May 2012
It's Time
I’ve been out of sorts lately. Nothing major or unpleasant, just a bit of a dull spot. I wasn’t bored, or unhappy…and when I tried to put my finger on the unsettled feeling I realized what it really was. Sequin shortage. When I feel that way I know that it must be time for another pageant. My tiara tank is on empty and it’s time for an evening of gowns and interviews....
Happy Birfday, Brudder
Yesterday was busy and I hardly got near the computer, so this birthday post is a day late. I did send my brother a happy birthday text yesterday morning & he responded that it was indeed a happy day because he was fishing. Doesn’t take much more than a sunny day and a fishing pole to make him content. At the tender age of 51 (as I get closer it seems so young) he’s worn many...
I Need This
I’m not a gal who wants a bunch of stuff. Sure, I’m always knee deep in books, because I consider that brain food and as necessary as any other sort of nutrition. But I don’t yearn for jewels or clothes or shoes or anything bigger, newer, or better than what I already have. Until I saw this.
Oh. my. word.
I love it.
I know as much about vehicles as I know about...
Loverly Day
Today was a perfectly fine day. Mickey made it home late last night after a close call. Due to a late inbound flight he nearly had to stay in Detroit overnight. He’s got nothing against Motown, but after a full and busy week the poor guy just wanted to get home. All’s well that ends well and he made it. I usually wait for him on a hill at the airport. Lots of people park there to...
Sweaty Betty
That’s me. It’s stupid hot already and summer is just getting started. On a positive note, the humidity is hovering around 50% so it’s not as muggy as it could be and my hair is not overly large. Though there’s something in the air to which I’m apparently allergic and it makes me short of breath. I don’t suffer from allergies the way that so many people...
Nuttin' Honey
I don’t have a darn thing to write about tonight. I’ve been sticking close to the homestead and getting things done around the house. I did go out and meet a sweet friend for lunch today and it was good for both of us. The menu was tempting and the conversation was fulfilling. I returned home and changed clothes so that I could spray another coat of paint on my Mother’s Day...
Monday's Adventure
All of our wishing managed to chase away the rain clouds and we enjoyed a sunny Monday. We actually slept in a bit. I was surprised to open my eyes and see 7:15 on the clock! Then I remembered that we were on Eastern time,so it was 6:15 at home- that made sense. No biggie, Cincinnati apparently doesn’t move at a brisk pace on Mondays. Some places don’t move at all.
We like to get the flavor...
Hello Cincinnati!
We’re on the road again! Mickey can’t stay in one place for long and as his co-pilot, where he goes I go. Today we locked up the house, dropped the hound at Hogwarts, and pointed the car toward Cincinnati.
We listened to NPR and I watched the scenery go whizzing past. Mickey isn’t a big talker in the car. Or ever.
The billboards were not very interesting.
But the...
Mz Nainsy's House of Beauty
“Beauty is something you feel inside, and it reflects in your eyes. It is not something physical.” ~ Sophia Loren
True. But mascara helps. A lot. A dab or two of concealer and a hint of blush won’t hurt either. Natural beauty is great if you’ve got it, but if you don’t…step into my parlor. I can help. I’ve been playing with makeup for as long a I...
FYI
If you’re at a store and a cashier says “strip down facing me”, she’s talking about your credit card. How embarrassing.
How Could It Be Thursday Already?
I lost a couple of days somewhere this week. How did we end up at Thursday already? Is that a sign of senility? Can’t be. I’ve done this since I was a kid. I guess I just got too wrapped up in cloud gazing and gardening. I don’t consider that wasted time.
I’ve also been dressing that naked chair I received for Mother’s Day. It’s going to take weeks to...
Garden Party
Yesterday morning I fed the mister and then took off to dunk myself at the Jimmy Floyd Family Life Center. The sky looked ominous. And I absolutely love that.
Here’s what it looked like leaving our neighborhood -
and it got even darker.
As I reached the interstate it looked like the clouds were sitting right on the road. Spooky.
I buzzed toward Lebanon and the storm appeared to...
Come & Get It!
Finally, a recipe that I can recommend with all my heart! I just ate it and I want it again. Mickey gave it two thumbs up and a few exclamations. I wanted to fall face down in my plate. Even better, it was effortless.
That, my dears, is a pile of shrimp scampi. Not on a bed of angel hair pasta, but a pile of delicious spaghetti squash.
Yep, we’re still low carbin’ it and...
It's Good To Be The Queen
My Mother’s Day was fantastic. Super fantastic. I’m so incredibly fortunate to be the girl in this family of wonderful guys. My sweet boys sent boxes of books, and I did a happy dance. One was a beautiful Oregon Trail book, full of stunning pictures of the trail accompanied by excerpts from pioneer diaries.
Then there was a book that I’d been waiting for. It’s a...
