2 Peas Challenge - My Name Defined

Cindy Andrews -

C - Charly Cat! Everyone who knows me, knows my cat and how much she means to me.
I - I'm an Individual - When I first got married, I really balked at changing my last name. I was afraid about losing me...
N - Night person! I love to scrap and rubber stamp into the night.
D - Determined. When I make up my mind to do something, I'm determined. Succeed or fail, I'm determined to see it through.
Y - Yard work! I can't wait for Spring and yard work season to begin. The feeling usually fades around July. Then it's too darn hot for yard work!

A - Anxious. After I order something I anxiously await the UPS man to bring me more stuff from SU! or QVC. Some might call this stalking!
N - I'm a bit of a Nerd. I'll admit it now. A long time ago I used to "party". All night long! Don't get me wrong, I still party, but stamping and scrapping is involved! Usually all night long!
D - Discovery - I find myself traveling a lot to discover places I've never been. Last year I went to Nashville, Salt Lake City and the Outer Banks of North Carolina. I just have this itch to discover and record everything I haven't seen. This Spring I'm going to the Badlands of South Dakota. Maybe the east coast in the Fall.
R - I love going to good Restaurants. When I travel I usually have a list of the good restaurants in the area with me. Sometimes they send me coupons!
E - I'm Easy going, easy to get along with. Most of the time, nothing bothers me.
W - Wishes - I'm a dreamer. I wish I could go here, I wish I could have that, I wish I had done that...
S - Sorority Sister. I never thought I would do this, but I joined a sorority and I've never looked back. They have given me so much support. I can't imagine life without my sisters.

Well this is me. Another 2 peas challenge that was fun and thought provoking.

My Charly Anne

Here's my darling kitty, Charly.  Yep, she's a shelter cat.  We adopted her in October 2004.

Shopping!

It's gorgeous today. The sun is shinning and I am going scrapbook shopping in Peoria! Life is good!

Local Scrapbook Store Closed

There's not much left of my local scrapbook store, It's Scrap'n Time. We had a major fire in downtown Galesburg on January 23, 2006. One of the historical buildings, O.T. Johnson's Department Store and a warehouse caught fire and destroyed many of the nearby businesses. A sad day indeed...I feel so bad for the owners, Steve & Tracy. They have put their hearts and souls into this store. As of yesterday, the fire was still smoldering. And to make this more interesting there is a young man missing. His name is Michael Olson and he's 22 years old. He was last seen early Monday morning. His parents went to the police Tuesday because he didn't show up for work. So far, the police have reconstructed some of his activities. He was playing pool at Billards on Main (old Walgreens store on Prairie and Main), then went to Papa Johns Pizza to use the restroom. Employees said he was drunk. He was last seen standing on the corner of Praire and Main, near O.T. Johnson's. Many think he may be at the bottom of the rubble. Police had K-9 searching, but were not able to make a through search because the site is so unstable and it's still hot. I'll update as I learn more details.

Big Fire in Galesburg

It's bright and sunny here in the 'burg. We lost one of our downtown historical building to fire this week. The tragedy began early Monday morning about 1:30 a.m. I heard the breaking news on the radio about 3:30 a.m. The building was the O.T. Johnson department store. It originated about 1850 when Galesburg had only dirt roads and plank boardwalks. The first store was a two-story narrow building. The building I was familiar with was built around 1900 with add-ons throughout the years. When I was a kid, my girldfriend, Diana Scott, worked in the restaurant at O.T.'s. Occasionally, I would meet her downtown when she took her break. We thought we were such "big shots" going out to lunch like the grownups!

Shopping was fantastic at O.T. Johnson's. They had a special section in the store for teens called "The Spot". They carried a lot of trendy items for the 1970's like leather fringe shoulder bags (yep, I had one) and big hoop earrings.

O.T.'s closed in the late 70's after the mall opened. It seemed the downtown area just "died". Many business moved to the mall or just shuttered their doors.

The firemen are still on the job extingushing hot spots and trying to figure out how this fire started. Was it arson? Prior to the fire, an antique store was located in the building. There was a fire in their adjacent warehouse a week ago. Nearly gutted the place. Did the firemen actually put out the fire or did some of it sit and smolder for nearly a week? Maybe we'll never know.

In the Office...

I'm sitting here waiting on a client. I don't know if she has a case or not. Social Security says her claim was dismissed in November because she missed the deadline in appealing. Client says no she didn't miss the deadline and she has a letter she received from Social Security yesterday to prove it. I hope she's right. I met with her on one occasion and I believe she could be approved for benefits. I hope she's not late either. I have to leave for Peoria to do two cases this afternoon. They are back-to-back with two different judges. Not my favorite setting, but I'll do it.

