Possibilities

Weekends

2011-11-09T22:08:00.000-05:00

This..........is how we do weekends at our house....we all have our hobbies, thank goodness....

Joel took apart our golf cart. It's getting a lift kit..........hmmmmmm, 'nuff said about that!

Jeremy played with his Mig welder. He's experimenting with some garden art for me.

And I painted fence.............lots and lots of fence.

Two years ago, Joel and I installed 4x4 posts with wire fencing attached to the posts to keep out unwanted critters and our dog. As it seems the garden is a keeper and not just a passing fancy, we upgraded the fence to a Key West look. I've been looking at way too many cottage gardens in magazines(Joel says that, not me!). So we went from this...........

........to this!

And from this.........

.........to this.....

I'm sorry, but all I can say is "Yippee!". On my last trip to Wilcox nursery for yet another bale of pine straw, I saw this sign and it had my name alll over it. Well, not really, but it was calling for me to bring it home. I spray painted it lime green and hung it on the gate this morning. Happy, happy.....

The sign says Welcome to my Garden. The gate was just propped up in this pic....I had to wait for Joel to come home tonight and help me screw the new hinges onto the post so the gate could be hung once again.

So, what's next? I'm thinking light grey gravel for the pathways. Shhhhhh......Joel doesn't know about that yet.

Until next weekend,
Debbie

Today's Lesson for D.Y.U.? (Do You Understand?)

2011-11-02T08:48:00.000-04:00

Over the last few years I've read some of Dave Ramsey's books on personal responsibility and handling household money/finances.   He speaks "the truth". Scary thing, "the truth".   None of us easily admits to our faults and weaknesses and with each successive generation it seems we are seeing a growing laziness pertaining to personal responsibility, especially as it relates to our finances.   But the truth is we're not so good at keeping our spending within our means.   Present company included!

We are inundated on TV with wealthy personas that we feel the need to emulate so we feel accepted.   Well, as Dave says, start living like nobody else so you can live like nobody else.  He means, stop spending, start saving, and live within your means......no one else seems to be doing that.  With that thought in mind, we cut up our credit cards and started to pare down our lifestyle.   We still have a ways to go, but it has been a relief to go out to the mailbox and know that we will never again see a credit card bill there. Our country is in a heap of trouble, but camping out in our nation's cities, smoking weed, and peeing in the grass isn't the solution our forefathers would have chosen.

How will you choose to address our national debt?   How about addressing the debt in your own home first.   Let's start small and be accountable for ourselves and maybe, just maybe, we can convince our elected officials to do the same with our tax dollars.   Here's Dave with his thoughts on the misguided Occupy Wall Street folks.

Dave's Take on Occupy Wall Street

By Dave Ramsey

"I'm mad as hell, and I'm not going to take it anymore!" Yeah, that's great. But what do you want? What are your goals? What are your demands? What result are you looking for?
The beauty of being vague is that anyone who has any emotion can get caught up in the excitement and join your crusade. They'll just get mad at something and assume that you're both mad about the same thing. Put a few hundred of these people together, and boom. You've got a crowd, a headline and a lot of attention … but no message.

A lot of people on Twitter are saying I totally agree with the Occupy Wall Street (OWS) demands and goals. The only problem is that I have no idea what their demands and goals are. And neither does anyone else. If all you ever do is stomp around, yell and hold up signs protesting a million different things, sure you'll get some attention, but over time, you'll just look foolish. You end up coming across like a three-year-old having a temper tantrum.

This is what's happening to the OWS movement. They're being discredited because no one has stepped forward and really stated what it is they're after. The whole group is coming across like a bunch of jacked-up, jobless, wannabe hippies. That's not going to change anything in this country. You've got to state your goals clearly if you want to accomplish something.

So in the absence of any clear goals, let me comment and offer some helpful advice in some areas that seem to be getting a lot of disorganized OWS attention.

"No Government Bailouts!"
Banks and big companies should not receive taxpayer money for a bailout while their CEOs are making hundreds of millions of dollars. If that's your gripe, then you're protesting in the wrong location. Pack up and head to Washington, D.C., to deliver your message to the current administration. Don't get me wrong—I totally support a company's freedom to pay their leaders well. I just don't believe that I, as a taxpayer, should subsidize those huge salaries in the form of taxpayer bailouts. I pay my own team members; I don't need to pay everyone else's too.
By the way, you may be shocked to learn that the Tea Party agrees with you on this one—and so do I.

"Down With Corporate Greed!"
Gordon Gekko was wrong. Greed is not good. Greed is bad—very bad. It's a spiritual disease, and it is a disease that sadly affects a lot of companies across the country. If you believe a specific company is acting purely out of greed, then don't just get mad—do something. Point out where and how they're greedy and let the world know. Stop doing business with them. If enough people listen to you, the company will get the message because you'll hit them where it hurts: the bottom line. If they don't get their act together, then they'll go out of business and another business will take their place.

But if you're saying that all businesses are greedy and that capitalism itself is evil and ineffective, then I'm sorry—you're just being stupid. You're being misled and misinformed by some of the louder voices around you. Are you wearing clothes? Have you eaten any food lately? Do you have an iPhone in your pocket to check in with Twitter and Facebook while you're out marching around? Good. All of those products and services are brought to you by quality companies dedicated to serving you well in a capitalistic system that works just fine.

"Wall Street Is Evil!"
If you have this painted on a sign, well, now you just look ignorant. Wall Street is a street that people drive on. The New York Stock Exchange is a building where people exchange stocks in New York. This is the flea market of the financial world. Don't turn Wall Street into some terrible monster attacking American citizens. It's just a road with some buildings on it.

But here's what happens. Sometimes when people don't understand something, they start to fear it. And as the fear grows, it turns into anger. But just because you don't understand something, you shouldn't see it as bad or frightening or a conspiracy. You should just think of it as an opportunity to learn something new—something that could actually be a blessing to you.

For example, imagine a group of natives out in the jungle in the farthest part of the world. I mean, picture a group of people who have never seen anyone outside of their tribe and have certainly never seen any kind of machine. What would they think if they saw a Red Cross helicopter land near them? And what would they think of the strange-looking men and women who jump out of the chopper and start walking toward them? They'd be freaked out! They wouldn't know or care if the Red Cross was there to help them with food or medicine. They'd think it was the end of the world or something because their minds would be totally blown!

I hate to say it, but a lot of OWS protestors are just about as uninformed as those jungle natives when it comes to how the American financial system works. A road and an office building. That's Wall Street.

"Wealth Redistribution Is the Answer!"
I've heard a lot about wealth redistribution over the past few years, and I'm sure you've heard it too. Call it whatever you want, but this is how it usually sounds to most Americans: "We are the 99% of Americans who don't have as much as the 1%, so we're mad and think the government should take their wealth and property away so that we can have a piece of it. Wealth inequality is a moral breakdown! We should all spread the money around so everyone gets a fair share!"

I have my toughest critique for those who believe this: You are a thief. When someone takes my money and gives me no say in the matter, that's called theft—whether they're using a gun or the government. At the core of this demand is envy. And that's not the same as jealousy. Jealousy just says, "I want what you have." Envy is a different beast. Envy says, "I don't think I can ever have what you have, so you shouldn't have it either." Decades of horrible economic teaching and the politics of envy have kept this monster alive and growing and moving forward.

This way of thinking makes you assume that all rich people are evil and have scammed their way into wealth. That may be true in the tale of Robin Hood, but I choose to live in the real world. Sure, there are some scoundrels, but the vast majority of successful men and women got that way by working hard and serving people—lots of people. Steve Jobs and Bill Gates changed the world in ways we're just now starting to realize. Their positive impact on the world has helped all of us live better lives, and they made fortunes for themselves by doing so. Why is it that you're holy if you help one person but evil if you help a million? That's just stupid.

A good friend of mine is a country music legend. He's made a bazillion dollars over his career, and he just bought a $400,000 car. He's worked like a crazy person his whole life, spending decades in tour buses, writing songs in the middle of the night, and entertaining enormous crowds of cheering fans. He paid a price to get there, and I'm happy for his success. Would it be right for me to walk into his house and demand my "fair share" of his wealth? Heck no! I'm a terrible singer! I didn't do one thing to contribute to his success, so why would I be entitled to a share of his wealth? He's given me years of entertainment through his music. That's my fair share of his hard work.

My problems aren't his fault. And my problems aren't McDonald's fault or Home Depot's fault or Walmart's fault, either. My problems are my fault! And the more people these companies serve, the more money they make—and that's none of my business! If you don't like McDonald's, then here's an idea: Don't eat there. But don't walk into the restaurant and demand a portion of their proceeds for the day.

When you scream, "I'm in the 99%!" you just look like a whiner. Those of us willing to pay the price to win look at you and shrug. Heck, when it comes to the music business, I'm in the 99% myself! But that doesn't mean I have to tear Toby Keith, Brad Paisley or even Kanye down. Oh, and a special note just for Kanye: Capitalism has been pretty good to you. I celebrate your success, but you look a little hypocritical protesting capitalism while wearing a $50,000 watch.

Celebrate the Land of Opportunity
This is the greatest country on the planet, but even here, you're not guaranteed wealth, talent, fame, a full head of hair or six-pack abs. Those things are not in the Constitution. You are, however, guaranteed the freedom to make your life what you want it to be. And when you do that, when you build your life around your dreams and passions and hard work, you're guaranteed the right to keep it. No one has the right to take it away from you.

So to summarize, I'm not very impressed at the moment. I'm not impressed by your temper fit. I'm not impressed at your lack of goals and focus. I'm not impressed by the fact that the only thing I see about your movement is ignorance, immaturity and envy. Grow up—and get a job.

Yes, there are jobs out there. There are jobs out there that haven't even been invented yet. Go create the next Facebook or Weed Eater. Go pick up so much dog poop that you can start your own fertilizer company. And stop complaining that companies are TOO RICH while also complaining that they aren't RICH ENOUGH to hire you! I've seen a lot of you guys. I wouldn't hire you, either. But if you take all of that energy and excitement and pour it into something new and creative, you'll get the chance to serve a whole lot of people really well, and over a decade or two, you'll get to become the very thing you're now protesting: rich people who actually earned their money.

Ok, Debbie's back now. Wow!   Wish I could be that concise with my thoughts.   I love our Country but I'm scared of the direction and tact that our elected officials and some citizens are taking.   How about you?   So what do you say we all start taking a little more personal responsibility and stop the whining?

Food for thought,
D.Y.U.?Debbie

Oh-My-Garden!

2011-10-28T12:04:00.000-04:00

I'm so happy, I'm so happy, I'm so happy. The combination of cooler morning temps and a few days of "free" time gave me the luxury of working on our backyard. Oh, my aching arms and back. I may not be able to raise my left arm above my head for a week, but it was worth it. Check out what our yard looks like now.

This is a plum tree that we planted in front of our porch out front. The freeze of the last 2 winters finally killed our palms out there, so this is their replacement. The tree is a Florida variety of plum that gets covered in white blooms in Spring and yields yellow plums in the summer. Can't wait to see that show. I also planted 3 pineapple plants in the shells out front since that's the best place for them to get full sun all day long. We'll see if we get any fruit from them.

These are the two areas along our back fence. Jeremy's dog, Winston, has worn a path along the fence chasing squirrels that run on top of the fence. Now there are Sea Grapes and Banana trees planted there and they will fill in and take up several feet of depth leading up to the fence. I'm hoping they will fill in and create a "second level" below all the foliage of our backyard neighbors tall growth. Hey, we're going for a "tropical" look here, and that means more native plants. These should be able to withstand any temperature changes without damage.

This is my first experience growing a fig tree. I planted him about 5 months ago when he was only a foot tall and now he's over 6 feet! And look at all the figs. I had no idea that figs grew at the outcropping of each leaf along the trunk. I check them every day to see if they are getting ripe because I don't want the squirrels to get them!

And now, the veggie garden. Right now it just has a functioning fence around it to keep out Winston. Hmmm....but I have plans, baby, I have plans to take it to the next level. More on that later. (Poor Joel...)

This is just some of the lettuce and tomatoes that are coming up. I think I've planted 5 different kinds of tomatoes and 3 lettuces. We love salads at our house.

Cucumbers.....

Pole beans......

Tomatoes and eggplant....

Ok, you knew it was coming, didn't you? Of course I had a cappuccino out there with me while I worked! It gives me inspiration.....or something like that.

This is the bed with the pole beans and 3 different kinds of peppers. Along the fence are the banana trees

and gondolay bean trees. A gardener from Wilcox Nursery grew them and he is from Puerto Rico. He planted them for me and taught me when and how to harvest them. I'll let you know how that goes!

Banana..........

Gondolay (pronounced like gondola except the ending sounds like lay), I have no idea how it's spelled so I just spelled it phonetically for us!

Blueberry bushes.....

Herbs galore......

My oregano actually survived the summer heat and is going crazy! So is the rosemary. I use herbs from my garden every day when I cook and love to cut them fresh to pop in my recipes. They are especially good dried in the dehydrator. Oh, they smell so wonderful!

The aloe plant has gone crazy this year!

Well, that concludes the garden tour for this week. If I'm really lucky, I'll be painting a lot of fencing this weekend and maybe I'll have pics to show you the finished product in a few days. Then all that will be left is to bring in some seashell to cover the walkways.

Happy, happy,

Debbie

In The News- But, D.Y.U.?

2011-10-17T09:18:00.000-04:00

Hmmm, I've had this idea for a while now and after watching the news this morning, I decided to put my idea into action.    We all "hear" about what is going on around us in the world when we watch the news on tv, listen to commentators on the radio, or talk to our neighbors over the backyard fence.   But do we really "know" and/or understand what we're hearing and how all that is going on in Washington, D.C. is going to affect us personally?   I doubt it.

So many bills and so much legislation is being passed at breakneck speed that there is no way to stay on top of all the changes being made that will profoundly change our way of life here in America. With that in mind, every week or so I'm going to try and tackle a single topic and put it into simple-speak so we can all get a better handle on the most recent issue being debated in our nation's capitol. I'm simply calling those entries to the blog, "D.Y.U.?" which stands for "Do You Understand?"

Today's subject involves the complex monstrous health care bill that Nancy Pelosi(D) famously said,"We have to pass it for you to know what's in it?"   REALLY????   Are you kidding me?   Since when do our legislators willy-nilly pass a bill without reading it (how would you like to get away with that as part of your defense when talking to your banker?   "Well, gee, I didn't know I owed that much money to you.   I didn't read the document I signed when you gave me all that money."   Ummmm......I don't think the banker would care, he would just want you to pay him back according to the terms of the paperwork you signed. I don't think it's unreasonable to ask my Senator and Representative to read and understand what they are signing into law on my behalf.

Well, the paperwork that was signed in Congress is unraveling as we speak. On page 710 (go ahead, check it out yourself) of the healthcare bill is a description of how we will put money into an account that will "grow" so that when we reach Medicare age we will "draw" from that account and use those monies to pay for long term health care, if needed.   Simply put, Medicare Part A currently pays for hospitalizations and also pays for 100 days of care in a nursing home. This new portion of the law would pay for longer term care in a nursing home.   Sounds pretty good, huh?   (Remember when your parents told you that you don't get something for nothing?   Or you get what you pay for?) Just one problem, the CBO (the non-partisan Congressional Business Office), the folks who impartially "fact check" for our nation, have found that there just won't be anywhere near enough money to pay for all this nursing home care.

