Go Ahead!

A few blogs ago I extolled the sense of humor virtue in politics.  Last night was a perfect example.  Clint Eastwood, who by the way, is a proponent of gay marriage and abortion (a couple of things most political pachyderms are against)..or at least the freedom of choice that accompanies them, spoke on acceptance night at the RNC.  He rambled a bit....hey, he's 82, you'd ramble too, and yes he did talk to an empty chair.  Many of us have felt that the presidential chair has indeed been empty for the past 3.5 months.... we just didn't have the balls to talk to it on national TV.  As he always does, he told it like it is. If you didn't do the job, it's time to leave. Some pundits called his talk "awkward."  I thought it was truthful, amusing and unscripted.  I'm glad I tuned in and he, as always, went ahead and made my day!!!

It's a Conspiracy..I'm sure of it

THIS IS HAPPENING RIGHT HERE IN OUR OWN COUNTRY! We Must Stop This Immediately! Have you noticed that stairs are getting steeper. Groceries areheavier. And, everything is farther away. Yesterday I walked to the corner and I was dumbfounded to discover how long our street had become! And, you know, people are less considerate now, especially the young ones. They speak in whispers all the time! If you ask them to speak up they just keep repeating themselves, endlessly mouthing the same silent message until they're red in the face! What do they think I am a lip reader?I also think they are much younger than I was at the same age. On the other hand, people my own age are so much olderthan I am. I ran into an old friend the other day and she has aged so much that she didn't even recognize me. I got to thinking about the poor dear while I was combing my hair this morning, and in doing so, I glanced at my own reflection. Well, REALLY NOW - even mirrors are not made the way they used to be! Another thing, everyone drives so fast these days! You're risking life and limb if you happen to pull onto the motorway in front of them. All I can say is, their brakes must wear out awfully fast, the way I see them screech and swerve in my rear view mirror.Clothing manufacturers are less civilized these days. Why else would they suddenly start labelling a size 10 or 12 dress as 18 or 20? Do they think no one notices? The people who makebathroom scales are pulling the same prank. Do they think I actually 'believe' the number I see on that dial? HA! I would never let myself weigh that much! Just who do these people think they're fooling? I'd like to call up someone in authority to report what's going on -- but the telephone company is in on the conspiracy too: they've printed the phone books in such small type that no one could ever find a number in there! All I can do is pass along this warning: WE ARE UNDER ATTACK! Unless something drastic happens, pretty soon everyone will have to suffer these awful indignities. PLEASE PASS THIS ON TO EVERYONE YOU KNOW AS SOON AS POSSIBLE SO WE CAN GET THIS CONSPIRACY STOPPED! PS: I am sending this to you in a larger font size, because something has happened to my computer's fonts - they are smaller than they used to be. Thanks Stella... forewarned is forearmed

Blue Moon-The Marcels-1961

Blue Moon

   

The full moon is this Friday, August 31, 9:58 A.M. (ET). This will be the SECOND full Moon of the month, commonly called a Blue Moon, and this event occurs about every 2.5 years. Hence the term...."Once in a blue moon!"  I'm not a beer drinker but I can occasionally take one for the team.  So Friday night, I think we should have a Blue Moon party.  We can buy lots of Blue Moon beer, lots of oranges (cuz I've seen people stick an orange wedge in their bottle) and I just happen to have a huge jar of washable blue paint......which any and all inebriated individuals (or not) could paint their butts and proudly display their own personal blue moons. I have two anonymous people in mind that I know would love to attend.....right Lori and Resa Dee?  OK, they may have matured in the last 33 years, I'm not 100% sure...but enough Blue Moon could uninhibite almost anyone.....if you don't puke first (sorry Stella!) So, if you have no plans for the opening night of Labor Day week-end 2012, bend on over to EIEIO, join us for a few BM's......( now really... you knew I meant blue moon) and end the month with a good old fashioned salute.  Don't worry, I would never take a photograph or post it anywhere in the world wide web.... (unless I had a camera or an iPhone)

http://www.youtube.com/embed/7giOrKYIwpQ"

 

