Crepe myrtle flowers are coming

Today’s #OneGoodThing with Mama was discovering flower buds on our Crepe Myrtle trees! We are so eager for them to blossom! What was your #OneGoodThing today? Please share in the comments! Kindness is Everything. Day 198 of 365. And Day 1,294 in a row (here’s the first 366, & the following 365, & the third year of 365 good…

Mama’s new helper

Mama’s new helper started today. Shelby is the niece of a dear friend of ours, and she is a fantastic addition to the Nosy Parker family! She’s a vibrant, positive spirit and a hard worker. She was so helpful, taking loads off of my plate and giving me a chance to rest. Shelby and Mama…

That feeling when…

I woke up sore after yesterday’s new personal best step count, but I put on my big hat and sunglasses and took Mama to therapeutic water exercise. It felt good to move around in the water and stretch my tired muscles. After a brief afternoon nap, I dragged myself back out to finish ALL of…

New personal best of 2019

Despite not leaving the house today, I walked more steps than any other day this year! I powered through most of a two-page-long list of tasks to get our home and garden cleaned up and party ready. I felt really proud of myself for pushing through, especially given my own chronic health issues. Yes, I’ll…

Festive new dresses

A shopping miracle happened today. Mama and I both found gorgeous party dresses on the first try! As a curvy woman, I haven’t found much joy in dressing rooms. But today was perfect. No fuss. One and done, for each of us. And they were on sale! Today’s #OneGoodThing with Mama was finding beautiful new party dresses…

Juicy white apricots

One of our favorite fruits is back for its one-week-long season. Angelcots, also called white apricots, are a bit milder than the traditional apricot. There’s no sour skin; they’re juicy and sweet. I picked up several boxes at Trader Joe’s this week. Mama and I enjoyed a bowl of them for brunch in our backyard…

Lanterns & sarongs enhance oasis

I spent much of the day cleaning our backyard oasis to get it ready to host our upcoming party. Power-washing cushions and furniture wasn’t much fun, but it was made better with music blasting and imagining how nice it’ll be to share the space with loved ones. I also hung colorful sarongs and glowing paper…