Update Update!

Well it has been quite awhile since I have updated my blog. Just too busy doing nothing. Summer is that way. All of our good intentions to get something done go by the wayside for sunny days and trips, speaking of which, I am off to San Francisco next week to visit Ruthie and Jason and I am really excited to go. I really enjoyed the last trip that we took there and this time we are taking Paula my other daughter with us (this will be her first trip to San Fran) so we are going to have a great time wining and dining and sightseeing. I want to go to the Pier again and to Chinatown. Hopefully we will be able to spend a little more time there and hopefully it will be warmer than it was the last time that we went.

I am also working on getting my online business going. Stay tuned for links. I really need to get my website up and running. The name of the future site is Crafty Divas.com and I will have links hopefully soon to the site. My daughter Rachel and I are also trying to get another site up and running showcasing my brother's photographs and memoirs from the Amazon. He and his wife and daughter live there and he is quite an accomplished photographer. I hope to be able to showcase his pictures soon. Stay tuned.

After I return from San Francisco I plan to visit my dad in Columbus, Ohio for a long weekend. The brother that I mentioned above is coming to the United States from Brazil with his 3 year old daughter for a visit with my ailing dad. The whole family (or most of it) plan to be there that weekend (August 11th - 15th) to have a mini family reunion. I hope to see some other friends and acquaintances there also. Hopefully it will be a good weekend.

Well back to work now but I will keep everyone up to date on my website and the grand opening!

Happy blogging!

IF MY BODY WERE A CAR

If my body were a car, this is the time
I would be thinking about trading it
in for a newer model. I've got bumps and dents and
scratches in my finish and my paint
job is getting a little dull, but that's
not the worst of it. My headlights are out of focus and
it's especially hard to see things up
close. My traction is not as graceful as it
once was. I slip and slide and skid and bump
into things even in the best of weather. My whitewalls are stained with
varicose veins. It takes me hours to reach my
maximum speed. My fuel rate burns inefficiently. But here's the worst of it -- Almost every time I sneeze,
cough or sputter.....either my radiator leaks
or my exhaust backfires!

Why Minnesota?

This is a questions that I have pondered many times since I migrated here more than 30 years ago from a much milder Ohio climate to the snow and cold of Minnesota. Today I am sitting in my office with my bird feeder outside of my window with a cool breeze coming in and realizing that right now Minnesota is the most beautiful place on earth. Only in Minnesota can you feel warm warm sunshine and natures own air conditioning coming through your windows. Warm days and nights cool enough to have a light blanket and the windows wide open. I just hope that I remember this February 8, 2007.

Memories!

What are they? Pictures, Prized Books, Old Dated Cookbooks with the stains of many an ancestors culinary delights spilled on them, knick knacks, jewelry, clothing, dishes or is it the stitches that go into a tapestry made by your mother or the commemorative cuff links that dad received from his company many years ago. What makes up a memory and where do we put those memories in our lives. I recently went to help weed out my parents house because dad is not able to stay in the house anymore due to health issues and general care issues and was faced with the reality of what makes up a lifetime of memories. Is it the tangible things that people treasure and keep or is it just the thoughts that come into our heads when a certain phrase is muttered or we hear a song on the radio or smell something that reminds us of something in the past. I guess it is both and I guess that I have learned that those memories have an odd place in our lives. Some of us place such value on things and dwell on the memories that those things represent. Some of us cherish the other but we all have to put these memories in perspective somehow. How do you assimilate a life time of memories and what do they all mean to us in our lives. This has been something that I have been contemplating since my visit to my parents home. I would love to cherish each and every one of those memories the same way that they did but I have my own memories and perspectives. So where do those things go? Each of us kids took a few memories with us to add to our own memories and we will safe keep those and hope that some day they will become our own kids memories but eventually those memories will fade away as does life.

Beautifully stated....

As we grow up, we learn that even the one person that wasn't
supposed to ever let you down probably will. You will have your
heart broken probably more than once and it's harder every time.
You'll break hearts too, so remember how it felt when yours was
broken. You'll fight with your best friend. You'll blame a new love
for things an old one did. You'll cry because time is passing too
fast, and you'll eventually lose someone you love. So take too many
pictures, laugh too much, and love like you've never been hurt
because every sixty seconds you spend upset is a minute of happiness
you'll never get back.

