Monday, July 30, 2012

I'd Like a Month, Please

Why haven't I been posting?

  • I don't wanna bore my followers?
  • too busy?
  • laziness?
  • lack of interest on my part?
  • computer down?
  • too hot to think?
  • all of the above?
In reality it's only some of the above. I intended to write some Thoughts on Thursday but the day got away on me....don't ask me what I did though because I'd really have to think about it. It's summer and I'm trying to squeeze some fun out of it, and I think I've been doing a decent job. If you take a look at my house you'll see that it's been neglected. One would think that with only 2 adults living here it would be neat as a pin....well, it's not! I have far too many interests and distractions to be Suzy Homemaker (although in high school I did win the Betty Crocker homemaker award-you didn't know such a thing existed, did ya???)

I've been doing more things with my grandsons this summer. In August one of my granddaughters is coming for a visit.

Friday I spent most of the day with my mother. I brought shrimp dinners for us, a real treat for her. Then I took her to her doctors appointment. We were in and out in no time....very pleasant. Before I took her home we drove around town to see what was new. It was a nice visit for both of us.

Last Saturday I and another gal had a surprise birthday party for my SIL. It wasn't exactly an easy task b/c Sandie (my co-conspirator) is busy with her family and attending an accelerated school program (for displaced workers). After a bit of detective work I got in touch with SIL's babysitter and had her hand out invitations also. I didn't know 1/2 the people we invited and no one RSVP'd. About a week before the party some friends also surprised Michele and she wasn't too happy about it. So the afternoon of the party I stopped at Michele's with the ruse of dropping off her gift (she knew I wanted to come over) and I gave her an hour's notice of the party. It worked out well because she had cleaned that morning so was all set. And we did surprise her!!!

roasting marshmallows for S'mores
 Her son was at his dad's and missed the party, but that was probably OK because it was more relaxing for her then. The weather was perfect, we had a nice group of people, friends that she hadn't seen in a long time were there, there was enough food.....all was good!

....and then the drama....

  • My step son got a temporary job at the same place hubby works - good news. But....he missed 2 of  4 days (overslept). E has a tendency to quit and feels like a total looser and hubby is NOT happy, after all he stuck his neck out for his son. I am not sure if E called his supervisor and went in today or just gave up. Much more drama in SS life that I am not going to get into. 
  • BFF and her sister had a falling out over a $10 payment and sign up for the Red Hat picnic. Deb gets upset easily and was quite emotional about it. They have since made up.
  • my grandson misplaced the remote for my TV. Sometimes I don't watch it for a week, but last night I wanted to veg in front of TV and couldn't find it.......
  • SIL called me late yesterday afternoon (just 2 hours after I left her house) with a shaky voice....she just got done doing CPR on her neighbor. Donna is an older lady whom Michele just loves. Donna stopped over on Saturday afternoon to wish M a happy birthday and said what a blessing M is. Donna's son and his wife live across the street from M and were also at the party. M walked across her driveway to give Donna and her hubby some birthday cake and found Donna laying on the ground. M was able to yell for her son to call 911 and the dispatcher walked her through the CPR. Even though she is certified in it it is not easy to do when your mind is racing. I received an email from Michele this morning saying that it doesn't look good for Donna. Even if Donna does not make it M was at the right place at the right time. 
After supper I felt like getting out (I knew hubby was angry with his son, but he doesn't talk) so I asked M if she wanted to go for a walk. So we walked along the Mariners Trail along Lake Michigan. I wanted to look at the pretty flowers, and we did! It was overcast and breezy but I was very warm. Half way through our walk we crossed over to a hotel for a potty break, M got a bottle of water, and then we started back. It was a loooooong walk for me,  but I can still move to day so all is well.

there are lots of flowers and sculptures along the trail
Tomorrow I am going on a day long home & garden tour (bus trip to Door County) with some friends. I am really looking forward to it. I'll try to post some photos later in the week, no photos are allowed in the homes tho :-(.

