Songs on Sunday ~ Hymn of Heaven by Phil Wickham

This is a  great song with beautiful words and beautiful music.

Enjoy :)

Colletta

10 on the 10th ~ June 2022

Hosted by Leslie and Marsha!

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1.  Are you planning to take a vacation anytime soon?  Please share!

The hubby has the week of July 4th off of work.  We'll be staying close to home with a few day trips and camping for a few nights.

2.  Have you recently gone on vacation?  Tell us all about it!

No.  No vacations here :(

3.  What is your favorite way to travel?

I absolutely LOVE road trips.  Give me a car (or van) and a map (or GPS) and I'm good to go :)  I love that I can stop anytime, anywhere I want and see the sites!

4.  If money were no object, where would you go and why?

I've always wanted to see Ireland, Scotland and England.

5.  Who would be your favorite person (living or dead) to take on vacation?

The hubby, hands down!

6.  What do you absolutely have to pack when you go on vacation?

My meds!

7.  What are your memories of your all time favorite vacation?

For our 10th Anniversary, we took a road trip to Niagara Falls, NY.  We stopped and stayed the night in Erie then drove up the coast of Lake Erie and then Lake Ontario.  We rented a bungalow right on Lake Ontario.  I was a great trip :)

8.  Where would you never ever go on vacation and why?

South America.  It is scary!

9.  What is the worst thing you ever experienced on vacation?

I can't really think of a "worst" thing.  Maybe the downpours while we were at Disney World.

10.  What is the best thing that ever happened to you on vacation?

Watching my girls get to enjoy themselves :)

Colletta

Tuesday 4 ~ Coffee and Tea ~ 6/7/2022

Head over to Tuesday's Place for the questions and to visit everyone's answers!

1. What is/are your favorite coffee? (brand or flavor)  If you are a tea lover, which tea is the best for you?

I am NOT a coffee drinker.  I don't like it at all!  I do, however, love tea :)  My favorite is Bigelow's Vanilla Chai.

2.  How do you take your coffee or tea? Sugar, cream , flavoring?

Cream and sugar, please!

3. Do you go out for coffee/tea with friends?   Ever enjoy a real tea room or a  tea party?

Not really.  How sad is that?!?  I've never been to a tea room but my girls and I have had plenty of tea parties :)  I actually also went to a Ladies Tea a few weeks ago at a sister Church.  It was very nice :)

4. If you could design a coffee shop or even a coffee/tea station in your home, what would it be like?

I wouldn't even know where to begin!  It would have to have baked goods, though.  That I do know!

Colletta

Happy Homemaker Monday ~ 6/6/2022

Come join Diary of a SAHM for Happy Homemaker Monday. 

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Hello, and Happy Monday!

The weather outside is:

Another gorgeous week ahead :)

On today's to-do list: 

We had a busy weekend full of great family time.  That means not much got done around the house.  I'll be doing my normal weekly cleaning or as the Fly Lady calls it "Home Blessing" :)

Happening this week:

Thursday is the hubby's 54th birthday!  He took Friday off work so we'll probably be going to see the new Jurassic World movie that comes out that same day.  First, though, I need to watch the 2nd movie of the Jurassic World series or I'll probably be lost!

Next week is Church Camp, so I don't know how much I'll be posting next week.  I'm helping with the Youth and also with the cooking.  I'm going to be busy, busy, busy!

Currently reading:

"The Rose Garden" by Susanna Kearsley is the Kindred Readers Book Club selection for July.  I started reading last week but didn't get very far yet.  I'm enjoying it but I'm finding that I am reading slower when I'm trying to come up with discussion questions.  I'm hoping to finish up before Church Camp.

Watching:

We watched "The Lost City" with Sandra Bullock and Channing Tatum.  It was hilarious!  I laughed out loud many times.  I think we watched it on Paramount.

I set up y DVR to record a show on HGTV called something along the lines of "The Beach Project" (????).  I'm looking forward to watching it soon.

Listening to:

This week for "Songs on Sunday" I featured "The Healing" by Blanca and Dante Bowe.  I hope you'll check it out :) 

On the menu today:

Creamed Chipped Beef, Biscuits

In the Craft Basket:

I've been working on Sunny Blue Hawaii 2 and have made some progress.  I have two rows all tied off and crocheted together.  Only 49 squares to go!  Whooohooo :) 

Picture from the Camera

Memory Verse

"Rejoice in the LORD always.  I will say it again:  Rejoice!  Let your gentleness be evident to all.  The LORD is near.  Don't worry about anything, but in everything, through prayer and petition with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.  And the peace of God which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus."

Philippians 4:4-7

#P31OBS

Have a great Monday!

Colletta

Songs on Sunday ~ The Healing by Blanca and Dante Bowe

Enjoy :)

Colletta

Sewing Saturday ~ Advice Needed!!! ~ 6/4/2022

I'm going to be featuring my sewing, crocheting and crafting projects on Saturdays.  Some weeks this will include a finished project, a FNSI or FNWF or just a WIP.

