It's a Squirrel's Life

our 9/11 memorial trip

2011-10-09T18:47:00.000-07:00

seth turned the big 30 in sept. and had been talking about going to new york city to see ground zero - especially since this is the 10th year commemoration of the 9/11 tragedy. i decided that a trip to n.y. would be the perfect birthday present for him, so we set a date- right before my annual trip with shannon, and we obtained passes for a certain day and time. we drove to shannon's and stayed overnight and then took the train into n. y. the next morning. some of the flooding from the hurricane that they experienced earlier was evident as the train neared the city. the subway was braved 4 times that day and also a taxi ride (hold on to your hats!!!) to the empire state building. we went to china town to get a knockoff watch that seth was obsessing about. (i used my sales skills to talk the guy down- something they more than expect!) and bought slices of n.y. pizza (oh my), and sat on a stoop to eat .

china town- where we began our quest for a knockoff watch...

the elevator in the empire state building- there were still 6 more floors to go on a different elevator. yow!

it rained a bit so visability wasn't perfect from atop the empire state bld. (as we were ascending in the elevator, my ears were popping.) we were able to see the new building at the 9/11 site. i believe that event changed that city. flags and signs were very visable everywhere.

the top of the empire state bld. taken from the observation deck.

central park behind the buildings

we arrived at the site of 9/11 early, so we sat across the street on some steps and watched the building of the newest addition.

this was a display that the workers had put up. .. "we will never forget"

this photo was taken of the new trade center from inside the park. there was a huge flag hanging from it. it will be the tallest building when completed. notice the trees - they are all the same height and we were told that they were taken from the site in pa. where the plane went down.

another view of the trade center- an amazing structure. there are some interesting programs on tv about this building and those who are working on it- well worth watching.

this is the "survivor tree"- the only one that survived 9/11. seth and i both felt that we were on sacred ground in this special place. i have videos of the pools that were built in the footprints of the towers that were destroyed but can't seem to get them on this blog- we'll keep trying.

a truly amazing trip and a birthday that seth and i won't soon forget.

conference time again

2011-10-05T14:02:00.000-07:00

once again , it's time for our semi- annual conference. what a great weekend ! after being a member of the church for 43 years, how can there be so much to learn? as usual, i came to conference with concerns and issues that i knew would be addressed and i was not disappointed. i appreciate the inspiration that the speakers are given for all the many topics that are covered. the music was outstanding and is always an important part of conference. katie,josie and anderson were with me for the first session and seth came over for the sunday sessions. it's always wonderful to share thoughts with family. shannon and i talked today and reviewed some of the talks that we both listened to yesterday.
to sit at the master's feet through the general authorities talks is such a privilege.
here are my conference potholders for these sessions. i kept my hands busy (katie made 2 of them- the tradition goes on!)

i have been refreshed and refuled for another 6 months and am so thankful for the opportunity to be a part of these wonderful meetings.

28 and counting!!!!

2011-06-03T21:07:00.000-07:00

june 4th - a wonderful day for our family 28 years ago- jojo," the president of mexico" ," jo jo salero", ( and many other akas, as the girls will probably add) was born. i was in the grocery store with paul and my labor started, so we went home and loaded up the suitcase and paul's lamaze stuff and off we were to the hospital. i could tell that things were progressing quickly, so i was anxious to get there. after being checked, the nurse informed me that i was ready to go into the delivery room! opps, one problem, though. another woman was just finishing up and they couldn't take me for a short while- yow! my bearing down pains had already started , so the nurse told me to start panting and not to give in to the bearing down urges- oh yes, easy for her to say- here it is 28 years later and i still remember! anyhow, paul was whining that he couldn't even use his lamaze skills, but at that point, i didn't feel sorry for him. FINALLY, the room was available and in i went. feet in the stirrups, 3 pushes and out came our little pumpkin seed girl.
we had already decided on a name for a girl when we went out for dinner one night. the pianist at the restaurant was playing " when joanna loves me" - that did it for us. i can't remember what we had chosen for a boy's name, but it didn't matter at that point.
joanna was a good baby- "substantial" i would call her. she fit in her carrier very snuggly and loved to eat. shannon had the responsibility of feeding her sometimes and just remembers huge bowls of food and constantly scraping her chin with the spoon. we all have many memories of baby jojo- the "corn in the nose" incident, short,short haircuts, interesting experiences in her crib during naptime, her love of peaches,(right from the bushel basket), aaahhhhh ( her" just about ready to go to sleep" sound- does she still do that today, stephan?)
i remember a wonderful time i had with jojo. we were able to drive to southern virginia college to look the school over and stay over night. we had a great time but both of us remember the kind of scary ride thru west va. at night . (what's with that place, anyway???) i also have tender memories of my trip to utah to help her fix up her apt. "jo-jo"style and then going back to sell everything and clean it. those are the times that draw families together, and i remember feeling very close to her in her time of need.
so, my dear joanna, have a wonderful day and we will have a little party when you get here in july. hope our card wasn't late, but you probably are still on your mini birthday trip, anyway. we love you! HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

mother's day

2011-05-08T18:19:00.000-07:00

mother's day is here again- thanks to all my kids; shannon, katie, seth, jojo, nella and ryan for letting me know in their own special ways, that they appreciate me . i'm visiting with shannon and family this week and so we were treated to an early am (before church) breakfast by brian and the kids. we even had menus delivered to our bedrooms to give us something to look forward to and we each got a beautiful bouquet of roses and a bag of candy. shannon gave me a book that she brought back from women's conference and on sat. we received a fruit bouquet from katie,nate and josie. my brother, doug sent flowers to the house (enjoy them, back there!) and phone calls from all the kids rounded out the day.
i have loved being a mom and am grateful for the blessings that have been mine because of this. happy mother's day to all of you!

conference time!!!

2011-04-04T20:17:00.000-07:00

once again, it's time for general conference and the creation of more "conference potholders". i love to sit and make these simple things while i watch our semi-annual conference from salt lake city. (i actually made one more after this picture was taken). i think of my kids who will receive these and hope they will think of the importance of conference when they use them.... "always a mother!"( this year it was harder to weave them as i had a finger injury from moving furniture. yow!!)
i went into this conference with the topic of personal revelation on my mind, and how to better be able to receive it. there were many talks and hymns that were directed to that subject. ... love conference weekend!!

64 and counting!

2011-03-01T21:04:00.000-08:00

wow! a surprise birthday party .... for me! nella and katie arranged with my friend, pam, to celebrate my 64th birthday at her home- complete with a gourmet luncheon and 2 cakes- one by pam and one by katie.

spinach, strawberry, hearts of palm and walnuts greeted us along with many other delicacies.

this was a sausage,cheese,apple quiche- omg!

ham with a few vegs. in a thickened broth which we ladeled into tiny pastry cups...omg

endive stuffed with veg. cream cheese... omg

table set with wedgewood plates, silver etc...omg

fresh rolls and beets with vinegar and grapefruit and grapes stuffed with goat cheese and pistacios....omg, omg!

3 layer cake with bits of peaches in the frosting...omg

katie's boston cream cake (my favorite cake)... omg

i look loopy after all that food. have i said omgosh enough???!!! it was nice to have katie and nella there.

pat, me, holly and pam

the traditional" blowing out the candles " picture...

thanks for a great day ps. i got my hair cut after that ---yow!

more of the same...

2011-02-26T19:32:00.000-08:00

nella and i went to the new" shop jr." yesterday and she snapped this shot- whoo ooo! we then drove home in a snow storm... good times.

red squirrel jr.

2011-02-24T19:26:00.000-08:00

hey!!! i have taken the leap and rented a small area in kensington court- a cute antique boutique in new kensington, pa. this is pretty exciting for me because it's another creative outlet AND i will actually get paid for the things i sell! i am official on march 1st.

this is what greeted me last week when i went to start setting up.! as sally fields said... "they like me, they like me!"

wish me luck (and check out the place if you're nearby). my original red squirrel shop will be reopening in april.

40 years and counting...

2011-02-05T13:38:00.000-08:00

the dreaded traditional "blowing out the candles" picture. this particular cake had 40 candles and put out quite a bit of heat. think it may have singed her hair! (that's ellie in the background- she was a little excited...)

after cutting her cake, shannon discovered that it wasn't any ordinary cake- it was a smith island cake, from smith island, md. these cakes were made by the women of the island with multi-layers and sent along with their fishermen husbands when they went out to fish at sea. the thin layers separated by frosting kept the cakes moist for extended time periods as opposed to regular cakes. we were able to taste these cakes when we were traveling this summer down the east coast on our yearly trip.

40 years and counting!

2011-02-02T09:10:00.000-08:00

my first daughter turned 40 today! where have all those years gone? i think it was just yesterday when we lived in alaska and were making that short trip to the airforce base hospital . what a cold feb. day that was. i remember getting into the elevator and having a contraction and wondering what was in store for me! we didn't know if our baby was a boy or girl, but i was excited to be able to hold her in my arms. the girls at my work place had given me gifts- a beautiful pink blanket and diaper service. (yes, we used real, cloth diapers back then!). i was in a ward with 8 other ladies and we were separated by curtains. only one woman was breastfeeding ( that wasn't in vogue then). we all thought she was a hippy because of that.
i so remember the moment i bonded with my little baby girl. we were awakened every 4 hours to walk down to the nursery for feedings. i was sleeping and had a dream that my baby was crying out for me and needed me. i woke with a start and couldn't wait to get to the nursery room. i could see her little head from a distance as she had a full head of dark hair that stood up all over the place. she was the only one like that and the other women had all commented on her hair. i rushed over to her and felt a flood of love, protection and relief to see that she was all right. i was truly a mother in that instant.
when we returned home with our little bundle, we settled her down in the crib and my husband left for work. i needed to take a shower and that task took FOREVER, as i turned the water off every few minutes to listen for her. it's amazing that all parties concerned survive their first born!
well, 40 years have come and gone and shannon and i have experienced more than i could have ever imagined together. we started out as best friends and have ended up as best friends-- some rocky times in between, but i have a lifetime of wonderful memories with her.
she has become a mother herself to 3 neat, interesting children and is doing her best to raise them as healthy, productive , sensitive individuals. she is accomplished in whatever she takes on and always makes time to call me and be interested in my life.
we look forward each year to a special trip and continue to make memories and enjoy spending time with each other.
happy 40th birthday, shannon - life is good!

red squirrel christmas open house

2011-01-04T19:46:00.000-08:00

our annual christmas open house was held in november for 2 days this year. we had lots of fun- lots of buying and over-all good cheer. the food was great and the shop looked so festive. enjoy pictures of the shop....

blue section...

"new" cupboard that i filled up with apple-pie filling, candy, jam, and other homemade goodies.

we fixed the dining room up in the house as part of the shop. these are the items that katie made and also sells on etsy.

our" pillow and girly" corner in the dining room.

christmas traditions...

2011-01-03T21:34:00.000-08:00

throughout the years we have had many traditions- some have lasted and some have been broken sometimes "just because". here are several that have stuck and some have even spanned a generation now.. my mom started this one- we bake sugar cookies and decorate them - one for each person who will be sharing christmas dinner with us. each person finds their cookie with their initials or name on it. these are custom made to suit the person's situation or personality. (several of us like cats. one loves red hots ). well, you get the idea.

this is a wreath that i made when i was pregnant with joanna- 27 years ago. each little ornament is hand embroidered and stuffed and is attached to the wreath - one each day in december. the problem this year is that i found most of the ornaments on the floor when i came home one evening. the felines had discovered new toys and it was a free-for-all! i was able to retrieve all but one and am still hoping that one will show up.

cookie trays for the neighbors have always been a fun tradition- especially for the elderly ones who no longer bake.

cracking up candy canes for vanilla icecream- always a favorite- even though one can now buy the real thing.

decorating the tree - even though it's alot smaller than those of yesterday. this one was purchased at a thrift store and has vintage-type ornaments on it. (more detail a little later).

we always try to have festive tables during the holidays. we also hang our stockings in the dining room and have an additional tree there. nella is demonstrating how we sit at the table! just kidding.

this shows more detail of the living room tree. jojo sent this cute danish pixy- it's the only colorful thing on the tree and reminds us of her . she can tell us the real name for this sweet little one..".hagen das"??? :o)

these are just a few of our traditions- the ones i happened to capture on film. mostly we just enjoy the christmas season with each other and the celebration of the birth of our Savior, Jesus Christ.

sweet revenge

2011-01-03T14:01:00.000-08:00

christmas time and i thought a cute decoration would be a santa hat tacked on our maple tree- the one with the face. .one week after i did this, this is what remained of my clever idea! my former tenants of my shop (red squirrel) found the perfect revenge...ergo the shredded cap... they've been waiting for 6 years for the perfect opportunity. nice going, guys.

birthday girl!

2010-12-10T18:50:00.000-08:00

a sweet little christmas baby-. i wasn't a young mom at that point, but this was a special one because she would be the last. there's something special about each of your children and she was the baby- forever. in the early years, she was a shadow to me. our daily trips to the school to fill the duties of pto president, were sweet- i always had a little buddy. her little red shoes and funny hats were her trademark, and the teachers and principal all knew her. she has been my friend for these many years- watching movies, cooking, shopping, decorating and giving me beauty and fashion tips. (what would we do without our children?)
dec. 11th marks the quarter- century birthday of my baby! yes, 25 years ago, we decided to get to the hospital in kittanning before the snowstorm hit. i didn't think i was quite ready to leave home, but didn't want to get snow-bound at home with 3 little kids and another on its way out. (i never found out what any of our kids were, so it was like christmas morning when the dr. would say---"it's a healthy girl/boy!" ). when i got to the hospital, i thought i would just sit in the lobby until i had to go to the labor area, but after checking me- that wasn't going to fly. i was further along than i supposed. our baby girl was born shortly afterwards . we didn't name her right away- in fact it took several days. the dreaded snowstorm finally hit and no one could get through to visit me so i spent several days in the hospital instead of going right home.
and now my baby,"nella", has a baby- a little girl- "lucy" who greatly resembles her mom at this age. this great circle of life goes on and is such a gift. i am grateful for all of my children and especially nella at this wonderful time of the year. happy birthday, dearie! you have been a true blessing to me.

it's coming!

