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Monday, September 29, 2008

Simple Woman's Daybook ~ 9/29/08


FOR TODAY:

A poem is never finished, only abandoned.
-- Paul Valery


Outside my Window... grey clouds and the leaves are beginning to turn colors
I am thinking... I have sooooo much work to do and I really, really should get started . . . maybe after I finish my breakfast or, maybe, after lunch . . . LOL!
I am thankful for... my family and laughing . . . and the fact that many times, my family makes me laugh.
From the kitchen... Sarah and Kyle left a bag full of apples (various kinds) so Zachariah and I made apple pie (two of them actually). I used Pampered Chef's apple corer/peeler. If you ever thought about buying one of these things, trust me when I say that it is worth it! Since we had it out, we also sliced a couple of potatoes which I left soaking in cold water with a little bit of salt. The potatoes got browned with onions and garlic and then cooked in a non-stick pan for about an hour. Psuedo fried chicken and broccoli completed the menu. Yum. And I have some potatoes and chicken left for lunch today.
I am creating... Mary's elf hat. Finished Zachariah's last night.
I am going... to a meeting tonight (for Confirmation - I'm the retreat coordinator), I have meetings today, Lindsey has Youth Ministry music practice tomorrow evening, violin lessons on Wednesday and I'm going to a knitting group thing at a local coffee shop while she is at lessons. Janet arrives Friday.
I am wearing... not black and red . . . woo hoo. I am wearing black and PINK and a black/gray jacket.
I am reading... trade journals . . . how boring
I am hoping... to get all my expenses reported and my books in order. Tons of invoicing needs to be attended too since I was out most of last week.
I am hearing... people arriving and greeting each other. I really enjoy my department. Everyone is so friendly.
Around the house... the little elves didn't come and clean. Darn.
One of my favorite things... IKEA . . . Jacquie and I went to the new one in West Chester, Ohio last week. She had never been there.
A Few Plans For The Rest Of The Week... co-worker coming in from DC office. Birthday celebration in department. Janet is arriving Friday and spending the weekend. Lindsey is going to John's homecoming Saturday. Ugh. He drives. Ugh.
Here is a picture thought I am sharing with you...



P9210024
Originally uploaded by mlj1954ohio

Lindsey just loves being a tree hugger, especially when the tree has a face!

Thursday, September 25, 2008

Friday Fill Ins - Friday, September 26

We all have the extraordinary coded within us, waiting to be released.
Jean Houston

1. Dave's and my birthdays are some of the things I'm most looking forward to in October.

2. Sometimes I am so happy about being happy . . . you know it is contagious, even if you keep giving it back to yourself.

3. Because while you still breath, there is always HOPE, and that's why there is a saying, "never say never"!

4. When I'm down, I eat. Of course, when I'm happy, I eat . . . when I'm tired, I eat . . . when I'm bored, I eat . . . and so on and so forth.

5. On the computer is where you'll find me most often.

6. A rainy day is good for reading a book and snuggling.

7. And as for the weekend, tonight I’m looking forward to being home, tomorrow my plans include WW, a meeting for poll worker training, 4:30 mass and Sunday, I want to do nothing!

Monday, September 22, 2008

Simple Woman's Daybook ~ 9/22/08


The most beautiful thing we can experience is the mysterious. It is the source of all true art and science.
-- Albert Einstein


