Hey-that’s the entire cake! LOL There were only the three of us and I believe I could get about 6 slices out of it. It’s an Baskin Robbins ice cream cake. : )
Mar24
Category Archives: Brian
Mar24
1957 Collage
It’s on the desktop for the birthday boy! Anyone else turning 5o and have a copy! Bri had a auto auction show on and almost the same T-bird (bottom right-click to make bigger) was auctioned off for 6 figures!
The birthday boy is getting ready to go out to an early dinner in a few hours. He got a new Nokia flip phone-camera, speaker phone, MP3 player-so he has the best phone in the house! He also got a book on Rock memorabilia, 2 Gap t-shirts, and a gourmet food basket with coffee, beef jerky, Oriental snack mix, dipping oil with spices, and his want, a big can of Virginia peanuts. Sean helped me with choosing all the above.
Mar24
Iffy, shifty and nifty at
50!!!
HAPPY 50th to Brian!
I have known him half his life now. Seems like our first meeting at the wedding of my brother to his first cousin was so long ago. I wish Brian wellness and happiness throughout his fifties and on. I hope he does things he likes- maybe doing a little exercise routine and going to see Mustangs or trains. I’ll be there for him as I hope he’ll be there for me.
Mar22
Spring is really trying to make an appearance
So much so I had Cosmo the cat out on his harness and we were enjoying the 67 degrees on this sunny, but a bit of a breezy day. The weather is kinda whacking us out-40s one day, 60s the next. We all feel a little congested. Life goes on.
So happy to report my mom says she’s been feeling better over the last few days. She is taking chewable adult vitamins and seems peppier. I’m hoping she keeps up her vitamin regimen. She did say she looked at herself in the mirror and didn’t like what she saw. I guess the first step for anyone is them making the move for their own benefit.
I was sad to hear that Elizabeth Edwards’ cancer has returned in her bone. I hope she gets excellent treatment. The Presidential campaign for John will go on it seems.
Bob Woodward and his wife Lee were on Ellen DeGeneres’ show and I swear I tear up every time they show that film footage when he is slow dancing with Lee and wearing a helmet to protect his head last year. He says on the video, “I can dance but I can’t talk.” Lee just looks at him very lovingly.
Sean and Brian are on my ‘S’ list tonight. They have a habit of tossing a football (!) down the hallway in our little ranch house. I ask them to not do that or they’ll break something. Well tonight they broke a gift from a friend. I need a new frame for it. Made me so angry that all my pleading falls on deaf ears. I told Bri I try not to be into material things, but the gift came all the way from the midwest and didn’t get broken until tonight. I told him I was going to go knock his beloved trains on the floor and he said that would be ‘just mean’. I think meanness is not listening to someone who is making perfect sense. Sean and I are going to get him a gift tomorrow and frankly I don’t really feel like it now, but I will.
Tomorrow is another day, thank goodness!
My sanity-ATCs!!!
Mar21
Let there be heat!
The furnace was installed today from 8:30-2:45. The guys disappeared though from 10:15-11:00 (I think they took an early lunch break or something) and left the door that leads outside (in the basement) wide open and it was only in the 40s today. I promptly closed it. The house stayed around 65, not bad. I thank Mister Sunshine for that. I did wear a heavy sweater all day. The heat was turned on around 2:40 and by 3:00 it had warmed up to 70 in here! One thing we didn’t like that they didn’t do was to give up a new oil filter and hooked a dirty one up to a new furnace. I told Bri to complain about it as we paid a lot for the furnace, plus they charged us for the first guy walking in the door who said we needed a new one in the first place. He could have given us a new filter.
As I don’t like having strangers in my house, especially in my messy basement, I didn’t do much around here except to clean the granite countertops and make some art trading cards. I also had to keep the cat calmed down. I woke up before 7 with my sinuses still bothering me. I’m hoping I’ll feel better now, that all of us will. : )
I’m almost done a very detail cross stitch quilt square and will share it when it’s completed in a few days. I have a pal in Ireland who does the charity quilt squares and she just had her second back surgery. Imagine lying on your back and stitching! She sent me a note last week and said she believes there is improvement because of the operation. I sent her back a note with a few ATCs I made for her. I didn’t photograph them, but I have a bunch to share with you-soon.
