Neila's Notes

Imagine......

2011-03-03T15:40:00.000-06:00

Imagine a place where all the public schools have been closed and only the children of the wealthy are entitled to an education....a place where all the forests have been chopped down...a place where water does not have to be disinfected while at the same time the lakes and rivers have been polluted by toxic waste and chemicals being dumped by corporations in their gutting of the land....where electricity, water, and heat are controlled by corporations who can charge what they want for services and who can discriminate against those not able to afford them....a place where jobs don't exist other than cleaning the toilets of the wealthy or bussing their tables....a place where small business have had to close their doors because no one has any money to buy their goods or services.

Welcome to Wisconsin...Ohio....New Jersey....

Welcome to the United States as the Republicans envision it.

2011 Sucks

2011-02-08T15:47:00.000-06:00

So far the year 2011 sucks! On January 4 Chuck ended up in the emergency room just hours after my brother was admitted to the same emergency room. My brother had pneumonia; Chuck has Meniere's Syndrome and is still unable to drive. He is being treated at the National Dizzy and Balance Center. No sooner were Chuck and my brother home, when my knee began giving me problems. I saw my doctor at the end of January and got a cortisone shot in the knee, only to have the knee totally give out a day later. I am walking with crutches and looking at total knee replacement surgery in a few weeks. And the snow and cold keeps coming.....

Like I said, 2011 sucks!

Woo is Me

2010-11-03T14:24:00.002-05:00

I am so tired I can barely keep my eyes open. I really didn't get much sleep last night and what I did get was not restful. At 12:30 Erik took Kiko out to do his business. Kiko saw a rabbit and took off like a shot after the rabbit. Erik woke me up to help him find the dog. After that I had a hard time falling asleep and then I woke up at 5:00 a.m.

Being this tired doesn't help my mental state. I'm feeling very depressed. Last night, after watching election results, I just wanted to pull the covers over my head and not have to face the world ever again. I want to avoid people and withdraw into the comfort of my little home.

I don't think I believe in God any more. I was always taught that to ask and it shall be given. I keep asking and keep waiting and nothing changes. I don't believe there is anyone there to answer prayers. If there is a God, why can't he stop all the hate and bigotry and racism and greed. Why is evil taking over? If God is all powerful, why is there so much pain and hate and suffering?

States I've Visited

2010-05-25T22:14:00.001-05:00

visited 30 states (60%)
Create your own visited map of The United States

Jesus and Healing the Poor

2010-04-14T15:04:00.001-05:00

Jesus and His disciples came to a town, and in the square of that town He preached and He called to the people to come and be healed.

And those with ailments and those covered with sores and boils and those afflicted with all manner of maladies sought His healing.

Jesus approached the first person, a man who lay on a litter, his pain and suffering writ on his face. As Jesus knelt to lay His hands on the man, Peter stepped forward.

“Wait Lord, ” he said. “Are you a participating provider for this man?”

Then Andrew said “Should we not determine whether he suffers from a pre-existing condition?”

Matthew added, “He may be so ill that it would strain Your resources to heal him. In that case, You should not try. Let him seek help elsewhere.”

Then James son of Zebedee and John chimed in. “Why do You not ask for payment?” asked James.

“Surely it is not fair to those who pay their healers if You heal these people without cost,” John pointed out.

“After all,” said Simon Zealot, “what if his condition was brought about by the way he lived? Should he not bear responsibility?”

“I question whether You should heal the children,” said James son of Alphaeus. “Their parents should be working to pay for their care.”

“Indeed,” said Thomas, “if You heal them every time they will never learn personal responsibility.”

“Then they will always rely on the support of others,” said Philip.

“Besides, aren’t there better people to help?” argued Bartholomew.

“They should pull themselves up by their bootstraps,” proclaimed Thaddeus.

Judas Iscariot stared from one disciple to the next. “Oh for crying out loud!” he said. “They don’t have BOOTS!” But they paid him no heed so he went to find an inn and wine.

And Jesus?

Jesus wept.

(Copyright D. Scanlon 2010)

Motivated by Firefly

2010-04-11T18:04:00.002-05:00

What does 2010 hold?

2010-01-05T15:43:00.002-06:00

I've been told that if a person writes down his/her hopes and desires, there is a better chance those hopes and desires will be achieved. With that in mind, I've been thinking what I hope for 2010.

(1) My first hope is that I can get back on track with my weight loss and figure out why I feel the need to sabotage myself. What does the excess weight protect me from? I know what it prevents me from doing and the negative feelings it creates, but don't understand why I would rather deal with the pain and unhappiness than stay on track and achieve permanent weight loss. This will be an area of major work in 2010.

(2) I hope to be able to make a trip to Tunisia to reconnect with Chuck's family. I also hope that some (if not all) of my kids will mare the trip as well. Connecting with family members on Facebook has really brought home the fact that I want to go to Tunisia. Renew passports!!

(3) I want to find a job where I am truly happy and that pays decently. I'm so burned out in my current job. I adore my boss and all the freedoms I have, but I am finding it harder and harder to come to work every day for a variety of reasons. I keep thinking I would like to open my own cross stitch shop, but then I don't know if I want that kind of responsibility at this point in my life.

(4) I want to challenge myself to do a better job of staying in touch with my friends and family.

(5) I want to take time every day to write in my journal.

That's it so far. Now to motivate myself!

Dear Sarah:

2009-11-10T10:40:00.000-06:00

Dear Sarah: Keep up the great writing!
By CARL HIAASEN
chiaasen@MiamiHerald.com
(Confidential response of Sarah Palin's book editor to the first draft of her upcoming memoir, ``Going Rogue''):
Dear Sarah,
Thank you for turning in the manuscript so quickly. I thought only Stephen King could crank out 400 pages in four months! Seriously, there's some terrific material here, and all of us at Harper Collins are thrilled to be publishing your life story.
Before we move ahead, the fact-checking department has asked me to pass along a few notes and comments that may require some revisions on your part.
1. Eric Clapton spells his last name with a C.
More significantly, his publicists tell us that you were not the inspiration for Layla, and that he doesn't recall ever having an affair with you.
Is it possible you've got him confused with another rock star?
2. The mainland of Russia is indeed visible from parts of western Alaska during favorable weather conditions in the Bering Straits. Considering the ridicule you endured over this issue during the campaign, your desire to set the record straight is understandable.
Still, 78 pages is a big chunk of the book. Perhaps it's possible to deal with the I-can-see-Russia controversy a bit more succinctly.
3. Our researchers can find no evidence that Tina Fey belongs to the Taliban. Could you send us the sourcing for that reference?
4. John McCain's campaign staff is vehemently denying the incident you describe in Chapter 13. Perhaps you could provide our legal department with the names of persons who actually witnessed the senator placing the duct tape over your mouth.
5. Even though you quit with 18 months remaining in your term, your achievements as Alaska's governor will be of great interest to your readers and political supporters.
How about expanding that section of the book to a full chapter?
6. On page 107 of the manuscript, you describe a frisky interlude with Todd as taking place on a John Deere Cyclone 340 snowmobile.
However, that particular model has been out of production for several years. Is it possible that you two were cavorting on a Sprintfire?
7. Our researchers can find no evidence that Katie Couric is secretly financing the Sunni insurgency in Iraq. Could you send us the sourcing for that reference?
8. Although the passage about moose-shooting from helicopters is certainly provocative, perhaps it could be re-polished to focus more on your cooking recipes -- which look very yummy, by the way -- than on the preferred field techniques for skinning and gutting.
9. Our copy editors are still struggling to sort out the many colorful characters in your manuscript. In one chapter the children are called Bristol, Piper, Track, Willow and Trig, yet only 44 pages later they appear as Caribou, Cessna, Herring, Juniper and Scrod.
Maybe you could check with Todd and get back to us on that.
10. ``Mexican'' is not a language. (See manuscript page 188).
11. Our researchers cannot verify that David Letterman is ``heavily involved'' in the opium trade in eastern Afghanistan. Could you provide the sourcing for that reference?
12. The details of your high-school basketball career are inspirational, but would it be possible to condense that section from three chapters to one? Just a thought.
13. John McCain's office says that it was the senator, not you, who came up with the ``two mavericks'' campaign theme. He claims you originally proposed a slogan saying, ``One Creaky Elder Statesman, One Hot Young Maverick -- but don't worry, folks, she knows CPR!''
14. Tony Blair was the prime minister of Great Britain. Tony Orlando is an American pop singer. (See manuscript page 341).
15. Levi Johnston emphatically denies that Mitt Romney paid him to seduce and impregnate your oldest daughter. Furthermore, he claims that you personally offered him $50 to moon Joe Biden during the vice presidential debate.
Our legal department has suggested removing any mention of this young man (including those beer-pong photos) from the manuscript. What do you say?
Finally, on a personal note, I'm sorry you're having so much difficulty reaching the ghost-writer we assigned to this project. After your first meeting, she left me a rather frazzled message saying she ``needed to take a break and do some soul searching.''
We've tracked her to a sweat lodge down in Taos, New Mexico, and I'm pretty confident she'll be back on the ``Going Rogue'' Express in no time.
Meanwhile, keep up the great writing, Sarah. We can't wait to read the finished book!

Self Pity

2009-09-20T08:27:00.000-05:00

Right now I hurt to the depths of my being. I took a silly quiz recently that said I was a ghost and it's exactly how I feel....invisible and silent. No one sees me, no one hears me. Am I only good enough when someone needs something?? Must I be the one who always gives but who never gets in return?

What If....

2009-09-05T22:25:00.002-05:00

you

them

those people

wouldn't it be lovely

if one could

live

in a constant state

of we?

some of the most

commonplace

words

can be some of the biggest

dividers

they

what if there was

no they?

what if tehre

was only

us?

if words could be seen

as they floated out

of our mouths

would we feel no

shame

as they passed beyond

our lips?

if we were to string

our words

on a communal clothesline

would we feel proud

as our thoughts

flapped in the

breeze?

~Marilyn Mariel, "clothesline"

The Next American Idol?

2009-05-20T16:16:00.000-05:00

I hope so! Adam Lambert Rocks!

I <3 Adam Lambert!

2009-04-28T22:55:00.000-05:00

I'm Tired of Working

2009-03-31T16:03:00.002-05:00

I am so tired of working at this job. I've been here way too long...almost 30 years! I'm tired of dealing with other peoples' problems, both real and pretend. I'm tired of hearing people complain over every little thing they can think of. I'm tired of pettiness and hatefulness and revenge. I'm tired of women pretending to be super mom just to deny men rights to be parents to their children; I'm tired of men refusing to support their children in order to punish women. I'm tired of people who say they can't work because they got a 1/4" cut on their arm. I want a happy job! But in this economy, where do I find a happy job that allows me to work 4 days a week and earn what I do. Not likely! When will that oil well come in??

Irresponsibility

2009-03-10T10:15:00.002-05:00

This morning while getting ready for work I was listening to a story about "Octomom" on the news. It appears that her father has bought her a half-million dollar house...her father who lost one house, filed bankruptcy, and is in the process of losing another house. How is it that he can now buy his daughter a half million dollar house? We couldn't afford a half million dollar house on both our incomes!

And this is for a woman who has 14 kids, no husband, no job, collects welfare, social security disability for 2 kids, food stamps, etc. A woman who is letting the State of California pick up the $1 million plus in medical expenses for the birth of these 14 kids. A woman who sees nothing wrong with collecting welfare because "that's what it's there for." She has set up a website begging for money; she has prostituted her children by selling photos to anyone who will pay for them; she has talked to anyone who will give her a few bucks. She's out getting manicures and pedicures and spending $14 on lip gloss when she has NO job.

So tell me why the State of California is not going after all this money she is earning to reimburse the bankrupt state for the medical expenses? Why aren't they grabbing all this money she has coming in? Why should the hardworking citizens of CA have to continue to support a totally irresponsible woman?

I can only pray that the state does NOT allow her to take those babies home from the hospital. If she doesn't abuse them, she will surely neglect them as well as the 6 older children. There is no way she can adequately provide for the emotional, physical and mental needs of 14 children, 8 of whom are mostly likely going to have special needs. And emotional abuse and neglect is as devastating as physical abuse, just less visible. Oh, that's right...she is going to have nannies! She's already "hired" them and they are highly trained!! WHO IS PAYING FOR THIS!!

I am so totally and completely disgusted by this sad excuse of a mother. Please, State of CA, step in and take those children away from her! She alone will be a line item in the state budget!!

Where, Oh Where, Is Spring?

2009-03-04T10:23:00.003-06:00

I can tell I am badly in need of some sunshine and warm weather. This winter has definitely taken a toll on me. I'm always in a funk, always on the verge of tears. I hate my job and have very little patience any more with my clients, my boss, the courts, etc. I honestly can't think of anything that would give me pleasure right now.

I NEED SPRING!! I NEED SUNSHINE!! I NEED WARM WEATHER!!

I'm a Light-Weight Nerd

2009-02-04T08:05:00.000-06:00

I'm sure my daughter can beat me!

Why God Made Moms

2009-01-15T15:18:00.005-06:00

Answers given by 2nd grade children to the following questions:

Why did God make Mothers?
1. She's the only one who kows where the scotch tape is.
2. Mostly to clean the house.
3. To help us out when we were getting born.

How did God make Mothers?
1. He used dirt, just like for the rest of us.
2. Magic plus super powers and a lot of stirring.
3. God made my Mom just the same like he made me. He just used bigger parts.

What ingredients are Mothers made of?
1. God makes Mothers our of clouds and angel hair and everything nice in the world and one dab of mean.
2. They had to get their start from men's bones. They then mostly used string, I think.

Why did God give you your Mother and not some other Mom?
1. We're related.
2. God knew she likes me a lot more than other people's moms like me.

What kind of little girl was your Mom?
1. My Mom has always been my Mom and none of that other stuff.
2. I don't know because I wasn't there, but my guess would be pretty bossy.
3. They say she used to be nice.

What did Mom need to know about Dad before she married him?
1. His last name.
2. She had to know his background. Like is he a crook? Does he get drunk on beer?
3. Does he make at least $800 a year? Did he say NO to drugs and YES to chores?

Why did your Mom marry your Dad?
1. My dad makes the best spaghetti in the world. And my Mom eats a lot.
2. She got too old to do anything else with him.
3. My Grandma said that Mom didn't have her thinking cap on.

Who's the boss at your house?
1. Mom doesn't want to be boss, but she has to because Dad's such a goofball.
2. Mom. You can tell by room inspection. She sees the stuff under the bed.
3. I guess Mom is, but only becasue she has a lot more to do than Dad.

