ya know what's weird..???

..Oh stop it....... I see you pointing at your computer screen and smirking..

...not me...exactaly..

It's my house.

Weird things happen inside of it. Let me explain..

In an attempt to be energy-conscious, we do try to keep the heat at an appropriate level during the cold winter months. For energy-counciousness...yeah.....uh huh.....oh , and my Mother-in-law's comfort of course...

Mr. B and I like it on the cool side...like waking up and finding snow on the windowsill...inside..

All snuggly under the covers with our noses cold..yepeprs that's us.

So, to be fair to the pups and Mother-in-law (and to keep them alive) we keep the temp at about 68 -70 degrees. It's hard to see them all bundled up for dinner...

"winter attire" at our house..

If we set it at 73 , we'd be hot - no covers for us...Sooo, a warmish 70 degrees...

Then summer comes and it's hot hot hot. So we crank up the air-conditioning unit (the big-ol-tricked-out one we just put in..) We set it at a comfortable 73 degrees. And it's chilly...here comes the covers again...Hmmm..

Our "summer attire"...

The same 73 degrees that would roast us in the winter is chilly in the summer?

Then there's the whole "time-zone" thingy. I set all digital clocks for the same time. But it can be 5 - 8 minutes between the front room and the kitchen. And, in the kitchen I have a digital read-out on the stove top, the microwave above it and the kitchen radio on the left of it. All within a few inches or so...and all different times.

I can just see going into work and saying "well, I was on time when I left the stove-top..but I had to stop by the bedroom to pick up my watch and whadda know, I was 10 minutes late!

Oh, not to worry - the clock in the car is on another time zone altogether.

But that's OK, because in my car, it is a wintry 63 degrees -

..maybe we'll have snow on the window before I get to work...

...probably why I feel so old sometimes. After all I've had several more winters and summers than most....

But that's OK too. After all, I've got the time....at least in some part of the house.

And don't even get me started on daylight-savings-time......

-me - oh, and yes, I am ready for my cheese with my whine....thankyouverymuch...

Hey,it's almost bedtime on a Sunday night.....

.....I remember as a kid not wanting to see the week-end come to a close. Many years later and I still feel that way.


Excpet....this next week is going to be so much fun - so I really want it to start..


First, my sister, Kathy (the one I took to milk the cow) is coming for the night. A sleep -over! She and her husband Bruce are driving through to Idaho to visit his son and family for the Fourth. They'll get here about supper time on Tuesday, spend the night, then finish the trip.

Yes, it will be short. But you have no idea how much fun that either of my sisters and I can have in just a few short hours.

Then, on Thursday, Mr. B's brother, the other Mr. B ( Mr. B version 2.0) and his beautiful wife, Colette, will be coming to stay for the Fourth through our Mother-in-Law's (mine and Colette's - not the Mr. B's) birthday on the 7th of July.

They are the ones from the San Diego area who were all packed to be evacuated in last year's fires- but didn't have to at the last moment - let's pray it doesn't happen again!

So we have a lot of things sort of planned, although we're really not planners - we'd rather just say, "Hey, ya wanna go there..?" or "Let's try that for diner..."

This is last year's Mother-in-law's birthday..

The 2 Mr.s B's - The original (on the right) and Mr. B 2.0 (although Mr. B - original - is younger than Mr. B 2.0......I'm just sayin'.....)

(makes a Momma proud, wouldn't you say??)

We do have one neat bookstore we could go to and a couple of fun eating establishments to try.

There's a beautiful 55 acre gardens (Thanksgiving Point Gardens) that should be spectacular this time of year..they have a Monet garden, a Secret Garden garden.., and many other beautiful ones to see.


Also, most of the snow has melted and we may be able to go for a ride in the mountains.


Oh, and Sacha and I are going to see Wall-E - that adorable little robot from Pixar..I've heard he's really cute.


I'm planning on bringing a blanket to work. Outside the building, there's a little creek with a shady place to sit and watch the Momma and baby ducks swim by. Thought that's be a good place for a picnic lunch right in the middle of the work week.


Well, there you have it - my week's plans from a girl that doesn't plan....


Hope it turns out OK...


-me


ps - here's the galvanized stars I was telling you about - Mr. B is working sooo hard on the backyard! It's really coming along.

In the wee, wee hours of the morning...

...on Friday, I was up and making the two cakes - one for the company BBQ and one for us.

It was finally cool in the house and I had the front door and a few windows open. Perfect time of day - perfect light- perfect cuppa coffee..

There are times when I really REALLY like quiet, but I didn't want it so quite. Being not quite ready for television (I find that to be most of the time lately..especially when it's too early for Animal Planet or HGTV..)

So I turned on the kitchen radio.

Yeah, I have a kitchen radio. An under the counter, a CD playing-remote controlling,-AM/FM playing radio.

And I don't listen to it enough.

As the cake baked and the smell of the pineapples, sugar and pecans went through the kitchen, I was suddenly reminded of my Mother.

Those who know me from this blog know I was never close to my Mother and often resented her. She was what was referred to in the "good old days" as a manic-depressive, which in today's world, would be bi-polar.

And in my youth and ignorance, I never forgave her for that. Yes, I do know better now, but then, I didn't have many good, warm, wonderful memories of our life together...

But hearing that radio, in the wee still hours of that cool morning, drinking my "weak-artificially sweetened and non-dairily creamed coffee-like beverage" I thought about her.

She was never a TV watcher. She wasn't a crafter, nor a cook (she did cook, but I don't think she EVER enjoyed it) didn't like to read or talk on the phone, or play cards...

She didn't smile too much - not like these women, who, I'm almost certain were either drunk or drawn by a male artist..

But I know she did do most of that - I don't remember helping or really if my sisters had any real "house" responsibilities when she was home. ( she was quite often hospitalized for her depression) so...my sisters must have had to bear the brunt of those chores when she was away..

I do remember her hanging clothes on the line...and sometimes I'd help her with that - I loved the smell of freshly-dried towels and sheets...still do, although I don't have a clothes line anymore, sad to say...

And I remember these pins - before the springy-ones - and a clothes-pin bag that was always filled and ready..

I never saw her do anything crafty - can't remember her ever reading a book although she did like Life magazines.

She didn't have any hobbies...didn't like talking on the phone, wrote an occasional letter, but the most vivid memory I have of her is sitting listening to the radio.

How odd is that? I mean, it's not like she passed when I was a child..she lived until my children were adults. Weird, huh?

She did like to dance....

No.... not as a ballerina, but little quick-stepped dance while her radio played. I think I remember her smiling then.

And she did like Lawrence Welk on Saturday nights. Oh, and Ed Sullivan on Sunday nights.

Anyway, it's funny what will spark memories...a smell, taste, or a radio on in the wee hours of the morning....

I'm sorry for the years of resentment. And I know now that to be in her world wasn't easy. It was frightening, disappointing and filled with broken dreams.

And if the radio took her to places that made her smile, I'm glad it was a gift she enjoyed.

And when I'm alone in the kitchen listening to the radio, I hope she sees me and knows that I did love her...

-me

Home from the BBQ and I just gotta say...

...we had a blast! The weather was perfect, the home was stupendous, the drive up there was beautiful, the food was yummy, the kids were well behaved..

..and......

..we saw a camel.....?!?@#?@>??

...yeah.. in Utah...

...in June....

....on a Friday evening....

No, it wasn't one of those parties were you leave and hallucinate about seeing a camel. This is Utah after all...and I am old enough to be most everybody's Mother...

