christmas cookies

I made Christmas cookies today and Owen and Hali came after school to decorate them.  I frosted Owens and he decorated.  Hali did both, she enjoyed eating them as well as did Owen.
Hali wants a doll for Christmas and some pink stuff.  Owen just wants a mouth guard for when he plays football next year.  He has his cleats and shoulder pads already.  He wants to PLAY FOOTBALL and I want to be there to watch.
Winter Solstice will be here in about three days and it's almost Christmas.  The kids will be with their mother and her family this year and that makes Dan cry.  He's trying to get their mother to let them be here overnight Christmas Eve. 
The cookies break easily LOL but they all look so festive.

St. Nick comes tonight

Backward, turn backward, O Time in thy flight
                  Make me a child again, just for tonight
                  Mother, come back from the echo less shore
                  Take me again to your heart as of yore.


                  Kiss from my forehead the furrows of care
                  Smooth the few silver threads out of my hair
                  Over my slumber your loving watch keep, ---
                  Rock me to sleep, mother, rock me to sleep

                  Over my heart in days that are flown
                  No love like mother love ever was shown
                  No other worship abides and endures
                  Faithful unselfish and patient like yours

                  None like a mother can charm away pain
                  From the sick soul and the world weary brain
                  Slumber soft love ore my heavy lids creep
                  Rock me to sleep mother rock me to sleep

                  Mother dear mother the years have been long
                  Since I last hushed to your lullaby song
                  Sing them and unto my sole it shall seep
                  Womanhood’s years have been only a dream

                  Clasped to your heart in a loving embrace
                  With your light lashes just sweeping my face
                  Never here after to wake or to weep
                  Rock me to sleep mother rock me to sleep

First snowfall last evening

First Snow-Fall. THE sun that dim November day Had failed to kiss the clouds away From quiet Nature's furrowed face, Where autumn tears had left their trace. And, by and by, on fields of brown The feathered flakes came floating down From Heaven to this world of ours, Like spirits of departed flowers. And fast and faster through the night, Till Morn arose on meadows white, And o'er the landscape lightly stepped Where tired Nature, smiling, slept. __Albert Bigelow Paine.

A Poem

“You think I am dead,”
The apple tree said,
“Because I have never a leaf to show–
Because I stoop,
And my branches droop,
And the dull gray mosses over me grow!
But I’m still alive in trunk and shoot;
The buds of next May
I fold away–
But I pity the withered grass at my root.”
“You think I am dead,”
The quick grass said,
“Because I have parted with stem and blade!
But under the ground
I am safe and sound
With the snow’s thick blanket over me laid.
I’m all alive, and ready to shoot,
Should the spring of the year
Come dancing here–
But I pity the flower without branch or root.”
“You think I am dead,”
A soft voice said,
“Because not a branch or root I own.
I never have died,
But close I hide
In a plumy seed that the wind has sown.
Patient I wait through the long winter hours;
You will see me again–
I shall laugh at you then,
Out of the eyes of a hundred flowers.”
Edith M. Thomas.

Weather is changing

It has been so warm and sunny I hate to see it end.  It rained today and they say it's getting colder and more fall like now.  I have my yard work finished except I may still prune a couple bushes but maybe not as the flowers are probably set for the spring already. 
Time to tackle a little more housework and do a little fall decorating with witches and goblins.  Mostly have the 'potting shed' turned back into a garage.  Still have the hose and grill out though. 
Looking forward to farmers market on saturday to stock up on veggies to use for crock pot meals. 
Tomorrow is library day and I see they are having another used book sale this weekend so I may go to that.
That's about all I've got for today.

Packers won today

Rainy day.  Owen was here cause he didn't want to go with his Mom and sister to take Ethin back to Michigan.  He tried on his football stuff and had me take a few pictures.  Then, when he want home he put on his Packer jacket from last year.  He's gotten taller so it was kind of short in the sleeves.   He wanted to wear it though.  Kids are having their pictures taken tomorrow so I hope they have cute expressions.
Not much else going on.  Didn't get any of my jobs done today.

You are somebodies reason to smile

So sorry to have wasted today.   The only thing I accomplished was the wash and I didn't get it finished.
Somedays I just catch up.  Was cold and sunny.

wash day

“Never, never be afraid to do what's right, especially if the well-being of a person or animal is at stake. Society's punishments are small compared to the wounds we inflict on our soul when we look the other way.”
― Martin Luther King Jr.

So tired praying for the energy to do some yard work.
Almost time to remove flowers.
Cloudy day.
Have four good books to read.  The first one is Betty White's book, If You Ask Me
I put out the recycle bin last night but it isn't recycle day.  Debating if I should sneak out there and bring it back in.
I ate Hostess powdered sugar donettes for breakfast...yum
Enough dilly dallying, time to get to work.

