Styrofoam Heads

I thought I would post this picture, as it shows two of my styrofoam heads. On the right is 'Queen Daphne's mink hat', the other is a more recent find.

Also, in the window you can see the 'new' window which is resting there until it gets hung up properly. I love how it looks!

Yesterday, while The Husband God Gave Me was home, we rearranged the entryway. It doesn't look like this anymore.

Actually, we rearranged just about everything in the house. Because once we start moving one thing, everything has to move.

Saturday while we were out antique shopping, we found a very cheap bookcase. We bought it because we are in the market for bookcases, and this one was the right price. This was the reason for all the moving around. The bookcase is now sitting on top of an old oak dresser. I added all of my stacked green books to the bookcase, in an effort to declutter the livingroom. I've also gathered up quite a few books, magazines and assorted other junque to bring to the thrift store. I'll be acting on this impulse to declutter promptly, before it goes away and the other much stronger impulse to hoard things for a rainy day takes over again.

Today my only purchases were two paint brushes that were on sale at Michael's, and an ultrathin point pen for a journal I am starting.

I went to the grocery store to buy candy for any possible trick-or-treater's we might get tonight. They had NO Hallowe'en candy left. None at all. I thought of passing out candy canes, as they did have plenty of those (it is STILL only October!) So, if you come to my house tonight, you just might get a book of obscure poetry, a dictionary of quotations or a complete set of Country Living magazine from 1980. Who knows - I just may throw in a head or two.

Sunday Afternoon

Today was a beautiful day to take pictures.
This is Daughter and Grandson.
2 1/2 months to go!

Last Week Friday...

...we spent antique shopping in Wisconson. My favorite spot is the School House Antique Mall in the town of Sturdevant. You should go there. Really.

The first thing I found was an old postcard rack. If you don't know what that is, picture one of those racks that holds the small bags of potato chips in a cafeteria, and you will have a good idea what it looks like. I love it! Today I clipped all of the baby cards I've made on it. But, I might switch it to the felt pins. I've also seen them with old hankies clipped to it...oh!...the possibilities are endless!

THGGM found a Watts Apple bowl. He was thrilled about that.

The coolest thing we came back with are four leaded glass windows. My uncle gave them to us. They came off of an old cabinet. They are beautiful! As soon as we unloaded the car, THGGM set one of them in the window of our entry way. It looks perfect there. I'm thinking of embellishing the other three and hanging them as wall art.

Yesterday I spent all afternoon tucked away in my loft. It became clear to me that I have way too much junk up there. Something is going to have to go. I've got decorating magazines that go back to 1979. THGGM tries to get rid of stuff, like old suits and blue jeans, but I salvage them. Why? I can't remember. I'm sure I read somewhere something that I could do with them. The last time we did a major throwing out, we tossed a box of square white ceiling tiles. That very night I got a magazine with - I AM NOT KIDDING - an art project made from square white ceiling tiles.

So, here is a short list of the collections I have for future art projects:

wooden clothes pins
old ribbon
lace
buttons
baby food jars
bottle caps
canning jars
game pieces
old playing cards
rook
pit
old maid
crazy eights
touring
Scrabble games
odd wooden pieces
picture frames
wooden boxes
art books
children's books
wooden drawers
cigar boxes
beads
old jewelry
wooden bowls
baskets
wool stuff to felt
fabric
yarn
doll parts
old record books
old music

Yesterday I got it somewhat organized. That is, if you call sitting in the middle of the room and throwing stuff into the correct boxes organization.

I have decided to begin by getting rid of half of the magazines. I did this once before, and didn't go into a deep depression over it, so I will start there.

Yes. I'll start there.

In the mean time, I am attempting to not buy anymore embellishments for my decoupaging projects or my shadow boxes. I will use up what I already have.

Unless, of course, I find something I just can't resist...

Like today, at the thrift store. I found a copy of Stevenson's "A Child's Garden of Verses" with irresistable black and white pictures.

