Born in the Storm.....A follow up from the Flooding in South Carolina

I took this picture in the Columbia South Carolina area last fall.  Believe it or not, it is 10 days after the flood waters were attempting to recede.  This is a river....with water covering the tree trunks.  I hope that gives you a sense of the how much water this area had to deal with in a very short period of time. 

I have written about the efforts in the Lower South Beltline area by the amazing volunteers previously.  Please see this post  for more of my first-hand account when my husband and I went to join in the efforts to help those who were impacted by this natural disaster.

I continue to watch the volunteer effort through social media and am amazed at the goodness and Christ-like service from the many volunteers who continue to serve the impacted residents of this area.

The following Video was produced by Les Carroll describing some of the efforts of the many volunteers shortly after the Flooding occurred.  It is well done and worth your time to view it.

"And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me."  Matthew 25: 40


The good folks of the South continue to set the bar....

Its a Matter of Spring Cleaning: Patio Furniture Pads

I truly hope that Spring has FINALLY arrived!  We saw inklings of Spring trying to come through this past week.  I decided to invite the family over for the 1st Cookout of the Season.

I pulled out all our furniture including the Pads for the seats and swing.  All I can say was "yuck".  The pads had been put away without really looking at the dust, dirt, and yes I will say it.....little "bird droppings' on them.  It was time to clean them up.

How to clean your Patio Seat Pads:

As I inspected the pads, I saw all of the above mentioned nastiness, but as you can see from the above photo, there was also spotting from the rain.  

Have you ever taken a look inside the crease between the top and bottom portions?  It's is not a lovely site!  In the past, I would have attempted to scrub these using a brush and bucket.  I decided to try a new approach this time.

Yes, I really did put them inside of my HE Washing machine.  They actually fit! I learned to turn the patterned side to the outside versus the inside as each pad washed.  I only put in one chair/seat pad in the washer at a time to ensure that I did not over stuff my machine.

After washing, sometimes a corner of the pad could have become 'bunched'.  I snapped the pads hard in the same manner that you would snap a sheet or towel. Sometimes I had to help the work the pad to the corner by taking the corner with my fingers, push it up into the 'bunch' and find the corner. Then pull it out so that the pad and the fabric fit as they did before the washing.  

Look how well the pad looks after a trip in the Washing Machine!  No more nastiness!

As soon as the Wash Cycle was over, I placed the cushions on the chairs to dry.  

Now please know that I found I had to use Lime-a-way to clean the hand rests and also a bucket of soapy water and cloth to clean the top of the table.  

Needless to say, the Cushions smelled clean and fresh. Too often, these cushions smell musty and dusty.  (My table and the armrests looked clean and new).

We grilled burgers and made new memories.  I am looking forward to more opportunities to use our outdoor kitchen and dining room!

Welcome Spring!

Favorite Quotes from the Sunday Sessions of General Conference

As noted in the previous post, every 6 months the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has a World-wide General Conference to hear from the Prophet and Apostles.  Here are some of my favorite quotes from the 2 sessions today.

For more information about the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, please go here. 

Here they are:

I hope you took the opportunity to enjoy the wonderful messages from this past General Conference!

Some of My Favorite Quotes From the Saturday Morning General Conference Session

Every 6 months, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has the opportunity to hear from the Prophet, Apostles, and General Leadership in "General Conference".  General Conference provides messages of hope, inspiration, and guidance.  Here are some of my favorites from the Saturday Morning Session.  If you would like to participate in the Sunday sessions, please go here.  May the Lord bless you on this beautiful Sabbath today!