Here it is nearly mid-April and I have drifted in. I do wish I was like these bloggers who are disciplined enough to talk to you once a day. I know I love to read their blogs. My days are mostly all alike so I guess I think my words would just be boring.

Since I was last here, I have had a birthday and am now older than dirt - 66 years old. At least I am healthy.

I do have some new pictures of my great granddaughters that I can share.

Sweet little Laila playing - taken with a phone

Dressed up and sitting in her other great-grandmother's chair

Found daddy's ear protectors in his duffel bag and decided to use themI need my mom's stuff to beautify myself
Doing my push-ups the easy wayThis is some yummy stuff

Well, no promises when I will be back. I will probably cook for two of my grandchildren because their parents will be out of town for Easter. Can't have them with no holiday meal. The Easter bunny might leave them something here too. :-)

Hope ya'll have a lot of crawfish where you live and wish the season lasted a lot longer than it does. Have a great h0liday and I will see you when I see you.

February 20, 2011

It has been forever since I last posted. I had forgotten how to even get to the posting page and so it has taken me over an hour trying to find the "gate". However, I hope I can remember to at least post once a week from now on.

Right at the beginning of December I got sick with a flu-like virus that put me to bed for nearly eight weeks. Yes, I had my flu shot, but this was something else. I had eaten out with a friend and on the way home I started getting dizzy, but thought the vertigo was just coming back so I took it easy on the interstate. Got in bed and immediately had to get back up and lost my cookies. That went on along with what throwing up usually goes along with. Finally, I just brought the bathroom trashcan and put it beside the bed for the rest of the night.

This part lasted a good eight days and I began to feel better. I never did want anything to eat, but I did sip on gingerale so I wouldn't get dehydrated. I got up and got dressed and the next day I was down again for another week. Same thing a week later. That happened three times. Then it took a good month to get any kind of stamina back. The one good thing to come from this is now I don't have an appetite and I have lost weight. I am taking vitamins since I am not really eating much at all. I haven't had chocolate or any kind of sweets and don't want any since all of this has taken place. Now I am determined to just eat this little bit, not pick up the sweets habit, and no seconds anymore. Since last April I have lost 60 pounds. My doctor is thrilled. I don't feel any different though.

Let's see - Melyssa and Emily Anna went to Germany for Christmas to spend their time off with Lee, Telesia, and Zoey. When they got there their luggage didn't make it. They ended up having to buy one outfit and a few other items and just wash and wear the whole time they were there. Em's luggage arrived at Lee's when Tee was driving them to their hotel 1.5 hours away for their flight home the next morning. She ended up having to get up early and make that trip again and just got Em's luggage to her. Melyssa's luggage didn't get to Lee's for another week. She told Tee just what she needed to send back to the states and on her next trip over she will pick up her luggage and whatever is in it.

We really didn't do anything for the holidays since I was ill. I did feel good on Christmas day and we went to some friends's house and then came on back home. We had to cancel out on going to see my folks when I had to go back to bed. We did go the next week and took them out to eat. I had one of the shaking chills and ended up just drinking a Sprite. I will get my Eggplant Parmesan one of these days. I was really looking forward to that.

We have had a run of really nasty weather. Ice and a teaspoonful of snow. Thank goodness the power stayed on which usually isn't the case when we have ice. This week it has been in the 70s and has been so nice. I have a feeling we will get one more blast of winter weather before spring is really here.

I am sure I have left a lot of things out and I do have some pictures to share, but will do that another time. Later

August 19, 2010

Here is a chance to get a class from KC Willis. Her works is just so cool. She had this workshop in a box that you could buy since most of us couldn't get out to Colorado for one of her in person workshops. Now she is trimming the workshop in a box to a workshop in a bag.

She has live workshops (a step up from the box for those interested in stepping up) that you can read about right here http://kcwillis.blogspot.com/2010/08/bye-bye-boxhello-giveaway.html. Check out this site as well www.studioretreats.ning.com in the same blog. She offers Collage Camp...her on-line workshop and link to (www.collagecamp.ning.com) that you may be interested in too.

August 8, 2010

Since I last talked to ya'll, I have a new great granddaughter. She made her debut on 7-27-2010, 1:31 PM, 7lb and 5oz, 20 inches long. She has long feet and fingers and I told her dad that they will have to start saving for a piano with those hands. She is a strawberry blond and just gorgeous. I will include a picture. She is Miss Laila Ann.

Laila Ann

Benjamin and his princess, Laila Ann

We have had probably one of the hottest summers on record around here. With the heat index it is soared up to 118 some days and there have been heat advisories almost every day. Most days it will roar with thunder and lightning and then we will get a teaspoonful of rain. However, day before yesterday we actually got 2 1/4 inches and again yesterday we got enough to fill up the potholes in the street. At least we have had some okra and tomatoes from what little rain there has been. I am not a fall or winter person at all, but some kind of break in this weather would certainly be welcome.

My oldest grandson, his wife, and Miss Zoey Elizabeth leave this week for a three year tour compliments of the US Air Force over in Germany. If you gathered all of our tears, they would probably raise the level of the Red River a foot or two. I can't even think about it without my eyes brimming over. My parents came up several weekends ago to have lunch with them and say goodbye. Mama, who recently turned 85, even brought her bathing suit and got in the pool with them. She didn't want to get out and would have stayed over if my dad wouldn't have gotten antsy to leave. I will try and find a picture or two of their visit and include them.

