Enjoying Paradise

Aloha Friends, I am still unable to upload photos here, so used one from our last visit. This trip has been so different from our previous trips-much more laid back, but with lots of adventures. The weather has been mixed- sunshine with lots of rain. We have taken a lot of great shots and I can't wait to share them.

One of the coolest things about this island is all the chickens and roosters running around.
We've gone to new beaches-Larsen's, Arch, Sealodge and the beach near Bali Hai to name a few. Hit our favorite eateries and had local fish, which included Poke for me-not going to repeat that one dish. Some interesting things were my getting overheated on a hike on Friday; it was scary and I hope to never repeat it. I have also gotten eating alive by Mosquitos yesterday-both legs are covered in bites. This occurred on our hike in which I slipped in the mud. Now I am itching non-stop. While we live being here, with all the weird things going on  with nature, I'm ready to be home; hubby is not.  Have a blessed day!
Hugs,
Noreen

Happy Outdoor Tuesday

Aloha Friends~Every day here in the islands are an outdoor days.  Today is a day when we hit the local stores, ABC store to be exact and get hubby about ten t-shirts.  Each time we are here, stock up on them.  Unfortunately, because he wears his island shirts constantly, many are gone by the end of the first year.  Yesterday, I was feeling very worn out and decided that I'm going to slow down the pace a bit, so that I'll be refreshed when we get home.  When I think about all that awaits us, I realize it will be months til we are unpacked and organized.  We decided we will start in the master, then the kitchen and then the guest room.  From there, we will move to the main living areas and I think my sewing room will be last.  We'll see.  Hubby will be away for about four days at the end of May, so I know I'll have time to unpack then.  Throw in a garage sale the weekend he is gone and you know I'll be busy. My girls will be with me then or we wouldn't be having one. 
I hope you have a great day!!! 
Hugs to you.
Noreen

Greetings to you from Kauai! Yesterday was another full day and this morning has been rather slow, due to a poor nights sleep. One of the treats we discoverd nine and a half years ago was Shave Ice. Not Shaved Ice, but Shave Ice. It is similar to a snow cone but as you can see below, is huge. What is incredible is that they put ice cream in the middle of the ice and the many flavors you can get. This particular one was called Kauai Sunrise-with passion fruit, mango, pineapple and coconut syrups. So I know that this is not a healthy food, but when you vacation sometimes you need some treats. I had hoped to really do a lot of walking daily and be careful what we ate, but I'm sure I'll get home and have gained five pounds. Watch out though, once we are in our new home, I'll be biking daily(I hope).

The Monk Seal below is the seal we saw with her pup two years ago. It was great to see her again.  There is speculation as to whether or not she is pregnant. 

One of the beaches at Kapaa; our time is flying by so quickly and I am feeling the need to slow things down and just relax at the beach-in preparation for the move when we get home.
I hope you had a  wonderful weekend!
Joy to you~
Noreen, who is really missing my Hunter.

Happy Friday

Yesterday afternoon hubby and I took a walk down the beach and this is what we saw. He is V18, 9 yrs old; apparently he used to have a critter cam on his back but it has come off. I was pleased to see him since I hadn't seen any seals previously.

The view from the place we are staying...incredible.

I never tire of the ocean views! 
Today was my dad's birthday and I know he is celebrating in style!  He's been gone now for 24 yrs.-in some ways it seems so much longer. Happy Birthday Dad.
Hope you are having a glorious day!
Hugs,
Noreen

Back Online

Well, when on vacation and your computer crashes what else can a girl do but go shopping and out to lunch. Just supporting the local economy. So I got home, turned my laptop on and it is back to normal; I am so thankful. As promised here are the photos from my excursion with Val yesterday. You must know that we are missing our Hunter something fierce, so I had to take a photo of one of Val's dogs-Gracie. Isn't she just so beautiful; I also wanted to get one of Schatzie but she wasn't too sure of me.