Attorney Mike and I haven't been to the Office of Hearings and Appeals in quite awhile. I had to shake out my wool winter suit for the day. First time I've had it out this year. It doesn't look too bad, a little wrinkled, but that's okay. We're going to stop for lunch first, then head over to the hearing office to meet with our clients. Both of them should be approved today. After the hearing, we plan to do a little shopping at Sam's. It seems like it always rains when we go to Sam's Club and wouldn't you know, rain is predicted for this afternoon. Rats!

The New Year 2006

The holidays are now history and this year was full of joy and tears. Lynette's sister, Patrice, was diagnosed with stage 4 colon cancer and is not expected to last long. She is presently admitted to Cook County Hospital. We're all praying for her to have a safe and peaceful journey. Lynette and her children were not able to be with us in Galesburg for Christmas. We pray our good Lord will wrap His arms around them and the entire family as they go through this difficult time.

Our Aunt Edwina Cherrington died after a lenghty battle of cancer. Her funeral will be Thursday, January 5 at St. Monica's Catholic Church in San Francisco. Again our prayers are with Uncle Bill, Tanya, Mark, and Craig as they adjust to life without her. She will be dearly missed.

On the up side, we got to meet Joanna, Christopher's girlfriend. She's darling! She appears to be his equal. She's smart, beautiful, and motivated. I wish I had been able to take pictures of Joanna fixing breakfast on Monday morning for her boyfriend. She made scrambled eggs and waffles. Christopher ate every bite with no complaints. And best of all, she cleaned up the kitchen! I was totally impressed. She can visit anytime.

Christmas 2005

Wow! Christmas is over and I'm back to work - where did it all go? Christmas Eve was spent putting the finishing touches on the holiday. We all went to church that night for the candlelight service. So beautiful - the church was dark, we circled the santuary, candles were lit and we sang "Silent Night" - a perfect night for Christians.

On Christmas day we attended church, our regular Sunday routine. Friends and family came over and we celebrated by opening presents, eating great Mexican food and visiting! We spent time on the telephone and computer contacting all of those who could not be with us in Galesburg. Again, the day seemed to fly by. I finally wrapped things up about 10:00 p.m. and collapsed in front of the television.

Mom and I got up early to hit the stores for the early-after-Christmas-sales. I treated myself to a new coffee pot for the office. Mom ordered new china she's had her eye on for quite some time. It'll be the Thanksgiving china. It's called "Friendly Village" by Johnson Bros. It's done in a beautiful sepia medium, perfect autumn colorings.

We watched movies last night. I stopped at Family Video and picked out two shows, "Beauty Shop" and "Bewitched" It's been a long time since I've been in a video store. I noted a person is hard-pressed to find a VHS tape, nearly everything was available only on disc.

I'm in the office this morning, enjoying a cup of fresh brewed Innkeeper's coffee, Victorian Breakfast Blend. I came in to prepare for hearing in January. This coffee is great!

Christmas in Oquawka

Today we celebrated Christmas in Oquawka with Aunt Madge, Renee, Erin and Denver. Mom, Aunt Ethel and I left Galesburg about 11:30 to head down to the big river town of Oquawka.

Aunt Madge had appetizers waiting for us - shrimp cocktail, cheese and salami with assorted crackers, veggies and chips. Yum! We visited for a couple hours, opened presents and then we had dinner. What a menu! Crab legs & breaded shrimp with augratin potatoes. Mom had a special steak because she doesn't like seafood. Aunt Madge thought of everything. We had blueberry cheesecake for dessert and it was delicious.

Denver's new little kitten, Kiki, keep us all in stitches. She's an adorable gray tabby. Aunt Madge and Denver picked her out at the Burlington Iowa flea market. Denver and Erin just dote on her. This cat is drowning in attention! I must of taken 20 pictures of her and the kids. I told Erin and Denver we would create a scrapbook of Kiki and they cheered!

We left Oquawaka about five o'clock. We dropped off Aunt Ethel, stopped by Hi-Lo to pick up the fixins for popcorn balls and headed home. As soon as I walked in the door, I knew something was wrong. It was so cold in the house. The temperature was 58. The furnace had gone out. Praise God the furnace guy from Lambasio fixed it. The electronic ignitor went out.

It's the 19th of December...

