Today......

I'll be away doing some serious celebrating!!!  I will report back on all the fun!!!

Today......

I'll be away doing some serious celebrating!!!  I will report back on all the fun!!!

In the planning stages....

Of a girl's trip!!! Since my daughter graduates from high school this  year, I decided it would be fun to do a girl's trip.......my sister in law, and two nieces and my daughter and I will be going to NYC this May!!! Wahoo!!  Allison has wanted for the longest time to go see Wicked, and it just never happened, even though it was a possibility to see it in Houston....so NOW we are going to do it! YES!!!

I am so excited!!!

In the planning stages....

Of a girl's trip!!! Since my daughter graduates from high school this  year, I decided it would be fun to do a girl's trip.......my sister in law, and two nieces and my daughter and I will be going to NYC this May!!! Wahoo!!  Allison has wanted for the longest time to go see Wicked, and it just never happened, even though it was a possibility to see it in Houston....so NOW we are going to do it! YES!!!

I am so excited!!!

Resurrection Cookies or Forgotten Cookies

Well, since I told you all about the egg dyeing here, I also wanted to make sure you knew how to make these "resurrection" cookies in case you wanted to use as an object lesson for your children. It's a fun project, and one that teaches the true reason for Easter. You could do them ahead of time as you begin to talk about what Easter really means. If you click on the picture it will enlarge and you can print it off, but in case you can't read it, I'd be glad to email it to you as well.
I'm a little sad that my children are too old (and busy) to do these kinds of home projects any longer....so let me know how you use them and your stories of your children's responses. One day soon I"ll be a Grammy and do these things with my grands.....

Resurrection Cookies or Forgotten Cookies

Well, since I told you all about the egg dyeing here, I also wanted to make sure you knew how to make these "resurrection" cookies in case you wanted to use as an object lesson for your children. It's a fun project, and one that teaches the true reason for Easter. You could do them ahead of time as you begin to talk about what Easter really means. If you click on the picture it will enlarge and you can print it off, but in case you can't read it, I'd be glad to email it to you as well.
I'm a little sad that my children are too old (and busy) to do these kinds of home projects any longer....so let me know how you use them and your stories of your children's responses. One day soon I"ll be a Grammy and do these things with my grands.....

Friday Fives!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Around here at Southern Inspiration Casa, it's a tradition now (that we've done it more than twice!!! :D)
to have our Friday Fives.  You readers seem to love it, and it helps us all get to know fun, maybe goofy things about one another.  And it's a whole post at the end of the week that I don't have to think much about look forward to!  So without further ado, let's get on with Friday Fives.....um, are you as glad that it's Friday as I am???????

1. Do you like Peeps?  these kind are what I am talking about:

Or do you prefer some other kind of Easter treat?  Maybe this?????

2.  Do you have a pool at your home?  When do you begin to use it for the first time in the spring?

3.  How do you read blogs?  Do you use Google Reader, use the Blogger Dashboard, or a different method?
Do tell!


4.  Do you Tweet on Twitter?  Do you Facebook?

5.  Do you have Spring Cleaning on your list of things to do?????

Hope you enjoy your weekend!!! It's looking like GREAT weather here!
I enjoyed seeing Anita Renfroe and Mandisa last night with a friend.  If you've never seen Anita Renfroe, she will indeed make you laugh and laugh.  Here's a youtube video of her, one of many........

Friday Fives!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Around here at Southern Inspiration Casa, it's a tradition now (that we've done it more than twice!!! :D)
to have our Friday Fives.  You readers seem to love it, and it helps us all get to know fun, maybe goofy things about one another.  And it's a whole post at the end of the week that I don't have to think much about look forward to!  So without further ado, let's get on with Friday Fives.....um, are you as glad that it's Friday as I am???????

1. Do you like Peeps?  these kind are what I am talking about:

Or do you prefer some other kind of Easter treat?  Maybe this?????

