Lent

 I had a hard time deciding what to give up for Lent this year. I'm not Catholic, but I think it doesn't hurt anything or anyone to try and give up something you enjoy for a certain amount of time once a year. It is a challenge and challenging ourselves is always a good thing. I tried to decide between red meat, fast food and chocolate. I woke up on on Ash Wednesday and forgot all about it. The first thing I did was eat a piece of chocolate. "Ah, crap," I thought to myself. "I guess I'll have to choose one of the others.

Thinking hard I decided against red meat. I do the cooking and Willie just wouldn't like going six weeks with out beef.  Fast food would be easier. Then I thought about it some more. Easy isn't what it is supposed be about. I thought again about red meat. Again, I decided against it. This is something I am doing for me and my faith. It isn't fair to make Willie do it, too, just because I cook the most.

I went back to the impossible. I went back to the one thing I will have to actually think hard about. The one thing that would be a big deal to me. Chocolate. Chocolate is my friend. Chocolate makes me happy. Giving up chocolate, now there's a challenge. Challenge? It will be a an out and out battle of my will. Will I win or will the chocolate win?

Well, since I'd already screwed up first thing that morning, I knew it wasn't enough to just give up chocolate. I needed to give up something else, too. Something to make up for that last piece of chocolate that I ate after Lent had started. What to do? What to do?

"Fast food it is!" I said to myself. That one is not as hard as chocolate, but it is something I will have to remind myself about. Something that won't be automatic. After all, stopping at Micky D's or Taco Bell on the way home after getting off late at work is easy and quick. It won't be as hard as chocolate but it will be a challenge, especially if I end up on a road trip for any reason.

To this point I have not had either chocolate or fast food. Yeah, I know, it has only been a week, but that's a long time for no chocolate milk.  A VERY long time. Where some people smoke, or have a beer after work, or drink coffee all morning, chocolate milk is my drug of choice.  Chocolate milk has the effect on me that coffee has on others. It wakes me up, it makes me feel better and it helps me start my day. Silly, you say, strange, you think? You give up your coffee in the morning and then laugh at me. Caffeine is a lot easier for me to give up. In fact, now that I think of it, I haven't had any caffeine since I gave up chocolate.

The fast food hasn't really bothered me.... yet. Though, on the way home Friday I almost did, out of habit, run to a fast food place. Then I remembered and drove the other way home, no big deal. When I got home and couldn't make myself a chocolate milk, though, now THAT hurt. Oh, how I miss my chocolate milk!

Is It Ever Too Late?

In junior high and high school I spent my time with a group of friends that I adored. We did every thing together. We were a group of less than popular kids. How we found our way to each other was, well, a miracle. Without the love and support we received from each other we each may have been scared, lonely  and isolated teens, and that is never a good thing.

We made it possible for each to grow and even prosper and bloom in an environment that otherwise would have beat us down. We allowed ourselves to play like children. One mother liked telling the story of how she walked in to her kitchen one day to find us, four high school juniors, sitting on her kitchen floor, finger painting. Through each other we found it possible to dig and play in the snow while the other "popular kids" looked down their noses at us. Because we had each other we found ways to be ourselves, do what we enjoyed, and not worry about the bullies who never took the time to get to know us. We were able to stretch our childhood just a little longer, while maturing at the same time. This is something that teens now don't seem to get to do, I find that sad. Childhood disappears quickly enough without rushing it even more.

It was actually amazing,  the size of our little group of misfits became to be. It started out as a merger of two groups, for me anyway. There was my group of friends from Girl Scouts, I'd know most of them since fourth grade at least and some even longer. Tari was the smart one. She enjoyed new age things, Ouija boards, seances, and well, went out with my arch enemy,  Buck! I thought she was insane. I spent most of seventh grade hating Buck. He spent most of seventh grade pre-algebra class saying things like women belong in barefoot, pregnant, and in the kitchen, (you know much like four presidential candidates are saying now a days.) I kicked him in the shins many, many times, (if it weren't for the secret service, I'd like to do that to those four men.) Then in eighth grade much to my horror, Tari, (remember, I said she was the smart one,) started "going with" Buck. I was horrified! Tari, my best friend, with Buck the man of my nightmares! It was all just wrong, wrong I tell you. But that was how Buck, ended up in my circle of friends. And I am so glad he did. He ended up being one of those strong sources of support in what could have ended up being a lonely time of life.

Buck, it turned out was just saying all of those things about women to rile me up. He didn't really believe them. He, also was very smart and interested in all things new age. He and Tari were a very good fit. He was very quirky and well a little bit strange, but once you warmed up to him, you never had a more steadfast friend. He was a huge fan of Mork, from Mork and Mindy. Robin Williams was one of his heroes, I think. Buck could always make us smile, and grimace at the same time. His personality ranged from telling dead baby jokes, which I always found revolting, (remember we were in junior high), to Star Wars geek, (he saw that movie at least 7 times that I know of, and this was at a time when you had to stand in long lines to see a movie, no multiplexes, and it was only showing at one theater.) He was a very unique personality, one that I have never encountered since, and never expect to again. I know I will never look at another person and say "you remind me so much of my friend Buck." It just can not happen.

Tari and Buck stayed together through ninth grade. That's a long time for a junior high romance. During that time I became friends with Kathy. Kathy was a gentle soul. She was very very kind to me when I insisted on arguing with her one day that her name was not just Kathy. It had to be the shortened form of Kathrine. I, very arrogantly continued arguing with her about her own name. Why she ever stayed friends with me I will never know. I also argued with her that she had to like tomatoes. There was no way someone could NOT like tomatoes. Seriously, I argued with her about that too, again, why she stayed my friend baffled me. I am so glad she did, she ended up being one of my three closest friends all through high school. She was creative, independent, fun and an inspiration. I looked up to her, I respected her, she was braver than anyone I knew. Not brave in a "let's bungee jump off a bridge", but brave in a personal, "I am who I am" kind of way. She was the mother of the group, the one who would listen intently and let you cry on her shoulder. She was one of the four found finger painting on the kitchen floor with me.

