Dianne Rambling on...

Moving on

2007-01-10T00:34:00.000-05:00

I decided to give Word Press a try. I've moved my archives on over to Dianne Rambling on...
Thanks to Barbara for the inspiration! I can't move to beta on blogger, so I'm moving here. Please update your bookmarks. I have a ton to update myself.

Awesome wallpaper for your puter

2007-01-09T01:27:00.000-05:00

Ok, okay...off to bed...but found these gorgeous floral and outdoor wallpapers from a local nursery called Waterloo Gardens. Thought I'd share.

Done my share of putting 'stuff' away yesterday. The tree is up in the attic. It won't have to go up there is we clean our basement-geez. I brought a few bags of Christmas stuff to sort upstairs and a box of ornaments too. Not that I feel much like looking at holiday items again. Brian didn't say much about what I did in the basement and it is an improvement in my eyes-thanks Bri. : (
And it only took him a year to figure out that if he turned the knob under this computer chair that it would tighten it up! I tried a few weeks ago, but I guess he really had to turn it.
Off to grocery shop tomorrow-oh joy.

Lordy, lordy, look what baby face is 40

2007-01-08T00:01:00.000-05:00

This is one of my favorite photos of my brother Ken taken about 4 yrs ago. He doesn't change at all. I was looking for a photo of him when he was little to show you. I wish him a Happy Birthday with many more to come! Mom and I both get warm fuzzies when we think about him (guess we love him so much. : )

I like African Violets

2007-01-07T19:08:00.000-05:00

The guys are hogging the tv and 'good seats' watching the Eagles play, so I made this African Violet collage-the first of the year!
I decided not to go to Winterthur. $20...yikes...saw the costumes on the web...much rather take down some stuff off the tree.

Welcoming spring?

2007-01-06T23:04:00.000-05:00

The weatherman all say 'El Nino'. It was so weird to open the front door on Jan. 6th and have it feel like May outside with almost 70 degree temps. The Mummers got to strut their stuff down on Broad Street near City Hill in Philly after not being able to last weekend. We don't go to the parade, but got to watch it a bit on tv. A friend in Philly said her three kids were suppose to be in the first part of it with the comic division and I hope they did! I was getting a kick out of seeing news reporter Vince DeMentri trying on all the Captain's fancy hats.
Vince and me at a Tech show where NBC10 was a sponsor back in Nov 03 (I darkened this as my makeup was so pale next to his tan complexion, my hair isn't black!). He and his coworkers were all very nice.

Courtesy of the Golden Sunrise Mummer's band
We were taking down Christmas stuff today. Brian did the lights outside and I did the things in the family room. The tree is still up and will slowly come down this week coming up. I'm not rushing anything. : )
For a change I pulled out some yarn and a crochet hook. I was originally going to crochet some Mary Jane slippers for Tori my niece, but the directions were for women size feet. So I made one and it fits me. I'll have to make the other one and than adjust to a little girl's foot. I'll also have to get more of the ruby color so they will remind her of Dorothy's ruby slippers from 'The Wizard of Oz', my original intention. I should get some yarn with sparkles through it!

Photo Hunt-MEMORY

2007-01-06T00:42:00.000-05:00

Grab the Scavenger Hunt code.

Photo Theme. Join the blogroll. Visit participants.

I went through my old photo album last year (that mom has at her home) and pulled some memory provoking photos to scan and enhance. This is a birthday party for my brother Don and me. He is holding the 'Puck Luck' game and I am smiling big next to him. My dress was a peach chiffon. Most of the kids are from the neighborhood, a few are from school and one is a cousin. Don and I shared a few birthday parties as we are one year and nine days apart. I believe this is 1965 or 1966. My mom still lives in this house. Can I name all the kids? Yes, but not the older girl in the back with the glasses-she's an older sibling of someone. : )

By the light of the silvery moon...

2007-01-05T23:19:00.000-05:00

Thursday night Bri came in and grabbed the new camera. I think these are pretty awesome 'moon' shots he took for his 'moon goddess'. Click to make larger as you can see more detail in the less bright one. The trees at the bottom and the brightness of the moon are neat in the one below.

You gotta have heart

2007-01-04T18:44:00.000-05:00

"You gotta have heart,miles and miles of heart..." from the broadway show Damn Yankees
(a bow to my brother who sang that song in his senior play)

Anyway...I hung up my faux red berry wreath ($3.24-Happy Harry's Drugstore) and added a little heart(49¢) on my dark teal door to warm us up for Valentine's Day. I took down a few outside decorations and the stockings. Little Christmas is the 6th, but we may be going to Winterthur on their final day of displaying costumes from some historic movies. Kate Winslet's gowns are included. You can actually go here and see them online!I love seeing costumes. One of my fondest memories as a teen was going to John Wanamaker (I believe) in downtown Philadelphia and getting to see some costumes from 'The Ten Commandments (Anne Baxter's gauzy Egyptian gown), and many circus costumes from 'The Greatest Show on Earth'. They had 'True Grit' playing on a big screen for the gawkers entertainment. I guess the eye patch that John Wayne wore must have been there. That was easily about 32+ yrs ago.

My living room is more like a Victorian parlor and I bought this stained glass floor lamp a few years ago. My mother-in-law had one and I loved it, so I decided to get this. I am thinking about changing that room a little. I saw a circular sofa on Extreme Makeover:Home Edition that separates in three sections. Why couldn't we have a little flat screen tv over the fireplace? And I want to put marble on the brick over the fireplace. (dreamer)

Just for fun

2007-01-03T19:36:00.000-05:00

I was looking at last January's entries and ran across this Google magazine cover generator-enjoy!
(This is an old photo of me from going on 2 yrs ago).

Kirigami everyday

2007-01-03T14:37:00.000-05:00

It really doesn't take much to make me happy. Good food, quiet time and new crafts are right up there with flowers, cross stitching and a movie I want to watch again (I'm really picky as I get older though about movies). This little rip-off calendar is making the entrance into the dreary days of January more fun for me! That's the practice one, then the ones for the last few days. Notice that the one you cut for the previous day is displayed on the current page-cool! And on the bottom is a sneak peek for tomorrow's snowflake. I have almost mastered the fold-I have to rethink the fold lines (on the calendar page there) and do eventually get it. It comes with detailed directions too! Then you cut out the printed design. Tomorrow's will be rather wing-like! I'm adding these to my collage scrapbook. My niece Tori would love these. I can cut squares out of new paper and redraw the patterns and let her go to town.
I will learn some other folds-starburst, spider, quilt, half/square fold, pop-outs, 3-D flowers and weaving and bows. All for $7.50! Run to Borders and get one! (uh oh-tomorrow is a starburst fold!)

Where's the gas?

2007-01-02T19:25:00.000-05:00

We finally found a BP station with gas tonight! The two Luk Oil places didn't have any gas! My tank was running a little dry and we were getting concerned. I only gas my van up every few weeks as it is. Bri's the heavy gas user in this family. Now don't think I'm not also thinking about global warming-but that's his job, driving around collecting ads for local newspapers. I'd love him to be up in the next town like he was when he first started, but no, they had to send him off to first Maryland (!) and now Lancaster county. He's put a ton of miles on his Taurus.
Not much new-we hit Wally World as I needed to get out of the house. I got some things for 75% off from the Christmas aisle. Love the silverplated initial ornaments with the crystals I got for the guys for $1.24 each. I got some cute galvanized mini buckets to make into 'something' for next year at 30-97¢ each. My best find was a MaryKate/Ashley poufy gold nylon skirt with sparkles throughout and a gold ribbon waist band for Tori. I'll probably give it to her for her April birthday. : )
I scheduled my very expensive dental work for the 15th-I so want to get it out of the way. I have about 3 cavities, one is under a crown on a dead tooth. So I have to have some bone taken away next to the trouble spot as I need a higher 'new' crown. They can't recycle the old one-too bad. The only good thing is the dentist- Dr. B-only about 28-30. : )

An Inconvenient Truth

2007-01-01T23:43:00.000-05:00

Now that another new year is under way, I want to tell you all to rent the documentary DVD by former VP Al Gore. It's really important because global warning isn't going to go away but only get worse. Just look at the weather we are having. It's in the 50s in January here! Hurricane Katrina was a result of global warming. In fact the earth hasn't been this warm in 650,000 years and is only getting warmer! If Greenland 'goes away' many places will be flooded out. I didn't like the fact that the Netherlands was used in two incidences-the Greenland problem and in an example of insects that hatch too soon and the birds can't feed their young (as I have friends who live there).
What can we do? Rally for environmentally safe vehicles for one thing. The future is in our hands!
Visit the website
I mentioned the above on MySpace and you can add a link to Amazon to buy the documentary. Over 300 people there gave high praise to it! Someone said people got up and applauded at the end of it in the theater.

Click to make bigger if necessary

Don't want to forget to say...

2006-12-31T19:09:00.000-05:00

Alton Brown kinda scares me...

2006-12-31T13:52:00.000-05:00

I got 'I'm Just Not Here for the Food-baking' cookbook from Food Network's Alton Brown for Christmas, at my request. I think Alton is pretty cool on his show and has a way with words and explaining things down to every minute detail. I knew he'd do the same thing with a baking book. Many people, Rachael Ray included (is she a bit overexposed these days-down to the Triscuit box?) are afraid of baking. Alton explains that baking is an 'exact' science. You can't go around messing with how much butter you put in your batter as you will mess with the formula. Cooking is different-you can toss in a little more, say chili powder to your pot of chili and it will still be basically chili.
Alton suggests a few things that made me rethink the way I've been baking for over 30 years. For instance, you should really be weighing your ingredients instead of scooping them out of the flour jar, etc. He suggests getting a digital scale in your kitchen. He also aerates his flour with his food processor before he uses it in the recipe. I always skipped even sifting it, but he doesn't like sifting-the food processor 'fluffs up' the flour. And did you know there are different mixing techniques? I really screwed up mixing the first time I used my KitchenAid when I decided to make muffins. I should have never used a mixer for muffin batter. I incorporated too much gas in the muffins and their lids fell flat.
I am learning many new things. Alton does include measuring we are all familiar with, but I am thinking about getting a scale now. There are oddles of new ideas in this book. If you like to bake and want to be more of a pro at it or even learn new techniques (like me), I'd invest in this excellent and informative book.
I guess I'm not really scared of Alton, I just need to try things in a new way.

