Hello Friday!

I’ve said it before… just when I think I couldn’t be any happier to see Friday… I become happier than ever to see Friday!

 

Favorite # ONE

Flowers from Wendy

and her Nana.

This week Wendy graciously presented me with amaryllis from her beloved Nana’s garden.  With Nana’s house on the market, Wendy is collecting as many of the precious plants that she can.  Wendy gave me three bulbs that will someday grow beautiful red flowers and two plants that will produce white flowers.  I brought them home with me on Tuesday and planted them right away.  I’ve added the red bulbs to my very small flower garden in the front yard.  The [white amaryllis] plants have a new home in the screened enclosure out back.  Wendy explained that the white flowers are rare and would need to be kept in a place where they aren’t likely to come into contact with bees so there would be no cross pollination.  I haven’t been able to find this same information online, but I’ll give Wendy credit for knowing what she is talking about.  After all I give her credit 94% of the time at work (hee hee).

Also I love her dearly!

To Wendy’s Nana:  I promise your amaryllis will have a happy home!

I can’t wait to see them bloom!

 

Speaking of flowers…

 

 

Favorite # TWO

This Floral Blouse

Once again I’ve fallen victim to online shopping this week at LOFT.com.  This top is regularly $54.50.  I managed to get it for $21.97 (and free shipping) using Honey + 2% cash back from Ebates.

The Package Fairy will be visiting me soon.

 

 

Favorite # THREE

Guess How Many M&Ms contest

There are typically contests of some sort at work.  On occasion there will be a FUN contest.  This week brought about that exception.  A bottle similar to that of a wine bottle [slightly smaller] filled with plain M&Ms was presented to our team as a prize to the person who could guess the number of M&Ms inside.  I counted the M&Ms on the bottom of the bottle and the number of rows up to the neck and multiplied.  Then I added that product to the number of M&Ms I counted in the neck.  The number I came up with was 597.  Since a regular wine bottle holds about 3 cups and there are supposed to be 200 plain M&Ms in one cup,  I thought 597 was a safe number to submit.  So I did.

I was wrong.

 

 

At this time I do not know the total number of M&Ms, but the winner submitted the number 725.

I’ll celebrate with Kathy because she is my friend.

Enjoy your M&Ms Kathy.

 

 

Favorite # FOUR

M&Ms in a Bottle

I’m going to buy my own bottle, fill it up with M&Ms, and set it on my desk.

Apparently I’m a sore loser.

 

 

Favorite # FIVE

 Date night with LB

Thursday at 3:40PM, I received this text from LB:

 

LB: Are you free tonight? I’d like to take you on a date!

Kimberly: I am free and would love to go on a date with you! The only plans I have are to be with you wherever you are!

 

LB:

 

 

 

 

 

Kimberly:

 

 

 

 

 

LB: show starts at 7:30… doors open at 6:30

Kimberly: I can be ready!

LB: we’ll shoot to leave 630-645

Kimberly: will you be picking me up in your fancy red car?

LB: Absolutely!!!

 

The date would turn out to be an evening with Johnny Mathis “The Voice of Romance Tour 2018” which deserves a post of its own.

 

 

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

 

Once again the Blended Blog has provided a topic for today:

Spring Where You’re From

is meant as an opportunity for members of the group and those that link up to share “what spring looks like in your corner of the world”.

As I mentioned in a previous post, when I begin to see robins in the yard, I know spring has arrived.   The robins have moved on, but there are other little birds everywhere.

One such little bird made a definite impression. LB happened to need to check the pool pump first thing yesterday morning.  What he found was unbelievable.  So tiny you can barely see.

A Little Hummingbird

had flown into our pool enclosure and his beak was trapped in the screen. 

As he began work to free the little fella, LB snapped this picture.  I watched as he gently pushed the little beak out of the screen while assuring his “little buddy” that everything was going to be okay.  The hummingbird hastily soared upward and took a much needed rest in a tree.  So quickly that I couldn’t get a picture.  I was so glad that he wasn’t hurt and grateful that LB bypassed his usual routine, and stepped outside to check on the pool pump.

Springtime in my town has been abnormally cool for Florida this year.  Spring 2018 has brought with it more rain than I remember ever having in April.  At the moment my yard is holding enough water to qualify it as waterfront property.

We were fortunate enough to have a few dry days before Easter Sunday and the Easter egg hunt went on as planned.  There have been a few exceptionally beautiful days, like this one when we had brunch by the river surrounded by pink petunias.And we have found time to plant a new dogwood tree

and transplant a Chinese Privet that Mama wanted to have relocated from her yard to mine.

