Navel Chakras

So the suggestion (so far) to help my tummy at the herbal medicine tribe was to cleanse my navel chakras. Ok, how do I do that and I hope it doesn't involve needles. So I found this website. It looks interesting as it relates to yoga. Anything to feel better. I was doing some deep breathing today too. Sometimes you just have to sit back and say 'whoa nelly'-you gotta take a break! Even though I relax through stitching, sometimes that makes me a bit hyper, like the Independence Hall square. An end is in sight, but it was bugging me because I. H. is not brown-it's made from 'simple red bricks'. I decided to backstitch reddish color floss over the brown instead of ripping it all out. It works! Thank goodness.

Waiting on the window guy

I have someone coming from Window Wizards to give me an estimate on a garden style window for the kitchen today. I took down the curtains and it's a nice big window. I hope it will be cheaper than what the Home Depot quoted us. I may have him give me an estimate on the front window too. There are 3 casements right now which I never open. We should try to snaz up the place as much as we can.
The kid from Home Depot called yesterday and said the floor I wanted was out of stock. They would have to have a special just when I wanted a new floor! I had to go on the internet with him on the phone and look at different ones. He finally found one that matched the one I like-a Pergo. I get 10% off for installation. I am waiting to hear what the price will be for that. Maybe we'll wait and I can call another place. That's what I should do.
Did I tell you that it was the multivitamins that made my stomach spaz (move) by itself? I stopped taking them and it stopped. My guts are still not right, I think it's all the stuff that's happening around here. I've always been a hyper person (more internal). I just need to calm down or find something to calm my tummy. I have a question in at the herbal medicine group I read. I also found that my tummy is so touchy, I can't even chew gum that has sorbitol in it. What I need is to take a slow, relaxing boat to China.

Watch for Charlie

Charlie McDermott, a West Chester, PA native is playing Kris Kristofferson's son (Kris will be 70 this year-so grandpa would fit better) in a new movie called Disappearances. Charlie was also in The Village filmed in Chadds Ford, near where he lives. I'll have to find more info on Charlie, but I thought I'd share info about another up and coming actor from Chester County.

American Inventor

We've been watching this show every week. It's produced by none other than American Idol's Simon Cowell. I think inventing is cool. How many times do you personally think, 'if only they would have something for that' or 'I should invent that!' Well basically, that's the concept of the show. There have been some really doozies like tonight the man who showed them a peanut butter and jelly dispenser made from the sawed off foot of a doll that he had poked holes in. The retired gentlemen had named his invention 'Toe Jam'-ugh. So we all know that you store these two sandwich ingredients in separate areas of the kitchen-pb in a cabinet and jelly in the frig. It was just a gross concept.
There are definitely two judges who are 'softer'-Mary Lou and Ed. Peter and Doug are harder to please. Doug is an inventor and know-it-all (they sang a little song about that tonight). Each inventor must get 3 out of 4 judges to say 'yes' and move them on to the next round.
What I wonder about if the big companies have their people watching to steal any of the ideas? It's possible. Hey they are looking for ideas to make a ton of money too!

Mary Lou Quinlan-the only female judge, hails from Philly!

The judges said 'yes' to the edible snowglobes!

Wyeth part 2

The local news had a special on Andrew Wyeth in correlation to the Phila Art museum show. I learned a few things that I didn't know about the Wyeths.
NC Wyeth was hit by a train while in his car with his nephew (or grandson) and they both were killed back in about 1945. He had stopped on the back roads of Chester County to view landscape that was misty (this is what artists do). If he hadn't done this, he would have missed the train. Andrew took this hard and they say that is why his paintings became gloomy and deep.
Andrew at age 88, eats at local places around here like Hank's diner (where the cast of 'The Village' frequented a few years back) and a place called Jimmy Johns (they are famous for hotdogs).
It's not uncommon to see Andrew (they all call him Andy, even his granddaughter) and son Jamie walking the halls of the Brandywine River Museum. Speaking of his only granddaughter Victoria, she is a tour guide at the museum.

Wyeth connection

Andrew Wyeth, son of N.C. Wyeth and dad of Jamie has a special display of his art work opening down at the Philadelphia art museum. I find this fairly interesting as his work is usually displayed year round at the Brandywine River museum in Chadds Ford, a stone's throw from Philadelphia. I'd hate to be a visitor and already have been out to the BRM and then go to see this other exhibit and see all of the same AW works.
Andrew isn't my favorite Wyeth painter. I like Jamie's art, esp his portrait of JFK and his pig (and he just recently did the Christmas card for the Bush family).

NC illustrated Treasure Island, etc with vibrant movement and color. Andrew's works are very brown and earth-toned.
Andrew's sister Ann Wyeth McCoy, recently passed away and left a massive doll collection. I read where many of them will be put in a special museum but many will be auctioned evenutally. I'd love to attend the auction 'just to see'. One of the Wyeths (a sister) lived on the same road I do. I always wonder when I travel the long length of our road which house she lived in.

Attention stitchers! Here's something up for sale at the above mentioned auction

Lot 300: 1798 needlework sampler by Rachel Byes, alphanumeric with verse, bottom row with 2 birds holding a basket of fruit flanked by strawberries, 10.75" x 10", a few small stains, otherwise excellent Estimate: 300-500.

Could ya consider linking me?

I just got back from technorati tags as I haven't been there for a while. I am in the top 100,000 for linking (I'm around 95,000). Thanks to all of you who do link to my blog. If you don't and keep reading my blog, could you link or put me in your blog roll? I'd love to be in the top 10,000 someday. I'll be glad to link to you.
I also saw that I was quoted again in a blog about Reese Witherspoon getting paid so much and winning the Oscar. That is very flattering.

Ever read your old blog entries and they are all lined up on one side? I must have used photos that were too large. And my really old, old entries have different colored lettering because I use to have a pale pink background. I would change all of them, but that would take forever. I just highlight the text to read it.

~Update-I added the technorati 'who links here' tag again plus a search engine in my side bar. So if you want to see my cross stitching or flowers, type something in and the exact posts I wrote about the subject will come up.

Some color arrives!

The above lovelies are in my front 'woodland' bed under my big evergreen. People give me jonquils, etc. for Easter and I plant them here. These purple petites are under one of the nasty chestnut trees. Years ago I tried planting croci in a scatter form in the side yard here and they never really did anything. I think the grass was too thick for them there. Where they came from here is a question to me.

