Hi everyone,
It has been a busy day for me! I had a dental appointment today… like some of you did last week. Mine was good… no cavities and no pain was felt! That’s always a good day for me!
However, it just turned 10:56 p.m. and I realized I haven’t done ANYTHING worthy of a post! I do have a picture of me mowing the grass on the riding mower, but that hardly constitutes anything worth writing about. My hubby took a video of me making “crop circles” (just joking), but it was too far away and all blurry.
So, I’ll let you all talk… tell me what you did today… played with your dolls, sewed on a project, baked something special, got things ready if you are celebrating Easter, tried a new recipe, read a good book, went for a walk, called a friend and talked for a long time, had a doctor’s appointment, whatever you did… it’s more exciting than just a picture of me on our mower… so share away and I’ll be back tomorrow with something more than nothing! :o)
See you tomorrow,
Blessings, Jeanne
Hi all. I will reply to some of the comments I read in yesterday’s blog.
First of all, as several of you mentioned in response to Barbara’s question, yes, I am a night owl. Have been pretty much all my life. I usually try to be in bed by 3 my time, and sleep about 6 hours or so, more or less (depending on how many robocalls will reach me too early). Sometimes I do stay up a little later than 3 (as I did last night–but I think my post last night was just before I got off the computer). Occasionally I have been known to doze off in front of the computer, for a brief “power nap”, and then I’m good for a little while longer!
For those of you who are talking about gardening, things you do in the yard, etc., more power to you. The gardening gene TOTALLY missed me! Absolutely totally. I have a beautiful lilac and an azalea in my front yard because Ron planted them before I ever knew him; therefore, the are still growing. I kill just about everything else. I don’t even enjoy trying. It’s just not my idea of “fun”.
Got Ron’s car in today–it needs a brake job in addition to an oil change. They were pretty bad, I guess. I don’t drive that car very often (maybe once a week or so, to keep the battery charged), but it’s nice to have it when I need it, so I am having that work done. Plus, if I decide to sell it, someone else isn’t buying ready-made problems. I will pick it up tomorrow.
I also got my taxes done, and will have to pay some this year. Not a lot, but some. Because….for the first time in many years, I am filing as a “single” 😢 and that puts me in a slightly higher tax bracket.
Poor Nolan is still waiting for his time to poke thru my t-shirt scraps and pick out what he wants to go with his new shorts. We are both still waiting for it to warm up here–while many of you are enjoying temps over 70°, we only got to the mid 50s today–and yesterday our high was 46! We are Cold!
I am ready to bind my first quilt UFO! (Remember, the 8 or so quilt UFOs I found in my sewing room a while back? Yeah, one of those.) And I am close to half done with knitting a baby sweater. (No, I don’t have any idea who it’s for; I just like to knit them, then I have them on hand for gifts.) But arthritis has hit my left thumb, so I have to take frequent breaks from knitting. This also does not improve my piano playing at all!
I completely forgot that today was April’s Fools Day, until you mentioned it! It’s been awhile since we used to tell our friends at school that they had a spider in their hair, which got old fast, since everyone did it!🤣
Well Jeanne, I see that you have yourself color coordinated even while cutting the grass! Your shoes and top match, as well as black slacks with the black mower! Not surprising for you, I guess!
So Charlotte goes to bed at 3? That’s my time to get up! Last week I slept until 4 since I had a bit of a cold, and I think Michael must have thought I died in bed!
Yesterday was a pretty nice day weather wise, so we took advantage of it and worked in the yard. So much to do, so little time, and today it is raining. It does give me the chance to do inside things though. Several of you seem to have two homes and talk about doing this and that at both of them. Do you live at two different places or what? I can’t imagine keeping up with two houses and yards! You must be superwomen!
I have been busy decorating for Easter, and hope to do my baking Saturday. I’ll send some pictures soon. I am going to bake a lemon cake with fluffy white icing, and marshmallow flowers on it, at least try! Since we will be going to my daughter’s house for dinner, I won’t be baking a huge meal! Yay!
Since this is Holy Week, that means church and the special Holy Week services that go along with it. If you have any, I hope you can take advantage of them.⛪️
Yes, we are going to services tomorrow evening and of course Easter.
My favorite Holy day of the year
Wonderful, Rosemary! It’s always good to remember what Easter is all about, and not the Easter Bunny!
Linda you are very funny. I ask my husband to check every morning to make sure I have not died. Getting old is a little bit silly
We are definitely not night owls. We go to bed at 9:30 and get up at 7:00 except when we go to the Y then we get up 3:30. We sleep well, thank goodness.