I've also decided to stop buying things that I used to want. This will put an end to all manner of educational products that I wanted when we homeschooled. I keep forgetting that I've no need for this stuff anymore. But, I wanted it so badly then, so when I see it for pennies, I just have to get it.

None of my finds cost me more than 'pennies' as I am a very savy thrift shopper. But, I've run out of places to put it, and my family is sick of bumping into piles and piles of my 'treasures'.

There. I'm done. That was theraputic.

And I didn't even mention my two large suitcases, three drawers and one picnic basket FULL of children's board books. Some in German and Spanish.

I can't wait to read "Die kleine Raupe Nimmersatt" (the very hungry caterpillar) to my grandson.

A Week Ago Today...

...the 'Husband God Gave Me' and I were in Wisconsin on vacation. The weather was beautiful, the leaves were beautiful, the company was beautiful. On Thursday we went to the lovely little town of Greendale. 'Taste of Home' has an outlet store there, along with a flower-lined street of quaint little shops.

In the Taste of Home shop I got six hardcover cookbooks, a few magazines and a queen size quilt all for less than thirty dollars.

But, what I was really excited about was going to 'The Quilting Bee', a shop we visited last year when we were there. I knew that they sold pieces of wool for felting, and I wanted to get as much as I could to make some more felt pins. I shared my excitment with THGGM. Going to a fabric store tends not to be in his plans.

Six of us were in the Taste of Home outlet. THGGM got bored, so took our purchases to the car. My cousin left to bring her stuff to the car too. My aunt, mom, and dad were still sniffing out bargains. I went to find THGGM. I didn't find him.

This is a small town. One could not possible get lost there (remember this, as it is important information). I walked down the street a bit to make sure that the fabric store was still there. It was. I still couldn't find THGGM, so I entered the fabric store, assuming that he had been listening when I went on and on about how excited I was to go there. Oh, silly me.

I must have been in the quilting store for about 15 minutes. It is a leisurely sort of store. The women who work there do not seem to be in a hurry. I looked for the wool I was after, but didn't find it. I asked. They were happy to help me. But, not in any sort of a hurry. I made my choices of color, and went to pay. Still, these ladies were chatty - interested in what I wanted to do with the wool - moving at a slow, classy fabric store sort of pace.

When suddenly, bursting through the door of the demure shop known as 'The Quilting Bee' comes THGGM, speaking in a much louder voice than any of the quilting bee ladies or any of their customers have most likely ever spoken, and proclaims, "THERE YOU ARE!!! I WAS ABOUT TO CALL THE POLICE TO REPORT YOU MISSING!!!"

I am forty-seven years old, but for a moment last Thursday, I felt like I was five again.

Morning Journal Entry

October 27, 2005

Woke up late due to staying up to watch the White Sox sweep the World Series.

Woke up feeling alert and perky (this is unusual).

Changed the sheets, and generally spruced up the bedroom (also unusual).

Went downstairs.

Said 'good morning' to the deaf dog. (see? i really WAS perky!)

Opened back door to let dog out.

Noticed gray thing floating in dog's water bowl. A dead mouse.

Did not even scream (extremely unusual).

Continued to let dog out, loaded washing machine with sheets.

It's still there, but I did NOT SCREAM!

Youngest Son will be getting up soon.

Made coffee.

Wrote journal entry.

Coffee's ready.

Note to those who do not have mice: My dog is 16 years old. She is deaf. Her food bowl MUST always have some food in it, or she will yip. And I mean a good shrill annoying yip. And, she will not stop until there is food in the bowl. So, the mice enter my back porch through the two dryer vents - one leading to the garage, the other to the back yard (we haven't had a dryer in two years). While skipping happily over to the dog food bowl, they occasionally inadvertantly slip into the water bowl - or so it seems. Now, for those interested, I HAVE plugged up those vent holes quite well. But, mice have the ability to turn into a liquid and just pour themselves into wherever it is they want to go. Really. I have seen them turn into liquid and exit through a tightly sealed door. But, when plunged INTO a liquid, they tend to lose this ability. Although, if left in there long enough, I just bet they would.