I started to clean up outside a little bit with a hand rake (yep, not good for my back). I pulled the screening fabric off the pond and started around there. Then I went around the front and did some of the the woodland bed so the jonquils and tulips can grow more. I see that the daffodils I planted in the fall came up nicely through the leaves in the fairy garden. The giant tulips (also new) and way out in the side yard, are up but just green. Something ate some of them. And the new lilies are coming up in another bed, but a few didn't make it. The ones I planted at my mom's look really great. They are next to the house, so they are sheltered and it's quite sunny there. They are under a new layer of dirt and mulch. I hope they will be gorgeous for mom.

Just ordered!

For obvious reasons, I watch Kitchen Accomplished (it's a kitchen makeover show) every Monday morning on HGtv. Today, Kat the chef, bought the homeowner a panini/grill. Now I have a device similar to the panini and I have a tabletop grill, but this looks so much nicer.


Cuisinart GR-4 Griddler - - contact grill and panini sandwich press makes perfect panini... plus! With 4 separate cooking options, it can handle everything from pancakes to sausages to grilled cheese to steaks, hamburgers, and panini.
Simply change the cooking plates and adjust the floating hinge to use the Griddler as a contact grill, a panini press, or your choice of an extra-large double open grill or griddle. Panini-style handles with floating hinge to adjust to thickness of food.

Removable, dishwasher-safe, non-stick grill and griddle plates. Brushed stainless steel housing. Weighs about 15 pounds. 3-year mfg. warranty. Cuisinart model GR4.



I went and looked on the web an found it here. I get $10 off because it's over $100 and I get a shipping credit of almost $7. So not bad! I am thinking about a new crockpot too (mine is ancient). And of course I am saving up Macy gift cards (Brian's dad gets them from Caesars in Atlantic City) I need a few more for my blue Cuisinart stand mixer.

Get outside!

The temps seems to be on the uprise around here. I need some fresh air! And I need to start cleaning up wintertime debris.
Here is a lovely photo I found on Carly Simon's site to inspire us all to get outside.
(This is the house that her former husband James Taylor built).

Stitching Blog hoppin'

I spent a lot of my down time looking at fellow stitcher's blogs today after trying to get the rest of the kitchen cleaned out (still not finished as I keep running out of boxes-booze boxes are too small). My blog isn't all about stitching (my turn out seems to be in the low numbers compared to others' nimble stitching fingers), I really want to thank all you stitchers that take the time to display your talents and talk about stitching in general. If you look at my side bar, you will see a lot of stitcher's blogs. I add to my blogroll all the time.
Although I have been stitching for going on 30 yrs, I have had many dry, non-productive years. I would buy a chart here and there. I'd start something and then just lay it aside. I was getting like my mom! (Well it's true and she is still this way). Just meeting you all and doing stitching for the sick kids and others really got my stitching juices flowing again. And because of the internet, would I ever have pals in The Netherlands or even across the country who share this same passion? I think not. You get it! The hoarding of books, buying a variety of stitching fabrics, getting the latest floss-you just get it!
I think we have a special community here. I am proud to be a member.
Keep up the good work. You are the heirloom makers.

Receiving lots of media attention

Paul waving hello to his mom and dad

Click here to play the above video that I mentioned

I told you a few days ago about the Extreme Makeover Home Edition team redoing a house in northeast Philly. Thank goodness the news is covering it as I probably won't get to go. They mentioned where road it was on and we googled it. It's about 56 miles away-one way. I,of course would bring Paul DiMeo's old high school yearbook. I happened to buy the one from his class and my class because I knew a lot of people from his class.
On a live portion of the news this morning, a reporter mentioned to Paul (in his sheepherder's cap!) that he was a local guy and he mentioned Media and Penncrest and waved to his mom and dad. I guess they still live in my hometown.
I thought I may get my 15 minutes of fame by showing up with the yearbook (which is marked on every page that Paul is on-that's about 8 or so-he was in a lot of activities). People signed my book too. Some were nice comments, others dug at the fact that I missed tons of school that year. I was depressed and wouldn't eat and lost about 16 pounds in one month. I got over it okay. I could still go tomorrow or Tuesday at the reveal of the new house (which is towering over the 1960s Colonials in the neighborhood). Who knows-maybe.

Paul-Penncrest Class of 1976 Vice President

New look in my house by the end of April

Quick update! Workers will be here on April 20th to take a sledge hammer to our kitchen (I hope they do). Then we have to pull off the 'backsplash'-the ugly thing the previous owners put up. I should have gotten Brian a crowbar for his birthday! The appliances are coming in the next day. That means we need to get the frig cleaned out on the 19th and resituated in the living room for a few days.
So in the next few weeks, we have to empty out the rest of the kitchen, make room in the living room for the cabinets which means taking almost everything out of that space. This isn't a huge house. Whew, I'm tired just thinking about it.
I am feeling more like myself today. I took an OTC medicine I haven't taken for ages-Equalactin. One chewable a day (not today-yet), seems to have calmed the raging storms. No belly movement in the last couple of days either.

Happy Birthday Mister Grumpy

Ok, he's only grumpy some of the time, but this is a grumpy looking face, don't you think?

It was taken at the H&R Block when they kept us waiting and I was playing with my phone (camera) like the kids next to Brian were).

I've spent 23 birthdays with Bri now. On the first one, I gave him a Walkman as he was a runner back then. Now he usually gets a silk-screened tee shirt, beef jerky, underwear and other exciting little things. Mom gave him an awesome drawing (print) of John Lennon. Gee, wonder where he will hang that?

I wish my guy many, many more birthdays. He's getting a special deal next year for the 'Big One'.

Lots of hugs and love to my Bri.

Finished up a UFO

I mentioned this a few posts back. I persevered (that ribbon and bow were tricky). I'll add the baby's name when I know what it is. I hope to make this a photo album cover. I may add a few 'sparkles' to the stars and moon. The only thing I changed was making the running stitch from button to button pink. BTW, ran out of the dark blue and matched it with my own DMC.

Extreme Makeover Home Edition hits Philly

Was that Rocky? Or was it TyPennington from the above mentioned show? Most likely it was Ty pretending to be Rocky running up the steps of the Philadelphia Art Museum. Heard they did 20-22 takes of that. Here's a screenshot from the local ABC-tv affiliate.
Dewey is the builder- web addy. They are located near where Brian grew up and build most of their houses in good ol' Chester Co.

