patty's postings

Most recent movie/books

2012-02-12T22:00:00.000-06:00

Good, but depressing hope this isn't the truth, viewed the day a big solar flare hit the earth very good, kept my interest, just started reading James Patterson's novels

this was entertaining.

In review I seem to have diverse reading list!

new family member 3

2012-02-09T22:00:00.000-06:00

met Larry, the leopard lizard. D's aunt and uncle gave this to him as a birthday present. D loves all forms of creepy, crawly, slithering creatures. Mom said the worse thing is having live crickets in the fridge for Larry's meals!

Happy Birthday to my guys

2012-02-06T22:00:00.001-06:00

B just turned 18, will be off to college in the fall

D just turned 5, he will be off to kindergarten in the fall

cooking class

2012-02-03T22:00:00.000-06:00

the kids are taking a cooking class at the local community center.

L isn't waiting for the finished meal, she decided to help herself!

funny faced pizza on a tortilla, I had a bite and it was really good.

forget the pizza, let's eat the tortilla with marshmallows and chocolate chips.

New sport

2012-01-31T22:00:00.000-06:00

D is playing floor hockey this winter. It's so cute, when the coach says freeze all the little guys stop and put their sticks on the floor.

Birthday Bowling

2012-01-28T22:00:00.000-06:00

Little D had a bowling party for his birthday; the guys all had a great time and wanted to go bowling again

eagle watching at fort bellfontaine

2012-01-25T22:00:00.000-06:00

R and I went to a eagle viewing on Saturday. It was 23 degrees and windy, but once we started moving around it warmed up. We took a 3 mile hike and only managed to see one eagle in the wild. It was a great day!

The fort was established in 1805, fifteen miles north of St Louis. It was a trading post and Lewis and Clark camped at this site before their voyage to explore the west. It was the first American military outpost. The original fort was build below the bluffs and if still standing would be in the middle of the river. The second fort was built on top of the bluffs and has since disappeared. The above view is from the top of the staircase. If you look really hard you can see a eagle on left of the photo.

The "Grand Staircase" was build by the WPA in 1936 and the park became a playground for the wealthy. This stair case is purported to be haunted by a red mist, guess it was too cold for the mist today.

Part of the bath house; reminds me of the stone cottages in the Irish countryside.

The World Bird Sanctuary was at the eagle viewing with some of their birds. This little guy is 20 years old and looked like a stuffed animal. All the birds are rehabbed birds; most had injuries so they could not live in the wild.

Lewis fell out of his next as a fledgling and has a damaged leg. He was just a beautiful bird!

Halfa at Ya Hala

2012-01-19T22:00:00.001-06:00

I went to a Halfa (belly dance party) at Ya Hala restaurant. We had good food; I ordered fafala (mashed chickpeas, garlic, onion and spices, think meatball size and fried) and tabbouli salad (bulgar, tomatoes, cucumbers, mint, seasoned with olive oil, lemon juice and salt) and hummus with pita bread and mint tea. I love the costumes the dancers wear.

Good food, good friends and entertainment. My former teacher danced but due to the sun coming in the windows I didn't get any shots of her. She calls me the belly dance groupie because I try to make as many performances as I can!

Christmas card

2012-01-16T22:00:00.001-06:00

I received this card from my pen pal Maria. Maria lives in Finland on a archipelago and is an artist. We met thru http://www.postcrossing.com/ and have been corresponding a couple of years. Maria spends time in Greece and has shared her photos and art work with me of this beautiful country.

christmas at mom's 2011

2012-01-13T22:00:00.000-06:00

never try to take group shots when the little guys are tired

little d looks like he has had too much Christmas cheer

Christmas 2011 collage

2012-01-09T22:00:00.000-06:00

New Horizons

2012-01-06T22:00:00.000-06:00

Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn’t do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.

-Mark Twain

my little angel!

2012-01-03T22:00:00.000-06:00

my sweet little angel girl! my sweet little skater girl! I just love the prim and proper white dress that goes so well with the skateboard

Auld Lang Syne ~ Royal Scots Dragoon Guards.

2012-01-01T00:05:00.000-06:00

found this rendition of auld lang syne on youtube, love the pipes!

