We had a busy day, once we got up and at it. We slept til 8 a.m., and then after breakfast, I did a treadmill session and resistance exercises. After I was ready for the day, Hubbie, Mother, and I went to the card shop to get anniversary and Valentine cards. I was able to use two coupons amounting to $5.50 for the cards...a buy-two-get-one-free one, and a $3 one for points earned.
Besides the cards, we took advantage of the store's 75% off clearance sale and bought a couple of tins of peppermint cocoa mix, a holiday scented reed diffuser, and a movie on DVD.
From there, we went to the WDCS, where I picked up an 8x10 frame for one of the portrait photos of my kids, which I'll hang on the stairwell wall, and a pad of black and white scrapbook elements. At our Thursday scrapbook club meeting, Mother and I admired some really attractive greeting cards that a member was making from some of these elements, so we want to try our hand at making some of them.
Back home after a lunch of leftover bean and cabbage soup from last night's supper, with PB&J sandwiches, Mother and I made batches of hand cream, salt and oil scrub, and bath salt. This was a fun project that we both enjoyed. We started by washing bottles and jars that we'd need, and then we mixed food dye into containers of Epsom Salt
When the bottles and jars were dry, we filled a couple of smaller jars with coarse sea salt and baby oil to make a scrub that is good for softening rough elbows and feet. We then mixed together a jar of vitamin E cream, a jar of petroleum jelly, and a bottle of baby lotion to make hand and body cream. Finally, we layered white, blue, red, yellow and green Epsom Salt in pretty bottles. The bath salt is not only soothing in a bath, but it is also great for soaking tired feet.
Mother took part of the hand and body cream, salt scrub, and bath salt home, and I kept some to enjoy. I keep a jar of the hand cream on my bedroom nightstand to use every night. It has not only made my hands soft, but it has helped fade the brown spots. I love it for my feet too, because it has softened callouses and eliminated dry, flaky skin.
Later, for supper, I put together a quadruple batch of whole wheat pancake mix. Hubbie did the honors of making the pancakes, while Mother heated sugar-free syrup, cooked microwave turkey bacon, and heated dinner plates, and I fried eggs for all of us. It was a very satisfying meal.
After supper, Mother and I wrapped individual pancakes in wax paper, and put them in plastic storage bags for the freezer. There are enough pancakes for several meals, now, which will come in handy on busy days.
Mother went home after that, and Hubbie and I watched our favorite college basketball team play to a demoralizing loss against a vastly superior team. Boo. This was an afternoon game that I recorded on DVR, so that we could watch it after supper.
We spent the rest of the evening after the game watching one-hour shows I'd recorded.
Saturday, January 23, 2010
Friday, January 22, 2010
Friday, January 22
Got up at 6:30 this morning, so I could get ready to go to water aerobics. The pool was wonderfully warm today. It was so nice that I'm sure the thermostat will be set back over the weekend, and it'll be cool by Monday. Twenty-one of us showed up today.
Back home, after I was ready for the day, we left for an outing to another town about an hour away to meet Sis for lunch and then go to see the trumpeter swans at a local lake.
We had lunch at a fairly new catfish restaurant, where Mother and I ordered grilled catfish, with baked potatoes, and Hubbie and Sis ordered today's special of fried catfish, with French fries. All of us, except Sis, took advantage of the salad bar.
After that, we went to the lake...that is, we went to the lake once we found out where it is. Hubbie was confident he knew the way, since we'd been there before a few years ago, but he was mistaken about the direction. So he took the wrong road, and we had to turn around and go back to town and ask for directions at a gas station. In fact, he ended up checking at two gas stations before we found the correct road. After all that, I doubt we'll ever forget the way again.
The swans are beautiful (see previous blogs). We spent an hour or so at the lake, where a lady was sharing bags of corn for feeding the swans. She said she'd bought a 50-lb. bag last year, and was anxious this year to give it away. Since I was busy snapping photographs of the swans, Mother and Sis threw corn in the lake.
There is a high, wire, fence at the lake to keep people from getting too close to these protected birds, so observers had to fling the corn pretty hard to get it out into the water. Most of Mother's share landed on the embankment.
The predicted sunny, temps in the 60s day, never materialized. Instead, it was overcast and cool, and though there was no wind, we began to get chilled after a while, and ready to head home.