Zoey Elizabeth, Telesia, Lee, My mom, Jane, 85 years old in the pool

Jeff, My dad, 90 years old

Bill is whittling away on his bathroom project, but I have finally convinced him to get out there earlier than noon, work before the temperatures soar, and then come inside and rest during the hottest part of the day. He loves the outside, but this is killer weather.

I found and reconnected with two college friends and last night we met up in Shreveport and closed down the restaurant where we met. We had so much fun reminding each other of things we had done, people we knew and wondered where they were and what they were doing, laughing our heads off, and just having a fun time. It is so nice when no one has changed and you just pick up where you left off before everyone went their merry ways. We will try to get together again around Christmas time.

Stay cool, drink plenty of liquids, and laugh like there was no tomorrow. Until the next time.....

July 17, 2010

I don't know about where you live, but here in Louisiana, it is way hot. Everything is just laying low trying not to breathe too much of that hot air into its lungs. I had to go to two different cities this week and just getting out of the truck and into the building was an effort. Then to get out of the building, back across the melty tarmac parking lot and into the oven-like vehicle was just about too much.

For about two weeks now we have had some violent lightning and thunder storms that produce probably a tablespoonful of rain, but you can't get into the pool for fear you will be struck dead. Just a typical Louisiana summer. However, I think this one is really hotter than most we have had in a long time. I can assure you, if I don't have to go outside, I don't.

Last time I wrote it was my dad's 90th birthday. Two weeks after that, we pulled off a surprise party for my mother's 85th birthday, which was also their 67th anniversary. We had a nice group of folks show up for her party. Only one brother didn't make it, but he and his wife took my parents out for breakfast on the actual day of my mom's birthday, so I guess that counted for them. We missed having him there to tell stories with one of my other brothers though. They are always our entertainment committee for family gatherings. They can have you rolling in the floor laughing at what all they did when we were growing up. My younger brother and I are probably their biggest fans.


I had my 2nd in line grandson, in age, with back surgery, which must not have taken because for three weeks he has been in unbelievable pain. He ended up having to be taken by ambulance this past Sunday back to the city to the hospital for another back surgery. He is doing much better this time with pain, but nothing like what he was experiencing before. His little wife is due just about any day with their first child, but I hope she can wait maybe one week until he is more mobile and can get around better.

My first born grandson is being transferred to Germany for a 3 year tour and he, his wife and Zoey will leave on August 11th. I think there will be some wailing going on around these parts. I just hope they will be able to come home on leave at least once or twice during that time. Zoey will be 4 years old by the time they do come home and she will have forgotten who her Mi Mi is by then. Thank goodness for Skype and I hope I can figure out how to use it and that our times work out to be able to talk and see each other.

Bill has helped me build, out of an old bedside table, a little "kitchen" for Zoey. I haven't taken pictures of it yet, but when I do, I will post them. It is kind of primitive, but it is cute. I had them mix what was supposed to be just a breath of pink paint, but it had quite a bit of pink in it once I brushed it on. Oh well, it is something for her to play with when she is at my daughter's house. It will do in a rush and she will never know the difference. It grates on my nerves though because that old perfectionist in me is growling since it isn't like the ones you buy. I just have to remember that it is homemade and that she is 15 months old. Now, if I just had a pink pot holder, I might be more satisfied with it.

My son's 13 year old son is in Knoxville playing in the world series and I am waiting on a phone call any minute to see if they are going to be 1st or 2nd place. This makes the 4th game they have played today with 15 minutes in between each game. I don't know how in the world they can even stay in the competition after that much ball gaming in one day. It has been like that all week long. Had they lost yesterday, then there was a possibility they would have had to play 6 games in a row. Good thing he is a kid with energy. Makes me want to crawl in the bed just thinking about it.

Bill has finally finished all of the cabinet work in my new kitchen addition. Now he has spent this week working on his bathroom addition. Actually, it is a brand new bathroom for him. His old bathroom will become a passageway/linen closet when he busts through the wall into the new section. I don't know how in the world he has survived out in this heat, but he is an outdoor person and at least has two fans blowing on him. If he can hurry and finish the overhead stuff and get off the ladder, then the rest should be smooth sailing. When that room is finished, then we will be able to put down new flooring. I want the same flooring in the new bath, linen closet/passageway, new/old kitchen, small dining room, hallway, and my bathroom. Right now, the new part just has sub-flooring and there are two different types of flooring in two of the areas. I want it consistent throughout.

When that is done, then the living room needs a face lift. That is the problem with living in a house that is around 100 years old. It is a money pit, but there is no way we could ever afford to replicate the space at today's prices. We couldn't even buy a broom closet at today's prices for what we paid for this house and four town lots back in 1974. I kid you not.

Stay cool and maybe I will not wait so long to post next time. Don't hold your breath though.

I have been missing in action. Where have I been? Doing as little as possible. Just too lazy I guess to find my way to this blog to write. I kid you not! I have a hard time remembering how to get here!