2012

2011-12-31T23:59:00.000-06:00

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Great Movie

2011-12-28T22:00:00.003-06:00

I just finished watching this movie and can't tell you how wonderful it was! The time flew by; the story was engrossing and that is it true made it that much better. I would recommend it highly. Found out that Temple Grandin will be speaking at one of our local university in March! I plan to attend

Merry Christmas

2011-12-25T06:00:00.000-06:00

from me and Santa

Stewie

2011-12-24T22:00:00.000-06:00

Stewie, the elf on the shelf found an interesting place to hang out. So far Stewie has toilet papered the Christmas tree, dumped flour on the countertop and made snow angels and a few other mischievous things!

family holiday night at the foundry

2011-12-21T22:00:00.000-06:00

Another great night at the Foundry Centre for the family. D and D coloring their Christmas box. The Centre had four stations. Pipe cleaner ornament, wreath making, air dried clay ornament and these tiny little boxes. They both took alot of time to get it just right.

showing off her snow flake.

the family.

After the hot chocolate and cookies we ventured up to the artist studios and watched a couple of artist paint. Both ladies were very nice to the little kids and asked them about their art work.

celebration of lights

2011-12-18T22:00:00.001-06:00

R and I visited the Celebration of lights the other night. We did the walk thru. One night during the season, instead of driving thru you get walk and see the lights closer. There are craft vendors, hot chocolate, music, the lights, and fireworks!

We were lucky; it had rained all day but stopped as we arrived. I especially like this! O'fallon's own Loch Ness Nessie wearing a Santa hat.

Another of my favorites.

I was interview on the local cable television station during our walk. I hope I did ok; I don't have cable so I won't be able to see it!

book club december

2011-12-14T22:00:00.000-06:00

This was our book for December. It was good, very predictable but a nice change from the heavy readings we have done.

Thanksgiving crafts

2011-12-09T22:00:00.000-06:00

Again a little late showing Thanksgiving celebration, but I've been busy finishing up my painting of my house. I'm almost finished with the painting yaaaaaaa. Little Miss M is above with her turkey bib on her first Thanksgiving.

some of the kids of the family doing Christmas crafts. Each year I try to get a craft kit that all the different ages can do. B and N are the oldest and they were very helpful to the little kids. It was 60 degrees on Thanksgiving so the kids were able to play outside and do their crafts in the garage.

D with her reindeeer

Happy Birthday Dave!

2011-12-07T06:00:00.000-06:00

Happy Birthday to my first born; then now with his girl

a day at the river

2011-12-06T22:00:00.000-06:00

we took a ride to the river today! Last time I was here was the day my dad died so the drive was bitter sweet. this is my handsome great nephew, P posing for me on a piece of driftwood

the last time i was on the ferry I didn't notice these caves on the bluffs

my niece m and my grandniece little miss m

she is so darn cute!

an old barn on the great river road on our way to Pere Marquette Park

a view from the bluffs, p and i hiked a trail about a mile up the bluff, since it was just he and i, we didn't want to get too far into the woods.

p and the wood carved mother nature

inside the lodge with p

one of the cottages you can rent

another view from inside the park

the view from the loading dock bar and grill. While we were there p and i talked about the flying fish that are in the river and he was so interesting in them, he couldn't wait to get home and look them up on the computer.

beautiful sunset on the way home

2011 caveman ziplining

2011-12-03T22:00:00.001-06:00

my son had my camera and took this movie as we ziplined

ziplining

2011-11-30T22:00:00.000-06:00

I did something crazy a few weeks ago with my son D, his girl K and some of their friends. After an hour drive south of home, we met at Meramec Caverns for some high flying fun. we went ziplining, it was exhilarating. The worst part was climbing up the towers to get high enough.

i'm getting suited up with the body harness, something you want when you are 80-100 feet off the ground.

getting ready to take off on the fastest of the 5 lines. we went about 50 miles an hour and it was so fast it was over before you realized it

waiting for the rest of the group

coming into the last tower, this one was 1200 feet long and you had time to take in the scenery

we had lunch inside the caverns at a nice restaurant and wandered around the little museum they have at the entrance to the cave. this is an iron boat found buried under mud in the Meramec river close to the caves. it weighed 400 pounds and possibly was used to deliver gunpowder down river to the Union troops during the Civil War

The Meramec caverns are reported to be a hideout of the outlaw Jesse James in the early 1870's because it was big enough for his men and horses

some of the fall color on the bluffs

Halloween

2011-11-27T22:00:00.000-06:00

I know this is a little late but here is D's halloween costume that his mom and i made. D was a komodo dragon lizard. He really really likes reptiles; can't wait to see what he will want in 2012

2nd book club book

2011-11-24T22:00:00.000-06:00

this was my second book with the book club. Another book that I wouldn't have read on my own it was pretty good, I'd give it a 8.