Val took me to several beaches; unfortunately, we didn't see any seals, but sure enjoyed the beauty of God's creation.  I must also say that IPhones take the best photos. 

The next photos were taken with my Nikon.  Our weather was perfect, no rain but lots of sun! Hubby got a lot of rain while golfing though. 

Val on a swing; for those of you who haven't met her, I can tell you she is an incredible person and friend.

Tomorrow hubby, I and another couple are heading back up north to some beaches we haven't been to before.  We will stop in Hanalei and have lunch at one of our favorite places. 
Hope you are having a great week.
Blessings,
Noreen

Greetings Friends, I was so excited to be able to share photos from my time with Val yesterday, but AVG wanted to do a restart on my laptop this morning. This is a usual occurance, but today when my laptop restarted everything was gone. I turned it off and will let it sit;  I am hoping that everything is back to normal later. I will have to post a few photos on FB. If I don't get it back, I won't be posting photos here.
So, Val and I had a great time together; we went to the beaches that she has seen seals at, but no luck. It was ok though because we had such a good enjoying getting to know each other. I will say that I am out of shape and was tired when I got home. We had our friends over for PuPu's and played games all evening. Today hubby is golfing, so I am going to do Laundry and just hang out.
I hope you have a wonderful day!
Noreen

We Have A Winner

It is still morning here in Paradise.  I wanted to share that we have a winner for my contest.
As you know, I said the answer had to be specific; my friend Cindy at http://www.consideringitalljoy.com/
wrote in today that I was in Kapaa and meeting Val at http://mygirlzgotpaws.blogspot.com/
Val and I initially connected almost two years ago; she is a wonderful gal and it has been so fun to meet her in person.  Today, Val and I are going to one of the many beaches near her; she is an avid worker in protecting Monk Seals and actually located one yesterday, after we had met.  You can see her photo on her blog.
The second closest guess was Nellie at http://nelliescozyplace.blogspot.com/ ; Nellie figured out we were in Kauai but didn't know who I was meeting.  I'm going to be on the lookout for some fun little things for Cindy.
This has been so fun, but now I can share our activities every day, without being secretive. 
I hope your day is filled with wonder.!
Joy and Sunshine to you~
Noreen

More Clues

It's Outdoor Wednesday and you can be sure I'll be outside. Yesterday it was cloudy but still 80 degrees and felt so good. My skin has been soaking up the moisture; I don't feel as dry as I do in Colorado. We've had one guess so far, on my location, but it wasn't specific enough. So just to share the beauty of this area, I am taking photos constantly. Yesterday I also met up with my blogging buddy and her pups, it was great to hug her in person. I will be giving you more clues on her in the next day or two. In fact, I am planning on spending Friday with her and then hopefully several more times.  This is a fruit I can't get enough of-Papaya.  We went to the Farmer's Market yesterday and I want to get some pics of all the fruit, but felt a bit awkward taking pics of their produce and not buying any.  I did come back to the condo with two large Papayas though.

Love this phone-it was so cool to see the flowers on the side, instead of painted "tags" on it.

We went down here in the afternoon.  Humm-is it Santa Cruz or Carmel????? Oregon or Washington?

Maybe Florida?

Love the Koi.

 

I believe this is the state flower but I could be wrong. It might be one of the photos I shared yesterday.

We are having a great time and it's even better meeting such a wonderful friend.  When we were looking at her IPad, getting directions to an area-I saw that she has written something for another blogger-it was

SEE BEAUTIFUL, for the blog hop. So Michelle and Goose we thought of you yesterday.

We are also helping to support the local economy. 

I'll be back with more pictures and hints.  

Good luck and remember to be specific.  

Joy To You,
Noreen

Where Am I, Part 2

Good Morning and Happy Tuesday.  I've had fun thinking about different hints that I could give you all. It will be interesting to see how many figure it out.  Below is one of my favorite flowers; I love its scent.

Hubby would like some of these for our new sun room, however I've tried to grow these before without any luck-so I'm thinking I might just get the silk ones that don't need water.

