Wednesday Hodgepodge

1. Summer’s here-whoohoo! What’s your favorite sight, sound, AND smell associated with summer?
Sight - The sun.          Sound - birds chirping, cicadas buzzing.              Smell - campfire smoke



2. Fireflies or lightning bugs…what are they called in your neck of the woods?
Lightning bugs for sure!


3. What is something from the past week that reminded you of your childhood?
Mowing the lawn on the riding mower.

4. Define ‘the good life’.
Living one day at a time.  Wow, like that's easy.  Being thankful for what you have and not complaining about what you don't.  Not comparing your life to others'.  Being thankful period.  Having a positive spin on things. wow, like that's easy too.  LOL


5. Tell us what we’d see if you took a snapshot of your desk/work space?
Yikes, right now there are stacks of paper everywhere.  Boxes, E-Bay stuff.  The office is a mess, and I hate that.
6. Peaches or watermelon…yes, you have to choose.
watermelon

7. Ever been skinny dippin’? Is that too much for the Wednesday Hodgepodge? Rest assured we won’t need details…unless of course you feel you must but remember, this is a family friendly blog so keep it G rated.
No way.  All that free flopin?  nope.

8. Insert your own random thought here.
I love summer!  But, I love spring and fall more.  Love the green everywhere.  Love the beautiful colors of flowers and birds.  Love to go camping - that is a summer only event.  When I was a kid I loved going to summer camp - the highlight of the year.

Check Out My New Blog

Check out my new blog:

www.4Months2DoIt.blogspot.com

Wednesday Hodgepodge

My first Wednesday Hodgepodge. A list of questions. Thanks to my sister and her friends.

1. What is one thing on your bucket list? If you don’t have a bucket list let’s pretend you do.
Umm, I have always wanted to live on a lake.


2. What makes a good dad?
He's always on your side, you know he loves you. Does what's best for the family.

3. Are you afraid of insects? Which ones?

Yikes, bees, spiders, I hate JUNE BUGS, gross.

4. We’re barbecuing…what’s on the grill at your house?

Porks chops with asparagus and pineapple.

5. Do you believe that playing is more important than winning?

Ohhh, I wish I could say yes, but I LOVE to win and HATE to lose. Enough said.

6. Do you tan? Use self tanners? Visit tanning salons? See your dermatologist at least once a year?

None, nada, nope.


7. Five years ago I would never imagine that today I would _______________.

have 2 grands.

8. Insert your own random thought:

I have none at the moment. Just want to be on the other side of the graduation party on Saturday.

Time's A Flyin

Whew! Can't believe it's June. Been busy doing the regular stuff plus extra chores here and there to get ready for the Grad Party. Speaking of, I need to kind of finish her scrap book. Yikes! Days are just flyin I tell ya. The little guy is looking good and growing stronger. He weights 9.15 lbs now. He is sweet and I'm very attached. Also, speaking of grad stuff, Nicole was asked to be a speaker at the Grad ceremony. She will do great I'm sure. Have a couple grad parties to attend this weekend. The flower beds received their annual mulching today. They are looking good.

Well, little man is squawking so I'm going to go and try and stuff the "paci" back into his mouth.

Balloon Fest & Dog Bowl

Balloon Fest & Dog Bowl = fun times.

Severe weather threat = everyone packing up and getting out of there.

Took a little trip with the Aurands up to Frankenmuth to go to this year's balloon fest. and the dog bowl competitions. Stopped at Culver's in Birch Run for a quick lunch. The first show we wanted to see was the border collie sheep herding. It was awesome to watch those dogs corral the sheep into a pen. Next up was the Wiener dog race which I so wanted to see. Can you imagine all those little "hot dogs" running a race? But, the storm clouds rolled in and rumors of severe storms were heard all about. So we headed back to our vehicles just as the first of the rain sprinkles could be felt. We drove thru some fierce rain on the way home. 5 minutes later the tornado sirens could be heard. We gathered up our stuff and headed for the basement. When it seemed all clear we gathered up again and went back upstairs. About 10 minutes later the wind started whipping the trees behind the house and it got really dark. The sirens started going off again. So back we headed to the basement. Meanwhile I was trying to bake some brownies. We did finally get to the brownies and ice-cream later. Evan said he was really anticipating them!

