Vote for Sheala's Essay - Click below

When you click above it takes you to her essay. Click on the vote for this essay. Thank you.

1,000 Pins!

This is the pin that made my pins go to four figures! Yup, 1,000 pins on Pinterest.

This is making wind chimes with beads, cookie cutters and spoons. I've been thinking of having a few different things at the craft shows this fall.

I love my Pinterest boards. My favorite is my "Tried and True" board. When I try something and I like it, I post it on that board. I should have a "Tried and Untrue" but I don't like saying I don't like something!

Free Dinner!

We had so many points on our Harvey's card that dinner for all of us was on them!

We missed Robin, who had to work late. But we had a great time. Nothing like hitting happy hour drinks, happy hour appetizers as well as 2 entres for ten.

It was a joy!

Thankful

I'm remembering the thankful list we had when we lived on East Ashman. Things were not going well, financially. Pat was out of work for the third time in two years. We were behind on every single bill. The house was up for sale because we didn't want to lose it.

I decided we needed to have a list of reasons to be happy. So I put long sheets of computer paper (remember computer paper???) on the wall in the kitchen and we started writing things on it. It changed our attitudes about everything. Every day we couldn't wait to see if someone had added something to be thankful for - and one day we came home and found that our next door neighbor, Kay, had written something on the list! That was the best day.

A Day with Ayva

We spent all day with Ayva. We stopped at several parks, unfortunately they are still closed. So we went to the Mid Michigan Children's Museum.

WHAT FUN!

Ayva loved the blocks, the sandbox and running through the maze. We loved every moment.

Papa picked Javier up after school. It was pajama day at school. When they came home they had just enough time to have Javier win the wii bowling. He stomped Papa!

Final Backdrop

We worked almost all day. Pat and I will go over to finish up tomorrow morning. It feels good to have so much done already. Diane and Sue worked until Noon, I worked until 2. Then at 4, Diane, Sue and Gary, Jean, Nancy, Pat and I went back and worked until 6:30.

Working on Cross Backdrops

The Art and Environment committee is working on the backdrops for the Easter cross. Unfortunately the one that was finished must have been bumped. We lost about a half a spool of thread that had to be redone. So we have two of them 75% done and one more that hasn't been started.

I am going in at 9 this morning and a couple more will be in at 10. So we should finish the two and get a good start on the third.

These are so beautiful. Each one is turning out - I just hope all three together work. It is so nice working with this group of people. They are talented, supportive and trusting.

First Picnic

March 18th - first picnic of the year!!!! Jim and Cindy, Marge, Jesse, Caroline, Ayva, Joanna, Robin, Sheala and Robbie - we had a good time outside. Sheala and Robbie took Ayva to Chester Miller School to play. Then Sheala and Grandma Caroline took her down to take pictures. They had fun!

Robin J. Marching

The parade was so long that we left before it was done! Here is a picture of Robbie in the parade.

Yes, it is March

Even though the weather has been braking all records, this is Michigan. Snow in August? We have the most beautiful daffodils!

Dinner with Friends

What a nice night. Michigan in March usually isn't like this. It has been a beautiful day!

The guys went outside to enjoy the great evening and Amy snapped this shot.

Dinner was yum. Amy made Ruben dip, spinach in filo tarts and Shepherd's Pie. Olympia made a broccoli slaw. Jan made dough wrapped around ham and asparagus. I made mint brownies. We talked, talked and talked some more!

How?

How could this be possible? 18!!!! Happy Birthday to our Sweet Sheala!

Leftovers

I like looking in the refrigerator and figuring out what to make from what is in there. This morning I made a pie crust for a dessert. There were just enough scraps to put around the edges of a quiche pan. Then I had a leftover sandwich that had cream cheese and chives, swiss cheese and ham. I sliced it very thin and put it on the bottom of the dish. I mixed three eggs, 1/4 cup milk, Salt, pepper, dill, Mrs. Dash. Put it in the pan. Topped with a little flour. Topped that with cheese and sprinkled nutmeg on top.

Yum!

Closets, Road Trip, and Global Warming

Pat has been putting the shelves together in my closet. It is almost done. I am getting organized! The closet by the front door has my beads and silverware. I added the hooks today! I love it!

It may sound like we do a lot around here, but we were supposed to get the basement done this winter and we didn't!

We did take a road trip yesterday to Big Rapids. I found 20 glass plates half off at an antique store. And a FSU running team green t-shirt (that is a picture of the saying on the back.) to give Sheala! She has accepted the scholarship to Ferris!

I have to say, watching the glacier implode yesterday, and the delightful warm winter we are having this year, probably are not very good signs for our planet.

Messages

So yesterday Pat was making fun of me because I got teary eyed when I was writing a chapter in the Holiday Series: Independence Day book. The story line made me think of my little sister. So I thought she would want to console me for having to put up with Patrick laughing at me. By the way, her phone butt called Pat on Friday so I wondered if her phone was lost.

