JT's Musicare Man of Year show

Thanks to Sean, I had a nice evening last night. When he came home from classes, he said he had read that James was going to be on PBS at 9. It didn't take me long to realize it was probably the show honoring him from March of this year-Musicare's Man of the Year award show to be exact. It was really a great program! Lots of musicians singing JT songs. JT looking so fine and modest in the audience in his dark suit and ice blue silk tie. Seeing the little 5 yr old Taylors-Rufus (I thought it was Logan) and Henry booging with their uncle Livingston on stage while dad got into 'How Sweet it Is'. So this was a treat for me and I know what to ask for, the DVD for Christmas!

The postman always rings...

...more than once for me! I'm still celebrating my birthday 10 days later thanks to AnneMarie from the Netherlands and my friend Angela from N.Y.
Here are the surprises from AnneMarie. What a wonderful stitcher and a perfect finisher she is!

The Prairie Schooler is my favorite cross stitch designer, so AM did a black bird autumnal design for me. The book is a pretty DMC one featuring fruits. The two kinds of fabric will be well utilized. Thanks so much AM! I'll send you off one of my special collage cards soon.

Today a package came from Angela. She had designed 3 gorgeous scrapbook pages for me! One for my birthday, one for Cosmo the cat and one with a Victorian flair. I'll add some photos and share with you.

I am making some goodies in the form of gifts. The glue isn't cooperating, but I plan to make 6 on these 'items' to start off with. I don't want to say what they are, but I'll show you in a couple of weeks. I put on James Taylor's Cmas cd and went to town. That's the best medicine. : )

I ran across this at Rocks in my Dryer. Shannon wanted to know some cool Christmas ideas. I would say the Christmas Memory Book I did about 11-12 years ago was pretty neat. I went through my mom's photos and added many of my own to the collection. I made nice scrapbook like pages on 8.5" x 11" paper. I went from when my siblings and I were little to when our kids were little. I asked each family member what their best memory of Christmas was. I got some interesting answers! Everyone had their own page which I typed up and used different fonts for everyone. I got enough copied for all my brothers and our mom and put them in red plastic report folders that I decorated with sparkly snowflake stickers. I still look at mine!

The yard late November

There's still leaves to be raked up! This in the front yard under the dogwood tree. It was about 60 today, so I raked up various piles around the yard. I can't pick them up, but raking them in nice piles isn't too bad (I make great piles of papers and books too!)

This is awesome grass. All those pretty fuzzy things are seeds and once they root, they are hard to dig up.

And my biggest surprise-Calendula (I think) still blooming! (It's in a black plastic pot with a black handle).

Christmas in Odessa, DE

I so wanted to go to Odessa this year! We passed the exit on the way to Dover and I mentioned it to Brian. It's not that far away. It is only held one day, this Saturday. But it's also the day of something else. I can't mention what it is. What would you do....what would you do? : )

Just look at the name on the sign-I was meant to be there!

Looking up...a bit

So I bit the bullet and found out about my ultrasound-yes I have fibroids and they aren't too bad. And I have a shadow on my liver, I've been told that before. Whether or not my family doctor wants me to get that checked out is up to her. I have fatty liver as does my younger brother. It seems to be a family issue. I still think Lyme Disease is playing with my system after all these years. I've never been the same since 1997, so for the last nine years. I was just reading that you can get it through mosquitoes too! I had a few terrible bites on my leg, one of which is finally going away after 4 months-I kid you not! It was healing funny, like overscabbing. Colleen said little Tori had the same kind of bite. My Uncle and my mom's neighbor have been infected by LD more than once.
I was looking at a correlation between women's cycles and Lyme disease and found a page about the nervous system. There was a questionnaire and I could relate to a lot of the questions-being in crowds, feeling like I've been touched and haven't (<-not that often). Though my brother called me oversensitive, maybe I really am! My mom always said I was the loudest baby in the nursery like the other babies and noise or lights were bothering me. To this day I prefer the evenings to the mornings. I did not grow up in the most stable environment (divorced parents) which surely didn't help a sensitive little girl. I am writing this in hopes that other people who may have these issues will write to me. It's hard to have issues that you just can't pinpoint. You try to live a normal life and enjoy the little things-that's all you can do.

It's a Wonderful Life

Jimmy Stewart from Indiana, Pa. played George Bailey the character who felt like everything he wanted to do got pushed aside. I loved this character and I think Jimmy was such a gentleman. It was just his voice that was a bit grating. I hope you've seen this move and if you can't make out my phrase there, it says 'Every time you hear a bell, an angel's got his wings' or something like that. : )

Ok, I agree with Barbara, Jimmy had a very memorable voice-maybe it was the people who tried to imitate him that made me think his voice was annoying. Shame on them! ; )

So what is it?

