two humans, three dogs & a cat

Angraecum sesquipedale & Paper Whites

2012-01-30T13:29:00.000-05:00

Even though it's winter and cold and snowy in many parts of the country, it is fun to have a couple winter bloomers around the house. My Angraecum sesquipedale (front, left) seems to bloom a little later each year. I remember a Christmas bloom the first year and a New Year's bloom another. With the treatment they got this year, I am lucky it is blooming at all. Bad gardener.

The paper whites (right, behind) are from one of those gift box things that I received for Christmas. It came with the pot, the bulbs, and this flat disk of potting medium that when you soak it in water, it becomes huge! Basically it fills the pot. We had a bit of a cold snap about 3 weeks ago so I planted the bulbs and put the whole thing in the garage hoping for some "chill" to get the bulbs started. It worked! They are so tall now and buds are forming so I thought it was time to bring them in - don't want to miss a bloom.

Bathroom Remodel

2012-01-24T12:19:00.002-05:00

We are at it again. It was only December 2010 when we remodeled our master bathroom due to a water damaged rotted shower wall. Initially we were just did the shower but then the bathroom looked odd - half old, half new. So, since we had a high flow toilet and the large vanity only had one sink, we went ahead and replaced those and the flooring. This year is similar story but in the guest bathroom - some water & termite damage around this stained glass window, rotten vanity that was falling apart, and high flow toilet.

You can see the tile surrounding the tub/shower has been removed as well as the tile flooring (some of those were loose too) the toilet, and the rotten vanity. This was early demolition. I didn't get any tub out photos.

New tub in (Jerry's Christmas present was a jetted tub) and the first day of tiling the tub/shower area. The tiles are travertine. We used that in the other bathroom and were very happy with it. The board is where the trim tiles will go - they are slate.

The floor is ceramic tile in planks instead of squares. Mom & Jerry not fond of them but when the room is finished I believe they will like them. This is the day they were set but not grouted.

The photo above is trim tile set and floor grouted. You can also see the new tub in place - it's white, the other was being.

The vanity, below, is not actually installed yet. I just set it in place so the countertop guy could crate a template.

I cropped this photo so you could only see new stuff which gives an indication of how it will look. Still have lots of work - walls, lights, vanity & countertop, toilet, etc. but it is moving right along. Stay tuned!

35 Years Ago Today

2012-01-22T09:10:00.001-05:00

Thirty five years ago today I was married at age 19 (barely). The marriage lasted 8 years. I recently came into posession of the photos again and thought I would share. We may be divorced but it is still a part of my life.

I was the first person I knew to have this type of wedding invite. Everyone else's at the time were white, embossed invites. I wanted a non-tradiitonal traditional wedding.

Farrah Facett hair! Back then I didn't use any hair products, not even hairspray, and only eye makeup.

Me and my Dad. I can tell this one was staged, not an actual down-the-aisle shot, because I have on my wedding band. It's easy to spot that jade band (another non-traditional tradition).

And finally, the bride and groom with a peak of my Aunt Mary. I designed that bouquet and it was the first time the florist ever made a cascading bouquet or used ivy. She had a hard time keeping the long strands from falling out. The florist was used to making those traditional round bouquets.

Forcing Bulbs

2012-01-18T11:30:00.000-05:00

Look what I found growing in my garage!

Just Testing

2012-01-17T19:09:00.000-05:00

to see if i can post from my tablet.........here goes!

Dunedin Mailboxes

2012-01-16T21:06:00.004-05:00

Our Silver Anniversary

2012-01-15T08:46:00.003-05:00

This photo was taken 25 years ago today at the Cocoa Palms hotel in Kauai. W0w - 25 years.....time really does fly when you are having fun.

We lived in Chugiak Alaska at the time, then moved to the Native village of Aniak for a couple years, then Kodiak for 11 years. In 2001 we moved to Florida where we now reside. We went from working for retailers in Alaska to both becoming government workers (with a couple jobs in between). We still have furry critters in our house, some things never change, and still have on-going house projects.

We are planning a vacation to New Orleans next month - couldn't rely on Jerry's schedule this time of year because there was a good chance he would have an inventory in the middle of our anniversary vacation. So, we coiencided our trip with Mardi Gras, sorta. Should be memorable both both of us - Jerry's first time in NOLA and for me a homecoming after 40+ years.

Christmas Photo 2011

2012-01-11T23:10:00.003-05:00

We had Christmas brunch at our house this year. It was just us and the moms. The night before we had Christmas Eve dinner at moms. Again, just the four of us. Thought I would post a couple bettter late than never photos......I do have more interesting stuff to share now that I seem to be able to get back onto Blogspot (i.e. bathroom remodel and the mailboxes of Dunedin).

Back Online, Maybe?

2012-01-04T15:07:00.003-05:00

I've used another computer to remove/change things on my blog hoping I will be able to access it from home now. Currently Blogspot never responds and I am left waiting and waiting and waiting.........so, we'll see when I get home. For now, I am using a computer in an undisclosed location ;)

Here's a photo of the trio at Christmas. I couldn't get all three in one photo so I took pics separately and through the magic of Photoshop a friend was able to create our Christmas photo. Love modern technology! (That's Daisey on the left, Eddie standing in the middle, and Woody to the back and right.)

Hello!

2011-11-28T14:37:00.002-05:00

I've been unable to post to blogspot - I just get stuck with the hour glass every time I try to access my blog. So, I am using a different computer and went in and removed the background image hoping that would help. I will try to get on my two computers at home tonight and see if that helps. In the mean time....hello!

Thank You Veterans

2011-11-11T09:02:00.006-05:00

I recently visited the National Cemetery near Bushnell FL. On special days, such as Veteran's Day, they line the drive with donated casket flags. I am considering driving up there again today (about an hour north via interstate) to donate my dad's flag. I like the symmetry of it flying at the cemetery where my father-in-law is buried.

It wouldn't be Veteran's day without some photos of my two favorite vets. The first photo is hubby Jerry receiving a medal in VietNam. The second photo is my Dad in his army uniform - he served in Korea during that war.
Thank you to all veteran's, current or past, wheither you served two years or an entire career, wheither you came home safely or paid the ultimate price. Many, many of us appreciate your service to keep us al safe. Bless you.

Fabulous Cupcakes

2011-11-10T22:10:00.003-05:00

I always joke that the only thing I've ever won is jury duty but I can no longer say that because I won BEAUITFUL cupcakes!

Not only did they look fabulous but I hear that they were tasty as well - red velvet with a cream cheese frosting filling. Aren't they FABULOUS!?!?!?

Made by http://www.decadentdiva.com/

Halloween Party 2011

2011-10-30T20:32:00.003-04:00

Last night we went to my friend Christina's Halloween party. Tonight the dogs are doing an online doggie party.

Jerry as a Greek man turned to stone.

Me, as Medusa.

Daisey as a pirate's winch.

Eddie as a tiger. He went completely crazy with excitement when i put the costume on him and it was everything I could do to keep it on him much less get a decend photo.

Woody as a spider and unhappy about it. He did get better once I got it off his eyes.

Odd Sightings

2011-10-25T19:31:00.005-04:00

Mom & I saw some interesting sights while traveling between our accomodations in Inverness and my aunt's house in Beverly Hills. First was this giant pink elephant - not sure what that has to do with auto sales & repair.

Next, was a forrest of bottle trees. I've seen A bottle tree on another blog but never a forrest of them.

I was lucky to get these photos because the lot next to this yard was covered in ant hills and i could see the little critters crawling all over the ground - I felt like I was navigating a mine field trying to avoid stepping on them.

Inverness Florida

2011-10-23T18:15:00.009-04:00

Mom and I spent the weekend in Inverness. We went to visit my Aunt Mary and Uncle Larry in nearby Beverly Hill which, incidentially, makes them the Beverly Hillbillies!
I stopped and took some photos at City Park and the nearby old-town historic district. The sun was so bright that some are not worth sharing. The first is the City Park and Cooter Pond mascot. I was reading a sign that says next week is their local Cooter festival. For those that don't know, a Cooter is a turtle.

The trees were covered in Spanish moss. Normally it looks cool to me (as in temp) because it sways in the breeze but with Halloween decorations out, it looks kinda spooky.

Here's a close up of some that fell out of a tree. I didn't touch it because someone once told me it has these little red bugs in it, similar to fleas. I don't know if that's true but I want nothing to do with biting bugs thank you.

There is a gazebo, board walk, and what I would call a small lake but it is a pond.

Photo taken from the gazebo - you tell me, pond or lake?

You don't have to tell me twice!

Looking up at the gazebo construction.

The trail is measured and marked.

Next we headed a block or two away to the old town. It has a courthouse that is on the registry of historic places. This is where the sun was glaring so I couldn't even see what I was shooting. This is the best of the worst.

Ending with a lovel oak covered in Spanish moss.

Happy Birthday Dad

2011-10-14T06:48:00.003-04:00

I decided to make a birthday cake for day last night to take to work today - Oct 14th is his birthday and he loved sweets. I'm calling this cake "Murphy" because anything that could go wrong in making this cake, did go wrong.

It was supposed to be a flag cake but I was hesitant with using too much food dye that the layers ended up more like pink and aqua. The layers wouldn't come out of the pans so they were broken in the process which is probably a major contributor to it falling apart.

For some odd reason, the middle layer ended up wider than the other two layers (the undyed layer of white cake). I didn't know until I layered it and it hung over the lower level. Tried to fill in the gap with frosting but the frosting had it's own issues.

Made a whip crema frosting but when I folded in the whipped cream it curdled from the key lime juice in the buttercream mixture. I've made this before with those green limes without this problem but the key limes were a problem.