Well, there you have today's hints. 
I had a great day yesterday; shopping with a friend, having a nice lunch and some Sorbet for dessert. 
I hope you have a wonderful day today! 
Blessings,
Noreen

Where Am I?

Happy Monday Friends! I hope you had a wonderful Easter and are ready for spring. I mentioned last week that I was going to be meeting up with a blogging friend, a dog lover, but I wouldn't tell you who I was meeting or where I would meet her. Today I am giving you hints-these are photos from the condo we are in; if you are one of my pals who knows the answer, please don't give it away. However, if you didn't have inside info as to where I am-look at the photos and take a guess.

I love the wooden wall decor they have and am hoping to find some to take home.  I love Gardenia's so especially like this little plaque.

Anyone who knows me will immediately know where I am~I have a necklace I am wearing with a turtle.

I also love this wall plaque-it is so cute.  In the past, I've shied away from bringing back items from our trips-because you get them home and they look out of place.  However, I'm thinking with the extra space, I may be able to find a place for a couple little things.  I can also tell you that we are awakened every morning by Roosters crowing; there are tons of chickens here. 

If you leave a comment with a guess, please try to be very specific.  If you think you know who I'm meeting, let me know too.  There might just be a little something-something for you if you win. 
Hubby is off golfing today, so I will probably try to get out and about.  This is a much needed break for us-it has been planned for over a year; we just didn't know there would be a mountain of work we'd have to do before we got away.  When we get back, we begin moving into our new home and I can't wait.  All of our boxes are at the new house, it is just the furniture that will need to go.  I'm hoping we have a contract on our home by the time we get back. 
Have a wonderful day!
Hugs,  Noreen

Happy Easter

While many are out searching for Easter eggs, for those of us called by Christ's name, it is indeed a day of joy and celebration.

"But on the first day of the week, at early dawn, they came to the tomb bringing the spice which they had prepared. And they found the stone rolled away from the tomb,And they entered in and found not the body of the Lord Jesus.
And it came to pass as they were much perplexed about this, behold two men stood by them in shining garments,And as they were afraid and bowed down their faces to the earth, they said unto them 'Why seek ye the Living amoung the dead?

He is not here but is risen, remember how He spake unto you when He was yet in Galilee, saying 'The Son of man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, and be crucified and the third day rise again'

And they remembered His words." Luke 24:1-8

May you know the power and love of a living Savior this Easter and every day of your life. On this the most holy day in the life of a believer, may you come into a more profound and deeper relationship with Him than ever before.
Because of His great Love, Noreen

Thank You for the Cross, Thank You for the Cross

Thank You for the Cross My Lord.

Today is an important day of remembrance in the lives of believers.  When my girls were young, we always took Good Friday off of school and later when I worked, I always took it as a personal day.

I pray you will be blessed this Holy Day and give thanks for all He has done for us.

May all your hours be filled with Resurrection Power this holy weekend and may His Love and Life shine in yours.

Easter Blessings,  Noreen

A New View

Good Morning Friends, Yesterday hubby and I took two loads over to our new home. We came home and began getting the remainder of boxes ready to take today; after dinner, hubby said he had an idea that would make me laugh. I had no idea what, but he quickly said we are going over and watching the sunset from our new deck. The couple who we bought the house from and who had been renting it from us for the last four months were officially out. Although we won't be moving in for a couple more weeks, we decided to go over. The couple are still in the midst of cleaning it and we figured if they were there we'd sit and visit. They weren't there and we spend a good 45 minutes just sitting on the deck watching the beauty of our sunsets. It is so quiet and peaceful. Needless to say, I am very anxious to be in our new home. This is one view of the mountains from the deck.

Another view-spectacular!

I have always wanted a water feature/water fall and now I have one. Love the sound of the bubbling water cascading over the boulders. 

