With Needle and Thread

Behind the Pink Curtain - Komen's Political Agenda

2012-02-02T09:51:00.000-05:00

Behind the Pink Curtain - Komen's Political Agenda

I just read this article. I am the daughter, granddaughter, cousin, and friend to numerous breast cancer survivors and a LONG time support of Breast Cancer research programs. Susan G. Komen foundation is one. Now I am going to say WAS one. I have read some stupid stuff about SGKF...or I thought it was stupid. Now I realize I was the stupid one.

Susan G. Komen no longer has my support at all... nor will it, ever. Politics should not be a decision in women's health issues. People who advocate for women's health should NOT use their politic agenda's to guide the system for their benefit. It should be about the health issue...JUST the health issues.

Oh the agony!!!!!!

2011-12-15T13:15:00.003-05:00

So the enablers at Ravelry have me signing up for emails from the various yarn stores and I really should not read them. Today from Elann...
Louisa Harding Mulberry at 59% Savings!
New Stock!
Fibre Content: 100% Silk
Made In: Italy
Care: Hand Wash/ Dry Flat
Knit: 22 st/4 inches 4 mm (US 6)
Yardage: 124 m (136 yards)
Size: 50g (1.75 oz) ball

Featured Design: A delicate ruffle and picot edging trim the Osprey Scarf, from Louisa Harding Belle, which also features a series of textural lace panels. With approximate finished measurements of 35" in length by 8" in width, it uses just 4 balls of Louisa Harding Mulberry! See more designs using Louisa Harding Mulberry when you view the contents of Louisa Harding Belle and Louisa Harding Queen of Hearts.
Standard price for this yarn is US$17.95 - elann discounted price saves you as much as 59%!

$7.25 USD / 7.54 CAD*

And then they have the nerve to put the most lucious pictures of this beautiful silk yarn in with the email! I cannot believe it. I am on a stash REDUCING spree. I have banned myself from purchasing anything and then I see this...*sigh* there should be a law against it. LOL

I put a box in the mail today to my mother with two more shawls for the prayer shawl ministry at her church.

Doris Chan's All Shawl Done is Caron's Simply Soft Paints Oceana


Diagonal Stitch Shawl done is Red Heart Soft Icy Pond

I have finished some other things too

A Hat for Emily

a cowl for Rachel


Vickie Mikulak's Flying Diamonds in Paton's Lace Sachet

And then there is my Christmas Helper!

She is getting so BIG!!!!!!!!!!

That's it for now. I am off to snoop around Elann and see what else I want!

Why I do what I do...

2011-10-23T11:05:00.002-04:00

Papa and I had a wonderful day yesterday. We got to take our favorite lady bug to the zoo for HallZooween. She has not been trick or treating before but it didn't take long for her to figure it out! BUT...

The carousel with Papa was much more exciting to her. She very patiently stood in line while it took two full rides before she could get on the carousel. Every turn around, she waved to M-Ma! I don't know who had more fun, Izzy-bug or Papa!

Then it was on to the children's zoo where she got to feed sheep and goats and then go in and pet them! (See that finger? Tommy used to do that to only with him, where the finger went trouble usually followed! )

We went to see the giraffes, and then to see the elephants smash the pumpkins but someone was all smiled out! She wasn't letting go of that bucket though!

So we drove home while she snoozed and when we got home M-Ma finished something just for her Izzy-bug, McKinleys Springtime Hat. M-Ma had been making hats for Izzy-bug's mom and she wanted one too. M-Ma thinks she makes a wonderful model as well!

This is crochets in Caron's Simply soft and I made several small changes to the pattern so it fit her a little better. ( just added a couple of rows and changed a hook size on the edging. We love it.

So that was my Saturday. Today Papa is working grandmom is watching TV, Izzy-bug is at her granny's house while mom and dad work so M-ma is going to finish reading Split Second by Catherine Coulter (one of her favorite authors).

Enjoy your Sunday where ever you may be!

I just can't crochet quickly enough!

2011-10-20T11:59:00.000-04:00

I recently joined Ravelry which is an online group of knitters and crocheters. I am staggered by the amount of information and support there. I have been playing around for the last couple of days trying to figure out exactly what my next project will be. I was working on a shawl made with Vanna's Choice in purple Mist that I just could not get to work like I wanted it to. After ripping it out probably close to a dozen times, I put that yarn away and went into my stash bag and pulled out this little gem Tweed Stripes in a color called Caribbean. Trust me, the web site does NOT do this color justice. It is a lovely blend of blues, teals, purples and greens. It is soft and just delicious to work with. I chose a pattern called Gentle Waves by Karen Klemp. The pattern as listed is made to do a scarf but I just took the repeat of 12 and made it shawl width of about 24". This is the start...and my picture doesn't do the color justice either.

The colors just pop and it is working up so quickly. The pattern is easy enough that I can work on it while watching TV.

I only was able to get 4 skeins of this and it will make it about 56". I think (since it is buy one, get one half off) I will get 2 more skeins and add a couple more inches to and it use the left over to make a hat for one of the girls that hang around here.

Ok, that's it for now. I will get back to crocheting and dreaming about what the next project will be!

Flying hooks...

2011-10-12T11:28:00.000-04:00

I haven't been on here but I have been busy... Lots of Blankets for Project Linus and now prayer shawls for my home church.

First the shawls... I have re learned to do tunisian crochet.

This one is based on a pattern from the Crochet Geek called Andrew's Keepsake. I just enlarged on the scarf that she had made. hard telling from this picture but the shawl is actually a light thyme green. You can find the pattern here Andrew's Keepsake It was crocheted with TLC Essentials.

This one is a little on the the large side for a shawl but it sure is warm. Crocheted with Red Heart Collage in Rust and I Love This Yarn in burnt pumpkin is it done in entrelac tunisian stitch. I had the idea of doing the pumpkin stitches in the honeycomb stitch but after I got started I wished I hadn't. Plain tunisian would have been just fine. Entrelac crochet video made by Beth in Texas. SUPER easy and fast to work off. I actually have extra of the Rust yarn enough that I bought Vanna's Choice yarn in tangerine mist and I am going to make another of these (a little smaller and sans honeycomb stitch.)

This shawl is going to my husband's place of work as a donation to the fundraiser they are doing for the Susan G Komen foundation. It was crocheted with Sensations Little Treat in turquoise/white. It is so soft and pretty I almost hated to donate it! I also sent in 2 baby blankets for them to sell as well. Fan Shawl Pattern. Just a word to the wise with this pattern should you try and print it, there are ads all over this site and I could not get a readable print so I ended up copying it and pasting it into a Word document to get a working copy I could read. (Sensations yarn is sold at Joann's Fabrics)

Four more blankets for Project Linus! As a said above, I donated 2 blankets for the Susan G Komen fundraiser. I also donated a large blanket and a baby blanket for a fundraiser to help with the medical expenses of a young woman recently diagnosed with cancer so I guess they are getting around now. I should probably invest in some labels to put in them.

I already have another shawl underway. They are very addicting. After this one though I need to get back to the blankets. I think a have another dozen of them already trimmed and punched, ready to stitch!

Still Stitching

2011-04-20T10:52:00.000-04:00

but apparently not blog posting! LOL Things are busy and days fly by without much down time. So I have finished three more of the Nordic Needle Book Marks They are wonderful to work on, fun to stitch and sometimes a bit challenging! Here is February:

March:

And then April came... It may be my favorite pattern of all so far. It was the color that got me though. The entire time I was stitching this one it made me think of a high school friend that I have reconnected with. Since the pattern was smaller than the others there was space at the top and bottom so I found a small alphabet and put her name on it and it is now winging it's way to Virginia Beach! I hope she likes it!!

I also ordered some lovely threads from Carrie's Creations to make at least one more of these. While I like the stars, I think you could put in Rhode's Hearts or Butterflies so I want to give that a try. I love the flower motif and the simple yet elegant corners so there are more coming I am sure. It was also quick to work off.

Other than that, the count down until I hit the half century mark is under 30 days now. Mark's graduation is 6 weeks away. Izzy is growing so fast I can't keep up.

I love this face!!

I have times when I wish time would just stand still for one moment...let me catch my breath and absorb everything that it going on but if it did, THEN what would we miss?
OK, off to the dentist for me to replace my temporary crown for the permanent one! One less issue!!

Now where was I?

2011-02-24T17:17:00.000-05:00

I have been busy playing! LOL Most of my fun has been at ATC's for all which I am finding very rewarding. I am learning some new techniques! Check these out...

This is what is called encaustic art which is basically taking colored wax, melting it on a smal travel size iron and making beautiful designs. Then I printed out some silhouettes on transparency film and put it over the encaustic. I love how they came out.

Almost every one I made, I have already traded. Then I got a little more bold (and watched a LOT of videos on it) and tried some landscapes.

These are 4"x6" and I bought some frames to paint and frame them in. There is a very neat art co-op near me that I would love to try and sell them in. I also plan on making some cards too.

If you'd like to see more, you can check out my Flickr Photostream to see the rest.

BTW there are actually 3 more of the Flamingo cards.

They will go in the mail tomorrow for the Flamingo card swap on ATC's for all!

Kusudama

2011-02-11T13:06:00.000-05:00

I was browsing...or trolling the net the other day in my boredom and ran across this site Folding Trees and I spent several moments (cough, cough) exploring the site. Then I saw this

Hmmm...I was hooked within minutes. The first one I did I used paper printed on 2 sides and 3" squares... Really, BIG, really colorful since I chose 3 different papers and did have with each side! Then I knew the fold wasn't too complicated and I did a second one with 1 1/2" squares. WOW.

Let me just say, the picture does not do it justice. I fringed and rolled tiny pieces of bright yellow paper and made a center in each flower and then when each half was together I coated the insides of each flower petal with clear glitter nail polish. It provided just a touch of sparkle. A little ribbon down the center and a fairy charm and It will make a great pick me up gift for my mom.

Let's see...what's next? LOL Check out Folding Trees!!!

The Butterfly Effect

2011-02-07T11:43:00.001-05:00

While making my way around the web today in search of others creativity that might spark mine, I stumbled onto a post on Two Dresses Studio's blog and it stuck a chord with me.

One and a half million children perished in the holocaust 1.5 MILLION lives that never had a chance. The Holocaust Museum of Houston has started something called the Butterfly Project (the museum link will take you to the page). They are collecting 1.5 million butterflies for an exhibit that will open in the Spring of 2013 and they are looking for then to be handcrafted by people from all over the world. It can be done by individuals or by groups. Here is the information they provide:

Butterflies should be no larger than 8 inches by 10 inches.
Butterflies may be of any medium the artist chooses, but two-dimensional submissions are preferred.
Glitter and all glitter-related products should not be used.
Food products (cereal, macaroni, candy, marshmallows or other perishables) also should not be used.
If possible, e-mail a photograph of your butterflies, to butterflyproject@hmh.org.

Please send or bring your butterflies to the Museum by June 30, 2012, with the following information included:

•Your name,
•Your organization or school,
•Your address,
•Your e-mail address, and
•The total number of butterflies sent.

Mail or bring your butterflies to:
Holocaust Museum Houston
Butterfly Project
Education Department
5401 Caroline St.
Houston, TX 77004
USA

For questions or additional information, please e-mail butterflyproject@hmh.org.

Now Two Dresses Studio is adding a little twist to the project that you can see if you visit her blog. She is actually collecting the butterflies and posting pictures before sending a box of the butterflies to the museum.

Why Butterflies?

The last, the very last,

So richly, brightly, dazzlingly yellow.
Perhaps if the sun’s tears would sing
against a white stone....

Such, such a yellow
Is carried lightly ’way up high.
It went away I’m sure
because it wished
to kiss the world good-bye.

For seven weeks I’ve lived in here,
Penned up inside this ghetto.
But I have found what I love here.
The dandelions call to me
And the white chestnut branches in the court.
Only I never saw another butterfly.

That butterfly was the last one.
Butterflies don’t live in here, in the ghetto.

Pavel Friedman, June 4, 1942
Born in Prague on Jan. 7, 1921.
Deported to the Terezin Concentration Camp on April 26, 1942.
Died in Aushchwitz on Sept. 29, 1944.

My own son turned 23 this year. I can't imagine never seeing 24 but hundreds of children a year never do because of the hate in the world.

Need Inspiration?

Butterfly Utopia
Butterfly Pictures
Primary Games
The Butterfly Site
Color Mountain

Those should get you started but remember they are just for inspiration. Use your heART!

If you decide to participate and would like to send me a picture of your donation, I will be more than glad to post it!

Some more paper work

2011-01-31T15:51:00.000-05:00

I have been playing with some techniques that are new to me and I really like some of the results. I finished my ATC's for the World of Crafters exchange last night. this months theme is Time for Coffee or Tea so here is what I came up with:

This ATC is a tri-fold. I took the restrictor off a corner punch to make the slots to hold the front closed. The tea cup is printed on glossy paper and gold embossed. I used a gold ink pad to brush along the outer edges of both the tab on the front and the front panels. The inside is stamped with a swirly gold background pattern and a added a tag with a quote from Chaim Potok inside. I found a simple silhouette of a tea pot and fussy cut iit so the flower would end up in the center of the tea pot. Then I enamelled the heck out of it with UTEE. I cut a snall section out of a doily and brushed it with gold ink to set the tea pot on. All in all I am pretty please but I would do a few things differently if I did it again. That's ok though i is all about learning.

I also finished my fatbook page for February.

This month's theme was tricolor and I picked red/white/black. The white background actually has a textured stripe in it and I stamped that swirly heart all over the backgroung after I glued down the heart so the edges of the stamp run into the background. The stamp is embossed with kalidescope embossing powder so it changes color as it moves. I used a clip art silhouette of two dancers and traced them onto black cardstock and again UTEE'd the heck out of them. I coated a aluminum tag frame with black glitter and let it dry overnight before adding the Dance tag. This picture really does not do it justice.

I love the look of UTEE (Ultra-thick embossing enamel) but there is definately a learning curve with it. Thankfully a large jar is only around $13 and a 40% off coupon lowers that considerably.

Now I am off to trim and punch some more blankets for Project Linus as all the ones I had prepared are finished! We may or may not be getting some sort or winter snow/sleet/ice/rain event in the next day or so so I will just be staying home and taking care of business (making soup, baking cookies and sipping hot chocolate). Watching movies and crocheting are the perfect accompaniment to that! (so Martha-ish aren't I?)

Oh! The quote on the ATC says:

Come, let us have some tea and continue to talk about happy things. - Chaim Potok

GOOOOOOOD Morning!

2011-01-29T11:15:00.002-05:00

Yes there is still an hour left of the morning so I can say that. In addition to my regular morning chores and blog hopping I have been lost in cyberspace exploring a site that is rocking my creativity! But first things first...

Two more blankets finished for Project Linus. I finished the second one last night.

The Princess needed help finding her bone and is now content...

HRH Abigail Jennifer Marie (and no I don't know where that name all came from we just kept adding to Abby!

And now my favorite task of the morning was looking for Spirelli templates for my ATC exchange for this month which led me to Go Make Something wqhich consumed the rest of my morning as I browsed from page to page to page! Lisa Vollrath is the creative mind behind this site and is so very generous with her ideas and instructions and wonderful photography that you just keep going! And I am going right to my basement once this is finished.

these are just a few of them

When we moved to this house my boys laughed at me for picking up paint chips every where we went. The house definately needed color! They laughed even harder when I saved not only the paint chips for the colors we finally chose (we may have needed them again for another match at some point!) but also all the rest that I had collected. And now...now this wonderful lady makes things like this:

And these:

I cannot wait to get started. There is a link to her site on the right at the top of the column so check it out for yourself. I will see you later!

Oh she has another site as well that pays the bills so I definately have to get with that! Ten Two Sudios

Something a little different...ATC's

2011-01-27T16:57:00.001-05:00

I spent my day today working on these darling little ATC's. I was thinking that this month's exchange on WOC was for tri-color cards well it isn't. This Month's theme is Coffee or Tea for the exchange and the lottery theme if 3-D. *sigh* Itis the fatbook exchange that is tri-color and well these don't qualify so...Now I have 3 darling little ATC's. The dresses are made of a pink marbled paper and I chalked the tops just a little for some contrast.Then I took apart feathers and glued them on for the tutu's. I added a tiny rhinestone in her hair and on the front of the bodice.

The new challenges are up on CDAC today so I downloaded some images and pulled some papers for the color challenge to see what I can come up with. I need to think a little bit on these as I need to step up my game considerably to compete with those ladies! They are amazing!