I am no longer alert and perky.

Two mugs of strong coffee, here I come.

'Tis Two Months Before Christmas

'Tis two months before Christmas,
And all through the house,
All my creatures are stirring,
Yes, even a mouse.

The children are nestled
Well into their lives,
With visions of futures
As husbands and wives.

The stocking are lacking,
We'll be needing one more,
For the unborn little boy
We already adore.

Husband in his condo,
And I here at home,
Are adjusting somehow
To this living alone.

When will we have time
To buy all the gifts?
We'll have to go shopping
In separate shifts.

The recipes are stacked
In piles quite high,
For the day that I bake,
Which is soon drawing nigh.

Daughter is coming
To work on some presents,
To give to the guests,
And maybe some peasants.

This house will need cleaning,
And shining and buffing,
And soon you will find me
A huffing and puffing.

On Visa, on MasterCard,
On Credit, On Debit.
I've nothing at all
It's cash, or don't get it.

Away to my plans,
I scamper and scurry,
It's only two months
So I have to hurry!

But it will be worth it,
I've known all along,
In two months and one day
I'll be sad that it's gone.

What's New with You?

So, what IS new with you?

I would love nothing more than to sit and write a lloonngg post about my wonderful vacation.

But, I've a dishwasher to load, groceries to put away and I have a headache.

A Poet, I Am Not

Tonight I sit and try to write,
I'm tired and my pants are tight.

I wish to clean and fuss about,
But here I sit, without a doubt.

The dining table's piled high,
With Scrabble, pizza box, and tie.

Three cashmire sweaters on three chairs,
Are set to dry and put on airs.

The dishes, no, they are not done,
For doing dishes is not fun.

In the den, the sound of golf,
If I had energy, I'd turn if off.

The living room is scattered with
Magazines, papers and one myth.

In the bedroom clothes are strewn,
This happened in the afternoon.

The basement I just will not enter,
Until I get a cleaning mentor.

The backyard has it's share of dew,
The kind that comes from doggy, too.

The downstairs bath is left unscathed,
Because it has no place to bathe.

But lo! Upstairs it's full of grime,
With children bathing all the time!

I've books in piles here and there,
To entertain me in my chair.

The pillows need a major fluff,
To puffy up their inner stuff.

The rugs are lying in a heap,
They won't lay flat, for they are cheap.

On the porch out front flowers falter,
Due to a sad lack of water.

The back porch has a new machine,
For getting all our clothes real clean.

The married children left today,
To go to houses far away.

Still here is Youngest Son with me,
Most likely through eternity.

The mess and mayhem is now mine,
I'll toil to get this place to shine.

But at this very real moment,
I'll tell you what this little poem meant.

It kept me from cleaning house,
Or writing 'bout the resident mouse.

I've many rooms to spic and span,
But frankly, that's not in my plan.

In the time it took to write this ditty,
I could have made my house look pretty.

Long long ago, in a time far away from now...

a little girl lived happily with her family.

She had an oldest brother and a youngest brother. She had a frazzled mother and a father who adored her. She had a cat, but no dog.

When it was time for the little girl (who lived in a very bad neighborhood) to go to school her parents sat her down to talk about being safe. Oldest brother had safely managed to get back and forth to school with the help of some older friends who lived close by. He would not have talked to a stranger for fame or fortune.

Not so with the little girl.

Mother: What would you do if someone said to you, 'Come here little girl, I think I've found your lost dog.'

Little Girl: I would go look.

Mother: You don't have a dog.

Little Girl: I might know whose dog it is.

Mother: No. That isn't your job. Grown-ups help other grown-ups.

Little Girl: I think I might know whose dog it is.

Mother: You may not talk to strangers.

Little Girl: But what about the dog?

Mother: There is no dog.

Little Girl: But you said he had a dog.

Mother: He SAID that. He lied.

Little Girl: I would check to see if he really had a dog, or not.

Mother: But YOU don't have a dog.

Little Girl: I think I know whose dog it is.