Busy Bee

That's me. I've just been trying to learn how to get stuff done while babysitting an infant. It's been quite a challenge. But, I'm getting the hang of it. Last weekend we took a mini vaca and took a camping trip. The campground was really nice; a private church campground. They had all their activities for free and the camping was 2 nites for the price of one. The activities included horse/carriage rides, zip line, rock wall, boating, and fishing. The activity I chose was, "sitting around the campfire." Wonderful. The best thing was that the campground had "full hook up." For you non campers, that means that you hook a hose directly to a water spicket and a potty hose directly to a sewer. Unlimited water!! Really roughing it, LOL. The first warm weekend - so enjoyable.

The next task is getting ready for Nicole's graduation party in three weeks. Yikes! Spent $100 on flowers the other day, so I must get busy planting. Yesterday we began the task of cleaning out the garage. It's all slowly coming together.

Gone Camping

Gone Camping for the weekend. Bye Bye!

Stressed Out!

That's me.
I am.
Stressed out.

Garage Sales and Grand Babies

That's what I've been up to for about the last 10 days. Last weekend the G.s. was Fri. - Sun. Since all the stuff is in the garage anyway, AND there is lots more in the storage unit, we decided to have it again on this Thur. and Friday. Altogether, we took in over $800. AND, most of that is other people's stuff. Of course there was quite the array of interesting people. People that buy the weirdest junk. Like one lady that bought a dirty, greasy 2 qt pot. yuck. One older lady was here for an hour. She walked around and around picking up almost everything and asking, "what's this?" or "how much is this?" Her patient husband would traipse around after her and carry everything she picked out. He paid each time she would finish, but added more. I think maybe she had a little dementia. He was so sweet to her! When not garage saling, I was attending to one or the other of the boys. RJ is getting so big, he is so full of smiles for everyone.
Today (Mother's Day), Katie took us out to Old Country Buffet and Sarah's mom & dad joined us. We stuffed ourselves then went home and took a nap. (Had Peyton 3 a.m. feedings for the last 2 nights.) Later, we weeded out the herb/perennial garden and planted a basil plant. Also, re potted some Gerber daisies in cool giant coffee cup that I received last year from Syd the Kid. Took the bay tree outside. Keeping the stevia plant that I bought at the Ann Arbor Farmer's Market inside based on advice from my green thumbed sistopher.

Easter is Over, and So Is April

It's hard to believe that April is almost over. It can leave and take it's winter weather and showers too. Looking forward to finally Spring, right? It's going to be busy. Nicole will go back to work in a few weeks. And then on Mondays and Wednesdays Sarah and I will be coaching a girls youth softball team. Syd the Kid is going to give it a try.
Had 12 for dinner on Sunday. I cooked a spiral ham, cheesy potatoes, southern style green beans, and made a jello salad. Others brought rolls, pickle/olive tray, coleslaw and an ice-cream cake. The ham was a Kroger brand; but very tasty!
Peyton will be 3 weeks old on Thursday. He's doing pretty good. He definitely feels a little heavier. I weighed him on the scale and he weighed in around 8.6 pounds. The Doc ordered a script of Zantac for him. He still spits up on and off. He's a good baby. He usually only gets up once in the night time.

Whew! And Then Some

Had RJ from Fri. afternoon til Sunday. I can't imagine people who have multiple babies. Crazy. We had to have stations. Feed/burp station #1. Change station #2. Swing station #3. Crib station #4. Jumper station #5 (only for RJ of course) Repeat every 30 minutes. So we just watched movies all day on Saturday. Then Sunday we went with the girls to the mall; they wanted to take the babies to see the Easter Bunny. Man, inflation. The least you can spend is $20 for 2 5 x 7's. So they each got one and split the cost. Then Sarah and I were off for a little escape time. We went to Lansing to go to "Five Guy's Hamburgers." We had gone to one of those in Ft. Myers in Feb. They are pretty awesome hamburgers and fries. (don't get more than a small) We like the Cajun fries. The fill up a cup place them in a brown paper bag & then dump a whole bunch more in the bag. Then we drove around MSU campus. Then we took the loooooooong way home. Driving very slowly of course. It was a much needed break...