Will Dianne go see one of her favorite show being taped? Dianne does not know where they are in NE Philly. Bummer. At least Paul DiMeo from my old high school is in the area. Wonder if they will go to Media too? This is reminding me of the fictional story I wrote a few months ago. In the photo (old) he is even wearing the hat I described in my story. BTW, the house down there looks like the RR house I stitched!

Brian works for a local paper and brought home the press release kit for this event. It even had a cool photo of Ty in it!

Happy 10th Birthday Kenny

My musical and artistic genius of a nephew turns 10 today. How many 10 yr olds do you know who can have guitar riffs with their dads? Kenny also saved up money for a gorgeous jet black electric guitar (I think Les Paul) with mother of pearl insets which is his pride and joy. And did I tell you he draws like a 11th grader and he's in 4th grade? I'm a proud auntie!

Who is Phil Marjera?

Brian came home early yesterday because he was achy and his sinuses were bothering him. He seems to have to 'recharge' every few months. He drives so much for his job, it is very wearing on him. His birthday (the big one is next year) is Friday. I accused him of feeling bad because he was getting a year older. He was not amused.
I took my van back to the shop because of the loose ignition and the mechanic replaced the entire thing! Now I have a key to get in the van and one to turn it on. Ken, my brother said he could fix that somehow.
Sean came from school and picked me up at the station. We headed for Wendy's for lunch. Sean sat down and started smiling about something. Here some guy who is on a show with his son on MTV was in there eating (they are from nearby West Chester, PA). The guy was Phil Marjera and his son is Bam (Bam created, produced, directed and stared in the hit MTV show "Viva La Bam”, which ran for five seasons. The VLB DVD’s are the fastest selling DVD‘s in MTV history. Keep tuned, as Bam is creating a new animated series for MTV to debut in the summer of 2006.) Do you know these guys?




I got Rachael from Germany's stitching round robin from the post office too. Her house is very sweet-she designed it herself. I'll be adding a lighthouse, plus some goodies and send it on it's way in June.
The Stitching blogger question was about participating in stitching 'mysteries'. I have yet to do that, but I love seeing the ones that have come to life. Carol has stitched up some beauties!

Backsplash...what do you like?

I was just looking at gorgeous glass tiles for the kitchen backsplash. Though a bit pricey, I think they will add that special sparkle I love. My countertops will be a dark blue to offset the creamy yellow cabinets. The tiles don't really come in any yellow, but the blues-so gorgeous. And I do not need a great deal of them. They come on sheets (I saw them on Trading Spaces and they look pretty easy to install). They have to be better than what was there. The previous owners used leftover flooring (which we have to remove-the installers won't). I added the contact paper (remember my previous photos).So here are some of the ones I really like:
1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

Message boards for everything

Brian and I google everything. With me it's usually cross stitch, recipes, gardening, celebrities, etc. Brian looks up Ford Mustangs, stocks, Beatles, digital cameras (still waiting for him to pick one out) and American Flyer trains. With me being at the age called perimenopause, weird things start to happen, so I typed in 'the problem'. I happened upon a message board and you know what, what I had was nothing compared to what these poor women were experiencing. This one lady stopped posting last May and I hope she is okay. I feel like I am definitely having problems due to hormones and fibroids. I just ordered two books from Amazon about fibroids. The one book (only 75¢) is by a lady who had a great website called 'Sex, lies and fibroids'. I can't get on the site anymore. I could so relate to her! It's so much fun being in my late 40s.
I also ordered two more cross stitch books- The Cross Stitcher's Bible and also the CSB Project Book by Jane Greenoff. I've been eyeing these two up, so the prices were good, so I ordered them.
Stitchingwise-THE SB question was about 'one over one'-I've done it a few times and it's hard. I have a few designs that I want to do where you do the lady's face 'one over one'.
I was going through my sewing cabinet and ran across a sweet baby design I had half completed about 7 yrs ago. I decided it needed to be finished and I would give it to someone who is expecting. The question was 'who'? So I remembered a woman in my stitching group just announced her 3rd baby is going to be a girl. She has 10 yr old twin boys! So to me, she is the perfect recipient for the baby gift which will be made into a photo album cover. It's almost finished and I can see why I put it down-it has some tricky spots in it. I'll share a photo soon.

Missed a day

Did you miss me? We signed away a great sum of money for the kitchen yesterday, so that is paid for now. The man who has been working with us had trouble with the order form. He double checked to make sure my glaze was on it and it wasn't (that's one reason why I orderd from this cabinet company because I loved this color). He got that on and the computer was taxing us for everything. We bought the cabinets, etc in Delaware (tax free). Even though we live in Penna. it won't be taxed because we are getting them installed by The Home Depot. He needed help to get that off. We wasted a great deal of time waiting. We did get all 31 knob and pulls for free (a special). They are pretty-they have a leaf design (brass) that looks like it is a patina with a white wash.


We went to pay and our card associated with our home equity loan got declined (it's new!) I ended up writing a check and that went through. I need to talk to the bank about the plastic.
We rushed to church and then the three of us went to a Chinese restaurant. My IBS has been really bad and I ordered the wrong thing-shrimp and asparagus. I should know better. I have not been eating right at all. Greasy pizza and corned beef this past week-I am indeed nuts. My tummy is still spazzing once in a while.
Now the waiting game. The cabinets may not be in for 4-6 weeks, hopefully sooner. And may all this be completed by May 1st as stated on the form. My poor guts can't take too much more.

Hmmm....better than half

Your Luck Quotient: 62%

You have a high luck quotient. More often than not, you've felt very lucky in your life. You may be randomly lucky, but it's probably more than that. Optimistic and open minded, you take advantage of all the luck that comes your way.

How Lucky Are You?

A kitchen sink is in the living room!

Yes!!! Fed Express delivered it tonight at 7. I made the lady come in while we opened it for inspection (it was her last stop anyway). The online store suggested I do that. It is gorgeous! So smooth. And this it the kicker-it's the same size as the double sink I have now. All that talk about not wanting a big sink-but it's ok because it isn't divided.
Tomorrow we order the cabinets (pay for them) and maybe some other things (window, water heater, water pump-I don't even know if the Home Depot sells the last things).

