A Simple Happy Life...

Those dogs will get you every time!

2012-02-17T06:00:00.004-05:00

I'm sure by now you've heard the story of the North Carolina dad who shot his daughter's laptop after her disrespectful facebook rant. I'm not here to offer my opinion either way.

I just heard something I found kind of amusing.

The daughter had blocked her parents from being able to see her rant. But she made one fatal mistake. She did not block the family dog who has his own facebook page. And that's how her parents discovered it.

We wouldn't have that problem here as I was un-friended by my dog quite some time ago!
Oh, and I quit playing facebook games. ☺

I got over it...

Poetry on Wednesday

2012-02-15T06:00:00.000-05:00

All Paths Lead To You

All paths lead to you
Where e'er I stray,
You are the evening star
At the end of day.

All paths lead to you
Hill-top or low,
You are the white birch
In the sun's glow.

All paths lead to you
Where e'er I roam.
You are the lark-song
Calling me home!

~Blanche Shoemaker Wagstaff

Happy ...

2012-02-14T08:07:00.000-05:00

Valentine's Day to you all!

You don't need a significant other to celebrate! Celebrate with your kids, a friend, your dogs, or horses!
Buy yourself some flowers and candy (or fruit if you're so inclined) and enjoy your day!
Jim and I don't "do it up big", but I look at it as a fun day for kids and their school parties (although those days are behind me). What can be sweeter?!

Love yourself!

Monday Musings...And The Short Rant

2012-02-13T11:38:00.000-05:00

As is often my way, I have written a long rant and have decided not to post it.

Why?

I just can't say what I want to say in the way that I want to say it. So I'll just say it in a simple way.

I have read here and there, but mostly on facebook, how Whitney Houston deserved to die because she was an addict. I find this disturbing on so many levels. I ask: Who (in their right mind) would, by choice, become addicted to...anything? Look in my parentheses. In their right mind. Exactly. People who have addictions are not in their right mind. Something isn't connecting the way it should. There are those who face a lifelong battle with addiction. For some it's a losing battle. And that's so sad. Heartbreaking.

Compassion. It's a wonderful trait that many (including me) have a hard time practicing.

Simple Sunday

2012-02-12T06:00:00.001-05:00

Don't like to sleigh ride is what it says under the photo.
I had to share it on one of the few Sundays
that we actually have snow here in Michigan.

Have a wonderful Sunday!

Duker-day...And The Bathroom

2012-02-11T06:00:00.000-05:00

Duke here.

I have a strange habit. Nearly every time that my mom goes into the bathroom, I follow her. I go in and lay on the rug in front of the tub. When she leaves, I follow.

I don't know why. But my mom tells me that when I was a puppy she used to make me go in the bathroom with her when she showered so that I wouldn't get into mischief when left on my own.

Seriously - do I look like a dog who would have gotten
into mischief?

Here I Am!

2012-02-09T09:11:00.001-05:00

I really didn't mean to do drive-by blogging on Sunday saying all that "I'm back" and everything and then disappear again! Really I didn't! It's just that we're doing a remodel on the living room - paint, new paneling (that Jim made) and a new fireplace mantel (that Jim made); plus we're going to have the wood floors in the living room and hallways sanded down and refinished. It's a long process as Jim works on it in his spare time. I'm in no hurry. It'll be so worth it! So, I've been helping Jim here and there when he needs an extra hand and I've disassembled and am reassembling my kitchen. Actually just emptying some of the cabinets and cupboards and cleaning and rearranging. Gah! The projects have consumed us, but I'm very excited about how the living room is shaping up. I remembered to take some before pictures and probably should take some in process pictures. I promise I will post them. Our house isn't big or fancy, but Jim's work is beautiful and I'm happy that he's taken on this project.

Here's a waaaay before picture!
Jim and his mom, dad, and younger sister in front of
the fireplace.
In case you didn't know, Jim's parents built this house in the '50s.
We bought it from them 20 years ago.

I'm also remodeling my blog! :-)

Determined to finish the kitchen project today!

Simple Sunday...the "I'm back" edition!

2012-02-05T06:00:00.003-05:00

Jim found this one for me. I had to buy it because:
a) I felt bad for the horse
b) I wondered why
c) It made it all these years and found its way into an antique store

Enjoy your Sunday,

Blog fog...

2012-01-25T13:03:00.000-05:00

That's kind of where I am right now. I think I have things to say, but I just don't feel like talking right now. You know...I used to try to really write, I mean really put an effort into it. Lately I feel like I'm just going through the motions, if at all. I'm not down or depressed, but a couple of disappointing things have happened lately that have me thinking. And so that's what I'm doing. Thinking.

I'm headed off to a training with Jim. The training is for him. I'm just going along to keep him company. We're getting put up in a hotel for two nights and we don't have to pay! I'm taking my Kindle, a couple of books, a notebook and my daughter's laptop (and some snacks :-) ). I think I may just hibernate in the hotel for the day and do whatever...sleep, read, write, or doodle around on the computer. Or I may take off and explore. We'll see.

And I'll be thinking.

Simple Sunday...Birthday Edition!

2012-01-22T09:17:00.000-05:00

I am the youngest of four. I have always counted myself as lucky to have been blessed with my two sisters and my brother.


My sister, Teri (who celebrated her birthday yesterday), was born the day before my sister, Sylvia (who celebrates her birthday today) turned one. Every year they are twins for a day! Happy Birthday to my sisters. I love you!

Poetry on Wednesday

2012-01-18T18:23:00.000-05:00

I've decided to start sharing poetry. If it's not your thing, then go ahead a pass me by for today. If so, stop and take a look. I may have something that amuses you, or moves you or brings back a memory or two. I've always loved most poetry - some I just don't understand. One of those goals that I keep making has been to take more time to read poetry. So, once a week, I will share something that amuses me, or moves me or brings back a memory or two. I hope that you can enjoy it with me!

This is one of the first that I can remember:

There was a little girl, she had a little curl
Right in the middle of her forehead;
And when she was good, she was very, very good,
And when she was bad, she was horrid.
~Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

Monday's Musings...

2012-01-16T16:33:00.000-05:00

Jeepers! Is it Monday already?

Jim and I were away from home again this weekend. For a homebody, I sure do a lot of traveling! This time we drove up to northern Michigan (Traverse City) for a meeting. We had heard they were expecting snow up there so we decided to leave early in the day on Friday. At least then it would be daylight for the trip up. The roads weren't too bad till we left I-75 and started heading west. Still...not as slippery as we expected. We did make a stop at an antique mall on the way up. I may have gotten a few photos there. Our intention was to stay Friday night, do our meeting on Saturday and head home afterwards. Somewhere along the way, on Saturday morning, Jim decided to extend our stay by a day. No objections here! We ended up having lunch with a couple that we only get to see at these meetings and then went back into Traverse City. Somehow (and it really was Jim's idea!) we ended up at a lovely bookstore (with three floors!). After spending over an hour just browsing and picking up a couple of books, we decided to head out. There happened to be a jazz band warming up in the coffee shop. So, we decided to stick around a little while. Jim got us coffee and a couple of very yummy homemade gingersnap cookies and we enjoyed listening to a little jazz.

Yesterday, we woke up, cleaned up, got dressed, I did my hair and make-up, and we headed down for the hotel's complimentary breakfast. Seriously! A complimentary hotel breakfast does not mean roll out of bed and drag yourself down to the lobby! We have been in five hotels in the past couple of weeks, three offered a free breakfast. We usually take advantage, but at every single one there's always at least one family in their jammies. Yesterday, it was a large group. It kind of kills the appetite. I mean at least run a comb through your hair! And, as an aside, we had a "Pat" (remember SNL?) sighting yesterday. We never did figure him/her out. Never would have taken notice if he/she wouldn't have been constantly yelling at his/her kid during breakfast. At least he/she was dressed (and not still in his/her pajamas or nightgown or whatever) though.
Really...it was a low-priced and clean place to stay. We've been there before. Yesterday though...

Okay so we left and headed to an antique store that we really wanted to wander through. We were early and ended up taking a very chilly walk around the block and then some. Brrr....but that was invigorating! We enjoyed all three :-) of the antique stores we took a walk through yesterday. We both found "a thing or two" too!


I took but one picture all weekend. We stayed at the Grand Traverse Resort on Friday night and this was the view from our balcony Saturday morning. It was cold!

I'm looking forward to sticking close to home till March and convention time!

Just a little...

2012-01-12T17:39:00.000-05:00

Jim rarely uses gift tags when he wraps Christmas gifts.
This was one of my gifts from him.
I ♥ him.

Monday's (err...umm I mean Tuesday's) Musings

2012-01-10T14:09:00.000-05:00

Just so you don't think I dropped off the face of the earth.

Before the show. I'm over there. Excited and waiting for the show to begin!

Jim and I did indeed go to Nashville over the weekend. You can read about the highlight of our trip here at Beyond Little House. It was more than we could have imagined. We didn't stick around Nashville long. I insisted to Jim that we do what he wanted to do on the way home. I really wanted to stay around Nashville another day and I know that if I said the word that's what we would have done, but I figure if this man loves me enough to make these treks just for me then I can give him the "on the way home" part. He was able to go to Mammoth Cave in Kentucky - something he's wanted to do for a long time - so I'm happy. We also did a bit of antiquing, but is that a surprise?

So...well that's about it. Time is now spent catching up, doing year-end prep stuff for our business and clearing out the living room for a remodel.

A Quick Stop Before I Go...

2012-01-05T10:03:00.000-05:00

This week ended up being busier than I anticipated. Hmm...or am I just getting less done in the same amount of time?

Well, at any rate, Jim and I are taking a short little trip. We're going to Nashville to a PBS taping of "Pa's Fiddle: America's Music" (Pa being Charles Ingalls, father of Laura Ingalls Wilder). Learn more about it here and here.

Want to learn more about Pa's Fiddle Music and buy this cd (and others)? Visit The Pa's Fiddle Project.

I always get nervous about such things. So, I am nervous. But excited? You betcha!

We'll most likely be coming home soon after as we'll be away next weekend for a meeting also. Would have loved to see more of Nashville. Maybe next time...

Monday's Musings...

2012-01-02T11:39:00.000-05:00

It was a very quiet and simple holiday week, but one that I enjoyed very much. We managed to spend it with nearly everyone that we wanted to...there are those that we love far away that we would have loved to see...
Everything was simple and gave me time to reflect on what exactly this holiday is all about.

I have things that I want to say, but can't find the words. Isn't that weird. It's nothing serious or profound, just reflections. Maybe another day.

I will share just a few pictures from our Christmas Day:

I tried a new recipe for a french toast crock pot breakfast. Bad time to try new recipe.
The chickens enjoyed it topped with their Christmas present of dried mealworms!

Duke and Sosha get their gifts first.

Sosha enjoys a new woobie!

Duke unwrapping that new bone that he was staring at on the mantle on Christmas Eve.

I was really excited to give this to Jamie. It's a To Kill a Mockingbird charm bracelet (her favorite book).
Each charm represents one of the items that Boo left in the knothole in the tree.

Allow me to tell a story:
We have a crawlspace off the basement where we keep the Christmas wrapping paper
and where we used to hide Santa gifts. It's creepy in there so I only take out whatever I can reach
and make Jim crawl in for the rest.
This year we found something we must have missed about 15 years ago.
We decided to give it to Jon anyways. :-)
He had friends over on New Year's Eve.
I wonder if they played with it!

Jim wanted a price gun for some of his inventory that he has
on hand. It would save him from having to search for a price.
When he opened it he said that he's wanted one since he was
eight years old. Then he started pricing everything.

We spent the afternoon at Jon's house where one of his cats, Ethel,
was enjoying his new Wii game.

Isn't this the cutest couple ever?
Brittany had to work so we only saw her for
a little bit before we headed home.

Yes, it was a good Christmas!

Simple Sunday...Happy New Year!

2012-01-01T06:00:00.001-05:00

What a cutie. Holding perhaps a bunny. Can't tell what the other toy is.
What do you think?

Enjoy your Christmas toys!

Duker-day...New Year's Resolutions

2011-12-31T10:07:00.001-05:00

Duke here. My mom apologizes for not being around here much this week. She says maybe one of her New Year's resolutions should be to have a blog schedule and stick with it.

Me? I've made a couple of resolutions. And they're simple and completely doable! Here goes:

Eat more treats.
Take more naps.
Get petted, rubbed and scratched more.
Play more blue ball (I do need the exercise!).

Should be no problem, right? Happy New Year to all my human and/or furry friends!

Monday's Musings (on Tuesday)...Exhausted

2011-12-27T17:24:00.001-05:00

That's what I am! Just dragging. It's silly really since we had a very laid back Christmas Eve, Christmas and day after Christmas celebration. This morning we were up bright and early because my daughter had to go in to have minor surgery on her elbow. She has cubital tunnel syndrome which is similar to carpal tunnel, except that it affects the elbow instead of the wrist. All went well and we were back home in no time. She's been spending the afternoon resting, elevating and watching Bones. I took a nap (and felt no guilt whatsoever). My knee has been hurting since yesterday so that was a good excuse! :-)

So, that's what's been going on in our neck of the woods. Tomorrow, I'll share a couple of pictures from Christmas Day. We didn't do anything special, but I enjoyed time spent with my family and that is special enough for me.

Taking it easy,

Merry Christmas to all!

2011-12-25T06:00:00.001-05:00

Our hearts grow tender with childhood memories and love of kindred, and we are better thruout the year for having, in spirit, become a child again at Christmas-time.
~Laura Ingalls Wilder

Merry Christmas to all!