Political Humor

I've decided that the only thing I will garner from this political season is humor. Humor makes everything a little more palatable..Even an unattractive man is desirable if he has a good sense of humor. The only attribute that may surpass that would be intelligence but I've seen some pretty pathetic smarty pants!  I am already so over this presidential campaign season.  I don't like Obama (or Black Obama as Bailee calls him with absolutely no malice of forethought.) I'm not over the (blue) moon with Romney. I'm not a fan of Paul Ryan.  Democrats bore me and Republicans scare me. I'm screwed!! This is certainly not a good year to teach young adults about the necessity of politics and voting.  One thing I am sure about is that a President is an expensive figure-head and accomplishes absolutely nothing...whether you're an elephant or an ass!  Our futures are in the hands of Congress and if that doesn't scare you, walking through a corn field in the pitch dark to the hum of a chainsaw should be a piece of cake!  The only good thing about campaign season is the jokes, the billboards, the bumper stickers and the laughter !  Some people, somewhere should be in advertising.  How sad that our only choice in voting is to choose the lesser of 2 evils.... This year I may just vote for humor so if there's someone out there with that last name... you get my vote!

Together

Wow, even a tractor pull is fun if we're all together!  Saturday we spent the afternoon in Sempronius at the Dorr Reynold's Memorial Tractor Pull.  Papa pulled the Oliver out of retirement for the day and we watched him huff and puff down the track... well actually the tractor...not him.  His pit crew (Tim, Kevin and Jeff) was on hand to do the heavy lifting....both weights and Bud Lights.... Papa didn't take home the big prize this year but we had fun and we were together..... sometimes, that's all that counts!!!

The Nest

Looking forward to the next week when all the chicks will be either in or nearby the nest.  Not the web-footed, lay an egg, cock a doodle do kind but our actual chicks... Upright and on 2 feet.... (hopefully.)  Jeff is waiting to board in Philly as I type and my girls just stopped in for a morning hello....and to collect eggs for their breakfast!  Things just seems right with the world when they're all here..Jeff's pretty excited to be going to Sempronius for a tractor pull tomorrow with his Dad.  He's such a good actor..I think he may have missed his calling!!!  We'll be busy with a family birthday, bonfires, lots of food and whatever else Bailee can conjure up for the week.  I'm sure some shooting and golf will land in the week somewhere.  I'm off to the grocery store to gather supplies.... diet mountain dew and 3 olives cherry vodka.....or is it 3 cherries olive vodka?  I always get that confused!!! Happy Week-end All... and remember to just be who you are...is so much easier!!!

Class of 2024

Meet some members of the class of 2024.... Wow, will they be riding to class in space ships?  I graduated in 1970 and in elementary school we thought that was light years away!  We had a fun day yesterday.  3 classmates joined Bailee for a day of T-shirt making, lunch and relaxing in the theater watching Dr. Seuss's , "The Lorax!"  Allyssa Gettel, Allison Kehoe (B's cousin) and Allie Manning helped kick off back to school time! Katelynne Lamphier was invited but her family was heading out to Disney for a few days.  We couldn't compete with Mickey even if we were all a little Goofy!!!
All we'll have to do is blink and they'll be standing here as Seniors....... here's hoping I'll still be here to invite them all back for lunch and a movie..... Good Luck in first grade girls!!  You will R-O-C-K !

You don't remember?

What do you mean you don't remember that?  Oh, you're only 18... I forgot!

I just saw a FB post that wished the state of Hawaii a "Happy Birthday!"  So I checked to see when it became a state...1959... Wow, guess I didn't realize there weren't 50 states forever!  So I checked to see what this fall's college freshman never lived with.....or without.