In the next little village up from mine I have found a gold mine. My village is small, but this one is even smaller, but it has a new and fully stocked, state-of-the-art library. The librarian is the best!!! I have been spending hours and hours reading now that I am a member of that library. We have one here in our village, but I don't care when I drive by it, there aren't any cars there. Who knows when they are open. When they were on Front Street, they kept pretty regular hours, but when they moved onto the school grounds, I believe they got slack.

Now when I hear of or see a book that I want to read, I just write it down and when I go to the library I turn in my list and usually within a week they have what I have requested. I don't think I will ever have to purchase another book again. It is like being turned a loose in a candy store. We aren't talking about old musty smelling books, but new ones with clean dust jackets on them. They have computers for folks who want to look up things. There are DVDs to check out, newspapers from the surrounding area, magazines, you name it, they either have it or will get it for you.

Since around my birthday we have had yard wreckers here as well. Since 1974 we have had various and sundry above ground pools getting larger and larger ones each time. Several years ago when these old shoulders and knees decided they didn't want to work any longer, I had one heck of a time getting myself out of our pool. I honestly thought I would end my life like a bar of soap that is left in the tub too long. Yep, just melt away, never to be seen again. I honestly don't remember how in the heck I ever got myself out of there the last time I went in, but I never went back. That was three years ago.

The knees have been replaced, but after the last replacement and the MRSA staff infection, I refuse to have the shoulders replaced even though my ortho surgeon says they must. Too bad. I will live with the pain, but unless it is a real life and death situation, this old woman won't be going to a hospital to have anything done to her again. I was never afraid of a hospital or surgery before, but you get that infection and you get scared very quickly and for life. Gives me shivers just thinking about what all was done to me in what is supposed to be a clean place, but is apparently a filthy place.

My doctor suggested water therapy and of course I had to tell him I could get into our pool, but couldn't get out any longer. He suggested an inground pool and I asked him if he was paying. :-) We talked about it and decided, why not? We don't travel, our children aren't hurting for money, we can't take it with us, so why not? Thus, the yard wreckers.

If you have never dealt with people who come into your yard to dig and install an inground pool, call me first. If that won't do, I will give you my son's number and he will give you an earful. After losing my religion, saying words that my mother at 85 years old would still try and shove a bar of Ivory soap down my mouth for saying or even thinking, six weeks of cussing out loud and inside my head, it is a reality. There are still a few kinks to work out, like they broke the sand filter and had better get themselves out here very quickly to either bring a new one or fix this one or else...but, we are certainly enjoying the new addition to the yard.


Bill has St. Augustine grass growing around the pool where there was red sand and it looks like it is spreading like it should. Three more weeks and he will be able to mow it. Not all of the plants made it when they replanted them, but those that did are flowering and look nice. We have been cooking lots of veggies and eating outside and that has to be good for you. Lots of exercise.

Another thing that took up some time was helping my mother pull together a surprise 90th birthday party for my dad a week and a half ago. We almost made it until he caught her taking a lot of cokes out to the storeroom and wanted to know why so many drinks. She said she told him that his sons were coming over to fry some fish for him and that is what the cokes were for. Even though it wasn't a complete surprise, he was still very surprised at all of the friends and family who showed up. The gig was up though when my brothers came up with their big outdoor fish fryers and skillets. By then, people started arriving. My mother had the neatest cake made that had a picture of him playing golf airbrushed on it. She had hidden it under the bed. He still plays golf three days a week.


Now, this Saturday we are trying to have a surprise 85th birthday dinner for my mother, but since my brothers said that daddy's birthday gathering made them decide they wanted to go out of the big party fish frying business (it was hot as blue blazes that day), we are all meeting at a fish restaurant and afterwards we will go to my parent's home for cake and ice cream. We were kind of afraid to chance waiting on having a surprise 90th for her. I don't really know why though because on both sides of their families, their parents and grandparents lived to be almost 100 and Mama had one uncle who made it to 105. I think they will be around for quite a while longer. They are two amazing people. Oh, tomorrow is my mother's birthday, but it is also their 66th wedding anniversary. You just don't see that much anymore.

Have a super summer and like I say everytime I write, I will try to do better, but don't hold my feet to the fire. You know how I am and how hard it is for me to find my way to this page. :-)

Zoey and the Crawdad

Mid-April so I must be doing something right to be here blogging before the end of the month. Had my 65th birthday on Wednesday and really don't feel any older. My daughter cooked supper for us and made a guiltless cake to boot. Had a card with lots of cash in it. There was a present from my son and his crew waiting there for me too. It was a personalized travel mug with black and has white circles and then a hot pink "J" in a border. Neat-O. Inside the mug was some cash and pictures of the grands that thrilled me, of course. Never can get enough pictures of those precious faces.

Oldest granddaughter has been in Arkansas visiting her older brother and his wife and Zoey. She actually brought Zoey back with her. What a trip. You can guess where I am headed in a little while. Here is a picture of that doll with her bunny ears on and one holding a crayfish (I can't make this one get under the bunny ear girl picture). And her mama wants a girly-girl. I think she is going to have to settle for 1/2 girly-girl.