Duker-day...Christmas Eve

2011-12-24T22:15:00.000-05:00

Duke here. I've been wondering what's up with today. It's Duker-day and Christmas Eve. Does that mean I miss my regular blogging day? No, not necessarily.

Well, here's what's up...

My mom just now came into the living room to find me staring at the fireplace mantle.
Why?

Here's why.
Need a closer look?

These have magically appeared on the mantle and I know, I just know, that one is for me!

I'm not sure if I can wait till tomorrow!

*Laura here. I walked into the living room to find Duke staring at the mantle. I didn't know that Jim had put those "gifts" up there and Duke was not in the room when he put them there. They are indeed for Duke and Sosha. And somehow Duke knows that!

Christmas Eve and My Babies

2011-12-24T06:00:00.001-05:00

My babies are long grown and mostly moved out of the nest, but I hold these memories in my heart...


Christmas - 1980 - Baby Jamie (5 mos. old) with Santa


Christmas - 1989 - Baby Jon (9 mos. old) and Big Sister Jamie (9 yrs. old) and I'm quite certain that Jon only agreed to sit on Santa's lap because his Dot was with him. *When Jon started talking he called Jamie "Dot".

My dad...

2011-12-23T06:00:00.001-05:00

It's been nineteen years today since my dad passed away. I miss him today and I miss him always...

Poetry Day

2011-12-21T17:29:00.000-05:00

What Polly Found in Her Stocking

With the first pale glimmer,

Of the morning red,

Polly woke delighted

And flew out of bed.

Out the door she hurried,

Never stopped for clothes,

Though Jack Frost's cold fingers

Nipped her little toes.

There it hung! The stocking,

Long and blue and full;

Down it quickly tumbled

With a hasty pull.

Back she capered, laughing,

Happy little Polly;

For from out the stocking

Stared a splendid dolly!

Next, what most she wanted,

In a golden nut,

With a shining thimble,

Scissors that would cut;

Then a book all pictures,

"Children in the Wood."

And some scarlet mittens

Like her scarlet hood.

Next a charming jump rope,

New and white and strong;

(Little Polly's stocking

Though small was very long,)

In the heel she fumbled,

"Something soft and warm,"

A rainbow ball of worsted

Which could do no harm.

In the foot came bonbons,

In the toe a ring,

And some seeds of mignonette

Ready for the spring.

There she sat at daylight

Hugging close dear dolly;

Eating, looking, laughing,

Happy little Polly!

~Louisa May Alcott

Monday's Musings...And The Story of Ginger

2011-12-19T06:00:00.002-05:00

My son bought me this wreath for Christmas a couple of years ago...

There was a reason. Well, besides the fact that I do have a small collection of gingerbread people in my kitchen, it was that this familiar gingerbread boy and girl adorned this particular wreath that prompted Jon to buy it for me when he spotted it at our local mall. He was reminded of a very similar, but slightly more worn out, gingerbread friend from his childhood.

You see Ginger and Spice (the gingerbread boy and girl dolls on the wreath) were sold at Christmas time around about 1991 at Target. I thought they were so cute and bought them both to display at Christmastime. After Christmas that year, they were safely packed away with the other decorations. When I started decorating for the Christmas season in 1992, Jon was helping me (as only a three year old boy can) and spotted Ginger and Spice. He took Ginger who immediately became his best friend. It was funny to me because Jon just never became attached to any stuffed animal or toy in all of his 3 1/2 years. Why now? Maybe it would have only lasted for the holiday season had it been any other Christmas. It was not any other Christmas though.

Jon and Ginger getting geared up for some pressing work that needed doing.

A week before Christmas, my dad suffered a stroke. My parents were living in Florida and had actually been preparing to leave to come and spend the holidays with us in Michigan when it happened. My sister and I took the soonest flight we could get out on and flew down to be with him. We were hoping for...well what we were hoping for just wasn't to be.

I did know one thing within a very few days. We would not be home for Christmas and, added to everything that was happening, I just couln't bear the thought of being away from Jim, Jamie and Jon on Christmas day. I begged, cried and pleaded until Jim agreed to drive to Florida with the kids. He's a saint, really.

And my dad passed away the morning after they arrived, the 23rd of December 1992. And Christmas would never be the same for our family. We did have a very sad, but necessary Christmas that year. Our dad would not want us not to have Christmas, that I know for sure.

I think that is the main reason that Jon became more attached to Ginger. It was a lot for a little boy to handle at that time and maybe Ginger was his shoulder to cry on. I don't know. I only know that he and Ginger were pretty close friends until Jon started preschool. Even then, Ginger would wait patiently for Jon. He still does. I secretly packed Ginger in with Jon's things when he moved to California and again when he bought his own house. Ginger's still there. A little worse for wear, but still there.

Jon and Ginger played hard and sometimes just couldn't
quite make it into bed before they both fell asleep.

Simple Sunday - Christmas Edition

2011-12-18T06:00:00.001-05:00

I thought I'd share this lovely photo with you on this week before Christmas. It's not dated and I would love any of you to give me your thoughts on when you might think it is. I'm thinking early 1900s?

Dreaming of a white Christmas,

Duker-day...Wrapping gifts

2011-12-17T09:22:00.001-05:00

Duke here. My mom and dad were wrapping gifts a few days ago and I saw something. I saw something I shouldn't have seen. And it was gooood! My mom decided that putting my gifts under the tree wasn't a wise idea. Something about a certain someone who is not to be trusted. She couldn't possibly have been talking about me. Right?

I can't wait for Christmas.

Sosha and I promise not to destroy our presents in less than two minutes this year.
This was a couple of years ago. We've grown up since then.

Simple Sunday - Christmas Edition

2011-12-11T06:00:00.000-05:00

Two days before Christmas, in 1992, my father passed away. Our lives were forever changed. Christmas was forever changed. We pretended Christmas for the little ones that year, but we didn't celebrate it.

They had been living in Florida and my mother was still living there the following Christmas and no one really felt like having Christmas.

Jim and I decided to take our kids and go to his family cabin in northern Michigan. It was quiet, we only took a few presents up for the kids (Jon was only four), we had a tiny tree and made our own decorations.

We decided it was about the best Christmas we had ever had.

My kids next to our baby Christmas tree - 1993.
Yes, my son is clad in only his unders and his and his sister's Christmas stockings!

My dad would never have wanted us to be sad at Christmas. I try to remember that every year.

Making good memories out of sadness,

Duker-day...Waiting for this -

2011-12-10T10:22:00.001-05:00

Duke here -
It's getting pretty cold here. Not much snow though. I love to play in the snow. There's something about a fresh snowfall that makes me want to run and play blue ball.

I am pretty anxious because I haven't been able to do this yet...

Running around in the yard after a good snowstorm last winter!

I'm pretty sure it'll happen soon!

Connections...

2011-12-09T20:32:00.001-05:00

Wonky computer problems this week. It's all about our internet provider.

A couple of years ago, when we decided to do away with cable tv, our phone service provider offered us a great deal to get DSL from them. We realized that our internet would move a little slower than our previous higher speed connection, but that was not a deal breaker to us. Saving money was what we were after.

Well it was more than a little slower, but faster than dial up at least. We've had problems with it, off and on (but worse lately). Jim's had to call for them to reset our router (or some such thing). Anyhow, at one point he was told by a tech person that we were at the "end of the line" of our phone company - meaning that about a half mile down the road it switches to another phone service - and we are really too far to be on their DSL. Still, it wasn't a big deal...just slower internet.

Fast forward to Netflix. We've gotten Netflix in the past and enjoyed picking out movies, especially during the winter when business is slower and we have more time to sit and enjoy a movie. It's better than what's on tv. Earlier this year, I put Netflix on hold because we weren't watching as many movies and didn't want to keep paying for something we wouldn't be using, especially since they were upping their prices. In the mean time, Jim thought that we should get something so that we could stream those Netflix movies.

Fast forward to Best Buy. Jim and I were out Christmas shopping earlier this week and stopped at Best Buy. We were debating about gifts for our kids. Couldn't decide. So, we ended up buying ourselves a blu-ray player (that would do Netflix) and all that goes with it, including having a Geek Squad guy come over and set it up (that part was part of a special deal they were running). It was all going to be much easier than the time and frustration that Jim was facing doing the work himself (which was why he had been putting it off for so long). The next day the little Geek Squad car pulls in and the guy sets up the router and our blu-ray player so that he can get us to where we could set our Netflix up.

Fast forward to slow internet connection. He tried. He really did. The thing would not update because of our slow internet connection and we couldn't get Netflix until the thing updated. When I looked at our last phone bill, I saw that we are paying way more for our internet than we had been (promotional deal ended). I even called the phone company and they very politely (I'm serious - great customer service) told me that, indeed, we are at the end of the line and there would more than likely never be any upgrades. I got back on our former cable company's website and signed back up for their internet service.

Self-installation. We'll see how that goes. For some reason, simple things are never as simple as they're supposed to be.

Anxiously awaiting the arrival of the new router (or some such thing),

Monday's Musings...

2011-12-05T13:41:00.000-05:00

What's on my mind today?

Christmas and all of it's preparations. Shopping, wrapping, baking, decorating, cleaning and cooking. Oh, and let's not forget Christmas cards. Last year I surprised myself by really having no problem being in the Christmas spirit. With last year being the first Christmas without my mom, I thought it would be so sad, but I felt as if I was channeling her. I had the energy to get everything done and then some. For the first time ever, I made my own cards and vowed to make them every year.

Fast forward to this year.

I feel as if I'm just going through the motions. I'm not sad or depressed, just not fully in the Christmas spirit. The house is decorated and I've got a good chunk of my shopping done. I have got to start wrapping and think about the baking. And Christmas cards? Jim had a great idea for something I could do this year, but we just never followed through. I just don't have that umph that I had last year. Jim's thinks my problem is the weather. Mild temps and the snow that we have had hasn't "stuck" around very long. Or maybe I just need to snap out of it!

Last year's tree. Haven't taken a picture of this year's yet.

On this date, 125 years ago, Rose Wilder Lane was born. If you're a fan of Laura Ingalls Wilder and her Little House books, you'll already know that Rose is the daughter of Almanzo and Laura. I posted something short and sweet over at Beyond Little House. I have always loved what Laura wrote about her Rose in December. Rev. Jim over at Laura's Sweet Memories wrote about Rose as did Cheryl at timepie by the slice.
I enjoyed reading what they wrote much more than anything I could have written myself. So, if you're interested check them out.

I generally avoid talking about religion and politics. We're not all going to agree and some people love to discuss. I'm not one of them. I haven't been going to church lately. I know why and I don't know why. It's not about my faith. My faith is strong. I think I would feel better if I just started going again, but the longer I stay away, the harder it is to go back. My religion is not perfect, but it's what I am, what I've always been. I don't really want to have a discussion about it, just wanted to get it out there. Maybe it'll get me back to church.

One more thing. Firstly, I love my daughter. She was with me first. She is a main reason that I am who I am. But I just have to say that having your adult child move back in with you is not always fun. It's not always bad, but it's not always fun. I would venture to say that she feels exactly the same.

The end.

...who is procrastinating going out
to clean the chicken house in the rain.

Simple Sunday - Christmas Edition

2011-12-04T06:00:00.002-05:00

Yes, those are two cans of spray paint that my son is holding. Yes, he did ask for spray paint for Christmas. No, he was not an early graffiti artist.

He loved to play family flag football. He decided to go all out and wanted to paint lines on our "football field". He also asked for, and received, a roll of caution tape and road cones. Eventually he and his Daddy-O put together and installed a goal post. It stood for a good many years after the family no longer played football together...

Christmas 1996 - My seven year old son, Jon. Isn't that the greatest smile?

Loving my Christmas memories,

Duker-day...And The Football Game

2011-12-03T10:50:00.001-05:00

This is what happens when Boy Scouts have free time and decide to play football.

Naturally I, Duke the wonder dog, has been invited to play!

I know I'm in there somewhere. Obviously, a key player in the game.


There I am, in the thick of things (see me behind the tree?)!

And this? This is what happens after the game...

Sincerely, your blogging dog friend,
Duke

Monday Musings...

2011-11-28T16:12:00.000-05:00

How was your Thanksgiving? We had a wonderful Thanksgiving. We all trekked over to my sister's house and enjoyed a most delicious turkey dinner. And dessert. My sister is a wonderful cook. She inherited it from our mother. Unfortunately I did not. It was a great day. Family, food and laughter. What better way to spend the day?

I do not do Black Friday. Okay, I have done it a twice. Both times when I was out of town, only once did I do the early morning thing. I did not like it. So why did I go shopping on Friday?

Well, Jamie and I had tentatively planned to go see Breaking Dawn over Thanksgiving weekend. It occurred to me that Friday might be a good day to go see a movie since everyone else who ventured out would be shopping. We decided to go to the 11am show since somehow the movie was turning into a pre-Christmas shopping/car browsing trip (just how did that happen?!) Anyhow, there were about 10 people in that movie theater and the movie was good so I'll be ready to see part 2 next year.

And shopping we did go! All the early morning crowds were cleared out and, although it was still crowded, it wasn't too bad. I did buy Jim's big gift and have some ideas for some other gifts that I have to go back and shop for on my own. All in all a good day, except for the one incident we witnessed. I will talk about that another time.

