Attitude of Gratitude ~ 9/4/2026

 

Focusing on the good things in life.

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

~Beautiful Flowers!  My mom has the entire front porch, and the side porch as well, filled with flowers!  The somewhat cooler temperatures here in Pennsylvania have brought out the vibrant colors of all the flowers but most of these petunias.  It had been a while since I had stopped and really focused on the beauty of the Lord's creation.

My sweet coworker, Anne, brought me these flowers that she had gotten from a roadside stand.  It was such a thoughtful gesture and one that I truly appreciated :)

~I'm very blessed with both of my parents!  Dad turned 79 in July and Mom will be 79 in November!  Time surely does fly by.  

~The cooler September temperatures remind us that the heating season is just around the corner.  We're all so very thankful for family and neighbors who helped us get a new-to-us furnace down in our furnace room.  Many thanks to Dad, the hubby, Uncle Charlie, Shawn and Jeff for giving their time and muscles so that we can all be warm this winter!

~Even though they sometimes wear on my nerves, I'm thankful for our fur family.  This is Oliver O'Mally cat all grown up and as handsome as ever!  He's becoming my bestie and is quick to come for his daily pets.

~My little buddy, Laken, on her first day of Kindergarten!   

And my beautiful, grown up buddy, on her first day of Sophomore year of University.  I'm so glad she spent the time taking a "first day photo" at my request.

~I can't remember if I wrote about Mike and Vickie on my blog before but they are the sweetest couple.  Mike is our preacher and Vickie is our magnificent piano player.  They are also wonderful friends.  I am so grateful that they have come into our lives.  This is a picture of them at our Annual Church Picnic that we had this past Sunday afternoon.

I hope you have a wonderful weekend ahead!

Blessings,

Colletta

Wondering Wednesday ~ Getting to Know My Family ~ 6/3/20

Welcome to Wondering Wednesdays hosted by A Baker's Perspective, a weekly post to learn more about me and other bloggers.

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

Today’s questions is – Can you tell me about your family?

My Answer - 

Where to start?  Where to start?...

I guess I'll start with the hubby, Doug.  I've been married to the love of my life for almost 20 years (September 17, 2000).  Here we are right after the wedding ceremony. 

Here we are on our Honeymoon.  Yes, we went to Disney World :)

And this is us about 2 years ago before going out on a date.

I can honestly say that I love this man more now than I ever have.  He is a wonderful husband, father and provider.  He works hard every day to take care of his "girls".

Next, would be our first born, Kaylee.  She doesn't like her picture taken very much anymore so I had to go back into the archives from Prom 2018 to find a good one of just her.  She'll be 19 years old on June 13th (how can that be???).  She has 2 semesters of college completed toward a certificate in accounting.  She has 4 more classes to take and is working a full time job in a warehouse distribution center.  She has been working for a little over 1 month and I'm so proud of her!

Then there is our youngest, Laken.  I have tons of pictures of her by herself.  (I guess it is the age.)  She is 13 years old and just finished up 7th grade.  She's a very eclectic child.  Her tastes and mood depends on the day, the hour, even the minute!  (I guess that is the age also.)  She loves to bake and wants to be a Scientist, a Microbiologist to be exact.  Again, very proud :)

Here are some family pictures from a Valentine Dinner.  Somehow Doug is hiding behind Kaylee's head!  :)

Love my family!

Can you tell me a little about your family?

Colletta

A Simple Woman's Daybook ~ 3/25/20

Looking out my window:

It is dreary but at least it isn't raining like it did ALL day long yesterday!

I am thinking:

About the changes in lifestyle we've had to adapt to over the past few weeks.  Laken is off school for another 2 weeks (at least) and Kaylee started her online classes today that will last the rest of the semester.

I am thankful:

I am thankful for the time spent with family, even though we are starting to drive each other crazy!

One of my favorite things:

One of my favorite things is my birthday!  Most people my age don't like celebrating their birthday but I love it :)

I am creating:

I started a granny square afghan using colors that could go for either a male or a female.  I don't know that I've ever made an afghan without the token female colors of pink or purple!  Here are the colors I'm using.  If you have an idea for a name, let me hear it!

I am wearing:

I think I may be wearing the exact same clothes that I was wearing when I typed this post last week!  lol  Comfy pants and a 3/4 sleeve t-shirt.  I've added a sweater to the mix though as I was a bit chilly.