2010-12-02T15:40:00.000-08:00

i have pictures, stories and whatnot to share with all of you- be patient with me- i just returned from thanksgiving with shannon and family and my kitchen is cluttered with bags, cooler, packages, etc. i've noticed a few broken ornaments here and there and an odd smell coming from the frige....one of the downsides of going away. i'll have to wait for my computer-smart daughter to get over her cold and then help me put my pictures on a blog. ooohhh someday i'll figure this thing out! see ya soon.

Labor Day...Yeah!

2010-09-06T20:45:00.000-07:00

soooo- this has truly been a labor day for me. the first half of the day was spent at the chandlery, cleaning and getting it in order for this week and the upcoming arts festival next weekend (sept 11th). a trip to the grocery store and then home to begin baking for the farmers' market tomorrow. i decided to make my english muffin bread and breakfast cakes this time. in no time at all this was my kitchen. yow! is all of this worth the potential $40 and some odd that i will make?

this was the end result of an afternoon of baking. i'll also sell jam and cold drinks... farm market, here i come!

took a break to make hamburgers for tonight- katie, josie and seth are coming over for dinner and one last bonfire.

it seems like it always takes a special day to really get things done around here--- my bed will look great to me tonight!

good day

2010-07-12T18:42:00.000-07:00

every so often you have one of those "good days" and today was one of those. i woke up at 6:30 and went for my daily walk then came back and began working in the gardens. weeds were flying, plants were planted and everything started looking like the master plan. as i swept the walking stones and surveyed the final results, i almost forgot the many meltdowns earlier in the season when i "couldn't see the trees through the forest." (think that's backwards!!)
came in at 12:30,ate half a cantelope, showered, had a good hair day, and "de-catted " the house for the arrival of my sister- in law, who is allergic to cats. lynne arrived and brought a gift- oh my gosh- chocolate covered cashews! we then went to ding bats where we had great conversation and a wonderful steak dinner- dessert at dairy queen and then a quick trip to the chandlery shoppe in town where she picked out a pair of silver forest earrings. we visited some more and then she headed to bed where i am headed too. it may sound dull to some of you, but my life gets kind of hectic and this was just one of those layed back, do what i want, good days. see girls ? there is a light at the end of that tunnel!!! hang in there.

mother love

2010-05-04T08:43:00.000-07:00

many years ago as a young teenager who had many lofty ideas about my future, i said these words to my mother: "i don't want to be JUST a mother". i realize now that these words hurt my mother ( i guess i realized it as soon as they left my mouth). they attacked her very being, but they were misunderstood by her. my definition of motherhood was molded by her example.

my mom was a good person. she enjoyed life to the fullest, was an excellent cook, a dedicated wife to my father, and had tons of friends, but memories of her as a loving mother are not mine. i remember her many activities; card clubs, golf, bowling, morning coffee get togethers, etc, but she was not a confidant, a tender ear or an understanding heart that i so needed as a young, ugly duckling girl.

my mother reminded me of those words several times after i became a mother, but i couldn't tell her what i really meant, even then.

being a mother isn't just keeping a house, cooking, and taking care of the everyday tasks that are never ending. those are the things that i didn't want to "just" be. i wanted to have children and raise them to be righteous, excellent people in this world. i wanted to be aware of their struggles and experience the wonder of their differences. i don't know if i have accomplished these goals, but i have felt moments of gratification.

to me, Mother love is many things:

the desire to be a mother
unconditional love (but not always like)
the ability to see ALL and yet to appear not to notice at times
to be able to let wierd outfits be worn- that hideous shirt, or beloved pants- even in public
to feel pain and regret after carrying out a punishment
to hurt when that child hurts
to find or make time for those special moments with each child
to show wonder and appreciation for the beautiful creations of the world
to look for service opportunities to instill this principle in the lives of my children
to be humorous
to let my children see my individuality and its importance
to be willing to be flexible but always stand for the principles and love of our Eternal Father and His Son

these are only of some of what defines mother love. even though my children are grown, there are still so many opportunities to express my love to each of them. i continue to find success and experience failure and disapointment, but i continue to try and because of this have had many blessings come my way.

to shannon, katie, nella, and joanna (in the future); i have loved being a mother and i pray that the years that lie ahead for each of you will allow you to feel the blessings of this great mother love.

my final comments are to my child that i was not able to raise. due to choices i made many years ago, i gave up the opportunity to be with him. i am grateful for his persistant search and his unconditional love for me.

this is a bittersweet time, as my mom is no longer with us. i sometimes wish i could have explained what i meant to her, but her world was different from mine and she was happy in
hers. i'm hoping that now she understands my words to her so long ago .

HAPPY MOTHERS' DAY GIRLS!!!!!

easter, again

2010-04-04T07:14:00.000-07:00

no jelly beans, no chocolate bunnies, no easter hay on the floor, baskets scattered around the house or yard, or the smell of colored easter eggs. even the sound of the family laughing and comparing goodies from their baskets aren't here this year.

today is easter sunday

all the past preparations even in many years gone by- the little white gloves , new flowered purse, and simple pastel easter dress that i would be dressed in as a young girl, and the easter baskets that would always be stocked with the traditional candy and a new jump rope for me- those are sweet memories that i cherish- thank you ,mom. but they are the past, not now.

today is easter sunday

His friends are saddened, confused, left alone, afraid. He has been betrayed, tortured, killed and buried quickly. but a woman goes to the grave and finds the miracle of the empty tomb. empty, but full of the promise of the Atonement- resurrection and eternal life. so even though this day is different in those traditional ways,

today is easter !!!!

a new day...

2010-04-03T19:37:00.000-07:00

it's been so long since i have written, but so much has gone on - i need to journal it.
i have been super busy in the shop in town- doing the windows and fixing the place up in general. i still don't have red squirrel ready to open yet- but will in a few days.
i spent 5 days with shannon- painting her dining room, hallway, and old living room. it was a true marathon. shannon had flown here (delayed birthday gift) and spent fri and sat with me. we went to a fish fry, movie, visited friends, and worked in my shop. after sacrament mtg. on sun. we took off for her place and then spent the next 4 days painting, reconnecting with the kids, figuring out a"camera mystery" and beginning the southbeach diet together. (3 more days on the first phase!!! yay!!!)
when i returned home- nella reported that the dr. was going to induce labor on april 1st. also katie and nate and josie were getting ready for their trips in opposite directions. i watched josie for a day while katie made preparations.
i was also getting excited for conference which would be this weekend. i need that twice/year filling up of my tank!
nella called me many times on the first- keeping me updated on the labor progress- thanks so much!! i couldn't be there to be a part of it- so it meant so much to hear lucy's first cries. what a miracle that is- i will never get over the amazement- regardless of how many children and grandchildren i have.
i went to katie's this am to give josie one more hug before they left- she was having an umbrella frenzy and was just a bit wired up. i had given her a little tin suitcase, but the hinge was too complicated, so it had to be left behind- but she does have gum and a magic dollar to spend at her other grandma's.
took katie to the airport at 3:00 and got home right as 2nd session was ending- well, i can read it in the ensign. i did watch the am session and made the traditional conference potholder( this one for jojo). i love doing that as i listen to the speakers and also think about the one i'm making the holder for.
tomorrow - 2 more sessions and i may stuff some leaves into a bag between sessions- the yard is SO out of control- i don't enjoy using up my energy doing the yards anymore- guess that happens as you get older. life is good and we, as a family have been blessed!

more of my "day".....

2010-03-01T16:22:00.000-08:00

everyone just left after enjoying a pizza dinner for my (yes, again) birthday. we put this off for a day because of weather and health reasons. so now- i was officially sung to and had a candle in an amazing cream puff- homemade by katie! nate brought me a huge container of deluxe bird seed (i was almost out and my feathered friends knew it). paul gave me a gift certificate for my hair, and josie "wrapped" 2 boxes of wafer cookies. nate and katie also took me to a japanese restaurant last week and we had a delicious AND entertaining dinner. it won't be josie's choice for her birthday- that's for sure. i think she thought the chef was out to get her, but daddy came to her rescue and took her out before the grill in front of us lit up. ( katie has pictures of this event). that evening was topped off with a bag of licorace jelly beans, which josie and i enjoyed in the back seat while driving home.
thanks to my family - i just wish you all could have been there. ( shannon, our day will come! :O) )

my day...

2010-02-27T21:28:00.000-08:00

sunday is my birthday.
i've had a neat week building up to this day- katie has "mini-celebrated " it each day last week and some friends gave me cards and gifts and a BOSTON CREAM PIE!!! my younger brother, steve, sent me his usual custom made cd (this is the 6th one) and also an 18 minute dvd about my childhood, taken from old movies that my dad made years ago- in fact some were 63 years ago- what an awesome gift. as i watched it, i realized how utterly fast those years have gone by. it's amazing to watch myself as a baby , toddler, young child , and teenager (yow!) and to know what the future held . it was truly a touching moment for me.
i've been blessed with 63 years of living. my greatest blessings have been my family, and the fact that i found the gospel and the great knowledge and comfort it brings me. i have 6 wonderful children - they have kept me on my toes and helped me to attempt to be a good parent. i have learned patience, compassion, humor, humility, and love (to name a few) from them.
when i watched that tiny baby on film today i couldn't help but shed some tears for the great plan that my Father had in store for her.
savor the moments you have girls- they slip through your fingers so quickly. on that note, thanks for being the loyal children you have been. i'm looking forward to many more memories with all of you.
yay! for birthdays!

the great snow of 2010 (aka the snow of the century)

2010-02-06T16:29:00.000-08:00

aaahhh, february... my favorite month of the year. that's not only because it involves my birthday, valentine's day, or presidents' day , but USUALLY a huge snow storm can be expected. this year was no exception... we had a duzy of a storm, starting yesterday afternoon and ending at noon today... 22" of the most wonderful fluffy stuff you can imagine.
here is very pregnant nella showing us the path that was shoveled from the house to the office.

the back porch was transformed.

this table was our measuring guage.

our car....i think.

my little front garden.

conehead garden..

michael (neighbor ) digging us out.

what will happen when all this melts???

winter wonderland

2010-01-08T21:28:00.000-08:00

this christmas was a bit different from the ones of the past. our family dynamics have changed and so our celebration was more low-keyed than usual. as we begin to bring down the empty boxes and bins to once again store the decorations, i have been reminiscing past christmases.

i guess they all started here in this house in dunkirk, n.y. i lived in this apartment house until i was 9 years old. my dad owned it and we lived in the downstairs apartment. my bedroom was in the front on the left side of the house.

on christmas eve, i would sleep in my brother, doug's room- it was in the back of the house- away from the living room- where santa would be busy arranging presents for the next morning. i remember lying awake and whispering with doug about what we would find under the tree. i always heard jingle bells (and to this day i still do on christmas eve!). one year doug found our gifts in a deep closet and showed me my gifts. that was the year i received a ginny doll with braids and a green pineapple dress. i felt so guilty looking at our presents early and i never again tried to find out what i would get.

many christmases would pass and we moved to a new home. i remember doug and i looking through the sears catalogue for that perfect gift for mom and dad. we found a brass fireplace lighter for the living room. we ordered it and then when the call came that it was in- doug took the bus down to dunkirk and picked it up. we waited until my parents had gone to bed on christmas eve and then crept out and put it under the tree- being very careful not to look at santa's gifts for us- they were amazed that we had done that by ourselves.

one year i got a big stuffed dog and a red plastic transistor radio. (i've written about that before). that was one of my best christmases ever! i went to bed on my top bunk and listened to my radio for hours that night- all was well with the world!!

there are many other memories that are dear to me- those when i became an adult and had my family. watching each one react in their own way to christmas eve and christmas morning. maybe they will all write a memory that can be added to these.- but for now, christmas is being put away in those special boxes. the quiet of winter is here and is a welcome relief to the holiday festivities. it's now a time for reflection and contemplation. .. enjoy this moment.

the latest

2009-11-16T19:46:00.000-08:00

my latest project has been a time consuming one, but quite enjoyable. 3 of my friends and i decided to open a christmas shop in a recently closed boutique in saxonburg on main street. we had 1 week to put it together and had the grand opening that next week- one week after our week in south carolina for my mom's memorial. we seem to be a popular place in town- since there are only 2 other stores that sell gifts. we decided to carry decorations, wrap, gifts and some furniture. the shop was called "a couple doors down" so we tacked on " little bit of christmas"

whoever works on any given day, brings in "new" items- so it stays fresh and we have some customers who visit us each day to see the latest!

we change the window every 2 weeks- this one was a toy window- this one was one of my favorites. this is the back side of the window. the view from the outside is one of my first pictures- yow! will i ever get these things right? we seem to have a lot of window shoppers and we hear about our windows from them.

i decided to go out on a limb and order earrings from a company (silver forest) that i found while in so. car. these earrings are made in vermont and are really beautiful. they sent me the display (also made at their place)- for free- wish me luck on this one! (can't really see them, but trust me, they're exceptionally pretty).

this last picture shows the various angels i have found for shannon's relief society dinner. they are using an angel theme and will decorate each table with these angels. i was able to find them at 4 different places and paid less than $40.00 for all. the picture doesn't do them justice.

lot's of work, but fun too...

a thankful thanksgiving

2009-11-15T18:02:00.000-08:00

i fixed a pre- thanksgiving dinner for today ( did most of it yesterday) because i'm going to be at shannon's for the actual thanksgiving week.

as i was preparing some of the food yesterday, i was thinking about my family and a few of the things i wanted to say at this dinner, so i wrote some of my thoughts down. i read this after i served the pie tonight. here goes...

i want this dinner to be my thanksgiving gift to all of you.

i am thankful that i have my health so that i am able to do this and all the other activities i am involved in.

i am thankful for paul- that we were able to have all of you and that he has been able to support the family and provide for our needs. many times people who know him come up to me and tell me how much they appreciate his care for their pets. i also appreciate his willingness to help fix my broken projects.

i am thankful for shannon, my first daughter and dear friend, we have been through a lifetime together. brian and the kids always welcome me with open hearts and make me feel as an important part of their family. they see to my every need.

i am thankful for katie. i love her independant spirit even though i get on her case sometimes for it. i admire her creativity and spiritual strength. she is a wonderful mother and it shows in my best buddy, josie. she is a little light to me.

i am thankful for nathan. i can always count on him to help me with whatever hairbrain project "comes down the pike". he is a good father and devoted husband and a hardworker.

i am thankful for seth. he is a loyal son and friend. i appreciate his dedication to his job and even though i comment on his choice of friends, he is truly a loyal friend to them- deserving or not. he helps me with my shop setups and it's always nice to see his smiling face show up at these events.

i am thankful for joanna- for her ability to pick herself up and find happiness again. she is the middle child like me and a people pleaser. i am grateful that she is able to be in new and exciting areas of the world with stephan , who makes her laugh. i miss her tonight.

i am thankful for nella she has been my companion in various times of my life- first as an attachment to my leg when she was little- later on as my chief cook and movie watcher companion. she has her own distinct style. i appreciate her spiritual advice and her sometimes willingness to go along with my various schemes.

i am thankful for ryan- the son of my past. he has been accepting and loving to me in spite of his difficult beginning.

i am thankful to my Heavenly Father for all of the above and for showing great love towards me. by sacrificing his son, Jesus Christ, he demonstrated the ultimate love for each of us.

didn't take pictures of the dinner- must be slipping- that was always a must! but here is the centerpiece with an added treasure- at least josie thought so!

always a mess afterwards, but some of us can find fun in anything!!