Hubby and I are so very happy with our new home and know it will provide many wonderful evenings with friends, making memories. 
Have a great morning!
Hugs,
Noreen

It is hard to believe it is only Wednesday and that it is already 3:30 in the afternoon. You've heard the expression "dog-tired", well that is how hubby and I are feeling right now.  I got up and walked first thing this morning and then came home to ready the house for the Interior Designer/Stager that our Realtor was sending over.  I will tell you that when we lived in Ca., I had two experiences with Interior Designers that didn't impress me.  I always knew there was someone out there that would, but wasn't sure I'd ever use one.
Well, our Agent has a gal who works along side clients to ready their homes to sell.  What a breath of fresh air she was; of course it helped that there weren't any big issues to change.  She walked through our home, advising us to get rid of placemats, doilies and lots of items that I thought would be o.k.-such as a mortar/pestle on the stove etc.  I guess many of the designer tips have come and gone.  We opened everything up visually, so the space looks even bigger.  I will say we had two bookcases and a round oak table that got moved to the garage.  I'm wondering why we never rearranged the furniture in the family room before.  Hubby and I had taken down a lot of art pieces and she had us put them back up.  Some of the things we did hubby doesn't agree with, but if it makes our house sell faster, I'm all for it. I told hubby if I ever needed a Interior Designer, she is the one I'd call. 
After we finished doing most of what she wanted, we made a run to our oldest daughter's house to finish putting up a wire fence for the dogs.  They haven't yet gotten their corral fence up and so other than putting the two dogs on a lead when they are outside, this will give them an area to run, sit in the sun and also take care of business. Hunter and Lily played outside while hubby and the grandsons worked on the fence.  When we got home, Hunter just crashed.  I think he isn't secure with all the changes going on here.  The next month could be a bit unsettling for him, poor pup.
Tomorrow, we have a photographer coming over to take photos of our home for the MLS listing and the fliers; it will also be on You Tube.  All I know is that I'm counting on all our hard work paying off. 
I'm not sure whether I will be posting the rest of the week, too many things to finish. I will be touching base with all of you though-so don't give up on me. 
In the next week or so, I will have a surprise for all of you dog lovers and dog bloggers....I will have photos of a good friend and her two dogs,  who I'll be meeting up with.  No hints though.
May your Easter be filled with love, family and good food. 
Until tomorrow,
Noreen & Hunter

Last Nights Lunar Eclipse

On the news last night, we heard there was a lunar eclipse that would occur during the middle of the night. I am usually the one who will be awake until the wee hours of the morning; however, last night hubby crawled out of bed around 1:30 a.m. I was awake enough to tell him where the camera and telephoto was and then went back to bed. It wasn't as spectacular as we expected but he did get a pretty good shot of it.

Today, I've already been out walking and other than folding laundry, not sure what is on my agenda. Hubby has golf and later this afternoon, we will be going to our girl's house to put up wire fencing for the dogs. Right now they don't have any fences and when the two pups are together, they just get tangled in the leads. I'm sure it will be hubby and the two grandsons putting it up, but I can supply an extra set of hands. Last night we watched a bit of American Idol before switching to the Voice; I have to say I so prefer the Voice-there are such good singers this year and somehow they all seems more professional than those on Idol. On the home front, we still haven't heard anything from the second showing yet. The designer/stager is coming tomorrow morning; that will be interesting to hear suggestions. I am still hoping that we get an offer before it is on the MLS; it would be so much easier.
Have a great day!
Noreen & Hunter

Monday Musings

Good Morning To You! I hope you had a great weekend; after getting our house ready for a second showing on Sat., we spent some time with our grands. Today is a very special day-our Peanut turns 7. She is a very delightful girl with a huge heart. Peanut, as you may remember, has battled through some serious health issues and although still has some minor problems from time to time, she enjoys a full life. Gifted in art, she loves drawing. We are so very proud of her!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY PEANUT!!!!

 

Hunter went to the groomer on Friday and as you can see, looks pretty handsome. I always love his coat when he's just gotten cut; even though we fuss over the cost, it is well worth it.

