Another cancelation...what's the world coming too!

Okay I've had it with CBS and daytime television.  I'm going to be left with crap to watch.  They have announced that 45 year old As The World Turns will end September 2010.  What is going on!!!!!  I'm devastated and heartbroken with this news.     http://insidetv.aol.com/2009/12/08/as-the-world-turns-canceled/41#c23795987

It's raining, it's drizzling...oh my aching knees.

Up early as usual this morning to work out, on a limited basis I might add.  The weather is cold, drizzlily wet and just "stay in bed weather."  Last week when the weather decided to start being winter my knees started in on me.  I woke up Thursday to a little ouchy in the right one and a bit of stiffness in the left one and by the end of the day I could hardly bend either one of them.  They were both swollen to the size of grapefruits.  I am "blessed" by having my Daddy's knees and apparantly I have some athritis in them.  This was not going to be good for a wedding on the weekend and last night a fancy affair.  I needed to be in tennis shoes but that can't happen for a wedding.  Luckily this morning they are so much better, still a bit sore but the swelling is down.  Aleve is wonderful.  Last night we had yet another shindig, the new mayor's cocktail reception.  I dolled up and The Hubby spritzed some cologne on for me so we could look spectacular and smell good too.  He told me the cologne was for me but I didn't realize he really meant it, for later.  Uh...no...too late.  LOL! 

It's a Done Deal

Last night The Hubby stood up for his best friend and we all, as guests, witnessed a wonderful ceremony.  It was just perfect.  There were a few tears, especially on the grooms side of the chapel.  The oldest, B could hardly contain herself which set me off.  The grooms older sis, sitting in front of was weepy too.  It was truly a mixture of sadness for the loss of Gail and the joy for the future of B&K.  Lots of torn emotions but a wonderful, beautiful ceremony.  The Hubby gave his bestman toast and somehow got a little tongue-tied in his funny words to acknowledge that K & Gail those many years ago were the ones to set The Hubby and his "first" wife up...WHAT, I am the first and ONLY wife, as B shouted to him.  It did bring a lot of laughter in his misstep in words.  I forsee many, many years of great happiness for the two.  Cheers to you, B&K!

This morning I arose early to feed Clayton and tried to crawl back into the warm bed again but once the mind starts whirring I just had to get up.  So out into the cold I marched to get my paper.  A hot cup of coffee in hand and it still dark outside I went through the paper and sale ads.  I'm looking for a butcher block table/cart to replace the area in Daddy's kitchen where the old unused dishwasher sat.  I am not relishing hitting the stores this time of year and just may wait till next month.  The Hubby and Clayton (who went back to bed) finally got up a couple of hours later and the peace and quiet was no more.  The television on I decided to do a little painting.  I have started yet another painting here at  home.  It is the cowboy hats.  So yesterday and today I did the blocking in of the hats and lamp.  Of course it is different in the drawing I did but should be fun and a challenge. 

This morning when the noise started up I headed for my room to work on it some more and prep a few more canvases.  I have several drawings all ready to paint so I might as well get a head start on them. 

I left the living room because The Hubby wanted to watch SNL that he DVR'd last night while we were gone.  I watched some of it and then came back in at the end.  Is it me or is that show just not funny anymore.  I mean really.  First of all the cast is getting just as bad as the guest stars at reading the teleprompters.  One of the skits with Blake Lively and Will Forte and someone else I can't remember was about stealing a potato chip where at the end of it the guy I can't remember pretended to regurgitate the thing up and into Forte's hand then he dumped it in the potato chip bowl.  ICK!  NOT FUNNY! 

Today, I'm heading off to Daddy's to begin the clean out of the kitchen cabinets, refrigerator and hopefully start the laundry room/pantry and if we still feel energetic we will work on the back porch.  That one actually should be easy, TRASH and haul off.  Brother and hopfully Sis will be there to work along with B.  Lots to do still.  I ordered Daddy a new set of sheets from Pottery Barn, 400 thread count and a new duvet and pillows.  The duvet will be here this week.  It will be so very pretty for him.  I can't wait for it to all be done and sparkling. 

