Author Archives: Dianne

About Dianne

Domestic goddess, wife, mom, gardener, paper and collage artist, geocacher, local traveler, cross stitcher, baker, crafter, Facebooker, blogger, decorator and photographer.

Jan1

Happy 2013!

Posted on Tuesday, January 1, 2013 by Dianne

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I raise my wine slushie to you on this first day of the new year. I’m hoping for health and happiness (a little wealth wouldn’t hurt) this year for you!

I’m watching the Rose Parade and will watch the Philadelphia Mummer’s Parade later.

Didn’t have the greatest of nights with achiness, so couldn’t get comfortable. I’m hoping I can find something to help me soon as I don’t want to rely on medicine like my mom does. This really worries me, as I like working at the preschool, like geocaching and like doing things in general where I have to walk and stand a lot.

I’m making a dish similar to my favorite from ‘The Olive Garden’-shrimp and chicken carbonara.

Dec29

Oh the places we’ve seen!

Posted on Saturday, December 29, 2012 by Dianne

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Yay, I kind of borrowed that title from my new pal Jodie as this is like the name of her Facebook album defining the same thing-geocache adventures! The thing is, Jodie and her hubby have found over 2k each! I’m not sure if I’ll ever even get close to that or my other pal Carole’s almost 600 with all my arthritis issues that crept up this year. I can surely pace myself and it’s great exercise and many caches involve enjoying the beauty of nature.

So what have we seen? Many Quaker Meeting houses/old cemeteries, my goodness at least a dozen or more different ones with their ancient grave stones and faded out names.

Hosanna in Lincoln University, PA

Chadds Ford, PA

Red Clay Creek Church, DE Found #100 here

St. David’s Church, PA

Let me make it clear that you aren’t allowed to hide caches around graves. They are usually in a fence, old tree stump or similar. The one above was a ‘virtual’ one where we found the grave of General Anthony Wayne and took a photo.

So if these places weren’t interesting enough, we found places like Historic New Castle, DE and

Brandywine Springs Picnic park (what was left of this place)

Great views!

Where my cache is hidden in my hometown

Wilmington, DE

Blue Ball Barn in Delaware

Did I mention Cannon finds?

Part II-Nature caches soon

Dec26

Goal reached-200 geocaches found!

Posted on Wednesday, December 26, 2012 by Dianne

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Saturday night (Dec. 22nd), the three of us went to our church. It’s been a while for all three with the guys’ work schedule. Afterwards, we enjoyed some cheese steaks (Brian and me) and Sean got a white pizza. I looked on the phone and there were a few caches I could find to make it to 200 total. Now it is dark and rather chilly and the guys both agreed as they know I enjoy caching so much. Sean hasn’t been on many finds, but he has the app on his phone too! The first place we looked was in a housing development with large homes. It was in a wooded area behind a playground. I sent Brian in with the phone, he had no luck and I then came in. It was just too dark to find. : (

So I remembered a lamp post one in a nearby parking lot that we had to avoid in the summer as wasps had taken over it and were all over the area. This time Brian looked and couldn’t find it. I got out and it was ‘under’ the base, very wet and almost too difficult to sign. I didn’t have my geo bag with me, or I would have replaced the log (I did the log replacement on 12-12-12 for a bison tube one. I had printed out an assortment of them). This was #199. We were in Delaware caching.

Ok…where is #200? There was yet another lamp post one not too far away. Brian missed the turn, we went and looked around the Christmas stuff at Kmart-hardly any sales, so we came back to the cache area and drove around the different parking lots until we pin pointed the exact one. So I found a cute little cache box and took a pewter keychain that says ‘I love Dalmations’ which my brother happens to have! I left some coins and here I am posing under the lamp post!

Dec25

Merry Christmas 2012

Posted on Tuesday, December 25, 2012 by Dianne

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I hope everyone got to spend time with their family and loved ones this year.

Last night we headed to my mom and brother’s house. They outdid themselves with decorating. Don’s been wanting a lighted village display for a year and started collecting them, from yard sales and eBay. they are really hard to take a photo of without a tripod, but what a great job he did.

This is the seaport. The other one is across the room there. Then there were some on the bookcases and sofa table…and dining room!

Mom and some of her new white tree.

Silly dog Kelsey!