Hmmmm......another financial pit.   Those leading our nation keep promising us a lot of "something" when we're not putting away enough money to pay for those "somethings". So what is Congress going to do about it?   Well, they're scrapping that portion of the bill.   Yup, just cutting it out.   No big deal to me because I never thought the bill was going to benefit me or my family in any way, shape, or form.   But a lot of our congressmen voted "yes" for this bill based on this portion of it.   Huh, wonder how they're feeling today about their vote?

And while we're on the subject of healthcare....why are over 1400 companies being granted waivers from participating in this fabulous new healthcare law?   The number of waivers granted each week keeps climbing.   If this law is so wonderful, why are union based companies leading the charge to obtain a waiver so they don't have to comply with the new law that you and I will have to comply with?   Go ahead, Google it for yourself and see what is happening.

Stay smart, read for yourself from a variety of sources.   Don't believe me, I'm just a blonde with a computer, check into these important issues for yourself because one thing you can trust me on is this:   These issues WILL affect you and your family for years, if not generations, to come.   Get informed and then you will know who to vote for by the time the next election rolls around in 13 months.   Hey, I know you're busy, but who you elect can and will change the course of your life.   Don't believe me?   Just wait and see how your health care changes in the next 5 years because of the bill "we have to pass so you will know what is in it" takes over.

D.Y.U.?
Debbie

Trippin'

2011-10-14T09:25:00.000-04:00

Four years ago, two of my favorite cousins came from Pennsylvania to visit me. It was their first trip to Florida and the first time we had seen each other in more than 20 years! We had such a great time recalling our childhood memories and we certainly made some new memories together. This morning I happened to come across some photos they had brought down with them. I had made copies so I'd have some family history of my dad and his family. Here are a few of them.

These two pics show my dad and my cousins' dad. Yup! They were identical twins! We had an especially hard time telling them apart when we were kids but by the time I was an adult I knew which one was "my" dad. One story from long ago says that my when my dad was 12, he went sledding down the mountain, hit something and broke his leg. Ouch!

See what I mean? They sure do look alike there, too. My dad is on the left in this photo.

Oh, how I'd love to sit on this swing again. The swing was a staple of Grammy's backyard. She was my dad's mom and the time I spent at her house are warm memories for me. The swing had a hand crank and if you wanted to use the swing you'd turn the crank and the swing would come down from it's raised position. There was a huge slab of slate as a floor underneath the swing (we lived in the "Slate Belt" and slate was plentiful) and it was always cooler in the summer while beneath the large, protective overhanging roof. Grammy's swing was so sturdy and lasted for years and years, not like the flimsy ones you see at home improvement stores today. Could I have one just like it in my own backyard, please?

Ahhhhhhh.....the light bulb in my head just went on! Now I know where my love of cars came from. This is dad with his prized car he bought after he came home from the Korean War. Yup, dad loved vehicles. It didn't matter if it was a car or a motorcycle, he loved them all. I'm so glad I reconnected with my cousins. Thanks, girls, for sharing the early memories of our entwined lives with me.

Just trippin' down memory lane,
Debbie

Moving Day

2011-10-10T09:53:00.000-04:00

Well, the time had finally come to move my mother-in-law closer to us. Madalen is now 88 years old and still in good health but her memory is steadily decreasing which has given us reason to be concerned about her living an hour away from us. It has taken us over a year to work out all the details but she is now living just 10 minutes down the road from our house in a warm, safe, inviting Christian environment with loads of activities to fill her day.

After getting her settled in her new apartment we still had to close out her old house. Now you know what we did last weekend. Jeremy went along and helped us clean out her shed/garage and then loaded my car with the bins we had filled from the house. The guys did clown around and get the giggles (I think we were getting punchy by mid-afternoon) when Jeremy found a small flashlight with the words in tiny print on it saying, "For help with blindness, call 1-800-***-9311"

Then it was time to move the big stuff..............like the golf cart. Don't you think Joel was really brave standing in front of Jeremy? Hmmmmm......just saying......

Ok, enough fun for one day! We headed home to unload and rest up for the next day. Now where in the world am I going to put all of this?

Thank goodness Jarrad and Dawn came down to help us Sunday or we would still be packing. Jarrad and I tackled the kitchen which worked great for me. His 6'6" frame made it easy to empty the top cupboards without a ladder and saved me from a lot of climbing up and down. The really heavy work for the day was loading the piano into Jarrad's trailer........the one without a ramp.........ummmmm, yea!

All 4 of us need a back adjustment now, know anyone who could do that for us? Ok, gotta keep on packing. Dawn had a great interest in the hundreds of books Madalen has collected over the years, especially the Christian reference books. She carefully spent hours choosing the ones she wanted and loaded them into their truck. Jarrad had pulled so many things from Grandma's kitchen cabinets that they almost didn't have room for the books! giggle....yes, Jarrad and I love to cook. Every time we emptied a cabinet one of us would say, "Oh, that's cool. I think I'll take that home." Yup, our cars were filled to capacity.

This is the pile of books that remained even after 2 pastors, myself, Dawn, and Madalen had taken all that we felt we could use. Wow, that's a lot of reference books. I wish I had room for all of them but since we downsized our house not too long ago, that wasn't going to happen.

Before we locked the door and drove back over the Skyway Bridge one last time, I took a moment to walk thru the rooms that Madalen had called home for 18 years. The rooms seemed tired when they were empty of all life from the one who used to live there. Does anyone else find it hard to end a chapter in their life? The bright side of this change is the wonderful new home where Madalen lives now.

The morning after she got moved in, we received a call from the assistant director. She wanted to reassure me that Madalen had eaten a great breakfast that morning. Mom had also gone to devotions with the ladies, played the organ for their hymn sing and was currently in exercise class. WHAT?!? In the 25 years I've known Madalen I've never known her to exercise. Yes, I think she's adjusting just fine.

Now, if I could just find a place for that last bin that's sitting in the middle of my foyer.
Debbie

P.S.

2011-09-24T11:35:00.000-04:00

Can't believe I forgot to include this side story when I was writing about my trip. While I was at Jackie and Gary's house outside of St. Louis, Jackie was asking me questions about the drive and all the places I had visited. She started giggling and said my trip was like the movie, "Ted's Excellent Adventure". Except this was Debbie's Excellent Adventure! And that's how the title for all the entries detailing my trip came to be. Thanks, Jackie, for the inspiration.

The End,
Debbie

Just thought you'd want to know!

What's next?

2011-09-24T11:23:00.000-04:00

I don't know about you, but I have so many hobbies that sometimes it's hard to decide which one to play with next! There won't ever be a time when I feel bored because there are so many interesting skills I'd like to acquire. It seems that my interests fluctuate seasonally, or at least over a period of months. I'll get hooked on an idea for a quilting project and then all I want to do is quilt for a few months. Then, some yarn will catch my eye and I break out my knitting needles and knit for hours on end.

Besides the time I spend with my sweet family, working on creative projects brings me the most satisfaction I have ever felt. Now that I'm back from my trip, I"m slowly getting back into the rhythm of our home life. I've never been one to watch TV for hours on end, but Joel loves to. One of the ways we "hang out" together is in the living room. While he watches his favorite shows, I do handwork; win-win for both of us. It doesn't matter if it's hand quilting, embroidery or knitting, I just like to have something useful to occupy my hands.

Lynn and I went shopping at a very upscale store while I was in Kansas City. As we were leaving I spotted this jacket. It's more teal than this photo shows and I just couldn't seem to resist it. She insisted I try it on, ha! The kiss of death! You should never try on something you are so attracted to because then you'll HAVE to buy it. Well, here it is. Yes, I bought it! The lightweight wool is some of the softest I have ever laid my hands on and the tailoring is exquisite. If there's one thing I really appreciate, it's high quality sewing.

The scarf on the jacket is one I knitted last winter and it's one of my favorite things out of all the garments I've made over the years. It is knitted in pie-wedged shapes so that when you wear it, it falls in ripples. Too fun!

See what I mean? Pretty cool, huh?

There is a little boutique knitting store only a few blocks from our house and every once in a while I drop in to see what's new. The scarf above was made from Prism yarn (which, by the way, is a St. Petersburg yarn dying artist's company) and the included pattern I bought there. About the same time that I bought that funky yarn, I spotted a book of patterns using very fine, mohair yarn. The romantic styles in the book were just too appealing to resist. Then, I had to buy the yarn to go with it! Of course!
And here is what I made: a scarf and.....some gloves.

The scarf can be worn like a wrap on a cool evening and has tiny beeds knitted into the lacey design. I'd never knitted using beads before but found it was a great challenge I enjoyed. The fingerless gloves intrigued me so much that I had to try my hand at making a pair. Thank goodness it was cold enough quite a few days last winter that I actually had opportunities to wear them. They are great to wear while driving a car because you can still use your fingers to answer the cell phone, etc.

The latest knitting challenge I had was teaching myself how to knit socks. Socks are really strange to make as you use 3 double ended needles and knit around and around so there isn't a seam to annoy your feet when wearing them. It was really awkward figuring out how to hold the needles comfortably, but I finally figured out a way that worked for me. Here's what I've finished so far.

And they're cozy, too! I've already got another pair of socks on my needles and should have them done in a couple weeks. Well, it's time to get some things done around the house. Hope you get cooler weather wherever you are.........

Happy Fall,

Debbie

Oh-My-Scrumptious!

2011-09-23T10:19:00.000-04:00

Are you a Foodie? I think I'm a Foodie. I love to grow food, I love to smell food, I love to cook and bake food, and I really love to eat food. Yup. It's official. I'm a Foodie.

Remember when I told you I stopped at an orchard coming south through Missouri a couple weeks ago? Well, I bought some apples there and then Barb had picked some pears for me at a friends house near her in Alabama. After I got my car unpacked from the trip and did forty nine loads of laundry (ok, maybe I'm exaggerating a bit) it was time to do something with the fruit before it spoiled.

Yum, here comes the good part. Two of my crock pots came out of hiding and after peeling, coring, and slicing the apples, they went into the crock pots along with a little water, sugar and nutmeg. By the end of the day I had chunky applesauce!

Now, just what do you do with pears? When I was a kid I remember my Aunt Etta canning pears from her trees so they'd have fruit all winter. Didn't think I had enough pears to do that, so, I had to come up with Plan B. Barb makes a delicious jam called Pear Honey, so, I got her recipe (actually, it's Paula Deen's) and started peeling.

You just cook it down until it turns a gorgeous honey color and thickens and then it's ready to be put in jars and go through the canning process. Now, I get a little nervous about canning. Hey, I can't help it! It's the nurse in me. All those classes I took in microbiology make me far too aware of all the organisms that can make you sick if you don't do things just right.

Well, you know what? Everything went just fine. I read cookbooks like other people read novels and I had been boning up on "how to" do this the right way. It's been a few years since I canned anything but it all came back to me once I got into it.

All you need are a few tools of the trade. Doesn't that blue handled thing look like something you'd use to birth a calf? Hey, I'm just sayin'!

Ta-Da! Success! And it tastes good, too! Now I can't wait to do a few more jars of......hmmm, I need to figure out what I want to can next.

But wait. There's more! Wait till you see what I made 2 nights ago.

Make a yeast dough. Saute onions till brown. Cook 1 lb., yes I said 1 lb. of bacon and crumble. Roll out dough, spread onions and bacon over dough. Roll up and slice.

Put in pan. Now let rise again and bake.

Can you smell it yet?

Eat and repeat. Can I get an Amen, sister? Is it any wonder I don't lose any weight? Too bad. I'd rather be fat and happy than skinny and bitchy. Enough said.

I'm just sayin',
Debbie

D's "E. A.", Part Eleven

2011-09-22T12:04:00.001-04:00

Days 15 & 16:

I just couldn't bear the thought of getting back in the car for another 11-1/2 hour drive so soon after arriving at Barb's. We decided I should rest a whole day before attempting the last leg of the trip home to Pinellas County. It was a pleasure to putter around in the sewing room with Barb and wander through the gardens and woods. Even though I've enjoyed living in a bustling county for over 30 years, there is still a very big part of me that yearns for my own place in the country. Is it true that as we get older, our lives come full circle and we revert back to the things and places of our childhood? Let me know if you figure that out, ok?

Thanks, Barb, for all the fun I had doing projects with you. It was just like old times; stenciling, sewing, knitting, gardening and all the other crazy things we managed to get ourselves involved in.

I wish you and Chuck many, many years of sitting on your front porch while you survey your "kingdom". Giggle.......my hat's off to "The Lady of Lawrence County".

Now it was clearly time for me to start for home. The morning was cool (only in the 50's!) as I drove down the curvy lane and onto the country road leading to the highway. These cotton fields were everywhere and I just had to stop and shoot a couple of pics for you to see.

Do you see the white cotton boll in among the leaves? It was a little too soon for the cotton to be ready for harvest, so the plants only had a few splotches of white chunks of raw cotton on them. Soon it would be harvest time.

Six hours later I was ready to cross into Florida once again. Home couldn't be that far away, could it?

Wow! Back in the Eastern Time Zone ...........only 7 more hours or so to go. It was around 7pm when I finally pulled into our driveway. The palm trees were swaying and the sun was dropping low into the Gulf of Mexico when I hauled my weary body out of the car. Before going into our house I jotted down the odometer reading. It really was good to be back home......Jeremy and Joel greeted me with as much enthusiasm as I felt about seeing both of them. I'm glad I made this journey, but I'm really glad to be back home again.

Number of days on the trip: 16
Cost of gasoline: $534.54
Wedding pulled off: One
Friends visited: Three (plus Barb's twice)
States driven: Six
Miles logged: 3,057.9 miles
Rest areas visited: Who counted those?
Memories made: Countless & Priceless

Maybe by next year I'll be ready for another trip,
Debbie

D's "E. A.", Part Ten (It's almost over, I promise)

2011-09-21T11:18:00.000-04:00

Day 14: Today was the first time during the whole trip that I started to doubt my ability to drive the rest of the way home. I had been burning the proverbial candle at both ends and was now paying the price for it. Really, I need to drive HOW many hours today?!? Ok, ok, I'm in the car again, but at least I'm heading south.........in the right direction.........at least I think I am.

I wanted to show you something. It just tickles me that in Missouri, the smaller roads have letter names instead of numbers, like highway K. So I took a pic of this roadsign for you to see for yourself. Some of the roads have double letters such as highway BB. Isn't that funny?

The previous week when I was driving north toward Kansas City I had noticed this orchard stand along the highway and wrote down the exit number so I could stop there on my way home. Well, now that I was heading home I did stop there after leaving Jackie's house and wasn't disappointed. They had early apples, peaches, mums and so many other goodies that I had to restrain myself from loading up the remaining free space in my car. I did end up buying a large bag of apples so I could make applesauce and can it for our holiday meals.