By the way, Happy St. Patty's Day

Having a good Irish name and a Brian and a Sean, we are indeed having corned beef and cabbage for dinner tonight. It's in the crockpot cooking as I type. I'm a little Irish, not much, but just enough. My great grandmom's people were from County Cork-the Deere relatives.
My brother just emailed me the family crest yesterday. To explain why my brother is sending this, I am married to my sister-in-law's first cousin, so they have the same last names. There is also a famous meteorologist from the 1800s with the same name (thanks to my brother for that info too)! Maybe there will be a famous forecaster in this day and age with the same name, my Sean!

I treated myself to some green and white flowers for today.

That's my great grandmom's yo yo quilt on the sofa.

Flash from the past

I think that is my brother Dave's expression. : )
What I am referring to is finding the homepage of an wonderful family that I ran across last night. I am a friend of one of the daughters (I hope I still am). We went to community college together, she was a bridesmaid in my wedding and we pretty much kept in touch until about 2001. Then she stopped sending her Christmas newsletters. From googling her name I found out she started a tutoring business (like a Sylvan Learning Center) and has three children that keep her busy. I'd love to know how she is doing. I know she located in the midwest and all, but I do miss hearing from her. I even ran across a photo of her oldest daughter on her high school website. I can't believe that is the little baby I held so long ago on my friend's visit with her mom. I wonder if she still has the pillow I cross stitched for her? (Mrs. P. the matriarch-looks great!)
Anyway, I got to catch up with this family of 11 children (that is amazing in itself) and saw photos and remembered names. Read with tears in my eyes that they lost one of the sisters. Smiled at the baby photos. The youngest sister really contributes to this site and she is an amazing lady. If anyone wants to say 'hi' (they have my blog address), please do.

Killing birds for sport

I watch the rebroadcasts of The Daily Show and The Stephen Colbert Show in the morning. Both are satirical views of politics and current events. The Daily Show had a story today about bird hunting. Though nothing new (according to Brian), I found it quite appalling as an animal lover. People go and order say 4 pheasants at $20 each. They can get a bird dog too. They take the birds out of a shed (where they are raised or kept) and the worker 'plants' them in the brush. The dog then sniffs them out (this was the only funny part) and the bird gets scared and starts to fly away and then the hunter takes aim and most of the time kills it. The thrill to them is killing a frightened planted bird? I hate hunting of all kinds. I have to put up with a trigger happy neighbor who killed a groundhog in my yard one time without me knowing he was in the yard or that he was going to fire his weapon. That scared the beejeebers out of me.

Conan's forte

I meant to write about the Cone-man's trip to Finland days ago! This was his best show in ages. The last good ones were when he was in Canada a few years ago. So Conan, your forte is going out amongst 'your' people and doing things. We need to see your long legs-lol. I am sure this will be in reruns a few times. The whole Finland thing happened when Conan thought he resembled the lady president Targa (close I think)-he does in a way with his pale skin and red hair. He got to meet her too.
Seeing him knocking on doors of apartments to meet fans and no one answering was pretty funny. Seeing him on a dog sled-ha!
I'd love to invite him to 'Mushroomland' here in Penna. I can see him harvesting the mushrooms in his white hair net! We could race him in our Tauruses! (He says he still has a '92 Taurus-we have a '98 and '00). I'd love it.
Carl Reiner in on Leno right now. He is one of my favorite guys in his age group (he's about to turn 84). He's always been funny, even when he had hair back on the Dick Van Dyke Show.

Contract signed!

The contractor came this afternoon. I just signed away a great deal of moola-but it will be so worth it! I have a lot of emotions flowing through me-excitement, apprehension, anxiousness, etc.! Saturday we will go back to the Home Depot and order and pay for the cabinets. All in all, 2 months isn't that long to wait (we started this in the middle of January). A lot of things have to be in sync-like having the appliances delivered at the right time so the workers can have the old ones disconnected so the delivery guys can haul away the old stuff. And Bill (the guy) said if we ever resell the house we will get something like 104% back in our investment. He said to try and sell a house with outdated electrical work in the kitchen is a no-no. We've had the electric reworked a few times-in the family room and for the central air.
Guess what caught my eye on the tv-an inflatable hot tub! This commercial had a guy sitting in one and the secretary came along and handed him papers to go over. Sean looked up inflatable ones on the web and they are like $800-1k! Ouch! But if I had one last night, I bet that knot or whatever in my back would have worked itself out in no time.
My back was so much better today (not my stomach though). I sat again with the heating pad on it when I got up this morning. It didn't keep me awake last night, thank goodness. I think I pulled something by unscrewing and emptying about 15 bottles of old beverages-really! Think about how you are positioned over the sink when you would do this.
My van is back from inspection and my purse is over $200 lighter. It needed a new turn signal switch. My brother works at the sister station and the guy said he was giving me a 10% discount-yeah on the part-I got $7 off. Big deal.
Stitchingwise-I had to put Independence Hall down for a few days. It's more than half finished. I picked up Cape May. That blue is hard to work on too. Since I am starting at the top of a rectangle, I flipped the piece and am stitching upsidedown. Us lefties can do that. : )

A heating pad can be your friend

I am always getting various aches and pains. I know in part this is from having Lyme Disease as it never fully goes away. I know I'm not a kid anymore. I don't know what I did (well I do know-bending, moving furniture, pulling a too heavy trash out of the can, sitting in the adirondack chair, tensing while getting my teeth cleaned by Carla the carver-you get the picture). After the dentist, I went to the food store. I had lifted heavy drinks and had to pick up a display of cough drop packets I knocked down). So I'm standing there and holy you know what-feels like a drill is hitting my left shoulder blade. I think I was making a few faces as the lady behind me was looking at me oddly. I got all the groceries in the van (it was an ebbing pain) and got home and promptly had Sean unload all the bags. He also had to rub the Icy hot on me. I got a Tylenol and a water and sat down and it felt better. When I had to get dinner set up (I had precooked fried chicken on sale) I had one more episode of stabbing pain when I turned a certain way. I did eat, but Sean suggested the heating pad. I utilized that all evening and I do feel better.
Tv was good-I watched the first hour of American Idol with Sean, then a new show called Sons and Daughters (from the producer of Saturday Night Live and some of it is improvised) and The Amazing Race. I am working diligently on a charity square-Independence Hall. Something didn't look quite right. The bricks are brown in the chart! So I am backstitching the brown with some rust to make it look like the real building which I've been in a few times. It's doing the trick, but it's time consuming.
Tomorrow the contractor guy wants to look at the kitchen again. It looks like crap right now. I didn't feel like doing anything tonight. Brian got me a few more crates, but at 8 pm, I was done for the evening. The guys dropped off the van for me at the station for inspection. No way could I drive again.
Well, I hope I have a good night. Please, oh please. ; )

Far-out signs

Zoey suggested we make our own.