Mother: THERE IS NO DOG!

Little Girl: But I REALLY think I know whose dog it is!

Mother: AAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!

In that time far away from now, the mother hired a boy from the neighborhood and paid him to HOLD THE LITTLE GIRL'S HAND all the way to and from school.

Really Stupid Songs

Whenever I am about to get a migraine, a strange phenomenon happens. Yes, of course, the usual ones, but this one even I've never heard of. But, it happens to me.

A really really really stupid song gets stuck in my head. For years it was "American Pie". Oh, you don't think that is a stupid song? It is if it is blaring in your head for hours at a time with no possible way to turn it off.

Today, I would think that song a blessing. I fear I am about to get a migraine, and the song of the day is "Did You Ever See a Lassie?". Yes. Stupid, it is.

But, it has gotten me to thinking, HAVE I ever seen a lassie?

As I child, I remember pondering this. The only Lassie I knew of was a dog. A dog that seemed to be determined, not so much going 'this way and that way and this way and that way'.

So, I guess the answer is a resounding "NO!".

I have never seen a lassie go this way and that.

Had she gone this way and that way, Timmy would still be in the well.

Answering the song's question does not stop it from playing in my head.

Who wrote these STUPID songs, and how is it that I know all of the words?

Other songs that have in the recent past gotten stuck in my head and turned into migraines are:

"Play that Funky Music White Boy" (but i do actually like that song)

"There's a Hole in the Bucket" (all the verses,... migraines are cruel)

"Crazy" (only in my head it goes very very slow, slower than Patsy)

"Unforgetable" (the version by both Nat and Nataly)

"You're My Cheeseburger" and "The Pirates that Don't Do Anything" (why???)

And, the one that mystifies me the most is that most meaningful verse four of the hymn

"Praise the Savior"

Then we shall be where we wouuld be,
Then we shall be what we should be;
Things that are not now, nor could be,
Soon shall be our own.

I took some medication. No one is home to take the computer away from me and redirect me into the noble work I have left to do today.

I have two bathrooms to clean, a kitchen floor to scrub and several dozen cookies to bake.

If I see a lassie, I'll be sure to let you know.

A Difference in Personality

I am a Meyers/Briggs INTJ.

Daughter is an ESFP.

You cannot get more opposite than that.

Together, it would seem, we would make one well balanced personality.

Let me tell you how this difference showed itself yesterday.

Oh, and let me first say, the mouse that drowned in the dog's water bowl did not live alone.

Barb, our beloved cat in whom we are well pleased, LOVES to cuddle up on Daughter's pregnant tummy. She walks in the door, and he ushers her to the couch and nuzzles right in.

But yesterday, he left for a moment. Really. It was just a moment.

Then, he came back. He gingerly approached Daughter, who reached down to pick him up.

That's when the differences in personality appear.

Barb had just a tail sticking out of his mouth.

Daughter screamed at the top of her lungs and shot up in the air a good five feet. She landed standing on the couch, and kept that pose as she shouted out a play by play.

This is what I did. I IMMEDIATELY rolled into a fetal position and pulled a blanket over my head.

That, my friend, is how you tell the difference between an INTJ and an ESFP.

Adult Children

I absolutely LOVE having adult children.

Except for this one thing.

Trying to get them all together to take 'the annual October family snapshot'.

I think we have it down to Sunday afternoon.

Oldest Son and Daughter-in-law are coming from Illinois.

Daughter and Son-in-law are available.

Youngest Son will be going to Cleveland, but will hurry home Sunday to be in the picture.

With only two missing years (one was a bad year, and another I lost the film) I have a snapshot of THGGM with the kids beginning when Daughter was one week old. Youngest Son didn't exist yet.

This is nothing fancy, just a family tradition.

I've found that if I line up all the pictures just so, and flip through them quickly, I can watch them all grow up.

It went that fast.

Really.

It went that fast.

Wow

No. This cannot be happening...

Another mouse in the dog's water bowl.

Really. The dog's water bowl has proven to be the most effective trap so far.

