The Actions of One

It only took the senseless action of one coward to change the course of history and the psyche of a nation.  With three gunshots, two proving to be fatal, we went from a post war generation of idealists and optimists who believed, like our beloved president, that we could do it all, achieve what we set our sights on and successfully enjoy the fruits of our labor and dreams.  But 50 years ago this November 22nd, everyone who can remember the events was forever changed.  I was seven and I can still remember a lot of the events like it was yesterday.  It was just after our lunch period, 2nd grade, Mrs. Heidenrich who was starting to teach a subject when she was called out of the room, returning with a pale, sad face to tell us the news, sending us home to our mothers in the gloomy, dark rainy afternoon to find them crying, watching the television, not knowing what to say to us.   I can remember watching the events unfold, feeling sad, wanting to do something, being sent to stay with my grandparents.   My wise grandfather decided we would do something constructive to keep us busy, so we scoured his newspapers and cut out pictures and text, creating an amazing scrapbook for me to keep in remembrance of our fallen President and the historic events unfolding that cold November weekend.

I cut out pictures of the President and First Lady arriving at Dallas, he looking dapper as always, she a beautiful vision in her cotton candy pink Chanel suit with matching pillbox hat.  How we all wanted to be and look like her, mothers and daughters alike.   So stylish and pretty, not stuffy and old like Mamie or Bess were.   They were black and white, she was technicolor!   She gave women an image to look up to, from the way she carried herself to her effortless style.

Even in her grief and agony, she remained dignified and we
watched in amazement as she
helped lead a nation in mourning.
Jacqueline Kennedy was the
right person for the times, she
had the utmost sense of history,
from her efforts to restore the
White House to the peoples home
furnished with antiques and
period pieces suited to the Presidents
who resided there, to the planning
of her husbands funeral.   She
knew that it must be memorable,
majestic, an event that would
be permanently embedded in
our memories so we would
never forget her husband and all that he achieved in his lifetime.   For those of us who lived through the events, we never will forget the steady beating of the drums during the
funeral procession to the Capitol building where he would lay in state
all day and all night, with thousands waiting in a ten mile line to pay their
final respects to him.  We will remember the Navy Hymn "Eternal
Father, Strong to Save".  We will remember the passenger free Air Force
One, flying over one last time at the gravesite in a final tribute.  The twenty
one gun salute, the meticulous folding of the American flag being presented to
Mrs. Kennedy, the lighting of the eternal flame.  We who lived through the events
still remember, just as she wanted us to.

Keep Calm and Carry On

Dear Readers, I know my blog has been overdue for an update but I hit a bump in the road of life recently so forgive me for taking some time off.   2013 has proved itself to be quite challenging, more so than even 2012 was.  I thought maybe after a major surgery followed by chemo and radiation treatments, God would kinda give me a reprieve but we all know thats not how life works.  With the holidays behind us, 2013 started off quite calm, then my husband suffered a stroke the day before our twenty-seventh wedding anniversary.  Thank God we got him to the hospital in time and he got amazing care with amazing doctors and after many meds and recovery time, both he and I spent the spring recovering from our recent setbacks only to be involved in a terrible car accident in which I had to be cut out with the "jaws of life".   Wasn't that an out of body experience?  But we thankfully were not seriously hurt, just sore, shook up and I had a huge bump on my noggin to show for it.   The car was totalled which was a shame because though it was a 2003 Toyota Rav4 it was in perfect condition and running order.  So, while we dealt with the aches and pains, we bought ourselves a brand new Rav4.   I figured since the other car saved my life, I was sticking to the same thing.
 So far, the year was proving to be quite a challenge.
We spent the summer tackling a project we had been putting off for quite sometime.   Our flooring had issues and we finally picked out cherrywood floors, packed up everything in the living room and bedroom and ordered new furniture - another thing I had been putting off for years.   I am so glad we chose to do this project when we did because as soon as it was completed and the last piece of china was unpacked and lovingly placed back in the cabinet, I got hit with another bump in the road.

October was fast approaching and it was Breast Cancer Awareness Month, reminding me of something I had been putting off, so at the end of September I had my mammogram, which showed an abnormality in one breast, leading me to have a core biopsy and ultrasound which lead me to the most wonderful breast cancer surgeon who assured me that this was in its earliest stages and actually it was a miracle the radiologist saw it at all.   She also assured me that it was highly curable and would require another round of radiation ( Joy Joy ) but probably not chemo ( Thank You Jesus ) so I put my trust in my surgeon and her great team of doctors and God of course, and stayed calm and focused.   What other choice did I have?