Yes, Linda, we will be going to Holy Week starting tomorrow evening. Our pianist got sick Saturday, thank goodness our leader can play the guitar! I do hope we will have piano music to sing to by Easter!
Today I will make cookies for tomorrow’s lunch that our church puts out every Thursday for more that 100 folks. It is funny that if you offer to help with something in Church you end up doing it every week. I don’t mind though.
This morning, when I finish writing here I will make Peyton’s fave breakfast, Eggs Benedict. He makes my fave of cheese grits and fried eggs. Then, after breakfast I will come back to the computer and look some more of the blog and other things. Then I will have to get busy in the sewing room again. This am it is cold but will go up to the eighties, crazy weather.
Jeanne I love your photo! You make it look fun to ride that thing! I hope you get some time today to do things you really like.
I’m with you on the 9:30 bedtime, Sissy, but I could never sleep until 7! I must have some sort of internal clock, since when I have my hearing aid off at night, and cannot hear an alarm, I always manage to wake up at the same time everyday. Really strange, but that’s how I am!
What a time for your church pianist to get sick! My mother was a church organist for many years, so I understand the frustration of a sick pianist and not any back up, since her church was small. Hope she gets better soon!
We get in bed at 10 pm after lazily taking showers.
I play a few games of Freecell and then I get unbelievably sleepy and fall asleep at about 11. Hubbs usually reads news on his iPhone.
I wear ear plugs, so I am out!
Hubbs wakes me up at 8, usually out of a “dead sleep” so it takes me a while to get my brains up to speed. — lots of bumbling
What a bedtime routine! I cannot take a shower at night because then I am wide awake! I just go to bed, no electronics for me after 7 most evenings, or it keeps me awake. By 9 I’m barely functioning! At 3 in the morning I am raring to go!
That is really quite super, bed at 9:30. I used to wake up perky back in the days of olden, but now, I usually wake up and usually ask him what time it is, just in case it is too early haha
Jeanne, you are coping with a lot of change and jumbling. I know you are not down and out exhausted but you have a lot of “pots boiling on the stove” there. I hope George is moving around and feeling good despite his restrictions.
You look so snazzy on the mower, you look like a fashion model with your matching shirt and shoes: selling the boss girl life!
Rex and I did yard work at the old house for about 3 hours. He just chopped the butterfly bush sticks into little pieces for the trash guys, he spent way too long in the sun!
I planted some spring bulbs in various areas of the yard, I have no idea if they will come up.
I also watered all of the plants that I planted on Monday (the undesirable plantings they put in this yard… that I literally can not stand!!, the liriope and the Nandina) So they are planted
and our old neighbor, Glen, was walking his grand dog, we chatted for a while.
“this old house” needs some work before we can sell it, I just wish I had a magic wand.
Yes, we will probably spend several thousand $$ cleaning it up. It is just what we must do.
Okay I do not want to talk about that anymore!
Yes, I knew Charlotte was a night owl long before any of you did. I just knew it.
Charlotte, when do you practice the piano? I used to play. We do have a piano. I need to play it. If you have not played in a long time, the first couple of things are kind of bad sounding.
Additionally, I need to have this one tuned.
Charlotte, I am happy that you proudly state that you are not good with plants.
I am just okay… I have killed a few things, but I am not going to blame myself. probably like you, just bad luck.
I am glad, Charlotte that you have plantings that Ron planted.
Linda, You have a spider in your hair. hahaha. I used to get very panicky about April fools.
One year my neighbor across the street called me and told me I lost about 8 shingles on my roof and did I know that?
No I am not a super woman. The old house is the old house and we down sized and moved into this house. We did not sell the old house first because my father … he never told us, He never said anything all these years, He was an accountant for NATO long ago, and the State Department., He loved playing games. I cared for him and mom for 12 years, the best days ever, I was super woman back then. He showed me the cabinet that his “papers” were in, and at least once a month he would ask me where the cabinet was, just so he knew I was listening. He also had me take a picture of him in the photo pointing to the cabinet. he said open this cabinet after I die.
So, then we did. He had invested in a lot of things, he had a trust and a will and he left us, his four kids (my oldest sister died at age 48 from a brain aneurysm from smoking) (she had two amazing kids) a very hefty pile of money. My siblings are too cheap, so my husband (Rex) is doing all of the legal work. This is why we have two houses. This entire process, since daddy’s passing in 2023 has been a bit of a shock.
We are in Northern Virginia, far west in Loudoun County. I hope we get some rain today but I think it is coming tomorrow.