1st Easter and the bunny ears

Yesterday while we went to Alexandria for more birthday goodness with my parents and my youngest brother. We met them at a little place out in Ball, Louisiana, named Fant's. The older gentleman whose son owns the place used to be our neighbors when we first moved to Alexandria. They had the best seafood. After we ate, we went to my brother's house for cake and more presents. John had taken pictures of the "Medussa" tree in my front yard and the old swing with the rusted out eye hook and blew them up to 8 x 10s for me. He is really getting great at photography. Notices things that us non-photographers don't see.

My parents treated us to lunch, had a card with more cash in it, Mama knitted me a shawl/scarf and hat, and a sweet birch looking doll with flowers in front of her face like she is shy. I have seen them at Hallmark and they probably have a name.

We had a leisure drive home up old Hwy. 71 and stayed off I-49. When we got home, the yard had a long-bed trailer in it and parked in the side yard was a backhoe. They must have dropped it off so they can start the excavation on Monday.

Today, Sunday, Bill went to Shreveport and while he was gone, two young men from the pool company came to tear down the above-ground pool. They have been at it for 4 1/2 hours. When they started, wasps came out of the things that hold up the sides of the pool. Good thing Bill had left them some wasp spray. Last time I looked, they were nearing the end. I am taking pictures about once an hour of the demolition. I hear their truck cranking up so they must be finished. Off to take the last pictures before the hole starts to be dug in the morning. This is getting exciting.

March 31, 2010

In like a lamb, roared through like a lion, out like a lamb.  That was our March.

Observations:

Don’t think you can remember the color of your last post.  That is true if you don’t post regularly.  That is especially true if your memory is going away.  That might of bothered me a while back and could bother me tomorrow being kind of obsessive-compulsive, but today, it doesn’t bother me.  I might go back and fix it, but I might not.

The road to Hell is paved with good intentions.  Well, that is something I have always heard anyway.  When I started my blog my intention was to write daily, kind of like a diary.  Got really ill when I had surgery and then it was once in a while.  Looking at my posts it seems now I am doing well if I post once a month.  I will try to do better, but being kind of ADD, things get in my way and I wander off and forget the way back.

 

Birthdays for one year olds.  Give them a fake cake made of just icing.  Make sure there is a plastic tablecloth underneath.  Preferably they need to be buck naked when you turn them a loose on their private cake, but I think there is a law against that and if there isn’t, then give Congress a few minutes and they will pass a law as such.  I digress.  Turn the child a loose and since this is their first encounter with a cake, they will test the waters and stick their finger into the icing and bring the finger to the mouth – like they do the dog food, scraps of paper on the floor, and everything they find – hand to mouth syndrome.  Next, put the entire hand into the icing and bring that to the mouth since that first taste was so good.  Enough sugar now to keep said child fueled for all day long.  Let’s see what can be done with two hands.  Pat, pat, pat.  Slide hands back and forth on the table cloth.  If the cake happens to be a Strawberry Shortcake cake, then the colors are pink and green which equal brown when mixed.

Before the party can continue, the child has to be whisked away to be hosed down washed up and redressed and the table has to be cleaned up.  Now it is time to open presents.  I am guilty!!!  Yes, I am.  I brought multiple presents to the party along with the multiple presents that everyone else brought.  What in the world were we thinking.  Apparently we forgot that a one year old child has the attention span of a gnat.  With that being said, just two, hear me, TWO presents total would have been more than enough.

After opening two presents, it was just a blur of paper and ribbons so carefully tied being jammed into a garbage sack to go off to the landfill.  I will say that whatever season the child was born in surely makes it nice for the parents.  They won’t have to buy any clothes at all until the next season rolls around.  Just think of the money they can save to go to the movies and to eat out.  My, oh, my.  Well, that is what I would have done with the money.  Just saying.

Would you believe it if I told you that this adorable child opened  one of my gifts and that was the end of the gift opening.  God bless her.  Took that mop and broom and you would have thought her mama had made her Susie Homemaker since birth.  Went straight to the kitchen and started using them both at the same time.  She needs a few lessons and then I think her mother can just point her in the direction of the kitchen and never have to clean a floor again.  (I did hear that she had stepped on the broom – one of those straight kinds like janitors use – and it came up and bopped her in the head which caused a torrent of tears – just has to learn how to use the thing properly)  Never did go hack to opening the presents.

We all had a good time visiting with the other grand parents, great-grandparents, and even great-great-grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins who we don’t get to see but on rare occasions.  The real cake and ice cream were good too.

 

Getting elderly – When does that time come?  I thought it might be with age, but decided that wasn’t it.  My dad is 90 and plays golf three days a week.  My mom is 85 and knits up a storm and you are lucky of you call and she is at home.  I guess if it were age, then they would qualify as elderly.

Health – This past year has proven that health can certainly age you, but if you erase the year and pretend it never happened, then maybe it didn’t.

Gait – Bad knees give you a bad gait like you have glass between the cushions in your knees.  Get new knees and your gait changes.  Now you totter along scared to death you will fall down and tear loose something that will damage those new knees.  I think sometime I look elderly by the way I walk, but I hope not.