Don't be afraid that your life will end, be afraid that it will
never begin.

~anonymous~

Here kitty kitty

Pet are so special to us all. Why is it that we have become so enamerd of our pets. I use to look at people that ogled over their pets and thought " boy why don't they just get a life, and then along came Chloe, my pet chihuahua and then Lola, the other pet chihuahua and wham I was so smitten by these small loyal animals. Attached is a picture of my neice's cat in Brazil. This is her first experience with a pet and my brother tells me that she is a natural. Of course being the daughter of a biologist and a reptile specialist why not? To all of you pet lovers out there, ride on!

My Sentiments

Hello!

Of Course I Don't Look Busy!

I did it right the first time!

Friends

The Wooden Bowl

A frail old man went to live with his son, daughter-in-law, and a four-year old grandson. The old man's hands trembled, his eyesight was blurred, and his step faltered. The family ate together nightly at the dinner table. But the elderly grandfather's shaky hands and failing sight made eating rather difficult. Peas rolled off his spoon onto the floor. When he grasped the glass often milk spilled on the tablecloth. The son and daughter-in-law became irritated with the mess. "We must do something about grandfather," said the son. I've had enough of his spilled milk, noisy eating, and food on the floor. So the husband and wife set a small table in the corner. There, grandfather ate alone while the rest of the family enjoyed dinner at the dinner table. Since grandfather had broken a dish or two, his food was served in a wooden bowl. Sometimes when the family glanced in grandfather's direction, he had a tear in his eye as he ate alone. Still, the only words the couple had for him were sharp admonitions when he dropped a fork or spilled food. The four-year-old watched it all in silence. One evening before supper, the father noticed his son playing with wood scraps on the floor. He asked the child sweetly, "What are you making?" Just as sweetly, the boy responded, "Oh, I am making a little bowl for you and mama to eat your food from when I grow up." The four-year-old smiled and went back to work. The words so struck the parents that they were speechless. Then tears started to stream down their cheeks. Though no word was spoken, both knew what must be done. That evening the husband took grandfather's hand and gently led him back to the family table.For the remainder of his days he ate every meal with the family. And for some reason, neither husband nor wife seemed to care any longer when a fork was dropped, milk spilled, or the tablecloth soiled. Children are remarkably perceptive. Their eyes ever observe, their ears ever listen, and their minds ever process the messages they absorb. If they see us patiently provide a happy home atmosphere for family members, they will imitate that attitude for the rest of their lives. The wise parent realizes that every day that building blocks are being laid for the child's future.Let us all be wise builders and role models. Take care of yourself, ... and those you love, ... today, and everyday!

Update!

I have been very lax in not keeping this little blog up. I apologize for that. I am going to Columbus, Ohio this weekend to visit my dad who is in an assisted living facility there. Most of our family will be there. We don't get together all that often because we are spread all over the country. My brother from Brazil will not be there of course but most of the rest of us. I have 5 brothers and sisters and enjoy seeing most of them. I will post some pictures and information when I return. I want to wish all of you a special Easter!

Ponderisms

Some people are like Slinkies. Not really good for anything, but you still can't help but smile when you see one tumble down the stairs.

I used to eat a lot of natural foods until I learned that most people die of natural causes.

Gardening Rule: When weeding, the best way to make sure you are removing a weed and not a valuable plant is to pull on it. If it comes out of the ground easily, it is a valuable plant.

The easiest way to find something lost around the house is to buy a replacement.

Never take life seriously. Nobody gets out alive anyway.

There are two kinds of pedestrians: the quick and the dead.

Life is sexually transmitted.

Health is merely the slowest possible rate at which one can die.

The only difference between a rut and a grave is the depth.

Health nuts are going to feel stupid someday, lying in hospitals dying of nothing.

Have you noticed since everyone has a camcorder these days no one talks about seeing UFOs like they used to?

Whenever I feel blue, I start breathing again.

All of us could take a lesson from the weather. It pays no attention to criticism.

In the 60's, people took acid to make the world weird. Now the world is weird and people take Prozac to make it normal.