This morning before we left for the other town, Mother put the ingredients for a bean and cabbage soup in the slow cooker to simmer while we were gone. We had this with hot rolls for supper.
Mother went home after supper, and Hubbie and I watched the movie, "Slumdog Millionaire," an R-rated movie about orphaned children (slumdogs) who learn to survive on their own in India. The story revolves around a boy and his brother. One of the brothers goes on to become a contestant on "Who Wants to be a Millionaire," and as he is competing, he flashes back to his life growing up in slums. His main motivation for competing is his love for a girl that he met in the slums as a young child, and then became separated from until their teens. This is an excellent movie.
Back home, after I was ready for the day, we left for an outing to another town about an hour away to meet Sis for lunch and then go to see the trumpeter swans at a local lake.
We had lunch at a fairly new catfish restaurant, where Mother and I ordered grilled catfish, with baked potatoes, and Hubbie and Sis ordered today's special of fried catfish, with French fries. All of us, except Sis, took advantage of the salad bar.
After that, we went to the lake...that is, we went to the lake once we found out where it is. Hubbie was confident he knew the way, since we'd been there before a few years ago, but he was mistaken about the direction. So he took the wrong road, and we had to turn around and go back to town and ask for directions at a gas station. In fact, he ended up checking at two gas stations before we found the correct road. After all that, I doubt we'll ever forget the way again.
The swans are beautiful (see previous blogs). We spent an hour or so at the lake, where a lady was sharing bags of corn for feeding the swans. She said she'd bought a 50-lb. bag last year, and was anxious this year to give it away. Since I was busy snapping photographs of the swans, Mother and Sis threw corn in the lake.
There is a high, wire, fence at the lake to keep people from getting too close to these protected birds, so observers had to fling the corn pretty hard to get it out into the water. Most of Mother's share landed on the embankment.
The predicted sunny, temps in the 60s day, never materialized. Instead, it was overcast and cool, and though there was no wind, we began to get chilled after a while, and ready to head home.
This morning before we left for the other town, Mother put the ingredients for a bean and cabbage soup in the slow cooker to simmer while we were gone. We had this with hot rolls for supper.
Mother went home after supper, and Hubbie and I watched the movie, "Slumdog Millionaire," an R-rated movie about orphaned children (slumdogs) who learn to survive on their own in India. The story revolves around a boy and his brother. One of the brothers goes on to become a contestant on "Who Wants to be a Millionaire," and as he is competing, he flashes back to his life growing up in slums. His main motivation for competing is his love for a girl that he met in the slums as a young child, and then became separated from until their teens. This is an excellent movie.
Trumpeter Swans - Two
In the top two photos, the swans are exercising their wings, perhaps in readiness to migrate around Valentine's Day, maybe to Minnesota, Michigan, or even Alaska. In the third photo, it appears that these swans have gathered for a conference. In the bottom photo, there was no discussion before the swan in back drove the other swan away by nipping at his hind quarters. Trumpeter swans are large at about 30 pounds, with eight-foot wingspans. This lake is as far south as these swans will go. Swans first appeared at this lake in 1992. It is speculated that the swans were blown off their regular migration route by weather conditions, but then came back year after year, bringing their cygnets. There are now over 100 swans at the lake.Trumpeter Swans
These are photos of trumpeter swans at a lake in a town about an hour away from us. It was overcast today, and cool, but the swans didn't seem to mind. The single swans in the top two photos have perhaps not taken mates yet, because those who have mated (most mate for life) stay constantly in each other's presence, as in the third photo. The bottom photo shows three cygnets...offspring of swan mates. Swan families live together as a unit. Cygnets are about four years old before they mate and form their own families. The swans at this lake arrive around Thanksgiving, and leave around Valentine's Day.
Thursday, January 21, 2010
Thursday, January 21
After a stormy night, with thunder and lightening that knocked out cable TV, I got up around 8 a.m. and did a treadmill session and weights exercises after breakfast. While I was doing that, Hubbie ran errands...to a grocery store to get cottage cheese, to the pharmacy, the bank, and the WDCS.
I did this and that until lunch, including trying to figure out (without success) why my laptop froze up. For some reason, it threw some icons onto the task bar and then quit responding. Later this afternoon I called my tech guy, but of course he wasn't at the store, so I waited for a call from him.