Today I will go to the house and pack up some more stuff, and sort the pile for Blue Ridge Hospice charity shops to pick up.
Then I am going to pack up my daughters stuff and perhaps move it all to the closest storage facility available,…. or just call the painters and they can leave her stuff alone.
Sewing: I have 16 amazing quilt blocks made with some super pretty fabric. I will send a photo if I can… soon. I am making 4 more.
Charlotte, UFOs (unFinished Objects). I have so many … so many. I need to clone myself.
All of the geese are stuffed, but I have not given them to any grand children because I have not seen them.
Jeanne, I should send you a pic of the miniature goose I made for the AG girls, but I need to dress them. Felicity is naked right now because I made some wild shorts but I was going to make a girly blouse to go with them and then it did not happen yet.
This is the end of my very long comment. I love all of you dearly, Sincerely, Verbose Rosemary
Rosemary, now I get it! You had the house, because of your father. That’s different than just having many houses like celebrities do.
I do think you might be getting some rain soon, since we are in the thick of it now, a d it is moving eastward. I would love to live where you do, and we did for a tiny bit when Michael was in the service. Ot right by you, but more by Richmond. Beautiful state!
Linda, yeah, Richmond is 3 hours away, It is a nice drive from Loudoun County.
No not a celebrity. Hubbs and I worked on daddys trust and investments with a nice lawyer that made himself available to us “as needed” my husband is an old contracts lawyer (retired/expired) for the DOD.
So he is not afraid of contracts.
We bought the “old house” in 2020, we had two teenage girls and we had a nice time in that house.
When we passed out the $$, we first passed out the funds to John and Sally, my oldest sister’s kids that are in their 40s. Then we had more math to do, and still had a few other ends to clean up. So far we have not gotten in trouble. My husband did a bit of consulting before he retired… so back in 2002 I think, and he had an accountant for everything. It was worth it. So we have him now (nice old friends now)
When the money became available for the three of us surviving children, I knew the first thing we needed to do was get out of the old house. I could not cope with leaking water heaters, toilet problems roof, etc anymore. We have our same doctors and that is probably the only reason we moved only 5 miles down the road. Rex has glaucoma and I will be doing all of the driving at some point.
Life is complicated. It is good to have family and we take care of each other. All of that said, I miss those days with my parents. They were so cute
That sounds convenient for you to move close by, but you certainly do need to sell that house!
Linda. Please come over right now and tell hubbs to get going!
😂 I am going to do a few things… this week. It might be a lot of work. I hope I survive.
Today, I am gonna drive out to CVS and pick up hubbs pills (he did yard work at the old house all morning) then I am going to Lidl to return some oranges. Then I am going to the old house to put the remaining single mattress into my little Acura suv. It “just fits” and I have to drive really close to the steering wheel haha
Then I am gonna rent a box van and fill it up with Christinas stuff. I am just gonna fill it up. I do not care how long it takes or ….I am just gonna do it. Then I will drive the van down to Richmond and leave it at her house. I hope hubby will follow me in a car and take me back home. It will be a nice road trip. Looking at the weather forecast, next week looks like the best weather. So, I will get a van on Monday….. This will not be a fun task. I could be playing with fabric and watching Youtube videos of eagle nests or blue bird nests (kind of boring) or pretty things. but no, I will do this otherwise it will not get done. I am ✋🏼 a procrastinator too, so
I will just have to do it. – – – wish me luck. I believe if we let this continue on, we will be facing hot and sweaty, cranky mood weather.
Virginia! I lived in Maryland for a while and would visit Washington fairly often (often enough that when I took my parents to see the Capitol, the guard in Statuary Hall said, “Oh, I have that book for you.”)
I always took a wrong turn leaving, and fairly soon I’d think, “It’s so pretty here,” and then I’d think, “Oops, I’m in Virginia,” and within minutes, there’d be a “Welcome to Virginia” sign. Then I’d have to go back to Washington — I could only get back to Maryland if I started in the Capitol parking lot.
Yeah, Marilyn, I used to do that too. That was back in the olden days when we studied a map. Now we have maps that sort of help.
And there she rides! How exciting to see Jeanne, riding the beast and not being bucked off. Can’t believe that she is wearing a cute outfit with matching shoes too. Here my gardening outfit consists of jeans, long-sleeved tee and my oldest most comfortable Columbia fleece. To round it out, I always tuck my jean bottoms inside my pulled up socks. Maybe it is kind of a WWI look. Don’t know. But, with the outfit, I don’t have to worry about anything crawling up my pants legs. Because I’ve been out there in the yard so much lately , I’ve been caught several times with my pants still tucked in my socks as we are heading out to grab lunch or whatever. Other person stops and points down at my feet and I look down and roll my eyes. Fortunately, I’ve repaired the damage before anyone else has noticed. Anyway, how often does this mowing have to take place? With the rain that we had yesterday, around here, the lawns will need mowing again very soon, I think. Other person’s job, fortunately.