Mimi's Boys

Got both boys tonight. RJ is like a giant compared to Peyton! LOL He is such a good boy. Peyton is snoozin away and RJ is playing with his sippy bottle. Fun times!

I Don't Like ...

Snow past Spring. What else I don't like:

• leftovers


• smelly lotions and perfumes


• scratches in my glasses


• incompetence


• cloudy days


• headaches


• bellyaches


• and waking up and not falling back asleep!

Welcome PRT

Welcome to the world Peyton Russell Terry. He was born on April 7, 2011. His mom had quite an easy time. 8.1 lbs., 20 inches long. Quite an amazing process to watch. The doc turned him upside down and he let out a wail. He's a sweetie. He: sleeps alot & poops alot. LOL This is short for now because I have many things to do to get my house back in order!

Fine, I'll Write Another Post

It's been pretty crazy busy around here. Getting ready for the new arrival and all. Plus the play last weekend. We had rehearsals all last week, dress rehearsal on Friday and even an extra rehearsal on Saturday afternoon because the dress rehearsal on Fri. went so poorly. We finally got our act (no pun intended) together. It was actually quite a funny play and there was lots of laughing and compliments. The best part: chicken dinner each night! I had an An upper gastrointestinal (GI) scope or endoscopy (esophago-gastroduodenoscopy a.k.a. EGD) yesterday. Then I went home and slept all day. Doc said everything looked okay. Did a biopsy to check for something called Barrett's disease. Check back later...

Magical Ice Kingdom

Last night on my way to play practice I was overwhelemed with the beauty of the ice on all the trees and bushes. The sun was not yet set so it created a kind of sparkly magical Ice Kingdom effect. I called Sarah and asked her to take a few photos. Alas, I finally had a subject for my next blog. I only hope all that heavy ice doesn't wreck havoc on the trees.

Last night's dish:

Thai Shrimp & veggies over pasta

Really awesome and healthy.

Soak the shrimp in the Thai Curry paste (2 - 8 hours)

put oil in the pan - heat up 2 minced garlic

add veggies: - I used mushrooms, onions, broccoli, cut up tomatoes

after veggies cooked add: 3/4 cup white wine, lime zest and 1/2 lime juice

add shrimp - cook another 4 minutes or so

top with more lime juice and cilantro

serve over whole wheat spaghetti

80/20 Rule

Embrace the 80/20 Rule ~ From Biggest Loser
Why perfectionism can stop you in your tracks

It's a struggle our Biggest Loser Club weight loss coaches help our members grapple with every day. As Greg Hottinger, RD, and nutrition expert told a BLC member recently, perfectionism is not the road to long-term weight loss success. He urges members to strive for meeting their plan's goals 80% of the time, and to give themselves a little slack 20% of the time. If they follow that principle, over time the weight will come off.

On a more personal note, I was so happy to see the sun and feel it's warmth today. I even went for a walk. It was quite a gang. Sarah, Katie, RJ in the stroller, Bailey and I all took a walk. Very nice. I had a nice Dr. visit today. I am on a new injectable diabetes med. My sugars are heading in the right direction; down. We have RJ until tomorrow night, that should be fun.

Snirt

Everywhere you go: snirt. What is it? Dirty snow. Yuck. Everything is so drab waiting for the color of spring to arrive. Six more days until the 1st day of spring. But, that doesn't always mean much does it? Sometimes we get a bad snow storm even in April. It does mean we're closer to warm weather tho. We may even reach the mid to upper 50's this week. No bad at all. Why even down in Florida where my sistopher has been nesting (I mean resting) they had days of 58 or 59. I'm ready to get rid of the "comfort" foods of winter time when cooking too. Perhaps even drag out the grill soon. So, here's to warmer, brighter, sunny days!

Potent Quotable - Why Not?

Most of the shadows of this life are caused by our standing in our own sunshine.
~Ralph Waldo Emerson~

Top Ten

Top Ten....... (But not in any particular order - that would be a job)

MOVIES

• Shawshank


• Princess Bride


• Gone With the Wind


• Dolores Clayborn


• Corinna, Corinna

BOOKS

• Gone With the Wind


• The (whole) Mitford Series


• Dr. Seus ABC


• Johnny Tremain


• The Bible

MUSICIANS

• Amy Grant


• Michael W. Smith


• James Taylor


• Melissa Ethridge


• Phil Collins

PLACES TO VISIT

• Florida - anywhere!


