Random Thoughts

1. It snowed today! I knew that would happen! We've had chilly winds and temperatures in the 30's for about a week now. The grass has greened up and we've had daffodils, but it doesn't really feel like spring is here yet.
2. The sweetest thing I've seen in a long time ~ Mr. Cardinal gathering a mouth of seed and finding Mrs. Cardinal to feed it to her. Awww.
3. The triplets are on spring break this week. We're just taking it easy at home. They are enjoying their laptops and staying in their pajamas all day.
4. Things break in threes around here. So after a floor lamp died and the electric can opener died, I wasn't a bit surprised that the meat drawer in the refrigerator looked like someone pulled it out and tried to use it for a step stool. Did someone do that? I don't know. Three of the boys aren't talking! lol. Since it was hanging all cockeyed and not repairable, I got out my girlie power tools and just removed the whole drawer!
5. Did you know that America's first traffic light was in Ohio? Yes, it was in Cleveland, and began it's service on August 5, 1914.
6. March in Ohio was a lamb sandwich. In like a lion, out like a lion....with a little lamb inbetween. :)

♥

photos from googleimages.com

:)

Paying It Forward

Don't you just love the goodwill being passed around

the world with this idea of "paying it forward"?

One of the most popular, of course, is paying for the

coffee or fast food meal of the person in the drive-thru

line behind you. And it's a case of truly experiencing

that scripture verse, "It is more blessed to give than to

receive." Acts 20:35. Well there is a fun Pay it Forward

going around the blogs. I saw it at Jojo's and decided

to join in. This one is especially fun because you not

only give something, but receive something as well!

While I was out last week I picked up a pretty little package

of British chocolates. I've enjoyed looking at them here on

my desk and now it's time to pay them forward to a few blog

friends. If you want to participate, here are the rules:

1. Tell me in the comment section that you want to participate.

2. Email me your postal address

3. When you receive your little gift, enjoy it!

4. Then, post your own Pay It Forward on your blog.

5. I will only be accepting the first 3 willing participants.

Now, I've taken the liberty to change the rules a bit. :)

Originally, you had to send out handmade gifts and send them

to five people. But seriously, I think some were turned off by

the fact that they had to make the gifts. We're all busy and

some may think sending five packages is a bit much, too.

We are all watching our nickles and dimes these days,

so a small gift to three people seems a bit more realistic

to me. And I mean small...I'm giving 2 little chocolates

and one tea bag of my favorite tea. The point isn't the

expense but the priceless gift of love and care, right?

Hope nobody minds me making my own rules!

*****

If you would like to get this little gift from me, leave a

comment saying so and realize that you are committing

to sending out a little something to three more bloggers.

*****

Regular comments are still welcome and you are

not obligated in any way. :)

I'd love to hear a few

other Pay it Forward stories if anybody

would like to share!

*****

I'll accept participants from any where in the world.

That just makes it more fun!

When I get my little gift from Jojo I'll let you see it!

♥

UPDATE...I HAVE MY THREE PARTICIPANTS!

NOW I JUST WANT TO HEAR SOME PAY IT FORWARD

STORIES. PLEASE SHARE IF YOU HAVE ONE!

Springtime

click to enlarge

Springtime is the theme this time at Creative Tuesdays!

This little English Robin is using a daffodil as an umbrella!

Rain and daffodils are the essence of springtime and the

month of March in Ohio. Although we had a bit of snow that

wilted the daffodils already! And that is very typical, too!

It's spring in name only. We're still wearing our coats and gloves!

Click HERE to join in!

"Daffodils that come before the swallow dares,

and takes the winds of March with beauty!"

William Shakespeare

♥

Sepia Saturday = Walking the Baby Dolls

Merle Johnsen Brock 1926-2008

This is my mother-in-law, Merle Elaine Johnsen Brock.

She was born in 1926 in Grand Rapids, Michigan.

Her mother's family was Swedish and her father's Danish.

I'm guessing she's about 3 years old here...not much taller

than her doll carriage...so this is the late 1920's.

She certainly is enjoying the Michigan winter!

When I see pictures of her as a child, she is always

dressed very well. I love this little knit outfit and

matching hat and mittens. Even her dolls are dressed

for a winter walk...including rosy cheeks!