I was wondering all day where my mom was. She had a 12:30 eye doctor appointment and we chatted at about 11 this morning. So 2 pm went by, then it was going on 3. I called mom's house. Nothing. By 5:45 I called my brother thinking she was over there admiring his newly 'faced' (with stone) fireplace. Not there. I called Ken again an hour later to ask him to go over to mom's and the phone beeped and it was her! I was upset with her for not taking a second out of her 5 hour shopping excursion to call me. She apologized. I had gotten a 5:30 phone call from the doctor's office and the nurse said my culture didn't look like a UTI! I could have told her that. I know it's the fibroids or a groin pull or both. Geez. Wants me to give them another sample. What fun! I am calling the gyn office about the ultrasound I had last month and never heard about. We have to fork out almost $400 for that.
I wanted to shop online today, but I need a few days to collect myself from yesterday. We aren't going gung ho with gifts...we decided that months ago. I'd like a new camera (that would be gung ho), but Bri never can chose one. He did get a few bucks from an old bank account through the PA treasury or something. Maybe we could use that. Come on Bri!!!

Pictures

This is going over the St George's bridge and is a mixture of my reflection and the Delaware Bay. It's a high bridge!

Ahhh...my favorite bookstore-and I was very selective too!

The address is 1159 Dupont Highway-the month and year of yours truly's birth! No wonder I like it there!!

We also went to the Dover Mall where Sean and I used some gift cards (we bought a few little things for us and gifts for others). We ate in...where else, The Olive Garden! I also hit A.C. Moore, Dollar Tree and Kohls. I got a little shopping out of the way! And I felt better, but not 100% yet-the guys thought it was funny when I almost walked into a glass wall at FYE!

Takin' a drive

After an emotional, worthless day yesterday, I woke up to a nice, sunny day and asked the guys if we could take a drive down to Dover, DE. They said 'yes'! So we are leaving shortly. It takes an hour to get there and the stores (plus my favorite book warehouse) are open until 8! Guess we'll go out to eat too. I just needed to see something different. Talk to you later!

Photo hunt for Saturday....TIME

the past...my Uncle Don who is 83 now, his dad, my grandfather Alan and my gr-grandfather Alan Sr. They knew how to party in the 50s!

Family Issues

I don't know when I'll be blogging again-my brother and mom both have issues with me right now. I didn't do anything except get sick on the day I was suppose to have my brother out for a visit before he went home to Florida. I'm pretty sure they are both bi-polar, either way up or way down and it's 'my way or the highway'. Mom was here since Wednesday and left around noon today in a huff because she said 'she wore out her welcome'. I think she is upset about my brother showing me the gate. So when I have interesting things to share, I'll be back. I think I'll do something crafty to get my head on straight again. Hugs to you all!
Update-I talked to mom tonight and she wasn't mad at me, but Brian! I don't know why, he just got up in the morning like everyone else did. I am still peeved at the way she ran out the door. Brian left a voice message with my brother about apologizing to me for the email. I said he needs to stick up for me once in a while. We've heard nothing.

Thanksgiving 2006

Care for some wine? I didn't have any, but Sean and I designed a concoction of Sprite and cranberry juice-yummy! I had gold charger plates with my good china. I added a tea candle (gift from my sister-in-law along with an apple for a decoration.
The table again with a surprise 'guest'-that's Cosmo the kitty!
Hit dessert! Pumpkin gingerbread trifle-Paula Deen's recipe (I also made her cranberry and cream cheese slices).

I also had mincemeat pie for Bri's dad.
Mom and I relaxing after cleaning up the kitchen
A roaring fire courtesy of Brian.

I realized I didn't post dinner food photos-I was just too busy in the kitchen. The food turned out great! I have to applaud my oven for helping out. I used a Reynold's cooking bag and placed the turkey without stuffing in it (along with carrots, onions and celery). I seasoned the turkey with salt, pepper and sage and used a little butter on top. Along with the cooking bag, I cooked it 'breast side down' for the first 2 hours and then flipped it over in the last hour or so. It really makes all the difference!

I had Yukon gold mashed potatoes, green beans and bacon, brussel sprouts with garlic and bacon, yams, cole slaw and cornbread stuffing.

Family connection

I got an email from my father's half brother today. I have never met or talked to him ever, but he got my email from our cousin Ann who I correspond with. I won't go into it, but it was about my estranged father. I think I answered his question and I also shared some of the family photos that I shared with you. I said he could share them with my father if he wanted to.
So exactly a year ago, a cousin from my mom's side of the family had left a comment on blogger wondering who I was (I like to look up posts from a year or two ago). I had written a post about his grandmom and he had googled her name (I guess) and my blogger post came up.
The internet is a great way to connect with new people and family and even those you have wondered about.
I thought it would be interesting to put up a few names of people from the past to see if they google themselves. If you get to my post, please say 'hello'. All are from the Philadelphia area.
Phil Heaver
Valerie Henschel
John Voelker (WCU)
Donna DiDomenico
Amy and Jessica Nackord
Andrea DeBeacke or DeBecke (I think the spelling is incorrect)
Amy Troy
Michelle Bendo
Regina Naab
Olivia Pettengill Maple
Kathy Clancy

Truly blest part 2

Tons of birthday cards! (with a few Thanksgiving ones too)
The lovely gifts I described earlier

I'm still a little wonky, though I slept 6 straight hours last night. I heard nothing. One magic pill! Too bad I have 13 more to go. I never heard from Don. This makes me so sad for mom and me. I try to be a good sister and send him goodies in the mail once in a while. I think being around us reminds him of things he didn't like about his childhood. Personally, I try to focus on the fun memories from then.

I hope everyone who is cooking in two days is ready! I'm not. I still need a few ingredients and to get the table ready. Thank goodness for one more day!

