Well, we are getting packed and ready to go on our fortnight of crazy traveling! Tomorrow morning we're headed up to Aberdeen, MD (4-5 hours) for Todd to do some work this week. Then we'll leave there Friday and run up to visit Todd's sister Lisa and her family in Wilkes-Barre, PA (3 hours). Then we'll drive out to my folks' house on Sunday morning (5-6 hours) and stay there through Christmas, spending some quality time with my brother and sister and their families, too. And my extended family.
The day after Christmas, we'll hop on down to Columbus (3 hours) and spend a couple days with Todd's sister Julie's family. Then we'll drive back up to my parents' house (3 hours back) and try to squeeze in all the relatives we didn't get to see on our first short stay, including Todd's parents, who we'll be passing on the freeway as we leave Lisa's house in PA and they head to it for Christmas earlier that week.Sick of the car yet? Well, don't be, 'cause there's a 9-hour drive back to good old Virginia on New Year's Day! Hee hee!
I figure there's a 50/50 chance Todd and I can come out of this with our marriage intact. (KIDDING!) As long as the weather cooperates, it should all be okay.
I worked ahead on my Christmas journal, so here are the next three days' worth of entries. I was going to try to take it all with me on my travels, but if we cram one more thing in the car it might just collapse, so I'll catch up with the rest of it when we get back home.
Wish us good traveling weather and good fellow travelers as we all barrel down the highways together, okay? I'll check in from Maryland later this week.
Looking at our travel plans all written out makes me want to curl up in bed until Martin Luther King Day! It's going to be nuts! We're doing laundry and packing up the car this weekend.
Today's topic: gifts and how they're handed out in your family. Again, I tweaked it a little so I could include another bit from one of my favorite Christmas stories.
I decided to go with a different topic today, and get a few of my holiday recipes into the book. These are the most delicious sugar cookies ever!
Today's journal topic is Christmas traditions, and I had a hard time with that last year, because we honestly don't seem to do much the same way from year to year. And in last year's journal, I did list the few things I could think of that could be called traditions.
Since this year I want to put a few excerpts from favorite Christmas stories into the book, I decided to use a snippet from A Christmas Carol, which for quite a few years was a tradition for us to view as a play. I've also read the story many times, and as I mentioned in my journaling, I find it more touching every year. Scrooge is one of those characters that you want to laugh at, and cry for, at the same time.
Here's yesterday's journal entry, too. I was waiting for some sunshine to get my photo of our front door. I painted it red right before Thanksgiving--isn't it festive?
I went to see Christmas lights along the boardwalk in Virginia Beach with my friend Bev last night, and it was so fun. All the hotels put up displays, and you drive along the boardwalk and listen to a Christmas CD they give you at the entrance, and look at the lights. Much of it was beach-themed...very cool.
Today's journal entry is about holiday to-do lists, organization, etc...but most of my to-do list consists of shopping. And then wrapping. So my shopping list is inside this funny card that I found at a fancy paper store in Alexandria a couple of weeks ago.
Other than the shopping and the wrapping, what's left for me to do is to get packed and travel-ready. This is going to be a crazy traveling Christmas for us!
The topic for today's journal entry is to write about good and not-so-good memories of Christmas. Since I did that last year, I decided to focus on two good memories--mine and someone else's. The story in the journaling block is Laura Ingalls Wilder's Christmas memory from Little House on the Prairie, of the Christmas she and her sister Mary received candy and a cake AND a penny and were completely delighted. And my memory is in the little tab on the side, of receiving that book for Christmas as a child!
I got today's entry done quickly this morning...now on to laundry and housecleaning! (This entry is much more sparkly in real life, by the way...)
Oh my, it's cold and crazy out there! I'm glad I don't have much more Christmas shopping to do!
Today's journal topic is "the perfect Christmas"...I can honestly say I don't think much about perfection any more. What would make this Christmas perfect for me is good, solid quality time with all the different people I love, without feeling rushed or sad that my time with all of them is so limited. I'm going to do my best to accomplish that, and everything else is just gravy!
Although it was 60 degrees this morning, it's been blustery enough to feel wintry! The wind is threatening to take the Christmas bows off the windows of the house--the only decorating we've gotten around to! And now tonight it's gotten cold, perfect weather for snuggling up in bed with a book, which I think I may do once I post this.
