Hope this helps!

This could only happen in suburban America. Am I right?
Down the pike in Kennett, the red and white Dairy Queen, that also happens to look like a barn, closed down after 33 years. A funeral home is definitely taking it over as displayed on the big red and white sign that is faded on one side from the sun and use to inform us of new Blizzard flavors. I do have some memories of DQ. I remember going in there very pregnant after looking at houses for sale as I had to go to the bathroom so badly. We went there the last time we saw Brian’s mom in the hospital. We didn’t know it was going to be the last time we saw her as she passed on two days later. She was telling us to leave as visitor’s hours were over at 9. So you see why we stopped for ice cream on that hot August night.
So I can’t see this place as a funeral home when I used the drive thru more times then I care to share. It’s not a bad location, but the people driving north will have a heck of a time getting in there or leaving. I am sure they will probably tear it all down.
They are doing something to the Pizza Hut down the road. I sure hope it’s not a bank, or funeral parlor!

I was on the phone today with Comcast and we will probably be switching to broadband within the next few weeks. We can also get phone service through them too. The woman was really nice and hopefully this will save us $40 a month. I had just added another phone to our wireless and the woman who sold me the phone said I should drop our long distance service. I went on the internet and actually signed up with Vontage, but guess what, you still need a broadband provider. Comcast has ‘voice over internet’ so we can drop the two phone lines we have. There aren’t too many people on our road who have Comcast, so they have to ‘survey’ the area before we can sign up. I know our neighbor 2 doors down has it.
We are excited to get rid of dial-up as it’s so slow. Maybe I can get more accomplished in a shorter amount of time. We’ll be dropping AOL.
Thanks to Vikki in Philly for her help too!

I swear I was going to post something about my birthday. I was just too blasted tired last night to think straight.
We did go down to Dover, DE and Sean drove the 120 miles round trip. It’s a pretty direct route-not a lot to see, but it took about 1 hour to get there.
The bookstore I like, one of my main reasons for going to Dover, had a November sale. All the books with yellow stickers were 50% off. I could have done some serious damage there, but I did get some awfully good buys. My favorites are: ‘Beside the Seaside’ by Joseph Connolly filled with old-fashioned shots of people romping on various beaches and boardwalk scenes. Since I live near lots of beaches, I love photos like this (priced at $7.98 with I think 60% off that price). I also love ‘The Wizard of Oz’ and never read all the books related to the original. I got ‘The Annotated Wizard of Oz-Centennial Edition‘ that talks about the book and has all the illustrations in one volume for only $5.00! Those are only a few of many purchased. Needless to say, I bought a lot of gifts yesterday.
The guys gave me thoughtful gifts before we left on our day trip. Sean even bought wrapping paper! He presented me with Penn State ornaments (blue and white balls with the Nittany Lion motto), a Nittany Lion beanie and some hand lotion and things bought from the mall.
Brian gave me emerald earrings, a amaryllis to grow and a few little things.
We went to The Olive Garden for dinner which was good as usual and I hit Dollar Tree and AC Moore before we hit the road.
I had to remind them to get me a cake and they ran into a food store there and bought me a chocolate fudge cake which we enjoyed when we got home.
Here we are at the Olive Garden waiting to eat:

Thank you to all my pals near and far for wishing me a Happy Birthday.
We are about to partake on a little day trip to Delaware for some shopping, my favorite way to spend my birthday. Here’s a cute share.

Late last night I got an email about a blogger post. Here my ‘3rd’ cousin (not sure about the cousin rank) did a search for his store and found a post I left back in April of this year. My post was about the passing of Prince Rainier. Drew’s grandmom went on the boat to Monaco because she was a close family friend of the Kellys when Grace and Rainier married. So Drew was trying to remember who I was and I filled him in, etc. Our great grandfathers were brothers! He and his brothers (there are 8 siblings-4 of each) run Dane Decor an upscale Danish furniture store in the Philly area. His mom Gloria started the store in an old church back in 1973. I did get to see this store when it first opened. Gloria came to our wedding and gave us a teak tea cart that we still use.
I told Drew that my mom had his mom as a student teacher in high school. Drew’s mom and grandmom were really wonderful women.

I shared this photo with Drew from about 1904. That’s my great grandmom Caroline (Carrie) who was married to William. The little girl standing is Ethel Grace who passed on from pneumonia when she was only 7. And the little baby is my grandmom Ruth Caroline. My brother Ken looked just like her when he was a baby. Ken’s daughter’s name is Victoria Caroline.
A sad reflection is that most of my Hasselberg relatives are buried in unmarked graves because my family couldn’t afford tombstones. Little Ethel was one of the first ones buried at Arlington Cemetery (not the one in DC). I would like to at least get a marker placed there someday. My Stroud great and grandparents have one because my mom is going in the same place. I helped pay for it after saving money for a while.

