Category Archives: Me stuff

Show & Tell

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I’m a bit late today-or should I say tonight as I was busy looking at my son’s paper and then I went over to Longwood Gardens for an hour.
So here’s what I’m sharing-these magical Fairyopolis books!
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These are gorgeous ‘interactive’ journals based on the Flower Fairies created by Cicely Mary Barker. They span from about 1923 to the 1930s. The first book is Cicely sharing her fairy findings. There are petals of daisies to lift where the fairies have left a barely visible message.
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I found this book at B*Js Wholesale, but I found the next book at Bor*ders for only $5.99-I just purchased this one on Tuesday night. It’s just as sweet as the first and the journal of Dulcie,a little girl who wants so badly to see the wee fairies. It also has a special musical pop-up section in the back.
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I guess I can lend these to my niece and hope she gives them back. : )
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I went to Longwood Gardens as it was a lovely day for a long walk. I am sore from yard work and just happened upon a path where I had to do a lot of climbing. I saw a part of Longwood I haven’t seen for years-the eye of the water!
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After seeing this, I thought I’d have a terrible walk to the entrance, I didn’t! The path wound around and I was so happy. I went in the gift shop and bought these for 50% off:
The sales lady said I could let them wilt and then plant them.

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I went down the length of our road and spotted the camel (see the two humps) and she had a baby that was right next to her! I took this shot from the van, in the middle of the road, hence not a good shot:
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I have lots of photos to upload!
I may go to a book sale tomorrow in my hometown, if I can get out of bed!
Have a great weekend!

Cleaning up a bunch

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I know-two posts in one day. I am stalling going to the grocery store as I’m a bit pooped from getting the pond up and running. The water from the hose was running slow as molasses. I figured the tall container the water plants came in would work for the pump and it’s perfect. The water still smells a bit mucky-may have to let some of it out and add more fresh.
Also cleaned out my social networking connections-good-bye to MySpace, Multiply and Tribe. I met some awesome pals through Tribe, but I feel my blog, Flickr and Facebook are enough for me right now.
Off to the store soon-we need everything!

Thursday Thunks

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1. Recently Berleen and I discovered the allure of the Twilight series. Have you ever been sucked in to the latest “thing”? (Like Harry Potter, the movie Titanic, social networking, etc. etc. etc.)
Most definitely. I mean if things are ‘that popular’ there has to be something interesting going on. I still have Titanic memorabilia around-it was the anniversary of the sinking at midnight yesterday.
I was a Facebook hold off for years until my childhood friend asked me to join. My son’s been on it since it’s inception. Now I wonder how I lived without it!
2. What software do you use for your email?
Outlook Express
3. Are you comfortable being nude?
All I can say is getting older isn’t easy.
4. What is something you plan on doing this summer?
My hubs promised me a trip to NYC for our 25th anniversary which was this past Tuesday-so maybe we’ll go there and a beach later on.
5. Do you have a favorite movie/book quote? If so, what is it?
I don’t know if this is from a movie/book-but my mom always says this-and this too, shall pass. I like Oprah’s-knowledge is power too.
6. How many email addresses do you have?
I think about 4, but rarely look at three of them.
7. Is the sky falling?
Am I Chicken Little? Stuff definitely falls from the sky-weird stuff sometimes.
8. Have you been to the Grand Canyon?
Not yet.
9. When was the last time you mailed a hand written letter?
It really hasn’t been that long. I swap art cards with people and always add a little handwritten note to the envelopes.
Want to play?
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First day of sun for a few. I need to run some errands, like get groceries!
Bri still isn’t quite himself-maybe he needs more exercise, not sure what’s up with him-guys can get hormonal issues too! My friend’s dad had problems, got checked out and lost 20 pounds! I think he deep down knows that with his dad approaching 86, he’ll have to face lots of stuff sooner or later.

Anniversary Dinner at PF Changs

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We had a fairly nice dinner at this very popular restaurant. It was hard to believe it was so crowded on a drizzly, cold, breezy evening. We ordered off their ‘dinner for two’ menu. I think they over spiced my orange shrimp and I only ate a few pieces. I’ll have to see if I can make a new sauce for lunch today to cut back on the hotness of it. I told the waiter and he acted surprised I mentioned it. It was a 4-course meal, so we had egg drop soup, shrimp dumplings (my favorite part), the shrimp dishes-Brian had a Shrimp Cantonese and finally little ‘shot glass’ desserts-Bri had a lemon ‘pie’ and I had the chocolate cake. I had a blackberry tea too. We went to a few stores in the area-me Anthro*pologie, both of us Bor*ders and then both of us Pier*One Imports. Pier*One had such cute Easter things this year and now they are half off. They look vintage. I’ll take some photos of what I bought soon (had change left from dinner, so why not buy some goodies?)

Bri was having fun with his new Co*by MP3/Fm radio. I’ll download some music for him soon. He gave me some lovely silver jewelry since it’s our silver anniversary-a silver rope necklace, a dangling heart with a pearl necklace and some silver hoops. He also got me a crystal clear heart paperweight.