2.  Do you have a pool at your home?  When do you begin to use it for the first time in the spring?

3.  How do you read blogs?  Do you use Google Reader, use the Blogger Dashboard, or a different method?
Do tell!


4.  Do you Tweet on Twitter?  Do you Facebook?

5.  Do you have Spring Cleaning on your list of things to do?????

Hope you enjoy your weekend!!! It's looking like GREAT weather here!
I enjoyed seeing Anita Renfroe and Mandisa last night with a friend.  If you've never seen Anita Renfroe, she will indeed make you laugh and laugh.  Here's a youtube video of her, one of many........

We made a college choice!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Wahoo......we finally have a choice made for Allison's college!  We are very pleased that she wants to go to Texas A&M.  She had narrowed it down to Texas A&M and Oklahoma University, and just this past week, she decided that A&M was her choice.  I am pleased because it's less than two hours away, and I know it is a great school.  Her brother is there, and it has a LOT of good qualities.  I feel good that my girl will do well there!
I am just so glad the decision is MADE!!!

We made a college choice!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Wahoo......we finally have a choice made for Allison's college!  We are very pleased that she wants to go to Texas A&M.  She had narrowed it down to Texas A&M and Oklahoma University, and just this past week, she decided that A&M was her choice.  I am pleased because it's less than two hours away, and I know it is a great school.  Her brother is there, and it has a LOT of good qualities.  I feel good that my girl will do well there!
I am just so glad the decision is MADE!!!

So very charming.......

Remember when I told you in this post about my getting this book in the mail (FREE!) for the purpose of reading and reviewing on my blog?  Well that's my purpose today.  I finally finished the book ( I thought I would be able to finish it Spring Break, but I guess my nursing responsibilities for my son took more time than I thought!).  I really couldn't put it down during the last 1/3 of the book.

The book is by C. A. Belmond and is the third book in the "Rather charming" series....and I must say it is indeed "rather charming"!!!!  The main characters are Penny Nichols and her fiance' Jeremy Laidley.  Obviously, I have some catching up to do, as there are two books that come before this one that detail just how Penny came into an inheritance to make her an American  multi-millionaire, and how she comes to meet Jeremy and become engaged to him.  Normally, I don't like to read things out of order chronologically.....but when the offer to read the book was presented, I didn't even know the two books preceded this one.  I guess that's a rabbit trail , though, and I'll get back to the book review at hand.

A Rather Charming Invitation  was indeed a delightful read, rich in detail that made each scene literally come alive, made each emotion understandable and easily shared, made each intriguing twist of the plot thicker and more interesting.  It was the perfect balance of love and romance (without TOO MUCH detail), intrigue and mystery (without blood or gore) and picturesque tale-spinning  to make it enjoyable and able to sink right into.  I've never been to the French Riviera, Nice, Antibes, or seen the Cote d'Azur......but this book certainly evoked in me the desire to do so!!  It pulled me right in with its lovely descriptions of gorgeous scenery.  It even had me imagining that I could smell the scents of beautiful perfumes handcrafted by Penny's family, in their family perfumery business.  It was quite a romantic book, yet full of intrigue......and colorful characters!  Even the language was refreshing, with only one offensive word in the whole book, but placed in such a way that it totally fit the character and mood of the event.  The author did such a fine job of portraying the bad guy that you didn't mind at all "hating" his character!!!

I would highly recommend this series by C. A. Belmond, the "Rather"  Series!!!
I can see the possibility for  so many sequels to this series, that I surely hope the author is considering........when you read it you will no doubt understand......A Rather Memorable  Honeymoon,  A Rather Romantic Invitation (for when Honorine actually decides on her betrothed) and many other charming stories to follow!  Hope you will find the book and enjoy it as well!!!!  And so my task for today is to go find those other two books and do some catching up.....A Rather Lovely  Inheritance and A Rather Curious Engagement!  I've got some reading to do!!!

You can find the books here.....or at your local bookstore!

Oh, and this opportunity came to me when I joined Business2Blogger --you should check that out, too!!

So very charming.......

Remember when I told you in this post about my getting this book in the mail (FREE!) for the purpose of reading and reviewing on my blog?  Well that's my purpose today.  I finally finished the book ( I thought I would be able to finish it Spring Break, but I guess my nursing responsibilities for my son took more time than I thought!).  I really couldn't put it down during the last 1/3 of the book.

