Vacation Time?

I am so ready to go on a vacation. Sit on the beach in my lawn chair buttered up with sunscreen. Read my favorite book. Enjoy my favorite beer, MGD. Sink my toes in the warm sand. Life doesn't get any better than this! OBX is calling my name - maybe in 2008?

Yep, that's suppose to me - just fooling around.

Sit, Relax, Enjoy Your Life

Occasionally, you need to take some time out for you. Sit, relax, daydream, just enjoy your life. I found the following in Body and Soul. It's a keeper. Feel free to copy and post.

Ten Thoughts on Whole Living

1. Your home is more than the sum of its walls. Make it a sacred space.

2. Creativity is a lifestyle, not simply an activity. Let is expand you.

3. True forgiveness springs from love, not regret.

4. Learn something new. Emphasize the trying, not the succeeding.

5. Spend some time in the dirt. You'll be amazed at what nature can inspire.

6. You don't have to have a perfect body to feel great in it.

7. Define yourself by who you are, not the roles you play.

8. Find rejuvenation in five minutes of silence.

9. Contribute to abundance. If you no longer need something, pass it on.

10. Find direction in your life by looking where you want to go, not where you don't.

Eagle Watching

We spent last Monday, President's Day, eagle watching on the Mississippi River near Gladstone, Illinois at Lock and Dam 18. American Bald Eagles. Our national bird. Our symbol freedom. Oh, what majestic birds they are!

This eagle is fishing. That's why the eagles head for areas where the ice has broken up so they can find food. We saw several eagles spot their prey, dive for it and take it back to their nests in the nearby timber. One eagle dropped his fish, a foot long carp. Apparently, it was putting up quite a battle.

Felt Purses by Cathy Zielske

Little Felted Bag - Cathy Zielske

you need:
1 skein of chunky wool (140 yds)16- to 24-inch size 11 circular needles4 markersyard needle
Guage: in stockinette, roughly 12 inches and 18 rounds, four inches
Finished measurements: after felting, purse is roughly 6.5 to 8.5 wide by 6.5 to 7.5 tall, depending on how long you felt.

To make bottom of purse: loosely cast on 13 stitches and work back and forth in garter stitch (knit every row) for 38 rows (19 ridges). Do not turn.

Begin main part of bag: Without turning, knit 13 stitches on needle, place marker and pick up 19 stitches along the long edge (1 stitch for each ridge), place a marker and pick up 13 stitches along cast on edge, place marker, and pick up 19 stitches along second long edge, place a fourth marker to mark the beginning of the round; 64 stitches total.
Note: you will be working in rounds from now on. Be sure to keep moving markers as your work.

Begin knitting every round (stockinette stitch) until purse measures 10.5 inches, measuring from pick-p round, ending at beginning of round marker. (Mine was 9.5 inches. I was running low on the yarn!)

Begin handles: On next round, k13, slip marker off, k3, bind off next 13 stitches, k3, slip marker off, repeat to once more, leaving only beginning round marker.
On next round, k16, cast on 25 stitches, k19, cast on 25 stitches, knit to end of round.
Work 4 more rounds, bind off all stitches. Work in ends.
Felt.
Done.
Fabulous!

I found this photo at Wikipedia and loved it! It reminds me of summer (note the corn in the background) and I surely would like to see some warmer weather here in Galesburg. This weekend they are predicting lows of -5. Brrrrrr

Campaign 2008? Already?

Hello everyone! As you can see, Mom and I are already on the Presidential campaign trail for 2008. We went to Davenport, Iowa, Sunday morning and met Senator Hillary Clinton. What an experience! We left Galesburg about 6:00 a.m and arrived at the Hickory Garden Family Restaurant around 7:30. There was press and secret service guys all over the place. Hillary arrived about 8:30 in a black Chevy Blazer. She toured the restaurant, stopped at each table and shook hands, visited and pictures were taken. Lots of pictures! Mom and Hillary really hit off - she's Mom's new best friend. We then went to the Mississippi Valley Fair Grounds for a press conference. What a crowd! I barely got in the building, but it was worth the stop. I got the new campaign buttons, bumper stickers, posters and stickers. Yep, as her campaign motto states: I'm in it to Win!

2peas Challenge - Pet Names

If you have/had any pets in your life. How did you decide on their names?

I've had the joy of having three extraordinary felines in my life. The first was our Sassy Cat. And yes, she was sassy, stubborn, opinionated, definately her own cat. She would be held when she wanted to be held. She wanted to eat when she wanted to eat and it better be now! She was quite a talker too. Meowed and sometimes yowled for whatever suited her at the time. We lost our Sassy after a long illness in February 1995. It broke my heart when we had to put her down. She's buried in a flower garden under a cement cat sculpture of her likeness.


My dear Jessi Anne was named after one of my favorite Carly Simon songs titled Jesse. Remember that one? Her middle name is after my friend Jerri Anne. Jessi was a beautiful shelter cat we adopted in 1995. She was a short-haired gray tabby with big tufts of white fur coming out her ears. Instead of a meow, she had this crazy little trill when she talked. She was the love of our lives; a family member. My niece and nephews treated her as if she was their cousin. Jessi died unexpectedly in 2005 of a massive heart attack. My nephew Patrick buried her under the burning bush in the south yard. My Aunt Madge bought her a custom-made tombstone with her name on it and a image of a cat. I still miss her. She was the best cat ever. Everyone loved Jessi Anne...

My new kitty in Charly Anne. She's a little orange tiger and yep, she's named after my friend Jerri Anne again. Her first name comes from my deceased husband, George Charles Andrews' middle name. He would of been crazy about this cat too. Charly is a shelter cat too. Like my Jessi, she appears to be forever grateful that I picked her to adopt. She has a wonderful personality, rarely meows and gives kitty hugs generously. She's my baby girl!