No sooner had I assembled the cake and it began to fall apart in the fridge.

My dad would have grinned, taken a bite, and said it tastes good to him!

Cupcake Giveaway

2011-10-04T21:27:00.002-04:00

A Ratbone friend of mine, who is an excellent cake decorator, is holding a cupcake giveaway. Even if you are not interested in receiving her newsletter you might want to visit her site and see the fabulous work she does. She donated awesome cupcakes to Ratbone for a drawing in February to raise funds for doggie dentals.

http://s168152964.onlinehome.us/decadentdiva/halloweencupcakes.html

Flossie Manning Bailey

2011-10-01T00:39:00.004-04:00

4/19/17 - 9/28/11

Mom and I are going to Arcadia tomorrow afternoon to attend the funeral of my Aunt Flossie. She passed away Wednesday afternoon. She was 94 years old but fell victim to pnumonia and other side effects after breaking a hip recently. She was a great lady and will be missed. It's doubly sad to realize that she was the last of my dad's siblings so the whole family is gone now.

Eddie Does Taco Bell

2011-09-18T18:48:00.003-04:00

Gonna need a minute to decide.

Yeah, I'll have a chicken taco please. Hold the lettuce.

Hurry up already...we're starving here.

Hold up...yup, smells like chicken taco to me!

Remembrance

2011-09-11T09:40:00.002-04:00

Sweepers

2011-09-10T10:20:00.002-04:00

I recently watched a television show about people who make a living, yes make a living, entering and winning sweepstakes and contests. Since they aren't all cash prices, these folks often sell their winning to make cash. The successful ones treated it like an 8 hour a day job. It was interesting to learn that this could be done online 24/7.

Soooooo, being the curious and slightly cynical person that I am...........I started entering sweepstakes online and will do so until I win something. So far in life the only thing I have won is jury duty ;) It will be interesting to see how long I have to do this before I actualy win something. I've entered for gift cards, vacations, golf clubs, books, dvd's, fancy dog beds, artisan dog bowls, dog food, tickets, kindle, i think you get the idea.

One thing I did before entering was to set up a second e-mail account because I knew my e-mail would be bombarded and that has worked out well. I've also made a committment to a half hour at least 5 days a week (the pros say the weekend is best because less people enter and there are many short term contests).

I will let you know when/if I win something. I'm not giving up my job, I just want to see if even I can win something. Dog food would be nice :)

Sarasota part 3

2011-09-05T23:16:00.003-04:00

My last post from our quick trip to Sarasota - tree roots. Actually these were taken on Longboat Key. There were many trees like these. They were cool and spooky at the same time. Click for larger image. BTW, these trees make me want to be a better photographer.

Sarasota part 2

2011-09-05T14:56:00.004-04:00

We saw this painted aluminum statue yesterday while driving around Sarasota but it was raining and there was too much traffic at the time to pull over in an area where I don't know the streets. So with the sun shining today we set out to find it again. Turns out it's not hard to find a 26 foot sculpture.

After looking it up online (to find out how tall it is) I discovered the donation was controversial. Interesting. Apparently some questioned if it was even art.

I've always been interested in WWII-era things (music, clothing) and can see why they are called The Greatest Generation.

Sarasota, part 1

2011-09-05T09:49:00.005-04:00

Mom & I are in Sarasota visiting my Aunt Flossie - she is 94 and recently broke a hip and then developed pnumonia while in the hospital. While she's weak, I found her in much better condition and spirits than I would expect for a 94 year old with these medical issues. We decided to spend the night here and visit her again this morning before heading back home.

Last night we had dinner at Da Ru Ma. I couldn't resist the name! Jerry & I used to eat at a restaurant of the same name when we lived in Anchorage. I believe it was our special place although we never really declared that title. We often went there after one of us had been traveling and it was out first meal back together. The Da Ru Ma here offers Teppenyaki and it had a Vegetarian Hibichi dinner so I was happy. Full and happy.

OK, I've mentioned that I am not a great photographer and I don't seem to be gretting any better with practice so the photo above may look strange with the confusing shadows. This is a photo in the ladies room at Da Ru Ma. The sink stands were twisted bronze schulptures, possibly of mangroves, and the basins were some sort of metal. They were actually quite stunning and deserved a better photographer.

My family, bless their hearts, has been cocerned about me finding something to eat when we go out every Saturday night. I think they are having much more trouble adjusting to my vegetarian diet than me! lol.......anyway, here are two examples of just how easy it is to eat vegetarian even if the menu does not offer vegetarian dishes (other than salads). Above is my dinner from Rumba Saturday night - side of garlic mashedm, sauted veggies, and black beans.

My plate from Golden Corral last Saturday - cornbread stuffing, green beans, corn, fried cabbage, mac & cheese, and pinto beans. Yummy southern cooking!

It was raining hard yesterday so I had to pass on some local photo ops but hopefully today I can get some interesting shots of Sarasota to share.

Green Thumb Sunday

2011-08-21T16:37:00.007-04:00

Daisey on the patio wondering what I am doing
What's left of my succulent garden after two years in what turned out to be a bad spot for succulents. My beautiful big jade tree did not survive the winter.

I've moved my succulents to the screen porch, and the orchids out to the key lime tree, so that I can better control how much water they receive.

This pot is actuallty broken but i like it so much that I am going to plant some string of pearls in it anyway. When my succulents were outside, something kept digging them out of this pot.

Orchids in key lime tree

My "pot" garden ;)

My backyard is a series of border gardens really.

The jasmine arbor freshly cut back.

Another bromeliad border.

Why is Blogspot adding these crazy spacings between my photos? I go to keep going back and deleteing the space but it never leaves it as I set it.

Miniature Golf

2011-08-15T21:31:00.004-04:00

Last night I played putt putt golf with the cousins. It started out really nice but as the course progressed, we lost the breeze and it was HOT and humid. I had fun, and the grounds were lovely, but I was glad when we finished and went to feed the gators where there was a breeze.

A photo of the grounds. It was so sunny that most of my photos of the landscaping didn't turn out well.

Cousin Erica teeing off at hole 1.

This poor guy - you gotta watch out for the quicksand.

Cousin Lea shoting through the cave.

Lee and Don - too bad the one with them smiling didn't turn out because they both have beautiful smiles :-)

Don, a.k.a. "Pops", with Sarah.

Amaizing what little girls do when their mother's back is turned, lol.

When we finished golf Sarah wanted to feed the gators - a real Florida girl!

Turns out that feeding the gators is dangling a piece of hot dog on something resembling a fishingpole.

They have all kinds of fencing to keep the gators away from the people, or, is it the people away from the gators?

Pirate Cruise

2011-08-13T22:25:00.008-04:00

Today we celebrated my cousin Sarah's 6th birthday - it started with a pirate cruise from Clearwater Beach and ended at Erica's house for cupcakes and ice cream. I highly recommend this type of activity to anyone who want their kids to have loads of fun. The crew was fantastic and kept the kids very busy and entertained for two hours. They also made sure everyone stayed hydrated in the heat and sun by having water, soft drinks, and beer & wine easily available.

I went with Sarah, of course, her mother Erica, her grandmother Lea, and her Aunt Sonya (They are all my cousins) and Sarah's neighbor friend Gracey and her big brother Noah. Noah whipped me at Wii, by the way :(

There were many activities including water gun fights, a treasure hunt, face painting, pirate stories, musical chairs, and a dance party. The kids got beads, pirate hats, and "gold" coins. The music was awesome and really added to the festive feel. We departed with Reggea, and then songs matched the activities, and the dance party was a lot of disco - you just couldn't help tapping your foot or swaying your hips.

They also have special birthday parties where they provide Pirate cupcakes and dress up the birthday family in pirate costumes. I believe it was a good value with lots of entertainment for the dollar. The kids stayed engaged the entire trip. Highly recommend.

By the way, they asked me where they could see "real" pirates and I told them off the coast of Somalia ;)

Cousins!

2011-08-07T19:50:00.006-04:00

My cousins from New Orleans are here again. We got together with them a couple years ago when they were bringing the oldest daughter to college in Tampa. She's a senior this year and they were here to help her furnish and get settled in an apartment.

It was fun reminiscing about New Orleans and interesting to hear of the progress post Katrina. All three homes were destroyed by the storm but everyone is in a new house and impressed by some of the progress made. Granted, there are still areas that haven't been rebuilt but from what I heard the rebuilding was an opportunity to update and improve.

My cousins were talking about City Park and how, because of Katrina, many people and organizations supported upgrades to the park as well as restoration and replanting of the old oaks. This probably would not have happened without the storm, or if so, would be slower.

Of the three schools I attended while living there (St. Anthony, St. Leo the Great, and Sherwood Forrest) only Sherwood Forrest remains closed. My cousin's estimate is 80% is rebuilt and bragged about the number of unique restaurants and shops that have appeared in the rebuild.

I'm excited to go visit - it's been a very long time. Jerry's never been. I think he will have a blast.

(Photo is my cousin Bill's wife Thania on the right; her daughter, who is my first cousin once removed, Denise, in the center; her husband Chris on the left. The twins are Margarette and Luke and the little guy is Calib - my first cousins twice removed.)

Green Thumb Sunday & Sunday Breakfast Recipe

2011-07-24T12:52:00.007-04:00

Due to budget cuts, the plants in our office have either been removed or are no longer maintained by a service. They really didn't announce it to us, at least not to my knowledge, but eventually I noticed the decline of the health of this plant that were left in my area of the office. It was absolutely parched after neglect and I found it with all the leaves down, below the pot. I thought it was probably doomed but slowly tried to rehydrate it and, not only did it respond within a couple waterings, it is now healthy and blooming! Now I've moved on to some other plants on our floor that I notice are in decline too. Geez, they are living things and I hate to see them just die the slow death due to budget cuts.