Nope. This was before the party. A Dromedary. I think..

hey,,,,I think he's smiling.... at ME :-)

One hump ?..

...or 2??

One.

Well, I don't mean I know for sure.....about the Dromedary-hump-thing ..it's just that he had only one...

And boy were the horses penned next to him thinking they were hallucinating...

Of course, during the party, when I was talking with the Vice President of the company, I thought I saw a WOLF !! Or a COYOTE!

But he leaned over and said in a very low whisper...."no- that's a German Shepherd.."

Well, it COULD have been a wild beast......

Then we saw cows, beautiful blue skies, lovely gardens, a cute candy store and thought-provoking Armed Forces memorial...

"Moo" (that's how it's pronounced in Utah...)

Out of the blue clear sky....

Front of the candy store..

Look at this beautiful wooden door!
Written on the wall in the candy store..

This is the memorial we discovered in the cemetary..it honored the Armed Forces..

Whew..it was a great night. Here are some quick photos of our host's lovely home..

The gardens were spectacular..

Frogs, a wishing well, purple flowers...

Secret gardens, pool fun, volley ball...

...and of course, FOOD!!!!!!!!!!!!

A lovely time was had by all...especiall me & Sacha (my sweet supervisor! She even made Mr. B some of her private-reserve home-made hot fudge sauce!!)

Have a wonderful good night and be safe out there. Watch out for camels....and wolves...and...German Shepherds..............

-me

Let them eat cake.....

..or let me eat cake....

Tomorrow evening we've been invited to the company BBQ - this, I'm sure you know will, be my first...

..company BBQ - not my first ever BBQ - that would be just silly.

Didn't grow up going to too many BBQ's - uber hot in Arizona.

I guess we could've had a BBQ Thanksgiving..

..but again, that would just be silly. Turkey & sunblock..right.

So, I'm making a cake. Actually I'm making 2 - one for us to have here and one to take to the BBQ - you know, so you eat just a teensy smidgen and people marvel at your self-control.

Then, you leave the BBQ, and of course, leave any remaining gift-cake behind..all the while wanting to get home so you can get totally "cake-faced"....

I found this great quote - did I ever mention I love quotes? Well, I do. Usually have one for just about any mood I'm in.

Tonight I'm in a cake mood - and viola! A cake quote:

"A great many thing can be resolved with kindness - even more with laughter - but there are some things that just require cake..."

Hmmm...I concur

-me

Have you ever just wanted to sleep.....

...until you're.....................done?

I mean, the kind of sleep that's delicious. Where you melt into your bed and become one - sweet smelling sheets, cool crisp pillow cases..

"ah master...become one with the bed.."

No interruptions.

No clocks.

No pups that have to go potty ( not that I don't want the pups with me - I do - but maybe with bladders the size of bowling balls..??)

No lunches to make.

No me having to go potty (maybe with a bladder the size of a bowling ball??)

No phones to answer.

No place to be - nothing to do...

Just sweet-non-guilty-totally-absorbed-in-sleep ...sleep.

To feel like you're getting up because you're totally bored with bed...

Ahhh, wouldn't it be lovely!

(can you tell I'm tired tonight? - yeah, I thought so..)

So here are some pictures of where I'd like to be for about a week...

Pure bliss.....

I'm taking my tired old eyes to bed now - maybe they'll be awake enough in the morning to come visit you all!

g'night.

-me

Sometimes I totally amaze me...

After almost 59 years here and who knows how many years elsewhere, I can still surprise me.

I've never been known for my coordination. In high school I tried out for cheerleader. Everyone thought I'd be a shoe-in because of my excitement, energy level, school spirit and enthusiasm.

However, one really reeeeally important trait or talent to have for cheerleading is ....coordination.

Both of my sisters can dance. Kathy even taught line-dancing and performed as a Hawaiian dancer. (a kind of an Irish-Hawaiian-dancer..)

Gerri can dance. Also rides a horse reeeelly fast while going around an obstacle course AND shooting real guns with real bullets at real balloons! (it's some kind of cowgirl-thang...I donno...)

I am the one who "cheers them on". And not very well. But I do try....

So, I realized that, because I have been using the computer so much with this blog, I can simultaneously type with both hands!!!!!!!! AT. THE. SAME.TIME!

I am ambi-dexterous on the keyboard! That takes a certain amount of coordination, doesn't it?

I mean, I still sort of "hunt & peck" my way through life, but I can do it with two hands now. Getting to be a pretty fast "hunter and pecker"..ah..hunt & pecker....?

So that amazes me. As a kid I could never get that whole thing about patting your head while rubbing your tummy.

Walking & talking has proven not to be safe - I get lost in one or the other.

But, I can better use a 10- key that's on the left side, and I am mastering the "two-handed typing" thing.

Huh....I am just...... amazing...

Saw this comic in the Sunday funnies and wanted to share it with you ...you probably have the same funny papers in your Sunday paper, but I liked the artwork as well as the verbiage.

Hope you like it too. The comic strip is Buckles...by David Gilbert

It says:

Sprinkled dew upon the lawn,

a chilly morn but not for long

the rising sun warms the air

spring to life the days affairs.

Slowly moving across the sky

to summits point and seasons high

shining bright to all behold

shower down a rain of gold.

Too hot to staying full-day sun

the heat so bad it stops the fun

a resting break under tree shade

with ice-filled glass of lemonade.

Cooling time late afternoon

the smell of grills ready soon

restless times when sun to rest

fireflies glow for us to catch.

These longer days go by too fast

as though they weren't meant to last

so every day I'll make some time

to hold a moment....and keep it mine.

g'night, sweet dreams and God bless us eveyone...

-me

Ahhh, I do so love the sunrise...

..just wish it didn't start so early.....

..this morning when I got up, the sun just started peeking up from the mountains. It streamed in through the screen on to the flowers so I got the camera out. ...

didja wonder what I was going to do with the Scrabble letters??

This is what I see at the front door looking out - though the screen door.

The rose bushes are really looking good- and the grass is green.

Mother in Law planted some great blooms - I like seeing them through the screen door....

Sadly, George Carlin died today. I really liked some of his stuff - and speaking of "stuff" Google George Carlin's "Stuff" - it's really funny -

Because I have an affinity to quotes - here are a few of my favorite George Carlin ones....

I'm completely in favor of the separation of Church and State. My idea is that these two institutions screw us up enough on their own, so both of them together is certain death

May the forces of evil become confused on the way to your house.

Most people work just hard enough not to get fired and get paid just enough money not to quit.

Not only do I not know what's going on, I wouldn't know what to do about it if I did.

One can never know for sure what a deserted area looks like.

Think off-center.

What does it mean to pre-board? Do you get on before you get on?

When someone is impatient and says, "I haven't got all day," I always wonder, How can that be? How can you not have all day?

When you step on the brakes your life is in your foot's hands.

There's no present. There's only the immediate future and the recent past.

Weather forecast for tonight: dark. Continued dark overnight, with widely scattered light by morning...

I don't have hobbies. Hobbies cost money. Interests are quite free.

Always do whatever's next.

Dusting is a good example of the futility of trying to put things right. As soon as you dust, the fact of your next dusting has already been established.

Electricity is really just organized lightning.

Have you ever noticed that anybody driving slower than you is an idiot, and anyone going faster than you is a maniac?

Inside every cynical person, there is a disappointed idealist.

And, finally….

I'm always relieved when someone is delivering a eulogy and I realize I'm listening to it.

Good bye George Carlin - I hope they have room for your stuff in Heaven :-)

-me

Mama, don't let your babies grow up to be cowboys....

Don't let 'em buy hats..... or talk on cell phones ....

