Declutter Area #2, Monday Shop Day and Of Course... Fresh Flowers

Hello everyone! I hope you had a lovely weekend. I am now exactly TWO WEEKS from today before my hysterectomy. If you have been reading along in the last few months you know the rough journey I have been on. 

I am feeling a little better and on days I am I try to tackle some areas I wanted to get done before surgery and recovery. Again, I have had a rough start of the year and was not able to tackle my spring clean and organizing as usual. 

I am almost embarrassed to show y'all this area. Inside my home there is not a room that looks like this (maybe a cabinet 😆) but this little room off our garage is what we call the horrible storage room. I cannot tell you how many times I have cleaned this room only for it to be junked again but loving family members. Aka...Mr. Hubby and grown "kids!" 

BUT this is where we store all our hiking & camping gear, lawn chairs and golf things as well as the overflow for our paper products for our home. We also keep stuff to feed the birds and care for our dog, Mitzy, who is an outside dog because she prefers it. We keep all our beach stuff, lake stuff, grill stuff and coolers... and on and on and on..... LOL!!!

The before! I know. It is a walk of shame! 😆😆 

Anyway... I couldn't stand it any longer because I couldn't get to my paper products easily and bird seed. So..... once again, I WAS RUTHLESS like I was with my closet a last week. I donated about 60 items and trashed (we will not say) a lot! 

Well, what do you know... we can walk in the small storage room now! 

 All neat and organized. Ahhh. I feel so much better. LOLOL!! 

I will be honest I was praying the whole time there was no snake as we do get them in our garage. I have seen and killed more snakes in my yard than I have ever seen hiking in all the woods, canyons and mountains I have hiked. I did see a monster of a spider! Sigh!

When thinking about things I want to do this week Sunday I knew this and one more area would be on my list if I had energy. I checked the weather for the coolest day this week because we are about to have a heat wave starting tomorrow. Today was the coolest day for this week. I did feel pretty good this morning, so I got started on it. It took me about two hours! I am so glad it is done. 

In other news because you probably do not care about all my junk... LOL!

Mondays seem to have become my go to "market' day! It just seems in the last few weeks since I have felt better it has worked out. I quite like it. I used to shop Fridays, but it is so busy in my area. 

As I went to town, I took all my donations to the thrift store because I believe when you declutter you need to get it out of your view and home soon!

I loaded up as I decluttered and now it is ready to go. I used a lot of old boxes I had saved in the storage room. It was nice to have them on hand to box up items.  I dropped everything off at the donation center.

Then I popped by the grocery store and of course picked up some fresh flowers. The clearance rack was slim pickings today. 

This is me heading to the flowers in hopes of some beautiful ones on clearance but nope! So, I picked up some hydrangeas that were very reasonable. I wish I had a cut garden! One day!!!!

Until then this will do!!! I love hydrangeas!! I have a hydrangea plant, but it really hasn't produced any flowers!!

We are having Caeser Chicken Bacon Wraps for dinner with roasted sweet potatoes. I plan to make a fun recipe to check that off my bucket list today or tomorrow!!! 

Until next time,

Chrissy T

Sunday Springy/Summery Mocktail Day (Spring Bucket List Check)

Hi friends.  🍋🫐 As you all know I am trying to check off my Spring Bucket List items. 🍹🍹

One of the things on my list was to make a mocktail. I don't have the energy to do anything complicated. I found a super simple one off Pinterest. I will leave the original recipe below. I chose to shake things up a little. I didn't have raspberries (it did say any berry would do) so I chose blueberry because that is what I had on hand and they are one of my favorite berries. 

I also could not find the "soda" called Fresca without buying a 12 pack which seemed wasteful for one drink, and I knew I would not drink it on its own. 

I improvised. I used similar ingredients that were cheaper and things I had on hand. 

I did two things different than the original recipe. First, I used Sparkling Ice Classic Lemonade which was pretty identical to the Club Lemonade Soda it called for. It was also only $1.00 opposed to 9.99 for a 12 pack.

Secondly, I had seen a lot of other recipes blend up there berries a little to create more of a taste of the berries so I did that. This recipe just suggested tossing frozen berries in the glass. 

Now, I will say overall this was absolutely a perfect addition to my late afternoon Vitamin D soaking and reading time. I would like to add.... this tasted very good and truly was refreshing. 

