Tuesday, June 30, 2015

A Surprise Gift

A blogger/facebook friend sent the this flag. Isn't it gorgeous??? I love it.
Bonnie has had a double mastectomy and lymphedema....a lot more medical problems than I do, yet she thinks of others before herself.  Truly a Christian woman.


Thank you Bonnie!
God Bless!!!

Read her blog here. She is also an excellent writer.

Monday, June 29, 2015

Monday's Haul

My car just can NOT pass the thrift store without turning in. 
It was Monday; I had 2 bags of stuff to drop off and a few things to get at the grocery store. 
This is what I found:
Iris 6 drawer mini cart (the drawers do not hold 12 x 12 paper but I can find something to store inside) $6
Pair of everyday shoes for my grandson for the days when he wears flip flops but shoes would be more appropriate
2 pair of socks for me
TALL tree topper to add to my collection 
brand new Pez dispenser for the grands
Dr Scholl inserts (new)
and a small Santa ornament.


All this for $12. This was a very expensive shopping trip for me.
I think they charged more than I normally pay, but I can't complain. 

This is a Fossil crossbody bag I found last week for $3, now that was a deal.

It was another lazy day, I spent most of the morning reading in the sunshine. My friend stopped over after lunch and we chatted for a while, later in the afternoon I finally planted the rest of my plants....except a few I want to transplant. Rain is predicted for tonight and we need it....so I won't complain...or I'll try not to. 
Hubby fixed a hole in the deck after he came home from golfing. Still nothing as far as job interviews go. 

What will the rest of the week bring???

Sunday, June 28, 2015

Thoughts On A Sunny,Summer Sunday

When you're retired and have a spouse without a job one day just slides into the next. The past few days I've been pretty lazy and spent a lot of time reading outside on the deck. I really love those kinds of days!!! The weather has been sunny and warm....low 70's.
Kev's job did not work out for him. He had a 45 minute commute and wasn't getting paid what they originally stated so he decided that he wouldn't really make enough to pay for the gas. So, after 3 days he decided not to take the job. He also is looking for a full time job and didn't know if that company would actually hire him even after a year had gone by....that's a long time to be in the dark.

this is my view and cheering squad as I wash the dishes
Friday evening we drove our little convertible in the car cruise. Our city has a car show every year and we usually drive in it, our car is not that special.....2006 red pontiac solstice....but Kevin likes to drive in the parade from Manitowoc to Two Rivers and I ride along. 
It was a beautiful night, before the drive we walked around to look at some of the 570 cars. I ran into a couple of my nurses in the chemo department and the wife of one of my former bosses. It was nice to chat with them for a bit.
When we got to Two Rivers we got something to eat and visited with more friends. Kevin was ready to go home early but part of me wanted to stay a while and listen to the music and have a beer. I decided to go home with Kev. Later I was reading in bed and I was able to listen to the music anyway...it was loud and I had the bedroom window open.
Saturday morning I slept until almost 10....very late for me. It was another beautiful day and I felt like reading again...so I did. I knew some friends were coming over after lunch but I was tired and decided to take a nap...guess what? Ten minutes later I hear someone walk in and say "Anyone home?" I knew he was coming and I had the back door open so it was not unexpected....I wasn't sleeping anyway. I like my friends to be able to pop in anytime. 
We had a very nice visit with a friend of Kev's and his dad, a man Kev calls his 2nd dad. Bill lives in AZ now and usually gets here once in the summer so we look forward to visiting with him. Later my bff came over with our grandson (more drama with his mom) but grandson J did get to stay. Deb, Jim, and Danny stayed to visit with everyone too. Kev popped in a pizza and Deb shared her veggies and dip with us. It was a really nice afternoon and I enjoyed it.
That evening another friend decided to have a fire in her backyard so grandson J and I stopped over there. We had good conversation, a beer, and a s'more.....I had 1, Jalen had several.
This morning I slept late again.........what is with that??? J's mom demanded (or rather made his brother call and demand) that I bring him home before noon. She is such a control freak. 
My neighbor was having a garage sale and Deb wanted to walk down there, so we did. Jennifer is trying to raise money for medical bills. Her husband has Parkinsons and  lymphoma. They are not that old....their daughter is 9 and the boy is 4. So sad. I am glad that we walked down 3 houses to meet her. 
Once again I was out on the deck reading when Kev came home from golfing. He wanted to go to Menards to get some things so I rode along. I picked up a few more plants.....I do that all the time...I just keep buying and buying. One thing he was looking for were parts for the grill, but they're not in stock so he was online chatting with someone after we got home. Before we got home we stopped to eat at Culver's. They have a supply of pamphlets on display and one is a nutritional guide. I was pretty tickled b/c now I can figure what was my best choices are before I get there. 
I love my new washer, it has a wash load size choice or water saver choice. I can open it up without having to hold down the stupid button that didn't work 1/2 the time. But.....best of all....my clothes are much cleaner....I am a happy woman. 
No summer school this week so I can sleep in every day....is that a good thing? 
I can't believe July 4th is just around the corner. 
Have a great pre-holiday week!!!


