this and that

2010-02-13T21:30:00.006-05:00

I really miss Mr. Sunshine. It's been cold, cloudy and snowy for weeks. I heard we are to have 2 more weeks of the white stuff.

This past week has been one filled with birthdays. My daughter's youngest, Caramia, turned 2 on the 9th and my son's youngest, Josie, will be 1 on the 15th. We celebrated her birthday today. I will post pictures when I get copies from my kids. I had my small camera today, but the batteries went dead. Bummer!

2010-01-24T18:42:00.003-05:00

The week before Christmas we were hit with a big snow storm. Family was in here from North Carolina and Florida and not prepared for all the white stuff. Before we could let the kids go out and play in the snow we had to improvise with snow gear. Take a close look at their "boots" or lack thereof. To keep their feet dry we tied plastic bags over their shoes. We called them the WV hillbilly boots!!

The kids had a great time with their snowball fight.

The following picture gives a better illustration at the amount of snow we got. It was a dry snow which helped everyone getting around town.

This past week has been dark, dreary and rainy. I've spent most of the week lying on the sofa trying to get over a cold I got from washing my car last Saturday. Some sunshine would really help me feel better.

New Beginnings

2010-01-07T20:07:00.001-05:00

With the new year most of us are looking for new beginnings. This year new beginnings has been forced upon me. Last month I lost my husband. He had been ill for several months which was why I haven't been blogging. This is the first week I've been by myself since his death. I keep thinking he'll walk in any minute.

I'm looking forward to reconnecting with my blogging buddies.

Prayer Request

2009-11-11T08:08:00.003-05:00

I just received an email from Aaron, one our blogging buddies husband, to let me know Renee' from A Path of Joy and 2 Peas in a Pod is in the hospital with multiple blood clots in her lungs. Aaron called this condition bilateral PE. Please add Renee' and her family to your prayer list.

I met Renee' shortly after I started blogging and have developed a deep and meaningful relationship with her. If anyone would have told me I could develop this type of friendship through blogging I would have said they were crazy. Renne' is an RN and home schools her two boys, Little Pea and Big Pea.

I'll keep you updated as I learn more about Renee's condition.

Too Busy

2009-11-04T18:08:00.010-05:00

Have you ever had weeks like this????

Each time I think I'll get back to blogging, life throws me another curve. It's been so crazy here I haven't had the opportunity to go see my daughter in Charlotte for over a year. Boy, I miss them so much!

Hope everyone enjoyed their Halloween. The weather here was perfect which led to hundreds of kids coming by. Brian and Amber brought their girls over to go trick or treating. I haven't uploaded the pictures I took, so I'll post those another day. The girls looked so cute. Josie is now 8 months old and is trying to walk. She pulls herself up and walks around the furniture but hasn't figured out how to take off on her own. It won't be long.

PLUS

Let me share a little bit of wisdom with you. A cellphone and a washing machine do not mix:) A few weeks ago my cellphone managed to find itself into my laundry. While putting the wet clothes in the dryer I felt this horrible sick feeling coming across me. There in my washer was my cellphone.....how could this happen. Often I carry my phone in my back jeans pocket. I must have left it in my jeans and that 's how it ended up with the dirty laundry. Knowing my cellphone was probably dead.I remembered watching Abby from NCIS drying a cellphone with a hair dryer. I did this and was excited that when I recharged the phone it came on. Then I learned none of the functions would work. I went down to the ATT to see if they could dry it out or do something to salvage my phone. They suggested putting it into a bag of rice overnight. This didn't work either. Now I was in a position to get a new phone. Since my contract was up I was eligible for a free or very inexpensive phone. I went with another Motorola because I loved my Razor and was told my car jax and earbud would fit. My car jax does work, but the ear bud doesn't. This new phone is very cheaply made, but it was free, so I'm not complaining too much.

Happy Fall

2009-09-28T18:16:00.002-05:00

Today was a perfect fall day. The sun was shining down on my face and the air was crisp. I was out all afternoon enjoying the day and braving the grand opening of a new store, Magic Mart, in our local mall. Don't know if you have this store in your town, but it has a little bit of everything, like Walmart, but it has name brand clothing, shoes, handbags, and off brand furniture.

A few weeks ago we experienced a sudden storm and it rained buckets! During this storm hubby opened the garage door and we got unexpected company. These beautiful dogs ran in to get out of the rain. I didn't recall these dogs from our neighborhood so I called a couple neighbors to see if they knew who they belonged to. I know I would be worried if my dog was out in this storm. No one knew them so I just figured they were from an adjoining development. When the rain stopped we tried to shoo them out of the garage, but they wanted to stay. Whenever I would go inside they would race to the door to come into the house. My dog, CC, stayed in the house and growled knowing there were strange dogs in her garage.

When I uploaded this picture I wondered why the left side of the picture was uneven. It is because the freezer is standing there. If you look closely you can see the freezer, but don't look at the messy garage. I said don't look!!

Back to my story. When all efforts failed to shoo the dogs from the garage when the rain stopped, I suggested hubby to walk out on the driveway and call the dogs and then I would I close the garage door. This worked. I thought hubby would come in through the front door, but he sat out in his truck until the dogs left. Men!!!

I am going to try very hard to get back to blogging on a regular basis. Hope you all are doing well.

It's Back to School Time

2009-08-26T17:55:00.005-05:00

Today was the first day of school in my neck of the woods. I still get excited about this day even though I no longer have kids going to school. At this time of year I enjoy walking down the school aisle at Walmart looking at all the colorful school supplies. I can almost smell the paste and the ink from the highlighters right now.

My DIL Amber sent me a few pictures of Kati all ready for her first day of school. She is starting second grade. Dot the cat wanted to be in the picture too.

My daughter Nicole will be sending me pictures the end of the month. That is when she downloads all the pictures for the month to share what they have been doing. In the meantime, here's a picture from last month of the whole family. Starting from the left is Nicole, Carson, Bret, Caison, Campbell and in front Caramia. Carson is in third grade, Caison is in preschool and Campbell is in first grade. Everyone thinks Caison and Campbell are twins, yet Campbell is 18 months older than Caison.

I have more news. My youngest grand daughter Josie said her first words last week. She said "Hi Dada". She is growing so fast. She is rolling over and over and over and doing the belly crawl and pulling up on furniture. She is only 5 1/2 months old.

That's about all for now. Hope everyone is doing good.

2009-07-28T10:34:00.005-05:00

This past weekend was hubby's annual family reunion. The get together began with a dinner on Friday evening for the immediate family, which was about 25 of us. Saturday was the reunion and Sunday most of the immediate family hung out at one of the aunt's summer home. Most of his family lives in Florida. The reunion is for his father's side of the family and three of his aunt's are still living.

Aunt Myrtle is in very good health except for her memory. She lives in a nursing home here in West Virginia.

Aunt Ada lives in Louisville, KY with her daughter Jane and her husband Jimmy. We just learned she has congestive heart failure and must be on oxygen in order to live.

And, shoooo, don't tell anyone, my favorite is Aunt Delvia and Uncle Les. They live in Florida, but spend their summers here in West Virginia. The are both in very good health. Can't believe uncle Les turned 90 this year.

This story wouldn't be complete without a picture of hubby and his sisters, Anna Lee, Mary Lou and Donna all live in Florida. He has one more sister Patty who lives in Hawaii. Hubby is the youngest, then Anna Lee, Donna and Mary Lou and Patty. I know, hubby doesn't look very good. This is part of the reason I haven't been blogging. He has had a rough few months. I'm glad he was well enough to go to the reunion.

I sure miss you guys and will return to blogging full time real soon.

Catching Up

2009-07-06T19:08:00.008-05:00

I wrote this post last evening and am posting it now since my camera is now recharged so I could upload the pictures.

Almost another month has gone by since my last post. I truly am trying to get back to blogging but life has been standing in the way. I've been taking a few pictures in hopes of obtaining inspiration to blog.

I hope everyone had a great 4th of July holiday. As most of America was having hot dogs, hamburgers, steaks, etc. on the grill, hubby and I had crab legs. By dinner time it was beginning to rain and I suggested the crab legs. They were sooooo gooood! I can't remember the last time I prepared crab legs. I bought them about a week ago not thinking we would be eating them on the 4th.

This evening I was out in the garage when I saw a bird fly into hubby's truck that was sitting on the driveway. I walked over to make sure it was ok. It was a baby who looked as if this may have been his first flight. His feathers were fluffy which is a good indicator for his age. The poor little thing just sat there looking at me without too much fear.

Mom was sitting in the tree beside the truck and was chirping constantly as if to tell the baby to get away from me.

Later it waddled into the garage and my dog CC had just come out to see what we were doing. You can see from this picture the little bird is still learning to walk, let along fly.

When CC saw the bird she was very curious and approached the bird with caution.

Just as the perfect shot presented itself my battery went dead. CC almost nose to nose with the bird. I ran into the house to grab my point and shoot camera but the battery was dead on it too. I was surprised the bird wasn't afraid and of course CC was just curious. Had the bird made a move CC would have run to get into the house.

Ok, 45 minutes has now gone by. I wanted to double check if hubby had closed the garage door when we came in. Not....when I reached out to close the door I could hear the baby somewhere in the garage and Mom and Dad were flying hysterically in front of the garage door. I could hear the bird chipping but couldn't find it. Finally I saw the lawn mover bag move and knew the bird was inside the bag. I've never taken that thing off and when I started moving it about the baby started screaming and Mom and Dad where flying into the garage squawking at me. The bird got out the flew behind some containers on the floor. To hurry up this story, I was finally able to encourage it out of the garage by gently moving it with a feather duster. The family is back together and I'm pooped!

I feel like I preformed a huge heroic task since I'm afraid of birds.

Seeing Red

2009-06-08T08:25:00.003-05:00

WOW!! It's been a month since my last post. I have sat down and tried to come up with something interesting to blog, but have been totally blocked. This won't be very interesting hearing about the last month, however I guarantee you will have a big belly laugh.

Are you wondering what the title to this post means? I decided to make a change in my life. Usually when I want to shake things up I buy an expensive purse. Spending money is a great therapy for me. Instead of spending money on something I don't need I thought I would dye my hair red. Ok, I know you are probably thinking....no she didn't do that. In order to prove that I am now a redhead I took my camera into the bathroom to take a self portrait. Before you look at this picture let me prepare you. I have not had a shower, no makeup and I'm in my pj's. I know if I get cleaned up before taking the picture I will not get back to this today. I did brush my teeth, so you won't smell morning breath.

Do you have any idea how hard it is to get a picture of yourself in a mirror? To further illustrate this I have included a couple other shots.

And, how do you not look like a total dork!!!!! Look at those eyes....I look like I just saw a ghost. These pictures further demonstrate why I won't walk out to the mailbox without my makeup. But you guys are my friends and won't hold it against me for posing naked....that's how I feel without makeup. Right????!!!!

I didn't tell hubby I was going to dye my hair red. Actually, he doesn't like it, but he won't admit that to me. His best trait is he never says anything negative about my appearance. Later that evening we were watching NCIS and he said, "Now I know why you dyed your hair red. Gibbs loves redheads". You have to watch the show to understand that.

So not to leave you in total terror, I'm showing a couple pictures of Josie I took last week. With Brian working out of town, Amber drops Josie here so she can run errands. The blanket she is sitting on was made by my Mom or her twin sister. It was made for my kids. She is so much fun and is trying her best to talk. Don't you wonder what goes through their little minds? It hard to believe she is almost 4 months.

Here I think she is thinking, "Please Mawmaw, is this the last picture?"

Now I'm going to stop by your place to see how your summer is going.

2009-05-06T16:12:00.002-05:00

I love illusions, and this is a good one. Looking at the picture below you will see Albert Einstein. Now get up and walk a few feet away from your screen and look at the picture. Now you will see Marilyn Monroe.

I'll be back in full swing of blogging soon. Sure miss you guys!!

Easter Pictures

2009-04-30T18:20:00.003-05:00

I've been so busy lately that blogging has taken a back seat. I have some new Easter pictures of my grandbabies I want to share with you.

First are my WV girls.....Kati and Josie

It's hard to believe Josie is now 2 months old. She is smiling and cooing. I had the opportunity to watch her on Sunday so my son, Amber and Kati could take the boat out. Turned out the water was filled with debris so they could not ski.

Kati is now 8 years old. She just got a new dirt bike and had to show me how she was learning to ride. Her bike is just like her Daddy's. When she learns to ride he will take her out on some trails.

Now for my NC babies.

Caison is now 4 years old and is as tall as her brother Campbell who is 6.
She is going to be a tall girl. She is so girlie now.

Carson, Caison and Campbell coloring Easter eggs.

Caramia showing off her rabbit ears. She turned one in February.

Carson turned 8 in April and this was taken at his party at school.

Hope you enjoyed the pictures of my grandbabies. I will be around to see what you've been doing within the next couple days.

2009-04-23T05:56:00.000-05:00

Life is good!!!! I've been doing a happy dance after learning my son will be staying in WV. He accepted a different job in the state, so he will not be moving to OK. He will still have to move, but he'll only be 2 1/2 hours away. I can live with that.

This week I got the last of my stitches removed and learned I am cancer free!!! God is good!!

I've started making a quilt for my daughter. I was hoping to get it completed before I go visit her next month. Don't think it going to happen! I'm doing the pinwheel pattern and trust me......it will be the last quilt I make with all triangles. I'm going to try the log cabin next.

The weather this week has been unbelievable. Yesterday it rained most of the day, with occasional spurts of hail, then the sun would come out with a beautiful blue sky. Then it would start all over again. Very strange. We will be having a very warm, if not hot, weekend. I'm planning on buying my bedding plants this weekend and possibly getting a few planted.

Wishing you all a very pleasant weekend.

2009-04-15T15:36:00.003-05:00

I want to thank those who have left comments and those who have emailed me asking if I'm ok. It has been awhile since I have composed a post because I've had a lot weighing on my mind lately, but I want to let everyone know I'm ok.

I'm through with my surgeries. I've had the first set of stitches removed on Tuesday and I'll get the others removed on Tuesday next week. The stitches have been itching like the dickens!!!! I found Daddy's back scratcher which has helped so much. The doctor got all the cancer so I won't need any further treatment. Praise God!!

We were hoping my daughter would be coming in this week for the Easter holiday. It ended up that her husband had to work this week. It's been several months since I've seen her and the kids. I'm planning on going to Charlotte next month to witness Carson's first Communion.

Things are still up in the air about my son employment. He was offered a job here in WV and we were all thrilled even though he would be taking a pay cut and losing other benefits that he now has. The company that he works for is requiring him to move to Oklahoma City by June. Through their negotiations the company decided not to buy his house which would create a financial burden on him. Now they are saying they will because they want him to make the move with the rest of the company. He has been on an emotionally roller coaster for weeks. To make things worse he has been suffering with severe allergies. Tomorrow he is having a CAT scan to hopefully learn what is causing the problems. He has been on antibiotics for three weeks. This is not something new, it has taken this long for a doctor to take this a step further.

This is a picture my son took of his cats on his boat. Look like the cats are ready to put the boat in the water.

And, here's a picture of his girls. Josie is getting so big. She's smiling and cooing at what you say. What is the world am I going to do if she ends up in OKC??

I bought some material this week to make a lap quilt for my daughter. I made one test square out of scrap material and it didn't turn out very good. I was wanting to make the pinwheel design with a blue and white material. I'll post whatever I decide to make. I want to have it done to take to Charlotte with me next month.

2009-04-06T19:38:00.005-05:00

My dear friend Shirley over at Ma Ma's Place gave me this lovely award a few days ago. I apologize for taking so long to post it. Shirley and I are almost neighbors and would have never met without blogging. She's a mother, grandmother and great grandmother. She just received a new great grandbaby a couple weeks ago. You can see we have a lot in common. I hope one day this summer we will finally meet. It is such an honor to receive this award..... thank you Shirley.

Here is what is said about the recipients of this award.“These blogs are exceedingly charming. These kind bloggers aim to find and be friends.They are not interested in self-aggrandizement. Our hope is that when the ribbons of these prizes are cut, even more friendships are propagated.lease give more attention to these writers." Deliver this award to a few bloggers who must choose a few more bloggers and include the message.

It is so hard to select only a few bloggers for this award because I feel all the blogs I read are so deserving. I will select only three, but I want all my regular readers to feel free to take this award. Just let me know and I'll stop by.

First is Marsha at Just Some Thoughts. Marsha and I have so much in common. I wish we didn't live so far apart. She lives in Louisiana and I'm here is West Virginia. I believe we met doing a weekly meme. After reading her posts I found we have so much in common. Children and grandchildren and photography. I have learned so much from her.

Next is Renie at Renie Burghardts World. Renie lives in "The Woods" and shares many pictures of the beautiful wild life that lives out her back door. She is a freelance writer who shares many of her entertaining short stories on her blog.

And the third award goes to Renee at Three Peas In A Pod. When Renee and I met through blogging there was an instant friendship. Renee homeschools her two boys and works as a hospice nurse parttime. Renee is a child of God has a tremendous love of home and family and is a great friend.

Thought I would let you all know what's been happening in my world. Two weeks ago I had an appointment with my dermatologist to have, what I thought were moles, removed from my right shoulder blade. These things came on fast. I first noticed one in mid January and the second one in February. They continued to grow so I thought I better have them removed. As I said I thought they was moles. My doc shaved them and the biopsy came back squamous cell. They had an opening last Thursday to have them surgically removed. I was told my insurance would only pay for one, but if I came back the next week to have the other one surgically removed my insurance would pay the 80%. I had the first surgery on Thursday and I'll have the next one tomorrow. When I called my insurance to check on this I was tempted to ask if I needed triple by-pass would I need to have them done with three separate surgeries.

I'm hoping my dermatologist has the results from Thursday's surgery. If the cancer has not gone into my lymph nodes I'll be fine.

It was beautiful here over the weekend. This past week I bought I swing with a canopy for my back deck. Hubby and I put it together on Sunday and enjoyed the early evening enjoying the swing. My dog was very curious about the "thing" on the deck. I encouraged her to jump up with me. She was unsure of the motion, but then laid down very close to me and enjoyed the ride. Last night a cold spell moved in and we may get snow flurries tonight and tomorrow. I guess this will be our Easter storm.

ps: I has taken me over an hour to get this post accepted with Blogger. Don't know what I've been doing. Let's hope when I hit publish this time it will goooooo.

2009-03-29T16:37:00.004-05:00

It's been so hard for me to sit down and blog. I've been having problems trying to wrap my mind around the fact my son is moving to Oklahoma. I only pray that this is part of God's plan for him. I have been keeping busy trying to keep from thinking about the move.

Yesterday a friend and I went to the American Civil War reenactment that is held at this time each year. Putnam County West Virginia was involved in two combats during to the Civil War. One was the Battle of Scary Creek on July 17, 1861 and the other was the Blue and Grey Skirmish at Hurricane Bridge on March 28, 1863.

All the costumes were authentic of clothes worn during this time period.

Even the children participated in this event.

rThis guy was more than willing to pose for the camera.

He and a friend even put on a little show for the camera.

Don't you think this is a very good likeness of Abe and Mary.
Mary is a cousin of my friend who went to the reenactment with me.

Here the men are getting ready for battle.

These beautiful horses provided a tour of the grounds for the public.

I'll try to post more pictures tomorrow. After spending a couple hours looking around we decided to go see the movie Duplicity. I love Julia Roberts and have been looking forward to seeing this movie on the big screen. I was really disappointed. If you have seen this movie, what is your opinion.

Happy Birthday

2009-03-16T08:20:00.005-05:00

Happy Birthday
to my two favorite ladies

First is my Mom.
She would have been 96 today.
Mom died on February 5, 1980 at the young age of 68.
I feel robbed from being able to know Mom in my adult years.
I was only 33 when she died. Oh, I miss you so much.

Happy Birthday Mom.
I love you!!!

This is Jill, one of my BFF!!!
Jill and I met in the early 1980's and hit it off immediately.
We have laughed and cried until to wee hours of the morning.
She has been right by my side through the good and the bad.
She would kill me if I told her age.
All I can say is she signed up for Medicare last year.
Doesn't she look great?

Happy Birthday Jill
I love you!!

2009-03-13T10:45:00.003-05:00

An article on the front page of today's newspaper made me think once again, "Only in WV". Before I tell you about this story I want to make it very clear I am not making light of this man's death.

The headlines read "Man Put to Rest in His '67 Chevy Truck". This 50 year old man was shot and killed in a domestic dispute in February.

According to his son, his father always said he wanted to be buried in his truck. To honor his father he arranged for him to be buried in his truck wearing camouflage, and accompanied with his favorite Old Timer pocketknife and a Remington .243-caliber deer rifle. The burial site is on the deceased property. In order to meet certain regulations involving environmental issues some modifications had to be made of the truck, the engine, transmission, fluids and tires needed to be removed and the gun had no shells.

The son commented, "We gave him a truck with no tires. We gave him a gun with no shells," He'll be s-t out of luck."

You can read the full story and see a picture of the truck in the grave here .

2009-03-10T15:46:00.004-05:00

Last Friday my daughter shamed me into sitting up a Facebook page. What I find amusing is she just signed up recently and has taken it on with great enthusiasm. I'm so puzzled how the whole thing works. Immediately I was connected with almost my whole family. How did it know where to find these people?? Well, you can now find me there.

This is the picture my daughter is using on FB page. I think this is a great picture of her family.

And, my son has this precious picture of Josey on his page. Sunday she will be celebrating her 1 month birthday!!!

It's Looking LIke Spring

2009-03-07T17:04:00.004-05:00

Today has been an absolutely perfect!!! The temperature has risen to almost 80 degrees with no humidity, lots of blue sky and sunshine. All my windows are open to take in the fresh air. I spent part of the afternoon trimming the shrubs. It felt so good to be outside and enjoying this perfect weather. Guess what I found peaking out from the ground. My day lilies!! This is a sure sign that spring is just around the corner.

I have a lot of yard work to do. We have pin oaks in the back yard and some of those leaves have fallen and there will be more very soon. I'm also wanting hubby to put in a raised bed in the backyard for a garden. I know its early to begin planting, but I would like to get the bed ready now so I can get my vegetables in the ground in May. It will most likely take hubby that long to build a raised bed. Men!!!! lol

Hope you are enjoying your Saturday and don't forget to SPRING ahead tomorrow!

So Sad

2009-03-01T20:34:00.006-05:00

This is how I've been feeling the past few days. So far the tears haven't poured, but my heart is breaking! My son recently learned he will be transferred to Oklahoma City by June. He moved back here from Alabama almost 3 years ago. This was the first time one of my kids lived near by in 15 years. Since my son moved back he met a wonderful girl, got married and now has a precious daughter, Josey who is 2 weeks old. I have gotten so attached to this sweet baby and now she will be moving away. The company my son works for has also offered him a good package if he would choose not to move; however the package to move is far better. The next couple weeks he will be exploring other options, but the package he has been offered to stay with the company would be hard to turn down.

I spent this afternoon with my son and his family. I want to spend as much time as I can before he moves away. My greatest fear is once he moves he will not be coming back to West Virginia because there are few opportunities in his field here.

Last week in bible study we learned a new word Peripety which means "The sudden turn of events that reverses the expected or intended outcome of events." Peripety is the hinge when destiny changes. I've been thinking of this word all week and how it has touched my son, his family and me.

Until next time.

2009-02-26T09:03:00.002-05:00

Now I know why I can't lose weight!!!

2009-02-22T14:19:00.006-05:00

We have been experiencing heavy snow sprawls all day. It will snow for a few minutes then the sun will come out and melt the snow. As you can tell from these pictures we are not getting a lot of accumulation.

Yesterday I spent the afternoon with Josey. Brian was conducting a photo session with her when I arrived. She didn't want to cooperate....she just wanted to sleep. Brian isn't a professional photographer; however, he is very very good and uses professional equipment and his pictures are professional quality. I took these pictures and I will post some of his once he uploads them to his website.

And, here's Maw Maw holding Josey. Have I told you lately just how adorable she is?

Tomorrow evening I have my Esther bible study. I missed last Monday because of Josey birth. I'm enjoying this study because Beth Moore has a way of bringing the pages to life. Tomorrow we will be hearing the part of the banquet Esther gives for her King and Haman and how Haman will be killed.

At the back of our workbook is a recipe for Hamantashen (Haman's Ears) Cookie which I am sharing with you.

2 sticks of margarine (softened)
2 cups of sugar
2 large eggs
2 tsp. vanilla
4 tsp. baking powder
4 cups wheat flour OR 2 cups white all-purpose flour and 2 cups wheat (All white works well too)

FILLING: Apricot preserves. You can use and fruit butters, jam, or pie fillings. Traditional fillings are poppy seed and prune.

1. Cut butter into sugar. Blend thoroughly. Add eggs and blend thoroughly. Add flour, 1/2 up at a time, blending thoroughly between each.
2. Put the batter in the refrigerator overnight or at least a few hours.
3. Roll it out to about 14 inch thickness and then cut circles with a cookie cutter or use a drinking glass. (From Beth: Make them at least 3 inches in diameter so you have room to fill and fold them over!)
4. Put a tablespoon of filling in the middle of each circle. Fold up the sides to make a triangle, overlapping the sides as much as possible so only a little filling show through the middle.
5. Bake at 375 degrees for about 10-15 minutes, until golden brown.

The recipe does not mention when to add the vanilla or baking powder. I would assume to add the vanilla with the eggs and the baking powder with the flour. I haven't made these cookies but one of the ladies at study group made them and said they were very good. Hope you enjoy!!

2009-02-16T09:08:00.001-05:00

Meet my newest grandbaby.
Josey Beth

She arrived at 4:31 a.m. on February 15, 2009 and weighed 7 lb. 12 oz and 21 inches long. Amber called me at 9:00 p.m. the night before to let me know they were headed for the hospital. Amber's Mom, Dad, Katie and I were at the hospital waiting for Josey to make her appearance. At one point the nurses thought it was a false labor. After a couple hours of observing her she went into full labor.

This is Brian, my son, with his daughter Josey.

This is Amber, the proud Mommy with her daughter Kati, the proud big sister.

**************************

Today is President's Day. What does President's Day mean to you? In looking through the local newspaper, one could easily conclude that the modern holiday was created by merchants, just so they could hold their annual Presidents' Day sales. If you're a non-traditionalist, and believe that Presidents' Day should, in fact, be used to honor all American presidents, then you'll enjoy this slide presentation.

Les 44 présidents des Etats Unis
by thony911

I Did It

2009-02-14T10:47:00.004-05:00

Yes, I finally finished my quilt. I have learned one thing from this project....I'm not a quilter, but I plan to be with practice. I worked without a pattern because that's the way Mom made quilts. I wish the colors were more realistic in this picture. I just used my point and shoot camera and didn't do any modifications in PSP. At least you have an idea what it looks like. The colors are actually very vivid.

In the 1970's my Mom began making my daughter an umbrella girl quilt. She died before she was able to finish it. In the 1980's I took the pieces to a lady to piece it together for me. I wanted to do the quilting myself. I am now going to finish that quilt as my next project. I also bought more material to start another quilt. You could say the quilting bug has bitten me.

Happy Valentine's Day Everyone!!

Happy Birthday Caramia

2009-02-09T08:14:00.005-05:00

Look who's ONE today!!!

Caramia

Happy Birthday sweetheart!!

This picture was taken when I first met Caramia.

I sat for hours holding her and dreading to know that
I had to leave her. It's hard having your grandbabies
5 hours away.

I love you!!!!

Happy Birthday!!!

2009-02-06T09:33:00.003-05:00

My friend Susan at Learning for Lifetime needs our help. Her sons have entered a video contest which is sponsored by CBS. Their video is in the top five. The winner will be shown on the Grammy's. Rush over to Susan's where she has the link to cast your vote. Also, tell all your friends to vote!

Hurry.....the top five will be announced at 3:00 p.m. today!!!

Friday Fill Ins

2009-02-06T07:07:00.001-05:00

1. Please don't tell me I can no longer blog.

2. Can you please not talk to me too early in the morning?

3. The color yellow makes me want to play!

4. I have a craving for popcorn.

5. If my life had a pause button, I'd pause it before making most decisions.

6. Eyes are the window to your soul.

7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to finishing the piecing of my quilt, tomorrow my plans include studying the book of Esther and Sunday, I want to hang out with one of my girlfriends!

Movie and More

2009-02-04T12:45:00.007-05:00

This past weekend I saw "New In Town" staring Renee Zellweger and Harry Connick Jr. It's a romantic comedy set

in Minnesota where the small town's major employer, a yogurt plant, comes under layoffs by executive Lucy (Renee Zellweger) from Miami. Lucy is sent to Minnesota to help the plant become more efficient. That, of course, means layoffs.

During our own stressed economic times we can identify with companies shedding employees. Harry Connick Jr. plays the union representative and is there to let Lucy know what a hard job she has in front of her.

I thought the best part of the movie revolved around Lucy's interaction with the women from the small town and experiencing good old fashioned values of friendship and community. This is a no brainer movie...boy meets girl and you know how it ends. Even though it is a predictable movie it was cute. I would only recommend this movie if nothing else was on and you really wanted to go to a move.

Again I had to reschedule my appointment for an ultrasound. We got more snow last night and may get another 1 - 3 inches today. I also had to reschedule my appointment with the urologist. I may be able to get these tests sometime before spring.

Amber is seeing her OB every week and learned on Monday Josey is in position and weighs 6 lbs. 2 oz. Isn't it amazing doctors can tell the weight of the unborn baby. Amber and Brian are so excited to welcome this precious baby into the world. MawMaw is pretty excited too!!!! Josey's due date is March 4th, but we know they can come anytime.

I'm almost through piecing my quilt and should be able to start quilting tomorrow. I'm not going to do this one by hand. I'm already looking at more fabric for my next quilt. This is so addictive!

A Meme

2009-01-31T08:48:00.003-05:00

Being snowed in all week, lack of sunshine, and just doing the same ole same ole, I've been struggling to be motivated to blog. I haven't even been visiting. After receiving an email from my girlfriend Jill telling me to put down my quilt and start blogging I thought I better get a post up right away. For lack of anything interesting, I thought I would post this meme I had saved. I don't remember where I saw this, but here goes.

What kind of soap is in your bathtub right now?
A bottle of Dove liquid soap. My dermatologist told me to use only the bar of Dove, but I prefer the liquid.

Do you have any watermelon in your refrigerator?
Not this time of year.

What would you change about your living room?

I'm considering turning my living room into a sewing room. I never use the living room for anything but reading, so I thought I would install glass doors and move my sewing machine and computer into the living room. There is no rule a living room has to be a living room. Right!

Are the dishes in your dishwasher clean or dirty?
Dirty. I didn't have a full load to turn it on last night after dinner.

What is in your fridge?
Not much since I need to go grocery shopping. Besides the normal condiments, there is milk, juice, leftover salmon patties, salad fixings, butter, etc.

White or wheat bread?
White.

What is on top of your refrigerator?
A wine rack, a casserole carrier and dust bunnies.

What color or design is on your shower curtain?
Cream with embroidered flowers made from ribbon.

How many plants are in your home?
Two, and that reminds me I need to do a post about one of them, because it is almost 20 years old. (I'll save this story for another day).

Is your bed made right now?
No, I don't make the bed until after I shower. I'm still drinking coffee and blogging.

Comet or Soft Scrub?
Both, there are times when Comet is a must.

Is your closet organized?
I recently cleaned my bedroom close and it looks sooooo gooood! As for the other closets...no way.

Can you describe your flashlight?
We have one of those that never needs batteries, you just shake it for 20 seconds and it comes on, and a variety from pen lights to spot lights.

Do you drink out of glass or plastic most of the time at home?
Glass, I don't like plastic.

Do you have iced tea made in a pitcher right now?
Absolutely!!!

If you have a garage, is it cluttered?
Is there such a thing as an uncluttered garage???

Curtains or blinds?
Both

How many pillows do you sleep with?
I sleep with two pillows and them must be a combination of feather and down.

Do you sleep with any lights on at night?
Not in the bedroom, but there is a nightlight room freshener in the hall.

How often do you vacuum?
Once a week unless more is needed.

Standard toothbrush or electric?
Standard.

What color is your toothbrush?
Orange.

Do you have a welcome mat on your front porch?
I don't have a front porch, just steps. So the answer is no.

What is in your oven right now?
Nothing, but I would like to have some muffins baking.

Is there anything under your bed?
When I was single I kept a baseball bat under the bed and I still keep one there.

Chore you hate doing the most?
I hate to unload the dishwasher.

What retro items are in your home?
Retro or antique? When I think of retro I think of the 50's. For retro I have a telephone stand, and for antiques, I have a washstand, filing cabinet, oil lamps, wall telephone, bed, kettle that was used for cooking over an open fire, and several other items.

Do you have a separate room that you use as an office?
No, my desktop computer is in my bedroom. Another reason for redoing the living room.

How many mirrors are in your home?
Seven.

Do you have any hidden emergency money around your home?
Absolutely, I always keep mad money.

What color are your walls?
The guest bathroom is blue, my kitchen is yellow and I need to paint the rest of the house which is an off white.

Do you keep any kind of protection weapons in your home?
Hubby has a few guns and of course my baseball bat under my bed.

What does your home smell like right now?
Probably like my dog. I can smell my coffee.

What kind of pickles (if any) are in your refrigerator right now?
What kind of question is this? Bread and butter, dill, sweet and jalapeno.

What color is your favorite Bible?
Purple

Ever been on your roof?
No

Do you own a stereo?
No.

How many TVs do you have?
Three. One in the greatroom, one in the bedroom and one in a cabinet in the kitchen.

How many house phones?
Four

Do you have a housekeeper?
No.

What style do you decorate in?
I don't know what style I use, but it is just things I like.

Do you like solid colors in furniture or prints?
I have both.

Is there a smoke detector in your home?
Yes. There is one in each room.

In case of fire, what are the items in your house which you’d grab if you only could make one quick trip?
Probably my computer because that is where my most important information is stored. My critical documents are in a safety deposit box at the bank.

Hope you enjoyed reading this meme. Right now I'm going to have breakfast then I'll be around visiting.

Have a great weekend.

2009-01-27T15:43:00.004-05:00

I appreciate everyone who has stopped by and left me comments. I haven't been a very good blogger lately. I recently bought material to make a queen size quilt and that's about all I've been doing. Before I began I asked hubby if he would oil my old singer sewing machine because it hadn't been used for years except when I finished the baby quilt. After he worked on the machine it wouldn't work. (No further comment here).

I began thinking I could probably buy a new one for what it would cost to get it fixed. I didn't want a computerized model, just something that would sew a straight line and zigzag. After doing some research I thought the best bang for my buck would be a Kenmore or a Brothers. I started out a Wal-Mart looking at the Brothers then went on to Sears to check out their Kenmore. I ended up with this one. I definitely wanted a self-threader. I have yet to get that to work. This machine sometimes makes a banging noise when I'm sewing a longer seam. The thread breaks often and the upper thread gets tangled in the bobbin. It could be the operator, but I don't think so. I plan to keep working with it and see how it goes. If I continue to have problems I'll take it back and get another one.

Here's part of the quilt top I'm working on. I think the colors and designs looks like a vintage quilt. Never in a million years did I think I would enjoy quilting. It's now a new passion with me. My great niece has been making quilts for over a year and selling them at the Flea Market. I guess it just runs in the family.

We woke up this morning to about 3 or 4 inches of snow. Schools in the entire State were closed today. It is beautiful and I'm glad I didn't have to go anywhere today. The temperatures are suppose to rise this evening making the snow turn into rain. Hope this happens since I have to go out tomorrow for an ultrasound. My back has been hurting and my doctor thinks it is my bladder or kidneys. My urinalysis showed a high level of blood, so here I go with all these tests again.

I'm a Winner

2009-01-23T09:09:00.007-05:00

Look what came in the mail yesterday.

I bet you are wondering what is in this cute valentine bag.

I recently entered a contest "Whirl Into Winter Giveaway" on Quilting Nanny's blog to win this adorable picture quilt. Since making the baby quilt I've been bitten by the quilting bug. If you are wondering why I haven't been blogging much lately, I've been reading everything I can find on quilting.

Not only did I receive this precious picture quilt, also included in the Valentine bag was a pattern to make other sewing projects, 4 fat quarter fabrics and other sewing items, an adorable Trick or Treat pattern bag for one of my grandbabies, (I'm going to have to find more of these so all my grandbabies can have their own bag), a magnetic note pad, an angel pin, craft buttons, a red heart case for my rotary cutter, another case for my scissors made from a potholder, pin cushion, yellow quilted quilting journal, covered photo album, green tissue holder and much more. Do you see those little pony tail holders in the lower right hand corner? There are to be put over your bobbins to keep the threads from falling off the bobbins. How clever is that?

When Sandy, at Quilting Nanny contacted me about winning her giveaway we learned that we are neighbors.....well, almost. She lives in Parkersburg, WV which is about 2 1/2 hours from me. We are going to work on getting together sometime this summer. This will be my first opportunity to meet a blogger. You need to stop by Sandy's to see all the marvelous quilting projects she has made. She is a seasoned quilter!!!! You can also see individual photos of all the goodies I received.

I am so overwhelmed winning all these lovely goodies. Thanks so much Sandy.