FOR TODAY ~ Monday September 22, 2008
Outside my Window... it is a beautiful fall day . . . first full day . . . at least according to my calendars . . .
I am thinking... I have so much stuff to get done before I leave for my road trip tomorrow morning . . . packing might be a good place to start!
I am thankful for... being able to laugh . . . we had such a great weekend . . . full of laughter and no tears (for a change . . . LOL . . . Lindsey tried (she can go from zero to b*&^# faster than anyone I know, including myself, but none of us fell for the bait).
From the kitchen... I am gone all week, leaving tomorrow morning and returning late Friday, which means that the kids will probably have cereal for dinner every evening. Dave lets them eat whatever they want. Although he may encourage hotdogs since we have so many buns left from the Swim Team picnic.
I am creating... MS4 (maybe I'll take it with me since I will be in a hotel room by myself for at least two evenings), the ELF hats
I am going... Louisville, KY for meetings tomorrow, then to Alexandria KY to spend the night at my sister's, then on Wednesday, we are having breakfast and shopping and then I am going to Cincinnati for the Great Lakes Relocation Council annual meeting (woo hoo . . . staying at the Grand Hyatt . . . they have the BEST beds!), home on Friday, then Election Worker training on Saturday morning. Busy week, about 700+ miles on the car.
I am wearing...white tee-shirt, green blouse, navy blue slacks
I am reading... Robert Ludlum's The Bourne sanction : a new Jason Bourne novel / by Eric Van Lustbader, Published 2008.
I am hoping... to not work late today
I am hearing... the radio and traffic
Around the house... things are in disarray. I didn't even vacuum this weekend . . . slacker.
One of my favorite things... not vacuuming . . . LOL
A Few Plans For The Rest Of The Week...already covered that one above
Here is a picture thought I am sharing with you... since the kids were all together on Sunday (sometimes a major feat), I got them to pose for the annual Christmas photo. This is one that I'm not going to use . . . Dave always laughs that I take the Christmas photo in September . . . actually, it is when they are together, in a good mood and the weather is good.


P9210018
Originally uploaded by mlj1954ohio






p.s. I figured out that if I load the pictures to Flickr from home, then I can post from Flickr . . . maybe.

Friday, September 19, 2008

Friday Fill In - 9/18/08

1. There is no need to hurry, it will all still be here tomorrow.

2. Where in the heck did the time go . . . I can still remember just yesterday holding my babies.

3. Sometimes it seems that getting older is all I managed to do.

4. Prospects for my back surviving next week's 700 miles of driving and sitting in meetings, doesn't look good.

5. God is the message, Christ is the messenger.

6. Simplicity and tranquility are just right outside my grasp.

7. And as for the weekend, tonight I’m looking forward to nothing, absolutely nothing, tomorrow my plans include 4:30 Mass, swimming lessons, laundry and more nothing and Sunday, I want to sleep in, get organized for next week's trip (which is becoming a moving target), make a fabulous dinner (Chicken Kiev, mushrooms and onions, rice) and take Lindsey to Youth Minstry (she actually brought up that she wanted to go!!!)!

Thursday, September 18, 2008

and its Thursday

It has been a strange week.

Lots of weirdness.

I think part of it is that I am getting into some travel time and it just always sends me off on weirdness.

I will be in Louisville and Cincinnati next week. My sister lives in Kentucky, not far from the Ohio River, so I will be able to spend some time with her. I am going to spend Tuesday night at her house. She is a nurse and works nights, so after she gets home on Wednesday morning, we are also going to go to breakfast and maybe visit the IKEA which is about 30 miles from her home.

In October, I go to New Jersey for a couple of hours (yes, hours) and then take the train to DC for another conference. It is a hectic trip. Lots of meetings and all of the service providers I use for relocation, want some of my time. EXHAUSTING.

The day after Thanksgiving, I am flying to Dallas. One of my very bestest friends in the world is going to 70 this year and her sons are having a birthday party for her that Friday evening. Even though her birthday isn't for another week, they figured it would be a good time to do it since all of her sons and their children will be in Dallas for Thanksgiving weekend. I was going to go to Dallas the following week for a meeting (with another service provider). The timing was perfect. So, instead of flying in on Sunday and out on Tuesday, I am flying in on Friday and out on Tuesday which will give me the weekend to spend with Janet.

The timing of that trip is really good since we shut down payment of all invoicing after November 15. It is all very complicated but it gives me incredible breathing room to relax through the holidays and rest up to hit the ground running in January. I know, I know. It sounds weird to be talking about Thanksgiving and the end of the year when it is only September but, hey, it is what I do . . . someday, I will explain more about my job. It is sometimes very bizarre!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Knitting stuff: I am making an ELF hat and have been getting more comments about it than anything else I have knitted on recently. I did go to a KAL at a local coffee shop last Wednesday. My daughter takes violin and the coffee shop is just down the street from her lessons. Great fun. Various levels of expertise.

