Category Archives: Rambling stuff

Mar15

Another good-bye

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I’m never going to get use to these blasted departures, especially knowing Sean will be almost across the country next Sunday. It’s gotta be, can’t keep them little forever. Now I know why Brian use to say he’d hate it when Sean grew up.
Bri said we could go out to eat tonight-so that will be within the next hour or so I guess, a nice consolation prize-not having to cook!
I was looking at the People magazine ‘Style Watch’ edition and thought ‘I’d recommend’ (it is Sunday and that’s my usual time to write about things I like or have read). So here are the style trends for Spring 2009-Anything with a ‘mini floral’ pattern-dresses, tops, skirts. Funky Little House on the Prairie wear!
Hobo bags-I actually just bought one-not very springlike-it’s black, but I know I have a big pink one somewhere too.
Ruffles!!! There are some really cute examples in the magazine-I like the ruffles pulled to one shoulder and the vest with the tiny ruffles on the bottom.
Utilitarian-uniform like details-shown is an Ann Taylor silk camp shirt which is pretty but pricey.
Neon!!!Mostly shown are purses, shoes, jewelry and clothing with a neon trim. You don’t want to look like you escaped prison in a neon orange jumpsuit!
**My Favorite**-Cool colors-they are calling them lagoon blues-gorgeous shades. I have a purse my mom gave me in a cool shade like shown.
Not boring beiges Also like this color palette, crisp and clean looking.
Other popular accessories:
Textured bags
Exotic heels
Gold shoes (glad I kept those gold  sandals I hardly wear)
Statement necklaces (Zoey should be happy about this one-I love necklaces too).

Sean did get a lot of work finished this break, including a long paper about Vikings which I proofread-all 13 or so pages! I have done his proofreading throughout school and I really wish he would learn to sit down and figure out what sounds good and what doesn’t.  Not to say I didn’t mind helping,but this is definitely an area he needs ‘to grow’ in.

Mar1

A little excursion before the storm

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On Friday night, right after I ordered our pizza dinner, Bri called to say his car wouldn’t start and he was still at work. He can come home for lunch and it was fine then. We are lucky he works in the next town, so I ran up there with the van and we tried to jump it-nothing. We later went to a book sale at a local high school, which was junky (they let book buyers come in first and they had box after box of ‘the good stuff’). I just had a few books and one I thought was 85 cents was in fact $5!-the dollar sign looked like an 8! I bought it anyway. We dropped by the parking lot again and the car still wouldn’t start. Bri left a note and we came home. Saturday morning he went up again to wait for the tow truck and didn’t his car turn over! He still had it towed as he didn’t want it to break down on him along our country back road. So now it sits at a service station about 5 miles from here. He just had it serviced a few months ago. I think it’s turning into a ‘nickel and dimer’, and he has the newest car-2000 and mine is a 1996!
A local church had a book sale too and we went to that. It was just before noon and people were just browsing because after the noon hour-it was $1 for a bag! It wasn’t really crowded, but man did the people there grab the bags and go to town. I bought mostly books I could cut up. I grabbed a few novels for my mom and ‘The Secret Garden’ for my niece. I was pleased when Bri found a book on the Vikings as Sean is doing a research paper on them and needs a little more info-what luck was that? So we gave them a little extra money as they were raising money for fire victims. I’m sure the high school book sale made 90% more than them and it’s a wealthy area.
After we hit Burger King, Bri wanted to get his license renewed, so we had to drive 18 miles to the license place in the town where he use to work. There was no wait and the man said Bri hadn’t changed in 4 years, a nice compliment. We drove through the town (some of which was used in the opening credits of the movie ‘Signs’) and ended up near the Herr’s Potato Chip Factory in Nottingham. I believe there is a little zoo there too. We were looking for a Goodwill drop off place. What we found was a big old horse barn-now a Flea Market. We decided to go in, but it wasn’t heated and about 35 degrees in there like it was outside. If it was warmer, I would have dug around more. I did get some pink glass cordials:
Flea market find pink glass cordials
an aqua colored small glass rooster (Bri almost insisted I get it-ah)
Flea market find Aqua rooster
and some old photos-all for $10. That was fun and I think I’ll go out again. It’s a straight trip on Route one, so hardly any stopping.
We did go to a Goodwill ‘shed’ in Hockessin, DE to drop of several bags of stuff-yeah! I then ran in Tuesday Morning to look around again and didn’t get that much-some papers and a little resin bird. I think I spent about $21 in the places I visited. I feel so frugal!
We are expecting 4-6″ of snow tonight and blizzard conditions. Bri is worried about driving around in our only good car. I said maybe he should wait an hour or so until they clean the roads off good. The road to town is curvy and downhill.
He is still having sleeping issues and tried to get the doctor to give him something and we aren’t sure if he did or not, we missed a private caller call one morning.
I hope all of you are keeping warm this weekend!
By the way, for my stitcher friends, I’m trying to finish up another UFO-will hopefully share it soon.

Feb23

Winter-beat it!

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I shouldn’t complain because two of my bloggy friends up north have been really dumped on by snow this winter. My Chicago pal has too. We’ve had about 6″ of snow, which is about right. It’s the wind and cold that goes right through you. I need to go to the food store, but the above is stopping me-I’m wimping out. : )
So it is ‘business as usual’ at Bri’s work. They and the Philly Inquirer both filed Chapter 11 bankruptcy. Day by day! Thanks for your concern and well wishes.
Tonight after I made a bacon, asparagus and red potato frittata (have a little heartburn), I got to work emptying one of my best clothes baskets that had stuff dumped in it-for almost 3 yrs. I don’t know why I let that go, but I am bound and determined to make that basement more presentable. Here all the paperwork for the kitchen remodel was in it! I was looking for that as the garden window leaks-hope it’s still under warranty. Water leaked in when Bri used the hose on it a year or so ago. Did they not seal it? My plants seem fine, I even had an orchid bloom.
My mom got a bump on her leg when my brother went to get her at the ER going on 3 weeks ago. He didn’t help her get in his truck. It scabbed over and now there is a raised bump on it. I am taking her to the doctor on Thursday to get it looked at. She said she fell down when going to use the bathroom last night too-lost her balance. I think she needs Gatorade or something. She’s ok. Constant worry.
Less than a month and Sean will be in Las Vegas on his school trip! He got a great deal and is excited about his first trip out west. I’ve never been out west myself.

Feb9

What’s a blog post?

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To tell you the truth, I haven’t had a lot to say for a few days. I’ve been trying to visit the blogs for the One World-One Heart event and enter some giveaways. I can’t look at 900 blogs, but it’s nice to visit other crafty people and I have bookmarked some to check out again. My giveaway is still open until the 11th at midnight.
I went in a big circle to go to my Uncle’s to pick something up for my mom and then to get my hair done. We went to a local diner for dinner. My mom is doing so much better and it was great to see her eat!
Bri’s dad is having some swallowing issues tonight and it’s making us both so nervous. He can talk, but feels like some of the hot dog he ate got stuck further down. This has happened before. It’s really scary. Bri almost went over there.
I got to see my niece and nephew and I brought T a little bag of Valentine goodies. : )

Feb3

Tension Tuesday

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Just a quick ‘hello’ for now. Brian and I had to take my mom to the ER to get rehydrated and they checked out her mouth thrush. It’s one of the worst things you can surely get-she’s been just miserable and not hardly eating or drinking. My uncle called me a little after 10 and said that mom could hardly speak to him when he had phoned. We got her there at 12 and left at four as one of my brothers picked her up to take her home. We knew they were going to discharge her within an hour or so and there was a bit of a snowstorm blowing through and we didn’t want to drive on slick roads. I feel bad that she is by herself, but she needs to eat and they won’t keep her in the hospital for that. Mom asked that my brother take the puppy home with him overnight. I called around 9:15 tonight and Mom sounded just as miserable. Needless to say, we are exhausted and I am going to bed very shortly. Say some prayer for mom for relief (she has yet another kind of medicine) and that we won’t get sick from being in an ER that seemed to be loaded with barfers. The room they put mom in hadn’t had it’s trash emptied and it was not nice. The nurse came in and cleaned the room while we were waiting. We feel doomed. Oy.

