Thank You Family and Friends

Raymond died four years ago today. 

Thanks to all my friends that made sure that today was a full day of events and fun.  I laughed so hard at the movie with the girls that my sides hurt all afternoon, and the Stan came along and just made it so that all my stomach muscles are killing me from laughing.  

Scott brought me a lovely gift.  

I enjoyed listening to the oldest and his girlfriend fuss at each other and then play in the pool with the youngest.

The hawk flew over.  That was funny too because of the circumstances.  

The cook-out turned out perfect.  

It was a good day.  Thank you family and friends. 

Finished First Baby Quilt

Made this for a dear friend's first grandchild.  The sashing and border on the front were found in the drawer at his great-grandmother's house.

Meet Up

I decided a while back that I was ready to start meeting men with the prospect of dating.  BFF has a recently divorced friend who is looking to meet new people so she put us in touch with each other.

He called me the other night and we talked for about 1 1/2 hours and then agreed to meet today at Starbucks, even though neither one of us drink coffee.  (The girls had suggested Panera but I had never been there and wasn't sure.)  

I arrived a little early at Starbucks and he arrived a few minutes later.  Starbucks was loud and crowded and he suggested we go over to Panera.  We drove there and both got a lemonade, which he paid for and I appreciated.  

His 50th birthday was Friday so I presented him with a card and a birthday candle.  We talked, in fact, we talked from 4:00 P.M. until 8:45 P.M. even though we knew pretty quick we were not going to be dating.  

I do not meet any of this nice man's criteria for the person he wants to date.  The person he dates must meet four criteria:

1.  Conservative (UM, no, that is not me).
2. Christian and regularly attend church (Well, I don't attend church regularly, and I did not fall under his definition of Christian).
3. Against abortion (I believe in a right to choose, even though I would not have an abortion).
4. Prompt (I like to be early, so I did meet one criteria)

We did have some laughs.  I invited him to come and have burgers at my cook out tomorrow because he will know a couple of people there.  

He did say that if he thinks of any guys that he knows that might be right for me he would send them my way.  He thought I was a nice person. 

I also gave him advice about a woman he is interested in at his church.  I hope that works out for him.  He would make the right person a very nice mate.  

I consider meeting this man to qualify under my year of daring. 

Vacation 2010 - Days Four and Five - May 24, 25

We headed out Monday morning with just a vague plan.

First stop, Hardy to have breakfast at the Corner Booth, and then stop to buy a bowed psaltery.

Monday we traveled over a good part of NE Arkansas.  We went to Heber Springs, Greer's Ferry, Mountain View, and many other small towns.  The best part of the whole trip was a tour of Blanchard Springs Cavern.

After our tour it was on to Conway where Chili's and Target never looked so good to me.  

Tuesday it was breakfast at the hotel, a stop at Pinwheel Fabrics, lunch at Red Lobster and then home.  Blessed home. 

Not our best vacation ever, but at least we were able to get away for a couple of days and I was able to fish.

I drove 1200 miles with no help since the oldest lost his glasses and the youngest forgot his. Not that I would have let them drive those pig tail roads. 

Many, many thanks and hugs to Loni for getting the oldest an eye appointment Wed. a.m. so that he could get an exam and new glasses and make it to work. 

Vacation 2010 - Day Three - May 23

Sunday was a beautiful day in Cherokee Village.  The clouds over the lake were amazing. 

We had breakfast at the house and decided to head up to Mammoth Springs.  It was very pretty there but very hot.  After a walk around the lake, we headed to Sonic for lunch so that we could get back to the house for the boys to ready themselves for their easy float down Spring River.  I was looking forward to spending the afternoon quilting.

I dropped the boys off in Hardy and headed back to the house. On the way there I decided to stop at a local grocery store to pick up a new puzzle book.  When I walked into the store I almost gagged. It reeked of spoiled meat.  I grabbed a puzzle book and headed out.

Once at the house I tried to find enough light to quilt by, but the lights were not bright enough so I worked puzzles until time to head back to get the boys.

As I pulled into the parking spot at the canoe rental station I could see the youngest under the deck.  He did not look happy, he did look very wet, and bloody. He had bandages all over his leg.  Not good.

When I got out of the car the youngest headed towards me looking very worried.  He finally reached me and whispered to me that his brother had lost his glasses in the river.  I thought ohoh.  I had almost mentioned to the oldest that he might want to leave his glasses home, but it was supposed to be just an easy float and I would have worn mine.