Other than that, we were glad to escape the snow that hit the coast. We are supposed to get some at least flurries tonight. My cousin let us know that he put down a deposit for a house in Myrtle Beach. He didn't invite us though! Guess I will have to cyber stalk him.

OK, off to get dinner out of the crock pot. Corned beef, cabbage, carrots and potatoes. It has been cooking all day and driving me mad! LOL

Two more cards

2011-01-26T20:52:00.000-05:00

It is taking me longer and longer to get a card put together and I am paying much more attention to the details and frankly sometimes I have absolutely no idea what I have in my stash to work with! LOL Here are the two newest ones. The first is for the Freebie challenge at CDAC it is a swirled pyramid from Nicecrane Designs. It really took some thought to get that pyramid together!

The second one is for the Priscilla Styles Midnight Madness Sketch Challenge. I am definately not happy with the balance on this but I love the colors. Funny, those are the sheets of paper I picked up at Michaels this week for a penny a sheet! The card is going to my cousin who had surgery earlier this week. I hope it is at least bright and sunny in the midst of this dreary weather! The sunflower digi came from Tiffany doodles. n The smaller flowers and the bee are from K&Companies collection.

Another Pocket Heart Card

2011-01-23T19:33:00.001-05:00

I thought I might enter the weekly challenge at Sugar Creek Hollow which is mostly black and white with a splash of another color but as you can see...

It really ended up black and red with a slash of white! The embossing powder that I though was iridescent white actually is prismatic for the color it is on hence...the beautiful iridescent black textured background. It's ok, I like it but it wasn't what I was envisioning! All those little hearts on the stems in the pocket are free so it has some dimension. All those hearts and squiggles are from the border stamping I did that didn't work out! OK, time to try something new I guess.

I hit the jackpot at Ollie's today with their book blowout and got 3 new paper crafting books. One on stamping, one on scrapbook design and a card making one. Guess I should go read that huh? LOL Oh well, tomorrow is another day!

Midnight Madness Sketch Challenge

2011-01-22T13:58:00.001-05:00

I recently joined the Crafters Digital Art Center. I was looking for something specific and somehow never left! LOL This group is great for teaching new (at least to me) techniques and stretching my crafting abilities AND they have classes and challenges. The current class is an adorable heart pocket. One of the challenges was a card sketch from Priscillastyles. This is the card I came up with.

I just got several of the K&Company Cottage Garden goodie packs and could not wait to use them. The dragonflies, the cute flowers in the lawer corner and the flaps on the heart pocket are all out of one of those packs. The butterfly is a digital stamp from Enchant Art that I colored with colored pencils, blended with odorless mineral spirits and embossed the outline of. A little twist of wire and he (or she) was complete and attached with foam tape.

OK, I know it isn't perfect but there are a lot of firsts here in this card so I am glad I did it!

Two more for PL and one for a friend

2011-01-16T09:22:00.001-05:00

I finished my sunflower blanket it and took it to my friend Irene who is still in the hospital. She loved it and as she is always cold, I know she will make good use of it.

Then last night while watching Death at a Funeral (awful.. I really didn't think it was funny at all!) and the pilot of Psych, I finished the second of two baby blankets so now I am up to 31 PL blankets.

I think that I am going to put the blankets aside a bit and stitch and do papercrafts for a couple of days. I have my list of exchange topics for WOC for the year and can maybe get a head start and then today someone sent me some neat picture puzzles that I think I will make a series of ATC's or fatbook pages from. I also decided that when I do my fatbook pages this year that I will make 2 of each so I can make a fatbook for myself of all the exchange ones I have made.

I also found some really lovely fabric to make curtains for my front room and some pillows to match so I need to get that figured out as well. I guess there are a lot of things around here to keep my busy! LOL

First though come the obligations. Shower for my MIL and then to feed here and the family. No rest for the wicked they say!

Today's quote:

Happiness lies in the joy of achievement and the thrill of creative effort.

Franklin D. Roosevelt (1882 - 1945)

My Project Linus Project hits 30!!

2011-01-15T09:50:00.001-05:00

I finished my 30th Project Linus blanket last night. This is another large one.

I am working on a large sunflower one this morning that I am planning on taking to my friend Miss Irene. Irene is a lady "of a certain age" that I used to work with and I tried to look out for her and make sure things went well for her. Yesterday she apparently had a stroke while at work. When I say she is of a certain age I mean she is already retired from one job and should be retired from this one. She is well on the other side of retirement age... I worried about her when I was working with her and now this.

Here is the update on my Quilter's Garden. I haven't worked on that in over a week. It is too complicated to do when there were so many people around but as you can see it is progressing nicely!

Today I am heading to the hospital to see Miss Irene. It is still snowy and bitter cold. The wind is howling too. It is a good day to curl up with a movie some popcorn and hot chocolate and that is my plan when I get back from the hospital.

Drama has reigned

2011-01-14T14:15:00.002-05:00

and is hopefully now passed on by!

It had some good points though because I got to wake up to this little face

We have done a lot of snuggling in the last week while her parents were staying here with us. I will miss having her around!

I also dug out an old Crossed Wing Collection piece from the North American Collection. I love this little Goldfinch on a thistle. It reminds me so much of my grandparent's farm. Thistle and finches were all over. I had a finch feeder at our house and I really miss it. There are no trees or bushes around here in this development where we are now so you don't see many pretty birds! I have had this stitched and in a box for years. I found a cute little wooden box at the craft store the other day and this is how I finished it up! I don't know what I will do with it.

I also counted up my Project Linus blankets and have 3 large and 11 infant sized blankets completed and another large size one almost finished. Here are the newest ones:

I currently have 4 infant and one large blanket cut out and "punched" so I will be keeping busy.

I also finished 3 ATC's for the World of Crafters monthly exchange (the theme was numbers) and another ATC for the WOC Monthly Lottery (vehicles), and my very first Fatbook page (favorite book or movie) which I can't show you yet since the people they are going to should see them first!

I don't know how I ever worked but I wish I could find another job. This is fun but believe it or not, it gets old.

It is below freezing here in the Bluegrass but the sun is shining. There is snow of some sort or another forecast everyday for the foreseeable future and there is still snow on the ground. We had two full snow days and a 1 hour delay this week to add to the other confusion!

Right now I am hip deep into Allison Brennan's Love me to Death. I really enjoy her books and can't wait for Kiss me, Kill me to come out in February!

OK, back to my book and whatever else comes my way!

Still moving along

2011-01-05T15:05:00.000-05:00

I finished off the second of two more infant blankets this afternoon. I had run out of the rose colored yarn so I had to get to Michaels and get some more and I didn't get to do that until yesterday. Then of course when I got home I was anxious to get back to the Quilter's Garden.

This is where I left off last night. I am in the confetti stitching now (that is what my friend Cecile used to call a stitch here and a stitch there of a bunch of different colors in one spot. This of course takes longer because you are constantly looking at the pattern and changing colors. Thankfully there are only 4 areas like that on this. I am anxious to get to the hardanger cutting and weaving. That is my favorite part.

I need to get into the basement too and get some cards done as it is time for the monthly exchanges or Fatbook pages and ATC's.

While I have been sewing, I have been watching back episodes of Dexter. This show fascinates me and I just can't explain it.

OK, back to my sewing and Dexter!

Quilter's Garden Part Two!

2011-01-03T14:43:00.001-05:00

I finished the outline! Also got the MIL a shower, fed her twice now, cleaned the kitchen and did a load of towels. Now I have a few minutes to try and pick out some blue threads before I have to go and pick up Little Bit. (love that baby!) Yay for me! :-)

Emie Bishop's Quilter's Garden

2011-01-03T10:37:00.001-05:00

This is where I ended on QG last night about 10 PM. I did that bottom center section. The rest was done about 2 years ago at least I think that is when I started working on it. The Kloister blocks work off quickly so I shoud be able to get the outline finished today and then I will do the cross stitching before I start the cutting and wrapping. I am thinking about switching out the pinks in this piece for blues... We will see what I can find.

I cannot tell you how wonderful it feels to be doing this again. When I finish this, I want to order Glendon Place's Outrageous Owls to stitch for my son's girlfriend. I think that will be a fun, quick piece and she will love it. After that, I will pick another UFO if I have one here or a pattern that is in my stash that I have been putting off. I have a lot of Silver Lining pieces in my stash like these two in particular...

Then there is Zippy's Favorite Flower and Spike by Dimples Designs and the Big Mama of them all, Flower Power by Crossed Wing Collection, all of which have been patiently waiting in my collection for me. SO! I am off to stitch, I will post my progress in the morning so maybe Becky will get back to RMC! My guess will be she looks for some hardanger!

I am STITCHING!!

2011-01-01T22:50:00.002-05:00

Finally at long last...I started and finished a stitching project. It has been a nasty, long dry spell but hopefully it is now broken. I joined the Nordic Needle Bookmark Club and got my first kit yesterday. I started it yesterday afternoon and finished it today. This is one of Roz's designs and certainly worked off quickly. I had forgotten a lot but eventually got back in the swing. The picots kicked my butt. I think I will do the pattern again at some point just to get them right.

Three pix...Stitched:

Cut: Yipes...I had forgotten how scary this was to do but I got it right!

And finished! I remembered to sign and date it too!

This is done on a 25 count prefinished bookmark with ThreadworX #8 Perle cotton. The color is 81156 Botanic Garden. It is lovely creams, plums and greens.

I am now inspired. Tomorrow I think I will dig out Emie Bishop's Quilter's Garden. I started it a long time ago but I might be able to finish it now!

I have also finished 8 more blankets for Project Linus. The first 3 pictures are infant blankets, the next two are youth/teen ones. I have two more infant blankets cut and punched ready to go too.

It feels so good to be creative again. I think part of this is because my "girls" (the boys girlfriends) have been coming over to craft with me. Part of it is I think I am finally over the awful stress that my job was causing me. I don't really care what it is, I am just glad to get this part of me back again!

Today's Quote...

2010-11-29T12:48:00.001-05:00

I love Quotations. I have collected them for years. I started at Lawrence Intermediate School when our music teacher Mr. Cole had us write down a quote at the beginning of every class. The only one I remember is the first one he gave us. Quitters never win and winners never quit. I think that is a pretty good one to remember for 30+ years!

I was sharing quotes with my cousin today and came across this one.
Wisdom too often never comes, and so one ought not to reject it merely because it comes lateFelix Frankfurter was born on November 15, 1882
American jurist, 1882-1965

Felix is a part of my history in a way. He was an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court from 1939 to 1962. One of Judge Frankfurter's first law clerks after he took office was Edward Prichard. Ed Prichard or "Prich" was a brash young man who someone once said had too many brains and not enough discipline.. He was actually on the staff of the White House when his world crashed. He had made some enemies in Washington, most notably J. Edgar Hoover. When Prich made the "mistake" of engaging in some ballot box stuffing in Bourbon County, the FBI snatched him up like a hawk with a mouse. He paid a dear price for something that was widely ignored at the time.

In the end though Prich redeemed himself in his home state when he was appointed to the Council on Higher Education in 1966. Unfortunately after that he suffered serious health issues. By the time the Prichard committee for Academic Excellence was formed in the 1980, he was blind and dependent on others. Ed Prichard died 6 weeks after the first town forum that started the reform of education in the state of Kentucky but his work, passion and dedication never left the committee.

I worked for the Prichard Committee for many years and I can tell you that passion was always evident. I guess it is a good thing that Prich was so celebrated that Judge Frankfurter took notice or the improvement of education for Kentucky children might never have happened.

So Happy Birthday Judge!

Why Crime Pays...

2010-08-10T12:45:00.000-04:00

In May and June of this year my family was attacked by a couple of drug addict, waste of breath on this earth thieves. Last July we moved into my Mother in law's home to bring her to live with us as her retirement community was not doing her any good. When we did that we had everything that was in her retirement apartment, everything that was in her home and everything that was in our home to deal with. To compensate, we used the things that were in her house already, left most of our personal things, appliances and furniture in our home. The home that we own. The home we bought and paid for. The home that we lived for more than 20 years in. OUR HOME. We also moved a lot of my father in law's things into our home to give the house that held 2 people room for 6.

Apparently according to these theives, the house was abandonded and we a shopping mall for them. The went and picked up what they wanted, trashed what they didn't and then sold it for whatever they could get for it to put up their noses, or into ther lungs or arms or whatever it was that they were using to become such successful citizens. In that manner, the rape of our lives began.

We were at the house every couple of weeks picking something up or just walking around. It wasn't like there was never anyone there but we were never there over night or on a regular basis. All the doors were closed and double bolted. The doors were always that way when we went back until the last time. My son had been there two weeks prior and discovered that my husband's truck had been stolen out of the driveway and apparently they had just gone since there was fresh mud on the road and transmission fluid tracks down the road. We believe now that the truck was scrapped but since Kentucky law does not require anyone from the company that is accepting the scrap metal to verify who is bringing it in, VIN numbers, license plates of towing vehicles or anything else. Basically, I can walk into a parking lot, find an unlocked car, hotwire it (if I indeed had that skill)or hook it to a tow truck, take it to a scrap yard and scrap it with no one knowing or caring that it didn't belong to me.

The day my world really crashed was when we went to the house, I don't even remember now what we went for and discovered that both the doors were opened, and left opened, my furniture was totally thrown around and trashed, dressers dumped, and my washer and dryer stolen. Going through the house we discovered more things stolen, every appliance with a cord had the cord cut off. My copper plumbing was cut out, wiring pulled out of the walls, ceiling tiles pulled out of the ceiling and broken paneling pulled off the walls. In short, we cannot ever move back into that house without major plumbing and electrical work.

Cutting to the chase through a series of amazing events, we did catch the two upstanding young men resonsible for the damage and recovered the washer and dryer but most of the things that were stolen will never be recovered including my coin collection.

Today I pick up the police report and according to what was written, it looks as if it was our "fault" that this happened. The lawn was high, the bushes beside the house were over grown and it "looked" abandoned. Well isn't that a fine thing. If a building looks as if it is abandoned you can go right on in and help yourself. And so the problems just continue. The things they were able to track down, we have mostly lost since they have been sent to wholesalers or sold "privately" through Craigslist. (Let me tell you if you get robbed, you need to check that out since no one knows or controls what is posted there and you as a buyer will never know that you have purchased stolen goods until someone tracks you down and eventually they will, ask the guy who bought my washer and dryer!)

I can't get anyone to tell me when these yahoo's go to court and now I have to pay a lawyer if I want to sue them for the damage they did and the things they stolen so I get hammered yet again.

I am beginning to believe that this system only protects the criminal. We rented a house to someone who was supposed to be a friend and she stiffed us for 6 months rent and utility bills. We have a truck stolen and a scrap yard just takes it without even considering that it belongs to someone other than the yahoo that drags it in. Your grass is high and your home is abandoned. No I didn't have utilities hooked up, why would I? That does not give you the right to come into my home and take what you want. I wish I did have the electricity on so they would have gotten zapped but then I would probably be held accountable for that and get sued.

It is past time for law abiding citizens to start standing up for themselves and I intend to. I am sueing these kids and their parents since they are both under the age of 21. (I forgot to mention that the father of one of these stars was involved as well in selling the washer and dryer). I am also launching an all out assault on the Kentucky legislature to put controls on what can be sold at scrap yards and by whom. (How can you POSSIBLY thing you can run a business like that and just take whatever from whomever?)

Will I ever win, maybe, maybe not but by God, I won't be a victim!

A shopping I went!!

2010-06-07T18:44:00.004-04:00

I came home from work, spent an hour or so rounding up/cutting out coupons and checking ads then I went shopping. I hit just Krogers and Walgreens. Tomorrow will be target but I am already a winner and $105.47 to the good. Walgreens was a smaller trip so I will start with that.

4 boxes of Nutrigrain bars on sale 2/$5 =$10.00
4 $1 off coupons =$6
$2 Register Reward (RR)=$4 or $1/box

2 BenGay Pain Relief and Massage Gel on sale for $4.99 each =$9.98
One $5 coupon =$4.98
one $3 Coupon = $1.98
or $0.99 each!

Nice and Easy Hair color on sale for $6.99
one $2 coupon =$4.99

Preference by Loreal Hair Color (I am not really picky) $9.49
Store coupon $2.50 =$6.99
P&G coupon $1= $5.99
RR $3 =$2.99

Gillette Fusnion Razor on sale for $9.98
P&G coupon $4 =$5.98
RR $5 =$0.98

Walgreens Coupon savings= $2.50
Walgreens Advertised Savings= $15.70
MFG Coupons= $19.00
RR= $10
Total Savings $47.20

I won't go through all the individual things from Krogers but highlights are

Pampers Wipes final cost $0.59
Free Oreo Cookies
Free Gillette Body Wash
Free Old Spice Deodorant
Free Olay Total Effects Body Wash

My Total savings was $58.27, $37.86 in MFG coupons, $18.70 in store coupons and plus card savings, $1.70 in bonus savings (double Coupons)amounting to 56% of my total!