By now it was almost lunchtime. My stomach was empty and I went searching in the car for something to eat. I kept a small cooler on the front seat and when I opened it, what a surprise! Jackie had packed me a wonderful lunch and loads of finger foods so I could eat as I drove. Thank you, Jackie, for loving on me so much! What a thoughtful gift. So, I sang songs with my I-Phone and munched on carrots and be-bopped down the highway.

Yeah, one state closer! Next stop, Barb and Chuck's house.......again!

Yup! I'm back in the South again. This flag was blowing in the stiff breeze as I pushed thru the northern portion of Mississippi toward Alabama.

One of these days I'd like to drive the Natchez Trace Parkway and see the Antebellum homes and plantations. Hmmmm.....maybe next trip.

Ok, this sign just cracked me up. No, really, I was carrying on in my car laughing and talking to myself about how funny the sign was. I think I was getting a little punchy from all the hours on the road alone. Hmmmm.....not a good thing, but I did have great conversations with myself! Ha!

By dinnertime I wearily pulled into Barb's house. What a sight for sore eyes! I was so happy to see their place and to be able to get out of the car for a day. They had a yummy dinner all ready to eat and a bed for me to crash on......and crash I did.

Almost to the End,
Debbie

D's "E. A.", Part Nine

2011-09-20T09:19:00.000-04:00

Day 13: Labor Day
Lee and Lynn's household was still bustling with guests and the chairs were still set up in the backyard from the ceremony but it was time for me to head out for my next destination.    After a tearful drive down their street I turned the car around and headed for St. Louis.   Time to start heading East again. My next stop was at Gary and Jackie's.

Gary was the best man at our wedding over 25 years ago.   He and Joel have stayed in touch and over the years they have come to Florida a few times to see us, but we had not been up to St. Louis to see the house they built. It was just past lunchtime when I pulled off the interstate and read the directions to their house.

Let's see, down this road for 9 miles, over the river and thru the woods......hmmmmm.....very curvy switchback turns down a steep grade, turn left and then right, going from one little country road to the next.   Jackie "texted" me in (thank goodness because I would have missed the final turnoff for sure) and I eased onto a gravel road.    Okay, go 1.3 miles........um, very dusty and getting more remote.,   Huh.   Deadend......... at a gorgeous house........... with an incredible view.

Here's another view of the pond nestled in the valley between two ridges.

I could spend all day sitting on the screened porch just looking out on the pond and woods, listening to the wind in the trees.

Jackie walked me around the outside of the house to show me some of their beautiful, secluded property. OH-MY-Goodness. Simply awesome. The wind was rustling all the leaves and rippling the pond. A few of the trees had just barely begun to change color for fall. I gladly flopped in a chair poolside as Jackie grilled our dinner. Does it get much better than this? Don't think so!

What a pretty house.........at the end of the road..........in the middle of nowhere........Awesome!

Jackie and Gary, sorry it took me so long to get up here to see your house. It was certainly worth the wait!

Whenever I think of your place in the country, this is the picture that will come into my mind......

That night I snuggled into the guest bed and fell into a deep sleep. I was pretty tired from the crazy schedule I'd been keeping. The next morning I woke up to Jackie's voice reminding me I wanted to get on the road early. Moan......as I was pulling out of their driveway, this is the last pic I took of their hideaway. The early morning shadows were still draped across the pond. I'll say it again, simply beautiful.

More roadtripping with Debbie tomorrow,

Traveling Girl

D's "E. A.", Part Eight (Seriously?)

2011-09-19T09:18:00.000-04:00

Ok, so I still have a few more pics to share with you from after the wedding. Here are Drew and Laura inside the house just moments after becoming man and wife.

And I actually got ONE picture with Lynn when we both had makeup on and were dressed in something other than "work" clothes. Ha! You know what I mean.....it was a bussssssy week!

This is a much clearer shot of the cross and heart symbol on the runner.

Now the wedding party can cut loose.......that is, after posing for the photographers pictures.

Of course I had to include one last shot of Drew and Laura dancing their first dance. I pray they happily dance together for a lifetime.

All the best to both of you,
Love,
Debbie

D's "E. A.", Part Seven

2011-09-18T12:17:00.000-04:00

Fast forward a couple of hours and the guests are arriving. Vicki and I scurried outside and quickly used 6" nails to secure the white runner to the earth up along the platform and all along the aisle to the last row of chairs. While soft live music was playing the guests were seated from the outside of the rows, preserving the runner for the wedding party.

Sunday, 6:15PM Deep breath......gentlemen, please unroll the last section of runner.

We still had one last surprise for the bride and groom. Months ago, Lynn had emailed me a copy of a heart wrapped around a cross that was a symbol of the happy couple's love for one another. I enlarged it on my printer several times until it was over 20" tall. Then I used teal Ultrasuede and silver lame' to recreate their emblem. I barely had time to sew it to the runner an hour before the ceremony so it would remain a surprise for them.

First, Lynn and Lee are escorted down the aisle. What a handsome couple.

And here comes the bride on the arm of her proud dad. The music was beautiful, the breeze and cool temps were perfect, the setting sun made the entire wedding scene glow while lights twinkled in the greenery.........and the bride was beaming.

I can honestly say that I have never witnessed a couple approaching the altar that looked happier and more excited, committed and moved by the vows they were about to recite.

There was not a dry eye among the crowd as Drew and Laura spoke of their love for one another and promised a lifetime of devotion to their spouse. What a tender, touching ceremony.........

Drew's older brother, Dave, and younger brother, Grant both look on during the touching ceremony.

And then, just that fast, it was time to present Mr. and Mrs. Drew Gooden.

The crowd began blowing bubbles that had been handed to them when they arrived for the ceremony.

Here are some additional pics

And when the ceremony was over, there was Vicki, my cohort in crime, who so eloquently put into words all that I was feeling when she said,"We DID it!" Make no mistake, Vicki and I were only a fraction of the team that worked on the wedding. Months of planning and decision making were already completed when we arrived in Kansas City to be Lynn's "helper bees". Considering that Vicki and I only met Friday night, we quickly bonded together over a three day period in our desire to help Lynn make this wedding a dream come true. After all, what are good friends for?

It was a fun, tiring, comedic, sometimes stressful, rewarding week that I would do all over again in a heartbeat! Thanks, Lynn, for inviting me and for including me in this wonderful memory of your life.

Love you, girl,

Debbie

D's "E. A.", Part Six

2011-09-17T10:10:00.000-04:00

Alrighty, now exactly where did we leave off last time? Oh, yeah! Wedding day! It was time to finally put all our plans into motion and create a beautiful setting. Everyone had been praying for good weather and God provided just that. After days of triple digit heat, a front blew through Kansas City late Saturday during the picnic and we woke up to temps in the high 50's on Sunday morning. It was pretty breezy with gusts up to 20 mph which could pose a problem for the paper lanterns we were planning on hanging from the trees, but we figured we'd deal with it and just enjoy our good fortune.

The groom, Drew, and his groomsmen all showed up early and made short work of setting up 140 chairs with only minor adjustments made to accommodate the aisle runner.

Ashley and Vicki set up the silver painted shephard's crooks that Lynn had painted. More on those later.
Ashley works with Lynn and generously gave up her Sunday morning to come help us for a few hours. And Vicki flew in from Miami Friday night to be a fellow "worker bee". Vicki also used to live in Kansas City and she and Lynn have stayed in touch over the years.

Vicki, myself, Lynn and Lee take 30 seconds to pose for the camera.......then it's back to work.

Lynn and cousin Linda (from Seattle) were oohing and aahing over how pretty the flower cones turned out. Vicki had just swagged frothy white tulle from each shephard's crook along the aisle side of the rows of chairs.

Linda and Aunt Kay were the "flower arrangers" and they did such a beautiful job, don't you think? The cones (which were purchased at Joann's) started life in my kitchen where I used Joel's 1/2" drill bit to ream out the styrofoam that was glued to the top third of the cone. The bottom half of the cones had plaster of Paris in them which gave them some weight. Lynn and Laura choose teal sparkled paper that matched the bridesmaids dresses and shipped it to me. All I had to do was cover the cones with the paper, punch holes in the sides and run silver ribbon through the holes to hang the cones. Wrap in tissue paper, lay carefully in large plastic bin and repeat.....22 more times......that's why I did all this at home long before the wedding.

I tried to figure out how to cut the florist's oasis, the green stuff used for fresh flowers that soaks up water and holds it like a sponge, and make it easier for us to wedge it into the cone shape. That's when the idea came to me to use my 2" biscuit cutter! It was exactly the diameter of the top of the cones and cramming the oasis into the cone once cut would ensure it was wedged in nice and tight and not fall out with the weight of the flowers. Worked like a charm.....whew!

What do you think, Aunt Kay?

We commandered Lynn's brother Gordy and tasked him with slinging white net lights over the arbor entrance to the backyard wonderland while his smiling wife, Sue, pitched in wiping down chairs. At this stage, there's plenty of work for everyone! And the clock is ticking way too fast.....only a few hours to go.

Soooooooo, exactly how do you get paper lanterns to hang from branches 25-30 feet up in the air? Well, you ask Drew to throw the heavy dog chew toy over the branch.......while it has fishing line attached to it.....and pray it doesn't come down and clunk someone on the head while doing it! Then, the line is tied to the lantern, and run thru the bottom of the lantern, and secured to the ground with a garden stake so the lantern won't blow at a 45 degree angle in the gale.....er, ummmm, I mean breeze. Get it? Ok, good!

Thank goodness he had really good aim. It didn't take as many tries as you would think to get them all hung.

Are you starting to get the picture? These trees have white lights wrapped around the trunks and the lower limbs. Even though the wedding is at sunset, the lights provided just enough "glitter" to make the garden sing.

Now how is this for a getaway car? The bride and groom were going to leave the ceremony in Lee's red Corvette, but Lee called in a favor and one of his buddies showed up with this beauty! The guys made a trade for the day, the Corvette for the antique TEAL Chevy. Seriously? Are you kidding me? It matches the bridesmaids dresses exactly!

I don't know who found this sticker, but what a perfect addition to a perfect getaway car.

Tomorrow, the actual ceremony,
Deb

D's "E. A.", Part Five

2011-09-16T11:39:00.002-04:00

You know how crazy things get the last couple of days leading up to a wedding? Well, these guys had a great idea. There were several reasons why the wedding was planned for a Sunday, based on who was free on which weekend, and when the pastor was available to perform the ceremony, etc. When it came time to plan the rehearsal, they decided to have it on Friday and that would allow a day in between the rehearsal and the wedding to finish up last minute details. I must say, it was nice to have the breather and the bride and groom had more time to enjoy all the events over 3 days, as well as time to visit with all the out of town family.

After the rehearsal dinner we went to the beautiful home of Julie and Rich to have dessert and blow off some steam. Lemondrop anyone? Laura, Drew and big brother Dave are toasting the start of a great wedding weekend.

Ok, everyone in unison now......ready? Set....drink! Then bite the lemon!

Hmmmm.......that's a little sour, I'm guessing.

Then the serious party moved to the basement: Wow! What a basement! Time to cut loose....Rich is on guiltar and Drew on drums.

Everyone in the family got in on the action including Grant on guitar. Laura came downstairs to help with the cymbals while Drew ripped on the drums.

Silly girls. Laura's infectious smile and happy spirit kept us all going, even when it was way past this Grammy's bedtime!

Saturday we prepared food for the family cookout that Lynn had planned so her out of town relatives would have a chance to visit each other. When the time arrived to leave for the park, I begged off to get some rest. Ummm......I think I needed it as I slept over 5 hours while they were gone! The driving and late hours had finally caught up to me, imagine that? And I wanted to have a lot of energy for the big day ahead.

Tomorrow-The Big Day,
Debbie

D's "E. A.", Part Four

2011-09-14T14:11:00.001-04:00

Laura and Drew: technology helps!

Days 8-11 became a blur of activity from early morning till midnight and sometimes beyond. Each time we completed a list a new one appeared, but with everyone pitching in to help, somehow it all got done.

We did take a little time for some monkey business ( or dog tricks in our case) as Lynn gets the labs ready for a treat.

A big event one evening was the final fitting of the bride's wedding gown. How beautiful! Oh, yeah, and the dress was absolutely awesome, too. The champagne colored swirls of confection and Laura's statuesque body were a perfect match.

Friday: Two days to go before the wedding is here.
Thank goodness for friends with helping hands. The programs were folded, beribboned and stacked in almost no time flat. Whew! One more project done.

Back to the outside:

Laura and Drew wrapped white lights around the trunks of two trees and some of their lower branches while I lit up the arch with lights. When the rented chairs arrived it hit us that now we were fast approaching the Big Event.

Now Lynn is getting jazzed!

Even though the temps remained high, Lee kept mowing and Lynn found just the perfect spot for all the hanging baskets.

I went back inside and started baking......coconut cupcakes with cream cheese frosting and a mini-wedding cake shaped chocolate cake. The cake was a surprise for Drew and Laura that evening. After the rehearsal in the yard, we all went to a wonderful Mexican restaurant with views overlooking a pond where geese were landing for the night. Dessert was at the lovely home of friends of the family and the cake was a practice run for cutting their real cake on Sunday.

Ta-da! Finished product! Just in time for the rehearsal.

And they did such a great job cutting the cake, too!

More tomorrow,
Debbie

D's "E. A.", Part Three

2011-09-13T10:22:00.000-04:00

Day Seven of the Trip:

Now it was time to get to work because we had a wedding to prepare for in just 5 days. Drew and Laura did an awesome job of staying on top of all the details for their wedding, but the "to do" lists just kept on coming. Most mornings began with coffee and laptops out on the deck while the day's work was divided up for everyone.

There were huge tablecloths to be washed and silver fabric that needed to be cut to wrap 140 chairbacks for the reception.

One of the things on my "to do" list was decorating the arch for the ceremony. Lynn had emailed me dozens of pics of their backyard as we discussed the various possibilities of how to transform their yard into the perfect setting for a garden wedding. When she would ask me what my ideas were for adding items to the yard, all I could say was that we'd figure it out when I got there. She is a really good friend to trust me to do that in 5 days, but I knew that once I saw the actual space, ideas would just come to me. Guess I just work better under pressure.

The bride, Laura, and I walked outside alone that first morning and I asked her what did she picture in her mind's eye for her special day. In less than 1/2 hour we had it all nailed down. Ta-da! Alright, we had most of it nailed down, but at least we had a good start. (Whew!) It didn't hurt that we had a beautiful yard to work with and they had all done a lot of work before I even got there. The bedding plants were gorgeous and the three large trees provided shade and structure for the garden. Add to that trickling fountains and blooming plants from friends and we pretty much had all we needed.

Lynn's husband, Lee, was incredible. He mowed, he watered, he tirelessly tackled each project I presented to him, and all with a smile on his face. Oh, yeah, and all this with daytime high temperatures of 105 degrees. Hey, Lee, my hat's off to you!