Oldest finally comes out and he is visibly shaken and upset.  He was very worried about the cost of the glasses.  I was worried about the fact that he could not see.

Turns out that it was not an easy float.  There were many, many drops and they flipped twice.  They did not have fun.

Back at the house it was time for more fishing, where I caught more fish.  I love fishing.

Sunday night was doughy pizza because the oven did not work well.  When I reached in to get the dishes they were dirty, as in they had been put away with food on them and not even rinsed off. I was grossed out totally.

The boys and I talked it over and decided to leave a day early, especially after the chair my youngest was in turned out to be broken, and we found many other issues with the house.

I was bummed that the trip was not turning out like we had planned.

Vacation 2010 - Day Two - May 22

On Saturday we were up at 8:00 A.M. and down to a nice hotel breakfast by 8:20.  The youngest did not eat much because he was still pretty full from the night before.  The oldest did not have that problem.  I enjoyed a bagel and yogurt. 

After breakfast it was back to the room and time to take our showers.  I told the boys I would go last.  The room started to heat up after the first one, but the time the second one was done I was miserable.  I took my shower and had a hot flash immediately after.  I opened the bathroom door and told the boys to get out of the room and to stay gone for at least 15 minutes or until there was a clue I wanted them back. 

I heard the hotel door click and I was out of that bathroom and turning the a/c down to 64. It took several minutes for me to cool down enough to continue getting ready.  Thank goodness the a/c worked as well as it did.

We were back on the road again by 10:00 with about two hours of driving ahead of us.  I'm so glad we stopped in Searcy because there really wasn't much between Searcy and Cherokee Village (CV).  We arrived at CV around noon, but couldn't check in until 1:00 P.M. so I decided we would go on into Hardy.

Hardy is a town that I visited about 2-3 times with my parents when we would go to CV.  Now I know that I was there in 1968 and I think I was even there in 1970, but not since then have I been to CV or Hardy.  It hasn't changed.  It still smells like mold.  It is still just one short street of shops.  I was in shock.  I was expecting it to be more like Hot Springs or Eureka Springs.  

While in Hardy I stopped by one of the river trip canoe rental shops to discuss the trips available for the boys to do on Sunday.  I found out that they had a 3 hour ride that was an easy float down the river, and that after 2 P.M. it was only $20.00.  The boys thought it sounded like a good idea, so we told them we would be back the next day.

We had already established that our choices for lunch were limited, McDonalds (No), KFC/Taco Bell combo (No), a couple of local diners (Maybe).  We finally chose to eat at the Corner Booth Restaurant.  A very interesting place decorated with old dolls.  The food was very inexpensive a good. We were set to go check into the house.

The house was not exactly what I am used to renting. When we arrived the refrigerator was unplugged and open.  We got it up and running but that is very unusual. The view of the lake was very nice.  The downstairs with the third bedroom and newer television was so dark and musty that I could not spend time there. The youngest said he would take that bedroom.  

We left the house to go find my lot.  That will have to be sold.  Then we picked up groceries, fishing license, and worms and it was back to the house to fish.  The fishing was fun. The bluegill were feisty and I caught a big red ear.  Good line play.  I was happy.

Once back in the house we turned on the television to watch a movie, only to have it turn off once it was warmed up.  It happened over and over again.  We finally decided to go to bed.

I told the youngest that if the musty smell bothered him to come on up and sleep in my room.  I was asleep about an hour before he came in and told me that he couldn't sleep because the room sounded like it was full of maracas due to the cicadas.  

I went back to sleep thinking that Sunday would be a good day.

Vacation 2010 - Day One - Friday, May 21

The youngest and I spent the day getting packed and making sure the fishing poles worked, etc.  I was a little miffed because the youngest was supposed to do the laundry while I was at work earlier in the week. He did do the laundry, just not any of mine, so I was running around trying to get laundry done so I would have enough clothes for the trip.

I asked the youngest to put the chairs and the cooler in the car.  It wasn't long before he came tearing into the house while tugging his shirt off.  A spider had bitten him on the chest and he was in quite a bit of pain.  I immediately wondered if it was a brown recluse since we have them around the property.  I also thought that it was a bad omen.  Fortunately, the pain decreased after about ten minutes of ice and we were able to continue on with the packing.

The youngest and I went into town right before it was time to leave and picked up fresh bug spray and sunscreen.  SoBe Vitamin Water was on sale, so I picked up quite a bit of that too. 

