Wednesday, January 30, 2013

A Simple Woman's Daybook



From Mama Bear's Journal
FOR TODAY...Wednesday, January 30, 2013, 9:52 a.m.

Outside my window...Its 56°F,13°C, and raining heavily........the Jasmine is starting to have buds on it and will be opening soon (wish I could smell it).....I can see the top of an oak tree that hasn't lost its leaves and a bird house on the fence.

I am thinking...what a great day to stay in bed...

I am thankful...that I didn't have plans today since I'm feeling a little unwell, woke with some kind of virus

From the kitchen...I'm enjoying my last cup of coffee for the day

I am wearing...pink pajamas and a white tank

I am creating...10" crocheted squares that will be made into blankets for Hope Blankets for the Homeless.....I made 8 yesterday, they take about an hour to crochet and it is something to do while watching Netflix on the computer...........plans to get my sewing machine out of the closet, repair my daughter's backpack and start on the rag quilt....

I am going...to stay in bed most of the day...with Smokey for company

One year ago today...it was 61 degrees and wet after a rain the night before....reading A Family Affair and looking forward to Celebration Day when our club is recognized for its work of the previous year.

I am wondering...if I'll feel better this afternoon

These days I'm reading...Return to Sender and looking forward to starting: Night Circus 

I am praying...brighter days ahead......Susan, diagnosed with Breast Cancer.....Rene as she goes about trying to get her Dad into the Veteran's home......with thankful heart that Jill found out she has low levels of vitamin D and thyroid which can be treated instead of something more serious.........for Faye as she has her second cataract surgery next week......for Pat who is having foot surgery......for Rick as he has his next round of chemo, he is having emotional difficulties dealing with all of this illness from the treatments....for Jordan and Brianna who have to see their Dad in this condition..........for any of my blogging buddies who might be going through physical or emotional difficulties.

I remember when...when my Mother was my age......she hadn't been diagnosed with Parkinson's Disease yet but the signs were there......she slowed so very much....I'm sure you know a person who seems to have incredible energy and cannot sit still for long......that was my Mother and even though there were 21 years between us, she could run rings around me whenever we were involved in projects together.....we spent a lot of time preparing produce for canning and freezing and I am so thankful for all of that time I got to spend with her and with Daddy during those days........but it was hard to see her change and begin taking shuffling steps and having difficulty with motor skills.....I'm so thankful that the disease progress was slow and she had many good years while dealing with the changes.......in the Fall of that year, we went camping in the mountains near Trenton, Georgia and while there we hiked a trail that wasn't too difficult......I can see it clear as day and she would identify the plants in the woods and tell me the uses of each...she's walking behind me at times and beside me at others......she is chewing on a sassafras stick she's peeled the bark from and smiling......smiling at me as we laugh about something together.........Memories to cherish!

I am looking forward to...brighter days ahead

A verse for today...Not that I speak in respect of want: for I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content. Philippians 4:11

Discovering that....Little signs of Spring are beginning to pop up even though it is Winter.....It must be confusing to have 70 degree weather one day and three days later its 33......this is our weather here in North Alabama

I am hearing..."The Best I Ever Had" by Gary Allan on my playlist

Around the house...things are quiet and mostly tidy.....

Song that stays on my Mind...


A favorite quote for today..."The grand essentials of happiness are something to do, something to love, something to give and something to hope for"...After Allen Chalmers

One of my favorite things...a comfy bed

A few plans for the rest of the week:Book club on Friday, we'll be discussing "Someone Knows My Name" which is very good......Lunch with Daughter afterward........then I plan to get back on my Weight Watchers Plan (I need to get my Cholesterol levels down).....

From my photo file....



Wednesday, January 23, 2013

Wednesday Hodge Podge

All is Fair in Love
Hodge Podge


1. The popular saying, 'All is fair in love and war' is originally credited to English writer John Lyly.  Is he right? 
No, that is just someone using an idiom as an excuse for bad behavior. 