Then we went car browsing. Actually just browsing at one car. And not for me. Now that Jamie has a good job, she decided to start looking at newer cars. Her Explorer does not do well on winter roads and it's getting up there in age so it was best to replace it before it started having problems. She's been admiring her brother's car since he bought it last year so she knew she wanted something similar. She found it, we looked at it, they offered her a fair price on a trade in and the car had just been marked down $1000. It was in very good shape and pretty too. So, she bought it! I'm excited for her. I'm happy that she has a good job that she loves (even if it's stressful) and that she's starting to get back on her feet. We talked her into putting off moving till spring so she should be in good shape by then...as long as she doesn't get laid off. *sigh* *constant worry*

Ain't she purty?

On Saturday, we did our part for Small Business Saturday (by the way I am a proud owner of a small business!). Jamie picked up her car from a local car dealership on Saturday, so that was when the actual purchase took place. We then went shopping at our local Springrove Variety Store for some Christmas crafting supplies. So, there you have it!

Getting ready for Christmas!

Simple Sunday - Christmas Edition

2011-11-27T06:00:00.003-05:00

We're back! I had been working hard getting caught up around here and decided to take a little break this past week. Happy to be back and ready to share some of my Christmas memories on these Sundays leading up till Christmas.

Christmas 1981 - I was a newly single mom and we were living with my parents. We didn't have much, but I wanted to make a happy Christmas for my baby...

Jamie, age 17 months, loving the new baby she got from Santa.

Enjoy your Sunday,

Thanksgiving!

2011-11-24T10:17:00.003-05:00

Giving Thanks

For the hay and the corn and the wheat that is reaped,
For the labor well done, and the barns that are heaped,
For the sun and the dew and the sweet honeycomb,
For the rose and the song and the harvest brought home --
Thanksgiving! Thanksgiving!

For the trade and the skill and the wealth in our land,
For the cunning and strength of the workingman's hand,
For the good that our artists and poets have taught,
For the friendship that hope and affection have brought --
Thanksgiving! Thanksgiving!

For the homes that with purest affection are blest,
For the season of plenty and well-deserved rest,
For our country extending from sea unto sea;
The land that is known as the "Land of the Free" --
Thanksgiving! Thanksgiving!

~Author Unknown

I have so much to be thankful for...God and my family, a husband who works hard and loves me unconditionally, a daughter who is a wonderful teacher and is able to make a difference in her little ones' lives, a son who works hard and is good at what he does, and his girlfriend who loves him and will be a great nurse in just a couple of years, my mother-in-law who raised the best husband I could ask for, the memories of my parents and my father-in-law, my siblings and siblings-in-law who we know are always there for us, good friends near and far (that includes you!), a warm house and good food, steady work and bills that are paid, the opportunity to pursue my hobbies and interests, good health and happiness...yes I am thankful for much!

Happy Thanksgiving to you all!

Monday's Musings...

2011-11-15T13:07:00.001-05:00

...on Tuesday. Just because I didn't get around to it yesterday.

I posted this on facebook this morning:

Question: This is a very catchy upbeat sounding song...until you listen to the lyrics. Is there something I'm missing here? Is there a meaning to the lyrics that isn't as dark sounding as I take them to be? If you have young-ish kids, would you want them listening to this?
As a side note, these lyrics were pointed out to me by my daughter - the same one I used to argue with over the lyrics in the rap songs that she listened to as a teen (which I always thought were very degrading to women).
Okay, I'm stepping off my soapbox and getting back to work.

And what am I talking about? This song:

I got the following comment to this post from my nephew's girlfriend, Melissa, who apparently did a little digging:

one of the band members described this song in a magazine article "Pumped Up Kicks' is about a kid that basically is losing his mind and is plotting revenge. He's an outcast. I feel like the youth in our culture are becoming more and more isolated. It's kind of an epidemic. Instead of writing about victims and some tragedy, I wanted to get into the killer's mind, like Truman Capote did in In Cold Blood. I love to write about characters. That's my style. I really like to get inside the heads of other people and try to walk in their shoes."

Foster says he considered writing the song from the perspective of the victim, but felt that would be a cop out. He also points out that there is no actual violence in the song, as the threats are all the kid's internal monologue.

My response:

Thanks, Melissa, that's interesting. One of the things that is bothersome to me is that the song has real catchy upbeat music so that draws you in before you listen to the lyrics. We noticed that on some stations they are blanking out the words "bullets" and "gun". I guess what disturbs me the most is that there are kids who listen to these songs that are on the edge. Sometimes it doesn't take much to send that over that edge...and they're singing about that very kid. My opinion anyhow.

I've always been disturbed by certain lyrics in songs that are aimed at young people. Kids don't always have the ability to separate the entertainment factor from real life. I could go on and on and I know that there are many who don't agree and I realize that I may sound like a stick in the mud.

I would really love to hear what you all think...

Feeling protective today,

Simple Sunday

2011-11-13T06:00:00.002-05:00

Sixth and final in the Trini-series.
I have to say that this is my favorite of the photos
that Trini sent to me.
This baby's face and the little hat and sweater and,
once again, a beautiful gown. Look at that edging on the gown!
I want to say thank you to Trini once again for thinking of me! ♥

Have a wonderful Sunday,

Duker-day...And There Are Scouts At Camp!

2011-11-12T06:00:00.001-05:00

Sorry for the quick post, but I'm out in the woods.

THERE ARE SCOUTS CAMPING ALL WEEKEND! HAPPY DAY! HAPPY DAY!

I'll be back next week.

Veterans Day

2011-11-11T18:26:00.001-05:00

My father served during the Korean War. Even though he never served over there, his duty here changed him forever. All of the soldiers who lost their lives came through where my dad was stationed and my mom told me once that he could never listen to "Taps" again after the war. It was just too difficult. He had heard it over and over during the war.

My dad on the left.

My father-in-law served during World War II. He lost an older brother and I'm sure many friends. He never talked about it. That's the way he was. He did his duty, served his country, came home and put it behind him. I'm sure that it wasn't all "behind him". How could it be?

Today I appreciate and thank all veterans for their service in making sure that our country remains what our forefathers had intended it to be. Free.

And the winner is...

2011-11-11T10:39:00.004-05:00

I used random.org to choose my giveaway winner...

(and, of course, I cannot get the little picture of my random.org to go here) (pfft...frustrating!)

So, trust me when I tell ya that the winner is...

pioneergirl said...: Congrats on the followers! My favorite things include Laura Ingalls Wilder research, spending time in De Smet, knitting, working in the yard, reading, and baking bread. --nansie


Congratulations, Nansie (and I love your favorite things)! Email me at asimplehappylife at gmail dot com with you address and I'll get it right out to you!

Edmund Fitzgerald

2011-11-10T09:10:00.007-05:00

On this day, in 1975, the Edmund Fitzgerald sank in a November storm on Lake Superior. All 29 crew members were lost. Gordon Lightfoot sang a song about it...

(I really really tried to put in a video for the song here. Sometimes blogger drives me crazy! I provided the link...hopefully that works.)

http://youtu.be/9vST6hVRj2A

My husband has always had an interest in Great Lakes shipwrecks, so he knows more than I do. Jim has gone to so many of my places that someday I want to take him to the Great Lakes Shipwrecks Museum. It's doesn't ever seem to be "on our way" to somewhere. Some day.

Dreaming of a someday,

P.S. Today's the last day to enter my giveaway! I'll be drawing for a winner tomorrow.

Monday's Musings

2011-11-07T22:08:00.001-05:00

How are you all on this fine Monday? I'm really dragging today. It must be because I'm another year older.

Yep, I turned 51 on Friday. I enjoyed a wonderful dinner out with my family. What can be better than that?

That's also why I started my giveaway on that day! What better day to give away some of my favorite things?! I will have the picture on there by the time you read this so check it out! I will draw the winner this Friday, the 11th.

Simple Sunday

2011-11-06T06:00:00.002-05:00

Trini-series #5 :-)
Love, love, love a little girl and her cat.
We always had a cat when I was growing up.

Duker-day...And The Corn Addiction

2011-11-05T06:00:00.003-04:00

Yes, I admit it. I love corn on the cob. Yes, I admit that I harvested the few ears of corn that the garden produced this year. I. couldn't. help. myself.

I knew that my mom had been keeping an eye on that corn. The garden was pretty much a bust this year, except for the radishes. And those weren't tasty at all. My mom thought that maybe, just maybe, the family could enjoy the little ears of corn to go with a summer supper one night. It was not meant to be.

It all started when my mom saw this in our front yard. Whenever I find something good, I take it to the front yard.
She became very suspicious.

So she walked out to the garden and saw this....

and this...

and this.

The chickens were cackling, "It was Duke! Duke did it!"
Dumb chickens. There were still six chickens then...

I did get a big talkin' to. It's a lucky think I'm so cute. The next time my mom gave me corn she took pictures to show how much I enjoy it.

First I husk it.

My mom gets a kick out of this because I spit the yucky stuff out.
I wanna get to the good part!

I dig right in...

And eat the corn right off that cob.
I know how to do it.

After I eat all the corn off of it, I usually just go ahead and chew the cob up too.
Don't want it to go to waste.

Sosha pretends like she likes it. She'll take an ear and carry it around for awhile.
Eventually she eats it, even though she doesn't really like it.
She just doesn't want me to have it.

My mom wants me to remind everyone that she has a giveaway going on!

It's here!

2011-11-04T06:00:00.002-04:00

Yes. I am finally announcing my 100 follower celebration giveaway! Today is a special day for me and seems a good day to start my giveaway.

I wracked my brain trying to decide what to give away and finally decided that I would give away some of my favorite things. Well, not actually MY things, but things that are my favorites. Only new.

So...I have decided that the theme of my giveaway is "Here Are A Few of My Favorite Things", which happens to be one of my favorite songs from my very favorite movie!

What am I giving away?

Well...
It may have something to do with:
Laura Ingalls Wilder.
Candles.
Something sweet.
My love of reading.
And maybe, just maybe, something from one of my favorite places that I may be making a day trip to shop (and eat) at tomorrow.

First of all, because I love Laura Ingalls Wilder, a biography about her by expert and author William Anderson.
I love our property and what it gives back to us so I'm including a jug of our own maple syrup.
A little gingerbread boy because they always make me smile. He comes from Bronner's in Frankenmuth.
I love candles so I had to include a candle.
Nothing's better on a chilly fall or winter afternoon than a cup of tea so I'm including some Michigan Wild Cherry tea bags.
Our property also gives us lots of blueberries every year. I don't make preserves, but I did bring some back from Frankenmuth's Bavarian Inn for the winner to enjoy - Blueberry Rhubarb preserves.
And, lastly, I love to read and I love my state of Michigan. I've included a bookmark with a little Michigan info on it.

What do you think? Are you game? Be a public follower and leave a comment here telling me what one (or some) of your very favorite things are. I will draw the winner on November 11!

Good Luck!

Eagles in the news

2011-11-02T06:00:00.002-04:00

I know this is old news. I know that I've already talked about this.

But I just had to share this article in our local paper from last Friday.

Hey! I'm proud.

Hope you're having a lovely Wednesday,

Monday Musings

2011-10-31T15:31:00.003-04:00

So what has the past week brought us? For me...a quick trip to Traverse City this past weekend. Jim and I had a meeting up to the north (in the pinkie finger area - we live in the mitten, ya know!) We had decided to stay at the cabin since it was free, but as it is two hours from Traverse City and we would have to get up, get ready, and winterize the place (for only one night's stay) and get to Traverse City at 8:30am, I had second thoughts by the end of the week. It's the off-season and the area we were headed is a tourist area and boasts many (many) hotels. We decided to just head up, knowing we would be able to find a place. And we did. Meeting Saturday, lunch with friends, and a stop at one and only one antique store and we started the nearly five hour drive home.

I apologize to any of my facebook friends for excess facebook status updates Saturday evening. Jim did all the driving and I was stir crazy! ;-)

I did get a few things at the antique store, mostly photos which I will share in future Simple Sundays. :-)

Saturday night, on our way home, we really didn't need to stop and have dinner because we'd had lunch with some friends before we left to come home. Jim just couldn't seem to pass Tony's without stopping. I don't have a problem passing on by. The novelty of the huge portions is fun, but what a waste. I got pancakes, couldn't finish a third of them, took them home and gave them to the dogs. I think it'd be fun to go for a banana split...with a group of people. Check the link above to see what I mean.

These are not regular plates, but are large platters. Jim says the portion sizes have gotten smaller. He used to get six sausage patties with his breakfast. Mine is the pancakes. I hardly made a dent. I think the box I brought them home in weighed five pounds!

Not a lot going on otherwise. I have a free dinner coupon at Frankenmuth Bavarian Inn that has to be used in November. Staying over night is probably not an option, but I'm hoping Jamie and I can make a day trip up there and maybe do a little Christmas shopping.

On Friday, I will start my 100 follower celebration giveaway. I promise. I've got an idea of what I want to give away and Friday seems a good day to start. :-)

Happy Halloween! We used to get around 30 trick or treaters here when we first moved in about 20 years ago. Now? For the past couple of years we've gotten one. Yep. One. And he's my nephew's little guy. I think they keep coming because they feel sorry for us. There's a little hope for this year though. Our neighbors' daughter moved in with her two kids so maybe, just maybe, they'll stop by too. We have plenty of candy. Just in case.

Hope everyone has a spooktacular night!

Simple Sunday

2011-10-30T06:00:00.005-04:00


Trini-series #4 :-) Love this mother and child. The clothes and hair on the mama and, of course, the long gown on baby. On the back is written - "For Mother"

Duker-day...Alone Again

2011-10-29T06:00:00.001-04:00

They left again, my mom and dad. Said they were going to a meeting up north. Too far to drive there and back in one day. That's what they said. They spent last night up there, meeting today, home tonight.
I'm not really alone. Jamie's here, Sosha's here, Ricky (the cat) is here.