Now, if I can keep him mat free I'll be happy.
 Yesterday we had a nice family lunch at our youngest daughter's house. Today we got some errands to run and before we leave we have to make sure the house is ready to show, just in case.
May your day be merry!
Joy to you,

Noreen & Hunter

Happy Friday to you!  With all the craziness in our lives right now, the days are flying by so very quickly.
Yesterday was a full day and right before dinner, we got a call that someone wanted to see the house today(even though it isn't even listed on the MLS yet). 
O.k. so I'll admit that I want it perfect for showings and that I probably have a little obbessive behavior issues.  So after I got home from a ladies gathering at church last night, I vacuumed upstairs and started doing small things.  We haven't had a time confirmed as of this morning, but my attitude is that I still want it in tip-top shape, just in case.  Hubby is much more relaxed than I am.  Hunter gets groomed today and there are some things I still need to do-such as polish the wood floors. 
I hope you have a wonderful day filled with joy and a relaxing weekend, filled with sunshine.
Hugs,
Noreen

Thankful Thursday

Oh Happy Day, O Happy Day...  Do you remember this song?  I love it and it just popped into my mind.
We had a great day yesterday, met with our Realtor and signed a contract to put our home on the market.
Now we still have minor things to do, but all in all it is looking pretty good.  I had planned on purchasing flowers for the outside pots in the garden, but snow is expected on Sat. and Sun., so I will wait until next week to get them in the pots.  I'm off to walk Hunter this morning and then go check out Sears for a Lands End tankini/top.  Since we will become members of a community pool when we move, I realized I really did need a top I liked because our grands may join to. 
Here in Colorado, we get what are known as "Wave Clouds" and they take what could be a wonderfully, warm day and make it cooler.  Yesterday was supposed to get up to the high 70's, but it never did due to the wave cloud.  Come on Spring-I'm ready for warm days that stay. 
I hope find rays of sunlight today and joy in your heart.
Hugs,
Noreen & Hunter

Happy Birthday Dear Girl

Since I posted early this morning and I was so very tired, I didn't really think about today.  However, I need to give a Shout Out to our Miss S, who turned 9 today.
She is quite the young lady and such a helper to her parents.  Her sisters and brother look up to her and treat her like a second mom.  Birthday girl has a joy of living and is always so fun to be around.
Papa and I went over to see her today and see the presents her family gave her.  We celebrated her birthday last week, but still want to honor our oldest granddaughter.
May you continue to grow in wisdom and grace; may He smile upon you.
WE love you S.
Papa and Nana

A Little of This, A Little of That

Happy Wednesday Friends.  I hope your week has been a good one.  I wanted to share this photo with you~our Eagles are back and this juvenile was seen in our youngest daughter's neighborhood. I love seeing them up close and personal.  Hubby also told me that the Pelicans have returned; this definitely signals spring is here-at least for part of this week.
I knew that life would get really crazy very quickly and it has!  Yesterday, after my morning walk with Hunter, hubby and I began to load boxes into a trailer that a friend has lent us.  I can tell you that it was hard work and we got about 70% of our boxes packed securely in the trailer.  We were also able to stage, I use this word lightly, my sewing room and get everything upstairs looking ready to sell.  Late yesterday afternoon, hubby connected with our Realtor and he is coming this morning so we can sign the contract.  We are hoping for a quick sale and thinking the house will hit the MLS this weekend. 

We have sold enough homes over the years to know what to expect in the way of presenting our home.  Because we will be away part of the time that our home will be listed, I wanted to get some sort of floral arrangement for our kitchen. I initially thought of fresh flowers, but that would mean someone always checking on them and it could get pricey.  So on a whim, I stopped at our local floral shop in town.  After talking to the owner about what I needed, she took me over to her silk arrangements.  I immediately fell in love with this; bright spring colors and a little bit of country mixed in.  I can tell it that it was very expensive and I am having buyers remorse.  I know it looks perfect here and am confident that it will look perfect in our new home; I just can't believe what I spent on it.  I am having a garage sale in May, so hoping I make enough to cover the cost of this pretty.  I am not usually one to, but I will feel better knowing that it will last and last.  Can you tell that I am trying to justify it? 
I've got to take Hunter out for his walk before the Realtor comes; in fact, Hunter will be going with me everywhere while the house is on the market.
Please know my friends that I am truly trying to get around to say hello and check in with you; but if I don't, know I'll keep trying.
Have a blessed day!
Noreen & Hunter