Balmy weather

It was in the 70s today! I did get to take the cat out on his harness, but alas I am still moving stuff around in the kitchen as I need more boxes. I am throwing more things away too. I moved a tall shelved unit into the dining room area that held cat food, first aid, beverages, booze, etc. I threw away about 15 drinks that were expired. This was my main complaint about the storage in the kitchen-things got buried on shelves and we just forgot about them. Brian needs to look at the booze tomorrow. I set him up with a lot of recycling tonight!

My mom went to the eye doctor for the first time today since last June. The pressure was up in both eyes and the doctor recommended cataract surgery for both eyes. She'll have that in June and be in and out of the hospital in 6 hours. Mom has trouble driving at night.
My grandmom seemed to follow the same course when I was a teenager. She even had the lens removed in one eye but she'd lose the contact all the time. I am sure all that is vastly improved.

And in closing-thanks for all your comments. I appreciate them all and keep them coming!

A study in color

Yellows

For Zoey!

Winter landscape

Part of a fairy garden

Kitchen update

Actually we couldn't order the cabinets until we sign the agreement with the contractor. I'll give him a call tomorrow to set that up. I did order all my 'bisque' colored appliances-I want them to 'sort of' blend in with the cabinets. They are all Maytag except for the microwave which is a GE. I didn't get the 2k frig (it was really much bigger than we needed), but we got a side by side with the ice and water dispenser on the door for half the price. I got the freestanding double oven with the smooth cooking surface. We are also getting the floor measured for Dupont laminate that looks like really hardwood and guaranteed for 30 yrs! We bought lighting too (got to bring that home). We got a fairly modern looking overhead fixture that can be adjusted to your liking that has 5 lights on it. This will replace a lighted ceiling fan. I got some round under the counter task lighting for two areas and a light for over the sink with a cobalt blue glass shade.


It will be a tan granite. We purchased the faucet too. The prettiest thing we are getting is the granite counter top-blue with some black and mica like speckles. It's darker than what I thought I'd originally get, but I saw this and it's gorgeous. We are taking advantage of the credit there and won't have to pay for the appliances for a year. Hopefully all this will be in place by the end of April.

No more double sinks that eat up counter space!!!

I just ordered this on the internet and saved almost $50! (shipping was $50) Features
Swanstone authentic solid surface. Color and texture run all the way through and cannot wear away.
Drop-in or Undermount installation.
Hot pots & boiling water cause no harm.
Large single bowl easily accomodates your largest cooking pots and baking sheets.
1-Hole faucet drilling.
Highest resistance of impact from heavy objects.

Back to cleaning and sorting. I ran out of boxes for my everyday dishes and food from the cabinets.
This is a terribly busy week ahead. I have to get my van inspected and go to the dentist.

Happy Birthday JT!

My favorite singer (since I've been 13!) and songwriter turns 58 today-have a great birthday James Taylor.

Daytrippin' to the Philadelphia Flower Show!

Yeah! Brian and I went today. We didn't get there until 4 (missed the 2:30 train), but it was open until 9:30 tonight. We ventured around the Convention Center for almost 2 hours and then headed across the street to the Reading Terminal to get a bite to eat for dinner. I have never seen so many cellphones and digital cameras in one place! It was crowded, but I got to take about 40 photos. The ride home was a little noisy (kids on the train). I'm so glad Brian and I got to do something together. Tomorrow we order the kitchen cabinets and appliances! Woo hoo!

A house for fish

Me at the Reading Terminal at the same place where Rachael Ray ate (Homestyle Diner, I think) when she taped her show $40 a Day here. See the poster behind me. I had an opened face hot turkey sandwich with mashed potatoes.

A dragon in the garden!

Me in at the fairy garden display

A swirly glazing ball

We got to see a wonderful display of paintings by Timothy Martin. His paintings are part fantasy and mostly nature. Like the tiger lily settee with the tiger lounging on it. Check out his site. He was actually there painting in the middle of the flower show.

Sheep's gate-is this not gorgeous? It's definitely prettier in person.

Getting organized...it took 22 yrs!

That is not a mistyped number! I finally bought those padded, zipped up cases for our 12 place settings of china-which was a wedding gift 4/14/84! I have hardly ever used them and they were stuck in cabinets all over the kitchen.

From this:

Now most of them (except tiny fruit bowls, some dessert plates and serving bowls) are zipped up nicely in their bright white plastic cases-only $14.99! I could have gotten fabric ones for twice the price, but I saw pretty iridescent drinking glasses/tumblers I just had to have. I got two things for what I would have paid for the fabric cases.

To this:
I plan to store them in a 'new' cabinet above the frig.
How am I doing in the kitchen, you ask? Well, I ran out of boxes/crates. I mainly have the everyday things left to move out. Things need to be taken off the countertops. I think if I had to do all what is left to do, I'd get it done in a day, with a little help. Mind you, the guys have only been the crate movers.

Lovely contact paper-definitely a cross stitchers choice. Blasted hard to put up if my memory serves me correctly: 46 yr old oven-I gave up cleaning it when Brian got a 3rd degree burn from some button in it.
Cabinets in front of sink. Even the paneling at the top has slide down over the years.