Happy Mother's Day
I love this day. I consider Mother’s Day my personal Thanksgiving, I really should be presenting my kid with gifts. I’m so very,very grateful for my good fortune. I was given the opportunity to mother Matthew Flinn and Tyler Christian and it’s been the single most exciting, loving, educational, delightful, hilarious, and rewarding experience of my life. Nothing compares. Nothing. I finally...
Can You Stand Another Recipe?
On weekends I like to cook batches of things that will serve us in the days ahead. Casseroles or tuna salad for lunches, pots of soup or a hearty pot roast for handy leftovers - it’s all worth a bit of time on Saturday or Sunday. I usually listen to Prairie Home Companion while I stir things up. Garrison Keillor and his friends are excellent company in the kitchen. Today, while Mickey...
Saturday Night
Hallelujah, it’s raining on the gardens! Seems like the last couple of weeks all the rain has managed to miss us or barely sprinkle on us. Our forecast today gave us just a slim chance of showers, but as soon as Mickey lit the grill for dinner the clouds opened and poured. Now we know the trick. Forget the rain dance, just light the grill. Hero that he is, he still managed to cook the...
Late Bloomer
For many, many years my youngest son was somewhat shy. Tyler had no fear of stepping onto a pitcher’s mound and facing down the oppositions biggest hitter, or strolling onto the tennis court to battle for a championship. But during his elementary school years all it took was the mention of a class play or a PTO program to make his stomach flip flop. Stage fright was his kryptonite....
Bad Karma
I’d like to take a moment to apologize to anyone I’ve ever offended… anyone I accidentally cut off in traffic, any high school boy whose heart I nicked as a girl, anyone who deserved my best and got less, and certainly anyone who has been subjected to an enthusiastic greeting from my dog. I sincerely and humbly ask the universe for forgiveness because I must have cooked up some...
I'm Strong to the Finish, Cuz I Eats My Spinach
Popeye was right. Eat your spinach. It will make you big and strong. I love spinach salads, spinach quiche, spinach manicotti, and creamed spinach. I do an internal happy dance when we dine out and I see spinach anything on the menu. If you’re a card carrying member of the Spinach Eaters Club too , then *boy howdy* have I got a tasty recipe for you. This is the queen of all creamed...
Some Good Things
Aside from the graduation celebration, there are a few other things that have put a big smile on my face lately. Let ‘s start with this…
That’s my husband wearing two left shoes. Yep. He has so darn many shoes that he packed two lefts of the same style and color. We were ready to head out the door to Jamie’s graduation and he slid his feet into his shoes. I heard him...
Sunday Afternoon
What a weekend! I’m not sure we could have crammed much more love and happiness into one day - but on Saturday we gave it our best shot. I’ll try to keep it brief, but no promises.
We made our way to the Mckenzie Arena to watch a couple thousand eager students march in to Pomp and Circumstance (what is it about that tune that makes me emotional?).
Our purpose was to find this...
On The Road Again
It’s Friday in Pullenville and that must mean we’re going somewhere! There’s a very special young lady graduating this weekend and that’s enough to make us pack our bags and hit the road. Tomorrow morning Tyler’s sweetheart, Jamie, will receive her BS in Biology with a minor in Chemistry and we’ll be clapping for her. She’ll have plenty of family there...
I'm a May-niac!
Happy May Day! I really wish I’d put up a May pole so we could dance around it and celebrate joy, passion, and fertility. Well, maybe joy and passion. I see signs of May all around. Not just the thick green covering the hills and valleys, but also the new calves and lambs romping in local pastures. Zipping through Gladeville today I spied some of the cutest baby goats.
You know, if...
April 2012
Sunday Night
Good golly, what a nice weekend! Saturday we stuck close to the homestead. We made a grocery run and one stop at Home Depot to adopt some flowers, then spent the remainder of the day doing yard and garden chores, chicken house chores, and household stuff. It was really lovely. There’s nothing like a day spent getting some sun on your shoulders to put a spring in your step. Once the busy...
Rounding Down
Today while I was at the Jimmy Floyd Family Life Center the lovely woman at the front desk asked me how old I am. She was just curious, had heard me talk of my grown children, noticed that I hang out with a herd of seniors, and thought she’d ask. When she did, I drew a blank. I cocked my head to one side and said, “45..??” I’m 48. In five months I’ll be 49. But I...
It's Ssssssspring
On my way home from water aerobics on Fridays I reward myself for a full week of workouts by stopping at the Subway in Gladeville and picking up lunch. Because, you know..rewarding myself with food didn’t get me into this shape or anything. Today as I cruised through The Glade I spied something in the road that made me scream and grab for my camera.
I missed it. Between screaming,...
What a Day!
Mother nature was suffering from mood swings today and it seriously interrupted my flow. No sooner would I start an outdoor chore than the sky would rumble and raindrops would sprinkle down. So I’d gather my tools and put them away and go inside just in time for the sun to break through the clouds and the rain to move out. It happened so often I started looking for a hidden camera. Finally,...