Do you see the little doll sitting on the carriage

handle? Could that be a boudoir doll? They

were so popular in the 1920's!

Click HERE to join in or see more sepia photos!

♥

"When you do the common things in life in an uncommon way,

you will command the attention of the world."

George Washington Carver

1864-1943

Venus vs. Mars

Men and women don't think alike. :) Well, maybe I should qualify that and say, The Mister and I don't think alike sometimes. Here's a funny story and good example of what I'm talking about, in case it never occurred to you that male and female minds work differently. lol.

.

I got a new laptop a few months ago. The Mister took my old PC off of my desk and "put it away". I found someone who could use my old PC..a blog friend who's computer died...so I decided to plug it in and make sure all of my stuff was deleted before packing it up for shipment. Well, the monitor and computer box were in the attic but nothing else! I emailed The Mister at work and asked about the cables and the rest of what I needed. He replied that it was all in our second pantry, with the extension cords and light bulbs.

.

I looked in the second pantry, only to find one of the cords. Not wanting to waste my time scouring the house, I waited for him to come home for dinner. To make a long story short...

1. The computer and monitor were in the attic.
2. One cord was in the pantry with our extension cords.
3. Two other cables and cords were in the water heater closet with the mop and broom.
4. The keyboard was in the hall closet with the hats and gloves.
5. The mouse was in a dining room buffet drawer with the napkins.

Yep, I was speechless, too! I still am, in fact! LOL.

Nesting

All of these shots were taken while sitting at my desk.

Had to laugh at Mrs. Dove sitting on the gutter,

staring at me. Maybe the feeder was empty?

Isn't she a beauty with her light blue eyeshadow

and little pink toes?

This morning she got busy making a nest in one of our pine trees. In and out, in and out. And sometimes she's just a blur! "Even the sparrow has found a home, and the swallow

a nest for herself, where she may have her young..."

Psalm 84:3

♥

Spencer Decorates

I did a mini makeover in my boy's room 2 weeks ago.

The pictures I posted were magazine perfect and I joked

that I would have to show you some "real" photos

when they moved in and got comfortable.

Well, over the weekend, Spencer went to town with

his stacks of train pictures that he has printed off the

Internet. They are normally in 6 stacks but he decided

to unfold them into long rows all over their bedroom floor.

Lots and lots of rows! He moved all of the furniture to higher ground so it wasn't in the way! Notice the row of suckers has come to his desk, too. :) When there wasn't enough floor space in that huge bedroom, the rows started stretching out the door and down the hallway. He's very careful not to step on them! He eventually ended up in our bedroom clear on the other end of the house! And here he goes from our bedroom down the hall, through the laundry area and second hallway to their bedroom. I let him keep it all like that for the day...except for the chairs stacked to the ceiling. lol.

Oh my. You just have to laugh!

I just love that boy!

♥

Normal Living, A Sepia Saturday Post

I've been moving files from my old PC to my new laptop.

I came across this photo that had been misfiled under

"Nugget" our bunny's picture file. lol.

*****

This photo was taken in front of my home in Normal, Illinois 1964.

Left to right is my grandfather, uncles Tom and Steve, grandmother,

mother, father, sister and me. I turned three years old that year!

Grandma died just 5 years later. I'm sorry she left us so soon.

I would love to have her in my life these days. Grandpa lived

until 2007! Don't you love our cute little dresses? I don't

know the occasion, but we certainly look like we've been

to church. We moved from Normal to Decatur, Illinois

in 1966. My limited memories of living here are...

*****

1. Playing hide-and-see in the back yard.

2. Riding in the patrol car (my dad was chief of police) and looking in the jail cells at any one that happened to be locked up. This was the 60's folks...probably more like Mayberry than anything else. I also remember "Max" the white German Shepherd K-9.

3. Sneaking a half bottle of vitamins so I could be strong enough to do cartwheels like the big kids.

4. An attempt at a pet kitten but it kept running 'home'.

5. Having handfuls of 'pet' worms that I kept in the window wells around the house.

6. Our black VW Beetle. I sat in the 'well' in the 'way back'

7. We literally moved to a house across the street during

our time in Normal! I guess sometimes the grass really is greener!

