Winter is Brutal

One of my blogger friends says she has "Seasonal Affective Disorder" and I can surely understand why. She's in Michigan, and my brother is in Minnesota so they are right in the path of every Arctic Blast that comes down into the USA. What is it they say to order a drink of whiskey?? Give me 2 fingers Sam. Well that's all the snow we had this winter and this week it's supposed to be 57 to 59 and sunny until next Sunday. Of course this is all subject to change if the Jet Stream changes directions but so far it's looking good.

I found an item on Pinterest for growing potatoes in a garbage bag if you don't have a lot of spaces for a garden. Thought I might give them a try!! It may be the only way I can manage to garden with my long hose of oxygen. I call it my short leash. I can get to the back porch but that's as far as I go unless I'm brave and take off the hose. I can usually last about an hour if I'm not walking or exerting myself.

I've been fixing up some old pictures I found and I turned some of them into Sepia's because they look so nice in a couple of kits I picked up from Studio Manu Scrapgraphics. When she has a bundle sale it's great. Anyway, some are from my wedding back in 1962 and I'm not married to him since 1976. I am pretty pleased with the "skinny me" that's in the pictures so I made them to pass on to the grandchildren. My list of favorite designers is starting to grow.

We have turned the every Thursday night potluck into a once a month potluck and those having a birthday during the month get to choose the menu.  In March it's "breakfast for dinner" and we always have a big group shot to show how we are all aging or the babies are growing up!

Here's the pages from Feb. Not all today but some.

This was Kaddie's 100th day of school so she dressed up.

Feb. pot luck was Chinese and this is Charlie & Kelin as they cook the bag of pot stickers I found at the Cash n Carry.  Yummy

Charlies two dogs. Chazz & Chazz Junior.

My daughters, Dani, Denise & Charlie when I got them Kimonos in Japan. It was a very interesting 3 years living in Japan. First year in a typical Japanese house with Tatami floors, & Shoji doors to separate the rooms. I left Mamasan with 6 large rolls of Shoji paper to repair the walls my littlest one had destroyed.

My Wedding in 1962 and for the life of me I can't remember the name of my shipmate who gave me away. We were all in the Navy then and the Navy Padre did the ceremony. 

Skinny me and the new husband.

A group shot of the Thursday nite potluck.

Another wedding picture.

My father, Harry Shirley in the group that went in for WWII from Warren, PA. Dad's DD214 reads time in Germany in 1945. He was a 'cannoneer' in a tank so he got to ride across Germany and his platoon was part of the Brigade that liberated Dok Chou (sp) Prison camp.  Something he never talked about and I never knew about till I sent for his records a few years ago.

That's about it for today.

Nasty Groundhog

Yesterday was groundhog day and by all reports on the East Coast it's going to be 6 more weeks of winter. I'm not sure if there are any climate predicting groundhogs on the West Coast but I'm hoping for an early spring and a late arriving summer. Then follow by a lengthy Fall and short Winter. I think that would be ideal. Too bad I'm not in charge of the weather.

Went in for a CT scan. Not the best of answers. Emphysema with some Bronchiolectasis (whatever that is). Interstitial Lung disease of uncertain etiology (I had to look that one up). It means they don't know what the cause of the honeycombing in the lungs. Guess I'll wait for the Pulomonolgist that I see on Thursday this week. Maybe she will have a better explanation of the pictures. I have a cd with all the pictures on it. All I can see are white spots hear and there in the lungs. Oh well, as long as I can still breathe it can't be too bad. At least I'm over the Bronchitis that started early in January and went all month long. But I did hear myself wheezing last evening so I got out the inhalers.

Thursday night is the monthly Pot Luck-birthday celebration and the Birthday Girl asked for Chinese so I went down to my favorite Cash n carry and got a large bag of pot stickers and the makings for the dipping sauce. Got a really good sized bottle of Hoisin sauce and medium quart of soy sauce. I'll probably make the sauce today and let the flavors blend together better.

Hear's some scrapbook pages that I made for the "Tiny Human" that comes to stay with me for 5 nights a week. My grand daughter works the graveyard shift at one of our hotels. It's the shift that pays more and being a single Mom she needs all the hours @ better pay that she can get. She got her daughter (our Tiny Human) an adorable hairy Chihuahua puppy. This little girl is adorable with her eyebrows that stick up and the beard that is starting. Charlie says she's homely so I'll let you decide. Personally I adore her but I love all puppies.

