~ Good Friends & Sweet Things ~

Hi friends~

I just wanted to pop in & say hello. I guess I've been taking a little blogging break. One week ago today Benjamin ( my bear ), Mister ( MY LOVE ) & I went to the dentist. I had 4 teeth pulled and a bone graph ( which soooo totally hurt ) I really don't like going to the dentist. I always cry. But Dr. F. is awesome....he really has his hands full with me. I'm his very favorite patient. ( winks. )So, despite feeling like a monster and looking like one when I'm cleaning my new gums...sigh. I'm doing okay. I'm learning to adjust to my new temporary teeth ( they look nice, thankfully...but hard to get used to. ) All I know is that the stitches are coming out Friday and that is a good thing because the thread is blue! Mister has been amazing like usual.....I tell you that man has put up with a lot from me over the last year.....okay 11 years...lol. Thanks Mister~ I love you.

Before I go back on my little break I just had to share....

~~~~ THIS ~~~~

It traveled a long way to get here....ALL the way from Canada! See what else was in the box~

Tootsie....my heart just sang......the turquoise crown....is dreamy. I've always wanted a crown and have long admired yours.....it matches perfectly with our 2 adirondack chairs in our back garden. Oh, I can't wait!! She also wrote me the sweet little note and included some family pictures~ YAY! What a treasure. Toots~ you are a gem....
a truly special friend.

I also want to thank Cindy for the sweet ( & hysterical )card you sent me & despite myself....

I did smile. Thank you friend....you always make me smile.

My blog friends always bring a smile to my face. I miss y'all a bunch and will catch up with you soon. I am going to continue my little break for a few more days.

Until then......

& dance like no one is watching....

~Jessica~

~ A Quick Hello ~

Hi friends~

Just wanted to say hello!

Did you notice my Benjamin bear? His tail is sitting next to him....yes, Cooper did it. :(

Well, Benjamin will be with me this morning......we are going to the dentist. One of us is having some ( 4 ) teeth pulled. Unless....the doctor says the infection isn't clear enough ( gross, I know ). This hasn't been fun. Anyhoo~ I always feel like I'm just complaining lately and that really isn't me. I can't wait to get this over with & get back to blogging and being me.

Y'all take care & I'll be back soon!

Hugs~ J

~ Best Friends ~

Best friends come in many shapes and sizes. They also come along when you least expect it....

~Molly & Cooper~

They have become fast friends....we truly believe they love each other.

Cooper had surgery on Monday. He was neutered. We all missed him so much. He had to stay overnight....I was worried he would think we abandoned him. :( He was happy to see us...

Cooper is a very, very active dog.....he runs~

he fetches~

{ please excuse the very dry....dead....grass & garden....sigh, }

now don't you worry about Miss Molly....she gets her loving too~

& Cooper has made a friend with Mister { even though he tells me that Cooper is my dog....lol. )

Oh, but how I love him so.....we love all our babies and he just fit right in.

For now....he has to wear a 'lamp shade' looking device so he doesn't mess with his stitches.... he is also on pain medicine and kept semi-sedated....he isn't supposed to run or jump for 6-7 days....poor baby. We don't think that's possible. We feel bad......but we had to have it done. I assure you he has received lots of hugs & kisses, plenty of treats and is well cared for. We just want him to heal well and get back to his old self again.

Have a beautiful day!

Jessica & the Zoo :)

~ Random Acts of Kindness ~

Hi friends~

I hope everyone had a great weekend. :) I couldn't wait to share this Random Act of Kindness that has been bestowed on my family.

You see.....many months ago on Cindy's ( Just Another Day in Paradise ) private blog she shared a beautiful Annie doll she made for her granddaughter. My heart went to my knees when I saw it. I was just in awe. I remembered my great-grandmother made a Raggedy Ann & Andy doll for me when I was little. I remember the dolls but I have no idea where they ended up. :( I do however have pictures of them that I need to scan and share with you ( I will add that to my weekend "to do" list. :) Anyway. I shared that memory with her. Low and behold.....Mister, the genius & I all have dolls. WOW!

Aren't they fabulous? she wrote the sweetest letter....I framed it. We were all in tears after we read it. The genius immediately took her doll to her her room....I told her that the 3 dolls MUST stay together and she said she wants hers for now. By the heart of each doll is embroidered names....like the genius' says " mom and dad ". More tears came after we read those. You see....the genius will be joining the military after she graduates this year.

