Leader of the Pack

I may have mentioned (or not) that I was looking forward to sewing doll clothes for my niece this weekend. Now I know why I don’t sew clothes of any size. I can’t make heads or tails out of what gets sewed where. The people who write the instructions for sewing clothes are obviously not writing them for idiots like me! I thought making a jean jacket for the doll with her name embroidered on it would be cool. The jean jacket is as small as your hand and yet it took me about 6 hours to make. And in the end I couldn’t follow the directions and did it my way. It turned out kind of cute but gees 6 hours? I was going to make three of them, one for each of her dolls. But I have since decided that one doll and one doll only should be lucky enough to get a jacket. Kind of like the Pink Ladies in Grease Two…you have to earn the jacket and the other two girls didn’t make the grade. The obvious leader of the pack is named Samantha and she has a jacket with her name on it to prove it.

Missing Mom

Today was the perfect MN fall day, a bit of chill in the air. So this morning I started a big kettle of boiled dinner. Which for those who aren’t familiar with that term, is ham, rutabagas, carrots, potatoes, cabbage & other veggies cooked slow all day in a broth. It sounds like a soup but it is not because all the vegetables are kept very large and chunky. It tastes really wonderful and I always thought it should have a better name than boiled dinner. But that is what my mom called it, and making it reminds me of her. Mine is good and is close to the way she made it but nothing could taste as good as hers. When ever she made a pot of it she would call and ask us to come to dinner. I would always drop everything to go. I don’t care what else I had planned.

That is one of the things I miss now that she is gone. One of the many small things that I miss so much—my heart just aches. Whoever may be reading this, if you still have your mother…pick up the phone and call her…just because you can.

Did you ever?

Have you ever had friends (or family) that repeatedly make, the dumbest decisions which land them in deep shit? And you know when they tell you the latest that they are headed for disaster once again but they won’t listen to reason. Because it appears they are hell-bent on destruction.
So, of course, they proceed and SPLAT they fall, once again, head long into yet another large steamy pile of shit!
So you pick them up, hose them down, prop them up, get them just about standing on their own two feet and yep, you guessed it, there they go again…SPLAT!

Here’s my question—do you ever just want to leave them lying face down in the pile of shit?

Going Global

After my friends read my hobby-aholic blog…they pointed out a few hobbies I forgot to mention:
Ceramics (does it even count if you only made frog sponge holders and the naked thinker guy?).
Cake decorating (problem there was I don’t bake…you need to have a cake to decorate). There were more but I don't have the strength right now to dig that deep.

The bottom line is that I do have a problem and what I found out in talking with my friends is…there are a lot of us out there. I am thinking of starting a group hobby-holics anonymous—(Drinking during group sessions mandatory!)

And you guys who are so smug reading this right now…think about all the gear you have for fishing, hunting, target practice, re-loading, paintball, model cars & planes, golf and the list goes on…

Watch for a group starting soon near you…I am taking this global!

Hobby Addict

Hello my name is Connie and I am a hobby-aholic!

Ever since my husband and I have been married my hobbies have been a bone of contention with us. I try a new hobby. What ever I get into…I love. I buy everything to do this particular hobby And that equals Cha-ching! This is not the part that he minds. What he minds is that after a short time I get sick of said hobby and move onto a new hobby—usually never to pick up old hobby again. Now mind you, I have every intention of doing said hobby until I die but new hobby comes along and...what can I say, I'm fickle.

This cycle started right after we got married. My first hobby to fall flat was latch hook rugs. I remember it well. We were on a weekend in Kansas City. He and a buddy were at a ball game…left to my own devices I wandered into a craft store and wandered out with $350.00 worth of yarn and canvas. (In 1974 that was a lot of moola.) He was not a happy camper especially when about half way into my first rug I decided the project sucked. I did make my daughter a very ugly latch hook pillow with Mickey Mouse on the front. My husband always referred to it as the $350.00 pillow. Since then so many hobbies have fallen to the way-side; some of which include, stamping, knitting, quilting, crocheting, painting & beading.

I recently found a new hobby, machine embroidery & purchased a new sewing/embroidery machine (cha ching, cha ching) and today I am taking a sewing class that will help me learn to use it. I am excited about it. And as I told my husband last night when I was packing my machine up in it’s new rolling travel case, this hobby I will be doing until I die. To which he answered, “no comment.”

Late is a deal breaker

I am a punctual person. And I expect those people I have to deal with in my life to be punctual as well. I guess you could say I hate late! That is what makes living in this world so irritating. At work, almost everyone I deal with is irresponsible. They never get back to you when they say they will. Never. They don’t show up on time for an appointment. And if you are going to their place for an appointment when you get there they are not home, they forgot. (Even though I reminded them the day before.)