My schedule for the remainder of the week includes:

  • working Wednesday, Thursday, Friday
  • alter guild at church
  • outdoor movie in the park with my grandsons
  • birthday party on Saturday
  • dermatologist appointment


So I'd like a month ALL TO MYSELF, PLEASE!!!!
I love my family, but....no hubby, grandkids, or people of any kind unless I initiate the contact. (and no guilt feelings if I don't)
I want the house to myself, I can stay or go
Put my job on hold.
Phone is turned off, but more importantly, the computer is off (or maybe limited to just the BUSINESS I have to do)
Freedom to do what I WANT and not what I should

Is that too much to ask??? ....probably...but I can dream, can't I?

Friday, July 27, 2012

the Friday 56/Heaven Without Her

It's Friday again and that means it's time for Freda's Friday 56 

Rules:
*Grab a book, any book.
*Turn to page 56.
*Find any sentence, (or few, just don't spoil it) that grabs you.
*Post it.

Here's mine: "Yes?" She drew out the word, letting it slide up an octave, a polite way of saying, wordlessly, "What's your point?"
I am currently reading this book and don't think it will take long to read as I am taking my mother to her doctor appointment and it could be a long wait. So check back in a few days to find out if YOU should read it!
Thanks for stopping by.

Tuesday, July 24, 2012

Same Kind of Different As Me

The Lit Wits (my book club) read this book last month. It was mentioned in the book Heaven is for Real and I decided to give it a try before I even knew it was the book club selection. Same Kind of Different As Me is written by Ron Hall and Denver Moore. These two, very different men grew up in the 50's, both were poor, but as they grew up their lives turned out so very opposite. 




It's a true story of how these men became friends, more like family, because of the vision of one woman (Debbie). Ron & Debbie's marriage is on the verge of divorce but Ron agrees to try to save it and Debbie's passion is the homeless. Only to please her, Ron agrees to help at the homeless shelter, his heart really is not in it but he goes anyway. Debbie loves the people there and tries to really know them. One night she has a dream and sees the face of the man who will change things. Weeks later that very face shows up in the food line! He's a big, crabby, smelly, very private man  whom Ron wants to avoid, but Debbie really wants them to become friends. It's quite a process but the men do become very close friends. This book tells of how their friendship grew (Denver does not want a 'catch & release friendship') and helped each man, and what the love of one woman can accomplish.
Some of my favorite quotes from Denver:

  • "just doin what he was raised up to do...."
  • "'I woke up' and that's reason enough to be happy"
  • " those precious to God become important to Satan"

The Lit Wits met at a new Mexican restaurant (eating is one of the things I do best). It was a gorgeous summer evening so a couple of us drove our convertibles (yes, we must take advantage of our short summers). The food was very good (I will go back) and so was the conversation. One of our members did not like the fact that the book was written for money and another is in the making also for money. I didn't think of it at the time, but aren't most books written for the money???
Yup! My advice is to read this book.

Monday, July 23, 2012

Sightseeing Right Where I Live

Sometimes I wonder if I am mad ???- (defined as: mentally disturbed; deranged; insane; demented).
I'm an 'empty nester' and love it! I work part time and like that! I'm rather independent and don't mind my own company (that's OK most of the time). I NEED my me time! I'm healthy (for the most part). I have hobbies, friends, and lots of things I like to do. I live near Lake Michigan and can go to the beach anytime I want. So why am I not taking advantage of this great time in my life to enjoy the activities I want to do....or am I?






the Zippin Pippin-Elvis Presley loved this roller coaster

I have 9 grandchildren, from almost 2 to 12 years of age. To be honest, I am not much of a 'kid person'...I just don't have the patience for children...unless they are my grandkids. Most of them live 1-2 hours away, so I don't see them as much as I'd like to. Just like everyone else, they are busy. Their (excellent) mom's have them participating in dance, sports, scouts, and other such organized activities for children. Three of my grandsons live in town and I have been spending a lot of time with the 2 older boys (7 & 8). Last year I didn't do much with them, but this year I can't get away from them....(it has been my choice so don't get me wrong). It seems as if I am with them 2-3 times a week. Saturday morning I picked up the 2 boys and met my son and DIL at an amusement park. It's not huge but it is greatly affordable, most rides are .50 and the biggest ride is $1.00. We were armed with  240 tickets (at .25 each) that the boys had leftover from a visit earlier in the week. 
feeding our feathered friends - free fun!
Some of the rides required an adult to be with the child. Thanks to Connie, Tim, and Ken we had plenty of adults to go around. I don't do rides, except for the bumper cars. Grandson S had to be measured just in case he grew 3" since he was there on Wednesday. (the driver has to be a certain height to go alone)
bumper cars -2nd favorite ride (after the Zippin Pippin)
 My son and his family had some friends along and we all brought food (everyone made a pasta salad and we had 2 bowls of watermelon) so we cooked out and spent most of the day there. After lunch the sun came out and it got hot! We parked our coolers at one end of the park on picnic tables and left them while we perused the park, without a worry about anything being taken. Life in a mid size town in WI is good!! I'm glad my kids are like me and like to go in the morning....and not mid afternoon! I made an easy supper when we got home and grandson J and I crashed....his meds make him sleepy. The boys spent the night again.
S is a really good helper
 Grandson S and I set up this tent for the boys to play in. 

