How early is too early....

With Christmas upon us....only one month, one week, and five days to go! When is it too early to start decorating? At Wal-Mart they've had things out since before Halloween, but the day after it looked like the North Pole exploded and every Wal-Mart in the country was hit by the explosion! Isn't there a holiday between Halloween and Christmas....hmmmm...OH YEA, my birthday...no that doesn't count....AAAAAAHHHHHHH Thanksgiving. Seems retail America has almost forgotten that one!

Anyway, we are going to have Christmas at our oldest sons house this year and word through the grapevine is he is already starting to decorate. I honestly believe he is one of Santa's elves just left here to spread Christmas joy. The boy would have his house decorated 12 months a year if he could! He usually has a tree in almost every (if not every) room in his house and lights galore (power company loves him). Now while our entire family loves to decorate for the holidays, J REALLY decorates. His house looks like a miniature North Pole.

Now our other son, J too, decorates also, just not quite the explosion of his brother. But J and his wife, J (I know....all these J's) do a splendid job of decorating their yard! I do love to visit my sons at Christmas, I get to visit all my old Christmas items I've given away. I will say my boys make Clark Griswold look like an amateur!!!!!

Last year we weren't really in the spirit, but this year I think I am. So the day after Thanksgiving (that holiday that seems to have been lost) I will start decorating my home!! J and I have really scaled down in the past few years, guess we are just too old to put out too much! I just hope it stays warm enough to put up the outside lights!!!

Til next time...ho ho ho,

M

Things to do....

I've been thinking of all the things I have to do when I get home. It'll be getting very close to Christmas and my plate is getting fuller!!

The first thing I have to finish is Sara's quilt (ok, not for Sara, but for the baby). I just need to hand stitch the binding and send it off.

Then I need to get to work on those jammies for the grandkids!! This is something I started many years ago. For the past 13 years my grands have gotten jammies on Christmas Eve. When they were younger I cheated and bought them, but these days I make them. I'm not sure who loves it more, Grandma or them!!! I'm leaning toward Grandma! One year I made the mistake of cheating and buying jammie pants for T, he didn't say anything but I know his feelings were hurt.....never again!!!!!! They know every year that they are getting them but they still act surprised! Don't ya love grandkids.

If I have time I would love to start a couple special projects for the "big" kids. We'll see how my time goes. I also have some quick little things to do for the nieces and nephews...hopefully they will go quickly!!!

Then after the holidays I get to start planning not one but TWO baby quilts!!!!! My niece H is pregnant and she did tell me that I'll have to make another trick or treat bag because W won't want to share his next year! What a great way to tell me!!! Also, my hair dresser L is pregnant! So, that's my other baby quilt. Now I know H won't find out the sex, but I think L will. So, I'll have one either pink or blue and the other....well we'll see!!!

And somewhere along the way I need to finish the quilt for us! I've got it started, just need to finish it. Oh boy....my list just seems to be growing!!!!!!!

Til next time,
M

Where's Donald???

Tell me ....what has happened to Donald Duck? Here I am in Orlando...home to Disney World...and do ya think I can find anything with Donald on it...NO! Yea, the mouse is still out there, but it seems that all the other Disney characters you find are the new ones; the princesses, pirates, etc. What happened to the good old characters?? I for one am a Donald fan, forget the mouse for me....I want the duck. If I do find him on something, it has the whole gang on it; Mickey, Minnie, Goofy, Daisy, and Donald.....I JUST WANT DONALD!!!!!!!

J and I even went to a Disney store, but alas...no Donald. It amazes me....where's my duck???

Oh well, good thing I have my embroidery machine at home....I can put Donald on anything I want.

Til next time,

M

More travels with Charlie.....

Y'know I must get me a "Charlie"!! I got me a J, now just need a Charlie!! Anyway....thought I would update our travels so far. We are basically spending the entire month of November in Florida...not bad huh!!! I've been a bit disappointed in the weather lately though. I thought Florida was all great temps and sunshine....not so! We've even had a couple days where we've had to wear long pants, but we are currently back to our shorts! Never thought I would see the day I was wearing shorts in November, I'm such a wuss!!

Since I've last blogged about our travels we've been in: Lake City, Jacksonville, St. Augustine (beautiful old town), Palm Coast, Daytona Beach, Titusville, and are currently in Orlando. The sights along the way are beautiful. The vegetation is gorgeous and the flowering plants are still flowering. We've driven up and down the coast and been on the beaches!! We even ate at Down the Hatch in Ponce Inlet (just for J). http://www.down-the-hatch-seafood.com/ He and his buddies ate there every night when they came to Daytona Beach for Bike Week in 94. He got the seafood platter (which I did get to try small bites) and I got the bacon cheeseburger! Now for those of you that REALLY know me you know the only fish I will eat is that of my dear daddy in law or my dear sister in law and her hubby (who makes the bestest hushpuppies). Yea I know, I'm weird!