My daylilies have bloomed as has the much loved [by Lydia] azalea bush in the front yard.

Speaking of Lydia, the spring “cidal” took place yesterday afternoon.  Lydia loves to be on the stage.

She is

The Perfect Little Ballerina

 

If you have never had the opportunity to see a two year old dance in a ballet recital, you don’t know what you are missing.

As her teacher mentioned in her opening address, “sometimes in life you have to choose joy, but today it is presented to you for free”.

 

 

 

What is spring like where I’m from?  It is like wonderful!No hummingbirds were harmed for the production of this blog post.  We love little birds.

 

 

 

 

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

The Sincerest Form of Flattery?

If you had a Mama like mine (who likes to quote quotes) you know it is

IMITATION

that I’m talking about.

‘Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery’ is a quote by Charles Caleb Colton,  meaning that imitating [or copying] someone or something is an absolute form of paying them a compliment.

Today I am complimenting two bloggers.  I have not asked for their permission to talk about them, but I can’t imagine that they would turn away any prompt to send visitors to their blogs.

First up is J.

She is the author of J’s Everyday Fashion and the first fashion blogger I began following.

Back in 2012 J would find inspiration in a picture of a well dressed model and then she would pull items from her own closet to create the same or a similar outfit, without spending money to buy the advertised article(s) of clothing.  Though her blog has changed just a bit, she is still very creative.  She describes her blog as “not a personal style blog, but the study of one girl’s closet”.

Click here for an example of her “peachy keen” outfit and the picture that provided the inspiration.

Today I am imitating J’s blogging styleby using an inspiration photo that I first saw on Instagram, and recreating it from items in my own closet.

 

 

 This inspiration outfit belongs to a blogger named Shauna, author of ChicOver50.

My cropping of this photo is in no way meant to be offensive, this is how I save outfits to my stylebook app.

You’ll be able to find the full picture on her site.

 

 

Vest: Classy Crossroads Boutique, (similar)
Sweater: Venus, $30
Jeans:  Lauren Conrad @ Kohl’s, $50
Shoes: Kenneth Cole, $39
Scarf: Target, old (similar, similar)
Earrings: gift (similar)
Sunglasses: Coach, prescription Target Optical

 

 

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

Kim

XO

It has been several weeks since LB and I had a

Saturday Date Night

This weekend we decided to head out for dinner and entertainment.

There were a few options that we typically consider…  Jerry’s Steak and Grille, The Cellar Upstairs at San Sebastian, or Whiskey Jax Beach (which LB likes, but doesn’t want to mention the name).  WJ (as he prefers to call it) had a band with which we were not familiar, so we decided to check them out.

I donned my new navy floral blouse from venus.com

then and we headed off for WJ.

Dinner was just what the doctor ordered.

Last Friday Wendy made the comment that she was going to turn into a chicken.  I replied, “I’ll be right behind you”.  That said, a chicken wings appetizer was right in line with my mind set.

 

Add a side salad and all the food groups have been covered.

As far as I’m concerned.

LB and I enjoyed our together time.

and after dinner, we enjoyed the band

Austin Park

Austin Park is a Jacksonville band comprised of a talented group of musicians that name themselves a “modern pop rock band who mix sounds of Matchbox 20, Daughtry & Keith Urban to create a radio friendly sound”.  It appears that [for the most part] they perform as a cover band, but have a few originals as well, one of which they performed Saturday night.

The song Invisible was a very good song which has been featured on country music radio stations.

We were able to dance to a song or two that we like, but ultimately decided to take a seat, as there was an exuberant gentleman that had taken it upon himself to entertain the room with his lively moves.

It was a welcomed Saturday date night and I’m looking forward to the next!

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

Kim

National Pumpkin Day

happened while LB and I were on vacation.

After leaving Amicalola Falls State Park, we intended to head toward the Blue Ridge Parkway.

However, the site of a field laden with pumpkins was too tempting to pass by. 

Burt’s Pumpkin Farm

was a stop that had to be made.And what a great way to celebrate

National Pumpkin Day!

according to NationalDayCalendar.com

Never in my life have I posed for a picture with pumpkins, nor seen so many pumpkins,nor such a variety

Burt’s Pumpkin Farm was complete with all the pumpkins you could imagine, wheelbarrows to gather them for easy commute to the checkout, a store with jams, jellies, butters, and breads/cakes.

