Friday, October 31, 2008

I've Been Tagged


I have been tagged. What does that mean you say. Well essentially it means that someone somewhere would like to know a little more about you. When you blog it is usually for yourself or for family or close friends. You would assume that all your readers would know you well. Maybe even too well.

The longer you blog the more you realize that new friends are reading you and even people you do not know have stopped by.

For those who do not know me well read on. For those who do, it is your day off!

1. I had taught Health and Physical Education for 34 years before my retirement and loved it very much. However I did not ever get to attend a special activity during school hours for my own children. If I had it to do over I would have taken a day off to share those times with my four children. Today I am babysitting for Jay my youngest grandchild so Jessica can spend time with Jayda at her Halloween activities at school.

2. I just lost 32 lbs. and I am feeling good about that. In fact, it may even be a little more than that as my original weigh-in was at my brothers...we are competitive so a bet/diet works best. Especially for me! "What?" you say does that mean. It means that my brother is going to be owing me big bucks come February 10th! At least if means that if he does not lose the 30 lbs. We have had these bets before and then we soon gain back the weight. The hard part this time is that every other month until July if the weight is not still off at the additional weigh-ins, you have lost the bet! No way!

3. I am looking forward to being a Florida resident, but will miss the special people from my life in PA. We have had some very happy years there and met some fantastic people. We still plan to spend time in the summer in PA, but it is never going to be quit the same. Now the next problem will be finding a rental that is furnished in the area near where we lived in Reynoldsville.

4. I love my seedbeading. Since it is a new to me hobby, I am really anxious to learn lots and lots! I have given away so many bracelets since learning in March of this year. I love to always have a gift available that is personal. I really try to match the bead colors and styles to the person. I love that me grandchildren like my handiwork too. The bead project done with beads my Mother had bought before her death in '82 will always standout as a project done with my Mother. If I had not discovered the art of seedbeading I would never have enjoyed that experience. I guess it confirms my theory that all things happen for a greater good.

5. I am verbose. Guess that comes with the territory. I write too much, talk too much, and tell too many details. My friends in college use to say, " Ask Deb what time it is and she will tell you how to build a watch". That had not changed. I am liking this tagging thing, but I do not know 7 people that I can tag. My daughter and Carol who tagged me are the only ones I know of who blog. I know that both of them have already been tagged so I will not do that to them again. I will just have to do my 7 items about me and that will have to do.

6. For over 20 years I showed Bulldogs. We bred them and loved them and I did the exhibiting of them at shows almost every weekend in the spring, summer and early fall. Because of where we lived, I did not enter winter shows as the weather was too unperdictable to travel the distances required to get to the shows. Some of the winter shows I did not attend were in Cleveland at the I-X center in mid December. This year I am judging Bulldogs and French Bulldogs at the Friday show. It seems funny to think I am flying from Fl to judge at a show that I felt was too likely to include snow. I am flying into Cleveland on the 11th of December. What is wrong with that picture?

7. The final thing I would like to share is how fortunate I feel to have found such a wonderful husband, Harv. We have been together for nearly 34 years. We each had two children by former marriages. We adopted each others children about 2 months after we were married. It has been so many years, sometimes I refer to the 4 kids I had. Opps I forget that I really did not had all four. In fact when asked which I did have I usually say, "Ah, I do not remember for sure. I know I had a boy and a girl. I just cannot seem to remember which ones." If you have gotten to the end of all this (Harvey, Bryan, Kim and Jessica) you will then know I love you all very much! Oh and Harv is the best thing that has ever happened to me and I have had some great things happen.

Thank you Carol for reading my blog and now you know a little more about me. I hope I do not get tagged again as I do not think I could come up with anything more to write about me.

Sunday, October 26, 2008

Florida Resident-SeedBeader!






Well I do not know if I could really consider myself a seedbeader as I have not put needle and thread to bead for about 3 weeks.

The prospect of selling the house in PA and the subsequent sale and move have pretty much occupied the last three weeks and then some. It has been a bit of a whirlwind. We were only back in FL about a week and got a call that people were interested in looking at the house. This is the home in which we raised our 4 children and spent 33 happy years. We had taken the For Sale sign down a week before we returned to Florida on September 12.

Well my brother said sure he would show the house and the rest is history.

The next problem was getting back to PA and clearing out the years of accumulation. Could we do it is 9 days after arrival? Sure! (I think)

On October 13th we flew to DuBois via Cleveland. Amy had Candy's car at the airport for us. Thank you thank you! We started on Tuesday October 14th to clear everything out. We arrived in Florida in a U Haul on Wednesday October 22nd. As of this writing everything we could not part with is stuffed somewhere in our home in Florida.

The clue to the fast job was giving and throwing away everything that did not scream take me to Florida. The exceptions were the things that we had wanted to bring to Jessica and Bryan. Bryan's items were dropped in Charlotte except for the afghan and magazine rack I forgot to unload there. They are stored here and will find their way to Bryan and Stacy ASAP. The things for Jessica are now cluttering their home. Hey, what can I say?

This morning early, I started cleaning and organizing one area that I stuffed. I figure if I do a closet or drawer or cupboard a day it should not take too long to get the place back to near normal.

Jessica remarked last night that the Bulldog picture of "Mousse" did not seem to go in my Flamingo house. It is a part of our history that we could not say goodbye to. Our PA home was decorated in Bulldogs.





It spoke of the wonderful years we enjoyed showing and raising our Bulldogs. We met the greatest people and shared the best laughs and tears together. This is a part of Harv and my life that needs to be remembered forever. The only part we share in Bulldogs today, is when I am asked to judge them at a Dog Show.
Seeing the Rainbow on our way, seemed to promise more happy years as

Florida Residents!

Tuesday, October 7, 2008

Projects and Yada Yada



Oh my, do I have my work cut out for me or what. We made reservations last evening for a quick trip to PA to pack up the house and rent a U-Haul and end an amazing era. I guess we will soon be exclusive residents in Florida who vacation in PA for a time in the summer. Provided we can find a furnished rental during the summer in the Greater Reynoldsville area. LOL




I am working on some projects that will have to go on hiatus for a couple weeks as we finish up the move.




While in PA this summer I found a necklace that was my Mothers with a jade shaped heart. I removed the jade and have begun a bracelet with the jade made into a cab.






Then there is the bracelet I started in PA with the Swarorski crystal squares and gold seeds. I had to get more of the gold beads and have done that but...


Oh and I am wanting to learn the berlini ? stitch as I love the spiral it makes so I actually bought some big, for me, size 8 beads.



There is the glass whale tail I bought at the DeLand craft fair. It is waiting for its necklace as it is a lovely pendant now.






Wonder if I could just take a few beads and a work on at least one at night. No I better not. I will be exhausted at night...blog you soon.