What's the difference between moms and dads?
1. Moms work at work and work at home and dads just go to work at work.
2. Moms know how to talk to teachers without scaring them.
3. Dads are taller and stronger, but moms have all the real power because that's who you got to ask if you want to sleep over at your friend's.
4. Moms have magic, they make you feel better without medicine.

What does your mom do in her spare time?
1. Mothers don't do spare time.
2. To hear her tell it, she pays bills all day long.

What would it take to make your Mom perfect?
1. On the inside she's already perfect. Outside I think some kind of plastic surgery.
2. Diet. You know, her hair. I'd dye it, maybe blue.

If you could change one thing about your Mom, what would it be?
1. she has this weird thing about me keeping my room clean. I'd get rid of that.
2. I'd make my Mom smarter. Then she would know it was my sister who did it and not me.
3. I would like for her to get rid of those invisible eyes on the back of her head.

Rejection Hurts...

2008-12-30T13:12:00.004-06:00

...particularly when it comes at you from out of the blue and from places you least expect it. I know I can be very sensitive and emotional which maybe helps to explain the hurt, but understanding that doesn't make it less painful. Hopefully this too shall pass, but right now the wound is deep and it's barely scabbed over. I pray that eventually the wound will heal and leave only a small scar. But one thing I know is that my life has been changed because of the situation and I fear I am going to have a difficult time re-establishing trust. Right now I am just avoiding because it hurts less that way.

Obama Controversy

2008-11-22T08:50:00.000-06:00

"In the first two weeks since the election, President-elect Barack Obama has broken with a tradition established over the past eight years through his controversial use of complete sentences, political observers say.

Millions of Americans who watched Mr. Obama's appearance on CBS's 60 Minutes on Sunday witnessed the president-elect's unorthodox verbal tic, which had Mr. Obama employing grammatically correct sentences virtually every time he opened his mouth.

But Mr. Obama's decision to use complete sentences in his public pronouncements carries with it certain risks, since after the last eight years many Americans may find his odd speaking style jarring.

According to presidential historian Davis Logsdon of the University of Minnesota, some Americans might find it "alienating" to have a president who speaks English as if it were his first language.

"Every time Obama opens his mouth, his subjects and verbs are in agreement," says Mr. Logsdon. "If he keeps it up, he is running the risk of sounding like an elitist."

The historian said that if Mr. Obama insists on using complete sentences in his speeches, the public may find itself saying, "Okay, subject, predicate, subject predicate -- we get it, stop showing off."

The president-elect's stubborn insistence on using complete sentences has already attracted a rebuke from one of his harshest critics, Gov. Sarah Palin of Alaska.

"Talking with complete sentences there and also too talking in a way that ordinary Americans like Joe the Plumber and Tito the Builder can't really do there, I think needing to do that isn't tapping into what Americans are needing also," she said."

Andy Borowitz is a comedian and writer whose work appears in The New Yorker and The New York Times, and at his award-winning humor site, BorowitzReport.com.

I Heart Keith Olbermann!

2008-11-11T09:31:00.002-06:00

I have been very disturbed by Prop 8 in California and the fact that it strips people of rights they already had as well as denies them the vry basic human right of creating a family unit. Keith Olbermann's Special Comment last night on MSNBC brought tears to my eyes. He put it all so simply.

It makes me cry to think that there are people in this nation whose are so filled with hate (or is it fear?) that they feel the need to keep people surpressed.

I Just Don't Understand

2008-11-05T15:59:00.004-06:00

Today should be a very happy, joyous day in this country, but the ugliness of hate continues to rear its head. Barack Obama has been elected 44th President of the United States. His election brings such hope to a country where we have even been denying we are American. I now feel I can proudly hold my head high and admit I am American. There were no boos from the crowd when he mentioned McCain in his acceptance speech, unlike all the boos in McCain's concession speech. The smiles and tears running down the faces of the people in the crowd said it all. I was so moved by emotion and hope, something that I have not experienced in the last 8 years.

But, sadly, the hate spewed by McCain and Palin throughout the campaign continues to hurt. The brother of one of my oldest and dearest friends posted the following on my Facebook page:

"you should invest in a 55 gallon barrel of vaseline. . .enjoy your delusional state of mind, while you are able to. now you'll have another new kid to chase around the block. i'm sure youre right, as your messiah has arrived. good luck, but keep the barrel nearby."

This has bothered me all day. To me it's offensive and hateful and is a continuation of all the crap thrown around by Sarah Palin and John McCain. I just want to wash my hands. Needless to say, I've removed him as a friend on Facebook.

A New Day Has Begun!

2008-11-04T08:26:00.000-06:00

Goodbye Joe the Plumber! Go home and pay your taxes.

Why Is This Man Not Being Prosecuted?

2008-10-18T14:56:00.001-05:00

WHAT IF.....

2008-10-14T17:16:00.011-05:00

....Michelle and Barack Obama came out on stage at the Democratic Convention with 5 children, one a special needs infant and a pregnant teenager?

...Barack Obama graduated 894 out of a class of 899 from the Naval Academy?

...Barack Obama faced expulsion from college on more than one occasion because of insubordination and excessive demerits?

...John McCain graduated with a BA in political science specializing in internal relations, and magna cum laude from Harvard with a JD?

...Joe Biden went to 5 colleges before graduating with a BA in journalism (hoping to be a sportscaster)?

....Sarah Palin graduated with a BA in history and a BA in political science from University of Delaware and a JD from Syracuse University?

...Barack Obama crashed 3 planes because of recklessness?

...John McCain had only been married once?

...Barack Obama abandoned his first wife after she was horribly disfigured in an auto accident?

...Barack Obama met his second wife in a bar, had a long term affair with her, and took out a marriage license before his divorce was final?

...Barack Obama has been found to have exercised "poor judgment" by the Senate Ethics Committee?

...Michelle Obama had an addiction to drugs and had entered into a hush-hush plea bargain and court-imposed rehab?

...Michelle Obama stole drugs from a charity?

...Barack and Michelle Obama had 9 homes and 13 cars?

...John and Cindy McCain had 1 home and 1 car?

...Barack Obama referred to his wife as a cunt?

HOW WOULD THIS ELECTION BE DIFFERENT?
RACISM AT ITS BEST.

A Message for Sarah Palin

2008-10-04T09:20:00.001-05:00

I am....

2008-09-30T12:36:00.000-05:00

Which Twilight Character Are You?

Jasper Hale
You're Most Like:Jasper Hale
You tend to be off to the side, you are soft-spoken, But you get the job done, not to mention you never fail to cheer a Friend!

How do you compare?
Take this test! | Tests from Testriffic

Will the Real John McCain Please Stand Up?

2008-09-28T10:45:00.000-05:00

OMG!!

2008-09-25T07:59:00.002-05:00

Can Sarah Palin be any less informed? I'll get back to you???

I think the McCain camp is really trying to play political games. McCain says he's suspending his campaign and wants to delay the first debate. So...they need to get 4 debates in during the next 19 days...3 presidential and 1 vice presidential. If they have to delay the first presidential debate, they will most likely have to cancel another. Now....which debate do you think they will cancel?? Obviously not a presidential debate!

DO NOT BLINK BARACK!!!

Mr. Risk

2008-09-24T16:17:00.004-05:00

Does anyone find it a wee bit terrifying that the man who wants complete and total control of almost a billion dollars of our money with no oversight was known as MR RISK while he was at Goldman?? That he increased their debt ceiling from $20 million to $100 million? That he walked away in 1996 with over $50 million in salary and bonuses? And this is who we want to trust?

I Can Honestly Say I'm Scared and Depressed

2008-09-23T12:16:00.003-05:00

I find that in recent days I am always close to tears when it comes to the continual news of the economic collapse of our country and the class warfare that is going on. I used to laugh about it but I can't anymore. I'm sad and depressed, and feel totally and completely helpless. This country is being completely looted by the rich and hyper rich. There will be NOTHING left when George W. Bush and his criminal cronies leave office. And, the prospect of McCain and Palin stepping into those shoes and continuing the policies that have brought this entire country to the brink of bankruptcy terrifies me. We don't need to be concerned about foreign terrorism...we have homegrown terrorists in the shape and form of our elected government officials. We are being asked to trust those very people who have brought us to the brink of total destruction.

The Constitution has been completely gutted and We, the People, have had our rights taken from us. We are supposedly fighting a war to establish a democratic government in a country that has no desire for and/or knowledge of a democratic government, but at the same time our rights have been spat on.

My assets are diminshing in value and I am going to be asked to pay to put money in the pockets of the hyper wealthy and lobbyists. This country cannot afford to fund education and health care for everyone, but we can afford to bail out these financial institutions.

And, once this bail out is completed and we are all line up to file bankruptcy, will the Republicans turn around and spin this to say look how we saved Wall Street? When we all line up to file bankruptcy, and discover that under the Bankruptcy REFORM Act we can't get out from under our debts, who can we look to to bail us out? Isn't it ironic that Wall Street can make all kinds of bad investments, huge bonuses and gold parachutes to CEOs, and walk away scott free, but those of us funding the bail out cannot get out from under our debts.

Where is the help for all the students who are burdened with student loans? For the people living on social security disability who cannot afford to rent an apartment, buy medications, etc. For the elderly living on fixed incomes? For children whose schools are failing? Where is the help for 99.9% of all Americans?

And how can anyone in this country say they are undecided????

Thank You John McCain

2008-09-22T13:08:00.001-05:00

This was made by a friend of Aimee's. Pass it on!

PBS Poll

2008-09-21T09:09:00.003-05:00

PBS has a poll on their website of whether Sarah Palin is qualified to be Vice President. What is scary is that right now "yes" is winning. I really want someone running the country who, after attending 5 different colleges, finally got a BA in journalism. Wow..that will impress world leaders, won't it?

http://www.pbs.org/now/polls/poll-435.html

Is This A Nightmare?

2008-09-18T11:55:00.005-05:00

So today Sarah Palin and John McCain were in Cedar Rapids, IA. Sarah was a little confused geographically since she thought she was in Grand Rapids. Nevertheless, she was enthusiastically telling everyone what a Palin-McCain Administration would accomplish. Did I miss something? When did she become the Presidential nominee?

If this is a nightmare, someone PLEASE wake me up!

Sarah Palin's Impressive Education

2008-09-18T11:55:00.001-05:00

Hawaii Pacific University - 1 semester
North Idaho College - 2 semesters - general study
University of Idaho - 2 semesters - journalism
Matanuska-Susitna College - 1 semester
University of Idaho - 3 semesters - B.A. in journalism

Definitely the educational experience I want running my country!

Who's An Elitist?

2008-09-05T06:54:00.005-05:00

The Republicans love to call Barack Obama an elitist. Vanity Fair has now figured out the cost of the outfits that Laura Bush and Cindy McCain wore at the Republican convention:

Laura Bush:
Oscar de la Renta suit: $2,500
Stuart Weitzman heels: $325
Pearl stud earrings: $600–$1,500
Total: Between $3,425 and $4,325

Cindy McCain:
Oscar de la Renta dress: $3,000
Chanel J12 White Ceramic Watch: $4,500
Three-carat diamond earrings: $280,000
Four-strand pearl necklace: $11,000–$25,000
Shoes, designer unknown: $600
Total: Between $299,100 and $313,100

ONE OUTFIT VALUED AT MORE THAN MOST PEOPLE EARN IN A YEAR!!

A Week of Relaxation and Creation

2008-08-22T20:45:00.004-05:00

Last week Deb and I attended the annual Needlework Guild of Minnesota retreat in Buffalo, MN. It's a week we always look forward to anxiously and bemoan when it's over. This year we went a day earlier so we could have time to settle in and make more than a quick trip to the local yarn shop. We again had the Garden Room as our independent study room. We weren't happy about that because we had a bad experience there our first year. But this year it was just fine; I can actually say I enjoyed it. The light during the day is wonderful because of all the skylights and glass wall overlooking the lake, but in the evening it's not so ideal. Still, we both had our Ott lights and that helped. We staked our claim to a table and remained there the entire week. I was busy working on knitting a pair of socks for Aimee as part of Ravelympics and Deb was working on one of the most gorgeous Quaker samplers I've ever seen.

I took 3 classes from Lauren Sauer (Forget-Me-Not In Stitches). This is one of my favorites. It's called Key to My Heart. The heart is stitched in wonderful silks. When it is opened, it contains an antique key. On the inside, the heart design is simply back stitched; on the back the heart design has some color; and the front is in full color. It's very easy and so very pretty.

One of the things the Guild did for a fundraiser this year is have a silent auction for 18 handmade aprons the Guild used in the past for something or other (I can't remember the original purpose of them). When the Guild moved about a year ago, they were going through all they had accumulated and ran across the box of aprons. They were going to simply throw them out until someone thought of auctioning them off. The aprons were displayed on a clothes line stretched over the stairs going from the entrance of the retreat center to the lower level. Some of those aprons went for BIG bucks! One woman also took all the aprons and photographed them individually and made them into an extremely beautiful calendar, which they also sold as a fundraiser. Of course, I had to get one!

During Show and Tell at the annual meeting, 9 Guild members brought the neighborhood round robin they had worked on for the past 2 years. They were SO beautiful! This was my favorite, done by the "infamous" Kathe Lyndsley...stitcher extraordinare.

One of the things that I love most about this retreat, besides the opportunity to do nothing but stitch, eat and sleep, is the peacefulness of the retreat itself. We saw some of the most spectacular sunsets this year. I'm already anxious for next August to roll around!