Well, I could shop.  That always makes a gal feel better, right girlfriends?   I had seen a TV show on breast cancer survivors and one lady had the most beautiful purse which is my weakness of course.  So I Googled the purse and found where to order it.   I figured if I'm going to fight this, I might as well be as stylish as I've always tried to be and this purse was just the medicine I needed!   Isn't it gorgeous?   And proceeds of course went to cancer research.

 My surgery was on Oct. 25th and I came through with flying colors and on Halloween I got the great news that it had all been removed in surgery, nothing had spread to vessels or lymph nodes.  It was a separate cancer from the Ovarian cancer I had in 2012.  Great news again!  It was stage one.  If you have to have the big "C" then stage one is the number you want to be diagnosed with, detected early and highly treatable.   I'm a pretty lucky girl and feel very blessed.   Being diagnosed with the big "C" twice in two years puts things in perspective, your priorities change, you relish and hold dear every visit with your parents, or breakfast with your BFF's which is what I did one week after surgery.   I look pretty good all things considering don't I?

So, now I tackle some radiation, piece of cake, been there, done that, can do it again!   Staying positive and focused and enjoying my favorite time of the year where beautiful autumn days lead up to the holiday season of Joy and Thankfulness.   Yes, this year I hit a few bumps in the road, but this Thanksgiving I'll be feeling more blessed than ever.   Enjoy this time of the year, take a ride in the country as we are going to do today, marvel at the colors of the leaves, enjoy the homes and farms decorated with pumpkins and hay and cornstalks, live life in the moment, take it all in and savor it!

The Sweetness of Autumn

 Well, it is official.   Summer 2013 has come and gone.   It's time to embrace one of the most glorious seasons.   Autumn is such a beautiful time of year and doesn't last long enough for me.   I love the cool weather, the colorful trees, picking out pumpkins and gourds and bright mums, making a big pot of soup or better yet, a succulent pork roast stabbed with cloves of garlic, roasting on a Sunday afternoon, with a pan of acorn squash baking right next to it.  The acorn squash has to be made with a huge pat of butter, dark brown sugar and a liberal sprinkling of cinnamon.   Add homemade mashed potatoes and pork gravy and you have a heavenly fall Sunday dinner.    Baked apples or a pumpkin pie for dessert makes the dinner complete.

 This fall, go out and support our hard working local farmers by purchasing their pumpkins, corn stalks,gourds and mums and decorate your home accordingly for the season.  Watch for things along the roadside to add to your outdoor decor like cattails which are in abundance right now and bright green osage oranges, free for the taking along any country road.   They look beautiful when placed with pumpkins, all lumpy and green, much like a gourd.  I've enjoyed decorating for fall since I was very young.   When I was still living at home, I would always take my mom to our favorite garden market and purchase stalks of corn and huge pumpkins which we displayed for the neighborhood to enjoy.

If you're lucky enough to have a lot of trees on your property, you also get to enjoy the crunch of their leaves on your lawn.   My parents house had three huge maples in the backyard and it was a tradition to rake them into a huge pile, running and jumping and burying ourselves.   Crazy fun and once we tired of the pile, we would burn the leaves which smelled wonderful to me back then.   I know it's environmentally incorrect to burn them now, but I miss that scent from childhood.  Every now and then, when we're driving in the country, you'll smell someone who still burns them and the odor takes you back to when you were a kid.   So eat, decorate and take in the wonderful colors of the season.   Before you know it, branches will be bare and a blanket of snow will be covering the land.   Embrace Autumn and all the wonderful things it brings!

The Making of my "Woman's Cave"

If you are like me, making your home warm and cozy is a top priority of your life.  It is something that is always changing and evolving, from decorating season to season, rearranging furnishings and acquiring new or antique pieces to add something special to your living environment.  It also sometimes involved a total restoration or renovation which is something we took on this summer.   We had been putting off this big project for some time, until I finally got myself motivated by promising myself a new set of living room furniture after the big renovation was complete.  We have been needing new flooring throughout the house for quite sometime, but the weakening conditions of subflooring told me we could put the project off no longer.  This involved first of all, getting quotes and deciding if we wanted to replace carpeting or go with laminate flooring.  It also involved the application of a total new subfloor.   Once we signed the contract with the company and picked the installation date, I turned into a mad woman, planning and ordering and packing.  We ordered the new furniture to be delivered after the floor was installed.  We purchased a 55" Smart TV that I had been promising my husband for years.  This purchase should take care of birthdays and anniversaries for a few years!   We started packing up all knick knacks - did I mention I have a lot of knick knacks and BOOKS!!!   We went to U-Haul and purchased all sizes of boxes, took pictures on our phone of how the books and "things" were placed on the shelves so that we would have an idea of how to unpack them.  I meticulously labeled all the boxes with items and which room they belonged in.  The two major projects were my china cabinet filled with my Royal Albert Old Roses china and my beloved bookshelf in the bedroom.  We had our two strong football player nephews come and store all the boxes in the garage the week of the installation and lived in the shell of our house for a couple of days until the flooring was installed.   I decided on cherry wood laminate and am I so happy with that decision.  On the big day two strapping "russians" came in and worked their butts off for two days, the first day was spent ripping up carpeting and laying down plywood.  The following morning they were here promptly at 7:00am and by 2:00pm we had our floors, polished and gleeming, with all the big pieces of furniture placed back in their spots.   Those two men were magnificent!

