WHERE THE ROAD TAKES US

The Newest Member of the Family

2012-01-10T15:59:00.012-05:00

Okay, I know I've been too busy if I didn't even put a picture of our new grandson up here. I need to take a moment and stop and breathe.... Our newest blessing was born on October 1, 2011. He weighed in at a whopping 10# 10 oz!!!! Yes, he can take care of himself already lol. He is adorable and his big sis Peanut just adores him. His cousins think he's pretty cool too. In one of the pictures I have it shows Peanut beaming, Muffin (who already has a little sister) smiling as if saying 'just wait you have no idea what you're getting into'; and Punkin saying 'what, huh, what's going on' lol

He was so big that he could touch the head and foot of the incubator - and they had trouble putting newborn diapers on him.

Peanut with little brother

What did I say about this picture.... Peanut is beaming, Muffin is saying "you have no idea what you're getting into" and Punkin is saying "huh, what's going on?".

Little brother in the pumpkin like I did with all the others. He's only 2 weeks old here.

So there you have it. Our latest addition.

I'm afraid I've been out of it this year with all the losses in our family and it's time to get back on track. I'm going to miss my Mom terrible and my brother Don as well, but it's time to join the living again. Hope you see me on here more often :)

Where Have I Been

2012-01-10T10:29:00.001-05:00

Your Healthiest Habit is Practicing Moderation

You don't think that anything can kill you in small amounts. You believe it's all about balance.

You are willing to engage in unhealthy habits occasionally. After all, they are a lot of fun!

Some may criticize your moderate approach, but it's very sustainable.

You're into being healthy for the long haul, and you know that extremes only lead to trouble.

What's Your Healthiest Habit?

Blogthings: We Have a Quiz for Almost Everything

The Quiet Game by Greg Iles

2011-11-05T15:37:00.001-04:00

When recently widowed Penn Cage leaves Houston with his young daughter and returns to his hometown seeking peace, he finds something very different. Natchez, Mississippi, is the jewel of the antebellum South, a city of old secrets and older money. Upon learning that his father is being blackmailed, Penn finds himself reopening the most highly charged murder case in the town's history, searching for the evidence that could bring down the judge who nearly destroyed his father years ago. As the town closes ranks against him, Penn is joined by Caitlin Masters, a young newspaper publisher, on a deadly quest to find answers to one of the darkest chapters of American history, a quest that pits them against the FBI, a band of brothers still fiercely guarding the tainted legacy of J. Edgar Hoover. But Penn's most dangerous journey must be made alone--into the abiding mystery of his own past, into the mind and heart of a woman he lost twenty years ago, and who still has the power to save or destroy him.

An amazing book. I almost put it down in the beginning because it appeared 'evil'. But I stuck to it and found that I couldn't put it down. The feelings are charged, and the characters are brought to life. Strong characters that were living larger than life. I really enjoyed this book.

Night Sins by Tami Hoag

2011-10-27T15:30:00.003-04:00

One error in judgment...that’s all it takes for a family’s life to be torn apart. Dr. Hannah Garrison is on her way out the hospital door to pick up her son, Josh, when an emergency car accident prompts her to be late. An hour and a half later, when she finally arrives at the ice rink to retrieve her son, he’s no where to be found. It soon becomes apparent that this is more than a missing child case. Something much more sinister is at work...a psychopath, delighting in an evil game, taunts police, steering them in a myriad of directions where everyone in this peaceful Minnesota town is a potential suspect. Is it the maintenance man from the ice rink, Olie Swain, who unbeknownst to anyone is a convicted pedophile? Or perhaps it’s the overly zealous deacon, whose piety has led him into his own maddening world. Or maybe it’s even Josh’s own father, Paul Kirkwood, who is having an affair with the neighbor’s wife.

In an unlucky turn of events, it falls upon the hands of Agent Megan O’Malley to sort out the twisted details of the case. Being the first female investigator on the force, she’s got everything to prove and no one who believes she’s competent, except for Chief Mitch Holt. Working under such intimate circumstances, Megan and Mitch soon become romantically involved, a secret that could destroy both of their careers. Not to mention the fact that Chief Holt is still battling the demons of a tragedy in his own family. Is he too close to the case to perform his job? Will Megan’s overwhelming drive to succeed put her own life in danger?

Night Sins has enough twists and turns to keep you riveted from cover to cover of its 540 pages. Just when you think you’ve got everything figured out, Tami Hoag unveils a new, juicy tidbit that’s sure to have you second guessing. There is a sequel to this novel, entitled Guilty as Sin. So, don’t expect ALL the details to be tied up into a tidy package at the end. If, however, you love to be left guessing, Night Sins is definitely for you.

I really liked this book, but wish I had read it before Guilty As Sin. The books have a definite order and I read them backwards :(. I started reading this one and was very confused because I thought I had read it before... all of the details and story line were familiar. That's because Guilty as Sin had all of the final conclusions to this book. Oh well, if you're going to read them be sure to read Night Sins first than Guilty as Sin. Quick read.

Guilty as Sin by Tami Hoag

2011-09-26T11:00:00.003-04:00

Although the publisher is curiously silent about this important detail, Tami Hoag’s thriller picks up the action where her previous novel, NIGHT SINS (1995), concluded. In the earlier story, rural Deer Lake, Minnesota, was shattered by the abduction of eight-year-old Josh Kirkwood. The first suspect, a known child-molester, committed suicide before he could be questioned about where the boy was hidden. During the continuing investigation, state investigator Megan O’Malley was captured, blind-folded, and nearly beaten to death by a ski-masked assailant. She was saved by the timely intervention of Deer Lake Sheriff Mitch Holt, who gave chase and shortly arrested a suspect—college professor Garrett Wright, a neighbor of the Kirkwood family. As NIGHT SINS concluded, Wright was protesting his innocence and Josh Kirkwood had suddenly returned home unharmed, but unable to say where he had been or what happened to him.

In GUILTY AS SIN, the focus shifts to Assistant County Attorney Ellen North, who is prosecuting the case against Garrett Wright. Beyond the sheriff’s statement that Wright is the man he pursued from the building where Megan O’Malley was being beaten, there is no physical evidence to connect Wright to either O’Malley’s assault or Josh Kirkwood’s kidnapping.

Two additional developments make Ellen North’s job more difficult: Her boss has granted best-selling true-crime writer Jay Butler Brooks full access to the investigation, and Garrett Wright’s high-powered defense attorney is Ellen’s ex-lover—the man who betrayed her trust and cost her an earlier case. To make matters worse, while Ellen is developing her case against the incarcerated Wright, another eight-year-old boy is kidnapped and then murdered in a neighboring town. Ellen starts to receive anonymous telephone calls taunting her that she is part of a game she does not understand and suggesting that her own life is in danger.

While GUILTY AS SIN contains enough chills and puzzles to satisfy the average fan of this genre, the real impact of the story is seriously diminished for anyone who has not read NIGHT SINS.

Great book. It brought to mind someone that sticks to their gut feelings as everyone else is jumping ship. Trying to prove it is a whole other story. The book was kind of slow in the middle with you just wanting something to happen, but then near the end it starts to explode and you can't get enough.

The Neighbor by Lisa Gardner

2011-08-28T13:11:00.005-04:00

None of the neighbors really knew Jason and Sandy Jones. She worked days as a teacher; he worked nights as a reporter. And, they doted on their four-year-old precocious daughter. So, why were their doors made of steel, and the windows blocked in the relatively safe Southie neighborhood of Boston? That only came to light, when Sandy disappeared from their house, leaving behind their daughter. And, Jason insisted she never would have left Ree.

But, there's something suspicious about Jason Jones' reaction to his wife's disappearance, and Sergeant Detective D.D. Warren is determined to discover if he killed her. He has almost no reaction to her disappearance, only caring about Ree, who might be the only witness. And, isn't it always the husband?

But, there's also no blood, and no proof Sandy was killed. And, Aiden Brewster, the neighbor down the road is a registered sex offender. What about the brilliant thirteen-year-old boy who is totally in love with his teacher? Everyone knows teachers get caught with their students nowadays. And, why did Sandy run off with Jason in the first place, a few years after her mother's death?

Who are the Joneses, those secretive people who lived behind steel doors? Jason Jones knows he'll be the primary suspect. The husband always is. Aiden Brewster knows he'll be suspected, and his life is over. The sex offender down the road is always the suspect. D.D. Warren isn't at all happy with her choices.

So where is Sandy Jones? The Neighbor will keep readers in suspense right until the final chapter. I'll admit, I was hooked. That doesn't mean I'll read more suspense now. It means Lisa Gardner's latest book is intriguing, with constant red herrings. Good luck in guessing the ending.

Another real thriller.... thanks Tammy. Don't start this book unless you have time to finish it lol. It twisted and turned right up to the end. Very intriguing.

Bones by Jonathan Kellerman

2011-08-23T14:07:00.000-04:00

Bones is one of Kellerman’s better efforts in recent years. It’s definitely not one of his best (check out “The Butcher’s
Theater” and “The Conspiracy Club”), but it’s an improvement over “Compulsion” and “Obsession.”
In “Bones,” Delaware is wittier and more energetic and seems to have a renewed passion to solve the case at hand, which has a lot of tentacles.
A young woman’s body is discovered at the Bird Marsh nature conservancy near Marina Del Rey in California. Los Angeles homicide detective Milo Sturgis, a mainstay in the Delaware stories, investigates, and he soon uncovers a horrible scene. More female bodies are found — they’re all prostitutes. A serial killer is apparently on the loose. Sturgis calls in Delaware for assistance.
At this point, it looks like a paint-by-numbers mystery. But the most recent victim is a talented young musician from the East Coast. Her name is Selena Bass, and she had been employed by a wealthy family, the Vanders, to tutor a musical prodigy.
This strange twist puzzles Delaware and Sturgis, and the two launch a wide-ranging, bumpy investigation that leads them to all corners of L.A. They first discover that the Vanders are nowhere to be found, and the Vanders’ estate manager, Travis Huck, seems to be a little suspicious.
“His sad, crooked mouth straightened into a position of neutrality, at odds with the tension around his eyes,” writes Kellerman, describing Huck during the duo’s questioning. They soon realize he has a criminal background.
Sturgis, playing the starring role for once in a Kellerman novel, and Delaware don’t settle for the obvious, however, and unearth more startling details about the marsh deaths.
Not surprisingly, there are some surprises in the investigation, which leads them down a path with some combative characters and a brooding sense of violence.

I enjoyed the storyline and the mystery was intriguing, but it was a little muddled in the middle. I would recommend this book.

The Forgotten Garden by Kate Morton

2011-08-16T13:30:00.002-04:00

A foundling, an old book of dark fairy tales, a secret garden, an aristocratic family, a love denied, and a mystery. The Forgotten Garden is a captivating, atmospheric and compulsively readable story of the past, secrets, family and memory from the international best-selling author Kate Morton.

Cassandra is lost, alone and grieving. Her much loved grandmother, ...moreA foundling, an old book of dark fairy tales, a secret garden, an aristocratic family, a love denied, and a mystery. The Forgotten Garden is a captivating, atmospheric and compulsively readable story of the past, secrets, family and memory from the international best-selling author Kate Morton.

Cassandra is lost, alone and grieving. Her much loved grandmother, Nell, has just died and Cassandra, her life already shaken by a tragic accident ten years ago, feels like she has lost everything dear to her. But an unexpected and mysterious bequest from Nell turns Cassandra's life upside down and ends up challenging everything she thought she knew about herself and her family.

Inheriting a book of dark and intriguing fairytales written by Eliza Makepeace - the Victorian authoress who disappeared mysteriously in the early twentieth century - Cassandra takes her courage in both hands to follow in the footsteps of Nell on a quest to find out the truth about their history, their family and their past; little knowing that in the process, she will also discover a new life for herself.

I LOVED this book. The friend that loaned it to me did it kind of off handed saying... 'don't know if you'll like this book. It jumps around a lot.' So I must say it covers a time from the early 1900's, 1975 and 2005 - and going back and forth among the times. I did read it in a short period of time and didn't find it hard to keep the characters in order. The story line was good, the characters well described and the mystery was very fasinating. Let me know if you read it and what you think of it.

Snowflake or Raindrop?

2011-07-28T10:53:00.001-04:00

I love when they ask 5 questions and know everything about you. At least both outcomes are pleasant.

You Are a Snowflake

You are a deeply emotional person. You have a sensitive and tender heart.

You are so in love with the world. You are blessed, and you never forget it.

You won't be deterred from your destiny. You know what you were meant to do in this life.

Your still waters run deep. There is a lot more to you than meets the eye.

Are You a Snowflake or a Raindrop?

Blogthings: If Quizzes Are Outlawed, Only Outlaws Will Take Quizzes

Rules of Play by Nora Roberts

2011-07-27T15:15:00.005-04:00

This book has two books in it and as I read the reviews I noticed that a few people were upset because the books had been published singly before and they felt tricked into buying a book they had already read.

I really loved this book. It's amazing and so romantic. We start with the first story which is Opposite Attract with Ty and Asher. They had been lovers 3 years ago but Asher had left Ty to marry someone else. Ty who thought he'd been played by Asher came face to face with her at the tennis championships. And a knew romance started with heated nights in each others arms. But Ty still didn't know why Asher had left him 3 years early and was trying to figure it out. But Asher had a big secret that she didn't want Ty to know about, but as their new romance gets more intense. And secrets are too close to get revealed and change everything between them.

The second story The Heart's Victory which I absolutely adored is with the sexy and determined Lance and the grown and beautful Foxy. Foxy had been in love with Lance since she was 16 years old. But Lance would only make her feel like she was an annoying child and push her away. Heartbroken Foxy decided to forget him. But even though six years had passed since she had laid eyes on Lance when she saw him again she knew she never stop loving him. But Foxy felt at a loss because she thought that Lance just wanted to take her to bed but her thoughts change dramatically on the night that Lance asked Foxy to marry him. Once married they discover passion never felt before.

These were quick reads that would be great for a day at the beach. Not a lot of mystery or intrigue. I'm not a big fan of romance novels, but they were good.

Happy Birthday Peanut

2011-07-26T09:50:00.002-04:00

Peanut turned 4 on the 23rd. Can't believe how fast the years are going by. Happy 4th Birthday Peanut - thanks for sharing your special day with us. Love you.

Happy Birthday Punkin

2011-07-21T10:08:00.003-04:00

Today is my 3rd granddaughter's birthday. Happy Birthday Punkin. I can't believe she's one already. She's just adorable and has been walking for over 2 months already. Look out world.... here she comes.

What's Your Social Style

2011-07-21T09:57:00.002-04:00

I found this interesting quiz over on my daughter's blog. I always get pulled into these.... very interesting.

You Are Charming

You've got tact and grace. You always know what to say and how to act.

You are a smooth talker. You know how to light up a room with your wit and how to talk yourself out of sticky situations.

You know how to diffuse an argument, and people often call on you to keep the peace.

When other people humiliate themselves, you know how to smooth everything over. And it's rare that you say or do anything embarrassing.

What's Your Social Style?

Work is Hard. Time for Blogthings!

Mackinac Island 2011

2011-07-10T19:18:00.013-04:00

Every year we like to go to the Straits State Park in St Ignace MI. From there we take the ferry over to Mackinac Island. We've also made a tradition of leaving this creature of comfort home and travel light with our little pup tent.

Crazy I know, but we like to rough it to be reminded of how good we have it. And believe me... we have it good. Our first challenge was finding our air mattress... the first year we did this with little rubber mats and that was a big mistake. Don't know who we loaned our nice air mattress to, but I hope they remember it's ours and return it lol. We had to take our old one and it loses air. It was fine for one night and then we pumped it up again for the second night. Yup, we had to pack our bikes in the car too. It was packed.

The campground is at the base of the bridge. That solid looking thing at the bottom right is tarps and stuff... they work on this bridge every year and it appears to be in great shape.

Can you see the size of this barge going under the bridge? And it fits under the bridge! The bridge is 5 miles long. Every year on Labor Day they close half the bridge to car traffic and open it to foot traffic. We've hiked it a couple of times. Nice tradition, but we kind of steer clear of crowds these days.