Otherwise this morning, I talked with one of the scrapbook club members...the one who has fallen twice and has eight stitches in her leg and two black eyes...and she said she would not be attending the meeting this afternoon. She also told me that another member (her sister-in-law) is in the hospital. It seems she had a virus that caused her to dehydrate after several days of diarrhea and vomiting. Last Monday, she fell down in her bathroom and was so weak she couldn't stand back up. A friend came to see about her, and she had to crawl to the door to let her in. The friend called an ambulance, and the lady has been in the hospital since then.
So only three of us met at the Extension Services office, but we three had a good time. The lady who showed up, a 68-year-old widow, is sporting a new, very flattering hairdo, has lost some weight, and was wearing a bright blue outfit. She looked radiant and very bubbly today. Mother and I wonder if she's seeing someone.
Mother and I made two greeting cards today, which occupied the whole two hours of the meeting from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. It was sunny and mild when we got to the meeting, but had clouded over and was cooler by the time we left.
Around 4:30, the tech guy called. He'll be out of town tomorrow, but said I could take the laptop to him and he would fix it Monday. In the meantime, though, I was able to shut the computer down and re-boot, whereupon it corrected itself and is working fine, now. Yay!
Hubbie did the honors of making supper for us tonight...grilled steaks and baked potatoes, with salad and steamed veggies. This is an early anniversary celebration dinner. Our anniversary is actually Sunday, but since I have an appointment with my cardiologist on Monday that will include certain tests, we decided to have the meal tonight.
Later, we watched our favorite college basketball team play to a loss after a nail-biter game. It was a late game that didn't start until 8 p.m. I let the DVR record it for an hour before we began watching it, so I could fast forward through the commercials.
Sad: earlier this week, a man we knew and who I worked with briefly in the advertising department of our local newspaper died of a massive heart attack. He was 73 years old. His son and I were in the same photography and journalism classes at college, and we graduated in the same year (I was an older, non-traditional student). The son is now the publisher of a newspaper in the town where I used to live.
I did this and that until lunch, including trying to figure out (without success) why my laptop froze up. For some reason, it threw some icons onto the task bar and then quit responding. Later this afternoon I called my tech guy, but of course he wasn't at the store, so I waited for a call from him.
Otherwise this morning, I talked with one of the scrapbook club members...the one who has fallen twice and has eight stitches in her leg and two black eyes...and she said she would not be attending the meeting this afternoon. She also told me that another member (her sister-in-law) is in the hospital. It seems she had a virus that caused her to dehydrate after several days of diarrhea and vomiting. Last Monday, she fell down in her bathroom and was so weak she couldn't stand back up. A friend came to see about her, and she had to crawl to the door to let her in. The friend called an ambulance, and the lady has been in the hospital since then.
So only three of us met at the Extension Services office, but we three had a good time. The lady who showed up, a 68-year-old widow, is sporting a new, very flattering hairdo, has lost some weight, and was wearing a bright blue outfit. She looked radiant and very bubbly today. Mother and I wonder if she's seeing someone.
Mother and I made two greeting cards today, which occupied the whole two hours of the meeting from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. It was sunny and mild when we got to the meeting, but had clouded over and was cooler by the time we left.
Around 4:30, the tech guy called. He'll be out of town tomorrow, but said I could take the laptop to him and he would fix it Monday. In the meantime, though, I was able to shut the computer down and re-boot, whereupon it corrected itself and is working fine, now. Yay!
Hubbie did the honors of making supper for us tonight...grilled steaks and baked potatoes, with salad and steamed veggies. This is an early anniversary celebration dinner. Our anniversary is actually Sunday, but since I have an appointment with my cardiologist on Monday that will include certain tests, we decided to have the meal tonight.
Later, we watched our favorite college basketball team play to a loss after a nail-biter game. It was a late game that didn't start until 8 p.m. I let the DVR record it for an hour before we began watching it, so I could fast forward through the commercials.
Sad: earlier this week, a man we knew and who I worked with briefly in the advertising department of our local newspaper died of a massive heart attack. He was 73 years old. His son and I were in the same photography and journalism classes at college, and we graduated in the same year (I was an older, non-traditional student). The son is now the publisher of a newspaper in the town where I used to live.
Wednesday, January 20, 2010
Wednesday, January 20
Today is Sis's birthday. Happy Birthday Sis!
