Creative Rambling

Facebook has been the downfall of my blog

2010-10-01T15:05:00.003-04:00

I was looking for a photo and decided it may be in my blog. I is a picture of pierogi making that I took when my mother in law moved in with us and I tried to get her to take interest in doing something. So, I ended up here at the old blog site and had to reset the password, since it has been neglected for exactly one year!!

Wow, isn't that amazing, I had no intention of blogging today, but what the heck.

A whole year, things are definately changing here. I have to spend some time looking at my previous posts to see where I was a year ago. I will look after I do this. Right now, we are in the process of getting my mother in law on Hospice. She has been in assisted living since Feb 1, 2010. After a few syncopals and ambulance rides to the hospital, we decided it was time to find other living arrangements for her. It was very hard to do. I had no idea it was going to bother me as much as it did seeing as I had a lot to bitch about while she was here.

She is failing and will probably die in the next few days or weeks. Her kidneys are not working and on Sunday morning, she took a tumble. Her shoulder is dislocated, her face it cut up, and she hurt her knee. But nothing broke. I went on line to find out more about the dying process with kidney failure. It seems most people agree that it isn't a bad way to go. You basically go to sleep, fall into a coma, and slowly head toward the light. I hope for her sake it is true.

This waiting for someone to die thing, is so consuming. It is all you can think about, you wonder when it will happen, every time the phone rings, you think, 'this is it'. I watch my husband leave for the hospital, I went with him a few days ago. I went to be with him, I have a real hard time being there, my feet won't move when I walk in the door of the hopital. He doesn't want me to go with him anymore, I feel bad, but I don't want to go either.

October 1 2009 sunset

2009-10-01T20:54:00.001-04:00

I really love this picture. I think I am finally getting the photography thing down. I just keep snapping away and sometimes, I get results that knock me out. This is going to be printed and I want to make cards with some of my better photos.

Back Home

2009-09-19T20:29:00.004-04:00

I have been home for a week today. It was a wonderful vacation. We started it in Sedona and from there we went to the Grand Canyon, Hoover Dam, and on to Vegas for 7 days. We took a trip to Zion National Park one day while in Vegas.

I took over 400 pictures, there is so much beautiful scenery to photograph. Most of it was from a moving vehicle though. I have been working on viewing, sorting, and editing my pictures. I want to do something fun with them for all our traveling companions. They are all uploaded to my flickr page, there is a link down on the left side of the screen.

One thing I discovered is that Florida is very very flat where I live!! Just looking at all the geology out west really makes it hit home. I just love to look at the different layers of rock and the different textures and colors that constantly change with the light and shadows of the day. It inspires me to make something beautiful like a quilt or a poster or stepping stones.

I brought home some red rocks and pine cones, I also got a great CD of Native American Flute Music. It is so relaxing, it makes you just want to take a nap or get a massage. The one I bought is called The Best Of Nakai. I just found one of the songs on UTube I will try to share it here http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dI2H1sOSbno I guess you will have to click on it, I can't embed it for some reason.

Take a browse through my Flickr for some vacation pctures.

The real vacation begins

2009-09-01T22:23:00.005-04:00

Time for us to finally take a real vacation. We have traveled this year, but not without bringing work with us and mostly to go spoil the grandkids. This time, we are determined to relax and try to untie some knots for a change. The flight from Ft Myers to Charlotte was great except for the tight seating on US Air, wow, I never realized how much I appreciate Jet Blue, that is why they don't have first class, all the seats are roomy and I so missed having a TV! It is a little weird to fly with a stranger's head in your lap. People watching is always fun at an airport, I saw this woman, mid-fortyish, with red and purple dreadlocks poking out from under her straw hat that had a teal boa tied around it, and she had on these black platform lace up boots. I wonder why people decorate themselves this way? Do that enjoy having people stare or try not to stare at them? Is it an ego thing? Are they trying to make a statement, if so, would it be 'screw you', 'I'm a nutcase' or are they craving attention even if it is only to force us to stare and wonder???,

It amazes me how well Bob can time his workload, he can time it so that he works exactly up to the minute we leave for vacation. I wonder what would happen if he started working at ludicris speed 2 days before he started this time, would it mean he would be done two days before we left so he could get ready at a leisurely pace, or would he find more to do??? He works 24/7, I was tempted to leave the plug for the laptop home and hide the cell phones, but as you can see, I brought mine. You just can't get away from it.............

So, picture taking opportunites are everywhere here in AZ, I get so frustrated when driving down the highway and I see all these great things that I would love to shoot, but we can't stop. So, I decided to shoot from the car anyway. And I was pleasantly surprized, they look really good. I had bob stop at the side of the road to take a shot and check out what I found Arizona trash.

What a gorgeous place this is, the view just kept getting better and better, we started in Phoenix and drove north to Sedona. With the time difference and the fact that we got up at 3 am est, and were starving, we got to the hotel, threw our luggage in the door, headed for the nearest local pub and had lunch. We hung around long enough to eat and pay, then headed back to the room to crash at 3 AZ time. I gave up trying to figure out how many hours it was from the time we got up in FL. till then. The time change and the fact that AZ does not cooperate with daylight savings time, just gives me a headache. And who cares anyway, we are on vacation, it is dark now, so I think it is safe to go to bed whatever time it is!!!

Summer is just flying by

2009-07-22T08:34:00.002-04:00

I think this is the longest I have neglected my blog since I started. I was forced to start using facebook, or actually shamed into it. You see most of my extended family is on it and if I want to stay in the loop, I have to join too. It is kind of interesting to have little glimpses into the lives of people I usually only see a few times a year. Some of them give minute by minute updates, which can get a little tiresome, and others are more private and only put the most compelling news in there. I can't say I fall into either category, I just do it when I feel like sharing, which is inconsistent for the most part. Kind of like my blogging.

I did find a very dear old friend on facebook, she was my very first BFF from 4th grade. We spent most of our pre-teen and teen years growing up together. I was at her house 99% of the time. We were so opposite, she was outgoing, adventurous, brave, and poor and she had a house full of siblings. I was shy, timid, sheltered, and not so poor (or so it seemed) and one of 2 kids. Her and her family opened up a whole new world to me. I am sure my parents thought this was not a good thing, but they were in the midst of their own drama at the time, they got divorced when I was 11.

So I happily joined in with her family and we set out for some great adventures like putting dead mice in the pockets of peoples laundry hanging on the clotheslines in the neighborhood one April Fools day. We also liked to explore places were shouldn't go in like abandoned amusement parks and neighbors pools at night. When I think of doing these things today, I shudder at what could of happened.

I learned how to survive on kraft macaroni and cheese and taryton cigarettes. We watched Johnny Carson and Joe Namath on TV, these were her favorites. We adventured to NYC one day and somehow got tickets to see the taping of Johnny, I'll bet we were all of 14 or so at the time. Sometimes we would just hang out at her house and listen to her brother play the guitar and his friend on the bongos, they would play "My Girl" and sing too. Not me though, they were singers, they tried to get me to sing, but I couldn't do it. I was happy to listen.

I have a lot of good memories from this time of my life, thanks to Cindy and her family.

Aprons, Family, Memorial Day

2009-05-25T20:14:00.005-04:00

Memorial Day 2009

It was a great day, I spent most of it home ALONE (!!!!) sewing all day. I made this apron. I have had this fabric for a year and I finally cut it.

I didn't even get dressed, brush my hair, or maybe even my teeth. Look what I made:

The hubby went fishing with his friends. Gramma went to the dollar store and shopping from 11-2:30!!!! I had my house to myself for a change.

I also delimed my coffee maker, who is better than me!!!!

There are no parades here to go to for Memorial Day. We used to live on the parade route in CT, it was a great annual event. It marked the beginning of the summer for our town. Everyone came out of hibernation and said hello. Then the Fire Dept would serve hot dogs and hamburgers to anyone who came by. The Fire House was across the street from our house. We would all go over and hang around and talk with everyone. It was a great time. I kind of miss that, but it would never be the same even if we were still living there. The Fire Dept. moved up the road, people move on and change too.

So, back to the holiday. I did do something patriotic for the holiday. I ordered 100 flags and had them put on the lawns in my neighborhood. It is somewhat of a Realtor tradition, so I thought, why not. I had the boy next door put them out for me. He said several people personally thanked him and I even got a phone call from one guy who was very touched by it when he drove home and saw all the flags on the street.

Life is good here, different sometimes, but good..............

SARASOTA FLORIDA

2009-05-15T14:49:00.002-04:00

29th Anniversary celebration was held in Sarasota Florida this year..........

We were thinking about a cruise, but we thought we might get a case of the swine/bird flu, so we stayed close to home.

I always wanted to spend some time exploring this wonderful city. It is such a treat to be able to go on vacation and be an hour or so from home.

We did all the touristy things, and poor Bob, he had to do all the girl stuff with me. He shopped, he ate salads, went to museums, toured rose gardens and botanical gardens. We went for walks on the beach at Longboat Key. The whole time, I had my face in my camera. I took over 350 pictures there.

I never realized what a great place this is. It is really a well kept secret. We were so impressed with the Ringling Museums and mansion. I had no idea what John Ringling and his family were about. It is such an interesting and sad story.

This is a view from the water of his Mansion. I have many more pictures on my flickr page if you want to see more of the trip.

I haven't been very good about blogging lately, someone made me sign up on facebook. I like it, but there is only so much time in the day for the computer, we have to eat too! I have been on a diet!!!! Went to the gym today with Terri.

If that doesn't make me realize how old and out of shape I am! I did 30 mins on the bike and boy do I need a nap. It just started pouring here, so this is the perfect time to nap...zzzzzzzzzz

2009-04-11T21:24:00.002-04:00

PEEPS IN PARADISE

Ok, so today I am all stressed out. I have to preview 6 condos, bake two desserts for tomorrow, go to the grocery store and what am I doing? I am taking pictures of peeps in paradise. It is terri's fault. She had time to read the paper today! She calls and tells me there is a contest and we just have to enter it. I thought to myself, ok, but this is going to be low on the priority list. The deadline is Tuesday, so put it in the back of your mind.

Well.....the brain starts thinking and obsessing and the next thing I know, I am ripping the cabinets apart looking for props, I know I have some of those little drink umbrellas somewhere!

I try to put it out of my mind while I go do other stuff,. I picked up Terri and Ruth, then they start with the ideas, next thing I know, we are at Walgreens buying peeps and little boats, then we go to Ruth's and start making strawberry daquiries, (props you know). Her husband was home and just shook his head and disappeared, never to be seen or heard from again.

We finally got three acceptable photos to submit. And since two of us are on diets we will probably win, the prize is $100 worth of Normal Love Chocolates. I guess this peeps thing is big, Ruth sent me this link so that we can really feel like inadequate amatures and I am sure there are more out there;

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/gallery/2009/04/10/GA2009041001969.html

New Home just finished in Cape Coral

2009-03-19T13:45:00.002-04:00

Our friends finally moved in to their new home. This house took 2 years to build. It was started in 2006 at the height of the real estate boom, then the market took a nosedive, and the contrators were scarce. They had to move to other places to find work. It was worth the wait though, what a home.! This builder is still buiding homes here, but under a different name now. This tour is a tool we use for our real estate business, but I had to do a tour of this new construction just to show what a gorgeous home this is. We wish the best of times to Bob and Barbara in their new home.!!!

LAUNCHINGS

2009-03-16T09:45:00.004-04:00

10,9,8,7,6,5,4,3,2,..................

HURRY UP COME OUTSIDE NOW!! Bob yelling to me and me running in my nightgown thinking OH NO what happened. When I realized it was the shuttle, I ran inside and got my camera, we caught the tail end of the shuttle. If you look up in the right hand corner, you can still see it a little, it looks like a star. It isn't the best shot, but it is my first shuttle picture. Maybe a picture of me running out on the front lawn in my nightgown taking the picture would have been a little more entertaining though!

