Our really empty nest

Are you there Readers, it’s me Sue

2012-01-10T10:43:00.001-05:00

It has been FOR-EV-ER since I posted. Not that I haven’t been checking all of your amazing blogs out on an almost daily basis. I have been busy, working on crafts, for craft shows.

getting ready for the holidays,

etc. etc. but honestly I just felt like I had nothing blog worthy to write about. And more so, I didn’t feel like there was anyone out there reading my blog. So when I saw that Heather from inspiremeheather.com was hosting a blog hop, I decided to jump right in. Heather’s idea is to have anonymous bloggers critique a strangers blog. I was so excited to find out personally what other people think of my blog, my mom loves it, but hey, she’s my mom, she has to say that, right? I got one of my critical reviews back, and was extremely thankful for what I was told. I tried to make all the changes, which were mostly about technical issues rather than content, which I was thankful for. I am still not sure how to fix the poor photo quality problem, I do own a crappy camera, but I am working on it. Heather’s blog hop is full, but since there was such an overwhelming response to it, I wouldn’t be surprised if she does it again!! Thanks Heather, I look forward to getting my next critique from you!! Sue

Pumpkin Patch Craft Show

2011-10-03T08:19:00.004-04:00

II am loving these crisp fall days we’ve been having here in Southern Indiana. The leaves are just starting to change, this is definitely my favorite time of year! I am a crafter, I used to have huge shows in my home every year. But about 8 years ago I got really frustrated when so many of the crafts that I was making started to be sold at Hobby Lobby, JoAnns, etc, for a fraction of what I had to charge to make making them worth my while. I stopped crafting, but didn’t stop loving to craft. Last year I started sewing, and ended up making probably 150 aprons. Most of them have sold, but they have sold very slowly. This year I started making pumpkins, probably 100 of them, and just couldn’t stop. I used Goodwill sweaters, upholstery fabric, old blankets, etc. for my pumpkins, and I love them. I just hope other people love .

Well, the show is over and I would call it a success!! The best part of the weekend, is that my daughter and I did it together. She will be graduating soon with a degree in pastry arts, so she decided to make some yummy treats to sell, and basically sold out both days. With little time to make things, she went with iced pumpkin cookies, that sold out both days, oatmeal cream pies, carmel apples, with chocolate, and cupcakes. She came home with 2 small plates of the oatmeal cream pies and 1 carmel apple out of 24, and 3 cupcakes out 2 dz, and a pocket full of $$. I sold quite a few pumpkins, and my little coupon/receipt/makeup bags, and an assortment of other items. Saturday was definitely the best day for making money, but brrrr it was freezing and so windy, our easyup actually ended up blowing up in the air and across the field, before we secured it down.

All and all a fun weekend, met new friends, and made a few hundred dollars to boot, we just might go up again this coming Saturday.

Thanks for stopping by, happy Fall! Sue

PS Sorry about the picture quality,I forgot the camera and these were taken with Nikki's cell phone.

Pumpkins Pumpkins and More Pumpkins

2011-08-24T17:52:00.003-04:00

I have been a very busy girl. Last year it was aprons, and this year, well it’s pumpkins. I am loving them. I happen to love Fall and the colors associated with the season. The pumpkins I have been making are made from repurposed wool sweaters, and stuffed with rice and plastic grocery bags, and topped with bits of fallen branches from our yard. I was inspired by a post by The Country Chic Cottage seen here. From her idea, I came up with these.

I also started looking at upholstery/home decorator remnants and their interesting textures to make make more fun pumpkins, like these..

1 of those discontinued home decorator samples at JoAnn's makes 2 cute size pumpkins. they measure 17in x17in so by cutting the piece in half 81/2 by 17 you can sew up the short side, hand gather one of the long sides turn it right side out fill with rice and then recycle those plastic grocery bags to fill, hand gather the top and hot glue a tree branch stub, and TADAA, an adorable pumpkin to use in your fall decorating!

SSo, what crafts have you been working on to get your house ready for Fall??

Thanks for stopping by, Sue

Worlds Longest Yard Sale-The Results

2011-08-05T22:22:00.001-04:00

Well, I am back from our big adventure, The World’s Longest Yard Sale, and hmmm, I’m not sure what I think about it. We started our adventure around 5:20 this morning. My friend Kathie borrowed her husbands truck, so we would have plenty of room for ALLL of our treasures. She packed newspaper, bungee cords, everything we would need to secure all of the treasures we found. Well…. lets just say, she didn’t have to waste her time with all of that. About 40 minutes into our trip, we found ourselves at a dead stop on the highway, apparently a semi had overturned literally minutes ahead of us. We sat in the newly made parking lot, aka, I-75 N for an hour and 40 minutes. Not the best start to a trip we had looked forward to for weeks. Once the accident had cleared, we were once again on our way. Our plan had been to drive up to Van Wert, Ohio and then slowly make our way down 127 back to the Cincinnati area. Well, driving past all the yard sales on our way to Van Wert proved to be way to hard to do, we just couldn’t pass all these sales up without stopping, so… we stopped.

At our first stop, I found a box with 5 old brass door knobs, I loved them, and picked them up for $2.00, not each, total. At our second stop, Kathie was looking for things for her husband to use as a type of yard sale incentive at his business, we found 5 holiday decorations that were in great shape, we haggled, well, actually we asked and she accepted $15 for all five items, SCORE!! What a great start to our day!! For our third stop, we drove 11 miles off 127 to a Gun Club that was hosting a huge flea market. Immediately Kathie found a really nice cage for her dog. We went on to find a cute picnic basket$4 for a mutual friend of ours, and the coolest globe ever for my daughter in law $10. At this stop we also found a cute white table,$6. Kathie found a nice 2 wheel cart, almost just like mine for a few dollars and a Kirkland's 3 pack of candlesticks for a couple dollars.

My post is getting way too long, and don’t get me wrong, we had fun, we laughed a lot, and we’re glad we went and experienced the sale, but honestly, I feel like we do much better at a little local sale called White’s Farm Flea Market. The sale is held every Wednesday, the prices are great (we felt like prices were high on a lot of things at the WLYS) and it isn’t a lot of clothing, which we don’t look for and which the WLYS had way too much of.

All and all, would we go again, hmm, I for one would have to give that a lot of thought, but it was an experience and another item to check off my bucket list.

Thanks for stopping by, Sue

The World’s Longest Yard Sale

2011-07-31T09:33:00.001-04:00

AKA 127 Corridor Sale OR

Sue and Kathie’s Excellent Adventure

The countdown in on, less than 5 days until I am able to check another item off my Bucket List, and attend The World’s Longest Yard Sale. We, my thrifty shopping friend Kathie, and I, are starting this year taking baby steps by only doing a small leg of the sale in a long day trip. Instead of going south, we live near Cincinnati, we have decided to go north thru Ohio. This is the 24th Year for the Sale, but only the 6th year that Ohio is participating. The Sale goes along RT. 27 -675 Miles From Hudson, Michigan to Gadsden, Alabama! And in-between there are hundreds and hundreds of garage sales, tag sales, barn sales, church sales, antique sales, and I cant wait to go to as many as we can, in one day. I was in Wal Mart yesterday returning an item when the woman in line behind me and I started talking, which is something I ~~never~~ almost always do, ha, somehow we started talking about The World’s Longest yard sale, and she said she has been, and that it was awesome, but she wanted to give me a tip, “When you see a bathroom, USE IT, even if you think you don’t have to, because you never know when you will see another one”. Good advice especially for 2- 40something women.

There are several websites giving lots of information on the big Sale, we are taking notes and putting our World’s Longest Yard Sale survival packs together,

What to bring, according to HGTV.com:

cell phone —
rain jacket, sunscreen, sunglasses, and a hat — Yes, all four at once.
layers of clothing —
comfortable shoes — Many of these sales are in fields, and mud is always likely. Have a pair to wear and a pair to switch into while in the car, or a pair
Box, bag, packing material— Last year my shopping friend and I each had a big box in the back of the SUV to put our smaller items in after each stop.
cash — Bring a variety of small bills. Most sellers don't take checks;
camera — Even just a disposable one will do, but bring one along, especially if you've never been to this part of the country before. You're in the land of rolling hills, historic farmlands, and old Southern towns with names like Lick Skillet, Shake Rag and Turkey Foot — there's bound to be something you want to photograph.

gloves/antibacterial hand gels/wet wipes —

road-trip music — Bring your cassettes and CDs for the stretches of rural highway with poor radio reception.

measuring tape — Don't forget to also measure the space where the thing you want will go. Otherwise, the measuring tape won't do you much good.

flashlight, magnifying glass —

small plastic zipper bags — For any small parts, screws, bolts, hardware, etc. that you don't want to lose, plus they are good temporary wallets for walking through field sales, allowing you to leave your real wallet and/or purse locked safely out of sight in the car.

tarp, rope — Especially if you have a pickup truck, but also maybe if you have an enclosed SUV, because inevitably something won't fit all the way in it, and if hundreds of other shoppers need a tarp, you might have to drive a piece before you find a store that isn't sold out.

All great ideas, but I’m starting to wonder if we’ll have room in Kathie’s husbands truck for our treasures if we take all this stuff, ha.

So it’s T-minus 5 days and counting, and I for one can’t wait! Some things we are looking for for ourselves, and friends; old scales, globes, old keys, chairs,old books, old fans…….

Thanks for stopping by, Sue

SSSCCCCOOOORRREEE

2011-07-07T14:34:00.002-04:00

Yesterday I went to the Whites Farm Flea Market in Brookville, Indiana. And it was a big success!!! I met my partner in crime, Kathie at ~~6:45 am,~~well, ok, it was 7am I was running a little late, sorry again Kathie, and off we went on our big adventure. This is the 3rd or 4th time we have gone to this flea market, help only on Wednesday’s, year round, on the White’s Family Farm. There were at least twice as many vendors there as have been, and we had a great time!! I went looking for an old fan, that worked, for the guest bedroom, it will have a guest in it next week, and SCORE, I found one, on the first booth we hit! A silver one, it works great, and I got it for……$3, yep only $3 !! I love it! No haggling needed!

The next item I was searching for, was a wire basket, I think they used to hold oil cans. I had just seen one online, but with shipping that little sucker would have been over $30 and it was small, well, I found one at another booth for just $15, I tried to haggle, but they knew it was a great deal, and I knew it was a great deal, so I quickly paid them their money and off we went. Next we found an item that Kathie was looking for an old watering can, it was can we say, UGLY, but with a can of spray paint it will be absolutely adorable! Next she found the cutest bench, small size for her grandchildren, made from some wood and spindles, and a twin size headboard, we asked how much, and SCORE, the guy was only charging $15 for it, well, obviously that was coming home with us too, ha. I then found a cute old balance scale, $15, a rolling pin, $2.25, a cute tin vase with scarecrows on it, that I think will be adorable with big branches in it for Halloween, $3, and a cute bunch of acorns, $1 for fall decorating.

Not too bad for $39.25!! Kathie found a few other items too. She is doing table centerpieces for a birthday party and the theme is The Wizard of OZ, and we found a perfect oil can, an adorable stuffed 3 foot tall W.o.O scarecrow, and 2 yards for blue and white gingham check, perfect for Dorothy!!!

All and all we had a great morning good buys, and a lot of laughs, thanks Kathie!! And thank you for stopping by!!

Sue

Straight out of the pages of Southern Living Magazine

2011-07-01T14:57:00.004-04:00

A Few weeks ago I got a call from a good friend. She was at work, she is an interior decorator at a really cute shop called Sacksteder Interiors, located in New Trenton, IN . A coworker of hers wanted to have a luncheon and I was invited. Well after running a home daycare for over 20 years and basically missing out on lunches and shopping dates with friends for all those years, I try always to be available when opportunities like this present themselves.

I had heard about Jackie’s house and was excited to get to see it in person. Well to say it didn’t disappoint is an understatement. When we arrived Jackie had a pretty table set outside. The weather couldn’t have been more perfect, no humidity and a perfect breeze blowing.

Here is her pretty house, built in the 1830’s, can you say LOVE IT!!

She had these adorable terra cotta plants at each place setting filled with Thyme that she had grown, so perfect!

“Never Enough Thyme For Good Friends”

We had a delicious lunch with chicken salad, grilled salmon, deviled eggs, bean salad, and a fresh fruit salad.

After lunch Jackie gave us the Grand Tour of her great home. Jackie is a mom of 4 and a grandmom of 8 and family is everything to her and husband, a retired police officer. Their home is set up to entertain their family with many many family dinners, here is the dining room when you walk in from the back patio.

Both tables open up to accommodate their growing family. The cool sideboard above was once a harvest table that Jackie made herself, and then redid into a sideboard to hold dishes, and her coffee maker. Jackie has been redoing and painting furniture for years, she was so ahead of her time!!

Jackie loves to cook, and her pretty kitchen probably makes cooking a joy!

All four of her children live within a couple minutes drive of her home. Jackie and her husband have been known on way more then one occasion to drop by their kids homes at bedtime to bring a piece of candy or an ice cream treat to their adorable grandchildren. Isnt that the sweetest thing??

Their home has three sweet bedrooms upstairs, and there’s often a couple grandchildren enjoying a sleepover!

Jackie bought a ~~few~~ well maybe a few more then a few Longaberger baskets back in the day. She figured out a great way to display them, I love it!!

Yep, she hung them from the rafters of her living room. A living room that had 3 layers of drop ceiling, until she decided that wasn’t the look for her and tore them all down, and wheelbarreled them out of the room, all while her husband was at work!! HA!

Of course this adorable home would have a clawfoot tub!

Jackie’s outdoor space is spectacular. They have a wonderful built in pool that is the center of lots of fun in the summer. There is a fully stocked refrigerator in the barn, to make getting a drink so easy. Also in the barn is a wall of pics of all the grandchildren from over the years. And a line of hooks that holds the grand kids bathing suits and towels, each with their name stenciled above. Jackie and her husband spend a lot of time outside tending to all their flower and herb and vegetable gardens and you can tell, and she has an adorable potting shed too .

As if it isn't obvious, I loved this home and had a wonderful time at lunch, thanks again Jackie for including me!!

Martha Stewart eat your heart out!! Jackie’s got this living well thing down to a tee!!

Thanks for stopping by, Sue

To Fix or To Replace, it’s not even a question any more

2011-06-23T20:38:00.001-04:00

Remember when your toaster broke, or maybe it was your television, and you would take it in for repair? Well, I don’t think such things exist anymore. We had a nice tv, it was a big screen, 7 years old, and it started acting up, I called to get someone to come out to look at it, and they practically laughed at me! They claimed to not even have parts to fix a set “that old”! And yet the tv that we got when we first got married almost 30 years ago was still kicking in our bedroom, explain that?!?!

Well my less then 10 year Kenmore sewing machine started acting kind of wonky, so I got online to look into getting it fixed, and honestly I could buy a new one for less then the total of just the parts that I needed, so I did a little research and decided that a Brothers sounded like it got great reviews. I found the best prices at WalMArt and since they offered free shipping and I could return the one I didn’t want to a local Store, I bought both. ONe was $89 and the other only $149, so neither one a top model. I got the $89 one on Tuesday and started using it right away, and I have to say, it is everything that I need and much faster then my old, less then 10 year, Kenmore. I am Sold. So as much as I hate living in a throwaway society, it was definitely the cheaper solution for me.

I was so inspired with my new machine I sewed an apron order and made a pattern and sewed a coupon/receipt bag that a friend asked me to make, I may even do a tutorial on it, it turned out pretty cute. Pics to follow!

Thanks for stopping by, Sue

Garage Sale SUCCESS!!

2011-06-18T18:10:00.002-04:00

Let me start by saying I have never been much of a garage sale gal. But reading all of your fabulous blogs and seeing all the amazing things a lot of you find at garage sales, has really inspired me to give them a try. I have a friend, Charlene, Miss leney to all of the little ones she babysits for, who I knew was a garage sale kind of gal. So I gave her a call to see if she would be hitting some of the garage sales I have seen posters for in our little town, and SHE WAS! We decided to meet at 8 am. I woke up to rain a nice drizzle really, and gave her a call to see if she still wanted to go, and she did, so Game ON! The rain kept a lot of houses from opening, but we did manage to find several neighborhoods that open for business, and I managed to find a few fun things……

I couldn’t pass up this white table for $3, it is solid and will work great on my front porch. I bought the pic for $1 and plan on making a chalkboard out of it, so stay tuned. You can barely see the old bird cage behind the picture, but it just spoke to me and for $3 I couldn’t pass it up.

I loved this wood caddy, and at $1.50 I just had to bring it home, I pictured pinecones, greens, etc. for a pretty Christmas decoration.

Oh and did you notice my best find of the day?? An old chicken coop, I just was reading Layla and Kevin’s Blog over at The Lettered Cottage, and saw them decorate Kevin’s mom’s porch with a chicken coop coffee table, very inspirational and for $17 I knew I had to grab it. I got online and looked and saw some for sale for $50, so me thinks I got a great deal!!!

Thanks for stopping by, I cant wait until next weekend!!

Sue

While The Girls Away.... I will redecorate her room!!

2011-06-14T08:30:00.011-04:00

Our daughter, Nicole, moved to San Diego, yeah I know, rough life, lol, at least for the summer. She will be back for 2 months for 2 classes SEptember-Oct, and then who knows, ha! But in the mean time, I decided to redecorate her room, I love it, and she loves it, thank goodness!! I used many ideas that I have found on various blogs to make this room pretty, and on a very very small budget. Of course I totally didnt think to take a before pic.

Some shells from our Florida vacation last summer

This was an ugly garage sale chair with a pink satin seat cover. HA, not any more!