I will hit Target tomorrow after work but one thing I have to do and fast is find an organization system that works and get it together... It is difficult to find things just stuffed into an envelope.

A couple more goodies before I go...

2010-06-06T09:44:00.002-04:00

If you sign up at Redbox now they will give you a code for a free movie rental Free Movie Rental

AND a biggie. You can get free Oreo cookies tomorrow and download more savings at Nabisco Cookies This is good tomorrow June 7th and for the first Monday of each month for the rest of 2010 *while supplies last* To get the cookies you must buy a bag of cookies and a gallon of milk. Limit one per household.

Getting on the Savings Bandwagon...

2010-06-06T08:26:00.002-04:00

OK so I have been trying to come up with some ways to start cutting some regular costs around here. I have been perusing The Coupon Goddess which led me to Hip2Save and Totally Target. So I sent DS#2 out this morning to get the Sunday paper and discover my wealth! Thought I would use what I have learned to save some $$$.

If you are in the Cincinnati area Kroger is our big grocery store. With the Plus card this week you can get the folloing with Red Plum coupons:

Glad Trash Bags
Plus Card Price: $6.99
coupon savings: $0.50
double coupon: $0.50
Final cost $5.99

Clorox Wipes 35 count
Plus Card Price:2/$5.00
coupon savings:$1.00 off 2
Final cost: 2/$4.00

Pine Sol 48 ounce
Plus Card Price:2/$5.00
coupon savings: $0.50
double coupon: $0.50
Final cost 2/$4.00

Clorox Bleach 82-96 ounce
Plus Card Price:$1.69
coupon savings: $0.25
double coupon: $0.25
Final cost:$1.19

There is a big P&G Ad this week with over $111 in savings and that is before anything doubles (if you can get double coupons)

At CVS this week you can get a free 9 roll pack of Charmin when you spend $25 on things like:

Dawn Dish detergent
on sale for $0.97
P&G coupon: $0.50
Final Cost: $0.47

Pampers Cruisers
on sale for $8.98
P&G coupon: $1.50
Final Cost: $7.48

Cascade Gel Powder or 2 in 1 Action packs
on sale for $3.97
P&G coupon: $0.25
Final Cost: $3.72

Tampax Pearl
on sale for $2.97
P&G coupon: $2.00
Final Cost: $.97!!!
There is also A $2.00 coupon in Smart Source so you can get a second offer as well

Always Panty Liners

on sale for $2.97
P&G coupon: $1.00
Final Cost: $1.97

Walgreens has some goodies too!

The Gillette Fusion Proglide Razor
Sale Price: $9.89
P&G coupon: $4.00
Register Reward $5.00
Final Cost: $0.89!

L'Oreal Preference Hair Color
Coupon Price: $6.99
Red Plum Coupon: $2.00
Final Cost: $4.99

Tide Stain Release
Sale Price $3.99
P&G coupon $1.00
Final Cost $2.99
(actually there is a Red Plum Coupon for $1.50 so your final cost could be $2.49 or you can get another one!)

Cascade Dishwasher Detergent
Sale Price: $3.99
P&G coupon: $0.25
Register Rewards: $1.00
Final Cost: $2.76

Venus Razor
Sale Price: $8.99
P&G coupon: $2.00
Register Rewards: $2.00
Final Cost: $4.99

Colgate Toothpaste
Sale Price: 2/$10
Smart Source coupon: $1
Register Rewards: $2.00
Final Cost:2/$7

I don't know what the regular Price of Tampax Pearl or Always Panty Liners are but they are BOGO at Walgreens so you might be able to max out the coupons I priced in the CVS ad there.

Prilosec OTC 28 count
Sale Price: $18.99
P&G coupon: $3.00
Register Rewards: $2.00
Final Cost: $13.99

Pampers Cruisers
on sale for $8.99
P&G coupon: $1.50
Final Cost: $7.49

Pampers Wipes 64 or 72 ct.
on sale for 2/$5
P&G coupon: $2.00
Final Cost: 2/$3

There is a Walgreens Ad coupon for $4 off Claitin and one in Smart Source for $4 as well

Target
John Freida Hair Awakening
on sale for $5.99
Smart Source coupon: $3
Final Cost: $2.99

Lysol Wipes
on sale for $1.89
Smart Source coupon: $1
Final Cost: $0.89

Lysol 4 in 1 liquid
on sale for $1.89
Smart Source coupon: $0.75
Final Cost: $1.14

K-Mart is also on the Gift Card bandwagon. Get a $10 GC when you buy $35 or more in P&G products. This is if you are a Shop YouWay Rewards member only so it would pay to sign up.

OK, that's it for now, I need to get ready for work unfortunately! :-(

Social Spark

2010-06-05T21:33:00.004-04:00

This is a Sponsored Post written by me on behalf of IZEA. All opinions are 100% mine.

I joined a program today called SocialSpark. This is a program where bloggers have a chance to try and review products and write about them in their blogs! I like that idea since I sure love to give my opinion!(+) You are free to say or write whatever you want regarding those products.You get paid to offer your opinions...good, bad or otherwise!(+) I also get a chance to offer you some great coupons for the products I review as well and I just love gift giving so this seems like the perfect fit.(+)

The sign up process was quick and easy (+). The first challenge was to write about the process which was also easy (+). You can also donate the money you earn to charities (+++)(susan G Komen and The American Red Cross are on the list) You get to choose which offers appeal to you as well (+)So? Am I making you think you might want to give it a try?

You can go to SocialSpark to sign up or better yet, read their Code of Ethics before for you decide.

Give it whirl and see what falls out. You don't have a thing to lose!

Berry Fever!!

2010-05-19T08:35:00.006-04:00

Berries are coming into season and we are eating a lot of them. I subscribe to the Kraft Foods Newsletter and these 2 recipes came up today. One of them will be made for dinner tonight but I don't know which one yet, they both look delicious!

Angel Lush Cupcakes
prep time 15 min
total time 1 hr 30 min
makes 30 servings
What You Need
1 pkg. (16 oz.) angel food cake mix
1 pkg. (3.4 oz.) Vanilla Flavor Instant Pudding
2 cans (8 oz. each) Crushed Pineapple in Juice, undrained
1 cup thawed Whipped Topping
2 cups assorted fresh berries (blueberries, raspberries and sliced strawberries)

HEAT oven to 375ºF.

PREPARE cake batter as directed on package; pour into 30 paper-lined muffin cups, filling each cup 2/3 full. Bake 12 to 15 min. or until tops are golden brown and cracks feel dry. (Note: If baking in batches, refrigerate remaining batter in bowl until ready to pour into lined muffin cups and bake.) Cool cupcakes in pans 10 min.; remove to wire racks. Cool completely.

MIX dry pudding mix and pineapple in medium bowl. Gently stir in COOL WHIP; spread onto cupcakes.

TOP with berries.

If you can't bake all the cupcakes at once, store remaining batter in refrigerator between batches and bake up as quickly as possible so cupcakes are light and fluffy.

Substitute 15 fresh strawberries, halved, for the 2 cups assorted fresh berries.

Store in refrigerator

orrrrr....Individual Strawberry Cups

What You Need
1-1/4 cups Graham Cracker Crumbs
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter, softened
1 cup boiling water
1 pkg. (3 oz.) Strawberry Flavor Gelatin
2 cups ice cubes
24 fresh strawberries, divided
2 cups thawed Whipped Topping
1/3 cup strawberry jam

HEAT oven to 350°F.

MIX crumbs and butter; press 2 Tbsp. onto bottom and up side of each of 12 muffin cups sprayed with cooking spray. Bake 5 min.; cool.

MEANWHILE, add boiling water to gelatin mix in medium bowl; stir 2 min. until completely dissolved. Add ice; stir 3 to 5 min. or until slightly thickened. Remove any unmelted ice. Crush 12 berries. Add to gelatin with COOL WHIP; whisk until well blended. Spoon into crusts. Refrigerate 3 hours or until firm.

SLICE remaining berries. Remove strawberry cups from muffin pan; top with berries. Microwave jam in microwaveable bowl on HIGH 30 sec. or just until melted; stir. Brush over berries. Refrigerate 20 min.

Variation
Prepare using Strawberry Flavor Sugar Free Gelatin and COOL WHIP LITE Whipped Topping.

How to Remove Strawberry Cups from Pan
Gently run small sharp knife around edges of desserts to loosen from pan. Then, use tip of knife to carefully lift desserts from pan, being careful to not cut into sides of desserts.

OK, there is is, you decide!! Oh and if berries are not your dessert of choice the newsletter also has a recipe for creamy lemon squares and a candy crunch pudding pie! Oh my!

Kraft Newsletter Signup You know you need it!!

Some now it is March

2010-03-18T17:23:00.002-04:00

The winter doldrums have passed with the coming of the sun and warmer weather. Lots of wonderful fruits and vegetables too. I bought my new Food Network Magazine Food Network Magazine to read at lunch and saw this recipe for Vanilla Mousse Cheesecake. I decided on the spot that I was making this tonight. I did. We haven't eaten it yet as it is still chilling. I bought fresh strawberries to go on it too. Yes I followed the recipe and no it is definately not non or low fat! (2 pounds of cream cheese!)

Things on the fibro front are getting more and more interesting. First, upping my dose of gabapentin from 300 MG two times a day to 600 MG twice a day has taken care of a lot of the pain. So much so that now just a couple of over the counter pain relievers will knock it out. Second, once the pain was managable, I realize that I was still exhausted although I was sleeping now and not tossing and turning from the pain. When I saw my intrepid doctor yesterday he let me know there s nothing specific they can do for exhaustion but that a shot of B-12 might help. If so that is a quick and easy fix. If not, it wasn't going to hurt me. Boy oh boy did it work. I was able to go right to sleep last night and woke up easily this morning. I went through the day without the drag of exhaustion, went to Borders and Wal-Mart after work and was still feeling good when I got home. Baked the cheesecake, tried out the treadmill, made dinner and here we are. I am tired now but I did get up at 2:45 this morning. I hope it hangs on. Tomorrow I am going to check out the health food store and see if I can find the sublingual B-12 so I don't have to go to the doctor every time I start to run down. Since I am at the start of a 6 day work stretch I hope it hangs on.

I am at the end of my Physical Therapy for my feet as well. I had messed up the tendons probably from being on concrete 8 hours a day and not wearing the most supportive shoes. I am so happy to be wble to work and walk again!

So here's to March. The start of new things and pain free living!

The Winter Doldrums

2010-01-21T15:31:00.002-05:00

I guess that is the best way to sum up my life right now. Most of my days I feel like I am just getting through them. My job is good, my health could be a lot worse (!), my life is really at a much slower pace now than it has been so why I am so glum? I don't think our dull, gray weather has much to do with it.

I think the fibromyalgia or maybe just the diagnosis of fibro is getting to me. For so long I just kept thinking if I do this or don't do that things will get better. now I know they probably will not and they will probably get worse. I saw the doctor yesterday and he upped my dose of gabapentin so hopefully that will help. I think he was pleased that I would rather try and work with this medication than just trip on over to something new. I think he believes it will work and so that gives me hope...sort of. I wish I could block the fibromyalgia commercials on TV though, every time I see one I want to scream. Have you seen the side effects of some of those drugs? Good Lord, I would rather ache all day that have my tongue swell, my liver convulse and start sleep driving! Oh man. All those commercials are pretty much the same no matter what drug you are looking at for what ailment. THAT is why I am against taking any drugs at all which also tells you how bad I was feeling that I would even start taking anything.

I am not going to just do that though. I made up my mind that this year I am going to take care of me. If I can't function there will be a whole world of problems around here. Right now I am looking for a warm water aerobics class as therapy for my joints and I am also looking at alternative health providers such as acupuncture. My doctor is believe it or not, all for that. He says his job is to eliminate my pain, not sell drugs, imagine that!

I am also trying to get back into my creative outlets. Pretty much since last April I have shut that part of me off. Not so much that I made a conscious decision to do that but that I have had no desire to do it. At the beginning of December I decided to get involved with Project Linus. One of the things my friend Pam intended to do after she retired was to make blankets for Project Linus. When her birthday rolled around, I decided that I would make a couple and donate them in her honor. So far I have made I think 15 and I am still going strong. In addition, I have started an afghan for me with the leftovers from the PL blankets so I am getting some hand therapy, reducing my stress level and helping a good cause. I need to take some pictures and get them up here.

Now that I have exorcised a few demons, I guess I had better go get dinner started!

The end of 2009

2010-01-02T20:26:00.003-05:00

Well I cannot say I am sorry to see this year go. It has been one things after another but it seems like the years are all like that anymore. I have a friend who just wishes for peace in her life this coming year. I have to agree with her, PEACE, calm, harmony...I don't care how you say it just to get through the days without a knot in your stomach over one thing or another would be nice. That's my hope for this year.

On the plus side, I got to spend New Years with Karen and Miles and baby Isabell was mine for 24 hours. I have forgotten how much work babies are but when they smile you do forget all that so it is OK. Since Karen's transfer is all but a done deal, this will probably be the last weekend that I get to spend with them unless I head to New York. That makes me sad but I am so very glad we have had the time we have had! We will work hard not to let things go by the wayside I hope!

I ahve started making blankets for Project Linus. The idea really belonged to my friend Pam and I decided on her birthday that I would do that for her and I have. So far I have completed 6 blankets and have fabric for many more. There is always a child somewhere who needs to be kept warm. :-)

Today was the end of my extra holiday days off so tomorrow marks the return to the daily grind. It is my plan to take better care of me this year. I need to find out what is causing my problems and take care of it one way or another. Just getting into a routine will help. I need to pick my sewing back up again and get my creative side nourished so my stress side can take a break!

We will see!! Here's to 2010

Being Thankful

2009-11-27T14:27:00.010-05:00

I work in retail. For me that means a lot of long hours, a lot of rude people, and usually not enough time available to do things for the people I love. So many corners have been cut over the years because after working all day I am just too tired to do all the things I would really like to do. This year for the first time I have had some family living close enough to me to spend a holiday with and as usual, nothing went as planned but we survived. Our holiday was cut short because both my cousin and I had to be at work by 3 AM this morning to take care of Black Friday shoppers. I was having a lot of fun this morning because it was busy, people were decent and generally happy and everyone was on their turkey hangover and generally feeling genial. Then the bomb dropped when our loss prevention manager called me to tell me that my car had been broken into. They smashed my back window and took a bag out of the back seat that they assumed had something good in it. It did but not anything that they would ever want or need. I am a needleworker. In that bag was a couple hundred dollars worth of hand dyed fabrics, threads, beads, charms. patterns and books. Nothing they will ever want. Nothing I can replace. what is worse though was in the top of that bag were my families' Christmas stockings. Each one stitched over the years, my oldest sons' I started stitching for him when I foind out I was pregnant. This would have been the 21 Christmas it was hung. It makes me sick to think that these thieves will open that bag, find out they really didn't get anything worth anything to them and they will discard it and some of my children's history is gone forever.

So I am sitting here being mad and depressed and I go to one of my favorite blogs Pioneer Woman and I realize that what I lost are things. No I can't replace them exactly but I can replace them. God gave me that talent. There are so many things I can't replace like
The memory of my oldest son graduating from boot camp.
or my youngest son following in my father's footsteps an being in the color guard (and meeting the governor and his wife)

Or my brother and his family especially

these sweeties that I love as much as my own kids

my mom (and cousin Lois in this pic)

My hubby

My nutso family members old, young and in between.

So they got my things, and they took away part of my day, they damaged my car but they don't get me, they don't get the folks I love and well, I can always hope they can't sleep well at night. I have a lot of things to be thanksful for! Thank you Ree for helping me remember that.

Dilemma

2009-11-17T16:16:00.003-05:00

Don't think I have written here since I took over as team lead for Produce. I miss my friends in the meat room but I don't miss the cold and I like the group I am working with now. I am having one spot of difficulty though. I have one part timer who is giving me fits.

He likes the ladies, particularly some in the neighboring departments.
He likes to visit them.
He likes to help out one the floor.
He likes to wander.
He likes to text at work.

He doesn't like to follow the directions I leave.

This morning was especially bad when I got to work and discovered that there were several major things left undone. Fixing what he didn't do put me behind in what I had to do. Me being behind put Andy in the position of finishing what I didn't get done and the wanderer works again tonight. The cycle repeats unto infinity so in the end, we end up with major problems.