The Big Read

2008-08-07T10:06:00.002-05:00

Let’s see how many you have read from this list. This is what you do:

1) Look at the list and bold those you have read.
2) Italicize those you intend to read.
3) Underline the books you LOVE.
4) Reprint this list in your own Blog

1. The Lord of the Rings, JRR Tolkien
2. Pride and Prejudice, Jane Austen
3. His Dark Materials, Philip Pullman
4. The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, Douglas Adams
5. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, JK Rowling
6. To Kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee
7. Winnie the Pooh, AA Milne
8. Nineteen Eighty-Four, George Orwell
9. The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, CS Lewis
10. Jane Eyre, Charlotte Brontë
11. Catch-22, Joseph Heller
12. Wuthering Heights, Emily Brontë
13. Birdsong, Sebastian Faulks
14. Rebecca, Daphne du Maurier
15. The Catcher in the Rye, JD Salinger
16. The Wind in the Willows, Kenneth Grahame
17. Great Expectations, Charles Dickens
18. Little Women, Louisa May Alcott
19. Captain Corelli's Mandolin, Louis de Bernieres
20. War and Peace, Leo Tolstoy
21. Gone with the Wind, Margaret Mitchell
22. Harry Potter And The Philosopher's Stone, JK Rowling
23. Harry Potter And The Chamber Of Secrets, JK Rowling
24. Harry Potter And The Prisoner Of Azkaban, JK Rowling
25. The Hobbit, JRR Tolkien
26. Tess Of The D'Urbervilles, Thomas Hardy
27. Middlemarch, George Eliot
28. A Prayer For Owen Meany, John Irving
29. The Grapes Of Wrath, John Steinbeck
30. Alice's Adventures In Wonderland, Lewis Carroll
31. The Story Of Tracy Beaker, Jacqueline Wilson
32. One Hundred Years Of Solitude, Gabriel García Márquez
33. The Pillars Of The Earth, Ken Follett
34. David Copperfield, Charles Dickens
35. Charlie And The Chocolate Factory, Roald Dahl
36. Treasure Island, Robert Louis Stevenson
37. A Town Like Alice, Nevil Shute
38. Persuasion, Jane Austen
39. Dune, Frank Herbert
40. Emma, Jane Austen
41. Anne Of Green Gables, LM Montgomery
42. Watership Down, Richard Adams
43. The Great Gatsby, F Scott Fitzgerald
44. The Count Of Monte Cristo, Alexandre Dumas
45. Brideshead Revisited, Evelyn Waugh
46. Animal Farm, George Orwell
47. A Christmas Carol, Charles Dickens
48. Far From The Madding Crowd, Thomas Hardy
49. Goodnight Mister Tom, Michelle Magorian
50. The Shell Seekers, Rosamunde Pilcher
51. The Secret Garden, Frances Hodgson Burnett
52. Of Mice And Men, John Steinbeck
53. The Stand, Stephen King
54. Anna Karenina, Leo Tolstoy
55. A Suitable Boy, Vikram Seth
56. The BFG, Roald Dahl
57. Swallows And Amazons, Arthur Ransome
58. Black Beauty, Anna Sewell
59. Artemis Fowl, Eoin Colfer
60. Crime And Punishment, Fyodor Dostoyevsky
61. Noughts And Crosses, Malorie Blackman
62. Memoirs Of A Geisha, Arthur Golden
63. A Tale Of Two Cities, Charles Dickens
64. The Thorn Birds, Colleen McCollough
65. Mort, Terry Pratchett
66. The Magic Faraway Tree, Enid Blyton
67. The Magus, John Fowles
68. Good Omens, Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman
69. Guards! Guards!, Terry Pratchett
70. Lord Of The Flies, William Golding
71. Perfume, Patrick Süskind
72. The Ragged Trousered Philanthropists, Robert Tressell
73. Night Watch, Terry Pratchett
74. Matilda, Roald Dahl
75. Bridget Jones's Diary, Helen Fielding
76. The Secret History, Donna Tartt
77. The Woman In White, Wilkie Collins
78. Ulysses, James Joyce
79. Bleak House, Charles Dickens
80. Double Act, Jacqueline Wilson
81. The Twits, Roald Dahl
82. I Capture The Castle, Dodie Smith
83. Holes, Louis Sachar
84. Gormenghast, Mervyn Peake
85. The God Of Small Things, Arundhati Roy
86. Vicky Angel, Jacqueline Wilson
87. Brave New World, Aldous Huxley
88. Cold Comfort Farm, Stella Gibbons
89. Magician, Raymond E Feist
90. On The Road, Jack Kerouac
91. The Godfather, Mario Puzo
92. The Clan Of The Cave Bear, Jean M Auel
93. The Colour Of Magic, Terry Pratchett
94. The Alchemist, Paulo Coelho
95. Katherine, Anya Seton **my all-time favorite book!**
96. Kane And Abel, Jeffrey Archer
97. Love In The Time Of Cholera, Gabriel García Márquez
98. Girls In Love, Jacqueline Wilson
99. The Princess Diaries, Meg Cabot
100. Midnight's Children, Salman Rushdie

2008-07-21T07:00:00.001-05:00

What Starbucks drink are you?
created with QuizFarm.com

You scored as White Chocolate Mocha

You are mostly like this drink because this drink looks like regular coffe on the outside, just like you seem to be normal. In really, you are both really great and sweet

White Chocolate Mocha

75%

De-Caf Latte

63%

Espresso Shots

56%

Frappacino

44%

Can't quite see myself as White Chocolate Mocha..seeing as I don't particularly like chocolate and never drink mochas. Oh well....must be because I'm so sweet!

Fireworks

2008-07-09T21:06:00.000-05:00

What Your These Fireworks Say About You

You are focused, single minded, and intense.

You don't let others see your intensity often, and when they do, they are quite surprised.

You burn brightly, but you also burn steadily.

You have the endurance to get the one thing you desire most.

The Fireworks Test

I'm A Failure...........

2008-07-02T07:17:00.001-05:00

As a 1930s wife, I am
Very Poor (Failure)

Take the test!

It must have been those crooked seams in the hose....or wearing pajamas instead of a nightgown....

Starbucks and Yarn Questionnaire

2008-07-01T16:57:00.004-05:00

1. Full name: Neila

2. Ravelry ID: Neila (I know..original but easy to remember.)

3. Email address: bezweesh@aol.com

4. Blog address (if you have one): neilasnotes.blogspot.com

5. Handmade item you desire in the swap (bag, cup cozy, etc.): I am actually okay with any of the items. I love to be surprised.

6. Starbucks item you desire (gift card, mug, beans, etc.): I absolutely love Starbucks mugs, but anything would be wonderful.

7. Favorite Starbucks beverage/bean: I'm a nonfat no whip latte girl. I absolutely LOVE pumpkin spice lattes but they are only a fall/winter specialty drink. I also like gingerbread lattes.

8. Favorite snack food: Without a doubt, popcorn! I also like hard candies, particularly anything black currant or rhubarb. I'm not a chocolate person.

9. Favorite color(s): Blues and purples..think peacocks!

10. Favorite fragrance: Lilac and jasmine, or spicy fragrances, like clove and cinnamon. I am very into Yankee Candles and my favorite is harvest.

11. What types of things do you like to knit? Mainly socks, but I also enjoy bags and sweaters.

12. Do you spin? No

13. Do you dye your own yarn? No, but eventually would like to learn

14. Favorite yarns: I don't really have a favorite. I love them all!

15. Favorite needles: I love the Knit Pick Harmony needles, but am up to trying something new.

16. Do you have any allergies? Yes, cats and dust mainly

17. Would you be willing to prepare an angel kit if necessary? Of course

18. Do you have any special requests? No, other than lots of communication and lots of fun.

19. Do you have any pets? No

20. Is your home smoking or nonsmoking? Nonsmoking

Mosaic Meme

2008-06-28T17:16:00.002-05:00

Go to Flickr.com and type your answers to the following questions (one at a time) into the Search Box.

The questions are:
1. What is your first name?
2. What is your favourite food?
3. What high school did you go to?
4. What is your favourite colour?
5. Who is your celebrity crush?
6. Favourite drink?
7. Dream vacation?
8. Favourite dessert?
9. What you want to be when you grow up?
10. What do you love most in life?
11. One word to describe you.
12. Your flickr name.

Choose 1 image from the FIRST page of results, remember the image you choose doesn't have to be exactly what you were looking for - just the image you like best from the first page.

Copy your URLs to the Mosaic Maker here and publish your mosaic to your blog.

I tag Aimee, Jennifer and Debbie.

Coffee and Yarn....

2008-06-18T06:31:00.002-05:00

...........what more could a girl want? I've joined another cool swap called Starbucks and Yarn

Check it out and join us if you enjoy the goodness of Starbucks and the warmth of yarn!

And the Winner Is.........

2008-05-22T08:21:00.007-05:00

All season long we have been spending Tuesday evenings at my brother's house watching American Idol in his "theatre room" (complete with 105" projection TV screen and incredible surround sound.) We would have dinner while AI recorded on the DVR. Then we'd settle and got comfy. It was almost like being in the theatre itself. Everyone appeared almost lifesize. We had a friendly pool going among a few people and we all had our favorites. My brother and sister-in-law bemoaned Carly Smithson's exit, and I pouted when Jason Castro went.

This week we changed the plans and had a big American Idol Winner party with most of the pool participants (except Aimee...but she was invited!) We had burgers and dogs on the grill, potato salad, baked beans, chips, and all the makings of a summer picnic. The weather was absolutely perfect and the atmosphere was electric.

Around 800, we finally settled in to watch the 2 hour finale. It was fun to see the Top 12 again and relive the season. The guest performers were great...Seal, Donna Sommer, ZZ Top, George Michael. LOVED the Guitar Hero commercials done Risky Business style...David Cook definitely won that competition!

Finally, it's the end of the show. David C and David A stood together on the stage. David C, who seemed like a big brother to David A, had his arm around David A's shoulder, almost like he had to hold onto him so neither of them fell over. They both looked so nervous, so anxious, so apprehensive. Even among our party participants you could feel the tension. The envelope was brought out and certified that the voting had been the highest in the history of the show...over 97 million votes!! (I cast 20 of those.) Ryan Seacreast opened the envelope, looked at the two Davids, and said "The Winner of American Idol Season 7 Is........"

AND THE DVR RECORDING ENDED!!!!

Yes, the recording ended!! There was a moment of silence in the room and then we all, in one voice, screamed "NO!" We had no idea who won and no chance to see the final performance! Diane ran upstairs to see if the recording she was making on a TV upstairs had recorded the end only to discover that that, too, had stopped at the same point. (DAMN COMCAST!!) So, Diane then RAN to the office where she got on the internet. There was a V-E-R-Y L-O-N-G period of anticipation before she yelled "DAVID COOK!" Then there was more celebrating!

So much drama!! We have decided that Mike's tombstone is going to say "And TheWinner Is..."

Anyway, here is the finale:

Join the Hogwarts Express!

2008-05-03T18:40:00.004-05:00

The last Hogwarts Express leaves Platform 9-3/4 on May 14th. If you'd like to join the Hogwarts Sock Kit Swap, be on board!

If you enjoy knitting socks (or would like to try knitting socks...or just collect yarn!), lots of animated conversation, making great friends (and occasionally rivals), Quidditch contests, House Quizzes and creating and exchanging sock kits, then HSKS 5 is the place to be!!

Check it out at HSKS 5

Help Celebrate A Life

2008-04-24T06:39:00.004-05:00

My daughter-in-law, Darcy, is a breast cancer survivor. Here, in her words, is what she is doing to celebrate life after cancer.

I was diagnosed with breast cancer almost six years ago. I was 28, married and had a 1 year old daughter. I was fortunate to have the support of my family and friends through the entire process. It seemed that there was always someone there to count on when I needed assistance. I appreciated all the things I received. Some of you sent letters with words of encouragement, watched Ellie so I could rest or go to a doctor's appointment, said prayers, facilitated a conversation about something other than cancer, offered a ride to an appointment, provided a shoulder to cry on, or a meal to give to my family. I felt so fortunate to have the support that I found within my family and circle of friends. I was lucky in that I didn't need to look outside of this network for additional help.

Today, I am doing well. I have not had any recurrences, and all my numbers have come back within a normal range. I am still having every nook and cranny scanned and checked every six months but I feel like I am going to beat this disease. I have recently been blessed to have a second daughter, and I look forward to raising both of my girls with my husband.

At this point in my recovery, I want to share my story and help support other women who are dealing with breast cancer. When I saw this ride, I felt it was a good fit for me. (Other than the fact I haven't ridden my bike since last June!) I enjoy biking and understand the hardships of meal planning during cancer treatment. Some of my friends and family sent homemade meals for us to enjoy. These meals were a gift for me in that I didn't have to worry about what we were going to eat. I knew it was going to be delicious and nutritious. It was a night I would not have to smell foods while they cooked and I could rest and not be in the kitchen.

Open Arms is striving to become like the network I had, but for others who are in need. They are providing meals for breast cancer patients and their families going through treatment, as my friends and family did for me. No one can offer a 100 percent cure, but we can support those who are going through treatment. Everyone needs some support while going through this process, and Open Arms aims to provide that support.

Will You Support Me?

I am very excited to announce that I will be participating in the first annual Breast Cancer Ride. This two-day bicycle event, taking place June 21-22, 2008 will support those living with breast cancer in Minnesota.

All proceeds benefit Open Arms of Minnesota, a nonprofit organziation that for 21 years has prepared and delivered free, nutritious meals to those affected with many diseases, including those living with breast cancer, their care givers and dependent children.

Please support me with a donation by selecting the "Support Me" button right above my fundraising thermometer. Our efforts will help make a big difference!
RiDE ON, LiVE ON.
Darcy

If you can donate any amount, please go to:

Darcy's Fundraising Page

What I'm Worth Dead!

2008-04-22T22:41:00.001-05:00

$5430.00

My Fairy Name

2008-04-08T17:29:00.000-05:00

Your fairy is called Berry Elfglitter
She is a cheerful sprite.
She lives in fruit orchards and vineyards.
She is only seen in the light of a shooting star.
She wears red, cerise and purple berry colours. She has delicate green wings like a cicada.
Get your free fairy name here!

Ahhhh....Spring in MN

2008-03-21T11:21:00.003-05:00

Spring has FINALLY come to MN!!

I can't wait for the first steaks on the grill.....

...getting the ole wave runner out on the lakes.....

...the wonderful smell of freshly cut grass!

Now, where should I hide those Easter eggs?

Eddie Izzard

2008-03-05T11:12:00.002-06:00

YAY!!! I was able to get presale "fanclub" tickets to see Eddie Izzard when he is in Minneapolis in May! General tickets go on sale March 16. It was a frantic morning trying to get that password to be able to buy presale tickets, but I got it and managed to get tickets. My fellow Eddie freak, Maria, will be coming from Toronto to go with me. We've seen him together in Toronto and Montreal several times. This time she's coming to Minneapolis. It will be fun, fun...FUN!

Merry Cox Workshop

2008-03-03T21:11:00.004-06:00

I have finally gotten back to working on the piece for the Merry Cox workshop next weekend. It's a lot of fun to stitch but I definitely need good light and a magnifier. It's stitched on 36 ct. and much of the work is over 1. The photos don't capture the color of the fabric at all. It's actually quite gold. My sheep kind of wandered from their original placement but it worked out okay. And I'm not sure why there is a crown floating in the air but there is.....cloud formation?

Now it's onto the pincushion! Think I can get it down by Saturday? I don't!