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!!!!

balmat trip

2009-08-24T20:40:00.000-07:00

i just read shannon's account of our trip to watertown and balmat this year. it brought back so many wonderful memories- i can't believe we actually went rafting! my first AND last time. i am not a thrill seeker, but have always wanted to try that. now i can use my mom's favorite expression- "been there, done that". these trips just reinforce the importance of family in my life. check out shannon's blog.

it's nice to be loved!

2009-08-09T20:33:00.000-07:00

this one is short but sweet- someone (or two) missed me when i was gone for almost 2 weeks. this is what greeted me when i opened my bedroom door yesterday- don't know where they found these but it put a smile on my face. ( for those who don't understand this- i have two cats- )

blog fix, please...

2009-08-08T20:43:00.000-07:00

i've been home for5 days from my fabulous trip to shannon's and then watertown,ny and balmat,ny. and i need a blog update from any one of you! i will write about our trip, a life highlight which included a wonderful 3 hours in a neat thrift store (WHAT?????), white water rafting experience- (yes, i did it!), a visit to the balmat ancestor cemetary, and 1 1/2 days and 2 meals with our newest cousins . that was probably the best part of the trip along with just doing what we wanted when we wanted. i love these yearly trips and hope some of the other girls can go next year. shannon has all the pictures so she will have to document our trip. (ahem) .
i'm getting ready to go to fredonia for my 45th class reunion- another life highlight and i will promise to take pictures, but are you really interested in a bunch of strangers who graduated in 1964? stay tuned for that one...

it's over

2009-07-18T20:49:00.000-07:00

that's about all i can say at this moment about the horse trader days in zelienople. a friend and i had a booth (tent) set up and worked it thurs. , fri., and sat. i didn't take my camera- sorry- there WERE some interesting people there. it cost each of us $40 and i made $260- so you can do the math...... my shop is looking better by the minute!
one of the best parts of the 3 day deal was the few minutes i was able to spend with josie and katie. the monkey tree will live on- now i have to think of some stories .

wedding blues (greens, purples etc.)

2009-07-11T18:26:00.000-07:00

today was the big day for a friend's daughter...her wedding day and also the day i had been dreading along with the photographer (daughter- katie) . this had "blossomed" into something more than we had planned, but it actually turned out to be a success. i am pretty tired right about now , but satisfied with the results... some interesting shots of the flower- making process:

this first one was taken after holly and i returned from the strip district in pittsburgh. we went to a wholesale flower place, thanks to a local flower shop. lots of money was saved by going through them. we spent $550 on all the flowers, ferns, and branches.

that was actually the cleanest my floor looked during that project! it took on a lovely green tint.

this was our work area. holly began by making the pew bunches- she had to do 10 of them- we decorated every other pew. they were really pretty, but i would have attached them differently to the pews- cascading down instead of sticking up. oh well, that was her area of responsibility.
( she also made 9 boutonnieres' and 3 little corsages)

this is hard to see- you may have to make it larger.

i put together the 2 large arrangements for the front of the church. i waited for holly to leave as i needed to have some creative time . the pale green roses made the arrangements pop.

a third smaller vase was made to put on the gift table. lana had told me to just throw some flowers into that one!! :o( thanks, lana! )

3 round bowls were filled with water and flowers and ferns. these were placed in front on the bride's table. i used ivy to wind around the bowl on inside.

these are the bouquets- 3 bridesmaids, one throwaway,2 mother's bouquets. katie made the fresh white rose bouquet. it looked like silk flowers- really beautiful.

many positive comments were made and i felt both relief and satisfaction. the flower shop is now CLOSED!!!

jammin'

2009-06-30T19:37:00.000-07:00

ahhh... it's that time again. first things first, though- delilah is tuned in on the radio and it has to be later in the evening (don't know why that one is a must, but it is!). and now the jammin' begins.

i got a good deal on strawberries at nate's store yesterday- the local ones are close to $5.00/ qt.

i made 2 batches. the 2nd one is called "strawberry with a touch of blue" (i used a

few blueberries to fill in) - pretty tasty! guess all of you girls will be the judge of that !

this is what awaits me when i finish this post- oh yay!

red squirrel update

2009-06-14T18:57:00.000-07:00

the squirrel had our open house last sat. and it was considered a success. i didn't have time to take pictures, but took some afterwards that might be interesting to you girls.

this is our newest line- thanks to some of you for input on the name. "ode de squirrel" lost out --- (yuck) to "le squirrel". it's a wonderful lavender linen/room spray that i had a woman make for me. i had bought some years ago and saved the bottle. her name and address were on it so i called her and she agreed to make more just for the squirrel! i'm addicted. katie designed the label and tied each bottle with a ribbon.

i displayed the spray on a glass pedestal cake dish- it looks nicer in person! (notice the pass along cards under the display. i'm always trying)

the next few pictures are of a few areas in the shop... this one is what you see when you first walk in . the green dishes are copyrighted "1936". feel like i've had them that long! it's time to sell them.

this is the yellow area... next to the front window- the little orange sugar and creamer set was my mom's when she was a girl.

the purple area is behind the door and features some rabbit" stuff"....

these next 2 photos have nothing to do with the shop, but thought you'd like to see the flowers i took to church this am. there were lots of georgous flowers blooming in the yard- after an early am walk i decided to arrange some. there are sure some beautiful creations on this earth.

sorry for the duplicate--- i'm hopeless- don't know how to delete yet- this got doubled by mistake! :o)

this last photo is for shannon- she wanted to see the glass front cupboard of gram's .

didn't realize the plastic bowl was in there... :o(

nighty night, girls.

jojo- the birthday girl...

2009-06-04T05:48:00.000-07:00

today is jojo's 26th birthday. it seems like yesterday that i was in the grocery store in kittanning, pa. and realized that i was beginning labor. i stayed to get all the things on my list- probably too long, but i knew it would be awhile before i would be back there. by the time we went home, picked up my personal stuff, and drove to the hospital, i was nearing the end of my labor! the delivery room was "occupied" and i had bearing down pains. the nurse told me not to! i panted and puffed (lamaz) until they quickly wheeled me in. 3 pushes and out she came- just like a pumpkin seed-- no time for any medications for me -- yow! but little jojo was beautiful!!
she just filled her little carrier like a pea in a pod and was always smiling. HAPPY BIRTHDAY JOJO - (aka) math craft, jojo solerio, president of mexico and many others!

my newest little friend...

2009-06-01T19:49:00.000-07:00

this morning as i was weeding, i came across a little guy who had become independent before it was time. after talking to him for a few minutes, i was able to put him on my finger and then place him on a branch away from the outdoor cats.

we had a moment together! ( this was me in the early am before breakfast and a shower- and after an hour of weeding...)

everyone needs a friend...

hopefully he will survive- saw him later today on the ground again. his parents were flying around and he was flying "ground level". i shooed jack (neighbor's cat) away and am still hoping for the best.

a weekend to remember

2009-05-24T19:32:00.000-07:00

this was memorial day weekend and the weekend that we had planned to take virginia's ashes to buffalo to be dispersed on aunt eth's grave and her first husband's grave. we had beautiful weather which helped the trip to be even more memorable. i wish all of you girls could have been with us, but you were in all of our thoughts. we (ken, lynne and i) left butler on fri. afternoon and arrived at the buffalo airport where we had reserved 2 rooms . lee edel had also reserved a room as she was flying in from utah late that night to be a part of our weekend. after getting settled in our rooms (this was mine),

ken gave us a short tour of some familiar places of his and paul's childhood. we stopped to eat first at this neat place . we all had fish fries- can't get any better than a buffalo fish fry!

ken and lynne before we went in to the buffalo brewpub.

batter dipped haddock, macaroni salad, cole slaw french fries and, of course, rye bread! (we called ahead to make sure they had that).

this was my dessert- creme' brule- (sp?) anyway- it was heavenly ...

after totally enjoying that meal, we went for a ride and drove by paul and ken's old house. they lived in the far side of this house that their dad rented.

we also drove by aunt eth's house, which is in a neighborhood that we had no business being in -- that's the reason for the "drive-by-shooting" that i did with the camera! her old house is on the left(green color)- you can just see a corner of it. the garage is boarded up and the house on the other side has been torn down- what a shame that the the once beautiful, tree- lined street is now so run down and polluted with gangs.

this is the beautiful old steeple of the church of christ that their family attended and that virginia sang in.

we drove by many neighborhood fire houses. they all had their doors open and the firemen were sitting out in front- a quaint scene.

after a good night's sleep, we met lee in the breakfast room- a nice reunion after many years. we then started out for the first cemetary where ken and paul's father is buried along with their grandparents and brother and wife- harold and gertrude. we met seth and paul there and lynne bought a beautiful pot of flowers with a flag for the grave. we deposited some of virginia's ashes next to the stone with edward's name. we felt that they were together again.

i placed a white bleeding heart on the top of the stone- brought it from my garden.

this was on the other side of the stone... harold, apparently, changed the spelling of his last name- go figure!
we then went for lunch and had the traditional beef on weck- amazing! lynn had a bologna steak sandwich.. WHAT?????? also, those red things were buffalo wings... soooo good!

after moaning and groaning over all of that, we started off for the cemetary where aunt eth was buried. this is the place that we had the grave stone for virginia set. it was placed on the foot of eth's grave. lee had brought roses from her garden in utah and i had brought lilies of the valley from mine. it was actually past the time for those flowers, but i found some still blooming in the front garden- amazing!

this cemetary was really beautiful (as was the first one). there was a memorial service being held and it started after we arrived- a bagpiper was there and played some beautiful scottish music.( i took a video , but sorry, i can't get it to work on my blog-- gggrrrr. ) we thought the stone was very beautiful and a nice tribute to virginia.

we took pictures of the other family stones there and were surprised to find so many. that's lee next to the family stone.

we all said goodbye to each other after visiting dairy queen for a parting treat. ken and lynne were headed back to virginia. lee was on her way to ohio for a week , paul and seth to dunkirk to the conference grounds and i was headed to fredonia for the night- then to jamestown to see my aunt and uncle. i drove to my old grade school - wheelock elementary.

the old highschool used to be next door to wheelock, but most of it has been torn down- just a parking lot and grass now! we were the last class to graduate from that school.

sunday morning i went to church at the branch in fredonia and stopped at jane forster's for a brief visit before driving to jamestown. evelyn and bob are not doing well- this picture doesn't give the true situation, they have changed so much from the last time i saw them. - that's a whole separate story.

i drove back to dunkirk to visit an old school friend who is in the county home . she had a stroke years ago and is in a wheelchair now. i felt so badly for her and appreciate my good health. i promised her that we would visit her during our 45th class reunion this summer. she was very emotional and it was a difficult time for me too.

on the way home, i decided to drive on lake shore drive instead of the thruway. what a beautiful drive. i stopped at the white village in van buren where my parents had a cottage years ago, and bought a sabbath buster beef on weck. absolutely the best one i've ever had!!!

just look at that beauty!

the old drive-in movie was just across the road from this restaurant. my parents used to surprise us on fri. nights sometimes. they would take us for a drive and we would end up here! it was always so exciting. guess it was never torn down and still stands behind the fireside restaurant (which is closed now- yow!)

i also drove through" the point" where we would go swimming when i was young.

it looked the same and brought back many sweet memories with my family as a young girl. i wish you all could have been with me- it was a weekend that i will not soon forget. i once again realize how important family is .

grandmotherly duties

2009-05-14T17:34:00.000-07:00

i'm trying to be a good grandma.... i always take stuff to jake, reilly and ellie, and have a project we do together so that when i'm old(er) and decrepit, they will remember "granny".

i don't have a picture of them on this camera- yikes! not a very good start for a great granny...

:o(

i'm fortunate that josie is here and i can spend quality time with her...

i love to share the things i care about with all my grandkids...

and teach them to appreciate the things around them...

i don't know where this fits in to this whole story, but kids always like to go to grandma's and granny's houses- where they can do the unthinkable...

so now that i will be banned from future babysitting favors, i must say--- I DIDN'T DO THIS - i just took the picture-- honest! anyway, i'm looking forward to spending time with j,r, and e soon and having them visit in august.

mothers' day recap

2009-05-10T17:40:00.000-07:00

this is the vegetable garden that doug sent mom- she didn't understand it and wanted me to take it- everyone thought it was the best! i have fixed 2 salads from it so far. happy mothers' day to me!!

we had a nice day today- went to church and that turned out to be a good service- i played for the primary as they sang 2 songs in sacrament. all the women were given a gift bag with chocolate and a wonderful cd - instrumental versions of early american hymns. one sister struggled as she gave her talk. she said she felt very unworthy to be speaking on this day. she told of how her mom took her and her sister in the middle of the night to a safe place and then worked cleaning apartments for a place for them to live. her father was abusive. she credited all the women who had been an example to her and helped her to be the person she is today. she teaches young children and has a natural way with them. i gave her one of the small arrangements of lilies of the valley that i had taken for the podium today. her talk was touching and helped me realize how fortunate i have been in my life. thanks becca.

i took 2 small vases of those and a large one of bleeding hearts , from my garden (my grandma aikin's favorite) , and carnations (from my brother doug).

josie LOVES to smell flowers...

fixed hot dogs ,cole slaw beans and reads german potato salad with boston cream pie (yay) for dessert. katie, nate, and josie and my mom came . it was a good day- i thought of virginia, my mother-in-law and missed her. i wore her ring today and that felt good. we also used her silverware for dinner. here are some photos etc. of the day...