Now to chose some appliances....I'll try to make that fun. ; )

A day of shopping in Amishland

Sean is on his spring break and he wanted to do something different, so we drove up to Lancaster where the outlets are. He was looking for sneaks and I was looking for some birthday gifts for Brian, Kenny and Tori. We didn't leave until after lunch as I just couldn't get my act together before that. Seems I can't take high potency vitamins-not even every other day like I did with the prenatal vitamins all those years ago. Let's just say the train was moving down the track way too quickly. When we finally got on our way, Sean joked saying- 'hope you don't have to stop at Basketville'. That's an inside joke I guess. Seems either my mom or I use this store as a 'pitstop' and have several times, today included. There are just not a lot of places to stop in the middle of this trip unless you can hide behind a barn or something if you have to go. Basketville is a nice store too, and I bought some peppermints (good choice) and a cobalt blue candle holder in a cylinder form for the kitchen. After that, I was pretty good and did find some goodies (including more books) at the various stores. It was dead up there and we practically had every store to ourselves. I purchased some logo t-shirts for my nephew and a hot pink tennis dress with matching hat (that is white with the pink accents) for my niece Tori at The Gap outlet. It's just something I can see her in. I also added to my cross stitch library by buying Beautiful Cross Stitch by Better Homes and Gardens, published in '04. Yes, I have to check the date to be pretty sure I don't have the book already. It's really worth the $11.99-vintage embroidery made into XS; nature charts; Asian, etc.

I definitely want to do the cover design. BTW, when looking for this photo online, I saw the same book for a little over $3.00! That's a steal!

I got my mom a flower arranging book-one of the prettiest I've ever seen so she can remember her trip to the flower show. Speaking of the flower show, if we don't go over the weekend, it doesn't look like we will go. It's $2o or more a ticket to just get in. The trip there means fighting traffic or taking the train. I have beautiful Longwood Gardens 8 minutes away from my house (see early January blog). So I debate this every year. I usually bow out going into the city. Mom has flower show photos on a picture CD that she purchased. I do like going to the Reading Terminal Market to eat.
We went to the Texas Roadhouse for dinner up in Lancaster. The meat was fine but the veggie side dishes were way oversalted. I took a swallow of potatoes and they almost came back up again. I did complain to the waitress, but I think I'll complain on the website. She should have sent the manager over but she didn't. I can't tell you how many times we've eaten out lately and the food has not be worth the money at all.
I ran into a vitamin store before we left to purchase a less potent one-a-day vitamin, Milk Thistle, coconut oil (read it's suppose to be good for helping you lose weight) and papaya for digestive. I'll try anything!
After a dark and fragrant (freshly plowed fields) ride home, I was glad to curl up with my new lap pillow (bought today) and enjoyed looking at my new books.

Project Runway finale and new Top Chef show

I was a little surprised to see Chloe won. I guess I had narrowed in on Daniel. After the judges decided, I definitely saw what they meant when they chose her. Chloe had some 'shiny' material in collection, in fuschia and aquamarine, not my favorite-not sure if it was silk or taffeta. I'll say silk because they were given 8 grand. She said she wanted to do an evening wear collection. I guess I liked Daniel's because the clothes looked more like things I would wear. His theme was a bit wacky-was it military or Asia? And Santino, I am so disappointed that he didn't add more of his signature special touches like ripped things.
After Project Runway, a new show came on called Top Chef. The first thing I was wondering if the hostess is Billy Joel's new young wife as her name was Katie Lee Joel. I am right:

That's Billy with daughter Alexa (by Christie Brinkley and wife Katie Lee who is only a few years older than Alexa!

Then there was an extremely rude contestant that spoke back to the chef from a restaurant. The chef asked Ken to taste the sauce (they were on 'the line' and had to hold out for 30 minutes) and the jerk stuck his finger in it instead of using a spoon. He had the nerve later to ask the chef if he really had dumped the sauce he had tasted. The mentor got extremely upset. Ken, needless to say, was the first to leave. His entry wasn't good at all for the first challenge. I bet my friend Karin is watching this one as she is learning to become a chef.

SBQ

Today's SBQ is:
Do you have an organizational system for your patterns? If so, how do
you organize them? If not, have you considered organizing them?
I actually do have some sense of organization when it comes to cross stitch books and leaflets. I have all my hardback books in one place! That's a start. I obviously need a bookcase for them which I plan to get soon.
My leaflets and softcover books are in 3 large crates (I collect them, what can I say). My biggest collections are Leisure Arts, The Prairie Schooler and Cross-eyed Cricket. Some of the other leaflets are 'sort of' arranged by designer or company-depends on how many I have from each. I have the majority arranged by flowers, cats, dogs, holidays. This helps, but I do love leafing through them 'just because' I love them so much, but I won't divulge the number I have, it just seems crazy!

Book giveaway

I have some lovely books here that I can't seem to sell on eBay. If you are willing to pay for the postage, I will send you the book. I'd love to send them overseas, but the postage is expensive. It's up to you.
Here's what I have, but I will add more:
Memorabilia Quilting by Jean Wells (I have a copy of this already). It's a thin paperback, so it shouldn't cost too much to mail.
The New Stencil Book with 40 stencil designs and lots of ideas-by Simone Smart (heavier hardback)
Decorative Needlecraft by Allen D. Bragdon ( I have this already-recreate and interpret traditional historic designs-paperback).

Some of you have my email. For others go to the very bottom of this page and scroll over my name there.

Funny blog thanks to Lake Stitcher

I was going through my blogroll a few nights ago and Lake Stitcher had this one -Threaded Bare on her sidebar plus a few others. I really enjoyed looking at the 'vintage' patterns and crafts featured. It's pretty sad when you remember gingham for Christmas and making some macrame plant hangers (one of which I just found).

Life cut short

I heard about Dana Reeve's passing from my hairdresser. I was so sad to hear that she only lived 4 months past her diagnosis. She had lost Chris, then her mom and then had to worry about trying to get better and take care of her 13 year old son Wil. I guess it was all too much for her. Wil is lucky he has older half siblings and that he isn't a small boy. I wish him all the best. He has awesome parents.
~Update-today (Wed) I am still sick about this. People in my age group who have gone through so much cut down in the prime of their lives. I'll never get over John F. Kennedy, Jr or Princess Diana passing at such young ages either.


My mom went to the Philadelphia Flower Show with her boarder. She had to call and tell me that it was one of the best that she's been to. I'm a little envious. I am trying to talk Sean into going now. It's an expensive daytrip for us, but oh how I love to take photos of the displays. I am crossing my fingers for Thursday or Friday when the temps will be in the uppers 60s or higher.

I found this wicker clothes basket down the basement and it turned out to have 'stuff' left in it from a fleamarket sale that we had a table at-hmmm....over 10 yrs ago! I couldn't believe it. I found some of my old eyeglasses-they put Elton John's glasses to shame they were so big. Also found some macrame plant hangers and seashells. Brian had stuff in a bag from the 'junk drawer' in this particular basket-ugh-it had a corroded battery in!
My theory is that people should move every 5 yrs to get rid of this clutter! It sure would help make their lives easier. If I could put my theory in practice-if only....