Bri shots

2006-12-31T11:48:00.000-05:00

Bri told me I could have had the camera set at a different setting for my Longwood Garden photos. Too bad he didn't show me how to set it and I may have gotten better shots. He still has some shaky shots from a slow shutter, but these I really liked (from last night)

The front door-has a spot light on the very light reflective wreath

Looking through the front window-some of the snowbabies can be seen, but the tree looks pretty too!

No flash, just tree lights

Looking at the house from the long side of the yard

He redeemed himself a little taking these awesome shots, but I'm still mad about the basement. So much work to do!

ABCs of me

2006-12-30T21:14:00.000-05:00

When I got up this morning there was almost a near disaster. I knocked into something on the end table and it hit Brian's coffee mug (which I begged him never to place over my cross stitch stuff). Most of what was left in the mug went on the rug (oh great) and an old mailing envelope. I found a dot of coffee (so far) on a scrap piece of white aida. Whew.
Brian decided to move his childhood desk into the bathroom in the basement. He has some attachment to a rather ugly piece of furniture. It doesn't look right in there. The reason he moved it is that I want to set up a big table for crafting in a finished room we have. The problem is the room is loaded with junk-mostly old toys! So he just pulled the desk out and everything fell over. I sure hope I can use the room and my allergies won't get the best of me. I can at least start projects down there and store my gifts on the table. I can't have them in my small bedroom anymore.
Brian had on the funeral service for Gerald Ford earlier. One funeral was enough for me in one week. I wonder if Kathie Lee and Frank Gifford were there as they were pals with the Fords? Katie Couric and another reporter were saying that Ford and Jimmy Carter were friends too. I didn't know that.

The ABC's of me -nabbed from Barbara's blog, Mainly Stitching.
A - Available or single?:
Married a long time : )
B - Best Friend?:
Bri as male, Mom as female
C - Cake or pie?:
Devil's food cake with white icing or
yellow cake with chocolate icing
D - Drink of choice?:
Always brewed iced tea with lemon and the pink stuff
E - Essential item I use every day:
My computer.
F - Favorite color?:
Aquamarine
G - Gummy Bears or Gummy Worms?:
Neither-bad for my crowns
H - Hometown?:
Media, PA
I - Indulgence?:
A box of chocolates I make last a few months
or gift moola that I can blow in on anything
J - January or February?:
February because of Valentine's Day
K - Kids and names?:
Sean Matthew
M - Marriage date?:
April 14, 1984
N - Number of siblings?:
3 brothers
O - Oranges or apples:
Apples all the way
P - Phobias or fears?:
Big spiders, low laying snakes
Q - Favorite quote:
Take it one day at a time.
R - Reasons to smile:
A funny show or movie that tickles me and whoever is watching it. Giving a gift someone really loves.
S - Season:
Spring.
T - Tag 3 or 4 people:
Anyone who reads this and wants to try it.
U - Unknown fact about me:
I couldn't hardly type before we got a computer in '93.
V - Vegetable you don’t like:
okra
W - Worst habit:
Procrastination-but I usually do whatever I am holding off doing.
X - X-Rays?:
Had a few
Y - Your favorite food?:
Chocolate or lobster
Z - Zodiac sign?: Scorpio

Photo hunt-NEW

2006-12-30T00:32:00.000-05:00

Grab the Scavenger Hunt code.

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A few nights ago, I went to a gorgeous place called Longwood Gardens and got to try out our new
camera. The first fountain is part of the newly renovated part of the conservatory. I took an awesome photo of the pair of these last year. The second photo is a shell fountain at the Pierre DuPont home on the property. At least I have a theme going here. : )

Sad end of the year

2006-12-28T19:31:00.000-05:00

The three of us got up at the crack of dawn-no light-not our time of day at all. It's cold and dark. But we did it for our family and to remember dear Aunt Berenice. We took separate vehicles as I went to get my mom and the guys had to be at the church a little earlier. It was nice to have quiet on the way down and not hear complaining about the early rising, etc.
B had 11 members of her immediate family there before her closed casket (what she wanted). They were pretty good, but Aunt Sue was a mess. She and B had been like sisters. The entire 25+ yrs I have know her, I haven't seen her that upset. It was a nice mass with the priest recalling a newlywed B cooking ham and cabbage for the first time and forgetting to take it out of the can. : )
Mom and I didn't go to the cemetery, but we drove around a little. Mom wanted to see the house that she lived in for 15 yrs in the same town. We were holding our breath, and lo and behold, it was still there and being renovated much to our surprise! I think that made my mom feel good.
We went to the family home (B's daughter, s-in-l and two kids lived with her). Gerry, her daughter had beautifully decorated the entire place for Christmas-every nook and cranny. I was wondering if she would and she had started a few months ago. I never saw so many Christmas arrangements! I don't plan to take my stuff down until January 6th or so-we call it 'Little Christmas'. I go to a lot of trouble to decorate and taking it down too soon just won't do. The only things that may come down earlier are the outdoor stuff.
So we visited a little and then headed home. Mom wanted to see her old friend's house in the same town. We didn't know that Bri and Sean were following behind us. They were wondering why we were turning here and there. Ha!
I left about 2:30 from mom's and got stuck in a lot of traffic. I stopped off at Borders to get a few 50% off calendars-a watercolor one for mom and crochet, Victorian fairy and origami ones for me!

Longwood Gardens 2006

2006-12-27T20:53:00.000-05:00

My mom, sister-in-law, her mom and Kenny and Tori came out to our house so the kiddos could open their gifts from us. Tori got a Tinkerbelle 'head' lamp as her main gift. Kenny got an assortment of t-shirts (his favorite thing to wear) and drawing stuff. I had chili, chicken salad tea sandwiches, ham pasta salad, fruit salad and pastries as snacks before we went to Longwood Gardens. It was jammed packed and Sean and I had to walk at least 1/2 mile to get to the front door. My mom and Colleen's mom got pushed around in wheelchairs, though the kids got a ride when we went into the conservatory. I was using the new camera and it's hard to get good nighttime shots-I deleted a bunch, but downloaded 60 photos! Here are some of my favorites-

Me and Tori in the main conservatory
Some of the outdoor lights
Stars on the ceiling of the main conservatory
White tulips
Blue tree outdoors

I finally went over to the 'side window' and got my frequent visitor pass so I can go as much as I want. We didn't get to see the ice skating there which is new this year. We may go again next week. I got tonight's visit taken off the price. : )

A nice Christmas eve

2006-12-25T19:56:00.000-05:00

Kenny, Tori and Sean on Christmas eve

Part of my brother Ken's finished kitchen/family room. He put the stone work around the gas fireplace himself. That's a flat screen tv over the fireplace. They had two trees, the other real one is in the next photo.
Tori and me wearing our paper crowns from our Christmas crackers-an English tradition. I happen to find some in a dollar store.
Tori and a Belle doll I gave her.

Brian's aunt has left us a message on the answering machine and she sounded a little disoriented. She told us that Brian's other aunt, Berenice passed away on Saturday. She had dementia and had gone down to 50 some pounds. She died at home with everyone around her. She was a dear woman who smiled with her eyes and always made you feel at home in her beautiful Victorian home. Her son and husband were Brian's teachers where he went to high school. Aunt Sue said she looked at peace at the end. Her funeral is Thursday and Brian and Sean will be pallbearers.

We went to a lovely (but warm) midnight mass service in Delaware last night. The music was wonderful and I couldn't keep my eyes off an urn on the altar with white, olive green and deep pink colors. Branches that stuck out of the top were white.

We got to sleep about 2 am and I slept better! : )

Please help yourself

2006-12-24T12:53:00.000-05:00

Lots of hard work-Butter crisco chocolate chips, white chocolate chip fruit (dried cranberries and apricots) cookies, Russian teacakes, Rum Raisin Cheesecake bars, Deluxe Lemon bars, Microwave peanut brittle, date meringue cookies and chocolate nut fudge. Opps-forgot the 7 layer cookies!

We're off to my brother's house in a few hours. I don't know what to wear, but it's going to be a casual get-together with good food. I made Ken his requested Apple Cake with Rum sauce. I also have to bring a Caesar salad (I cooked some shrimp to toss in).

I'm surviving on pure adrenline as I haven't gotten to sleep until 3 am or later the last few nights. I keep thinking what I have to do in my head all night. Sometimes it would be so great to have people who live here who like to cook-ha! They're talking about midnight mass too. I'd probably be awake already!

Have a lovely Christmas eve!

Watch for new photos here.

Photo Hunt-Lines

2006-12-23T00:17:00.000-05:00

Grab the Scavenger Hunt code.

Photo Theme. Join the blogroll. Visit participants.

My cat seems to be the purrfect subject matter for Photo Hunt lately. My son Sean took this of Cosmo's pretty striped/lined tail. Brian took the one of Cosmo last week in the Santa hat. It's this or the curtain. If I see anything better, I'll post it-but enjoy the hairy lines. : )

Gifties

2006-12-22T11:48:00.000-05:00

I guess it's safe to post these as three of the five (as far as I know) have received them. These were for my pals over at tribe.net. Six of us are pretty close and in the last few months we have been sending mail art to each other. I decided not to do paper for the ornament exchange and do what I do best-cross stitching! I used my sewing machine to finish them off. With the stuffing I added some blue spruce pine needles that smell like citrus. They really like them which makes me smile. I was working on them when I was getting over my tummy bug, so that helped me recover.

Gift giver quiz

2006-12-21T16:44:00.000-05:00

You Are a Practical Gift Giver

Your gifts are useful, appropriate, and custom tailored to each person.
In your opinion, the best gifts are gifts that someone will actually use.
Your gifts may not be the most glamourous, but they are always appreciated.

What Kind of Gift Giver Are You?

