Sheila's Sentimental Journey

Winter Picnik in Indiana

2012-01-23T11:41:00.000-05:00

Winter came to our southern part of Indiana this past weekend.

Overnight our streets and parking lots turned into ice rinks.

Thankfully, it hasn't lasted long, due to rising temperatures,

and now we are back to our normal gloomy January days.

(Remind me why we cancelled that Florida trip???)

I opened an email on Saturday telling me that the photo enhancing website

that I use will be shutting down come April.

At first I thought it was a hoax, but as the day wore on, I saw other postings

and knew that change was coming.

I don't do "change" very well.

I get stuck in a rut & it's hard for me to climb out.

At least we have a few weeks to still play around with it & find other options.

Meanwhile....I'm having a Picnik!

(If you want to find my, I'll be at my computer enhancing

a thousand or so snapshots!)

And I've read the warnings that Google will be changing,

meaning Blogger we will no longer be able to link up with other blogs

as we do now. (Can you tell that I don't know what I'm talking about?)

So...I spent Saturday evening saving all of my favorite blog links

to my "favorites".

My own interests have changed over the last few months

and I find myself not being online as much...

and that's a good thing.

Blogging ideas don't come as quickly.

Maybe it's the winter weather that makes me growl like a hibernating bear.

I'm thinking those icicles need to melt a little so I can get my "blog" back!

How is your winter affecting you?

I think I'll go grab one of my new gardening catalogs & do a little

summer dreaming.

For you that are interested in other photoshop websites

check out http://www.betweennapsontheporch.blogspot.com/

for links to other options.

Happy Picniking .... while it lasts!

My Hide-away

2012-01-13T14:43:00.002-05:00

We don't have a basement.

But we have the next best thing to it...

an upstairs playroom/turned Mom's hide out.

For all of the years that our 2 children were home,

this upstairs area was their "playroom"

and that is still how we refer to it.

But after they sprouted their wings & left my nest...

I took over their space.

This is where we spend our evenings or free time.

Even though we both have our own desktop computers

just around the corner in the office, I usually end up on the sofa

with my laptop, my Kindle, and a stack of magazine.

Why sit at a desk when I can recline & do the same thing?

The playroom is "L" shaped,

the walls being shorter than standard

with sloped ceilings.

You wouldn't believe how much "stuff" I have crammed into it!

Normally, I never let anyone other than close family members

or friends that won't squeal about how we live "upstairs"!

This area is sort of off limits.

Not too many years ago, this area was decorated in the "retro" look.

There was a Coke border around the room,

a Coke pop machine that had been converted into a bar,

lots of '50's & '50's memorabilia, etc., etc.

I finally tired of it, moved the Coke bar to Bob's car shop,

bought cube style shelving from Archivers,

slapped on a coat of taupey-gray (I don't remember the name) paint,

and took ownership.

Here is a peak or two at my clutter . . .

In reality, I am probably a hoarder.

I think I'm going to clear out closets,

but mostly can't bear to get rid of things with any sentimental attachment.

These shelves are full of photos from years gone by.

Peaking out of the left corner is the rocker

that we bought when Jeff was a baby,

my little dresser-vanity that is almost 60 years old,

and my rocking chair that is from my childhood.

There are Longaberger baskets, Boyds Bears,

and boxes that hold family treasures.

I have found the decorative boxes a good way

to store things I want to keep

but don't want to necessarily display.

Sometimes I take a peak inside these boxes

and surprise myself at what I have hidden away!

In the past few years, I have learned with the loss of my parents

and all of their siblings, that I have lost a great source of family history.

I no longer have someone that will answer questions

of things that happened long ago.

So . . . as I go through old photographs, I am trying to remember

to write on the back of each picture, identifying those

that my own children will not know.

For a while, I spent most of my free time working on family genealogy.

I still love it and work on it when I can.

I have notebooks of information on our family,

mostly files that were shared with me from someone else

that had done the research and hard work.

Just last week, I received an email from someone who had

seen data I had posted to Ancestry.com.

That person is a very distant cousin and he happily shared

his files and sent me photos of my great-great-grandparents!

Hopefully, my children will someday want to look through these notebooks.

There are drawers full of old family VHS videos

that need to be converted to DVD.

There is a cabinet full of old slides, both ours and my fathers,

that need to be scanned and converted to digital files.

There is an ironing board that never seems to be put away,

always a line of shirts waiting to be be ironed.

There are drawers full of scrapbooking papers, embellishments,

punches, stamps, inks & scissors...

waiting to decorate albums that are stacked along the wall...

also waiting to be filled with photos.

My goal for these cold winter months

is to clear out some of this clutter

and get rid of the excess.

So far, I have only gathered up about one bag...

and that was just clothing that we no longer wear.

So if you wonder where I am,

I'll be upstairs...

in my hideaway...

the one you aren't allowed to see!

I spiffed it up a bit for this post!

Decorating Disclaimer:

I know the sofas are navy blue and the rug is black...

but the sofas won't wear out & are just too comfy to discard.

Besides, this is a hodge podge room

and definitely doesn't qualify for any beauty ribbons!

We just love it and live in it.

Life Happened . . .

2012-01-08T23:23:00.001-05:00

I think I left you stranded on a mountain ~

and with the intentions of taking you to Virginia.

But that didn't happen

and without apology or explanation for my non-blogging period,

I will just say that life happened...

a lot of it!

and now we will go on.

To catch you up with our life happenings . . .

After 3 years of being part of our lives, due to health issues,

my brother packed up and headed back to California

for an adventure of his own.

Steve is in the process of getting his bride here from across the seas

and we wish them the best.

Maybe some day I will tell you about it . . .

We celebrated Thanksgiving with all of our family here

along with my sister & her family from Kansas,

plus a friend of Kylie's from New Zealand.

It was 5 days of food & fun,

with 18 here from turkey dinner!

The end of November brought birthday celebrating for Jeff.

(I can't believe that my baby is 35 years old!)

Carol...my sister

We did some Black Friday shopping,

went to a Decorator's Showcase

and made a quick trip to our scenic little village of Nashville.

Quality sister time!

There were Christmas programs to attend -

Family time with the Thompson Clan

Rebekah & Kevin (Bob's brother) with Jeff

Dad Thompson & Rosemary

with Vickie (Bob's sister)

The festive looking Walden's, Jonathan & Karen (our daughter)

...and me

A lunch outing at Elsbury's Nursery with some church lady friends

A little decorating . . .

Then we had a surprise visit from my cousin from Kansas

and I just had to take her to Elsbury's

(I have tons of Christmas pics that I won't bore you with)

Dinner with Duane & Luana

at Zaharakos

our local ice cream shop from 1900 that has been refurbished . . .

a local treasure!

a trip to Bloomington for lunch with Aunt Donna

and lots and lots of shopping!

sugar cookies were baked...at the last minute!

Christmas was celebrated

with the little people

who make it worth all of the stress & work!

The week after Christmas I left my tree & decorations up

and we did some entertaining.

One night we had Bob's sister & her hubby out for dinner,

something we seldom take time to do.

Another night we went out to dinner with friends whom we had neglected

way too long. Dessert was back at our house

with a great night of catching up.

And to top the week off...

all 6 grandkids came & spent the night!

Paige helped with the dishes

Brycen & Peyton had a little DS challenge going

Carter relaxed in the recliner

while Kerrigan & Parker figured out new games & their Ipods.

If was a fun, noisy night & one they hopefully will remember.

Since the New Year,

we have celebrated our son-in-laws birthday,

along with the twins 6th birthday.

So you can see,

life really has happened around here

and I don't see it slowing down for a while.

There were several sentimental moments along the way

that I just couldn't find time to write about,

but I have missed it.

Hopefully, I won't leave you on any more mountains!

Autumn Road Trip...Part Two

2011-10-24T22:20:00.001-04:00

We woke to rain & fog for our second day in West Virginia.

Before we left the area we wanted to go to the viewing area

for the New River Bridge.

Years ago we had seen this bridge under construction,

crossing the valley, saving drivers treacherous miles

on Route 19.

I remember the road as being full of "S" curves,

descending steeply into the deep ravine.

Here we are driving across the bridge,

unable to see much below because of the fog.

We drove down the side road to the Visitors Center

& viewing area,

only able to barely make out the bridge from this point,

dimly spotting a few car headlights.

But the walk was worth the trip.

And I thought that the rain made the colors more brilliant.

We found Route 60 & drove a few miles to Hawks Nest,

another viewing point for the New River.

The Indians called this the "River of Death"

because of the white water rapids.

It is known for its excellent white watering rafting.

I'll take their word about it!