LAUNCH # 2

Katie is here for Spring break and of course we want to spend as much quality time as we can with her. We took her to the Calusa Nature center, went to J.N. Ding Darling wildlife preserve on Captiva, went to her favorite restaurants, saw Wicked, had a birthday party and the week just flew by.

One particular adventure; which I did not participate, has a special meaning for Katie and Bob. It will be known as the day Bob got launched. I am sure her grandchildren will want to hear this story over and over again. It is, the kind of story that when repeated is very funny, but could have ended tragically if not for our Katie!!!

Bob and Katie went kayak fishing. I was a nice uneventfull day until the launch of Bob into the mangroves. He rented this kayak, because he wants to buy a fishing one.

Unfortunately, it has a 'point of no return', once you roll it to a certain point, it launches you face first into the water without any warning whatsoever.

He got dumped, but then he had on a self inflating life vest, which inflated a little too tightly around his neck. So poor Bob is gaging on mangrove swamp water while the life vest is choking him, all his stuff is floating away including his paddle, kayak, fishing gear, and his new crocks.

Katie came to the rescue and got Bob over to a mangrove, set him in the crotch of a tree where he held on for dear life while being cut up by oysters and barnacles.

Katie went paddling around and saved all the fishing gear and of course Bob and his new red crocks.

2009-03-15T19:32:00.001-04:00

Gabriel saying good bye to the Yale NICU and off to see the world! Welcome Home Big Guy

Gabriel

2009-02-26T20:42:00.003-05:00

Gabriel Saul Levy arrived 6 weeks early. Here he is at 1 day short of 2 weeks old. He is our precious new little angel. Welcome to the family Gabriel!!!!!

The Direction Home Team ~ Florida

2009-02-18T14:40:00.007-05:00

The Direction Home Team ~ Florida

Coldwell Banker Residential Real Estate, Cape Coral Florida

Our new team photo. Terri, Debbie, Ruth

Three blonds ready to buy and sell southwest Florida at your service!

We are having fun in the sun, come on and join us!!!

So much for fun, we have been working very hard on our marketing and education with our business. I have to go up to CT for a while to be with the family and the new grandbaby! I can't wait to see them, but I also hate to leave this nice, warm sunny place I live!!

2009-02-02T20:09:00.003-05:00

Isn't Murphy cute?

He is the best dog, probably because he lives at Terri's house and not mine. He is such a ham! He really did pose for this picture. Murphy and his people rode out to Captiva one day and had a photo shoot. He just laid there and smiled like a good boy. Murphy is going to be famous, he is now giving out coping advice! Move over Dr. Phil and Ann Landers, Murphy is taking over.

2009-01-25T18:31:00.004-05:00

I went for a bike ride yesterday. It was the perfect weather for it. Warm sun, and a cool breeze. Just like a late spring new england day, except no hills!

Bob thinks it would be funny to have the wicked witch of the west theme song playing while I ride!

Poof!!~$#@! poor Bob, he is in CT in 8 degree weather!

HEHHHHEEEEEEEEeeeeeee!!!! Take that and your little dog too.....................

2009-01-22T22:02:00.002-05:00

CLICK ON THIS BOAT IF YOU DARE...

If you are in a cold climate, I warn you, this could cause you to become insanely jealous and beat me with your ice scraper and throw my flip flops in the wood stove. I do have a lot of respect for your pain though. We are having a cold front this week and had to turn on the heat last night. It got down to 36 last night.

I have been working on some of my real estate business marketing strategies and while I don't pretend to have any techno savvy skills, I am trying to learn. I wanted to create something for some of my 'northern' customers, so they can get a good idea what to expect if they were to visit me or hopefully move here and enjoy this lifestyle.

This is my preliminary attempt at this, so please send me some feedback. It is suppose to take no time at all to set these up, but of course I have worked on it for about 2 days on and off. I keep tweaking it. Enjoy!!!

Christmas Canal Cruise

2008-12-18T20:48:00.002-05:00

Canal Cruise '08

The annual Senior Christmas Canal Cruise has concluded for 2008. A great time was had by all.

We safely boarded all the cruisers without incident at 1700 hrs. After securing safe seating arrangements and making sure all toileting was current, we shoved off from the dock at 1745 hrs.

The wind was a little brisk, so babushka's were in order for the first part of the voyage. After settling in, some white zin was poured and the shrimp was passed around.

It was a beautiful warm evening and the sunset was great. We hoped to enjoy some of the Christmas light on the way, but they were few and far between, Good thing we brought our own this year

This was a nice way to entertain the kids for a few hours.

2008-12-15T21:26:00.003-05:00

I had to do a quick change to my picture since it is almost Christmas and I still have Thanksgiving up there. This was taken last night on our way home from a bike ride. I always try to take my camera with me. I have missed some great shots and this would have been a shame to miss.

We are trying to start our diets before the new year and break out of the pack that starts on the 1'st and quits in 2 weeks. We figure if we don't make it, we will have quit before everyone starts, and we will be ahead or something like that. Actually, it's not a diet, it's a change in eating habits. I am also not going weigh myelf until I at least drop a size. I get so obsessed with that freakin digital thing. on off on off, take a pee on again, etc....up 3 lbs and down 5 in one day, then gain 2 and lose 1, ridiculous..........so I am staying off.

Isn't Christmas coming really early this year??? I don't usually get freaked or stressed about it and really have no reason to this year, but I just don't feel like I have enough time to get everything done that I want to ... We have no company this year, I am only doing the 24th dinner, we are going out to the beach and then to a restaurant Christmas day, so I don't know why I feel so rushed??? Maybe it's because of all the really neat things I wish I could do for Christmas like Martha Freakin Stewart. Or even Paula Dean, they make you feel guilty for not painting your cookies with gold leaf or making a butter/bacon deep fried doughnut casserole for the neighbors.

I did get the tree up yesterday. I also got the outdoor lights out of the storage unit, but they may stay in the box. I have to say, it's ok, what gets done is enough. I appreciate you taking the time to listen to me talk to myself. It makes me feel less stressed about all this.

Actually, all that crap is not important at all really, is it? What is important is that I can give something to someonefor Christmas that will reinforce the spirit of Christmas. I have an idea. Maybe that is what I will focus on and the rest will just fall into place. It's all really about priorities and getting them into perspective, right?

2008-11-28T07:43:00.006-05:00

REAL MEN FRY TURKEY

WHILE DRINKING BEER

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/alton-brown/deep-fried-turkey-recipe/index.html

http://www.flickr.com/photos/floridadeb/ CLICK TO SEE MORE, EXCITING MAN FRYING TURKEY PHOTOS

AND AT THE END OF THE DAY, THEY REST....................

Natural Beauty - God Made

2008-11-06T10:54:00.002-05:00

The Bad girls of Badwater Basin!

We drove out to Death Valley CA. It is about a 3 hr drive from Las Vegas. What an amazing place! This is just a small sample of what we saw that day. There is so much beauty all around you! It is almost too much to take in. I will be uploading some more pictures later.

The white is salt, it comes up from under the ground. It kind of does the same thing ice does when it forms under the soil. (frost heave like)

Man Made Beauty

2008-11-06T10:36:00.002-05:00

Las Vegas 2009

I haven't been to Vegas in 30 years. Wow! what an amazing transformation. There is so much to see and photograph.

Here are a few examples of the man made wonder called Las Vegas.

We only skimmed the surface, there is still so much more to see & do.

I had to force myself to stop taking pictures so I could enjoy the archetecture, the lights,& the people watching.

Gelato Anyone?? Bellagio style!

LENIN

2008-11-06T10:31:00.003-05:00

The original Mr. Share the WEALTH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! And that is all I have to say about that....

2008-10-31T09:32:00.007-04:00

HAPPY HALLOWEEN

We went to the annual hood party last night hosted by Nancy & Harriette.

They are sisters that live here, each in their own house on the same block. They are from Wisconsin and Chicago. Nancy is the one in the middle, she did all the planning and decorating. Nancy was born on the same day as my mother. Harriette is on the right, she was dressed as winter, she even had snowballs on her head, they did a great job. Helen is on the left, she went as the QueenMum.

Me and Bob were bikers, no pictures pleeeease...Ugh, nothing worse than an old fat biker chick!!! Bob looked good though.

Tina and Steve dressed up as me & Bob.

What is with the ears though Steve?

We are off to Las Vegas until next week, then I gotta go to WW!!!

VOTE '08

2008-09-24T08:06:00.004-04:00

I never did this before, but I signed up on the McCain website today. This is quite a hot election....it has many people fired up. From my limited political experience, which has for the most part been indifferent, I really have a strong feeling about this election. I have traditionally been an independent, but I have finally jumped into the deep end of the right side.

It is very disheartening to me that some people are being star struck by the opposition and are unable to see through the theatrics. Many of them are my family, but I'll love them no matter who they vote for............we can agree to disagree. There is no sense arguing about it, because at this point our minds are made up.

We have several divides in our family ranging from politics & religion to margarine v.s. butter. It's all part of who we are. God made us all with a free will,sometimes it gets us in trouble. If we didn't have a free will, what kind of world would this be???? So, use your free will with good & moral intentions. I am.

GUSTAV GO AWAY! WE WANT TO PLAY

2008-08-31T16:27:00.008-04:00

TROPICAL UPDATE AT 50 PAST THE HOUR!!!

So, now you know what I have been up to lately. But I have a good reason....I am on vacation in Key West. We arrived yesterday. The normally beautiful ride with the aquamarine water on either side of the narrow strip of Rt. 1 was rather grey and cloudy for our ride here yesterday. But we kept going and hoping for a stream of sunlight. We arrived safely and made our way to the Hogs Breath Saloon in the rain last night, had a quick drink or two and walked back to the resort.

Terri and Jim are our gracious hosts ,because they have a time share with points to spare. We are staying at the Galleon resort. It is very nice with a great view of the marina and the Coast Guard Station. We had some squally weather last night with threats of waterspouts and tornadoes. The wind was howling outside for most of the night and the rain was pelting our window next to the bed. I just pulled the covers over my head and went back to sleep. I really am a good sleeper, I probably would have made a great grizzly bear! Hibernator extraordinaire!

So we woke up to sunshine and wind this morning. took the bikes out for a ride around. We went down Whitehead St. to the southernmost point. We stopped at the Hemmingway House for a quick tour on the way. Oh, the most exciting part of the day was that Jimmy won $50 at pool bingo this afternoon. You go Jimmy!!!

2008-08-10T20:41:00.005-04:00

We had a great time in CT thanks to our friend Teri and her partner's great house. We helped Teri house sit at this awesome place and had several get togethers with some old friends and family. They have a pizza oven outside and we made about 50 pizzas, and drank some wine, etc... I am waiting to get some of the pictures emailed to me. I didn't bring my camera, just the mother-in-law.

(SHHH don't tell anyone, I just snagged these pictures off my sister's flickr page)

Speaking of the mother-in-law, she is still there for about a month. She almost got me in trouble on the airplane. It is a little known fact that airline pilots need to pee sometimes. So, when they do, the flight attendant secures the area and will not allow anyone to approach. Well, Helen had to pee too, and she wasn't going to take no for an answer, she was warned not to come any closer and to go to the back of the plane, but she decided she didn't want to and wanted to know why??? So she started approaching the flight attendant to ask her why. AAAHHHHH!!!!! I had to get firm with her, and tell her to sit down or go in the back. I got the look...she went to the back. Then she had to pee when we were approaching landing and the seatbelt light went on and we were starting to rock and roll. I told her to wait it would only be about 10 or 15 min. She said ok, I turned my head, and she bolted for the bathroom. AHHHH!

So, this is going to be a nice break this month.

We went to the casino with Teri, Cinda, and Warren while we were in CT. Teri was great, she showed us all her slot secrets, (she read a book). I won $409. in one machine then Bob started to do pretty good too. For being there from 2;30 - 11:30, we did ok. We were up about $150. when we left. I hate to lose, so this was a good thing.