4 generations..

this was supposed to be a darned cute video - sorry, it didn't work..

happy mothers' day to all of you - we are blessed by being moms, and having good moms and good grandmas. i'm sure someday we will all get together and compare notes!

sat. at the succop conservancy

2009-05-09T17:27:00.000-07:00

today was our big sale at the master gardener's show. we set up the tents last night and got there at 6am today to set up our valuable stuff! lots of activity and tons of people. the "squirrel" had lots of exposure. here are some shots of our area.

(we were lucky number 13!)

(sorry, nella, your angel sold)... this rack had 7 flower arrangements that i made last night from flowers in the yard. they looked pretty in clear sugar bowls that i purchased for .29- .59 each. i sold 3 of them and gave 2 away. - made $18 on them- not too bad, but don't know if it was worth the work.

we cleaned up a few hours early because of high winds- whew! what a day! i did get to walk around with josie for a little while though, and watch her gobble up a hot dog. she was "watering" everything that did or didn't need it with 2 watering cans that i got her.
( every girl needs several watering cans..) she was a bit wound up and katie was worn out. fun was had by all!

here is the old metal rocker that i was going to sell at this show. a woman came by and bought it before i even repainted and recovered it. she still wanted me to recover it (rats). what a bugger to recover-- i got $100 for this -- well worth it after working on it!
before...

chair after i delivered it and set it in her new garden...

at the end of the day, as i was driving out, i took one last look at the pond that was right behind our area and saw this peaceful scene- a canadian geese family... a really beautiful location for a show. ..until next year...

further trash house news...

2009-05-09T16:20:00.000-07:00

it's been a few days since we basically completed the project in saxonburg!!!!! we are still going to put some plants and mulch in and then try to visit sandy on a weekly basis- hoping to gain her trust and friendship so that we can help her clean out the garage. here is that mess before we got the door closed- it really looks like this.

the entire garage is like this shot.

- mostly avon boxes- FULL of avon products and jewelry.

we had a wonderful work crew on tues. people just kept coming- lots of interest in the items we put out for sale. notice the cars lined up on the road- it was like that off and on all day.

we made $100.00 for sandy and she also sold a piece of lawn equipment for another $100.00. we worked from 9:00 am 'til 7:30 pm. i made lots of new friends- people who truly cared- not to judge, but realized that this woman needs help- in more than one area.

these are all "before" and "after" shots - i will take some more of the" gravel spreading in the rain "project (the next evening) when i go back this next week. a few scouts cleaned her gutters and their leader mowed (in the rain) and 3 more of us shoveled a pile of gravel around the driveway and over landscaping material and in between 7 pavers that we put down. what a transformation- photos on that later.

these are "before" of the breezeway...

the "after" shot- lots of hard work and pitching... notice my mask- we had to wear those when we did that porch.

we had to put cardboard down because of the mud. the next evening , we put material down and spread gravel. were we tired??? i realized all 62 years of my body after that project was done.

update on the trash house

2009-05-02T21:51:00.000-07:00

today( sat.) was the day that we had set aside to start cleaning the house in saxonburg. the owner got a dumpster yesterday and has it for 10 days. i arrived at 8:30 so i could set up a table and get the gloves, etc. out and organized. i also had a paper for the owner to sign- giving us permission to do this project.

it's hard to put into words how unbelievable this whole situation is. here are a few shots of the dumpster and a few of the workers.

this is a photo of gail- black shirt, white pants- she came to buy and stayed the whole time - sorting and lifting heavy bags. she is a hair dresser in town and came with full makeup on! i enjoyed working with her- she's bringing her daughter for tues. workday.

that's seth and me up by the garage -we actually got everything picked up in that area and seth got the garage door shut (it's full to the brim) . that is the only area that we got to , so we will be going back tues. it's physically hard work as the boxes are full and wet and many of them break when lifted.

we had tables set up and sold some of the stuff- she made $60 from donations that day.

this woman and her husband took a large bag full of stuff and then stayed to help- thank you, thank you, thank you--- we needed lots more hands. the owner (sandy) actually started to take things out as soon as we began dumping- she made many comments about the stuff being good stuff- it was difficult dealing with her- sometimes i was very blunt with her- reminding her of the time crunch and $1000 fine.

lots of cars drove by slowly to see what was finally being done at the notorious house on main street. more after we finish tues. workday.

more stuff for the "squirrel"

2009-05-01T18:09:00.000-07:00

as you can see, spring has finally sprung at red squirrel.

spring means garden sale at the succop conservancy, may 9th, and that also means collecting garden related stuff for the big sale. here are a few of my finds for the day...

the metal chair is one of 4 that i bought for $20.00- spray painted them and recovered the seats with outdoor material (it was half price at joann's this week). before i even had them officially for sale or could take them to the garden sale, a lady came by and wanted them. they went for $100.00! (actually gave her 10 percent off- so it was $90.oo). yay! the heavy cement angel was part of a lot that i bought for $25.00. i have $25.00 on that-( the wing had been cracked and fixed.) the swan is a stuffed pillow that i bought at a church flea market today for .25! and the painted tray (hi shannon) :o) was .50 cents. the green mirror- beveled- was $2.00. love this stuff. i'll mark these items up when i sell them.

this mosiac top table is my favorite- my friends didn't like it- oh well... i may paint the bottom part.

this is an actual painting, signed and everything! got it today for .50 cents.... WHAT??? may paint the frame.

the last item is a cute,cute,cute needle work that will be snatched up at the sale. the little baby birds' bodies are puffs.

well, hope you liked seeing some of this stuff- it's just stuff, after all . tomorrow i have to go to the trash house to help with the cleaning up- i'll take pictures, so be prepared. josie and i took signs around today asking for help. i'm training her early! keep your fingers crossed for our efforts.

who is thy neighbor?

2009-04-29T14:09:00.000-07:00

one of my girls asked me why I was the one working on this messy house project in saxonburg. i live about 7 miles away. it made me think of the scripture about loving our neighbor. so, who is our neighbor? is it the guy next door, or the lady 2 doors down? or is it the troubled woman 7 miles away? we have to try to help those that the Spirit prompts us to. i don't know if we will be able to help her, but i have to try.

i've talked to sandy (house owner) and she finally called to have a dumpster delivered on friday, so sat. will be the work day- now i have to get the women in the women's club scheduled to work. i went over today when i knew sandy wouldn't be there and took some more shots of the outside-

this is the way to get into the kitchen door- between the garage and the house. there is a very narrow "pathway" that is about 6" wide. i had to stand on a garbage bag when i went last night to talk to her.

car port area

front of house- disabled front door and also these boxes are full of "new" avon stuff- it's been sitting out there for months, at least.

this is as far as her garage door will go down- she cannot get into it as the side door is completely blocked with boxes and garbage. you can imagine how the neighbors and people driving by this main street in saxonburg, feel about this.

it's the little things...

2009-04-29T04:32:00.000-07:00

katie has to fill in at the office this week, so i am helping her out with josie.

we had fun yesterday. there are many beautiful spring flowers and josie loves them all .

it's refreshing to see the world through a child's eyes.

she learned a new word today..." lilac" (granny's favorite!)
everything must be smelled.

a tea party was also in the activity "schedule".

it was a fun, windy day!

projects...

2009-04-27T19:24:00.000-07:00

i've had some interesting projects lately- one is the trash house in saxonburg (see another post- that's an ongoing one). i will be updating that one in a few days.

another project was my "new" entertainment center- i bought an older wardrobe from a friend last year for $25.00 -with the intention of using it for my tv in the living room- so i could close it up when i'm not using it (thanks shannon and katie). well i left it outside with a tarp on it all summer and when i finally got to it- :o( the doors were warped and the veneer was ruined. it's been in the shed all winter. i remembered the older guy who works in the wood shop at concordia. he actually runs it- he must be in his 80"s- amazing guy! seth helped me take it over and in4 days he was finished- we bought the wood-( beadboard) and he fashioned the most perfect piece and his bill was a whopping $5.00--- WHAT? i gave him $30.00.

i painted it and put a bookcase inside for the tv. paul cut the case down for me. when i put the tv inside- it stuck out too far- ooohhhh - so i took the little handy saw of paul's (where does he get those things, and do they still make them?) and cut the hole in the back larger, shoved the tv back further out of the back and moved the center away from the wall a bit more- make sense? I LOVE IT!! .... just have to get some glass knobs for it. what do you think??

next project- my new dresser- i've been using some rejects from the shop- 2 broken dressers, so when i saw this vintage beauty- i couldn't resist- $39.99 - very heavy, well made, dove- tail drawers- top part opens up to 4 sliding drawers. we think it's made from oak. anyway, of course, i painted it and here it is. it looks so nice in my room.

i've taken several trips to "smokey joe's" in the past few weeks- have purchased some neat items for the shop - garden sale coming up on the 9th of may and my summer open house in june. this is a photo of pat in joe's (we call it that because the owner, janeen, smokes her head off). this place is amazing - a real find for stuff for my shop.

here's a vintage chrome table and 4 chairs that i brought back.

i'll take some more photos of other items and post them later. i'm hoping for a good sales day sat. at "the squirrel" - wish me luck!

update on the trash house

2009-04-27T14:42:00.000-07:00

well, there's an update on the " welcome to saxonburg- trash house"
.

i went to her house today and crawled (and i mean that literally) to her front door.

when i found it (the door) i knocked and she yelled "just a minute"- she had to make her way thru the path that i could see inside- "stuff"piled almost to the ceiling! i introduced myself to her and told her i had talked to the women's club pres. and they were willing to come help with the "project". she teared up and i hugged her and told her it would be all right. here are some of our conversation points:

she is trying to get a lawyer so she can get an extension on the 10 days for a cleanup. (apparently 3 years wasn't enough time) .

she doesn't think she needs a dumpster (she needs the large, construction type).

she is diabetic and has an open toe. (what the ...)

she was told that she will be fined $1000.00 if this isn't done in 10 days.

she has gone through alot of the stuff, but needs to go thru it all. she doesn't want people to just throw everything away- willy-nilly.

the boxes are not empty- i felt one it was heavy.

she wants to burn the boxes etc-(major fire with smouldering wet boxes - smoke and angry(er) neighbors). that's why she doesn't think she needs a dumpster.

she hasn't called about the dumpster yet because that takes a lot of time and that's time that she could be going thru her stuff (but isn't).

she had shoulder surgery recently... ???????(and your point is?)

i gave her my number and told her to call me as soon as she got the dumpster committed- told her next tues or thurs. would be good for me. now we'll see if that happens - i may have to take another trip over there in a few days. keep your fingers crossed.

welcome-continued

2009-04-23T16:23:00.000-07:00

here's the update on the "welcome saxonburg" story... i received a call from the municipal bld. in saxonburg this am. it seems that the residence in question is not in the saxonburg bourough, but in our township- jefferson. they said they had received many complaints, but couldn't do anything about it. after bugging them for awhile on the phone, i drove back there to get my letter back so that i could take it to the jeff.twn. bld.

i managed to get the name of a woman who supposedly has been trying to work with jeff. twn. to get this cleaned up. nothing much has happened, though, but they did call her while i was there as i asked what the status was .

i then drove to the jeff. twn bld. and the secretary there told me that there was a woman who had been assigned to this problem. i also asked for a copy of the regulations that would pertain to this situation- wow! it really nails the situation- looks like they have just been putting this thing on the back burner.

apparently, there is a lawyer involved - should have been long ago- and he has been working on this. the woman who has been in charge called me twice today- once to tell me that she had visited this residence last week and the owner had agreed to accept help with the mess (she didn't call it that!). i told her that i could get some helpers together, but i would need a pickup truck to haul everything away. she called me back and said that they were going to arrange to have a dumpster delivered in about 2 weeks. she thanked me and said that she would keep me posted , so i think the ball is rolling and i'll be anxious to do another" drive- by" in a few weeks.

windows

2009-04-23T15:59:00.000-07:00

i was asked to do the windows of a little shop in town and so that's how i spent the latter part of my day today. i loaded the jeep up with things i thought might look good and spent about2 1/2 hours working there. i had to use some of the owners stuff- which isn't my choice, but it worked out ok...

sorry about the reflections of the houses across the street...

there are 2 windows- this one actually looked pretty neat- but you sure can't tell from the photo- lots of reflections- yuck.

this was a section i did right as you walk into the shop- she wanted blues...

guess you had to be there!!! it's still a learning process...

welcome!

2009-04-21T13:23:00.000-07:00

i can't stand it anymore- this has been going on for at least 3 years and so i'm taking a stand!

i did a drive-by shooting today and then went to the drugstore to get copies made. these will be sent to the magistrate's office. i don't understand why some residents can't cut a tree down in their beautifully landscaped yard and just 1 mile away- this is and has been happening. i've heard that someone actually lives in this mess- it is 3 houses away from the high school and on the main street in saxonburg, pa. every year this place gets worse- doesn't anyone care?- everyone talks about it- but, that's about it. the pictures don't do it justice.

not too many feet from this disaster is this welcoming sign for the town.....

are you kidding me??
stay tuned for an update....

red squirrel's spot light nut...

2009-04-20T04:18:00.000-07:00

spring is here and so are some sweet finds from red squirrel- enjoy !

vintage beaded wire flowers...

pink poodles- spaghetti art

cast iron lamps with homeade quilt pieces- lamp shades

vintage chalk-ware girls

sweet little girl's yellow dress

washington or bust!