Friday, June 26, 2015

Ups and Downs and Downs and Ups

Normally (in my mind) my life is pretty quiet and boring...and generally I like it that way. Lately it seems like it's been a roller coaster ride. 
Kevin's son moved in for a few weeks until Kev blew his stack and told him to leave, it was not pretty and I don't think he was right, but he's not my son so I kept my mouth shut.
Then there was lots of drama with grandson J and his mom and me so he couldn't come over here. One of the things I was told was that if all 3 boys (ages 11, 10, 4) can't spend the night then no one can. I had to say no b/c she is NOT going to TELL me....ask and I most likely will say yes. I am not a big fan of people telling me what to do, unless it is someone with legitimate authority over me. 
Actually the 4 year old is a handful so I prefer to have the older ones only. All of the boys were over one afternoon for 2-1/2 hours and I took all 3 to the amusement park the week before....but those don't count.

 It's not my fault she lives with her parents and she doesn't make time for the boys. Actually the 10 year old stays every saturday night here. I am not responsible for that tradition. My 12 year old granddaughter was here and his heart was broken and so was mine.


When it was convenient for mom (several days later) the older boys did come over, but once again I was told both or none could stay overnight. I said sure.....the older ones are easy. The 11 year old decided not to spend the night anyway. That worked out good b/c grandson J wanted some alone time with Ava.


The next morning was summer school...but....I forgot to set my alarm the night before b/c it didn't seem like a week day....the kids were here, Kev is not working and I never know what day it is. Oh no...mom called again and read the riot act to J and me. There's more to that story but I am not going into detail. It turned out OK b/c that afternoon I took Ava and all 3 boys (my intentions all along) to some local caves. We had tons of fun.