The book is by C. A. Belmond and is the third book in the "Rather charming" series....and I must say it is indeed "rather charming"!!!!  The main characters are Penny Nichols and her fiance' Jeremy Laidley.  Obviously, I have some catching up to do, as there are two books that come before this one that detail just how Penny came into an inheritance to make her an American  multi-millionaire, and how she comes to meet Jeremy and become engaged to him.  Normally, I don't like to read things out of order chronologically.....but when the offer to read the book was presented, I didn't even know the two books preceded this one.  I guess that's a rabbit trail , though, and I'll get back to the book review at hand.

A Rather Charming Invitation  was indeed a delightful read, rich in detail that made each scene literally come alive, made each emotion understandable and easily shared, made each intriguing twist of the plot thicker and more interesting.  It was the perfect balance of love and romance (without TOO MUCH detail), intrigue and mystery (without blood or gore) and picturesque tale-spinning  to make it enjoyable and able to sink right into.  I've never been to the French Riviera, Nice, Antibes, or seen the Cote d'Azur......but this book certainly evoked in me the desire to do so!!  It pulled me right in with its lovely descriptions of gorgeous scenery.  It even had me imagining that I could smell the scents of beautiful perfumes handcrafted by Penny's family, in their family perfumery business.  It was quite a romantic book, yet full of intrigue......and colorful characters!  Even the language was refreshing, with only one offensive word in the whole book, but placed in such a way that it totally fit the character and mood of the event.  The author did such a fine job of portraying the bad guy that you didn't mind at all "hating" his character!!!

I would highly recommend this series by C. A. Belmond, the "Rather"  Series!!!
I can see the possibility for  so many sequels to this series, that I surely hope the author is considering........when you read it you will no doubt understand......A Rather Memorable  Honeymoon,  A Rather Romantic Invitation (for when Honorine actually decides on her betrothed) and many other charming stories to follow!  Hope you will find the book and enjoy it as well!!!!  And so my task for today is to go find those other two books and do some catching up.....A Rather Lovely  Inheritance and A Rather Curious Engagement!  I've got some reading to do!!!

You can find the books here.....or at your local bookstore!

Oh, and this opportunity came to me when I joined Business2Blogger --you should check that out, too!!

It's a NEW day

Ahhh, the quiet, the spring morning.......it's a new day full of great possibilities!!!
It will indeed be more spring like by the end of the week.



And I thought I'd share with you some fantastic Customer Service I got this morning.

Recently, I bought a package of Dixie Perfect Touch Grab and Go disposable cups.....my daughter loves to fix a cup of coffee on her way out the door to school.  And it's better than her spending two bucks everyday for a stop at a local well-known coffee shop........anyhoo, I bought these cups and as we began to use them, discovered that more than half of the black plastic lids had cracks in them, rendering the lids essentially useless.  You cover the cup, but it leaks anyway.....hmmm, not good with hot coffee.  So this morning, she nonchalantly said, "you should call the company about that".  I decided that since I had bought TWO packages of 26 count cups that she had  a great idea!  So I did, and talked to a very pleasant customer service rep, who agreed to send me a coupon for a free package and to pass the info onto their quality control representative.  So, I encourage you to give that 1-800 number a call if you find a product that has a defect.......it's a nice thing to happen on a Monday morning.....

Other news....
Yesterday, we heard a sermon on fasting and prayer.....both on an individual and corporate or national level....More than ever, I am seeing that this could be a great thing for us to do.  It might be fasting from food, OR fasting from whatever draws you away from God.......news coverage, too much time on the computer, shopping, whatever....good things to consider.  Have a marvelous Monday, my friends....

Some things coming up on my blog are a book review of  A Rather Charming Invitation, by C. A. Belmond, as well as a few photos of my Easter/spring decor, and the beginning of  a series hosted by Sandy Coughlin at Reluctant Entertainer on "Home Is"..........it's shaping up to be a great time to be a blogger!!!  See you soon.

It's a NEW day

Ahhh, the quiet, the spring morning.......it's a new day full of great possibilities!!!
It will indeed be more spring like by the end of the week.