Lee and their youngest son, Grant, set up the rustic arbor on the leveled (no small feat, let me tell you!) wooden platform. Hmmmm, now all I have to do is decorate it...... the day of the wedding..... because it's Kansas and the wind is always blowing......no pressure there, ha!

Part IV tomorrow,
Deb

Debbie's "Excellent Adventure", Part 2

2011-09-12T09:40:00.000-04:00

Leg two of the journey:
After 5 nights and 4 wonderful days with Barb and Chuck it was time to pack up and move further west.

Who would want to leave meals like this....out on the porch.....with hummingbirds serenading us....and the breeze rustling thru the trees? Chuck, thanks for making my eggs every morning...what a treat to have my breakfast made for me! Barb, thanks for all the fun memories and for sharing your Sweet Home Alabama with me. I'll be back!

Many miles to go:

I left Alabama behind and drove thru the rolling hills across northern Mississippi.

Then I hit the most southwestern corner of Tennessee and went thru Memphis. Wish I had time to stop and check out the city, but many miles lay ahead of me, so I pushed onward.

Now the land was really flat and I started driving north thru the northeastern corner of Arkansas. And it was very sparsely populated and appeared to be mainly an agricultural area.

Oh, finally!   Missouri!   Ha, little did I know how many more hours I still had to drive, even though I was now in Missouri. Let's just say I could have used a couple of cappuccinos, but there were most definitely no Starbuck's to be found on this long, lonely, desolate interstate. I believe it took me most of 5 hours to get up to St. Louis after crossing the state line.

The land became rolling hills as I approached St. Louis and the traffic became much heavier while looping around the city.   An hour later I emerged on the west side of St. Louis and felt confident that the last leg of the day's drive was all that lay in front of me. By now my windshield was getting pretty buggy, if you know what I mean.   Even though I cleaned it off several times, the bugs just kept coming.

Hit The Brakes: Just a little Sidetrip:
Ok, I need to back up here a bit.   Over the last 2 years my friend Susan Marie has been telling me about this great place to get boots.   And, yes, it's close to Kansas City.   I got it in my mind a while back that I wanted a certain color of boots to wear with jeans but haven't been able to find them in Florida.   She kept telling me this store, Kleinschmidt's, had an enormous selection and I wouldn't be disappointed.

Alrighty, fast forward to my drive across Missouri.   I've got Kleinschmidt's address and phone number in my hand and realize if I wait to visit the store while in Kansas City, I'll have to GET BACK IN MY CAR and drive an hour out of the city to go there.   I do NOT want to drive anymore, so, I call to see how late they are open.   The sun is starting to hang low in the sky and I'm thinking I'm going to have to drive out there again.   But wait!   They're open until 7pm. Woo-hoo!

I whipped in there at 6:10 and started trying on boots.   Didn't get the color I went in there for, but I did find the most comfortable boots and added a cowgirl hat to top it all off.   Needless to say, I closed the place down. I walked back to my car, giggling all the way, and dropped my new purchases on the front seat.

Almost there:
It was 8pm by the time I pulled into Lynn and Lee's driveway in Kansas. Yes, I said Kansas. One more state....but it's not as bad as you think. Kansas City is split in two between Missouri and Kansas and they just happen to live on the Kansas side of the city. The last time I saw their house was 3 weeks after they purchased it 22 years ago! What a welcome sight.

We sat around the kitchen table eating chicken while they introduced me to their nephew who was in town from (uh-oh! Can't remember for sure...) either S. Dakota or Nebraska. Hey, my brain was a little fried at that point. Lynn pointed me in the direction of a cozy bed which I gladly flopped onto.

Now the real adventure begins:

How to pull off a backyard wedding....more tomorrow,

Debbie

Debbie's "Excellent Adventure"

2011-09-11T13:36:00.000-04:00

The Beginning:
Months ago, my friend Lynn called me from Kansas City.   She and I met and became friends while working together in the ICU at a large inner city hospital in downtown Kansas City twenty five years ago. It was right after Joel and I got married and the kids and I had moved cross country to start a whole new chapter in our lives. During our three years there, we got to know Lynn and her husband Lee and we stayed in touch even after we moved back to Florida.   We both grew our families and saw each other a handful of times over the years.

The Plan:
When Lynn called to say her middle son was getting married she asked if I would consider coming out to Kansas City to help her put on the wedding in their backyard.    Well, my friends and family know how much I detest flying and I told her I'd have to think about it.    Joel and I discussed the possibility of the trip and I started to formulate a plan to drive out there instead, making stops along the way at the homes of other friends who have also been asking me to come visit.

The Details:
So, with a calendar in one hand and mapquest on the computer, the dates were set for departure and arrival at a number of stops all along the south and midwest. It was almost three weeks ago when I packed the back of my car, gassed up, and left on a hot sunny afternoon and drove to the my first stop, the river.   I dropped off a load of goodies there and tried to get a good night's sleep.   I was so excited for the trip ahead that I had a hard time getting more than a few hours of rest.   I saw these turkeys while at the river.

Day Two:

At least by heading north from the river, I had already avoided the early morning rush of Tampa Bay traffic and even though the drive was long, it was smooth sailing all the way to northern Alabama. I passed several convoys of trucks heading to the Carolina's in preparation for the hurricane they were expecting there. It was eerie to think about the possible devastation they might be facing after the storm.

One state line crossed, how many more to go??? After over 10 hours driving, I pulled into Barb and Chuck's driveway in northern Alabama. Boy, was I ever glad to see them and to get out of that car! Barb and Chuck started an adventure of their own a couple years ago when they moved from St. Pete to the rolling farmland hills of northern Alabama. Now they have a beautiful home, a barn, chickens in a coop and several gardens that supply them with all kinds of homegrown goodies. That's a far cry from living in the city! And, oh, what fun they are having!

Does this pic remind you of the old tv show "Green Acres"?

I've never gathered fresh eggs before and I must say that it made me want to have some chickens of my own. What a luxury to have fresh eggs on hand all the time. Barb and I sewed a few projects, she showed me around their property and we drove the surrounding miles so I could get a feel for the area. We went to her book club and I also met some warm and friendly ladies from the quilt guild. Having grown up in a somewhat rural area myself, I really appreciated why Barb and Chuck are so enamored with their new life in the country.

There were hummingbirds and wild birds galore singing to us every morning while we ate breakfast on the enclosed screen porch off the kitchen. Even though it was in the 90's in the afternoon, the mornings were pleasant enough that we could spend some time enjoying the rocking chairs while we sipped coffee and sampled the jams and jellies Barb had "put up" over the summer. Good grief, do I really have to leave here?!!

Tomorrow:
The next leg of the journey,
Debbie

A Little Bit of This and a Little Bit of That

2011-07-05T13:32:00.000-04:00

Hope you all had a wonderful 4th of July. I know I haven't posted in a while so I thought I'd take this opportunity to share a couple of finish details from our Tin Can Cabin. I've been hanging onto this Crossing sign for a couple of years now, just waiting for the right spot to use it at the river. There was just enough space above the kitchen windows overlooking the river for both signs.

As we renamed our place River Crossing, the old "Crossing" sign fit right in with our recycled interior. It was originally hanging roadside at a railroad crossing, which just tickles me even more since my dad worked on the Pennsylvania railroad.

And the word River is made up of photos from different architectural elements which spell out the word. That was the part that took me forever. And I couldn't find a frame with 5 openings!

And speaking of forever, I thought we'd never get the trim work done in the bedroom, bathroom and sewing room. Some of the cuts up at the ceiling were a little tricky, but we love how it all turned out. Now I just need to prime, sand and paint the doorjams. Yuk!

Staying in to keep cool,
Debbie

Grammy Camp 2011

2011-06-22T17:04:00.000-04:00

One of the reasons for staying at the river so long this past 2 weeks was so we could have Grammy Camp again. Our two oldest grandkids came up on Monday and stayed until I took them home late Thursday, although they kept asking if they could stay another day. Honestly, I was bushed! Here is a brief overview of 4 very busy, fun-filled days....

Lots of crafts: Jackson built a cool air propelled car and tried running it on every flat surface in the park.

He also honed his skill driving the golf cart.......for hours.....and hours...and hours.....just kidding.

We built balsam wood airplanes, drew on the pavement with colored chalk and snacked on Dunkin' Donuts.

When it became too hot to play outside, the kids improvised and played bean bag toss down our long hallway.

Sydney made friends with a girl camping with her family and they became fast friends, even sharing chocolate chip cookie dough.

Joel's cousin Steve took the three of us out on his boat up to Lake George. On our way there, we passed a pontoon boat with a car permanently attached. It is appropriately named, "Cartoon". Get it? Car-toon, instead of Pon-toon. Ha-ha! If you double click on the pic you can see the name on the license plate.

We saw nesting osprey on top of channel markers and got sprayed by river water as we crossed over the wake from passing boats. (That was Sydney's favorite part.)

The kids even painted "I survived Grammy Camp 2011" shirts to wear home.

Our last night together we had a campfire and toasted marshmallows for S'more's. All of a sudden a 12" thick branch from an overhanging tree broke free from the trunk and landed on the deck moments after Sydney had walked under it. Much screaming and terror followed along with a call to the electric company who had to come and use their chainsaws to remove the limb which was causing our power pole to list at a 45 degree angle. Yikes!

Whew! Much cuddling and praising God followed as we felt He was protecting Sydney from any harm. We are definitely held in His hands.

The kids were amazingly resilient and went back to having a good time being silly and playing Barbie's the next day. Our time together went way too fast for all three of us and it was Thursday afternoon before we knew it and time to pack up and go back home.

Can't wait to do it all again next summer. I do think that a year is way too long to wait, so maybe we'll do an abbreviated version of Grammy Camp during the winter when it'll be fun to snuggle up in blue jeans by the fire pit and watch the night stars.

Signing off,
Grammy

Yard Work

2011-06-21T11:39:00.000-04:00

Uhhhh, yeah, just a light day's work out in the yard up at the river....work that lasted 3 days! First there was topsoil to be spread out and raked level. My arm was killing me that night! I had gone up to the river alone to "help" with the yard planning and Joel came up a couple days later and installed the sprinklers.

Then, Billy brought the zoysia sod and we laid 2 pallets till we were covered in dirt from head to toe. Trust me, I slept really well both nights as soon as my head hit the pillow.

It's amazing to me what a difference sod and mulch has made in what was once nothing but a sandy/silty mess of a yard.

We also now have a boardwalk leading from the golf cart's "circular driveway" up to the front door.

Check out the shabby chic 50's chairs I found at an architectural salvage place in DeLand. They are hidden back by the split rail fence. That's my version of yard art. I also picked up an old garden gate there from an early 1900's home and planted bleeding heart vine on it to disguise the back end of the old office trailer.

And my blueberry bushes are thriving. Joel and I went out a couple of mornings and picked fresh, sweet blueberries and popped them in our mouths. Love it!

Even the staghorn fern is happy in it's home hanging under the oaks. I especially like the view of the "back yard" with all the crazy colored painted furniture.

Now I believe it's time to sit back and enjoy all our hard work. It's officially summer and I would like to wish you time swinging in your hammock reading a good book and sipping some cool lemonade. I know that is exactly what I plan to do with some of my summer days.
Debbie

I Love the Rain

2011-06-18T17:14:00.000-04:00

Soooo......I've been up at the river for 10 days now, and here is a sample of today's excitement. A fire started in the woods across the road from the campground and spread rapidly with the wind and dry conditions we've been experiencing. Joel was outside working on some lighting when he came in to tell me he smelled smoke and that ash was falling out of the sky. Hmmmmm.......ummmmmm.....wonder where that is coming from?

Well, we hopped in the golf cart and headed toward the road leading into the campground and this is what we saw. By the way, there is only one road out of here, and if you head the other direction, it deadends at the river. Ummmm.......now my stomach was starting to roll a little bit.

The helicopter kept ferrying from the fire to the river to reload it's bucket.

The smoke is blocking out the tops of the trees across the street from the campground and the fire is about 10 feet behind the trees.

Ok, now it was getting a little too scary.

The wind was blowing the smoke into the campers now!

And then, we heard thunder....and more thunder......and about 15 minutes later it started to rain. It was slow at first and then became steady and lasted for an hour. Praise God!

And the cavalry arrived in the form of bulldozers.

So, yes, I love the rain!

Debbie

Silver and aiming for Gold

2011-06-02T11:50:00.002-04:00

This past week Joel and I celebrated our 25th "silver" anniversary up at the river. It's hard for me to believe it was 25 years ago that we met, got engaged and married.......all in just six short weeks! There have most definitely been some ups and downs over the years, but I can honestly say that I/we are happier now than at any time since saying "I do".

Joel's medical scare at Easter made reaching this milestone all the sweeter for us. Thanks to all of our friends and family for your well wishes. And now we aim to be healthier so we will be around for the next 25 years.

Reaching for the "gold",
Debbie & Joel

"Shelled" Again

2011-05-25T12:41:00.000-04:00

Those of you who visited my shop a couple of years ago may remember the huge seashell that greeted you just outside the front door. Well, it's been hanging out in our garage for a couple of years now and I thought it was time we put it somewhere permanent or get rid of it. So now it's outside the front door of our house instead!

Uhhhhhhhhh.........I couldn't stop there with my beloved seashells, so now the numbers on our mailbox are also shells.

I think this is going to have to go a bit further....the shells, that is. More on that another day! Just hang on to that thought. While I was out in the front yard I had to get a pic of our roses. They're going crazy this spring. Check them out! The bushes are almost up to my shoulders and it smells so wonderful when I get out of my car and walk past them.

Sadly, it's the end of my spring gardening season. The last of the okra bloomed this week as well as the eggplant. And I have plucked most of the blueberries off the bushes. The blackberries are still producing, though, and they're huge and dark purple. Maybe by next year there will be enough to make some pies and cobblers. Yum!

These okra blooms remind me or a plant we used to have in Penna. called Rose of Sharon.

Our last lonely tomato until next fall. Wish I could grow these all year long.

Happy "hump day" Wednesday,
Debbie

Harvest Time

2011-05-17T09:25:00.000-04:00

I pushed off harvesting my herbs as long as I could, not because I didn't feel like it, but because Joel had a medical emergency that took all my attention. Hmmmm.....husband's are like that, you know?

I just love going out to the garden first thing in the morning to check out how the beds have filled in. It's amazing what a little fertilizer and regular watering will do for your plants. My herbs went crazy this spring; parsley, thyme, oregano, rosemary, basil and tarragon. Early each morning last week, I'd wander out to the garden and cut back all of just one type of herb and bring it inside to the kitchen.

After removing the biggest stems, the leaves were plopped onto the dehydrator tray and the timer would be set for 16 hours at 125 degrees. By morning, the herbs were ready to put in a clean Ball jar with an appropriate label (wouldn't want an "inappropriate" label, now would we?) Pretty simple process. Then, I'd start all over again with a different herb.

By weeks' end, these are the herbs I had "put up", as my Penna. Dutch relatives would say. And, oh, the aroma. I wish you could smell them, too! Not like the stuff that you buy in the grocery store that has been in that jar for who knows how long?

