Sunday Mornings at Home
Good Sunday Morning, friends, and welcome back to Sunday mornings at home.
These are lifestyle posts where I share what is on my heart from the past week and the week ahead.
My ponderings ….if you will.
This Sunday morning at home, I am looking ahead one week to our big family wedding and 8 weeks to my 70th birthday.
It is going to be a fun summer…no matter what.
Pick up your favorite morning beverage and find a cozy spot.
Then let’s ponder together for Sunday mornings at home.
SUNDAY MORNINGS AT HOME: LESSONS FROM A TISSUE BOX
Sometime at the end of last year, I added this MacKenzie-Childs Tissue Box Cover to the kitchen counter.
We are a family full of allergies, and it is helpful to have tissues near the family room. The cover was on sale at the time, and I thought it was a whimsical add to the kitchen decor.
No one in the family….not one…said a word about this tissue box…until last week.
After, I placed a plant near the tissue box about a week and half ago.
Last week, suddenly Mr. B looked at the tissue box and said, “Is this new?”
Next, our daughter came home and also noticed the tissue box…though it has sat there for months and she has not commented on it.
This is a non-scientific, two-person study, that I believe reveals that how we style accessories, either in the home or on our persons, makes a huge difference.
Without the plant by its side, the tissue box received no attention.
Here are a few new accessories out there I thought you might enjoy:
SUNDAY MORNINGS AT HOME: RETAIL CHANGES
I have always been a shopper at our nearby Tuesday Morning store, so when they announced closure of all the stores, I was disappointed to see them go.
The stores will be shut down completely by mid-June.
I stopped by the clearance sale and came home with spring pillows and a blanket for our master bed. When someone enters our front door, the master bedroom can be seen pretty soon after entering, so I like for the bed to look nice. I also came home with pottery for the backyard, a fun puzzle for the grandchildren, and gift bags.
While there, a woman over 60 was going from aisle to aisle and loudly mumbling about the state of the economy and how upset she was to say goodbye to some of her favorite retailers.
I was sad but not voicing it throughout the store. I understand her sentiments though.
I really hope we will not see more closures, but I fear that will not be the case.
SUNDAY MORNINGS AT HOME: ONE DAY AT A TIME
Since January, I have meticulously planned for this wedding.
What I would wear and how I would look…how I would be healthier too.
But I continue to learn that life is best lived one day at a time.
Every time I go through excessive planning something happens to change things up.
I really believe that life after 50 is best lived that way…one day at a time. Then it is much easier to navigate change and change is inevitable.
Just like the closing down of favorite retailers… so many changes we do not want to face.
I did not plan to help my daughter out and spend four days with my grandson, but I am so grateful for the time with him.
Important time to build into his life the values we built into his mother’s.
They live in another city, so I am thankful when I have time with the kids like we just experienced. Plus he was able to attend his cousin’s pre-school graduation.
As I look back from now to January…I haven’t been to the gym every day or lost as much as I desired, but all-in-all, I am still looking forward to an amazing weekend ahead with family, new family, and friends.
Currently, I am battling fatigue….yet so thankful for this four-year-old Power Ranger!
I hope you will join me as we face all of the changes in our lives one day at a time and with hope & joy!
Thank you for being here friends. Let us know if you have any comments on Sunday morning at home…is anyone else losing a favorite store front…still, make sure that you always….
KEEP SMILING!!
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Email is over50feeling40@gmail.com.
Recent requests have been for SHEEC NO-SHOW FOOTWEAR and Bombas…and Tuckernuck …just click the name and you will be there.
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Note: All of the flowers in today’s post were wonderful blessings from Mother’s Day!
Speaking of businesses closing, just yesterday I went with my Mr. B to help remove the signs on the old building we bought years ago and renovated for his law office. He and our older son used it for years until he retired and our son moved his practice to a nearby town. Changes are inevitable but not always easy to accept. I’ve accepted the fact that I will never travel as I had hoped because at almost 77 I realize my life is winding down quickly. However, I will continue to keep watching what I eat, exercise, enjoy those things I can, and feel very blessed. As I told a niece yesterday who was dealing with a turmoil-filled special day, we just have to roll with it, and not let one thing so distract us that another and another frustrating situation occurs. I guess I’m pondering this morning too and you are my “sounding post”. Thanks.