Wedding Rehearsal

Last night was B&K's wedding rehearsal.  The Hubby is K's best man (he's never been a best man before) so we were in attendance, me as a bystander.  I watched as everyone gathered on the "stage", K waiting by The Hubby while the bride's music began to play.  B slowly started walking down the aisle and K came down the steps to meet her halfway, took her hand, kissed it, then wrapped her arm around his to continue down the aisle together.  Oh boy...the tears started welling up.  I'm not sure if it was because I was touched by the moment or because I almost wish this moment was not here that we could turn the clock back nearly 4 years ago to before Gail left us.  I am so very, very happy for both of them to start their new future together but oh my heart breaks for the loss of my friend.  The family spent last week in California renting a yacht and having a ceremony to scatter her ashes in the Pacific ocean.  I'm sure it was time so that K could move on, it was time.  I know all this yet, well, yet.  I can't explain it.  Tonight is the wedding and I will go with a smile on my face.  Be happy, laugh, and enjoy the wonderful event for K & B and for K's kiddos and grandkiddos and for Gail.  To know that she will be looking down and will be happy that K is moving on with his life.  Cheers everyone...To the future and to life and to the beginning of a wonderful new year.

Busy, busy, busy

Monday, A jetted off back to California and her life there.  We are missing her greatly as her visit was awesome.  It kind of puts me in a little funk when she is here and my world is spinning then all of a sudden it kind of stops.  I just plug away at my life, onward. 

Tuesday I went back to art class to begin yet another painting.  This one is of my Daddy fishing.  Yet again I'm doing a painting that I will not want to sell.  Have to do some that I can part with. 

Tonight is also wedding rehersal for our friends B-K.  I'm glad for them and so happy that K has been able to move on since Gail died.  It has been a little weird for me but I'm happy.  Since they both don't need a thing and have two households already I got them a gift certificate to their favorite restaurant and I decided to "try" my hand at a handmade card.  I found a picture of them together when we went to New York last fall and drew it...what do you think. 

Old, very old pictures

In my parents house, for as I can remember, these two "paintings" have hung in the living room.  The girl, is my great, great aunt, Mary Broyles.  She died at the age of 16 from a ruptured appendix.  The "painting" is about a 30x24 or so, very large and was totally sealed up in a frame with glass.  I took it to have it reframed because the frame was broken and covered with dust and nicotine stains.  When we opened it up and took the glass off we were surprised to see that it was a pastel, unsealed and was just beautiful.  Some of the pastel had adhered to the glass obscuring the beauty and detail and the signature.  I have the original picture the pastel was taken from with directions on the back for the detail colors.  I was so pleasantly surprised by the discovery.  Topping off the find was the signature and date, "Nelson 1910".  That means it is nearly 100 years old!

Now this painting, and it is a painting, was just setting in a frame, unattached to it and hanging on the wall.  I love it.  It is an oil but has major nicotine stains and lots of flaking going on.  Even the stretcher bars of the canvas are showing through.  I'm really torn about whether to have it cleaned and risk more flaking or to just frame it and leave it be.  It too has a signature, "F. Miller", yeah like that is going to be easy to track down.  I have no idea where it came from, it has just always been there.

Sunday nothings

This has been a whirlwind week with A home for the Thanksgiving feast.  Plus the ongoing renovation of Daddy's house and work and me trying to squeeze a little painting time in (it's not happenin').  The turkey is now a pile of meat in a ziploc bag in the refrigerator, part of it became a turkey enchilada soup last night.  I decided on Turkey day to invite the MIL, BIL and his loverly partner, and the girls with hubby over for eats and a Christmas decorating gala.  Well, the gala was really a thrown together soup and rush to get the decorations out of the attic.  I set up the tree with lights and waited.  The family arrived and we ate all the delicious soup then proceeded to tackle the tree.  We had 7x2 hands all at once trying to find a branch to put ornaments on the tree.  It was really great fun and it was all done in about an hour.  Now I look at a lot of empty storage boxes sitting in the corner needing to be hauled out to the garage until after the holidays.  I'm glad we were able to share the Thanksgiving day with A and the family but I think it was nice to add a little Christmas with her to share since she will be staying in Californina for the Christmas season this year.  Now that the decorations are done I don't have to worry about getting it done.  I'm going to have the family Christmas Eve here and probably a Jazzercise girls Christmas party here.  This also goes along with still working on Daddy's house.  The kitchen floor will be finished this week and then we need to carry on to the laundry room that is also the pantry and once housed the kitty litter...ICK!, and the pack porch that is just full of junk.  Anyone want a 1982 Radio Shack computer.  Just not sure what we are going to do with that little gem.  We are going to get rid of his dishwasher too as it is not used, it's a rollable.  That little space we hope to fill with a butcher block thingy.  I also need to find a "cheap" loveseat sofa for his living room.  I ditched the hand-me-down couch that my sister bestowed upon him.  You would sit in it and have the arms of the sofa around your head, no springs whatsoever, GONE!  