So, yesterday was my six/eight week regular eye appointment. Since it was a late one, we drove home in the rush hour traffic and in the rain as well. Then, with my eyes still foggy, there was Charlotte, the black/white tuxedo, sitting on the porch when we returned who wanted her kibble. Neighbor’s kitty. Then once inside, there was Callie Cat at the back slider also wanting her dinner. Not our cat either, but she sure likes it at our place. Anyway, after that, I plunked down on the couch and listened to the news since that was the only entertainment I could enjoy with my eyes still fully dilated and unable to read.
Looks like more rain today, but not much. At least I don’t have to water the weeds. But, now, we’ll be heading to Trader Joe’s to pick up some baby red potatoes because, I’m bringing potato salad for Easter on Sunday. The whole crowd will be there at daughter’s, and it’s going to be BBQed chicken. Sounds good to me. I think that we need to also swing by Kohl’s so that I can find something new to wear. Maybe a pair of those light blue jeans?
Thanks Jeanne, for sharing that mowing pic. Keep up the good work.
Joy. It is good you remember to untuck your pants out of your socks.
I usually go around looking disheveled, dirty pants knees from the dirt, or my shoes (keen) dropping clumps of mud on Lidl’s floors, oops sorry.
I am so glad you got out of that doc office, hopefully unscathed.
I am so happy you are having an Easter gathering.
We do not do that anymore. I kind of miss it. My sister and brother and I used to set up dates to party at mom and dad’s when they lived in Annapolis, MD
and always brought everything, and cleaned up afterward.
I do not think we are doing anything on Easter day.
I think it is supposed to rain hard in the afternoon.
I love potato salad. I should make some. I love red potatoes too
My mom made very good potato salad. One night after she passed, I was in the kitchen and Dad came in to see what I was doing. I told him I was trying to recreate Mom’s potato salad and it was good he was there to make sure I got it right. He said, “Celery seed,” which was her secret ingredient.
I always had food in the refrigerator for people who stopped by. Meat, salad, and a box of See’s — the chocolate was for Dad alone. He never ate more than one piece a day, but he really enjoyed it.
And always flowers for the table, in honor of my grandfather, who was a good gardener..
The answer is celery seed! I’ve never tried that, but I do use celery in ours. I remember after my mom died, that I couldn’t find any recipe for the fruit topping we all loved. I kind of experimented and finally got it. It was sour cream with sugar mixed in. Always delicious on top of fruit. 🙂
Joy, since we have seen Jeanne doing yard work, how about a picture of you in your outfit, with the jeans rolled up under your socks?😊
What kind of potato salad do you do? German or something else? Barbecued chicken sounds good, but we are more traditional here, and will be having baked ham, compliments of my so -in-law, who is an excellent cook!
Are your dolls ready for Easter? (and that goes for everybody else!)
I make traditional potato salad but with those little red potatoes. They are delicious and do not have to be peeled. Then, add mayo, mustard, olives, celery, dill pickles and hard cooked eggs. Also, some Italian Newman’s salad dressing and a bit of salt/pepper. That’s it. Except that I take out a container of it before adding the eggs as daughter’s bro in law won’t touch eggs. 🙂
Dear Jeanne and my Sofa Sisters, Happy Maypril!
I still have not figured out how to number the two months (April and May) so birthday days don’t get mixed up. I may have to give this idea some additional thought before I involve the calendar people (laugh).
I wanted to let folks know again that my friend Martha Boers has collaborated with Ruby Red Galleria to create another doll. He is Lancelot. Here is a link in case you would like more information.
https://www.antiquelilac.com/blog/lancelot#comments
He definitely would look cute in the new beach shorts Jeanne made.
Dorothy, I ordered Lancelot, the first morning that he was available. 🙂
Dear Joy, yeaaa! We will want to hear about your caper when he arrives on your doorstep (laugh).
Well, maybe he can help by making noises in the box, and scare other person so much that it gives me time to hide the box in that secret place. 🙂
Good day, everyone! Not sure who might still read my post since I often don’t get to my computer until the afternoon. I emptied wastebaskets and cleaned two cat boxes this morning, and then read a few more chapters in a good novel while I ate a leisurely breakfast!