One thing... It was not pretty! Like fancy mocktail pretty. BUT I did enjoy it and I am glad I made it. It wasn't overly complicated. It was refreshing, tasted good and quenched my thirst as I sat outside as well as it was fairly cheap to make. :) 

The foam on top is the fizz from the sparkling lemonade. 🍋🍋🫐🫐

Here is the original recipe if you would like to try it. I have one more I plan to try this month as well. It has a strawberry base to it. :) You can never go wrong with strawberries. 🍓🍓

Blessings, 

Chrissy T

Exploring along and off the Natchez Trace Parkway!

Hello everyone!! I am sharing some more of my outing from yesterday (Friday) and if you missed my post from Friday consider reading that (link below) way things will make more sense as you reading today's post. :) 

Check that post out here to connect it with today's post. 

While driving the Natchez Trace Parkway I stopped at this historic site back off the road. I didn't really know what to expect. I saw the sign and decided to take a little look.

I didn't expect to pull up on the second largest mound site in North America. 

Emerald Mound is a massive Mississippian culture platform mound built between A.D. 1250 and A.D. 1600. It rises about 35 feet high and covers nearly 8 acres. 

I was by myself and it was a little eerie feeling. I can't explain it but one of my rules while hiking, kayaking or any trip exploring when I am solo is if I get the eerie feeling, I listen to it. 

I didn't climb it or walk the path to see all of it grandeur. I was not able to get the full scope due to the incline. My health would not allow it, nor did I feel comfortable in the middle of nowhere with no cell service and that "eerie" feeling. I did take some pictures, read the signs and just was amazed by it all.

At its base, it measures roughly 770 feet by 435 feet. Two secondary mounds sit atop the main mound — the larger one at the west end is about 190 feet by 160 feet by 30 feet high. Archaeological evidence suggests there were at least four, and possibly six, smaller mounds along its sides, though most have been lost to erosion and plowing. Emerald Mound is surpassed only by Monk’s Mound at Cahokia, Illinois, in size, and is one of the most impressive examples of Mississippian ceremonial architecture in the United States. (Information from signs and from online)

Emerald Mound is believed to have been the ceremonial and political center of a community, possibly serving as a temple base and housing for leaders for the Mississippian Culture which was a complex Native American civilization.

A little history behind the mound I read and found online. My pictures of the signs were not clear really to share. 

Along the trace it was filled with these beautiful Mimosa Trees! I love these trees and the pops of pink that greet me as I drive down this beautiful parkway. Along with the Black Eye Susans and these beautiful Mimosa trees it makes the summer drive so worth it. There are a lot of people that do not like these trees. I will spare you the lesson on them. But no matter I love them and find the beautiful. A pop of color among the never-ending pine trees we see.

The second stop I did was another mound site. This one was less eerie feeling which I do not know why. It was also WAY off the road in the woods and an actual burial site. The other one was not a burial site it was a ceremonial site and temple site. This Mound just didn't have a vibe like the other one did. It was for sure a whole lot smaller as well.

I love these fences. It is the style of most all the fences along the Parkway. 

This mound was called Mangum Mound. Feel free to expand to read all the neat history about this mound. 

On my way out of this pull off I was greeted by these sweet goats. They were just a making noise for me. I was talking to them, and they started running towards me. :) 

I captured some more wildflowers along the drive home!! I just love them so!!! I started to head back home and once I got home I realized the workers were not finished. I will be honest I was getting tired, hot and ready to be at home relaxing. But that wasn't going to happen. I went and grabbed a chicken wrap and headed to a local park down the road. I ate my wrap, took a little stroll and then fell asleep in my car for a minute. Read a little and TWO HOURS later I was able to return home just before dinner time. 

I ended my night with a frozen pizza because that was what I wanted and hubby ate some leftovers. We both were super tired from long days. We watched a little of Anne of Green Gables and hit the hay!

With Love, 

Chrissy T

Checking off the Spring Bucket List

Hello everyone. I hope you have had a good week. I had to be out of the home all day today for our new air conditioning unit to be installed. Well, I didn't have tooooo..... but there was no air, and I am not a fan of sitting with a bunch of men I do not know. 

I had planned if I felt well to do a little drive on the Natchez Trace Parkway today. I did feel pretty well when I woke up so off I went.... 

