HELLO, BLOG! IT'S BEEN SO LONG!

Hi Family and Friends,
I recently created a picture book and hopefully can share it on my blog. Jason and Stella visited us last March and I wanted to send Stella a book to remember their visit.  She is almost 3 and loves books! I'm posting it here:

Picture Book

Have a great weekend and thank you for letting me share my wonderful kids with you!

Love,
Lynda

From the Heart

Hello, it's me...posting on my blog again!  I've missed talking to you! Good thing is, I am still at the same place in my house redo as when I left, so the excitement of peeling off painted-over wallpaper is still there for you!

The past year has been the hardest one since a year in the 60's when I lost my Dad. When I think of it, how fortunate and blessed I have been for that much time to have passed with good years!!  In June of this year, I lost my best friend.  

She is actually the inspiration for my blog name 'Tomorrow at Tara'.  She was Scarlett; I was Melanie.  We loved all things Southern and considered ourselves such having grown up in Oklahoma.  We would sign off our texts and emails with "Tomorrow is anotha' day" or "Tomorrow......at Tara".  It meant for whatever our troubles were that we couldn't solve together, there was always tomorrow!  Tara represented a place of solace for us...a place of majesty, beauty and hope. 

That's what we need some of...every.single.day. :)  

So, I went to Louisiana.  It was the best thing I could have done.  Although every Live Oak and white column made my heart hurt, I have blessings beyond measure living there. They were full of healing, fun, laughter, exquisite memories and love. Life goes on without our loved ones that have passed onto Heaven.  I don't think I'll ever be over it, but our memories!!  I'm smiling now!! 

Happy Birthday, Sweetie.  I love you.

Tomorrow is anotha day...

It's Fall Eve!

Hello Great Friends!

It's the day before Fall, 2012, and a beauty of a morning in Colorado.  I've been up since 4:30, so I am running on a full tank of coffee ready to write!

Actually, I have been thinking about you in my head for days and just now have remained sitting long enough to put fingers to keys.

A short "catch-up" is in store on this blog.  I have been writing about my redecorating ideas but not making too much headway.  Do you ever do that?  My next project is my kitchen, but it is expensive!  Therefore, I make SURE it is what I want before I begin.  First I had to decide: Do I really need granite?  Wow!  Talk about precious stones!  Why can't formica be stylish? ha!  Oh, it is now so much prettier than the gold fleck of the 60's, but as I considered each surface...corian....butcher block....stone....granite IS so beautiful.  It feels cool to the touch, it's earthy, solid, and it can sell a house.  Not that I'm moving, but if I ever do, the buyer will love me more..hehe.

So, I have decided on a color design now for the countertops and the closest to my taste is called 'Giallo Veneziano'. http://www.marble.com/materials/granite/Giallo-Veneziano. I would insert a picture for you, but I'll explain my iphoto debacle later.  Whoo-boy...what a mess there...

The countertops being the biggest decision (I hope), there is the backsplash to consider, the sink, faucet, paint color and finally, the cabinets. The cabinet color I have saved for last because I KNOW I'm not replacing them, so they will either be painted, refinished or just cleaned up and renewed.  I am calling the same contractor that did my bathroom to coordinate all of this. Now, a true DIY'er would be her own contractor and schedule the granite man, plumber, electrician and painter.  Good for her. ha!  Hang with me, I'll document the progress whenever it gets started!

~Lately~

I just got back from a week visit in my hometown to stay with my mom and son and family.  My Magnificent Grandbaby (MMGB) will be one year old next month!  She is walking, saying Ma-Ma and Da-Da, dancing, laughing and struttin' her stuff!  Oh, what a personality!  To say "love her" is too tame.  I adore her. It usually takes me 24 solid hours to recoup from a 12 hour drive back home.  So, I'm off and running now!  Glad to be back at ~Tara~ !!

Later!  

Prior Post - What?

Hi folks,
It's been a wonderful summer in spite of my last post.  That one has been held in "draft" since June!  I wrote it late one night and the next day decided not to publish, but something made me keep it on hand for tweeking.  I sent it on just now, untweeked!  What can I say?  It was one of those days.