Sunday afternoon I wanted to go to the open house at the Hamilton Wood Type Museum. I was planning to go alone, but the boys were still with me ....and they decided to go along with me. 


Hamilton Industries, Two Rivers, WI

Founded in 1880, the Hamilton Manufacturing Company is essentially the centerpiece of Two Rivers, Wisconsin. Not only is the factory building located in the middle of the city, but practically everyone in the community either worked there at one time or knows someone who had.
Hamilton manufactured a bunch of stuff at one time; ranging from electric dryers to drafting tables to wood type. Nowadays the firm is a pale, divisional shadow of what they were in their height, but they've stuck around..
Sadly this former huge employer (where hubby and SIL worked) is leaving our community later this year)





a few of the items formerly manufactured 

this mini dryer never went into production
it's about the size of a microwave-see in photo below

lots of lab and school equipment was manufactured there

making a print


observing engraving with the pantograph




samples of some of the wood type

the prints the boys made
 After I dropped the boys off at home I went to the Historic Washington House for an ice cream cone. When I have visitors from out of town I always take them to the Washington House. They serve real ice cream in the ice cream parlor. I like soft serve, but some people don't. It was really busy there b/c the wood type museum is just across the street so I got a mocha frappe from McDonald's instead.
remembering our war heroes

 Many murals were uncovered during the renovation of this historic building and redone. The upper room is a ballroom and downstairs is the museum full of local history. Did you know that Lydia Clarke Heston (wife of Charlton Heston) was born in Two Rivers, WI?

 Some of the murals lining the ceiling. 


These are just some of the local sights to see in the town where I live. Add these to your list if you come to visit. 

Friday, July 20, 2012

the Friday 56/ The Fences Between Us


It's that time of the week.........Freda's Friday 56
p.56 "...Mrs. Harada? The only way she'd be a danger is if you tried to help her in her kitchen."

This is one of many books by this author, Kirby Larson. She has written a series of YA book in the dear diary concept. This book was given to me by a good friend and retired teacher. Piper Davis is a junior high student and daughter of a minister who has a Japanese congregation. She lives with her older sister, a brother who just left to join the army, and her father. The story takes place during the time of Pearl Harbor and WWII. She writes in her diary of preteen girl 'stuff', her worries about her brother, and the unfair incarceration of the Japanese living in Seattle, and how her father moves them so he can minister to his church family. It's an easy read (YA) but very good. I learned what happened immediately after the attack on Pearl Harbor...innocent people were removed from their homes and businesses just because of their heritage. Looking back it's hard to understand how it could happen, but it did and could the same thing  happen again????

Thursday, July 19, 2012

Thoughts on Thursday

Some of my thoughts for today:
TLCs Craft Wars with Tori Spelling- does anyone watch it? As a wanna be crafter, I've watched it a couple of times.....it's ok....But I don't think  it's a program that will be on for seasons and seasons. Just my humble opinion....
 Maybe it's Tori Spelling I don't care for: Who is her stylist? Does she dress herself? I don't care for her make up, is it the bright red lips? Am I too conservative and 'Midwestern'? Don't I have any sense of style? I did some research and found out that she is pregnant, so that explains some of the clothing she wears. Well, what do I know? I'm just a senior citizen with a part time job who lives in a fixer upper home...and she's a little more visible and has a lot more money than I do!