These are the permanent residents in our house. Chazz and Chazz Junior.

This little lady is named "Serenity" from some movie that the kids have seen. Doesn't make any sense to me but I don't go to movies much anymore.

It was Ann's birthday and the annual January Luau. Pictured is Ann with her grand daughter Amyah.

My youngest brother George with his dog "Bing". Lives in St Bonifacius, Minnesota. Lots of snow.

A picture of me on our Patio when we lived on Midway Island. The Northernmost island in the Hawaiian chain.

My oldest brother Harry (Bud), may he rest in peace.

My two oldest grandchildren. David & Bridgit (now 30 & 31).

Newly discovered picture of my father Harry Shirley during World War II. He was stationed in Germany in time for the liberation of Dok Chau prison camp. Dad got to ride across Germany in a tank as the cannoneer (got to shoot the big guns). Thank you for your service Dad. You'd be proud of Bud & me. We went Navy! 

Pretty long post. Now I'm going to check out my newest acquisition from my favorite designers. One is Happy Moments in Box by Kyra of Russian Dutch Heart Designs. and another one is Dog Lover by Raspberry Roads Designs. And I also have been picking up a new kit from Miriams Scraps and some thing from Arlene at Baby Bear Designs. These 4 lovely ladies have filled up my files so now I can create Pages. See you all later.

It's been awhile

It's been awhile since I've posted anything. And it's been awhile since I've managed to be creative.  Seems the Bronchitis took away my creativity too as well as my stamina. For 3 days I only got out of bed for bathroom trips. Finally on day 4 we got me to the doctor and she gave me a "super shot" in the posterior which she said would hurt but didn't. Then it was 2 weeks of antibiotics  which I just finished last night.

I'm still waiting on the new software. I found that in my stupor of Bronchitis I had forgotten to even order it. When the fog finally cleared from my brain, I ordered it and it's been 6 days so any day now it'll get here.  Then I can maybe get back to normal. Of course with my daughter's new job I have to make room in this office for another desk. She can't keep spreading everything out on the dining room table. So I have to get busy and pack up some of my junk that is actually archiveable but I'm just too foggy brained to get it all put away.

Have received another denial from the claims people so the advocate is filling another appeal. I think I'm going to have to get another CT scan to satisfy them that there is actually 3 spots of asbestos on the lungs. We shall see what she thinks.

I did manage to get a couple of pages made using the old software but it doesn't play nice with window 8 so it's too frustrating to keep using it. Takes almost an hour to get it to quit flashing and make one move I've told it to do.

Trying to preserve the old memories. That's me in 1943 and the top picture is circa 1951.

This one is 1950 on the front steps of the Orphanage where I lived.

Mrs Beasley is definately a diva in her mind.

a picture I made for a young friend of her two dogs who enjoy a nap together.

Signing off to make something to eat.

Happy New Year 2015

I watched the new year arrive 3 times before it got to me. I guess that makes it official for me...it's 2015.  I did miss the station (if any did) that had a 'big band' doing the Guy Lombardo version of Auld Lang Syne.   Times Square in NY was really loud. I couldn't find another station in the Central time zone doing anything special so they showed NY over again. My Gr-grand daughter and I had popcorn and she had punch while I had diet root beer.

Grand daughter Bridgit had to deal with the people at the hotel where she works. She's 'security' and 'night audit'. She confiscated an industrial size "blow torch" and let the man know that she was aware of all the fireworks he had stashed in a suitcase hidden in the corner. She did not return the blow torch since that would mean calling the police and reporting the incident. It is illegal to take a blow torch into a hotel room so if he didn't want to go to jail he left in the morning without his torch. Let him explain that one to his boss. And she herded more than a few drunks to their rooms. It was a pretty rough night for her.

Here's the few scrapbook pages I've managed to get finished in 5 days.

Daughter 'Charlie' with her friend for the New Years Party. He's in the band that was playing at the establishment they went to for a New Year's bash.

We managed to have 2 inches of snow on the 4th of January so Olivia and Chazz went out to play in it. This is the 5th and there isn't a smidgen of snow left on the ground. I did cut her and the pooch out of the picture I took of them in the snow by the tree in our back yard.