The Husband God Gave Me is not home.

Youngest Son is not helpful in matters mouse.

I tried to show the pets, but they hummed to themselves and looked the other way.

Son-in-law is already at work.

I cannot flush this, due to a childhood memory of a mouse I was playing with that eventually ended up doing the deadman's float in the potty. I would not sit on a potty for YEARS.

Wouldn't you say that my yet to be born grandson looks like he might be developing the bravery and courage that his father has? There IS a future hope.

Last summer we had the "mouse that refused to die". We had traps set everywhere. Every morning the bait was gone, and that sassy mouse would appear, stand on it's two hind legs and scream 'nya, nya, na, nya, nya'. The Husband God Gave Me suggested that maybe instead of traps, we should just give the thing a name and get out the old hamster wheel.

But, the waterpark theme IS proving to be more successful.

A Womb with a View

Superman

Let Me Tell You about My Grandson!

Today is Daughter's 23 birthday. For her birthday, we all went in together so she could have a 3D Ultra Sound.

Truly amazing!

It's a boy! A boy that looks exactly like his father.

Of course, besides MY own children, this is the MOST AMAZING child I have ever seen. He smiled. He rubbed his eyes. He put both of his feet up over his head. He boxed. He shrugged. He saluted. He waved. He is adorable.

Hopefully, he will stay put for three more months.

On this date, I found out the sex of Daughter. On this date, she found out that she will be having SUPERMAN!

(They DO have a name picked out, and yes, HE does look like his name, but, there must remain some surprises.)

My Saturday

I haven't given a Saturday report for quite some time, so while it is fresh on my mind, I will tell you what I did!

I got up early and went to work. This is a good way to get started on a Saturday morning. At 10:00 The Husband God Gave Me and Youngest Son went out for breakfast.

After breakfast we went to Elder's Electric to buy a washing machine. We found a great scratch and dent washer for an excellent price. We scratch and dent everything we own, so have now just given up on perfection and are allowing someone else to mess things up for us. My washer has been on it's last legs for over a year now. It doesn't aggitate well anymore. Well, it aggitates ME, but not my clothes. It will be delivered on Tuesday, and I am SO excited. I already have a pile of stuff at the ready.

The next phase involves a lot of shopping. THGGM had birthday money and coupons to Younker's. He did well. He even used some of his gift money on me. I am now the proud owner of a boucle' jacket and a lovely old lady pair of khaki stretch jeans. Younker's had the Clinque special going on, so I again have nice make-up and soft smooth skin.

We went to Walmart too, and loaded up on the practical stuff. I now have a dozen pairs of socks. THGGM moved all of his socks with him to Illinois. This does not bother me much, as I hate to wear socks. But, it has turned a bit cooler, and I've a need for them. Today I was reminded about why I hate them so much. It is MUCH easier just to wash ones foot after stepping in disgusting dog/cat problems than it is to have to remove a sock, run up stairs for a new pair, and then deal with the mess. Yes. That must be why.

At 4:00 we met Daughter and Son-in-law for early dinner at "On the Border". It is Daughter's birthday Tuesday, and since THGGM will be gone, we celebrated on Saturday. I highly recommend the Chicken Burrito. Yum.

Then on to more shopping. THGGM loves to shop. I love to look at books, so he left me in Barnes and Noble. I found a magazine I was looking for, and it did not disappoint.

The ice cream shop that has Blue Moon was still open. We indulged.

I went to my mom and dad's to organize their medications for the week, and THGGM went to the store to get supplies for communion at church.

We met up again in Youngest Son's bedroom to watch "Moving Up" and "Trading Spaces" on TLC. Youngest Son and Girl Friend were watching "A Beautiful Mind" on DVD in the den.

Sometime in there, we also went to a thrift store. I bought 17 beautiful white napkins for $4.00. What a deal. Not a stain on them.

That was Saturday.

What did you do on Saturday?

A Fear of Mine

I fear I am going to have a grandchild by the name of "Superman". This is why.