There is a recipe going around our office, more like a procedure than a recipe, for making an omelet without using any oil/fat and without using a pan. Basically you crack two eggs in a zip-loc bag and add a couple teaspoons of several fillings (i used red bell pepper, vidalia onion, ham, and a mixture of shreadded cheeses). Smooch it all up to break and distribute the yokes. Then put the bag in a pot of boiling water for 15 minutes. The photo above is shortly after adding the bags (i made two omelets) to the boiling water.

Here they are after 15 minutes. It seems like 15 minutes is a long time but i understand from other folks who have tried this that anything less it is too wet.

Photo above is just out of the boiling water. It pretty much looks like an omelet but I wasn't sure until I took it out of the bag.

On my plate! You could dress it up with a little cheese and/or chopped veggies on top but it actually looked better in person than this photo. I dont' like eggs cooked in oil or butter so this was great for me - i usually eat poached eggs but ever notice it takes forever in restaurants when you order them poached?

This is the inside. I did a better job of the squishing process in Jerry's omlet so he didn't have areas of just egg white in his like in this one.

My favorite fruit - papaya! Actually my favorite food. I bought a really big red caribbean one from publix yesterday and we had half of it with our breakfast this morning. It was fabulous. Apparently this fruit is serious about procreation, lol.

My friend Vivian, from when I lived in Seattle, taught me a little trick to squirt lime juice on papaya. Wow - what a difference it makes. Papaya is very good on it's own but with lime it is the best thing - my favorite even above scallops and I love scallops (having them for dinner tonight).

We also had home-made blackberry jelly courtesy of my friend Kim from Georgia who I met in person for the first time two weekends ago in Kentucky. Meeting my online rat-terrier friends was awesome, especially when they bring homemade jam and dog toys, lol.

The fruit that is plentiful supply around here right now is the mango. Lots of people have trees in their yards and it is interested to hear of the mango wars going on (ownership disputes, fruit stealing, etc.) A coworker brought in some from her tree to share. I don't eat mangos but jerry does. The first one was super juicy but he is waiting on this one to ripen a little more. The flesh looks a bit like papaya but is taste nothing like it to me.

I'm going to make tomato pies tonight - one for dinner and perhaps a couple for sharing. If you've never had tomato pie you have to try it! Kinda tastes a little like pizza but "eats" more like quiche. The few people who have tried it as a result of me bragging, have loved it. Seems pretty healthy too. I got my recipe from the blog Deep Fried Kudzu here.

It's been a long time since I've done a Greenthumb Sunday since my own garden is a mess but with all this fresh produce in my kitchen, I just had to share!

Pic From Vacation

2011-07-18T21:33:00.006-04:00

We are back from vacation almost a week ago and I'm just finishing up resizing and culling my photos. With my new camera I was inspired to take lots and lots photos. Since it was a doggie meet up I thought i would post pooch photos. There might be a couple humans thrown in just because they were in the frame, lol.

Sydney

Jubilee "aka Lee Lee"

My Eddie

Amos

Amos & Buster (or is it Moe?)

Buddy

Dixie

My Daisey

Katie Scarlett

Sonic "aka Moose"

Katie Scarlett & Beau

Katie Scarlet

My Eddie

Sneak Peek Ratbone Raffle Quilt Blocks

2011-07-13T23:13:00.003-04:00

Here are the two Halloween blocks that will be included in Ratbone's 2011 raffle quilt. Stay tuned for more details ;)

Kentucky Quilt Barn 2

2011-07-10T22:35:00.002-04:00

We tried to get photos of quilt barns today and decided it was almost impossible. We got a few but they were all so far away that the photos really do not do the barns and the artwork justice. I did zoom but these are on private property and I'm not the type to trespass for a better photo.

This one was on a fence in Garrad county and near the friend's house where we were visiting.

Somewhere between Danville & Lancaster.

In Boyd county.

Kentucky Quilt Barn

2011-07-10T09:02:00.003-04:00

We're in Kentucky attending a lake party with some rat terrier friends (more on that later when I'm home with faster internet service) and i'm fascinated by the barns with quilt blocks painted on them.

RIP Caylee Marie Anthony

2011-07-05T19:18:00.003-04:00

Finally, right or wrong verdict, rest in peace.
My heart breaks for this family that's been torn apart.

First Photos With New Camera

2011-07-03T20:35:00.005-04:00

Eddie on my laptop

Daisey - the band on her leg is from her dental and cyst removal

HAPPY INDEPENDENCE DAY!!!!
My old flamingo's family has come to visit. I've invited them to stay for a while.

Updated my old wreaths today

Guess Who Got A New Camera?

2011-06-26T13:35:00.002-04:00

Right now I am charging it up and reading up on how to use it. This is camera #4 (first oen very old-school, second one nice but fell victim to a pitcher of water, third one not operating well anymore). This one is more video oriented but is also a still camera. I'm excited to try it out so look for doggie videos ;)

Quilt "Leaks"

2011-06-25T10:49:00.003-04:00

With the quilt piecing in progress and the quilter waiting nearby, I've been authorized to "leak" a few photos of some of the quilt blocks that were made for this very special holiday-themed quilt. Ratbone produces a quilt just about every year to raffle off as a fundraiser for ratties in need. This one is going to be so different from the others and I am excited to see the finished product.

Memorial Day block (I love this one)

Flag Day

Father's Day

Deep Fried Green Beans

2011-06-22T19:35:00.004-04:00

My digicam isn't woring well. That's the reason for my lack of posts. If I was posting, I would have shown you a photo of something very delicious - deep fried green beans! Kinda like onion rings only with green beans. Yummy. But then again, what isn't tummy when you cover it in a spicy batter and deep fry it ;)

I've finished a couple books lately. First was The Sister. Very well written although there is a lot of narrative about the culture of months and catepillars. I liked that it was unpredictable. The second one is As Husbands Go which is the opposite - predicted both who did and why. Plus, hard to feel much for a character who, upon the death of her Park Avenue plastic surgeon husband and unsure of her financial future, worries that she will have to wear "Vanity Fair" panties. Give me a break.

West Memphis, Arkansas

2011-06-17T22:24:00.005-04:00

On our trip back from Arkansas we spent an afternoon and evening with my Aunt Joyce and Uncle Bob. We went to a local horse show with them and we took a drive to the levy where Aunt Joyce keeps her cows and donkey and my Cousin Vickie keeps her horses.

Aunt Joyce and Jerry at the concession stand. Uncle Bob & Vickie's son Justin were doing the cooking (hot dogs and hamburgers).

According to some horse-y friends, this kind of sign is typical at horse events.

Horse Winnebagos.

An event. I was too busy watching to take photos. I liked the barrell races.

Uncle Bob leaning on Justin's truck.

My cousin Vickie, her husband Jimmie, and son Justin had spent the whole day driving to Alabama, picking up this mare and foal, and then driving back with them. After that 9 hour trip they went to the horse show to help. Very active family.

This horse has a bit on his nose from my Aunt's new donkey. Humm....I wonder if she still has that donkey because it was not love at first sight ;)

Introducing Mohawk Donkey! lol Apparently he is mean to the cows and the horses so now he's sequestered.

Driving on the levy.

Aunt Joyce's herd. She has a bunch of cows and a couple bulls which means she has calfs each year ;)

Blondie? We met lots of horses but most of the photos weren't good. I need a new camera.

I love this photo Joyce & Bob's family room - where else would you see a computer on a roll top desk, next to a western sadle, next to a drum set?

Thank you Aunt Joyce and Uncle Bob for a nice visit. Love you!

Calico Rock, Arkansas & Nearby Historic Area

2011-06-14T20:58:00.004-04:00

More photos from our trip to Arkansas. I've always liked this little town on the White River. Two things really stick out about this trip and our drives around the countryside; a) rock buildings, 2) cicadas.

I just have to comment how dangerous this little area is because just past the sign is almost straight down into the river. I think they need a better baracade.

I don't know if you can really see the size of this rocking chair but it is huge. I believe it is for folks to sit in and take photos. Lots of people selling aromatic cedar products.

I should have looked this up to describe what you are seeing in these photos but basically historic buildings where a president even visited to dedicate two local dams.

My Manning ancestors had a similar house in the Hoxie area of Arkansas. By similar I mean a breezeway between different parts of the house. My dad mentioned one time that it allows for natural air conditioning. I've also seen tropical areas where they build the kitchen seperate from sleeping quarters in case of fire. Whatever the reason, I chuckle to think if modern houses were made this way Jerry & I would be locking ourself out just trying to get a drink of milk at night! lol

2011-06-10T20:02:00.004-04:00

While visiting my stepdad Vern in Arkansas, we took about an hour drive to the little town of Hardy. It's downtown is known for antiques & quaint country shops and draws a lot of visitors.
In the window of a very old building. I don't believe it is a hotel anymore but I sure enjoyed the sign :)

There were several of these BEAUTIFUL iron benches in town - I guess they are for husbands because that's where I found mine every time I came out of a store. We went in together but I always came out alone.

The sign above describes the building below. It's an art gallery now but used to be a courthouse. (You can click on photos for larger version.)

We had lunch at this restaurant in a very old building that didn't have central air and heat - window units for both. It was a hodge podge of decorations but interesting to look at while we waited for our down-home BLT & tuna stuffed tomato.