Jan15

Thursday Thunks

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I’m trying out different memes. Let’s see how this one works. You can certainly play along too! It’s me stuff, ya know?!
1. Whats the coldest temps you’ve experienced? Something below zero.
2. Whats for dinner tonight? Stopped at Trader Joe’s yesterday, so probably a premade pasta dish or pulled pork.
3. Would you consider this job in Australia? It’s gorgeous there-but they only need one person, bummer-that would get lonely.
4. What was your favorite subject in high school? Creative Writing and Home Ec gets an honorable mention.
5. How many hours a day is your tv on? It’s off and on…I’d say at least 8-10, but I’m not always looking at it, it’s background noise sometimes.
6. Have you ever received an award?
Not an Oscar perhaps, some awards in school for the honor roll, art, in jr college for my grade point average.
7. Whats your mousepad look like?
It’s brown with blue squares-each square has squares within squares- from Target.
8. Do you think Bud should do the Thursday Thunk meme?
I’m new at this-who is Bud?
9. How many browser tabs do you have open right now? one
10. If you are a parent, have you or did you ever put Vicks VapoRub on your children under the age of 2? I may have, but I’d say he didn’t let me. You aren’t suppose to put Vick’s near your nose which seems to be the problem with the study they did.
11. If you had to pick one insect to infest your house for 1 day and after that day they would just suddenly vanish, which insect infestation would you pick? Butterflies, if you mean they would just vanish from my house, not existence.
swallowt
12. What color is your underwear that you are wearing right at this moment? The ones they sell at Big Lots that no one wants with the little flowers all over them.
13. What was the last think you watched on tv? Ellen Degeneres Show (I did this earlier in the evening)
14. What are your plans for the 4th of July this year? I have no idea-potato salad will probably be on the menu-maybe burgers.
15. Tell us about one absolutely wonderful thing that happened to you as a teenager and every time you think of it, it brings a smile to your face. My brother gave me a surprise birthday party when I was 16 or 17. I even had a band play for me.
16. What product could you sell someone based on your love for it? Chocolate-but why would I want to do that? A ‘product’ I love is Oxiclean as it gets out spots-even in my Swanstone sink.
Found this on the Rainforest donation site (I think):
jimmycquote
The feed may indicate that I look here a lot, it’s actually Dianne central for my other links as you can see in my sidebars.
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Head scratching thought of the day-
Bacon in desserts?
Bacon in ice cream? I do love bacon-but with ice cream? Not sure
baconicecream
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3 is a charm-third trip to the dentist late this afternoon to fix my tooth.

Dec31

2008 in a nutshell by Dianne

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Want to play along? Kelli over at ‘There is no place like home’  is hosting a meme. You take your first blog sentence for each month of 2008 and add a favorite photo from that month too. Be aware that most of my ‘first’ sentences have nothing to do with the photos. :O)
January-

That’s my life for the last few days.(I had been sick and so had Brian)
Yellow roses
February-

Let’s start off February with a fun event thanks to Lisa/Oceandreamer’s 2nd time around hosting it.(One World, One Heart blog giveaways)
Punch needle design
March-
This is my mom’s birthday last year and my youngest brother is giving her the cupcakes that I made to blow out the candles.(for a Photo Hunt)
Purple and yellow orchids
April-
It’s 70 degrees outside!!! I’m inside and wearing a sweater though.

May-
Thanks to Scrappy Jessi for hosting this fun event.(showing our childhood toys)

June-
Like I did last night!

July-
I really did see a camel! (a place on our road had several exotic pets or boarders)

Strasberg, PA 7-30-08, originally uploaded by DianthusMoon.

August-
Today I’m sharing my baby book.

September-
I can’t believe it’s September already!

October-
….the cataracts are gone! Well, that may be so for my mom in a few hours.(My mom had both her eyes done, and one got an infection, so she had to have a third operation!)

Celebrating after 28 yrs!, originally uploaded by DianthusMoon.

