Happy Labor Day!

It's become a tradition the last few years to go to the Peach Festival on Labor Day, so we left home around noon today headed for Romeo, MI.  A perfect day, weatherwise. 

The festival is always well attended but this year it was unusually crowded.

I passed on ice cream, roasted almonds, and peach handpies this year, but did get a bag of peaches.  I ate one as soon as we got home.  At only 58 calories what's not to love about them!

I don't remember vendors selling sunflowers in previous years, but more than one booth had them this year.  I couldn't resist stopping for a picture by them.  There were several jewelry vendors and I would have bought a sunflower necklace but nobody had one.

There was live country music as attendees shouted out their request songs.  Some even sang along.

I always enjoy looking around in the country store, even though I didn't purchase anything.

One last picture of the barn before leaving.

It was a fun way to spend a couple of hours, and get a little sunshine and exercise.  I hope you had a nice Labor Day.  September 1st... a new month and the ushering in of a new season even though autumn doesn't officially begin until September 22nd.

Last Day of August 2025

As I type this post, I can't help wondering where summer and the month of August went.  It's a beautiful day in southeastern Michigan to finish out the month - clear skies with sunshine and 74 degrees.  

Families are enjoying the last holiday weekend before settling into fall routines.  When I was a kid school didn't resume until the day after Labor Day, but kids in Michigan went back to school last week.  Daughter-in-law, Samantha, sent us first day of school pics for Ellie [8th grade] and Landon [10th grade].

Izzy returned to Michigan State University a couple of weeks ago to begin her Junior year. She's in an apartment with three other girls this year so no more dorm life.  Her degree will be in marketing, and she was blessed to get a marketing internship for MSU sports. Her proud Dad posted these pics on his Facebook page.

She will celebrate her 20th birthday next month and it doesn't seem possible.  I could get a lump in my throat if I thought very long about how quickly all the grandchildren have grown up!

With this being a holiday weekend, the tea count was very low at The Whitney.  Only eight reservations for Mansion Tea on Friday, so I got the day off.  I don't go in unless there's 15 or more guests.  Anything under that the servers handle.  Saturday picked up a bit with 93 guests.  

My niece was going through my brother's things last night and sent me a picture of a birthday card and note I sent him in 2018 just shortly after I started working at The Whitney, telling him all about my 'dream job'.  I was surprised he kept it all these years because he wasn't visably sentimental.  The note was a reminder that I will have my 7th work Anniversary at The Whitney on September 5th.   

The annual Autumn and Apples tea will be coming up this Saturday, so I'll assemble the favors this week - a 2.65 oz. bag of Werther's Carmel Apple candies placed inside a green plastic apple.  

Friday night we met our daughter and son-in-law at River Crab restaurant to continue celebrating her 58th birthday.  It was a lovely evening.  We ate indoors but I couldn't resist taking a picture of their outdoor dining area along the St. Clair River.

And that's a wrap on the month of August.  Tomorrow will be a relaxing, low-keyed Labor Day for us, unless we decide to go to the Romeo Peach Festival which sounds like a good way to begin September.  

I wish you and your family a safe and enjoyable Labor Day.

A Bittersweet Day

A private service for my brother was held in Georgia last Friday with his son, daughter, and her family in attendance.  Then his body was flown to Michigan Tuesday night and we had his committal service here this morning.  He's been gone from Michigan since 2017 and lost touch with his golfing and euchre buddies, so it was just my son, Steve [minister], my daughter, Lori, and my hubby and me in attendance.   He was an Air Force Veteran so a military honor began the service. Rain was forecasted, so I requested a tent at the gravesite and I'm glad I did.

Such a final sight to see, but reality for all of us.

Day is done, gone the sun,

From the lake, from the hill, from the sky.

All is well, safely rest,

God is nigh.

He passed on the same day as our mother [Aug. 17th], 11 years later.  Her favorite poem was "The Weaver" and Lori knows it by heart, so it seemed fitting to have it recited at his committal.

I read a very brief poem about brothers and laid a dozen red roses on his coffin.

Steve shared some scriptures and committal thoughts, and then we left so the cemetery workers could lay his body to rest next to his wife who passed in 2014.  He was with us for almost 84 years and now just memories of him remain with us.  Our paternal grandmother loved the short poem by British missionary C.T. Studd "Only one life, 'twill soon be past, Only what's done for Christ will last."  I couldn't help thinking of that poem this morning.

