Work in Progress...

I Need a Nap

2012-01-30T12:56:00.145-05:00

Actually, I've never been much of a napper. I'm not a morning person, so taking a nap means having to wake up twice in the same day. Not something I can get excited about. There is a picture of Jessica taking a nap that has always made me laugh. It was taken the day after her 9th birthday party. It was a "slumber" party and so, as is usually the case, there wasn't much "slumbering" going on. So that next afternoon she got her silky comforter and settled in on the sofa to take a nap. Wrapped in the slick blanket, she slowly slid off the couch onto the floor...head first...and never even woke up! Now THAT'S a nap!

A few years ago I saw a picture frame that I liked. It says, "Nap like you mean it." I laughed and bought it and thought immediately of the picture of Jessica. But looking at it again, I was reminded of how poor the quality of pictures from the 80s are compared to what we take today. And I got looking at the pictures we have now and realized I had plenty of candidates for the picture frame. I've always liked this one of Jeremy and Emery taking a very serious nap. But I have so many others that I love, too. I'll post a few here. The last one is a little blurry, but it cracks me up. That is Emery sleeping in the bookcase! He got in there when he and Savannah were playing hide and go seek. She got distracted and didn't go looking for him and he fell asleep.

Along with the pictures, I'm writing the lyrics to a song called, "I Need a Nap". It is from a wonderful CD called Dog Train that the grandkids love to listen to. We like it, too. This particular song is a duet sung by the unlikely duo of Kate Winslet and "Weird Al" Yankovic. The tune is terrific and I wish you could hear it...but here are the words:

Well, the sun is still high in the afternoon sky,
but the morning seems so long ago.
I was happy before and I'm not any more,
though why there's a change, I don't know.

I'm so tired of this day and I don't want to play

and I' don't want a story to read.

But I look in your eyes and at once realize

that I know what it is that I need...

(Chorus) I need a nap! I just can't take any more.

I need a nap! Can't stay awake any more.

No more running around I just need to lie down and sleep!

I don't know what to do.
I just can't make it through.

I want something,

or nothing, right now.

I am mad and upset.

What I want, I don't get

I don't know what I want anyhow.

I've been doing my best,
now I just want to rest --

on the rug, on the floor,

I don't care.

Now the feeling's so strong,

but the song is too long --

it's the wrong kind of song --

and it seems to be going nowhere.

There are times in your day

when the going gets tough,

when you just have to say

you've done more than enough.

I can't think of more stuff

that will rhyme with "enough"...

So enough is enough...is enough

is enough...is enough is enough! (Chorus)

Why does this song go on?

When all my strength is gone?

Please let me close my eyes.

I don't want to...harmonize!

I just can't take any more.

Can't stay awake any more.

You can follow my lead

as the song loses speed

now I need an immediate

NAAaaappppp.....................

Reignited

2012-01-19T08:19:00.022-05:00

Sadly, there hasn't been much "progress" on the Work in Progress blog this past year (or more). I'm going to blame it on Facebook. It's just so much easier to jot a note on what you're doing on there than to get into your blog and write. If it takes more than a sentence or two, then it gets put on the back burner until it's old news...and too old to write about. Except for our trips last year, I barely posted once a month. Well, things are gonna change!

The fire was relit under me this morning. I got an e-mail from my life-long friend, Jackie. She's getting ready to retire. (In Georgia they would say she's "fixin'" to retire.) She's getting old and will be going on Medicare this year and all of that.

For the past several years she has been very busy. Besides being a wife, mother and grandmother she has had a full-time career which required her to travel a great deal. In the time she did get to herself, she has been indulging in her hobbies of cooking, reading, painting and her latest -- jewelry making. This morning I got an e-mail from her that said she is starting a 2nd blog (!!). Her first one is where she posts all the beautiful jewelry creations she makes. That one is http://www.crowsfeetcrafts.blogspot.com/ Check it out -- she's amazing!

This new blog is http://www.ayearofdefiningnormal.blogspot.com/ She will be writing about this year of transition for her as she leaves her "business suit" behind to discover who she is without it. She started by sharing a Yiddish folk tale about a young man and his suit. I was glad she didn't choose the story of the Emperor's New Clothes! I can't wait to follow along with her this year as she shares this adventure. I have a feeling she will be equally as talented at writing as she is at painting and jewelry making.

Her energy puts me to shame and looking at her blogs made me miss my own. So here's to a year of better (at least more frequent) blogging for me. Thanks, Jackie, for getting me fired up to write again.

Before going, I wanted to share this picture. We collaborated on a project for charity a couple of years ago. With the help of some of my friends, I made a bright quilt with tulips on it as a donation to a fund raiser for the hospice that Jackie was associated with in Mt. Vernon, Washington, where she lives. Mt. Vernon is known for its tulips. She did a group of painting to go with the quilt to make a "package" item for the the auction. I thought she did an awesome job!

Best of luck on your new venture...and adventures, my friend.

What is it - Part 2

2011-11-17T07:41:00.005-05:00

Haha. No, you're all wrong! (Doesn't ANYBODY read my blog any more???).

I would have thought it would be some kind of a weapon. Probably a laser-type thing to send out deadly rays to foil the bad guy.

But no.

In Emery's mind it's a sandwich maker! He held it by the smooth part (on the right) and aimed it like a weapon of mass destruction, but then explained to me that the WHITE bread hangs on the hooked part in the center and the peanut butter comes out of one side and the jelly out of the other side.

So there you have your answer. Now you can sleep again.

What is it?

2011-11-10T15:03:00.004-05:00

Okay...obviously, it's a piece of a tree root. But in the hands of a 6-year-old boy with an imagination who comes across it while hiking in the woods -- as Emery recently did -- what do you think it "became"?

Answer next week.

Family Time

2011-10-31T11:43:00.034-04:00

We had our "family fall getaway" the week of October 16th this year. We started out doing a weekend...then an extended weekend...and this year we made it for almost the whole week! Jeremy was fishing in the last FLW series tournament of the year at one of his favorite places -- Lake Guntersville, Alabama. So we decided we'd get a cabin and tag along to support (and feed) him.

We've been getting away together this time of year for 8 years now and we have gone to a variety of places and had a variety of weather to deal with. The year we went to Pigeon Forge, TN, it was downright hot; and the year we went to Blue Ridge, GA, it was cold and drizzly and we spent the whole weekend snuggled up in the cabin. This year we had a little bit of everything as far as weather was concerned. The first two days were unseasonably warm and the kids loved playing basketball on the court next to the cabins. And Jeremy enjoyed practice fishing in the beautiful lake. It was also great for a bonfire after dark and making S'mores.

Jodi was home schooling the kids that week, but that means field trips are an acceptable way to spend the day. On Tuesday we went about 45 minutes northwest to Huntsville to the U.S. Space and Rocket Center. That was very educational...for all of us. Grandpa and Emery got to see what it was like to ride in the nose cone of a rocket. They were hitting all the switches, but didn't come up with the right combo to get them launched into space. Good thing or not? We report -- you decide.

By Wednesday, a cold front had come through and changed the weather dramatically. We just stayed hunkered down in the cabin all day and Jeremy got his boat ready for the start of the tournament on Thursday. We went down to see him weigh in and the lake was choppy and cold. All the fishermen were saying it had been a miserable day out there.

But by Friday it had moderated and was just very nice fall weather. Great for relaxing in the hammock with Aunt Jess and a better day on the lake. We took another field trip on Friday. This time we explored a huge cave...at Cathedral Cavern State Park which was just up the road from where we were staying. It was neat and we got done just in time to go to the weigh in. The kids love to go to see daddy weigh in his fish because they get to go up on stage with him and get to be "interviewed". The get to say their name and give an opinion on whatever is asked. They aren't intimidated because it seems like a small audience there -- but they forget that they're on TV and the internet. They just have a good time...and so does dad.

So the family fall getaway for 2011 is now one "for the books"...the scrapbooks, diaries, blogs and photo albums. We look forward to it for so long, it's hard to believe it's here and gone already. Can't imagine where next year will take us.

Zippity Do Da

2011-09-08T11:43:00.037-04:00

Last year Jerry was reading an article in the paper about zip lining. Where you put on a crash helmet, strap yourself to a wire and go zipping along between the trees. The fact that that sounded like fun to him and sounded terrifying to me just goes to show that sometimes opposites do attract. Since the place he was reading about was somewhere in North Carolina, I just said, "Oh, sure. We'll have to do that some time." In my mind a good time to do that would be just as hell was freezing over.

But early this year I got one of those coupon deals in my e-mail that was for 60% off two rides on a zip line at a place here in Georgia. I knew he would love to do that, so I got it for him for Valentine's Day. But I also knew it would be fun if he could share it with somebody. Somebody other than me!! I knew right away who that "somebody" would be. Jessica. She shares her dad's love of being off the ground. She went in the open biplane ride over Atlanta with him (when Jeremy chickened out) and she and Emery accompanied him in a helicopter ride. So I got a coupon for her, too. (Is it just me, or does that picture make you start singing "Coal Miner's Daughter"?)

One hot day this summer, we drove up to Blue Ridge, Georgia so they could use their coupons. I rode along because someone has to be there to take pictures and bring the body bags. After a summer with drought -- like so many lately -- we picked a day that was threatening rain. We hadn't had rain at home, but up there in the mountains they'd had a lot of rain the night before. So when we got there, they told us it was too muddy for the vehicle that takes them up the dirt road to the top of the line. They said to come back in an hour or so and give the sun a chance to dry the road. We went into town and had lunch. The town of Blue Ridge is neat and we walked around a little and went into some of the many shops. But for most of this time, it was still cloudy and we couldn't see the sun coming out any time soon to dry anything up. Just as it was looking like we'd made the 2 hour (one way) drive for nothing only to come back another day, the sun did come out. Then it got hot as all blazes. We called the place and they said we could come back and they could take their ride now. Jess said the scariest part of the whole thing was the ride up that dirt road!

It all worked out and they did get to go zipping after all. The information for the place looked and sounded very exciting on line. It is called Fire Wire Zip Lines and says "Exhilaration overcomes you as you soar 1500' while reaching speeds up to 40 mph. For anyone who has ever wondered what it would be like to fly, your wait is over." In reality it was short and, except for looking at the beautiful mountains in the area, not very scenic. They "flew" over an open pasture. But they did have two rides, so they got to take the exciting trip up the dirt road to the top again.

What they did get from it, though, was a burning desire to do it again. We picked up some brochures about other places. One is closer and looks like a lot more fun. That place has you go through the trees and then hike over bridges, etc. and then ride again. This goes on for quite a while and then you take the last drop to the exit platform. So they want to do that some time this fall when the weather is cooler and the trees are pretty. I'll ride along again to take pictures, but I'll take a good book for the 2 hours I'll be waiting while they zippity do da one more time.

Big Boy

2011-08-10T15:48:00.013-04:00

Emery turned 6 years old this summer. Ever notice how birthdays are much more exciting when you're in your sixth year rather than your sixth decade? He's been talking about this event ever since he ate the last piece of birthday cake when he turned 5! He's told me many different ideas over the past year about what kind of party he was going to have when he turned 6. But when the big day came, the only "party" he had was one with family. He didn't seem to mind a bit, though.

We all went bowling and had a great time. I really don't remember the last time I was bowling and it felt pretty awkward. The next morning some of my "bowling muscles" were saying, "What the heck???" It's fun to go bowling with kids now because they have those little guards that pop up and block the gutter and it gives them a little bit of a chance. I don't know what the age requirement is for those, but they ought to be put up for geezers, too.

Savannah and Emery have been bowling before, so they were like old pros. Telling us where to get our shoes, what kind of ball we needed, and how to do almost everything. Emery cracked me up...but then, he always does. His form was "enthusiastic" if not "perfect" and he can really deliver the ball. It was their family as well as Jerry, Jessica, me and Papa Jim.

After bowling we all went out to eat. Emery's choice...Mexican. He's all about the chips and cheese. (Me, too.) Then we went to Chick-fil-A and he opened his gifts and the kids played on the indoor playground for a little while. A good family fun evening to usher in this special date.

Happy Birthday, my little man. I hope I can help you celebrate many more!

Week One

2011-07-31T12:51:00.023-04:00

The week of June 20 - 24 Emery was signed up for C3 camp. It's a summer camp at a church near their house. The kids just go during the day, but it's all day. Savannah didn't want to go, so Jodi asked if I'd like to have her for a week by herself. That way, after she dropped Emery off each day she could (and did) get a WHOLE LOT done at home. That was fine with us.

We had a good week. She got into the daily routine of things around here and helped out when asked and then we did some "special" things. We ran errands one day and had lunch at Cici's pizza. A few days that week my friend, Gail, and her granddaughter, Laney, came over to swim. Savannah wanted to give Laney swimming lessons...and she was very sweet and encouraging to her. Okay...so they got a little silly, too, but that's okay.

On Tuesday Savannah and I rode along with Grandpa when he went to get some mulch. The place where he gets it also has various rocks, gravel and stones for landscaping. We took sandwich bags and I asked the lady there if we could get a few small, smooth stones. She said yes. Savannah enjoyed climbing in the rock pile and picking out some "special" stones, even though she didn't know what we were going to do with them. But I knew. I had a plan. :) When we got home I explained to her that we were each going to make our own Fairy Garden and those stones could be used for paths between our plants. She really got into it and it turned out great. I had found some little things we could use. She chose a couple of fence pieces, a small watering can, a shovel and a tricycle. For some reason, she laid her tricycle on it's side in the "grass" (moss) and Jerry said that was his favorite part. I had gotten a little metal angel for each of us and she came in and rooted through her toys to find a dog to visit her garden. (You can see the stones of her path behind the angel's wings.)

On Wednesday I took her to the Covington library to see Barry Stewart Mann, a story teller. He was really good and we both enjoyed him. On Thursday afternoon we went to the movies to see Judy Moody and the NOT Bummer Summer. It was cute.

So before we knew it, Friday was here. Aunt Jess picked her up after lunch and took her back home. It was a fun week and we each have our Fairy Gardens to remember it by.

New Twist on an Old Favorite

2011-07-19T15:45:00.014-04:00

While in Rockford, I got to go to two new quilt shops! Cathe took me to one by her house and Melissa took us to one that her neighbor owns. Both were loaded with inspiration and, of course, I always have to take something home with me. The one Melissa took us to is called Quilter's General Store. One of the "souvenirs" I picked up there was a pattern that intrigued me.

Like many quilters, I am a fan of the classics. Like at least a couple of quilters I know, I have started a traditional Cathedral Window quilt. It's just another "work in progress", and probably will be for several years. That's just how much time goes into making that design. But the General Store had a pattern for a "mock" Cathedral Window. In this version, instead of all the sewing, flipping, inserting and hand stitching...you just sew squares together. After you've gotten it the size that you want, you cut out and sew these little white football-shaped pieces over the seams. Just leave a little seam allowance and when you're finished -- in no time at all! -- you wash it and shake it out. The footballs fray a little and it gives it a soft, vintage look. You layer the backing and batting behind the squares so that as you sew the footballs on you are quilting it as you go. So when you're done -- you're done! Voila! A finished quilt in very little time.

I started mine not long ago and finished it yesterday. I'm very pleased with how sweet it looks and how easy it was. Whoever thought this technique up is a genius and I thank her. I'm donating mine to the Healing Hugs ministry for cancer patients. It's a nice, snuggly quilt and I hope someone will enjoy it and it will bring them comfort.

Inspiration

2011-07-16T11:13:00.042-04:00

When my cousin, Melissa, was telling me some of the things we could do and see when we were in Rockford and she mentioned the Anderson Gardens, I told her we love that kind of thing...but it might cause Jerry some concern. Because when I go to places like that, I get inspired. I think, "Why can't we do this in our yard?" I have a long history of coming up with these grand ideas and expecting Jerry to make it all look like it does in my head.

Well, before we even got to Rockford that had already happened. When we went to the plant nurseries in the Millington area while we were in Sheridan, the first idea hit me. The mailbox! The nursery that had everything laid out so temptingly had their mailbox surrounded by plants. (That's it in the first picture) I really never thought of it before, but our mail box sits on a bare patch of ground and has for all the years we've been here. I've never thought to landscape around that. And why couldn't ours look like that? The rest of the trip I kept imagining how great our mailbox was going to look once I got home and got going on that project. When we were in Rockford, I kept taking mental notes of how they had big rocks everywhere (ROCKford) and plants snuggled in around them. I thought I knew where we had a couple of large rocks in the back yard that we could add to the area. I was very excited. Look out, Jerry!

So in the first week that we were home, Jerry got busy and took out the old mail box post and got a new one and reset it in concrete. While he was doing that, I went out and bought plants and scouted out the back woods for large rocks. So on the following Monday, June 13, our 41st anniversary....I was "good to go" on the mailbox project! The plan for the day was to get busy before it got too hot. Get the mailbox looking wonderful. Take a little break and then go out for a nice dinner. Isn't it funny how plans can change?

We started by me -- the project coordinator -- showing Jerry -- the muscle -- where I'd found some rocks I thought would work. The first thing that happened that wasn't in "the plan" was that in transferring them to the work area he dropped one on his foot. Being the trooper that he is, he continued with the work and it was only later...when he was limping...that I realized how badly he had hurt it.

The second thing that didn't exactly go as planned was the preparing of the garden bed. In my enthusiasm I had forgotten a couple of things. 1...Illinois has black dirt. We do not. 2...Illinois gets rain. We do not. While I was standing by with my carefully selected plants and waiting to put them into the soil, Jerry was chopping, picking and tilling at the dirt. After sitting on a slant in the sun since the age of dinosaurs, that particular patch of clay was like concrete. I was reminded yet again of why they use clay to make bricks. The neighbor commented on how nice it was looking and I told him the ground was a little hard. He said he had to get his drill out the other day to put something in his back yard.

So after several hours of trying to get down deep enough to plant something, we had to just give up and settle for as good as we could get. It wasn't what we'd have liked to plant in, but it was as deep as we were going to able to go. We put a bunch of soil amendments, additives, etc. in and worked them in as best we could and then put the plants in. Jerry wasn't convinced at all that anything would grow in that hard dirt, that shallow of a "grave" or in all that full sun. Ever the optimist, I assured him that all those plants call for "full sun". After we got cleaned up and were sitting on the porch (and he had taken some pain pills), I told him what we SHOULD have done was to make a raised bed and level it back to the slope behind it. He just leveled a look at me and didn't have an opinion on that. I said, "Maybe in the fall if this doesn't work". Again...just a look from him.

But here we are a month later and the few little plants we put in seem to be very happy there. So are the rocks. And Jerry isn't limping hardly at all any more. Don't compare it to the first picture of the lush plants all filled in around the mailbox. Compare it to the second picture of what was there before. See? Improvement! He has spent 41 years trying to make all my dreams come true...even the goofy ones. Happy anniversary, Honey, and thanks for all your help.

The Main Event

2011-07-13T07:24:00.050-04:00

The main reason for the trip to Illinois at this time was to be there for my niece, Erin's, wedding. Remember the bachelorette party only a week before? Like many little girls, she's been dreaming of ... and practicing for ... this day for a long time. I was so glad I got to meet her fiance, Will, and his family the week before. He's a real sweetie and the whole family is very likable. So it was fun to celebrate with them all.

We left Rockford on Friday morning and took the direct route to Chicago. A little frustrating that almost that entire route is under construction! But we checked into the motel in plenty of time and started reuniting with other family. Jodi, Jess and the kids had come up and since we hadn't seen them in a week it was good to lay eyes on them again and know they'd made it safely. (You know how moms worry.) My sister, Karen, and her roommate, Diane, had come from Tucson and their room was just a few doors down. I was given the privilege of reading some scripture at the wedding, so Jerry and I went to the rehearsal. As has become the custom, all the out-of-town guests got to go to the rehearsal dinner and so we all started partying there. It was held at a really cool pub and the food, drinks and fun were great. Savannah found out that the flower girl was just about her age and so they became instant buddies.

The wedding was at 3:00 p.m. on Saturday, so that gave us a morning to find something to do. It just so happened that Lego Land is at the Woodfield Mall which is about 5 minutes from the Double Tree in Arlington Heights where we were staying. It also happens that Emery is crazy about Legos! So guess where we went to kill a morning. My favorite display was the city of Chicago all done in Legos...from Navy Pier, Sears Tower and downtown to Buckingham Fountain. I loved it. After you walk through a good-sized area of displays, you can go upstairs to a big room where you can sit and build things with Legos. Jodi entered her cat in an animal contest...and she won (she was the only entry), so she got a paper hat. You can build cars and race them on tracks and ramps. While Emery was busy doing that, Savannah became very fond of a ride they had in that same room and she rode, and rode and rode.

Lots of fun, but then it was time to go to the wedding. We all went back and got dressed in our wedding finest. Emery likes to get dressed up and he loves wearing a tie. I bought him his first sport coat for Easter this year and he gets excited when he has a chance to wear that. He says he looks like a newsman in it. Savannah had gotten a very pretty new dress and she looked like a princess. (The newsman and the princess. What is this...a wedding or Halloween??)