Where do I belong?

2008-02-27T21:38:00.000-06:00

You Belong in 1968

You are a free spirit with a huge heart. Love, peace, and happiness rule - oh, and drugs too.

What Year Do You Belong In?

Cross Stitch Update

2008-02-19T05:57:00.002-06:00

It's still too cold to do much besides shiver, so I keep warm by keeping that needle moving. I hate winter but this is the winter that just doesn't want to end! I've put a few more stitched in the Historic Mystery Sampler. Unfortunately you can't see the sparkly gold fibers in the girl's dress. I really like this sampler and love working with Dinky Dyes. And the Merry Cox piece is coming along nicely. I still have to figure out the personalization, but that shouldn't take long. So much of this piece is over one on 36 ct so it sometimes goes very slow.
This is the Fair and Square package I received from Marie P. Anyone who knows me knows I love me my coffee so I was quite excited to open this package and find a coffee themed square along with fibers (can we ever have too many fibers?), fabric and, COFFEE! This square is so cute and I am going to have to figure out a way to finish it appropriatedly. So many decisions!
And here is the scissor fob I received from Lily in Malaysia. Yes, she too picked up on my coffee addition. Isn't the fob cute? And she too sent a variety of coffee and tea from Malaysia. I've tried them all and loved each of them!
Now, back to adding layers before I head out the door. BRRRRRRRRRRR!

Beautiful Granddaughers

2008-02-17T09:35:00.002-06:00

Yesterday I took my granddaughters to Mall of America and had their photos taken at Sadie's. I was blown away by the photographer and how she was able to capture the beauty of Ellie and Sophie. They are the loves of my life. Can it get any better than this?!

Where Have All The Leaders Gone?

2008-02-14T12:56:00.002-06:00

The following is from Lee Iacocca's New Book... Maybe he should be running for president.

Remember Lee Iacocca, the man who rescued Chrysler Corporation from it's death throes? He has a new book, and here are some excerpts.

Lee Iacocca Says:'Am I the only guy in this country who's fed up with what's happening? Where the hell is our outrage? We should be screaming bloody murder. We've got a gang of clueless bozos steering our ship of state right over a cliff, we've got corporate gangsters stealing us blind, and we can't even clean up after a hurricane much less build a hybrid car. But instead of getting mad, everyone sits around and nods their heads when the politicians say, 'Stay the course' Stay the course?

You've got to be kidding. This is America, not the damned'Titanic.' I'll give you a sound bite: 'Throw all the bums out!'

You might think I'm getting senile, that I've gone off my rocker, and maybe I have. But someone has to speak up. I hardly recognize this country anymore.

The most famous business leaders are not the innovators but the guys in handcuffs. While we're fiddling in Iraq, the Middle East is burning and nobody seems to know what to do. And the press is waving 'pom-poms' instead of asking hard questions. That's not the promise of the ' America ' my parents and yours traveled across the ocean for. I've had enough. How about you?

I'll go a step further. You can't call yourself a patriot if you're not outraged. This is a fight I'm ready and willing to have.

The Biggest 'C' is Crisis!

Leaders are made, not born. Leadership is forged in times of crisis. It's easy to sit there with your feet up on the desk and talk theory. Or send someone else's kids off to war when you've never seen a battlefield yourself. It's another thing to lead when your world comes tumbling down.

On September 11, 2001, we needed a strong leader more than any other time in our history. We needed a steady hand to guide us out of the ashes. A Hell of a Mess

So here's where we stand. We're immersed in a bloody war with no plan for winning and no plan for leaving. We're running the biggest deficit in the history of the country. We're losing the manufacturing edge to Asia, while our once-great companies are getting slaughtered by health care costs. Gasprices are skyrocketing, and nobody in power has a coherent energy policy. Our schools are in trouble. Our borders are like sieves. The middle classis being squeezed every which way These are times that cry out for leadership.

But when you look around, you've got to ask: 'Where have all the leaders gone?' Where are the curious, creative communicators? Where are the people of character, courage, conviction, omnipotence, and common sense? I may be a sucker for alliteration, but I think you get the point.

Name me a leader who has a better idea for homeland security than making us take off our shoes in airports and throw away our shampoo? We've spent billions of dollars building a huge new bureaucracy, and all we know how to do is react to things that have already happened.

Name me one leader who emerged from the crisis of Hurricane Katrina. Congress has yet to spend a single day evaluating the response to the hurricane, or demanding accountability for the decisions that were made in the crucial hours after the storm.

Everyone's hunkering down, fingers crossed, hoping it doesn't happen again. Now, that's just crazy. Storms happen. Deal with it. Make a plan. Figure out what you're going to do the next time.

Name me an industry leader who is thinking creatively about how we can restore our competitive edge in manufacturing. Who would have believed that there could ever be a time when 'The Big Three' referred to Japanese car companies? How did this happen, and more important, what are we going to do about it?

Name me a government leader who can articulate a plan for paying down the debt, or solving the energy crisis, or managing the health care problem. The silence is deafening. But these are the crises that are eating away at our country and milking the middle class dry.

I have news for the gang in Congress. We didn't elect you to sit on your asses and do nothing and remain silent while our democracy is being hijacked and our greatness is being replaced with mediocrity. What is everybody so afraid of? That some bonehead on Fox News will call them a name? Give me a break. Why don't you guys show some spine for a change?

Had Enough?

Hey, I'm not trying to be the voice of gloom and doom here. I'm trying to light a fire. I'm speaking out because I have hope I believe in America. In my lifetime I've had the privilege of living through some of America's greatest moments. I've also experienced some of our worst crises: the 'Great Depression', 'World War II', the 'Korean War', the 'Kennedy Assassination', the 'Vietnam War', the 1970s oil crisis, and the struggles of recent years culminating with 9/11.

If I've learned one thing, it's this: 'You don't get anywhere by standing on the sidelines waiting for somebody else to take action. Whether it's building a better car or building a better future for our children, we all have a role to play. That's the challenge I'm raising in this book. It's a call to 'Action' for people who, like me, believe in America. It's not too late, but it's getting pretty close. So let's shake off the crap and go to work. Let's tell 'em all we've had 'enough.

'Excerpted from 'Where Have All the Leaders Gone?'.

Copyright (c) 2007 by Lee Iacocca. All rights reserved.

Things Experienced While Flying...

2008-02-14T10:53:00.001-06:00

There was the woman sitting behind me who would not put her purse under the seat in front of her in preparation for landing. She continued to tell the flight attendant she would do it and the flight attendant informed her that she had to see her put it under the seat. The woman wouldn’t do it and the flight attendant kept insisting that she do it while she was watching. The flight attendant said that she didn’t make the rules, but those were the rules and the rules were in place for the safety of everyone. Grudingly the woman put her purse under the seat. When we landed, she was still complaining to her husband about the flight attendant forcing her to put her purse under the seat. She was absolutely livid! She was going to stay on the plane to give the flight attendant a piece of her mind and her husband kept saying, “If it will make you feel better...” Can we say pussy whipped?? Finally she decided that she wouldn’t change the flight attendant’s mind so she might as well get off the plane. Oy......

Then there was the mid-20 something guy who sat across from me in the terminal in Phoenix. He opened his salad, poured the dressing on it, put the dressing container on the seat next to him (getting dressing all over the seat), and literally hunched over his salad. He reminded me of a caveman hunched over his meal with eyes flashing around in case someone was going to steal his food. I almost had to get up and move. This guy shoveled the salad into his mouth and ate with his mouth wide open. My 6-year-old granddaughter has better manners! He’d shovel in a forkfull, lift his head and look around with food literally falling out of his mouth. I so love “see food”!

On my flight from Burbank to Phoenix, Gene Simmons of Kiss sat 3 rows in front of me. When we got off the plane, I kind of walked behind him a ways because it was amusing to see the reactions of people. We met one girl who got on her cell phone and was telling someone, “I’m walking past Gene Simmons now!” Other people would just pause and look. He had his sunglasses on (how uber cool!) and was very SLOWLY sauntering through the terminal. He’s quite tall and very thin. He was wearing black cowboy boots with fancy silver toes and heels. I couldn’t tell if he was walking so slowly and as far to the right as he could because he was trying to be cool and say “look at me, I’m a celebrity” or for some other reason. So now I’ve been on planes with Gene Simmons, Ruth Buzzi and Eddie Izzard. Who’s next?

2008-02-12T21:27:00.001-06:00

Which High School Musical Character Are You?

Created by BuddyTV

What's Your Aura, Man

2008-02-10T01:18:00.001-06:00

Today Aimee, her friend Erin, and I went to the Conscious Life Expo in Los Angeles. I don't think any of us were quite sure what to expect, but that didn't stop us. Aimee and I first went to a workshop on UFO Retrievals which basically turned out to be about Roswell, NM and how our government isn't telling the public anything because they don't want to cause panic until they have all the answers. (Reminds me of the Twilight Zone episode where everyone was climbing on a spaceship to travel to the home planet of the visiting aliens when the people who were working on translating a book the aliens brought yelled, "Don't go! It's a cookbook! Don't tell the public anything until they are about to become dinner.) Kind of a boring workshop with not a lot of new information but it was interesting to see the age range of people in the workshop and the fact that there were probably more men than women who were very passionate about the subject.

The second workshop was on Reincarnation and, when the guy was speaking in terms I could understand, it was interesting. I did have to chuckle to myself at one point because he was talking about being a Conquistador and killing Incas for their gold in one of his prior lives and all I could think about was Bush killing Iraqis for their oil.....history being reincarnated, but that's a whole other story!

Then it was on to a workshop on Past Life Regression. I believe that we've all lived several lives and the lessons we learn or need to learn carry forward with us. I'm just not sure that this woman could actually determine past lives by merely looking at us. Some readings seemed plausible, some not so much. In my case, she said I'd lived in England (which I've always believed) and that I lived to be a very old woman (I've always said I would live to be 100) and that I had many children and many many grandchildren. I supposedly loved to tell my children stories and she suggested that I write the stories down and they would be published. I have been told in other astrological readings that I would be published so that didn't surprise me. And I do love telling my family the stories I am uncovering doing genealogy work. Now, telling Aimee that she lived in Jersalem at the time of Jesus and was a friend and comfort to Mary after the death of Jesus stretched the imagination.

But the best part of the day for me was when we were walking through the exhibitions and came upon a booth where you could have your aura photographed and interpreted. We each decided we wanted to see our auras. We sat in a chair and put our hands on 2 metal boxes which read the pressure points in our hands and transmitted the readings electronically a computer in the camera which read it. (Don't ask me how it works; I only sat there and smiled!) After each of us had our photos taken, the women have people all around guess what color our auras would be. Most people guessed mine would be pink. Well....here's my aura in all it's glory! Yes...to my surprise my aura is pink/lavender and blue! The reading was amazing! She told me that I "see the total picture". I know how to get what I want and don't have to push to get it. She asked if I'd had a cold recently (I had) and that she saw problems with a shoulder (I have lots of problems with my right shoulder). She said a man who has passed was protecting me. That totally made sense to me because I've always believed that my uncle Duane, who was my godfather and who was killed in the Korean War, has always been there to protect me. What blew me away was when she asked me, "Who is Roger?" I was momentarily totally speechless! Roger was my stepfather who killed himself when I was 17. I didn't want to believe he was the person protecting me and I also didn't want to pursue it. There are too many painful memories surrounding Roger. More positively, she said music makes me feel good which is so spot on. My health is good, there is no cancer, but I am a worry wart. NO DUH!! The funniest parts were (1) that I should check the wires behind the TV in my bedroom because they are frayed and need to be fixed, and (2) there is a smell in the kitchen under the sink, possibly mildew...and that is true.

Aimee's aura was a chaos of colors and Erin's was......well, we're sworn to secrecy! You'll have to check out Aimee's aura on her blog.

We did attend a couple other workshops where, during one, we learned that we are what we love and we love what we are focusing on at the time. So, since I'm focusing on this blog and telling you about my day, all I can say is that I love you all!

I Need to be Committed!

2008-02-06T12:32:00.000-06:00

I read today that Delta Burke checked into a psychiatric ward for depression, obsessive-compulsive disorder, and hoarding. She said in an interview that hoarding (being a pack rat) ruined her life. I do believe I may need to be committed to a psychiatric ward if hoarding is a mental illness! Have you seen my stash lately? Here I thought I was merely a collector. Who knew???

What To Do When It's Too Cold Outdoors To Shop

2008-01-22T07:56:00.000-06:00

It was one darn cold weekend and I just stayed indoors the whole weekend. In order to avoid eating and to keep warm, I kept the needles moving!

This spring I will be taking a couple workshops with Merry Cox offered by the Needlework Guild of Minnesota. The first is Shepherd's Retreat Sewing Case. I got the kit out and started the prework, i.e., stitching! If it is all stitched, I should be able to come home from the workship with a finished case. It's being worked on 36 ct. antique cotton R & R Reproductions Linen using Soie d'Alger Silk, Gloriana Silk, DMC and Sampler Threads. I was only able to work on it when I had great light because much of it is done one-over-one. I love how it's coming out.

When the sun went down and I had to go to artifical light, I worked on the historic mystery sample from Gift of Stitching Magazine. I'm stitching it on a Lakeside Linen using Dinky Dyes silks. This sampler is so much fun to stitch on. I hate putting it down.

Lately I have gotten into scissors and scissor fobs. Here are a couple I recently ordered from etsy. The scissors are called ice cream swirls. Aren't they pretty?

Now, if only it would get really cold with mountains of snow so I could stay home from work and just stitch!

The Recipe for Me

2008-01-16T15:41:00.000-06:00

The Recipe For Neila

3 parts Silliness
2 parts Recklessness
1 part Courage

Splash of Sensitivity

Finish off with a little umbrella and straw

What's the Recipe for Your Personality?

Who Am I?

2008-01-16T10:22:00.000-06:00

I am definitely suffering from split personality! I am once again part of the Hogwarts Sock Kit Swap (a sock knitting swap) and am a proud member of Ravenclaw House. However, I am also Prefect of Ravenclaw House so I have two identities..Prefect in my real name and student in a name I will not mention here. I have to remember which name to use to log into this blog and the HSKS4 blog and my own character blog, as well as Ravelry and the different Hogwarts chat rooms. So far, so good. I haven't slipped up and I don't think anyone has figured out who my character is (yet!) It's only a matter of time.

I absolutely love this swap! Jenean, the creator and Headmistress of the swap, does one INCREDIBLE job. I am absolutely in awe of her. She has named me Deputy Headmistress, but I sure hope I don't have to take over her duties.