2. Are you a cereal eater?  What's your favorite kind?
I don't eat cereal too often, I'm probably going to have Multi Grain Cheerios and a Banana for breakfast in a few minutes. I eat these and Frosted Mini Wheats without milk. The only cereal I like milk on is Raisin Bran.

3. A five year old in Pennsylvania was recently given a ten day school suspension for talking with a friend about shooting one another with a Hello Kitty Bubble gun (the gun blows bubbles).  She did not have the gun with her at school.

A psychological evaluation was also ordered and the incident was recorded on her permanent record.  The suspension was later reduced to two days and her parents are suing to have the incident removed from her file. Your thoughts?  (If you missed the story click here for details). 
We only know what was reported and not what was actually said so it is hard to form an honest opinion, however it seems extreme. Talking about shooting bubbles at each other isn't an act of terrorism.

4. Whatever happened to____modesty_________________________? 

5.  January 23rd is National Handwriting Day, billed as a day to reacquaint yourself with a pen and pencil.  Do you like your handwriting? Do you prefer to print or write in cursive?  This date was chosen because its the birth date of John Hancock. What's the last thing you signed your name to?
Yes, if I take my time to do it well.  I like printing and often do one or the other. A Check
 
6. Speaking of John Hancock...ever been to Philadelphia? Do you have any desire to visit the city of Brotherly Love?  
On a business trip to New Jersey, a client of my husband's took us to a museum exhibition in Philly one night before dinner.....so, yes I've been there but didn't spend much time visiting. I'd like to see more of the city.

7.  Share something funny you've heard a child say.  


8.  Insert your own random thought here.
Joyce, you come up with the most interesting set of questions each week. Thanks

Tuesday, January 22, 2013

A Simple Woman's Daybooks



From Mama Bear's Journal....
FOR TODAY...Tuesday, January 22, 2013...

Outside my window...it is 24°F, -4°C, and expected to only reach 36 today....a Dove, a Wren and a Junco are dancing around on the porch looking for breakfast.....the sun is shining (Yea!!!) 

I am thinking...that I may not finish this before I have to leave for my Doctor's appointment (annual physical)....

I am thankful...since it is so cold out, I am thankful for shelter and warmth....my club and I will be making homeless food packs in February. We include a protein such as tuna, a fruit cup, juice, cookies and crackers and a spoon to eat it with. I would sure hate to be homeless this morning......

From the kitchen...I'm thinking of making chicken dumplings for dinner tonight and serving it with a salad of some kind, maybe some fruit..now that I'm back from grocery shopping, I've decided we'll have hotdogs for dinner and save the dumplings for tomorrow.

I am wearing...my pajamas and a warm robe + covered in a quilted fleece throw...

I am creating...a scrapbook layout......

I am going...to Walmart after the doctor

One year ago today...it was 61 degrees when I wrote my daybook.....I was reading "The Family Affair".....making plans for the new year.....working on the strips for the SKOW quilt....making a grocery list.....and thinking about my Daddy, it was his Birthday....that will be tomorrow, he would have been 87...I miss you, Daddy, are you celebrating your Birthdays in heaven?

I am wondering...if someone will host our club's February meeting....I just sent out an email asking since the member who was supposed to host it, canceled due to work obligations...

These days I'm reading...Elizabeth George's This Body of Death, a Lynley novel.

I am praying...for my friendRene and her siblings as they plan to put their Father in a Nursing Home......for my SIL Renea whose Father passed away Sunday night....for Jill waiting to get test results.....for Genece whose health has not been too good this past year......for Cee Kay...Val's Mom....Kathy.....Shorty Bear.....and others

I remember when...before I was 10, the only heat we had in our house was a warm morning heater or a Ben Franklin stove, Mom was always the first up to build a fire in that stove with coal and kindling to rekindle the coals left from the night before...then she'd preheat the oven(electric) and start making a pan of biscuits because the oven would also help heat the house...we lived in one which had little or no insulation and it was very cold first thing in the morning...

