A to Z Mondays ~ The Letter H

HEART!!

Isn't the heart a miraculous muscle??

Patrick holds my heart in his hand.

And of course, you all know that Jesus holds the key to my heart!

To finish my heart post off here's a clip from a really fun old musical called Damn Yankees. My parents saw the original on Broadway so us kids got to listen to the record from the show as youngsters, so we knew all the songs. You Gotta Have Heart was one of my favorites (I regret that the coach in this clip takes God's name in vain, and apologize for it. I doubt that the original play did that.)

Have a great Monday and don't forget to go visit Jen's blog for more A to Z bloggers. Love and blessings to all who read this blog! Cassie

A to Z Mondays ~ The Letter I

The letter I.

ILSA.

Ilsa is originally from the Rhineland of Germany. She has the cutest little accent that she never lost after many years living in the USA. Everybody in her city in Montana seems to know her, as she is probably one of the friendliest people in existence! We try to visit Ilse at least once a year. Oh, and Ilse is also the BEST cook I know. She has the gift of hospitality and loves to make people feel welcomed...she can lay out a spread on the table to make Martha Stewart jealous...and she does it without any to-do. Amazing woman.

Ilsa is one of my dearest friends in the whole world. She is like a second mother to me...only nicer! Jessica and I met Ilsa about 15 years ago while fly fishing on a river in Montana. Ilsa was walking her dogs at the time and we struck up a conversation. The rest is history. She has taught me so many things. LIKE: How to keep my Revere Ware copper bottoms shiny at all times. How to keep my linens smelling sweet in the closet. She taught me how to make yummy huckleberry jam. I just love the lady! So, my one and only "I" is Ilse.

For more I's go see Jen's blog. Have a good week.

love, Cassie

A to Z Mondays ~ The Letter J

These photos are in Seattle, 2007 when Pat and I spent Christmas with Jessica & David.

Jessica Rose, Queen of the Nile! Jess played 2nd violin in the (City of Phoenix) Desert Strings Youth Orchestra for 3 years.

Not sure, but I think this is when Jessica was in 5th grade at Madison Simis Elementary School. This is Jessica at Christmas at my Mom and Dad's home in Northeastern Pennsylvania.

The letter J.

Jessica Rose, my kiddo!

She has always been a joy to me. We have the same sense of humor so she really makes me laugh. Jess will be 29 on December 12th & I'll post lots more photos of present day Jessica then. Hope you're not too bored!

Happy A to Z Monday friends!! Please visit buddy Jen for more A to Z bloggers. love, Cassie

PS-Today is my 59th birthday & Patrick's and my 21st anniversary. Right now we are celebrating at the Bread Basket with homemade scones, donuts, sticky buns and fancy coffee. Burp!! Yummy stuff. Tonight we'll dine at Papa Byrd's, the best eatery in Idaho!!

A to Z Mondays ~ The Letter K

The letter K. KIN.

Top photo is my dad, Leslie, and his only sibling, Auntie Vi probably ca. 1930. Middle photo is (L to R) my oldest sibling, Harley, me and my younger brother, Wayne around 1955. Bottom photo is (R to L) Harley and me about 24 years ago on Zuma Beach.

Yes, now that Patrick bought me the scanner I can thrill you with pictures from yesteryear of my KIN!! Now all I have to do is dig through the 10 boxes of loose, framed and albumed photos to find some good ones. Here are a few that I have managed to dig up.

Happy A to Z Monday! Jen has more on her blog sidebar.

love, Cassie

Our New Pantry ~ Step by Step

My finished, bi-fold doors. Aren't the pulls cool?? The one is a stone (from Misty Mtn) and the fish I got at a shop called Cabin Fever. This photo was at the end of my video, but for some reason the last few seconds aren't coming through. Oh well.

We have worked with Misty Mountain Furniture in Sandpoint, Idaho for over 6 years now and really appreciate their high quality craftsmanship. Their attention to detail is outstanding. Partners John & Chris made 2 built-in pieces for us for our little condo in Phoenix and we were so pleased with them that we knew we would try to work with them for some projects at our log cabin. They (re)built the stairs to our basement last year and installed a gate and some trim too. This year they built our pantry and the storage space in our mudroom, as well as another gate (to the loft) and the door for the utility room. Well, they haven't disappointed. I'm thrilled with the finished products. Hope you enjoy the little step by step video I made. (It took forever to upload the video, then it said ERROR. Drat. Now I'll try again. Hope my battery holds up so I can get this finished.)

Have a good week and blessings to all who read this blog.

love, Cassie

A to Z Mondays ~ the Letter L ~ Дорогой длинною

LONGING

n. A strong persistent yearning or desire, especially one that cannot be fulfilled.

I was over at friend John's blog the other day and he had a video of Bonnie Tyler with Only Men Aloud singing "Total Eclipse of the Sun". Sure enjoyed that blast from the past. I ventured back over to John's blog today and ended up on YouTube listening to the longer version, then I started listening to a bunch of other Bonnie Tyler videos and ended up with "Those Were The Days" (the version most Americans are familiar with was recorded in the 60's by Mary Hopkins)and from there---listened to all sorts of versions of that song! Leningrad Cowboys visuals were pretty edgy and fun, but decided to go with what is probably closest to the original Russian folk song: Дорогой длинною (pronounced: Dorogoi Dlinnoyu) . Oh yes, back to the letter L : this is probably one of the coolest songs ever written about LONGING. Enjoy.

For more A to Z Monday bloggers go visit Jen!

A to Z Mondays ~ The Letter M ~ Part 1 ~ LOTS more photos in part 2 just below this post

(Just double click on collages to bigify.)

MURDER MYSTERY!!

A to Z Mondays ~ The Letter M ~ Part 2

MURDER MYSTERY DINNER

Saturday evening I attended a Murder Mystery Dinner to benefit Second Chance Animal Shelter (the local no-kill shelter). I had never attended one of these Murder Mysteries before, but thought it sounded like fun. I was not disappointed...it was a blast!! Set in the Roaring 20's on a cruise liner, The SS Canine Queen, we all attended an elite (yummy) dinner that was supposed to be put on by the Captain. Well, it turns out the Captain was murdered!! Clues flew around the cabin left and right and at the end of the evening we were told who the culprit was. I'm not going to reveal that, just in case someone else attends a similar Murder Mystery Dinner. To use a cliche', "a good time was had by all." Such fun, and for a worthy cause too. Hope you enjoy the photos.

For more A to Z fun why not visit Jen's blog? Just click HERE. Happy Monday! love, Cassie

A to Z Monday ~ The Letter N

NAPPING

(Yes, I'm a day late...napping all day Monday!!)

For more A to Z bloggers go visit Jen. Have a great week.

love, Cassie

Happy Birthday Dear Patrick!!

These are some of our junky, outdoors shoes sitting by the door. I keep my sweetie's size 13's there just as a reminder every time I go to the door. I also leave his old sneakers just outside the door too. Baby Rocket Dog likes to steal one once in a while and run around the cabin with it. She and Hootie really miss Pat when he's gone too. Today, Sept.30th, is Patrick's birthday, so HAPPY BIRTHDAY SWEETIE!!! I love you and miss you. XOXO-Cassie