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he has broad shoulders she showed up with the potato dish that has also been a tradition for many years two big salads the oldest youngest family members brett s brother has had numerous surgeries and lives on pain meds to manage it all yet he shows up every week to play games with his brother this week he is coming twice as i have an appointment for two root canals on wednesday their granddaughter and her boyfriend are the youngest of our group they add a fresh perspective to our gatherings as they talk about all of the things they are doing and planning for their future oh to be young again d and finally dear brett our oldest son our son lives fairly close by he shows up for every appointment and comes over at least 3 times a week he s fabulous at researching things and is constantly coming up with new ways to keep his dad safe and figure out how to deal with things as they come along he has very willingly become another caregiver to his dad if i could take away this terrible disease i would do it in a millisecond since i am unable to do that i plan to do everything that i can to make this road as comfortable and meaningful for brett so many people have told me that we will be carrying a heavy load with this diagnosis i can see that already i am so thankful to have others in my life to help carry that load posted by happy home at 11 45 am 7 comments labels celebrations easter family fresh cut happy things herbs spring monday march 2 2026 the sweetest signs of spring flipping the calendar to march was a real mood elevator the colorful flowers and the mama bird with her nest of eggs offers hope for the beauty of the upcoming spring season the card attached to the calendar was made by my sister i think it pairs so nicely with the calendar together they are a real bright spot in the kitchen right now in my last post we were anticipating a snowstorm it came and dumped nearly a foot of snow the most we ve seen at one time since moving to north carolina more than twenty years ago it was pretty but overstayed it s welcome in my opinion it seems like i am reminded almost daily about how much our lives have changed realizing that i was to be the one totally responsible for removing all of that snow from the driveway was a bit daunting usually our snow melts so soon after it falls that it rarely requires shoveling this was different the week before we had an ice sleet storm the remnants of that were still hanging around on our shady side of the street snow is so rare that i didn t even own a pair of winter boots so i put on my gardening boots grabbed the snow shovel and went to town i learned a few things along the way i m a lot older than i was the last time i shoveled snow i needed to own snow boots even if they rarely get worn i have taken care of that which will probably ensure that we will have no more snowfall until they are totally out of style anyhow once the snow and ice finally disappeared i put those spring bulbs above into my grocery cart i planted them right outside the window i make sure to glance at them several times a day a small investment with big returns as someone who tries to look on the bright side of things it has been a challenge lately watching my husband deal with als is just plain sad there is no getting around that in trying to keep looking on the bright side i am vowing to spend more time working on my gardens most of our time is spent at home now even though i am happy home i find i am going a bit stir crazy at times those are the times i head outside gardening has always felt like therapy to me at this time of year i always envision beautiful bouquets of flowers and a healthy harvest of blueberries my current efforts have been in trimming the hydrangeas and fertilizing them along with the blueberry bushes the bunny in the pot is happy to see the chives and oregano coming to life once again the earliest signs of spring are making their way into the house too a little vignette to gaze upon while washing the dishes i would like to say thank you for your kind words and prayers on my last post it means so much and makes this journey a little easier to bear posted by happy home at 3 35 pm 15 comments labels decorating gardening happy things spring friday january 23 2026 new year new journey pansies on christmas day that day now seems like a million lifetimes ago so far i m not liking 2026 at all since the year began there have been many appointments with a neurology specialist to further investigate the symptoms that brett experienced all of last year many questions were asked and many tests were performed the conclusion is that he has als aka lou gehrig s disease yesterday we met with the doctor who spent a long time explaining what to expect with this disease and answering our questions after that we met with the nurse physical therapist occupational therapist speech therapist and nutritionist apparently it takes a large team to manage the symptoms of this disease all were very compassionate and informative still we left feeling completely overwhelmed we learned that there are only two drugs for this disease neither cure rather they hopefully slow the progression one is extremely expensive we will go through a process to see if we can receive it more affordably the doctor is a specialist in als and has been at it for many years he said he was sorry that he didn t have more to offer and told us that they need better drugs i ve put off this post for awhile i d much rather be chatting about happy things normal things boring things basically anything but this but this is now our reality a new journey as i struggle to find my footing i can see how blogland will be a welcome distraction just like it has always been for me i hope it will also be a way for me to continue to look for the bright spots even on the hardest days ordinarily the first place i head when life threatens to overwhelm me is the garden the january garden didn t seem like a very hopeful place to offer me the comfort i was seeking but there in the furthest corner was this teeny tiny daffodil i wouldn t have even seen it had i not ventured outside although it doesn t look like much i knew it needed to come in with me the following day i was sitting near it talking on the phone and noticed the room smelled just like springtime i soon learned the source was that tiny daffodil i took that as a hopeful sign while it certainly didn t solve the problems we are facing it reminded me of the seasons of life nature has a way of doing that for me now here in the southern usa we are bracing for a large winter storm here they are predicting ice sleet saturday afternoon through sunday that is always a huge concern for power outages i am really hoping that will not be the case i mentioned how i already dislike 2026 in addition to brett s health we have a large infestation of mice in the garage and i have been dealing with jaw pain after a dental procedure my fingers are crossed that that issue is finally resolving itself at this point i don t think i could handle a prolonged power outage if you are in the path of this storm i hope you stay safe and i also hope your new year is off to a good start posted by happy home at 10 35 pm 13 comments labels family monday december 15 2025 rethinking christmas decor when i began decorating for christmas this year it was immediately apparent that something had to change brett s health challenges have made it difficult for him to walk or even stand