The only thing I remember about the move is a

man rolling the washer or dryer down the street on a dolly!

*****

A few years ago I was back in Normal and got to see these

two houses we lived in. They were so tiny and the yards were

tiny, too! Funny how that back yard seemed huge to me when

I was a toddler. Don't you wish we could time-travel?

I'd love to do back for a day and see all the things my mind

has forgotten! At least we have some photos, right?

I didn't have my camera that day! Too bad!

This is a Sepia Saturday post!

Click HERE to visit other old photos and stories!

♥

"First a howling blizzard woke us,

Then the rain came down to soak us,

And now, before the eye can focus,

Crocus!"

Lilja Rogers

Hairy Dairy Makes Me Wary

Quirky post title especially for my new

blog friend Pat the Rhyming Cat. :)

It takes a lot of food to feed five men. ;) I shop once a week and

alternate between Sam's Club and a Kroger/Wal-mart trip. Today I was

at Kroger and picked up my usual five 2 lb containers of Yoplait

Strawberry Yogurt. The man that delivers the dairy products

to the grocery was there stocking the shelves.

Our conversation went like this,

"Hey, you think you have enough yogurt in your cart?" I usually don't get teased about the amount of food I'm buying until I get to the cashier, who usually asks if I'm hosting a large party.

I smiled and answered, "Well, yes, this is my boys' favorite."

"You know," he said with an irritated look on his face, "if you're going to take that much you should call in a special order!"

"Really?", I asked in disbelief.

"Yes! How would you like it if someone came before you and cleaned out the shelf?" he said sternly.

"I didn't take it all. There is still plenty of strawberry left." I said defensively.

"Well, I'm serious about the special order. Are you going to come back later this week?" he asked.

"No, this is all I need. I won't be back for 2 weeks."

"OK. Well, good!" he added.

"I am shopping for a family of six!", I said, as I started to move along the isle.

*****

Wow! I've never heard of such a thing! I guess he didn't notice the

10 lbs of strawberries, 6 lbs of grapes, 4 bunches of kale,

6 bunches of bananas and 17 cans of Pringles in my cart!

But then, those aren't his areas to keep stocked! LOL!

*****

On the bright side, I bumped into my friend jillybean

and her daughter at the seafood counter. :)

And did you know that crab cakes are 10/$10 this week?

Yum.

♥

Harry Stayed Home

Harry was sick and stayed home from school today. Not really sick,

but he had a cold sore on his bottom lip. He usually obsesses with

the itching and pain until he makes them swell and

bleed. So I kept him home to keep an eye on him

and keep it medicated. He generally feels lousy when he has

these...although it's been a good year since he had a break

out...and he took a couple of naps and laid low for most of

the day. One thing he did was to raise the blind in the

front room and watch....for his brothers to get off the bus.

Awww...isn't that just the sweetest thing!?

*****

"There's no other love like the love for a brother."

author unknown

Gas Prices

My eyes were a little blurry filling up my tank.

I could have sworn the prices read this way! ha.

This one is for Silver Fox.

I'm sure he sees the prices more like this...

Can't we go back to this? The prices were better, and the pumps were cuter! Am I the only one as a kid that thought leaded gas smelled good? We'd try to breath deeply while dad pumped the gas. We were probably getting high! ha. all photos from googleimages.com

♥

Breakfast

click to enlarge

Breakfast is the theme this time at Mr. Toast's Creative Tuesdays!

Probably my most favorite meal, even though I usually turn it into

brunch as I'm not a roll-out-of-bed-and-start-eating kind of person.

In fact, I'm a stay-in-bed-and-drink-coffee kind of person! lol.

The possibilities are endless, right?

Eggs Benedict, French Toast, Quiche, Muffins,

Pastries, Granola, Juice,

Chocolate Cake. lol.

Mmm.

♥

• Buttery croissant is calling your name,
• Raspberry jam to spread on top.
• Eggs are a must, your hunger to tame
• And cut up some soldiers your yolk to sop.
• Krispie Kremes are always good,
• French toast, pancakes and lots of fruit.
• Add some bacon or sausage if you're in the mood.
• Squeeze some oranges for fresh juice.
• Tea or coffee completes the good food!