I also have casted on, knit several rows, and frogged (more than once) MS4. Sigh. It is really the kind of project where I cannot have any distractions!

Monday, September 15, 2008

Simple Woman's Daybook ~ 9/15/8

If there were no God, there would be no Atheists.
-- G. K. Chesterton

For Today:

Outside my Window... we have had high winds across Ohio, remnants of Hurricane Ike. There are tree branches and "stuff" everywhere. I cannot even begin to imagine what it would be like to be in the middle of one of those monsters. My prayers are with those who were.


I am thinking... that the strawberries I am eating are fabulous.



I am thankful for... a sense of humor . . . I realized yesterday in talking to some of the parents of my daughter's friends, that there are many people who just don't have a sense of humor or maybe it is that they just don't know how to laugh? I actually thought it was me but my husband commented on it later too!



From the kitchen... the tomato thingee with the cheese and potato chips




baked tomatoes
Originally uploaded by mlj1954ohio
















I am creating... ELF Hat, MS4



I am going... to really have to start exercising. It is the only thing I can think of that will get this butt smaller!



I am wearing... black pants, white shirt, red jacket, multi-colored necklace and earrings



I am reading... Twilight by Stephanie Meyer



I am hoping... to spend every evening this week at home, enjoying time with my family, well, except for tonight (I have a meeting).



I am hearing... the trees hitting my windows . . . it is still windy out.



Around the house... Lindsey cleaned (her friends were over on Sunday and therefore it is her responsibility to make sure that the house is clean). I was going to help her but then she started making comments about how "dirty" the house is. So I looked around. Hmmm . . . Lindsey's towel is on the chair. Lindsey's books are on the table . . . oh, and here are the papers that Lindsey was looking for earlier but couldn't find . . . and, well, the girls' bathroom . . . we won't even go there! I did re-vacuum after she thought she was done since the job she did wasn't up to my standards.



One of my favorite things... Laughing



A Few Plans For The Rest Of The Week... I have a meeting at Lindsey's school this evening. Other than that, it will be the same: work, home, sleep, repeat!



Here is a picture thought I am sharing with you... I posted it above . . . LOL

Sunday, September 14, 2008

Sunflowers






This summer has been especially hot and dry (well, except for this weekend, when we had Ike influenced rain). While I have commented on the vegetables, the one flower that we plant is sunflowers. We usually do a whole bunch and they effectively block out my neighbors trash pile (LOL). This year the plants were slow to grow and never reached their height potential. However, when they finally bloomed they were awesome!




And sometimes, if you are sitting on the porch, the sunflowers effectively block not only the neighbors trash containers but also the sun!

















Saturday, September 13, 2008

Artsy Fartsy

REVISED -- I originally posted this on Saturday night -- big mistake -- my eyes are just causing me so much grief. I have a cataract in my left eye and a cold which is bothering both eyes.
So I looked at this post on Sunday morning and realized that I probably shouldn't be doing anything in the evening when I can barely see the screen!


Okay, so I finally got this pic not to tilt so you don't have to flip your computer screen (LOL):







the pics above are pencil drawings that Lindsey did. She is going to enter them into an Art Show at her school.

The following is something that my Mom made, many years ago.


Oh, she also did the following. My Mom was very talented and what my daughter got was my Mom's talent and skills.






The two things my Mom did were regular rug hooking. It is not latched hook but hooked wool. She belonged to a group called the Happy Hookers. LOL. We spent lots of time at GoodWill shops looking for good wool that she could cut into strips and dye. The goose one has various lengths of wool to give the project depth. Very cool.