Party goers on New Years Eve. This is Greg, Charlie & Connie. They had a good time and saw the new year arrive in style!!

I'm feeling a bit haggard due to an air inversion in our area along with a stagnation alert. I'm off to my room for another breathing treatment.  See y'all later in the week.

Slowing down a little

I'm having trouble with some of my software. One problem came when I did what the message said and clicked on the fix. Now my scrapbook program is gone. Luckily I had an older boxed version of it so I've been using it for a couple of days until I get the new boxed version I just had to reorder...

All of the Christmas parties are over and the kids still have another week of vacation left. Good thing they all got some neat things to play with or some of the mothers will be going crazy with "I don't have anything to do" ringing in their ears.

We've had biting cold winds up here in the high desert but no snow. At least no snow until maybe this morning or this afternoon. I can hope but I'm not holding my breath. There is a large dark cloud hanging over my area of the world but I can't tell if has snow or not. I'm not a scientist, I just wait till it starts and then I say "Look it's snowing".

Not many new scrapbook pages but I did make some neat Christmas cards with a pkg from Studio Manu that included premade cards that all I had to do was pop in a picture, and print them out. I've sent them to all my best friends. I'm slipping them into the latest calendar from the "Cold War Patriots". I happen to be Ms September. I entered the contest to send a favorite family recipe and I got picked to be featured in Sept. and I picked the picture they used. It's from 1984 when I was the "XO" of the local Sea Cadet Unit. One boy couldn't hit the bulls eye so he just ran up and hit it so I'c get dunked.

Cold War Patriots is an organization to help former Nuclear Workers get the resources they need to take care of the health problems associated with working in a hostile Nuclear environment. One of the bldgs. I was housed in for two years has a 15 page list of the previous chemicals used in this "former chem lab". It was hosed down, painted and some office furniture moved in and then they moved us in there. It's no wonder I have asbestos in my lungs along with other nasty stuff and I'm on Oxygen pretty much 24/7.

Now here's some of my latest creations.

The cookie exchange at the Senior center. Olivia & Marv enjoyed some cookies together.

A montage of all three of our pets. Mrs. Beasley is mine, while the two dogs are Charlie's.

Charlie and her new boyfriend Kelin.

Charlie's latest card.

Olivia in one of my 'Red Hats' and poor Chazz suffering with the reindeer antlers on her head.

Junior found the pile of my bears and thought it a cushy place to nap.

Junior's Christmas card. Kit is from Tooty Pup Designs.

I had to pick this one for my two 'little people'. As elves they don't work much but they enjoy the cookies.

Marv is one of my best buddies. He has the same problems with the lungs as I do only a lot worse.

A lovely lady with her first Grandchild. Moe and Margaret (aka Maggie).

Phil's newest grandchild and the older brother. Now Moe has more babies to hug on and spoil.

My Christmas card with my Patriotic Bear and a monkey in a santa hat.

Waiting for Snow but I don't think we're going to have any at all this year.

Time to fix some breakfast. Have a nice day and God Bless you all with a special Blessing on the Men/Women in Uniform and in harms way! Keep them Safe and bring them home soon.!

A Birthday Party & a Surprise on Sunday

Saturday was the birthday party for our Olivia. Since the family adults (at least most of them) work we had the party on Saturday at the apartment complex clubhouse where Bridgit & Olivia live. It's a really nice club house with a pool/ping pong room, an entertaining room and a small kitchenette with openings into both areas.  Naturally the big boys went into the pool room to play pool and some of the kids gave the ping pong table a whirl. Not saying they did any good, they were so noisy I stayed in the other room with a buffer in between.

The Birthday Girl sees herself as a 'Nerd' and requested a Star Wars party.  So both Bridgit and I went on the internet.  We found loads of stuff and I even found a blog by a "home school" teacher/mom where she uses the items for the kids she's teaching numbers, game skills, team play and whatever else it is they aren't teaching in the public schools. I printed out 14 'Jedi' completion certificates and after the kids at our party had done the obstical course of crawling on the floor between floating baloons (Helium of course) and some sparing (I think) with the light sabers we found at the $ store they got a certificate with their name on it signed by Obi One himself (tic). They are the latest members of the force of Jedi.

