I wish.......

Here's what I'm wishing for today aka an exercise in futility...

I wish:

I wasn't sick, two days in bed now, blecht
I had braids, they're back, and I've always loved them but would look silly with them at this age
I could lose 10 15 okay 20 lbs., another exercise in futility
My house was decorated for fall, dropping the ball this year :o(
I was sitting by a campfire with the old ladies, enjoying the day (private joke, they will get this)
I had a new cuddly robe for fall, I see few in the stores and they all tie at the waist, not attractive when you need to lose 10 15 20 lbs.

Jan, blogging in bed from her iPad, surrounded by Kleenex, dogs and juice Diet Dew

Abby turns two!

Saturday was Abby’s birthday.  She’s all giggles and smiles, busy every moment, exploring the world.  She loves being outside, sliding down her slide, again and again, and playing with the sand rice table that Grammie and P-Pa got her for her birthday.  I love to just sit and watch her, she’s such a joy.  She calls me Grammie now, when we I first saw her, she jumped up and down, squealing “It’s Grammie, It’s Grammie!”  Talk about tugging at those heartstrings.

She had a fun “Little Einsteins” party, and Mama and Daddy dressed up as June and Leo, Abby was Annie.  It was so sweet watching her open her gifts and play with the little kids.  These years pass so quickly, I just want to remember every moment…

A lot of memories, today…

When I was in elementary school, I made a card for Mom, and I’ve always remembered the verse.  I thought it would be especially fitting to post it today, which would have been her ninety-third birthday.

In all the world there is no other

To take the place of you,

Dear Mother…

I have a serious cracker addiction…

Seriously, I do.  I can, for the most part, pass up cake, pie, well maybe not pie, or cake, but I can pass up chips, ice cream and candy, but I have absolutely no willpower when it comes to crackers.  Gimme’ a sleeve and the entire thing somehow vanishes!

I think it’s genetic, my mother adored crackers, Zesta’s were always in the house, and many nights she had crackers and milk for a nighttime snack.  My boys fell on the cracker  bandwagon at an early age, John especially, has a severe addiction.  And I’m starting to wonder if my little Granddaughter has fallen prey as well.  Give her a bag of Cheez-Its and she inhales them.  But then her sweet little Mama is a salt-aholic, so the poor little thing doesn’t really  have a chance.

And my cracker of choice – well, I do love Cheez-Its as well, but I’m also a fan of Veggie Thins, Wheat Thins, Ritz and Club.  In other words, I’m not really picky, I like them all.  Since I have no willpower, I seldom buy them, but hubby is always dragging them into the house, and he doesn’t even like crackers!  I know he’s being nice to me, but I’m thinking I would rather have flowers.  He’s been bringing me Snickers, too, but I froze those things, maybe I need to put the crackers in the freezer, too!  I just don’t know why I can’t resist them, what is it about those damn crackers anyway!

Keepin’ it all in the family…

Meet Miley, my friend Diane’s new pup, who just happens to be my Mollie’s granddaughter.  Isn’t she the cutest little dog!  I met her a couple of weeks ago, and was just enchanted.  There is just nothing better than a new pup, even better when it’s a Yorkie! Yeah, I know, I’m really prejudiced, but Yorkie’s are God’s special creatures, in my opinion, they are just wonderful little dogs…

~ jan

Sittin' on the dock of the bay...

There is just something adorable about old men and a little girl with piggies. Lindsay and Abby visited her family in Washington State last week and Lindsay snapped this picture of Miss A. With her great uncle and Grandpa.

I’m such a happy mom tonight.

John and Deanna were married at sunset, on a beach in Kauai, last night.  She was such a beautiful bride and our John was a handsome groom.  I am so happy for this marriage, she is so good for him and to him, he chose well, my son.

They had a wonderful wedding, stress free, relaxed, and now they vacation for another week before flying home.  Their marriage has the foundation that you want for your children, friendship, happiness, contentment, and love.