I’ve been working on a Birthday gift for my daughter, who has always loved horses (she had three shelves filled with Breyer model horses as a child!) She saw photos of the Siblie doll and wardrobe I made for my Great granddaughter for Christmas and she thought the doll was so sweet and could picture her with a model horse in an English saddle. So I did manage to order and finally receive another Siblie doll and I’m in the process of sewing/making an English riding outfit, to go with the model horse I purchased at Hobby Lobby. Breyer horses are way too pricey for my current budget and even used ones online are not terribly inexpensive. When I saw the Horse at Hobby Lobby….I knew I could work with it and it is a good scale model for a Siblie doll! The horse is a solid resin material made to look like a brown wood-carved horse to just set out on a table. I sanded the horse, filled in a couple of places with air-dry clay, painted him and ordered a pattern (24 pages of instruction!) for an English Saddle, meant for an 18″ AG doll’s horse. I reduced the pattern, disassembled two older thin black leather wallets I had saved, and went to work! Also made the reins using narrow leather, craft strapping from Hobby Lobby and ‘O’ rings….but copied reins from an online photo that used some of my jewelry findings) and now plan to remake another set of reins….to go with the saddle. I will try to send photos once I have the doll in her riding outfit done.
Late last night I finished the riding pants….also an 18″ AG doll pattern so had to reduce it considerably. Really proud of how they turned out considering how hard it was to understand how to sew-in the suede-like insert like real riding pants. Managed to cut out the fitted black jacket, a white blouse, and a black riding hat and hope to work on those this week. Will need to make the tall, knee high black boots to complete the set. Plus hoping to sew some western and ranch style outfits to go with the doll. I only have the one Siblie doll which goes with this set so I hope to have another Siblie someday in order to size clothes to her. She is a fun size and a challenge to sew for! And I now have a folder of her size patterns.
I also have a pattern for a western saddle and it looks THREE times more complicated than the English saddle….so maybe down the road. Might need to purchase another affordable horse from Hobby Lobby! I know my Daughter will get a kick out of this set and she will save it for a day when she might have a granddaughter in the future. My eyesight is not as good as it used to be and I realize I might not be able to sew as well later on….looks like I am going to be facing cataract surgery in the future. But I can still thread the sewing machine now!
Been catching up with Doctor appointments, saw a Gastroenterologist closer to our home, last week. Have more lab work coming up this week and an early appt. with a new ENT Doctor, also closer to our home. This helps since one of my daughters takes me to appts. and now Pflugerville is getting more specialty doctors, so we don’t need to travel as far. Didn’t realize I have a liver ultrasound scheduled for 7 am on Sunday morning, and since it’s a fasting appt., my daughter said to keep that time slot, even though it is Easter Sunday. We will be getting together with family in the afternoon, for dinner. I may need a daytime nap as I’m not used to getting up at 6 am to be ready for a 7 am appt!
Sounds like almost everyone is busy working on their yards! We have a nice fellow who mows and edges our tiny lawn areas every two weeks and doesn’t charge an arm and a leg. We need to work on the two garden-like areas at the front of the house, but daughter is planning on applying a fire-ant product with the spreader before we have rain. The garden areas need hand-applied fire ant killer put down yet too and I am anxious to wash and hose down the front porch and comfy furniture out there but we haven’t put the hose outside yet! The bushes and palm-grass plants all need pruning as well. All in good time!
Oh, I can’t wait to see your daughter’s horse, saddle, doll, outfit, well everything. After trying to make a very simple bridle/reins and horse blanket, I know how difficult it is. I’ sure your work will be outstanding. Looking forward to some pics when it is all done.
Yes! Elizabeth, I wish you a lot of fun working on the accessories for the horse! and the riding outfits!
I proofread for a political website. This morning the site began with
Also, after much consideration, it looks like we might have to “get with the times” and start using AI to help producing content for the blog. There are only so many hours in the day, after all. As you read, see if you detect which items below were written substantially by AI bots. There’s a link at the end of page for readers to register their guesses, and to give comments.
Knowing that they’d rather die than use AI, I didn’t fall for that one. The link they provided said, “We will shut down the site before we ever do that.”
Ha! We were promised rain, and it’s raining. Yay!
Dear Marilyn, I salute your company. AI makes me think of The Terminator movie. I know people say it is helpful in many ways. I find it a bit scary and I wonder how it will impact future generations.
AI is getting creepy these days. There is a lot of fake news flying around.
Welp, there is no turning back, buckle up