Out with the Old, In with the New

2009-01-20T09:57:00.003-05:00

Today the world's eyes are on Washington as a new President will be sworn in as leader of the United States. Regardless of any one's political views, today we stand together and celebrate this historical event.

While watching the festivities on TV I began thinking of an inaugural ball I attended in the late 80's. It certainly wasn't for the president of the United States, but it was for the Governor of West Virginia. I asked, now hubby, if he would like to accompany me to the ball. There were about 10 -12 of us who attended together. Prior to the ball we met at an upscale restaurant for dinner. In order for all to arrived at the ball together, we hired a limo to take us to the civic center where the ball was held.

Please, no hate mail.....yes, that if real fur and it was still acceptable to wear fur in the 80's. I still have that coat but never wear it. I must say that is the warmest coat I have ever owned.

Didn't we look dashing !!!

Baby Shower

2009-01-19T09:47:00.008-05:00

Saturday afternoon was Amber's first baby shower. It was a great success. We had the shower in the cafeteria of the church where she works. There were about about 35 people there which included family and a few of her close friends and the girls from work. I'm hesitant to post pictures of anyone other than family. She got most of the essentials that she needs. Between baby clothes she saved from Kati and those Nicole has sent her, she's in good shape as far as the clothes.

The theme of the party was polka dots.
One layer of the cake was chocolate and one vanilla.

This is Amber's Mom, Sharon.

This is Allyson, Amber's sister.

Here's Terrie, my niece who got married 3 weeks ago.
Her daughter, Katie got engaged on January 12,
on her birthday. They are planning a July wedding.
Katie had to work and couldn't attend the shower.

This is Kim, my niece with her granddaughter Reese. Doesn't Kim
look too young to be a MawMaw? And, do you realize Reese
is my great, great niece. Doesn't that make me sound old?

This is my niece Lisa who is Kim's sister.

Next weekend the church where Amber grew up is having her another shower. I'm planning on attending and looking forward to meeting the people that have know Amber all her life.

I can't believe it's been a week since I wrote a post or came by to visit. I've been busy this week with the shower, studying Esther and reading everything I can find on quilt making. I'm wanting to make a queen size quilt; however I think I need to do another small project before I dive into something that big. I thought I might do place mats or a table runner for my kitchen.

It's Tough Being a Woman

2009-01-13T09:06:00.003-05:00

Last night was my first night for studying the book of Esther with Beth Moore. This study is entitled "It's Tough Being a Woman". If you have never taken a Beth Moore bible study I want to know, what are you waiting for?!?!?

We have a large group of 25-30 ladies. Looking around the room I didn't know one single lady except for the moderator. My church is large for such a small town. We have two Sunday morning services to accommodate all the members. I go to the late 10:30 service because I'm not a morning person.

One of the ladies in the group will be going to Haiti on a missionary trip in the near future. Someone asked her if there were any items she needed us to collect for her trip. She said she needed the generic Monistat because the women suffer with yeast infections. She went on to say she goes into the Dollar Store and picks up every tube they have and is looked at curiously. Then she asks when will they be getting their next shipment. The entire room roared with laughter. This is a fun example of the problems women encounter.

When I got home last night I couldn't wait to start my bible study. I began thinking back to when I was in school and thought how marvelous it would have been to have electrifying teachers who would inspire us to run home and dive into diagramming that sentence or write a report on the Elizabethan era. Since I can't go back in time I will dive into the study of Esther with great enthusiasm.

Blue Monday

2009-01-12T16:09:00.007-05:00

This is my first Blue Monday. I commented to Sally I would participate but I don't have very much blue. When she visited my blog, low and behold I had blue and she suggested I go ahead and play. Visit Smiling Sally to join in.

This is my 1967 blue Singer sewing machine. This past weekend hubby and I drug it out of storage so I could complete a baby quilt I've been working on. The sewing machine hasn't been used for year and I was surprise that it still works great.

Since the baby quilt has blue I thought I would share it with you too. It's for my grandbaby, Josey, who is due the end of February.

There's far more detail about these items in my next post, but I didn't want to bore Blue Monday participants. And, thanks Sally for pointing out I do have blue around my house!!!

2009-01-12T11:20:00.006-05:00

Over the weekend hubby and I managed to carry my sewing machine out of the unfinished bonus room from upstairs. This machine was purchased in 1967. Is this an antique or what?? The machine was sitting too close to a window upstairs which faded the cabinet. The dark circle is from a coaster sitting on the cabinet, so you can tell how much the finish has faded. Perhaps I can paint the cabinet in the spring.

The machine had not been used in years and I was worried it may longer work. I discovered the needle was rusted and fortunately I had a few replacements. After thoroughly cleaning the machine and several attempts of threading the machine it was the time to turn it on and see if it was going to work. I don't remember the eye of the needle being so small, or could it be my eyes aren't as good as they use to be? I took a piece of dark material and used light thread and hit that foot pedal. Oh my gosh....it worked!!!!

The reason I needed the sewing machine was to finish Josey's baby quilt. I had finished all the quilting and was ready to bind it. I did all the quilting by hand. Trust me, the next quilt I make will be done by machine. The hand quilting takes a lot of time.....but it was done with love!

I didn't have a clue how to bind the quilt so I took it over to the quilting shop last week and asked for help. The lady cut the strips for binding for me and pinned it to the quilt showing me how to begin, how to make mitered corners and how to finish it. I took pictures of each step before I unpinned everything in order to press the pieces and start sewing the strips together. I learned the strips are to be cut 2 1/4 inch strips and all the sewing is to be done at 1/4 inch seams. I do ok with 5/8 inch seams and can't say this is true for my 1/4 inch seams. After sewing the binding onto the quilt I wasn't happy with my 1/4 inch seams, which were more like 1/2 inch plus, so I hand whipped the edges down. There is so much more to making a quilt than I imagined. I now have an even greater appreciations for quilters.

Here's my finished quilt.

I have learned you need the right tools, you don't just buy material and sew it together and there is a lot of skill to making a quilt. The quilting shop is going to have classes starting next month and I will be there. I enjoyed making this little quilt and can't wait to start another project. My next project is going to be finishing an umbrella girl quilt that my Mom started in the early 70's before she got sick and died. She was making the quilt for my daughter.

Amber's first baby shower is this coming Saturday at First Presby where she is the assistant administrator for the pre-school. The next shower will be the next Saturday in her hometown of Madison. I can't wait to hold Josey who will be here the end of next month!!!!! Get prepared for lots of pictures!!!!

This evening I start the bible study of Esther: It's Tough Being a Woman by Beth Moore. I'm anxious to hear Beth compare the challenges Esther faced with modern women. I'll keep you posted on the study.

Friday Fill-ins and Other Stuff

2009-01-09T08:20:00.006-05:00

1. It's January; and I'm training myself to write 09.

2. An unstuffed nose is what I crave most right now.

3. Cork and wine go together like pb and j.

4. Homemade soup is so nourishing.

5. Let us dare to forgive.

6. Comfortable describes my home.

Inspiration is one thing that I've been unable to find for blogging. I've been keeping busy but I feel my daily stuff hasn't been blog worthy.

I must tell you about a conversation I had with my grandson Campbell whose birthday was on Monday. I called him Monday evening to wish him a happy birthday. He had not received my present to the conversation went like this.

"Hi MawMaw, are you going to send me a present?"

"Yes sweetheart, it's in the mail and you should get it tomorrow. Will you forgive me for getting it in the mail late?"

"How much was Carson's legos?"

"They were about $100".

"Does PawPaw have bills?"

"He has a few."

"Will you ask him to give you bills so you can buy me Legos like Carson?"

"Don't you like the Legos I got you for Christmas?"

"Ask PawPaw to give you bills."

I got both boys the large Lego sets for Christmas. For Carson I got the Agents which has over 1000 pieces and for Campbell the Indiana Jones because he loves Indiana Jones, which had about 800 pieces. I felt I needed to get both boys large sets so Campbell wouldn't feel slighted. After talking to Nicole I learned Carson, who is 8, put his set together in just a few days and was able to play with it and Campbell has been unable to assemble his set. She said Carson was going to help Campbell put his set together then he'll be able. I felt so bad.

Wednesday was my day to pick Kati up from school. When we got home we were trying to decide what to do. I don't have toys here for her to play with so I suggested we go to Walmart and pick up a few things for her to keep here. When we pulled into the parking lot Amber called and said she was on her way to get Kati because it was snowing in Charleston and she was afraid it would be bad to drive later. I told her we just pulled into Walmart so she said she would meet us there. By the time we finished our shopping there was about 2 inches of snow. The wind was blowing and we could hardly see a few feet in front of us. I live maybe 2 miles from Walmart so I knew I could make it home, but I was worried about Amber and Kati until we crossed I-64 and there was barely any snow. That was less than 1/2 mile. Guess the weatherman knows what he is talking about when he says snow north of I-64. lol Thursday morning we woke to about 2 inches and since the temperatures have been low the snow is still here.

Thanks for reading my babbling! I need some INSPIRATION!!!

Happy Birthday Campbell and Other Things

2009-01-05T20:22:00.011-05:00

Today is Campbell’s 6th birthday. Happy Birthday sweetheart and your gift is in the mail. It's hard coming up with a birthday present this soon after Christmas, but I managed.

Campbell is so incredibly smart and loves school. His teacher says he's a model student.

Hope everyone had a nice weekend. On Saturday I went to see Marley and Me with a girlfriend. We were told there was some very sad moments, so I sat there anticipating bad things to come. It was a delightful funny movie!

On Sunday I found myself being a total couch potato. I ODed on Lifetime movies and managed to prepare a nice dinner.

Monday I took my baby quilt over to the quilting shop for the owner to show me how to bind the quilt. I finished the quilting before Christmas and am now getting around to finishing the quilt. I’m glad I went over there because had I done it my way it would have been wrong. I will need to do the binding with my sewing machine which is in storage in our bonus room. Hubby is experiencing another gallbladder attack and is unable to help me carry it downstairs. My son will be coming over later in the week to bring it down for me. Once it's finished I'll post a picture. This quilting shop is going to be having quilting classes starting in February. I plan to sign up so I can learn the correct way to make quilts.

As I was straightening up yesterday afternoon I noticed I had not taken my Christmas cards off my bulletin board. I sat down and read each one again. I just can’t bring myself to throw them away. I was reading somewhere how to make tags out of your cards. I thought this would be a great way to recycle them. Another thing I thought of was to cut the front off the card and send to someone as a postcard. I’m sure there are dozens of ways to recycle Christmas cards. What do you do with your cards?

2009-01-02T09:02:00.005-05:00

1. The world is a wonderful temporary home before heaven.

2. "CC, do you need to go out" was the last thing I said.

3. I wonder wonder wonder wonder who, who wrote the book of love.

4. Who knows what's at the end of all things.

5. There's something to be said for keeping things simple.

6. A warm tropical beach is where I want to be.

7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to shopping with DIL for baby shower decorations, tomorrow my plans include exchanging a Christmas present, and Sunday, I want to sign up for the Ester bible study!

Happy New Year

2009-01-01T13:53:00.002-05:00

Wishing everyone a happy and prosperous New Year!!!

This is the time of year when most people sit down and evaluate their lives and write resolutions to improve their lives for the new year. I only have one.......make NO New Year resolutions!! I guarantee I won't feel bad half way through the month when I think back to my resolutions and feel pain because I have once again failed to keep former resolutions. I personally feel new year resolutions only sets you up for failure.

A tradition my family has for New Year's Day is to cook a pot of brown (pinto) beans and have cabbage. The next day we have a root'n toot'n good time!!! ROFL!!! I use to boil my cabbage, but in the past several years I fry it. I melt a little butter in a large skillet, add the cut-up cabbage, a little water and sugar and let it simmer until the cabbage is tender.

Now that the holidays are over I hope to get back to blogging on a regular basis.

Christmas Wedding

2008-12-28T20:47:00.007-05:00

Saturday night I attended my niece's wedding. Here's the lovely couple, Terrie and Mark right after the minister pronounced them man and wife.

Terrie's brother Alan and son Curtis provided the music and her sister in law Debra sang. They are a big musical family. Alan received his masters in music and film direction and Curtis is currently working on his undergraduate degree in music at Berkeley in Boston. I could write volumes on their professional music careers.

The wedding cake was made by a lady who bakes all her cakes in a wooden stove and they are delicious. The cake was decorated with red poinsettias to keep with the Christmas theme.

They wanted a small intimate wedding at their home. It was an absolutely lovely wedding. The ceremony was in their great room in front of the fireplace with the Christmas tree on their left.
One of Terrie's friends prepared a lovely sit down dinner for everyone. There were about 40 people in attendance. It was a warm 77 degrees Saturday which made a perfect evening for a wedding. Several people ate outside and enjoyed the beautiful weather. Here is another picture of the couple in front of the outside fireplace.