I called her cell phone, no answer. I called the house phone, disconnected. (Don't you think she should have told me she finally got rid of her landline?) Sent a text, no text back.

Then I thought I should text her daughter, no text back.

Then I decided to text her a few messages.

UR butt called Pat call ur sis

How can you ignore someone so cute?

Where r u?

Im stalking u

How many messages does it take 2 fill ur inbox?

OK I give up u dont love me anymore

No I didnt. Im a middle child. Very needy

U gotta love me

U cant get rid of ur landline and not answer ur cell

She finally called to say she just looked at her phone. Sarah's phone died on Friday and she had her charger at work. Yes she got rid of her landline. She hadn't read her messages before calling.

I told her to read her messages when we hung up.

She texted me: You silly goose - it must take a LOT of messages to fill my inbox if that many didnt fill it!!!

Ahhhhhh

64.4 degrees! Started out with church this morning. Then to Sanford for a walk on the rail trail. An estate sale and now riding with the windows down. Still looking for the elusive robin! But spring is here!

Birds and more

A beautiful house finch serenaded us this morning. It sat on a limb right outside our window.

The sunrise was spectacular for about a half hour. However a cloud bank came in before it was up. But, the pictures are great - I'll post them when we get home.

Six loons have been playing in Lake Huron as we eat breakfast. They were too far out to get a picture of them.

What a gorgeous day!

What an escape!

Had lunch with friends yesterday, Mr. Doomsday kept saying our pensions will never last! Told Pat when I got home and he said we should spend it!

So here we are at Huron House. Big beautiful moon last night and a fabulous sunrise this morning!

Pat has to go work at a friend's for a bit so I'll be writing all day while looking out at Lake Huron!

Spring Fever

Oh, this is just why I love Michigan. It was about 64 degrees today. We had all the windows open and the house smells like springtime!

We had our taxes done today. Enough of a refund to pay our property taxes for the year.  (That is our goal!)

We are on our way to church for a Lenten evening prayer.

White Chili

I don't measure - here are the ingredients I use for white chili.

1 Freestyle point

4 chicken breasts cut into bite sized pieces
brown in a little Pam olive oil
add a chopped onion and
several cloves of minced garlic
Small can chopped green chilis
large jar of rinsed Randall beans
box of low sodium chicken broth
Seasoning: salt, pepper, garlic powder, Mrs. Dash, cumin, paprika

crush a whole bag of charras tostados (I find these at Meijer in the ethnic food aisle)
They should be very small pieces. This gives a great corn flavor as well as thickening the chili. For weight watchers replace these with Good Thins Corn crackers.

Yes, I did!

I couldn't resist! I just had to have some Justin Verlander!

A little disappointed, I thought it would be like Total or Wheaties but it is more like Frosted Flakes - very sugary.

But the box is cute!

Mmmmm Mexican Dinner

Yum! Jesse cooked. All homemade by my favorite oldest son-in-law. Bean soup, fideo, tortillas and hot salsa. You can't buy a more flavorful and tender Carnitas than at Maria Elena's. Javier wanted to know if Papa wanted ice cream, but Papa had more fideo for dessert!

We had fun playing with Ayva and Javier. Sheala loves the new puppy, but not as much as her Dad does! We missed Robbie, he stayed home because he was sick.

I love it when my children invite us to Sunday dinner!

Spring!

We just saw our first Red Wing Blackbirds. Our friend, Amy, says it is the true test in Michigan for Spring. That is because some Robins stay in Michigan year round.

Stupid Dog

Driving to Traverse City we saw this sign - I had to have Pat turn around to get a picture! When the kids were little and we lived on West River Road in Sanford there was a dog that lived across the street. It kept going in the road and we called it "Dumb Dog" - so when I saw this sign I had to take a picture of it for Joanna and Caroline.

All Tests Done!

Pat and I have our physicals coming up - today we had the blood tests. Two weeks ago I had my colonoscopy (Pat had his a few months ago). My mammography already came back okay. So we are set for another year!

The wind was howling last night. It sounded like a scary movie. I loved it. This was the kind of storm I don't like in the trailer - high winds. We had a tornado once when we were camping in a tent at School Section Lake. Spending the night in the bathroom with the rest of the campers wasn't what I had in mind that weekend. But I do love a good thunder and lightening storm in the trailer. I'm getting ready for camping - collecting recipes. I found some good ones on Pinterest.

I was thinking of us going to Mackinac Island for the lilac festival. Do you think the flowers are all going to be early this year? Our daffodils have been coming up for a couple of weeks already. I wonder if there is a place on the internet to find out when peak blooms will be.

I may be going back to work for a bit!!!!! I know, I know, I said I wasn't going to - but the new Deputy Chief asked me to come in and train him and a couple others. We'll see if City Hall agrees.

Have a nice Saturday everyone.