Always happy to be your sounding post! Your comment is a reminder that the younger ones in our lives are witnessing how we handle change and we can assist them in so many ways.
Love the flowers too- they are beautiful and another beautiful thing I say yes to is helping out family with our small children when parents are stretched. It’s a lovely gratifying time but as you mention – fatigue often follows. I babysat yesterday ( 4 year old twins) and am hosting a brunch today so woke up feeling a bit overwhelmed but after an hour of setting up ( food is mostly done) I have only 2-3 small things to put together. I’m better already! I do a lot of pre-planning in my head.
Thank you for being here on Sunday
mornings! I just know your sons wedding abd your birthday and your trip will all be grand.
How exciting to be hosting a brunch today, Paulette! Have a glorious time!
You have an exciting week ahead. Weddings always have some unexpected issues to deal with. As my DH and I celebrate our 50th this weekend one of the things we remember most vibrantly was the phone call two days before the wedding that the tux rental building had burnt down. It was a scramble but the men were wonderfully attired by other agencies stepping in to assist a fellow businessman which was a wonderful sign of the times. Relax this week and enjoy each special moment.
I keep a positive attitude and keep moving forward, but I am happy to explore the topics of life changes in my 70s, fatigue, not being perfect enough to follow through on everything, etc. I am relieved that I am not the only one who is surprised to look in the mirror and see that, yes, I am older. I do count my many blessings. Family, friends, and being present for others are gifts. After spending a week with my grandchildren recently, I may have fallen into bed earlier, but I was energized by my little ‘power rangers’ during the day and evenings. Thank you for this post.
They energize me while they are here and after they leave, the fatigue sets in. I am actually considering a B 12 shot for the week!
First…congratulations on the 50th!! Truly a milestone…and on the second part of your comment…OH MY GOODNESS! My first reaction is horror, but my second reaction is what an opportunity to see others step up and help!
I hope you can get some deep rest and relaxation this week as you enter the home stretch. Those grandsons are so adorable! My eldest son was once the Red Ranger as a youngster, stretched into the costume, all legs and arms, even then. He topped out at 6’6″, very much my grown up Power Ranger. 😊 I agree that living one day at a time is sometimes the only way to march ahead. Since January I have helped both my father and husband through oral surgeries, my mother with eye injections for her macular degeneration, and my husband with two hospital stays, a surgery and insertion of a pacemaker. One more bigger surgery to go in June, a three-way graft to repair his second aortic aneurysm. So, it has been a tough year. In spite of that, I’m happy everyone is still basically good, I’ve gotten to see my sons a lot (hospital in Portland) and the closeness mother and I share always has only deepened with her needing me so. We made the Mexico trip early, and have still bought summer concert tickets and booked little get-aways, which can always be gifted to friends if our ‘plans’ have to change.
Medical changes are what I believe we go through the most and it sounds like you are navigating this, Connie with a positive attitude.
Our grandchildren did overnights quite frequently when they were small, and I remember how tired we were after they went home, but now it seems like that time went so quickly and I would do it all over again in a minute! Love that your little guy likes to dress up; he has a great imagination. Our youngest was like that, too, and now he’s a painter and graphic designer. (Although I wasn’t crazy about some of his teen-year goth “costumes,” but that passed, too LOL.)
He is very creative and loves to dress up…I am going to share with his mom that yours became a graphic artist! Thanks Niki.
Thanks for your post today. We live one day at a time at our home since my husband’s health is changing and definitely one day will be better than the next. We try to laugh more and remind ourselves that we are blessed to have each other for so many years. Things have changed and we don’t attend as many events as we used to, shopping is now a more planned activity. So, all things considered, each day is a good day.
Blessings to you and your family. We are looking forward to seeing you in your wedding pictures.
We just had 24 hours of much-needed rain, but this morning is beautifully sunny, and everything is a washed fresh green. It lifts and lightens the spirit. Shop closures are hard, but the pandemic taught us all to shop online. I haven’t been in an indoor mall in more than three years and probably won’t ever go back. I have shopped at outdoor malls but think my days of window shopping are over. How many new things do we really need? Like you and your teapot, I want things that spark joy. (I love your plant-teapot story!)
It is really a plant-tissue box story…I love those teapots though. Gave one to my daughter for a house warming gift, and to the bride for a shower gift!