After that mom let J come along when I took Ava to meet her mom and he spent the night again. I think she realized that he had not lied to her....altho she never apologized to him. I think when a parent wrongs a child he/she should apologize. Love is NOT never having to say you're sorry...but being thoughtful enough to SAY you're sorry. 
Now our house is quiet, very quiet and we like it.
Ava is not a problem at all, she takes care of herself, eats a lot, and is always pleasant. 
After some finagling I figured out that my washer was not even moving the clothes around...not even a little. It's sad to think that my dish cloths were actually getting more cleaning action while I was washing dishes than in the washer.....eeewww. Then it decided not to work at all. So.....I shopped....researched....and got a new one today.  Guess what I am washing first? Whites, of course. 
My youngest son, who doesn't talk to me, (long story that I do not want to get into) was in an auto accident and broke several ribs, toes, and chipped a part of his dislocated hip. His hip is back in place now and he's home but is in a lot of pain and bored somethin' awful. His girlfriend was waiting for me at the hospital, she's a keeper! He better keep her! I stayed and talked to her after Jason fell asleep and she gave me a sincere hug. She wants us to heal our relationship. I've met her but never really talked to her.
Both of my sons have picked wonderful women to be with. If it wasn't for my DIL, Connie, I don't think I'd have any relationship with my oldest son or their children. My daughter also has a great husband. Granddaughter Ava says she lives in a 'MOMocracy'....it works great for them. They live in the country and have 3 children (7, 12, 15) that are involved in various activities. Sometimes the children carpool, but usually mom or dad drives them to where they need to be. Dad also volunteers at the humane society with Ava b/c that is what she wants to do. She is thinking of becoming a veterinarian. 
The past 2 days have been perfect (weather wise) and I love sunny, warm weather. It was kind of nice to wash a load or 2 of clothes at 8am and then hang them out at 9am. Yesterday I was so lazy, I sat on the deck and finished my book. It was really good and I think I'll post about it later. The day before I got a lot accomplished so I think I deserved a lazy day.
Today I am doing laundry and blogging. Jalen's brother called me to say that J could stay here this afternoon after I picked him up from school (I take and pick up, I volunteered b/c I knew no one else would and I think it's a good thing to get out of the house for part of the day).......no one seems to ask....it's OK, he's easy....a couch potato for the most part. I'll take him 'home' around 4:30pm b/c Kev and I are driving in the Cool City Classic Car Cruise. We don't have a classic car but the Solstice is a limited car so he likes to drive it. I enjoy doing that with him.
Have a good weekend!
Thanks for being so patient with me.

Monday, June 22, 2015

Five Days With Ava

 My beautiful, silly, sweet 12 year old granddaughter spent 5 days with us.  We hardly knew she was here....except she eats a lot......I know she doesn't look like it, but she does.
We didn't really have anything exciting planned. We ran errands, hit the thrift stores, stopped at the library, walked along the lake , and had root beer floats. We had a nice visit. She's a keeper. 



She's my scrapbooking sweetheart.
She forgot her supplies at home....but never fear...grandma has everything here!



This is a short, quick post just for Ava.


When she ran out of photos she made some fashion design pages....she's always been into fashion.

In June we celebrated her little sister's birthday.


Don't you love this 'wish tree'?
I love the tree trunk.
Click on the picture to see her wishes. 
We are all so proud of her, she is a very motivated young girl and will go far.



She also made a bunch of cards. 
Tomorrow we have an adventure planned.
She's been staying up late watching TV and reading.....she's going home tomorrow so then it's back to mom's rules. 

BTW she reads my blog and your comments.






Saturday, June 13, 2015

You Know It's Time To Clean The Birdfeeder When.... and What Else Is On My Mind

Yes, It's time to clean out the birdfeeder and start over when the bird seed sprouts. I guess that is why it had a cover. 
Said cover will be going back on as soon as I can get outside to clean out this mess. It became disconnected and I never put it on this year. Either it's been rainy or I have been gone so it hasn't been taken care of. I should have time this week.

It was damp, rainy, and cool today but I and a friend managed to go to the local garden fair. I didn't get any photos but we came home with a car load of stuff. We saw tons of flowers, yard art, some clothing, and jewelry too. We each got a HUGE hanging fuschia for $15 (they took up my entire back seat) and some other things too. I ran out of money and was cold so after about 2 hours we came home. I try to go and pick up some new plants every year.

Now I have a rant....or 2.
I HATE my Maytag HE top loading washer. Ever since we got it, over a year ago, I said it did not get the clothes clean, especially the whites where it is noticeable. 
Finally, after months of looking at socks that smelled clean but looked filthy I decided to soak the socks that had been washed THREE times (my standard procedure for whites) in hot water with bleach and double rinsed. I soaked the socks overnight and this is what the water looked like. I drained the water and soaked them again in detergent and the water looked just as dirty. The next day I drained off that water and used a bleach soak. 


The sock in the middle was the one I soaked.
Several people on facebook have commented that they now have to soak socks too. 

I very seldom had to soak clothes before. The HE washers are supposed to save water.....How much am I saving if I have to soak every d** load of whites???? 
Maybe you are one of the lucky ones and you don't have a problem.....I know I am not alone though and I will continue to let anyone, who might care just a teeny bit, how much I hate this washer. It doesn't even have a soak cycle...if it did I could deal with it much easier. You can bet your boots that IF we ever buy a new washer I am going to check it out VERY thoroughly!!!