How is it one careless match can start a forest fire, but it takes awhole box to start a campfire?

Who was the first person to look at a cow and say, "I think I'll squeeze these dangly things here, and drink whatever comes out?

"Who was the first person to say, "See that chicken there? I'm gonna eat the next thing that comes outta its butt.

"Why is there a light in the fridge and not in the freezer?

If Jimmy cracks corn and no one cares, why is there a song about him?

Why do people point to their wrist when asking for the time, but don't point to their crotch when they ask where the bathroom is?

Why does your OB-GYN leave the room when you get undressed if they are going to look up there anyway?

If quizzes are quizzical, what are tests?

If electricity comes from electrons, does morality come from morons?

Do illiterate people get the full effect of Alphabet Soup?

Does pushing the elevator button more than once make it arrive faster?

Why doesn't glue stick to the inside of the bottle?

Money, Money, Money

You have probably all noticed the Adsense link on my website. It is a phenominal Google program that allows you to choose ads for your website and to earn money while blogging. What more could you ask for. You can choose the ad content, size and type by going to the Adsense site. This also is a great learning experience for any of you who are interested in building websites. I can't recommend this enough. Everything worth doing is worth doing well, so why not make some ching by clicking on my link to Adsense.

Nostalgia!

TO ALL THE KIDS WHO SURVIVED the 1930's 40's, 50's, 60's and 70's !!

First, we survived being born to mothers who smoked and/or drank while they were pregnant.
They took aspirin, ate blue cheese dressing, tuna from a can, and didn't get tested for diabetes.
Then after that trauma, we were put to sleep on our tummies in baby cribs covered with bright colored lead-based paints.

We had no childproof lids on medicine bottles, doors or cabinets and when werode our bikes, we had no helmets, not to mention, the risks we took hitchhiking.
As infants & children, we would ride in cars with no car seats, booster seats, seat belts or air bags. Riding in the back of a pick up on a warm day was always a special treat. We drank water from the garden hose and NOT from a bottle. We shared one soft drink with four friends, from one bottle and
NO ONE actually died from this.
We ate cupcakes, white bread and real butter and drank koolade made with sugar, but we weren't overweight because .

WE WERE ALWAYS
OUTSIDE PLAYING!

We would leave home in the morning and play all day, as long as we were back when the streetlights came on.
No one was able to reach us all day.
And we were O.K.
We would spend hours building our go-carts out of scraps and then ride downthe hill, only to find out we forgot the brakes. After running into the bushes a few times, we learned to solve the problem.
We did not have Playstations, Nintendo's, X-boxes, no video games at all, no 150 channels on cable, no video movies or DVD's, no surround-sound or CD's, no cell phones, no personal computers, no Internet or chat rooms.......... WE HAD FRIENDS and we went outside and found them!
We fell out of trees, got cut, broke bones and teeth and there were no lawsuits from these accidents.
We ate worms and mud pies made from dirt, and the worms did not live in us forever.

We were given BB guns for our 10th birthdays, made up games with sticks and tennis balls and, although we were told it would happen, we did not put out very many eyes. We rode bikes or walked to a friend's house and knocked on the door or rang the bell, or just walked in and talked to them!
Little League had tryouts and not everyone made the team. Those who didn't had to learn to deal with disappointment. Imagine that!!

The idea of a parent bailing us out if we broke the law was unheard of. They actually sided with the law!
These generations have produced some of the best risk-takers, problem solvers and inventors ever!
The past 50 years have been an explosion of innovation and new ideas.
We had freedom, failure, success and responsibility, and we learned
HOW TO DEAL WITH IT ALL!
If YOU are one of them .. . . CONGRATULATIONS!
You might want to share this with others who have had the luck to grow up as kids, before the lawyers and the government regulated so much of our lives for our own good.

And while you are at it, forward it to your kids so they will know how brave (and lucky) their parents were.
Kind of makes you want to run through the house with scissors,doesn't it?!

And before 1970, we played out side at recess when the wind chill was less than 32F. We also played tackle football on paved streets without helmets and pads.

Quote for the Day!

Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take,
but by the moments that take our breath away."

Got Milk??????