Ornaments and chachkies to complete your fall home decor.

There is something about pumpkin that Americans love and it probably has more to do with the way it makes us feel.  Pumpkin is a seasonal food that brings with it the nostalgia of the events that are associated with fall.  Such things as Halloween, Thanksgiving,  gathering with family and friends.

Pumpkin is used in various autumn decorations, recipes, and other events (pumpkin chunkin’, etc).  Pumpkin pie on Thanksgiving Day is an American (Richard) favorite.  Although by the time we have had the opportunity to dollop a slice with cool whip, we have already carved Jack-O-Lanterns,(two of my personal favorites) and we have nearly overindulged in several PSLs.LB and I enjoyed a first, as we took time out of our day to enjoy a pumpkin farm on National Pumpkin Day.

Perfect timing that wasn’t even planned. and I’m now paying homage to the pumpkin on my blog.

The International Customer Service Association started Customer Service Week in 1984 to take time to recognize the great people who deliver great service and value to their customers. In 1992, President George Bush signed a proclamation that stated:
“A business will do a better job of providing high-quality goods and services by listening to its employees and by empowering them with opportunities to make a difference” (source)

Customer Service Week is an international celebration of the importance of customer service and of

The People who serve

and support customers on a daily basis.

I am one of those people who serve and support, and my company participated in Customer Service Week again in 2017.

Monday, October 2

was “Be Proud of Your Selfie” Day.

The idea was to dress up in your workday best and make use of the photo booth.Okay so I wasn’t in my workday best.  LB and I had delighted in a four day vacation and returned home just hours before.  Obviously I completely forgot about Customer Service Week.  In this picture I am styling my new Hall & Oates tee shirt because I was too tired to put a decent work place outfit together.  As it turned out, the week would be laden with tee shirts, so this one was appropriate enough.

POW!

Tuesday, October 3

was “Be Proud of the Brand” Day.

The company provided tee shirts for everyone to wear on Tuesday. We took the opportunity to take a team picture for the sake of posterity.

Wednesday, October 4

was Appreciation Lunch Day.

The company arranged a complementary lunch for everyone. Each team was provided a platter of sandwiches. In addition, we took the opportunity to participate in Breast Cancer Awareness Month by donning pink clothing, ribbon pins, etc. I posted about it here.

Thursday, October 5

was Team Tailgate Day.

The idea was to wear a shirt or jersey representing a favorite sports team.

The picture was just weird.

I Can’t Even.

Friday, October 6

was Entertainment Proud Day.

I don’t know what that means… but we were given another tee shirt.and popcorn.How about that!It was a relatively festive week.

Time to go on another diet.

On Wednesdays We Wear Pink

came true today!

To bring awareness to the fight against breast cancer, our team members each attempted to do their part by wearing pink (or a version of pink) to work today.Okay, so as a “team” we totally missed the pink mark… but some of us tried! And my girl Geraldine aka Mrs. G, is styling a pale pink top.  It was difficult to capture the color on camera (as it was with a few other shirts/tops), but without a doubt, it was pink!

Although there isn’t an official Breast Cancer Awareness Day, National Breast Cancer Awareness Month is observed in October. Breast Cancer Awareness Month, is an annual international health campaign organized by major breast cancer charities every October to increase awareness of the disease and to raise funds for research into its cause, prevention, diagnosis, treatment and cure” (source).

There are many ways to take part in raising money for breast cancer research.

For example, in Jacksonville there are road races such as the Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure which I know as a 5K that takes place in downtown Jacksonville during the month of October.  What is especially precious about the Susan G. Komen foundation is the fact that it was started by Susan’s younger

Sister

Nancy.

Nancy promised Susan that she would do everything she could to end breast cancer, and founded the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation in Susan’s memory in 1982.

Nearly everyone in some way been touched in some way by breast cancer, whether it be a friend, family member, or oneself.  My experience involves family members.

Two of my Mama’s younger sisters have fought breast cancer.Linda (left) and Sharon (right)

They are both very strong and have been brave in their battles against this disease.  I am glad to report that they are both survivors.

On the other side of the family, my Daddy’s mother (Mema), whom I posted about here, was diagnosed several years before her death.  She took steps to fight the disease.She is thought of daily and dearly missed.

We can all take steps to fight cancer.  The American Cancer Society recommends maintaining a healthy weight and avoiding excess weight gain.   By monitoring diet and maintaining a physically active lifestyle there is evidence to prove a reduced risk of breast cancer.