(but, you can let them grow up to be "western-themed landscapers")

Mr. B probably wouldn't like that I am sooo setting the expectations high as to the "theme" of the back-yard make-over.

And, probably doesn't like that I have already been bitten by the decorating-bug....everytime I see something western, I think "Oh wouldn't that look cute in the yard!

Mr. B made this shelf for me a couple of years ago - notice it has one cow-BOY (my brother Larry,
.....and 3 cow - GIRLS (me & my sisters!)

I call it the " Sullivan Shelf "

Temp, Time & Humidity Thingy (techinical term you know...)

..but I'm certain Mr. B doesn't want such a "theme" that it looks like a miniature golf-course,
..... of course....

"Come on down to Western Town! Sink that shot into a gopher hole!...Get a "hat" in one -( get it...cowboy hat...ah ha) or, "meet me at sundown for a 'shoot-out' on Main Street".

Anyway, I thought I'd show you some of the progress and "accessories" I have so far.

Partial results of our western sidewalk..

Little mirrored tin....

Rusted and galvanized metal stars...cool, huh?

They even have this "pocket" to plant like a small vine or cactus...

"Calling all cactuses...I mean cacti"

Got 2 of these rusty-finished hooks for your hat or your larriatte...um............

your Larry-ette.....ah...your ROPE..

(me PRIOR to the unsightly water-weight gain...uh..yeah...)

(me AFTER the 'retaining of water...like Lake Michigan...

OK, OK, so I have a little "water-weight" gain since the first image of me.....

Love ya Cow-girl Sistas
-me

OK, so here's an idea....

...since oh, 99.7% of the population of the United States know that garage/yard sale sign are those brightly colored orange or neon green...

...Let's not use valuable real estate on the signs with bog 'ol GINORMOUS letters saying...

GARAGE SALE !!

...and then in letters the size someone with 20/20 vision would need a telescope to see...

1103 west state fair road - saturday only from 8 to 1

earlybirds will be shot, stuffed and mounted.

and we have the best stuff that you wouldn't

want to miss at very cheap prices come see us..

lemonade stand and oh yeah donuts for sale

Come on! We know you're having a garage/yard sale - please let us know where to go to find you...we have dollars! And we want to give them to you...to take away your stuff...for you..

.....we're driving down a street, with people in metal boxes with wheels going approximately the speed of light, and we're using our old eyes, squinting, turning the "good eye" toward the sign that has your address.... the size of ant-poop.... taped to a traffic signal.... 25 feet up...at a busy intersection.


Get a clue. In fact, buy one. That is, if anyone can find your sale to give you money to buy a clue...

Next time, make the address the largest part - we probably can figure out it's a sale because of the obnoxious colored signs with time-frames and location of your whereabouts...

Geesh

OK, well, I did manage to find a couple sales.......but it wasn't easy...

So let me show you what I found this week!

Magazine rack $1.00 - this one folds flat - I didn't get a side shot - but it's like the ones you find in scrapbook stores...

Queen sized quilt - perfect condition - $3.00 (yes three dollars!)

Train case - to be "dolled" up at a later date $1.00

small-ish little pitcher with a star on the bottom! $.50

Great (but sort of worn on the insides) sewing basket with all the "stuff" inside $1.00

A cool old bank bad holding....wooden Scrabble pieces..

(just noticed I typed 'bank bad' instead of "bag" - wonder if it's one of those word association things from when I used to have control (haha) of the check book & didn't ever balance at the end of the month...er...year??)

Another ballerina to keep Betty Grable company...

(kinda looks like Betty is going to grab the ballerina's crown!) - $.50

Cute metal square with mirror $1.00

Two rings, both of good weights - that may even be real.......who knows??

$1.00 each (the 'diamond" one is really sparkly and pretty)

I even picked up an old "church key"...wonder why they called them that??

I don't know but we always had one in the kitchen drawer - so I thought I needed one too!

Hope your Sunday is great - let us know, OK?

me

I don't think it 'coincidense"...

.....but today is the first day of summer. Yeah...summer!

....and.....the first fragrances and sound of summer we heard tonight on our walk. Yeah...us!

Yeppers, a rain-bird sprinkler. And honeysuckle on the vine. And itty-bitty grapes on an itty-bitty grape vine! What is it about itty-bitty that is sooo cute?

As we were walking, I spotted a tennis ball under a shady tree. No one was at the park. You'd have thought I'd found a diamond ring...( the dogs just didn't 'get it'...sniffed it and walked away.)

But me?? all I could think was A ball!

Remember as a kid finding a ball? Maybe in the park, or on a walk, or near the school grounds....??

What a great feeling. Tennis balls were good....

...however, golf balls were the Holy Grail..

Nope...we never played golf...Daddy didn't play golf and certainly not Mother!

Nah....I wanted the golf ball for ........Jacks!

Do you remember the bounce you could get from a golf ball?? Those little red-rubber balls didn't have a chance -

I'd bounce it high, and sweeeeep the jacks up in my hands...SCORE!!

I was pretty good at Jacks. No running involved. I was a wuss in sports. Never had good lungs. Never had the desire to get all sweaty. Remember, I grew up in Arizona.

Jacks was a good sport. You could be the best, and not break a sweat. Ever.

Then tonight, on the way home, we heard the ice cream man - Oh YEAH!

But when I looked for the ice cream truck....all I saw was the ice cream mni-van...

Wha??? What's up with that??

A van. Plain white. Stupid little yellow light on top. No brightly colored menus..

No.....

"Rocket $.50"

...no " 50/50 Bar $.75"

..not even..."Push-up Bar $.75" Hey, if you mix up the letters, you get a "push up bra"! hahahahaha...

Anyway. No good music....just some tinkling and the sound of an amplified cricket..(??) And no colorful menu boards...a "generic white ice cream mini-van"

Harrumph. That's what wrong with society. No Jacks. No ice cream trucks. No front porches where everyone looked after everyone else's kids...Only errant tennis balls that no one wants...

Harrumph. I get grumpy when it gets hot. And I am tired. And the dogs don't get excited about a tennis ball. And...the the ice cream truck is a ....MINI VAN!

Oh well. Tomorrow is Saturday and I get all cool in the morning and have a good cuppa coffee and not have to go anywhere before Braxton & Lulu get some "lap-time"..

Have a great-Jacks-playing-ice-cream-TRUCK-rain-bird-porch-sitting day!

-me

There's something about "old"...

...that I really like.

I think it's a combination of the workmanship, the maybe-fictional thoughts of better times.

The stories they could tell.

Whether it's walls, chairs, hinges, knobs or knockers, older is better.

OK, some men and wine....most women and cookbooks..all better old.

I have this boss - not old - but she seems to have an old soul. An appreciation for the integrity of her older home she's refurbishing herself. She wouldn't be happy with "vintage-like" items from China or Taiwan (not that there's anything wrong with China or Taiwan...) but she wants to lovingly restore this home to it's former glory, using period pieces...authentic.

Good for her.

So when the discussion started about fencing and what's available, I thought of another good friend, my neighbor Jenny (Chicker & Ophelia's chicken-Mom)

She heads up the Historic Neighborhood Gardens - a lot of work for a young Mom with 2 young boys..and 2 chickens...Oh, and a hubby and a home garden as well.

Anyway...she searched, rummaged, knocked on doors when she saw fencing tossed aside in driveways, next to trash bins, etc.

And so she "saved" them and now has a lovely, old fence around the gardens. Full of stories they are waiting to tell..the children they kept in....the strangers they kept out...the Christmas decorations they held...the summer picnics they surrounded, the rabbits and deer they kept from the raspberries....