Wrapping marathon

2006-12-21T16:11:00.000-05:00

That's all I've been doing. I wrap for all one person, and move on to the next. I want my niece and nephew to have their own special paper too. I'm almost finished-I have a few of my nephew's gifts to wrap and my father-in-law's. Brian and Sean only have to wrap gifts for me (and Sean for his dad and grandparents). Then I stick bows on the packages or use pretty ribbons to finish them up. I don't do bows until the last minute as they like to pop off, so I have to use tape to hold them on. Plus who likes a squooshed up bow?
Here are a few things I thought you'd like to see:

I've been trying to finish this little bear ornament since high school! It only needed a few stitches and assembly, which I did yesterday. I redid the mouth and metallic stripes on the drum. And I added the fringe to the scarf. Those are my initials from 1976! I did learn how to make cording too. : )

This is a gift for my mom. My brother Dave had uploaded a bunch of slides from the 1950s he found, and this was one of them. That's Ruth and Alan-Christmas 1954 (we think). So besides Christmas, why the photo in a frame? I took a few of their good china (what was left of it is just little chipped cake plates) and smashed them up to make mosaic pieces. So although the dishes are pretty much gone, here is a sample of the grape pattern with even the maker in a chard of the china-one the bottom there. Let me tell you, it was hard to break up! The grout should dry a bit lighter. This is a my favorite photo of them. My 'pop pop' died when I was 6 weeks old-a long time ago!

Photo enhancements

2006-12-19T21:41:00.000-05:00

I took the following photos with our new camera. I'm still learning, but I think these aren't too bad (click to make bigger too):

Sean in his room

Glass ball hanging in family room bay window

The red amaryllis in almost full bloom

(ignore the dust on the blue light fixture please) ; )

Young Frankenstein gone

2006-12-19T12:03:00.000-05:00

I meant to add this to my blog last week. I wanted to say how sorry I was to hear of the passing of Peter Boyle-the dad from 'Everyone Loves Raymond'. Patricia Heaton, who played his daughter-in-law, was on Conan last night and she had just attended his funeral that day. Peter was from Norristown, PA, about an hour from here. I heard he was interested in becoming a priest at one time. As he got older, he reminded me of my Uncle Don in looks and mannerisms. My favorite role of his-Frankenstein and his dance number 'Puttin' on the Ritz'.

Playing with the Rebel

2006-12-19T11:52:00.000-05:00

Our new camera was on the front door step this morning! We hope it wasn't there all night, but I think it arrived first thing. It's like an old-fashioned camera, but it's digital. I was putting the battery and CF card in place (we have to use a CF card we have already-silly me thought the company forgot to send it). I did take some photos, but we don't have the software on the computer yet. I have to figure out why it works 'some of the time' on the auto and all of the time on 'P', meaning, it shows the image on the LED screen on the back.
I'm really bushed from baking yesterday. I may get out in the kitchen sooner or later. I know what I'm making for dinner though. It was from Martha Stewart's Food magazine-cauliflower and pasta. I just happen to buy a big head of it the other day.
I may tidy up the boxes of Christmas things I pulled out over a week ago. I didn't get all the ornaments I like on the tree-like Mister Winking gold moon, but I think I better wrap gifts soon!
Watch for some photos soon!

Camera phone capture

2006-12-18T23:36:00.000-05:00

There's actually a lot more going on here, but I had my little camera phone and that's it. Sean also took a photo with his phone and if it's better, I'll switch. This was a few days before I got sick and I just got around to sending it to myself tonight. It's not my house, but a house in the next town. I made chocolate chips and 7 layer cookies this afternoon. I am not use to an efficient oven and I had to watch the cookies better than I had in the past (I had a system where I would turn the cookie sheet around so they would evenly brown-no worry now). My first batch ran a bit, so the next batch had more flour in it. Did I say it was close to 70 degrees outside today-it's the 18th of Dec!! So my kitchen was very, very warm. It's great having a dual oven. Tomorrow or the next day I have about 3 more kinds lined up to do.

My cooking duties for Christmas eve aren't too bad-Caesar Salad and Apple cake with rum icing (as requested by my brother). Now that one seemed too dense when I made it, so I'll have to watch the batter this time. I may add a little shrimp to the salad and I'm looking for a nice dressing recipe.

Christmastime visitors

2006-12-18T12:45:00.000-05:00

My mom and Jim came over last night after visiting my Uncle Don. Did I forget to tell you he is home now? He has a lady come in 3 times a week to clean, etc. but he is doing better. I think every 3 weeks the agency has to review his 'case' to see if he still needs help.
So, mom wanted to make sure she got here this year to see my house and tree as she wasn't driving much last year. She told me seeing my tree put her in the Christmas spirit. I told her that's what I was aiming for. I cleaned most of the weekend, so I am pretty tired today. I do plan to bake a batch of chocolate chip cookies in a few hours and see where that leads me. I have a feeling my 'baking' mode will kick in and I'll go to town in my new kitchen. I had Mom and Jim stay for a pork tenderloin cooked with roasted potatoes, (which I really felt like eating-my sickness last week has put me in a food jag) carrots and also green beans. They enjoyed their dinner. The guys were watching the Eagles football game, so we ate in shifts.
After Mom left, she stopped at Big Lots and was in there an hour. Here I thought she was almost home and she was shopping! She mentioned Sean's name and the manager there overheard her and said he was waiting for Sean to call him! So I guess he was well liked. Sean may work a few weeks in January at the store if they need him. Speaking of Sean, he has a final today-math and then the dreaded Biology one tomorrow.
Wish me luck in my cookie making attempts!
To Carole-I'll be thinking of you on your journey. I tried to say something on your blog, but I got knocked off. Thanks for sharing about Jesse. I have a friend who had a similar pregnancy. I had a miscarriage the summer before Sean was born, but I was only about 6 weeks along.

Gorgeous Amaryllis

2006-12-17T15:33:00.000-05:00

This was forced on my new kitchen window and will get about 5 7 blooms! I thought the Christmas tree as a background looked nice.

Photo Hunt-Annoying

2006-12-16T15:24:00.000-05:00

Grab the Scavenger Hunt code.

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Well, can you think of an animal that would be more annoyed by forcefully having to wear a Santa hat? Well it's annoying to Cosmo kitty!

Home Cmas Tour Celebration

2006-12-15T00:40:00.000-05:00

Welcome to my humble home. : ) I'm not really finished, but I promise to add more photos. We have a red and white candy cane theme going on out front with a few snowmen thrown in for good measure. I just strung the hedge lights yesterday. That's our new window which looks so nice inside, just wait and see!

I have a collection of snowbabies in the front window. That's buffalo snow underlit with white lights. In the middle is a giant glass mushroom. We do live in the heart of mushroom country.

My winter wonderland tree with blue and white lights.

A newer shot with more ornaments-missing the bottom row of lights which were replaced!

My feather tree with hand cross stitched ornaments. That's a real feather wreath on the wall and vintage Santas under it.

This is a 'Martha Washington' cabinet that belonged to my grandmom. I stitched the Santa with the green border and found the other at a tag sale.

Let's go shopping with the B and A

2006-12-15T00:36:00.000-05:00

I would have loved to tag along and seen what they bought in this artsy store in NYC.

Just like Barbara!

2006-12-13T23:46:00.000-05:00

Your Dominant Intelligence is Linguistic Intelligence

You are excellent with words and language. You explain yourself well.

An elegant speaker, you can converse well with anyone on the fly.

You are also good at remembering information and convincing someone of your point of view.

A master of creative phrasing and unique words, you enjoy expanding your vocabulary.

You would make a fantastic poet, journalist, writer, teacher, lawyer, politician, or translator.

What Kind of Intelligence Do You Have?

I need flowers all year round

2006-12-13T16:28:00.000-05:00

Also for Works for me Wednesday....

Waiting on the red amaryllis in the new kitchen garden window. I found two more bulbs in my basement and they won't give me any blooms, they are just sprouting leaves. I wonder why? Anyone know? (see one of them in the left corner there).
I had to show you the blooms on one of my many African Violets. So pretty. I usually treat these plants very poorly-sorry gals (they are too pretty to be boys). A few times a year, they get their leaves trimmed and some get repotted. I will give them plant food once a month. I guess this is my reward.

I also love Christmas cacti- I showed you one that was blooming last month.

I'm doing better. My tummy is still wondering what happened. It's gurgling like crazy. I've been doctoring it with Activia yogurt and some bland food. I really need to get to the post office soon as I don't want to be in the mile long lines next week. I almost went today, but decided I didn't want to risk feeling funny. I am going to get my hair done in a few hours if all is well after dinner. The hair stylist is about a 1 mile away from here and I just have to sit there and be patient. Hair fixin' does a girl good!

An uplifting gift

2006-12-12T23:59:00.000-05:00

Recovering from my bug was a little hard today, but I managed to take a shower and wash some laundry. Cooking was out of the question. It hurts to sneeze even!
This afternoon I received a lovely ornament from Veronica who lives in England. She doesn't have internet access, so decided she would send a long this perfectly constructed ornie to me along with her Cmas card. Wow, it really brightened my day. Thanks Veronica (her daughter Su knows all about this and will tell her). I need to get a card off to her promptly! : )

And my faux feather tree where I am adding my collection of ornaments. I made 3 of them, 3 were given to me and one I found at the Goodwill. Above it is my real feather wreath which I may embellish a bit. Below the tree are some 'vintage' Santas and a mug that was Sean's when he was about 2. His photo is an insert.

A virtual greeting

2006-12-12T23:41:00.000-05:00

This is pretty neat, a friend sent me one and I made my own. Everyone that is made is a 50¢ donation to breast cancer research.

Pulled through a knot hole

2006-12-12T10:22:00.000-05:00

Yesterday I got that terrible tummy bug that is going around. I hadn't been that sick for 6 yrs. I even went to the doctor, not sure how I did (Brian took me). My father-in-law and nephew had it, so be careful in crowds and public restrooms. I think I picked it up Friday. Anyway, my almost 101 temp broke at 4 this morning. After I took the nausea med, what bothered me like crazy were my knees and legs. I broke down and took a couple of Tylenols which helped a bit. Now I'm on the BRAT diet (bananas, rice, applesauce and toast).
I am now behind on things-finishng the tree and other decorating, the outside decorating and mailing things. I told Bri I was glad it wasn't the 22nd! I hope they both don't get it and Bri doesn't feel well today though he went to work. He may be just worn out from running to the store for me 4 times yesterday!
My tummy is bothering me the other way this morning, so hopefully I am on the road to recover. Cos the cat didn't like seeing me so miserable and laying the wrong way in bed. Today he wants to snuggle with me.
Thanks for your comments on my mosiac ornies and tree. I actually added two huge balls to the top-a silver one and an icy blue one with snowflakes on it.

