Shiloh Archives - Life with Dee

Fun times around here…

July 11, 2015 By Deanna Piercy Leave a Comment

Last week was busy and lots of fun. First up…we celebrated our daughter’s birthday on Wednesday with dinner at a nice restaurant in a nearby town. David, Chris and I were there, along with our son-in-law, niece and her boyfriend. We had such a nice time together.

Our beautiful daughter

Thursday we went up to Oklahoma City to watch Our Mother’s Martyr’s show at the Blue Note. Shortly before we left I asked David if he thought there was any chance he would end up deciding that we should just get a hotel and spend the night. I had already made sure I had my meds in my purse but was considering throwing in some clothes, too. He thought about it a minute, realized we would be heading right back up there the next day and decided a hotel might be a good idea. I’m so smart. I threw some clothes and toiletries in a bag while he made a reservation. Turned out to be a very good idea because a pretty intense thunderstorm moved through and it would not have been fun to drive home in it.

Our Mother’s Marty

The kids had decided that part of their Father’s Day gift to David would be to take him out to lunch and to a movie. We slept in a bit Friday morning and then met them at Scratch in Norman for a delicious lunch. They were all planning to see Terminator…totally not my thing. I opted for Magic Mike XXL. I hadn’t seen the first one and really didn’t have high expectations. However, it was the only other movie playing in one of the nice theaters. I’ve been wanting to check out the Directors Suite for a long time. It was fabulous! Reclining seats and they serve you anything you want right to your seat. We had just had a big meal and I was stuffed so I just had a drink. Next time I will make sure we haven’t eaten first. The menu is quite nice. And I was was pleasantly surprised by the movie. It was actually rather sweet in some ways.

The Moore Warren Theater

After the movies were out, David dropped me off in front of Ulta so I could pick up some perfume and then we went to an electronics store to pick up a CD player component for our stereo system.

Saturday was the 4th of July and our niece invited us over for a cookout and to watch fireworks. There were about 15 of us. In addition to the hamburgers, hotdogs, salad, and potato salad (my contribution), Leslie put out this beautiful spread:

We ate and hung out in their backyard enjoying the seasonably cool weather. They live just a block away from the park where the fireworks are set off so we all grabbed a chair or a blanket, walked over there and found the perfect spot to watch. It was such a fun night!

Sunday evening we had the guys from Our Mother’s Martyr over. They brought pizza and the rough cut of their new album for us to listen to. It is spectacular! A little later, our niece and her boyfriend, Will, came out and he brought the band’s music video which he had just finished editing. We had seen part of it the night before but the band hadn’t seen it yet. It is truly impressive and we are all excited about what the future holds for these talented young men.

Shiloh loves to be right in the middle of things.

This week has been a lot quieter. I did volunteer about 5 hours on Tuesday at the local soup kitchen and David had a lengthy firefighter meeting Monday evening. One of his fellow firefighters came over Tuesday night and the three of us sat on the porch for a couple of hours chatting and enjoying the beautiful evening.

And speaking of beautiful:

Our sweet, sweet Shiloh

Springtime, how do I love thee?

March 21, 2015 By Deanna Piercy 4 Comments

Today is the first day of Spring and I am delighted. Winter is always a struggle for me but as the days get longer and warmer I begin to perk up, just like these daffodils in our front yard:

Springtime also means a haircut for Shiloh:

Shiloh got his springtime haircut. #GreatPyrenees #dogsofinstagram

He always acts a little embarrassed at first but then he realizes how much cooler he is and loves it. And I love the reprieve from giant wads of white fur all over my dark green carpeting.

Happy 1st Day of Spring!

Like living in a rain forest

June 9, 2014 By Deanna Piercy Leave a Comment

After a rainy night it is about 71 degrees with 83% humidity. I took Shiloh for a walk and was utterly enchanted by the bird song. I also saw a deer but wasn’t able to capture it on video. Turn up your sound and listen:

Sometimes I am absolutely overwhelmed with gratitude for this place we call home.