I am looking forward to...making plans for our weekend get-away sometime in February to celebrate our anniversary.

A verse for today...happy is that people, whose God is the LORD....Psalm 144:15b

Discovering that....well, I'm back from the physical and it seems our risk factors go up as we age....for instance mine for heart disease is lower now even with high blood pressure because my Dad didn't get it until after 60 but the same factor will increase when I reach 65 in just two years.

I am hearing...my jaws chumping on potato chips as I eat lunch....and the furnace

Around the house...I made the bed before I left and I put away the groceries I bought after the doctor visit.....oh I cleaned the bathtub and one of the vanity drawers before I left, also so the day hasn't been an entire loss.

Song that stays on my Mind...


Another of my Daddy's favorites

A favorite quote for today...inall brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are ho neejPhilippians 4:8 Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just,whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovelywhatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these thingsst,whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovelywhatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things
One of my favorite things...Sunshine on Winter days, 

A few plans for the rest of the week: OH luncheon on Thursday.......Movie with friends on Friday....

From my photo file...




Friday, January 18, 2013

Funny Friday


Good Friday morning, everbeary
Wil here
with wonderful news....
The sun is shinning....
yea!
Did you know that the month of January is 
over half gone already?
And we still have some of our Christmas
decorations sitting in the guest room....
Mama won't be happy that I told you that...so
mums the word!

Finally, we have the studio in shape and she
has already been creating in there...
first: she made an extension and magnetic clasp
for a necklace she gave Daughter for Christmas..
Then, she began a scrapbook layout of The Club
for the county book...it will be displayed at
their awards day next month....

There is much activity outside the window this morning..
I guess the sunshine is making the Squirrels and Birds frisky...
And there at the window watching it all is our Furry Feline
Smokey....
Have a great weekend, everybear.
Wil

Thursday, January 17, 2013

A Valentine Give Away

Ginger at Bear Bits
is having another give away.
Go here and see all about it.....

Thursday This and That


The rain has finally stopped. This is what my backyard looked like on Tuesday.

Wet snow is predicted this morning but sunshine by 5:00 just in time to set.

It is very cold, considering this time last week it was 70. 
33 feels so cold.
I opened the inside doors just because I wanted more light.
So tired of the dark and gloomy.

Yesterday, I went to my hair appointment, then dropped off the discards at 
the charity shop. I should have taken a moment to
browse but needed to pick up some
milk and toilet tissue and hurry on home.

Today, I am going to vacuum the living room  and make the bed.
After that, who knows.

Wednesday, January 16, 2013

Wednesday Hodge Podge

My Favorite Phrase-The Hodge Podge



1. Lake Superior University has once again published a list of words/phrases they think should be banished from the Queen's English...here's the list for 2013-

fiscal cliff, kick the can down the road, double down, job creators/creation, passion/passionate, yolo (an acronym for you only live once), spoiler alert, bucket list, trending, superfood, boneless wings, and guru

Which of these words/phrases would you most like to see banished from everyday speech and why. Go here to read more about how the words were chosen.
Throughout our lives, there have always been words in common use which have special meaning....a few generations later, no one knows what the mean......I don't see the harm in this......I think these people who compiled the list just have way too much time on their hands.

2.  When was the last time you rode a train?  Where did you go?
3 years ago, we rode the Blue Ridge Scenic Railway while on a vacation in Blue Ridge, Georgia

3. Bagels-yay or nay?  Favorite 'flavor'?  Favorite topping?
I like cinnamon/raisin, usually toasted with a little of the spray on butter.

4.  'Tis the season of awards shows...if you could star in a movie already made which one would you choose?
For fun, I'll choose Pretty Woman

5. The move towards single gender classrooms has been making the news in recent months....what say you?  Do you think kids perform better if separated by gender and are taught differently or is that discrimination?  If you're a parent, is this something you'd support in regard to your own children? 
Well, this seems like a step backwards to when children had separate schools....