1. "Caramel macchiato" and "venti half-caf vanilla latte" have always been street corner lingo.
2. DNA fingerprinting and maps of the human genome have always existed.
3. Freshmen have never worried about a Russian missile strike on the U.S.
4. Having hundreds of cable channels but nothing to watch has always been routine.
5. John McEnroe has never played professional tennis.
6. Second-hand smoke has always been an official carcinogen.
7. Clint Eastwood is better known as a sensitive director than as Dirty Harry.
8. Fergie is a pop singer, not a princess.
9. Computers have always had a CD-ROM disk drive.
10. Nirvana is on the classic oldies station.
11. Freshmen have never pointed to their wrists to request the time.
12. Reggie Jackson has always been enshrined in Cooperstown.
13. Korean cars have always been a staple on American highways.
14. "Viewer Discretion" has always been an available warning on TV shows.
15. Freshmen never twisted the coiled handset wire aimlessly around their wrists while chatting on the phone.
16. Czechoslovakia has never existed.
17. Bud Selig has always been the Commissioner of Major League Baseball.
18. Toothpaste tubes have always stood up on their caps.
19. The Post Office has always been going broke :-)
20. Silicone-gel breast implants have always been regulated
21. Most freshman knew Magic Johnson was HIV positive before they even knew he played basketball
22. They have no idea what RSVP means( I know a few adults who don't either)
23. 2 20 something police officers in New Jersey stopped Bob Dylan and had No idea who he was!
24. They've never known a world without Internet, flat screen tvs or chocolate chip cookie dough ice cream!
25. And, they've never used a card catalogue, lived without Cartoon Network, or seen a war unfold anywhere but on TV...

I guess we shouldn't really feel old.... We're intelligent enough to realize that age is irrelevant and it's just culture that's changing so damn fast. So don't feel "out of it"... We're the only ones who know we're really the "In Crowd!"  (Right Dobie Gray?)

News from the Hen House

Well, we all made the move to our new house.  It's taking some of the girls a little longer to get adjusted.  There are only 6 bedrooms and sometimes a few of the gals are trying to double bunk......not working too well... We'll all get the hang of it pretty soon.  One silly girl even laid her egg on the floor this morning while another couldn't find the "perfect bed" (she's so picky) so she just dropped the darn thing right out in the pen...  The other girls were so stinkin' curious they started pecking at it... Hey, I wonder if that's where "hen pecking" came from? Anyway.... it was a big night for the guys. They decided to fly the coop and explore EIEIO. I heard some chatter yesterday from the "lady of the house" about you'd better put a top on the pen...They'll fly out...especially now that they have more runway!" The man, Leroy, told her they couldn't fly that high and they'd be fine!  As we girls always knew.....the lady was right....again!  Today they're back here covering our pen with this cool green netting... We like how everything matches!!

Easing into Fall

It'sssssssss comingggg..Thank God!  cooler nights, breezier days, football, school shopping, new TV episodes on the horizon and fewer creepy crawlers and flighty nippers!  I know insects are an integral part of life (my friend David reminds me often) but I'm not sure it's that integral in MY life!  As of late, I'm checking the yellow pages for a "cricket whisperer!"  He was spending some time in the photo closet and has since moved to my den. He obviously enjoys the same shows I do and was a vociferous fan during last night's Steelers/Colts game.  He was up most of the night and appears to be napping now:-)
Since moving to the "country", I've met more than my share of insect world members.  Deer flies are particularly attracted to us as are bees and mosquitoes.  Here are some friendly tips and insights from one of my favorite reference books (next to the dictionary that is), the Farmer's Almanac.

Bee Stings If you have a history of severe reactions to insect stings, call emergency medical services. If the stinger is still present, remove it immediately. Gently scrape the skin with a credit card, your thumbnail, or a blunt knife. Don't pinch the stringer with your fingers or tweezers because this could squeeze more venom into the skin. Apply ice or cold packs to constrict the capillaries and reduce swelling. Clean the area with soap and water and apply a hydrocortisone cream or a mixture of baking soda and water. If no other treatment is available, just scoop up a handful of mud and hold it on the sting until the mud dries or apply a slice of onion to the spot and hold it for a minute or so. Mosquito Bites Male mosquitoes feed only on nectar, whereas female mosquitoes nourish their developing eggs with protein rich blood. Mosquitoes prefer to bite ankles and wrists, where blood vessels are nearer to the skin's surface. Mosquitoes spit an anticoagulant under our skin, leaving us with whatever disease they're carrying (encephalitis, malaria, West Nile virus, yellow fever). That's scary! Lemon Eucalyptus oil can be used to repel mosquitoes. Cool the area of the bite to constrict the capillaries near the skin's surface and reduce swelling. Try a cool compress. Remember not to scratch the bite; this will only make it worse. To eliminate the itch, rub on meat tenderizer or lemon juice. White vinegar is another remedy for relieving the itch of insect bites. Apply it in full strength. Don't use vinegar if the area is raw. I know most of you are not ready for fall and winter but we need some frosts and freezes to keep the bug cycle of life on track.  My favorite part of that cycle is the part where they die from the cold.  I can put on a sweater..... thankfully, they can't!