Ahhhh...if only we could hear...

So tonight on the way home from dinner out, we took these photos for Sacha,

-and for you

-and for me...

...and for all the families that enjoyed all these fences....

Fences, like arms, enbrace you and protect you.

Enjoy them...

Hey, have you hugged your fence today??

-me

Do fairies REALLY exist ??

How can you look at this photo and have any doubt? She is real. She is beautiful. And she has landed here to bring joy and laughter to us.

What can be more real than that?

There has been some discussion on other blogs where, because of one woman's belief in all things beautiful, including fairies, she was chastised by a few narrow minded so-called do-gooders.

I do not know any of them. Nor do I wish to make a blanket statement when there are so many wonderful, loving, open-minded people here in blogland. And on Earth. And in Heaven.

But to try to put a damper on what one wants to believe in this all-too-already-cynical-world, well that just chaps my hide. Rubs me the wrong way. Gets my knickers in a knot. Totally puts a downer on my happy.

And to mask their pushiness, they tried to be self-righteous about it. Poo to you...

My belief, (and it is MINE - doesn't have to be yours -) is that God, or Buddha, or the Great One, the Spirit which is greater than ours, no matter I choose to call them...is a kind, happy, child-like, full of fun and imaginative One.

One who give us the gift of talent to put on paper or canvas or clay, or bronze, or..... (or photograph - if you're really really quick & quiet) to provide a visual representation of a heart-felt desire for wonder.......

There, I've said it.

-me

Oh, and PS... I also believe in Santa Claus, the Easter Bunny, the Tooth-fairy, the boogie man, Leprechauns, hard times with happy endings, sweet, quick kisses at 5 am...and the power of prayer, karma, meditation, Tai Chi , Chai Tea, positive thoughts, fairies in New Jersey, good men and.............. chocolate.

Woad Wage....Elmer Fud-style...

Yep...was widein in my car, wistesning to the wadio...

dwiving home fwom work..

when I was cut-off by a wed-headed woman in a conwertable....

Yeppews, somehow the heat (and the snow, wain and wind) bwings out all the weally weally bad dwivers, huh??

But, I made it home OK and had a really pleasant day over-all.

Free lunch (and who says there's no such a thing??) Thanks, University of Phoenix...in Utah (?)

Field trip with Sacha my boss - a pretty little easel as a present (!) and a fun new shop discovered. The Sliver Star - they call them selves a hardware store- but that doesn't begin to explain what they offered. Coffee - gourmet coffee. And teas. Special blends.

And old door knobs. And Brothel tokens (?) And rusty door hinges. And cards. I got these 2...

I think I'll put this one on a composition book cover with pretty papers and velvet ribbon...

I always look for cards with 3 women - or cats - or anything in 3's - for me & my sisters. Found this and had to get it...actually 3 - one for each of us. Love the artwork. (none of us really look like that...just to be clear..)

But the words...oh yes..this is where we are in our lives!

And here's the easel in action...Lovely, huh?! What a treat. Thanks Sacha - I do so appreciate you!

Hope you all have sweet dreams and weally weally good Wednesday....

-me

Oh ya gotta love this man....

..well, not YOU so much. I mean, he's mine. Well ..not so much in the way one can "own" another..I mean...he is taken, spoken for, out-of-the-running....gone like freight train, gone like yesterday, and all that....kaput...married to a woman with no sense of humor....when it comes to sharing......

But he's a keeper. He went to the store, like he does every Sunday ( gotta love that, huh?!)

I attempted to make a list. I'm really good at "attempting"..I attempt many things...many, many...

I decided to try to use a computer program for "grocery list making" - you know - trying to be all organized....

However ( I LOVE that word...) a program is only as good as the computer-person attempting to use it (hmmm...there's that 'attempting' again..) (note to self: there's no 'spell check' on grocery list making for dummies.com)

So, the good Mr. B goes to the store, calls when he is close to the driveway so I can unlock the door and help cart the goods in..

When we have it all in, he says "I got almost everything on the list...but I don't know what the last 2 things are...."

I look at the list, ready to say, "what do you mean you don't kno......" ...when I see the last 2 items.

1. Cips

and

B. Ookies...

Huh? What the..???
Cips & Ookies....cips and ookies....CIPS & OOKIES....Cips & Ookies...no matter what font I use, I can't figure it out.....

Poor Mr. B! He really was trying.. I don't mean in the "trying" sense..like, you know... "you're trying my last nerve!!!!" well, maybe some days.....but not so much this day.

Finally, I figured it out. In case you haven't noticed- I'm a bit dyslexic - or is is cixelsyd? Oh, ....and I can't type worth a nmad... my fingers get all tang-toungled, and I use the correct letters, just not in the correct order...

What I was trying to say was....

Chips and Cookies. Poor guy.

He tried. Gotta love that....well, not YOU so much...

Oh, and if you stop by, don't expect a big 'ol plate of cips & Ookies - we're all out...


-me

It' s rainin' men...Halleluiah , it's rainin' men..

Grandson Brian, Mr. B. , son-in-law Chris and our Spanish Exchange-grandson, Albert

Yeppers, it's a good day to be a man...

Happy Father's Day !

..especially the "Dads" who don't "haveta be"....

you know.. the one's who take in stray children..like 4 of them..thank you Mr. B..

..and Dads who take in cats & adopt dogs...thank you Jack , Mr. B, Robert & Bruce

...and stray horses....thank you Larry..

I am so lucky to have such great men in my life. 2 great sons, 2 great sons- in-law, 1 great brother, 2 great brother's-in-law, 2 really good grandsons (didn't want to say 'great' lest you think I'm any older than I am!!) 2 great next door neighbors and a whole lot of great nephews (not great-nephews - although I do have a few of them too!) and good male influences and mentors in my life.

Son #2 Jeff

Son #1 Andy (dammitAndy)

Grandson Connor

Son-in-Law Johnny (Ella's daddy)

Mr. B & Braxton at bath-time

My brother Larry - the Kindergarten Cowboy

Especially my Daddy, who on this day, I miss most of all.

Happy Father's Day Daddy - we all love & miss you-

PS- my friend Betty's husband, Jack, has joined us in this blogging world! I see so few men (maybe 'cause the type of blogs we have) that I wanted to give him a great big "girly blogger welcome" - so if you have a chance, drop by and say "hello" to yet another good man...

http://deserthawksrc.blogspot.com/

Now, remember, his blog is Manly-man - talk of radio controlled airplanes, and, uh, manly stuff...

Have a good Monday & lets remember to be grateful for the great men in our lives...

(Oh, I almost forgot....and thanks to the jerks in my life- you idiots have taught me what REAL men are all about...but you don't get a big font..perfect for you little-pea-brain-pond-sucking-red-necked- ignorant-chauvinist-racist-creepy-men-wanna-Be's)

-me

Does this job make my brain look big??

Hmmmm...mabybe not.

OK - so today I was at the the University of Utah..(where I can now say, "Oh yes, I went to the U of U..did you go there or somewhere else??" )

The day was brilliant. Perfect weather to spend the day outside with the family! Sunny, warm, no wind..activities outside for the kiddos...making slime - extracting the DNA from peas (!) and putting the extracted DNA in a vile then making a necklace..(OK - maybe I did want to make one too, but nooooo...I was supposed to be all, like grown up and all...bummer..)

They had activities for the kids where they make a family tree out of several outlines of their hands making the branches and putting family names on them. Oh, and they had where you could actually make a DNA strand out of red vines and mini marshmellows.........OUTSIDE.

