Playing In The Dirt

We used to have a pool. It was a nice pool and served its purpose for almost 16 years. We got rid of it, and the ginormous deck we had, 2 years ago, when we built the porch addition. A lawn was planted in the crater that was the pool space. Trouble was, you could tell that a pool had been there, and Mr. GreenJeans was not pleased. So, now, he's ripping it up. 1/2 my yard is being roto-tilled as we speak. 

 I don't get it....why would you not till up this little patch of grass? 168 feet of tilling and this green is left? Mr. GreenJeans is scary when he has a plan.

 The early bloom because of that 80 degree stretch we had in early March, and the cold snap at the end of the month may have just damaged my Lilac Bush. It does not look healthy at all.

On the positive front...I'm finally getting the planting beds around the house that I've been nagging suggesting we put in. And the tree to hide the neighbor's shed. The glare off that thing just blinds me when I'm out there.

Happy Easter!

Whilst perusing the internet a couple days ago, I came across this crafty little item. Dying eggs using silk ties. I know! I thought the same thing! Now, I haven't dyed eggs for Easter in a couple of years, but this piqued my interest. And it seemed simple enough to do.

Today, when I was leaving the grocery, I walked over to the goodwill store just to see what they had for cheapie silk ties. I found a couple that looked interesting so I bought them. They were $1.50 each so I thought, what the heck, I'm not doing anything tonight, lets give this a whirl.

Once I got the hang of wrapping the eggs, I only broke one during wrapping, the process went pretty smoothly. Here's the finished products. click on the picture for a better view

I think I'll be looking for silk ties when I'm out estate sale-ing. 

You can find the directions here. Happy dyeing!

When The Cat Is Away, The Mouse Redecorates....

....and this year, I'm turning the vacant middle bedroom into my own little pod.




This is the smallest bedroom in the house. Last year I'd planned on using it as a place to get a little workout...notice the weights and the step on the floor. I asked the kids for a small little tv with a dvd built right in for my birthday, so I could exercise to my favorites, but I really haven't used it that much. And I just bought the wireless printer and put it in there. Whilst I was setting the printer up, I decided that my "MikeyDoesFloridaGolfTrip" project would be to fix this room up.




This is what I'm working with now. ... *I was narrating as I filmed this, but I had the sound off, duh, and nothing I said was audible, so you'll just have to imagine me talking...make up your own script if you want* Those hideous green window shades have been up there since we moved in. That was 1991. *I am only a little embarrassed by this * I bought new roman shades for all the upstairs bedroom windows today. Cant wait to hang them.

The first thing to go will be those annoying glow in the dark stars that have been there since we moved in.

Pretty sure I'm going to go a lightish but not too light gray on the walls with black and tannish accents. I'll be updating as updates become available.

Here's something funny...last year at this time, my vacation post had a similar title. When the cat's away....

I Got All Kinds Of New Stuff

So.....I got a new car. I said goodbye to The 300 and said hello to The Escape.

Also bought a new MacBookPro, which I just love!!

Our Christmas tree fell down the week before Christmas and we didn't replace it, and we didn't miss it. I think it was our last big formal tree.

I also started  using a CPap machine at sleep time and let me tell you....its the best thing ever! I didn't know how good I wasn't feeling. Everyone should get one.

Seconds and Inches

It started out as a beautiful morning. A crisp fall day in WNY....perfect day to take a car for a ride.




The last ride you take before putting your baby away for the winter. You know....the one you dry with the leaf blower...




Then some guy thinks he can roll thru the stop sign and ruins your whole day.


Bright side....Coulda been worse. Nobody hurt. Nobody dead.

5 Years

I can't believe it's been 5 years since The Storm!

Remember this tree?



Thought we were gonna lose it. Here's what she's like today



And heres a couple of trees that didn't make it... But live on down at the marina thanks to Carvings For A Cause, which helped to fund Re-Tree WNY

Update

I ran to Valu and picked up a can of Rustoleum spray... A hammered finish paint in bronze ....


Updates on when it dries.

At Least I'm Not Buying Shoes

I've got a little case of Estate Sale Bug......Happens every year at this time. So I was digging yesterday and I found these plant stands. At least that's what they're going to be when I'm done with them. They look like stands that they use at funeral parlors, don't they? Anyway, I'm going to use them outside since my flowers seem to grow best when they're up off the patio and I like a little height interest. I'm thinking I could maybe use them inside too, Christmas time maybe? wrap them in tulle and stuff lights in the middle?...oooooo, that would look good on the front porch. I dunno.. 

I do know they need to be painted.....but what color? I was originally thinking green. Then maybe red. Black is the safe color. But then I thought some bizzaro color....a funky yellow or a purple. Or a combination of colors....maybe the scrolly's a different color than the straights. 

This is going to require some thought. I wanted to paint them today because its so nice out, and I'd have them done for the holidays, but I don't want to make a rushed decision.

Although.......I could repaint if I didn't like the results. Its only spray paint.

End of Summer Party!!