I may be MIA

Just a quick note to let you know I am sick with a bladder infection! I was up all night 'greeting' the Tidy Bowl man every 10 minutes. I haven't had much sleep since Saturday night. So much for a good birthday evening. I was kinda just getting by last night though I wasn't up to par (I had indigestion as did the guys).
My brother and our sister-in-law were suppose to come out and see the kitchen and I was too miserable to have company. He's angry at me for being sick! So get glad again. (I have shed a few tired tears over how he treated mom and what he said). I had to wait until 4 to go to the doctor (so I was miserable all day) and Brian is getting me antibiotics. Those blasted infections make you feel ill all over. I hope I am up to Thanksgiving, but mom said she would help and it's just 5 of us anyway.
Keeping fingers crossed for a speedy recovery.

Family Shots

The thirteen of us-notice the lack of females. Next generation
With Don after not seeing him for over 4 years

Sharing a birthday cake-just like the old days! He's a year younger

and born on the 28th.

Truly Blest-part 1

I really am blest with friends I've met over the internet in the last 9 years. This past year, I've met some new pals, mainly through Blogger and Cyberstitchers. I had no idea I'd be surprised with goodies time and time again over the last few days.
First 'Pea' (Pea's Corner) from Canada sent me a package. I told her I'd wait until today to open it. I need to take a photo, but it is the sweetest petite perfume bottle, shaped like a heart with a faceted round topper and little jewels on the sides. The box is pretty too! Thanks Pea/C!
Barbara from The Netherlands (Mainly Stitching) and Carol from N. Hampshire (A Garden of Stitches) both surprised me with cross stitched scissor fobs they made with their own two hands. Their creativity shines through each stitch and how the fob is assembled. I borrowed their shots from their blogs. Barb also sent a nice English stitching magazine, 2 quarters of Christmas fabric and some pretty stitching fabric. I also want to thank Carol for trying to find some info on NH for Sean for a paper.

From Carol




From Barbara

Charlotte from Ireland sent me peach and white roses (and another kind of flower) in a blue pitcher. These touched me as I know she's been flat on her back, literally after back surgery.




Karin for Illinois sent me the JT Cmas CD (Bri gave it to me also), cute greeting cards with a little girl who is gardening and a roll-up case for a project.
Angela from NY sent me a lovely long scarf she made-red silk-like material with beads on the end. Also a little folk angel and a stained glass butterfly pot hanger.
Terri from Alabama sent me a Harry and David cheesecake 'sampler'-pure heaven!
Joy from Washington sent goodies from where she works-Drugstore.com-Bert's Bees items in a pouch, Badger hand balm and a catnip mat for Cosmo! I think she looked at my wishlist there! ; )
Sean gave me two CDS-Sarah MacLachlan's Cmas and Bianca Ryan's debut (I mentioned in my previous post).
Bri gave me two necklaces-a 'D' with a little diamond, a big 'O' with diamond-like rhinestones; Chocolates in a cute tin, a little teapot with bear figurine from Boyd's and the JT CD which I will exchange. I will post more photos later.
I am going to Ken's at 4 and hopefully all my siblings (3 brothers) will be there. Dave, the oldest, may have to work.
My mom isn't well today with tummy problems, so I hope she'll be better by then. I am ok today, at least my ears seem better. Let's just say hormones can play tricks with you!
So from the bottom of my heart, I appreciate you all, not just for your thoughtfulness, but because you are YOU!!!!

For your entertainment

Today in History -All Events on November 19
1965 Kellogg's Pop Tarts pastries created-is this why I can't help but buy them all the time?
1962 Fidel Castro accepts removal of Soviet weapons
1959 Ford cancels Edsel
1919 U.S. Senate rejects Treaty of Versailles and League of Nations
1895 Frederick E. Blaisdell patents the pencil

General Interest
1863 : Lincoln delivers Gettysburg Address
1942 : Soviet counterattack at Stalingrad
1969 : Pele scores 1,000th goal
1977 : Sadat visits Israel

American Revolution
1776 : Congress pleads for soldiers

Automotive
1954 : First toll machine goes into service
1993 : Chevy Cavalier becomes Toyota Cavalier

Civil War
1863 : Lincoln's Gettysburg Address -I'm proud of this event happening on my birthday

Cold War
1985 : Reagan and Gorbachev hold their first summit meeting

Crime
1924 : The story of Thomas Ince's death takes on a life of its own

Disaster
1824 : Thousands perish in St. Petersburg flood

Entertainment
1916 : Goldwyn Company formed
1923 : Louella Parsons joins Hearst

Literary
1899 : Poet and critic Allen Tate is born

Old West
1907 : Shane author Jack Schaefer is born

Presidential
1831 : James A. Garfield is born

11/19/1889 Clifton Webb Entertainment
11/19/1904 Nathan Leopold Crime
11/19/1905 Tommy Dorsey Music
11/19/1917 Indira Gandhi Politics
11/19/1919 Alan Young Entertainment
11/19/1920 Gene Tierney Entertainment
11/19/1921 Roy Campanella Sports
11/19/1926 Jeane Kirkpatrick Politics
11/19/1933 Larry King Entertainment
11/19/1934 Dave Guard Music
11/19/1936 Dick Cavett Entertainment
11/19/1938 Ted Turner Business
11/19/1939 Tom Harkin Politics
11/19/1939 Garrick Utley Journalism
11/19/1941 Dan Haggerty Entertainment
11/19/1942 Calvin KleinFashion
11/19/1949 Ahmad Rashad Sports,Entertainment
11/19/1953 Tom Villard Entertainment
11/19/1954 Kathleen Quinlan Entertainment
11/19/1957 Ofra Haza Music

Also: Meg Ryan and Jodie Foster!