Click HERE to visit more Creative Tuesdays!

Antique Auction

I worked at an auction all day on Saturday!

Some highlights...left to right and top to bottom....

as seen from my post at the clerk's table.

1. Auctioneer Bart, part of the father/son team of the auction business.
2. Crowd of bidders
3. Weller lamp...going for over $200.
4. And old Coke Cooler and some vintage oil cans.
5. Crockery.
6. Old 1950's Coca Cola vending machine.
7. The lunch line. Lunch was catered by Three Mom's Catering. Three cute little old (70ish) ladies who have known each other since high school. Their food is known for homemade yummy goodness.
8. Auctioneer Bryan. Fastest chanter in the business. I'd bet money on it. ha.
9. Coconut cream pie...part of my lunch. :)
10. Auctioneer Keith (and Bart's dad), the patriarch of the business.

Next auction I'll have to turn the camera around and show you myself and the three other ladies I work with and what we do while we are there!

♥

Random Thoughts

the back porch, 3-11-11

1. We have a neighbor that still has their Christmas tree up and the lights on. No joke. We see it through their front window every time we drive by.
2. The ground is so saturated from the melted snow and continuous rain that we have ponds in our yards where they shouldn't be!
3. Last night we had a little mini blizzard with horizontal snow that accumulated up to 2 inches.
4. All three boys stayed home from school with a stomach bug today. Although I really think only Alex is sick. He's pale and laying down while the other two are laughing, eating and galloping through the house. :)
5. Did you know that rabbits don't normally like to eat carrots? It's a misconception that started with Bugs Bunny! Seriously!
6. Robins eat 15 feet of worms a good day.
7. We set our clocks ahead this weekend...just when I got adjusted! Actually the spring change doesn't bother me as much as the autumn one. The daylight in the evenings will be nice!
8. March is not a good month for my hair. Wind and rain. No, not good at all!
9. I was on the phone with the pharmacist this week and he said, "Are those birds that I hear?" haha...I forget how our parakeets are constantly singing. I'm so used to it that I don't notice some times. He went on to tell me about his friend who has a parakeet that can say several words. How fun would that be?
10. I've worn my skechers for two days now. I can tell they make my muscles work. My legs feel like I've been hiking up a hill by the end of the day. Not painful, just like I've had a workout. One funny thing...I washed my hair and was blowing it dry. I turned my head upside down to dry it for added volume. Well, you can't touch your nose to your knees with skechers on, let me tell you! I just about fell flat on my head as the shoes just wanted me to keep rolling forward! lol.

Happy Weekend, Friends!

♥

UFO ~ Unidentified Frozen Object

I cleaned out the little freezer attached to the refrigerator

the other day. Most things just needed to be straightened

and organized. And most things were easy to identify.

I have to admit that I don't label anything. I always

think that I'll remember and that the things will be

used up before I would have time to forget.

Most things were easy to identify, like pecans....

and blackberries.

But this one had me stumped!

What was it? How long had it been there?

Was it raw or cooked? Chicken or dough?

Since I couldn't answer any of the above questions

with any amount of certainty, it went into the trash.

Maybe I'll start labeling. :)

I'm also amused at how old ice cubes evaporate to mere

wisps of their formal selves...looking very unappetizing.

They were thrown out, too! ha.

♥

Skechers Shape-ups

Have you heard of these?

My running shoes were cutting into my heel where the

padding had worn thin. So while I was out and about

today (in the rain, of course!) I stopped into T J Maxx and

looked at shoes. I've seen commercials for these Shape-ups,

which are designed to help you improve muscle tone and

posture just by walking around in them.

I'm skeptical, but they are very comfortable and they

were on clearance, so I'm going to give them a try.

I'll wear them around the house and on the treadmill and let

you know if they do all the things they claim to do, like firm my

calf muscles, tone my thighs, reduce knee stress, firm my butt,

and tighten my abs. Wow...all from just walking around?

While I was looking at shoes, these adorable black heels hopped

into my cart. Of course I had to take them home, too. I mean...

a girl can't have too many peep-toe black heels, can she?

Besides, I have a second business dinner to attend Thursday

evening with The Mister in as many weeks. Good food but

boring speeches. At least I can endure a bit easier with cute

shoes on, right?

