Robin's Rock

Hot diggity doggity!

2012-02-20T14:39:00.002-05:00

"Bike Log" 2012: I got my Exerpeutic Foldable Semi-Recumbant Bike set up and my first workout in! This is a REALLY cool exercise bike as it puts the work on the quads intead of the side hip muscles and bursa - which is where I got inflammation because of not conditioning up for real bike riding last year. I LOVE it!

I went 12 minutes, 2.5 miles, on setting 1 as I am trying not to be stupid again and do too much too soon! AND I did it in the comfort of my own living room watching TV this morning! It kept my heart rate around 130 which is good for starting after 9 months off from riding! YAY! Btw, did I mention it takes up a tiny amount of space and collapses down to roll into a closet when guests come? WooHOO!!!

P.S. Here's the website for it...I must have gotten one of the last ones at Walmart online as they are now out of stock online. You can get it elsewhere, however. Don't be put off by Amazon's one review. This is a GREAT bike...so far!
http://www.walmart.com/ip/Exerpeutic-Space-Saver-Semi-Recumbent-Bike-with-Pulse/15657479

Ringing in 2012 RIGHT!

2012-01-01T10:02:00.000-05:00

I wanted to start this year off HEALTHY....so I invited friends over to an old-fashioned (but healthily cooked with turkey broth) vegetable supper of...

Mustard greens, green beans, black-eyed peas, carrots with nutmeg,
okra, corn with peppers and onions, sauteed squash and onions,
sliced 'maters, roasted chicken and roasted boneless pork...

and Healthy Cherry Crisp for dessert!

After supper, we played Carcasonne (one of my new games I got for Christmas)...a GREAT time!

I don't believe in setting New Year's Resolutions. However, I do believe that setting reasonable goals can be very helpful - regardless of the time of year.  After carefully and prayerfully considering potential goals, they should be reevaluated often for efficacy with subsequent readjustment if needed. :>D Can you guess that eating more veggies is one of my newest goals?

Healthy Cherry Crisp

Recipe By     : Robin Ferguson
Serving Size : 4

NOTE: Be SURE to use "No Sugar Added" cherry pie filling
rather than "Lite" as the calories are twice as much in the "Lite"!
I used Comstock brand bought at Kroger.
Amount     Measure              Ingredient -- Preparation Method
--------        ------------             --------------------------------
20           ounces                cherry pie filing, sugar free -- 1 can, Comstock
12           chunks                canned pineapple chunks in juice
2             tablespoons        Brummel & Brown, diet margerine
4             tablespoons        splenda

2            tablespoons        old-fashioned rolled oats
2 1/2       tablespoons        Baking Mix, Whole Wheat, Hodgson Mill
1             tablespoon          splenda
2             tablespoons        Brummel & Brown, diet margerine

1. Divide cherry pie filling equally between 4 small, 2 cup baking dishes;
    Place 3 chunks pineapple into each serving;
    Put 1/2 T Brummel & Brown in center of each;
    Sprinkle 1 T Splenda over top.

2. Mix oats, baking mix, and splenda;
    Mash in B & B and knead into small roll (2 inches long);
    Divide into 4 equal pieces;
    Divide individual pieces into thumbnail sized dollops and place on top.

3. Bake at 350 for approx. 20-30 minutes until bubbly and slightly browned.
                                     - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Per Serving (excluding unknown items): 154 Calories; 6g Fat (33.2% calories from fat); 1g Protein; 24g Carbohydrate; 1g Dietary Fiber; 0mg Cholesterol; 152mg Sodium.

Exchanges:
1 Fruit,
1 Fat,
1/2 Starch or 40 opt. cal.
(You can double the amount of topping to increase this to 1 starch.)

Lolly Belle Rose and the Candles

2011-12-20T08:28:00.001-05:00

Last year, tired of all the messand allergies, I decided to start burning candles in my fireplace instead ofwood. One evening while relaxing in myfavorite chair, I noticed that Lolly was sitting in front of the fireplacegazing at the candles for a long time. I wondered what was going through her sweet little mind but didn’t thinktoo much more about it until the next evening.

I was working on the computer andhad not yet lit the candles when she came over, sat down beside me, looked upand started barking at me. I asked herwhat she wanted. She stared at me. So, I went back to work at the computer. Again, she started barking but this time inwhat I call her “bossy bark”. You knowthe kind of bark I mean? The kind ofbark you just can’t ignore that seems to go straight through your brain like alightning bolt! As my ears were stillringing from the volume of her vocalization, I looked at her and impatientlyinquired, “What do you want?” She verypointedly looked back over her shoulder to the fireplace. Perplexed, I questioned, “Lolly, do you wantme to light the candles?” She startedgrinning from ear to ear, jumped up and ran over to the fireplace to wait. I retrieved the lighter and began to kindlethe candles one by one. When I hadfinished and closed the protective screen, she peacefully settled down for astint of doggy contemplation! Needlessto say, when the weather gets cold or rainy, candle-gazing has become one ofour favorite new traditions!

(sigh)

2011-09-05T09:59:00.001-04:00

Certain things just make me happy...like my powder room...that's all...just wanted to share...

BBBB 2011

2011-07-21T09:00:00.000-04:00

My adoptive family all have their birthdays during the summer with the exception of one who has his in April like me. So each summer I do the Quadruple B - otherwise known as the BBBB which stand for "The Bolen Beaudoin Birthday Bash". It is one of the most fun things I do every summer!

I LOVE (with a capital L, O, V, and E) setting a beautiful table and making up recipes for a special meal. I spend weeks designing the look I want and then adapting or creating recipes to meet the desires and needs of these loved ones. Each year we rotate who gets to choose the theme. This year's theme chosen by Margaret was Mexican/Pasta.

This year, I wanted a clean, crisp look to the table. So I found a blue and white pinstripe twin sheet at a thrift shop that looked just right with my dishes. Instead of layering colors as I have done in the past, I went with simple white accents, white roses, white napkins. It looked so pretty with my dishes and for a luncheon turned out nicely.

I then developed the menu keeping in mind my dietary needs as well as theirs. While it was not a low-calorie meal, it was definitely MUCH lower calorie than what the "full-leaded" versions of these dishes would be! For example, instead of the standard 586 calories in regular chocolate cheesecake, my version that used non-fat creme cheese had only about 300. Still a bit high but it IS a birthday dessert after all! The texture was more a nice thick, gooey mousse-yness rather than cakey and the flavor was EXCEEDINGLY intense chocolate! So rich. My secret was at the end of mixing it, I decided to throw another bit of DARK chocolate powder in...made all the difference!

Mexican Three Cheese Pasta Bake was our main dish entree accompanied by a Corn Pico de Gallo and a spinach salad with dragon fruit and a blackberry balsalmic dressing.

I am a contented homemaker. (SIGH) I sent all the leftovers home with the birthday crowd except for one serving of pasta which I already put in the freezer for another special day for me and one, ONLY one, serving of cheesecake which I may or may not save for later (grin). I saved a lot of the Corn Pico de Gallo as that is something I can have every day...a WONDERFUL summer accompaniment to almost any meal. If you would like any of the recipes, just pop me an email and I will send them to you.

Bike Log 2010, December...a most perfect day!