Here's journal entry #3. Pretty dull...the prompt is about cards and I haven't picked any out, nor do I really feel like sending any. I like getting them, though!
I'm doing a minimum of journaling this year...it feels weird not to write a lot, but I'm just not feeling verbose this time around. I'm focusing more on the art elements and the mood of the book. Wish we would get some snow!
...time for Shimelle Laine's "Journal Your Christmas" class! One entry every day from December 1 to January 6 (although I bailed right after Christmas last year)!
I found a small house-shaped album from 7Gypsies for this year's book. I took it off the spiral, and I'm covering up the spine holes with papers. Then once it's all done, I'll punch just three holes and bind it with binder rings.
I'm having my usual case of "cover block" on decorating the cover (I never did get last year's journal cover decorated!) But here's the entry for December 1. We're supposed to write our Christmas manifesto for this year, but I'm not really a manifesto kind of girl. So this is my laid-back, feel-good, non-lofty goal for Christmas this year:
My library date stamp, which I got in like, 2000, when they were all the rage, only has the years up to 2006. Chuh! So I'm just stamping the date and then the handy AM/PM option, for each day's entry. It didn't come out too clear, but it's off to the right near the bottom. Next time I'll remember to rock the stamp.
I just waved Todd and his co-worker R. J. off to a big poker game, so I have the evening all to myself.
It has finally, finally gotten chilly-ish here, and now I'm ready for fall. Unfortunately, now that Halloween has passed, the rest of the world has moved right along to Christmas, which I am assuredly NOT ready for.
We had a fun little Halloween evening here. Todd pulled on his suit of armor and stood on the driveway waving at the trick-or-treaters and pointing them up to the front porch where I waited with the candy bucket. Some of the kids thought he was a robot or Robo-Cop. And the toddlers were mostly scared of him. However, he did get challenged to a couple of duels, so there are obviously a few kids out there who recognize a knight when they see one.
We had about 60-65 kids come by. I just love seeing their costumes and ogling their full bags of candy. We didn't live in a neighborhood when I was a kid, and my mom had a niggling feeling that Halloween was of the devil, I think, so we didn't do much trick-or-treating when I was little. The result is that every Halloween I just want to grab a pillowcase and make a costume and go out and hit the streets with the rest of the kids. Of course I can't really do that, so I have to just console myself with the leftover Halloween candy (Tootsie Roll pops.)
Todd's parents were here for a week in mid-October, and we had a great time with them, as we always do. They are such low-maintenance houseguests--they can take care of and entertain themselves if necessary, and they just fit into the flow of life here really well. Todd and his dad got to do some fishing, and we all just hung out, puttered around, hit a few sights and shops, and otherwise relaxed. Very nice. And they were here for my birthday, so that was nice, too.
Yes, I had another birthday...I haven't figured out how to avoid it yet. It was pretty painless this year. My mom sent along some great presents with my in-laws, so I had those to open first thing in the morning. My mother-in-law and I went to Smithfield with my friend Cheryl, and we did a little walking, a little antique shopping, and had a fabulous lunch at the bakery there. And I was inundated with phone calls from my loved ones all day, plus some great handmade cards and pictures from a few of the nieces and nephews. I also had a couple very interesting renditions of "Happy Birthday" sung to me over the phone by my nieces Natalie and Marissa. So it was a good birthday. Sometimes it's easy for me to forget how blessed I am, and how often the biggest blessings are the ones that seem the smallest.
This week we ordered some new bedroom furniture, which I still can't quite believe. We have a whole bedroom full of hand-me-down furniture, and not one piece goes with any other piece to the tiniest degree. I've been okay with it for fifteen years, but suddenly a couple weeks ago, I was not okay with it any more! So we shopped around and ended up with this set from Bassett: Eastbrook. We got the bed, two nightstands, the tall chest, and the "door dresser," without the mirror. It will be very interesting to cram it all into our bedroom. It will all fit, except the bed. We currently sleep in a double, so I think the bed frame will go into the attic until we're ready to splash out on a queen mattress/box spring set. Anyway, it'll be exciting to put all our stuff into new dressers!
Now I think I'll read for the rest of the evening. I have an enormous stack of to-be-read books, courtesy of Paperback Swap, and it's great to just go grab a new book whenever I'm ready for it.