We have a program in place to deal with this called coaching. You get coached and it stays on your record for 1 year. If you get coached 3 times in the year period you are on what they call a decision day or "D" day. This means you were given your last chance and your next required coaching means you are terminated. Guess where the Wanderer is. On a "D" day which means if I coach him, I have to fire him. a week before Thanksgiving, 5 weeks before Christmas. I wouldn't want to do that to someone even if they brought it on themselves not to mention, it leaves my department chort (ok, considering his work ethic maybe that isn't a big deal). So I have to make a decision and I thought I had until my manager told me to kind of postpone it until after the holiday. OK. Then I started thinking, why should I? Shouldn't he be held responsible for his lack of attention to the department he is being paid to work in? Aren't I responsible for holding him accountable and setting a precedent for the rest of my workers?

So now I am going to go get a shower, get dressed and go back to work to talk to him tonight before someones rumor mill gets rolling. I can't wait to see where this goes. :-(

One of those days...

2009-09-28T17:06:00.002-04:00

I am off from work today. My mother in law is still in the rehabilitation hospital so I could sleep in a bit (until 7 since the cable man was coming) and it was just lovely sleeping last night and cool this morning so lying in bed seemed like a great idea. Well we have not had home phone service in over a month so I did need to get up and around for that. The guy was here pretty early, seemed like the job was done and Tommy and I took off for Newport to explore a knife shop (I needed a sharpener for work), and the bakery supply place so I could get some sprinkles for my Halloween party treats I am making (they didn't have what I wanted). After that we went to Newport on the Levee to browse the big Bares and Noble there and get some lunch. We spent quite a bit of time in B&N and decided we didn't want lunch there since the places we liked were either way too expensive of had gone out of business. (Boy that place is suffering!) We decided to hit Buffalo Wild Wings for lunch and it went down hill from there. We got there just about 2:00 and the place was pretty empty but apparently only had one server working and he wasn't really pushing himself. We placed out order and waited 45 minutes for our food! With all those spicy wings (YUM) it didn't take long until we were out of drinks. Just as we were remarking on the lack of service the waiter brought drinks to the table and took off. Imagine my surprise to find that my Sprite was now water. Do you think he came back so I could get the mistake corrected? We waited and waited for him to come back and by the time he did, we just needed our bill a go box because Tommy was going to be late for work.

I came home and discovered that my phones are NOT fixed you can't call in or out and to top it off I had a $400 cable bill waiting for me. Since I can't get any help with this I am about to tell them to shove it.

I have now spent 3 weeks waiting for a referral from my doctor's office and I called them again today and they were supposed to call me back but have not. I am about out of patience with a lot of things here.

OK, the guys are home and I am going to throw some burgers in the pan... Later!

This face...

2009-08-18T09:47:00.006-04:00

My mom said she had read my Brigadoon post and was sorry that there were no pictures of this little face on there. Thought maybe it was too hard to capture him as he doesn't sit still for very long.

It is very true, he sure doesn't sit still but he was absolutely the highlight of my vacation, or vacations as it were. This is my nephew. He is almost 3.

I am no stranger to nephews since I have 8 of them, and I love each of them. This will be the last one though so he is special. He reminds me of my own boys where they were little, but that is not it. As my brother says, being with James is like having your own Comedy Central Show. He is funny as hell. He is smart too. I find it fascintating that a child that young has such a sharp sense of humor.

He is tough as nails too. I have seen him fall flat on his face and never whimper. I won't tell my diaper rash story but suffice it to say, I was crying and he never shed a tear.

So there you are mom. I was just saving those memories. I bring them our and they make me smile. Just like this face. Aunt Ria loves her James. I wish I could take him home!

My Brigadoon

2009-08-05T19:03:00.004-04:00

Do you remember the story of Brigadoon? In case you don't, it is about an enchanted Scottish village that appears once every hundred years for just one day. To the villagers the hundred years seem to pass in the span of one day so things never really change for them.

I have a Brigadoon too. Since 1920, my mother's family has had a family reunion. Imagine something that has occurred every year for 90 years! There were a few years that they missed, wars, scattered family events things like that but they have almost always managed to get at least a part of the family together every year. For the last 10 years, a group of us have been meeting at my uncle's house in beautiful upstate NY. My uncle's family consists of 4 children the same ages as my brothers and I and we were all close growing up even though we lived several hundred miles apart. Guess what? Nothing has changed.

We now start arriving at my uncle and aunt's place on Friday (or in the case of people who are date challenged this year Thursday) and the fun never stops. We camp out in their yard and as the weekend progresses people come and go, campers come and go and food just multiplies until we begin to believe we are eating every 20 minutes or so. We usually have somewhere around 15 kids (although some of them are in their 20's) and somehow we almost always manage to have a baby somewhere to snuggle and rock. We take hundreds of pictures, put together a Power Point slide show which makes us laugh until we are wetting ourselves, drink some (although no one EVER gets stupid or staggering) have a wonderful campfire and an overall lovefest.

My siblings, cousins and I are all in our 40's and for some of us are damn close to 50, but nothing ever changes. For this one miraculous weekend, we are all children again. We physically get together one time a year but to us it is if only one day has passed. Monday morning comes and the most depressing picture appears when the campers are closed up and gone, the pop-up awnings are all gone, tables and chairs are all packed away, garbage picked up and hauled away, no kids, no flamingos (another story trust me), no laughter. Brigadoon has passed away for another year.

There is nothing in the world I would trade those few days for. I dread the day when we start to find ourselves making other plans, when it begins to seem like too much work or too much travel. I can't actually see that day coming but it may. Our older generating is dwindling faster than our younger generation is maturing and I worry that their bond is not as strong as ours is. I pray the enchantment of our Brigadoon is never broken.

Memory Lane

2009-07-22T19:37:00.002-04:00

I just got back from my (cough) 30th High School Reunion. I had never attended one of the reunions before; I had no desire to attend one. You may find it hard to believe but High School was not the high point of my life. Frankly, I hated most of it. Not the schooling parts but the people parts. I didn't understand what made some people outcasts just because they didn't wear the same clothes, or live in the right neighborhood or whatever. I still don't.

Being back with some people I knew, but hadn't seen in 30 years was a little weird. Some of us slipped back into our friendships easily. Some of us had been talking on Facebook for months so we were already somewhat reacquainted. The sad thing was the cliques still exist and even though there is a lot more common ground among us as adults than there was as kids, those cliques still clung together to the exclusion of all else.

Some people haven't done so well and some people are just plain annoying like the jock hero who is now a drunk and the do-gooder who insists that everyone march to his drummer or they are not worthy of his attention.

I think in the end, despite various life experiences, the people that I liked in high school I could probably still be friends with today if given half a chance. I hope that now that we have reconnected, that half chance is possible. :-)

A nation without heroes is nothing.

2009-07-13T19:09:00.003-04:00

I found this story on-line. I am the daughter and niece of the"greatest generation". We were brought up to love and respect this country, those men and the freedom they fought and gave their lives for. I am the mother of a soldier. The day he graduated was probably the proudest day of my life.

I know who the real heros in this world our. God Bless Shifty Powers and all of our armed forces no matter where or when they serve(d) us.

Darrell "Shifty" Powers.
Shifty volunteered for the airborne in WWII and served with Easy Company of the 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment, part of the 101st Airborne Infantry. If you've seen Band of Brothers on HBO or the History Channel, you know Shifty. His character appears in all 10 episodes, and Shifty himself is interviewed in several of them.

I met Shifty in the Philadelphia airport several years ago. I didn't know who he was at the time . I just saw an elderly gentleman having trouble reading his ticket. I offered to help, assured him that he was at the right gate, and noticed the "Screaming Eagle", the symbol of the 101st Airborne, on his hat.

Making conversation, I asked him if he'd been in the 101st Airborne or if his son was serving. He said quietly that he had been in the 101st. I thanked him for his service, then asked him when he served, and how many jumps he made.

Quietly and humbly, he said "Well, I guess I signed up in 1941 or so, and was in until some time in 1945 . . . " at which point my heart skipped.

At that point, again, very humbly, he said "I made the 5 training jumps at Toccoa, and then jumped into Normandy . . . . do you know where Normandy is?" At this point my heart stopped.

I told him yes, I know exactly where Normandy was, and I know what D-Day was. At that point he said "I also made a second jump into Holland , into Arnhem ." I was standing with a genuine war hero . . . . and then I realized that it was June, just after the anniversary of D-Day.

I asked Shifty if he was on his way back from France , and he said "Yes. And it's real sad because these days so few of the guys are left, and those that are, lots of them can't make the trip." My heart was in my throat and I didn't know what to say.

I helped Shifty get onto the plane and then realized he was back in Coach, while I was in First Class. I sent the flight attendant back to get him and said that I wanted to switch seats. When Shifty came forward, I got up out of the seat and told him I wanted him to have it, that I'd take his in coach.

He said "No, son, you enjoy that seat. Just knowing that there are still some who remember what we did and still care is enough to make an old man very happy." His eyes were filling up as he said it. And mine are brimming up now as I write this.

Shifty died on June 17 after fighting cancer.

There was no parade.

No big event in Staples Center .

No wall to wall back to back 24x7 news coverage.

No weeping fans on television.

Let's give Shifty his own Memorial Service, online, in our own quiet way.

Rest in peace, Shifty.

A roll of the dice

2009-07-11T20:28:00.003-04:00

I am posting a video today made by a friend of mine from HS for her daughter. Her beautiful daughter Amanda is a diabetic. Their lives are filled with so many difficult moments and yet they manage to stay upbeat. I love this video because it is truly a work of love from Amanda's mom. Amanda is an ambassador for her annual ADA walk again this year. You might not know her but I know you know someone whose life this disease has touched. Please look for a walk in your area and consider making a donation!

Support the cause!

This little monkey...

2009-07-09T17:34:00.004-04:00

is my nephew James.

It has been a year since I have seen him and this picture makes me so sad. he has grown so much and I have not been around to kiss those cute little round cheeks of his. I have not been around to admire those grown-up little jeans he is wearing or hear him giggle or read him a book. I love getting pictures of my family but sometimes they just make me sad.

What makes me really glad is that a week from today I will be able to wrap my arms around him and kiss him silly if he will sit still that long (which I know he will not). It's ok, I can still hear him giggle!

Three days off in a row

2009-07-08T09:39:00.002-04:00

how much can I get done?

Yesterday we moved another load of stuff from our house to the new one. I am getting tired of trying to cook with only tiny pans and things! Today hopefully we will have some trucks to get some of the bigger things.

After we did that, I went and picked up my MIL so she could see what we have been doing at the new house and she can get a feel of how things will look. We are trying to make it a family place as we don't want her to feel like it is our house it belongs to all of us and we are all making the decisions. She seemed to like it although I don't think she really cares as long as she is with family.

After we took her home, I finished the first coat of paint in the kitchen and I LOVE it, love it love it! We are putting the same color in the dining room but I am using the little half pint of smaple paint I bought that was too dark and mixing it with a translucent glaze to give the dining room a little different feel. Fancy it up a bit you know.

When I had the first coat of paint finished, I took my Allison Brennan book Sudden Death out on the deck along with some cheese and crackers and tried to enjoy the cool evening breeze and some peace and quiet. I am learning (after 22 years in the country) that peace and quiet is relative. Within minutes of me settling on the deck, my neighbor came out on her backyard swing and had a long and loud conversation on her phone. I am not used to neighbors that I can see and hear and I miss my birds and frogs... oh well...

OK, I am off to track down #1 son and a truck, put a second and last coat of paint in the kitchen, do some laundry, paint the dining room, move some more stuff, go to Target and find a shower rack, go to Hobby Lobby and find a shelf for the kitchen, hang some pictures, paint the hallway...oh hck you get the idea...no rest for the wicked my mama says! It's ok, vacation is a week away when I head east for my 30th High School reunion. This will be the first one that I have been to and I am really looking forward to it. So many of us have reconnected through Facebook that I really can't wait to see people again. I plan on taking lots of pictures too. It will be wonderful to see my family too since it has been over a year since I have been home. I am debating as to whether or not we can declare Sunday a shore day. Too much to do, too little time!

What Goes Around

2009-07-04T20:16:00.002-04:00

I believe in karma. In the past few months I have had someone I believed was a friend betray my trust... badly. It hurts. Not only did I have to re evaluate how I looked at someone I thought I could trust, but now she owes me a lot of money and I know that short of suing her, I will never see it. I can and will sue but geez... So I believe that someday, in someway, her bad karma will come back to haunt her and when it does, I have kind of hoped she thinks about me and the trust she betrayed...

The flip side of karma is this. I have a friend whose stepson brought home a "homeless" friend to live with them. I don't think it was for a real long time but the kicker was when the stepson moved out and the other kid had to stay because he had no where to go. The whole situation was beyond awkward and I am sure more than a little embarrassing for all involved. So my friend helped this kid get a job. He helped him get to work when he didn't have a way to get there. The kid helped around the house a bit but clearly my friend was doing more for this stranger than the stranger was doing for him. He had no idea how much more he was doing though.

After a few weeks of the kid working his grandparents agreed to let him move in with them. He was able to get a car to have his own transportation. He is now working a second job and doing well, great actually. My friend hadn't heard much from him since he moved out and he was not worried about that after all the kid was virtually a stranger and my friend had no ties to him,nor did my friend figure the kid owed him anything. The kid however had some other ideas.

Yesterday my friend's father called him to tell him that there was someone down in the fields working in his vineyard so my friend drove over to see what was going on. Turns out the kid had worked all the hours his first job allowed him for the week and it was too early to go to his second job so he went to my friend's vineyard and by the time my friend got there had set about 40 fence posts for him.

No one asked him to do that. Certainly no one expected him to do that. In the end though, the kid knows the gift he was given and has tried to pass that back and refill the well so to speak. So this has made me rethink some of my situation. I am sure someday my former friend will at some point have to reap what she has sown. I know longer care if she thinks back to the situation she has put me in...I just hope she has enough intelligence to realize what has caused the situation and at some point will decide to refill the well she has drained so she can find some balance in her life.

Talk about Independence Day... here's to growing up!

ARRRGGGG

2009-07-03T20:33:00.002-04:00

A couple of weeks ago I took a class at my local library on Tatting. Tatting, in case you do not know is a way of making lace. You can do it in several ways either using a shuttle or a needle. I tried and tried but I just could not get the shuttle tatting to work, I ended up with twisted mess after twisted mess! So I broke down and bought a set a tatting needles and lo and behold I got it right off, I can tat chains like mad! Can I make a ring? NO. Now be aware that I bought just the needles and got my instructions for the needle tatting off the Internet. I cannot for the life of me get any of the demos that I have watched to work! I have no clue what I am doing incorrectly but I know I am wasting a lot of thread which fortunately is not too expensive but it is very pretty and I hate wasting it.

I just don't get it, I am an intelligent, very crafty , hands on person. This is not going to defeat me. It may take the rest of my life but I am going to get it.

In the meantime, I am going to do a couple of things. First I am going to troll ebay and see if I can find an edition of the needle tatting book I should have purchased (if all else fails, I will get it the next time Hobby Lobby has a 40% off coupon). Then I am taking a shower and curling up on my bed to read my book. I think the tatting will have to wait a bit until I am feeling less frustrated!

On another note totally, We are slowly but surely making our way through the painting and renovations at the new house. The bathroom is going to take much longer than we expected. That is frustrating but glory I am enjoying the colors I am choosing. I will have to go to the other house and get my battery charger so I can take and post some pictures. I am looking forward to getting everything finished and getting the moving done.

Happy Independence Day tomorrow, fly your flags high and with great pride and remember the men and women who have made that possible! God Bless America!

Missing pieces

2009-07-01T21:15:00.002-04:00

There is so much going on in my life right now. We are moving into my in-law's house, making it handicapped accessible so we can move my MIL in with us, painting, cleaning, moving...it all adds up. On top of that neither of us is taking vacation time to actually do this so we work all day and then go to the house and work. We are working all day on our days off. There isn't any down time as we want it finished as soon as possible.

On top of this, I have not been well. I have had bouts with debilitating pain. I could not close my hands, my legs hurt so badly I couldn't sleep. I am experiencing chronic fatigue (imagine that). Nothing was/is helping. On Monday I was in so much pain that I called the doctor and took a 1/2 day from work to go. He believes that I may have fibromyalgia. I have always thought that fibromyalgia was a catch all diagnosis for "I have no clue what is going on". It has so many symptoms and so many variations. I am on a course of steroids that have taken the edge off the pain but have not eliminated it. I can feel the drag of depression coming on with the ramifications of a diagnosis.