Birmingham, Alabama

2011-06-06T15:49:00.006-04:00

We're home! I'll make several posts about our trip to Arkansas. This series of photos is from Birmingham Alabama. Previously I posted about the destruction we saw (on our way up to Arkansas) but I didn't feel comfortable taking photos. Now, it's a week later so I feel better about taking and sharing photo (presuming there are no people buried under debris).
This is where we, and many others, pulled over. It was once a gas station. It was so sunny that my photos are bleeched out but what I am trying to show is the tile floor and plumbing left behind after the building was blown away.

The damage was a somewhat narrow "band" ripped through neighborhoods on both sides of a highway. The neighborhood to one side was up on a slight hill and the other is down in a shallow gulley. It looked like a line of bombs were dropped and you should be able to enlarge to get a better view.

Wide-angle above and zoom in below of the same neighborhood.

Again, same shot with one close up and one wide angle.

Edge of the road.

It was so sunny I couldn't get a good view of what was in my view finder or I would have taken a better photo here because it says it all. HUGE rootball with tree through house. Photo looks like earth or bolder but it is the root ball of a large tree.

The gas station where I got out to take photos, or what's left of it. You can see the cover where the tanks would have been and the mangled sign.

Hopefully these photos will raise awarement of what occured in Birmingham. If anyone was considering donating to the recovery process but wasn't sure, I hope these photos will help your decision.

On The Way Home

2011-06-05T21:41:00.003-04:00

Left Mountain Home yesterday. Really hated leaving Vern though. Spent the night in West Memphis with Aunt Joyce & Uncle Bob (photos will follow, hopefully tomorrow) went to a horse show and went to the levy to see her herd of cattle, her horses, and a very strange donkey with a mohawk :)

Passed through Tennessee, Mississippi, Alabama, and am bedded down for the night in Florida. Returning home tomorrow.

Enroute to Arkansas

2011-05-29T23:05:00.007-04:00

Today we traveled from Clearwater through Florida, Alabama and am now typing from a hotel bed in Tupelo, Missisiippi.

We passed through Birmingham today and just at the edge of town OMG!

The string of Alabama tornadoes at the end of April passed through the area and I could not believe what I was seeing. I can't remember the road, perhaps US78, but I was talking to Jerry (he was driving) and saw a huge tree stump that had been sheered and a house that looked like it was partially burned and partially torn down. Then I noticed the tree stood alone but not because nothing was built around it but because the neighboring houses were rubble. About the same time Jerry responded to what he was seeing to the right and I turned and saw mass destruction about as far as i could see. Seems the torando tore a path through this part of town and tore up everything except the asphalt on the road. It's one thing to see it on TV, another to see it in person and so close up. Was tempted to take a photo but decided not in case anyone is still entombed in this horrible destruction.

While Memphis may claim Graceland as Elvis's home, Tupolo is his birthplace and they are very proud of it. Here's a few photos:

( The old downtown area had painted guitars sticking out of the sidewalk on everyblock. Not actualy guitars but metal, pop art painted ones. Very cool - maybe a photo tomorrow?? We were tired and hungry and only ooh and awed at them. )

The house - a small, shortgun style. There is a vistor center but we wanted to get a hotel and something good to eat (we had been living off gummy worms and chex mix all day, lol) so just popped out for a few photos.
Historical marker at the home. Reminds me, Alabama was full of historical markers. Will need to look them up sometime as I learned nothing whizzing by at 65mph.
A concrete walk circles the house and there are many of these "bricks" of dates and a carving of an event to match these dates.

Tomorrow the plan is to stop in the Memphis area to see a relativem, buy some flags & flowers, go to cemetery to place them on Dad's, grandparents, great grandparents, and GG grandparent's graves for memorial day. Then, it's off to Mountain Home to visit Vern.

Lovin It!

2011-05-10T23:39:00.002-04:00

I just can't thank the public library system enough for offering audiobook downloads to my iPod and all from the comfort of my own computer. Between computer work at work & home, genealogy, sewing, etc., I love giving my eyes a break.

To me, there's no better way to read than with your eyes closed and a stack of pillows under my head.

Thank you Largo library!

Happy Mother's Day 2011

2011-05-08T19:43:00.003-04:00

We had a lovely mother's day gathering today. The weather was absolutely perfect - warm enough to enjoy the pool but not too hot to sit outside.

Cousin Lea, first-cousin-once-removed Erica, and first-cousin-twice-removed Sarah, my mom, my mother-in-law, and of course Jerry and I spent the afternoon together.

Sarah and Jerry were the only ones in the pool. It was about 83 degrees. Another couple degres and I will be in there too ;)

Jerry had hamburger, hot dog, and polish dog duty. Sadly, I got a photo of my mom, Marge, and Lea but it must have been accidentally erased because it wasn't on my camera when I downloaded the photos.

Eddie was conscripted to deliver a mother's day card, lol.

I made my first maccaroni salad and it was good. I also made BBQ beans, and an orange cake. We have watermelon and the best salsa from Publix - it was roasted corn and black bean salsa. Basically a simple meal so we could all spend time together.

Ponce Inlet Lighthouse Pictorial

2011-05-05T11:26:00.001-04:00

Ratbone Reunion

2011-05-04T23:12:00.004-04:00

Jerry & I took a 4 day weekend and went to Jacksonville (and Daytona Beach, sorta) to attend a Ratbone Adopters Reunion. It was a great time.

Jacksonville was very dog friend, unlike Dayotna Beach. This is Eddie at Carabbas. He had spaghetti & meat sauce, really.

My job was to run the silent auction and sell sodas. Attendees all donated something and then everyone bought tickets and put them in the bags of the items they wanted to win.

We also had some items to sell outright. Can't believe we sold sweaters in Florida on the hottest day of the year so far but we did!

I baby-sit for this little cutie when his mama went to dinner one night. She left her dogs in the room abd two of them were naughty so the hotel employee went up and got them and was walking them when I recognized them as my friend's dogs and volunteered to take them until she returned. She didn't get my voicemail or her message from the front desk so she freaked when she got to her room and two dogs were missing.

All time outs at the reunion were voluntary time outs. Everyone was good and these turned out to be super comfy places to crash after racing or entering other contests and fames.

The Don Juan of dogs. His name is Shrimp and he's the other naughty boy that I babysit the night the front desk took my friend's dogs due to barking complaints. He was the life of the party.

My Eddie at the reunion. I wouldn't let him on the picnic table and he didn't want to sit on the ground in the bark. His bed and crate was taken (turned into the time out) so he wasn't sure what to do with himself while Jerry was gone (went to Toyota dealer - long story).

A very happy adopter's dog who he adores. He was runner up in one of the races. We played some fun games like blindfold the human and then pick your dog out of a group.

Henrietta Whiskers, block #2

2011-04-17T00:42:00.002-04:00

I'm mostly finished with block #2 of the Henrietta Whisker FREE block-of-the-month pattern from Bunny Hill. I say mostly because.....I'm trying to use my stash instead of buying more fabric but I discovered ny fabric pen was dried out and I couldn't find a piece of embellishment that would work to come from the bird's mouth. Will need a trip to JoAnn's to completely finish it afterall.

Henrietta Whiskers

2011-04-10T22:28:00.004-04:00

I've always wanted to do one of those online block-of-the-month quilt blocks and just decided today to do this one........................

...........from Bunny Tales blog. I figure if I did two blocks with lots of applique, surely I can do a little applique once a month - except that they are in month 4 and I just started at 3:30 today, lol. I'm going to try to make these blocks with materials I have on hand already. I chose fabric from my collection of homespun fabrics that I've been hoarding since the eighties. The only thing I will need to buy is thread to match some of the fabrics. Even the little star-shaped button is from my stash. Oh - and this will be my first scrappy project.

Ratbone Quilt Blocks - 2011

2011-04-05T20:29:00.003-04:00

The 2011 Ratbone raffle quilt is a holiday theme piece. I volunteered to make two blocks. I had today off (comp time) so I was able to finish mine, and only 4 days after the deadline! lol Hopefully you can tell that I chose Thanksgivng (Eddie) and Mardi Gras (friend's dog Aka and my previous foster Jakey Boy).

Sunday Go-To-Meeting

2011-04-03T07:00:00.020-04:00

I took an interesting quiz that my blogger friend JULIE mentioned on her site. Not that I want to get into a big religious debate (I try to stay away from politics and religion on my blog) but I do feel that I have never really found a church that aligns with my views. So, when I saw a quiz that is intended to identify your religion based on your beliefs, I thought "why not, could be enlightening". The higher the score, the more likely the religion would "fit". Who knew I was Quaker???

1. Liberal Quakers (100%)
2. Unitarian Universalism (94%)
3. Mainline to Liberal Christian Protestants (93%)
4. Secular Humanism (90%)
5. Reform Judaism (86%)
6. Neo-Pagan (76%)
7. New Age (67%)
8. Baha'i Faith (67%)
9. Sikhism (67%)
10. Theravada Buddhism (66%)
11. Orthodox Quaker (64%)
12. Mahayana Buddhism (63%)
13. Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (Mormons) (61%)
14. Taoism (61%)
15. Jainism (54%)
16. Nontheist (53%)
17. Islam (50%)
18. Orthodox Judaism (50%)
19. Jehovah's Witness (48%)
20. Christian Science (Church of Christ, Scientist) (47%)
21. New Thought (47%)
22. Scientology (46%)
23. Mainline to Conservative Christian/Protestant (38%)
24. Hinduism (29%)
25. Eastern Orthodox (29%)
26. Roman Catholic (29%)
27. Seventh Day Adventist (24%)

Funny, the religion I was raised with is very low on the list. Many of these religions are new to me so if nothing else, it's a learning experience!

Which is Scarier?????

2011-04-02T11:38:00.005-04:00

THE PRICE OF GAS THESE DAYS.....................