for very long in my heart i knew that the decorating would be solely my job being a somewhat sentimental person particularly at christmas time i anticipated a somewhat difficult process i think preparing for the party fueled the project i began with hiring a few helpers to bring down all the decor that has been stored in overhead garage storage when that was done i asked them if they would like our 9 foot christmas tree they did so off it went to a new home strangely that was a huge relief from there i went through every bin with an eye toward what pieces really held meaning or sparked joy as marie kondo would say we still have a decorated tree it sports our favorite and most meaningful ornaments all the others found new homes this tree requires no ladders or stepstools to decorate it also resides in my favorite reading room we ve also come to enjoy a beverage in here right after the lights come on most evenings in this open floor plan home it is also visible from most other rooms it was interesting to see what was kept during this process this postcard dated 1934 was something my mom held on to obviously it was special to her when she received it from a little boy at age ten i think the santa in his green suit is charming it needed to come out of the box i have been keeping it in and displayed on the bookshelf might not mean much to others but it warms my heart my vintage collection was thinned once again now it is down to the most meaningful pieces old family photos with santa were given new frames i paired them with favorite snowmen collected through the years if you were to visit our home you would most likely not notice anything different as there is still plenty of christmas festivity happening behind the scenes things are much more manageable and the remaining pieces hold memories and meaning this just might be the best gift we could give ourselves this christmas d funny how priorities change as we get older wishing you a peaceful week posted by happy home at 12 54 pm 12 comments labels christmas christmas decorating winter monday december 8 2025 holiday hospitality over the weekend we hosted a holiday party for a group of neighbors there were 23 of us in all i had intended to snap a few photos throughout the evening but this is the only one i took one neighbor came early and assembled her homemade sangria many oranges and lemons were juiced for this it was very tasty as well as festive one neighbor brought this darling floral arrangement in the milk for santa vase next to it is one of the waxed amaryllis i mentioned in my previous post they arrived the day before thanksgiving this one is just beginning to emerge from the bulb there are four of them i m curious to see how they do one hasn t started to grow yet they are supposed to take 3 5 weeks til bloom time they require no care and can be placed anywhere according to the instruction label i like that type of gardening especially at this busy time of year hosting this party forced me to do my christmas decorating early also forced me to clean the house more thoroughly than normal i m happy to report that the party was a success and now it is so nice to relax and enjoy the clean and decorated house have a wonderful week posted by happy home at 9 52 am 12 comments labels celebrations christmas happy things winter monday november 24 2025 november in november our community offers the opportunity to participate in a walking challenge we are encouraged to track our daily steps and compete with similar communities around the country the more steps the more money that is contributed to the chosen charity this year it is going towards a local food bank the first of november found me joining the group for an early morning walk around the neighborhood for me it has been a great motivator to get outside and walk more we have had such mild weather little rain and mostly blue skies makes for ideal walking weather watching the leaves change colors was an added bonus on this day i stopped to take note of what was planted in place of the summer annuals it looks like a combination of dianthus snapdragons and dusty miller back at home the thanksgiving cactus is blooming the blooms on this one are beginning to fade it may be all done by thanksgiving on thursday for the first time i ordered some waxed amaryllis through an online source they are supposed to ship in november i hope they show up fairly soon as they would be welcome replacements to the cactus when their bloom time is done thanksgiving is liable to be very low key here this year a few weeks ago we had two invitations for various reasons that has all changed it may be just brett i here or we may have a visitor or two we have a turkey breast in the freezer plenty of potatoes vegetables cranberries and even a box of stuffing on hand one way or another we will celebrate and be thankful if you are celebrating i wish you a very happy thanksgiving posted by happy home at 11 31 am 9 comments labels fall fitness thanksgiving walking saturday october 11 2025 fall fun in the kitchen the leaves have begun to sport their autumn colors mornings now are quite chilly the furnace hasn t been turned on yet although it won t be long i m sure one morning this week i sat out on the patio hoping to see a hummingbird visit the freshly filled feeder never saw a one it seems like only a week ago there were many i ll be keeping an eye out but i fear they have begun their migration on that note have you seen the david attenborough documentary on hummingbirds fascinating if that is of interest to you check it out here our next door neighbors just let us know that they are putting their house up for sale i will really hate to see them go as they have been such wonderful neighbors we moved in within weeks of each other and have enjoyed getting to know them anyhow she asked if i might be interested in her kitchen aid mixer i have been on the fence for many years about purchasing one two things stopped me 1 i wasn t sure i would use it enough to warrant the price 2 don t laugh i could never decide on a color and i was afraid i would wish i had gone with a different choice through the years it just seemed easier to avoid that decision altogether ha so now that i don t bake nearly as much as i once did this beautiful mixer falls into my kitchen i know for a fact i would not have picked this brown color even though it is a pretty choice when i saw it i instantly thought it needed to be decorated for the fall season i tucked into a corner and nestled a couple of autumn themed garlands around it once that was done it was time to test it out fall always puts me in the mood for soft ginger cookies having never used a stand mixer i consulted the manual and got busy soon the kitchen was filled with the sweet scent of cinnamon ginger and cloves yum i fixed up a plate to take to our neighborhood mexican train night a small way to share the generosity of this gift with the holiday season approaching i expect to be getting a lot of use out of it tell me do you use a stand mixer if so what are your favorite things to make with it i m thinking it could really come in handy for mashed potatoes the recipe i use wishing a very happy thanksgiving to my canadian readers i imagine your kitchens will be seeing a lot of action in the coming days posted by happy home at 7 30 pm 11 comments labels fall happy things homemaking in the kitchen recipes older posts home subscribe to comments atom about me happy 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