I've been having so much fun coming up with quizzes for our House and gathering prizes. So far the responses have been great. I have appointed a wonderful Head Girl to help me out...Minerva Kwikspell. I can't wait to find out her true identity at the end of the swap. For that matter, there are quite a few members of this swap I would love to get to know more after the swap is complete ~ knitters who also love Harry Potter.

The swap is a secret swap where everyone has a character name. I know who I am sending a kit to (sock yarn, needles, pattern, stitch markers and handmade bag), but I have no idea who is sending to me. I'm SO curious!!

Now, it's back to figuring out who I am!

What Kind of English Do You Speak?

2008-01-11T18:04:00.001-06:00

Your Linguistic Profile:

65% General American English

20% Upper Midwestern

5% Midwestern

5% Yankee

0% Dixie

What Kind of American English Do You Speak?

First and Last Finishes

2008-01-08T20:47:00.000-06:00

Each year my group of stitching friends exchanges a Christmas ornament. For the last several years I've drawn the name of my friend Claudia. I know she likes things she can keep out all winter, rather than just an ornament that will hang on the tree for a short period of time. This year I attempted a flatfold for her and really like how it turned out. I stitched the Little House Needleworks design from the 2007 JSC Christmas ornament issue. Excuse the poor photo! My first finish for 2008 is a Mosey 'n' Me freebie on opalescent fabric. I notice that the Christmas tree charm, which is supposed to be in Santa's hand, is attempting to fly away! Again...excuse the photo!
My first start for 2008 is the historic mystery sampler from The Gift of Stitching magazine. I'm using the suggested Dinky Dyes silks and am loving them! I've never used Dinky Dyes before and I'm impressed. Just holding them is like what I think it would be like to hold a cloud ~ SO soft and fluffy. That brown blob will be a stag eventually!
On Sunday my stitching group had our annual holiday get together. We always wait until January after the craziness of the holiday season. We had such a great day -- too much eating, lots of talking and some stitching! I was introduced to French Vanilla Kahlua. I can see a new addiction in my future!!

Front from left: Claudia and Debbie

Rear: Helene, Teresa, Neila, Char

HOLIDAY CATCH UP

2008-01-06T22:31:00.001-06:00

Our holidays were wonderful! Aimee arrived Thursday morning and Erik came that evening. We spent time doing that last minute shopping for all those people who had nothing on their shopping lists! Actually we did quite good coming up with the "perfect" gifts. Saturday afternoon Aimee and I went to Ellie's theatre production of "The Best Christmas Pageant". We previously went on opening night (the day after Thanksgiving and the day her sister was born!) so it was fun to see it a second time. I was so blown away by the caliber of this community theatre production. It was GREAT and, of course, Ellie was the cutest baby angel on that stage! That evening Erik, Aimee and I went to see Sweeney Todd. Not sure I liked the movie, but I did like the performances of Johnny Depp and Helena Bonham Carter.

Sunday Aimee babysat for Sophie in the afternoon. It snowed mountains during the day and the roads were horrible. I had tickets for Vikings/Redskins game that night and I wasn't going to waste them. Erik and I left VERY early and made our way downtown to the Metrodome. It was tough walking from the parking lot to the Dome because a lot of the sidewalks hadn't been cleaned yet and there was ice under all the snow. By the time we got to the Dome, I was actually winded and my thighs were aching. They had swept the snow off the ramps around the Dome, but there was still ice. We saw a guy laying on the ramp before us and security came rushing over. The guy had slipped on the ice and hit his head. We walked slowly and tenderly around the man and the security guard and I proceeded to slip on the ice myself. Fortunately I fell on my side and didn't get hurt. Erik helped me up and then he almost fell. That concerned me because he had knee surgery a year ago and I didn't want him screwing up the knee again. We continued walking to our gate holding onto the chain link fence. When I got to the gate I told security that they needed to get something on that ice or people were going to get seriously injured. I could just see all the drunks trying to walk on that. Unfortunately my Vikings lost...boo hoo.

Christmas Eve we packed up the cars with all the gifts for Tony, Darcy, Ellie and Sophie and headed to their house. They usually come here on Christmas Eve, but this year we decided to go there so they didn't have to take Sophie out. It was great! I brought the traditional meal of lasagne with me. After we ate it was on to gift opening. Ellie and Sophie made out like bandits! Since Aimee works on the Disney Shopping and Disney Store websites, she was able to gets lots and lots of items at their sample sale so Ellie truly had a High School Musical Christmas. I think she got EVERY HSM musical item on the site!

We gave Ellie the High School Musical video game. At first she didn't understand what it was, but when she saw the microphone and realize she could sing all the songs karaokee style, she was all over it! She's such a competitor....only A+ was good enough! One of the best performances was when she and her Auntie Aimee shared the microphone!

Then it was on to some Wii!! Ellie played a wicked game of tennis and almost beat everyone bowling. Boxing kind of did her in, but she had fun!

I had to get a family photo! Tony, Darcy, Ellie and Sophie on Christmas Eve.

Yesterday was Chuck's birthday and today is Darcy's birthday. We celebrated last night by going to Famous Dave's for their fabulous feast. I got to spend lots of time cuddling Sophie. I can't believe how big she is getting and how she is filling out. She's 6 weeks old already!
We also went to the Science Museum of Minnesota after dinner last night to see the Pompeii exhibit. I have always been very interested in Pompeii and seeing the exhibit was fantastic. They have 3 of the original body casts which were very moving. I so enjoyed seeing the foods, paintings, mosiacs, etc. It must have been a marvelous city before it was destroyed.

Scary Thought!

2008-01-01T20:16:00.001-06:00

Yes 62%
No 28%

Lets101 Quizzes - Myspace Quizzes For Fun

My Cross Stitch Likes

2007-12-17T11:07:00.000-06:00

I am participating in a scissor fob cross stitch exchange and, as part of that, I am posting the things I like and those I dislike (which aren't many!)

Designers: I like most of the currently popular designers ~ Little House and Country Cottage Needleworks, Prairie Schooler, Bent Creek, Glendon Place, Lizzie Kate, Heart In Hand, The Workbasket, The Trilogy, Victoria's Sampler, BlackBird Designs, Long Dog Samplers, etc.. I particularly like anything sampler or Quaker related, Victorian and primitive designs, anything autumn, Halloween, snowmen and snowflakes, gingerbread men, and fairies. I don't like most things cartoony.

Fabric: I use mainly 32 or 36 count linen or evenweave fabrics, and particularly love very mottled hand-dyed fabrics with slubs! Of course, with my stash of hand-dyed fabrics, I often discover I have no ivory, antique white or white when I need it.

Fibers: I use mostly overdyed fibers. I particularly like Carrie's Creations, but also like Crescent Colors, Six Stranded Sweets, GAST and Weeks. I haven't done too much with silks yet, but I would like to experiment more with them.

Miscellaneous: I love candy canes and most things peppermint, including the Twisted Peppermint stuff at Bath and Bodyworks. I'm not particularly fond of chocolate. I love coffees and teas of all sorts. I also like Victorian-appearing muted colors of fabrics and ribbons. I collect fun buttons. I also LOVE Yankee candles. I have candles burning all the time at home.

I guess that's me in a nutshell!

My Jane Austen Character

2007-12-14T07:22:00.000-06:00

Take the Quiz here!

Happy Anniversary to Me

2007-12-12T15:35:00.000-06:00

Yes, today is our wedding anniversary and I even got a call from my daughter singing to me. I won't say how long we've been married because then I'll appear to be much older than I really am...not a day over... mumble.... Trust me...I married VERY young! I don't anticipate that we'll do anything to celebrate our anniversary since we haven't celebrated it since our first one. I guess it's an achievement to say we're still married after all these years. (There are those days, you know!)

Hogwarts Sock Kit Swap Goodies!

2007-12-11T06:39:00.000-06:00

What a great way to be rewarded after a long, cold, boring Monday at work! There is a set of Brittany bamboo needles in size 3 and a set of ebony needles in size 1. Brittany is one of my favorite needles. I've never tried ebony needles...and they are beautiful...so it will be fun to experiment with them. Laurie Ann also gave me a WONDERFUL book "Knitting on the Road" which I promptly leafed through more than once. I think I've already picked out the socks I want to knit with the yarn Laurie Ann included. There were also some great Ravenclaw stitch markers in wonderful deep colors. I really like the bronze coloring. They are very different from the normal silver or gold markers. And, speaking of yarn, I got 3 skeins of Knit Picks Gloss yarn, 2 skeins of Dusk and 1 of Pumpkin. PERFECT Ravenclaw colors, don't you think! The yarn is so soft. I really wanted to immediately cast on, but I supposed I should finish my Christmas gifts first, don't you think?
But, the GREATEST part of the whole package were the MINNESOTA VIKINGS STITCH MARKERS!! YAY!!! (doing a major happy dance!) Aren't they INCREDIBLE!! I could even take those to the games with me and be stylin'! They will match my purple Vikings hoodie and my purple and gold beads and hat and socks! I can sing "Skoal, Vikings" at the top of my lungs and never miss a stitch!
What a fun Monday it turned out to be after all, thanks to Laurie Ann!

Christmas Fun

2007-12-10T13:30:00.000-06:00

1. Wrapping paper or gift bags? WRAPPING PAPER
2. Real tree or Artificial? REAL
3. When do you put up the tree? WHEN WE GET TIME...USUALLY FIRST WEEKEND IN DEC
4. When do you take the tree down? AFTER NEW YEARS
5. Do you like egg nog? YES, ESPECIALLY WITH A LITTLE ALCOHOL
6. Favorite gift received as a child? EITHER A NEW DOLL OR NEW ICE SKATES BECAUSE THE BEST PART OF WINTER WAS SPENT AT THE SKATING RINK WITH MY FRIENDS!
7. Do you have a nativity scene? YES, BUT I HAVEN'T PUT IT OUT IN YEARS. JUST NOT ENOUGH ROOM.
8. Hardest person to buy for? CHUCK. ALL HE EVER WANTS IS A BELT.
9. Easiest person to buy for? EITHER ELLIE OR AIMEE BECAUSE THEY BOTH WANT IT ALL!
10. Mail or email Christmas cards? MAIL. I LIKE TO MAKE MY OWN BUT DON'T THINK I'LL HAVE TIME THIS YEAR.
11. Worst Christmas gift you ever received? I CAN'T REALLY THINK OF A BAD CHRISTMAS GIFT.
12. Favorite Christmas movie? IT'S A WONDERFUL LIFE
13. When do you start shopping for Christmas? I'M ALWAYS ON THE LOOKOUT FOR THINGS THROUGHOUT THE YEAR, BUT I GO INTO HIGH GEAR AFTER THANKSGIVING.
14. Have you ever recycled a Christmas present? I DON'T THINK SO.
15. Favorite thing to eat at Christmas? HOME-MADE CHRISTMAS COOKIES, ESPECIALLY SANDBAKKELS
16. Clear lights or colored on the tree? COLORED
17. Favorite Christmas song? WAY TOO MANY TO LIST SINCE CHRISTMAS MUSIC IS MY FAVORITE, BUT SOME I PARTICULARLY LIKE ARE SILENT NIGHT, AWAY IN A MANGER, CAROL OF THE BELLS, O HOLY NIGHT, JOY TO THE WORLD, AND ANY THING BY TRANS SIBERIAN ORCHESTRA
18. Travel at Christmas or stay home? AT HOME. EVERYONE CONGREGATES AT OUR HOUSE ON CHRISTMAS EVE FOR TRADITIONAL LASAGNE DINNER.
19. Can you name all of Santa's reindeers? OF COURSE!
20. Angel on the tree top or a star? TINKER BELL!!
21. Open the presents Christmas Eve or morning? CHRISTMAS EVE
22 . Most annoying thing about this time of year? THE GOOD FEELINGS DON'T CARRY OVER INTO THE YEAR.
23. Favorite ornament theme or color? I GUESS IT WOULD HAVE TO BE DISNEY SINCE MOST OF OUR DECORATIONS SEEM TO HAVE COME FROM DISNEYLAND!
24. Favorite for Christmas dinner? IT'S ALWAYS LASAGNE AT OUR HOUSE. I'VE TRIED TO CHANGE THE MENU BUT MEET WITH VERY HEAVY RESISTANCE.
25. What do you want for Christmas this year? MORE THAN ANYTHING I WANT TO HAVE THE LOVE OF MY FAMILY SURROUNDING ME. IF I COULD FIGURE OUT HOW TO ACHIEVE WORLD PEACE THAT WOULD BE THE ULTIMATE GIFT.

Winter -- Bah Humbug!

2007-12-05T11:17:00.001-06:00

Have I mentioned recently that I HATE WINTER!! I know...it's only started and I'm already complaining. Saturday it was involuntarily hibernation while we accumulated something like 5-6" of snow. Yes, it's pretty until you have to shovel it! I mean, why can't it snow during the week so I have an excuse to stay home instead of work. No, it has to snow on weekends when I want to be out and about doing Christmas shopping, lunching with friends, etc.

Then it snowed all day yesterday, but not hard enough to justify staying home. The drive home was definitely NOT exciting though. The plows hadn't done much yet and traffic was horrendously slow. And this morning it wasn't much better. I had such a headache by the time I got to work. I realize that the City of Minneapolis is a big place and there are lots of streets to plow, but it's pretty bad when the snow emergency routes resemble narrow country lanes in Scotland, except they are icy. And don't play chicken with a school bus!

I don't remember...have I mentioned I HATE WINTER? (But at least the Vikings are winning!)

Baby Sophie

2007-11-27T06:05:00.000-06:00

Isn't she gorgeous! Another beautiful granddaughter to love, cherish and spoil.

What it means to be a Cancer

2007-11-26T17:53:00.001-06:00

Lets101 Quizzes - Quizzes for Fun

Let Me Introduce...

2007-11-24T12:58:00.000-06:00

...my newest granddaughter, Sophia Hope (Sophie) who was born on November 23, 2007, at 10:34 a.m. Here's her first photo with her big sister Ellie.

She's a keeper!

Scotland Day 5

2007-11-21T21:03:00.000-06:00

By now you know the routine...full Scottish breakfast at 8:00 and then off in the Bubble on a new adventure. Our first stop of the day was at Suendo's Stone in the town of Forres. I was quite impressed with Forres itself. As we entered the town, I saw that there was a new very modern "business park" which was extremely unusual in the Highlands. It was apparent that there had been a lot of growth in Forres as we drove through what could only be called a modern suburb with new housing developments and wide streets. It was nice to see that there was an attempt to make the new housing fit into the style of the Scottish Highlands.