We woke up Saturday morning and took the ferry across. We get out of town pretty quick because it is packed with tourists. Once out of town the 8 mile path around the island is very easy to manuever. We stopped here at Mission Pointe to relax for a minute and enjoy the view. They were setting up a wedding at the gazebo and the men in their white formal wear were waiting around for quite a while.

If sitting watching sailboats isn't relaxing I don't know what is.

We spotted a lot on inukshuk around the island this year. We first learned what they were on our trip to Alaska. They are stone figures to signify someone was here before or you are on the right path. This one behind us was very tall.

The fort is still there lol. We like to rest on the lawn out front after our 8 mile trek around the island. You have to be ready when the cannon fires or it might wake you up :)

A cute little light house on our was back to St Ignace.

There were lot of wild flowers all around the island. Of course the formal gardens are always lovely, but I enjoy the beauty of nature when you find it unexpectedly.

Found this in my pictures. It's my new garden art. Our daughter in law brought over a bottle of this a while back and I liked the bottle. Didn't know what I was going to do with it, but I just kept it simple and stuck it in the ground. Beautiful peaceful blue and the message is perfect... RELAX. I'm thinking I need more garden art :) Yup, the deer ate our hostas again this year.. frustrating... relax!

Secrets of Eden by Chris Bohjalian

2011-07-07T05:39:00.003-04:00

From the bestselling author of The Double Bind, Midwives, and Skeletons at the Feast comes a novel of shattered faith, intimate secrets, and the delicate nature of sacrifice.

"There," says Alice Hayward to Reverend Stephen Drew, just after her baptism, and just before going home to the husband who will kill her that evening and then shoot himself. Drew, tortured by the cryptic finality of that short utterance, feels his faith in God slipping away and is saved from despair only by a meeting with Heather Laurent, the author of wildly successful, inspirational books about . . . angels.

Heather survived a childhood that culminated in her own parents' murder-suicide, so she identifies deeply with Alice’s daughter, Katie, offering herself as a mentor to the girl and a shoulder for Stephen – who flees the pulpit to be with Heather and see if there is anything to be salvaged from the spiritual wreckage around him.
But then the State's Attorney begins to suspect that Alice's husband may not have killed himself. . .and finds out that Alice had secrets only her minister knew.

Secrets of Eden is both a haunting literary thriller and a deeply evocative testament to the inner complexities that mark all of our lives. Once again Chris Bohjalian has given us a riveting page-turner in which nothing is precisely what it seems. As one character remarks, “Believe no one. Trust no one. Assume all of our stories are suspect.”

I really like the way Bohjalian (wish I knew how to pronounce that name :)) unfolds a story. He really goes into each characters thoughts and feelings, giving each persons take on every situation. So, basically you're seeing the same story from several points of view and wondering all along who's telling the truth. And, once again the truth is in the final sentence. So no reading the end first, it would ruin everything.

Trace by Patricia Cornwell

2011-06-23T04:31:00.003-04:00

"Kate Scarpetta, a former Chief medical examiner in Virginia, Richmond, now resides in South Florida. She, along with her good friend, Marino, also formerly of Virginia, are summoned to her former workplace by the new chief medical examiner, Dr. Joel Marcus. Scarpetta and Marino are asked to investigate the murder of a 14 year old girl named Gilly Paulsson. While trying to pry the details of the murder from Gilly's game-playing, supposedly grief-stricken mother, Scarpetta and Marino must deal with Dr. Marcus' political machinations in his attempt to destroy Scarpetta's unassailable reputation and cover up his own incompetence. Then, Marino gets seduced into playing a game with Suz, Gilly's mother and is wrongly accused of rape. An added twist occurs when a construction worker is run over by a tractor and killed on site of her old building. Somehow, the same trace evidence found on the worker's body is also found in Gilly Paulsson's mouth.

Meanwhile, Benton Wesley, Scarpetta's lover, and Lucy, Scarpetta's niece, are investigating a seemingly unrelated case of attempted murder of Henri, Lucy's employee and friend. Lucy runs The Last Precinct, which is an undercover organization which investigates FBI-calibre cases in confidence.

As Kay Scarpetta and Marino sift through the rubble that is left of her former place of employment, Scarpetta finds that not only is the building falling apart, so are the capabilities of the new chief medical examiner and the morale of her former staff. One former staff member, in particular, seeks revenge against Dr. Scarpetta and her feisty niece Lucy for causing his disability, a lung condition which makes it difficult to breathe. While Scarpetta and Marino attempt to circumvent Suz's games, and Benton and Lucy get closer to the truth about Henri's attacker, the killer methodically sets up his final revenge. "

Another good read by Cornwell. Coincidence... small world... just weird... some of my thoughts while reading this. Who would think in this small world of ours that so many lives will cross and for what weird reasons. Great read.

Unnatural Exposure by Patricia Cornwell

2011-06-16T14:12:00.001-04:00

Always packed with unrelieved tension and constant surprises, a new novel from Patricia Cornwell is cause for celebration. Virginia's chief medical examiner, Kay Scarpetta, is called in to examine the remains of a woman found in a landfill, her body dismembered in the same expert way she'd seen before. And while Scarpetta is investigating, the bold killer contacts her through the Internet, inviting her to download the police photos, and signs off with the chilling name, deadoc. When Scarpetta and her niece discover that the victim was exposed to a rare smallpox-like virus before she died, she realizes that they re up against a killer with access to an incredible arsenal of deadly force -- and now it's directed at her!

This novel was real scary for me. The thought that someone could destroy a whole city or country through disease is just too real a possiblity to look the other way. Lots of details and again another serial killer - or is it? Copy cats are always a possibility. Great Read

Worse Case by James Patterson & Michael Ledwidge

2011-06-09T14:05:00.003-04:00

Alex Cross has Washington, DC. The Women's Murder Club has San Francisco. Detective Michael Bennett has all of New York City—chaos capital of the world.

Best case: Survival
The son of one of New York's wealthiest families is snatched off the street and held hostage. His parents can't save him, because this kidnapper isn't demanding money. Instead, he quizzes his prisoner on the price others pay for his life of luxury. In this exam, wrong answers are fatal.

Worst case: Death
Detective Michael Bennett leads the investigation. With ten kids of his own, he can't begin to understand what could lead someone to target anyone's children. As another student disappears, another powerful family uses their leverage and connections to turn up the heat on the mayor, the press—anyone who will listen—to stop this killer. Their reach extends all the way to the FBI, which sends its top Abduction Specialist, Agent Emily Parker. Bennett's life—and love life—suddenly get even more complicated.

This case: Detective Michael Bennett is on it
Before Bennett has a chance to protest the FBI's intrusion on his case, the mastermind changes his routine. His plan leads up to the most devastating demonstration yet—one that could bring cataclysmic ruin to every inch of New York City. From the shocking first page to the last exhilarating scene, Worst Case is a nonstop thriller from "America's #1 storyteller" (Forbes).

Liked the book. The serial killer is trying to bring social awareness to the forefront by exploiting wealthy family's children. He is really bitter about the rich and all that they have which he thinks they received on the backs of the poor. Great 'pageturner'.

A Hero's Hero

2011-05-24T07:04:00.000-04:00

This is a little early, but life is about to get real busy and I didn't want to miss this opportunity :) Happy Memorial Day!!

A Hero's Hero

So Many Soldiers
Living On The Street
Their Spirits Broken,
With Defeat.

What Must They Think
When They Look Around
Eyes Passing By,
Staring At The Ground?

Does Anger Fill Them
When We Turn Away,
From The Debts We Owe
That Should Be Repaid?

What If At That Moment,
Just Once, Instead
We Saluted In Honor,
Right Hand To Head?

To Let Them Know
They Are Not Ghosts,
Thanking Them For Being
Braver Than Most.

If Everyone Would
Show Them Grace
We Just Might Find
Their Pain Erased.

For All The Heroes
Still Fighting To Live
And For Heroes Like You,
Who Continue To Give.

IF You See Someone
Who Is Really Lost
Please Stop And Remember
What Our Freedom Cost.

I found this poem on a bookmark I received from the Veterans Administration. As a country we do not treat our Veterans with the dignity and respect that they deserve. It's time to give them better. Freedom isn't Free.

The Petite Dessert Test

2011-05-20T09:31:00.000-04:00

I found this little quiz over at Sweetly B Squared. Kind of fun huh? Love this tart thing with the little fruit on it and just a touch of chocolate. YUM!

You Are Colorful

You believe that there is a lot to still be discovered in this world, and you're hoping to find some of it.

You are an adventure seeker, but you're also realistic. You want an adventure to improve your life.

You are an extremely independent person. You know what's best for you and your life.

You are surprisingly easygoing. You like to keep everything as low-pressure as possible.

The Petit Dessert Test

Blogthings: We Have a Quiz for Almost Everything

Before Women Had Wings by Connie May Fowler

2011-05-19T10:49:00.000-04:00

My name is Avocet Abigail Jackson. But because Mama couldn't find anyone who thought Avocet was a fine name for a child, she called me Bird. Which is okay by me. She named both her children after birds, her logic being that if we were named for something with wings then maybe we'd be able to fly above the shit in our lives. . . .
So says Bird Jackson, the mesmerizing narrator of Connie May Fowler's vivid and brilliantly written, Before Women Had Wings.

Starstruck by a dime-store picture of Jesus, Bird fancies herself "His girlfriend" and embarks upon a spiritual quest for salvation, even as the chaos of her home life plunges her into a stony silence. In stark and honest language, she tells the tragic life of her father, a sweet-talking wanna-be country music star, tracks her older sister's perilous journey into womanhood, and witnesses her mother make a courageous and ultimately devastating decision.

Yet most profound is Bird's own story--her struggle to sift through the ashes of her parents' lives, her meeting with Miss Zora, a healer whose prayers over the bones of winged creatures are meant to guide their souls to heaven, and her will to make sense of a world where fear is more plentiful than hope, retribution more valued than love. . . .

Although I didn't come from an abusive home I really related to Bird's situation. The 'feelings' that she spoke of seemed to really ring true for me. At a very young age I knew we weren't rich, but I never realized how poor we were. Now that I'm older and can see the whole picture I really see just how poor we were. My older siblings really lived through a lot more, but I remember all the other girls in school had much nicer cloths than we did and they could get involved in school activities because they had supportive parents. My parents were not 'bad', but because there were nine of us, they didn't have the individual time to spend on each of us.

This was a very well written book and like I said I could really 'feel' what she was portraying. It brought a whole new perspective to some of the other things I've read lately. I remember a few books that spoke of Dad being a pilot and all that comes with that kind of finances and another book that spoke of buying a new home and how Mom was home cooking and baking - I was trying to remember those things in my life and they just weren't there. At a time when there were very few Mom's working mine had a full time job and we were on our own after school til someone got home.

This book reminds me a lot of my past and makes me really appreciate all that my Mom did to protect us and keep us safe. It brings to light all that could have gone wrong that didn't. Although we didn't have a lot we had each other and there was kindness and lots of fun.

What's your mothering personality type?

2011-05-16T16:28:00.002-04:00

I saw this fun quiz over at Sweetly B Squared and thought it might be fun. Check it out.

I'm a "Happy Together" Mother!

(Extraverted, Sensing, Feeling, Judging)

I have a highly developed sense of family and what it takes to be happy in life.

What's your mothering personality type? Take the MotherStyles quiz at FamilyEducation.com!

The Shadow of Your Smile by Mary Higgins Clark

2011-05-05T09:00:00.000-04:00

At age eighty-two and in failing health, Olivia Morrow knows she has little time left. The last of her line, she faces a momentous choice: expose a long-held family secret, or take it with her to her grave.

Olivia has in her possession letters from her deceased cousin Catherine, a nun, now being considered for beatification by the Catholic Church—the final step before sainthood. In her lifetime, Sister Catherine had founded seven hospitals for disabled children. Now the cure of a four-year-old boy dying of brain cancer is being attributed to her. After his case was pronounced medically hopeless, the boy’s desperate mother had organized a prayer crusade to Sister Catherine, leading to his miraculous recovery.

The letters Olivia holds are the evidence that Catherine gave birth at age seventeen to a child, a son, and gave him up for adoption. Olivia knows the identity of the young man who fathered Catherine’s child: Alex Gannon, who went on to become a world-famous doctor, scientist, and inventor holding medical patents.

Now, two generations later, thirty-one-year-old pediatrician Dr. Monica Farrell, Catherine’s granddaughter, stands as the rightful heir to what remains of the family fortune. But in telling Monica who she really is, Olivia would have to betray Catherine’s wishes and reveal the story behind Monica’s ancestry.

The Gannon fortune is being squandered by Alex’s nephews Greg and Peter Gannon, and other board members of the Gannon Foundation, who camouflage their profligate lifestyles with philanthropy.

Now their carefully constructed image is cracking. Greg, a prominent financier, is under criminal investigation, and Peter, a Broadway producer, is a suspect in the murder of a young woman who has been extorting money from him.

The only people aware of Olivia’s impending choice are those exploiting the Gannon inheritance. To silence Olivia and prevent Monica from learning the secret, some of them will stop at nothing—even murder.

Clark’s riveting new novel explores the juxtaposition of medical science and religious faith, and the search for identity by the daughter of a man adopted at birth.

This book reminded me of an Agatha Christi mystery. Good read in a dorky kind of way. I do like reading about how people live. Olivia was a meticulous old lady... no children how could her house be dirty? Dr. Farrell also single and house neat as a pin.... guess that's just a dream of mine - a clean house. I don't even have an excuse anymore! Oh well, too many other things to do - like read books.

I've told myself no more books before I do some of the projects that I have started or bought stuff to make. Gotta clean up before I want to be outside in the garden.

The Pull of the Moon by Elizabeth Berg

2011-04-28T09:00:00.000-04:00

In The Pull of the Moon, Nan does something that I imagine most of us have dreamed of doing at one time or other in our lives: she leaves her old life behind, embarking on a road trip of self-discovery.

I enjoyed this novel very much. On one level, Nan’s journey has all the elements of “too good to be true”. For one thing, she’s lucky enough to have enough money to go on this trip, to be able to drive where she wants, stay where she wants, eat what she wants, for as long as she wants. But when one looks beyond the premise, deep into the heart of the novel, one finds something that sings in its authenticity.

Nan is not running away; she’s running toward, toward a place where “My mind was in my heart, anchored like a bright kite in a safe place.” Parts of the novel are laugh-out-loud funny; other scenes are particularly poignant.

Berg captures that sense of loss of self using the smallest things, things we wouldn’t normally even think about:

When I got to the grocery store, the oddest thing happened. I found it very, very difficult to buy anything. I would pick something up, then think, no, it’s Ruthie who really likes pineapple. No, Martin is the one who loves London broil. I wanted to get something special, a real treat, something I liked to cook and liked even more to eat, but everything I picked up, I put back. Finally, I leaned against the dairy case and thought, well, come on, Nan, what do YOU really, really like? And then I thought, my God, I don’t know. I’ve forgotten.

We get to follow along as Nan begins to rediscover her own perspective on life, a woman-centered perspective that touches on so many familiar things. She describes being fifty as

an impossible age in many ways. Not old. Not young. Not old, no. But oh, not young. What it is, is being in the sticky middle, setting one gigantic thing aside in order to make room for the next gigantic thing, and in between, feeling the rush of air down the unprotected back of the neck.

Nan’s physical journey may not be particularly realistic; after all, who among us could really take such a road trip, with no destination in mind other than coming to a much-needed self-understanding? But it doesn’t matter. Nan takes the journey for us as well as for herself; through her we are able to do what our particular personal resources might prevent us from doing.

As Nan says after finding herself unable to resist buying a pink biker’s sleeveless T-shirt, “Do you want this? life seems to be saying. Is this what you want? Well, take it, then. What do you think it’s here for?” And the rest of the book explores how she comes to fully embrace what life is telling her.

This was not a favorite book for me. I remember having a lot of those feelings, but I remember being told that the 50s are the best years of your life so I tried to make them that. They are the years when your children are old enough to allow you more time for yourself and you finally have a few pennies to do a few more things that you want to do. Guess I just got lucky that my 'period' of unrest was short lived. Not a book that I would recommend. I bought it because a worker at the store recommended it to me. Guess her tastes are different than mine.

Easter Fun

2011-04-26T06:48:00.013-04:00

We went our Son and Daughter-in-law's home for Easter Dinner. The girls are getting to a very fun age.