And I'm still harvesting tomatoes and okra! Some mornings I've even popped a few blueberries and a blackberry or two in my mouth while I weeded and watered the garden. Too bad I don't have an acre or so to put in an orchard.....now wouldn't that be fun?

Oh, my, almost forgot to tell you to check out my other blog to see what else we were up to this weekend.

http://www.pinkfloridathreads.blogspot.com/ I put a new post there as well today and I think you'll enjoy reading all about what we did.

Signing off from the Garden of Eatin',

Debbie

Plants and Other Things

2011-05-09T09:17:00.003-04:00

Okie, dokie....the weather has been just short of spectacular the last few weeks and I've been trying to do some of my late spring outdoor work before the real heat and humidity of the summer sets in. One of the projects I've been meaning to get around to is replanting a basket that sits on top of a 4X4 post set in amoung the bushes along my back fence.

The idea came from a wonderful gardening book by Pamela Crawford about container planting and now I'm hooked on the whole concept. She even combines veggies with her flowers in her planters! Gonna try that this week...anyway, I digress. So, I bought a bunch of succulents from Lowe's, plants that don't require any care and love, love, love the sun.....and they don't need to be watered hardly at all. A great plant for someone who tends to neglect their garden for weeks on end when they get busy with other projects. (Hmmm, who might that be?)

I buy the baskets from Kinsman Gardens online....a shop that is in a little Pennsylvania town I used to drive thru when I lived up there. They are very helpful if you call them and they have a full selection of the baskets and accessories for this project. I bought a basket and liner from Kinsman and Jeremy used the post hole digger to sink the 4X4 in the ground and poured quick set cement around it to make certain it won't lean after the heavy basket is attached.

Next, you pour potting soil into the liner (while it's sitting in the basket) up to the first set of side holes, then push small plants into the side holes, topping off with soil to hold the roots in place. Repeat up to the next side holes. To finish it off, plant what I like to call a "spikey-uppey" plant in the center of the basket and fill around the perimeter of the planter with "drippey-downey" plants so they will eventually drape over the sides and fill in any gaps between plants as it grows. The idea is that you will have a lush, full planter when finished.

Depending on the plants you put in your basket, it can look completely filled in as soon as you plant it, or you must be patient and let nature take its course as the plants slowly grow and fill in all the blank areas. It's a very cool project and so satisfying to see the finished project when it's up on it's perch. Can't wait to do more!

What I really like is that you can add these posts anywhere in your garden that you feel you need a focal point or where you just want a pop of color. The possibilities are endless. Hope you're enjoying your "gardening" day today.
Debbie

Happy Mother's Day

2011-05-08T20:16:00.000-04:00

I'd like to wish all my girlfriends, my mom, my mother-in-law, and my daughter and daughter-in-law a Happy Mother's Day. Julie invited me to spend part of the weekend with her in Orlando and this is what we did...

She and 3 of her friends ran in a sprint triathlon at Fort Wilderness at Disney World. We stayed in one of the rustic cabins at the Fort and all I had to do was show up. They had planned and prepared everything down to the last detail. We hung out at the fantastic theme pool at the Lodge, then Julie made us an awesome dinner (thanks for sharing the recipe, Jules) so the girls could have a carb load the night before the race. The girls had already "racked" their bikes and all their necessary gear at the race site before I got there, so they were prepared for the race.

They were anxiously laying out their clothes, planning their morning meal, and organizing everything necessary for the big event so they could get out of the cabin in just a few minutes after the alarm went off in the morning. I think I may have been more excited than the girls because I woke up almost every hour or two all night long! We went to bed by 9:30 and woke up at 5:30am, they ate and we clambered into the chilly car to head over to the race site. I had to drop them off and return the car to the cabin, then take one of the park's buses to the venue as there is no parking there.

By the time I got there twilight was giving way to a beautiful morning and I started snapping pics of the girls as they waited (a little jittery) for their turn to hit the water at the lake. Eileen was in one of the first waves of women to enter the water and she was off like a shot to begin the 1/2 mile swim. Julie, Wendy and Sara were in the mixed class and were called up to the water's edge about 18 minutes later. Ok, I don't think I could swim across my pool 10 times and they were swimming a half mile! Yikes! I'm glad there were spotters in kayaks and boats along the course....that made me feel a little better about watching them take off splashing into the chilly water.

As soon as they emerged from the water, they all dashed to the transition area where they had parked their bikes last night and I watched as they moved as fast as possible to get into gear to ride the 12 mile bike course. Then, they reparked their bikes and ran a 5K. Whew, I'm beat just from watching them. But what an exciting event to watch!

The girls all finished and I have yet to find out Julie's official time, but she felt she beat her time from last year's race. Eileen, on the other hand, finished first in her class and 15th overall! Woo-hoo! You go girl!! Congratulations to all four of you.....I'm really impressed with your bravery overcoming your concerns about swimming "with the fishes", and can only begin to appreciate the many hours and hours of training that it took for you to participate in today's event.

Here are the girls after the race proudly wearing their medals....from left to right, Sara, Eileen, Julie and Wendy. What a great way to spend Mother's Day, thanks for sharing it with me,
Love,
Debbie

Food & Flowers

2011-04-20T09:38:00.000-04:00

Seems as though my interests come and go in spurts. You know what I mean, don't you? You "get in the mood" to garden because the weather is exceptionally beautiful after several dreary days. Or you are tired of the same old menu so you pull out a cookbook and suddenly your tastebuds are wishing the food could jump off the page and majically appear on your plate. Well, this bolognese sauce "appeared" on our plates, and boy, was it yummy!! Thank you, Giada.

Of course, an Italian meal wouldn't be complete without soft, garlic drizzled knots. These yeasty, puffs of goodness get lavished with olive oil, minced garlic and herbs....not to mention a healthy dusting of freshly grated Parmesan cheese. Here they are as they rise in a draft free warm oven.

Oh........my.........goodness.......

And I really needed to show you the ground orchids that have been blooming on my front porch for the last month. They just keep going and going and going. Orchids are my favorite flowers.....I never get tired of looking at them or smelling their delicious perfume.

How wacky is this Christmas cactus? Mine seem to bloom twice a year, most years, and this one is really putting on a show. Of course they bloom at Christmas time, but when the plants are placed outside for our chilly winter, they get confused and bloom again in the spring. This one bloomed in time for Easter.

So there you have it, food and flowers. Not very profound, but definitely a happy part of my everyday life.
Debbie

Salmon, anyone?

2011-04-14T09:45:00.000-04:00

Does anyone else love salmon as much as I do?   AND, it's good for you!   Made this last night and just had to take a pic of it before diving in.....yum, it was delish. The recipe was Arugula, Asparagus and Salmon, but I don't care for arugula so I substituted curly leaf lettuce and it worked just fine.

Basically, you bake the salmon in a 400 degree oven for 18 minutes and let it cool while you steam (2 minutes only) fresh asparagus cut into 2" pieces and let them cool also.   Arrange cut up lettuce on your plate with asparagus spears and 6-8 (or more if you're like me!) fresh blackberries sprinkled around.  Then place salmon on top.

For a scrumptious fast sauce/dressing, smash 16 blackberries in a bowl, add 2 tsp. honey, 4 tsp. low sodium soy sauce, 2 tsp. dark sesame oil, and 1/4 cup fresh orange juice.   Whisk to combine and drizzle over lettuce and salmon.   I decided to make some couscous with peas to go with it and it worked beautifully.   A light, flavorful, healthy meal.........now where did I put that Gelato in the freezer?

Berry-licious,
Debbie

Spring Garden-2011

2011-04-12T11:21:00.000-04:00

It's hard to believe my garden is even surviving this year. I've been neglecting it for long days on end, but I guess the fertilizer that was applied back in early March is working for me.

How satisfying it is to walk out around the raised beds and drench them with water, all the while checking out how much things have grown since the last time I looked in on them. Yippee, tomatoes!

Here's one of my all time favorites, fennel....yum! I can hardly wait until the bulbs have doubled in size so they can be brought into the kitchen and cooked up in a favorite casserole.

Thyme anyone? Have you got the thyme? Thyme to get cooking.....ok, ok, you get the idea. But seriously, this stuff is really taking off!

And it looks like we may even harvest some blackberries this year. Woo-hoo! Pie, cobbler, shortbread anyone? Yes, it looks like spring is officially here.

Happy Spring,

Debbie

Going, Going, Gone.....

2011-04-02T08:57:00.002-04:00

It's another River Weekend for me! During the crazy storms that roared across the southeast on Thursday, I tried to dodge the worst of the storm and scooted up I-75 wanting to get to the river ASAP. My mom's sister, Gladys, has been in Florida for the winter, and they have a second cousin they wanted to visit who lives 45 minutes from our place at the river. Road trip!

Well, we three came up together, stopping for the required breakfast at Cracker Barrel, then on to visit their cousin. By the time we arrived at the river, the rain had pretty much tapered off and I showed them around our Tin Can Cabin. I had recollections of my childhood as we played Scrabble late into the night, drank tea, and laughed until we almost pee-d our pants!! Aunt Gladys, I still say "gooey" is not spelled "G-U-E-Y"....giggle. I'm buying a Scrabble dictionary this weekend for future reference!

After breakfast the next morning we headed out on cousin Steve's boat for a 2 hour tour of the river which included Blue Springs Creek. There were so many turtles sunning themselves on fallen branches peeking up out of the lazy river. Aren't they cute? They were everywhere!

Then we rounded the corner of my favorite spot on the river, and there HE was! Yup, the bull gator, or as I like to call him, the Grandaddy of them all. Oh-My-Goodness, was he ever huge, magnificent, scary, prehistoric, and did I already mention...............HUGE?!? Steve angled the boat and ever so slowly we putt-putted toward him....all the while Steve is excitedly saying, "Debbie, click your camera, get his picture!!!" I'm clicking, I'm clicking...and here he is. If you "double click" on the pic with your mouse, you will get a really good look at him.

The closer we approached him, the more he slid down toward the water's edge. Watching him move was mesmerizing....this wasn't on tv, this was right in front of us! Steve estimated that he was at least 10-11 feet long, but who's going to get out a measuring tape to check?

And then he was going, going, going and splash, he was gone.

Awesome day on the river,

Debbie

Up the Lazy River

2011-03-25T08:49:00.000-04:00

Can you feel the breeze from this picture? These wonderful, gnarled cypress trees sit just inside the edges of the St. John's River. I love the way the Spanish moss drapes over the branches and moves with the slightest bit of air drifting by them.

The bridge just happened to be opening for a sailboat as we approached it. Usually it opens for barges chugging their way to Jacksonville with heavy cargo.

Ok, I don't know about you, but I can just picture myself taking a sip of my first cup of coffee in the morning while lounging on the covered dock. Are you there yet?

These little guys were so darned cute that I had to snap a quick shot of them before we scared them off. Ah, yes, just another lazy day on the river......spring is here, can you feel it?

Happy Friday,
Debbie

Gator Nation

2011-03-24T10:15:00.000-04:00

For those of you uninitiated who don't follow college sports, I'll fill you in on Gator Nation. That's what Floridians call the University of Florida in Gainesville sports fans. And they are rabid fans!

Well, my friend Susan and I were at the river this last weekend and we saw five different gators while out on the river....yikes! It's mating season and they were everywhere. Cousin Steve took us out on the boat for a quick ride before we left Monday and these are just a few of the gators we came across.

Pretty impressive, aren't they? The smallest one we saw was at least 5 ft. long and the biggest one was .....hmmmmm, I'm guessing here, maybe 8 ft. It's hard to tell when they're swimming in the river with nothing next to them to measure against. It was fun seeing all the wildlife out and about, I'm just glad we were in the boat a safe distance away from them.

Searching for the "wild life",
Debbie

Check out "Home"

2011-03-18T09:35:00.000-04:00

I posted about this on my other blog, http://www.pinkfloridathreads.blogspot.com/ , and thought I should also tell you about my oldest son's venture. Jarrad has finally decided to pursue his passion in woodworking and he has started plying his craft with a wide array of projects and designs. You can view his work at his website listed in my blog list as "Home". The wonderful clock above was a Christmas gift from Jarrad, isn't it gorgeous?

Check it out,
Debbie

Planting Time

2011-03-17T09:43:00.000-04:00

Joel and I were up at the river for 5 days recently and the weather was simply glorious. As usual, we couldn't just sit and relax.....no, not us. We had Billy replace the broken wooden lattice at the front of the cabin with some kind of hard plastic lattice that will last forever. Then I planted ever bearing roses that will bloom year round.

Here are the same roses that we planted a few months ago along the side of the back porch. They are blooming like crazy! Joel put in a microdrip system for the entire yard and put it on timers so we don't have to worry about watering things when we're not there. He even built the little box you see above to cover the manifold so everything is protected from someone stepping on it. Handy guy!

We also planted white azaleas under the oaks........

and "planted" a bottle tree. Ok, now I'm having fun! And yes, we did take time to swing in the hammock, read a good book, and sleep in late. I think I'm finally over "THE three week respiratory flu bug"......thanks to lots of rest and 2 courses of antibiotics. Yikes! I have been sick every couple of weeks this winter, most likely due to burning the candle at both ends. Haven't been sick like this since nursing school when I was really run down, so, we decided to slow down and eliminate unnecessary stressors. Yea, I'm all for that.

A "work weekend" at the river was just what the doctor ordered....giggle.....now I'm counting the weeks until we get to go back up there and do it all again!

Resting comfortably,
Debbie

Final Resting Place

2011-03-16T10:33:00.000-04:00

Pictured above is my much beloved antique metal headboard.   It comes with a matching footboard and rails which hold a full sized mattress.   Much to my husband's chagrin, I've dragged this relic with me wherever we have moved and we put it into good service as a bed in our guest bedroom.    Joel never cared too much for this bed because it was kinda ragged, but I'd put a fresh coat of paint on it and it actually looked pretty cute with all the bedding surrounding it.

Now, what's the significance of this bed in the yard!?!? Well, now it's a "flower bed"....up at the river....and serves as the "stop" in a golf cart parking area I mapped out for cousin Steve's golf cart when he comes to visit our cabin.   Joel is just happy it won't get dragged around anymore as we sunk it in concrete and this is truly it's final resting place.

Why would I keep this old bed for so many years?   For those of you who have known me a long time, you already know the story.   When I became divorced 36 years ago, things were beyond tight, financially speaking, and one day I went past a home that had the dismantled bed out at the curb.   Next to it was an old dinged up Hoosier cabinet.   I knocked on the door and when a sweet lady answered the knock, I asked her if she would mind if I took her old stuff because I needed a bed and could use the cabinet for something, I was sure.    She invited me in and we chatted for a while and she said she was happy that someone would give her old furniture a new life.

That old bed stood in a bedroom at my apartment for almost 2 years.....it was all set up with the rails and I had painted it white, but I couldn't afford a boxspring and mattress so I was sleeping on a couch.   My dad came by one day and when he went in the bedroom he asked me why I didn't have a bed and I explained that buying groceries for 2 growing kids was more of a priority these days.    A few days later he came by again with a new boxspring and mattress.....I cried....wouldn't you have?

