Sunday, December 30, 2007

Thoughts at hand

Maybe because of a recent birthday, but lately I've noticed some bodily changes that, gasp, must have come with age. Did you know your skin moves around? It does. I had a scar, many years ago, that was on a knuckle, and it's now moved on up my finger. One that formerly resided on the inside of my wrist is now up about 2 or 3 inches on up the arm. And the little brown "age" spots! I've noticed them coming now for quite some time, but whew! There's a bunch of 'em! And shall we talk about wrinkles??? No, I don't think so.

I remember being in my early twenties and comparing my hand to my mother's. Of course, my thoughts at the time were along the lines of how great mine looked in the comparison. I guess I could wax poetic about how the years that brought these changes included rinsing out how many diapers by hand (the disposable diapers weren't the norm then), all the dishes that were scrubbed, and by golly these hands earned every change that came their way. But actually the thought running through my head is, I wonder if they do "hand lifts" like they do face lifts???

(You may notice that quite often I include pictures in my blogs. You may also notice, not in this one!)

Friday, December 21, 2007

"These kids" need to get out more!

I don't know how many times I have found myself either thinking or commenting that kids today spend way too much time in front of the computer or tv game system playing those silly games, when they need to be out moving around more.

Well....after looking at my Spider Solitaire stats, maybe, just maybe, I don't have room to say a whole lot. (I know, it's hard to imagine.) I have 21 wins and 942 losses for a total of 1127 games. That's a respectable 2% win rate (I play the difficult level!), but sadly it does represent a fair amount of time playing on the computer.

But wait a minute! A lot of those games are either in the middle of the night in my insomnia moments, or early in the morning when I should be getting ready for work. Obviously I shouldn't be out and about at those ridiculous hours, so that makes my computer time ok!

Ahhh, I feel better now. Let's see, it's about 3:45 a.m. I think I can get in a game or two...

Tuesday, December 11, 2007


I painted my first piece in probably over a year. This one is on an old cd, one way to recycle some of those internet start-up cd's you get in the mail or can pick up at any number of places.

I needed something small that I could finish relatively quickly. I've still got to sign it and put a finish on it, but otherwise it's done. Now maybe I'll be motivated to pull out a canvas, and get going on something else.

And this is a picture of my old secretary desk that someone bought. Hopefully I can get both the before and after pics to show up here. The lady did a great job on painting it, she's an artist and her talent shows. Looks like it might still need the drawer pulls in this picture, but you can get the idea.

Friday, December 7, 2007

I've met Starbucks

Yes, I've met Starbucks. I put the blame on Gwen at work, and she willingly laughs and accepts it. She called me one day and asked, "I'm at Starbucks, want me to get you something?". "No," I reply, "I'm not a coffee drinker." "Oh, but you're gonna like this! See you in a bit."

That was my introduction to a vanilla bean blended creme frappacino. Now I average about one a week, and have branched out to try (all blended creme frappacinos) strawberries and creme, pumpkin spice, and the latest (thanks to Angie) white chocolate with peppermint. None of these have coffee in them, thank you very much. I'm sure they all have plenty of calories, but I haven't delved too deeply into that yet. This is my once a week treat, and I don't want to spoil it.

Then tonite I looked over at Jessica's blog, and what did she have but an entry in there about a song for her nephew with his name in it. Inside the blog was a you-tube connection to a Starbucks commercial singing his name, Ben. Well, close, it was Glen. Anyway, there were other Starbucks commercials to watch! I bet I sat here 30 minutes watching Starbucks plugs!

What else am I missing out there that I need to try????

Sunday, November 25, 2007

Sometimes mistakes are okay


You think if I tell myself that enough it will make it right? I finished my little snowmen in the window quilted wall hanging this week, knowing it had a mistake in it. It was too far along to fix when I realized the error of my ways. You see, Mr. Snowman is supposed to be standing tall where you can see all of his smile. My guy turned out to be short and part of his smile is hidden behind the window sashing.

Maybe I can say he started melting?

Wednesday, November 21, 2007

Now, how do you fix that????

My ears perk up when someone talks about a new dish they had for dinner, or an old favorite. I listen closely, and often even jot down the instructions. But quite honestly, I rarely cook anymore. Maybe once a week, twice if I'm really on a roll, and then its usually an old no-brainer standard. Tacos, maybe a crockpot stew.

I think I pay attention to those food ideas as a connection to those days when I had family at home to feed. Now, cooking is actually almost a chore to get through. There's a lot to be said for frozen entrees!

Thursday, November 15, 2007

Brothers and sisters...gotta love 'em

Brothers and sisters add a lot to life. It's nice to know that there are those out there who know where you come from, why you do some of the quirky things you do, and still like you anyway!

It's nice to look around the house and see different connections to family. That's part of what makes it a home. I see the lattice patio that John and Bonnie put up (I started to say "helped" put up, but realized as I wrote that I'm the one who had a very minor role in the helping, John really did it all); see the flower bed that Carl and Billie helped make a reality; appreciate the yardwork that Troy enjoys doing when they come, and Sue's encouragement in whatever I do; and the myriad ways Nolene and Joe have enabled me to make things more comfortable, whether it's laying out pallets of grass or changing the direction of a refrigerator door, or loaning me some tool I don't have.

Yes, I included spouses in all the references. They've all been in the family so long, they're included as my brothers and sisters. I can hope that my kids have that same sense of family over the years, and know as I do that they can always count on each other for anything.



Sunday, November 11, 2007

where's the cache????




No, not cash...cache! I'm into the world of geocaching now, and gotta say, it's fun. Who'd of thought that I, elsie123, would enjoy traipsing across fields, cemeteries, and trails, looking for the elusive camo container???

Oh sure, there are times it probably seems kind of lame. But really, this is modern day treasure hunting! Sometimes there are trinkets and stuff in the container, but often it's a tiny little tube where you just sign your name that you've been there and found it.

All you need is a GPS receiver, the geocaching.com website, comfy clothing (you have no idea the conditions you have to tromp through), and a willingness to go for the unknown. You do have to watch out for muggles, those not-in-the-know people who might wonder about what you're doing and invade the cache when you're on down the road. But the stealth adds to the adventure.

And here's the best part...it's actually something I can do with my kids and grandkids! Something I looked into as a hobby for my retirement days, and its fun right now. Pretty cool. Check into it yourself, I think you'll enjoy it.