I started the day with water aerobics. The morning was mild, and the pool was warm, thank goodness. It's always a chore to get up at 6:30 a.m. and go to the pool, particularly on cold mornings, but once there, I really enjoy swimming and visiting with friends.
Back home, once I was ready for the day, I framed the portraits of my kids. The brushed silver frames are just perfect for the pictures. I hope to get them hung on the wall tomorrow. Also, tomorrow, I'll buy a wood frame suitable for the 5x7 portrait that I can hang on the stairwell wall with other family portraits. I also scanned and printed a smaller photo to put on the front of the refrigerator.
I didn't do much else before lunch, other than washing a load of clothes. After lunch, Mother and I gathered materials needed to make greeting cards at the scrapbook meeting tomorrow afternoon. Then we relaxed for most of the rest of the afternoon. Mother did word search puzzles, and I finally got around to reading the Sunday newspaper.
Supper tonight was chicken cooked in the smoker (Hubbie did the honors). The chicken was stuffed with carrots, onions, and celery, along with no-salt seasoning and herbs. The breast was rubbed with olive oil and herbs. It was delicious served with Parmesan baked potatoes and a steamed combination of broccoli and cauliflower. We also had slices of garlic bread leftover from Sunday's lasagna lunch.
Just after 7 p.m., we went to the college to see a slide show called "Around the World in 90 Minutes." The presenter and his wife have traveled to all seven continents to photograph the indigenous animals and insects of various regions.
The man who spoke is more an environmentalist than a photographer, so the purpose of the slide show was to point to global warming and animal endangerment. But he did show photos of some very unusual insects, snakes, lizards, and frogs...some harmless, some venomous. And he was very entertaining, telling stories of his misadventures with biting insects and leaches, and even an encounter with an unhappy hippo that chomped on his and his wife's canoe and tossed it...and them...onto the bank of the river.
We returned home about 9:30 p.m.
Funny: when we got to the college, Hubbie let us out close to the door of the auditorium, and then went to park the car. Mother and I had walked only a few steps when I looked back and saw Hubbie approaching.
"How did you get here so fast?" I asked. Had he parked somewhere closer than the assigned parking spaces?
When he walked up closer to me, I realized that it wasn't Hubbie, but was a man with gray hair and a mustache, wearing a dark jacket and khaki slacks like Hubbie.
"Oh, I'm sorry," I said, embarrassed. "I thought you were my husband."
The man just grinned and walked on past us. A few feet away, Hubbie approached. Just to be sure, though, I waited until he was beside us before I spoke.
I started the day with water aerobics. The morning was mild, and the pool was warm, thank goodness. It's always a chore to get up at 6:30 a.m. and go to the pool, particularly on cold mornings, but once there, I really enjoy swimming and visiting with friends.
Back home, once I was ready for the day, I framed the portraits of my kids. The brushed silver frames are just perfect for the pictures. I hope to get them hung on the wall tomorrow. Also, tomorrow, I'll buy a wood frame suitable for the 5x7 portrait that I can hang on the stairwell wall with other family portraits. I also scanned and printed a smaller photo to put on the front of the refrigerator.
I didn't do much else before lunch, other than washing a load of clothes. After lunch, Mother and I gathered materials needed to make greeting cards at the scrapbook meeting tomorrow afternoon. Then we relaxed for most of the rest of the afternoon. Mother did word search puzzles, and I finally got around to reading the Sunday newspaper.
Supper tonight was chicken cooked in the smoker (Hubbie did the honors). The chicken was stuffed with carrots, onions, and celery, along with no-salt seasoning and herbs. The breast was rubbed with olive oil and herbs. It was delicious served with Parmesan baked potatoes and a steamed combination of broccoli and cauliflower. We also had slices of garlic bread leftover from Sunday's lasagna lunch.
Just after 7 p.m., we went to the college to see a slide show called "Around the World in 90 Minutes." The presenter and his wife have traveled to all seven continents to photograph the indigenous animals and insects of various regions.
The man who spoke is more an environmentalist than a photographer, so the purpose of the slide show was to point to global warming and animal endangerment. But he did show photos of some very unusual insects, snakes, lizards, and frogs...some harmless, some venomous. And he was very entertaining, telling stories of his misadventures with biting insects and leaches, and even an encounter with an unhappy hippo that chomped on his and his wife's canoe and tossed it...and them...onto the bank of the river.