Thanks for the good thoughts for Bev's big move...she's been here a week and is getting unpacked and settled. The trip went super-smoothly, and the weather cooperated--if anything, it was too hot!--but at least it didn't rain.
We are having a gorgeous day here today, and it actually feels like fall now. The nights are chilly and the past few days have been cooler. The sky is bright, bright blue, and the leaves at the top of our tallest backyard trees are starting to turn golden. I'd take a picture, but the loss of my Epson printer also meant the loss of my memory card intake or whatever you call it, so I can't quickly upload pictures just now. I'm writing from the laptop right now, anyway. I guess I could stick a memory card into this thing, but who knows which slot? Could I be more clueless?
Anyway, no pictures just now. I know blogs are way more interesting with pictures!
I went through the kitchen today and did some knick-knack rearranging, getting in the mood for some fall decorating, maybe. I can finally start thinking about Halloween and Thanksgiving now that it's semi-cool outside! It's also time for the fall cleaning and moving-things-around ritual. Spring and fall are good times to look around and pull the house back into order.
Every few weeks, when I can haul myself out of bed early enough, we hit whatever yard sales look good, but I haven't found anything worthwhile in ages and ages. But yesterday I really hit the jackpot: I got two pretty antique plates and two vintage embroidered linen dresser scarves, a Black and Decker rice/veggie steamer, which I've been thinking about getting for ages ($3.00!), four old blue Ball/Atlas canning jars with the metal tops, a vintage saltines tin, and a green t-shirt with fall appliques, two old soft sweatshirts, and a gorgeous moss green corduroy button-up jacket. Almost everything was an absolute steal. Very exciting!
I took a very fun class from my friend Beth Fye at the scrapbook store yesterday, after yard sale-ing, and we made a little Halloween book chock-full of great embellishments and papers, mostly from the new Making Memories Halloween collection, which I love. It's meant to have photos put in it, but I don't have very many Halloween photos. I was thinking about putting in some Halloween poems and quotes, and maybe some recipes, like pumpkin bars or hot apple cider.
If you have a favorite Halloween-themed poem, quote or recipe, put it in the comments section! I'll send everyone who comments a little Halloween goodie, that will be fun!
Just poking my head in to say that I am off to Columbus for six days to help my friend Beverly get packed and loaded, and then we'll be moving her down to Virginia Beach this coming weekend. Any good thoughts you have for safe traveling would be appreciated! It will be so nice to have her down here and get to see her more than once a year.
I've greatly curtailed my computer time, as my shoulder/arm pain has come back and typing and mousing really seems to exacerbate it. So a couple minutes in the morning and evening to check my e-mail and that's just about all I'll allow myself. Maybe a total computer break for a few days is just what the doctor called for.
See ya next week!
So let's say it's finally starting to feel...not like fall, exactly, but maybe late summer, at your house. And you're starting to think about spicy cinnamon baked goods. And you're trying to eat a little healthier, so you're looking for something non-gooey and non-overloaded with bad stuff.
Why not try Whole-Wheat Snickerdoodles II at Allrecipes? I made a batch earlier this week and we scarfed them down so fast, I decided to make a double batch today. The house smells great!
I added extra cinnamon to the batter, as well as a dash of cloves, just to make the cookie itself spicier before rolling it in the cinnamon/sugar mixture. I also substituted applesauce for a bit of the butter, say 1/4 of the amount called for. And I forgot to flatten the cookies both times, so they were puffier than the picture shows, but still yummy. They're a little dry and crumbly because of the whole-wheat flour, but good with a glass of milk or cup of tea. And they taste good warm out of the oven, but even better the next day.
And if you and a significant other scarf down ten or twelve cookies while watching TV, telling yourself all the while that it's okay because they're "healthy," well, that will be our little secret.
I've got these yoga pants that I mostly love. Except when I have to do any actual exertion in them. It's cooled off here the last few days, so I've been wearing pants instead of shorts for my daily walk, and I don't know who decided that exercisewear should be as unabsorbent as possible, but I'd like to smack him. Because you just know it was a him.
My yoga pants are rare and prized possessions, because if you think plus-size exercise clothes are hard to come by--and they are--they're nothing compared to plus-size petite exercise clothes. It's apparently crossed very few people's minds that there may be some short pudgy girls out there in the world and that they might want to get some exercise to rectify their pudginess, since there's obviously nothing they can do about their shortness.