I have been itching to do something creative ever since I got back from the north last week. I painted some wine glasses for Teri as a thank you for having us stay with them while we were up there. I never painted on glass before, it is really easy. You use special paint and bake the glasses in the oven. Teri if your reading this, Surprize! (she never reads this, she always loses the link) .

2008-07-26T20:18:00.002-04:00

Everglades Airboat Tour

2008-07-18T20:01:00.009-04:00

Did you notice the new picture up there???? We went on a an airboat tour in the Everglades on Tuesday. http://captaindougs.com/

It was raining. Typically when you think of an Everglades tour you think of going across a river of grass in an airboat. This tour went through the mangrove swamps. It would have been great if it was hot and sunny, because we were under a canopy of mangrove trees most of the time. I particularly like this picture, it shows a light at the end of the tunnel. It was hard to see most of the time, because the rain was hitting my face like needles when we went fast. I wore my sunglasses and had a rubber poncho on with a hood. Here is a picture of the pelicans that decided to hitch a ride with us

We also saw some alligators, very cool and large too! They come right up to the boat to check us out. Don't worry, the guide carries a gun..

On the way out of Everglades City we saw these wild boars hanging out at the local Citgo station waiting for handouts from the tourists.

AINT HE PURTY???????????????

2008-07-17T17:49:00.005-04:00

I know, I know, it has been awhile. I have many excuses, so before I think up another one, I will just put in a quick update. I have been working a lot. I need the benefits, so I went back full time. I am no longer the princess who gets to leave work at nap time. No more cruising my favorite blogs while contemplating dinner plans. Squeezing in time for a creative endeavor is becoming a challenge. Hard descisions are now the norm, what would you choose, glass of wine or sewing ? I haven't been able to master the quilting along with a couple glass of wine.

I really admire those mom's (my sister Carol )http://workinprogress-wip.blogspot.com/ I don't know how they do it. How can you work full time with small kids? You have to drive them everywhere, feed them, find them socks that match, and find time to cut your toenails, and shave your armpits. Something has to suffer, right? Goldfish, oooops, did anyone feed it this week? Ooops...flush.....

I did find some time to make this new birdbath for my friend Kim. I had to let the housework and laundry go this weekend, so what's a few days on the same bra, who's gonna notice? Besides it's too hot here for underwear anyway.

This is for Kim, by request. She wanted something Key Westie, colorful, and fun. She loves it. I am going to deliver it to her tonight.

Oh and my computer was in the shop too, excuse #43, so thanks to all my wonderful creative friends and all the links and sites I check out, I had to have this machine tuned up. It was getting pretty slow and sluggish like me. It seems to be a little perkier now. Gotta go read about 347 emails and catch up......

Guest Blogger - Heeeeeeer's Bob...............

2008-06-22T20:39:00.006-04:00

It was just one of many typical SW Florida days:

1) Fancy orange fishing gloves $17.00
2) Grouper & shark bait $12.50
3) A tornado waterspout racing for your boat trying to kill you $PRICELESS

We went far out in the Gulf Saturday early am, when it got light the fishing exploded. A fish on every drop, hit the Red Grouper limit (one keeper per angler) in 30 minutes. Shark, Snapper, tons of Grouper, everything was awesome until I looked up & saw a tornado waterspout. We yanked the hook & ran for shore, we made it with just a little excitement.

Got back to the house, changed my underwear, filleted the Groupers & had a great dinner that fed a bunch of people.
It was all worth it!

We were 15 miles sw of Sanibel Is. I was with Steve & Jimmy. Jimmy is always with me when I have near death fishing experiences....interesting.....he does have a vowel at the end of his last name...

Leaving for Home

2008-05-31T08:34:00.002-04:00

We are in the process of packing up to go home. It has been a wonderful trip. I thought a week would be too long, but we really didn't get to do as much as we thought we would. I guess we can save those things for next time.
I really enjoyed snorkling and taking some great pictures the most. The sailing was great too. Hanging on the deck with Steve and Tina was nice too, what a view!! These pictures are from St. John. We took the car over on the ferry, There is a great National Park where we hung out on the beach and snorkled a little.

This is Bob waiting for the Ferry to take us back to St. Thomas.

St. Thomas

2008-05-27T20:31:00.007-04:00

A picture is worth a thousand words.

But, I bet you can't even begin to guess why Steve is wearing snorkle gear in this picture.

Is he...

a. Going to dive off the deck ?

b. Trying out for Sports Illustrated snorkle issue ?

c. Training for the special olympics ?

d. Protecting his eyes from a mother bird ?

e. Waiting for Scotty to beam him up????

Ok, it's d..we have this awful bird here in St. Thomas who has made her nest right in the ceiling beam of this deck. She has terrorized us since we got here. Poor Steve, he is her favorite. She can get him to make moves he hasn't done since Saturday Night Fever and lesiure suits were in style.

After a few martini's, Steve decided enough was enough, he decided to take action. He suited up and showed her who rules this roost. I'll have more pictures when I get a card reader. We have Bob's new computer with us and I never loaded the disc for my camera in it. For now I am using Tina's pictures.

This is the view from our house. I just love the color of the water. I went snorkling yesterday in Caneel Bay , I was very afraid, but I did it. It was awesome, the fish and the coral were amazing. It is so relaxing just floating and looking at the sea life. We saw sea turtles and yellow fish, purple fish, and little fish and big fish. There was this wonderful little cove that we walked up into and it had the perfect blend of sand, water, sea life just perfect. I can't wait to see my pictures when I load them up. We were on a 60 ft sailboat captained by a guy called ' Hollywood', he is quite a character. Bob and Steve got his life story, boy, he should write a book. I'll fill you in later when I have my pictures

The roads here are unfreakinbelievable, so steep and winding with hairpin turns and you have to drive on the wrong side of the road, Steve gave Bob a new name, it's 'Crash Dummy Bob'. After few martini's he thinks he is in the indy 500. We did fine though and Bob got his driving privileges back today. Did you know that drinking and driving is legal here? I think it is because they want you numbed up when you go over the cliff, less screaming I guess.

We are high in the mountains with this awesome view of Mandal Pt. In St. Thomas, we look out over at St. John to the east. Bob keeps trying to pretend we are moving here, he does that all the time when we go on vacation. I think he wants to be Captain Hollywood. When he was a little kid, he would always want to be the tv repairman, if they had the tv fixed, the insurance guy, if they were buying insurance, the tow truck driver, etc. He is still such a little boy that way, but of course he also wanted to move to Florida the last time we vacationed there and look what happened. Oh boy!!!

She's Baaaack

2008-05-21T19:29:00.002-04:00

The princess has arrived back in Florida. She brought some important stuff home from school ......
The ride has new brakes and made it all the way from NY State to SW Florida

Hi Ma, gotta get on line, been on the road two days you know. What's for dinner? Did you make me brownies? Where should I put all my stuff?

Stop taking pictures of me!!!!!!

Welcome back Katie!

I missed my blogaversary!!!

2008-05-18T14:47:00.002-04:00

Wow, I just realized I have been blogging for over a year, my first post was 5/4/07. I decided to read through my blog posts as a reader not a writer. I can say that I am pretty happy with it. It has been fun and interesting to look back on the year through my blog. I try to keep it upbeat and limit my rants. My blog isn't a real true reflection of my life, since I leave out personal and negative things that I don't really think anyone wants to read about, or that I don't choose to share with the world. Therefore, it is kind of an illusion of my life, kind of fuzzy and pretty and wrapped up all nice and secure.

Hopefully, you have enjoyed reading it and can identify with some things I write about, maybe get a few laughs along the way, and try your own blog.

There is something I neglected to follow up on that is pretty important though. I told you back in September about my friend Kim who had lung cancer. Kim is well, she is cancer free and we are all so gratefull for that.

Playing with friends

2008-05-11T09:26:00.007-04:00

We made it, 28 years on May 3rd! This is quite an accomplishment for me, I never finish anything! I usually lose interest when it gets difficult or complicated, I guess I am growing up! Thanks for putting up with me Bob!

We went to The Inlet at Boca Grande last weekend for our Anniversary. It is a really quaint historic place. It is known as the Tarpon Fishing Capitol of the World.
There isn't much to do there except eat, drink, and drive a golf cart around. They have the most beautiful beaches, the water is so caribbean blue and green. We also saw some amazing homes, no, not really homes, more like compounds, unbelievable! I looked up one on the internet, the tax bill is 86 grand a year! But like Bob says, they may have money, but they can't be happy without love and we have that..........

I am so glad I took my camera last night, check out all my new pictures at http://www.flickr.com/photos/floridadeb/

We went to Tarpon Lodge for dinner to celebrate Tina's birthday last night. It never ceases to amaze me, how beautiful it is here.

Friday night we went to dinner with Teri and Jimmy for their anniversary at the Thistle Inn on Captiva. I wish I took my camera, it is another historic Florida resort and Inn right on the beach in Captiva.

And last weekend we celebrated our 28th anniversary at Boca Grande with Terri & Jim. Terri and Jim are friends of ours from Bethany CT. We have known them for about 20 years. They moved here to Cape Coral last year. We really enjoy each others company. They love it here just as much as we do. Jimmy is so funny, he is like a little kid. Everytime we go somewhere that he has never been , he actually giggles like a 3 year old, he is so excited to be here.

When we lived in CT we didn't really know them that well, we had several mutual friends and saw each other from time to time at different functions. It has been a real treat to have them here in the same town with us.

Sewing lessons

2008-04-23T19:34:00.003-04:00

My neighbor Tina asked me to help her learn to sew. We decided to do a quilt/wall hanging for her first project in the disappearing nine patch design. We started this back in November. It got put on hold through the Holiday's and other things became a priority. Tonight we continued our lessons.

Now, I have probably known how to sew since I was born. It is just something I know how to do, maybe not well, but I am comfortable doing it and it seems second nature to me.

I never realized how difficult it could be for someone who has never attempted to do something before, especially when they wait till they are over 40 to try it. (The 'old dog, new trick' philosphy is making more and more sense to me since I got old.) I really have to give her a lot of credit for trying this, or even wanting to try it.

I know how she feels, I have been learning how to sing! Now don't laugh (those who have had the pleasure of hearing my singing) I was dragged into the choir at church by a mean old (just kidding) church lady! I have never been able to sing, I can't hear myself when I sing, and have no idea how to read music or anything. It is just awful!!! And to top it off, our choir is acapella, no musical instruments to drown me out. At first I was totally humiliated and wanted to just run out of the church. But I was too embarassed to let them know how upset it made me. So, I keep going back in hopes that they would tell me, "it's ok you don't have to sing anymore, we made a mistake". That would make me so happy, but no..... they tell me I am getting better. Ugh, if I could sing, I really wouldn't mind doing it. Sometimes I think I am doing a little better and I start to feel like it is going to be ok, but then I get the look and I know I am off key or need to sing higher or lower. I can't even get away with just moving my lips because she is right next to me...............

Anyway, back to sewing. Tina did pretty well. She is the only person I know of who can't cut with a rotary cutter, look she broke the blade trying......but she kept trying and she finally got the hang of it.

Tina may not ever be a great seamstress, but she can do other things that I can't do. She can play the flute, sing, wear a size 4, and is a math wiz. These are things I will never do or be good at. So, Tina you go girl!!!

2008-04-23T18:57:00.003-04:00

Artwork for Jill's Joint She has me doing the decorating for her new restaurant. Have you ever heard of 'design on a nickle'? Anyway here is my attempt at adding some color and interest to one of the walls.

I used 4, 14 x 20 canvas' to make these. I used oil paint too. I haven't used that since I was 12. It gives nice bold colors, but it takes a long time to dry.

Bob even named this painting for us, it is called 'You got a lotta balls', Bob is so cute :)~

Mimus Polyglottos

2008-04-18T12:13:00.004-04:00

Mama Mockingbird

aka, Northern Mockingbird

This nest is right by my front door in a tall bush. I stuck my camera in the bush several times to get a good picture of this baby. There are two in the nest. They must of hatched about 5 or 7 days ago. The mother bird feeds them all day long. They make a lot of noise when they are feeding. When the mother bird leaves the nest, they quiet down. I just noticed today that they are getting brave. They are standing on the edge of the nest and looking out of the bush. Pretty soon they will leave.............bye bye mocking birdies

2008-04-14T19:12:00.004-04:00

I decided that nothing I blogged about yesterday is important or very interesting. This is what really matters to me, please read ...........................