Through Kathy I came to know Dawn. Dawn at that time, was a tiny, kind of mousy little thing. In fact our nick name for her came to be Mouse. Our previous contact had mostly been fighting over a chair in social studies in seventh or eighth grade. It was good humored fighting, nothing mean or evil. She got mean and evilness from others. The ones we all ended up protecting each other from. Dawn was a huge target of the school bullies. Especially Paula. Paula was mean, Paula was big, Paula was strong. Paula was the ever popular girl athlete that found it necessary to make Dawn's life a living nightmare. She did everything you know bullies will do. She would taunt, tease, push and hit. She picked up and threw Dawn over two rows of seats in the auditorium on day. We hated Paula, and her friends as well. Here's the thing about Dawn though, the more they pushed her the stronger she became. She stood her ground, she never backed down. She often ended up with bruises and bumps for it, but she always stood back up. She was a ferocious defender of her friends and what she thought was right. If someone was doing anything to hurt one of her friends, you would see this tiny little whirl wind come out of nowhere to defend and protect them. Where Kathy was the mother of the group, Dawn was the mother lion of the group. Dawn was brave in the bungee jump way. Her bravery also impressed and inspired me. Her bravery combined with her creativity made for some very fun and unique times.

Through Dawn, came Kelley. Kelley was the pretty one. She always had a boyfriend, she had a sensuality to her that boys liked. Not one that she flaunted, I don't know that she even knew she had it, but the boys saw it. She was a little rebellious in someways, but had a controlling mother that kept her from really getting out of hand. As much as Kelley pulled against that control I think perhaps now Kelley is thankful for it. I had known Kelley before, she was in my Girl Scout troop in fifth or sixth grade. We hadn't really become friends then. It wasn't until ninth grade that the third of my finger painting cohorts came into my life. She was the one who liked fashion, and wore makeup everyday. When us girls would be getting ready to go to a school event it was she and Dawn that would turn me in to a My Size Barbie and dress me up and put make up on me and make me presentable to the world. Something I never really cared much about, but it was fun and I always felt good when they were done. Kelley was kind, caring and generous, and is still to this day.

As life does, it took friends to different places. In between ninth and tenth grade Tari moved to Kansas City. That devastated me. I missed her terribly. She had been my friend since she moved to the neighborhood in fourth grade. Buck was even more devastated. I like to think his friendship with the rest of us helped him make it through that time. Every day after school we would go to Dawn's house, where fresh oatmeal chocolate chip cookies and Pepsi always waited for us. We would all joke and talk and sometimes cry together. Others joined our group of friends. Usually as boyfriends of Dawn or Kelley's. Buck was very good friends with David, Kelley's boyfriend. I know that friendship helped keep Buck grounded. Then after tenth grade Buck moved to Denver. That left a hole that could not ever be filled and we never tried. No one could ever replace Buck.

Through high school  we all stayed close. Us four girls especially. If I were somewhere Dawn, Kelley and Kathy were there, too. As we all strived to become independent our closeness sometimes seemed to get in the way, but never to the point where we stopped being friends. Even fighting over boys could not drive us apart. In the times when we thought we might hate one or another, our friendship always won out and we'd end up even closer.

Over the years since high school lives got busy and drifting occurred. Families have been raised, challenges triumphed over. The one constant I have always had, since then, was Dawn and Kelley. They have been my rock through hard times and my laughter in good. I know if I need one of them they will come through in ways way beyond my need. They helped me get through two weddings in three months with my sanity intact. Even the distance in miles has not changed that.

I have recently reconnected with Tari, which I am very excited about. I hope it continues. We may find out that we no longer have anything in common, but at least we have the opportunity to find out.

Sadly, the drifting from Kathy has gotten wider and wider. I miss her. She, Dawn, Kelley and I were the four musketeers. We were the finger painting high schoolers. We were inseparable. I found out the other day that her birthday is coming up. So, I got a card and wrote her a letter. It has been such a long time though. Is it ever too late to try to reconnect with old friends?

The Bathroom

Those of you who have been following my blog for the last year may remember that when we moved to our house the Bathroom was, well for lack of  better words, a 1960's nightmare with pink walls and ceiling, a bathtub with no real shower and a snotty nosed sink.

After some major elbow grease and a lot of time, we had put in a shower, and replaced the snotty nosed sink with a vanity and marble sink. Willie had torn the drywall off part of the walls, and put up some green board in its place. Then, we basically ran out of money. We lived with the bathroom in this half finished state for the last year. With two children getting married, and many trips back and forth to Des Moines needed, (and gas prices ridiculous, ) money just had to be spent elsewhere. So, a half done bathroom was calmly tolerated.

Then something remarkable happened. Willie had decided to take a careful look at his pay stub at the beginning of December.  His workplace had still been taking out taxes for the state of Iowa. We live in Illinois. They were taking taxes for both states. We only lived in Illinois. Once corrected we had a small windfall of cash, after the weddings, of course. We used the money to pay off an ER bill, and finally FINISH THE BATHROOM!!! 

The first order of business was to get the rest of the greenboard up. Willie did this all by himself while I was in Des Moines for my dad's birthday. He had never done drywall before and took his time. I'm sure he got frustrated and angry at it from time to time, but he got it done. Not only did he get it hung, but he got it mudded and sanded and primed as well. I was very proud of him when I got home. Even with only that much done, it looked a thousand times better.


With the hard part done, it was now my turn. It was painting time. For the most part, I enjoy painting. I love the instant gratification as the wall takes the new color and changes quickly from something undesirable to something much, much improved. I like stirring the paint and watching it recombine after separating while sitting and waiting for me. I love the feeling of the paint going from roller to wall. The sound of the roller as it glides across the wall. I pretty much like everything about painting. With the notable exception of the smell of the paint, and taping.

Willie and I carefully picked colors to match the tile in the shower we had built last year. I wanted three colors, one for the ceiling and trim, one for the main walls and one for the two small walls. It's not like I wanted purple, magenta and neon green, but Willie wasn't sold on the idea of three colors. I talked him into it, though. We ended up with a brown (two small walls), a dark tan ( the main walls) and a cream, (ceiling and trim). Though Willie was still not sure he let me have at it.