Me Collage

My life so far...



I apologize to my sister-in-laws for not having a photo of them here. I don't store that many photos on the computer. I'll have to look in my Yahoo photos and add them in. Can you find my mom, three brothers, my Uncle, my grandmom, and the next generation? Click to enlarge.

Saturday Photo hunt

Grab the Scavenger Hunt code. Photo Theme. Join the blogroll. Visit participants.

The word is 'Plush'. I think Cosmo agrees that this pretty faux fur throw is plush.

Bianca's First CD!

Bianca Ryan's first CD is out!! Remember she's the young lady who won 'America's Got Talent' back in August? I am thrilled for her (she's from Philly too). I hope someone here gets it for me (Sean is shopping today, so just maybe!) Be sure to click on the yellow arrow on the page if you can get to it. I thought I gave you the correct linkage. Let me know.

Perfectionist

I use to be too hard on myself about getting things perfect. Nothing is perfect really. That said, I was going through my cross stitch stuff last night and found about 4 UFOs (unfinished obejects/pieces) that only need a few things to actually complete them. Like the Christmas peace sheep only needs the 4 words 'peace' in the border. And the Hershey kiss kids just need the background. I held that last one up to tell Brian that I worked on it when we lived in the apartment-that was over 20 years ago. One is of Amish children under an apple tree. I need to finish the tree, birdhouse and basket. I think this one put me off because of all the apples. Then I have a beagle pup in an unfinished basket. Does anyone have a beagle out there who would like this? I forget who I was making this for, maybe an old friend of my brother's. So I have a few pieces to get finished and I'll show them to you soon!

I am a little upset because I still have the ear problem. I've had it off and on for years. It's annoying , especially if I am sitting quietily and better when I am working around the house. It's like hearing crickets outside in the summer, but quieter. I read it could be from allergies, Lyme Disease or too much wax. I've had/have all three. Our newer phone projects the speaker quite loud, so I am wondering if that could be a problem too. I can hear Bri's dad talking to him on the phone when he is 10 feet away! I remember having a bad episode of it when my niece was born-that was 7.5 yrs ago. My allergies were not great that year either. I'll get them checked out if it gets any worse.

Stitching blogger question

Q. Do you stitch Christmas ornaments? If so, how many do you stitch each
year and for whom? If not, why not?

Yes, I do make Christmas ornaments that I mostly give away. I don't make a lot, maybe 3-4, but I always want to start in the summer to make more and rarely do. I have two completed now waiting for me to finish them. My one charity group usually picks a few children and we make a ton of ornaments for them. A few years ago it was a family with special needs kids (all adopted) and the mom was so thrilled that the ornaments really filled in their tree.
I like to make them because they are quick stitches and you can assemble them in so many different ways.

A JT Share

A James Taylor cut from his Christmas CD. Actually this is a rerelease of a Hallmark CD he did a few years ago, but not this song- 'River'. I'd just buy it for the cover shot of JT wearing a tan knit hat and holding a gift. That is very different for him.

Get yourself a wish list

That's all I need to say. For the whiners (oh husband, mom, son, siggie other, daughter, you name them!) who say-"I don't know what to give you for your birthday or Christmas!" Well go to Amazon and type in my email address (i.e.) and viola! There's a list there if you are inclined to add things to a list, which I do (I do buy things once in a while too). And most things are at a discount! I showed Brian this months ago. Can we say short attention span?

A message to myself...

Thanks to Abby for this link. It's spelled out in buildings.
http://www.geogreeting.com/view.html?znGzXuTR+giuO1Pw+p-z7niz+cWP2V

So tired

I decided to go to mom's yesterday as she was begging me to put up some new dining room curtains for her. (I don't like them-they are a sand color-very plain. She did get some metallic copper valances too).To make a long 3 hours short, I cleaned the kitchen, raked leaves a bit, picked up flower pots and branches scattered around her yard and took out at least 6 bags of trash, many from the kitchen! She really needs to get a new side counter as the one she has is only good for surface space-the drawers are mainly all broken (Ikea is calling me). She has a small dining room with the following: 3 china cabinets (2 open, 1 with glass doors); a bookcase, a tv on a tv cabinet and 100s of cassette tapes and lps, a rectangular table and 4 chairs. No, you can't move around out there. I am going to talk her into getting rid of the tv and cassettes first.
After all the above, mom took me to the mall for dinner at Carrabba's, an Italian restaurant where I got my usual-Rigatoni Martino-with sun-dried tomatoes and grilled chicken. Mom got Chicken Piccata and spaghetti.
We went into Macy's and they were having a mother of a sale. I had a gift card and got a few lovely tops plus their big plush Snoopy(and radio). Mom bought me a chenille robe and eye makeup for my birthday. I wish I could have really 'shopped' but I was too pooped.
I went home being accused by Jim of throwing away his 'heirloom' fry pan. He even went out in the trash to look for it! He said that that 'cast iron' pan meant a lot to him. I didn't even toss it! It was in the oven and it needs to be seasoned. I was a bit peeved to say the least.
A lady we talked to while going through the 75% racks at Macy's said she had open heart by-pass surgery two weeks earlier! She was about in her 50s, hard to tell. She said they didn't even think she had a problem, but she woke up with arm pain and had to get the surgery. She smoked and now she says she can't even stand the smell of cigarettes. She said she learned the hard way about how smoking can effect you. She also said that she works at a nursing home and was going to see the patients as she loved them and spending time with them even though she was in housekeeping. I guess she is an angel to those people.
So I went home achy, stuffed up, ears ringing and with what is left of my grandmom's good china. A few pieces are chipped. All I have are a few bread plates and some cake plates. But they were my grandmoms, that's what counts.