And if I wear my Skechers all day, my legs should look really

good by the evening, don't you think?

Well, maybe it takes more than just one day. :)

♥

Healing

photo by Asta on Flicker

"If one dream should fall and break

into a thousand pieces, never be afraid

to pick one of those pieces up

and begin again."

Flavia Weedn

*****

I saw this quote today and thought it was great!

Seeing the glass as half full,

making lemonade from lemons,

and riding the waves

instead of drowning beneath them!

A positive outlook is always a good thing!

And if you've lost a dream, do all that you

can to heal and move forward!

*****

"When one door of happiness closes,

another opens; but often we look so long

at the closed door that we do not see

the one that has been opened for us."

Helen Keller

♥

Listen to the Mockingbird

This grey bird has been in my crab apple tree the last

few day eating fruit with the Robins. An albino? LOL!

She obviously preferred fruit to seed.

And she was large..just like an American Robin. So I looked her up online!

She's a Northern Mockingbird!

***

The Northern Mockingbird gets its name from its ability to mimic the songs of other birds; in fact, they can imitate anything from insects to car alarms! They do not migrate and virtually survive on feeders during the winter months. During the other seasons, they are known for eating a wide variety of insects. They can be found from southern Canada to southern Mexico and the Caribbean.

****

Turns out Miss Mockingbird here is a bully! She runs all the other birds out of the crab apple tree and fiercely guards her territory! This is all happening just outside my window and as I sit here at my computer, she certainly has been

entertaining. Some birds are sweet and kind and some birds are

selfish and mean....just like people, right? LOL!

*****

If you have a bird you cannot identify, this website uses your zip code and gives you pictures of all the birds found in your area!

Click HERE to go to Scott's Bird Identifier.

♥

Boys' Bedroom Reveal

For the past several years the unused side of the boys' bedroom

has become a catch-all for unused items. They have a large

bedroom...it was originally a two car garage...so there was

plenty of unused space! Up until now they have shared

a computer but at seventeen years of age it was becoming

very impractical. So I started saving up my money from

my gift basket business and my auction clerking to

give them a room upgrade and some new laptops!

Here's the unused side of the room before...

First came a quick coat of paint on the bottom part of the walls. The tan paint and the border were still in great shape. We just had a similar shade put over the green to freshen up the walls and remove the years of fingerprints and marks. I ordered desk units and chairs from IKEA. I got out my girlie tools and spent a day doing the assembly. Everything was great quality and the assembly was easy! Then came the great reveal....

Three desks, chairs, laptops and a printer....

I got an extra desk unit just so Spencer would have room to

print and stack his pages of trains he prints from the Internet.

He already ran the print cartridge out of ink...even set

on grayscale and economy modes! lol. I told him he'd

have to wait a week or two before I let him have a new one.

Some of you may remember the sepia toned picture of

Spencer standing in between two train cars at Altoona,

Pennsylvania on a family vacation. I had the print

enlarged at Sam's Club and hung it above his area.

Everyone got their own bulletin board/white board. I'm not

really sure they care so much about them, but I had fun

putting some train memorabilia on them and I think

they help define each boy's space.

Lots of room to spread out! It's nice to share, but sometimes

it's just nice to have your own space, too!

On the opposite side of the room is their bed, their collection

of metal railroad signs and the closets. One nice thing

about converting a big garage is that you can take

advantage and build really big closets!

I added some much needed new pillows and bedding.

They get lots of light through the front window.

I'm sure the neighbors wish they would leave the blinds

closed after it gets dark, but they love to look out!

The headboard is actually two twin boards set together.

They were originally belonged to my sister and me when we

were kids! I laminated some copies of vintage luggage tags

and travel advertisements to add to the railroad theme.

The old trunk got some vintage travel labels, too!

It looks perfect and clean, doesn't it? ha ha

Well, I have pictures after the boys put their own

touches to the area. I'll post those soon. And that is

fine...it IS their own space. I just come in and clean it

up a few times a week. :) Besides, the most fun is

seeing the stuff being put to good use! And the most

satisfying part was that I paid for it all myself!

I've linked up with Susan and her Metamorphosis Monday!

Click HERE to visit her blog and see other room renovations!