2010-12-11T22:06:00.008-05:00

I awoke this morning feeling pretty yucky. I was cold, it looked dreary and every fiber within me wanted to just crawl back into bed and sleep it off. But I knew that if I did, I would feel even yuckier. So, I thought, "Hmmm...it's the last day of the Piedmont Park Green Market and I haven't ridden in weeks due to the cold and the strep. I wonder how cold it is outside?" So I stuck my head out and, lo and behold, it was in the mild 50's. I knew that a cold front was headed our way that is supposed to make the weather pretty miserable over the next few days but at that moment, it was ridin' weather. So I came in, got a shower, packed my bike and off to Piedmont Park I went! I remembered on the way that I needed to buy some soap at the Trader Joe's across the way from PP and I needed to check on an orchid for a friend for Christmas at the Atlanta Botanical Garden which is right beside the park. So I had a plan. I got my soap at TJ's, mounted up and went on down to the park. It felt so GOOD to ride!

I stopped in at the Green Market for a few more bags of Papperdelle's Pasta (check them out...absolutely AMAZING pasta and lower in calories and carbs than normal store bought stuff... http://www.pappardellesonline.com/servlet/StoreFront) a few bars of organic, good-smellin' soap and then pedaled up to the Botanical Garden gift shop. Sure enough, the had just the right orchid for my friend! I paid for it and asked them to hold it until I brought my car around. Then headed down to the dog park area to check on the status of the new path they will be opening, hopefully soon (not open yet, though), and then back to my car at Trader Joe's. 3.53 wonderful miles. I was absolutely zonkered and by that time, FROZEN. The cold weather really makes a difference to my endurance and half-way through the ride, the sky started clouding up and the temp started to drop. I knew I had gotten my ride in just in time!

After packing my bike into my trunk, I stumbled into the Starbuck's at the other end of the parking lot and managed to gasp, "coffee. now." She said, "What kind?" and I replied, "BIG!" ....ahhhhhhh..... After thawing a bit, I got in my car and drove down to the Botanical Garden and picked up the orchid. I then headed over to my friend's house for a surprise "Merry Christmas" to her.

There is so much JOY in giving! My friend, who is in her late 80's and not able to get out very much, was absolutely delighted! She always loved gardening and still loves to watch blooming things go through their transitions. I was overwhelmed with that warm, glowing feeling you only get from giving to someone, watching their reaction, knowing that you "hit the spot". I was so glad to be alive and to be a human being, caring, loving and living outside of self. Living only to please my Maker. Loving to see Him love through me.

I then ran the other errands I needed. Scored BIG time at the thrift shop...for a pittance, a whole box of used candles with which to make ice candles next week! Also, some old, unused Christmas cards for a project I'm planning for TOPS. After then going to Walmart for my items I needed from there, I was once again totally overwhelmed by God's goodness to us.

This time of year, it is so easy to lose sight of how much He loves us and wants the best for us. I have felt His love and blessing "pressed down and running over" the past few days. How it must hurt His heart when the children He created don't understand just how much He does love us. Right now Narnia is playing on tv and Aslan has just accepted the punishment that rightfully should have gone to Edmund. In real life, Jesus did that for us. Do I really, REALLY live worthy of that sacrifice each and every breath I take? I hope so. How He cried over Jerusalem. We are Jerusalem. He loves us so much and I know it breaks His heart when we don't let His love flow through us to those about us. He LOVES. Therefore, we can love. And the joy, the joy, the JOY that ensues! Let's DO it! Let's let His light shine to the whole world through us!

Biking, Carrots, and Waxing...

2010-08-14T11:49:00.003-04:00

Waxing as in "waxing nostalgic". There are leaves falling. Now, I know they are not falling because it is becoming Fall. The poor little brown things just can't take the 'lanta heat anymore! BUT, as I rode today it was overcast (they say we'll have thunder storms this pm) and so humid that I was breathing in large particles (baby droplets) of water from the air. Then I noticed leaves were falling and so I decided to go to the place in my mind of F-A-L-L and just enjoy!

I wanted to ride down to Return to Eden Health Food store today to get RealSalt sea salt. It is about 2 miles there and then 2 miles back, passing Whole Foods at the halfway mark. So I did. What a LOVELY ride! Cool, wind in my face, sweating like a....hmm...what's the worst kind of sweatin' thing you can think of? That was me. BUT I've said it before and I'll repeat, why do I not mind sweating when I ride my bike? I HATE sweating at any other time. But biking? Man, I just don't CARE!

There are only two things I hate about starting back to teaching school:

1. I can't ride in the mornings and it is just too hot in the afternoons or even early evenings. But that will change as Fall comes and I will be able to ride after school...Lord willing.

2. I'm so tired when I get home that I find myself going to that emotional place of just wanting to eat everything in sight in order to comfort myself and "feel better" which it NEVER does. While I know it won't make me feel better with my logical brain, my emotional brain is screaming, "FEED ME!!!" I'm hoping that this will get better as I get more used to saying NO to my bratty, emotional self. If you would pray for me about that, I would really appreciate and benefit from it. :>D

Now, carrots. I have decided that "baby" carrots, be them organic or not, are evil. In order to keep my innards processing, I have to eat about a cup of raw carrots every day. No other vegetable I have found does the trick. But that handful, works pretty good. So...I decided for the sake of convenience to buy the "baby" ones. In BOTH bags (one organic and one not) that I bought at different times, there were rotten carrots. Spoils the taste of the whole bag, let me tell you. I know my carrots and they just don't taste as good once they have been snuggled up to a rotten one. And no it is NOT all in my mind. Like I said, I know my carrots! So today, I went back to organic WHOLE ones (no tops) that I will just have to "wash up" as I need. We pay such a high price for convenience, don't we? We pay our very health.

Back to waxing...I haven't said it much lately but I love my sister. She is the catalyst for so many good things in my life. The Lord uses her to "grow" me over and over again. Most of the time she's not even aware of how the Lord is using her...:

Just cut some fresh basil from my garden...the smell is still on my hands as I type. One of the most wonderful smells in the entire world!

Have a great weekend!

Complicated supper...

2010-07-25T22:20:00.005-04:00

But OH so worth it! I made a recipe for chicken based on a recipe by Rachel Ray (Quick Rosemary Chicken and Potatoes). I just did the chicken part of the recipe and then served it with her Burst Tomato Sauce and soya noodles sauteed with mushrooms and bell peppers. The rosemary, basil, tomatoes, and bell peppers were all from my little garden! Yep, I eat like this and have lost 153 lbs doing so!

For Burst Tomato Sauce, go here:

http://www.rachaelray.com/recipe.php?recipe_id=616

Here's the chicken recipe I adapted:

Rosemary Chicken

Recipe By : Adapted from Rachel Ray's Quick Rosemary Chicken and Potatoes"
Serving Ideas : Serve with Burst Tomato Sauce and soy noodles or pasta.
Categories : Poultry

Serving Size : 4

Amount---Measure----Ingredient

2 whole chicken breast halves -- WITH skin and bone!
8 sprigs fresh rosemary
2 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil
salt and pepper -- to taste

Cut the chicken into 4 as equal as possible pieces;Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Heat oil and rosemary in cast iron or heavy dutch oven on top of the stove.When hot, brown chicken on skin side, then bone side.When browned, put lid on and put into a 400 oven for 30 minutes.