Can anybody guess whom this angelic little guy is???? Just goes to show you that he was way ahead of his time. He coined the phrase "Got Milk" before it was ever thought of in the media!!!

Here's the Proof! Before & After

Going to the Movies!!!

This is the next movie on my list to see. I loooovvvveeee Denzel and the other gentleman isn't half bad either. Hope it is good, I will let all of you know. 

Another Great Recipe!

Apple Rice Pilaf with Toasted Almonds Recipe

Ingredients
1 tablespoon butter
1/4 onion, finely chopped
1/4 Golden Delicious apple, finely chopped
2 cups apple juice
2 cups enriched long-grain instant rice
1/4 cup slivered almonds, toasted

Instructions
In a medium saucepan, melt butter and saute onion and apples over medium heat until soft. Add apple juice, increase heat to high, and bring to a boil. Stir in rice. Cover and remove from heat. Let stand for 5 minutes. Remove cover and stir in toasted almonds. Serve.

Brazilian Beauty

I received this picture today of my niece who lives in Manaus, Brazil in the middle of the Amazon Rain Forest. She is such a little beauty that I had to post her picture for all to see. She is bi lingual, speaks Portuguese and English and smart as a whip. We lost her grandmother a few months before she was born and I believe that grandma reintroduced herself in Naja. She would have been so proud to have this little girl as a grandchild and I am sure she is sitting in heaven with a big smile on her face right now! 

Frustration!

Well I had thought that I would work until age 66 retirement age, but after today I say "Screw That". I am so sick of guys taking credit for the things that we oh so superior women do that I could scream. I researched a vendor at work and found one that was cheaper than anyone could believe and they thanked the guy next to me at our meeting for doing such a great job and he kept his mouth shut, do you believe it. Why should I try when I get no credit. My last job was a group of men who were secure enough that they actually thanked me when I contributed instead of not giving me any credit. Can you tell that I am pissed off. This is all new to me. I have always given credit where credit is due and would like that same respect at work.

Lemony Chicken

I highly recommend this recipe. It is great. You can find the lemon curd in with the jellies in your grocery.

Lemony Chicken
Recipe courtesy Sandra Lee
Ingredients
1 quart buttermilk
1 tablespoon lemon zest (from 1 lemon)
4 boneless skinless chicken breasts, tenders removed, cut in strips
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup cornstarch
Vegetable oil, for frying
For Sauce:
1 (11-ounce) jar lemon curd
1/4 cup chicken broth
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon soy sauce
Instructions
Add enough oil to cover the bottom of a large frying pan by 1/4 to 1/2-inch depth. Heat oil
to 365 degrees F.
Meanwhile, whisk buttermilk and zest together in a medium bowl. Add chicken and set aside. Sift together flour and
cornstarch into a shallow dish. Remove chicken from buttermilk mixture and dredge in flour mixture. Fry chicken strips
until golden brown, about 4 to 5 minutes. Carefully flip chicken and continue cooking another 3 to 4 minutes. Drain on
paper towels.
While chicken is frying, make the sauce. In a small saucepan over low heat, melt lemon curd, stirring constantly. Add
remaining ingredients and heat through. Drizzle sauce over chicken and serve.

Thought of the Day - My Update for Ruthie!!!

Not Again!!!!

Well we had our second snowfall this week. I am truly sick of winter now. Nature has pulled enough tricks out of it's pocket for now. Where was this snow at Christmas when we wanted it?????? This little guy below here looks just like what has been falling out of the sky by the thousands this week. Only this guy is cute the snow is not. OK I am officially pissed off because Spring does this every year. It teases us and conjoles us and makes us believe in sunny skies and warm temps and then just when we are true believers it spews it's cold wet icky snow!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The Amazon Experience

This is the cover for a CD that my brother is creating with pictures and movies from the Amazon with English and Portuguese on it. He lives in Manaus, Brazil, in the heart of the Amazon and is a wonderful photographer. These pictures were all taken by him!

Taylor Hicks Rocks!

Every week this guy just gets better and better. I was so blown away by him last night. Everyone thinks that Chris will win it but I have to say this guy is so unique and so much fun to watch that I am going to be dissapointed if he is not making albums and doing concerts. It is so refreshing to see someone a little different. Everyone cast your vote for him!

