Out of the mouth of babes...

Yesterday I needed a hug, big time.

 

The doorbell rang.

  Mr. K answered it. 

 The kids next door wanted to wish us a happy Easter and presented him with this...

 

 

These days, when no one talks or writes, they just text, this is a treasure.

 

I'll hang it on my fridge.

Like a paper hug.

 

 

 

 

Don't try this at home!

Oh my...During another one of those crazy "I can't sleep so I'll hang out at Pinterest" nights,

 

I saw a few photos of candles under glass: 

 

 

 

 You simply cut the bottom of a bottle (or jug)

 

and place it over a burning candle...the wind won't blow it out...

perfect for those nights at the river...right?

 

I was so psyched!  I saved a few jugs like this one...

 

 

I knew it would be soooo cool!

 

 

Now, Since I have a nasty scar on my right hand from a broken glass cutting ME...

 

And another scar on my left hand from me cutting GLASS...

 

So I needed to find a safe way to cut a bottle...

 

I You Tubed it!

 

There were all kinds of ways, from $45 bottle cutters, to $3 glass cutters to

 

~my favorite~

 

Wrapping a string soaked in something that will burn,

 around the bottle, setting it on fire and then plunging it into water.

 

Check it out on You Tube, there are lots of videos...

 

I just happened to mention it to my partner in many crimes:  Tony.

and he said to get out the bottles while he watched the videos,

so off to the kitchen he went.

 

I should have had Mr. K follow him, since the first thing I had to find was...

 

 

Which, incidentally, was a very cool shade of

 

 

 

Green!

 

No, he didn't get cut on broken glass...he picked up this knife...

 

 

Okay...bleeding staunched...

 

Let's try it!

We listened to a man who sounded much like

Arnold Swartzzen  Schwarrz  Schwarzenegger

 

Yes, I had to Google it to find out how to spell it. 

 No wonder Maria Shriver used her maiden name!

 

He said it was easy...

 

We practiced on smaller bottles...

 

 

Finally!

 

 

 

We got a beer bottle to break!

 

We got cocky...

We tried a jug.

 

(Now, you might ask where Mr. K was while we were burning heating things in our kitchen...

 

I didn't get a photo of it, but he was on the other side of the kitchen, holding a fire extinguisher!

He's so cute!)

 

So, on to the jug...

 

 

I know you're wondering, so I'll just make it brief...

 

Failure!

 

Apparently we didn't take the thickness of the glass into consideration...

 

In the meantime, Ashley sent me these...

 

 

Doesn't it make you smile back?

 

Well, got things to do...

Later!

Love, Jan

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

If you're happy and you know it...

Your face will surely show it...

Today is...

 

NATIONAL JOE DAY

Enjoy a cup of “joe” with all of your friends named Joe, Jo, Joey, Joseph, Josephine, Johanna, Joann, Jodie, or any variant of the name Joe, as ,celebrated each year on March 27th, it is National Joe Day.
During our research, we found that this day has a few different versions as to how it is celebrated.
1.  Honor all people with the name “Joe”
2.  Change your name, just for the day, to a name of your choice.
3.  Everyone change their name to “Joe” for the day.  Females may use  “Josephine” or “Jodie”.
According to the Social Security Administration, the name Joseph was ranked No. 6 from 1893 to 1899 behind John, William, James, George, and Charles.  In 1910, it moved to No. 5.  From 1911 to 2005 it was ranked No. 12 or lower.
The choice is yours as to how you would like to celebrate.  However you choose, have a happy National Joe Day!

You KNOW it's spring when...

You look out your door and see this...

 

 

And you don't live anywhere near the water!

 

It's one of my favorite seasons...

 

ALMOST-SPRING!

 

You know, that time of year that the sun shines, the snow melts, 

 you dream of going to the river and sitting around the camp fire,

 pedaling the pedal boat and kayaking the kayaks...

 

You head up the stairs to get out your summer clothes...

You wonder if you can use the reflection of the sun

off your winter-white legs to blind the neighbors...

 

You get out the razor weed wacker and get ready to deforest those white legs,

 all the while dreaming of fresh fruit smoothies and life on the boat dock...

 

You pass the living room window and look out,

SURE you will see flowers blooming.

Instead,  you see...

 

 

which turns into...

 

 

 

Dirty snow!

 

And then you start the cycle over again...

and once more,

and maybe even one more time!

 

So when Mr. K told us that he had to go out of town,

but that they were bringing the boat home and would we please be here to tell them where to park it...

 

We, the family that dreams of water...said,

 

"Heck Yes!!!!"