Sunny Day

...sweeping the clouds away, on my way to where the air is sweet, can you tell me how to get, how to get to seseme street
There was a time when my sibs were loving and caring but now they suck.

cold and sunny

Enjoyed the day with my grandchildren. 

Laundry Day

also exercise day cause I have to go up and down so many flights of stairs.  I wanted a single story house, kids wanted an upstairs...got an upstairs, kids moved on and I am still here trudging up and down all these steps.  On the plus side, it's good exercise.
Still working in yard.  Things grew so tall but don't know what they are, not flowers, not trees, must be weeds.  I wish I had a weed book so I could name them LOL.
Planning to go apple picking with kids on Saturday.  Always a fun thing to do.  They have a hay wagon, and lots of animals and  a little park.  Hoping for a nice day.

A Fun Day

Met my old drinking buddies for lunch and did some shopping.  We had lunch at Frank and Pats Pizza place.  Haven't been there in years.  The pizza was still as good as I remember it was after the bars closed.  I always enjoy our once a month dinner dates.  We have a lot of fun together.
Did some sewing this evening and watched a little TV.  Have a new book to start called The House of Stairs.  I'm attracted to weird titles, hope it's a good book.
Forgot to take pictures, I meant to.

BOATLIFT, An Untold Tale of 9/11 Resilience

It was asthma season

and all the ER rooms were occupied mostly with kids having problems with their breathing.  The only room left was the small specials room.  The boy was with his parents and I was giving him a breathing treatment.  A nurse came in and said there's been a plane accident in New York on one of the skyscrapers.  By the time I finished the treatment and was ready to head upstairs to the Respiratory Department, the accident was already on the news.  They said that a plane hit a building and smoke was coming out of it.  It was live on TV, I don't know what channel.  As we were all watching a plane came into view and headed right for another building and crashed it...someone said that must be the World Trade Center.  I left and went upstairs.  We were doing testing on the machines that day.
The TV was on in the break room and they were saying that another plane had hit in Washington DC and they thought there were one or two more that had been hijacked.  I got through the rest of the work day and went home.  I assured that my children were safe and at home.  I remember I was shaking pretty bad.  It was the worst of days so filled with horror.
When the jets fly over on game day I have to prepare myself for them, wait for them, while the game is starting so I know what they are here for.  This last summer the Air Force jets scrambled twice and afterward they announced that it was a practice run each time.  I guess they got so many inquiries that they finally said what it was.   The Spring after that horrible day, Bellin Hospital was building a tunnel under the road by their hospital and they hauled the dirt to the trainyard less than a block away from me.  The trucks would empty out the dirt and then slam the back of the truck box a couple times to get all the clay, etc. out.  It would start at 5 in the morning so it would wake me up.  I woke up screaming almost every day thinking we were being attacked again.  I never got used to it and it lasted over two months.  I finally got up the nerve to call the administrator at Bellin and told him what was going on.  Bless his little pea pickin heart they moved the dump site to a non-residential area.  My house is under a flight pattern so the planes fly over every day.  They look like the same kind of planes.  I still think of that day every time I see them.  It affected everyone in some way.
God Bless America.

Sign up day

I signed up for a Craft Class, a Cooking Class for Vegetables (can't always eat them raw I guess) and also as a volunteer after school tutor.  Gotta keep up or get left behind.  It was such a beautiful day I would have thought I'd spend time in the yard.  But took one look at those clothes lines that got wrecked when the big branch fell and decided no.  I did, however carry out the flat of plants I bought and put them out by the barrel planter hahahahaha, they are annuals and I bought them last May.  The Morning Glories are still in the tiny little pots and they are blooming.  The rest are shade flowers all colors.  Maybe tomorrow I'll plant them.  That's a good Sunday job.  Checked on the grapes today and thank God this is the off year as I don't think I feel like messing with them except to grab a handful when I'm outside looking at them.  Finished the Postmistress, very good book.  Now I searched and made up another list for the library but in the meantime I have two magazines to read.  Woman's Day and Family Circle...they are kind of like Dr. Oz and Oprah on paper.  Goodnight people everywhere.