The past week has also been a bit sad as the BIL's partner lost his very dear 98 year old grandmother.  My  friend Tracy also lost her father and our little puppy Clayton lost one of his previous owners.  In fact in the obituary they listed Clayton as their dog!  Hmmm, not sure I was too keen on that one. 

Also, a milestone is about to happen.  I've written about losing my best friend Gail nearly 4 years ago and the sadness I have dealt with.  Well, next Saturday her husband, The Hubby's best friend, is getting remarried.  The Hubby set him up with a girl they all went to high school with and it has been a good match.  They are very, very happy.  I wasn't sure he was ready to move on but on Facebook yesterday I read their daughters entry saying that they had released Gails ashes in the Pacific ocean and I would say it was because he has moved on.  Good for him.  Kind of sad too.  Smooth sailing Gail!

Just pictures

Momma in front of the stove of the kitchen where she lived as a senior in high school.  My parents bought the house and it was where I was raised. 

Now we are in the middle of the remodel of it for my father...

There will be a lot more dinners cooked here I suspect.  

Happy Thanksgiving (house update)

This year was totally not last year.  I had my family around, except for The Daddy as many readers know is away for a few months.  Thanksgiving this year was AWESOME!  I decided that it would be fun to celebrate the gathering at the cabin.  I was right!  Both of my girls were there along with B's hubby, my MIL and BIL, my sister and her fam.  My girls plus one son-in-law and us arrived at the cabin Wednesday afternoon to a most beautiful day as was Thanksgiving and today.  I picked up Papa Murphy's pizza to munch for dinner, to make it easy on me and that was perfect.  Wine, a roaring fire in the pit, a little guitar courtesy of A, cigars and we had a perfect evening.  It was too bad I was exhausted and ready for bed by 9 as is the case most nights.  But, before I could hit the sheets I had to chop celery and onion and make a couple of pumpkin pies.  That done I was ready for the next day and time with the family.

The pies were perfect and when I was up and ready to start the turkey the next morning I moved them to the dining room table to get them out of the way.  Didn't think too much about it.  I got the huge turkey out of the fridge and prepared him to roast and continued with the prep.  Then I took my coffee and went to the living room to enjoy a cup of coffee.  B&B brought their sweet Mondo which Clayton had a great time playing with.  B2 got up and fed Mondo and went back to bed.  I was sitting on the couch reading my Kindle and head this strange lapping sound.  My thought was that he was drinking funny out of his water bowl....WAIT...the pies.  I rushed to the dining room calling his name and he was running towards me, very innocent looking...

The wedge was actually a round hole missing from the pie.  I cut the much larger wedge...

Oh well, the meal must go on.  The turkey absolutely fell apart during the cooking time.  YUM!

I made the usual creamed corn , sweet potatoes, dressing and gravy while the BIL brought mashed potatoes, B made green casserole and the MIL brought pecan and apple pie while my Sis brought the relish plate.  We were all just stuffed and rolling around trying to find a place to lay our heads.  That was of course after I cleaned the kitchen which was surprisingly easy. 

We all piled around the television to watch a video of A singing with Curt Smith in LA.  Before we only had snippets of the whole concert and were very happy to see the whole thing of her singing.  I was so very proud.  We watched a bit of football for the SIL and then bid goodbye to those heading home.  We enjoyed yet another evening with the girls and the SIL.  We have had a most awesome Thanksgiving and it was made better to have A home too.  My family is complete.  Sadly she flies home to Californina on Sunday...Tomorrow night we will all put up Christmas around here since A won't be here for that. 

Update on the house - The kitchen floor started to be laid today...

Cigar and Flowers

Finished another one.....

Cigar and Flowers

She's Here

A arrived and was hugged and kissed by all.  We piled into The Hubby's truck to have dinner at her sis's, our oldest, B&B's just as soon as she arrived.  The evening was filled with food, three-way, wine, laughter and a lot of Rock Band.  What fun we had last night.  Today A and I took a drive to Daddy's house so I could show her the progress we have made.  While there I had her take a picture of me by the fence that I once stood in front of some 52 years ago.  I have been trying to find the picture of mother in the same place but can't at the moment but enjoy the snaps of me and ME.