Sean’s girlfriend Mary and her daughter came over for a little bit. K. loved Kelsey and he was kissing her like crazy!

We decided to attend a midnight mass service at a Chadds Ford church. It was very nice, they had singing and a trumpet soloist, new to us. Think we’d go back!

Today we slept in, ate the hash brown casserole I made the day before. Made one for mom and Don too. As I was making these, I bit into a cookie and a tooth crown came off! I called the dentist right away and he couldn’t come into the office to glue it back in. I will probably go in on Wednesday, but the weather is suppose to be bad. My luck! Yes, I endured both Christmas eve and Christmas with this issue.

I made a nice brisket dinner with roasted veggies, mashed potatoes and sticky toffee cake. My mom and brother were suppose to come out and open their gifts and eat, but my brother wasn’t feeling well. He had made appetizers to dessert last night and also did last minute tidying up which wore him out and gave him a racing heart. Sean was going to see his girlfriend, who lives a few towns over, so he dropped off their dinners and gifts to them. Brian also took food over to his dad along with gifts.

I got to use the iPad app, Facetime to watch my younger brother and his family open their gifts and then Mom and Don later. That was neat!

I’m now relaxing, enjoying my tea in my blue glass mug (from Sean and a set of 6) and my new book from Brian called: Local Treasures: Geocaching across America. : )

Sean in front of our tree-only shot of our Christmas-just so busy!

Gifts from Sean. Love both!

My new book, Some sweet Pier One bird canvases. a Vera Bradley wallet and two sock monkeys.

Sean got his dad a new laptop! Bri is getting use to it and having a little trouble with it.

Dec20

Bringing in the spirit

Posted on Thursday, December 20, 2012 by Dianne

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Well of course it’s been a rough week, but after I left the lights off Friday for the CT school, they did come back on again the next night. As my dear pal Carole said, each light represents a bright shining face of a child that use to be with us. : )

I have been doing better, but I am definitely feeling achy in my hips now. It’s better than stabbing pain. Had some insurance woes, but got one at least straightened out. That was some what of a relief.

Brian and I were in Big Lots and I saw a pink tinsel tree for $10. Pre-lit with pink lights too. The next day he went back and got it for me and I decorated with the children from CT in mind with cupcakes and cookie type ornaments.

That’s my Amaryllis that is blooming sweetly also! It’s on my work table. I had to find a place for it and my house is a little crowded with the big tree too.

I did finish my window scene. Because it has children (my sweet dolls like Zuzu) it is extra special.

My little sofa table had favorite houses on it plus a terrarium with an ice skating gnome inside. His wife is watching him.

I wanted Brian to get his old sled out of the shed for our outside decor. No easy task when the chairs are put away already for the winter, but he managed. I wasn’t sure if I still had ice skates. One time, years ago, I ordered an ice skating rink kit and although it was set up, it never got cold enough to use it. It got stuffed in a bag and forgotten. We all had brand new skates and never used them, ever! So Bri again rummaged and I still had my skates, one wasn’t even laced up. Don’t think I’ll be using them, so they look nice hanging over the sled.

I finished wrapping gifts and need to continue to tidy up.

Haven’t made one cookie, but have my brisket for Christmas dinner- bought from the same place where we bought it last year. I really want to make a sticky toffee cake too.

And here’s the ornament I just finished tonight:

It was a free chart…just the owl. I added the branch, hat and moon and of course date.

Dec18

No words

Posted on Tuesday, December 18, 2012 by Dianne

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Dec15

How can there be Christmas this year?

Posted on Saturday, December 15, 2012 by Dianne

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With the events of the 14th, I just couldn’t turn on the tree or lights yesterday. It didn’t seem right that I was enjoying my Christmas tree and 20 little children weren’t enjoying their holiday excitement. I don’t know how many more places will be rampaged by those who get their hands on guns. The 2nd Amendment is about militia-time to get real with that.