Punkin loves getting into the playhouse. I really fits her perfectly doesn't it? Love that smile.

The Easter Egg Hunt was more for the 'big' girls, but Punkin loved playing with the eggs. Just her size.

Muffin would get an egg and sit and open it. Then think about getting another one lol. Here she is just sitting and being pretty.

Peanut definitely knows the drill and you can tell when you see how full her basket is compared to Muffin's. She was just so excited to be getting eggs.

We handed out prizes for eggs when we got back in the house and bubbles were part of the package. They loved making bubbles on the back patio and they were both pretty good at it.

It seems like every time we're there we see how many we can fit into the playhouse. This time my son was it with the three girls. Punkin saw Daddy and the other big girls in there and just lit up. She loves it.

I'm a little disappointed in the pictures, but you get what you get :). The girls are just so much prettier than these pictures. I noticed too that we didn't get any of the adults in their Easter finery. Oh well, I'll take notes and do a better job next time NOT! How was your Easter?

Fun Day Off

2011-04-23T14:35:00.008-04:00

If I didn't have to work for a living I would have a lot more fun :) I was trying to come up with a dessert for Easter, and I found some fun cupcakes for the kids. Usually I come up with something more adult, but the kids are of the age where they'll really think these are fun.

Are these bunny faces and chicks in their baskets not fun?

The bunnies are just two ears (marshmallows cut in half then sprinkled with pink sugar), mini m & m's for eyes, jelly belly nose and two mini marshmallows for the mouth/cheeks. Cute huh?

This one is even simpler. Just frost, plop a peep in the middle, add a few jelly bellys and then sprinkle with green sprinkles. The example had green coconut for the grass, but I thought the girls wouldn't like the coconut so I just went with sprinkles. (it appears I need a steadier hand with the camera)

I didn't want to end up with a lot of cupcakes so I just made a dozen and used the rest of the batter to make these mini pecan cinnamon bundt cakes. I don't make cupcakes often, but I invariably forget that they don't take a lot of batter. I put too much in everything lol. Luckily I didn't spill over into the clean and newly repaired oven. A whole nother story.

Another thing that I had planned for my day off was to clean up some of my projects laying around. While in Georgia in the Spring we went to The Scarlet Thread, a quaint quilting shop. They had kits for making potato and corn bags. I've made potato bags before, but had never heard of a corn bag. Same principle, only the bag is bigger for corn. They also had a potato and a corn fabric. Because these bags go in the microwave oven you MUST use everything cotton. I've since learned to also tell recipients that you must watch while using them too. My sister's caught on fire while in use. I know I used all 100% cotton so I don't know what happened... maybe her microwave has a stronger wattage? Whatever, whenever using these fabric bags in the micro always stay in the area and watch them cooking. I will continue to use mine because they produce a quick moist baked potato. Can't wait to try out the corn bag.

Don't you love the corn fabric?

More projects await, but it's such a nice day that we're off to enjoy our first of the season (in Michigan) motorcycle ride. Do we ever finish up all of our projects? I can think of at least three or four that I'm currently working on. Guess that just leaves me with something to look forward to. ;)

A Blessed and Happy Easter to all.

Run For Your Life by James Patterson & Michael Ledwidge

2011-04-21T13:26:00.001-04:00

A calculating killer who calls himself The Teacher is taking on New York City, killing the powerful and the arrogant. His message is clear: remember your manners or suffer the consequences! For some, it seems that the rich are finally getting what they deserve. For New York's elite, it is a call to terror. Only one man can tackle such a high-profile case: Detective Mike Bennett. The pressure is enough for anyone, but Mike also has to care for his 10 children-all of whom have come down with virulent flu at once! Discovering a secret pattern in The Teacher's lessons, Detective Bennett realizes he has just hours to save New York from the greatest disaster in its history. From the #1 bestselling author comes RUN FOR YOUR LIFE, the continuation of his newest, electrifying series.

Not your usual Patterson, in my opinion. Some of the dialog hinted at harlequinism and I'm not a fan of Harlequins. Almost made me chuckle a few times. It was a quick read though and kept my interest to the end.

Word Verification

2011-04-19T13:18:00.003-04:00

I know how much I hate word verification and I know a few of my readers that do too. Unfortunately, I'm getting so much spam and garbage that I had to reinstate this process. Hope it's not too much of an inconvenience.

Baking Cookies

2011-04-19T06:16:00.004-04:00

Our oldest granddaughter came for a sleepover this weekend. I thought I'd have lots of planned activities for her to keep her busy. It really wasn't necessary. She played with Barbies for hours. I did tell her we'd make cookies though so we fit that in Sunday after Sunday School.

She liked stirring and got very serious about it.

We needed a third person to be a photographer. I noticed later that I didn't get a picture of the baking or finished product. :( Maybe next time someone else will be around.

On Saturday night we attempted to do a tie fleece blanket for her. She took the two fabrics and said "this one is for Muffin and I'll take this one".. No, I said, the two have to be tied together like mine and Papa's. Okay then they were both for her... sorry Muffin the sharing is over lol. She's only 3 and the tying was a little too much for her. I'd show her and she'd just twist the two pieces. Ultimately I just formed the knots and let her pull the two ends to tighten them. That lasted for about 15 to 20 ties then I was on my own with her crawling all over the blanket lol.

We had to go out late on Saturday to get Papa from the Airport Car Rental place and she was a real trooper. I put her coat on her at 12:15 a.m. and had her walk up stairs then I carried her to the car and covered her with her new blanket. She was asleep almost immediately and slept til the car stopped. I don't think she really woke up, but her eyes were open lol. We got home around 3:30 a.m. and as I tucked her in she said "Oh, we forgot my story." Sorry, not tonight... we didn't forget anything. We lived our adventure :) Being an only child she really entertains herself well and just likes to show you things.

On the 14th of May I get to have my other two granddaughters for a sleepover. I have a lot of fun bonding with them and watching them in a different environment than their own. They are just constantly exploring. We'll also see everyone over Easter so hopefully I'll have more pictures on Monday.

Fertilize Friday 4/15/11

2011-04-15T09:07:00.001-04:00

I'm taking part in Fertilize Friday hosted by Tootsie. She always has lots of followers and lots of great ideas on gardening among other things. Check her out.. you won't be disappointed.

My yard is in need of lots of Spring cleanup. Last Sunday was a good day, but we got busy and I didn't spend any time in the garden. I'm sure it won't go away... I'll catch it another time. Lots of leaves to clean up and twigs to be picked up.

These pretties look like little starlights. Don't remember the name, but they're planted up front by the daffodils.

The tulips are on their way. Should have some color in a couple of weeks.

Love the crocuses. They looked better last week, but I did catch their color. See what I mean about lots of leaves :)

I want to do something with this side of the house this year. These two burning bushes are doing well. MM bricked out the bed last year. It now needs lots of fill and some little plantings. I think it is the southeast or southwest side. It has lots of shade and there's lots of moss in the grass. I'll have to give this more thought.

These little starlight things are popping up in the grass in the backyard. Just kind of scattered all around.

The Neon Sedum is coming up nicely. If I remember correctly they got eaten by either deer or bunnies. I'll have to get out there early and give them some protection.

Coreopsis is making an early start.

Daylilies are looking good. Don't look at the dried up leaves lol

Chicks and hens look so pretty this time of year.

I was pleasantly surprised to see the hollyhock coming up. At least 3 of the 6 are making a start. Hope the others come through.

I received this potted azaela with ivy from my niece upon the recent death of my Mother. Miss you Mom :(.

A mum I got from another friend. Gotta find nice homes for these in a few weeks.

So there you have it. Definitely signs of life and lots of clean up to be done. It's supposed to rain this weekend and the next weekend is Easter. It's funny how the weekends fill up so quickly. I used to go to my Mothers after work most nights and now that time has sadly been given back to me. Maybe that will be my new gardening time.

The Boy Who Came Back From Heaven by Kevin & Alex Malarkey

2011-04-14T08:54:00.000-04:00

In 2004, Kevin Malarkey and his six-year-old son, Alex, suffered an horrific car accident. The impact from the crash paralyzed Alex—and medically speaking, it was unlikely that he could survive. “I think Alex has gone to be with Jesus,” a friend told the stricken dad. But two months later, Alex awoke from a coma with an incredible story to share. Of events at the accident scene and in the hospital while he was unconscious. Of the angels that took him through the gates of heaven itself. Of the unearthly music that sounded just terrible to a six-year-old. And, most amazing of all . . . Of meeting and talking to Jesus. The Boy Who Came Back from Heaven is the true story of an ordinary boy’s most extraordinary journey. As you see heaven and earth through Alex’s eyes, you’ll come away with new insights on miracles, life beyond this world, and the power of a father’s love.

I received this book from a friend and coworker Tammy upon the death of my Mother. It was an interesting read... don't know if I'd describe it as spiritual, religious, motivational..?? Horrific story that didn't have positive results, but the way that the family managed to overcome and go on was amazing. It would truly have to be a work of God to go through what this family did and come out the way that they did. God truly works in mysterious ways and this book describes it beautifully.

Sad Decision Made

2011-04-12T19:57:00.003-04:00

I had a feeling that today a decision would have to be made. I was surprised when I got home from work because MM was gone, but Daisy was still here. My 'WIMP' of a husband couldn't do it by himself. He had decided that she had to go back so I made him call Julie and then he made me come with him to take her back. She loves the dog and wanted her back. She has a couple of others that are interested in Daisy. She won't be hard to place. She is that adorable. The only thing I know for sure is that if any dog was going to work it would be Daisy. So we are NOT going to get a dog. I think we have just gotten so used to having less responsibility and weren't ready to take more on. A pet is a big responsibility. We've been free of that responsibility for too long and are just not up to that again.

We're both sad, but relieved.

Sweet Daisy

2011-04-12T14:12:00.004-04:00

This is a long wordy post with a lot of searching and feeling.... I won't be offended if you can't make it to the end. I don't think I ever want to read it again lol.

So, we picked up this adorable Bichon on Sunday. It's owner has to go into an assisted living environment and cannot take her along. We've talked about getting a dog again several times and always talked ourselves out of it. We've been without a pet for almost 17 years. We had Chrissy, a little pekeapoo for 18 years and she was a perfect pet. She didn't mess in the house, didn't bark, she let us pet her when we wanted and left us alone at other times. Yes, she would be hard, if not impossible, to replace.

Through the years we tried two times. Once we got a shitzu from my nephew and it was very aggressive with us. Come to find out he was acquiring diabetes and my nephew took him back and they nursed him to the end... daily shots and the works. Another time we picked up a weird little dog from the pound. It's owner had gotten tired of him and instead of a peaceful transition to a final resting place they chose to pass him on to another unsuspecting owner to try to deal with. He had dominance issues and humped everything in sight as well and leaving his scent on everything in the house. Yup, didn't work.

So here we are, we picked up Daisy early Sunday and went to our Son and DIL's for the day. Daisy was a good little traveller, jumping from the front to back seats and back. She finally settled in MM's lap while he drove. We're thinking that since she came from a home with a single lady she's used to sitting on the drivers lap and we went along with the old program. Once I looked around and saw nose prints on all the windows lol. Okay, I can get used to that. I got a little concerned when she started scratching at the windows... they have a tinting film on the inside and it probably won't hold up to that kind of abuse. We'll work on that.

She was great with other animals and the kids. We had one scare when I thought she bit Muffin. Daisy was hiding behind me in the chair trying to escape Jake trying to entice her to play with him. Muffin came up and tried to give her her sippy cup. I said "No, Muffin don't give the dog your juice." The next thing I know Muffin is crying and I thought "what's going on?" Then I saw two puncture wounds on her hand and I freaked out. Did the dog somehow bite her without my knowing? You would think I would have heard or felt something. The dog was right behind me. DIL says 'no, those are from her IV last week at the hospital'. WHEW!!! Muffin was just upset because I said 'no' and she was a little tired. Note to self.... don't say 'no' to the grandkids. What was I thinking lol. I love those girls. They are the best!!

Back to the dog. We fed and watered her when we got home and settled into the evening. Oh, back up. We sat on the porch for a while and she was great. She only barked once at a squirrel or a bird or something. As the evening wound down we decided to go to bed. We got a little pillow for her and put it on the floor next to the bed. You guessed it. She's used to sleeping on the bed lol. We could hear her walking around as her little nails tap tapped against the hardwood floors. A couple of times she came to my side and reached up to me. I just pet her and said 'go lay down' and she did. There was even a very bad storm that night that the thunder was so loud that it shook the house. She was great through all of that. We found her in the morning on the loveseat in the livingroom.

Morning came and MM found a wet spot in the main bathroom on the rug. She was trained with 'piddle pads' because the lady couldn't always let her out. Hence, the pads. Not a good thing. And I think this breed does have some trouble with potty training as a general rule. When I got home MM was not happy. He said she followed him everywhere and just whined. She wants to be held and petted all the time. lol I'm laughing because it's him and not me. :) And he's telling me 'we made a big mistake, we're too set in out ways for this'. Once while he was carrying a big log to the fire pit she got tangled up with him and he almost dropped the log on her... not a good thing. And when he'd leave her in the house she would scratch at the door to get out and when she wants in she scratches at the door. She doesn't bark when she wants something, she whines and scratches. I didn't think too much of it til she started scratching at the cupboards. Pretty sure people don't declaw dogs lol.

So, we're in a definite dilemma. Do we keep this adorable dog and see what we can do with her. We're thinking of putting the screen on the front and back doors, but that's not going to be pretty. And what about travelling? I'm sure she'll handle the driving okay, but what about the screen door and the window treatments? And then again, the occasional piddle on the carpet? Ugh!? Last night at church I found myself not paying attention to the sermon at all, I was just praying about our situation. No answer came to me. She slept on the loveseat and chair in the living room last night and was quiet most of the night. I only heard her walking around our room once.

I emailed the daughter that we got her from last night and said I wasn't sure how this was working out. Her response was very sweet. "I'm glad I can take her back if it doesn't work out. Let me know." Her feelings were about the same as ours. The dog is so sweet. Her husband was very attached, but she was the one that had to take care of her... and she's 'needy'. And as a daughter that just went through all that this lady is going through I feel for her. She's so busy with her Mom and then to have to deal with the situation of the dog too.

And she is adorable isn't she?

So, I've left it up to MM. If she's not there when I get home I'll understand. If she is still there then we'll work on her few issues. If we're ever going to get another dog this is probably the best fit. I keep saying "she's just so sweet" and she is.

I've tried to examine why we even thought we wanted a dog. Like I said, we've been without one for many years. Was it so the grandkids would have a little pet at our house? They have pets at home. Was it to keep us company? We really are comfortable just the two of us. The correct answer is probably to give a needy pet a home, but I don't think I'm that generous. Maybe we really aren't pet people. I've examined that too. My Dad was a dog person. Of course, he couldn't relate to people very well. When I was in my 30's I contacted him and thought "why didn't you love me like that?" lol. He just didn't know how. But he sure knew how to show affection to the dogs :). Guess I'm just as human as the next person, I always want what I don't have and when I get it I realize that I really didn't want it that much to begin with. Frustrating. No one can solve this for us. We'll have to do a lot of soul searching and decide what's best for us. Daisy is so adorable this is not the last chance for her. If we don't keep her she'll find a very loving home. She is just that adorable and 'sweet'. Did I say that a lot? But she is, she is just so 'sweet'.

Caught by Harlan Coben

2011-04-07T07:47:00.001-04:00

17 year-old Haley McWaid is a good girl, the pride of her suburban New Jersey family, captain of the lacrosse team, headed off to college next year with all the hopes and dreams her doting parents can pin on her. Which is why, when her mother wakes one morning to find that Haley never came home the night before, and three months quickly pass without word from the girl, the community assumes the worst. Wendy Tynes is a reporter on a mission, to identify and bring down sexual predators via elaborate—and nationally televised—sting operations. Working with local police on her news program Caught in the Act, Wendy and her team have publicly shamed dozens of men by the time she encounters her latest target. Dan Mercer is a social worker known as a friend to troubled teens, but his story soon becomes more complicated than Wendy could have imagined. In a novel that challenges as much as it thrills, filled with the astonishing tension and unseen suburban machinations that have become Coben’s trademark, Caught tells the story of a missing girl, the community stunned by her loss, the predator who may have taken her, and the reporter who suddenly realizes she can’t trust her own instincts about this case—or the motives of the people around her.

