A Day of Distractions

Have you ever had a day that seems to be spinning in a million different directions?  Boy, has my day ever been a strange mix.  It started off when I came downstairs to feed Fresca the Wonder Dog.  As she was eating, I decided to make myself a cup of coffee.  As I reached for my steaming mug (we have a Keurig), I noticed a few dishes that hadn't been washed from last night.  OK, I decided to wash them up quickly so the kitchen would be all tidy when the Commander got up.  After I washed the few dishes, I still had a nice, soapy basin of water so I looked around and thought maybe I'd wash down the stove top, which led to me washing down the counters, which led to me washing out the inside of the microwave, too.  Are you with me so far?  Now this was all before 7:30 a.m.

The Commander was still sleeping so I decided to fire up the computer and check my email.  With Jason and his family living in a timezone that is about 12 hours difference from ours, I like to see if there is any news from them in the morning, since they would probably have posted while I was sleeping.  As I checked my email, I noticed a newsletter from a digital scrapbooking company that I've purchased items from in the past.  I opened it up and was reading it and saw an ad that caught my eye.  Of course, I had to click on it which took me to their online store and of course, I found some very nice digital packages that were on sale at 40% off.  So I went ahead and purchased them and got right to downloading them onto my computer.  Naturally, after doing that, I wanted to bring them into my Creative Memories Storybook Creator software program.  As I finished doing that, I realized that my folders in Storybook Creator were getting rather voluminous so I decided perhaps I'd better do some reorganizing of those to help me pare down the number of categories which would make it easier for me to find things.  Oh yes, somewhere in the middle of doing that, my brother called with a problem to do with Ebay so I had to stop and handle that long-distance.

At some point the Commander came downstairs and stuck his head into the room to say "Good Morning" and as I eventually glanced up at the clock, I realized that it was 10:30 a.m. and I hadn't even brushed my hair or eaten breakfast.  Whew!  I'm tired just writing all of this.  No wonder my days just fly by and I can't figure out where the day has gone when 5 p.m. rolls around and I'm still working on the computer.

But speaking of eating, how do you like that rack of BBQ ribs and sweet potato fries?  That was my meal this past Friday when the Commander and I went out to enjoy a late anniversary dinner.

I didn't realize when he took my picture what the scene was behind me.  Goodness!  This could be a poster for a diet ad.  I actually had filled up on an appetizer and when they brought my meal, I only had room for a few of the fries and a few bites of BBQ and then I had to box up the rest to bring home.

This cheesy "firebread" dipped in seasoned oil was the culprit.  I LOVE cheese and melted over warm bread is even better.

When we got home, I hurried up and set up the camera, put it on automatic timer and we ran for the couch so we could get a picture to commemorate our belated anniversary outing.

Now I'm busy spinning wool for the next few weeks as part of the "Tour de Fleece", an event that spinners around the world are taking part in as we spin wool on different "teams" each day as the Tour de France does its own kind of spinning.  This is some lovely wool from the dyer Bee Mice Elf and I've been spinning it up as I watch TV in the evenings. 

In other news, techie that I am, I just couldn't resist Barnes and Noble's recent price drop on the Nook so I am now the owner of a Kindle AND a Nook.  I didn't buy the 3G version since my Kindle already gives me that full ability but instead I purchased the Wi-Fi version, which is fine for me.  I'll give you my initial impressions of the Nook in my next post.

Five Ways to Wander

This week I've been contemplating the different ways I like to wander about.  Maybe it's the fact that it is summer and I always get that wanderlust.  Maybe it's the fact that the weather here in south-central PA has been absolutely glorious - just perfect for heading out somewhere, anywhere!  Or maybe it's just that I recently returned from a road trip to Michigan and back.  Whatever the case, this Friday's Fave Five will be centered around "Ways to Wander."

1.  Wandering in a new set of wheels - At the top of the news this week is the new car that the Commander purchased.  His old car was sounding more and more labored to the point of setting the dogs in the neighborhood to barking as he'd drive to and from home.  I was beginning to wonder if it was even going to make it to a dealership for trade-in.  Thankfully it did and we are back to a quiet neighborhood once again.

2.  Wandering through neat stores.  Today I stopped over at the local Farmers' Market.  It is open 3 days a week and I often go over on Fridays, when the bulk of the merchants come in and set up shop.  The place is a real treasure trove.

There are the usual produce stands.  But we also have some great bakery stands, a gourmet pet biscuit stand, quite a few meat stands, a coffee and tea vendor, and numerous little eating booths.   I usually pick up several bags of coffee when I go over there and then I just have to wander over and purchase several mini-sticky buns - to help support the local economy, don't you know?

3.  Wandering afar via Facebook pictures to keep up with loved ones overseas.  Our daughter-in-law reports that she is now known within their local community as "Ibunya Mika" which means "Mika's Mom."   Apparently, Mika is adored by one and all there.  I can certainly understand why.