On the way to mom’s I am mainly on Route 1 which runs through Chadds Ford. A business took over an old stone house (or was it a mill?) that has been boarded up as long as I can remember. It’s right near the Brandywine River Museum. There is a new addition and a big drive and parking lot. It really looks nice. So glad a landmark building was sound enough to reuse.
Driving through Media, my hometown, there are some changes, but not too many. Businesses have come and gone. In my mind’s eye I can see what stores use to be there. Like the old Woolworth store (still retail) and the Thriftway food store which is now an Iron Hill Restaurant and Brewery. The old army auxilary (I think) is now a Trader’s Joe. Mom is so lucky to have a TJ.
I can say the same thing about Kennett Square, the nearest town to me. The old Newberrys (like Woolworth) is now a restaurant (several different ones in the last 8 or so years). The old dept store was torn down and a Health Care org was rebuilt with a town clock at it’s highest point. I think every town needs a town clock. Remember the importance of the town clock in ‘Back to the Future’?
What touches my heart the most is remembering the places where I went with my grandmom and the new places she will never see.

I ventured down to Media today to spend some time with mom and to take her shopping. I try to run the vacuum after I get there so she doesn’t have to.
I had trouble getting down there. First I lost power twice. Then I went in the Dollar Store to look for something and went to check out and the register was down and the people who were originally behind me wouldn’t let me in front of them! I did ok at the post office. An elderly lady came in out of breath and wheezing. She scared me but she was better in a few minutes.
Mom gave me way too many gifts, and because my birthday is so close to Christmas I made her save some of them. She gave me a neat watch with interchangeable faces and bands. I had a lavendar sweater on today so I changed the watch to match. She also got me a cute candy dish-the little gingerbread men are holding up a crackle glass dish. I may use it to float candy shaped candles in it. I like Christmas stuff, but not necessarily as birthday gifts. Do you know what I mean or does that sound snobbish?
We went to a store down the pike from her so she could pick up a gift for her boarder from his sister. I can’t say what it is, but I got Brian and Sean the same thing for Christmas. It’s really a family gift and I think we all will use this item. Aren’t you curious?
We went to Michaels and I got a lot of cute things in there for gift giving and decorating. I needed more styrofoam balls for one thing. My little mushroom pin cushions are a hit for gifts, so I may make some more to show the lady up at ‘The Mushroom Cap’ in Kennett.
Mom took me out to dinner at Carrabbas. I got rigatoni, grilled chicken, mushrooms and sun-dried tomatoes in a creamy sauce. Good, but not like The Olive Garden!
While at the mall, Mom bought me a cute chocolate brown cord car coat (Bill Blass-$14.50!), a olive green top that looks like suede, a pretty purple knitted open front sweater and new shabby chic bedsheets. I am so spoiled and to think she wanted to buy me a cashmere sweater! All the above added up to what that would have cost. And I have a black cashmere sweater I got for half nothing at Kohls last year!

Sean is funny-he rented Charlie and the Chocolate Factory this afternoon. I like Johnny Depp anyway. I liked Gene Wilder better as Willy Wonka. It must have been his bulgey eyes and wild reddish hair-I don’t know. And Tim Burton really messed with the story line too. Shame on him. I guess he made it clearer why Willy loved chocolate so much. I won’t say.
Johnny acted like Mister Rodgers’ gay son. And what was with the gray skin tone?
They changed the golden goose to squirrels who were nut sorters. Ha!
The special effects were good. But the boat in the original was so much cooler with that psychedelic trip and everything.
I would see it for the little guy who plays Charlie and the Oompa Loompas-all played by one man!

I went to the hairdresser today around 2:30. The sky looked very ominous-very dark and heavy. Thank goodness Diana works fast as I was out of there in a little over an hour. And no, it wasn’t just a haircut that took so long. ; )
I headed over to the office supply center for brown wrapping paper and to copy some things. The sky looked like a plague from ‘The Ten Commandments’ with it’s inky fingers stretching over the once clear spots. I almost got to go into Subway, but I chickened out. The first drops of rain began to fall and I scooted home. I threw some frozen coconut shrimp and fish sticks in the toaster oven just in case the power went out. Man, so close to not cooking. I really do hate my kitchen. And then it poured like crazy.
After dinner I just couldn’t concentrate on writing notes or address labels. I ruined a few. It occurred to me that not only was I warm (the house was like 72 degrees) I had PMS. Oh joy. Right before the big day too.
I did work on a stitching project a little bit. Another goof this morning-I was holding it upside down and added a row of stitches before I realized the boo-boo.
Tonight on the news they were going to talk about ‘the bug bite that may effect your weight’. I wanted to see that. Brian had to channel surf just when it was coming on. I heard it may be a tick and Lyme Disease. Some people try all kinds of diets and still can’t lose weight. Hmm…I’ll have to check out the website. This sounds like me. Lyme Disease really effected me in more ways than I know. I can’t even stand on a ladder without being achy the next day from reaching too much.