And, in the middle of this modern suburb stands Suendo's (Sven's) Stone, a Pictish carved standing stone that was probably created in the 9th century. It's an amazing stone standing over 20 feet tall and encased in a glass structure to protect it from the elements. On one side is a large Celtic cross and on the other are over 100 figures depicting a battle. There are scenes of fighting, decapitation and piles of dead. On the narrow sides are typical interwoven vines. I decided it was time to leave when Aimee thought she should find a way to pick the lock and get inside the glass!

Our next stop was the nearby Dallas Dhu Distillery. This distillery was built around 1898. It was closed from 1929 to 1936 and again during WWII. In the early 1980s the Glasgow company that owned Dallas Dhu decided to close some of their smaller and older distilleries, among them Dallas Dhu. At the same time, Historical Scotland was looking for a distillery to preserve for tourism purposes. Dallas Dhu fit the bill and it opened as a visitor attraction in 1988. There is a self-guided tour with an audio "wand" that gives you a running commentary. It was fun to wander at our own pace. After touring Glenfiddich, we already had an idea on how a distillery works, but at Dallas Dhu we were able to see things we couldn't see in a working distillery, such as the inside of a still and where the peat fires burn under the stills. It was an interesting place (and we did get our dram of Roderick Dhu at the end!) One thing that was missing from Dallas Dhu was the wonderful fragrance of roasting barley, but surprisingly we could still smell the whisky in the mash room.

It was then back in the Bubble and on to Cawdor Castle, which is more properly called a fortified house. It is family owned and the family continues to reside in it. It was actually a very cozy castle and gave off a nice warm welcoming feeling. One of the interesting rooms in the castle is called the Thorn Tree Room. It was originally the ground floor guardroom and protected the drawbridge. There was a secret dungeon concealed in the wall. From items found in the dungeon, it was determined that even women and children had been held in there. In the middle of the guardroom stands a tree!! The legend is that the Thane of Cawdor lived about a mile away and he decided to build a new, strong tower house. He had a dream that told him to load a donkey with a coffer of gold on his back and let it roam for a day; wherever it lay down to rest in the evening would be where the tower house should be built and it would prosper forever. Legend has it that the donkey lay down under the thorn tree in this room. The tree has been carbon dated to approximately 1372. However, it is a holly tree, not a thorn tree.

This is the drawbridge you cross to enter Cawdor Castle. You can see the mechanism that lifted the drawbridge.

Cawdor also has a breathtaking walled garden with oodles and oodles of gorgeous roses...and some VERY tall thistles!
After leaving Cawdor we made our way to Moniak Castle which dates to 1580. This is Fraser country and the Frasers still live there. (If any of you have read the "Outlander" books, this is the area where Jamie Fraser lived.) The castle itself is not open to the public. We were headed there not for the castle, but for the MEAD!! It's a very, very tiny operation and we arrived about the same time as a tour bus full of mainly German tourists. We paid the fee for a tour, watched a video on the history and operation of the winery, and then toured it. It is so small that we walked single file through the storeroom to get to a tiny room where a man was putting corks in bottles one at a time, and a woman was applying labels...all by hand! We were there late in the day so we couldn't get into the kitchen to watch the cooking of the preserves. Back in the gift shop we were able to sample all 9 of the wines they make from wildflowers, fruits and tree (white birch) sap as well as several of the marmalades and preserves. Needless to say, we both walked out of there with a bottle of the best mead ever made!

We had then finished all our planned stops for the day but had time to spare so we decided to stop at Culloden Battlefield, which I suppose could be compared to our Gettysburg Battlefield. The battle fought was basically a civil war between the English and Scots that took place on April 16, 1754. It was very humbling to stand in the middle of the battlefield, walk the lines where each army stood, and consider the harshness of the location and the horrendous battle that took the lives of so many. When we were there, the wind was blowing so hard we could lean backwards and the wind would keep us upright; it was incredibly cold, much as it could have been the fateful day of the battle. There are trenches and mounds where the individual clans were laid to rest. The battlefield is covered with heather, but legend says no heather will ever grow on the graves.

Here's Aimee among the heather at Culloden Battlefield.

Since it was still light, we decided to stop at Clava Cairns stone circles. When we got there we saw that the gates were locked, which seemed strange for an unmanned Historic Scotland site. Since it was raining lightly, we thought we'd stop the next day when we would again be traveling in that direction. It was almost 7:00 anyway and we hadn't eaten since that full Scottish breakfast so we were starving. On the way back to the Old Church, we stopped at a roadside fish and chips restaurant that we'd seen earlier. I swear it is the ONLY place in the Highlands that is open past 5:30! It was actually open until 10:00. It reminded me of a diner that catered to truckers and motorists. Of course, I had fish and chips; Aimee had pizza with corn topping and a side of chips. Then it was back to the Old Church for a hot shower and a good night sleep.

My Second Pair of Socks

2007-11-16T12:43:00.000-06:00

I have finished my second pair of socks. These were so much fun to knit! I love, love, love LOTS of color and this yarn definitely gave me lots of color. Now...the major decision is what's next!

Demonstration of Support

2007-11-15T09:54:00.000-06:00

Yesterday the Minnesota State Bar Association held a demonstration of support of the attorneys in Pakistan on the steps of the Minnesota Supreme Court building. I went with my boss, another attorney and a law student. As I stood there freezing because of the gusty winds and occasional snowflake, I realized that my discomfort was very insignificant compared to the discomfort of the attorneys and judges and people of Pakistan. There were several moving speeches given by members of the Minnesota, Hennepin County and Ramsey County Bar Associations. One person read an email from an attorney in Pakistan which almost brought tears to my eyes. Another speaker had just returned from the region and told us of conditions in Pakistan. It may seem a world away from us and it's easy to believe that the conditions there could not happen here. But is that really true? Aren't we seeing our constitution being deconstructed for the benefit or power addiction of a few? Once the rule of law is suppressed, the people have no voice.

Pink Sky in the Morning....

2007-11-13T20:10:00.000-06:00

After I finished breakfast this morning, I walked out of the kitchen and into the living room. I stopped short when I saw that the entire room was bathed in a soft pink light. I looked out the window and saw that the driveway was also bathed in pink light. It was like standing inside a big pink Bazooka bubble gum bubble! I grabbed my camera and went out on the front step (in my pink nightgown) to see if I could capture any of the beautiful pink/purple sky.

By the time I snapped the picture and came back into the house, the pink light was gone. It was only there for a very fleeting moment but I managed to experience it and capture a little bit of it.

What Kind of Sweet Are You?

2007-11-05T11:47:00.001-06:00

You Are a Gingerbread House

A little spicy and a little sweet, anyone would like to be lost in the woods with you.

What Holiday Food Are You?

Can Anyone Say MVP!

2007-11-05T09:24:00.000-06:00

We went to the Minnesota Vikings-St. Diego Chargers game yesterday at the "thunderdome". I fully anticipated that the Vikings would lose, but I proudly donned my purple hoodie and purple and gold beads anyway. What an unexpected treat it was to see Adrian Peterson destroy NFL records and hand the Chargers their hats! He is truly a phenom and so exciting to watch as he leaves the defense in the dust. The "thunderdome" was rocking with chants of MVP!

Now...if we only had a quarterback.

Scotland - Day 4

2007-11-01T07:01:00.000-05:00

After another "full Scottish breakfast", we were off in The Bubble to visit Elgin Cathedral in the nearby town of Elgin. What a truly marvelous structure! We arrived early since we weren't sure where parking was available. Since we couldn't get into the Cathedral yet, we walked into the Biblical Garden of an adjacent college (can't remember the name of the college) where we found some very strange fiberglass statutes, such as this one of Samson. We figured he was the original "jock"....big body, little brain.

We then walked around the perimeter of the Cathedral property. As we approached from the main street, we walked through Panns Port, the main gateway into the Chanonry, or the area surrounding the Cathedral, which dates from the early 1200s. There were originally 4 gates in the wall but only Panns Port survives.

As we entered Elgin Cathedral the girl working there recommended that we start at the far end rather than at the Towers since there would be a large group of children arriving for a field trip. It was truly an awe inspiring experience to stand in the center of a structure built over 600 years ago. It was first built in the early 13th century and enlarged and repaired following a fire in 1390. I loved standing in the Presbytery and imaging how beautiful it must have been with the sun shining through the stained glass windows onto the high altar while the monks/priests chanted. Along the sides of the Presbytery were the choir lofts. There was a large nave with imposing columns holding up the several-story high roof, where many statutes looked down on the worshippers. There were also walkways up near the roof. We climbed to the top of the towers nears the entrance where we could see forever! I had wanted to get some photos of the wonderful headstones in the cemetery, but the kids were doing rubbings.

After spending much of the morning at Elgin Cathedral, we made the LONG drive back to Castle Fraser since this was on Aimee's "must see" list. Fortunately, it was open this time! One thing that constantly amazed us was just how very lush, green, thick and soft the lawns are in Scotland. It is like walking on an ultraplush carpet. I think Castle Fraser was my least favorite site. It is also still lived in and it is a self-guided tour. I didn't think much of the historic castle still existed, except the Great Hall which has been restored to how it would have looked in the 1500s. Castle Fraser is reputed to be a very haunted castle but Aimee didn't feel there was anything to the stories, at least not the major stories of hauntings. We did see a couple old samplers on the walls and some beautiful old quilts but besides that we were disappointed that we had made the trip twice to Castle Fraser.

On the way back to the Old Church, we stopped at Tolquhon (Toll-Hoon) Castle, another of the Historic Scotland ruins which was out in the middle of a peaceful rural area, far from civilization. There was a small gift shop and the woman working there probably lived in the house next door, the only house around! Her wee son was there with her. Tolquhon is really more of a comfortable 16th century mansion than a castle. It's particularly noteworthy for the highly ornamented gatehouse and the unique 3-hole gunholes. It was designed more to impress visitors than deter attackers.

The first room we entered in the castle was the circular guardroom to the left in one of the entry. Aimee had a startled reaction as we entered and she said that there was the ghost of a guard in there and they had started each other. After that he kept following us around yelling to Aimee that we weren't supposed to be there. A couple things I enjoyed about this castle were the 12 slots for beehives in the outer wall of the courtyard and the dovecot in the corner. As we were leaving to find the beehives, Aimee appeared to stumble on the walkway. She asked if I saw her and I said that I thought she'd tripped on something. She said that he hadn't tripped; she was pushed! The not-so-friendly guardsman had pushed her and insisted that we leave.

We had a long drive back to the Old Church and we still had to find someplace to eat. It had been a long time since breakfast, but finding someplace that serves food after 5:30 in the Highlands is almost impossible. We thought we'd seen a couple places in Huntly but when we stopped they were all closed. So, in the end, we went back to Elgin and ate at Burger King!! No, we didn't eat the mystery meat that is beef in the UK; we had chicken. Plus, there had just been another outbreak of hoof and mouth in England. We thought we'd stick with something safer. They did have delicious ice cream though!

Christmas Preview

2007-10-29T13:23:00.000-05:00

This is what happens when cousins get together in our family!

This video was made by my nephew and stars two of my kids, Aimee (in the glasses) and Erik, plus three of their cousins, Ian, Tiffany and Kjersten. And it's pretty darn accurate as to what life is like when they get together. I can tell I'm going to have to stock up on Depends!

I'm In Love!

2007-10-23T12:09:00.000-05:00

MMMMMMMMMM! Has anyone tried the Hershey's Candy Corn Kisses? I am in love!! I saw these at Target and thought I'd give them a try. I have a candy bowl on the counter at work and like to fill it with seasonal treats. The minute I opened the bag I knew I was in trouble!! Even the aroma is driving me nuts...so sweet and inviting. I can see another expensive trip to Target in the very near future!

Who Am I?

2007-10-22T11:38:00.001-05:00

...and which lesser Harry Potter character are you?

I AM THE MOON!

2007-10-20T19:38:00.000-05:00

You are The Moon

Hope, expectation, Bright promises.

The Moon is a card of magic and mystery - when prominent you know that nothing is as it seems, particularly when it concerns relationships. All logic is thrown out the window.

The Moon is all about visions and illusions, madness, genius and poetry. This is a card that has to do with sleep, and so with both dreams and nightmares. It is a scary card in that it warns that there might be hidden enemies, tricks and falsehoods. But it should also be remembered that this is a card of great creativity, of powerful magic, primal feelings and intuition. You may be going through a time of emotional and mental trial; if you have any past mental problems, you must be vigilant in taking your medication but avoid drugs or alcohol, as abuse of either will cause them irreparable damage. This time however, can also result in great creativity, psychic powers, visions and insight. You can and should trust your intuition.

What Tarot Card are You?
Take the Test to Find Out.

Quidditch Round 3

2007-10-17T20:26:00.000-05:00

1. What was the name of the book Dumbledore left for Hermione in his will?
a. The Tales of Beedle the Bard

2. Whose sign was on Xenophilius Lovegood's chest?
d. Grindewald

3. Was October 30, 1980 the night that Lilly and James Potter died?
b. No

4. What's another name for the Elder Wand?
a. Deathstick

5. Whose Potterwatch code name was 'Rodent'?
d. Fred

6. What was so special about the peacocks at the Malfoy Manor?
d. They were all white (must have been Blair Castle in Scotland which is famous for their white peacocks!)

7. Who does Harry say was "probably the bravest man I knew?"
a. Snape

8. What thing was Lockhart giving Hagrid advice about getting out of a well?
b. Kelpies

9. What was the occupation of Colin Creevey's father?
d. Milkman

10. Which Professor of Hogwarts was a dueling champion when he was young?
a. Flitwick

Picture Scavenger Hunt:

Made by Ansley

SCOTLAND DAY THREE

2007-10-12T09:21:00.001-05:00

Tuesday found us up early once again. Breakfast at the Old Church was served at 8:00 a.m. and was served family style which meant everyone sat at the same table in the old choir loft of the church. We were sharing the table with an older couple and their adult mentally handicapped son and a younger German couple and their 3-year-old son. There are definitely pros and cons to sitting together at breakfast. It gave us the opportunity to meet and get to know the other guests and to get some ideas of places to visit. But, on the other hand, Aimee and I were not privately able to discuss our plans for the day and, because everyone was German, we often felt like the odd men out when everyone else was chatting and laughing. Our "full Scottish breakfast" differed at the Old Church in that we started out with porridge (or oatmeal as we Yanks call it). We opted for the Old Church porridge which was made with milk and honey and actually quite good. We also had the choice of black pudding or white pudding. Since we'd already passed on the black pudding, Aimee decided to give the white pudding a try. It's basically toasted oatmeal, onion, spices and lard in a sausage form. Interesting but not something I'll be serving often.

