Sunday, March 28, 2010

Spring Has Sprung

Greeting Readers:  Well, it looks like spring has finally arrived.  It's obvious by the daffodils, tulips and saucer magnolia trees blooming everywhere.  My weeping cherry tree is absolutely gorgeous this year.  Maybe all of the cold weather we had affected its bloom.  If we could only get rid of the wind.  It's blowing now like crazy and it's blown all winter.  It would be really warm if not for the wind.

I've had seven family birthdays this month, including aunts, cousins, daughter, granddaughter, great-granddaughter and great-grandson.  Whew!  I've spent the whole month eating birthday cake; consequently, tomorrow is D-Day - diet day.  I've put on at least six pounds since Christmas and must get it off before summer so I can get into my summer clothes.

My niece, my sister's daughter, came down for the weekend and we had a very nice visit.  She was really interested in my jewelry.  She bought five rings and gave me orders for some other things, as well.  We had fun looking at beads and seeing what looked good with what.   She's on her way home now and the last of the birthday parties is over.  I'm looking forward to some peace and quiet and relaxation next week.

I've sold a lot of books on Amazon.Com.  I'm close to the $1,000.00 mark now.  I can't believe I've sold this many books, and I've still got a lot to sell.  I finally got them all listed and it took quite a while.  Hopefully, I will sell most of them; it's just going to take some time.

 I keep wondering where all of the money I've made has gone and I've decided that most of it has gone for groceries.  I can't believe how many times I have to go to the grocery store now that my grandson is living with me.  He's just turned eighteen and only likes certain foods so my trips to the grocery store have become more frequent.  But, I am very thankful that I have had this extra money to spend on food as the cost of food has skyrocketed.  I don't know how large families can feed themselves.  What's it going to be like a year from now?

Hopefully, the American people, who are very resourceful, can hang on until Obama is out of office and the newly- elected Republicans can make the changes needed to turn things around.

I haven't had much time to do any beading lately and I've really missed it.  I'm going to try to bead some tomorrow.  I have a few orders to get ready.  I'll get these out of the way and then I can concentrate on doing something that I really want to do - design.

I've got to rest for a while now; I'm totally exhausted.  Later, Nana

Saturday, February 27, 2010

A Change of Seasons

Greetings, readers:  Well, spring is in the air; the temperature approached fifty-five degrees the other day. This has been one of the coldest, windiest, wettest winter that I can remember in my sixty-nine years of life.

The wind has been blowing here in the coastal region of North Carolina for months.  I wonder what March is going to be like?  It certainly can't be any worse than January or February.

I just heard on the news that an 8.8 magnitude earthquake struck Chili early this morning and that the force of it was five hundred times that of the one that struck Haiti.  That's very hard to believe and amazing.  Now, they're warning the entire Pacific Coast of an impending Tsunami, especially the Hawaiian Islands.  I pray that, even though conditions are perfect for a tsunami, no tsunamis strike any inhabited islands or coastlines.  

It seems that earthquakes are becoming commonplace these days.   It reminds me of what the Bible says about earthquakes and floods becoming numerous in the latter days.  I do believe that we are in the latter days and that Christ's return is not far away.   I just want to be ready when that day arrives.

As usual, I've been beading, beading, beading.   I've found a few beading blogs and have seen some of the beading done by others and know, without a doubt, that I will NEVER be that good;  I don't have that much time left to practice.  I wish I'd started beading when I was younger, but I didn't have as much patience then and with children to rear, beading would definitely have been put on the back burner.  Oh well, I don't have to be the very best;  I'll just do the best I can and enjoy the beading process, which definitely relaxes me and when I make up my own designs, I'm using the right side of my brain, which is supposed to make one smarter.  

It is a beautiful day here in North Carolina; sunny and still windy but not too cold.  I can't wait for some spring-like weather.  I can remember, in years past, that in February we would have a couple of days that were warm enough to sun bathe; not so this year.  My gas bill has been stupendous this year.  I got my propane tank filled up the other day and I haven't even looked at the bill, for fear of it being too high.   If I didn't have to pay gas bills, or grocery bills, I would have lots of money to buy more beads.  Ha.