So I got a wonderful pair of petite XL yoga pants at Land's End several years ago, and then because Land's End stopped making the wonderful yoga pants before I could get any more (of course), I also have two slightly less wonderful pairs from L. L. Bean.
I checked the label on my Land's End pants after my walk today and they're apparently 39% cotton, which you'd think would have some sort of cooling effect. However, they're also 48% nylon, and that's where the problem lies. These pants feel exactly like the navy blue polyester bellbottoms I used to wear in grade school, when I'd go out and play a hearty game of kickball at recess and then come inside and sit in a damp, gooey waist-to-ankles mass of man-made "fabric" that never dried.
That's exactly how these pants feel. And grade school flashbacks are seldom enjoyable for me.
I just can't understand why clothes made for sweating should be made of the worst possible material for letting sweat evaporate.
If you know of any flattering black petite XL exercise pants made for short pudgy girls who actually sweat, let me know, won't you?
Our printer died a quiet death the other day and now we have to replace it. We bought it three or four years ago, and I remember telling someone at the time that if it were possible to marry an inanimate object, I'd marry that printer.
It printed hundreds and hundreds of gorgeous photos for me, in every size imaginable, and although it had gotten a little cantankerous in its old age, I still loved it dearly. It took me far, far away from the limitations of film cameras and Wal-Mart 4x6" photo processing, into a world where I could take a picture, crop it, print it as big or small as I wanted, and have a scrapbook page completed, all in an hour's time.
So goodbye, old friend. As we throw you into the garbage can, remember that we didn't want to, but your warranty was just too short.
Well, things here are uneventful. Uneventful is fine, but dull. And it doesn't give me much to write about!
I've lost almost 20 pounds. Today I smushed myself into a pair of jeans that's one size down, and a bra that's one cup size down. And it didn't require too much smushing, so I was pretty happy! All my fattest pants are falling down...my fair lady. Heh.
Todd has finished his big summer project at work, and is back to semi-normal work hours, and is anticipating a promotion to engineering manager in the next couple of months. A couple of nights a week, he rollerblades on the path at the park while I walk, which gives him a good workout! I need to lose a couple (dozen) more pounds before I try climbing back up on my rollerblades. But the walking is nice. Especially now that the weather has cooled off in the last few days.
We've been watching Season Three of "The Office" on DVD for the past week or so. I can't wait till the new season starts.
See? Pretty dull! I'll try to summon up some interesting thoughts soon.
I updated my book blog--Mimi and Kimberley, you are so kind, leaving comments when all I had was a scribbled list!
August is almost over--can I get a HUZZAH?!
We had a cool, dry night last night for the first time in weeks and weeks...I had some iced tea on the porch in the evening, and we had the windows open all night. Heaven! I think I see a light at the end of the tunnel of enormously hot and humid days. August sucks!
I dragged home an enormous bag of books from the used bookstore today, after cashing in the last of my trade-in credit. It made me think about the conversation I had with my grandma a few weeks ago, when she was talking about her overloaded bookshelves and the stacks and stacks of books around her house.
Grandma is afflicted with a very large dose of the "can't-throw-it-away" virus, which I have made a large effort to avoid inheriting, but I have to say I can totally relate to the satisfaction in her voice as she mentioned the stack of books by her chair. Having a giant pile of books waiting to be read is like having a fully-stocked pantry: you know you're prepared.
Coming out of the bookstore, I saw a sign for the restaurant down the strip mall, which calls itself a "tortilleria." Talk about your bastardized hybrid words! But it's very pleasant to say out loud. Try it!
Although I am eagerly awaiting fall, the earlier nighttime is bugging me a little. We try to go walking when Todd gets home from work, but it's almost full dark by 8:00 now. On nights when he doesn't get home till 6:30ish, and then we have to eat dinner, and then drive 15 minutes to the park...well, it's cutting into my walking time!
I guess I'll have to switch to the mornings, but evenings are so much more pleasant. It's something to look forward to, whereas morning walks are like a chore. And it's nice to have Todd with me, too. Monday and Tuesday nights, he roller-bladed while I walked--the first time he's been on rollerblades in about five years. He wanted to get more of a workout and get his heart rate up...let's just say he succeeded!