To serve, remove skin and discard.

Description: "adapted from Rachel Ray's Quick Rosemary Chicken and Potatoes"

Per Serving (excluding unknown items): 145 Calories (see note); 9g Fat (57.1%calories from fat); 15g Protein; 0g Carbohydrate; 0g Dietary Fiber; 46mgCholesterol; 46mg Sodium.

Exchanges: 2 Lean Meat; 1/2 Fat (see note)

NOTES : Because the skin will be discarded upon serving, the nutritional count is adjusted to having NO fat exchange and 125 calories.

This is my journey...

2010-07-20T14:37:00.020-04:00

My neice, Kate and my niece-in-love, Alyssa inspire me. Through the thick and thin of their lives, the blogs they write are incredible, insightful, totally inspiring and always make me grow in some way. So, I'm taking a lesson from them and journalling what has been happening in my life this past year. Why? Because it's getting tough now and I need the reminder and the accountability in hard, cold black and white of who, what, when, where and most of all why I am. So I'm warning you, the following may not agree with your beliefs, ideas, or sensabilities and will quite probably ramble and quite possibly rant at times...but it's the path God has put me on. It may or may not have things in common with the journey God has for you. But this is MY journey with Him in my own words...

Many of you have heard me say over and again, "I love my Dr. Brown." He is my endocrinologist and God has used him over the past 10 years to give me hope while dealing with this horrible disease that took my mama at age 40 - diabetes. I've been diabetic for at least 16 years now diagnosed AT the age of 40. Mama didn't have those years. While that makes me sad for me and my siblings, I know that when God knit her in her mother's womb that she was only allotted that many years before she got to go be with Him. I can't be jealous of God. He has much more of a "right"' to her than I do. I do look forward to seeing her again some day and saying, "I'm SO sorry. I understand so much more now and I can't express how much I respect you." You know, those things you really don't have the wisdom to know, feel or think about saying when you're 16 years old and Y-O-U-N-G. :>)

For the first 6 years after the diabetic bomb shell, I had a dr. that wasn't right for me. (Wasn't that tactful?!) His attitude was, "take these pills and don't worry about it." NOT the right approach for someone with a STEEP genetic history going back at least 3 generations where every single female on the maternal side has died of diabetes or pancreatic cancer. So the day came when we parted ways. He had prescribed a medicine that in 4 months made me gain 40 lbs. When questioned about the efficacy of this medicine for me, his response was, "Well, the diabetes will kill you but the weight won't." Stunning, huh? Especially since with those 40 lbs I was now topping the scale at 440 lbs! I can't rememeber whether I said it or just thought it, but my response was, "Well, if I can't get through the door to go to work, then I have a BIG problem!" I probably only thought it...that's where I was then. (by the way, those of you who know me, you know I am NOT there now! I WILL speak up...sometimes not so tactfully as it is contrary to my bent. :>) Anyway, when I left his office, I knew I would not be back. I stopped that nasty medicine (by the way, it was Actos) and started praying about who the Lord wanted me to go to that would HELP me. He led me to Dr. Brown.

In the first year, my wonderful Dr. Brown (who treats his patients VERY aggressively and does NOT monkey around) put me on insulin and adjusted all meds. It was amazing! With the insulin, I had energy! I had not realized how lethargic I was and how fuzzy my thinking and just plain living had become due to the high blood sugars. Within the first 2 years I dropped about 60 lbs just naturally.

I have seen Dr. Brown every three months for the past 10 years and have ALWAYS come away from my appointment feeling hopeful and "I can do this for another 3 months." Until May 2009. [please insert the Law & Order theme song, "Chuh CHUNK" here]... My A1C was up, my blood pressure was startlingly high (about 160/100 in his office) and as I am allergic to almost ALL bp meds except the two I currently take, he said with the most dispirited demeanor I had ever seen him have, "You know, Ms. Ferguson, I just don't have anything else for you." Can you imagine my fear, pain, frustration, agony, ...? I came away totally...beat. I got before the Lord and cried...really cried... from my spirit, "Lord, I don't know what to do! Please, please show me." And then I cried some more. After drying my tears and constant prayer, I felt very strongly God was saying, “Get on it” and I said, “Yes, Sir.”

I spent a weekend researching online as to how I was to go about losing weight. I came across the following article that really spoke to my heart and challenged my unhealthy attitudes and behaviors that were keeping me from achieving and maintaining a healthy lifestyle.

http://healthy.hillbillyhousewife.com/introductiontoexpd.htm

Having been an insulin dependant diabetic for many years, I was doing quite a few things correctly and knew how to use the Exchange Program. however, there were some key components that I had been missing. The first was journaling. I really wasn’t aware until I started journaling that I was eating whole meals between meals! I would eat things that wouldn’t raise my blood sugar like a handful of nuts. After all, the news media says they are good for us, right? I discovered that handful of nuts was about 400 calories! You do that a few times a day and you have eaten a whole days worth of calories in snacks alone not even counting the calories expended on meals! By the way, an appropriate serving of nuts is ¼ of an ounce…about a tablespoonful.

The second component I was missing was a support system. The article specifically mentioned TOPS along with a few others. Having “done” most of the others, I researched TOPS online and was greatly surprised to find that not only was TOPS non-profit but that every spare cent goes to obesity research. I LOVED that! I believe there is a whole lot more to achieving and maintaining a healthy weight than what we currently know and the non-profit mindedness of TOPS was a perfect fit for me.

So, I clicked on the “find a meeting near you” button and discovered there was a meeting right down the road from me – TOPS Georgia 30. I said, “Well, Lord, I get the message!” I called a friend and told her about it and without even a pause she said, “I’ll go with you.” What a beautiful confirmation that I was on the path God wanted me. Since then, even though she must walk with the help of a walker and has many health challenges, to date, she has lost 75 lbs.!

Since that beginning, by God’s mercy, I have lost 153 lbs. I have about another 65 lbs to lose. The going is much slower now. There were 3 whole weeks where I ate and exercised totally correctly and gained weight each week; BUT, I lost a whole dress size during those 3 weeks! God is teaching me so many lessons. One of which is that sometimes a desire for a goodly "goal" can replace our desire for Him and His will.

Here and now, I want to make it really clear...HE has allowed the decrease in my size and body. It has been my experience that there are those who really do not want to hear that. They want a magic formula to insure the results they desire. But life is NOT about glorifying ourselves and/or our puny efforts to conquer, succeed, or attain goals. Life is about being companions, brides if you will, of the Lord Jesus Christ. Giving HIM the glory in ALL things. After all, HE is the one who created ALL things! Even our own "creativity" is there only at His behest as we are made in His image. He is the ultimate creator and made us in His image so we can be creative as well...but NOT on HIS level fer sure!

There are those who would say, "Well, yes, He has helped you lose weight, but YOU have to do the work!" Then they normally repeat the, "So what are you doing?" question with a hopeful look on their face. I understand that yearning for the hope that it will just be EASY with the right "formula". But it's the wrong focus. That's like saying, "Well, true, Jesus died to save you from your sins but YOU have to accept Him." ???? So the focus should be on my courageous ACCEPTING instead of His sacrifice??!! I don't think so. That is totally crazy, skewed thinking...aggrandisement of self! Self is not and never will be the source of Life. True life and the source of it is only found in HIM! Yes, He allows us to enjoy the wonderful life He has created, this miraculous creation of His; but only so we can enjoy HIM to the fullest extent of our abilities! Worship the CREATOR not the creation. Our society is so screwed up about true, real values.