Despite the yucky weather, we had a nice evening. Pass me the Rolaids though. ; )
~Update~ I just called the above restaurant and said how spicy my shrimp was and the manager is sending me gift cards for our next meal! Goes to show if you aren’t happy with something, complain about it! The manager even told me this.

25th Anniversary bouquet

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25th Anniversary bouquet, originally uploaded by DianthusMoon.

Happy Silver Anniversary to my husband Brian. I can’t believe a quarter of a century has past in our lives together.
I hope he enjoys the spontaneous gift I ordered-tickets to see singer Boz Scaggs at Longwood Gardens in June!
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I love his music and voice, so it’s a gift for both of us. I wore out his lp ‘Silk Degrees’. I also have another musical gift he is sure to enjoy.

Tonight we are going to the Chinese restaurant-PF Changs. I got to chose and their menu sounded good. Haven’t had good Chinese for a while and we put aside a crisp big bill for the occasion. I’ll let you know how it is. I hope I remember to put the camera in my purse.
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Sean went back to finish up his last 3+ weeks at Penn State. He’ll come home for a week and then we’ll all drive up together for the graduation. We may rent a nice new vehicle. We promised Sean a snazzy phone for his graduation.
Bri went to the doc for his insomnia and is test driving some med. So far he hasn’t gotten up! I hope it doesn’t leave him too tired, but if he’s getting shut eye for a change-it may be worth it. He’ll just have to take up the sit-up chair again to get in some exercise and increase his alertness. Wish him well.

Happy 10th Sweet Niece

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My niece T. turned 10 today and we were invited to a nice dinner at her house. It was really good steak, shrimp, mac and cheese and salads.
Here’s a card I made for her:
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Look we have similar glasses and I think we look a bit alike ; )
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A cute one of all the next generation, see Sean in the middle there-
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It was nice to spend time with everyone! Here is one of my 3 brothers, mom and me-a bit blurry-
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Thursday Thunks

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I’m a few weeks behind here and I enjoy the thunks! By the way, Brian’s polyp biopsy was benign! Now he can work on his stress and sleep issues.
: )
1. What was the last thing you ate?
Besides the Altoids, I had a couple of chocolate chip Eggos for breakfast.
2. I say the color purple.. what do you think of?
Grapes or grape juice
3. Lamps or ceiling lights?
A little of each. I have mostly lamps, but I have a trac lighting in my kitchen that works well.
4. What color rabbit is your favorite?
I like the fluffy white ones. We had a white one with black spots who was named Buster.
5. Your car breaks down on a deserted road and your cell phone has no signal – what do you do?
I would have to wait for a policeman or someone who looks nice to come along and call for help for me.
6. What is one thing most of your friends do online that you just can’t understand the fascination and do not participate in?
One friend plays Club Penguin, never been there. I ‘played’ at the Webkinz site for a while, but outgrew it. : )
7. What do you need right now?
A husband who isn’t sleep deprived.
8. And your most serious injury you’ve had was….?
Fractured my nose in a car accident.
9. What is the most evil thing you’ve ever done?
The only thing that I can think of is ‘borrowing’ money from my son’s room. He’s smart and just has coins in there now. But we pay for his loans and car insurance and he doesn’t have a job while he’s in school…so….
10. Give us some random fact about you.
I can pretty much play the harmonica part in the Billy Joel song ‘The Piano Man’-I just heard that song on the radio.
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Last week’s questions:
1. Did you play any April Fools jokes on anyone or have a joke played on you?
I do but didn’t this year as I had to take Bri to the ER in the wee hours of that day. I usually try the spider on you or something’s on your shirt jokes.
2. If you could be on any non-reality TV show as a guest star or star, which one would it be and why?
Grey’s Anatomy-because I like all the actors and their characters.
3. Do you crack your knuckles? Just did!
4. If you remember your first day of kindergarten, were you scared or excited? If you have kids or grandkids, were they scared or excited?
I remember it vaguely-mom walked me to school. The classroom was part of the cafeteria, so I had to walk down stairs and smell all those cafeteria smells-chicken noodle soup, milk, Lysol….
I think my son was excited as he got to ride the school bus.
5. If you are in the shower, hear the fire alarm going off and smell smoke/see flames, will you just run out of the house with a towel on or grab some clothes & dress as you run out? I would probably throw on my bathrobe that is usually in the bathroom with me.
6. Last week the Thursday Thunkers asked about your Daddy (twice), so this week tell us a little about your Mom.
Mom is probably my best female friend. We are a lot alike, but I don’t think I am as needy as her. We both have lots of stuff in our house, but she has taken it to the hoarding level, especially clothes. She and my grandmom did a good job at raising 4 kids on a small income.
7. Which search engine do you use most often?
Google!
8. Did you participate in Earth Hour?
No because where I live is mostly surrounded by brush and no one would notice. Plus one of the only lightbulbs that was on was the special ones.
9. What was the last new-to-you movie you watched? Was it in the theater or on DVD? Was it good?
It’s been a while…let me think.
10. If you do something embarrassing, do you laugh it off, or sit & worry about it?
Both-I try to laugh it off but wonder if the other person or people are still thinking about it.
11. Where is your favorite spot in your home to sit & relax?
The end of the sofa in front of the tv.

