Snow Day

We have been slammed by Old Man Winter. It started snowing Saturday around noon and didn't stop until Sunday at 4 pm. Today is a "snow day" for all the schools in the area. The sky is a beautiful blue. The streets are getting plowed (some of the parking lots are horrid). Tomorrow we will get another small storm, Wednesday would be a quiet day and then Thursday another big one with a projected 12 more inches. I have a quilt to work on so I'm happy.
We have had nearly 50" of snow this season. 13.5" fell within the last 24 hours. Beat the record set in 1956(?). check out krem.com for pictures etc.
Started Jessica's quilt. Have two blocks finished. I think I only have 25 to 30 (lol) more to go. I'll have to look that up.
Stayed in all day yesterday. Didn't go to church, didn't go to sewing group. Didn't go shopping for food. Uma, however, was out and about on the bus.
Today was Swimming (only 4 of our group of 15 showed up), Line Dancing was canceled, as was a meeting at Uma's to discuss her moving into an assisted living (24 hour tenant support) facility without Donald. This should be interesting.
Got some groceries purchased today in anticipation of the coming week. Hope I can get to sewing class tomorrow.

January 17th already?

Been keeping busy, but with what? Once the Christmas break was over the feet hit the floor running. Swimming, Sewing class, Singing, Line Dancing, Volunteering in Malita's classroom on Friday's, UMW meetings, church etc. etc. etc. Well it keeps me out of the bars as my Mother used to say.
Off to AZ tomorrow for the weekend. Maybe I'll get to go to one of the fabric stores down there and have sensory overload.

It's finally happened

The holidays were tough on my wardrobe. All my jeans seem to have shrunk in the waist. So I sucombed to the ultimate of growing older -- I purchased jeans with an elastisized waist. I must face facts. I'm turning into an old lady.
Happy New Year!

Cat Puzzle

Finished it in record time. Thanks Sue. It was great fun.

Boxing Day

Item #1. Sue gave me a puzzle for Christmas with eleven cats dressed up in red hats and other finery. I started it last night and have only completed the bottom two or so rows and some of the sides. Should I finish it soon, I'll take a picture of it and post it.
Item #2. Heard that they now advocate getting an immunization for Shingles. Having never had chicken pox (tho exposed to them when all three kids were growing up), I still opted to get one. Because I have such great insurance the shot cost me nothing (insurance picked it all up) and Jerry only had to pay $28, Medicare picked up the rest. Guess the shots are going for $200 a stab.
Item #3. Went to see "Enchanted" yesterday with Jhary. I want that movie. It is soooo cute.
Item #4. My granddaughter announced her engagement to be married. She is thrilled. The plan is to wait a couple of years before the actual ceremony. We shall see.

The week in reveiw

Why is it, when you look ahead on a week, you don't see how rough it is really going to be? I mean you see Christmas party here, a Minstrels performance there and think, "piece of cake". Then...
Saturday was our Red Hat gathering. No big deal just shoots the middle out of a Saturday. And you have so much fun you don't want to do much else the rest of the day.
Sunday was church and the Soup luncheon we serve to celebrate Jesus' birthday. I had to be there early to help set up and stay after to help clean. Then Sydney needed to be picked up from her father's because the pillows she wanted to make were still in the "yardage purchased but nothing else done" stage. Brought her home, cut out six heart shaped pillows out of that fuzzy stuff that gets all over the place and helped her sew (actually she did the sewing, I just pinned) them together.
Monday I cut out dresses for Jhary and Uma (standing on my feet bending over the dining room table) and then went down to the church to set up for our annual clothing give-a-way to the poor who frequent our Shalom Ministry dinners. Again on my feet, this time for two three hour stretches with only a 30 minute sit time in between.
Tuesday was my regular day for the "Come Sew with Me" group at the church. I had to leave an hour early to attend a performance at a nursing home with the Minstrels. I could not stay standing for the entire show as I am usually able to do.
Wednesday I had a breakfast with the Minstrels to celebrate Christmas. Then spent the rest of the day sewing to finish Jhary's dress. It is beautiful but probably should be let out just a tad in the waist. Uma hasn't been here to try hers on yet and she now tells me she wants a black and red dress (not the green plaid she brought over for me to sew).
Thursday the little girls came over. Sydney wanted to make two quilts for her mother's friends. She had them all cut out - was just a bit off on how to put them together (was making the frame before she had the center done). The quilts are really just lap robes with 9 eight inch squares and two inch sashing. We got them done, tho and her mother was thrilled. (Again, Syd sewed, I pinned). We took them home and then off to Jhary's Christmas party. She looked great in her new dress.
Friday - today - we spent at the Mall with the two other grand kids. Josh wanted shoes for Christmas. (This boy is much too serious. For his birthday he wanted a sweatshirt.) Haili wanted a Build-a-Bear and cloths for it. My feet are tired.
Gosh! It looks like Saturday and Sunday are empty. Don't count on it. I'm sure we will find something to stuff in there.

Doll cloths

As most of you know, I love to make doll dresses. I have several grand daughters and have sewn cloths for their dolls, but not whole wardrobes. Just pieces here and there.
Enter Martha, the girl from Africa who came in September with her family and no toys/dolls at all. While scouring the thrift stores for warm clothing for them (the family) I came across an 18 inch doll in really very good condition. I picked her up for about $6.00 and brought her home for some clean up and a new wardrobe.
I have finished sewing several items but am particularly proud of the snow suit.
I have also let my sewing machine embroidery on some items:

I have spent a lot of time on these little things. Now it is time to start thinking about getting this house ready for Christmas. My tree is still in it's box. The cards are still not purchased. I did make some cookies but they are gone now and I have two more functions to take cookies to. Better get busy.

Mattress

Some years ago, when married to a VERY large man, we went through mattresses quite regularly. Due to his bulk and night sweats, our mattresses broke down, fabric deteriorated, springs popped through, you get the idea. We tried a foam mattress once, it became smushed quite rapidly. Then we purchased a Select Comfort mattress, a glorified air mattress. It worked just fine for both of us as we could adjust the firmness desired to our individual tastes.
Then he died, I moved to this condo, got rid of that king sized bed (cause there was no one to share it with me and purchased and adjustable bed (think hospital type) as I was preparing to be and old lady. Besides it was great for reading in bed, just crank that baby up and read away.
That didn't last long, tho, as Jerry came into my life and all of a sudden we were in need of more sleeping room. I convinced him to get an adjustable bed and we would just strap them together. No amount of strapping would keep those two twin sized mattresses together when the two bodies on top wanted to "get together", shall we say. So, we dumped those and got a Select Comfort. I figured it worked for one guy, it should work for this one too.
We enjoyed that mattress for three plus years until my DH told me that it just wasn't working for him. No matter what number he tried he woke with an achy back, could not sleep through the night. "The mattress must go." I hemmed and hawed. After all, I had talked him into this system and felt responsible. But after sleeping on numerous hotel mattresses in Israel the die was cast. We went out and bought a new mattress. This time the adjustable part of the beds went out too.
We have a regular King sized bed now (with room under for storage boxes). It is luxury. Firm yet soft. I want to stay in bed longer. My hips don't hurt if I lay on one side too long. Jerry is sleeping through the night with no aches and pains.
Why did I resist so long?

Fairies

Here is a cute site.


Give it a try.

You have to click on the title "Faries"

Antuco in Israel

Antuco made friends where ever he went. Here he is with the guard outside the Damascus Gate in Old Jerusalem (Muslim Sector).

These are Soldiers in Bethlehem. They are smiling because the young girls in our group had just taken pictures with them leaving them in a good mood.

This Tourist Police officer could barely keep from laughing at the idea of a monkey wanting his picture. I promised I wouldn't show his superiors.

I liked the costume of this guard. He was inside the Treasury at Petra. Good smile. The most diligent of guards was Gila, our guide. Tough as nails when it came to keeping track of her charges. Borne in the US, she emigrated to Israel as a very young woman and lived on a Kibbutz for a number of years. Now she is a certified guide and very up on her history of the region (both old and new Testament).

Our organizer and leader, Pastor John Delancey. Gentle person with a wealth of knowledge about the region. He has been there several times and is going back in March 08.

Last but certainly not least is our fabulous bus driver, Acrom. He could put that bus in spots I would only dream of getting my Subaru.

Jerry in Israel

Our trip to Israel was really delightful. I tried to get shots of Jerry enjoying himself. Bus rides were long and cramped. Here he is at the Siq - entrance to Petra. He really enjoyed this part of the trip. Can you see his smile?
The trip to Petra takes us through a long canyon called the Siq.

Once through the Siq Jerry found a bench to sit on and wait until I had finished exploring. That's him sitting on the right end of the bench against the canyon wall. (You could recognise him, right?)

Been there, Done that. Where's my T-shirt?
We had to get on a boat (part of the tour) at the Sea of Galilee. I really wanted to get a "Christmas Card" photo of us there. Don't think this one will do.Honest, folks, he really was enjoying himself.

We have determined that my dear husband is not a traveler. This trip was most difficult for him. The getting there and back is arduous. The climbing in and out of the buses for the numerous stops was trying. So I guess I'll be the world traveler of the family. Not a bad title. And Jerry will stay home and fret that I'm OK and be able to take care of the cats so they are not so lonely.

Pictures

Here I am at Arbel. This is the southern end of the fertile plain of Ginnosar. I believe this was the day after I sprained my ankle so did not go to the farthest lookout point with the group.

Then there was the camel ride in Petra. Notice the red hat. Picked that up in Jerusalem. It is a grand hat. My hair refused to behave the whole trip and my curling iron only worked when it wanted to and only for short periods of time. The camels seem to always have a second beast roped to them. Maybe a youngster learning the ropes. As I was positioning Antuco on my camel after the ride, the second camel became very curious. I told him(?) not to bite Antuco and he looked at me and started to snuffle my face. Really a very sweet camel, soft mussel. Neither one spit or grumbled at me as had been noticed at other camel stops. I had walked down the road way another mile or so past the treasury when I decided I had seen enough and hired the camel to bring me back up. Just as I arrived in the Treasury yard, a large group of tourists stood right in front of Jerry so he didn't get to see my triumphant entrance. That is Jerry, sitting on the end of the bench, with the vest and purple shirt on. I took this from the porch of the Treasury.

We're Home

What a trip. Lots to see in that little country. The bus took us all over Israel; from Tel Aviv to Caesarea to the Northern boarder with Syria down to Jerusalem, into Bethlehem (occupied territory - our guide couldn't go with us only our driver), then down to Egypt and up to Jordan and back into Israel. Check points at every boarder. Guards with guns everywhere (even in the hotels) - they really want to protect those tourist dollars.
Mishaps included: Day 5- dismounted the bus a bit too clumsily and twisting my left ankle. Opted out of the Jordan baptism the next day.
Day 8 - developed a case of food poisoning(?). Up all night with "those" symptoms. Really cleaned things out. Imodium works great. I stayed in the hotel recovering the next day. The tour director suggested I start taking the full spectrum antibiotics we brought so I did. Got the whole seven days into my system (in the allotted seven days) and on Day 16, high above the Atlantic Ocean I broke out in hives, all over my face, chest, back. Hives hurt. Hives itch. Got to the hotel and tried to get some sleep. To no avail. Had Jerry go out and purchase some Benadril. Two doses of that did not touch the hives. By 1:30 in the am I said enough, and we went to the urgent care five miles from the hotel for an epinephrine shot and a scrip for steroids. The doc said I should be fine in about three days.
Got lots of pictures of Antuco with various soldiers. I should have counted cats. (There are lots of them all over the area). When I get the pictures loaded onto the computer I'll post them.

Israel

I'm here. Getting very tired. Sprained my ankle but doing fine now. Taking loads of pictures. Will post more when I get home. (or later)

Happy Turkey Day

I have previously posted pictures of birds that come to our feeder. Sparrows, flickers, quail, hawks, magpies, and starlings have all helped themselves to a quick repast in our back yard. But today tops them all.

We had five hen turkeys (wild ones) make it into our back yard and spend some time foraging in the Virginia Creeper. Now, we have seen wild turkeys in the mountains north of here but this was a first for us. We live two miles from the center of town!

What a treat! Guess they felt safe because I ordered my Thanksgiving bird just today from Eggers.

Musings on hair

Went to the dentist yesterday. On the way to the procedure room, one of the hygienists remarked on the color of my hair. She said she really liked the color of it.
All my young life I hated the color of my hair. I wanted straight black hair. I had wavy red hair. I had one girl friend whose hair was a bit lighter than mine. Guess I identified with her.
For the next 50 years or so I permed it, colored it (wanted a brighter color) and often just let it do it's own thing.
Then as I neared 60 I started looking at my hair color in a different way. It is unique. You can't get this color from a bottle. It has pretty much stayed the same since my Mother clipped my first lock and put it in my baby book. I have some grey coming in now (actually, it looks more blond than grey). I'll probably not turn grey like others my age, rather the red will fade and get lighter (turn yellowish) until it becomes almost white (I'm told it will happen that way, anyway).
In the mean time I'll truely enjoy the color it is now. Just as I've come to appreciate my overall shape and general abilities.
Acceptance, yes. Appreciation, definitely.

October

The weather here turned cold rather fast. We had a lovely warm September then all of a sudden it was October and cold. But the cool-down was not gradual enough to produce the wonderful colors we had last year. I rather thought last year's trees were outstanding as compared to now, so I looked back on my site and sure enough. Those vibrant colors are not showing up this year. Maybe I am a bit early in my observations. I'll see what another couple of weeks bring.