Once back home we finished packing and started wondering where the oldest was.  He was to have packed at his apartment and we had sent several texts back and forth reminding him of things to bring.  He finally rolled in close to 2:30 and once he loaded his suitcase we were off. 

First stop, Sonic.  None of us had lunch, so a quick stop at Sonic on 1378 took care of the hunger pains.  Then it was across the street to get ice for the ice chest.  The oldest went in.  He came out wondering about the "Fun Cuffs" that were located by the hunting knives.  We chose not to think about it since we have watched so may episodes of "Criminal Minds." 

Traffic was good until we got to parts of I-30 that were under construction.  That slowed us in several areas but it was okay.  We all noticed the lack of restrooms along I-30.  Really glad to get into Arkansas and the Welcome Center.  The Center was closed but the bathrooms were open.  YEAH!

It was back into the car again with the decision coming up as to where we would stay.  I was hoping to make it to the other side of Little Rock for sure.  Traffic was moving and I wasn't tired, so all was going as planned.

Once we hit Little Rock, I had the oldest look at the map again.  I could still drive a while as long as there was a place to drive to that would have a hotel.  We decided on Searcy.  We made it to Searcy around 9:00 P.M.  and started looking for a hotel.

The first hotel we saw was a Microtel.  It looked nice, but I decided to drive through the parking lot first.  As I drove by the front entrance I noticed a lot of people milling about and there was something about the way they looked that made me say "I don't think so."  They were nice looking people and all, but I was getting a weird vibe off how they were all standing there. 

Next door was a Holiday Inn Express.  It looked nice, new, and no one was milling about.  That was the one.  Extra benefit to this hotel and the first one is that there was an IHOP across the street.  The youngest would be able to eat dinner. 

Now I admit I probably haven't stayed in a hotel since the second to last time my oldest was in a bowling tournament, about 5 years ago.  We always rent houses. that are within a day's driving.  In fact this house would have been within a day's driving if the oldest had not had to work.  Having not been to a hotel in so long, I am not longer a prime member of anything like I was 5 years ago, but I forgot that.

I had decided going in that I would get two rooms.  The oldest and I did that several times at bowling tournaments and it worked out well.  I would usually take at least one other boy with us and they would share a room and I would have a night of peace.  I decided I deserved a night of peace on my vacation, so I asked for two rooms.  The night clerk said he would give me the rooms at Prime Rate and that he did have two rooms close to each other.  Then he gave me the price.  Now the Microtel had its prices on its sign.  I thought being next door this hotel would be competitive.  No.  The bill was going to be $208.  I said "No." That would not work for me.  I was getting a house for the same price a nice he wanted for one room.  He went into some spiel about they were the newest most modern, yada yada yada.  I said "One Room Please."  There we had a room, but we had to share.

As we were checking in the night clerk received a call warning him that the police were searching the parking lot and the parking lot of the Microtel because there had been an attempted rape.  That might have explained all the people standing around when we were driving past the entrance of that hotel.  I decided that it was worth an extra $30.00 to be some where no rape attempts had been reported.  It was also nice because the hotel we were in was hosting the Special Olympians that weekend and it was nice to be surrounded by so many people that were having fun.

When we got to the room I told the boys that I got the bed by the a/c.  Then we left for dinner at IHOP. I have not been to IHOP with the youngest in a while, but he goes every weekend when he is at school.  He has a new regular order French Toast and a Large Stack.  (Yes he always orders two meals when he eats breakfast out, no matter what time of day).  I had a heart friendly turkey bacon, egg substitute something or other, and the oldest had eggs, and I don't know what all on his plate.  The waitress was really good, I was so pleased to have good service when I was so tired.  I had to laugh though because the youngest finished all his meals but 1/2 a pancake.  The waitress asked him if he was done and reached for his plate.  The oldest had his mouth full and couldn't say anything but he reached out and stopped her from taking the plate and then put the plate in front of him.  She said to me "Oh they share."  I just nodded and smiled.  

After dinner it was back to the hotel.  I'm not even sure we turned the television on.  I worked on puzzles, the youngest read, and the oldest turned on his netbook to work on a newspaper article he had due.  We set a wake up call for 8 A.M. and it was lights out after a very short time. 

It wasn't long after everyone was asleep that I heard several things being knocked off the table and a loud thump.  I looked over and the oldest had knocked the youngest out of bed.  The youngest was still asleep with this feet on the bed but his head on the floor.  I got out of bed and put him back to bed.  About an hour later the same thing happened again.  I was up several times through the night putting the youngest back to bed.  