Here's two more pictures. One of Terrie and her daughters and son Katie, Emily and Curtis and one of me and Emily.

Hope you enjoyed attending Terrie's wedding.

I've been bad about visiting the past few days but I will be by later today. Right now I'm off to have a holiday lunch with a couple girlfriends. Have a wonderful day.

Christmas that Wasn't

2008-12-27T15:31:00.002-05:00

Our Christmas didn't go as we had planned. I have been looking forward to my daughter and the grandbabies coming home for Christmas. Well, that didn't happen. On Christmas Eve Nicole called and said she just couldn't get it together to come in. Her husband's parents are going to be flying in there on Monday and she felt they wouldn't have time to make the trip here and get back and get prepared for their visit. I can see how so many people fall into depression during the holidays. Her Dad decided to make a quick trip to Charlotte to take all our gifts for the kids. I included a few homemade goodies. Last night I got an email from Nicole which said she had just eaten a piece of the peanut butter fudge I had sent and she closed her eyes and pretended she was sitting in my kitchen. That made her very homesick.

On Christmas day I went over to my son's house and had dinner with them and Amber's parents and grandmother. Hubby was under the weather. Kati was thrilled with her gifts. One thing Amber's Mom and I are going to have to do is start communicating about what we plan to buy for Kati because we both got her a Razer scooter. What we decided was Katie would keep one at home and one at her other MawMaw's.

Last night was my extended family get together. After eating and visiting for awhile we got into a lively game of Imagine. That was a fun evening. I'll post pictures sometime over the weekend.
Right now I'm getting ready for my nieces' wedding. The wedding is being held at her house and only close friends and family are invited. This is wedding #3. She said she sure hopes she gets this one right. hehe!!! Mark, the guy she is marrying in great, easy going and loves Terrie very much. I think this one is a keeper. I'll have those pictures too.

Got to run!!!

2008-12-24T08:30:00.004-05:00

I ran across this letter from God and wanted to share it with you today. Wishing you and your family a wonderful Christmas!!!!

A letter from God to His children:

Dear Children,

It has come to my attention that many of you are upset that folks are taking My name out of the season. Maybe you've forgotten that I wasn't actually born during this time of the year and that it was some of your predecessors who decided to celebrate My birthday on what was actually a time of pagan festival. Although I do appreciate being remembered anytime.

How I personally feel about this celebration can probably be most easily understood by those of you who have been blessed with children of your own. I don't care what you call the day. If you want to celebrate My birth just, GET ALONG AND LOVE ONE ANOTHER. Now, having said that let Me go on.

If it bothers you that the town in which you live doesn't allow a scene depicting My birth, then just get rid of a couple of Santaʼs and snowmen and put in a small Nativity scene on your own front lawn. If all My followers did that there wouldn't be any need for such a scene on the town square because there would be many of them all around town.

Stop worrying about the fact that people are calling the tree a holiday tree, instead of a Christmas tree. It was me who made all trees. You can and may remember Me anytime you see any tree. Decorate a grape vine if you wish: I actually spoke of that one in a teaching explaining who I am in relation to you and what each of our tasks were. If you have forgot that one, look up John 15: 1 - 8.

If you want to give Me a present in remembrance of My birth here is my wish list. Choose something from it.

1. Instead of writing protest letters objecting to the way My birthday is being celebrated, write letters of love and hope to soldiers away from home. They are terribly afraid and lonely this time of year. I know, they tell Me all the time.

2. Visit someone in a nursing home. You don't have to know them personally. They just need to know that someone cares about them.

3. Instead of writing George complaining about the wording on the cards his staff sent out this year, why don't you write and tell him that you'll be praying for him and his family this year. Then follow up. It will be nice hearing from you again.

4. Instead of giving your children a lot of gifts you can't afford and they don't need, spend time with them. Tell them the story of My birth, and why I came to live with you down here. Hold them in your arms and remind them that I love them.

5. Pick someone that has hurt you in the past and forgive him or her.

6. Did you know that someone in your town will attempt to take their own life this season because they feel so alone and hopeless? Since you don't know who that person is, try giving everyone you meet a warm smile it could make the difference. Also, you might consider supporting the local Hot-Line: they talk with people like that every day.

7. Instead of nit picking about what the retailer in your town calls the holiday, be patient with the people who work there. Give them a warm smile and a kind word. Even if they aren't allowed to wish you a "Merry Christmas" that doesn't keep you from wishing them one. Then stop shopping there on Sunday. If the store didn't make so much money on that day they'd close and let their employees spend the day at home with their families.

8. If you really want to make a difference, support a missionary, especially one who takes My love and Good News to those who have never heard My name. You may already know someone like that.

9. Here's a good one. There are individuals and whole families in your town who not only will have no "Christmas" tree, but neither will they have any presents to give or receive. If you don't know them (and I suspect you don't) buy some food and a few gifts and give them to the Marines, the Salvation Army or some other charity that believes in Me and they will make the delivery for you.

10. Finally if you want to make a statement about your belief in and loyalty to Me, then behave like a Christian. Don't do things in secret that you wouldn't do in My presence. Let people know by your actions that you are one of mine.

P.S. Don't forget; I am God and can take care of Myself. Just love Me and do what I have told you to do. I'll take care of all the rest. Check out the list above and get to work time is short. I'll help you, but the ball is now in your court. And do have a most blessed Christmas with all those whom you love and remember, I LOVE YOU.

Change of Plans

2008-12-17T08:55:00.002-05:00

I want to thank everyone who has stopped by left comments. I've been busy getting ready for Christmas and have neglected blogging. My daughter and her family were scheduled to come in this Saturday making my timeline shorter. Yesterday I learned she won't be coming in until Christmas day, so I've got some breathing room.

It's going to be a very busy time while she is here. On Friday after Christmas my extended family is having our Christmas get together. This year my niece Kim is hosting the party. It's nice having this gathering after Christmas because it gives us something else to look forward to after Christmas and this year Nicole will be able to attend. Once the packages are opened and dinner is over there always seems a little let down. Guess that is because we spend weeks preparing for the special day and once it's here it goes by so fast. It's natural to feel a little let down once it's over. Then on Saturday another niece Terrie is getting married. You can see we'll have a very busy Christmas holiday.

Happy Birthday Caison and Kati

2008-12-12T08:07:00.010-05:00

Today is Caison's 4th birthday!!! Happy birthday sweetheart!!! I hope you have a very special day and I can't wait to see you in a couple of weeks.

Yesterday was Kati's 8th birthday. Happy birthday sweetheart. The family is getting together tomorrow to celebrate her birthday.

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Look what came in the mail yesterday. I won this book over at Smiling Sally's . Thanks so much Sally. I grabbed this graphic at Carmindy's website. I knew if I waiting until I took a picture of the book it would be another week before I got this posted. Check out the website to see some great before and after photos. I'm looking forward to diving into this book so I can look "positively beautiful" for the holidays!!! It's going to take more than this book for that to happen. lol

Sally is an independent book reviewer and is always holding book giveaways. Sally is a retired school teacher living in south Flordia, hosts "Blue Monday" and has a delightful blog. If you haven't visit Sally's blog, please pop over there and say hello.

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I received an email this morning from my dear friend Jill who is not a blogger. I've been trying to talk her into starting a blog because she loves to write and has so many interests that readers would be looking forward to hearing about all her adventures. Jill's sister, whom I've never met, reads my blog. Janey doesn't blog, she only reads mine and perhaps others. Janey, you need to start a blog too. Maybe when you are visiting Jill I could sit down with both of you and get a blog started for both of you. With all that being said, Janey sent Jill this website State Flowers and thought it would be fun for my blog. You really need to click on the link, it's beautiful and it only last about a minute. Thank you Janey!!!

2008-12-10T20:18:00.003-05:00

Hope everyone is doing well. I've been so busy these past few days getting the house decorated for Christmas, cleaning and planning the Christmas goodies to be baked. This afternoon I picked Kati up from school so we could work on her Tie Fleece blanket. I was going to have her do the cutting, with supervision, but learned it was too hard for her to cut through the fleece. I had trouble cutting one side. Even my electric scissors would not cut the fleece. I guess it was being cut against the nap. I had the blanket ready for her to start tieing this afternoon.

I thought it would take her at least a couple afternoons to finish, but that little girl can tie!!! She started and finished this afternoon. Originally the blanket was going to be for Josey, her sister that will be here in February. After finishing she wanted to give it to her Mom and not for Christmas, she wanted to give it to her tonight.

I handed my camera to hubby and asked him to take a picture of me and Kati. Next time I'll hand him the point and shoot camera. Sorry this picture is out of focus.

When Kati finished the blanket she rolled up in it and couldn't wait to take it home
to show her Mom. I think it will end up being her own blanket.
She was so proud to be able to say she made it!!!

Thought I would share a few Christmas decorations. These pictures were taken right after I put everything up and before I cleaned. The two snow men in the back were made by my daughter several years ago. As you can see I needed to glue a couple buttons back on them.

I always hang these quilted snowmen on the front and back doors.

Santa is taking a well deserved nap before his big trip on Christmas Eve. He rocks and snores. My dog keeps going up to him trying to determine if he's safe.

This is our Christmas tree.

2008-12-04T14:40:00.004-05:00

I saw this meme on Marsha's blog and thought I would give it a try.

ONE

Type
One
Word
Answers
For
Each
Question

Not as easy as you might think. Copy this questionnaire and paste as a new post. Then change the answers to suit you and tag others or encourage others to try this One Word Answer meme themselves.

Remember: one word answers only!

1. Where is your mobile phone? kitchen

2.Your significant other? yes

3. Your hair? brown????

4. Your mother? Mabel

5. Your father? Elmer

6. Your favorite thing? family

7. Your dream last night? colorful

8. Your favorite drink? soda

9. Your dream goal? secure

10. The room you’re in? bedroom

11. Your ex? loser

12. Your fear? death

13. Where do you want to be in 6 years? alive

14. Where were you last night? home

15. What you’re not? rich

16. Muffins? good

17. One of your wish list items? move

18. Where you grew up? Belle

19. The last thing you did? laundry

20. What are you wearing? slacks

21. Your favorite TV Show? drama

22. Your pets? CC

23. Your computer? two

24. Your life? stressed

25. Your mood? average

26. Missing someone? always

27. Your car? Hyundai

28. Something you’re not wearing? glasses

29. Favorite store? Target

30. Your summer? hot

31. Like someone? sure

32. Your favorite color? red

33. When is the last time you laughed? today

34. Last time you cried? October

35. Who will post this? someone

36. Were you able to answer ALL of the questions with ONE word answers? yes

I am not tagging anyone to do this meme because I know everyone is busy. If you decide to do this meme leave me a comment and I'll come and read your answers.

Busy Day

2008-12-03T08:44:00.001-05:00

Yesterday I experienced a weird occurrence while trying to comment on Ruby Tuesday. I kept getting a box popping up saying it was a restricted site and user name and password were required. I kept going back and trying again and finally was able to leave a comment. Then when I tried to visit other Ruby Tuesday participants, the same thing would happen on most of the sites. Finally I gave up. Time permitting I will try to go back and visit more Ruby Tuesday participants later this evening.

In the afternoon I met a girlfriend to see "Four Christmas'" with Reese Witherspoon. It was cute but definitely not a movie you would want to see a second time. After the movie I went shopping for a few more gifts.

This afternoon I'm picking Kati up from school and we are going to go shopping for fleece. I asked her if she would like to make a fleece tied blanket for Josey who will be here in February, her Mom, her other MawMaw or for herself for Christmas. She was all excited about this. I'm curious as to what she will pick out. I thought this would be a good project to entertain her while I'm watching her after school. I'll keep you updated on her progress. Here's instructions for making a tied blanket.

Ruby Tuesday

2008-12-02T08:28:00.004-05:00

It's been a few weeks since I participated in Ruby Tuesday. Yesterday I received the following pictures from my daughter of Caramia. She's now 9 months old. There's also a picture of my beautiful daughter and Caramia. Since they are wearing red, I thought they would be a good choice for today.

Go visit more Ruby Tuesday participants at Work of the Poet

Christmas Memories

2008-12-01T13:36:00.004-05:00

Now that Thanksgiving is over it's time to concentrate on the Christmas holidays. So many folks in my neighborhood began putting out their Christmas decorations before Thanksgiving. Now even more houses our lit with beautiful lights to welcome Christmas into their homes.

When I was a little girl we never put the tree up until a week before Christmas. Part of the fun was going to the local tree lot that was owned by friends and pick out that perfect tree. It seemed there was always a foot of snow that we had to wade through but we didn't mind at all.