I saw a similar wall art on Craftberry Bush's site I like hers better, but for a first attempt, i was pretty happy with mine. One of the boards cracked when i was assembling, but since it was supposed to look warn and aged, i kept it.

Big Lots had a basket of starfish for $6 I separated it out to use in this room

My inspiration picture, from where else, HOME GOODS!!

I painted a goodwill find candlestick, and framed a piece of the chair fabric for a cheap piece of art, I had the frame.

I dumpster dived to grab these two great chippy windows, which my husband told me I really should sand and paint, WHAT, the chippy look is so in I said, and he said, shaking his head, whatever, ha! The little bedside table was another thrift store find. The pillows are from my favorite retail store, Home Goods!

The wicker chair was a castoff from my sister, and the little desk was a flea market find.
And Here she is in all her glory. The pretty chandy was an overstock find, i love it!!

So, what do you think?? I love it, and really thank so many blogs for the wonderful inspiration I get everyday from so many many talented ladies. I am not going to try to link up to some parties, but never having done it, we'll see if that happens, lol!
Thanks from stopping by! sue

Update: I have linked up to several linky parties including Transformation Thursday at The Shabby Chic Cottage
Also at Frugal Friday at The Shabby Nest
I've also linked up to Miss Mustard Seeds Furniture Feature Friday
And Sunday Showcase at Under the Table and Dreaming

Prayers Requested

2011-05-16T08:40:00.007-04:00

Good Morning friends. I have a prayer request today for my sweet little 8 year old niece, Micah. She was born with profound hearing loss and today she is getting a Cochlear Implant. We pray that the surgery is a success and that it makes a difference in her life. I cant wait to see her face when she hears birds chirping outside for the first time.
This is Micah and her mommy and daddy, my brother, at her First Communion 2 weeks ago

And here she is with my daughter, her cousin, Nicole, at my son's wedding last October. Isn't she a cutie!!

So if you have a minute today, I would soo appreciate a little prayer sent up for Micah Ahr, and her mommy and daddy, who are a nervous wreck.
Love you Micah!! Aunt Sue
****Update, The surgery was a great success, and now we wait to see the results, thanks ladies!!
PS This is my 100th post, it took me way longer to get here then it took most of you, but I made it!!

Happy Easter Everyone!!!

2011-04-23T17:26:00.002-04:00

Happy Easter Everyone!!
I was inspired by my fellow bloggers to make a few little things for our Easter Brunch and Dinner. I hope you all have a wonderful day with family!!

OH Happy Happy Day!!!

2011-04-18T22:08:00.003-04:00

I am not a girl who loves to clean, I dont even like to clean, so when the mood strikes I go with it!! I have been rearranging, pitching, decluttering, you name it. I started going thru a stack of papers that had been in my desk for probably 2 years, and in that stack I found a $30 gift certificate from one of our favorite restaurants, YEAH! I didnt stop there, I attacked our bedroom, namely our closet with stacks of clothes and purses. Going thru several purses, I found lots of change, a $1 in one purse, and get this, $91 in another purse, a purse that I haven't used in probably 2 years. Are you kidding me??? $91 big one, woohoo, I was so excited!!!

Guess it really does pay to clean, hmmmm, maybe I will have to do it more often!!! AAAHHHH probably not, but it sure was exciting!!
Thanks for stopping by, Happy Easter to you and your family!!

The Girl can Bake

2011-03-13T21:02:00.005-04:00

The following cakes are some made by my daughter, Nikki. Most were made before she recently started taking pastry arts classes at the Midwest Culinary Institute in Cincinnati. Baking and making pretty cakes is definitely her passion. I am so proud of her and wanted to share her talent with you...Thanks for stopping by. Sue

These are just a few that I wanted to share, hope you enjoyed.

Here Come's The Bride, and Groom

2011-02-07T13:31:00.001-05:00

I just realized that I had never posted pics of my son's wedding, here are just a few that I love...

Indy Home Show House

2011-02-07T12:11:00.001-05:00

I love this new way to look at pics, especially since I have had no luck lately posting pics the traditional way on Blogger. I have been working at the Indy Home Show for the past 10 days. It is like any other Home Show, lots of Window Booths, Landscape Booths, Water Heater Booths, Greasy Food Booths, but with one exception, they build an entire house inside the show, complete with swimming pool. As I was walking around the house I thought of all my Blog friends, so many ideas are shown here that I have seen on all the great blogs I have read, burlap curtains, cute fabric flower decorations on window treatments, lots of numbered chairs, and a cool wine bottle chandy. Enjoy the pics!! Sue

50 Before 50

2011-01-05T13:13:00.003-05:00

Amy at Positively Splendid posted her 30 before 30, meaning 30 things she wants to do before she turns 30. Well, I have a few, ok, ALOT more years on me then Amy has on her, such a young pup, lol! So in a year and a month I will turn the big 5-0, yikes, that sounds crazy to say. And I thought I would like to make a list for me. These are things that I would like to do, that would be fun, educational, interesting, adventuresome, etc. 50 things seems like alot, and who am I kidding, there is no way I will do all of this before the Big ONe, 50, but, I am putting it out there in the universe, and we'll see how far I get....
1. Vacation in Europe
2. Road trip with my daughter
3. Find clothes that are made for plus size gals, that actually fit plus size gals, hey, just because we are bigger around, doesnt mean, our arms hang down to our knees, and how much extra really would it cost to add 3 or 4 inches to the bottom of a shirt?? And while I am on the subject, if the majority of women are size 12 plus, why is it that only a 10% of most department stores are dedicated to this size??
4. Lose weight, well duh, obviously, otherwise number 3 wouldnt be an issue.
5. Join a book club
6. Take a trip by myself, I think this is the ultimate in maturity and confidence, I am a baby and have never done this.
7. Turn our bedroom into a beautiful oasis.
8. Have a massage and not be embarrassed, I have never had more then a chair massage, refer to number 4.
9. Take some baking classes, so i can be a fraction as good as my daughter the pastry chef.
10. Take some computer classes, so I know a bit more then the basics, which is basically all I know now.
11. Open an antique/gift/lunch shop
12. I sew, but just the basics, I would love to learn how to put a zipper in make a button hole, a few things that would up what i can make a few notches.
13. Go back to Hawaii, we loved it there for our 25th anniversary, cant wait to go back!
14. Come up with more creative ideas to help the people that visit our local food pantry. I love the projects that i have started, and want to do more!
15. Get more organized, i mean really could a person be much less organized then me?? It's doubtful
16. STay on top of my cleaning, have my house be visitor ready allll the time!
17. Find a wine that i dont hate, so I can enjoy a glass with my besties!
18. Go to Alaska, Say what you want about Sarah Palin, she a great embassador for the state, and makes me REALLY want to go there!
19. Take a train ride thru Canada, looks beautiful
20. Ride a quad by my self, not as a passenger with the hubs driving.
21. Get a great haircut!
22. Actually make some of the awesome ideas that I read and save on other people's blogs.
23. Have the confidence to actually help someone decorate their space.
24. Take more time to do fun things with my friends, and make sure i show them just how much I appreciate them!
25. Work at making a go of my apron business, Cook Pray Love Aprons, anyone>??
26. See my daughter over the moon happy with a man who really appreciates her, and allows her to be all that she can dream!
Ok, I'm half way there, let me take some time and think about the rest, I'm sure I'm forgetting some important things, I will be back to finish soon!
Thanks again for stopping by! Please come back Sue

Random facts about ME

2010-12-30T18:04:00.005-05:00

Amy over at The Idea Room is running a fun, get to know me a little better post. I love reading these, it's comforting to know that some of our weird little quirks aren't so weird after all!
*I am the oldest child of 6 kids, 3 girls and then 3 boys, we were the Brady Bunch, but we all have the same 2 parents.
*I hate worms, snakes, mice, lizards, etc. HATE THEM!
*I was captain of our High School Drill Team, kick line. I LOVED it!
*I prefer, when working on projects, to be the boss, I am a terrible delegator, and generally end up doing everything myself, not that I dont think others will do it right, it's more that I hate to bother people.
*My biggest regret in life is that I didnt actively try to have more then 2 children, I kept thinking it would happen again, and time goes on, and well, it didnt.
*I love to grow tomatoes, but hate to eat them.
*I like to cook, hate to clean
*I am a huge procrastinator, and have been all of my life.
*I am a big worrier, I even worry about what worrying will do to my health
*I love to read, and have had times when i wont allow myself to read, just so i will get things done.
*Saying NO is hard for me, but as I age, I am getting better at it
*At least one of our Tv's is always on, although it is rarely watched
*And lastly I love seeing all the awesome craft and decorating projects in Blogville, but I get overwhelmed with all the ideas, and rarely do any of them, hope that changes in 2011.
Thanks all, Happy New Year to each of you!! Sue
PS Sorry there are no pictures, Blogger and I are not on speaking terms!

Heeeelllllloooo, is anyone still out there??

2010-12-26T21:05:00.011-05:00

It has been awhile, ok, a really long while! I have been around, leaving comments and stalking all of your interesting blogs. Just havent taken the time to write a blog post of my own. Wow are you girls clever!! I learned so so much, with all of your Halloween, Thanksgiving, and Christmas crafts, recipes, and decorating ideas! I am so impressed, and so confused, do you girls ever sleep?? I just can not find the time to do all or even half of what you all manage to do, and I dont even have any little ones running around like so many of you have. My hat is off to all of you!
My friend and coworker were out and about on appointments the other day, when we drove past this adorable shop...Interiors Embellished,

isnt the building cute??

Well of course we had to turn around and stop in, I mean who wouldnt, right??
This fantastic shop is located in a little country town called Lawrenceburg, Indiana. Lawrenceburg is a riverboat gambling town, very close to my home town of Bright, Indiana. The casino, Hollywood Casino, brings in ALOT of money, and because of this, many grants are available for new business owners to buy or lease this beautiful old buildings and really make them great!
The shop owner is an eccentric woman who definitely has the "eye" for decorating and staging homes. She is just a sweetheart, who actually keeps her money tucked in her bra, gotta love that! Here are some pics of the inside of her amazing shop!

It took a shop as cool as I think this one is, to get me to finally write a new post, lol!

And still more pics...

So, what do you think?? Do you agree that this is one great shop?? If you are in the Lawrenceburg, Indiana area, just a hope skip and swim from Cincinnati, stop in, you wont be sorry!
I promise it won't be 3 months til I post again...I hope. Happy New YEAR All!
Thanks so much for stopping by, Sue

This and That

2010-09-18T07:26:00.009-04:00

We are two thirds thru the month of September already, only 2 days until the official start of FALL, aahhh my favorite time of year!! I finally started pulling out my Fall decorations, this is REALLY late for me, but it was my first chance to do it.
Last weekend we went away to my parents lake house at Norris Lake, in Tennessee, with good friends for a few days, we had a great time. About 17 years ago my parents bought this house, about 4 hours from their home in Cincinnati,there it is, the creamy one in the middle of the pic.

Oh and that's my husbands arm you see in the pic too. He's a sun worshiper, ha!
We, my brothers and sisters and all of our families have so enjoyed this house, lots of great memories made there.
Here are a few pics from the inside and outside of their home.

When our parents bought this it was actually one of the larger homes around the lake at 3500 sq ft. But now, I think our house could fit in the living room of the MONSTER homes that surround the lake, here are a few that are amazing.

We think they are all in the 10,000 to 15,000 sq foot range, omg,
I mean like what the heck do these people do for a living?? Doctor, Lawyer, Wall Street Mogul, own the chain of Foot Lockers, oh wait that is true, or at least his xwife does, she got it in the divorce settlement,Drug Lord?? These people don't live at the lake they dont rent them out, it is there second or possibly even third house. I mean they are HUGE and oh so pretty!

To see these houses in person, is so impressive, and it isnt like there are just a handful of them, so many people, soooo much money. And they just keep getting bigger and bigger, this is keeping up with the Jones to the tenth degree!!
If you get a chance to visit Tennessee, make a point of taking a boat ride on Norris Lake, it is a beautiful clear lake with beautiful homes on one side and a gorgeous wildlife preserve on the other, well worth the trip!
Tomorrow is the shower my mom is hosting for my future daughter in law. It should be a beautiful day, we cant wait!! Look for a new post soon, I hope, thanks for stopping by!

Fall Decorating 2007

2010-08-27T06:21:00.004-04:00

I have joined, late of course, Thrifty Decor Chick, in her impromtu Fall Decorating from the past party.
Happy Fall Y'All! I love fall and fall decorating, so I wanted to join this fun party sponsored by Rhondi at Rose Colored Glasses

(Stop over at the Party to see other bloggers fall decorating!)
But because our son moved home with alll of his STUFF until his house closing, in 2 weeks, I can not get to my decorations. UGHHH! But I did remember that I had taken pics of my decorating from 2007, so although these are not current, you havent seen them before, so I thought I would share....

After Bryan moves out and into his new home, I hope to be able to decorate and post some new pics, enjoy this first day of Fall, Happy Decorating!
Thanks for stoppin by, Sue

aprons aprons and yes, more aprons

2010-08-25T08:07:00.005-04:00

Not much to post about lately, I have been busy sewing aprons, here are a few new ones that I have finished....

Do you like the mannequin? She was an awesome Craigs List Find!! Gotta love CL
And more aprons...

And loads more, but I will stop boring you will all the pics. We are knee deep in aprons with end in sight!
Like I told my FB friends, if you see me near a fabric store, drag me by my hair out of there!! Thanks all! sue

Please Dont Hate me!!

2010-08-07T13:19:00.003-04:00

I know, I know, I am really really rushing the season, but I LOVE fall, and well, it's my blog and I can decorate it however I want it, right??
This Fall will be even more fun then ever before because my oldest child, my son Bryan is getting married on October 23!!

That's a picture of Bryan and his sister, my daughter Nicole, she's in the wedding too. Thought I had a pic of Bryan and his fiance Sonny, but I didnt, darnit.
Here are some pretty Fall pics to get you in the mood too......

Won't be long now!!!

The History of Aprons

2010-07-29T17:41:00.005-04:00

The History of Aprons

I don't think our kids know what an apron is.
The principal use of Grandma's apron was to protect the dress underneath because she only had a few. It was easier to wash aprons than dresses and they used less material, but along with that, it served as a potholder for removing hot pans from the oven.
It was wonderful for drying children's tears, and on occasion was even used for cleaning out dirty ears. From the chicken coop, the apron was used for carrying eggs, fussy chicks, and sometimes half-hatched eggs to be finished in the warming oven.
When company came, those aprons were ideal hiding places for shy kids. And when the weather was cold, grandma wrapped it around her arms. Chips and kindling wood were brought into the kitchen in that apron. Those big old aprons wiped many a perspiring brow, bent over the hot wood stove.
From the garden, it carried all sorts of vegetables. After the peas had been shelled, it carried out the hulls. In the fall, the apron was used to bring in apples that had fallen from the trees.
When unexpected company drove up the road, it was surprising how much furniture that old apron could dust in a matter of seconds. When dinner was ready, Grandma walked out onto the porch, waved her apron, and the men knew it was time to come in from the fields to dinner.
People would go crazy now trying to figure out how many germs were on that apron. But you know what? I don't think I ever caught anything from an apron.
It will be a long time before someone invents something that will replace that ' old-time apron' that served so many purposes.

Knowing I have been sewing my fingers off make lots of aprons, my friend Barb sent me the History of Aprons, and after reading it, I love them even more! My Question to all of you is, do you wear aprons? Or would you if they were easier to find? If you do wear them, where do you get them from? What style do you prefer? I am thinking of starting to sell these possibly at a craft fair, and wanted to do a little market research and then I thought, who better then all my blog friends to share their opinions. I am have a great time making them. Here are a few that I made, and I am just looking for honest opinions on them, thanks everyone!

Oh and thanks to my model of a daughter Nikki for allowing me to photograph her with some of my aprons!

These are a few I made for the littlest bakers

This adorable ruffled apron that I made was straight from the blog of a talented lady, Morgan Moore, at One More Moore

This little cutie was inspired by Karen at Sew Many Ways

Thanks so much for stopping by and taking a second to leave an opinion/comment!
Sue

THE FABULOUS BEEKMAN BOYS

2010-07-18T10:52:00.001-04:00

i recently stumbled upon a gem of a show and i just have to share. it is on planet green channel, and it is awesome! the name of the show is the fabulous beekman boys, and it is well, fabulous!! it's a reality show about 2 city guys who fell in love with the beautiful beekman farm in sharon springs, ny, and decided to buy it. it is on in my town on wednesday nights at 9, but check your local listings. josh and brent are two gay men who are trying to turn their farm into a profitable business venture. brent, the shorter one, used to work for martha stewart and now runs the farm full time. josh still works in nyc as a writer and comes home to brent and the farm on the weekends.

the farm is beautiful, the town amazing, and their adventures are priceless.

check it out and let me know what you think, or let me know if you already watch and love it. my friend and coworker have added having a gay male friend to our bucket list, and i think we may have just found 2!!

thanks for stopping by, SUE

Blogger Inspired Projects!

2010-07-01T19:02:00.003-04:00

I used to make crafts, lots of them, but slowly I lost my inspiration, my will, my crafty touch. But reading blog post after blog post has suddenly awakened my inner crafter, and I am slowly starting to create again. I am a great, well pretty good, copier of ideas and here are a few ideas that I have recently "borrowed".

For the first pic, I scoured the local GW for a wood cheese dome and a wooden candle stick. I gorilla glued them together and spray painted them, love it!!