4.  Wandering through memories.  I was talking with my mother this week and mentioned that her church where she grew up was having its 100 year anniversary this summer.  They will be having a special celebration, including a PowerPoint presentation of pictures and anecdotes from members.  When I asked her if she had any memories of attending the church services there so many years ago that she'd like to share with the committee, this is the story she told me:
    One Sunday, when Mom was a young girl, the weather had been particularly nice so the church doors were propped open while everyone sat inside.  The preacher was standing on the platform preaching when a cat wandered into the little sanctuary.  No one noticed at first but the little cat walked as boldly as you please right up the aisle and up to the preacher and proceeded to rub against his leg.  This was too much for the preacher who stopped what he was saying, grabbed the cat, and holding him out in front of him, said, "Would someone please put this cat outside?"  My grandfather, who could hardly EVER be dragged to church, just happened to be in church that day.  That was too much for Grandpa because he started to snicker and Mom remembers Grandma giving him a good dig in the ribs. 
     Aren't memories a fun way to wander back in time?

5.  Wandering through beautiful countryside.  As I was driving to visit Mom today, I again marveled at the beauty of Pennsylvania in the summer.  I found myself thinking, "If I were to dye a skein of yarn and call it 'Pennsylvania Summer', what would be the colors I would use?"  I think I would dye my skein several shades of green, add some sections of light robin's egg blue, and a few stripes of light gray for the roads that run through the countryside.  If we have to live through the crummy winters here, God surely rewards us with fabulous summers.

What have you been enjoying this week?  To see what others are writing about for their Fave Fives, visit Susanne's blog at Living to Tell the Story.

Everything But Bake a Cake

Well, the time came this week for the Commander to give up his car and get a new one.  All of the negotiating actually happened when I was in Michigan so I was getting the updates long-distance.  The hardest part of the whole thing was finding the right color after he decided on the type of car.  He picked a Ford Escape but then they were having problems coming up with a color that he thought he could live with.

For some years now, he has driven a big gray Envoy.  I certainly don't blame him for wanting to go with a different color car now.  Unfortunately, the Escape Limited doesn't come in a wide range of colors.  He really wanted Sport Blue but it isn't made in that color.  I kept getting text messages and emails with different color combinations.  When he texted white with tan interior, I put my foot down.  That just offended my color sensibilities.  White with charcoal or white with black, fine!  But white with tan?  Ugh!

The salesman finally located a dealership that had a steel blue Escape with a charcoal gray interior.  We both liked that color combination so they had it sent down to our dealership and that's what we picked up yesterday.

Wow, it's a pretty fancy thing inside.  It has a feature called Sync-Surround which allows you to synch your phone and iPod to the audio system.  Once you do that, you can call people, answer calls, and play your music, all by giving voice commands to your car after you punch a button on your steering wheel.  How cool is that?  Once the car had synched the Commander's iPhone, it downloaded his phone book into the car system in less than a minute.

This particular car also has the Navigation system built right into it, has live weather updates available, has Sirius satellite radio, AND has a backup camera.  I'm particularly enamored of that particular feature.  It even has a backup sensor that beeps as you get close to things, with the beeps getting faster and faster as you get closer and closer to an object.  Now THAT could come in handy.  We almost got one with the "parking assist" which is the feature that basically parks the car for you.  I am rather glad we didn't get that because both of us like to be in control and I could just see us wrestling the steering wheel as the car tries to take over.

On the way home, we called my brother by "telling" the car to "Call John's Cell", which it did.  It was amazing to just be carrying on a conversation with my brother with our hands free and no earpiece and to hear his voice clearly through the car's speakers.  He said he could hear us clearly, too.

I hadn't realized how much smaller it is than the Envoy until we came home and I took the Commander's picture next to his new car.  He quite dwarfs it.  But he has plenty of room inside.  Oh, that's not a dent in the side, by the way.  That's my reflection as I stood on the sidewalk taking the picture.

So after I came home last night from another Great American Aran Afghan class, what did I find but the Commander sitting in the living room pouring over his new owner's manual.  For a technie, he must have been in pure heaven.  I just shook my head and went downstairs to continue knitting.

Back in the Keystone State

My last few days in Michigan have come to an end.  My brother, sister-in-law and I celebrated in style.  Last evening we went out for Coney Island hot dogs and ice cream sundaes.  This was after another marathon session of entering more items on Ebay.

All yesterday John kept running in to say, "We got another sale on Ebay."  Then a few minutes later he'd be in with some boxes saying, "We just got payment for these on Ebay."  Oy!  We had a regular little Shipping Central going at his house for awhile there.

Then this morning I got up bright and early (5: 15 a.m. is pretty early for me) and had already loaded up half the car by the time my brother got up.  He did the important stuff, like make coffee.  And then it was time to say goodbye.

It's never easy saying goodbye to John and Rose.  I always have so much fun with them - even if it's doing Ebay with them.  Poor Rose.  I left her with a living room filled with boxes and shipping material.  Her house may never be the same again.

I also had a few more things to pack in the car than I had brought out - like my new Majacraft spinning wheel, Lyda Rose.  And my Army fatigues that John insisted I take with me.  I am proud to say that my fatigue jacket still fits although it will be quite awhile before I can get back into my Army uniform.  I might be able to wiggle into my combat boots, though.  But hey, it's been over 30 years.

I listened to (and sang along with) some great gospel and praise music on the way home as well as heard some good gospel preaching, which kept me awake.  I ate too much junk food and drank too much coffee, which also helped keep me awake while driving.  And then I pulled into the driveway and walked into the house to find a VERY excited puppy and soon, one very relieved hubby.  So, as Shakespeare would say, "all's well that ends well."  That's my story and I'm sticking to it.

Sweet Baby Jay

Twenty-eight years ago today, the Commander and I had just dropped off our daughter at a friend's house and had continued on to Bethesda Naval Hospital where I was whisked off to the Maternity Ward.  They didn't have time to even prep me because a certain little someone was pretty eager to come into this world.  That was fine with me because his sister had taken her sweet time and caused me 24 hours of hard labor in the hospital before deciding to make her appearance.

It wasn't exactly 1-2-3, but more like 7-8-9 and then there he was.  The Commander, who had been supporting my head and shoulders in the delivery room dropped me (I remember this distinctly) and rushed down to the OTHER end of the gurney to shout jubilantly, "It's a BOY!"

That little fellow stole my heart from Day One.  You couldn't have asked for a sweeter baby.  Oh, sure.  He was stubborn at times and if he thought he was right, he could be almost unmovable.  But he was my fellow "feeler" in a family of "thinkers" and always ready with a hug or a kiss when I needed one.  When his sister had been born, I had to return to work six weeks later.  But when Jason was born, I was able to stay home with him.  What a joy!  He was my little shadow.  Following me around everywhere (usually talking non-stop) and I loved it.

My little boy became a man almost overnight and try as I might, I couldn't keep him home forever.  I managed to delay the inevitable for awhile when he chose to go to college in our area and where I worked but even then I could see that he had the wanderlust (unfortunately, a family trait that he inherited from his mother).  There was a semester abroad and then came the announcement that we could sense was coming.  He felt God's calling to full-time service.  That led to trips to faraway places in Asia and then to Vancouver, British Columbia.

With each departure, I'd give him the old "Mom" lecture.  "Now you be careful.  Don't do anything stupid.  Watch what you eat.  If you get sick, for Pete's sake, see a doctor.  Why can't you go to some place normal, like Texas?"  And my own personal favorite - "Your dad and I are getting old. Who's going to help us move the furniture when I get the urge to rearrange the house?"

Then he met a girl...someone with the same sense of calling that he had who was also making trips to faraway places to follow God's call.  I should have disliked her instantly, sensing as I did that she would be another big punch in his ticket further away from us.  But how could I NOT love Laura?  She was so perfect for Jason.  God had created these two young people, put His desires in their hearts, and matched them up before they were born, I really believe.

Jason and Laura are married now and they are so right together, helpmates to each other in every way.  I thank God so much that we have Laura in our family and now, little Mikayla Joy.  But off they've gone again, thousands of miles away from us.

I don't know where the road will lead Jason and his family over the next years.  I continue to pray that it will eventually lead closer to our family and Laura's family but realize that this is not in my hands.  AND  I continue to stand by, ready to give my "Mom" lectures when they need one.

"Now you have a good birthday.  Don't eat too much birthday cake.  Wash your hands before you eat.   Are you getting enough sleep?  You look a little tired on Skype.  Could I interest you in a nice job in Missoula?"

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, JASON!

An "ABC" Week

Whew!  What a week this has been.  I drove out to Michigan the latter part of last week to help my brother list things on Ebay that we had boxed up from our childhood home several years ago.  That's what I've been doing all this week.....emptying tub after tub of "things", photographing them, researching them online, writing up descriptions, and then listing them on Ebay IF they are remotely worth doing so.  It's been a very time-consuming, messy, and draining process.  So my Fave Five post this week is going to be centered on that but not entirely because the FIRST part of my "ABC" week has nothing at all to do with Ebay.

1.  "A" stands for "Anniversary."  Yesterday the Commander and I celebrated our 31st anniversary.  One of my bridesmaids commented that she couldn't believe that so many years have gone by since that day back in Nea Makri, Greece.  Well, neither can I.  It's been a great 31 years and I sure am looking forward to many more, Lord willing.

2.  "B" stands for "Berry Pie."  My sister-in-law, Rose, is a wonderful cook.  She whipped this pie up the other day from scratch, making up the recipe as she went.  It has blueberries, peaches, and strawberries in it and the crust was made out of gingersnaps.  Yummy!

"B" also stands for "Boy Scout Badges."  When I was going through tubs, I came across a bunch of Boy Scout patches, pins, and badges belonging to my brother.  We had lots of fun looking over the badges that he had earned (AND not sewn on his sash).  He's a real marksman and it was interesting that back in 1968 he had earned a badge in Rifle and Shotgun Shooting.

3.  "C" stands for "Cameras."  Our mom was a real camera nut.  One of her big hobbies was photography.  She went through cameras like some women go through shoes, always buying a new one when it caught her eye.  Consequently, we had a BIG tub of old cameras, lens, and filters to go through this week.  How about this beauty?  Some of the workmanship on these old cameras is pretty amazing.

4.  "D" stands for "Depression Glass."  I found some lovely pieces of Depression Glass in the tubs.  This is a cake platter in the Jeannette "Iris and Herringbone" pattern.  It was chipped so I'm taking it home.  I really like it and I don't care if there is a little chip on it.  It will do just fine to put a cake on.

5.  "E" stands for "Everything" holding a memory.  From old rolling pins and flour sifters to my old set of Army fatigues, it has certainly been a trip down Memory Lane.  Just last night, we opened up a tub and there sat all of my dad's hand tools from his little basement workshop.  Gosh, Dad died 31 years ago and it was like he had just walked into the room.  So I guess you could say that "E" has also stood for "emotional" this week.  It's been an interesting time.

What have been the highlights of your week?  To read other folks' Fave Fives, visit Susanne's blog at Living to Tell the Story.

More Treasures Uncovered

I should be hunching over the computer listing more things on Ebay for my brother but wanted to quickly put up some more fun things we found the other day while working on our "Mom" project.

Old merit badges my brother earned in Boy Scouts (and never sewed on his uniform - for shame!)

An Alvin and the Chipmunks glass that we both drank out of as kids over the years.

A very well-loved doll house that belonged to my grandmother.  It dates from the early 1900's.  What is particularly charming about it, is the fact that it has my grandma's and her sister's names scrawled childishly over the inside wall.

A Tru-Scale seed planter toy that my brother used to play with ENDLESSLY in our sandbox.  We even found a little ball in the seed chamber.  There is no way that little ball would have fit through the holes to be "planted" but I guess my brother didn't understand those things back in the day.

And this old dinged up 5-cup sifter that my grandmother used to bake countless pies and cakes.  Yum, I can smell them even now as I go back in time looking at this.

If any of you ever get to this stage of life where a parent dies or goes into a nursing home and you have to clean out your childhood home, you will understand the flood of emotions that we have been experiencing this past week.  So many memories have been surfacing as we hold these objects in our hands. 

Well, that's all I have time for.  If you want to look at the other things we have up on Ebay so far, I believe you can reach them by going to this link.

Working for Peanuts

Another day, another marathon session at the computer entering items on Ebay.  Here's a sample of some of the fun things I found today.  The mug above was a commemorative mug made to celebrate the opening of Gilbert and Sullivan's H.M.S. Pinafore operetta and it was made in 1879.  I always thought it was just a pretty glass that my mom had.  Who knew?

This little jam server isn't any fancy name brand porcelain item but I thought it was very sweet.  Somebody hand-painted those little blueberry sprigs on each side.

This is a cuticle scissors that was art of a Bakelite vanity set my mother owned.  Over the years the rest of the set has gotten broken and/or misplaced but this little scissors has survived. 

I worked all day long photographing items and then researching them and describing them up on Ebay.  Then my work was still not finished.  I had to box them up.  My brother couldn't believe that I had managed to use up all the packing peanuts in a huge box before he came home from work today.  In fact, I had to text him to stop at the UPS store and buy more.

He came home with these.  But wait.....lest you think THIS is a lot of peanuts, there are actually more than meet the eye.

The bag is actually THIS tall.  That's a LOT of peanuts!

Somehow I think I won't have any problem going through them before I leave.  My brother is already complaining about running out of room to store the boxed items until the auctions end.

He's been putting them down in his basement in his exercise room.  When I went down there to see how he was arranging them, this is what I found.

And this!  "What kind of a system do you have to retrieve them?," I asked him.

"You didn't tell me I had to come up with a way to FIND them," he said. 

Oh, my.  I predict he is going to be looking through a lot of boxes when those auction items begin to sell.  Good thing I've put a paper in each box listing the item and the Ebay number.  But he still is going to have to open each box and look inside unless he comes up with a better system.

In the meantime, since I'm working for peanuts, this "elephant" is heading to bed to do some reading and sleeping.  Tomorrow I'm taking some time off to head over to The Spinning Loft.  More on that later.