The Natchez Trace is a historic 444-mile trail and parkway stretching from Nashville, Tennessee, to Natchez, Mississippi, originally used by Native Americans and later by European settlers, traders, and soldiers.

This parkway is full of history, nature and little pull offs to historic sites. It is a national parkway. I live about 4 minutes from the trace. There are several state parks along the way. One of my things to check off my spring bucket list was to visit a NEW to me State Park. I chose to go to the Bob M. Dearing Natchez State Park. 

Today was free donut day at a local donut shop. I grabbed a donut, my Bible and Bible Study and hit the Natchez Trace. 

Yes, you all see a soda. I treated myself! The sparkling water just ended up making me feel sick. I now mainly drink water and the occasional actual soda. 

I have a picnic on my bucket list and while I probably could consider this a breakfast picnic I am not counting this YET unless I end up not being able to do another one. 

The state park was pretty small. It has a nice lake and a limited picnic area. I had to actual sit by a family fishing and having a good ole time. :) They were nice though. I pictured quiet serene Bible time at a picnic table but... you have to just go with the flow sometimes. :) 

This is an older park. It is kept up nicely but truly older. There are alligators in this lake. I would probably not kayak here. There were a lot of fisherman and boats. The bird sounds were so lovely. The weather was pleasant because I went pretty early. Like 9:00 a.m. No hiking trails or nature trails. While it was nice little time I would not probably return to this specific park again. I am glad I went today, though. 

It has been a bit since I showed my face on here. So, I decided to take a selfie. I haven't really taken any pictures of myself or had them taken in a while. 

The Black Eye Susan flowers were showing all their splendor on my drive. I got a lot of pictures of them. 

I stopped at a few historic stops (Indian mounds and bluff areas) along the way. I will share those stops later as this post is getting long. 

Here is my up-to-date Spring Bucket List that I hope to have marked off by June 20th! I am currently working on a puzzle, but it is not finished as well as my Spring Bible Study. Both of these will be done soon. 

I enjoyed my day today. I was able to get out in nature and just stroll a little, soak up some sun, see some new to me places, learn some things, and breathe fresh air. I didn't hike or do any strenuous walking as I can't right now, but this did scratch my itch a little. 

Have a fantastic weekend!!!! I will share more of my fun outing soon!

With Love, 

Chrissy

Decluttering and Preparing

Hello everyone! I hope your first week of June has been off to a good start. I will say mine has been nice considering my circumstances. Surgery is in 2 weeks and 4 days. It is getting closer and I have a few areas I need to cover beforehand as I know I will have a process time of recovery. I didn't get to my spring clean and declutter because of my health and the passing of my mother-in-law. 

I have been a little overwhelmed feeling because I know I need some order in some areas before surgery. I just told myself to breathe, choose the most pressing things (top 3-4) that I truly could physically handle if I took my time. Well, one of those things was my closet and drawers.  

Reason being is that we are now having 100 degree days and I still had sweaters and all my winter clothing out and all my cooler things were packed away. I truly have been living in a loose gown and a few flowy dresses lately. 

So, Tuesday was the day. I will say once I brought everything out of my closet (I did not do my husband's clothes) I had to rest for an hour and then I worked and rested and worked and rested. I am not used to this at all. What would normally take me an hour or two from start to finish took me all day and the next and I still do not have it all fully complete. 

Here are some pictures of it all. Ignore the shoes. I finally did those, but I didn't take pictures of the afterwards because I am still wanting to set up my closet a little better.

I shared the start of the process above. On to the rest...

This is a partial of before. I had already grabbed several items out of the closet before I took the picture. Normally my closet never gets like this, but I honestly have felt so bad since Feb/March so it just does. 

I decided to make the day cozy. LOL!! I lit this yummy candle and played some jazz music while I was at work. 

Around lunch time I STOPPED I was so exhausted. I decided I needed to put a little pep in my life, 😆😆 and I ordered me some Chick Fil A (no judgement~ I don't normally) and took a 5-minute slow stroll afterwards. I then sat down for about 30 minutes and just read and rested. 

 

I ended up decluttering 75 items this day. I was pretty ruthless. Here I was thinking I had a small wardrobe. LOL! Mind you this was for ALL SEASONS and Hiking gear and etc. Like I literally went through every single piece of clothing and shoes I owned. EVERY SINGLE PIECE!!!! From socks to coats. I ended the day!