This lovely young lady was protecting her students

On a personal level, I went out in the car on Tuesday and Wednesday-set me back a bit. I have been trying to do things which leads to more discomfort. Last night was really bad. I had been sitting on a cushion Brian’s dad sent over and when I got up, the pain was excruciating. I took a pain pill (I wasn’t given many, so watch how many I take) and it took 2.5 hours to kick in. I was feeling blah all day and reviewed about taking Aleve with my hbp medicine and it’s not advised. All during the night, I made sure I stayed off my right side and iced it. Not good sleep, but less pain. It’s still hurting, so I have to figure out what to do. I’ll take it easy today, but our insurance isn’t paying for hardly anything! Says I have a ‘pre-existing condition’. Doesn’t seem fair that we are paying out of pocket every month and not getting help. I think the insurance kicks in after a year (May), but too bad if you have an issue before that. My GP tried to get the insurance to pay for my September visit, but alas, got a bill in the mail yesterday.

Dec11

Please vote for me!

Posted on Tuesday, December 11, 2012 by Dianne

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I’m in a Christmas tree contest for about another week over at the Country Living magazine Pinterest board. If you like it, please simply click like. The prize is an Amazon Kindle. Please read what I wrote about the tree, etc. under the photo there.

This was the first day in over two weeks that I got in the car and went some place besides a doctor’s office. I did fairly well except for getting in and out of the vehicle. I went to a nice nursery place between my hometown and here and as my late grandmom said ‘the prices were dear’ like $64 for a paper decoration. I got some neat photos there.

Did a Longwood Gardens ‘drive by’. I’ll get there in late Dec./early Jan.

We looked around Pier One and I selected a few things for my displays. They have very cute things there if you are looking for little gifts for people. I will ‘sniff’ them out after Christmas too!

And I made these retrospect ‘covers’ for Facebook. I still need 5 to get to 200 geocaches.

Dec10

Having fun with Instagram

Posted on Monday, December 10, 2012 by Dianne

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I am feeling better today. I’ll take more days like this! I have been using the heating pad off and on and I do believe it’s loosening up that sore, stiff muscle (or two). Brian suggested it. He saved me by buying yogurt as the medicine was going to give me issues and it helped too.

Sean helped me get some Christmas things from the basement and I did the front bay window and we strung lights outside. I took a few photos with the phone app ‘Instagram’ tonight. It’s like a Polaroid-you get a square photo and can use different effects.

This is part of my front window display. I have 3 sweet Christmas dolls. We put white lights under ‘snow’ and put the girls in a gold sleigh with Ernest Elf and Snowy owl. Yes, the owls are even dominate for Christmas as I got two of them for my birthday. I’m not finished all the way with the window. There are also shots of the mantel here.

You can’t see the one Richard Simmons doll.

I have some glass jars this year on the mantel. I need to get some candy for a few of them. The bright red lights are holly berries.

And a view from outside

Tomorrow Brian will take me to get my hair done as I am still a little nervous about using my right side to drive. I decided to skip the school too but the director said they are doing all Christmas activities on Wednesday. I may swing by there to wish them Merry Christmas. The Bible study will resume on January 9th.

Dec8

Christmas Tree 2012

Posted on Saturday, December 8, 2012 by Dianne

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I was really happy to start on our tree Friday night. I knew I wanted my ‘natural’ ornaments, pine cones, birds, mushrooms with a touch of red, white, silver and gold. The tree is so well lit (never had this kind of tree before) that I knew the ornaments would help take down the brightness. Today I looked in a newer box of things and there were red cardinals and red see-thru balls. I had put a few of our 20+ year old red balls up. This particular photo had to be lightened up.

There are hearts and butterflies too. I happen to love the snowball and wish I had many more! I always add my winking moon (gold at the top), Sean’s photos from school (the few that he made), and a gold flat Santa and his sleigh. The branches have tinsel in them! This is the tree we found at the Habitat for Humanity store last week for under $40. I’m very pleased with it.

And this is my cross-stitched ornament feather tree. It’s pretty full!

And I can’t forget to tell you that our new sofa and chair came yesterday! They are really nice, but the sofa has some defects! It’s suppose to be brand new! We called the salesman right away and he said the indentation on one arm and the wrinkles in the ‘leather’ (not all leather) were from shipping. We are still waiting on the indentation to go away-but it hasn’t. It feels like there isn’t enough foam.

What do you think?

Here’s a side shot not showing the arms

The big pillows are the back of the sofa! That’s nice as you can arrange them and fluff them.

And what I am sitting on now:

That’s an old pillow.

So, hopefully if we live with that dent, he better know some $$ off of the price. I really think we should get another sofa. Too bad stuff like this has to happen.