Chick Condo

If you produce, you get a new roost..... They did and ........they did!!!  They've yet to move all their belongings into their new digs but expecting the move will take place this week-end.  It takes awhile to pack you know!  We haven't quite figured the perfect placement for the new coop but it will be in the walnut grove and facing the house so we can watch them........(watch them "what", I'm not sure!)

Bailee loves the chicken condo....When she walked in she said..."hmmm this needs a few homey touches like some scented candles and a couch!"  She is my granddaughter after all and everything needs a decorator's "homey touch!.  Which made me think, once again, about the possibilities of my little culture cottage.  It wouldn't need to be but twice the size of the chicken condo.... we could get the same colors (although we're changing the trim colors to beige), bring electricity to the walnut grove and relax in harmony with the chicks... We would however need an easterly wind to carry the aroma of chicken  crap away from our cottage... Now I know why she wanted those scented candles! She is such a forward thinker!

Update:

All you need to know in and around EIEIO and those who frequent here!

• We have TWO eggs...!! Another appeared yesterday afternoon♥
• Their new digs should arrive this afternoon.  (Had I known that Lee would fork over his hard earned money that easily, I'd have laid an egg!
• A field of sunflowers is a glorious thing.
• Steve Harvey ( our rooster) needs to have his pecker removed....the one he actually pecks with!!  and it appears they actually DO that!
• The lawn is alive and thriving..Thank you Mother Nature!
• Crickets chirp loud enough for Lee to hear them!
• Our table is abundant with fresh vegetables. Thank you local Farmer's Market!
• Jeff will be home in 1 week !!!!!!!!!
• A family of blue jays has moved in.. They're noisy, hungry and very colorful!
• EIEIO is remarkably more joyous with the laughter of a 5 year old!
• Christmas shopping is full steam ahead.
• Halloween costumes are complete.
• November birthday plans are in the bag.
• Fans are off...windows are open.....Aaaahhhhh
• All is well..... at least for today!

IT ARRIVED!!!!!!!!!

We are SO excited to welcome our very first egg into the family. Lee was feeding the chickens this morning and found our newest addition.  I immediately called Jess and Bailee and they were here in a flash (she said with camera in hand.)  We were immediately followed into the hen house by who we assume to be the proud Mama...and it's Bailee's "girl."  We have yet to weigh it or measure it's length and thankfully it has no hair.  It's now resting comfortably in it's cardboard crib waiting for a few more siblings to arrive.  It was a priceless morning for sure.... After all, we figure it's about a $600 egg!!!

Papa was so excited that he's thinking they deserve their very own real henhouse with a back door to easily collect their "deposits!"  The homecoming could be as soon as tomorrow!!!

Savings by Surfing

Shopping around actually pays!!  When we were in the process of building our house, I shopped....a LOT.  I had decided that I wasn't going to skimp on what I really wanted so I knew I needed to hit the Internet.  I found some beautiful marble tile that I wanted for the great room entry.... It was only a 10 by4 ft area so not too bad.  It was going to be $4?.00 PER TILE... It was exactly what I wanted so I began to search....and I found it at half the price... I started my entire decorative designs with a single, colorful, glass trim ring for our recessed lighting.. It had all the subtle colors for my room, oranges, red, greens and ambers.....by the time I finished searching, I had found the chandelier for the dining area and the entry, the sconces to flank the sliding doors, the pendant lights over the sink and even the giant ceiling fan lights...  Anyway, you get my point.... surfing is literally priceless... I bought all of our sinks online, my draperies, rods and some of the tile.  The sites for tile are amazing.  You can even design your own patterns and colors....So...here's an example of savings by surfing.