We decided to do the ceiling first. I don't know if that is the proper order, but I'm glad that is what we decided. I removed the shower curtain and rod, and everything else from the bathtub. I covered the tiles and tub with plastic and tape. I didn't have to worry about getting paint on the floor, and that was bliss! I didn't have to tape the walls at the top and that was even better. I was a happy painter.





I donned my favorite painting clothes. This pair of jeans and t-shirt have about every color from every house we have ever painted on them. I am a very messy painter. If I get paint on my hands, I wipe them on my jeans. I quite often forget and lean up against wet paint and get it on my t-shirt. Wearing the same clothes every time I paint just makes sense. I usually get paint in my hair, and on my face and arms and.... well you get the idea. Somehow, somehow, I did not get paint on Bazinga though. Not that he didn't try.

 After two days the main painting was done. Next up was the new door frames, and crown moulding. I took my time on them, to the point that I think I put Willie a little behind on what he wanted to do. I didn't want the paint to fill the groves in a way that made them disappear. He found other things to do as I was working on those. Now, while everything that needs painted is done, the frames and moulding are not up yet. We also plan baseboards. Sooooooo, I wont be posting photos until it is entirely finished. We are almost there though. I think we are done moving the vanity in and out of the bathroom. Willie got the flooring in while I was still painting the mouldings. It is shaping up very nicely and I cant wait to post before and after photos!

On a completely different note, look who's coming to see me tomorrow!!!!!!!!!!! I can't wait! Though, I guess, wait I must...... EXCITED!!!!!!!

Ever So Distressing News

 A week or so ago I heard the most terrible news. It frightened me to my very core. My soul was shattered and left scattered about the floor. I find myself compelled to share the news. I worry that you also will be shaken, and disturbed, but it is something you must know. The fate of America and everything we hold dear is in dire straights. If we can't reverse this horror of horrors, our children and grand children will be deprived of the most important of American traditions.

What could have happened to put such a terror through my very being? Brace yourselves, this news is very hard to hear. If you have children in the room you may want to turn the computer away from their sight line. Those who are easily set to tears may want to stop reading now.

Ok, here goes. A beloved American institution, has filed for bankruptcy. Hostess, the company responsible for Twinkies, Ding Dongs and Ho Hos may not be around for much longer. A shudder just went up my spine just thinking about it. There is something sad and dismal about the thought of a future America with out Twinkies readily available. What will state fairs shove on a stick, batter, deep fat fry, and and sell to fair goers? Ok, ok, bad example, state fairs do that to everything. Especially, the Iowa State Fair, that's why I love it so.  But I digress.....

My personal favorite of the Hostess treats are the Raspberry Zingers. The artificially flavored and colored raspberry goo, covered with coconut surrounding a cream filled Twinkie is a taste sensation that cannot be replaced. Zingers have gone through this before. The company that originated the Zinger, in an attempt to cut into the profit margins of the Twinkie and make some bucks themselves, Dolly Madison, went broke years ago. For whatever reason, Hostess decided to save the Zinger from total extinction. I was very grateful for this. Dolly Madison may have disappeared but my  Raspberry Zingers lived on. Who out there will save them this time?

Who will make these fabulous, if totally absent of nutritional value, snack cakes if Hostess can't find a way to survive? Who out there has the technology to create fake cream filled, pretend sponge cake wonders with the shelf life of an uncut diamond? How will Kahlen ever know the joy of digging into her lunch bag on a class field trip to find a squished up Ho Ho? Remember those special moments? First the disappointment of seeing your snack mushed up by the apple sitting on top of it, but then the excitement of pealing it off of the card board liner and licking the smashed remains off of the cellophane wrapper.

We must stop this tragedy in its tracks. Please, if you are reading this, stop! Get up and go to the store, buy a Twinkie, or Suzy Q, or my happy little favorite, a Zinger. Let's stop Hostess from going the way of Dolly Madison. You don't have to eat them, just buy them. Put them in a safe somewhere and one day you will have them for your great grandchildren. They will still be in perfect condition, barring a nuclear holocaust. Even then I hear that cockroaches and Twinkies will be all that survive.

A December Wedding

Photo by Katharyne Dunn Photography

My son got married on December 10, 2011! This year I have been the Mother of the Bride AND the Mother of the Groom with in three months of each other. Quite the year of strong emotions, crazy busyness and happy times. There were times the year flew at the speed of light and times I thought it would never be done. I honestly tried at one point to talk Josh and Caitlin into having their wedding in January or February, just to have a little more time between the two. They had their hearts set on December 10, two days after Josh's birthday and two days before Caitlin's, (something I think they will one day live to regret what with Christmas being in December as well. Ah, but they knew what they were doing.)

Photo by Katharyn Dunn Photography
If you have an event or want family
photos in the Des Moines Area
Look this Photographer up!

Caitlin had hoped for a snow storm a day or two before the wedding for pictures. A storm didn't happen, but we did have a little bit of snow on the ground, she had to have been freezing in this picture!

Josh and Caitlin's wedding was different than Alyssa and Shane's. Caitlin had always wanted to get married in her grandparents' church. With a church wedding comes a little longer ceremony, a little more tradition, and a bit more formality. As different as the two weddings were, both were so perfect.

The church was decorated for Christmas with large wreaths on the walls and very tall Christmas trees at the front. The colors used on the trees and wreaths were the same as the colors chosen by Caitlin for here bridal party. A happy coincidence, not planned in anyway. The church was beautiful, ready and waiting for a storybook December wedding.

The rehearsal the night before was a strange experience, I think in some ways all wedding rehearsals are. It was being run by two wedding coordinators from the church. One was a strange little man who was a bit of a control freak. And when I say bit, I mean complete and overwhelming, and when I say control freak, I mean ego maniacal dictator. That said, he did know his stuff. He just wanted things a little more formal perfect than the bride and groom. For instance, he told the groom, best man, groomsmen to stand up at the front like little soldiers with their hands at their sides, practically at attention. He barked his orders at them, "Ok, now, men, you are to stand up their, hands at your sides. No, Adam and Eve (he demonstrated by holding his hands together in front of him), no hands behind the back, no folded arms." They looked uncomfortable, and awkward, so Caitlin told them to practice the way he told them, then they all decided to hold their hands in front of them for the ceremony. They looked more comfortable, but I heard the wedding coordinator was not amused.