Ahhh shot

Found this in an email from my brother (a co-worker's new pet). I love kitties, but when I see a baby pup so darn cute, my heart melts. Look at her next to the bottle-so tiny!

Reese-Oscar winner

Congrats to Reese-not only for her Oscar but also for commanding $29 million a flick. She's the highest paid actress of all times. I think she's a talent, but not up there with Meryl Streep. I like that Reese is down to earth and her acceptance speech (and voice) were really sweet. Husband Ryan is from nearby Wilmington, DE ( as is Jada Pinkett Smith-some good lookers from these parts!)

I haven't seen 'Walk the Line', but heard it was decent. I really like Joaquin Phoenix. Too bad he didn't win for his portrayal of Johnny Cash. The actor who won played Truman Capote-an odd little man.

The Oscars were just alright. A little of a snoozefest. Jon Stewart seemed to be out of his element. The best host I think was Steve Martin.

And don't try to make the Oscars like a screwball comedy. Tom Hanks was looking a lot like he did in his cross-dressing days on tv-rather silly.

But there was a good distribution of winners for all the movies that were nominated.

So I was like- 'say what?' when 'It's hard for a pimp out there' won for best movie song. I thought the song for 'Crash' was really a cool song. And weren't they all surprised to win for best picture! I actually saw this movie, so I was glad for them.

~Update~-Sean rented 'Walk the Line' and we watched it today. It's pretty good. I think Joaquin was great and Reese was pretty good. I don't know what took them so long for Johnny and June to 'hook up' as a couple. I think June realized Johnny needed some TLC. His first wife wasn't a performer and everything was about her. She didn't understand his life. So I think it's worth seeing. Loved seeing the cabinets in the scenes from the 60s that were similar to the ones I am losing soon.

I'm a guardian

March 06, 2006 Free report for: Dianne

Guardians, are the cornerstone of society, for they are the temperament given to serving and preserving our most important social institutions. Guardians have natural talent in managing goods and services--from supervision to maintenance and supply--and they use all their skills to keep things running smoothly in their families, communities, schools, churches, hospitals, and businesses.

Guardians can have a lot of fun with their friends, but they are quite serious about their duties and responsibilities. Guardians take pride in being dependable and trustworthy; if there's a job to be done, they can be counted on to put their shoulder to the wheel. Guardians also believe in law and order, and sometimes worry that respect for authority, even a fundamental sense of right and wrong, is being lost. Perhaps this is why Guardians honor customs and traditions so strongly--they are familiar patterns that help bring stability to our modern, fast-paced world.

Practical and down-to-earth, Guardians believe in following the rules and cooperating with others. They are not very comfortable winging it or blazing new trails; working steadily within the system is the Guardian way, for in the long run loyalty, discipline, and teamwork get the job done right. Guardians are meticulous about schedules and have a sharp eye for proper procedures. They are cautious about change, even though they know that change can be healthy for an institution. Better to go slowly, they say, and look before you leap.

Guardians make up as much as 40 to 45 percent of the population.

Chatting with a new friend

I just got a phone call earlier today from a pal in South Carolina. It was from a very sweet lady who went back to school to become an early childhood ed teacher. We had a nice chat for about 1/2 hour and then I really had to get to the food store.
I met Shane through a postcard site. I had only put my first name and then address on the site and basically forgot about it. A few months later, I got a postcard with just my first name on it. I had to think a bit. I wrote back and we started chatting through email and then I got the call today. I was also studying for my BS in ECE but I'm about 21 credits short (or more now). I am really inspired my people like Shane and my friend Karin who have gone back to school a little later in life. They will have so much more prospective on things from their life learned wisdom. More power to them.

Look who is a cabinet climber

Brian heard a little commotion out in the kitchen and this is what he found! Now why would Cos do that? Just to prove to his little cat self that he could? That's a good 5.5 feet from the floor. See how ugly my cabinets are? And that contact paper is from about 15 yrs ago when I just had to cover up the leftover flooring that the previous owners used for a backsplash. The glass doors use to hold my spices-the tabs for opening them-duct tape!
About 15 minutes after Brian took this photo, Cosmo tried the cabinet over the stove and actually turned it on! Not good!

Foodie question

Just wondering do you like asparagus or sweet potatoes or both? Not necessarily together. ; )
I will tell you why I am answering as soon as I get a few replies here.

Why did I ask?
Being the only female in a male dominated household (and having 3 brothers and no sisters) I have noticed that the boys turn their noses up to these two veggies. I will get Brian and Sean to eat asparagus occasionally, but forget about the sweet potatoes. Most time I make sweet potatoes like baked potatoes and garnish them with butter and a little cinnamon.
I believe these two veggies are enjoyed more by females. BTW, my mom and I enjoy them both.
Check out this article: Do women need to eat differently than men? It says we need folate, and that's in asparagus.

Don't you love a good dinner and a great sale?

Sean and I decided we wanted to celebrate the beginning of his spring break. At first we were going out to lunch, but we decided on an early dinner. We went to The Olive Garden. No meat Friday for us though. He got a shrimp linguini dish and I got mushroom ravioli. (Brian got cheese ravioli take-out later). I was surprised I could eat so much as I had to take Maalox today. I guess the last of the medicine ia making me feel weird.
Then we went across to a Kohls. They have a 70% off sale going on. I got a few Liz Claiborne things and a few pieces of jewelry. Sean got some boots for $7.50 (with leather uppers!). All in all, I couldn't believe what I got for the little bit of money we spent. I guess you can say I've taught Sean the fine art of bargain shopping. He has a nice wardrobe-most of which (like 96%) of it was on sale.
I'm glad to be done my part of the round robin and look forward to receiving Rachael's from Germany. I like detail and hope to find 'the perfect' or near perfect design for the rest of the 7.
Cleaned out another kitchen cabinet before we went out. What I found-paper plates from Sean's christening (exactly 19 years old)-I kept one and a few plates from his various birthday parties. They don't look that old and I remember each birthday. Because I'm a sentimental fool, I'll save them. I'll have to do a collage of the things I am finding in the kitchen-his little cups, etc.
Best wishes to my neighbors' grandson Matthew and his fiance Sarah who are getting married way up in New Jersey tomorrow. I am a friend of his mom's, but we decided that the weather may be too iffy for this time of the year for us to drive 2.5-3 hours to attend. I remember meeting Matt as a five year old when we moved in. I was very pregnant and he knew I was having a baby as his sister Kelly was only a few months old at the time. And he could talk your ear off! I can't believe the little boy who came to some of Sean's birthday parties was a soldier in Iraq and will soon be a married man.

