Check Out My Estate Sale Goodies

I participated in a local estate sale auction online.  I got two boxes full of linens, and these are just two of my favorite finds.  An adorable vintage sheer yellow apron (looks like it was never used), and an antique embroidered linen from China with the tag still on.  What do I do with these?  Well, I love to use my favorites for my mom's group gatherings or family holidays.  Some I sell on Ebay, and others I am planning on using in making items to sell on Etsy! (I always talk a good game, but getting it done is another story!)

This is another flea market find. I turned it into a soy candle with a vanilla scent.  I eventually want to sell these on Etsy also.  I just need to get organized!

Recipe for a Happy Marriage

Many people ask how my husband and I have achieved a relatively low key, happy marriage of 15 years.  Here's my simple recipe:
God + Love + Laughter =Happily Ever After.   Here are some more of my favorite "marriage" sayings-some I find humorous as well as helpful-not sure who wrote them:
A Happy Wife means a Happy Life.  If Mama ain't happy, ain't nobody happy.  The marriage that prays together, stays together.  (You can substitute family for marriage as well.)
EVERY WISE woman builds her house, but the foolish one tears it down with her own hands. – Proverbs 14:1 May God Bless You and Your Marriage,
The Queen Mama

Are You Ready for Some Football?

It's Football Season in our town!  The younger boys started a few weeks ago.  It's The Rockstar's 6th year playing, and Little Big Man's first.  It's a huge commitment for our family (for anyone's family for that matter), as practice is 5 nights a week and a game on the weekend.  What we do for our kids!!

Old Houses I'd Love to Rescue

These are  pictures I snapped from the car on the way home from our vacation.  I have a soft spot for old houses.  I think I must have lived in the Colonial and Victorian eras in a former life!  When I look at these houses, I wonder about the first inhabitants, what they looked like, what type of life they lived, what were their daily joys and struggles?  What did the house look like?  Who abandoned them and why?  I wish I could save them all!  Anyway, here you go..Enjoy!  Love, Queen Mama

 

Baby Pangs

I felt compelled to post today because Big Daddy is tired of hearing me tell him over and over!  I am having major baby pangs!  Not necessarily newborn baby pangs, but just longing for more little ones to love.  Maybe it's the pangs of little ones in the system I am feeling, that need a forever family.  At any rate, I am so anxious and the wait has been over a year.  If you read my Our Family page, you will learn more about our adoption journey.  Well, thanks for listening!  I'm going to continue praying, and I appreciate your prayers as well!  May you be blessed, The Queen Mama

Are There Ghosts in Gettysburg?

The Rockstar was adamant about going on a Ghost Hunt while we were in Gettysburg.  It was planned for our last night, but the weather forecasted storms.  We told him we were not going to go, but he was crushed.  So Big Daddy took him on a last minute tour at 11 pm.  The Champ had no interest in going, so he and the Queen Mama and the  little ones stayed at the hotel.  It wasn't a ghost hunt, but it was a ghost walking tour of the town.  Big Daddy is pretty much a skeptic, but changed his mind after the tour.  He swore he saw a curtain move in one of the upper windows of a building (the tour guide told him it was a documented haunted spot).  They were encouraged to snap pictures everywhere and look at them later.  That orbs and different lights were usually ghosts.  So, they snapped away.  Not sure if they saw ghosts or not.  You can decide for yourself!

Note the large round "orb" to the left of the reenactor.  Rockstar on Right. This used to be a riverbed where the wounded soldiers would wash their wounds.  The guide said it flooded after a sudden downpour and many soldiers died there.

My son insists there are faces in this odd red light. Hmmm.

Big Daddy swears he saw the curtain be pulled back in the top left window.  It's too dark for me to see anything.  Well, if there are ghosts in Gettysburg, I hope they were believers, and find their final resting place soon!

Our Gettysburg Vacation

The Rockstar and I are huge history buffs!  We had a blast in Gettysburg!  I think everyone else did too, except for Princess B ~ she doesn't like long car rides, and so was not impressed with the audio car tour we took through the battlefields. (She let us know this by screaming for about an hour straight!)  Anyway, we were able to get some great pics.  Below was our first stop-the Battlefield Tour Center.  We had our pic taken with President Lincoln!

Did I mention it was about 110 degree heat index?  The kids were like, Mama, really? P.S.-Thank you to the kind stranger who offered to take our picture.  Who knows~maybe she's reading this!

We saw some really great monuments, houses and barns that were actual sites of battle, and the civil war soldiers' cemetery.  There are so many unknown soldiers buried there.  It was quite touching and humbling to see.  The following pictures depict all of the above.  Note in the second picture the cannonball hole in the top of the barn wall.

Below is the monument of the Eternal Flame.  It burns atop the monument 24/7.

Rows and rows and rows of unknown soldiers!

 

 

 Above is an unknown soldier-buried 979th in a row. Below are rows upon rows of unknowns.

I love this pic of Bid Daddy, my Navy Veteran husband, solemnly reading a tribute with Little Big Man on his back.  It was so hot, and too much walking for him! We take every opportunity to teach our children about patriotism~hope he remembers this trip!  I love you Big Daddy!!

Hopefully you and your family will get to see Gettysburg someday.  A truly wonderful history lesson!
Blessings to you and yours,
The Queen Mama

Hershey Park Vacation

Our small town family traveled a long, long, way to the big time fun Hershey Park, PA.  It was a great time.  I definitely recommend it for families of all ages!!  Here's one of the top ten scariest roller coasters in the world, the Fahrenheit.

It goes straight up, then straight down, and on to more sideways loops. You will not find The Queen Mama riding this or any other ride!  However, Big Daddy, The Champ, and The Rockstar rode it while Queen Mama waited with a huge knot in her chest! What happens to us when we become mothers?  My sense of adventure is not gone, but my senses want me to stay on the ground!

Luckily, Hershey Park has a Boardwalk area with lots of water fun.

Here's Little Big Man and Miss B posing after some water fun! This is more The Queen Mama's speed!

Note Little Big Man is tickling Princess Miss B to get her to smile pretty for the camera! There is a wave pool that is a few feet deep with a slide and mini water slides for the little kids, and big water slides for the big kids and adults.  All surrounded by lounge chairs, lockers and lots of eating areas!

The Big Boys were good sports by riding rides that Little Big Man could.  Here's The Champ cheesing it up for Queen Mama on The Howler.

The Rock Star didn't want to ride this with Little Big Man, but he ended up having a blast!!  It went up so high-Queen Mama was again ready to have a heart attack!

How neat is this?! This is the Milton Hershey School which you can see from the park.


Hershey Park also has a zoo that is FREE admission when entered through the park.  Take advantage of their meal deal and game ticket packages that you can buy at guest services to help save money.  We had a wonderful family vacation! After Hershey Park, we visited Gettysburg.  Look for some great pics in my next post!

Please visit the rest of my posts for other great small town pictures, recipes, yard sale finds, and trips.

Blessings,
The Queen Mama