Hair color – I choose not to color my hair.  Could be that I am following in my mother’s footsteps and “aging gracefully” as she likes to say.  I think it is because I am lazy and don’t want to spend my money at the beauty shop but would rather spend it on crafting things.  I had my hair streaked when I was younger and you had to go when the root line started growing out.  Yep, I think it is more lazy than anything else.

Teeth or the lack or – This, right now, is definitely my current definition of elderly.  Recently I broke a tooth and went to see my least favorite, but sweetest doctor, my dentist.  I complained of the tooth next to it hurting up in the gumline.  He x-rayed and came back in with worry written on his face.  I have seen his face a lot since he began his practice probably 30 years ago and can read it like a book.  I have teeth that my mother blessed me with and they are made of chalk.  Not worth a damn.  You can floss, see the hygienist twice yearly, brush 50 times a day, but you are eventually going to have root canals, crowns, bridges, and assorted other hurtful things going on in your mouth.

Did I say I still, sometime, cry in the dentist chair?  Well, I do.  Comes from pure terror as a child and a terrible dentist whose breath would have slayed a dragon.  I love my dentist because he has learned over the years to gas me up and that it takes a long time and lots of juice to deaden my mouth, unlike the dragon slayer dentist.

Well, he comes back in and says that the root on the eye tooth, which is next to the chipped tooth, has to come out as it has a split root and the chipped tooth is so badly chipped, like in half, that it can’t be saved either.  He says there are two ways to go and it is my choice.  Pull them all and get upper dentures – I completely came unglued and wept.  The other choice was to make a bridge that you have to put in and take out daily and that would buy me a few years.  I chose the latter one.

I will be 65 next week and in my mind that is too young to have to have real false teeth.  LOL  Vanity is what it is, pure and simple.  Here is where elderly comes to play.  At this time in my life, elderly is when you have a plastic box on your bathroom sink that you wash each day, fill with water at night, pour in some Scope, and deposit brushed teeth into at night.  That is elderly.  What do you do if you go and visit someone.  Where do you put these things?  In your suitcase?  On their sink?  Under the bed, which makes me think of something funny I will share in a moment.  What do you do with these awful things?  I do know you have a bad time trying to eat a Snicker bar with them in your mouth.  Seems the caramel wants to pull them right out of your mouth.  I have to remember not to hear sticky anything out in public, ever!!!

That funny story and I will leave the elderly scene.   My daughter’s youngest son is a hoot.  When he was about two years old, his great-grandmother came to spend the night with them.  She lives in East Texas so her visits always included at least one night at their house.  When they got up the next morning, she went to put her false teeth in and they weren’t in the box on the bathroom sink.  They looked high and low.  The children were asked if they had seen them and this grandchild sheepishly hung his head and said, “Yes, I know where they are.”  “Well, where are they?”  “They are under my pillow.  I looked in the box and they scared me so I put them under my pillow.”  Thus, the case of the missing teeth was solved.

Until the next time…..

February 25, 2010

I must have been held captive by foreign beings since I have been missing for so long.  Arkansas was on the agenda and then buckets of rain and several days of snow.

Several weekends ago I went to a workshop near Monroe, Louisiana which was taught by Michelle Zindorf.  Talk about a dynamic and organized teacher.  Unbelievable workshop.  I learned so much and will try and insert the cards I made.  Remember that this was my first use of a brayer and it was an incredible experience.  WOW

 

This one was my least favorite card.  I am not sure why, but it just didn’t appeal to me.  When I saw the example card what I saw was three tombstones.  I made sure to space mine out a bit so it would look more like the aqueduct that it is.  The flowers were heat embossed.

I call this one Asian Sunset over Water.  We learned how to do a reflection with this card without using a reflection stamp.  The hinges are a punched piece that was bent in double and attached with brads.

This one is Deer in the Snow.  So original!!!  I missed getting into the upper left-hand corner with this one which threw off my sunrays.

I added the small red bird after our class.  I needed just this little speck of color.

 

This card reminded me of Toledo Bend near where I live.  It is a spit of land out of into the lake.

The orange doesn’t show up like I would wish in this scan.  Love the playful tire swing on the tree.

These are no place near what Michelle does, but for my first try at her techniques, I am proud of my work.

Just found out that we will have another great-granddaughter in late July.  No name has been picked yet, but just so long it is healthy, that is all that matters.  They didn’t take to the name I suggested, Seawillow.  That was the name of a friend’s grandmother and I like unusual names.  Reminds me of when I gave my daughter some names before the births of her children and she told me if I wanted names like that I needed to have some more children.  LOL  Oh, the wit of that girl.

We haven’t done much lately but try to stay warm and dry.  I had my fill of snow when we lived in Denver.  It can go back on up North as far as I am concerned.

It is hard to believe, but our first great-granddaughter, Zoey Elizabeth, will be one year old in less than a month.  Where does time go?  Terrell Thomas just turned 18 last month and Emily Anna will be 20 the last day of this month.  They surely getting old since I know it isn’t me that is ageing.

This year I will try to do better about posting.  It took a long time for me to find the program to write in that allows me to put the pictures into the post.

Spring, hurry and get here!!!