This year has just been one thing after another health wise. I have also had to deal with some tremendous losses, my beloved friend Pam who I still miss daily and the betrayal of someone I truly trusted. Moving, my MIL's health issues, my so loved uncle's health issues. I hate it. It is no wonder I am tired and no wonder I am depressed.

I am looking forward to my high school reunion in a couple of weeks. I hope by then they will know what is going on with me and I will feel well enough to travel and enjoy my family and friends. I just want all the pieces of my life to fall into some semblance of order... is that just too much to ask?

Getting Along

2009-06-14T20:28:00.002-04:00

Well in the last month, lots of decisions have been made and there are lots of changes to come. My MIL is finally home from the hospital and we are hoping she is on the road to repair. We have decided that the place where she is living is not able to meet her needs and our having to run back and forth 3 or 4 times a week was getting very old so we are going to move into her house and make it handicapped accessable and finish the basement off so there is room enough for everyone in that little ranch. We will all be living together. I finally get my children grown and self sufficient and I take on another! LOL We will see how it goes. I am trying to not be stressed out about everything that is and will be going on but it is still on my mind and I am having trouble sleeping. I will be glad when it is all settled and we can get a system going. I have been in this house for 22 years. While it has more than it's share of problems and pains, it is still my home.

I got my plane tickets to go home for my 30th HS reunion in the middle of July. I am excited to be going home and I am looking forward to the reunion. I am looking forward to a break as well.

We are all enjoying the abundance of fresh fruit on the market and today I found a baby tomato on my vine! I have baby peppers too. We had sweet corn for dinner tonight and it was wonderful. I love summer!!

Birthday Thoughts

2009-05-15T18:12:00.002-04:00

Once again that time of the year has rolled around. This is the 48th time it has rolled around. I had to work today but since there was a lot of mindless time I got to thinking about past birthdays. I love having a May birthday. I love spring and to me May is the best of it. Almost always my birthday is a beautiful day. About 100 year ago The Slackwood Elementary Fair used to fall in my birthday week. That was always great fun. One of my favorite birthdays was the year I got my first bike. It was a pink and white Schwinn, I think it might have been a Hollywood but I don't really remember. It had a white basket with pink flowers on the front too. I absolutely loved it. I think it was the same year that my mom painted a set of dresser drawers for me. White enamel and they had little bouquets of violets decoupaged on it. She still has the set. I nearly always had my favorite cake too. Angel food with strawberries inside and whipped cream outside. YUMMO!

There have been other memorable birthdays along the way like the surprise party the people I worked with (my extended family in my heart) gave for my 40th at my favorite restaurant in Lexington, Bella Luna.

The years go on don't they? Memories are good. Family is good too. Happy Birthday to me!

Sunflower Star

2009-05-14T09:50:00.004-04:00

I just finished Sunflower Star by Laura J Perin last night. I just love it. I haven't taken it off the strips yet because I just like looking at it! I did make one change in her design. I did not care for the wide green border she designed around the outside so I made it half the size. The colors are wonderful and I can't wait to put it together. (once I decide how I want to do that!)

The is Desert Star by From Nancy's Needle. I finished it about a month ago and posted an awful picture of it. This was my first canvas work piece and I am hooked for sure. I can't wait to start another one.

Right now, I dug out fabric for Wendy K.C. Designs' Bee's Garden Stitching Accessories. I am stitching that with Carrie's Creations threads on 28 count Quaker in a color called Country. The fabric came from Silkweavers and I have had it for a while. I can get all three pieces (needlebook, fob and biscornu) out of this one piece of fabric.

On another note, our nest is empty, the birds have fledged. We were lucky to see the last one leaving the nest. I didn't realize how much I enjoyed watching them until they were gone. :-(

Off to get the day started!

Here are our babies!!

2009-05-12T19:14:00.003-04:00

They are getting so BIG! Mom is gone a lot now because she has a LOT of hunting to do. No supermarket fills her needs. Those mouths are never closed. I can relate I have 2 growing boys! Bottomless pits!!

This is one of my clematis. It is so pretty. I look forward to it every year and I am sorry it doesn't last very long.

#2 son and I went out this afternoon and bout impatiens for my back flower bed and posts to stake up my Rose of Sharon trees. Maybe tomorrow we can get them all in the ground. There never seems to be enough time to get everything I want to do done. I did get my Sunflower Star finished up to the last border. I got that last border started and decided I didn't like it as wide as shown so I ripped it out and made it smaller. I should be able to finish it tonight.

OK, I am off to finish cleaning up dinner and then I can get back to my sewing.

Surprise

2009-05-07T20:21:00.003-04:00

I was wrong there are not three babies, there are four!

They are getting so big and they are so stuffed into that nest. We were lucky to get a look while mama was looking for dinner. We made sure not to touch anything close and got out of there really quickly!

I am making great progress on my Sunflower Star. I have the cream border on and am working on the next one. I should have gotten larger stretcher strips but I guess I will figure out how to get everything on there!

SHHH....

2009-05-05T15:11:00.007-04:00

This is mommy on her nest.

And if you look very carefully you can see one of the little buggers trying to peek out! They have gotten a lot bigger in the last couple of days too.

This is my sunflower star. This border is a booger. I have already frogged one portion of the border. I like how it looks though!

And this is my first clematis bloom of the year. It looks whiter than previous years. They are usually quite lavender.

My dog got a bath and she isn't happy. My MIL has osteomyelitis (a deep bone infection)in her foot and she isn't happy. I had to change her packing and dressing today and UGG... I wasn't happy.

It is however a beautiful day and I am going to take my sewing, my audiobook (The Book of Fate by Brad Meltzer OMG good!) and a cold drink out on the patio and relax for the hour and a half I have before someone comes back home.

That's all I got folks!

I have three babies!!

2009-05-04T18:27:00.002-04:00

My little mama bird has hatched her eggs. I have 3 little nearly bald babies in the nest. I got a really good look at them while mom was out shopping the other day! They have a great home too, that bush I was going to rip out is honeysuckle. It is in full bloom now so they have a very sweet hiding place. Once they are grown and gone, I can trim it all back, for now, I have a nursery that is fascinating me!

Cool Stuff

2009-04-30T11:42:00.002-04:00

I found this great blog this morning and have been shopping for free samples ever since$5.00 Dinners I went there to check our her amazing coupon binder and stayed for the link that went toFree Stuff 4 free

I can't wait to read some more!!

Enough said??? CLICK

2009-04-25T05:49:00.001-04:00

The Breast Cancer Site

2009-04-23T07:40:00.003-04:00

During the month of April the Breast Cancer site (in addition to funding mammograms) will donate $10,000 for research if clicks on the site total 200 mammograms. As of this posting they are at 71% of their goal with only 8 days left! Please go there every day and click. Tell your friends and family! During these times it's hard for any of us to donate money so this is a wonderful way to help out. It costs you nothing but a few seconds of your time! You can click 1 time per day. I also have a link on my blog. Please continue to click even after April to help fund mammograms.

Question

2009-04-21T10:17:00.003-04:00

This question was posted on Running With Quills. This is a blog written by some of my favorite authors. I enjoy reading their insights. Sometimes they make me think. The question is:

What brings you the most happiness, the greatest sense of peace. Do you remember one particular day, or series of days in your life with more joy than any others?

So I am thinking. There are some obvious ones, the birth of my boys, their milestones, family reunions... and some not so obvious and these are ones that tend to creep into your mind when you really aren't trying to think of the answer to a question!

Some of my favorite days with my boys were when they were little. When the days weren't a constant rush of we have to be here, do this, go there. On beautiful days I would pack us a picnic lunch, take a blanket outside and park us under a tree. We would blow bubbles, color, read books, do a puzzle. We would eat outside! Why is that, such a common thing, such a treat? We would lay on our backs and watch clouds, close our eyes and listen to birds, watch a spider spin a web and listen for frogs in the pond. Looking back, we didn't have nearly as many of those days as I would have liked.

We read. We read a lot. I hope that is a gift that I gave my children that they will pass on. Before Harry Potter was the craze that it became, I tried to get my oldest to read it. Nothing doing. The youngest was too young to read that yet so I decided we were going to read it every night. We shut off the TV, curled up together on the couch and I read out loud. Eventually #1 son did some of the reading too. We loved those nights. We couldn't wait for the next books. They drew pictures of the things we "saw" in the books. By the end of the series, everyone was fighting over who would get the books first! :-) We still talk about those nights and we have all read the books over and over. My copies are all about worn out.

Remembering things like that give me peace and joy. I also get joy from the things my hands create. I would love to be an artist but that is not my gift I guess. My needlework is as close as I get to creating works of art and they are works that someone else has designed and dozens of others recreate as well. In lots of my projects I have made little changes that make them "mine". There is a peace that comes over me when I pick up a needle. It is a peace that may have been passed down for many generations since I come from a long line of needle workers. I like to think that I am just another knot in the thread.

Then there are things like:
Quiet days on the beach
The smell of apple blossoms coming in my kitchen window
The first violets I find in the grass every year (spring is HERE!)
My golden yellow dog sleeping in the sun in the bright green grass
The first time I hear our spring peepers
Finding a robin's nest in my bushes where I can watch the miracle!
Fresh baked bread
Sheets drying on the line
A good book
My son dressed in his Army uniform, the other son dressed for his first semi-formal (be still my heart)
Summer rain
Tomatoes warm from the garden

I guess life is pretty good huh?

Spring has sprung

2009-04-16T18:27:00.007-04:00

It was pretty nice here today, a little chilly but the sun made an appearance. Things are really green and poppin'! I pulled out last year's mandevilla and prepped the space for the wisteria that I bought. I am planning on having the family build a pergola over the patio for my mother's day/birthday present I think I can train the wisteria to go up the side of the pergola and across the top which will be pretty and shady!

I found a few fun things too. These wood violets are in full bloom along the edge of my property and are also scattered all through my yard.

My daffodils are about finished but a few are still showing their pretty faces.

The Bleeding Hearts are some of my very favorites

When I tried to take pictures of the bleeding hearts I discovered a secret. I have a little mama! I was going to trim back these butterfly bushes and trim out the little invasive tree but I found this nest with a single egg in it. Mom has been sitting in it (now that I found it I can watch and avoid) and I can't wait to see the baby robin.

Of course now I can't do any trimming!

I lost a great deal of my apple tree this fall when we had a tremendous wind storm. I have very few flowers at all but these are so pretty. I will sure miss the sweet scent of a tree full of them outside my kitchen window.

I have made spicy beef and potato burritos for dinner and a kahlua cake for dessert. All in all, not a bad day! :-)

On-line Needlework Show

2009-04-15T21:17:00.002-04:00

It opened today at 2 PM at and already I have found a designer who is new to me and something I want to put on my wish list. I have been on the site approximately 5 minutes. This designer is Brenda E. Kocher and the design is Grandma's Rose Garden.

here is another one I really like, DebBee's DesignsDiamond Delight IV

From Rouge Du RhinShells and Shellfish

From Nancy's Needle (I just love her stuff...Tigerlily Tiles Liberty Stars Evening Star and yes, I could go on! lol

I won't even bother to list the stuff from Keslyn's

Well I will quit there so I can finish watching Criminal Minds. More tomorrow probably!

What the devil did I do?

2009-04-13T16:48:00.004-04:00

Holy Hannah I have had a heck of a time the last few months. I am rarely if ever sick. First I end up at the doctor and he thinks I have kidney stones. Two CT scans and a KUB X-ray and not only did I have kidney stones, I had gall stones. I ended up at a urologist and he wanted to break up one stone since it was supposedly too large to pass on its own. In the meantime, I had been scheduled to have my gall bladder out which I did and it went well. The night before I am supposed to go back to work the unpassable stone decided to pass and I ended up in the emergency room. The stone passed (thankfully) and I went back to work. I made it through the entire week and was grateful to have Easter Sunday off. I got up feeling queasy but managed to get lunch made and get #1 son to work. By 4 PM all you know what broke loose and I have been sicker than a dog ever since. About 8 this morning I started being able to keep down liquids but I still feel awful, ache everywhere and just want to sleep... and cry. I missed another day of work too.

Too Few Bookshelves

2009-04-12T10:21:00.004-04:00

I started a new blog today and will update it again this afternoon. I decided that I want a seperate blog for my books so Too Few Bookshelves is it. Take a look and see what you may want to add. I welcome your additions and recommendations!

Breakfast Pizza

2009-04-12T08:56:00.005-04:00

A friend of mine made this little goodie and brought it to work for breakfast a couple of weeks ago. I thought it would make a great, quick Easter breakfast and boy howdy it sure does. My boys are inhaling it as I type. It is quick and easy and starts with good old Pillsbury Crescent rolls.

You need:
a tube of Crescent rolls
4 eggs
about a pound of cooked breakfast meat (ham chopped small, sausage or bacon, crumbled)
grated cheese of your choice
a tablespoon of milk

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees

Spray or grease a 9X13 baking dish. Unroll your crescent rolls and lay them in the bottom of the dish, flattening it enough to fill the bottom and close the seams.

Add your cooked meat on top of the crescent rolls.

Scramble the eggs with the milk and pour them on top of the meat. Tilt the dish a bit as needed to make the eggs even.

Top with your favorite shredded or grated cheese. I didn't add an amount because frankly I rarely measure things like that.

Bake for 15 minutes, remove from the oven and let sit for about 5 minutes.

As Rachael Ray would say, Yum-o!

I would show you a picture but well, most of it is gone now. I made it with breakfast sausage and sharp cheddar this morning but I may make it again tomorrow with leftover ham and I have yet to figure out what cheese I would lke. I think it would be equally good with just your favorite veggies too. I have asparagus and mushrooms here and a yummy 4 Italian cheese blend that is calling me. Ok, I am going to grab me a piece before it disappears! Enjoy!

Progress

2009-04-10T07:39:00.002-04:00

I got a good amount of work done on the Sunflower Star from Laura J. Perin's American Quilt Collection. I love the colors in this piece and once I got the pattern set in my head, it has progressed very quickly. I will try and post a picture when I get home tonight. I have all the gold sunflowers in the center complete and the first quadrent of colors done. I just need more hours in the day. I am already picking out my next one but keep changing my mind! There are so many pretty ones. Right now I am stuck between Indian Autumn, Celtic Knots,Triple Irish Chain,and Delectable Mountains. I will probably end up flipping a coin. I haven't even started thinking about her Secret Garden Collection! LOL

She also has a beautiful new piece on her blog. You can find her blog in my blog roll at The Two Handed Stitcher. Enjoy.

Ok, off to work so I can come home and stitch. It is supposed to be a rainy night so that is a perfect way to spend it!

Pick me ups

2009-04-09T16:47:00.002-04:00

I went to work again today even though I probably stayed home. Oh well, I am still in one piece even if I am tired. I came home and was just putzing around on the computer when I decided I would check out the CakeWrecks blog. I am not sure what is funnier, the pictures of cakes gone horribly wrong or the commentary. In any case, my gloomy mood has been dismissed with several hearty laughs. My dog thinks I am nuts sitting here laughing at nothing she can see (or hear) but that's nothing new. *grin*

I am listening to Tess Gerritsen's The Keepsake on my Zune and I didn't want to get out of the car when I got home. It just gets creepier and creepier! I have a couple of hours left to myself this afternoon so I think I will take it and my sewing outside and sit in the sun. I am also actually reading James Patterson's Cross Country I love all his Alex Cross books and am currently waiting for his New Murder Club book The 8th Confession which comes out April 27th. All this murder and mayhem makes my life look a lot more stable! :-)

Some Days you are the windshield

2009-04-06T19:25:00.005-04:00

and some days you are the bug. Today was a bug kind of day. DH had to work overnight and wouldn't you know, I started with another kidney stone at 3 AM. It woke me from a sound sleep and it was bad. Now stupid me, I have some pain meds from my surgery that I never used but do you think I thought to take any? You would be correct if you guessed no. At 4:30 I woke my oldest son to tell him I was getting in the shower and if I wasn't out in say 1/2 an hour, please check on me. I sent a text to my husband which he didn't realize he got after all why would I be texting if I was asleep? #2 son got up and sent to school before hubby got home from work. By 7 AM I was on my way to the ER.