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I've been working on "Sunny Blue Hawaii 2" (SBH2) lately.

To see my first post about this afghan CLICK HERE!

Before I go any farther with sewing squares together, I need to decide whether to make the final afghan 6 squares X 8 squares  (6X8) or 7 squares X 9 squares (7X9) or even 7 squares by 10 squares (7X10).

The length isn't as important right now as the width is.

Above is what the main body would look like with 6 squares.  It just doesn't look quite right to me.  It doesn't seem wide enough even though I know I'll be adding borders.

Here you can see what it would look like with 7 squares across.  (Sorry it is tilted so far but that is the only way I could get the whole width in the picture.)

So what do you think?

6 OR 7 squares across????

Your opinion means a great deal to me and I would love your advice :)

Colletta

My Weekly Bookishness ~ 6/3/2022

All things bookish!

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What I Read:

Read my REVIEW HERE!

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What I'm Reading:

Kindred Readers Book Club July 2022 Selection:

Blurb:

When Eva's film star sister Katrina dies, she leaves California and returns to Cornwall, where they spent their childhood summers, to scatter Katrina's ashes and in doing so return her to the place where she belongs. But Eva must also confront the ghosts from her own past, as well as those from a time long before her own. For the house where she so often stayed as a child is home not only to her old friends the Halletts, but also to the people who had lived there in the eighteenth century. 

When Eva finally accepts that she is able to slip between centuries and see and talk to the inhabitants from hundreds of years ago, she soon finds herself falling for Daniel Butler, a man who lived - and died - long before she herself was born. Eva begins to question her place in the present, and in laying her sister to rest, comes to realise that she too must decide where she really belongs, choosing between the life she knows and the past she feels so drawn towards. 

First Lines:

"It's a rotten time to lose someone, when all the world is dying too and darkness comes on earlier, and when the chill rains fall it seems the very sky is weeping."

56%/Page 56

"Something crashed through the ferns at my side and my heart jumped straight into my throat, beating hard."

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What I'll (Probably) Read Next:

Kindred Readers Book Club August 2022 Selection:

Blurb:

California’s gold country, 1850. A time when men sold their souls for a bag of gold and women sold their bodies for a place to sleep.

Angel expects nothing from men but betrayal. Sold into prostitution as a child, she survives by keeping her hatred alive. And what she hates most are the men who use her, leaving her empty and dead inside.

Then she meets Michael Hosea. A man who seeks his Father’s heart in everything, Michael Hosea obeys God’s call to marry Angel and to love her unconditionally. Slowly, day by day, he defies Angel’s every bitter expectation until, despite her resistance her frozen heart begins to thaw.

But with her unexpected softening come overwhelming feelings of unworthiness and fear. And so Angel runs. Back to the darkness, away from her husband’s pursuing love, terrified of the truth she can no longer deny: Her final healing must come from the One who loves her even more than Michael Hosea does…the One who will never let her go.

A life-changing story of God’s unconditional, redemptive, all-consuming love.

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Book Haul:

 

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Book Blogger Hop:

Q.  What is your method for writing reviews - do you write immediately after reading, wait a few days, or write as you are reading? (submitted by Elizabeth @ Silver's Reviews)

A.  I try to write my review immediately after finishing a book.  I could never wait a few days.  I would forget all my thoughts.  I've thought about writing as I read (so I could be more specific in details) but it hasn't happened yet.

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Bookishly Yours,

Linking up to: 

   

  

 The Sunday Post, Sunday Salon,  Mailbox Monday

Tea Time ~ 6/2/2022

 

Grab a cup of tea, coffee, hot chocolate or your favorite drink
while I share a few things about my life lately...

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~We went to the theater Friday afternoon to see the move "Top Gun Maverick".  While I'm not a huge fan of Tom Cruise (personally), we LOVED this movie!  It was so good.  I even think it might have been better than the original "Top Gun".  Yep, I said it :)

~Saturday, we went to a local-ish amusement park called Delgrosso's.  My brother and sister-in-law got us all season passes for Christmas!  It was only about 66F, so the water park section was bare and it actually wasn't as busy at the ride's as I thought it would be for Opening Weekend.  

Afterwards,we stopped by the mall and Laken got her ears pierced.  She's been wanting her second piercing for a while now and we promised that if she got her school work done on time, she could get them.  She is one happy camper :)

~Sunday we had a graduation party to go to at Shawnee (our local state park).  It started at 4pm but we decided to go up right after morning Church to spend some time together by the lake.  It was such a gorgeous day, weekend really!

~The girls did some tie-dyeing on Memorial Day (I'm actually wearing my new shirt right now ;)  They had each gotten a large kit of tie-dye supplies for Easter and finally had some time to spend creating :)

~I promised last week that I would get some pictures of Kaylee's house with her flowers.  Here they are :)

How was your week?  What's new with you?