Happy New Year 2007

Again, welcome to my blog and happy new year. It's 2007! Unbelievable. When I was a child, I couldn't imagine living to see the year 2000. It seemed so far away. I would be really, really old if I lived long enough to see it.

Anyway, like everyone else, I've been doing an inventory of my life. What do I want to improve, what do I want to eliminate, what do I want to achieve this year? I'm a big believer in making affirmations instead of resolutions. I like the idea of making a positive change to my behavior. I want to improve my health. I want to improve on my scrapbooking and stamping. I want to improve in my job performance. I want to eliminate time-wasting. (This is going to be really hard for me. I watch a lot of television.) I want to eliminate my debt. I want to eliminate my lousy attitude toward myself. (Again, this is going to be really hard for me. I know my attitude is related to me being overweight or vice versa.) I want to achieve a new scrapbooking class based on faith journeys at my church. I want to achieve a healthy weight and increase my energy. I want to achieve reading at least one book per month. Some of these goals seem pretty easy, but I know they aren't. It's going to take effort. And prayer. Here's to wishing everyone a happy new year and good luck with your goals!

A Poigant Moment

Do not stand at my grave and weep I am not there; I do not sleep.
I am a thousand winds that blow, I am the diamond glints on snow,
I am the sun on ripened grain, I am the gentle autumn rain. When you awaken in the morning's hush I am the swift uplifting rush of quiet birds in circled flight. I am the soft stars that shine at night. Do not stand at my grave and cry, I am not there; I did not die. ~~~ Mary Frye

To all whom I have loved that have passed on ... I remember.

A Quote to Remember

"Joy is what happens to us when we allow ourselves to recognize how good things really are."
~Marianne Williamson

Book Club Update

Our new picks for the sorority book club are "At First Sight" by Nicholas Sparks and "A is for Alibi" by Sue Grafton. I've been a fan of Kinsey Millhone aka Sue Grafton for more years than I want to count. I became hooked on her books when my husband George and I moved to Morton in 1992. On our first trip to the local public library I checked out "G is for Gumshoe" and became an instant groupie. I read all her books and am currently waiting for "T" to come out.

Nicholas Sparks is one of my favorites too. His books always tug at my heartstrings. I believe Mary Lou did very well in choosing these books.

Sorority Book Club

My sorority, Beta Sigma Phi, Perceptor Mu Tau, has chosen the book "The Memory Keeper's Daughter" by Kim Edwards. This book is fantastic! It hooked me from the beginning. It reads like a movie. I can't wait for our book review at our December meeting. This is one of those books I will never forget; it haunts me now...

Up and running!

After a short absence, I'm back and ready to blog! How do you like the new look? I think it's much easier to read. I love the layout and color scheme!

2peas Challenge: Goals

I took this information directly from a scrapbook page I did for my AAM album titled "25 Cool Things I Want to do in My Lifetime"

List 5 goals I've completed:

1. See Mount Rushmore. (Awesome! We went to South Dakota in the Spring)
2. Learn to paint. (I've tried, but I'm not very good)
3. Become a great photographer. (Again, I'm trying. I got a new camera, Sony H5, I hope it will help. If I could be as good as Lynette, I'd be satisfied.)
4. Read the entire Bible. (After I finish this version, The Message, I'm going to read the Contempory English Version.)
5. Attend CKU (Nashville 2004 & Masters Nashville 2005)

List 5 goals I'd like to complete in the next 10 years:

1. Experience Niagara Falls.
2. Visit the Supreme Court, maybe meet a justice or two.
3. Become a habitual 3-mile-a-day walker with no regard for weather conditions.
4. Be baptized in the River Jordan.
5. Own a fully restored 1968 black Ford Mustang. (George and I owned a 1968 turquoise Mustang.)

It's Monday...

2pea challenge-
What helps you get through a Monday?
Back to work and it's Monday.
I start with COFFEE. I usually roll through Innkeeper's and get a tall light roast with cream to go. It smells so good. I love their coffee!

Ah, Summer...

2Pea CHALLENGE: what makes summer special to you?

I like summer, though it isn't my favorite season. Summer is special because I enjoy working in the flower beds and mowing grass. I love the times family and friends get together for picnics and barbeques. My favorite is the 4th of July celebration my girfriend Jerri Anne throws at Lake Storey. What a blast! We spend the entire day at the park cooking out, water sliding, trying to win radio contests and just visiting.

Galesburg Train Depot

Here we are at the train station. It's around 7:15 a.m. Jerri Anne was waiting for us - what a surprise! Christopher is leaving for New Jersey to work as a camp counselor with developmentaly disabled children. He's meeting Joanna in Chicago, then they'll fly out together.

Chicago Bound

Godspeed, Christopher, Godspeed!

South Dakota Roadtrip 2006 - Part 2

Here's the Crazy Horse monmument and it still isn't finished. I don't believe it will be finished in my lifetime. The entry fee to see the monument is expensive, $24.00 a vehicle, but surprisely it was worth it. The fee supports the monument. No federal money is involved with this national treasure. The Indians and the artist have refused to accept any federal funding. There is a video presentation before the viewing. It gives the story of the Sioux Nation and the tribute monument to their leader, Chief Crazy Horse. It tells how the artist was chosen and how he has since died. His widow and their seven children are carrying on his work carving the monument. Fascinating!


Next, we enjoyed a Buffalo Burger at Wall Drug. Again, I was surprised by how good it was. It did not taste "gamey", more like very lean ground beef. Now I can understand why the Indians enjoyed the buffalo, its very tasty! However, it is a little pricey - $6.00 for a burger and fries basket. Nothing fancy.