I can also remember Christmas shopping uptown. Back then going to town was an adventure. We put on our Sunday clothes and would rush from store to store in the snow in search of the perfect presents for everyone.

Here I am one Christmas season seeing something spectacular outside. I don't remember what I saw.

I do remember looking out the windows at the icicles hanging from the roof. I wanted Daddy to break one off and let me eat it. What a treat!!! I have never seen icicles like those in my adult life.

This one is of me after Santa brought me a new tricycle and wagon for Christmas. I do remember being a very happy little girl.

Since I'm no longer living in the early 1950's, I'm planning on getting our Christmas decorations out this week. I feel pretty good about my shopping. I only have a few more items to pick up, and of course, there's the baking.

Thanksgiving Dinner

2008-11-28T20:15:00.001-05:00

Don't you just love Maxine! This cartoon describes my turkey yesterday. Wednesday I spent the day prepping everything I could for the big turkey day and making the stuffing and pies. I was wanting a less stressful cooking day. I even had the advantage of having dinner at 6:00 p.m. What could possibly go wrong?

I put the turkey in the oven so that it would be done in plenty of time to bake the casseroles and hot rolls so everything would be ready by 6:00. The turkey was a beautiful golden brown. The thermometer read 175 degrees, but I was optimistic it was not over done. I was so proud I was able to keep dishes washed as I went along and the kitchen was clean. At 5:00 Amber called to let me know they were running late and would be here a little after 6:00. I thought I would go ahead and carve the turkey and get it arranged on a platter. When I began to cut the leg and thigh from the bird blood ran from the bird. I threw the bird back in the oven and prayed I could bake the life out of the bird by 6:00.

The good news is that extra hour was all that Tom needed.

Did any of you brave the Black Friday sales? Since I no longer do early mornings out, I passed on the sales. I did venture out this afternoon and picked up a few more gifts for the grandbabies. I had a bad case of cabin fever and had to get out. I went to K-mart because I thought it wouldn't be as crowded as our new Wal-Mart and I was right. I didn't get any bargains but did find a couple things from my list. I can't wait for the grandbabies to come in next month. I sure do miss them.

I've been falling asleep this week watching "The Thornbirds". The final chapter is on right now so I'm going to pop off here and enjoy the show. This has been one of my favorite books and movies.

I'll be by tomorrow to visit.

Happy Thanksgiving

2008-11-25T17:51:00.006-05:00

Girly Comments & Graphics

This will be my last post until after Thanksgiving. We are busy and excited knowing we will soon be gathering around our table with loved ones and giving thanks to God for bringing us through another year.

Even with the sad state our country is in right now and how it affecting everyone in some way, lets not forget the many blessings we have right in front of us.

Happy Thanksgiving!!

Love you guys!!

2008-11-21T07:56:00.004-05:00

I've been tagged by Shirley at Ma Ma's Place to do this meme that reveals a few random things about me.

Here are the rules of this meme:

1. Link to the person who tagged you.
2. Post the rules on your blog.
3. Write six random things about yourself.
4. Tag six people at the end of your post and link to them.
5. Let each person know they’ve been tagged and leave a comment on their blog
6. Let the tagger know when your entry is posted.

So here are my six very random things about me:

#1 I'm going to be a MawMaw to my son's first natural child in March.
#2 I am starting my first ever quilt for the new baby Josey.
#3 I drive a white Hyundai.
#4 I'm learning photography.
#5 I hate cooking for two.
#6 I'm so happy I started blogging because I'm made so many wonderful friends.

Now it's my turn to tag 6 other people. Here's my list:

Kathy

Renee`

Marsha

Sandy

Barb

Patti

Catching Up

2008-11-18T09:41:00.000-05:00

I started this post four days ago. Every time I've sat down to blog something has happened that has required me to stop and do something else. I'm determined to finish this post today with updated news.

I woke up this morning to a light dusting of snow and very cold temperatures. Our high will only reach 33 degrees today.

This afternoon I met a girlfriend for lunch then we went over to a quilting store I was telling her about. She has just finished a beautiful laptop quilt that she will be using on her kitchen table. Isn't it beautiful?

While at the quilt store I bought material to make my new grandbaby a quilt. I have never quilted in my life, but I'm determined to learn. I plan to do all the quilting by hand. At the quilting shop there are two big quilting machines that can do this laborious task for you, but I want to try doing it the old fashioned way.

Here is the material I bought. When I finish the quilt I'll post a picture of the finished product. I have my Mom's old quilting frame. She always did her quilts by hand.

Yesterday Kati was sick and I went over to their house so Amber could go into work. I will be keeping Kati one day a week until the baby comes so Amber can train someone to do some of her responsibilities at work. Kati has a virus that is currently going around her school.

Sunday I went to church with one of my nieces and then she came in for a visit and we shared coffee and muffins. Later in the afternoon I went out to see an open house. I've been looking for a year. I really liked the house and plan to have my son go back with me this coming weekend. The worst part of moving is putting my house on the market and keeping it straight until it's sold.

On Friday one of my girlfriends called and asked if I would take a few pictures of her that she needed for a newsletter. After I shot the photos we went to a local casino for a short time.

I'm feeling much better as you can tell. I still feel I don't have all my strength back, but at least I can breath and am feeling better. Now I'm off it see what you have been up to.

2008-11-13T16:27:00.001-05:00

Now I know why I have such a hard time losing weight. LOL

Grandchildren

2008-11-12T19:17:00.004-05:00

Last night I prepared my Thursday Thirteen with the letter U and forgot to post it. I'll post it next Thursday.

My daughter sent me new pictures of the kids last night and I have to share a few with you. This first one is taken in their new back yard. Caramia (the baby) is turning into a little porker!!

Here they are dressed up for Halloween.

I had to include a close-up of sweet Caramia.

The Saturday after Halloween was the Fall Festival at Carson and Campbell's school. As soon as they arrived Campbell saw one of his buddies and wanted to go play with him on the playground. Shortly, one of the teachers came running with Campbell in her arms. Blood was pouring out of his head. The teachers told Nicole and Bret they would watch the kids so they could rush Campbell to the ER.

Campbell fell against a fence and cut his head so deep you could see his skull. He never shed a tear. He ended up getting 7 staples in his head. Nicole wanted to keep him home from school that following Monday, but Campbell wanted to go so he could show off the staples. He was so proud!!!

Right before Caramia was born Carson fell off a slide at school and had a cracked and a concussion. God he is doing just fine!!! These boys certainly have hard heads.

2008-11-11T08:36:00.004-05:00

My dear blogging buddy Gill honored me with this award. Thank you Gill. I was given this award in September by Patti and fulfilled the requirements for the award.

Here are the rules: Mention the blog that gave it to you and comment on their blog to let them know you have posted your award. Publish these rules. Share 6 values that are important to you and 6 things you do not support~ Grant the prize to 6 people.

6 values that are important to me

1. Family
2. Christian Faith
3. Honesty
4. Integrity
5. Credibility
6. My health

6 things I don't support

1. Cruelty to animals
2. Any charity that calls me at home asking for donations
3. Drivers going left around the world
4. Junk mail
5. The death penalty
6. Rap music

I think all the blogs I read are Kreative!!! So if you read mine, please take this award and let me know.

2008-11-06T22:43:00.004-05:00

1. My blueprint for success includes not taking things so seriously and taking time to smell the roses.

2. A Hershey miniature bar was the last candy I ate.

3. The best facial moisturizer I've ever used is Estee Lauder's Lift Extreme.

4. Laughter can be good therapy.

5. I'd like to tell you about my big win at the casino.....NOT.

6. Being Loyal is my strongest characteristic.

7. And as for the weekend, I plan to continue to heal from my bronchitis!

Be sure to visit other Friday Fill-Ins.

Feeling Better After ER Visit

2008-11-05T17:48:00.000-05:00

The past month has been very challenging, health wise, that is. From having all my heart drugs changed, having surgery on my leg, and most recently suffering, and I do mean suffering with bronchitis. My family doctor said it was my COPD, but after ending up in the ER Monday night because I couldn't get my breath I learned I had a bad case of bronchitis. After spending 5 hours on oxygen, having two breathing treatments, chest x-ray, 4 tubes of blood drawn, an IV, blood gases taken and an EKG I was released with different drugs and I'll be taking breathing treatments at home for the next few weeks. Boy am I feeling better, but I have along way to be back to normal.

Through all these ailments my house has gone to the dogs. Dust is an inch thick, laundry....oh my, styrofoam takeouts stuffed in the refrigerator, I've been too sick to cook, bills to be paid, and did I say laundry. When I'm sick no one picks up the slack, so I have a lot of catching up to do.

Catching Up

2008-11-01T04:57:00.005-05:00

This was reaction yesterday when my doctor told me he wanted me to spend the night in the hospital. What I thought was a cold turned out to be an exasperation of my COPD. I have been having difficulty breathing, coughing and other cold symptoms. My oxygen levels are down. After taking a breathing treatment in my doctor's office my chest sounded better and I was breathing easier so he let me go home with antibiotics and a shot in my BEE HIND!!!

Battling my breathing all week took my mind off the minor surgery I had on Monday. I go back this coming Monday to have the bandage changed then I'll get the stitches out in another week. Right now all I want is to be able to take a deep breath and not get winded walking across the room.
I want to thank everyone for their kind comments and emails this week while I've been healing. It's going to take a few more days before I'm feeling back to normal, but at least now I can sit up and blog.

I hope everyone had a nice Halloween. This is a picture of one of my son's kittens. As you can tell she was getting into the spirit of the holiday!!

My son and his family came over to Trick or Treat on Thursday evening. I enjoy the little ones coming by for their treats, but this year I could only watch from the window. I was disappointed that I wasn't able to go out with my granddaughter. Didn't she look adorable!!!

My goal this weekend is to stop by and catch up on your lives!

Sill Under the Weather

2008-10-29T13:54:00.001-05:00

Just a quick note to let you know I am still deep under the weather. This cold has knocked me on my butt!!! I'm sitting here in front of the fireplace trying to stay warm wearing sweat pants, long sleeve shirt, sweater and housecoat. The humidifier running and I'm taking that daytime and night time medicine. As soon as I'm up to it I'll come around and visit.

What Happend to Fall?

2008-10-28T07:46:00.002-05:00

Two short weeks ago the temperatures were in the upper 80's and today we will be lucky to reach 40 and tonight lows will be in the 20's. Brrrrr! I'm not complaining because I prefer the cool weather.

Yesterday I had surgery on my leg to remove a basal cell cancer. Next week I go back to have the bandage changed and the following week to have the stitches removed. The doctor also removed one of my skin blisters for another biopsy. She took a deep specimen because I have one stitch in it. Until the stitches come out I can't get the bandage wet, do any lifting, and must stay off my leg as much as possible. I woke up this morning with a cold, so I'm not thinking too much about my leg today.

2008-10-23T19:45:00.011-05:00

Friday Fill-in is below

Right when I think I've heard and seen it all I am again surprised. This morning I read an article about a woman in Japan being arrested for killing her virtual husband. Yes, you read that correct. The woman learned her real husband's avatar in a virtual world divorced her and she became so angry she hacked into the game and killed her virtual husband. She has been arrested and may serve jail time. Here is the story.

*~~~~~*~~~~~*~~~~~*

1. Right now, I'm feeling warm and fuzzy!

2. On a tropical beach is where I want to be.

3. How does one clear all the automatic fill-in data windows saves on your computer?

4. My computer keeps me on track.

5. Please don't talk to me until I've had my morning coffee.

6. My children and grandchildren fills me with joy.

7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to a glass of wine and a good book, tomorrow my plans include seeing The Secret Life of Bees and Sunday, I want to catch up with blogging!

2008-10-23T07:21:00.001-05:00

This week features the letter

1. US Air Force - My first husband was in the US Air Force and was on alert to deploy to Viet Nam; however he was never called.

2. Ugly - I've always thought that I'm an ugly ducking.

3. Ulysses - My grandfather's name was Ulysses. He died when my Daddy was 13, so I never met him.

4. Unattainable - I stressed to my kids that nothing is unattainable if you work hard.

5. Underachiever - Growing up I was considered an underachiever.

6. underpaid - I was underpaid when I worked. Don't we all feel this way?

7. Universe - How big is the universe? Does the universe have boundaries? Are there other universes? These are just a few questions I ask myself.

8. Unable - I'm unable to grasp the size of the universe. One day my questions will be answered.

9. Undo - Many times I wish I could something I said or did.

10. University - I went to West Virginia University, Morris Harvey College (now the University of Charleston and West Virginia State College.