So what exactly am I saying? If you want to lose weight - for whatever reason - take it to HIM and then do what He says! All other efforts will be wasted as they will not be anchored in Him. Being obese is SOOOOOO much more than just "eat less, move more". Catchy phrase and may very well work for a person who has never been obese...but I wouldn't know about that as I have fought obesity my entire life. Only the Lord's wisdom can sift through all the screwed up attitudes, beliefs, behaviors, etc. that have caused us to go "wrong". What I DO know is:

1. We are marvelously knit individuals with as many different needs amongst us as the different varieties of trees, animals, flowers, etc. Yes, there are a few generalizations you can make about the same genera BUT...for example, look at the following: elephants, aphids and koalas. What do they have in common? They're all vegetarians, for pity's sake! They all pretty much eat a similar diet but look at the disparity of their body shapes and sizes due in large part to their individual metabolisms! Or look at how different people react to different medicines! One person will greatly benefit from a medicine and another person will die from it! So let's knock off this "one size fits all" mentality! Only GOD knows what you need as He knit you in your mother's womb and therefore, HE is the only one with "the manual" for YOU! He knows your metabolism intimately since he created it.

2. Don't be stupid and ignore those few generalizations that we KNOW are true...i.e. anyone eating mainly processed, non-whole-grain stuff IS gonna reap the consequences of that kind of diet sooner or later.

3. God wants a relationship with you just as surely as you want a relationship with those you love...but MORE so! So much more so...

4. If you don't know what to do, ASK Him!

5. And, “I am sure of this very thing, that the One who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Jesus Christ.” Philippians 1:6

If you've made it this far...thank you for listening to my heart. "So whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do it ALL for the glory of God." I Corinthians 10:31

Amen.

A Wonderful Start....

2010-01-01T17:54:00.008-05:00

Today was one of the best new year starts of all time!

First, lunch with friends with three major victories...1. sat in the back seat 2. fastened the seat belt with room to spare 3. sat in a booth with about 6 inches in front. All things I haven't been able to do in quite some time.

Second, a LONG 20 minutes walk with Lolly in the beautiful, sunny coldness! Victory #4...haven't been able to walk that far in ages. Lolly got tired before me!

Third, dropped off Lolly and went back out for 30 more minutes taking pictures! Victory #5...was able to stay out walking about for another 30 minutes! Victory #6...found out what was wrong with my Fuji FinePix camera that I have loved for these many years (it had been taking very blurry pics)....ready? Wait for it....THE CAMERA LENSE WAS FILTHY DIRTY!!! After noticing that through some sunshine pics, I cleaned it and VOILA! My camera is fixed. (much hanging and shaking of the head in disbelief.) I had never since I bought the camera cleaned the lense. Ah, we learn by experience, right?

Now, an evening of knitting, reading, talking with friends on the phone and reveling in 2 1/2 more days of "nothingness" until going back to school on Monday.

(Side note...the pic above was inspired by my art teacher neice, Kate. She always takes amazing photos and I thought of all I had heard her talk about artistic composition...note the different type of line shadows!)

Life and the Lord are good...very, VERY good!

Lolly and the Dryer Ball

2009-12-30T18:40:00.002-05:00

Lolly loves toys. She has a HUGE basket full of them and she checks every now and then to make sure they are all there. Sometimes, just for fun, I dump the whole basket out onto the floor and let her pick and choose which to play with. Her little face gets so excited when she rediscovers a toy that has been at the bottom of the basket for a while.

While she loves her old toys, there is nothing that makes her happier than a brand new toy. This year, I decided to make her and all her doggie pals "dryer balls". These are made by wrapping a skein of wool yarn into a ball about twice the size of the ball you want. Then you put it into a net lingerie bag and tie the end close enough near the ball so it is snug. Wash it in very hot water and soap with some other things like jeans. The banging against the other clothes, soap, and hot water makes it shrink up and join together into a solid ball that bounces after being dried in the dryer. She can bite it as hard as she wants and it won't hurt it or her teeth! Also, doggies love the smell of them as they retain a trace scent of lanolin from the sheep from which the wool was trimmed. Result? One very happy puppy!

What makes a totally BLESSED Sunday:

2009-10-18T21:05:00.002-04:00

1. Going to Sunday School.

2. Taking Ms. Lolly on a LONG walk in the beautiful, sunny, nippy air after days of days of rain.

3. Getting a good afternoon nap.

4. Having the ability and cleaning my own house including vacuuming.(Those with Fibromyalgia/Chronic Fatigue totally understand this one!)

5. The smell of something yummy in the oven for supper. Tonight it is baked stuffed peppers. YUM!

6. Feeling the Lord's presence in all of the above, every breath I take!

THANK YOU, LORD for this perfectly blessed day!

Summer, Ete, Verano...

2009-06-07T01:55:00.005-04:00

Summer by any other name is still...

WONDERFUL!

Brrrr!!!!!

2009-01-17T12:29:00.013-05:00

Ok, ok, I know that the northerners around here think we southern flowers are just WIMPS but you know...we just don't have enough of the cold stuff to develop the rhino skin we need to not FEEL the cold! So here I sit in my long-sleeved nightie with my new capelet around my shoulders, my flannel lap quilt over my feet and my very fuzzy Lolly Belle snuggled up close on them. The electric oven is on low to help warm the lower third of my apartment. My heating/air vents are at the top of the walls near the ceiling. Great for summer air conditioning but not too efficient in the winter. As you will all recall from elementary school science classes, heat rises. So the heat pouring forth from the vents just stays up near the ceiling. I have the 2 humidifiers going plus a pot of water on the stove to combat the dry-ness. I am a true southern gal. When the humidity gets below 50%, my lips and skin just dry up like Lake Lanier in a summer drought when the Corps of Engineers have let out too much water to the Chattahoochee River. How's THAT for a southern simile?! Just pray I don't run out of lip balm!

Another "happening" around here is that Lolly Belle Rose has broken her back canine molar. The doggie child does love to chew and has the jaws and big ol' honking teeth of a mastiff! She doesn't seem to be in pain. Perky and sassy as ever (when she's not snuggling, that is!) The vet we saw last Wednesday (Dr. Stotelmyer was off last week) said to just put water on her food to soften it up and then see Dr. S on Monday. So the plan is to go see our wonderful Dr. S on Monday to find out what to do about it.

Well that's all the news from the frozen south for now. Stay warm! p.s. Here's some pics of my A Capella Capelet that I knit over Christmas. I used vintage-like buttons I salvaged off of thrift shop garments. On Monday at the Last Chance Thrift Shop, everything is half off!
Shhh...don't the pattern author, but I like mine better :)

Merry Christmas!

2008-12-25T00:32:00.002-05:00

Lolly’s favorite Christmas ornament is her musical moose. She looks forward every year to when I unpack it and put it on the tree. As well as being soft and fuzzy (her favorite qualities in a toy), when his tummy is pressed he sings “Oh, Christmas tree, Oh, Christmas tree!” in a very gruff, grunty moose voice ending on a raised pitch “huh?” as if asking approval. She can’t get enough of it. No matter where she is in our home, she comes running when she hears him sing!