I bought beautiful walnut cabinets for the kitchen.  With the kitchen being part of the Great Room, I wanted to incorporate all kinds of elements to the room...wood, metal, leather, fabric, glass.  I decided I wanted the old fashioned glass door knobs and pulls...... so I searched....They were just coming back into style and the Home Stores (Lowe's and Home Depot) were beginning to carry them for $15.00.. for 2.... Yikes, I needed a lot!  So I searched online...Hmmm..Miles Kimball...really? I ended up buying them for $8.?? for packs of 4 knobs or 2 pulls.... Much better.  This week we got a new buffet at the auction.... The drawer pulls were hideous...So back on my board I climbed (my broom was already parked) to search for ones to match the kitchen.
Here were my discoveries:

Van Dyke's Restorers                                              Pulls      $12.49           Knobs        $8.49   a piece
       ( 9 colors)

Home Depot/Lowe's                                                 Pulls      $ 8.99             Knobs        $3.98   a piece

Miles Kimball ON SALE                                        Pulls      $ 1.92 for 2    Knobs       $1.92 for 4
                                                                                                          PRICELESS

Glass Knobs Set/4

With the popular look of vintage Victorian glass, our knobs and pulls update everything from bedroom dressers to kitchen cabinets - transforming flea market finds into cherished treasures. Knobs (Set of 4): 1" long x 1" wide x 1 1/4" high. Pulls (Set of 2): 4 1/4" long x 1 1/4" wide x 1 1/4" high.

$11.99
Sale: $1.92

Glass Pulls Set of 2

With the popular look of vintage Victorian glass, our knobs and pulls update everything from bedroom dressers to kitchen cabinets - transforming flea market finds into cherished treasures. Knobs (Set of 4): 1" long x 1" wide x 1 1/4" high. Pulls (Set of 2): 4 1/4" long x 1 1/4" wide x 1 1/4" high.

$11.99
Sale: $1.92

I never left the house, I didn't spend a nickel on gas, I found exactly what I needed/wanted  and I saved $142.00 from Renovators, $ 65.00 from Home Depot. Now I can afford to go buy something else:-)  Lucky me, I can shop till I drop...as I'm already in my chair!!

Don't panic.. the walls really aren't lime green...actually gold..kind of..

Corn Sweet Corn

Give me a helping of corn on my plate, some corn chowder, or even scalloped corn and I'll politely refuse.  Give me a small kernelled, butter and sugar, steaming hot piece of sweet corn dripping with butter and salt and it's full steam ahead for me.  WTH....I really think the deciding factor is the butter and salt but for whatever reason, it seems to appear on our table nightly..when we eat at home at least. We have great fun watching the fields across the road from planting to harvesting and every year we say we're going to grow our own "next year."  It probably isn't gonna happen....especially seeing as we seldom get around to picking weeds in the flowerbeds and we bitch daily about having to feed and water the chickens.  It's all fun until you have to do it!!!  It appears there's a lot more to not only growing the crop but also the purchasing, cooking and consuming it.  Here's a short primer on "Knowing your corn."
There are 3 categories of sweet corn:  Standard, sugar-enhanced and super-sweet corn! 
*   Standard converts to starch quickly so should be eaten soon after picking... varieties are: Country Gentlemen, Silver Queen (one of my favs) and White Magic.
*   Sugar-enhanced  have a higher content of of sugar and can be eaten several days after picking.  You'll find these varieties at Farmer's Markets:  Temptation, Silver King and Argent.
*   Super Sweet-corn maintains a very high sugar content for 8-10 days after picking and usually ends up in grocery stores and cans! These would be Devotion, Tahoe and 81W, 372A and 378A.  Personally I'd much rather nibble on Silver King than # 81W.
Now that you know the varieties to search for, here are a few pointers on choosing just the right ears... They should be plump, lots of silk and tightly wrapped husks. I have traditionally not been drawn to anything that wasn't wrapped too tight, I like silk and I can, in my old age, deal with plump!!! When you get him home, I mean it, slightly dampen a paper towel and rub it from top to bottom...this will remove the silk _______!!!( and anything else it might be wearing...) By that time, it should practically cook itself:-)  remember, "it's usually the heat that makes it sweet!" (unless, of course, it shrivels first..and yes, I speak from experience!
And most of all... if it's "knee high (or low) by the 4th of July, it's gonna be a great summer!!!