Wednesday, I rested in because I felt pretty tired and weak. I had three drawers I needed to conquer. I got those all cleaned out and then went back through the boxes I put my winter items to see if there were anything else to get rid of after sleeping on it. :) 

I also went through some old blankets, pillows and etc. I decluttered to donate or trash a total of 178 items, and it feels so good. But it also makes me go back to one of my words of the year.... Stewardship. This process made me realize that that I need to be more mindful of what I purchase and bring into our home as well as store up in our home. A lot of the clothes and items I decluttered I have had for 5 to 10 years. I was holding on to sweaters that had totally seen better days. I was holding on to shoes that hurt my feet that could be a blessing to someone else. All of it is now at the thrift store. As a past house cleaner and organizer, my number one rule is to take items immediately if possible. That I did. I made a donation drop late yesterday afternoon.

I want to share this beautiful verse that always ministers to me. I actually sing a song when I lead worship sometimes that is called The Everlasting and it opens up with a part of this verse and every time I sing it, I feel so connected to my Savior. (Image is from google search)

P.S. Please be patient with me as I am trying to catch up visiting all of your blogs I read. If I haven't popped by, please know I will!

Blessings!!

Chrissy T

Happy June! Kicking Off June~ Soak Up the Sun

Hello!! 🌞

Here in the deep south of Mississippi on June 1st, it was 93 but the weather said it felt like 96'F! Yep... already HEATING UP!

I am thankful for air conditioning! Unfortunately, we have to get a new unit installed Friday! I am thankful we were able to get a plan for the $11,000 unexpected event. We will pay it in full in August. Wowza! We kind of knew it was coming BUT definitely not at this moment. It is working but it has to be replaced before it finally bites the dust, and it is barely chugging.

For all you people who hate feet you will not like this image... but..... 😆😆😆

Anyhoo.... I sit outside every afternoon for about 15-20 minutes to soak up some Vit D since I am low in that vitamin this year. I usually do not have an issue because I am always walking, hiking, and exploring outdoors but for the past 6 months it has been limited.

I do enjoy sitting outside with a glass full of crushed ice water, head tilted toward the sun and birds chirping. It was pretty HOT though yesterday, so I didn't sit out but maybe 10 minutes. I had already pushed myself a little earlier in the day and I could feel that I was getting super weak and tired!

In other news.... I have FINALLY FINISHED my National Park Diamond Art Coasters Kit that our youngest son's girlfriend (Carleigh) had gifted me for Christmas. I love them. I didn't quite like how the Arches Nat'l Park turned out but the rest I love. 

I think my favorite ones are the Grand Canyon and Yosemite. I just really liked how they turned out. 

I am chipping away at my puzzle I want to do for my Spring Bucket List.

I have actually accomplished a little more since I last took this picture on Sunday afternoon.

Monday, I had to go to the store to get some very much needed toiletry items like shampoos, soaps, and things like that. We were out of a lot of things. I usually do not get low but due to my "bed" resting I just haven't kept up with it. I have moved now from complete bed rest, to light slow activity now until my surgery on the 22nd of this month. Woohoo. Unless I start hemorrhaging heavily again. 

It is that time of year that I needed to replace the HEAVIER bedding with a summer quilt. My husband mentioned he was getting really hot with our Fall/Winter bedding. I forget sometimes because I only use white bedding and since it is light colored, I forget the weight of the blankets. I typically sleep on top of the covers with a tiny light thin quilt because I have hot flashes. LOL! Without further ado it was time to replace it and get the bed all fresh!

All good, fresh and lighter!! Ready for the hot months ahead. Hubby mowed the grass after work yesterday and I did the bedding. It was still 90 degrees at 5:30-6:00 pm so we wanted something cooler for dinner. I made up some chicken salad out of some rotisserie chicken we had left over from the weekend. 

It was good and hit the spot. 

We usually put chicken salad on croissants, but it was kind of unplanned, so we enjoyed it on basic white bread. We tend to eat a lot lighter and less warm meals in the evenings during the summer months when it comes to supper/dinner. We will eat maybe a tad heavier lunch instead.

I have been enjoying slow evening strolls to strengthen myself for surgery and to promote better circulation. I love the sky in the evening!!

It is time to wrap up this post and before I do I want to say Happy June!!! Blessings to you all!