I bought some pretty buttons at JoAnn's when then had them 50% off, removed the backs and glued them to the ring blanks that I bought on Ebay. Easy peasy and the most one of them cost me to make was 50cents. Gosh, my hands look old, no comment please, lol.

And lastly APRONS, lots and lots of Aprons. I now have about 25 completed, and have no idea what I am going to do with them. I am sure to figure something. If nothing else, my pastry chef daughter will put them to good use!

So thank you, all of you creative bloggers, for reinspiring an old crafter like myself!!

Warning Before Watching This Video, YOU are going to want to empty your bladder, trust me!

2010-07-01T07:37:00.004-04:00

I dont know how to make this video show up on my blog, but trust me when I say it is truly worth clicking on the link and taking a peek! It is the funniest thing I have ever seen!
And I am not lying!
Real Water Bed Videohttp://www.youtube.com/user/reesehazel
Thanks for stopping by! Would love a comment! Sue

Has It Really Been 30 Years??

2010-06-22T19:12:00.003-04:00

How is it posible that it has been 30 years since I graduated from highschool? I can still remember the drill team practices, the teachers, the football games, the weekend parties, like they were well, if not yesterday, then certainly not 30 whole years ago. But alas, it is true. 30 years ago I did graduate from Colerain Sr High School, in Cincinnati, Ohio, home of the Colerain fighting Cardinals!

People say time flies and wow that is an understatement.
Seeing everyone on Saturday should be alot of fun. Even more fun now that I have gotten a jump start in renewing my friendships via Face Book. The planning committee has opted for a very laid back reunion, and are holding it at a park just minutes from our old school. Who needs a fancy hall and a dj, we are there to see old friends and classmates to talk and catch-up, no loud dj music needed. I now live less than 30 minutes away, so i wont be getting any award for person who traveled the farthest to get there. My mom reminded me to bring pics of the kids, and business cards, that woman, she is always thinking, lol. Scott is going with me, he has a brother who graduated in 1980 with me, I'm still trying to talk him into going, so he knows alot of people too. Back in the day I weighed 110 pounds, and I thought I was huge, well, I now weigh alot more than that, I wish I had lost some weight, but that just didnt happen, so they are just going to have to love me the way I am, and if not, I am ok with that. I did buy a new pair of sandals, and looked for a new outfit, but that didnt happen either, oh well! It's gonna be a scorcher 90+ degrees, lets just pray that the humidity is lower! Please God!
I'll post again after the big day, and give you all the gory details, of our Wild and Crazy, class of 80, yes we know it really doesnt rhyme, lol, wish me luck!! And as always thanks for stopping by, Sue

Calling All Crafters

2010-06-11T14:02:00.002-04:00

Silly me, I must be the most unobservant gal around. I have just discovered a place not 5 miles from my house that manufactures dowel rods. The cool part about this is that everyday they literally throw huge garbage bins of dowel rods away. All sizes from 1/4 inch to 2+inches. In all lengths too. I have bought dowel rods in the past and they are pricey!
Now my question to all of you super creative gals is...WHat can I do with all this new found free stuff??? I feel a need to use these, I love FREE stuff! So please I would so appreciate your taking a minute to give me an idea of what to do with all this wood!
And if you live in Se Indiana near Cincinnati, give me a call, I might share my source, lol.
Thanks ladies! sue

2010-05-23T23:34:00.003-04:00

1. If you could change anything about your physical appearance, what would it be?
Oh my too many things to mention, but poof tummy be gone, was the first thought!
2. Is there a habit in others that you find annoying?
Drinking loudly, ughhh!
3. What is your favorite recipe using ground beef?
~My homemade chili, yummo!
4. What was your favorite book as a kid?
~I loved the Laura Ingalls Wilder series, I am lame, I know!

5. Did you work as a teenager and if so, where?I babysat, ALL THE TIME! I also worked at The Earring Tree, and pierced peoples ears.

6. Did you work while in college and if so, where?
Unfortunately I didnt go to college
7. When you go to sleep do you like total darkness or semi?
~Step into the dark side!
8.When you go to sleep do you need quiet or is some noise OK?
~We sleep with a fan on. My husband hates it, even after living with me for 28 years, lol. Almost my whole family does. We are on vaca now, and my mom had to go to WalMart to buy a small fan, it is a crazy addiction
9. When doing laundry, fabric softener or not?
~Fabric Softener sheets
10. Open toed or closed toed shoes?
I am a Crocs kind of gal, yes, I know they are ugly, but they are oh so comfy!
11. Would you rather be blind or deaf?
~Deaf, I cant imagine not seeing my kids and future grandkids!
12. Dangle or stud earrings?
~Studs, definitely, I have short hair, I life dangly earrings on other people with short hair, but,yuck, not on me!
13. What do you put on pancakes?
~Pancakes, lots of lite syrup, NO butter!~
14. On a long trip would you rather drive or fly?
~Flying baby!
15. Do you prefer classic old movies or new?
~It depends, I love the old, I love alot of the new, but love stories mostly, no blood, no guts, no scary!

So now you know way too much about me.
What about YOU?
Do Tell!
I would love to read more about you!

Planning A Trip With The 'Rents

2010-05-21T18:54:00.006-04:00

The Hubs and I are planning a vacation with the 'rents, the parents I mean, and my sister and her husband too. This is a picture of the group that went together on vacation last year. The couple on the right, my youngest brother and his wife and the adorable little boy between my parents arent making the trip this year as they have added an adorable little girl to their growing family and she is just too small to travel, maybe next year!

We were supposed to be going to this beautiful condo in Gulf Shores, again this year, but with the oil spill, we have become fair weather friends and switched our trip to Amelia Island, Florida, on the Atlantic side.

We feel really bad for the Gulf Shore tourist businesses, but this year we are only going to be able to go on 1 one week vacation, and I didnt want it ruined by the darn oil spill, damn you BP!
I am feeling guilty even taking a vacation this year, because the hubs has been laid off since the end of January, and the new business, see this previous post, has taken up alot of our savings, but I really feel the need to go on this trip to spend time with my parents. Dad has colon cancer for the second time. Don't get me wrong he is sailing thru chemo, but you just never know. So money be damned, maybe we won't be able to pay off our visa card this month for the first time ever, but somethings are worth more than a good credit report! Oh well, it's just money, right??
I also feel guilty leaving home because of our two little fur babies. I know this is silly, but i was actually sick to my stomach worrying about who would take care of them while we are away. Thank God, my bosses son, Dillan, a really great 19 year old kids has agreed to stay at the house and take care of my babies! I am so relieved. Do any of you get worked up about your fur babies? I guess I want to know that I'm not the only crazy lady out there, lol.
Amelia Island is in the upper most part of Florida, does anyone know anything about the area?? Savannah Ga, and St Augustine Ga are a short drive away, and I think we would like to go visit them. My question is has anyone there, and if so what do we want to check out while we are there.
Would love to hear your thoughts as always, I will post again soon, well as soon as i can. Thanks for stopping by!

Our New Baby!!

2010-05-05T08:37:00.005-04:00

It has been a month since my last post. I have been stalking and commenting alot of your posts, but havent had the time to do one of my own.
And here is the reason why, our new baby! It really is like a child, it requires lots and lots of attention, and tons of MONEY! But we love it!
TaDa!!!

What the hell is it, you ask??
It is Greater Cincinnati's newest indoor archery range! My husbands dream business! We are not totally crazy opening a new business in this crappy economy, we havent quit our day jobs, yet, but....we did decide to take the leap and go for it!!
We live in an area with ALOT of dedicated archers, my husband being one of the MOST dedicated of them all! We know that even in this economy people still need a release, an inexpensive place to go to do something that they really enjoy!
So to fill this void, we opened Straight Arrow 3D Indoor Archery Range!
I really know nothing about archery, except that it takes my husband and alot of my friends husbands out of the house and into the woods from October-January!
One of my jobs is to market the place thru, flyers, business cards, twitter, facebook, and various other websites. Another job was to save us as much $$$ as possible by making the smartest,most frugal purchases I could make, by stalking the internet.
The range has been opened for 1 month, and although it started off slow, every day we are gaining more and more customers. And the good news is that people love it!!
We still arent out of the woods, but we are working hard, and hopeful that we will make it!
You can check out our website, if you'd like at www.straightarrow3d.com
What is life without adventure? This has been a great adventure and it's only just begun! Wish us luck that it will make it! Thanks for stopping by! Sue

A Very Happy Easter Everyone!

2010-04-04T09:16:00.003-04:00

Here comes Peter Cottontail
Hoppin' down the bunny trail,
Hippity hoppity,
Easter's on its way

Bringin' ev'ry girl and boy
A basketful of Easter joy
Things to make your Easter
Bright and gay

He's got jelly beans for Tommy
Colored eggs for sister Sue
There's an orchid for your mommy
And an Easter bonnet too. Oh!

Here comes Peter Cottontail
Hoppin' down the bunny trail
Hippity hoppity
Happy Easter Day

Here comes Peter Cottontail
Hoppin' down the bunny trail
Look at him hop and listen to him say,

"Try to do the things you should"
Maybe if you're extra good
He'll roll lots of Easter eggs your way

You'll wake up on Easter morning
And you'll know that he was there
When you find those choc'late bunnies
That he's hiding ev'rywhere,
Oh!

Here' comes Peter Cottontail
Hoppin' down the bunny trail
Hippity hoppity
Happy Easter Day.

Here's hoping everyone has a wonderful day spent with family and friends!
Happy Easter!

ABC's of Me

2010-03-31T07:50:00.002-04:00

ABC's of Me

A. AREA CODE : 47025, not quite as popular as 90210, but we love it here!
B. BED SIZE: king
C. CHORE YOU HATE: cleaning period
D. DOG'S NAME: Dexter, Madison
E. ESSENTIAL "START THE DAY!" ITEM: I jump on the computer to check my email and FB
F. FAVORITE COLOR: I usually say blue, but I really like almost all colors
G. GOLD OR SILVER: depends
H. HEIGHT: 5’4
I. INSTRUMENTS YOU PLAY: I wish I could play the piano, if only a few Christmas songs
J. JOB: sales and designer for a custom furniture company, Own an indoor archery range with the hubs.
K. KIDS: 2, the lights of my life, Bryan 26, Nikki almost 23
L. LIVING ARRANGEMENTS: trophy wife for a business mogul (HAHAHA)
M. MOM'S NAME: Gloria
N. NICKNAME: Susie Q and Sue Sue
O.OVERNIGHT HOSPITAL STAY: both times I gave birth plus when I had a bloodclot, ugh
P. PET PEEVE: people that drink loudly, and people that throw garbage out of their cars.
Q. QUOTE FROM A MOVIE: There's No Crying in Baseball, that is the only quote I can think of right now
R. RIGHTY OR LEFTY?: Right
S. SIBLINGS: 2 sisters, 3 brothers, I'm the big sister
T. TIME YOU WAKE UP: Usually around 7 unless I am in worry mode then it could be anywhere from 3am-5am, ughhh
U. UNDERWEAR: Hanes her way, I wish it could be VS, but they dont make them in my abundant size, darn it!
V. VEGGIE YOU DISLIKE: brussel sprouts
W. WAYS/REASONS YOU ARE LATE: cannot find anything to wear
X. XRAYS YOU'VE HAD: chest, my broken foot, teeth
Y. YUMMY FOOD YOU MAKE: Everything I cook is yummy, just ask my family!
Z. ZOO ANIMALS YOU LIKE: Monkeys, gorillas

A Little Reminder

2010-03-13T22:08:00.003-05:00

Just a little reminder, it is time to Spring Forward, and move your clocks ahead an hour. Wouldnt want all my blog friends to be late for church or whatever in the morning!

HAHA, isnt that the truth!!
Have a great Sunday everyone, I am working the last day at the Cincy Home and Garden Show!

I love this look!

2010-02-21T09:07:00.017-05:00

A couple of weeks ago my friend/work partner and I were in Indianapolis working at our Wall Bed booth, at the home show for 10 days. This home show is a really nice one and they even built a 2300 square foot home in the middle of the building! We loved the way the home was decorated this year. The theme was, going green, using what you have, and then really did that in a beautiful way! After my first tour thru the house I knew I wanted to go back and take pics for you my Blog friends! So here you go,
Enjoy....
Front

Back

So, what do you think?? Don't you like what they did with the doors, kitchen table, the 1/2 door game table. What about the candles covered with old book pages? Cool huh? I have never seen rolling pins standing vertically, love that! The fabric on the chair and window treatment, french wording, oh la la! The ladder over the island, the cloches with the antique tools in them, so many fun ideas, do you like it? Would love to hear what you have to say! Have a great day! Sue

And The Winner Is.........

2010-02-10T20:42:00.005-05:00

Sorry for the delay in revealing the winner in my little giveaway. I was out of town for 10 days peddling the wall beds that I sell, and then came home to a husband who was scheduled for knee surgery on Monday. Well after 6 days of playing Nurse Ratchett, I am ready to lose my mind, good thing i sell custom furniture and am not a nurse, my bedside manner stinks! I realized today that I hadn't ever picked the winner, so without further ado, the winner is Robin at Alabama Slacker Mom, Robin, your gift will be on it's way very soon!! If you have not visited Robin's Blog you owe it to yourself to stop by, she has the best sense of humor and her blog is always a great read!!
I just wanted to thank my Blog friends for sticking with me even though I have been the "Indiana Slacker Blogger" lately! I hope to get my act together and start reading, commenting, and posting regularly soon!
Happy Valentines Day to Everyone! ♥ Sue ♥

It's A Better Late Than Never Giveaway!

2010-01-24T18:20:00.006-05:00

A few weeks ago I realized I had let my 1 year blogiversary go by without a celebration of any kind. Well, I knew I had to do something, but what?? Then it hit me! This time last year I was the lucky girl who won Barb's, over at http://gritsglamour.blogspot.com/, wonderful giveaway. Remembering how excited I was to receive that package in the mail, I decided to have a little giveaway of my own. I have recently decided that I really missed sewing and that I wanted to start making Aprons, why aprons you ask? Well, a couple of reasons......
1. I love to wear aprons
2. Aprons are hard to find in stores
3. My daughter is in college to become a pastry chef, and I figured she would need a few.
So I ran to JoAnn Fabrics and picked up a simple pattern and some great fabrics, and started sewing.
The first apron I made I gave to my favorite pastry chef, Nikki.

But the second Apron I made is for one of YOU, my favorite blog buddies!

Here's a close up view of the fabric

And of the little fabric flower I pinned on.

Since it is getting close to Valentines Day, I thought making an apron with pinks would be fun. Of course, I will be adding more Valentine goodies to this giveaway, but I wanted to get this posted right away. I am such a procrastinator that I was afraid to wait another day to start my contest, because I am going out of town for work on Friday, and I wanted to be able to get this package in the mail before I leave .
So if you'd like to enter my little giveaway for a chance to win some valentine treats, please send me a comment, and if you'd like to be entered more than once, you can also post something on your blog about it, but dont forget to let me know you've done this.
Now get busy and leave me a comment, my Giveaway will be ending at Noon, est, on Thursday January 28.
I have really enjoyed my first year of blogging and meeting so many new friends. Thanks to all of you who leave me comments and emails, reading each one puts a smile on my face! I look forward to another fun year of getting to know each of you just a little bit better.
Thanks for stopping by, and dont forget to enter!

Oopsie-Darnit-Shoot-Aaa Man-Crap

2010-01-06T14:54:00.005-05:00

Oopsie, I just saw that tomorrow is my 1 year blogiversary and I know i told you to stop by to see what I had in store for everyone, well, I am bad,and I'm sad to say, I havent gotten anything together yet. Please forgive me and I promise I will be back with a really nice giveaway very soon, Pinky swear!
Thanks for understanding! Love ya all, Sue

Christmas House in Review

2009-12-31T11:00:00.006-05:00

Here are just a few pics I took of the house this Christmas, I would have posted before now, but was having trouble with blogger, go figure. LOL
First you'll see my wood candlestick collection. Janene over at Primitive lifestyle was my personal shopper and helped me find quite a few of these beauties! THanks Janene!
As you can see, i have an ecclectic way of decorating, I like many different styles, and this year I decided to put up 3 six foot trees instead of one big one!

The dining room

Our little bathroom off the kitchen...

Thanks so much for stopping by, check back soon, it is my 1 year blogaversary very soon and i might just have a surprise for you!! Happy New YEar! Sue

A little bit of this and a little bit of.......

2009-12-18T08:46:00.003-05:00

I was just reminded that I hadnt updated on our little Keegan....Well I am so happy to report that according to his daddy, my little brother, he is almost 100%. Still a little skinny, but he is eating. So again, Thank you all so very much for all of your prayers!!!
In other news. Yesterday was take Nikki, Miss Independent, to the airport day. I wonder, does it ever get easy to drop your baby, now almost 23 years old, off at the airport? I have to think not! She landed safely, thank the lord, and is so happy to be back in the land that she loves, with the boy that she loves, lol. I know alot of skiing will be taking place while she is there. Her boyfriends family has alot of fun Christmas/ 90th Birthday events planned while she is in town, so I am sure a great time will be had! She will be missed, of course, but what is a mom to do, I want my girl to be happy, and skiing in SLC with her boyfriend, makes her very happy!!
Today I plan on doing a little shopping, and then meeting a dear friend for lunch at Olive Garden, salad and breadsticks, here I come!! My friend, MAryAnn, and I met probably almost 28 years ago, when we both went to work as tellers for a local bank. We quickly became great frirnds! Getting married within months of each other and then becoming pregnant at almost the same time. I just found out that her daughter, a little older than my son is going to make her a grandma in 2010! I am so happy for her! It seems like only yesterday that I was going to a babyshower for her and now, here she is going to be a grandmama! Incredible how quickly time passes!
Tomorrow is the hubs and my 28th Wedding anniversary. But that is for another post, I have to get off this computer and get some work done. Have a great day everyone, and I look forward to talking to you real soon! Sue

Prayers Answered!