As for the program itself I think the crafts challenges are dumb and the contestants are not given enough time for the projects. But then I don't have much of an imagination, nor do I think fast. The contestants AMAZE me with their ideas and the crafts they complete....or attempt to complete. I probably will watch the show again but it's not a must see for me.

Sometimes I amaze myself with how dumb I must seem......as I was rereading my post from a couple of days ago I noticed I wrote that I went to the 'water aquatic center'....I am wondering if anyone else wondered what other kinds of aquatic centers there are! I was going to write water park but then used the politically correct name of the place "aquatic center", but forgot to remove the water part. LOL That's why you should always have someone else proof read your work. Since this is my personal, quirky blog, I'll forgo the proof reading and let things be just the way they are..... unique, just like me. :-)

Last night we received some much needed rain........it's helped but we need another dose of the same tonight...it's not going to happen though. 

Another busy weekend ahead........more about that later.

Tuesday, July 17, 2012

On Eagle's Wings

I really like this song and think it should be played at my funeral....not that I am planning it in the near future.

Monday, July 16, 2012

One Hot & Tired Grandma

view from my poolside chair
Yes, we are in the midst of a hot and dry spell, a drought in the Midwest. There's a burning ban in the county and the grills in the local parks are bagged and covered and we are directed not to use them. I think today was the hottest day so far. We do not have a/c and I am OK with that because I am usually fine with a fan. Today I have 2 fans going on me and can't wait to go upstairs to fold the laundry in my air conditioned bed room. I am putting it off b/c I know once I am in the bedroom I will not want to leave it! So what did I do today? I went out to lunch with hubby and 2 of his friends. Then I baked banana bread and mopped the kitchen floor. I'll fold the laundry and call it a day's work. I won't mind going to work tomorrow in a nice air conditioned office. I know I've been awful about posting lately. The past week I was doing a lot with my 2 grandsons.  
I like the lazy river

Monday afternoon we went to the local water aquatic center. It's not really big, but it is great for this area. It's nice b/c at 7 & 8 they run and find kids to play with and I do not have to watch them every minute. They do make sure to find me when they need a snack. I read my book and when I got too hot I hopped onto a tube and floated on the lazy river for a while. Grandson J 'made ' me go down the yellow slide and I liked it so much that I went down again. Tuesday and Wednesday I had to work. Wednesday night was our book club meeting at a new Mexican restaurant.....YUM. Thursday afternoon I took the boys  to the library and of course, they wanted to come here afterward.  Friday I worked again and that night I took them to watch a movie in the park at dusk, sponsored by a local church. They passed out free soda & popcorn. It was a beautiful evening to watch Dolphin Tale (good movie if you haven't seen it.)

this slide was fun

no corn on the cob for this kid
Saturday morning I picked the boys up at 11:30 so we could tour some caves about an hour away.
it was nice and cool down here


I don't ever remember being in a cave......it was cool and kinda muddy in spots. The kids crawled though the tunnels, I (and most of the adults) took a ladder to get to the other (connected) caves. I think the boys learned a lot more from actually crawling around in a cave than reading a book or watching something. 




They usually spend the night on Saturday so we came back to our house after the cave tour. I think we were all hot & tired (at least I was and grandson J-who can be difficult at times). I made a easy meal, they took baths, I showered we vegged in front of the TV. J was asleep by 9 and I dozed off early too. Grandson S (where does he get his stamina from?) was watching TV until 11:30 he said.

After a relaxing morning (well, sorta- I played a short game of Monopoly with J) we grabbed a quick lunch and were off to the beach. Their mom called earlier but never said anything about picking them up so...... We have a large beach area here and it was packed (as I expected). Going to the beach with the boys is a LOT more work than going alone........they had fun though and that is what counts. Yesterday I did have my suit on and did walk out to the sandbar. Maybe I'll be a beach bum one of these nights after work this week.


why? oh why did he ask to be buried in the hot sand?
 I was soooooo tired when I got home. I showered, put on a cool sundress, make a glass of iced tea, found my book and a place in the shade and just relaxed. I LOVE my grandkids but I think I overdid it last week. ...or maybe it's the heat....anyway it was really nice after I dropped them off at home last night.

And I do feel guilty because I do a lot more with these 2 boys than with my other grandchildren. They live in town and the others are over an hour away....but I still feel guilty.

I have a busy week again...but not as bad as last week.

