Be still, my heart.

And the best part? Jack likes to watch it, too. Thank you, Lord, for giving me a romantic husband!

Did you get anything special for Valentine's Day?

Better than an alarm clock

Every day, I feed our two doggies at 5:00 P.M. sharp. And every day at 4:50, Snickers and Cocoa start this routine:

First they just station themselves by their bowls. When I don't feed them right away, they start dancing around. Well, Snickers the beagle does most of the dancing; Cocoa mostly just sits and looks at me with her puppy-dog eyes.

It's uncanny that they know exactly what time it is. Suddently it occurred to me: they have clocks in their stomachs. You know, like Barney Fife. Do you remember Barney's clock in the stomach?

Here's the clip, just for fun:

Anyone at your house have clock in the stomach? It's a very common condition, after all!

Post-holiday issues

You know how the Grinch hates Christmas? That's not me. Not at all. I love Christmas.

Source

But I've discovered something about myself. I am a New Year's Grinch.

I especially despise New Year's magazines. It seems that EVERY SINGLE ONE includes a plan for losing those extra pounds we all gained at Christmastime. Everywhere I look there's a weight loss plan or an exercise plan or a healthful eating plan. Ugh.

Today, as I was pondering how much I hate focusing on diets and scales and dress sizes, I was reminded of this old poem. I hope it'll bring a smile to your face, too.

Methusaleh ate what he found on his plate,

And never, as people do now,

Did he note the amount of the calorie count;

He ate it because it was chow.

He wasn't disturbed as at dinner he sat,

Devouring a roast or a pie,

To think it was lacking in granular fat

Or a couple of vitamins shy.

He cheerfully chewed each species of food,

Unmindful of troubles or fears

Lest his health might be hurt

By some fancy dessert;

And he lived over nine hundred years.

"Methusaleh," Author Unknown. The Best Loved Poems of the American People, Hazel Felleman, Editor. Copyright 1936, Doubleday and Company.

Anyone else gain a couple of pounds at Christmastime? Are you a New Year's Grinch, too, or do you embrace the chance to start fresh?

Open House!

You know how we in the blogosphere love parties, right? And one of the nicest parties around is the weekly Open House hosted by the lovely Sherry of No Minimalist Here. Every week, Sherry gives us a tour of someone's house and then invites us to share a post about what's going on in our own homes.

I'm shaking a little bit right now, because Sherry is featuring my home this week! I'm so excited!

If you haven't before visited Sherry's blog, you should run over there right now and say hello. You'll love it. For instance, here's a little peek into her family room. I know this will make you want to see more. Isn't it beautiful?

If you're visiting here from Sherry's blog, WELCOME! I'm so glad to have you! I just baked a batch of pumpkin bread, so I'm all ready for visitors. Please make yourselves at home!

Customized Fall Decor

Here I showed how I've decorated our house for fall, including a bit of fluffing around the fireplace.

Well, this past week that decor got customized a bit, with this addition.

To be honest, I think someone just brought the football inside because it needed to be aired up, and it happened to land on the hearth.

But you know the best part? My husband asked my youngest son about the football, and Lee replied, "I think Mom put it there as a decoration."

No, Mom did not put it there. But it fits, don't you think?