Sean and I need to get the new cellphone for Bri as a birthday gift and I need to wrap what I have for him. He said I’m hard to buy for! No way!
Mar19
One more day
Yeah, so the furnace isn’t going to be replaced until Wednesday. The weather messed up the company’s installer’s schedule-boo hoo. I had just canceled my dental appt that day too. I decided to keep the whole week open. Bri has a few more things to move. I can’t as I sprained my right thumb and can’t lift things too well. I had hurt it a few weeks ago and then was replacing my M&M guy on my van’s antenna (stop laughing) and I pressed too hard with my boo boo and made an ouchie again. Get that?
I did get to mail some auction wins today. It took three drives around the parking lot before a spot opened up.
When I got up, I popped a pork roast in the crockpot and mixed up some stuff with the pulled pork McCormick seasoning. I had to stop and get rolls on the way back from the post office. It was really good! I had forgotten Bri had a pork sandwich Saturday night, but he liked my dinner better. Always nice to hear.
One thing I did bring up from the basement was all the clippings from when the Phillies won the World Series back in 1980. I was Sean’s age of 20. I have them in a big yellow envelope and they need to be put in a plastic box. I took the envelope out on the front step and hit it with my duster thingie-yes, it’s very dusty. I got to meet Tug McGraw, the relief pitcher who lived in my hometown. I know there’s a blog post about me getting his autograph. He use to frequent the bar up the street from my mom’s house. Tug was a great guy. If I find anything good in the clippings, I’ll share here. I plan to dump them in a clothes basket to further shake out the 26.5 yr old dust. ; )
Found this about Dallas Green’s managerial record (I see there is a singer with the same name!) Dallas may still live in West Grove, PA, a stone’s throw away and Applebee’s, the restaurant has DG memorabilia including one of his baseball shirts.
Year League Team Age G W L WP Finish
+—-+———–+——–+—+—–+—-+—-+——+——+
1980 NL East Phildlpa 45 162 91 71 .562 WS 1
Mar18
Family time
Sean drove me down to my brother Ken’s to get my van which he had inspected. It still had a bunch of sleet/snow on it, so Ken and his pal knocked it off-Sean did a little. He’s not much on pitching in. I swear I didn’t teach him that if you get my drift. We gave my nephew Kenny his presents for his upcoming 11th birthday on the 23rd. He liked the rock and roll t-shirt we found for him at the Gap store (he only wears short sleeved shirts) and a little cash. I also made him an Art Trading card and he liked that too. I forgot to photograph it. I have one for Tori all made up for her 8th birthday on April 11th. Then Sean played Playstation2 with Kenny and I talked with Tori while she watched The Disney Channel-her eyeballs were glued to it. : ) Tori and Colleen went to a rollerskating event and Sean and I stayed to visit with the two Kens a little longer. Ken got out the video of when he was cleaning an engine that he had taken out of my Ford Montego back in 1983. He was only about 15-16 yrs old. Then there were footage of him in his prized 1964 Ford Falcon (I know a lot about Fords) and he was peeling out making the tires spin and the exhaust filled the air. The guys got a good laugh.
Ken said he was worried about my mom too and the quality of her home life, said she was pale with black circles around her eyes when he saw her on Friday. He and his pal walked around her yard (after they plowed her driveway) and also saw some damage on her house and her shed roof caved in from all the sleet/snow’s weight. He said he’d fix up the outside but not the inside. I knew I’d have to persuade her to get rid of things. Ken said mom is so stubborn. Makes you sit back and look at your own acquired stuff-speaking of which…
…our basement is a bit discombobulated as Brian spent the day making a path for the furnace guys. Some of my neatly stacked Christmas things got moved here and there. I was going to postpone them coming as I thought we had more to move. I see a few more things that may be in the way. We acquired a lot of junk
stuff in the last 20 years. Oy.
Mar16
Mixin’ it up!
Mother nature is playing games with us. We’ve had all kinds of weather from sleet, ice and snow. The snow one time was so fine it was like someone was shaving ice in the sky. We are hoping the power stays on. The furnace is running rough too. Tuesday can only come too soon.
Here are some photos I took around the house today:
I uncovered my pond (took off the netting) only for it to get covered again with ice
These were my grandmom’s. My mom gave them to me the other day.