The horseshoe bend in the New River

A train track running along the mountain

and a train trestle crossing the river

Being in no hurry, and me wanting to watch the leaves,

we took the scenic route towards Virginia.

We drove over 200 miles on roads like this.

It was beautiful!

Along the way, we spotted this entrance

and made a spur of the moment side trip.

Bob didn't think he had ever been here,

then decided maybe he had come on a school trip.

This was our view as we entered the State Park.

It seemed as if there was a golden glow!

Color was everywhere!

And we found this mill!

"Park the car, Bob....I'm getting out!"

This is where Bob began to remember being here before.

He remembered this rock...

and said that somewhere there is a photograph

of his Dad standing in the same spot...

which is a lot farther than it looks when not zoomed in!

I had no idea he would even think about climbing out there,

but he began climbing the rock as soon as he realized

that I wanted a picture.

What a beautiful area...

and we almost missed it!

Thankful that we had made this spur of the moment side trip,

we decided to head on to our destination.

More miles to go to reach Roakoke.

A lovely drive, even in the rain!

Autumn Road Trip ~ Part One ~ Beckley

2011-10-19T15:40:00.001-04:00

Last week Bob & I loaded up in the SUV & headed out

on another one of those sentimental journeys.

Most of his childhood memories are from the years

that his family spent in the mountains of West Virginia,

moving there just in time for him to start 1st grade,

and moving away right before his Freshman year.

It was a beautiful trip...here viewed through

our bug spattered windshield!

The hills of Kentucky were tinted with autumn's colors.

And as we crossed the West Virginia state line,

the colors became more vibrant.

I snapped pictures furiously through our tinted window

as we buzzed down the West Virginia Turnpike,

while Bob began telling me stories.

Usually sort of quiet, these hills brought the memories

flooding to his mind & although I had heard them before,

it was good to hear them again.

One particular tale is told about being in his best friends 1965 GTO.

It was after they had moved away but were back at Huntington

for a church camp & Bob went home with Frank for a few days.

On the ride home, Frank's dad sat in the back seat,

holding an old 8 millimeter movie camera

& gave Frank permission to bury the speedometer!

Bob remembers seeing the needle pointing straight down--

which would have been at least 130 mph!!!

And at that time, although the highway was a turnpike,

it was anything but straight.

Thankfully, they survived the ride to tell the tale!

Bob's dad was a preacher man...

& for that matter, still is.

He moved his family of 5 (Vickie wasn't here yet)

from the hills of southern Indiana

to the mountains of West Virginia.

I asked Bob on this trip if at the time he realized that he

was living in the Appalachian Mountains.

He said no...he just knew they were mountains,

and remembers the cold winters & piles of snow.

Harper Road,

leading into Beckley.

Nothing is flat there--

you are either on a hillside,

going around a curve,

or traveling down a steep incline.

I must say, it's beautiful country!

Landmarks.

The city streets hadn't changed much

and Bob found his way to his memories.

This one lead downtown & to another highway.

This familiar intersection lead us to the church...

where Bob's dad pastored his people,

earning $50. a week...which probably wasn't all that bad for the time,

and where the kids grew up.

During their years, the building was white blocks.

Just passed the parking lot is the parsonage.

Home for the Thompson's

while living in Beckley

Bob was full of stories of when they were kids...

telling about racing from tree to tree with Sherry...

about Steve breaking Mom's dogwood and blaming "Barry Joe"

and Mom baking chocolate cake & them eating it

while it was still warm, with butter on top...

of Frank & Eddie being their neighbors...

riding bikes up & down the hills...

suppers of fried potatoes & beans

or homemade chili with donuts for dessert...

tales of running & jumping out that tall church door

BEFORE there was a stairway! ...

Lots of memories

Bob began his piano lessons when he was 6 years old.

He remembers his Mom being diligent about making him practice.

Later he could play well enough that he had to play for the church services.

And he remembers going to a few funerals & having to play the organ

before his Dad preached.

Temple Street...

where they lived for a few months

while the new parsonage was being completed.

Vickie was born while they lived here.

I have pictures of Sherry & Bob, ready for their first day of school,

leaving from this house.

The years have taken their tole on the little house.

Lincoln Grade School...

a few hills away from home.

Bob remembers being late almost every day.

Mom wanted to let them sleep until the last minute

and then it was a rush to get there on time.

Beckley Junior High...

now part of Mountain State University

where Bob & Sherry went to Junior High.

First Baptist Church...downtown

where the family went to see Stuart Hamblen

in 1959

to hear him sing "It Is No Secret"

and his new release,

"Until Then"

Neville Street,

downtown in Beckley

and this picture is for our kids!

Formerly "Charles House Hotel"...

where we stayed in 1991...for one night!

We made our own memories there.

It wasn't quite as nice as Bob remembered!

Bob remembers pushing wheel barrels full of dirt

along this wall of the church

and got paid a penney & a half per load!

He says it took 100 loads to buy a model car!

They were digging the dirt out from under the parsonage

to make a basement.

What a way to earn a penney!

It had been 20 years since we visited Beckley for

a church Homecoming.

It was good to go back home again...

to "Almost Heaven ~ West Virginia"!

is it "Wild & Wonderful"?

Time Out...

2011-10-10T22:32:00.000-04:00

In the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia,

On the trail of the lonesome pine—

In the pale moonshine our hearts entwine,

Where she carved her name and I carved mine;

We are going to take a little time out for ourselves the next few days.

Can you guess where we are going from the above lyrics?

Our plan is to do a little wandering,

stopping by Beckley, West Virgina

where my hubby spent some of his childhood years.

Then we will travel on to Roakoke, Virginia

to see some friends of long ago.

And the Blue Ridge Parkway

runs close to Roakoke.

Weather permitting, we hope to take a mountain ridge drive.

Did you ever see that old Laurel & Hardy movie where they sang this song?

I'm sure we will be humming it as we do some sight seeing.

See you soon!

Dining Room Memories. . .

2011-10-03T19:11:00.003-04:00

There were large family gatherings at Grandma's house

when we would crowd around her dining room table,

all four daughter's having helped prepare a delicious meal.

I remember heaping bowls of buttered mashed potatoes

and a platter of fried chicken, along with all of the trimmings.

What was Grandma's dining room, possibly was meant to be a bedroom.

It wasn't large, situated just off the kitchen in the back corner of the house.

A larger table took up most of the room.

Chairs were all around the table

and once you were seated,

you were there until someone moved

to let you out.

In the corner was a china cabinet

filled with what I thought was the most beautiful dishes,

probably mostly depression glass.

The plate on the easel belonged to Grandma also,

a remaining piece of her "everyday dishes".

On the wall was one of my favorite pictures.

It was always there...back as far as I remember.

When the time came that Grandma's belongings were divided

among her family, my Mom took "The Gleaners" home with her.

For several years it hung on our dining room wall.

Some other piece of art caught Mom's eye & this picture

was covered up...thankfully not tossed in the trash.

At some point I found it, brought it home with me,

used it for a while & put it away.

I recently had it re-framed & it is now displayed in my kitchen.

I am trying to let my children know about some of my

"favorite things"

and why I hang on to them.

This picture has always reminded me of the story of Ruth,

one of my favorite Bible stories,

and it has special meaning since it belonged to my

beloved Grandma Fulkerson.

It also brings back memories of the times that

the aunts, uncles, & cousins

would come to Grandma's

and although Grandma's house was small,

we made enough room to share meals around

the family table.

Sometimes the younger ones would end up at the kitchen table.

We wouldn't have wanted it any other way.

Maybe someday it will hang on someone elses wall

and there will be more dining room memories.

2011-09-23T15:18:00.000-04:00

As I sat waiting for the school bell to ring signaling days end,

passing the time until 3 pairs of feet ran to my car,

I thumbed through a decorating catalog that came in the mail.

My eyes were drawn to a "word sign"

...and the words spoke to my heart.

Laugh when you can

Apologize when you should

and let go of what you can't change.

Kiss slowly

Forgive quickly

Play hard

Take chances

Life is too short

To be anything but happy!

It's been a long, hard summer

and I am ready for the coolness & colors of autumn

to sweep my way.

May the rest of this year find us happy!

The Commons...a great place to wear your grandkids out!

2011-08-18T21:44:00.001-04:00

It was a hot Saturday afternoon & I was keeping Carter & Brycen

for a while. They were ready to rock so I decided to let them

burn off a little steam...indoors...at our local playground.

The Commons

The old mall has been torn down & a new playground & performing arts center

are now in its place, some work still to be completed.

But the playground is open for business!

Our snazzy city bike racks

which the boys promptly climbed on!

