Author Archives: Dianne

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About Dianne

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

Evil and crazy people

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Sean was up before me and when I got up, he told me ‘there was a terrorist attack’, my throat tightened. He didn’t know all the details at the time, but in a matter of an hour we were filled in thanks to the tv. I put on BBC America and of course they had the most up-to-date info. I had to do something constructive while they were relaying the info, so I pulled dead leaves off my African violets and watered them. I was going to tell Sean that Conan O’Brien had a temp cap put on a tooth in around the same place as me-but it was kinda stupid to say now considering the barbaric events of the morning.
If any of our English pals read this, I am so sorry to hear about this. We know what’s it’s like in a numbing way. Living in Penna and between NYC and DC-well you know what we went through on 9-11-01. God Bless the Brits!

Garden stuff

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I forgot to tell you that yesterday I went out to the pumpkin/gourd/sunflower garden and found half the sunflowers were eaten. I couldn’t believe what I was seeing! I thought, maybe this time the deer will leave my plants alone. I put a mylar banner up in the middle from the 4th of July that is shiny and has a fringe that blows in the wind. Ha! Like that will help.
My flower garden (crop circle) planted with all seeds is about to burst into bloom! The zinnias are about ready to open and some of the little wildflowers are peeking out of the jungle of green.
Brian took me out to dinner and it was a nice one. I had something rich-lobster ravioli, but it was really good. Bri had ziti and sauce.
I asked Bri if we could run down to Wally World so I could get a bag of potting soil. I believe I’ve gone through 8 bags of soil by now. I had enough today to plant a mini rose and portulaca in a medium size pot. The rose was 25¢, the 4 portulaca were 40¢ and the pretty green pedestal pot was $1.49. So for a little over $2.00 I have a pretty display. I don’t have too much luck with mini roses, but hopefully I can help this one along. The cost of it won’t be a big loss if it doesn’t make it. So at Wally World I got a gorgeous peach ruffled hibiscus for around $12.44, a Irish Gold (I think that’s the name) rose bush for $10, and two pots of 2 feet tall Stargazer lilies for $4.00-$5.00 each (one is for my mom) and a mini display of cacti for about $6. I have other cacti in a little wagon. When we walked in the garden center I smelled the delightful aroma of the lilies and then of course I had to buy some.
I don’t know when the plant buying frenzy will stop! I guess I am enjoying gardening so much this year I want more and more. At least the prices are right.

Not a fun day

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I don’t know what I ate or if I was just overtired, but my stomach was churning and gurgling all day. I tried Rolaids, 2 acidolphilus and finally mint tea until it calmed down ‘just enough’. The rest of me was pretty good until I went to the dentist.
I should never think ‘I only have 2 more payments’ until my dental loan is paid off. Damn it-I have to get another crown and that’s another 9 months or so of payments. I told my dentist about the above and he took a lot photos of the chipped tooth showing that the tooth was structurely defective, thus I needed a crown that cost an arm and a leg.
If you ever had one or need one, the whole pre-crown process is nasty. Especially the stuff you have to bite into so the dentist can make a mold of your tooth. The second gook is purple and he put too much in and it shot to the back of my mouth and I had to suffer with it like that for about 1o minutes. I have a temp cap right now. All the others have come out (I have 3 others) before I got the permanent one in. Now they have a cement inside them that you can run under warm water to ‘reactivate’ it. Cool-in a pain in the butt way.
We had a bad thunderstorm go through around 3 pm. It was also Sean’s first day of his summer session. He said it was ok, but his head hurt after 4 hours. He was able to go to the mall afterwards though. He can also use the exercise room there. He left here at 9:15 am and didn’t get home until 4:30 pm. I was worried about him driving in the storm, but he did fine.

