Money Savers

For a while I've wanted to find a way to lighten up some of my furniture. Two of my criteria were not to spend much money and don't destroy the integrity of my older pieces.

I found leftover material I'd used years ago on my dining room chairs and decided to line the back of my china cabinet.



I emptied the cabinet and thought I'd remove the shelves. I couldn't get them out. Tim helped me. No luck. They'd budge, but they wouldn't come out. This thing was built in the 1700s, and I have no idea how they inserted the shelves but they were impossible to remove. I won't bore you with details, but we came up with a way to line the back wall and didn't break the glass or destroy the cabinet.



Mission accomplished.

BUT, I had a little more material left over. While I was at it, I decided to recover the seats of the chairs at my kitchen counter. There was no blood, but sweat and near tears were involved.



It may not be perfect, but I tried and didn't break anything, didn't spend money, and I did lighten up the atmosphere.

Sandy Island, South Carolina

Recently I was on a boat ride with friends on the Waccamaw River, and we rode past Sandy Island. I'd seen a sign on Highway 17 pointing to the island, but I didn't know much about it.

Recently, we went back to the island and had lunch at a quaint little Bed and Breakfast run by Laura Herriott. Laura grew up on the island, attended school there until sixth grade, and is also custodian of the island's only church, New Bethel Baptist Church.





Laura met us at the dock and drove some of our group to her B&B, while the rest of us walked up the hill past a cemetery and the fire station.

We had a delicious lunch of fried chicken, corn bread, green beans, and a delicious rice dish. During lunch, we learned that years ago a group of slaves were allowed to live on the island. Unsupervised! We heard a story about a census taker who got lost on the island and wasn't found until the next day.

The children living on Sandy Island no longer attend the island school like Laura did. Instead, they take a ferry over to the mainland where they ride a school bus.



We've been invited to come back and go to church with Laura, and we even sang a couple of worship songs while we were visited.









Whether you're in the Pawleys Island area or somewhere else, take the path less traveled. You might find yourself delighted.

Money Savers

I'm going to start posting a money saving tip once a month. I'd love for you to share your money savings tips with us.

It's so easy to say I'm not going to spend more than a specific amount of money on eating out lunch or buying coffee from a coffee shop. I began thinking how to stick to my goals, and this is what I came up with. I'll make my example buying coffee out. One of my sons thinks this is a problem area for me. He even hinted about needing an intervention. Bill, I hope you like this idea.

At the beginning of each month, I'll either buy a gift card to my favorite coffee shop or download my budgeted amount onto my app. The nice thing about apps is you can usually earn points for free coffee or treats. If I use up my gift card in the first week, I'm out of luck. I figure there will be a learning curve to this, but I will learn and stick to a budget.

Do you see yourself trying this? Maybe it's not coffee or lunch out, but what about the donut shop or ice cream shop?

Another thing I plan to do is experiment with coffee recipes. If you've guessed I'm not a purist, you're right. I have no problem making coffee fun. Please share your thoughts below and thanks for stopping by my back porch.

On a rainy day in France, Tim and I found a local coffee shop. We dried off and ordered in French. I can't tell you exactly what we ordered, but it was delicious.

Monet's Garden

In August, Tim and I traveled to France. We're not any kind of jet setters, but I've dreamed about visiting France for as long as I can remember. We shared this dream with my brother and his wife, and the four of us would imagine what it'd be like to visit France. In January 2018, we took the plunge and committed to go on a river cruise on the Seine River. We saved and planned and finally it was time to go.

I'm sure you can see the excitement in our expressions. I won't overwhelm you with too many stories and pictures all at once. Today I want to share Monet's Garden with you. On our tour, we learned Monet planned his garden meticulously. His goal was to have a beautiful garden from which he could paint his pictures. Not only are his paintings masterpieces, but his garden is a masterpiece.











I have a picture of his home in Giverny hanging in my office. (It's not a Monet, but I've enjoyed it for years.)

We toured his home and gardens on a rainy day, but you'll be able to see from my pictures that it didn't detract from the beauty.

The gardens were crowded, and we didn't have time to explore like we would've liked, but visiting Monet's home and gardens was a highlight of our vacation.

I hope you enjoy these pictures.







And the painting hanging in my office? I now have photographs to go with it.

Alan Jackson - Where Were You When The World Stopped Turning

Never Forget is more than a phrase. Let's not forget the heroes and let's not forget to love.

Hurricane Dorian

Last year, Hurricane Florence prepared me for the preparations involved with preparing for a hurricane. This year, the day we got back from vacation, Tim's boss texted and said we needed to start watching for a storm called Dorian.

It was almost two weeks before Hurricane Dorian hit us in South Carolina. She grew in intensity, weakened, stalled, changed directions, and pretty much did whatever she wanted. Meanwhile we planned. We made Plan A then Plan B and then something I never expected Plan C.

We live in Zone A which the governor had declared was under mandatory evacuation. I thought we were leaving with a group of older adults to take them to Columbia, SC. At the last minute the seniors decided they wanted to ride out the storm. This group are independent residents and all signed waivers. All of the residents who required care were sent to other communities.

We'd already gotten the house prepared for the hurricane. Instead of evacuating to Columbia, we went to the senior community to be around just in case. We evacuated to the other side of Highway 17. I'm not a Carolina girl who is used to hurricanes. I was freaking out a little. Make that a lot.

Then I became ill. I couldn't have driven one of the cars to Columbia because I was too sick. I rode out the hurricane on an air mattress. If I wasn't sick, I was sleeping.

God showed me that it didn't matter how much I worried or planned, He was in control.

Luke 12:6-8 New International Version
Are not five sparrows sold for two pennies? Yet not one of them is forgotten by God. Indeed, the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Don’t be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows.

Yes, there were times I was afraid, but all I could do was lay there and trust God.

Exciting News

Psalm 37:4 English Standard Version
Delight yourself in the Lord,
and he will give you the desires of your heart.

I promised you some exciting news. I just signed a three-book-contract with BelleBooks for a cozy mystery series. The first book is scheduled to come out in the spring of 2020!

If I could do a cartwheel, I would. Instead, I'm feeling truly blessed and thankful! God is good!