The wedding was beautiful. The bride was beautiful. The weather was warm and little muggy when we went in and just as the bride started coming down the aisle we heard a little thunder. My brother, Chuck, said as they were standing in the back waiting, it did get stormy outside. He said Erin looked a little apprehensive. So he said to her, "You look nervous. Let's take a walk." She grinned and he walked her down the aisle. But after the service the storm had passed and it turned out to be a beautiful evening. The reception was at the Metropolis Ballroom in Arlington Heights. It's a really nice facility and there is a balcony along side the ballroom, so it was very pleasant to take your drink and go out there and visit for a while. Again the food was great, the place was great and it was fun. And I was so glad to be there. I know I've been using the words "great" and "beautiful" a lot, but what else can you say? That's what it was. They had a room for the kids to go into and play and eat "kid friendly" food and watch movies while the adults had a cocktail hour, introduction of the wedding party, toasts, etc. But once the dancing started the kids joined us and they had a ball. Savannah and Emery both love to dance and took full advantage of the festivities. The evening didn't end well for Emery, though. He was cutting a rug on the dance floor and a lady was jumping and jiving near him but lost her balance and fell on him! He was mad, embarrassed, and hurt his leg a little (but he wouldn't talk about it) and by then he was exhausted. It was late by that time, so we all caught the shuttle back to the motel. But that was the least thing we will remember about the wedding. The rest was lots of fun.

In the morning, the grooms parents invited all the out-of-towners who were staying at the Double Tree to breakfast. So we got one more chance to be together before we all headed back home in various directions. This is me with my big sister and my "little" brother. We don't get to be together very often any more, so this was nice. Jodi and Jess were determined to drive back home in one day. That's 13 hours from Chicago. We almost always break that drive up into two days now, but we drove through as well. It didn't feel all that bad, but we got home at 2:00 a.m. to find out we had no air conditioning! The unit had gone out and it was 4 days (in the mid to upper 90s) before we got a new one. Oh, well. Great vacation....now back to reality.

On The Rocks

2011-07-07T06:45:00.056-04:00

I was very lucky to grow up with lots of first cousins. Two of the ones I was closest to were Melissa and Cathe. Melissa is my age and Cathe is a year younger. I would ride my bike to Melissa's and play on her jungle gym and borrow her Nancy Drew books (she had them ALL). And I would ride over to Cathe's with the Sears, Penney, and Montgomery Ward catalogs in my bike basket and we'd cut out paper dolls all afternoon. Great memories. It's been a long, long time since we'd gotten a chance to spend time together until a few years ago when, thanks to modern technology such as e-mail, Face Book, etc. -- we reconnected. In a somewhat strange coincidence they both live in Rockford, Illinois, now. In 2009 they got on a plane and came down here for a visit. We had a wonderful reunion and it was decided that it was then my turn to visit Rockford to see them next. The plans to do that last year fell apart, but when we were going to Illinois again this year, the Rockford visit was a MUST!

So on Wednesday morning we bid adieu to the fine folks in Sheridan and headed up route 39. We went first to Cathe's house. Melissa and her husband, Duane, came over for lunch. We sat in Cathe and Rum's newly finished sun room and enjoyed lunch, beautiful weather and a great visit. After lunch we went to Anderson Gardens. It's a gorgeous Japanese garden and, again, with all the rain they've had it was lush and beautiful. Later on, Cathe's kids and grand kids, as well as her sister, Jean, and her brother-in-law came over for dinner. (We're all about the eating.) It was so nice to get a chance to see her 4 darling grand kids in person instead of just in the cute pictures she shares. After everyone left, Cathe and I looked at photo albums and scrapbooks and I taught her how to play Monopoly Deal.

Thursday morning, the girls took me to a store called Gordman's. I'd never heard of it till Shirley was singing it's praises. Ken had a neat bug zapper fly swatter that they got there and I thought Jerry needed to have one. Plus...I heard it was just a really neat store. It is. The guys went out and hit some golf balls and then we all met for lunch (eating again) at BeefaRoo...a local favorite where they have -- tenderloins! :) Then Jerry went home with Duane and the girls took me to a really nice quilt shop in a big, old house. Lots of inspiration! Then we swung by and picked Jerry up and Melissa took us on a driving tour of Rockford. It's a very nice city with a lot to offer. I can see why the Wisconsin senators chose that as a "hiding" place while they were avoiding doing their jobs a couple of months ago.

On Thursday night it was Melissa's turn to show off her two adorable grand daughters...Amelia and Sofi. It's so nice to put voices and personalities with these cute kids that I hear stories about and just see pictures of. We had a very good dinner out on the screened-in porch on a picture perfect evening enjoying the view of their back yard. After everyone else called it a night, Melissa and I looked at a cookbook and I taught her how to play Monopoly Deal.

Before leaving town on Friday morning, we all went to breakfast at a Rockford institution...The Stockholm Inn. The (large) place is really neat and the food was wonderful. They like to go for the Sweedish pancakes with linginberries but everything that everyone had was really good. They've recently remodeled the bathrooms and the ladies' room was so cute we took pictures! Rockford is home to the original sock monkey and the Stockholm Inn proudly displays a large array of monkeys.

So after a couple of days of eating, visiting, sharing, eating, laughing and...did I mention eating?...we had to head on to the next stop. So glad Rockford was on my "bucket list".

Home for the Holiday

2011-07-06T07:14:00.038-04:00

On Monday morning -- Memorial Day -- we left Streator and headed up the road to Sheridan. As much as I love visiting friends and family in Streator, it's when we roll into Sheridan that I feel I'm coming "home". We always stay with our BFFs Ken and Shirley. They had a cookout and we got to see their kids and grandkids and several old friends came over, too. The food was great, the people were great and the weather was great. In the evening we decided to go for a walk and burn off some of the brats, sides and adult beverages. There were 8 of us (4 couples) and we walked around town. Gotta love a small town where you can walk 8 abreast down the streets and only have to get out of the way of traffic (one car) once. :)

On Tuesday morning Shirley and I were visiting and Ken and Jerry had disappeared. Not surprising since neither one of them can sit still for very long. When they came back, I asked where they had been and they said "visiting". I found out they'd been visiting the lady that lives in the house we used to live in! Ken saw the look on my face and said, "Don't worry. I asked her if we could come back. I knew you'd want to go see the house, too." The people who have lived in the "home of my heart" where we raised our girls have made a great many changes to the place. A number of years ago I saw from the bottom of the driveway that they had taken our plain little brown house and painted it yellow with white trim and put a nice porch on the front. I loved it! This year we'd heard they put a landscape wall along the bottom of the sloped front yard that followed the curve of the driveway -- another great improvement! They have also added a sun room on the back and changed what was our living room to their dining room! The lady was so nice to take her time (twice) that day and let us come and see. My childhood home is a wreck and Jerry's is gone, so I love that someone is doing such nice things to the house I have so many fond memories of.

After visiting the old home place we went south to the little country town of Leonore. Again continuing my quest for tenderloins. Shirley assured me these were the best. I have to admit the girl knows her tenderloins. It was awesome! Since we plan much of our visits and travels around food, we had plans to go to a small country town north of Sheridan for "cheap chicken" for dinner. So we worked our way back up there by way of Ottawa first. We stopped and did some antique shopping. Jerry bought a neat old rake and we spent the rest of the trip packing and unpacking the trunk and back seat around it.

Then we went to a couple of plant nurseries. Illinois has had an extremely wet spring and early summer and although it's sad to see the water standing in the farmers' fields, everything is lush and green and beautiful. One of the nurseries is where we used to go for plants and it was great to see that it's still a thriving business. It may even have grown in the time we've been gone. I just had to buy a few things to bring home. So, along with the rake, we packed, unpacked, and tended the plants for the rest of the trip, too. The second nursery we went to is new to us. I don't remember the name of it, but it is laid out beautifully. Potted plants for sale are nestled among those same types of items planted in the soil and blooming and looking so inviting. By then it was time to go to the tavern and get the "cheap chicken". I don't understand how fried chicken is associated with the south when they have no taverns down here. Taverns have the best fried chicken and, again, Shirley knew what she was talking about. When I went to the restroom, there was a sign on the wall that advertised some upcoming events. Some time in July is the "Testicle Festival". Sure hate that we're going to miss that!!

Family Ties

2011-07-05T07:31:00.012-04:00

When I returned to Streator on Sunday, we went to visit with Jerry's side of the family. Whenever we're in town his ex-sister-in-law, Marie, gets the nieces, nephews, spouses, kids, etc. together and we get to visit them all at once. Always a lot of fun. This year his brother, Curt, and his wife, Sharon, were there, too, so it was a nice get together.

After lunch and a nice visit with them, we went back to Bob and Joan's. They took us on a "tur" of south Streator to see where the tornado had gone through last June. The apartment building where they lived when they were first married is now gone. We walked around Oakland Park school grounds where they lost many of their big, old trees. Then we went for pizza and went back to their house and watched a movie. Spent one more night enjoying their hospitality (Joan puts a big Cunningham's chocolate whip on your pillow instead of a mint!!) before moving on northward.

Thanks for a great visit, friends and family!

Big City Bound

2011-06-21T16:08:00.038-04:00

On Saturday I ditched Jerry for 24 hours. I left him in the capable hands of Bob and Joan and I went to Chicago to spend the day with Erin and "the girls" for her bachelorette party.

A few weeks before that, Linda and I were talking about travel plans, etc. for the wedding weekend. I told her I wanted to take some extra time either the week before or the week after to visit with some family and friends, but hadn't nailed down plans yet. She said that if I was in the area the week before, I could come help the girls celebrate at the Cubs' game. Well...I made my travel decision right then and there! I love the Cubs (I know...there should be a support group somewhere) and I've never partied on one of the rooftops before and it sounded like a grand idea. So that was the plan. It was windy and cold and rained in the 9th inning...the Cubs lost 9-0...and we had a wonderful time! :)

After the game, we met up with the guys who were doing the bachelor thing on another rooftop. Just a short time trying to talk in a crowded, noisy bar and we parted company with the "youngsters". Linda, her friends, Ann and Barb, Nan (the mother of the groom) and I went to get Linda's car and go downtown to the Embassy Suites where she had booked rooms for us. One of the wonderful things about getting older is that you get smarter. I have no idea how long the younger crowd hung out in Wrigleyville, but we had a great evening. Linda had gotten us tickets to see a play at the Shakespeare Theater on Navy Pier. Hmmm...a play--okay..."Shakespeare"?--well, let's see..."musical"?--try to keep an open mind. It was called Murder for Two and it was hilarious!! There are only two actors...one is the detective and the other is all 6 suspects and a couple of little kids. I don't know when I've seen more talented actors or when I've enjoyed anything so clever. If you get a chance to see it, I highly recommend it.

By the time the play was over, it had stopped raining. So we stayed on Navy Pier to see the first Saturday night fireworks of the 2011 season. All I can say is..."ooooo" and "ahhhhh". Beautiful. Then we walked back to our hotel and stopped to get something to eat. So there we were eating French onion soup and sipping margaritas (mine was a rum and coke) at midnight. Ahh...the good life.

I got up early and enjoyed a full hot breakfast at the hotel and then caught a cab back to Union Station and the train back to Dwight and was picked up by Jerry, Bob and Joan. Wow...I felt like I almost met myself coming and going on those train tracks. But what a fun 24 hour visit to a city I love with people I really enjoy. Nan, Barb and Ann were all new acquaintances even though I've heard enough about them to feel like I knew them. But they are all a lot of fun and once you meet them you feel like you've known them forever. So the following week at the wedding, I felt like I was seeing new friends again instead of meeting strangers.

Thanks, Linda, for inviting me to join you all for that weekend. It was great!

Two for the Road

2011-06-18T07:24:00.017-04:00

Day two of our trip got us to Streator...finally. Most people driving from here to there take I-75 to I-24 to I-57 to Champaign, Il., and then take I-74 to Bloomington and go north on I-39. But when we get on I-74 just a little west of I-57 we turn north on state route 47. It's a decent road and even though it's only 2-lane it just feels nice to slow the pace a little after all the interstates and start to enjoy the familiar farmland. This year lots of those farmers' fields had standing water in them. As soon as we get as far north as highway 116, east of Pontiac, we start to see the wind farms. Even though the residents are now used to the sight of them, they still fascinate us. There were none of these when we moved away 20 years ago and now they are plentiful in that area.

When we got into town, we drove by the house where I grew up. It's in a sad state of disrepair. My mother always kept the place neat and pretty. But we didn't linger we went on to happier things...like the house of our friends Bob and Joan. They know that when I come to town I'm on a quest to eat pork tenderloin sandwiches. So for dinner they took us to a place that has good ones. Yum.

The timing of our trip was such that we rolled into town just in time to catch our sister-in-law, Sharon's, performance at Engle Lane Theater! She has been active in local community theater in Streator and Morris for many years, but we've never seen her in anything or seen any of the shows she's written and produced. Engle Lane began as a community playhouse in 1960 and has been going strong ever since. Last year it was badly damaged in a tornado on June 5th. They had their grand reopening in April of this year, so it was exciting to see the new facility. It's beautiful. The performance we saw was "Pop"...a very up-tempo revival of songs from the 50s, 60s and 70s. It was a real toe-tapper and I'm so glad we got to see it...and Sharon. Bravo!

On the Road Again

2011-06-15T13:21:00.037-04:00

Day one of our trip to Illinois was the usual plan. Go about half way and stop for the night. We had made reservations at Cadiz, Ky.

When we're traveling, we like to stop at wineries along the way. Having made this trip MANY times in the last 20 years, we know where most of them are. But this time, we found a new one; Beans Creek Winery in Manchester, Tennessee. We stopped in for a taste and to get a souvenir glass (they were out of glasses...we'll have to go back another time -- oh, darn!). After tasting, we decided on a few bottles to take with us. Jerry asked about the name of one of them..."Bonnaroo White". The girl told us it was named after an area around there where they have a music festival. Okay. So that's cute. After I got home, I happened to see something on the news about a music festival called Bonnaroo! It's quite the thing. This year was the 10th annual 4-day festival held on 700 acres of farm land near Manchester. The main attraction is the music -- performed on multiple stages. But there are also tents like the comedy tent, "this tent", "that tent", "the other tent", the silent disco tent, the cinema tent and the Broo'ers Festival (breweries) tent as well as a graffiti wall, a giant slip and slide and lots and lots of food. It's been hailed as "The concert event of the summer", "Best festival", and "One of 50 moments that changed rock and roll". Wow. Who knew? We'd never heard of it. But I feel stupid now knowing the attendance is routinely between 75,000 and 80,000. That's a lot of people that know something I didn't.

But "stupid" is something I'm kinda getting used to. Farther down the road was Clarksville, Tennessee, home of the Beachaven Winery. We've been there many times and like their wines. But as we were nearing there, I told Jerry that we were too late. It was about 10 minutes to 5:00 and I didn't know their hours, but assumed that by the time we exited and took the short drive to the winery they would probably be closing. A little while later, it dawned on me that when I changed the clock in the car (and my watch) I set them an hour in the wrong direction! It was only going on 3:00 when we were in Clarksville! Duh!!

I shouldn't use the word "stupid". Jodi and Jeremy have told the kids it's not a nice word. Savannah and Emery call it the "SP" word. But when I was growing up it wasn't a bad word...just an accurate description. And like Forrest Gump says, "Stupid is as stupid does".

PS: If you're in the Manchester, TN, area but don't like crowds, you might try visiting the nearby town of Bugscuffle. It's a dot on the map, but the population is so small it's not even listed.

A Whirlwind Vacation

2011-06-12T13:54:00.027-04:00

Last weekend my niece, Erin, got married in Arlington Heights, Illinois. Since we were making the drive up there for the wedding, we decided to extend our time and see lots of family and friends. I'm always torn about making the trip. I relish spending time in Illinois with people I love and don't get to see often enough. When I'm there, I'm "home". Something about it just feeds my soul. But it's hard to leave home this time of year and be thinking about all the plants we've put in that are now suffering from heat and lack of water...and wondering if we will come home to a green swimming pool. So we didn't want to be gone much over the 11 or 12 days we had planned on. But with folks in 4 different cities to visit with, it felt like a "quick trip". Jessica was here for part of the time to take care of the cat, the flowers and the pool, but then she and Jodi drove up for the wedding so that left about 5 days of "unattended consequences". She took the cat to the vet for safe keeping (keeping the house safe from a bored kitty cat), put water globes in some of the potted plants, put lots of chlorine in the pool, locked the door, set the alarm and hoped for the best. Everything was fine except that the air conditioning went out and it was in the mid to upper 90s every day that we were gone! So it's a good thing kitty didn't stay here.

The trip was great and even though it seemed like we were gone for quite a while, the time we had with each person was actually pretty short. There's lots to remember and talk about and I'll just write about each in it's own time. Maybe that will get me back to blogging. For now I'll just say it was great to get away and, as always, it's great to be back home.

PS: I'd rather drive than fly, especially with all the different places we go to visit. But I sure wish I could click my heels together to get home rather than driving for 13 hours!

Happy Birthday, "Julian"

2011-03-31T19:22:00.054-04:00

Last March we rented a cabin in Branson, MO, with Jodi, Jeremy and the kids. Jeremy was fishing a tournament at Table Rock Lake and we were just hanging out on "vacation" and making sure he came home to a good, hot meal every night after we watched him weigh in. While we were there, we all went to the Bass Pro Shop in Branson (really...what ARE the odds?). It's the "granddaddy" of all Bass Pro Shops. We were looking around and I told the kids I would buy them each a stuffed animal. Savannah quickly fell in love with a little lion cub. She gives her heart so easily. Emery, as usual, had trouble making a decision. After MUCH discussion, I said that if there wasn't one he really wanted, we would just go. That helped him make up his mind in a hurry. He yelled, "I want the monkey!". So we took a monkey and a lion home with us.

On the way back to the cabin, Emery declared that his new monkey looked like King Julian...from the Madagascar movies. True, it is long and lanky, but it has a long, red tail -- not a striped one. But from that day to this, the monkey is affectionately known as "King Julian". We all had fun with the crazy thing. I was tickled because he has velcro pads on his feet and hands and so you can hang him in all kinds of places...like on the blades of a ceiling fan. Turn it on and just watch the fun! Savannah was delighted to find out that her American Girl doll clothes fit him perfectly. So then we never knew where he would be hanging--or posed--or what he would be wearing.

About 6 weeks after getting him, they had their house fire. I believe King Julian was downstairs in the living room at the time of the fire. Probably watching TV with Savannah. Anyway, I took him home and tried washing him with some of the other items I was using a special cleaner on. The little monarch washed up beautifully and "lived" to play again.

This year we again rented a cabin for a few days to accompany Jeremy. He was fishing at Lake Hartwell (much closer than Table Rock!) and we stayed at a place nearby between Anderson and Townville, South Carolina. Again, we had a good time. Again, we watched the weigh ins and made Jeremy a nice, hot dinner. Again, we had King Julian with us. Here he is hanging out with a seagull in the living room. He's always able to relax and make himself at home, which makes him a great traveling companion.

Island Hopping

2011-03-09T05:51:00.038-05:00

We spent a few days last week on Georgia's Golden Isles. Our good friends, and traveling buddies, Bob and Joan Schmitt, had been in Florida for a couple of weeks and were going to stop and visit with us on their way back to Illinois. But, instead, we all decided that we would meet at Jekyll Island and "do the islands" for a couple of days and then head back here to our house.
Good plan.

Jerry and I have been down there about 3 times now and it's always beautiful. They hadn't been before and we always enjoy showing it to new people. We met at the visitor's station on Jekyll Island and checked into our rooms at the Jekyll Island Club Hotel. Yes, that's where the Rockefellers, Pulitzers, Vanderbilts, etc. used to vacation...and now the Schmitts and Simonses. They still play croquet on the lawn in front of the hotel. We were just watching, but we weren't sure the players knew what they were doing. Jekyll is small and sparsely populated and it didn't take much time to see the whole island. We did that before eating seafood at Latitude 31...the restaurant on the pier. The next day we checked out the Georgia Sea Turtle Center as well as the sweet shop, book store, etc. which are all just behind and a short walk from the hotel. I am always fascinated by the trees down there. The large, old live oaks with the Spanish Moss hanging from them are awesome.

The next day it was on to St. Simons Island. A short drive away, but a very different feel to it. St. Simons is much more populated and much busier. We had time to grab lunch and do a lot of shopping all up and down the few blocks near the pier before checking into our rooms at the King and Prince Hotel. What a beautiful place! We have not stayed there before and were very impressed. After getting settled in our very nice rooms, we were looking over the menus for all the local restaurants. I was on a quest for good seafood for a couple of days. There were lots to choose from! But about that time the weather turned nasty. It was very windy and cold and threatening rain at any minute. We decided not to go out in that and to have dinner in the dining room of the hotel. Another good plan. When they brought me my shrimp cocktail and bruschetta it was so pretty I had to take a picture of it!

The next day the sun came out and everything was beautiful again. We took the trolley tour of the island and the lady that runs it is both entertaining and informative. After that we toured the light house. I have done all that before, but this time I had just finished reading "Lighthouse" by Eugenia Price, so it all had more significance. Then we chowed down one more time in a local eatery before heading back to Covington. Bob and Joan spent Saturday at our house resting up before the last...and longest...leg of their drive back home.