6. What's your favorite thing about staying in a hotel?
I suppose it has the sense of being pampered, in a way, one doesn't have to clean the room or make the bed.......but mainly, I just like to get away from all the responsibility of home for a while. The more luxuriant the better. I like to stay where you pull your car up to the front, a valet takes the keys, unloads the luggage and takes it to your room while someone parks the car. Its a little taste of how the rich people live all the time.

7. Do you have a 'word' for 2013?  What's the story behind your choice? 
I don't understand the question

8.  Insert your own random thought here.
Join Wednesday Hodge Podge by visiting Joyce at From this side of the pond......Thanks Joyce.

Tuesday, January 15, 2013

A Simple Woman's Daybook



From Mama Bear's Journal...
FOR TODAY...Tuesday, January 15, 2013, 9:45am

Outside my window...it is 37°F, 3°C,and raining hard....it is only supposed to reach 39 today and the sun isn't in the forecast until Thursday....I see some freezing rain/wintry mix also forecast but hopefully that will not materialize.....

I am thinking...this first sip of coffee is worth waiting for....I went to get lab work this morning and didn't  get to have coffee and breakfast until now....

I am thankful...I didn't have to wait too long in a room full of sick people this morning...I had taken my mask but there were only 4 ahead of me and none seemed to have respiratory problems......I was only gone from home for an hour...

From the kitchen...morning coffee and a pastry for me right now...I'll be putting on another pot of beans in about an hour...pintos this time....later I'll make some slaw and cornbread, maybe some mac & cheese to go with this for dinner tonight.

I am wearing...a royal blue sweater over a blue shell with jeans and navy socks...

I am creating...this daybook......still working on tidying the two spaces I swapped....got my furniture moved Saturday so just have to find spots for everything that was moved....I've finished sorting the paperwork, have a basket full to shred.....

I am going...to stay home now until time to pick up the Princess after school...she hates to ride the bus and since it drops her off at the main road, she doesn't need to walk the rest of the way in the rain....I know this grandmother is spoiling her but I don't care

One year ago today...I didn't do a SWD post that week

I am wondering...where all this water is going to go....we'll need it this summer so I'm hoping it is soaking deep into the soil....I told Honey Bear we needed a couple more rain barrels. We only have two and they are full already....

These days I'm reading..."Someone Knows my Name" and I am enjoying it.....

I am praying...for no ice on the roadways, trees or power lines...Honey Bear to get home safely.....Ashley, Pat, Faye and her son, Jill, Genece and others

I remember when...time didn't pass quickly enough...now it passes too fast..

I am looking forward to...Our next visit with son's family in Georgia......our annual anniversary trip in February or March...

A verse for today...
2 Samuel 23:4 And he shall be as the light of the morning, when the sun riseth, even a morning without clouds; as the tender grass springing out of the earth by clear shining after rain.

Discovering that....on days like this, I'd rather be in bed....or at least in my pajamas...

I am hearing...the furnace just clicked off and now I hear the rain on the chimney top...

Around the house...piles of this and that......Smokey asleep in my bed...

Song that stays on my Mind...I've got nothing this morning

A favorite quote for today..."Sunshine is delicious, rain is refreshing, wind braces us up, snow is exhilarating; there is really no such thing as bad weather, only different kinds of good weather."
- John Ruskin

One of my favorite things...being able to stay home on days like today.....warm and snug under an afghan or throw.....reading a good book....sipping hot coffee or tea

A few plans for the rest of the week: Hair appointment tomorrow....deliver some discards to the Charity Shop......shop for staples.....
finishing up with the two rooms, maybe.......put away the last of the Christmas gifts and decorations

From my photo file....
Wil and friends at Summer camp

Beautiful Orchids at Opryland Hotel

Visit Peggy for rules if you'd like to participate......
you'll find the link here.

