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Friday Favorites

Last Friday evening, LB and I enjoyed one of our favorite date night experiences at Alhambra Theatre & Dining

Favorite # ONE

Meet Me in St. Louis

The show was good, but not my favorite Alhambra show ever.

For dinner I ordered prime rib which came with two sides.  I ate the sides, but ended up taking the whole serving of prime rib home.  It was very pink and needed a few minutes in my skillet.  It is true that I could have sent it back to the kitchen for additional cook time, but I don’t like to send things back.  Call me crazy.

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The strangest coincidence happened this week.  First, I lost my umbrella when I left it under my chair at the Alhambra.   It was black with florescent multi-colored paisleys.  LB called, but Alhambra didn’t find it.

Then on Monday, LB lost his umbrella when he set it down on the back of his car and later drove off down the road.

We’re quite a pair.

Anyway my

Favorite #TWO

is

My new umbrella

LB didn’t get a new one, he already has a spare ☂️

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On Tuesday, LB and I took a trip to…

Favorite # THREE

COSTCO

which we typically do once a week to stock up on frozen berries, eggs, rotisserie chicken AND have an opportunity to try the samples!

We love the samples!  LB tries all the samples.  I try to avoid the sweets and high carb samples.  This week Costco was sharing almond flour cheese crackers, which were very tasty.

Also, it was a treat to run into Sydney and Stanley.

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On Wednesday, LB had the best idea…

Favorite # FOUR

TakeoutMexican takeout

… without any prompting from me!

We had a late dinner while watching Survivor.  It was great!

Poor Ozzy sat patiently waiting for chips & salsa.

All he got was Purina Pro Plan, but I got this adorable photo…

Favorite # FIVE

He is simply adorable!

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Thank you for taking time out of your day to stop by my blog.

A Most Unusual Experience

A post by Mary

A most unusual experience today.

I noticed the beautiful smile of a young man as he was checking out my groceries. I told him so and he graciously thanked me over and over. He told me that he needed encouragement because the devil was seriously attacking him. I remarked that he must be doing something right and not to worry about it. He thanked me and said I had greatly encouraged him, and he needed it badly at that very moment. Then he fell to his knees on the floor in front of the cash register and began sobbing and calling out to Jesus and thanking him over and over again. There was a lady bagging my groceries who was a manager of the store and she went over to the cash register and finished checking out my items. I was concerned that he might get in trouble for his public display and she assured me that he would not. Moments later she raised him to his feet and he finished his task, as he told me, “you will never know what your encouragement has done for me”. I reached out and took his hand and told him that I needed to make a connection with him and that I would be praying for him.

As I left, Matthew, another store employee whom I know from church, asked me what had happened and I told him and also said that as a fellow Christian he should encourage him. He said he certainly would and then he asked me if I remembered a time when he was seven years old and he had come into my office and I had encouraged him. He said, “you did that for me too, and I will never forget it”.

As I was putting my groceries in the car, a man walked up to me and asked me what I had said to Martin to evoke such an outburst of emotion. I relayed our conversation and said that he was not ashamed of his Lord. That was exactly what our Sunday school lesson was about yesterday, and if a bold witness was ever more needed it is today. He thanked me and walked away.

As I got into my car, I rejoiced, thinking that I encountered four people in the space of five minutes and Jesus’s name was passed from one to the other. That must have been how it happened in Paul and Timothy’s day.

I will pray for Martin every time I think about him.

Friday Favorites

I’ve been thinking about why Friday is my favorite since I’m no longer driving to an office 5 days a week and the only thing I can figure is that over the years my brain has been traumatized into thinking Friday is the best day. LoL!  Whatever the reason, I’ll continue with my Friday Favorites until I think of something better to do.

Last Saturday evening, the Book Club met to discuss our September read which was

Favorite # ONE

The Legend of Sleepy Hollow

By Washington Irving

This was the shortest book ever and I finished it in one day!

~

Favorite # TWO

Book Club

In addition to book discussion, we enjoyed a pot luck feast, pumpkin crafts, and each other’s company!