ME, WITH NO MAKEUP AND HAIR IN CURLERS....................

OR, FINDING "THE STORK" IN YOUR YARD WHEN YOU ARE 53 YEARS OLD?!?!?!?!?

Applique Block for Ratbone

2011-03-22T20:03:00.005-04:00

I volunteered to make two of the holiday blocks for the Ratbone raffle quilt. Everyone pretty much makes applique blocks which are NOT my forte. I chose Thanksgiving and Mardi Gras.

If you are wondering what the green blob is at the head of the turkey (assuming you can tell this is a turkey, lol) it is supposed to be garnish. Every blocks is to have some medium green and I thought of something like parsley or kale.

Just as I finished the block and went to cut a thread I accidentally snipped a hole in the fabric! (cue the colorful language response) It's right above the fork. You can probably see my little patch. I need to test it to see if it still shows with fabric behind it (like when it is sandwiched with batting) and if it does I am thinking I will put a piece of "food" on the fork to cover it up. Too bad, the tines of the fork were a lot of work and I hate to cover them up.

One thing is missing from the photo. I have a little knot of fabric that I will tack on the side of Eddie's face so it looks like the bib is tied on him. Looks real cute with it but being a terrible photographer, I don't think of these details when I take photos.

Responsible Pet Owner

2011-03-19T14:02:00.004-04:00

This woman has survived a 9.0 earthquake, a deadly tsunami, a nuclear disaster, home is gone, she is hungry and now cold but she still has her dog. This photo brings tears to my eyes and joy to my heart.

Those of us involved in dog rescue have heard it all and frankly, most of the time people's reasons for "getting rid" of their dog sound more like excuses to unburden themselves (and burden shelters and rescues) than unworkable issues. Let me share a few: moving, divorce, having a baby, grew big or not a puppy anymore, kids aren't playing with it, new house, boyfriend/girlfriend doesn't like dogs.......believe me, the list goes on and on.

PLEASE, PLEASE if you are considering getting a dog, do it for the long haul. Don't keep a dog through it's "good" years and then toss it out at the first signs of aging. It sees you as part of it's family and will grieve (if it even survives the shelter). By the way, many shelters kill owner surrenders dogs right away because they only have the resources to hold so many dogs and those are the strays whose owner might be looking for them. Dropping your dog off in a "rich" neighborhood doesn't mean ti will be adopted by a good family - it means it will likely starve on it's own.

If you can't say for certain that you are committed to that dog through it's entire life span, PLEASE consider a goldfish, a hampster, or something that won't live 9 - 20 years and consider you it's family.

Vickie

Prayers Needed

2011-03-16T21:12:00.002-04:00

for my stepdad, Vern, who is undergoing surgery tomorrow and is in tough shape.

Trip To Arcadia

2011-03-13T20:36:00.006-04:00

My mom and I drove over the Sunshine Skyway bridge today (really don't like that bridge) and headed to Arcadia to visit my cousin Bill & my Aunt Flossie.

Cousin bill with the new grandbaby.

Christian, Tamera, and their baby.

Bill's son Willie. He had fun showing me his arsenol of Nerf guns.

The guy in the tye-died shirt is my cousin Bob that I have not seen since probably I was a teenager. He's been staying with Bill for a while. To his right is Aunt Flossie - she is the last living sibling of my dad. The little boy in front is Willie again.

Christian's jeep got stuck in the mud.

Passed lots of trucks filled with oranges. There were enough oranges on the side of the road, that escaped from the confines of the trucks, you could have picked up enough of them to last a year!

We stopped at this road side stop because they had a big BBQ going outside and were advertising pulled pork and smoked sausages.

It turned out to be a biker bar. I went inside to buy us some cokes and a guy in a lot of black leather took my photo, lol.

Mom eating with the smoking bikers in the background. Inside was a live band - it was REALLY loud.

Oops! I should have taken a photo of my sandwhich BEFORE, lol.

Our final stop was the shops at Ellenton Prime Outlets. I bought two purses for summer. I really like handbags like some people love shoes - purse are my thang.

Who Do You Think You Are?

2011-03-11T20:35:00.003-05:00

I'm watching my new favorite TV show. It's hard to remember to turn on the TV on a Friday night at 8pm but luckily it is also avaialble online.

Who Do You Think You Are is on NBC and it's a genealogical show. Each week they follow a celebrity as they trace their family history and uncover mysteries. Even if you aren't interested in genealogy, the show is interesting in terms of history. I've learned something every week!

Highly recommend.

Let Them Eat MORE Cake

2011-03-10T13:55:00.003-05:00

Another birthday at work this week (two in one week) but this time I decided to make a cake. This was a MEAN cake.

First, I used brand new cake pans and they stuck! One layer actually broke as I pried it out of the pan :( I finally gave up on having a perfectly level and symetrical cake (as if I have ever had a perfect one) and just concentrated on keeping the crumbs and the strawberry juice/sauce on the inside of the frosting which, by the way, was way too soft and hard to form good flowers/stars.

I took a beginning cake decorating class about 30 years ago at Frederick & Nelson (anyone remember the HUGE kitchen shop they had in the Seattle store's basement back inthe 80's?) and I still have a collection of decorator tips I pull out every few years. Last night I broke down and bought a few more tools because I do enjoy cake decorating although I'm not well-practiced at it, yet. And, I sometimes watch those cake decorating shows and am in awe of those folks who make it look a lot easier than it really is.

But, What About.................

2011-03-08T07:09:00.001-05:00

............the tents or webs they are spinning? (Click here)

Mardi Gras at Work

2011-03-07T20:09:00.004-05:00

Today we celebrated a coworkers birthday Mardi Gras style.....................

We ate King Cake and..........

Wore masks for about 5 minutes. We had beads too but forgot to wear them for the photo. Dah.

Finally....Finished!

2011-03-06T23:59:00.000-05:00

I finished sewing the last blocks today. Yippee! Thank you mom for the help.

These blocks are going to be alternated with applique blocks that represent different holidays. So, I added a few holiday/seasonal center squares to some of the blocks. I'm thinking Cindo De Mayo for this one.

You're getting sleepy............................................

Cute little Japanese bunnies...should be cute, the fabric was hard to work with. It kept stretching. Luckily I made blocks than needed so they can purge this one if needed.

Ghost in the middle of the block. This blocks doesn't photo well at all. It does look better in person.

This is a pieced star in the center square. I just wanted to use that fabric because I nothing in the teal/turquoise,aqua color and it's a scrappy quilt. The fabric looks like drips of metallic too.

And here are all the blocks lined up on the wall. Whew....now, how to mail them off to ensure they get to Kansas with no problems.

Green Thumb Sunday - The Return of the Green Worms/Catepillars

2011-03-06T14:05:00.003-05:00

Ack! You might need to click on these photos to enlarge to understand my response. Every few years we have a worm/catepillar year - depends on who you ask as to what they really are. They hang down from silky threads and form tents around some objects much like a spider spinning a web. We were parked next to this car at breakfast this morning. Obviously there is an oak tree near their driveway. Yes, those lime green specs are living, crawling organisms.

Look close at the photo below and in the very center you will see one dangling. It was quite breezy so they were moving when I was taking photos. I didn't want to get too close or to the areas where they were really heavy because frankly I did not want them in my hair!

My next door neighbor's truck. They are in the midst of "webbing" it. The amaizing part is that this is happening so quickly. If this was a horror story.....well, I don't even want to think of what Stephen King could do to this!

Here is the tree between her house and mine and it's the culpret. It is covered and I meaned covered in pollen. Jerry is a mess with allergies right now. The neighbor on the other side has an oak tree too (these are live oaks) and isntead of pollen it bombards us with acorns. Covers the cars and driveway and I guarantee you that even as small as they are, when an acorn comes plumeting to the ground from the top of a large oak tree, you are gonna know when it whacks you on the noggen. Both the trees also bless us with millions of small leaves.

Enlarge and look closely at the bottom of this shrub/tree. Those things have created a giant cocoon. I should have got a photo of my neighbor's mailbox because it completely enveloped. I was trying when one of the green creepy things almost landed on me and quickly ran into the street to avoid being cocooned myself.

It will be interesting at work tomorrow to talk to the meter readers after they come in from their routes (they walk them). Lucky for me I have a cushy office job ;)

Back to Green Blocks

2011-03-05T15:16:00.002-05:00

We're getting close! I may never use green fabric again, lol. Actually it was quite pleasant having mom to help. These things are usually solitary projects.

Applique Attempt

2011-03-04T21:45:00.003-05:00

I took a break from making the pieced blocks for the Ratbone Rescue raffle quilt and started working on one of my two applique holiday blocks for the same. I'm a rookie at applique but am moving from the design concept to the making of the following block.

Hopefully you can tell that it is Eddie and the holiday I chose is Thanksgiving. (the paws & utensils are just paper, still deciding on poportion.

OK, you have to remember it is an "artistic rendition" and not a photo, lol.

More Quilt Blocks, 11 - 15

2011-02-26T16:20:00.004-05:00

A girl can't have too many shoes, can she?

Groovey man, like, wow.

The center of this one is a 4 1/2" block where I paper-pieced the leaf. It looks like a printed fabric in this photo but it is pieced.

A tropical block that looks much better in person - used a batik & interesting palm tree fabric from a sample fabric swatch.

I needed to add some dark ones to the mix. Plus, I needed to add brown to coordinate the applique blocks that other people are making.

There they are! The quilt block gallery.

