Thursday, July 7, 2016

Just Do It

I am in a whirlwind of activity,  just like every other working Ya-Ya of four Grandkids and four dogs.  The fourth of July has passed and now I need to figure out if I should remove all of the Americana décor and switch to beachy or just hang on until Labor Day and go straight to Fall.

A little about my goals and aspirations:  to always put family first.  I am the keeper of the family traditions, the record-keeper of all of the events, the decorator of the family home.  For the second half of 2016,  I will blog, learn calligraphy, downsize my collections and always be the one to count on to record the family events.  I actually print pictures and use them.  Shocking I know.  But when there is a school project due tomorrow, I always have the pictures needed of that family member or place that we have visited together.

I have been advised by a "master" blogger to just start blogging and it will evolve over the life of the blog.  She said to write about my passion.  I have several but at the top of the list are the Grandkids and our home.  I love to plan parties and go over the top with decorations, specialty cakes, cookies and favors.  We just celebrated my five year old Granddaughter's Birthday with a "Doctor" party.  The cake was a Doctor's coat with her name on the pocket, cookies with a red cross, pretzels with frosting to make them look like a thermometer. I will share party pictures in the future, so stay tuned.


I am a master tablescaper, home stager and party planner.  I do not cook but want to learn so there may be a few cooking experiences outlined in the future.

My husband wants to downsize.  The house is filled to the brim with my collections of baskets, yarn (I knit), crafting supplies, photos and on and on.  I have held two hugely successful garage sales in the past two years in an attempt to get rid of stuff and start the downsizing process.  The first sale netted $5000 and the second $2000.  I am planning another one for late fall.  We live in Scottsdale,  AZ and it is just too hot to make any attempt to sit in your garage and sell stuff in this heat.  I have mastered the art of having a good sale and getting traffic, so watch for this one in late fall.


What to expect in the future:
  • Pictures of our home, which changes many times per year
  • Party ideas and events
  • Travel and traditions
  • Downsizing and getting a house ready for sale (a few years down the road), including how to host a sale and actually make money
  • What I am reading, crafting and where I am traveling



As an avid reader,  I am always looking for a new book.  I like the light,  beachy reads as my favorite place to read is on the beach (Coronado, CA) or floating in the backyard pool.

What I am reading now:
Summer at Oyster Bay by Jenny Hale
The Little French Guesthouse by Helen Pollard
By the Numbers by Jen Lancaster
I just finished:
Destiny Unleashed by Sherryl Woods
Those Summer Nights by Mandy Baggott
Here's To Us by Elin Hilderbrand

What I am making: I am currently knitting a baby blanket for a baby boy.  I thought it was a girl so I am almost finished with the girl blanket, just need to weave in the ends.  But I checked to make sure I was doing the right gender and I was doing the wrong gender so I finished that girl blanket and just started the boy blanket.  I guess I need to listen closer next time.  I am not as scatterbrained as I may seem, this baby-to-be is in Denver and so I do not see the Mom-to-Be.  I asked and I thought my brain registered the right gender but it did not work.

Later this month: A family birthday party, Beach décor at home, Getting ready for the beach vacation







7 comments:

  1. Hi, Pam! Well, I am so glad to see your blog here! So happy your are now a member of the blogging word. I hope you will love it as much as I do! Yea!!!!! Hugs, Yvonne

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    1. Thanks Yvonne! This is fun already. I have many skills to learn and I am anxious to soak it all in. You are a rockstar!

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  2. well this is Ron and nan and I trying to comment on how nice this looks!

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  3. Well your friend from long ago and far away is a little behind in the tech area but I think I'll enjoy reading and responding to your new adventure with this blog.
    It's amazing to see that you have so many of the same interests and "passions" as I do. However, I have never made that much $ at a garage sale!!!! I'll be taking some tips from your blog on the "Fall downsizing Sale"
    I do remember my mom, another Marge like your great mom was one of the first to have a garage sale in Des Moines, IA She worked on it for weeks and the garage and drive way were set up as good as any store! She had several sales and said," the only thing I ever regretted selling was Neil's (my brother) train set."
    Keep posting your goals and adventures "P." it's inspiring!
    Cheerleader Buddy N. Sexton

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    1. You are a sweetie! I will do some very serious posting in the fall when I get close to the next sale date. Your Mom did some very cool things and I will think of her when I am working on my next sale. She was right to set it up like a store. Stay cool!

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  4. I keep thinking about all kinds of ideas sprouting from your "Blog" and I think it will work to compare yard/garage sale out west verses south FL style this fall. My problem is the pieces of furniture that I would like to replace are antiques and no one seems to want them. I've contacted dealers and they don't seem to want either! After looking at your pictures and your decorating style I am going to change it up a bit and see if I can add some pizzazz! Maybe I'll hang on to them awhile and learn to like ... maybe the look will come around again? At this point, in the words of a wise 5 year old, " be happy with what you have." And I'll add to that, "at least it's been paid for... Keep on posting!

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