I have really missed writing, but have been reading so many other totally talented writers!  Oh, they are funny and smart! Stay at home Moms, mostly, trying to make money blogging. The more readers you have, the more the ads pay off and sponsors you acquire.  They insert beautiful pictures taken with the greatest of cameras and lighting. (I use my cell phone) They blog every single day documenting every recipe they try, home decorating project, and provolking thought they might have.  I am totally engrossed in some of their lives!  One of them I actually "miss" when she doesn't blog! I wonder if she's sick or the baby is keeping her up!  She is the sweetest thing.....

So, yeah I'm feeling better.  I LOVE my older home and my view is so peaceful even without a Front Range overlook.  I'm truly blessed and I know it....

Oh! I'm redoing my kitchen!  Let me get my cellphone to snap some professional pics!

Tomorrow...

  

It's a Turn Down Day....

Happy Summer Day to You!  We here in Denver are not only "atmospherically challenged" (we're closer to the sun), but we are breaking heat records daily in the triple digits!  Digging out all our SPF-coated hats so our brains do not broil while we walk the trails!  Don't ever tell a Coloradan not to hike, with a hat, and a dog, on a trail.  Just fore-warnin' ya'.  You'll get smacked, then laughed at for being a Tourista.


Now that that is out of the way, I'm breaking with tradition in this blog.  Cardinal Sin One.  "Don't stray from point of blog".  My cue to break it!  Rebel that I am insures I go on. This has been a downer of a day, people. I can't even pick my fisted arm up in the air and say, "Tomorrow is anotha day!"  The day began by getting up too late for church...


Church and the message therein stimulate my soul and spirit.  Friends of mine that inspire me are there and reveal the personhood of Jesus to me.  Oh, I do know He's here, and I have real evidence of His existence, but church is filled with brothers and sisters who have the same "heart" as me.  Sparks fly when that happens!  Ideas flow, lightbulbs go off, kindness is abundant, patience shows.  Well, church is just where it happens, that's all.  So I missed that first off.

We chose to hang out with God in nature today.  Corwina Trail was the hikette of choice...a short uphill challenge and we had Mia with us, my beautiful 2 year old Border Collie. Shown here in her common pose....ready for departure.


We were gone about 1.5 hours tired and thirsty, but glad we went.  We ate our lunch of quiche and canteloupe, and found our way to the living room couch.  Such relaxation. 

My afternoon plans were to go house hunting with my Sis.  It would be fun!  I thought.  "....maybe I can find a one story with a view like we have wanted since we arrived here."  No one told me you had to have ~minimum~ a half million bucks to buy one of these suckers!  Even Tara would shutter her windows and door transomes at that!  My gosh, living shelters have to be attainable to at least more that a handful of lucky ducks!  Just sayin'....tryin' to be tolerant here, but I am taking up this space to ask: ....why can't we find pretty, new homes with 2500 feet, ranch style, patio facing the Front Range for sale on decently spaced lots for 2.5 to 3.5 hundred thousand anywhere?  Oh, and not under the DIA flight patterns.  That's a last minute request that I decided was as important as sinks and toilets.  

So these realizations gave this post it's title today.  And yes, it is late,  and I am in a mood, but ToMorrow IS anotha' day.....thank God!

Hello Everyone!


I must really apologize for the tardiness of this post.  I admit I let time get away from me.  I'm 'eva' so sorry!


I have been working, however.  After painting the stair risers, I did find an interesting runner for them and had it installed. It adds so much character already to this 50 years young home!  I'm excited about it!

 

I can't say I am completely finished with my stairs.  The banisters still  cause me anguish, and if you must laugh, I'm painting the risers *a.g.a.i.n.* with a slightly creamier color to match the new runner better.  I would never decorate for money.  The clients would shoot me dead!


...and... the walls of the staircase are screaming for pictures upon them. That part will be fun!  Can't wait.  I have some exciting ideas for that.