A Blue Christmas

2006-12-10T18:09:00.000-05:00

It looks even brighter in person-the guys aren't use to those LED 'white' lights (the bigger bulbs). I have a few shades of blue more in the middle. I am still looking through ornaments for clear ones, white ones and snowflakes or balls!

Brian is always trying to win over the cat! I see my mosaic ball right under Bri's elbow there. : )

Mosaic ornaments

2006-12-10T12:35:00.000-05:00

I started these before Thanksgiving and just got around to grouting four of them yesterday. The round ones are plastic ball which I only found on eBay, not in any craft stores. If you see them anywhere, let me know. The flat glass ones are much easier to make. There must be a system to doing the round ones, like just do the top first and then the bottoms. But the tiles tend to come off the round ones more. I really dislike crafting on my dining room table, but I have no where else to do it-yet. I am eyeing up that room in the basement! Now for someone who made mud pies when she was little, mosaics is messy fun for me! The guys were like, wow that's really messy. I plan on embellishing them with ribbons, I'll have to see what looks nice.

The grout gets its tint from acrylic paint. The green round ornie is dry and the pink one was done this morning. I add little stars, etc and glitter to the wet grout. The two flat ones shaped like ornaments are also dry. I just glued the 'window' shaped ones this morning. I think they really look like stained glass windows.

Close up of the green ornament, which is sideways! I forgot to flip the photo!

Photo Hunt-RED

2006-12-09T12:02:00.000-05:00

Grab the Scavenger Hunt code.

Photo Theme. Join the blogroll. Visit participants.

This is an old martini (?) glass pitcher I have and I really love the color of it. I bought it at an antique place that was set up in a few old train cars in my hometown. I lile how the light plays with the red.

Wintery Christmas Garden

2006-12-08T13:07:00.000-05:00

Just to clarify-I found this on Corbis.com. Isn't it magical? Reminds me of Sandy's garden (see blogroll).

Move over Will Ferrell!

2006-12-08T01:46:00.000-05:00

Hey gang, I just made a total elf of myself. Check me out by clicking this link

Grade me!

2006-12-08T00:26:00.000-05:00

You paid attention during 86% of high school!

85-100% You must be an autodidact, because American high schools don't get scores that high! Good show, old chap!

Do you deserve your high school diploma?
Create a Quiz

Your Language Arts Grade: 100%

Way to go! You know not to trust the MS Grammar Check and you know "no" from "know." Now, go forth and spread the good word (or at least, the proper use of apostrophes).

Are You Gooder at Grammar?
Make a Quiz

Snowbabyland

2006-12-07T16:25:00.000-05:00

I crept down the dark and dusty caverns of our basement with dust mask in place and started to pull away at the tremendous pile of decorations. I spent a few hours doing this:

My mom had seen 'buffalo snow' in a catalog with the lights attached. I decided to do it myself. Buffalo snow doesn't melt unless the temp gets to 450 degrees. I was careful not to put too much weight on the lights, I worked around them. Also, I left a glass platter in the middle, (under the snow) where the big glass mushroom is to alleviate some of the weight on the lights too. I plan to turn them off every few hours-they get warm, not hot.

I think the little snowscape with my collection looks cute!

I have some of those 'bases' that change color

I like this photo! This is my newest Snowbaby-the little ice skater with the penguins. I added some snowball and little tree candles and iridescent grass.

Elfie me & other happenings

2006-12-06T00:33:00.000-05:00

Christmas Elf Name

My Christmas Elf Name is

Get your Christmas Elf Name at JokesUnlimited.com

Did you feel the earth move a few hours ago? Brian and I ordered an awesome new ~~and expensive~~ Canon camera with two lens as a gift for ourselves for Christmas. So I hoping to be taking even clearer and closer up photos to share with you all! Can't wait to get it and try it out.

I did go to BJ's Wholesale Club with my mom on Tuesday. I think we are both fighting colds. We even bought some Zicam and split the package. My tummy is a bit wonky, so I'm hoping that calms down. It's my overdoing it time of the year. I need to do so much in the next few weeks. In a few hours I hope to be mailing some packages. Anyway, I got some neat stocking stuffers and gift stuff for the guys at BJs. I just need to get my mom a few more things. We stopped at Pier One and I found some nice things in there for our hostess for Christmas eve. I hope she likes them.

Can't wait to get the tree up over the weekend. : )

And Works for Me for Wednesday (I'm updating this early Thurs morn).

I buy split chicken breasts (like 2-they usually come packaged that way) and boil them in a pot filled with water. I add celery, carrots, onions and seasoning like S&P and thyme. When the chicken is cooked through, I remove it to cool and then strain the broth. I use the broth for soup and the chicken for one of my fave dishes-chicken salad. Save some meat for the soup! You can use it for a zillion dishes though. So you are really getting more bang for your buck.

Hanging tight and ordering

2006-12-04T12:08:00.000-05:00

I feel so good to have 6 things ordered for Bri and Sean. The only thing is they are each coming from 6 different places. So I am crossing fingers that the sellers who all have great feedback will be on the ball and get them out within the next few days. I ordered most of Sean's wish list on Amazon-$60 for 4 things-can't beat that. I'll have to get him a few little surprises. We promised to cut back because of the expense of the kitchen. Bri is getting a cool surprise too. I'm afraid he'll read this, so I can't tell.
I am tossing the coin-it's between going out or decorating a bit. I want to hit Tuesday Morning ~~and TJ Maxx~~ one of these days. Mom and I want to go to BJs Wholesale Club. (Update-went to TJ Maxx and only need to get a few more gifts now-yippee!)
My sister-in-law wants us to come to her house for Christmas eve instead of us eating out. She said we could bring some sides, so I'll be checking out my cookbooks for good ones. Any suggestions?
~~Sean is now bothered by a plugged ear.~~ I was using a syringe at 11:45 last night. I'm afraid to hurt his eardrum, so he better go to the doctor to get it cleaned out. (Update-when he came home from classes, 'Dr. Di' cleaned it out and it worked this time! He was so relieved. That's mom stuff for ya). I definitely have tinnitus. I think it's mostly from my sinuses, but as I was reading up on it and saw where it said a loud noise may 'bring it on', and we walked out of the Lewis Black concert a few months ago to fireworks-just wondering (seems to be when it started up). I found a herbal remedy for tinnitus, so may order that, we'll see.
When I start to decorate more, I'll post photos. At least most of my Christmas cards are filled out and just need postage.

A birthday surprise and more lights!

2006-12-02T22:12:00.000-05:00

Boy was MaryAnne surprised! That's my sister-in-law and it was a celebration for her 50th birthday today. That's her friend and neighbor in the red and MA's David next to her. (Her mom 'Aunt Sue' is smiling big in the background).
The light of my life, next to Sean of course, my niece Victoria!
Going through my hometown after dropping my mom off, I took a quick photo of the Media Theater. All the stores along the main street are trimmed in white lights like this is. My second 'light' entry of the day. : )

Photo Hunt LIGHT(S)

2006-12-02T00:51:00.000-05:00

Grab the Scavenger Hunt code.

Photo Theme. Join the blogroll. Visit participants.

This was taken back in January at Longwood Gardens, Kennett Square, PA. This is an outdoor water show and the lights change colors and the fountains change shape. The snowflakes are in the trees behind the fountains. I plan to get a pass to go here as much as I can for exercise, to enjoy the gardens and to photograph things like crazy.

And now to comment on the weather

2006-12-01T23:29:00.000-05:00

The wind was fierce, it blew all day and even knocked down my big plastic garden bench. But it was the warm weather-close to 70 degrees that was so unusual. It got so warm in here, I turned on the air conditioner for about 15 minutes to cool the place off! Yes-in December. It was a jinx as the power went out for a few minutes right after that. I don't like warm weather in December. It throws me off like you wouldn't believe! And we were expecting 'severe' rainstorms all day-it went through about 7 and lasted about 10 minutes or so.
I went down the basement to look at the jumble of Christmas decorations and picked up one basket and a cloud of dust erupted from it! Ugh! I think it's the kitty litter settling on everything. I asked Bri to switch to the crystal stuff-looked in the box and it was the sandy stuff again. That means I have to be like a bandit and cover my nose and eyes everytime I go looking for something.
So I did pack up the last of the Thankgiving/Autumn decorations first (opps-forgot my hutch!) I'm getting the decorating itch!

JT's Musicare Man of Year show

2006-11-30T00:49:00.000-05:00

Thanks to Sean, I had a nice evening last night. When he came home from classes, he said he had read that James was going to be on PBS at 9. It didn't take me long to realize it was probably the show honoring him from March of this year-Musicare's Man of the Year award show to be exact. It was really a great program! Lots of musicians singing JT songs. JT looking so fine and modest in the audience in his dark suit and ice blue silk tie. Seeing the little 5 yr old Taylors-Rufus (I thought it was Logan) and Henry booging with their uncle Livingston on stage while dad got into 'How Sweet it Is'. So this was a treat for me and I know what to ask for, the DVD for Christmas!

The postman always rings...

2006-11-29T15:54:00.000-05:00

...more than once for me! I'm still celebrating my birthday 10 days later thanks to AnneMarie from the Netherlands and my friend Angela from N.Y.
Here are the surprises from AnneMarie. What a wonderful stitcher and a perfect finisher she is!

The Prairie Schooler is my favorite cross stitch designer, so AM did a black bird autumnal design for me. The book is a pretty DMC one featuring fruits. The two kinds of fabric will be well utilized. Thanks so much AM! I'll send you off one of my special collage cards soon.

Today a package came from Angela. She had designed 3 gorgeous scrapbook pages for me! One for my birthday, one for Cosmo the cat and one with a Victorian flair. I'll add some photos and share with you.

I am making some goodies in the form of gifts. The glue isn't cooperating, but I plan to make 6 on these 'items' to start off with. I don't want to say what they are, but I'll show you in a couple of weeks. I put on James Taylor's Cmas cd and went to town. That's the best medicine. : )

I ran across this at Rocks in my Dryer. Shannon wanted to know some cool Christmas ideas. I would say the Christmas Memory Book I did about 11-12 years ago was pretty neat. I went through my mom's photos and added many of my own to the collection. I made nice scrapbook like pages on 8.5" x 11" paper. I went from when my siblings and I were little to when our kids were little. I asked each family member what their best memory of Christmas was. I got some interesting answers! Everyone had their own page which I typed up and used different fonts for everyone. I got enough copied for all my brothers and our mom and put them in red plastic report folders that I decorated with sparkly snowflake stickers. I still look at mine!