All in all, these golden oldies had a golden time on the Golden Isles and it's a trip I'd recommend to anyone.

The Most Wonderful

2011-02-27T07:10:00.033-05:00

"It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year". When you hear that, can't you just hear Andy Williams crooning it on the radio? I don't mean to sound like Scrooge or the Grinch, but I beg to differ. Christmas can be a lot of fun, but it's also stressful. The demands we put on ourselves and the demands we think others are putting on us. Deadlines and trying not to forget anything. Making ourselves find time to stop and enjoy it while we're in the middle of it.

All that to say that I think spring is the "most wonderful time of the year". No pressures. No demands. The warm days, blue skies and sunshine draw you out of the house and out of your rut. You can relax on the front porch with a book or get ambitious and dig into some yard work. Just walking around and enjoying the sounds of the birds and the signs of much loved plants and flowers coming back to life gives your spirit a lift.

I always enjoyed spring time when we lived in Illinois, but up there it is tempered with fickle weather, mud and a lingering damp chill even on nice days for well into May. But here in Georgia, spring is usually getting here about this time...late February...and it is just perfect. I don't care what Punxsutawney Phil, General Beauregard Lee, Staten Island Chuck, or any other rodent has to say. I know spring is here when the Daphne Odora blooms and I see the sweet faces of the flowers on my Georgia Blue open up to face the sun. As much as I enjoy those, they are just the beginning. Riding around town, we see several types of pink trees start to bloom as well as jonquils and thrift. Very soon now the white blossoms of the Bradford Pear trees will be bursting open like popcorn. I never realize how many of those trees are around until they are blooming. So the next several weeks will delight us with an array of renewed annual color...and it all comes to a crescendo for me around the 3rd week of April when our huge azaleas show off. They take my breath away every year.

So, with all due respect to Christmas and it's sentiments, I don't see how anything can be more "wonderful" than spring.

"Consider the lilies of the field.....Solomon in all his glory was not clothed like one of these."

-Matthew 6:28-29

Happy Birthday Hugs!

2011-02-08T13:52:00.062-05:00

I'd like to give a shout out to my friend, Ardis. She's a fellow quilter and one of the Batty Babes. Last year her church acquired an additional facility to use for group gatherings, meetings, etc. She quickly approached them about a quilt ministry and "Healing Hugs" was born. The first Thursday of February, 2010, several quilters got together to sew quilts to give to cancer patients who are undergoing treatment. We make them and she takes them to the local cancer treatment center and they hand them out to new patients. These quilts are theirs to keep and there is a note that goes with them that says we are supporting them by wrapping them in quilts as well as our prayers during this difficult time in their lives. She has also given a few to other people she has heard about who are going through an illness.
The first Thursday of every month we gather and enjoy an afternoon/evening of sewing, snacking, laughing and fellowship while we create these quilts. We usually average about 8 to 10 workers. This year we had a lousy, sleety day and we had one of our biggest crowd of sewers ever! Can you say "cabin fever"? :)

At first she and Page, her "right-hand", would lug ironing boards, irons, batting, etc. in from home every month. But a few months into it, she talked the church into giving her a space in the back room for a supply room. Now she can keep those things, as well as donated fabric, etc. right there on the premises. That has made it a lot easier.

Some of us will sit and sew quilt tops while others put on bindings or attach labels and cards. Others take the tops home and quilt them and bring them back the next month. In this first year of "production" she has been able to give away 155 quilts! I think that's an amazing number from a group that only meets once a month and I'm so pleased to be a very small part of this productive group.

Thanks, Ardis, for including us in your ministry. It warms our hearts as it warms the cancer patients' bodies -- and hopefully their hearts as well. Well done, my friend.

The House of Mouse

2011-02-02T17:47:00.039-05:00

The whole family went to Disney World last week and had a GREAT time. The kids and grand kids have been a few times before and my first visit was in May of 2009. After that, I told Jerry he HAD to go. He wasn't crazy about the idea, but after 40 years of marriage, the man knows when to give up and give in. He enjoyed it, too, and was very impressed with it all.

The grandies were at perfect ages for it this year. Emery was finally tall enough to ride the roller coasters with Jess (and Grandpa) and all the other somewhat scary -- at least to me and Savannah -- stuff. So he was pretty much grinning from ear to ear for 4 days. His favorite was Test Track at Epcot and a close second was the Big Thunder Mountain Railroad. He also enjoyed watching the filming of stunt shots for the Indiana Jones movies at Hollywood Studios. He even picked out an Indiana Jones action figures set at the gift shop and in the car on the way home, he buckled Indi into a seat belt in the back seat and told him, "Keep your arms and legs inside until the car comes to a complete stop." But he still had his favorites from before like Toy Story Mania and Buzz Lightyear's Space Ranger Spin.

Savannah had a terrific time, too. She (like me) is not at all into the big rides. So while the rest of the family went Soarin' (at Epcot) we were browsing around the gift shop. I bought her an autograph book and she was very excited to go about collecting characters' autographs the rest of the time. One of my favorite characters was Cinderella's step mother. She was dripping with condescension as she signed the autograph book and told how she was responsible for Cinderella's success. Then she pointed to Emery on the other side of the table and said to Savannah, "So, what's with your little brother there...is he married?" Savannah giggled and said he was not. Then she said, "He's kinda cute. I need to find someone for Drusilla."

And speaking of Cinderella and crew...the dinner with them was at the Grand Floridian Resort and Spa. What a beautiful place!!! Inside and out. And the food was some of the best I've ever had. It was buffet style with crisp salad fixins', tender, juicy salmon, prime rib that melts in your mouth, etc. and then they brought out our "special" dessert (there were others on the buffet that Jerry had already sampled)...several scoops of ice cream with various toppings for all of us to share.

Our last night there, we went to a dinner show at the Fort Wilderness Campground. It was a lively little place and one of the cast members, a ditzy blond, named Claire duLune (or Clair the Loon...I'm unsure about the spelling) came and sat on Jerry's lap and was hugging on him. Righ...he LOVES the spotlight! :) But he was good sport.

The rest of us just enjoyed the time together, seeing the kids get so excited, the park itself, and so many "little" things...like the tornadoes in the area that missed us, catching a bus back to the resort before it started to rain, the beautiful day time temperatures, the food, etc., etc, etc. Disney World really is a "Magical" place.

Pet Parade

2011-01-22T14:54:00.031-05:00

A few years ago we had the two sweetest pets ever. Missy was an old but soft, lovable, petable, hugable cat. She was affectionate and let the kids do whatever they wanted to with her. Roxy was also affectionate with us, but a little leery of the kids. She was a great watch dog and was very intelligent...at times. Like when Jerry trained her to bring her blanket if she wanted to get up on the sofa. Of all the pets we've had, these two were the best. Life was good...and quiet. But then we lost Missy -- at age 18+ years. And shortly after that, Roxie got cancer and we lost her, too. Very quiet around the house after that. Too quiet some times, but we said "no more pets". (Actually, it was Jerry that said that.)
Jessica has always loved cats and I found a friend of a friend who needed to get rid of a "really nice cat". She was advertised as "sweet" and she had been declawed and was used to being in an empty apartment all day. Seemed perfect. Her name was Samantha. Jess called her Sammy...among other things. I don't know what this friend's idea of "sweet" is...but Sammy is a cranky, fat, old cat. Once in a while she'll come up and sit on your lap but at the slightest movement she's outta there. After Jess had her for a while, a stray showed up around her apartment building. She, of course, let her in and fed her and adopted her. She called her "Little Bit"...because she was a tiny little thing and looked a little bit like Sammy. You can see how thrilled Sammy is to have a companion. They fought all the time and Jessica had to close them in different rooms in her apartment when she was at work all day.

After Roxie died, Jess said, "You need a cat...Sammy!" After a bit, I agreed to take Sammy off her hands. After all, I was responsible for her having her in the first place. She's not the nicest animal I've ever known, but she's really not much trouble. Kind of like a big, hairy door stop most of the time. She hates the kids and hisses at them whenever they come close to her.

Then the Sunday after Thanksgiving, while we were fixing dinner, there was this horrible yowling in the garage. Jess asked, "Is that the cat??" I said I thought the cat was sleeping on the sofa in the computer room where she usually is. We went out into the garage and finally saw a tuft of fur behind the recycling tubs. Neither Jess nor I were brave enough to pull the tub out and see what was back there...so we called Jerry and made him do it. (It's so nice to have a man around the house. Think I'll write a song about it.) Something darted out from behind there. It was light tan or gray and had a long black tail and a black nose. I thought it was a possum or something, but Jessica was sure it was a kitten. So after dinner, she put some scraps out for it. For the next week or two we had our first cold snap of the season. Jessica came over every night after work and would bundle up and sit outside and talk to the kitty and try and gain her trust. The little thing came to recognize the sound of Jess' car and when she came over, she would climb up into the engine of the car to keep warm. With the patience of Job, Jess sat and talked and put food down and tried to coax her into a bed she'd made for her in the garage. We think she spent several nights in the garage, but would be gone all day. Must have had a "day job". But every night, when Jess came over, the kitty would be around somewhere. Finally, she was getting a little more trusting. Now it was getting hard to leave the house. If we wanted to go anywhere, we needed to check under the hood of our car/truck to make sure she wasn't in there. Then one of us had to be a "spotter" while the other pulled out to make sure she didn't get under a tire. Finally...when she trusted him enough...Jerry picked her up and we took her into the basement. She was so tiny...and truly sweet. When Savannah came over a couple of weeks later, she was beyond thrilled to have a little kitten that she could hold and pet and snuggle with.

So...we've been adopted. Savannah wanted to name her Carmen...like in Carmen SanDiego she said. I said that was a good name because she was so tiny I would look around and say, "Where in the world in Carmen SanDiego?" But Jess said that was too big of a name for such a little lady...and she named her Sophie. And now Sammy hisses and fights with a new little stranger in the house. But our house is bigger than Jess' apartment, so they can get away from each other. It's been fun to watch a kitten playing again, even though she does get into some mischief from time to time. And when she wears herself out from knocking things off any flat surface, running up and down the stairs, irritating Sammy, chasing a ping-pong ball around the living room floor, and whatever else amuses her -- she's always ready to snuggle up with somebody for a little "cat nap".

Here's your sign....

2011-01-16T11:07:00.005-05:00

We saw this sign in front of a church this morning:

"If God is your co-pilot...change seats."

Climate Change...Cha Ching

2011-01-14T06:07:00.041-05:00

If snow in Georgia is part of climate change...it's one I'll enjoy. I think. For the second year in a row, we've had enough snow to play in. Last year was the first time 7-year-old Savannah had enough snow to really enjoy. Last year's snow was perfect. A soft, wet snow that covered the ground, was great for packing and was gone the next day. This year's snow was a little different.

We were predicted to get snow and then it was to turn to ice...maybe accumulating up to 1/2"! So our excitement about the snow was mixed with anxiety about the possibility of losing our power. Jodi and I tried to decide whose house it would be better to "hunker down" in. In case of a power outage, we could build a fire in the fire place and bring the grill into the garage to cook on. So we became the house for the snow party. I thawed a bunch of chicken breasts that we could cook on the grill if we needed to and Jerry did something he hasn't done in years -- cut fire wood. Jodi's family and Jess came over. We made chili and got ready.

What we got was a "snow sandwich". It started just about dusk and was just sleet at first. Then that turned to snow and when we went to bed it was getting really pretty out. In the morning we had about 3-1/2" of snow, but we could hear the sleet again. So there was all the pretty snow...between two layers of icy stuff. But just after breakfast the fine, sleety rain quit and we went outside to play. It was pretty cold, but we had a good time anyway. We got out the trusty trash bags and used them for sleds. Once we got a few paths made down the slope in the front yard, sledding was good. In order to build a snowman (or snow woman), we had to sort of chip the top crust off, but then the packing was good. I like to make my snow persons sitting on something. This year I made a little person sitting on the fence. The other...more impressive...snow person was a family effort. We all rolled and packed and finally got a good sized body made. I went to the garage to get Grandpa's old straw hat and the kids' broom while Emery went in search of sticks for arms. Savannah, however, had different ideas about accessorizing. She went into the dress-up clothes box and came out with a green Tinker Bell nightgown and matching (of course) green sandals. Now this girl was ready to be decked out. We went back to sledding and it wasn't long before we noticed Jeremy using the snow girl as target practice!! He took her hat off with a snowball and we all cheered...then joined it. She was cute, but short lived.

Last year I remember the kids complaining of being cold after a while. This year even though the temps were lower the snow was drier and didn't get in their sleeves and necks so they didn't want to come in even for hot chocolate. Another difference between this year and last is that this year's snow wasn't gone the next day. Luckily, we never did lose our power. But it stayed cold and the roads stayed slick. The snow started on Sunday night and the precip part of it was finished by Monday morning. On Monday afternoon Jodi and Jeremy made their way home...by driving 20 mph all the way. Jess only lives 2 miles from our house but at the end of our road she has to go uphill to get there. She was with us till Tuesday afternoon...and then made her way carefully home. But she still didn't go back to work till Thursday.

Today is Friday and the schools have been closed all week. Any daytime thawing has been followed by nights in the teens and refreezing. Today is supposed to be warmer, so that should get us back to life as we know -- and like --it. Jerry and I ventured out to Kroger's on Wednesday afternoon...all of a mile away. But when we got there, they had no produce, no eggs and very little meat. It was easy to save on groceries this week.

Happy New Year!

2011-01-03T05:51:00.021-05:00

I've written before that I like new beginnings...Mondays, new months, new years and, in this case, a new decade. I feel energized. As a matter of fact, I'm writing this at 6:00 in the morning and I've been up and "doing" for about an hour now. If you know me at all, you're shocked.

I've never thought of myself as a goal oriented person, but I like getting organized in the hopes of accomplishing some particular thing(s)...so I guess that's a goal. This year really calls for me to change my ways. The first year that I was fully retired was somewhat productive. But this past, second year, has been a total waste of time. It's so easy to procrastinate when you have what feels like all the time in the world to do whatever you want or need to get done.

Like many of my friends, I have fallen victim to FaceBook. I love the idea of keeping in touch with friends and family and reestablishing a connection with folks I thought I'd never catch up with again. But the games are an addiction that I may need to join a 12-step program to overcome! My habit this past year has been to jump on the computer first thing in the morning to read my e-mail and check in on FB and a few other favorite sites. Then I would play a game or two (or more) while deceiving myself with the idea that I was waking my brain up. The truth is that I was dulling it down and wasting the most productive time of the day. I need to get back to my creativity...in writing, sewing, making scrapbooks, organizing photos, and several other projects on my "to do" list. Some of these seem overwhelming and that's why it's been so easy to put them off. But I intend to make some major changes in my routine this year.

One other goal I have set is to get back to blogging more (has it really been since August that I posted last???) So you will be able to tell if I'm at least keeping up with one of my intentions. I hope this new year will be a productive and satisfying one for you, too. And now, as Emery says, "Let's do this thing!"

Designing Women

2010-08-18T07:39:00.023-04:00

I got word the other day from McCall's that another one of my designs will be in the October/November issue of their Quick Quilts magazine and will be out to subscribers and on news stands between August 10 and 31. That means any day now...so I'm watching the mail for my copy. It's always fun to see what they do with my quilts. I made this one as a birthday gift for Ardis -- one of the Batty Babes -- last fall. She quilted it and we sent it to McCall's. I called it "Falling Stars" because of the fall colors I used and the way the different sized stars fall across the quilt. They call it "Patchwork Galaxy"...and I like that name, too. This will be my 8th design published by McCall's and there will be another one next spring.

I know a couple of ladies who have granddaughters about Savannah's age and they are enjoying showing the girls how to sew. I've tried with Savannah, but she's not really interested in the accuracy required or the techniques used. But she is very artistic and loves and appreciates quilts. Her eyes lit up one day when she came over and saw me sketching a quilt design on graph paper with colored pencils. So when she adopted her little Cabbage Patch girl, Ella Rose, one of the first things she talked about was me making a quilt for the little baby. We were still on vacation, so she was trying to describe to me what she wanted. Finally she told me just to wait. She said that when she got home she would draw a picture of how she wanted it to be. So here we go...the next generation of quilt designers! I couldn't be more proud. And sure enough -- next time I saw her she had drawn a picture for me.

So I went to my fabric stash and started to pull little pieces of fabric that looked as close to her design as I could come. I paid attention to the details she had about the sizes and colors of the squares. She made it clear that she wanted some blank ones that she could write words on. (She got this idea from the quilt I made for her when she was born.) And she wanted some pictures on it. I surprised her by printing pictures of her with Ella Rose on the squares she had planned to draw pictures in. She was surprised by that because she didn't know I could do that. She was very happy with the final results. It seems we make a good team. Who knows what we'll be able to collaborate on in the future? I can't wait to see!

On the Road Again

2010-08-08T08:14:00.044-04:00

When Jerry and I went to Amicalola Falls for our anniversary trip in mid June, we were wishing we could share the beauty of it with the family. Little did we know then that an opportunity to do just that would arise soon.

Jessica's boss, and friend, Sally, has a time share at Big Canoe resort not far from the falls. She was unable to use it this year and wanted to know if our family would like to go up there for a week. Well, yes!! It was looking like all the kids would only be able to stay from Friday till Tuesday...even though we had it for a whole week. But Jess was able to get one more day and stayed till Wednesday. And once they got up there, Jodi and Jeremy decided to extend their stay, too, and did stay till Friday. We had a great time.

One of our favorite things at the resort -- in that we went there every day -- was the "swim club". This is a beautiful (everything there is beautiful) water recreation area. They have a very nice salt water pool, a white sand beach -- with a dock for jumping off of --paddle boats, and a natural-looking rock water slide that is a blast. Emery never tired of building sand castles, forts, dams, etc. on the beach.

Jeremy also enjoyed a couple of the 3 golf courses there and he, Jodi, Jerry and I went to the driving range one morning. We also ate out a lot, rented and watched several movies, and Jeremy, Jodi and I played a lot of Rummikub and Monopoly Deal...till the wee hours a couple of times. :)

Besides a side trip to Amicalola Falls one day, Jodi, Jess, Savannah and I had a girls' trip to Cleveland, Georgia, to Babyland General Hospital...birth place of the Cabbage Patch kids to get Savannah a baby doll. She was so excited, and we all had a great time. I've never been there before and the place (a new one) is gorgeous! We got to see a "live birth" and adopted a little baby girl that Savannah named Ella Rose. When we got back, Emery was disappointed that he didn't get a little brother. But he got used to his little sister right away.

So our annual family getaway -- which is usually a fall affair -- took place a little early this year. It was a great trip and we thank Sally very, very much for sharing her time share and giving us this opportunity for fun in the sweltering Georgia sun. It was fantastic!

What Do You Consider Excessive?

2010-07-12T15:16:00.029-04:00

In football, you can get a penalty for "excessive celebration". I'm glad real life isn't that way...and I'm sure Emery would agree.

He turned 5 years old on Friday, July 2nd, and celebrated for a whole week! On that Friday, he spent the day celebrating with his immediate family. That started with breakfast at McDonald's which included 5 candles in his pancake. :) Then they went to Fernbank Museum, the IMAX show, the Georgia Aquarium and Piedmont Park. A fun day for sure.

But on Sunday, the 4th of July, he celebrated again with the York and Simons sides of the family. He shared his party with his uncle Johnathan who has his birthday on the 4th. They each had a cake, so there was lots of singing...and homemade ice cream to go with the cakes.

His birthday cake had Spider Man on it and he loved it. But, basically, this year he is all about Toy Story 3. A few weeks ago, he found a sale flyer in the Sunday paper that was advertising all the Toy Story toys that K-Mart had on sale. He was circling them and telling us who could buy him what for his upcoming birthday. So when Jodi told him on Sunday morning that we'd be coming over for his party later, he was asking her if we got him what was on the list. She said she didn't know and he'd have to wait to see. He kept emphasizing that he gave us a list and he hoped that we remembered! That party, of course, was followed up with lighting sparklers and watching the fire works display from a local church.

Then the final celebration was held a week later...on Friday, July 9th. He got to take a few friends (and be joined by family) to see a Gwinnett Braves' ballgame at Coolray Field in Lawrenceville. That party consisted of hot dogs, chips, Cracker Jacks, cookies, Cokes, and cupcakes together before the game. Then...bellies full of all this "ballgame food"...the kids got to play in the big jumpy things until the game started. Between the 2nd and 3rd innings, Emery -- along with two other children who were also celebrating birthdays -- got to be on the big screen and have the crowd sing Happy Birthday to them.

So I believe the partying is over...for now, at least. But Emery is certainly worth celebrating. Even to excess. He is a sweet, loving, funny little cutie pie and we can't imagine our lives without him.