So here I sit, joyful,  teary eyed, absolutely thrilled with this union.  I so look forward to the years to come and having this amazing woman in our family.  We are so blessed…

It’s nice to have your child home again, regardless of how old they are…

Lindsay and Abby are in Seattle visiting her family, so Ryan has been working from here for the past few days.  Oh, the joy of it, to have him here, doing the things we always used to do, cooking, laughing, going for drives in the country, just the silly stuff.

Of course it isn’t the same as when Linds and Abby are here, I miss morning coffee with Dilly and that sweet little toddler playing in the living room, but it’s so nice to have a few days with him, just living in the moment.

He talks to Abby on the phone, she says “Dada?” and he says, “Yes, Abby.”  She then proceeds to talk to him in only a language they understand.  We were out yesterday and she was texting him, yes texting, for real she was.  She’s figured out how to press keys and hit send, she sent him four messages.  So far she hasn’t texted Grammie, but I have a feeling it just might be in my future.  Oh, how will I ever delete them?

And that’s my life this rainy day.  Ry’s birthday was last week, we’re having Sunday fried chicken today, mashed potatoes, gravy, corn, you know how it is, certain foods he just has to have. We made a trip to the orchard yesterday, so it’s apple pie ala mode for dessert.

Then he goes home, his family flies back this week and life goes back to normal.  But it’s been so special having him home again for a few days.  Now if I could just beam Lindsay and Abby here for Sunday dinner it would be perfect ;o)

Icy Hot...

Hubby went to the drugstore, bought Icy Hot, came home, rubbed it on my back, and lawdee does it feel good. But the smell, the oil of wintergreen reminds me of smokeless tobacco, which my Grandma used when I was a little girl. Grandma was from Kentucky, and her whole life she dipped "snuff" while hiding her mouth behind a handkerchief. I remember not understanding what she was doing, and mother evaded my questions. I guess she thought the subject was not for "delicate" little ears.

But the smell this afternoon reminds me of grandma and it's a comforting memory. Who woulda thunk it...

Pain...

Note to self: actually, note to everyone: Never sit for long periods at the computer, working intently without moving around. Holy Moley, I never have back pain, but I've got it now! This has been going on since Sunday and I'm not a happy camper. Poor hubby, he's been really good about taking care of me, I think he deserves an apple pie when I'm better...

Birthday Boy…

Today is Ry’s birthday.  Happy Birthday Baby Boy!!!!!  Just saying that makes me feel younger!  Yeah, it does.  Works for me…..

P*ssing and moaning...

Sometimes I feel that my body is betraying me. How dare it hurt when the weather changes. This part of the aging cycle especially bothers me.

Why does it have to be like this, why am I turning into a human barometer, acutely aware of every weather front that comes through? My head hurts, my body aches, and I don't like it one bit! But there is no solution to this, I suspect it is just goig to get worse. So i sit here complaining, which does no good either, but sometimes you just gotta vent!!! Know what I mean, Vern????

Webcam 101 for Seniors…

I saw this on ABC news tonight.  Oh, this old(er) couples are SO funny.  They had no idea they were actually recording anything, and her daughter found the footage and published it to YouTube.  Oh, she’s chewing that gum so hard….. SO CUTE!!!

Not a pleasant thought, but reality….

One of my good friends has a friend that lost her husband last week.  He was only sixty-seven, and died of cancer.  Naturally, we’ve had several conversations about this, and it’s a wakeup call for all of us.

This woman, that lost her husband, was totally taken care of, he did everything for her, which sounds good, but in reality, it isn’t, because now she’s left to pick up the pieces and go on with her life and is clueless as how to do it.  I can write these things about her, because she doesn’t read this blog, and I feel so sorry for her.

We have to face the facts, especially if you, like a lot of us are now sixty or beyond.  If you’re married, or have a significant other, one of you is going to die.  It’s hard to think about and it’s such a reality check to read this, but it’s true.  And the best thing that you can do for your spouse, or they for you, is to achieve independence.