And I am not done yet..............
Our 10 year old grandson comes over every saturday night.....unless he is being punished. He hates living with his mom's parents and does not always help out or act respectful (so I am told). He's not as easy going as his older brother, who loves living with the other grandparents. But the only punishment Jalen gets is not coming over here.
He started to cry when he called to tell me he couldn't come over.
It is soooooooo lonely here when he's not here. I like my quiet time  but saturday nights are for him!

No sunshine, only thundershowers, predicted for tomorrow, so my new flowers will stay in their tiny containers for a couple of days yet. 

Thanks for stopping by and 'listening' to me rant.....sometimes I just gotta!

Thursday, June 11, 2015

A Hullava Week

It has been a very busy few days and I can't wait until tomorrow when I can leave the house when I want and have only 1 errand to run.
The week has had some GREAT, FUN moments.






There have been horrific times....unfortunately those are bothering me. I can not write when I am upset. So please send a prayer (I am fine) and be patient with me.

Until then here are 3 things that my breast cancer was 'good' for:
*I don't need to shave my legs every day like I used to do
*I realize I look good in short hair and don't have to hide behind my hair anymore
*I lost the weight that I needed to 

I'll be back in a couple of days!!!

Saturday, June 6, 2015

One My Way Home I Found.....

Today was a gorgeous day! 
A friend and I worked on a project at the library today (more about that in another post).
I passed many garage sales on my way home but I just don't need any more 'stuff' so I didn't stop at any. These things and lots more were piled by the curb in front of a house that was not having a sale....I wasn't sure why they were there...too good to be free. I continued home, used the bathroom, got a drink, and remembered I forgot to stop at the grocery store....so off I go again. I decided to drive past that house on my way (it's out of my way for the store) and I saw a free sign. 
I'm gonna stop!!!
And I did. Look what I found: two, yes 2, metal watering cans (one does not have the end on it, there was one more but I left it), there is nothing wrong with the ladders (I think I'll use them for plants), the plastic drawer unit already has a place in the corner of my bedroom (to replace something that is not quite working) , the Life is Good  sign will be outside on the deck fence (it will replace the sunflower screen painting that Kev threw out).



Another woman pulled up right after I did and was picking up stuff too. The homeowner came out and said she was just getting rid of stuff...."I'm not going to have a garage sale" she said, and she was putting out more as she cleaned the garage. My car was full and I had to buy some groceries....no, hubby did not see my stash...he was golfing. 
He's finished with the deck and put the furniture out this afternoon. Now I can enjoy any nice days we might have with a table and decent chair. 
But not tomorrow.....rain is predicted and we are heading to my daughter's. 

Friday, June 5, 2015

Another Good Shopping Day

Yes, ANOTHER good shopping day....so many good days of late that I need to stay away from our little thrift store. 
One day last week they had all clothing (except dresses and coats) for $1. I don't need anything but was looking for my sister, hubby, and step-son.  I found a nice Christmas sweatshirt/jacket and a top for my sister. I picked up a leather skirt for myself....(I need to loose about 3# tho) and a fleece pullover for SS. For our grandson I found a pair of name brand jogging pants (he doesn't like jeans) and a camo zip up hoodie. 

Today I wasn't planning to go out but a friend had some plants for me......so I had to stop at the thrift store (my car can not drive past it, it automatically pulls in). I picked up a beach towel, navy t-shirt for myself (not in the pic), authentic Starbucks mug for my granddaughter, pretty letter holder, new Dr Suess hat, 3 small chip board scrapbooks for the grands, a really cool tie for my grandson (the loop is there and you zip it to the correct size - I have never seen this style before), some giant paper clips for some craft project, pair of ankle socks, and an aluminum double sided shot jigger. You didn't know I was such a sophisticated drinker, did ya?
Yes, all of that for.....
$5.99.
Now do you understand why it is my favorite thrift store?