The normal paperwork ensued. I was so nauseaous I wondered if I needed to grab their garbage can. The nurse tried two times to start an IV and ended up blowing out the vein in my left arm. That is extremely painful but thankfully distracted me from my throbbing gut. After the second non-productive stick I asked for another nurse who had my IV up and going in a matter of seconds. *sigh* a minute after that I got both anti-nausea and pain meds. I could now finally think and string together a coherent sentence. The X-Rays showed that my 5mm stone that was on the last x-rays was now missing or had shrank to 2mm. Since they don't shrink we allowed as how I probably passed it. That leaves just one small stone thankfully. Needless to say I will not now be going for the lithotripsy.

The long and the short of it is I missed what was supposed to be my first day back from work. I came home and slept since I didn't get much last night so my day was pretty much a loss. I did go and pick up my son and 2 of his friends from football practice and they made me laugh on the way home. They are a funny group of guys.

We just got home and I called for a couple of pizzas and I am chilling for the rest of the evening.

The piece at the top is the Desert Star piece I posted about yesterday. I finally got it to upload today!

Moving in slow motion

2009-04-05T15:51:00.004-04:00

I finished my canvas piece last night. Then I cried. I wanted to show it to Pam. I'd upload it but I can't get pictures to upload to blogger right now so it will have to wait.

I got out Laura J Perin Designs' Sunflower Star and have it all ready to go on the frame. I have sepnt the morning running errands and getting trash together for the clean up crew so now I can spend the rest of the day sewing if I want. DS#1 is at the mall with his friends, DH is sleeping since he has to work overnight tonight and DS#2 is doing whatever... he wants to be out driving. He is a driving fool. :-)

I feel like I am moving in slow motion today. I know it is because I am still in shock. My eyes are raw from crying so much yesterday and the tears are still ready to flow today. I am so lucky to have had her in my life. It will be so dreary now without my red headed friend from Texas. God sure got a handful when he took her home! :-)

Grief

2009-04-04T13:14:00.002-04:00

I received a call a couple of hours ago that my dear friend Pam had died. She was just 62. She was planning on retiring in a month. She had finally found balance in her life again, was loving time with her husband, her kids and her darling grandkids. She had survived a major medical mistake, gone through hell before it could be fixed and came out on the other end. She found peace with not being able to sue the idiots that screwed her up. She landed a job she really enjoyed after being treated like dirt by an employer that never learned what a gem he had.

Pam was my stitching buddy, my enabler, my motivator. Pam was my sounding board. There was nothing we could not and did not talk about. Pam picked me up when I thought I would never get up again. Pam saved my life when I didn't want to get up again.

Very few days went by when we weren't in touch in some way even if we just swapped places on wordscraper. There were hundreds of emails over the years, silly cards, little gifts. We were so alike we could have been twins.

I feel like a part of me is gone. I am sitting here looking at the canvas piece I am almost finished with and I know now she will never see it. I almost called her this morning because it is Saturday and I was going to give her heck about not answering my email from yesterday. I thought she would check in to make she I was still at it :-)

I will never get to make and give her the sunflower canvas I bought for her. She loved sunflowers. I waited too long, I was just too slow.

I know I have learned over the years that life changes in an instant. It still never fails to knock me to my knees when I blink and part of my life has changed forever.

One thing I am happy about, she knew how much she meant to me and I know what I meant to her. We were good about telling each other that. It still leaves a hole though.

Goodbye my friend, until we meet again. I love you and always will.

Maria

Church Bloopers

2009-03-17T19:49:00.002-04:00

I just love these...everytime I they come around I have to laugh. i hope you enjoy them too.

They're Back! Those wonderful Church Bulletins! Thank God for church ladies with typewriters. These sentences (with all the BLOOPERS) actually appeared in church bulletins or were announced in church services:

--------------------------
The Fasting & Prayer Conference includes meals.
--------------------------
The sermon this morning: 'Jesus Walks on the Water.' The sermon tonight: 'Searching for Jesus.'
--------------------------
Ladies, don't forget the rummage sale. It's a chance to get rid of those things not worth keeping around the house. Bring your husbands.
--------------------------
Remember in prayer the many who are sick of our community. Smile at someone who is hard to love. Say 'Hell' to someone who doesn't care much about you.
--------------------------
Don't let worry kill you off - let the Church help.
--------------------------
Miss Charlene Mason sang 'I will not pass this way again,' giving obvious pleasure to the congregation...
--------------------------
For those of you who have children and don't know it, we have a nursery downstairs.
--------------------------
Next Thursday there will be tryouts for the choir. They need all the help they can get.
--------------------------
Irving Benson and Jessie Carter were married on October 24 in the church. So ends a friendship that began in their school days.
--------------------------
A bean supper will be held on Tuesday evening in the church hall. Music will follow.
--------------------------
At the evening service tonight, the sermon topic will be 'What Is Hell?' Come early and listen to our choir practice.
--------------------------
Eight new choir robes are currently needed due to the addition of several new members and to the deterioration of some older ones.
--------------------------
Scouts are saving aluminum cans, bottles and other items to be recycled. Proceeds will be used to cripple children.
--------------------------
Please place your donation in the envelope along with the deceased person you want remembered.
--------------------------
The church will host an evening of fine dining, super entertainment and gracious hostility.
--------------------------
Potluck supper Sunday at 5:00 PM -20prayer and medication to follow.
--------------------------
The ladies of the Church have cast off clothing of every kind. They may be seen in the basement on Friday afternoon.
--------------------------
This evening at 7 PM there will be a hymn singing in the park across from the Church. Bring a blanket and come prepared to sin.
--------------------------
Ladies Bible Study will be held Thursday morning at 10 AM. All ladies are invited to lunch in the Fellowship Hall after the B. S. Is done.
--------------------------
The pastor would appreciate it if the ladies of the Congregation would lend him their electric girdles for the pancake breakfast next Sunday.
--------------------------
Low Self Esteem Support Group will meet Thursday at 7 PM. Please use the back door.
--------------------------
The eighth-graders will be presenting Shakespeare's Hamlet in the Church basement Friday at 7 PM. The congregation is invited to attend this tragedy..
--------------------------
Weight Watchers will meet at 7 PM at the First Presbyterian Church. Please use large double door at the side entrance.
--------------------------
The Associate Minister unveile d the church's new campaign slogan last Sunday: 'I Upped My Pledge - Up Yours.

Some Days

2009-03-17T19:05:00.002-04:00

Some days it is enough to just be. There is nothing more perfect than the first beautiful spring day unless it is being off on that day and being able to spend it soaking up the warmth of the sun.

After my little trip to Cincinnati this morning (which came out fine BTW) I came home and curled up on the patio in the sun with my current read. Other than taking some time to give Ab's a bath while it was nice and warm and she could dry in the sun, I spent the entire day there. I am now a little crispy around the edges but feeling better than I have in months. I needed the rest, the fresh air and the sun burn.

I finished my book over dinner (corned beef and cabbage of course)and I absolutely loved it. I was reading Sarah's Quilt by Nancy E. Turner. Sarah's Quilt is the second book in her Sarah Prine Series. I read the first book These is my Words a couple of years ago while I was at my mother's and somehow even though it was wonderful and stuck with me, I never got around to looking for the rest of the trilogy. In fact at the time I don't even know if I realized it was a triology. In anycase, I found books 2 and 3 at the library 2 weeks ago and snatched them both up. If you'd like to know more about them check out Nancy Turner's web site.

I am now sitting here watching The Curse of the Judas Chalice with #2 son. We both love these movies and it is a good way to end the day (assuming I can stay awake from my overdose of fresh air). Tomorrow is back to work and then I am off Thursday but have to be at the hospital at 7:00 for my pre-op stuff. After that I will have the rest of the day to myself I think. It is supposed to rain. I sense another perfect day to read coming on!

Playing Around

2009-03-17T07:31:00.003-04:00

I decided I wanted to change the look of my blog last night and have been playing with it ever since. There are lots of neat looks out there and I am still looking and playing. I have found some templates that did not work at all and some that erased things like the blogger nav bar so as I said I am still messing around.

Right now I need to run, hubby is here stressing about my test this morning and telling me we need to get moving. I don't think we need an hour to get there but since we have to go to Cincinnati we might. Oh well, off I go. Hopefully we will be in and out quickly!

Just another Day in Paradise

2009-03-16T23:55:00.002-04:00

Thankfully it is Monday so I am off tomorrow. It won't have a great start since I have to go have a bladder scan first thing due to the kidney stone episode but that should not take long and then I can be home for the rest of what could/should be a beautiful spring day.

As I am sitting here I can hear the peepers singing in the pond. It isn't quite warm enough to open the windows tonight but at least the heat is off.

Well it is almost Tuesday so I guess I should call it a day and get some sleep. I am not really worried about the procedure tomorrow but I do wish it was over already. More tomorrow sometime I hope although I may be too busy sitting in the sun!

Christmas Baking

2008-12-19T08:00:00.002-05:00

Christmas just would not be complete without certain items and I have been busy baking each of my days off. I thought I would take a minute and share some of my favorite Christmas goodies...

This first is Rugelach which is a traditional Jewish cookie. I love this because I am not a big "sweet" eater, I am not big on frosting etc. These are great no matter what you fill them with, they are flaky and delightful. This happens to be Dorie Greenspan's recipe. This year I have done 3 kinds with apricot preserves, cinnamon sugar and nuts and (oh boy) raspberry preserves and dark chocolate pieces.

For the Dough

4 ounces cold cream cheese, cut into 4 pieces

1 stick (8 tablespoons) cold unsalted butter, cut into 4 pieces

1 cup all-purpose flour

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 cup chopped nuts (I prefer pecans, but you can use walnuts or almonds)

1/4 cup plump, moist dried currants

4 ounces bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped, or 2/3 cup store-bought mini chocolate chips

For the Glaze

1 large egg

1 teaspoon cold water

2 tablespoons sugar, preferably decorating (coarse) sugar

For the Filling

2/3 cup raspberry jam, apricot jam or marmalade

2 tablespoons sugar

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Makes 32 cookies

TO MAKE THE DOUGH: Let the cream cheese and butter rest on the counter for 10 minutes — you want them to be slightly softened but still cool.

Put the flour and salt in a food processor, scatter over the chunks of cream cheese and butter and pulse the machine 6 to 10 times. Then process, scraping down the sides of the bowl often, just until the dough forms large curds — don't work it so long that it forms a ball on the blade.

Turn the dough out, gather it into a ball and divide it in half. Shape each half into a disk, wrap the disks in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 2 hours, or up to 1 day. (Wrapped airtight, the dough can be frozen for up to 2 months.)

TO MAKE THE FILLING: Heat the jam in a saucepan over low heat, or do this in a microwave, until it liquefies. Mix the sugar and cinnamon together.

Line two baking sheets with parchment or silicone mats. (Silicone baking mats are great for rugelach.)

TO SHAPE THE COOKIES: Pull one packet of dough from the refrigerator. If it is too firm to roll easily, either leave it on the counter for about 10 minutes or give it a few bashes with your rolling pin.

On a lightly floured surface, roll the dough into an 11- to 12-inch circle. Spoon (or brush) a thin gloss of jam over the dough, and sprinkle over half of the cinnamon sugar. Scatter over half of the nuts, half of the currants and half of the chopped chocolate. Cover the filling with a piece of wax paper and gently press the filling into the dough, then remove the paper and save it for the next batch.

Using a pizza wheel or a sharp knife, cut the dough into 16 wedges, or triangles. (The easiest way to do this is to cut the dough into quarters, then to cut each quarter into 4 triangles.) Starting at the base of each triangle, roll the dough up so that each cookie becomes a little crescent. Arrange the roll-ups on one baking sheet, making sure the points are tucked under the cookies, and refrigerate. Repeat with the second packet of dough, and refrigerate the cookies for at least 30 minutes before baking. (The cookies can be covered and refrigerated overnight or frozen for up to 2 months; don't defrost before baking, just add a couple of minutes to the baking time.)

GETTING READY TO BAKE: Position the racks to divide the oven into thirds and preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

TO GLAZE: Stir the egg and water together, and brush a bit of this glaze over each rugelach. Sprinkle the cookies with the sugar.

Bake the cookies for 20 to 25 minutes, rotating the sheets from top to bottom and front to back at the midway point, until they are puffed and golden. Transfer the cookies to racks to cool to just warm or to room temperature.

A new one for this year which is beyond decadent is Paula Dean's Symphony Brownies. She really needs an award for these.

45 min | 5 min prep

1 11x7 inch pan

1 (19 7/8 ounce) box Betty Crocker fudge brownie mix
2 large eggs
1/4 cup water
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 (7 ounce) hershey symphony milk chocolate candy bars
Preheat oven to 350 degrees, or 325 degrees for glass baking dish.
Lightly grease the bottom only of an 11 x 7 inch baking pan; set aside.
In a large mixing bowl prepare brownie mix according to directions on the package, using 2 eggs, 1/4 cup water and 1/2 cup oil.
Stir until smooth.
Spread half the batter evenly into prepared pan.
Unwrap candy bars and place them on top of the batter.
Top with remaining brownie batter.
Bake 40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near center comes out with only a few moist crumbs clinging to it.
Remove pan from oven and let cool on wire rack before cutting into squares or other shapes.

I have friends that beg for my fudge every year. I found this recipe back in the late '90s and have been making batch after batch ever since... Usually I am still making it after New Years and I even make it in place of a birthday cake for a young friend of mine. I believe he is an addict. :-) This is Skaarups Fantasia Fudge and I am giving you the link because there are dozens of awesome variations, trust me you need to try at least a few. Skaarup Fudge

1/2 cup Butter
2 1/2 cup Sugar (extra-fine granulated preferred)
5 oz. Evaporated Milk (one small can)
12 oz Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips (Hersheys or Nestle)
6-7 oz. Marshmallow Creme/Fluff (1 Jar)

(may substitute 2 cups mini-marshmallows)

1 cup Walnuts (chopped) -or- 4 oz. bag (optional item)
1 tsp Vanilla Extract

Directions:
Line a 9” x 9” pan with aluminum foil and set aside. Place
chocolate chips, vanilla, and marshmallow cream into a 3-quart
saucepan (or Pyrex bowl) and set aside. Chop walnuts and set
aside (optional). Heat milk at Medium setting until warm then add
sugar. Bring to a rolling boil (Medium-High), stirring constantly with
a wooden spoon. Continue to boil for [8] full minutes -or- if using a
candy thermometer continue boiling until the boiling temperature
reaches 235°F but do not exceed 9 minutes rolling boiling total.
Remove from heat and add butter. Stir until dissolved (but no more
than 30 seconds).

Pour hot mixture over chocolates, vanilla, and marshmallow cream
without scraping the sides of the hot saucepan. Mix until the
chocolates are melted. Add walnuts if desired. Mix thoroughly and
cast into prepared pan. Cool at room temperature. Chill in
refrigerator prior to cutting. Remove from pan, remove foil, cut into squares

OK< It is off to work for me. When I get home, I have dough in the fridge chilling so it is just right to work with! Ciao or should I say Chow???

Just for chuckles...The English Language

2008-12-03T18:38:00.000-05:00

This came in my email today.

You think English is easy???

Read to the end . . . A new twist

1) The bandage was wound around the wound.
2) The farm was used to produce produce .

3) The dump was so full that it had to refuse more refuse.
4) We must polish the Polish furniture.

5) He could lead if he would get the lead out.
6) The soldier decided to desert his dessert in the desert.
7) Since there is no time like the present, he thought it was time to present the present
8) A bass was painted on the head of the bass drum.

9) When shot at, the dove dove into the bushes.
10) I did not object to the object.
11) The insurance was invalid for the invalid.
12) There was a row among the oarsmen about how to row ...
13) They were too close to the door to close it.

14) The buck does funny things when the does are present.
15) A seamstress and a sewer fell down into a sewer line.
16) To help with planting, the farmer taught his sow to sow.
17) The wind was too strong to wind the sail.

18) Upon seeing the tear in the painting I shed a tear.
19) I had to subject the subject to a series of tests.
20) How can I intimate this to my most intimate friend?

Let's face it - English is a crazy language. There is no egg in eggplant, nor ham in hamburger; neither apple nor pine in pineapple. English muffins weren't invented in England or French fries in France . Sweetmeats are candies while sweetbreads, which aren't sweet, are meat. We take English for granted. But if we explore its paradoxes, we find that quicksand can work slowly, boxing rings are square and a guinea pig is neither from Guinea nor is it a pig.

And why is it that writers write but fingers don't fing, grocers don't groce and hammers don't ham? If the plural of tooth is teeth, why isn't the plural of booth, beeth? One goose, 2 geese. So one moose, 2 meese? One index, 2 indices? Doesn't it seem crazy that you can make amends but not one amend? If you have a bunch of odds and ends and get rid of all but one of them, what do you call it?