This year, I allowed her to get a little closer for her cover picture. She was very sad when I moved him back to the Christmas tree. However, like all good girls and boys, she faced the disappointment stoically…until next year!

My Versatility +!

2008-11-26T11:35:00.007-05:00

What a beautiful shawl by LeTonBeau! Here is a link to LeTonBeau's Versatility. Be sure to check out her pictures so you can see what the finished product looks like! As I am a larger woman, I added a repeat of the cable/bobble section so it would be wider. Here’s the first 24 rows of the main section…

My very first bobbles and cables! Can you see them? Can’t WAIT to get it finished!

P.S. If you are new to chart reading, don’t forget that you must read the chart from bottom to top AND you must read the odd rows left to right and the even rows RIGHT to LEFT. Otherwise, you will come out with wrong stitch counts and things (bobbles and cables) won’t match up!

Reality Check

2008-11-09T09:39:00.010-05:00

"I long to accomplish a great and noble task, but it is my chief duty to accomplish humble tasks as though they were great and noble. The world is moved along not only by the mighty shoves of its heroes but also by the aggregate of the tiny pushes of each honest worker." - Helen Keller

Maybe that is why I love knitting so much...one small stitch at a time...focused...perservering...never monotonous...each stitch important to the integrity of the whole.

My Fibertrends AC-12 Brushed Felt Beret is finally finished!

Modeling a Christmas present for a friend...

Another Christmas present...the "No Knot Cravat"...

A slit is knitted in so the other side slips through.

No more losing your scarf!

Cinderella is Alive and Well!

2008-09-06T21:10:00.020-04:00

I have been working mega hours on the 5th grade play. We are doing a funny version of Cinderella. It took me 2 weeks to get all the costume sheets finished...68 of them!!! PLUS running 30 Cd's for certain of the characters to practice with. But everything got out to the kids on Thursday. Whew! We start after school rehearsals week after next for 2 weeks. MEANWHILE, we've been working on the 2/3 grade musical to be performed in November..."Dinomotion". I'm telling you, there is nothing funnier than seeing kids in dinosaur costumes try to square dance! It ought to be a riot! My kindergartners and 1st graders will be doing scenes from The Nutcracker. They are really excited...as am I! So this weekend I finished working on Cinderella's ball dress. I found this really neat white dress at the thrift that would be a PERFECT Cinderella dress. It was really filthy and yellowed. So I brought it home and washed it up on the delicate cycle (you know you can wash ANYTHING in the washer...dry cleaners are really unnecessary!) It came out beautiful!!! Isn't it gorgeous? Can you believe it was only $10?!!!

I decided that it needed to look a little more period...so on with the drippy lace sleeves...

Add some velcro up the back for quick changes...

And lastly, a poofy overskirt...Voila! A Cinderella dress that any young girl would love to wear!

Before:

and After!

My Sweetie Pea...

2008-05-29T10:12:00.003-04:00

Lolly always looks forward to Miss Peggy’s visits. Each time she arrives, Lolly checks quickly in her bag to see if IT is there… the “special chew bone” …otherwise known as her recorder!

However, when Miss Peggy starts to sing instead of playing IT, Lolly rolls on her back, rubs her ears with her paws, barks her “bossy” bark repeatedly to tell her to stop and on occasion, joins in singing with her sotto voce!

I must add this is through no fault of Miss Peggy who has a very beautiful soprano singing voice! I have not decided whether Lolly’s antics are an aversion to Miss Peggy’s lovely singing or just her displeasure that IT is not being played. I strongly suspect the latter!

When on occasion Miss Peggy does play IT, Lolly sits transfixed for as long as Miss Peggy plays, her little face mesmerized as if trying to figure out how those beautiful sounds are made. She does not respond this way to any other instrument or form of music. Somewhere within her little soul, the sounds of the recorder seem to resonate with her concept of all that is beautiful and right in the world.
(Isn’t it cute the way Lolly sits like Winnie the Pooh?!)

DONE!

2008-03-29T11:32:00.003-04:00

I just have 3 words to say about this beautiful pair (first ones I've knitted) of luscious socks...SOCKS AIN'T FAST!

My Sock...my sock...my very first REAL sock!!!

2008-02-20T20:11:00.005-05:00

Here is the first one finished! Ain't it a beaut? Now...only 4 more weeks until it has a mate...Lord willing!

Lolly gives it the old sniff and feel test......

and APPROVES!!!

New Year...New Projects!

2008-02-07T17:01:00.000-05:00

Would you like to see what I have been doing in January?

Here are my Seussical Socks:

Now if those don't cheer ya up on a cold, rainy day, NUTHIN' will! They are knitted and then felted...isn't it amazing how a sock that would fit the Jolly Green Giant can totally shrink down to a normal human size and all shrump together into felt?! Remember that sweater you "ruined" when you washed it in hot water? That is exactly what you deliberately do with felting! You DARE not take a telephone call when felting something...unless you want it to fit a Barbie doll!

I used up lots of yarn remnants to make them. The are knitted according to a free pattern called, "Family of Knitted Slippers". They only took 4 days! That is REALLY fast! Of course, I was a bit driven...my feet were cold! AND Melody had finished her and Doug pair.

I find it a great deal of fun to knit what my sister knits! It gives us a lot to chat about...as if we needed more to chat about! I am SO thankful for Vonage! It allows us to talk at will without worrying about $$$$$ (she lives in Mexico!).

After I finished these lovelies, I decided it was time to bite the bullet and do a REAL pair of socks. My dear friend, Rance, gave me a gift certificate to a knitting shop for Christmas. So, I went down and picked out the yummiest, most expensive sock yarn I could find. I really have to like the yarn and especially the color of the yarn that I knit. I really get into colors. Colors make my brain spit out endorphins like crazy. Endorphins are goooood for us! We LIKE endorphins! Today, I just finished "turning my heel" (no, it did NOT involve a trip to the emergency room!) and I have picked up my gussets (tee hee, that sounds really funny, doesn't it?!) and am decreasing and shaping them. This pattern was devised by a free pattern generator called, "Elizabeth Bennet's Perl Sock Pattern Generator". You type in all of your measurements and it generates a custom pattern for your foot that makes it fit perfectly. A WONDERFUL tool! You can use any type of yarn and guage, with any type of needles and it will do the math for you. Here is a picture:

Ain't it purty?

And isn't that the most beautiful, peaceful yarn EVER?!

The Quest...has ended!

2008-01-21T10:54:00.000-05:00

In my quest for the "perfect" hat, I have made many types, sizes, and designs of hats in the past few months. Well, I am very happy to tell you, the quest has ended successfully! I discovered during my trek that for me personally, I needed a rather large, wide-brimmed hat. (the results of having a large (NOT fat and NOT big!!) head and face. I give you (in both coloring and personage!) the "Robin" Hat ...

Can you believe it started out this big?!?

It is knitted using Fiber Trends pattern WP01, "The Wool Pak Felt Hat". Until I can get a better pic of it on me later when someone else can take one for me, here is how it fits on my large head...