The old bench that Hali loves

To begin with the bench was just an old curb shopped piece of junk with good bones. I painted it and re-covered the seat and put it next to the side door. It has been there all Hali's life which is only five years. But over the years it got pretty warn. The back was all broken and the seat was in pieces. I was hauling it out to be picked up for junk one day and Hali thought I should fix it. Well by that time it was pretty well unusable but she likes that old bench. We sat on it for stories and to change shoes and to watch the stars at night and to have our root beer floats so it had good meaning for her. I liked it as well while it lasted but I wanted new. Well I took it apart and glued the back slats back on and removed the seat part that had broken in two. I painted it, got a board, some screws and a piece of fabric and today I put it together. I have before and after pictures so Hali can remember. Owen likes it too but he isn't much of a sitter. He's always playing football or riding his bike or doing work in the yard.  This is the after picture.

Letting in a little winter

Today I changed my bed sheets to the flannel ones and added the mattress warmer to the bed.  I didn't turn it on yet, but it's there and ready.  Didn't quite turn the furnace on but the next best thing to warm the house was to bake a cake and turn on the oven.  I made red velvet cupcakes with cream cheese frosting.  I also washed clothes and vented the drier inside for this one time.  Couldn't work in the yard cause my left leg didn't work right and was pretty painful.  I was surprised as that usually only happens when it's humid and it wasn't humid today.  The wind and rain storm the other day left such a big branch in the back yard across my clothes lines.  I waited to see if I could get help moving it but then ended up moving it myself.  I know I shouldn't but it did work out okay.  I moved it to the front for pick up yesterday...could be why I'm having a little muscle pain today. 
The cupcakes are delicious. 

 Hali won a summer reading program prize at the Southwest library

 Owen modeling a Cub shirt I got for him and holding up a sign that says the Cubbies suck...I guess he isn't happy with the shirt and cap.

 Fort Howard had a picnic and open house the day before school started

 Owen and Hali getting ready to sit down and eat at the picnic

The Slack boys posing for the camera

The sun is out the sky is blue

Have a list to do today.  So tired, unable to do it.  Maybe if I rest a while and then try again.
Humidity must be increasing as that's usually when the pain comes so strong.  Wah wah wah...what a baby.

cook out

Yesterday had a cookout hamburgers and hotdogs, potato salad, soda, cake.  Hali loves potato salad, I was so surprised.  Was a beautiful day but got oh so tired at the end of it. 
Today .. Went looking for a piece of wood 36 by 15 and much to my surprise Fleet Farm had that exact size.  They have wooden pieces cut to size for home made furniture.  Now I can finish the bench I'm remodeling.  Such a wonderful breezy day.  So sad to see summer winding down and school about to start.  Picked up a library book today called The Postmistress, hope it's a page turner.  Continuing to work  in the yard...good exercise.

Sunny Saturday

we are very lucky to have another wonderful day.  I spent much of it outside in the gardens.  Also went to the 'beauty parlor' to get my hair cut.  I finally got my monthly gift for August...an electric pencil sharpener.  It works really great and now I have a lot of sharpened pencils.  I got the ADRC and Salvation Army Newsletter today and there are a number of things that are interesting...both trips to take and volunteer things.  I also got the Birkenstock catalog...must be time for a new pair of Berkies.

Humid day with breeze

I thought it was cooler than it is so only stayed outside about two hours.  Replaced the porch light and started redoing the sitting bench.  Now just need the energy to go to a couple stores for the fabric, wood and nails.  Anakin is helping me with the work today haha.

A beautiful summer day

Worked in the yard today for about an hour.  Didn't get very far but at least I did some.  Bought an arbor sort of thing at Steins to plant the Morning Glories on.  I don't know if they will still grow and bloom but it's worth a try.  Hope to get back out in the garden a little later today.
Was going to cut the grass in front too but I see I'm out of gas...oh shucks...I'll do that maybe tomorrow.

whats in bloom

summer

Summer again.  No veggie garden this year.  I've replaced my gardening time with reading time and have read a number of good books.  As I sit here typing, my cats are staring at me...must be supper time LOL  Was going to work in the yard today but it's nasty outside.  I cut the front and side grass yesterday. It's surprising how many flowers bloom on their own.  One of my sisters has a veggie garden this year and I saw pictures of it...it's beautiful.  Well supper time...the meowing is getting deafening.

Easter was fun

It went by fast.  Forgot to take pictures.

A Daffodil Day

It's such a dark and gloomy day today.  As I was cleaning out the bird bath and filling the feeders, I noticed that I have a lot of Daffodil's in bloom.  Now I usually don't pick my flowers because I like to see them outside, but there are so many that I picked just one handful and brought them in the house and put them in a vase...made in Japan (that's another story).  They reminded me a Wordsworth's poem...

I WANDERED lonely as a cloud
          That floats on high o'er vales and hills,
          When all at once I saw a crowd,
          A host, of golden daffodils;
          Beside the lake, beneath the trees,
          Fluttering and dancing in the breeze.