2009-04-16T20:59:00.000-07:00

i planned a trip to the washington temple last week and this is what really happened:

the snow started late at night and continued throughout the day... :o( not my favorite conditions for driving 4 1/2 hours down and across the state, so i had to postpone my trip. i have been feeling the urgency of attending the temple for several weeks- it's been so long since i've been. conference also spurred me on, soooo, last night, i decided as i got ready for bed, that i would go in the morning no matter what.

what a beautiful day for a trip- but i forgot my camera. i wanted to take some pictures so all of you could see how beautiful it was- and IT WAS!!!! i have never seen the sky so blue as a backdrop to the white and gold spires. it was truly breathtaking. just use your imagination.

the tulips ,daffodils,pansies, and flowering trees were in full bloom. ( washington is in another growing zone and everything happens sooner). they had wire coverings over many of the flowers to keep the deer out- something i had never seen before. i guess i missed the wash. cherry blossoms by a good week and 1/2- or i would have made a side trip to d.c. to see the famous trees.

it took me an extra hour to get there as i took the wrong turn- very frustrating when you're in a bunch of traffic and everyone else seems to know where they are going. i called katie and also stopped and asked 2 total strangers- one was eating in his car and had a mouth full of a hoagie and had to chew it up before he could answer- oh boy!

anyway, i got there about 3:05pm and they told me they only have sessions every hour until 5:00 then it's every half hour, sooo i was able to do some other temple work for about 40 mins. and then went up for a session. beautiful, peaceful place- to be away from the world and its involvements. i got home tonight around 12.00am and am tired, but so glad i was able to take this trip. i will ponder the things i thought about in the temple, tomorrow while i work in my shop and house. i am grateful for my family and friends that give me support in my comings and goings.

another fine day

2009-04-12T17:06:00.000-07:00

it's 8:00pm and things are pretty quiet.

it's been a good day- full of activity centered toward Easter. i left the house at 8:20 so that i could arrange the lilies and pussy willows at the church. finished that in time for choir practice and then sacrament. i was asked to give a talk- actually read scriptures pertaining to Easter and the atoning sacrifice of Jesus . i used a few statements and thoughts from an article in the april ensign, by eric huntsman (pg.52)-- "reflections on the savior's last week". worth your time to look at that. i read mostly from matthew and then john. also from 3nephi when Christ showed himself to the nephites- powerful scriptures of Christ's atoning sacrifice.

iplayed the piano for primary and then went to visit 3 ladies and drop off easter baskets. i arrived home at 3:00 and was more than tired- luckily i had put the ham in the timer oven, so it was cooked when i got home. i put cottage potatoes together last night, so just threw those in the oven and worked on brussel sprouts and carrots. katie was bringing refreshing jello and pineapple salad and i had made a bunny cake last night (copied from nella's pattern- hers was cuter!).

i used my grandma steele's dishes- (i only use them for Easter). she painted them many years ago and i just love them- they remind me of her.

seth drove to my mom's and brought her back for dinner. nate, katie and josie came also. we had a mini egg hunt in the back yard before we ate. katie has photos on that- so cute!

dinner was good- nice conversations and the highlight for josie-- THE BUNNY CAKE, which she ate with such gusto- it cracked us up. this is a shot of it when we were through...

paul gave her a little white dog and she loved that and then everyone was ready to depart.

can you say "overwhelmed?"......

i turned my "consider the lilies" up and got to work. 1/2 hour later i was finished.

yes, that's the same table you just saw!

the dishes were put away for another year, my robe went on and here i am! another Easter- a lovely time of the year and another fine day.

red squirrel

2009-04-10T21:22:00.000-07:00

" red squirrel"- a collectibles shop

i found a few random pictures so thought you'd like to see the shop- enjoy!

this was taken at christmas- as you walk in the front door.

same area in the summer.

i like to keep colors together.

i found these pretty pink cups without saucers and thought they made a nice statement.

have i told you i love my shop??!! it was a dream come true!

one fine day!

2009-04-10T20:04:00.000-07:00

today was one fine day. josie (aka the juice) came to granny's for the day as her mom had to work at the vet office. a full day was planned- well, kind of. when you're 2 years old things are very flexible.

we began by trying to decide which toys and non-toy things "we" would play with first. many things (and i stress many) were chosen and then quickly abandoned.

it was now time for the main event of the day- coloring easter eggs. katie had brought over some egg-coloring cups, so we began choosing the colors and dropping the tablets into the vinegar.

much smelling and almost tasting was done at this point. josie soon got the hang of it and the eggs went in at an amazing speed- (i might say too fast- many were dropped in and cracks were heard.)

our finished product!

we next started some laundry and of course that's where the piano is, sssooo...

the shopping cart was always a hit with all my kids and also the grandkids. reilly and ellie get very competitive over who will use it first- josie is sole owner of it when no one else is around!

i didn't get a photo of lunch, but we ate in the living room- yes, you heard that right! the table was still under repair after the egg fiasco-whoops, activity, so we pulled chairs up to the coffee table and ate pb and j and yogurt there. a trip behind the chair and, ah-ha, it was time to change a diaper :o(. (where's that elmo potty chair when you need it?)

we were then off to the apartment where a nap was had while cookies were baked, and the quiet was enjoyed. a trip back to granny's house and before we knew it- our time together was over. all in all a fun, semi productive day. 'til next time....

eggs, eggs, and more eggs

2009-04-08T12:56:00.000-07:00

do you girls remember the easter egg trees across the street from our old house? you would be invited to help hang the eggs, along with the help of the exchange students. mrs. c. had hundreds of colored eggs (real ones) and they were all hung on the branches of her trees and bushes in her front yard.
for refreshments she offered you girl scout cookies (which she usually bought from you!). i drove by today and there they were. i couldn't resist stopping and snapping a few shots.

there was a breeze and the gentle clacking sound of the eggs as they made contact with each other was like wind chimes. happy Easter everyone!

odds and ends

2009-04-07T14:18:00.000-07:00

lots of odds and ends lately. i've got loose ends flying all around, so i will tie them all together in one post. are you ready??!!

i was able to fly to provo recently to help joanna get ready for her big move to denmark. in spite of a horrible cold/sinus thingy, i think i was able to get alot done while she was at work. the check list from the apartments where she lived was unbelievable- i've never seen anything like it in my entire life. there was a full page of requirements including: washing all the walls with pinesol (what?), polishing all cupboards, moving the frige and stove, cleaning all light fixtures (take them apart), washing all mini blinds and windows inside and out (she lived on the 2nd floor!), washing insides of all closets, dishwasher, stove, frige and freezer- all floors, outside light and stoop, all doors-inside and out- and i also spotted the rug (which wasn't on the list). now, i still haven't heard if she got her deposit back...:oI .

i never really got to enjoy the beautiful mountains until i had been there for a few days- here's a picture from her kitchen window--(the room with the stove, frige, cupboards-you get the picture!)

nella came on the weekend and we had a good time- went to dinner- spaghetti place, shopping and a movie. jo treated me to a pedicure/manicure which was out of this world, and then nella gave me a massage when we got back to the very clean apartment! those gifts were all for my birthday--yay! we had dinner with my friend, val , and were able to catch up on time away from each other. we then we went to church together on sunday, before nella took me back to her place north of salt lake. i was so happy to see and spend time with both girls.

nella and i drove to ogden on sunday and surprised norma, my friend and missionary who taught me 41 years ago in alaska. she gave nella some needed advice. i left the next am and on the way home was able to get a $300.00 voucher from the airlines for taking a later flight out of minn. i love that stuff!! and seth didn't mind picking me up later in the night.

one of the activities that went on when i got home was what i call the " 2 day chicken extravaganza". i had bought 70 pounds of chicken breasts before my trip but because of certain circumstances (snowy weather and then my getting sick), i had to put it in the freezer and postpone our church canning class. soooo- when i returned from utah, i rescheduled the 10 girls for canning class. here's carol working" hard"!

we managed to can 51 quarts and 12 pints (i did a few by myself at night) and also make 3 casseroles . the prep. for this stuff was easy- it was just time consuming- each batch needed to be processed 1 hour and 15 mins. so, needless to say, we had a lot of down time. i did enjoy helping with this project and seeing the sense of accomplishment from the sisters who took part.

this is a photo i took of a fix-it project that was done a few weeks ago. i had asked paul to fix the broken end of the downspout (since last summer). it's supposed to go under the little sidewalk and drain into the garden and hill. i'm not sure what the heck this is- but it now drains unto the sidewalk. hhmmmm. that's all i'm saying about this one!

another event was my" birthday shopping and fun" day a few weeks ago. 2 friends and i went to a huge antiques/collectibles place in verona.

we spent hours roaming the 4 floors- looking for treasures. i found a beautiful barkcloth bedspread that i am now using for a cover on my couch. i love barkcloth and this one booth in that store had oodles of it - remnants, curtains, etc. this photo doesn't do the beautiful deep pink color justice...

we went to lunch and then to:

the most magnificant bakery i've ever seen!

..the oakmont bakery.

cases and cases of cakes, cookies, and goodies that i have never heard of.

it was packed with people- we had to take a number and wait about 15 mins.

we ended up across the driveway looking in the window at the actual bakery section- cake decorating -mass production! i would be 300 lbs. if i worked there!

after we left that area, we went to tarentum to a favorite collectibles shop. good prices and great stuff.

i bought quite a bit for my shop- some of which i have already sold. all in all it was a fun day.

conference was this weekend- totally awesome and so needed. i learned much and am so grateful for those who spoke and sang. i tend to fall asleep when i sit down in my own house on the couch so i made potholders throughout the sessions (good way to stay awake in- between note taking). i'm looking forward to putting my notes together with the written words in the ensign.

gosh, this has been a long drawn out post- hope i didn't lose too many of you, but i wanted to get all of this down before i lost it. thanks to katie for your help with this...:o) - also -, i enjoyed the quacking tea party with josie over speaker phone while her mom (my loving daughter) worked out this thing .

easter/ re-visited

2009-04-06T06:17:00.000-07:00

last night the bishop called and asked me to give a talk next sunday-Easter. this is exciting for me, as Easter is my most favorite time of the year. (and i don't necessarily mean because jelly beans are involved- my favorite candy). Easter has always held a special place in my heart- from the earliest times that i can remember.

when i was a little girl, we went to a methodist church in dunkirk, n.y. at Easter, the daffodils and hyacinths were usually in full bloom and the church would be full of them. the fragrance is still with me and when i smell them to this day, i think of those Easters so long ago. i remember the stained glass windows - everything seemed so huge and majestic.( in later years i revisited the church and was surprised at how small everything was.)

my mom made sure i had the traditional white gloves and Easter hat. she tells me that you HAD to wear them- that was the "in" thing. she even wore a hat- and she hates, hates hats! my grandma steele would never wear a new hat on Easter- she felt that she would be putting on a show if she did! i like my grandma's way of thinking. when my mom was a girl, her mom had her dresses made and she remembers going to the dressmaker for fittings and being so bored with it all. there were no stores in her small town of alda- only the drugstore/ soda shop, which her aunt pearl owned.

some Easters were spent in nebraska with my grandma steele. she had a corn crib near her porch and i'm not sure why. the smell of dried corn cobs still takes me back to nebraska. this photo of my brother doug and i was taken in nebraska on Easter. i wish i knew more details- i'm relying on my own memories and they are the memories of a 3-4 year old. ( mom has dementia and many memories are wiped out.)

Easter baskets were always wonderful additions to the special time, but didn't take the reverence away for me. we would find the unexpected in our baskets along with the traditional chocolate bunnies. i remember getting a jumprope one year and marbles, which we played by the hour, another. (i kept my marbles in a sock and was pretty good at winning doug's prize marbles.) we always dipped our eggs the night before and when i got older, i blew them out and painted intricate patterns on them.

well, these are all the traditional memories of Easter, ever changing throughout the years, but the sacredness of that time has remained a constant for me. my deep felt love for Jesus Christ has never changed. from the time i can remember as a little girl, i have always loved Jesus and now that i am able to know Him through the teachings of the church, i love Him even more. i am understanding the atonement more as i grow older, and hold our Savior's sacrifice in awe . the arrival of spring - the renewal of earth's bounties are a reminder of the Hope that comes from our Father and His Son. He gave us a plan that, if we are obedient, will insure us of our return to be together with Him.

and so, girls , i wish you a happy, blessed Easter. make memories with your families - Easter is a happy, joyful time and a time for your family's testimonies of the Savior to grow.

proud to be...

2009-04-02T20:04:00.000-07:00

today i had to report to the courthouse for jury duty. this is the 4th time i've been called to serve and i must say that i am very impressed with the system in this country. i'm sure there are ways to improve our judicial system, but when you are sitting amongst several hundred citizens- all there for the same purpose, you can't help but feel proud to live here.
i was randomly chosen to be one of 40 prospective jurors for a criminal trial being held in 2 weeks. the accused was sitting next to his lawyer and i tried not to stare at him- especially when i heard what he had been charged with. the questioning lasted for several hours- lots of side-bars -(wow(!) i have learned some legal terms! ) i am thankful that i wasn't chosen in the final count as i was not really wanting to hear all the gory details about his "incident" with a 12 year old at a local fair last summer.
to see the system working and know that any of us and all of us ARE the system , is an overwhelmingly awesome responsibility. i have been on 2 juries in the past 8 years- it changes your life, it did mine. we take so many things for granted and sometimes that is how we lose them. i have a friend who is almost 80 years old and told me that she has never voted. my father-in-law didn't vote - just drove my mother-in-law to the poles. when i think of the founding fathers and how our country began, i want to do all that I can to "hold these truths to be..."today i am proud to be an American . i hope each of you will have the opportunity to serve your community and country in this way.

building a home

2009-03-28T15:10:00.000-07:00

in this day of "stressed economy", it would seem that building a new home would be on the bottom of the priority list, but today i witnessed just the opposite. as i was driving to church for the 2nd day of our "chicken extravaganza" (post on that will come later when someone shows me how to get my photos on this), a small bird flew over the road . it caught my eye as there was a piece of grass, or string about a foot long dangling from his beak. this is always a welcomed sight as it indicates that nests are being built, eggs will be laid, and spring is finally here.
i can just imagine the excitement when that feathered boy showed up with that choice building "block" for the new home. that was probably a foundation piece that will be wrapped around a branch for stability. birds are neat- they will go to great lengths for the materials they need for a comfy, hopefully, safe nest. i have seen nests with easter grass, string, yarn, hair, mud, as well as paper used for building.
birds aren't the only critters that are resourceful when it comes to building their abodes. we had red squirrels in our garage before it was converted to "red squirrel" cottage collectibles shop. one morning, i looked out my kitchen window and noticed that a scrap piece of sheet in the garage used for rags, was moving up the side of the garage door. upon further scrutiny, i could see a little reddish head that held the corner of the sheet in its mouth- a red squirrel- headed to the attic of the garage. this was hard work. can you imagine holding a king size bedspread in your mouth and climbing up a wall? i admired their tenacity and when we tore the ceiling down in the garage, we were all amazed at the extent of their nests. what appeared to be tons of shredded material mixed with leaves and empty nut shells fell down on us.( we relocated them in a squirrel box on a tree next to the shop, but i don't think they've ever forgiven us).
last year we had a robin tugging at a wire to no avail and another one took the string price tag off an item outside my shop and flew away with his $4.99 prize dangling from his beak.
years ago i bought a framed photo from a local artist . he had photographed a humming bird sitting on her nest- newly made. it was situated in a lilac bush and was constructed of lichens and tree moss. such a delicate work of art, but sturdy and perfect for her family.
well, soon their homes will be finished and pieces of blue,brown and white eggshells will be found on the ground beneath them. nature never ceases to amaze me and to teach me to stop, enjoy and care for the wonders of this lovingly created world.