Thursday, July 12, 2012

Thoughts on Thursday

I feel really lazy today....too lazy to even blog....but  I tried to comment on a blog and this VERY annoying ad popped up on the comment area. It just rose like a bubble to the top of the page and I could not click on the small X to close it. I tried a couple of time to catch it........I don't wanna play games....and it really burned me up. I tried a couple of other blogs and I didn't get that ad.... I know it's not her fault, but what is going on? Is it me/my computer? I get ads on the right side of the page all the time, at several different sites, very tricky ads that you must close on the tiny X, not the one that looks like you should click on it.
vase on the fence outside
A couple of weeks ago one of my followers got the message that she was blocked when she tried to read my blog. No one is or has been blocked! Sometimes when I click to read a blog I end up at a totally unrelated page.....does anyone else have problems? Is it me? blogger? suggestions?

Wednesday, July 11, 2012

Monday, July 9, 2012

Bargains From Last Week

I haven't found any really good bargains recently, but here are a few I found the past week. I don't search out garage sales because I have way too much stuff. If I'm driving by and it looks like something other than baby items I'll stop. I even try to stay out of the stores, but Friday I had to run into Shopko on my lunch hour and in the clearance section I picked up a box of Keurig k-cups of tea at $6.52.....great price! But when I got home and put them away I remembered that I really don't care for that particular kind.  :-( drat )-:   They are putting the back to school items out already....seems like the kids just got out of school.....in fact their last day was June 11.

At our local, small thrift store I found this clutch for $1.50. It still had the tag on it. The clasp looks tarnished, but it is not. Recently I attended a wedding reception and needed a small purse, this is perfect for such occasions. It's not so small that I can't fit what I need into it.


ebisu clutch


 I also got cute lunch bag. It beats my UGLY navy one I was using. It really didn't bother me until I decided to attend the library's brown bag lunch talks. I love lime green. I didn't look it over really good so I didn't notice that the zipper is broken. I had some velcro, so stuck that on and now it is fine.
snazzy lunch bag for brown bag lunch dates ($1.50)







As I was browsing I noticed a small, metal  hand grater in the kitchen tool section. I picked it up because it was so small and my grands use graters to grate sidewalk chalk when they make chalk paint. When I looked closely it said 'Dr Scholls' ....aha, it's a foot file, a good foot file. That went into my cart immediately! I have the pumice stone type but this is a 'heavy duty' one and I love it.

That's all I can think of now.

Sunday, July 8, 2012

Sunny Sunday Afternoon

After a really hot, sticky spell today was a perfect day....just a very few clouds and about 79 with a wee breeze. I wanted to take my grandsons to the beach today but mom had other plans....onto plan B- we'll go to the Aquatic Center tomorrow afternoon. But what should I do??? Stay home and clean? I did a little of that last week. Sit on the deck and read? Always a good idea, but kinda boring.....I stayed home all day yesterday and felt like getting out. I do have something going on every day this week.... Go shopping? I don't need anything, don't have any extra cash, and who wants to be inside on such a nice day??? Work on my scrapbook? My work table is in the basement....not a place I want to spend a sunny afternoon. Alas, I decided to pack a sandwich, grab a chair and my book, and head to the beach alone.

saw quite a few colorful umbrellas
I slathered sunscreen on twice. I don't need anymore sunburn and am planning to be in the sun tomorrow too. The beach was not crowded and I planted my chair far from the water and in a quiet spot. I could still hear the voices and laughter but as background noise. I read a magazine and started my book as I ate my sandwich. I like eating a sandwich at the beach and will have to do that more often...I hafta eat y'know??? After about an hour I decided to walk and look for some flat stones. Much to my surprise the 'big lake' was warm....Lake Michigan is always cool, so cool that your legs feel numb when you're wading. Most of the time I ambled along in the water with my head down looking at the sand or water. I wanted to walk out to the sandbar but I was wearing capris and didn't wanna be all soggy. I said a few words to some people and to the owners of a small dog who decided to jump on me (as to protect his owners). He was sooooooo cute, could have brought him home with me.

pretty day at the beach
Pros of going to the beach alone:
  • thinking and talking is optional
  • no kids to watch
  • no one wants me to buy them a snack
  • I can read uninterrupted and don't loose my page
  • I can sit where I want to
  • I can come and go at my leisure
  • not so much stuff to haul
Cons:
  • none 
Would you/do you go to the beach alone?