Here's a picture of the work in process.   And below is a picture of my husband assembling the chairs I ordered from Overstock.com.   Did I mention I love Overstock.com?   Thanks to my sister in law who told me about her experiences with them.   I would highly recommend them!  Fast, free shipping.   Aren't these chairs gorgeous?   I thought they were a bit bold, but I'm in that frame of mind these days.   Bold and beautiful!

Here's just part of the finished project.   I also purchased a beautiful red couch and matching recliners from La Z Boy Furniture.   More bold colors.   Not at all like I previously had in my homes.   My first home was done in country blues and creams with ducks and geese and Laura Ashley bedding.   It was typical 1980's but beautiful and homey.   Those colors lasted until we built a home and I went with everything in shades of green, pink and ivory.   Even my 10 ft. Christmas tree did not have one ounce of red on it.   It was all done up in victorian shades of pinks and mauves, ivory pearls and soft green to match the carpeting in the great room.   I kept those colors but in a much scaled down version when we moved into a manufactured home.   After all, one doesn't have room for a 10 ft. tree anymore, but the colors of the "old" furniture went well with the neutral beige carpeting.   But now, with this big project I decided to go in a totally different color scheme taken from the Royal Albert Old Roses china pattern.   Reds and golds and oranges and pinks.   A bit daring but I am happy with the outcome.   It's made the living room warmer and more inviting.   The 55" flat screen Smart TV doesn't hurt.   We're ready to hunker down as cool fall evenings turn into snowy, blustery nights.   You are all invited to stop by anytime you find yourself in the neighborhood for a pot of tea, some homemade cookies, hot buttery popcorn and a movie.   I am so happy with myself for finally tackling the dreaded project and now I can reap the rewards!   Bring on the cool weather, the new TV shows - especially my beloved Downton Abbey.   I am ready to enjoy my new "woman cave" but don't tell my husband I call it that!   We'll let him think it's a man cave with a few feminine touches.

Reunions

There is much to be said for modern technology, especially websites that help you find old friends or family members that you have lost touch with as the years have gone by.   I am specifically thinking of Facebook and how it helped me reconnect with old friends from my childhood and grade school and old friends I once worked with but lost touch with.   It's amazing what results you can obtain just by putting a friend or family members name in the search engine and waah laaah!   You can immediately connect with them if you just send them a friends request or a simple private message.   As soon as I started a Facebook page back in 2009 I got immediate results.  Not only was I looking for people, but imagine that.   They were looking for me too!  The first reunion was a tea I hosted for three friends and former co-workers from over thirty years ago.   I took great care in the planning and choosing of the menu, the invitation and the gifts for each gal.   I had mugs made with pictures of us on the Kankakee river, at Great America, the Ground Round, the Renaissance Faire, 4th of July picnics, all from pictures I had been taking my entire life.   Have camera, will travel.   Wow,  did I take the pictures and boy, was I glad!   Here is the table set in anticipation of our reunion.

I could not wait for the ladies to open their gifts so we could reminisce looking at our mugs and the crazy things we did in those pictures.   When the girls showed up, it was as if no years had passed between our last meetings.   That is a real friend, someone you can just pick up with where you left off so long ago.   That afternoon was very special and we have stayed in close contact since that day, vowing never to lose track of one another again.   So far we have succeeded.  But it does take work and effort and is so well worth it!

I hosted another reunion a year ago today with even more old friends and co-workers that I either found on Facebook or had always kept in touch with.   I had just been diagnosed with the big "C" and had just completed thirty-two radiation treatments and the first of six chemo treatments and was feeling very nostalgic and melancholy.   I wanted to have all my special ladies around me for a special day that would take me through the months ahead.   I wanted to make sure that no matter what happened, I had reconnected with them to enjoy them and savor the time spent with them.  I had a table set up on the front porch for our luncheon and for each ladies place card, I had a framed picture of them - a picture from long ago.   It was so much fun to watch their reaction when they saw their framed placecard.  I also had a special card at each persons place setting with copies of more pictures of them.   Pictures they had no idea I had.   I enjoyed going through all my old pictures for this project and hoped the pictures would make them as happy as they had made me.   The look on their faces as they opened the cards was priceless.   I am so thankful for cameras!   I only wish I had an I Phone back in the day.   I would have been pretty dangerous!  Here are a couple of pictures from that luncheon held just one year ago today.