Chaos

a kinetic sculpture of metal junk

by Jean Tinguely

an original piece preserved from the previous structure

It clings & clangs, huge metal balls go racing around

an enclosed roller coaster style pathway-

arms of metal move

and it is fascinating to stand & watch.

You can even throw coins in the pool around the base of it.

Around the corner is the playground-

air conditioned-

crawling with children of all ages-

and noisy!

Colors are bright & all areas have turf like surfaces

The centerpiece of the playground is the climber

and children of all ages love it!

I let the boys loose & before I knew it,

both had climbed to the very top!

It is enclosed with a web like material that makes it completely safe,

with no way of falling.

I lost track of how many times Carter & Brycen climbed that thing!

Carter was in his element.

I think he has springs in his feet as I have never seen a kid

jump like he does.

He was all over the place!

Brycen surprised me by taking off & being very active.

He was on Carter's tail!

All of the kids seem to want a try at this thing.

It is a tube filled with water.

When you crank the handle, a whirlpool forms,

almost like a tornado funnel.

The boys finally wore out & were ready to head to Grandma's house.

We discovered The Commons is a fun, safe place...

a great place to go let the kids run some energy off

on a hot afternoon.

A little more posing for Grandma

on our famous "C"...(Columbus is famous for the dancing C's)

Back to the car, down our brick paved sidewalks

Past our pretty potted plants

on most of our downtown street corners!

Eos

one of my favorite ladies of the streets!

Columbus, Indiana

our hometown, and a great place to live!

Days of "Firsts"

2011-08-15T22:37:00.003-04:00

She was 5 years old & so excited to begin her school years.

I would just as soon kept her at home!

But it was time to untie those apron strings...just a little bit

and let her venture out and discover the

wonderful world of knowledge.

She survived with flying colors.

And Mommy adjusted to not having her at home

during those school hours.

Too quickly, time came for our little boy to join her...

leaving just a little too soon to suit me.

He was 4, not having his 5th birthday until the end of November.

He too did very well, with both of our children finishing

their school work 1 year early.

If I had it to do over, I just might slow them down a little bit.

But slowing down was not in their plans, however.

Somewhere when I wasn't looking,

time passed by me too quickly.

Educations were achieved.

Romances happened.

Marriage vows were taken.

Grandbabies were born.

Those grandbabies grew up into grandchildren,

with some of them reaching school age before I knew it.

And this week,

the final three

will attend their first day of school.

All three are so excited...with the twins having their "first" today,

and our "baby" of the family going for his tomorrow.

More "firsts" will be coming our way in the next few years.

And I am loving all of them!

My Grandchildren...Karen's kids

Peyton (K) Parker (3rd) Paige (K)

My Grandchildren...Jeff's kids

Carter (2nd) Brycen (K) Kerrigan (6th)

North...to Michigan!

2011-08-03T23:35:00.000-04:00

I fully intended on sitting this car convention out at home.

But hot weather...and a bunch of other stuff

sent me on my way with Hubby,

this time to Kalamazoo, Michigan.

We travel in a Kodiak truck, pulling a double car trailer.

Normally I rent a car once we get to our destination.

This time was different as we were going off site

to some of the events and I decided to hang out

with the car gang for a change.

(Some of them didn't even know Bob had a wife...

since I usually hit the local attractions or malls!)

Two of our days were spent a 30 minute drive away from the hotel.

Other than being in Detroit, this was our first visit to Michigan.

I found the drive through the countryside quite beautiful,

ending up at a gorgeous 90 acre car museum.

There were several beautiful red barns, full of vintage automobiles,

and not just Chevy's!

I parked myself under a shade tree with our cooler full of sodas,

and my fully charged Kindle.

If I would have had a way to prop my feet up, I would have slept the day away!

Our first day there was shared with other car hobbyist.

They were expecting over 500 cars, but due to the heat,

the crowd was down to about 300.

Our second day at the Gilmore Auto Museum

was reserved for our club only,

The National Impala Association (NIA)

Somehow we neglected to take very many car photos this time.

That is our black '61 Chevy convertible on the left corner.

Farther down in this post, you will see our '63 Impala SS

(Bob says to tell you it is a 409!)

Palomar Red.

There. I think I got that right.

This 1960 Chevy Impala

was driven to the convention by Tom Merring

all the way from New Jersey!!!

with 34,000 actual miles-

including rust!

Can you imagine the looks he probably got on that trip?

He was thoroughly enjoying himself.

The grounds were gorgeous...and it was the part I enjoyed most.

From the Shell Station...

to the authentic diner

that served delicious Chicago style hot dogs

& yummy frozen custard!

On Show 'N Shine Day

the ladies loaded up in a bus & headed north again

towards Battle Creek,

leaving the guys sweating in the parking lot!

Lunch was waiting for us

at the Kellogg Manor

on beautiful Gull Lake

The summer home for the Kellogg family,

sitting on the hillside shore of Gull Lake.

I took tons on interior shots but will not post them...

since this is supposed to be all about cars!

So here are just a few ~

Sandy & me...

friends from many conventions ago.

Our daughters became friends a long time ago

& we usually see each other once a year.

The Shea's live in Texas.

Most of these ladies are new friends

since we are relatively new to the NIA.

The gardens were lovely!

The home is now also used for weddings & anniversaries.

Gull Lake

The water was a gorgeous turquoise!

The weather did cool down and our last couple of days were pleasant.

Bob & his '63

He NEVER poses with is car for the magazine shots,

so this was unusual for him.

And I never get in the picture with him.

Oh well...

maybe the rest of the crowd will realize that Bob does have a wife after all!

Vintage Photo Shoot with Paige

2011-07-11T00:39:00.000-04:00

It turned out just as I had envisioned ...

Paige, my little vanity dresser, a few vintage things,

and our photographer friend

on a summer evening

in my backyard.

Shasta daisies were in full bloom

and Paige was ready to pose.

It proved to be a challenge to photograph

the little dresser...with the mirror!

Who would have thought that the reflections in the mirror

would be part of the picture?

We had to shoo off a couple of brothers

who decided to do a little bike riding in the back yard!

And a neighbors house kept showing up where we didn't want it too.

Jenny, our photographer friend,

cheerfully got down on Paige's level

for the best shots.

It was a hot summer evening, with the gnats & mosquitoes

making a nuisance of themselves.

Paige pretended to have a tea party.

Here you can see that Grandma is in the photo too...

as the little girl in the picture frame,

behind Paige's shoulder.

She even got to pretend to be a bride...

using Grandma's wedding veil.

Sweetly posing...

Now I have decisions to make...

which photos to have printed--what size--how to display...

and this is only a select few of the ones I have to choose from.

I am so very happy with the way they turned out.

My thanks goes out to

Jenny Grissom

Grissom Portraits

The Dresser

2011-07-07T15:16:00.000-04:00

I think I was about 3 years old when I got this little vanity dresser.

I always remember having it.

It was in my bedroom when I was a little girl

& I would sit & primp or fix my dolls hair.

It's old....

My Uncle Ranny made it for me

out of plywood & orange crates.

I think I was about 3 years old

when he gave it to me.

As I grew older it was stored away in our basement.

Later, my little sister came along & it was hers to play with.

At some point, it was stored under the house in Overland Park

and later brought out for Karen to play with when she was at

her Grandma Brown's.

Years passed & it finally came home with me to Indiana.

My nieces came along & when they came to visit us

& I remember getting the dresser out of the attic for them to play with

when they played with their dolls.
One time I saw one of them carrying it around & I knew it was time

to put it away for a while before it was broken.

And then my granddaughter's came along & once again,

it came out of storage.

They have played with it for several years,

but recently I've noticed that they are about to outgrow it.

Tonight I'm having a friend take some pictures of Paige

with the little dresser before she gets much older

and doesn't care about it.

Once again...it is just a piece of wood.

But it has a history with me and I want to pass that history

on to the ones that I love.

Hopefully, fun photos to follow!

Celebrating on the Hudson

2011-06-30T13:20:00.000-04:00

This is a "re-post" from a couple of years ago. Our Tarrytown, New York car convention/vacation was probably one of my favorites. So this is for those who didn't read it before...

In the past, we have been away on vacation on many 4th of July holidays. It seemed that would be the time Bob's car conventions were scheduled, & away we would go, to places mostly across the Eastern part of the country, places we probably otherwise would never have visited.

The Tappan Zee Bridge crossing the Hudson River

at Tarrytown, New York

One of our favorite vacations was in 1988 when we traveling across that washboard of an excuse for an Interstate, I-80! We were in a one ton, extended cab Chevy, pulling at that time a single car trailer. Karen & Jeff didn't have much leg room on that small back seat, but we were no longer all able to squeeze on a single front seat. All of us remember the rough ride.

