What Shall I Keep?

 Many of us are in the process of going through our things and sorting out and keeping the items we treasure, and giving away stuff we no longer want or need.  I did this a few years ago when I moved, and I'm still going through things little by little.  We start out when we are young wanting more and accumulating much, and then spend the later years wanting less and keeping only the items we need or truly love.  This is a difficult process for some, but I have to say that it hasn't been that hard for me, as I am an 'organizer by nature,' and don't like clutter.  When my mom passed, I thought it would be a time-consuming job going through all her things, but she was a tidy person as well, and that made it easy on me and my sister and brother when the time came to go through her belongings.  I remember wanting a few of her things, and to this day, I still cherish them.  But she didn't have an excessive amount of stuff, and that made the process more smoothly, and I thank her for that.  Everything had its place, and she labeled everything, dates and all, which I appreciate the most.  So, I may take after her and inherited some of her organizational skills, and that's helped me with my own downsizing process.  She did keep a lot of papers, which I don't.  And I remember going through her papers and cards and such, and that took the longest time.  So, recently I went through some of my boxes, and started piling up things that I thought belonged to the girls now - an album of their school awards, video tapes of their cheerleading and homecoming days, and a picture of their grandma when she was young that I had extras of.  In a big yellow tote bag, I gave these things to them, and as hard as it was to part with some, it was time.  The only papers I won't give up are those special sacred certificates; they belong to me.  I'm giving these things to my children little by little, so they won't have a crazy time when they have to go through my stuff one day (and because my house is small, and I don't have a lot of extra storage space).  ; )  So, these days, I'm very careful what I bring home from the shops now.  I have to really love it.... and when I saw this painting, I knew it had to come home with me.  I love cottage style decor, and I thought this resembled that, and it spoke to me right away.

I opened my kitchen blinds, and saw this!  They are starting to come around more often now.  The pics are not that clear; they were taken through the window.  But you can get an idea of what a surprise it was to see this special creature.

I watched My Big Fat Greek Wedding 3.  It was lively and wonderful, and it takes you along on the family's trip, and shows some beautiful scenes of Greece.  Do you know many of the characters are really Greek heritage?

I have been greatly looking forward to watching The Chosen Season 5.  Last night I watched Season 5, episode 1 Livestream.  It was an outstanding episode of importance and meaning.

Well, this will be a shorter post today.  My Jess will be here soon, and I have lots to do.  I made a little fairy table for the kids to play with.  Here are a few miniature things that I've collected here and there.

I washed down the front porch, cleaned the chairs, raked the flower bed, and found this cute little chair that's just about Charlotte's size.  The first pink rose blossomed too.

So, if you are one of those who is going through the de-cluttering process, I wish you well.  Slowly, but surely, we'll get it done.

~Sheri  

Yellow Spaces

 Good Morning June!

I made a batch of gingerbread cookies.  They were just from a package, but they were so moist and  Yummy; really one of the best I've had. 

Jess and the kids are coming to visit me soon.

I have been cleaning and getting ready for their visit.  I wanted a cheerful space on my table, so I put a few yellow things out - I found a pretty painting with shades of yellow, trees, and even a mountain in the distance.  Reminds me of where I live.  I also put out Mia's music box, some silk flowers, and a cute yellow bird I found at the home shop.

Speaking of yellow birds, I used to see them all the time in my hometown, but I haven't seen them even once up here. 

Some flowers in town.  Do you know what these white flowers are?  The blossoms were so big and pretty.

Some benches at one of my favorite eateries in town.

Meals during the week.  I made a salad, and added Chex spicy mix on top for a crunchy kick.  Meatloaf, which was incredibly good, a dish of jambalaya rice and Polish sausage.  The jambalaya rice was delicious.

I have been sipping on Lemon and Ginger tea lately.  It has a very soothing flavor, and ginger has so many health benefits.

My neighbor passed away, and his house is right across the street from mine.  He was such a good neighbor, and was always there when I needed something, or had any questions on this mountain living.  He gave me my first snow shovel. ; )  The roses at his house are in full bloom for his wife, V.

Mia's dear Mother's Day card she made me, and I will cherish it forever.  She picked some real lavender from Nel's garden in their back yard, and glued it to the card. 

I painted my statue, and I chose a shade in 'cottage white.'  I'm not a painter, and it was hard to get in all the cracks, but I didn't want to overthink it, so I just kept painting.  I think it turned out nicely.   

I hope the June days are kind to you.

~Sheri

It Has Been Said

The waterfalls are on the outskirts of my town, and a week ago I had the pleasure of visiting them once again.  The ideal time to go is right when Spring arrives, as the summer months attract the tourists and are more crowded.  There were only a few people visiting when I went with my son, and they amaze me every time.  It has been said....."It is not the highest or largest waterfall in the state, but possibly the most beautiful."

It really is like a scene from Jurassic Park when you are surrounded by all the trees coming from every direction.

The Falls from another view.  The water comes from underground springs above and at the Falls, and provides a constant flow of water, even during the dry summer months.

A spider web of water. 

A close-up of the Falls.  People have walked down to the base, and have jumped in the refreshing water during the warm months.

The mates come together and soar the skies.

And trees as tall as you can imagine.

There's a stream that flows right next to the Falls that always catches my eye.

The trail going down is pretty easy to walk, but it's a bit more tricky going up.

It was a grand day!

"Happiness is not always loud and bright and crowded."

~E.L. Konigsburg