          Continuous as the stars that shine
          And twinkle on the milky way,
          They stretched in never-ending line
          Along the margin of a bay:                                  10
          Ten thousand saw I at a glance,
          Tossing their heads in sprightly dance.

          The waves beside them danced; but they
          Out-did the sparkling waves in glee:
          A poet could not but be gay,
          In such a jocund company:
          I gazed--and gazed--but little thought
          What wealth the show to me had brought:

          For oft, when on my couch I lie
          In vacant or in pensive mood,                               20
          They flash upon that inward eye
          Which is the bliss of solitude;
          And then my heart with pleasure fills,
          And dances with the daffodils.

Kids here today

We colored Easter eggs and played Uno.  Time went fast.
Owen read a book to me.  He's a very good reader and knows a lot of big words and small words.  I still can't believe he learned to read so good so fast.  I'm proud of him.
Hali likes to write letter...a lot of letters in a row and is looking forward to being able to make words with them.  She also likes to play guess what I drew, and make picture stories.
I'm proud of her.
It snowed today and was windy and cold so we stayed in.
We watched Kate plus Eight that I had taped from the other night.  They were in a zoo in Australia and we learned a lot about the animals and got to see how the kids are growing.
In the market for a new computer but hate to do the shopping for it so it may take a while.  Also getting a WII Fit and Sport.  I didn't keep up with electronics since I retired and I'm not sure what I need to connect it...and hate to ask.
Was going to try church tomorrow but have decided to check out the Civil War and Dinosaur exhibits at the Museum instead. 
I made hollow cereal egg treats with M and M's inside...Picture follows.

Warming

By Sunday we expect it to be 70 degrees....then by Monday a blizzard....hahaha JK.
My grandchildren were over extra long last weekend and all our projects were done, as well as our adventures and we ran out of things to do....so we painted faces of course.

Another day in the life

Spring cleaning done

The hardest part was hanging the new curtains.  The color is called brown sugar, but they look peachy.  I hung them upside down cause it looks better LOL.  The kitchen is so bright and clean too.  Nice to have it all done. 

Anakin (cat) followed me around all day and helped me.  She's such a sweetie.  CC (cat)  hid under the bed, she doesn't like change.

It was warm enough on the sun porch to sit out and read for a little while.  I guess snow is coming again on Sunday.  I take what comes along.  I don't need any more snow, I have the snow balls for July waiting in the freezer.

A shame about having to throw out that Christmas ham.  I'm going to have sloppy joes for Easter I think.  And if no one comes over I'm going to go to a local free brunch and meet some people that are poor and old like me.

3 day snowstorm on it's way...

I like to save snowballs from the last snowstorm of winter so now I'll have my chance.  I use the snowballs for a snow ball fight on the 4th of July with my grandchildren.  They've come to expect it, wouldn't want to let them down LOL.  I also have the snowman stuff for two snowmen that we didn't get a chance to build last snow storm because it melted to fast.
Went to Festival Foods specifically to get root beer popsicles and they didn't have any

It's still Spring

Francesca

That's the name of the snow storm that so far has dropped 17 inches on Green Bay since yesterday. 
There aren't too many advantages of being older, but one of the greatest of all is being retired so I don't have to go to work in the snowstorms.  I could hear cars gunning their motors this morning as they tried to get out of snow banks.  I see the plow has gone through and I wonder if I should shovel or if it will melt...nothing in the world like Spring Thunder snow.

The Calendar says today is the first day of Spring

Owen says tomorrow is...March 21st...that's what I say too.  Don't know when it changed to the 20th.
Happy Spring!

Owen and Hali here today.

Had fun.  They wanted to go shopping but I convinced them to stay home and play cards with me and make chili.  It was so funny to play Old Maid with them.  At first they didn't quite get it but after I stuck the Old Maid up higher than the other cards they began to catch on.  We all laughed pretty hard after they started doing it too.  Also we painted pictures and told drawing stories.  Then I rested on the couch for a while while they decorated the windows with window markers.  I taught Owen to draw stars so we have a lot of stars and Hali likes to draw people so we have some of those too.  They dusted and moped their rooms today, cleaned out their closets and brought out the recyclables.  I don't tell them, they just do a couple jobs when they are here.   We made plans to go to the library and shopping on Wednesday.  They are gone now and it's very quiet in here.  I guess I'll read for a while and go to bed early.