Mr. Coordinator also wanted Willie to follow Josh and I down the isle as he escorted me down to my seat. Willie didn't like that, so we decided to have him walk down with us with me in the middle. (Not the worst thing ever, I was wearing heels after all. )

The wedding the next day was beautiful. Josh looked every bit the grown up man about to be married. He was glowing as much as the bride. His tux fit him perfect, and as he stood up on the alter waiting for his bride to walk down the isle I was so proud of him, a tear welled up in my eye. His happiness filled the room.

The Mother of the Bride was escorted to her seat. Once there she and I went up to the alter and lit the candles that would be used by the bride and groom to light their unity candle. The candles that we were to light had the family names, Bair and Berry on them . As we got up to the candles we noticed that the candles were backwards. So, we quickly and quietly switched them, lit them and returned to our seats.  The bride's maids, Alyssa being one, and matron of honor entered and took their places. Alyssa looked very beautiful in her long burgundy dress and champagne colored sash. Her hair was up and to the side. It was curled in a way that framed her beautiful face, just so. Kahlen, the flower girl, wearing a champagne dress with a burgundy sash, and the ring bearer came marching down the isle, big toothy grins on both faces. Each bursting with pride, knowing that they were stealing the show. After all, Kahlen was an old pro at this sort of thing. She knew exactly what to do and how to do it. They both cooperated grandly, especially for being two year olds.

The intro to the wedding march signaled the arrival of the bride. Everyone stood up and watched as Caitlin, with her father at her side came down the isle. The lights on the wreaths, which had been dark, came on one by one as the bride and her father passed each one. She looked stunning. Her long veil flowing  gently behind her. Her dress sparkling but not as brightly as her eyes. Each step she took her smile grew wider as she looked at her groom waiting for her.  His eyes fixated on her, until finally she reached the alter.

The ceremony went well, their vows spoken, rings put on each of their fingers. Friends and family smiled and weeped tears of joy as the new bride and groom committed their lives to each other. Josh's sisters quietly watched and wiped their eyes as their only brother became a husband. Willie and I held hands, with Kahlen on my lap, as we witnessed another milestone in our only son's life.

I'm not sure who took this one...

Shane and Alyssa's Reception

Yes, yes I know that on the 24th Alyssa and Shane will have been married for four months. Time has slipped away so quickly this year. With two of my children getting married, then Christmas I lost all track of time. And for a while the idea of sitting at the computer to write anything was just one more thing to do in a time of too much to do, hence the long absence of blogs. Things have calmed nicely and many wonderful things have gone on. Now, I am going to try and catch up a little, even if it means talking about things from four months ago.

Going for the garter

I have learned something about myself through the past year. Though I love to take photographs, when I am in the middle of something, like my child's wedding, I forget to take pictures of my own. All of the pictures on this blog were taken by others. I haven't been able to get a hold of the photographer's photos yet, so most of these were taken on cell phones, except for two taken by my friend Dawn.

 The evening went very well. Except for one detail. You may remember from a previous blog that I made 300 meatballs and sauce for the reception. They were fine, as was the chicken alfredo provided by Shane's mom, Anita. The noodles that went with them, the noodles were, well, disgusting. They were an overcooked pasty nasty mess. It was my own fault though, I bought thin spaghetti, thinking they would be easier to cook, and cook faster, and well, that they did.

Father Daughter Dance

The rest of the evening was perfect though. There was music and dancing and friends and family. The bride and groom's first dance was perfect. They looked so happy. Kahlen danced around them as they danced. People watched from the tables and some eyes welled a little, ok yeah mine. They looked so beautiful and in love. They both were finally able to just relax and enjoy their wedding, and their day. The overwhelmed bride and groom to be, quickly settled into the excitement of being the new husband and wife. A calm washed over both of them and they took time to just be a couple.

 I have to admit though, it was the father-daughter dance that got me. I watched from the side as my husband and our beautiful daughter danced to Billy Joel's Lullaby. Willie had listened to many songs trying to pick a perfect song to dance to with Alyssa. He decided on that one. As they danced Kahlen danced and circled around them. As I watched them I couldn't help but weep. Weep, yeah right, I was out and out bawling the whole time.  It was so beautiful. Alyssa looking like an angle, Willie so handsome and dapper in his tux, and Kahlen fluttering around like a little happy pixie. It was my favorite part of the night.

Kahlen spent much of the night running around the dance floor. She ran and ran all night long. Every once in a while I would chase her down, take a cookie that she had grabbed of the food table, out of her hand, put a vegetable in her hand and send her on her way again. She would eat the vegetable, but soon had another cookie in her hand again. Eating was not her top priority, eating well was not on the agenda at all.

No, Alyssa did not use this fork to eat with.

When Kahlen wasn't running around happily, she spent a lot of time on the dance floor studying. She watched intently as people danced around her. She listened to the music, watched feet and hands, and then would try to dance along. She boogied the night away. She was the energizer bunny of flower girls. She never stopped. And somehow, and to this day I have no idea how, she never spilled anything on her dress. It was like she just knew that this was a special night, not just for her mommy and daddy, but for her as well. She seemed to understand that her family was celebrating the most important thing in her life. She was as happy as the bride and groom.

If this picture was a little clearer it would be one of my favorites.
I love the way Kahlen is watching us.

 And, Willie danced with me! Now, you have to understand, that was a big deal. Willie does not like to dance. He hates it as a matter of fact. I, on the other hand, love to dance. Not that I do it well, but I love it none the less. So, when Willie said he would dance with me, I was thrilled. Being the rare thing that it was, people got up and started snapping pictures. Alyssa even made the photographer get her camera back out to take a picture. As flashes went off around us, Willie got self conscious. He also hates having his picture taken. I kept telling him to just ignore them and look at me. We laughed and it was a wonderful dance.