I'm waiting for my granddaughter and great-granddaughter to arrive.  They're coming over for a little visit.  My great-granddaughter is walking now; so cute.  I can't believe that next month she'll be one year old.  Time really flys by, doesn't it?  It seems like it used to take a long time for Christmas and summertime to come around, but now it seems as though all we have is Christmas and summer.  The days are going by too fast for me.   It seems as though as soon as I get up in the morning that it's time to go to bed again.

Well, readers, it's time to close for now.  My grand and great-grands are here and I want to spend as much time with them as I can.  Later - Nana    

Tuesday, February 16, 2010

What's New?

Greetings readers (or reader), It's been a while since I wrote on my blog.  There's been a lot going on in my life.

The new year is here and I haven't kept one resolution - yet.  I still plan to exercise every day, eat better, lift weights, read my bible every day, etc.  Actually, I forget to do these things.  I get so involved in everyday events that my resolutions completely slip my mind.

I used to be very disciplined - when I was younger.  I can remember getting up at 5:00 AM every morning to do Joanie Greggins who had an exercise show on TV.   She's probably dead now; she was pretty old when she was doing her show and it's been at least  25 years since I did the exercises.  Consequently, everything on my body is either sagging, bagging or dragging.  And, you know the sad thing is, I don't really care.  I never thought I would reach this point - not care about how my body looks.  I used to be a fanatic about my looks.  Oh well, I guess that's what age does to ones mind and determination, etc.

Since I last wrote, my grandson has moved in with me.  He'll be eighteen Sunday.  He needed a change, so he decided he wanted to live with Nana and Poppa.  He's a dear boy.  He has Asperger's' Syndrome, which is a type of Autism.  He's had it since he was eighteen months, when he was diagnosed.  He was fine up until that time when he started making lots of hand motions and wanted to play with cooking utensils instead of toys.   I have to get up at 6 AM to get ready and to get my grandson's lunch fixed, take him to my granddaughter's house by 7:15AM and she takes him to school, as she's headed that way for work.  I, in turn, take my great-grandson to school five minutes from her house, as he has to be at school later than my grandson.  Can you figure that out?  I also have to pick my grandson up every day at school, which is thirty minutes from my house.  It sounds crazy, but I actually am enjoying getting up and out that early.  I hope my attitude doesn't change.

I am a reader so, of course, I had to read everything I could find on the subject.  We chose to implement several unorthodox treatments for my grandson, one being Auditory Integration Training.  This involved going to another town, two hours away, every day for two weeks.  While there, my grandson had to put headphones on his ears and listen to music - different kinds of music.  These sessions were supposed to help my grandson sort out different sounds, so he could learn to communicate.  He really didn't like this, at first, but eventually he adjusted.  We had an hour session in the morning, had to wait four hours and have another session the same day.  It was very trying to have to find something to fill up those four hours.  I even resorted to renting a motel room so we could eat lunch and rest a bit.  Eventually, we went to my mother's house, an hour away, after the afternoon sessions, and spent the night there.  This was a lot easier than having to drive two hours home every afternoon.

Anyway, the sessions were completed and after the first session, my grandson said a whole sentence.  It was incredible.  We were driving home and he said, "I see a deer".  We started screaming and crying; it was wonderful.   I do believe that this "unorthodox" treatment for Aspergers started my grandson off in the right direction.  Today, he is a caring, loving, Christian, sweet young man;  we all adore him.

I'm still beading.  I've made a lot of " bling-bling" rings.  They're really big rings that truly make a statement.  I love making these.  I start out with the base beads I like and just wing it from there.  I don't have a plan, I just let the  design ideas come as they will.  I love to design;  this is my passion.  I've said many times to my husband..."I wish I had a passion like your fishing passion."  He does love to fish.

Well, now I have a passion.  The problem is, I don't want to sell any of my rings.  Everyone says, make two of each ring and sell one of them.  If I make two, that means I'll be making two of the same thing when I could be designing something entirely different. Does that make sense?