I also hate dealing with the cable company, phone company, and especially exterminator companies. Yup, you guessed it. They didn’t show. So now I am Bugged at the Bug company! They give you a four hour window—8:00 to noon…and then don’t think anything of not showing at all, even when you have waited half a day for them, or a week for them as it may be.

A long time ago a friend of mine made a date with a new guy. When we asked her how it went the next day she said, He told me he would be there at 8:00. So I waited and waited and waited and waited and waited and waited and waited and then it was ten minutes after 8:00! I can so identify…to me ten minutes late is a deal breaker.

Every night for ten years I called my husband and asked him what time he would like dinner. He would pick the time and I would have dinner be on the table at that exact time. Every day he would be at least ten minutes late. (Dinner gets cold in ten minutes.) I got so tired of it one night when he wasn’t home when dinner went on the table I threw his dinner in the garbage.
He has made it home on time most every night since.

Late is unexeptable...leave earlier. My time is just as important as yours.

Don't BUG me!

These MN bugs are driving me mad. This time of year the box elder bugs and the Asian beetles are invading the premises. Our siding, which is taupe, now looks black and red all over. You can’t walk in and out the door without encountering hundreds of these bugs. They fly at you, land on you and come into the house where ever they can; and trust me they can. They are gross, gross, gross. I am freaked out by bugs’ period, and having this many attacking you is enough to make me want to hibernate until winter!

They are the grossest looking bugs ever. (I said that already but it bares repeating.) I continually scream, duck, & flail my arms about looking ridicules when ever I am running from the house to the car. I’m sure I am fodder for much belly laughing from my neighbors who don’t seem to be bothered by this invasion at all. In fact they sit outside on their porch enjoying the sunshine with these creepy things crawling all over them. I just don’t get it.

When the bugs get inside the house you have to squish the ugly things and they stink and bleed red ooze all over.
I told my husband, “This is it. I am not putting up with these critters any more. I don’t care what it costs I want to get rid of them.”
He said, “They will go away on their own for free in a couple months.”
To which I answered, “I can’t wait a couple months it’s either I get rid of the bugs or else!”
Now I didn’t say what or else meant, but he said, “Fine call them”. So, I called a bug spraying outfit and they are supposed to be coming today. Hurrah!

So I say to all Box Elder Bugs and Asian Beetles in the area...if this is WAR—bring it on.

What a wonderful day!

It has been a productive day so far. Got up around 6:30 drank three mugs of coffee and had a relaxing breakfast with my husband. The weather couldn’t be lovelier; simply a gorgeous sunny MN day. Then the two of us went out and cleaned the garage. Every fall we need to clean out the garage in order to park in it. In the house I’m a neat freak but apparently I consider the garage--a dump! Where does all the crap come from? Most of it was empty cardboard boxes, seriously. After disposing of the boxes and putting everything back where it belonged sure enough there was room for two vehicles once again.

Then I was off to an Auction at the house of a friend’s mother who passed away. I knew she would need moral support. It is hard to see someone’s whole life out on the lawn in boxes being carted away by strangers. (I know, been there done that.)

After my husband finishes the Vikings Game we are off to the cemetery to replace all the real flowers that are starting to freeze, with fall arrangements. We have six to do so that will take the rest of the afternoon.

Then I plan to sew doll clothes for my niece’s American Girl Dolls and watch some TV before the work week starts up once again. What a wonderful day!

Bon Appetite!

A few days ago I started on a diet. I had been sticking to it religiously....here comes the catch.........
On Friday a friend and I decided we'd go shopping in St. Cloud today. And even when we were making our plans for the trip my first thought was, where should we eat? Now why would someone on a diet think of that? Because I wanted to find a healthy choice for lunch? No. Because on this diet I told myself it was okay to cheat on the weekends.

I have tried every diet plan known to man (woman). But my favorite is the sea-food diet; I see food & eat it! And in the tradition of the Sea-Food diet—guess what place we picked to eat today...Red Lobster!

After man came woman and she's been after him ever since.

After man came woman and she’s been after him ever since. Recently a friend reminded me of this old adage. I have been giving it some thought and I keep coming up with the same answer…WHY? Why have women been chasing after men since the beginning of time? Only to catch them and then spend fifty years wishing we could throw them back! I’m sure it all started with Adam and Eve? Adam didn’t have a toilet seat to leave up but most likely he did something equally as distressing. Maybe he wiped with his fig leaf and Eve was left to get out the skids. Whatever it was it must have driven Eve to the breaking point—that’s why she ate the apple—she was trying to get even with him.
The adage should be updated to: After man came woman and she’s been trying to get rid of him ever since!

I think therefore I am—crazy!

