Just call me....

Just call me Dopey and Sleepy-

Yesterday I had a little outpatient
procedure done and they gave me
some Vicodine and also told me to take more Ibuprofen. So today I
am a bit dopey and sleepy....good
thing nothing really needs my
attention today!

Monday Memories

Grandma's kitchen...there was never a better place to be. The memories I have consist of 4 different homes. The kitchen of this photo was in a little house on Minnehaha street. (before the big 4 lane road went through) My grandparent's owned 5 acres at the time. This kitchen has old linoleum blue and white squares. They had a HUGE garden and I remember them cleaning produce in the big sink and canning in the summer. Since my mom was a single woman for many years living on a very limited income, every Sunday was dinner at their house...pot roasts and roasted chickens-always meat which was a change from our usual package dinners.

Years later, after Grandpa passed and the road was expanded and the little house torn down, my Grandma had a double wide trailer put into what used to be her back yard. This is where I was old enough to learn how to cook and bake from her. I remember she had a Sunbeam mixmaster mixer. A tough thing that I used when we made chocolate chip cookies. The first time I tried to make cookies at my house with mom's Oster kitchen center, I burned out the motor...

Then Grandma moved into a house in the Lincoln area. This kitchen hadn't been remodeled since the house had been built. It was pretty small and had wallpaper with old red kitchen appliances on it. There was a whole wall of cabinets and one of the cabinets had a fold down table in it. Another had an ironing board.

After that, she moved into a duplex on 31st. St. with a basement. What I remember most about this kitchen is the door to the basement was in the kitchen. One day we went down to the basement to get something and since Amy was about 2, we shut the door so she wouldn't fall down. Well somehow she got the door locked and no amount of coaxing could get her to understand how to unlock it. Luckily the landlord lived in the other side of the duplex and was home. We called her and she let herself in and unlocked the door for us.

Just a few memories of some of the time I spent in Grandma's kitchen. I think that is why it was somewhat bittersweet when we remodeled our kitchen...I hope the kids have great memories of spending time with me in the white/red kitchen and then the white/green one. Someday, there will be little ones to share the new kitchen with and make new memories.

Thankful Thursday

1. Gary is back home (from St. Louis)
2. He actually took today off! and asked to go antiquing!!
3. Spending time with kids
4. Blooming dahlias
5. Getting projects done
6. Soft, cuddly cat
7. Funny books
8. Crystal light
9. Costco roasted chicken
10. Garden vegetables

What a difference a week makes...

Do you remember reading about our trip to the coast last weekend for a senior photo shoot? Well we decided to try again this week since the weather reports looked promising. It was absolutely stunning. Sun (could have used a bit of haze Gary said) and no wind. We started out at the Peter Iredale wreck and the moved onto part of the bunkers at Fort Stevens. Old concrete buildings with age and cool colored mildew. Maybe you have to be a photographer to consider mildew as cool?! Anyway, we got lots of photos which I need to edit before Gary comes home on Wednesday night. He was so excited, which was neat to see. Isn't that the greatest thing, when what you need to do is actually fun?!!

So today I have given myself a day off. After I took Gary to the airport around 6 am, I came home and went back to bed and stayed there until 10. That was nice!! I guess all that driving and being around lots of people this week got to this introvert. Anyway, I read a book-not a great one, but I kept hoping it would become great. I plan some TV time and working on photos for my 365 blog that has been sorely neglected since June...

I added a picture of myself I took yesterday just after a little snooze on the beach at Del Ray. The wind had come but that didn't bother me any-I love just sitting and staring at the waves and being relaxed. May you have a great relaxing day soon....thanks for sharing my life with me by the way.

Thankful Thursday

1. Liking photos of myself again
2. Liking my family a lot lately
3. Our business
4. Gary's work trip next week!!
5. Pulled pork cooked in crock pot
6. Celebrating birthdays
7. Trips to the beach
8. My flowers
9. "He" is always there for me
10. God's blessings

22 years ago

Vancouver was experiencing a heat wave not unlike what we have been having lately.

How Much things cost in 1987:

Yearly Inflation Rate USA3.66%
Year End Close Dow Jones Industrial Average 1938
Interest Rates Year End Federal Reserve 8.75%
Average Cost of new house $92,000.00
Average Income per year $24,350.00
Average Monthly Rent $395.00
Average Price for new car $10,3055.00
1 gallon of gas 89 cents
1 LB of Bacon $1.80
US Postage Stamp 24 cents
Dozen Eggs 65 cents

and ...

this little little boy joined our family!! (he is 8 mo. old here)

It has been a fun ride that is for sure and I must say,
I like having him back under our roof for a bit...

So if you see him or visit his Facebook or Twitter page-wish him a great birthday and year.

Love ya loads and you are still cute/handsome and fun !!

The beach

Here we are at the beach-on what ended up just being a get away trip. We drove down to take portraits of a senior at Fort Stevens but ended up having to call her and tell her not to come. It was just too stormy looking there for portraits. We then drove down to Seaside/Cannon Beach and the sun peaked out to warm us a bit. I also added a photo of what it was looking like...still not too bright but nicer.
Gary was laughing at me, he says my weight loss is funny in that I'm always saying "take my picture!" Here is one I liked...
I liked this row of multi-colored mailboxes-
oh, and there was a restored antique car show going on...this is the one I want!
It was a nice break in routine...

Free is a great price

FREE!

Some of you scrapbook,
some of you make cards,
some of you make little
notes and hide them for your sweeties to find.
Whatever you like to do-
either of the two kits that the following site
has as a giveaway would be great.
I have posted a picture of a layout
using one of the kits.

http://sketchythursdays.blogspot.com/

So pop over and sign up today...

Don't know why I don't have more photos to show...should since I have been taking one a day. However, do you really want to see signs, photos of what I ate and read??

I have been seeing an ob/gyn for some problems I have been having. She asked me if I have had any menopause symptoms. Of course, I have no idea what those might be, so she proceeds with hot flashes, waking at night...I told her no.
But ever since then, each night, I awake between 2 and 2:30 am! Okay fine, maybe I am having a symptom, but this is rediculous. I want to sleep, maybe I should have someone take photos of what I look like around 2 pm when I want a nap or at 6pm when I haven't had a nap and look and feel like it is bedtime. Just so you can see what I'm going through. Yesterday we were at the beach in a motel room. All was good until I was wide awake at a quarter to 1 am! Not wanting to wake Gary with the light, I moved a hard chair over by the bathroom and read by that light. Not so comfortable...

So tonight I will be wearing myself out so maybe I can sleep through the night, but just in case...
I'm turning off the phone so that doesn't wake me in the morning when I have to sleep late!!

Thankful Thursday

1. Home grown tomatoes
2. Deals at grocery store
3. Arnica gel for pain
4. Gary not stressing over work
5. Trip to beach Sunday
6. 5 seniors next week
7. Forever friends
8. Kids want to spend time with us
9. Encouraged to continue weight loss
10. Cooler weather

Go do this!

I was blog hopping this morning and stumbled across an awesome giveaway for some lovely word art.
Go here and then do what she says....

http://donnadowney.typepad.com/simply_me/

Be sure and let me know what you think because I loved them all!!

Thankful Thursday

1. more bookings

2. getting orders in

3. naps

4. sunshine

5. day to self

6. gifting secrets

7. fun books

8. baking

9. cute clothes

10. weekend off