Just another day to most folks, but not me. It's the day I lost my husband, George. He died seven years ago on this day. He slipped into a coma after a surgical procedure. He was in a coma for several days. His doctors said he wouldn't come out of it. He was experiencing multi-organ failure and only drugs were keeping his blood pressure up. I told the doctors to discontinue life support and I left the hospital. I just had to get out of there and be alone. As soon as I stepped into our home, the phone was ringing and a nurse was telling me I needed to come back to the hospital. I drove as fast as I could back to the hospital. I think I already knew before I arrived at the hospital. People were stopping me in the halls telling me they were so sorry. I entered the intensive care unit and knew he was gone. He looked so peaceful. I wished I had been with him, but I never dreamed he would go so soon. My pastor was there. Reverend Dave said George probably planned it that way. He wouldn't want me to see him "go". George always did try to "shield" me from any unpleasantness. That was just his way - he was a buffer between me and the rest of the world.

The nineteenth of December will always be branded into my brain as one of the worst days of my life. Everything changed. I became a widow at age 43. I never considered I would become a widow, let alone at age 43. Too young to become a widow, but it happened. I am grateful for the 17 years I had with George Charles Andrews. Rest in peace, baby.

Deep Freeze

It is so cold here in the Midwest! The temperature was zero this morning when I left for work. My car door creaked when I opened it - just frigid here in Galesburg. Brrrr!

We've been busy getting ready for Christmas. Mom and I have our shopping finished and nearly everything is wrapped and under the tree. I mailed out Tom, Joyce and Snow's package last Thrusday. It was sent priority, so they should receive it today...

Christopher came home Friday night - good to see him. He seems to get older with each visit home. His girlfriend Joanna is coming to our home on the 28th of December. I've been told it's her birthday. I'll have to bring out the singing birthday cake plate for her! I can't wait to meet her, I've heard so much about her. Christopher says she loves getting cards from us. He says she actually displays them on her coffee table in her dorm room. That's cool!

Lynette, Patrick and Lara are expected to arrive on Saturday. Lynette's going to drop off the kids and head for Chicago to see Jason and Sarah. Patty has to work Christmas, so she'll be taking a train to Chicago to meet up with Lynette on Monday. Plans are for them to arrive in Galesburg on Tuesday with Jason and Sarah. Gosh, I hope the weather is good. Let's all pray for good weather!

December Update

I can't believe it's been so long since I've posted to the blog. The holidays are whizzing past me as I type. Thanksgiving was unbelievable! - it was so wonderful to have the entire family together again. We all spent a couple minutes telling each other what we're thankful for this year. There were some tears, some laughter. God is good - Praises to Him and his son, Jesus Christ. With Him, all things are possible and we are eternally grateful for our blessings. Again, Thanksgiving was unbelievable!

What a Weekend!

I've been so busy getting ready for Thanksgiving, I haven't had time to really enjoy my other social obligations. For instance, on Thursday I had two events to attend - United Way's Wine Tasting Party at the Antique Mall - one of my most favorite fund-raising events! and my sorority's Thanksgiving dinner. The wine tasting started at 5:00 p.m., so I went there first and stayed about an hour. Then it was off to dinner with my sisters. It was all so rushed I wasn't able to enjoy it as much as I would have liked. The best part of the day is when Christopher came home from college - yippee! Chrissy Boy is home for the holiday!

Friday was spent cleaning and organizing for Thanksgiving. In the eveing the girls came over for open stamp night. Jerri Anne and I stamped until 12:30 a.m. I got all my projects completed. On Saturday morning I went to Julia Jackson's home to stamp with the demonstrators. Julia created such cute cards for us to copy. Love her work!

Sunday, we all went to church and then out to breakfast at the Broadview. We spent the rest of the day waiting for Tom and Joyce to arrive. They showed about 2:00 p.m. - it's so good to see them and their new dog, Snow! We talked and talked throughout the night...

Preparing for the Holidays

The holidays are just around the corner. Mom, Aunt Madge and I have been busy getting the house ready for all the guests we have coming in at Thanksgiving. Aunt Madge has nearly renovated the bathroom and it looks great! She is so talented with a hammer and drill. I took apart Mom's room and we got everything dusted, washed and organized. She whined a bit about sorting through a mountain of paperwork, but she got it done and vowed never to let it stack up again. Mom is so proud of her new room she actually gave tours!

Christopher will be home from school soon - can't wait to see him. Charly misses him too. We've been planning activities for when Tommy and Joyce are here. First of all we're going to have a birthday party for them both as at the time of their birthdays they were displaced due to Hurricane Katrina. It going to be like an open house type of affair with Mom making corn chowder, chili and corn bread. And birthday cake too!

Patty, Lynette and the kids will arrive Wednesday. We'll all be busy preparing for Thanksgiving. Mom has on the menu turkey, ham, dressing, mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, gravy, green beans, and who knows what else! Tommy is bringing his turkey fryer so he can fry a turkey for dinner too. What fun!