Here is the hat I made for my friend Susan's birthday....the Lava Hat...(as she has red hair and blue eyes, it really suits her complexion!) This is a free pattern, "Deb's Derby". Most of my earlier hats used variations of this pattern.

And last but not least, the Bo-Peep Hat (my own design...a tam with a brim):

I'm done with hats now...(for a while at least!)...on to socks and clogs! Check ya later!

Christmas 2007 - part 2!

2007-12-26T09:57:00.000-05:00

Melody, Doug and I had Christmas together this year! We had so much fun opening our presents the way we traditionally do in a very non-traditional manner...on the webcam! What fun!

I can now show you the knitting I have been working on for the past couple of months...I decided that this year I would only do three knitted presents. Being new to knitting, I was afraid that I would get all stressed out if they didn't turn out just right. So I only did the three. I was very pleased with all of them.

The first one I did was a hat for my niece-y-in-law, Alyssa. Isn't she pretty? The hat is cute too.

The second one I did was a pair of felted clogs for my friend Susan. They fit! YAY!!!

Then I knitted slipper socks for my friend, Martha. They fit too! Double YAY! I stitched suede bottoms on them for durability...

And lastly, here's my latest hat...MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE!!!!

Christmas 2007

2007-12-25T09:40:00.000-05:00

One of the most fun things that I do every year is take a new Christmas photo of Lolly. Here she is sporting her brand new festive necklace complete with jingle bells. Needless to say, she was not impressed...all she wanted to do was to play "kill" with it! I didn't let her...which made her really disgusted with the whole affair!

Another thing I like to do is make a "thank you" card with a picture of her and a story on the inside. The kids love getting them and collect them from year to year. I even had a former Fernbank parent stop me in the store a couple of weeks ago and tell me that even though her child has moved on to middle school, they still have Lolly's picture card up on their fridge! Here is this year's:

Lolly always looks forward to spending time with her favorite cousin, Pippa – my sister’s toy poodle. She and Pippa have great times playing mock “battle”! It amazes me how gentle she is with Pippa. Lolly weighs 23 pounds and Pippa weighs only 9 pounds. When they play, Pippa puts both paws up on Lolly’s shoulders to “tag” her while Lolly only puts only one paw very gently on Pippa’s shoulder to do the same. They are quite cute playing together. Here you see Lolly with Pippa’s pink piggy. Every time we visit cousin Pippa, Lolly makes a beeline to “Piggy” and claims it as her own for the entire visit. Pippa is very patient and tolerant of Lolly’s appropriation!

Number 2 and 3!

2007-10-27T09:21:00.001-04:00

Here is hat number two (the kids at school call it my "Madeleine Hat"):

And hat number three:

I have discovered that I absolutely LOVE making hats! I am now making one for my sister, Melody, which will be purple with a lively band around the top. I'll post it when it's done. Toodles.....

Ta Da!

2007-10-06T22:10:00.000-04:00

Well, here it is...I finished it in only 3 weeks! Now that may seem a long time to you but consider if you will that I had the 5th grade play after school for 2 of those 3 weeks and well...now you see why it is a miracle that it took only 3 weeks! It was great fun learning new techniques with this hat. I learned how to knit "in the round" (not a big mystery after all, you just keep going once you get around to the start!); I learned how to knit on 4 double point needles (sounds scary, huh? NOT! You just substitute one double point for the total amount of stitiches divided by four. Then when you get that many stitches on a stick, you start the next stick and so forth until you have your stitiches on four needles and are knitting with the fifth stick. Ok...I admit, explaining it sounds WAY more complicated than actually doing it! Notice the picture of me learning the "stick trick" at my favorite knitting store, Nease's Needleworks...they are SO nice there!); And last of all, I learned how to "felt". When you knit something in animal fiber like wool, then wash it in really hot water with a little soap and lots of agitation, it turns into felt!! It is really cool. It shrinks up, the fibers all get meshed with each other, and it becomes solid. I also learned that if you mess up, you just redo it. When I cut the brim for the rosette, it left a very raw edge that you can see in the picture where I am wearing the hat. I didn't like that. It looked wrong to me. (Here I am at my other favorite knitting store...Knitches.) Also, the crown was too rounded...more like a derby. So....

I asked the ladies at the two different knitting stores and they both said to go ahead and try re-felting it. The result was the lovely edge you see in the picture where my friend Rance is modeling with Lolly Belle as his "arm candy"! I also made the crown more oblong and egg shaped when I re-felted it. I really like it now. I am STOKED to do another one.

Meanwhile, I am awaiting a DVD that will teach me (hopefully!) to knit socks! I already have my supplies...just waitin' on the DVD to come in the mail. More about that later. Have a great day and when exactly are we EVER going to have cold weather so I can actually wear my beautiful hat?!?! It's October, for cryin' out loud! It is NOT supposed to be 90 degrees! Ah, the joys (????) of living in the south!

p.s. Many grateful "kudo's" to Rance who did not go running into the sunset when I plopped the hat on his head and got the camera out! He just sat there in his benevolent patience humoring me...What a trouper!

Looky, looky!

2007-09-08T20:02:00.000-04:00

I am SOOO excited! While I love knitting dishcloths, I felt the desire to try something else. So I decided on this really cute hat by Berroco in a wool yarn called "Hip Hop". But I didn't know how to knit in the round. So, I took my heart in my hands and went to downtown Decatur to a little knitting shop called Neese's Needleworks. Up until now, only my sister has known of my terror of walking into situations that are new and where I don't know what to do or expect. So it was a BIG step for me to venture into such an exclusive shop and ask for help. I walked in and there were several ladies sitting around a table talking and knitting. One young girl with tatoos on her arms and hot pink hair ask, "Do you need some help?". I quickly mumbled, "Uh, no...I just want to look around.". She said ok and left me to my own. I wandered through the small store looking at the various yarns and knitting supplies. I had just gotten to the end of that pretense when a nice lady about my age came into the side room where I was and asked the same question. I took a deep breathe and said, "Yes, actually, I think I do." I told her that I had learned to knit this summer, was knitting dishcloths, but wanted to try something new. At each revelation, she said an encouraging comment and seemed very cheery and friendly. She seemed really interested and happy that I had "found" knitting. I really thrive under words of encouragement and she had me feeling quite comfortable with her in seconds. I whipped out my hat pattern I had downloaded from the internet and asked her if she thought it might be too hard for me. She quickly assured me that it was the perfect thing to start knitting in the round and that I would have no trouble with it as I already knew how to do decreases (where you knit 2 stitches as if they were one...I LOVE doing knit 2's!). She asked if I knew how to knit in the round with circular needles. When I told her I didn't, she said, "Well, here, let me show you." Wherewith, she quickly got some "scrap" yarn, needles, and showed me exactly how to do it! She explained that when I got to the "top" of the hat and needed to use 4 double tipped needles (HORROR!!!!) to just come on in and she or someone else would show me how to do it! Now how wonderful was THAT!?! Anyway, we found my supplies and I started home with a new project, hope and excitement that I had found someone to help with the confusing stuff! Isn't the yarn GORGEOUS?! I LOVE the jewel tone colors...purple, peacock blue, fuchsia pink, and mustard yellow. It is really thick in some places and thin in others. Since yesterday, this is how far I have gotten. Not bad. The hat will hopefully look similar to this one (excepting color) when done. And you can be sure that I will be heading back to the store for help with the top when it is time! I'll keep you posted!