Haven't read a Coben book in a while. This was a thriller that definitely held my attention. Scary stuff because it happens all the time. The scariest part to me is that everything you read on the internet isn't always true and so many times people take it as gospel. Another computer geek kind of thing and one that goes back years in the lives of college suite mates. Good read.

Muffin Turns Two

2011-04-05T22:04:00.008-04:00

We celebrated Muffin's second birthday a week late since we were out of town on her calendar birthday. I love to see our three girls get together. They still don't really play together, but they sure do watch each other. Muffin loved all of her new toys and so did Peanut and Punkin.

She looks so much older than 2!!

Checking out their new tattoos.

Punkin is growing up WAY to fast.

Papa always has the girls crawling all over him ;)

Mom and Dad with the birthday girl.

Love the little waves in Muffin's hair. Again, just checking out things together.

So there you have it. Another fun day with the family. Pretty sure our son got some pretty good pictures too and I'll have to go snag some from him :) In July the girls will be 1, 2, and 3 for two days before Peanut turns 4. They really are growing up too fast.

Finally Home!

2011-04-04T16:24:00.003-04:00

So, to end our vacation saga. I drove home on Saturday after first stopping at my brother's in Kentucky. MM was towed to a Freightliner in Knoxville where the B@$&?y write up girl told him there was no place to plug in and the driver just dropped him in the yard. The tow driver even said to her "you don't want to be here do you?". An hour later MM saw another rig being towed in and parking next to the building and PLUGGING IN!! It was a different write up person and this one was nice. His whole weekend and Monday and Tuesday were spent in a lounge area and sleeping in the cold RV. At that time we didn't know exactly what was wrong with the rig and he didn't want to run the generator if it was bad fuel... so no electricity. All of the people he had contact with were extremely nice except for this one girl who was just plain ole NASTY!!

The rig finally got fixed late on Tuesday. It ended up being a lift pump and a computer board that shorted out and needed to be replaced. It was late when they finally finished so he waited til Wednesday morning to leave. In the morning he was ready to go and just paid the whole bill including the tow because he wanted to just get home. The 'nasty' girl called him when he was half way home and asked if he could come back so she could get the mileage. He laughed and said 'no way I'll just give it to you when I get out of traffic'. When he called back she couldn't be bothered, but must have written down the numbers. So when he got back he called her again and then we tried to process the reimbursement for the towing. He gave her a fax number so she could fax over the fully completed form that she 'failed' to do right in the first place.

In the afternoon when I hadn't received the fax yet I called her and asked about it. Her response was "I'll get to it when I get time." I asked if she knew when that might be since I don't have a fax machine sitting on the edge of my desk and I had to watch for it. She said she didn't know when she'd get to it. At that point my only mission in life was to get her FIRED!!! Anyway, shortly after that the fax came in and I got the letter off to another company to get the tow reimbursement. As time has passed I don't want to waste another minute even thinking about such a nasty person, but it just irks me that one person has that kind of power to make another persons life miserable just because they want to. I mean really if she doesn't want to work why did she come in to work that day. It made what was already a difficult situation just plain miserable.

So, what do you think? Should I pursue trying to have her fired or not waste any more time on such unpleasantness? Guess I'm really very blessed, because I can only think of one other time that this kind of thing has happened. In the whole scheme of things I am treated as I treat others... with respect and cheerfulness. And I might add always with a smile :)

Midwives by Chris Bohjalian

2011-04-01T07:24:00.000-04:00

In Midwives, Chris Bohjalian chronicles the events leading up to the trial of Sibyl Danforth, a respected midwife in the small Vermont town of Reddington, on charges of manslaughter. It quickly becomes evident, however, that Sibyl is not the only one on trial--the prosecuting attorney and the state's medical community are all anxious to use this tragedy as ammunition against midwifery in general; this particular midwife, after all, an ex-hippie who still evokes the best of the flower-power generation, is something of an anachronism in 1981. Through it all, Sibyl, her husband, Rand, and their teenage daughter, Connie, attempt to keep their family intact, but the stress of the trial--and Sibyl's growing closeness to her lawyer--puts pressure on both marriage and family. Bohjalian takes readers through the intricacies of childbirth and the law, and by the end of Sibyl Danforth's trial, it's difficult to decide which was more harrowing--the tragic delivery or its legal aftermath.

While reading this I had to check several time to be reminded that this was a fiction novel. So many times it all seemed so real and like it could really happen. Not a happy sort of book, but one that was hard to put down. Just found this author from a coworker and plan on reading a few more by Chris Bohjalian.

Is The Trip Over??

2011-03-27T21:24:00.003-04:00

Well, we thought we were going to get an early start home on Friday and get to stop and see my brother in KY. Good intentions right? Anyway, when we left at noon on Friday we noticed an oil leak. No phone service so we had to disconnect the car and drive up the mountain to call for service. We were told about a place not to far away for the service. YIKES! The guy was very knowledgable but his shop was scary. He was able to stop the leak, but the engine was really dragging and we think we picked up bad fuel in GA. So we decided to drive it as far as possible and deal with what we had to deal with.

We had to drive up and over Fort Mountain and it had lots of twisty curvies with a lot of elevation thrown in for more of a struggle. We made it to Knoxville TN around 9 p.m. and decided to wait it out and get an early start on Saturday. The mechanic advised us to let the fuel go as low as possible to eliminate as much of the bad fuel as possible.

Saturday 5:30 a.m. we decided to get an early start... the engine would not start. We called for a tow and he arrived around 10:00 a.m. Since no one would be able to work on it til Monday we decided to seperate and I'd head home and he'd wait get the repairs and head home later. Wish we hadn't made this decision, but it's over and we'll deal with it.

I did stop and see my brother and had a nice but short visit. They were talking about severe winter storms in KY and I was anxious to get out of town. I drove 3 hours to their house (even managed to get up their steep rutted driveway) and reluctantly left around 2:00 p.m.

Wanting to get home before dark and outrun the storm I didn't stop for anything but fuel once. I drove for 6 straight hours. A total of nine hours and I can honestly say I don't know how MM does it! The weather did hold out... it was actually sunny in Ohio and southern Michigan and I was home by just before 8. Had to stop to replenish groceries and I was starved! I had breakfast around 9 in the morning and that was over 11 hours without eating.

Talked with MM and he's waiting in the parking lot of the freightliner repair garage til Monday. I feel so bad and I don't think I'll ever make this decision again. I should have stayed with him even if I wasn't able to get back to work on time. But, decision is made and hopefully they'll be able to get the coach in right away and he'll be on his way home Tuesday or Wednesday. So I guess it was a nice vacation with a horrible ending. Lesson to be learned is watch where you buy fuel from. Think we'll stick with Flyin J or Pilot..... no stations in cities that really don't use diesel as quickly as they should. Stay tuned .... MM will be home soon and I'll be as excited as he is.

The Girl Who Played With Fire by Stieg Larsson

2011-03-25T08:37:00.001-04:00

In THE GIRL WHO PLAYED WITH FIRE, the second volume in the late Stieg Larsson's Millennium Trilogy, publisher Mikael Blomkvist and the police are conducting parallel investigations into three horrifying murders -- and their initial evidence points straight at young computer genius and social misfit Lisbeth Salander. Kalle Bastard Blomkvist (as Salander has begun referring to him) hasn't seen Salander in nearly two years, except for one night when he happened to witness a huge man attempting to kidnap her and both she and the attacker eluded him. He's bewildered about why she cut him off cold, but had accepted her decision -- until now. He doesn't believe Salander killed these victims. Well, at least not two of them. He has to contact her, find out how she's become embroiled in this, and help her. Salander, as usual, has her own ideas about who she'll see and when....

I'm always amazed by computer geeks, but Salander takes it to a whole new level. She does things that I can't even imagine let alone do. For example, at one point she has her apartment door rigged to let her know if anyone opens it while she is away. Then she can click a few things on her blackberry, or iphone or something and watch through cameras that she has set up. Not only that, but if the intruder doesn't have the password correctly then she has it programmed to dump a lot of paint on them. Now, who could even think of all this stuff, let alone carry it out? Murder, mystery, violence, the story line has it all. The reviews say that this one wasn't as good as The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo, but I thought it was just as good. Can't wait to start the third one.

Hiking the Appalachian Trail - AWESOME!!

2011-03-23T20:57:00.004-04:00

Today we went hiking on the Appalachian Trail. AWESOME!! The approach to the AT begins at Amicalola Falls State Park GA with the elevation of 1700 ft and ends 2181 miles later in Millinocket ME elevation 5268. “Thru” hikers usually begin in mid March in GA and plan on hiking about 6 months. There are also “section” hikers… hikers that hike a section at a time finishing after several years. We heard of one hiker finishing after 36 years. We did a little over a mile of the AT going from Woody Gap (mile 20.3) ele 3257 hiking up to Big Cedar Mountain (mile 21.5) ele 3737. We didn’t go prepared for much of a hike at all, but we did have a camera. We talked with lots of hikers (probably a dozen of the 20 - 30 that we saw) most of them having started about the 14th of March. Hikers come in all shapes, all sizes and all ages. The average hiker traveling through was in their mid 20’s and were taking a break from college to find themselves. Greg, was 50 on March 14th and this was his birthday gift to himself. Another gentleman in his 70’s maybe, had been doing it for years and was hiking for about a week. He and his wife plan on finishing up the last section next years doing the last section in ME. Most hikers were eager to talk and they all had a story. We had a blast!

Big Cedar Mountain

After hiking and talking with hikers back at Woody Gap we got back in our car and drove to Neels Gap (mile 30.6 on the trail) where there is a trading post of sorts and a place for hikers to replenish supplies or clean out stuff and lighten their loads. Greg, that we mentioned before, had a pack of 75 pounds!! A girl nicknamed ‘One of the Cajuns’ was traveling with 2 guys. They were from Louisiana, go figure, and her pack was about 40 pounds. She couldn’t have weighed more than 120. The guys she was traveling with were each carrying between 50 and 60 pounds. One even had a guitar (he wasn’t leaving it anywhere) and the other guy had a tambourine. I got the feeling that a lot of the hikers were throw backs to the 1960’s.

Neels Gap is the only spot on the trail that it goes through a covered portion of a building. There is also a tree out front that has a lot of worn out boots thrown up into it. Can you see the boots on the right? The soles are literally falling off of them!

We had a great day and would love to do more of the trail … it would be nice to be better prepared and maybe even train a little for it lol. Walking sticks (like ski poles) are an absolute must! Everyone had them and the old guy said it really saves the knees. With my balance (or lack thereof) I could really have used them. Lots more trails in the area… wonder where we’ll go tomorrow?

Sunny and Warm in Georgia!!

2011-03-21T19:04:00.007-04:00

On the 11th of March we headed to an FMCA Rally in Perry Georgia. While at the rally I made a cool sock monkey...

We made friends with the people on either side of us. Toni is an rv technician and had lots of tips on repairs and such. The other side was Ginny and Jim. Real nice couple we had a lot in common with. We also had dinner one night with a couple we'd met last fall in Branson MO.

The weather was gorgeous except for rain on Tuesday. We did lots of cruising around on the motorcycle and just plain enjoying the sunny warm weather. On Monday we also did a little side trip with Ginny and Jim. There was a tour to a quilt shop in another town and it was a little pricey so we just went on our own. It was further that we'd expected, but we found it relatively easy to find. They had lots of cool ideas and sweet fabrics. I held back and just bought a few fabrics and patterns. We also went to the new aquarium at the Agricenter. Everything was new and beautiful and right there on the fairgrounds.

The best entertainment was the last night we were there (Thursday). It was Jeanne Robertson. I had seen some of her youtube videos before so I was really looking forward to the show. She did not disappoint. I laughed for the whole show.

When we left there on Friday we headed to Stone Mountain GA where we had another 4 nights reserved. Again, the weather was great and we did a lot of motorcycling. The hills are enormous and we didn't even get the bicycles out of the car. On Sunday we climbed Stone Mountain and made it to the top.

Some of the grade was 20% and that is pretty steep. There was a handrail at that point. The rest of it you just walked up the sheer rock. I think it's about a mile long and 823 feet high. The other side of the mountain has a sky lift for those that want to see the top but can't or don't want to climb. Going up we stopped 5 or 6 times for me to catch my breath... MM didn't need to, but he was glad I stopped :). On the way down it was all knees and ankles. Pretty easy, but you wanted to pay attention so you didn't turn your ankle.

Today we rode the motorcycle around a little and went to see a video on the carving on the side of the mountian.

Robert E Lee, Stonewall Jackson and Jefferson Davis. The carving began with the carver that did Mt Rushmore and was halted when he went out west and for the Civil War and WWII. Having seen Mt Rushmore I have to say this is much smaller, but then again the mountain is too. We also hiked around Venable Lake... nice hike and the weather was perfect. Not too hot and not buggy either. Lots of turtles sunning themselves. Stone Mountain Park is Georgia's #1 attraction and has literally miles of hiking trails and that many people using them too.

We're heading to another park in Georgia tomorrow morning and plan on staying there for 4 days too. Hopefully the weather will hold out for us. I had a few more pictures to upload, but the service is exceptionally slow and there's stuff to do outside :).

Live to Tell by Lisa Gardner

2011-03-15T23:10:00.003-04:00

He knows everything about you—including the first place you’ll hide. On a warm summer night in one of Boston’s working-class neighborhoods, an unthinkable crime has been committed: Four members of a family have been brutally murdered. The father—and possible suspect—now lies clinging to life in the ICU. Murder-suicide? Or something worse? Veteran police detective D. D. Warren is certain of only one thing: There’s more to this case than meets the eye. Danielle Burton is a survivor, a dedicated nurse whose passion is to help children at a locked-down pediatric psych ward. But she remains haunted by a family tragedy that shattered her life nearly twenty-five years ago. The dark anniversary is approaching, and when D. D. Warren and her partner show up at the facility, Danielle immediately realizes: It has started again. A devoted mother, Victoria Oliver has a hard time remembering what normalcy is like. But she will do anything to ensure that her troubled son has some semblance of a childhood. She will love him no matter what. Nurture him. Keep him safe. Protect him. Even when the threat comes from within her own house. In New York Times bestselling author Lisa Gardner’s most compelling work of suspense to date, the lives of these three women unfold and connect in unexpected ways, as sins from the past emerge—and stunning secrets reveal just how tightly blood ties can bind. Sometimes the most devastating crimes are the ones closest to home.

A great book that I wouldn't want to read on a spooky night that I was home alone. But really, this was a good read with twists back and forth. The mind is a powerful, scary thing. Summer is coming (no really) this is a great read.

Angel Falls by Kristin Hannah

2011-03-11T10:47:00.007-05:00

When Mikaela Campbell, beloved wife and mother, falls into a coma, it is up to her husband, Liam, to hold the family together and care for their grieving, frightened children. Doctors tell him not to expect a recovery, but he believes that love can accomplish what medical science cannot. Daily he sits at her bedside, telling her stories of the precious life they have built together, hoping against hope that she will wake up. But then he discovers evidence of his wife’s secret past: a hidden first marriage to movie star Julian True.

Desperate to bring Mikaela back at any cost, Liam knows he must turn to Julian for help. But will that choice cost Liam his wife, his family, and everything he holds dear? One of Kristin Hannah’s most moving novels, Angel Falls is a poignant and unforgettable portrait of marriage and commitment, of an ordinary man who dares to risk everything in the name of love.

Another really good read by Kristin Hannah. She really made you think. We all have pasts. What would happen if you woke up one day and 15 years had been forgotten and you were back in your memory to 15 years ago? I shudder to think. Kristin really goes into every family member's emotions and thoughts. We grow every day... 15 years!!

So Sleepy

2011-02-18T20:53:00.003-05:00

I just love the new technology of being able to catch videos of our little ones. My kids did this sometimes and I wish I was able to have captured the moments. Love the sweet smile when awakened :) She's a happy girl.

Thanks for helping me share this. Just warms your heart doesn't it?

Thermal Tote Give-a-way

2011-02-04T13:49:00.002-05:00

My friend, Tammy, is having a cool give-a-way on her blog. I say 'cool' because it's a thermal tote from Thirty One. Thirty One is relatively new to me, but they have some really cool stuff. Head on over to Tammy's and enter.