Daughter has a terrible time deciding what she wants. She doesn't yet know the sex of the baby, but she hasn't a clue what to name Baby either.

She has been like this since she was very young.

We would load up into the car for a 45 minute trip to the Lake Shore, and would end the day with a trip to Temptations, the ice cream shop. It was a mile walk.

As we got into the CAR, it would begin. 'Now honey, decide what kind of ice cream it is that you will want to get' (several hours from now). Oldest Son and Youngest Son knew exactly what they wanted. Daughter would develope ulcers trying to decide.

The rule was, if she couldn't decide by the time THGGM placed the order, she would get Superman ice cream.

But then, Superman is a very nice name. Nicknames abound. Clark Kent, Lois Lane. And, did I just read somewhere that Nicholas Cage named his son Superman's REAL name?

I already have names picked out. She doesn't like them. This doesn't surprise me, as she never liked Butter Pecan ice cream either.

Just in case, I'm prepared to name the baby. I've picked out Sophia for a girl, and Ezra for a boy. She doesn't like either of these.

Hopefully she still has a long ride until the ice cream shop.

What's Up in Judyland

Yesterday and Today I accompanied Daughter to two doctor's appointments.

The reports were very good. Since she is not progressing any farther, she is back to partial bedrest.

We left the doctor today and went directly to lunch at our favorite Chinese restaurant. Then, a very quick stop at the thirft store with the 10 and 25 cent books (now on Wednesday only).

The Husband God Gave Me gets home a day early this week. I can't wait.

I have four new piano books I am itching to play from. Lately, something is always going on where the grand piano is. After playing a grand piano, plunking on a portable keyboard sitting on my dining room table just isn't good enough for me. Bach would not approve. Neither would Schaum. Beethoven, maybe.

I've finished reading "Evening Class". It was great. I'm going to have to go back and read the first few chapters again, as I could tell by the end that I missed some relavent stuff along the way. This happens because I read late into the night. I can't remember who the Malone's were. Or, Marianne.

I bought Whethering Heights and Jane Eyre in the lovely green color of my living room stack of books. I'm weird that way. I like stacks of green books.

There's a funny looking mouse in my kitchen. I have blocked off and covered up all the suspected entries. Two nights ago, as it ran right in plan sight and noticed I had blocked his way into my stove, it stood up on it's back legs and gave me a look. A look. Had I any sense at all I would have whacked it with something heavy. But, I've no sense at all. I just screamed. Very loud. It screamed back. I got my cat. He tried valiantly, but then he noticed a can of cat food on the counter and lost all interest in being a 'hunter-gatherer'. The mouse hunkered down behind my cookbooks.

My old dog is fine. We are changing her name from Niki to Miss Peesalot. She is deaf. She will never know.

It is so hot here today it isn't even funny. Not that hot is ever funny, but, it being October 5 and MICHIGAN, I would like to wear a SWEATER. I cannot believe that that is asking too much.

I also cleaned out the fireplace, and would like to use it. But, no. The AC is running. The attic fan is on. And we are not cool.

Daughter Update

Doesn't it seem weird that I post about my dog, yet leave Daughter and Baby unmentioned?

That is because I have limited internet access. I actually DID write a few posts, but lost them.

Soon, we will have a permanent connection. Presently, I rely on the kindness of the Cornerhouse Cafe. Bless them.

Daughter has been placed on total bedrest. Tuesday she sees an OBGYN who has been called upon to determine whether what she is experiencing is preterm contractions, or preterm labor.

Daughter is not like me. She does not enjoy reading, surfing the net, or leafing through magazines. She likes to go Go GO. She will not be doing ANY going, most likely until the baby comes.

The Husband God Gave Me made it home just a few short minutes before his birthday began. He leaves again at 5:00 tomorrow. He brought Oldest Son home with him. Oldest Son now has a removeable cast, so I got to actually SEE the injured leg. Icky pooh. He isn't even half way through his recovery time. Both Oldest Son and Daughter are eagerly anticipating the new year.

Me too.