11. Usually - I usually prepare my posts in the morning while having my morning coffee. That could explain why my posts are odd most of the time.

12. Undecided - Many Americans are undecided as to who they will vote for next month. I hope they carefully weigh the credentials of our candidates and then go vote.

13. Union - I have never belonged to a union.

Whew!!! This was hard. Thanks for reading.

Ruby Tuesday

2008-10-20T16:44:00.003-05:00

This picture was taken in 2005 while touring the Homearama in Charlotte. I loved this sink which was in the powder room of one of the homes.

To play, visit Work of the Poet .

2008-10-20T07:01:00.007-05:00

You Are a Bullmastiff

You are confident, reasonable, and very calm. Nothing shakes you up.

It's likely that you were a bit wild when you were younger, but you've gotten that out of your system.

The only time you get aggressive is when someone tries to threaten or harm you in some way.

There's a little bit of wolf underneath all that sheep's clothing!

What Breed of Dog Are You?

A Bullmastiff?? This is a breed I haven't heard of before, but we do have the same jowls! LOL

Yesterday I finished a book my librarian recommended, "Beachcomber" by Karen Robards. It's a "who done it" where you don't know the answer until the last chapter. I would recommend this book.

Christy Petrino hadn't planned on a vacation on Ocracoke Island, but then she learns her finance` and boss, suave Michael DePalma, is a "made man" and the Philadelphia law firm where she works is a front for the mob, she breaks her engagement and quits her job. But no one walks away from the DePalma family business so easily. Only if she delivers a locked briefcase to a motel on Ocracoke Island will she and her mother and sisters be free.

But, after clandestinely making her drop-off late at night, Christy suspects she is being followed on the moonlit beach and unwittingly runs into a new kind of terror. Now a witness at the center of a homicide investigation, Christy learns the police are hunting a serial killer they refer to as the "Beachcomber" because beautiful young women who in fact resemble her have disappeared recently while vacationing at nearby beach communities. Christy doesn't know whom to fear more, a serial killer who believes she might be able to identify him or the DePalma family, whose tentacles she can't seem to escape.

Friday Fill-Ins

2008-10-17T06:39:00.004-05:00

1. Follow the Yellow Brick Road.

2. My camera is something I always take with me on vacation.

3. To achieve your goals, you must first develop your plan and work hard.

4. I'm going to have a new granddaughter the end of February is something I'd like you to know about me.

5. I have a headache.

6. Hope floats is a movie I've never seen.

7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to just chillin, tomorrow my plans include working in the yard and Sunday, I want to cook a real dinner!

If you want to play, visit Friday Fill-ins headquarters.

2008-10-15T15:37:00.003-05:00

I've been a bit under the weather today! My doctor called yesterday and asked me to go off another 2 drugs and start another one. Shortly after taking the new drug this morning I got a headache, got dizzy when I stood up too fast, and it hurts my eyes to look at the computer screen.

Basically, I've just been lying around today. If I'm still feeling weird by Friday I'll call my doctor's office. It may just take a couple days for my body to adjust to this new drug.

Hopefully I'll be fit as a fiddle in a day or two and can come visit. Oh...that's not a fiddle. LOL See I still have my humor!! It does seem like these horrible blisters are drying up. I wish he had taken these drastic measures a year ago.

Ruby Tuesday

2008-10-14T06:10:00.008-05:00

I found these shrubs down the street in front of the elementary school.
Fall is arriving!!

Visit more participants at Work of the Poet.

Chuck Yeager Flies Under Bridge & Friday-Fill Ins

2008-10-10T05:45:00.001-05:00

Friday Fill-Ins Is Below

(drawing from the Charleston Gazette-Mail)

Today marks the 6oth anniversary of Chuck Yeager flying under the South Side Bridge in Charleston, West Virginia. The entire story was this past Sunday Gazette Mail. I learned more about this event in this article than I ever knew.

I wasn't aware this historical event was kept a secret for many years. As the people were watching the boat racing that afternoon along the Kanawha River, an announcement came over the loud speaker saying Captain Chuck Yeager would be making a pass over the city. The crowd looked high in the sky, but seconds later the F-80 came out of nowhere and flew under the South Side Bridge. There wasn't any pictures taken because this all happened so fast.

One of the spectators was a newspaperman. When he got to his office to write about what had happened he received a call from the military asking what he would be writing. They told the reporter if anything unusual occurred it would be a violation of the Air Force and FAA regulations. Therefore, news of what happened that day was only shared by those who actually witnessed this flight. This is what was written in the newspaper the next day.

"Capt. Charles Yeager of Hamlin, the first man to exceed the speed of sound in a Bell XS-1 jet, buzzed the course shortly after 3:30 p.m. as he started back to his base in California.

"Officials present said his speed when he flew over the river probably was more than 600 miles an hour. As he flew over in a jet Shooting Star, he did three slow rolls before disappearing from sight."

Chuck Yeager was born and raised in Hamlin, West Virginia, just 20 miles from where I live.

If you have time, read the entire story. It's very entertaining.

*~~~~~*~~~~~*~~~~~*

1. One of the best concerts/plays/movies I ever saw that I really didn't think I'd like was Hair.

2. Lasagna, tossed salad, and Italian Bread is a recipe I recently made (or meal I recently ordered) that was delicious!

3. It's time for fall cleaning.

4. Chocolate chip mint ice cream is quite refreshing.

5. If I never hear the word diet again, it'll be too soon.

6. To one side of the curving road was a mountain, and on the other was a valley.

7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to just chillin, tomorrow my plans include catching up reading blogs and Sunday, I want to wash my car!

The Winner Is???

2008-10-08T10:42:00.005-05:00

A great congratulations to #4, Renie Burghardt's World, who is the winner of my giveaway. Renie, I hope you get enjoyment from the the tote and book. I'll be contacting you to get your address, then it will be on its way to the woods.

2008-10-06T19:34:00.010-05:00

Ruby Tuesday is below

My dear friend Betty from Betty's This and That is celebrating her birthday today. When I met Betty through blogging I knew we had a special connection. Then I learned we shared the sign Libra. Betty has a very interesting blog, so stop by and wish her a Happy Birthday.

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A little RED from around the neighborhood.

Pumpkin Festaval

2008-10-05T17:13:00.004-05:00

Friday my friend Jill and I went to the Pumpkins Festival.

I saw this photographer and wanted to go ask him about this shot.
I know he must have been creating something very special.
But, what??

Some folks were making Sorghum.
That a type of molasses.

Some were grinding meal. My friend bought some yellow corn meal
to make her delicious cornbread.

There were lots of vendors here in the food court.

We decided to eat light so we wouldn't feel as guilty
when we had a funnel cake later. So we opted for a slice of pizza.

These next two pictures were from a few ladies who had a booth at our local flea market which just burned. They lost everything they had. They told us they were going to open a new store at a local shopping plaza. I sure hope they do well.

I do remember this sleigh was $65.

I thought their furniture was very unique.

That's all for this time.

Giveaway

2008-10-03T18:05:00.009-05:00

Last month was my two year anniversary for blogging. It has taken me this long to decide what I wanted to give away as part of this celebration. Soon I began meeting some of the most wonderful people from all over the world. Now I feel as if all of you are my friends and I look forward to reading your blogs on a regular basis. In order to give back to you, I will be giving away the following items on October 8th. Just leave me a comment if you want to be included in the giveaway.

First is a tote I picked up at the Pumpkin Festival yesterday. We all use totes, and this one is so cute and different from your typical tote. The canvas is very soft, roomy and it has wide straps making it comfortable to carry. It also has an inside zipper pocket. It will be great to carry your books from the library.

Here is a close up of the flap with the wording "West Virginia Pumpkin Festival". My friend Jill and I went to the festival and we were lucky to get the last 2 totes. She said, "I have to have that tote". Well, she has hers and this one is for you.

Since I think this will make a great book bag the next item is a book "The Red Room" by Nicci French. If you like English mysteries/thrillers you will enjoy this book. It's been a few years since I read this book so I can't remember a lot of the details. Basically its a psychological thriller whose leading lady Kit, is suffering from the aftermath of a brutal attack by Michael Doll. Kit is a crime psychologist and after her recovery is asked to help the police with the investigation of the murder of a homeless girl. The detectives believe Doll is behind the murder, but Kit doesn't believe it's an open and close case. I couldn't put the book down and found myself up late every night reading this suspenseful novel.

You will be getting both the bag and the book. You can double click on the pictures for a larger view.

Good Luck!!!!

Today's My Birthday

2008-10-02T09:01:00.007-05:00

Yes, today's my birthday!
Last year I was dreading the big 60, but this year
I welcome another birthday.

I want to thank everyone who has wished me a happy birthday
on their blogs, in comments,
and those that have sent me e-cards.

I am so honored and blessed to have
such wonderful blogging buddies!!!
I love each one of you!!

2008-09-30T18:06:00.004-05:00

I had a doctor's appointment this morning and was unable to get a post up for Ruby Tuesday. I really enjoy participating in this meme. After my seeing my doctor I went into town and took a few more pictures that will be appropriate for RT.

The reason for seeing my doctor today was a follow-up from my not so good blood tests from a couple weeks ago. I showed him my latest breakout of this ridiculous rash (actually it looks like blisters) that I have all over my legs and arms. All this started last November and I've been under a dermatologist's care since January. A couple months ago she came into the exam room and said she didn't know what was going on. That was the last time I saw her. A month ago I saw my family practitioner and asked to be referred to another dermatologist. I have an appointment next week.

Back to my visit today.

He decided to take drastic measures by taking me off all my vitamins, heart drugs, anxiety drug, and blood pressure medicine. He also told me to stop taking Tylenol PM. He wrote new prescriptions for a different blood pressure medicine, a sleeping pill and a different anxiety drug. He asked me to come back in one month to see what this new ritual will do and to see what the dermatologist has done.

I meant to tell him that we needed to call in House for a consultation, but forgot. Wonder how that would have gone over?

Getting old ain't fun!!!!

Nights in Rodanthe

2008-09-27T18:06:00.006-05:00

Good evening blogging buddies. Hope you are having a great weekend.

I went to see Nights in Rodanthe this afternoon and thought I would give you my review. Bottom line is go see this movie.

The last thing I want to do is to reveal too much about this charming movie. The movie is about two unhappy people who meet at an Inn at the Outer Banks, NC. Adriene/Diane Lane is trying to sort out her feelings about her unhappy marriage and her teenage daughter who resents everything she does. Dr. Paul Flanner/Richard Gere is the only guest at the Inn and he is trying to work through his own crisis. A major storm hits the Outer Banks and they turn to each other for comfort.

I had not read the book, so I was very surprised with the ending. Be sure to take enough tissues because you will need them at the end. If you have seen this movie, tell me whether you liked it or not.

Friday Fill-ins

2008-09-25T20:20:00.009-05:00

1. Going to the Pumpkin Festival, celebrating my 61st birthday, learning the sex of my new grandbaby, and just enjoying fall are some of the things I'm most looking forward to in October.

2. Sometimes I just want to be by myself.

3. As soon as I say I'll never do something, an opportunity arises when I find myself doing it anyway and that's why there is a saying, "never say never"!

4. When I'm down, I put on some 60's music and lose myself in music.

5. Behind the lens of my camera or at my computer is where you'll find me most often.

6. A rainy day is good for reading a good book or taking a nap.

7. And as for the weekend, tonight I have no plans, tomorrow my plans include going to a movie with a girlfriend and Sunday, I want to start a new book!

Thursday 13

2008-09-25T09:34:00.006-05:00

This week highlights the letter

1. tablecloth - The only time we have meals at our dinning room table, set with the good china, silver and a tablecloth is a holiday dinner. We now have most of our meals in front of the tv.

2. tackle - Soon I need to tackle fall cleaning. It's just been too hot to even think about heavy cleaning.

3. tap dance - I took tap dancing lessons in the 80's but had to drop out because I just couldn't get it. I found it extremely hard. I did continue with my jazz lessons for 3 years. I also participated in the dance recitals.

4. Target - Of all the discount stores I like Target best.

5. tea - My daily drink of choice is iced tea.

6. television - I really enjoy watching tv. So many people are so quick to say they don't watch tv; however they are able to talk about any show you may mention. Do people think watching tv is not the "thing" to do?

7. temperature - Hallelujah....the temperature has finally dropped to where it is comfortable to be outside again. template - I wish I knew more about tweaking my blogger template. This winter I plan to dig in and learn more.

8. tennis - I wish I had enough wind to play tennis. When I was in my 20's I play 3 or 4 times a week.

9. theater - Just recently I have started going to the movie theater again.