Our Dinner Cruise boat on the Hudson River, near New York City

Our car club had scheduled a dinner cruise on a river boat on the Hudson River to view fireworks on the 4th of July. Over 225 people waited outside the hotel for the 5 or 6 buses to come take us to the riverside...and we waited and waited & they never arrived. Frantically, the club president tried to find out where our rides were as the evening was beginning to get late & we were afraid the boat would leave without us. Finally he had us gather in, only to announce that much to his dismay, the buses had gone out on strike & would not be coming! You could hear the moans of disappointment roll through the crowd. Quickly, the president announced that if there was any way possible for you to drive down to the river, the boat was waiting.

We had made friends with a New Jersey couple while there & all of us made a quick decision to pile in Bob's truck & head for the river! Talk about a truck load! Karen, Mary & I climbed in the back seat (remember, it was NOT a full sized seat!) & Lennie put Jeff between his legs in the front seat while Bob drove. Off we went...with only a brief paper with only street names on it, no directions & no map. I remember it being very hilly country with curves & turns everywhere & Bob was driving like a mad man. (Well, maybe not quite that bad...) Amazingly, we came to what looked like a river dock, & there was our group boarding the dinner boat.

I don't remember the dinner being anything spectacular, but think I'll always remember that special July 4th, riding down the Hudson River, watching the beautiful fireworks displays. Just being in that historical part of the country gave us such a feeling of patriotism. Karen & Jeff still talk about it, & I'm pretty sure if those buses had arrived as they were supposed to, we wouldn't have made such an exciting memory.On that same vacation we were able to take a bus tour of New York City. And of course the highlight of that day was our ferry boat ride out to the Statue of Liberty on Liberty Island. All four of us made the hard climb up the 354 steps inside the statue, up into the crown. It was a hot July day, no air conditioning inside the statue, & the climb seemed to take forever, but once in the crown, the view was worth the trip.

We also got to go to Westpoint Academy for a tour & then a group picnic, also along the Hudson River.

That is just a glimpse of some of our memories of 4th of July's in the past, happy times when our children looked forward to our vacations. Another one of my sentimental journeys...

My Garden of Weedin'

2011-06-27T16:10:00.000-04:00

Summer slipped up on me

and I was in a mess.

Our kitchen remodel kept my attention,

back when it was time for me to be outdoors.

Then a knee problem came along and I was in trouble.

I kept waiting, wanting to clear out my gardens

but it never happened.

Thankfully, we were able to get help.

In one day, these two guys cleared out my gardens

and got everything back in shape.

Hubby had hauled in a dump truck load of mulch,

and another day, these two toted it around

and my flower gardens looked beautiful!

I was impressed at how hard they worked.

I am so thankful for my sister-in-law

sharing her helpers with me.

Endless Summer hydrangea

and Martha Washington geranium-on my front porch

New pots of annuals around my fountain

and cleaned out landscaping in the front yard.

Purple Palace heuchera's (coral bells) were mostly taken out.

Side garden, along driveway-

Easter lily, planted last year & just now blooming-

Aztec Gold hosta

Side yard garden

with wagon full of plants to be potted

(which I finally accomplished on Saturday!)

Lucifer ( I can't think of the botanical name at the moment...)

and a little hosta that I love.

White pines, some of which lost their tops

this past winter in our ice storm-

salvia-

Jolly Bee perennial geranium-

if you don't have this plant, I highly recommend it! -

and a view of the patio/sidewalk garden.

My overgrown gazebo garden

I almost pulled up the yellow flower this spring!

A variegated leaf came up that I didn't remember planting

and I almost jerked it up. A few days later, I noticed buds

on it so decided it could stay until it bloomed.

I'm not sure what it is, but glad I didn't dig it up.

Raspberry monardo or bee balm--

and way too many Shasta Daisys!

Daylilies

I have had the mauve colored one for years but do not know it's name-

the middle one is Grapette-

and the yellow one is unknown.

I guess I need to start keeping my plant tags...

and oak leaf hydrangeas-

They love my back yard!

For now, things are looking beautiful around here

and I am enjoying getting outdoors once again.

There has been so much rain this season,

it has been hard to get lawn chores done.

One phrase of an old Beatles song keeps going through my mind...

"I get by with a little help from my friends"

and that is what I may need to do from now on...

enlist some help.

(And no...I don't need to get high with a little help from my friends!"

Hehe....

The Cousins

2011-05-21T21:21:00.001-04:00

Long ago, there were 3 little girls born within the same family circle.

It was 1949...and their roots ran deep in the Fulkerson clan.

They were...& still are 1st cousins!

Cherie, Sheila & Luana

about 3 years old

I grew up in the small little Missouri town where our Mom's & Dad's were from,

while job opportunities took aunts & uncles in other directions.

It was Grandma's hometown also, so through the years, family

members would gather for holidays, summer vacations, hunting trips,

or just times to be together.

My family always enjoyed the benefits of living where Grandma did

and our house was used for beds when the crowd was very large.

We loved it when company was coming!

For a couple of years, Luana & her family moved to Hallville

and we were so excited to be in the same classroom.

Cherie & her family lived in St. Joseph, Missouri.

We all three married at a young age & began our families.

Luana & I both lived in the Kansas City area & before our babies

came along, spent a lot of weekends together.

And we would all get together when it came family reunion time.

Last October, I made a trip to visit my sister in Kansas & we

had a lunch date with our cousins.

As usual, I invited Cherie to come see me sometime.

She told me that she was going to surprise me and really come...

and she did!

Early in May, Luana & Cherie caught a flight to Indiana

and spent six days with us.

You can tell by the above photo that we had a great time!

Luana & her family had been here many times before,

but in almost 44 years,

it was the first time that Cherie had ever been in our home.

On a cold, damp, blustery day, we traveled through the rolling hills

of southern Indiana, to Stream Cliff Farm,

one of my favorite places to take my out of town guests.

But this day was almost unbearably chilly

& we skipped the opportunity to walk through the gardens.

We had lunch in Twigs & Sprigs Tea Room

and I had their delicious Verbena Lemonade!

We browsed through the shops & snapped silly photos of each other.

The next day warmed up a bit & we traveled west to Nashville...

Indiana that is--picturesque Brown County.

Luana & Cherie met up with this old geezer right away.

Nashville is full of all kinds of shops

but I took them to some of my favorites.

Lunch was at The Hob Knob where I neglected to shoot a picture!

And that evening we walked out back to Bob's car shop

and let him show off his cars & memorabilia to Cherie.

Luana strutting her stuff in by the '57

Cherie drooling over the '67 Vette.

Lu getting frisky with Elvis!

Cherie flirting with our famous Hoosier, James Dean.

(There is no smoking in Bob's Car Shop--so he painted

out Jame's cigarette!)

All 3 of us trying to look like little girls.

(It didn't work!)

Family came to visit...Steve with his cousins...

Karen popped in for a little bit to say "hi"...

the sun came out & we walked around my yard to see what was blooming...

and Bob surprised Cherie with a fast ride in his Corvette!

See her yelling as they pull out of the driveway?

We had a wonderful few days together--

getting to really know each other--

sharing family tales

laughing until we had tears in our eyes--

sometimes sharing heartaches,

better understanding each other--

and promising to get together again.

We found out that none of us are Spring Chicks!

Luana has trouble with her feet & can't hear a lick..

causing Cherie & I to crack up when she would start

talking about something completely different than we were.

Cherie has had serious back problems & at one point

wasn't sure she could make the trip.

I have had knee problems & recently had to get a

cortizone shot in order to be able to climb my stairway.

So...we are thinking that maybe our next little get together

should be sooner than later.

Our "old lady-ness" caused lots of laughs.

All of our parents, grandparents, aunts and uncles are gone.

We, along with quite a few other cousins

are what is left.

And we aren't quite ready for the family circle to fade away.

Family...

that's what it is all about.

Kitchen Reveal

2011-05-11T13:47:00.000-04:00

The kitchen that I have dreamed about is finally finished!

After 48 days without a functioning kitchen, we are back in business.

I cannot describe to you how much hard work went into this project.

I appreciate every contractor that jumped when we said to,

how my hubby worked all day and late into the night,

making sure every detail was perfect,

and how my family put up with us during our "shut down" time!

I had company coming on Monday, May 2nd

and the last piece of cabinet trim was nailed on two days before.

And only then could we begin restocking the cabinets,

clean the dust covered dishes, sort through the cooking utensils,

and get rid of the drywall dust & dirt.

I would never had made it if it hadn't been for Karen's helping hand!

I wore out long before she did.