I just got through eating my "no-no" breakfast - a bacon, egg and cheese biscuit with a diet coke.  I only eat one of these about once a month, if that often, as they're chock full of calories and all kinds of bad stuff, mainly fat.  But, they're soooo good, and I was soooo hungry.

I'm sitting here typing this blog trying to decide if I'm going out of town today, or not.  They're having a big bead, trunk show an hour from here and I'd like to go, just to get out of the house.  We've been pretty housebound in the mid-atlantic lately because of all of the snow, sleet and wind we've had.  I can't remember a winter that has been so crazy.  We usually have pretty mild weather here in NC, but this year has taken the cake.  It's not supposed to get above 45 degrees today.  Yesterday afternoon, it was 60 degrees and 32 degrees last night.  Is that crazy, or what?

Well, I guess it's time to close down this blog; I've got a lot of things to do today.  I hope all of you have a blessed day.  Ciao, Nana

Monday, January 4, 2010

The New Year

Greetings All  - Well, a new year is here and I've already broken some of my New Year's resolutions; I broke one the very first day.  What else is new?  This, of course, is an ongoing habit of mine.  Talk is cheap.

I'm glad the holidays are over.  It was nice, but there's too much temptation concerning food.  I gave in this year; I succumbed to my taste buds and, consequently, ate a whole pecan pie.  God, it was good!  It's been years since I've baked a pecan pie, mainly because of the calories.  Of course, I could have ignored it,  but that was  just about impossible to do when it was sitting there, staring me in the face, daring me to partake.
I also indulged in dark, chocolate-covered peanuts, which were absolutely wonderful.  I ate so many I thought I was going to be sick.

I'm  back on my acid/alkaline balanced diet, which takes a lot of determination and a lot of cooking.  I made some Cannellini- bean soup yesterday which was delicious.  I added chicken broth, orgainc, tomatoes, tomato paste, celery, onion, carrot, bellpepper and one-half can of mild chilies, plus salt, pepper, garlic powder and Italian seasoning.  It's one of my favorite soups.

I was going to have some for lunch today, but my granddaughter wants me to ride with her to take my great-grandson to the doctor for a checkup.  I'll sit in the car with my great-granddaughter so she won't have to be exposed to all the germs, and sick children, in the doctor's office.

It's very cold here in the mid-atlantic region.  Last night it was below twenty degrees.  I really don't mind the cold weather, but it's a little too cold.  I'm actually looking forward to spring, when I'll be able to view my lovely Iris once again; my favorite flower.  I planted some new ones last year, one of which was a beautiful pink one.  I hope it does well this year.  The only problem with Iris is that they don't bloom very long.

I've been reading voraciously lately.  I have spells when I read a lot and then slack off and do some beading.   I'm rereading some of my John Grisham books.  I think he is a great writer and I do love a good mystery.  I've recently heard of an author that I want to read; her name is Margaret Atwood.  I think she writes books that are about the end of the world, survivors, etc.  I do like this kind of story.  Did any of you ever read Stephen King's The Stand?  This was one of the best books, ever;  I've read most of King's books.

Speaking of  beading, I haven't done too much lately, but I'm gearing up to do so; the urge to create is becoming very strong as of late.   I want to learn as many beading techniques as I can.  I love it when I put the needle into the beads and create something beautiful.  Now, if I could just part with some of my creations.

Well, I've got to run some errands.  Have a good one.   Nana

 

Saturday, December 12, 2009

Things I don't like

Greetings all....there are a lot of things that I don't like.  I don't like knowing that roaches are crawling over the dishes in my cupboard, on my stovetop, on my cabinets and everything else that is anywhere.  I detest the critters but once they get into your home, they become entrenched.  I've just had to let the aversion of these nasty insects go by the wayside and  trust  my immune system to deal with any germs I may come in contact with.  I have my house sprayed once a month, but I really don't like having to do this.  I know the chemicals are bad for you, but what else can I do?  I do open all of my windows for several hours after spraying and I'm sure this helps a lot.