Friday, September 12, 2008

Friday Fill In - 9/12/08

The most wasted of all days is one without laughter.
-- e e cummings

1. I enjoy reading and knitting . . . audio books are great since I can then do both at the same time!
2. Where my kids are going to end up is something I wonder about often lately.
3. In your heart, you knew that Dave and I would end up together.
4. Take a couple of tomatoes and chop, add a little garlic, onion and top with crushed potato chips and mozzarella cheese, and bake (30 minutes @ 350), and you end up with that tomato casserole thing with the potato chips and cheese.
5. Life has gifted me with a sense of humor.
6. Reading is an instant vacation.
7. And as for the weekend, tonight I’m looking forward to making jello shots for Sarah and Kyle's picnic, tomorrow my plans include WW, Zachariah's swimming and 4:30 Mass and Sunday, I want to watch the St. Joe's Swim Team swimming in our pool (maybe 20 girls and their families . . . what fun)!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I am upset with my daughter's school. They provided all the girls with water bottles (a good thing as long as they get washed and rinses well occasionally). They had a water bottle blessing ceremony. They offered a prayer during their opening announcements, as part of the general prayers offered every morning, but other than that, they did nothing for 9/11. But, they did have a water bottle blessing ceremony. How lame is that!

Thursday, September 11, 2008

ignoring you


P9100014
Originally uploaded by mlj1954ohio

I'm just going to read my book and ignore you. Do you have a problem with that? Hmmmm? I'm reading Twilight by Stephanie Meyer. It is better than Harry Potter but not as good as Gone with the Wind. Get over it.

You, yes you, Mom, you have got to read this book! Well, its a series. Start with Twilight. We'll talk!

What do you mean you want me to help you in the garden . . . can't you tell that I AM IGNORING YOU????


hmmmm


P9100013
Originally uploaded by mlj1954ohio
am I interrupting you? I'm in the middle of this book. What do you want?

Pssst . . . I'm over here in the garden


P9100012
Originally uploaded by mlj1954ohio

a nice Wednesday afternoon . . .

Mom is putting about in the garden. I'll just sit here on the porch and ignore her.

If I look at her, she might ask me for something. A bowl for the vegetables? Not a chance. I don't even like vegetables. If I liked vegetables, I would be a vegan . . . but I don't.

Gosh, I hope she doesn't ask me to weed. Yuck. That is almost as bad as being forced to plant the vegetables in the first place!


Wednesday, September 10, 2008

Homemaking ABC's

I stole this off of Shelly's site.
Aprons--y/n If y, what does your fav. look like? I do have one . . . since my wedding reception was at my parents' home and my sisters were doing all the serving, my one sister made aprons for each of them to wear and one for me too. I still have it. It is yellow, full coverage. I usually forget to wear it.

Baking--Favorite thing to bake? Apple Pie with crumb topping.

Clothes line? No but wish I did. I love hanging clothes outside. I especially decided that I loved it when our dryer broke a couple of years ago and rather than schlepping wet laundry, I had Dave hang rope and I hung out all the laundry. Lindsey was appalled. A perk for me. My neighbor was appalled. Another perk for me. We have an acre. And no part of her house looks over my back yard. In fact, she can only see that part of my yard if she stands next to her garage. Pshhhh. She complains about everything.

Donuts-- Have you ever made them? Yes. Stopped doing it because I have the firm conviction that they are only good if you sit and eat all of them while drinking a glass(es) of milk.

Everyday -- One homemaking thing you do every day? Wipe off kitchen counters and scrub sink (a flashback to Flylady).

Freezer --Do you have a separate deep freeze? Yes.

Garbage Disposer? Yes. Wouldn't have a home without one.

Handbook--What is your favorite homemaking resource? Anything Heloise

Ironing--Love it or Hate it? Or hate it but love the results? Hate it, love the results. I will go on a tear and iron everything. Does my hubby notice that I ironed all of his shirts? Nope. Do I care? Nope. Its like washing windows. It makes you feel so good when you see everything so nicely done!

Junk Drawer--y/n? Where is it? Used to have one. Remodelled kitchen and everything nicely got sorted into drawers. I have 15 drawers in my kitchen, four of which have different silverware/stainless/goldware in them . . . how weird is that!

