Back Patio fix up..on the cheap

We moved into this house 2 years ago. 

When we first walked in we absolutely loved the sliding 

glass door that 

disappeared into the wall and the tiled back patio.

 What we didn't realize though is that the tile becomes a skating rink when it is wet!

Really, it is dangerous. When my sister was visiting, she suggested indoor/outdoor carpet. I imagined the green plastic stuff and wasn't wild about the idea. Then I went to Home Depot and saw all the different choices! That was the solution!

My kitties love the new floor.

 My sister and my parents gave me a gift card to Home Depot for my birthday...

definitely my favorite store...for real.

Dave and I cleaned and dried the tile and started to lay it out.

 So much better! Now we can walk to and from the pool 

with no worries. 

 I added a table top torch to use at night to ward off mosquitos. I'm also in the process of recovering some pillows to match the red ones I already have. 

 These two adirondack chairs were old, gray and dirty from 2 years ago. Clay and I broke out the s.o.s pads and gave them a major scrubbing. Then I spray painted them this nice bright color. These are 2 of the pillows I've recovered.  I still need to sew up one of them and we need to put the carpet tape down to hold together these seems.

 I absolutely love it back there now! Ive got a few more 

things on my list..

curtains, more plants and perhaps a decorative rug.

 We also painted the deck of the gazebo and added flower boxes. 

Such a relaxing place now...Stop by for a visit!

Family Photo shoot...sort of :-)

The following pictures are proof that there is always a born "organizer" in every family.

My mother, father, Aunt Betty, Uncle Larry, Aunt Katherine, Uncle Jimmy, Aunt Izelle and Uncle Jerry!

Yes, I realize I could have written that in an easier way, but I wanted you to know which names went together.

These are all my mom's sisters. 

The only sibling missing is her brother Lowell.

The Organizer? Aunt Katherine.

I could go on to tell you that the reason for her leadership and organizational skills were due to the fact that she is highly educated { true }...But, I believe the real reason is...she's the youngest. Imagine living in a home with 4 girls and one boy...and being the youngest. She probably had to fight just to be heard!

The sad part? These aren't even all the pictures that went 

with this "photo shoot."

My daughter was also taking pictures with another camera...

Aunt Izelle and Uncle Jimmy are on the far right..and apparently correctly positioned. ;-) 

My Aunt Betty and Uncle Larry are now being set up.

My parents are on the far left. It appears that they've done this before because they needed no realignment.

not quite ready

Now I'm adding my 2 cents...

The final product! I think it looks great! Although,

I wish I had brought our really nice camera..

Very nice picture.

Now we are attempting to get just a sister photo...

My mother taking a shot at the lead.

Seriously? We were all laughing at this point.

Do you think that's a forced smile?

Back at it.. :-)

Both smiling..love it

My parents. :-)

Samaritan's Village

My family is involved with a wonderful ministry here in town. 

It is called Samaritans Village. 

A woman from the church we attend used to be 

a chaplain in a women's prison. 

She was always troubled that when the ladies 

would be released from prison, 

they had no place left to go. 

So she created 

Samaritans village.

It is a ministry designed to teach women that they are special, and in God's eyes, they are worthy of love, respect, dignity etc..

The ministry has two components.  

Ruth's house. 

Four women live in this house and are involved in an 

intensive rehab program.

We've had the privilege of getting to know them and we love them dearly. Clay has a special relationship with them too.

Transitions

This is a resale shop near downtown Orlando. We LOVE this store and work there quite a bit. It is a donation-based store and all the proceeds help fund Ruth's house.

These women are no different from you and I. They need the same love and support as we do. Homelessness, prostitution and even drug addiction affects us all. Do any of us really know what we would be like if we were born into different circumstances?

This event was our 2nd annual 5k. 

It's main purpose, aside from being a fundraiser, 

is community awareness.

Poor Dave, He thought he was just dropping off Clay.

Mikaela and I needed to be there at 6 am to help set up and 

get her ready to sing The National Anthem.

So when Dave arrived, 

he sorta got roped into running with Clay :-)

                 Clay placed 1st in the 14 and under category,
                              not bad considering he's 10!

                                             Love him