Oh The Weather Outside Is Frightful

Talk about a day from hell and it has to fall on a Monday. We had warnings that we were going to get a Spring snowstorm but none of us were prepared for this. Our only salvation is that the smart people stayed home from work and school so there wasn't as much traffic. It was only us dedicated morons that were on the road slipping and sliding our way to work. There has to be a high place in heaven for the people who are so dedicated as to try to make it to work on a day like yesterday (there had better be because most of us will die young from the stress). Of course all of my bosses were not at work. Well at least I got to leave early so all was not lost. I actually got home in time to watch Dr. Phil and Oprah (now I know why I go to work everyday). I realize how much I have lost touch with the world of daytime TV. Why in the earth would anyone want to go on national TV and air their dirty laundry for the whole world to see just for 3 minutes of fame????????? Oh well the older I get the more cynical I get. Fat people are no longer responsible for their size, cheaters are victims of their unhappy lives and we are all a mess! What happened to personal responsibility? Oh well enough venting, I know that spring is peeking it's head around the corner just enough to tease us and one of these days I am going to get up to go to work and there will be sunshine and birds singing and blue skies and it will be 75 degrees outside!!!!!! I am waiting! I am waiting!

Fashionista Find!!! My Shopping Experience!

I never fail to marvel at the strides of modern fashion. They now have a jean that makes you sizes smaller by holding in your middle age stomach and pulling in your rear end and the true craziness is that it really works. I went to Nordstroms this weekend and decided to try on these marvelous jeans and whoaaaa!!!! I had to go to a size 8 (I am usually a 10) and they make you look fantastic and they are sooooooooooo!!!!!!! comfortable. At last I can stay true to middle age (vowing never to be uncomfortable in jeans again) and get the look of being poured into my jeans with no protrusions in the front. What more could an old broad like me ask for??????????? Well it would be nice if they didn't cost $100 but what price is beauty I ask you? Everyone run don't walk to Nordstrom's or to any other store that carries these jeans and buy, buy, buy. It will be the best purchase of your lifetime. As soon as I hem the pair that I got I will put on a picture of the new slimmer looking me in my not your daughter's jeans (Tummy Tuck). 

Grandpa & Sadie

Grandpa just moved into assisted living and here he is with his dog in his new digs. Grandpa has been waging a valiant fight with cancer for a long time and he is a real trooper. He is 85 soon to be 86 years old and even took a trip with me to the Amazon at 83. Soon after he was again diagnosed with cancer and has been down a rocky road but doing great now. Congrats Dad on you new digs!!!!

Blog, Blog, Blog, Blog

Well this blog things seems to be going well, I hope to get more inventive as time goes on and figure out what to put on and what to leave off (as if I have ever figured that out in my life). At my age the months seem like weeks and the weeks seem like days. The older one gets the more it seems that you are in fast forward. You want to savor more as you get older but time is really against you. Not that I am that old but if I could give any wisdom to the younger generation, savor every minute and don't waste time on things that bring you down or stress you (this is especially for Ruth) because each day is a gift and you will soon enough reach the fast forward of your life and wonder where it all went. You know the old saying time is money well to me time is priceless!

This is my sentiments at the end of this day! 

Spring is in the air this morning! 

A Milestone!

Well, I made it through another birthday yesterday. They just keep coming and coming and coming. A conflicting time for me, happy and sad. My birthday was yesterday, March 7th and my mother who passed away a couple of years ago's birthday is today the 8th. There is something about sharing a special date throughout your life with someone else and when that someone is your mother you take it for granted until they are gone. It just causes a little more reflection around that time. On a happier note I am still having them which is better than the alternative. My best gift to my mom would be not to be sad but to celebrate the person that she was and she could be a pill! I am so looking forward to spring again and the beauty of Minnesota that time of the year.

Meanderings from Me!

I have decided to start a blog since it seems the fashionable thing to do. I learned this from a very smart young lady in San Francisco. It seems that this is a great way to keep in touch with everyone around the country and since modern families are spread out all over, (mine included) that I would start this blog and see how it goes.