As the night ended we cleaned up the hall and Alyssa and Shane sat down to breath. Both happy with the way the day and night went, they prepared to leave. They chased Kahlen down and got her to stand still long enough to give her hugs and kisses. Then, leaving her with Willie and me, they left for a night to themselves. Now husband and wife, a new life in front of them.

Thanksgiving

Willie and I had our first Thanksgiving all on our own this year. It was a strange experience for both of us. It wasn't until Wednesday night that we really decided what we were going to even do for Thanksgiving. This year has been so hectic and crazy with the two weddings that none of the kids could come to Rossville. I had to work the two days before and the weekend after, so I couldn't go to Des Moines. Willie had three days off, and I encouraged him to go to Des Moines, but he decided to stay with me.

Wednesday, I got a voice mail while I was at work. It was someone I didn't know, an older lady. She said she had a delivery for me and needed to know where my house was to deliver it. She left a number to call. I listened to the message again. I could not for the life of me, think what I had that needed to be delivered. Should I call this number? I thought to myself. I knew I hadn't ordered anything. What could it be? I decided to call the number. The woman from the voice mail answered. It was a flower shop. My daughter Valerie had sent us flowers for Thanksgiving!

I told the voice at the other end where our house was. "Oh, Dr. Mason's house." Our house, is not, in the eyes of the locals, our house. Our house is still and forever will be, Dr. Masons. We pay the mortgage, but it will always be his.

When I got home from work the flowers were there. Beautiful fall flowers that brightened up the whole house. A card from Valerie was attached telling us she loved us and Happy Thanksgiving.
It lifted our spirits. It helped us remember how much we have to be thankful for. Our daughter had made our day, and saved our holiday.

That night we went to the store. We got turkey breast and all the fixings. Thursday morning Willie and I got up and made our Thanksgiving feast for two. We made it together, it was a lot of fun. We sat down at the table, the flowers as our center piece, and enjoyed our Thanksgiving together. Thank you Valerie, we love you so much!!

A Snow Shower

This last weekend I got to go back to Des Moines for my future daughter in law's bridal shower. I wanted to do a winter wonderland theme for the shower. The wedding is December 10th, and they are going with a very winter theme for the wedding, so I carried that theme into the shower.

With the help of my daughter Alyssa and one of my best ever friends, Kelley, we put up snowflakes everywhere.

 I wanted it to look wintry, not Christmasy. We used snow flakes of all sizes and sparkles and pearl strings. It was a lot of fun.  We also had pine cones and buffalo snow, made the presents look like they were sitting in a snow drift. Kahlen even got in on the decorating action and went home covered in sparkles and glitter.

To go along with the winter theme, I made white chicken chili, and cornbread. For those less than enthusiastic about chili, I made mac and cheese. I also made a buffalo chicken dip, and glazed carrots. I almost burned the place down when I was preheating the oven, there was grease in the bottom that caught fire. We got the fire out and most of the smoke out before people got there though.

 For deserts, I made a chocolate coconut cake, yellow cupcakes with cream cheese frosting, rice crispy treats, oreo and nutterbutter balls. I think all of the food went over well. Something for everyone was my goal. Even the plates and napkins had snowflakes on them.

After lunch it was game time, or as I like to put it, torture Caitlin time. The first game involved questions that I had asked my son, Josh, and she had to guess how he answered, you know, newly wed game style. Alyssa looked forward to this game most of all. This game was played at her shower, and she wanted revenge. Revenge you ask, why did she want revenge? For every question she got right she received a chocolate. For every question she got wrong........ she had to put a piece of bubble gum in her mouth. Apparently Caitlin laughed a lot at Alyssa when her mouth was full of bubble gum, thus, the revenge.

And revenge Alyssa did get. Something you need to understand, my son, has a unique sense of humor, something I was counting on. For instance, when asked what he and Caitlin would do if there was an ice storm and the electricity went out, (and he was told to keep it clean, her grandma was there after all) what did he answer? Play a board game? No, read a book using a flashlight? Well, no, he answered shadow puppets. When asked if he could have anyone, anywhere, alive or dead, sing at his wedding, his answer........ Infant Sorrow. Yeah, Caitlin ended up with six pieces of bubble gum in her mouth. Alyssa was fiendishly satisfied.

Next torture game involved dark chocolate. I made snowflake shaped chocolates. But not just any chocolates, each chocolate contained an ingredient that Caitlin had to identify. You know, things like cinnamon, almonds, cranberries, hot peppers, bacon, cilantro, and garlic. She did real well, the only one she missed was cilantro, which I think was because I didn't put enough in. Her least favorite one was the garlic. Yeah, I put a lot in that one. That one got spit out.

We also played name that tune and wrote marital advise on snowflakes. Her favorite, "make hamburger and beans often, and buy an electric air freshener." Mine. I know my son pretty well.

Alyssa's Bridal Shower

I have been getting ready for Caitlin's shower this weekend and I realized I have never written a post about Alyssa's shower. It has taken me a while because the day started kind of rough and I think I needed time to digest.

Many of you now may think it started out rough because I couldn't bare to see my little girl get married. Nah, it isn't that. I know she married the man that she loves. I did get nostalgic, and think about the fact that my baby was getting married, but in a good way. In a happy way.

No, no, the roughness of the morning was my own doing. First I slept in a little too long. I felt hurried. I felt frazzled. I was running behind and that was the trigger for the rest of the morning.

I was putting the finishing touches on things, and all was going well, despite being behind. I made a beautiful tomato salad with basil and fresh mozzarella, it has a name but I can't spell it. I had brought the tomatoes all the way from Rossville from my own garden. They were delicious. I had forgotten the cooler I had with the basil from my garden at home so had to buy basil at the store. It looked awesome just the same.

Valerie and I finished decorating cupcakes. We got ourselves ready. I was wearing a new dress that I had only worn once before. We got everything all finished up and started packing up the car.

This is where being behind in my time caught up with me and bit me in the butt. And it left a mark.

In my hurry to get packed up, I decided to carry a big cooler, with a container with the cupcakes on top of it, and the tomato salad on top of that. This is where I should add that the tomato salad was on a plate with only saran wrap on top.