Saturday, January 12, 2013

Saturday Scribbles


My book club met yesterday to choose our reads for the year.....this is always a long meeting as we all have several suggestions and it takes a while to choose just the 11 or 12 books we'll discuss at our meetings....it also gives us a list for our personal reading and enjoyment if we choose to read the other books mentioned. Here are the first 3 we chose:

Amazon.com says: Kidnapped as a child from Africa, Aminata Diallo is enslaved in South Carolina but escapes during the chaos of the Revolutionary War. In Manhattan she becomes a scribe for the British, recording the names of blacks who have served the King and earned freedom in Nova Scotia. But the hardship and prejudice there prompt her to follow her heart back to Africa, then on to London, where she bears witness to the injustices of slavery and its toll on her life and a whole people. It is a story that no listener, and no reader, will ever forget.


From Amazon: The circus arrives without warning. No announcements precede it. It is simply there, when yesterday it was not. Within the black-and-white striped canvas tents is an utterly unique experience full of breathtaking amazements. It is called Le Cirque des Rêves, and it is only open at night. 

But behind the scenes, a fierce competition is underway—a duel between two young magicians, Celia and Marco, who have been trained since childhood expressly for this purpose by their mercurial instructors. Unbeknownst to them, this is a game in which only one can be left standing, and the circus is but the stage for a remarkable battle of imagination and will. Despite themselves, however, Celia and Marco tumble headfirst into love—a deep, magical love that makes the lights flicker and the room grow warm whenever they so much as brush hands. 


True love or not, the game must play out, and the fates of everyone involved, from the cast of extraordinary circus per­formers to the patrons, hang in the balance, suspended as precariously as the daring acrobats overhead. 


Amazon says: When they were children, Erica Calcott and her sister, Beth, spent their summer holidays at Storton Manor. Now, following the death of their grandmother, they have returned to the grand, imposing house in Wiltshire, England. Unable to stem the tide of childhood memories that arise as she sorts through her grandmother’s belongings, Erica thinks back to the summer her cousin Henry vanished mysteriously from the estate, an event that tore their family to pieces. It is time, she believes, to lay the past to rest, bring her sister some peace, and finally solve the mystery of her cousin’s disappearance.

I'm excited by our choices and eager to begin....I'll let you know what I think of these books when I read them........

I'm linking to 5 Minutes for Books for their monthly blog hop......
What's on your nightstand?

Friday, January 11, 2013

Funny Friday


Hello everybeary
Wil here
with another Funny Friday post...
Mama is feeling frazzled
this morning..
she had 17 ladies here for a club 
meeting last night
and didn't get in bed until 11:00
and didn't get to sleep until after
1:00...
It is another rainy day and she said
if she didn't have book club, she'd just go back
to bed.....
Here is the promised picture

of 
Ms Okie
in her new outfit.
She says to tell Ms Denise that
she loved her green dress but
a girl just needs something new 
once in a while.

What are all of you up to this fine Friday...
Hope you're having fun...
Wil

Wednesday, January 9, 2013

Wednesday Hodge Podge: Its Always Sunny



1. What is ONE thing or area in your home or life you hope to report is completely organized when 2013 draws to a close?  Do you  have a plan to make it happen? 
This is easy since I'm going through our paperwork.....I'm going to say: the studio and the closets in that room....I don't really have a plan, per se, just tackling one area at a time. I do have some files set up for the things we do need to keep.

2. What's the worst uniform you've ever had to wear for a job?
The only uniform I've ever worn was in Nursing School....it consisted of a short sleeve, button front blouse with a fold down collar and a kind of pinafore dress that was worn over that. 
Except we had to wear a gym suit in high school that was hideous with bloomer type shorts and a shirt like top which were attached together like a jump suit.
3. What was your last kitchen 'mishap'?  This question comes to you courtesy of Betty who blogs over at A Glimpse Into Midlife...everyone go say hi to Betty! 
Hi Betty!  I made a coconut chess pie a couple of years ago for a family gathering. the mixture was too much for the pie shell and of course ran under the crust as it baked making it difficult to get out in slices. It tasted good, though.