Blooming

I guess this is a Thanksgiving cactus rather than a Christmas one. This was

hanging outside all summer.
I just bought this red amaryllis at Big Lots for $3.99. I am sad the one growth area has decay, but that may not be the main stem either. The circular part is the peat pellet. Looks like it will need more than that-look at those roots!

And Happy Birthdays to my 'A' pals Angela and Abby!

Keeping a low profile

Not too much exciting happening lately. I am trying to get in the mood to tidy up before my brother Don comes up from Florida. I'm running out of time-he arrives Friday. I'm not sure if he will make it out here though. I have a feeling he'll pick seeing our Uncle Don over seeing the new kitchen. That's okay. I am probably going to my mom's to do a little cleaning today if my head clears up some. My sinuses are so stuffed they are making my ears ring! Blah.
Birthdays don't usually bother me, but I'm not crazying about getting that much closer to 50. Brian is only 4 months from 50, so I feel a bit better for me. ; )
I was down in my finished basement room(aka as storage room) looking for something the other day and decided to clear it out as my winter project. I happen to look down and found one of those fake wood shelves propped up against a plastic box. This is the room where the water comes in and the floor gets wet when we get too much rain. Well didn't that shelf have mold growing on it! I was totally grossed out. Makes me wonder what is under the paneling in there. Brian had given his childhood desk to Sean and when Sean gave it up, it ended up taking up space in that room. I would really like to put up our old rectangular dining room table so I have somewhere to craft and make a mess. Sean gave me the okay to get rid of his old toys (he is 20 for goodness sake) but to keep the Hot Wheels and Micromachines. I only have a handful of my old toys. Brian kinda pulled a face (and he calls me a pack rat!). That's what I plan to do-after the holidays. I want to get some super duper dust mask first too!

What do you think?

You have to join to see who you look like. If you don't want to join, send me a photo and I'll generate a collage for you. I hope Brian and Sean don't mind that they match a lot of women. ; ) Jodie Foster and I share the same birthday!
<----I shrunk my collage down so it would fit in the sidebar.

http://www.myheritage.com

http://www.myheritage.com

Passings

Yesterday was a glorious fall day in the 70s. We had Mr. S' funeral to attend and headed down to my mom's to get her and her pal and boarder Jim around 8:30. Google was kind to us and we got there in good time. We drove down a road where my grandmom ran a laundermat when I was a little kid. There were a lot of people there and the flowers and photo board (I bet Colleen, my s-in-law made it) were wonderful. Inside the coffin were pictures drawn by my niece and nephew. Tori's said 'I miss you Pop-pop' with a little girl's face drawn in that special 7 yr old style. Her brother's said something like 'rest in peace' and he drew a picture of a guitar-perfectly. There was also a bar coaster with autographs (not sure what that was all about) and a black cowboy hat. I had no idea he liked country music and could play guitar.
A Mormon guy officiated the service (this was new to me too). No music either. The part that made everyone dab their eyes was when Colleen said 'I see my dad in my Kenny' and that 'her mom was an angel to him as she took care of him so well'. Mrs. S. has lost weight and had an ashen complexion. I hope she takes care of herself better now.
We were in the funeral procession and we drove by their house first. I didn't know they did that, but it's an old tradition. We then went to the Media cemetery, close to where Colleen, Ken, the kids and mom live (where I grew up). We knew others resting there. That was hard on Colleen. She's been a strong, brave lady and I salute her for that.
I forgot to tell you that we drove by the church where Brian and I got married over 22 years ago (while in the funeral procession).
We went to our church last night and there was a baptism! So we almost touched all the sacraments yesterday.

A few famous Pennsylvanians passed away last week- newsman Ed Bradley and actor Jack Palance. Ed went to nearby Cheyney University. Jack, from Hazelton, won an Oscar for 'City Slickers'. When he accepted the Oscar, he did his infamous one armed push-ups. : )

Here are a few weird connections-I was crafting some bookmarks for my friends and needed a big eraser to wipe away some gluestick residue. Sean had one in his room and handed it to me-it had the same last name as Colleen's dad printed on it! Of all the names-it's not Smith either.
I was looking in my wallet and pulled out a folded piece of paper-it was Sean's eyeglass prescription dated 11-11-05, exactly a year from when it was written!