A Busy Weekend

As you know, we had Lily here this weekend because our daughter's family were doing their final big push to get all moved into their new house.  I felt that she would be more relaxed here with Hunter and they did indeed have a great time.  These two are so cute together!  This chair will be my reading chair in our new bedroom-so I don't fret about them being on it.  Hunter loves sitting on top of the furniture; won't he be in for a shock when the couches are moved around etc. I think he will choose to hang out in his new sun room, where he can catch some warmth and also watch the yard.
Well, I am happy to say that hubby and I completed a huge task this weekend-we got the back yard done.
We weeded three beds, laid garden fabric down and then put down 53 bags of mulch.  We had already put 10 bags on the front bed; boy what a lot of work.  I can tell  you that for some of you, this amount is easy and no big deal, but for this gal it was hard work.  Today I am sore, so not walking-plus it is so windy out there.  We've got other things to do today  too.  
I hope you had a good weekend!  Enjoy your day.
Hugs,
Noreen & Hunter

Playtime

Happy Friday to you! Yesterday was a very full day for hubby and me~we did two loads with our daughter Carrie and sil; furniture, bikes, misc. boxes, beds, etc etc. Before the unloading began though, I brought Lily here to stay with us for a few days. They felt it would be less stressful on her when to be here when their house was emptied. Hunter couldn't have been happier to see her. After finishing unloading with them, we headed to Home Dep**, to get 45, yes 45, bags of mulch for our yard. We had spread out 8 bags in the front bed; today while hubby primes our front railing, I will begin to move bags to the back yard. This morning the dogs were playing tag and wrestling; I tried to get some action shots, but I'm just not quick enough. Lily insisted on being at my feet, so I was not able to get front photos of her.

I love seeing Hunter's expression-really looks like he is teasing her.

Here they are having a stand off at the doggy door.  Hunter is waiting for her to join him, so they can blitz in the yard and she is expecting him to come back inside. 

These two are just so cute together.  Lily will tire of Hunter's pestering, but will also let him know when enough is enough.  It is good that we can have her here with us, while the family is moving; Hunter will also spend time with them when we are on vacation.
I hope you have a beautiful day and find many reasons to smile today.
Joy to you!
Noreen

A Frozen Birthday Party

Thankful Thursday is here again and today I am so very thankful for family!!! Last night all 17 of us gathered to celebrate three granddaughters birthdays. One happened at the end of March and two are next week, so they always do a sister-birthday party. It was such fun! We had a yummy taco dinner and Kim made special individual desserts.

Papa and two of Kim and Eric's girl. 

Carrie's sweetheart.

The two Miss A's.  The one in all pink just turned 4 in March.  These two cousins look so much alike. I love how close all the cousins are-such a blessing.

The two oldest girls. 

When I saw Kim's expression, she looked just like Carrie.  Love watching our girls mature.

Often people will see Carrie and Kim together and think they are twins.  Love this photo.

Papa and Little Man. 

Miss A wanted a suitcase and she was so happy to have something to put all her doll clothes in.

American Girl clothing is always a hit. 

WE were supposed to wake up to the white stuff today and I'm so happy to say we didn't. It is cold and windy out and snow is in the forecast for later today.  We will be moving more of Carrie's household today; Brent took the day off and we have a covered trailer, so I think we are o.k. regardless of what the weather is.  I will say that it reminds me of our move from Ca. to Co., when we were in a winter storm; don't ever want to do that again. 
I hope you have a wonderful day and find many reasons to give thanks!
Blessings,
Noreen