• Boston, Ma


• Charleston, Sc


• San Francisco, Ca


• Maine

Fav Foods

• Spaghetti


• Pizza


• Biscuits & Gravy


• Melba Toast - ha not really just seeing if you're paying attention


• A good burger & fries


• Turkey & stuffing

Thing I Like to Do

Play guitar, sing/listen to music, garden, read, eat, travel

Place I'd Like to Visit - One day

Seattle, Wa: The Keys in Fl: Alaska: Australia: Ireland

Left Over "Leftovers"

Today for lunch I digested a bowl of soup that was leftover from last night. But you see last night's soup was really a product of leftovers from 3 different meals. Ah haa! Leftover lentils, leftover ham chunks, and some chicken stock I made from a previous broiled chicken dinner. The product? Ham and lentil soup. It's pretty tasty I might add. Oh and I had the leftover bbq chicken and chipolte ranch sauce and made a wrap. Talk about being thrifty why don't ya? I should have been on that new TV show; the next restaurant or what ever it's called.

Did You Know I Love ~

campfires ~ especially the smell

The smell and sound of the ocean

playing games: board, card, computer, tv

spring rain - the smell, the sound

creme brulee'

spring flowers on a mountain side

collecting lighthouses

visiting lighthouses

singing, or listening to music

sitting in a comfy chair reading a good book

warm, crackly fireplaces

fall: leaves, trees, weather

sitting by a lazy stream

These are a few of my favorite things....

Ughh!

That's how I feel right now. Dealing with insurance companies, lawyers, corporate talking heads, etc... Sometimes doing business or owning a business is soooo frustrating. sigh... Other than that, life is clipping along. It's already March, good grief. (Charlie Brown) I spent the last week on the couch with a baaaad cold. My head really hurt, then the sniffing, coughing, etc. It's on the mend now, yea! I didn't even go to play practice. I'll be going back this week. Had some bad weather, in the past couple of days. Nicole slid her car into the ditch on Maple Rd. Saturday night. Thank you Lord she (and Peyton) are fine! Just waiting for a little warm up, soon!

Sneeze-drip-wipe-cough-drip

The bane of my existence this week. A cold! What? All because I told the med. assist at the Dr. office a few weeks ago that I haven't had a cold in about 2 years. Big mouth. ugh. I tried to do a few things yesterday and now I'm worse today. whoops! I had to direct the making of eggplant parm. from my bed. My sous chef did a great job tho - it was really good.
Thank you Renee for stopping to get me some cough drops today on her day off! I don't know where the week has gone. Tomorrow is already Friday. Oh, wait I've been on the couch for most of the week. The whole durn cold started on Monday. Today I began the incessant ordeal of coughing. Cough - ouch - cough - pee a little - cough - drip - wipe (the nose that is. ). I know, you get it. My sister told me to drink some green tea with lemon and honey. I did. It seemed to work pretty good. The problem is I have to be drinking the tea or sucking a cough drop or I start all over. Hopefully tonight I will get a little whiskey to slip in the tea and help with the sleeping.... zzz. Drink up!

Mid-Winter Blues

or is it Blah's. Whichever, I wish it would go away. Tired of the snow and cold. And all the up and down temperatures are giving me a daily headache. Yesterday, was a major couch potato day. I think I watched TV for 12 hours. Didn't want to move. So I didn't really. Weather man said we got another 4 inches. Well, at least February is almost over!

Tuesday's Tidbits 2-22-11

I don't know what to tell ya. I'm missing Fla.; wishing I was still there. Especially in light of this new storm. Which we probably got as much or more snow than the infamous "Snowmazilla." LOL. I guess I will bore you with answers to some randomness.

1. Your favorite Chocolate treat?
Um, I'm not a chocolate freak or anything, but I do love a brownie with vanilla ice-cream and HOT fudge poured over the top.

2. What more than anything makes you feel loved.
Random act of kindness I suppose. A gift out of the blue, a back rub, someone else making dinner without me asking. A phone call to see how I am. Etc...