As you may know, my grandson, Jacob has CF.

We are so happy that he is healthy right now and we are blessed that he has not had to deal with so many of the problems that he could develop from this terrible disease, for now. With your help, maybe he won't have to... maybe they will find a way to reverse the terrible effects of this disease for Jacob and all others affected by this disease. So, please pledge a donation today.

NHRegister.com

Check out the article that was in the newspaper today about CF the walk and my boy!

http://www.cff.org/Great_Strides/dsp_DonationPage.cfm?walkid=5436&idUser=74059

This is the site to make a donation. Please do what you can...................thank you

Great Strides Walk

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Mr. Cutie Boy!! Isn't he just the most adorable child? He was about 3 in this video.

2008-04-13T20:11:00.002-04:00

my computer is acting up
my wallet was stolen
I am too busy
I am too fat
my knee hurts
my shoulder hurts
I'm on a diet
I blew the diet
I lost 5 lbs
I gained 6 lbs
I'm helping to decorate a new restaurant
my son is moving into new place
dog sitting
etc

How many more excuses can I come up with for neglecting my blog???? Alot more probably. If only I just blogged about these excuses, it would have been fine. But no, I kept thinking that's not good enough to blog about. Duh, this is my blog and I can put anything I want in here. Even stupid boring things.

I think I'll just discuss some pictures I have been saving for my blog

UGHHHH, THIS COMPUTER IS NOT COOPERATING, I'LL SEE YOU ALL AFTER I CONTACT THE GEEK SQUAD!!!!!!!!

2008-03-27T21:54:00.003-04:00

Carrot Cake yummie.
Happy 21st Birthday Katie. My baby is 21, I can hardly believe it. She is all grown up now and can do just about anything legally. We mailed her a cake and party fixins overnight to her at school. But guess what? After spending $70 , it didn't get there overnight, unfreakinbelievable!! Hopefully, we can get the money back. Poor Katie, she didn't get her cake on her birthday, that just makes me mad!!! She finally got it today, but her birthday was the 25th. She was enjoying it though, hopefully the cream cheese frosting was ok and won't give her any problems.

This is my model for the apron I made the other day. It was suppose to be made with a dishtowel, but I didn't have one, so I used this cute flamingo fabric. I gave it to our hostess who made us a lovely meatloaf dinner Saturday night, thanks Jodi.

I was so honored to be asked to share my pictures of Cabbage Key to someone doing a web site on our lovely city of Cape Coral, check it out at http://www.cape-coral-vacation-guide.com/index.html her name is Vicky and she is also from CT. They live on a sailboat with their three young boys in the Florida Keys. They are homeschooling them. That is really a hard job. I could have never done that. I was so happy when they went to school for a full day, it was just heaven. I loved my kids, but I needed my space! Can you imagine??? Wow.........

2008-03-18T17:57:00.005-04:00

The Best Part of the visit

Gramma Rose and Papa Frank. Just sitting around the table drinking wine and cheese. This was what made it worth it. They are still the same and that is the way I like it. Rose yells at Frank, Frank yells at Rose and we all just eat, drink, and laugh.

Oh boy did we laugh, Bob couldn't breath, my sister was in pain, and I peed a little. Now you may not think this was funny, I am sure you had to be there, but I will try to explain anyway.

Frank was telling a story about someone who used to raise racing pigeons. (remember we were drinking wine probably on the 3rd bottle) Who's ever heard of 'racing' pigeons ???? Poor Frank, he couldn't even finish his story because all we could picture was this:

I guess you had to be there...............................................................................

2008-03-18T17:47:00.002-04:00

Stepping Stones Museum, Norwalk, CT

http://www.steppingstonesmuseum.org/

Since we had such a lovely cloudy rainy cold day to spend with our grandson, Jacob, we had to go indoors. Jacob chose to go to the Stepping Stones Museum. This is a great place for kids, lots of hands on and educational stuff. We felt really old there. We could tell that people didn't know whether we were the grandparents or the old parents. Bob kept telling Jacob to call us Mom and Dad. He didn't cooperate. I was kind of bored there, but grampa got into it. He is mentally around 6 years old anyway. He still knows how to play. I don't remember how, I guess that means I am old. I gotta do something about that.

2008-03-18T17:30:00.004-04:00

Spring break Connecticut 2008. The best way to describe the transition of going from SW Florida to Connecticut in March is to reverse the Wizard of Oz. It is like going from color to black and white.

What a great photo opportunity though. I haven't been able to take any photos with my new camera in this light. It was about noon and gray, cloudy, drizzly, and in the upper 30's. I saw this mansion and had to stop and take some photos. I can just picture the door being opened all squeeky and slow, to see Lurch standing there. Maybe Thing can bring me something warm to drink while I look around inside. Ooops, too bad, they aren't open now. I forgot this is the wrong season for spring break, nope, I mean it's the wrong state!

http://www.lockwoodmathewsmansion.org/3.html

The Lockwood-Mathews Mansion Museum is regarded as one of the earliest and finest surviving Second Empire Style country houses ever built in the United States. The 62-room mansion was built by banker-railroad tycoon LeGrand Lockwood, who in 1864 began construction of his estate on the Norwalk River in Norwalk, Connecticut. Designed by European-trained, New York-based architect Detlef Lienau, the mansion, which was completed in 1868, is considered his most significant surviving work. American craftsmen, along with many immigrant artisans, were employed in the construction of the house.

2008-03-07T08:22:00.003-05:00

HAPPY 86TH BIRTHDAY HELEN....................

My mother-in-law, Helen, celebrated her 86th birthday here with us. She has been living here since November. I can't believe she is 86, she can run circles around me! We try to keep her busy. She likes to go out to eat, (they always give her too much food!) We go for walks down at the pier and look at the boats and the water in the Gulf. She always loved the water. We are leaving to go to CT in a little while, so I just wanted to say see ya all when we get back.

2008-02-19T20:23:00.002-05:00

Girls Weekend 2008

For the past two years my neighbor, Theresa, has organized a girls weekend and I have been invited to go. This year we went to St. Petersburg Beach. I am still amazed I actually went. The day before I left, my hubby threw out his back. But, he insisted I go. When I got there, I called to check in and found out my mother in law passed out in the bathroom. So, I was on standby. She was fine though, tried too hard to poop or something. Anyway, it is always a very interesting time when you get 12 women together for the weekend. I don't know if it reminds me more of a country song or a good juicy girl novel. How does this sound...."It was the best of times, it was the worst of times", uh I think that has been done.... what about, "I've got friends in low places...." No, been done too! We have so many different personalities, I'll just give you a few samples. Kim, don't identify them if you read this!!!

We have the party girls, never grew up and never will, Good Hearted Catholic Guilty Girl, Help me I can't stop dancing girl, I'll just watch while you throw up girl, I am on vacation don't bother me girl, I gotta pee girl, just one more beer girl, don't they have any quilt shops here girl, reading my book by the pool girl, and hey what are we doing now girl.....etc.

All in all it was a fun weekend. We found a great little store in John's pass called Old Pass Spice traders. I would LOVE to open up one of these in Ft. Myers Beach. It is a franchise, really cool, check it out on the web if you get a minute. www. oldspicetraders.com I was very good this weekend, I decided to drink just beer. If I drink wine or vodka, I poop out quickly, so the beer worked well. I stayed up till 11:30 Sunday night, Wow! I got home at 3:00 on Monday and napped till 6:30 though. I just can't keep up like I used to.

Cute little breakfast place we found.

Sunset from our room

Theresa, the cruise director...

Anyone know what this is??? It looks like the biggest booger I ever saw, gross, it washed up on the beach. I checked the internet, but couldn't find beach boogers...

John's pass

2008-02-12T18:25:00.000-05:00

Why crows freak me out......

For the past two weeks we have been invaded by thousands of crows here in the southwest section of Cape Coral. This has reminded me of the reason they freak me out. I got in the car tonight in the middle of the pouring rain to take these pictures. Actually, Bob drove me. It was his idea, but he still thinks I am nuts. It's all about the blog Bob!

I remember being totally freaked out by the movie, The Birds, by Alfred Hitchcock when I was a child, http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=crows&btnG=Google+Search, but that is not the reason....

In mythology and folklore as a whole, crows tend to be symbolic more of the spiritual aspect of death, or the transition of the spirit into the afterlifeIn mythology and folklore as a whole, crows tend to be symbolic more of the spiritual aspect of death, or the transition of the spirit into the afterlife,http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=crows&btnG=Google+Search, but this is not the reason......

Here is the reason:

One morning about 8 years ago on Memorial Day weekend, I was sleeping soundly in my bed. At exactly 5:50 am, I was awakened by this crow outside my window. It was a sound I have never heard before in my life. The crow was having a freaking fit outside my window.....I thought well I might as well get up now and get a head start on my yard work, stupid crow! At about 6:45, while I was working in the yard, Bob came outside and asked me to come in the house, he had to talk to me. Well, as you might have guessed it was bad news. My father was dead, he died at 5:50 am, the exact time the crow woke me up. So, this is why crows freak me out.

I wonder if anyone else has had a similar experience.

2008-02-02T20:02:00.000-05:00

beans and the bird bath............

Miss Hilda's Baked Beans
Recipe courtesy Emeril Lagasse, 2004
Show:
The Essence of Emeril
Episode:
Backyard Eats

1 pound dried navy beans, picked over and soaked overnight in water to cover 1 1/4 teaspoons cayenne pepper 1 teaspoon salt 2 bay leaves 2 tablespoons olive oil 1/2 pound salt pork, trimmed and cubed 4 ounces chopped bacon 1 1/2 cups ketchup 1 1/2 cups reserved bean liquid 1 cup chopped onions 1/2 cup chopped celery 1/2 cup firmly packed dark brown sugar 1 tablespoon dry (powdered) mustard 1 tablespoon chopped garlic 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F.
Drain the beans and put them in a pot with 1/4 teaspoon cayenne, salt, and the bay leaves. Add 8 cups of water and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer until the beans are tender, 45 minutes to 1 hour. Remove from the heat and let sit for 5 minutes. Drain the beans and set aside. Reserve the cooking liquid.
Heat the oil in a large ovenproof pot or Dutch oven over high heat. Add the salt pork and bacon and cook, stirring, for 4 minutes. Add the ketchup, 1 1/2 cups of the reserved bean liquid, onions, celery, sugar, mustard, garlic, black pepper, and remaining 1 teaspoon cayenne. Cook, stirring, for 4 minutes. Reduce the heat to medium-low. Add the beans and stir gently to mix. Simmer for 5 minutes.
Transfer the beans to the oven and bake, uncovered, for 2 hours. Remove from the oven and serve hot.

Ok I tried this recipe twice. The first time I missed the step about boiling the beans. But, they were so pretty, nice and dark brown, and tasted yummy (after using about 1 bazillion mega watts of electricity cooking them for 12 hours). This time, they were not hard, but they never got pretty and the taste was kind of ok, but not great. So, this is my dilemma, do I promise myself never to try making baked beans again, or do I perservere?

My friends think I have lost my mind. One even gave me a can of beans from her cabinet and said try this, it's easy, and good. I guess she doesn't get it, but she does have a kitchen with two ovens that Emeril would envy and she doesn't cook. Anyway, enough about the beans.

This is what I made yesterday. I have been making this in my mind for years. It hasn't been easy not sewing or doing anything creative for the past few months. It was just making me crazy. I needed to do something that I could finish in a day or so and not trash the whole house in the process. I was inspired by a browse through the galleries in Matlacha when I went with Calamity Kim last month. I saw one and it was $400. It inspired me to make this one. I went on HGTV and searched for some ideas. I found a few and took bits and pieces from a few of them added my own ideas and here it is.

I used three terra cotta flower pots. The bath part is a large terra cotta saucer. I painted the pots and decorated them with those glass things they use for flower arranging and glued them on the pots. I bought a few tiles from Home Depot and put them in a canvas bag and smashed them with a hammer. Bob helped me with the copper pipe and mounting the bird on it. I really like the copper paint on it. The paints are made for painting on these pots and are weatherproof. I can't wait to put it outside and hopefully attract some bathers. Do you think they will know what this is? That's why I put the bird on it, maybe they will get the idea.

It was pretty easy to made and of course I did it in one day. If you know me, you know I am an instant gratification type of crafter. I am all about the finished product not the process. It would be ideal if I could just come up with ideas, shop for the stuff, then get someone else to make it for me. Oh, but then my name would be Martha, not Debbie!

2008-01-25T13:07:00.000-05:00

ABONDONZA! We are picking ripe tomatoes!

What a treat in January. These are really good too. I made fried eggplant and tomato sandwiches for lunch today. Yummie....

I also have some baked beans in the oven. This is my second try at them. I tried to make baked beans from scratch for Christmas, but in my haste, I skipped a part of the recipe. I didn't see the part where you boil the beans for an hour before you bake them! I was so determined to eat them anyway. I baked them for about 8 hrs, then, I put them in the micro for 6 min about 10 times. Then I put them in a pot, added water and simmered them for 6 more hours. Finally, my husband reminded me that there is a much cheaper and easier way to have baked beans, you buy them in a can! I was defeated, I dumped them. They tasted great though, but slightly crunchy.

I just made an apple pie too, still hot, go get the ice cream!

I haven't been able to do any sewing, I am so itchy to do it. By the time I get everything out, find a spot to work, and figure out what I want to do, I lose the old MoJo to sew.

I have been playing with my camera, mostly because it is easy to pick up and just do it, and it takes up no room except for in my hard drive. Here are some pictures I have been playing with. I have been experimenting with the editor in the computer and find it can make a world of difference in the way the picture looks.

Taken a Fakahatchee state park in the Everglades yesterday, I played with the color and contrast. This is supposed to be a picture of a spider on a web, but you can barely see it.

Sunset in Pine Island Sound. I might enlarge and frame this one for my friend's new restaurant. She wants me to do some photos of the area for her artwork.

I named the two pelicans Ebony and Ivory. I took them in Goodland at Stans Bar yesterday.

Time to clean up and refresh

2008-01-18T00:05:00.000-05:00

I need to remodel this blog, it is boring me. Any ideas, anyone??? The template choices in google blogs are few and boring. Can I get other ones and put them in here? I have no clue. I am up late tonight, because I suddenly realized that the only way I can actually be home alone, is to get up when they are all sleeping.

When we moved here 3 years ago, it was just me and Bob. Then they started flying south. First Nick, then Katie, now Gramma is here too. None of them are a problem by themselves, but all together gets a little claustraphobic at times. I don't want much, just some space sometimes. So, here I am at midnight ALONE YIPPIE......

So, I got up and thought, I'll update my blog. I walked over to my computer, and guess what? It was missing. They boy has it in his room with the door shut, crap, now what am I going to do?? I can wake him up, but then I won't be alone. Then it hit me, I can use Bob's new computer. But I don't have my pictures stored in it, or my favorites, etc. I don't even know the addresses for my flickr page, or my blog..what to do????

Oh I'll try Google blog search, it worked and I found myself and got around on my links on the page. That is when I realized my blog is boring. If I get some alone time tomorrow I can work on it on my computer with my pictures and stuff.

Uh oh, I think I hear an insomniac stirring about, anyone got some Ambient???? Crap!

sunset

2008-01-11T08:52:00.000-05:00

We went with friends and family for a sunset cruise on our boat. We took some amazing pictures, here a just a few. The sky was sprinkled with fluffy clouds and it was about 75 degrees. After our cruise, we went back to our house and made grilled pizzas (thanks Carol) My sister taught my daughter Katie how to make them on the grille. Yummy. Then we went in the pool for a quick swim. The pizza situation here in SW Florida is pitifull. Oh, Roseland, how I wish you were here, or Ernie's, Zuppardi's, Sally's. Ok, now I need to make a reservation to go to CT for pizza. Maybe I'll visit the family and some friends too. Can you tell, I'm off the diet? It is in the back of my mind though. UGH, maybe Monday.....

2007-12-28T08:44:00.000-05:00

TOWANDA!!!!!!!!

What a great word, this is my word for the new year. Have you noticed all the subliminal and not so subliminal crap in the tv commercials recently? Just because the end of 2007 is fast approaching, the powers that be have decided we all need a life altering new year's resolution. Right now is the time to resolve to become all that we have not been able to be for our whole adult lives. I have resolved not to fall for it this year! I am not going to be forced to feel like an undisciplined pig just because I am not buying an ab -obliterator, selling my firstborn for frozen home delivered meals, or wrapping myself in saran wrap and meeting my husband at the door.

If you can't tell by now, I watched Fried Green Tomatoes last night. What a great movie. I forgot all about this one. I so identified with Evelyn Couch, she even looks a little like me. She is overweight, and going through menopause. The only part I don't identify with, is her relationship with her husband. Mine won't leave me alone! But, her relationship with herself and the world really hit home. The way she lets people get away with making her feel bad, and then Towanda was born. I wonder if Towanda was a result of hormones? Or was it a combination of hormones and Ninny? I just loved how she stood up for herself with her husband without losing it. That's the key, get your point accross without losing it or pissing off someone. This is what I am going to work on this year. How? I don't know... any ideas?

2007-12-14T18:11:00.000-05:00

Calamity Kim came to town today! Stop by her blog to meet her at http://calamitykim.typepad.com/ We went to a great restaurant here in Cape Coral called Brew Babies http://www.brewbabies.com/ It is a very cool Calamity Kim kind of place. The food is great and the atmosphere just perfect. Kim has some great pictures on her flickr page http://www.flickr.com/photos/calamitykim/

We were planning on meeting Jennifer for lunch too, but ran into some technical difficulties. Too bad, it would have been great for them to meet. Jennifer has a really cool blog too http://somewhereknitting.blogspot.com/ She was going to teach Kim and I to knit. Hopefully we can reschedule with her very soon. So a change in plans was not to keep us from having fun. I took Kim out to Matlacha. And to our good fortune it was Arts night in Matlacha, they served us snacks and wine and treated us like royalty at every gallery we went to check it out at http://www.news-press.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20071213/GCLIVE02/712140317 It was fun seeing Kim again, I just wish my sister Carol could join us sometime. If she ever comes here again, we are going to have a sleepover. We will shop, swim, drink, and play with fabric and stuff. Carol is how I met Kim. My sister has a blog too http://workinprogress-wip.blogspot.com/ She is enjoying a snow day today. The weather in CT has been dreadfull. I kind of miss snow days, but not the cold or the shoveling.

2007-12-13T21:04:00.000-05:00

I finally put up the Christmas Tree. I always wait until after my son Robert's Birthday. He was born on Friday Dec 13th 1974, Happy 33rd Birthday Robert. And I also made some fudge while I put up the tree.

Putting up the tree is bittersweet for me. So many of the old ornaments hold memories. This one of the Lighthouse on Block Island RI, is especially hard for me. I bought this with my late daughter in law, Tanya, who went there with us on one of her last trips before she died of cancer at 23 years old. We miss you Tanya, Merry Christmas

And here is our Sparky's ornament. He left us last summer at the age of 14. He had a good dog life and we miss him too.

I saved Katie's pacifier. Katie is grown up now and in college. I miss that fat little screamer too! But she will be here next week and I won't miss her anymore at least for a month.

This one makes me laugh. I got this a few years ago from my neighbor, Deirdre, she called me one day and said you have to come over here and see this hideous thing someone gave me. She was so offended by this macaroni ornament and thought it was the ugliest thing she ever saw, so she gave it to me. She was a strange old bohemian woman, very artsy and wrote children's books. Merry Christmas Deirdre wherever you are.

Here is an old paper house that I got from my mother. She was throwing out some old ornaments and I rescued a few of these. I remember these from my childhood and they are kind of special to me.

This Russian Icon ornament is my favorite, I put it on the very top of the tree. It is tiny, only about 1" high,

Aren't these the coolest things? My friend Terri gave them to me last night. It is my newest favorite Christmas decoration!

They are glass blocks, she drilled a hole in them, put a 50 light strand in them ,and a wired ribbon bow. Awesome! Now to think about decorating outside. I remember when I waited too long , it would be so cold and sometimes the bushes had so much snow and ice on them, there was no way to get the lights on them. I guess here in Florida, I can't use that excuse! Those poor northerners are having a really bad snow/ice storm today. It was about 83 here today and sunny. (Don't tell them, they will swear at me) Hey, who says Christmas has to be cold and snowy, Jesus was born amongst palm trees and sand, not in the Swiss Alps! Even Saint Nicholas lived over there somewhere too! So, if you want a real authentic Christmas, come to Florida! HoHo Merry!!!!

2007-12-12T20:41:00.000-05:00

RIVERBOTTOM BLUES BAND DEBUT'S AT THE BEACHED WHALE

Nick is in a new band now, it's a blues band. He is also in 2 other bands. We went to Ft Myers Beach on Saturday to hear them play. They were excellent. We had to stay up past out bedtime, but it was worth it.

I haven't blogged in a while, I have been neglectfully, I know it. Life just gets in the way sometimes. But nothing exciting or funny enough to blog about. Just work, and boring stuff like that going on. I have had a few normal weeks, no company, no events, just stuff, normal stuff. And that is a good thing sometimes.....

I am going to see Calamity Kim and Jenny this Friday and will remember to take my camera this time. These are two of the most creative people I know and I can't wait for them to meet. Check out their blogs on my sidebar. Jenny is at Somewhereknitting. She is going to teach Kim to knit. I think that is the only craft she hasn't done. I'll fill you all in over the weekend.

2007-11-26T14:53:00.000-05:00

PIEROGI'S

We made pierogi's today. I decided to finally write down how to make them.

Ingredients:

Dough;
1/4 C sour cream
1 Egg
1 1/2 C water

Mix together in electric mixer bowl. Gradually add 4 - 6 cups of flour till just a little sticky, not dry like bread dough.

Fillings:

Cheese: 2 pkg farmers cheese, one egg, salt & pepper, mix together

Potato: about 2-3 cups mashed potatoes ( I cheated and bought the kind already made) 3 oz Velveeta cheese (optional)

Sourkraut: I small pkg sourkraut, drain and chop, fry some chopped onion and kraut together

Assembly:

I used a marble floured pastry board to roll out the dough, roll just enough to cover your board. Make it thin, but not too thin. Experiement with it to see how they go together once you fill them.

Cut into circles using a cookie cutter or glass. Put about 1 tsp filling in the middle. Fold the dough up and pinch it together to form a 1/2 circle. Lay on a lightly floured dish.

Bring water to boil in a large frying pan, about 1-2", add peirogis to the water, stir so they won't stick, and simmer for about 5 minutes. Have a shallow bowl ready with a few pats of butter in it. Put the hot pierogi in the dish. Stir around to coat with the butter.

When ready to eat them, I fry some onion, then add as many as the pan can hold and lightly brown them. Serve with sour cream, salt & pepper.

This recipe made 43 cheese pierogi and 48 potatoe. They are in the freezer, but won't be for long! You can freeze them, just put them in a ziploc, maybe 6 or 12 to a bag. Lay the bag flat to freeze so they don't stick together.

2007-11-24T14:16:00.000-05:00

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

We had some family visiting for the Holiday. My Mother-in -Law, Helen. My Aunt Carolyn, her daughter Kathy, and granddaughter Leanne. I used the china from Gramma Otto that I was given recently. It is really nice. The centerpiece is the teapot,since it is missing a lid, I thought it would be a good use for it. We had all the usual turkey day food. The difference this year is that I sent Bob shopping for the dinner while I was working.

TURNIP vs RUTABEGA

The rutabaga, swede or (yellow) turnip (Brassica napobrassica, or Brassica napus var. napobrassica) is a root vegetable that originated as a cross between the cabbage and the turnip—see the turnip disambiguation page. Its leaves may also be eaten as a leaf vegetable.

Bob is a very smart man, but when it comes to certain things, like shopping, he is a total mess. He also has drive through speaker phobia. We can rehearse the order 5 times, but when he hears, "Welcome to Fat Ass Burger, how can I help you?" he stammers, studders, and forgets why he is there. I thought about this for a while last night and I think it is a 'fear of asking' thing? You know, asking for directions, food, where can I find Leeks, sex......etc.... Anyway, I sent him with a list, you know the usual stuff: Leeks, turnips, shallots, celery.....Well the poor guy, my list sent him over the edge.

I had no idea that turnips were those small purple and white things!
We always called the Rutabega a turnip...He checked with the produce guy, because my mother-in-law went with him and told him those little purple and white things are not turnips. But the package said turnips! Oh the dilemma, what to do???? Well, he ignored his mother and bought the stuff that said turnip. So, trying to be nice while unpacking the bags and muttering under my breath, I said, "what the hell are these things" while poking the purple and white things. "Those are turnips", no there not, "yes they are the produce guy said so and see they say turnip on the package". Well take em back and get the big yellowish thing whatever they call it, these are not turnips.

I just checked wikopedia, and guess what, I may have been wrong just a little bit. Actually what I wanted was a Rutabega, aka, yellow turnip. But I would appreciate any of you northerners checking at good old Stop and Shop and tell me what they call turnips.

2007-11-18T10:04:00.001-05:00

Ok Carol, I will update my blog. I have a million excuses for neglecting my blog. But I won't bore you with the details. We are now officially the cheese in the sandwich of life. We picked up my 85 yr old mother-in-law and brought her here for the winter (?). I think she likes it here, she is unpacking and has a used tea bag safely stored in the cup cabinet. I also have the 'swing' station playing on XM. The big dilemma last night was that Lawrence Welk and the Wheel of Fortune were on at the same time, oh what to do!

Ok. Let's see what else is new......Oh yes, we can now walk through the house. The remodel is 98% done and the tool pile has moved to the garage. Oh and the garden is doing great. I actually have itty bitty cucumbers coming up and the sunflowers are blooming.

Ok, now that's all I gotta say about that now!

2007-10-25T18:54:00.000-04:00

BOATING IS SO MUCH FUN!!!!

Does this suck or what.??? Painting the bottom of a boat has to be one of the worst jobs in the world. My daughter was in the Coast Guard and she used to do this all the time. God Bless the Coast Guard!!!

Look at what it did to my toes! I was a sweaty dirty mess. On the up side, I did get a little sun and sweated off about 3 lbs.

Here are my toes after my pedicure, whew, that was stressfull............

Kitchen update:

We are getting there, I was even able to do a little accessorizing.

The only thing left too do is the backsplash, finish grouting the floor, tile the bar wall, and get the new table and chairs, I can't wait, it really has been an adventure. Poor Bob hasn't done so much manual labor in years, his poor bald head has so many boo boo's on it...I cam home from work today and he had a tissue stuck to his head with a blood. It looked like a bullet wound. poor baby.

Lover's Key State Park

2007-10-23T13:29:00.000-04:00

Isn't this the coolest picture? I tried several times to capture this butterfly in action. I finally just kept clicking and caught him in action here. We went to Lover's key to have out boat hauled for servicing. I took my camera hoping to get a few nature shots in.

Check out my flickr page for more photos. http://www.flickr.com/photos/floridadeb/

I have been really busy lately and haven't been a good blogger. I went back to my old job to help out after they had to fire my replacement. I am working about 20 hrs a week, but for more money, so I guess it is worth it. It is so weird that when your not working you think you can get so much accomplished. Wrong, I got very little accomplished while I was home for 5 months. I guess I work better under pressure. I have to start getting ready for the holidays and also for my mother-in-law who is spending the winter with us. I have to shovel out Katie's room for her, which is also known as my sewing room and Bob's office. If only I had just a little more space here! We will manage though, I really want her to stay with us for a while and enjoy this paradise we call home. I know your thinking, ' is she nuts?' I may be, but I am really hoping it works out. I will keep you posted.

2007-10-14T12:00:00.000-04:00

Roaring 20's Hollywood Party

We attended the annual neighborhood October get together last night. Nancy and Harriette are sisters and each live alone in their own houses in our neighborhood. They are such fun neighbors Nancy is 72 and Harriette is almost 80. Nancy retired from the fashion industry and loves to have these theme parties every year.

Here I am with Audra. We remind me of Dr. Evil and Mini Me! She wears a size 1 and a half shoe and I wear an 11.
This is Nancy in the red and black and her party is in full swing.

This lovely couple is Debbie and Keith. Doesn't he look like Clark Gable? I made Debbie and Audra's costumes. We found this great dress for $10 at Goodwill it had the silk underdress with a lace overlay that were separate. I took the bottom of the lace part and sewed it onto the silk underdress for Debbie. For Audra used the remaining lace overlay and some bedroom sheer curtains and made the bottom and the bow. I made them both headbands . Two costumes for $10. now that is thrifty baby.

Here is a creampuff tower I made for the dessert table. It is just a styrofoam cone wrapped in foil, I drizzled chocolate candy melts over the creampuffs (buy them frozen at Costco and defrost) then attached them with toothpics and some cut apart fake spider rings. Put a little melted chocolate on the plate to hold the cone down. It is on a large black plastic platter, so it kind of resembles a witches hat.

Steve with the curtain on his head to see what he would look like with hair. What a good sport he is. Good thing he has no clue I blog!

No neighborhood party is complete without Louie and Shirley, they live next door to me. He is 91 and can run circles around most of the neighborhood. He has 12 kids (with his first wife) such a good Catholic that woman was, God rest her soul! He is still going strong with his 2nd wife who is at least a good 15 years younger than him.

We have a great neighborhood and we all had a wonderful night, Thanks Ladies!

2007-10-08T20:09:00.000-04:00

Kitchen update........
We are getting close. I made a real meal tonight in my kitchen. Ihave a stove, cooktop, sink, dishwasher and a refrigerator all hooked up. So, no excuse to go out. Thanks Carol http://workinprogress-wip.blogspot.com/for the roasted cauliflower recipe, it was really good and I am not a fan of cauliflower. Take note of the phone message written on the wall ! Don't worry, I did call my mother.

2007-10-08T10:44:00.000-04:00

I participated in the MILF Vice or Virtue Swap. I am so fortunate that my first swap partner dissapeared, because I got to swap with Mom-O-Matic!! If you haven't met her yet you are missing out big time. http://mom-o-matic.blogspot.com/ I got this great swap package in the mail and it is so Lotta. The date book is very very cool. It reminds me of the note pads my sister made me a few years ago. You can find my sister at http://workinprogress-wip.blogspot.com/ We all cracked up at the "Build this Bong" book. You can make a pipe or bong out of just about anything. It is a very fun book, in a coffee table conversation piece kind of way. The retro bedroom mood meter will come in handy! No more pretending to be asleep, just set the dial.

I have met some very cool people by blogging and putting pictures on flickr thanks to my sister who introduced me into this other social dimension of blogging.

I met Calamity Kim who I am happy to call a friend, check her out at

http://calamitykim.typepad.com/

She made these fake cupcakes that I now proudly own.

I was intimidated about blogging at first, because there are so many creative, wonderful, funny, and informative bloggers out there. I am none of those things, just a wanabe. I finally decided to just be me and if someone wants to read it, good for them, but I write for me and when I feel like it. Thanks to all you great bloggers and some good friends I have met in this cyberworld.

2007-09-29T09:43:00.000-04:00

Life is on hold, kitchen remodeling has taken over our life. I have now become the 'fetch it bitch' also known as 'daddy's little helper'. I don't know how some people stay married while remodeling. Is 'remodeling' legal grounds for divorce? I have talked more under my breath in the last few weeks than out loud.

When I am helping him, he makes me feel like a 3 year old. I ask a question, and I either get a 10 minute dissertation on the virtues of measure twice cut once, or a 'not now honey, daddy's busy'. AGGGRRRHHH!

But, he is doing a wonderful job....as he has reminded me several times today. Somehow I have not had the desire to compliment him on this monumental task he has undertaken. I guess it is not my nature to be complimentary and mushy when I am totally aggrivated.

All is well today, he is at dome hepo again and should have everything ready for the counter tops to be installed on Monday. He is really quite a guy when we aren't remodeling.

2007-09-21T10:35:00.000-04:00

Starting the Garden

Trying to keep my mind off of smoking, eating, remodeling, and friends illnesses. I could start exercising, but that my send my body into a state of shock. I haven't been this good to it since I was 6.

I love to grow things and make things. Since I live in SW Florida, it is time to start the garden. My daughter Katie started this last year, and has gone to NY for college. I decided to take over her garden this year.

When I was in CT last month, I took some pictures of my old garden that my daughter Carolyn has taken over from me. The sunflowers inspired me to plant some here, I hope they grow here.

This is a portion of my old perennial garden with some black eyed susans and an old copper thingy that I salvaged from my mother-in-law a few years back.

I miss the perennial gardens from the northeast. I have none here in Florida. I suppose I should take a class on Florida Gardening. It is a different gardening world here. You have to plant things that tolerate extreme sun, heat, and drought. Then in the winter, you have to plant things that like water, heat, and sun. You also have to be careful about exotic and invasive plants that harm the ecosystem and take over. Things just grow like crazy here. You have to trim everything back or it will take over the yard.

UPDATE Check it out, one week after planting sunflower seeds I have plants with the 2nd set of leaves already. This is amazing. The package said 7-21 days for germination. I hope they make it, stay tooned for updates

threes

2007-09-20T20:01:00.000-04:00

So much has been happening that I haven't blogged about. It seems I just don't know where to start. Remember Kim's 50th birthday? Well a few days after her party, she found out she had lung cancer. It has been such a rough few weeks for her and her friends & family. She had surgery this morning, they removed the cancer and a few extra parts. Please, send up a prayer for Kim and her recovery. It is very hopefull and we are gratefull for that.

Ok, now Joan, I have a very very bestest friend who has been through hell with her back and has reached the end of the line for hope. She had surgery Tuesday to see if a pain pump would help. The surgery was aborted due to scar tissue which hampered insertion. She needs a miracle. Please send up a prayer for Joan and her family.

And then there is Elinor, she is my cousin. She just had two hip replacements on Monday. She is doing well and a prayer is in order for her also.

It comes in threes they say. How can we help our friends get through the rough spots? It all boils down to the simple fact that we are powerless to do anything really. We don't have any magic or secret potions. No one does. I try to think about how I would feel in their place and what I would want from my friends. I think that mostly I would want them to 'get it', no sympathy, no pity, no diversions, or syrupy cards. I would want them to really understand how I felt and what I was going through. And just be there and listen to me, really listen. I wouldn't expect them to have any answers or profound wisdom, just genuine support and caring.

It is really difficult to put yourself in their place, I don't want to be in their place, but being a friend means trying on their pain and suffering in order to be there for them. There is no way we can truly feel their suffering, but we can get a sense of it from our past experiences. If we are at a loss, then being quiet and being there is ok too.

2007-09-17T09:22:00.000-04:00

How to keep your man entertained.....

send him to this site

http://josplumbing.com/

Let me know if he clicks on her boobs.

Twister in paradise, OH MY!

2007-09-17T08:30:00.000-04:00

How to tell a twister is
approaching 101

Strangers call you Dorothy and complement you on your lovely red shoes at home depot

You ask your husband why the lighting strike you just saw left a funny smoke cone in the sky, he says it's a water spout and you think, "cool".

You wonder why all those birds are flying in circles and are sparkling in the distance
Your kid calls you and says " there is a tornado warning in the county", you husband laughs and says, "there are no tornados here". They didn't give tornado warnings on XM radio.