I was rudely awakened this morning by a massive cramp in my calf. *I havent had one of those in years. I'm pretty sure, with the heat in the kitchen the last couple of days, I was dehydrated, causing the cramp. I hate when that happens.*

On a Saturday.

A Saturday I didn't have to work.

I had the day off today so I'd kinda planned to take full advantage of my "Ladies Who Lounge" membership, but the muscle soreness from the Charliehorse told me I needed to walk it off. So I went to the mall.

I know..... You're surprised, right? .... Me. At the mall. Who woulda thunk it?

Anyway, I got all gussied up *not really....presentable, not gussied* and headed out. the Galleria was PACKED. And it wasn't packed with just locals. It was a multi-cultural Mecca of men, women and children. And I'm gonna say, through my very trained and observant eye, that there's a softball tournament, a baseball tournament and a soccer tournament going on in the area. I thought to myself, "Pegz, we can go spend our money on us now! No more Softball Mom stuff. Onward woman! Let's go shopping!" Now, I have a rule...if I'm going to the mall just to go, I give myself a mission. When this occurs, I turn into what The Offspring call, Super Mall Walking Bitch mode. *and they meant bitch in the most positive BabeInTotalControlofHerself kind of way* What can I say, it's what I do... Anyhooo... Its always an extra strenuous workout dodging strollers, old people, idiots, teenage girls, teenage girls with teenage boys. But, it needed doing. And i had to work that calf muscle I was on a mission to find a nice little dish rack. Preferably a wooden one. Easy task and I can get my double laps on both levels done, be in....be out. *Yeah, no store at the mall had one. Found one at BedBathBeyond on Union... fyi if you're looking for one.*

Ummm... Where was I going with this... Oh yeah, the Mecca thing... Its nice to see an influx of people around here. I can see it down at the waterfront too....I walk that every Friday between shifts ... Lots of out of town license plates. Lots of languages. I get a positive vibe around town and I like that.

The Guest On The Porch

We've got a new addition to the household. Meet BlackJack...the new resident of the porch.


A couple of weeks ago, he turned up at work and wouldn't leave. This is not a good thing when work is a restaurant. With people all over. And food. The Spouse had been talking for a couple years now, that he wants an outdoor cat to rid the yard of moles. Moles that are making tracks in his lawn. So, when this one showed up at work. And stayed. And came into the kitchen twice, I agreed that he could bring him home. The only conditionof residency....it does NOT come into the house. EVER! Now, I don't much care for cats, so I wasn't all giddy at the idea of one hanging out at my house, but he a pretty cool cat. I even let him sit on my lap. Once. That's probably not going to happen again.


- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Like A Butterfly Out Of The Cocoon

The porch enclosure is FINALLY down. One came down on Sunday. We were little catapillars all winter long with the porch being all closed up. I voted we get a roll up door to enclose the porch in the winter, but The Spouse had his buddy build these. They're heavy as all heck, and the plexi keeps the snow and wind out, and the sun in, but once they're up....they're not going anywhere, so access off the porch is non-existent.

We hauled them out to the end of the yard so The Spouse could wash them off.

Let them dry in the sun

It feels so much bigger now. In fact, I'm going to sit out there right now. Or clean up. Probably sit.

I'm a little verklempt.....tawk amongst yourselfs....

This First Video Made Me Laugh. The Second One Made Me Laugh More

Viral Video of Twin babies having a conversation.




Video of a Translation of the Viral Video of Twin babies having a conversation.

The Demise Of The Human Barometer

Ever since I can remember, my sinus cavity has afforded me luxury of being able to predict the weather. I knew when it was going to rain. Get warmer. Get colder. I know, you're jealous aren't you? I mean who wouldn't want that sensation of your head coming this close to exploding. The constant post nasal drip. The ballon inflating and deflating behind your eyes. Yeah, that was me....operative word being WAS.

About 2 weeks ago, I woke up to a plugged up ear. Not a rare occurrence when the weather changes, most notably when the seasons are ready to flip, so I really didn't think much of it. This time was a little different in that the plugged-up-ness was accompanied by severe sinus congestion. I was miserable... Not only could I not hear.. I couldn't breathe thru my nose,in or out.. I couldn't blow my nose, and swallowing after chewing was an adventure. I was completely plugged up.

As luck would have it, I had a scheduled doctors appointment, so I figured I'd tough it out until then. When I got to the doctors office, I immediately whined to the nurse about my predicament. *WHAAAA* I think I have an ear infection. *WHAAAAA* I think I have a sinus infection. I don't break out the whine card often, but I know how to play it when I do. So the doctor has a looksee up my nose and says "Nope, no sinus infection. Take some Sudafed, use some Afrin" "Oh, yeah???" I replied...."What about my ear? My balance is all off.. I can't hear, My balance is all off and the sssshhhhhing noise is making me crazy!" Ace of Whine card played right there.
So, he looks in my ear. "There's a little wax I there. If you want I'll have the nurse flush it for you.". If I want???? No, just let me be miserable. