WHISPERING PINES

Happy VDay!

2012-02-14T23:41:00.002-05:00

What makes a Happy Valentine's Day? Well for me it's beautiful flowers...

In a really cool looking vase. I'm easy to please! Thanks Jack for the lovely flowers and all the many VDAYS we've shared! Love Ya! Hope everyone's Vday was great!

Chili Nite..Inside And Out

2012-02-10T23:21:00.000-05:00

Every February we have our annual "Cheap Good Night Out and Chili Cook Off" at the Church. Anyone who wants to enter their chili recipes just brings it in and they're judged in different categories. The judges don't know who made the entries because the pots just have numbers on them and all the judges have to do it taste and decide.

There's other food too....it was all very good!

Hey, here's two hungry folks who look a little familiar:

After dinner our emcee, Greg announced the winners.

Catergories were: Hottest..won by Rachael!

Sweetest? Yep, sweetest won by Steve whose wife in the green sweater seems more than a little excited!

Derrick wins this catergory every year..what is it? Most unusual...this year his entry looked like creek water and it had a lobster claw floating in the middle. I kid you not. I guess congrats are in order....I did not taste it and I didn't ask for his recipe...sorry Derrick!

The entry everyone wants to win is best tasting..well, duh! If it doesn't taste great, what's the point? Who won that? DRUM ROLL PLEASE: DRRRRRRRR....That would be ME! Yep, I won and I'm humbled and very thankful for judges that have exceptional taste. I say that with all honesty and tongue in cheek!

After dinner and awards comes the skit portion of the "Cheap Nite Out"...The winners are chosen by the loudest applause. This years top winners are the Primary activity girls class. You can't beat a cute face! Plus, that upside down face act just never gets old!

The Cub Scouts got to "spoof" the Branch President.

Even Jack got into the act! He was very funny!

Finally our Missionaries closed out the evening with a duet. These guys have really nice voices.

We've been doing this skit night for over 20 years. It evolved into the chili cook off and it's always been a fun time. So even though it was "chilly" outside, the "chili" inside warmed everyone's stomach and the fellowship and fun warmed everyone's heart.

Low Census

2012-02-08T22:31:00.000-05:00

Today I was given a low census day. It happens every so often that we have enough staff to fill the day. One of our Docs is taking off for a mission trip (and taking our Donna (Starkey Hollow) with him!) and we wouldn't be as busy. It just happened to be my turn and I said "sure"...I never pass up a day off..without pay of course. Oh well, I knew I could fill my day with a chore that I have been putting off. Cleaning one of the rooms in our basement so I could use it to exercise. Our basement is a good size and this room was just turning into a glorified storage room. It's still pretty full and I'm planning on having a garage sale this Spring, but for now it will do nicely. Here's my before:

Here's the after:

Atleast I'll be able to hop around, stretch and bend to this lovely tape:

I enjoy this work out. It's about an hour and 10 minutes of constant movement that I can actually do with my sore knee. It's been a big help in my weight loss journey. There are a few different DVD's so try one out for yourself.

Eddy is so supportive of my efforts. He always hangs around and seems so amazed at my athletic ability...

He also likes to hang around the computer room and just chill. Sort of like me on my big free day!

Repeat Saturday

2012-02-04T21:46:00.000-05:00

I can't believe I haven't posted in a week. I also can't believe that this week was very similar to the week before. It consisted of work...drama at work...weird weather...warm weather...me smiling when the temps were in the 50's and 60's...and then this Saturday we had a replay of last Saturday....yep, after sun and a bit of warmth and snow all melted I looked out the kitchen window this morning and saw this:

Well, OK, I can handle this. As Jack and I made breakfast..well, Jack made the bacon because I am awful at making bacon...I made my own eggs..the snow just kept on coming down in big wet flakes. But the bacon was tastey!

After breakfast and after the Pioneer Woman was done on food network we headed out to town.

As we drove past my neighbor's house I was amazed how far away the house looks with all that snow!

We went to Jack's office so he could work on my knee. It's been killing me for the past week. I've been exercising in my efforts to accomplish my goals I set on January 2nd. I'll post more about that later. I thought exercise was suppose to make you feel better...I guess I just need to keep at it. I have lost a few pounds however..12 to be exact. But..poor knee!

Our downtown was having another event to promote area businesses. They used the warehouse that had the farmer's market in it in the fall. Heat was added...thank goodness!

Here's a sampling of what was there. Many fun displays and wares to look at. I held off and bought nothing...but I did enjoy the atmosphere!

That was all the excitement I could handle for one day so we headed back to the Pines where I spent the rest of the day doing chores, hiking in the woods and finally making some potato soup that turned out pretty darn good if I do say so myself!

Snipets

2012-01-29T16:10:00.000-05:00

I'm on call this weekend for the first time in 3yrs. I've had some adjusting to do to get through this. I have always hated call and after 3yrs I'm still hating it! We had a rule in our department that said after age 55 you didn't have to take call. I was so excited to reach that mile stone. It took the sting out of getting older! I think they originally thought no one would be working past that age. Well, that didn't happen. There are 5 of us in surgery who are over 55. The younger staff started getting mad and making many complaints that they were being over worked and it wasn't fair to them. Well, the rule got reversed and here we are. None of us were happy about it and it was very tense the last few months. It's been a stresser but I've had to move forward and do the best I can. One day all the younger staff will reach this age. In fact, many of them are in worse shape than us "oldies" and probably won't even be able to work to our age. So I have been tied to my phone and running back and forth from the hospital to home. Not much to blog about except the crazy weather! Here are just a few "snipets" of my past week and some from this weekend.

I made a pie this week for a coworkers birthday "carry in"...They say it tasted really good. I didn't have any because I'm trying to stay away from that stuff, but I was pleased with how it turned out. Pies and bread are not my strong points in cooking...but this was fun!

Early in the week Eddy and I went on a hike to the Creepy Woods and all he cared about was he favorite drinking hole..it makes him lick his lips with joy!

Last weekend we were covered in snow and then "poof", it was gone. Then this Saturday I woke up to see all this frosting on the trees and grass. Again we had a mini blizzard!

It came down in big flakes with big winds to match. But by the afternoon..the sun was out, the snow was almost all gone and here's how it looked:

Yesterday across the road you could see a lovely sunset beginning.

Fast forward to today about 45 minutes ago when I took this shot from the livingroom window...heaven help us..

Wait! I just took this pic from the computer room window...The sun is back, the snow has stopped...

Oh brother...if you ever meet one of us "Ohioans" and we have a funny tic or are always looking at the sky with crazy eyes..we're just a bit confused about what Mother Nature is brewing to send our way...and brewing to change in a wink of an eye. Hope your snipets of this coming week are more exciting than mine!

Where Have All The Snow Piles Gone?

2012-01-26T17:43:00.000-05:00

Remember all the snow from the previous post? Well, it's gone..done..danada..melted into a memory. Except for this tiny patch that refuses to leave. A memory that will come back to haunt us in the future I'm sure. But for now we've returned to rainy, foggy, damp and dark days.

Dark and damp like this picture. If you look closely you will notice the muddy driveway, the rain in the trees, and another sad sight.

The bird bath in the planting area across the driveway looks like it just gave up and keeled over...almost sadder looking than the chairs covered in snow!

A Very Sad Sight

2012-01-21T21:47:00.003-05:00

This is a very sad sight. It's where Jack and I will sit and star gaze or watch for any wildlife that wants to wander down from the Creepy Woods...during the warmer months I mean. Why are these still perched on the deck? Beats me..all I know is: This is a very sad sight.

But with Jordan taking care of the sidewalks....

And Jack tackling the driveway...we were good to go! I just can't look out the back door at the deck and see those poor chairs!

Are You OK? Are You OK?

2012-01-19T22:41:00.000-05:00

It's that time of year..or I should say that time of 2 years. Every 2 years we have to renew our BLS skills. That's basic life support or CPR. It's something everyone should learn. You never know when it might be your turn to find someone in trouble. It could be your friend, Husband, Dad, Mom, or kiddo that would suffer a heart attach, or respiratory distress, or choke on food. This morning our group gathered for the second half of our renewal. Last week we did adult rescue and practiced using an AED device. Hopefully every store, school or public place has one. Hopefully I'll never have to find out if they don't! After watching the movie and practicing with these:

Adult & Child

After practicing and getting checked off on our skill level we took a written test. Now, you might think as technicians and nurses we'd be wizzes at these quizzes...wrong! The test is written with some questions that are just not worded correctly and it always makes me a bit nervous and I know it does my co-workers too. But we always pass it and it's just a relief to be done with it for a couple more years!

Here's our little Donna (Starkey Hollow) showing her skill in holding a baby...no wonder her Grandkiddos love her so much! You go girl!

Yes, I'm so happy to be here!

Everyone is all smiles to be done! The importance of our training came into play last fall when one of our maintenance men had a heart attach outside one of the buildings on our campus. Luckily for him 2 of our surgery girls were outside having a break (OK, they were smoking...this is the only good thing that ever happened because of a bad habit!). One of the guys called for their help. There were other maintenance men standing around but none of them knew CPR..so the girls jumped in and starting compressions..they saved his life. He's back at work and we were all so happy to see him and I'm sure his family is happy that he's around. So if you get the opportunity to learn this simple skill, take it.

Ice Art

2012-01-15T20:37:00.001-05:00

Saturday brought a few changes in plans for us. After it stopped snowing Jack went up to the woods to bring down some wood he had cut last week and I went and helped...well, I think you could call it help. When we finished Jack knew I had mentioned that I would like to go down to Loudonville to see the ice sculpture contest. Since we weren't totally frozen yet, he said "let's go!" They have this every January and I'm sure the town was a bit worried when the temps were in the 40's...until Thursday when all snow broke loose and the temps fell dramatically. It made for perfect ice art! This is a pic of downtown Loudonville. It looks very similar to many of the small downtown areas around here. They survive on tourism during the summer months since they are right in the heart of "Mohican Country"...Mohican National State Forest where camping, fishing, and the biggie..canoeing are the bread and butter of their economy. They have a few other events that are held during the Winter months that bring people out. There are a few really cute restaurants and shops but I noticed empty buildings too. I saw a sign in one that said "Wal-Mart..destroying a small town near you"...sad but true. I do like this little town and enjoy coming here even if it's cold out!

This was one way of seeing the sculptures and the town.

These pics are just a few of my favorites. The sculptures were sponsored by various businesses and sat outside on the sidewalks and also in the town square.

Don't you just love the one with color in it?

We made it to the square and were going to watch a demo on how they sculpt these lovelies...but after a day spent mostly outdoors and snuggling up to blocks of ice, we decided to head home to a warm fire and dinner.

Squeak had the right idea...snuggle up to a warm bed...not a block of ice! She just has no appreciation of the fine arts.

Unlucky 13...For The Weather Anyway!

2012-01-13T23:57:00.000-05:00

We got a bit of this white stuff today. It started last night. I was called out for an emergency c-section and the temps were in the 40's and no snow. I came out at about 10pm and it was blowing and freezing and snowing..and icy. I was very happy to get home and be able to stay home all night. The drive to work this morning was not very fun however. Jack and I went in together and he dropped me off at the door which meant I didn't have to walk from the parking lot down the street from the hospital. I usually don't mind the walking, but it was below zero this morning..not a lucky number! Since it was Friday the 13th, Winter must have decided to come finally in full force. I knew it would have to come one day, but it still hurt! The schools were closed, the teachers must think this was a very lucky day..for them. Us regular slobs had to fight the elements and of course, all our patients made it in on time! I've mentioned it a few times before, but I have a curse when it comes to planning events and fighting the weather. I was suppose to have a breakfast at my house for our woman's organization tomorrow morning. I was serving these lovelies..along with other goodies. Mother Nature decided to let the wind blow, the roads to be drifted and the snow to fall.

These are blinis...yummy, filled with a cream cheese filling, dipped in butter, rolled in sugar and cinnamon...seriously, what can go wrong there? Well, now they have to be frozen until we reschedule the meeting. ( I did promise Jack I would bake him some in the morning however..take that Mother Nature!)

On a happier note, my blog book arrived!

It joins my other blog books. It's fun to go back and read the posts and see the pics and see how the Grandkiddos have grown and all the stuff we've done the last 4 years. I had my first 2yrs of blogging in one book, then started posting much more and now every year has it's own book.

On a final note, who's sleeping in my bed? Ok, usually I'm really good about making the bed in the morning. Jack came down tonight and said I should take a pic of the bed..because it looks like someone is under that quilt..really freaky looking, but it's only pillows. Hey, I was in a hurry this morning. It was Friday the 13th after all and the weather was nasty and work awaited..OK, I'll make it tomorrow, I promise!

A Green Adventure

2012-01-09T19:49:00.000-05:00

We had some beautiful weather this weekend. Very unusual weather for Ohio in January. The temps were in the 40's and 50's and the sun shone brightly. I took this little monster with me up to the Creepy Woods to play around with my new camera. I'm trying to learn about it's settings and if I can improve my pics. I decided to see how much green I could still find up there.

At first glance it just looks very dull and brown.

Upon closer inspection, I found a clump of ferns that were still very green. We've had some bitter cold days and nights along with snow..how has it survived?

I spied mossy mounds everywhere.

Many of the "dead fall" trees sported green mossy coats. I'm sure animals come and snack on this stuff!

You have to look close to see green sprigs here and there that run along the creek.

Shrooms seem very content to just hang around...and on this tree trunk.

This pic doesn't do justice to how huge this fallen tree is. I was surprised that we didn't hear a huge "Bam" when this fell!

Although this ginormous tree is dead and very hollow, I would venture to bet it shelters a ton of little wildlife when the temps and the snow fall.

Getting tired of just looking down, I happened to look up and see this big "gnarly" boy. It's a very unusual looking tree. As soon as Jack saw this photo he immediately said: "I know just where you were when you took this shot." Again, the picture doesn't do justice to how truly different this tree is.

Before Eddy and I headed back inside we stopped at the creek by the house. I saw this and at first thought it was an animal skull...nope, just another tree stump!

One last "playing around" shot...the moon looked really cool last night and although I haven't mastered the art of night photography, I thought this looked like something that would fit into Halloween...or maybe it just says: "Good night all!"

A Good Read

2012-01-07T21:52:00.002-05:00

I received a new book for Christmas from my Son and his wife Amy. It's called Virtuosity...as you can see from the photo. It's by a new, young author, Jessica Martinez. It's a young adult fiction and I knew it was coming out and was very excited to get it. Why? Well, I would love to say it's because I know Jessica, but I really know her husband Mark. He and my Son Craig were roommates in college and best friends. He's a great guy and Jessica is a very talented lady, not just with writing but in many aspects of her life. The book is about a 17yr. old violinist...the best in the world...or she's is trying to be. It's about the relationship between her and her Mother and the other "best in the world" violinist, a 17yr. old boy from England. It's a bit of a mystery, romance and a good read. There are no vampires or werewolves in any part of it. If you get a chance to read it, I hope you enjoy it!

A Year To The Day

2012-01-03T21:16:00.000-05:00

This is how my yard looks today. The snows fell and the temps have dropped...14de..not counting the wind chill. When I went back and read my Jan. 3rd, 2011 entry we had a very different day. It was sunny and the temp was 58de...I was stunned. I guess all I was remembering was the cold and snow that seemed to last forever last winter. Sometimes I do that with my life....I forget that there are many beautiful days along with the crazy, or not so much fun days. I need to change my focus I think!

So until the nicer days come, many trips will be made up to the Creepy Woods to bring down these:

Wood that heats the house and keeps us toasty during the 14de. days like today. Maybe I just need to find the fuel that will help me focus and find the warmth of everyday!

Welcome 2012

2012-01-01T21:22:00.002-05:00

My blackboard sign in the kitchen is saying it so it must be true...Happy New Year and welcome 2012...you hold so many possibilities. 2011 wasn't bad, but I'm hoping for some real change this year. I'm going to give it the old college try to get my health in good shape. The surgery dept. had made a nice rule a few years ago that said anyone over the age of 55 didn't have to take call. It worked out great until I turned 55...that made 5 people not taking call in the dept. and all of a sudden the "younger" set through a fit. They complained to everyone and together with a Director of Nursing who has a very noticeable dislike for our surgery group, the rule was cancelled and now we have to be on call again. So I'm going to need all the stamina I can muster and it will take a change in diet and exercise and a mental "I can do this" attitude. Wish me luck on this one! I hope everyone has had a fun weekend and here's just a quick recap of mine.

Last night Jack and I headed over to a "wild"..hahah...birthday party for this sweet lady. Jan's a retired nurse that worked in our recovery room for many years. She has been working since she retired for Wal-Mart..which she loves! Funny girl! She turned 80 last night and we enjoyed spending some time with her and other friends and co-workers who were there. See, when you're my age going to a party for an 80yr old is how you spend New Years Eve..Party on! Happy Birthday Jan!

After Church we came home and got the grill ready for some ribs that we traditionally do on New Years day. I also made sauerkraut and black eyed peas for good luck because Lord knows we need it! Phil and his little sweeties came over to celebrate with us. These two girlie kiddos can put down the ribs!

We also made some homemade strawberry icecream for dessert. Now, that was yummy!

Before we had the icecream we did the ceremonial bread cutting to see who would find the coin....Jack went first...then we all took turns until finally a winner!

Congrats Lexi Loo!

The girls finished up their icecream and headed for home. All was quiet at the Pines.

Awwww....does someone need a hug? Hope your New Year celebrations were fun and the new year brings many adventures and smiles. Tomorrow will mean "take the decorations all down" day....whew, last year really did fly by fast!

Pop! Bang! Shout! HAPPY NEW YEAR!!

2011-12-31T08:39:00.001-05:00

This final post of 2011 features my final bread making attempts...actually I think it's the first attempt this year! I make a recipe handed down from Mom...Greek New Years Bread. Hidden inside those loaves is a coin (wrapped in foil)and when the bread is cut the person whose slice contains the coin will have good luck throughout the new year...if they don't swallow it of course...no one ever has at my home anyway! I wish everyone a very healthy and happy new year and I can't believe I'm heading into my 5th blogging year!These sunset shots were taken a few seconds apart over the field across from our home...and I'm setting the sun on my blog for 2011...Happy New Year!

It's Greek To Me!

2011-12-29T21:17:00.000-05:00

When I was at Mom's the week before Christmas I was trying out the video setting on my new camera. I tried many times to get this to post, but finally had to go to youtube and put it there. I thought I would share our silly conversation. I don't usually put videos on my blog because when I put my blog into book form it, of course, won't be useable...but it's fun sometimes to have a video...for those who were interested in having their blog put into book form, I use "thecutestblogontheblock" website to put it all together. They are having a special right now and the prices are pretty good. Go over and have a look!

Yesterday/Today

2011-12-27T19:32:00.000-05:00

Yesterday we had the most beautiful day. I was home being lazy and enjoying the sunshine and the still green grass. We hadn't had any snow yet.....then...wham!

The driveway was a bit different today when I came home from work.

Yesterday the bright, clear, not a cloud in sight day was a nice contrast to the deep green of the pines and bright green of the grass.

Today: The dark green pines are being frosted by God's big white flakes!

Yesterday the green of the backyard was Eddy's playground.

Today Ed will do his "duty" quickly!As this year quickly draws to a close I'm getting ready to finish up my final posts for 2011. Then it all goes into a blog book. I've gone back and read some previous posts from January and on and I'm always surprised at what pops up and I'm always glad I have these journals to pass to my kids someday. Maybe they will remember many of the things that we did. The photos will help. I received a new camera this year from Jack to help me continue in my blogging and capturing of our simple little life. Just as the weather has changed in an instant I know life does too. I'm grateful for our blessings, I'm grateful for the trials we've had to overcome this year too. While reading my past posts I also reread the many nice comments from my family and from people I've never met, yet I'm always calling them "friends"...I guess that will always be the biggest surprise to me. The great people I've come to know through their blogs and from comments left on mine. I will miss my friend Bernie who passed away this September. Although we never met in person I feel like I knew her well. Life is contrasts of yesterday and today...enjoy the sunshine while it lasts, but do try to find the beauty in the black and white of winter.

Taking Time

2011-12-25T22:48:00.001-05:00

Every year my Mother and Father in-law would give us a new ornament. I was playing around with my new camera and took a pic of an ornament on the tree. I didn't really look at which one I picked and when I saw this saying I thought it was very appropriate for today. We do need to take time for this special holiday. We took time this morning to attend Church and enjoyed a nice program with scripture readings and beautiful music by a tiny choir of adults and children with special numbers that brought tears to my eyes. I'm very grateful for the time we spent there this morning to remember the real reason for this season, our Savior Jesus Christ and his sacrifice for us. Then we went home and spent time with family. Our children that live here in Ashland came in the afternoon to open gifts, eat and share fun times with each other. I was grateful for a loving family and the beautiful day we had.

Even Eddy was excited to open gifts today.

The tables were set with the Christmas china. When I looked closely at this pic I was surprised to look at the outside from the dining room windows..it looks like snow! It's been a very mild December and we haven't had any snow...yet...but this pic makes it look like we are having a white Christmas.

We set up a Children's table for the first time. It's the first time we haven't had any kiddos that needed a highchair or had to sit on a parent's lap!

Lexi and Addy came a little earlier than the other kids so I had Lexi help me make some appetizers. She's a good helper!

When our son Jack arrived with his family the first thing Driana was excited to show off were her new boots! Of course PawPaw had to comment that he thought she just forgot to shave her legs....what a kidder he is! I thought they were really cute!

Lexi was excited to show off her "super cool" feather in the hair look. Cute Lexi!

Addy was more interested in seeing what was behind all the pretty wrappings! After everyone arrived we snacked a bit then opened gifts. We had fun and I think everyone liked what they got. Tomorrow is a shopping day for the teens and I think if anything needs returned, they can have fun doing that! Me? I try and avoid any and all malls at this time of year....actually I don't enjoy shopping that much and I think staying away from all the crowds keeps me healthier. That's my excuse and I'm sticking with it!

After gifts were opened, everyone was ready for the big feast. Ham and tons of fixings were put out on the island buffet style. Everything turned out great even if I did spill the green bean casserole all over the inside of the oven...

After the meal was over I took the kiddos that wanted to head outside for a nice walk. The weather was perfect...around 40de. and sunny. Felt like Easter instead of Christmas! It was also windy and I wished we had some kites to fly. Oh well, it was fun anyway.

The walk down our country road was perfect for "cousin follow the leader" game!

As the day ended, I thought I'd better snap a few shots before everyone left. Summer and Driana are the cutest sisters around! Well, all my Granddaughters are beautiful and I can't believe how fast everyone is growing up.

Then there's these two monkeys...I think they had a great Christmas day and now they're ready for a nice week off school to play with all the new video games they scored this year!

I made this little decoration years ago and I still like it even though it's got some very obvious flaws. But then, don't we all have very obvious flaws? And won't our Savior make them Ok if we just ask for His help and guidance? Merry Christmas everyone....

Little Angel

2011-12-21T22:30:00.003-05:00

Last week Cameron's pre-school had a Christmas program. It was very cute with fun songs, the smiley, excited kiddos and the waves to family from the stage. Hmmm...can you guess which one is my Grandson? Hi little man!
He's so excited to get on stage and perform, he's clutching the seat with all his might!
I hope Santa brings you everything you ask for Cam-Man! Love the purple shirt and tie too!

The Gathering

2011-12-19T19:03:00.019-05:00

This weekend Jack and I headed out to Chicago for our annual Family Christmas get together with my clan. We had great weather going and coming home. Saturday we woke up to a surprise snow fall...just a few inches to bring on the Christmas mood. The party was being held at my Nephew Bill's new home. It has the perfect floor plan for a gathering of our size. They have the best toy room where most of the little ones spent time enjoying themselves. But before I get into the party mode, I just have to show you the delish surprise I received on Thursday from my friend Darlene...(Grandma Robbins Nest). She sent me a wonderful Danish pastry that she makes for her family. I was blown away that she would think of us and send it all the way from California. Bloggers are just the best people! When I opened the box it smelled so heavenly...like she had just baked it that morning and brought it personally to my home...I'm surprised the mailman didn't eat it! I took it with us to share with my Mom and Sis...they loved it too and were so surprised that she would do this. So here's a pic of Mom and I and Jack too, enjoying this for breakfast. We warmed it up and gobbled it down. Thanks again Darlene! On the way to Chicago Jack gave me my Christmas present early...a new camera! I was so surprised and excited! I really think he was tired of me chattering the whole way..I should say I was complaining about work..and he sprung it on me. So that kept me occupied for a long time. Now I just need to learn how to use it and all the knobs and gizmos...hopefully I'll get better pics soon. These are just a small example and I haven't truly gotten the hang of it yet.
Looks who gets the last piece...I think it was all that was left after we were done!
All gone! It was so yummy! Thanks so much Darlene...you are the best!
After breakfast we did a little running around and gathering all the last minute items for the party. We headed over to Bill's and the fun began! Before all the craziness begins, it's good to get some classic shots..like Jack, Me and Mommo.
Me and my Grandkiddo Sophie...
Me and Mom..
The party started at 3pm with appetizers first...everyone was to bring an appetizer and a dessert. The rest of the meal was taken care of. Here's our son Craig catching up with Jack.
My nephew has a heated garage that connects to the house and it was the perfect place to set up for dinner. My Sister helped to decorate and set up the tables. Nice job Midge! She also made most of the food...maybe all of it...she's incredible.
After dinner there was a visit from a special guest. The kids were so happy to see him!
This was the first time my #2 Son and his family were able to attend this annual get together. They move around the country because of his job and it just worked out great this year that they could be there. The kids enjoyed being with cousins they've only seen a few times and they really loved Santa!
One last group shot with the BIG MAN himself and it was off to the North Pole. My Grandson Taylor realized after Santa went upstairs to leave that this would be the perfect time to see the sleigh. He made a running start to the stairs yelling: "Hey, I want to see the sleigh!"...he was caught mid way up the stairs and told that Santa needed to really be on his way...some things just need to be kept a secret. I love that he believes so completely....just like me.
After Santa left we had the adults get together for the traditional "White Elephant" gift exchange. Every year we gather our "not so great" items we may have hanging around the house, or gifts that were not our favs, or just plain silly things and wrap them up for this fun gifting time. We pull numbers and take a gift in numerical order. If you like a previous gift you can steal it from that person and they have to repick one. I never knew how much bad taste we had in our family until this tradition was started. Here's my daughter-in-law Amy picking out her gift.
Zoom in on that shirt...if you dare.
Nice Katie.
After all the gifts are opened, fought over, traded...this is what you get.
We had a great time and really enjoyed seeing family again. I have more pics to share and a fun video I was trying to share...it just would not download..but I'll try again and get it on the blog. Now the count down is on to truly finish all the preparation, final shopping, cooking, cleaning...whew..the race is on! But the fun can still continue! I'll be excited to capture every moment with the new camera...and my family will be so happy to keep posing and smiling I'm sure...maybe!

Almost...

2011-12-16T00:23:00.011-05:00

Winter is almost here...Christmas is almost here...I'm almost done getting ready...well, that is pushing it a bit. We have to have some stuff done because this weekend we have my family get together in Chicago and I've been baking, shopping, wrapping and staying up late! But I will still have shopping to finish for family that will gather here on Christmas day. I will have more baking and cooking to do to get ready for the day also..but we always get it done and then I can go from "almost" to "all done"...Here is Jack doing what he's good at...gathering....chain sawing...stacking....cutting...firewood. We have had a warm start to December (unlike last year) but we had to finally get the wood burner up and running. Today the temps were "almost" 60..but by tomorrow it will be back to being "almost" winter with colder temps.
My decorations are old...like me...but I love them and I love the stories and memories they bring. Here are just a few of my oldest ones. I painted my shelf in the kitchen this past year and I wanted to see how all my decorations would look. It does make them stand out. I know I keep saying I didn't decorate as much this year, but you'd never guess that from looking at this picture!
Meet "Psycho" Santa...I did a blog a few years ago about my Santa collection and I don't recall if I featured him. My kids named him. He's about 20yrs. old I think. I got him from an LTD catalog. Do you know LTD commodities? I didn't notice his green gloved hands when I purchased it, but I still like him and I love his little work table with a tiny bag of groceries on it. When the kids saw the green hands for some reason they thought he looked like a killer...so they named him "Psycho"..and it stuck! What can I say? 4 boys and their crazy imaginations!
I bought this wreath in 1982. I have always loved it. I love the colors, the patterns and how it looks hanging over our kitchen fireplace.
I hang this greeting in my kitchen. Jack's parents always had it hanging over their fireplace at the farm. When they passed we were able to take it to our home. I've always liked it and it fits nicely right here.
The Grinch hovers in the corner....just reminds me to not let any craziness of this time of year dampen the holiday spirit...it's taken me a little longer this year to get into the swing of celebrating, but I can say I'm "almost" there! The Grinch was a gift from a dear friend..Bryn..I got her one the same year! (we actually bought them together when we went to a craft show)It's also about 20yrs. old.
This cross stitch holiday greeting was done by Jack's Mom. I always hang it up every year. She made one for each of her kids and I love the colors and the picture. It's atleast 25yrs old. I think of her every time I take it out of Christmas storage.
Last, but not least is the tree. We put it up on Saturday..thanks to my son Phil!..and I decorated it on Sunday. The ornaments on it are also old. My inlaws would always give us a dated ornament every year. The kids got special ones of their own and have taken them to their own homes now. When I hang ours I always think of what we were doing on each year. It's been 11yrs. since Jack's parents have passed and this was Mom's favorite time of year. I can't help thinking of her and Dad and all they put into making it a special time down on the farm every Christmas day. They had a 20ft. ceiling in their living room and their tree was almost as high. This one isn't any where near as tall, but I think it's as pretty.
We got this Nativity set about 3yrs. into our marriage. That makes it 34yrs. old. I like it's simplicity. It helps me remember that with all the hustle and bustle and the fun, I'm very grateful for the real reason for this season. Keeping everything in perspective, taking time to enjoy family and friends and most of all being grateful to my Savior for all He has done for me. Uplifting, sustaining and never giving up on me even when I have felt like giving up on myself. Merry Christmas!

Tradition!

2011-12-10T04:40:00.013-05:00

Last night we had our traditional Church Christmas social. The theme this year was..yes, you guessed it...Christmas family traditions. We had members give us pictures of their family get togethers or anything they wanted to share about what they traditionally do to celebrate this season. Stacy (Crawford Family blog) put together a really nice video of all the pics and added many beautiful Temple Christmas scenes along with music. Thanks Stacy for all your hard work in a short period of time! Jack's High Priest group was in charge and I think it all came out great. The food was good, the entertainment was a nice mix of many of the season's fun and spiritual activities that many families do this time of year.I found this pic of my Dad and Mom celebrating their first Christmas together....I laughed at all the tinsel on the tree. My Dad really loved Christmas and I guess tinsel! That was a tradition growing up. We always had to put tons of tinsel on our trees and Dad used to say.."One stran at a time..but when we couldn't stand it any more we threw it on in clumps! He never minded because I think he believed as I do..all trees look beautiful after the lights are turned on! What are some of your traditions? >a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-R-2O4Z2ncPY/TuMvmHobMlI/AAAAAAAAEx0/AQvkkkqQ3BA/s1600/MomandDadcd.JPG">When these cuties were wheeled in I knew I needed a quick pic of our newest members...Twins,Tommy and Ellie. They came decked out in Santa attire. It's hard to believe that just a few months ago I blogged about their baby shower!
Families started filing in, taking time to chit chat. Something we are really good at!
We put the food in the Relief Society room. We had a nice variety. Jack asked one of our members who usually does the meat portion to prepare something good for us and boy he out did himself again this year. He did a delish pork roast and this amazingly good pecan crusted chicken number that I need the recipe for! Thanks Sean! It helps to have a chef in the Branch!
This year I suggested that we have a dessert contest. It was something we traditionally did years back. This cute entry was done by two cute sibling kiddos...It won 2 awards! Show offs!
Now, don't let this disgusting looking photo ruin your appetite for dessert. This was taken after the judges were done...and those were my contributions! They were very good too. The raspberry, chocolate cheese cake truffle tasted better than this looks!
After dinner we gave out the awards for the desserts and the winners picked them out of my Grinch's bag. I even won for best tasting. However, since I bought the gifts I gave mine away! Sorry the Grinch came out blurry, but then he is the Grinch after all...I wasn't going to let him spoil my post!
We got Santa ready for his big reveal...Thanks Rick for helping out. He and wife just moved here this Summer when he took a position at the University...After this he may not feel so bad about having to move again next Summer!
The kiddos, old and young, made a quick visit to get a candy cane and quick reminder of what was on their list. Thanks again to our North Pole helper!
Well, as Santa would say: "Happy Christmas to all and to all a good night".

Miracle on Main Street

2011-12-05T19:19:00.011-05:00

Saturday Jack and I were in town at his office and as were were getting ready to leave he mentioned the event going on downtown. It was called "Miracle on Main Street". It's a movement to try and revitalize our downtown area. Many small towns have lost their charming shopping areas. Some have found a way to make them inviting to tourists and town folk alike. Ashland has felt the economic crunch for years. With big factories that have left, and big box stores that have sprung up with strip malls and convenience stores to boot, it killed a thriving downtown. We headed off to see what was happening. There are stores still there that have managed to keep in business and others that are hoping to increase in business. So I decided to take a few pics and share them. We talked about what was here when Jack was a boy and what was here when we moved back in 1977. I wish I was a blogger back then and had some comparison shots...it's just not the same. But we had a pleasant walk and went into a few places. Ate a delish lunch at the Chinese restaurant...and we could hear the rukus from the chili cookoff that was going on in one of the buildings. I hope a miracle can happen here. I'll take you on a quick tour with us! This is the outside of a cute coffee shop that seems to do a good business and the food is good too. I blogged about them last year when my Mom was here over Thanksgiving.
There was a time when these streets were lined with parked cars and the sidewalks were crowed with holiday shoppers. There were jewelery stores, men's and women's clothing stores, card shops, office supplies, pharmacies, shoe stores, 5 and 10's and a 3 story department store. Many others too. The malls and the Wal-Marts, the Targets and the K-Marts made sure that didn't last. Shop keepers just could not compete. Even if you could get shops back, people don't want to park and walk a few blocks anymore.
This sign says it all..it's a kid's clothing store. Kid's Kountry has been around forever too. When stores started pulling out of downtown Kid's Kountry held their ground. Urged and encouraged others to stay put. But many just couldn't compete and left. Inside you'll find really good, and also very cute, children's clothing, shoes, school uniforms, tutus...you name it!
The front of Kid's Kountry.
This is an interesting store. Yes, it's a bike shop. They sell wonderful bikes and accessories for biking. I never have bought a bike from here....I should though, I need the exercise. But the real story is the shop owner. Friends who do bike and shop there tell me he remembers your name...forever. If you walk in there 10yrs later he will greet you by name. Now, that could mean he only has a few customers and it's easy to remember just a few folks...or it could mean he's weird...or maybe he's like my hubby who has a wonderful ability to remember people's names. I'll go for that explanation!
Sitting over on the corner is Mike's Music store....whenever I see it I think of the movie with Judy Garland where she gets a job at Christmas time in a music store. It was one of the movies that inspired "You've Got Mail" with Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan...but I digress! Thankfully there's a place where kiddos can get musical instruments for school...I still have a saxophone on a closet shelf that was used by one of my kiddos.
The Candy and Nut Shoppe has all the homemade chocolate and other confections you could ask for. It's another business that has been a staple of Main Street.
I guess the real miracle is Home Hardware has been here forever...even before me moving here! It's a miracle that having a big box store move in across from the Wal-Mart has not put it out of business. In fact, it has a strong following. First of all, the employees are there in plain sight and actually know how to help you..and the service they have on appliances is good and reliable too. They would even help you carry out your packages if needed. You can find everything in there from paint, to toys, to do-dads and thingamajigs....Santa is there too! My Christmas wish would be that a true "Miracle on Main Street" would be a revitalization of many small town, downtowns like ours. You just gotta believe!

Put A Fork In Me, I'm Done

2011-12-02T18:14:00.005-05:00

It's over..yes, my work day is over. I know everyone is always thrilled when Friday comes. I've mentioned that work has been less than ideal these past few weeks. We have been warned that December will be a killer month in surgery. It usually is. People want to get any surgery done before the end of the year. I get it. But today was one crazy, busy, never ending day. The call team is still there I'm sure. They will be there tomorrow morning to finish up what we couldn't get done today. The previous call team had been there almost all night Thursday into Friday morning. Ever worked 24hrs? Ever had to work 24hrs and then continue to do your regular shift? I know we signed up for this when we chose this profession. I get that too. I've been a bit whiney lately so just let me vent and I'll be better tomorrow...Just for a recap of today: First thing this morning one of our new operating rooms flooded and we had to move everything to another room that we had closed down and that delayed the surgeries scheduled in that room...All the other rooms were booked solid and then we added the usual emergency stuff...no relief people..lunch grabbed when it could be grabbed...cranky surgeons...cranky nurses...our supervisor had the day off...the RN in my room stabbed herself in the abdomen with a hypo needle...don't ask...frankly that was the best part of my day. I actually laughed. Ok, I'm done...I'm walking on my bloody stumps to the couch. Oh, I did ask the RN in my room to reenact the "stabbing" incident for the blog. Trust me, it was blog worthy....maybe next week I'll have a picture to prove it! Ok, now I'm really done. The End...P.S..I'd better qualify my stabbing comments to say the RN was not injured and she laughed too...and I forgot about the fire alarms going off in the break room when some toast in the toaster burned...Ok, all done now.

You Crazy Kids!

2011-11-28T19:31:00.004-05:00

Ok, so they aren't exactly "kids"...Our good friend Derrik married his sweetheart on Saturday. We enjoyed the simple, but beautiful ceremony and small reception they had for family and friends. I always kid about Derrik being the "mountain man" with his burly face and crazy hair, but he's actually a world traveler and successful business man who met his new wife in China awhile back. She's a sweetie and I'm so happy for them both. I kidded him about the language barrier and asked if Shawn knew for sure she was really agreeing to marry him. I think she understood completely! Congrats!
The rings were exchanged after a lovely ceremony. They said a sweet endearment in Chinese after the rings. Both the Bride and Groom had tears...Oh Derrik, you old softie!
After dinner they shared the cake..the traditional "cut the cake and feed it to each other" part. No smeared frosting. That's how a mature couple handles it!
Good luck you two crazy kids! We wish you all the best...if I could say it in Chinese I would. I'll have to ask my Son Craig how to do that!

Black Friday

2011-11-25T20:21:00.011-05:00

Today is Black Friday. Like many people I was up early, dressed and ready to hit the road..only I wasn't going shopping. My Black Friday consisted of gall bladders, a broken hip, wrist, hand and a patient who thought having a colonoscopy the day after Thanksgiving was a good idea...We don't usually do those in our operating room but he wanted to be completely out..asleep I mean. I guess his Friday was blacker than mine! Well, I don't ever go shopping on this day anyway. I can't think of one thing I would ever want that much to fight the crowds or lose sleep over! A few coworkers did head out early before work and had some tales to tell but they sounded pretty benign so I'm glad they were able to find gifts at a good price. This pic is of a gift from my hubby last week. I was having a not so great week and coming home to find these on the table did put a smile on my face. They were beautiful! I'm thankful for a great guy like Jack who always tries to cheer me up, or keep me grounded when I'm off on a tangent! Thanks babe, your one of the many things I have to be thankful for in my life. Well, I had a few things to get ready to make yesterday's meal something that would put a smile on everyone's face!
Thanksgiving dinner means getting all the goodies to put this meal on. With my trusty list in hand I headed out. We still had to make a run Thanksgiving morning for a couple of "oh, shoot, I forgot" items.
I made only 3 pies this year since we weren't having as big a group as usual. Mmmmm...more pie for us! Let's see, we had pecan, raspberry, and of course Jack's favorite..pumpkin chiffon.
Lexi was all smiles as she ate herself silly!
Addy had a meal that she said was "delishous"...
Last year for Thanksgiving we had a crowd of about 25..this year just these guys, the little girls and Eddy the wonder dog showed up..but it was a feast anyway and I was as tired this year as I was last year. Go figure!
After dinner I grabbed the girls and we hiked up to the Creepy Woods to work off that meal...we took Eddy too and he made sure we didn't get lost. In this pic I was showing them that if you get lost, just hug a tree and wait to be found. Can you find Eddy in the pic? How about just his stubby little tail?
We came down from our romp in the Creepy Woods and the girls couldn't resist playing on Jack's wood pile that is waiting to be split. Now, if we could teach them how to split and stack the wood instead of playing on it we would be happy campers!
Weather permitting, we always take our pumpkins that are left from Halloween and shoot them with arrows. Well, I shoot them with arrows, the guys usually get out the guns and take care of the leftovers after I'm done! I actually broke an arrow and my bow this year. I'm a tough cookie when it comes to archery. Of course using a bird bath as the pumpkin stand wasn't the smartest thing!
With the guns a blazing in the yard, Eddy found me up at the computer and sat as close as he could get until the shooting stopped. He was a thankful pup when it did! He gets so scared when he hears gunshots..I mean just look at his crazed eyes!

A Jar Full Of Surprises

2011-11-17T22:51:00.006-05:00

Tonight we had our Church women's meeting (The Relief Society). We focused on doing something we could give as gifts for Christmas. The committee had everything decorated in Christmas colors. It looked very festive! We do our Christmas meeting in November because we don't have one in December so it's not so busy for us to try and squeeze one more thing in during that crazy month. We made "gifts in a jar"..I'm sure everyone has made these before. We have too, but they are fun and easy and nice to give away. We are just a small branch here in Ohio. So to have about 25 women there is a great turnout for us. It's been a pretty crummy week for me. Challenges at work have been very depressing. I haven't been in the best of humor..just ask Donna (Starkey Hollow)! I wasn't looking as forward to this meeting as I should have been. I have a great committee that did an awesome job of organizing this. Food was prepared, ingredients assembled, and much planning and set up was done. I was grateful I didn't have to stress over this. I was even more grateful for the fun atmosphere that was there. A special feeling of love and friendship that surprised me and brought a smile to my face that wasn't there most of this week! So the real "gift in a jar" wasn't in the ingredients....it was in the air that made it into my heart. I'm glad I was there to enjoy it!
Before we put our gifts in a jar together we had a lite meal of soup, salad and bread and dessert. The salad (made by me) was refreshing and tastey...but I almost forgot to take any pics and when I did finally get around to it, most of the food was almost gone and everything looked sort of..well, almost gone! We also had bread and an assortment of desserts that were also part of what we were putting together in our jar gift project.
We had 2 soups for our gifts in a jar. We were able to sample each soup so we could have an idea of how they would taste. Both were really good. This pic looks funny because most of the soup was gone and it didn't make for a pretty picture! Trust me when I tell you that it was wonderful!
The tables were laid out with all the ingredients and note cards that gave the amount we would need for each step in filling our jars. Funnels, measuring cups and spoons and the finishing touches with material and ribbon were all ready for us.
The finished product looks very cute. It holds most of the ingredients that you need to make a soup or a dessert. But the real gift tonight was the gathering of women of all ages to share a lite meal, fun conversation, working together, laughing, and feeling a togetherness that uplifts us. The month of November encourages us to remember our blessings, and tonight I'm grateful for this small gathering of friends.

Mother Nature Pulls A Fast One

2011-11-15T17:32:00.009-05:00

The weather had me fooled yesterday. It was almost 70de.! It felt like Spring...it smelled like Spring..it even rained like Spring. I thought maybe I fell asleep and woke up after Winter was over...no such luck. Today the temps are still mild..but tomorrow it will be a different story. Oh well, I had a right to be confused. These flowers sure are! They continue to bloom close to the house, even with the earlier hard frosts we've had. On top of the warmth, and rain we even had tornado warnings yesterday. Mother Nature is such a kidder!

With the warmer temps came the wind. The scarecrow was almost blown over...his little legs just flapping in the breeze!
I don't know if you can tell from this pic, but the tops of the pines are blowing in the wind like crazy. The pine trees are a great protection from the wind. When we first moved here they were not anywhere near as tall as they are now. We used to be able to fly a kite in the back yard..not anymore..they just block out all the wind!
These two pine cones were hanging on for dear life. No matter how hard the wind blew, they held on. Reminded me of Jack and I...the winds and storms have been trying to blow us here and there, but we're hanging on tight!
I braved the crazy wind and took a quick walk around the yard. When I got up to the Creepy Woods I noticed this pile of leaves.
Those leaves all used to be here under these bare trees...that is until the wind blow all of them into the woods...I laughingly thought: "Hey, God raked my leaves! Thank you!"
If you stand back here it really does look much neater..much nicer...but would expect any less of God than to rake such a nice pile for us?

Let's Not Forget

2011-11-11T16:02:00.003-05:00

Today at work they made an announcement over the PA at 11:00am...a moment of silence to remember our Veterans. It's hard to quiet an operating room but we did it. I'm not sure if all our operating rooms were at a point where silence could be observed, but I was glad to take just a minute and say a prayer of thanks for all those men and women who gave their time and/or their lives to keep our freedoms. I was sorry a minute was all that was allowed, but believe me I never forget those brave souls. Men like my Dad who served in WWII. Men like my brothers Phil and Greg who served in Vietnam. Thanks to all who served and continue to serve today. I wish we could have a day to rejoice a time of complete peace in the world. I guess we just have to be content for now for a special day to just remember. Thank You Veterans.

Come Saturday Morning

2011-11-05T14:24:00.014-04:00

We headed out to the Farmer's Market this bright and sunny Saturday morning. After getting some goodies there we went to a few places that were having Christmas open house. Ashland has a few really cute shops and to promote them there is a stop and shop promotion. There are even prizes! Our first stop at the open houses was to Annette's Victorian Garden. It's a florist shop but it holds much more than flowers! Annette is a sweet lady who really has built up her business in the last few years. I've never been disappointed at any arrangements I've gotten there. It's very convenient that it's only two buildings down from Jack's office! He often surprises me with beautiful flowers! It's housed in an old victorian home that has had a few transformations over the years.
Every part of the building is decorated. It's a place that used to have a coffee shop and an apartment upstairs. It's worth the stop to see and enjoy all the hidden treasures.
The shop's main floor was lovely but I enjoy going up these beautiful stairs and seeing what goodies await me!
This is the kitchen to the apartment upstairs. It had every nook and cranny full of Christmas cheer and some wonderful spiced cider to enjoy. Needless to say it smelled festive too!
I loved the look of this tree in the upstairs sitting room. It's not one I would put in my house but it looked very fun here!
All the time we were "browsing", Annette's Mom was playing Christmas music on the dulcimer. It was a fun stop!
I took a hike up the street while Jack stayed at his office to do some quick work. This shop is called Backdoor Primitives. It's down a little alley not far from Jack's office. I stumbled across it a few years ago. I've been a regular ever since.
Backdoor Primitives is jam packed with new and old things. They are big on rug hooking and have classes. They have many cute things for little ones too. I just enjoy wandering around in there and it's where I usually get my Lori Mitchell dolls. I've posted about those in the past.
My final stop was at The Gleaner Antiques shop. It's really cute inside but they don't allow any picture taking. The grounds outside are nice too and I wish I could show you how many fun and interesting things that await you on the inside. I guess you'll just have to come visit to find out!
Here's a taste of what I picked up on my ventures today. I thought this painting was pretty. I got it at Annette's Victorian Garden.
I picked these up at the Backdoor Primitives. I collect Lori Mitchell figures and I thought these were cute and different...
Well, the day is flying by and I'd better get on with outdoor work to fill in the rest of today. It's sunny and, not exactly warm, but nice enough to finish off some last minute tasks. I think squeak will just have to lead me in the right direction!

I Couldn't Resist

2011-11-02T18:07:00.005-04:00

I'm sorry, really I am. I wasn't going to post anymore Halloween pics. It's November for crying out loud..but I couldn't resist showing these Grandkiddos and a Mom and Dad...Here is a pic that makes me smile every time I see it. It's my Grandson Anthony with his little brother Cameron. Anthony, who's nine, looks so big standing with Cam who's four. We were just about to head out the door to trick or treat in their neighborhood. Two nicer little boys you'll never find..except when you meet my other cute Grandson, Taylor. I stole some pics from their blog and really, I couldn't resist sharing.
I found this pic on my Daughter-in-laws blog and I just couldn't resist posting my son Craig as the Mummy..and my Grandson Taylor as little King Tut...they have a theme going here as you will see in the next pic. Amy is Cleopatra....Craig the mummy...and Sophie is her favorite storybook character, Alice the Fairy. (Who ever that is?!)Hey, she's not following the theme..but we love her anyway! So, I'm sorry that I'm still posting the Halloween stuff but I just couldn't resist..I said that already didn't I?

Frost Bite

2011-10-30T14:10:00.009-04:00

I woke up Saturday to a bit of a frosty morning. It's the first really hard frost we've had. However, compared to the East Coast that got slammed with a rare October snow storm, I feel lucky! I'll take crispy grass over a foot of shoveling white stuff any day.
The last of our peppers were left on the deck and they got a bit of freezer burn I think.
Look closely at our scarecrow's hat...a little bit of that frost settled there too!
Saturday morning Jack and I headed to downtown Ashland to check out a farmer's market that is just starting out. It has another location in a nearby town and they are giving it a go here. There was everything from the last of the garden produce...I grabbed some great looking acorn squash and some colored peppers...to breads, honey, maple syrup and homemade peanut butter. All organic of course! A booth even had fresh chickens and beef. Looks like a promising way to get some great, fresh, organic and local goods.
The vendors set up in a parking garage in an old warehouse. They are planning on moving it upstairs after renovations are made. It was a bit chilly in there yesterday so I hope they can make the move before it's too cold!
Lookie here..it's the Good Witch of sourdough bread...actually it's our friend Marylynn...and her wonderfully good sourdough bread!
Parking really isn't an issue..just watch where you walk!
When we came home I knew I had an afternoon of outdoor work pulling out all the frostbit plants. Before that started I had to take a little time to sit and read a new magazine and enjoy the fresh made chunky peanut butter we scored at the farmer's market and a delish apple.Mmmmmm...

Aye Me Buckos!

2011-10-23T16:49:00.019-04:00

Come along for a pirate tale of fun and family plundering of Halloween good times....This is the youngest of our pirate crew...2mo. old Ella...
We had a houseful of family this weekend. My brother Greg, his wife Deidra, my sister Midge, my Mom, my niece Amy and her hubby Eric and baby Ella, and my other niece Katie and her hubby Blake and their two kiddos Brooke and Mason..did I forget anyone? We had some fall fun for sure. We ate...we shopped..we ate...we hiked in the Creepy Woods...we ate...we played at the pumpkin patch (see pic below)..we ate..we went to a Halloween party as a group of Pirates...see pic above..we ate..we sat around a campfire...and yes, we ate. Burp! Good times!
Friday afternoon they all arrived. Once all the cousins gathered they immediately fell into playing, drawing, and just having a good time. You would think they were always together. I was really happy to see how they enjoyed each others company. Do you remember playing with cousins like that? I sure do.
Saturday morning everyone wanted to stop at one of my favorite places. The Parsley Pot. It's a barn turned into a really cute shop with tons of goodies. My brother Greg and his wife Deidra enjoyed it.
Amy and Eric and baby Ella....outside the Parsley Pot for a family pic. Then all the older kiddos went their way and we went ours for a short stop.
After the Parsley Pot and also a stop at Gleaner Antiques we met up with the kids at Honey Haven Farm for some pumpkin patch fun. Wagon rides, hay mazes, food and just enjoying the beautiful day we were having.
I thought the horses were so pretty with their orange decorations. The wagon ride was a fun trip that the little ones really enjoyed.
Greg and Deidra bought this cute scarecrow and then gifted it to me! Thanks guys! Jack's not really crying here...although he does get "misty eyed" at the sight of a good looking scarecrow!
Afternoon brought us home to get ready for a Halloween party. We all went as pirates. I found just what we needed at the Dollar Store and fixed everyone up. Just a peek at a couple of our pirates...Ever see a Pirate with glasses and a patch? Cameron rocked!
My brother Greg didn't need a 'stach to be drawn on..
Last pirate, but not least...Mom's 85...not too old for some good fun and letting her hair down! She's always a good sport and ready for a party. Mom, you're the bomb!
AARGGGGG! It's the gathering of the Pirates of Chicago/Ashland...a prize was given out to our group at the costume contest. I think my Mom was the clincher for winning!
Trunk or Treat was the topper for the party. We decorated our trunk with this little ghost who says many funny phrases when anyone comes his way..My brother also had fun tunes blasting from car speakers....Monster Mash anyone? This is my pirate niece Amy handing out the goodies.
We finished the day up with a campfire. We sat around and talked, played a silly game I promised I wouldn't mention on the blog, and just enjoyed the starry night, wood smoke, and family.
Bye, Bye...sniff, sniff...I miss you already!
Hey, don't look so mad..they'll be back for some more Fall fun next year....Oh, you'll be food for the deer by then...sorry.

Frightfully Yummy

2011-10-20T23:03:00.003-04:00

I'm not known for baking wonderful pies....but that doesn't mean I can't bake them. I just don't love doing pies. But I had some apples I wanted to use up and I threw this little number together the other night. Jack took one look at it and said: "Wow, that is blog worthy"...Since I don't make pies that often, and I really have nothing to blog about I thought he was right. I have been baking and cooking a lot this week since I have a boatload of family coming in this weekend. My family usually comes to visit in the fall. This time we're hosting 11. (3 are kiddos) The weather is suppose to improve and be sunny for part of it. That will help! The nieces and their hubbies are going to the haunted prison in Mansfield. I actually went there on a ghost hunt a couple of years ago. I even blogged about it. I know they'll have a frightfully good time. We're also going to a Halloween party Sat. night. I hope to get some good pics from that! So I'm anticipating a crazy, noisy, fun filled, (did I say crazy?) time. Hope your weekend is as fun!

Somewhere Under The Rainbow

2011-10-16T20:08:00.018-04:00

Thursday night Jack took this photo of a beautiful rainbow over the backyard of the Pines....I think today we ended up with the pot of gold right here! I had all the Grandkiddos and parents over for some homemade veggie soup, shredded chicken sandwiches and old favorite for dessert...homemade donuts! But first the little ones ran around outside between the rain drops and after eating they all picked out a pumpkin from the bunch I brought home yesterday. Then it was every carver for themselves! Who were the cast of characters? Well......
These two little nuggets...Cameron with his new glasses and behind him hiding is Anthony the big brother.
Addy and her Daddy...her Sis Lexi couldn't come because she was home sick. We missed you Lexi-Loo!
Our Son Jack was ready with the knife...geez, could you find a bigger one?
Cameron was ready with his big spoon for the clean out.
PawPaw was ready and willing to give a hand to help clean out the innerds....
Ahhhhh....pumpkin goo!
Summer had a pattern all picked out and she was ready to cut!
Driana and Summer really got into the spirit of the day...these two beauties are 3yrs apart in age and I think they look like twins! Driana is the older so that doesn't make her too happy!
This little 3yr old has the technique down pat for pumpkin cleaning out. Such concentration.
Anthony isn't letting his broken arm slow him down...the cast comes off this week, so I'm glad I got a pic of it for posterity...hey, the color matches his pumpkin!
Ta-Da!!! Can you tell which ones are the pumpkin faces? They're all scary!
After all the pumpkins were carved the gang was ready for a sweet treat. I'm sure everyone has made these goodies at some time in their life. My Mom used to make them when we were camping as kids and I've made them many times for my kiddos when they were little. They're still a fav around here. Using biscuit dough, hot oil and some sugar and cinnamon in a paper bag...fry them up, put them in the sugar mixture and shake, shake, shake...it's a hit!
Summer is eating so dainty...not wanting to get any sugar on those pretty nails I think!
Addie needed some help with her sticky fingers...
I think all that sugar has gone to Cameron's head! That's Anthony on one side and his Momma Stephanie on the other.
With full tummies and carved gourds,everyone headed for home and all had smiles as big as "jack-o-lantern" has here. It was a fun day!

Heart To Heart

2011-10-11T16:44:00.008-04:00

Is there anything better than finding a surprise package waiting for you when you get home? I was going to post about our weekend quick trip to New York and then I walked in the house from work and low and behold a box with my name on it sat there and begged to be opened. As you can see it held sweets of all kinds....some for my brain, some for my tummy, and all for my heart. My good blogging friend Darlene (from Grandma Robbins Nest..someday I'll figure out the link thingie) sent me a "just because" gift...just because she's the coolest gal around! Thanks so much Darlene! The books were written by her Daughter Sue (Sue's Views 'n Muse) and they look so interesting. I can't wait to get a moment to sit and enjoy them. The carmel corn is really good..I had to taste it..and the bread will be put in the freezer to share when my family comes to visit next week. I can then brag how lucky I am to have such a thoughtful blogger friend. I've said this before, but it's funny how we have never met face to face, but I think we've connected heart to heart. Thanks Darlene. This has been a hard week at work (and it's only Tuesday!) and you really brought a smile to me today.
Now about our weekend drive to New York. Jack had a seminar in White Plains and I came along for the ride. It's about 8hrs from here and we headed out Thursday morning. Jack's attended this Doc's seminars here before and he was looking forward to it. I spent the time walking, reading, resting, and more walking. I didn't take a ton of pics because I've blogged about it before and I wasn't going to go downtown NY because I was alone and that's not fun. My Mom came with us once and we spent time in NY and had alot of fun. I might have to blog about that and show some pics from that time. So for me it was more of R&R and company driving for Jack. The weather was beauiful coming and going and the traffic wasn't too bad either. Hi Jack! We stopped for a rest and walked around to stretch our legs. As you can see from this pic we had lovely scenery even at the rest stops!
The trees in Pennsylvania were showing off!
I know what you're thinking..this girl is so desperate for a pic she's taking one of a Wal-Mart...well this Wally world was very cool. It was in a tall building, not sprawled all over. I kept thinking what a great idea this would have been for our small town. If they had built the Wal-Mart in our downtown historic buildings they could have saved Ashland's downtown district. I was too chicken to click pics inside and have people wondering what was wrong with me (crazed tourist)...but it was cool too. In the middle of the escalators there was a conveyer belt to put your carts on so they could go from the top floor down...or you could use the elevator. Then there was a Dunkin' Donut shop in there too...I'm very easy to impress.
The Tappan Zee bridge...bridges don't really scare me...too much
Hey, a mountain!
See...don't mountains have tall rock? Well, when you grow up in Chicago and live in a beautiful, but not mountainous area of Ohio..this is a mountain!
We saw some beautiful scenery...fall colors, and winding rivers, huge bridges, tall buildings,..but nothing as pretty as my own backyard fall display...or maybe I was just happy to be home!

Picless Post...Random Thoughts

2011-10-05T20:47:00.002-04:00

I can't believe I'm doing a post without pics..but I'm taking a short blogger's vacation to go to a seminar this weekend and I have a few things to get off my chest. Just a review of the past weeks..First I must admit that people who come into the hospital can still amaze or even shock me. I mean, seriously, are you kidding me? Example: Lady comes into our ER and says that there is something "down there" that doesn't feel right. Dr. looks "down there" and agrees..something is not right...there are 2 feet hanging out "down there". Moments later, after we are called to do a stat c-section on said lady, we deliver a bouncing 10lb. baby girl. Now, how does one not know one is prego with a huge kiddo? Lady has a 10 month at home, which explains alot. Poor thing must have caught a sperm right before heading home after delivering the 10mo. old...Example 2: Different pregnant people..."We want to take our placenta home and bury it in the backyard"...Example 3: The next day with a different pregnant couple: "We want to take our placenta home and eat it"...Being a true foodie my first thought was (before I retched)how does one fix placenta? Fry it? Saute it? Boil it?..Example 4: Cocky new Dad strolls over to view his brand new beautiful baby girl and says: "Crying already you little butt-head"...whatever happened to terms of endearment like "Princess"? I wanted to grab him and stuff the placenta down his throat..Deep breath...thanks for listening, or reading I should say. I feel better. But now I must comment on one last thing. A dear blogger friend passed away. Bernie from "Old? Who? Me?" died on Sept. 25th. I loved her blog and her spunkiness at age 85. I looked forward to her posts and her comments on mine. I know I never met her face to face, but by reading her thoughts and adventures on her blog I feel like we met heart to heart. Her Grandson wrote her final blog entry. I'll miss you Bernie. If anything ever happens to me, Donna at Starkey Hollow is assigned the task of writing my final post...however, after what she wrote for an employee recognition dinner about something that happened to me over a million years ago, I just might have to change my mind! So I'm off to New York and some time with Hubby, and don't get any ideas about crashing in at the Pines...it's being guarded by my Sons Hoss and Little Joe (Jack)and they're packing heat baby!

Oh To Be Three

2011-10-03T16:49:00.007-04:00

This little monkey..oh wait, she reminded us that her name was not "monkey"..it's Addison Rae...turned three this weekend. She came over on Sunday and had some cake, icecream and presents...she's a fun little kiddo and is so smart and growing up fast. She knows that she's the apple of her Daddy's eye, that we love her to pieces, that a book is more fun than TV, and she insists that Squeak the cat is a boy...and she's the only one who calls Squeak..Squeaker Days...don't know where that came from, but that's her story and she's sticking to it!

She was excited with YaYa's attempt at a super chocolate cake...
Slowly the candles were blown out and quickly the cake and homemade chocolate icecream were eaten...that girl is a true Starkey...chocolate is her fav!
Addy spied some of my Halloween decorations here and there. Like this tiny teapot and cup with a tiny witch on the top...she just had to look at it and try it out.
We had to take just a little time for some special "tea"..aka, chocolate milk..notice her chocolate cake mouth and crazy hair!
Yep, it's super great to be Three! Happy Birthday Addy!

Tidbits

2011-09-29T21:29:00.010-04:00

This past week has been a little mixture of tidbits...nothing huge and spectacular, jut the regular little things of life. The fall season is really here and I have my projects to keep me busier...tonight I decided to "spruce" up a fall wreath for my front door. It was hanging there and I thought it needed some more decorations on it. Everything was going great until a wasp that was hiding somewhere in it decided I needed to be stung. I thought I did good this year without getting into any hornets nests or getting stung by the wasps and bees that seem to love us here at the Pines...nasty wasp had other thoughts. Oh well, just the nature of the beast. I'll live although tomorrow gloving all day should be interesting with a slightly swollen finger! The wreath looks better...the wasp, not so good. He a goner. Two little tidbits that I have no pics of: 1) My Grandkiddo Anthony had to match his cousin Alexis by getting a broken arm...during a football game that he wasn't even playing in..he was a spectator! 2) I saw the most beautiful eagle on my road today! It was so cool. I was so excited I came home and told Jack he just had to jump in the car and go with me to see it again. He was willing and eager..the eagle was eager too. So eager it was already gone by the time we reached the spot where I saw it. Jack's a good sport. Well, here's a pic of my latest project. The bookself in my kitchen. This tidbit was a pain to paint but it's fun to decorate!
Here's a little tidbit of a nugget who came for a visit...Eddy the wonder dog! He enjoyed an afternoon of running and playing and then he threw up on my just cleaned white livingroom carpet. Some things I just don't miss about having a dog in the house.. But we love him anyway!
Awwwww..he just loves Jordan! And so do we..and we wish him luck tomorrow. His little tidbit of info is he's going for an interview for a new job with the railroad. Good luck Jord!
This interesting tidbit looks like it needs a tablecloth and some chairs around it. If you're a smurf that is! I found this under one of the pine trees. Sometimes you just need to look down low for some little weird tidbit! A true "fungus amongus".
The final tidbit...the temps are falling..we're suppose to have a high of 49..low 37 this weekend. Yes, that's a big indicator that fall is here. However I like to focus on the pretty colors that can be found in the simple things..like these leaves. Just a tiny tidbit of the explosion of color that will peak in the next few weeks.

Why The Fair?

2011-09-24T23:11:00.014-04:00

Thursday Jack suggested we head off to the fair and grab some dinner. The Ashland County fair is the big ending to Summer season around here. I grew up in the city and had never been to a county fair before moving here. But I've lived here long enough to understand the importance of keeping rural traditions like fairs alive. They are the opportunity for farmers and 4H and FFA groups to show off their hard work for the year. The animals and 4H projects will help fund many a rural young man or woman's education I'm sure as they sell to the highest bidder. I could never raise an animal and then say bye...so I'm glad I grew up where I did. But I enjoy a stroll through the fair grounds once a year..sometimes I can even skip a year. Some people go everyday...all week...and that I know I just couldn't do! So come and see what brings people out to a fair.
The one thing that brings out all the kiddos...the rides!
At the fair this is not an unusual site to see...big tractors.
I should have captured this "hay raising" experience earlier in the light...but people were having their pics taken on this ginormous example of someone having way too much time on their hands in the barn.
The Woman's building always has the beautiful quilt displays. I think they all look like blue ribbon winners!
Horticulture shines at a fair.
Wish my pantry looked this nice!
I enjoy looking at the hobby barn displays. I saw some really good photos and even saw some friends names on those pics! Good job Stacy!
These next three pics remind me of why I'm not always happy to go to the fair. I hate seeing animals that should be out in the wild, not in cages, being on display..eating carrots and dog food? I wonder what my friend Cheryl at Kangaroos of the Scrubby Bush would say about these pics. Sorry...

Well, you could go to the fair to get glimpse of giant gourds.
But the real reason to go to a fair...Yum!

How Do You Know?

2011-09-19T23:00:00.007-04:00

How do you know it's Fall? I know it's just a few days, or maybe it's hours away, but signs are beginning to appear. This leaf is the only red one on our oak tree in the back yard. Sort of sticks out like a sore (red) thumb. The temps have been very cool...the air crisp...the football season in full swing...the festivals will start up soon. So much to do and so fun to do them!
For some reason I think Fall is the time for projects. Spring is good too, but Fall has me more inspired. I'd been thinking about this one for a long time. I painted the built-in shelves in the kitchen to match my cupboards I painted a few years ago. Even a tiny job like this creates a mess that drives me nuts. I can't wait to finish so I can put everything back in place. Also I will bring all the Fall decorations out too. This shelf unit is a big pain by the way...all the cubbies, all the sanding, cleaning, and extra coats to cover the wood. I hope it looks good when it's done or I just might have to slap myself silly.
I mentioned earlier in the day that a nice fire would be so great. The weather Saturday was perfect for outdoor cooking. Another sign that Fall is here. Can you guess what we cooked? I should say..can you see what we cooked?
I thought foil dinners would be the way to go so I put them together and Jack had the fire just right...I cheated a bit by precooking most of the meal..meat, potatoes, onions, peppers, and of course the mushroom soup. They just had to get nice and bubbly and have that campfire smoky smell...yum!
When we finished the foil dinners I decided to celebrate our fireside meal with some s'mores..Jack doesn't like them but he will indulge in the chocolate bar. I had to roast the marshmellow to perfection first...well, my perfection anyway.
Did I mention that the marshmellow I used was a ginormous one? There really was a piece of a Hershey bar under all that! I only took a few bites then had to call it quits...I don't think I'll bother with those again..Sometimes bigger isn't always better.

Over Achievers

2011-09-13T23:25:00.012-04:00

This has been a crazy weather Summer. We can't really complain around these parts though. We've had a good amount of rain that has been balanced by warm and humid, and seasonal coolness. All that's added up to a yard and flowers that seem to have "over achieved" this year. The grass is green like Spring and I think the flowers look pretty good for the end of Summer. Of course I won't go into the weed issue. They have over achieved too! I took some "flower power" shots of the front of our home.
It makes a pretty walk way up to the front door.
Speaking of over achieving...this is one sweet potato vine...one..it's covered the whole planter, the other flowers in that planter, and the flowers next to the planter...show off.
Another angle..Somehow this plant reminds me of Cousin It from the old Munsters TV show..
I took a stroll around my yard tonight. I talked to my Sis and Mom to help pass the time...I was trying to be an overachiever and do a ton of laps around the property. It was hot and muggy..I know tomorrow it's suppose to get very cool, but tonight it was a sweat fest...but around I went..First up the side and then to the top and....
Then down this side of the yard..across the drive...around the front...and back up to the top of the hill...ready to join me?
Remember this place? Poor sign! It needs to be reattached to the pole and straightened up so no one will miss it's fun creepiness that happens in the fall. Although no Halloween party this year...sorry! My family will be here visiting that weekend in October when we usually host a blow out spookfest...but surprises do happen, right?
This used to be a path..one that lead me, friends, Grandkiddos, Eddy the boxer, just to name a few who enjoyed the walk. Since it's suppose to get chilly this weekend I think it will be a good time to get the big weed whacker out and start to make some sense of this place.
I'll have to be the overachiever to conquer this project...future paths, here I come!

OUCH!

2011-09-11T21:09:00.002-04:00

Our little Lexi had a bit of a mishap on the monkey bars at the park yesterday. She broke her arm just above the elbow...OUCHIE..and in the ER they said she was about the 5th kiddo this week to fall off playground equipment. This wasn't done at school and it made a day out with Dad a bit of a bummer. However, she was very brave. It will be tough at school for a little while but she'll do OK I'm sure. She looks so tired in this pic...it was time for bed!

Menu Of A Short Week

2011-09-10T10:35:00.002-04:00

This week flew by..I know it was a short work week because of the Labor Day holiday on Monday and Wednesday I didn't have to work because I was given a low census day....but it still seemed busy to me and I was tired for some reason...old age probably. But there was nothing really blog worthy to take a pic of or write home about. I did put this in a frame and hung it in my kitchen...what is it? Well, it's a menu that my Mom and Dad brought back from Italy when they went there in 1971. They were on their 25th wedding anniversary trip to Europe. My Mom admired this menu on the wall of a restaurant and my Dad asked the waiter if they could have it...sometimes you just need to ask. Dad was a charmer anyway and I'm sure the friendliness of the waiter to Americans was a huge factor too! I had never seen it before. When we were taking a day bed out of storage to take home I spotted this. I did just what my Mom did...admired it..and then what my Dad did...asked if I could have it. She said "sure"...it now will hang on my wall until someone admires it, asks if they can have it and I say "no way, go to Italy and get your own!"
One of the pics I didn't get on the last post was this one of Craig and my Mom...a tiny fragment of time that's precious as gold.

Labor Of Love

2011-09-05T19:02:00.022-04:00

I hadn't been back to Chicago to visit Mom since April and Jack and I decided this would be a good weekend to go. Ok, I decided it would be a good weekend to go! It's also my son Craig's birthday and he and his family were visiting his wife's sister, who also lives in Chicago. So we decided to have a birthday celebration on Saturday afternoon. But before I get into all that, I had to snap a shot of the lovely dinner my Sister prepared for us after we arrived on Friday. It was lamb (of course, we're Greek aren't we?) a beautiful salad,(I provided the tomatoes from our garden), and this yummy chicken number that combines chicken, feta cheese, Parmesan cheese, spices, all wrapped in phyllo..it was awesome!
On Saturday we got ready for a nice crowd that was coming around 3pm. We had Mom's yard all ready...the chairs, tables and deck were looking good..and the rain clouds were coming in fast. I wasn't complaining about the cloud cover because the day was hot and humid and it took the edge off..the breezes picked up too. The rain did hold off until after dinner...we ate birthday cake inside!
Since it was Craig's birthday we let him decide on the menu..all he cared about were the ribs and a special chocolate cake..well, we filled in the blanks with burgers, brats, salads and other goodies. Did you have any doubt?
The grownup cousins got a chance to talk over life, mothering, and just plain "catching up"...This is Katie (my niece on the left) and my daughter-in-law Amy.
Sophie was happy with a chip...
Katie and Jack took care of the grilling..
The cousins..Jack (my daughter-in-law's nephew) and my grandkiddo Taylor called dibs on the swing!
Brooke (my niece's daughter) showed me her cast..she broke her leg and was wearing a full length cast but just had a new shorter one put on..just in time for school..She's a trooper!
My Grandkiddos and my niece's daughter had a fun time together. I was glad they were able to get to know each other better.
When the rain came it was time to head indoors for cake, candles, icecream and singing...Way to blow out candles Craig!
Happy Birthday Craig!
Sunday morning we got A final goodbye from Craig and Amy as they headed back to Michigan.
We had so much fun on Saturday celebrating Craig's birthday we decided to continue with the family get-togethers. My brother Greg invited us on a boat ride down this lovely river..the Illinois river, on Sunday. The weather was perfect..very cool and sunny. Such a change from the hot and humid day before!
The gang was all aboard..my Brother Greg (driving), Jack, my niece Amy and her hubby Eric,(not in this shot) my Sis-in-law, Deidra (holding new baby Ella), and me of course (behind the camera..where I like it)..
The passengers also included these two crazy gals..my Sis, Midge, and my Mom.
Even this little monkey..Ella..enjoyed the day. Her first boat ride! She slept through most of it, only waking to eat..my kinda girl!
After cruising down the Illinois river we spotted a nice spot to stop and get off and enjoy a picnic.
The boat was secured nice and tight and we sat on the beach and enjoyed a delish lunch that my Sis had prepared. Food always tastes better in the fresh outdoor air doesn't it?
Eric and Jack thought we might need a little more shade. The beach was very shady and nice so we nixed the umbrella. (But it made a nice pic!)
Thanks "Capt." Greg for a wonderful afternoon of boating, sun and fun..
We left for home today and made it safe and sound. The temps have cooled down to about a high of 65, a little cool for some people, but not us!...Now back to the working world tomorrow. It was good to visit with Mom and Midge and all my family and spending time with Craig on his birthday was the best...I guess having a kiddo on Labor day is a "Labor of love" when you can share it with so many great people that I'm proud to call "FAMILY".

Mystery of Life and Love

2011-08-31T18:47:00.003-04:00

When I came home from work today I found these lovely flowers sitting on the table with a card that said they were for me! Pretty! Thanks Honey! Today is our 37th wedding anniversary...and Jack knows I love fresh flowers...and a pretty bowl to go with them...perfect!

Now, all I have is one question:
How did we go from this:
To this? In only 37yrs...it's a mystery! Well, Happy Anniversary Babe!

Weekend In Review

2011-08-29T16:32:00.008-04:00

This weekend was gone in a flash. We worked outside, had friends over for dinner on Sunday, watched a Grandkiddo play football, shopped, cleaned..all the usual things. For some reason I was tired this morning. I just felt like I needed more sleep, but work awaited me and I headed out. Lucky for me I was able to leave work a little early and when I got home I sat down and konked out for about an hour and a half! Whew..now I feel great! I wasn't too tired to notice what a beautiful sunrise we were having this morning though. Here's a peek just coming over the pines...
Friday morning started out cool and foggy. I'm not sure if taking pics while driving is smart...but I went slow and couldn't resist the view. On one of the blogs I follow she calls these shots: drive by shootings...very clever.
The fog on these cool mornings is amazing..then I hit town near the hospital..all clear.
This pic is a bit out of order..it didn't happen this weekend, it was Jack's birthday request dish. I make it every Father's Day and for his birthday. Shrimp creole..he loves it and it's pretty easy to make. This one was a real hit...according to Jack anyway!
We were able to see Anthony's first football game of the season this weekend. He's in 4th grade and I laughed when I saw all those kiddos with the pads, and big helmets..I think the helmets were as big as their bodies! They even have little cheerleaders who did a cute dance number at half time. Very fun!
Anthony, are you sure you're only 9? You did great in the game! They won by a ton..good job!
Since I started out with a sunrise, I'll close with this sunset...I like to think the rays are prayers being sent up to a listening and loving God.

Birth Day

2011-08-25T20:55:00.007-04:00

Tuesday my niece Amy and her husband Eric welcomed little Ella. This is their first baby and she's a cutie! Congrats to my Sister for her 6th Grandkiddo and also to my Mom....this makes 24 Great Grandkiddos for her!
Another Birth Day was celebrated today...it's my hubby's birthday! Happy Birthday Jack!
You may have started out as a cute little kiddo with curls galore...
But now you're:
A good story reader to the Grandkiddos.
Will go the nursery and follow me around while I take all day to find the best flowers.
Will build a super campfire in the wink of an eye!
A good sled carrier when grandkiddos are too tired to get it up the hill.
And my best friend who can always make me laugh...Happy Birthday Jack! (And you still have cute curls galore!)

School Bells Are Ringing

2011-08-22T22:52:00.016-04:00

The school bells might be ringing here in Ashland this week, but we had a jump start in an old one room schoolhouse this past weekend. A lovely lady I used to work with turned 70 and her children had a surprise party for her. Her Son-in-law's family bought this old one room school and fixed it up and use it for family get togethers all year. I think they have just started renting it out to non family also. It's been restored, but updated nicely. We had fun celebrating with Deb and her family and friends.

Happy Birthday Deb! We had a good time catching up with her and her family and enjoying a nice meal too! I was having fun taking pics of the schoolhouse..come along for the tour!
Inside the building they have kept many of the schoolhouse features..like the blackboard, desk chairs that were found in the basement..and that step off the front could cause some problems during functions, but a great place for a stage and the teacher's desk.
Look up..I think that would have been where the bell was located, on the top of the building.
I think the stone work around the foundation is just beautiful.
How many little ones came out here to get a drink?
I could just imagine little kiddos out here for recess.
Hmmm...could this building possibly be the former outhouse? Thankfully, there is indoor plumbing in there now.

Now for something completely different!
I made homemade spaghetti sauce over the weekend using tomatoes from our garden..it was very tastie! I invited Phil and Addy and Alexis over for dinner to test it out..although Jack had declared it very good already!
Addy likes her pudding with "cream"..
Lexi enjoyed her spaghetti dinner and chocolate pudding for dessert..
Those jello commercials have it all wrong..This is pudding face!

You Say Tomato...I Say Yum!

2011-08-19T21:34:00.005-04:00

Whew, this week flew by! I haven't blogged since last week but I've kept busy with work, family, and gardening. I think our tomatoes are looking good! Here's a nice batch along with a few peppers and if you look behind them you will see a few jars of my latest jelly making. We have elderberries that grow wild up by the creepy woods. I braved the bugs and picked what I could. I got just enough for one batch of jelly. It looks like grape but has it's own distinct flavor. We opened a jar and tried it. I don't want to toot my own horn, but heck, it's good! If you've ever picked elderberries you know how they grow. Up high and then just getting all the little berries off the stems, cleaning them, mashing them, straining them..well, I'll be pretty picky about using those few pints of jelly! Plus, I don't think I'll pick more. That would mean a buggy, poison ivy, weedy trek deeper into the woods. No thanks, I'm not that crazy!
I finally got this area weeded. I know it won't last forever and I should get it mulched, but I feel good just being able to make out some plants that are suppose to be there!
Along with weeding we have these little buggers to contend with. Web worms. I blogged about them last summer. We don't have them as bad as last year but they are creepy looking. If you blow up the image you can see the little squirmies in their fuzzy sack. Yuck! I just need to get out in the spring and spray the trees with a special solution that keeps them off. I don't think they like pine trees because I've never seen one on ours yet. But they seem to really like our crabapple trees. One way to get rid of them it to burn them off. Hmmmm..why does that sound like a bad idea to me?
I have a few different routes home from work that I take. I like to change up the scenery every now and then. This pretty pond is one of my fav drive bys. It looks so inviting. I used to think I'd like a pond here at the Pines, but watching out for the Grandkiddos and the work it takes to make it look this pretty would probably do me in! So I'll have to have "pond envy" and just enjoy this one. It would be fun to sit at the picnic table and enjoy the view though. However, the owners might have something to say about that.
I guess I'll just be happy looking at a sunset over the soybean field across my road!

Thunderheads

2011-08-12T22:55:00.002-04:00

One day this past week, (I can't ever remember which day it was!)I was outside weeding my heart out. I was so enthralled with my work I never looked up to notice that the dark that was coming over me was not because it was getting late. When I finally did look up, the sky was black and the clouds were very weird looking. I ran and got the camera but was a bit disappointed because none of the shots looked as threatening as this sky looked. This one came the closest. Much rain fell and my yard does look as green in August as it did in May...and my roof is still attached. (dang!) I have the feeling that as soon as we get it reroofed then the disaster will strike. Yep, the glass is half empty today.

The Gift That Keeps On Giving

2011-08-08T20:08:00.005-04:00

In the past I've mentioned how patients will bring my Chiropractor Hubby gifts of food. Just tonight he whipped out a lovely elderberry pie that was given to him today by a thoughtful patient. It was in a lovely white box and it was filled with a beautiful, tastey concoction. Friday I came home from work and another beautiful white box was waiting. Again, a grateful patient delivered it to Jack. What was inside?
Inside that big white box were these beauties. Unless you don't like ribs of course. But we do. I'm not a big fan of pork and rarely make anything else with the "other white meat" except ribs. So this was a fun surprise.
So into the "seal a meal" they went.."seal a meal"..a fun appliance that can entertain you as well as protect your food from freezer burn. That is if your life is as boring as mine.
Into the freezer..don't worry little ribbies...you're in good company. Besides ribs there were individual ham slices and of course, my green whatchamacallits (beans) are there too. See 'ya sometime this year! Now, please pass the "Sweet Baby Ray's".

FOUR...He's A Jolly Good Fella!

2011-08-06T18:42:00.008-04:00

Time has a way of just trooping on by and not stopping for us to catch our breath. I can't believe our little Cameron is four already. I bet my Son can't believe his youngest is growing so fast either. Today is Cameron's fourth birthday. Jack and Steph invited over last night to celebrate with them since they were all going to Columbus today to celebrate with his other cousins. I love the song "Time in a Bottle"..but we can't keep it in a bottle. We just need to celebrate all the happy times we can. I'm glad we took the time to be with our son and his family last night. Cameron, all the time, you're a little cutie! Happy Birthday!
Time for some love from PawPaw!
Time for us to say how special you are to us! (Those were his special cakes he picked out!)
Time to blow out the candles little man!
Time to take a big bite!

Time to open some gifts!
Time to play with gifts! Happy Birthday Cameron! Now stop getting older, it makes me look bad.

Back By Popular Demand

2011-08-04T17:28:00.002-04:00

Ok, so the word "popular" might just be an exaggeration..and "demand" might also be over stepping the bounds..but any way you spit it, it comes out "Lisa spitting cherries" post. Why? Beats me. Last year I posted a similar video and today, thanks to our stupid computer system, we had down time between cases and Lisa was eating cherries. Get my drift here? Hey, just hang on. When we have time to waste we do it. We can waste time with the pros. So here is Lisa wasting time. Enjoy. Or scroll on by. Sorry.

Life Of A Green Bean

2011-08-01T21:36:00.006-04:00

I didn't want to use the word "bean" in the title of my post for today. Why? Well, the last name of the previous owners of this house was "Bean"..and there are so many weird and frustrating things that we've had to fix that they did wrong that I just hate to even mention the name. I'm pretty sure they don't read my blog...anyway, I couldn't call the post "Life of a Green Whatchamacallit"...so here is how my veggie has evolved..

First you must find the little stinkers. Addie had to look under all the leaves and we found a ton hiding there. It wasn't an activity that held held her attention for long. She was more interested in finding little froggies instead.
Snap time! Snapping beans (man, there's that word again) must be as old as time. When I'm snapping them I always have this vision of me sitting on a porch swing with the bowl of beans and me just snapping away. I've never, ever done something like that but I've seen it on the Waltons TV show. I'm a bit obsessed with that show for some reason. I mean it's over 30yrs old..and when I saw a recent pic of all the actors from it I was a bit depressed because they look so old..but then I don't look anything like I did back in 1974. Maybe that's what's really depressing me.
Ouch! Into some boiling water for 3min...Have you ever been in "hot water"?..I have and I'm here to tell you it sure wasn't only 3min. Wait, this isn't a post about the Life Of A Greek Goddess..I mean me.
Splash! Into the ice water to stop the cooking process...brrrrrrr..however, on these hot, muggy days I wouldn't mind a quick dip in some ice water..
Into the freezer bag..air sucked out...into the freezer...I'll see 'ya this winter you green... "whatchamacallits"

Church Social

2011-07-31T15:38:00.012-04:00

Saturday the woman's organization of our Church (Relief Society) was in charge of our summer social. That would be Stacy (Crawford family blog), me and Ginger the other counselor. Ginger did 99% of the work and it turned out to be very fun. We had a nice pavilion, games, tons of food, and good fellowship. The weather cooperated too. It was warm but not humid and a nice breeze kept it very comfy in the shade.
The Church provided the hot dogs and hamburgers and everyone else brought food to share. There was a nice variety, no one left hungry!
This pond was located right next to our pavilion and anyone could go fishing or just sit in the shade and watch all the geese..watch out for geese poop anyway!
There was a lovely pool for us to enjoy and even at a cut rate.
Even with all the activities planned and those available at the park, it doesn't take kiddos long to find the simplest things to have fun..like jumping on giant bubble wrap? Whatever keeps them amused!
We had a nickle scramble in the sawdust for the little kiddos. There was also hidden treats like candy, jewelry and plastic bugs! They all seemed to enjoy the hunt!
Ahhhh, the loot that was plucked out of the sawdust!
The last game we played was this...no, not sitting on chairs..it was a musical chair game to see who could win cakes baked by our YSA (young, single adults). It was a fight to the finish! But everyone enjoyed themselves and no one was hurt...well, almost no one.
We headed out after the festivities and drove back through "Mohican Country". We passed lush farmers fields and rolling hills.
Past homes built in the hillside
But nothing beats the long and winding road that leads to home.

Jam and Bean

2011-07-27T22:21:00.001-04:00

My raspberries are about done producing. This is the first year we've gotten a crop and I had enough to do 2 batches of jam..it's pretty yummy if I do say so myself..and I do! Now the green beans are coming on...I have a ton more on the bushes and tomorrow I'll be picking and probably freezing them. I haven't canned beans in years, but maybe I'll get brave and try that this year..so many projects, so little time.

Let's Get Together...Yeah, Yeah, Yeah!

2011-07-24T23:26:00.011-04:00

Our kids from Michigan called and said they were going to stop on their way home from Cincinnati to visit with us this weekend. I took Friday off so I could shop and be ready when they came. I needed to launder some big comforters I had and that would require a trip to the laundromat since they wouldn't fit in my washer. We had to go a few weeks ago when our power was out. It had been a long time since I've used one but they haven't changed since I was little. The machine prices have however! It takes many, many quarters to do a load. I was excited to have Craig and Amy and kiddos come since we hadn't seen them since May. I was hesitant to have a family get together since the last 2 times we did we had electric and then AC problems. I joked that I shouldn't even mention them coming..all of Ashland could lose electric!
I put the comforters in the big machines and headed off to do some errands. When I came back to put them in the dryer the attendant was walking around on his cell. He stopped when he saw me and said he had some bad news...oh no, now what. You will not believe this. He tells me that the laundromat is out of power...in fact the whole city of Ashland is out of power. Yep, I said those famous words.."Are you kidding me?" He wasn't. In fact Mansfield and Ashland and about 4 other little towns were out. I guess a transformer blew due to overuse of AC. The funny thing was our house was fine. I gave a big thank you to God for that blessing! I took my stuff and ran for home and they dried nicely out in the crazy heat. I promise not to have any get togethers for a while until my power outage curse is over..I didn't realize I was so powerful!
Now here's a face we don't see enough of. Little Sophie is a crack up! She's got those big blue eyes and curly hair and the funniest little looks and actions. It was great to have them here.
Katie had a big smile for the camera even though she was not feeling 100%. She had a sore throat and later that night was running a fever. They've done a ton of traveling this summer and I think she picked up a virus somewhere along the way. But she's a trooper and we never heard a complaint out of her.
One of Craig and our son Jack's good friends from high school recently moved back to this area with her husband and 5 kids. They all got together at our house after spending some time with the kids at the Kroc center water park. We ate lunch and sat around talking about escapades from their school days. We laughed and I marveled at what great people they've turned out to be. It's hard to believe those days have come and gone so fast.
All the kids enjoyed watching a movie and getting to know one another. It was so hot out and they had already spent the day at the water park and were ready for some quiet time. Even though we had 12 kids there, they were so good you never would have noticed!
Homemade chocolate icecream was a hit. Sophie's shirt took the bigger hit though.
Cameron kept asking to make brownies, so he and Sophie and I whipped up a batch. We served them with homemade icecream..good choice Cameron! He and Sophie enjoyed helping but I think they liked the spoon licking more!
Amy and I put together shish kabobs..they were delish! Craig did the grilling and they came out perfect. I should have taken a pic of them all skewered up..they were so pretty! The yummy fresh tomatoes and sourdough Italian herb bread we picked up at the farmer's market in the morning. Mmmmmm.
One last big smile from Taylor...he loves angry birds!
I had to head off to church and the kids had to head back to Michigan. Poor Katie was feeling pretty low..sick and a bit feverish. I talked to the kids this evening after they got home and she was feeling better. Hope so..I feel awful for sick kiddos when they have to travel. But we enjoyed seeing everyone and I'm glad they were able to make it.

My Favorite Saying

2011-07-18T21:06:00.006-04:00

The previous post gave a good idea of how our Saturday started. How it ended brought me back to my favorite saying: "Are you kidding me?"...We finished running errands, and then went up and cleaned our Church...everyone takes turns doing this. We came home all hot and sweaty. Entering the house I noticed it didn't seem very cool. Jack then realized the heat pump wasn't working..."Are you kidding me?"...So after all the problems with our electric and getting that back in order, now during the hottest spell we've had in a long time..(last summer was not as hot), we lose the AC? Just shoot me. We call the repair people and of course it's the weekend and no response. So we're stuck with a not so cool home. I had already invited the kids to come over Sunday afternoon for a cook out since I had to cancel the July 4th one due to lack of electric..Well, I wasn't going to cancel on this. We went ahead with our plans and everyone came over in the late afternoon and the house really wasn't too uncomfortable and the air outside had cooled down a bit. So we ate, talked, and enjoyed watching the kids play. They had fun and didn't seem to mind the heat. Having a few water games did help! The repair guy came this morning and it seems to be working fine now. Thank goodness for little pleasures. And to top it off, we finally had some rain. It didn't make it any nicer temp wise, but our gardens are smiling! The only snag in the day was little Addy getting stung by a wasp. There was a nest under one of our plastic outdoor chairs. "Are you kidding me?" She was a real trooper and went on and had a good time. I caught a few pics of Anthony and Cameron having a water gun fight. It turned out to be a nice evening.

And the race is on!
Why can't I have just a smidge of their energy?
Ahhhhhhh! The laughing and screams can be heard all the way to the Creepy Woods! Get a close up of Cameron's face. It says it all.
Gotcha! Big brother captures little brother!
After the water gun chase Cameron give the "thumbs up" sign not realizing his brother is behind him squirting water on his head. Boys...

Let's Go To Market

2011-07-16T21:28:00.011-04:00

This morning Jack and I headed over to the farmer's market. It's a hub bub of activity. You see your friends, neighbors, or in Jack's case, patients, all looking for fresh, locally grown produce and maybe a bargain in jewelry or honey or candles, or even egg rolls! We grabbed some of those and they were good!
How about some fresh garlic or green beans? I found some yummy tomatoes too.
There's more than just fresh veggies...the smell of oriental and mexican cooking lures you over and of course the Amish are selling everything from baskets to these pretty rugs.
Jack and I headed to his office after the farmer's market. He had a patient to see and I decided to take a walk up Historic Center Street. It's a very pretty tree lined road with huge old Victorian homes. Many are for sale. The prices are pretty good and they have been well maintained. So if you've always wanted an older home, Ashland has what you need... I'll give you a little tour right now!
This place is a monster size! I toured it once along time ago. Since then it has new owners who take good care of it. I always thought it would be a great place to have weddings and receptions...I see a Bride on that top balcony ready to toss her bouquet!
Don't you just love a big old fashioned wrap around front porch? Great place to hang those Boston ferns and sit outside with a cold glass of lemonade.
This is the "Miller Home"..now owned by the hospital and has Doc offices in it. I think it's really pretty and sort of "California" looking. It once housed a school of nursing...and I heard it's haunted!
This home was scheduled to be demolished at one time. It certainly didn't look as beautiful as it does now. It wasn't even in this location. It was farther up Center Street. The owners got it for free..they just had to pay to have it moved. There was a lot at the other end of Center so they moved it there and for years have been re-doing it. They're done and I'm sure they will never sell because they could never get out of it what they paid into it. But it's a beauty.
My Hubby used to live here. This is where his parents lived when we started dating and we were engaged on New Years Eve, 1973 in this very home..I do love this place and it's for sale...but I think not...well, maybe...Nah...
Even the nursing home on Center was once a mansion...it's very lovely inside.
End of the walk brings me back to where I started..at Hubby's office..yep, he's in an old Victorian too. It's also for sale..not his practice, just his building. We don't want the upkeep these take so if you want a great bargain come on in. You might even get a great Chiro adjustment to go with it!

There's A Hole In The Sidewalk Dear Yaya...A Hole

2011-07-12T18:14:00.007-04:00

The electric issue is coming to a close. If you come to visit watch out for this hole! Hopefully after tonight and all the inspections, and the electric company gets here to make the final hookup, I can replant with all the plants I had to dig out of here. I just hope they are still alive enough to make it. Wish me luck!
We had a big storm yesterday. It rained buckets full. We needed it, but geez couldn't it come in a gentle manner? It cleared up enough in the evening that I decided to mow. Mowing around the pine trees is tricky enough. When they are wet it's like getting slapped in the face with soggy towels. I know I shouldn't mow after a rain, and believe me if I had known I would have the time to do it today I would have waited. I ended up soaked and covered in wet grass...and even cold! It does look alright today though.
I made this little play area for the Grandkiddos. The storm blew it all to smithereens. I did manage get it back in half way decent shape. The girls were here when I came home and they love the little chairs.
Here's where the alligator ended up...creeping slowly to the Creepy Woods. It gave me a laugh when I came home from work and saw it..I must be desperate for something funny.

China Here I Come

2011-07-08T00:06:00.008-04:00

Here's a few pics of the trench that will hold the new electric lines to our house. The side yard to the driveway to the flower bed to the house....and I'm sure it's atleast as deep as a hole to China should be. And full of weird and curious rocks..and one styrofoam cup. It's had to have been there for atleast 30yrs. So don't throw them away in a landfill because obviously the "green" people are right about them. They never dissolve away.
This part of the trench will go through my flower bed and under the patio between the house and garage. A little jack hammering is going to happen tomorrow. I had to dig up all the flowers I just planted and I'll lose my huge mum plant that's been there for about 10yrs. It blooms a very pretty red..or atleast it used to...That's the electrician Matt. When I told him I was taking pics for my blog he asked if I was going to title it: "Man makes huge mess in yard"...
This is a view of the whole thing...going around the cement pad was the only option..I wasn't about to have that all torn up too!
This is what I have for a power line temporarily..coming off the pole, over the garage and to our meter box...
This is how the temp line looks dangling near the house. I don't care what it looks like for now...just as long as I have power..and I needed it to turn on the oven tonight to make some food for work tomorrow.

Now For Something Completely Different:
We're having a "carry in" at work tomorrow to thank the computer people who have been here helping us be tortured for the last 2wks...sort of like thanking your Dentist for giving you a root canal..painful, but necessary. I had equal requests for a Texas sheet cake and my Greek chicken. Being the goof ball I am, I made both. I think this cake is yummy because I double the frosting recipe...it weighs a ton! Usually Jack is here to drive to the hospital with the food and wait outside until I get across the parking lot, clock in, and then come and haul it all up to Surgery. Tomorrow I'm on my own..but I do have a plan...it's always good to have a back-up for times like these!
I'll be getting up an hour earlier to get these babies in the oven, transfer them to a crock pot to keep warm at work...and hopefully they will taste as good as they normally do!

Power To The People..Or Atleast To Us!

2011-07-04T23:17:00.011-04:00

The electric situation is getting resolved slowly. Today a temp line was installed..around 10:30pm...and the first thing I did was blog. Hmmm..do I have a problem or what? But I can atleast get my pics up and realize that even though this was a July 4th celebration washout...it wasn't a total loss. Jack got ready for camp by setting up his tent, waterproofing it, getting his supplies all together and Addie came and visited for a few hours the other night to test out his home away from home! We picked some black raspberries, played in the kiddie pool, watered flowers (before the pump quit working!), and had a quick picnic in the screen house.
It's amazing how easy it is to put together a picnic...a blanket, some peanut butter and some fresh picked black raspberries...and PawPaw's tent! Throw in a juice box and you have instant party with YaYa!
My hydrangea bush is blooming like crazy. Addie and I had fun putting together some vases of flowers.
Now this makes the flowers look prettier!
Ok, so as the weekend progressed, we were knee deep in trying to get the electrician to call us back, get Jack ready to leave for Scout camp, Church doings that needed done, etc. I was bummed because I missed out on the balloon fest. Gee, I didn't even see one balloon. Until Sunday morning. I heard the distinct noise they make and ran outside to see them coming over the horizon. I was happy that they made a fly over our house as well as a big drop down across the street at our neighbors house. So I feel a bit better about this weekend and not totally missing the balloon races.
I got a wave from the crew as they were directly over my house. Of course I had my camera ready and clicking away. Hope they liked my jammies...thankfully they were far enough away not to notice me without makeup!
I was trying to figure out where these guys were going to land...alot of other folks were too. The balloon followers were lined up on our road thinking they were landing...but the balloonist fooled them! My neighbors have a pool and that would not be the best place to put down that huge balloon.
After dropping that low, the balloonist started to pull it up...maybe someone had to go the "necessary room" for bladder break?
Hey, stay away from those electric wires...I'm having enough trouble with power and somehow I think hitting those would not make for a fun weekend for either of us!
Whew, made it up and over our trees...Bye until next summer!

We've Been Zapped!

2011-07-03T14:27:00.002-04:00

What a crazy July 4th weekend. Our electric was partially out last week. We consulted with an electrian who said it was the power company, not us..Yeah!! Then the power went out again...Booo! And guess what? It's our problem, not the power company..Super Boooo!!! Now we have to have work done that requires, digging, new wiring from the pole on our lot to the house....blah, blah, blah..Of course it's a holiday weekend but we did find a nice electrician dude to help us. He
will try to install power by tomorrow. We have power to all the 110amps..whatever that means. It's the
220 that's causing trouble. So no stove, no AC, no water because we have a well that requires a pump, etc. But we do have TV and a fridge..and freezer. To top it off Jack leaves for Scout camp for the week...he feels bad about leaving me, but hey, there's nothing he can do anyway except listen to me moan and groan. But I decided not to get flustered..be grateful for partial electric..be grateful for water storage that we had incase of emergency. And now I can only complain about the cost..and I'm hoping it's going to be covered by our insurance because we think it was caused by a lightening strike last week..send some prayers our way that will confirm that fact! So, no blogging until the computer is back..I'm blogging from Jack's office now...hang in there and don't do anything too blog worthy while I'm away! I took some really cool pics of a hot air balloon this morning that almost landed across the street...dango, now I'll have to wait to post them! Have a good and safe July 4th! P.S..Thanks to all who wanted to donate the use of a generator. Holy Cow, I have enough trouble restarting the clocks and my alarm..forget trying to make sure that is working!

Don't Have A C. O. W!!

2011-06-29T23:20:00.010-04:00

If you were asked what is quicker..the pen or the computer..would you believe me if I said the pen? We found that out at our little hospital this week on what I will call "Black" Monday. We went to all computerized medical charting. Sounds like a good idea right? The Government must think so because it will be required by law in 2014. I mean, would we be steered wrong by the Government?? This has taken many months to get set up. First there was the training of some of the staff to be "super users".They took special training on the system our hospital chose to use. Then they in turn trained the rest of the hospital on all the ins and outs. I can't go into all the workings of this because as a surgical technologist I don't really have to know a whole lot about using what we call a COW..computer on wheels. I'm the scrub nurse who works with the Docs doing the surgery and I don't have to chart. I'm thanking the Good Lord every day for this. Our productivity will be cut in half for about 2 weeks while all the kinks are worked out and all the staff is knowledgeable about using the COWS. After that, we will get more up to speed, but never as quick or as busy as we were using paper. So what does this mean? It means our hospital spent 9 million bucks to do this...it will take 12yrs to recoup it..and we will not make as much money or be able to help as many patients as before. Will this mean only the sickest will get treated first?..only the richest? only the most insured? Well, this is a new age and we don't know all the answers but I think I will not be as sad to retire someday..and I will always be grateful that I knew what it was like to work with Doctors who were allowed to practice good medicine and help people get well..Nurses who were allowed to provided patient care, not computer care, patients who were allowed to have procedures they needed done, and not be denied care by an insurance company. Docs who did not have to be computerized technicians who must take extra hours to log in and out. Doctors who actually could look you in the eye while they talked with you about your health concerns without a laptop in front of them while they click away never looking up at you. We have advanced in many areas of surgical care. I've been privileged to see this also. I have worked with and still do work with a great group of people who love what they do, are smart and quick thinkers, and who are trying to embrace this new way of charting with the hope that it will eventually be mastered so they can do what they do and love best...taking care of people.

Meet the C. O. W:

Because of the time it takes for data entry there is lots of this...an Operating Room bed just waiting to be filled..just sitting around empty and getting colder by the minute..just sitting there not earning it's keep!
There is lots of this...a surgery case all set up in an empty OR room just waiting for the patient to be ready..and all the computer data entered. It's been taking about an hour between cases to have all the info logged in. Hopefully someday it will go smoother, and quicker. It's already better today than it was on "black" Monday.
Some other things you will see...a nurse (Donna..Starkey Hollow)working while all around her are the other nurses (see Jen in the background) are logging stuff into the computer. And I guarantee that it's not a blog post!
So what's going on while the sheets get cold? This...sitting, waiting, and looking at the new electronic scheduling board. It tells us what surgeries are being done, where the patient is in the whole process, when the cases start, when they stop, and who won Wimbledon...OK, so I'm just kidding about the tennis.
Anyone out there ever live in the country? What do country kids do when they get bored? Ever hear of "Cow tipping"? Ok Kris..knock it off! If you don't know what cow tipping is..google it.
Here's Becky...She's one of our "Super Users"..she's a go-to computer know it all..when personnel is having a "cow" and gets stuck, she comes a running with the answers! Or just to get yelled at! Just keep on smiling girlfriend!
So where does all this computer business leave me?...Right here in my own little literary world. Dr. M came in the break room on the first day of the "go live" computer disaster and he found me doing this..his words were "Look at you Starko..all relaxed, reading a book, enjoying the day..." All I could say was "You betcha baby!" Now just go and leave me alone before I have a cow.

Weekend Wonders

2011-06-26T00:02:00.010-04:00

The weekend started Friday afternoon after I rushed home from work and Jack and I headed down to Columbus to the Temple. We had to be there by 5:45 at the latest and you never know how the traffic will be. Us country bumpkins forget how crazy rush hour can be! But we made it fine and enjoyed the spiritual uplift we felt there. It's a good way to begin the weekend.
Saturday morning I went out to check on the black raspberries. I found some but I found more of these little guys than anything else. We've noticed this year that we have a ton of Dragonflies all over the place. They are so pretty and even though this shot is blurred, I liked the wing color. They were everywhere on the leaves and as I picked they flew around me and sat and watched like a bunch of magical fairies enjoying the nice morning. They seemed to like posing for me..I just wish I had a better camera to take these shots.
One more of a million.
Ok, now I've become a Dragonfly stalker!
In order to pick I had to make a few trips back to the house..once for my camera, once more for my boots, once more for some gloves. All the protection from the poison ivy, and brambles and any other dangers I might encounter. After a bit I realized I had lost a glove during my picking....I found it as I was leaving..is that an obscene gesture it's making?
I tromped around the Creepy Woods looking for more berries and when I saw this area I had to laugh..it's the area we had the ghost stories around last fall..under all the growth are the hay bales we sat on...hmmm....I wouldn't sit there now!
After working around the house all day I asked Jack if he would make a fire (our first for the summer).
With the wood smoke smell all around, and the heat just perfect for roasting a wiener, we had a quick supper and then sat around the fire enjoying the quiet and the sit down time! The bugs even cooperated and left us alone. The air was pretty cool out tonight too...perfect!
When we went inside for the night I thought I would make some goodies for Sunday. I had the oven heating so I decided to make some caramel corn...the YaYa way. I use puff buttered corn (from a bag) instead of making regular popcorn for this. It's easy, no hulls to worry about breaking a tooth on and frankly it's D-double darn delish good!
Remember the berries? I didn't score that many, but I mixed the cup I picked with some frozen raspberries and made a tasty dessert...atleast I think it will be tasty, I just stuck the spoon in there for the picture..I'll taste and report back later!

2011-06-23T18:17:00.011-04:00

I'm so far behind in posting this week. Not that anything grand has happened, but I like to keep up! Father's Day came and went and I didn't even blog about what great Father's I have in my family..like Jack and our boys! So a belated happy day to them. My camera wasn't cooperating on Sunday and I only got a few pics. This one made me laugh because Jack and our son Jack are just giving poor Cameron the stare down. Not too "Fatherly friendly" looking! It was good to see the boys and some of our Grandkiddos for a few hours. Not having them would have made that day just another Sunday on the calendar!
Phil and Amanda stopped by for lunch with these two characters..the crazy hair gang!
We shouldn't forget this dude...Eddy the Granddog..he stayed with us on Saturday and took a little shade time under the Oak tree.
Father's Day weekend is usually the last day for Green Valley Growers to have a huge, final sale. Everything was 70% off on Friday so I just had to score some goodies...like 7 hanging baskets that I planted...a flat of annuals..a flat of perennials (32 in the flat!) and a black eyed susan plant. I have most of it planted but it's taken me almost a week. Dodging the rain and fighting off the mosquitoes has made it a challenge. But not a bad take for only $24!
We have a ton of these this year. Black raspberry bushes that grow crazy wild all along the paths up to the Creepy Woods. It's a buggy pick, but I think by Saturday many should be ready and then some real "jammin" will take place. Or I should say jelly..black raspberries are too seedy so I like to strain the juice for jelly instead.
On the side of my house is this pretty hydrangea bush. I got it as a Mother's Day gift in 2002. It's really a good bloomer and I do love the color blue! These are fun to cut and put in the house because they last a long time and you can even dry them it you want. (I don't usually do that)
I love this pink hydrangea too..it's on the bottom of the bush. So, the top is blue and the bottom is pink..kinda bi-polar if you ask me.
This looks so innocent...all peaceful like...pretty even..however, across that driveway in that planting area is weed heaven..or YaYa hell...it's been a pain in my...side, trying to keep it up. I have many of those before mentioned perennials that need planting but first I will have to prepare the site. Maybe I need to prepare myself by taking a sit down rest on one of those chairs. It might help...it probably won't.

Thanks For Sending a Rainbow

2011-06-16T21:03:00.003-04:00

It was a bittersweet day for Jack and I. A good friend passed away and his funeral was today. It was nice to see all his family and friends at the funeral and many friends who had moved away came back for his service. I was happy that my boss let me leave so I could attend. Mark was a good friend, a man with a smile as big as his heart. Jack had served with him in many church callings and enjoyed his sense of humor. Conducting his funeral was not an easy task for Jack. Mark was only 58. To some that may seem old but for us who are the same age, it's pretty young to head to the other side. But when illness, pain and suffering are your new companions, it makes the leaving a blessing. The words and stories about his life brought many to tears as well as laughter. It brought to my mind the saying that everyone has a story to tell...their life so full of chapters. How grateful we should be to have a small role in those chapters. His oldest daughter gave a lovely eulogy and his 3yr old twin grandchildren sang his favorite Primary song: "Give Said The Little Stream"...and Mark did give much to all who knew him. He will be missed. I left work later than I normally do because of being on call. It had been a busy and kind of crazy day. We had an emergency C-section right after I got back from the funeral. Actually, the baby was already born when I walked in the OR to take a look at this tiny new member of the human race. He was born at 23wks and probably weighed about 1-1/2lbs..the smallest one I've ever seen born at our hospital. Of course they shipped him to a bigger facility that has a NICU. He was doing remarkably well when he left and I hope he continues to grow and thrive. Sort of both ends of the spectrum today...Death and birth. As I was heading for my car I looked up and saw this rainbow and it made me smile. Perfect ending for a not so perfect day.

Bashful and Frick and Frack

2011-06-13T22:51:00.004-04:00

Now for something a bit creepy..Ok, it's not really creepy but it does give credence to the fact that I'm very unobservant. Jack asked me if I had looked at this pic from my previous post on "foliage" here at the Pines...of course I looked at it, I took the pic! Well then, he says, look again...enlarge the photo..what do you see? I laughed when I saw what he was talking about..how did I miss this? See if you can see what we see...

Sunday when I came home from Church I found these two characters romping in the backyard. Then today when I came home from work they were there again having playtime in the back and front yard. What is this..wild kingdom? Well, they are cute but I bet their Mom wasn't too happy about them leaving where ever she is to come visit us. I apologize for the blurry video. I was trying to get the shots from behind windows and windows with screens!

Play Ball!

2011-06-10T23:22:00.011-04:00

I stopped at the ball field on Thursday night to see this sweetie play. This is the second summer that our Grandkiddo, who's name just happens to be "Summer", is playing on a girls softball team. It was the perfect night for a game. It was cool and a slight breeze was blowing and the smell of popcorn and the yell of "hey batter, hey batter, could be heard all over the stands.

There were a few other family members there to cheer Summer's team on..like this little monkey, Cameron the crazy three year old!
Mmmmm...can't go to a ball game and not get a hotdog! I don't think Cameron's so sure about it though.
Sitting in the dug out...never know where YaYa will be with her camera do you? Sorry!
Summer's in the batter's box..GET READY!!
GET SET!!
SWING!!...Oooppss...As you can see, I didn't snap a pic of a hit. But she did have quite a few in this game and they won. So you go girl!

Spring Foliage

2011-06-07T09:20:00.012-04:00

Taking a walk around the Pines you'll find more than evergreen trees. Going up the side and back of the yard, before you get to our woods, you'll find a ton of foliage that blooms, produces fruit, or will give you poison ivy if you're not careful! Sometimes you'll run into some surprises...Every Spring I find this crazy climbing rose bush in bloom. It only blooms once so it's a gift when they open. It's in the back of the yard near where the wood pile used to be.
The blooms are very pretty and if this area wasn't so shaded, they might even bloom more than once. Or maybe if I pruned them and treated them more like I would the roses I have near the house they would do better. I don't know. I like seeing the wildness of them and wonder why they were there in the first place.
I don't always know what everything is called, but I enjoy the view anyway.
I've blogged about this area a million times this year. This is the entrance to the Creepy Woods and it looks like it would be a lovely path to follow. Deceiving...
The path then turns to this...overgrown. If I would bring up the big weed wacker I could get it under control, but since we don't wander up here in the summer, I like to wait until the fall when it's cooler, less buggy and I'm anticipating a haunted hike for Halloween..more fun!
It's starts to get more lush, dark and, well just a bit creepy, as you go farther in..so I think I'll just turn around and head back!
At the back of the yard, although you can't tell by this photo, there is a path just to the right that will take you to a different entrance to the Creepy Woods. It's lined with black raspberry bushes and elderberry trees. If you can brave the bugs and mosquitoes to pick them, a jam and jelly fest is sure to start!
Getting closer to the house and right near the veggie garden we planted raspberry bushes. I love making jam with them and it looks like a good crop this year! If I can keep the deer away...
Around the house in the front we have a rhododendron bush. The blooms on a rhododendron don't last forever so I wanted to snap a pic of this before it was done. They are so pretty and it's a shame they can't stay like this all summer. Maybe I would take this beauty for granted if it was always around.
We've been redoing the deck this past week..as I was getting ready with the paint Jack spotted this little guy hanging around. I'd seen him before, hanging on the back door and once on the window that looks into my kitchen. Hope he'll enjoy the deck better after the paint job! I know I will.

A June Bride

2011-06-04T21:23:00.009-04:00

Do you like surprises? A few months ago a friend from church..Connie...told everyone she was getting married..in June..and moving away..and I think we all were surprised. Connie is retired and in her 60's..her fiancee is an older gentleman she met while serving in the Columbus, Ohio Temple. Being in the Temple makes Connie happier than anything else in life. She wanted to move out West years ago just to be nearer to a Temple. Her house never sold however, and she has stayed in Ashland and went to Columbus (about an 1/12 hr. drive) Temple as often as possible. It's there she met Leo..and the rest is history. The wedding is June 15th in the Manti, Utah Temple. Her really close friend Debbie decided we needed to give her a send off with a surprise shower. No gifts however...another friend, Gayle, hosted the event on Friday. We had some good laughs, good food, good fun.
The table looked lovely with the flowers and the food was simple and delish..thanks for hosting it Gayle!
Connie doesn't like cake so the hostess made pecan pie..Connie's favorite dessert. It was excellent by the way!
Everyone was enjoying the fun, even little Stanley! That would be the baby..not Elyse (who's not his Mom) with her cute, big smile!
Why do we feel the need to embarrass our friends? Well, we couldn't resist this one, so we made Connie stand up and be dressed by the little elves at the shower. I've done this before with toilet paper, but napkins are much more dignified!
Almost done!
I think the dress turned out lovely! Much less painful than the experience she had at a real wedding dress shop..When she walked in and said she was looking for a wedding dress for herself..they rudely stated "We only sell dress up to size 14 here"...Hmmmphhh, I'd probably spit in their eye!
Since the bride and groom both have full households with many items, Connie absolutely said "no gifts please...we need nothing!" So a request went out that everyone please do a good deed with her in mind, write it down and also any marriage advice..she then read the cards that were attached to the helium balloons. I'm not sure they really need advice since both have been married before. But I gleaned some wisdom from all this..it's never too late to be in love, to be happy, to have hope for a future of fun, adventure and new beginnings. All you need is a willing heart, good friends, and a strong faith that God truly is in charge in our life. Best wishes Connie and Leo!

Stolen Pics of a Fun Day

2011-06-01T18:41:00.006-04:00

On Memorial Day my Daughter-in-Law's cousins came down from "Holy" Toledo to get Jack to do some Chiro magic on Leisy's hip. She's running a marathon very soon and has had some problems. But I guess it's better..it should be because my Hubby is the King of Chiropractic. I swear, he's a miracle worker! Anyway, we really enjoyed having Leisy, Kent and Zeb and Ike come for the day. Those two little boys are the cutest. I stole these pics from her blog. I just thought this was the sweetest shot of them putting their hands on their hearts when the flag passed by. Now those are patriotic kiddos...who's parents taught them well. I've come to really love this family. They may not be related by blood, but I'm claiming them anyway. I love their cousin Amy..My Daughter-in-Law, so I can love them too..right?
After the parade Leisy and Kent and their two cuties came back to the Pines for a cookout and some outdoor fun. I had a blast with Zeb and Ike in the baby pool and more fun squirting them with the hose. Here they are hiding from me..or so they think! I did laugh at the condition of the playhouse. It's been apart all winter and needs a quick paint job..sorta looks like a "shack out back"! Not to mention it was covered in grass after I mowed!
Last but not least we have a genuine "People at Wal-Mart" hero..Mountain Man. He hangs around the Wal-Mart and strums his guitar and sings about Jesus and says hi to everyone and is always happy, a teensy bit strange, and heck, I just think he's gotta message he can't bear to not shout out. Unfortunately, people started complaining about him and Wal-Mart made him go across the parking lot and he's not allowed near the entrance anymore. Now come on Wally World, have you seen the people who come into your store? If not, go online and find out...Mountain Man is down right normal compared to them!

Thanks To All Our Soldiers

2011-05-30T20:56:00.003-04:00

My Dad served in World War II...my Uncles did too. My brothers served in Vietnam as did friends of mine and Jack's. Many families and friends have sacrificed so much so we can have our freedoms in this great country. I was lucky that my Dad and brothers came home from those terrible wars. Many did not. I'm extremely grateful to those soldiers who gave the ultimate sacrifice. On Sunday one of the speakers, who is a veteran, made this comment "On this Memorial Day weekend, before you stand in front of a grill, you should stand in front of a grave..before you lift a spatula, you should lift a flag." I attended the annual Memorial Day parade where we were able to do just that...wave our flags, applaud our troops, be uplifted by patriotic music and be reminded that we need to do all we can to support and improve our country, and live grateful lives to honor those who unselfishly gave theirs.

House or Home?

2011-05-26T16:33:00.009-04:00

Today Donna (Starkey Hollow), and I went on the annual Bath, Ohio home tour. The places you visit are really amazing and can take your breath away. Some, like this one, are very big..and inside it was so cute and we loved it the best. It just had the cutest curtains, and framed pictures, and furniture, and every nook and cranny had something fun to look at. We hated to leave! It felt like a home, not just a decorator's house on display. She was a dog lover and it was easy to tell by many of the items inside. I wish I could have taken pictures, but cameras weren't allowed. Only the outside could be shot. So you'll have to take my word for it and believe me when I say all the places were lovely, but some were ones you wanted to sit and enjoy, take your shoes off, grab a book and hide in a cozy corner! Some were just houses...some were truly homes...some made me think, "what a great idea!"..some made me a little ill. One of the houses had many levels and windows everywhere with views, that for reason, made me a little seasick feeling. Crazy, I know. When I got back to the Pines, I looked around and thought, "hmmm..not tour worthy, but hey, it's home!"
Some of the homes were down right HUGE! This is only a small portion of the house. It had 10,000sq. ft. on the upper level..and 3,500 on the lower level. It was unbelievable! We did notice it had a maid's quarters too. It would be necessary to have help with all that space.
A local pet rescue group had some puppies on display, ready for adoption, and these little guys were way cute! I did resist, but I bet they were adopted out by the end of the day. It was a nice thing for this family to do to help out this organization. (They also had a couple of kittens)...again, I resisted!
I like to show Jack some of the laundry rooms in these homes...(as he does the laundry here)..this one was the second laundry room as well as housing a second kitchen area.
The inside of the homes were beautiful, but the outside landscapes were just as awesome..many of them had outdoor fireplaces that would be fun to sit around in the fall..or even winter. The owner of this one told us that the pond on the property was great for iceskating in the winter and I would assume they use this fireplace for hot cocoa and roasting marshmellows afterwards...well, that's what I would do with it!
Peaceful ponds like these were so pretty and to be able to sit inside or out and listen to the soothing sound of the water would be so nice.
Thank you Donna, for the fun day!

I See Dead People

2011-05-22T19:52:00.013-04:00

Anyone who knows me knows I love cemeteries and taking walks in them, reading head stones and such. Something I inherited from Mom! So this was right up my alley. I took the time to visit the Ashland cemetery today to see a program put on by the historical society. I learned some new things about the people who started this town, the history, the challenges and the triumphs. It's good to know about where you live. Plus it was free..always a draw for me! The costumes were great, but I felt sorry for the actors portraying the historical figures...they looked hot on this muggy day. It was not raining for once, but it was in the 80's. This lovely lady looked really happy to see us, to get the tours started and send us on our way to enjoy a walk through time. I went with Stacy and her family (Crawford Clan blog)..Jack was not interested in standing in the sun on a hot afternoon. Not his thing! I enjoyed it enough for both of us. I did have to wonder if you didn't know this was going on and were to stumble upon a person dressed in period clothing standing near a headstone if maybe a call out to Ghost Hunters would be needed?
Some of the stops were in the shade. If I come back from the dead, it will be in the shade too so Jack will not have any excuse to not visit with me!
Dr. Hill was an ornery cuss! Very political and it was also interesting to hear how a person with only a 4th grade education could continue on and obtain a medical degree and hold various offices in government, run a newspaper, be a civil war surgeon, and a town physician...I guess it proves the saying "The harder you work, the luckier you get".
The dresses worn by the ladies were lovely, but I liked this one the best. It was a hot muggy day and I think I wouldn't like wearing all that garb of her day. But she didn't even break a sweat!
I liked this lovely ladies outfit and her pride in her son who was a leading figure here in Ashland was evident in her enthusiastic address to us. I had heard of many of the people talked about today..the Myers, the Duffs, the Freers,..but I hadn't known about the Anderson family. Learned something new!
We talked to war heroes like General Slocum.
Ummm, General? You forgot your coat.
A little music helped the festivities...I think this band was called the "Grateful Dead"..(Go ahead, you can laugh, I know you want too)
These dearly departed souls had to be moved here from another cemetery. I don't know about you, but I hate moving and frankly if I have to move after I'm dead..well, I won't be too happy about it. Except atleast I won't have to do the packing!
This was in front of a monument toward the end of our tour...hmmmm..an escapee?
I thought this inscription was different..not sure what it means...but I'll be on the lookout..although you won't find me here in the night. As much as I enjoy cemetery walks, I'll keep it to day time excursions!