All in due time!  I have been focusing my attention on two more things ~ is this what they mean by ADD?  I like it!! ~ anyway:


1) I want to carpet the entire upstairs now!  We have wood floors and it is "clop, clop, clop" constantly.  My husband prefers to just carpet the landing and stop at the 4 doorways instead.  All I can say is...we are working on this :}  Here are samples of 3 colors of carpeting I am considering, looking downstairs, lightest to darkest, and that's Mia in the middle of it all:

 lightest

middle

darkest

All opinions and greatly appreciated!  I know it's hard judging from an iphone pic...even tho I DID choose this phone for picture quality...


2) The kitchen. I have new stainless appliances but the dishwasher is still out in the garage awaiting new countertops before it's installed.  Before new countertops, I must decide if I am changing the color of my cabinets.  

Some very good options have been posted on Pinterest http://pinterest.com/LyndaReppert/kitchens/.  It's just the deciding part...white/cream...darker like walnut....lighter like a fruitwood...the only thing I'm not crazy about is the yellow/orangey oak that's up there now.  I know they look  pretty tame from here, but take this picture I shot up close:

I see you nodding your heads at me, "She's right, Pansy, that door be orangey yella!"


Will this house ever be completed?


I experienced kind of a lull in my enthusiasm on all of this remodeling with the events detailed in a previous blog.  I got content just looking at things the way they were for awhile. Then last week, the house across the street, similar to our house, sold for a ridiculously high price!  Seriously!  We were stunned!  I fired up the Zillow site and studied the pictures - 20 of them! - and although they had taken down a wall and added a new bedroom, it was basically our house!  They had updated and remodeled and spruced everything up and POW~sold it big!  That's what bolted me back into action!   


OK, it's late~ See you Tomorrow at Tara! 

ATTACK OF THE HEART!....read on...

Hello My Wonderful Friends!


Many days have passed since I asked you to help me decide about my wallpaper dilemma!  Thank you for all of your helpful replies and we have a winner!  I was directed to a YouTube tutorial showing how to sand, spackle, sand again, then paint OVER my wallpaper once more to achieve a flawless, smooth wall.  Oh....so~much~easier than stripping already painted paper off and dealing with what lies behind it.  I want to thank you all for your help!  I'll post and picture the whole experience for you in a future blog.  Here is the link to the great tutorial on YouTube that I am going to use when I begin my kitchen makeover: *Prepping to paint over wallpaper*.  Just in case you have the same problem and want to tackle this with me!!


......February was "heart month" for me and my family.  My stepdad, Glen, passed away from a heart attack on February 7.  He lived 85 wonderful years and brought joy, laughter, love...and pizza into our lives.  He loved Tuesday Pizza Nights at Pizza Hut and if you were at my parents' house on that day....you had pizza too.  I can't tell you the moans and groans we used to give when we all piled into the cars and caravanned to 'the Hut' on those nights. ~~ But today, we smile about it and the word "pizza buffet" brings a tug to our hearts. We will always miss and love you dear Glen.......


.....so about mid month, while staying with my mother, 658 miles from my home where my husband had returned....I got a call from the Emergency Room saying my sweetheart of 35 years had also just suffered a heart attack!  I flew quickly to back to Denver as did our son, leaving his wife and our Magnificent Baby Granddaughter at home.  For 5 days we stayed at his bedside in ICU.  I am so thankful and thrilled to say that now, three weeks later, he is recovering nicely and even going back to work on Monday.  We thank God for giving him a longer life and our friends for their concern and diligent prayers.  Life is definitely fragile....and very precious.


OK, so now we are beginning our Heart Healthy Phase!  I checked out several books from the library:

I know you are laughing at me, but I'm jumping into this!  The first thing we did was decide to eat FOF and FOT.....Fish on Friday, and Fish on Tuesday.  Tonight was Tilapia, breaded in Panko crumbs and Mrs. Dash, then baked, Annie's Organic, Low Salt Macc and Cheese and steamed veggies.  It was a 'hit' with the patient and with me!  I have found out some really good foods to buy, substitutes for the salty taste, and a ton of tasty low fat recipes!  I'll be blogging them as I try them to give you a heads up on having a happy heart!


Do you have any tips or tricks to cooking for a healthier heart?  Write and let me know!!  Thank you and may you and your families have a happy, healthy Spring!....XO