Game Face

"I'm going to beat you Grandma!".............and she often does.  The other day I was extolling the virtues of saying yes.  We say "no" to kids at all the wrong times.  No is good...."No you can't play in the road..No you can't eat 3 candy bars before dinner......No you can't ride in the front seat...and so on! But "no" isn't good when you're asked by a child to play a game. The only thing that trumps reading with yours kids ( and grands) is playing games.  They learn sportsmanship, the art of graceful losing and joyful winning, counting, money, taking turns, patience and a plethora of other aspects of gamesmanship.  Bailee is the consummate checkers player.  It makes no difference if you're playing with red and black discs or Princess pieces, she is into the game.  I marvel at her ability to analyze and anticipate the consequences of each move.  She has fairly and squarely beaten me several times!  Last night her Mom beat her twice and there were no tantrums, no whines and no tears...I think that's pretty good for a 5 year old..  After supper, when asked if we could play "Birdopoly," (an old, avian enthusiast's Grandma version of the die hard Monopoly), my head said " no" but my heart said "yes!"  "Sometime, Grandma you need to teach me to be the banker!"  In no way did she know how much she learned about counting money and adding and subtracting in that short 45 minutes.  She did however; learn to acquire property and the sheer joy of taking away my hard earned money for rent!! Maybe the housing market won't be her downfall! 
We play lots of card games and board games.  We have many races in the yard where I generally lose.............and  I'm driving the golf cart!!! :-(. We've entered one of my favorite gaming seasons, FOOTBALL and I'm teaching her all I know (minus the 4 letter words).  For a few years, she actually thought the refs were really called zebras!!
Sportsmanship is so important! I'm excited that she's excited about the love of all kinds of games.  She told me yesterday that she couldn't wait for school to start so she could see Mr. Langtry..... He's her gym teacher..  She's gained a lot of balance and stamina over the summer as well as the importance of her game face... If she isn't picked on a team or she makes a bad move, she'll just sluff it off and move forward.. because that's the name of the game!!!

"WHY?"

1. Is it good if a vacuum really sucks?

2. Why is the third hand on the watch called the second hand?

3. If a word is misspelled in the dictionary, how would we ever know?

4. If Webster wrote the first dictionary, where did he find the words?

5. Why do we say something is out of whack? What is a whack?

6. Why does "slow down" and "slow up" mean the same thing?

7. Why does "fat chance" and "slim chance" mean the same thing?

8. Why do "tug" boats push their barges?

9. Why do we sing "Take me out to the ball game"

when we are already there?

10. Why are they called " stands" when they are made for sitting?  

11. Why is it called "after dark" when it really is "after light"?

12.. Doesn't "expecting the unexpected" make the unexpected expected?

13.. Why are a "wise man" and a "wise guy" opposites?

14. Why do "overlook" and "oversee" mean opposite things?

15. Why is "phonics" not spelled the way it sounds?

16. If work is so terrific, why do they have to pay you to do it?

17.. If all the world is a stage, where is the audience sitting?

18. If love is blind, why is lingerie so popular?

19. If you are cross-eyed and have dyslexia, can you read all right?

20. Why is bra singular and panties plural?

21.. Why do you press harder on the buttons of a remote control

when you know the batteries are dead? 

22. Why do we put suits in garment bags and garments in a suitcase?

23. How come abbreviated is such a long word?

24. Why do we wash bath towels? Aren't we clean when we use them?

25.. Why doesn't glue stick to the inside of the bottle?

26. Why do they call it a TV set when you only have one?

27. Christmas - What other time of the year do you sit in front of a dead tree and eat candy out of your socks?

28. Why do we drive on a parkway and park on a driveway ?

I dunno, why do we?

And we wonder why it's so darned difficult to learn the English language!!!