January 7, 2010

I am trying out Windows Live so I can put pictures where I want them  I hope this works as I don’t like all of my pictures all on the right side.

This has been a sad time for me as my uncle in South Carolina died on Sunday night and we live too far to go to the funeral.  I really wanted to be there for my cousin and aunt and to see cousins and the only surviving aunt and uncle.  He was such a character.  When he was with his brothers and even alone, he was so funny that I would have to beg him to let me catch my breath before he proceeded with is stories.  My mom, his sister, says her brothers loved to “embroider” their stories as time went on.  I have such fond memories of our visits each summer and when they would come to my hometown for a visit.

A friend died this week also and I went to her funeral yesterday.  She had gotten down and was so feisty she wouldn’t have wanted to live like that.  I know her children and grandchildren will miss her.

It is bitter cold here and is supposed to get even colder overnight and through the weekend.  I just hope we don’t lose power as we have central heat.  We do have two space heaters, but they will struggle to keep up with the cold.  We also have a gas stove next to the electric one and that has always been a bonus in weather without power.  At least we can cook.  Last year, we purchased a generator so we wouldn't lose what is in the freezers.

This past Saturday night I got to see a friend who I hadn’t seen in over 20 years.  She still looks the same.  We met in Natchitoches for supper and had a good time catching up.  We promised we wouldn’t wait to long to connect again.  If we wait that long, I will be in my late 80s and won’t be able to drive over to our old stomping grounds.

We found out we will be great-grandparents again in either late July or early August.  Another baby to love and cuddle.  I am praying for a healthy baby.  It will be over a month before they will be able to tell if it is a boy or girl.  It really doesn’t matter to me which it is, but I do hope it will have red hair like my grandson.  None of the grandchildren or the other great-granddaughter have red hair and that is a weakness I have – I love red hair.

Here is it midnight and Bill just walked in with a coconut cake he baked.  I bet he is in there dishing up a piece with vanilla ice cream on it.  Just what my hips and stomach need.

Later

December 31, 2009

December 31, 2009, Blog entry

I have been missing in action for a spell. Had to open up Santa’s workshop, card making shop, and bakery. All are closed now and maybe I will have some time to do things on the computer again.

Never again do I want to even contemplate the number 8. Seems nearly everything I had to do ended up in making 8 of the critters, which I found boring after the first two. My daughter bought material for me to make her grandmother, my mom, some new placemats and napkins. I got the fabric and made them reversible. Made 8 of those and they were in solid colors. Then, the napkins were in a print to match each side and made 8 of them for each side. Still time left so I made 8 coasters that had an absorbent material inside each one. That was two sets of 8. On Christmas Eve I made myself go back to the machine and with the material that was left over, I made two hot pads for the table, one to match each napkin and coaster.

Another bright idea I had was to make the great-granddaughter a fleece blanket out of LSU material and a hat to match. Looked like an easy thing to make, but I had to cut out two of them, cut 7” from each corner, and then cut into the material every inch up 7”. The pattern said it was a “no sew” thing, but I believe it would have been easier to just sew around the thing. Once all of these “fingers” were cut, I had to take matching pieces from each of the two sides and tie them in a knot. Boring!!! I pulled a cap pattern off the net that was adorable and made the hat. Well, when it was finished, it would only have fit a tennis ball or maybe even a golf ball. Back to the city for more fleece and this time I just cut what I imagined was a hat that would fit her head. I sewed a deep cuff to they could pull it down over her ears in the cold weather. I won’t be guilty of another “no sew” anything.

I always give a check to the kids, my parents, and the grandchildren so they can either get what they want or put my money with some other they may get to purchase something they wanted and didn’t get. Instead of that impersonal check, I decided to make scrapbook paper covered cardboard wallets. I cut a notch in each side, folded the bills, and tied them into the center of the wallet. I used Velcro to secure the part that folds over onto the top and then put a sparkly sticker on the front. I had to make 11 of those. Everyone seemed to like them although the Velcro did tear loose from the paper since I didn’t tell them to carefully open the wallets. For the two younger grands I made money trees. I accordion folded 80 one dollar bills and stuck them into a Styrofoam cone with florist’s pins and stuck a glittered pick in the top. It looked so sparse that I started to go to the bank and get more money, but then I would have had to increase everyone’s money so it would come out fair. I told Bill that I couldn’t cut the top out of the cone because it would look stupid. He suggested cutting some of the bottom of the cone. Duh!!! Why didn’t I think of that? They ended up being way too cute. I bought some picks with red glittered berries and silk leaves on them and tore them all apart and stuck each berry all around the tree. Their mother said, “Oh, you can’t take the money out of the tree. We need to save them to put out as decorations next year.” Again, Bill suggested she give them what money was on the tree and that way she can keep them and they will still get their money.

Another 8 that I made, and won’t do ever again, is take a Mason jar and make it into a button jar/mending kit for each family. I found little mending kits with threads, needles, tiny scissors, a few buttons and thimble at the dollar store and put that inside each jar. Then I had to cut some large circles out of fabric and some smaller ones. Hand gathering material takes way too long, but there wasn’t any other way I could think to do that. Each jar lid had to be stuffed with fiberfill and sewn tightly to the lid. Next, I used fabric glue and attached fabric to cardboard circles, then stuck those to the round, puffy, pincushion top. They turned out very cute, but 8 were just a bit too many to make. Oh, I stuck pins in the top of the pincushion as well.