Back to the Hills

2010-06-30T09:43:00.036-04:00

A few weeks ago, Jerry and I took a trip to the north Georgia mountains. This past weekend, I went back north again with the Batty Babes. We made our 3rd annual girls' weekend trip to Amelia and Gary's cabin near Hiawassee, Georgia...just a few miles from the North Carolina state line. They have a little piece of heaven up there and enjoy sharing it with friends.

We've been having a real heat wave for the last few weeks. Even for Georgia, it's been unusually hot. But it is normally about 15 degrees cooler up there. Their cozy cabin is so inviting...and the back deck calls you to come out and enjoy nature. Their back yard...lush with dense ferns and shady trees...ends at a small river. I could sit there for hours just feeling the breeze and listening to the water flowing over the rocks. As a matter of fact, I did! And so did Ardis. There's relaxed...and then there's completely relaxed.

There are a few things we can be sure of when we spend a few days up there together. There will be food. Lots of really good food. There will be margaritas. (Mimosas for breakfast) There will be laughter. Lots of laughter. There will be more food. And more margaritas. And there will be games to play. Lots of games. Old favorites like Rummikub and Phase 10. And we will learn some new games. This year's newbies included Hit the Deck, Spit and Monopoly Deal. My new favorite of these is Monopoly Deal. I've already taught it to Jodi and she's hooked. The others are fun, too. And there will be fun.

Some of the special little things this year included dinner out at a nice restaurant one evening, a boat ride on the lake, a trip to the spa and a stop at a toy store on the way home. "Babes in toyland" as it were. And, as usual, it was completely enjoyable. Thanks for your hospitality, Amelia. We can't wait to do it again next year!!!

These High, Green Hills

2010-06-23T14:54:00.030-04:00

I stole this title from the third book in Jan Karon's Mitford series. Great books. If you've never read them, I highly recommend that you do. But that's not what this blog post is about. It just reminded me of the trip Jerry and I took to the north Georgia mountains a couple of weeks ago. North Georgia also has some high, green hills. This picture was taken from the window of our room at the Amicalola Falls State Park Lodge where we really enjoyed staying for 3 days and 2 nights.

Amicalola boasts the highest falls east of the Mississippi River. The park is nice and we hiked around and saw the falls from the top, the middle, and the bottom. This picture was taken in the middle of it. They also have a good restaurant at the lodge where we had dinner one night and two breakfasts. The dining room has one wall of windows that look out over those high, green hills. The first night there, it rained and blew and there was lots of lightning and thunder. The windows opened, so it was great sleeping!! We treated ourselves to this little trip to celebrate our anniversary. We stopped and played golf on the way up there and went to a neat place for lunch.

When we checked in at the lodge, they asked if we were celebrating our anniversary. We said, "Yes", and looked at each other wondering how they knew. We hadn't mentioned it when we made the reservations. Walking down the hall to our room, we decided we must just look like a couple of old, married people. But when we opened the door to our room, we figured it out. There was a wonderful surprise waiting for us! The kids had arranged to have a fabulous fruit, cheese, cracker tray and a bottle of bubbly set up for us. Such great kids we have! It was as delicious as it looks.

We spent the evenings at the lodge and the days in the small mountain towns in the area. One of those towns is Dahlonega. That's where the nation's first major gold rush took place in 1828...a full 20 years before the "49ers" went to California. There are lots of shops, restaurants, wine tasting, etc. around the old town square.

Another neat town is Helen...also known as Alpine Helen. Seems this little town nestled in the Blue Ridge Mountains on the Chattahoochee River was struggling some years back. So to bring life to the town, the people wisely decided to redo the whole town with the look of an Alpine Village. All the buildings...even gas stations and fast food places...have to have that look. And it works. More shopping, etc. And there are many eating places that have patios that overlook the river so you can sit there in the summer time and watch people going by on brightly colored inner tubes that are for rent just north of the town.

What a fun, relaxing couple of days we had. It was only a couple of hours from home, but seemed like another world. Silly that we wait and use an anniversary as an "excuse" to do these things. We really should get out more!!

Our Inheritance

2010-06-14T19:15:00.035-04:00

When my aunt Leona died last November, it fell to my cousin, Pat, to take care of her things. Luckily, Aunt Leona was not a pack rat (I must get that from somewhere else) and her apartment was small so it was not the huge burden that job can sometimes become. Pat asked us all if there was anything we wanted before she began getting rid of things. I remembered that Aunt Leona had a little red oriental chest in her living room. It was special to her because it had belonged to her sister, my Aunt Catherine. Catherine and her husband, Ellis, had received it as a gift from friends who were world travelers and had brought it back from one of their trips to the east. So I made arrangements to have it shipped here from Illinois. I like it very much. It's a very useful little cabinet and I had just the place for it. But better than that, I like being the new "caretaker" of it and I appreciate the history behind it.

After getting rid of furniture, clothes, etc., Pat kept Aunt Leona's personal things until we could all get together and go through them to take what we wanted. That opportunity came on the Friday night before her memorial service. After sharing a very good dinner at the Pines, we settled in to looking through the things Pat had saved for us. There were LOTS of pictures. Some very good older ones I had never seen before. A great picture of my grandparents! They had both died years before I was born, so I never knew either of them. And I have only seen one or two pictures of either of them all my life. So that was a terrific "find". (Aren't they "dapper"?)

Much as beauty is in the eye of the beholder....I guess "terrific" is in the mind of the finder. As we milled around, reminiscing and sharing stories, my cousin, Maureen, screeched jubilantly, "I'VE GOT THE VINEGAR BOOK!!!" When we were all still very young, Aunt Leona and her brothers (our fathers) all had copies of The Vinegar Book. They were convinced of it's hundreds of beneficial purposes. It became sort of a health bible for them. She had found Aunt Leona's copy and quickly laid claim to it.

Like most women of her age, Aunt Leona had a plethora of costume jewelry. While looking through it, I found a pair of rather large (1-1/2" diameter) Christmas earrings. I was holding them when my sister-in-law, Linda, said, "Take them. They're you!" I laughed because I couldn't quite see Aunt Leona wearing them...and it's a sure bet I'M not going to wear them. I grinned and said, "Here. I'll take one and you take one and we'll use them as little Christmas tree ornaments and every year when we hang them we'll laugh.

After we had looked at photos, souvenirs, memorabilia, etc., Pat brought out a little case that held some of Aunt Leona's better jewelry. She wanted to make sure that we each got to pick something that we would like. In that case was her 1931 class ring from Streator Township High School. Pat and the others agreed that it should go to either my sister, Karen, or me because we also graduated from that high school. Karen said she didn't care, so I took the ring. Of all the tangible things I have left of Aunt Leona, I love this one the best. I can remember her still wearing it and she was pleased that she still had it. I like the design of it better than I liked my own class ring. And, speaking of my class ring, I lost it the winter after graduation...so I have been without a class ring for 45 years -- until now.

Thank you, Aunt Leona. I will cherish it always...and I'll try not to loose it!!

Annual Retreat

2010-06-07T16:04:00.073-04:00

Back in April, I wrote that Jodi's house fire was the same weekend as our annual quilters' and scrapbookers' retreat at the Charlie Elliott Wildlife Center in Newborn, GA. That is such a wonderful facility and we have such a good and productive couple of days...everyone really looks forward to it. Jodi and her scrapbooking friends congregate on one side of the large conference room, and my quilting friends and I take over the other half. Since the fire was on Friday, and on Saturday Jodi had literally nothing but the shirt on her back and the overnight bag and scrapbooking supplies she had in the car -- and there was nothing she could do about the fire until Monday -- she did come and join us for a couple of hours. Understandably, she couldn't really concentrate on her books or get very creative...but she did sit with friends and sort through her pictures and then get a good night's sleep. The last few years, this has become a family affair for some of us. And when she was there, that made two mother-daughter sets. Here's Jodi and me with Deanna and her daughter, Jill.

Deanna is one of the Batty Babes quilters and last year she brought one of her sisters with her to the retreat. They had such a great time that this year her daughter and all three of her sisters came! She and her daughter came from North Carolina...one sister from South Carolina, one from Texas and one from Arizona. Her son lives here in town, so he came out and joined them all for dinner one night. By the sounds of all the laughing, I'm pretty sure they'll all be back again.

I don't have enough space here (and it's kind of a wrestling match to get some of the pictures on this blog) to show all the wonderful quilts that were created this year, but here are a couple of projects that were in the works. I was working on my 2010 Christmas quilt. Each year I draw a family member's name and somebody gets their own Christmas quilt...until everyone in the family has one. We're down to only Jerry or Jeremy to get this year's, so I decided to make a large red, green, gold and cream flannel one with a simple geometric design. Nothing "frilly" for either of those guys. I also started a pretty one called Hunter's Star that will match my living room very nicely -- provided that I can get it finished before I remodel the living room again!

Ardis, Robin and Liz were all working on a project that several of us tackled this past year. It was a mystery quilt (more on that later) that was designed by a friend of ours and published in McCall's. Here's Liz working on some of her blocks. Ardis' color palette is pinks and browns, Robin's is oranges, corals and aquas, and Liz's -- as you can see -- is red, cream and blue. They will all be the same but yet so different. It's going to be fun to see them side by side.

Amelia makes some of the biggest quilts I've ever seen and after she finished piecing this one, the only place to display it was by wrapping it around this room divider!

So here are the statistics: 27 women, 11 sleeping rooms, 1 big working room, 1 sit-down dinner, 1 buffet breakfast, the rest of the time sharing food for meals, treats, etc. Lots of working, lots of laughing, lots of eating, lots of sharing ideas, lots of appreciation for each other's artistry and hard work...and just a few games of Rummikub before turning in each night. We even made a new convert to the game this year...Jennie. It's just great and we're

looking forward to next year already!!

Big Project

2010-06-04T09:16:00.030-04:00

I am woefully behind in my blogging, so I'll try to catch up...but I need to go back a ways to begin to do that. So please bear with me.

The Monday before Easter (hey...I said I was behind!), I told Jerry there were a few things I wanted to get done that week. One of them was to assemble the swing/play set we had ordered for the grand kids. He said, "We can't get it done by then!" I told him the literature said two adults could do it in two days...after inventorying everything. So on Monday he began to take inventory of the lumber. There were a LOT of boards. He had to measure each one and put little numbers on masking tape to identify them with the instructions. Luckily, the hardware was already in marked packages...because there was LOTS of hardware, too!

I'm not sure how many hours the two adults mentioned in the literature have in their days, but we put in a full day on Tuesday and more than half a day on Wednesday. And we were still only about half finished.

But on Thursday, the "cavalry" arrived in the form of Jodi and the kids. I had wanted to surprise them with the finished product, but they were in town and stopped by to "help". Jodi's intentions were good, but as it turned out -- just about the time she got to our house she started feeling very sick. Sore throat, aches and chills. That was the beginning of a very long bout of flu stuff that was going around here about that time. I had it a few days after her. So she went to lay down and the kids got busy helping us with construction. Actually, it was fun having them involved. They decided their gardening gloves could also be used for work gloves...so they were good to go. After a bit, Savannah was less enthusiastic about the construction and decided to set out a picnic for the workers. So we had a lemonade and goldfish cracker break. But Emery was all about the building and he did a good job with the hammer and screw driver. And he learned what a ratchet was.

Despite all the help, we didn't completely finish until Friday. But it looks great! And now that summer is here, they're in the pool all the time. But they do remember that it's out there every once in a while.

There's No Place Like Home

2010-04-28T08:03:00.045-04:00

Jerry and I made a long weekend trip home to Illinois this past week. We were both born and raised in Streator, Illinois. When you haven't been "home" for a while, some things may look different. A few years ago, for instance, we saw a couple of wind turbines for the first time. This time there were hundreds of these tall, graceful, hypnotic icons of the future -- rising up out of the corn and bean fields of farms that have been in the same families for generations. That was new...and fascinating.

But going home is more than just seeing what physical changes have occurred. What old, familiar buildings have been well maintained and which have been allowed to decay. Home is about people. On Saturday, we saw lots of my relatives as we gathered to say goodbye at a memorial service for my Aunt Leona. Cousins from Florida, Georgia, Missouri, Arizona, Indiana and Illinois got together and it was wonderful to see them all. This aunt was on my father's side of the family, but some cousins from my mother's side of the family showed up as well and it was great to seee them, too.

Since we were in town for only a short time, we also wanted to see other family and friends. On Sunday, Jerry's family got together and, as is usually the case, there was lots of good food and lots of laughs.

We also got to spend some time with our good friends, Bob and Joan. We got to eat a pork tenderloin sandwich, go to Steve's Bakery to bring a cinnamon roll home for Jess, and get some Cunningham's Whips. Ahhh...the good things of "home".

Even though it was the shortest visit in the history of vacations, we went to Sheridan to see our BFFs Ken and Shirley and spend the night with them. Yes, it's a little father drive in the wrong direction...but I couldn't be that close and not see their faces and hug their necks. Sheridan is the "home" where we lived for 12 years before coming to Georgia and where we raised our children. There is something in my soul that requires a visit there whenever possible.

But after all the driving, visiting, eating, more driving, more eating, winery stops, still more eating and much more driving...it felt really good to get back "home". Our yard is still at it's blooming peak and strawberries are waiting for us to go pick them with the grandkids. So what -- or where -- is "home"? Is it wherever you hang your hat; is it where your heart is; is it where everyone knows your name; is it where you get your mail; is it where you were born? I think for me the second definition fits. And if home is where my heart is, then I have been so blessed to have so many places I call "home" and so many wonderful and important people in each of those places.

Holy Smoke

2010-04-21T06:46:00.023-04:00

Last Thursday was a regular, busy day. In the morning I met Jodi and the kids at a local consignment sale. I like to keep a few sets of seasonal play clothes at my house for the kids when they come over, so we went to get some. They were each excited to get a new toy to take home, too. Then, the rest of the day, as the Tea Party members protested the tax situation, we went on about our business. For both Jodi and me that meant, among other things, packing for a weekend retreat with our friends. We enjoy an annual getaway weekend of quilting, in my case, and scrapbooking, in hers. After dinner, she made a cute video out her kitchen window of the kids riding their scooters in the driveway while she cleaned up dinner. She said how she enjoyed that time of day now that the weather was getting nice and the kids could play outside while she cleaned up the kitchen. You can check it out on her blog: http://www.jodiyork.com/

Twenty-four hours later, the spot where she was standing to take that video looked like this. I got to the retreat about 10:30 Friday morning and was getting settled in along with others. By early afternoon I was expecting Jodi to show up at any minute. Her babysitter was coming around lunch time. Then, when I called her, I found out that she had been gone from home about 30 minutes when she got a call from the sitter to come back home. The house was on fire.

Christin, the sitter, did everything right and got everyone safely out of the house and for that we are eternally grateful. There are so many things -- large and small -- that we can find to thank God for. The fire gutted the kitchen as you can see. But the majority of the rest of the house, as well as all their belongings, were lost to smoke damage. This picture was taken of Emery's bathroom...upstairs.

So as we are coming up to a week later (tomorrow is Thursday again), things are still busy. But this week Jodi is busy with making phone calls, decisions, arrangements, etc. Jeremy is busy -- not with the fishing tournament he had planned on, but with getting bids, talking to insurance companies and all those particulars. Life does go on even when it can be drastically altered in a matter of minutes or less.

One of the things I noticed in the house when I first went through it just an hour or so after the firemen left was this plaque on the wall. Jerry and I bought it for the kids as a house warming gift when they moved in about 5 years ago. This granite-looking center had been matted and framed. The mat and frame had burned off from around it, but the engraving was still as clear as it had been when it was new. And it pretty much says it all.

Laundry Mishap

2010-04-05T15:32:00.008-04:00

As I was tossing in a load of laundry this morning, I was thinking that this is a picture perfect day to hang it out on the line to dry. I love using my clothesline...I'm being ecologically responsible and the clothes smell wonderful. Today looks like a great day for that -- sun shining, low humidity, nice breeze. But looks can be deceiving. We have also just really started pine pollen season. Anyone who lives with pine trees knows what I'm talking about. A light yellow powder covers everything! I laughed to myself and said, "Not today. I don't want my undies coming in looking yellow!"

Then I proceeded to toss yesterday's new bright, sunny yellow Easter table cloth into the tub. Well....same result as hanging outside. I did have a split second thought, so I also tossed in a dye magnet sheet. I guess I didn't realize how much yellow dye was in the table cloth! So now one of the nice, white fluffy towels in the guest bathroom is a very lovely pale shade of yellow. Actually, it matches the room quite nicely. And if I knew how to get a very pale purple one and a very pale green one I would go for it. But I don't, so it just looks goofy.

If you see a guy running around in tighty yellows -- as opposed to tighty whities -- just send him this way. He's mine.

Sunday With the Grand Kids

2010-03-24T16:10:00.016-04:00

Those of you with grandchildren know that just spending time with them is the greatest...no matter what you're doing. We had a fun day this past Sunday. Our local high school was putting on their production of Wizard of Oz last weekend and there was a Sunday matinee. I thought it would be a great "girls day" for me to take Jodi, Jess and Savannah to see it. Emery could easily hang with grandpa until we got back. But, as it turned out, Jess had plans to go into Atlanta with friends, Jodi really didn't care to sit through it, and Savannah has decided she doesn't like it because it's scary. We were amazed that a few years ago she would watch it all by herself...but she's changed her mind about it. While we were discussing it, Emery kept saying, "I want to go! I want to go!" So I had a Sunday afternoon date with my grandson. And that was great. (Rest assured, he did not wear the wig to the performance. This is him clowning around in Savannah's costume when she was Dorothy for Halloween the year before last.) He sat very patiently watching everything quietly even though it did drag a little with all the musical numbers. The school kids did a great job, but it was a little slow compared to the movies he's used to watching. Just before intermission, he turned to me and said, quietly, "I don't like it". I told him that was fine and that we could leave when they took a break. So when the lights came up I asked him if he wanted to leave. He thought about it a little, but decided that yes, he had seen enough. He was fascinated with the stage, the props and all the people and we still had a good time.

Meanwhile, back at home, Jodi and Savannah decided they would spend some mother-daughter bonding time and go get manis and pedis. They were back at the house by the time we got there. Savannah also brought her new best friend...a life size (bigger than her) Pink Panther that she got from her other grandma's house and now takes everywhere. It is a hoot. She was sitting on the couch with it and posing it in other places around the house. Finally she decided that PP would make a great new friend for grandpa. So she posed him the way she always sees grandpa: with a coffee cup in one hand and a crossword puzzle book and pen in the other hand. And he really did make a good companion.

Table Rock

2010-03-17T19:29:00.076-04:00

We enjoyed our first vacation of 2010 by going with Jodi and the kids to Table Rock Lake in Missouri. Jeremy had a fishing tournament there and the "school of York" just happened to be on spring break. We've been planning it for several months and Jodi was particularly excited about a week in a beautiful cabin in the woods down by the lake just relaxing. Well, we got off to a rocky start. After a LONG day's driving, we were tired and ready to get to the cabin south of Branson. Jodi found it on line and it sounded ideal. Two new cabins on this property boasted 600 acres of forrest behind. They didn't say what was in front! Poor Jeremy was exhausted after driving all night the night before and fishing all day. All he wanted was to get to the cabin and take a nap before we got there. When he arrived, he found the cabin "nestled in a dad-gum trailer park!!!" (His words). After having a no nonsense conversation with the owner and getting our money back, he had to find a place for us to stay that night...as well as all the next week. He found us a very nice suite at the Ramada for Saturday night. That meant we drove an additional 20 to 30 minutes. But once we got settled in, we got some sandwiches and the kids showed us how to relax in style.

Sunday morning was spent on the computer and phone trying to find a place for the week. Jeremy found us a cabin right in Branson. It didn't feel like we were in town because it was one of many cabins in a resort. But since it was very much PRE season for Branson, we about had the place to ourselves. This worked out well because the weather was less than cooperative and this resort had an indoor pool! So we went and got new bathing suits and the kids were in the pool for part of every day that we were there. The resort also had a list of daily activities for kids. One day I took them over to learn how to make tie dye tee shirts. They enjoyed that and got a great souvenir to take home. They were the only two there, so it was a good opportunity for hands-on instruction. The activity director told me she will have about 35 kids in there once the season is in full swing. Something to be said for pre-season vacationing!

It was nice for Jeremy to come home after a long (and cold!) day of fishing to home-cooked meals, a little time for Rummikub and even to relax with one of Savannah's "spa treatments". And since we were there for the weigh-in, Emery got to go up on stage and be "interviewed". He loves to have a microphone put in his face, so when asked who his favorite fisherman was, he proudly -- and loudly -- proclaimed, "Daddy!"

There is a Bass Pro Shop in Branson, but we went 30 miles up the road to Springfield, MO, to see the "grandaddy of all Bass Pro Shops". A shrine of sorts. While we were shopping there, I told the kids I'd get them a stuffed animal. Savannah lovingly chose a sweet baby puma cub. Emery, on the other hand, decided on a long, lanky monkey whose hands and feet have Velcro. It's been lots of fun seeing it hanging from everything possible. When we got back to the cabin, Savannah discovered that the clothes she had packed for her American Girl doll fit the monkey perfectly. After a day or so, Emery started calling it "King Julian". I asked Jodi who that was and she said it was a character from the movie, Madagascar. I asked if he looked like that and she said, "You know....he kinda does!" And King Julian is still hanging around.