Check out the fun TikToks posted by @disneygirlgina @mandakstar @stephdstarling @krstar0601

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Favorite # THREE

Chicken Pot Pie

I used this recipe

Chicken Pot Pie

  • Servings: 8
  • Difficulty: easy
  • Print

Ingredients

¼ cup butter
1 small yellow onion (pureed)
⅓ cup all-purpose flour
1½ cups chicken broth
1 cup milk
½ teaspoon kosher salt
¼ teaspoon black pepper
¼ teaspoon celery seed
4 cups cooked chicken diced into ½-inch pieces (I used rotisserie)
2 cups frozen mixed vegetables
2 refrigerated pie crusts (store-bought)

Directions

Preheat oven to 425°F. Place one pie crust in a deep pie plate or casserole dish. Prick with a fork and set aside.
In a large deep skillet, over medium-high heat, melt the butter. Add the onions and celery and cook until soft, about 3 minutes. Stir in flour. Slowly stir in chicken broth and whisk to combine.
Add the milk and salt, pepper, and celery seed. Reduce heat and simmer over medium-low heat until thickened, about 5 minutes.
Add the chicken and vegetables. Stir to mix throughout. Pour the mixture into the bottom pie crust. Top with remaining pie crust. Seal the edges and cut away any excess dough.
Brush the crust with an egg wash.  Make a few slits in the top to allow steam to escape.
Bake for 35-40 minutes, or until the filling is bubbling hot and the crust is golden.

 

prettyis.me

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Favorite # FOUR

‘Blinging’ Pumpkins

I had to capture most of these from video, so I probably missed some 😕

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Early in September I placed an order at LOFT.  It was very unusual that it took LOFT two weeks to process the order and after processing LOFT shipped each item one at a time.  I finally received the last of it this week.

Favorite # FIVE

Final LOFT haul of the summer

I’m not sure how I ended up with an XL on this last item.  Its so big I can’t keep it up, but I’m too tired to send it back.  They irritated me.  I think I’m going to take a break from LOFT for awhile.  Less shopping, more reading.

~

Thank you for taking time out of your day to stop by my blog.

September 2026 Recap

Tuesday Sep 1st – Happy First Day of September!

I’ve always wanted to post a monthly recap.  Unfortunately I can’t remember what I did on most days, including this day.  I’ll do better in October.  I hope.

Wednesday Sep 2nd – National V-J Day – when you can’t remember what you did, celebrate a National Day!

Thursday Sep 3rd – My nephew Dillon’s birthday

Dillon

Friday Sep 4th – Pizza night 🍕

Saturday Sep 5th – Yard work, treadmill, typical Saturday

Sunday Sep 6th – Family gathering to celebrate Dillon’s birthday//Started TikTok @krstar0601

Monday Sep 7th – LABOR DAY (we did not host a family event this year, but spent the day packing)

Tuesday Sep 8th – LB & I leave for VACATION: JAX>AUS>SLC>Idaho Falls

Wednesday Sep 9th – VACATION: Jackson Hole, Grand Teton, Yellowstone

Thursday Sep 10th – VACATION: Yellowstone, Cody, Bighorn

Friday Sep 11th – VACATION: Devils Tower, Deadwood – no pizza tonight

Saturday Sep 12th – Remembering Elvis (on what would have been his 17th birthday) while visiting Mount Rushmore

Sunday Sep 13th – We’re back home safe and sound and it is National Grandparents Day

Monday Sep 14th – Laundry Laundry Laundry 🧺

Tuesday Sep 15th – National Cheese Toast Day

Wednesday Sep 16th – National Guacamole Day

Thursday Sep 17th – National Constitution Day

Friday Sep 18th – Pizza night 🍕

Saturday Sep 19th – Christella’s birthday celebration which we missed because we were previously scheduled for Alhambra Theatre & Dining: Saturday Night Fever

Sunday Sep 20th – National Wife Appreciation Day

Monday Sep 21st – Earth, Wind, & Fire Day: Do You Remember?

Tuesday Sep 22nd – Autumn begins

Wednesday Sep 23rd – Survivor season 51 begins

Thursday Sep 24th – Clay & Family are traveling home to Jacksonville for a brief visit

Friday Sep 25th – Pizza night 🍕

Saturday Sep 26th – Brownie the goat comes for a visit

Sunday Sep 27th – Dinner with Family at Mama’s

Monday Sep 28th – Clay & Family return to Costa Rica

Tuesday Sep 29th – Packing away summer clothes/Unpacking fall clothes – my closet won’t hold both seasons at one time.

Wednesday Sep 30th – Music by the Sea (last event for 2026)

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Thank you for taking time out of your day to stop by my blog.

Friday Favorites

It’s Monday morning and I’m sitting here looking forlornly at my mac book.  The weekend was a whirlwind and very much out of the ordinary.  To begin, we had some trees “sculpted”.  It was intense tree pruning, if there ever was.  I worried about the squirrels and birds all day long.  If you are a nature lover, you know what I mean.

LB worried about the house being damaged because he is logical, unlike me.

Why did we have tree work done?  So future storms wouldn’t cause damage to the house.  It was a good thing, but still traumatizing.  At least Ozzy wasn’t bothered.  He slept all day.