 

So Andy came (Ashley and Locklan were already here)

 just in time to see a super cool guy named Chad rounding the cul-de-sac. 

 Of course, the boat gets top billing...

 

 

Out of the garage comes my car...and into the garage goes...

 

 

It's all good, though.

 

It's too cold to put the docks in the water...

 

So the boat has to displace my car stay here for a few days...

 

But we're optimists!

 

Last night, during a rather pleasant ALMOST-SPRING evening...

 

Tony and I opened the garage door...

 

Climbed into the boat...

 

 

and had the first boat party of the year!

 

 

 

~sigh~

 

Happy ALMOST-SPRING!

 

 

Easily Amused

I live in an area where the people working in the Tractor Supply Company

  take their merchandise seriously...very seriously...

 

So when I saw this...

 

 

and thought of those warm little pens in the middle of the store this time of year...

 

 

I chuckled and just had to ask...

 

I couldn't even get an answer from the young male clerk...

 

Just an eye roll!

 

Guess I'm just easily amused...

 

You won't believe what came down our street yesterday...

I'll tell you later...

I need more coffee!

 

 

In nine short months...

Old times...

Today I was going through some old CD's, looking for something. 

 I didn't find what I wanted, but wanted what I found.

For five years running, Mark, Andy, Tony and I took a week long houseboat trip on the

St. Lawrence River. 

We booked the boat for the same week in September. 

 I found the disk with photos from our first trip in 2001. 

 This was one of those rare photos with all four of us...

 

 

Such great memories!

Have it your way pizza!

Where can you get pizza with your choice of toppings:  green peppers, red peppers, hot peppers, cheese, pepperoni, sausage, pineapple, ham, onions, three different sauces and anchovies???

 

Red Sock Mama's Have it Your Way Pizza Parlor,

that's where!

 

Last night's pizza fiasco started with all the counters in our kitchen filled with bowls of toppings, a crew of hungry family members

 

 

 

 

...and of course, the perpetual guest of honor, Locklan!

 

 

 

 There was a contest to see if they could get my bonus grandson, Nick, to eat an anchovy...

 

 

Even with all that money, he said No...

 

So they offered the money to...

 

 

 

She just turned and...

 

 

Everyone some of us wanted our pictures taken

 knowing very well that in our family, if you are there, you will be HERE

 

 

This was the first time Locklan and Noelle met.

I think Tony was nervous....

 

 

They seemed to get along...

 

 

 

for a while, and then I'm not sure what she said to him...

 

 

But he didn't like it one bit!

 

And Tony and Locklan enjoyed hanging out together...

 

 

 

We asked him later what he was telling him...

 

All he would say is...

 

 

But Locklan says if he can't have Mommy...

 

Daddy is his second favorite...

 

 

(he did bring his mommy, but Ashley is having some serious back problems

so we don't torment her with the camera...yet)

 

 

Larissa, my bonus granddaughter, made a friend or two...

 

 

 

All too soon, it was time to go...

 

As everyone said good bye to Mr. K, he seemed sad relieved to see them go...

 

 

~sigh~

 

I love hanging with the family!

 

 

 

You're a card?

A few weeks ago, we invited ourselves to my mom's house for a round of card playing...

 

Michael and Catherine, Tony and Noelle, me and the mister

 as well as Mom and her friend from high school

gathered around Mom's dining room table to play, but first...

 

My mother usually has a puzzle going on the card table in the family room. 

My parents did that when I was a kid. 

 I HATE puzzles and can barely resist throwing a few pieces in my pocket to take home...

 

I didn't realize that Catherine is a puzzilist too.

 

 

Tony and Noelle tried to help!

 

 

I think they did manage to place a few pieces...

 

 

But I came to play cards! 

 

My mom, on the right, and Frannie on the left taught us to play a game called 9-hole.

 

 

 

 

 Of course, these innocent looking ladies play for money...

 

 

 

Michael acted as our waiter...

 

 

How did we do?

 

I think it was a conspiracy!

 

I lost $1.10!

 

Noelle...well, let's just say she went home with more than she had when she came in the door....

 

 

 I'd still rather play cards than put those darn puzzles together...

 

Family time...yes!

 

 

Happy National Quilting Day!

 

I'm proud to say I've been a quilter since 1987...when I took my first quilting class to make, "Just one quilt."

 

I lost track of how many I have made since then and many were not photographed (back then, if I spent $$ on quilting supplies there was no money left for film and developing!)...

 

But I'm still quilting, and hope to be for a long time!

 

Keep on' stitching...