The Hoosier cabinet got cleaned up, too, and I used it as my sewing room.    When the kids and I moved to Florida, we dragged those old pieces with us and they were put to good use in every place we lived.   After I met Joel, we each had to sell several pieces of furniture to fit all of our things in one house, but I wouldn't part with the two salvaged pieces.   By my count, they have been in 10 houses with me over 30 years. Life is so good for us now, but I never want us to forget where we came from or what the kids and I went through during those rough years.   And this furniture is a bitter sweet memory of years past.

Here is the footboard sitting behind our deck in the back yard at the river.....looks pretty happy to me! And both pieces look so cheerful all dressed up in red, don't you think so, too?

Rest in peace bed, you've served me well.
Debbie

Take Heart, My Friends

2011-02-23T09:13:00.001-05:00

For all my "up north" friends, I'd like to say take heart. It may be freezing outside your door today but the robins have descended on our area as they migrate north. That can only mean one thing.....Spring is right around the corner for you!

I sat outside this foggy morning with my camera (yes, it's finally fixed!) and listened as the robins chirped and greedily chomped down on the black berries from our neighbors bushes. The birds are EVERYWHERE!! And judging from the size of some of their tummies, I'd venture a guess that there are going to be a lot of little robins hippy-hopping around your yards soon.

So start thinking about your gardens and the flowers that will soon be pushing thru the soil and snow searching for the sunshine. Spring is near, my dears!

Happy to be back,
Debbie

Jeepers

2011-01-20T11:21:00.000-05:00

Can we have a moment of silence, please?    Sigh.....my camera died 2 weeks ago.   Well, it didn't actually die, the shutter just pooped out on me.   The camera guru told me the shutters are good for around 30,000 shots and he asked me how long I've had my camera.   I told him 2 years and he said that I couldn't have possibly shot that many pics in 2 years.   Ha!   He has no idea.

In just one afternoon I routinely shoot around 400 pics when we're up at the river.   It doesn't take that many afternoons to tally up 30,000 pics, does it?   Good thing they're digital and not film, wouldn't you say?   I'd hate to have to pay for that many pics to be developed.   Most of them get deleted while I play with them in Photoshop on the computer.

So, I wait......the parts have been ordered and they should be in his shop soon so he can put my camera back together again.    I had no idea how often I pick that camera up to take an impromptu shot of something ordinary or how much I would miss having it when it wasn't working. Can't wait for my baby to come home!

Waiting with open arms,
Debbie

Just Like a......

2011-01-05T13:08:00.000-05:00

.....breath of fresh air,

this rose was waiting outside my front door this morning to greet me on my way to the mailbox.

I had pruned the roses after the last frost and didn't expect to see any blooms for a couple of months so I was pleasantly surprised to find this one today. If you happen to live in a cold climate, I'm not trying to rub it in, I just thought I'd share a glimpse of spring with you. We're expecting another cold front this weekend, so temps in the 70's are a one day occurrance in January.

Hope you're staying cozy wherever you are,

Debbie

Got Ice, Anyone?

2010-12-29T09:08:00.002-05:00

Yes, it was rather nippy here this morning.....38 degrees by my thermometer. And we were the warmest county around because we're surrounded by water. Everyone else was under a hard freeze warning.

It's not very often that can we look out the window in the morning and see frost on the neighbor's yards! It may look very pretty now but I am a little concerned for our tropical palms and plants. I hope this isn't another year of the brown yard!

When Joel got into his car he had to wait while the defroster thawed the icy coating from his windshield before he could drive to work. Does anyone have an extra ice scraper???

Chilly mama,

Deb

Dancing and Dinosaur

2010-12-28T12:25:00.007-05:00

Julie and Jarrad broke out in dance as they were giggling about things they used to do during their childhood. Yes, this is what we do at family get togethers!

Jackson was obviously elated with a Christmas present, wouldn't you say?

Nate was tickled to have Dad sit on the floor with him and teach him how to use his Sit N' Spin.

Sydney thought Josh's new toy dinosaur was pretty funny.

And Josh learned how to "feed" his new pet, the trick performing dinosaur.

This guys burps, growls, eats, purrs when you pet him and does a few other things we won't go into here. We're still having a good time.....

Debbie

Boiling

2010-12-28T12:11:00.004-05:00

This is not exactly your typical Christmas picture, but, it's an accurate one for our 2010 holiday. On the evening of the 23rd of December I turned on the water in the kitchen and the water pressure had been reduced to a trickle. Hmmmm......the neighbor came over to see if we had any water because she sure didn't have much pressure either. Well, it turns out a 50" water main had broken on Belcher Road north of East Bay....which means about 350,000 people were affected by the break according to the news.

By the morning of the 24th, the news was reporting that we were under a boil water notice under told otherwise. So, the picture above is how we managed to wash all our dishes until the morning of Dec. 26th. One pot for washing and one pot for rinsing. At least the water pressure came back up so we could take showers and wash clothes. Boy, was I ever glad when they lifted the boil water notice! We are so used to all our modern conveniences that you forget how much more labor it takes to go about your daily life when one of our utilities has a glitch.

Thanks to all our camping experiences for helping us take it all in stride. So, this year it was plastic plates and cups for meals. Hey, I might do that next year, too! Sure did eliminate a lot of dishwashing. We still had a wonderful time with our family. Hope you did, too.

Back to running water,
Debbie

Remember Brandy Alexander?

2010-12-19T17:54:00.005-05:00

Not a person named Brandy Alexander; an alcoholic drink is what I was referring to. I remember drinking them during the late 70's and thought they must be a very sophisticated drink because it took several types of alcohol mixed together then poured into a tall stemmed glass. And they were easy to consume for a non-drinker like myself.

After I spent the entire weekend preparing for Christmas, I decided to take a break after dinner Sunday night. My guys are out Christmas shopping and I thought I'd treat myself to a special drink. Ta-da! It's an espresso martini! Yum....in our family we call these an adult milkshake. Call it what you want, it works for me. Oh, yeah, and I'm also using my favorite napkin which says, "I'll have a cafe mocha vodka valium latte to go please". Yup, that about says it all for me.

Espresso Martini

1-1/2 oz. chilled espresso

1-1/2 oz. Stolichnaya vanilla vodka

1-1/2 oz. Godiva chocolate liqueur

1 oz. Kahlua

1-1/2 oz. half & half

Pour all ingredients over ice and shake. Pour into a chilled martini glass and enjoy.

Now this is the way to start my Christmas/birthday week!

Debbie

A Quilt for Jo

2010-12-16T21:49:00.006-05:00

This beaming gal is Jo, a very dear lady. I've made a quilt for Jo before and she told me how pleased she was with it when it was finished. That quilt is recorded here in the blog October 3,2009 and was made for Jo's niece.

Recently, Jo brought her deceased father's ties to me and asked if I could create a quilt to give to her mother in remembrance of her dad. I wanted to keep the ties intact as much as possible and came up with the idea for laying them horizontally like graphic bars of silk color. That was the jumping off point for designing this quilt. The mottled grey batik fabric was requested by Jo and as I sketched the quilt out on paper, solid ideas took form and most of them ended up in the final quilt.

Jo was wonderful to work with as she gave me free rein to do whatever came into my head. The ties were taken completely apart, the interfacing was removed and then the tedious task of lining them all up began. It took an entire day just to lay them out symmetrically and pin them onto the batik fabric. After I was pleased with the color layout I needed to come up with an interesting way to stitch them onto the batik to hold them in place permanently. So, each tie was stitched with soft grey thread using a different machine embroidery stitch to create continuity but lend visual interest to the finished quilt. Nine hours later that task was completed. Whew!

Now it was time to quilt the layers together. Jo's mom had written a long list of names and descriptives that told about the life of her husband and I used all those names in free hand quilting to stitch the final layers of the quilt together. Before I could do the quilting, though, I had to construct the back of the quilt.

The back of the quilt was made by using her dad's dress shirts; pockets, buttons and plackets included. In the close-up below you can see the buttons and plackets from some of the shirts. As simple as this quilt appears, it was one of the most technically challenging quilts I have ever made.

As I showed the completed quilt to Jo, we shared a few tears together and I expressed to her that this was one of the most rewarding quilts I have worked on. Jo, thanks for trusting me with the precious momentos of your dad's life. I pray this will bring some measure of peace and comfort to your mom each time she looks at it and remembers her dear husband.

Grateful to be a part of this memory,

Debbie

Christmas Kitchen

2010-12-16T09:28:00.007-05:00

So, I've been a little busy lately and finally got our tree decorated a couple of days ago. This morning I decided to get a jump start on the day and got up early, put on Christmas music, lit the balsam candle and fired up the cappuccino machine. When I put my Christmas mug down, it looked so pretty I had to grab the camera and click off a few shots to remember the season before it's gone.

My sweet and very thoughtful friend, Bonnie, knew how busy I was taking care of Joel's mom this year and she baked these yummy cookies for us. (I LOVE the coconut- cherry- chocolate chip ones, Bonnie....would you share the recipe?) Well I'm heading out the door to do something fun today instead of work.....I'm having lunch with Teresa to celebrate Christmas early and then I'll try and do some final Christmas shopping. Hope you are taking a few precious moments to soak up the sights, sounds and scents of this cherished holiday season.

Eight days until Christmas,

Debbie

Decking and Boardwalks

2010-12-06T11:41:00.002-05:00

The back of the property: Ok, so while we were at the river we put the finishing touches on the new decking behind the Tin Can Cabin. The cabin had an existing 8' x 22' raised deck attached to the backside and we recently covered it with an insulated roof to give us a place to sit and be protected from rain and the sun. This new ground level area was designed to get us up off the sandy/silt soil and provide comfortable seating around the fire pit. We connected the upper deck and the lower area with a boardwalk so we are high and dry when it rains.

The is the "connecting" end by the stairs. This landing also serves as the forward end of our parking space for the cars. Next on the agenda: landscaping........my favorite!

Boardwalk Mama,

Debbie

Guess where we were?

2010-12-05T20:32:00.004-05:00

Yes, after being gone for more than a month, we went back to the river for a brief weekend of R&R. We woke up to a chilly 38 degree morning on Saturday and when I opened the blinds in the kitchen which have a view of the river, this is what I saw.

The warm water clashing with the cold incoming north wind created this most beautiful effect on the river. I hurried to throw on some warm clothes, grabbed my camera and dashed down to the dock to capture some shots before the fog evaporated. Apparently I disturbed this Great Heron because he squawked at me as he lifted up and over to the other side of the river where he took up his perch on a branch and glared at me.

Several other times for two years I've tried in vain to capture the fog on the river, but each time it evaporated before I could get off any good shots. Fortunately this time I woke up early enough to snap a few interesting pics.

Ahhh, it's just so peaceful on the docks all alone except for a few birds searching for breakfast and the ever-present squirrels chattering up in the oak trees.

This was most definitely a cappuccino moment. After this shot I scurried back to our Tin Can Cabin to heat up the espresso machine and thaw out my fingers. Hope you enjoy these snapshot glimpses into our little haven away from home.

The Early Bird,

Debbie

Happy 21st Birthday, Jeremy!

2010-12-01T10:34:00.004-05:00

We decided to do something different for Jeremy's birthday this year. So, I woke him up early, sang a goofy birthday song to him and asked him to get dressed so he could "see something" outside. Of course there were a few groans and questions, but he let me lead him out the front door and down the driveway. Hope he wasn't expecting a new car!!!

And this is what he saw when he removed the scarf from his eyes......a flock of crows. Imagine that? They flew in on this cold front during this windy day just to wish him a happy birthday!

Ok, I can finally officially say to him, "I got'cha!" He 's a tough one to fool....

We both got a good giggle from this one.

Then it was time to make him his favorite breakfast, chocolate chip pancakes and yummy crispy bacon. Coffee, anyone?

Just call me....

One satisfied mama,

Deb

It's Hard to get Much Better Than This

2010-11-30T08:49:00.003-05:00

The day after Thanksgiving, Julie and Sydney came to our house for a few hours. We three girls had the house all to ourselves and decided it was a nice quiet time to teach Sydney how to knit. Julie baked a double batch of chocolate chip cookies and Sydney patiently watched as I showed her the basics of knitting. I love the look of absolute concentration on her sweet face.
Well, she got the hang of it pretty fast and when we realized she was going to do more knitting on her own, we scooted to a nearby knitting shop to buy her a pair of her own knitting needles. There's no stopping her now. She left that day talking about the Barbie and American Girl doll clothes she was going to be making.

Hmmmmm.....now I know where to send all that leftover yarn I've been saving in my stash! Julie called the next day to report that Sydney was up at night with the light on in her bedroom knitting. Giggle.....don't you just love it? I know I do.

Yup, it doesn't get much better than this,

Grammy Debbie

Linda, this one's for you

2010-11-28T12:44:00.004-05:00

Alright, I just had to post a picture of our turkey before it headed to our Thanksgiving table. Julie did an awesome job carving and arranging the platter, don't you think? But, now back to the reason for this post. Miss Linda, wife to Joel's cousin, Steve, has been after me for more than 5 years to give up my stuffing recipe.

She jokingly told me back then that she wanted me to write down the recipe before I went into surgery 5 years ago.........you know.........just in case I didn't make it out of surgery. Ha! It's not that I didn't want to share it, the problem was that each year I just made it up as I went along. Most of my recipes are from other women in my life or they come straight out of the hundred or so cookbooks that are in my collection. I love to share recipes and as much as I love to cook, I had never actually measured and written down this one and only original recipe of my very own.

How flattering that anyone would even want a copy! But then the kids started to ask how I made the stuffing and I realized that I needed to get serious and write something down so they could duplicate the taste they have come to know as our own stuffing. I think most cooks have had a taste for something their relatives consistently made as they were growing up and no matter how hard you tried, the recipe just never came out exactly as we remember it tasting when someone else made it. Well, I don't want my kids to feel that frustration, so this year I seriously measured and fine tuned the recipe so it would be easy to make. There's nothing fancy about it, kids and Linda, but it's what we love. Hope you enjoy it.

Our Family's Best Holiday Stuffing

2 tblsp. olive oil

1 medium onion, diced

4 stalks celery, diced

2 Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored and diced

4 cups Pepperidge Farms Cornbread Stuffing

6 cups Pepperidge Farms Country Style Cubed Stuffing

1 cup raisins

2 cups coarse chopped pecans

1 tsp. dried thyme

3 cups low sodium chicken broth

1 stick butter

salt and pepper to taste

Saute' onion and celery in olive oil until onion is opaque. In large bowl place apples, both types of stuffing, raisins, pecans and thyme. Heat chicken broth and butter in microwave until butter is melted. Pour over the stuffing mixture and stir until evenly moist. Season to taste. Pour into 9" X 13" casserole dish and bake at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes.

I couldn't resist taking a pic of my newest idea. There is never enough room in the refrigerator when preparing holiday meals. I had made all my casseroles the day before Thanksgiving but how do you find enough room for them in the refrigerator? Duh! It occured to me that I could stack them by using my baking cooling racks in between the dishes which prevented the weight of the ones on top from crushing the ones down below. Hope this tip works as well for you as it did for me.