Klondike park

2011-11-21T22:00:00.000-06:00

Early one Saturday morning I took yet another road trip with my poor camera

begging for mercy. It has been getting quite a work out lately.

I drove to Klondike park about 20 miles from my home

R had told me about this park and about the views from the overlook. What she didn't tell me it was up a mountain. I was the only person in this area and hoped I didn't run into any animals, 2 legged or 4 legged. The view was wonderful. The rich farm lands of Augusta bottoms, rich with the soil that the Missouri river leaves when it floods

this is at the top of the overlook, thank goodness I didn't have to climb any higher, I was really out of breath

panoramic view of the fall colors

this is the Labadie power plant that sits along the river; there is something wrong with seeing smoke stacks in this pretty view. The lake is a abandon quarry where silica sand was once mined. The sand is like powered sugar and glistens in the sun.

I am seeing faces in the stranges places lately.

another face

I was a little early to see much fall color on the trees but I wanted to take advantage of nice weather we have been having

this monarch butterfly posed very nicely for me

Lewis and Clark are supposed to have camped on the opposite bank

beauty shot

haunted ghost tour at the Missouri Penientary

2011-11-18T22:00:00.000-06:00

another image filled post, again too many pix not to show them! The kids and i went on a haunted prison tour in our state capital, Jefferson City. We drove up in early afternoon, had dinner, drove around for an hour or so lost trying to find the prison. Jeff City is very very quiet on a Saturday evening. The tour is held after dark with flashlights, but there was a big group ahead of us and they all had the flashlights, most of the people in our group used their cell phones for light. The building above is one of the cell blocks.

this building contains the solitary confinement cells; also known as the dungeon, or the hole. One prisoner was in his cell in the complete dark for 18 days. When we entered this building, my ears popped like there was an attitude change. That was the first strange thing that happened

me standing in front of one of the cell doors

this is a picture of a ghost! This was taken in the dark, the only editing i did was to correct the contrast. I see a figure standing on the steps, take a look and tell me which side it is standing and which set of steps. I give the answer at the end of this post

the first room a prisoner would see. This building was closed in 2004 and the amount of decay was astounding.

some of the cells

one of the cell blocks purported to have a ghost

son D, behind bars. He is a corrections office in a jail, so he is usually on the other side of the bars. We were warned no to shut any of the cell doors because there were 900 keys for this building and the prison only has 6 of them left.

one of the cell in the "hole" we all crowded into a very small hall, then the guide had everyone turn off their lights; absolute dark! Everyone commented on how cold it was, I was very very warm, (second strange thing)

this is the building that contained solitary confinement.

S and B sitting in the gas chamber. A total of 40 people were executed in this chamber. Out of the 40, 22 of them were Black, 1 was a woman. The last prisoner executed was in 1998. The third strange thing happened as I was taking photos in here. The picture before this one show the bottom 1/2 of the photo's offset from the top.

D and K in the gas chamber. I wanted to sit in the chair but got a very uncomfortable feeling and had to get out of the chamber. A few other strange things: D and K's cell phone clocks changed times D's showed 3:00 am and K's showed 6:00 pm, but the real time was about 10:30, they both swore that they didn't touch the time setting. Right around the time I took the photo of the ghost, D tripped on a perfectly level piece of the drive.

Now for the reveal of the ghost I see a figure on the left side of the steps the second flight up, let me know if you see it. You can see video of the prison on youtube search for creepz ghost commandos missouri penientary

art romp

2011-11-15T22:00:00.000-06:00

This post probably has the most photos I've ever uploaded in one post, but this evening was so much fun I couldn't leave any of them out! The art romp was an evening of different types of art and the chance to do some art. It was held at the Foundry art centre that I visited earlier this year. R and I spent the evening visiting all the exhibits. The photos above is from a photo booth. We got so silly with the props

one of the stilt walkers, this guy was kind of creepy these murals were all made out of Mardi Gras beads that the artist brings back from New Orleans after the Mardi Gras parades. R getting ready to make a glass bead. This was harder than it looked; we had to keep the glass rod turning at the same time as keeping it close to the flame; at the same time putting the mandrel in the center to make the opening. We each made a bead and I'm looking for a chain to wear mine.