Do you see where I'm going with all of this?? Yep - all of the excitement was....outside...while I was....well....not.

The few folks who actually came indoors where our beautiful exhibit was were mostly asking about where the bathrooms & drinking fountains were -

....but I took no prisoners - they ALL heard about DNA and genealogy - and "how between DNA analysis and traditional genealogy, they could go so much deeper into their ancestry search and yes, the Ladies is that way..and, oh, you do know about Mitochondrial DNA, right?? and no, I don't know how to get to the third floor exhibits...."

( note to self: the "continuous feed" on the computer only works when you push the button - like every 108 seconds..kinda like in Lost..push the button every 108 seconds or the whole thing will self-destruct...)

One guy said DNA stand for Dinosaur Nesting Area....this little kid got all excited and wanted to know where the dinosaur exhibit was...screamed somethingg awful when he realized I was the only dinosaur around....

But the few that stopped and talked to me...well, that was fun..and they were interested. And they were engaged in the conversation. That was fun. .. yes it was....

There were some that were obviously not so engaged...who looked like they were waiting for a TelePrompter to come up in my eyes explaining what the hell I was talking about...( I had serious doubts they had any differences in their DNA.....if you know what I mean...)

And when they did finally speak, all they managed to mumble was...."hey lady....where's the bathroom? Sissy's gotta go somethin' awful...." (cue the music from "Deliverance"...)

Hmmm...did I mention is was BEAUTIFUL outside??

Here are some shots of earlier in the day - on our walk around the block...

You know, I do have a PhD in Happy-Life 101...

Enjoy - PS.... Most of these were taken ..........yeah.....outside.

-me

Don't no Friday the 13th scare me...Bring. It. On.

Well, I can say that now because it's 10:39pm and it's almost over.


But it was a good day. Weather was perfect (my heart goes out to those in Iowa and California - and prayers go up...)


One can roller-skate in shorts and sleeveless shirts then go up the mountain in about 30 minutes and ski! Can you imagine??


The 'post person' ...don't know if it's a he or a she......I mean, I never actually see them deliver ...I'm at work......not like I couldn't tell if I saw them..if it was a he or a she...well, sometimes you can't tell.

But I like to think I could...but I wouldn't swear to it...


....OK - "whomever" brought me 2 packages in 2 days - one from my sweet-sailor-talking-adopted-niece (she wasn't really adopted - I just like to think of her like my niece - actually I think it was she that said she wished she had a Grandma like me and I said "Ohhhhh no - maybe your Aunt" - then we decided I was Auntie Utah - except that sound like I'm totally against Utah -which I am totally not...)

Sooo, one from Debby in PA (can't spell Pennsylvania..) Oh wait! I just did!

http://debbyperry.blogspot.com/

Just look what goodies she sent me:

Books and postcards for Ella and a monkey bookmark and 2 horseshoes for Mr. B's western back-yard make-over - a sweet card and magnet of that state she's from that I can't spell but I did...Thank you Sweetie - I know I'll love the books and I already love all the other things!


Earlier, my new boss- a sweet young girl who happens to like a LOT of the same stuff I like - brought in these roses from her neighborhood for me and a lovely arrangement for the 2 other girls in the office - mine, of course, was the biggest and the prettiest. Age does have it's privledges...

Oh wait...I'm not done yet...I get home today with my roses form work, and start to read my books from Debby when I see another package - this one form my sister Kathy - and it contains something that is precious to me...no....not a creme brulee all to myself..bettter!

She sent me my Daddy's collection of Norman Rockwell teensy plates that he collected (thus the term...collection...helllloooo) over several years from one of those "Franklin Mint" thingys. They even have their own display racks, but they were too big to send - she'll just have to hand deliver them to me I guess....then we'll just have to have a nice visit I guess....

Each stack is ten plates - all different - and with the paperwork to "prove authenticity"

... I stacked them by counting the first ten - then making the other stacks match up - just like they do in Las Vegas with the poker chips!!

Not that I would know this first hand of course - but I watch a lot of TV - yeah, especially the "Learning Channel"...yeah that's it...

And at about 4:30 the BIG boss walks out..(I guess that makes my boss the "boss-ette") and says, "It's Friday...and anyone who is a Dad, or who has a Dad, or KNOWS a Dad...go home!" So, we got to leave early - on a Friday - to beat the traffic -how great is that??

Took the pups in for their rabies shots, Doc said their heartbeats are perfect (!) and then we went to dinner at Iggy's - had a GREAT Asian Pork BBQ Salad - they come in 2 sizes - so you can totally be good -get a half-salad and look like a dainty-little-watching calories-girl... then still have room for cheesecake!!

Actually, I didn't have room for the cheesecake, so we stopped at DQ and I got a Butterscotch-dipped Dilly bar - Mmmm..summer memories from when I was a kid in Arizona and we'd walk to the DQ...'course, we'd have to eat really really fast or it would melt - got a whole new perspective on brain freeze!!

OK, so I'd better go to bed if I have to be Miss Smarty-Pants tomorrow at the museum...

Tally ho!

-me

Just stuff....

Hey. Just a normal day. Snow in the mountains. Sun in the valley...

WHAT?? Snow?? Yep - a dusting of snow on our mountains...in June...

Not complaining mind you. Daughter is in Arizona on vacation...107 degrees yesterday...

WHAT?? Arizona in the summer?? For vacation?? Yep. She chose to be there now...And she's the "bright"one...

I'm working Saturday at the University of Utah Museum of Natural History at the GeneTree DNA booth..this is what I'll be doing...

"Join us for a fun family event as we celebrate cultural diversity, our ancestral roots, and the DNA that we all share! Be the first to get a peek at our new summer exhibit opening today, "Putting DNA to Work" Activities will include performances by cultural groups and facilitated science activities. "

WHAT?? 2 weeks ago, all I could do is spell DNA (dee-en-aye).... yep. I'll be there being all excited about finding your family with DNA geneaology..and I won't even have to fake the excitement.

Oh, I hope I'm not the "facilitated science activities. " !!

While on the phones , I have spoken to some VERY excited folks who have found family they didn't even know they had..

Their excitement was contagious and I ended up with 2 ladies saying if they come to Salt Lake, they are taking me to lunch.

Hey! ...maybe we're related...I mean..I like lunch ...they like lunch... Can that be a coincidence??

Cool, huh? And one was from England...Hey, I want to go there for lunch...

I was asked to write some instructions on making a pedigree- you know, a family tree.

It is really a fun project. To see the names and sometimes the pictures - especially with my own grandmothers and great grandmothers. it's like they're here, holding me up - I can almost feel their gentle touch, holding me up - making me stronger....( by the time I was born, all of my grandparents, both grandmothers and grandfathers had passed)

But filling out their names and dates of births and deaths- well it was like I was responsible for helping them be real.. to leave their mark - that they have not been forgotten - and that they will be noted and loved by my children & grandchildren. And anyone that shares my page with me..

Wow - do I love this work or what? If I can feel I have helped even one person to discover all they can do with their DNA results...their finding their roots... my day is totally worthwhile...

Have a great Friday..uh oh..the 13th...Hmmm..oh well. Make it a GREAT one anyway.

And if you're in the neighborhood of the Uof U on Saturday -stop by and say "hi"!

-me

There are some things you just MUST speak out about...

...I am not in the practice of using my blog as a "soapbox" for political/social issues....

..but I must take a stand against the ruthless use of veggie-profiling being used in the media.

Case in point.........tomatoes.