Blocks Seven Through Ten a.k.a. My Aching Neck

2011-02-22T22:19:00.005-05:00

The newest four....I've used up all the precut pieces meaning lots more cutting work before I', able to make more blocks. Got these four put together tonight and I have to admit my neck and shoulders are aching. I need some PT! lol

Six Down - Nineteen To Go

2011-02-21T17:47:00.005-05:00

Mom & I worked on quilt blocks again today. We made 5 more for a total of 6. I don't know what made me think that we would get all 25 done this weekend. Wishful thinking? Psychosis?

I'm calling this one "if a dog barks in the woods.....". I'm a miniature quilter so it's unusual for me to make these 12" blocks I've committed to making.

You can take a girl out of the miniature quilting world, but you can't take the miniature quilt out of the girl. Notice the center square? It's a paper-pieced paw print (a real score to have found the pattern free online) and is made of about 40 small pieces in that 4" square.

I used 6 of my 1930's reproduction fabrics to make the heart in the center of this block.

I'm calling this one "they eat sushi in Ohio" because it's an Ohio Star block with the center square being a sushi print fabric.

And this one is known as "high tea in Bali" because of the Bali batik and center novelty fabric.

At first I thought the center fabric on this one was Aurora Borealis but upon closer inspection, I believe it is coral.

If you need me, I'll be chained to my sewing machine, lol.

One Down - 24 to Go

2011-02-21T09:00:00.001-05:00

Mom came over today and we spent 5 hours cutting fabric for 10 blocks. She's coming back tomorrow and I am going to sewing and she is going to continue cutting for the remaining 15 blocks. So far I've only chosen two patterns, both stars, but am considering a 3rd. Mom is new to this so I wanted to keep the patterns simple.

Last weekend I made cup cakes to take to work on Valentine's day (see earllier post). Well, I always get enough product to make twice as much for whatever I am doing just in case there's an accident in the kitchen named Vickie ;) I used the extras to make a cake for us. Been a long time since I decorated a cake but I was able to make the shell border.

I filled it with starawberries and topped it wiith sixlets. Red velvet with cocoa frosting. It was delic!

Finally, mom & I went to a sale yesterday and she bought an oil painting and I bought a new rug for Daisey. Seriously, the rug solved a problem with Daisey being afraid to jump up and requiring us to pick her up.

Green Thumb Sunday

2011-02-20T18:17:00.002-05:00

OK, so maybe it's more like Green Fabric Sunday, lol. I volunteered my mom & I to make 25 quilt blocks for a raffle quilt. What was I thinking??? I am a miniature quilter. Mom is a good sport.

The title isn't completely wrong. I do have flower photos to share. This is the bouquet that Jerry sent me on Monday and these photos were taken Saturday. They are holding up remarkably well. The stargazer lillies continue to fill our house with a floral scent.

Daisey Says "Happy Valentine's Day"

2011-02-14T19:11:00.007-05:00

I made cupcakes for Jerry & I take to our coworkers today. Here's a pictorial of the process a.k.a "How To Dress A Cupcake":

Assembled ingredients and supplies

Used a boxed cake mix because...................

I'm not dealing with that red dye in red velvet cake! Did it once and ruined a top. I remember there was a time when I wouldn't use a hand mixer, I always used a wooden spoon. Now I wonder WHY????

Sloppy but ready for a 350 degree oven

Nekked cupcakes out of the oven and cooling. They say, "get me some clothes, baby it's cold otuside". They are so embarrassed to be photoed without clothes they are bright red!

Haven't had my cake decorating tips out in years. I had to wash them all because some bottles of coloring had broken and they were covered in dyes. Here they are drying - my little tip forrest :)

For the frosting I brought out the big-boy mixer. There were so many different cream cheese frosting recipes online that I ended up making something 'in between". Two 8oz packages of cream cheese, two stick of butter (= 1 cup), 3 cups of sifted powdered sugar and a teaspoon of vanilla extract.

Yup, I said sifted powedered sugar. The Kitchenaid did the rest. Took a while to get it completely smooth.

Scooped it into a frosting bag/tube thingy and away we go............. (the first go round is neat but when you have to refill it things get messy(

Whew, no longer nekked, now they are cupcakes in their underware ;)

Time for a little dressing. I choose sprinkles and sixletts.

All dressed up. Now just a few accessories and they will be ready to go!

Decided the best way to transport them was to slip them into plastic cocktail glasses, kinda like a purse. I figured out how to get them in thbe cups but didn't think ahead on how to get them out, lol.

Now wrapping them in their overcoats.....

Tie off with a knit scarff, ok, a twist tie, and...............

They are ready to travel! By the way, no frosting was injured in these transports. The little plastic glasses protected them. I guess that is my one good idea for the year. I can snooze the rest of the year, lol.

Glass Cleaning

2011-02-06T17:08:00.004-05:00

I bought a new paperweight today from Jerry's store and discovered that my collection of glass objects I keep on the ledge of the clear story window all needed a good cleaning.

In this collection you will see paper weights and insulators. When we drove up the Al-Can highway from Seattle to Anchorage we came upon a construction area where the road was blocked for a while these HUGE machine knocked down old telephone poles. Those of us in the parked cars got out to stretch our legs and soon discovered the poles they had knocked down had insulator attached. We carefully rummaged through the piles of debris looking for unbroken insulators. We got 10 and still have 9 - gave one away to someone who collects them.

The new paperweight is the one with the jelly fish design inside and it glows in the dark!

Oh, and I noticed that a couple of the large insulators have darkened. They used to be perfectly clear but now are a shade between light grey and purple, very faint but there. They are marked "Whitall Tatum No1 and on the back made in the USA. The smaller, kinda square ones are marked Hemingray 2-51: CSC. No idea what any of that means so maybe I will look it up!

Eddie

2011-02-06T08:20:00.001-05:00

If you have a dog nearby, turn up the volume!

Tonight

2011-02-05T00:17:00.004-05:00

What a busy but fun day. I left work an hour early (4pm) because I needed to get kibble in St Pete, our new area rug in Pinellas Park, and meet Jerry and his coworkers for dinner at Applebee's in Largo by 6pm (that didn't happen, lol). When Jerry called and asked me to pick up a birthday cake for the dinner, I knew something had to go and it was the kibble - let them eat Woody's canned food.

Here's the new rug. I love the way the dog's eyes turned out. My camera is low on battery charge and it does wierd things. I will have to remember this for Halloween photos!

The cake. Well, I didn't go to Publix (boring story as to why) so I picked up a cake at another store
and when I got it home I wasn't so happy with it. It was a strawberry torte cake (sponge cake, strawberry filling, whipped cream (sorta) frosting) but it had one single strawberry on the top and the frosing didn't cover well in some spots. Plus, it had hit the side of the cover so it screamed out to be redecorated, Luckily I bought strawberries today and we always have blueberries in the fridge. I was able to find some red sprinkles leftover from some baking project. It was a fun dinner and nice to meet the spouses of his coworkers.

On the way tot he car we saw this thing parked in the lot. Have no idea what the heck this thing is. Do you?

Green Thumb Sunday

2011-01-30T21:45:00.005-05:00

My own garden is in way too bad of shape to share photos right now so I am sharing photos of a tree that I am fond of. It's in one of the busiest areas of town (US 19 & Hwy 60) and between two restaurants. It's an amaizing tree and a true symbol of survivorship.

A web links to this tree Waymarking,

Funeral

2011-01-28T14:11:00.002-05:00

On my way home from work I drive past the church where the two St. Petersburg police officer's wake was being held. I drove by about a half hour before the service and I have to say that I have never seen so many police vehicles in one place ever - there were motorcycles, cruisers, SUV's, and even big RV type rigs. The only vehicles I could see that were not police were 3 stretch limos and the media vans.

This morning driving to work traffic suddenly stopped and we were idle for 10 minutes as a long line of police cars with their lights but not sirens were allowed past us.

At work we watched streaming of the service on our PCs as well as a TV tuned to the local coverage of the funeral. It was huge and amaizing.

It's nice to see the officers remembered in such a grand manner. I'm sometimes guilty of associating police officer with traffic ticket when really they do so much more. They put their life on the line everyday for the greater good of our society.

Here's a THANK YOU to all police officers and their families.

Slain Officers

2011-01-24T19:27:00.002-05:00

I work for the city of St. Petersburg and this morning two of our uniformed officers lost their lives in the course of duty. It's been thirty years since an on-duty officer was killed so the mood was somber even in the Billilng & Collections department where I work.

According to the media and a PD spokesperson, the two officers and a Marshall went to the house with a warrant for the arrest of a man so they could speak to his daughter to try and determine where he was. They didn't expect him to be there because the warrant was a result of a broken restraining order for him not to be on the property. According to the man's sister-in-law, he would find his way into the house when her sister was not home and would surprize her when she returned. He had a long rap sheet, including sexual assault and assaulting a police officer, but, more importantly, he had a family too. And, they are reeling from this too.

My heart goes out to the family of the slain officers. Their loss is truly a tragedy. I also feel for the family of the "bad guy" who also lost his life. They have a lot of deal with too.

Wreath-over

2011-01-24T08:00:00.000-05:00

I've been hanging the same rose wreaths for Valentines day for several years now and it was time for a change. I'm not sure if they were getting tired looking or if I was just getting tired of looking at them. I decided that instead of buying new I would do a makeover!

My rose wreaths before the transformation. Nothing wrong with them, just have been looking at them year after year. I repaired a couple places where the silk roses were coming loose from the twig wreath and then it was on to the fun stuff.

I spent $4 at the dollar store for 4 packages of the heart picks - I wasn't sure which I would use so I bought pink flocked and red glitter hearts, each in two sizes. I spent $2.99 at Michael's for the ribbon which also has red glitter hearts on a background of pink. How perfect that the picks and the ribbon found each other! Also assembled my glue gun, glue sticks, floral wire, and craft scissors.