And now for a ton of pictures...

We used our existing cabinets, except for 3 units that had to be replaced.

Our cabinet man took all of the units to his shop to refinish then,

only to find out that after my 32 years of waxing, his urethane finish "fish-eyed"...

or would not flow out smoothly. So--touch up was done, & they hauled them back,

late Tuesday afternoon.

And then the fury of installation began!

Here are Jeff & Andy, the cabinet makers, installing the sink base.

I'm thinking that Jeff might not be too happy at this point!

Thanks to Jack, our electrician, who helped Bob with installation.

He then put in under counter lighting--which I absolutely love!

And then, being the handy man that he is, he installed the wall tile.

The tile was installed on Friday, with Jack coming back Saturday

morning to grout. We were running down to the wire!

Friday afternoon found Karen cleaning like crazy!

She ran circles around me, while I stood in a daze, trying to tell her

where to place things. She completely filled my pantry (photos of it below).

I warned her that I may have to call her if I can't find some of my canned goods!

Karen helped me until late Friday night, came back Saturday afternoon,

and we even sneaked in a little dusting & last minute things on Sunday afternoon.

Whew! -- We about didn't make it.

Counter tops are Riverstone Quartz from Menards.

I would highly recommend their product!

The stone cutters were from Wisconsin. They sent a template that they had

made from Bob's dimensional plan and it was perfect.

The pattern is "Aspen" with an Ogee edge.

I fell in love with the farmhouse style sinks several years ago, thinking that when I

changed over, I would probably go with white.

But our plumbing supplier happened to have this sink in stock with a special price

just for me!...and I quickly decided that I would keep the beige theme.

The sink is made by Koehler & the finish is "cane sugar"

a biscuit color with a slight crackle finish.

Because of the apron front, a new cabinet was built.

I had them put in one large pull out open drawer in the bottom of it.

Old vinyl flooring & under layment were removed.

Floors were leveled up with "Flow Floor" (a miracle worker!)

and new Mohawk wood flooring was installed.

Our trim man came & started the job, but Bob installed most of it.

I scooted around for days trying to get the glue residue off of it!

Our island was moved into the kitchen area several inches,

giving us more counter top room. Before, I only had a 3 or 4 inches behind

the cook top surface, leaving little serving area.

We also bumped out the cook top/oven area 4 inches, giving us more room.

All bulkheads were removed.

This shows the island vented hood which used to be about 9 inches lower,

& caused lots of knocked heads, for guests that did not realize it was in the way!

This has opened up the kitchen area, making it feel more roomy,

even though we have taken up more floor space.

The old kitchen had a cook top with double doors below for storage.

My old oven was only 19 inches interior, & I fought it for years at holiday times.

My new oven is 30 inches, a regular baking oven, & convection oven.

Now if I could just figure out how to use it!

My old cook top still worked, but the main burner cooked hot.

So we decided to replace it and went with the touch pad control.

I love it but the touch pad is very sensitive & I have to make sure

I always leave it in the lock position when I'm finished cooking.

The fridge used to be on the right end, next to the wall.

And my old oven was under the microwave.

I still find myself walking to that corner to put things in the fridge!

The microwave is an "Advantium Oven".
It microwaves, speed bakes (4 times faster)
& is also a convection oven.
I need to take an afternoon & read my owner's manuals
as I haven't discovered which buttons to push when, just yet.

With the bulkheads removed, all cabinets were raised higher,

leaving me more space between the cabinets.

The wrought iron Longaberger shelf had to be on my island before.

This has now become my little coffee bar & I'm enjoying the shelf

in a different location.

This unit had to be rebuilt also.

I lost my pots & pans storage that used to be under the cook top,

but the 3 deep drawers are much more convenient & hold more.

One of my favorite things.

And after 39 years (including our other house)

we no longer have a "side by side" refrigerator!

I'm calling this beauty "the Beast".

It's huge & I love it!

All of the other appliances are GE Profile, except this,

& it is a Samsung.

I had been eyeing it online ever since we got our Samsung

washer & dryer set that I like so well.

Lots & lots of storage space!

I just need to find time to go grocery shopping & restock the fridge.

Our other fridge is now in the garage & being used

for water bottles, Cokes, & overflow.

I'm looking forward to having extra fridge space when family comes.

And this is my pantry.

This is original with the cabinets from 1979
& has held a ton of groceries over the years.
I thought you might like to take a peek inside to see just how much it will hold.

Both doors swing out on piano style hinges.

The shelves on right hand door did have to be removed,

but more shelves will be added in the back of the left side...

after our cabinet man recovers from being overworked!

Then the interior shelves swing out to more storage space in the back of the unit.

I also have a closet with storage for canned goods so we should never run out of food!

Back to the sink side...

you can see the effect of the under counter lighting.

We also added more ceiling fixtures so the lighting in the kitchen is much better.

Our faucets weren't too many years old & in very good condition.

I loved them so decided not to get new ones.

They have the Venetian bronze finish-Koehler, I think.

Ceramic tile came from Lowes

6x6 Roman Stone-beige

My original thought was to use an accent color of pale aqua or lighter blue.

I searched everywhere & could never find a rug with that color in it that I liked.

When I found this rug, I knew that the color needed to be green.

I ordered the rug from Home Decorators & they have it in several sizes.

The table & chairs are completely different that what I had envisioned,

yet I love them & wouldn't change them.

We have never had anything but a round table.

Thankfully, Bob went shopping with me & picked out the rectangle table.

I had envisioned a black table & chairs.

Bob's eye saw these & we knew they would be perfect.

The off white in the rug makes the table & chairs pop &

compliment each other.

New linen colored valances set it off.

There is a table leaf that lets us seat 8 very comfortably.

So after 32 years of looking across the table at each other each morning,

Bob & I now sit side by side.

I looked for a replacement light over the table but never found one

that I liked better. This one has a "down" light, which I use in the evenings,

& most fixtures don't come with that.

So, I sent Bob to the garage with a can of "Venetian bronze" spray paint,

as the light wasn't quite the finish that I wanted,

& it now looks like new!

I'm not sure that I ever that I ever thought that we would remodel

quite to this extent. But we are here to stay & I want to enjoy the kitchen

for many more years. It's now back open for business & I cooked all last week in it.

During those 48 days without a kitchen, we ate out most evenings.

Because of all of the rain, I was only able to grill out 3 different nights.

Then I would be so exhausted by evening time, we would just go out to eat.

I'm thinking it may be a long time before we want fast food again!

I was at Walmart a few days ago & saw a new "Kitchen & Bath" magazine

and realized that I don't have to buy those anymore!

What a relief to finally be half way back to normal.

Ya'll come see me sometime...

& I'll show you my new kitchen!

The Table

2011-04-17T22:15:00.002-04:00

It has been a part of our family for almost 35 years now...that old kitchen table.

I remember the day we bought it.

We shopped all over the big stores in Indianapolis,

searching for the perfect round table that would fit our eating area,

only to return to the little town of Edinburgh to find just what we wanted,

right up the road at Douthit's Furniture Store.

Birthdays have been celebrated around it.

Our children have grown up & have families of their own,

who now have stood behind their own birthday cakes

as we belt out the "happy birthday" song.

I have used it for all kinds of activities.

During my seamstress years, I used it as a cutting table.

During my crafting years, I used it for my project table.

Before the days of cordless phones, I would stretch the long cord

and talk several times a week to my Mom

while sitting at the table.

I have opened mail on it, sorted bills, read greeting cards,

written letters, addressed Christmas cards,

and sat and soaked up the letters from home.

The kids used it for a desk and would do their homework there each evening.

As a young girl, Karen would make sure that our family of four

gathered around that table each night for our ritual bedtime snack.

I've stirred gallons of strawberry freezer jam on May mornings.

I've shucked corn & then cut it off the cob, using the table for work space

on hot summer afternoons.

I've scattered my cookie sheets around the table,

where I hurriedly poured out pans of golden peanut brittle.

Cookies have been cooled there.

Cakes have been frosted.

It has been a place where Easter eggs have been colored.

It has served as a wrapping paper station.

When my grand babies were small,

it became my staging area for snapshots.

It held bouncy seats where I was able to feed the twins at the same time.

Graduation announcements were addressed there.

Wedding invitations were folded.

Family and friends have gathered around the table

for food and fellowship.

We have watched the world go by as we sat at the table

and could see the traffic traveling north and south on I-65...

before the trees became to dense and tall and blocked our view.

We have watched spring time arrive as we gather around the table

and see the trees begin to turn a tinge of green.

We have watched the snow fall and the icicles grow long

while the winter winds of Indiana whipped across our back yard.