super-size-ers

2009-03-25T20:28:00.000-07:00

well, ok- i read nella's post that had the "supersize" video on it- took me off and on all day but i got through it. the part that affected me the most was when he ordered his first big meal and had it supersized- 20 mins. later, he "lost" it all out the window of his car. his body had been healthy and not ready for the fat, grease, and sugar that he ate. today as i was driving around doing errands, i was starved, but kept seeing that image in my mind- so i kept on driving (yay!,sherry).
now, yesterday was another day . i had to go to cranberry- it was past lunch time and ,oh yes, i was starved again. i parked my car across the way from a sub shop and as i sat there i watched various people walk in and out. those coming out carried long red bags that contained "freshly, baked", warm cookies. i didn't see one person who looked to be of a "normal" weight, and it made me think of the previously mentioned video. now the reason i was sitting in my car was that it is very difficult to drive and eat a "chick-fil-a" sandwich, waffle fries and cole slaw (that is a vegetable, isn't it?). i have a weakness for chick-fil-a- . for one thing, the employees are so darned nice - they're not open on sun. and they serve caffine free, diet coke(pepsi some places). i look for any excuse to go there- this time, i had to take a skirt back to a store in that town- could have mailed it back for $5.00, but i wanted to save that money (it's a 45 min. drive- now let's see at $2.09 a gallon of gas--- hhmmmm). like i said, i look for any excuse .
well, tomorrow is another day- i have my dr. appointment mon. where i will get weighed in and probably have the riot act read to me.
if i could just remember that my 45th school reunion is in aug. - that might be the way to cut down and get myself under control. wish me luck!

7 things i randomly love

2009-03-02T05:57:00.000-08:00

ok- thanks shannon- whatever a "tag" is-here goes....
1. the smell of spring (because it's almost here!)

2. my kids and grandkids

3. the thoughts of starting a new book after finishing one.

4. to sit in church and have friends all around - we've all had a rough week, but we're there together.

5. the first robin (or group of robins-they're always early!) in march.

6. having my car all packed, a new book on tape, snacks, extra money, a full tank of gas and an early start for a trip- yahoo!

7. doing the dishes with nate!

these are just a few of the hundreds of things that i love- these mostly because they are current things. thanks shannon for the "tag". you are so together- i have the best girls in the world! (that would be #8!).

hopeless

2009-03-01T17:06:00.000-08:00

this will be a short one. i had a wonderful birthday yesterday- when i got home from shopping, a good friend had dropped off a plant and 2 bags of my favorite candy. well, i opened one (licorace allsorts) and ate about 15 pieces of it! totally discusted with myself and full of sugar, i took the rest of the bag and threw it in the trash can next to the computer. good move-right? wrong! when i got back from katie's and nate's house tonight, i sat down to check my emails and found myself DIGGING THROUGH THE TRASH picking out all the candy i had thrown away yesterday!!! :o( and i ate it, too! i had a passing thought of george costanza -yikes! i am so hopeless- well, tomorrow is another day (and besides all the "trash-candy" is gone).

My birthday 100...Random thoughts

2009-02-28T04:27:00.000-08:00

1. I love spending time with my family

2. I love being a mother

3. I am grateful for the gospel.

4. I would cross oceans for Boston Cream Pie

5. I love being at home

6. I find myself smiling when I am gardening

7. Certain T.V. programs inspire me--"Clean House" & "What Not To Wear"

8. Arranging flowers especially for church draws me close to Heavenly Father

9. I am grateful for the sister missionaries who found me in Alaska and taught me the gospel

10. I recently got a new "big girl bed"--I love it!

11. I love to travel in the car by myself

12. Books on tape are a must for me in the car

13. Ah!...peppermint tea

14. It's always fun to do projects with my grandkids

15. I enjoy making murals with Jake

16. The most important lessons and best tips have been learned from my girls

17. I never leave the house without applying lipstick

18. I love reading a good book in my big girl bed--ahhhh!

19. I love, love, love American Idol! (check out my post on that one)

20. I don't like ice in my drinks unless there's a straw

21. Thrift stores and yard sales give me a rush

22. I wore braces--the kind with rubber bands that flew from my mouth when I opened too wide.

23. I hate-hate-hate mushrooms

24. I can watch Christmas & pioneer movies (also Hallmark) anytime of the year

25. Working in my shop--red squirrel--provides such a creative outlet for me

26. Popcorn at the movies is a must

27. I love to set a pretty table

28. I love lilacs and lavender

29. I like to learn interesting facts about nature

30. I use a special pillow when I sleep

31. I started a special club with 4 other girls--"The GAFMB club"--when I was in highschool. We did service for others

32. I didn't like my dad

33. I was afraid of the water until I went to camp in the woods when I was 8 years old

34. I took and passed a water safety course in college so I could teach swimming

35. I was once a lifeguard

36. I have a soft spot for my Aunt Evelyn

37. I love doing puzzles

38. I still have my early childhood doll--"Sally"

39. I've been married twice

40. I remember having my tonsils out when I was 4 years old

41. I made friends with a bird who would fly to me when I whistled

42. I make friends easily

43. I used to collect bird nests

44. I was a cub scout leader for 4 years

45. I masterminded and organized a cub scout day camp when I lived in Bryan, Tx

46. I didn't learn to drive until after I was married and when I did, it was in a Datsun pickup, standard shift in Anchorage, Alaska

47. I got frost bite on my cheek when I lived in Alaska

48. I love Thanksgiving

49. I make the best sugar cookies

50. I wrote the words to my class song in high school to the tune of "An Affair To Remember"

51. I love to organize other people's homes

52. I sing alto in the choir

53. I hate going to the dentist

54. I sleep with the window open and a fan going

55. I floss every night!

56. Showering in the morning starts my day (sorry Shannon!)

57. Sherry is my name, CANDY is my game (jelly beans, good & plenty to name a few)

58. I wanted one more child

59. Watching my kids get along and laugh together is so satisfying

60. I always wear an apron and used to embarrass my kids when I picked them up at school wearing one.

61. Unless I'm driving, I get motion sickness

62. Dramamine is my partner when flying

63. I used to sew all of Shannon's clothes when she was little

64. I won a blue ribbon at the farm show for my apple pie (check out post on that one)

65. I hate to play the piano in front of people

66. No one would guess that I'm not really outgoing

67. I love spending time with my best friend (Hi, Val)

68. I have written several songs and words for songs

69. Autumn!--I love the smells and the feel in the air

70. I love ice water--especially in the sports-top bottles

71. I love to be near the ocean...the sights and smell at the beach...ahhhh!

72. My cats are my loyal friends --they know where their food comes from:(

73. I turn on the Today show each morning for news and weather

74. I spend too much money on magazines with articles on how to get organized and lose weight

75. I spend too much money!

76. Watching Sunday movies on the couch after church...Lovely!

77. I've always had a soft spot for a stray

78. I love to fold clean laundry (at anyone's house)

79. I love my brothers

80. I read the Book of Mormon every morning

81. I taught early morning seminary for 7 years

82. I drove into NYC by myself many times to visit Shannon

83. I once had to have my van towed from Erie to Butler ($200) with all the kids sitting in the front of the tow truck (the driver was chewing tobacco)

84. My kids always laugh at me when I refer to S E X as "relations"

85. I love peanut butter and miracle whip sandwiches

86. I moved to Alaska with a girlfriend when I was 20 years old

87. I worked as a long distance telephone operator in Alaska

88. I love to "warble" whistle (much to the agony of others!)

89. Sometimes I like to cook

90. I'm known for my meatballs (sorry, Nate!)

91. I spend a lot of time watching over my mom and mother in law and father in law

92. I love my jeep

93. I enjoy making special breakfasts for my grandkids

94. "It's a Mexican Dinner" is fun with Jake, Ellie & Reilly

95. Birthdays are a big deal and turn into birthday weeks

96. I don't like phone calls on my birthday

97. I love to go grocery shopping

98. I don't like putting groceries away

99. I always made up silly songs for each of my kids

100. "In my garden" was my signature song sung with a "special voice"

101. I don't know how to type

102. I don't--don't--don't like parties

103. I like Rascal Flats

104. I become stiff when I walk on ice

105. When I was younger I had a parakeet for 13 years--his name was "Pogo"--I taught him how to talk

new list- ok, i'll try...

2009-02-27T17:51:00.000-08:00

this is my first time with a list- so here goes..
1. sitting at the computer, the zombies attack- what is your plan? if they saw me tonight, they would be long gone! i'm getting my hair done tomorrow. enough said.
2. what is your favorite scar and how did you get it? i have a small scar on my lower lip. when i was 4 years old i had a neat tricycle. i remember thinking that i should be able to go down the porch steps - it just made sense- Hello- not quite! i remember seeing my mom through the window on the phone as i quickly descended the steps. yow!
3. what is your deepest fear? that not all my kids will be active members in the church.
4. have you done anything illegal? yes, i did do a bit of underage drinking- my friends were all older than me. oh, here's one- i don't always charge sales tax... gulp! there, i've said it.
5. birthmark? nope- unless it's in the middle of my back and no one has told me about it!
6. during your childhood what did you do that your mother would have killed you for had she found out? the usual college stuff- first time away from home- luckily, i survived . i can't think of anything- "sherry aikin was a good girl" (i used to write that in my books!)
7. what is your favorite sense? hmmm-all pretty important- i do love to listen to music and outdoor sounds, but sight wins, i think
8. what do other people do that drive you insane? eat the last of something and then put the container back in the frige or cupboard.. gggrrr...
9. most embarrassing moment? we were at dinner in texas. i didn't know anyone- kind of a hippy group- really- hippies(!) we were all sitting at the table -eating and visiting- i was trying to blend in and not be noticed as i was not the hippy type. i noticed a candy can on the table and took it and opened it- it was one of those booby-trapped gags- a long spring came shooting out - everyone howled- they were just waiting to see who would bite!!
10. what is the coolest thing you ever created? besides my children- a huge mural at the elementary school during desert storm. it was a whale with small fish all around- the students put their names on the fish. i love making murals.
11. when you were a kid, what did you just not understand until you were older? my mother said we would get polio if we didn't take a nap- it wasn't until much later that she said she had just wanted us to take naps!
12. if you could take a trip, where would it be? why? france and scotland- to search my roots.
13. what is your current addiction? tv movies-- help!!
14. what do you think everyone should experience at least once? being made fun of. you become aware of the power of the tongue and hurtful words.
15. what is your ultimate breakfast? waffles, waffles, and more waffles.
16. if you could recommend any website due to its high humor content, what would you recommend? my girls are pretty darn funny.
17. you are walking down the street and yow(!) there's those darned zombies again- what to do? well hopefully i still won't have my hair done yet- so bye, bye.
18. favorite tv show as a kid- several- micky mouse club, twilight zone, american bandstand, the ed sullivan show... wow! am i showing those soon to be 62 years!
19. please elaborate on your theory as to why the tv. remote control has too many unused buttons. maybe it's all set for the future- when the time comes, the existing control will serve us without buying a new revised one.
20. what is the longest you have ever stayed awake? why? i guess when i was in labor with seth- couldn't sleep in between contractions because i was so nauseated- all evening, night and then for awhile after he was born- almost 24 hrs, i guess.

spring clean-up

2009-02-26T07:01:00.000-08:00

the snow melted over-night- what a nice surprise! now, i'd like to know where all this debris came from. i don't recall this stuff lying around in the fall: broken birdfeeders, deflated soccer balls, dead potted plants, sheets of crumpled newspaper, stems of artificial flowers, lots of cracked pots, swing pillows with knawed holes (thanks, squirrels) hundreds of branches and twigs, pieces of boxes, broken fence pieces, a heap of shop christmas decorations, tomato cages, whew! i've missed listing others, but you get the idea- a complete mess. maybe i miss the snow... it's like a big blouse- it covers the imperfections. now that i'm feeling better, i'm anxious to get out there with several (10?) black bags and go to work. i'm not complaining, i love yard work and seeing the results of time spent there. as i get older, a smaller yard would be best, but i'll take what i have and be grateful. .. wait...., is that a snowflake?... heh,heh

february- yay!