It was nice to have a relaxing time with the family. Jessica was unable to get the time off from work and we missed her. (She stayed home and took care of the cats.) The week ended with another long drive home. We broke this one up into two days of driving, but each one felt as long as the one going up there. But it was great and we have lots of fond memories (and tons of pictures -- as you can tell).

Sweet Georgia Blue

2010-02-22T14:00:00.031-05:00

We've had an unusually long and cold winter this year. This past weekend was very nice, but the weekend before we had snow. And in the days between those two events, it was still chilly and windy -- with pretty cold nights. So I was surprised to go out there one of those days and be greeted by this sweet little harbinger of spring. Amidst the dead leaves that have lay there all winter, and despite the harsh weather conditions, she stuck her lovely little face up toward the sun and, unlike the grousey ground hog, declared that spring is just around the corner!

There is an area in the front of the house where we put a fountain a few years ago and I consider this spot to be my "presidential garden"...because it is a garden of hope and change -- and ultimate disappointment. Every spring when the weather warms up, I get energized and enthusiastic about gardening. This is a nice little area to work in. So I go up the road a ways to my favorite nursery and start buying plants to put in. I get Jerry to dig lots of little holes (hey...that's hard work!) and I start putting things in. The fact that most of these are perennials and yet I'm buying new ones every year will tell you what kind of green thumb I have. So with great expectations for the riot of color that I will see all summer long, I plant. I read up on these plants and believe all the wonderful things that they are said to do. But then, alas, summer comes. And with it comes heat. I don't "do" sweating, so I go in the air conditioning and read a book. Then come the bugs...feasting on the tiny roots of my new friends. Then, more times than I care to remember, comes the drought -- and the "Sweet Georgia Brown" clay turns to adobe bricks. Mi Casa doesn't look so good by now.

So last spring, in a fit of such enthusiasm, I purchased three of these cute little plants called Veronica peduncularis 'Georgia Blue'. They were only $1 each and I took them home and apologized to them for what their future would hold. I nestled them together under a hosta and next to a cute rock that has actually survived in the "garden" for several years now. But they shared my vision and soon spread out and made themselves at home. A short while later I had to take the two that were closest to the hosta and move them on the other side and space them out further. They are spring bloomers, so the flowers didn't last long. But these little plants delighted me all summer. Because of the low height they neatly mounded even as they spread and the foliage was a pleasant change from brown dirt.

In the last few days, with the warmer weather and sun peeking out, several others have joined the first flower in opening up and I'm seeing lots and lots of buds! So I'm going to hang my hopes on the catalog description (this is THEIR photo) and expect this little gem to please me for many months to come. I'm sure she'll be one reason I go to the nursery and spend lots and lots of green on my "presidential garden" again this year. Wish me luck!

The Perfect Storm

2010-02-16T15:23:00.035-05:00

Usually the term "perfect storm" brings to mind a series of events that converge to make a horrendous impact on the weather and those affected by it. But last weekend, we had what I would call a "perfect storm". Emphasis on the "perfect" rather than the "storm". We were under winter storm advisories, but it was wonderful.

We are always skeptical of weathermen calling for snow in our part of the country. If we get anything at all (and more times than not, we don't) it's hard to even see it or it is in the middle of the night because that's the only time it gets cold enough. We get excited about a little dusting on the ground about once a year and everyone goes into panic mode -- for no reason. But last Friday the weathermen were right on. It started snowing...and actually sticking...at about 2:30 in the afternoon -- just like they said it would. For a few hours these big, soft, beautiful flakes floated down at a pretty good rate. We got about 4" at our house and it covered everything and was as pretty as anything you've ever seen on a Christmas card.

Jodi and the kids had a Valentine party to go to, but they were coming over after that. They got here about 5:30 and it was great packing by then. We made a snowman, had snowball fights, made snow angels and just enjoyed being out in it till after dark. Then Jess joined us and we had a spaghetti supper. After that, we set the air mattress up in the living room and all settled in to watch the Olympics' opening ceremonies. Jess' work was cancelled, so she got to spend the night, too.

In the morning, Emery woke me up all excited that the snowman was still there. The sky was as blue as it's ever been and the sun was shining on all that beautiful snow. After a breakfast of streusel muffins (yum...thanks, Jodi), Jess and grandpa went out to play with the kids. We discovered that a large trash bag makes a very good sled. And who knew we had a "sledding hill" in our front yard? They had a lot of fun sledding. We decided to name them our Olympic Trash Bag sledding team. Go, USA!

By the time they were getting cold (oh, please. They don't know what "cold" is!) and ready to come in for some hot chocolate, the sun was doing what sun does to snow. It was starting to disappear. By Monday morning, there was no sign of it anywhere. How magical is that?

I know, some of you reading this live in other parts of the country and you are sick and tired of snow and cold this year -- and you might even welcome the chance to have a conversation with Al Gore. But you have to admit that when you have a snow "storm" as rarely as we do and it looks like this and then goes away...that's just about "perfect"!

Notes From the Wine Cellar

2010-02-12T09:18:00.021-05:00

In a conversation a while back on Face Book, my cousin, Lynn, was telling me about a wine called "Choco Vine". Yes, that's Dutch for "chocolate wine". The label clearly states..."The taste of dutch chocolate and fine red wine." Well...who could resist trying that?

Lynn said she gets it at her local grocery store. So I went on the hunt for Choco Vine. My local Kroger store has an extensive wine department, so I started there. Turns out they don't carry this particular treat. I was able to find it at another store, though, and I can tell you that it's very good. Tastes pretty much like Bailey's Irish Cream.

But while in Kroger's, I spent quite a bit of time really looking at all the wines they did have. I usually just run through and grab one of our favorites. Moscato is our current wine of choice. But I didn't know what Choco Vine looked like and Lynn said there were red and yellow tulips on the label. So I was looking at all the labels on the bottles. That's quite an adventure! There were a couple of labels that caught my attention, so I decided to buy these and try them based on that alone. One called Three Alarm Cellars had a really neat label. It simply said it was a "California red wine". They didn't say what food it would be good with, but I'm guessing maybe Five Alarm Chili? But when I read the label I saw that a portion of the proceeds from the sale of their wines goes to an organization dedicated to enhancing the lives of burn survivors and promoting burn prevention. In addition, the painting on the front of a 1945 Diamond T fire truck was painted by a fire captain and his paintings have earned thousands of dollars which have been donated to the Widows and Orphans fund of 9-11. So there were a couple of good reasons to try this wine. I wish we would have liked it better. It was a little robust for our taste. But we like sweeter wines, so don't let my opinion stop you from trying it. They also have a white -- so maybe I'll try that one.

Another one that caught my eye was one called "pink truck" (no capitol letters). And the description was simply, "California pink wine". Well, that was just a fun looking label. Apparently the wine makers in California don't give a lot of descriptions on their labels. We tried that one the other night and I can tell you it goes quite well with meat loaf.

I was telling the girls about my sophisticated new system for choosing wines and Jessica told me I should check out some that Target had called "Middle Sister Wines".

Since I AM a middle sister, how could I not? Some of you may be thinking Target is not a place where you would choose a fine wine, but here in "redneck country" that's what we do. Well....there were so many to choose from. Names like "Wicked White", "Drama Queen", "Rebel Red", "Mischief Maker", and "Forever Cool" beckoned me. But I chose one called "Smarty Pants". Not only did it fit, but it was a chardonnay and I thought we might like it. And we did!

So there you have it. A wine novice's tour of grocery/department store wine selections. Take up my challenge -- and let me know what off-the-wall wines you try and what you think of them. I toast your adventuresome spirit!

Fleecy Skid Stuff

2010-01-08T09:28:00.041-05:00

"The moon on the crest of the new-fallen snow

Gave the luster of midday to objects below"

Boy, it was light last night. After a dusting of snow on the ground, the clouds moved away and the moon came out. You could (and I did) walk around the house without any lights on. The weathermen were predicting a little snow for us and so that was the "buzz" all day yesterday. Folks around here get all excited at the mere mention of snow flurries. "Do we need milk? Do we need bread? Will school be closed?"

I have a picture that I hang up in my kitchen when I decorate for Christmas, but it gets to stay up a little later than the rest because it's a winter picture. It shows two snowmen. Beautiful, white, plump snowmen and it reminds me of winter the way I remember it as a child. We have lived in Georgia over 19 years now and in that time we have seen a few really pretty snow falls. Five or six inches of soft white covering the pine trees. Gone in two days. Perfect snows. But that's been several years ago. Now if we get enough to even attempt to go out and play in, what you see the next day are these scrawny, anorexic "snowmen" that are made up of as many dead leaves and sticks as they are snow.

The coolest (pun left intentionally) snowman I ever built was when I was a sophomore in high school. One of those old metal outdoor chairs was still in the yard from summer time and so I made one sitting in the chair. It was easy, really. Just fill the chair with snow. Then I built legs coming up to it and added some shoulders and a head and arms. He was awesome.

So last night after our little dusting of snow, Jodi and Jeremy went outside and built a "snowman". I just think that is so sad.

Looking Back

2010-01-03T14:01:00.050-05:00

I spend a lot of time beating myself up for not getting enough done. I'm always focused on new projects I want to do...or "works in progress" that I feel I should be working on. And it's true that I waste an awful (and I do mean "awful") lot of time on Facebook these days (yeah...thanks, Jess!). But once a year I allow myself an opportunity to go back and look at what I have actually done in the past year in the way of my projects.

I spent the first several months of 2009 going through my mom's photos...and then my own photo albums. I made great progress, but I can't actually say that task is "finished" because it's an on-going struggle to keep up with pictures, etc. Especially now that we take so many great digital pics and then have to save them somewhere or print them or whatever. I did manage to make two pretty neat scrapbooks this year. One was for Jerry. It was some of my favorite pictures of his mother. He was very touched by it. Another was a Christmas present for my brother. It was all of my dad's pictures from WWII and it was fun to make and I love the way it turned out. Through an odd set of circumstances, I got to give it to him in person for Christmas -- even though we haven't had Christmas together for many years. And while I was in scrapbooking mode, I also made a scrapbook calendar for a friend for Christmas.

But most of my focus in looking back is to see what's been produced in the sewing room. Particularly in the quilting department. Since I hand quilt, it takes a long time to actually piece and quilt a final product. The only ones I can count that way are a wall hanging that I made for this year's quilt guild challenge and the annual family Christmas quilt. Jessica won the drawing for the Christmas quilt this year. But I also completed a casserole caddy, a tote bag, a wool table topper, 5 crosstitch projects and a dress for Savannah. I was able to complete two old quilt restorations for customers, too.

Each of the Babes...me included...made 20 pillow cases for children with cancer. Ours were combined with ones made at Sweet Home Quilt Co. over Thanksgiving and Melisa was able to deliver 334 pillow cases to the ConKer Cancer organization. Here we are at our Christmas party, showing off our bagged-up and ready-to-go pillow cases.

By far, most of my sewing room time this past year was spent piecing quilt tops (unquilted). As I've documented, I made 7 for the Babes for their birthdays as well as one for Elaine for Christmas. I didn't quilt these because they would never get finished -- and they can quilt them however they like. I also pieced two quilt tops for charity that were quilted by my friend, Ardis. My goal was to make lots of scrappy quilts and really use up some of my fabric stash. Right. Using your stash is like eating a salad...you do it and do it and do it and nothing seams to disappear! But it was a lot of fun and since I still have lots of stash left, I guess I can do a couple (hundred) more!

So, as I look back, I guess it doesn't sound too bad. 10 tops need quilting, 9 other projects, (I can't finish the song because I don't have 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, etc.) 20 pillow cases, 2 restorations, 2 quilts completed -- and a partridge in a pear tree. I already have big plans for this year. Some of those plans even include getting back to started projects. So I guess I need to get off the computer now and get busy!

Quilt As Desired - Number Seven

2009-12-30T19:06:00.012-05:00

Robin is the youngest of the Batty Babes...and the last in the calendar year to have her birthday. Having a birthday between Christmas and New Years might get overlooked...but NOT by the Babes! We know how to do birthdays. We had her party last night and, as always, had a great time together. And I made her a full-sized quilt top that she can quilt any way she wants to. And in giving her that top, I also patted myself on the back for reaching a goal I had set about a year ago -- to make each of the Babes a large, scrappy quilt top for their birthday. There are nine of us, but one lives out of state and is not here for the birthdays, and the other is me...so that left 7 quilt tops to make. Sounded easy enough. I had planned on pacing myself throughout the year. But, like many of my plans, it sounded good and looked good on paper -- but I should know myself well enough by now to know I sometimes need deadlines. And they came fast and furious in the last quarter of the year. But I did it!

When thinking about what pattern and colors to use for Robin's, I just knew it had to be pastels. She has a houseful of three beautiful, sweet daughters. I found the pattern in a magazine and this is the final product. She liked it very much.

Now I find myself (temporarily) without definite deadlines. So the question is this: Will I enjoy getting creative with new projects? Will I get busy and finish up some long outstanding ones? Will I get more reading, gardening, and scrapbooking done? Will I waste time on the computer? Probably a little bit of all of those!

Happy Birthday, Robin!

Vesele Vanoce

2009-12-22T19:23:00.042-05:00

You know...when you're growing up you accept certain activities and traditions as "normal" because that's all you know. You assume that what you do to celebrate certain holidays is what everyone else is doing. It's not until you're older that you realize your family may have been a little weird.

Take for example a Czechoslovakian Christmas tradition we grew up with called "Vesele Vanoce." Actually...that's how you say, "Merry Christmas" in Slovak. That's kind of nice. But what I remember from being a kid is that my older male cousins would go to all the relatives' homes on Christmas morning to "Vinchovatz". That's a verb. I'm sure it is not spelled anything like that. I don't even know if it's a word -- in any language. But that's what I remember. The way I understood it (and I can't find anything in doing research to back this up), the tradition was that it was a sign of good luck in the year to come if a young man was the first person to cross your threshold on Christmas morning. So in order to assure such good luck, the boys in the Mehall family would go out early and make sure they were the first ones over the doorstep. They would be invited in, of course, and they would give the greeting, "Vesele Vanoce a st'asny' novy' rok!" I just this year found out that's what the words are. To my young ears, it sounded like, "Vacille Vanochy, ashta slivy novy doke". But that may be my skewed memory, or it could be close to the truth. Because...to make it worth their effort and to ward off the cold of a Christmas morning in Illinois...they were rewarded at each house with a shot of whiskey. So by 10:00 a.m. they were pretty much loaded. Maybe we were one of the later stops.

But I guess things could have been worse. In doing research into this memory from my youth, I found out some other Slovak traditions that we did NOT perpetuate. First, there was the traditional extensive house cleaning in early December. On second thought, maybe we did follow this. It was hard to tell...my mother was always cleaning! But I have NOT carried it forward, even if she did. I found out, though, that baking cookies and sharing certain favorites with family and friends was always done. My daughters and grandchildren and I are doing that! I also like to make hand-made ornaments, like I wrote about a while back. But where we use wood, foam, paint, markers, bling, etc....my ancestors would make theirs from walnut shells wrapped in colored paper or eggshells decorated to look like fish or angels. And speaking of fish -- I read that these folks would go out on December 23rd to buy the "traditional Christmas carp for dinner". It went on to say that several days earlier, huge wooden barrels appeared in the cities with live carp swimming around in them. The buyer would point to the fish they wanted and the fun of trying to catch it began. Usually, the fish would be taken home alive and allowed to swim in the family bathtub until Christmas eve morning. Right -- I'll be at Kroger's...and when I'm in the shower on Thursday night, you can bet there won't be a carp in there with me -- dead or alive!!

A Christmas Curse?

2009-12-17T19:52:00.028-05:00

People give you many greetings this time of year. Usually, they're good...like "Have a Merry Christmas", "Happy New Year", "Happy Holidays", "Season's Best", etc. But back in the Christmas of 1952, someone must have told my parents, "A Pox on You!".

That was the year that all 3 of us children had the chicken pox. My older sister, Karen, was just getting over them...so she was doing pretty well. I was sporting a full-blown case of them and my brother, Chuck, was just starting to show little signs of breaking out. My mother told me I even had them in my scalp, so she couldn't comb my hair. That's my story and I'm sticking to it!

Mom seemed to take it pretty well, but I know she was disappointed. Especially because she had paid a woman to make matching dresses for my sister and me. I remember the dresses well. They were light pink...and very scratchy. They also had the most wonderful, soft purple velvet vest-style jackets that went over them and closed at the waist. Even with all the scratching -- from the dress and the pox -- I remember thinking they were quite special. Karen was 9 and I was 5 that year.

Fast forward 27 years to 1979. I remembered those dresses so well that I surprised my mom by making them for my girls...then ages 8 and 5. The dresses were made of softer material and I didn't put the purple piping on the collars and sleeves, but they were definitely very close to the originals and it really surprised and delighted my mom to see them walk in wearing them.

Boy....how time flies. Now my granddaughter will be 7 years old tomorrow.

Oh...and by the way...yes, I've had my shingles vaccination!

Decking the Halls

2009-12-14T10:47:00.028-05:00

Decking the halls this year began on the Sunday after Thanksgiving. A new tradition for us the past few years has been to make ornaments after our Thanksgiving dinner...which at our house is the Sunday after the traditional Thursday. This year's "craft project" was to take foamy snowman and tree shapes and decorate them as desired using a whole lotta trinkets and trash that were splayed out all over the table. Jeremy's mom and dad had joined us for dinner and were good sports about doing the craft as well. And after all that creativity, we had some very interesting new decorations for the tree. We usually put up two trees. There is a pretty one in the livingroom with all white lights and red and gold ornaments, garlands, and even some sprigs of berries and sparkly things sticking out here and there. And we enjoy looking at it every night during Christmas. Then there is the one downstairs in the family room. It's a good thing it's a big tree, because it is becoming quite loaded. We don't even put every ornament on it any more, but definitely a sampling of all the ornaments we've accumulated over the years. Many of them are hand made. I have some that I made before I was married, we have ones the kids made when they were little, ones my niece and nephew made when they were young, and now the ones the grand kids are making. There are also special ornaments from special friends and family members. And there are some antique ones that I remember being on the tree when I was little.

I asked Jodi if the kids could spend the night and help me do a lot more of the decorating the next day. She was fine with that. What she didn't know, was that I was going to have them for 3 days because Jeremy was surprising her with a little time away for just the two of them. We had set it up weeks before and she knew nothing about it! He's usually as bad as I am at keeping surprises, but he pulled it off this time and they had a great couple of days of "together time". So the next morning, I harnessed all the energy that's stored in those little bodies and there were that many fewer trips up and down the stairs for me to take down the fall decorations and get out the wreaths and poinsettias for the front porch, etc.

It's a funny thing about that energy, though. It only lasts in short spurts, so you have to take advantage of it while you can. So after a while the kiddos drifted off to play and I kept putting a few things up here and there. Later I had to laugh when I went down stairs for something and saw that they had added to the tree decorations down there. There, on some lower branches right in front (where they like to hang everything), they had put some of their stuffed animals on the tree!

So that's one new thing in the decorating department this year. The other new thing is that I was so excited about having a pretty, new mantle to decorate for Christmas that I didn't know where to begin. I asked Jessica if they had anything nice at the gift shop. So one night she brought over several pieces and helped me pick out some things. It looks very nice -- and you sure can't beat the convenience of shopping at home! Thanks, Jess! She also loaned us her Christmas tree since she wasn't going to be putting it up in her apartment this year (and also because she stores it here, anyway) and that looks really nice, too. So now we're all decked out and ready for Santa.

The WOW Factor

2009-12-10T19:31:00.036-05:00

We all like to try to please and excite our children and grandchildren. But I think it's getting harder to achieve what I would call "The WOW factor". For example; some friends of ours took their children to Disney World this summer. After all the planning and preparation -- not to mention time and expense -- they finally got there. After a short while of walking around, the kids said they were "bored". Then suddenly...right there in the middle of the Magic Kingdom, in broad daylight, there were fireworks! Only trouble is, they were coming out of mom's eyes and ears -- and even a few off the ends of her hair.

These children are no different from their peers. Youngsters of this generation are born into a world of constant stimulation and instant gratification. They are learning things at an earlier age than ever and expanding their knowledge and experiences constantly. This, like most everything else in life, can be both good and bad. One of the down sides is that it is hard to make their little eyes light up with excitement.

I was lucky enough to be present the other day for a WOW moment for Savannah. Jodi, Jessica and I accompanied her to the American Girl Store. This is something she has been looking forward to and working towards. Jodi had told her that when she reached a certain reading level, she could go to the store. Since this happened to be just a week before her birthday, she got to pick out a doll, and we even had reservations at the Bistro for a sampling of their decadent desserts.

It was fun for all of us to see her face truly light up as she walked around the store looking at all the displays...petting the little doll pets...making sure she'd made the right decision (after poring over the catalog at home and constantly changing her mind)...and FINALLY, holding her new best friend in her arms.