Still "stuffed",

Debbie

Recipes and lists, Oh, My!

2010-11-24T15:13:00.004-05:00

For those of you who think I'm so organized...let these pics be evidence to the contrary. My kitchen looks like something blew up in it and I've only just begun. You can't see the cooler hanging out in front of the oven.....I needed to use it to hold the turkey after it's in the brine bag since it won't fit in my refrigerator with everything else that's in there!

The cooked giblets are cooling in their pot alongside the brine that also has to cool before dunking the bird into it's lusciousness. My recipe books are out and scattered across the counter for reference and before the night is out, I'm sure every surface of the kitchen will be covered with dirty pots, pans and dishes.

And speaking of the bird, my "fresh" 25 lb. turkey had ice crystals on it when I opened it this morning. Good thing I didn't wait until Thanksgiving day to open it up and discover that little detail or we'd be having Chinese for dinner. Trust me, the turkey is soaking in cool water even though the sink looks empty in the photo.

Ok, doesn't the brine look pretty in the blue dutch oven? I had to try this recipe after seeing it on Pioneer Woman's website. I'll let you know if it keeps the turkey moist and tastes as good as this looks. Well, I guess I am going to get back to the turkey, pies and casseroles.

Happy Thanksgiving,

Debbie

Christmas must be near

2010-11-22T20:54:00.001-05:00

I thought I'd show you what I've been working on in the sewing room lately. The owner of the Quilt Shop of DeLand asked me to make up this log cabin sample for her to hang in the shop for the holidays. Piecing it was straight forward and Judy provided the traditional fabrics that went into the quilt.

Here is a closeup of some of the free hand machine quilting pine boughs I sewed on the tree. If you'll notice, I took the pics out by our pool......Christmas?Pool?80 degree weather? Hmmmm.......I hope it cools down about 20 degrees before Christmas really arrives.

One of Santa's elves,

Debbie

Susan's Quilt; yup, it's done!

2010-11-18T12:55:00.004-05:00

This past Labor Day weekend my friend, Susan Marie and I, went up to the river to stay at the cabin for a few days of girlfriend R&R..........and to quilt. You see, Susan loves fabric and color and all things sewn as much as I do. She had saved her gently worn capri pants that were her favorites and wanted to piece them together to create a tropical colorful quilt so she would never have to give those pants away!

Well, Susan had done a lot of the work ahead of time by tearing them apart and we began the task of cutting the pants legs into squares and rectangles. At the end of Day one we had them all cut out and laid in a pattern we both liked. Then with 2 sewing machines set up, the piecing began.

Susan started joking that we'd never get finished.........ok, I need to clarify something right here and now......Susan kinda sorta has a cute little habit called "I don't always finish what I start.". Ummmmmm.....that just doesn't compute in my "git 'er done" brain. I reassured her that she would indeed go home with a finished quilt. She expressed some more doubt that the whole thing would be done and she would finish it "some day". Ha! Not on my watch!

Needless to say you can see where this is going. She most certainly did finish the quilt before we left for home and it turned out darned cute, too, wouldn't you agree? I had teased her for days that I was the one who drove us up there and she was not going to be returned home until the quilt was competed. After the look of shock wore off on her face, we giggled about it for the next two days while she "got it done".

We're still friends, so I guess I didn't push her too hard and she is very proud of her quilt, and rightfully so.

Good job, Susan,
Deb

Ah, yes......

2010-11-18T08:14:00.002-05:00

Many of you already know that my mother-in-law's husband went to heaven in June. Madalen is doing remarkably well transitioning once again to life without her spouse. She is, however, suffering from moderate dementia. We make certain that her needs are taken care of and check in with her frequently but we also realize her days of living independently are quickly coming to a close. One downside is that since Ken died, she just sits in her living room in her recliner. Her lack of interaction with others has been a big concern for us and we feel she needs the stimulation of conversation, but she simply won't get off that chair.

Most of the time her memory loss simply means we have to search for that document a little harder or recheck her grocery list before leaving her house to be certain we're not buying yet another 5 lb. tin of coffee to add to the others already in the cupboard. She is unable to tell us the mysterious name of the woman who takes her to church every Sunday and is shocked when we discover 10 bags of old, filled kitchen garbage bags in her little shed that desperately need to be hauled to the dumpsters nearby before her building gets condemned.

So imagine my surprise when Joel got off the phone after talking with her last night and he was grinning. Usually when he hangs up the phone after talking to his mom, he has a look of concern on his face. Not last night, nope, grinning from ear to ear. Ok, I'll bite.....what's going on? He said that his mom was having 8 women over on Friday night and they were going to "play something". As he questioned her further, she said she didn't know who was coming or what they were going to play because she couldn't remember. We both giggled because we were tickled that she was actually entertaining a group of ladies again. Don't know who they are or what they're going to do, but she has actually asked ladies to come over to her house! Can't wait to hear how it went.....we'll have to call her Saturday morning.

Taking one day at a time,
Debbie

Can't Let It Go

2010-11-17T14:17:00.005-05:00

Ok, I started to blog about this several times today and kept shying away from it, but I can't seem to let it go. A few days ago, I saw an interview on tv with a pastor and his 10 year old son. Their story was very touching and caught my interest. I looked them up on the internet and immediately downloaded their book onto Joel's Kindle so I could begin reading it. This story has had a profound effect on me and it seems that I should share with all of you something that has hit me this hard.

You can discount what you are about to read and I'm fine with that or you can be amazed like I was. The name of the book is "Heaven is For Real" and the author/dad is Todd Burpo. You can read excerpts from the book on their website: http://www.heavenisforreal.net/ and if you are as intrigued as I was you will soon find yourself purchasing the book and reading it all in one sitting. Also, you can view the video @ http://video.foxnews.com/v/4419243/heaven-is-for-real . By the way, if you have a tender heart for the Lord, grab the tissues.

The book is neither long nor lofty which makes the effect it has on it's readers all the more amazing. The father is very forthright in his recalling of the events and the son is so believable. I don't usually go "all in" for hyped scenarios in supposed real events books, but this one has definitely caught my attention. Let me know what you think.

Pondering,
Debbie

The Great White Egret

2010-11-17T13:42:00.005-05:00

This morning as I sat down in my cozy chair which looks out over the backyard, I looked up and this is what I saw a mere 10 feet away. Isn't he wonderful? He was standing there on one foot, occasionally taking a drink from the pool. I had never noticed how large the feet of these birds are until today.

I started my reading and would occasionally look up to see if he was still there. Then he decided to show off and preen for me. He kept nuzzling his pure white feathers and craning his neck in impossible configurations as he went about his morning routine. Show off!

He took a few more sips from the pool and effortlessly lifted himself off the ground and up over the roof of our house. Maybe I'll see him again tomorrow. Hope you enjoyed the show as much as I did.

Deb

Grandma's cabin

2010-11-11T08:45:00.003-05:00

This is the entrance to what we call "Grandma's cabin" up at the river. The owner's mother stays here when she comes to the camp and she's our neighbor's grandma, hence, Grandma's cabin. It sits right on the riverfront and has a pretty little porch, just the right size for sitting a spell and enjoying a cup of coffee.
The raised boardwalk keeps your shoes off the sandy soil and looks pretty, too.

Couldn't you just cozy up with a good book on the screened porch? I know I could. As a matter of fact, I often sneak over there and hang out with my coffee and enjoy the view of the river.

See what I mean? The outside deck is snuggled in under a canopy of oak trees and hugs the bank going down to the dock and the river.

And this is what you see when you look up from the dock down below. Pretty cool place....one of my favorites. Come visit with us......

Debbie

?12 Days of Christmas?

2010-11-10T20:02:00.005-05:00

You know the words to the song, right? 12 drummers drumming, 11 pipers piping, 10 Lords a-leaping, 9 bras a-hanging.........whaaaaaaaaaa?! Yes, I made 9 "Ta-Ta" Totes during one of the last trips up to the river and they needed to hang for 24 hours while the glue that holds on the Swarovsky crystals was drying. What better place for them to hang out than from old gym locker baskets in the sewing room?

That's my version of art. Now hum along with me......five golden rings........

Christmas on my brain,

Debbie

Singing

2010-11-03T09:08:00.004-04:00

When I opened the blinds this morning and saw the fog over the oak trees, I ran down to the river to click off a few shots before the fog lifted completely. If you double click on the photos you can see more detail.

There is something so peaceful about being engulfed in fog.....like the rest of the world is shut out and along with that your problems and cares are shut out as well.

I was trying to put into words how these scenes make me feel and I decided that mornings like this make my heart sing.

Hum along with me,

Debbie

Winches and Pulleys

2010-11-02T07:04:00.003-04:00

" Hmmmm.....so what am I looking at?", you ask. If you follow the orange rope up into the tree, you can see the outline of an old pulley. The old pulley leads down to a boat winch attached to another tree. Hey, stay with me here.

This is Ron, the very handy guy who rigged all this up for me. Now exactly what is at the other end of the orange rope? My staghorn fern, of course! Doesn't everyone hang their staghorn this way? Well, maybe not, but that's how we do it at the river. I have three staghorn ferns at home and brought the medium sized one up here to hang amoung all the oak trees. Hope it's happy here.

The cool thing about this set up is that anytime I want to water or feed the staghorn, I just have to lower it using the boat winch. Love it, love it. Ron is the one who came up with this idea for his wife and I have been admiring it for a couple of years now. He agreed to hang my staghorn the same way and completed the task yesterday. Yippee!

River Rat,

Debbie

Meet Betsy

2010-11-01T14:33:00.003-04:00

It's been a busy weekend for us up at the river. Joel and I bought a car to replace my Audi when the lease is finished in a few months. The man we bought the Tahoe from says that his wife and children name all their cars and that our car is named Betsy. So, I guess the name will stick with us.......at least for now.

It'll be so nice to be able to haul anything I need from now on since I'll have great cargo space in the back of the car. My Audi has been fun to drive, but the trunk isn't much bigger than a suitcase!

More later......

Deb

Have you ever....?

2010-09-26T20:10:00.003-04:00

Have you ever seen "trailer" art like this? These Airstream trailers were placed next to I-4 as road art, I think, by someone with a great sense of humor. I just love seeing them glistening in the sunshine.

I have passed by these oddities many times as I drove east to Orlando from our house, and each time I pass them, I wish that my camera was with me. Well, last weekend my camera was in the car, so I took my life into my hands as I pulled over on the crazy stretch of road and quickly snapped some photos of the aluminum aliens.

Awww.......someone actually took a pic of mother and daughter when we both have makeup on! Amazing! Julie and I always joke that we are the photographers for our families and we're never in the pics ourselves. And on the rare occasion that we are in a picture, it is usually after a hectic day chasing kids and making meals for a large gathering and we're both tired, unkempt and out of focus. So, how nice that we were able to spend an entire weekend scrapbooking together with a lovely group of Julie's friends and have the leisure of finishing conversations uninterrupted........and have our picture taken by one of the girls.

Hope it's cooling off wherever you are,

Happy Fall everyone,

Debbie

Only At The River....

2010-09-12T20:46:00.004-04:00

Only at the river...would I have to move my supplies so someone could load their boat onto the trailer as I was decorating the wedding arch.

Only at the river...would the guys dress up in drag for the bachelor party.

Only at the river...could you have the gorgeous St. John's as a backdrop for your wedding.

Only at the river...do you decorate the bride's birdfeeder for the "Big Day".

Only at the river...could the bride, Lori, be so pretty in 98 degree heat for an outside wedding.

Yup, only at the river...and we're so glad to be a part of it all,

Debbie

Grammy Camp 2010

2010-08-07T08:40:00.004-04:00

What in the world is Grammy Camp, you ask? That's what we're calling the 4 days last week that I spent up at the "tin can cabin" with my two oldest grandkids. We really did have a ball and I will absolutely, positively recover from all the activity by Christmas, maybe sooner....just kidding. But I did go to sleep at 9pm when I tucked them into bed each night. We all needed the extra sleep. So, let's see, what exactly did we do at Grammy Camp? Jackson took full advantage of the paved roads in the camp to skateboard. We celebrated Sydney's birthday a few days early so she could open her present of skates and I don't think I saw her leave the cabin once without those things on her feet the entire 4 days.

I gained several more strands of grey hair while hanging on to the sides of the golf cart as "speed demon" Jackson learned to race....er, um.....as he learned to safely traverse the roads in the campground. We had several downpour thunderstorms which resulted in huge puddles. You can see where I'm going with this, can't you? Yes, he asked if he could "go fast" through a puddle and I said "of course". Holy cow! He floored it and water gushed up through the floorboard and flew out the sides of the cart spraying a good 6 feet on all sides as he gleefully aimed for another puddle. Repeat. Repeat. Repeat. I think we'll keep that information to ourselves, ok?

The kids visited several times a day with Roxie and Jessica, the beautiful resident parrot and cockatiel. Both of them speak and whistle and Sydney was convinced they spoke short sentences to her. Also, all our friends at the campground now know the kids and they had a great time visiting with everyone and their various pets, including a brand new puppy named Peaches that Sydney fell in love with. One of the women baked us chocolate chip cookies to celebrate Syd's birthday. Another buddy dropped off firewood for our campfire. Such good people.

We did a craft each day: first they painted flip flops as an unusual "letter home" and we mailed them to mom and dad like kids used to do when I went to summer camp(except we used to mail post cards); then we made bouncey balls from a kit; we put together an adorable puzzle entitled "100 elephants and a mouse"; we made roll out cookies in the shape of construction tools for Jackson and palm trees for Sydney; we made our own popsicles from strawberries; we made our own pizzas; and finally, as the temps soared to 102 we had a small campfire to roast marshmallows because I had promised them we'd make s'mores. Hey, a promise to grandkids is a promise.

I hope Grammy Camp can be repeated each year and that it will create lasting memories for these funny, energetic, well behaved, adorable,(should I stop now?) creative kids. Think I'll go take a nap.

Grey haired Grammy signing off,

Debbie

TA-DA!!

2010-08-07T08:14:00.002-04:00

Yes, it's finally done....the "tin can cabin" officially has a new functioning bathroom. Yippee! Joel and I spent several weekends tiling and installing and tweaking, but it was worth it. We have a system when it comes to remodeling, we decide what "look" we're going for, then I research ideas and come up with a design concept and present them to Joel. He counters with his ideas and we compromise somewhere in the middle. It usually involves me showing him a lot of pictures of what I thought would work in our decorating scheme. He hesitates (mainly because he has a hard time visualizing what I'm describing), we compromise some more and then we purchase our materials.

Then when the project is complete, he says something along the lines of "Now I see what you were talking about. You were right, it does look better this way." Hmmmmmm.....and it only took us 24 years of marriage to work out this little dance we do.....each and every project.

I really wanted some log cabin feel in the bath so we found some smooth river rock and used it as an accent on the shower head wall and the shower floor. That did the trick. And, yes, we do our own tiling. Joel wants me to measure and install and he mans the wet saw and does all the cuts for me. Together we work pretty smoothly until it's time to grout. Can I just say it like I feel it? I hate to grout. No, really, I detest applying grout. After an hour of working on this project's grout, I called in recruits and drafted Billy, our helper dude, to take my place. I had just run out of steam.

