Surprises in the Mail

A couple of weeks ago (time has gotten away from me) I received a package in my mailbox.



As a participant in Emma's book swap, I recieved my book from Fianna in Texas (the state of my birth) at Fianna's Little Internet Space.

She included a note that says "Here is my well-read copy of "The Center of Everything". I love this book and hope you do as well. Enjoy."



This weekend, the housework and the yardwork will have to wait ... BECAUSE I AM GOING TO START READING MY NEW BOOK !

Many thanks to Fianna and Emma too!

Wednesday, I got another surprise in the mail.

The envelope was from the American Red Cross and my first thoughts were "give me a break with the asking for a donation - I can't donate again until October 29th !!" I opened up the envelope and this is what I found ...



WOO HOO !! Nowadays, $10. worth of free gas IS A BIG DEAL !!

The next surprise is not on the recieving end for me.




I'm sending it!

To SJ because sometimes I CAN BE NICE !!

A few Fun Mondays ago, I said that I had ordered something for her - just because! It finally came and tomorrow it will hit the post office (after sitting on my dining room table for a few weeks). So as to NOT spoil her surprise, she will have to post about it when it arrives !!

Update to the Fun Monday referenced above:

The elderly neighbor that I chat with almost every day - had a birthday on Wednesday (73 years young). Her son is taking her to dinner on Sunday at a fancy smancy resturaunt in DC. She invited me (and another neighbor) to come along !! We have to be at his condo in Alexandria by noon so we can relax and have champagne before dinner ... Reservations at 2:00.

Said son is a big time lawyer and evidently has $$. She said his first choice was The Palm Restaurant in Washington DC but it is closed that day for a private party. (check out the prices for a steak !!). I think I am in for a treat !! Most of the dining establishments that I tend to go to (Taco Bell knows my order when I pull up to the drive through window) don't even require a tip !!

Have a wonderful weekend.

Happy Anniversary Mr. and Mrs. Jones

It was a beautiful day on Saturday, October 2, 1999.



I hope that Tuesday, October 2, 2007 was a beautiful day also.





The lady that runs the place is STILL a nut case!

We were there this past weekend ... and well, there WAS a wedding taking place at the church at the other end of town! I am so glad that you waited until the weekend AFTER the craft show!!



AND that other Mrs. Jones sure does love to shop !!



Happy 8th Anniversary to my youngest sister and her husband. Wishes for many more years together and much love to you both.

Fun Monday - # 13 - Put Your Best Foot Forward

Robin at PENSIEVE is our hostess this week and her "Official Marching Orders" are:

Shoes tell a lot about a person and we wanna delve deeply into your soul sole. Photograph your favorite pair--or pairs--of shoes and tell us a little about why they're near and dear to your toes heart. Show us your baby bronzed booties...let us see the shoes YOU HAD TO HAVE (but have never worn)...or all those grotesquely dyed-to-match formerly white satin bridemaid's shoes that were worn ONCE...the reinforced steel-toe boots that saved your big toe from being hacked off in that industrial "accident"...or, just take pictures of your nekkid feet--gnarly bunions, twin toes, or perfectly OPI-pedicured tootsies.

So here goes ....

My most favorite (and most comfortable) pair of shoes are COMPLETELY.WORN.OUT but I still have them. I keep them on my porch and slip them on when I need to run out to the car. Or putter around the yard. They are no longer fit to wear in public.



I had another pair of them in white (they were in much better shape) until a few weeks ago ... when the dog I was dog-sitting decided he needed a snack and chewed them up. (I thought I had put them up high enough, but evidently not!) The one day I didn't put them in the closet with the door shut ...

Next, are shoes I just had to have (to go with a certain outfit) and I have worn them EXACTLY.ONCE ! They hurt my feet. I am so glad they were inexpensive. There is nothing worse than spending big bucks for them to sit in the bottom of your closet to collect dust.



As I post these pictures, I realize just how pathetic I am with my shoes - but comfort is my first concern !!

I love me some Mary Janes ... these are well worn but oh so comfy.



For the colder weather: A pair of (again) well worn Timberland hiking books that are at least a dozen years old.



I have some dyed-to-match shoes (plum colored from SJ's wedding) but I don't have a clue where they are and I'm too damned tired to go hunting for them!! Just picture them in your mind ... low heeled pumps in that material kind of finish - but they matched my dress and that is all that mattered at the time!

Me and OPI are friends. Back in late July, I had OPI'd toes. This picture was taken when I was on my cruise ... I don't remember taking the picture (why would I take a picture of my foot?). Maybe, I had a few drinks before walking down the stairs ! Maybe, I snapped the picture completely by accident and it just happened to perfectly catch my foot! I honestly don't' have a clue ... but it works for this week's Fun Monday !! (the toes are oh so pretty - the foot, not so much. It must have been later in the night because my ankle is swollen).



Don't drag your feet ... march on over and visit Robin to see all of the other footwear which I am sure is more pleasing to the eye than mine are !!