The Best Laid Plans....
So, a few days ago I started scheming and gathering items for a project. I called it Operation Pretty Porch and in my mind the end result was dazzling. A true southern porch is welcoming and charms a visitor. Mine didn’t. I have no doubt that our UPS man loses sleep at night over our porch’s lack of charm. With that in mind I decided to make some changes. I saw some wonderful...
Sunday Done-Day
We’ve been very busy today. Mickey starts traveling again Monday and I think he decided to check everything off of his honey-do list in one afternoon. I often get dragged along. It’s only fair, he rides my crazy train from time to time as well. Anyway, as of sundown today all of our spring projects have been completed except for the cement garden pathway. We’re working up...
I'm a Psycho...er...Psychic!
Okay, I’m going to reveal one of my guilty pleasures ….the tv show Long Island Medium. First, I love her because she is so over the top, but I really love how she can’t go to the dry cleaner, supermarket, or gynecologist without getting a message from beyond. She’s forever looking at her waitress/ sales clerk/dentist/ whatever and asking “Did your brother pass away?...
Saturday Night
It’s been a gray, drizzly day here in Mt. Juliet but, boy howdy, are we happy! We returned home about two hours ago from seeing Garrison Keillor and Prairie Home Companion. It just never, ever disappoints. I even took some covert video from between my crossed arms. It’s terrible quality, but just hearing those opening notes and hearing Mr. Keillor greet the nation “live from...
I Am One Lucky Duck
I’ve mentioned before that my husband is a true romantic. In fact, he’s far more romantic than I am. This week he reminded me that we’d be celebrating the 30th anniversary of our first date. Our first date. How many guys remember that? Mine does. Imagine my delight when a little box was delivered to our door…..
A beautiful, little box made of recycled paper and...
Humpity Hump Day!
I’m in a singin’ and dancin’ sort of mood. This has been an absolutely delightful Wednesday, no complaints from me. It’s been a blue skies and sunshine kind of day. Perhaps you’ve noticed that I get downright BOUNCY on sunny days. The sun recharges my batteries. After two days of drizzle I was due.
I was out the door right after breakfast and headed for the...
I'm a Tart
I gave serious thought to doing a whole post about my favorite cosmetics. Then I realized that nobody really cares what color lipstick I prefer, or wants to read an essay on the pros and cons of waterproof mascara. If we have any common ground it’s probably that we all like to smell good. So I thought I’d share some good smellin’ stuff that I really like. My personal...
Sunday In Pictures
A perfectly beautiful day ~
Sunny, Satisfying Saturday
I knew it. I just knew that Saturday would bring happiness with it. We’ve had such a lovely day. After our regular weekend errands, where we saw this bus…
advertising “Hobo Stu’s Absurd Bazaar Traveling Sideshow (I wanted to tell him that he should have used “bizarre”, which means unusual, and not “bazaar” meaning a market. But I didn’t...
Friiiiiday!
Today put a lovely period at the end of a mighty fine week (well, the work week). Mickey actually came out of his cave office before the sun set and we prepared for the Braves’ home opener. There were hot dogs, Cracker Jacks, and more importantly, there was VICTORY! Yep, Atlanta beat the Brewers 10-8. At one point our boys had a five run lead, but the Brewers battled back and tied the...
Ten O'Clock and All is Well
I’ve been a lazy blogger and for that, you’re welcome. But now I’m back and you can bet that I’m ready to fill these pages with nonsense and fattening recipes. It’s who I am and what I do.
Lets’ start with the nonsense. I’m still going to water aerobics every day and I’ve infiltrated the inner circle. Yes, Lebanon’s matrons have welcomed...
This Salad is the BOMB
I made this salad tonight while Mickey wrangled some chicken on the grill. We like grillin’. A lot. Yesterday he grilled bratwurst. It’s an addiction. So is this salad. It’s simple, but so dang good. Here’s what you do:
Get out a big, honkin’ bowl and chop up a head of romaine, a bunch of green onions, and a bunch of broccoli. Toss it all in that bowl and get...
Sasquatch - 1, Mickey - 0
Just kidding. I snapped this outside the Fall Creek Falls General Store, you know I couldn’t resist. The little store, smack dab in the middle of the state park, carries campers’ necessities like poison ivy lotion and S’mores supplies. We stopped in to admire their ice cream selection. But let me start at the beginning…..
Day 1
We arrived at Fall Creek Falls State...
Look For Smoke Signals....
Here we go! We’re heading off to a cabin in the woods. I’m taking my laptop just in case I can hike to a mountain top and pick up wi-fi. First stop, dropping Huckleberry at Hogwarts (Hilltop). Next stop Fall Creek Falls State Park. If you don’t hear from me by Saturday, send rangers.