It's so weird to see Senator Larry Craig's name in the news...he was Senator when we lived in Idaho in the mid-90s. I feel sort of bad for these closeted guys who are so trapped in their own sexuality. How much healthier it would be if they could just safely express who they are. Maybe someday...
I got a scrapbook page picked up by Simple Scrapbooks...it's an oldie of Todd and his buds fishing for striped bass. I'm happy they wanted it, because the pictures are just excellent.
I've lost 13 pounds. It's hard-fought sometimes, and it's also hard to be patient. But overall, the healthier living process is going well.
Now that I'm ready to break out of my summer silence, I'll try to get back to my blog. Seems like summer just isn't a writing time for me.
I may not keep this blog up to date, but it sure is handy as a photo hosting site. I was trying out a new avatar on another site...that's the one below (2005), but I think I like my old one, the one above (2002). Younger is good. So is thinner. Heh.
I am so ready for fall!
There's a chat about fall crafts at Two Peas this afternoon...I'm putting up my Halloween sampler here so I can link it there. I stitched this about ten years ago, and I just love it...wish I could have it up more than six-eight weeks out of the year!
I think this sampler is my favorite thing I ever cross-stitched...and I cross-stitched a TON of stuff back in the days before scrapbooking took over my life!
We met my brother and his wife and two of their friends in Charlottesville on Saturday for a Nickel Creek concert at the Charlottesville Pavilion. The Pavilion is at the end of the Downtown Mall, which is a several-blocks stretch of the old city that has been bricked up and planted with trees and turned into a wide pedestrian mall. There are lots of shops and restaurants in the old buildings along the mall, and the pavilion is down at the far end, sort of sunk down in a little ridge so lollygaggers on the mall can't see the stage and get treated to free concerts.
However, this placement of the pavilion ensures that not a breath of fresh air can penetrate the tent on hot, steamy nights. And it was hot and steamy Saturday night!
Here we all are, looking pretty good for being extremely overheated:
The concert was good, but a little disappointing. The band brought Fiona Apple with them as a "special guest," which turned out to mean that they sang her songs for probably almost half of the set. Apart from a funked-up bluegrass version of her hit "Criminal" and a wonderful cover of "Walking After Midnight" (you can't go wrong with Patsy Cline), this was not really what we wanted to hear. Fiona's deep voice is wonderful, and she blended fabulously with Sara Watkins' high soprano, but they should have incorporated her into their songs, I think, instead of the other way around. Then they closed the concert with three or four Fiona songs in a row, and came out for a one-song encore, which they all sang together.
It just wasn't really what the fans were expecting. This tour is called "Farewell for Now" as the band members are ready to move on and try out other paths, and it seemed to me that the set list should have been chock-full of all the songs the fans want to hear one last time.Here's a mediocre shot of the stage...Sara Watkins on violin, Chris Thile on mandolin, their tour bassist whose name I can't remember or find at the moment, Fiona Apple, Sean Watkins on guitar:
There are much better pictures of the band on their website. They are an extremely talented group of people!
We ran into my cousin Alan, who lives in Charlottesville, at the concert, and had breakfast with him the next morning. Then the Harrisonburg contingent departed around lunchtime to get back to their assorted kiddies, and Todd and I strolled around on the Downtown Mall for a few hours, buying books and eating burgers and the best fries I've ever had--piping hot, salty, doused in malt vinegar. Yum.
Here's Todd at the burger joint, Five Guys:
Here's a shot of part of the mall:
Drove two hours back home, showered, and went to some friends' for a fantastic dinner (pork tenderloin and risotto) and came home and collapsed.
As I said to Todd, "It's fun to do stuff with people." You can tell we don't get out much.
(This week I'll be doing double walking to work off the ice cream, chorizo, cheese, burger, fries, risotto and brownie pie that entered my mouth this weekend. It was worth it, though!)
I updated my book blog today. The date is off because I've been keeping a list of books as I read them, but the entry was written today.
I found this meme while reading the wonderful Red Molly Picayune-Democrat--I left a comment, she asked me five questions (thanks, Molly!):
1. What did you see on your walk?
We walk the same two-mile loop at the park every day, so what we see is mostly other people running, walking, rollerblading, biking, and sweating. And playing soccer in the field. Walking in Virginia is very different from walking in Ohio...you have to smile and say "hello" to every person you meet. If you meet them more then once, then a wave or smile only is acceptable protocol.