We returned home about 9:30 p.m.
Funny: when we got to the college, Hubbie let us out close to the door of the auditorium, and then went to park the car. Mother and I had walked only a few steps when I looked back and saw Hubbie approaching.
"How did you get here so fast?" I asked. Had he parked somewhere closer than the assigned parking spaces?
When he walked up closer to me, I realized that it wasn't Hubbie, but was a man with gray hair and a mustache, wearing a dark jacket and khaki slacks like Hubbie.
"Oh, I'm sorry," I said, embarrassed. "I thought you were my husband."
The man just grinned and walked on past us. A few feet away, Hubbie approached. Just to be sure, though, I waited until he was beside us before I spoke.
Tuesday, January 19, 2010
Tuesday, January 19
We were up at 7 a.m. this morning, but I skipped my exercises so I could get ready to go to another town east of us to shop and have lunch with Hubbie's sisters. We headed over there about 8:30 a.m. It was an overcast, but mild morning. About halfway there, the sun broke through a hole in the clouds, casting bright sunbeams on the marshy rice fields, where a large flock of Canadian geese grazed.
We arrived at Daughter's house around 10 a.m. Hubbie's ex, with whom we have a friendly relationship (they were divorced many years before we met), was there, along with Daughter's housekeeper. So Mother had company while Hubbie and I shopped.
We went first to a hobby store, where I found two beautiful brushed silver frames and a silver mat for the portraits of my kids. The frames and mat were on sale at half price, so they were a real bargain, the total cost of which was the same as the gift card the kids gave me. So Hubbie charged the frames to his credit card, and I gave him my gift card in exchange.
From there, we went to an intimate apparel shop at the mall, where I spent a $10 birthday gift card from the store to buy on sale tubes of hand cream. While at the mall, we also went to the discount variety store, where I looked for stemmed glassware to add to the sixteen I already have, but they don't appear to carry that brand anymore.
After that, we went back to Daughter's house to pick up Mother and Ex to go meet Hubbie's sisters at a buffet restaurant for lunch. Before we left, Ex showed me a beautiful quilt top that she's making for her bed. Ex is a skilled quilter and has made many of them over the years for her family. I admire her skill, though it was never one I was interested in learning.
When we got to the restaurant, we found that one of the sister's had brought along a friend, so there were seven of for lunch...Hubbie picked up the tab for all of us, and the extra guest took care of the tip.
We took Mother and Ex back to Daughter's house after lunch, and then we went shopping again. This time, we went to one of the stores that has a sale every weekend, where I used a 20% off coupon to buy a suede-like chocolate brown jacket from the 70% off rack...I got the jacket for $10.
Then we went to a Christian book store, where there was a 90% off sale on Christmas cards, and we selected six boxes of them, which we got for about $7.
From there, we went to the warehouse club store, where we got a surround sound system, plus various fresh fruit and other grocery items. Hubbie stopped by the club gas station to fill the van, and then we went back to Daughter's house.
Ex and the housekeeper were gone, but Daughter had arrived home from work, so we were glad to get to visit with her for a short while before we headed home. As we were traveling, I hollered, "Deer!" and Hubbie braked just as a young buck bounded within a couple of feet of the front of the van and dashed off into the field on the other side. We've never hit a deer, but I can certainly see why it's so easy to do...in the dusky late afternoon light, the deer's brown color blended perfectly with the similar colored tall, winter, field grass, so that I didn't catch sight of it until it leaped onto the road.
We got back home about 6 p.m. Shih Tzu was plenty ready to arrive, since she had spent all day in the van. And since we hadn't thought to bring extra food for her, she was hungry for her supper.
Since we'd had a large lunch, we didn't eat again until around 8 p.m., and then we had cereal and toast, while we watched the movie, "The Life of David Gale." This 2003 R-rated movie (for language, nudity, and sexual content) stars Kevin Spacey and Kate Winslet. A respected professor, who is an anti-capital punishment crusader in Texas (where more executions take place than anywhere else in the U.S.) is accused of rape, and is himself placed on death row. Winslet plays a reporter who investigates Gale's claim of innocence during his last four days on death row.