2009-12-13T09:46:00.002-05:00

***UPDATE*** Thank you everyone in Blogville for the kind encouraging words and prayers. Thank God Keegan came home from the hospital yesterday late afternoon. He is a little weak, but improving. Your words and prayers meant so much to my entire family! Sue

Urgent Prayers Needed Please!

2009-12-09T22:19:00.004-05:00

I would so appreciate a little prayer being said for my sweet nephew Keegan. He is 2 1/2 and has been ill for a few days. This morning against the nurses advice my sister in law insisted that he be seen at his doctors. Thank God, after seeing him they immediately called an ambulance and took him to Cincinnati Childrens Hospital, where he remains in ICU. His little heart was beating 180 beats a minute. They told my brother it was a good thing they got him there so quickly. He has pneumonia and is a sick little guy. If you can take 30 seconds to say a quick prayer for him it would mean so much.

Thank you all, I will update when I know more! God Bless! Sue

O M G

2009-12-07T06:47:00.003-05:00

OMG, can this really be? Only 18 more days until Christmas? Are you ready? Or are you like me and still have a bit of shopping, wrapping, decorating, baking, and entertaining left to do? This weekend was great! On Saturday we held our annual Woman's Pampering Day for the ladies of the Food Pantry that I work at.
Approximately 60 woman attended. Those that came were treated to a haircut and style by one of 10 talented stylists who volunteered their time. A Chair massage by an oh so talented masseuse, a manicure complete with tiny candy canes painted so perfectly on their nails, yummy scrummy delicious food, and lots of giveaways! The ladies loved it and were soo very appreciative. And except for a few times, well actually a bunch of times that all the blowdryers and curling irons blew a fuse, everything went perfectly!!
I raced home from that to attend my works company Christmas Party! We had a wonderful meal and then went back to my bosses house for a great dessert made by his lovely wife!
Yesterday Nikki and I ran to the mall and managed to find a few great deals, before we arrived at my mom's house for our annual cookie bake! My mom, sisters, sister-in-Laws, and little nieces and nephews were all there! We got alot done this year including, fudge, blueberry mini muffins, thumb print cookies, mini poppy seed bread loaves, cookie cutter cookies, and chocolate chip cookies.
At 6 we ran to Dicks Sporting Goods, where it was family and friends night! My sister in laws niece works there while going to college and she was so sweet to give us some of her coupons. We loved saving her 25% discount plus an extra 10% discount, on top of the sale prices! WOOHOO!!!
Today it is all about the cleaning of my house as I get ready to host about 30 ladies from our ladies group at church for our annual Christmas PArty on Wednesday! Why do I always volunteer to host this, have I learned nothing from the past years? Dont get me wrong, it is soo much fun, but this is my very busiest time of the year, like it is for so many of you, and to add even one more thing to my plate, makes for a very overflowing plate!! Thank God Nikki is here to help me today! Speaking of Nikki, she is very excited, in only 10 days she is off to SLC, Utah, to see her boyfriend, and to ski for 2 1/2 weeks over her Christmas break!
Tomorrow, I will be up at church, with 2 friends, getting the giving tree gifts all seperated and into their families bags!
Oh yes and did I mention that I have to finish my Food Pantry Article, well actually start and finishmy article, Pantry News From Soup to Nuts, that I write every month for our local news paper that is due in 3 days? And that I have to run the Cookie sale at our library for friends of the library on Saturday??
Damn with all this running and doing, you'd think I'd be skinny, or somthing, how is it that I am soo NOT???
On a pretty note, I woke up this morning to a beautiful blanket of snow outside, definitely more than a dusting, was this predicted? HEck, I have no idea, who has time to watch the news??? I am looking forward to Thursday night, Nikki and I and my sister and mom are going to see a local production of Miracle on 34th street, I could really use a miracle, clean house, gifts wrapped, cooking done, etc.. here on Jeb Drive, that's for sure! LOL

YIKES, it's a Crazy life, but it's MY Life!
So, what have you got going on in your crazy life?? I would love to hear! Thanks so much for stopping by!
Have a great week! Sue

Some Christmas Thoughts

2009-12-01T06:44:00.003-05:00

(1) What is your favorite Christmas movie?

It's a Wonderful Life, I have to watch it every year! And A Christmas STory, with Ralphy and the Red Rider BB Gun, that is a great movie!!

(2) What is your LEAST favorite Christmas movie?

A TV movie with Kathy Ireland called Once Upon a Christmas, I am usually all about the TV Christmas Movies, but this one is really BAD!

(3) What is your favorite Christmas Song?

I love love love Santa Baby by Eartha Kitt, it is great, I also love Silent Night

(4) What Christmas song(s) drives you crazy?

Grandma Got Run Over By a Reindeer, lol

(5) What is your favorite Christmas drink?

Strawberry Daiquiri, I know it isnt a Christmas Drink, but I generally only drink them at this time of year, hmmm, dont know why?

(6) What is your favorite Christmas memory?

Going to see A Christmas Carol at the Playhouse, with Nikki, one of the several times we have seen it!

(7) What is the best toy/gift you've received on Christmas?

I have never really liked getting Christmas Gifts, my two best gifts I ever received were my children! I also loved the diamond ring Scott got me years ago, very pretty!

(8) What is the worst toy/gift you've received on Christmas?

HA they're been many! Ugly sweaters, a salad shooter, clothes that dont fit, I hate receiving gifts, ughhh

(9) What do you LOVE about the holidays?

I love spending time with my family and friends, the music, and the yummy food!

(10) What annoys you about the holidays?

Being in a family gift exchange where I buy you a gift card and you buy me one, WHY Bother? I am so glad we stopped that nonsense!

(11) Do you prefer star or angel on top of a Christmas tree? Or something else?

Star, I also love having something crazy on top, like somthing floral, or some beads jutting out all crazy!

(12) What is your family favorite recipe at Christmas?

My family has alot of great cooks, so alot of yummy appetizers are made, but my favorite food tradition is my mom picking up 100 chicken wings from Ponderosa, WOW are they great!

(13) Are you a Grinch or a Who at Christmastime?

I believe I am a WHO

(14) Christmas light displays - Love them or Hate them?

I love all white lights, and I also love the big colored lite bulbs like the old days, something about a strand on a house or fence screams Christmas to me!
(15) Santas at the mall - Fun times or Creepy?

I love them! But think it is crazy that they charge $10+ a pop for a Picture!

(16) Christmas cards - do you send them, yes or no?

Most years, some years they get written and never sent, very sad!

(17) What is the best thing about Christmas, in your opinion?

I love giving gifts to the families that really need the help, it is an awesome feeling!

(18) What is the worst thing about Christmas?

It never quite lives up to the storybook Christmas that I dream of!

(19) When do you put the tree up and take it down?

End of November, and middle of January

(20) Out of the 12 days of Christmas, which day and item would you want your truelove to give to you?

FIVVVVVVVVVVE Golden RINGGGGGGGGGSSSSSSSSSSSSS

(21) Why do you think that Grandma got run over by a reindeer?

She had one too many Strawberry Daiquiris, ha!

(22) Who is your favorite reindeer?

Gotta Be Rudolph, when he says, READY SANTA in his little nasally voice, gotta love that!

(23) Do you believe in Santa Claus?

Of Course!

(24) What is your favorite smell at Christmastime?

First thing that popped in my head is Turkey

(25) What would make you happy at Christmas this year?
To have Nikki here for the day, but unfortunately she will be leaving on Dec. 17 for SLC, Utah, again! There's always next year!
Thanks for reading this all the way thru, it was fun to do, let me know if you decide to do it on your blog, I would love to see how YOU answer these silly questions! Sue

Dear Family, Martha Stewart will not be attending our Thanksgivng

2009-11-17T16:17:00.003-05:00

Dear Family,

I know that you were eager to accept my family's invitation to Thanksgiving dinner when you found out that the famous Martha Stewart would be joining us.

However, due to scheduling conflicts beyond her control, Ms. Stewart finds that she is unable to grace our table this year. With that in mind, there will be a few minor changes regarding the meal and decor, as outlined below. Please be aware of them, and adjust your appetite and dress appropriately. Thank you.

1) Our driveway will not be lined with homemade, paper bag luminaries. After several trial runs and two visits from the fire department, it was decided that, no matter how cleverly done, rows of flaming lunch sacks do not have the desired welcoming effect.

2) Once inside, please note that the entry space will not be decorated with swags of Indian corn and fall foliage. Instead, I've gotten our daughter involved in decorating by having her track in colorful autumn leaves from the front yard. The mud was her idea.

3) The dining table will not be covered with expensive linens, fancy china, or crystal goblets. If possible, we will use dishes that m atch and everyone will get a fork. Since this is Thanksgiving, we will refrain from using the paper Cinderella dinner plates, the leftover Halloween napkins, and my famous Garfield cup collection.

4) Our centerpiece will not be a tower of fresh fruit and flowers. Instead we will be proudly displaying a hedgehog-like decoration hand-crafted from the finest construction paper and macaroni. The artist assures me it is a turkey, albeit one without wings, legs, or a beak.

5) We will be dining somewhat later than planned.
However, our daughter will entertain you while you wait. I'm sure she will be happy to share every choice comment her mother made regarding Thanksgiving, pilgrims, stuffing choices, the turkey hotline, and, especially, her husband. Please remember that most of these comments were made at 7:00AM upon discovering that said husband had only remembered to pull the turkey from the freezer at 6:00A M, and that the thing was still hard enough to cut diamonds.

6) As an accompaniment to our daughter's recital of these events, I will play a recording of Native American tribal drumming. Curiously, the tribal drumming sounds a great deal like a frozen turkey in a clothes dryer, but that only enhances the holiday appropriateness. If our daughter should mention that we don't own a recording of Native American tribal drumming, ignore her. She's only eight; what does she know?

7) A dainty silver bell will not be rung to announce the start of our feast. We have chosen to keep our traditional method of assembling when the smoke alarm goes off.

8) There will be no formal seating arrangement. When the smoke alarm sounds, please gather around the table and sit where you like. In the spirit of harmony, we will ask all the children to sit at a separate table.
In a separate room. Next door. And I would like to take this opportunity to remind our younger diners that "passing the rolls" is neither a football play nor an excuse to bean your cousin in the head with bread.

9) The turkey will not be carved at the table. I know you have seen the Norman Rockwell image of one person carving a turkey in front of a crowd of appreciative onlookers. Such a scene may occur somewhere in America , but it won't be happening at our dinner table. For safety reasons, the turkey will be carved in the kitchen at a private ceremony. I stress "private", meaning "Do not, under any circumstances, enter the kitchen to laugh at me. Do not send small, unsuspecting children, or older, helpful grandparents into the kitchen to check on my progress. I have a very large, very sharp knife. The turkey is unarmed.
It stands to reason that I will eventually win the battle. When I do, we will eat."

10) For the duration of the meal, we will refer to the giblet gravy by its lesser-known name: Kraft Cheese Sauce. If a young diner questions you regarding the origins or makeup of the Kraft Cheese Sauce, smile kindly and say that you know the answer, but it's a secret that can't be revealed to them until they are 18.

11) Instead of offering a choice among 12 different scrumptious desserts, we will be serving the traditional pumpkin pie, garnished with whipped cream and small fingerprints. You still have a choice: take it or leave it.

That concludes our list of alterations. Again, I apologize that Martha will not be joining us this year. Come to think of it, she probably won't come next year, either. And for that, I am indeed thankful.
I love Martha, I really do, but this was just too funny not to pass along! I will be preparing Thanksgiving Dinner this year for 20 members of my husbands family, wish me luck!!!

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!!

Sue

Just Stuff

2009-11-14T22:24:00.004-05:00

Nikki, my daughter and I have been doing alot of shopping lately, getting a great start on my Christmas shopping, and having really good luck, so far. I have been able to cross quite a few people off my list. Using Kohls 30% off coupon on top of everything being on sale, I feel like the queen of great deals!
Tonite Nik and I worked on the tags that I put up at our church for the Giving Tree, or angel tree, or whatever you call yours. I have more tags to add but got finished with all the names we have so far. Do any of you have giving trees at your churches? I would love to hear how they handle lost or forgotten tags, it is always a small problem that we have. So this year I am having people "sign out" the tags just so I will have the name of the person who picked the tag in case they lose it or forget about returning the gift. One of my families is a really awesome group, the parents had a few children themselves and then started fostering kids with emotional problems, one by one over the years they have adopted quite a few of their foster kids. They are an amazing family, and I just love helping them out at Thanksgiving and Christmas, they are just so appreciative of everything they receive!
Our food pantry, where I volunteer, will be handing out over 230 turkey dinners with all the fixing next Saturday, what a crazy busy time, but the cool thing is when people come too pick up their food box, they dont even have to get out of their cars, just pull around the back of the pantry give their name and a food box complete with turkey is placed in their car, simple as that!

Tomorrow afternoon, my mom, sister, daughter, and future daughter in law and I are all going to downtown Cincinnati to dinner and then over to watch White Christmas, the new Broadway Series Play, we are all excited. ♥Don't you love the movie White Christmas ♥? **Side note, when Rosemary Clooney got remarried a few years back, my husband's cousin, was hand picked by her to sing at her wedding! He has a wonderful voice and has graciously agreed to sing at my son's wedding next year! if should be great!
Did you notice the hearts in this post?? Most of you probably know how to do this, but, me, I'm a little slow and just found out, from Nikki. IF any of you dont know, it is so simple and works on here, and Facebook, etc. All you have to do is type, & hearts ;(except without the spaces, but when i type it the correct way, it just shows you a heart not the code, lol) this is code to your computer to make a heart whereever you want it, so simple, how did I not know this, lol! Thanks Nikki, ♥ you!
I guess I have rambled long enough, If you are still reading this, thanks so much for stopping by! I so ♥love♥ a nice comment, it is like getting a letter in the mail! Have a great week! Sue
**Note** I appologize for all the ♥ but they are fun,and its like having a new toy!! LOL

Ok I have started, so sue me!

2009-11-08T19:35:00.006-05:00

Ok, I have started my Christmas decorating, well on my blog at least! Linda over at Behind My Red Door posed this question, Should We Or Shouldn't We, decorate for Christmas before thanksgiving?? I just couldnt stand to wait, to change my blog,but now I am having trouble changing the font style and color, maybe someone doesnt think I should change it yet, but either way, does anyone have any ideas on what I might be doing wrong?
As far as my house, I can't decide whether to switch the decor to Christmas or leave it as fall?? You see, I am hosting the hubs family for Thanksgiving on the Saturdy after Thanksgiving, and then a week later, I am hosting my Ladies Group from church for our annual Christmas Party. Doesnt leave alot of switch over time, on top of all the other things I have to do that week. I dont want my THanksgiving guests to feel strange, but I have to be done decorating for my church party. Decisions decisions, I know it isn't life or death, but I sure wish I could decide, lol. I have added a few pics from my house a few years ago, when I decide to decorate this year, I will try to post them for all to see!!
Thanks for listening, Sue

From Our House To Yours

2009-10-31T22:07:00.002-04:00

From our house to yours......

Happy Fall!
Thanks everyone for stopping by, Have a great Sunday! Sue

ENTER IF YOU DARE

2009-10-31T10:15:00.002-04:00

Happy Halloween Dear Blog friends!
Hope you all have a Spooky Fun Night!

Oh Happy Day!!

2009-10-27T20:44:00.002-04:00

I just discovered that a new radio station STAR 93.3 in Cincinnati has started playing Christmas music, 24/7.

Let me just say that I LOVE Christmas Music! I have been known to listen to it as early as......the 4th of July, there I said it!! Now I know many of you, perhaps all of you, will think I am NUTS, CRazy even, but I have always just loved the music of the Holiday. I love the religous stuff, the silly fun songs, all of it!
I thought I would have to wait until Thanksgiving to be able to turn my car radio to an all Christmas station, but Oh Happy Day, I saw on FaceBook today that there was a station that has already started playing it and I wasted no time turning it on, and it has been on alll day long!!
I love the old stuff by Bing!
And the new stuff

What is your favorite Christmas song?? My favorite non-religous song has to be Santa Baby, by Eartha Kitt

It is a fun song, and I love it! My favorite traditional Christmas song is...gosh I dont know, I will have to think about it and post about it later, I like so many!
Please dont judge me, other than this, I am a pretty normal gal, lol!
Thanks for stopping by, and I look forward to hearing about your favorite! Sue

Busy Busy Busy

2009-10-24T08:51:00.003-04:00

Wow I really have a busy day today! I have to go to the bank, to make a deposit, go to my Mary Kay sales person and pick up my perfume, and then at noon I have to be at church to help with a wedding.

I can only wish our church was this pretty. Don't get me wrong I love our church, for the people, but the actual church used to be a pole barn, now as far as pole barns go, this one is great, it has been transformed! But it was a pole barn, enough said! I am one of 2 wedding planners and this is my week! This is a huge wedding with 9 girls plus flower girl and 12 guys plus ring bearer! The bride is a very pretty young lady, the groom seems like a really nice guy, all and all a really neat group of people,it should be alot fun!