The worst thing that you can do for your partner is to be totally dependent.  So take stock of your life ladies, are there areas that you need to step up to the plate and take charge of?  Whether it be finances, home maintenance, or teaching a spouse to do the laundry or cook a simple meal, take action today.

I’m fortunate to have a husband that is self-sufficient, but so many people I know have spouses that aren’t.  It’s not only the women who have problems when they are left, often the men are in worse shape because they don’t know how to take care of the necessary things in day to day life.

So if your husband doesn’t cook, and doesn’t want to learn, at least make a notebook, giving him instructions on how to do the simple things.  How to do laundry, what to do with your things when you’re gone, how to scramble eggs and make breakfast, how often to water the plants, you get my drift.  Sometimes it’s easier to write these things down than to discuss them with a spouse that isn’t interested.

And in turn, don’t bury your head in the sand.  Be aware of where the insurance policies are, the stocks, the bank accounts.  Know where you stand financially, be able to take care of the checking acount, and  find out how often you service your car, rotate your tires, all these things will be left up to you if you are the one that is left.  There will be furnace filters to change, lawns that will need mowing, smoke detector batteries to be changed, so many things that many of us take for granted, someday we may have to face doing them ourselves, and you will need a plan.

Oh, isn’t this pleasant talk for a sunny Monday morning.  But stop and think about what I’ve written, this past week was an eye opening experience for me.  If I die first, hubby will be able to cope, and thankfully, if I’m the one that’s left, I won’t be that woman who doesn’t know how to take care of myself, and I don’t want you to be either. 

~ jan

Pioneer Woman on the Food Network, I’ve watched every episode…

Well, since I love the woman, there is no way I would give her a bad review, but I must say, I’m on the third episode now, and she’s definitely improving.

I had an ah-ha moment this morning when she kissed her Bassett Hound, Charlie, and told him she loved him.  And her “baby” is the sweetest little 7 year old boy ever, with his endearing lisp.

Since this show is about family, she quickly goes through her recipes, but that’s okay, I would rather see the ranch, the horses and the kids.  She’s refreshing, she’s real, she even had bad makeup in the first episodes, but they’re correcting it.

She’s just a busy mom of four, living on a ranch with her hunky hubby, who found her niche and is making major money for her family. REE DRUMMOND YOU ARE A ROCK STAR IN MY BOOK!!!!!

You can find her show schedule and recipes here…

Scentsy, I’m such a fan.

Scentsy Ocean Scent is the most amazing thing I’ve ever smelled, I just had to share this with you.  My Buddy, Ang, sold Scentsy for awhile last year and she set me up with warmers and blocks of different flavored wax and the smells are wonderful.

The quality is so good, they’re comparable to Yankee Candles, but there is no wick, no flame, you just plug in the burners and the cubes of wax melt in the pots.  They’re made from essential oils, no chemicals, so they don’t smell artificial, they are just fantastic. 

Some scents seem to last longer than others, you just have to try different ones to see what you like.  The picture above shows some of their warmers and a 9 pack of wax cubes.  They cost $5.00 for a pack of these and you put one cube in either a burner that sits on table or they have plug-ins that plug into a wall socket. Prices for the burners are from $20 for a plug-in to $35 for a full size warmer, this Malta mid-size warmer on the right is $30, it’s one of my favorites. I think you can also buy a bundle of burner and wax, and it’s cheaper.  Once you get the burners, the wax is inexpensive.  The burners are really nice, too, they’re made of pottery, and there are a lot to choose from.

Ang isn’t selling Scentsy any longer, but we have a monthly flea market in Heavensville, and a Scentsy dealer is always there.  So I went last week to replenish my supply and tried one that I had never had before, Ocean.