As I mentioned in my last post, my nephew and his family came home for a visit.  We got together on Sunday evening for a pot luck and fellowship.  I’m not a big fellow-shipper, but I was there because I love my family and all of the soups were delicious.  The little girls cried when it was time to say goodbye.  It was heartbreaking.  And now, here I sit, wondering if I’ll be able to conjure up any happy thoughts to turn into favorites.

I suppose I will start with my Saturday goat adventure, but even that was a bit stressful.  I was working in the yard because it was a beautiful day and my plants needed to be fed.  I looked across Mama’s yard and BEHOLD there was a goat coming toward me.

Favorite # ONE

This friendly little goat is named Brownie and lives at the home next door to Mama.

The owner was away and his golden retriever pried open the back gate and let herself and the goat out.  Mama & I finally managed to get Brownie safely back where she belonged.

Fun times.

~

Favorite # TWO

On Wednesday evening, we visited one of the best Mexican restaurants in Florida…

Cantina Louie

and afterward we tried to dance off all the calories!

~

Favorite # THREE

A Quick Trip

to St. Augustine to enjoy the last concert of Music by the Sea

Our friends, Wayne and Laurie came along.  Unlike LB and myself, they are great dancers.

Check out my TikTok for more fun dance footage.

~

When we got home on Thursday afternoon, I spent some time with Ozzy, unpacked, washed a load of clothes, straightened up the house, walked a few miles on the treadmill, and then…

Favorite # FOUR

I got in the hot tub to unwind with my favorite beverage.  As much as one can unwind with a cherry ginger ale.

~

Favorite # FIVE

Happy October!

Who could say no to this face?I appreciate this little black cat in October and in every other month!

~

Thank you for taking time out of your day to stop by my blog.

Friday Favorites

I didn’t post a Friday Favorites last week because I was preoccupied with laundry and sorting through the hundreds of photos LB and I took on our vacation.  If I had posted a Friday Favorites, I would have started with this…

Favorite # ONE

Organic hard-boiled eggs from Costco are a favorite of mine every week.

I like to use them to make these lo-carb hi-protein snacks.

Yummy!

~

Last week LB was surprised to find that he had secured 4 seats at Alhambra Theatre and Dining to see Saturday Night Fever.  We asked friends to join us and had a wonderful time.

Favorite # TWO

Check out my TikTok to see the cute creation I uploaded!

~

Favorite # THREE

Tuesday of this week brought us

A New Season

I believe it has been too hot for the birds and squirrels to come visit.  Now that we have come down from the nineties, our little friends have started visiting again.  Yay for FALL!

Ozzy and I are thrilled!

~

It began Wednesday night…

Favorite # FOUR

As usual, the contestants are excited, competitive, and full of themselves.  I’m looking forward to seeing them bring each other down.

🤣

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On May 1, 2026, my nephew Clay and his family left Florida for Costa Rica to engage in missionary work.

You can read about our elaborate send off here.

We didn’t expect to see them again for a few years… at least that was my understanding.  That said, due to the recent death of Chynna’s father, they headed home to attend the service.  Although it is with sadness that they return, it is with great joy that we get to see them.

This little family is my

Favorite # FIVE

When I heard that they were next door, I got dressed for a visit.  But, alas, they were on the road again.

I’ll catch them before they get away!

~

Thank you for taking time out of your day to stop by my blog.

Vacation 2026

It was a vacation like no other!  I posted the itinerary here.

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On Tuesday September 8, LB and I headed west.

We took a flight out of Jacksonville, Florida to Austin, Texas; Then from Austin to Salt Lake City, Utah.Once we landed in Utah, we collected our rental car and drove to Idaho Falls to spend our first night and recuperate for the upcoming journey.Before I move on to day 2, I have to mention dinner because we typically only have one real meal a day while on vacation.  And so, if left up to me, I will look for a Mexican restaurant, which is what happened late Tuesday night.  I found only one nearby in Idaho Falls.  Don Alberto Mexican Food was a small, empty establishment with one visible employee, and a delicious, although unconventional, fajita dinner.

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On Wednesday September 9 we set out early and headed for Jackson Hole, Grand Teton & South Yellowstone.

We stopped for photos at the famous elk antler arches in the Jackson, Wyoming Town Square.

Then we grabbed a “black eye” coffee near the Jackson Town Square, made another quick purchase in the general store,

then headed north out of Jackson to Grand Teton National Park.These mountains are amazing.We stopped at Jenny Lake overlook for a selfie.Then traveled on to Yellowstone via the south entrance.  We headed toward Old Faithful to see the 3:14 PM  eruption.  I’m not able to post the video on this site, but LB took a selfie that I posted in my most recent Friday Favorites (here).