4. How do you protect yourself from other people's negativity?
I try not to spend too much time with people who have negative type personalities....they can bring you down....

5. Who in your family do you most resemble (physically)? If you have children, who do people say they favor? Do you agree? 
I've been told that I am more like my Mother.....Both my children have a strong resemblance to their Father, although I can see some of myself in both of them.

6. January 8th is National Bubble Bath Day...will you be celebrating?
I guess I missed that memo.....I can't remember the last time I had a sit down bath....I think I did that once in all the time we lived in Memphis.

7.  Some of the 'world's best winter festivals' are - Mardi Gras (New Orleans),Quebec Winter Festival (Canada), Sundance Film Festival (Park City, Utah),  Rio Carnivale (Brazil), Sapporo Snow Festival (Japan), VeniceCarnival (Italy) and the Harbin Ice Festival (Northern China).  Of those listed (and if cost were not a factor) which would you most like to attend and why? 
If money weren't a factor, I don't think I would attend any of those. I'd pick something else. I think I'd like to take an Alaskan cruise.

8.  Insert your own random thought here.
The sun certainly isn't shining here this morning as once again it is raining......I bet that means its snowing somewhere else.......

Please visit Joyce for more of the Hodge.....Thanks to her for hosting and coming up with great questions each week.

Tuesday, January 8, 2013

A Simple Woman's Daybook



From Mama Bear's Journal
FOR TODAY...Tuesday, January 8, 2013

Outside my window...its 40°F,4°C,and partly cloudy although the sun is out at the moment. I looked at the 10 day forecast and it is saying rain for the next week........so much for a bright and sunny mood....grey weather results in a grey mood around here....I can see the green of the pines and that is uplifting...Juncos and Doves have been on the porch this morning and Blue Jays in the Maple Tree.

I am thinking...I need to get up and get busy but first I have to use my inhaler because I am definitely wheezing this morning.

I am thankful...for this sunshine of the moment......and all the other blessings I've been given....I should certainly not complain.....

From the kitchen...another cup of coffee is needed......haven't decided on our dinner menu

I am wearing...a warm red robe, and covered in a red throw

I am creating...
Here's an update of my cross stitch piece. It helps me to see it here as I can't see what it is becoming when I'm working on it. Right now, I'm working on the area below the quilts hanging on the rail, trying to add some detail to the bush. 
I'm still working on getting my studio back to normal and going through papers......

I am going...to stay home today

One year ago today...see last week's entry

I am wondering..what stitching project I might start.

These days I'm reading...The Women of Magnolia
..........and...........Journalution

I am praying...for Ashley, Judy, Annie & Elizabeth, Cathy, Rene's father, Shorty Bear, Jenny and others

I remember when...soft drinks cost 5 cents and you could get into the movies for a quarter....

I am looking forward to...spending a day with my Daughter soon....and visiting with my sister soon....

A verse for today...Matthew 17:5 While he yet spake, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them: and behold a voice out of the cloud, which said, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased; hear ye him.

Discovering that....Just opening the inner door can bring so much light into the house.....we have storm doors on the front and the back so we can open up and see the world outside....

I am hearing...wind chimes

Around the house...is a floor that needs vacuuming and a load of laundry to start.....furniture to move and pictures to hang.......

Song that stays on my Mind...
Come Spring
by Dottie Rambo
a song I've sang many times....

A favorite quote for today...
“When spring came, even the false spring, there were no problems except where to be happiest. The only thing that could spoil a day was people and if you could keep from making engagements, each day had no limits. People were always the limiters of happiness except for the very few that were as good as spring itself.” Ernest Hemingway from  A Movable Feast

One of my favorite things...Seeing the first Daffodils and Crocus coming out of the ground

A few plans for the rest of the week:
Dental appointment tomorrow, a little grocery shopping......Club meeting Thursday night (I'm hosting), Book Club Friday (got rescheduled from last week)

From my photo file....
my red cowgirl boots
Santa brought.....
My Daughter and her furbaby