Mawwiage

Last night, while talking to my daughter on the phone, one of my favorite movies was playing in the background: The Princess Bride. As usual, couldn't help cracking up at the marriage ceremony.  Well, okay, in several places.  This morning, DD sent me this link: 

http://www.flixxy.com/wedding-ceremony.htm

I believe this marriage has enough humor to survive!

Hotel Life

The snow has stopped, for the moment at least, though they had said it would snow all day until about 6pm.  It wasn't snowing at 4:15 this morning, either.  Guess how I know that.

I'd forgotten how hard it can be to sleep in a hotel room. The bed is too soft and slopes towards the edges, and I tried to find the balance between sleeping in the middle and stretching the C-PAP tubing enough to pull the machine off the bedside table.  I did okay, actually.  No C-PAP was harmed in the making of my night.
The microwave almost was, though. It's not working because the door won't catch, apparently.  That's the message on the front when I try to start it: "door". But the light inside works exceptionally well. Once I got up and turned it a little sideways in its cubicle, everything was hunky-dory.

At 2:42, my phone rang.  J-Man woke up and found my message.  Yes, the phone was by his bed, but he slept through 3 calls. (!) He was fine, no fever, and the power was still on. I reminded him to plug in his cell phone when he actually got up, and then we both went back to sleep.

At 4:15 I woke up again.  One of the lab gals  said that someone had volunteered to shuttle people from the hotel to the hospital starting about 6am, but she has to be at work at 5, and she wasn't sure if she could make it.  I'd told her to call me and I'd throw some clothes on and drive her up there in my 4-wheel drive, because I could go back to bed and sleep all day if need be.   

I got up and checked my top to see if it was dry.  In my haste I forgot to pack daytime clothes for today, and about 8pm I realized I had packed extra socks and underthings, and I could really wear the jeans again for a few hours, but I had no shirt to wear. Did you know shampoo is multi-functional?

When I realized she wasn't going to call, I fell back to sleep.  At 6:15, some alarm went off. And off. I think someone tried to go out an emergency exit, because, although there was running, there was a lot of laughing and no smoke. Part of me thought about staying awake until 6:30, when the continental breakfast was served, but the sleepy part reminded me I had a package of bagels, and some cream cheese and boiled eggs in the fridge, and the much-appreciated coffee pot in the room.  Once everyone left for work, it got quiet again and I had the best sleep between 6:45 and 9:23.

After calling Jack and reminding him (again) to plug in his cell phone, I poured my coffee and pulled out the cream cheese and boiled eggs.  I noticed the eggs were cracked, but hey, it was a bumpy ride and I made lots of trips from the car to the room. They weren't just cracked, they were burst.  As in frozen-burst.  As was a can of diet Coke.  The cream cheese is frozen, too.  I think maybe I turned the refrigerator thermostat a tad too low.

But the coffee was nice and hot.  I stirred in my sweetener and let it sit a moment while I placed the cream cheese container on top of the coffee pot to warm.  The eggs are in their plastic baggy, floating in a sink of warm water.  The coke is sitting on a washcloth on the bathroom counter, steadily fizzing and leaking.  And my  biodegradable plasticware has started biodegrading.

I don't think I get out enough.

"Why I Eyes Ya"

Well, it finally posted! I tried to upload this at about 11:30 last night and it showed up at 5:20 this afternoon. I didn't even know it was here until I found the email by Mighty Mom.
Anyway, I must be the last person on earth to learn about this little entry from America's Funniest Home Videos, but my daughter introduced me to this when she was here a couple of weeks ago, and it still cracks me up.

Then I found this site, and I'm thinking if they made these in my size, I'd have to have one.

In other news, my local quilt shop sent out emails that they are moving, and are having major sales: 30% off fat quarters, some notions, batting and 35% off regular fabrics.


Even some of their rolling desk chairs were for sale, and I wanted to get one for DD, but they had all sold. I did come home with queen-sized batting and bunches of fat quarters and some more information.


Seems the economy has been so hard on them, it's either downsize or close, so they're moving to a smaller place.


Made me feel a little guilty about my fabric diet this year, because, even though I prefer shopping online for many things, I appreciate having a quilt shop withing 5 miles of my home.


It makes it so much more convenient when I need needles, more thread, or 16 new fat quarters!
So I boosted the local economy a little today.