Actually I scooped up the jigger because I knew it would be perfect for an air plant. I didn't have one but when I showed to my friend she thought it would be a great home too, so she gave me one of her babies. Thanks Carolee! I think he's going to love it here.

We have plans this weekend!
Kevin hasn't been hired but he is planning to take the job he was offered at the woodworking place....I don't know the name of it.

I did some weeding the past 2 days....all I can say is I am not as young as I used to be. When I am down on my knees I have a hard time trying to figure out how to get up....so far I have managed tho. ***SMILE***

As I've been typing I've been enjoying the smell of my Lilies of the Valley...so sweet...so wonderful to be able to enjoy them on my table.

Have a great weekend!!!!

Thursday, June 4, 2015

Thoughts on Thursday

I found this patch at the thrift store the other day for 50 cents. It's brand new and was from Hobby Lobby, don't know if they still carry these. It's appropriate and I had to have it!
When I first started to write this post I thought I'd be a day late....but I'm not. Now that neither of us is working it's hard for me to figure out what day it is.....guess I need to check the day on the right, lower, corner of my computer screen more often.


Now that Eastin is living here I see his sons more often. This week he's working extra shifts because they are shorthanded so I haven't seen them this week. 
Last weekend the 4 year old got angry and threw his Mexican jumping beans on the floor, Eastin wasn't too happy with him so he slapped him and spoke very loudly to him. The way L was sobbing I would have thought Eastin hit him with a baseball bat but I was in the house so knew what was going on. L cried really hard for about 5 minutes...then
Grandson L "dad?"
Eastin "What L?"
Grandson L "best dad ever"
I am so glad they got over it so quickly, don't you wish more people were like that? I do.
I was amazed at how fast he turned it off and was a nice little boy again. Grandson J stays angry longer. 

Some good news~
Kev has a job offer from a place about 45 minutes from here. He really wants the malting company job that he applied for (nearby) and he's giving them until Friday afternoon to respond to his resume, phone call, and email. Friday afternoon he's talking to the other company. The pay is ok, it's a line of work he knows, but he's never had to commute before so that's not up his alley. 

I'll keep ya posted!

Wednesday, June 3, 2015

El Paso

In April we flew to El Paso for the National Bowling tournament. Finally Kevin bowls, again, with a team that takes their wives along. It's about the only vacation we take lately. I had finished my radiation treatments 2 days before we left and my breast healed unbelievably quickly! I did keep a shirt on when laying by the pool.
The hotel we stayed at had a nice breakfast, including waffles, which are my favorite!!! When this waffle is flipped over it's hard to see what it is.......at first I just thought 'What a weird shape for a waffle, was there a sale on the waffle irons whose shapes were deformed?' Then I flipped it over and VIOLA ~ 
Texas. 
Them Texans just gotta do things 'diffrent'.



BUT everything is NOT bigger in Texas.
We had to ask someone what this was....
it's....
a lime. 


The weather was perfect while we were there. I made sure to spend at much time here as I could. The guys bowl on 2 different days and I only watched on one. Kevin doesn't mind if I don't watch....it's not that much fun to watch and I wanted some sunshine.
While they bowled I relaxed at the pool and later went for a walk to the strip mall a block or 2 away. I stopped at a consignment shop and bought a new maxi dress (they are so comfy) and a sparkly purple tank top (for Red Hats).
I also stopped at Orange Leaf yogurt where I had $7 worth of ice cream. I'm worth it, right????

One of the few sightseeing things we did was to ride the Wyler aerial tram. I don't recall every being on one. It operates on a 2400' cable and rises over 900' to the mountain above. The ride is less than 5 minutes. The view is amazing! I'm glad we did it. One of the other wives did not go on it.



I think descending was worse than going up.


Going up

A beautiful shrub that won't grow in WI, but I'd sure like it.


Yup, I'm a little too big, but I there's nothing wrong with a little silliness.

A Cracker Barrel restaurant was just across the parking lot and Walmart was within walking distance in the other direction so we wanted for nothing....'cept a few extra days of vacation.