After the wedding it is off to a dear friend's daughter's Baby Shower, now I know I will enjoy this! I'm a goober and like going to things like this! LOL

After the shower I am meeting my husband back at the house and we are going to Red Lobster, for dinner to celebrate a friends birthday! Havent been there in years, but I do remember I love their cheese biscuits!
By this time my foot should be throbbing and I will be exhausted, but it's all good!
Hope you all have a great weekend planned, and if not, just get outside and enjoy the beautiful colors, they are amazing in our part of the country, Southern Indiana, and I hope they are where you live too!
Thanks for stopping by! Remember my blog is always open, and I love visitors! Sue

I Won An Award!

2009-10-16T13:23:00.006-04:00

My thanks to my buddy Robin over at Alabama Slacker Mom for tagging me and a few other lovely ladies with the Honest Scrap Award.
By accepting this award I have to promise to tell all of you 10 honest things about myself, give me a minute of two to come up with these things, and I have to pass it on to 7 other lovely ladies!
Here are the official rules of this award:

1) Present this award to 7 others whose blogs I find brilliant in content and/or design, or those who have encouraged me.
2) Tell those 7 people they've been awarded HONEST SCRAP and inform them of these guidelines in receiving this award.
3) Share "10 Honest Things" about myself.

Here are the 7 blogs that I want to give the Honest Scrap award to:

And here are 10 HOnest Things about myself...
1. I smoked a little in high school and I so wish I hadn't, but I am so happy that I didnt become addicted.
2. I drank a little in high school too and I am so glad that I never developed a taste for alcohol.
3. I am a terrible procrastinator, really really bad!
4. I hate to clean, hate it! I like a clean house, but it rarely happens, except like today because I am having a party tonite, other than that, not nearly often enough. I am a good straightener and a great stasher, but a horrible cleaner.
5. I am a hoarder, not like that lady Oprah had on her show awhile back, but I just hate throwing things away, although this is something I have been working on, and am getting a little better.
6. I wish I had gone to college, and had become a teacher, I am happy doing what I am doing now, but back in the day, I would have loved to be a teacher.
7. I am a big girl, but I cannot use the "f" word to describe myself, you know the one, (f-a-t) nope I just cant do it. And I actually dream that I am normal weight, like I used to be, I have never dreamt me big before.
8. I tell little white lies.
9. I absolutely hate going to the doctors, see # 7 for the main reason.
10. I have in the past, a couple times, over the past almost 28 years considered divorcing my husband. I am so glad we stuck it out, and I wonder if others have had that same thought. WE are great now, but sometimes over the years, I have wondered what the heck we were doing staying together.
OK, wow that got kind of deep! Now for having to pick 7 of you who have not already received this award and who still accept awards, I am having a difficult time. All of your blogs inspire me, they all make me happy just by reading them, that is why they are on my blog roll, so I want to pick any or all of you who would like to participate, please let me know you have posted this, so I can come by and learn something really honest about all of you!!!
I better get off here, I was only going to take a couple minute break from my cleaning and cooking for tonites party and it has taken me a bit longer than that! I will try to post about the two parties we are having this weekend very soon, and hopefully I remember to take some pics, which you all know I am so bad at, lol.
My final question to all of you is, do any of you invite people to your home for a party and then as the time rolls near, wonder why and the heck you opened your mouth in the first place? Not that I was thinking that at all, I'm just asking!
Thanks for stopping by, hope all of you have a great weekend!
***A quick update. Bryan finally closed on his house yesterday what any emotional thing that was for me, my baby a home owner, and what an exciting day for him! So last night we all helped him and Sonny move into their new home! Nikki is moving in with them today, so we will have our empty nest back!!! WOO HOO, YIPPEE, WOWZA WOWZA, I can iron in my underwear again! LOL

Sue

Well It Looks Like We Just Might Have Our Empty Nest Back!

2009-10-07T08:02:00.003-04:00

I started this Blog because our kids both moved out within a couple of weeks of each other. At the time, I didnt know how I would survive. Turns out, I loved it! I didnt know how Scott and I would do, we are such opposites, turns out, we loved it,and got along wonderfully! Then a couple of months ago, they both moved BACK! It has been great, but now Bryan is supposed to close on his house on Friday, so it looks like this weekend we will be getting our really empty nest back. I have mixed feelings of course. On one hand I am very happy and proud of Bryan for purchasing such a nice house, and thrilled that it just so happens to be only 4.6 miles away. I am also happy that he has generously offered to have his sister move in with him, and Sonny. Nikki has lived away from home quite a long time and she really likes her independence. I am really happy that if I have to iron my shirt and happen to be in my bra and underwear that I can do it again without scaring the children, that is a sight no one should have to witness!lol. I will miss the "activity" in the house that naturally happens when the kids are here, but I will also love the quiet that is just Scott and I.
So in the end, it was great having them here, probably the last time we will ALL live under the same roof, gosh, that makes me sad, but we look forward to our quiet, boring, life once again, just us and our little furbabies!
So tell me have your kids ever moved back in? How was it, and did you look forward to them moving back OUT again???
Have a great week everyone, hope you are enjoying beautiful fall weather like we are here in southeast Indiana! Thanks so much for stopping by, please say HI! Sue

Free Tickets To The Theater

2009-09-29T09:38:00.003-04:00

My mom just called and told me to check out a website that she just read about, www.freenightoftheater.net. And I wanted to share it with you my blog friends. This Thursday at noon, you can get online and order 2 tickets to a local Play of your choice. We live close to Cincinnati and are very fortunate to have many theaters to choose from. My mom, sister, and I have been season tickets holders to the Arronoff Center for a long time, which allows us to see alot of plays every year. If going to a play is something that you have always wanted to do, or try, get online on Thursday at noon, they say tickets go fast and give it a try. You can go there now and see what will be available on Thursday, my mom and I are going to try for two different plays so hopefully we can go twice! The article also says to check back as more plays and venues are being added all the time.
Here are just a couple of the many plays that we have really enjoyed over the years!

Good luck, and see you at the theater! Sue

To Dye or Not To Dye?

2009-09-27T09:42:00.005-04:00

Ok, Here is the question.... To Dye or not to Dye?? I have been coloring my hair for probably almost 20 years. I will admit it, I am 47, YIKES! My grandma was completely grey at 30, so I have been told! She had that white grey hair, you know the color. I guess I took after her, because for a time, I was greyer, then my mother. I have been giving this ALOT of thought and wonder, when is enough enough, when do you stop fighting and just give in to the inevitable? I see attractive woman walking around with grey hair and think wow they look great! I always wonder when they finally just decide to let it go, and do it's natural thing? Look at these lovely women who are grey...

And yes I know JAmie Lee Curtis is in there twice, that is because that is probably the color grey I will end up being, that salt and pepper grey, and she looks fantastic, doesnt she?
So my question to you my dear probably nongrey blogger friends, is what do you do? ARE you grey? Do you color? Have you decided to just go natural and let it all, the grey, hang out? I need advice! And it doesnt help that I have a husband who looks so young at almost 50 that people think he is our son's brother, lol! Can't wait to hear what all of you say!
Have a great week! I am sure I will, I just dyed my grey and am a beautiful shade of brown color, hey I said I hadnt decided when to let it go, and I'm a whimp, and I dont want to look like my husband's mother, so sue me! LOL Thanks so much for stopping by! Sue

Fall Decorating 2007??

2009-09-22T11:34:00.010-04:00

Happy Fall Y'All! I love fall and fall decorating, so I wanted to join this fun party sponsored by Rhondi at Rose Colored Glasses

(Stop over at the Party to see other bloggers fall decorating!)
But because our son moved home with alll of his STUFF until his house closing, in 2 weeks, I can not get to my decorations. UGHHH! But I did remember that I had taken pics of my decorating from 2007, so although these are not current, you havent seen them before, so I thought I would share....

After Bryan moves out and into his new home, I hope to be able to decorate and post some new pics, enjoy this first day of Fall, Happy Decorating!
Thanks for stoppin by, Sue

Fall Is Almost Officially Here And Do I Have A Recipe For You!

2009-09-20T16:55:00.005-04:00

September is 2/3 over already, does anyone else find that almost impossible to believe? Fall is definitely showing it's color around our parts, southern Indiana, close to Cincy. I walk our little fur babies every day and see the changes daily. The crisp air, the changing leaves, I love it! How can anyone not like Fall?
We had our Charity Bunco Night on Friday and it was a big success! We cleared $1,000 but more importantly the ladies had a BLAST! I think we will for sure do it next year, and hope for more women to attend.
I had to go to work on Saturday, just for a couple of hours. A husband and wife came down from Indy and loved our product and ordered quite a bit for their new home, so it was definitely worth going in for. Right next door to my work was a church hosting a large yard sale. I just had to stop, what kind of blogger would I be if I didnt?? I found an adorable soup tureen, brand new, in box, that matches a set of dishes I have, and it was only $4, I was thrilled! I also found 2 old ball jars with silver lids, the jars have a grid pattern on them, and I just fell in love, I have already filled one with salt, getting ready for all the baking I will soon be doing! Speaking of baking, I used a Martha Stewart recipe that I discovered last year. Last year I made it in cookie form, but this year I made it into mini muffins, and they are amazing! People, my family gobble them up as soon as they are iced. The recipe is called Pumpkin Cookies with Brown Butter Icing, and they are too die!!
Ingredients
Makes about 6 dozen
FOR THE COOKIES
2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 1/4 teaspoons coarse salt
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 1/4 teaspoons ground ginger
3/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
2 1/4 cups packed light-brown sugar
2 large eggs
1 1/2 cups canned solid-pack pumpkin (14 ounces)
3/4 cup evaporated milk
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
FOR THE ICING
4 cups confectioners' sugar, sifted
10 tablespoons (1 1/4 sticks) unsalted butter
1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon evaporated milk,
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
Directions
Make cookies: Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ginger, and nutmeg in a medium bowl; set aside.
Put butter and brown sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Mix on medium speed until pale and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Mix in eggs. Reduce speed to low. Add pumpkin, evaporated milk, and vanilla; mix until well blended, about 2 minutes. Add flour mixture; mix until combined.
Transfer 1 1/2 cups batter to a pastry bag fitted with a 1/2-inch plain tip (such as Ateco #806). Pipe 1 1/2-inch rounds onto parchment-lined baking sheets, spacing 1 inch apart. Bake cookies, rotating sheets halfway through, until tops spring back, about 12 minutes. Cool on sheets on wire racks 5 minutes. Transfer cookies to wire racks; let cool completely.
Make icing: Put confectioners' sugar in a large bowl; set aside. Melt butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. Cook, swirling pan occasionally, until golden brown, about 3 minutes. Immediately add butter to confectioners' sugar, scraping any browned bits from sides and bottom of pan. Add evaporated milk and vanilla; stir until smooth. Spread about 1 teaspoon icing onto each cookie. If icing stiffens, stir in more evaporated milk, a little at a time. Cookies can be stored in single layers in airtight containers at room temperature up to 3 days.
I made them exactly as the recipe states except for cooking them as mini muffins, which I sprayed with Pam, they slid out of the pan. You have to give them a try, I never knew I liked pumpkin, until I tried these.
After getting home from work and the yard sale, we got ready for our Church Fall Festival. They served pulled pork sandwiches for only $1 they were too good! My children, their boy/girlfriend and my husband and I all went and ate, I treated, yeah I know I'm a big spender, lol.
Today has been a rainy, grocery shopping, Bengal watching kind of day, and I love it! Work tomorrow then who knows what life will have in store for me next??
LEt me know if you try the recipe, I promise you won't regret it! Have a great week, and thanks for stopping by, dont forget to say HI!

A New Look

2009-09-04T20:43:00.006-04:00

With all this talk about Fall, my favorite (and it seems like the majority of your) favorite time of year, I decided to change the look of my blog. What isn't there not to like about this season? I love the cool nights, cool mornings, the beautiful colors, which just so happen to be the colors that I decorate with, bonfires, roasted marshmallows, falling leaves, open windows, pumpkins, indian corn, mums, scarecrows, hay rides, fall tablescapes, you name it, I just love it all!

OK so how can you not like, no love all this???
Let me know what you like to do this time of year??
Thanks for stopping by, please leave a comment and say HI!
For more fall looking blogs, these ladies are really good! Check out Cheri's Decorate the Holidays!! I was even chosen as a favorite this week!!

Life Is Good

2009-08-29T08:08:00.006-04:00

Life is good. But it is going way too fast! Since I last posted, which seems like a day ago, but has actually been more like 11 days, we have done alot! My husband and I and Nikki and her boyfriend, and my "little sister" from BBBS went to see the Cincinnati Reds play a game. AFter a short rain delay we actually had a really nice night. The game was boring as all get out, but we made the best of it! After the game we took hotdogs and gave them to the homeless people that were sitting on the sidewalk, some were grateful, some, you could tell, would have rather had the $$$. This, I thought was an important lesson to teach Brittany, my little, about giving, and getting a good education, etc..
Saturday was a fun night with friends as we helped our youngest friend celebrate her 40th bday with a surprise party hosted by her husband! Great times!
She is the cute little blonde on the right, mother of 4! Shown here along with yours truly and two other friends, Connie and Carolyn, Hi guys!

Monday after work, my husband and I together with our son, met the home inspector at the home that he planned on purchasing, and thank goodness after a very thorough inspection, he only came up with very minor problems, nothing "handy dad" can't fix, lol.

Isnt it a cute house? Very nice on the inside too! 3 bedrooms, 2.5 baths, all new carpet, paint, appliances. A huge family room for lots of entertaining! Hope we get invited, lol! Poor guy he is so stressed out, he actually was feeling slight chest pains, which scared me to death. In two days time last week, he became engaged and purchased a house, no wonder he is feeling a bit of stress, that's alot for a 25 year old. heck that is alot for anyone!
Last week was good at work too, we sealed the deal on 2 really nice bedroom units!
Last night we attended our second Wagner Family Dinner night. ANd just like the first, it was a really relaxed and fun evening! Of course I forgot to take pictures, sorry!
Tonite I am invited to the home of my son's fiance's mother. I have only met her once before. But she has invited me and my daughter and all the other girls in the wedding party for a cocktail party. Should be FUN!
Here's the happy couple...

I hope it wont be another 11 days until I post again. But in the mean time I will come visit and see what all of you are up to. Thanks againg for stopping by and hope to talk to you soon!

It's Been Way Too Long

2009-08-18T08:25:00.005-04:00

Oh my gosh, it has been eons since I last posted. I have been having trouble with my pics, long story, and didnt want to post about our First Family Dinner without pictures, but then I figured it out, so here goes!!
I told you all about how my husband's family had planned to start having monthly family dinners a while back, well we finally scheduled the first one for Friday July 31. The hubs and I arrived a bit early, you see, they have a really nice built in pool and well, he couldnt resist. Turns out everyone else had the same idea because before you know it we were all there! My sister-in-law was busy finishing up her Chicken LAsagne dish when we arrived. My husband being the very very picky eater that he is wished we would have stopped at Wendys on the way. Smile honey, it's delicious!!

Turns out he would have wasted his money at WEndys, he loved the dish and ended up having 2 helpings! We had a GREAT dinner, along with the lasagne, recipe to follow, we had breadsticks and salad from Olive Garden thanks to Scott's sister, and the most yummy corn on the cob, cooked a really different way. My sister in law Becky got this idea from a friend and I have since used it and given it to many others, it is SOOO simple, and totally delicious!! All you do is place the ears of corn still in the shucks right in your oven, on a cookie sheet or right on the rack, no soaking, no nothing, and cook them for 30 minutes at 350. The shucks, although hot come off in one tug and wow is it moist and yummy, give this a try, I swear it is great, and soo darn easy!

Sorry, I always forget to take before pics!
I made a couple of desserts but the star of the show was definitely the Chicken Lasagne!
Chicken LAsagne
1 pkg no boil lasagne noodles
1 can cr of mushroom soup
1 can cr of chicken soup
1 cup parmesan cheese
1 cup sour cream
1 cup finely chopped onions
1/2 t garlic powder
1 t pepper
3 cups cooked and chopped chicken
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese

Blend everything except shredded cheese and noodles
Grease a 9 x 13 pan
Layer as you do regular lasagne
Bake at 350 for 45- 60 minutes, watch it
Let it sit a few minutes before serving, YUM
Open Wide Savanah!!

After dinner it was a quick clean-up and then the kids headed up the street to the local softball/volleyball complex. And it was adult time! We laughed and told stories and laughed the whole evening. What a wonderful evening we all had! We found that it is so fun to get together for no reason other than to enjoy each other's company! I strongly recommend it to everyone!!
This is my husband, far left, and his fun brothers and sisters!

Did I mention that the youngest brother Tony, took a little dip, clothes, wallet, and all??? LOL

The morning after this fun night we had to leave our house at 5 am so we could be at the airport in Dayton, Ohio for our flight to Phoenix, Arizona. I will save our trip for my next post complete with pics, I promise!
Alot has been going on at the Wagner Compound recently! Miss independent, our daughter Nikki, has returned home! How fun! She plans on finishing up her degree in Culinary arts at the local Midwest Culinary Arts Inst. I am thrilled! Our oldest child, Bryan, proposed to his girlfriend at sunrise yesterday on the the beach, and is now engaged! I am so excited and cant wait to hear all the details!!
I am off to get a few things done on my day off!
Now go out and make it a great day and thanks so much for stopping by! Sue

Looks like my Blog title will have to change!!

