Spring Break Visitors

This is my GREAT niece Gracie.

Gracie came from Utah to visit her GRAND~parents, Sue and Phil Jacobs.

And her GREAT~GRAND~ma Kathleen Griffis.

She came with her Aunt Leah.

She left her mom Rachael, dad Ryan and baby brother Jude, at home.

This is Gracie's Aunt Leah, my niece.

She came home to thaw out from the frozen Utah winter.

And to visit her mom and dad, Sue and Phil Jacobs and her

GRAND~ma Griffis and GRAND~ma Jacobs.

She is one hot hair stylist in the Salt Lake area.

While here she usually does every cousins head of hair.

She's good and they all look forward to her visits.

Call her and make your appointment.

This is my GREAT~nephew Jonah Jacobs.

This is the only picture I got of Jonah.

I so wish I would have gotten one by himself.

He came with his brother Manny, from Nashville.

He left his dad Aaron my nephew and his mom Molly at home.

This is Emanual Jacobs.

Manny for short.

He and his brother Jonah caught a ride from his other GRAND~parents house

in Birmingham, Al. with his GREAT~Aunt Angie and her boys.

They all had the same destination vacation Spring Break in mind.

GRANDMA Griffis house in coastal sunny Georgia!

This is the youngest Ripley boy, Ammon, my nephew.

He loves those Jacob cousins and has loved being at his GRAND~ma Griffis house.

He is Angie and Tony Ripley's son.

Mr. Senior in high school, Andrew Ripley, my nephew.

He has loved being at the beach for spring break.

He is Travis and Jordan Griffis's shadow.

Where ever they are you will find him.

(Travis is my son)

My Sister in law, Mary Angela Griffis Ripley.

Mother of 4 Ripley boys.

Pre~school teacher, loves the sun and the beach.

Loves her mother and has missed her dad so much.

The hostess of all these spring breakers,

My mother in law, Kathleen aka Mom.

We had a special family dinner to celebrate her

upcoming 80th birthday, April 11.

We will have another celebration on her birthday but they

will not be able to come back so you are never to old to have several birthday parties.

Always fun to have relatives in town!

Our spring break will be the first week in April.

I hope we have more vistitors.

Hope you all have a happy weekend.

Spring has sprung and we have temps in the 80*

A most perfect weekend!

March 17

For each petal on the shamrock
This brings a wish your way;
Good health, good luck, and happiness
For today and every day.
~ Author Unknown ~

Fun Facts About St. Patrick's Day

In preparation for tomorrows big day!

* The first St. Patrick’s Day Parades were not in Ireland, but in Boston (1737) and New York (1762).

* Irish immigrants living in New York actually out numbered Irish living in Dublin, Ireland at one time!

* St. Patrick was born in Scotland, but spent 40 years preaching Christianity in Ireland.

* Legend says that St. Patrick chased all the snakes out of Ireland.

* The three-leaf clover was used by St. Patrick to explain the Holy Trinity to pre-Christian Ireland.

* For St. Patrick’s Day every year, Chicago dyes its river bright green to celebrate.

* Leprechauns are hard-workers although sometimes mischievous! They are the official shoemakers to the fairy kingdom.

* 19 U.S. Presidents have claimed Irish heritage.

* Seattle paints a green stripe on roads on St. Patrick’s Day.

* Corned beef is completely an American invention, but very popular with Irish-American immigrants nonetheless!

Barn Charm ~ 2

Taken last August in Douglas, GA. I've linked to Barn Charm go visit to see more awesome barns.

Friday Shoot Out ~ Chaos

So Tauna and Connie wanted to know why I haven't been fishing lately.
This is the real reason.
We have finally started trying to remodel our home making it
more handicap accessible for the Sweetheart.

                                         I didn't have to look far from home to find Chaos!

It's been a huge mess and I am already sick of it and we have just gotten started.

I need to go fishing soon just to get some fresh air.

For more Friday Shoot Out Chaos check here.

Great Catch

The oldest son, the one on the left has a secret fishing hole on private property.

I found him in it a few weeks ago and took his picture from the shore.

He loves fishing and this day was so cold and he didn't catch a thing.

Last week I got an email from his cell phone with this picture!

He had caught this Big Mouth Bass and it weighed 7 and a half pounds.

He took the picture and then threw it back in for another day.

I was so wishing I had been fishing with him instead of what I was doing.

Ford Fairlane 500

Taken somewhere in rural middle Georgia.

I don't even know where I was at.

My Favorite



Tervis Tumbler

Perfect fit for golf cart rides and hot days!

Tasty Tuesday

I won this great little book from a giveaway on Connie's blog.

I also got a way cute apron and a few other GREAT goodies.

This book is so cute.

It has a colored picture for nearly every recipe.