Then there were the times when we knew some of our loved ones

wouldn't be coming back to our table many more times.

...the time that Karen came home one evening

to distract me by carving pumpkins for Halloween

because we knew the news we would be getting about Mom

wasn't going to be good.

I'll never forget that last Christmas when Mom made her way to the table

to surprise us all by eating a pretty good plateful of food.

The table has served us well and I never thought I would want to replace it.

But it's time...time to move on.

And anyway, it's just a big chunk of wood...

I know that.

We made the decision to get a new table and chairs

for our "new" kitchen.

It came Friday

and I am looking forward to making a lot of memories around it also.

Bob & I have looked across the table at each other in this house

for almost 32 of those years.

Now we will be sitting side by side

because neither of us wants to take the back seat

as we wouldn't want to miss what might be happening out our window!

Our family still has meals together,

especially the evening meal and Sunday dinner.

When we were ordering our table, I casually mentioned that our

grandchildren would be sitting around the table for Sunday dinners.

Our sales lady exclaimed that she didn't know anyone did that anymore

and she was thrilled to know that our family still had that tradition.

Oh yes...I want my grandchildren to remember

good times around Grandma's kitchen table!

And the old table is going to a good home...

still in the family,

to my brother's house!

Locked Doors

2011-03-29T21:19:00.002-04:00

One recent afternoon, I took a few minutes to go visit with

my husband's aunt in our local nursing home facility.

Aunt Mary's face lighted up when she saw me

and I instantly regretted not coming sooner.

You see, just a few days ago she lost her beloved companion

whom had been by her side for over 70 years.

And now she is alone.

Alone in a strange room, an unfamiliar place, sharing the space

with someone else that is alone.

Through no fault of her family that loves here dearly,

she cannot live out of these surroundings on her own.

Aunt Mary, like her sister who was my mother-in-law,

has Alzheimer's.

Her mind can still be quite sharp & she usually knows who I am

and calls me by my name.

But as she talks, I realize that she thinks I am someone from "home"...

from her past...where she is living today.

I try not to mention her husband, yet she remembers & begins to talk about him.

I don't mention her daughter, their only child,

that they lost not too many years ago.

I don't mention the two sisters & two brothers

that have made their final journey,

some many years ahead of her.

We visit & talk about springtime,

about our gardens, about things that will not trouble her

and she seems content.

I looked at the clock & saw that it was time for me to go.

And she followed me

to that locked door,

holding on to my arm,

wanting to go with me...

and it broke my heart to have the nurse gently take her by the hand

and lead her back to her new friends

and I looked away from her to the hallway ahead

and hated it when I heard the heavy thud of that locked door.

Putting Bob the Builder to Work!

2011-03-24T20:29:00.000-04:00

Being married to a builder...and a guy named Bob at that!

I'm always dreaming about one of the projects he has going.

Our house was built in 1979-

back before the days of the open floor plans,

with kitchens & family areas blending together--

when bulk heads were in style--

when we would never, ever think of putting wood floors in our kitchens,

much less ceramic!

I love my home & there is no way we will be moving--

Tipton Lakes would frown on Bob's car shop

& long, long car trailer.

So we will be here on the top of Carr Hill

until one or the other of us can no longer climb the stairs to the bedrooms.

And my dream is about to come true...

You may remember my post from last October,

asking for any advise on redoing our kitchen.

I was anxious to get rid of the almond appliances-

the country blue vinyl floor

and the "country" decor!

About 3 weeks ago, I decided I had lived with that dirty wallpaper long enough,

so the stripping began.

I was pretty sure there was another layer of wallpaper under there.

(Who knew we would live here so long?)

Not only was there another layer of wallpaper that had been painted over,

there were two layers of border that would only come off with steam!

I worked for days

steaming & stripping & scraping.

I began to plead with my Bob the builder,

telling him that this would be the perfect time to remodel.

I didn't even know where to start.

I knew I wanted a farmhouse sink,

so off I went to our local plumbing supply store,

pretty sure that I would be ordering a white sink.

Our sales lady quickly convinced me that "cane sugar" was the color

I needed as she had just what I wanted, already in their warehouse,

& at a bargain price.

And so it began.

Meanwhile, I knew in the back of my mind that I was going to have

company in early May. Discussing this one evening, Bob told me

that there was no way in the world that the kitchen

would be completed that soon.

Horrors!!!

I quickly responded by reminding him that he if he could do it for a client,

he could do it for me!

My two cousins were coming for a girl week,

one of them having never been here before, & I wasn't about to let her

see this mess! I did a little arm twisting/convincing/begging, and workers

crawled out of the woodwork! I knew with this economy that some of

these guys would be happy for a little extra work.

Anyhooooo....

Notice the bulk head.

I knew the next hurdle would be the flooring.

My heart was sort of set on ceramic tile,

mostly because I knew we wouldn't be replacing the cabinets

and I didn't want the kitchen too dark.

Margie the floor expert was call & she soon arrived with a trunk load of samples.

My idea of ceramic was thrown out the window as we had a floor problem

& didn't want broken tiles.

Cork? Nope...I hated it.

Tile that looked like ceramic that was really vinyl? Noooooo....

Wood?

YES!

Decision was made...and boxes of wooden flooring

are sitting in the middle of my family room at this moment.

Back to the bulk heads.

I had been wanting them out since 1993...

I remember because that's when I began buying Longaberger baskets

and really needed lots and lots of space to put them.

But Bob said there was plumbing in them from the upstairs bath

and it couldn't be done.

But someone else convinced him differently!

Margie (the floor expert/interior designer) said...

"Bob, why don't you take out those bulk heads as they

really are out of style. And that hood...it needs to be raised up!

It's way too low"

That's all it took.

So, after I steamed, stripped & scraped,

the bulk heads were torn out!

And guess what...

the plumbing wasn't down in the bulk head!

I could have had this look 18 years ago!

I am actually very thankful that it is happening now.

And this is our dining room...

two tables full of what was in our cabinets.

I can't believe I am showing you this mess...

but this is what happens when you remodel.

Mr. Drywaller & his assistants were here for a couple of days,

stirring up quite the dust.

Since the bulk heads were torn out & new drywall installed,

ceiling textures had to be blended...

...way into the family room

since there is no where to stop!

My family room was draped with plastic for a day or two

and still in quite the mess.

And this is my entryway.

Flocked, yes flocked!!! wallpaper

which has never been changed since we moved in here almost 32 years ago

and it is someone dirty, to say the least.

And it is two stories tall!

Bob & I had every intention of tackling this job ourselves.

Until I fell a few weeks ago & hurt my knee.

That's when I called the man that my friend had used..

(and she about "un-friended" me when I told her we would do it ourselves!...)

He is coming Monday

to strip the entryway wallpaper

and repaint the walls.

Might as well make another mess while we are at it!

So, if you don't hear from me for a while,

you will be able to figure out where I am.

It all started with stripping a little wallpaper and I thought

I would be finished in a few days.

At this point all of my downstairs looks like it's been bombed!

I had to go on a treasure hunt this morning just to find my mail key.

We are breakfasting in the upstairs playroom

and having lunch in the garage.

Needless to say, there is no way to cook around here for a while.

One thing has lead to another

that I will tell you about later.

I hope that we have made the right choices.

Bob has a good eye for putting things together in his houses

so I have depended on him to help me make some decisions.

This is something that we shouldn't have to ever do again.

I'll let you know how it turns out.

Wish me luck!

Company's coming!

We're Off to See The Wizard!

2011-03-14T00:00:00.001-04:00

The last few weeks have been a little hectic around my household.
Thus...blogging has been put on hold for a while.

It seems that my wish is finally coming true
and we are in the process of re-doing our kitchen.
One day I decided to tear into the wallpaper,
steamed, stripped, chiseled, scored layers of way outdated design
and found myself in a total mess.
I casually mentioned to hubby that I really wanted to get some things done
and they needed to be finished before
May as that is when company was coming.
Glaring at me, he said "no way will that happen"
& I sweetly smiled back (well maybe not so sweetly...)
and said...
"OH YES...I HAS TO BE DONE AND WE HAVE TO GET BUSY
RIGHT NOW!!!"

And so as of this moment,
I have no functioning kitchen.
This morning everything was removed from our cabinets,
the upper cabinets were hauled to the garage,
work began reinforcing the swagging floor,
and we are to the point of no return.
It looks like we've been bombed!

I'll not bore you with the details...
but I've been busy.
In a few weeks I'll show you what we have been up to.

Meanwhile . . .

It is our daughter's birthday!

This morning I frantically called her up to wish her a happy birthday...

and then to tell her if she was going to have a party

it was going to have to be at her house

as mine was a disaster.