2009-07-31T07:38:00.003-04:00

Did I happen to mention that we were empty nesters and loving it??? Well within two weeks both of our little birdies will be flying home, at least temporarily. Bryan's lease on the home that he and friends had been renting runs out as of today, and he just hasnt found the right house to purchase yet, so home he be until he finds and closes on his new home. Nikki just hasnt been having the best of luck in SLC, way too long of a story to go into now, so she made the decision to come home to Indiana and attend the Midwest Culinary Institute in Cincinnati. Now I am thrilled to have her here, miss her so much, dont get me wrong, but Scott and I had just kinda found our new norm. He says nothing will change, but I know that it will.
Bryan has offered to give Nikki a place to live at his new home, when he finds one, so that is an option, we will just have to wait and see?!?!
In the mean time, I will be getting the "guestrooms" ready for their "new guests" with a smile on my face, cause my babies are coming home, at least until the wind blows again!!
I am now off to finish packing, we leave in the morning, and to make a couple desserts for our first Sunday, well Friday family dinner, tonite!! Talk to you all soon, and thanks for listening! Sue

Not much going on.....

2009-07-26T09:23:00.003-04:00

I have tried to be somewhat clever in my posts, not sure if I reached that goal, but I tried. Unfortunately I find that because of this there are alot of times when I have "blog writers block". I was sitting here thinking of something witty and charming to write about when it hit me... The blogs I really enjoy reading are the ones that just talk, the ones that just tell you what is going on in their life, their thoughts and feelings, and I thought lets give that a try...
Last week was a pretty busy week, Worked on Monday. I love going in to the office because I work with my great friend Beth, we have alot of fun together, but also work well with each other, the ideas are just bouncing all around when our creative juices start flowing! We work for The Hoosier Wall Bed Co. You remember the old Murphy Beds?? Well the wonderfully talented and super nice guys that we work for (hey you never know, they may read this, lol) have taken that old concept and kicked it up a notch, they are beautiful beds perfect for people who need more space, people who need to dual purpose a room, as a guest room or maybe a sewing room, or home office. With the big move of baby boomers downsizing and actually moving back to the city, our business is flourishing, we have even started installing them in Firehouses all over the country, go Firemen/women!!
Tuesday I worked at our local Food Pantry, if you havent given this a try I strongly suggest you do, it is such a great thing to do and you really get alot out of the experience, people are really desperate for food right now and thankfully we are able to help.
Wednesday it was back to the Pantry to stuff 158 back packs with school supplies, then off to Wal-Mart with a friend, in the rain, is this really July cause I am beginning to seriously doubt it, to pick up extra school supplies, and picnic food.
Thursday it was work time again with a long and productive 4 hour meeting!
Friday I sat with Sonny, my son's girlfriend while they had their moving sale, he had to work and he didnt want her home alone. They ended up making over $400 and now have alot less "stuff" to move to our house. They are actively looking for a house to buy, so they will be our guests for a little while. IT was also clean the house day, yuck, I would rather be at work, I have told my husband when the commission checks start pouring in...hopefully, the first thing I am doing is hiring someone to clean floors and bathrooms, and I am serious!!
Friday night we where off to our local Firemans Festival to support our brave volunteer men and women.
Saturday it was up with the roosters to go back to the Pantry, I am beginning to see why my husband thinks I may spend a little too much time there, lol, to load up the back packs and extra school supplies and picnic food for our 1st annual Back to School Picnic for the children of our patrons. 3 couples and myself, the hubs was busy hosted the picnic in between rain drops and lightening strikes to hand out back packs, school supplies, lunch, and a new pair of shoes to alot of children in need. The items were for the most part donated by people in our wonderfully generous community and thru a grant!!
Saturday night we were invited to my boss's house for his oldest son's high school graduation party. What fun, they live on alot of acres with beautiful views. His wife Teresa out did herself with a great spread of country food, the best mac and cheese I have ever had.
That is pretty much my week in review, hope you are still here and I didnt bore you to death, lol. I am off to start getting things ready for our big vacation, we leave on Saturday. Have a great week all, I will be by to see what you are all up too!! Thanks so much for stopping by and leaving me a little comment! Sue

Sedona Anyone????

2009-07-13T23:03:00.004-04:00

Looking for people who have either lived in or visited Sedona... Scott, the hubs, and I and 3 other couples will be out there in a few weeks, and want to do some fun extras, things that wont totally break the bank, but that will be truly memorable. Please if you have been there, tell me what would you most definitely do again, or recommend and what wasnt worth the $$$. Things we are thinking of now are a train ride to the Grand Canyon, an ancient ruins jeep ride, a red rock ATV ride, traveling to Flagstaff to dinner, etc... Let me know if you can add or subtract from this list. Boy being empty nesters has really had a positive influence on our vacation plans!! Fun Fun Fun, lol!

Thanks for stopping by, Sue

My Day

2009-07-11T17:27:00.003-04:00

So...did i get to sit home all day eating bon bons and watching Dirty Dancing on TV??? Well no, but this was better!! My son and his girlfriend came over and we started the planning process for their wedding!!! Yep that's right my son, my first born is getting married!! YEAH!
And they don't want the service and reception at a traditional venue, they want to go for something different and unusual, which is perfect in my eyes. And they want to do it next summer so Nikki, Miss Independent my daughter Bryan's sister, will be able to come home for a couple of months during next years summer break and participate in all the festivities!! Well I am just the happiest going to be mother of the groom ever!! LOL
If anyone has any ideas of an unusual venue we can look into especially in the greater Cincinnati area, please let us know!!
Every so often I will need you, my blog friends to remind me that this is not my wedding and I am not to take over the planning, please be brutal if you have to!!!
We and i do mean we not just me, are looking for unusual, different, etc. so if you have hosted a wedding or attended a wedding that had something you thought was amazing, please share, we just dont want the wedding and reception to be the same old same old, instead they want things that will make their wedding memorable, but in a good way! We look forward to hearing from you with your ideas! Have a great day! Thanks for stopping by!

My really really empty nest

2009-07-10T21:49:00.003-04:00

Home Alone at last! That's right my husband is away for the weekend and I am here with only the fur babies to keep me company. Just made a homemade pizza for dinner, the hubs least favorite dinner, but my very Favorite!! YUM! Now what next? Partying until the wee hours, dancing at a local club? Naa, that's not my idea of a fun night. So here i sit, on my computer blog surfing with my feet up. It has been a loong week. This work thing is really cramping my style, but I am finding I really like it alot. It is kind of exciting. The company that I work for The Hoosier Wallbed Co. makes beautiful wallbeds, like the old Murphy beds but with beautiful cabinetry. We also make all kinds of built ins. This week we won a bid on 85 wallbeds for the largest Firehouse in the country which is located in Orlando, FLorida, very exciting stuff!! With the price of real estate high and so many people downsizing, now is a great time for folks to duel purpose a seldom used guest room into a sewing room, a computer room, a study, or even an exercise room. I was home for over 25 years most of them spent babysitting, but being out making appointments, going to lunch, talking adults, it is like a whole new life. I'm not making a bunch of money, YET, lol, but I feel like I am gaining confidence, and experience, and basically becoming a better party guest because of all the new things I have to talk about! LOL
I am off to try to finish my book, that I started last week, another thing that work is getting in the way of, my reading! HA
Have a great weekend everyone, and who knows I may be back, cause there is no one here to ask me not too!!!
Thanks for stopping by!

Farm House is a NOT for us house, darn it!

2009-06-28T13:36:00.006-04:00

Well I had already started dreaming about the possiblilies of moving into a 106 year old farm house on 32 acres, could it be a bed and breakfast, could we have our childrens wedding receptions there, could we host movie night with family and friends, showing the movie on the side of the barn, would we host family Sunday dinners??? The answer to those questions was a big fat NO! That's right all my dreams were crushed today when we actually met the agent and got to tour the home. The house was in horrible shape, they had updated everything, and not in a good way, and had left NONE of the charm and personality that this old home surely had. They even had gotten rid of the front door, thats right, just sided and drywalled right over it!!! What were "they" thinking??
We will keep looking, we wont give up! I have a love affair with old barns and we will find a house with lots of charm and possibilities on a bunch of land, it just wasnt meant to be today!

Here are a couple barns that i thought were pretty, what do you think? Do they do anything for you? Or am I alone in my love affair, lol??

HAve a great week! Sue

Sunday Dinners

2009-06-21T22:07:00.003-04:00

Hope everyone had a great Fathers Day! I know we did. We were at my husbands brother and his wifes beautiful home today. They have the perfect summer party house, well really the perfect anytime house, but especially nice in the summer due to their great inground pool! It was a warm one, but it was so nice just sitting out on the patio and catching up with everyone.
Across the street we noticed another party going on. And commented that it looked like they were have a nice Father's Day celebration too. Becky, my sister in law said they have Sunday Dinners every Sunday. REally I said, yep, every Sunday whoever can make it comes over around 4 and brings a dish, and everyone gets to visit and stay connected by eating dinner together, and then by 7 they head on home.
This was actually the second time in a week someone talked about Sunday dinners, last Sunday at Church our priest talked about the importance of Sunday dinners.

Now I dont know those people, and it kind of looks like a Thanksgiving dinner, but you get the idea, Right??
So right then and there I said lets DO IT!! How about 1 Sunday a month, we didnt want to get too crazy to start, lol, we will get together for dinner. Well Everyone Loved the idea! We decided on the last Sunday of the month, July and August will be at the Pool house, my brother and sister in laws, and I said I would take September and October, since I love fall decorating, and making chilis, soups and such! To be honest I have already started to think about my tablescaping, IS that wrong???
http://www.home-garden-ideas.net/images/fall_western_tablescape.jpg">/a>

Again, not my house, but trying to give visuals!
OK, my question, do any of you host or attend Sunday Dinners?? I love the idea, and really want to hear from all of you.
I will update after our first official dinner July 26, please let me know what you think of this idea? I even wondered about inviting friends too, good idea, or not??
Hope you all have a great week, I am working tomorrow guess I better get some sleep. Dont forget to leave me a little comment, I am ashamed to say, I love them!!!
Thanks for stopping by, Sue

Show US Where You Live Friday-Bathrooms

2009-06-12T07:43:00.004-04:00

This is my first time participating in Show Us Where You Live Friday hosted by Kelly at KellysKornerblog

This week it is bathrooms. I am showing you our 1/2 bath off the kitchen. It was just a typical builder potty until my husband got ahold of it. I am so lucky to have a hubby who is so handy, tile, plumbing, etc. Miss independent, my daughter Nikki, and I actually installed the new light fixture, we were pretty proud of ourselves, lol. It was easy! We added some beadboard and framed in the mirror, cheap and easy changes, that make a huge difference. I bought the vessel bowl sink and faucet online and saved alot of $$$.
So without further ado here is our bathroom

Thanks so much for stopping by, feel free to come back and visit our bathroom, I mean house anytime!

A Sunday Favorites

2009-06-07T17:35:00.002-04:00

Thanks to Chari at Happy to Design I am reposting this old favorite post of mine from February '09. ** AN Update, my poor friends never did receive their special CD's, when I got the one my daughter burned for me, it was scratched so I couldnt use it, but I have been thinking of doing another luncheon in the fall, so...we can do the CD's then, I hope! Hope you enjoy rereading my post, thanks so much for stopping by, Sue

About a month ago I started thinking that I would like to have a luncheon to honor the women whom I consider my dearest friends. ( Of course I forgot to take pics, I still have trouble remembering to take blog worthy pics, sorry!) And last Thursday on my birthday I did just that!! 9 fantastic women were able to attend, illness, and work kept several others away, hopefully next year ladies! Although I had told no one it was my birthday, some friends still remembered and presented me with lovely gifts, so sweet! Because she knows how much I want an island vacation at some point in my life, my great friend Connie got me an amazing smelling candle by Yankee called Dune Grass

And an island sounding CD by Kenny Chesney, if you havent heard it I strongly recommend it!
By lighting the candle and listening to this CD I can pretend that I am here... Thanks Connie!

After all the ladies arrived we sat down to lunch, I had made my potato soup and a version of Max and Erma's Tortilla soup, everyone loved it and wants the recipe, and a nice big salad and yummy bread!
Max and Erma's Tortilla Soup Recipe

2 cups of chicken breast shredded
1 can cr of mushroom soup
1 can cr of chicken soup
2 cans cheddar cheese soup
1 can chix brooth
1 15 oz can Rotelle tomatoes and chilis
1/2 cup salsa
1/2 cup chopped onion
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 t chili powder, i used a little more!
1 T butter
salt and pepper to taste

Saute onion and garlic in the butter
Add the soups
Add the remainder of ingredients
Simmer on low to med for 1 hour, watch for sticking... Enjoy!

For dessert I made banana nut muffins, thank you Jenn, and homemade blueberry muffins, they were to die for, along with Thumbprint cookies, and chocolate dipped strawberries.
My plan was to hand out a specially burned CD to each of them, to serve as a reminder of the day, but I still havent received that in the mail from Nikki, my independent daughter living in SLC. But she has promised it is in the mail now and so when I get it my son will help me burn a dozen and I will hand them out as a late thank you gift to everyone! Better late than never! All the songs are about friendship!
The afternoon ended with everyone having a wonderful time and thanking me so much for including them, I of course thanked each of them for being such a terrific friend, because You've gotta have friends, where would a body be without them??

Here are some of the fantastic woman whom I am blessed to call friend!

My Outdoor/ WordlessWednesday Back Deck

2009-06-03T10:59:00.007-04:00

I wanted to join Susan A Southern Daydreamer in my first Outdoor Wednesday Post.

I also am joining Dixie at French Lique, Texas for the first time in her Wordless Wednesday.
I took a few pics of our back deck. I like the way it turned out this year, hope you like it too!!

*** Some of these pics are a bit fuzzy, sorry! ***
Thanks so much for stopping by,hope you will come back soon! Sue

I HAVE BEEN 8 TAGGED!!

2009-05-31T08:16:00.005-04:00

My friend Robin at Alabama Slacker Mom has tagged me in this About Me 8 Tag, this should be FUN!
Now here are the rules...

Yes, there are rules, otherwise this could get CRAZY, lol!

1. Mention the person who tagged you.

2. Complete the list of 8's.

3. Tag 8 other bloggie buddies and let them know they have been tagged.

OK, here we go!!

8 Things I am looking forward to:
1. Seeing Nikki, aka Miss Independent
2. Going to Sedona with our friends
3. Going to the Lake House with friends
4. Redecorating our guest bedrooms
5. Getting my first commission check from selling a bunch of beds for Hoosier Wallbeds
6. Being able to walk again without pain and a limp, this should be #1, I think
7. Being a grandma, but I can wait a couple of years, Bryan and Nikki, did you hear me? lol
8. Getting our house clear of clutter, I have been looking forward to this for a long long time, and the hubs has been too!

8 Things I did yesterday:
1. Woke up on our last day of vacation in Gulf Shores, Alabama
2. Saw a dolphing playing in the Gulf right before we left the condo, it was like, cue the dolphin, make the folks want to come back next year, and we do, lol.
3. Drove almost 12 hours home with the hubs, and my sister and her hubby
4. Finished reading my third book of the week, Honor Thy Self, Danielle Steele, it was good
5. Had lunch at Arby's and an icecream cone from McDonalds, yum!
6. Saw a lady trucker almost run us off the road, gee lady just because you put your turn signal on doesnt mean you can just come on over!
7. Heard that my son's girlfriend, Sonny at Life with Bronny broke her shoulder in 3 places riding Bryan's little dirtbike, poor thing, I hope she doesnt need surgery!
8. Got to see my sweet little furbabies, Dexter and Madison, after being gone for 8 days. Dexter literally leaped into my arms when he saw me, now that is love!

8 Things I wish I could do:
1. Cure my dad's cancer I pray that his doctors can do this!
2. Lose weight
3. Do more to help the poor in our community
4. Juggle, I have always wanted to learn how dont ask me why?
5. I wish I would have tried harder to have more children, when it didnt happen naturally. But that ship has definitely sailed and I will wait to be a grandma.
6. I wish I would have gone to college, yes I know I still can, but I am over it now!
7. I wish I liked the taste of wine, so I could have a glass with my winofriends, I mean my girlfriends, lol.
8. I wish I was a tidier person.
8. I wish I could paint a picture
8. I wish I could play Christmas music on the Piano
8. I wish I would travel more
8. I wish I wasnt such a whimp about so many things!
( Sorry 8 just wasnt enough, ha)
8 Shows I watch:
1. Regis and Kelly
2. Ellen
3. The View
4. Oprah
5. Grey's Anatomy
6. Private Practice
7. American Idol
8. John and Kate Plus 8
( Dont judge me, lol)

8 Favorite Fruits:
1. Apples
2. Bananas
3. Fresh Pineapple, my favorite
4. Strawberries, esp from our garden, I just picked a cup and a half of them this morning, they taste like candy, so much better then store bought!
5. Grapes
6. Oranges
7. Blueberries
8. Pineapple, I know I already listed it, but it is sooo good, I have eatenn it until I had sores in my mouth, dont judge me, ha!

8 Places I would like to go:
1. France
2. England
3. Italy
4. Ireland
5. St Thomas, our friends are building a beautiful home there and we can not wait to check it out!
6. Anywhere on a cruise, esp. Alaska
7. Any other island in the world
8. Basically anywhere with family or friends is good for me!!

8 Places I have lived:
1. Sharonville, Ohio
2. Tunkhannock, Pennsylvania
3. Cincinnati, Ohio
4. Harrison, Ohio (first married)
5. Cincinnati, Ohio (moved back there when our first child was born)
6. Bright, Indiana (built here 20+years ago, and still live here)
7.&8. I am boring these are the only places I have lived, no 7th and 8th.