We arrived at Daughter's house around 10 a.m. Hubbie's ex, with whom we have a friendly relationship (they were divorced many years before we met), was there, along with Daughter's housekeeper. So Mother had company while Hubbie and I shopped.
We went first to a hobby store, where I found two beautiful brushed silver frames and a silver mat for the portraits of my kids. The frames and mat were on sale at half price, so they were a real bargain, the total cost of which was the same as the gift card the kids gave me. So Hubbie charged the frames to his credit card, and I gave him my gift card in exchange.
From there, we went to an intimate apparel shop at the mall, where I spent a $10 birthday gift card from the store to buy on sale tubes of hand cream. While at the mall, we also went to the discount variety store, where I looked for stemmed glassware to add to the sixteen I already have, but they don't appear to carry that brand anymore.
After that, we went back to Daughter's house to pick up Mother and Ex to go meet Hubbie's sisters at a buffet restaurant for lunch. Before we left, Ex showed me a beautiful quilt top that she's making for her bed. Ex is a skilled quilter and has made many of them over the years for her family. I admire her skill, though it was never one I was interested in learning.
When we got to the restaurant, we found that one of the sister's had brought along a friend, so there were seven of for lunch...Hubbie picked up the tab for all of us, and the extra guest took care of the tip.
We took Mother and Ex back to Daughter's house after lunch, and then we went shopping again. This time, we went to one of the stores that has a sale every weekend, where I used a 20% off coupon to buy a suede-like chocolate brown jacket from the 70% off rack...I got the jacket for $10.
Then we went to a Christian book store, where there was a 90% off sale on Christmas cards, and we selected six boxes of them, which we got for about $7.
From there, we went to the warehouse club store, where we got a surround sound system, plus various fresh fruit and other grocery items. Hubbie stopped by the club gas station to fill the van, and then we went back to Daughter's house.
Ex and the housekeeper were gone, but Daughter had arrived home from work, so we were glad to get to visit with her for a short while before we headed home. As we were traveling, I hollered, "Deer!" and Hubbie braked just as a young buck bounded within a couple of feet of the front of the van and dashed off into the field on the other side. We've never hit a deer, but I can certainly see why it's so easy to do...in the dusky late afternoon light, the deer's brown color blended perfectly with the similar colored tall, winter, field grass, so that I didn't catch sight of it until it leaped onto the road.
We got back home about 6 p.m. Shih Tzu was plenty ready to arrive, since she had spent all day in the van. And since we hadn't thought to bring extra food for her, she was hungry for her supper.
Since we'd had a large lunch, we didn't eat again until around 8 p.m., and then we had cereal and toast, while we watched the movie, "The Life of David Gale." This 2003 R-rated movie (for language, nudity, and sexual content) stars Kevin Spacey and Kate Winslet. A respected professor, who is an anti-capital punishment crusader in Texas (where more executions take place than anywhere else in the U.S.) is accused of rape, and is himself placed on death row. Winslet plays a reporter who investigates Gale's claim of innocence during his last four days on death row.
Monday, January 18, 2010
Martin Luther King Day
We were up by 6:30 this morning, so I could get ready to go to water aerobics. It wasn't terribly cold this morning, but there was a little frost on the windshield of the van, anyway, and a thick fog made for low visibility on the road until I got to the hill going up to the college. Here, the fog cleared, but I could still see it laying like a blanket over the valley below.
Eighteen of us showed up for the session this morning, and we were all happy to see each other and exchange stories about our holiday. Naturally, my story was to brag on the portraits of my three kids that were presented to me yesterday. Of course, everyone agreed that they are a very meaningful and priceless gift. A couple of the ladies told about getting similar gifts, and how precious the portraits are to them.
I'm very proud of my kids, who have grown into hard workers, and loving parents and grandparents, dedicated to their families. And my sons both married women who are also dear to my heart.
The lady who got my food basket exchange gift at the dirty Santa game during the water aerobics Christmas luncheon commented about how much she and her husband enjoyed the yeast bread and cherry jelly. She said she bought some of the frozen loaves so she could bake more during the holidays. She also mentioned that the gift was so popular at the exchange that next Christmas she will probably make a food basket gift, too. I'll no doubt do the same. We older ladies appreciate homemade food gifts more than highly scented lotions and candles, or knick-knack dust collectors.