I'll describe all of our adventures in more detail later, but for now gotta run!!

Til next time,

M

Happy Halloween

I hope everyone has a very happy Halloween!!! BOO

m

McGuires....Pensacola

If you ever are in Pensacola I have the perfect place for you to eat....McGuire's Irish Pub. http://www.mcguiresirishpub.com/ Not only do they have an onsite brewery, but the food is great as well!! BUT the best thing about McGuire's is the dollars that are stapled all over the restaurant....literally!!!

The sandwiches are big enough to share and are really great!!! So, check it out if you are ever in Pensacola.

Til next time,

M

California Cows...

Have you seen the newest commercial about voting for a "new" California cow? J and I love these commercials and just chuckle everytime we see one. Well, they've now got a contest started to vote for your favorite. Check it out.... http://www.realcaliforniamilk.com/auditions/index.html/

As some of you know...I do love cows!! You gotta admit, the folks that create these are ummmm...unique!!!!

Til next time,

M

Our travels thus far!!!

Well, since leaving home we've been to Arkansas and back, then on to Mississippi, Alabamba, and are currently in Florida!! We've seen many neat things along the way. If you like BIG ships or are just a history buff you must check out the USS Alabama docked in Mobile. We toured it last year and it is really cool!! They even have a sub there you can tour, but trust me it is a tight fit!! (the picture is not of the Alabama) http://www.ussalabama.com/gallery.php

Another neat place to visit is the Naval Aviation Museum in Pensacola. http://www.navalaviationmuseum.org/ We toured that last year also. Lots of cool planes and such. Even saw a picture of the USS Kwajalein, the carrier my dad served on in the Navy (that's its picture above). Not really sure what Dad did on the Kwajalein, but that's where he served. So that made a special place in my heart! http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_Kwajalein_(CVE-98)

This year we went out to Pensacola Beach and checked it out!! http://www.visitpensacolabeach.com/ Beautiful beaches and cool shops. Found some places we wouldn't mind coming back and renting!! But we'll see.

So, that's about all for now. I'll try and keep you updated as we go!!

Til next time,

M

Been a while

Well, guess I just got so busy at home I didn't have time to blog!!! A little bit of new "news"...while I was in Peoria a bad wind storm went through our area and created quite a bit of damage. J spent 2 days helping his dad clean up storm mess, then had to come home to clean up our yard. He was without power for 3 days, but luckily for me it was on by the time I got back home.

Then we decided to put our house on the market. Yes, we know...bad time to sell, so we'll see what happens. That meant cleaning, cleaning and more cleaning. My closets haven't been this clean in years!!! My sewing room closet is now so organized I probably won't find a thing!

Did a little sewing while I was home. Made 5 trick or treat bags and a baby quilt. The bags went to various friends and the quilt is for Sara's little one (she's the daughter of a friend). He won't get it until we get home though!!!

Til next time,
M

Travels with Charlie...

Ok, so I'm not really traveling with Charlie, but hey I love John Steinbeck what can I say. We've had a couple days off and found ourselves in Murphy, North Carolina. Now for those of you who haven't been to Murphy, there isn't a whole lot to do. We traveled some back roads looking at beautiful cabins that barely sit on the hillside, saw a couple dams, two beautiful lakes, which are WAY down (but still beautiful) and just some lovely scenery. Outside Murphy there is a really cool spot, The Fields of the Wood. Check out the link, really neat...http://fieldsofthewoodbiblepark.com/.

Today we traveled to Blue Ridge, Georgia, about 25 minutes from Murphy. http://blueridge.georgia.gov/05/home/0,2230,9005134,00.html;jsessionid=EBCC392DB3DDD4C2DD839DA82EC89BDE

What a quaint lil town. They were having a Labor Day celebration selling BBQ in the park with some good ol gospel tunes playing. Found 3 quilt shops too!!! Unfortunately only 1 of the 3 was open and they only sold quilts. Went into "Hucks General Store", neat lil place...lots of good stuff!! Lots of little antique shops, but also some very high end stuff!! Found the cutest little shawl, only $175!!! EEKKKK!!

Took some curvy 2 lanes back to Murphy and luckily for J found a Dairy Queen along the way. He was in desperate need of a blizzard fix! Me on the other hand, well, I've become quite found of the chocolate covered strawberry sundae bowls!!!! YUM. Like we really need the ice cream!!! But it is very good!

Til next time,

M

My Angel

Twelve years ago today a new angel was created. She is our guardian angel and watches and protects us as best she can. I miss her terribly and love her deeply.

What a sight!!