A bit of catching up to do

April 8, 2014 By Deanna Piercy Leave a Comment

Goodness…I haven’t posted anything here for two weeks! You may have guessed we’ve been busy with our new business and you’d be right. It has taken off much faster than we had anticipated. We are thrilled by this and having a blast, but it’s also rather time-consuming. There will come a time when we won’t be able to attend every performance of our bands but for now we are trying to.

Saturday before last, Rowdy Folk performed at The FieldHouse. It was a couple of days after my parents’ anniversary so we invited them to join us for dinner before the show. I also arranged for a special song dedication. My dad is a big Johnny Cash fan so Rowdy Folk covered one of his songs for my parents. They were really pleased. In fact, they were enjoying the music so much they stayed until after 10:30 p.m. which is unusual for them. It was a fun night and I’m glad we got to share it with my parents.

After the show we were given free tickets to…wait for it…roller derby. I had no idea we even had roller derby here in town. I was coming down with a cold and could have used a nap Sunday afternoon/evening but how could we turn down that opportunity?

On Tuesday a blues band auditioned for us. They are still working on getting enough material for a three hour show but should be ready by next month.

Wednesday we had our first show at The Rib Crib. Mandala and Thomas performed and it was so nice to enjoy live music outdoors. There were several children and they had a blast. Two little boys were allowed to “fill in” on the drum for one song and a couple of tiny little girls twirled to the music. Rain had been a possibility but we lucked out.

I noticed that these guys were all wearing black, music-related t-shirts so I had to take a picture. They are obviously a very serious bunch.

Thursday night we met up with my parents at the McSwain Theater to see one of my favorite movies, “The Long, Long Trailer” starring Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz. It was fun to see it on a big screen.

We actually stayed home Friday night but that was because we knew we’d better rest up for The Dudes. These guys absolutely rocked The FieldHouse Saturday night. By the end of the night everyone was on their feet dancing and singing along. What a fun night!

Despite not going to sleep until 3 a.m. we managed to drag our bodies out of bed for church the next morning. I have been struggling with yet another asthma attack and my third time on steroids since November. I’ve really been missing singing with the choir and was so glad to be able to join them again this week. We ate out after church and then slept most of the afternoon. We are probably too old for the pace we’ve been keeping but at least we aren’t bored.

We received our business cards a few days ago which is kind of exciting:

Our business cards have arrived! #hmagigs

And then there’s this guy:

We are leaving for New Orleans Thursday morning so I’m in overdrive trying to get everything ready. We also have a show to attend Wednesday night so my goal is to have everything packed before that. Cross your fingers and say a little prayer!

Invincible summer

February 20, 2014 By Deanna Piercy Leave a Comment

I just took Shiloh for a walk and the soft, warm, night air was a reminder that winter won’t last forever. We’ve had an unusual amount of snow and the dearth of sunshine has taken its toll on me. Yesterday was unseasonably warm and it made me so happy I nearly cried. I know we still have cold days ahead but my hope has been renewed. Soon David and I will be spending our evenings sipping wine and stargazing again. And it can’t happen soon enough.

“In the midst of winter, I found there was, within me, an invincible summer.”

~Albert Camus~

A Merry Little Christmas

December 28, 2013 By Deanna Piercy 2 Comments

I was determined to have a stress-free Christmas this year and I actually pulled it off! I lost about a month of prep time due to the asthma-attack-from-hell so I just scaled back my expectations. So what if the tree wasn’t decorated until two days before Christmas. It’s still beautiful:

I didn’t put out every decoration I have but focused on the important ones:

And even more roses. They sent me two dozen!

There was the unexpected addition of two dozen roses from Lisa and Justin:

And special moments such as the night we took Shiloh with us to see the lights in the park, eat dinner at Sonic and drive through to see our church’s live nativity:

Our new black velvet drapes which arrived in time for Christmas:

Christmas Eve lunch with cousins:

Hearing my dad read the Christmas story as he’s done for nearly 30 years:

Singing Christmas carols with my family:

Our church’s candlelight Christmas Eve service, always the highlight of my holiday:

A new toy for Shiloh:

Shiloh's stocking - he loves his new toy.