Jerry & I, in preparation for the trip, received our flu and pneumonia shots yesterday. They were doing them for free at the Senior Center and I figured why not? I'm thinking all those hours in the closed ventilation system of the planes, all those little beasties just looking for new hosts, and who knows what we will run into in Israel, right? Yesterday I was fine. Jerry was a bit sore at the shot site. Today I feel like I've been "rode hard and put away wet" as my dad used to say. Meaning that I either am reacting to the shots or am really just tired. I'll relax this afternoon and do some yoga this evening and see what happens.

Maritha

Saturday I was finally able to go shopping with Maritha. It was quite an experience. We first went to Walmart where we picked up some tights, a couple of long sleeved t-shirts and a winter coat. Maritha was quite hesitant and shy about looking and picking out something.
OK, there really wasn't much to choose from anyway. A quick stop at Arby's and off we went to Kmart.
The girl learns quick. She marched right in to the girl's department and started looking at the dresses, pants, and shirts like a seasoned shopper. We found a couple of dresses, some cute jeans, warm snugglies and some snow boots.
When we got home she had to pull everything out of the bags and hold them up for everyone to see. She sure looked happy. I think we did just fine without a common language. Mostly I would sign. She watched my response about sizes and really tried to find the right tags. She picked mostly Pink. I pointed out purple and blue, she went back to pink. Guess she is a girly girl under all those boys cloths she has been wearing.

Musings on money

All my life I have felt like I have been scrimping along. When I started earning my own money babysitting, I would record every cent in a little accounting book - earned and spent. I could tell you what I bought or where it went. This habit carried from 5th grade through nursing school.
My first husband took charge of finances and had a good head for dealing with a growing family and small income. We did OK. No impulse shopping, no running up the credit cards. We would go on vacations IF we had saved up the money for it. Good, solid financial planning.
However, I felt like I didn't have "my own money" so I opened a savings account (behind his back) for my "pin" money. Why did women feel like they had to do that in those days? I wanted to feel like I could make a purchase without having to ask for money.
We split, and I had a terrible time getting a Shell Gas, JC Penny's, Liberty House or, Sears credit card in my name because all of our credit was in his name. My, how times have changed.
Husband number two dumped all financial responsibilities on me. He gave me his checks, I had to figure out how to pay the bills. He was good at running up the credit cards, I was diligent in paying them off. Because of this, we had no savings to use for vacations or planned out big purchases. I used training from my early life to work out finances in this union. I was in charge of all monies, but still felt financially poor because it was my responsibility to make ends meet.
Enter husband number three. He came into my life with a sound financial background, pays the bills, makes sure I want for nothing. But I can't break old habits. I shop for bargains, even in the grocery store I find it hard to purchase say, bell peppers at $1.00 each when I know I can get them for $.25 at the little outdoor produce shed down the road from us.
Why this musing? As I was doing my morning ablutions I was reflecting on how I always used to dream about having enough money to dump everything in my closet and buy all new. I can, financially, do that now. But, I can't. It would not be a good use of time or money. I pick up a shirt or blouse now and then. Don't feel guilty if I wear it a couple of times and it just doesn't do so I give it away. I don't think I could be happier if I had a LOT of money. Having some left over in my checking account at the end of the month makes me smile with gratitude for blessings uncounted.
I am glad I had the times of lean. It makes these times of plenty all the more sweet.

Test Results

The PA called today with a glowing report. Basically, my heart is in great shape and the Cardiologist does not anticipate any cardiac incidents in the foreseeable future. So, I'm happy.
Etienne family update: Got on line and looked up what the two elementary school aged kids would need for school. Then Jerry & I filled the list. Took the supplies over today. Jean Marie will have a book bag waiting for him at school with some supplies in it already, we just filled in the blanks. Maritha's bag weighs a ton. She was sooooo happy when I told her these were HER supplies and the boys couldn't have any. They had to take everything out of the bag (6 pks of paper, 6 folders, 10 spiral notebooks, crayons, colored markers, pencils, colored pencils, glue, scissors etc.) and then put them all back.
I told the older boys I would get them a back pack each and see what supplies they need.
It is great to see what they are learning already. Words like hi, hello, Thank You!, numbers etc. Even the Papa is picking up words.
The neighbors have really opened their arms to this family. There is a boy (frosh at G-Prep) living two houses down. He is over quite a bit just talking and getting the kids used to English. There seem to be a few other refugee families in the area because a man from Rwanda came by today - he recognised the World Relief worker as she was taking the kids to the park and wanted to say Hi to the parents. And some women that were at the school meeting I attended last week came by to visit.
Wanted to get to the garden today to harvest the tomatoes before it freezes (yes, that ugly word is creeping into the weather forecast already). Didn't make it. Sewing class tomorrow. Maybe Wednesday? Who knows. At least I have brought my houseplants in.