When we left the cemetery we went to have lunch together at a restaurant - that was the sweet part of the day.  Today is Lori's birthday, so we got to celebrate with her.  She was born at 11:11 a.m. and ironically when she got up to recite 'The Weaver' the time was 11:11 a.m.

~ Happy Birthday, Lori ~

We'll celebrate with her and her hubby again tomorrow night when we take them to River Crab restaurant in St. Clair, MI.  I remember the day she came into this world 58 years ago like it was yesterday.  I am so blessed to have three wonderful children who love Jesus and are following His plan for their lives.

More Highs and Lows

My new computer and monitor was installed yesterday and this in my first post written with it. It's so much faster than my old computer and I haven't found Windows 11 too challenging, but there are a few differences from Windows 10.

It was a busy day at The Whitney yesterday with two Weddings and a Baby Shower in addition to Mansion Tea.  All three floors were in full swing.  A lovely lady that I met thru tea acquaintances and is co-moderator of the Facebook group, Christian Tea Time & Hospitality, came to tea yesterday with her sister, niece and great-niece.  I didn't have a lot of time to visit, but we did get a couple of pictures and Edwina took some outside when they arrived.

No, I'm not wearing excessive rouge, sunburned or blushing in the photo below. ;-) When I'm busy working I get so warm and my face gets very red.  I always tell everyone, all's well and no worries because my blood pressure's normal.  My Dr. says my red face is no cause for alarm.  

According to my new scale, I've lost almost 15 lbs. since July 8th.  I see my Dr. this Wednesday and always like to get weighed on their scale because I think it's more accurate than home scales.

Now for the low...  I received a phone as I was getting ready for church today telling me my brother passed away this morning.  He's older than me [84] and has had frail health since May when he was diagnosed with advanced prostate cancer.  He's been in and out of the hospital [for long stays] three times since his diagnosis so his passing shouldn't have come as a shock, but it did.  The last text I received from his daughter she said he was doing much better and looked the best he's looked in years.  

His wife passed away in 2014 so he moved to Atlanta, Georgia area in 2017 to be near his daughter and her family.  Below is a photo taken in 2017 just before he moved [and recovering from a stroke], and was the last time I saw him.  There's no details yet, but his body will be brought back to Michigan for burial next to his wife.  I pray he made his peace with Jesus so he was ready to go into eternity.  It's the most important decision any of us will ever make.

These are probably the last pictures we have of Dan.  The two at Dollywood were taken this past May when his daughter took him to Dollywood because it was on his bucket list.  She was so good to him, and right after that he became very ill.

After prayer time at church this morning, a sweet lady brought this hankie to me.  It's lovely and so true.  

I recently posted that sunflowers are my favorite flower and when I went into my local supermarket on Friday I saw a huge sunflower display that bought a smile to my face and I couldn't resist taking a picture.

When I looked at the photo today of the sunny, cheerful flowers, it reminded me of a line in an old hymn we used to sing [back in the days of hymnals before screens with contemporary songs replaced them] 'When Jesus shows His smiling face, there is sunshine in the soul'.

And then another song came to mind:   "You can have a melody down in your heart when it’s aching, almost breaking. Even tho’ the sorrow makes the teardrop start. You can have a melody down in your heart.

Chorus:  You can have a song in your heart in the night.  After every trial, after every mile. Anyone can sing when the sun's shining bright, but you need a song in your heart at night."

I'm so thankful for God's sunshine in my soul and the song He's put in my heart during this 'nighttime' of grief.  

Highs and Lows

My hubby and I went computer shopping today with our very knowledgeable tech guy, and I am now the proud owner of a new computer.  He's got the new tower at his house building the system as I type this post.  In the meantime, I figured out a way to access the old classic Windows photo viewer so I could transfer a few photos from my iPhone to my computer and write one last post on my old faithful, 14-year-old computer. 

The first high came last Sunday when we went out to dinner after church with our daughter and son-in-law, and afterwards went to see their new house.  They're still in the process of unpacking and settling in, but our daughter is so happy decorating her new nest, and we're thrilled for them!

Tuesday held both high and low points.  In the morning hubby and I went to the funeral of The Whitney's General Manager who lost his year long battle with cancer.  He was just 61 [that's young to me!].  Over half of Whitney employees - from office and management staff to serving and kitchen staff, to maintenance workers were there to honor him.  Nothing is more sobering and reflective than a funeral.  