The yard late November

2006-11-28T18:43:00.000-05:00

There's still leaves to be raked up! This in the front yard under the dogwood tree. It was about 60 today, so I raked up various piles around the yard. I can't pick them up, but raking them in nice piles isn't too bad (I make great piles of papers and books too!)

This is awesome grass. All those pretty fuzzy things are seeds and once they root, they are hard to dig up.

And my biggest surprise-Calendula (I think) still blooming! (It's in a black plastic pot with a black handle).

Christmas in Odessa, DE

2006-11-28T12:41:00.000-05:00

I so wanted to go to Odessa this year! We passed the exit on the way to Dover and I mentioned it to Brian. It's not that far away. It is only held one day, this Saturday. But it's also the day of something else. I can't mention what it is. What would you do....what would you do? : )

Just look at the name on the sign-I was meant to be there!

Looking up...a bit

2006-11-28T11:24:00.000-05:00

So I bit the bullet and found out about my ultrasound-yes I have fibroids and they aren't too bad. And I have a shadow on my liver, I've been told that before. Whether or not my family doctor wants me to get that checked out is up to her. I have fatty liver as does my younger brother. It seems to be a family issue. I still think Lyme Disease is playing with my system after all these years. I've never been the same since 1997, so for the last nine years. I was just reading that you can get it through mosquitoes too! I had a few terrible bites on my leg, one of which is finally going away after 4 months-I kid you not! It was healing funny, like overscabbing. Colleen said little Tori had the same kind of bite. My Uncle and my mom's neighbor have been infected by LD more than once.
I was looking at a correlation between women's cycles and Lyme disease and found a page about the nervous system. There was a questionnaire and I could relate to a lot of the questions-being in crowds, feeling like I've been touched and haven't (<-not that often). Though my brother called me oversensitive, maybe I really am! My mom always said I was the loudest baby in the nursery like the other babies and noise or lights were bothering me. To this day I prefer the evenings to the mornings. I did not grow up in the most stable environment (divorced parents) which surely didn't help a sensitive little girl. I am writing this in hopes that other people who may have these issues will write to me. It's hard to have issues that you just can't pinpoint. You try to live a normal life and enjoy the little things-that's all you can do.

It's a Wonderful Life

2006-11-28T00:59:00.000-05:00

Jimmy Stewart from Indiana, Pa. played George Bailey the character who felt like everything he wanted to do got pushed aside. I loved this character and I think Jimmy was such a gentleman. It was just his voice that was a bit grating. I hope you've seen this move and if you can't make out my phrase there, it says 'Every time you hear a bell, an angel's got his wings' or something like that. : )

Ok, I agree with Barbara, Jimmy had a very memorable voice-maybe it was the people who tried to imitate him that made me think his voice was annoying. Shame on them! ; )

So what is it?

2006-11-27T23:08:00.000-05:00

I was wondering all day where my mom was. She had a 12:30 eye doctor appointment and we chatted at about 11 this morning. So 2 pm went by, then it was going on 3. I called mom's house. Nothing. By 5:45 I called my brother thinking she was over there admiring his newly 'faced' (with stone) fireplace. Not there. I called Ken again an hour later to ask him to go over to mom's and the phone beeped and it was her! I was upset with her for not taking a second out of her 5 hour shopping excursion to call me. She apologized. I had gotten a 5:30 phone call from the doctor's office and the nurse said my culture didn't look like a UTI! I could have told her that. I know it's the fibroids or a groin pull or both. Geez. Wants me to give them another sample. What fun! I am calling the gyn office about the ultrasound I had last month and never heard about. We have to fork out almost $400 for that.
I wanted to shop online today, but I need a few days to collect myself from yesterday. We aren't going gung ho with gifts...we decided that months ago. I'd like a new camera (that would be gung ho), but Bri never can chose one. He did get a few bucks from an old bank account through the PA treasury or something. Maybe we could use that. Come on Bri!!!

Pictures

2006-11-26T22:51:00.000-05:00

This is going over the St George's bridge and is a mixture of my reflection and the Delaware Bay. It's a high bridge!

Ahhh...my favorite bookstore-and I was very selective too!

The address is 1159 Dupont Highway-the month and year of yours truly's birth! No wonder I like it there!!

We also went to the Dover Mall where Sean and I used some gift cards (we bought a few little things for us and gifts for others). We ate in...where else, The Olive Garden! I also hit A.C. Moore, Dollar Tree and Kohls. I got a little shopping out of the way! And I felt better, but not 100% yet-the guys thought it was funny when I almost walked into a glass wall at FYE!

Takin' a drive

2006-11-26T12:33:00.000-05:00

After an emotional, worthless day yesterday, I woke up to a nice, sunny day and asked the guys if we could take a drive down to Dover, DE. They said 'yes'! So we are leaving shortly. It takes an hour to get there and the stores (plus my favorite book warehouse) are open until 8! Guess we'll go out to eat too. I just needed to see something different. Talk to you later!

Photo hunt for Saturday....TIME

2006-11-25T14:09:00.000-05:00

the past...my Uncle Don who is 83 now, his dad, my grandfather Alan and my gr-grandfather Alan Sr. They knew how to party in the 50s!

Family Issues

2006-11-25T13:39:00.000-05:00

I don't know when I'll be blogging again-my brother and mom both have issues with me right now. I didn't do anything except get sick on the day I was suppose to have my brother out for a visit before he went home to Florida. I'm pretty sure they are both bi-polar, either way up or way down and it's 'my way or the highway'. Mom was here since Wednesday and left around noon today in a huff because she said 'she wore out her welcome'. I think she is upset about my brother showing me the gate. So when I have interesting things to share, I'll be back. I think I'll do something crafty to get my head on straight again. Hugs to you all!
Update-I talked to mom tonight and she wasn't mad at me, but Brian! I don't know why, he just got up in the morning like everyone else did. I am still peeved at the way she ran out the door. Brian left a voice message with my brother about apologizing to me for the email. I said he needs to stick up for me once in a while. We've heard nothing.

Thanksgiving 2006

2006-11-23T23:18:00.000-05:00

Care for some wine? I didn't have any, but Sean and I designed a concoction of Sprite and cranberry juice-yummy! I had gold charger plates with my good china. I added a tea candle (gift from my sister-in-law along with an apple for a decoration.
The table again with a surprise 'guest'-that's Cosmo the kitty!
Hit dessert! Pumpkin gingerbread trifle-Paula Deen's recipe (I also made her cranberry and cream cheese slices).

I also had mincemeat pie for Bri's dad.
Mom and I relaxing after cleaning up the kitchen
A roaring fire courtesy of Brian.

I realized I didn't post dinner food photos-I was just too busy in the kitchen. The food turned out great! I have to applaud my oven for helping out. I used a Reynold's cooking bag and placed the turkey without stuffing in it (along with carrots, onions and celery). I seasoned the turkey with salt, pepper and sage and used a little butter on top. Along with the cooking bag, I cooked it 'breast side down' for the first 2 hours and then flipped it over in the last hour or so. It really makes all the difference!

I had Yukon gold mashed potatoes, green beans and bacon, brussel sprouts with garlic and bacon, yams, cole slaw and cornbread stuffing.

Family connection

2006-11-21T17:05:00.000-05:00

I got an email from my father's half brother today. I have never met or talked to him ever, but he got my email from our cousin Ann who I correspond with. I won't go into it, but it was about my estranged father. I think I answered his question and I also shared some of the family photos that I shared with you. I said he could share them with my father if he wanted to.
So exactly a year ago, a cousin from my mom's side of the family had left a comment on blogger wondering who I was (I like to look up posts from a year or two ago). I had written a post about his grandmom and he had googled her name (I guess) and my blogger post came up.
The internet is a great way to connect with new people and family and even those you have wondered about.
I thought it would be interesting to put up a few names of people from the past to see if they google themselves. If you get to my post, please say 'hello'. All are from the Philadelphia area.
Phil Heaver
Valerie Henschel
John Voelker (WCU)
Donna DiDomenico
Amy and Jessica Nackord
Andrea DeBeacke or DeBecke (I think the spelling is incorrect)
Amy Troy
Michelle Bendo
Regina Naab
Olivia Pettengill Maple
Kathy Clancy

Truly blest part 2

2006-11-21T12:05:00.000-05:00

Tons of birthday cards! (with a few Thanksgiving ones too)
The lovely gifts I described earlier

I'm still a little wonky, though I slept 6 straight hours last night. I heard nothing. One magic pill! Too bad I have 13 more to go. I never heard from Don. This makes me so sad for mom and me. I try to be a good sister and send him goodies in the mail once in a while. I think being around us reminds him of things he didn't like about his childhood. Personally, I try to focus on the fun memories from then.

I hope everyone who is cooking in two days is ready! I'm not. I still need a few ingredients and to get the table ready. Thank goodness for one more day!

I may be MIA

2006-11-20T18:03:00.000-05:00

Just a quick note to let you know I am sick with a bladder infection! I was up all night 'greeting' the Tidy Bowl man every 10 minutes. I haven't had much sleep since Saturday night. So much for a good birthday evening. I was kinda just getting by last night though I wasn't up to par (I had indigestion as did the guys).
My brother and our sister-in-law were suppose to come out and see the kitchen and I was too miserable to have company. He's angry at me for being sick! So get glad again. (I have shed a few tired tears over how he treated mom and what he said). I had to wait until 4 to go to the doctor (so I was miserable all day) and Brian is getting me antibiotics. Those blasted infections make you feel ill all over. I hope I am up to Thanksgiving, but mom said she would help and it's just 5 of us anyway.
Keeping fingers crossed for a speedy recovery.

Family Shots

2006-11-19T22:36:00.000-05:00

The thirteen of us-notice the lack of females. Next generation
With Don after not seeing him for over 4 years

Sharing a birthday cake-just like the old days! He's a year younger

and born on the 28th.