And I thought I'd share with you some fantastic Customer Service I got this morning.

Recently, I bought a package of Dixie Perfect Touch Grab and Go disposable cups.....my daughter loves to fix a cup of coffee on her way out the door to school.  And it's better than her spending two bucks everyday for a stop at a local well-known coffee shop........anyhoo, I bought these cups and as we began to use them, discovered that more than half of the black plastic lids had cracks in them, rendering the lids essentially useless.  You cover the cup, but it leaks anyway.....hmmm, not good with hot coffee.  So this morning, she nonchalantly said, "you should call the company about that".  I decided that since I had bought TWO packages of 26 count cups that she had  a great idea!  So I did, and talked to a very pleasant customer service rep, who agreed to send me a coupon for a free package and to pass the info onto their quality control representative.  So, I encourage you to give that 1-800 number a call if you find a product that has a defect.......it's a nice thing to happen on a Monday morning.....

Other news....
Yesterday, we heard a sermon on fasting and prayer.....both on an individual and corporate or national level....More than ever, I am seeing that this could be a great thing for us to do.  It might be fasting from food, OR fasting from whatever draws you away from God.......news coverage, too much time on the computer, shopping, whatever....good things to consider.  Have a marvelous Monday, my friends....

Some things coming up on my blog are a book review of  A Rather Charming Invitation, by C. A. Belmond, as well as a few photos of my Easter/spring decor, and the beginning of  a series hosted by Sandy Coughlin at Reluctant Entertainer on "Home Is"..........it's shaping up to be a great time to be a blogger!!!  See you soon.

The Spring Break that wasn't.....

I want to post real quickly, as I have a list a mile long of things that didn't get done this week,   YET.
My son is doing quite well; the first night was not so good, but then things began to get better.  He still needs prayer, lots of help, and he will go back to school and have to do things single handed for himself.......that will be a stiff learning curve.  We pray the week and the next few weeks will go well.  Hopefully his girlfriend, roommates, and friends can help him out.  We take our two arms for granted, I suppose, until we can only use one of them for a time. 

I thought I would do a Friday Fives just for fun.....I think I'll be needing my SPRING BREAK next week, when everyone is back in  school and back to work!!! LOL....

So enjoy the Friday Fives and hope your weekend is wonderful...we've had several days of perfect weather, but I hear the chances of rain tomorrow are high.  Take care and enjoy your family!

1. Do you enjoy playing games?  Board games, card games, computer games?

2. Do you enjoy gardening?  Do you grow flowers/veggies/ or both?

3. Have you ever been on a cruise?

4. What challenges do you face this week?  (If you list them, I can pray for you!!!)

5. What Easter traditions do you enjoy? 

Have a great weekend, y'all?  I hope to be back to a more normal online, blogging life after the weekend, although there is a ton of stuff to do around my casa!!!  Let's motivate one another!!!

The Spring Break that wasn't.....

I want to post real quickly, as I have a list a mile long of things that didn't get done this week,   YET.
My son is doing quite well; the first night was not so good, but then things began to get better.  He still needs prayer, lots of help, and he will go back to school and have to do things single handed for himself.......that will be a stiff learning curve.  We pray the week and the next few weeks will go well.  Hopefully his girlfriend, roommates, and friends can help him out.  We take our two arms for granted, I suppose, until we can only use one of them for a time. 

I thought I would do a Friday Fives just for fun.....I think I'll be needing my SPRING BREAK next week, when everyone is back in  school and back to work!!! LOL....

So enjoy the Friday Fives and hope your weekend is wonderful...we've had several days of perfect weather, but I hear the chances of rain tomorrow are high.  Take care and enjoy your family!

1. Do you enjoy playing games?  Board games, card games, computer games?

2. Do you enjoy gardening?  Do you grow flowers/veggies/ or both?

3. Have you ever been on a cruise?

4. What challenges do you face this week?  (If you list them, I can pray for you!!!)

5. What Easter traditions do you enjoy? 

Have a great weekend, y'all?  I hope to be back to a more normal online, blogging life after the weekend, although there is a ton of stuff to do around my casa!!!  Let's motivate one another!!!