It's just not the same...

Laura...a musical

2011-10-28T10:40:00.000-04:00

Just a quick note today. I wrote a little follow-up to the trip Jamie and I took last Saturday to see Laura Ingalls Wilder: Growing up on the Prairie. It's over at Beyond Little House is you're interested.

The new glasses...

2011-10-26T10:47:00.000-04:00

Eyeglasses, that is.

My new glasses...not a bad pic considering I had to take it without my glasses on. Harhar!

Yes, I picked up my new glasses yesterday. Immediately I saw improvement. The words on the page were bigger and darker. On the way home everything seemed so bright and clear. Wow! Were my eyes that much worse that the new glasses made this much difference?

The first thing I did when I got home was to open a book. I haven't been reading as much lately because the words on the pages seem to have shrunk. But, yay, much better! I can start reading again. ☺

Two hours later. Headache. Sore eyeballs (yes, I said sore eyeballs!).

I guess I have to ease into these new glasses.

And I hope I never again have to wait so long between eye doctor visits. We don't have optical insurance and I just kept putting it off, feeling that getting new glasses were a luxury instead of a necessity. I do realize that I didn't have to get new frames, but I felt that I'd had them long enough to justify replacing them. I hope, in the future, that I do not have to be faced with these decisions again...it's my eyesight after all!

I can see clearly now!

Monday Musings

2011-10-24T14:07:00.003-04:00

Here we go again, moving from the old week into the new. We've had some busy weeks here lately. Mind you, I know that there are many of you that experience much busier weeks. I was one of you when my kids were younger and still in school and, of course, in the years when I was helping my mom. Since then life has settled into a comfortable routine (or the attempt at a routine) of working, housework, reading, writing and trying to do some needlework. Gone are the days of being parent workroom volunteer, band booster, scout leader, football/track spectator. In my past are the rainy nights spent cheering the football team on and watching for my son to take the field and then cringing and praying that the inevitable injury wouldn't happen, the cold Saturday afternoons watching marching band after marching band take the field and then picking my daughter out of the line. Tucked away are proud memories as I followed my children as each of them followed their scouting trail. Yes, life isn't as hectic as it once was and I often feel empty needing to be doing something more. Something more meaningful and helpful to others. At this time, though, I've decided that I need to give more time to our business and to be available to Jim when he needs an extra hand. He works by himself and it amazes me what he accomplishes on his own, but he knows I'm there when he needs me. And then there's my Laura Ingalls Wilder work. I will always continue that in one form or another. I also have other projects in the works for my down time.

For now though, life treks on. And here's are my thoughts on this week now in my past...

I had an eye doctor appointment and my eyes have gotten worse. Big surprise. Not. He also sees the future possibility of: cataracts, macular degeneration, and glaucoma. All good news, huh? Of course, everyone who reaches old age can have these problems and he's not implying that these are things that I need to worry about now, just to be aware of them. He does want to keep track of the progression of possible glaucoma. I have to go back in for further testing for that, as I had to do the last time I was there. He stresses that I need to wear sunglasses whenever I'm outside. I often forget (or am I just too lazy?) something as simple as popping the magnetic sunglass lenses onto the front of my regular glasses. I decided to get transition lenses on my new glasses which will take care of the "need to wear sunglasses whenever I'm outside" dilemma, except that they don't really get dark enough for driving. For that, I am keeping my old glasses with the sunglass lenses in my car.
I was determined to get completely different frames this time instead of the wire, half-frames that I've gotten the last two times. I've seen such cute frames on other people. I spent forever looking at frames, pulling off my glasses and trying on each frame that I thought might work for me. After what seemed like forever, I narrowed it down to two of my favorites and sought out another opinion. I wear bifocals and not all frames will work for those so we tracked down the father eye doctor (it's now a father/son office) for his opinion. And he is good at what he does. If he likes a certain style of frame then I know that's the frame for me.
Guess what I got (apparently I don't do well with change). At least they're a different shape even if they're a similar style. Still, I like them and can't wait till they're ready.
What I've really noticed is that I've had more and more trouble reading and I hope the new glasses solve that problem. Those words just seem to get smaller and smaller over time. ;-)

After the loss of one of the chickens on Friday, we extended the fencing up to about 8 feet tall with netting. It was getting dark when we were working on it so Jim left the gate area for the next day because he needed more light to finish it up. I said, "It'll be okay. The chickens will only fly over the gate if I lock them out of their house when I'm cleaning it." They only hang around the gate when someone is out there by them.
I was wrong. But luckily (since I check on them a million times during the day) we saw the wayward chicken before "anyone" else did. Jim finished the gate. I can't imagine that a fat chicken can fly over an 8 foot fence. We can't put netting over the top as there's a tree growing in the middle of their yard. They like the tree so we want to leave it there. Hopefully there will be no more loss of chicken. I'm kind of attached to them!

Jim and I spent a delightful anniversary day together. It was pouring down rain most of the day so Jim took the afternoon off. And we were on a mission. We don't buy each other gifts anymore for our anniversary, but decide on something that we want or that the house could use and that is what we get as our anniversary gift. Does that sound boring or not very romantic? Well, it works for us. We still buy each other gifts for birthdays and Christmas (and sometimes for no reason at all) and, to be honest, we found that we were just be buying "things" for each other. We like the idea of deciding together whether we need maybe a new camera or a new appliance. We had decided to replace our coffee maker this year. Ours bit the dust and we've been using one that Jamie had on hand for us when we visited her in Georgia. However, we're used to one with an automatic shut-off with a carafe that does not spill every time you pour a cup of coffee.
But...our vacuum has been pooping for the last several months and I was holding out to get that for my birthday.
Yes, we do lead an exciting life here. And why is that?
Because the vacuum cleaner wasn't going to last till my birthday for replacement and I told Jim that we should probably nix the new coffee maker and get a new vacuum...but guess what!
We got both! Yep. We went out for our anniversary and came home with a new vacuum cleaner AND a new coffee maker. Plus. Plus! We also got chicken feed and dog food. And then we bought the netting for the chicken yard. And get this...we bought a loaf of bread too!
Anyhow, it may not sound exciting to some of you, but we did get to spend the day together and we did have a wonderful day. We ended the day with dinner at Texas Roadhouse and Jim really (really) enjoys the rolls there. He had six. Before dinner. I love that man! :-)

Jamie and I went to a Laura Ingalls Wilder musical on Saturday. I always keep a look out for anything having to do with her that is happening local. It doesn't happen often enough. We did enjoy it, but I'll write more about it another time.
Afterwards we met Jon (on his way home from work) for lunch at a good little Mexican restaurant. Lunch with my kids. Love it. :-) Jamie and I then headed to a teacher store while we were in the area and she bought some things that she needed for her classroom. Lots of things. Lots and lots of things. That's why the girl has no money. She spends it all on her classroom. I hope those parents realize how much she loves their kids...

Giveaway - I haven't forgotten. It'll happen. I promise. I'm sure you're all tired of hearing that.

Happy Monday to you all!

Simple Sunday

2011-10-23T10:20:00.000-04:00

This is the third in my Trini-series of photos. :-)
Photo taken at (I think) L.S. Reid in Harvard, Ill.
Love my babies in long white gowns!

Have a wonderful Sunday,

Duker-day...And The Sad Day

2011-10-22T06:00:00.001-04:00

Yesterday after lunch, my dad noticed that a chicken was missing. Everyone looked all over, but could not find her.

Later, my dad decided to look off the trail into the woods and found where she had been taken... :-(

I swear. I promise. We had nothing to do with it...

An Eagle Ceremony

2011-10-21T06:00:00.001-04:00

I promised to share pictures from my nephew's Eagle Ceremony. First, I thought I would share exactly what an Eagle Scout is. When I was actively involved in volunteering in my son's Boys Scout troop, I used to be able to rattle these requirements off right from memory. So that I don't make a mistake, I consulted with scouting.org and here are the requirements:

Eagle Scout Rank

To earn the rank, a Boy Scout must:

Progress through the ranks in the following order:

Tenderfoot
Second Class
First Class
Star
Life
Eagle

Earn 21 merit badges, including:

First Aid
Citizenship in the Community
Citizenship in the Nation
Citizenship in the World
Communications
Environmental Science
Personal Fitness
Camping
Family Life
Personal Management
Emergency Preparedness or Lifesaving
Cycling, Hiking, or Swimming

Serve six months in a troop leadership position.
Plan, develop, and give leadership to a service project for any religious organization or any school or community.
Take part in a Scoutmaster conference.
Successfully complete an Eagle Scout board of review.

Boy Scouts with disabilities may qualify for the Eagle Scout rank by fulfilling alternative requirements as determined by their council.

Earning your Eagle is no walk in the park. It requires a lot of hard work and dedication. Not every Boy Scout becomes an Eagle Scout. But every Boy Scout benefits from what they learn through Boy Scouting. As I will explain a little, through these pictures, Boy Scouting is important in our family.
Caleb's ceremony...in pictures:

The benediction with Father Joe. You probably don't recognize him, but he was also in my last post as he was the priest who married Jim and I.

The Color Guard preparing to post the colors.

The flag being raised at Camp Welser.

Master of Ceremony, who was the Scoutmaster of the Boy Scout troop when my son joined.

Caleb's uncle, my husband, Jim, says a few words. He was an Assistant Scoutmaster of this troop when I met him in 1982 and is also a former Scoutmaster.

An Eagle Scout from the troop talks a little about what it means to be an Eagle.

As does this Eagle Scout, who happens to be Caleb's uncle (Jim's brother). His two sons are Eagle Scouts.

And this Eagle Scout says a few words too. He's Caleb's cousin, my son.

Here's another of Caleb's uncles speaking. He was a Scoutmaster in the troop way back when and is the father of two Eagles.

In the audience..my son, my husband, and my mother-in-law.

The Eagle candidate chooses an Honor Guard to escort them to receive their Eagle.
This is Caleb's Honor Guard, who happen to be fellow Order of the Arrow members.
They made a great entrance, coming out of the woods with a torch they stopped to light the fire there
before proceeding to escort Caleb.

Escorting Caleb to receive his Eagle.

Caleb's brother, a fellow Eagle Scout, giving the Eagle Charge.

And a brotherly hug.

Caleb receives his Eagle from a long time Assistant Scoutmaster in the troop, who is a former Scoutmaster.
Looking on are all of the Eagle Scouts in the family.

The current Scoutmaster placing Caleb's Eagle neckerchief on him.

Jim, keeping an eye on the fire.
I must add here that Jim was a Boy Scout and was very close to earning his Eagle rank when the leadership in the troop became scarce and, sadly, he was never able to earn it. He has more than made up for it in service and leadership to that same troop.

Caleb presenting the parent's pins to his mom and dad.

And getting a hug from his mom (she's Jim's younger sister).

Caleb giving flowers to his grandmothers. First to one grandmother (Ma)...

And then to his other Grandmother.

Caleb had chosen a fellow Eagle Scout, Eric, from the troop as the recipient of his Mentor Award, chosen by the Eagle Scout and awarded to someone who was especially helpful to him along the Eagle Trail.
Eric, a wonderful young man whom we have known since he was a little boy, is away at college so Caleb presented the award to Eric's parents in his absence.


Here is one proud grandmother! One of her sons and all seven of her grandsons are Eagle Scouts, and all from the same Boy Scout troop! Caleb is the youngest of the grandchildren so this was a very special and proud day in our family.

A Look Back to 1985

2011-10-19T06:00:00.002-04:00

On this day, 26 years ago...

We became a family.

The three of us - we gave Jamie a ring too.

I cherish that our parents were there to celebrate the day with us.

It was truly a family affair. One of my sisters was my matron of honor and my other sister's girls were also part of our wedding. We were missing my brother, who couldn't be there.
Jim's nephew was our ring bearer and his dad (Jim's brother) took all of the photos.
Jim's very long time friend was his best man. ~ His son and our son grew up to become very good friends.
Jim's older sister did up all of our flowers.

Jim's younger sister was part of this decorating crew and I believe she was also our dj!

Our dinner was catered (and I am not filling two plates for myself here, one was for Jamie),
but...

My mother made our wedding cake. Wasn't it beautiful?

We became a family! And it has been a wonderful 26 years!
I can't wait to see what the next 26 (and more) years bring us!

Yep, the family has changed. Just a little!

Madly in love,

Monday Musings

2011-10-17T14:40:00.000-04:00

Monday is easier to face when you've experienced such a great weekend, as I did!

Let's see what's been going on?
First of all, I've gotten a few compliments on my header picture of the mums and I must give photo credit to my daughter, Jamie. Technically it is my picture as she took it with my camera ☺, but she did take the picture...last fall actually. I love it.

The past week didn't end up going well for our Detroit Tigers, but they had a great season and there's always next year. Plus, yesterday was the first loss of the season for our Detroit Lions, but still they are doing so well. I understand the Red Wings are undefeated so far - correct me if I'm wrong. It's been good to be a Detroit sports fan. I'm actually not a huge sports fan, but I do follow what's going on and support our teams through good seasons and not-so-good seasons.

Let's see...what else has gone on in the last week? Oh, Jamie and I went to see the local production of "To Kill A Mockingbird" (her favorite book). She treated me to dinner and the theater. A lovely evening. On Saturday, she's going to enjoy going to a Laura Ingalls Wilder musical with me. And I'm buying lunch afterwards!