For Zoey I wanted these little bell bracelets children in Thailand wear on their ankles and you can find them when they walk out of a room, when they are toddling. The best price I could find on the net was $45 and shipping and I just wouldn’t pay that. I decided I could make her some out of jingle bells and cording. Easy to do, but then to make them adjustable I needed to tie square knots. I have tied probably 5 million of them in my lifetime back when macramé was the thing. I had a hard time doing it. I could sit on the back porch and visualize how to do it and then come inside and would mess up. I made three of them and if her mom likes them, then I have the stuff to make her some more colors of them. She has taken 11 steps alone now and it won’t be long before she will be everywhere and I am sure into everything.

Next, I thought it would be nice to make candy and cookies to share with the neighbors. It started out with me deciding to make my son some white chocolate covered pretzels, which is something he loves. From there I went to fudge, Martha Washington’s, cow patties, a carrot cake, and White Christmas meringues. No, I didn’t make just one batch of each. I made two of each. I have shared with the neighbors and took a lot to my parents, but there is still some left and for some reason or other, when I walk past the table, this magnetic force makes my hand shoot into a container and come out with chocolate calories. I ran out of time and energy before I made the cookies I wanted, but had I made them first, nothing else would have gotten made. I will make my Cosi Ducci cookies when all of this other stuff is gone.

We opened gifts with my daughter’s family on Christmas Eve this year since all of us went on Christmas down to Alexandria to my parent’s home for Christmas day. My dad is almost 90 and mama is 84 and who knows how many more Christmases we will have with them. Two of my brothers with their children and grandchildren were there, one brother dropped in later after spending Christmas with his wife’s people, a SIL’s mother was there, my daughter and her husband, my parents, and Bill and I. It was a very enjoyable day, but I was happy to get home to my quiet house.

On Monday we drove to Conway, Arkansas, to have Christmas with my son and his family. His oldest son and his wife stopped by early on Christmas Eve to exchange gifts as he was called back to work. We had a really nice time with our son’s family and of course enjoyed the grandchildren, who we don’t get to see regularly now that they have moved. Instead of going on the 6 lane through Little Rock, we took a longer scenic route through the mountains which added probably a bit over an hour to the trip, but I would have had a panic or anxiety attack had I had to drive on that crazy freeway. Nice sunny trip up there, but misted on us on the way home. Just thankful it was pouring down rain.

Our friends we usually spend New Year’s Eve have gone to Mississippi to see grandchildren, Melyssa is tied up tonight, and our other friends have gone to the casino for the night. Guess we will ring in the New Year just us two.

I am sure health wise this next year will be better for me as unless it is an emergency, I won’t have to have any surgeries. My doctor wants to do my shoulders, but I told him after this last knee surgery with the infection afterwards, wild horses couldn’t drag me into a hospital unless it was life or death. No way. Nada. No!!!

They say what you are doing on New Year’s Eve you will be doing all year long. Well, I just sat here and paid all of my bills that have come in and I hope the new year brings something a bit more interesting than that. J Wishing all of you the best in 2010. Please pray for those in need, who are ill, and for our soldiers who are keeping this country free.

Happy New Year, 2010!!!!

Later

December 4, 2009

It has been a few days since I last posted. Lots going on, like staying on the computer reading other people's blogs and reading emails. I think maybe I am addicted to blog hopping and visuals of neat things. I am definitely a visual person.

We had a tiny bit of snow this afternoon here in NW Louisiana. What a surprise. Nothing stuck. It is cold out there and is supposed to get down to 29 degrees tonight. Snow is nice if people are used to it like when we lived in Denver. They have the equipment and people know how to drive in it. Down here, the road crews don't have a clue and people definitely don't know how to drive in it. I don't think we will be building any snow people this year.

The other thing about the cold is when it ices over. We lose power and it is dark, very dark. I have a flashlight next to my desk, one by the bed, one by where I sit at the eating bar, and there are others all over the house. If we didn't have them, we would be knocking ourselves out running into furniture and walls. Definitely not my idea of fun. However, we bought a generator for those times and at least we won't lose the food in our freezers like we have done in the past.

Our son drove down from his home in Conway to Grand Cane to wrap his pipes. They are already wrapped, but it has been a few years since they were done and he was worried that the wrapping might be deteriorating. Plus, it is a way to get to hunt that illusive giant deer roaming his woods. Two jumped out in front of us on the way home tonight - Bambi and his dad. At least they didn't want a piece of our truck like they did my cousin's car the other night. Those things can ruin a ride.

My daughter stopped by this afternoon and brought me part of my Christmas present. She wanted me to have it to wear to any parties I have this time of year. She also bought me a beautiful white scarf to dress up the cranberry jacket she bought for me. She is one thoughtful child. I checked my planner to see when our retired teachers luncheon is so I could wear it and it was yesterday. Day late and a dollar short. I do have one other thing on tap and of course Christmas day. Now, in the South, we usually are wearing shorts on that day, but I am ready if it is cold. Lovely gift and I love it.