2009-02-20T08:15:00.000-08:00

what do you all mean- you don't like february??? it's totally my favorite month- it's short- great holidays- valentines day, pres. day(always had a thing for abraham lincoln), and nat'l pancake day(24th).. what more could you ask??!! oh yes- shannon's birthday AND my birthday! WOW!!!!! it's also the month before spring hits with new spring flowers and clear roads for taking power walks. did you all forget those things? if i knew how to put pictures on this #*&(%$ thing you'd get more the feel of this wonderful little month- so quit complaining and ENJOY!!!! i love you .

re-visited--skinny pants or a sister's love

2009-02-17T19:15:00.000-08:00

speaking of that ken doll with the tight elvis costume - i promised a "re-visited" story... so here goes- this one's for you steve!
one day, back in the early 60's, my brother,steve, came to me with a dilemma. he had gotten a pair of pants from my parents that were not the "in" style of the day. tight pants were definately in and because he had unusually thin legs his pants were even more out of style. he begged me to help him fix his pants so that he would blend in with all the other "cool" guys. i loved my little brother and also loved my trusty sewing machine- so when you put the two together- voila! i sewed a seam down each leg of the infamous pants. when he started to try them on, they were too tight so i CUT the extra material on the seam. he struggled into them and was thrilled with the result. our parents had been out during all the tailoring. when they returned and saw steve walk into the room with those tight pants on, my mother was horrified.(obviously not a fan of the latest teen style!) i took full responsibility of the ruined pants . i don't remember what happened to either of us because of that incident, but i do remember that we bonded with that activity and remembered it to this day. ..oh the things you do for the ones you love!

barbies- to bridge the gap

2009-02-17T05:31:00.000-08:00

i woke up this morning with the thought of" barbies" on my mind. this past christmas, i gave my oldest grandaughter, reilly, a huge box full of barbies , and related items. i had been collecting "barbie stuff" for several years- waiting for her to be old enough to understand and appreciate the whole "barbie scene". i wish i could have given her my personal collection, but it seems that my mom took care of that years ago- probably at the huge yard sale they had in fredonia, n.y. when they sold their home and everything in it including all of my keepsakes (i wasn't notified of this sale -i lived in texas). but on to my original thoughts-( man! i get sidetracked easily!).

i found quite a few barbie dolls and even a few ken dolls- one had an elvis costume on - i tried to take the pants off to wash and they were so tight -they wouldn't come off!...men!!! :o) (that reminds me of a "re-visited" story i will write shortly). i hit the jackpot at an estate sale before thanksgiving- lots of barbie clothes and a few more dolls. the woman was a big-time smoker, so i had to wash all those little things and lay them out on my dining room table- i found several little wardrobes (enough for each of my grandaughters) and chose the one that i thought suited reilly. some of the neat pieces that went into the box were- a car, kitchen set, a grocery store set, an outdoor patio set, complete with an umbrella and fold up chairs ( found that one in a south carolina resale shop 2 years ago), lots of clothes- some brand new, and other odds and ends.

i wasn't there when she opened the box on christmas morning, but i know she was happy with her treasure. i remember when i was a young girl- between 7 and 11 years old. i would play "barbies" 'til the cows came home. i would always seem to be in the middle of a neat story with them when my mom would call me for a meal . gggrrrr.... i loved making gowns for my dolls- they always looked great in the front, but had knots tied and pins in the back. -my barbies never turned around!! i had one friend in particular that came to play after we moved from dunkirk to fredonia-barbara farnham. she had a great imagination also and we would come up with wonderful "plays" with our barbies. my floor in my bedroom would be covered with" rooms" that we would create and our dolls would have all sorts of adventures.

sometimes the years between our generations cause a gap that keeps us apart. it's important to realize the many bridges to that gap. it seems like it was just yesterday that i was 6 or 7 and excited about the same things my grandaughters are excited about. maybe i can make one more creative outfit for barbie on my next visit with reilly. we can sit on her floor and have "barbie -time".

sunday thoughts

2009-02-15T20:25:00.000-08:00

after reading all of your thoughts on this sabbath day- i was inspired to write- mainly for my own benefit. it seems like we're all on different pages today.
this was a tough day from the start- every day that passes, seems to bring the reality closer that virginia isn't here. today was the 1st sunday that i didn't visit her- (actually, i went to her apartment to meet the guy who was buying her furniture- sabbath busting agreement!!) i have spent the past week over there trying to get everything finished by today. looking through all the pictures and reading just a handful of EVERY note and card that she received in the past 4 years and then another box full of the same that she brought up with her from past years (we had run out of time when we moved her from florida so we just brought a few boxes - sight unseen up with her) was like going back in time and reliving all of that again. it has been a very emotional and lonely week for me.
i was glad for the opportunity to help teach in primary today- the new teacher is a new member and so-- new in the gospel- i will teach for the next 2 weeks and then she'll be on her own. this is such a great calling for a new member as she can learn basics right along with the children. my first calling was teaching the 4 year olds - not overwhelming as a new member and one i loved. also, playing the piano for the jr. primary today helped me feel the sweet spirit of those songs. those little ones are so pure.
watching gram's furniture going out the door and on to the truck was difficult to watch. i remember going shopping with my sister-in-law to pick out everything- we decided on a beautiful white bedroom set- it looked like one fit for a princess- oval mirror, bedside table, dresser and pretty matching headboard. i found a pretty bedspread on sale and curtains at goodwill for the whole apartment. she loved roses, so i brought rose plates over from my shop and hung them on the wall. i think we were more thrilled with how nice everything looked than she was- but then i have to remember that this was a huge move for her at 85 years old, and as long as she was comfortable, that's what was important to her.
i scheduled 2 days of pressure canning classes this week and also have to go wed. to get my taxes done- maybe the activity will draw me out of this down feeling. i so wish virginia had been interested in religion- i can't imagine not having faith in my life. and so i guess i will just go through the motions tomorrow and know that this will become easier once i get through this - as time goes on.

comings and goings

2009-02-10T20:22:00.000-08:00

the past few days (actually weeks) have been trying ones to say the least. since thanksgiving i have watched my mother-in -law literally fade away. i don't know if she consciously decided that she was through with this life, or if depression and discouragement caused her to spiral down . i need to write about this to help me figure it out.
i have tried to place myself in her situation . all control was lost when she fell- she was completely unable to navigate -even in a wheelchair. simple things like using the remote, reaching the kleenex, finding her glasses, sitting in a comfortable chair, and going to the bathroom became activities she could no longer accomplish without help. i think she decided that physical therapy was too hard and something she didn't want to do. the only control she had was what she ate and so that became the main issue. when i realized that was the issue, i knew that she would not be going back to her apartment. who knows what goes on in the mind when it receives no nurishment. her appearance changed from week to week until she was not the neat, tidy virginia that we all knew.
i have never watched a person die before. it is a hard process to witness- one that leaves you feeling helpless. the last 2 days were the most difficult - for others, but probably not for her. she had pretty much shut down and felt no suffering. as i watched her the last 10 minutes of her life here on earth, i imagined her birth- her spirit entering into her body- and now it was preparing to leave that same body- now deteriorated and wasted. i saw her last breath- something i will never forget. i am forever greatful for that experience- to know that she would not have to suffer with the frailities of her body again. the comings and goings of our spirits is truly an amazing thing. ............'til we meet again...

january vacation (or as shannon has titled it-My time in the slammer...)

2009-02-06T03:47:00.000-08:00

i know you're all waiting anxiously to hear about my week and a half at shannon and gang's. well, as you know, i left a day early to avoid the snow storm that came with a vengence- both at home and here. the kids had a snowday, so i was able to spend lots of time with them. i always bring lots of "stuff" (shannon calls it junk, but the kids and i think it's treasures). one day into my "vacation" i was notified of a power surge back home due to a fallen branch. we lost many key electrical doo-dads . i'm not sure what went on after that- there have been many conflicting reports and gnashing of teeth- enough said about that- you all know the same old story.

anywho (sorry kelly) this is a picture of me the day i got here- i decided to just dive in and start a project- the first one that i saw- the plates and kitchen wall. that was fun, as you can see by the smile on my face. i love to do projects that my girls don't have time to do- my mom used to do that for me and i sooo appreciated it- as i know they do.

the next thing i worked on was reilly's birthday cake. that was one of the main reasons for braving the winter months - driving across the state.

the cake turned out ok- lots of pretty frosting and 6 pink candles helped make the big day special. happy birthday, reilly!

on the way here i stopped at one of my thrift store haunts and picked up a few useful things. this little cottage was part of a kit that i purchased for $1.99. i sure had fun putting the wooden pieces together, trimming and painting it. it will be perfect for the kid's christmas village.

now this one is kind of a joke- i was helping shannon with dinner- my job was roasting the almonds and as usual- i got side-tracked (no!) and they got more than brown. i thought they would be just fine, but shannon wasn't so sure. we actually had this dish 2 days in a row!(juniour league salad- recipe on an early holiday post of shannon's) .(this is a hideous picture of me -- serves me right for burning the dog-gone things).

i don't even want to talk about this one- to be brief- i was on the phone to certain parties at home more than i wished to be because of the surge caper. enough said about that...(where did that smile go?) oh yes... this is a great picture of me micro- managing things at home from afar.

we were getting hard up for projects and there needed to be a mural in the makings, so reilly and i worked up a collection of "round things". i know there are more than 35 round things in the world ( some of these aren't really round), but for the life of me we couldn't think of any more.

i'm in charge of the valentine dinner/dance at church next sat. so i decided to make a few inexpensive decorations. another trip to the dollar store-- yippee! shannon helped me make a garbage bag full of these beauties while we were watching american idol.

shannon's birthday was the next big event. we used grandma aikin's fostoria dishes and some simple decorations- wow! it looked pretty....

but not so pretty as the pot roast meatloaf that we had for dinner (the birthday girl's favorite!)

all of the girls spent the afternoon making valentines. ellie and reilly signed all of their cards for their classes. good idea, shannon. i also baked 2 kinds of valentine cookies and froze them.

a friend of shannon's is moving out of the country and is trying to sell her house. she asked

shannon to stage it for the sale. we had fun and our creative juices were flowing as we purchased items and worked together to make it extra special. i decided to make her friend 2 dinners - so that she could spend more time on packing . chicken and biscuits , fruit salad and goulash, (2 more for shannon's freezer),green beans and fruit. i love to help in this way- and remember when extra meals were soooo loved .

last but not least, how could i forget the traditional "mexican dinner"??!!! i always fix a special dinner when i babysit for the kids. we feast on burritos and rice-- icecream, for dessert, of course.

all in all we had lots of fun, some tears (won't mention the sunday lunch situation-yikes) and newly made memories. next trip is scheduled for march 21st- at least i won't have to deal with snow! until then.....

one way to do it.....

2009-02-02T19:38:00.000-08:00

who doesn't want a nice shiny, new refrigerator? actually, me!! (not this way, anyway). it all started (ended) with a branch falling on electrical lines going to our house, causing a huge power surge which in turn wiped out pretty much all the electrical do-dads inside. NOT the way one would wish to be able to get new appliances- especially when one is 6 hours away visiting grandkids, and is mainly getting conflicting reports from the 2 parties within that home. so far, the count is--the furnace transformer, both tv's, all clocks , microwave, both phones, the window unit ac,the dvd and video player, sound on the computer,and the latest -- the refrigerator. oh yes- supposedly, 3 fire trucks and a couple of fire chief vehicles showed up on the dreaded night and a half dozen firemen (full garb) were roaming the basement in the dark looking for the origin of the smell of smoke. several parts of the ceiling were taken down and it was finally determined that it was the furnace transformer that had blown and ergo the smell. needless to say, i can hardly wait to go back home - but, what the heck, i'll take a new refrigerator anyway i can get it!!!!

wicked(ly greatful)

2009-01-31T17:37:00.000-08:00

we just drove in from a totally wonderful trip to nyc and a viewing of the broadway hit- "wicked".

i think it was the best play i've seen- acting, costumes,special effects, sets, but most of all the theme and lessons that ran through the whole production. i was completely taken away to oz and became part of the story. the beautiful, strong relationship between the 2 leading ladies touched me and showed that regardless of circumstances around you, love for others shines through.

how much influence do we have in the molding of others lives? this is a question that was raised in my mind and i am more aware of the possibility of this influence and of the influence of labeling. do we live up or down to the labels given to us at a young age?

what a wonderful story of different kinds of love.

the drive in to n.y. was great. we came towards the holland tunnel and saw the statue of liberty closer than i have seen it (except for actually going there). what was that lump in my throat? you can't deny the pride that you feel when you witness that symbol of our country and the freedoms we enjoy .... great day..

re-visited

2009-01-30T11:14:00.000-08:00

when i was a young girl, i had two close friends-lynn marquart and susie wooden. lynn lived in the upstairs apartment and susie lived a few houses away. being three girls, one of us was always on the outs (girls are like that!). whichever two girls got together first were best friends for that moment.
one day, lynn and i hooked up and decided to play a trick on susie. we found an empty candy box and stones that would fit in each little candy compartment. we proceeded to color each stone with colored chaulk to make it look like"real"candy... candy that susie would take a big bite of and hit a stone with her teeth. (were we crazy?) we ran to her house, set the candy box on her porch and hid behind her porch..... then the guilt set in- i remember having visions of her breaking her teeth and crying- i felt so terrible and ended up going over and apologizing to her.
i don't remember ever pairing off like that again. lesson learned.

re-visited

2009-01-30T10:46:00.000-08:00

when i see the interaction between my grandaughters and grandson it reminds me of many years past. we lived in an older house on central ave. in dunkirk, n.y. in the backyard we had a brick barbeque cooker. this was used as home base for many a neighborhood game. on this one particular day, a few of us were playing "pies". one person was designated as the "wolf "and the others would get together and come up with different pie flavors. each of us would choose a flavor- unknown to the "wolf" and then stand in a circle around him. he would then begin to say he was hungry and was looking for a pie- naming different flavors. when he said your flavor, you had to run away to try to get away from him. you were safe if you got back to home base- the barbeque cooker, before he touched you.
my brother, doug, was the wolf at one point and when he chose a pie and began running, he was so excited to almost have that pie person that he never slowed up and ran right into the cooker with his head. there was blood everywhere. my parents took him to the hospital and i stayed home- i remember sitting in the bench swing at the funeral home next door,with my two friends , crying and just knowing that he was dead. i can still remember the terrible sense of loss that i felt. a little later, my parents brought doug home all bandaged up and they let me see that he was ok. it was then that i knew that i truly loved my brother and all the squabbles we had or would have would fade in importance to that moment of realization.

american idol

2009-01-28T19:19:00.000-08:00

i am an american idol purist and i take this title very seriously...

i mean it!

the only phone calls taken or made during this 1 hour program take place during one of the many advertisement breaks and then i must be back on the couch before the show resumes. during the few months that idol is on, all tues. and wed. activities are put on hold and the phone stays by my side so that i can call the other idol fans to compare notes. the most serious season was 2 years ago when taylor hicks ultimately won the title.

my daughter, nella (who, by the way, is another idol purist and probably the only other one i know), made me a "taylor hicks" tee shirt. that was the year i turned 60. i will never forget it. oh yes, my family had a huge surprise party for me , my brothers flew in and shannon had a wonderful memory book made and managed to drive here with brian and gang and leave the same night as the party because of a winter storm that was headed in. that was SOME evening- unforgetable--but,being an idol purist, the party took second place to taylor's victory and the many nights of cheering and redial-voting - a true highlight of that year.

