Hey Tadd!

 

 SO HERE HE IS... along with the poem that made him famous.  

One of our kids used to sing this when he had to vacuum or when he was afraid of the dark :o)

Do you know the muffin man,
The muffin man, the muffin man?
Do you know the muffin man
Who lives in Drury lane?

Yes I know the muffin man
The muffin man, the muffin man
Yes, I know the muffin man
Who lives in Drury Lane.

We all know the muffin man
The muffin man, the muffin man
We all know the muffin man
Who lives in Drury Lane.

Well... do you?

So you read the whole thing!  Funny, isn't it? :o)  :o)  :o)

Perfection.

I have a BUMPER CROP of blue hydrangeas this year - and they are gorgeous!  This one grew through the rails of our front porch.  There's not one spot of discoloration on its lovely petals.  I cannot bring myself to cut it :o)

A Birthday.

Happy Birthday Randy!  Look at the little children who adore you...

Some of the friends who think you're really great!

 You and me!  We've been together for over half your life. Wow. I think you get better and better with every passing year...

Your very favorite cake - German chocolate!  Thank you Liz!

 Yep - they were trick candles alright :o)

 Jen and Josh made homemade ice cream just for your birthday!! What could be better??

 Love this shot!

Friends for life :o)

Whitestone Bridge

New York City from the White Stone Bridge.  Almost home...

Color...

I hope you enjoy seeing what I see every morning at my kitchen window!  The brilliant red cardinal and happy yellow goldfinch are just two of the many birds that have discovered the sunflowers seeds at at our bird feeder.  And always there are the darling chickadees, singing and tapping on the window with their tiny black beaks. So, so cute :o)
 

I remember...

Today would be my Mom's 73rd birthday :o) Right now, she's in the presence of her King... and I'll see her again, of that I am sure. Happy birthday Mom - you were a survivor, and a sweetheart with an angel's voice :o)  You're missed by all who knew and loved you.

Sunshine...

There’s nothing more beautiful on a woman—nothing more feminine—than a pretty dress.  One that flows around your ankles when you walk, a dress that makes you feel like a princess.   I was thrilled to find a dress just like that on the Internet—long and flowy, its color a rich and gorgeous lavender.  It arrived on my doorstep on a Saturday afternoon and I couldn’t open the box fast enough!  It was more lovely in life than it looked on-line and when I tried it on I fell in love… but the matching fabric belt was missing. :o(  I searched the box and its packaging again and again—but the belt was gone.  I called the company right away and they were very kind and accommodating.  A belt could be found for sure and they would e-mail me on Monday to let me know.  And they e-mailed me on Monday, just like they promised.  Here’s what happened, direct from my e-mail…

Dear Mary, Thanks for calling in! I am so sorry that you did not receive your belt. As promised I sent a request to our shipping team to see if they were able to locate one in our inventory. I am sorry to say that there were none in our fulfillment center. I have issued you a refund in the amount of $XX.XX and you should see that posted back to your account in 3-5 business days. Also here is a coupon for 10% off your next order as well as free ground shipping. Again I apologize for the inconvenience.
COUPON CODE: XXXXXXXXXX   
I hope this helps and again I am sorry for the inconvenience. As always if you have any other questions feel free to contact us via live chat, email, or phone X-XXX-XXX-XXXX.
Miss “T”

What company issues a refund before the merchandise is returned? I was kinda confused, so I wrote her back…

Dear Miss “T” - Thank you so much for getting back to me - you were so helpful on the phone and I appreciated your kindness to me.  Miss “T”, I am wondering... did you refund my account with the idea that I would return the dress?  Because I really do like it and want to keep it - I think I'll just buy another belt somewhere else that would look nice with it. Please let me know.
This was my very first XXXXX purchase and so far, even though the belt was not included with the dress, you have been so wonderful and I will definitely shop at XXXXX again.
Thanks so much for getting back to me,
Mary

Here’s what happened next:

Hey Mary,
No, I didn't expect you to return the dress :) I hope that you can find a belt for it somewhere else :)
Miss “T”

A FREE dress? I was stunned, to say the least…

Dear Miss "T" - I just can't believe this... I have never in my life known such kindness from an on-line clothing company - and I shop on-line for everything.  Thank you so much Miss “T” - I really am speechless and don't know what to say... thank you, from the bottom of my heart. ~ Mary

Then Miss “T” said…

Dear Mary,
I'm sure you'll look great in the dress no matter what belt you find. I'm glad I could bring a little sunshine to your day, even if it was just for a moment. Just do me a favor and pay it forward! ;)
Miss “T”

I promised her I would. :o) 

**God's goodness never ceases to amaze me... He always knows when I need some sunshine and faithfully sends it my way - even on the cloudiest days. 

Prolific

The last time the orchids bloomed I think there were 8 flowers. Now?  There are 12. Soon there'll be 16. Although it may not be obvious, there's another orchid growing right alongside this one.  I rescued it from the almost dead shelf at Lowe's.  In the right hand corner you can see that it's sending out its first flower stem - I can hardly wait to see what color its flowers are!

Worthy of a post, indeed.

I'm still on course to try all the recipes I've posted to my Pinterest account.  Some are worthy of a blog post, others are not. I made THESE for company last Friday night.  The menu included two giant slabs of well-seasoned, wild caught salmon, a colorful tossed salad, homemade rolls with butter, and a great big batch of sauteed spinach with garlic.  Man-oh-man, did we have a feast!  Anywho, you've just gotta make these Crash Hot Potatoes by the Pioneer Woman.  Super, super easy and heaven to the taste buds, they're already a regular with us :o)

Love does hard things, of that I am most certain.

131.

My very best score.  Ever.

Another quote.

"False humility takes its place as the very worst form of pride." M. Engesetter

Finally, after 3 long months, these little fellas have discovered the sunflower seeds at my kitchen window!  Now if I can just get a cardinal to come by...

Tufted Titmouse

Chickadee

'Tis true.

Thank you Wall Builders!

Through special invitation from David Barton and the Wall Builders, a trip to the Capital will take us HERE, HERE, and a whole lot of other fun and interesting places!  Leaving late Sunday afternoon and arriving on Monday. I'm hoping there are still cherry blossoms to behold - I've always wanted to see D.C. in full bloom. Cracker Barrel here we come!

About life...

Life is good, but it's even better when you  

know where death is taking you." ~ M. Engesetter

So yeah, I've started a little quote book of my very own. I have so many thoughts about life... I thought it good to write down the best ones ~ the condensed and easy-to-understand ones.  The concepts are not my own (there's nothing new under the sun you know), but the words are.  I'll post them every now and again. Enjoy. :o) 

An unusual sighting.

An unusual bird presented itself at our birdfeeder today - one we've never seen before.  Randy saw him first and I ran to get my camera, even though I was SURE he'd be gone by the time I reached the front picture window. But he stayed!  And he hopped all around the front yard looking for seed and who-knows-what while my camera snapped away.  Of course we got our bird book out and discovered that he's an Eastern Towhee, a bird species that is heard more often than seen.  So much fun!

Proverbs 1:33

"But whoso hearkeneth unto me shall dwell safely, and shall be quiet from fear of evil."

My little chickadee...

Randy took me on a early birthday adventure today... all the way to La Parmigiana restaurant in Southampton where we had a fantastic Italian lunch! Then on we went to the Elizabeth Morton Wildlife Refuge in Sag Harbor, where tiny little chickadees feasted on sunflower seeds right from the palms of our hands! It was a perfect day :o)