An added bit of humor (not meant to offend anyone)

Why does a blond have TGIF written on the inside of her shoes?
To remind her that Toes Go In First.

What A Week !!

This has been one hell of a week - work is kicking my butt !! I would like to hit Alt/Control/Delete - close it down and start over fresh !!

So ... last night was the season premier of Private Practice and tonight Grey's Anatomy.

I.don't.know.what.to.think !!

A bit disappointed - yet willing to give them another shot.

* Addison does a C-section without anesthesia and not in a hospital -

* Izzy saved a deer - shock paddles and all -

* A man was in an accident that left his brain severed from his spine - and he lives!

* A lunatic with a messed up knee gets a perforated stomach because he swallowed scissors (and clips and money and cotton balls, etc) -

* A woman has her arm severed but gives birth during the surgery -

All very bizarre ....

What do you think ??

Do any of these even vaguely resemble real life ??

Fun Monday # 12 - Favorite Recipe(s)

Lisa - The Food Snob is the gracious host this week. Her challenge is:

I want to see your favorite recipe, be it either because your grandmother wrote it, it's the easiest thing you can slap together that everyone likes, it makes you feel healthy, it's cheap, etc. You don't have to make it (although you could if you want) but let us see the index card, cookbook, printed paper from the web, and why it's a favorite in your house. If you have a lot, just pick one, I know I'll have to!



This is a favorite of my boys. In the fall/winter, they call me to see when I am going to make a batch - then they stop by to pick up some to take home. Neither one of their spouses will make them for them - nobody can do it like Mom !!

Cowboy Beans

2 lb. ground beef
1 large onion (chopped)
1 (16 oz) can pork and beans
1 (16 oz) can red kidney beans
1 (16 oz) can Great Northern beans
1/2 cup sugar
1 cup catsup
1 tsp. mustard
1 tsp. white vinegar

In a medium skillet, brown ground beef and onion. Put the mixture in a slow cooker (crock pot). Add remaining ingredients and mix well (do not drain the beans). Let simmer 1 to 1 1/2 hours on low. Makes 8 to 12 servings.

For my boys, the servings are cut in half, well ... because they like it and eat a larger than normal serving. We like to fix corn bread to go with it.



I got this recipe from my Mother when I left home. As you can see from the recipe card, it has been around a while and used many times. My kids like them, I like them, my siblings like them and even my ex-husband has asked me to make them (I gave him the recipe and told him to do it himself!!). It is a must around the holidays and any time there is a family gathering. They are easy to make and very tasty.

No Bake Cookies

Mix together in a sauce pan:

2 cups sugar
1/2 cup milk
1/4 lb. butter (1 stick)
4 Tbsp. cocoa

Bring to a full boil and cook for 1 1/2 minutes. Remove from the heat and add 2 tsp. vanilla, 1/2 cup peanut butter. Blend well, stir in 2 1/2 cups uncooked oatmeal. Spoon onto waxed paper and let cool.

I get lazy and spread the mixture on a cookie sheet, let cool, then cut into squares.

Make sure you go and visit Lisa to see what others show as their favorites. Then, make plans to try them all before the year is over !! (I will)

Fun Monday # 11 - Home is Where the Art Is

Sayre of Sayre Smiles is the host for Fun Monday this week.

Her assignment is: Brush off your interview skills. Talk to everyone who lives in your house. I want to know what their, and your, favorite piece of art is in your home. Photographs do not count. If there was a fire in your home, everyone would grab photographs, but what is the non-photographic piece of art you would grab on your way out - and why? (Edit: These don't have to be paintings - these can be wall hangings, statues, lumps of clay by your child, anything that is artistic expression of some kind EXCEPT photographs.)

Since I live alone, I had no one to interview!! If there was a fire in my home, other than the photographs (they are a must), I would grab my camera, at least one of the paintings/drawings that a dear friend of mine did for me and most importantly (after the camera), I would grab the two hand plaster casts that hang on the wall on the landing. These were Mother's Day gifts from each of my boys when they were in kindergarten. (They had the same teacher). Imagine a foam meat tray filled with wet plaster and a wee little child sticking his hand into it. When it dried - the end result is what is hanging on the wall. One was done in 1981 and the other in 1983. Like the Master Card advertisement - these are priceless !!

Be sure to go visit Sayre and check out what everyone else would grab.

A Flag That Doesn't Fly

Between the fields where the flag is planted, there are 9+ miles of flower fields that go all the way to the ocean. The flowers are grown by seed companies. It's a beautiful place, close to Vandenberg AFB. Check out the dimensions of the flag.

The Floral Flag is 740 feet long and 390 feet wide and maintains the proper Flag dimensions, as described in Executive Order #10834. This Flag is 6.65 acres and is the first Floral Flag to be planted with 5 pointed Stars, comprised of White Larkspur. Each Star is 24 feet in diameter; each Stripe is 30 feet wide. This Flag is estimated to contain more than 400,000 Larkspur plants, with 4-5 flower stems each, for a total of more than 2 million flowers.