Hey, I'm running out of brights for my 9-patch one-a-day quiltalong!

Tired But Wired

Well, I'm back sooner than I thought I'd be. Seems my sweet husband, in an effort to do his best to cure me quickly, and confronted with a confusing array of Mucinex options, simply asked the pharmacist to give him "the maximum strength one". I didn't really pay attention to the box until this morning--when it dawned on me why I have slept only 3 hours since Tues. morning: Mucinex D has pseudoephedrine. Combine that with the albuterol inhaler and this will rival any size Starbucks--and without the calories!


I have postponed operating any heavy machinery and most electrical equipment until tomorrow morning.



In the meantime, could you folks post a little faster, please?

Thought for the Day

Worst Gift

We don't do Valentine's Day gifts around here--just never got into it. So I don't expect to participate in Judy's giveaway this weekend, but if you get something from your Sweetie, go post about it!

Julie's post, over at Pragmatic Compendium, with that hilarious video, reminded me of the worst gift J-Man ever gave me.

Now, don't get me wrong, I am very much in love with my husband. His love language is acts of service, and he is terrific at it. Just gifts themselves, well they're either a 10 or a 1. Nothing in between.

Prime example of a 10? My iPod nano--though that was really my daughter's idea. Another example of a 10? The tower speaker he got DD for her iPod nano--his own idea.

Prime example of a 1? The gift he got me for my 40th birthday.

A Solar Air Exchanger for my car.

Yep.

I was doing a lot of traveling in my job, and he decided this would be a good thing to keep my car from getting stuffy in the summer sunshine. As an everyday, thinking-of-you gift? Great. Any guy who saw it, thought it was a great gadget. And it was.

But as a gift for the big 4-0?

It sucked.

I had the sympathies of all my friends.

I do remember using it, though I don't think it made much of a difference in my car. Of course, that was a bazillion years ago, and it's long gone. Now it's just a funny memory, one of the many that come from being married for years and years. Don't you just love those?

Maybe the birds would eat it.

In an effort to be more frugal, I have pulled the bread machine out of the cabinet and made 3 loaves of bread the last couple of days. The first, a potato bread, came out yummy.

So did the second, a raisin bread for breakfast, though it was a bit small. I used a different cookbook, and their guidelines for the size recipe to use were off.

I decided to make a garlic bread loaf to go with last night's spaghetti.

Here's how it turned out:



It looks like a science experiment gone bad, doesn't it? Should have tried it for Halloween--it would have been a perfect prop.

I think I should tweak it a little.....

Taking up the Challenge

Mighty Mom over at My Wonderful Life wants to see just how many bag ladies are out there. So come on, all you old bags--show yourselves!

This hangs on the closet door in my sewing room and holds my hand-me-down MP3 player and headphones. I got it during a fabric shop hop:

Inside the closet, on the right are 3 currently empty project bags. The one on the left is one of two purse/bags made for me by a an old friend.


On the other side of the medicine cart I keep in the closet are two more bags:


The blue plaid one, bought with its mate at a yard sale, holds embroidery hoops. The small canvas one, with my hospital's logo on it, holds Tandi's Frontline and HeartGuard:


Underneath these are three bags in a pile:


The small bag on top is a Coke Rewards backpack that I use as Tandi's travel bag:


The straw bag holds an old velvet dress of DD's, and other items I will be cutting up for a crazy quilt one day. On the bottom of the pile is a bag holding styrofoam balls, sequins, etc. for Christmas ornaments:


Way over in the corner is a small canvas bag that holds a few colored glass bottles I used to have on a window shelf years ago:


This bag has items from our last quilt meeting.

It's one of 5 I bought from Fabric Depot on sale. Two were given as gifts to our monthly hostesses, I use the red one myself, and the other two (starred bag and fleur-de-lis) are waiting for recipients. The small bag in the center of this photo I just received for completing a survey from the sewing machine table people:


Under my sewing table, I have several bags of batting, with bags inside of bags:


I also have two old cosmetic display bags stashed underneath, both of which hold Christmas fabric:




The floral bag I bought last fall at a church yard sale gets used a lot because it's so big, but right now it only holds the comfort quilt top I started for my dearest friend:

Next to it is one of those zippered plastic bags that hold blankets, and it has DD's string quilt and the border and backing fabric.