My chickens are averaging four eggs a day. That means we have two slackers. Just kidding. I love my chickens. We are going to have to net the top of their yard as we have had an occasional flyer. Last week, Jim was working just outside his shop when he saw Duke trying to pick up a chicken who had flown the coop. He ran over yelling for Duke to drop her and, when he did, the chicken ran right over to Jim! I'm convinced that Duke was just going to bring her up to the house to show me she had escaped! But I am taking it seriously. I don't even want to think of what could have happened. Duke is a dog, after all, and that's what dogs do...

Yesterday, my nephew received the rank of Eagle. If you're wondering...that's just the highest rank that a Boy Scout can earn! I know that Duke touched on this event Saturday. The weather was beautiful (although we were all worried there for a few days), the ceremony was perfect, and we are all so very proud of Caleb. He is a really great kid!

Here's our newest Eagle Scout and his very proud grandmother.

I'll share more pictures soon.

And one more thing...have you been waiting for me to post about my giveaway? My apologies. Busy time right now. I promise that it will happen!

Simple Sunday

2011-10-16T06:00:00.001-04:00

Nothin' like a boy and his cow.
Second of the photos that Trini gave me.

Have a wonderful day,

Duker-day...Scouting

2011-10-15T09:30:00.001-04:00

Things are a-buzzing around here. Something is going on out back in the woods, at the lodge. I'm pretty sure it has something to do with Boy Scouts. That always means lots of extra attention...and some food too! This is special though. Everyone is calling it an Eagle Ceremony. I'm not sure what it is all about, but it's a big deal. I know the scout too. He's my cousin, Caleb. My mom says that he's an Eagle Scout now and this is his ceremony. It's big new folks. She said that he's worked really hard and is earning the highest rank in Boy Scouting.

Caleb working on the woodworking merit badge.
His Uncle Jim taught it and it was a special scouting anniversary
merit badge so it was old school with the requirements of the original woodworking merit badge.
They could only use hand tools.
Facts come from my mom and she hopes she got it right.

And it's all going on here tomorrow. Here's the thing - my mom told me last night that she got us (me and Sosha) special treats for when we have to be locked in the house. HUH?? Locked in the house? What is this all about? Don't they trust us? I mean, it is true that we have sneaked off with plates that have been set down low enough for us to get to and, yes, I do like to pester people to have my ears or butt scratched. Or wait....I wonder if they're going to blow that thing called a trumpet. I think they call the noise Taps. Last year during what they called a flag retiring ceremony, some scout played Taps on the trumpet and Sosha thought it would be cool if she sang along.

How. Embarrassing.

Me, Sosha, my dad...and the American Flag.

Anyhow, I'm hoping they don't keep us locked up the whole time. I think my mom said that someone would come back to the house and let us out after the ceremony. I hope so. I mean...Sosha and I want to help celebrate this special day!


Another Eagle Ceremony held out back by the lodge (before I was born). That's my dad (he was the Scoutmaster), our friend Branden, my brother Jon, and Caleb's brother Luke. The Eagle Ceremony was for Branden, Jon, and Luke.

Boy Scouts hanging around out at the lodge. That ranks way up there on my list of favorite things.

Why do I collect old photos?

2011-10-13T10:03:00.000-04:00

Well, first of all I must say a big THANK YOU to my #100 follower! I thought it would take longer than it did. I have some ideas for what my giveaway will be, but I don't have it put together yet. Give me a few days and I will start my #100 Giveaway!

Okay on to my original reason for being here today...

The following comment was on one of my posts this week. It came from Retired Knitter at My Next 20 Years of Living who, by the way, has recently written some wonderful posts about being a caregiver/loving daughter for her mother. I enjoy everything she writes, but those were very touching and real. Here's her comment:

What an interesting time. I would love to hear how you pick antique pictures to purchase. There are so many on the market. How do you pick one to buy? What is a reasonable price, how to do store/display your collection at home? Why are some pictures priced more than others? Do they have identifying information on the back? That sort of stuff. Guess you can tell, I am very interested in pictures, especially of family, but old pictures are really very interesting because they show a snap shot of some small minute in life and you can learn alot if you check them carefully. I bet you have a lot to share on that subject.

So, I decided that I would talk about my collection of antique photos and just why I started collecting them.

I think that I mentioned, in passing, in an earlier post that when Jim accompanied me on my trip to LauraPalooza last year I gave him the whole return trip home...meaning he could choose whatever he wanted to do for the whole drive home. One thing that he chose was stopping at any antique store that we happened upon. Jim has collected antiques since he was a kid so it's always been something he enjoys. For some reason though, it wasn't something that we did together. I collected, but mostly books in the past and more recently I've been a peruser of ebay. So, antiquing together? That was a whole new thing. And we found that we really enjoyed it. I had recently decided to begin a collection of items that have been mentioned in the Little House books. This has since evolved into things that were used in (mostly) that time period. So when Jim and I stopped at our first antique store together, I had some ideas of what I would look for.

Antique photos weren't on my "list", but they did catch my eye.

I spotted a box full of photos displayed on a shelf at the very first store we stopped at and, on a whim, started looking through them. Then, I thought I might buy a few. Almost immediately I decided that I wanted to collect them. Why?

First of all and most importantly, they were someone's family, someone's great great grandmother or aunt (you get the idea) and here they are sitting in a store with a $2 or $3 price marked on them. No one knows who they are anymore, unless you come across one with a name written on the back. I wanted to take them and give them a home.

Second, they're a good thing to collect. They don't take up a whole lot of room.

Third. They're usually fairly inexpensive. The most I've paid was about $8 and that was for a tintype. I've got a couple of those. Usually I pay between $1 and $4, but would be willing to pay a little more depending on the subject matter.

I have only been collecting since July of 2010 so I'm fairly new at this. I know that there are different types of photos depending on the era and, as I mentioned, I do have a couple of tintypes. I need to study up on this now! Here is a good explanation of the different types of antique photos.

I knew that I had to narrow down what I was looking for or else things would get out of hand :-) quickly. So, I decided that I would just collect children or families. I loved babies in long white gowns. Now, I look at what else is in the photo. I love it when there's an animal or two, maybe a pet. I'm looking for if the child in the photo is holding something. I love to look at what they're wearing. I've even begun to be a little less picky and have picked up some that are more recent (as in '40s and newer) if there's something unique about them. I love it when they have a name/age/year written on the back, but it doesn't happen very often. Quite often the photographer information is on it so at least I know where it comes from.

This is one of the first photos that I picked up.

I bought a display stand that I could set several photos in and you could just look through them. This sits on my fireplace mantle. Jim is supposed to make me something to display them with, but we haven't really come up with a good idea yet. Plus, I have now gotten just enough so that they don't all fit in the stand.

To be honest though, it all boils down to just picking up photos that I like...the ones that feel like they should belong to me!

My new goal is to find a Christmas photo. I've not seen one yet, but that's what a collection is all about. If you found everything you were looking for right away, you would lose the fun of collecting! Besides, I can always find other interesting photos along the way.

Just a thought...

2011-10-11T10:47:00.001-04:00

My little list of followers...you know the one over there somewhere →
I notice that it's been stuck at 99 for some time now. I've been looking for an excuse to do a giveaway and I think I've found the perfect one! When I reach the magic number of 100, I will do a giveaway. I don't know exactly what yet, but I'll try to make it worth your while. So, if you're already a follower - well thank you! If you're an anonymous follower, think about changing it to public. If you don't follow at all, you could reconsider :-) maybe?

100 get it? 1 - 0 - 0
No? Yeah, it was a lame attempt at being creative.
Sorry. Won't happen again. ☺

As always, my one requirement to enter will be that you have to be a public follower, meaning not hidden (otherwise I have no idea that you're really a follower!).
Okay...I won't bug you again about following. I will, however, let you know when I'm ready to do a fun giveaway!
Over and out. Thank you for your time. ♥ you all!

Monday Musings

2011-10-10T22:06:00.000-04:00

Another Monday....another Monday. What more can I say?

What's been going on in the past week? Hmmm...it's hard for this old brain to go back a full week and remember the details. Not a whole heck of a lot until the weekend.

I did go for my annual mammogram this week. I'm a few months behind in scheduling it and when I called and was told that there was an opening for the very next day, I decided to go for it and get it done. I always have an area that they either have to compare to my last one to make sure it hasn't changed or they call me back in for another one. I haven't heard back yet.
I ran several errands that day and felt so good about getting something accomplished. I really need to get back on track here!

Have I mentioned (and I'm sure I probably have ☺) that Jim and I are involved in our MGWA (Michigan Ground Water Association). Jim is a director and I am a member of the auxiliary. We have two meetings a year and a state convention. This past Saturday was the fall meeting. On Friday, they had to meet to take care of some business and, since we both had to be there Saturday and it was too far to bother going and coming home in one day only to go back again the next day, I went along. I had no idea how long it would take and what I would do while Jim was busy. I took a book to read and a notebook to write in and decided that I would decide once we got there.

I met with Raul (our handy dandy GPS) to see what was nearby...and there was a mall. So, before I could chicken out (we all know I DON'T like to drive, especially in unfamiliar places) I let Raul take me to that mall. And it was a pretty nice mall. The best thing? It had a nice Barnes & Noble! I'm not a big shopper so I really didn't hit too many of the stores in the mall, just browsed a little. I did spend close to two hours browsing at books though. In the end, I bought a Detroit book that was on the clearance shelf that I knew Jim would like, a writing magazine for me and (shhh!) something for Jamie. Then I splurged at the Starbucks there and got myself a Chai Frappuccino and coconut macaroon. Mmmm....something I don't do very often and a real treat for me!

The book that I bought Jim.
It was something he had wanted before,
but was too much money. It was on clearance. :-)

Then I headed back to where Jim was. I thought I'd see if he had any idea of how far along they were in their project. If it would be awhile, I thought I could find a park to enjoy my treat and read my book.
My little coconut macaroon had to wait as they were almost done already. Just in time too. We were hungry for lunch!

We spent a good deal of a beautiful autumn Saturday inside at meetings. I really enjoy the auxiliary. I love these ladies and we are there for one purpose: to support our husbands and our industry. They can't do what they do without us :-) and we are fully willing to support them. Does that sound sexist? It's not really. For many of us, the business involves family and we need to be supportive and helpful in whatever way that we can to advance our industry and our business. It's a true partnership. Our group is not just for women, but at this time we are it! And it's really refreshing to be with a group of wives who do not just sit around complaining about their husbands!

Later in the afternoon, things finally wrapped up and we headed home. But we decided to take our time and get off the expressway. We found and couple of antique stores and made a few purchases. I bought several antique photos at one because they were very reasonably priced. At another I bought a couple of blue/gray enamel ware pieces, an antique potscrubber and a double school slate which was very cool.

We decided to stop for dinner before we reached our home destination and ended up going to a place that we've been to a time or two. A good local place with good simple food - just what Jim likes - and enough of a variety so that I could have something that I would never make at home (because no one else likes it). Winning situation all around.

Since Jamie has been working (at a real live teaching job!), she has been itching to move back out on her own. Except that, with all that has gone on the past few years, she has a fear of making a financial commitment before she knows for sure that her job is secure. So, it falls to the old standby - mobile home back on our property. She'll have her own place, she'll be a close neighbor, and the rent is fair :-). It needed some sprucing up so we began that project and, of course, in the process Jim finds major problems. Isn't that the way it goes. It's an older place and it probably won't be used again after Jamie moves out, so we don't want to put a lot of time and money into it, but we want it to be safe for Jamie. Well....a little paint here and there, a little repair here and there, a big repair here and there. It'll be ready by winter and, most importantly safe and secure for her to live in for the next couple of years.

All in all it was a good week.
Wishing you all a wonderful week,

Simple Sunday

2011-10-09T06:00:00.001-04:00

Imagine my surprise, several weeks ago (yes I am behind in posting this), when I received a package in the mail - a large envelope. My friend, Trini, had messaged me to ask for my address. I had no idea why, but was so happy and touched when I opened the envelope to find a little bunch of old photos. Now, here's the thing: they were not only old photos, but exactly the kind of old photos that I collect (children, children with animals, babies in long white gowns). And another thing? Although I've known Trini for the last few years...we've never met in person. She is another of my "Laura" (as in Laura Ingalls Wilder) friends.

I have met the most wonderful friends through our mutual love and admiration of Laura Ingalls Wilder. Some I have been able to finally meet in real life and some I haven't. But I will. Someday I will!

For the next few weeks, I will share the photos that Trini sent to me. Thank you, Trini! You don't know how much that little package meant to me!

I love this! And they're from my era.
I turned 5 in November of '65.

Duker-day...Just Me

2011-10-08T06:00:00.001-04:00

This is me...last year. It's kind of what I feel like about now though.
My mom and dad left yesterday because they had a meeting they had to go to
and it's not close by.
I hope they're missing me as much as I'm missing them...

The Steps...

2011-10-07T06:32:00.000-04:00

Yep, here's another short post about our trip to the cabin. I promise this will be the last. I think.

Before we left for the cabin, Jim had decided on a project he wanted to work on while we were there - replacing the steps that lead down to the dock at the lake. The yard slopes down a hill and there have always been these cement block steps:

The old steps have served their purpose, but Jim thought it was time for a set of "real" steps.
He priced blocks in the area and hiked on back to the Pioneer General Store in Mio (the Amish store that I mentioned earlier) as they offered the best deal.

He's been working for a while here. It was more of a job than I thought it would be!
A few breaks were taken. Duke insisted.