3. Cherries or blueberries?
I Like both, but I love a cherry pie or crisp. My mom used to make them for me. Oh, I like cherries out of the jar, and just picked cherries off the tree.

4. What is the one trait you would most want the leader of your country to possess?
To be a Christian and follow God's laws, and to not be a politician. LOL

5. Are you a saver or a spender?
I'm kind of both. Depends on who's money I'm spending. I freak out about having enough money to pay bills, so I save. But, if I have a wad of money I can think of lots of things to spend it on.. However, I do waffle back and forth before coming out with the dough. So, I'm a SAVER. Whew, that was rough.

6. If you gave a party for all of your friends would they already know each other?
They would have at least heard about each other. I don't have allot of friends...

7. Are you interested in antiques?
Yes, but mostly family heirlooms.

8. Do you pick your nose in public? ha ha ha I added this one.

I'll never tell.

Pelicans

When I'm in Florida I'm always stalking the Pelicans. Ever since the first time I went to Florida, I've thought they were the coolest birds I've ever seen. They're just so different than anything we have here in Michigan, or the Midwest. This year was no different; I took lots of pictures of the Pelicans, and watched them any time I was near the water. They're always diving and swooping for their food. We saw a lot of them when we went on the Jet Ski Dolphin Tour. Which was quite awesome I must admit.

Pelicans are large birds with large pouched bills.Pelicans swim well with their short, strong legs and their feet with all four toes webbed The tail is short and square, with 20 to 24 feathers. The wings are long and have the unusually large number of 30 to 35 secondary flight feathers. A layer of special fibers deep in the breast muscles can hold the wings rigidly horizontal for gliding and soaring. Thus they can exploit thermals to commute over 150 km (100 miles) to feeding areas.[1]

Pelicans rub the backs of their heads on their preen glands to pick up their oily secretion, which they transfer to their plumage to waterproof it.[1]

Way Back Whens-Day

I know, I have stolen the idea from my sister. But, sometimes a good idea is just that. Besides, I think she pilfered it from someone else anyway. I was going through some pictures a couple of weeks ago and found this one. I thought, ah-ha a perfect pic for "Way Back Whens' Day. This is my brother and his family quite a long time ago. The kids are WAY older now. Just thought it was so cute. This was taken up north at "the cottage."

Here is a preview pic from Nicole's Grad pics taken on the same tree ~ many years later. Okay, so I just looked again, don't think it's the same tree ~ they are not going in the same direction. Must be on the other side.

Stop and Smell the Snowflakes

:) So much going on, I almost forgot. Really enjoyed the sunshine and warmth of yesterday and today. It's nice to come back from Fla. and not have to deal with so much freezing weather. Oh BTW, for my adoring fans: I decided to take a "lesser" part in the play. Dealing with so much and I was crazed to think about memorizing all those lines. So, if people decide not to attend I will understand. It's still going to be good plus a good dinner; so come if you want to; would love to see you all. Been running around doing lots of errands, housework, office work etc...
There are so many little projects I need to start. How does one accomplish all that? I wanted to make prints of some of my bird pictures, fla. pictures. Will I ever get to that? I need a vacation for my vacation!

One Dream of Mine

I've had this dream for a while now, about opening up a kind of alternative restaurant. It would be "healthy" food. For all types of diets. Vegan, Vegetarian, Low sodium, low fat, gluten free, diabetic. You get the picture right? Tonight during dinner we started listing some of my "signature" dishes.
The following is a list of some of the dishes we came up with:
pork roast with cranberry sauce with roasted red skinned potatoes
ratatouille
Mom's spaghetti
vegetarian pizza on the grill ~ homemade wheat dough
salmon patties
fish tacos
oriental patties on rice
white chicken chili
fruit smoothies
peanut butter/chocolate smoothie
omelette's (egg white)
pork chops with Dijon mustard sauce
stuffed mushrooms
taco salad
stuffed pepper - meat or vegetarian
vegetable soup
WW cabbage soup

Back and (un) Loving It

Thrown back into the home life! YIKES!! Spent last night cuddling with RJ, that was nice. But this morning was a duezy. Had to dig the trailers out (both of them were buried in a foot of snow.) That was not fun. I had to drop one off and pick back up. That always blows my day. Trying to un- pack, (Packing is so much more fun) wash, grocery shop, all the usual. Niki's shower is tomorrow, so gotta wrap stuff and shop. Geesh, maybe I should plan a few extra vaca days just to unwind! Then on top of it all I have a headache. Probably not a good time to try and back off the caffeine. Plus, I'm thinking the change in weather. Even tho it is a whopping 25 degrees. LOL All in a Day's Work. Happy Birthday to my niece-o-pher, Kristen. Hope she's having a great day. Hope they're not still burrowed under all that s-n-o-w in Chi-town.