Truly Blest-part 1

2006-11-19T12:10:00.000-05:00

I really am blest with friends I've met over the internet in the last 9 years. This past year, I've met some new pals, mainly through Blogger and Cyberstitchers. I had no idea I'd be surprised with goodies time and time again over the last few days.
First 'Pea' (Pea's Corner) from Canada sent me a package. I told her I'd wait until today to open it. I need to take a photo, but it is the sweetest petite perfume bottle, shaped like a heart with a faceted round topper and little jewels on the sides. The box is pretty too! Thanks Pea/C!
Barbara from The Netherlands (Mainly Stitching) and Carol from N. Hampshire (A Garden of Stitches) both surprised me with cross stitched scissor fobs they made with their own two hands. Their creativity shines through each stitch and how the fob is assembled. I borrowed their shots from their blogs. Barb also sent a nice English stitching magazine, 2 quarters of Christmas fabric and some pretty stitching fabric. I also want to thank Carol for trying to find some info on NH for Sean for a paper.

From Carol

From Barbara

Charlotte from Ireland sent me peach and white roses (and another kind of flower) in a blue pitcher. These touched me as I know she's been flat on her back, literally after back surgery.

Karin for Illinois sent me the JT Cmas CD (Bri gave it to me also), cute greeting cards with a little girl who is gardening and a roll-up case for a project.
Angela from NY sent me a lovely long scarf she made-red silk-like material with beads on the end. Also a little folk angel and a stained glass butterfly pot hanger.
Terri from Alabama sent me a Harry and David cheesecake 'sampler'-pure heaven!
Joy from Washington sent goodies from where she works-Drugstore.com-Bert's Bees items in a pouch, Badger hand balm and a catnip mat for Cosmo! I think she looked at my wishlist there! ; )
Sean gave me two CDS-Sarah MacLachlan's Cmas and Bianca Ryan's debut (I mentioned in my previous post).
Bri gave me two necklaces-a 'D' with a little diamond, a big 'O' with diamond-like rhinestones; Chocolates in a cute tin, a little teapot with bear figurine from Boyd's and the JT CD which I will exchange. I will post more photos later.
I am going to Ken's at 4 and hopefully all my siblings (3 brothers) will be there. Dave, the oldest, may have to work.
My mom isn't well today with tummy problems, so I hope she'll be better by then. I am ok today, at least my ears seem better. Let's just say hormones can play tricks with you!
So from the bottom of my heart, I appreciate you all, not just for your thoughtfulness, but because you are YOU!!!!

For your entertainment

2006-11-19T00:10:00.000-05:00

Today in History -All Events on November 19
1965 Kellogg's Pop Tarts pastries created-is this why I can't help but buy them all the time?
1962 Fidel Castro accepts removal of Soviet weapons
1959 Ford cancels Edsel
1919 U.S. Senate rejects Treaty of Versailles and League of Nations
1895 Frederick E. Blaisdell patents the pencil

General Interest
1863 : Lincoln delivers Gettysburg Address
1942 : Soviet counterattack at Stalingrad
1969 : Pele scores 1,000th goal
1977 : Sadat visits Israel

American Revolution
1776 : Congress pleads for soldiers

Automotive
1954 : First toll machine goes into service
1993 : Chevy Cavalier becomes Toyota Cavalier

Civil War
1863 : Lincoln's Gettysburg Address -I'm proud of this event happening on my birthday

Cold War
1985 : Reagan and Gorbachev hold their first summit meeting

Crime
1924 : The story of Thomas Ince's death takes on a life of its own

Disaster
1824 : Thousands perish in St. Petersburg flood

Entertainment
1916 : Goldwyn Company formed
1923 : Louella Parsons joins Hearst

Literary
1899 : Poet and critic Allen Tate is born

Old West
1907 : Shane author Jack Schaefer is born

Presidential
1831 : James A. Garfield is born

11/19/1889 Clifton Webb Entertainment
11/19/1904 Nathan Leopold Crime
11/19/1905 Tommy Dorsey Music
11/19/1917 Indira Gandhi Politics
11/19/1919 Alan Young Entertainment
11/19/1920 Gene Tierney Entertainment
11/19/1921 Roy Campanella Sports
11/19/1926 Jeane Kirkpatrick Politics
11/19/1933 Larry King Entertainment
11/19/1934 Dave Guard Music
11/19/1936 Dick Cavett Entertainment
11/19/1938 Ted Turner Business
11/19/1939 Tom Harkin Politics
11/19/1939 Garrick Utley Journalism
11/19/1941 Dan Haggerty Entertainment
11/19/1942 Calvin KleinFashion
11/19/1949 Ahmad Rashad Sports,Entertainment
11/19/1953 Tom Villard Entertainment
11/19/1954 Kathleen Quinlan Entertainment
11/19/1957 Ofra Haza Music

Also: Meg Ryan and Jodie Foster!

Me Collage

2006-11-18T15:42:00.000-05:00

My life so far...

I apologize to my sister-in-laws for not having a photo of them here. I don't store that many photos on the computer. I'll have to look in my Yahoo photos and add them in. Can you find my mom, three brothers, my Uncle, my grandmom, and the next generation? Click to enlarge.

Saturday Photo hunt

2006-11-18T00:23:00.000-05:00

Grab the Scavenger Hunt code.

Photo Theme. Join the blogroll. Visit participants.

The word is 'Plush'. I think Cosmo agrees that this pretty faux fur throw is plush.

Bianca's First CD!

2006-11-17T11:31:00.000-05:00

Bianca Ryan's first CD is out!! Remember she's the young lady who won 'America's Got Talent' back in August? I am thrilled for her (she's from Philly too). I hope someone here gets it for me (Sean is shopping today, so just maybe!) Be sure to click on the yellow arrow on the page if you can get to it. I thought I gave you the correct linkage. Let me know.

Perfectionist

2006-11-17T10:41:00.000-05:00

I use to be too hard on myself about getting things perfect. Nothing is perfect really. That said, I was going through my cross stitch stuff last night and found about 4 UFOs (unfinished obejects/pieces) that only need a few things to actually complete them. Like the Christmas peace sheep only needs the 4 words 'peace' in the border. And the Hershey kiss kids just need the background. I held that last one up to tell Brian that I worked on it when we lived in the apartment-that was over 20 years ago. One is of Amish children under an apple tree. I need to finish the tree, birdhouse and basket. I think this one put me off because of all the apples. Then I have a beagle pup in an unfinished basket. Does anyone have a beagle out there who would like this? I forget who I was making this for, maybe an old friend of my brother's. So I have a few pieces to get finished and I'll show them to you soon!

I am a little upset because I still have the ear problem. I've had it off and on for years. It's annoying , especially if I am sitting quietily and better when I am working around the house. It's like hearing crickets outside in the summer, but quieter. I read it could be from allergies, Lyme Disease or too much wax. I've had/have all three. Our newer phone projects the speaker quite loud, so I am wondering if that could be a problem too. I can hear Bri's dad talking to him on the phone when he is 10 feet away! I remember having a bad episode of it when my niece was born-that was 7.5 yrs ago. My allergies were not great that year either. I'll get them checked out if it gets any worse.

Stitching blogger question

2006-11-17T10:18:00.000-05:00

Q. Do you stitch Christmas ornaments? If so, how many do you stitch each
year and for whom? If not, why not?

Yes, I do make Christmas ornaments that I mostly give away. I don't make a lot, maybe 3-4, but I always want to start in the summer to make more and rarely do. I have two completed now waiting for me to finish them. My one charity group usually picks a few children and we make a ton of ornaments for them. A few years ago it was a family with special needs kids (all adopted) and the mom was so thrilled that the ornaments really filled in their tree.
I like to make them because they are quick stitches and you can assemble them in so many different ways.

A JT Share

2006-11-16T16:36:00.000-05:00

A James Taylor cut from his Christmas CD. Actually this is a rerelease of a Hallmark CD he did a few years ago, but not this song- 'River'. I'd just buy it for the cover shot of JT wearing a tan knit hat and holding a gift. That is very different for him.

Get yourself a wish list

2006-11-16T10:47:00.000-05:00

That's all I need to say. For the whiners (oh husband, mom, son, siggie other, daughter, you name them!) who say-"I don't know what to give you for your birthday or Christmas!" Well go to Amazon and type in my email address (i.e.) and viola! There's a list there if you are inclined to add things to a list, which I do (I do buy things once in a while too). And most things are at a discount! I showed Brian this months ago. Can we say short attention span?

A message to myself...

2006-11-16T10:38:00.000-05:00

Thanks to Abby for this link. It's spelled out in buildings.
http://www.geogreeting.com/view.html?znGzXuTR+giuO1Pw+p-z7niz+cWP2V

So tired

2006-11-16T10:13:00.000-05:00

I decided to go to mom's yesterday as she was begging me to put up some new dining room curtains for her. (I don't like them-they are a sand color-very plain. She did get some metallic copper valances too).To make a long 3 hours short, I cleaned the kitchen, raked leaves a bit, picked up flower pots and branches scattered around her yard and took out at least 6 bags of trash, many from the kitchen! She really needs to get a new side counter as the one she has is only good for surface space-the drawers are mainly all broken (Ikea is calling me). She has a small dining room with the following: 3 china cabinets (2 open, 1 with glass doors); a bookcase, a tv on a tv cabinet and 100s of cassette tapes and lps, a rectangular table and 4 chairs. No, you can't move around out there. I am going to talk her into getting rid of the tv and cassettes first.
After all the above, mom took me to the mall for dinner at Carrabba's, an Italian restaurant where I got my usual-Rigatoni Martino-with sun-dried tomatoes and grilled chicken. Mom got Chicken Piccata and spaghetti.
We went into Macy's and they were having a mother of a sale. I had a gift card and got a few lovely tops plus their big plush Snoopy(and radio). Mom bought me a chenille robe and eye makeup for my birthday. I wish I could have really 'shopped' but I was too pooped.
I went home being accused by Jim of throwing away his 'heirloom' fry pan. He even went out in the trash to look for it! He said that that 'cast iron' pan meant a lot to him. I didn't even toss it! It was in the oven and it needs to be seasoned. I was a bit peeved to say the least.
A lady we talked to while going through the 75% racks at Macy's said she had open heart by-pass surgery two weeks earlier! She was about in her 50s, hard to tell. She said they didn't even think she had a problem, but she woke up with arm pain and had to get the surgery. She smoked and now she says she can't even stand the smell of cigarettes. She said she learned the hard way about how smoking can effect you. She also said that she works at a nursing home and was going to see the patients as she loved them and spending time with them even though she was in housekeeping. I guess she is an angel to those people.
So I went home achy, stuffed up, ears ringing and with what is left of my grandmom's good china. A few pieces are chipped. All I have are a few bread plates and some cake plates. But they were my grandmoms, that's what counts.