**do you like taylor hicks?...yes or no (circle one)

comment on jojo's post

2009-01-26T20:24:00.000-08:00

i'm posting this one as i want you girls to read what your dad and i experienced our 2nd night of being married. also- i love the violin music that you had on your blog. check the comments on jojo's post on her wedding and honeymoon.

re-visited .. 3 green dresses

2009-01-26T05:32:00.000-08:00

after visiting gram(my mother-in-law) yesterday in the nursing home, i needed to look back on some positive experiences with her. the past several months have been trying ones for me. because of a fall and fractured knee cap, she has taken a drastic turn and become someone i don't recognize anymore... and so the three green dresses come into view...

before i had katie, i was so fearful- could i do this again after 9 years?- not only the experience of painful childbirth, but the actual early stages of childhood- diapers, car seats (i hate them to this day- sorry, josie) diaper bags, NURSING(didn't know what i was in for-shannon was bottle-fed-ooohhh), and the wrangling around with a newborn and a 9 yearold who had been an only child all her life. the excitement of my mother-in-law, helped me through this time . she called weekly, and supported me in every way. she was a wonderful grandmother to shannon- even though she had only met her the year before. i think she was a light in the storm for shannon who was caught between two worlds.
time passed and katie was born. my fears seem to disappear and i was truly smitten! i would lay awake at night sometimes waiting for her to wake up so i could feed her. both grandmothers visited for several weeks to help me with our newborn . i don't really remember much about those visits, but one year later, gram returned and that is the memory i have. after she had unpacked, she brought out 3 little green dresses for katie as a 1st birthday gift. i remember she layed them out on my bed and smoothed them and flaired the skirts out. then she stood back and beamed. her irish blood was proud of, not only those 3 green dresses, but the tiny, part irish baby that would wear them. i knew at that moment that something had changed in gram's and our lives- we were truly a family...
there have been many a dress that have been sent to all of the girls since then, but the 3 green dresses will always stand out in my memory.

time

2009-01-25T20:26:00.000-08:00

i just read a post that my daughter wrote about her wedding week and honeymoon last week. i think i just changed her diapers and took her to donna barchie's for that horrendous haircut that shannon couldn't get over (she always had a thing about hair, anyway.)(picture to be added later.)wow! just you wait- the time will fly past you and those times that seem never-ending will be distant memories. i love it when all the girls are together now. it doesn't happen very often, but when it does, i could sit and listen and wish i could stop time for a few precious moments . to have such diverse and wonderful girls has been a true blessing for me. these are the times that i know Heavenly Father loves me because He has allowed all of you to be in my life. nighty- night, girls.

re-visited

2009-01-22T20:03:00.000-08:00

"the saga of mr. catt"...

years ago, when i was a pre- teen i happened upon a gray tabby cat- gender unknown.

i don't remember if he/it followed me to my house(with a little enticing) or if he/it just showed up in our yard. i do remember that it was winter time (western ny. can have some wild winters, thanks to lake erie) . i was so excited - we had never had a cat as my parents were not "cat people". my older brother warned me that dad wouldn't be happy (and you didn't want to make my dad unhappy) if he saw a cat hanging around. my love for this homeless creature far outweighed the possible wrath of my father, so i proceeded to make a suitable sleeping situation for him/it on our porch. i found 2 boxes and put one inside the other with a blanket tucked inside and around the inside box. another blanket was placed around the outside box and a sign was made with the name "mr. catt". he now had an identity and a home. i'm sure i put some kind of food inside also, but that memory has faded. i spent much time petting and becoming acquainted with my new pet that day until my dad drove into the driveway and into the scene. one look at this new addition to our family and out he went. my dad kicked at mr. catt and yelled and the last thing i saw was a little gray furry back- end scampering off in the snow. i begged for allowance of my new friend, but to no avail. i didn't like my dad much after that .. hmmm maybe i'm still mad at him

nat'l pie day

2009-01-22T19:29:00.000-08:00

well- i heard that tomorrow is national pie day-- what do you do with that one? make one? or eat one. i prefer the latter, but as i braved the scale this am (the one in our vet's office- meant for large dogs (oh my)) i realized that it registered like i HAD already eaten one!
years ago, when we were into the farm show scene, i entered the home baked category and attempted an apple pie...

i entered 2 years in a row and won 2nd place the first time- (1996) for a "blapple pie"- a combination of bluberries and apples. the next year i was determined to win and entered an apple crisp, apple pie. i don't have either recipe- one was completely faded off the card and the other wasn't kept for some reason- don't ask me why, because i won 1st place for that one!( i have a large blue ribbon to prove it). i could have gone to harrisburg to compete on the state level, but it was in the winter- too risky to travel across the state and too expensive. i accomplished what i set out for and so that was that.
i have tried many pie crust recipes- the winning one goes as follows:
2 cups flour
1 cup shortening
2TBL. vinegar
1/4 cup milk
chill in frige overnight- ergo the flaky crust.
my grandma steele's tip was to really blend the crisco in, but work the liquids in with the least amt. of mixing. good luck future blue- ribbon pie makers...

re-visited

2009-01-19T20:34:00.000-08:00

shannon's post just reminded me of a time when i would walk through the fields near our house in middlesex rd., fredonia, n.y. i always loved those fields and wooded areas (totally built up now) and took many opportunities to explore. sometimes i would imagine myself as a pioneer- "what could i find for food to live on out here in the wilderness?" (no, i wasn't a mormon back then.) i also remember spotting various animal tracks- rabbit, deer, pheasant, and ones i didn't recognize. during a wet spring day- i found some interesting tracks and poured plaster in them, pulled them up and had some neat permanent animal tracks . what wonderful times i had outside as a kid. i would wish those simpler times for my grandchildren.

pre- wedding jitters

2009-01-16T18:35:00.000-08:00

yes, the pre wedding jitters are being felt here by -of all people- the mom! we worry about our beautiful daughters finding that certain wonderful young man (of our dreams) that will honor and cherish them through whatever situations may arise . we ,as moms, know our daughters - their quirks, strengths and weaknesses as young girls and think we know what their needs are now, as young adults. we need to trust them that they are trusting their hearts in choosing that special young man who will fill in the gaps and help them become all that they may be.
sometimes it's the financial wizard with his feet well grounded, or maybe the sweet, hardworking, lover of children, or maybe even the young man who turned his life around and was so blessed because of this change. in the most current case, he came from around the world- his sweet \, calming nature is just what is prescribed and so on this note, i take a few deep breaths and thank my Heavenly Father for watching over my girls- placing certain young men in their paths and letting them make their own choices . nighty night, jojo i love you.

finally, my goal

2009-01-15T20:11:00.000-08:00

nothing like dragging my feet and everything else before i chose my goal for the year. "simplify" is the much needed goal that i have selected. i think i draw everyone else into my "web" of activities. i have too many things and they are beginning to mean less and less to me. i want to be able to concentrate on the more important and eternal things in this life and so i will work daily on - first of all , eliminating physical objects in my home- i still have to have "stuff" for my shop- but i will be more selective with that, too- only things that I like and want to sell. i have already worked on this goal for several days and YOW!!! what a freeing experience!! this might be more than just a chore- the process itself will be the goal... wish me luck, girls...

re-visited

2009-01-10T06:20:00.000-08:00

at a certain point in our lives we realize that we've lived more of our lives than we have left to live. after reading my girls' blogs i can see how just the seemingly insignificant incidents are the memories that we take on this journey. i have 61 years of these moments (not counting the first year of my life) and want to journal these as they come back to me. and so we begin...
the very first memory i have of anything is a short, but sweet one of my mother's brother- robert steele- uncle bob. i never really knew him, but i do remember being lifted up in strong arms and held with love- i can still feel that love- isn't that amazing?! my mom had taken my brother, doug, and me to nebraska to visit her mom- grandma steele. my mom said i was just a baby-well under 2 years old, and my uncle came to visit - it was evening and i was asleep when he came in. he always loved children - had 1 or 2 of his own, but they died at birth- his wife also died and he eventually remarried and adopted a daughter- sharon. he died in his early 50's- so i never was able to see him again (they had moved to california).
that memory was brought up because of a dream last night-. in the dream, i found out that uncle bob was here to visit and i was going to see him- i had such a great feeling of anticipation - i don't remember the rest of this dream--- rats- i hate those dream lapses- at the time, everything is so real.
i will try to "revisit" at least weekly or as the moments arise.

priorities

2009-01-06T10:04:00.000-08:00

first of all , i have to tell you that i have been obsessed with "clean house"- a program on tv. that goes in, earmarks items for a huge yard sale - has it , and then matches the profits and takes that $ and completely makes-over the areas in the house that were usually disasterous. i have become so inspired by this show that i have decided to become ruthless in my own disast-opps- home. ssooooo, i was cleaning the downstairs- stuffing various treasures- now junk- into black bags (so i can't see it and change my mind), and in the process, i went upstairs for something and happened to open the spice cupboard- yow! what has been going on in there and why haven't i noticed it before??? leaving the downstairs project hanging, i began to empty the cupboard. i filled a small trash bag with old spices, flavors and empty containers. i'm sure that all the company i'm having in the next week and a half will be so impressed! (did i mention that joanna is being married ,yay, in just over a week and her new inlaws will be here- along with shannon,brian and kids and nella)-soo-o you can see why this project (the spice cupboard) was top priority. AM I NUTS? you don't need to answer that- but, do you find yourself doing the same kind of things? and is your spice cupboard neat?

late comments

2008-12-31T05:40:00.000-08:00

i am going slowly through and making comments on your posts and on your comments - sorry it has taken so long for me to comment- i LOVE reading each of your entries- it makes my day! keep updating those thoughts.

pre new years

2008-12-31T05:19:00.000-08:00

i think we should consider writing something for the new year- we could all think about it during the next 2 days and then come up with a mutual idea and thoughts on that- what do you girls think about that? by the way, i will be having the best new years- spending a little up time with josie and then babysitting her at night- what are your plans?

will they ever end?

2008-12-27T20:37:00.000-08:00

oh my gosh- i just watched the one gazillionth christmas movie of the season, and i must say that when you see larry levinson 's name on the credits you know you are in for 2 hours of insanity- but here is the insane part of all of this---- i continue to watch-- am i hoping that they will get better? or am i that desperate for christmas movies- bingo- i am truly an addict. today was a marathon of christmas movies - mostly his movies and between watching as many as i could, "visiting" (i say that loosely) my mother- in-law- who acts like she has a bone to pick with me, and spending 2 hours (yes, i said 2 hours) in walmart- mostly looking at cheap movies to buy-(i told you i was an addict), i have accomplished absolutely nothing today- but, hey it felt pretty good to do exactly what I wanted to do (except for the mother- in-law thingy). i don't sound very compassionate towards her, but something - maybe just in her mind, has changed on that front- more about that another time- bed for now as i have an early meeting before church. nighty-night girls.

tomorrow-- another new day

2008-12-23T19:26:00.000-08:00

ok- that's IT!! tomorrow i will NOT eat 2 plates of topcheese, chips, gucamole dip and DIET squirt, ... but i will think of the memory.
i'm listening to kenny g's "auld lang syne" to that background music, there is a recap of the events that rocked the world as we know it. it never ceases to bring tears to me, as many of the events seem still fresh with me- things that are not easily gotten over- pres. kennedy's death. i was a senior in high school and in study hall - we all made our way to the current events room where there was a tv and stood in shock as the story unfolded. i walked home that day instead of taking the bus. a woman i passed said "did you hear?" "yes", i said - i didn't want to talk about it - it made it all seem true and i didn't want it to be true. i was glued to the tv set and we all saw jack ruby shoot lee harvy oswald who was the supposed assassin-- right on our tv- and then the funeral- my parents couldn't understand why i had to eat in front of the tv and not in the kitchen with them. it was a life changing happening and will always be with me and so many others that witnessed it.
on that note, i will retire to my bed- there's a party going on in the living room .. let's hope for a clean kitchen in the am. i ask for very little.

profile?!

2008-12-19T16:24:00.000-08:00

my next "blog" dilemma is what to put in my profile. i"ve read some of the others- they are so clever and i know i will lose my huge following if i describe myself. what to do? maybe you girls can give me some "blog-profile advice". the photo that was submitted by nella makes me look like a crazed cook. maybe i will actually have a profile (is that like having a life?) next time . something to look forward to...

red tree spritzs

2008-12-16T21:21:00.000-08:00

well, this must be the beginning of many changes for me-- i totally broke the christmas cookie tradition of green spritz cookies. after mixing up a double batch , i realized i had no green food color, so i bit the bullet and poured in the red. do you girls think i've gone completely over the edge? i now have dozens of red tree cookies and in the grand scheme of things- i guess that's not so bad.
i so enjoyed my evening baking cookies and listening to a christmas cd (that i'm totally ga-ga over), and thinking how very wonderful things are (not including the economy, war , poverty, and hunger throughout the world) .it was just at that moment i felt very blessed. christmas does bring out the best in most of us --- except the old lady at the post office today. she had sealed one of those priority boxes and was desperately trying to open it back up- to stuff something more in it. i helped her, and she started going on about how sick she was of christmas and how she wasn't doing this again. yow! maybe she won't have to do that again--- she was pretty old. i should have given her the pep talk that shannon gave me on how to say "no".... another time...

something new!

2008-12-15T18:07:00.000-08:00

i actually said "no" to a planned event.... yow! thanks to shannon's advice to take control over my life- i was able to conjure up enough courage to tell a friend that i wouldn't be able to drive to her home tonight - 45 mins. away in the rain and falling temps. to look at the jewelry that i had no intention of buying with the money that i don't have. this is a start-- will i be able to assert myself when i don't have all the reasons that i did tonight?... tune in for that chapter.

unreal

2008-12-14T18:39:00.000-08:00

well, well well... here i am writing on my blog, (is it "on"or "in"?) which 3 weeks ago i never knew even the word existed! my kids will be shocked to see this . what a great way to keep track of events and thoughts and to read the oh, so clever comments of my girls. i actually had tears in my eyes when i read their stories. i so love being a mom at times like this.
i fixed "boiled dinner" for my youngest daughter for probably the last time in a long time as she and josh are moving to utah after christmas-- waaaa. we all oohed and ahhd over the boiled cabbage, ham, potatoes and carrots-- have i told you that i love food? sometimes i wonder what the statis of cake, spinach and white meat is in the life beyond.
i keep running back and forth between this and the latest christmas movie on" lifetime" (oh yes, i love christmas movies, too.) i think the movie is winning. 'til next time-

A First for Everything..

2008-12-13T19:28:00.000-08:00

This is actually Nella. Creating a blog for Mom. Now, hopefully she will figure out how to write in here, or else Katie and I will be getting lots of phone calls with lots of questions! :) Good Luck!