I'm now in the planning stages of yet another reunion with ladies I worked with at a flower shop long ago.   We are in touch, we are determined and eager to meet for dinner, it is just a matter of getting everyone to agree on a date.   This meeting will be bittersweet as we have lost of few of our flower shop girls in recent years.   But we will toast to them and share our memories and hopefully, will stay connected in years to come.    I will most certainly post about that reunion in the near future!

My Guilty Pleasure

I admit it, I am an anglophile, which by definition is:

Noun A person who is fond of or greatly admires England or Britain.

Adjective Fond or admiring of England or Britain. This didn't just happen when William married Kate, although as you can see by the picture, I was a bit obsessed with the ceremony, waking up at 3:00am, brewing my pot of English Breakfast tea in my Royal Doulton teapot, putting out a spread of crumpets and scones for myself and the sleeping spouse.   No, I've been an admirer of all things British since falling in love with all things  Dickens, especially A Christmas Carol, and that nanny of all nannies, Mary Poppins.  I love Beatrix Potter's beautiful illustrations of bunnies and foxes romping around in Mr. McGregor's garden, pictures of quaint English villages with thatched roofed cottages, English hymns and songs, especially Greensleeves, and of course The Beatles.  I first remember following the activities of the royals in 1969 when Charles was crowned Prince of Wales by his mother and being intrigued by all the pomp and ceremony.  Then in 1973, my mother let me stay home from school and get up in the early morning hours to watch Princess Anne marry Mark Phillips at Westminster Abbey.   Again, my mother and I shared a pot of tea when, in 1981 Diana Spencer married Prince Charles at St. Paul's cathedral, yes THAT St. Paul's where Mary Poppins sings about feeding the birds, tuppence a bag.  We loved getting up early to watch all the excitement of the crowds and the news commentators.  When a year later, the married couple came out of the hospital with baby Wills, well who couldn't love that picture.  And now, this week, history repeats itself on the same steps of the same hospital where Willam was introduced to the world.   But this time, it is bittersweet that HRH George of Cambridge doesn't have his Grandmother Diana here, to love and spoil that way I'm sure Kate's mother will do.   I'm sure Diana is looking down, proud and happy that William has become such a nice young man with a beautiful, down to earth wife and now an adorable little heir that we anglophiles will enjoy watching as he grows into a fine adult.   With the parents he has, can he grow up any other way?   So, I join the Brits in wishing the new family much happiness and I hope they let us catch glimpses of HRH George as he grows up, as Diana did with William and Harry.   Bravo William and Kate, job well done!   Cheerio!

A Glorious 4th of July

 Hope you are celebrating the birth of our nation, however simple or small the picnic or party might be.  We used to be known for our 4th of July bashes.  I would decorate anything that wasn't sitting still and if it was sitting like our cat Sassy below, she got put in with the decor for picture documentation.  Back in the 80's the  big thing was to make a ham in a can....now you can't even find a ham in a metal can.   I would make all kind of salads, baked beans, decorated flag cakes, even a jello mold made in the shape of the United States.

 Bunting and balloons, a Christmas tree decorated with 4th of July ornaments and flags, plasticware and dishes in red, white and blue, one brother providing his DJ services for some great music,  my other

 brother providing the fireworks.   We hosted these
parties for years and while it was a lot of hard work, the rewards were worth it.   I have so many pictures of family and friends sitting around, gourging themselves in their red, white and blue finest.   The most fun was seeing how everyone dressed up each year.   We were a pretty colorful, patriotic group.  At our first little cottage, we had arbors and trellises to decorate and everyone would pose under the arbor that we made with love for my husband's sister's garden wedding at our home.   I think I topped Martha Stewart that day.   I did idolize her back in 1991.  Now, not so much.

Every year my Dad and husband would try to outdo each other with their colorful patriotic shirts and they always took a great picture!   Love you guys.  As I've gotten older, I've let go of the entertaining, being happy to attend others picnics.   This year since the 4th falls in the middle of the week, not too many are having big shindigs, so I've purchased some beautiful ribeyes and that is what we'll be doing, barbecuing on the blue Weber grill given to us 27 years ago as a housewarming gift by my parents.   A nice quiet holiday spent listening to surrounding fireworks and reminiscing about the "good old days".    Happy Independence Day and God Bless the USA!