After breakfast we hopped in The Bubble and were off to our first stop..Glenfiddich Distillery. YES!! Whisky first thing in the morning!! The Whisky Trail is definitely worth the trip. The air is filled with the fragrance of roasting barley as we drove through beautiful countryside and past distilleries of all size, both big and small. I was anticipating a huge operation since the name Glenfiddich is know world wide, but it is actually quite small. We joined a tour led by a kilt-clad guide. I was trying to figure out where she was from by her accent (or lack thereof) until she told us she was from Kenya ~ a Kenyan in a kilt! The tour started with a film about the history of Glenfiddich, which in Gaelic means Valley of the Stag, hence their logo. It is one of the few distilleries still in the hands of the family of William Grant, the founder. He and his 9 children built the distillery by hand in 1886 and the first whisky was bottled on Christmas Day 1887. The buildings built by William Grant and his children are still in use. The tour took us through all steps of the distillation process. I asked why there were 2 different styles of stills and was told that William Grant started out with 2 used stills, each in a different shape. As the family added more stills, they maintained the shapes of the original stills. When we walked in the still room, we just had to inhale deeply. MMMMMMMM....it smelled SO GOOD! I was amazed at how many bottles of whisky (only single malt whisky from Scotland can be spelled w-h-i-s-k-y) are bottled each day. The barrels they use are obtained used from either Spain or the US...Spanish sherry barrels and US whiskey barrels...because they are already seasoned. The barrels are stored in the original warehouse with earthen floors, stone walls, low ceilings and wonderful fragrance. That's the "angels' share"...the amount that evaporates from each barrel. There were barrels in there that were 60 years old! A couple things I learned is that the pure water that is collected through the distillation process is returned to the stream that is used and the remnants of the barley is made into cattle feed. Nothing is wasted! Also the distillery bought something like 10,000 acres of land around the burn (stream) where they get their water to guarantee that they are the only distillery using the water and that the water always comes from a single source. They also can insure that the water remains unpolluted. It was then off to the malt barn where we were treated to a dram. Of course, I had to buy a bottle to bring home. Can you possible go to Scotland and not bring home whisky? I say not!!

After consuming our dram, we went across the road from the distillery to Balvenie Castle. This was the first of our Historic Scotland stops. When Aimee was going to school in Scotland she joined Historic Scotland and has maintained her membership. When she renewed this year, she upgraded and included me in the membership. Being members of Historic Scotland allows us to get into all Historic Scotland sights free and gives us a discount on anything we purchase. Aimee called Balvenie Castle the start of the "Where Mary,Queen of Scots, stayed" tour, but I think that really started at Blair Castle. I actually think this was the start of "how many royal pissers can we find"! Yes, even castles over 500 years old had indoor bathrooms...and a few of them still maintain the odors! Balvenie is a typical ruin, but we explored it thoroughly. It was incredible to see that some of the walls were 10 feet thick. Stairs in these castles are always a challenge. As you can see in this photo, all stairwells are spiral. They are made of stone and each step is triangular in shape. They are generally very narrow and, because of their age, very worn and uneven. There is also no uniformity to the height. The stairwells are extremely narrow so you don't want to meet anyone on them. We finally figured out the way to climb them is to put your outside foot normally on the wider part of the step and turn your other foot sideways on the narrower part. Even so, you definitely need to hold on!

After exploring Balvenie, it was off to Huntly Castle. The little town of Huntly is so cute and picturesque. As we entered the town and headed toward the castle we had to pass through was had obviously been the main marketplace in the past. It was surrounded by tall old buildings and I felt like I'd definitely stepped back in time. To get to the Castle we drove under an arch and down a narrow tree lined lane, past an elementary school. The Castle is located next to a modern golf course...talk about the past abutting the present! As history goes, the Earl of Huntly was Mary, Queen of Scots, cousin and she was supposed to stay at his castle. However, she was advised that the Earl was planning to murder her so she stayed at Balvenie instead. Huntly Castle is quite well preserved. The stonework is gorgeous, particularly the frontispiece. It is emblazoned with the arms of the Marquis and Marchioness of Huntly along with the Marquis' coat of arms and those of James VI of Scotland and Queen Anna of Denmark. A lot of the walls in the castle still have the original plaster so you can see what the walls would have looked like. There is even graffiti on a wall in the cellar. Historians believe it was put there in the 1500s by servants.

The pisser at Huntly is probably one of the best preserved in all of Scotland. Aimee just had to try it out for size! Outside the wall of the castle is the remains of a medieval road that was put in somewhere around 1200. It's amazing!

We then headed off to drive the 50 miles to Fraser Castle. This was one of Aimee's "must see" stops. There have been stories of how haunted Fraser Castle is and she wanted to find out for herself. Unfortunately, when we got there we discovered that it isn't open on Mondays or Tuesdays. So we turned around and headed back to Huntly to see if we could find someplace to eat. We quickly discovered that everything in the Highlands closes at 5:30!! I mean everything!! We ended up eating in a hotel restaurant in Elgin since it was the only place we could find open. On the way to Elgin we tried to find a stone circle that was marked on the atlas. We saw signs for it but, alas, could not find the stone circle at all. We did make a stop at a standing stone called "Maiden Stone". The story goes that the stone was a woman who sold her soul to the devil. Aimee decided that if that's a woman, she was extremely tall! There are some cool carvings on the stone, including a mirror and comb.

It was a long day and we were definitely glad to pull up to the Old Church that night!

Knitters Coffeeswap

2007-10-10T11:31:00.000-05:00

1. Whole bean or ground? Either is fine with me. I buy both. I like to grind my own beans, but sometimes I just don't like to take the time to do so...those lazy moments, you know.

2. Fully-loaded or decaf? Again, either is fine. I start my day with fully-loaded and end my day with decaf.

3. Regular or flavored? I like both, but for my daily consumption it's regular. It's fun to try out different flavored coffees. I'm currently enjoying caramel apple coffee. A friend keeps me supplied with Apricot Coffee from a little coffee shop in a small town in MN.

4. How do you drink your coffee? Anyway I can get it! Sometimes I prefer black, sometimes with cream ~ both plain and flavored.

5. Favorite coffee ever? My favorite is the Christmas Blend from Starbucks. I buy several pounds of it during the holiday season so I can have it as long as possible. For enjoyment, I absolutely love Pumkin Spice Lattes (along with their pumpkin scones) from Starbucks.

6. Are you fussy about your coffee or will any old bean do? No, I'm not fussy about my coffee, except I don't really like "grocery store" coffee, i.e., Folgers, Maxwell House, etc. But, in the end, it's all coffee and I am addicted.

7. Favorite treats to have with your coffee? I particularly love scones with my coffee. I also like biscotti, particularly the gingerbread biscotti that Starbucks sells at Christmas time. And, plain old sugar cookies and shortbread will always do!

8. Anything else about your coffee preferences? I am happy with almost anything coffee related.

9. Yarn/fiber you love? I recently discovered Marble by James C. Brett which is fun. I knit a sweater and beret for my new granddaughter using it. I also love yarns with oodles of colors, particularly fun sock yarn.

10. Yarn/fiber you hate? I don't like eyelash-type fibers or other novelty yarns.

11. What's on your needles? I'm currently knitting my first pair of socks and loving every minute of it. I can assure it, it won't be my last.

12. Favorite colors? Definitely blues and purples of all hues, although I love fall combinations as well.

13. Allergies? I am allergic to cats, dustmites and blooming fruit trees.

14. Anything you really love, really don't like, or just need to get off your chest? Hmmmm....today life is good! I do really love the Harmony needles by KnitPicks. They are a joy to work with. I'm definitely a person who believes in paying it forward. I love to spoil others and believe, in the end, what goes around comes around. It gives me joy to see someone smile. I believe in the healing nature of hugs.

My First Sock!

2007-10-08T22:08:00.000-05:00

I started knitting my first pair of socks! Little did I know when I chose the funky fiber that it would knit into such a cool pattern. I went into the shop and said I wanted to knit socks and asked to be pointed in the right direction. I knew I didn't want stripes so I picked colors I liked...and look what is developing! I'm SO excited and very surprised. I thought I'd just get random colors. There are mistakes in the sock so don't look too closely,but I consider this pair my learners socks. I can only get better, right?

We had a heavy rain and lightening storm during the night on Friday. When I woke up Saturday morning the sky was such a strange color of yellow. I looked out the door at the house across the street and I could see the rising sun hitting the very top of the trees a block over while the trees closer were still in the shadows. The air smelled so good and the colors were so intense. I then walked outdoors and found a beautiful trio of leaves on the ground. I do love fall! I love all the colors and the crispness in the air. I love caramel apples and pumpkin spice latte from Starbucks. I do NOT look forward to winter, however. I wish it could just stay fall until spring arrives.

Scotland Day Two

2007-10-06T22:31:00.000-05:00

Day Two found us enjoying our first of many "full Scottish breakfasts". Our days always started early with breakfast being served between 8:00 and 9:00 a.m. A full Scottish breakfast usually consists of juice, cereal, yogurt and fruit (usually canned) to start if you want. The main breakfast is your choice of eggs, fried tomatoes, fried mushrooms, baked beans, sausage, bacon, toast (either white or brown, i.e., white or wheat) and black pudding. I usually skipped the mushrooms and baked beans...and I'm not about to eat something where the first ingredient is pork blood (black pudding)! Actually, in the US it's commonly called blood sausage. My mother absolutely loved it, but it's not something I even want to imagine eating! The bacon in the UK is incredibly delicious! It's almost like thinly sliced ham. It's the meaty part of the bacon we have in the US without the fat. After breakfast we thanked our hostess and hopped back in The Bubble for our drive into the Highlands. And what an awesome drive it was. The scenery is breathtaking. We drove through thick forests and open areas where the hills were covered with heather. It wasn't long before I was officially in love with the Scottish Highlands!

Our first stop of the day was Blair Castle. The blackwork instructor I took a class from at the MN Needlework Guild retreat highly recommended it so Aimee and I put it on our agenda. I'm so glad we did. It has become my 2nd favorite castle in Scotland. The day was beautiful...blue sky, warm and not a cloud in sight. Because Blair Castle is still lived in, we weren't able to take photos inside but, believe me, it's beautiful. I love all the extremely high ceilings and elaborate woodwork. The highlight was the collection of antique stitched samplers along the hallways. They are so beautiful and so well preserved. I even gave Aimee a brief history of Scottish samplers and what made the unique. I wish I could have photographed the other needlework at the castle. I'm not even going to attempt to describe it, other than to say I've never seen such exquisite needlework in my life. I recommend anyone interested do an internet search for Lady Evelyn's needlework at Blair Castle.

The grounds at Blair Castle were amazing. Like Scone Palace they have a Pinetum called Diana's Grove (after the Roman Goddess of hunting, fertility and the moon) with giant Douglas Firs. It was originally laid out in 1737 and has been added to over the years. We were surprised to find California's Giant Redwoods growing there. We also had our first visit to a proper walled garden -- Hercules Garden. I can only dream of ever having a garden as lush as this! I think you can see how thick and lush the grass is, almost like a carpet. The little building in the photo is for swans. There are rows of fruit trees as well as beautifully tended gardens. We learned that in the late 1800s the pond within the garden would freeze and there would be curling matches on it. Beyond the bridge in the backgroud is a "warming house" called McGregor's Folly.

After leaving Blair Castle we stopped in a small town to fill The Bubble and ended up making an unplanned stop. It's an old military barracks called Ruthven Barracks. It's really just a shell so there isn't much left to see (although Aimee and I do love figuring out what each room was and, in the process, discovering how the barracks probably operated. It was used in the 1700 to keep the Highlanders in line. It is on top of a very steep plateau (that path you see is what you walk up to get to it) and the view from up there is amazing! You can literally see for miles in all directions.

Our next stop was Ballindalloch Castle. Again, this castle is lived in. Amazingly, it has been lived in by the same family (Macpherson-Grant) since it was built, which was in the 1500s. The current Laird (Lord) is a woman..the first female Laird in history. When her father died, passing the home to her, she petitioned the government to keep her father's name rather than taking her husband's name. Her son has taken the Macpherson-Grant name in order to carry on the tradition. There are handwritten signs and stories written by her throughout the Castle.

I don't know how many of you know that Aimee is clairvoyant....she "sees" ghosts. While we were on a staircase looking at an old mirror, Aimee turned to me and said that a "ghostie" had just walked past us down the stairs. She said it was an older female wearing pink. She couldn't tell what era she was from, but she felt that the woman had definitely lived in the castle at some point, loved the castle and considered it home. We were extremely surprised when a few rooms later we were reading about the room and it said that the ghost of a woman is often seen by spiritualists and mediums. I also got goosebumps myself when I read that! I told Aimee that she had to mention it to the woman at the entrance when we left. Aimee doesn't often like to share the fact that she can "see" ghosts with people, but I encouraged her to do it. When she did mention it, the woman was extremely excited and asked quite a few questions. They seem to like to hear the impressions of people who have experiences in the house and she said she would be sure to let the family know.

By that time it was getting to be quite late so we had to skip our stop at Glenlivet Distillery because it was already closed. We continued our trip to Urquhart, the little town about 6 miles from the northern coast of Scotland, where we checked into The Old Church, our "home" for 4 days. What a beautiful old building in a breathtaking area! I would stay there again in a heartbeat. After checking in we went to a town on the North Sea called Lossiemouth for pizza. By that time we were starved!! After eating we walked along the sea wall...with Aimee far too close to the edge for my comfort...and watched people surfing! Yes...surfing in the icy cold North Sea! The drive back to The Old Church was interesting -- in the pitch black on a road not big enough for 2 cars, lined with forest. We definitely slept the sleep of the dead that night!