Quiet at last

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The guys just went to the fireworks over in Hockessin, DE. I just took a shower, turned on the Philly 4th celebration and will get out my cross stitch and relax.
We had Brian’s dad, my mom and her friend Jim here for a picnic dinner. Brian burnt the hamburgers again, but the turkey burgers were fine. He was waiting for the turkey burgers to get as brown as the regular burgers and they won’t as they aren’t as fatty. Sean and mom couldn’t eat them. Guess I should have been watching the grill, but I was getting a salad ready.
Everyone cleared out of here by 7. I watered some flowers and planted some in my front garden. I got the 4 in a cell packs for 40 cents each at a local dept store. I got some marigolds, ageratum, yellow celosia and a few more blue salvias. They were practically giving away mini-roses and carnations at 25 cents each. I only bought a few of these.
Yesterday we went to my mom’s and we had stopped at this store on the way there. I bet in a few weeks the flowers there will be 10 cents each. So we got to my mom’s and all the neighbors around her were having parties. The newer neighbors had a DJ set up in the yard facing my mom’s house. She is about 100 feet off the road. No, they couldn’t have him down near their house that’s closer to the road. It was 4 hours of torture as the music was so loud. They knew we were in the yard there and they wouldn’t be nice and turn it down. All their guests were away from the music in front of their garage. Geez. We went down to try and put up mom’s screen house. Mom had taken out the directions to look at them and lost them. Tried as we might, we couldn’t figure out the poles. I called my brother who lives around the corner and he came over on his motorcycle. It took him about 45 minutes to figure it out, but he did! Thank goodness. We also got mom’s fountain working. I need to go down there and help her move plants around. They aren’t doing well at all in the shade.
We went to a local restaurant and I got salad with bleu cheese in it. I don’t know if that’s what made me feel half sick all night. It was hard to get the food ready for today, but everything turned out well other than the burgers.

Stitching Blogger question

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When starting a new project, do you start in the middle? If you do, once you’ve worked down to the bottom, do you turn your chart and fabric around so that you are stitching the top section downwards again or do you just stitch upwards from the middle?
No way! That makes stitching too difficult. It’s logical to start at the top left or middle and work your way down. I use to start in the middle and messed up more than once. I would highly recommend working from the top down.

Patriotic Questions

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I don’t do these forums that often, but since I am so bloggin’ happy today, I thought this one looked good…
The Friday Forum
1] Have you visited many United States historical sites? (For example, the Liberty Bell in Philadelphia, the Freedom Trail in Boston, the monuments in Washington, D.C., etc.) Which did you enjoy the most, and why? Do you have any plans to visit a U.S. historical site anytime soon?

I live near Philly so you bet I have seen the Liberty Bell more than once! Been to Independence Hall, almost all the sights in Washington, DC. Been to Plymouth, Mass and say ‘the rock’.
I guess I enjoyed the trip to New England as everything was new to me.
I’d like to see some of the memorials that I missed in DC like the Vietnam one.
2] Do you consider yourself a patriotic person? Why/why not? How will you celebrate this Fourth of July? Do you decorate your home at all for the holiday and/or wear red, white, and blue?
I think I am patriotic. I have a lot of respect for my country and it’s diverse people.
We use to celebrate the 4th with my older brother’s birthday and still do sometimes. I do decorate with flags, etc. The guys have the Old Navy flag shirts and I have some patriotic tees too.
3] What are some of your favorite Fourth of July foods and beverages?
Anything grilled! 😛 Love potato salad, homemade ice cream, ice tea with lemon.
4] How did you celebrate the Fourth of July growing up? Did you have fireworks at home? Did you attend a fireworks show in your city? Did you watch patriotic celebrations on television?
When we were little we would go to a local park to see the fireworks. More than once we went with the bitchy neighbor who hogged the punk sticks and put them under her chair so the mosquitos would leave her alone.
Sometimes we go to the fireworks (if they are free). I won’t go if it’s too humid. Sean loves to buy fireworks and we have fun setting them off in the driveway. Longwood Gardens and Hartefeld Golf course both have firework displays but we don’t have $60 or whatever to blow going to either. I will watch fireworks on tv! No problem!
Happy 4th ‘ya all!!