8 People I have tagged:
1. Sonny @ Life with Bronny
2. Timi @ A girl named Timi
3. Janene @ primitive lifestyles
4. Dot @ Picket's place
5. Kat @ Emptynester
6. Marty @ A Stroll
Thru Life
7. Rue @ Rue's Peanut
butter and Jelly Life
8. I am now tagging everyone else who wants to play along, it is too hard to just tag 8 friends!

There's No Place Like Home, sometimes...

2009-05-22T14:04:00.007-04:00

I will admit it, when Miss Independent left for SLC I was hoping it would kind of be a trip like Dorothy in the Wizard of OZ had. You know I wanted her to follow that yellow brick road to a great big adventure. Meet lots of new and interesting people, experience things she had not done before, but then when the fun had worn off, I hoped she would click her heals while chanting, There's No Place Like Home, and come running back to her mamma,in her red sparkly Dorothy shoes.
But Then I take a look at some of the pics she has taken while on her adventure and I think to myself, how can I compete with all that!!!

She is definitely her father's daughter, with her sense of adventure!

She has met some really nice people too, one in particular she is kind of smitten with...

She's the one in the yellow shirt in the middle!

Where we see cows and horses, she sees......

A sweet baby moose!
So no, our little farm community can not compete with such things, but hopefully the pull of family will eventually bring her HOME!

Until then she is having the time of her life, enjoying all that this great country of ours has to offer!!
Love and miss you my sweet baby girl!!

2009-05-20T21:27:00.002-04:00

Robin over at Alabama Slacker Mom (she is anything but a slacker mom) is having a Summer Fun Giveaway, swim on over there and check it out and get yourself registered!

Did I ever tell you about the day I tried to kill my husband?

2009-05-15T08:09:00.004-04:00

I think this qualifies for Gollum's Foodie Friday's Second Trainwrecks & Bloopers After you read my aahh Blooper jump over to her site and read some others!
I was a new bride and cook. I knew the hubs loved his eggs over easy, yellow a bit runny. Try as I might i had a really hard time getting them to turn out this way, either they were cooked to long and no longer runny or when I went to turn them, I would break the darn center.
(and no this isnt an actual pic of my cooking, I didnt blog then and there where no digital cameras, if I had taken a picture of my cooking efforts it would probably still by in a drawer waiting to be taken to the store to be developed, hehe)
It was a Sunday morning and I thought I would make my man a "biggie" breakfast, this is what we called a breakfast with eggs, toast, bacon, and goetta
(if you dont know what this is, dont ask, it is delicious, but you dont want to know what is in it, it is a Cincinnati thing, lol)
I was so proud of myself, I plated that food up, knowing this was my best effort ever, eggs looked runny, goetta crispy, and the bacon chewy, just the way he likes it all,(yes he is a very picky eater, but I will save that for another post) Finally Success!!
Well...after taking a bite or maybe two,
he said ,babe this just doesnt taste right,
I said in my sweet loving wife way, WHAT DO YOU MEAN? I DID EVERY THING RIGHT THIS TIME!
HE said, it just has an odd taste
And then he asked if I had used THAT, pointing to the can of Pam on the counter, only it wasnt a can of Pam, but a can of Shout stain remover,
That's right, I had accidently sprayed the pan with Shout, instead of Pam, OH MY GOD, I just poisoned my husband, I wondered, would stressful cooking for an extremely picky eater be a good enough defense to keep me out of jail??
I quickly looked up poison controls phone number, and called, the problem was everytime I tried to tell them what I had done, I giggled, kind of like I am doing now. I just couldnt tell the story without laughing, all the while my husband is gagging and thinking he is going to die! Finally they figured out what I had done and told me to tell him to drink lots of water and he should be fine. He was! I have been making this man breakfast for the past 27 years, I could be a short order breakfast cook by now, but I will never make his eggs without thinking about that day all those years ago. Over the years I have been tempted to put another squirt of shout in his eggs, but dont know if they would believe it was an accident the second time!
***UPDATE*** The hubs just got home from work, and I just finished reading him this post, laughing all the way. He said he didnt want all my blog friends to think he wasnt a nice guy. So, he wants me to clarify, he says not wanting to make me feel bad, he swears he forced down allll the eggs and goetta, before he said anything to me, aahh gee, what a guy my husband, no wonder we have been together for 32 years, since I was 15 years old!

Happy Mothers Day Friends!!

2009-05-09T22:06:00.004-04:00

I am sitting here with tears running down my face watching Steel Magnolias and am at the part where Shelby (Julie Roberts) dies and her mom(Sally Fields) is struggling to understand it. What a great movie!! What do you think, do you like it too??

I thought this was funny but oh so true!!

I found this sweet poem and wanted to share it with all of you! I hope that you all have a wonderful day filled with love!

Dear Lord, it's such a hectic day
With little time to stop and pray
For life's been anything but calm
Since You called on me to be a mom
Running errands, matching socks
Building dreams with building blocks
Cooking, cleaning, and finding shoes
And other stuff that children lose
Fitting lids on bottled bugs
Wiping tears and giving hugs
A stack of last weeks mail to read
So where's the quiet time I need?
Yet when I steal a minute, Lord
Just at the sink or ironing board
To ask the blessings of Your grace
I see then, in my small one's face
That you have blessed me
All the while
And I stop to kiss
That precious smile

Is Anyone Else Having This Problem?

2009-05-06T15:33:00.003-04:00

I have tried to download the coupons from

and

But am having No Luck at All, has anyone else been able to get their FREE MEAL coupons?? Let me know please, Thanks for stopping by!

Sunday Favorites, Week 2

2009-05-02T21:46:00.007-04:00

Thanks to Chari @ Happy To Design for hosting this special Sunday event. This is our chance to see an older post that we may have missed or one that we would like to see again. Be sure to visit her blog to see everyone that is participating. There have been some incredible posts and you really don't want to miss any of them.
**Update**This is a little post I made back on January 18. Since that time our friend came thru his heart surgery with flying colors and we have booked a beautiful home in Sedona, for August, I know it will be hot hot hot, but we have a pool,lol! And this is the view from our side yard, pretty nice huh?? LOL

Also, our daughter Nikki was only gone a month back then, it has been almost 5 months, she made it safely thru another ski season in SLC and she is now working for the summer at a restaurant.
OK now here is the original post, hope you like it!!!

Well I have to say I am quickly, much more quickly than I thought was possible, getting used to being an empty nester. All the things I feared are not coming to pass. I was so afraid that my husband and I would have nothing to talk about, and surprise, we do! I was afraid we would argue, but I have come to realize that what we argued the most about in the past was the kids. Me always trying to stick up for them, when I thought he was being too demanding of them. But now that they are on their own, that is not an issue.
We are having fun doing things together. On Friday night we went to see MArley and Me and out to dinner with friends of ours. We had a great time. I just wish someone, besides the waiter right before we went into the movie, had warned us that it was a definite tear jerker. I can see why it has been the #1 movie, it was just a sweet movie. But my oh my the 4 of us blubbered like there was no tomorrow.

href="http://snarkerati.com/movie-news/files/2008/01/006082994x.jpg">

Then on Saturday we went out to dinner with 2 other couples and then back to the one couples house for dessert. After dinner we got online and planned our first big group vacation. We have gone to my parents lake house in Tennessee for long weekends before, but this year we decided that we were going to take a "real" vacation together. Because one of the guys has to have heart surgery this week, he is hesitant to go out of the country this summer, not knowing how good hospitals are on some of these islands. So after much talk, and online research, we have decided on Sedona Arizona. Isn't it beautiful?? Have any of you ever been there? If so, please tell me about it!

a href="http://www.hoax-slayer.com/images/skywalk-grand-canyon.jpg">

We are close to Pheonix, the Grand Canyon, and only 4 hours from Vegas. I am not a gambler, at all, but have always wanted to go there once. It is a destination on several of our bucket lists.

So we found some beautiful homes that we are inquiring about to rent, and checking on airfare. Of course we live 15minutes from Greater Cincinnati Airport, which has the distinction of being the most expensive airport in the USA, so we are also considering departing from other local airports. I am excited, it is so fun to plan vacations, even if they are 6 months away. The planning is almost as much fun as the vacation itself!!

Well I guess I better get off here, my hubby just went up to bed, it is getting late, kinda, and there is another advantage to being empty nesters....ooh la la, no sillies...I dont have to share the remote with the kids after dad goes to bed LOL! Night, thanks for stopping by!!!

Now go check out all the other Sunday favorites at Happy To Design

Ok, so it's been awhile, sue me!

2009-04-30T14:36:00.007-04:00

I had wanted to post the pics of my little goodwill shopping excursion on the same day I posted about going originally, but that didnt happen, sorry. For some reason my camera is not wanting to download pics onto the computer, at least I can't figure it out but whatever, lol. I finally decided to take the pics with my cell phone, so you will have to bear with the not so perfectly clear pics. I want to start off by saying that the line to get into GW on 1/2 price Saturday was not bad, I was #6, and what a friendly bunch of people, very talkative and pleasant. And NO the picture in my last post of GW was NOT my GW, for sure, that one must be in a really nice neighborhood, definitely not mine,HA.
I was able to nab a few wooden candlesticks to add to my very small but just beginning collection. The large brown stick was 1.25, but the three small ones were $1 a piece, seemed kind of high, but I liked the colors and thought they would add a summery look to my kitchen, I just need to get some candles.

I then got excited when I spotted some pretty all white bowls with a fruit pattern. A good friend of mine had given me some very large pretty plates that looked very very similiar to these bowls. I was excited to add the bowls and for only .50 a piece I grabbed them. Next I found some cute little I am going to call them individual souffle bowls. I have a french onion soup recipe and a dessert recipe that calls for bowls like these, the were only .50 each too, so in the cart they went.

I then found a cute little heart shaped basket with a red and white check fabric. I had a luncheon for all my girlfriends this past Valentines day and did a red and white check theme, so for .50 I was not going to pass up his basket, I will use it for next year's Friend Appreciation Day! The other basket just looked lonely sitting on the shelf after I nabbed the heart shaped one, so I took it too, although I have absolutely NO idea what to do with it?!?! But it was just $1.

I rounded out my shopping trip with a nice cookie sheet for .25, a cheese grater for for $1 and a perfect red dust ruffle that will look great in one of our guest rooms, it was only $1.50 with the 1/2 price sale. So all and all I think I had a pretty good GW experience and got ALOT of stuff for $15.00 Some prices seemed kind of high while others seemed really good, I guess it is all in whole holds the pricing marker! I will definitely go back and would like to try some other good will and thrift stores in other areas of town. Question?? Does anyone know if Good Will takes what they get from one drop off spot and only puts it in 1 GW location or do they have a central location and then disperse the items?????
What have you gotten at your Goodwill, thrift store, or garage sale???
Thanks for stopping by! Sue

Going to give the GW another try!

2009-04-25T07:51:00.004-04:00

Ok, it is 7:51, I found out that our local GW, that is Goodwill for you novices, of which I definitely consider myself, is having a 50% off EVERYTHING sale today. So I am determined to be among the first there to see if I can find some cool things like all my friends in blogville. I will be back in a few hours and will post what I found, hmmm, should be interesting, hehehe.
I only hope that all my neighbors dont have the same idea as me this morning.....

OOPS, the original picture showed a huge line of people waiting to get in this store, i guess it was to big of a picture and lord knows I dont know how to make it smaller, but you get the idea!

Do you have a minute or two??

2009-04-23T11:00:00.006-04:00

The word of the day is Volunteering, because it is Volunteer Week!! Something that is very near and dear to my heart! Now I know so many people are really busy with their own life these days. Shuffeling kids, elderly parents, and performing other household chores. But i want to tell you if you have an hour or two a month or better yet a week, to spare, volunteering is something you may want to consider. The way it makes you feel is something i cant describe. There are so many things you can do to help those less fortunate. Be creative and think outside the box. You can become a volunteer at your local food pantry, I do this and really love it! There are so many jobs for a volunteer to do at a pantry. Clothes sorter, food orderer, shelf stocker, shopper, donator, building maintenence person, and many many more! My jobs at the pantry include, ordering food from the Cincinnati Free store food bank weekly, working a shift helping our clients shop for their groceries, I also love to plan fun activities for our clients like, a pampering day for the moms, this includes free hair cuts, if you are a stylist this is another volunteering opportunity, manicures, chair massages, a luncheon, the woman LOVE this special day and the volunteers love it almost as much! We also host a back to school picnic, where we pass out back packs, school supplies, and shoes for our youngest clients. Another "job" is to help plan fund raisers.

Speaking of fund raisers, a couple great ideas include a having a chocolate fest. What is a chocolate fest you may ask??? WEll..... let me tell you, it is a ladies night out where woman buy a ticket which gives them the right to sample all things chocolate for the entire evening, let me tell you, this has become the hottest ticket in our little country town. This year the event netted $8,250, all of which was donated to our pantry!

In September we host another ladies night out in the form of a Bunco tourney, never heard of Bunco?? Well, it is a super simple dice game that requires no former knowledge of the game to play, it is a bunch of fun, and did I mention the food, no? well, lots of yummy food is available for in between the rounds! And another great fund raiser!

Another great volunteer job is to become a grant writer for a nonprofit, the main qualification for this job it to be good with words and know your way around a computer, hmmm, seems to me I know a few people like that, lol!
Becoming a "Big Sister" to a child is a wonderfully rewarding way to give back. I became a big sister in the Big Brother/Big Sister program this year, I am a lunch buddy, so once a week I go to the local elementary school and spend an hour with my "little". These are kids at risk of not completing their education, I really am enjoying this.
I want everyone to consider a way to use their God given talents and find a way to give back. I would love to hear of any volunteer work that you are doing. You know it doesnt even have to be an on going position, the day before Easter my friends and I delivered 20 Easter dinners and bags of candy to families who would have had nothing to celebrate that special day. The people were so very appreciative and it was just a couple hours of our time! So do yourself and your community a favor and volunteer your time, it will be the best decision you have made in a while, I promise!
So, Happy Volunteer Week, thanks so much for stopping by, and on a side note, I am feeling so much better and am starting to get out and about alot more. Thank you all so very much for your comments and emails!

So.................

2009-04-13T21:21:00.006-04:00

So...... it has been an interesting few days. As some of you know, I was in a car accident due to ice back on January 28. After a trip to the emergency room i was told I was fine and to just go home. Well I hobbled around for weeks before going back to a doctor. Finally a CT scan showed that I had 2 breaks and a torn ligament and i needed surgery. I had the surgery on March 12 and thought i was on the road to recovery. Well last weekend I was in Lexington with a friend working the Home and Garden show there. We worked Thursday night April 2 and everything was fine. I woke up on Friday knowing something just wasnt right, I had major pain in the back of my leg. We didn't have to be at the home show until 5 and had planned on shopping all day, TJ MAxx, Home Goods, Marshalls, oh yeah, we were hitting them all, instead we spent the entire day in the ER at the University of Kentucky's hospital. If you ever have to go to the hospital and you are in Lexington, run away far away from this old, dirty hospital. NExt year there will be a new hospital in this old dirty hospitals place but oh my it was not nice there. My dear friend Beth is a germaphobe, not as bad as Howie Mandell , but being in this hospital was not easy for her and I told her to leave me and go out and shop like we had planned, but God love her, she said she wouldn't leave me there, and she didn't.
After giving them my blood and having to endure an ultra sound of my leg, I was told I had a blood Clot, a big blood clot the entire length of my leg. YIKES! Blood clots run big time in my family and like my brother said when i told him, "welcome to the club". Definitely not a club I ever hoped to join, but here I am. The ER doctor agreed to let me stay out of the hospital if I promised to check in with my family doctor first thing Monday morning, and if my dear friend Beth would be willing to give me my blood thinner medicine by injections in my stomach, yes, my stomach, which she did, again God love here, that is definitely more then she signed on to do! I called my doctor first thing Monday morning, a doctor I had had for over 10 years, only to find that she was booked all day and her nurse told me to go to the er to have them check my blood. I asked what hospital I should go to in case they needed to keep me and was told, " go to any hospital, Dr B. doesn't have hospital privileges ANYWHERE! Has anyone ever heard of a doctor that didn't have hospital privileges???? I hadn't. Long story short I went to our local Hospital and was ADMITTED, I was not a happy girl. After more blood tests, another very painful ultra sound, No sleep, and finally in the morning I was told by my very nice possible new doctor that there was really no reason I was admitted and it was possible that my insurance company might not pay for my stay. Well, I told my nice possible new doctor that if they didnt pay,then guess what, I wouldnt be paying either. He then told me that he apologized to me from the medical community he was sorry for my series of unfortunate events that I have endured for the past 3 months. I now have to go to an anticoagulation clinic for the next 6 months, FUN! They will monitor my blood.
My advice to everyone is, if you have to go to a doctor or a hospital, ask questions, question everything, so many times things are done just because "that is the way they are always done", you can say NO and I did several times, and often had the nurses say, good for you, there was no reason they needed that anyway. Don't feel bad to ask questions, just do it! God Bless and thanks for stopping by!

Hippity Hoppity Easter's On It's Way

2009-04-01T13:50:00.011-04:00

Barb over at Grits and Glamour is hosting a Bunny on a Stick show and tell, using the adorable bunnies alot of gals have bought at their local Pier 1. Well, I Haven't been to a Pier 1, heck I haven't really been anywhere in the past two months. Not being able to drive because of a broken foot really has cramped my style. But I did remember that a couple of years ago I bought a bunny on a stick at a flower wholesaler place that my friend, a floral designer, had taken me to. I paid all of 62 cents for my slightly different bunny. I wanted to make a topiary with my bunny, like so many others, but again could not get out to get the supplies needed, so I added him to my front door decoration and I think he is happy there.
Thank you Barb at grits and glamour for hosting a fun spring party! Sorry I dont know how to make your icon appear on my post. I made my yummy Poppy Seed Bread to share with everyone, enjoy!