On our one rainy day, Jim threw some grass seed down.

The finished steps. I'll tell ya it makes a difference!
Jim has another project in mind.
But that had to be saved for another trip and another year.

Duker-day...Happy Birthday to Me!

2011-10-01T09:35:00.000-04:00

I forgive my mom for thinking my birthday was yesterday instead of Thursday (when it really was). After all, I know she hasn't been feeling well. And, let's face it, she getting old herself (but I still love her!).
I'm looking forward to my family birthday celebration tomorrow, complete with my own steak right off the grill (or at least that's kinda what I'm hoping for!).

Happy Birthday To Me!

And to my brother Toby, too!

Beep Beep

2011-09-28T19:50:00.001-04:00

Once upon a time, in 1984, it was just Jamie and I living in a tiny apartment in an old converted house. It was our first real place, just the two of us. I was 23 and Jamie was 4 when we moved there. We had lived with my parents for three years and they were getting ready to move to Florida. I had been dating Jim for two years and was madly in love. I made the very difficult decision not to make the move with my parents even though Jim and I were not talking marriage...yet. Jim would say that he knew long before this that we would be getting married. But that's another story for another time.

Every day I had to be to work at 8am and drop Jamie off at the sitter's on the way. Jamie was not a morning person. We finally came up with a routine that worked for us and I would dress Jamie while she still slept, carry her down to the car and she would eat breakfast later.

I don't think Jamie and I will ever forget a certain song that played every single morning on our way to the sitter's house. It certainly did help to wake Jamie up. And we both sang along...

Monday's Musings #5

2011-09-26T17:42:00.000-04:00

Monday...Monday...

I had a lot on my mind when Jim and I left to go north a week ago Friday. There were some decisions that I felt that I needed to make about things that I am doing and what better time to do the thinking than when your mind can be empty of "work stuff"?

Beautiful morning visitors on the lake.

At the cabin, there is no computer access and I have an old-fashioned cell phone. So, I went old school and wrote. Yep, I had a notebook and a pen and I wrote. What did I write? Well, I wrote about the cabin, of course! I loved the writing part of it! All these years it's what I always wanted to be doing, but was always thinking I wasn't good enough or I was waiting for the right time. I want to keep up the notebook and pen writing.

A writer who waits for ideal conditions under which to work will die without putting a word on paper. ~E.B. White

I love to write! It doesn't matter if I'm no good. It matters that I enjoy it.

The decisions that I wanted to make had to do with some things in my life that I thought I should cut back on or give up entirely.
I cannot give them up.
They are things that I love too much to see leaving my life forever. What I need to do is set my priorities straight. That, my dear friends, is my next goal! :-) I will always be a work in progress.

The chickens' first gift to me!

Guess what! My chickens started laying eggs!!! I have collected five beautiful, lovely brown eggs since Sunday! Jim set up a chicken cam too! Isn't that the greatest? I can turn on tv and watch my chickens in their little house while they're settling down for the night. I haven't been watching much tv lately, but this is definitely must see tv! :-) I would share it with you all...if only I knew how. :-(
Oh, and I have to tell the story of how I discovered the eggs:
Jim and Jamie had been doing a fine job of taking care of the girls for me while I was not feeling well. For some reason, on Sunday, Jim was rather insistent that it was time for me to go take care of my chickens. He was really bugging me about it. So out I went, telling Jim that I was still sporting a fever of almost 101 on the way. I talked to the girls who came to ~~see if I had any good treats with me~~ greet me and opened the door to the coop to start cleaning it.
And I discovered two eggs. Jim knew they were there and wanted me to be the one to find them (and he didn't expect me to clean the coop). What a guy. This beats a dozen roses anytime!

Okay, so I've not been feeling well and every time I'm not feeling well I have very strange dreams. I've not been sleeping well either for over a week. Except for Saturday, I've just slept in bits and pieces, but apparently sometimes long enough to dream -
I've never been on a cruise...till last night. I had a dream that I was on a cruise ship all alone. Well, not quite all alone. There were also three pirates and I had to fight them off. I did too. I found that I could render them helpless by a good blow to the shins with a large branch that I had found.
Where would one find a large branch on a cruise ship? Why was I alone? And what kind of pirate is rendered helpless by a blow to the shins?

This is a group picture of the girls from a couple of months ago. They were still just babes then.

I realize that I'm rambling. I guess I have to find a better way to go about writing about random things in my simple happy life...

I am truly blessed. Have a wonderful morning/afternoon/evening (whichever you are celebrating ☺)!

Simple Sunday

2011-09-25T06:00:00.002-04:00

This is Nina Alice Gardner
(according to the back of the photo)

Have a wonderful Sunday!

Duker-day...My Trip to the Cabin

2011-09-24T11:18:00.000-04:00

My mom and dad took me to the cabin! It's my favorite vacation spot! It's my only vacation spot.
I love it there. I usually get to go everywhere with my mom and dad. That's why they like to go in September...it's not too hot to leave me in the car if they have to go someplace without me. I love it when they go on little adventures and I love it when we just hang around the cabin. Did I mention that I love it there?

The swans were there again. Now, that annoys me because my parents feed them things that they could be feeding me. I like bread crumbs. So, mostly I ignored the swans this trip.

This trip it was all about my blue ball. My blue ball is my favorite toy in the world. Ever since Sosha moved in with us, she doesn't let me play with it. Once in a while she gets put in the house so I can have quality blue ball time with someone, but that doesn't happen often enough.

My dad packed blue ball in the car before we were leaving. And we were leaving Sosha behind. I felt a little bad about leaving her behind...but not bad enough to take her with us.

Here is my take on the long weekend:


For some reason, I found it both entertaining and upsetting to drop blue ball off the end of the dock. The ball would come close enough to the dock and then I would reach out and pull it closer and try to grab it. I was successful once, but it was hard!


I would plead and whine and cry and bark for help.

And my dad would say, "Go to the shore, get in the water and swim out to get it!"
He would say it more than once because I insisted that he help me get it.

I was successful. Twice.

Eventually I did swim out to get it several times.
Still, I liked it a lot better when my dad helped.

It was fun when my dad would kick blue ball for me.
I think my favorite was when he would kick it down the hill...

...And into the water. I don't know how many times I jumped in and swam out to get it.
But it was never enough!

We had one day of rain.
My dad took it as a day to relax and rest.
I stared at him like this most of the day.
I would really have had no problem with playing blue ball in the rain.

The day after the rain, it was foggy.
During the swans' daily visit, I noticed that blue ball had ventured out into the lake by itself.
I was a little nervous about going out to get it with those swans right there,
but I was more nervous that they would grab it and take off with it.

I guess I'm getting older and more mature. I just didn't feel like wandering off the way I've done during past visits.
My dad discovered that if he left the back of our car open, I liked going in for a little rest.
I don't know...it felt safe there.
Plus, it was handy if they decided to go somewhere they ~~couldn't sneak off without me~~ didn't have to look for me.

On Our Way To The Cabin...

2011-09-23T13:26:00.003-04:00

We made a couple of stops on our way to the cabin. These are "must go" places that we stop at every time we're up north and they're in an Amish area. Our first stop:

This is an Amish owned and run store. Jim can ALWAYS find something he needs here.

On our way to the Amish bakery that we like to go to, we found a new bakery.
So, we stopped here too.

And then we stopped here.

And this is what we bought. Oh, except there was another dozen of peanut butter cookies. They were gone by the time we got to the cabin. I swear I only had two! And, yes, this was just for the three of us (Duke included, of course!) and we shared with the swans. Duke stepped on the brownies so he got to eat the one with his pawprint on it.

The Amish school is near one of the bakeries.

I don't usually take pictures of the Amish.
I mean...I wouldn't want people to take pictures of us as we're driving down the road.
I had my camera out and decided to snap the picture just as the man waved to us.
It turned out pretty good.

**Thanks for all your well wishes! I went to the doctor and am on antibiotics so should be "back to normal" in a few days! ♥

Where Have I Been?

2011-09-22T19:10:00.002-04:00

I needed to step back from my blog for a few days. Then, Jim and I headed north for a looong weekend. It was so good to get away to the cabin that Jim's family shares and that we love...our favorite escape.
We had a wonderful time and I was able to do exactly what I'd wanted to accomplish. I read a book, wrote about being up north, and worked on a cross stitch project. And relaxed!
I had made up my mind to come back rejuvenated. Instead, I came back sick. Going to see the doctor tomorrow, but wanted to share this:

This is the view we woke up to on Saturday, Sunday, Tuesday, and Wednesday.
Not Monday, because it rained. Hey, we can't have everything. It was perfect every other day.

Duker-day...And Getting Away

2011-09-17T06:00:00.002-04:00

So, my mom's been kinda quiet this week.

I think she needed to take a little break, but at the same time she's been really busy.

Don't worry!

Everything's just fine.

She'll be back next week. And she'll be ready to write!

Monday's Musings (4)

2011-09-13T12:42:00.000-04:00

Is it Monday already?
*No, it's Tuesday. I started this yesterday, but never finished. So, I'm musing my Monday on Tuesday, once again.

Yesterday - 9/11/11 - I really just wanted to stay home and mourn and remember and just be, but part of me needed to just get out....Jim wanted to go to a large flea market that we visit occasionally. That's what we did. We only bought a dozen ears of corn and an onion from one of the produce vendors. It hasn't been much of a flea market this summer, in my opinion.
We also ended up a a large antique event. Lots of vendors all outdoors on a perfect weather day. Bought a couple of things. Mostly it was nice just being out doing something we both enjoy.
I have a sewing machine that rarely sees the light of day. Most of the sewing that I do is mending or hemming by hand. Jamie asked if I would hem some panels of fabric for her to use as curtains to cover the shelves in her classroom. She totally expected me to tell her to get her sewing machine out, but I wanted to do it. A little bit of simple sewing and ...well, I really enjoyed it. Maybe I'll get the sewing machine out more often!
Thinking of sewing. I had a lot of hobbies that I gave up during my super busy years and have just not been able to get back into them now that I have more time even thought I really want to!
This funk I've been in this summer has really drained the energy right out of me. I've been doing what's necessary, but not much more. In the past few days, I have been able to accomplish/finish one significant task each day, plus some smaller ones. Slowly...I'm making my way back.
Once again, I am behind in my blog reading. As I've done before, I know I cannot catch up, but please know that I am trying to do some reading. Sorry for the lack of commenting lately. Some weeks I find it very difficult to keep up...
I broke a tooth last week and, because of being on call for jury duty, couldn't make my appointment with the dentist until today. In the mean time, my gums on the other side of my mouth have become sore. Possible gum infection? I guess I will find out soon as my appointment is in less than an hour. I really do take care of my teeth and gums. Old age... :-(
Jury duty: Had to call every day, but never had to report. That was a good thing! :-)

September 11, 2001 - my day

2011-09-10T10:57:00.000-04:00

Jim and I talked about the details of the day on September 11, 2001 and he said, "You need to write this down. You remember so many more of the details that I've forgotten."
So I did.

Ten years ago...I was 40 and Jim was 43. Jamie was 21 and three hours away at college. Jon was 12 and in seventh grade.

September 11, 2001 was a perfect autumn day, or at least that must be what I thought as the sun came up. In those days, I woke up way before sunup. Jon's school bus came at 7am. My mind was focused on the busy day ahead. As soon as Jon left for school and Jim ate his breakfast, I started making my contribution for the Boy Scout Court of Honor/Cookout that night. We were having our first Court of Honor for the school year and it was a accompanied by a cookout in the city park. Every family brings a dish and mine was tuna macaroni salad. A scout in the troop would also be receiving the highest rank in scouting that night. He was to become an Eagle Scout. Jim was Scoutmaster and I did a lot of the behind the scenes work. It was a very busy time in our lives.

Our business was also extremely busy ten years ago and it was unusual for Jim to still be in the house at that time, but we had a funeral to attend that morning. The father of a good friend of ours had passed away. Instead of being out on the job already, Jim was spending the early part of his morning in the office doing paperwork. He was listening to a radio in the office. I remember later thinking how out of the norm it was because he had brought his small radio into the office to catch the morning news. He usually didn't listen to the radio in his office. But then he was very rarely in his office on a weekday morning.

I had finished making my salad and it was safely in the fridge so I could cross one thing off my long to-do list for that day. I went into Jim's office to see what he was doing. Quite often when he was doing paperwork it was passed onto me to convert into an invoice or well log for a customer. Within a minute or two of being in the office, the mood of the news on the radio had changed and they began talking about a plane having crashed into the World Trade Center. I think that they first reported that it was a small plane. Jim and I decided to go into the kitchen and turn the tv on. This is one thing that is vivid still in Jim's memory - just after we turned the television on the second plane hit. I remember saying, "How can this happen? Two planes?" Jim answered, "It's a terrorist attack." I couldn't wrap my mind around that. We watched the tv, in shock, as we continued to get ready for the funeral. We saw the first and then the second tower came down. All during this time, we began hearing conflicting reports of other attacks. Of a plane hitting the Pentagon.

Somehow, we went to that funeral. I don't remember anything about it. I think every person there was in a daze. We didn't go to the luncheon afterwards. We drove around a little talking about what we should do. I wanted my family with me. I wanted Jamie to come home from college and I wanted to get Jon out of school. Jim, always the voice of reason, convinced me to leave them be. We talked about cancelling the Court of Honor that night. We drove home and decided that Jim would go talk to the parents of the scout who was to receive his Eagle rank that night. They lived nearby. He would let them make the decision. I remember him coming home a few minutes later saying that the mother had cried and said that they would wait. They did not want to "celebrate" on this day.