Kitchen--color and decorating scheme. Dark Blue countertops with white cabinets and sunflowers (some mosaic sunflower tiles; silk sunflowers in vase and sunflower painting). If you want to see a picture, go here.

Love--what is your favorite part of homemaking? Having someone else do it?!? Being done? The sense of accomplishment when the home is clean . . . which lasts all of ten seconds until the kids start dropping things on the table, counters, floor . . . sigh

Mop--y/n? Yes.

Nylons, machine or hand wash? Hand wash . . . on the other hand I have totally switched what I wear to work now and have successfully not put on pantyhose in well over a year! It is a beautiful thing. I realized that I was having a work-out every morning trying to get them up and over my butt and didn't like it at all! Besides look at the money I have saved.

Oven--do you use the window or open the oven to check? My oven is totally stainless and doesn't have a window. But even if it did, I would still open the door.

Pizza--What do you put on yours? Sliced tomatoes, glazed mushrooms and onions, sausage and pepperoni, lots of cheese.

Quiet--What do you do during the day when you get a quiet moment? knit or read.

Recipe Card Box--y/n? I have my Mom's. I prefer cookbooks and those wonderful post-it notes that I have all my most favorite recipes tagged with!

Style of house--What style is your house? It started life as a ranch with a single garage that was attached with a breezeway (with the breezeway also having the utility room). The people that we bought from went through the roof and added four bedrooms and two baths and converted the downstairs bedrooms into family room, dining room and library, attached a two 1/2 car garage and full attics over the garage and house. We have added another room upstairs, bumped out the back of the house on the first floor by eight feet and added an 8' x 38' porch. It is eclectic.

Tablecloths or Placemats? Both. My kids are 7 to 22 . . . they are slobs. Actually, right now I have two table cloths on the table and a pad and placemats and we use cloth napkins!

Under the kitchen sink--organized or toxic wasteland? organized. We had a problem with the faucet leaking. I got tired of soggy stuff. Everything sits on top of cooling (baking) racks. Any water will go right through and it makes potential clean-up easier.

Vacuum--How many times per week? Depends on when my husband does it . . . he uses vacuuming as a break when he is grading papers on weekends.

Wash--How many loads of laundry do you do per week? usually nine . . . sort Friday morning and all of it except the sheets are done by Saturday morning.

X's--Do you make lists and cross things off as you go? We have an ongoing shopping list. When you take the last or second to the last item out of the pantry (did I ever mention that my hubby has the pantry and deep freeze inventoried?), you write it down on the list. If I am doing a party or picnic, I make lists of what I am serving with a side grocery list. I do use to do lists at work and will call myself at work (or at home, as the case may be) to remind me to do something.

Yard--y/n? Who does what? My husband takes care of the yard. We all help with the vegetable garden (which Lindsey feels is not fair since she despises vegetables).

ZZZ's--what is your last homemaking task for the day before going to bed? Cleaning the bathroom sink. I hate waking up to soap or toothpaste scum.

Coveted Yarn contest on Ravelry

Okay, here’s the scoop:

From now until September 21st at noon eastern time we are running a contest. 10 people (not 1 or 2 but 10) will get FREE YARN!!! How much FREE YARN? It is up to them. The more people they can get to join our group and tell us what their most Coveted Yarn is the more yarn they win.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Here are the rules:

Each person you send earns you 1 point. This is what they have to do to count

1. Join the Coveted Yarn group (over at Ravelry).
2. Say that you sent them (have them use my Ravelry screen name: mlj1954) on this thread.
3. Tell everyone what your most Coveted Yarn is.

It is that easy.

For example: I joined because Kathy sent me. I posted:

"Hi, I’m Mary Lynn and Kathy (gimpykatk) sent me and my most coveted yarn is anything Malabrigo … anything … preferably in blue, but Malabrigo!"

This will be 1 point for Kathy! Each person who joins and posts can only be counted once. For the point to count you must say who sent you and also what your most Coveted Yarn is and you must join the group before the deadline, September 21.