Our first youtube video

I told Brian we should try the video part of the camera (after 4 yrs!) This is what we came up with-lol. I had just taken a clip out of my hair so it was wonky. Enjoy me 'singing' Love Story to Cosmo the kitty! This is totally not synchronized!

Try something different for Thanksgiving

I caught Paula last night and thought I'd make this and the little cranberry thingies with cream cheese. Not sure if Cornish game hens would go over-I get a free turkey soon anyway!
Pumpkin Gingerbread Trifle
Recipe courtesy Paula Deen
See this recipe on air Wednesday Nov. 22 at 1:00 PM ET/PT.
Show:
Paula's Home Cooking
Episode:
Thanksgiving

2 (14-ounce) packages gingerbread mix 1 (5.1-ounce) package cook-and-serve vanilla pudding mix 1 (30-ounce) can pumpkin pie filling 1/2 cup packed brown sugar 1/3 teaspoon ground cardamom or cinnamon 1 (12-ounce) container frozen whipped topping 1/2 cup gingersnaps, optional
Bake the gingerbread according to the package directions; cool completely. Meanwhile, prepare the pudding and set aside to cool. Stir the pumpkin pie filling, sugar, and cardamom into the pudding. Crumble 1 batch of gingerbread into the bottom of a large, pretty bowl. Pour 1/2 of the pudding mixture over the gingerbread, then add a layer of whipped topping. Repeat with the remaining gingerbread, pudding, and whipped topping. Sprinkle of the top with crushed gingersnaps, if desired. Refrigerate overnight. Trifle can be layered in a punch bowl.

Since I am a stitcher too

...I'd like to show you my progress on 'Giggles in the Snow' a Mirabilia design. I got him out again to stitch along with the gang in the sidebar there. I think I'm the only one doing a child, the others are doing lovely ladies. I love the colors so much, I'll probably do the little girl companion piece. This is on a silver specked fabric. I cut it too small, so I'll have to leave off the words 'snow angel'. I'll have to make sure the girl will be able to include those words so they can be framed together.

Chicken love

I was at my mom's yesterday in an attempt to help her tidy up...something, anything. I arrived to find piles of Rubbermaid containers piled up in her living room. It looked like she was moving. She said she knew what was in all of them and they all had a place to go. I told her she has too may 'things' for one person. She always says 'I know', but she adds to the booty daily. She's hopeless- the 'things' are taking over making her feel bad about her house.
What's with the chicken? Well, I went outside to toss empty cardboard boxes on mom's patio and low and behold there were 5 of her neighbor's hens out there scratching around in the leaves. They are so funny to watch. Mom gives them stale bread and they love it!
I helped her clean the inside of her car. I also dragged about 10 bags of stuff (mine included) to the Goodwill Store. While I was disposing of them, she went in the store and picked out about 6 articles of clothing and tried to buy them without me seeing them! I made her put back half of them and later she picked up a top she had put back. I did find a few things-a cute ceramic jar with a cat stenciled on it for Cosmo's goodies-blue and white. I found an old ceramic Santa, a Disney Belle doll, a teddy and Toll House's favorite recipes cookbook. Some to keep, some for eBay. I have a few plastic boxes sitting around here-with the Halloween stuff. I can't find things I took off the windowsills in the dining room area that I had replaced with Halloween things. Gee, the apple doesn't fall far from the tree!
And Mom and I had a nice dinner at Outback Steakhouse-she had the kiddie steak (really) and I had shrimp, prawns and mushrooms in fetticini-yum! We shared their new apple cobbler that is served with vanilla ice cream and a maple sauce (I think).

My uncle took his driver's test yesterday and failed it miserably. So he won't be driving anymore. He saw his regular physician today and the doc said he could go home from rehab! Well, he needs a walker, can't use a cane. He had a terrible nosebleed last week. We are wondering how he will fend for himself as my aunt is in another nursing home. Sad stuff.

Susan's Cottage

My tribe.net group friends and I were talking about things we secretly liked and my one pal mentioned she liked dollhouses. I made the little one below back in about 1992 or 93. I was assembling it when I heard that a former secretary of Brian's had passed away-her name was Sue. So I named it for her. She was only 28 and fought ovarian cancer until the very end-even having her bone marrow transplant as a story on the local news. The last time I saw her alive was at a picnic and she looked at Sean in a longing way knowing she'd probably never had children. I never forgot that.

The little house pieces had to be all painted and wallpapered before it was assembled. The inside is a little messy as it gets walked into and the little dishes, etc. get knocked down. I have plastic over the back to keep some of the dust out of it. It was a difficult project and I never made another one, but I still keep this one on display.

A change is a comin'

Ok, I voted...there were only 4 people on our ballot way out here in the sticks. ; )
We waited in a long line as they had one ancient lady with the register books to look up your name. It was easy when we got up there as our names are all in a row. Filling out the ballot was like taking a standardized test. I only had to color in two ovals. Then we ran the ballot in a scanner machine. No hanging chads! I saw a few people I knew in line and we chatted a bit. One way to socialize. The machine's counter said I was about 860! Wow, that's a lot. : )
Ed Rendell won with no problem. It was a landslide for Bob Casey!
We decided to go to Baskin Robbins for a treat as my pork tenderloin didn't exactly fill any of us up! Heck, I tried. I had coconut nut in a sugar cone. Too bad many of my teeth ache from the cold food.