In the morning the oldest was the only one that said he had a good night's sleep. 

All in all the trip was going great.  I was excited about getting to Cherokee Village the next day. 

Vacation 2010 - The Decision

This year I signed up at work to take one week of my vacation from May 24 to May 28, but with the holiday, I won't go back to work until June 1.  This was really the only week available for us as a family due to the youngest's summer class schedule.

At first the boys and I discussed going to Missouri.  I did some research, ordered a Missouri vacation planner, found a couple of places that were possibilities to rent, and then chose one, but did not rent it.  Every time I went to rent the house, something kept me from pushing the final button.  I must have known deep inside that it would not work out, and it would not have.  I was going to rent the house for a week, but when the oldest was hired at his new job, he was told he could only take Monday and Tuesday off.  

Monday and Tuesday off meant that as a family we could leave Friday, but we would have to be back Tuesday night.  The boys said they did not want to go to Bella Vista, my fave, but they would not come up with a plan.  Every time we asked the youngest he said "Meh."  The oldest just did not know.  

I finally asked if they would like to go to Cherokee Village, AR and see the lot that my mother left me.  They decided that sounded like a great idea.  

I called the Southern Pines Realty and whereas I could not rent the house of my choice, I did rent the second on the list of possible houses.  Number 14.

We had a plan.  The oldest would be able to get home by 2 or 3 P.M. Friday and we would leave immediately.  Since the realty company said we had to physically check in, we decided to drive as far as we could Friday, and then get up early the next morning, drive on in to Cherokee Village, check in and then we woulld have as much time at the lake as possible.  We would leave early Tues. morning and check out some other areas on the way back, including quilt stores.  

All was good.

Kept My Mouth Shut -

Friday I moved my youngest out of this dorm.  I have moved my oldest out of the same dorm twice.  Each time you move out there is an inspection that you must pass in order to check out. 

My oldest went through the checks.  Both times one of the RAs or PAs would show up, look over his contract, and glance around to make sure all his obligations on the contract were met.  No big deal. The oldest sailed through the inspections without a problem. 

When I arrived at my youngest's room Friday, he warned me that his inspector was a pain.  I read the letter he had sent and thought to myself  "okay this guy might be a jerk."  Inspection time came, and the youngest and his roommate were present as required, even though only my youngest was moving out that day.  The inspector was right on time, which I appreciated.  He walked in wearing a suit, which I thought was odd, but okay.  He asked the youngest if he was prepared and we said "yes."  I'm thinking maybe this won't be so bad. The inspector started looking around and then he pulled out a white glove.  I wanted to laugh, but didn't.  The next thing he pulls out is a very powerful flashlight, now I am getting irritated.  My youngest's side of the room is actually cleaner than when we moved in and this guy has a white glove and flashight!  My youngest is giving me the "keep your mouth shut look."  I know he does not want me to make trouble, so  I sit back in my chair and watch.  

The inspector keeps finding "small issues."  Small issues I know do not exist because I had just checked those areas, but I am biting my lip.  Then he opens the drawers.  The drawers are lined with shelf paper.  He looks at the youngest and informs him that the paper is not "State issued."  Excuse me!  I could not be quiet a moment longer.  I informed him that the paper was there when we moved in and that I would never spend the time shelf papering a dorm room.  We tore out the paper and went on.  

I finally had to ask him if he had a meeting that afternoon where a suit was needed.  He informed me that he likes to wear a suit when doing check outs because he finds that as the day wears on and parents are getting tired they tend to not yell at him because his suit shows authority.  I have to say that was not what I was thinking, but to each his own.  

The youngest passed the inspection but once the inspector left the room I had a few things to say.  The youngest and the oldest were glad I kept my tongue that long.

Tonight my tongue was challenged in another way.  The oldest had a very disappointing evening and I so wanted to say something about the person that made it disappointing, but I kept my mouth shut.  I am really trying to let him work out his relationship issues by himself and not say anything about someone that might be around for a very long time, but it is very hard. 

Mother's Day, 2010

I think Mother's Day this year might have been the best since Raymond died.

Since Mina was going to be in California on Mother's Day, the girls gave Mama C (me) and Auntie Jill (BFF) our green gifts early, which was wonderful since those gifts were very useful at Cottonwood.