In front of that is a large paper shopping bag that holds some Christmas bags I've made, and the drapery fabric J-Man suggested I use for more bags. It also hides some Christmas presents!


Some of my bags as well as a few baskets have baggies of smaller projects in progress, or pulled fabrics and patterns waiting to be assembled:





Here are other bags I use, but aren't in the sewing room right now:



This is a stack of what were to be drawstring "pill bags", made for a group of healthcare providers who volunteer every year in 3rd world countries. But our online quilting group made so many the last two years, they didn't need any more this year, so here they sit until I decide what else I can do with them.


And lastly, the backpack I take to work. It's large enough to hold a bag of projects along with other supplies, should I ever get time at work to do anything!


So I think I've outbagged Mighty Mom, but then, I've had a few more years to collect them!

How about you? Are you a bag lady too? Show us!

BBQ Rules

I got this in my email today and just had to pass it on, because the truth is in there!

We are about to enter the summer soon and BBQ season. Here are the rules:

It is important to refresh your memory on the etiquette of this sublime outdoor cooking activity, as it's the only type of cooking a 'real' man will do, probably because there is an element of danger involved.

When a man volunteers to do the BBQ the following chain of events are put into motion:

Routine...
(1) The woman buys the food.
(2) The woman makes the salad, prepares the vegetables, and makes de ssert.
(3) The woman prepares the meat for cooking, places it on a tray along with the necessary cooking utensils and sauces, and takes it to the man who is lounging beside the grill - coke in hand.

Here comes the important part:
(4) THE MAN PLACES THE MEAT ON THE GRILL.

More routine....
(5) The woman goes inside to organize the plates and cutlery.
(6) The woman comes out to tell the man that the meat is burning.

He thanks her and asks if she will bring another coke while he deals with the situation.

Important again:
(7) THE MAN TAKES THE MEAT OFF THE GRILL AND HANDS IT TO THE WOMAN. More routine....
(8) The woman prepares the plates, salad, bread, utensils, napkins, sauces, and brings them to the table.
(9) After eating, the woman clears the t able and does the dishes.

And most important of all:
(10) Everyone PRAISES the MAN and THANKS HIM for his cooking efforts.
(11) The man asks the woman how she enjoyed 'her night off.' And, upon seeing her annoyed reaction, concludes that there's just no pleasing some women. ...

Christmas at Rock-Away Rest

'Twas the night before Christmas at Rock-Away Rest,
and all of us seniors were looking our best.
Our glasses, how sparkly, our wrinkles, how merry;
Our punchbowl held prune juice plus three drops of sherry.

A bedsock was taped to each walker, in hope
That Santa would bring us soft candy and soap.
We surely were lucky to be there with friends,
Secure in this residence and in our Depends.

Our grandkids had sent us some Christmasy crafts,
Like angels in snowsuits and penguins on rafts.
The dental assistant had borrowed our teeth,
And from them she'd crafted a holiday wreath.
The bed pans, so shiny, all stood in a row,
Reflecting our candle's magnificent glow.
Our supper so festive -- the joy wouldn't stop --
Was creamy warm oatmeal with sprinkles on top.

Our salad was Jell-O, so jiggly and great,
Then puree of fruitcake was spooned on each plate.
The social director then had us play games,
Like "Where Are You Living?" and "What Are Your Names?"

Old Grandfather Looper was feeling his oats,
Proclaiming that reindeer were nothing but goats.
Our resident wand'rer was tied to her chair,
In hopes that at bedtime she still would be there.

Security lights on the new fallen snow
Made outdoors seem noon to the old folks below.
Then out on the porch there arose quite a clatter
(But we are so deaf that it just didn't matter).

A strange little fellow flew in through the door,
Then tripped on the sill and fell flat on the floor.
'Twas just our director, all togged out in red.
He jiggled and chuckled and patted each head.

We knew from the way that he strutted and jived
Our social- security checks had arrived.
We sang -- how we sang -- in our monotone croak,
Till the clock tinkled out its soft eight-p.m. stroke.

And soon we were snuggling deep in our beds.
While nurses distributed nocturnal meds.
And so ends our Christmas at Rock-Away Rest.
'fore long you'll be with us,
We wish you the best.


[ Author Unknown -- from 'Buffalos Chips' (buffalos-g-jokes.yahoogroups.com) ]