The Pink Shell Resort and Spa

Man o man. Sometimes when you book a place sight unseen, you're not too sure how it's going to end up. I did right this time. It's kinda swanky, but not too much that you feel uncomfortable. Nice place, on the 4th floor with gulf view. There's an outdoor bar and grill, an inside restaurant. Breakfast included. We'll see how that is tomorrow a.m. 3 pools, one deep, one kinda regular and one for wading. You wear a bracelet that is your room key and gets you into the pools and everything else on the property. It's almost like an "all inclusive" joint. Tomorrow we are going on a dolphin sighting tour on jet ski's. Might just have to visit the "spa" when we return. I think I'm finally starting to relax! Oh yeah, they even put stamps on the "free" postcards for ya.

A Most Beeee-u-tiful Day

Got up, walked to the local Mickey Dee's in Ft. Myers Beach. Ordered (free) oatmeal and an iced latte. Took it outside, ate across from the ocean. ahhhhh. Drove to Bradenton. Had lunch on the pier by the beach. Ahhhhhh. Walked the pier with the cute lil girls. Hung around and just enjoyed the 78 dgs. temp. Now, making homemade pizza on the grill and awaiting the blueberry martini's. Ahhhhhhh!

Way Back Whens - Day

This is a picture from one year when I went down to Florida (not sure what year) to visit mom and dad. Perhaps my sister who is so good with times and such could come up with an approximate year. We would often go and visit a wonderful dear older friend of my mom and dad's; Sadie L. She passed away quite some time ago. She always loved to visit with us. She had a beautiful condo overlooking the bay. Can't quite believe mom's been gone six years now. Can't say I look forward to Ground Hog's day anymore.

Mom's favorite Psalm:

WAAAAAAA

I don't want the BIG EVENT, at least not right now. I know everyone is excited bout snow days an all, but I want to get on my airplane on THURSDAY to Fort Myers. Waaaaaa! I'm so trying NOT to stress out about it. Tried to get out of here on a flight for this morning but they're already all booked out. Crap, should have tried yesterday. Could they give the thing any more hype, I ask you? Man the Kroger parking lot was slammed last night when we drove by on the way to play practice. Which is moving along quite nicely, I might add. We practiced on stage last night which really helps alot. Last year we didn't get on stage until about 2 weeks before the big night.

Where'd All the Snow Come From

I wasn't prepared for this one. What? I was not up on the latest weather info which I almost ALWAYS am. I usually watch the news, weather channel, or The Weather Channel on my computer. But, ya know I was kinda busy yesterday. Then the GB came over, had to fuss over him, feed him, etc... then we took them all out to Wise Guy's for pizzza last night. So, I was ill-prepared.
So much to do. Go to Kohl's and spend my "Kohl's Cash. Go to BBzRUS and spend my Geoffery Bucks or what ever they are. Watch the play CD a zillion times and work on my zillion lines. Unpack and repack the suitcases a zillion times. :) Clean the house , again. Do some more laundry. Take the pop bottles back for more spending $$ for FLA. Check the weather a zillion times. Ok I had a large coffee and my mind is going faster then my fingers can type. whewwwwwwwwwwww

Same Ole Same Ole

Just trying to get everything done. Did some cleaning and doing the wash. Trying to finish up year end. Dropped 1/2 lb this week. Better than nothing I guess. Mostly packed for Fla. I know, it's kind of early. It keeps me going. Don't have my vehicle again today; should get alot done. Plan to walk at the middle school tonight. Planning to make spinach and feta omelettes tonight. They've been on the menu now for 2 weeks!
That's all folks dee da la dee dee.