10. thick - Last night I had a thick chocolate milk shake from DQ. They must have new people working there because it was very thick and very very chocolaty!!! Yummy!!!!

11. thunder - I use to be afraid of thunder storms when my children were small. They use to sit in front of the patio doors and watch the lightning show while I tried to get them to come sit with me a read a story. They thought it was funny that the storms made me feel

12. tummy - All my weight has settled in my tummy and mid drift. This is the worse place a woman should have extra weight and it is so hard to try to lose in this area.

13. thought - I'm sure you can tell that I prepared this post very quickly without giving it much thought.

Awards and Such

2008-09-24T07:47:00.006-05:00

I am so blessed with such awesome blogging buddies. Yesterday I received 2 awards and a graphic from a new friend.

The first award is from Patti who passed along the Kreativ Blogger award. Here are the rules..

Mention the blog that gave it to you and comment on their blog to let them know you've posted your award .

Publish these rules
Share 6 values that are important to you and 6 things you do not support
Grant the prize to 6 people

6 values that are important to me

1. Family
2. Christian Faith
3. Honesty
4. Integrity
5. Credibility
6. Discipline

6 things I don't support

1. The opposite of my values
2. Any charity that calls me at home asking for donations
3. The high cost of gasoline
4. This year, the democratic party
5. The death penalty
6. Rap music

OK, I don't know if this is the expectations of this award, but this is how I interpreted the rules.

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The next award is from my dear friend Renee`. The rules here is to pass this award along to seven blogs that I love.

The rules for the awards is to pass them along. Since I think all the blogs I read on a regular basis are Kreativ and I love them so much, I want to share these awards with everyone on my sidebar and to other regular readers.

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And, just because, Jennylu at ~A View Thru My Eyes~ gave me this awesome graphic because of a comment Rennie made at Ruby Tuesday yesterday. Renie referenced joining the Ruby Tuesday meme because she saw this on my blog. Jennylu, thank you so much for this graphic. I love it!!

Ruby Tuesday

2008-09-22T17:51:00.012-05:00

This week The Teach has asked that we try to post "a little Red" in our Ruby Tuesday post.
Here's my contribution.

Pictures can be enlarged.

My dog CC dressed up for the 4th of July.

This port in Key West, Florida has "a little red" on the boat on the left. There is also the red brick sidewalk.

Visit The Teach to view more participants

2008-09-18T20:48:00.006-05:00

1. There is no need to shout, I can hear you.

2. Where in the heck did the dog bury the steaks.

3. I planned on painting the great room, but blogging is all I managed to do.

4. Prospects for rain is not in the forecast.

5. 4 8 15 16 23 42 is the message.

6. Simplicity and tranquility are not part of my vocabulary.

7. And as for the weekend, tonight I’m looking forward to walking with my girlfriend, tomorrow my plans include shopping and Sunday, I want to take an outing to photograph nature!

To visit more participants go here.

2008-09-18T07:24:00.000-05:00

This week is brought to you by the letter

1. Sale - I rarely buy anything unless it is on sale.

2. Sumter - Both of my children were born at Shaw Air Force Base in Sumter, SC.

3. Shampoo - Before buying shampoo I always take the lid off and smell the fragrance.

4. Sanity - Since retirement, I am slowing regaining my sanity.

5. Satellite tv - Instead of cable we have a satellite dish.

6. Savings - Our dog's trip to the vet this week wiped out savings. The bill was $272 and she has to go back in two weeks. She has been throwing up and the x-rays showed the duct that goes into the intestines is swollen. She's on meds and hopefully she will be ok.

7. Savour - When eating chocolate, I savour each and every bite.

8. Search engine - When I first started using the internet, I remember the search engine I used was Webcrawler. I have no idea if it is still around.

9. Shoes - I have had many dreams about being at a social event and not wearing any shoes. That is probably why I buy so many shoes.

10. Shoot - Since Daddy wanted a boy when I was born, he taught me to handle and shoot a gun.

11. Skin tight jeans - How I wish I could fit into my skin tight jeans.

12. Sleeping pills - I continue to have problems getting to sleep and have to take sleeping pills every night.

13. Student - I am still a student in the school of life.

2008-09-17T14:12:00.001-05:00

Do you ever upload pictures for a post, get distracted and forget to post them? That is what happened with these pictures. They were taken the last time I was in Charlotte helping my daughter pack up their house. These pictures were taken in their new house with each of the kids dancing for joy in their bedrooms.

Campbell

Caison

Carson

Aren't they cool!!!

2008-09-15T18:43:00.001-05:00

Allie and Seth

Allie and Seth are our grandchildren who live in Florida. They will be participating in the Jacksonville Down Syndrome walk on October 18.

Visit the teach to play.

This and That

2008-09-15T12:05:00.003-05:00

Last Monday my doctor called and asked that I come back in to have more blood drawn so he could double check my sugar content. There is a possibility I had too much sugar the day before my last blood test. All last week I put off going to have the blood drawn. I know I have to do this, but the thought of another needle makes me ill. I will do it tomorrow.

Have you seen The Women? I went this weekend and was a little disappointed. I love Meg Ryan, but there just didn't seem to be a story. After thinking about the movie later that day, I can't recall seeing one man in the entire movie; not on the street or in the restaurant. The whole movie was about a man, but not one was to be seen. This is one you may want to rent after it comes out on DVD.

Nothing earth shattering going on here today, just laundry. Hope you are having a good day.

2008-09-12T12:30:00.011-05:00

My dear Friend Carolyn blessed me with this lovely award. To translate the gift from Portuguese to English, it means:"This blog invests and believes, the proximity"[meaning, that blogging makes us 'close' -being close through proxy] How awesome is that??

"They all are charmed with the blogs, where in the majority of its aims are to show the marvels and to do friendship; there are persons who are not interested when we give them a prize, and then they help to cut these bows; do we want that they are cut, or that they propagate?

Then let's try to give more attention to them! So with this prize we must deliver it to 8 bloggers that in turn must make the same thing and put this text.

Carolyn, thank you so very much for thinking of me and I appreciate your friendship so much!!

So, I want to pass this award on to the following 8 bloggers.

Renee'

Baba

Cheryl

Gill

Patti

Daisy

Marsha

Betty

Tina

<><><><><><><><><><>

On another note, I want to let all the bloggers in Ike's path know,
you are in my prayers.

2008-09-11T18:38:00.007-05:00

A local Flea Market was totally destroyed by fire yesterday. The flea market which had about 300 vendors is located about 5 miles from my house. Thank goodness it was closed and no one was hurt. These pictures were taken this evening.

The Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms was on the scene as well as the West Virginia State Fire Marshall. Parts of the debris was still smoldering this evening.

Heavy equipment had already been used to remove debris from the middle of the piles. Several vendors were there taking pictures for insurance purposes, but the news reported most of the vendors were not insured. Notice the scorched trees circling the flea market.

From my vantage point this was the only recognizable object I saw, yet I don't know what it is. To me it looks like some type of a heater.

It has not been determined if the fire was caused from faulty electrical wiring or arson.

Let's Never Forget

2008-09-11T08:41:00.003-05:00

2008-09-09T14:09:00.007-05:00

I've had a very busy day and am finally posting my Ruby Tuesday. I took this picture of the RED, yes they are red, roses Sunday evening while taking a walk. It was getting close to dusk and I guess the flash that came on automatically made the color look more pink.

Join the fun here

2008-09-08T09:54:00.007-05:00

A couple weeks ago our wave pool opened a dog park that allows the dogs to run free without a leash. Isn't this a great idea? Another dog park will be opening on the other side of the county later this fall. A friend and I decided to meet here and walk late Sunday afternoon.

Big Red and Duke met at the park, and Big Red is challenging Duke to a race.

(The dogs names were changed to protect their identity)

Here they are coming out of the first turn.

Big Red takes an early lead.

Oh no, they didn't expect that fence to be in their way.

Watch, watch, we have to make a turn here.

Big Red wins the race!!!

We also met this precious 12 week old Maltese named Sugar. When I asked if I could take her picture her humans wanted in the shot too. I didn't get the names of the humans, but aren't they cute. They were at the park fishing and letting Sugar run around at the pond. She is certainly too small to run with Big Red and Duke.

After taking in the dog race my friend and I walked the trails for about 45 minutes. If I would do this at least 3 times a week I may loose a pound by the end of the year.

Caramia

2008-09-05T13:09:00.007-05:00

Caramia at 6 months - Need I say more.

Temper Tantrums

2008-09-04T20:06:00.000-05:00

Do you remember your first temper tantrum? I've been working on a scrapbook of my family and ran across the following picture which was taken in the mid 1930's. It's a picture of my Mom, Daddy, brother and sister. When I was maybe 3 or 4 years old I remember looking at this picture and asking "Where's me". Mom was unable to explain that I wasn't even a twinkle in Daddy's eye at that time. I didn't come along until 1947 when my brother was 15 and my sister 12. I remember being so mad that I folded and folded this picture. I didn't want it around since I wasn't in it. Boy was I a spoiled brat or what????? You would think I got my backside whipped, but I didn't.

Today when I ran across the photo I decided to try my hand at restoring the picture. I began my using my scratch removal tool with Paint Shop Pro.

That didn't look too bad, but I wondered if it would look better if I turned it into a black and white.

Then I started playing with the contrast, brightness, and other tools to try to make it more clear. I didn't like this at all.
Then I wondered how it would look with a hint of color.

This is all I'm going to do with it today. I'm brain dead! I think at least one of these will go into the scrapbook. Wasn't Mom and Daddy a handsome couple back then. It's strange seeing a picture of Daddy with hair. He was bald from as early back as I can remember. He did have one little swirl on top that I use to pin curl. He also let me paint his toe nails bright red. Yes, I was spoiled little girl.

2008-09-04T09:50:00.015-05:00

First I want to thank everyone for their comments and say I'm sorry I haven't been around visiting for the past several days. Hubby has been suffering with yet another gallbladder attack. Go ahead and ask, "What did the doctor suggest"? He was diagnosed with gallbladder problems more than 5 years ago. The doctor told him at that time it would eventually have to come out. He has not been back even though he has had several severe attacks. Men!!!! So, for the past few days I've been catering to his needs. He will not go to the doctor again until the thing ruptures.

On another note-------I have noticed that several blogger have displayed support for their presidential candidate on their sidebar. I have no intention in doing this. I am a registered Democrat and for the most part have voted accordingly. This is the first year I have strong doubts about the candidate. In the primary I gave my vote to John Edwards. Up until last night I was simply going to leave the presidential candidate blank. I have a new found appreciation for McCain with his chosen running mate. I unanimously agree with the press' comments, "Sarah Palin's speech draws high praise. Perfect populist pitch". This is one female Democrat that has the Republican vote! Sarah Palin....you go girl!!!!!

2008-08-30T17:53:00.005-05:00

Labor Day weekend in Charleston means the Sternwheel Regatta which means tens of thousands of people gather on Kanawha Boulevard to enjoy looking at the boats plus enjoying the food and music. The Regatta features nightly concerts highlighting both regional and national acts.

The Kanawha Boulevard is closed off to traffic for this 4 day event to celebrate the end of summer. The activities that I enjoy the most have been the Funeral Parade where anyone can dress in costume and dance in the street to New Orleans jazz music. After the parade costumes are judged and winners are announced. Adults and children alike participate in this parade. I must say there are some very unusual costumes.

There are rides for the children, food booths set up for everyone, the 15-mile Charleston Distance Run and Walk where thousands of people from all over the world participate. There's also hot air balloons night glow and lift-off and a spectacular fireworks on Sunday night.

This afternoon I attended the Taste of Charleston with a girlfriend, and her mother and sister. This event offers a wide variety of our local cuisine. I took my camera and took several shots and was so disappointed when I uploaded them to the computer. I used my small Canon which usually takes decent pictures, but these were not good at all. I'm posting 2 just so you can see what I mean. The first one is a set up of the event and the second one is of our mayor and the contestants for Miss Sternwheel Regatta. I tried to brighten the one picture but it just looked worse. Guess I'm spoiled with my new camera, but it's just to big to take to an event like this.

We sampled ribs, salmon cakes, long green peppers stuffed with cheese and wrapped in bacon then grilled (yummy) and stuffed grape leaves. Let me make it clear, these were samples, not full fledged servings. However, we were stuffed after sampling these foods.

Afterwards my girlfriend and I decided we would go to the mall and shop for awhile. We were fortunate to find a couple good deals on sale.

If you ever plan on visiting Charleston, West Virginia over labor day weekend, this is a wonderful way to end the summer!!

I hope everyone is enjoying their Labor Day weekend!!