I am reading (read) /watching (watched) / listening to:

I'm still reading "Deadly Proof" by Rachel Dylan.  I've made a good size dent in it by reading for 30-60 minutes before bed to wind down.

I am hoping:

I am hoping that COVID-19 stays far away from my family.  So far, no one in our county has tested positive but it is closing in as I watch the map of PA be updated day by day.

I am learning:

I am learning to amuse myself by working on my hobbies each for a little bit at a time so I don't get bored with one hobby.  Some of my hobbies are blogging, reading, crocheting, TV, movies and more.

In my kitchen:

Sun:  Ham Pot Pie

Mon:  Pork Chops, Cheesy Potatoes
Tues:  Cheese Ravioli with Pepperoni

Wed:  Ham, Fried Potatoes

Thurs:  Turkey and the all the Fixings

Fri:  Chicken, Buttered Noodles

Sat:  Grilled Cheese, Soup

Shared Quote:

"By the seventh day God had finished His Work.  On the seventh day He rested from all His work.  God blessed the seventh day.  he made it a Holy Day because on that day He rested from His work, all the creating God had done.  This is the story of how it all started, of Heaven and Earth when they were created."

Genesis 2:2-4 MSG

A moment from my day:

Roses my hubby got me for my birthday :)

Have a Blessed Day!

Colletta

Family Time Tuesday ~ Puzzle Pieces ~ 3/24/20

Since we're spending tons of time as a family I thought I'd bring back an old feature "Family Time Tuesday" for today.

Is anyone getting bored yet with staying home ALL THE TIME????

I know it is necessary so the last time we were out for groceries we picked up a 4 pack of Thomas Kincaide Disney puzzles for $14!  Considering one regular puzzle was almost $10 I thought it was quite the bargain.



As you can tell, this is the "before" photo :)

Laken is thinking quite hard about where to start!  hehe

We've been starting to get on each other's nerves, so it was nice to work together and see the girls getting along!

Kaylee's section of the puzzle was to work on the castle.  Laken worked on the sky.  I worked on the bridge and trees.  

The hubby was in charge of sorting pieces.

And......The finished masterpiece!

I think we're having a Family Game Night this weekend so I might have another Family Time Tuesday for you next week or Tuesday 4 might make another appearance.  Stay tuned...

Colletta

Journal Entry ~ 2/6/20-2/12/20

A few sentences about each day...

February 6, 2020 - February 12, 2020

6/Thurs ~ We decided not to go to the gym tonight.  Doug is trying to get over a bad cough and my back is hurting.  I think we all needed to have a night of rest.  VOTD:  2 Timothy 3:14

7/Fri ~ It was a pretty boring day until Doug and the girls go home.  Kaylee and Shawn went on a date.  Doug, Laken and I went to the Redbox and rented and watched 2 movies:  "Rambo Last Blood" and "Playing with Fire".  VOTD:  Exodus 16:20

8/Sat ~ I gained 3.2 lbs this week :(  I'm thinking about cancelling my WW subscription and trying something else.  It doesn't make sense to pay $50/month to gain weight!  VOTD:  Genesis 32:11

9/Sun ~ We had a Sweet Heart Dinner this afternoon at Church.  Doug served me my food and we had a really good time :)  We even had pictures taken.  Doug is trying to hide in this one :)

10/Mon ~ We took the car to the Subaru garage to have a recall fixed.  It should be good to go now.  I got my hair cut while waiting.  I'm not sure how I feel about it.  Hopefully I'll get used to it in a few days!  VOTD:  Acts 8:31

11/Tues ~ Today was grocery day.  I also had to pick Laken up from Science Olympiad practice and then beat feet to Ladies Meeting.  After that, I relaxed a bit by watching "Prodigal Son" and "Biggest Loser".  VOTD:  Acts 17:11

12/Wed ~ Kaylee had to go to the College Testing Center for an Algebra Test.  (She got a 95%!)  We then went to talk to an advisor and financial aid about Kaylee getting her Certificate of Recognition in Business Accounting before switching over to majoring in Art.  Afterward, we stopped at the mall and a few other places for Kaylee to get applications for a Summer job.  VOTD:  James 4:8

Until next week,

Colletta

Thankful Thursday ~ 2/28/19

~Safe Travels!  My Mom, Dad, brother and SIL went on a bus trip to Kentucky (from PA) to see the Creation Museum and the Ark.  On the way home, they got behind an accident that was caused by the extremely high winds.  They were 3 hours late, but finally they made it safely home :)