Tea Party for the Girls...

2007-07-03T00:30:00.000-04:00

At our annual Christmas party, (considering my penchant for collecting tea cups and tea pots) Sandy suggested we have a tea party. So we did! Last Saturday, June 30, I had "the girls" over for tea. It was so much fun! I had collected hats from thrift shops all through the winter and spring and then spiffed them up with remnants from Hancock's 75% off bin. The rule was, if you had to pick up a hat to sit down then you had to wear it! Everyone was a good sport and at least put them on long enough for a picture. I made some yummy treats, including Lancashire Cheese Scones. My favorite part was introducing different kinds of teas from the different tea rooms Melody and I have visited this year. I printed the menu including the tea names on little note cards with Victorian ladies on the covers. Even though I didn't get everything baked that I had originally intended (the power went off Saturday morning for a time!), we had plenty of eatables.

Sharon has a great aversion to being photographed. I don't know why...she is so beautiful!

Kathy has the most tender heart of anyone I know. Her thoughtfulness and love for her family and friends are beautiful examples of living in Christ's life. What a dear blessing she is to us all.

I love Paula's "spice"! (in brown top, putting on straw hat) If she lived in old testament times, I think God would have made her a prophet as she sees straight to the heart of matters. She has so many talents and gifts. I love that she is not afraid of asking tough questions that others shy away from verbalizing. Her courage and tenacity makes us all think deeper.

Beside her (in the red hat) is Lois, our story-teller. She always keeps us in stitches with her exploits. Having raised three girls, she always knows what girls need. Her strength of character and gentle manner make me think of the epitimal "southern woman" who loves the Lord and the people He has put in her life. You go girl!

Charlotte and Lolly sharing a moment of "conversation".

Charlotte (in the purple hat) not only has a marvelous, generous heart for people but understands that puppies need "heart" too!

Cathy (red pants sand beige top) is a lady through and through. She has a beautiful and gracious way of letting the Lord breathe and shine through her that is a real encouragement to me!

This group of ladies is the best! If I had to summerize them in one word, that word would be "strength". Strong wills, strong purpose, strong ties, strong personalities, strong love for the Lord, strong love for their families, strong commitment to each other. All fully aware of the strength of the Lord. ...strong. I like that word!

We always have so much fun together, never lacking for conversation. They are incredible...so supportive, so caring...everything you think of when you stop to consider what kind of people you want surrounding you! I am so blessed to know them! I thank the Lord for each and every one of them.

I am very thankful that Melody was once again able to join us. She was an amazing blessing when she arrived early and helped with the last minute preparations. Afterwards, she delighted me by making a delicious supper of steak, baked potatoes, and salad. It had to be the best meal I had had in a long time. She is an incredible cook. Bless her heart, she even did a bit of washing up....well, the poor thing had to in order to be able to get in the kitchen and cook! Every tiny fragment of counter space was covered up by then. What a good sister she is! I really appreciate her and Doug making the extra effort it took to come as they had to drive over from North Carolina that morning - a 5 hour drive! - in order to be there!
Afterwards, Lolly and I enjoyed a good and truly restful sabbath with plenty of time for fond reflections on the "doings". What a great memory to carry forward through the summer!

The Last Wall

2007-06-26T22:06:00.000-04:00

Last summer I redid my kitchen in Talavera and transferware pottery and bright colors on stark white walls. I have really enjoyed the effect and it was fun painting the plates for the walls. However, there was this one little short wall left over. At Christmas, a dear friend gave me a gift certificate to "All Fired Up", the pottery painting place. I saved it for the summer, meanwhile, contem"plating" that last wall. Last week, I went and painted the following for that last forlorn wall. I LOVE the way they came out! Thanks, Martha!!!

I love the flower on this one. It is patterned from a book mark my sister gave me....

This strawberry is my favorite strawberry. It is all lumpy like a real one....

These are my favorite grape leaves...

(See the archive for other pics of the plates done last summer.)

Knitting Mania!!

2007-06-23T11:23:00.000-04:00

Well...here they are. My first attempts at knitting. I must say I like it! I also like really short, instant gratification, kind of projects. Hence, the washcloths! This first one wasn't too bad...but not a square, more like a trapazoid! Somehow, I kept "adding" stitiches! Don't ask me how...

Then the second one came out abosolutely square! (the pic may not show that...AND it was wet at the time of the pic!) Yay!! Don't you just love the colors of that one...the yarn is call appropriately, "Fiesta"

And thirdly we have my very first patterned cloth...it was MUCH easier than I thought it would be! The pattern is called "Berry Basket". See, if you look close you can see different poofinesses that look like a woven basket. Don't see them? LOOK CLOSER, they are there...really they are!!! I wove this one a little too loose. But, hey, I'm learning.

Stay riveted on the edge of your seat (ha, ha) for the next one...it uses the Berry stitch and so far I have only ripped it out and started over about 5 times! It is such an easy pattern that is so EASY to mess up!!! ARghhhhhh! (Note to self...you are knitting to have FUN!!)

The Best Memorial Day EVER!

2007-05-29T22:39:00.000-04:00

This year I spent Memorial Day with my sister, brother-in-law, neice-in-law, and grand-nephew in Tunnel Hill, Georgia. We had so much fun! In addition to watching Brady-Boy (he is soooo cute!), Melody fixed an awesome meal of ribs, Corley-corn, slaw and watermelon. While doing that, she taught Alyssa and me to knit! We went to Walmart and picked out needles and cotton yarn to make dishclothes. We sat out under the trees where there was a delightful breeze and chatted. Grandpa Doug took Brady-Boy up and down the street in his stroller which they both loved. However, when it came to eating his first watermelon, Brady definitely did NOT love that! The look on his face as he spit it out was endearingly pathetic. Later, we wrapped up the evening by watching the most appropriate DVD for the day, "Flyboys". I have SOOOOOOOOOO enjoyed haveing Melody and Doug here this year. It is just too sad to contemplate how much I will miss them when they go back to Mexico.

Festive Finery!

2007-03-02T16:53:00.000-05:00

We had a black history program where I had to dress in costume of the 1890's and read about ragtime. I made a cool costume from thrift store stuff and had a BLAST! Brought back all those days of costuming in college. The kids went crazy over my hat...and I must say, I was feelin' the hat! I even created a bulletin board for Music in Our Schools Month (March) utilyzing it! More about that later...

Ta-Dah!

2007-01-04T16:27:00.000-05:00

From left to right: Mama's, Mammaw's, Mine!

One of the highlights of...

2006-12-28T09:10:00.000-05:00

this holiday season was spending time with "the girls" (left to right: Melody, Katie, me, Alyssa) taking an art lesson from my niece, Katie who teaches Art to high school and middle school students in Missouri. We used oil pastels on canvas that were shared by my sister, Melody. Not bad for a first effort, huh? I like Melody's trees and mountains much better than mine! But I must say, I do like the swirly-ness of mine. Melody and I used a photo from Scotland. Isn't it amazing how two people can look at the very same picture and come up with two totally different perspectives?! Kind of like life, huh? Anyway, I am very happy to now have a landscape to put on the wall next to my Mama's and Mammaw's. Sure, it isn't of their quality, but who cares...it's mine! For a closer look, click on the photo and then you can see details better...like Mel's mountains!