Ocean is clean and fresh, not overpowering at all, it’s hands down the best fragrance ever, my house smells great.  I have one warmer in the living room and one plug-in in my bedroom, and they’ve been turned on 24/7 since last weekend and they still smell good.  The flavor is dissipating and I need to put in new cubes now, but I think this scent has lasted longer than any of the others I’ve had.  I also bought a pack of Oats ‘n Honey, a brown sugar smell that I haven’t had before, but I’m so hung up on Ocean that I haven’t even tried them. ;o)

Here is a link to one person’s reviews of some of the scents.  You can go to Scentsy’s website to find a dealer near you, or order online.

And, my son John, who, by the way is having a birthday today, Happy Birthday, Sweetie, is researching a unit that attaches to your HVAC system.  He says that the luxury hotels now all smell amazing, and that they are blowing scent thru their heating/air conditioning system.  So far all he’s finding are really expensive, like $500 for the unit, plus the bottles of fragrance that dispenses the scent.  But he’s working on finding a cheaper alternative, and if anybody can figure this out, John can.  This is ongoing, when he comes up with something I’ll let you know, and in the meantime you might want to give Scentsy a try.

You know I always share the good stuff, ladies, and this one is a winner!

~ jan

Age Activated Attention Deficit Disorder

My sassy little daughter-in-law sent me the link to this video. You think maybe she’s trying to tell me something? ;o)

Ahhhhhh, the fruits of the season…

Is there anything better than fresh fruit?  I’ve had enough of watermelon and cantaloupe, I’m even tired of peaches now, I’m ready for the fall fruits.

Veronica just came back from Michigan, dropped off a peck of Golden Delicious Apples for me, and they are AMAZING.  That was dinner tonight, swiss cheese, apples and crackers.  I should have cracked open that bottle of Posey County Red that Ang brought over, it would have been perfect.

So now I’m searching for pears.  If I can find them, I’ll make a batch of Aunt Mae’s Pear Honey, the recipe is ancient, but oh so good.  I’ll dig out the recipe and post it on Jan CAN Cook for all of you.

I’m hoping that this is summer’s last hurrah, temps of 100 degrees are posted for the next couple of days.  Enough of this, it’s time for sweaters and jeans, bonfires and weiner roasts. 

A girl can dream, can’t she?  Even if the hot weather is holding on for dear life, there is a nip in the air in the evening.  I’m just waiting…

Memories of Billy the Rooster

This picture of me was taken when I was about Abby’s age, I was probably about two years old.

We had just moved to the country and Billy was mother’s pet rooster.  Some of my earliest memories are of Billy, he was a gentle soul that mother nurtured from a chick. 

She was an animal lover, always outside animals, though, we never had anything in the house except her canaries.  There were always dogs and cats to play with, chickens, too and the occasional white duck wandering around our yard, and obviously this rooster.

At the risk of sounding like Ma and Pa Kettle, I have to tell you about Billy and how I remember, to this day, him roosting on the back of our couch at night.

Mother was a clean freak, everything was always pristine in our house, but she loved this pet rooster and was afraid a fox would get into the chicken house and kill him, so every night she would spread layers of newspapers on the back of the couch, bring Billy inside and he would roost on the sofa.  I wish I could talk to her about this again, seeing this picture brought back such vivid memories. She must have gotten up at the crack of dawn to let him outside, because no doubt he started crowing when the sun came up.

This must sound odd to you, but remember, it was a simple life, living in our little house on the ditch bank, and it seemed perfectly normal to have a rooster in our living room.  I had an aunt that always had baby pigs on her back porch, I used to feed them with a baby bottle, and I remember going to a great aunt’s house and she had baby chickens underneath her kitchen table, with chicken wire around the table legs so they couldn’t get out.

I know, that’s a bit much, but she was probably doing that to keep them warm. I remember thinking how awful it was, that old woman with all those baby chickens under the table.  But that aunt was a little bat shit crazy, too. She WAS Ma Kettle.

Oh, what a cute couple…

John and Deanna went to a Mystery Dinner Theatre last night and won the prize for “best dressed” couple.

Accessories make the outfit, she said this morning, and nobody does vintage better than Deanna. 

And that guy with her?  Well he looks pretty spiffy, too.