I cut the picks down to a manageable size - 2 inch was a little short and 4 inch was too long but if you try a similar I suggest you start with long and widdle down until you find the right size.

Next, added hot glue to the bottom inch or so of each pick. Careful! That glue stings like a son-of-a-gun if you get it on your skin. I still have little scar spots on my finger tips from 15 years ago.

Position the wet glue picks between leaves in areas where you think they will look best. Remember, if a wreath has an area that is a little bare, this is a good place to use something like this, or a bow, to help fill it in. I actually just glued in a few and then decided it best to figure out the ribbon positioning before committing with hot glue.

Casually placed the hearts and the tried out the ribbon in several places. First, the top center. Looks really good but thought perhaps a bit predictable.

Tried it on the side. Different. Because I have double doors and use two wreaths, this would mean also deciding if the bow should on the same side of each wreath or on opposite sides.

Before I tried them out I thought this wreath was going to be a bottom ribbon candidate but when I tested it there I didn't like it at all.

I made a very simple loop bow out of the wire-edged ribbon and secured it in the middle with a long piece of floral wire. No need to worry about a center "knot" on the ribbon or to cover the wire because it will be secured deep into the silk flowers. Placed the bow in the appropriate spot and and tied off the floral wire behind the wreath. Twisted many time, cut to about two inches, and then folded into the wreath twigs.

Last step before hanging was to position the hearts. I mostly used one pink and one red, each in a different size, together. There was a couple with two large or two small but never two fo the same color.

Finally, hung on the door. I couldn't get the red glitter hearts to show in a photo but in "real life" they are easily seen. Then I went on to updating my St. Patrick's day wreaths that I dont really like - those wreaths grow a little every year and some day I will have them how I like them but you will have to wait a while to see those; afterall, Mardi Gras is first!

Four Bitchin' Babes

2011-01-23T16:00:00.000-05:00

Saturday night my mom and I went to see a performance of the "Four Bitchin' Babes" at the Largo Cultural Center. Very comfortable venue. I'm thinking that is because it is small so everything is close (restrooms, parking) unlike the larger facilities such as Ruth Eckert Hall or the Tampa Performing Arts Center. I would definetly attend another performance at the Largo Cultural Center and most definetly recommend Four Bitchin' Babes to other women, especially middle-aged women.

They were hysterical and so talented! Mom and I were captivated and the performance seemed to last only a half hour although it was 2 hours. Funny, funny songs that "women of a certain age" can relate to. Songs about shoe shopping, hot flashes, chocolate....you get the drift.

Funny coiencidence - Jerry and I and the mom went to the Thirsty Marlin for dinner last night and, not surprizingly, my mom had the fried shrimp. One of the babes was talking about being on Weight Watchers and the points and how her friend shrimp dinner at the Thirsty Marlin cost her 80 points. I don't recall seeing them there but we go to dinner really early for my mother-in-law and since the performance didn't start until 8pm, we probably missed them.

I had the Mahi-Mahi and it was fabulous - slightly chargrilled on the outside and moist and succulent on the inside. The way fish should be. Jerry raved over his chickena nd portabelo mushroom entree and Marge, who had a hard time finding something that sounded good on the menu to start, really liked her prime rib quesadillas.

Photos are links from the Babes website and the cultural center's web site

MISSING Reward Offered

2011-01-23T00:26:00.005-05:00

*****PINK ALERT!!!*****

A photo memorial of "Flamingo" who disappeared the night of January 16th or the wee hours of January 17th, 2011.

Celebrating Mardi Gras

Easter egg hunt

Flamingo's first Christmas....sniff, sniff

WE ARE OFFERING A LUCRATIVE $5 REWARD FOR THE RETURN, OR INFORMATION LEADING TO THE RETURN, OF OUR BELOVED FLAMINGO - NO QUESITONS ASKED. HE IS A SPECIAL-NEEDS FLAMINGO AND WE ARE CONCERNED ABOUT HIS HEALTH.

Cold Nights in Florida

2011-01-22T12:55:00.005-05:00

We've had some cold temps for central Florida off and on the last couple weeks. One night I had all three dogs snuggled up on the guest bed and under the blankie I was trying to use to keep warm!

Daisey had a little eye irritation - it was red and icky for a couple days but is now better.

Sorry no photo of Woody. He was completly covered and curling into a ball.

Sorry Bloggers

2011-01-18T13:34:00.004-05:00

I have not been able to share the goings on here in central Florida because I cannot get blogspot to work at home. It's been taking longer and longer over the past couple months but now it's pretty much impossible.

I changed to a very basic template and shortened the amount of posts to load hoping that will help. In the mean time, perhaps I will see you on FaceBook! Really though, I want my blog back in working order.

Vickie

New Year 2011

2011-01-01T22:11:00.007-05:00

Today we gathered at cousin Erica's house to eat black-eyed peas and exchange Christmas gifts.
Cousin Erica who let her daughter Sarah dress her today and that's why she has 4 pins and 2 necklaces on :)

Cousin Sonya helps Sarah with her Hello Kitty gumball machine

Cousin Lea with MIL Marge.

Jerry, who had a relaxing time watching football and eating.

Mom with Don, Cousin Lea's hubby.

Sarah with a pink ukelele that some of you might recognize.

Tommy, Cousin Sonya's hubby.

After the kitchen was cleaned and all the wrapping paper mess was cleaned up, Sonya, Sarah, and I went to Putt Putt Golf.

This is Sarah doing the happy dance after a hole-in-one!

Admission to miniature gold includes a soft serve cone from their ice-cream store.

It starts out all nice and neat but then..............you get this!

Finally, Sarah trying to plant a chocolate kiss on Sonya! lol

My Birthday and Office Tree

2010-12-30T23:48:00.003-05:00

Three short days after Christmas is my birthday. This year we went to Island Way Grill which is where I performed the wedding ceremony of my friend Christmas last 4th of July - a very rainy 4th of July. The food was awesome! I read this restaurant is partially owned by the ex-Buccaneer Mike Allstott.

My mom got the cake from publix and it was yummy with the whipped cream frosting (I am not a buttercream girl) and chocolate pudding filling between layers of yellow sponge cake.

The two photos above were taken on my phone because I forgot my camera. This is my first time of moving a photo from my phone to the internet. Feeling rather tech-ie this evening!

Final photo is the Christmas tree at work. I put it up shortly after Thanksgiving and took it down today. Felt like a Scrooge. It looks much better in person than the photo. It had red lights and then white lights that faded in and out - not flashing or blinking, slow fade. I already had grand ideas for next year so hopefully no one else will volunteer to do it, lol.

Before, During, and After

2010-12-26T15:21:00.010-05:00

SHOPPING

SHOWER

VANITY

TOILET AREA

We started with a bulging shower wall due to water and termite damage (old termite damage, not active thank goodness) and it evolved into a make-over because the new shower didn't match the rest of the bathroom which would be a big problem if we ever wanted to sell our house. This gave us a chance to install a new low-flow toilet that is higher (more accessible), and to replace flourescent lights with energy saving bulbs. Then I splurged a little on the granite counter top. OK, I splurged a lot but I saved in other areas to make up for it :) Oh, and double sinks for the first time in our married life!

Christmas Day 2010

2010-12-25T20:10:00.006-05:00

Eddie waiting patiently for his new toys that he is SURE are hidden under that tree!

I splurged and bought roses for the dining table and the it turned out we had to move them to the sideboard because they blocked our view, dah.

I only put out my largest nutcrackers this year. We were busy with the bathroom remodel with stuff strewn about the house and with too many "things" the house felt too stuffed.

Oops - photos out of order. We had a Christmas breakfast/brunch this morning, then opened gifts, then later in the day I cooked dinner. Here the dogs are enjoying sausage strata and raspberries.

Mom helping Marge open her gift.

Jerry with a new package of cigars.

Me with no makeup and a little tired from having stayed up late the night before to prepare breakfast.

Funny things - Eddie waited long enough and went under the tree, grabbed a gift bag & pulled it out from under the tree, then took out the toys.

Daisey with my newest nutcracker - i LOVE it!

Eddie, exaughsted from the brunch & playing with so many new toys, gets a much needed massage from Marge.

Eddie with his new stash of toys. Don't worry - Daisey did get to play with one. Woody slept through the day except for the parts with food.

Christmas Eve

2010-12-25T08:13:00.005-05:00

Eddie

Woody

Daisey

We went to Christmas Eve dinner at the Beachcomber again last night - Marge treats us every year because she can no longer contribute to holiday dinners so this is "her thing". The lobster bisque is yummy.

Last night put together a strata for breakfast/brunch which will be in a couple hours. Dinner will be later. I'm doing this cooking under a boil water alert. A water main broke and it's a difficult one to repair so we will be boiled water for 5 days. The timing!

These are a few shots of the dogs under the tree. Hope you all are having a wonderful day.

Wedding, Birthday, & Office Party

2010-12-24T16:59:00.009-05:00

Last weekend mom, Daisey & I traveled over to the east coast of Florida to perform the wedding of friends. I know these folks because a) they are Ratbone volunteers and foster home, and b) they are friends through the internet rat terrier social networking I belong to. This was my first time to meet and I married them! lol

What is better than a rat terrier on top of your wedding cake?

Widdle Kiara - love visiting a house full of rat terriers.

Their Nala Belle. Beautiful dog and I know the owner of the mother and siblings of this dog.

We returned on Sunday which was Mom's birthday so we made a side trip to the beach since she had never been to an Atlantic beach. Took her 75 years to get there! Whoops, did I just tell her age?

Daisey enjoyed the beach despite the wind, mist, and cold temp.