I'm Back!

Wow! I've been gone quite a long time. Mom and I took off the for the Outer Banks of North Carolina. What gorgeous scenery! The ocean, the dunes, our hotel, the lighthouses, the restaurants... We had such a good time. We spent 11 days in Kill Devil Hills and would love to go again and catch the stuff we missed. I found two great scrapbook stores and met some really cool scrappers. I purchased a new scrapbook covered in lighthouses, shells and inspirational quotes - love it! It'll be our vacation album for our fall roadtrip.

Dreary Tuesday

It's a quiet, dark morning in Galesburg. It looks like it could rain, however, rain is not predicted for today. I'm working at home today. We have no water at the office. Hence, no sewer service either. The City of Galesburg is putting in new storm sewers in the downtown area. Water has been shut off in different locations throughout the summer. A real inconvenience, but necessary. Many businesses were having problems with water collecting in their buildings after a storm due to the inadequate sewer system.

I'll bet some of you remember when the City put in new storm sewers on South Cedar Street. Our street was blocked off for nearly a year! They tore out the brick sidewalks and street. We had heavy equipment (picture CAT) in the front yard along with huge cement sewer pipes. It was a construction site for way too long...

Miracle Day on Jackson Boulevard

Galesburg's First Christian Church experienced a mission trip on October 1, 2005. We began preparing for this trip several months ago. In order to fund the trip, church members baked bread and sold it at the local Farmer's Market every Saturday morning. The receipe was given to us by a very generous church member, Bill Jewsbury. It's been in his family for years and it has quite a following - we had a lot of repeat business each Saturday. People just love this bread! It's made with white, wheat and rye flours along with molasses and orange peel. Yum! The loaves sold for $4.00 apiece and each contained information about our church.

On mission day, seven of us left for Chicago at 4:00a.m. on Saturday morning. We traveled about 4 hours to reach the Jackson Boulevard Christian Church. Upon arrivial, we were greeted by nearly 250 Disciples of Christ members ready to work! We registered and were assigned to teams. Before we started working, we all attended a joint worship service to celebrate the day. Reverand Larry Jackson of the Jackson Boulevard Christian Church was our host. What a wonderful congregation he has! Everyone was just terrific in making us feel welcome.

I was placed on Painting Team #4 and assigned to section 4 on the third floor of the church. The walls were already primed and ready to go. We painted several rooms, a hallway and a stairwell. My arms and shoulders ached, but it was worth it doing God's work alongside his disciples. Midday I witnessed Reverand Jackson, 2 elderly gentlemen and a young girl singing hymns accapella on the sidewalk in front of the church. What a treat! Everyone, even vehicles passing by, stop to listen. I love gospel music.

On the drive back to Galesburg, me, Sally, Val and Tina chatted about our experience. We came to the conclusion we would do it again. And we would love to go back and hear Reverand Jackson preach a sermon. Praise be to God!

Wednesday at the Office

I'm just spending the morning catching up on files, copying, etc. Seems like there is always something to do. Our hearing went very well Monday. Our client was granted disability. She was so happy. It's hard to explain, but when an administrative law judge agrees with you, validates your disability, it literally takes the world off your shoulders. It's an emotional time and our clients are very grateful for our work and expertise in the field of Social Security disability.

I went to Peoria with Diana and Heather last night. We went to Michael's with our 50% off coupons and shopped! I got new software to help me with journaling - can't wait to use it. I also bought more yarn that was on sale. Look out everyone! New scraves for Christmas! Woohoo!!! We had dinner at the Olive Garden, Heather's pick. We all had the never-ending pasta bowl and salad. Nope, we didn't have seconds, the first helping was overwhelming! I tried the five-cheese marinara sauce with farfalle pasta and it was terrific.

Tonight is open stamp night at our home. I'm not sure what to fix for a snack, any ideas?

It's Saturday Night...

And I have some time to catch everyone up on the news. I heard from Tom and Joyce a couple days ago and they are back in their apartment in Metairie. Yey! They have power, water (no one is drinking it) sewer and land phone. Tommy is already ripping out flooring, damaged furnishings, etc. The landlady has the contractors coming Tuesday. Sounds like everything is coming together, please continue to keep them in your prayers.

I've been busy working. Attorney Mike and I have a big hearing coming up Monday. I've been preparing for it night and day. Our client has become dear to us, she needs help...

I hear laundry calling my name, back to work. I'll write more later.

Found it!

I finally found my appointment book - it was mixed in with some of my scrapbooking stuff! Imagine that?