My time seems to be spent running back and forth to Shreveport to the chiropractor with my back and shoulders. I am finally getting some relief from the pain. I still find myself going to pick up something heavy and then I remember why I mustn't do that. I told my doctor that he could come home with me if he would bring that table I told you about in an earlier post - the one that seems to have the 18 wheeler rim in it that runs up and down your spine. I need one of those planted here at my house. Surely would save a lot of gasoline.

I found another Christmas gift for Bill and Zoey. I think the tea set will have to wait a bit, but she will have it when she is old enough to drink from a cup. I believe in being prepared. :-)

Ellie Mae, Emily Anna's dog, came back to Louisiana with my son. She will use the potty outside, but still loves to wet the floor. My grandson had enough of that and sent her back to his sister. She and Pepper were a sight before another grandson picked her up. She is a tea cup Yorkie and he is a Lab mix. They chased each other all over the house while she was waiting on her taxi cab - Terrell Thomas's truck to drive her back to my daughter's house. She is cute, but I don't want to get attached to another dog after losing my dear Bisquit two weeks ago. Still too fresh a memory of him around here.

I am trying to find a way to get Bill to do something to at least finish my kitchen addition. First, I was going to buy a hutch, but then I wouldn't have a work area. Nex, I thought about putting my old school desk out there and building bookcases above it. Then I wouldn't have the cupboard space I need. Today I thought about putting the desk out there again, but in the corner and purchasing cupboards that you put together like I did in the little dining room. I can't remember where I bought them, but I think it was either from the Sears or J C Penney's catalog and I don't even think they have catalogs now. I will have to check that out. It would be as cheap as purchasing the lumber to build a set of cabinets. For now, they can be open ones, but eventually I want glass doors on it whatever I get. Decisions, decisions.

We have made plans to spend Christmas day with my parents at their home and I hope my brothers and their families will be there. I just hate it when families get scattered and it is neigh onto impossible to get everyone together in one place at the same time. Life was much simpler before the grandchildren grew up.

Today I began sewing the 8 placemats for my mother's Christmas gift from my daughter. I had cut them out the other day, but hadn't the time to start sewing. All of them have been sewn and need to be turned and top stitched - they are reversible. Then I will have two sets of napkins to make for each side. I bought some felt kind of material for stuffing because I think I have enough fabric left to make coasters to match. If there is still some left, then I am going to make some napkin rings. My mother uses cloth napkins and placemats for every meal. She loves it. I like paper plates and paper napkins. I think I do that because I have always been rebellious.

Bill got up the outside lights and it really looks nice. Last year after Christmas I bought a deer and two doe that are lighted. They are supposed to raise and lower their heads, but maybe they were on sale because they just stand there. Better than not having them. Once I can find the hanger, I can get the wreath up and the house will look nice. I have a fake pot of poinsettias on the table and that is the extent of the inside decorations. I don't mind doing it, but taking it down is what I hate. One year I still had the tree up at Valentine's Day and my dad asked me if I was going to leave it up until Easter. He should have never said that because to show him I could, I did leave it up until Easter. I guess you could say I am hard headed and stubborn.

Yesterday while I was in the city I got some LSU fleece and am going to make Zoey a blanket and hat. They gave me a free pattern that shows you how to make the blanket without sewing it. You just clip so far into the fabric and tie knots from both sides. I will also sew some knot things throughout the blanket to keep the two sides together. There was the cutest "bat" hat I found on the net and I will make it out of the same fleece and on the "bat" ears you tie ribbons - purple and gold, of course.

I ordered crisp money from the bank to make "money trees" for the two youngest grandchildren. I plan to say in their cards that I had PaPa look all over the yard and he could only find two of them and cut them down just for them. I also ordered crisp money and will make paper wallets and put the money in them for the older grandchildren and children. Plan to do that for my parent too.

For Bill I found a soft sided toolbox several months ago and yesterday I got him a new set of screw drivers. He ruined one of his putting my new sewing table together. Boy is that a wonderful table. It has a grid printed on top that has measurements on it. Nice when you want to cut things out. The machine has its own spot and this little door opens and a leg drops out and my serger has a little shelf all of its own to sit on. Now I won't have to take the machine down or the serger. Just cover them and they will be ready for the next project.

My sweet uncle is still in the hospital in South Carolina and is waiting on a room at a neighboring hospital that has in-house rehab. I understand he is making the nurses laugh. He is such a funny man and can make you roll in the floor laughing. Their only child is with them and is taking his mom back and forth to the hospital. They have made a decision to go into an assisted living arrangement as soon as my uncle regains his strength. Both of them are almost 90 and my cousin lives in Florida and can't get to them fast enough if they need him. If only they weren't 1000 miles away I could do something to help. The only thing I have ever hated about living n Louisiana is it is so far from all of my aunts, uncles, and cousins. I have missed so much by not living close to them. Out of 8 children, there are only 4 of them left. Best relatives anyone could ask for. My brothers and I really missed the closeness of the family by only getting two weeks each summer with our only cousins.

I see that is is late and I have a lot of sewing to do tomorrow. Guess I will have to wind this down and will see ya'll later.