At the end of the contest the points will be tallied and the 10 highest point tallies will each receive a credit to Coveted Yarn's website of $1 for every 2 points earned (rounded up). This credit can be used for anything on the site (well over 200 different yarns) including patterns, sale and clearance items. There is no maximum so if you get the hankering to go hog wild then please do so, after all we are talking about FREE YARN here. Time to load up!!

All credit from this contest must be used by November 15, 2008.

Tuesday, September 09, 2008

Someone's boring me. I think it's me.
-- Dylan Thomas, in Rayner Heppenstall, Four Absentees (1960)
Its raining . . . thank God.
Rain is a good thing. We have not had a really long consistent rain (something lasting all day) since the end of June. We have had passing storms. In the long run, a passing storm just gets everything hot and muggy (especially when the temperature is 90 degrees). But what we need is a nice consistent rain. Lawns are brown. Trees are wilting. More importantly, my vegetable garden is so sad. It is sad even though my hubby has watered it every day. We have had a hot dry summer and the veggies are paying the price. But it is raining. It started late last evening and is raining today and is expected to rain all day. And it is supposed to be 80 degrees tomorrow through the weekend.
I am working on the Elf hats for Zachariah and Mary. I keep changing what I am doing so I haven't gotten very far. It is mindless work and something I can do on the bus, as long as I don't nod off. I have yet to cast on for MS4 . . . I know, I know. It is that whole focus thing (or lack of focus thing).
Last night I had a meeting at Church. I am coordinating the sacramental retreats this year. Last night was the meeting with the parents of the children making their first reconciliation this year. The cool thing about this group is that there were so many parents at the meeting. All except three children had a parent at the meeting and the conversation, etc. were very animated. I am excited.
As part of the retreat process, we are changing things up a bit this year. Instead of having the parents spend time with their children in the morning, we are offering the parents an opportunity for their own reflection. One of our parishioners is a fabulous speaker and I have asked her to do the parental reflection time. The children will be spending time with the teachers and I and then we all come back together to receive the sacrament. And, everyone will be done by 12:30. Short, sweet and we aren't feeding them (which I never understood why when we have them for such a short period of time, we would take time away from preparation to feed the kids but it was always part of the day). I did have a couple of Moms wanting to know where they sign up to bring cookies or cupcakes or other stuff. I thanked them, nicely, and explained that no one is eating in the morning. Seriously, don't the kids make it in school from 9:00 to 11:00 without eating? We are not only dedicating more time to preparation but there will be less clean-up and we will save money. Of course, Fr. Neil doesn't know that my motive is that the money we save on not feeding the kids will be spent on other things . . . LOL!
And, so, I got home last night. Dave and I shared a glass of wine and talked about our day. I woke this morning ready to eat a horse, when I realized that I hadn't eaten last night. Nothing. I guess it is just fair that I talk about not feeding the kids at the retreat and don't eat anything myself.
That's it . . .

Monday, September 08, 2008

Simple Woman's Daybook ~ 9/8/8

If man does find the solution for world peace it will be the most revolutionary reversal of his record we have ever known.
-- George C. Marshall