My glass egg collection, many gifts from Brian, so I think he really likes them.
Mar15
Things are better
I was so glad that my Reiki in training pal said she sent me chakras for over the course of 12 hours yesterday as it was a rough day. I do feel calmer today. Thanks Lisa!
The furnace/heater is going to be cheaper than anticipated. The salesman made a funny remark why we shouldn’t get the super duper model, like our house is only worth so much and not like the houses down in Hockessin (probably 250k and up). I guess he wanted to save us money. The new heater is going in Tuesday if all goes well. They got a deposit today. We have a little more basement cleaning to do. What I did a few days ago shows, so at least having repair is one way of getting that area tidied up.
Mom said I can help her sort stuff after pleading with her again. This time I used Peter Walsh’s approach (professional de-clutterer from The Learning Channel)-you hoard because you may need it some day (that’s me and mom) or for memories sake. You have to get practical when you are in your 70s-hold on to what you really love. Mom didn’t look good at all yesterday and I want her to be happier.
So I am pleased with my eBay sales of late. Seems my books are really popular. The barn sale is on again on the 30-31st, so you know I’ll be there as that’s where I bought the lastest good sales.
I had the cat out for his first walk of the year. He was so curious. He couldn’t believe another creature would leave their droppings in ‘his’ yard-he acted so disgusted.
Well, I am making Bri a nice dinner tonight as he’s been neglected of good eats for a few nights. I’m cooking up some steaks and tators. : )
Mar13
Shop ’til you drop
Sean and I made our leisurely journey up to Lancaster and the outlets at 2. I just couldn’t leave any earlier as Bri had woken me up at the ‘use to be’ crack of dawn and I needed to rest a little longer.
First we stopped by the post office so I could sent the cross stitched piece pictured below to England. The traffic was all tied up in town. Diana, at the post office said an elderly gentleman had been hit by truck and dragged a block or so. Of course he didn’t make it. So sad.
I took the camera hoping for some postcard-like Lancaster shots, but we didn’t venture down side roads, so I didn’t take any photos. I promise next time to leave earlier and do so. Try to visual some baby lambs, with their mama. I would have loved to take a few photos of them. The buay roads we travel on (lots of trucks) hardly have any traffic lights, so taking photos is difficult. I tried to take one of a pretty church in Paradise, but I only got half of it.
(not my photo)
Our first stop was ‘Tuesday Morning’ (me) and Adidas (Sean). I scooted and found a few things-a few goodies for mom who is in a blue mood. Sean purchased two pairs of sneaks at a great price.
We went to Target where he did eventually get his money back. The girl behind the counter was very disagreeable and was going to tell us to call an 800 number. I told her it was all settled back in January with the man I spoke to. They had even looked at the video from the surveillance camera to check. The manager did come over and Sean got his refund. We shopped a lot in there. They have a fun area with $1.00-$2.50 items. I think every little girl in there had an Easter hat on from that particular area.
We then ate dinner at Red Lobster. Sean had coconut shrimp and I had lobster and shrimp. We hadn’t eaten in a Red Lobster for years and it was pretty good.
Next-Gap Store outlet. Got birthday gifts for Bri, Kenny and Tori all who have birthdays in the next month.
I got some scrapbooking stuff at the Borders book outlets for dirt cheap. I really wanted a bell jar at the Pottery Barn outlet, but decided there was no place to put it. Sean knows I like it at least. We almost got into the traffic for a Vince Gill concert at the American Music Theater. We’ve been there for a Jim Brickman concert back in ’03 and it’s a nice place to hear a concert.
I did get that gift that Bri asked for in my post below. I also got a little teapot with a strainer so I can get some loose tea and really enjoy a cup of tea like you are suppose to.
The roads were so dark coming home tonight.
I called my mom and she was moving furniture at 9 pm with Jim her boarder. She is asking for pain! No way could Brian and Sean do it after walking around Philly on Sunday.
Tomorrow the guy is cleaning the heater-funny, I know. I had made the appointment about last September! Then I am having my brother Ken inspect my van and check out a few problems with it-grinding brakes and it feels like it will stall (actually it has) when you start it up after it’s been run. I have to leave it at his house and pick it up Thursday or Friday.
So, that was an interesting day. A little shopping does a body good!
Collages & Creative Goodness 