Cindy....my friend....I can not believe with all you have been going through you made these dolls for us. In case you don't know her son....has just left on a 2 year mission. They will have little contact while he serves the Lord. Which is a wonderful and heartwarming experience and makes us proud as Mother's .....it's still hard to let go. Thank you Cindy. I never knew that I would 'meet' such wonderful people here with my little blog.

WE will cherish them always!! Just as we cherish you and each and every one of my blog friends.

Meanwhile....it's been cold here in our neck of the woods. We are still shocked over our water scare on Friday and have overly prepared....thank goodness we did. We had freezing weather for 4 nights in a row. YIKES!

Have a beautiful week!

Hugs~ J

~ Just Checking In ~

Happy 2010!

I've missed y'all!

Just wanted to pop in and say hello~

Mammaw gave us this for our 10th wedding anniversary....isn't it sweet?

and just look at these 2......best friends.

Hope you have a wonderful day......I'm off to the dentist.....

{ have had a toothache for a week....sigh. }

Hugs~ J.

~ Happy New Year ~

Wishing all of you....

a safe &

Happy New Year!

J~

~ Merry Christmas ~

~ Sunrise ~

Good morning friends~

I just wanted to wish you a beautiful week!

Big hugs~ J.

~ Tablescape Thursday ~

Welcome to Tablescape Thursday hosted by Susan @ Between Naps on the Porch~

This week I put together my 2nd fall tablescape of the season. This one was a lot of fun!

My daughter and I made mini 'pumpkins' { carrot cake } as seen on last months Southern Living magazine cover...except ours weren't as large { or as pretty } but they were fun to make and tasted great. The table runner was a birthday gift from my dear friend Cindy. Thank you~ I love it!

Note: You may click any picture to enlarge.

I normally would not add pink with fall colors....but I found the fish-shaped silverware holders at a craft show last weekend and I HAD to have them. I thought they were fun and added a bit of whimsy....so I HAD to buy 3 different sets. :)

I used some of my everyday creamy white stoneware~ Marshalls
flatware~ Walmart years ago
bird/candle centerpiece~ Michael's last year
leaf tea-light holders~ Kirklands
glasses~ a gift...many years ago :)

That's my tablescape this week~ I can't wait to see what everyone else has done!

Thank you Susan for hosting~Ya'll go by & pay her and all the participants a visit.

Have a wonderful rest of the week!

J~

~ Birthday Fun & a Sweet Gift ~

Hi friends~

I have missed ya'll~ I guess I took a teeny, little blog break. We've just been so busy...with the genius' games, ( facebook games ) and work....did I mention work? Since I went back on 10/1 they have had me full throttle....no time to ease back in to normal life for me.

Well, some of you may know this already but I turned 30-something last Thursday. Thank you to all my blog friends, message board friends and my facebook friends...for the good wishes. My heart....is smiling.

Thursday began as a stormy, rainy day....I went to work, a co-worker brought me my favorite Starbucks coffee, they bought me a card and a carrot cake...yumm. They all signed the card saying I am the best boss ever....sweet huh? I think they want to schedule their vacations. j/k. I have a a good crew. Since we get a paid day off for our birthday { yeah! } I decided to just leave early Thursday and take off Friday.....{ double yeah }.

When I got home the sun was shining ( bringing in some much cooler weather. ) I knew Mister had a special dinner planned...but I had a suprise in the mail, too! Mister said " You got something from your friend " Cindy @ just another day in paradise (her blog is private) but her sewing blog isn't. :)

She is super talented, super sweet and we are alike in many many ways. When I opened the gift....I cried....real tears. She made this beautiful table runner with her own two hands. This truly is a special gift. I have been a long time fan of her work....and teased her often....like...." hello, I just came by to get my quilt" or " where IS my quilt? " I hope I didn't bully her too much. But, somehow I know she just made this from her heart. That is priceless.

I quickly e-mailed her a thank you but I wish I could give her a great big hug!

For now, it's on my coffee table but it fits my breakfast table perfectly, too. The rest of Thursday was very nice. Mister made a really great dinner, steak, shrimp, baked potato, wheat rolls and asparagus....now please don't gasp over the paper plates but since Mister & the genius were doing the dishes...they opted for paper...lol.

Later on we decided to go for ice-cream.... It was a great birthday. Have a beautiful week!

Your friend~ J

~ A Note From Me~

~ This & That ~

Hi friends~

Things have been pretty crazy around here....I'm back to work full time and I'm doing a lot better. No cartwheels...yet....but coming soon! :)

This past weekend Biscuit came over to water our garden....he did a good job don't you think? Then we went to feed the ducks ( he ate the bread, too...lol. ) Bear & the Genius also went with us. Isn't this a cute picture of them?