I've looked at every page at least 5 times. So fun.

The first recipe I decide to fix was these coconut cookies.

I made them to pass out to the sisters after my R/S lesson a few weeks ago.

The were received with lots of Yums!

Coconut Clouds

2 2/3 cups flaked coconut, divided

1 pkg. Yellow cake mix (I used a white cake mix in the above picture)

1 egg

1/2 cup vegetable oil

1/4 cup water

1 teaspoon almond flavoring

1. Preheat oven to 350*. Reserve 1 1/3 cups coconut in medium bowl

2. Combine cake mix, egg, oil, water and almond extract in large bowl.

Beat at low speed with electric mixer. Stir in remaining 1 1/3 cups coconut.

I used the small cookie scoop and scooped cookie dough balls into

the remaining coconut. Roll to cover lightly.

Place on ungreased cookie sheet about 2 inches apart.

3. Bake at 350* for 10 - 12 minutes or until lightly golden brown.

Cool a few minutes on the cookie sheet before moving to cooling racks.

Cool completely.

Store in airtight container.

Makes 3 dozen.

What I will do different next time I make them is this:

They reminded me of the Girl Scout Cookie, Samoas.

So I think that I would dip the bottoms in chocolate and then put chocolate stripes on them.

Can you say double Yum!

Barn Charm

I'm joining Barn Charms this week.

This was taken in the late evening light

somewhere in Michigan last spring.

For more entries check it out here.

Friday Photo Shoot Out ~ The Letter "S"

I guess you can tell I live on the the east coast of Georgia.

Sandals, Sand and Shadows 

Sun and Seashore

Sand Dunes

Shrimp Boat

Sail boat

Oyster Shells

Swing

Slide

Seagull

Snake

Salad

Sheet Cake

My Homemade Salsa 

 Sunset For more Friday Shoot Out Pics check out this site.

Chillaxin

Celebrating

Picture taken Christmas 2010 at Crenshaw Christmas Party

7 years ago today we had kidney donor and kidney transplant surgery.

What a miracle that we matched!

We are blessed and we know it and will forever be grateful

to our Heavenly Father for His tender mercies and

His abundant miracles.

I told the Sweetheart this morning that we should celebrate

by buying that camera I have my eye on.

He simply said, yeah right!

I think I am slowly breaking him down :)

Oh Happy Day!

Hello Beautiful Monday

A few weeks ago my frozen friend Tauna tagged me with this little diddy.

"I'm suppose to tell 5 things I won't leave home without."

See, she really has nothing better to do as she sits amongst her 9 foot snow drifts.

Oh and she does play with her husband's power tools and she does do somes awesome arts and crabs!

(Reagan calls it "arts and crabs", it always makes me giggle when she says it.)

I really do feel sorry for her so I will play along with her request

even if I am two weeks late.

I took the following pictures with my handy cell phone.

Gotta take the purse.

Gotta have my watch and a bracelet.
My watch is from Brighton and I've had it for 10 years.
The cute bracelet right beside it came from my sweet friend Connie.
She bought it in China when she was there last year.
The other bracelet with the big flower on it came
from that sweet Tauna. She brought it to me when she came
to meet me at Sissy's funeral. She also
brought me a cute matching necklace.
(Connie also came, bearing gifts, to meet me at Sissy's funeral! Such sweetness from both of them.)
Neither one of them knew I was such a bracelet freak.
I've been known to turn around and come back to the
house to get my watch and bracelet if I forget it on my
hurried way out the door.

I feel naked with out them.

Truck keys, credit card, (I never carry cash) and cell phone.
Which I am using to take these pictures.

Water bottle or Diet Coke.
Usually the water.

These big wipes!
I have 3 packs in the truck right now, one in my
purse and I make the Sweetheart keep them in his truck too.
I do have hand sanitizer in my purse but I just like these wipes better.
Especially on Sunday's when we shake so many hands.
Once we sit down and the meeting starts I pull these out and make sure we both wipe our hands good. The Sweetheart can never be to careful.
He has zero immune system, due to the anti-rejection drugs he takes.
I always wipe down the grocery buggy, the gas pump handle,
my steering wheel, little GRAND~girls germy school hands,
etc, etc, etc!!

I know this is and extra item but along with a toothbrush and tooth paste and dental floss in my purse and another set in my truck we also have these every where.
Since buying my first pack several years ago we have completely stopped buying wooden tooth picks. These are wonderful! A pick on one end and a little brush on the other.
They are in the Sweetheart's truck as well and in several drawers in the house.

So here's to you dear Tauna, thanks for giving me a new post.

I do love ya and I am really sorry that you are freezing,

as I have every window open and am listening to the birds sing

and the temperature is 85* outside today!

Hurry up Spring, Tauna needs you!