Blooming

2006-11-15T12:20:00.000-05:00

I guess this is a Thanksgiving cactus rather than a Christmas one. This was

hanging outside all summer.
I just bought this red amaryllis at Big Lots for $3.99. I am sad the one growth area has decay, but that may not be the main stem either. The circular part is the peat pellet. Looks like it will need more than that-look at those roots!

And Happy Birthdays to my 'A' pals Angela and Abby!

Keeping a low profile

2006-11-15T10:27:00.000-05:00

Not too much exciting happening lately. I am trying to get in the mood to tidy up before my brother Don comes up from Florida. I'm running out of time-he arrives Friday. I'm not sure if he will make it out here though. I have a feeling he'll pick seeing our Uncle Don over seeing the new kitchen. That's okay. I am probably going to my mom's to do a little cleaning today if my head clears up some. My sinuses are so stuffed they are making my ears ring! Blah.
Birthdays don't usually bother me, but I'm not crazying about getting that much closer to 50. Brian is only 4 months from 50, so I feel a bit better for me. ; )
I was down in my finished basement room(aka as storage room) looking for something the other day and decided to clear it out as my winter project. I happen to look down and found one of those fake wood shelves propped up against a plastic box. This is the room where the water comes in and the floor gets wet when we get too much rain. Well didn't that shelf have mold growing on it! I was totally grossed out. Makes me wonder what is under the paneling in there. Brian had given his childhood desk to Sean and when Sean gave it up, it ended up taking up space in that room. I would really like to put up our old rectangular dining room table so I have somewhere to craft and make a mess. Sean gave me the okay to get rid of his old toys (he is 20 for goodness sake) but to keep the Hot Wheels and Micromachines. I only have a handful of my old toys. Brian kinda pulled a face (and he calls me a pack rat!). That's what I plan to do-after the holidays. I want to get some super duper dust mask first too!

What do you think?

2006-11-13T12:07:00.000-05:00

You have to join to see who you look like. If you don't want to join, send me a photo and I'll generate a collage for you. I hope Brian and Sean don't mind that they match a lot of women. ; ) Jodie Foster and I share the same birthday!
<----I shrunk my collage down so it would fit in the sidebar.

http://www.myheritage.com

Passings

2006-11-12T12:52:00.000-05:00

Yesterday was a glorious fall day in the 70s. We had Mr. S' funeral to attend and headed down to my mom's to get her and her pal and boarder Jim around 8:30. Google was kind to us and we got there in good time. We drove down a road where my grandmom ran a laundermat when I was a little kid. There were a lot of people there and the flowers and photo board (I bet Colleen, my s-in-law made it) were wonderful. Inside the coffin were pictures drawn by my niece and nephew. Tori's said 'I miss you Pop-pop' with a little girl's face drawn in that special 7 yr old style. Her brother's said something like 'rest in peace' and he drew a picture of a guitar-perfectly. There was also a bar coaster with autographs (not sure what that was all about) and a black cowboy hat. I had no idea he liked country music and could play guitar.
A Mormon guy officiated the service (this was new to me too). No music either. The part that made everyone dab their eyes was when Colleen said 'I see my dad in my Kenny' and that 'her mom was an angel to him as she took care of him so well'. Mrs. S. has lost weight and had an ashen complexion. I hope she takes care of herself better now.
We were in the funeral procession and we drove by their house first. I didn't know they did that, but it's an old tradition. We then went to the Media cemetery, close to where Colleen, Ken, the kids and mom live (where I grew up). We knew others resting there. That was hard on Colleen. She's been a strong, brave lady and I salute her for that.
I forgot to tell you that we drove by the church where Brian and I got married over 22 years ago (while in the funeral procession).
We went to our church last night and there was a baptism! So we almost touched all the sacraments yesterday.

A few famous Pennsylvanians passed away last week- newsman Ed Bradley and actor Jack Palance. Ed went to nearby Cheyney University. Jack, from Hazelton, won an Oscar for 'City Slickers'. When he accepted the Oscar, he did his infamous one armed push-ups. : )

Here are a few weird connections-I was crafting some bookmarks for my friends and needed a big eraser to wipe away some gluestick residue. Sean had one in his room and handed it to me-it had the same last name as Colleen's dad printed on it! Of all the names-it's not Smith either.
I was looking in my wallet and pulled out a folded piece of paper-it was Sean's eyeglass prescription dated 11-11-05, exactly a year from when it was written!

Our first youtube video

2006-11-10T22:56:00.000-05:00

I told Brian we should try the video part of the camera (after 4 yrs!) This is what we came up with-lol. I had just taken a clip out of my hair so it was wonky. Enjoy me 'singing' Love Story to Cosmo the kitty! This is totally not synchronized!

Try something different for Thanksgiving

2006-11-10T01:13:00.000-05:00

I caught Paula last night and thought I'd make this and the little cranberry thingies with cream cheese. Not sure if Cornish game hens would go over-I get a free turkey soon anyway!
Pumpkin Gingerbread Trifle
Recipe courtesy Paula Deen
See this recipe on air Wednesday Nov. 22 at 1:00 PM ET/PT.
Show:
Paula's Home Cooking
Episode:
Thanksgiving

2 (14-ounce) packages gingerbread mix 1 (5.1-ounce) package cook-and-serve vanilla pudding mix 1 (30-ounce) can pumpkin pie filling 1/2 cup packed brown sugar 1/3 teaspoon ground cardamom or cinnamon 1 (12-ounce) container frozen whipped topping 1/2 cup gingersnaps, optional
Bake the gingerbread according to the package directions; cool completely. Meanwhile, prepare the pudding and set aside to cool. Stir the pumpkin pie filling, sugar, and cardamom into the pudding. Crumble 1 batch of gingerbread into the bottom of a large, pretty bowl. Pour 1/2 of the pudding mixture over the gingerbread, then add a layer of whipped topping. Repeat with the remaining gingerbread, pudding, and whipped topping. Sprinkle of the top with crushed gingersnaps, if desired. Refrigerate overnight. Trifle can be layered in a punch bowl.

Since I am a stitcher too

2006-11-10T00:55:00.000-05:00

...I'd like to show you my progress on 'Giggles in the Snow' a Mirabilia design. I got him out again to stitch along with the gang in the sidebar there. I think I'm the only one doing a child, the others are doing lovely ladies. I love the colors so much, I'll probably do the little girl companion piece. This is on a silver specked fabric. I cut it too small, so I'll have to leave off the words 'snow angel'. I'll have to make sure the girl will be able to include those words so they can be framed together.

Chicken love

2006-11-10T00:18:00.000-05:00

I was at my mom's yesterday in an attempt to help her tidy up...something, anything. I arrived to find piles of Rubbermaid containers piled up in her living room. It looked like she was moving. She said she knew what was in all of them and they all had a place to go. I told her she has too may 'things' for one person. She always says 'I know', but she adds to the booty daily. She's hopeless- the 'things' are taking over making her feel bad about her house.
What's with the chicken? Well, I went outside to toss empty cardboard boxes on mom's patio and low and behold there were 5 of her neighbor's hens out there scratching around in the leaves. They are so funny to watch. Mom gives them stale bread and they love it!
I helped her clean the inside of her car. I also dragged about 10 bags of stuff (mine included) to the Goodwill Store. While I was disposing of them, she went in the store and picked out about 6 articles of clothing and tried to buy them without me seeing them! I made her put back half of them and later she picked up a top she had put back. I did find a few things-a cute ceramic jar with a cat stenciled on it for Cosmo's goodies-blue and white. I found an old ceramic Santa, a Disney Belle doll, a teddy and Toll House's favorite recipes cookbook. Some to keep, some for eBay. I have a few plastic boxes sitting around here-with the Halloween stuff. I can't find things I took off the windowsills in the dining room area that I had replaced with Halloween things. Gee, the apple doesn't fall far from the tree!
And Mom and I had a nice dinner at Outback Steakhouse-she had the kiddie steak (really) and I had shrimp, prawns and mushrooms in fetticini-yum! We shared their new apple cobbler that is served with vanilla ice cream and a maple sauce (I think).

My uncle took his driver's test yesterday and failed it miserably. So he won't be driving anymore. He saw his regular physician today and the doc said he could go home from rehab! Well, he needs a walker, can't use a cane. He had a terrible nosebleed last week. We are wondering how he will fend for himself as my aunt is in another nursing home. Sad stuff.

Susan's Cottage

2006-11-08T16:21:00.000-05:00

My tribe.net group friends and I were talking about things we secretly liked and my one pal mentioned she liked dollhouses. I made the little one below back in about 1992 or 93. I was assembling it when I heard that a former secretary of Brian's had passed away-her name was Sue. So I named it for her. She was only 28 and fought ovarian cancer until the very end-even having her bone marrow transplant as a story on the local news. The last time I saw her alive was at a picnic and she looked at Sean in a longing way knowing she'd probably never had children. I never forgot that.

The little house pieces had to be all painted and wallpapered before it was assembled. The inside is a little messy as it gets walked into and the little dishes, etc. get knocked down. I have plastic over the back to keep some of the dust out of it. It was a difficult project and I never made another one, but I still keep this one on display.

A change is a comin'

2006-11-08T00:34:00.000-05:00

Ok, I voted...there were only 4 people on our ballot way out here in the sticks. ; )
We waited in a long line as they had one ancient lady with the register books to look up your name. It was easy when we got up there as our names are all in a row. Filling out the ballot was like taking a standardized test. I only had to color in two ovals. Then we ran the ballot in a scanner machine. No hanging chads! I saw a few people I knew in line and we chatted a bit. One way to socialize. The machine's counter said I was about 860! Wow, that's a lot. : )
Ed Rendell won with no problem. It was a landslide for Bob Casey!
We decided to go to Baskin Robbins for a treat as my pork tenderloin didn't exactly fill any of us up! Heck, I tried. I had coconut nut in a sugar cone. Too bad many of my teeth ache from the cold food.

Now for the flurry of Christmas ads....oh, they make me feel like I'm not buying the right gifts. Plus the ones with the Lexus tied up with a gigantic bow make me a little envious. Darn them!