I also hate having to intensely look all around for snakes every time I open any doorway going outside my house.  I've also had to learn to live with this aversion.   We had a snake in the house once last summer for three days and when I finally found it, and my husband shot it, I realized just how tensed up I was.  I can remember breathing deeply for the first time in three days.

I also hate it when we have a very dry, hot summer.  I'm getting to the age that having to water plants is a real chore.  I have to hire someone to do this now and even to weed my flower beds, as the heat really bothers me; hot flashes and 90 degrees just don't go together.  I really don't like summertime because of the heat.  I usually have to stay inside most of the summer in the air conditioning.

There are a lot of other things that I hate, but the list is too long to iterate.

On my next blog, I'll list the things that I love.  Farewell all, Nana

Tuesday, December 8, 2009

Getting ready for Christmas

Greeting, all - Hope today finds all of you well and prosperous.

  Today is the first day in 6 wks. that I haven't had to do something for someone other than myself.  What a great feeling!  I slept until 9:30 AM, something I never do, got up and piddled around and now it's lunch time.  I have to go to the bank and to the post office, but I wanted to post my blog first.  I don't know why I keep doing this, because I don't think anyone reads it but my cousin and I.  Oh well, maybe one day someone will find this site and find what I have to say, if not informative, interesting.

I've got to get back to beading.  I had a request for some rings from some of the girls who work at the bank where  my granddaughter works, but really don't have the time to make anything right now, as  I want to make my granddaughter and daughter some items for Christmas, and also my great-granddaughter.  Also, I have to start on my great-granddaughter's Christmas dress this week.   So much to do, in so little time.  I did sell a pair of earrings yesterday to a customer of mine.  The crazy thing is, I really didn't want to sell them; I want everything I make.  I guess I'll have to make another pair for myself.

I'm having ambivalent feelings concerning putting up Christmas decorations this year.  I really don't want to do anything, but feel guilty for having no Christmas spirit.  I'll probably relent right before the big day and do something, although it won't be much, maybe decorate the mantle and set a few poinsettias
around.

Well, time's a wastin', so I'll close for now.  Adieu, Nana

Tuesday, December 1, 2009

After Thanksgiving

Hello everyone,  hope all of you had a wonderful Thanksgiving with family and fantastic food.  I didn't cook a turkey this year, it was just too much to even think about.  I baked a large chicken and  did a lot of different things to it.  I squeezed lemon juice all over the chicken and put sliced lemon and fresh rosemary in the cavity.  I also added lots of fresh rosemary on the top and a cup of white wine.  After doing all of this extraneous stuff, I couldn't really tell that much difference in the flavor of the chicken, although it was very moist.  I also made two pecan pies using the pecans from our trees across the street.  Needless to say, they were very, very good.  So good, if fact, that I ate nearly a whole pie.  It's been twenty years since I've made a pecan pie, so I thought I'd better eat as much as I could because it will be another twenty years before I make another one.  I also had candied yams, stuffing, peas, rolls and tea.  Not too fancy, but good enough.

My husband is still in the bed, going on five weeks now.  Hopefully, he will have the Meniscal tear in his knee arthoscopically mended Thursday.  He doesn't have to have a knee replacement, thank the Lord, so his recovery will be much faster.  He's been amazingly patient through all of this, for someone who hardly ever sat down before.  

We're both looking forward to being able to do our own thing once again.  Freedom is an awful thing to lose.  It's something we don't think about until it's taken away from us and then we realize just how precious it is.  It's being removed from the American people, day by day, by our current administration in Washington, DC.  I know a lot of Americans are very upset that they voted for such a liberal Democrat; in fact, the most liberal Senator who ever served (?).   The parties have changed.  The Democrats used to be conservative but now are liberal and the Republicans used to be liberal but are now conservative.  It's very hard for older Democrats to believe this.  In fact, a lot of them just refuse to believe it and they really don't see it.  I guess not, listening to the liberal media brain washing them, day after day, with their liberal swill concerning the Obama administration.  The only news to watch is FOX  news.  At least, they are "fair and balanced."

Time to get off of this computer and get some things done.  Have a wonderful day.  Nana