The water at the pool was pleasantly warm, which I hope will continue. By the time the session was over, it had warmed up somewhat outside, and the sun was shining. Back home, while I was getting ready for the day, Hubbie went to get a haircut. He had hung the American flag on the well house in honor of Martin Luther King Day while I was at water aerobics.
After lunch, Hubbie and I went to the WDCS for a few groceries, and to look at frames for the portraits of my kids. I didn't select anything today.
Mother came over after we got back, but we didn't do anything constructive. I called one of the scrapbook club members, reminding her of our meeting Thursday. It seems she fell on December 4, while picking up the evening newspaper out of the ditch in front of her house and hit a metal sign on her mailbox, slashing her leg. It required eight stitches. And then on January 8, she fell again, this time hitting her head on a glass door, resulting in two black eyes. So naturally, she's not sure she'll feel like attending the scrapbook club meeting.
Later, we had a supper of leftover lasagna, with green beans, cottage cheese, and garlic bread. Mother went home after that, and Hubbie and I watched TV...including the movie, "Sunshine," a 1999, R-rated (for brief nudity, some language, and sexual content) film. It stars Ralph Fiennes, and Rosemary Harris. The movie epic follows three generations of a Jewish-Hungarian family over the years from the late 1890s through the 1950s. Fiennes plays three roles in this three-hour movie. The film contains some disturbing war-time footage, including the bodies of dead babies. Nevertheless, it is an absorbing movie that deals not only with harsh historic events, but with complex marital, extra-marital, and other family relationships.
Tomorrow, we plan to travel two and a half hours east to shop in the town where Hubbie's daughter lives. Mother will go and stay at Daughter's house while we shop. It should be a gorgeous day for shopping, since it's predicted to be sunny with temps in the 60s.
Eighteen of us showed up for the session this morning, and we were all happy to see each other and exchange stories about our holiday. Naturally, my story was to brag on the portraits of my three kids that were presented to me yesterday. Of course, everyone agreed that they are a very meaningful and priceless gift. A couple of the ladies told about getting similar gifts, and how precious the portraits are to them.
I'm very proud of my kids, who have grown into hard workers, and loving parents and grandparents, dedicated to their families. And my sons both married women who are also dear to my heart.
The lady who got my food basket exchange gift at the dirty Santa game during the water aerobics Christmas luncheon commented about how much she and her husband enjoyed the yeast bread and cherry jelly. She said she bought some of the frozen loaves so she could bake more during the holidays. She also mentioned that the gift was so popular at the exchange that next Christmas she will probably make a food basket gift, too. I'll no doubt do the same. We older ladies appreciate homemade food gifts more than highly scented lotions and candles, or knick-knack dust collectors.
The water at the pool was pleasantly warm, which I hope will continue. By the time the session was over, it had warmed up somewhat outside, and the sun was shining. Back home, while I was getting ready for the day, Hubbie went to get a haircut. He had hung the American flag on the well house in honor of Martin Luther King Day while I was at water aerobics.
After lunch, Hubbie and I went to the WDCS for a few groceries, and to look at frames for the portraits of my kids. I didn't select anything today.
Mother came over after we got back, but we didn't do anything constructive. I called one of the scrapbook club members, reminding her of our meeting Thursday. It seems she fell on December 4, while picking up the evening newspaper out of the ditch in front of her house and hit a metal sign on her mailbox, slashing her leg. It required eight stitches. And then on January 8, she fell again, this time hitting her head on a glass door, resulting in two black eyes. So naturally, she's not sure she'll feel like attending the scrapbook club meeting.
Later, we had a supper of leftover lasagna, with green beans, cottage cheese, and garlic bread. Mother went home after that, and Hubbie and I watched TV...including the movie, "Sunshine," a 1999, R-rated (for brief nudity, some language, and sexual content) film. It stars Ralph Fiennes, and Rosemary Harris. The movie epic follows three generations of a Jewish-Hungarian family over the years from the late 1890s through the 1950s. Fiennes plays three roles in this three-hour movie. The film contains some disturbing war-time footage, including the bodies of dead babies. Nevertheless, it is an absorbing movie that deals not only with harsh historic events, but with complex marital, extra-marital, and other family relationships.
Tomorrow, we plan to travel two and a half hours east to shop in the town where Hubbie's daughter lives. Mother will go and stay at Daughter's house while we shop. It should be a gorgeous day for shopping, since it's predicted to be sunny with temps in the 60s.