Being purposeful to laugh is so important, Audrey. I love to look for the humor. My grandson had so many funny lines last week and they each brought smiles to us!
What a beautiful blessing your flowers are! I received a beautiful bouquet of flowers on Monday from a wonderful group of friends at church. It would have been my 47th wedding anniversary. I was also treated to a dinner out by the daughters to commemorate the day. Something I read earlier from a book of meditations on grief & healing has become my new outlook. Though they will never & shouldn’t disappear, I am pushing the bad memories further back in my mind & bringing the good memories forward. I am living in the present & looking toward the future. I hope you enjoy the week & all its events to the fullest.
Thank you for sharing, Becky. Your comments have led me to believe you are a strong woman. I appreciate you sharing some of your journey…I know many walking through grief right now.
Pamela- it IS so important to take each day at a time. I had plans to be in Scotland for my 70th, earlier this month, but things didn’t work out that way. Turns out I was in the hospital that day while my hubby recuperated from a triple bypass the day before. I AM SO GRATEFUL that his issue was found before we traveled! And Scotland isn’t going anywhere…so it is vital to be able to “roll with the punches” that life delivers and look at the positives in your life every day.
PS I rarely comment, but read your blog every day..thanks for sharing all that you do! And my hubby is doing fantastic with his recovery!
Thank you for sharing, Ashlie. What a positive take on a situation which could have easily depressed some. Your joy emanates through your comment. Scotland does not compare to your husband being with you.
Thank you for being here.
This week I had one very discouraging day. Nothing was really terribly wrong, but there were business issues and other little trials that sort of got me down. One thing I have noticed is that a good day usually follows a tough one. So, if we can just hang on, things do look better eventually. As we all know, aging is a natural part of our lives. The tough part, which seems very unnatural at times, is accepting the process. There are also wonderful benefits to the more mature years–not golden, but not lead either! There is always so much that is good, funny, fun and beneficial, but there are also the more challenging parts of life. For all of us, a prayer that we can all endure with grace and as Pam would say, with a smile.
Yes, its important to take things one day at a time, especially as we get older. We can plan but nothing guarantees our plans will work the way we hoped. The old saying “Man plans and God laughs.” I’m trying to learn to be more flexible and to accept that life will sometimes get in the way of the best of my plans. Still, I’m hoping that all will go well for you this week and for all the wedding events. I’m going away for 3 days for an art retreat. I have to take a ton of supplies plus food as we are sharing cooking responsibilities. I have lists of course but in the back of my mind I’m worried that I’ll forget something. The retreat is in a remote area so if plans go awry I’ll need to accept it and not let it spoil the retreat.
If you forget something, Kathie, pretend you are one of those chefs on a cooking show which must make a masterpiece with the few ingredients they give them. That really helps me to think out of the box! Have a joyous time and hopefully you will arrive with all on the list.
Yes…keep smiling…never allow anything or anyone to wipe it off your face. Thanks for sharing Mary!
It is very nice that you could spend time with your grands and help out your daughter. Even though you couldn’t go to the gym, think of those days as extended cardio! It is physically demanding but very important. You will be in good shape for the wedding and your upcoming birthday. Learning to roll with the circumstances is so important to learn…unfortunately, it is learned by doing! I am learning patience by assisting my husband after 5 different joint replacement surgeries in the last 5 years, two of these were in the last 7 months. It helps to tell myself these increases in work and helping are temporary. I just wonder if I will be able to keep calm and steady (mostly…) if/when circumstances occur where the increased assistance needed is not temporary… But in the meantime, I am trying to learn well the lessons of compassion, empathy, kindness, persistence, patience.
You are so right…we learn by being thrown in the water! Thanks for sharing..,persevere with joy!
Thank you for sharing your beautiful home and flowers with us! As always, your Sunday musings are such a bright spot. I hope that you can focus on how far you’ve come since January, rather than the things you didn’t get to complete such as additional weight loss. You refined your style into a more elegant look for wedding events, learned a new way to wear your hair, discovered new clothing stores and brands that you love, and you survived a bad fall that could have been much more debilitating than it was. All that, while loving your family well and providing so much useful content to your readers literally seven days a week. That’s a LOT! One day a week with my little Power Ranger wears me out; kudos on making it through four days. As I always tell new parents, “the days are long, but the years are short.” So thankful you got the chance to spend extended time with your grandson!