Thursday’s Thoughts

 

I just counted 6 measuring cup sets in my cupboard … so why do I not have a single one that measures a half cup?  Where do they go?  Perhaps the same place that those missing socks go?

I did discover that you can buy single measuring cups … I’m thinking I’ll be placing an order for one or ten. 

 

 

Warmer weather has returned here (but nothing like the 100+ temperatures we had in June and July), but it will be short-lived … rain is coming and bringing cooler temperatures with it.  I can’t wait to be able to turn off the A/C and open the windows again.

 

 

I found fabrics for my next quilt … a wall quilt. I found 2 red fabrics that matched the red in our bedding set. I chose one, but after the fabric had been cut, I had a change of heart and decided that I liked the other red better. I’m already thinking of a way to use that first red.  I’ve discovered that a king-sized bed needs more than 2 Euro pillows … but only 2 shams came with our bedding set.  I think a 3rd pillow will look much better, and I’ve got just enough of this coordinating red! 

 

 

I’m now in Season 5 of NCIS on DVD.  I think Season 4 was the best so far … so many suspenseful episodes that had me on the edge of my chair … I quilt while watching, and I didn’t get much stitching done during those episodes. 

 

Wednesday Hodgepodge

 

It’s Wednesday again … you know what that means … it’s Hodgepodge time!

 

1. I included this quote (attributed to William H. Danforth) in my blog post yesterday... "The best cure for a sluggish mind is to disturb its routine." When was the last time you 'disturbed your routine' and how'd you do it?

I don’t know that I have a routine to disturb.     I’ve found that my best cure for a sluggish mind is to read. 

 

2. What's your favorite fried food indulgence?

I rarely eat fried food, although I do have a hard time passing up sweet potato fries. 

 

3. Did you have an allowance as a kid? What did you do with it? Do you give your own kids an allowance?

I had an allowance as a kid.  I usually spent it … unfortunately I was not a saver as a child.  I’ve not given DD an allowance for probably 15-20 years!    But I did give her one when she was a child.

 

4. What's something you wish you knew more about?

Maybe politics … specifically the candidates’ positions on various matters, so I could be fully informed on election day.  I abhor political ads (with all the mud-slinging and half truths [if not outright lies/misinformation]), and I don’t feel like the media does a fair job of presenting what the candidates stand for … so when election day rolls around, I am not as fully informed as I would like/need to be. 

 

5. Is there anything you feel too old to do anymore? If so, what?

I can think of nothing that my age is keeping me from doing.

 

6. What's a song you think has a great first line?

I like music … but with my memory, I can’t remember a single first line … I’m lucky to remember the lyrics to the chorus.

 

7. Who are you writing to/for when you create a blog post? In other words...as you write, who is the audience in your head?

Ultimately I hope to leave behind a record of my days, but I also write for the friends I’ve come to know as a result of this inconsequential little blog.

 

8. Insert your own random thought here.

I saw this on Facebook and just had to share it here!  And speaking of stitching, I’m on the home stretch with the quilting on my log cabin quilt.  I should be able to finish the quilting and get it bound by the end of the week.  That means I need to find fabric for my next quilt … a wall quilt for our bedroom.

Weekend Wrap-up

Yet another weekend has come and gone … how time flies when we’re having fun. 

We woke up to absolutely gorgeous weather Friday!  We opened the windows, and it was fabulous to feel the fresh air blowing in!

We decided that it was simply too delightful to stay inside, so we headed over to the Missouri Botanical Garden in St. Louis to see their Chinese Lantern Festival.
It was well worth the 50+ minutes that it took us to travel 1+ mile to cross over the Mississippi River … lane closures on the Missouri side of the River meant that 5 lanes were having to merge to 2 … can you say bottleneck?  What’s even worse is that the backup was twice as long on our way home.  Thankfully the east-bound traffic sailed right across the river.

After we finished up at the Botanical Garden, we stopped at Zia’s on The Hill for lunch … it’s our favorite restaurant!  It was not easy to make a healthy choice there, but I compromised … and we had a light dinner to “make up” for it. 

My Saturday was spent at DD’s so she and DSIL could go out.  I had a blast with the Ts … we played, watched movies, and made dinner together. 

I was able to get our bedding on our bed, too.  Here’s a sneak peek at our new and improved bedroom.The colors are a little washed out (the wall color and the bedding color), and we’re still waiting on the Euro pillow forms (those shams are a solid brown; the forms should be delivered today) and on the headboard.  I’ll have to remember to share a picture when everything’s in place.

Sunday was a *full* day … after church we had T#3’s 5th birthday party … it was originally “scheduled” to go from 2-5, but we had so much fun that we didn’t get out of there until almost 7:00.    I don’t know about those kiddos, but this Nana and Papa slept like babies last night! 

We got more rain last night – .7” this time!  Obviously that’s not nearly enough to bring an end to these drought conditions, but we’ll take it!  And other than Wednesday, our forecast of cooler-than-normal weather continues this week. 

Other than small group this evening, our schedule is free for today, and after a busy weekend, it will feel pretty nice to just take it easy.  I think I see some quilting and NCIS in my future. 

Friday Fragments

 

 

DD has poison ivy again … this time mostly on her face.    She had to go to the doctor yesterday afternoon, so I got to watch to Ts … of course, it was in the middle of the afternoon, so they were all napping (including T#1 who’s not feeling well, so Mama had him lie down to get some rest).  While I would have rather been playing with my grands, I did get to play with my grandpuppy. 