Your kid calls back and says, "I can see the f&*%^n tornado down the street", then the phone cuts out......

Husband says, "he is such a drama queen, there are no tornados here"

You drive back by the area you just left 10 minutes ago and the street is littered with roof tiles from the house that it blew off of.

The street light poles are leaning at a 90 degree angle

We are still in denial as we drive home through the driving rain. As we get closer to the house, the sky is clear and sunny. There is a distant green tinge to the sky where we came from. We find the boy a little freaked out (the boy is 24), but safe and sound. The cable is out, but we have power.

We were definately blessed!!! The hubby has reluctantly agreed that it probably was a tornado, because I am always right. (I finally got him trained after 27 years)

2007-09-13T15:20:00.000-04:00

Thank you Carol, http://workinprogress-wip.blogspot.com/ for this cute sign. It is my one and only halloween decoration. I hung it on my sewing room door. It has inspired me to update this blog with some rambling.....

I so resist decorating for

halloween. I guess It is because I really hate the whole orange and black color combination thing. It was always a time of year that made me sad, because it signified the end of warm weather, long sunny days, and the start of ice, snow, dark, & dreary days. We never had too many kids come trick or treating where we lived. It was on a main busy road in a rural area, no sidewalks, no street lights. So there was no reason to decorate much. The kids used to like to carve pumpkins and roast the seeds. Sometimes I would get the decorating bug and buy pots of mums and put out a few corn stalks. I guess I don't get motivated until the last minute.

Actually, there is plenty of time, we are still in the middle of September, even though I bet Walmart is chomping at the bit to get the Christmas stuff out on the shelves. I went to the store to buy a pool float for our trip last week, guess what?, none on the shelves, all the halloween stuff took it's place. That just makes me angry, what is the big rush??? I remember one time I had to shop for the kids to go to camp, I didn't have any money, so of course the week before they went, I had to buy their clothes, it was July and there were no shorts to be found anywhere!!! I ended up cutting off some jeans or something like that.

Why can't we live in the moment??? Always rushing to get on with the next holiday, always busy, getting ready, rushing around, gotta get moving, keep up with the masses.

I know I'll just give in eventually and go with the flow.... I remember buying pumpkin lights, I better go dig them out and put them on the palm trees right now before it's too late.

Then I'll go to Target and get myself a 'Marcus the Carcass', before they put out the Christmas decorations

Happy Birthday Carolyn

2007-09-13T14:44:00.000-04:00

Today is my daughter's 26th birthday, Happy Birthday Carolyn. This is her, last year at her Nursing school graduation with dad and son, Jacob. She is a beauty, and smart too. Happy Birthday, we love you!!!

2007-09-01T12:33:00.000-04:00

It will be two weeks at 2:30 this afternoon since I have had a cigarette. Needless to say, I have been a little bitchy, crabby, out of my mind, etc...

It really wasn't that bad though, the worst part is this past week, I have had some really close calls. I love to smoke. It is like the punctuation at the end of a sentence. It marks the end of a task, and the beginning of the next one. I know my cravings can't be physical at this point, but they are stronger than the physical ones.

I have quit several times before. I was never one of those smoke natzi quitters. I always enjoyed second hand smoke, and it does not bother me if others smoke in my presence. So, I keep telling myself, this is a good thing, you are extending your life, you will feel better, look better, and won't have to be a slave to cigarettes anymore!!!! Oh and by the way, the 4 lbs I lost a few weeks ago, it's back!

back to school

2007-08-24T09:19:00.001-04:00

I have been in transit for the past few days. We drove from Florida on Monday to bring Katie to college in NY. Here she is following our car with her truck. We dropped her off yesterday. She does not like a fuss or any attention, so she was basically a total bitch for the last few days. I think she is going to miss us though, but she would never admit it. She tries to pretend she is so independent and tough...but as you can see written on the mirror, "objects in mirror are closer than they appear" Especially when they need food or money. Good luck Katie, call us sometime, love Mom & Dad! We miss you already!

more photos at my flickr page http://www.flickr.com/photos/floridadeb/sets/72157601627747642/

2007-08-17T20:38:00.000-04:00

Plattie & Pinky all ready to go to their new homes. Unfortunately they will be separated, but they will be loved by two of the newest family members. Sophia, my granddaughter, and Oliva, my great niece. Ohh I sound so old!

My sister Carol sent me a link to the pattern at this site:

http://www.craftbits.com/viewProject.do?projectID=1359

They are made with the softest chenille and some other kind of soft fuzzy fabric.

When Sofia's father was a toddler (he is 32 now) I took him to a craft store. He picked out a stuffed platypus. His name is Pookie. Well, one week after Pookie came home, his nose fell off. Robert was hysterical. So, back to the craft store we went. The owner took Pookie into the operating room out back, and gave him a new nose. There was someone there from the local newspaper.

They took our picture and wrote a little story about the store, poor Pookie, and his emergency surgery.

When I went to visit my new granddaughter, Sofia, guess who was sitting right on the coffee table? Yep, Pookie. So, now Sofia will have a platypus too and Pookie will have a friend. When I deliver hers, I have some emergency surgery to do on Pookie. He isn't as young as he used to be, one of his feet fell off, old age and all, I guess it was bound to happen!!

When I showed my daugher, Katie the new creations, she informed me that Platypus's have stingers. They are the only egg laying mamal with a poisonous stinger, and a beak. This is the child we are dropping of in NY to go to school for wildlife biology. I told her, thanks for the info, but there was no stinger in the pattern. So much for a cuddly baby toy! Whodaknown!

2007-08-15T17:10:00.000-04:00

I have no time right now to compile something interesting for you today. So, I got this email and thought, boy I wish I thought of that! ENJOY

I was in Walmart buying a large bag of Purina for mydog and was in Line to check out. A woman behind measked me if I had a dog...DUHHHH I was feeling a bit crabby so on impulse, I told herNO and that I was starting The Purina Diet again,although I probably shouldn't because I ended up inthe hospital the last time. BUT, I'd lost 50 poundsbefore I awakened in an intensive care unit with tubes coming out of most of my orifices and IV's inboth arms. Her eyes about bugged out of her head. Iwent on and on with the Bogus diet story and she wastotally buying it. I told her that it was an easy, inexpensive diet andthat the way it works is to load your pockets or pursewith Purina nuggets and simply eat one or two everytime you feel hungry. The package said the food isnutritionally complete so I was going to try it again.(I have to mention here that practically everyone inthe line was by now enthralled with my story,particularly a tall guy behind her.) Horrified, she asked if something in the dog food hadpoisoned me and was that why I ended up in thehospital. I said, Oh NO!, I'd been sitting in the street lickingmy ass when a car hit me. I thought the tall guy in back of the line was goingto have to be Carried out.

2007-08-11T08:40:00.000-04:00

We have been giving the grand tour of our area to some friends from up north for the past few days. It has been a blast. We get to show off all the good things here in southwest Florida. Yesterday we took the boat to Captiva for a quick lunch and dip in the Gulf. It was hot hot hot....We stopped here at Jensen's Marina and took a walk across the street to the Mucky Duck for lunch and a swim.

I just loved this sign at the bait shack, I hope you can read it. This is such a quaint spot, real southwest Florida, no Disneyesque fluff.

Bob and Katie, waiting for me to stop taking pictures and get moving.

It really makes you appreciate this area when you take northerners on the tour, we forget how great it is here sometimes. I guess it's true about anywhere you live though. So, take some time to take a vacation in your own backyard.

2007-08-04T09:34:00.000-04:00

Happy 50th Birthday Kim! This is the year for 50. I turned 50 this year too and so have several of my friends. I remember when it was the year for 18, 21, 30, & 40. I think 30 was harder than 50. I had 4 kids at 30 including a newborn. Life was stressful, no money, carpooling, PTA, house needed so much work, husband working 24/7, the car always broke down, the checks bounced, and someone was screaming MOM all the time. I was young then, but didn't know it. I can't remember much about those days, because I was so busy, I didn't save any brain cells for memory. When I look at the pictures, then I remember. The kids were so cute then and they liked us too. I was thinner, but thought I was fat then. Oh boy I wish I was that fat now. We had fun in spite of it all. We always took the kids on vacation despite the stress and expense of it all. When we had moments of peace and quite, we really appreciated it. We always thought, 'someday this will be a memory and we can't wait'. Well it happens faster than you think. All of a sudden the age fairy shows up and puts a big 50 under your pillow. It's time to slow down that clock now and enjoy the 50's, remember the good things and live in the moment.

MILF

2007-08-03T09:10:00.000-04:00

I surrender, have to do the weight loss thing again! I was doing great, lost about 25 lbs from Nov to Feb, then I fell off the wagon. I guess put back about 10 lbs. Oh I hate myself, no don't think that way, ok I won't. I keep promising myself that tomorrow I will get back on my diet, quit smoking, exercise, floss my teeth 2 x a day, exfoliate, get my teeth whitened, cut back on drinking, be nice to people, be grateful, and stop to smell the roses. But noooooo, every day it's the same old thing. The vicious cycle starts, get up, have coffee, read paper, smoke, read paper, eat, smoke, bitch out someone, drink, smoke, sleep, maybe floss and do some sewing, and on.

So, today I joined MILF, I still don't know what that stands for, but I love reading Mom-O-matic and she is doing it, so I will too.
I am waiting for Theresa http://treestimes.wordpress.com/ to get back from Chicago so we can do this together. We plan to go bike riding and limit our intakes together. Wish me luck

2007-07-28T22:10:00.001-04:00

six feet under - season 4 promo long version

2007-07-28T21:53:00.001-04:00

I found it! This song, "Feeling Good" by Nina Simone, was playing in JoAnn Fabrics and it stopped me in my tracks. I just loved it and I knew I heard it somewhere, but where?.... I loved this show. I had to cover my eyes sometimes, but I made Bob tell me what was happening. He had to cover his eyes sometimes too, when the boys would get frisky! TURN YOUR VOLUME DOWN BEFORE YOU CLICK ON IT, THEN TURN IT UP. IT HAS AN ANNOYING NOISE AT FIRST.

2007-07-28T18:36:00.000-04:00

I finished it, the last Harry Potter book. It was great, I highly recommend it. It had a lot of reference back to the previous books regarding names, events, etc. I had some difficulty with it, because I have CRS (can't remember shit). So I depended on my daughter Katie to fill me in when I got an attack. It really hurts your brain when you can't remember anything. I don't know if it's old age or just too much info collected in the grey matter, it can be frustrating as hell. But, it can also be fun too. I just re-read Bridges of Madison County and it was great, because the details were foggy from the first time. It was like reading it for the first time. This must be why I am fat, I forgot that I just ate !!!! It's really not that bad, but almost.

I finished another wine bag. This one is a special order for my friend's mortgage company, she wants 4 to start with. She wants to give them to her clients when they get a mortgage. I enjoy making them. I just figured out that I am probably making a little more than breaking even by charging $25.oo for them. Then, if you factor in the time, well forgetaboutit. What do you think about the price? I guess I just have to revisit my motivation for making these bags. They are filling a need. They are pretty, I enjoy buying fabric and sewing. I love getting positive feedback on them. So, I guess it's worth the time and trouble.

The rock star is getting ready to go out and play with his band right now. (Nick is second from left) He is such a freak of nature. He really has no ego. He is not impressed with his success or has any clue how to take advantage of it. It's a good thing I'm not a rock star, I would be such a slut about it. He takes after his father that way. He is a great kid, but a nervous wreck. (that's his father too). Tommorow he is playing at a hot rod show, I'll take some pics and people watch. Maybe I'll have something interesting next time.

So goes another ramble by me. I'll be back

Creative, productive chaos

2007-07-19T20:58:00.000-04:00

I finally made one wine bag, yippee!!! I have been wanting to set up my ETSY shop and sell these bags since I quit my job in May. It has been so hectic with this mess....

And traveling, and selling real estate, I have not had a chance to get near my sewing machine. I did have time to buy some new fabric though. I used my new Amy Butler fabric to make this one.