Christmas morning with all four kids and our traditional breakfast of homemade waffles, bacon and mimosas. Then my parents joining us to open gifts.

It turned out to be a really nice Christmas and it’s not over yet. The 12 Days of Christmas actually begins on Christmas day so we still have several more days to enjoy. I won’t take down our tree until mid-January and I intend to watch the rest of our favorite Christmas movies we didn’t get to before. There’s no need to call it quits just yet.

And then there’s this:

If you celebrate Christmas I hope yours was filled with light and love.

At least the sun is shining

December 11, 2013 By Deanna Piercy Leave a Comment

While walking Shiloh this morning…on his leash…because he ran off the other day…I decided to take a few pictures. I am utterly over this snow and cold weather thing. I’m planning to go to choir rehearsal tonight which will be the first time I’ve been anywhere since last Tuesday. I don’t mind staying home but I want to do so on *my* terms, not because I can’t get out.

Anyway, I took a few pictures and when I came inside to see what I’d captured, I was especially pleased with this one:

SUN! I can handle the snow and cold a lot better when the sun shines. It’s supposed to reach the mid to upper 30s today and low 40s tomorrow. That’s likely to feel positively balmy after the frigid temperatures we’ve had. And I even see an upper 50s in next week’s forecast. Yes!

Our walkway and back patio are still icy and treacherous but we are beginning to see a little clearing of the snow.

And then there’s this guy:

He adores the snow! He keeps begging to go out, not because he needs to go potty but because he wants to romp and eat snow. Silly boy.

How’s your weather? If it’s warm, do you have a guest room?

Reminder: I’ve extended the entry deadline for my giveaway to December 18th. If you haven’t entered yet, check it out here. And tell your friends!

Soaking up the sunshine

October 17, 2013 By Deanna Piercy Leave a Comment

When I was walking Shiloh this afternoon we emerged from the shade into brilliant sunlight and I stopped dead in my tracks. I lifted my face to the sun, closed my eyes and just stood there…for probably a full minute. It felt so good. I had been planning to start cleaning house as soon as we finished our walk but I knew deep in my soul that I needed the sun more than our floors needed to be vacuumed. And if you had seen all the clumps of Shiloh hair on my floors you would realize the extent of my need.

So I did the less responsible but truly wise thing. I pulled my zero gravity chair from its usual stargazing spot out into the sunshine. With Shiloh snoozing beside me and WWOZ (a New Orleans radio station) on my phone I laid back and soaked up the sun for about 20 minutes. It was just what I needed.

And then I went indoors and got in high gear. Now the dishes are done, the furniture is feather dusted and the floors are free of Shiloh hair. I know winter is coming and with it, fewer opportunities to enjoy warm sunshine. There was a time when I would have stuck to my original plans and spent the whole afternoon cleaning house. I now realize that housework will always be there but special moments have to be captured as they come. Carpe diem and all that.

Getting Cozy for Fall

October 12, 2013 By Deanna Piercy 4 Comments

My POW (Project Of the Week) was to decorate for fall. I started yesterday and pretty much finished up today. I still have some things left in my fall decorating box which I may add in the coming days and I do want to get some more pumpkins and some gourds. But for the most part it’s done. Come with me as I take you on a little tour.

First up – the coffee table:

And here’s a close-up view (yes, I need some more candles!):

I put some Autumn potpourri in the little brass container but since I’ve had it a very long time it didn’t have much scent. I sprinkled several drops of clove essential oil over it to refresh the scent. And speaking of scent, before I started working today I cut up a couple of dried up oranges, put them in a pot of water, and added cinnamon and cloves. I then let it simmer all afternoon giving the house a nice, Autumn scent. The flowers in the vase (which is actually a pretty cobalt blue which doesn’t show up in this photo) are from our yard. I also had some blooming goldenrod in there yesterday but we now know what plant David is allergic to. Oops.

I added a cream colored throw to the back of the sofa. And aren’t my giraffe pillows adorable? I am ridiculously happy with them. Oh, and I have decided what color drapes I’m going to use in this room. I got some excellent advice from a guy in a bar the other night. Ha! I’ll tell you more about that later, after I order the drapes.