She had known which day we were scheduled to go for a long time and was counting down the days. When we were eating our desserts, she told Jodi that it was even better than she was expecting it to be.

Cookie Bake '09

2009-12-08T12:32:00.042-05:00

We had our (7th?) annual Mother-Daughter Cookie Bake on Sunday. Jessica was first to arrive, sporting a cute apron that said, "Santa likes my cookies best". Well...we'll just have to see about that! Then I found out that she got one for Jodi and me, too, so we were all cute! She got Savannah one just like it, but hers said, "Santa's little helper". Emery was already a little bummed because he found a new flannel shirt in his surprise box -- instead of a toy -- and then he found out he didn't have an apron. Jess didn't think he'd want a girlie one. But I had a man's barbecue cook-out apron and we put that on him. At that point he wasn't quite sure how he felt about how the day was going so far.

Enough of the fashion show. Now it was time to get down to business. I had already done my two make-ahead standards -- fruitcake cookies and apricot fold-overs. But we set about making some other favorites like apricot double dips, potato candy, citrus white chocolate macaroons, chocolate truffles, chocolate-covered peanut clusters, Chex mix, sugar cookies, snails, and every body's favorite -- fudge! We tried a couple of new things this year, too; lemon cookies, polar stars, pretzel bark and Heath chip cookies with a Kiss.

Grandpa and Emery spent most of the day outside playing baseball, etc. But when I need extra muscles to stir the potato candy, I need to call them in for some help. Emery told me has stronger muscles than Grandpa. And Savannah learned just how easy (she would say, "Easy, cheesy") it is to make GREAT fudge.

My favorite comment of the day came from Savannah. She was mixing the melted chocolate chips and enjoying "taste testing" while we were making truffles. When I added the sour cream, she wasn't quite sure she was going to like these any more. Then I poured in the Amaretto. She smelled it and said, "What's that???" Jessica told her it was liquor. Her face lit up and she said, "Wow! It smells like magic marker!"

By the end of the day we had filled the dining room table with goodies to share with our friends and neighbors. Just a note for those who live near us: you may need to go outside the county to find any chocolate!

Quilt As Desired - Numbers 5 and 6

2009-12-04T20:14:00.025-05:00

The Babes' birthdays are coming fast and furious now towards the end of the year. I gave away 2 more quilt tops in the last few weeks.

First ... on November 24th we celebrated Ardis' big day. She likes fall colors...reds, golds, rusty browns, etc. And she appreciates the traditional use of muslin. She also likes this particular star pattern, and a few years ago shared with us a cool way to piece that star. So I designed this one for her. It's just 3 different sizes of the same star in the colors she likes -- set against a background of muslin. Like the other Babes, she was very appreciative.

Then only a week later...on December 1st, we celebrated Liz's birthday. You'd think that having a birthday in December, she'd want to go out of her way to differentiate between HER day and Christmas. But to the contrary...Liz LOVES everything Christmas. So she's easy to shop for. I made this colorful Christmas scrappy quilt for her. The pattern is called a disappearing nine patch. A nine patch, for you non-quilters, is a block with just 3 squares across and 3 down. In this version, you make the center block a lighter, contrasting color. Then you cut each nine patch block in half vertically and again horizontally...and then turn them and sew them back together to mix it all up. As you can see -- she, too, was quite happy. That's her on the right...wearing the big grin and the antennae.

Happy birthday, girls!

Horsey Girl

2009-11-28T08:33:00.019-05:00

Last week my friend, Pam, asked me if Savannah liked horses. I told her she LOVES horses. Her favorite gift last Christmas was the Barbie-sized horse she got from Santa. Pam said she knew a woman whose daughter had collected horses as a young girl, but had outgrown them. She gave them to Pam because her granddaughter is very into horses...and riding. But she, too, is a little too old for them. So Pam thought Savannah would like to have them.

We brought the grand kids home with us after Thanksgiving dinner with the Yorks and they were going to spend the night so mommy and daddy could get up at 0 dark thirty for the Black Friday sales event (not this Nanny!). So I told Savannah about this girls' horse collection and how it came to be passed down to her. She was thrilled!! As she looked into the bag and brought out horse after horse...after horse (there were 12 of them), her face lit up and her eyes glowed like it was Christmas morning.

When it came time to go to bed, she asked if she could sleep with one of them. Since we share a bed when they stay over, I told her it was okay as long as he didn't kick as much in his sleep as she does in hers. Later, when I went to go to bed, this is what I found. Not only was Mr. horse on my side of the bed...she had him covered up to his neck. Seeing a horse head in my bed cracked me up and all I could think of was the Godfather movie. Have I done something to dishonor the Corleone family??

Remembering Aunt Leona

2009-11-19T12:44:00.050-05:00

Most of you reading this know by now that we lost our Aunt Leona last week. Many of you may have aunts or uncles that you are particularly close to, but this lady was a very big and very special part of my life. If you were blessed enough to be raised in a traditional household, you had parents that were there for every important day and event in your life. You kinda expect that -- may even take it for granted. Since Aunt Leona never married and had a family of her own (she always said she wasn't an old maid -- she was an unclaimed treasure), we didn't have to share her time and affection with anyone else. So she, too, was there for every big and little part of my life.

She was there, of course, when I was born. And she had funny stories that she told and retold about when she babysat my older sister and me when my younger brother was born. Most of the stories cast a light on me as being the instigator of some sort of mischief...but I guess all was forgiven because she laughed every time she told the stories.

As I said, she was always there. And not just there...but involved and enjoying. I can clearly remember her being at my confirmation, attending graduations, and my wedding. Even after we moved to Georgia, she visited often and so she was here for Jodi and Jeremy's wedding as well as the birth of our first grandchild.

She always liked to stay busy, travel, visit, see new places, etc. In July of 2001, she and mom were coming for a visit and I planned a trip for us to take them to the Georgia coast. So they would know what to expect and how to pack, I sent them not just the information on where we were going (Savannah, Jekyll Island, St. Simons, etc.) but a complete itinerary. I sent it in the form of a letter from the "Happy Times Travel Agency" and made it all sound very grand. She got such a kick out of that and talked about it many times over the years. She'd say how cute that letter was and what a great time we had on the trip.

She enjoyed everything and loved to laugh. Here she is just days before her 89th birthday, sporting a tee shirt that she got for Christmas that says, "Born in America -- a long, long time ago." She also enjoyed gambling -- and was a winner. She would send people scratch-off lottery tickets in their birthday cards. She would give each of us a ticket on Christmas morning. But she was the only one who won anything. She also liked her whiskey and water...at 5:00p.m. on the dot. She said she liked visiting here from Illinois because 5:00 came an hour earlier down here.

We will especially miss her this Christmas because she's been coming down here to spend the holidays with us for the past several years. Just last year -- at the age of nearly 95 (her birthday was New Year's Eve) her driver dropped her off at the airport and then she found out her flight was being cancelled due to bad weather. She got herself to a nearby motel, called me and said, "I'll see you tomorrow." Then she had a nice dinner and a good night's rest and got herself back to the airport on time very early the next morning and caught her flight. She would usually come a few days before Christmas and go back some time after the first of the year, so we've celebrated her birthday with her many times. Here she is in 2006. We went to a New Year's Eve party at Jodi and Jeremy's and Savannah thought the birthday girl should wear her tiara.

She celebrated her 80th birthday in the hospital having by-pass surgery. My sister had planned to spend several days with her while she was in the hospital, and she took a lot of reading material because she knew that afterwards she would only be able to visit with her for a few minutes every couple of hours. But by the second day, the nurses told her to just go on in. Leona was sitting in the chair, chatting and entertaining everyone who went in. And for the next 16 years she drove herself to the rehab center at the hospital several days a week. She viewed it not only as her own fitness club, but a social gathering, too, and she knew everybody who went there. That is, until this past August. At about that time her eyesight was getting bad and she had to give up driving. She moved from her apartment into an independent living facility in her home town of Streator. She was also getting a little unsteady on her legs, so she gave up golf at that time, too. The local paper did an article about her and it was on the front page. When I called to tell her I had seen it and several friends had sent me the clipping, she said, "I always thought you had to murder somebody to get your picture on the front page of the paper!"

Even though she may have been "unclaimed" by one special person...she was loved, appreciated, and enjoyed by more people than any other person I've ever known. I've been very blessed to have her in my life for so long.

They Know Stuff

2009-11-09T09:22:00.042-05:00

Jodi is doing a fantastic job of home schooling the kids. Besides their reading, riting and 'rithmatic at home, she has them enrolled in a Tuesday morning class called Classic Conversations which is great for expanding their learning experiences. Add to all that vacations and field trips (which are interchangeable) with trips to museums, aquariums, zoos, caves, etc. and it's amazing to watch their minds soak up everything around them like little sponges.

I went to their house to babysit yesterday afternoon and they amazed and tickled me several times. When I first got there, they were playing in the sand box and hollered for me to come join them. As I approached, Emery proudly displayed a pail full of sand with lots more piled on top and coming to a point. He said, "Look, Nanny...it's Mount Basooovious!" Then they went on playing and making sand castles -- each better than the others' according to the builders. Pretty soon the conversation turned to "trash talking" about what each of them was going to do to the other person's castle. I told them not to start fighting. Emery assured me it wasn't a fight..."It's the Battle of Hastings, Nanny."

We were going to make a pizza for dinner and when Savannah went into the pantry to get the crust, she showed me a large outline of a world map on the back of the door. She said, "Look, Nanny. That big part with the "C" is China. And down here is the Bay of Bengal. Madagascar is way over here." Then Emery chimed in with pointing out where the Pacific Ocean is.

Later, still, we were playing and she forgot something for a minute. She dismissively waved her hand and said, "Oh. I have short term memory loss." I could relate to that, but don't have a fix for it. :)

They are also honing their public speaking skills and building their confidence by asking Jodi to make movies on her camera of them doing presentations on everything from art, to cooking, to just giving out general information.

I think I should take them to New York. If we could find -- and ride in --the Cash Cab, I might be one rich Nanny!!

Pag Man

2009-10-26T07:35:00.006-04:00

Emery has lived the last 3 of his 4 years under the assumption that he can do anything his big sister can do. Once he knew how to walk and talk, he saw himself as her equal. So now that she is deeply entrenched in first grade of home school, he's eager to learn, too. She's reading -- so he wants to read. He will look closely at letters and sound them out to try to make words.

The other day he was wearing his GAP sweatshirt. He looked down and started "reading" what his shirt said. Apparently he can read letters upside down -- but not backwards. From his point of view...and reading from left to right...he started sounding them out. He made a good strong "P" sound -- then got the short "A" right -- and then sounded out the "G". Softly sounding them out again and then putting them together, he proudly announced, "Pag!"

Here's Your Sign....

2009-10-21T10:10:00.009-04:00

Saw this clever sign in a restaurant last week:

"Buy one dinner for the price of two and get the second one free."

Wonder how many folks ask for that special?

Quilt As Desired...Number Four

2009-10-06T10:26:00.010-04:00

My friend, Amelia, who had the flooded property I talked about in the last post, celebrated her birthday with the Babes last week. As for the previous 3 Babes' birthdays, I gave her a scrappy pieced quilt top that she can finish however she chooses. This one is called, "Prairie Vine" and I saw it in a magazine about 2 years ago and fell in love with it immediately. Actually, this is just the center of the quilt. The one in the magazine called for a wide, pale border on which a vine with 140 small leaves were appliqued onto it. I made this quilt for myself quite some time ago and I have the leaves basted onto freezer paper and ready to be applied...but I have yet to put the vine on and start stitching the leaves down. I knew there would be no time for me to do this as a border on her quilt. So I just made the center -- which I still love -- and she can finish it off with whatever kind of border she wants, or add more blocks, or anything else she might like. She liked it that way, too. Happy Birthday, Amelia!

Water, Water Everywhere

2009-09-27T13:10:00.040-04:00

By now you've probably heard about the flooding in the Atlanta area. Here's how it was for us.

On Tuesday, the 15th, we got a little rain...less than 1/2". Our assistant pastor called and wanted to know if Jerry would be available the next day to help a lady in the parish who had to move some of her belongings from a storage facility in Decatur to her home here in Covington. He said he'd be glad to help. I went with him. So that was Wednesday, the 16th. I checked before we left home and it looked like there were a few green spots showing up on the radar, but I thought we would probably be able to get there, load up, and get back without too much trouble. With all of our drought years over the past decade or so, we're used to seeing blips on the radar that dry up before they get here. There was our open pick-up truck and one other -- also open -- and we loaded most of her things. It started raining lightly just as we were finishing packing. On the way home -- almost ALL the way home -- it rained as hard as it possibly could. Everything got pretty well soaked. I felt awful for her. I'm not sure how much of it she was able to save. She did have a fairly new mattress and box spring that had to go to the dump the next day. The person with the other truck went back the next day and helped her get the rest of it...but it rained that day as well. Still -- she was very grateful for the help.

Each of those days we got a little over an inch of rain at our house, but on the west and north sides of Atlanta they were getting much more than that. On Saturday morning we had planned to get up early and go encourage Jodi and Savannah as they participated in a one-mile fun run at their church. Since lightning is the only weather that will postpone a race, they ran in the rain. And we got there just in time to see them come it. We got another inch 1.1" at our house that day, but the deluges continued on the other side of Atlanta.

The system that was bringing all the rain was still around and we got just a 1/4" on Sunday. But by Monday afternoon things were getting serious. Some of the rivers and creeks in our area were under flash flood watches and warnings due to the run-off coming down from the north of Atlanta where there had already been flooding. Then on Monday afternoon we got about 3-1/2" of rain in about 90 minutes. Now we were one of the counties in serious trouble, too.

On Tuesday morning, Jerry and I were headed over to Covington. When we got to the bridge over the Yellow River -- about 4 miles from our house -- we were shocked to see how high the water was under the bridge. I asked him to turn and go down my friend, Amelia's, road. She lives just a short way beyond the river. Her house, as well as her father's and one of her daughters', are all on the left side of her road and well back and up the hill. On the right side of the road is usually a beautiful lake that is also their property. There is an earthen dam between the river and their lake. When we turned onto her road, we were surprised to see that the water was already over the road and rising. It was nearing the top of the earthen dam. And as we stood there with her and some of her family, we watched it rise over that dam and just keep coming. We were there about 10:30 in the morning and she said that when they left for work about 7:30, there was no water on the road. This little gazebo is on a walkway that goes from the shore of their lake to a small cottage on an island. Usually the gazebo is 5 feet above the water. Later in the afternoon, she said, the water was flowing through this gazebo and half of the walkway had been washed away. She said the lowest parts of the fence along side the road were under water, as well. She estimated that the water level inside the cabin was probably about 4 feet. She told us that in the 33 years she has lived in that house, she has never seen it like this.

Still, she and her family realize how blessed they were to still have their homes and each other. There are so many in our area that have lost so much more than that. It was amazing to see the power of nature close up and it is heartbreaking to see what it can do. But our thoughts and prayers are with so many of our neighbors as they begin the struggle to rebuild their lives.

Childhood Memories With Paste on Them

2009-09-18T08:27:00.034-04:00

No...I'm not talking about eating paste in kindergarten. Not even talking about sniffing glue. I'm talking about wallpaper!

Recently, as we were tearing apart the living room and getting ready to do a major remodel, I was taking things out. The grand kids came over and were shocked. Standing there with their little jaws dropping open they asked, "Nanny! What are you doing???" I told them I was taking everything out of the room so daddy could build us a new fireplace and do some other work in the room. I told them it would all be different.

The decor at that time was largely a collection I had built of antique toys. I had even found a wallpaper border that had antique toys on it. I never realized the kids had paid attention to any of it except a few toys that they liked to play with. But when I told them the room was changing, Savannah said sadly, "But Nanny...I won't see the horse any more." I realized she had not only noticed the horse on the wallpaper border, but had become fond of him. Not too surprising, because she loves horses. She had just never mentioned it before.

Jerry thought I was crazy when I told him I remembered the wallpaper on my bedroom walls when I was in my youth bed. I told him it had children on teeter totters, etc. and it was in shades of pink and had vertical stripes. He gave me a stranger than normal look. And I also remembered that when Jessica was little she came out into the kitchen one day after getting dressed and said something like, "Ta-da!". I asked her why the enthusiasm, and she said she was dressed just like (and I forget the name she gave me). When I asked who that was, she led me to her bedroom and pointed to one of the several children on her wallpaper. She had named them all and made them her friends.

I realized then that those wallpaper memories are kind of special. So when we were stripping the wallpaper, I was very careful to remove a section of the border that had the horse on it. I put it in a frame and gave it to Savannah and told her she can now see the horse any time she wants. She was really delighted...and in thanking me, added, "And you got the dog, too!".

Retreat

2009-09-14T08:04:00.030-04:00

re-treat (ri tret') n. 1 a withdrawal, as from danger 2 a safe, quiet place 3 a period of seclusion, esp. for spiritual renewal.

Hmmm... I went to a quilters and scrapbookers retreat this weekend. But according to Webster, I wonder why we call it that. We do withdraw...but not from danger. As a group we withdraw from the duties, responsibilities, and loved ones in our lives that interrupt our pursuit of our creative hobbies and make accomplishing things difficult. As for it being a safe, quiet place. Well, let's just say it's very safe. We go to the Charlie Elliott Wildlife Center in Mansfield, GA. They have a huge, wonderful facility on 6,400 acres of natural wooded beauty. They have motel-style rooms and a large conference room where we can set up tables, ironing boards, a huge food spread and still have plenty of room to spread out and work. The quiet part of this definition, however, doesn't quite fit. There is no TV reception out there, but they have a big-screen TV that we can play DVDs on. We also bring our portable music and I'm still singing all the songs from Mama Mia in my head today. Definition 3 doesn't quite fit, either. Rather than it being a period of seclusion, we invite lots of good friends. This time 20 of us "retreated" to this wilderness together.

There were a few special things about the relationships of the group this time. Jodi and I almost always are there together. Me with my quilting friends, and her with her scrapbooking buddies. This time a good friend and one of the Batty Babes, Liz, who hasn't been to one of these in a very long time not only came along, but brought her daughter, Ellen, who is a scrapbooker, too. So we had two mother-daughter pairs. What's more fun than spending your weekend with your friends AND one of your grown daughters? Well...maybe the answer to that is spending it with a sister who is also a good friend. Another of the Batty Babes, Deanna, retired and moved to Charlotte, NC last year. She comes down to visit often and especially when we have something like this going on. This time she brought along a very good friend, Ilona, who also happens to be one of her sisters. Ilona lives in Columbia, SC, so they met up along the way and rode down together. We all enjoyed meeting Ilona and having her with us.

We were also glad to share some part of the weekend with a very good friend that most of us hadn't seen in a long while. Becky has been a nurturing care-giver for her husband, Robert, who has been battling pancreatic cancer for the past two years or so. He lost his gallant fight quite recently and went home to heaven...so she was able to come and share the love of good friends and the soul-nourishing time for creativity.

But you can never find a time that meets everybody's schedule, so we missed a couple of the "regulars". Ardis never misses, but she was off on a great anniversary trip with her husband. And Pam was able to only squeeze out a couple of hours from a weekend filled with working and caring for her mother who is having some health problems. All in all, I would have to say that I agree with most everyone who said, "This was the best one yet! When can we do it again?"

Late Bloomers

2009-09-07T09:38:00.019-04:00

While visiting in Florida several years ago, I fell in love with bougainvilleas. They are native to that climate and grow as large bushes in the ground. But we can't grow them that way in Georgia. I was very excited to see some small ones in pots in my local Lowe's this spring. They need lots of sun and something to climb up on. So I brought one home and got very busy making just the right spot on the corner of the front porch for it. I got a plant stand and raised a larger pot to rail height. I had Jerry run some fishing line to the top of the porch rail for it to climb on. And I watered it and watched it and waited...and waited...and waited. I was imagining a porch corner filled with these wonderful showy flowers. But the few flowers that were on it fell off and were replaced only by leaves. It was a healthy looking plant...but no flowers. And what good is a bougainvillea that has no flowers???

Finally, one day we were fertilizing things in the yard and Jerry had a little bit left. He asked what else need some and I told him to just put it in that pot. Well....it appears it was hungry! I thought there was enough food in the pots they come in plus the potting soil I had added to it -- but I was wrong. After that it started to produce the beautiful flowers I had looked for all summer. And now I am enjoying it immensely every time I go out on the front porch. Note to self: feed it!!!

Also...fairly late in the summer we were walking through Lowe's (we spend a lot of time at Lowe's) and they had these cute little pots of seeds for kids to grow. At only $1 each, I figured they'd be good to put in the grand kids' surprise boxes. We got a sunflower for Savannah and a pumpkin vine for Emery. Emery protested a little when we talked about planting his because he said it wasn't Halloween yet. His expectations are even higher than mine. But we planted the seeds in their little cups and put them in the window and then transplanted the little shoots into the ground. Since these children live in a world of instant gratification, they kinda lost interest for a while. But they were happy recently to see how their plants were coming along. Savannah was eating a cookie when we walked out to see the plants and she felt moved to share part of her cookie with her sunflower. I guess she realizes what Nanny doesn't.....plants need to eat, too!!