100 things

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Nabbed this from Kate’s blog. Finally got around to doing it today:
100 Things
1. I’m named after both my mother Jeanne and my father Carl- Dianne Carol.
2. People usually call me ‘Di’ which I don’t like. Mom calls me Diadsie.
3. Born Nov. 19, 1959
4. Born in West Chester, PA
5. Grew up in Media, PA
6. Attended Delaware County Community College and West Chester University.
7. I ‘turned’ Catholic in 1983 before I got married.
8. I am a ‘liberal’ Catholic if there is such a thing.
9.I have been married to the same man, Brian for over 21 yrs.
10. I have one son who is now a college freshman at Penn State.
11. I am of a melting pot of nationalities but mostly English, Swedish, Danish, French, Irish & German.
12. When I was 2 we lived in Fort Pierce, Florida for a year, but the heat was miserable.
13. My parents divorced when I was about 13, but they had lived apart for many years.
14. My father wouldn’t look at any of his 4 children at the court proceedings.
15. I have 3 brothers, 1 older and 2 younger.
16. I have 3 nephews and 1 niece.
17. My niece Tori and I are the only females in our immediate family for 40 years.
18. I love to cross stitch & have done so for over 25 yrs.
19. I mainly cross stitch for different charities and have done so for over 6 yrs.
20. I also love to garden and putter around in the yard every day.
21. I’m 5’2 and 1/2. The 1/2 is very important.
22. My favorite food is chocolate.
23. I love iced tea, especially home brewed with lemon.
24. My favorite movie is ‘The Wizard of Oz’ and I have a collection of memoribilia from it.
25. I am a liberal democrat.
26. I have one cat, a boy named Cosmo who has a blog.
27. I try to read at least 5+ novels a year because I read slowly.
28. My current favorite TV show is Survivor.
29. My favorite actor is probably still Harrison Ford.
30. I wanted to be a early childhood education instructor.
31. After I volunteered at my son’s school, I changed my mind.
32. I have to drink my hot tea in a mug.
33. I don’t like coffee.
34. I was the corresponding secretary for the PTO (not PTA) at my son’s school one year.
35. I was computer illiterate until we got a computer in 1993. I taught myself how to make a webpage and can do html.
36. I love folk pop music.
37. I have been a fan of James Taylor’s since I’ve been 13.
38. I have seen JT 3 times in concert and his daughter Sally once.
39. I have also seen the following in person: John Denver, Joni Mitchell, Linda Rondstadt, Dan Fogelburg, Kenny Loggins & Hall & Oates. I would love to see Bonnie Raitt someday.
40. I was born the same year as the Barbie doll and I have a huge collection of them.
41. I had a Thumbelina doll that I loved to pieces and even cut her hair.
42. I contracted Lyme Disease in 1998 and still have symptoms from it.