Spring Concert

Owen's school had their Spring concert today. They have such a wonderful music teacher she sure knows how to bring out the joy of singing. She also hands out little props so the kids have something to do while they are singing. The concert was short and sweet...I wish it would have lasted a little while longer. I took a few pictures, as usual, and will post them when I get them.
While filling the bird feeders today, I noticed that there are a lot of Daffodils and Tulips coming up. Also the rhubarb is growing again. I love rhubarb. The flowering trees and bushes all have little buds...except for the Lilac, that usually takes a little longer.
The big old Coopers Hawk was here having lunch today. Such a beautiful bird. My squirrel family is all pretty chubby. They ate well over the winter and I see that all five of them are still here.
The snow is almost gone except for the old drifts. Of course more snow is coming this weekend.
I walked the yard and picked up a lot of the trash that blew in over the winter. Found a whole envelope of someones pictures but they were pretty well smeared up so I just tossed them out.
I had started a blog of things I found on my walks...took pictures and commented on them...but I ended up in the hospital shortly after so that blog didn't come to life. It's still there so maybe in the Spring I'll add some more to it.
Hurts to wear shoes. I'm hoping to get to a store so I can get some slippers to wear outside until my feet heal better. I never thought I'd be one of those weird old ladies that fall down. Oh well...

Hair is cut

I'm happy to have gotten my hair cut and had a nice visit with the woman that cut it. She was very sweet and funny. Didn't do much by way of Spring cleaning today. My feet hurt so bad, but I'm sure they will be better by tomorrow.
We used to have a family web site but it's been removed and my brother sent me an email wondering where it was. I guess we'll have to correspond by email now. I did enjoy the web site though and sorry it's gone.
Sunny day today, slow down Spring don't go so fast in to summer!
I found some brown sugar curtains that are almost peach colored. Didn't get them yet, still hoping to find peach.

No peach curtains

I'll have to keep looking.  I found some really nice tectured curtains at KMart but brown was the closest I could come to peach so didn't get any.  Still have the blue ones up.  Maybe people don't use peach curtains.  Got some Grape water, Glucosamine, and Packer DVD.  I'll put that in Owens treasure box.  I see on Facebook that my nephew took his grandchild to Disney World.  I wish I could take Hali, she would so love it there with all the princesses.  I did get her ballet and tap dancing this winter though, that was good.  All the sweet little girls she met and she loved wearing the makeup and being on stage.  My hair is long enough to put in a pony tail LOL...hope to get it cut soon.  Moving along with Spring cleaning.

Peach curtains

Had a dream last night about the sunlight coming through peach curtains.  Tomorrow I'm going to look around to see if I can find some thin peach curtains that the sun shines through!  Then I have a branch I saved from my brother's birch tree that I'm going to use for  a curtain rod.  But first I will do the Spring cleaning in the living room.  I guess it doesn't sound like a big deal but I'm looking forward to seeing how it all comes together.
Supposed to be a bright sun shiny day tomorrow.

Saturday stuff

Went to Arti Gras today at Shopko Hall.  So many great artists bring their work there.  Plus there were projects for the kids to do and free classes for the adults.
Quite a crowd and the food was good too.  I was happy it didn't snow.
The earthquake in Japan has a death toll up to 1700 since I heard last and the sunami caused a lot of devistation throughout the world, even to the US west coast.  Now I hear there is a second nuclear plant involved.  I hope the US keeps going with solar and wind power, they both seem safer to me.
I have no idea what time it is today, I turned the clocks the wrong way initially and then turned them back only and hour.  Now I think it's almost 8pm but I don't know for sure.
Tomorrow it's supposed to be nice so I'm hoping for more outside time.

A little walk

Today I walked a little further, actually four blocks I think.  Just walked slowly so didn't need the cane.  Will be happy when I no longer need this 'special' shoe or whatever it is.  Was such a beautiful day today I enjoyed being outside very much. 
Also today I spent my usual fifteen minutes gathering up a give away bag for the thrift store.  Of course the danger there, is that when I bring/brought the bag there I stopped in the store and looked around.  Lots of cute Spring things there.  I did get two cute little Easter books and a yard of material to cover the porch chair cushion.  Looks like tomorrow is supposed to be rainy and windy so I'll be doing my fifteen minutes again. 

Cravendale - Cats with Thumbs

http://www.pallensmith.com/articles/five-great-flower-seeds?utm_source=pas_newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=pas_2011-02-28

http://www.pallensmith.com/articles/five-great-flower-seeds?utm_source=pas_newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=pas_2011-02-28

Joan Baez, Diamonds and Rust - Live, 1975

JOAN BAEZ ~ Joe Hill ~

Lil Wayne Green & Yellow Freestyle (Packers Superbowl Song)

Joan Baez Live @ Woodstock 1969 Joe Hill.mpg

Go You Packers Go 2011

Connie Gomper & The Pack! [part one]