Food was particularly interesting. I had made a recipe of cookies a friend had posted on FB called Italian Christmas cookies which I renamed and labeled "Wookie Cookies", the punch and the soda was renamed Yoda Soda, and the veggie tray was renamed Vader Veggies. Oh, and there was a couple of bowls of check mix promptly renamed Chewbacca chews. It was quite a festive party and all the kids had fun. I had found all these names as tags for the dishes and printed them out here at home, put them on the bowls, dishes & bottles with tape.

Here are the pictures from this party. The pictures I made of the Wookie Cookies just couldn't be made into a scrapbook page so they are just as is.

Olivia with her new soft blankets on her head and lap. Mom and cousin Kaddie are looking on.

All of the kids who were there.  Some related and some not.

Two star war figures on the table in front of the Wookie Cookies and the Space Puffs.

Blue & Green Helium filled balloons from the $ store.

Close up of the Wookie Cookies.

Wookie Cookies done in regulasr frosting when I ran out of the stuff made from the recipe.

Sweet little Kaddie crawling the obsticale course.

They had fun and that's all that matters. The adult head aches are just collateral damage.

I almost forgot to tell you what the surprise was. My daughter Charlie got 3 tickets from her friend Greg and she and Kelin took me to the Regal theater Sunday afternoon to see the BIG screen version of White Christmas. I took Olivia along since she had never seen it at all. I've seen it many times on TV but this was the first time I'd seen it on the big screen in VistaVision. WOWie. It was great, colorized and we wern't sitting too far back so it was really big.

Hugs from Grandma Sarge! And thanks to the ladies who made the kits I used and will continue to use. I've put the names at the bottom of the picture I made so you have to blow them up a bit to see which one I used.

Much 'ado' about Nothing

It's been strange these last few weeks. I've been to the 'clinic' and one changed one of my meds from Zocor to Lipitor so now I can jump around in everyone's face and say "I'm down with Lipitor are you"?  Deleted a med and replaced it with something else.  I guess they know what's right or they wouldn't be able to send out the big bills they do. One thinks I should apply for a "Military Disability"  for the asbestos that has shown up in my right lung. I know back in the early 60's I was housed in some pretty old barracks and then in the late 60's we lived in base housing which wasn't all that modern. Cinder block buildings and ancient piping wasn't leaking but it was old.  I have to talk to a few more people before I jump into that muddy puddle.

We have my Christmas decorations up and just minimal ones on the outside. My little choo choo train is on the front rock garden looking like it wants to go over the little 'oriental bridge.  My solar lights aren't very bright yet because we haven't had very much sun in the last two weeks. And it's overcast again today. No breeze but it's cold out there. Mornings bring some frost and sometimes you can see it falling to the ground. It's what I'd call 'substantial rain' meaning it isn't completly liquid nor is it solid enough to be snow. It's at the tween stage. Makes for some slick driving early in the mornings I'll bet (I wouldn't know, I'm up at 4:30am but I'm not out and about at 4:30am).

We had a sort of Christmas party on Thursday nite and it was almost the whole gang. A couple of families were missing but we had a great time anyway. I tried a recipe that had been posted on FB and it didn't turn out bad at all. People really liked "Cream cheese stuffed, Bacon wrapped, Chicken breasts". That's a big mouth full to say but it tasted really good. A couple of the younger set had birthdays. Thursday the 11th was my Olivia's 10th birthday, and the 13th was Jeweli's birthday so we had cupcakes and sang to embarass the young ladies. It was a really great evening so I'm going to post a couple of pictures made into scrapbook pages.

Charlie & Kelin hamming it up.

Marie & Charlie and I wa playing with some new kits from Tooty Pups Designs.

These just show you how many people you can really fit into the kitchen.

Kelin's mom Geri and I staying out of the way and watching it all happen.

See how crowded the kitchen was, and at one point I was trying to roll up chicken breasts in partially cooked bacon and stick them together with tooth picks right about where Charlie is standing now with the finished product.

This is almost everyone, minus Ann behind the camera, and Dave with his kids absent,  &Tiphoney off singing with a new choir.

Aren't we just a happy bunch of friendly folks. It was noisy but they all left about 8:30p,m, or should I say almost all left. 

I'm going to eat breakfast now and then I'll make another blog with more pictures.