I put our American flag up. I remember that as I was placing the flag in the bracket (this was before we had a flagpole), a car pulled in the driveway. It was the realtor who was handling the purchase we were making of the fixer-upper house that adjoined our property. She wanted to let us know that we would finally be closing soon. She didn't say much about what had happened. I found that odd.

By then, we were beginning to hear more details and learned of the plane that had crashed into the field in Pennsylvania. I only wanted to watch tv. To know...

Jamie and I talked. I'm sure that Jamie and I talked a few times that afternoon and evening. We didn't know what would happen that day or in the next few days. Already the news was talking about gas prices being raised (they went as high as $5 a gallon that day in our area). I told Jamie to go fill her tank in case she needed to come home. I also wanted her to go buy a tv so that she and her roommates would know what was going on. They had moved into a house near the college that summer and did not have a tv there. I wanted her home, but knew that we must not panic. How could we not though?

that day.

The next days are a blur to me, but that day...the memories of that day are as clear as if it were yesterday. That's as it should be...

My brother...

2011-09-05T07:46:00.000-04:00

Happy Birthday to my brother, Paul, who is slightly older than me (no matter what he tries to get you to believe ☺). I love you!

Simple Sunday

2011-09-04T06:00:00.001-04:00

Duker-day...and Sosha

2011-09-03T06:00:00.002-04:00

Me and Sosha. She's hogging the blue ball...as usual.
But I guess I still like her okay enough.

Monday's Musings (3)

2011-08-29T10:57:00.000-04:00

Another Monday...

We had quite a storm last week. Rain, thunder, lightning and hail (something that doesn't often happen in these parts) about the size of a quarter.

White dots = Hail

Jim and I drove to Detroit on Friday so that I would know exactly how to get to jury duty. I feel much better about it. Since I'll have to be there at 7:45am, I'm not as worried about the morning traffic (because I will leave early and get there early - that's just how I roll). If I have to stay all day, I'm not too thrilled about the traffic going home. Yikes! But I'll deal. When I called to see if I had to report on Monday (this morning) the recording told me that I was NOT to report on Monday, but to call back Monday evening after 6pm. I look at it as one less day that I'll have to drive down there.
Feeling better about driving to the court building in Detroit will never ease my fear of city driving. Mind you, I can and have driven around the state of Michigan and outside of the state of Michigan. It only bothers me to drive in big cities. I don't like to drive, but will happily do it...just not in big cities if I can avoid them. I start getting what I believe could be a full blown panic attack even just being in the car. I try to control it. I do not like it. I just can't stop that panicky feeling.
The court building is on Lafayette and so is John K. King Used and Rare Books so of course we had to stop. Jim and I spent the last half hour that they were open browsing. Believe me, you can spend hours there (and we have).

My haul from the John King Bookstore! :-)

Then Jim spent the next hour driving around Detroit. I don't know why. Traffic was terrible and there were tons of people, both of which made me nervous. He wanted to have dinner at the Hard Rock Cafe, but it was packed so we left.
We also stopped at a Border's Books and bought a couple of books for Jamie's classroom, a couple of books for Jamie, a couple of books for Brittany, and a couple of books for me. That was a fun stop. Sorry that Border's is closing though...
Re: Simple Sunday and the antique photos that I have been posting. No, they are not family photos although I have very few of those and do share them on occasion. Yes, I do collect antique photos (of babies and children) and I thought it would be neat to share them through my blog. If there's any name, location, etc. on them I will include that. It was also suggested that I check out Dead Fred and I may just do that this winter when things slow down.
On Saturday if anyone was trying to get into my blog and saw a message about a possible malware or virus, I had to unfollow the blog that was named and unlink my blog from his. I know it wasn't intentional and thought that I would simply get back in and follow him when he discovered it and fixed it. I tried this morning to get into his blog thinking maybe it was back to normal and got the same message. Just so you know that my blog is still not linked to his and is safe.
Last week, I helped my daughter set up her classroom. It seemed as if no one had weeded through the contents of the room in many (many) years. It needed doing and is now (almost) done. It was a lot of work, but I enjoyed it. I try to offer suggestions only when she asks for them and I know I'm not always successful. :-) She told me that she had a dream the other night that we were both working in her classroom and, while her back was turned, I moved a couple of very heavy, almost impossible to move shelving units by myself. When she turned around, I had singlehandedly rearranged her room and not to her liking. I think it means that she thinks I offer my opinion too often...
Yesterday I had an errand to run which involved both of my kids. I cannot remember the last time just the three of us went out together, certainly not since Jon was in high school and he's 22 now. I mean they're both grown with lives of their own so I don't expect it to happen. We accomplished our mission, which I thank both my children for because it takes a small burden off of Jim and I. We then went to lunch, compliments of my daughter (thanks Jamie ☺). Applebee's - Yum for the Strawberry Mojito which my son suggested. Thanks kiddos!

Simple Sunday

2011-08-28T06:00:00.008-04:00

I cannot see the back of this photo as it had been glued very securely onto a mat for framing.
It does say Kruger in the front left hand corner and Houtzdale, Pa. in the right corner.

Have a wonderful Sunday!

Duker-day...And The Swans

2011-08-27T09:49:00.002-04:00

My family has a cabin up north. We have to share it with all the other dog cousins in the family and I've heard that not all of the dogs in the family even get to go there. I'm one of the lucky ones. It is my favorite place to go. Not that I get to go to a lot of places, but this place has a huge lake! It's the first place I go the minute we get to the cabin. I love to swim! I love to chase a stick out into the lake! I love water!

My mom and dad like to go up there after summer when the weather is still nice, but it's not hot anymore and there aren't as many people up there. My mom and dad love the peace and quiet. Me? I want someone to play with me all the time.

A couple of years ago, when we were up there, I noticed a couple of....well I didn't know what they were!


I was happily playing stick with my dad one day when I first noticed them!


Wow! What the heck?

I HAD to go see!
My mom was afraid. Afraid that I'd hurt them? Or they'd hurt me? Or that I would swim out too far and get tired?
My mom's always afraid of something!

I was getting pretty close. I do like to make friends with the neighbors "on the lake", ya know!


And then...and then the darn things started coming to see me! And I decided it was time to head back to the shore ~~where my mom and dad would protect me~~ because my mom was so worried.


My mom told me that they were swans. She thought they were sooo beautiful. And guess what! They liked playing that game over and over! I would swim out to them and then they would turn around and follow me back to shore.

It really got to be annoying after awhile. I mean, every single time I went out to the lake, there they were. If they weren't near the dock and I thought I could sneak in a few rounds of "throw the stick", they'd be sure to spot me and come swimming over to play. Sometimes I just plain did not want to go swimming!

From what I heard they were living on the lake all summer and people had started feeding them so much that they would eat out of your hand! My parents didn't think it was such a good idea to make the swans used to getting fed by people...but they ended up having to try it out.

Happy Anniversary to the Wilders!

2011-08-25T10:37:00.001-04:00

I am home today as Jamie has an all day symposium. My goal is to get some housework, business office work, grocery shopping, etc. done, but first I wanted to to share this passage from These Happy Golden Years by Laura Ingalls Wilder:

Once Laura spoke. "Does Reverend Brown know we are coming?"

Almanzo said, "I saw him on my way over. He will not use the word, 'obey.'"

Mrs. Brown opened the sitting room door. Nervously she said that she would call Mr. Brown, and asked them to sit down. She went into the bedroom and closed the door.

Laura and Almanzo sat waiting. In the center of the sitting room a marble-topped table stood on a crocheted rag rug. On the wall was a large colored picture of a woman clinging to a white cross planted on a rock, with lightning streaking the sky about her and huge waves dashing high around her.

The door of the other bedroom opened and Ida slipped in a sat down in a chair near the door. She gave Laura a frightened smile and then twisted her handkerchief in her lap and looked at it.

The kitchen door opened and a tall, thin young man quietly slipped into a chair. Laura supposed he was Elmer but she did not see him, for Reverend Brown came from the bedroom, thrusting his arms into his coat sleeves. He settled the coat collar to his neck and asked Laura and Almanzo to rise and stand before him.

So they were married.

I know this probably means nothing to you if you've never read The Little House Books by Laura Ingalls Wilder, but it means a lot to me which is why I'm sharing.

Today we celebrate the 126th wedding anniversary of Almanzo and Laura Ingalls Wilder. Certainly my favorite literary couple, but also one of my favorite real couples.

Monday's Musings (2)

2011-08-23T22:28:00.001-04:00

Yes, I realize it's Tuesday evening. Been busy 'round these parts the past couple of days!

So let's see...what's happening?

Over the weekend, my son, his girlfriend and a couple more friends went to a concert in Detroit. A great evening for them all...that is till the got back to the truck of the friend who drove to find it had been broken into. Ipods and a purse stolen. Plus, what had been a great night ruined by some low-life thieves who steal from some really hard working young people. Grrrr. I was so angry, but also relieved that they didn't come upon these thieves in action.
My daughter and I have been working to get her new classroom ready. I've helped her do this before. I enjoy it, it's fun. Wow though! This classroom had a lot of stuff that it didn't need. It doesn't look like anyone's done anything more than accumulate classroom items, but not weed out the old, worn out, broken or no longer needed items. It looked overwhelming yesterday when we started and today it looks much better, but there's a ton yet to do. It's a good though. It'll get done. I'm happy that I can help!
My jury duty starts Monday. I don't mind the jury duty so much. I am on medication for my IBS which doesn't take the symptoms away, but it does minimize them so hopefully that will be okay. My real worry is driving there. I have a phobia about driving in Detroit (or any big city). It may sound silly or not make sense to some, but it's real to me. And I get really nervous and stressed out about it. I have to do it though. Hopefully after the first time, I'll be more relaxed about it.
Business is really slowing down. It'll be another rough winter. We'll make it though. I hope.
I will apologize ahead of time for not doing much commenting for the next couple of weeks. I'll read when I can and comment when I'm able. I will miss my blogger friends!
I finally started reading The Help. Now, I don't have time to finish it!

And the winner is...

2011-08-22T19:42:00.000-04:00

Jamie and I have drawn the winner and...drum roll please...she is Kathy from Just Stuff From A Boomer! Congratulations and if you email me your address (asimplehappylife@gmail.com), Jamie and I will get your Frankenmuth goodies out to you pronto. Thank you everyone who entered. You never know, we may just do this again sometime. After all, it would be a grand excuse to go to Frankenmuth again!

Giveaway Reminder!

2011-08-22T07:05:00.000-04:00

Just a reminder that the deadline for the double blog giveaway is 6pm tonight. Don't miss out! All you have to do is follow both my blog and my daughter's blog and leave a comment on one of the giveaway posts. Details here.

Simple Sunday

2011-08-21T06:00:00.000-04:00


Young mother and daughter? I thought it was sweet. Back of the photo is imprinted: From The New York Photo Studio Collingwood C.A. Faujoy (not certain if this is correct) Artist Negatives Preserved

Have a lovely and peaceful Sunday,

Duker-day...Relaxing

2011-08-20T12:27:00.001-04:00

This was always one of my favorite places to snooze - my mom's little couch in her office. Then my mom put stuff all over the couch to keep Sosha and I off of it. At least that's what she said. I think that she just needs to clean her office.

My mom wanted me to remind everyone that there's a giveaway going on and you only have till Monday to enter!

Frankenmuth Double-Blog Giveaway!

2011-08-19T20:21:00.005-04:00

Because we're celebrating Jamie's new job and it made us giddy and happy and full and broke, Jamie and I decided to host a joint blog giveaway!

Here's the deal: If you are (or become) a public follower of my blog and a public follower of Jamie's blog (From My Classroom Window) and leave a comment on this post on my blog or Jamie's giveaway post --- you will be entered. Just follow both of us and leave a comment with one or the other of us and you could win:

Gifts from Frankenmuth! The ornament that Bronner's gave us (beautiful blue with sparkly snowflakes), a Michigan bookmark, Strawberry Rhubarb Jam (made at the Bavarian Inn) and some Michigan Wild Cherry Tea.

Remember you have to be (or become) public followers of both of us, but only have to comment on one or the other.

We will toss all the names into a hat and draw one on Monday evening at 6pm (EST), August 22. Yep, you only have the weekend to enter!

Good luck!!

Jamie and I...off to Frankenmuth - Part 3

2011-08-19T16:05:00.002-04:00

Day 2 of our Frankenmuth adventure and we did a little town walking and shopping. Oh and we ate at the Bavarian Inn. :-) However, we began our day with a nice breakfast at our hotel. They have a great breakfast. You could get pretty full, but we didn't want to eat too much as we would be ~~making pigs of ourselves~~ eating hearty meal later in the day. Apparently, I was tired the second day as I didn't take nearly the amount of pictures that I had taken the day before. I mean, seriously, why didn't I take a picture of our meal?! And the shops?
Sorry. There are still a lot of pictures though, as you will see...

We started off our day by parking at the Bavarian Inn and heading to the River Place Mall. We see this "Willkommen" sign along the way.

We cross the Cass River to go to the mall, but there is another bridge. It's the old covered bridge that leads to the Bavarian Inn Lodge which is a great place to stay if you have kids.

Waterfall that leads from the mall area to the river.

The is the entrance to the River Place Mall. This is an outdoor mall with all unique shops and boutiques. If you're looking for a "normal" mall, this is not the place. There are some neat shops here though.

Then we head back to the Bavarian Inn. The restaurant is on the main floor and all the shops are in the basement area. Being touristy on this trip, we decided to wait for the glockenspiel which plays at specified times during the day. We had to wait about ten minutes.

So, we headed inside to a little lobby area. Look up and you see this. I love the light fixture.

You are still looking up here. I love the deer. My father-in-law made some like that several years ago.

It's noon and we headed back outside to the Glockenspiel Tower to hear the music and watch the tale of the Pied Piper. Do you see the bells at the top of the tower?

Then the doors open and the tale of The Pied Piper of Hameln (Hamelin) begins.

The Pied Piper makes a deal to remove the rats from the village.

And so he plays...

and the rats follow.

But alas, the villagers become suspicious of him and refuse to pay the Pied Piper the agreed upon fee. The Pied Piper is angry and promises revenge.

And so he lures the children from the village...never to be seen again.


Only a (and I'm using exact words here so please don't be upset with me) "crippled child" and a "blind child" who couldn't keep up remain to tell what has happened.

The End.

No. Really. The End. We went in and ate and were full and as usual I ate more than I should. We did a little shopping and walked about town and did a little more shopping. And my feet hurt. And I didn't take any more pictures. Sorry. I'm sure your upset about that! :-)

We left. We were happy, full, and broke. We will be back.

And so concludes my three part series of our two day trip.

Jamie and I...off to Frankenmuth - Part 2

2011-08-18T22:07:00.001-04:00

We're here! We finally made it to Bronner's! No surprises. Jamie just took an exit she always used to take when she came from the other way. Totally messed up my moose! (Points if you know where I just quoted from) :-)

All around the parking area at Bronner's are Christmas decorations like this jumbo ornament.

All these years and we had never gone to the Silent Night Chapel, which sits off the parking lot at Bronner's. This year I wanted to see it. The next several pictures are from around and inside the chapel.

Heading across the parking lot to Bronner's. See Santa on the roof?

There. See him now?

Love the Gingerbread House Float!

Usually we go in the West Entrance, but since we parked near the Silent Night Chapel which was closer to the South Entrance we went in there. Totally screwed us up. We ended up walking to the West Entrance and started from there. We don't do well with change. :-)

See! Even the Coke machines are Christmas themed!

In the entry way.

What a tourist-like picture! Jamie and Santa.

Santa's eyes open and close!

Well, it was 140 days until Christmas on the day we went. Of course, it's closer now. Have you started your Christmas shopping yet?!

We always have to go to the little snack shop and get a hot pretzel and a pop. Every time. We have to.

Candy-themed tree. Bronner's is filled with trees decorated in different themes.

Here's a beer-themed tree!

Boy Scout ornaments.

Christmas trees that Bronner's stocks.

Tree-toppers.

Do you need lights for your tree?

More lights!

Bronner's is huge. I mean really huge. We always go through the whole store and we never come away empty handed! Next we headed over to the Bavarian Inn Cafe for some snacks for later...like a brownie...which I forgot to take a picture of. It was good. Really good.

For the past several years we've stayed at the Drury Inn. It's a great place. The customer service is great and the have, not only a full breakfast, but also hot food in the evening. Not a gourmet meal, mind you, but you can certainly make a meal out of it. We ♥ Drury Inn

After we ate, I thought it would be nice to take a walk about town. This is what it looked like outside our window though...


So, we watched The Princess Diary instead. And then we went to the lobby because they have a steady supply of freshly popped popcorn!

Tomorrow: The Bavarian Inn. And the end. I promise!

Jamie and I...off to Frankenmuth - Part 1

2011-08-17T20:57:00.001-04:00

So, yes, I am slow in getting this put together. After all, it's been over a week since Jamie and I went on our yearly overnight trip to Frankenmuth. For those of you who don't know Frankenmuth...it's a city across the thumb from us (you do know that Michigan has a thumb, right?) about an hour and a half from where we live. We live on the very east side of the state about where the thumb starts, just across the river from Canada. *I could never move from Michigan. It's so much easier to explain locations when your state is shaped like a mitten!*

The whole town is Bavarian-themed with lots of shopping up and down the quaint sidewalks and eating at the Bavarian Inn Restaurant. It is also home to Bronner's the largest Christmas store ever. I'd been there a time or two growing up and then Jamie and I went on our first real trip there during her senior year of high school. A couple of years later when Jamie was a student at Central Michigan University, Frankenmuth became a yearly trip during our school district's mid-winter break when the boys would head up north snowmobiling, my mom and I would head to Frankenmuth to meet Jamie for the weekend. Frankenmuth was the perfect mid-way point between our house and Jamie's college and a tradition was born. We rarely took pictures on those trips and I don't know why. I took my camera one year and we took a few pictures. Somewhere there is a great picture of the three of us with a funny story. Someday I will find that picture and tell the story. Those weekends that Gigi (my mom), Jamie, and I spent were the "funnest" and the funniest and some of the best memories that Jamie and I have of time spent together with my mom. Jamie and I have continued the tradition. For the past several years, my mom was unable to travel and Jamie and I had to go without her, but we did keep her in our hearts when we went. Last year, the weekend after my mom died, Jamie and I took a day trip to Frankenmuth just to feel close to her and remember those special times that we all shared. This year, since money has been an issue for both of us, I told Jamie that we just wouldn't be able to take our trip. Though I did tell her that if she got a teaching job we would definitely go. And guess what?! She was offered a teaching position a few weeks ago. After we got over the excitement and relief and all of those other emotions that followed her two year search for a teaching job...we remembered! A trip to Frankenmuth was happening!

This time, we decided to do it up like tourists and take pictures. We started out with a bang and fizzled a little the second day :-) but I have more than enough to share with you. In ~~two~~ three posts. Yikes! Please humor us...

Jamie told me that I couldn't take a picture of her pumping gas...so I did anyhow. Sneaky, huh? ☺


On the road. I always make Jamie do all the driving. She doesn't mind since I pay for the gas. Isn't she purty in purple?

Look close...yes we find a connection to Laura Ingalls Wilder on every trip we take. This is an exit off I-69 between Port Huron and Flint. ☺

We left Sunday morning and there wasn't a whole lot of traffic going north on I-75.


Look! It's the Santa Bronner's sign. I like to wave at Santa, but Jamie gets upset with me when I do.

Our first stop is always Bronner's. But it says "THIS EXIT" and Jamie is not taking "THIS EXIT". What's going on??

We're taking the other way around. Why is Jamie doing this? She's trying to mess with me. I don't like change! But here...a sign for our hotel. The one that we ALWAYS stay at.

Apparently taking the other way in causes delays and getting stuck behind a...what is it Jamie? That's right! A hay baler. I was quizzing her. She's a smart one though. ☺

So, going this way takes us through town, but again, it messes with my mind. And Raul (my gps has a male voice ☺) was not happy either!

Some day, when I lose weight, I will take a carriage ride. I've been telling Jamie that for many years. *sigh*

So, we haven't even gotten to Bronner's yet and this post is waaay too long. I think this will be a three-part two-day trip. See ya tomorrow at Bronner's!!

The Underwear Challenge

2011-08-16T19:28:00.002-04:00

Yes, modest old me is taking on this challenge from Shelly at The Life of a Novice Writer. I'm not as brave and funny as she is but here goes:

1. What do you call your underwear/undergarments? Do you have any commonly used nicknames for them?
Undies, plain and simple.

2. Have you ever had that supposedly common dream of being in a crowded place in only your underwear?
Yes, more times than I like to think about. And it's not a dream, it's a nightmare!

3. What is the worst thing you can think of to make underwear out of?
Okay, I have to embarrassingly admit that when I first read this question, my eyes saw "make out of underwear" and I was a little freaked out. I was picturing those animals the maid makes out of towels when you go on a cruise (not that I've ever been), only made out of your underwear and...that was just weird.

4. If you were a pair of panties what color would you be?
My underwear is boring, but I will just say that my favorite color is pink.

5. Have you ever thrown your underwear at a rock star or celebrity? If so, which ones? If not, which ones?
Ummm...no. That is so not a me kind of thing!

6. You’re out of underwear what do you do?
I don't run out of underwear. I just don't.

7. Are you old enough to remember Underoos? If so, did you have any? Which ones?
I think I'm too old to remember Underoos.

8. If you could have any message printed on your underwear, what would it be?
Well, I did always want days of the week undies.

9. How many bloggers does it take to put panties on a goat?
Huh? Was that just put there to make sure I was paying attention?

I guess I'm supposed to pass this challenge on, but I don't want to put anyone on the spot. So, I just ask that if you want to take the challenge go right ahead, but let me know so I can see if your answers were more exciting than mine!

Gee Thanks!

2011-08-16T03:23:00.003-04:00

I met so many great bloggers through the A to Z Challenge back in April. One lovely writer is Claudia over at The story. I always look forward to seeing a new post from her. She writes about her life and she writes for us to enjoy. And I always do enjoy!

And just last week, Claudia gave me an award. I love it and I thank Claudia from the bottom of my heart!


It means Sweetheart Blog in German!

So here we go:
The Liebster Award is meant to connect us even more and spotlight new bloggers who have less than 200 followers.

Here are the rules:

1. Show your thanks to the blogger who gave you the award by linking back to them.
2. Reveal your top 5 picks and let them know by leaving a comment on their blog.
3. Post the award on your blog.
4. Bask in the love from the most supportive people on the Internet – other writers.
5. And best of all – have fun and spread the karma!

I never enjoy the choosing part! I've decided to choose some blogs of five women who are very dear to me, even outside of the blog world, and they are all wonderful writers. They are five Sweethearts to me!

I love these blogs and want to share them with you!
The Fragrance of Sweetgrass - Rebecca hasn't been writing on her blog a whole lot lately, but she's a great writer of life, a great writer of books (she's written two!), and a great friend . Plus she's an expert on all things Laura (Ingalls Wilder).
I'm That Mom - My niece and a mom of six. And that's what she writes about. She's good at the writing and the being a mom of six!
Jasper's Cottage - My friend Jonni, who also started out as a Laura (Ingalls Wilder) friend and means much more to me now. I hope she keeps writing because she always puts a smile on my face (even when I have tear in my eye).
From My Classroom Window - My daughter! I'm hoping that she keeps up with her blog now that she has a new job that I know will keep her very busy. She's good at telling her story and she'll have even more to say now that she has her own classroom!
Single In The Suburbs - Lauri writes about life (and sometimes video blogs!) and mostly her pup. She's a good friend who also started of as a Laura (Ingalls Wilder) friend, but is so much more than that now.

Simple Sunday

2011-08-14T10:59:00.001-04:00


Isn't she a cutie?

Have a wonderful Sunday!

Duker-day...Abandoned

2011-08-13T19:55:00.000-04:00

So...I've been stuck outside all day and didn't even get to get on the computer till just now. Can you believe it?
My mom and dad left early this morning (I know my mom wanted to take me...) and just got home a little while ago! My mom thought they would be back soon and it was like almost 10 hours till they came back. I kept myself busy and took a few naps, but Sosha isn't even here this weekend to keep me company.

I hate it when my parents go antiquing. Whatever that is, I know one thing - it doesn't involve bringing the most important member of the family any treats. Lucky thing my mom found something tasty to give me with my supper...they owe me big time.

Monday's Musings (2)

2011-08-08T21:54:00.000-04:00

Is it Monday again already?

Jamie and I just got back from our little outing a couple of hours ago. We had a lot of fun - spent a lot of time laughing. Took some pictures and will share another time. I am broke, still full, and exhausted...after only two days!
I'm seriously too tired to muse...and it's bright and early we're moving the well driller tomorrow so packin' it in early tonight.
I'll be back. ☺

Simple Sunday

2011-08-07T06:00:00.001-04:00

Jamie and I are off on an adventure. To celebrate her new job, we're headed to our favorite place. Frankenmuth! First stop - Bronner's CHRISTmas Wonderland!! Shopping, eating, and laughing...not necessarily in that order! And as always, a little of missing Gigi (my mom) as some of our best times were spent here with her...

Duker-day...when I accidentally escaped. (part 2)

2011-08-06T09:54:00.000-04:00

So...that day I accidentally escaped...it was a long hot day and I was in the doghouse all day.

Well, I can't really be in the doghouse anymore because my mom and dad changed what we were using for my vacation home (doghouse) into a chicken coop. That's a whole 'nother story for a whole 'nother day.

The thing is - it was a hot day and I was all stinky and swampy from my adventure earlier in the day. And my mom and dad can't be mad at me for too long. I realize that and take full advantage!

Sometimes on hot days on the weekends when my dad isn't quite so busy, he might take me to my friend Chevy's to swim in their pond. We don't have a pond. All we have is a little kiddy pool and really, a kiddy pool? So later that day, my mom and dad took me to swim in Chevy's pond.

Boy! Did that feel good!

Now, Chevy's a good dog, but she's a girl and girls like to boss me around. I'm an easy going dog though so I just let them. Or avoid them. And when I go to Chevy's pond I just want to swim and cool off so I try to avoid Chevy, even though she's a perfectly nice dog.

Chevy was in the house when we got there. She wasn't too happy to see strangers out at her pond...till she realized that we weren't strangers after all!

And that's about the time that I decided it might be safer to hang out underneath the dock.


I don't mind it under there. That water is still nice and cool under there.


That's my dad and Chevy's dad. They've known each other since they were kids. Oh, and Chevy's back there trying to figure out where I'm at.


She'll never find me!


Way too soon and my dad's telling me that it's time to go home. That's me in front of my dad and Chevy behind.

Good-bye Chevy. Good-bye wonderful pond. I hope to see you again soon.