The service for Colleen's dad is at 9 am on Saturday. We live an hour+ away. I am not a morning person. Ok, that sounds so 'self-centered' as my mom said tonight. The guys were moaning and groaning in the background. I think it's going to be a short and sweet service. We had a memorial service for my grandmom, no funeral. It was very touching. My brother Ken and I had a hard time holding it together just for that. So, God willing, I'll get to the place (not sure where it is) and I'll do it for my sister-in-law.

Mower bagger-pfft!

2006-11-07T16:02:00.000-05:00

Some critter had gotten into the bag of sunflower seeds I left on my low plant stand yesterday (smart). I had to pick up the stand and everything that was on it. Then I had to sweep off the seeds. I was using the broom to brush off leaves and then I just went and got the rake and garden cart. I was out there a while spiffing up the place. I got completely grossed up by seeing a little foot peeking out from leaves under behind the hedge. Not sure if it was a squirrel or a rat, I'm thinking squirrel, though I saw no signs of a bushy tail. I had to scoop it up with the rake (not easy) and he's under a pile of leaves in the back. I didn't feel like attending a rodent burial today.
I want the front yard to at least look nice for my brother's visit next week. I hope he'll be able to get out here. Four days is rather a short visit. And I'm actually helping myself by doing a little of the clean up in the fall rather than waiting for the spring. My sinuses and moldy leaves do not mix well.

Thursday is the funeral for my sister-in-law's dad. Not sure if either Brian or Sean can attend as it's a bad day for them. I'm sure Carl would say not to worry to them. He was laid back. He was interested in my eBay endeavors and wanted to sell an old Singer sewing machine he had. I looked up sewing machines to give him prices, but I doubt he ever sold it. My estranged father is also named Carl and he looks like Colleen's dad. We all thought that the first time we saw Mr. S.

Martha Stewart inspires me

2006-11-07T15:53:00.000-05:00

I just got back on her website after not being able to visit and get inspired for months. They let me change my user name and viola! This is the perfect website for domestic goddesses like myself.

Make this:
Spice-Infused Simple Syrup
Makes about 3/4 cup
1 cup sugar
4 whole black peppercorns
2 whole cloves
1 cinnamon stick
1 star anise
1 strip (2 1/2 inches) orange zest

1. Bring sugar, 1 cup water, the peppercorns, cloves, cinnamon stick, star anise, and zest to a boil in a small saucepan. Reduce heat, and simmer 5 minutes. For milder flavor, remove star anise, and discard; simmer 10 minutes more. Remove from heat. Let cool completely. Pour through a sieve into a bowl; discard solids. Syrup can be refrigerated in an airtight container up to 1 month.

To make this:

A Fall Mixer

Celebrate seasonal spices with a simple syrup infused with cinnamon, cloves, star anise, orange peel, and black peppercorns. The syrup, which has a taste and fragrance reminiscent of a holiday dessert, can be stirred into tea, coffee, or sparkling cider. Or make a cocktail redolent of apple, citrus, and spice: Mix 1 tablespoon of the syrup with 1 tablespoon Calvados and 1/2 cup sparkling cider; garnish with a curl of fresh orange peel.

Finding love

2006-11-07T12:27:00.000-05:00

I got the best kind of email this morning from my good friend Karin. She and her boyfriend Michael are engaged! It's sort of a whirlwind romance, though they have known each other 5 yrs, but only through the web and telephone. She decided to go meet him in North Carolina about five months ago and sparks flew! So they have been traveling back and forth from Illinois to NC to see each other. Her engagement ring was her grandmom's-it's about 58 yrs old-so beautiful. I wish them much happiness.

Still hanging on

2006-11-06T16:36:00.000-05:00

Burning bush with old tree behind it
Dried hydrangeas still on the bush-I did pick a bunch!
Turning red-Japanese Maple
Orangey-brown dogwood leaves

Dreamer...

2006-11-06T00:16:00.000-05:00

Ok, you probably have strange dreams, correct? Now why would I dream about my late grandmom Ruth and me at a stock broker office with cans of coins, purses of money and 'Mom mom' telling me to 'buy the figs?' Stop laughing, I'm serious! And my grandmom only tried to sell a mail order item once-the Stanley steamer (which actually got popular within the last decade, I have one and think of her everytime I use it). 'Mom-mom' never went to a stock broker either! What's with the figs anyway? She ate prunes, no figs. ; )
TV wise...
I am hooked on the rebroadcast of 'Six Feet Under' on Bravo cable. They show about 3 in a row on Sundays. These are 5 yr old shows, but I like all the characters and their strange behavior. Rachel Griffiths is now on the ABC show 'Brothers and Sisters' which I also watch. I should get off the computer to watch 'Iron Chef America' which is airing now. If anything inspires me to just experiment with what I have at hand in the kitchen, that show does!

BTW, Barbaro, the race horse is getting the cast off his leg soon-after over 5 months. He's at an area hospital and it was touch and go for a while. The news just updated on him.

Pay it forward

2006-11-05T23:35:00.000-05:00

I have joined the Pay It Forward Challenge:The first five people to respond to this post (via the comments section) will get some form of "art" made by me. It will be a hand crafted item made from sewing, crocheting, stitching, decoupage-just about anything. I will try to make the item something special just for you. After you comment, please email me your snail mail address (to diadsie at comcast dot net). It will likely take me a few months to get them made and out (beginning in January) If you sign up, you then need to post the challenge in your blog to continue the fun!

Could you say a prayer for my sister-in-law Colleen's family? Her dad passed away this morning (11-6). It was expected, but it's still so hard to finally have it happen for her.

Just a quickie here

2006-11-05T00:31:00.000-05:00

I thought I'd give you all a break-lol
Busy on Friday-my van got an oil change and two new tires. No reports of mice. I check the door jam daily and I think the varmint realized it had to move or be moved! Sean was nice enough to go the the Firestone place. We got pizza and did a little shopping-Marshall's, Michael's Craft (me that is, Sean went in Old Navy) and Target. I got some cute marked down Halloween stuff at Marshalls. I tried to get one marked down even more as it needed repair, but the girl just wouldn't do it, so I left it there. I told her no one else would be willing to repair it and that they would probably be tossing it. She had a tiff with the manager as she waited on me-great timing!
Yesterday Brian hooked up the bagger to the mower. It had to be put together first. It worked great the first time and then it got clogged the second run through. He got up leaves that would have before taken him 2 hours-now only about 10 minutes!
We ate dinner at Wendy's-it was pretty bad. Don't get the cheddar bacon burger-the cheddar is horrible-it didn't taste like real cheese at all. Mom went to her Wendy's and said the food was bad too!
We then headed for Wally World as I needed a printer cartridge and paper and some. I spent the evening looking at a craft magazine and working on a cute cross stitch piece of a little boy making a snow angel.
So nothing too exciting, but that's life most of the time. : )

Just counting down the days

2006-11-02T12:14:00.000-05:00

The Democrats blame Bush and the war in Iraq-if you vote for any Republicans, 'you are following the Bush herd'-one ad actually shows a herd of cows.
The Republicans say many of the Democrats are slamming them for being in favor of the war. They also say the Democrats are all for illegal aliens (millions of them!) getting into the country and stealing funds for social security, etc. Okay, that definitely isn't a new thing-illegals have been sneaking over the borders for years. I want to know what they ALL are doing to protect us from security threats-like 9-11. And I think most people have their minds set, so why waste millions of dollars on the lame campaign ads? I know I will vote for Ed Rendell because he's a proven politician. How many governors do you see singing the Eagles football fight song and tailgating with the common folk? Arnold?
Rick Santorum is worried because Bob Casey, Jr (he's dropped the junior) is running for senator. Casey's dad was the governor in the 80s. I personally can't stand Santorum or a fellow Penncrest high graduate Curt Weldon who has been a congressman for years and years. Weldon has his wife sticking up for him in an ad!
So I say, give us a break! I hate your stupid ads. We get so confused and fed up, we want to hit the mute button during every commercial break. Sean says he doesn't even feel like voting. Bombard us on Monday-the day before, not for a month. And we have to listen to campaign ads for New Jersey and Delaware too! My nerves are frazzled!!
BTW, I really don't give a 's' about what John Kerry said. BUT, if you are going to make such a statement, get it correct in the first place (like Bush never makes mistakes in his public speeches). You should have known all the conservatives would jump down your throat over it.

My one brother says that all politicians are slime balls anyway.

Whitney Music box

2006-11-02T11:55:00.000-05:00

Check out the awesome music box found here:
Krazy dad has really undone himself! Be sure to check out all the variations.

Like storing nuts for the winter

2006-11-02T11:28:00.000-05:00

I put away most of my outdoor decorations yesterday. I have a lot of them and they go in crates or buckets. The only things I washed off were the water pumps from the pond and the bird bath. Everything else looked okay. When I take them out again in the spring and they look too faded, etc, I'll just toss them and look for others on sale. I was sitting resting on the bench (we had high 70s-real Indian Summer weather) and of course I can't think of one thing I had out this year that's more than 5 yrs old. Those things just don't last. I had to throw away my cute little green cart (that I assembled) because the bottom rotten out. I placed all the things in the shed and Brian had put in some large items like the glider and table, so I couldn't get them pushed in the corner. We have mice that get in there and phew-the smell. Mice are a pain. I found one making a nest in the corner of the door jam on the van! And that was in the parking lot of the shopping center-eek! I hope I ditched him on the 23 mile drive to my mom's on Tuesday.
It's cooler today and I am off to the store. We all love to snack (Bri and my downfall) and the only snack food we have are pretzels. I'll eat a few, but I like them with mustard and won't eat mustard at 10 at night.

Oh! And Happy Birthday to my friend Annemarie in the Netherlands! I mailed a little something for you. That was her cross stitched piece I just finished up.

Stop smoking month

2006-11-01T10:41:00.000-05:00

I never smoked-I tried smoking a few times, not my addiction-chocolate is! Anyway, I hope that if you smoke or know someone who does, that you can really try your best to quit or help. Two of my brothers tried, and one was successful (not sure if my brother in Florida has tried again, but I heard he was a vegetarian; but I think quitting smoking would be more beneficial to him). I saw this photo and was saving it to share on blog. Makes quite a statement don't you think?

Bump in the Night

2006-11-01T00:47:00.000-05:00

A little design I stitched about 5 yrs ago. It's now in the middle of a grape vine wreath. I think it's a Blue Whale design.