Afterward we traveled around the sulfur-scented side of Yellowstone to see a variety of sites.

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And when we were completely exhausted, we headed toward the west entrance/exit to find our hotel and dinner.  But, alas, there were Elk in the road and the traffic stopped until he and his people moved.

We spent the night in Montana, just outside of Yellowstone Park at the Holiday Inn West Yellowstone.Dinner at The Branch [which was right next door] was excellent.

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On Thursday September 10 we headed back to Yellowstone National Park, Cody WY, & Bighorn

We got an early start and headed toward Canyon Village to the South Rim Drive. We parked at Artist Point to view the falls and then the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone.

and we met this little guy

We rolled through Hayden Valley and admired the bison herds as recommended in our itinerary, then up the scenic Sylvan Pass toward the East Entrance.

🦬 I posted a video on TikTok 🦬

At around 1 pm, we arrived in Cody, WY  where we enjoyed a sit-down lunch at Rooster’s Cafe on Sheridan Avenue.  This was my favorite meal of the week.  I included photos and info in my most recent Friday Favorites (here).

After our energy was renewed, we made the Bighorn Mountain Climb across the Bighorn Basin and up into the pines of the Bighorn National Forest via Burgess Junction.

These pictures do not do it justice.

We stopped in Sheridan, Wyoming for the evening and enjoyed a WalMart salad for dinner.

Not kidding.  Its how we roll.

🤣

~

On Friday, September 11 we drove to Devils Tower.

What an awesome and magnificent creation.

Once we arrived, we hiked the Tower Trail loop around Devils Tower with minimal discomfort.  It is a 1.6 mile loop with a butt-burning incline.

When we were leaving we met this little guy.

Fun fact: the Devils Tower National Monument is famously featured in the iconic movie Close Encounters of the Third Kind which showcases the Devil’s Tower as the location for the climax of the story.

👽

Being adequately sweaty from our hike, we left Devils Tower and headed into the Black Hills of South Dakota toward DEADWOOD.  This was not part of the itinerary, but it was something that I wanted to do because I used to LOVE the HBO series.  Our visit was an item [that I’ve now crossed off] on my Bucket-list.

We spent the night in South Dakota at Hampton Inn & Suites Rapid City  and enjoyed dinner at Texas Roadhouse.

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On Saturday September 12, we set out to see Mount Rushmore & the Crazy Horse Memorial.

I’m going to say something controversial: I didn’t see any black hills in the Black Hills of South Dakota.  That’s okay.  I didn’t see the whole place, so I’m not accusing or complaining, just sharing what I observed.

Saturday was really the last sightseeing day of our trip and I while I enjoyed ALL of the sights, there was something awe-inspiring about Mount Rushmore.

I think this was my favorite

When we arrived, we took one of many selfie photos.  In this one, we are laughing because a lady nearby asked her companion “who are those 4 presidents?”

The President’s Trail is an easy hike that takes you up the base of the mountain, providing opportunity for views from all sides.  We took a LOT of photos.

Then we stood in the Artist’s studio and listened to a park employee’s presentation called the Sculpture’s Studio Talk.

The speaker said that the original plan for Mount Rushmore was to include a collection of western heroes, but the artist wanted to make Rushmore a place to stand for the whole country, so he chose 4 Presidents: Washington to represent the foundation of our country; Jefferson to represent the expansion of our country; Lincoln to represent the preservation of our country; and Roosevelt to represent the development and conservation of our country.

Also, we met this little guy…

Then we took a short journey to the Crazy Horse Memorial.

If you aren’t familiar with Crazy Horse, the story of the Battle of Little Bighorn can be read here.

If you don’t already know, the artist who began this sculpture died without completing the vision.  His family continues to work to completion, but I can’t see this happening in my lifetime.

You can read about the death of Crazy Horse here …not sure which story is accurate.

Afterward, we drove through Sturgis, then on to Nebraska.  Dinner was my pick again and I chose Olé.

We spent the night at Hampton Inn & Suites Scottsbluff .

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On Sunday September 13, we Headed Home

Travel from Scottsbluff, Nebraska to Denver international airport to Jacksonville, Florida.

What a day.

It was a 3 hour drive from Nebraska to the airport in Colorado .

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Then our 3:45 flight was delayed until 5:13.  So we did what anyone would do… we went shopping and then found a restaurant.

The nachos were excellent!

Our plane finally departed and we arrived home around 11:30 PM EST.  Safe and sound!

SO blessed and happy to be here!

~

Thank you for taking time out of your day to stop by my blog.

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