The Invisible Woman

2011-01-17T11:05:00.002-05:00

This video speak to all women who are asking "Am I invisible?". Truly a good answer.

Well, did this change who you are?

Great Give-a-Way

2011-01-16T20:47:00.002-05:00

Go check out the cool give-a-way at Harmony in Motion. It's a $55 gift card from CSN Stores. I found some really cool outdoor rugs and garden planters that I would like to buy if I win. There are more than 200 different stores, with all different categories of merchandise! She'll be accepting entries through January 22, 2011.

The Things We Do For Love by Kristin Hannah

2011-01-09T18:00:00.006-05:00

The youngest of three daughters, Angela DeSaria Malone was always "the princess" of the family, a girl who thought she knew how her life would unfold. High School. College. Marriage. Motherhood. That was how it had gone for her sisters, her cousins, her friends. But it didn't work out that way for Angie. She and her husband tried desperately to have a child; year after year, their perfectly decorated nursery remained empty. Finally, their marriage collapsed under the weight of lost dreams.

After the divorce, Angie moved back to her hometown and rejoined her loud, loving, slightly crazy family. In West End, a place where life rises and falls in time with the tides, she will find the man who once again will open her heart to love…and meet the girl who will change Angie's life.

Lauren Ribido lives in a rundown apartment in a bad part of town with a mother who cares more about her next drink than about her daughter. At seventeen, Lauren knows that her aspirations in life may never come to pass.

From the moment they meet, Angie sees something special in Lauren. They form a quick connection, this woman who is desperate for a daughter and the girl who has never known a mother's love. When Lauren is abandoned by her mother, Angie doesn't hesitate to offer the girl a place to stay.

But nothing could have prepared Angie for the far-reaching repercussions of this act of kindness. In a dramatic turn of events, she and Lauren will be tested in a way that mothers and daughters seldom are. Together they will embark on an intensely moving, deeply emotional journey to the very heart of what it means to be a family.

Don't know how she does it, but Kristin Hannah has another really big hit in my opinion. I can't imagine writing about something unless you can pull from your experience... that's the difference between myself and a true writer, Kristin Hannah. She expands on all of the dynamics of a very involved family, throw in a family member that is the exact opposite of the others and you have fireworks at every occasion.

She really brings out the fact that I've come to believe in strongly... you always want what you don't have. The sister that has never left town and is raising a house full of children vs the sister that has the life, the job and the husband with all the travel and perks that go with it.... except the children. Both think that the other has it all. Great read and thanks Tammy - you always get me great gifts.

Great Way to Start A New Year!

2011-01-05T20:30:00.020-05:00

After spending a fun evening with my sister and her husband on New Years Eve we spent the rest of the weekend with our immediate family. Saturday we went to our son and daughter in law's place. We had so much fun with the girls. I'll let the pictures tell the story.

This first one is of Punkin crawling around. She's only 5 months old.

Talk about arresting eyes. And I love the little curl on the top of her head.

Here's Muffin enjoying her new house :)

She thought it would be fun if I came inside with her. I love playing with her.

We'd done a little 'horsing' around on Christmas Eve and she remembered ;)

Her new 'M' needed a ride too lol.

We had lots of fun coloring, reading and playing with all of her new toys... trust me she has a LOT!!

On Sunday our daughter invited us over for dinner and more play time. While the adults played with the racing games we girls had fun dressing up in all the new costumes Peanut got for Christmas. When we started playing she whispered to her Mom "Hey, I have an idea. Why don't you and Daddy go out for dinner and I'll stay here with Mimi and Papa." She is such a stitch!!

With each new outfit she changed her shoes and we redid her hair. Think we have a modeling beauty in our future. She is adorable!!

She got this 'Belle' costume from Uncle and Auntie. Yup, she's stylin..

When we finished with her costumes she wasn't done posin so she did this get up with a nightgown, Hawaiian necklace and she was doing a hula dance lol

We had a lot of fun dressing up and then set up her table for some Play Doh time. She is such an imaginative child... just like her mommy was.

Grandpa T takes some amazing photos and shares them on Facebook. I nabbed a few for my own use :)

Punkin in her Christmas finery. Love that smile!

Muffin in her matching dress. She's so photogenic!

This beautiful dress I call the "rose dress" because she looks like she's enveloped in rose petals. Just beautiful!

And finally our smiling beauties.

If this is how our year is going to play out then I'm ready for the year to begin!! I love spending time with our kids and grandkids. They are all so lively and fun and there is never a dull moment. How's your year going so far?

Christmas Eve 2010

2010-12-25T17:22:00.007-05:00

We started our evening by going to early service at church. Don't think we'll do that again next year... it's really hard on the little ones and they get tired out too quickly. We'll do all of our family stuff and anyone that's up to it can go to late service. Anyway, the second mistake came in my decision to not put the food in the oven before we left. It was decided that it might dry out and so we'd put it in when we got home. The little ones were hungry and it was hard waiting an hour before dinner was ready. So those two things will be easily remedied next year. Anyway, while we were waiting for dinner we got a few family pictures. Once again, if you have little ones you know how hard it is to get still pictures ;)

This first one is our daughter and her family.

Then we have our son and his family.

Couldn't resist this one of our son and Punkin. I just love it when she smiles.

While waiting for everyone to get downstairs to open gifts we got a couple of snapshots. This first one is at every Christmas with a little one. They just love to put the bows on their heads :) No exception here. Muffin was grabbing bows off the packages and having a ball.

Peanut got a Belle costume for Christmas from her Aunt and Uncle, complete with shoes, tiara and wand. She was stylin!

I'll spare you the videos of the girls riding me as their horsey. Big grins on their faces til they got thrown :(. At one point we had two horses going at once and lots of giggling.

I got a couple of American Girl Miniture Dolls from Peanut. We'll have fun playing with those. We were too busy tonight, but there's always tomorrow.

We were up late into the night learning the ins and outs of the blue ray player. Watched a couple of movies and then had to tackle the learning of programing the Pandora internet radio. The kids set it up before they left, but then we wanted to add stuff to it and since we were playing horsey during the original set up we were on our own. I was all for making a few phone calls, but MM said 'no' he could figure it out. Yup, he did! What a great feature. In case we're not the last people on the planet to get this I'll explain it a little. Using the blue ray device you can set up music according to your likes or dislikes. We set up 'Alabama' and it plays music by Alabama and other similar music. Today we added the Beach Boys and it has lots of artists from that era... The Beatles, Credence Clearwater... you get the picture.

I'll be cruising other blogs to check out your Christmas celebrations. What makes Christmas so special is spending it with our family. The laughter, giggles and cousins growing together is something I'll always remember.

Jiffy Corn Casserole

2010-12-25T17:06:00.004-05:00

The girls at work suggested this recipe.... they've used it for years, but it's new to me. It's real quick, easy and delicious.

Jiffy Corn Casserole

1 can whole kernel yellow corn, undrained
1 can cream style yellow corn
1 (8 oz) carton sour cream
2 eggs, beaten
1 box Jiffy corn muffin mix
1 stick butter, melted

Mix all together and pour into large, lightly oiled casserole dish. Bake at 350 degrees for 55 to 60 minutes. What could be easier? I'll definitely be using this recipe again.

This was before baking.... was to busy to get an after photo :)

Dorky Homemade Christmas Gift

2010-12-24T14:10:00.000-05:00

Don't know if I usually post it this way, but every year I like to make a handmade gift for my family. They are usually very nice, but some people would probably describe it as a "Dorky Homemade Christmas Gift" hence the title. Anyway, this year I've really enjoyed the potato bag that I bought at a craft show so I went home and made some up for this year's gift.

The directions are really quite easy. Everything has to be 100% cotton - muslin, fabric, batting and thread. Something to do with the heat of the microwave and chemicals in any polyester fabric or thread. Also everything I've read says that they are washable, but do not use fabric softner because of the chemicals.

You'll need exterior fabric 10" x 22" (100% cotton)
muslin 10" x 22" (100% cotton)
100% cotton batting 10" x 22"
100% cotton thread

I've seen some with a potato appliqued on for decoration, but I found a fabric that was great all by itself. If doing an applique position it on the exterior fabric so it will be on the front side of the bag.

Layer the muslin and fabric right sides together then place the batting on top of that. Stitch the top and bottom in a 1/2" seam (that would be the 10" edge). Turn right side out with the batting sandwiched in between and press. Next, with the muslin side down (the exterior fabric facing up) fold the top down about 3" and the bottom up to just overlap the top about 3/4". Using a zigzag stitch stitch the sides. Turn right side out and viola! You're done.

I also fashioned the following directions for use to go with the bag.

Baked Potato Bag

This bag creates a baked potato that is perfect in your
Microwave oven. The inside of the potato is well done,
yet moist, while the skin is tender. The bag will cook up
to 4 medium size potatoes at one time. Wash the potatoes,
DO NOT PRICK!! Wrap potatoes in paper towels and place
in potato bag. Place in oven. Microwave about 8 minutes.
When serving cut open potatoes with a fork. Potatoes
will be fluffy and so-o-o good! If necessary, let bag air dry.

Christmas Eve Eve

2010-12-23T19:30:00.009-05:00

The best part of Christmas is visiting with family that you don't see all the time. Mom had a small gathering today with a few members of the family. She was there and me, my sister, my daughter and her daughter, my sister's daughter and her three daughters and my niece and her two sons and daughter. After a few had left my nephew came over with his wife... no kids with them. The pictures will say it all :)

This first of my Mom, my daughter and Peanut.

Three of the 25 cousins...

The three cousins lined up pretty well with their offspring :)

My sister and my other sister's daughter... they have the same name and their birthdays are a week apart. Happy Birthday!

The kids had a ball... of course they were perfectly behaved :)

A little later... three cousins of the 25.

So that's day one of the Christmas celebrations. Tomorrow is our immediate family... daughter her husband, son with his wife and the three granddaughters. It's gonna be fun :)!!

Merry Christmas Everyone

2010-12-22T13:45:00.002-05:00

Let us all count our blessings at this time of year, the birth of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

People and Their Dogs

2010-12-17T07:25:00.002-05:00

I saw this on my neices facebook and thought I'd share it. Too funny!

It's especially poinant as I start to issue dog licenses for the 2011 year. Most of the people that I deal with really do care for their pets. Thankfully.

Christmas Lights

2010-12-12T19:17:00.014-05:00

Winter has finally arrived!! I got up around 5:30 a.m. this morning (I was awake) and started addressing Christmas cards. It hadn't started snowing yet, but around 6:00 it started and hasn't stopped yet. Around 2:00 p.m. I had MM take this picture of our little bird house on the deck. The doorwall (where he stuck his head out) is only about 14' from the birdhouse and it was snowing so much you could hardly see it. Looking beyond you can barely see the brown door on the barn. Ended up with about 5".

After dark I took some pictures of our lights. I have decorations for two different trees, traditional with colored lights and this one of angels and white lights. I've done the traditional one for the last few years so it's kind of fun for a change to see my angels.

I wanted some pictures of the outside lights, but didn't want to go outside :) I got this first one just poking my head out the front door. Check out that snow!! Usually the snow doesn't come on the porch, but it was so windy that pretty much the whole porch is snow covered.

I trudged outside in the front yard to get the next few pictures.

As I walked up the driveway a view of the entrance to the porch.

A little different angle.

Safely warm back inside. I haven't gotten out a lot of decorations yet, but I did get out some of the musical ones. Santa on his stick pony.

Musical cowboy snowman leaning on his saddle.

Western Santa.... I'm seeing a little pattern here :)

I got these little snowmen last year from Hallmark. They bop up and down as they sing.

I made this snowman at a GLASS Rally that we attended a few years ago. When the second button is pressed it plays a tune. (the kids say this snowman has an evil look, I don't see it)

And finally, Santa on a fishing trip. I was a little disappointed this year when this one didn't work nor the snowman leaning on the saddle. :(

So that's it for now. Still have to get out a few more decorations and do something with the lower level. I've been cruising a few other blogs and enjoy the Christmas decorations. How are you coming on your decorations?

It was a very Christmasy day here today. Snowing all day, I was busy with Christmas cards, wrapping gifts, baking cookies and I even squeezed in a few loads of laundry. I feel good!!

I Won AGAIN!!!

2010-12-09T12:36:00.004-05:00

Yeah me!! I just won a bag of Chicago Style Popcorn from The Great Foodini. You had to answer what Chicago popcorn was made of. I said Butter Corn, Carmel Corn and Cheesy Corn. She said that originally that is what it was, but people started asking them to hold the butter corn so it has morphed over the years to just carmel corn and cheesy corn. Whichever way you bag it up I love it. Think we have a movie to watch too. Happy me!

Be sure to check out Renee's site too. She is so funny and has lots of great recipes. She's a foodie, a Pampered Chef lady and just fun all around. I've taken several cooking classes with her over the years at the local schools. Someone you definitely want to get to know. Thanks for having the contest.

Christmas Project

2010-11-30T07:34:00.006-05:00

Back in the early '90's I started making these little counted cross stitch stockings. Back then I hung them on the stairway going downstairs. Now that we have 5 more of them I wanted to more prominently display them. Last year I hung them on the white scarf on the mantle. They just didn't show up. I had an idea of putting them on a tree and the idea just grew. MM made a wire frame out of metal hangers and I just covered the frame with green christmas fabric and viola. A beautiful place to display our little family of stockings.

On Thanksgiving we decorated some little santa cookies I'd bought from Target. Peanut just wanted to eat them lol. It wasn't as easy as I thought it would be... the frosting was a little too stiff, but because it was in little plastic bags that you just cut the tip off of it couldn't be fixed. We had fun though and that was the main idea. Didn't they turn out lovely?

There was a fourth cookie that used up the rest of the frosting.... it turned out black lol There wasn't any more white and when you put all the other colors together you get.... black lol.

Three generations of bakers :)

Between Sisters by Kristin Hannah

2010-11-27T12:49:00.004-05:00

On the surface, sisters Meghann Dontess and Claire Cavenaugh couldn't be more different. Forty-two-year-old Meghann, a high-powered Seattle divorce lawyer, is known as the "Bitch of Belltown." She lives alone in an expensive high rise and counters loneliness with one-night stands. Younger sister Claire, in contrast, is surrounded by love --- from her doting father, her five-year-old daughter Alison and the group of women friends, the Bluesers, she has had since high school. Small town life in Hayden (45 minutes north of Seattle) and looking after her father's campground suit her right down to the tee. Her relationship with her older sister is fraught with tension and innuendo, so she's never really been in love --- that's life, right?

That is until Claire meets Mr. Right on her annual summer vacation with the Bluesers. Bobby Austin takes the stage during a band break. At thirty-five, Claire falls in love for the first time. Luckily for her, Bobby is equally smitten and, back in Hayden, they quickly make plans to marry.

Meanwhile, Meghann's stress level has been raised to an unbearable pitch. A client's enraged ex-husband tries to shoot her and Meghann's partner forces her to take a vacation. She visits Hayden, not really having any place else to go. When she can't talk Claire out of getting married, she impulsively offers to plan her sister's wedding. As the pages turn, we learn that Meghann and Claire weren't always so distant. Megan was actually more of a mother than an older sister to Claire, due to the shenanigans of their oft-married, stripper/actress mother.

Then there's the seemingly unconnected Joe, a melancholy drifter who eventually goes home to Hayden to face his sister Gina (one of the Bluesers) and his ghosts.

All kinds of sparks fly in the small town of Hayden, between Meghann and her sister Claire, as well as between Joe and Meghann. Gradually the sisters break down the barriers between them. We get to meet their kooky, flighty mother, Claire gets married and it looks like everything will work out fine. Finally, a medical crisis forces the family to confront the realities of love. If you've gotten this far without crying, it won't be long now.

Kristin Hannah is very good at what she does. Her use of detail, from drink choices to clothing brands, creates vivid portraits of the characters. Seattle area readers may especially enjoy recognizing the numerous place references. The pace of the story is mostly excellent, although Joe's re-entry into his real life after his mysterious trauma seems a little slow to me. A nice twist comes when Meghann's best friend turns out to be Birdie, a.k.a. Elizabeth Shore, from DISTANT SHORES, one of Ms. Hannah's previous novels. BETWEEN SISTERS is a well crafted read, one that will not disappoint the growing legions of Kristin Hannah fans.