When we got back to Clearwater we then picked up Jerry & his mom and went to Bonefish Grill in St. Petersburg for mom's birthday dinner. Cake is from Publix and it was yummy!

Goofy photo of mom blowing out the candles - sorry mom. hee hee

Yesterday was work Christmas party and pot luck. I brought Paella. I even included a few Alaska scallops from my treasured stash!

Lordy, Lord, Look Who's Forty!

2010-12-18T21:19:00.002-05:00

Last Saturday we went to a birthday party for my friend Christina's 40th birthday. It was held at the Bonefish Grill in Clearwater. It's funny because many of the people there attend her annual Halloween party but I don't recognize them because I know them only in costume :)

Santa Photo 2010

2010-12-14T14:19:00.002-05:00

Eddie, my foster Woody, and Daisey had their Christmas photo made with Santa. Do I need to tell you how hard it is to keep three terriers attention and ON Santa's lap long enough to snap a photo?

The photograpoher kept trying to get one where Ed's ear didn't cover up part of Santa - like that is possible :) I wanted to tell her I didn't care about Santa's face but I didn't want to be rude to Santa!

Christmas Tree 2010

2010-12-13T20:36:00.006-05:00

Got Granite!

2010-12-08T21:11:00.004-05:00

Between a sinus infection, bronchitis, and a bathroom remodel, I havn't done much posting. I am happy to finally report that the project is so very close to being finished! Yesterday the granite counter was installed.

The faucets are not hooked up yet - I just put one up there to see how it would look. The contractor is supposed to finish up tomorrow by installing the faucets, hooking up the toilet, adjusting the shower to allow hotter water, and three pieces of trim. I still haven't found a mirror or mirrors that I like and that will fit the space. We may have to install that ourself because the contractor is planning on finishing up tomorrow.

When it's all finished I will do some staging and then show some before and after shots.

Help Eddie Win Some Toys!

2010-11-30T20:53:00.006-05:00

Eddie LOVES toys with the Plush Puppies label made by this company. We have several forms of their popular hedgehog plushie. Please help him win one of evedrything from their catalog by clicking on the graphic in the right column which takes you to their site. Eddie gives cyber kisses to anyone that helps!

Thanksgiving

2010-11-26T21:15:00.003-05:00

Hope you all had a great Thanksgiving day with friends and/or family. We had turkey dinner at my mom's condo. It was a quiet day with just me, jerr, my mom, and jerr's mom Marge.
Jerry and Marge at the partially set table (yes, there was more food to come )

Jerry and I after dinner and dessert. We didn' bring a dog with us because Jerry was worn out from working 19 days in a row, most well over 8 hours, and i've been down with a sinus infection which turned to bronchitis. No one was up to walking them.

It's Florida so we had keylime pie (yummy) in addition to the traditional pumpkin pie.

Trolls!

2010-11-24T21:10:00.004-05:00

I was in someone's house tonight and they had a collection of over a thousand troll dolls. It was spectacular!

The one is above is thought to be the oldest. It really looks quite different than the others.

Seasonal greeting.

I remember these from when I was a kid in the 60's/70's but I've never seen anything like this.

We Got Floor!

2010-11-22T11:19:00.002-05:00

It's not grouted yet but it is laid. It's the same travertine we used to rebuild the shower. Daisey says "thanks LuVonne for recognizing that I match the floor".

My litle building inspector. You can' get anything past a rat terrier. He's sniffed every inch of the bathroom by now.

Under-rated Movie List

2010-11-21T09:36:00.006-05:00

I traveled alot for my job during the 80's & 90's and missed quite a few movies that came out during this time: however, due to VHS technology, I was aware and did see most of the major movies of those decades. What I discovered later are 5 films that were not big block busters, even critically panned in some cases, that I believe are worth seeing. The days are getting shorter, the temperatures are dropping, sometimes it's just nice to make a pot of soup and have a movie night/weekend. Here are my suggestions for movies that you may have missed and I believe are worth seeing:

The first is the 1994 film "Don Juan DeMarco" starring Marlon Brando, Faye Dunnaway, and Johnny Depp. The film is about a psychiatric patient (Johnny Depp) who believes that he is the world's greatest lover, Don Juan DeMarco. He is being treated by a doctor played by Marlon Brando who, despite his reputation as a phenominal actor, some critics complained just walked through this movie and brought down the overall ratings of the film. My belief is that the movie is less about the Brando character and more about Johnny Depp's charcter. It's a fantasy, it's charming, and different (bordering on oddball). You can't help but fall in love with Johnny Depp in this film - afterall, he is the world's greatest lover and women cannot resist him.

Benny & Joon is the 1993 comic romance about two oddball characters Joon (Mary Stuart Masterson) and Sam (Johnny Depp) who fall in love despite her mental illness and his out-of-reality behavior. Joon's brother (Aidan Quinn) has been her caretaker and finds it hard to let go, especially to the oddball Sam who she basically won in a poker game (don't want to give away too much there). Johnny Depp gives some awesome performance in the film without the use of words. His physical comedy is unbelievable and that alone is worth seeing this film.

Heart and Souls was a 1993 release starring Robert Downey Jr. as a yuppie businessman and Elizabeth Shue as his girlfriend that, unknown to him, is "the one". Without giving away too much of the story, something kinda magical and tragic happens on the day he is born and four lost souls are attached to him and watch him grow up and change unsure of why they are there. That's all I am going to say but it is very interesting to watch their individual stories unfold and the affection they have for him after all these years.

This is a 1985 film of mistaken identity where a bored New Jersey housewife (Roseanne Arquette) is drawn into the liasons of two strangers who hook up through a series of personal ads. Madonna plays Susan, basically a crafty drifter who uses people and dumps her problem situations on them, whose "boyfriend" sends his buddy played by Aidan Quinn to help Susan. In the mean time, certain things happen (don't want to give away to plot) where he mistakes Arquette's character for Susan. There are interesting scenes into a New York that I seldom see in film except for small independant film. It's not glossy Manhattan, the hood, or Mafia (although Madonna's chatacter does set the tone of the movie in her first scene by waking up next to a dead mobster) but magicians, and inner-city trend setters and creative people just getting by. It's a fun movie and, to me, probably Madonna's finest until A League Of Their Own.

This 1989 film has four chatacters who are all equally interesting, well-acted, and you want to root for all of them although they are often on opposite sides of the situation. The actors are James Wolff, Glenn Close, Mary Stuart Masterson (so convincing in this role) and Kevin Dillon. It was panned by critics as predictable, and perhaps the childless couple adopting a baby from a young unwed and ill-prepared couple is predictable, but the acting and the characters drew me in and it was all new again. The sound tract to this movie didn't hurt either :)

Speaking of soundtracts, another movie from this era that I can rewatch is The Big Chill. I didn't include it on my list because it seemed more popular, better accepted, than the list of over-looked films I was going for. But, if you haven't seen it, add it to my list - great cast, interesting story and characters.

Bathroom Remodel Update

2010-11-19T08:12:00.010-05:00

The shower part of our bathroom repair/remodel is complete and it's very nice. Here's some before & after shots.

The pebble tiles set but before grouting (above) and after grouted(below).

Shower floor before grouting (above) and afater grouting (below).

Bathroom Thursday morning (above) and Thursday night (below)

two humans, three dogs & a cat

Angraecum sesquipedale & Paper Whites

Bathroom Remodel

35 Years Ago Today

Forcing Bulbs

Just Testing

Dunedin Mailboxes

Our Silver Anniversary

Christmas Photo 2011

Back Online, Maybe?

Hello!

Thank You Veterans

Fabulous Cupcakes

Halloween Party 2011

Odd Sightings

Inverness Florida

Happy Birthday Dad

Cupcake Giveaway

Flossie Manning Bailey

Eddie Does Taco Bell

Remembrance

Sweepers

Sarasota part 3

Sarasota part 2

Sarasota, part 1

Green Thumb Sunday

Miniature Golf

Pirate Cruise

Cousins!

Green Thumb Sunday & Sunday Breakfast Recipe

Pic From Vacation

**Sneak Peek** Ratbone Raffle Quilt Blocks

Kentucky Quilt Barn 2

Kentucky Quilt Barn

RIP Caylee Marie Anthony

First Photos With New Camera

Guess Who Got A New Camera?

Quilt "Leaks"

Deep Fried Green Beans

West Memphis, Arkansas

Calico Rock, Arkansas & Nearby Historic Area

Birmingham, Alabama

On The Way Home

Enroute to Arkansas

Lovin It!

Happy Mother's Day 2011

Ponce Inlet Lighthouse Pictorial

Ratbone Reunion

Henrietta Whiskers, block #2

Henrietta Whiskers

Ratbone Quilt Blocks - 2011

Sunday Go-To-Meeting

Which is Scarier?????

Applique Block for Ratbone

Responsible Pet Owner

Prayers Needed

Trip To Arcadia

Who Do You Think You Are?

Let Them Eat MORE Cake

But, What About.................

Mardi Gras at Work

Finally....Finished!

Green Thumb Sunday - The Return of the Green Worms/Catepillars

Back to Green Blocks

Applique Attempt

More Quilt Blocks, 11 - 15

Blocks Seven Through Ten a.k.a. My Aching Neck

Six Down - Nineteen To Go

One Down - 24 to Go

Green Thumb Sunday

Daisey Says "Happy Valentine's Day"

Glass Cleaning

Eddie

Tonight

Green Thumb Sunday

Funeral

Slain Officers

Wreath-over

Four Bitchin' Babes

***MISSING*** Reward Offered

Sneak Peek Ratbone Raffle Quilt Blocks

MISSING Reward Offered