And this is where you can start using your imagination. New dress, tomato salad. Yeah, exactly what you think. I was carrying the cooler, and everything on top down the stairs. I lost my balance. I fell. Now, don't worry, it was more like sitting down hard than falling. And I almost saved everything. A.L.M.O.S.T!

The salad ended up all over my dress. I was covered by tomatoes, basil, pepper and cheese. It was on my dress, on my legs, on my arms. Now we were going to be really late. I sat there for a minute. I considered bawling my eyes out. However, I had actually put on make up. This is not normal for me, I hate make up, it makes my face feel yucky. I wanted to look nice for the shower though, so I had put it on. So, I stopped my urge to cry. If I did it would mess up my make up and put us even farther behind.

I went upstairs changed my clothes. I put on jeans and a shirt. I was disappointed. I still wanted to cry.

Valerie and I finally got to the shower. We were late and we had the food. I felt embarrassed and anxious and like I had let everyone down. Everyone was very nice about it. They all understood, but I couldn't shake the feeling.

The rest of the day went very well though. Carmen and Anita had done the decorations. Carmen had some fun games and everyone seemed to enjoy the food.

Kahlen had other kids to play with and got to have time to kiss on her new little cousin, Ethan.

Alyssa seemed to to enjoy her day. Carmen had a game where she had asked her brother questions and then Alyssa had to try to answer the same questions the way she thought Shane had answered. With each wrong answer she had to put a piece of bubble gum in her mouth. She had a bit of a hard time talking by the end. It was fun.

All in all, my disasters aside, it was a wonderful day. Alyssa received beautiful presents, and I am so thankful to everyone that attended and made that day so special for her.

A special thank you to Valerie for helping so much with the food and to Anita and Carmen for the great decorations and games.

Lost in Attica

So, I have lost, what fellow blogger, Pia, would term, my writing MoJo. I just can't seem to think of much to write about. My mind has turned to mush, much like the weather outside. It isn't that I don't have anything to write about, well yeah it is kind of that, I lead a rather boring little life.

The most exciting thing that has happened around here lately is when Willie and I decided to go find a park called Potholes in Indiana. We had heard, from one of Willie's friends, that it was really pretty. I looked it up on line and saw that it was northwest of Attica, Indiana. I knew where Attica was. I couldn't find an actual address or a site for the park itself. I found a few sites from people who had visited the park and posted pictures. The pictures were awesome and I was excited to see the park for my self.

On Tuesday, we got into the car, put Bazinga in the back and pointed it at Attica, Indiana. It took us about 30 minutes to get to Attica. We looked for signs along the way, we saw none. We were in no big hurry, and had no plans, and as such decided to just keep driving around Attica to look for signs.

We drove thru town, no signs. We drove south of town, no signs, we drove north of town, no signs. We drove west of town, still no signs. We never found it. It was nice to go for a nice long drive though.

On our way west we did find ourselves in a rather spooky looking area of Williamsburg. I was really glad that it was the middle of the day instead of the dark of night. We took a turn north and found ourselves in a better area. We decided to take one last journey north to try to find the park, but to no avail.

Finally, we decided to give up and head home. Bazinga was very confused after a long drive to end up at home again. He burst from the car expecting an adventure and found himself in oh so familiar surroundings. He sniffed around and looked at me in disappointment. Ah, well, he enjoyed the ride.

Note to self, get specific directions for the next time we look for this park.

You Should Be Grateful......

I have been following some of the reports of Occupy Wall Street. I am going to state right now, I am in support of their movement. Many will disagree with me, and that is their right and their privilege to do so. I do not find it UnAmerican when people disagree with me. I do not find it treasonous when people do not agree with the government. Differences in opinion are our constitutional right and dare I say duty as Americans.

"But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security.--Such has been the patient sufferance of these Colonies;" Thomas Jefferson--The Declaration of Independence


Now, I am not saying we chuck our form of government and replace it with something radical. I am saying that definite abuses need to be addressed and those abusers need to be held accountable. Our government should not be for sale to the highest bidder. Those that have money should not have politicians in their pockets. When that happens then those who have money decide what is right and wrong. Normally, they decide this in their own favor. This is how our tax codes have been written, this is how deregulation of banks and wall street have occurred and brought our economy to a grinding halt. This is how the top 1% have seen their incomes rise by 275% over the last 30 years, while the rest of us have had to work much harder and longer hours and have seen our wages stagnate. 


I was at work a few weeks ago. It had been an awful day. We had recently gone through some major staff reductions and as such were short staffed, although perfectly staffed according to some one who probably hadn't stepped foot in a store in 50 years. I had been running, and I do mean running to try and keep up. Finally lunch came. I went to the break room and saw the company magazine. On the front was a guy in a suit looking all proud and powerful. The camera angle used was such that it really emphasized that he was looking down on those about to read the article about him. He had power, I did not. 


I opened the magazine to the article. I read it. I about puked my guts up. I was exhausted from running and apologizing to people because their prescriptions weren't ready over and over. I had been yelled at, and verbally abused because we couldn't keep up because of the recent cuts. "I am so so sorry," had come out of my mouth more times than I could swallow. These people had every right to be mad, we were way behind. 


I wanted to rip the magazine to shreds! Why? You might ask? The article was about Mr. Suit and his wonderful new approach to office  communication. Apparently, theses "higher ups" spend their time perusing the Internet and business magazines looking for "current event" articles to share with the class, oops I mean the rest of the staff. They get together and read their articles and then discuss them, because apparently they have nothing better to do with THEIR time. I was angry about this the rest of the day. I am still angry about it today. They are playing 6th grade classroom while we are running our asses off! And Mr. Suit thinks he has stumbled upon a great new innovation to increase productivity. If they have the time to do that, maybe they need to cut staff at that level and give the stores the staff to TAKE CARE OF THE CUSTOMERS! You know the ones PAYING THEIR FAT ASS SALARIES!