As J and I traveled down the road last night we came upon an interesting, yet erie, sight. Scarecrows! We were traveling from Covington, GA to Commerce, GA and drove through the town of Hoschton. We started noticing the scarecrows on the outskirts of town, lots of em! And as we got closer to the town, more of them in all shapes, sizes, you name it. In one pasture they even had them set up to represent a football team on the field! Ok, now I'll explain the erie part...it was dark and rainy. It had rained on us all day and as we traveled it got worse...and dark!! Then we come across a small town filled with scarecrows! Gave me the heebie geebies!! As we reached the center of town we found out the reason for them....http://www.hoschtonfallfestival.com/ . Yep, just a simple fall festival. But let me tell you the whole town is lined with scarecrows! In peoples yards, fields, pasture, in the church yards!!!

So once we got to our hotel I had to look it up and share with everyone!! Enjoy.

til next time,

M

Hotels and Internet use!!!!!!!!!!!!

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHH.....ok now that I have that off my chest I'll start. Why, why, why can't hotels have reliable internet use? Last night I got the laptop out, turned her on, connected and WAHLAH....internet! Then we started making hotel reservations and it got slower, and slower, and slower....until it just quit! I called the front desk, they had NO clue! How reassuring!! They then called "Tech support". After about 30 minutes no response I called FD again, still no clue. After another 30 minutes, you guessed it, call FD AGAIN. STILL NO CLUE! (Seriously, hire someone who might know something!) THEN, tech support calls me! I explain that my dial up at home is quicker than this, he doesn't find it funny. He then proceeds to tell me someone is "hogging" all the bandwith...ok what do I do, search for them and beat them up...I just want HIM to fix it. Needless to say I waited, and waited, and waited called the FD again, still not fixed so I gave up! But he (tech) must have fixed it sometime last night cause here I am this morning!! But I won't hold my breath till I see if it works tonight!!

Til next time,
M

Why am I amazed?

I couldn't believe what I saw yesterday, an elderly lady backed her van into a woman and her 4 children actually hitting the oldest and the next to the youngest (who was sitting in the shopping cart). Now, I watched....the woman in the van NEVER looked behind her to see if anyone or anything was there. The mother said something, but I was too far away to hear. Then the woman just drove off, she didn't get out to see if they were fine, no response to the mother, just drove off. What is happening to our society? Have we no regard for others, apparently not. I ask my husband daily, why do these things amaze me? His reply is I don't know because you know something is going to happen. I try and be courteous and polite to people and just wish the same in return, it seems that manners (I know, I touched on this subject once) are becoming a thing of the past. Last week I had a young man (about 10/11) tell me "that blows"! AND because he was being extremely rude and pushey and I wouldn't let him do what he wanted. I was dumbfounded! Then his mother got upset with ME, now I know where he learns it!

So please, if you read this, be kind, use manners and teach them to your children, grandchildren, nieces, nephews, and anyone you can!!

Til next time,
M

Hair styles

It seems I've had my hair the same way for many, many years now. Is it time to try something new? I've talked about it with a friend and she gave me some very good suggestions, now...do I want to try them? When it comes to my hair I will admit, I'm lazy. I want something easy and quick, not something that takes a lot of time. Does the "old" rule apply that once you hit 30, or heaven forbid 40, you shouldn't have long hair?! I'm pondering....not sure what to do...probably nothing, especially since it is still summer and french braiding my hair is the easiest thing I can do daily!!! BUT, we'll see!!

Til next time,
M

My dad and the scripture verse.

Sitting here in the hotel room in Kingsport I thought about my dad. I went to http://www.alzquilts.org/ and submitted my memory of Dad. It's been 4 months since he left us and I think of him a lot. I sometimes wonder why, why did MY dad have to get that dreaded disease and will I get it. Some of you are probably wondering why I decided to put a certain scipture verse on my blog. Well, you see the night Dad passed I told him it was ok to go. We kids would take care of Mom, when I said that he looked at me, I mean really looked at me. Two tears rolled down his cheek and I wiped them away telling him it was ok to go and we loved him. I asked the hospice nurse if they were truly tears or were his eyes just watering. She asked what I thought and I told her they were truly tears. She told me to look up Revelations 21:4 and read it and that it meant I would be with Dad when he passed. I looked it up, read it, and was with Dad when he passed. So, this verse has taken on a very special meaning to me, it is now probably my favorite verse.

I miss him everyday, but know that he watches over me as does my darling lil daughter! They are both in a better place, free from pain, harm, and all the other things we are experiencing here!

Til next time,
M

Observations...my point of view

What has happened to manners? I watch people every day and wonder. Do we just take things for granted or are we not teaching manners anymore? I saw a good thing today, a young lady got out of the vehicle she was riding in to pick up something an older woman (riding a motorized scooter) had dropped and returned it to the woman. While I didn't know the young woman I was very proud of her for doing so. But overall it seems to me that we as a society are lacking in manners. I taught my children manners and luckily they are passing that along to my grandkids. I love to take my grandkids out in public because they are very well behaved and have good manners! They are a true blessing. So, is it just me or do you agree with me?

Till next time.
M

My first blog!!!

Well, today is a first! My first blog. Wow, now I'm not saying this will be exciting or anything...but it will be interesting! So, here goes nothing!!