Digging for the Truth

While channel surfing this morning, (I can only watch so many reruns of BBC America's Bargain Hunt) I landed on The History Channel's Digging for the Truth. They were in the Yucatan Pennisula of Mexico.

I was interested as we had honeymooned in Cancun and did get a chance to see some of the ruins of the Mayans. He was wondering why the Mayan built all the pyramids that they did and why they thought they were going on a river to the afterlife. He did find the answer! What a good show and hunky host-Josh Bernstein. I thank THC for perking me up. ; )

Dr. Dianne makes a diagnosis

Poor Sean thought he had flea bites. BUT, fleas don't bit you 50+ times. Before that, he thought he had a allergy to soap or something. I found the real reason for his 'spots'. He probably has pityriasis rosea. Sounds scary, but it may be from a virus, but it could take up to 4 months to go away. If he has a mild case (and I sure hope he does as some of the photos were ugly), it should go away sooner. When I was a teen I has something similar, but mine was a sensitivity to a certain elastic. But just to mention this to those of you with kids his age: mostly young adults get this in the spring or fall of the year. And it may be contagious. I'm not taking him to the doctor, because a similar thing, syphillis is something that he surely doesn't have. He's doing the right thing using hydrocortisone if it's bothersome. My poor guy. At least he is off for a week to rest.

Slowly but surely

I am getting so sick of the kitchen. Everytime I clean something out I am glad, but I hate running across dusty goblets and oddles of superballs under the free standing cabinet. We moved 'the pie safe' into the living room. Stuff is piled up to be sorted. Believe me, it's hard to cook out there right now. I still have cabinets to do-dishes, silverware and under the sink. I know I have too much of everything and when the new kitchen is in place, I am sure I will be donating a lot of it or selling it on eBay. I love my copper molds, but I've loved them for almost 20 years. I don't think they will fit in the kitchen anymore. Not to say I won't keep a few of them.
And the endless canned goods! Some have expirations, some don't. I will have to go through the food at least three times to make sure I really want them. My brother said just to toss all the spices. I do know which are newer. Jars of spices are pricey, so I will keep most of them. I inspected these too.
At this point, we are probably going to order a new window (I'd love a greenhouse window, but is that practical for over the sink?) and frig, first. I figure we can set the new frig up in the dining room rather than getting rid of the old one in the midst of all the mess. We need all new appliances. My microwave is 'arking' when we push the start button, so something is wrong with the touch pad (we use a wooden spoon to push it). It works fine otherwise.
I'll post a photo when it looks better in there which may not be until the day before construction begins-hopefully by the end of the month or into April.

My part of a Round Robin

This is a Charles Wysocki design stitched on beige linen. It's folded under, but the fence is straight. I added a picket fence with climbing yellow roses (my favorite kind). That's my cat Cosmo on the fence. I altered this a bit to fit in the square. The flowers are all French knots. It's being sent to the next stitcher in England in a few days.

No monkey business!

Click Here!

Stitching Blogger Question

Q. What cross-stitch magazines or other publications (as opposed to
blogs) do you read on a regular basis? What do you like about them?
What do you not like? What would your perfect publication include?
To tell you the truth, the only cross stitch magazine I ever really liked was Cross stitch and Country Crafts. They have just revived this magazine and it's ok, but not as good as it's predecessor.
I did like Stitcher's World too. I just clipped about 5 old Leisure Arts magazines. I did keep more than I thought, but they were from that decade of geese and hearts.
I really like UK cross stitch magazines, but they are so expensive. I have to love a design on the cover before I fork out $7-10. But there is always eBay!

As for my idea of a perfect publication-one that includes finishing ideas, new designers (and spotlights one), new materials and designs that are 'doable' and not too cliched. I forgot to mention how much I love the special JCS yearly ornament issues! They are so much fun and give me new ideas too.

March 1st already!

I look forward to March because it's the month I start poking around outside. I start to rake up the winter debris and look for tender green sprouts. We are having a cold beginning with some snow next week, so I guess I should expect a delay in the above activity.
The Philly Flower Show is this week coming up also. Sean will be off for springbreak, so maybe he'll go with me.
I have to get myself on a better household schedule. I need to schedule cleaning time. I can see why the generation before us were into cleaning more than my technology oriented one. Now some people have it broken down and can spend time on the computer. They won't let themselves 'surf' until the house is cleaned to their liking. I decided to try the family room today. I got two tables dusted and said to myself 'Hmmm...wonder if Comcast is still acting up this morning?' So I turned on the puter and Comcast wanted to download a 'computer doctor' program. And it is running about 90% better. Blogger doesn't want to republish because of some connection error. (I added St. Patty's blinkies).
I am also much better. I was getting a sore mouth from the med (looked like sunburn on my palate), so I called the pharmacist and he said the doctor will probably tell me to stop taking the med. So I stopped it.
Sean has a trunk rash. It is like tiny chicken pox. He took some Benadryl last night and applied medicated powder. We are a bit perplexed. I did noticed he has eaten almost 1/2 of chocolates in 5 days, so maybe he is suffering from sugar or cocoa overload. He didn't say anything to me this morning, but he was worried about himself and surfed the web looking for his rash (yeah he's like his ma).
I did manage to see Sally Taylor's website last night. (Daughter of James and Carly Simon). We went to a free concert of hers about 5 yrs ago. Here she is making ponchos to sell (starting at $600-yikes). I see Carly is the model there. She's a real talented knitter. I suggested to her in her comments that she should put on up a poncho on eBay to raise money for her Tranquility Project-a landmine foundation that she started with her husband Dean a few years ago.

The above shot was taken at the Walden School which use to be called Sandy Bank Elementary School where I went to kindergarten, 2nd and 3rd grade. I guess Sally must be a pal of one of the teachers, not sure. This is about 5 yrs old.


Back to tidying up. Ugh. So boring. ; )