I think she freaked out a little herself, but agreed to spend her day off work

preparing for her own party!

Since she is a "Dirt Cake" lover

and would much rather have a dessert like that

than a store purchased cake,

I went over & whipped up her favorite

in her kitchen.

Our family did celebrate by having dinner at Johnny Carinos.

Thankfully, Karen was a good sport & enjoyed her day in spite of our difficulties.

Next year I promise to do better!

And in the middle of our remodeling-

I'm leaving town!

Wednesday afternoon, I will be doing some back seat driving

and grandkid watching

as Karen, her 3 children & I travel to Kansas to visit with my sister.

Karen has been wanting to go for quite some time

so we are going out on Spring Break.

Karen was so exited to hear that the Princess Diana Exhibit

will be in town while we are there.

That is definitely on our "to do" list.

And Paige can hardly wait to go to the

American Girl Doll store!
I've even heard that there is some kind of
dinasour place that the boys might enjoy.

So for a few days

we will be "off to see the Wizard"--

in the land of Oz. . .

Kansas

Overland Park, to be exact!

By the way...
the photos are some of my favorites of Karen as a little girl.
I can't believe we just celebrated her 37th year!

"I Can't See Me Lovin' Nobody But You. . . "

2011-02-14T19:15:00.000-05:00

We were just kids that first Valentine's Day,

44 years ago. . .

me still being 17,a senior in high school

he 18 and a freshman in college

But from the beginning

we knew we were meant to be together.

After a 7 month whirlwind romance,

we were married

in those stormy days of the sixties

somehow escaping the drug culture of the day

and surviving during the Viet Nam era

when many friends went off to war...

somehow we made it.

And I've never regretted saying "I do"

on that warm August night

when my whole world changed,

becoming a bride at the age of 18.

And as the lyrics of one of our favorite songs says,

I still mean it...

"I can't see me lovin' nobody but you

for all my life.

When you're with me baby the skies will be blue

for all my life.

Me and you and you and me,

No matter how they toss the dice, it has to be

The only one for me is you, and you for me

So happy together"!

Happy Valentine's to the man of my life!

Lyrics from "Happy Together" by The Turtles

Valley of the Kings

2011-02-08T21:31:00.000-05:00

Part Two

of our Holy Land Tour -- 1979

Our first day of touring was actually in Luxor, Egypt.

We flew from Indianapolis, to Amman, Jordan

where we spent hours & hours waiting for a connecting flight,

then flew on to Cairo, Egypt.

After about 4 hours of sleep,

we had to go back to the Cairo airport for a flight to Luxor.

And believe me...by the time we landed, we were wide awake!

I remember the decent into Luxor

as feeling like we were on a downward

roller coaster ride.

I'm sure that pilot must have been left over from their Air Force

& still thought he was dodging bullets!

A thrill ride we will always remember. . .

See...I told you we had to get up early!

The sun wasn't even all the way up when we landed in Luxor.

Bob says he still remembers the feeling of being a stranger

in a foreign land in this airport.

It was very small & almost deserted.

But our guide did show up & off we went to the tombs!

I am still amazed at how wide the Nile River is.

Our destination was across the river & we had to

ride the ferry to the other side.

And from the bus window we passed many scenes like this.

Men walked behind their oxen which still pulled plows through the Egyptian dirt.

It was as if we were walking back through the pages of the Bible.

To reach the Valley of the Kings,

we drove down a winding roadway,

passed age old monuments,

to what was once a secret passage way

to the burial grounds of the Kings & Queens of Egypt.

We drove down into a deep valley, into the hot dessert,

where workers were still excavating, searching for

the riches of long ago.

The Valley of the Kings

Luxor

In 1979, I'm not sure I even realized who King Tut was.

His tomb was discovered in 1922 by Howard Carter,

& in recent years, you may have been able to see for yourself,

some of King Tut's treasures.

Other kings were entombed here. . .

& I wish I hadn't waited almost 32 years

to journal about my trip

as details are now a foggy memory.

A short distance away is the burial grounds for Egypt's queens.

It was amazing to see the excavated ruins of temples built long ago,

stone upon stone, placed without the help of our modern day equipment.

At the description of our guide,

I finally saw how walkways of sand could be made

for the workers to manually haul the large stones in place.

Even at understanding that concept,

the accomplishments of that day seemed almost impossible.

Built during the reign of Queen --or King as she declared herself--

Hatshepsut

Our shopping center for the day. . .

Our tour guide promised that we would

not find alabaster pieces anywhere else

at such a bargain price.

They certainly didn't have a lot invested

in their showroom!

We came home with 2 beautiful vases that I still display.

Surrounding buildings, near our souvenir shop . . .

children came out of the stone rubble to beg from us.

I still remember tossing a pack of gum out the bus window

to a little girl who had the saddest brown eyes,

& to my horror, other little girls knocked her down

& took the gum away from her.

Our bus driver wouldn't let me off to give her any more.

And these dudes begged Bob to take their picture with me!

They seemed harmless

but of course wanted "baksheesh"--

which I now see is "a gratuity--or bribe for services".

Yip...they wanted $$$.

And this was just how we spent our morning.

Luxor...

land of the Pharaohs, kings & queens

of the Nile

Photos are taken from 35 mm slides,

scanned, enhanced & still not very good quality.

If we were to take the same trip today,

I cannot imagine how many digital shots I would come home with!

My Egyptian Journey

2011-02-02T22:00:00.002-05:00

Happenings in Cairo have brought back memories

of our trip there. I found my slide reels, scanned the following photos,

enhanced them all I could, & want to share my story.

At the time, Bob was our camera man & our camera wasn't the greatest.

I have reels & reels of slides from three trips to the Holy Land.

Over the next few weeks, perhaps months (it takes a lot of scanning)

I hope to share highlights.

Hopefully I won't put you to sleep like we did the Toalson's many long years ago!

It doesn't seem like it's been that long.

The memories are still vivid,

but our trip to Egypt happened over 31 years ago.

It was 1979 & I was 30 years old,

Bob was 31 & our two very small children

stayed home with their grandmother.

It was my first time ever to be out of our country...

other than Canada--but that felt more like home!

Bob's father is a minister & over the years he has hosted

many trips to the Holy Land.

He wanted his family to experience

walking in the footsteps of history

and first took Bob on one of his tours in 1977.

That is a story in itself!

Wanda & Bob Greathouse, Brayton & Imogene Thompson,

Grandmother Thompson, me (Sheila)

Leon Hollin, Rev. Robert Thompson, & my husband, Bob

Our group getting ready to leave for the airport.

That's me in the white sweater--& Bob with the black hair!

From Indianapolis to New York City,

our flight journeyed on to Amman, Jordan.

Our final destination would be Israel,

but since we were going to visit Arab nations,

we had to visit them first as we couldn't enter their countries

if we carried a passport with a stamp from Israel.

It was a long flight.

If I remember right it was about 10 hours

and Bob's Aunt Imogene never got out of her seat!

We landed in Amman, only to connect hours later with another flight to Egypt. There in Amman, I remember seeing very

young boys in military uniform, carrying guns,

guarding the airport.

When we landed in Cairo, I remember

the uncomfortable feeling of being in a foreign land,

waiting for our tour guide to meet up with us

in an unfamiliar airport,

to be taken on a small bus into the largest city

I had ever been in...

Cairo, Egypt.

And even though we arrived in the wee hours of the night,

people were out on the streets, traffic was zooming in all directions,

& we experienced the most harrowing ride I have ever taken.

At that time, Egyptians paid no attention to traffic laws...

if there were any,

went roaring through traffic lights

whatever color they happened to be,

honked crazily on their horns,

weaved in & out of traffic,

drove with only their parking lights on,

and amazingly got us to our hotel safely in one piece!

I think our bus driver's name must have been Jehu!

(look him up in the Bible)

Our home in Cairo was the Shepherd Hotel.

From the front door it looked lovely.

Even the lobby was elaborate

& I was excited to get to our room.

Kicking my shoes off first thing, as I always do,

my feet squished in a very soggy rug...

which immediately gave off

the aroma of soured water.

The front desk was called & a bell boy came up,

rolled up the wet rug

& dragged it out in the hallway. Yuck!

We later learned the reason for the wet carpet.

It seems the jellabiya clad cleaning men

mopped the floors by slinging buckets of water on the floor

& then slopped a mop around...leaving a smelly mess.

My first impression of Cairo...not a very nice one.

And then the next morning we took a peak out our window...

to discover our view...

a rubbled mess!

Thankfully we were only here for a few hours of sleep

for two nights & I don't remember much about that.

I'm sure jet-lag had kicked in.