~Electricity!  Again, extremely high winds came through Sunday.  We prepared for power outages but thankfully our electric stayed on.  We were lucky because people just a few miles away were without power for over a day.  Yay, for electricity :)

~Spring Training!  THE Pittsburgh Pirates are officially in Spring Training!  I'm so excited to be able to watch them play.  Unfortunately, not all the Grapefruit League games are televised so I'll have to wait until the end of March.  Spring is coming!!!!  :)

~Applebee's!  We had a family night out on Saturday and ate at Applebee's.  It was so good and I didn't have to cook.  Win-win :)

~How To Train Your Dragon 3!  After Applebee's we headed to the theater to see How To Train Your Dragon 3.  It is the final movie in the series and it was really cute.  I didn't see all of the second movie so I didn't know if I would know what was happening.  However, I thoroughly enjoyed the movie and highly recommend it for families; or anyone who likes to watch animated movies :)

 
What are you thankful for today?

 
Colletta

Thankful Thursday ~ 10/18/18

~Last Satuday was a family day for us!  We made the trek to Altoona and shopped.  Our first stop was Hobby Lobby.  How fun!  At least for me :)  We then had lunch at Red Robin.  Yummmm!

~I picked out my new calendar for 2019!  This year I had flowers so I decided to go back to tried and true "Beaches".  I love looking at pictures of beaches and imagining I'm there, especially in those cold, snowy winter months :)

~I was also looking for some nonfiction books to help me get out of my reading slump!  Ollies is my go-to store for getting great books cheap.  I got all 5 books for only $20!  Here's what I picked up:)

~I got a new PenPal!!!!  I'm so excited, you guys!  A group of us in the #madeformore facebook group decided to do a penpal exchange.  The fantastic lady who spear headed it all sent us our penpal information yesterday!  I've already exchanged emails with my new friend who lives in Manitoba, Canada.  I'm so excited!  Did I already say that  :)

~I finally got a copy of Girl, Wash Your Face by Rachel Hollis!  I had ordered it from www.cbd.com but it was backordered until the 26th.  Luckily I just happened to see at a Wal-Mart near me and snagged it up and canceled my order.  I started reading it last night but just got too tired to get past chapter 2.  I'm off today (doing laundry) and look forward to getting to dig in :)

What are you thankful for today?

 

Colletta



Thankful Thursday ~ 9/27/18

~Last weekend instead of going out to a movie for Family Night (there just wasn't anything we wanted to see), we  instead got our go to snacks and stayed in for a rousing night of Skipbo!  If you've never played, it is a card game and the more people that play the harder it is to get a chance to play your cards.  When 2 people play it goes pretty fast.  With all four of us playing it took a bit longer and there were many times where everyone's play was covered up before they got a chance to play their top card!  We had a good time and are planning on playing again this weekend :)

~I finally finished reading a book!  I even took the time to write the review and post it.  I also wrote a post about the "Race to the Finish" of my Goodreads Challenge.  I now have 16 more books to read before the end of the year if I want to complete the challenge!  I think I need to start going to bed earlier and taking my book with me for an hour of reading before lights-out :)

~We're all taking our turn at coming down with a miserable cold.  Mine started Sunday night and is just getting bearable today.  That made for some down days and staying in my PJ's all day :)

~I am loving the new candles that are coming out in stores!  Anything pumpkin or spice are A-OK in my book :)  Right now I'm burning a Pumpkin Crumb Cake candle and it is smelling delicious in here  :)

~Laken is taking the Hunter's Safety Course in School this week!  I don't really know why because I don't think the child could ever shoot any animal.  She's such a softy.   But her friends were taking it and her Daddy was supportive so there it is.  The Hubby is more than excited to be talking hunting stats with his little girl.  The newest thing is looking through catalogs and picking out equipment and new guns to buy.  I really don't think it will happen, but it is making them happy :)

What are you thankful for today?

 

Colletta



Kaylee's Senior Prom 2018

 

Saturday was Kaylee's Senior Prom.  (How did my baby grow up so fast!?!)

 

I took a ton of pictures.  Some of Kaylee by herself some with her boyfriend, Shawn, and some with Laken, Daddy and I actually got in one too!

 

Instead of commenting on each picture, I'm just going to leave them here for your viewing pleasure.

 

Isn't she beautiful?



 

 

 

   
 

Love my family so much!

Colletta