Quiddith Trivia 2

2007-10-05T09:10:00.001-05:00

1. In Deathly Hallows what does Harry step on when exiting his room to wash his cut?
A TEACUP

2. Which two members of the Order of Phoenix came to escort the Dursleys to a safe place?
DEDALUS DIGGLE AND HESTIA JONES

3. In order to throw off the Death Eaters,several of Harry's friends take Polyjuice Potion to resemble him and each Harry goes with a different member of the Order of the Phoenix to a different location. Where do Ron (disguised as Harry) and Tonks go?
AUNTI MURIEL'S HOUSE

4. At Bill and Fleur's wedding, Harry must disguise himself by taking Polyjuice Potion and takes on the appearance of a redheaded Muggle boy from Ottery St. Catchpol. He was introduced to wedding guests as Cousin...
BARNY

5. Kingley sends a message via Patronus to warn the Weasleys and wedding guests of the coming Death Eaters. What form does his Patronus take?
A LYNX

6. In the Half-Blood Prince what drink does Romilda Vane try to give Harry?
GILLYWATER

7. What is the name of the person that heads the Holyhead Harpies?
GWENOG JONES

8. What tatoo is Harry reported to have on his chest?
HIPPOGRIFF

9. What color robes do the staff at Weasley's shop wear?
MAGENTA

10. Where do Nicolas Flamel and his wife Perenelle live?
DEVON

Transsiberian Orchestra

2007-10-04T09:51:00.000-05:00

YAY! I just heard an ad on the radio that tickets go on sale Saturday for Transsiberian Orchestra. I am definitely going to be in line! My husband gave me tickets last year and I was absolutely blown away by the performance. I was going to take Erik, but he had had knee surgery 3 days before the performance and he obviously couldn't go. I'll have to take him this year. I CANNOT WAIT UNTIL DECEMBER!! I hear they have a new CD as well. You know what I'll be out buying this weekend. I HEART TRANSSIBERIAN ORCHESTRA!

Stitching Update

2007-10-03T07:43:00.001-05:00

Here are just a couple of my works in progress. The first is "Boo" by The Trilogy. I just love these kits! I would like to finish this one as a block but, since I've never done one, I have no idea how they are made. So...if anyone has some good instructions, please email me!

And this is an update on the Christmas stocking I'm making for Ellie. For anyone not familiar with the story, I originally stitched this stocking for her a couple years ago but when I went to put it together for her, I couldn't find the stitched piece. I have the silk for the back, the lining and the trim....just no stitched piece. I've searched and searched and searched to no avail. So, I decided to just stitch it again for her. I just love the window on this piece. When I finish it I am going to have to start stitching one for Ellie's new sister who is due December 1.

When I Last Left You...

2007-09-30T08:00:00.000-05:00

...we had picked up The Bubble and were on our way out of Glasgow. In spite of the fact that I had studied the atlas and knew generally where we were headed, my navigation skills failed when we got to Perth. I was having problems reading signs and locating where we were on the map and, consequently, I directed us in the wrong direction. But..I quickly recovered and found an alternate route to where we wanted to go. In the process we stumbled upon the Wal-Mart (which goes by a different name) that Aimee remembered being in Perth. So we figured the detour was meant to be...vbg. We stopped at Wal-Mart because I wanted to buy a curling iron (or tongs as they are called in Scotland). I have such baby fine hair and I need all the chemicals and help I can get to give the impression that there is a HINT of body in my hair. I could have brought my own curling iron but I would have needed a converter, so I decided it was just as easy to buy a cheap iron in Scotland. Now, where would you look for a curling iron? My initial thought was health and beauty aids. By the hair products? Hmmmm....there it is! By the clothes irons!! And I had the choice of ...oh, three! We also picked up some snacks and Aimee found Coke Orange....yes, it looked like an orange Coke bottle. She decided she needed to try it and said it was horrible -- like Hi C or any other orange soda mixed with Coke. We got back on the road and saw signs for Scone Palace (pronouced SKOON). It wasn't on our list of places to visit but we decided since we had time we would stop. I'm SO glad we did. We pulled up and parked in the car park (or parking lot as affectionately known in the US) and went to get tickets. While Aimee was waiting in line for the tickets I was taking in the beautiful location and the "Highland Coos". They are such magnificent animals. There were also peacocks wandering around, including white peacocks which I undestand Scone is known for.

We then walked up the long drive to the Palace itself. A little bit of history...1500 years ago it was the capital of the Pictish kingdom and the center of the ancient Celtic church. It has been the seat of parliaments and the crowning place of kings. It has housed the Stone of Destiny upon which all British kings/queens sit when crowned. The Stone was last used at the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II. Scone Palance was immortalized in Shakepeare's Macbeth. It is still the home of the Earls of Mansfield. The interior is incredible and the imagination runs wild thinking about what it must have been like to live in such a place.

After visiting the Palace, we decided to walk the grounds. They are so beautifully maintained with gardens and extremely lush lawns where peacocks wandered freely. We saw Moot Hill which was the Ancient Crowning Place of the Kings of Scots. It is immediately in front of the Palace near a Gothic Chapel, which is still used for special occasions. We wandered through an ancient cemetery and Aimee, of course, had to climb on the walls of the cemetery. We then set out to explore the Wild Garden and Pinetum. Absolutely incredible!! There were beautiful gardens set in clearing of trees. Aimee decided it was where she was going to hold her wedding reception! Of course, she had to attempt to climb one of the huge trees. I can't take her anywhere! (In the past I've had to peel her off one of the smokestacks on the Queen Mary.) She tried to get onto the huge branch but it was too high (or she was too short!) She took a run at it and attempted to jump but only managed to knock herself to the ground when her chest hit the branch.

The trees planted in the Pinetum where breathtaking. It originated with the planting of coniferous trees in 1848 and further trees have been added over the years. I have never in my life seen trees as tall as these. Aimee is a mere speck among the trees and you can't even begin to see the tops. I also do not have the words to decribe what it felt like to be in the Pinetum. The floor was covered with pine needles and it was soft to walk on and absolutely silent. The peacefulness of the spot was overwhelming. It truly made me feel small in the presence of God. Being in such a place was very moving to me.

After leaving the Pinetum we took on the Murray Star Maze. I'd always wanted to get lost in a maze and this one was tough! We kept wandering and wandering and could hear the fountain in the middle, but couldn't find our way to it. We finally made our want out of it and went up on the bridge over the maze at the entrance and figured out the proper route....all along the far edge of the maze. Finally we made it to the center!

After spending several hours at Skone Palance and wandering the grounds, we again hopped in The Bubble and continued our trip to Pitlochry. We stayed in a very cute bed and breakfast where our hostess was very accommodating and friendly. After checking in we walked into the town center where I had my first dinner of fish and chips...YUMMMMMMM!! Then it was back to the BnB for a shower and a good night sleep.

Scattergories

2007-09-27T12:49:00.000-05:00

GOOD LUCK....THIS WAS TOUGH !!!

Use the 1st letter of your name to answer each of the following...they have to be real places, names, things...nothing made up!

You CAN'T use your name for the boy/girl name question.

What is your name?: NEILA
TV show: NCIS
4 letter word: NICE
Boys name: NORMAN
Vehicle: NOVA
Occupation: NOVELIST
City: NAPLES
Girls Name: NANCY
Something you shout: NOW!
Drink: NECTAR
Something you wear: NAIL POLISH
Celebrity: NATALIE WOOD
Food: NECTARINE
Something found in a bathroom: NIGHT LIGHT
Reason for Being Late: NAUSEOUS
Cartoon Character: NATASHA (as in Boris & Natasha)

Who's next?

Halloween

2007-09-26T11:06:00.000-05:00

Have I ever mentioned that I love, love, LOVE Halloween? It is, without a doubt, my favorite holiday. I don't get to dress up much any more except in my mind where I wear the most outrageous costumes. I am truly a Halloween addict! I would love to decorate my entire house, inside and out, in Halloween all year round, but I might get a few complaints. Maybe when I FINALLY get my own craft room, I'll have to decorate it like Halloween 365 days a year (or Victorian...can't decide).

One of my favorite Halloween memories is when I was 12 years old and lived in a suburb of Denver. I dressed as a vampiress (is that a word?) A favorite neighbor helped me get dressed, and probably helped develop my love of Halloween. I wore a black skirt, black tights, black blouse, and black high heels. My neighbor cut open a black velvet skirt and let me wear that as a cape. She then applied white make-up and LOTS of black eye makeup. I remember feeling so WICKED! My friends and I started trick-or-treating early and stayed out until after 10:00...back in the day when it was safe for kids to stay out that late. I filled 1 pillow case with candy and went home to get another. At one house, the people invited all the kids into their back yard where they had a cauldron of water with apples we bobbed for. They also gave us hot apple cider. (We'd probably get arrested if we did that in this day and age.) At several houses we had our photos taken.

Yes, Halloween is my favorite holiday. I think I have more Halloween framed cross stitch projects than any other theme and my to-do pile is mostly Halloween. I just can't resist!

I hereby declare myself the Queen of Halloween! Who wants to be in my court?

Driving in Scotland

2007-09-25T21:02:00.000-05:00

Driving in Scotland can be a challenge in other ways besides the obvious difference of driving on the "wrong" side of the road. Fortunately Aimee has an incredible road atlas put out by AA, the UK's equivalent of AAA in the US. It literally shows each and every road in the country, as well as the location of all the roundabouts. It was easy to navigate (IF you kept track of where you were and realized that each little lane was on that map...I didn't always do well). There are basically 4 types of roadways: (1) major freeways (blue in the atlas), such as the M8, M80, etc.; (2) "dual carriageways" (red) like the A9, A93, etc. These roads are well maintained 2 lane divided highways with occasional "crawler lanes" which allowed faster traffic to pass slower vehicles and passing places on the side of the road to pull off the roadway; (3) 2-lane highways (yellow) which are narrower with fewer crawler lanes and not divided; and (4) narrow single-track lanes (white) where there is not enough room for 2 cars to pass. When 2 cars approach from opposite directions, the first car that reaches a passing place must pull over and stop to allow the other car to pass. Our trip took us on all 4 types of roadways, but we seemed to travel mostly on the dual carriageways. Most of the roads in the Highlands were very narrow and VERY twisty and turny. It was necessary to always be alert to see if you were meeting other cars and be prepared to pull over.
Here are some examples of now narrow some of the streets could be. Some of the most gorgeous scenery was along the smaller roads. Driving through forests that came right to the edge of the road or farms and field with sheep and cows grazing right next to us was phenomenal, very beautiful and incredibly peaceful and idyllic.
Many bridges are only wide enough for 1 car so the streets were often painted with white lines (think cross walks) indicating who had to "give way" and who had the right of way. In some places, particularly when going under low, narrow bridges, there would be lights indicating who had the right of way.
Roundabouts are tricky until you understand how they work. For anyone not knowing what a roundabout is, it's a central island where vehicles travel around it in one direction. I'm not sure they would ever work well in the US with our rude drivers, road rage, impatience, etc. A driver must yield to cars already in the roundabout because they have priority. Then, you have to know what leg (street) you want to take off the roundabout in order to determine where you want to be in the roundabout, i.e., outer edge, inner edge, etc. If you are taking the first leg, you want to be in the outer edge; if you are taking the third leg, you want to be in the inner portion of the roundabout. I actually think they work well and traffic flows nicely.

Scotland - The Adventure Begins

2007-09-23T16:54:00.000-05:00

Aimee began her trip at the crack of dawn on Saturday, September 8th. She flew from Burbank to Denver to Minneapolis. We were crossing our fingers that she wouldn't have any delays in Denver. Her last couple trips through there haven't been the best. At Thanksgiving time she "only" had about a 4 hour delay. Fortunately this time everything worked out well and she landed in Minneapolis almost a full 30 minutes early. We picked her up at the Lindberg terminal and Chuck then dropped both of us off at the Humphrey terminal where we checked in for our flight on Iceland Air. We had about a 3 hour wait which would have been okay if there was something to do in the Humphrey terminal! It's a very, very small, quiet terminal with only 1 small shop and a coffee shop. So I got coffee (what is life without coffee!) and we bought a couple large bottles of water for the plane. Our flight to Iceland was nice and smooth. The flight was just under 5 hours. We got a hot meal on the plane (meatballs of some kind of mystery meat and rice plus a very bizarre salad of some sort that neither of us could eat). We landed at Gate 9 in Iceland and our connecting flight to Scotland was out of Gate 8. We thought that was convenient. Little did we know!! When we got off the plane we went down an escalator and around a corner where we waited in a long line to go up another escalator. At the top of the escalator they confiscated our water, which we thought was strange. Why are they confiscating unopened bottles of water when we're connecting to another flight? The next thing we know we're going through security....shoes off, bags x-rayed, etc., and then our passports are checked. Yes...we are ENTERING ICELAND! But wait...we don't want to enter Iceland! We just want to connect to our flight to Scotland. After we've cleared immigration we went through the door, around the corner and got in another line to (you guessed it) LEAVE ICELAND!! We had our passports stamped twice..once to enter and once to leave. We waited at Gate 8 (virtually where we started). Aimee noticed that the overhead screen said "Go to Gate" for our flight. All of a sudden people just started boarding. There were NO announcements of any sort....we just boarded as a herd.

Here's Aimee with both stamps in her passport. The flight to Scotland was only about 90 minutes and we again jumped through the hoops at immigration. It was pretty painless, except for the HUGE group of people ahead of us in line who spoke no English. There were only 3 guys working in immigration and they were having quite the time with this non-English speaking group. Eventually it was our turn and we breezed through. We stopped to change some money and then went in search of Enterprise where we'd reserved a car.

We finally found the booth (after wandering around the airport, both inside and out) only to find a sign telling us that we had to go outside to their facility. We had no idea where it was so we started wandering in the area where we saw other car rental places. Finally we saw Enterprise in the furtherest corner from the airport terminal...but we were on the wrong side of a fence. So we climbed over the fence with our suitcases and FINALLY got there. They had a car ready and waiting for us.

Here's our little car (at Scone Palace) which we affectionately nicknamed The Bubble. We heart that little car!! I have to said that Aimee can drive with the best of Scottish drivers! She definitely impressed me. She is a PRO! She handled all those roundabouts like she did it every day. We hopped in The Bubble and headed out of Glasgow toward our first stop...Pitlochry.

To be continued..................

Pay It Forward

2007-09-21T09:52:00.000-05:00

It’s the Pay It Forward Exchange.

It’s based of the concept of the movie “Pay it Forward” where acts or deeds of kindness are done without expecting something in return, just passing it on, with hope that the recipients of the acts of kindness are passed on.

Here is how it works.
I will make and send a handmade gift to the first 3 people who leave a comment to this post on my blog requesting to join this PIF exchange. I do not know what that gift will be yet, and it won’t be sent this month, probably not next month, but it will be sent (within 6 months) and that’s a promise! What YOU have to do in return, then, is pay it forward by making the same promise on your blog.

Remember, it's the first THREE who comment on the blog that they want to participate in the PAY IT FORWARD exchange.

P.S. If you don't have a blog or a google account, please email me if you want to participate. I don't want anyone to be left out!