A Cold Snowy Blowy Weekend

Wasn't it? Didn't feel much like going out. So there was lots of:
football watching. (yuck)
Reading I am extremely enjoying Jan Karon's Mitford Series. Love, love, love the books.
Naps
Hot beverage sipping
Jammie pants wearing
I did venture out on Saturday however to have lunch with 2 old friends, Laura Jean and Betty Jean. Met at Olive Garden in Novi. The roads were terrible on the way down. I did talk to my dad in Fla. He seems to be enjoying the weather. For those of you following my culinary side: tonight is beef stew cooked in the crock served over wild rice.

Mrs. Ethel P. Savage

Yikes, I got the lead role in the play.
Mrs. Ethel P. Savage: Ethel is a crafty but kindhearted woman with a shifted viewpoint of humanity. The events of the play are centered around her and her decision to hide the money which she has inherited from her late husband in an attempt to make her children look on others with more kindness. She dislikes her stepchildren, but learns to love the residents of The Cloisters.
I have many, many lines to learn so I am starting right now. "That and studying French. And ballet dancing--and people. As a girl I'm sure I could have been a great actress. so, with no responsibilities and time running out--I decided to be one."
I will have to take my script to florida this year. I have an understudy this year, imagine that! Only because the play is one week before the baby is due. I really do enjoy doing the dinner theatre.

Auditions

Auditions for "The Curious Savage" were held last night at Swartz Creek Center Stage. About 10 people tried out this year. More then I've ever seen. We all had to read lines from ACT 1. There were so many people that we had to write down three parts that we might like to play. On Thursday when we go back the director will let us know what part she has picked for each person. How exciting! Below is a synopsis of Act One.
Act I -The play opens with the five residents of a sanatorium awaiting a new resident. The current residents of the sanatorium, called The Cloisters, function normally, excepting one small ailment. Soon, Mrs. Savage and her stepchildren arrive, and the five inmates eavesdrop from the hallway outside. Ethel's three stepchildren, Titus, Lily Belle, and Samuel Savage, had been shocked to find out that their mother had set up a memorial fund with her inherited money in order to fund the ridiculous dreams of average people. They had her committed to The Cloisters so that they could take the money from her. When Ethel's three stepchildren leave, the five inmates introduce themselves: Jeff, Florence, Fairy May, Mrs. Paddy, and Hannibal. Mrs.Savage tells them of her escapades in the theater before they all leave for Garden Hour. She then reveals to Miss Willie, her nurse, and Dr. Emmett, her doctor, that she has hidden the money that her stepchildren tried to take from her.

Update 1-15-11

I've been working hard at finishing the year-end invoicing and reports. I may finish next week. I am going to try really hard NOT to get behind this year. Still taking pictures of the cardinals and other birds. Trying to outdo myself each day. I should move the feeders closer. Reading 2 books right now:
#4 in the Jan Karon Mitford Series (I am hooked & so is Sarah)
and
Lowcountry Summer by Dorothea Benton (on loan from sistopher Mar's library)
I don't usually read 2 books at the same time. In fact I think this is the first time I've done that. Interesting.
Auditions for the next play; "The Curious Savage" start on Monday.
Can't wait to start packing for FLORIDA. 19 more days!

Longing for Warmer Weather (or Pictures are Worth 50 Words)

Longing for Warmer Weather (or Pictures are Worth 50 Words)

Yeah, Yeah it's 1-1-11

All Ones, I get it. Annniway, was trapped at home today without the truck. Sarah had jury duty. She actually got picked to be on the jury. Can't tell me what it's about till it's over. They said maybe it will be over tomorrow, if they don't deliberate too long. I will drop her off at the court tomorrow so I can have my truck. It snowed like crazy. Me, I was glued to the computer, still working on the year end. Here is today's bird pics.

A Saturday Come and Gone

Where did the day go? Babysat RJ for a bit. Worked on the year-end reporting. Watched it snow ~ it was very beautiful. And then the sun came out too which was nice. Sorted through baby clothes (thank you Karen) with the girls. Sarah put RJ in Brady's rain boots, pic to follow. Made beef stroganoff for dinner. Watched a movie, it was only "ok." Took pictures of "my" cardinal. Started the laundry.

A regular sort of day.