For all tomatoes to take the fall for a few, well, heartbreaking is the word that comes to mind...

...well, maybe disappointing is a better word...

..or it could bummed ...dissed...sad...actually, a lot of words come to mind...

I found this (insert any/all of the above italicized words..) note on my counter this morning...along with a few snapshots left for fond rememberances...

Yes, Sam-n-Ella - our little tomato parents of the lovely Roma and the tomato-boy known in his 'hood' only as Beefsteak....

What can I say?? How can I tell them the truth - that the world will no longer have "BLT's" - oh no..now it will be "BLF's" - Bacon Lettuce...... and Fruit...

No more grilled cheese and tomato soup for those comfort-food-nights...now it will be grilled cheese and..... split pea ???

Salsa?? Nope. Chunky-style Lima beans and peppers on those tacos my friend...

Spaghetti and marinara?? Nada -zip - ...spaghetti and peanut sauce.

Bloody Mary's?? Just ......Mary's..... I guess....

V-8 is now reduced to ....V-7

Don't even get me started on pizza....

Life as we know it will be different. Until justice is done and the friendly tomato is exonerated of all bogus charges.....

Just giving you something to think about...consider it my PSA...(public service announcement for those who are shaking their heads at that one...)

-me

Your DNA is calling......

OK, so it's been two weeks at my new job at GeneTree. The honeymoon is NOT over - I still really reallyreally really like it.

...and I've learned soo much.

I sometimes feel like the Paula Deen of DNA - "DNA is our frieeeend! "

In speaking with people, I have been able to actually use words that just two weeks ago I couldn't even pronounce. (I do, though, keep a phonetically-printed sheet of terminology...)

So I thought I'd share some more vocabulary words that can, and often do, have very different meanings...depending on who using them.

Collateral lines - branches that are descended from a common ancestor but not through the same direct line.

....and not...

....crows feet and laugh lines Ive gotten over years of living. (or what I like to refer to as my "collected works")

Complimentary pairs - the DNA molecule is made up of 2 long helical strands that connect together with the bases on one strand bonded to the bases of the other.

...and not...

Santa Claus and the Mrs. , Roy Rogers & Dale Evans, the Lone Ranger & Tonto, Ben & Jerry, Paris Hilton & her ego..

Genetic Pedigree -Y DNA and/or mt DNA profiles to represent each of the branches of a family tree for a selected number of generations.

...and not...

...your lineage used for show purposes in the American Kennel/Condo Club for People (where dogs run around in ugly 70's clothes parading you before the judges)

Indel -an insertion or deletion of one or more bases.

...and not..

...the answer to "duh....where farmer??"

Prior Knowledge - in statistics, narrows the range of theoretically possible outcomes.

..and not...

...I had NO IDEA they were having a sale today, ahem, really..."

Recombination - swapping of DNA fragments between paired chromosomes

...and not....

...what my school had to do several times at my locker because I couldn't remember the combination

Transmission Event - a birth; a passing of DNA to the next generation.

...and not...

...when the car only goes in reverse - and I have to drive home 7 blocks backwards!
(true story..)

Petering out -when an mt DNA line has died out because only sons (who are now deceased) were born.

...and not...

....Hmmm....probably shouldn't go there..

Anyway, I am well on my way to being able to give actual accurate information instead of making it up as I go along!! (note to Sacha: just kidding!!)

Tell me about the "big words" you're learning - maybe we could collaborate and make a new version of Webster's Dictionary....WebDic 2 - The sequal...

hahahaha...I crack me up....

-me

Monday Monday, da da. dadadada Monday Monday..

....you know.....the Mama's and the Papa's ??

"Monday Monday, so good to me-
Monday morning it was all I hoped it would be..
Oh Monday morning ..something something something..without warning something
that Monday evening you would still be here with me..."

I am soo not good with lyrics. Is it Momma or Mama? Can't remember. Oh well..

It's the beginning of the week. And with the look of things, it will be a good week.

Had the family next door - Chicker & Ophelia's ( the Urban chickens) family- with the 2 little boys. Out of school for the summer. I think I spotted a gray hair on their young Mom's head already......just wait....

Hot dogs, water melon, beans, deviled eggs, tomatoes, pickles, chips and laughter. Oh, and paper plates. Paper napkins. Fun night. EZ night. Too-full-for-dessert night.

I grew up on hot dogs with mustard, onion, tomato wedges and celery salt....my parents grew up in Chicago and maybe that's where they got that??

How about you...any"special" way of having your hot dogs??

I've had a few inquiries about the dry erase boards that I seem to be addicted to. Wish I could say they were my brainchild - but since I gave up having any sort of "childs" (except "grand-childs") a long time ago - I must fess up. The idea was not mine...

It came from Somerset Life, issue "Winter 08", page 120-122 by Karri Posson..

The instructions are simple: buy gloss tiles ( 6 X 6 )$.39 at Home Depot) I used ModPodge and just decoupaged the papers on then added whatever embellishments I had on hand. Let dry and viola! A mini dry erase board! Karri suggests sending along little instructions to only clean the portion up to the paper with cleaner - thus not taking a chance of messing up the artwork.

I bought some 4 X 4's but I think they are too small...cute, but small.

So, that's about all the news from Main Street tonight - have a safe and fun "Not Monday Monday" tomorrow..

Momma's or Moma's? MaMa's Mommmmma's....I dunno... Wonder if now they're the GrandMama's and GrandPapas?? G-ma and G-Pa...go to bed Colleen...you're rambling...again...

-me

I shudda known...

(The Peonies were saved from the big "clean-up"!)

..that today was not going to be an ordinary Sunday.

You know, restful, relaxing, etc, etc.

Well....OK, yes..............I did have that day yesterday...thanks for reminding me.

But this morning started out being, well, weird at the coffee pot.

Fixed my usual brew of very weak coffee, Sweet-n-Low and CoffeeMate Cinnamon Vanilla..more like a "coffee-like-beverage" than real coffee.

My brother Larry -the Kindergarten-Cowboy - Now he drinks REAL coffee...cowboy coffee. Says to make it you take "2 fists of coffee and a boot full of water and boil hard."

Kindergarten Cowboy- circa 1939

oh no you weren't sitting on that pony by yourself..I see someone holding you...

Yeppers, that's real coffee...I suppose. But I kinda like mine. No, I really really like mine..

Only this morning I didn't like mine...all over the floor, cabinets, fridge, Braxton, my foot any anything within a 21 foot radius.

Some idiot knocked over the cup......oh yeah..I was the only one up.....well and Braxton.

So I decided that after I cleaned up the floor, the cabinets, the fridge, Braxton and my foot...I might as well wash the windows.

I've been putting it off whenever there's a hint of rain...

......but blue skies all around didn't give me much of an excuse today.

Mr. B was working in the yard again. The big-ol-dumpster is being taken away tomorrow, so he needed to get all the dirt, logs, rocks and cement into it. Poor man, he must have hauled 8 tons of stuff...

I decided one of us should be rested and happy, so I "took one for the team" and stayed in my art room and crafted.

(Hens & Chicks made it through the purging, too!)

Made these little necklaces out of some Target $1 spot Rachael Hale photography dog epoxy stickers and some tags and ribbon. Added some words from my old dictionary and viola!

Cute little necklaces! Not of the strongest of materials, but good for a few wearings, I'm sure.

Then I decided to make a couple more dry erase boards. Tried to do one for the newlyweds- but I think I might try printing the photo on heavier card stock instead of computer paper.

Tissue might also be a good alternative.

Hmmmm....