Another really good read from Kristin Hannah. I found it a little difficult to read, turn pages and wipe my eyes. If you have a sister, especially if you've lived through a life threatening medical condition, you'll really relate to this book. My real life story didn't have a happy ending, but this one does. I miss you Janet. Keep the tissue handy.

How To Wrap a Cat for Christmas

2010-11-18T09:57:00.002-05:00

I found this on my nieces site and thought it was adorable!! Thanks Wendy.

Halloween Pictures

2010-11-08T07:03:00.009-05:00

We have a tradition in our family - as new babies come along we get them in a pumpkin at Halloween time. We didn't get to see Punkin in October, but I saved a large pumpkin for when we did get to see her this past weekend. Isn't she a beautiful smily baby? Just love her.

This is Muffin in 2009

And here we have Peanut in 2007.

The two older girls wouldn't get in any pumpkin this year, but they posed behind it. We're still having a lot of difficulty getting them to look and smile at the same time lol.

There is not a doubt in my mind how Muffin got a bruise on her cheek.... She is such a climber and jumper. Always in motion.

While I was holding Punkin I thought we might be able to get the other two in a photo too. What a joke. Peanut might have cooperated, but Muffin is just too active at 19 months. She just laughs and runs lol

So there you have our weekend in a nutshell. I love spending time with all the girls. Just a barrel of fun and energy.

Secrets & Sunsets

2010-10-28T14:06:00.001-04:00

Risky Business
Liz Palmer had found home—and a refuge—in Cozumel for the past ten years. But everything changed when her employee and boarder was murdered and his twin brother stormed into Liz's well-ordered life with grief in his eyes and revenge in his heart. Liz refused to be sucked in by his quiet words and intense eyes. She had a life to lead, a business to run, a daughter to raise—and Jonas Sharpe was an unwanted intrusion. But soon Jonas had plunged them both into the shady world of drug smugglers… and the dangerous depths of passion.

Mind Over Matter

Aurora Fields protected her clients like a mother tigress—especially when one was her own mother! So it was going to take a lot more than charm to get her on side with David Brady's plans. Aurora could see he was a smooth operator, used to getting what he wanted, and she was usually immune. What was it about him that left her uncomfortably vulnerable? As for David, he'd always considered himself a good judge of people. So why did each moment with Aurora leave his head and heart reeling? She was an enigma, and he was determined to find the key.

Two great books. Nora Roberts is always an easy read. I started reading this book and realized I'd read it before, but couldn't remember the outcome. So I read them again. I always knew I had a problem with retention lol.

Beautiful Fall Days

2010-10-21T11:14:00.003-04:00

Have we not had the most BEAUTIFUL Fall this year?! Today is another gorgeous sunshine filled example (it's supposed to rain this afternoon, but for now..). Last week the sassafras trees were the most beautiful yellow and this week - no leaves at all.

We have a tradition in our family of when we have a new baby we get a picture of said baby in a pumpkin. Well, we have a new baby, Punkin, and I've got the biggest pumpkin I can find. Now to just find time to get together and get the pictures. It's always so fun. I was looking at the other two babies in the pumpkin and was amazed to see the hibiscus in the background blooming. That is not happening this year! The hibiscus has been gone for weeks. The weather must have been a lot different this year than the falls of 2007 and 2009. Anyway, not this weekend, but hopefully Halloween weekend we'll take care of that.

Speaking of Halloween, I've got a few decorations out and bought the candy for the occasion. Love to see all of the kiddies.

Still have lots of yardwork to do before winter sets in. I think we're done travelling for awhile so maybe this weekend if the weather cooperates I'll get that done. So get out there and rake and burn those leaves and enjoy the last days of fall.

Play Station Move... I'm Ready

2010-10-19T10:49:00.003-04:00

This is a Sponsored Post written by me on behalf of PlayStation MOVE. All opinions are 100% mine.

Our family finally came into the 21 Century when the kids got us a new Wii for Christmas last year. I have an addictive compulsive nature so you know I was hooked from the beginning. That's why when I heard about this new Move by Play Station I started really dreaming. Wouldn't it be fun to have the whole family involved in a 'family game night' or just more new exercise games? I sometimes need a little more variety to put some spark back into my workouts. Some of their games also add a good outlet for some fun sibling rivalry. Speaking of sibling rivalry did your kids ever open a Christmas present and say 'Wow! Grandma gave me $20.00'. That's when the other would say 'Only $20.? She gave me $50.' Yes, that went on in our house all the time. It was always funny especially when they were really little. To think that they had a sense of humor at such an early age.

I would also want to get 'Sonic 4 The Hedgehog' since it is rated for everyone. Our grandchildren amaze me daily at how quickly they adapt to and understand computer games. I'm pretty sure our daughter just got a PS3, but you can bring motion gaming to your existing PS3 for only $99. with the MOVE bundle package. Yep, this is going to be the Must Have this Christmas. Hours of games, movies and television episodes for everyone. Check, Christmas shopping DONE!!

U is for Undertow by Sue Grafton

2010-10-13T09:08:00.001-04:00

It's April, 1988, a month before Kinsey Millhone's 38th birthday and she's alone in her office doing paperwork when a young man arrives unannounced. He has a preppy air about him and looks as if he'd be carded if he tried to buy booze, but Michael Sutton is 27, an unemployed college drop-out. Twenty-one years before, a four-year old girl disappeared. A recent reference to her kidnapping has triggered a flood of memories. Sutton now believes he stumbled on her lonely burial when he was six years old. He wants Kinsey's help in locating the child’s remains and finding the men who killed her. It’s a long shot but he's willing to pay cash up front and Kinsey agrees to give him one day. As her investigation unfolds, she finds out Michael Sutton has an uneasy relationship with the truth. In essence, he's the boy who cried wolf. Is his current story true or simply one more in a long line of fabrications?

Grafton moves the narrative between the eighties and the sixties, changing points of view, building multiple subplots, and creating memorable characters. Gradually, we see how they all connect. But at the beating center of the novel is Kinsey Millhone, sharp-tongued, observant, a loner—"a heroine," said The New York Times Book Review, "with foibles you can laugh at and faults you can forgive."

This is my first Sue Grafton book and I'll be back for more. I think I got it as a book club selection. In the beginning I was only getting 10 to 15 minutes of read time at a sitting and it was definitely difficult to keep up with the characters. Lots of mystery and intrigue. Another "oh what a tangled web we weave" if you know what I mean. After years of covering up a bad past it will eventually come back to haunt you. Lots of little side lines going on at once including some from Kinsey Millhone who was orphaned at the young age of 4 and then raised by her aunt. Good read, you'll want to keep reading to see who dun it.

Final Day of Shows

2010-10-10T09:34:00.000-04:00

We had a busy evening Saturday night. Our first show of the evening was Sons of the Pioneers Chuckwagon Dinner Show . It was a lot like Roy Rogers Jr. which MM really enjoyed. The chuckwagon dinner was good too. We were disappointed that we had to cut out a few minutes early, but good thing we did... there was a lot of traffic that time of night with people going to shows.

Cutting the first show short and running from one theatre to the next we made it to Noah the Musical without a minute to spare. It was a spectacular show depicting the tale of Noah and the Ark from the Bible. With live animals, 3D video effects, animatronics, a huge cast and an amazingly colossal set with a four-story Ark, the Sight and Sound Branson Theatre could be the new standard in Branson shows. Watch Noah and his family build an enormous Ark and fill it with animals, two by two. Featuring a 300-foot wraparound stage, hundreds of live and animatronic animals and a 40-foot-high ark, Noah - the Musical brings the Bible to life on stage in an experience you'll never forget!

After God reveals to the righteous Noah that a flood will extinguish all life on earth, He charges the man to construct an ark massive enough to shelter his family, any other true believers, and pairs of every species of living creature. This is definitely a MUST SEE when in Branson. I absolutely LOVED Noah the Musical!! The production was a full 360 degree stage. I wasn't sure what that meant... well, I know what it means, but I didn't know what to expect. You were literally sitting in the middle of the ark with cages of animals all around you. There were cast and animals coming in from the back.... AWESOME. If there was one Must See show, this would be it.

So that's our week in Branson 10 shows (Showboat Branson Belle, The Baldknobbers, Fountains of Faith, The Platters, Jim Stafford, Roy Rogers Jr, Yakov Circus, Spirit of the Dance, Sons of the Pioneers and Noah the Musical) and 4 attractions (Zipline, Branson Scenic Train, Branson Landing and Behind the Scenes of Noah the Musical)and now we need a vacation to just rest.. maybe another time. For now we're hitting the road again for a long drive home. Back to work on Tuesday all refreshed and ready to go.

Getting Around Branson

2010-10-09T09:58:00.000-04:00

We found getting around Branson to be very easy with this great map of the area.

The maps are available everywhere and have all the theaters and attractions noted along the highway. Most of the shows are on 76 (green), the main highway, but then they have highways color coded. Red is the Shepherd Hills Highway, the blue highway is also called Gretna, there is also a yellow highway. There are several roads that connect you from one to another and you can get out of the congestion as easily as taking a side road up to one of the other highways. Lots of hills and curves. Sorry this map isn't color coded, but the ones that they actually distribute are. Even traveling along 76 wasn't difficult. It's a three lane road that gets to top speeds of about 35 mph.. one lane going east, one west and a center lane to make getting onto the highway pretty easy. Big city made easy with common sense maps.

Behind The Scenes of Noah the Musical

2010-10-08T21:26:00.007-04:00

We only had one thing today and really enjoyed it. We're planning on seeing Noah the Musical tomorrow night and while waiting to purchase the tickets someone came up and said 'you have to see Behind the Scenes'. This was the final opportunity to see it this season so I'm glad they told us. Talk about interesting. There were 8-10 groups of about 15 people per group going back stage with two guides each. I guess I'd never given it any thought, but they have about 65 live animals and some portions of backstage smell like a barnyard lol. There are also about 125 automated animals and 7 animal costumes that have people in them. We got to see the turtle and how a small woman fits inside and moves 'slowly' ;).

The props are everything from a simple scene that you'd see in any production to 4 story view of the ark. Very impressive. All props are built on the premises and everything is done in house. The staff and actors are all full time employees with full benefits.

All the information about the couple that started this production can be found at sight-sound.com. Following is an excerpt from their website.

Our Name
The name "Sight & Sound" was inspired by the teaching of Jesus found in Matthew 13:10-23. The disciples asked Jesus why he spoke to the people in parables or stories. Jesus replied that even though people were seeing, they did not really see. Even though they were hearing, they did not truly hear or understand what they heard.

It is our goal to visualize and dramatize Biblical truth through live stage productions - to illustrate truth in the same way that Jesus did, by storytelling. Our desire is that our audience will gain clear understanding and inspiration through these presentations, believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, and deepen their relationship with our Father through Him.

Our Mission
Our purpose is to present the Gospel of Jesus Christ and sow the Word of God into the lives of our customers, guests, and fellow workers by visualizing and dramatizing the scriptures, through inspirational productions, encouraging others and seeking always to be dedicated and wise stewards of our God-given talents and resources

They finish up this production for this year on the 16th of this month then begin rehearsals for The Miracle of Christmas. Noah the Musical will be back again next year. Following are a few pictures we took today. Picture taking behind the scenes was prohibited.

This is a small ark in the lobby, it's about 12-15' high

This was one of several scenes also set up in the lobby... way up high ;)

This sculpture of the Lion and the Lamb is out front as you approach the lobby. Again, very impressive. The picture doesn't do it justice.

We're really looking forward to tomorrows program and want to thank Al for telling us 'you have to see it!'.

Winding Down on the Shows

2010-10-07T23:31:00.009-04:00

So to bring us up to date.. we caught the Roy Rogers Jr Show yesterday morning. It really brought back memories of our household when my brothers were young and playing cowboys. Roy Jr also told of his family history and how they are trying to keep the memory of Roy alive. We just don't have 'heroes' today like back then. I really enjoyed Roy Rogers Jr son, Dusty. He really looked like his grandpa. They're keeping it in the family ;)

In the evening we were entertained by the Yakov Smirnoff Circus Dinner Show. MM would have prefered the Yakov Smirnoff Show (Not the circus), but there was a little mix up on my part. Anyway, the circus was really cute... no animals except for dogs. Yakov wasn't even in the circus performance other than to narrate from his book about bringing his circus to America. We were curious as to how there was going to be a dinner since we were seated in auditorium seats that did have little writing tables that came up, but....

Yup, a Yak-in-a-box! They passed out glow in the dark boxes that glowed under the black lighting. It was complete with soup, meatballs, potatoes, roll and pudding. Have I had a better meal??? Okay, it was a Yak-in-a-box, what do you expect. Cute but not a "Dining Experience" :) The circus was good and the love story was cute. Like all of the shows here in Branson they really tried to get a lot of audience participation. They had a guy stand in front and one in back holding a string of tape dividing the section of seats and then they started tossing beach balls out to be played as volleyball. A member of the audience was brought on stage and strapped to a wall for a knife throw... they used toilet plungers lol. Lots of silly stuff but it was fun. Enjoyed the show, but next time it will be the Yakov Smirnoff Show, not the circus.

This morning we met friends for breakfast then headed for Branson Landing on the waterfront. When we got there we noticed the Branson Scenic Railway was getting ready to board so we grabbed some tickets and hopped on. The ride is a 40-mile roundtrip excursion thru Ozark foothills and tunnels. You learn the history of the area as you cross bridges and trestles and you experience the luxury of rail travel from yesteryear. So here's the train...

A fellow traveler grabbed our camera and caught us settling in for our ride.

The view from one of the trestle bridges.

I can't remember being on a train before unless you count the one at the zoo. It was a fun experience and I think if I were on a long trip I'd probably just sleep because it is very soothing to be lulled and rocked back and forth.

When we got back to the landing we walked around and did some shopping then sat at one of the sidewalk dining places and enjoyed some ice tea on this beautiful fall day. There was a water and fire display that danced to music. A great way to spend an afternoon.

Later we grabbed a quick bite to eat before our evening entertainment of Spirit of the Dance. I love the energy and excitement of Irish Dancers. This was a fantastic show with lots of singing and dancing. It was so fast paced that it seemed like we just sat down and the show was over!! Love the Spirit of the Dance!!

It's late and I'm ready to call it a night. Just a couple of more shows left, and I can't wait. Sons of the Pioneers and Noah the Musical...

More Branson Shows

2010-10-05T20:47:00.003-04:00

Monday we only had one show scheduled. The Platters. They put on a powerful show bringing back some great memories of the '60's. Smoke Gets in Your Eyes, Only You to name a couple. Just a GREAT show and they had a good diner in the lobby of the Starlite Theater that also brought back memories. Nice show.

We found a really nice BLM (Bureau of Land Management) Park just outside town that we plan on returning to when we have more time to just camp. It's an Army Corp of Engineers park right on Table Rock Lake. Very nice. We love to just drive around new towns checking things out. You find some real gems hiding out there.

Today (Tuesday) we had to move from the ABC (America's Best Campground) to the Coast to Coast park that we scheduled for the second part of the week. Treasure Lake RV Resort is right next to the IMAX theatre in town. Very big park and has everything we need including being right in town!!

Did a little shopping around town before going to the Jim Stafford Show. His biggest hit back in the '70's was I Don't Like Spiders and Snakes. We were a little disappointed that he didn't do all of his old song (kind of like Ricky Nelson not wanting to play the old songs). He did a lot of funny stuff and had his son Shea and Daughter GG doing a few numbers. One of his skits he broke a guitar and had to duct tape it back together lol

What sticks with me right now was at the end he said he had to go home and do some mechanical stuff.... Put a rearend into the recliner lol. Gotta remember that one. We did buy a few of his cd's because our olds ones of his got lost or damaged and MM really likes his stuff.

So here we are back at camp and resting up for a busy tomorrow. Checked out pictures of the girls on the internet.... I really miss them. They are so cute :)

We love talking to other couples that we camp near or sit near at shows. The couple we camped next to at the last camp were from GA and we're trying to find time to have dinner with them sometime in the next few days. The couple we sat next to at the Baldnobber show was from ST Louis MO and today a couple that was celebrating their 50th anniversary were here from Indianapolis IN. What really stands out is that travelling during October, in the middle of the week, is lots of old folks lol. Guess I found my niche. Tomorrow - Roy Rogers Jr and Yakov Circus.