A Busy Couple of Days

In fact it's been so crazy right now I'm drinking out of 2 different water bottles! One on the right side of my desk and one on the left side. Went to the old stomping grounds on Tues. to set up my sister's digital frame. Did that, went to Barnes and Noble w/Karen & kids. Ate spaghetti for dinner, Chef D's famous pancakes for breakfast. Got 2 kisses from Brady. Watched Dr. Oz (2 shows) moved pics to a hard drive, and left the book there that I bought at B & N. Came home, went out to a couple of jobs. Made dinner, went walking at the MS, picked up Mr. B from his groomer appointment. Whew.
Got up today, tried to put out a few fires (not literal) went to Kinkos, Grocery, Bank and Library. Did some more work. Gave G-boy a bottle, changed his diaper, picked up Syd and Evan, ate snack with Syd. Made dinner. Babysat for Brayden. Whew, enough already! Oh yeah, I tried to sign up for the Dr. Oz 11 week program and they are supposed to send a password by e-mail, but so far I have not received that. AND I played a bit of Bejeweled ~ in first place so far.

The Family Pit Game ~ Story

So, i have the old family Pit Game. Not sure, how I ended up with it. Haven't played it, in ages really. One day we decided to play with some friends, so I got it down off the shelf, dusted it off and carefully opened the ancient falling apart box. One of the friends looked at the cards and said what is written all over the cards? huge grin. Well you see, one day (as a teenager) when I was bored I labeled each card in the fashion of a regular deck of playing cards. Why would you do that you ask? didn't you? Because, growing up we weren't allowed to play with "regular playing cards." Tools of the Devil, or what have you. Used for illegal activities and such. So, not to be thwarted I made my own deck.

A Few Fav Christmas gifts

I think I have a tradition on my blob of listing some of the fav. gifts of the season.

New Pit game ~ mike n chris

Mini tea set w/Cardinals ~ sarah

cookie n cinnamon rolls ~ lisa

Pandora bracelet ~ sarah

Starbucks coffee cup ~niki

homemade snowman platter ~ katie

bluebird ornament - jan

panini press ~ bobbette

Naked Bee lotion (the same I always buy in FLA) ~ sarah

Made some meatloaf panini sandwiches in the press today; turned out pretty good. Gonna try again tomorrow with turkey on foccacia bread with artichoke, tomato and avacado. Making Ratatoulli for dinner tonight. Maybe with some bruchetta and a salad. Lots of veggie servings!

32 days until we leave for FLA!

January 1, 2011 or 1-1-11

Slept in because we stayed up til 2 a.m. at the neighbors playing games and general silliness. Great fun. Got up and took down the tree and the village. (sad) Rearranged the living room and cleaned it and the kitchen. Taking the kids to dinner at Mongolian BBQ in a bit. Talked to my neicopher Karen and her daughter Riley. Riley wished me a "happy new year" and explained how to write the date. :) The sun is shining and it's 45 degrees. But, according to the weather forecast that will be short lived. The temp is going to be steadily dropping. I hope the roads dry up before the temp drops below freezing.

I Simply Remember My Favorite Things...

and then I don't feel so bad. la la la I watched The Sound of Music earlier this week. Great movie. My bff Syd watched it also, so we were singing some of the songs from the movie today; great fun. And then I...........didn't feel so bad. la la la Then we played Go Fish, and she womped on me. She of course giggled and laughed about that. Then we went out in what sun was still shining and took Bay for a walk. All in all a pretty good afternoon. Oh, yeah and I fed the GB and smothered him with hugs and kisses. Syd fed him his bottle til he got heavy and she couldn't hold him up any more. Grits and eggs for dinner, yum......comfort food. And I didn't eve have to make it. Renee brought over some cute onsies for Niki. What a great neighbor. Glad to have them!! So, I've been doing interviews for 2 days and it's starting to make me crabby. Hopefully done with those tomorrow!

Dec. 24th - Christmas Eve

A fun filled day. Opened presents with the kids had chinese food for lunch. Lazed around and watched Christmas movies and spoiled RJ. He fell asleep in my arms while I was reading. Then later to Sarah's mom & dad's for dinner and more gifts. A few daily pics of Friday's Cardinals.