The weekend of Mother's Day, BFF, Loni and I had a good Saturday together that included plenty of game playing. It was very relaxing.

On Mother's Day, Loni went with me to get the youngest for lunch.  We stopped at Quilt Country and I purchased the fabric for the next baby quilt.  We picked up youngest on campus and went to Chili's for lunch, followed by a trip to Target where the youngest bought me a hat and dvd.  We had dessert at Beth Marie's and stopped by Recycled Books.  Once back on campus the youngest gave us a few items to return with for move out and we headed home.

We arrived at home to find the oldest waiting for us.  He had a nice gift of handmade vanilla sandalwood  soap for me and bought us Chicken Alfredo pizza for dinner.  We played Split and then he had to leave.  Loni and I watched Celebrity Apprentice and played more Split. 

Yes, it was the nicest Mother's Day in a long time. 

Maybe That Expiration Date Meant Something

The months are flying by so quick that I am not always sure what date it is.  I bought 2 bags of salad with spinach and dark greens last week with the use by date of May 2, thinking I had plenty of time to eat the salad. I ate one bag immediately.  The second bag I saved for lunch this week. 

Today I opened the second bag, looked at the date and thought "oh that was just yesterday"(uhh not really, it was Sunday and this is Wednesday).  I made myself a grilled chicken sandwich for lunch with lots of the salad on top for my work lunch, and it tasted great.  However, around 3:00 P.M. today my tummy started telling me that the greens were a little too old. 

Unfortunately, at 8:00 P.M. tonight my tummy is still telling me that the greens were too old.  I really need to pay attention to the dates on the calendar.

Because BFF Asked

BFF asked that I post a link to the following artist that she bought some prints from at Cottonwood Arts Festival.  I have posted his link before because I have some of his prints, but I will do it again.
CJ Bradford

I No Longer Remember

I have a really bad habit of putting things in odd places and then saying to myself, "Oh, that is an odd place for that, but I will remember."

After spending a couple of hours looking for an item this weekend that I remember putting in an odd place, I now know I need to put everything back in its place.  

I did find the item, and it was in the place I thought it was in, it just wasn't inside of the item I thought I put it in several months ago. 

I really need to get organized.  Loni ... bring me that bank box soon, please.

Cottonwood Arts Festival - Spring 2010

Yesterday I spent a glorious morning at the Cottonwood Arts Festival. The weather cooperated by not pouring rain on us this year, and it was not too windy. What a change from the last couple of years! All the artists were commenting on how happy they were that it was not raining.

Queen Jill (my BFF), my oldest and I arrived at the Festival not long after it opened.  Since QJ had not been there with me before I explained the way we worked the booths. I go up and down all the aisles and visit the booths that interest me.  If there is something in the booth that I am interested in purchasing, the oldest takes note of the booth number in his phone and when I have been through all the booths I go back and decide what I will purchase from the items I liked.  Purchases I make for my oldest I sometimes make right on the spot, or if it something I just know I cannot go home without, I definitely purchase it as I see it.  I go with a budget that comes from money I have set back specifically for the arts festivals I attend, and I know I cannot go over that budget without a very, very long talk with myself about my bank account.

Yesterday there were a lot of booths I enjoyed. 

I purchased the "Knight, Death and the Devil ("In the Age of Reason") from Tanya Doskova. It is the artist's rendition of the 21st Century, starting with the hanging chad, and includes Bush and Cheney.  It was a must for our family.  I gave it to the oldest so that he could add it to his art collection.

The oldest and I also purchased pieces from Andy Van Schyndle. My purchase was his "Light My Way Home Little Acorn Lantern." The oldest bought two pieces to give his girlfriend.

I bought a paperweight for my desk at the office from Ingrid Hanson. It will also serve as a worry stone when I need it. 

I purchased a clock from Macone Clay. They don't have the type I purchased on their website, but I love it. Their booth was extremely crowded and they were doing a booming business.

My favorite booth was Scott and Vicki Supraner's Hawksbill Pottery.  I bought several pieces from them, including a piece for QJ. 

I love being able to add unusual pieces to my turtle collection. 

QJ surprised me with a puzzle from Eric Dowdle. I love quilt puzzles. The website has a way you can do the puzzles online.  Very cool.

We ended the adventure with lunch at Rockfish.  I love their roasted jalapeno cream soup with 1/2 shrimp poboy. 

It was a wonderful day.  It would have been a perfect day if my youngest had been available to attend with us.