FOR TODAY~ September 8, 2008
Outside my Window... the sky is incredibly blue but the air is getting cooler. You just know that Fall is right around the corner.
I am thinking... I need to start thinking about moving clothes around, except that by the end of this week it is supposed to be 80 degrees again.
I am thankful for... the changing seasons . . . even in the depths of winter, I know that another spring will arrive.
From the kitchen... we went to a clambake yesterday and I made vegetable pizza appetizer. The entire plate disappeared within minutes (crescent rolls (2 packages rolled out and seams pressed together, baked at 400 degrees for 15 minutes; combine 2 8oz packages cream cheese (I use fat free), 2/3 cup mayo (I used fat free), 1/2 head broccoli, 1/2 head cauliflower, 4 carrots (all veggies chopped fine), 1 tsp dill, 1 tsp garlic, 1 tsp onion salt or powder; spread cream cheese mixture over top of crescent rolls, top with alfalfa sprouts (pressing down into cream cheese), but into 1 x 2 inch strips and serve. Yummy)
I am creating... MS4 . . . why, oh why, Also, elf hat, finished Lindsey's bag and working on her dress.
I am going... a couple of meetings this week at Church and for relocation
I am wearing... brown slacks and aqua knit shirt
I am reading... Nancy Drew (something SPA but I don't remember the exact title)
I am hoping... to get better organized today
I am hearing... people arriving and starting their day
Around the house... we are hosting the swim team Fall picnic on Sunday so will need to clean up even the upstairs (20 girls in swim suits will need lots of space)
One of my favorite things... spending time with my family.
A Few Plans For The Rest Of The Week... Open House at Dave's school on Tuesday, out Thursday at meeting for relocation, lunch meeting with one of the service providers, followed by meeting at Church for Confirmation Retreat, picking Zachariah up at Chuck's on Friday,
Here is a picture thought I am sharing with you... hmmmm, well that didn't work . . . what a surprise.

Friday, September 05, 2008

Friday fill in - 9/5/08

You can pretend to be serious; you can't pretend to be witty.
-- Sacha Guitry


1. If I was to walk into your life, you would be surprised that I am so short.
2. Catch a bright star and place it where children can see and realize that dreams can be achieved.
3. And you can send me flowers or yarn or both.
4. Forgiveness is easy but I'm dealing with a memory that never forgets.
5. I'm the innocent bystander / Somehow I got stuck doing the work.
6. What's keeping us apart isn't selfishness, its distance.
7. And as for the weekend, tonight I’m looking forward to helping Lindsey with her bag and dresses, tomorrow my plans include WW, swimming and violin and Sunday, I want to go the Bob and Annette's clambake!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Answers to some of the Questions asked in the comments:

Clambakes are fun except when you are doing Weight Watchers. Well, the clams are okay, its all the other stuff. Fortunately, we are walking to it.

My doctor just read me the riot act about my weight (again) and my sugar level (pre-diabetic). I told her that I had rejoined WW (again) and she said that I should do CORE as opposed to FLEX as CORE is very similar to a nutritionally sound, diabetic diet and if I follow it, I could get my sugar back down below the pre-diabetic levels. Well, I didn't even make it one day on CORE and messed up the whole thing, gaining a pound this week. Bah humbug. So, I am going to try it again this week. The biggest problem is bread. I so much enjoy bread, all kinds of bread.

I am short, Jane, and could look you in the eye. I am one of five girls and the tallest of the five. As my husband likes to say, we are splitting hairs since I am only 5'1" and my shortest sister is 4'11". Out of my nieces, who are adults, the heights range, however, from 5'6" to 5'11" (my sisters and I tell them that we saved our height potential for them).

Thursday, September 04, 2008

Special Olympics scarf


P9040006
Originally uploaded by mlj1954ohio
You know when you have those times when this matches that which matches this that matches that which matches this . . .

Okay, I had mentioned that I wanted to do at least one of the Special Olympics scarves. I spent time at Joann's on Monday trying to find the yarn. Well, as it turns out that supposedly the only place you can get it is WalMart. I planned on going on Saturday or Sunday to Walmart to get the yarn.

This afternoon at work, I got a call from one of the other managers. She said that someone had told her that I did "yarn stuff." It appears that Sara had also read the thing about Special Olympics needing 5,000 scarves. She had bought the yarn with the intention of crocheting at least one, hopefully two.

About ten days ago, she fell. Hard. On concrete. She shattered her right elbow and fractured her lower arm. She has pins. After being out of work for ten days, she realized that she would not be able to write much less crochet.

She brought me the yarn and asked if I would mind making a scarf. She also offered me a crochet hook.

You know, one of those small world things when this matches that which matches this which matches that . . . amazing huh!

Virtues . . .