Want to play too?
Watch for the full pink moon tonight!

A little better

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I didn’t get my act together until after dinner. Brian and I both slept better, but he’s still having GI issues. He brought home cheesesteaks and only ate half of his-I ate all of mine. I took kitty for a walk as I see I’m not the only one who gained a few more pounds this winter. ; ) I then got the rake and cleaned out a few more spots and completely wiped myself out. Bri did come out and clean up the debris, hoping that moving around would help. I can’t believe how much tall grass got in my irises and roses. They are going to be a bugger to weed.
I was happily stitching on a new cross stitch piece-Herb Bouquet, and lo and behold-that blasted linen-I was a stitch or so off. I was thinking about stitching around it, but it messed up a stem on a plant. Rats.
Herb Garden Bouquet  cross stitch begins
So that’s about all the excitement besides Sean having to write 5 papers by May and not getting a good grade on one he worked so hard on. A Facebook friend and former high school pal John, said he would take a look at Sean’s papers to help him. He use to help under grads at Harvard with their papers. What a nice guy. I told Sean and I think he appreciated that.

Touching base

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Hey, just to let you know that things here could be better. Brian hasn’t been sleeping or eating like he is suppose to. I made an appointment for him to see a specialist. I’m grouchy and suffering from lack of sleep myself. Keep us in your thoughts. Thanks.

Thursday Thunks-by the thunkers themselves!

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We all submitted questions for this week…
1. What is your favorite type of soda (if you drink soda)?
Coca cola
2. Do you believe in astrology?
Since it’s been around a long time, I do in a way and see some similarities between me and my sign.
If so, what does your sign say about you? I’m a Scorpio-I’m suppose to be hot-blooded, but I’m cooling down as I get older. ; )
3. Who is John Galt? I don’t know.
4. What is the last thing you do before you go to sleep at night? Either put in eye drops or used some lip balm or hand lotion-do all three.
5. Who’s your Daddy? None-you don’t refer to you hub as such, correct?
6. Jelly beans or Jelly Bellies?
Love the different Jelly Bellies-will not touch their ‘Harry Potter’ flavors of vomit and boogers. When they made them, it kind of made me associate yuckiest with the name brand.
7. What do you think about yellow car? Why car manufacturer actually made yellow cars? I think you mean they are associated with being lemons. I don’t like yellow, but I do know my husband had a yellow Mustang at one time and he loved that car.
8. Holding on or Letting go?
I think I tend to hold on when it comes to family matters. If a friend isn’t a friend anymore, I let them go.
9. What kind of underwear, if any, do you wear?
Hanes or a few higher end makers like Vanity Fair.
10. Who is your daddy and what does he do? Mine is deceased-we were estranged. He use to be a land surveyor. Now his look-alike grandson is about to graduate from PSU with a degree in geography/climatology. How weird is that since they didn’t know each other?
11. Spring – is it here yet??
It’s been too cold! I’ve seen a few croci, but the daffodils are keeping tightly closed up.
12. Does Google Streetview scare you? We have done our house and it is there for the world to see. It does scare me a little.
13. What is your favorite brand of ice cream?
Turkey Hill is good (think it’s local). Baskin Robbins for the store variety.
14. What is your favorite flavor of ice cream?
Probably Rocky Road or anything with chocolate and nuts in it.
15. Do you ever get tired of your everyday routine?
Yes!! And with the way the economy is, I may be looking to change it by getting a job if I can.
16. What inspires you?
People who have been ill with say cancer and get better to make a difference in the world.
17. It’s springtime-do you spend more time outdoors? This is my question-yes-it’s mainly just cleaning out leaves from flowerbeds right now, but I do get cabin fever really bad and need the exercise and fresh air.
18. When do you think Bud will let us see the DVD of him and the french twins? Pass
19. If you could live anywhere in the world, where would you, and why?
Near a beach area, more secluded than a resort. I did a Facebook quiz and said Italy would be perfect for me.
20. Why do you blog? To keep a record of things and to make friends.
21. What are electrolytes and why are they good for us? Aren’t they the balance of certain chemicals like sodium in your body-I think. I remember my grandmom’s got unbalanced after eye surgery and she felt strange and had to drink Gatorade.
22. Do you twitter? Why or why not? Not yet-just use my Facebook to update what’s new with me or what I’m thinking about.
23. What did you dream last night?
I know I did, but it faded already from my mind.
24. What is the strangest thing you’ve eaten?
Probably just fried calms. My father-in-law use to eat escargot when we went out to eat at a certain restaurant-I may have tasted that, I probably didn’t.
25. What was the last picture that you took? Of a bouquet Brian got for his birthday
26. what is your favorite part of spring? When the grass greens up and the spring flowers open.
27. what is one thing that you did this past week that no one knows about? It wouldn’t be a secret-gee-I can’t think of anything.
28. What kind of bandages do you typically have in your household? We have a first aid kit with a variety of different ones-not sure of the brand name.
What to play along
too?