 

 

The high today is only going to be 81!  81!  And the 10-day forecast doesn’t show a single day with a high in the 90’s!  Since the first of June, we’ve haven’t had even a half dozen days where the high didn’t make it to 90+.    I can’t tell you how wonderful it feels to have fresh air blowing in through the doors and windows! 

 

 

Because it’s going to be a nice day today, I am contemplating a trip to the Missouri Botanical Garden to see their Chinese lantern display. 

photo source

 

 

I met with a trainer at the gym yesterday … she gave me a routine with the weights that will help keep me fit … and target the areas where I need to build up some strength.  I finished the workout with 30+ minutes on the treadmill.  If we go to the Lantern Festival, I probably won’t get to the gym today … but that’s ok because I’ll get plenty of walking at the Botanical Garden. 

 

 

Our comforter has been delivered, and it’s going to work.  I’ve got to stop at Target while we’re out today and get a couple of Euro pillows, and I’ll be able to make up the bed.  The only thing missing will be the headboard (hopefully it’ll be here in 2-3 weeks).  Unfortunately, the color of red I chose for the wall quilt won’t work with the new comforter … but it shouldn’t be too difficult to find a nice red that will work well.  (And I need to finish up my log cabin quilt before I start working on another one!)

 

 

Wednesday Hodgepodge

It’s Wednesday again … Hump Day and Hodgepodge Day! 

1. In an effort to combat obesity, the mayor of NYC has plans to ban the sale of large sugary drinks (anything over 16 oz.), initially in restaurants, movie theatres, and street carts. Corner stores would also be affected if they are defined as food service establishments. You can read more here . Your thoughts?
Just another example of big government.  I’ll spare you my soap box rant … let me just say that this will not solve the problem.   
 
2. Art festival, music festival, food festival...which would you most like to attend?
Food festival, especially if it’s something unique to a specific area.  I attended a crab festival in Louisiana about 15 years ago … fun.
 
3. What are you irrational about?
I’m OCD about any number of things … and I suspect that I walk the very fine line between OCD and irrationality.  I don’t think that I’ve crossed that line?  Those who know and love me may disagree.    
 
4. Do you feel confident you'll have a comfortable retirement?
Since we are retired, it’s been comfortable so far.  If we continue to be careful and if the market doesn’t go crazy, our nest egg should continue to allow us to have a comfortable retirement.   
 
5. What's been your favorite Olympic moment so far?
(Not ever, just in the 2012 Summer games)
Gabby Douglas winning gold. 
 
6. What would you label as the messiest room in your house?
Right now it’s my sewing room because that’s where I’m storing all the stuff I’ve bought for our bedroom makeover … I’m still waiting for the comforter I ordered (it should arrive today – pictures to follow if it is a keeper).
 
7. Do you follow your heart or your head?
Mostly my head.  Remember, I was an accountant for 30 years.   
 
8. Insert your own random thought here.
My Ts were here yesterday … it’s always a good day when I can spend it with my Ts.    Today looks to be a pretty quiet day. 

After months of repinning stuff on Pinterest, I finally gave a recipe a try yesterday … and it’s a keeper!  And healthy to boot!  I made it yesterday, and DH and the Ts all gave it a thumbs up. 

Look in the sky … it's a bird … it's a plane

No, it’s not Super Man … it was what I suspect were Air Force transport helicopters!




I was inside and heard a deep rumbling.  A truck out on the highway?  No, it kept getting closer.  Perhaps a helicopter heading to the hospital?  No, it was way too loud.  I decided I’d better go outside to see just what was making that noise … and saw 4 huge Air Force transport helicopters (Chinooks?) heading straight toward me!  At first, I was so awestruck that I just stood there watching them come my direction … finally I came to my senses and ran inside to get my camera.  Unfortunately, by the time I got my camera, they’d passed overhead and were continuing on to the south (I assume to the Air Force base about 20 miles south of here).  So I had to settle for these shots … I zoomed in a little on the second shot and even more on the final shot … but these photos do not come close to doing justice to the awesome spectacle.  I wish I could have gotten a shot of these heading toward me … spectacular.



I may or may not have a busy day ahead.    I’ve got a doctor’s appointment at 8:30, and I scheduled some time with a trainer at our gym (part of the membership) … I want to work out on the weight machines, but I suspect that I need some assistance so I can use them properly.  I may, however, have to reschedule that appointment as DD is hoping to be able to have lunch with a friend (her friend has cancer and is in the midst of a serious depression), so I’ll watch the Ts.  Either way, it looks to be a great day here at Chez Nana!

Weekend Wrap-up

 

Another weekend has come and gone … with no pictures this time.   

 

We had T#4 here Friday … it was T#3’s birthday, and they celebrated his day at Six Flags.  Since T#4 is just too little for a day at Six Flags, that meant that Nana got some one-on-one T-time!    We played and watched Dora the Explorer … and she “helped” me prepare dinner.

 

We got more rain Saturday morning … and again overnight … a total of .38”, for a total of .7” of rain in the last week.  Considering that it had been 7-8 weeks since the last measurable rainfall, that’s pretty big news.

 

I got in a little hand quilting before our new bed was delivered Saturday afternoon.  I forgot what “fun” it is to iron bedskirts … new one for the queen-sized bed that was moved to the spare bedroom and one for our new king-sized bed.  The good news:  we slept on our new bed that night.    The bad news:  the bed cover I purchased for our new king-sized bed just did not work out.   

 

After church on Sunday, we did a little more shopping for a comforter … after having no luck locally, I finally found one online that looks like it will work … and it’s on clearance – marked down over 50%! 

 

We also went to the gym … I spent 50 minutes on the treadmill.  I wanted to spend some time on the weight machines, too, but it was getting late … next time (perhaps today?).