An Annual Recharging

2009-09-03T10:01:00.013-04:00

I went to the Women of Faith conference in Atlanta last weekend with the girls and few of their friends. It was inspiring, as always. The Worship Team starts off with such wonderful praise music that it gets your heart and mind aligned right away. Other music this year was provided by Stephen Curtis Chapman on Friday night and Mandisa on Saturday. Both shared not only their awesome singing talents and songs, but their very personal stories of struggle and heartache. All of the usual, wonderful speakers shared their stories as well. And the common thread through all the laughter and tears was their pain and their challenges. We all face some kind of hardship at times during our lives and these tender people are not afraid to get up in front of millions of others and share their stories. But it would be truly depressing if that's all they had in common and their attitude was one of "woe is me". They sure wouldn't draw huge crowds every weekend, would they? But that's not where it ends. All of our favorite speakers were there: Patsy Clairmont, Luci Swindoll, Sheila Walsh, Marilyn Meberg, and new this year was Lisa Whelchel (from the Facts of Life TV show). These women have a lot in common. They are all very talented speakers. They make you laugh and cry and have you totally engrossed the whole time they're speaking. As I've said, they've all had difficulties and they're not afraid or ashamed to admit to that. But the most important thing they have in common...and the thing they share most graciously with all of us...is their strong faith in a living, loving God. In telling of their worst times, they can also tell how their relationship with God got them through it. And more than got them through...but made them better and stronger for it. This is always such an opportunity to have our faith recharged, and I encourage you to attend one of these conferences if you haven't done so before.

Quilt As Desired - Part Three

2009-08-26T20:21:00.014-04:00

The third Batty Babe to have a birthday so far this year was Melisa. She turned the big 5-0 last week (and lived to tell about it). The weekend before, we all took to the mountains to celebrate with her. This is her sittin' and knittin' on the back porch. What else would an old lady do?

It was great that all 9 of us could get away for a few days at the same time. Amelia, one of the Babes, has a cabin in the north Georgia mountains and it is a little bit of heaven up there. Usually at least 15 degrees cooler than here at home, it is wonderful to sit on the porch morning, noon and night and listen to the creek nearby. We sew, and read, and laugh, and play card games, and eat and laugh and even drink "a little". We have a great time.

This is the quilt top that I made for her to "quilt as desired". For those of you who don't know, it's called a String Quilt. Varying widths of fabric strips (strings) are sewn together with lights being on one side and darks on the other. It's a very addictive project once you get started...and a great way to use little leftover pieces of fabric that you just can't throw away.

So thanks, again, Amelia. We all had a wonderful time helping Melisa over this big "hump".

Know Your Capitals

2009-08-12T15:01:00.028-04:00

Jerry and I were both born and raised in Streator, Illinois. In it's "heyday" it was home to two large glass manufacturing plants. It was known as "The Glass Container Capital of the World." There was a sign proclaiming that as you drove into town. Back in the 70s, we had a somewhat smart-ass friend named Bill. When he came to Streator one weekend, he wanted us to show him the capital building. We drove him by the larger of the two factories...but he was disappointed.

Now we live in Georgia between the towns of Covington and Conyers. They are in two different counties. Conyers is in Rockdale County. Interstate 20 runs through both counties, but the Rockdale portion has planted crepe myrtle trees along the fences that line either side of the road. At one time there was a sign by the exit to the interstate that read, "Crepe Myrtle Capital". Even though the trees are still there, we can't remember having seen the sign for quite some time.

One day last week, President Obama was going to Elkhart, Indiana to talk about the progress of the stimulus package. The news commentator said Elkhart was "The RV Capital of the World." That got me to thinking. What does it take to become a "world capital"? Can the Chamber of Commerce just put up a sign and that's it? Do you need to have some sort of proof? Who decides these things? Is there a book like Guiness has for world records? And then can you just take the sign down -- like in the case of Rockdale County -- if the trees start to look a little bedraggled after several years of drought? Does the 2nd place town then get to be the capital? What about Streator now that glass containers are not in demand as much as they were back in the early 1900s? Do they still have bragging rights?

I had all I could do when I was in school to learn the capitals of each of the states. I don't think I could ever learn all these additional capitals.

Style Over Sentiment

2009-08-08T11:30:00.069-04:00

I'm a pack rat. I keep most everything. But I like my things. Many of them are unique and make me think of people that are special to me. When we redecorated the bedroom, I had some decisions to make. In taking a fresh look at some of my special things, I had to admit they were old and wouldn't really fit in with the new decor. But I remembered fondly why I had...and had kept...each one of them. First...there was my jewelry box. I remembered how touched I was when Jerry went to see his brother in New Jersey after we had been dating for a very short time. He missed me and brought me back a gift. It was a tall, wooden jewelry box. I was blown away! So for 40 years, this has sat atop my dresser and held the few pieces of jewelry that I wear any more. It's on top of my list of very best gifts I've ever received. But in looking at it through the eyes of a decorator -- it had to go. :( It is old, after all, and a little scarred up from use. Luckily, Jessica was able to use it in her closet and so I didn't have to really get "rid" of it. :) In it's place, I got a small, soft box in just the right colors. I went to Target and got some drawer dividers to put inside and it holds my jewelry just fine and looks terrific.

Another thing I smiled at as I removed it from the room was an old ceramic bank. It was given to me by two special friends...Bill O'Neill and Bill Shepherd...when I left Commonwealth Edison to stay at home and raise my children. I was pregnant with Jodi at the time -- so that, too, is about 38 years old. Even though it says, "retirement fund" on it -- I was far from being retired at the time! I have replaced that with a funky thing that I think is supposed to be a vase...but I put my few paltry coins in it. It has the right colors in it and I like it from a decorator's point of view. But I'm going to need a whole lot more change in it because of the size. But if you figure the rate of inflation over the past 38 years, I guess that would be about right.

Then there was this picture that hung over the head of the bed. Several years ago for our anniversary, Jodi and Jessica made this for us. There is a quilt block in the center made from fabric that was in the wedding ring quilt on the bed. The fact they are novice sewers/quilters at best (Jess, in particular, hates the hand quilting) and yet they had this idea and pulled it off with the help of one of my quilting friends (thanks, Gail) means the world to me. On either side were very sweet sentiments about what a mom is and what a dad is. I was very touched with this gift and will always treasure it. But it also looks good downstairs by my cutting table. And in it's place, I found a very nice picture that matched the new decor in color and style. It also says, "As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord." (Joshua 24:15) Totally appropriate.

So, yes...some of the little trinkets and such that reminded me of special people are not on display anymore. But that doesn't mean I'll ever forget these people or what their gifts have meant to me over the years. Those I keep in the most special place of all -- my heart.

New and Improved

2009-07-31T14:59:00.018-04:00

After many months of moving at the rate of retired people, we have finally finished remodeling and redecorating the master bedroom and bath. And we are quite please with ourselves and the final results. Here are some before and after pictures. You will notice that the whole "country" thing is gone....the quilt (yes, the quilt), all the white eyelet, the wooden cornices on the windows with cutesy things sitting on top, the ruffled skirt on the bedside table, etc.

The "after" picture looks a little dark, but it's not dark in the room. It is nice and bright and clean...just what I was going for. The green paint was replace with cream and tan stripes. That was quite a job, but it really makes the look of the room. New bedding (I'll get around to an accent quilt later), new window treatments, and a new night stand make all the difference in the world.

In the corner of the room -- previously -- there was something that looked like a torture devise. I believe it was some kind of exercise equipment, although we usually just used it to hang clothes on. That has been replaced with a very nice chair in that corner. It doesn't look like it...but it's actually a recliner. You know, in case "reclining" on the bed becomes too tough. Also...the sweet, but small, picture I had on that wall has been replaced with a picture grouping. (I've been studying magazines.)

So, in short, all the hard work was worth it and we're loving our new bedroom look.

Please Be Aware

2009-07-27T08:18:00.029-04:00

If you're like us, your mail box is full of requests for donations to various charities, research programs, etc. And, like us, you may want to help many of these worthy organizations. But in this past year, I've noticed that we keep receiving some that look very similar. They are for different groups, but they look exactly the same. They are about 1/2 page...maybe a little larger and they have the tear-off sides with the holes. There are 3 copies -- a white, a yellow and a pink. Some are for cancer research, some for Alzheimer's and some for heart disease. I was curious as to why they all looked the same. And they all say, in big red letters, "Annual Fund Drive Voluntary Reply Form" at the top.

One way Jerry and I have chosen to decide who to send money to is to check and see what percentage of the donations received actually goes to the cause; assistance, research, etc. and how much goes to administration. When I turned these suspicious looking ones over and read the fine print on the back, I was shocked! The Alzheimer's one, for instance, says that of the $4,601,433 they raised last year, 4.70% went to program services. 4.70%!!!! Most of it...$70.80% went to fundraising. They will not be getting a penny from me. Similarly, the one for breast cancer research said that of their $10,369,290 raised, only 4.77% went to research program services -- and the one for Heart Support of America admitted that of their $3,898,479 they spent 12.63% on program services. Theirs was a little better, but by the time I read that I felt I may need the free heart attack first aid kit they were offering to send!

Out of curiosity I started looking around the web and found a very interesting site: http://www.quackwatch.com/ by a Dr. Stephen Barrett, MD. He talks specifically about the organization behind these letters -- Project Cure. They are actually supporting a group of lobbyists in Washington who want the government to fund alternative cures. It's quite interesting if you want to check it out.

Another web site I urge you to check out is www.bbb.org/charity-reviews/national . All charities are listed alphabetically, so looking one up is quick and easy. Click on the one you want to know about and there will be lots of information about them. Scroll down and there will be a pie chart that clearly shows how much of their money goes to programs. Alzheimer's' Foundation of American, for instance, spends 85% on programs (compare that to 4.70% as listed above!). One of my favorites is America's Second Harvest. They give 98% of their raised funds to provide food for the needy. Can't beat that. I think they have changed their name to Feeding America...but it's the same organization.

If there is no pie chart, they may not have received all that information yet and sometimes they will direct you to a website and you can find it there. It's amazing the number of charities that are out there and you can give to whatever touches your heart. I'm just on my soapbox today to encourage you to spend your charitable contributions wisely.

Quilt As Desired - Part Two

2009-07-24T15:24:00.018-04:00

Early last February, I posted a picture of a six-point star quilt top that I made for my friend, Pam's, birthday. I said that it was my intention this year to make each of the Batty Babes (my quilting group) a quilt top for their birthday. Each of them can "quilt as desired" by hand or machine. This is the longest stretch that we go between birthdays, but the other night we celebrated again. This time it was Elaine's turn to be spoiled with our gifts and good wishes.

I dug into my stash to find old fabrics, again, and made her this design called "Birds in the Air". Elaine is a long arm quilter. For those of you not familiar with that term, that means she has a professional quilting machine. It will take her no time at all to turn this top into a snugly, warm quilt. Here is a picture of her (she's on the right) at our party...with some of the other Babes...studying all the little fabrics. Such fun we have!

From now till the end of the year the birthdays will be coming fast and furious...so I need to get busy!

A Truly Inspiring Tradition

2009-07-17T15:15:00.059-04:00

When we moved here (19 years ago), we were vaguely aware of a place about 2 miles down the road from us called "The Salem Campground". It was a landmark of sorts, but we didn't know much about it. There are little shack-type houses that line a large, central grassy area and a strange looking building in the center. The center building is a roofed pavilion with open sides. A small wooden stage sits at the front of several rows of wooden seating. But now we know what it is because there is a write-up in the paper every year about this time.

And every year I am touched again by this wonderful tradition. To give you a brief history, the "camp meeting" is a venerable tradition of Methodist and Presbyterian churches. This particular one is Methodist, but the camp meeting itself is interdenominational. It is a place of peace where worship, reunion, and spiritual renewal can be found. The earliest camp meeting recorded took place in Kentucky in 1800. The Salem Campground meeting started in 1828, and except for the period of the Civil War, has taken place every year since its inception. Salem is one of the oldest existing, thriving camp meetings in the nation.

In its early years, the camp meeting took place in the summer after the crops were "laid by". Families from several surrounding counties loaded their wagons with a week's provisions, brought along a cow for milk and headed to Salem for a week's holiday, usually their one vacation of the year. Campers in those early years generally slept in or under their wagons. Some used wagon sheets as tents, and to this day the term "tent" has been reserved at the campground for the cottages in which current campers stay. Poorer families stayed in actual tents while wealthier families began to construct crude wooden shanties with dirt floors. Though electric lights and plumbing were added in 1939, many of today's more up-to-date "tents" retain the dirt floors and are deliberately kept quite spare and reflect the style and spareness of those early years.

Camp "tents" are built by individual families on campground land and may be held by families as long as the tents are occupied each year. Each house is strongly identified with a family name, and family members gather each year from all over the country at Salem to talk, play and pray together. A single house may contain as many as 30 people or more. Prominent families are known by the number of generations they have been camping at Salem, but also by the size of the family groups they attract each year. Families tend to use camp meetings as a way to mark the passage of their lives. Camp tents sometimes display the "depth" of families in signs which name the family and the date at which the tent was first constructed. Recently one family marked the passing of one of their members who, it was said, never missed a camp meeting in the more than ninety years she lived.

One of my fondest memories from childhood is our family reunion each summer. We called it the "Family Picnic". It was my mother's side of the family. Even though most of us lived in the same town and saw each other frequently, it was something that everyone looked forward to. A whole day of playing with your cousins, eating great food, and just enjoying each other. After most of my mother's siblings got older and the families got larger and more scattered, attendance dwindled and the second- and third-cousins were practically strangers. Now there is only a rare occasion when several of these beloved people will gather as many as they can muster for a lunch or some little time together as a group. I think that is probably a natural thing.

How amazing, then, to think that the Salem Camp Meeting is still thriving! Imagine in this day and age that families are willing -- eager, even -- to put aside things like air conditioned comfort, t-ball games, busy schedules, (dare I say, "cell phones"?) etc. to spend an entire WEEK together. Sharing what I remember from my youth: playing with your cousins, eating great food, enjoying each other, AND being refreshed and renewed by worship, singing and prayer. No wonder the bond is so strong and has continued for 181 years!

What a truly awesome tradition and what a wonderful legacy to leave for families from generation to generation. I can't think of any gift or heirloom to hand down that would have more value. You can go to http://www.salemcampmeeting.org/ and read more.

Happy 4th of July

2009-07-04T08:45:00.006-04:00

Every 4th of July, my heart is in Sheridan, Illinois. We had such fun times there with friends the years we lived there. Last year Jerry and I were there in person again and it was just as good as I'd remembered. This year we will be at a cookout at "Papa Jim's". Papa Jim is Jodi's father-in-law and he's always so nice to invite us over to his holiday cookouts, dinners, etc. His family are all very nice folks and we have a good time with them. And, of course, the grand kids will be there. Today we will be celebrating Emery's 4th birthday -- which was actually on Thursday. But what a fun celebration it will be with so many people around. And I'm sure he'll think the fireworks are just for him!

There are a lot of things today that deeply concern me about this country. But I believe that even with all our faults and problems, it is still the best country in the world and I thank God that I was born here. I don't know how to add videos to my posts (help me out here, Jessica), so I will just tell you to go to this web site and see a really neat video:

http://www.bornagainamerican.org/

Have a happy 4th of July holiday however you choose to spend it!

Disney Review

2009-06-13T08:02:00.056-04:00

We've been home from our Disney World vacation for over a week, but I was waiting for everyone to get their pictures uploaded/downloaded or whatever.

We had a great time. When you check in, you can get a button. If you're a newlywed you can get one that says, "Happily Ever After". Jessica and Savannah were wearing ones that said, "Celebrate". Someone asked Jess what she was celebrating and she said, "I'm not at work!" Since I'd never been there before, Jodi got me one that said, "1st Time Visitor". It was cute, but I didn't wear it out in public. Everything is so real there that I thought if they knew I was a "Disney virgin" they might throw me into a volcano or something!

Emery got his picture taken with "The Donald", among others. Savannah got her picture with Cinderella. And I got my picture taken with Goofy! Yes, it truly is a small world after all. My BFF Shirley and her family were there the same time we were...and were staying at the same resort! We all met up briefly one evening and then I got to spend some quality time having breakfast with her and Ken the next morning. That was great.

Disney was -- and always is -- mind blowing. Yes, it was hot and yes, it was crowded. But that's not what we'll remember. I so much enjoyed being there to see the kids and grandkids enjoy it and to go on the rides...especially with the little ones. They are at good ages now to go there. Because Disney is so good at what they do, the Kingdom (and all the rest) is truly magical. But as an adult you find yourself in awe of the vastness of it all and the behind-the-scenes workings. I kept saying, "I want to see some statistics about all this! I want to know how many acres, how many buses, how many employees, how much laundry...." It's just unfathomable. When I got home I did some research on line and found out the answers to many of my questions...and then some. So, here are some interesting stats on the happiest place on earth:

Walt Disney World covers 47 square miles.

Walt Disney World employs more than 54,000 people.

More than 230 buses transport guests around the vacation kingdom.

Nearly 2,000 miles of irrigation pipe are needed to water more than 3,500 acres of landscaping.

If you were to wash and dry one load of laundry every day for 44 years, you'd clean as much as they do in a single day.

If you stayed in a different room in one of the hotels or resorts on WDW property at the rate of one per night, it would take more than 72 years.

And...I don't want to ruin the mystique...but, did you know:

Cinderella's castle is not made of stone. It is entirely made of fiberglass!

Thanks, y'all for a great vacation trip!

PS: Oh, I almost forgot. There was a ride called "Soarin'" and Jess and I took Savannah on it. We should have thought more carefully about that. Jessica was embarrassed by all the yelling and crying and screaming...and Savannah didn't like it, either!

My Heroes

2009-05-25T07:40:00.037-04:00

Today I would like to pay tribute to the veterans in my family. First, there was my dad: SGT Charles R. Berry. He served in the Army Air Corps during WWII. He enlisted in January of 1942 and was honorably discharged in November of 1945. The majority of his time was spent state-side at various bases...mostly in Texas. But the last 13 months he spent in Italy. He was a cook. He was also a very short man and used to joke that when the shooting would start, he would just get into one of the big soup pots. He and my mother were newlyweds when he entered and my sister, Karen, was born in September of 1943...about half way through the time that he was away from home.

Three of my mom's four brothers also served during WWII. Ralph and Tim were in the Marines and Pete, I believe, was in the army. I know Pete served in Paris, but I'm not sure about the other two. None of these men (part of the Greatest Generation) talked much about their military service.

SSGT Jerry L. Simons was in the Air Force from 1965 to 1969. I tease him about spending 3 of his 4 years "fighting the war in Hawaii". He was very lucky to be stationed there, but his work was vital to the battles raging in the jungles of Viet Nam. He was a photo interpreter...and his job was to examine the photos brought back by the men who would fly over the thick brush. He...and the rest of the men in his group...needed to let them know where there were missile and artillery sites. The VC would move these around constantly. He showed me some of the photos and explained. Like in this one. You can clearly see the "artillery piece with barrel muzzle visible", can't you? (???)

I know I have the wrong holiday. I should post this on Veteran's Day. Memorial Day is, after all, a time to remember those who gave their lives in service to our country. But even though these 5 men were blessed enough to return to their homes and families uninjured, they did not know where they would be asked to go or what they would be asked to do when they signed their enlistment papers. They were ready to give whatever it took to ensure our safety and secure the many freedoms that we usually take for granted. That still makes them heroes in my book.

Crazy Spring/Summer Weather

2009-05-18T11:36:00.020-04:00

Just a few weeks ago I posted some spring pictures. The delicate colors of newly blooming plants...as well as my pink golf ball sitting on a yellow tee waiting to be smacked to smithereens. BTW -- "smithereens" is nowhere near the fairway. But I digress.

Just the day after the spring pictures, I was taking "summer" pictures! A geranium in full bloom and the grand kids in the swimming pool. Our spring weather has been very warm and the pool warmed up to where the little ones were ready to get in. The grownups...aka lifeguards...however, are still just hovering nearby. They were so excited when I told them they could put their new bathing suits on and "just stick a toe in and see how cold it feels". They were in over their heads in no time saying (through chattering teeth), "It's not too cold". They had remembered from last summer just where to go to get their favorite beach towels, their sunglasses, and the "sunscream". (You can't get in the pool without putting on a lot of sunscream.)

Emery said of his new swim trunks, "I look like flag bottom boy." And, for some reason, every time Savannah gets her swimsuit on she thinks she has to sit like this on the chaise lounge chairs. We have this same pose for the last several years.

So we were into full summer mode already. Until yesterday. We've been continuing to have wonderful, glorious rainy intervals. The drought is over and the blooming things look fantastic. But yesterday was a gray, drizzly day which turned breezy and much cooler. Last night when they ran the teaser for the local news, the weatherman said, "I'll tell you when we'll be experiencing February-like temperatures"!!

I think the kiddies will be quite surprised when they come over again and the water is colder than it was before! Then again...they might not even notice.