 

Colletta

Weekly Weigh In ~ 6/1/2022

Once again (for the bazillionth time), I'm starting on a weight loss journey.  

My first mini-goal is to get below 280 lbs.  I'm giving myself a deadline of June 3, 2022 as that is my next doctor's appointment.  Yikes!  No pressure!

I'll be weighing in on Mondays and posting my results on Wednesday.  If you'd like to join in on the journey, I'd love to have some weight loss friends and support!

Feel free to use the "Weekly Weigh In" graphic and create your own post with as much (or as little) info as you are comfortable sharing and leave a link in the comments.  Or you can just report your results in the comments.

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I had a gain of 1 pound this week.

We did a lot of traveling this weekend and eating out.  It could have been a lot worse, I guess...

My check-up is Friday and I REALLY doubt that I'll be losing almost 5 lbs by then.  So, I didn't make my goal weight in time.  But, I'm just getting started!

I've lost over 15 pounds in roughly 10 weeks.  That means I'm averaging a loss of 1.5 pounds per week.  Pretty darn good, if I do say so myself.

I'm feeling motivated!  Now to stay consistent :)

Next week I'll be sharing my new goals.  Do you have any fitness goals for the Summer?

Weigh in #10:

Highest Weight ~ 300.0 lbs

Last Week's Weight ~ 5/23/2022 ~ 283.6 lbs.

This Week's Weight ~ 5/30/2022 ~ 284.6 lbs.

This Week's Total:   +1.0 lbs.

Grand Total: -15.4 lbs

Please let me know in the comments if you are on your own weight loss journey!  I'd love to follow along :)

 
Colletta

Book Review ~ Fourth and Long by Liz Isaacson

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Title:   Fourth and Long by Liz Isaacson

Series:  Three Rivers Ranch Romance

Pages:  179

Date Published: February 16, 2016

Publisher:  AEJ Creative Works

 Blurb:

Commander Brett Murphy left his family’s construction firm in Oklahoma City for a life of hard work at Three Rivers Ranch. Alone, without a wife and kids, Brett needs the camaraderie he enjoyed while serving overseas with his Army buddies, Squire Ackerman and Peter Marshall.

What Brett doesn’t need is the reappearance of his ex-wife. Fiery Kate Donnely has come to Three Rivers to confess to Brett that they’re still married, and oh, he has a seven-year-old son she never told him about. At least not in letters she mailed.

Eight years ago, Kate left Oklahoma City only weeks after Brett’s first deployment, shamed because of her bad choices and the unborn child of a man she’d already asked for a divorce. She needs him to sign the papers now or she can’t have access to her hefty inheritance. But Brett absolutely does not want Kate to take his son away from him again.

They strike a deal: She’ll stay at Three Rivers for the summer so Brett can have the opportunity to get to know his son. How far will they have to go and how much will they have to forgive in order to become a family?

My Thoughts:

This is the third book in this series by Liz Isaacson.  I really enjoyed the first book, "Second Chance Ranch."  You can read my review for that book HERE!  And the second book, "Third Time's the Charm".  You can read that review HERE!

I wasn't certain about this book in the beginning as I didn't really like the leading lady, Kate.  She had done a lot of questionable things and was continuing to make mistakes as she went along.

I really liked Brett who was introduced in "Third Time's the Charm" and didn't like that he was being treated so poorly.

After reading the transformation story, I grew to like Kate and was even rooting for her by the end.

I really like books that have emails and letters and it was fun reading the letters from Kate and the emails from Brett.  Especially after they actually started SENDING them!

I'm really looking forward to reading more of this series during the summer :)

I downloaded this book through Kindle Unlimited.

Onto the next book :)

Monthly Wrap-Up ~ May 2022

The Monthly Wrap-Up Round-Up is hosted by Nicole @ Feed Your Fiction Addiction and Shannon @ It Starts at Midnight.

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May 2022 Reviews:

I read 5 books in May.

Click on the cover to read the blurb and my review :)

Goodreads Challenge:

15/52 books.

Favorite Book of May 2022:

This is a hard one but I think I'll go with:

Book Review With the Most Views:

Where I've "Traveled":

Netherlands

France

Texas

My Weekly Bookishness:

This includes book hauls, teasers, and other great bookish fun :)

May 6, 2022

May 13, 2022

May 20, 2022

May 27, 2022

Other Posts:

A few of my favorite posts from the blog:

What's Up Wednesday ~ May 2022

Weekly Weigh In ~ 5/25/2022

Sunny Blue Hawaii 2

Coming Up in June 2022:

20 (or 10) Books of Summer is starting on June 1st!  Click HERE to read more!

"Fighting Words" a Proverbs 31 Online Bible Study is starting 5/31/2022 and running all summer long.  Click HERE to learn more!

The Kindred Readers Book Club reading selection for June 2022 is "The Book of Lost Names" by Kristin Harmel.  We'd love to have you come join along with the discussion!

Also linking up with: