2010 Balloon Glow at Frankenmuth

While watching the news last night, we saw a clip from the Balloon Flights in Frankenmuth. The newscaster said they were scheduled to take off at 7. We hurried up, jumped in the car and flew up to Frankenmuth. We arrived just in time. We saw several balloons take off. What a beautiful sight. We hung around listening to the announcer. We soon learned that it was actually a race and that the balloons would be arriving overhead and dropping a bean-bag with streamer attached into a target area. We decided to hang around. I'm glad we did. It was really neat to watch as the pilots maneuvered the balloons over the target area and dropped the bean-bag. Several missed the area entirely as they depend on finding the right wind currents to guide them. The pilots then landed the balloons and ferried them back to the area where 15 of them set up just at sunset and fired the burners creating the "glow." It was really beautiful to watch them glowing and listen to the "whoosh" of the flames.

Not Much But Work, Then Rest

Had to go to work again today. Just mowing. 4 lawns from Ortonville, to Grand Blanc, to Burton, to Flint. Got home at a decent time, took a relaxing bath and settled on the couch to veg. Sarah was updating the work. After about 1/2 hour she jumped up and said, "we have to go." Apparently, we skipped a job that was due today. So, back out we went. It was quick tho, and we are back home again.
My Peonies are in full bloom. Beautiful this year. Yesterday, as you saw on my fb, was the Community Picnic at the elementary school. I was in charge of Syd and Emma. Who by the way is the class whiner. She lived up to her name. Wow! That was interesting. Now I remember why I never wanted to teach Kindergarten. Syd did a great job of getting her to "refocus." And of course and ice-pac was involved. The kid only ate watermelon for lunch. Which was provided by Famous Dave's and was quite good.

Field Day Thursday

A trip to St. John and Henderson Mi. First a stop at Hardee's in Owosso. One of the few left. Then on to St. John where I mowed and Sarah did the "maid service." Basically just wiping down everything and vacuuming, like a "refresh" cleaning. Then on to Henderson, which is out in the middle of nowhere basically. The farmers were bringing in the hay. The grass at the property was super high. I guess last time the crew tried to mow there the lawn was wet. Some spots were over a foot tall! I had to go real slow. It was huge too! Over an acre I'd say. About half way through I noticed my neck and arms were getting hot and burny. I covered with an extra shirt for the duration. Man it was hot. Then more sitting in the sun. Niki's games last night-they're always a double-header. Whew! More hot. They squeaked out both games though. Was wishing I had a pool to go swimming in when I got home.

Whey Back Whens-day

Found some old pics. One of the girls tubing up north. The "good ole days." What fun they had. And me too, tryin to make them fly out of the tubes.

The other is of Syd and Niki back when Syd first started coming over. Oh my, she was a tiny little thing.

A Taste of Summer

Highs in the upper 80's. Good Grief! We never seem to be able to have just a "normal" temperature. We're either above or below average. Last night we enjoyed a 'Lost' party with the Renee's. Burgers and spaghetti salad. Renee tried the new recipe from the Kroger magazine, buffalo chicken dip. It was very good. Topped off the dinner with carrot cake or ice-cream sandwiches. I chose the carrot cake. Yummm. Today's agenda includes daily chores and trying to stay cool! Tonight's menu will be: Grilled pork tenderloin (recipe from chef Donaldo), grilled peaches and grilled asparagus.

Scrap at the B&B

Wonderful weekend with the sistopher and neicopher and great-neiceopher & great-nephewfer. It all started with a trip to the scrapbook store. Got some beautiful pages for my new ancestery book. Then went back to the B &B and Don graciously unpacked my car and took everything down to the basement. Marlene got us started by buying a georgous ancestry pad of pages and some scrapbook pages. We then made a lot of copies of documents and photos! Thanks Mar! She copied down the family tree that I had worked on to date. Dinner by Chef Donaldo and his apprentice Karen was Greens a la Taco Salad served with Corunna. For dessert a fresh baked Rhubarb/Strawberry Crumb served with vanilla ice-cream. Breakfast on Saturday was Buttermilk blueberry pancakes served with Canadian bacon and of course coffee. Lunch was Hummus and chips with Asiago & apple brats. Yummmm. Some people had another slice of the crunch. (not me I was too full!) The sleeping accomodations were cozy and peaceful. Other activites included a Barbie wedding, (video will probably show up on another blog) magnetic dolls, storybook reading general silliness.

A Full Day

Did the morning work & paid bills. Watered flowers. Went to Rich's - bought some basil, red-leaf lettuce, romaine lettuce, and nasturtium plants. Oh and a grape tomato plant. Picked up Syd the Kid. We got the car washed, picked up some bird seed, picked up some lunch and headed for the park. Ate at the park and played for a bit. Came home. Planted all the stuff in pots, cept the nasturtium which we put in the flower bed. Picked up Evan. Then did a "drive by" to see if peeps were living in the house that we have to do work at tomorrow. Took a small bike ride with Syd on her Barbie bike. Went to the store to get shrooms for the ke-bobs. Made some awesome grilled chicken kebobs and ate them with some fresh pineapple. After dinner I played "hopshotts" with Syd. Threw to the ball to Bailey several times. Now I'm just chillin. Very nice outside today.

Post Today is on http://fit-n-trim.blogspot.com/

Today's post is back on http://fit-n-trim.blogspot.com/

I don't care if anyone reads it or not. It's just something I need to do. I think it keeps me accountable to something.

No Cell Phones in The Courthouse

New law in the Genesee Co. courts ~ No cell phones allowed. Duh, ya think? However if you are a lawyer, cop, employee, or juror you may have one. Ok, that's probably 70 percent of the people there. Hoping to see more places adopt the rule. Michigan will soon have a "no driving while texting" law.

I have a fresh supply of kleenex, cough drops, cough medicine, Tylenol, benedryl, chicken soup and vernors. Can't seem to shake the cold. Took a 2 hour nap this afternoon. I seem to feel worse in the afternoon and evening.

Sneezing, Sniffling, Coughing

That's me for the past three days. I haven't been sick or even had a cold for at least 2 years. But the neighbors have been passing this cold around to each other and I think it finally got passed on to me. Stuffy head & nose. Bad headaches and some dizziness. Been mostly camped out on the couch reading, watching tv and napping. Yesterday I did sit out in the sun at Niki's softball tourney. It felt good for a while. But then in the afternoon, I started to feel drowsy so we came home and I napped. No cooking for me - take out Chinese. Then back outside for a bit to watch as Syd learned how to ride her 2-wheeler Dora bike. Hopefully the sneezing, sniffling, coughing will soon be through!

All Dressed Up & No Place to Go

Mr. & Mrs. B. Bird have returned only to find out their previously occupied home went into foreclosure and Mr. & Mrs. Sp. Arrow and family have moved in lock, stock & barrel. Mr. & Mrs. B. Bird were quite upset. So much so that Mr. B. was engaging Mr. & Mrs. Sp. in a duel. This went on for a relatively long time. The Sp. Arrow family was not about to budge. So I quickly dressed, & ran to Meijers to purchase a new home. Now the plan is to entice Mr. & Mrs. B. Bird into the new home. They were nowhere to be seen when I returned. I'll be keeping surveillance this afternoon.

Way Back When-s-Day (Thursday)

I got the blog title from my sister, of course - got to compete. I think she actually got the idea from another blogger anyway. Here are some pics from the family first trip to Florida. ~ December 1971. Just the 4 out of the 6. We were quite "wowwed" with the ocean, oranges and the sun. I fell in love with it way back then.
It's raining cats & dogs today! Found some cool stuff with the genealogy today. I'm making a pork tenderloin with sage (from my sister's herb garden) and bay (from my bay tree) with red skinned potatoes and asparagus. Smells delicious-i-oso. Crockpot of course.

Just Another Day in Paradise

I made this basket up last week. Went to Rich's Market and picked out all the flowers. They were on sale 3 for $10. Did some dishes, computer work, banking, shopping (the grocery type), made grilled cheese and tomato soup for dinner then rode my bike while Syd rode her scooter. Now I'm blogging, ordering pictures online, adding songs to my playlist, and listening to Nicole reading from Frankenstein.

Tired, Cold & Sore

Tired is because we stayed over Tom & Renee's too late last night playing "Sing-star." It's just so much fun. I couldn't leave until I beat someone. Finally did- singing MmMmMmMmM song by Crash Test Dummies. Then tired some more because we had to get up at 7:30 and go to work. Tired, Cold and Sore from cleaning a most nasty house. It was disgusting. I don't even want to put up pictures because it was so gross. It was freezing cold today, possibly even saw some little tiny snowflakes. I should add smelly too, cause that's what I was after cleaning that mess. Came home dropped the trailer full of junk, changed clothes and headed back out to finish a couple other jobs. Rushed home to take a bath and get ready for the prom pics. Ended by ordering take out Chinese and vegging out, which I'm doing now.

Monday's Musings

Some Places I'd Like to Visit This Summer

• Ann Arbor Farmer's Market
• Shipshewana
• Algonac State Park
• Boyne, Mi
• Holland Tulip Festival (Too late, I already missed it)
• Otsego State Park
• Mackinaw Island: The Great Turtle Run/Walk
• St John, Mi: Mint Farm
• Roscommon, Mi - Kirtland Warbler Festival
• Saginaw State Park: Walk the trails in nature center
• Oscoda, Mi: Kayaking

Some Much Needed Rain

Except that I couldn't open the G.S. until bout 12:30. Only a few people today. Made a few bucks. Sarah boxed it all up and put away the boxes until next time. Didn't do much today. Lazy day. Made an awesome chicken pasta for dinner & then strawberry shortcake too! Now I'm just trying to finish the book I'm reading because it has to go back to the library tomorrow.

May Day ~ May 1st

May Day occurs on May 1 and refers to several public holidays.[1] In many countries, My Day is synonymous with International Workers' Day, or Labour Day, a day of political demonstrations and celebrations organised by the unions, anarchists, and socialist groups. May Day is also a traditional holiday in many cultures.

So what are you doing this May Day? We had a bit of rain, now it's just cloudy. I'm sittin here in the garage again, trying to make a buck. Had a wonderful evening last nite playing euchre at Mike & Chris's. Had a bbq - first of the season. I came in third place and recouped my $5 game fee. Yahoo!

Last Minute Garage Sale

Wow! Nothing like deciding at 7 in the morning to have a garage sale. There was no "business" work so I said, "Let's do the garage sale." The neighboring subdivision has it's once a year sub sale. So we threw up 3 signs and dragged out all the stuff. Made $90 bucks~ not bad. Today will be the BIG day. Fair amount of traffic already. Going to be a beautiful day!

It's Wednesday

A little warmer than yesterday, hooray. Picked up Syd the kid, ate lunch then went to the mailbox. Low & behold the surprise my sister sent me was jammed in the mailbox. It was some rustic wooden birds. Very sweet. Syd and I decided to paint them up alittle. This will be a project that will last a couple days. Will post Before and After pics when the project is complete. Can't wait to add them to the new bird/flower garden. Went to the library later in the afternoon. Procured some videos, books and an organic gardening magazine. Weee! Also, found out the first Swartz Creek Farmer's Market is this coming Sunday. Whoooo-hhaaa. Went to Sarah's mom & dad's. Split some Rocky's Pizza and saw the new carpet and patio. Got some forms to start my genealogy exploration.

Tuesday's Thoughts

Another busy week. Had a double-header last nite against Linden. 4pm til 8pm. That's a long time. It was so windy, I had to sit in Grandma's car through most of it. But they won both games and Nik pitched awesome. The grandbaby is almost 12 weeks already, wow!
Just the usual stuff, dog to vet & groomer, invoices, invoices, invoices. I went to Riches Market yesterday~ couldn't resist. I got a Tri-colored sweet potato vine and some cilantro to put in with my basil. I put them in that cute HUGE coffee cup planter that Syd & Renee got me before Easter. It looks really cute!


“Able to keep!” how sure is the word!
He is my Keeper, Savior, and Lord.
“Never shall perish,” one of His sheep,
Glory to God! He is able to keep. —Anon.

Lives rooted in God’s unchanging grace can never be uprooted. (From Our Daily Bread)

A Little Hiatus

It just happened that way. I think every once in a while your creative juices just dry up. Seems the week just flew by. Softball on Monday. Had Syd every day after that. We were busy watering flowers, taking walks and well just playing outside. Then I had to take the truck in to get new tires. Then we had to take the truck up to the RV joint to transfer the brake system. Then there was getting the camper ready. yada yada yada. We left Friday for Bay City campground. Got there too late to make dinner so we ordered pizza, from BC pizza - just like the place up in Boyne. It was a little chilly but we built up a huge fire and were able to sit out til about 9 pm. Had to get up early to go to Niki's softball tourney. They ended up winning 2 out of 3 games. It was cold and supposed to be rainy so we decided to pack up the camper and head for home. Ate a classic turkey dinner at the Turkey Roost in Kawkawlin. Got home took a hot bath and just chilled out and went to bed early! Here are some random pics I took around the house.

Just Amy

It was probably one of the best concerts I've ever been to. Great venue. The Performing Arts Center. ( Grand Rapids) Small and personal. Our seats were in the orchestra section. Eye level with the performer instead of having to crane your neck. Acoustic only. Just Amy, another guy on guitar, one guy on keyboards and a drummer with only a mini drum set. She played songs that people shouted out from the audience. She played lots of oldies and then some from her new CD. Pure Amy. It was kind of like you were sitting around in her living room. She talked in between songs - just kind of personal. Loved every minute of it!

Feather N' Fin

Fun Feather N' Fin Fact: The ice cream shop we all know as "Feather N' Fin" originally opened its doors 31 years ago as a Chicken and Fish take out (go figure, with a name like that!). Over time it grew into an ice cream store. Read the story on our website!

Finally made it there last nite; went with the Renee's. I had NSA Turtle on a sugar cone. Pretty good. The weather was awesome; 80 somethin degrees.
Can't go to the "crop" at the sistopher's tonite cuz Riles got the flew. Poor thing. Wouldn't want it so I'm staying away. Instead I'm making stuffed chicken for dinner. Then maybe cleaning my dirty house. OR maybe not. We shall see.

Just Another Day in Paradise

Got up early to beat the rush at Starbucks. Free coffee up to 20 oz. in a refillable mug. Of course I had to get a slice of fat free cinnamon coffee cake to go with. Gonna do laundry today. That is a real bummer since it's going to be 80 degrees. Should have done it earlier in the week. Then try and talk Renee into going to Feather N Fin for their big opening at noon.
Items of note:

• Got new specks yesterday
• Going to go to my sister's "crop" Friday & see the kids (Brady & Riley)
• Going to Grand Rapids to the Amy Grant concert on Saturday (Yay!)
• Traded in the Fusion

Field Day Tuesday

Yep, back to that.... Here are a few pics of a tub that was in a pretty junky house. It was crazy. I don't see how you could even get into it. It was a cold rainy day, but I got to have breakfast at Subway and also go to the Flint Farmer's market, so it wasn't all that bad. Busy day yesterday. Put the Dodge Pick-up on Craig's list Monday nite and sold the truck yesterday afternoon. Traded in the Fusion for a Big Pick-up. V-8 to pull the camper. This afternoon Sydney and I put out some of the yard decorations. Yay for warm weather!

What Number is Your Pain?

That's what the doctors and nurses always say. Well, I had a number nine neck pain yesterday. Don't know what I did, guess I just slept wrong or something. It was at least 50 percent better today. Couldn't do much, especially work on the computer. I'm so glad I feel better today because that pain was just so hard to deal with! Sold the work truck today; had it less than 24 hours on Craig's List. Wow!

A Good Day

Started out by going to do a bid. Got a cute little bird house and thingy to hang it on. Then took my dad to lunch. Arby's of course. Had a good visit. Then home. Cleaned out the garage. It was a long time coming. Made camping reservations for Otsego Lake Campground for Aug. Grilled fish and veggies for dinner. Sold some of our "gently used" goods to a friend. They purchased: the leftover pavers, a lawn mower, kids swing, leaf blower, garbage can, 3 gas cans & some flower hangers. Delivered it. Treated ourselves to DQ for our efforts!

Any Number Can Die Cast Reunion Party

Oh what fun! We had a cast reunion party. We watched the dvd of the play. How fun to watch and laugh at yourself. It is amazing to see the thing in it's entirety for the first time. We had munchies and drinks. Saw a video that the director's son made that was hilarious. Various candid shots, and silly pictures. He made a silent movie out of the still shots.

Sometimes

do you wonder how you got to, say, Thursday of the week? I can't believe it's already Thursday and I have no real idea what I've been doing. It's all a blur for some reason. It's not even that I've been exceptionally busy or anything. At least I don't think I have. LOL I kid-sat yesterday. Um what else? We got Niki a car finally. Ford (yay) Contour SVT. Some sporty special edition. 5- speed, reminds me of the good ole days. Went to the funeral home for a friend of Nik's whose father committed suicide. Now that's a tough one. I think I went grocery shopping. But, for crying out loud I haven't even done the laundry yet. I don't really feel that I've done an extreme amount of work, so hmmmm, I'm stymied. This morning I did go to the eye doc. My right eye is about 20% worse, so I picked out some new specs. The doc said that my eyes look really good for someone with diabetes for twenty years. Only one spot of blood. I guess they would typically see more. So, that's a good thing. Talked to an old friend from way back UPBC days, that was fun. Caught up on the episodes of "Biggest Loser." Kept an eye on Bailey's sister , who was very well behaved. Just barks a little more than Bay does. Well, there you have it.

The New Bird Sanctuary

Easter Table

Chickadee

The beginning stages of the new bird/flower area. We are putting some pavers down. Then I will design the flower garden. I think some of the feeders still need to get moved around because the pesky squirrels are still getting on them. I think they are too close to the tree. Going to be 70 degrees again today, so maybe I will be able to get back out there!

Around the Neighborhood

Just playing with the new camera; these are some of the results. Getting ready for Easter dinner tomorrow for 12. Starting with a spiral ham, then scalloped potatoes, Homemade baked beans, green beans with onions, coleslaw, applesauce and rolls. Whew, that's a ton of food.

In Case You Wondered

I'm sitting outside with my laptop. Enjoying the mostly peace and quiet. Just lots of birds chirping. Love it! Started the day out by picking up Phoebe (Bailey's sister) then going to the eye doc's for Nik. Her eyes have actually gotten better; no glasses! Went to the Motorcycle store to look at scooters. They are way expensive. Came home did some stuff around the house. Took a load of tires to the tire recycling place. Went to Birds Unlimited and Gil-Roys. Found what I was looking for at Gil-Roys - a squirrel proof bird feeder. We are putting up a new bird/flower garden. Got some pavers at a job, I think we'll use them; they should look nice.

Good Friday, also known as Holy Friday, Black Friday, Great Friday, is a holiday observed primarily by Christians commemorating the crucifixion of Jesus Christ and his death at Calvary. The holiday is observed during Holy Week as part of the Paschal Triduum on the Friday preceding Easter Sunday, and often coincides with the Jewish observance of Passover.

Based on Christian scriptural details of the Sanhedrin Trial of Jesus, the Crucifixion of Jesus was most probably on a Friday (John 19:42).[1] The estimated year of Good Friday is AD 33, by two different groups, and originally as AD 34 by Isaac Newton via the differences between the Biblical and Julian calendars and the crescent of the moon. A third method, using a completely different astronomical approach based on a lunar Crucifixion darkness and eclipse model (consistent with Apostle Peter's reference to a "moon of blood" in Acts 2:20) points to Friday, 3 April AD 33.

Blue Skies, Butterflies, & Blue Birds

I am happy to report that Mr. & Mrs. Bluebird are back and have decided to "camp out" in the camper birdhouse that I received from my sister Jan last year. Syd saw them flying in and out when we were in the back yard today. Then we saw some little white butterflies, so she had to go and get her butterfly net. Didn't catch any though. We went into the people camper to see if any critters decided to make it their winter home. I am happy to report they did not. Lovin the weather!
Tomorrow Syd is coming early, so we decided to have a big breakfast buffet. Pancakes, bacon, scrambled eggs, O.J. and coffee. Syd wants chocolate chip with "smashmallow" pancakes. Oatbran with nuts for me. Probably go to the park tomorrow. :)

From 19 to 57

Degrees that is. 19 degrees with a "hard" frost this morning. Then a slowly warming day, high up to 57. Nice. Even sat outside for a while. Need to go for a walk, really. Weather dude says temps are onward and upward for the rest of the week. Might hit 70 tomorrow, woo-hoo! And talking 80 for Thurs. or Friday. Went to CEC today. Fun! The kid is still a bit frightened of ole Chuck. She scrunched real close to me in the booth when he walked by. That's it for now.

Hey, That's My Nephew

GENOA TWP. - Josh Russell knows he will attend college, but how to finance his goal was problematic because, he said, his parents "wouldn't be able to offer me a lot of money for college."


The 17-year-old Genoa Township resident found a solution — earning his own money by teaching drumming to children ranging in age from 8 to 14.


"It is rough, sometimes, to have to work and put in hours here and there," Russell said. "I've sacrificed things here and there ... but, like I said, it's helped me to learn responsibility and to grow and mature.
From the Lansing State Journal

Ten Vehicles (Machines) I've Driven

Car
Dirt bike
4 wheeler
Snowmobile
Boat
Combine
Skid loader
Antique tractor
Antique truck
Go cart
*Bonus Flew an airplane (momentarily)

Twelve Things You May Not Know About Me

Twelve Things You May Not Know About Me (Borrowed idea from My sister's blog.)


1. I am a bit of an astronomy bug.
2. I never wanted to birth a baby.
3. I like to eat organic foods.
4. I’m deathly afraid of heights.
5. I think my feet are cute.
6. I detest lying.
7. I hate mushy stuff.
8. I love the smell of campfire!
9. I enjoy entertaining.
10. I can’t sew.
11. I dislike regular M & M’s.
12. I can’t do a sumersault.

Whats That Bright Star Next to the Moon?

In case you didn't know I'm a bit of a weather and astonomy buff. So, here is some cool stuff.

On Thursday night, March 25, many people may look up at the sky and ask the question, "What's that bright star next to the moon?"
The answer for Thursday night is Mars, but that answer changes night by night as the moon travels along the ecliptic, the path the sun, moon and planets follow across the sky. If you ask the question again on Monday night, March 29, the answer will be the ringed planet Saturn. This will be your last chance to get a good look at Mars until it approaches the Earth again in 2012

"Falling" Apart At The Seams

I fell again today. This time in the driveway. Tripped over a piece of wood. Messed up my leg, knee, ankle, hip, back. etc... Ouch. Now I'm hurting. I've got to quit falling. I was outside supervising the guy who came to pick up his snowmobiles. Yes, they're gone. Apparently, it was a neighbor of the house we were working at. He was quite glad to come and pick them up. He was afraid they were stolen.

Exhausted!

Still tired after all the rukus. Last night we tore down the set. Kind of sad. Ate pizza and salad. We're supposed to have a reunion party and watch the "real" movie or the video of our play. Sometime after Easter. Not a bad day. Tromped around outside for a bit with Syd. She was checking stuff out with her binoculars. Cute. Tomorrow we'll go to the library. Spent a million bucks on Nicole tonight. She needed cleats, a pitching toe to protect the cleats, and an ankle brace. Oh yeah, she made the varsity softball team! Hopefully, no. 2 pitcher.

Strike!

That's what it's called when you tear the set down and put it all away. That's tonight. Oh my aching body already. All the up & down and back & forth, I'm sore and exhausted. One more night. The director will buy us pizza and salad tonight for the Strike. It was fun, but I'm glad it's over, whew! Trying to get back to "normal." Got to see a preview of some of the pictures. My sister took some illegal pics yesterday. Then Her & her husband and my brother and his wife came over for tea & crumpets after the play. We hooked up the pictures to the tv and had a good laugh over them. Renee Renee came over with the fam to meet my fam. Good times.

Lights, Curtain, Action

Finally the debut of, "Any Number Can Die." A full audience. Thanks to everyone that came. The girls, Richie's family, Mike & Chris, Tom and Bobbette, and my dear old friends Laura and Betty. I hope everyone enjoyed the dinner and show. Sarah did a great job with the music and sound effects, AND as the mystery person in black. The show went pretty well and was lots of fun. Now we have to do it all again. Hopefully we'll all be more relaxed today. Marlene & Don and Mark & Laura will be coming today. The funniest thing that happened, I was changing my clothes just off stage at the WRONG time. Another actress tried to push me on stage because i was supposed to be on. I said, no I can't. I had stripped down to my underclothes. Whew! Close call! After putting my dress back on (it was dark so I didn't even know if it was inside out) I made an entrance and just sashayed into the scene.

Garden Ideas

Sunday I bought the Old Farmer's Almanac, Garden Guide. Very exciting. Full of ideas and tips for many interesting types of gardens. Some of them are: How to bring butterflies or hummingbirds into your garden, How to grow tasty tomatoes, 4 easy mailbox plots, a cook's garden and The almost instant garden. I'm thinking about using this technique for the garden this year. You put down 4 layers of newspaper, then 2 inches of compost, then plant your seeds. You make 36 inch wide beds with wood-chip paths in between. This method is supposed to block the weeds.

Blue Skies and a Few Bugs

Niiiiiiiiiiiice day today. Even saw a few bugs flying around and even a squiggly worm on Renee's driveway. Sat outside for a while and soaked up a few rays. Renee and Sydney came over for a bit and then Syd decided she wanted me to pull her and Dora in the "new" wagon. (Sarah found at a house) A neighbor came by walking her daughter in a wagon and also her dog. So Syd decided that we should talk Bailey with us. She ran and got his leash and off we went. Bailey was going so fast he was actually pulling the wagon~ I couldn't keep up with him. Then it was time to go inside and run my lines. Still have a couple of slippery spots. Practice every night this week. Went to Salvation Army today to get a part of one of the 3 costumes I need. Speaking of that does anyone have a pair of size 7 1/2 flats or ballet slippers I can borrow?

A Time For Everything (Even if we don't think so)

A Time for Everything
1There is a time for everything,
and a season for every activity under heaven:
2a time to be born and a time to die,
a time to plant and a time to uproot,
3a time to kill and a time to heal,
a time to tear down and a time to build,
4a time to weep and a time to laugh,
a time to mourn and a time to dance,
5a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them,
a time to embrace and a time to refrain,
6a time to search and a time to give up,
a time to keep and a time to throw away,
7a time to tear and a time to mend,
a time to be silent and a time to speak,
8a time to love and a time to hate,
a time for war and a time for peace.
Ecclesiastes 3 :1 - 8
In memory of Paul Jeremiah Ovitt

Busy, Busy Saturday

Got up early and went to the Flint Farmer's market. Started with a cup of coffee and a raspberry/white chocolate scone. Bought some cukes, asparagus, an orange pepper and some baklava, oh and a loaf of bread from Great Harvest. Saw some organic flours from a mill out in Argentine. More about that later. Then went to the stage to finish putting up the set. Painted, put up the molding and other odds and ends. Lunch at Panera in Fenton. Then a trip out to the mill in Argentine. West Wind Milling Co. You can find them on the web at: http://westwindmilling.com/index.html Very interesting. Check it out. We bought a buckwheat pancake mix and a bag of multi-grain flour. It's all locally grown and organic. The baked goods looked absolutely yummy. Now, in for the night. Maybe a nap! Then a run-through of the play. Maybe a movie later. Peace Out.

Lights, Action.....

Bam!
Coming down the "stairway" at play practice in the dark, I missed the bottom step and crashed to the floor. Luckily I only ended up with a few ouchie spots and bruises. The bottom step is only a 1/2 step and somehow on my entrance I missed it. The lights were out for that particular part of the play. They said on Saturday we're going to paint them white. Thank goodness. I'm also glad I didn't land on or twist my already bad leg from my fall several years ago. That leg is still messed up. Well, anyway the play is coming along nicely. I think it's going to be better than last years. It's actually quite funny and has a few surprises. Tomorrow we are going to do the finishing touches to the set.

Painting Party

Painted the walls of the "set" last night. We went with a nice baby diarrhea color. Yuck. The walls are supposed to look old and neglected. They sure do. It was fun. I don't normally paint, so that was kind of a first for me. I got a little bit on the french door curtains. Opps, don't tell the director. She told us to be specially careful of them. I tried.

Weather All The Time

So.... I installed the Weather Channel Desktop to my computer. Now, I can access all sorts of weather info at my fingertips! My dad would have loved this. He used to watch the weather channel for up to the minute updates. I'm not sure if he still does or not. I'm pretty sure I have inherited his love for weather info. For instance, did you know there is a waning crescent moon tonight? That means If the right side of the Moon is dark then the light part is shrinking, and the Moon is referred to as waning (moving towards a new moon).

Speaking of the weather; it was so warm yesterday that Sydney and I took Bay for a walk, then we cleaned up a Beauty Salon play thing that Sarah got from a house. If you're lucky I'll post the pictures from later when she, "did my do". What a fun afternoon. We were all being so silly. Oh yeah, we even grilled turkey burgers outside on the grill. Yum-o!

The Snow Is Melting

At least on our side of the street. It's weird. Everyone on the other side of the street still has several inches of snow. Grass on this side. Another sunny, almost warm day yesterday. I went for another outdoor walk. It really feels good. One more day of sunniness~ says the weather dude. Then the rain comes. But, it will still be ABOVE average temps. How nice. Not as nice as the weather down in SC where my sister lives. In the 70's. Can't wait til that happens here. They play is coming along nicely. I have a much bigger part, so I need to keep at it every day to make sure the lines stay in my head. It's really kind of fun. There are going to be a few surprises. The people are nice and it's kind of like a camaraderie thing. The crew has an eviction in Dexter today. So glad I didn't have to go! Thanks Renee! I'm pretty sure Sydney and I will go for a walk today ~ it's supposed to be over 50 degrees!

Field Day Saturday

Freezing cold, but sunny start. First a trip to Donna's doughnuts. I know, I know, bad, bad, bad. But, it was my motivation for going to work. Then a trip to the metal scrap yard. A check for $89 for depositing other people's junk. Thank you very much. A couple quick bids in Flint. Then a stop at an old but awesome house where we had to remove 100's of pop and beer bottles and cans. I love those older homes. They have so much personality. This one had a Michigan room, where I could see myself sunning in the summer time. A sewing room upstairs, plus a funky bathroom behind a wall painted to look like an outdoor garden. A rooftop deck. Oh the flowers and vegetable I could plant up there! Oak floors and solid oak stair railings. I felt sorry for the people because they left behind a lot of items that I guess they couldn't or didn't have room for. A pair of work boots, oh they're Sarah's size. Grab those. A room full of books. Ah, the library.
Today, we're making home made whole wheat pizza dough. Got a rolling bar, some thin cutting mats, on which to build the pizzas, and an olive oil spritzer. Can't wait to try them out tonight.

First Outdoor Walk of the Year

Beautiful blue sunny skies, not a cloud in sight. Warm rays of sun. We're off. Just me N Bailey. A green van stopped so the inhabitants could say "goodbye" and Bailey and I wished them a nice weekend vacation. Probably walked 1/2 mile total. Not bad for the first walk of the season. Here's to many more.

Cooking tip I learned today: Don't use fat-free cream cheese when making cheese cake. It was all chunky and wouldn't whip up too well.

A Maddening Day

Thought about throwing the ole computer right out the window. But then I fixed it. That was satisfying. I had to reinstall the printer. For whatever reason it decided to remove the printer drivers. The computer geek is in Mexico so I had to do it all by my lonesome. whew! Had a mediocre lunch at the new Chinese Buffet on Miller Rd. Don't bother, it wasn't all that good. Stick with the one on Linden Rd. Did crappy at rehearsal last nite. I was the worst one. So, okay time to turn up the heat. I have many more lines this year. I am having some alone time right now and I am really enjoying that. If ya know what I mean. Just me n the dog and a cup of (lite) hot chocolate. ahhhhh.

First Day of March Brings Blue Skies

So far. They are calling for clouds and some snow, but for now it is sunny and beautiful. Gave the birdies some new seed and the woodpeckers a suet block. Now, just waiting. Just doing the usual. A very busy week ahead. We are supposed to be "off book" for the play, so I'll be spending a lot of time memorizing.

Last Day of February, Yea!

Went to a B & B Saturday, Cobblestone Manor in Auburn Hills. Just to get away, some R & R. It was beautiful. They have a wedding chapel and gardens apparently. Would like to go back for a stay in the spring. Ate dinner at Obrien's Seafood, it was nice. Went back to the room to just chill out in front of the fireplace. Breakfast was pretty good. Nothing out of this world. Took my dad out to lunch at Arby's. Sure didn't want to eat. Made home-made pizza for dinner. Out of this world. Put some roasted garlic on it.

Bye Bye February!

Just Wanna Curl Up on the Couch With a Book

It's blowing snow and frigid. Wind chill no higher than 9 degrees today. Would rather be in FL even if it's only in the 50's. I do not even want to go out today. But alas I must pick up my kindergarten charge and also need to buy salad for tonite's card party. Aw shucks. At least I didn't have to go out with the crews this morning. Kinda felt sorry for them as they were packing up and cleaning the snow off the vehicles.
Yesterday I went to the library and picked up the book my sister is reading; "Food Matters" by Mark Bittman. While there I picked up a flyer for book sale they are having on March 6. Can't wait. Also, a flyer for Storytimes with Miss Carol. Syd and I are going to check that out next Wednesday. Also, fortified the babysitting stock with Dragon Tales Cd, and 2 videos, and 3 books. Yesterday we took Bay to the vet. He's a whopping 68 pounds. No more people food!

February is Almost Over

Hooray! Looking forward to:
milder temps. (not yet, and big snow storm on the way again.)
My sister coming home from Fla.
The dinner theatre in March.
Maybe being able to walk outside.
Maybe taking a weekend vaca.

Any Number Can Die

Here is the information about the play. March 20, 6:00 p.m. or March 21, 3:00 p.m. Dinner Theatre. $15 Call the number to order tickets or mail me a check.

SNOW Day

4 to 6 inches forecast. All the kiddies are happy and sleeping. I'll still be doing the same ole stuff. Monday is laundry day. Still getting the stuff together for the tax man. Appointment is Wednesday. I'll be on the puter most of the day. Enjoy your day for those of you who got to sleep in!

Another Blue Skies & Suneshiney Kind of Day

Got up early to set up the day and see the "boys" off. Took Niki to her ACT practice test location. Went to the Hollywood diner for an egg white & veg omelette. Stopped at Wallyworld to pick up some things. Heard an advert. on the radio for the Flint Farmer's market, so we headed back downtown. Bought 1 piece of baklava & split it. Got some baby cukes to make cuke Thai salad for dinner tonite. Got a cute gift for someones birthday that is coming up. Decided to make pizza for lunch so went back down Corunna Rd. to VG's. Picked up some ingredients for the pizza. Came home made some awesome pizza. Thanks to Von R.K. in Florida we now know how to make REAL pizza. Sarah worked on ACT ii with me. I know 1/2 of Act ii, need to get going; need to know the whole act by Monday. Called "Your IT", they are getting some refurb laptops in on Monday. $289 and with Win XP: just what we need. So, the old laptop will be handed down to me. Yea!! Now I am watching "Dances with Wolves" and waiting for the boys to get back. Then I'm going to take a bath, work on the play some more and then make Pad Thai for dinner.

Plenty of Sunshine

That's what the weather channel said. Yeah, plenty of sunshine and plenty of cold. ha ha I really do appreciate these last 2 days of SUN. Makes everything more bearable. Even the fact that I had to come back from Florida. I've just been getting around and trying to get things accomplished. Yesterday before play practice I even went over to the middle school and walked a mile and 1/2. Boy my legs were really aching last nite. Got to get back into the swing of things there. My goal is to walk the 5k in the Crim this year.
The play is coming along fine. Next week we are supposed to be "off book," which means that we should know our parts. Hmmm. We'll see. I have all weekend to work on that.
Last nite I made an awesome black bean soup. It's so good if you put a little avocado in it. Also, I must confess I am behind on the book study I am doing. I haven't even started yet and it's already week 2. Lot's of catching up to do.

Back to the Daily...

Phooey! Feel like I have jet lag. I guess it's just vaca lag. My head hurts from the weather change, and I'm tired. Hard to get back into the swing of things. Out of the routine, I guess. Tried to do a little laundry, billing, bill paying, shopping, babysitting. A mostly productive day, I guess. Didn't feel like cooking so Sarah took me out to dinner. Was craving the salad bar from Ruby Tuesday. It was scrump-dilly-icious. Stopped at Macy's for a bit, just in time for the pre-order for the spring give away. Bought a bar of facial soap, the lady gave me a sample of facial cleanser for my travel bag. I pre-ordered the facial cleanser and a lightly tinted facial sunscreen. Can't wait til it comes in. March 22. The weather is cold and damp. I need to try on all my new BEALL's clothes to cheer myself up. :)

Back to Cold & Snow

Snow and cold. It was snowing as the plane descended back into Flint Bishop Airport. Mmm. Yesterday was the warmest, nicest day in FL. It must have been almost 70. I sat out in a lounger and read. Then we picked some oranges and sqooze them and drank some fresh juice. Lunch at Mexacali. Of course, the stubborn one (me) insisted on siting out on the deck. It was rather chilly because the wind had switched over to a more northerly direction. Back to the house for more sitting in the sun until the clouds appeared and wouldn't leave. About 3:30 I had to go in the house. Left for the airport bout 4:30. Plane departed on time, 6:30 p.m. Made our 30 minute connection in Atlanta with 10 minutes to spare. Just trying to reorganize at home today.

Sand, Sea and Sky

It warmed up quite nicely so we decided to head down to the beach. We went to the public beach. There was a beautiful blue sky and the ocean almost looked inviting; almost. I sat down on the sand, was even able to take off my sweatshirt and just soak up the rays. The sand was quite chilly. :) Really, it just felt wonderful~ the soaking in of vitamin D. I think we're taking a real vacation day tomorrow. Turn the work phone OFF!

Another Day in Paradise

Friday dawned cold and cloudy. A trip to CEC (oh sorry, we've been spelling everything because of the little ears!) Chuck E. Cheese was in order. Tokens were flying out of the little cups. An hour later after choosing prizes we were out the door. Opps, now it's pouring rain. Lunch at Chick~Fil~A at the mall. Pretty good nuggets, sandwiches and wraps. The fresh lemonade was awesome, and even a diet variety. Later in the afternoon a Bealls extravaganza was in order. Bathing suit-o-rama. They have rows and rows of amazing suits. AND the clothes are so cute~Florida style. We each picked out a suit and I even got an extra set of bottoms to replace the ones that stretched out from the chlorine in the gym pool.
After much laughter and picking on me about dinner choices, we ended up at Applebee's because we all had an Applebee's gift card. Several hours later, 2 sleepy-headed girls went off to la-la land. The grown-up tried to stay up and watch the Olympics. One never made it at all, one made it to Albania, 2 made it to China. Never even made it to the torch. It's a mere 44 this morning with a high forecast of 54. Oh well. Tomorrow will be better and we are going to the beach no matter what. The natives may not be going with. LOL
I heard that yesterday it snowed in 49 states. Hawaii was the only state without SNOW!

Blue Skies, Sunshine and Dolphins

Yesterday dawned sunny and a bit crisp. Temp only in the 40's at rising time. It did warm up a bit so we went down to the beach area. We checked out some campgrounds for possible future trips. Then we did a little shopping. I had to buy a sweatshirt because it was so chilly. Then we drove to the north side of the island to check out a few more shops that someone told us about. We decided to have lunch at the City Pier. It's a long pier out into the bay and a little shack of a restaurant at the end. There were people fishing of the dock. I had a shrimp po'boy and Sarah had a grouper sandwich; both were very good. As we were leaving some people were talking and pointing out to sea. We turned to see what the fuss was and saw 2 fins slicing through the water. They were pretty close. It was an awesome sight.
I made homemade spaghetti sauce and we had pasta, salad and garlic bread for dinner. Cooking on vacation? Yes, it's relaxing to me. Cheaper than eating out too. Today is going to be a hang out day. It's suppsed to rain. There is talk of a trip to CEC. (Chuckie Cheese) I am learning to spell and talk in code around the little ears. A 2 yr old and 4 yr old.

5:30 AM Flight and 10 Inches of Snow

Left for the airport at 4:00 a.m. sigh. The roads were snow covered and icy. Checked the computer before we left, and the flight status showed "on time." We had already checked in online so all we had to do was check in one bag. Headed upstairs and over to the gate. We actually boarded early. Snowflakes were flying madly outside the window. At 5:30 the pilot said they were going to de-ice the plane and that the process would take several minutes. It actually took about 30 minutes as they made 2 separate passes with the de-icing machine. We proceed a bit down the runway after the de-icing and then came to a halt. The pilot came over the loudspeaker and stated that he was going to come in to the cabin and do a visual inspection of the wings. He came out of the cockpit with a large flashlight and proceeded to lean over people and flash the light out the windows to inspect the wings. I guess he approved because he went back in to the cockpit and we took off. It was a little nerve wracking!
The flight went without a hitch and we landed in Sarasota 15 minutes early. It was windy and a brisk 54 degrees. Better than a foot of snow and 25 degrees with 30 mile/hour winds any day of the week. Had lunch Chipolte's, a ff mexican place. Dinner at Wing House on 41. The high reached 57. Tomorrow is supposed to be 63. Yipee. A trip to Ana Maria Island might be in store.

Snow Snow Go Away

It was snowing quite heavily at 10 this morning. Since about noon it has slowed down, but has been steadily snowing only lightly. The weather peeps say it will snow all night and be quite windy. Whew. Hope we get to leave. It might be touch and go. The latest dude just said it will snow until 7 tomorrow morning. Hmmmm. Supposed to leave at 5:30 a.m. Probably won't sleep a wink tonight. Oh well, have to get up about 3ish any way. Need to finish packing. House is clean, laundry is done. Banking, bills etc... check. Just waiting to GO!

No Snow Please

Biggest storm of the season, right? NO! We are supposed to be flying out 5:30 a.m. Wednesday morning. Running around like a maniac trying to get ready. Called Airtran today to try and switch the departure to Tuesday morning. It would cost $500. No way. So we're stuck with Wed. Hope the snow either gets done early or misses us entirely. What are the chances??

Sunday, Sunday

Had a nice visit with my dad. He wanted to go to Arby's so that is where we went. He was in a good mood and really enjoyed getting out. He wanted to go to the cemetery so we stopped by there for a few minutes. Did a short job in Novi which I skipped out on because I was on the phone with my sistopher the whole time. Went to Kroger's to get some food for the next few days before we leave. BIG MISTAKE! Remember I said no more shopping on Sunday? AND it is Superbowl Sunday. Yikes. It wasn't really all that bad though. Came home and picked up my computer from Tom, thank you for fixing my sick computer. It had the flu. Walking back up the driveway when we drew near unto the van there was a huge flutter of wings. A humongous hawk flew up from the plow. I think it's one that's been hanging around in the back yard. It kind of frightened us for a moment. Anyway, welcome home Renee.
Going to make homemade potato skins for the Superbowl. That way you can take lots of the potato out. Otherwise, just trying to tie up the loose ends before leaving early Wednesday morning for FLORIDA!

Finally, A Bad Week is Almost Over

What can go wrong, will go wrong. The garage door broke. $225 to fix that. My computer caught the flu. It's very under the weather. I wanted to buy a new camera. Had 3 different ones home. Finally settled on a Cannon Powershot. Best Buy charged $75 "restocking" fee to return the one before that. Lame. The policy is on the back of the receipt. Duh, who looks at the back of the receipt? Maybe they should tell you that when they say, "oh if you're not happy you have 30 days to return the camera. URgh! On top of all that, people are just bugging me. Yar! Blah, blah, blah okay enough complaining.
Got a new book tonight. Biggest Loser' Simple Swaps. Lots of stories and recipes. Looks really good. Going to call it a night. G'nite. zzz

The Last Day of January

Cold but sunny. Glad the month is almost over. Don't go grocery shopping on Sunday. I hardly ever do. It was crazy. The checkout girl said it's because the coupons come out. Whew! Never again. Made a meatloaf (turkey), garlic mashed potatoes and green bean casserole for dinner. Apple Crumble for dessert. Had a crew. Nicole, John, Katie and Richie. Played Apples to Apples. I won, yea me! Watching the Pro Bowl now. Can't wait until football is over. One more week, one more game. Leaving for Florida in 10 days, hooray!

These Are A Few of My Favorite Things

• Warm sun on my face and arms (oh and legs)
• A good cup of coffee
• A massage
• Spaghetti & meatballs
• Jr mints
• A really hot bath
• Peppermint scent
• A fuzzy warm blanket to snuggle up in
• My Ugg sandals
• Kids
• When someone else makes the bed [ :) ]
• Doing something that makes someone else feel good
• Going to FLORIDA!
• Remembering the good things about my mom
• Laughing with my sistophers and nieceophers!
• Winning any game
• Clean sheets.... mmm they smell so good
• Music (love it!)
• Cooking

Part II

• Cinnamon
• Lovely smelling candles
• Christmas tree scent
• Ranger Cookies (mom used to make)
• Laughing

30 Days Ago...

The Christmas tree was up
The gifts were opened and spread about
The lights were lit
The Christmas morning breakfast was on the table
Visitors were visiting
The money all spent
It was Christmas Day!

Rain Rain Go Away

Very warm today & raining, weird. However they say it's not for long! Got up went to church, (New Life Community; where we went to FPU). Pretty good service. Went grocery shopping afterward. Ate a late dinner of orange chicken w/almonds, rice and broccoli. Not sure what I'll do with the rest of my day. Just relax, I think. I hope to finish the payables this week, so I can make an appointment to see the tax man. I'll be picking up Evan from school and watching Syd a couple of days since Renee is in Charlotte, training for her new job. Syd and I went to Hobby Lobby and bought a few Balentimes decorations for the living room. That was fun.

FB

So I was chattin up with different people on FB today. That was fun. People I don't normally talk to. But FB makes my computer run slow, so that was getting annoying. Now I'm ready to take a break from the computer. I think I might do some reading.
good night!

January 19, 2010

Quote"You see much more of your children once they leave home." — Lucille Ball

Word of the dayobscurantism(uhb-SKYOOR-uhn-tiz-uhm, ob-skyoo-RAN-tiz-uhm)noun:1. Opposition to the spread of knowledge.2. Being deliberately vague or obscure; also a style in art and literature.
Today's Birthdays
Dolly Parton
James Watt (1736-1819): scientist and inventor of an improved steam engine; inventor Robert E. Lee (1807-1870): Confederate commander in the Civil War
Edgar Allan Poe (1809-1849): writer of macabre short stories; plus, authors Paul Cézanne (1839-1906): painter
Jean Stapleton (87): Edith Bunker on All in the Family; also, and Frank Caliendo (36)
Dolly Parton (64): country music writer/ singer; also, Phil Everly (71) and Janis Joplin (1943-1970)
Paula Deen (63): TV chef

Pink at Evening Time

Whilst playing "Buzz" at the Aurands, we noticed it looked pink outside at about 5.45 p.m. The great part about that is that it means it was not dark. The days are slowly getting lighter, yea! We also played Apples to Apples. Fun times! Talked to the cuz in Bradenton, they sent us a picture from Manatee Ave, Ahhhh! It was about 74 degrees they said. The water looked nice. Hopefully I'll be back to posting on my other blog; Fit & Trim. Sort of took a vacation in that department. Vacation is over. Sleepy time........zzzzzzzzz.......

Saturday Night in Toledo Ohio....

Is like being nowhere at all. Glad I'm not there.... I think that was a John Denver song. Just sitting here eating pizza and watching football. Too sore to get up because I went to the gym for my last pt session today. I was too tired to make the stir-fry I was supposed to make. Probably might highlight all my lines in the play book. I sure better start earlier than last year to memorize them. There is nothing on tv except football. boring. Don't want to go out - too sore, too cold out. Probably just sit here and watch football.... Rest and recovery.

Headache

Ouch!

"Any Number Can Die"

That is the name of the next play. I stopped by the community ed office yesterday for the pre-auditions. Auditions are Thursday. They already have 2 different parts for me to pick from. •Zenia, a Haitian servant prone to utter dire predictions and warnings (“Beware the owl!”) The second is Ernestine Wintergreen, a prim and proper older lady somewhat reminiscent of Miss Marple. The play is another by Fred Carmichael. The dates for the dinner theatre is March 20 and 21. Should be loads of fun ~ and hard work!
My colonoscopy went fine yesterday. I was back home 2 hours later. The results were fine. Whew!

Have I Said How Much I Really Love the Sun?

Wonderful. Stepped out yesterday to go to the scrapbook store and even tho it was like 18 degrees or something it felt good to have the sun beating down. Again today. Went to do errands and the sun was out again. Loving it! Opened the front door and felt the warmth. Even Bay enjoyed basking in the sun streaming in. I love having the big glass door. That Southern exposure is wonderful.
Tomorrow is "cleanse" the body day. I have to have a colonoscopy on Tuesday. (thank you very much Sarah & Marlene)
Did several pages of scrappin' yesterday. Wow, it's been a long time. Bout a year, I guess. Haven't even done 1 page since girls weekend at the cottage last year.
So guess what? We are leaving for FLA 1 month from today. I'm such a dork. I packed today. :) I wanted to see how much would fit into 1 suitcase, since it's $15 each bag to stow. Plus I needed to see what fit. So, after I dragged everything out I just packed it. Suitcase is ready to go. he he he

Baby It's Cold Outside

And there is lots of snow. We probably received 6 inches. That's allot for an "off again, on again" snow storm. There was a snow day for most of the mid state area. I braved the temps and the roads and took a trip to Meijers. I wanted to see what kind of organic produce and other organic items they had. All in all I have to see Meijers and Kroger are pretty equal. I did get some wonderful items. Gold beets. Haven't had those kind before, so I'm anxious to try them. I'm even going to make a side dish with the beet greens. They looked really nice. Oh wait, I'm writing all this on the wrong blog. Ha ha
Anyway, so I am enjoying my afternoon tea and crumpets. Apple and cinnamon spice green tea and a special K honey nut granola bar. The tea was nicely made with my new kettle and teapot! :)
It's that time of year again. Auditions for the bi-annual dinner theatre of the Swartz Creek Center Stage. Auditions start Monday. I am excited as now I know I can do it. Stay tuned for up and coming details.

Ten More Things

1. Rode in a combine

2. Raised a Wallaby in the house

3. Tried Sushi

4. Camped on the edge of a cliff (thanks to mom & dad; tee hee)

5. Broke a finger

6. Had surgery on my esophagus

7. Played varsity softball & tennis

8. Saw Niagara Falls frozen in the winter

9. Worked in a screw factory

10. Went to bible college in Chicago

Ten Things

Ten Things I've Done



1. Skied the mountains of Colorado

2. Snorkled in Cancun

3. Gambled in Reno

4. Hugged a redwood in California

5. Driven on Highway 1 along the Pacific Ocean in Calif.

6. Taught children with an 8 foot Python around my neck

7. Hiked to the top of Mt. Lecount in Tennessee

8. Rode a horse up a mountain in the Smokey Mountains

9. Swam in both the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans

10. Watched whales aboard a large boat in Massachusetts



Ten Things I'd Like To Do (Someday)
(not in any particular order)

1. Go on a cruise

2. Lose 50 lbs

3. Visit Alcatraz

4. Play golf in Hawaii

5. Retire in Florida

6. Live on a lakefront property

7. Live debt free

8. Walk a 10k race

9. See the glaciers

10. Go to Seattle

Started a New Blog

It's not for the faint at heart. Ha ha I need a way to journal my exercise and eating, so I decided not to bore my regular blog readers with the minutia. (yuck that word reminds me of Flenory, yuck!) Feel free to stop by the new blog once in a while to check my progress and offer words of encouragement. Thanks for the support!
The new blog is:

http://fit-n-trim.blogspot.com/

Well, Well. (Now that's a deep subject)

Another freezing cold day. Only went out twice. ha That's too much! Went to Bob's for breakfast. Had their fake eggs with 1/2 a fruit and yogurt crepe. Nice. Then I went to Kroger's. At least the sun was out today. Helps to not feel "down in the dumps."
Tonight's dinner:
Squash Soup (organic) which i bought at Whole Foods
Michigan cherry & pecan salad with/homemade herb dressing
blue corn chips with cheese

I am really trying to get organized. I made myself a daily schedule. Really need to quit wasting so much time. I am not happy that I have sooooooo much to finish for the year end junk. Hope the new schedule works. That means hope I can STICK to the schedule.

Second Day of the New Year

...and it's a cold one! Eight degrees. Brrr We rang in the New Year yesterday with a Rose Bowl watching event. There was bean & cheese enchiladas, cheese quesedillas, guacamole, mexican rice (thanks Renee), chili dip (thanks Katie) & chips-n-salsa. Oreo pie for dessert. (thanks Deb) Too bad Ohio St won. Oh well. It was fun. Today I must clean up the mess! I think tonight will just be getting cozy and watching a movie! Tomorrow will be a day to relax.