This is why I support Occupy Wall Street. Our Nation is broken. The ideals and the structure are still good. The Constitution is still excellent. The problem is in the way it has been usurped and abused by those that have the ability and the selfish priorities that have taken it over. The problem is with those that cannot see past their silver spoons to see what is going on beyond it. 


I DO NOT begrudge anyone who has worked hard for their money, earned it honestly and enjoys those benefits. I do not. I begrudge those that have lied, cheated and stolen their money from those that entrusted them with theirs. I begrudge those that think we, in the woking class, should pay more taxes than they do so they can have government bailouts and handouts and then reward themselves with bonuses and perks. I begrudge those that we elect, to protect our rights and our freedoms, being bought out by those same people who lied and cheated and stole from us. And I begrudge those who think we should produce more with less people, get paid less,  and be grateful we have a job at all. 


  

Who You Gonna Call?....

 I think I have said before that we live in a very small town with a long history. It was founded in 1859. According to Wikipedia, Rossville and Ross Township were named for Jacob Ross, a settler in the area. However, the location was first named Liggett's Grove in honor of John Liggett who built a lodging house there in 1829. Liggett's cabin was located on the Hubbard Trail, an early trading route established byGurdon Hubbard from Chicago to Danville. In 1833, this became the first state highway (now Illinois Route 1) and in 1914 was made part of the Dixie Highway. In 1838, Alvan Gilbert purchased the Liggett farm, and the next year became postmaster at the newly-established post office. Rossville was incorporated as a village in August 1859. 

And, of course, before that this land was  inhabited by Native Americans of different origins. Now, with that kind of history, if there is such a thing as ghosts, there are bound to be a few around town.

The building across the street from my house seems to be of great interest to those that do believe. It is an old Masonic Temple that was built 105 years ago. The same time my house was built.

It is a beautiful building, sadly run down, but you can imagine it as it once was. The detailing in the architecture, the windows, the red brick, is all stunning. Even the creepy guy above the door is mesmerizing. I'm sure at one time the original Masons that owned the building were very proud of it, and sad to sell it when the time came.

Since that time, the building has been a few different things. The last being an antique store. When Willie and I moved here last year, it was closed and for sale. We have spent many evenings on our front porch looking at the building and wondering what we could do with it if we had the money. We looked it up on line, the cost was meager, $15,000, less than a car. The repairs the building that would need to be done, would probably be several $100,000. Way beyond our means.

This last week or so the for sale sign has come down. This truck has been in front of the building several times since then. It you look closely it says, Indiana Ghost Trackers on it. I haven't decided if I find it hilarious or completely fascinating. A friend of mine that has lived in the area for her whole life says the building has been investigated for ghosts before.

I have joked around about having ghosts living in my houses before. To the point where I even named our ghost Ferdinand. We had a TV at one time, that would turn on and off, all by itself, for no reason. We would be sound asleep, and the TV would turn on. At first we thought we rolled on the remote, or for a long time we thought maybe the neighbor's remote might be on the same frequency and our TV was reacting to his remote. We convinced ourselves that was the case for a long time. We lived in a trailer park and our houses were very close, it made sense, a little anyway. Then a light in our front room started doing the same thing. Ferdinand had expanded his enterprise.

We moved from the trailer, which lets face it, it could have been the wiring that caused such things. We moved into a house in Danville, Il. It was older, built in the 1930's if I remember right. We left the possessed TV behind. Ferdinand still came with us. The light kept turning on and off, and he also took up residence in something else, but I can't remember what for sure.

When we moved back to Iowa and it seemed we had left Ferdinand behind. Maybe he liked the old house better, maybe it was wiring again. Maybe, he invaded my car. I have always had quirky cars. It may start out as a normal car, if I drive it too long, like a month or two, quirks always develop.  I had a car who every time we opened the back door, the dinger would go off, you know the one that goes off when you leave the keys in the car. The one that is supposed to go off when you open the front door. That was just one of its quirks.

I also drove a van for Van Meter School district, to take a child to Winterset a couple of times a week. It was fine when I started driving it. After a few months, its dinger started going off every time I hit the brakes to slow down. Yeah, that got very annoying very fast. I wonder if it still does it?

My van now, when I turn on the heater fan, the back windshield wiper comes on. Wiring on my cars always seems to get criss-crossed or something. It is never anything dangerous, just strange and obnoxious. Like someone or something is always playing jokes on me.

My cars always have quirks.  I mean, why does every single car I drive end up with strange quirks. Are they really quirks? Or do I have permanent visitors that travel with me. Does Ferdinand follow me every where I go? He has always had a thing for electrical items, and when quirks come up it always seem to be in wiring.

When I saw the truck across the street the first time I laughed and thought, what a racket, and wondered how I could get a job doing that? Then I looked up their website, wondering how much they make off of others' fears, and found that they don't charge a thing. It is a group of people who really believe in what they are doing. Not like the old movie "Ghost Busters." I would actually love to know what they "find."

What the truck has done, has made me think about, do I believe in ghosts? As I have aged, I have found myself believing things I never thought I would. Like, yes, I most definitely, not just believe, but KNOW that the full moon makes people act a little loony. Sometimes, a LOT loony. Thirty years ago, I'd have laughed in my own face if I'd have said that, but much experience has changed my mind.

So, I guess, I am much more open minded about the idea of ghosts than I used to be.  If I do have ghosts following me around, they seem to be more goofish than ghoulish. They seem to have a sense of humor and just like to play jokes on me. As long as that is all they do, I'm more than happy to share my space with them.

Franklin D. Roosevelt ~~~~ 1933

Practices of the unscrupulous money changers stand indicted in the court of public opinion, rejected by the hearts and minds of men.

True, they have tried, but their efforts have been cast in the pattern of an outworn tradition. Faced by failure of credit, they have proposed only the lending of more money.

Stripped of the lure of profit by which to induce our people to follow their false leadership, they have resorted to exhortations, pleading tearfully for restored conditions. They know only the rules of a generation of self-seekers.

They have no vision, and when there is no vision the people perish.

The money changers have fled their high seats in the temple of our civilization. We may now restore that temple to the ancient truths.

The measure of the restoration lies in the extent to which we apply social values more noble than mere monetary profit.