I Could Already Be a Wiener

2009-05-11T08:44:00.050-04:00

I was proud and happy last Thursday night to bring home a 3rd place ribbon for my challenge quilt at the guild this year. This year's challenge was "designed" by Melisa and it was a lot of fun. I always enjoy the challenges and usually participate. This year the rules were pretty easy and very creative. There were the usual limits on size, but that's' where the similarity to other challenges ended. She had gone to Lowe's and gotten some of those paint color strips and put them in a bag. Without looking, we were to pick a strip out of the bag. Those colors were to be our "inspiration". On the back of each color strip, she named one particular block and two different techniques. We had to incorporate those into our design also. It needed to be a one-person project, which meant we couldn't design it and then have someone else quilt it for us.

My color strip is in the photo above and here is my finished project. The block I had to use was called "double aster" and it is the one in each of the 4 corners. My techniques were "flying geese"...which make up the saw-toothed border, and "yo yos"...which you can't see on here but they are the flower centers.

Here are pictures of some of the other entries. The blue and yellow to the right of mine is the one that won 1st place. This picture is not good and no photo would do it justice. It is a strikingly beautiful quilt. I was so impressed with her use of color and design. She had to use the double aster block, too, and hers is in the center. One of her techniques was foundation paper piecing and the other 4 stars are done using that method. They are impossible to see here but have perfectly precise points.

This one also won the "viewer's choice" award and that was no surprise to anyone.

The second place winner was this very creative yellow/red/blue one on the bottom in this picture. Again...the pictures are terrible and the quilts were beautiful. Very creative and meticulously executed. I don't remember all her "requirements", but I know one of her techniques was hand quilting and she is a consummate machine quilter. :) That's the idea behind a challenge...get us out of our ruts.

The blue and green one above the 2nd place winner did not win a prize, but it was one of my favorites. Her block and techniques were exactly the same as mine, but with a different color chip. Look at the difference in the two designs! That's one of the joys of this creative hobby of ours.

Thanks, Melisa, for a fun challenge!

Our Nest is Empty

2009-05-04T08:53:00.021-04:00

I found out several years ago that our empty nest had a revolving door. One child would leave, one would still be here, the other would leave, one would come back, etc. over the course of several years. It was easier to get used to that way...then came grandchildren and the nest is very full again from time to time. But on Saturday, we had to have our dog, Roxie, put to sleep and Jerry said, "Well, it's just the two of us now" and suddenly the nest seemed very empty, indeed.

We adopted Roxie 8-1/2 years ago from Pet Orphans. She was in a foster home in Buckhead. For those of you not familiar with the Atlanta area, that's a VERY nice area and she was in a VERY nice house. We joke that we "rescued" her from that and brought her to our house. The info on her said, "Roxie is an ADORABLE 14-week-old spayed female shepherd mix. Sweet as they come! Loves to cuddle under your covers and snuggle close. Very playful, smart, and catching on to housebreaking. She is excellent with other dogs, large and small, and cats. A lucky person or family who adopts this gem!" Her picture, which is too grainy to copy here, showed her looking lovingly at the camera. She would get that look once in a while when she wanted something and Jessica called it her "adoption face". Here she is with Jerry when we first brought her home.

I got Roxie for Jessica for Christmas, 2000. But Jerry had just retired that November and so the two of them were together 24/7. She always followed him around and had to be wherever he was...unless he was in his workshop. He made her nervous when he used power tools. (I understand, Roxie.) She would bring him toys when he was laying on the floor watching TV. If he didn't play with her right away, she would bring another one...then another and another, figuring there must be SOMETHING he wanted to play with. Pretty soon he would have a whole chest full of dog toys! Even though she was his constant companion, she was always ready to curl up on a quilt if I got one spread out. And another thing that happens when a nest starts to empty...when Jessica moved out it was to an apartment, so Roxie stayed with us.

When we got home from our vacation last July, she was acting strange. We saw some things in her that concerned us. Two vets, a specialist, many tests and much lab work later, she was diagnosed with cancer. She hung in there pretty good for quite a long time, all things considered. We could see her getting weaker and it was sad to watch because she still had the heart of the dog we'd always known. She would want to play and go for walks, but would tire sooner and sooner. But just last week she went downhill very quickly...and by Saturday we had to make the decision we knew was coming. Jerry found a vet that would make house calls and would even do an in-home euthanasia. That was easiest for her, but heart wrenching for us.

We will miss this sweet girl very much. And for the first time in about 35 years, we do not have a pet. (Missy, the cat in some of these pictures, died last year.) So today our nest feels very empty.

The Beautiful Colors of Spring

2009-04-29T07:30:00.022-04:00

And I'm Not Even German

2009-04-21T08:36:00.006-04:00

I'm half Irish and half Slovak. Jerry, on the other hand, is a little more "mixed up". He's got some German, some English, some other bits of stuff and even a little Cherokee Indian running through his veins. So I was momentarily a little confused when Savannah handed me a note that said, "Der Nanny".

Actually, she was very excited to give me a little letter that she had all sealed up with cute stickers. Once I got it open, I read the whole thing; "Der Nanny I love you". I then realized that she had written it on her own and was writing it phonetically. It was "DEAR Nanny...." and it is the best letter I've ever gotten!

Der Savannah, I love you, too!!

Where's the Beef?

2009-04-19T15:34:00.026-04:00

Well MY "beef" -- as it were -- is squarely at the doorstep of Burger King. Have you seen their latest tasteless ad? The "king" is singing a parody of Baby Got Back while scantily clad girls bop and grind to the music with phone books stuffed in their already-too-tight pants...so they have square pants. Promoting the new kids' meal that features a Sponge Bob Square Pants theme.

This ad has been controversial. Many are voicing a negative reaction, while others are saying, "Oh, lighten up. It's just in fun." Burger King says its ad is not aimed at the children, but at the adults who take them out for fast food.

I was going to weigh in this morning and give them the advantage of seeing things from my point of view. Well...I went to their web site and after searching for a bit I finally found a "contact us" link. But when you click on that link, you get their mailing address (????) and several department phone numbers. There is NO e-mail link to share your opinions with them, even though the page opens up to say, "We're listening". I guess I would rather it said, "We're reading".

So I'll just tell you what I was going to tell them. First of all, their latest king mascot is creepy. I'm not sure what he's doing in this picture. Possibly propositioning this young boy. I would think he's the stuff of nightmares for young children. Compare him to Ronald McDonald. Not only is "the Ronald" a happy, fun loving mascot...but you associate him with the Ronald McDonald houses and all kinds of community support and wholesomeness. What's the king done for us? I am always glad to patronize McDonald's because I'm a fan of the way they conduct their business.

I'm also a fan of Wendy's. You know her...cute little red head with braids. Wholesome. I will be a loyal fan of theirs for a long time because even though it's commonplace now, they were the first that I knew of to offer the options of mandarin oranges instead of french fries in the kid's meal and milk instead of a Coke. Now they also have yogurt. Speaking of good-for-you foods for kids...McDonald's also has the apple slices. The closest Burger King comes is fried apples. (????)

And if BK thinks their ads aimed at the adults is a wise move, then they clearly don't know their target audience. When Savannah was about 3 I told her I'd take her out for lunch. She clearly let me know that she wanted to go to the "W" (Wendy's) and not the "M" (McDonald's). She doesn't always get her own way, but when she told me it was because she wanted yogurt, I was fine with her decision. The parents, many times, take the kids where they want to go.

So here's to you, Burger King. I think I'll just "have it my way"...and have it someplace else.

Spring, Easter and the Gospel According to Emery

2009-04-13T13:57:00.027-04:00

Spring is glorious this year. Lots of much-needed rain has made the sunny days brighter and the blooming things even more beautiful. Our cherry tree, dogwood trees and some azaleas are in bloom now...and the show topper will be when the big, white azaleas in the front yard come into full bloom some time this week.

Easter doesn't always coincide with the peak of the blooms, but this year it came close enough that we got a few cute pictures of the grandkids yesterday posing in their Easter duds by some of the bushes in the back yard.

On Saturday, we were invited to an Easter-egg themed birthday party. Billed as Allen's "65th birthday eggs-travaganza"...it did not disappoint in the "eggs-pectation" department. On the way to the party, the grandkids said they were so excited they could burst! They had a great time with the other kids hunting Easter eggs, jumping (and jumping, and jumping and jumping) in the inflatable birthday cake, and eating lots of candy...as well as some actual food.

On Friday we had the grandkids for the afternoon and evening. Emery gave me a very concise explanation of the whole story of Jesus' death and resurrection. He said that "Jesus died because all his blood came out. Then they put a big rock in front of the "creepy cave". But it's okay (he assured me) because He's alive!"

Amen, Emery. Jesus is alive indeed...and I'm glad that I'm alive, too.

'Cuz it Was Fun

2009-04-04T11:43:00.018-04:00

Back on March 7th I posted about my two cousins coming for a visit. Last week I posted a picture of the "thank you" bouquet they sent after they got back home. Now I'd like to post about their visit.

We picked them up at the airport mid-day on Monday, March 23rd. Since neither of them had ever been to Atlanta, we decided to be tourists for the rest of the afternoon. It was a pretty day...actually, the prettiest one while they were here. We went to the Georgia Aquarium and after that we walked over to Centennial Olympic park and just enjoyed the spring day and budding trees, flowers, etc. All that walking worked up an appetite, so Jerry and I took them to the OK Cafe in Buckhead for a down-home cookin' southern dinner. Then we drove back by way of West Paces Ferry road to show them the governor's mansion, other mansions and more signs of blooming spring.

Tuesday we spent at home. I made a "Simons Bed and Breakfast brunch" and we just visited away the morning. In the afternoon we dug into the old family photos and shared and reminisced. Jodi and Jeremy and the kids joined us for dinner, so they got to meet our grandkids (and son-in-law). On Wednesday I took them to the Blue Willow Inn for lunch. Here they are enjoying the desserts (notice the plural). I passed on the dessert so I could take a picture. Yeah...right! After that big lunch, we decided to drive over to Madison, Georgia, and walk it off. We toured an old ante bellum home there. In the evening we laughed to an Anita Renfroe DVD.

On Thursday morning we finished up copying the last of the pictures that everyone wanted to swap and then we headed out to find a scrapbooking store (or two) and get supplies that we'll need to enshrine all these old family photos. That night the rain held off long enough that Jerry could cook our dinner on the grill and Jessica was able to join us to eat and visit for a while.

On Friday morning they went back home to Rockford, Illinois, with promises to "do this again some time" and telling me that it's now my turn to make a trip up there. We had a wonderful time and, YES, we need to do it again some time very soon. The fact that none of us has really changed all that much in the past 40+ years belies the fact that we're not getting any younger!

Communication Sherwood Be Good

2009-03-31T09:25:00.008-04:00

We were eating lunch yesterday and the phone rang. Jerry answered it. I heard him giving someone directions to our house. When he hung up, I asked him who it was that needed to know how to get here. Here's how the conversation went:

Jerry: "It was Sherwood Forrest. They need to make a delivery."
(Note: Sherwood Forrest is a miniature golf course here in town.)

Me: "What kind of a delivery would Sherwood Forrest be making? Are they bringing you a new putter?"

Jerry: "I don't know."

Me: "You didn't ask what they were delivering?"

Jerry: "No."

So a short time later there was a knock at the door. He answered, I heard him say "Thank you" and then he came in...with a funny look on his face and a flower arrangement in his hands.

Ooooohhhhhh....Sherwood FLORIST! It was a beautiful spring arrangement from my cousins who were here last week! And my kitchen looks bright and sunny with them sitting on the table, even though it's raining outside and soaking the roots of all the spring flowers in the yard. Thanks, Cathe and Melissa! It Sherwood be fun to get together again soon!!

For the Cause

2009-03-15T11:32:00.010-04:00

My quilt guild, the Cotton Boll Quilters, does a lot of charity work of which I am very proud. One of their on-going ministries is called "Journey of Hope". Guild members make quilts for children of all ages and we try to keep a stash on hand so that if we hear of a child who is suffering an illness, has lost a home due to fire or some other tragedy, has lost a parent, etc. we can hand them a quilt of their own and offer them comfort in a very tangible way.

Our stash is low and so we've all been reminded and encouraged to "make quilts for Journey of Hope!" I made a top last week that I hope will be the first of several. I was inspired by one I saw hanging up at Sweet Home Quilt Co. It was quick and easy...and in bright colors that I hope will cheer a child who needs it. I mostly hand quilt, but that is very time consuming. A friend volunteered to machine quilt some if I would put the tops together. So let's hope this is just the start of a productive collaboration.

P.S. If you click on the picture, it should enlarge and you can see these fun fabrics better.

Wednesdays with Nanny

2009-03-14T08:49:00.014-04:00

Since the first of the year, it's become our habit that on Wednesday mornings, after BSF bible study, I either bring the grandkids back to my house or take them back home...depending on what Jodi has going on. Many times they'll come back here, and last Wednesday was one of those days.

The weather has been wonderful and we had a good long time together because Jodi was trying to get some things done in the office. We started by having their favorite...a "living room picnic" lunch of yogurt and goldfish crackers in front of the TV (Tom and Jerry cartoons come on at noon). Then we had to do some more surgery on Emery's beloved - and increasingly tattered - "blankie". While we were in the sewing room, Savannah decided to finish her second quilt. One she started a while back for her little pink lamb, Bubble Gum. When I say "she" finished it, I'm speaking in very broad terms. But she did pick out the fabrics and did a little more of the work on this one than she did on the first. Baby steps.

Then it was too beautiful outside to stay in the basement, so after they had played for a while we took a quilt and some books outside to read for a while. Grandpa came by with his lawn tractor and cart and they were off to get rides. After he drove them around for a while, he let Emery drive. Then Savannah got a turn to drive, too. They loved it and didn't want to stop.

By now it was getting to be supper time. So we checked with mommy and she said she was almost done and would have time to eat with us when she came to get them. She offered to pick up something on her way. But Savannah and I decided to go to the store and get Boboli pizza crusts and the toppings. Savannah likes to make pizza and eats that particular kind better than any other. We all eat a bunch whenever we make that.

So there you have it....an afternoon with the grandkids. It doesn't get any better than that.

Childhood Friends

2009-03-07T09:28:00.029-05:00

When you're growing up, you tend to think of your life and all its situations as "normal". So I thought it was normal that everybody had a lot of cousins. It wasn't until later in my life that I realize what a blessing it was to have grown up with such a large extended family. My mother came from a large family, so on her side alone I had 42 first cousins! All but 11 of them lived in the same town that we did, and two others were close by.

We would see each other regularly throughout the year and the annual family picnic was something we all looked forward to. But I especially remember that 3 or 4 of the families (ours was one) would get together frequently for birthdays. With that many people, somebody was always having a birthday. The two cousins I played with most were Melissa and Cathe. They were really more like friends than family.

Melissa and I are the same age. She lived about 7 or 8 blocks north of my house. In the summer, I would ride my bike over to her house. We would play on the monkey bars in the back yard while her mom and dad would sit in the screened-in porch behind the garage. When I went home, I would borrow a few Nancy Drew books (Melissa had the WHOLE set!) and put them in my bike basket. I so clearly remember a couple of the neatest things about her house: it had a laundry chute down to the basement and her mom had a small table and chairs in the kitchen that were just our size. This is a picture of Melissa (on the right) and me in our first communion dresses.

Cathe is a year younger than us, but a good friend as well. She lived about 10 or 11 blocks to the south. When I went to her house, I would load my bike basket up with Sears, Penney's, or Montgomery Ward catalogs and my favorite scissors. We would play cut-out dolls on her living room floor. Cathe was my idol. She could tell by the feel of the paper dress which catalog it came from! Her mom was neat and would sometimes play with us. I was also amazed at her mom because she had a sewing machine and she would make Barbie Doll clothes. She is one of the two people from my childhood that made me interested in sewing. In the picture here, Cathe is the one on the left...coloring Easter eggs with me and my sister.

I'm sharing all this with you because I am so excited. Melissa and Cathe are coming to visit at the end of this month! Yea! We are doing the grown-up version of getting on our bikes and coming to play. We all grew up in Streator, Illinois and they both now live in Rockford, Illinois. We've been saying, "We should get together some time". Well, now it's actually going to happen and I am really looking forward to it. Cathe and I have been e-mailing old family photos back and forth for a while now and so we're going to work on some family history scrapbooks and fill in some blanks for each other. We'll also do some touristy things since she's never been to Atlanta. Melissa isn't much into scrapbooking, but she also has some neat old family photos to share and plans to pretty much hang out, as she says, "On the veranda sipping mint juleps". That's her idea of spending time in the south and it sounds good to me.

It's a Woman Thing

2009-03-05T09:34:00.007-05:00

Tomorrow (Friday) is the World Day of Prayer. "What is the World Day of Prayer?" you may ask. It is a worldwide movement of Christian women of many traditions who come together to observe a common day of prayer each year, and who, in many countries, have a continuing relationship in prayer and service. Through World Day of Prayer, women around the world affirm their faith in Jesus Christ and share their hopes and fears, their joys and sorrows, their opportunities and needs. Through World Day of Prayer, women affirm that prayer and action are inseparable and that both have immeasurable influence in the world.

Don't know what to pray about? Then let me offer a few suggestions. Our world right now is suffering from the ripple effects of the consequences of the sins of greed, corruption, self-centeredness and irresponsibility that have gone on for a long time. Even though most of you reading this are not personally responsible for the collapse of a large corporation and have not taken a huge bonus at the cost of others, we all need to seek God's forgiveness for these sins of our society and beg for His mercy and blessings. We need to pray for the leaders of this country and others. We need to fervently seek His favor and ask for His guidance.

If you can't think of an individual who might need your prayers, consider those on my side bar listed in the "Special Prayers for Special People" column. If your name is NOT listed, then you are blessed. For special consideration from that list right now is a young father (of four) named Eric. He got the devastating news the week before last that he has stage 4 cancer in several places in his body. He is on his way to the Houston cancer clinic today to find out some options. He and his family are steadfast Christians and they are praying boldly for Eric's healing. Wouldn't you like to be in on that "action"? Join in prayers for Eric.

But if you think about it, every person you know or come into contact with needs your prayer support. Every person on this earthly journey has a need and/or a burden. If you get into the habit of praying for others you'll find yourself caring more about others. And...in my humble opinion...that is what we are all on this earth for.

Waiting to Brag

2009-03-01T16:06:00.007-05:00

I've been waiting quite a while to make this post. McCall's told me that early this year...they were hoping for some time in January...they were going to start up a new web site. Featured on this new site would be my spring quilt called "Bunnies and Baskets". So I've been watching and waiting. A few weeks ago they said they were pretty sure it would be up and running the following week. Well...you know how temperamental computers -- and their systems -- can be. So the other day they e-mailed me their apologies and said they had posted a link to it on their regular web site.

If you look on my right-hand side bar...under the green part where it says, "about me"...there is a white part. The first link under "Check this out" is McCall's. Click on that link and scroll down under the picture of the March/April issue of the magazine. There are several links underlined in blue. The last one is: SPECIAL ONLINE-ONLY KIT OFFER. Click on that and you will see the quilt and me getting credit for the design and my friend, Ardis, getting credit for the machine quilting. Also an offer to get the kit (everything you need to make it) from Sweet Home Quilt Company which is my friend, Melisa's, quilt shop.

It's fun to see my designs photographed by someone else and fun to share it with my friends. And the link from my side bar under the McCall's one is for Melisa's shop. Take time to check it out -- often.

Digging Out

2009-02-27T12:27:00.019-05:00

While some parts of the country are digging out from yet another big snowfall, I'm still digging out from under a mountain of old photographs. When my mother cleaned out her house (almost 5 years ago now), all her old photo albums ended up at my house. Since the first of the year I have been going through them...and my own albums...and trying to make organized sense out of all of them. Mom and I were both pretty good about keeping up with photos, but there are just so many! I have plans for several scrapbooks and albums but after 2 months of working on this project, I'm still just barely able to see a light at the end of the tunnel of sorting.

Mom was one of 13 children and she has lots of neat old family photos. I've been sidetracked in my task by taking time to e-mail some of these pictures back and forth to cousins and one of my aunts. It's been a lot of fun. This first picture is of my mom with her 7 sisters. Mom is the one on the right, seated on the ground. The second pic is of her brothers. She had 5 brothers, but one died when he was 21 years old. These are the 4 that survived to adulthood and that teased and tortured us when we were growing up. Some of my very favorite people.

Another batch of really great pictures are all the ones of my dad (and mom) when he was in the Army Air Corps during WWII. I'm going to make a special album with those. There are also pictures of my uncles in their uniforms. This picture is of my dad (he's top left) with some of his army buddies. I don't know why...but this picture always makes me think of the guys from the Wizard of Oz!

One Cheap Nanny

2009-02-20T11:10:00.007-05:00

Did anybody else buy their kids Loc Bloc brand building blocks back in the 70s? They were the cheaper counterpart to Legos. Looked just the same and worked just the same. I'm glad they're one of the things I've kept over the years...because now the grandkids are enjoying them all over again. It's just funny to get the (original) boxes out and see the pictures of the little boys on the boxes with their long, shaggy, 70's-style hair cuts. :)