I think a lot when I have time on my hands at work and today is one of those days. Unfortunately, for my husband, I don’t think about work. Did I tell you I work for my husband? (He says I should use the term work as loosely as possible.)
Anyway back to my point…I especially wonder about things like how do ships float? How do planes fly? They are both huge, heavy and made of metal…how one floats and the other stays in the sky when every bit of common sense I have tells me it shouldn’t—boggles the mind.

From these thoughts you may or may not have concluded that I am scared to death of being on the ocean and in the sky. I do fly when I have to, but if I have my druthers it’s DRIVE. For those who will surely reply, “Have you heard it is much safer to fly than drive?” Yada Yada I know better. (And yes I have a few control issues.) And have you seen the age of the pilots lately…geez they look like Doogie Howser! I say, “Please tell me your daddy is piloting this plane?” (That statement makes me real popular.)

The closest I like to get to the ocean is to have a drink across the street. However, I won’t fly over the ocean at all. I have had this re-occurring nightmare since I was a kid that I get eaten by a shark. (It’s more graphic than that but I don’t want to go into gory details.) My husband tries to convince me its okay by saying, “hell the fall will kill you anyway,” and in case you are wondering—no that doesn’t make me feel one bit better.

This MN mom likes to keep her feet on the ground.

Blessed with friends

I couldn’t talk about my life without saying that I belong to a book club. We call ourselves the Birthday Girls. But it is really so much more than a book club. It is ten extraordinary women who have bonded in a friendship that will last through this life and into the next. I am truly blessed to have friends like this. We recently spent a get-a-way weekend at a winery. (Oh didn’t I mention that all our get-togethers include wine. Well they do, lots of wine and really great food!) What a blast we have.
My wish for anyone reading this is that one day you will know this kind of friendship. We don’t worry about getting older we celebrate the fact that we are older, yes, but also wiser, more together, and better in every way than the year before. (Well maybe not every way—things are going south whether we want to admit it or not.) So all of you women out there who don’t find time to be with your friends…make time. And all of you guys make time as well. When you get to be my age you realize life is short.

Long Lost Classmates

Last Friday was very special for me. I reconnected with a long lost classmate. This girl was a friend of mine fifty years ago. We went to grade school and high school together. But over the last forty years we have lost touch. Recently we have begun emailing and decided to plan a get together in Duluth. It was as if no time had passed at all. I mean realistically sure there were huge gaps in what we knew about one another but it didn’t seem to matter at all. We still had a bond that just couldn’t be denied. Laughter was shared; many old stories & I met her lovely daughter. Then another classmate surprised us at dinnertime and then there were three! (Well technically four because a new friend came with the old. I fear she was bored silly, but such a good sport about it…)
We three old pals…well I just can’t tell you the stories that were shared, and the wine! Oh my! What a treasure that day was and there will be more good times. Because I think we all felt like life is getting short and we don’t want to waste anymore of it without one another. You two are so special to me.

Then on Sunday I got a hold of another old friend in the area and we had breakfast together. That was special too. It seems that weekend was meant to reconnect me with old friends.
So I suggest that anyone reading this call an old friend up if you do you will feel wonderful.

Dogs and Husbands

The thing with setting up a blog and mentioning ones daughter and not ones husband…bad maneuver. So here goes, husband is a keeper. Husband does dishes and is work-a-holic; which is not so bad when you are the person in charge of spending.

Okay that said I need to reveal my dirty little secret. I sleep with a dog! (Husband not the dog I’m talking about.) Pomeranian, named Angel is. This six pounds of fluffy fur runs my life and takes up over half the bed. No matter where you would like her to sleep she always crawls back to the outside of the bed by the door. She maneuvers herself right under the covers and puts her head on the pillow. We move her but she always end up right back there. What I wonder is why? Isn’t the middle a desirable position? One would think that being in a large bed topped with a feather mattress and soft quilt might be enough to please most dogs but sadly not mine.

Small Town MN USA

I live in small town USA. Where there are no Starbucks, no Target, no Wal-Mart, no McDonalds, no movie theaters, not even a stop light! Are you thinking of buying property here yet? Well you would if you had ever been here. Every few miles we have crystal clear lakes, filled with fish you can actually eat. Our houses and cabins are surrounded with tall Maple, Oak and Pine trees. Here the smell of real wood burning fireplaces fills the crisp air this time of year; and the leaves are just starting to turn crimson and fall. If you haven’t been to God’s country come for a visit. There is no other place on earth quite like northern Minnesota. The people are so friendly they invite total strangers to dinner. (I just did it last weekend myself.) In our town there is no such thing as a wrong number because when you call one you just end up chatting for fifteen minutes with an old friend. Come see us now…and share some down-home hospitality!