I found this writing and scroll very interesting. I would never be able to do this, my handwriting is terrible, since I'm always on the computer typing.

this artist was doing water color and she used salt on the color to get different resist of the water color. She made it look so easy.

there was an aerialist, a big band sound band, jugglers, sculptures, potters and the iron pour

the iron pour was too cool. The worked used a coke furnace to melt the iron ore to 1200 degrees (648.8 c) then it went into a bucket to be poured in molds

very interesting, can't imagine seeing a pour like this in a big foundry

pouring the iron into the molds to make decorative items.

reception

2011-11-12T22:00:00.000-06:00

the wedding cake, H's colors were purple and silver my sister T and little Miss M

H and T in the father-daughter dance

my other great niece, D. My camera was acting up all evening and most of the photos of the reception were too dark or blurry to use. The ones of the little ones turned out good.

wedding

2011-11-09T22:00:00.000-06:00

my niece H was married a few weeks ago in a beautiful outdoor wedding. G and the minister are waiting for the bride this garden is in a local park and most of us didn't know it was there. It is hidden in a little valley H and her dad walking down the aisle

my sister in law,R, the bride's mom and my brother T the step father of the bride. This is their second wedding this year, R's son was married in April!

where my house used to be

2011-11-06T22:00:00.001-06:00

21 years ago my house stood in this area. The road went down a hill and there was a subdivison of homes on the street. St Louis airport brought most of the homes in this area to build a new airplane runway. They filled in the valley and raised the area about 20 taller than it was. The airport ruined the City of Bridgeton, razed around 400-500 homes and the very very sad thing is after disruping peoples lives, threating them to sell their homes and generally killing a city, 9-11 happened, American Airlines cut most of their flights from St Louis and the new runway is hardly used.

For me it was the second time around. The airport also brough my first house in 1979 and we moved to this site. Before I purchased the house that stood here I asked the airport authority if they would every expand to this area. I was told "no not in your life time", well I guess I should be dead because 13 years later they knocked on my door again.

I now live 30 miles west of the airport, crossing my fingers that the airport doesn't decide to expand again!

One of the neighbors from this neighborhood is doing a documentery on what the airport did to the City of Bridgeton and I am going to be interviewed.

Creve Coeur Lake and Park

2011-11-03T22:00:00.000-05:00

I visited this park on a beautiful fall day. The park was a hang out for kids in my day (so very long ago). We went here to see friends and of course make new friends! The sign is a new addition. Our version of this story was the Indian maiden threw herself off the top when her father would not let her marry a warrior from another tribe, much more romantic.

perhaps the Indian maiden spirit lives here with the wee folk.

This fall seemed much taller when I was younger. There used to be stone steps along side the falls with at least a MILLION steps up to the park at the top

The lake has really been improved. I learned to water ski here when the lake was 3 feet of mud and 3 feet of water. I couldn't swim so I figured I wouldn't drown and how I hated to put my feet in that mud, yukky The lake is a oxbow lake, the largest natural lake in Missouri. It has been dredged deeper than in my day. Its a great place for picnics, tennis, water sports, and archery. The park at the top of the falls has athletic fields and there is a golf course near by. The walking/biking trail goes around the lake and connects of the Katy Trail.

renovated guest bath

2011-10-30T22:00:00.000-05:00

this is the mess I made of the floor in the guest bathroom this is what the floor looks like now. My son has been helping me get some of my reno work done. The floor looks great, good work, D

basketball and the park

2011-10-27T22:00:00.001-05:00

that darn ball is hard to hold on to at the park with grandma instead of at basketball practice

first book club meeting

2011-10-24T22:00:00.002-05:00

Went to my first book club meeting this week. The group consist of 8 women who meet in each others homes once a month to discuss the book read the previous month. October selection was "Cutting for Stone". This novel was not one I would have read on my own, but truly enjoyed it.

Plus my mind enjoyed the exercise of discussing the story and hearing others points of view. I rarely get caught up in a novel that I care so much about the characters and have a reaction at the end of the story. I would recommend this novel. I read in on my Nook and I believe that it is 600 pages long

M was the perfect hostess setting out a wonderful spread of food and drink.

kickball

2011-10-21T22:00:00.000-05:00

son in law B plays outfield daughter B is the pitcher. They play on a kickball league on Sundays. For those who don't know, kickball is a school yard game based on baseball. Their team is called "Still Kickin" because most of the players are in their late 30's, early 40's and they play against some teams that are in their 20's. Last week daughter ended up in the urgent care center because she did something to her foot and was in alot of pain. Nothing broken, she just had to stay off of it for a day or so and take steroids for the inflammation.