Sunday, January 17, 2010
Best Birthday Surprise
Got up at 7 a.m., but skipped my exercises so I could get last-minute stuff done before family arrived. Daughter was the first to arrive, and we were delighted that she brought Great-Granddaughter with her.
Older Son and Daughter-in-Law arrived next, and soon after, Younger Son and Daughter-in-Law, along with Grandson and his friend.
We had time to visit before lunch was served at noon. Lunch was lasagna, salad, cottage cheese, and garlic bread. Later in the afternoon, we enjoyed chocolate cupcakes topped with a choice of chocolate icing, or pie cherries, and whipped topping, and vanilla ice cream. There was also fruited strawberry Jell-o for those who preferred it.
Afterward, my kids and their spouses presented me with a very special gift...studio portraits of my sons and daughter...one beautiful color collage and one really charming black and white. I was stunned and couldn't look at them enough. I was so silent when they presented them that they thought I didn't like the portraits, when in fact, I was so touched I didn't know what to say.
I'm amazed that the three of them, whose schedules are so hectic, were able to pull off getting together for portraits. Even though the original idea came from my daughter, it was an effort that took the organizational skills of my two daughters-in-law, as well.
Not only did they have to coordinate a studio date, but they also had to coordinate a date when they could all be at my house for the presentation. It was an act of amazing thoughtfulness and love, and I love them all for it. What a perfect gift!
The portraits are not framed, but I was presented with a gift card so I can choose frames for them. It's going to be fun selecting mats and frames. And I already have the spot chosen to hang them...above the bed in the spare bedroom, where my treadmill is, so I can see them every time I exercise in there.
They will be on the wall opposite the one where portraits of them, painted by Sis when she was a teenager, hang. From my treadmill, I can see both sets of portraits.
Sons and families left around 3:30, and Daughter stayed for a while longer. Around 4:30, Great-Granddaughter had a half of a deli turkey and cheese sandwich, with pretzels, and Daughter had crackers and Italian cream cheese ball. After that, they headed home.
Mother went to her house, too, and Hubbie and I searched for something to watch on TV, and ended up watching a movie we'd seen before, and a one-hour show, and then hit the sack, because I need to get up early in the morning for the first day back to water aerobics after winter break.
Older Son and Daughter-in-Law arrived next, and soon after, Younger Son and Daughter-in-Law, along with Grandson and his friend.
We had time to visit before lunch was served at noon. Lunch was lasagna, salad, cottage cheese, and garlic bread. Later in the afternoon, we enjoyed chocolate cupcakes topped with a choice of chocolate icing, or pie cherries, and whipped topping, and vanilla ice cream. There was also fruited strawberry Jell-o for those who preferred it.
Afterward, my kids and their spouses presented me with a very special gift...studio portraits of my sons and daughter...one beautiful color collage and one really charming black and white. I was stunned and couldn't look at them enough. I was so silent when they presented them that they thought I didn't like the portraits, when in fact, I was so touched I didn't know what to say.
I'm amazed that the three of them, whose schedules are so hectic, were able to pull off getting together for portraits. Even though the original idea came from my daughter, it was an effort that took the organizational skills of my two daughters-in-law, as well.
Not only did they have to coordinate a studio date, but they also had to coordinate a date when they could all be at my house for the presentation. It was an act of amazing thoughtfulness and love, and I love them all for it. What a perfect gift!
The portraits are not framed, but I was presented with a gift card so I can choose frames for them. It's going to be fun selecting mats and frames. And I already have the spot chosen to hang them...above the bed in the spare bedroom, where my treadmill is, so I can see them every time I exercise in there.
They will be on the wall opposite the one where portraits of them, painted by Sis when she was a teenager, hang. From my treadmill, I can see both sets of portraits.
Sons and families left around 3:30, and Daughter stayed for a while longer. Around 4:30, Great-Granddaughter had a half of a deli turkey and cheese sandwich, with pretzels, and Daughter had crackers and Italian cream cheese ball. After that, they headed home.
Mother went to her house, too, and Hubbie and I searched for something to watch on TV, and ended up watching a movie we'd seen before, and a one-hour show, and then hit the sack, because I need to get up early in the morning for the first day back to water aerobics after winter break.
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