2. What's your favorite dessert?
Anything with cream cheese in it. Or chocolate. Or both. Cheesecake with chocolate sauce would be ideal. But I am in "no dessert" mode and not allowing myself to think such thoughts.
3. Which grade in school did you enjoy most, and why?
The last half of twelfth grade was awesome. I was good at playing the school game, but I never really enjoyed it. But the last few months, with all the college and end-of-year hubbub and slacking off and hanging out with friends...that was a fun time.
4. How's your garden doing?
Overgrown and leggy! I need to cut a lot of things way back, esp. some of the herbs. It's so funny how you plant these tiny plants and then turn around and they're three feet high and taking over. We have a morning glory that is making us both nervous, it seems to grow a foot every night. I think it may creep in the window and strangle us in our sleep one night.
5. How did you get into papercraft design?
I fell into it through scrapbooking. I had a bunch of friends at the time who were really into submitting their work. For fun I submitted a few pages to Creating Keepsakes and Simple Scrapbooks, and ended up on the designer e-mail list for Paper Crafts magazine, which was just being launched by the same company. So I branched out into cards and paper projects, and I've had periodic but semi-regular success with that for four or five years, mostly magazine related, but also a few projects here and there for specific companies.
Soooo...leave a comment--any comment--and I will ask you five questions. Copy and answer them in your blog and keep the fun going!
I'm having a very peculiar time with my glasses this summer.
A month ago, we went to Ohio for a week. The first morning we were there, I got up, went to the kitchen for breakfast, took off my glasses at the sink to polish them, and the frame snapped right in my hand. Snapped in the round eyehole part, so no way to fix them. Talk about panic! I sat around blind till lunchtime when the Wal-Mart vision center opened, we went in, and miracle of miracles, they still had the frames in stock at that store, 18-20 months after I bought my glasses at the Wal-Mart at home. $40 later and I was good to go, they just popped my lenses into the new frames. SUCH a relief! I usually have to wait at least a week for new glasses, with my prescription and the extra frills like featherweight lenses; I still can't believe they had my frames right there. Thank God for Wal-Mart, and I never thought I'd say that! I honestly feared I was going to have to be blind for my entire week's vacation.
Because I am blind without them. I can make out blurs, that's about it.
So we went to the beach last night and the tide was coming in and the waves were high. I was standing in the shallows getting pounded with piles of sand, which hurt, so Todd told me to come out further past where the waves break. He was hanging onto me because I can't swim, and we would sort of jump and float as the waves came in. We've done this plenty of times before, but this time the waves were a little bigger, and a huge one came in, broke over us, knocked me loose and sent me crashing.
And it swept my glasses right off my head.
If you've ever dropped anything in the ocean, you know what your odds are of finding it again! So I was totally blind, coughing up seawater, and now I have NO glasses.
The whole long drive home we tried to think of what we could do, because I knew it would take days, at least, to get new glasses. The last time I got glasses I took my Rx to Lenscrafters, and even the "new glasses in an hour" people told me it would take more than a week to get the glasses in.
And I was sure I'd thrown out whatever old pairs may have been lurking about, when we moved. I always purge drawers and toss out old stuff when we move. I had this vision of myself sitting in a chair staring blearily into space for who knows how long.
We got home and I felt my way straight to the tub to wash off the sand...I'd really forgotten about even the possibility of old glasses in the junk drawer. And in came Todd with not one, but two pairs of old glasses!
One was a pair I'd gotten four years ago and stopped wearing early on because the shape of the lenses distorted everything too much. But who cares about distortion when the alternative is blindness? So that's what I'm wearing now. They're giving me a little headache, but I am just so, so thankful I held onto them. So grateful to be able to see!
I'm off to Pearle Vision this afternoon for an exam and new glasses--hopefully they can get them in soon. (Sadly, Wal-Mart isn't covered under our new insurance...this is one case where I would gladly keep going to Wal-Mart!) But I've definitely learned that it pays to have a back-up pair. I've worn glasses for more than 30 years, but I've never needed back-ups twice in one month before!