I even have my new tag sewed in....

I have previously made several wine bags with some great quilted throws and quilted tweed that I found. I always give them away though. You can see them on my FLICKR page.

I really wanted to make these with some of the great quilting fabrics that are out there and I simply must buy all of it. But, my dilemma was how to make these bags cushiony and sturdy enough without using the pre-quilted fabrics I had and was soon to run out of and not find anywhere.

I decided to give it a try, I put cotton batting in between the two fabrics. One the inside of the lining fabric, I applied fusable web to give it some stiffness.

My next dilemma, should I quilt the bag, how should I quilt the bag, ????? I played with my machine and my new free motion quilting foot. Disaster....looked really bad, I need to take a class or something. The stiches on top looked awful. Then I made a template and used my quilting marker to put a design on the bag and tried to quilt around it with the regular foot of my machine. Looked crappy, I probably should have used transparent thread ???

Oh &^%$#@! it. I don't need to quilt it, it is small enough, it just might be ok....

Well, I think it is. I really like this one. Let me know what you think. These bags hold two bottles of wine or one big bottle. There is a removable divider and bottom support. If anyone has any ideas or suggestions, I would appreciate your input before I make more. Once I get about 6 or 8 made, then they go on ETSY.

2007-07-16T19:45:00.000-04:00

KABOOM.....CRACK........RUMBLE..........No rain yet.

I'm back home in SW Florida from CT. I arrived last night and found that my new camera was back from being repaired. I just had to take it out and play with it a little. So, no CT pictures due to technical difficulties.

Katie, my daugher/photo teacher, said this picture shows good apperature. That means it is focused in the middle and gets blurry toward the edges. I think she is losing patience with me. Does she look a little bored with it:

She thinks I am hopeless. I had the camera set on the 'P', because I thought is meant 'Picture', but it doesn't. She won't tell me what it means, because she wants me to read the manual. YUCK, that would be so unlike me to do that. I would much rather learn from my mistakes. I guess that is the story of my life. After 50 years of doing things this way, it just might be too late to change.

Some things I saw in CT that you don't see in Florida:

stairs
basements
red maple leaves
rocks
hills
grass you can actually walk in
parking lots without those cement barricaids so you can just zip across rather than follow the rows
Hummel's hot dogs
Good Pizza
Portugese rolls
Canolli's the real kind
pigeons
sidewalks
clotheslines
brick houses
ivy
day lillies

The only thing I really miss about CT is the grandkids and my family & friends. Otherwise, I am glad I am back here in Hurricane Alley. So far, it's been quiet, keep good thoughts!!!

family visit

2007-07-12T08:15:00.000-04:00

Here I am in CT again. It has been an interesting trip. Uneventfull, interesting, boring, and at times strange and wonderful. The ride is endless, but we took 3 days to get here, rather than the usual two. My feet didn't swell and it was a little more tolerable. For some unknown reason, I really dreaded this trip. I have an aversion to long boring rides and I was sure that was why. I really don't miss CT, I love Florida. There are some good things about visiting CT. Seeing the family and friends, the grandchildren, here is my newest cutie

She has grammas thighs and red hair.

Since I don't live here anymore, the dynamics are different. I am more of an observer than a participant. It is a strange role to be in. I am just peeking into everyone's lives for a moment, then poof, I am gone.....till the next time.

hawaiian fusion

2007-06-27T20:47:00.000-04:00

My blog is boring, isn't it??? I have been neglecting it lately because I see so many other very cool and interesting blogs and it makes me feel like why bother. But what the hell, who cares, I'll blog and if nobody reads it, oh well. So here I go. I am in a funky blog place. I am currently just returning from a conference with the hubby in Naples. It was at a lovely upscale hotel, my neighbors were with us. We enjoyed each others company and had a few laughs. Here is what I learned about me from this trip: I have no clue, I am not the sophisticated gourmet diner I thought I was. Have you ever gone to a really fancy restaurant and looked at the menue and decided, I can't eat this crap. Really, what is this fancy shmancy fluff on this menue? I don't do raw tuna and tasmanian devill gizzards...who the hell does??? Give me a filet mignon, garlic mashed potatoes and some kind of vegie I won't eat anyway, then dessert, big chocolate and lots of whipped cream and I'll be happy. Or a bowl of pasta with some lovely red sauce and lots of bread and wine. What is wrong with people? Hawaiian Fusion??? UGH!! Little piles of unidentifiable raw food with birds carved out of mango and lizard hearts on top. Ok, so I guess this is a rant instead of a blog. But I needed to get this out. It all felt better after a trip to the Cheesecake Factory, now they know how to feed people!!

Let's all dress like this and go out to eat!!!!!!!! Frog legs anyone???

Calamity Kim Day

2007-06-21T07:50:00.000-04:00

I went on a grand tour of Sarasota with the Traveling Tour Guide Gnome, Calamity Kim yesterday. Ohh the wonder of it all. I have always wanted to meet Kim. She graciously invited me into her world of wonder and gnomes. It was such a treat. All day with nothing to do but visit quilt shops, gift shops, and learn all about her.

I am such a novice about this crafty blog world. My sister introduced me to it and I have to say I am hooked. It feels like I was taken into the secret underground tunnels of the blog/craft Castle by the Grand Duchess herself. This is Kim in her #1 shop, Persnickity Cat. They have wonderful gift items and some great vintage linens and antiques

We oogled this doll bed. Wouldn't it be a lovely place for all of the doll quilts?

We went to St. Armands Circle in Sarasota. This is some of the really great garden accessories we found at Garden Argosy. We kind of fibbed to them, we told them we were doing a tour of local shops for a crafters internet site and they let us

take pictures. It's mostly true, right?

I have never met anyone over the internet before and I have to admit, I was just a little nervous. And surprise, I found out Kim was very nervous. Can you imagine, Kim nervous.

It is really interesting meeting someone in person that you have met through a blog or flickr. I guess our perception of that person is only 2 dimensional until you actually meet them.

Kim's blogs are very true to her personality. She is everything you would expect her to be and more.
What you don't see in her blog is a quick and pleasant smile and an endearing shyness. I had a great time visiting with her and it won't be the last. We both need to gather more funds, though, because there is so much to buy!

These are some of the goodies I bought yesterday.

Good times, good times.......

2007-06-13T14:38:00.000-04:00

The June Doll quilt challenge is on. I just finished my first ever doll quilt using the dissapearing nine patch pattern, 7 fabrics including unbleached muslin. It is 14 1/2 x 161/2, the perfect size for a doll or a placemat.

I just wanted to get a quick note and some pictures in here for now. Let me know what you think. This is the one I was not loving when I started it. I think it came out better than I thought it would.

I learned some things about quilting with this challenge:

1. If you start with 2 1/2" strips, it will be really difficult to keep the blocks square, the smaller the blocks, the harder it is.

2. It might be better to use all 9 different fabrics to make a more geometrically (is that a word?) pleasing design on the tiny quilt.

3. I need stronger reading glasses

I got to play with all the embroidery stiches on my machine. cool huh?

2007-06-11T08:15:00.000-04:00

Technology is a booger. I love buying new things, but hate to read directions. Why can't I just open the box and use the thing?? I got a new camera, I really wish I had more patience with learning new things. Here are some of my attempts at using it with just a quick scan of the manual and my daughter's help. She is so patient, not..."Ma, focus, Ma put your glasses on, Ma not that button, Ma take the lens cap off first!!!!

So, here are some of my first pictures and a picture of the new camera.

I am having trouble 'focusing in', not only with the camera, but with my activities. I start playing with the camera, then start cutting out fabric for a quilt. Then I start cleaning the kitchen, and paint a new pump part planter while cleaning the garage.

I guess the key word here is START. I love to start, hate the middle, and love the FINISH.

More time spent in the middle is where I need to focus in.

This is the START of a doll quilt, I am currently in the middle and of course want to rush through that part. I am kind of not liking it alot. Ever done that? I'll finish it though and it will probably be nice, but it kind of takes the fun out of it when you think it isn't going to turn out the way you imagined it.

This should be done this week. I'll show you the results when it's FINISHED

2007-05-22T20:48:00.000-04:00

Two full days of sewing....nirvana Awesome and aggrivating.

These are the two quotes I wrote on the ribbons in the border:

"Roll on thou deepand dark blue ocean roll

Ten thousand fleets sweep over thee in vain---

Man marks the earth with ruin

His control stops with the shore" Lord Byron

"The heart can think of no devotion greather than

Being shore to ocean" R.Frost

I have had two days of peace no work no husband. Just me and my sewing machine and fabric stash. I have been collecting fabrics that remind me of the Gulf when we go boating. The colors are so wonderful, blues, greens, silver, gold, and all things in between. I wanted to paint it, but I don't paint very well, so I thought I would quilt it.

I love the hunt for a project, and the end, 'ta da', but the middle sucks....I ripped my house apart looking for stuff like a regular sewing needle, the instruction book for my sewing machine, the thread I just bought, etc...... My back is killing me. For some reason when I sew, I get this sharp pain right under my shoulder blade, like a knife in my back. I actually use a tennis ball between me and the wall to rub it out.

Anyway, here is my finished quilt/wall hanging/artsy thingy. Now what do I do??? Should I hang it in my house, sell it on ETSY, bring it to the Wild Child Gallery and see if they want to sell it? How much should I sell it for???? I love creating these things, but hate to part with them...Delemma, Delemma.

I am going shopping tomorrow to buy more fabric YIPPEEEEEE

2007-05-17T15:37:00.000-04:00

Unemployment is a beautiful thing. I have been playing at geaneology. It is very interesting.

This is a picture of a young girl that holds the title, "beautiful mystery girl". She was born in 1925, her name was Eleanore Talbot. She is with a woman who may or may not be her real mother. She died very tragically when she was 19 years old. She was a college student in Maine. I have been told she was very very smart and did some wonderful research on cancer. Her and her friends were driving along and something happened that caused them to end up in a lake and drown. I have mixed feelings about doing research on her. My curiosity about her parentage has me obsessed, but my sense of family and letting sleeping dogs lie also tugs at me. Maybe some things are better left unknown. ...............'I wish I didn't know now what I didn't know then' (Toby Keith)

This is the Hemmingway House in Key West Florida. It was taken by my Great Great Aunt Minerva in 1935. She was a real 'Modern Minnie'. She was married, never had children, and traveled. She took all the family photographs. Thanks to her I have a bag full of family pictures from the 1920's-> I have several of her Florida March 1935 photos in my foyer here in Florida. Interesting that she was there in March and the Hurricaine of '35 hit in Sept and wiped out the Flagler RR bridge amongst other things. Here is a picture she took from the train of Pigeon Key

I have also been playing with fabric. I bought a book on 'paper piece' quilting. It produces some very geometric and funky patterns. I tried this one and though not perfect, it is kind of cool. I decided that the colors don't match anything in my house, so I put it in a scrapbook frame and maybe I will hang it in my sewing room if I ever get one. I can even change it out if I want.

I am so lucky that I have a wonderful husband to pay the bills while I play with my toys!

(Hi Bob) :)~

2007-05-09T13:56:00.000-04:00

Just got back from Universal. We stayed at Portofino Cove. It was wonderfull. The whole place made you feel like you were on the coast of Italy. Very nice and relaxing vacation.

Did you ever go on vacation and keep running into the same set of people all the time? We kept bumping into 'Dennis' not his real name, but we had to give him one. We saw him everywhere. Just when we thought Dennis checked out and went home, we would turn the corner in the hotel, and guess who was right in front of us, yep, Dennis.

We also kept running into, wine, beer, nap, and food too.

2007-05-05T08:50:00.000-04:00

I am leaving for a mini vacation today to Universal Studios. It is our 27th anniversary. I hope to bring back some inspiration and photos. I also hope to not bring back the 4 lbs I just gained in anticipation of this trip!

2007-05-04T15:21:00.000-04:00

I never blogged before, thought I would give it a try. UMMMMMM ok now what do I do....I'll be back.....