No one gossips about other people's secret virtues.
-- Bertrand Russell
I just really enjoy this quote.
We don't gossip about the good people do . . . whether known or rumored.
I enjoy those commercials that show one person doing something good and someone sees them and does something nice for someone else which is witnessed by someone else . . . and so on.
Where I work, I participate on our Volunteer Advisory Group. We have a variety of projects that we work on (tutoring, back to school drives, soup kitchens, Ronald McDonald House, Blood Drives, done-in-a-day projects, charity walks). These are firm sponsored events and the goal of the group when formed was to provide opportunities to individuals who may not know where or how to volunteer. To that end, we have been very successful. We have individuals who once brought to an organization, continue to volunteer on a regular basis.
About every three years, the chair says that we need to survey everyone to find out where they are volunteering and in what capacity. The funny thing is that when we do this, we get a very small response. We have over 900 people in the office in Cleveland and the response is usually less than 20. People are not comfortable in blowing their own horn.
So, where am I going with this . . . our hours are 8:45 to 5:15. Yesterday at lunch, one of my co-workers was waxing poetic about the fact that another co-worker just can't seem to get her butt in the office on Thursdays . . . and she made some obnoxiously rude remark about where this co-worker may be on Thursday mornings . . . with a sigh, I reminded her that last summer, one of our projects was serving breakfast at the Cosgrove Center to the homeless. (Of course, she probably didn't remember because she doesn't volunteer anywhere or anytime because she never has time.)
We committed to do it for three months (also providing our summer hires an opportunity to participate). Since that time Tina has continued to go. Every Thursday. Even last week when she had taken the week off, she went . . . and brought her 14 and 16 year old sons with her so that they could participate.
I hate rude and stupid people. Okay, that's it. My gripe for the day. Thank you for listening! Have a good one.

Monday, September 01, 2008

Simple Woman's Daybook ~ 20


For Today...
Outside my Window... it is night . . . a beautifully clear night with the stars shining like beacons in the dark.
From the learning rooms... Dave spent the afternoon on and off grading papers for his first graders. Yesterday we had our annual non-Labor Day picnic . . . we laugh cause we labor so that we can spend time visiting with friends . . . some we have known only for a short while and some, like Ed, we (and in Ed's case, Dave) has known for years and years. Dave met Ed and Bill when Dave was 13 and he will be 57 this year. Many of them we have known when we were all getting married (most between 1978 and 1982), now are children are getting married and having babies. But, where I am going with this is that from the learning rooms, many of our newer friends are elementary school teachers . . . many of whom spent the day . . . talking about their classes and how the schools have changed. They all teach in Catholic elementary schools and our Diocese is closing and consolidating many of the schools.
From the kitchen... potato salad, pasta salad, cole slaw, bar-b-cue chicken, tomatoes from the garden, along with sweet and hungarian yellow peppers,
I am wearing...shorts, a pink t-shirt, no shoes or socks
I am creating... not much. I wanted to get blue and white red heart yarn for the scarves for special olympics but JoAnn's didn't have the right blue.
I am hearing... the crickets outside the window, traffic on a nearby freeway (it is, after all, a clear night and the sounds travel), as well as a train whistle
Around the house... everything has been tidied up from yesterday, dishes and party stuff are put away, the canopy is down and everything is where it is supposed to be . . . I think . . . at least until I go looking for it again!
One of my favorite things... watching our friends meet and greet each other . . . seeing new relationships develop
A Few Plans For The Rest Of The Week... off tomorrow because a repair man is coming to finish the crawl space, lunch with Wendy, my good friend and neighbor, getting into the everyone's back in school and work and where they belong routine, continuing to pray for those in the path of the most current hurricanes, attending a clam bake next Sunday.
Here is a picture thought I am sharing with you... well, I would love to share it with you but a couple of things happened . . . one, I didn't take it because the moment was gone and two, blogger probably wouldn't have let me load it anyway . . . but, imagine, my husband, 14 year old daughter and 7 year old son . . . they started out sitting under a tree . . . and then they were all laying down under the tree . . . and then they were all sleeping. It was hot day and the shade just cooled everything down to make it prime for a nap.