To Be..or Not to Be

Once again as I lay in bed last night, I was thinking about my friend Kyle spending the day with her grandson yesterday...No Mommy or Daddy or even Grandpa.  Just one on one Grandma/Jack time!!Thinking about what an awesome time in our lives..right now is!  ........and thinking about some of my friends and family that have consciously or due to circumstances beyond their control chosen (maybe chosen isn't the right word)  not to have children. Those who made that choice are intellectual, compassionate people who undoubtedly gave it much thought. Often careers or personalities or even age have contributed to this life decision.  I wholeheartedly support their decisions....................BUT...................then a horrible thought overcame me.... These same intellectual, compassionate people will never be grandmas and grandpas.  I can't imagine life without this opportunity I have cherished for almost 6 years. I sometimes think I just might spoil her a little too much (some have said she really didn't need an iPod, laptop and a Nook at 5.....who asked you, Jeff? :-)  Then I see what a smart, caring, perceptive little whippersnapper she is and I can answer with surety..."Nope she's good!"   I provide my share of wisdom, humor and discipline as well... Hopefully, she'll always remember our times reading and singing, the silly things we always do and the time Grandma cancelled the Florida trip for a less than stellar report card (behaviour not academics) and a mischievous prank is the school bathroom....at 5...really? (Believe me. that hurt me as much as it hurt her:-(  Nonetheless, I'm sad that my friends and family that made that choice "not to be", will never experience the unconditional joy that being someone's Grandma gives me.  I guess if they ever tune in to my blog, they can get their dose of Grandma stories..or maybe overdose!!!  

Stranger Danger?

I received this from a wise woman the other day....Pretty clever!

A few years after I was born, my Dad met a stranger who was new to our
small town.. From the beginning, Dad was fascinated with this enchanting
newcomer and soon invited him to live with our family. The stranger was
quickly accepted and was around from then on.

As I grew up, I never questioned his place in my family. In my young
mind, he had a special niche. My parents were complementary instructors:
Mom taught me good from evil, and Dad taught me to obey. But the
stranger... he was our storyteller. He would keep us spellbound for
hours on end with adventures, mysteries and comedies.

If I wanted to know anything about politics, history or science, he
always knew the answers about the past, understood the present and even
seemed able to predict the future! He took my family to the first major
league ball game. He made me laugh, and he made me cry. The stranger
never stopped talking, but Dad didn't seem to mind.

Sometimes, Mom would get up quietly while the rest of us were shushing
each other to listen to what he had to say, and she would go to the
kitchen for peace and quiet. (I wonder now if she ever prayed for the
stranger to leave.)

Dad ruled our household with certain moral convictions, but the stranger
never felt obligated to honor them. Profanity, for example, was not
allowed in our home - not from us, our friends or any visitors. Our long
time visitor, however, got away with four-letter words that burned my
ears and made my dad squirm and my mother blush.

My Dad didn't permit the liberal use of alcohol but the stranger
encouraged us to try it on a regular basis. He made cigarettes look
cool, cigars manly, and pipes distinguished.

He talked freely (much too freely!) about sex. His comments were
sometimes blatant, sometimes suggestive, and generally embarrassing. I
now know that my early concepts about relationships were influenced
strongly by the stranger. Time after time, he opposed the values of my
parents, yet he was seldom rebuked ... And NEVER asked to leave.

More than fifty years have passed since the stranger moved in with our
family. He has blended right in and is not nearly as fascinating as he
was at first. Still, if you could walk into my parents' den today, you
would still find him sitting over in his corner, waiting for someone to
listen to him talk and watch him draw his pictures

His name?....

We just call him 'TV.'

At 60, this stranger is often my best friend. He makes me laugh, makes me cry, helps me decorate, massages my brain and sometimes just helps me pass the time!  BUT at nearly 6, TV is often as influential and sometimes detrimental as it is enjoyable to me.  Here's an example:

We were going down the road the other day and a Mama doe and her two babies came out of the woods.  Jess yelled, "Deer!", I slammed on the brakes and Bailee proclaims.... "Hurt in a car, Call William Matar..444-4444!"  I rest my case!