Mastodon State Park

2011-10-18T22:00:00.000-05:00

Mastodon State Park is the site where the Mastodon above was found in the Kimmswick bone bed; the first evidence that humans and the American Mastodon co existed. The theory is that the area was swampy and the mastodons as well as the giant ground sloth might have gotten stuck in the mud and died.The early American Indians arrive in Missouri about the same time. Early Indians in the background The Clovis culture is document as the earliest Native American Indian that occupied North America and may have contributed to the extinction of many of the Pleistocene animalsGiant ground sloth. Think how this baby would have fed a family for a long time! The museum also has several hiking trails, but the bone beds are no longer active.

Road Trip to Kimmswick

2011-10-15T22:00:00.003-05:00

Kimmswick is a old river town founded in 1859 by Theodore Kimm; but the history of the town goes back to the late 1700's. Ths Spanish used the Mississippi and the Indian trails up river from New Madrid and Ste. Genevieve to St. Louis. They called the route El Camino Real. It is the oldest road in Missouri and passed by what is now Kimmswick. Today's Kimmswick is a small town loaded with quaint shops and eateries.

One of the best places for lunch is the Blue Owl restaurant and bakery. The is always a line to get in. B and I arrived before it open so we didn't have to wait long

interior of the Blue Owl

The biggest festival in Kimmswick is the Apple Butter Festival. The air is filled with the aroma of apples cooking. There is nothing better than apple butter right out of the copper pot. This little town entertains 100,000 in 2 days, purchasing apple butter and visiting all the shops and the 100's of vendors. The crowd has to be bussed in from a nearby school because the town is only around 7 blocks big. B and I had a great mother-daughter day!

Octoberfest on the riverfront

2011-10-12T22:00:00.001-05:00

painting pumpkins photo fun waiting for candy at the parade

homecoming 2011

2011-10-09T22:00:00.001-05:00

2011 bren soccer

2011-10-06T22:00:00.002-05:00

my grandson is a senior this year, (he is number 4) plays soccer. It was 103 degrees when these kids play this game, I sat out for 2 hours in the sun on aluminum bleachers before I had to give up. Unfortunately they didn't win this game, they played until 7:30, with overtime and a penalty kick

d's first day in nursery school

2011-09-28T22:00:00.000-05:00

the long walk down to the classroom d couldn't wait to get in the classroom. she didn't want her picture taken, she wanted to get down to the business of school.

ok all of you can leave now

first day of all day pre kindergarten

2011-09-25T22:00:00.000-05:00

d and d outside of school building. miss d starts her first day in pre school on Tuesday meeting his new teacher daddy making introductions listening to instructions on the first day

Laney's first adventure with Grandma

2011-09-22T22:00:00.002-05:00

We went to a local department story this weekend to see Hello Kitty up close and personal. We arrived at the appointed time and then stood in line for an hour for our turn with Hello Kitty, we took some time out from standing in line to do a little coloring. Laney with her kitty ears and her Dora the Explorer lunch bag Finally it was our turn! Laney really did like Hello Kitty even though she doesn't look like it. When she first walked up to her Laney just stared. And of course we had to get a Hello Kitty shirt to mark this special occasion. This was our very first time going out by our selves and Laney was a little angel!

miss m

2011-09-19T22:00:00.000-05:00

She really is awake sometimes, just when I'm not around.

2011 remembrance

2011-09-17T16:27:00.004-05:00

yesterday I ventured to Forest Park to be a part of this remembrance of the victims of 9/11. A number is just a number until you can see it. There was a flag for each person killed, laid out in military precision. The view is from the Grand Basin looking up to Art Hill and the Art Museum. Breathtaking.

Grafitti or modern art?

2011-09-16T22:00:00.000-05:00

experiments

2011-09-13T22:00:00.000-05:00

we have been collecting toilet paper rolls for awhile

to make a home made marble race. The inventor is working hard! we also have two new family members, Hopper and Jumper or Hoppy and Jumpy. I'm not sure which is which. They join Alex the betta fish and Hoops the dog

September 11, 2011

2011-09-11T08:32:00.000-05:00

old photo

2011-09-10T22:00:00.002-05:00

i've been in the basement pitching junk, i'm trying to pare down my clutter so when i move into an apartment (hopefully 2012) i don't have to move so much junk. How come the more you throw away the more you seem to have? Goodwill and I have been good friends for the past 3 years, between my dad's stuff, my aunt's and mine.