If teachers taught, why didn't preachers praught? If a vegetarian eats vegetables, what does a humanitarian eat? Sometimes I think all the English speakers should be committed to an asylum for the verbally insane. In what language do people recite at a play and play at a recital? Ship by truck and send cargo by ship? Have noses that run and feet that smell?

How can a slim chance and a fat chance be the same, while a wise man and a wise guy are opposites? You have to marvel at the unique lunacy of a language in which your house can burn up as it burns down, in which you fill in a form by filling it out and in which, an alarm goes off by going on.
English was invented by people, not computers, and it reflects the creativity of the human race, which, of course, is not a race at all. That is why, when the stars are out, they are visible, but when the lights are out, they are invisible.

PS. - Why doesn't 'Buick' rhyme with 'quick' ?

You lovers of the English language might enjoy this .
There is a two-letter word that perhaps has more meanings than any other two-letter word, and
that is 'UP.'

It's easy to understand UP, meaning toward the sky or at the top of the list, but when we awaken in the morning, why do we wake UP ? At a meeting, why does a topic come UP ? Why do we speak UP and why are the officers UP for election and why is it UP to the secretary to write UP a report ?

We call UP our friends. And we use it to brighten UP a room, polish UP the silver; we warm UP the leftovers and clean UP the kitchen. We lock UP the house and some guys fix UP the old car. At other times the little word has real special meaning. People stir UP trouble, line UP for tickets, work UP an appetite, and think UP excuses. To be dressed is one thing, but to be dressed UP is special. And this UP is confusing: A drain must be opened UP because it is stopped UP. We open UP a store in the morning but we close it UP at night.

We seem to be pretty mixed UP about UP ! To be knowledgeable about the proper uses of UP, look the word UP in the dictionary. In a desk-sized dictionary, it takes UP almost 1/4th of the page and can add UP to about thirty definitions. If you are UP to it, you might try building UP a list of the many ways UP is used. It will take UP a lot of your time, but if you don't give UP, you may wind UP with a hundred or more.

When it threatens to rain, we say it is clouding UP . When the sun comes out we say it is clearing UP...
When it rains, it wets the earth and often messes things UP.
When it doesn't rain for awhile, things dry UP.

One could go on and on, but I'll wrap it UP, for now my time is UP, so........it is time to shut UP!

God Bless Our Military

2008-11-25T19:50:00.003-05:00

When we stop to count our blessings this holiday week some of the most important people we have to be thankful for are those that protect our freedom and give us peace of mind. If you happen to run across someone in our military please take a moment to thank them. If you get a chance to participate in donating something for our troops this holiday, even if it just signing a card, please do. There are so many of them so far from home and their families and they NEED to know we are honored that they serve us.

The average age of the military man is 19 years. He is a short haired, tight-muscled kid who, under normal circumstances is considered by society as half man, half boy. Not yet dry behind the ears, not old enough to buy a beer, but old enough to die for his country. He never really cared much for work and he would rather wax his own car than wash his father's, but he has never collected unemployment either.

He's a recent High School graduate; he was probably an average student, pursued some form of sport activities, drives a ten year old jalopy, and has a steady girlfriend that either broke up with him when he left, or swears to be waiting when he returns from half a world away He listens to rock and roll or hip-hop or rap or jazz or swing and a 155mm howitzer.

He is 10 or 15 pounds lighter now than when he was at home because he is working or fighting from before dawn to well after dusk. He has trouble spelling, thus letter writing is a pain for him, but he can field strip a rifle in 30 seconds and reassemble it in less time in the dark. He can recite to you the nomenclature of a machine gun or grenade launcher and use either one effectively if he must.

He digs foxholes and latrines and can apply first aid like a professional.

He can march until he is told to stop, or stop until he is told to march.

He obeys orders instantly and without hesitation, but he is not without spirit or individual dignity. He is self-sufficient.

He has two sets of fatigues: he washes one and wears the other. He keeps his canteens full and his feet dry.

He sometimes forgets to brush his teeth, but never to clean his rifle. He can cook his own meals, mend his own clothes, and fix his own hurts.

If you're thirsty, he'll share his water with you; if you are hungry, his food. He'll even split his ammunition with you in the midst of battle when you run low.

He has learned to use his hands like weapons and weapons like they were his hands.

He can save your life - or take it, because that is his job.

He will often do twice the work of a civilian, draw half the pay, and still find ironic humor in it all.

He has seen more suffering and death than he should have in his short lifetime.

He has wept in public and in private, for friends who have fallen in combat and is unashamed.

He feels every note of the National Anthem vibrate through his body while at rigid attention, while tempering the burning desire to 'square-away ' those around him who haven't bothered to stand, remove their hat, or even stop talking.

In an odd twist, day in and day out, far from home, he defends their right to be disrespectful.

Just as did his Father, Grandfather, and Great- grandfather, he is paying the price for our freedom. Beardless or not, he is not a boy. He is the American Fighting Man that has kept this country free for over 200 years.

He has asked nothing in return, except our friendship and understanding.
Remember him, always, for he has earned our respect and admiration with his blood.

And now we even have women over there in danger, doing their part in this tradition of going to War when our nation calls us to do so.

Prayer wheel for our military... please don't break it Please send this on after a short prayer.
Prayer Wheel

'Lord, hold our troops in your loving hands.
Protect them as they protect us.
Bless them and their families for the selfless acts
they perform for us in our time of need. Amen.'

When you receive this, please stop for a moment
and say a prayer for our ground troops in Afghanistan, sailors on ships, and airmen in the air, and for those in Iraq .

Of all the gifts you could give a US Soldier, Sailor, Coastguardsman, Marine,
or Airman, prayer is the very best one.

Confession

2008-11-25T07:49:00.002-05:00

I am so addicted to this blog Pioneer Woman Cooks Actually I am addicted to her entire blog but this particular part is just well beyond yum. Yesterday I bought everything to make her gingersnap, caramel, pecan, pumpkin cheesecake. Today I put a brisket in to marinade. I have never cooked a brisket but just reading the recipe and looking at her pictures made me drool so it is marinading as we speak. The cheese cake will be for Thanksgiving to take over to my MIL. I am not doing a big meal this year, at least I don't think I am. After dealing with everyones/turkey, oyster, ham needs for the last couple of weeks is making me think that I am not in the mood for any of it. I do have a ham to cook and will probably do some sweet potatoes to go with it. MIL is having Thanksgiving dinner at her community which we could have done but we didn't sign up thinking both Tom and Tommy would be working and of course as soon as the signup deadline passed they both found out they were off. Go figure. It's OK though.

I gave up one of my days off this week (today)and I am working in the bakery. I am glad to have a chance to go play with some friends other than my "meat" ones. Our bakery is jammin' for sure today. I guess no one makes their own stuff much anymore. That makes me sad when I think about how wonderful my mother's house smeel during the holidays growing up (this from the woman who just confessed she wasn't going all out for the holidays). My house will still smell good though with the ham and pumpkin cheesecake. I will let you know how it goes!

Hope you have a wonderful holiday if I don't get back before then.

Well....

2008-11-19T20:36:00.002-05:00

not much stitching happened yesterday. I didn't have a piece of linen in the shade of green I was looking for. Then I found a piece of linen called french lace which is green but not exactly what I had in mind. I started stitching on it and remembered why I hadn't used it. It is absolutely miserable fabric. It is so stiff it wears down the thread and the threads are horrible. Yes I know it is linen but some of the threads are so thin it looks like I have stitched over one and some are so fat that they look like I am over 3. There is a ton of back stitching on this piece so it looked horrible. I went searching for another piece and found one but this one looks yellowish green so I don't think I like it. While I was contemplating and trying to figure out whether I should rip out what I did on one or the other my stitching lamp blew up! Yipes, it took 10 years off my life for sure. Since I was off yesterday and didn't have to go anywhere, I opted to really not go anywhere so that pretty much put the end to my stitching. That kind of worked out though since I was playing on facebook and set up a group page for my 30th class reunion and posted some very old pictures of some really young kids.

Today after work, I trekked over to Lowes and bought a new lamp and then when I stopped at the grocery, I treated myself to a new Just Cross Stitch magazine. Now I am set to go tomorrow...if I can figure out what fabric to use. *sigh* I wonder what is in hat magazine that is good... OK, I am going to go read now.

National Gingerbread Day

2008-11-18T10:22:00.003-05:00

National Gingerbread Day is on Novermber 21. Who thinks these things up anyway? I guess it doesn't matter but I will celebrate that beacuase well, I just LOVE ginger in all it's incarnations. This recipe comes from one of my favorite authors, Susan Wittig Albert and her China Bayles series.

Gingerbread

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

1/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup molasses
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1-1/2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 cup boiling water

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Mix together sugar, butter, molasses, spices, and flour. Add baking soda to boiling water, then add to mix. Turn into a square baking pan, and bake at 325 degrees for 30 minutes.

You can find more ideas to "spice up your life" here at China's Thyme for Tea page

I have the day off and am planning on doing some stitching. I actually have sitting right here next to me the newest JCS Christmas Ornament issue. I have run into a little block though since I don't know which ornament I would like to do first. I have narrowed it down a bit to:

1. Hands to Work - Joy Needle Roll
2. The Victoria Sampler- Merry Little House
3.Patricia Ann Designs- Winter Frost
4. Rosewood Manor- Peace
5. Loopy Lou Designs- Christmas Stars
6. Kitty and Me- Poinsettia Biscornu

So going to Random.org I plug in my numbers and get

Random Integer Generator
Here are your random numbers:

6
Timestamp: 2008-11-18 15:37:48 UTC

So it looks like Kitty and Me have some stitching to do. OK folks, off to stitch and maybe back with a picture later! hmmm...I wonder if I can find a gingerbread recipe I can cook in my crockpot...

suzy snowflake is in town

2008-11-17T19:59:00.003-05:00

We had our first "snow" ofthe season today. so far it hasn't amounted to anything other than a dusting but it was pretty coming down. My fresh manager made us all go outside this morning and stand in it since she believes that it brings good luck. OK, that works for me. It was fun to do.

Things were a little slower today than yesterday thankfully and I had some extra help. Poor Beau was hung over from the game yesterday and Carlos was still experiencing some angst over Steve's cutting but all in all it was a fine day.

I am now curling up in my sweats watching my Monday night comedies and trying to stay awake until I have to pick Tommy up at 11. I get to sleep in tomorrow since I am off.

Another Soap Box

2008-11-12T18:28:00.002-05:00

You know, I love Christmas music. I love the carols and I love wintery songs. I love the memories they bring back too. What I don't love is hearing them from Halloween on. It is getting totally ridiculous. Retailers keep lengthening and lengthening the season. Here is the thing. Hearing Christmas music now doesn't make me feel more like shopping. It makes me stressed. It makes me want to scream when I go to 4-5 stores and hear 5 versions of Winter Wonderland.

I have a friend who said everything stops come the end of October. that it has become one big holiday which he calls Hallow-thanks-mas Eve. We have lost the individuality of each of those holidays and to me, they have become less unique and less memorable.

I know I work in retail and I know I am dependant on people shopping to keep my job but good grief...can we do it without ruining the joy?

A few soapboxes

2008-11-11T08:26:00.003-05:00

I am so hooked on Facebook. I am enjoying re-connecting with people that I knew from High school and playing around with people I know from work or wherever. I love that it is free. I get so many emails from places like Classmates that tell me people are looking for me or have signed my "guestbook" but I can't see the messages or know who thepeople are until I pay them a membership fee. WHY when there are all these free sites out there do we have to pay to see stuff. Lord knows there are enough places willing to pay for web advertising space that probably Classmates and others of their ilk could be making even more money offering their services for free and raking in advertising money from the thousands of hits they would be getting... That's one of my soapboxes.

Here is another. I used to "own" a cross stitch oriented BB. Had it for years. Got tired of the triviality and such so eventually I just let it go. Now I "lurk" at a couple of other boards. I don't post because I just don't want to be a part of the angst. One of the boards owned by a cross stitch shop has some really wonderful stitchers and I have found some really delightful patterns and other interesting information there but there is so much junk there that it becomes hard to even find the good stuff. It is a huge bunch of vicious bck biters. OMG, election time was horrible. There is no tolerance of anyone elses opinions and no matter what the topic, someone HAS to flame. Whatever happened to if you can't say anything nice, don't say anything at all?

My last point isn't so much about a soap box as it is just about the questions that people can ask. I work in the meat department now nd I love it but sometimes you just have to shake your head... I had one woman ask me if we carried Angie's beef. I said to you mean Laura's Lean? That is only brand name grind that we carry AND frankly the only woman's name I have heard attached to meat. She replies "no it is Angie's..you know A-N-G-U-S" It was hard not to bust out laughing in her face. Yesterday I had a woman ask me if we carried round steak. " Yes we do, top round (london broil), bottom round and eye round. Which one do you need?" Her answer "the flat one" !!! Hello, they are STEAKS, they are all flat. Don't you wonder what her reference point is?? And lastly the man who asked "Do you have any turkeys so I can have one for Thanksgiving?" that's just how he asked it. I wanted to say we have them but you can't have one for Thanksgiving. Oh well. Like Gilda Radner said "it's always something!"

Another day gone

2008-10-28T15:50:00.002-04:00

I always look forward to my days off because I want to do this or that and somehow I can never choose what I want to do first or I get sidetracked by something I didn't plan on doing or had to do (like laundry) and when I look up the day is gone. Oh well.

I guess I will put my roast in the oven and curl up and read until it is ready! LOL

It is cool and dreary (cloudy but not raining) here today so I guess if I was going to lose a day, today is a good one to lose!

The best of plans

2008-10-23T19:16:00.003-04:00

I had hoped to be stitching today but by the time I gto finihsed playing on the computer,went to help my MIL shower, and ran some errands the day seemed to be about gone. I am at the point where I am thinking of a hot bath and PJ's.

I found something today that I would like to share. An Army of Women This is what is says on it's site.

The Dr. Susan Love Research Foundation and the Avon Foundation, a global leader in breast cancer research, joined forces to launch the Love/Avon Army of Women.

Our revolutionary initiative has two key goals:

To recruit one million healthy women of every age and ethnicity, including breast cancer survivors and women at high-risk for the disease, to partner with breast cancer researchers and directly participate in the research that will eradicate breast cancer once and for all.

To challenge the scientific community to expand its current focus to include breast cancer prevention research conducted on healthy women.

Join us in this movement that will take us beyond a cure by creating new opportunities to study what causes breast cancer—and how to prevent it.

Its easy to join and you choose your level of participation. Check it out.

More of the same

2008-10-21T08:37:00.004-04:00

We took MIL to the doctor yesterday to have her post op and everything is going nicely. They put her in a nice neon pink fiberglass cast and she is moving along well. We are hoping that this is the answer to at least one of her problems.

I am off today and have some errands to run and calls to make but I want to stitch some too. The weather has turned cooler so I feel more like playing around. I purchased the Wendy KC designs Bee Collections 1 and 2 and they luckily found some cute Bee fabric so I may give that a go. I am also working on Emie Bishop's a Quilter's Garden which is a lovely hardanger piece. This is off her site. I have over half of the outlining done. It is a relaxing piece to work on right now but I am sure that will change once I have to start the cutting and wrapping!

I have been playing on facebook and connecting with old friends which is a lot of fun. It can really take up some time though when you get messing around! LOL

Ok, I guess I should get moving. Day light is wasting!!

Respite!

2008-10-16T14:55:00.005-04:00

We got to take our long awaited trip to Hilton Head. I thought we might not at the last minute when after a year of hemming and hawing, the doctor's finally decided that they needed to operate on MIL's foot immediately. We managed to get it scheduled for this week and get all the testing in so we got to go AND got to leave all our burdens here.

Hilton Head is an amazing place. It was great because the beach was a short walk across the parking lot, there was plenty for the boys to do when they weren't on the beach, it was not crowded at all and the sea food was amazing! We had fresh off the boat shrimp which has probably spoiled me forever. The she crab soup at the Crazy Crab at Harbor Town was amazing too. We had a restful week of exploring, playing and just plain old relaxing. Considering we didn't get our annual trip to New York this year, we really needed it.

We came home to MIL's health issues, job interviews for Tom, Tommy having drill and Mark getting sick... We are trying to hang on to the glow though!

It's been a while

2008-09-18T10:39:00.002-04:00

I am still around but my life has taken on an uncontrollable momentum. I am now working full-time in the meat department. It's not bad. Lil is still trying to settle into her new home. We still don't have the house cleaned out so we can get it onj the market but with the current state of the economy, it probably doesn't matter much.