Anyway, new week , new things to learn, friends to make, blogs to read, ideas to share! I think that's pretty darned exciting, don't YOU??

-me

It was a good Saturday...

....slept in a little , oh that feels sooo good! It had rained so the air was cool and smelled great..

...walked the pups and enjoyed the rain-soaked green green grasses and beautiful trees - Everything seemed "just washed"

Gave Chicker & Ophelia some stale bread - they LOVE me! Now if I can get them to give me some eggs.....

.....Mr. B went and got me some much needed CoffeeMate creamer this morning - my new favorite is Cinnamon Vanilla - YUMMY!

Then picked up some McDonald's breakfast biscuits - Double YUMMY.

We drove to a couple of garden centers trying to get ideas and inspiration. Mr. B has changed his design direction.

He would like to go sort of Western-but-Chic in the back yard. Some plank-like walkways (sidewalks?) like they had in the old towns...maybe some of those farm-ranch galvanized things to act as planters..
....a sort of lean-to out building to enclose the VERY BIG air conditioner...did I mention it's

....B-I-G??

..anyway, the direction could change again, but I always trust his choices and his ability to make things beautiful for us to enjoy.

We bought this clock-thermometer-humidity-thingy to hand up on one of the outside walls. It's really cool looking - all western.. and...chic...and metal. Yippee Ki Aye, Little doggies! (is it "Ki" or "Aie"??)

The newly-weds came over bearing gifts...a great new (to me) magazine from Rachael, and some Irish coins that Brandi actually picked up for Jeff when she went to Ireland..he decided to give them to me and I didn't argue!

I love the one that's not exactly round...

Jeff helped Mr. B unload a ton of wood for the upcoming projects so we took them out to dinner.

We told stories and laughed and had good Italian food. Came home - watched a little TV - read and now here I am, saying have Sweet Dreams and a wonderful Sunday wherever you are in this big wide world!

-g'night..

-me

It's Friday....and that means tomorrow is.....

...maybe a yard sale day!

Maybe...it's been raining a lot, so I'm hoping.

So, you all saw my cupcake baking photos - but maybe I'm the last one to know about the little aluminum foil-paper lined cupcake liners?? You don't need a muffin (or cupcake) pan!

When I saw this, I thought,"hmmm..I really don't think this will work..." but the thought of making only 12 cupcakes at a time - having to have the oven on- having to wait for the pan to cool, well, the thought was daunting.

So, I thought, "What the heck...I'll try.." and look what I did..

There are 24 cupcakes on one cookie sheet! Cool, huh?!

Oh, and cooling them is was easier too - you have nowhere for the batter to over-flow and get stuck to..just fill a little less, then when done, slide them off the coolie sheet to cool - i put mine on a cutting board.

You can see on this first batch that I over-filled a few - I learned by the time I did Mr. B's favorite chocolate ones.

Anyway, I thought that was neat - but I'm a nerd.

Laurie at http://miss-flower.blogspot.com/ has tagged me to do a meme-(and I don't even know what a "meme" is??!) The rules of the game get posted at the beginning. Each player answers the questions about themselves.

At the end of the post, the player then tags 4 people and posts their names, then goes to their blogs and leaves them a comment, letting them know they’ve been tagged and asking them to read your blog.

Let the person who tagged you know when you’ve posted your answers.

So here goes:

a) What was I doing 10 years ago?

I was spending one week at a Breast Cancer Camp in Montana!

Got a used car from the place that I worked (they sold me one of the salesman's car that they were upgrading to a new model - for a ridiculously LOW price - thank you Mr. Bachman!)

b) What are 5 things on my to-do list for today

1. Go to work - honestly, one time I "forgot"... REALLY - I was busy doing a project and looked up - it was like 9:30 - sigh - OH NO! It's not Saturday!

2. Learn new stuff at work - that's pretty easy because it's ALL new to me..

3. Spend time with Braxton - who gets VERY put-out if he doesn't get enough lap-time.

4. Give Sacha @ work a little dry erase board - the one's I have been making - she loved it!

5. Send up prayers for those I have heard about, read about, seen and know who need a little uplifting.

c.) Snacks I enjoy

chips & salsa

cookies

celery w/homemade Ranch dressing

d.) Things I would do if I were a billionaire:

Take my entire family to Ireland for an extended vacation

Buy a family cottage in Ireland to take my entire family to

Set up my very own dog rescue on my very own land that holds my very own cottage in Ireland where I have taken my whole family

Buy a pony...( I never got one for my birthday..no I didn't..ever...)

e.) Places I have lived

Chicago

Glendale, CA

San Diego

Tucson

Amarillo, TX

Phoenix

South Fork ,CO

Littleton, CO

San Fransisco

St. Louis

Sandy, UT

So there you have it. Kind fun. There are many of you I'd like to know more about, so here are the 4:

Colleen @ Coll's Garden

Steph @ queen of dreamsz

Rachael @ The Life of a Newly Married Wife

and...

Vickie @ Snow Days Art

Have fun on Saturday and rest up for the week ahead...

-me

Sing along with me "GeneTree,.. my kind of place, GeneTree is..my kind of place...

OK, OK, I'm no Frank Sinatra.

And, we're not in Chicago...

...but........

what a pleasure work at a place where the people actually LIKE each other.

I am so used to working with sort of gossipy-rude-mean-witchy women and men who try to on-up each other all the time.

..a pleasure....

One young girl is leaving to have her first baby. They decided to give her a surprise party. Now remember, we are an office of mostly young men-I think I have things in my fridge older than most of them... yet everyone was so kind and really happy for her -a pleasure.


And it was a pleasure to bake cupcakes for the party. My idea.

.....after all, I just finished reading "Brown Nosing for Dummies" ....

.. so last night, I baked and frosted 50 cupcakes. I didn't need that many, but Mr. B would be sad if I didn't leave a couple for him. Oh yah, and one for me...ahem...

The one thing I didn't count on was rain.

A lot of rain.

Buckets of rain.

And me trying to figure out how to get 47 decorated cupcakes from my kitchen to my car - then from the car to our office.


Hmmm...


As I looked at the cupcakes, I was trying to picture how they would fit, your know, spacely (I know what I am trying to say here - just don't know the word for it..space-il-ly...)


If necessity is the Mother of invention - I think I was adopted...


I need something deep, to not mess up the frosting...and something long....why?? bee-cause... I made lots of cupcakes...lots.... and lots....


I KNOW! a DRAWER!! Huh...???

Yep, a drawer. I had it all figured out.

Take that oh necessity's Mother.....


Emptied the drawer - carefully placed the cupcakes in the now emptied drawer...row after row...

They all won't fit.


Poo.


Think,,think..think...hey, just like Winnie the....Poo(h)...


Then I remembered the storage thingy we got for those long rolls of Christmas papers -whadda ya know - it worked and had the extra bonus of a lid... Waxed paper be gone!

Anyway, the party was a success, my Brown Nosing for Dummies was a good investment..now if I can just get them to keep liking me after the Honeymoon period is over!?!

Goout there (hey- it sounds like I'm from Canada, eh?!!) and have a great Friday....


... and remember....you can keep a lot of things on your drawers, but cupcakes probably shouldn't be one of them...

-me

I like buttons...

..or as the teen-age girls here would say.."buh-uns"..

You know, like "there's still snow on the mou-uns..."

For whatever reason, they don't say their "t's".

We have a city here - Layton - you know Lay-Ton...uh no..it's Lay-un..

Ah well...anyway, those are not the buttons I am taking about .

No, I was thinking something I heard concerning my 4-year old grand daughter, Ella.