Visiting over the fence.......I'll be back later.

I just wanted to say thanks for all your prayer and support over the past few days for my friend Mary.  She is doing so much better.  She went home yesterday I believe and can still use your prayer, but is doing so, so much better.

In other news, my son is having shoulder surgery this morning, so I'll be up at the hospital waiting for that to happen, then I'll be helping him get better and back in the swing of things.  He won't get much of a Spring Break, but this will put him in better shape for the summer, so we decided to go ahead and do it now.  He's in great shape, so hopefully it will be a quick and easy recovery!
I'd love it if you could pray for him this morning.
Then I promise I'll have something FUN on my blog later this week.  It's been a little intense around here in my heart!! Talk to you later, and I really DO value you and appreciate your prayer and support!  Take care, and enjoy these spring days!

Visiting over the fence.......I'll be back later.

I just wanted to say thanks for all your prayer and support over the past few days for my friend Mary.  She is doing so much better.  She went home yesterday I believe and can still use your prayer, but is doing so, so much better.

In other news, my son is having shoulder surgery this morning, so I'll be up at the hospital waiting for that to happen, then I'll be helping him get better and back in the swing of things.  He won't get much of a Spring Break, but this will put him in better shape for the summer, so we decided to go ahead and do it now.  He's in great shape, so hopefully it will be a quick and easy recovery!
I'd love it if you could pray for him this morning.
Then I promise I'll have something FUN on my blog later this week.  It's been a little intense around here in my heart!! Talk to you later, and I really DO value you and appreciate your prayer and support!  Take care, and enjoy these spring days!

Trusting in Him for this day.....

Enjoy your day, my blogging friends.
Picture found at:
http://www.photosforsouls.com

Trusting in Him for this day.....

Enjoy your day, my blogging friends.
Picture found at:
http://www.photosforsouls.com

Thanks and Late friday five....

Thanks so very much friends for all your prayers and well wishes for Mary.  I thought I'd let you know that when we saw her this evening, she was more alert and chatted a little bit, but wore out easily.  The results of her MRI will hopefully be done in the morning, and they will see what they are facing.  Thanks for your continued prayer.

I thought I'd go ahead and do the regular Friday fives, although most of you will not read them until Saturday....
Play along if you'd like, answer the questions in the comments and we all get to know each other a little bit better.

1. Do you enjoy Daylight Savings Time?  What will you look forward to doing with that extra hour of light in the evenings?

2. Do you have a special tradition for St. Patrick's Day or for Easter?

3. Will you get a new Easter dress? 

4.  What one thing are you thankful for today?

5.  What "smell" reminds you of spring?  What food reminds you of spring?

Thanks again for all your friendships, and for caring/praying for my friend Mary.  God bless each of you!

Thanks and Late friday five....

Thanks so very much friends for all your prayers and well wishes for Mary.  I thought I'd let you know that when we saw her this evening, she was more alert and chatted a little bit, but wore out easily.  The results of her MRI will hopefully be done in the morning, and they will see what they are facing.  Thanks for your continued prayer.

I thought I'd go ahead and do the regular Friday fives, although most of you will not read them until Saturday....
Play along if you'd like, answer the questions in the comments and we all get to know each other a little bit better.

1. Do you enjoy Daylight Savings Time?  What will you look forward to doing with that extra hour of light in the evenings?

2. Do you have a special tradition for St. Patrick's Day or for Easter?

3. Will you get a new Easter dress? 

4.  What one thing are you thankful for today?

5.  What "smell" reminds you of spring?  What food reminds you of spring?

Thanks again for all your friendships, and for caring/praying for my friend Mary.  God bless each of you!

I'll be away for some time

I have a dear friend, Mary, who is in the hospital. She has fought breast cancer for numerous years now and Monday night she suffered a stroke and is having multiple seizures. Please pray for her and her family. She has a husband and ten children. She is the most beautiful woman I've ever known. Thanks for your prayers for this family.