The most time-consuming thing I did today was to thoroughly dust the edges of the stairs. As you can see in this next photo, I display books and my lighthouse collection on the risers. Most of the time I just take a feather duster to them but a few times a year I remove everything and dust very carefully. That’s what I did today. I then wrapped the bannister in a fall garland.

As you may notice, we never have finished the skirtboard on the staircase. This is because we haven’t been able to decide what color to paint it. I think we have a plan, though. Maybe. And that huge, blank white wall? Still thinking about that. We’ve only lived here going on 16 years. Wouldn’t want to rush things. Oh, and do you see that ship wheel in the lower left corner of the picture? We won that in an auction in New Orleans and it’s going to be mounted on the fireplace. Someday.

David bought this antique oak table in this next photo for my 16th birthday. Here it is dressed for fall. You can’t see it very well in this photo but there are three stacks of books along the edge which backs up to the sofa. These are the books I bought at the library book sale (minus the cookbooks which are in the kitchen). It may sound a little silly but whenever I bring home new books I like to keep them out for awhile rather than putting them on bookshelves. It’s my way of welcoming them into our home. Okay, that does sound a little crazy unless you also think of books as friends.

In the background of the photo you can see a glimpse of the fireplace. I forgot to take a picture specifically of it, but it’s decorated with fall foliage and a cornucopia.

This is next photo shows one of my favorite areas to decorate seasonally. I covered the buffet with an antique lace tablecloth which had belonged to my grandmother. My Harry Potter book collection is on display (almost all are First Editions), plus one of my giraffes, as well as some skulls and a little pirate chest. The steamboat which is resting across the books was given to us by Kadi, our son’s girlfriend. She found it at a yard sale. It needs some small repairs and I want to set up a special display for it – perhaps on a display shelf along with one of the pictures I have taken of the steamboat in New Orleans. Be sure to note the TWO blooms on my peace plant. I’ve never had two at the same time before.

Here is our entry table. I put a fall tablecloth on it, as well as a vase of fall flowers. I need to buy some more candy for the little pumpkin-shaped crystal candy dish and I’ll probably also do a little display of mini pumpkins and gourds.

And finally, I put some Halloween clings on the front storm door. It’s really hard to get a picture of them because of the reflection but in addition the pumpkins you can see, there is also a little banner on top which says “Happy Halloween” and a few little bats scattered about.

And of course, Shiloh photo-bombed the picture. Isn’t he cute? He needs a Halloween bandana.

Chilly Saturday

October 5, 2013 By Deanna Piercy 3 Comments

We had some thunderstorms toward morning which meant that Shiloh was by my side of the bed panting from about 5:30 on. I think we need to buy him a Thunder Shirt. I took him out for a walk at a little after 7 and boy, oh boy, was it chilly! I had been too warm all night upstairs but this was ridiculous. We had planned to go to the Funky Art Fair in town but then it started raining again and the temperature dropped into the upper 40s. I am totally unprepared for such a dramatic change. Fortunately it’s supposed to be back into the 70s tomorrow and remain warm the rest of the week.

Since we had a change of plans David installed our new wood blinds in the family room. I had selected the color at Home Depot when we ordered them and I was going totally off of color memory. Apparently I am really good at that color thing because they match our wood ceiling precisely. David was duly impressed. Aren’t they nice (I adjusted that little gap toward the top after I saw the photos)?

I hung the framed New Orleans map to the left yesterday. I’m not impressed with the quality of the frame but it was cheap. I’ll look for something better. And I’m still trying to decide on curtains.

Tomorrow is World Communion Sunday and I was asked to bake one of the loaves of bread. At first I thought I’d use my sourdough starter but then I realized I should have started it yesterday. Instead, I opted for a lovely, braided challah, a special Jewish bread eaten on Sabbath and holidays.

I baked one for church and one for us. As soon as I took it out of the oven, and after taking this photo, David and I had to “test” it. Oh, my. It is absolutely delicious. Very soft and slightly sweet. I think it will be wonderful for breakfast. Yes, I did “pin” it. You can see it on my Breads and Rolls Pinterest board.