We also had senior night....{ my baby is almost grown....} The girls wore tiaras...she is wearing the one I wore when I married My Mister. :) We walked on the field during half time and we were introduced with her....our graduating senior. It was sweet....bittersweet.

Have ya'll seen Rue's kitchen? Wow-weee.....it is adorable! I think I'm moving in...lol.

She is having a fantastic give-away....so ya'll go by & pay her a visit.
She is the sweetest!

Well, that's all for today! I'll be by for a visit soon. I have some catching up to do. :)

Your friend~ J.

~ Just a little note~

Hi friends~

I just wanted ya'll to know I had my third ( & hopefully last ) procedure yesterday. As of yesterday morning I could turn my head all the way to the left and I had only 27% range of motion to the right....that side still has that burning feeling most of the time. But nowhere near the original pain I was in...so I'm making progress. Of course this morning I can't turn it at all....but that's because of the injections and I'm very sore. But it normally just last a few days. I still can't look at my toes but I'm doing better at looking up. :) I thought I'd spare ya'll pictures of the trip to and from procedure this time....so I found this view of our backyard from August.
This is a lot more inspiring don't you think?

I wanted to ask if you could add Lynne @ Gifts from the Heart ( if you haven't already done so ) to your prayer list...her Mr. P. is in the hospital.

Thanks ya'll for your support.

Hope you have a wonderful weekend!

Your friend~ Jessica

~ Fertilizer Friday~

Fertilzer Friday is hosted by our most fabulous, Tootsie!

Thank you so much for hosting~

This Friday....

I just wanted to wish....

You a beautiful day~

J~

~ Little Things in the Garden~

I love seeing life in the garden....or a a little surprise here & there....there's just something about it that is good for my soul.

I was taking a picture of some roses in the garden when I spotted this beauty....I didn't even see him and I had already snapped about 10 pictures~

This moon flower was blooming last night....it is a huge bloom and is surprisingly fragrant.

{ I uploaded this backwards...this should have been last...lol. }

While visiting the front garden....I saw this.....crepe myrtle...I didn't plant it there but our neighbors have 3 so....maybe one just wants to live on the corner of our house. :) I think it would be perfect there....I hope it grows.

Mister spotted this bumble bee.....he took the pictures, too.

look how the bee goes inside the bloom~

Mister sure is getting pretty handy with the camera.

I hope you enjoyed the little things in our garden. I wanted to thank ya'll for all your love & support. It means so much to us.

Your friend~ Jessica

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Miss Gloria @ wwwhappytobe.blogspot.com/ is having a fall give away!!

Please make sure & pay this super sweet lady a visit. :)

~ Better Days~

Hi friends~

My days are definitely getting better. I finally started feeling some relief Friday...exactly one week after my procedure. WOOHOO~ I'm not all the way there but I am definitely on my way.
I wanted to share a few things that have brought a smile to my face during this ordeal~

I received a beautiful card from Queenie....
She wrote the most beautiful note and included many bible scriptures....it touched my heart...truly it did. Thank you MY FRIEND!

You are a GEM!

Mammaw brought me this beautiful bird tray ( when I first got injured ) I think it's just what this corner of the kitchen needed. I love it!
{ still want to get those kitchen cabinets painted }

The flowers from Mister are still soooo pretty.

I enjoyed a visit from my dad ( aka 'Gampy' ) and his beloved dog 'Spike'~

He is a big ball of BABY~

Gracie was not too happy about this visit...the other 2 cats Simon & Sammy hid & Molly well sheis growled @ him alot. This is HER house, remember....lol.

Bear gave Molly a bath ( sorry my photography isn't the best lately ) & he sweet talked her the whole time. :) I literally laughed out loud. The Genius is trying to pass off some of her chores.

I saw a beautiful butterfly in the garden~

& watched a gorgeous sunrise.....

Yes~ my days are getting better.....I'm so greatful for my family, my friends & the land of blog. Ya'll have been so good to me. Thank you.

Love~ J

The Winner Is.....

Thank you all so much for entering and being such good friends!

I did the drawing the 'old fashioned way'. Made a list with all the names....

& had The Genius' boyfriend draw the name.... { he cracks me up }

It's our dear sweet Lynne @ Lynne's Gift from the Heart....

Lynne, please e-mail me with your address so I can send you your goody box!

Thanks again to all who entered~

Hope everyone has a great week!

Big hugs~ J