This photo is of me I think 7th or 8th grade 12 or 13 years old. Don't know why I don't have my glasses on? I'm legally blind with out glasses or contacts and I didn't get my contacts until 1988. The sweater was beige, jumper was a red and black plaid as I recall. My mom ALWAYS cut my bangs right before picture day at school and they were always too short. The curls came courtesy of pin curls and a perm. My hair is as straight as a board and I have a double cowlick at the crown.

first day of school

2011-09-07T22:00:00.001-05:00

holy moley, b is a junior and b is a SENIOR! how can these kids be so old when I'm so very young!!!!

2011 police dog

2011-09-04T22:00:00.001-05:00

2011 police open house dog attack

2011-09-01T22:00:00.001-05:00

adventures with grandma

2011-08-29T22:00:00.002-05:00

d and I visited the home town police department. He not so sure of the bomb finding robot inside the swat van

a little baseball is always good thing attack dog demo

listening to the fireman inside the "fire house" They fill it with smoke and teach kids what to do in case of fire in their homes.

trying his hand at fingerprint dusting

getting a snake tattoo

the best pony ride ever!

The Foundry Art Center

2011-08-26T22:00:00.003-05:00

The Foundry Art Center is housed in what was once a train car factory, it contains a 5,200 square foot exhibition space the note above the work sink explains "the only people who keep this sink are the artists" the pulley of the crane

the second floor houses the artist workspace where you can interact with the artist during their creative process

what at great space, I imagine a wedding reception here

love the fading paint on the outside

gas station roulette

2011-08-23T22:00:00.000-05:00

I pass a gas station on the way to work every day. This morning at 7:30 the price was $3.24 an hour later at 8:30 the price was $3.19 and when I left work the price was $3.49! What the heck! How can it change so fast? The way I figure it. The gas in the underground tanks didn't change price since it didn't go anywhere. What a crazy world, the bicycle is looking better and better.

up in the trees

2011-08-23T17:11:00.000-05:00

one of my little friends up in the tree. He (or she) watches the feeder from this perch to ward off any intruders to HIS feeder. The other day I wore a bright pink shirt and this little guy kept flying up to me to make sure I wasn't the biggest flower he had ever seen.

all dressed up

2011-08-21T22:00:00.001-05:00

little miss m all dressed up

swimming 2011

2011-08-19T22:00:00.000-05:00

swimming 50 years later: swimming lessons and a pool for each.

do you remember?

2011-08-17T22:00:00.000-05:00

running thru the sprinkler during the summer? I don't remember going to a public pool until i was about 10.

one of my bathing beauty photos, got love the swim cap!

our first swimming pool was a army surplus life boat that my dad picked up somewhere. I was 6 and my brother 2 when this was taken. I remember dad jumping in the life boat like it was yesterday, we wanted him to get out so we could get in.

final swim lesson

2011-08-15T22:00:00.000-05:00

d charming the lifeguards almost!

misc.

2011-08-13T22:00:00.001-05:00

I know how to put my shoes on!!! one of d's inventions, taped cars together so he can play with all of them at once. Ok, I'm sure when my kids were 4 they didn't know the word invention or if they did they didn't talk about inventing things. D is always inventing things, and explaining his ideas to us. He wants to invent a scooter with an unbrella so you can ride in the rain. He is always building things with his tinkertoys and blocks. Think he gets it from his dad and great grandpa.

swimming lessons

2011-08-10T22:00:00.000-05:00

waiting for the lesson to start the pool is waiting. Unfortunely just as the swim lesson started, a storm blew in. It rained for about 3 minutes, then got hot and steamy again. Lesson postponed until next week

She's here

2011-08-08T22:00:00.000-05:00

Little Miss M (my great niece) has arrived! Everyone is happy and healthy.