Happy Spring Everyone, Thanks for stopping by, Sue

Do Your Family a Favor, host a foreign exchange student.

2009-03-27T17:18:00.006-04:00

Several years ago we had the extreme privilege of becoming a Host Family for a foreign exchange student, Chen Chien Ming, or Sam as we called him. He was supposed to only be with us for 1 month, but things changed. Him and about 25 other students cam to the midwest to acclimate themselves to our American culture before heading out to a new home for the school year. Long story short, we fell in love with him and him with us and he ended up being here for 10+ months.
Sam is from Taipei Taiwan. He is the youngest of 3 children, having two older sisters who attended college in the United States. His family owns an iron business and had sent him here to learn the language so he could go back to Taiwan and become successful in the business world.
Sam knew very little english when he arrived, but slowly learned our complicated language. During that first month when kids from all over the world were all living in our small town acclimating to our way of doing things, we were fortunate enough to host several impromptu dinners. Our kitchen table was like the United Nations, Gau from Thailand, Luic from France, Michael from Germany, Uki, Hitomi, and several other girls from Japan and China. We had the best time, they all LOVED eating food from all over the world, Italian, Mexican, and of course American. Most of them told me that in their homes, their mothers only cooked food from their countries, which I found interesting.
Like I said Sam and several other kids ended up staying locally for the entire school year. It was an amazing experience for our entire family. I honestly believe that if everyone got to experience this the world would be a much happier and more peaceful place to live.
Sam taught us patience, a new found love of Chinese food, and a love that will last forever. We taught him how to show your feelings, and say I love you. His mom didn't cry or hug him when he left for what started out to be a year, and after deciding to attend college in Canada, ended up to be about 6 years. He said he knew his parents loved him, but they had never said it before, amazing! He now says I love you everytime I talk to him! We also taught him how to leave the books on occasion and just have FUN!
Sam has not lived here for over 5 years now, but when given the choice of going anywhere in the world on vacation has come back to see us twice! We talk via email and IM often. He graduated from college and is nowing living back in Taiwan, doing his mandatory 1 year in the armed forces, he is a proud Marine. We are proud of him and are considering his father's generous offer of having us visit them, maybe for his wedding someday!
If you and your family have the opportunity to be a host family, do not hesitate, what it costs your family will be paid back in triplicate!
I didn't give birth to him, but he is my son non the less!

Here is a pic of my three children, PS, Sam in the one on the right!

Need a great Easter Brunch Recipe, Poppy Seed Bread, yum

2009-03-23T13:51:00.008-04:00

Years ago a good friend of mine was a demonstrator for The Pampered Chef Company. I went to my first Pampered Chef party and she made this yummy bread in the bread crock, it was her sister's recipe. Well, the bread was a huge hit and she sold alot of the crocks. In the years since I have made this recipe dozens of times and have passed it on to many people. It is very simple to make, it is just a dump recipe and the taste is out of this world. I think the secret is the yummy glaze made with orange juice, sugar, and almond extract, yumm! I make them up in small loaves to give as gifts at Christmas and Easter or for no specific reason at all! I decided to share this cake, I mean bread recipe, (but it really does taste more like a cake), with all of you so that you can make it up to take to an Easter brunch, to give away to friends, or just to show your family you really havent been blogging all day, again, lol.
The Best Poppy Seed Bread Recipe
In a large bowl combine:
3 cups flour
2 ¼ C sugar
1 ½ C milk
1 1/8 C veg. oil
3 eggs
1 ½ T poppy seeds
1 ½ t salt
1 ½ t baking powder
1 ½ t vanilla
1 ½ t almond extract
1 ½ t butter flavoring

Mix 1 to 2 minutes only
Spray your bread pan with Pam and fill ¾ full
Bake @ 350 for about 1 hour. The top should be golden brown and slightly split
I also make them in mini bread pans, and of course the cooking time is shortened, so watch them!
Glaze: Mix in a small bowl and pour over bread, on a plate, and then I take the loaves and dip the sides in the excess, YUMMY!
¾ cup sugar
¼ cup orange juice
½ t vanilla
½ t butter flavoring
½ t almond extract

Enjoy, and let me know if you do make it, what you think of it, I know you'll love it! Sue

He's here he's here!!

2009-03-19T13:03:00.007-04:00

PLease Mr Postman look and see,
If there's a package
A package for me
Mr Po-o-o-o-ostman

Ok Sue, let me look and see
Yes I have a package
A package for thee (hey it rhymes, lol)
Mr Po-o-o-o-ostman

You see a little while ago I entered a giveaway over at http://gritsglamour.blogspot.com/ with the very talented Barb, and surprise surprise I WON!! I got an email the other day from Barb saying he was on his way, and he arrived today safe and sound!

Isnt he just about the cutest thing you have ever seen?? And Barb also snuck in a great smelling huge bar of bathsoap! In honor of Barb's husband, I have decided to name him, drumroll please...... Mr Grits! Doesnt he just look like a Mr GRits to you? I love love love him Barb, thanks so much!!

I Had A Date With A Doctor

2009-03-19T09:58:00.006-04:00

Last week I had a date with a doctor, and my husband didnt even mind, in fact he came along for the ride, weird?? Maybe, lol
Meet Dr S. Arebi, my date....

Before I left for the hospital I decided I would have some fun,so on my left foot, my good foot, I wrote this.....

And on my right foot I wrote this....

I must say, I got a kick out of writing this and it was a big hit with the nurses! It actually made me feel a little be calmer about the whole surgery thing. Well there was that minute or two after we had been waiting for over 2 hours for the surgery to begin, when i lost my nerve and told my husband to get my clothes, my foot really didnt hurt all that much and we were going home, of course he didnt fall it! Thank goodness.

Timi over at http://agirlnamedtimi.blogspot.com/ is having rotator cuff surgery this morning, stop by and leave her some love, and read her hilarious post!

My surgery went relly well, I am feeling great but cant wait to be able to walk without the crutches, which is exhausting to do! Is that just me?? Thank you so much for all of your kind words and prayers, they worked!!! Have a great day and thanks for stopping by!

All Prayers Appreciated!

2009-03-12T10:46:00.001-04:00

I am on my way to the Hospital for my "procedure", foot surgery. And all prayers will be heard and felt and greatly appreciated! I will update as soon as I am able to. Thanks so much and God Bless you all! Sue

Hey check this out!

2009-03-10T22:26:00.006-04:00

My terrific son and his adorable girlfriend have started a blog, Life of Bronny, short for Sonny and Bryan. A little blog on the life and times of a fun couple in love and they would love to have all of you stop over and check out what they have to say! And if you leave them a little comment they will be thrilled!! http://lifeofsonnyandbryan.blogspot.com/

Here they are at Sonny's prom a few years ago! ARent they cute???

Thanks so much for taking a minute of your time to leave them a comment they will really get a kick out of it!!! Sue

http://lifeofsonnyandbryan.blogspot.com/

HELP!!!!! I Got IT BAD

2009-03-06T08:57:00.004-05:00

Okay, last week I was invited to go to lunch with my mom and some of her friends. After lunch we were going to do a little shopping at Home Goods and TJ MaXX, my two favorite stores, perfect day! On the way to lunch my mom took me to a part of Cincinnati that I had never been before and low and behold as I was looking around I saw this sign....

Well not this exact sign but you get the idea. It was attached to a HUGE brick building and I started to drool a little. Now I quickly realized that if I mentioned to my mom that I had started Thrift store shopping, she would probably break down in tears thinking her eldest child and family were destitute, lol. I decided to keep my mouth shut and go on about my business. We had a great lunch and a fun shopping day.
Now for the problem, I can not stop thinking about that big brick Thrift Store. I am dreming about it and In my mind I just know that it holds all the fantastic treasures that all of you other bloggers find all the time, and for the life of me I cant remember exactly where it is!
So if any bloggers live in the Cincinnati area and know of a big brick Thrift Store near the Rookwood Commons, PLEASE send me details, I am begging!
Hope everyone has a great weekend, it is supposed to be glorious here, unfortunately I am working the Cincy Home and Garden Show Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, indoors,:(
Happy Thrifting! Sue

This Just In.... Surgery Scheduled

2009-03-04T09:26:00.006-05:00

Yep, I just got the call.... Surgery scheduled for next Thursday MArch 12. And look who my surgeon will be none other than.....

Well no not him, unfortunately Dr. McDreamy is not available so I will have to settle for Dr. Arebi, he is cute, but no McDreamy! But on the plus side, he is a real life surgeon, so I am ok with this!

I am hoping for a little lypo and maybe a facelift, some hair and leg extensions, just a few extras while I am under anyway. Then when I wake up, I may look like her.

Okay Okay, A girl can dream cant she?? This is I wish wednesday isnt it?? But in reality I wish for....a safe surgery and a speedy recovery, if you think of it next thursday, send a little prayer my way, thanks so much!

Today I visited a TS, the GW, and a Dr, what a day!

2009-02-25T15:34:00.011-05:00

Today I visited my first, I pulled in the parking lot and the place was packed, and my first thought was, wow, do all these people blog?? But then I realized that I was the only one taking pics, so no, they must not be bloggers. I did wonder what they thought of me taking pics, but it didnt stop me, I needed pics to post!

And after a quick search I found this, I can picture it with some pretty flowers on our kitchen table!

And this, I am going to paint this, but not sure of the color yet!

Not bad, but definitely not what Janene would have found at her TS Gold Mine

I then went to the Dr, Dr Arebi's an orthopedic surgeon, and the news wasn't great. He took fresh xrays, and it seems I need to have a few screws and rods put in, no NOT my head, my foot. I have been hobbling around for the past 4 weeks, since my car accident and I kept thinking things seemed better, slightly, but apparently not, so I have 2 weeks to schedule a CT scan and get myself together for surgery. I have never had surgery before, unless you count my 2 c-sections, but I got a baby each time out of those, so well worth the fear, and I am a bit nervous. But I also don't want to limp around the rest of my life, I'm not young, but I hope to have 50 more years or so, and do not want to be hobbling for all those years, so surgery it is!
Please if you don't mind say a little prayer for me, I will let you all know when it will be! On the bright side, I have to be off my foot from now until at least 6 weeks after surgery, so that means more guilt free computer time!!
After the doctors appointment I hit one of these....

Again, I did not find the coolest stuff, but did get a few things, all and all I spent a little over $5 and have the start of a wooden candlestick collection!

Not bad for a first time, I guess!

Nikki's super simple stir fry, another yum!

2009-02-20T08:40:00.004-05:00

WElcome to my foodie friday post! Glad you could stop by! Well I seem to be on a cooking post trend, 2 soup recipes, and now this yummy stirfry. I made it last night after calling my daughter, Miss Independent, to walk me thru the recipe. I have been craving it for 2 months, hmm, the same amount of time she has been away. So here goes, and remember, I am not a measurer, so allow your inner chef to come out and have some fun!!!
Nikki's Super Simple StirFry

Start with about
1T of EVOO, extra virgin olive oil
Saute about 1/8 cup of minced garlic, out of the jar, not sure how this translates in fresh garlic cloves??
In seperate pan, start rice, I used 2 cups rice to 2 cups water, I love left overs!
I used 2 large chicken breats cut into small chunks, but have also made it with part chicken and part shrimp, your choice
throw chicken in with garlic and add 1/4 t seasoned salt and 1t chili powder, you can also use cayenne pepper, but my husband is not a fan of spicey, so chili powder is enough for him..
cook chicken until done
Add approx. 2t soy sauce
Then a bag of garden blend stirfry frozen veggies and a can of water chestnuts for a yummy crunch!
Add your rice and voila, a yummy meal in no time at all, thanks Nikki!

Sue's super yummy, hope you like it too, Potato Soup

2009-02-19T10:19:00.002-05:00

This is for Stella and anyone else who would like to give it a try, let me know if you do and what you think! Stay warm everyone, it is chilly in Indiana, brrr

Sue's Super yummy, hope you like it too, Potato Soup

6 good sized potatos, diced into 1/2 inch or so cubes
Boil until soft with seasoned salt

In seperate bowl combine

3 cups of milk
2 cans chicken broth
1T chicken flavoring
1/4 c sour cream
1/4 c shredded cheddar
1 can cream of chicken soup
Season to taste with
Salt
Pepper
1T parsley
McCormick Grill Mates, roasted garlic and herb
Drain potatoes and add this to potatoes.
I add some boxed mashed potato flakes to thicken the soup, start with a little and slowly add.
Can be garnished with cheese, bacon bits, sour cream, etc...

All amounts are approximate, have fun and play with it, I am not a real measurer kind of cook, sorry.

You've Gotta Have Friends

2009-02-17T08:13:00.012-05:00

About a month ago I started thinking that I would like to have a luncheon to honor the women whom I consider my dearest friends. ( Of course I forgot to take pics, I still have trouble remembering to take blog worthy pics, sorry!) And last Thursday on my birthday I did just that!! 9 fantastic women were able to attend, illness, and work kept several others away, hopefully next year ladies! Although I had told no one it was my birthday, some friends still remembered and presented me with lovely gifts, so sweet! Because she knows how much I want an island vacation at some point in my life, my great friend Connie got me an amazing smelling candle by Yankee called Dune Grass

And an island sounding CD by Kenny Chesney, if you havent heard it I strongly recommend it!
By lighting the candle and listening to this CD I can pretend that I am here... Thanks Connie!

After all the ladies arrived we sat down to lunch, I had made my potato soup and a version of Max and Erma's Tortilla soup, everyone loved it and wants the recipe, and a nice big salad and yummy bread!
Max and Erma's Tortilla Soup Recipe

2 cups of chicken breast shredded
1 can cr of mushroom soup
1 can cr of chicken soup
2 cans cheddar cheese soup
1 can chix brooth
1 15 oz can Rotelle tomatoes and chilis
1/2 cup salsa
1/2 cup chopped onion
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 t chili powder, i used a little more!
1 T butter
salt and pepper to taste

Saute onion and garlic in the butter
Add the soups
Add the remainder of ingredients
Simmer on low to med for 1 hour, watch for sticking... Enjoy!

For dessert I made banana nut muffins, thank you Jenn, and homemade blueberry muffins, they were to die for, along with Thumbprint cookies, and chocolate dipped strawberries.
My plan was to hand out a specially burned CD to each of them, to serve as a reminder of the day, but I still havent received that in the mail from Nikki, my independent daughter living in SLC. But she has promised it is in the mail now and so when I get it my son will help me burn a dozen and I will hand them out as a late thank you gift to everyone! Better late than never! All the songs are about friendship!
The afternoon ended with everyone having a wonderful time and thanking me so much for including them, I of course thanked each of them for being such a terrific friend, because You've gotta have friends, where would a body be without them??

Here are some of the fantastic woman whom I am blessed to call friend!

Our really empty nest

Are you there Readers, it’s me Sue

Pumpkin Patch Craft Show

Pumpkins Pumpkins and More Pumpkins

Worlds Longest Yard Sale-The Results

The World’s Longest Yard Sale

SSSCCCCOOOORRREEE

Straight out of the pages of Southern Living Magazine

To Fix or To Replace, it’s not even a question any more

Garage Sale SUCCESS!!

While The Girls Away.... I will redecorate her room!!

Prayers Requested

Happy Easter Everyone!!!

OH Happy Happy Day!!!

The Girl can Bake

Here Come's The Bride, and Groom

Indy Home Show House

50 Before 50

Random facts about ME

Heeeelllllloooo, is anyone still out there??

This and That

Fall Decorating 2007

aprons aprons and yes, more aprons

Please Dont Hate me!!

The History of Aprons

THE FABULOUS BEEKMAN BOYS

Blogger Inspired Projects!

***Warning*** Before Watching This Video, YOU are going to want to empty your bladder, trust me!

Has It Really Been 30 Years??

Calling All Crafters

Planning A Trip With The 'Rents

Our New Baby!!

A Very Happy Easter Everyone!

ABC's of Me

A Little Reminder

I love this look!

And The Winner Is.........

It's A Better Late Than Never Giveaway!

Oopsie-Darnit-Shoot-Aaa Man-Crap

Christmas House in Review

A little bit of this and a little bit of.......

Prayers Answered!

Urgent Prayers Needed Please!

O M G

Some Christmas Thoughts

Dear Family, Martha Stewart will not be attending our Thanksgivng

Just Stuff

Ok I have started, so sue me!

From Our House To Yours

ENTER IF YOU DARE

Oh Happy Day!!

Busy Busy Busy

I Won An Award!

Well It Looks Like We Just Might Have Our Empty Nest Back!

Free Tickets To The Theater

To Dye or Not To Dye?

Fall Decorating 2007??

Fall Is Almost Officially Here And Do I Have A Recipe For You!

A New Look

Life Is Good

It's Been Way Too Long

Looks like my Blog title will have to change!!

Not much going on.....

Sedona Anyone????

My Day

My really really empty nest

Farm House is a NOT for us house, darn it!

Sunday Dinners

Show US Where You Live Friday-Bathrooms

A Sunday Favorites

My Outdoor/ WordlessWednesday Back Deck

I HAVE BEEN 8 TAGGED!!

There's No Place Like Home, sometimes...

Did I ever tell you about the day I tried to kill my husband?

Happy Mothers Day Friends!!

Is Anyone Else Having This Problem?

Sunday Favorites, Week 2

Ok, so it's been awhile, sue me!

Going to give the GW another try!

Do you have a minute or two??

Warning Before Watching This Video, YOU are going to want to empty your bladder, trust me!