Now for the flurry of Christmas ads....oh, they make me feel like I'm not buying the right gifts. Plus the ones with the Lexus tied up with a gigantic bow make me a little envious. Darn them!

The service for Colleen's dad is at 9 am on Saturday. We live an hour+ away. I am not a morning person. Ok, that sounds so 'self-centered' as my mom said tonight. The guys were moaning and groaning in the background. I think it's going to be a short and sweet service. We had a memorial service for my grandmom, no funeral. It was very touching. My brother Ken and I had a hard time holding it together just for that. So, God willing, I'll get to the place (not sure where it is) and I'll do it for my sister-in-law.

Mower bagger-pfft!

Some critter had gotten into the bag of sunflower seeds I left on my low plant stand yesterday (smart). I had to pick up the stand and everything that was on it. Then I had to sweep off the seeds. I was using the broom to brush off leaves and then I just went and got the rake and garden cart. I was out there a while spiffing up the place. I got completely grossed up by seeing a little foot peeking out from leaves under behind the hedge. Not sure if it was a squirrel or a rat, I'm thinking squirrel, though I saw no signs of a bushy tail. I had to scoop it up with the rake (not easy) and he's under a pile of leaves in the back. I didn't feel like attending a rodent burial today.
I want the front yard to at least look nice for my brother's visit next week. I hope he'll be able to get out here. Four days is rather a short visit. And I'm actually helping myself by doing a little of the clean up in the fall rather than waiting for the spring. My sinuses and moldy leaves do not mix well.

Thursday is the funeral for my sister-in-law's dad. Not sure if either Brian or Sean can attend as it's a bad day for them. I'm sure Carl would say not to worry to them. He was laid back. He was interested in my eBay endeavors and wanted to sell an old Singer sewing machine he had. I looked up sewing machines to give him prices, but I doubt he ever sold it. My estranged father is also named Carl and he looks like Colleen's dad. We all thought that the first time we saw Mr. S.

Martha Stewart inspires me

I just got back on her website after not being able to visit and get inspired for months. They let me change my user name and viola! This is the perfect website for domestic goddesses like myself.

Make this:
Spice-Infused Simple Syrup
Makes about 3/4 cup
1 cup sugar
4 whole black peppercorns
2 whole cloves
1 cinnamon stick
1 star anise
1 strip (2 1/2 inches) orange zest

1. Bring sugar, 1 cup water, the peppercorns, cloves, cinnamon stick, star anise, and zest to a boil in a small saucepan. Reduce heat, and simmer 5 minutes. For milder flavor, remove star anise, and discard; simmer 10 minutes more. Remove from heat. Let cool completely. Pour through a sieve into a bowl; discard solids. Syrup can be refrigerated in an airtight container up to 1 month.

To make this:

A Fall Mixer

Celebrate seasonal spices with a simple syrup infused with cinnamon, cloves, star anise, orange peel, and black peppercorns. The syrup, which has a taste and fragrance reminiscent of a holiday dessert, can be stirred into tea, coffee, or sparkling cider. Or make a cocktail redolent of apple, citrus, and spice: Mix 1 tablespoon of the syrup with 1 tablespoon Calvados and 1/2 cup sparkling cider; garnish with a curl of fresh orange peel.

Finding love

I got the best kind of email this morning from my good friend Karin. She and her boyfriend Michael are engaged! It's sort of a whirlwind romance, though they have known each other 5 yrs, but only through the web and telephone. She decided to go meet him in North Carolina about five months ago and sparks flew! So they have been traveling back and forth from Illinois to NC to see each other. Her engagement ring was her grandmom's-it's about 58 yrs old-so beautiful. I wish them much happiness.

Still hanging on

Burning bush with old tree behind it
Dried hydrangeas still on the bush-I did pick a bunch!
Turning red-Japanese Maple
Orangey-brown dogwood leaves

Dreamer...

Ok, you probably have strange dreams, correct? Now why would I dream about my late grandmom Ruth and me at a stock broker office with cans of coins, purses of money and 'Mom mom' telling me to 'buy the figs?' Stop laughing, I'm serious! And my grandmom only tried to sell a mail order item once-the Stanley steamer (which actually got popular within the last decade, I have one and think of her everytime I use it). 'Mom-mom' never went to a stock broker either! What's with the figs anyway? She ate prunes, no figs. ; )
TV wise...
I am hooked on the rebroadcast of 'Six Feet Under' on Bravo cable. They show about 3 in a row on Sundays. These are 5 yr old shows, but I like all the characters and their strange behavior. Rachel Griffiths is now on the ABC show 'Brothers and Sisters' which I also watch. I should get off the computer to watch 'Iron Chef America' which is airing now. If anything inspires me to just experiment with what I have at hand in the kitchen, that show does!

BTW, Barbaro, the race horse is getting the cast off his leg soon-after over 5 months. He's at an area hospital and it was touch and go for a while. The news just updated on him.

Pay it forward

I have joined the Pay It Forward Challenge:The first five people to respond to this post (via the comments section) will get some form of "art" made by me. It will be a hand crafted item made from sewing, crocheting, stitching, decoupage-just about anything. I will try to make the item something special just for you. After you comment, please email me your snail mail address (to diadsie at comcast dot net). It will likely take me a few months to get them made and out (beginning in January) If you sign up, you then need to post the challenge in your blog to continue the fun!