43. My favorite chain restaurant the Olive Garden.
44. I live about 1/2 hour from where I was born.
45. I would like to live near the ocean someday.
46. I use to have medium brown hair, now it’s golden brown.
47. I have hazel eyes with specks in them like my maternal grandmom.
48. I wear bifocal glasses and don’t like contacts.
49. I would love to be a backup singer for James Taylor at least once.
50. The best trip I ever took was a car trip to New England with Brian when we were newlyweds.
51. I love to bake, esp at Christmastime.
52. My favorite color is teal/aquamarine.
53. I like skirts better than shorts, but I wear shorts too.
54. I met Brian at the wedding of his first cousin to my brother.
55. Brian lets me cut his hair and I still do so after 23 yrs.
56. I was shy and quiet in high school and people thought I was stuck up.
57. I love brownies of any kind. I’ve never found any as good as Rachel’s (from the 80s).
58. I could eat chicken salad from ‘The Little Inn’ everyday.
59. We still live in the first house we bought back in 1986.
60. We moved in when I was 7.5 months pregnant with Sean our only child.
61. When I am uptight, music usually calms me down.
62. My favorite perfume has to be flowery and expensive-like Lancome’s Miracle or Estee Lauder’s Estee.
63. I loved M*A*S*H the tv show, but not the movie version.
64. I wished that Alan Alda was my father at one time.
65. I have ESP sometimes. I recently got stung by a bee and remembered thinking about it a day or so before it happened.
66. I have a thing for tall, thin, dark haired men like Tim Daly and Hugh Jackman.
67. I married an average sized guy with brown, curly hair.
68. I get bad vibes when I go in places like ‘Ford’s Theater’ (I see dead people?)
69. My brother Don and I would put on shows for the family. He always out sung me.
70. Someone died in the bedroom I sleep in. It doesn’t scare me.
71. Growing up, I use to babysit all the kids from a nearby neighborhood.
72. I love anything Victorian. My livinig room is somewhat decorated that way.
73. I have excellent handwriting for a lefty. I used calligraphy for our wedding invitiations.
74. When I was practicing the calligraphy, I wrote the name Sean Matthew out of the blue. (that’s our son’s name).
75. I would like to see the west coast one day and also visit friends & relatives there.
76. I have yet to go to New York City.
77. 9-11-01 left me with an anxiety issues for a few years.
78. I live inbetween NYC and DC and was thinking it was the end of the world that day.
79. I have at least 500 books or more.
80. My books are mostly non-fictional.
81. I have a huge cookbook collection too-at least 100 books. My favorite is Fannie Farmer that Brian gave me.
82. I hate to have piles dirty clothes in the house, but sometimes I let the dishes sit overnight.
83. I grow zinnias almost every year because they were my maternal grandmom’s favorite flower.
84. I helped to pay for my grandmom’s grave marker.
85. My family and I were with my grandmom when she died June 18, 2000.
86. In high school I had a crush on a soccer player.
87. I love BBC America and watch ‘Bargain Hunter’ and ‘Cash in the Attic’ everyday.
88. I use to watch Monty Python’s Flying Circus and had a crush on Michael Palin.
89. I have several things in my ‘beauty routine’ to do before I go to bed-one is to apply cream to my dry feet.
90. I love to do crafts and draw portraits (though I haven’t done the later for a long time).
91. My favorite flower is the gardenia.
92. I like lap dogs like Eddie from Frasier.
93. Cats have always loved me as I love them.
94. I’m a packrat, but so is the rest of my family.

95. I have a gap in my front teeth like my older brother.
96. I love getting things in the mail.
97. I have sold stuff on eBay for almost 6 years.
98. I miss my brother Don who lives in Florida and haven’t seen him for 3 yrs (we went to see him).
99. I wanted an emerald engagement ring, but settled on a diamond with two little emeralds on each side.
100. I am really good at putting
things together without directions.

Vacation Bottleneck area

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AOL was featuring this on their Welcome screen. We have about 4 areas that are trouble areas highlighted on this CNN map. That’s out of the entire country! They mention Lancaster, PA (about 35 minutes from me) , the Delaware/Maryland shore, the Jersey shore and the Poconos. I can get to most of these areas in around 3 hours or less. So you can see what a pain it is to travel for us. I have to say I love the Delaware/Maryland shore area and Lancaster. When you go to places a lot, you learn the back roads, etc.
Speaking of traveling, even venturing down to Philadelphia is a trip and a half. We were thinking about going to the Live 8 concert, but with all the masses of people it’s a turn-off. I am sure people will be sleeping around the concert area (if this is allowed). It’s all they talk about on the news. I had forgotten the tickets to the Live Aid concert back in 1985 were $50 each. It was in the old JFK stadium and it was hot! I was pregnant (not with Sean, had a miscarriage), so we taped it all. It doesn’t seem like it was 20 years ago.

Some of my favorite places-my gardens…

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This fairy/gnome garden use to be my rose garden. There are some mini yellow and orange marigolds plus some snapdragons and blue lobelias on this side. On the other side (referring to the other side of the ancient stone birdbath) are the gnomes and some trailing herbs and a big plant of babies breath. I found those cute mini bed posts at Kohls one year and they are on either side of the garden (get it-‘garden bed’). The bush you see in this photo is a pink spirea. I love the red mulch and use it in 5 areas around the yard. Posted by Hello