November-
This is from the Philadelphia Flower Show 2006.(We try to go every year since I am so snap happy)

Grant Park and a new beginning!, originally uploaded by DianthusMoon.

December-
I just realized that I was pretty much on the go for over a week, since my birthday on the 19th.
ditori12261

Dec29

Sniffing out sales

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You usually score better at after Christmas sales, the day after the holiday. But we found some decent things, mostly for 50-75% off today. After I got my hair done, we headed to JoAnn’s. Brother #2 had given me a gift card. Most of their Christmas stuff was picked over. I did manage to spend much more than $25 though. I try to be selective, and I know I will be donating most of a box of  old holiday stuff this year. I got nicer things at our local Peebles, but I got some crafty things too. Then we went to a local mall. Sean was along too. We ate at Carrabba’s and then went in Macy’s. This was a store with a slim Christmas stock. I did get 4 gorgeous dinner plates that have realistic Christmas plants and flowers on them-with a gold trim too-for $7.99 each, they were priced at $20 each! I’ll use them for New Year’s dinner. I had a Bath and Body Works gift card (thanks to Karin) and got a plug in scent dispenser, one for the van and lotions. We went into Yankee Candle and they had nice things for cheap. I even got Sean a trio of gel scent hang-ups for his car. He is using the Macintosh apple one right now which smells so good!

Finally, we hit a Walgreen’s on the way home. I was looking for pink and purple lights (Easter is coming up) and ended up with a 6.5′ tree for my mom-pre-lit with clear lights for $10 and some little pre-lit pine trees for me-$5. Not sure where I will put them-probably the family room. The bows and wrap were dirt cheap too. Got my brother a Disney tree for $2.50-though it’s really a Minnie Mouse tree-opps-but the little ornies are shaped like the mouse ears. He and his family were just down there a few weeks ago. My brother wore a huge top hat with Mickey bursting through the front of it at our family gathering that he purchased in Florida. I didn’t get the pink or purple lights, maybe I’ll try another Walgreens. : )
Color changing angel
My new angel-she’s like a snow globe inside-not bad for $3.25!

Happy but tired.

Nov13

Mama’s here

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It’s a cold and wet day here in southeastern, PA. I was going to mom’s yesterday and she decided she wanted to come here! I am a bit nervous when she wants to drive her 17 yr old car here and she just had her eye surgeries. I thought she’s be here around 3 and when 4 rolled around, I kept checking the door.  She got here around 4:15! She said she had to wait until she felt better and she had to stop for gas. I was going to cook something she brought, but it was too late for that, so we ordered take-out and I will cook the pork chops tonight. I then went to the food store after dinner-did some power shopping in about 30 minutes! Mom was in Peebles store and was checking out when I came to find her. Unfortunately, one of her eyes was really paining her during the night. I did see her rubbing it earlier in the evening. It’s better this morning, but really bloodshot. I got the artificial tears for her and she is using them. My one eye had been really red a few days ago.It may be the house is dry or the cat hair too.

I guess I’ll go do some cooking soon. Mom also brought huge chicken breasts that I will boil for chicken salad.

I’ll have a really old WIP cross stitch to share soon. I seem to be better just working on something until I finish it. Kinda reminiscent of the charity stitching that I hope to start up again soon.

Nov11

A little share

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I’m in a Flickr group called ‘Skinny cards’-they are 3″x 5″. Each week we do a card based on a theme. This week it is ‘Wild’.

Here’s what I made last night-mostly all stickers! The background is torn homemade paper that I mod-podged down:

img_2875

We have the option of trading, which I love to do too! I have such a big collection of art cards (of all sizes), it’s nice to trade and I have other artist’s work. The joy to me is in the creating.

Thanks for the suggestions about the wedding gift. I think a gift card is a great idea. I think I’ll make the wedding card at least for something personal.

I’m doing a tremendous paper sort. This huge plastic bag use to be in front of my closet and kept getting fuller and fuller. I moved it into the living room so it bugs me enough that I do something about it. I use to be so good at filing old receipts. It’s sure not fun!