Category Archives: Me stuff

Feeling a little la la

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Dang medicine! At least I slept much better and only had to get up a few times. But the medicine is bothering me. My head is up in the clouds today and my tummy is saying-what the heck? I’m giving the med one more day and if I feel worse, I’ll ask to switch to something kinder and gentler like Amoxicillin that I took for 3-4 weeks when I had Lyme Disease back in 1998.

I want to make Art Trading Cards for all my pals! Sometimes the perfect cards come into play, sometimes I have to think about it. Carole/Pea got hers recently and I must say, it came into play in a snap. If you want me to make you a card, just send me your address at diadsieatcomcast.net (writing it out because of spammers). Those of you whom I have addresses for, I am slowly getting cards made for you.

Here are some nests I made from scratch as part of a spring/Easter exchange for a group. It’s still kind of a surprise, but I don’t think they read my blog that often. So if any of the 6 of you happen upon this, you are getting this and something else, though 2 are getting different looking nests.

Nests for pals

These are made from excelsior that I first formed around the bottom of a pint sized plastic container. I poured fabric stiffener on it (I think watered down white glue would work too) and let it sit for a while. Then I flipped the container over and put the nest inside to get the form of it. This part takes a few days. I did use plastic wrap to save from a big mess. The eggs and pink berries are from the Dollar store. I added some snips of embroidery floss, Easter grass and feathers as real birds would use things like that to make the beds for their babes warm.

Keeping a low profile

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WackoJust to let you know I’m here, but have a bladder infection and am on an antibiotic. I haven’t slept well for 4 nights-like reminscient of when Sean was a newborn. I can’t get any good rest as I’ve been visiting the bathroom almost hourly, but mostly only during the night.  I really think this has been working on me for weeks and I ignored it. Hopefully the med will help. Sean needs someone to go to a classical music concert with for his music course. I’d wish he’d ask a young lady, but I need to get better for at that too. ; )

The weather is like summer today. I am wearing shorts and had Mr. Cos out for a walk. It’s really too warm to even rake if I had felt like it.

So that’s my story. I’m hoping for a restful night tonight.

Spring is really trying to make an appearance

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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!

Bun bun ATC
My sanity-ATCs!!!

Let there be heat!

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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!

Bunnies are blushing

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I do like my little bunnies-these are Blushing Bunnies (with other ‘friends’ like kitties and hedgehogs) all out for Easter and Springtime and will probably be there until September. I have some for Christmas cuties too.

Not a fun day as I had a sinus face ache at lunchtime. Taking a Tylenol right away saved me. Of course I’m thinking it’s the faulty heater-carbon monoxide poisoning or something. I bet I don’t sleep well tonight. Thank goodness the hunk of junk is going, but it’s kept us fairly warm all winter.

I got Martha Stewart’s newly released cookbook in the mail today that is based on her Everyday Food magazine which I love. I couldn’t really enjoy it as I was feeling so funky. I did find a recipe that utilized what I had in the frig and took some stuff out and added others. Came up with a grilled chicken and zucchini pesto tortellini dinner. It was good. Trader Joe’s sells the chicken already grilled and that’s my favorite way to eat it.

Bunnies are out!

One more day

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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. ; )

My Phillies stuff

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

Family time

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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.

Mixin’ it up!

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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
Uncovered the pond for it to get covered again.
These were my grandmom’s. My mom gave them to me the other day.
Mom mom’s vases
My glass egg collection, many gifts from Brian, so I think he really likes them.
Glass egg collection

Things are better

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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. : )

Always look on the bright side…

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…of life-Monty Python.

I’m having one of those days when the dark side is overpowering the lighter side of our lives.

First I called my mom and the discussion went sour when I mentioned again that she should get rid of half the stuff in her house so she doesn’t have to worry and do things she likes such as draw and watch movies. She doesn’t care to be told this, says she cleans when she can, which is practically never. She doesn’t seem to have trouble shopping though. (I know who I take after, but I don’t shop as much as her, believe me). Said no one helps her and I only talk about myself when I call her. She started crying and hung up on me.

The heater man came before noon and within 5 minutes called me to the basement and said he couldn’t clean the heater as it was shot! It’s like 19 years old and a piece had broken off. We are looking at a big bill for that. I was reeling from that and called my mom back and she said she couldn’t catch her breath right. I think she had herself so worked up and with all the exercise she got last night she did that to herself. She’s ok, I’m going there in a few hours. So the poor man from the heating company thinks I’m completely loony because I heard his voice which sounded like a friend of my son’s who seems to call at all the most inappropriate moments. After my ‘please don’t call this number…blah, blah’ he said he was calling about the heater! Man. The good thing-the warm weather is setting in soon (please). The bad thing-I had to sign a paper that said ‘run at your own risk’. I’m crossing fingers and toes that my van is ok when Ken inspects it tomorrow.

In the meantime…always look on the bright side of life..da…da..dadadadada. : )

Monty Python sings…

Always Look on the Bright Side of Life (from Monty Python)
words and Eric Idle

Some things in life are bad
They can really make you mad
Other things just make you swear and curse.
When you’re chewing on life’s gristle
Don’t grumble, give a whistle
And this’ll help things turn out for the best…

And…always look on the bright side of life…
Always look on the light side of life…

If life seems jolly rotten
There’s something you’ve forgotten
And that’s to laugh and smile and dance and sing.
When you’re feeling in the dumps
Don’t be silly chumps
Just purse your lips and whistle – that’s the thing.

And…always look on the bright side of life…
Always look on the light side of life…

etc.