Movies for (the) all Ages!!!

I love movies.  I love going to the movies. I love movies and theaters so much that I made one of my very own ( a theater not a movie:-).  Yesterday the girls (Jess, B and Grandma) travelled back to the Ice Age.  It was a hot and hazy Sunday afternoon and we decided to cool off on the ice.  It was delightful!  The theater was filled with families that even included Dads!  Today's PG movies , animated and live, are made so well that the adults enjoy the subtle humor as much as the kiddos.  The big belly laughs were as enjoyable to hear as the little tummy ones!  Who would think that a giant crustacean eliciting a giant "Holy Crab!" from a talking molehog would make an entire theater chuckle out loud!!! There were no whines from boredom or tears from being sleepy.  Everybody had a fun 2 hours.  Maybe the 30 minutes of trailers could be shortened so old Grandmas didn't have to sit still for 2 full hours but other than that...no complaints!  The many film studios should be proud of the movies they are producing, the actors they acquire and the messages they impart.  Yesterday's movie really was entertainment for the whole family and who can argue with that!!!..... get my drift?   (you had to be there!)

Creative Jonesing.....

As I whined about yesterday on Face Book, I'm Jonesing about some kind of project.  I've become a bit obsessed with makeovers and designing...nothing huge but yearning for another creation.  Unfortunately, my obsession is larger than my wallet but not larger than my ideas.  I like color but I strayed from my fall classic neutrals when I did our bedroom and bath suite.  I slipped into blues, aquas and returned with a bit of my comfort zone in light sage.  I like it... a lot! It's calming and classy in one fell swoop! I have a plan for the stairway to the man cave and I could probably accomplish it myself  but I like my painter and he's so much faster than I...and neater! It will be very cool when it's finished.
 It's always a joy to get the affirmation that you're on the right track when decorating (although everyone is entitled to drape, paint and design in the way that makes them happy.) Yesterday, I was perusing one of my favorite sites...BHG.com when I saw this photo above.... Hmmmm, a paisley chair, burnt orange striped curtains, hunter green walls and hardwood floors!  It looked vaguely familiar and quite classy if I do say so myself... and I did!  Here's my reading nook below:-)

I have a thing for lighting. My whole house was designed around the light. One decorative recessed ring for the great room, one mosaic light for the guest room, awesome sconces for the theater and the light you see behind the chair used to be the stopping point on our cottage banister.  When the new owners of Overbrook decided to rebuild, they were gracious enough to let me keep the bottom stair post.  Tom Lust constructed a base and Lee wired it... I now have a piece of my childhood to light up one of my favorite corners.

I have a couple of spaces in the basement that could be "something else" but I'm not sure what and a purpose is important.  Maybe I need to buy a house and make a couple of classy apartments.  I'm just not sure there are enough appreciative renters in the area to maintain them in a manner I'd demand!!  Oooo, that sounded elitest, didn't it... Oh well, for the meantime, I'll just keep ripping out magazine pages, bookmarking items and websites and enjoy a few what ifs!

It works!

This is perfect for Grandmas and a good lesson for Moms.  I know that Moms set the rules and Grandmas bend them but........relationships have changed (in a good way, I think) over the years when it comes to how parents interact with their kiddos. I think my favorites on this list are : *Say yes as often as you can..... No, although it has a time and place, is a negative word. *Encourage silly..Grandmas aren't the only ones who like to have their hair done by little girls, sing silly songs in your outside voices and make tents in the living room. *Teach feelings... it's as important to allow anger, disappointment and sadness as it is to celebrate happiness.  And the most important is * Stop yelling....if you consistently raise your voice, they will follow suit. Take a deep breath and make your point calmly and they'll listen a lot more.  * Express your love....that's a no brainer... you can't say it too often... I don't remember ever hearing it until I had been on this earth over 5 decades.... Nobody should wait that long..(once again, I think that was a generational thing..it was just assumed.) 
Grandkids will seldom question the love of their Grandmas and Papas but may, on occasion, wonder about their folks...  There should never be a time when that enters their minds or their hearts.... These few simple, silly rules will see it doesn't happen.....pretty easy eh?