Saturday, July 7, 2012

Turkey Bacon

There really is no rhyme or reason to my blog so today's topic is "Turkey Bacon". Not the most exciting thing to write about, but something I decided to express my opinion on.

 Do you eat turkey bacon? Have you ever tried it? Quite a few years ago I decided to try to eat healthier (ha!) and started eating turkey bacon instead of regular bacon. My grandson (the EXTREMELY picky eater) also developed a taste for it. Our preferred brand is Oscar Mayer. Several years ago we sent hubby to the grocery store to get some things...........and he came home with Jenny O.....neither one of us liked it. I don't like the flavor, the texture, or how it cooks up. YUK! I have tried some of the store brands and even prefer those to Jenny O. I'd really like to know if you have any thoughts about turkey bacon.


The grocery store I usually shop at does not carry Oscar Mayer; I have even put comments in the suggestion box.....but I guess the Jenny O is what some people prefer.  I was out of bacon and as I was doing my weekly shopping I ended up with the Jenny O brand. Nope, I still don't care for it!!! (That's what brought upon this post.) Yes, I did end up at another grocery store to get our preferred brand. I am not a brand snob, but there are a few name brands that I do buy because after trying other brands I really only like the name brand.

Thursday, July 5, 2012

Thoughts on Thursday

I was going to write this yesterday, but: 1) it wasn't Thursday and 2) I was too darn tired....so here I am ON THURSDAY!
hubby driving in the car cruise last Friday. I missed it b/c I had made other plans earlier this summer :-(
Someone asked why I haven't been posting .......too busy, nothing to write about, too lazy...I'm not exactly sure why. But here goes:

I've been thinking about the fires in Colorado Springs, b/c I use to live there. It took so long to get it contained.  And then when some people went back to their home (if still standing) they found that they had been vandalized :-( Adding insult to injury, what a disaster to bear.

I do not like eating with my fingers.......sometimes I use a fork for french fries and pizza and even the banana bread I am having now. Does anyone else share my desire for clean fingers?

It has been HOT, but I can't really complain b/c near the 'big lake' we are a bit cooler. Last night it was quite pleasant outside and this morning (at 6AM) it is 72. Usually I am OK with just a couple of fans. We do not have a/c (seldom need it), only a window unit for the bedroom. Hubby hasn't put it in yet (projects at home are not high on his priority list). He worked 14 hours yesterday in a factory so I wasn't about to ask him then...he's off tomorrow though :-)

I did not go to the fireworks last night. I was sooooo tired. I had forgotten to turn my alarm off the previous morning so it went off at 5:30 yesterday and I couldn't go back to sleep so got up shortly afterward.  I think what really made me wake up was thinking if I really had to go to work...the usual what day is it scenario that runs through my head. Getting up that early wouldn't have been so bad had I been able to fall asleep the night before. Hubby had to work and I WANTED to stay home and accomplish a few things (which I was able to do). Was it wrong to act like it was a normal day and not attend/host a cook-out? Sometimes I feel like I am competing and have to do something when it's a holiday....you know when someone asks "what did you do?" Am I too old, boring, unfriendly, and unloved that I have no one or nothing special to do on that 'special day'?

Which brings me to another question I have been pondering...... Let's say someone asks "What are you doing tomorrow?" I reply "Nothing". When, in reality, I am not going anywhere but have plans to stay home and clean, craft, or maybe enjoy some 'me time'. Should I stop saying "nothing"?  I was planning to catch up on laundry but should I agree to babysit (or whatever that person is going to ask me to do)  b/c I said  I was doing nothing??? Some days I don't do much....but I do treasure quiet time alone! I don't enjoy housework but it needs to be done and I like how things look after it is done.

We did get some much needed rain and (not needed) wind last night or early morning. My potted tomatoes were tipped over and broken. I had 2 sitting in the wagon because I moved them out of the way. They usually sit in a sunny spot in front of the garage. SS and his cousin scraped the garage yesterday and were planning to paint this morning. Will it dry? Will SS throw a fit if he can't paint today as planned? (b/c his cousin is leaving and is only available today)