baseball award

2011-08-06T22:00:00.001-05:00

Albert Pujols, watch out first baseball award his dad at about 5

hospital trip

2011-08-04T22:00:00.001-05:00

Brit broke her foot the first day of vacation, thinking she just twisted an ankle she didn't go to the doctor until returning home. It's broke, 8 weeks in a cast and more weeks in therapy. No more working ( she is a life guard and no cheer leading when school starts) Brit added the bling on the boot

playing

2011-08-02T22:00:00.000-05:00

tattoo

2011-07-31T22:00:00.000-05:00

showing off his lizard tattoo

kitchen

2011-07-29T22:00:00.000-05:00

kitchen is coming along, walls all painted, have a few etimates on replacing floor, cabinets need to be painted, maybe black and cleaned out. I've been painted the whole month of July, got the living room, kitchen, master bedroom done. going back to work on Monday so painting will be on the weekends. still have hallway, 2 small bedrooms, and finished basement to paint

back in the day

2011-07-27T22:00:00.000-05:00

while looking for some vacation pixs for a friend, I came across my old (and i do mean old) prom pictures. this would have been 1965 or 1966. the dress was a light powder blue to match my glasses, the gloves (does anyone wear gloves anymore, unless they are royalty) can't remember the color of the flowers and the hair had a whole can of hair spray on it. the young man is my ex husband. we started dating in 1962 and got married in 1966. divorced in 1988. i think his tux was a powder blue also; the prom was held in the high school gym, don't remember with there was a theme or not. i do have a scrapbook in my basement somewhere that would have that information. the most i rmember about this night is my curfew was 1:00 am instead of 12:00 midnight

kids florida trip

2011-07-25T22:00:00.001-05:00

shhhhhh

2011-07-23T22:00:00.000-05:00

what happens at grandma's

stays at grandma's

one evening in my front yard

2011-07-18T22:00:00.000-05:00

popcorn clouds

2011-07-16T22:00:00.000-05:00

start of living room reno

2011-07-14T22:00:00.000-05:00

last time I painted I painted the fireplace wall red to add a touch of daring. I also textured it by adding 12 pounds of dry wall mud on it with a putty knife to add some interest. Since the whole house is being painted by moi, this is the before. The after will be coming a little later. I left the texture on the wall and it took two days of painting with a brush to get in all the little nooks and crannies. Thank goodness I only put texture on one wall.

floor reno

2011-07-12T22:00:00.000-05:00

several years ago I painted my guest bath floor. It doesn't go with my

new decorating and paint scheme, sooooo I thought I could use paint stripper to

remove the paint from the floor. The orange is the stripper. NOT such a good idea

the stripper not only took the paint off but also started eating thru the top layer of the vinyl, soooo now I have to buy new vinyl, nothing ventured, nothing gained

July 4 desert

2011-07-10T22:00:00.000-05:00

made this for a BBQ on July 4th, it's simple and was a big hit!

Angel fruit delight

1 purchased angel food cake, torn in bite size pieces

1 pint strawberries, sliced

1 can (20 oz) crushed pineapple in juice

1 can (21 oz) blueberry pie filling (can be reduced calorie variety)

2 cartons (8 0z each) Light or fat free vanilla yogurt

cinnamon if desired.

in a large glass bowl place layer of cake pieces. Top with pie filling. Layer again with cake pieces. If desired, reserve a few strawberry slices for garnigh, then add berries. add last layer of cake. Top with crushed pineapple, letting juice soak down into battom layers. Top with yogurt. sprinkle lightly with cinnamon. refrigerate at least 6-8 hours.

You can vary the flavors of the pie filling, fresh fruit and yogurt. The only ingredients to keep the same are angel food cake and crushed pineapple with its juice.

I used cherry pie filling and fresh blueberries for this one.

mini vacation

2011-07-07T22:00:00.002-05:00

a few weekends ago i dog sat my daughter's 4 leg child while they went to the Kansas stampede. Being at my daughter's is like a mini vacation. cable TV ( watched hours of hgtv) hot tub with tv

outside to watch hgtv, full fridge, what more can you want. This time we had storms and inches and inches of rain. Every time i got in the hot tub a storm blew up, not good to be in hot tub with lighting! Saturday night the lighting lasted for 6 long hours, especially when Ty (the dog) doesn't like storms. Sunday night, lighting hit the electrical transformer in the back yard and we didn't have electric service for several hours

baby shower for Mandy

2011-06-15T22:00:00.000-05:00

last weekend was a baby shower for Mandy and Mike, shown here with a cake made of diapers. Little Macie is due at the end of July and I'll be a great aunt again. Of course I always knew I was a GREAT AUNT!

2011 circadas

2011-06-14T22:00:00.000-05:00

the sound of the cicadas in my sister's back yard. Funny thing is I have that sound in my ears all the time! I believe it's call tinnitus

2011 ashley davis

2011-06-12T23:00:00.002-05:00

another artist at the Irish fest

jiggernaut

2011-06-11T22:00:00.000-05:00

Jiggernaut played at the Irish fest on Memorial day weekend. Sorry about the bad video, seems like the place I was sitting was one of the ways to get into the park!