What a Blessing!

2006-12-27T23:19:00.000-05:00

I was so blessed this year to spend Christmas with my family for the first time in over 18 years! What a joy! Lolly absolutely ADORES that Brady-Boy! She gets so excited whenever she sees him!

Aunt Robbie with grand-nephew, Brady...

School Picture 2006

2006-12-17T08:30:00.000-05:00

Open Hearts Luncheon 2006

2006-12-16T20:54:00.000-05:00

I was blessed to host my Sunday School Class' annual Christmas party again this year! We had yummy food, hilarious fun with our ornament exchange and a really good time. It is the funnest bunch of "girls" I know!
(Sharon, how did you manage to hide from all the pictures?!)

Merry Christmas!

2006-12-16T20:50:00.000-05:00

Lolly is quite excited about Christmas this year. One of her favorite holiday activities is helping me wrap presents. Of course, her idea of “help” is a little different from mine! Every time I turn around, she is there with a snippet of ribbon in her mouth or a piece of wrapping paper dangling from her lower lip. The other night, after shooing her away for about the fourteenth time, I looked up and here she comes down the hallway with a long streamer of toilet paper in her mouth as if to say, “HEY! If you won’t let me have any of that bright shiny stuff, I’ll get my own paper!” If you looked up the word “persistent” in the dictionary, it would probably have her picture next to it!

She has a favorite new Christmas tree ornament. It is a fuzzy moose that sings, “O, Christmas Tree” in a very gruff moose-ish voice. She is fascinated by it. Every time I pass the tree and squeeze its tummy, she comes running and stands on her hind legs to see and hear it. Let’s hope her persistence doesn’t allow her to figure out how to get up there and then try to make it “sing” by herself!

The Best Llhasa Ever!

2006-10-06T19:33:00.000-04:00

Please forgive my indulgence...but how could you not love this face!?!?!? What a sweet mess-pot Lolly Belle Rose is! She's such a cutie and I just adore her! Bet you couldn't guess that though, huh?

Tea Time for Two!

2006-10-04T14:54:00.000-04:00

Melody and I had so much fun going to the Vintage Tea Room on Saturday! Doug and Mel came up for my Fifth Grade Musical on Friday. Then on Saturday, patient Doug (the best brother-in-law in the world) waited for us while we had a "sister day". It was awesome! We went yard-sale-ing (I totally made out like a bandit!) and then for high tea. We tried TEN different pots of tea and made notes about which ones we liked and didn't like. Needless to say...we floated home! We also met some new friends who are believers (they work at IBM). One of them took these pictures as ARGHHH! I had forgotten my camera as did Mel. Don't we look posh?!?!

Where has the summer GONE?!?!?!?!

2006-07-26T23:33:00.000-04:00

Once again the summer shadows shorten...

(sob, sob, wail!)

As the shades wain, the anticipation of smelling once again that evocatively redolent crayon bouquet endemic to all elementary schools thrills and titillates the senses of my memory.

OK, enough of the poetic...um...garbage. Wanna see just a little of what I spent my summer vacation doing?

The summer began with the apartment management stripping the wallpaper off of my kitchen walls (there were FIVE LAYERS!!!!), texturing and painting the walls bright white...and when I say bright, I mean "wear sunglasses" BRIGHT! Of course, my floor is also white. White on white. What in the WORLD can you do with a white on white kitchen with brown cabinets?

Weeeeellll....you see, my darling sister sent me a talavera teapot for my birthday this year. When I looked at that teapot and then looked at that blindingly stark kitchen, I knew exactly what it needed! So I spent many (ok, more like scores) of hours painting plates to mount on the wall. I was even able to use a $50 gift card from this year's fifth grade class to buy a talavera clock! What a nice thing to remember them by! So here is what I painted....

Kate, did I do you proud?!? Below is the cute little chalk board that Melody painted for her new kitchen when she was visiting and the clock I bought. It was so much fun getting in touch with that artistic side that comes through my Momma from the Lord. It brought back so many wonderful memories of evenings spent in her studio painting and hanging out while she painted. What a joy it was to do these projects! And now my kitchen is absolutely beautiful with these brightly colored pieces displayed on the white backdrop of the walls. It looks so clean and crisp and totally different from what I had before!

Only 10 days of summer left for me. But I do have a brand new piano waiting for me at school...more on that later!

Lolly's "family"...

2006-05-27T09:19:00.000-04:00

Lolly has always treated her brown and white toys very differently from her other toys. Her very first one (the little white and brown teddy bear) was called “baby” because she would carry it around in her mouth, sleep with it and scold it by putting it on the potty pad! Once, she even tried to give Baby a drink by dunking him in the water bowl! She was distraught that I had to put Baby in the clothes dryer after that incident. She never dunked him again!

As we acquired more toys, I noticed that she was very protective and careful with all the toys that were her brown and white coloring; whereas, with other toys she was very “rough and tumble”. So we started calling them by “family” names.

She knows each one’s name and will retrieve from her toy basket whichever one I ask of her. She also treats them differently…Baby is to be gentle with. Brother is to be tossed gently so she can catch him. Sister is to be thrown past her so she can retrieve her. With Cousin we play “keep away” and Trevor Baby is to be cuddled with in the crate during rainstorms. She constantly amazes me with her creative sensitivity!

How beautiful a day can be

When kindness touches it!

~George Elliston

My New Classroom...

2006-05-04T21:11:00.000-04:00

After 12 years in a trailer it is so wonderful to have my very own, brand-new, sound-proof Music Room! Did you notice the storage closet door back there?!?! It runs the width of the room...ah, bliss!

This picture (as every teacher will attest)

show's a teacher's "best friend"....my very own thermostat!

Those wacky 3rd graders!

The Lollster

2006-05-04T19:40:00.000-04:00

Why do you always assume I am going to eat them? Just because I've done so before doesn't mean I'm going to do so this time!

My Very First Pie!

2006-05-04T19:36:00.000-04:00

Truly, it was! I had never made a pie before and here is my first effort. We are NOT going to be nit-picky about the fact that it was a boxed, mix-up crust and canned apples, RIGHT?!?!

ah HA!

2006-04-28T21:51:00.000-04:00

Years and years of "school" pictures...once again they took my picture this year...and lost it! Which wasn't too bad because I looked REALLY bad in it. So they retook it on a day when I had a honkin' huge fever blister and I threatened them within an inch of their lives that they were not use that one in the yearbook. So they took it a 3rd time! And BINGO! Probably the best I have ever had! You know what they say about practice...never makes perfect but always makes better! I do declare though, that my hair really doesn't look that red in real life! Mel, can you see my pretty brown "opal" that you gave me for Christmas?!

From the Christmas Chronicles of Lolly...

2006-04-27T22:00:00.000-04:00

Why CAN'T I pull the sleigh?

In Order to Keep Up...

2006-04-27T11:45:00.000-04:00

with my cool neice, neice-in-laws, and nephews, I decided that I must also become techno-savvy (sp?) ! So here it is! Hee-hee-chuckle-chuckle-giggle-giggle!

Check ya in the blogs!