You see, Ella and her mommy like to solve puzzles on the computer. When Ella comes home from pre-K, they have fun playing puzzles which I think is a good use of their time.

I didn't learn the computer until last Thursday - and Ella is using it in pre-K....!!

Ella usually get the 6-piece puzzle. Sometimes the 8-piece. And she does well with them.

Really well.

One could almost say exceptional...one could...almost.....

Her mommy was on the phone with Ella's auntie when Ella's mommy suddenly saw what Ella was doing....she had solved a 70-piece puzzle while she was talking on the phone!

Alert the press! We have a genius here!

Stunned, Ella's mommy watched as Ella brought up the next puzzle- another 70-piece puzzle.

Watching with great anticipation and pride, Ella's mommy held her breath...watched as this protégé worked her magic on the big puzzle...watched as Ella ........................

pressed the AUTO-SOLVE button!

Brandi: Ella, what did you just do??????

Ella: I did the puzzle.

Brandi: show me again - how'd you do that??

Ella: I pushed the AUTO-SOLVE, Mommy...(...heavy sigh...)

Brandi: ooohhh....kay...

We don't need a protégé now do we??

Ah, yes, buttons. Wouldn't it be great if we all had "auto-solve" buttons?

Problems? No problem, push auto-solve...

Issues in the world? Rudeness, meanness, dumbness, bad-dressing?? Hit the auto-solve!

We could use a few more buttons, too. The mute comes to mind...and delete..ate too much for dinner - hit delete.

Wanna take that dumb-ass remark made to your boss back?? Hit backspace..

Need to get your point across? Cap-lock...

Gained, oh , like 70 lbs.? control C......then find the perfect body (with your search button)...control V...

And let's not forget...escape..

Yes, life would be easier with more buttons. Just don't forget to hit F-1o once in a while.....you'll be glad you did...

-me

My brain is tired...

...it's like I want to unscrew the top of my head and massage it. Oy vey...

Lots of information...lots of plans for the house...lots of learning at work...lots of thinking about..STUFF..

So, I thought I'd just share some of my favorite things with you. Not people (I'd have too many to list..lucky me) but things.

Things that make me smile, feel all warm and soft. Things that remind me I have a LOT to be thankful for...

So with that said...and in no particular order...

Lilacs over the neighbor's fence - briefy here but so smelly-good!

My faux-crocs..comfy, cool, cheap and really ugly.

Mmmm...Cloudberry Preserves (Ikea) - just the name conjours up pretty....Cloudberry.... - I like to heat some in the microwave and use it as syrup on waffles...

enough said..

Braxton and Lulu - I just want to inhale their essence and try to be the person they "think" I am..

Little old "folded-ear Bones"...sweet, independant, moody Bones..

Toast...just .... toast..

Quail....the way the call to each other, the way they protect each other , the way they SCURRY when they can FLY..

Mornin' !!!Doves (not mooooourning doves... )
Love the sound when they take to flight. Love that I thought they were hootie-owls when I heard them when I was a kid... .

When life gets hectic, pause, think about the simple things that make your life FANTASTIC - and give thanks.

Have a good Wednesday-

-me

Grrrr! Didja ever...???

Didja ever have one of those commutes that they write horror stories about? Or comedy sketches?? Like they are sooo bad, they can't be real??


Well, I had one today.


I should have known it was not going to be a "Drive happy!!-day" when I tried to stop for a pedestrian, gave them the courtesy wave, you know... like "OK - I'm stopping for you because I am a nice person..............and it's the law.." kind of look...and smile...be courteous...smile and be courteous and wave...


They do not smile. They do not go. They look like someone peed in their Post Toasties...and they look at me as if that someone might have been me...and, did I mention they don't GO...


Oh no...they WAVE me on...like they're doing me a big-o-ginormous favor or something. This all- grumpy-shorts-in-a-knot-person thinks I should just go...and he's doing me a favor!!


When I give him a quizzical look that says...what ??..he turns into all fast-wavey-arm-mad-look-person..


And just when I decide it's his loss because I was a nice person trying to do a good deed...and it's the law...and start to go...SO DOES HE!


Then he gets all red-faced and mad and I stop ....(new car and all ...) and he YELLS at me...but seeing how I don't speak Spanglish-Hindu-Middle-Eastern-German-Dutch..I have NO IDEA what he is saying...


So in my little world, I think he is saying he "owes his life to me and thank you Nice Lady. Have a velly lovely day, Nice Lady. You are a velly nice lady, Nice Lady..."


And don't even get me started on the drive home....


OK, so to soothe my hurt feelings and get back to my "happy place", I made some 6 X 6 dry erase boards like I saw in Somerset Life......just write and dry-erase!



They sit on a little fork-easel or you could buy a small easel...

You like?? (I didn't make the fork easel, but bought it so Mr. B could use his "fork-bending-super-powers" and make me some !)


The Mod Podge is still a little wet on this next one, so it looks a little...uh...wet.

I put black wool felt on the backs so they would seem sturdier - then propped them up on the fork holder and viola! A message board for your desk, kitchen counter, etc. I like-y!

The tiles are like SUPER cheap at the hardware store. I think I got these at Home Depot for about $.59 each. I bought some 4 X 4's too ($.19 )but I think they are too small..unless you don't have much to say then they'd probably be alright ....for me....not so much.

Well, have a good night. And if you see someone waiting to cross the street, stop and wave them on..and smile....because nice matters......... :-)

....then if they get all psycho on you...blog about them. Karma, you know....

-me

One Yummy-Sunday on Main Street...

...yes it was.

One of the nice things about me working now is that Mr. B has taken over the cooking duties...picture me smiling like the Cheshire cat..while doing a little victory lap AND while dancing the happy-dance...

And did he make a wonderful dinner tonight... ribs, tomatoes, corn and beans...

...with his Mother making desert..well I am one

"heck-yes-I'll-go-to-work-and-get-catered-to "

..happy working woman..

Mt. Dew Apple Bake (Seriously…)

½ Stick butter
½ C. Sugar
½ teaspoon Cinnamon ( you can use more ..)
½ teaspoon vanilla
1 can Crescent rolls
3 Granny Smith apples
1- 12oz. can Mt. Dew ..really..

Spray an 8 X 8 pan
Peel & core apples – cut each into 8 pieces
Put 2-3 slices of apple into each of the crescent rolls and roll them up – place with the side with the most dough UP.

Melt the butter, mix the sugar, cinnamon, vanilla until smooth. Pour over the rolls. Pour Mt. Dew around the rolls (not on top of the topping! )and bake 42 minutes @ 350°

Make 8 servings – serve warm with ice cream. Mmmm..

Earlier today, we went to breakfast at Cracker Barrel. Had their New England Blueberry pancakes - very good!

Of course, had to look in the little store - found the cutest Glitter Fairy sticker books for my granddaughters, Ella and Emily... (got one for me too!)

Thought on this one, I can find a photo and put the Fairy outfits on the girl's photo - making them the paper doll!

Found this neat looking Genealogy book. ( by Laura Best) It has some good info and some cute ideas for displaying old photos. Well Worth the $9.95 I paid for it. May even help me in my job..

Wouldn't these make cute place-card displays for your next family get-together??

(This was aonther idea from the remarkable Mr. B..)

Also made some coffee-stained tags with today's left-over coffee. I did an old watercolor trick and while they were still wet with the coffee, I sprinkled salt n them - then brushed it off when they were dry - they got this motley look with this trick

So as you can see, we had a really nice Sunday. I'm so much more ready for the work week with great memories of the week-end!
Have a great Monday!
-me