Happy Birthday Dee

2011-06-08T22:00:00.000-05:00

Dee and her husband, Frank. Dee is celebrating a milestone

birthday. We worked together at a big retail store for many years, she

was my boss!

me, Dee, Collette. We all worked at the same

place and have stayed in contact for many years

early this morning

2011-06-07T09:00:00.000-05:00

we had a earthquake, a 4. something, i slept thru it. We have extreme heat, floods are predicted, we've had tornadoes, and the 13 year circadas have emerged. I think we have made SOMEONE mad!

frenchtown museum

2011-06-05T22:00:00.000-05:00

This museum is in a old firehouse from the 1880's. There was a quilt show, but I found the other items more interesting. The building is in the French part of St. Charles, north of the city center.

window from an old church

pieces of the World Trade Center, a New York

fire truck, and other pieces from the

World Trade Center

weekend car show

2011-06-03T22:00:00.000-05:00

the Fast Lane has all types of cars for sale. Last weekend they had a car show and here are a few pixwater/road car

for declan. he thinks all yellow mustangs

turn into transformers!

this is what I would buy, if I had a spare $29,000 laying around

new park

2011-06-02T22:00:00.000-05:00

we have a new park in the area. it has camping, paddleboats, kayaks, fishing

sculpture in the lake, our version of the loch ness monster????

land hurricane

2011-05-31T22:00:00.001-05:00

this is what the storm looked like on radar, they called it a hurricane like storm

lighting strikes

2011-05-30T23:00:00.000-05:00

I took my weather radio into work with me and it went off several times, scaring the h*ll out of me because its so loud. Companies were letting their employees off early, schools were letting out early, and my boss said I could leave early. I work in a warehouse type building and the only safe place for a tornado is under the steps going upstairs to the storage area. So I raced home in time to watch the storm roll in.

tornado sirens

2011-05-30T22:00:00.003-05:00

then comes Wednesday; all week the weather service told us this was going to be a big storm system with mostly likely tornadoes. With our Good Friday storms and what Joplin had on Sunday, everyone was watching the skies. I had my emergency kit ready to go to the basement. I was talking to an insurance agent about the weather and she dresses in bright yellow shirts in case the building gets hit, said that she would be easier to find if she wore something bright and that makes alot of sense.

Memorial day

2011-05-30T11:55:00.001-05:00

memorial day 2011

2011-05-29T23:59:00.000-05:00

my dad was a veteran of World War 2 and the Korean War. This photo is the ceremony when he recieved metal from the state of Missouri for his service

my grandpa was a veteran of World War 2, he died when I was 8 years old, so I never got to talke to him about his experience

birthday

2011-05-29T22:00:00.000-05:00

Britt received this ring, my grandma gave it to my mom when she was 16, my mom gave it to me when I was 16, I gave it to my daughter when she was 16 (but she gave it back a few years later because she was afraid of losing it) so I gave it to my granddaughter when she was 16. Britt is such a good kid, she was worried that I didn't have a ring for Laney when she turned 16, I do have one for Laney it's just not as old as Brittany, I found it touching that she was concerned for her little cousin!

Britt's birthday party was last week, sweet 16! Happy Birthday Brittany!

2011 dance

2011-05-28T23:00:00.000-05:00

"The dance of the Banat Mazin Ghawazee" a little more tribal (gypsy) and earthy than Raqs Sharqi. I liked this because of the music and that it was different.

Saturday night at the college

2011-05-28T22:00:00.000-05:00

last Saturday night I went to a dance recital and watched the students from my previous dance class as usual they were great. This dance was called "The Art of Raqs Sharqi" Raqs Sharqi know in the west as belly dance, is the visual manifesatations of rhythms, phrasing and emontional content of Arabic music. I'm toying with the idea of starting classes again in the fall

last friday's sunset

2011-05-27T22:00:00.002-05:00

Friday the weather bureau started warning us that the following week was going to be a severe weather week, this sunset was just the start as well as the last time for a week the weather was nice; the weekend was cold, wet and windy, in the 40's.

Sunday

2011-05-20T22:00:00.000-05:00

Sunday, friends and I were to attend the "Jersey Boys" at the Fox, but early Sunday morning there was a fire inside and they cancelled the show. Bummer! I was looking forward to it. There is more about the Fox on my blog on April 2010.