Our first day was actually spent in Luxor...

but I will save that for another time.

The Nile River was just across the street from us

& was much larger than

I had ever imagined.

I remember there being soldiers in uniform around on the streets,

& in the early hours, the streets were very busy.

As modern as it was, you could see the people were still living

as they did many years ago.

All modes of travel went down the streets

& miraculously merged together.

We were in another world...

another culture with codes of their own.

They instinctively knew when to jump out of harms way.

Bob still remembers this bus.

It was so loaded down with people,

there was standing room only.

The back windows were broken out

& the bus swayed from side to side

as it hurried down the street.

Young boys drove their donkey carts

along the streets with the cars & buses.

Cigarette stands seemed to be everywhere.

I think all the adults smoked.

And Anwar Sadat was still president.

It would be two years later when he was assassinated.

We saw his picture displayed in several places around the city.

And then we drove a ways out of Cairo,

away from the hustle & bustle of the noisy crowds,

to a quieter place...

It was amazing to see them rising from the sands

of the Sahara Desert...

the three pyramids of Giza.

You cannot imagine how larger they are

unless you have been there.

And to think that each stone was hand carved,

many of them from miles away,

carried to this deserted sight to be stacked

one by one upon each other.

Nearby is the great Sphinx of Giza,

watching protectively over the pyramids.

And then it was time for a treat...a new experience.

Especially new for me as I hardly knew how to straddle a horse,

much less a hump backed camel!

That's me--straggling back at the bus...probably about ready to change my mind!

Our tour guide gave us strict instructions to only tip these guys $5.00

no matter how much they pleaded & begged.

Well...one guy grabbed the reigns on Clyde

& headed off with Bob in one direction,

while my guy grabbed the reigns on Cleo

& off we went another way!

I well remember he was leading me away

& I knew he was wanting money.

I sternly...& I think rather loudly!...told him that I didn't have any money

on me & to take me back to my husband RIGHT NOW!

Off we went to meet up with Bob

who had given our camera to his guy to take his picture.

And what a pretty view he got!

(There was one other one but he cut Bob's head off.)

We made them head back to the bus, but first they wanted their tip.

Bob gave it to them & then we found out

that they did know English!

They burned our delicate ears

with some choice swear words (in perfectly spoken English!)

and we were thankful that we weren't within ear shot

of our fellow travelers.

From there it was on to the Cairo Museum.

We have no pictures of the interior as I'm sure photography wasn't allowed.

I have no postcards, no brochures...

so I don't remember what all we saw.

I do remember the mummies.

Rooms full of mummies.

And believe me,

once you have seen one mummy, they all look alike!

We all know that Cairo is in turmoil today.

I saw that part of the museum was on fire today,

set by some of the protesters.

And I felt sad.

Why would they want to damage their own treasures?

For they do have treasures that we don't have.

Their history goes back into the sands of time...

the times of the Pharaohs, the times of the ruling Queens,

the time of Moses,

the times of the Israelites being slaves in this land,

the time when Joseph & Mary fled with young Jesus...

Why would they want to destroy something that is their own?

We drove by the Presidential Palace,

heavily guarded even back then.

The two trips that I have made to this part of the world

makes the news come alive to me.

Egypt has been our friend

and hope it can remain that way.

An interesting footnote...

Two men from our town have been evacuated

from Cairo.

One is our neighbor's son who has been

attending the University of Cairo.

They were safely evacuated to Istanbul.

Sweet Aunt Mary

2011-01-18T22:45:00.000-05:00

The "aunts" in Bob's family have always

been a special part of our lives.

And now that my aunts & uncles are gone,

these sweet ladies mean more to me than ever.

There are only two surviving

and today was Aunt Mary's birthday.

Her sister's always called her "Mary Jo".

She was born Mary Josephine,

down in the hills of southern Indiana.

Like my mother-in-law,

her sister Bonnie,

she too has Alzheimer's.

The Colbert Family

Levi, Amelia, John

Bonnie, Bernice, Donna & Mary

They were a close knit family,

always remembering each other's birthdays,

celebrating holidays together,

finding any kind of excuse to see each other.

Mary was a farmer's wife.

She had the duty of preparing a full noontime meal

for the farm workers every weekday.

Some days would even find her helping in the fields.

Her home and family were her world

and she saw that both were well taken care of.

She was a wonderful cook, a gardener, a talented seamstress,

& she was devoted to her church.

Ralph & Mary had one daughter, Brenda Gayle

and she was the joy of their life.

And what no parent should ever have to face,

they lost their Brenda a few years ago.

on their 60th wedding anniversary

Life's journey has brought them to our home town.

Within the last two weeks, for health reasons,

they have had to make some major changes

in their lifestyle, at least temporarily.

Ralph fell, broke his hip, had surgery & is having

to go through rehabilitation.

Mary cannot live alone.

on their 70th anniversary

I've watched them in the last two weeks.

Their love for each other is still evident

after more than 70 years together.

I'm not sure one could survive without the other.

He mumbles words that I can't understand

and she repeats what she thinks he said

and is usually right!

Sweet Aunt Mary

This is Aunt Mary's 90th birthday.

I went to see her & in her state of mind,

she didn't realize what day it was.

We visited for quite a while,

she asking me about things in her past

that I didn't know.

She told me things about the family that I did know...

that her mother was German-

her father was French-

she was the oldest child-

Donna the youngest-

that she married Ralph when she was 18-

she almost died when Brenda was born-

she knew her Brenda was gone-

and she was the wife of a farmer.

And now she sits in a wheelchair,

close to the beside of her Ralph,

encouraging him to get up & move around,

content to just be there with him.

They think that they will be going back home soon,

as soon as Ralph can get his strength back.

And they are beginning to realize that they can no longer

do it alone.

Ninety years.

Aunt Mary told me that they go by so quickly...

and for me to be sure to enjoy my family while I'm young.

It's only 28 years away!

The Dirty Bird! -- or Murder in My Back Yard

2011-01-15T23:17:00.001-05:00

I'm a bird feeder.

Well, I suppose I should word that as...I enjoy feeding the birds.

The feeder is right out my kitchen window & I try to keep it filled,

especially on the very cold days.

I have chickadees, finches, cardinals, & way too many sparrows.

During the springtime there are many other varieties that come.

And while Steve was staying here for a while,

we got a book on the birds of Indiana & became

quite the bird watchers.

We have a Norway Spruce pine tree that we planted too close to the

patio many years ago, and it now stretches over 24 feet tall.

The birds love it.

I call it their high rise apartment.

You can watch them come to my feeder,

then scurry back to the safety of their tree.

But one of them got to brave late this afternoon.

Too late, I saw a hawk with something in his talons,

holding it down

& then he had his dinner!

Right there in my back yard, just out my kitchen window,

that dirty bird murdered one of my birds in cold blood!

I almost went to the door to shoo him away,

but I realized that it was too late to save what he had in his clutches,

so let nature take it's course.

I about lost MY appetite

& at one point had to walk away from the window.

I've seen him hanging around here for quite some time

and once saw him swoop down into my gazebo,

thankfully not catching any of my pretty finches.

I'm sure he will be back--

the dirty bird!

You should see the awful mess he made.

At least he could clean up after himself!

I think he is a Cooper's hawk.

Any of you bird watchers feel free to correct me!

Is There a Casket in the House?

2011-01-13T12:52:00.001-05:00

Snow days, Daddy having to go on a business trip,

& Mommy's 12 hour shift at the hospital

can make for frazzled nerves for the babysitter.

Not that they are bad kids...

it is just a little stressful when big brother is home from school,

it's too cold to go outside,

& you are used to the peace & quiet of your own home.

That is what happened to Uncle Steve yesterday,

the official sitter for the day.

So...I told him to bring them out to Grandma for a while.

Spaghetti is one of their favorite meals

so as they played in the family room

I stirred up the pasta & hurried to finish dinner.

The twins were playing & out of one ear

I heard Paige say to Peyton

"Hey! Let's play dead."

Next I heard giggles so I thought maybe I should

take a peak at what in the world they were doing.

I wish I would have snapped a picture!

There in my brand new bench that I had just been bragging about,

was Paige!

...with the lid up & her stretched out like she was in a casket!

Of course I hollered at them to get out of my bench right this minute

& never to do that again!

I then realized that just maybe Peyton & Paige have been too a few too

many funeral home visitations recently.

It just goes to show you that little eyes are more observant than we realize

& they do know what is going on.

And it also makes Grandma think that maybe she shouldn't

be quite so worried about her decor.
It only takes a 5 year old to knock the props

out from under you...

or the bottom out of your bench!

(Thankfully no furniture was damaged in this episode!)