Happiness lies not in the mere possession of money, it lies in the joy of achievement, in the thrill of creative effort.

The joy and moral stimulation of work no longer must be forgotten in the mad chase of evanescent profits. These dark days will be worth all they cost us if they teach us that our true destiny is not to be ministered unto but to minister to ourselves and to our fellow-men.

Recognition of the falsity of material wealth as the standard of success goes hand in hand with the abandonment of the false belief that public office and high political position are to be values only by the standards of pride of place and personal profit, and there must be an end to a conduct in banking and in business which too often has given to a sacred trust the likeness of callous and selfish wrongdoing.

Bucket List

December of 2012 will mark my 50th birthday. A half a century of life. Many feel old hitting such a milestone. Maybe as it gets closer I will have that reaction, too. Right now though, It doesn't seem to bother me. My age has only bothered me once. My 25th birthday, for some reason, that I still today cannot explain, was a tough one for me. I think that was the only birthday that I had that, "I am so old," feeling. Why then, and not say, 30 or 40? Heck if I know.

The only thing I feel about turning 50 next year is the urge to do and see things I have never done before. I have a bucket list in my iPhone. I started on it last year sometime and add to it now and then. Most of the things, honestly, I know I will probably never do. Most of the things involve travel. I would love to travel. I've stated that before on here. I have never had the chance to travel much. Most of my travels were with my Girl Scout troops in junior and senior high school. That was an awful long time ago. I want to do more, yes I am the greedy type.

So, here is my list. It is kind of a long one, which is why I probably wont get to do it all. It isn't in any type of an order. I'll be happy getting to do whatever whenever.

I have never ever been on an airplane. Not because I have any phobia, just have never had the opportunity. I would love to go on one. It would make it a lot easier to go to some of the places I'd like to go, but big boats are good too, I'd do that. Flying first class of course would be the most enjoyable, relaxing and watching out the window without someone almost on top of me is the dream. I'd be just as satisfied to go couch, just to be able to say I had been on an airplane.

A few of the things I would like to do could all be taken care of in one trip. For instance, I would like to fly over the Atlantic ocean. I would like to go to Europe. I would like to walk in the footsteps of the Beatles. All could be done on the same trip. That and going to Ireland, Scotland, and seeing the French countryside. It would be a long trip true, but what an awesome trip. Maybe go to Sweden, and see Stockholm too.

Another place in Europe I'd like to spend a lot of time, Germany. My father's family is from Germany. It would be interesting to see where the family is from. Look in a phonebook and see how many Siepmanns I would find. Maybe find a headstone of an ancestor. Walk the streets they walked on. See the places they saw. Breathe the air they lived in.

As much as I would like to do all of that, what I would really like to do is spend time traveling my own home country. I read an article once about a trail you can walk on the east coast. It goes from Maine to Florida. At the right time, you can start at one end and walk and see the seasons change. It would take weeks, but wouldn't it be the most aw inspiring thing to do? I would love it. Absolutely, love it. I would definitely want a good camera for that. I'd love to spend that time with Willie, like a second honeymoon.

There are other things I'd really like to do specifically with my husband. He was born in Hawaii, I would love to go there with him. One thing I know I would really like to do while we are there, eat gourmet Spam. That's right, gourmet Spam. I hear it is a huge thing in Hawaii. Therefore, I see it as a must do.  Plus, going to Hawaii would make two more goals possible, flying over the Pacific and seeing a volcano.

I would love to spend a summer in Alaska. Just get in a car and drive where ever I can drive to. I would love to lie down outside, with Willie and watch the northern lights. We could travel the state enjoying nature where it is still truly nature. A new camera would be in order.

Then there are the places I would love to take Kahlen, and any new grandchildren that will come along. Disney World or Disneyland scream to mind. I have never been there, my kids have never been there, what a wonderful big old family trip that would be. Maybe it could be on the way to another dream family trip, a Christmas cruise to the Bahamas.

Other Christmas trips I'd love to take, one would be to New York City. Ice fall in in Central Park. Yes, I said ice fall, I'm sure whatever I would be doing could not be called ice skating. I want to see the Christmas tree in Rockefeller Center. I want to take Kahlen to see Santa Claus at Macy's in NYC. I know, I know, very touristy, but I've never been there. Oh, and we could go see The Lion King or Beauty and the Beast or what ever is playing while we were there.

I also want to take Kahlen to see the National Christmas tree in Washington DC. I like Christmas trees. I like Christmas. I would enjoy sharing Christmas with my family in new places. Seeing how Christmas is celebrated in different cities and towns. The decorations and traditions, how they are different, how they are the same.

I love camping, I love camping with my family. I would love taking a camping trip with the whole family to the Rocky Mountains. Camp at Yellowstone, I've been there before, with Girl Scouts, but never with my family.

Go to the Grand Canyon, camp, ride donkeys, take the gondola ride across the canyon. Go on a helicopter tour. Watch the kids' faces as they see it all for the first time too.

There is so much more. Constitution Hall, The Liberty Bell, The Lincoln Memorial, Gettysburg, so much history, our country's roots. The places they decided that birthing this nation at the risk of their own lives was important and necessary. The places that great decisions were made. The places where people gave all to keep our nation whole. It is overwhelming to think about.

So, there is the bulk of my bucket list. I'm sure there is more, but these are the most important to me. Maybe someday...... probably not.

So Many Leaves!

It is so yucky outside today. The Great Lakes Cyclone's fingers found their way clear down here. We have had strong winds and rain the past day or two. It is cold and windy and still spitting rain even today.

Of course the major side effect of strong winds, in the fall, when you have 37 trees in your yard..... Leaves, lots and lots of leaves. Our backyard is becoming carpeted with leaves. Brown is the new green. It seems as though we just got through cleaning up leaves from last spring and now they are back.

The good news, at least for now is that the vomit tree seems to not have much fruit on it this year. I have been studying it, looking for fruit, and just don't see a lot. So, far no big stink yet this year either. 

 The bad news, there are still many, many, many leaves still to come. Some haven't even changed color yet. Oh, the work ahead of us.