I'll be away for some time

I have a dear friend, Mary, who is in the hospital. She has fought breast cancer for numerous years now and Monday night she suffered a stroke and is having multiple seizures. Please pray for her and her family. She has a husband and ten children. She is the most beautiful woman I've ever known. Thanks for your prayers for this family.

It's time to start thinking about EASTER eggs!!!!

This is a post from last year, but appropos for the season, so I thought I'd run it again......

We don't really dye eggs at our house much anymore, since my kids are older, but I'm thinking maybe you still do....well, maybe I'll do some this year for myself!!! I thought maybe you'd like to know how to dye them without using all those dyes that have to have a special number attached to them.....like Red dye #47 or Blue dye #23....why not try dying them with REAL food items???I've got some ideas for you and I even did a little Googling for some further research for you and me....Above is a picture of some naturally dyed eggs, and you can find some info here and here. Try looking here, too. You can also tea dye them, too as shown below, and the instructions are found here.Also, here are the instructions I have on hand for Elegant Dyed Easter Eggs using NATURAL food coloring.

Place colorant, from the list below in the pot with 1 quart of water and 2 T. white vinegar. Bring to a boil; let cool slightly. Place dye back in the pot with up to 2 raw eggs, bring to a boil. (If adding more than 2, stir gently to prevent eggs from settling against each other). Leave in dye until desired hue is reached, from 20 minutes up to 2 hours. Remove, pat dry lightly with paper towels; let air dry. Here is the list of colorants to use:
1/2 c. paprika= peachy salmon color
1 c. canned cherries in syrup=red
3 T. turmeric=yellow
1 c. fresh spinach leaves=green
4 c. chopped red cabbage or 1 c. blueberries with syrup=blue
12 medium sized onion skins=orange
1/2 c. grape juice concentrate=purple

For further decoration, take a crayon and make designs on the eggs before dying them. The dye will not absorb into the designs as the wax prevents it from absorbing and leaves the design in place. The process can be constantly repeated with the crayons for multiple effects on the eggs....these give you the look of Ukranian Easter Eggs.
Mostly have fun as you see nature's own hues softly displayed in your Easter Egg Basket Bounty!!! I'll be back next week with the recipe for the Easter Story Cookies, in case you need that one, too.

It's time to start thinking about EASTER eggs!!!!

This is a post from last year, but appropos for the season, so I thought I'd run it again......

We don't really dye eggs at our house much anymore, since my kids are older, but I'm thinking maybe you still do....well, maybe I'll do some this year for myself!!! I thought maybe you'd like to know how to dye them without using all those dyes that have to have a special number attached to them.....like Red dye #47 or Blue dye #23....why not try dying them with REAL food items???I've got some ideas for you and I even did a little Googling for some further research for you and me....Above is a picture of some naturally dyed eggs, and you can find some info here and here. Try looking here, too. You can also tea dye them, too as shown below, and the instructions are found here.Also, here are the instructions I have on hand for Elegant Dyed Easter Eggs using NATURAL food coloring.

Place colorant, from the list below in the pot with 1 quart of water and 2 T. white vinegar. Bring to a boil; let cool slightly. Place dye back in the pot with up to 2 raw eggs, bring to a boil. (If adding more than 2, stir gently to prevent eggs from settling against each other). Leave in dye until desired hue is reached, from 20 minutes up to 2 hours. Remove, pat dry lightly with paper towels; let air dry. Here is the list of colorants to use:
1/2 c. paprika= peachy salmon color
1 c. canned cherries in syrup=red
3 T. turmeric=yellow
1 c. fresh spinach leaves=green
4 c. chopped red cabbage or 1 c. blueberries with syrup=blue
12 medium sized onion skins=orange
1/2 c. grape juice concentrate=purple

For further decoration, take a crayon and make designs on the eggs before dying them. The dye will not absorb into the designs as the wax prevents it from absorbing and leaves the design in place. The process can be constantly repeated with the crayons for multiple effects on the eggs....these give you the look of Ukranian Easter Eggs.
Mostly have fun as you see nature's own hues softly displayed in your Easter Egg Basket Bounty!!! I'll be back next week with the recipe for the Easter Story Cookies, in case you need that one, too.