Could you say a prayer for my sister-in-law Colleen's family? Her dad passed away this morning (11-6). It was expected, but it's still so hard to finally have it happen for her.

Just a quickie here

I thought I'd give you all a break-lol
Busy on Friday-my van got an oil change and two new tires. No reports of mice. I check the door jam daily and I think the varmint realized it had to move or be moved! Sean was nice enough to go the the Firestone place. We got pizza and did a little shopping-Marshall's, Michael's Craft (me that is, Sean went in Old Navy) and Target. I got some cute marked down Halloween stuff at Marshalls. I tried to get one marked down even more as it needed repair, but the girl just wouldn't do it, so I left it there. I told her no one else would be willing to repair it and that they would probably be tossing it. She had a tiff with the manager as she waited on me-great timing!
Yesterday Brian hooked up the bagger to the mower. It had to be put together first. It worked great the first time and then it got clogged the second run through. He got up leaves that would have before taken him 2 hours-now only about 10 minutes!
We ate dinner at Wendy's-it was pretty bad. Don't get the cheddar bacon burger-the cheddar is horrible-it didn't taste like real cheese at all. Mom went to her Wendy's and said the food was bad too!
We then headed for Wally World as I needed a printer cartridge and paper and some. I spent the evening looking at a craft magazine and working on a cute cross stitch piece of a little boy making a snow angel.
So nothing too exciting, but that's life most of the time. : )

Just counting down the days

The Democrats blame Bush and the war in Iraq-if you vote for any Republicans, 'you are following the Bush herd'-one ad actually shows a herd of cows.
The Republicans say many of the Democrats are slamming them for being in favor of the war. They also say the Democrats are all for illegal aliens (millions of them!) getting into the country and stealing funds for social security, etc. Okay, that definitely isn't a new thing-illegals have been sneaking over the borders for years. I want to know what they ALL are doing to protect us from security threats-like 9-11. And I think most people have their minds set, so why waste millions of dollars on the lame campaign ads? I know I will vote for Ed Rendell because he's a proven politician. How many governors do you see singing the Eagles football fight song and tailgating with the common folk? Arnold?
Rick Santorum is worried because Bob Casey, Jr (he's dropped the junior) is running for senator. Casey's dad was the governor in the 80s. I personally can't stand Santorum or a fellow Penncrest high graduate Curt Weldon who has been a congressman for years and years. Weldon has his wife sticking up for him in an ad!
So I say, give us a break! I hate your stupid ads. We get so confused and fed up, we want to hit the mute button during every commercial break. Sean says he doesn't even feel like voting. Bombard us on Monday-the day before, not for a month. And we have to listen to campaign ads for New Jersey and Delaware too! My nerves are frazzled!!
BTW, I really don't give a 's' about what John Kerry said. BUT, if you are going to make such a statement, get it correct in the first place (like Bush never makes mistakes in his public speeches). You should have known all the conservatives would jump down your throat over it.

My one brother says that all politicians are slime balls anyway.

Whitney Music box

Check out the awesome music box found here:
Krazy dad has really undone himself! Be sure to check out all the variations.

Like storing nuts for the winter

I put away most of my outdoor decorations yesterday. I have a lot of them and they go in crates or buckets. The only things I washed off were the water pumps from the pond and the bird bath. Everything else looked okay. When I take them out again in the spring and they look too faded, etc, I'll just toss them and look for others on sale. I was sitting resting on the bench (we had high 70s-real Indian Summer weather) and of course I can't think of one thing I had out this year that's more than 5 yrs old. Those things just don't last. I had to throw away my cute little green cart (that I assembled) because the bottom rotten out. I placed all the things in the shed and Brian had put in some large items like the glider and table, so I couldn't get them pushed in the corner. We have mice that get in there and phew-the smell. Mice are a pain. I found one making a nest in the corner of the door jam on the van! And that was in the parking lot of the shopping center-eek! I hope I ditched him on the 23 mile drive to my mom's on Tuesday.
It's cooler today and I am off to the store. We all love to snack (Bri and my downfall) and the only snack food we have are pretzels. I'll eat a few, but I like them with mustard and won't eat mustard at 10 at night.

Oh! And Happy Birthday to my friend Annemarie in the Netherlands! I mailed a little something for you. That was her cross stitched piece I just finished up.

Stop smoking month

I never smoked-I tried smoking a few times, not my addiction-chocolate is! Anyway, I hope that if you smoke or know someone who does, that you can really try your best to quit or help. Two of my brothers tried, and one was successful (not sure if my brother in Florida has tried again, but I heard he was a vegetarian; but I think quitting smoking would be more beneficial to him). I saw this photo and was saving it to share on blog. Makes quite a statement don't you think?

Bump in the Night

A little design I stitched about 5 yrs ago. It's now in the middle of a grape vine wreath. I think it's a Blue Whale design.

And a few more...

We're all under the same Halloween moon...

After I got home I asked for a full shot in front of the decorated window. I have a kitty attached to my skirt. Do you like my socks?

My mom and her only granddaughter Tori.