Tuesday night was a high to make up for Tuesday morning's low.  Our church had an outdoor potluck dinner followed by the baptism of 17 individuals who made a public declaration of their faith in Jesus Christ.  Each gave heartwarming testimonies before being baptized. Mother Nature let us get through the meal, music and testimonies, but just as it was time for the Pastor & Youth Pastor to start baptizing, the skies opened up with a downpour of rain.  It didn't matter for those being baptized because they were going to get wet anyway, but it sent everyone sitting by the water's edge scrambling for cover.   It was a great evening in spite of the rain.

Today was a high as it's our granddaughter Tiffany's 10th Wedding Anniversary.  It hardly seems possible that 10 years have passed at lightening speed!

And it's a high that I bought my new computer today and can cross that off my 'to do' list.  I just hope I can navigate the new Windows 11!  My long-time computer signs off for the last time and says goodbye.

Technology Woes

I'm shopping for a new computer.  My faithful Hewlett Packard, purchased purchased in 2014, is still alive but she's old and Microsoft won't continue updates on Windows 10 after October so it's time. With the last update [since my post of August 3rd] Microsoft decided to update pictures and I can't make heads or tails how to download pictures from my phone to my computer picture files.   All my 'at a glance' photo albums have been replaced by a new sidebar system.  Ugghh!  I'm not alone in my frustration as others have asked how they can delete the new system and return to the old one.  How are you coping with the change?

All that to say, until my tech guy gets my old photo system back in place [if it's possible] and my new computer installed, I won't be writing any blog posts.  Hopefully it won't take too much time.  In the meantime, enjoy August!

National Sunflower Day!

I hope you're enjoying the beginning days of August.  I discovered today is National Sunflower Day.   That's my favorite flower.  It's normally the first Saturday of August, but it's on a Sunday this year.

Sunflowers are such a happy flower.  Their bright golden faces evoke feelings of warmth and joy. They symbolize happiness, positivity, and adoration, and represent loyalty, vitality and longevity.

North and South Dakota are the top sunflower producing states in the world, and August is their peak season.  I remember seeing fields and fields of them on our 2020 vacation out west with our son Jeremy and family.

Before I became smitten with tea, I had a sunflower themed kitchen, which I loved.  It was so cheerful especially during our long winter months. Below is the only photo I could find quickly.  It was many moons ago on my 54th birthday with four of my grandchildren [there are now eight and these four have since grown into adulthood].

A local orchard has a sunflower festival every year. The photo below was taken in 2021 when my hubby and I went.

One year [2007], I did an informal tea for the ladies of our church district at our campgrounds and used sunflowers as the decorating theme.   

I've had fun using sunflowers as a centerpiece at teas and luncheons in my home.  They're perfect with a Mexican fiesta theme.

 I received a sunflower floral arrangement for my birthday one year.

My granddaughter, Brianna [fourth in birth order], loves sunflowers too and I love this photo of her.

I almost forgot about the sunflower tablescape I did for the ladies of my church back in 2001 when I used to coordinate monthly theme dinners for them.  I had to search through my photos to find this picture.  This particular March dinner had the theme "Who Wants to be a Millionaire?"  Remember that TV show?   Our dinner had a spiritual emphasis though and we didn't play the TV game.  Sunflowers make you feel like a million dollars, right?!  ;-)  Each table had their own sunflower cake to cut and eat for dessert  [Cake is nine o'clock position in the photo].  It's somewhat washed out in the photo but it was vibrant in person.  The top of the single layer cake was decorated with yellow candy coating disks to represent the outer petals and the center was miniature chocolate chips.  They were easy to make and decorate for feeding several tables of ladies and they looked cute.

And last, but certainly not least, there are sunflower teas - some herbal and some made with green tea leaves as well as black tea leaves.

Sunflower kernels are very healthy too.  I like to toss them in garden salads.

And I can't end this post without saying it's also National Watermelon Day.   I've been buying a lot of 'personal size' watermelons while I've been weight watching.  They're very healthy and one cup of cubed watermelon is only 46 calories.  Since they have a natural sweetness they satisfy cravings for something sweet, and they're good at breakfast, lunch or dinner.  I posted the photo below recently of one of my breakfasts while trying to shed some pounds.  I'm going to try a watermelon smoothie this week and will report back.  

 Are you enjoying watermelon this summer?