Oh, yeah, and how do you like the fishy toilet paper holder? The original bathroom had the toilet paper holder, 2 matching towel bars, tissue holder and wastebasket all done in logs. Who knows how old these things are but I couldn't resist reusing them in our new bath. I think they add just the cabin-y feel we were going for.

Like I said at the beginning, ta-da! Whew! I think we're going to take a few months off now. Thank you, very much,

Debbie

Shell Art

2010-07-22T10:04:00.005-04:00

Isn't this cool art? The shell is painted on an old ceiling tile from the early 1900's...right up my alley, a little bit shabby, a little bit chic. I fell in love with it this past weekend while having breakfast with the G.A.B.S. (girls at the beach scrapbooking) on Anna Maria Island. We got together to scrapbook for the weekend and they took us out for breakfast at an old IGA grocery store that has been converted to a bakery/restaurant filled with antiques, paintings and beach paraphernalia. What a great place...I'm definitely going back.

So, I bought the painting and this is what it looks in its new home on my kitchen wall. Happy, happy! Below the painting are some of my collection of dried herbs, veggies and things from my garden that I use to make my own teas. Peppermint, lemon balm and raspberry leaves are just a few of the things I've dried in the dehydrator for tea.

Ball jars and a label maker......voila! Instant kitchen art and function all rolled into one.

I just love the way the dried pineapple rings turned out. They can be broken into smaller pieces and added to my own concoction of dried herbs to create a unique blend of tea. It's official, I'm having way too much fun.

Have a happy day,

Debbie

A Passing

2010-06-30T22:20:00.004-04:00

The picture above is of my always-smiling mother-in-law and her husband of 10 years, Ken. Ken has been in a nursing home for the last 2 months and his body began a deterioration in earnest this last week. His heart was tired and he was called Home to be with the Lord he loved so much at 4:30pm June 29th.

Ken and Madalen married when they were 84 and 76 respectively. Quite a feat, wouldn't you say? They had giggled that maybe they'd have "five good years" together, but the Lord blessed them and doubled that time and gave them 10 years instead. Quite remarkable, indeed. They have both devoted their lives to the Lord's work and now heaven is that much the richer for having Ken as its newest resident.

Well done, you good and faithful servant. Well done, Ken.
Debbie

Now You Know Why We're Remodeling the Bathroom

2010-06-21T09:02:00.006-04:00

Ok, so, check this out. This is an example of the plumbing that was pulled from the underside of our Tin Can Cabin. Joel says it has 5 different kinds of pipe including PVC, CPVC, galvanized & gray pipe......all in a 16" span! Kinda like a Tinkertoy, wouldn't you say? No wonder there were leaks. Now he wants to frame it in a shadowbox to hang on the wall. I'll have to think about that for a while.

When we arrived at the Tin Can Friday night, the holes in the floor were covered with plastic that was tacked in place, but how long had it been tacked that way? Joel went to bed and was almost asleep when I decided to join him. Big surprise! There in the "tucked under the pillow" portion of the new quilt I just made were acorns. Some were eaten, some were whole but the point is that some little critter had decided that this would be a cozy spot to put some food. Yikes! Needless to say, Joel jumped up and we cleaned up the mess.

Then we couldn't sleep because we had no idea if the perpetrator was still in the Tin Can with us. Several times over the next hours I jumped up and thought I heard something moving around. I finally went to sleep with a MagLite flashlight in my right hand. Early the next morning I found Billy, our handyman guy who is doing the lion's share of our remodeling and explained once again that "Mama don't do no critters.". The remaining plumbing was completed and the holes completely covered up with plywood by dinner time that night. Whew!

By the time we left Sunday, we had installed flooring and made all the final decisions regarding getting the bathroom put back together again. So tomorrow I'm going back up there to prime and paint the drywall that was installed today so the toilet can be installed. Peeing in a cup at 3am was funny once, but I don't need to repeat that process ever again and I'm ready for some fixtures to be installed. Here's one last look at the old bathroom elements ready to be hauled off to the dump. Bye-bye bathroom.

Critter leary,

Debbie

Flippies

2010-06-18T15:54:00.006-04:00

I just wanted to wish all of you Happy National Flip Flop Day. Flip flops, or as I like to call them, flippies, are my footwear of choice about 90% of the time. And who can resist all the gorgeous bright colors they come in? Some have "high heels", some are as thin as a pancake. Some are made of gooshie foam that is so soft to walk on, and some are more rubbery. I've hardly met a flippie I don't like!

Hard core south Florida beachheads wear Havaianas. Well heeled (no pun intended) upper crust girls wear SwitchFlops with the changeable ribbon strap made possible with Velcro. Flippies pair well with jeans, long pants, capris, skirts, casual dresses and bathing suits. And, they're cool. No, not hip.....well, I guess they could be called "hip". What I mean by cool is that they keep your feet cool.......and for hot-flash women that's essential for keeping the rest of you cool.

The only thing flippies are not good for is snow, but I don't think I'll have to worry about that here. So, pick up a cute new pair for the summer and start your own flippies tan lines on your feet.

Don't forget to get a pretty pedicure,

Debbie

Bye-Bye Bathroom

2010-06-09T20:32:00.002-04:00

I have to admit that the walls in our shower up at the river are most definitely unique, but that doesn't mean we have to keep them that way. So, bye-bye bathroom. Bye-bye to the fiberglass tub that has a crack in it and has a "squishy" feeling underneath when you're in it(probably because the floor under it is rotted away! Yikes!). Bye-bye to the ugly, itty bitty commode. Bye-bye to the tiniest cabinet and sink I've ever seen and the hot water side of the faucet that doesn't work.

The floor will require new plywood and more support underneath to make certain everything is level, secure and will bear the weight of the new shower. Everything has been chosen at our favorite home improvement store and sits in the living room waiting to be installed. Joel and I are anxious to get up there in a week and put down the flooring, install the toilet and cabinet. Then it'll be time to hook up the sink plumbing and build the base for the shower. The following weekend we can start putting tile in the shower and we'll be in the home stretch.

Will I miss the old bathroom? Not on your life! But I will remember the roofing material shower walls with some fondness. You've got to admit that was a pretty creative use of materials.

Deb

The End of the Beginning

2010-06-04T22:39:00.007-04:00

The Beginning: our first attempt at gardening here at the new house has been fairly successful

I just love the little tendrils that the cucumber plant wraps around anything within it's reach.

It's so much fun lifting up the huge leaves and finding a baby cucumber growing there.

The End: The summer heat and humidity is upon us so we'll be digging up most of the garden this next week. I still have garlic and onions growing, so, we'll watch them as well as the herbs that are still doing well. Our raspberry bushes are growing like crazy and hopefully they will fruit for us next year. For now, I'll put the garden to rest until October when our fall crop can be planted.

Remembering Mr. Green Jeans from Captain Kangaroo,
Debbie

Another day, another year

2010-06-04T22:15:00.005-04:00

Yup, Tuesday was just another day. But it marked another year in our marriage........it's hard for me to believe but Joel and I celebrated our 24th anniversary June 1st. I never thought I'd live long enough to celebrate wedding anniversaries that had numbers greater than the teens. Gosh, next year is the biggie!

We spent the Memorial Day weekend up at the river doing odds and ends, cooking out on the grill, and sleeping in. I think we've been burning the candle at both ends for months now and needed some "down time" to catch up on our rest. I could have stayed for another week, but duty calls, so we returned home. Our next project up there will be the bathroom. It's torn down to the studs and we've picked out the cabinet, toilet and counter. Hopefully we will be able to start putting it back together on our next trip up there.
In the meantime, I finally remembered to take a picture of the river quilt I made this spring for our bed up there. Can you see the "S" design of each block? The colors in the quilt remind me of the green river, blue sky, wildflowers and all the foliage on the river banks. The headboard is a thrifty consignment find. It was "blonde" furniture from the 60's and I drybrushed brown paint over it to mimic the antique pine dresser opposite the bed. Pretty fun to see what you can pull together on a shoestring budget. Next time we go up I'll take pics of the bathroom remodel to show you.

Have a great summer,
Deb

Yum, cobbler.....

2010-05-25T14:05:00.003-04:00

My sweet friend, Margie, is in town visiting from her cabin in North Carolina and she generously shared some of her first harvest of rhubarb with me. Rhubarb and strawberries are a natural pairing and both are in season right now. Add a little sugar and top off with some home made biscuits and you've got a scrumptious dessert.

Whipped cream or ice cream anyone?

A.W.O.L.

2010-05-24T08:53:00.008-04:00

For those of you who weren't in the military, A.W.O.L. stands for absent without leave. I know I've been missing for quite a while on the blog, but it was for a good reason. Dear Ken, my father-in-law, fell and was taken to the hospital. Three days later he was admitted to a nurturing nursing home in Bradenton after he was diagnosed with advanced Alzheimer's. It has taken several weeks of cleaning their home to find important papers, get a handle on their finances, and help Madalen to adjust to her new life living alone.

Unfortunately, we have come to realize that she is also in the intermediate stage of Alzheimer's herself. Just this last week, she was unable to pass her driver's eye test and so she has willingly given up her driving privileges. We are just grateful that they have both had such long, healthy and productive lives. They both dedicated their lives to the Lord at a young age and have lived as Godly examples to those around them.

We should all be so fortunate to have made such a life altering decision.

In between trips to Bradenton, I've been tending to our garden and fitting in some sewing when possible. I'm just tickled every day when I go outside and pick some fresh produce right in our own backyard, bring it in and serve it up for dinner that night. All my herbs have been dried in the dehydrator and stored in ball jars for use when the growing season is over. Wonder if the neighbors would mind if we got a few chickens........

Thanks for listening,

Deb

Eggplant, beans & sage, Oh, my!

2010-04-12T16:16:00.000-04:00

Thought I'd throw a few pics of our garden onto the blog. It's so rewarding to go outside and water everything and see how big the plants are getting. The celery is almost ready to harvest(check it out above)...and I've already cut down the flat leaf parsley and dehydrated it and now it's sprouting back! Our tomatoes are still flowering and there are so many little tomatoes on the plants that I can't count them.

All the herbs are happy, happy, too.

Pretty soon the beans will be climbing up the poles...

This weekend we had to figure out a way to let the zucchini, squash and cucumbers climb and keep the fruit off the ground so they don't get blemished.....Joel rigged up these fence gates from Lowe's. Works for me! Pretty cool, huh?

And, he and Jeremy made a gate to keep out the dog and other critters. Next...an arbor for the grapes. Maybe next weekend......

Gardening girl,
Debbie

Happy St. Patty Day

2010-03-17T10:11:00.000-04:00

Here's my wish for you today:

May the light always find you on a dreary day.

When you need to be home, may you find your way.

May you always have courage to take a chance

And never find frogs in your underpants.

In keeping with the tradition of surrounding yourself with everything green, this is what I'm doing to honor the Irish. The parsley in my grow box was getting so huge that I decided to cut it back last night and dehydrate it. Hey, I'm just not that into green beer so this is as green as it gets for me.

Just rinse the parsley and drop the leaves onto the mat and dehydrate for 6 hours @95 degrees.

By this afternoon I'll have enough fresh, organic, non-irradiated parsley for all my recipes. And you can't believe how wonderful it smells, too.

Back to my sewing now,

Debbie

Greens and Blues

2010-02-16T10:55:00.000-05:00

My Valentine's present to myself (with Joel's blessing) was spending the whole day cutting out and starting the sewing process for a quilt for the bed up at the river. Woo-hoo! It's been so long since I've sewn something for myself that I almost forgot how much fun it is to create a quilt that we will be able to use ourselves.

So, I cut.......and I cut.........and I stacked.........and finally I was ready to start sewing.

So, this morning I'm continuing the process. Ahhhhhhhhhhhh..........I'm in my happy place now......sigh.....it just doesn't get any better than this for me.

Uh, and yeah, Michael Buble is keeping me company.....Oh, baby, baby...

Happy girl,

Debbie

Happy Camper

2010-02-03T12:14:00.000-05:00

Yes, I am.....a happy camper, that is. We really are happy here in our new house (last week marked our first year here). And I don't hardly ever think about our old house much, except when I would like to spend some time relaxing outside. Our old house had the greatest back porch area for eating and sitting around reading a good book and this house doesn't have that. Well, I've finally found a pleasing arrangement for our outside furniture on our new house's front porch, bought some new cushions, and surrounded the chairs with plants. Ahhhhh, that feels more like it!

And my Christmas cactus are still blooming....love it, love it.

So, yes, I am most definitely a Happy Camper.

Happy "hump day" Wednesday to you,

Debbie

Seattle, anyone?

2010-02-01T17:48:00.001-05:00

The weather today reminds me so much of Seattle.....just chilly enough to require a jacket, just damp enough to make me want to stay indoors sipping a hot cup of something while reading a new book, and just gloomy enough to entice me to spend quality time in the kitchen cooking up something that tastes as good as it smells.

Yup, did all those things today. I've had a jacket on all day today, and that rarely ever happens. And, I'm sipping a hot cup of green tea with a slice of my dehydrated lemon and a pineapple in it. Yum! I've probably spent 2-3 hours total reading my newest cookbook (dear husband gave it to me for Christmas): The Bread Bible by Rose Levy Beranbaum....what a great cookbook. And now I'm preparing to go into the kitchen, don my favorite apron and make a pot of chili. Think I'll have to make some cornbread muffins to go along with it, don't you think?

Well, I planted tomatoes, broccoli, celery, flat-leaf parsley, curley parsley, several types of lettuce and all my favorite herbs and mints. Everybody looks happy-happy!

I just finished checking on my new plants and thought I'd show them off to you. The last few weeks I've started my composter, bought and planted 2 earth boxes and replenished all the herbs. Yes, I know, I've been gone from here for a few weeks. You should know by now that when I'm not posting that means I've really gotten interested in something new. I've been researching dehydrating foods and storing them properly so they last longer without refrigeration. More on that later...

The poor palm trees are slowly losing all their palm fronds, but that's a good thing. I believe they may just make it. Woo-hoo! Even the staghorn ferns look good....I used to think they couldn't stand temps under 45 degrees. Well, I've been taking classes at the Florida Extension Service on Saturdays and found out from one of the master gardeners that staghorns can tolerate it down to 19 degrees!

We even have limes on our newly planted tree!!

Hope you enjoy the pics,
Wanna join me and plant a "Victory Garden"?
Deb

Hoping for some Green

2010-01-14T08:31:00.000-05:00

Yes, that's what I'm hoping for today. No, not the ecology-green; no, not money-green; no, not jealous-green. I'm talking about healthy green palm trees.

Our tropical landscape just isn't built for 10 days of temperatures hovering in the 30's. And now we're watching more and more of our palm fronds turn brown as each new day dawns.

So I'll keep on watching and hoping for some new green fronds to emerge as spring arrives. And if the palms don't survive, I may decide to plant an edible landscape instead. Hmmmmmm.....more food for thought. Victory garden, anyone?

Browsing my seed catalogues,

Debbie