I haven't really been sewing, just haven't been in the mood but now that the weather is getting cooler, I will probably get back into it. I have been reading a lot and working on my family tree. I am trying to get everything put back ino it since I lost everything when I lost my computer. I am up to just over 4000 people and am not finished yet. That's 30 years of work that now is backed up 3 ways to Sunday!

Tom still hasn't found a job and I am beginning to gt a little uptight about that. We are both getting too old to be job hunting.

We had the remanents of Hurricane Ike visit Sunday with up to 90 mph winds the area suffered substancial damage. Fortunately, we only totally lost one tree but lost most of our one and only pear tree, half an apple tree and another huge portion of a maple that is WAY too cloes to the house. Our electricity was out for about 18 hours which was remarkably good considering a lot of people STILL don't have power.

Well I need to get another load of laundry going...

Quick update

2008-06-15T08:11:00.002-04:00

We got Tom's mother moved into the retirement community and I am hoping she does ok. She is so used to sitting around that it is hard to get her moving. I hope she finds some things that interest her and she begins to get a life rather than just existing.

I am still in the meat/deli department and like it a LOT better than what I was doing so that is a plus. Having to work all my weekends is a minus though. Life is about trade offs I guess.

I am on week 3 of Lexapro and I don't know if it is helping or not. I am on a very low dose and I haven't been on it very long yet so we will see. I think if I could get some stuff in my life under control it would be better... Well I made the job change and I got Lil moved. If she does OK there, that will be another load off.

I haven't been doing any crafting or sewing. Computer prblems have been plaguing me and frankly I just have not had any interest. That's not good but maybe on my days off if I don't have so much running, I will get back in gear.

A week or so in...

2008-05-21T07:01:00.003-04:00

I have been working in the meat department now for just over a week and the results are pretty remarkable. I still don't look forward to going to work, (that would have me worried!)but I don't dread it any more. I keep busy, the day goes quickly and I can see what I am accomplishing. I hope that I am really contributing to making that department run. I know it is a lot easier on our meat cutters for sure.

I was off yesterday as was Mark (since it was primary day here in KY) and we got quite a bit done and now have plans to do more. I have had hostas growing along side the house for 20 years but there wasn't any demarcated bed there. Yesterday Mark and I bought some nice brick edgers and enlarged the bed out, just about doubling it. We also bought a hand cultivator since it is way too close to the house with too many big plants in it to do the rota tiller and when we were done, I put in 3 dozen lily of the valley plants which are one of my favorites and something I have wanted for a long time. The bed primarily gets morning sun so they should do well there. This morning after examining our work again, we decided that we are getting more edgers and instead of making one large garden for tomatoes, peppers etc, we are going to break it up into several smaller ones with the edgers making the edges. I like the idea and want to leave for work earlier this morning so I can get more edgers. We are using a really common type so years from now we will still be able to replace them if necessary. Now I just have to decided what we want to plant. I want one bed just for herbs so I will probably start there. Again, it is really nice to be able to see the results of your work!

Just what constitutes a day off?

2008-05-13T16:44:00.003-04:00

OK, so today was what most people call a day off. I didn't have to work at the job that pays me to be there and accomplish tasks for them. I did have a doctor's appointment scheduled and MIL informed me that her doctor sent her a letter telling her she needed to come in and get the results of her tests... (never good when they call you in) but that was all I had scheduled for the day. The day off starts at 5:30 when my husband wakes me while he is getting ready to go to work. I doze off again until 6 when DS's alarm goes off. I get up before him so I can use the bathroom before he gets in there and locks the door for 30 minutes.

As soon as he leaves, I get in the shower and get dressed so I can leave early for my foot doctor's appointment since I have to have MIL at her doctor's appointment 1 hour after my scheduled time at MY doctor. Miracle of miracles, I get in within 5 minutes! They still don't know exactly what is wrong with my foot. The major pain is gone but now it is very sharp and localized. A week's worth of steroids is prescribed I go back in 3 weeks but no more cast.

I am out of the doctor before 9 so I decide I am going to hit the big W and get my groceries and my birthday present to myself a bright red Zune. I decide to drop my prescription off before I shop. Well, go figure, a new girl in the pharmacy. I wait more than 5 minutes while she takes care of the person in from of me, then she takes a good 10 minutes to put my information into the computer only to THEN tell me the prescription will take 30 minutes or more to fill. Great, I now have about 20 minutes before I absolutely must leave to get MIL to the dr. I get the prescription back but can do nothing about the lost 15+ minutes. I run through and pick up my groceries and then go to get the Zune which is $15 higher than the price on line. Turns out they don't honor the online prices. I can order it online and have it shipped to the store for free but I can't just walk into the store and pick it up for that price. What a crock, you KNOW it isn't actually shipped to them, they get the order, go grab one off the shelf and call me that it is in. They won't budge and neither do I, I leave without it. I head for check out and wonder of all wonders there are only 2 lanes open. So I wait some more. I finally hit the parking lot 5 minutes later than I wanted.

I called Tommy, I am running behind, make sure g-mom is ready to go and move the car out of the garage. I get to the house, the car is still in the garage, the lawnmower is parked so close to it, I can't even get to the car. Move the mower, move the car, pull the other car into the garage, get MIL in the car and off we go. We make it to the doctor with 3 minutes to spare...at least until our appointment time. We now wait for half an hour before we get called back. We then wait another 40 minutes until the doctor gets to us. Turns out, they never said anything in the letter about her coming in to get her results, in fact everything was fine and that is why they sent her the letter. That will teach me to actually see any messages from the doctor before I schedule another appointment. Turns out though that she has a sinus infection so she is on antibiotics again.

I have to go get her prescription filled so I drop her off to get her nails done while I hit the grocery and pharmacy. By the time I get her home, get everything unloaded and feed her lunch...it is 1:00.

I get home, fix some lunch and settle down in my lawn chair with my book and the dog has a massive seizure. It must have lasted 20 minutes all told. She came out and went back in twice. I hate those. She does not deserve that.

It is now 5 PM and my day is about gone so I think I will try and savor the last few hours before the crew heads home. No more days off until Sunday. *sigh* it's a good thing too, working is less stressful! :-)

Well I am back

2008-05-07T07:48:00.002-04:00

much to my disappointment. Traveling with the MIL was rough to say the least. Stupid me booking a flight out of Louisville when they are Code Red because of Derby Weekend (OMG)it is just awful when the handicapped are treated like major security threats because they are in a wheelchair or wearing a cast... (although I do understand the necessity). Also a huge :-P to the ignorant persons working a Louisville Airport for not listening when I explained I was traveling with a handicapped passenger in a car with a handicapped tag and telling me I could park right next to the airport doors and not out in no man's land where the shuttle never shows up, (isn't wheelchair accessible anyway as we found out going back)and who can't understand when I say someone can't walk, that means they can't get on a plane that isn't wheelchair accessible without assistance! Good grief...

On the flip side, it was wonderful to be with my family, excellent that I got to see a myriad of cousins that I don't normally, phenomenal that my cancer battling SIL is doing better and beyond compare that I got to see all but 3 of my nieces and nephews this trip. I will post some pix later. I had a wonderful girls night out with my 7 yo niece and I never knew there was so much pink in the world...or at least at Michaels. And a spent some quality time with my head in the engine of a '66 Chevelle that can kick the ass of anything on the road. Not sure about that Sonoma truck though, just not my choice to play with... LOL

It is always very hard to come back to this. Well the washer has beeped so I'd better go dump everything in the dryer so I can go to work. Talk about depressing. I do believe it is time to seriously job hunt. That job is sucking the life out of me.

FINALLY!!

2008-04-30T06:22:00.003-04:00

I am off to NJ. I cannot wait but I know even with all my traveling today (plane, train and automobile) today will fly. Yesterday mom told me that my cousins Matt and Linda are in NJ until tomorrow so tonight hopefully all of us (my mom, my brothers and their families, my cousins and their families) will all be going to dinner when we get there. What fun. I know I won't have any trouble sleeping tonight!

OK, time to get the boy up and moving and finish packing. See you in a week!!

Some more ATC's

2008-04-26T11:24:00.004-04:00

These are such fun... Too bad I have to go to work :-(

Creative Juices...

2008-04-25T19:23:00.005-04:00

I finished a card today for my step daughter who just finished cosmetology school. I just love it.

I also put the finishing touches on some ATC's (Artist Trading Cards) and posted them on the CoC board. All five were gone in a matter of hours. I finished up 4 more tonight but haven't posted them yet. These are the sze of baseball cards and really fun to do.

That's probably about it for today except for finishing laundry. The temps are supposed to drop and it's supposed to rain. We may have yet another frost, lucky me, I just put out my mandevilla and one of my clematis is ready to bloom... *sigh*

I wish you could smell the air here!

2008-04-24T18:04:00.003-04:00

Thank the Lord I don't have allergies because I would hate to miss this. Everything is in full bloom here. I came home and as I pulled in the driveway, the sight took my breath away. The pictures don't do it justice and wish I could share the scent. My windows are all wide open. We are supposed to get rain tonight so we will start losing petals but oh my, it is wonderful right now.

My second challenge card

2008-04-20T21:15:00.005-04:00

This is for the Tea Bag folding challenge. The fold is popping diamonds, floating squares. The tile is Rosa's. The smaller flowers are the same tile just cut into quarters.

I wish you could see how these just pop off the page. I had a nice time playing with my cards today. I could have done without the 4 hour forced hiatus but, oh well, tomorrow is another day.

Update on the canvas piece

2008-04-20T11:23:00.003-04:00

Not too bad considering how much time I have either worked or had to runaround... Looks like it is going to rain so we will probably stay home and I can stitch.

My second diamond fold card

2008-04-20T10:42:00.005-04:00

The first one I destroyed. I had it really nice before I went to bed last night and when I woke up this morning, thought of something I thought would dress it up a bit and of course, screwed it up. So you get this one instead.

The 3D piece is from The Lilac Garden. There were 3 different colors of butterflies on the sheet so I am sure I will think of something else exciting to do with them at some point. This is my entry into the General Card Challenge at Circle of Crafters.

I may have my teabag challenge card to post later.

We are supposed to go to theInternational Kite Festival in Georgetown today but we are still debating that. More later maybe!

I learned to make a new card today

2008-04-18T17:07:00.001-04:00

It is called a diamond fold. I have the card made but o.f course, the piece I had planned on putting on the front of it is way too big so noI have to figure something else out. It was fun learning thought so you might want to give it a try. I will post a picture of mine as soon as I get it finshed.

Here is the youtube video that taight me how to do that. It was very simple really.

Woohoo Friday off!

2008-04-18T06:29:00.003-04:00

Thank goodness since it is the first day of an open house at Sam's and it will be nuts with anyone able to shop even if they are not a member. I do have to work tomorrow though so I am sure I wil get paid back for being off today. Tomorrow will be a LONG day since I have to get up a 4 to take DS#1 to Battle Assembly and then go to work at 9. I get off and 5 and have to go pick up DS#2 at my MIL's. I am sure by the time I get home, I will be ready to drop.

We started this morning on a roll. There evidently was a 5.4 earthquake in southeastern Illinois about 5:30 this morning and it rolled right on up here. It only lasted a few seconds and there was no damage but we felt it. Mark slept right through it. I was already awake though.

I have made good progress on Desert Star. I have finished all the little squares around the edges and have started the first of 4 rounds of stitching around the border. If you look at the star from the other day, the borders will go to the point on the outside squares so I have a bit to go. I am enjoying it though. Last night I was just too tired to stitch since I worked early and then had running to do, came home and helped DS#2 put together a wheelbarrow and fixed dinner. (yummy stuffed salmon, sauted aspsragus and mushrooms and fresh strawberries for dessert)

OK, I am going to get some stitching done this morning before I go get my MIL. I need to take her to get a picture ID made for the trip.

Lemon Ginger Chicken

2008-04-16T09:26:00.002-04:00

I fixed this the other night for dinner and decided that I wanted to share the recipe. It actually came from the Betty Crocker web site. The only thing I do differently is double the sauce recipe as it is delicious... Actually the sauce would be perfect over pound cake or angel food as a dessert as well. Use fresh lemons and not the bottled juice. It really does make a difference. Enjoy !!

Lemon Ginger Chicken

4 boneless skinless chicken breasts (1 1/4 lb)
1/2 cup Original Bisquick® mix
1/4 cup Progresso® plain bread crumbs
1 tablespoon grated lemon peel
1/2 teaspoon grated gingerroot
1/2 cup water
3 tablespoons vegetable oil

Lemon Ginger Sauce
1/4 cup lemon juice
1/4 cup water
3 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1/4 teaspoon grated gingerroot
1 drop yellow food color
Lemon slices, if desired

1. Between pieces of plastic wrap or waxed paper, place each chicken breast smooth side down; gently pound with flat side of meat mallet or rolling pin until about 1/4 inch thick.
2. In shallow bowl, mix Bisquick mix, bread crumbs, lemon peel and gingerroot. Pour 1/2 cup water into another shallow bowl. Dip chicken into water, then coat with Bisquick mixture.
3. In 12-inch nonstick skillet, heat oil over medium heat. Cook chicken in oil 8 to 10 minutes, turning once, until juice of chicken is clear when center of thickest part is cut (170°F).
4. Meanwhile, in 1-quart saucepan, mix lemon juice, 1/4 cup water, the sugar, cornstarch, gingerroot and food color. Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until thickened and bubbly. Pour sauce over chicken. Garnish with lemon slices.
High Altitude (3500-6500 ft): Cook chicken in oil 11 to 13 minutes or until meat thermometer inserted in center of chicken reads 170°F.

Well I am making progress

2008-04-16T06:59:00.016-04:00

Not only did I get pictures taken of a bunch of my cards but I also got a lot of stitching done on my canvas work. Yippee!

My cards: These are by Penny from CoC

These, I had bookmarked on my desktop computer and since that has decided to take a vacation, I can't tell you who they are from.

Last but not least, my canvas work. This is Desert Star. It is part of the regional quilt series from From Nancy's Needle. I need to finish the squares in the corners and along the outside and then there are several rows of borders to do but really, it is about finished. I would judge it at about 75%. I am going to try and get it finished so I can take it to my mom's when I go and we can get it made into a pillow. I had forgotten how much I loved this pattern so I am really glad to get back to it.

Well I just can't seem to get there

2008-04-14T13:01:00.002-04:00

When I went to bed last night, I was planning on working on my canvas piece today. Well it is now 1:00 PM, I am still in my robe and have not stitched one stitch! I haven't been playing though. I had to muddle through my FIL's income taxes because we just got a copy of one of his forms last week. We never got it and I didn't know that until I started going through last years stuff. I am lucky we got it as quickly as we did. Then I had to finish our state taxes and help DS do his state taxes. We can do federal on line but state cost $30. I can't see paying more more so I can pay even MORE money. I will put everything in the mail tomorrow.

It has gotten cold here again and we are under freeze warnings again tonight. It will be 74 again by the end of the week though. Spring is quixotic for sure.

OK, I am off to pull some chicken out of the freezer for dinner, see if I can find some place that still has pellets for the stove and maybe dig up something for lunch.

BTW with the coming of spring comes the blossoming of dandelions. I never spray them of dig them up because I remember picking them for my grandmother and mother and my kids picking them for me. Those little yellow "pests" and be pretty important. I have eaten cooked greens and drank dandelion wine. Here is a recipe for dandelion syrup which can be used as a replacement for honey. This came from Prodigal Gardens medicinal herbs and wild foods. The comments in the recipe are hers. There are other good recipies there as well so check her out...Enjoy Monday!

Dandelion Blossom Syrup

This is a traditional recipe passed down from the old world Europeans. I use it as a substitute for honey in any recipe that I’m trying to make wild.

1 quart dandelion flowers

1 quart (4 cups) water

4 cups sugar

½ lemon or orange (organic if possible) chopped, peel and all

Note: The citrus is optional, it will give the syrup an orangey or lemony flavor. If you want the pure dandelion flavor, you can skip the citrus. I make it both ways each year.

1. Put blossoms and water in a pot.

2. Bring just to a boil, turn off heat, cover, and let sit overnight.

3. The next day, strain and press liquid out of spent flowers.

4. Add sugar and sliced citrus and heat slowly, stirring now and again, for several hours or until reduced to a thick, honey-like syrup.

5. Can in half-pint or 1 pint jars.

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Fibre Content:	100% Silk
Made In:	Italy
Care:	Hand Wash/ Dry Flat
Knit:	22 st/4 inches 4 mm (US 6)
Yardage:	124 m (136 yards)
Size:	50g (1.75 oz) ball

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