Having a BLAST in Branson!

2010-10-03T18:10:00.003-04:00

We arrived in Branson on Friday and are staying at the ABC - America's Best Campground. It is really nice and has a lot of friendly campers - MM is out now visiting with our newest neighbors.

Saturday we got up early for a pancake breakfast served here along with entertainment. Tucker was the entertainment and we visited with a nice gentleman Harry Hazzard... later we bought one of his CD's. He sounds just like Dean Martin.

Back at camp we went through all of the flyers of entertainment and coupons. We went back to the office and bought a handful of tickets and began our fun. Our first show was Showboat Branson Belle. This is a dinner cruise on Table Rock Lake. Dinner began as we cast off from dock with a salad and bread followed by Roast Beef, Chicken Marsalas, veggies and mashed potatoes. They had a band playing and served a yummy raspberry gourmet something for dessert. This was followed by a short intermission of sorts while we went uptop and walked on deck. It was a perfect day and we enjoyed watching the views as we sat soaking up the sunshine. When called back for the performance we reluctantly went back inside. There were four singer/dancers that were very good - the Showstoppers. They were followed by Todd Oliver and his talking dogs. Talk about funny... I was laughing so hard I could hardly breathe. He's a ventriliquist that's been on Jay Leno as well as other late night shows. This is his last season on the Showboat so get there fast to check him out.... FUNNY!!

We left there at about 6:30 and headed for our next show the Baldknobbers Jamboree (think we had tickets for the 8:00 show). Their family has been running this show for 50 years. The oldest show in Branson. The singer/entertainers were okay, but the comedic portion was hilarious!!! Once again, side splitting funny. Another show that I would definitely recommend.

This morning we headed out for my favorite so far... Adventure Ziplines of Branson. You start out getting set up in a harness that attaches you to something solid at every station. After a short learning process of how to stop, and how to stop spinning you climb a 65' tower. Yup, a spiral staircase to a platform looking out onto the world!! So now you're standing up there and they hook you up to a cable and tell you that whenever you're ready to just sit back and jump off. I'm first, of course, otherwise I might chicken out :) Look out, breathe, sit back and jump!! There I am floating across the sky and trying not to brake... oops, braked too much, the guy had to throw me a rope and pull me in lol. Forgot to tell you that you have two staff working with you, one goes first and one last. MM joins me fast and the last staff comes in doing hot dog moves lol. I think this next cable was the longest (I could be wrong :)) at 1600' long. Again, breathe, sit back and jump... try to hold your feet up so there's less wind resistance and you can make it to the next tower. One of the staff later explained to me that with the cooler temperatures and more clothing there is more wind resistance and therefore you go a little slower to begin with even if I weren't braking lol. Next comes a rope bridge that you have to cross from tower to tower. Have you ever seen a little old lady walking with a cane taking baby steps? Okay, everything but the cane. I felt ridiculous, but it was SCARY!! Whew!! I made it. We did this a few more times 5 zips and 3 bridges and the final one you land on the ground and can't believe you made it through it all. What a RUSH!! You know I'm recommending this to all my friends!! I've heard of others doing the zipline of sorts, but I think they just had a zipline and were done. This was so much more because you had to jump 5 times and the bridges!? Yikes!!

We had tickets for Fountains of Faith next at the Waltzing Waters Theatre. This was all gospel singing with dancing waters behind everything. The singing was by Tucker and Susan Hudson Carman. Harry Hazzard was there too, but he didn't do any performing. It was fitting for a Sunday morning... very inspirational and beautiful singing. Another performance I would recommend to those that enjoy gospel singing.. I do.

MM had been eyeing the Rib Crib every time we went by so we stopped in for a quick lunch/dinner before heading back and resting up from a very full morning. We have lots of tickets for the rest of the week and hope to rent a motorcycle (didn't bring ours) for a one day excursion. The weather looks great for the rest of the week and we're loving the time to just enjoy each other and all that Branson has to offer. Check back later in the week for more updates of our adventures.

Deeper Than The Dead by Tami Hoag

2010-09-28T15:05:00.004-04:00

When three children stumble on a shallow grave in 1984, an idyllic California community is rocked to its core. The victim is a young woman, her eyes and lips sealed closed, a blind and silent witness to an unspeakable crime. The third victim in two years’ time, it’s clear that a serial killer has come calling.

As a member of the FBI’s fledgling criminal profiling unit, Special Agent Tony Mendez knows serial killers. It quickly becomes apparent that the See-No-Evil killer is no ordinary psychopath. The profile paints a portrait of a man easily trusted, well respected, and intelligent—a man no one would suspect.

Dr. Peter Crane fits the bill. A pillar of the community, he volunteers at a center for disadvantaged women—a center the victims had all attended. Crane is also a beloved husband and father to a ten-year-old son, Tommy, who was one of the three children to discover the grave. Needing insight into Peter Crane’s world, Mendez asks Anne Navarre, Tommy’s fifth-grade teacher, to find out what she can. It’s a request Anne finds both intriguing and unethical—much like Mendez himself.

Then a new victim leads to a different suspect—a man whose son was another of the three children to find the grave but a man whose position in the community is also above reproach, a sheriff’s deputy. As the connections between the two families become increasingly tangled, it seems clear that one of these children holds the key to a serial killer’s double life . . . and a revelation of evil so dark, so deep, no one may survive.

I was grabbing every spare moment to finish this book!! I'd be so tired my eyes were drifting closed on me over and over, but I just couldn't put the book down. Very good book that lead you in many different directions. Can you imagine being held by a psychopath that stops his victims cold by making them deaf blind and mute. Unthinkable horror is all I can think of... You won't want to read this book while home alone.

Roadtrip

2010-09-24T09:04:00.008-04:00

My Daughter and I took a little roadtrip on Tuesday. Tuesdays are twofer days at Longaberger. Lots of specials... make two baskets for the price of one, two lunches for the price of one... and other specials. First we saw the Longaberger home office in Newark OH. It's huge and can be seen from a long distance away.

This beautiful basket of apples is at the homestead. Wish I had the picture my daughter took, because the sky was a beautiful blue. The day was absolutely gorgeous with a high that reached 90!! Great travel day.

We both made this basket. Mine has the fall colors and hers is the warm brown with pink and green, very pretty.

This picture shows both of the baskets I've made at Longaberger. The one on the left I made on a trip in 2006.

So while we're showing baskets here's a sampling of the ones that are in the basement with me :) I use them for everything and they hold up very nicely.

We had a great time together and she brought along her Ipad so I could get addicted to Bejeweled Blitz. Yes, I played a lot, but then accidentally erased my high score. I'm thinking we should plan a girls trip at least once a year. There are a lot of interesting thing not that far away. A trip to Bronners would be nice... We'll have to think about what's next. Ever been to the Longaberger Homestead? Start planning your trip now. And no, this is not a paid endorsement lol, just like the product.

I Won! I Won

2010-09-16T02:33:00.000-04:00

Look at this cute apron and pot holder set.

I won it from A Latte With Ott A. A group of canners got together and had a big give-a-way as they blogged about canning recipes and directions. I loved all of the recipes and I'm inspired.

I got my notification from Mess Hall to Bistro. I love visiting new sites on such fun and interesting stuff. Thanks to all the bloggers that ran this contest for National Canning Week. We all love winning stuff, but fun cookbooks, aprons and canning equipment are really fun. Thanks Again!!

Fertilize Friday 9/3/10

2010-09-03T08:58:00.009-04:00

Our wonderful host Tootsie who I haven't checked out yet today. She always has gorgeous pictures and wonderful hints for gardners. There are a lot of other gardners linking up so check them all out.

Well, it's almost Labor Day and things are really drying up. We had a good rain yesterday and last night to perk them up, but most of the flowers have seen better days. Basically we have the Rose of Sharon at the back of the deck still going great guns. The coleus and daliah are also doing good. The coleus falls over every time it gets a little dry (okay sometimes we go away for a few days :)), so I'm amazed that it's still doing good.

So pretty with the rain drops hanging on.

Bought some new Rudbeckia yesterday.

Hope I have blooms like this next year when they are out front replacing the

flowerless daisies. The daisies are in between the azaleas

Look who else I found on the camera. Little Punkin! We watched her last week while her family went to a wedding. She was actually starting to coo a little... she's about 5 weeks old in this picture.

That's it for this week. I have serious doubts about next week, but I'll show you how the Rudbeckia look in their new home and where the daisies are being moved.

Top Ecard Droppers for August

2010-09-02T10:30:00.003-04:00

Thanks to all the Droppers in August. I know I don't always have the time that I'd like to spend on the computer, so I really appreciate those that take the time to drop. I know you're all very busy too.

comatised
Kreated by Karen
The Sewing Mom
AsTheCrackerheadCrumbles
elai's haven 19
In The Eyes Of The Beholder
elai's precious angels
Bible Examples
Mumsy
Grampys World

I love visiting all the blogs out there. I learn so much and am often inspired and motivated to be a better me. Thanks again.

Little Country Singer

2010-08-31T11:29:00.001-04:00

I saw this on facebook and couldn't get over his facial and body expressions. He really has the moves down. How cute is that?

Fertilize Friday 8/27/10

2010-08-27T11:17:00.015-04:00

Our wonderful host Tootsie always has lots of fun new projects she's working on. Be sure to check them out as well as all the other gardeners.

We were away last week and the flowers really took a beating. Between the heat and not being watered properly, some were worse than others. But, we had a great week in the UP - otherwise known as the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. This shot is of us off the shores at Marquette on Lake Superior. I love the water.

This poor coleus was laying sideways on the deck and very droopy. Good thing it bounces back so well.

The tomato plant doesn't look so well, but it is still producing lots of tomatoes.

Then we get out to the hollyhocks :)

I'm amazed that the following two flowers appear to have come off the same plant. Is that even possible? :)

Another hollyhock from a different plant so I can see why it would be different.

The russian sage is in full color... just need to learn how to train it so it stands up more.

Funny how the neon sedum on the left is in color but the one on the right is yet to bloom. The wave petunia just keeps on blooming.

Neon sedum

Begonia getting pretty full for the late start that it had.

I'm thinking I should rename my hosta bed to the marigold bed.

The sweet potatoe vine was all droopy when we got home, but it bounced back pretty good. I can really tell that the asparagus plant has suffered too. It's usually much bigger by this time of year. Guess I'm just glad it bounces back :)

So that's about it for here this week. Missed the last couple of week and I really did miss participating. See you next week, and be sure to check out the other gardens.

Magic Hour by Kristin Hannah

2010-08-12T10:58:00.002-04:00

Deep in the Pacific Northwest lies the Olympic National Forest– nearly one million acres of impenetrable darkness and impossible beauty. Even in this modern age, much of it remains undiscovered and uncharted. From the heart of this old forest, a six-year-old girl appears. Speechless and alone, she can give no clue as to her identity, no hint of her past…

Until recently, Dr. Julia Cates was one of the preeminent child psychiatrists in the country, but a scandal shattered her confidence, ruined her career, and made her a media target. When she gets a desperate call from her estranged sister, Ellie, a police chief in their small western Washington hometown, she jumps at the chance to escape.

In Rain Valley, nothing much ever happens–until a girl emerges from the deep woods and walks into town. She is a victim unlike any Julia has ever seen: a child locked in a world of unimaginable fear and isolation.

When word spreads of the “wild child” and the infamous doctor who is treating her, the media descend on Julia and once again her competence is challenged. State and federal authorities want to lock the girl away in an institution until an identification can be made.

But to Julia, who has come to doubt her own ability, nothing is more important than saving the girl she now calls Alice. To heal this child, Julia will have to understand that she cannot work alone and must look to others–the people in the town she left long ago, the sister she barely knows, and Dr. Max Cerrasin, a handsome, private man with secrets of his own.

Then a shocking revelation forces Julia to risk everything to discover the truth about Alice. The ordeal that follows will test the limits of Julia’s faith, forgiveness, and love, as she struggles to ascertain where Alice ultimately belongs.

In her most ambitious novel to date, Kristin Hannah delivers an incandescent story about the resilience of the human spirit, the triumph of hope, and the mysterious places in the heart where love lies waiting.

Back to the Kristin Hannah that I've learned to love. This book was the one just before Firefly Lane and was a definite page turner. The only thing she didn't cover was what was Max's secret, well, I guess she stated it near the end, but I could have used more. Guess that's another book. Good Read

Fertilize Friday 8/6/10

2010-08-05T22:30:00.000-04:00

Our wonderful host Tootsie always has lots of fun new projects she's working on. Be sure to check them out as well as all the other gardeners.

I'd given up on this Dahlia, but then when I put it in a more secluded spot to rest and it came back in full force.

Loaded Rose of Sharon

I love how the sweet potato vine rambles everywhere.... we keep picking it up and draping it somewhere else. Very colorful as you approach the front porch.

When I drive up the driveway I love looking back at all the colors. The hibiscus and holly hock really stand out for me.... or maybe I'm just looking for them lol

The Moonbeam Coreopsis and Russian Sage really make a nice color combo. I've got to learn how to shape the sage a little more, it's just falling over and has a weak looking base.

The Moonbeam Coreopsis flowers for the longest time in our area, beautiful little blooms.

There are two hibiscus plants now and they are both producing 'big' beautiful blooms.

These are the three hollyhock plants that came into bloom. Love em!

Isn't this a beautiful colored hollyhock?

I've waited all summer to see this wave petunia overflow like this, and the neon sedum are about to bloom.

After seeing all the garden art posted at Tootsie Time last week I thought I'd share mine too. This first bird house was given to me by a friend last year for my birthday. MM attached it to an old bathroom sink and anchored it to a log. I had to clear away the petunias to see the birdhouse lol

I received this cute birdhouse from a friend this year for my birthday.

Lots of rustic birdhouses.

There are a couple of tree faces.. cute in a whimscal way.

I put a few of these out early in the Spring to give the garden 'something' to look at while we waited for the plants to come up. Now they are mostly hidden.

There's usually a family in this one.

This glass birdhouse sparkles in the sunlight. You can also see the edge of the garden gate. Just your garden variety cyclone fence gate, but I've tried all year to get a clematis plant to grow on it. Maybe I need to rethink that idea since they keep dying.

The top one on the shepherds hook is full of birds. They chatter all day long and are not intimidated by us being on the porch.

More whimsy with the silhouette cat and kittens.

This red birdhouse is getting more rustic with the years, and I went through a phase of having little statuesque kids. I used to tuck them into the plants on the deck, but now I just have a few on the deck so they sit around the edge.

Girl with her kitty.

My daughter calls this the headless one because she lost her head and I glued it back on ... not quite straight, but it does the trick.

Nothing like a boy with his dog.

Colorful wind chimes that I received for my birthday last week. I have them right outside my kitchen window so I can see them sparkle.

Another aging birdhouse.....

with an occupant lol. Peanut was over on Tuesday and said 'look Papa, a frog.' She had to go point it out because it was so inconspicuous.

Peanut also has her own way of playing 'goofy golf' (or whatever name you have for it). She finds she does her best when she goes up and carefully places the stringed balls on the ladder rungs. lol I think we have a winner!

My niece gave this idea to label the plants with their names on rocks. I still need more flat rocks.

A long post, I know. Hope you enjoyed it. I'm looking for some old barn wood to make little signs that I've seen.

Jeanne Robertson Video

2010-08-05T15:49:00.002-04:00

You're going to enjoy this. Laugh out loud funny!!

I'm still laughing.

Great Weekend With Kids

2010-08-02T10:12:00.008-04:00

This is my idea of a perfect weekend. We went to our son's on Saturday and I'm afraid I don't even visit with them much (my bad) I want to spend all my time with the girls. Muffin loves to dance with Barney.... is that cute or what? She really gets into it.

In this shot you'd think that she's sharing her soothie with Punkin.... lol nope, that's Punkin's soothie being tested by Muffin lol. Good thing Punkin doesn't care.

Not sure if she always wakes up this happy, but it was a lucky day for me :) Look at all those teeth lol

I think Muffin enjoyed the bag as much as her new quilt lol. She was playing peek-a-boo. The kids tell me that she has to have the quilt on the floor... if they pick it up when she's down for her nap she drags it down and puts it on the floor again. Glad she likes it so much.

Then on Sunday we were invited out to see my niece that is in from CA. On the left is my daughter with Peanut in front of her. Next to my daughter is my niece from CA holding her son whose twin is the little girl on the right side of the pool. The other two boys belong to my other niece who lives in the area.

My niece with her twins. They will be two on the 14th of this month.

Peanut showing the duck that she fished out of the pool with the bubble wand.

So that was my weekend. Smiling, dancing, fishing, peek-a-booing kids. Did you do anything this weekend?

Fertilize Friday 7/30/10

2010-07-29T19:46:00.012-04:00

Be sure to check out all the other gardens at Tootsie Time. She's our host for this fun meme.

This coleus is getting huge!!! I've got to water it twice a day because there is so much foliage and the pot is only 10 or 12".

We've got a ripe tomato.... we've been eating off the cherry tomato plant for a couple of weeks, but this is the first larger tomato.

YEAH!!!! We've got a holly hock!!! Three that are planted in more sun are doing much better than the three that are more shaded.

Coneflower are still looking pretty.

And an opening bud on the hibiscus. There are lots of buds....

This planter got moved from the front porch. MM is planning on staining it and the plant had to be moved. Don't you love how the sweet potato vine is taking off lol

Love the color of this wave petunia.

My Rose of Sharon looks so different than the others that I've seen. I think it's something like a double ... something something lol.

And, of course, the trumpets will be blooming for a few months now.

Had to throw in a picture of Punkin sharing her soothie with Muffin. Yes, Muffin gave it up months ago, but it's nice to see the Punkin doesn't mind sharing lol

So, that's my offering this week. The gardens are suffering greatly from the neglect, but time is just escaping me. What's a person to do?

The Rally 2010

2010-07-27T14:51:00.014-04:00

In all the excitement of going off on vacation we started out by heading to the hospital for the birth of Punkin FIRST. Vacation started a little late, but I was thrilled that we had a baby before we had to leave. It was the best way to start a vacation!!

The Rally is a Good Sam Rally and the 2010 rally was hosted at the Kentucky Expo Center in Louisville. Talk about a fabulous facility!! That's totally an understatement. We were parked out by the Six Flags Ferris Wheel in section 'R'. I don't think anyone had a bad parking spot. All activities were held indoors and were cooled to a very comfortable level.... it was in the high 90's and low 100's outside!! We were parked in the 'dry camping' section meaning you had to run on your own power. Usually they let you run the generators from 7 a.m. to 11 p.m., but because of the extreme heat they lifted all restrictions. Before we left I checked for a 10 day forcast and it said rain every day but Friday. What do they know? We had 5 minutes of rain on Thursday!! Since we decided to commute to the center by bike it was nice that it wasn't wet.

All evening entertainment was held at the Freedom Hall. Again, I don't think there was a bad seat in the house. The first night we were entertained by The Monarchs. Thursday night was Bob Newhart (funny), Friday brought us Tanya Tucker, we skipped out on Saturday night and Sunday night was a Rally's Got Talent.

Tanya Tucker's performance was very good and she still has the 'stuff'.

I forgot that there was one thing going on outside.... rv's from the 50's!! I remember as a child we camped every summer in a TENT!! I was always envious of the people in the trailers. They looked a lot like the ones that were displayed in the parking lot outside. Their owners were actually camped out there.

This is the Tin Can Tourist used at Camp Dearborn in Milford MI.

I don't think the Airstream every lose their value.

Loved all of the bumper stickers on the back of this VW Bus. 0 - 60 in 11 minutes haha I think I was behind this one several times back in the day.

The old Shasta

Didn't totally understand this sign on a new Prevost. Is it $1,950,000 new and then take 50% off, or is that $1,950,000 the 50% off price? Didn't ask, because it really didn't matter, either way I didn't have $1,950,000 or half of the $975,000. What can they possibly put in there to make it worth that?? And who the heck is buying them??? Do they drive them themselves or have a chauffer?? To enter you had to take your shoes off. Can you imagine if you actually used it and came in off the beach with sand on your feet? lol

This rig was parked across from us during the rally. Just imagine, you can take your car, your kayak, and maybe your motorcycle. These are made to order and are very cool.

There were tons of classes (seminars) going on all during the rally as well as events being put on by Good Sam and Coast to Coast. Good Sam had a Find your Match game going on through Friday. You were given a number at check in and then had to find someone else with that number 'your match'. There were actually 4 of each number. MM found all four of his, I found one of mine. If you found a match you got a bag that said "I met my match in Louisville". The more matches you found the more entries you had in a drawing held on Friday afternoon. The prizes were worth seeking a match. They had matching fold up bikes, twin chairs that had foot rests that came up, a couple of generators, an rv cover...... lots of big prizes. We actually won a year's renewal on our Good Sam Club membership, not a generator, but worth close to $100.

That was going on in the East Room. The Seminars were all up and down two hallways and in the other big open section they had all the new and used rigs for sale and vendors selling all kinds of stuff you never knew you needed lol. I talked with two couples that bought new rigs, and I heard that there were a lot of sales. That's always good to hear because more dealers will keep coming to show you more rigs.

Churchill Downs was staging the HullabaLOU event over the weekend. They had multiple stages preforming at the same time. In one section of the Expo parking you could hear the music.... not by us :(. The big names that I can remember were Sara Evans and Kenny Chesney. Louisville has a LOT to offer. Beautiful town.

We pulled out Sunday afternoon and headed to Fort Wayne IN for the night to kind of shorten the drive home. We stayed at the Johnny Appleseed Campground. It is a city park that is so serene and peaceful that you'd never know you were a half mile from the center of the city.... the coliseum was backed right up to it. We're going to start looking for more city and county parks as we travel. They are definitely hidden gems.

We had a great time and love to go to rallies. We always meet lots of interesting people to visit and share stories and travels with. Next trip ... going back up to the Upper Peninsula. Can't wait. But for now I plan on getting in as much baby time as I can :).

Punkin Has Arrived

2010-07-27T14:40:00.003-04:00

Punkin arrived 7/21/10 at 12:01 a.m. She came in at 7#12oz and is 19 3/4" long. She came by c section after many hours of labor and little or no progress. The section was a blessing because the cord was wrapped around her neck twice. All's well that ends well.... Mommy and baby are perfectly healthy and we are truly blessed. Is she not the most beautiful baby?? I'll be updating "My Girls" photo soon. I am truly blessed!!

Quilt for Muffin

2010-07-26T09:49:00.002-04:00

I've been having a quilting kind of time lately. I made a baby one for Punkin's arrival and then my daughter said that Peanut likes bugs now and I've been looking forward to making a bug quilt (weird I know you can see that quilt here ). So, since I was making one for two of my granddaughters I decided to make one for Muffin too. While picking out the bug fabrics I saw this amazing 'What are you doing, Maisy?' kit. I was a little intimidated at first, but it went together beautifully and quickly.

It has 7 booklets on it. Can you find them?

They all start with "What are you doing, Maisy?"

And when you open the booklet it has the answer.

Don't know why this one flipped, Maisy and a bathtub. Wonder what she's doing?

Oh yeah, taking a bath! You can see the inside of the cover on this one.

There was enough of the backing fabric to put together a little pillow case. The fabric on the table there on the left is for more baby quilts. Always another project in progress.

This alphabet border is what intimidated me until I realized that it was just a strip of fabric. I thought it all had to be pieced together ugh.

I don't think I worked more than a week on this quilt. It is machine quilted around the borders and squares (they call it 'stitch in the ditch'). Sometimes people wonder how I have time to do projects, but I do a lot of work in 10-15 minute increments. Amazing how much work can be done a little at a time... 10 minutes before you shower in the morning, 30 minutes at lunch time, an hour after work.... you get the idea. Now a book, on the other hand, I pick up and can't set down... nothing gets done while I'm reading a good book :)

Money and Friends

2010-07-22T08:34:00.002-04:00

I got this cute little blip from The World of Silly Willy and Fluffy. They're fellow rver's that do a lot of traveling.

Hold Tight by Harlen Coben

2010-07-21T13:59:00.000-04:00

“How do you weigh a child's privacy against a parent's right to know?…
“How do you differentiate normal teenage rebelliousness from out-of-control behavior?…
“When and how do you intervene if suicidal signs appear?…
"Coben plucks each of these strings like a virtuoso as Mike and Tia Baye try to deal with the increasing withdrawal of their 16-year-old son, Adam, after a friend's suicide. A pair of brutal, seemingly senseless killings, punctuate the unfolding domestic troubles that ratchet up the tension and engulf the Baye family, their friends and neighbors in a web of increasing tragedy.

I haven't read a Harlen Coben book in a while and I need to get back to them. This book left you with questions on morals and values. If you suspect your teen is in trouble how far do you go to keep them safe? Do you spy on them? Do you follow them? When their pain is so great how do you try to ease it? This book has lots of issue, suicide, bullying, drinking, drugs, murder, protecting your family at all cost. I wonder how far I would have gone with my kids if we had the technology that we have today. Back then the kids didn't carry around cell phones... no gps to follow them. The computers were relatively new (we weren't the first on the block, but probably not the last) do you check their emails and trails of where they've been? People say that today is more difficult for raising a family and I'm starting to believe it after reading this book. Which takes me back to something that we did raising our kids and I think is extremely important - having dinner together most or every night. Not allowing the outside things to overwhelm and control you life. I'm not saying that it's easy, but it just brings you together for a short period everyday and allows interaction of love and support to reinforce the family morals and values.

This is definitely a page turner. So, how far would you go? Me - whatever it takes to keep my kids safe!

Peanut's 3rd Birthday

2010-07-19T09:37:00.014-04:00

Peanut turns 3 this Friday and we celebrated it this past weekend. She answered the door like a little princess and was so kind and gracious that you forgot that she was only 3. My friend says the 3 is the age of reasoning and Peanut definitely is understanding all the rules and manners. She smiled to welcome everyone and said thank you as she opened all of her gifts. She took turns so nicely and even though it was amazingly hot there were no meltdowns (by any of the kids surprisingly enough).

GG doesn't often venture out, but she wanted to go to the party. GG's has 9 children, 25 grandchildren and 41 greatgrandchildren to date (Punkin will be the 42nd). Here is GG and Peanut.

Last month we went to a garage sale and found a great deal on a little bouncer. It needed a little repair, but nothing that we couldn't handle with a sewing maching and a tube of liquid weld. The kids absolutely loved it. Peanut was the first to go on it and you can hear the excitement.

We had to get a good shot of the "Ladybug Cake" that Mommy made, Peanut and Mommy.

The two cousins in their party finery. It is so hard to get the two of them looking in one direction at one time. If you have little ones around you know what I'm talking about. One shot actually had them both in motion going in opposite directions.

What a happy face as everyone sings Happy Birthday (wish I had videoed this, but I had a brain freeze and couldn't remember how to do it :()

Muffin in her pretty little party dress.

They ordered a 'ladybug' pinata to go with the theme of the party. We started with the smallest party guest first hitting the pinata. That would be Muffin.

Peanut hitting the pinata. In the end it took Daddy and Mommy to break into the pinata. It wasn't pretty lol

Peanut loves her Mommy in flipflops and wanted a pair too. That thing between the toes is very large on this little pair and make her walk like a duck lol. She's actually getting used to them by the time we got this video.

Peanut's Mommy told me that she liked ladybugs and bugs in general so I made her a bug quilt for her birthday.

I love the grasshopper.

Had extra scrap fabrics so I made a pillow case to go with it.

She got tons of gifts and had to take a bite from a candy necklace between each gift opening lol. To think, she would have been happy with a candy necklace lol. She got several outfits, several Barbie type dolls, STICKERS!!!, the above quilt and a new two wheeler bike (with a HORN!!), I'm sure I missed more things (oh yeah, flipflops lol), but there was a lot of commotion.

Fertilize Friday 7/16/10

2010-07-16T08:00:00.000-04:00

Tootsie Time is our hostess for this fabulous meme. She's starting a series of posts about different kinds of gardens. Check it out and while you're there check out the other gardeners and their gardens.

To begin this weeks flaunting I'm going to start with the deck plants. This geranium is doing great. I'm on allergy meds so I can't remember the name of the bottom flower. The pumpkin is behind there now and I still can't find any pumpkins.

I love watching the coleus go from a little twig to something resembling a small tree lol.

And yes, I have grape tomatoes!! The plant is loaded so I should have a steady supply.

This is what the trumpet wall looks like from the ground side. This morning I saw an oriole sitting on it and eating something. That is a beautiful bird.

The rose of sharon is still to bloom, but is loaded with buds. MM trimmed it way back last year and I think it's gotten a little fuller at the bottom.

The wave petunia is finally covering the sink.

Oops, is that a butterfly? I'm not the only one that likes the petunia.

This is the lily that I got from my friend Tammy. Isn't it pretty?

I'm thinking I need to move this Bluebell of Scotland. It's growing and spreading nicely, but it's behind the peony. Should it stay there to stay partially shaded?

The Russian Sage is growing pretty good this year, but in years past I trimmed it and now I don't know what to do. Any suggestions on how to get it bushier and fuller at the bottom?

The name of this purple thingy is there somewhere, but I just didn't feel like bending over to take a look.... again, the meds.

Coneflowers still blooming nicely.

Beebalm is attracting lots of bees.... wonder where it got it's name.

Another week with this daisy, but they're starting to die back. Maybe I'll get a second bloom if I deadhead it right away.

Holly hock.... I'm watching it closely. There are lots of buds all up the stem.

Hibicus has lots of buds too.

Looking toward the front we have coreopsis and coral bells.

The neon sedum is yet to bloom.

Blooming chicks and hens. These seem to be spreading.

Coral Bells are blooming nicely, they kind of like it under these grasses. Maybe it was too much sun before.

The hostas out front are blooming nicely.

Porch plant is filling out nicely... not sure about my choices in the top pot. It's petunia and aspargus fern. I think they are competeing with each other too much.

Lots of blooms on this hosta.

Notice that something is still enjoying the Irish Spring soap. ??? It didn't eat the whole bar this time lol

Even though I have lots blooming and everything is gorgeous we're still looking forward to the neon sedum, hibiscus, hollyhock, rose of sharon and there's a little yarrow or yew that hasn't bloomed yet. So, what's going on in your neck of the woods? Got lots blooming? How are you keeping up with the watering?

Summer Island by Kristin Hannah

2010-07-14T10:25:00.000-04:00

The author of the cherished bestseller On Mystic Lake returns with a poignant, funny, luminous novel about a mother and her daughters--the complex ties that bind them, the past that separates them, and the healing that comes with forgiveness.

Years ago, Nora Bridge walked out on her marriage and left her daughters behind. She has since become a famous radio talk-show host and newspaper columnist beloved for her moral advice. Her youngest daughter, Ruby, is a struggling comedienne who uses her famous mother as fuel for her bitter, cynical humor. When the tabloids unearth a scandalous secret from Nora's past, their estrangement suddenly becomes dramatic: Nora is injured in an accident and a glossy magazine offers Ruby a fortune to write a tell-all about her mother. Under false pretenses, Ruby returns home to take care of the woman she hasn't spoken to for almost a decade.

Nora insists they retreat to Summer Island in the San Juans, to the lovely old house on the water where Ruby grew up, a place filled with childhood memories of love and joy and belonging. There Ruby is also reunited with her first love and his brother. Once, the three of them had been best friends, inseparable. Until the summer that Nora had left and everyone's hearts had been broken. . . .

What began as an expose evolves, as Ruby writes, into an exploration of her family's past. Nora is not the woman Ruby has hated all these years. Witty, wise, and vulnerable, she is desperate to reconcile with her daughter. As the magazine deadline draws near and Ruby finishes what has begun to seem to her an act of brutal betrayal, she is forced to grow up and at last to look at her mother--and herself--through the eyes of a woman. And she must, finally, allow herself to love.

Summer Island is a beautiful novel, funny, tender, sad, and ultimately triumphant.

Okay, back to a Kristin Hannah book that grabbed me from the beginning and I couldn't put it down til I was cross eyed from reading too long. I've got to go back and see what order her books were written because I think she's gotten better (I started with her most recent). The feelings that she draws out of the reader are there for all of us because we've all been children of imperfect mothers as we live our imperfect lives. It all comes into focus too as we come to the realization that we never know everything about another person.... never! Great summer read. Enjoy!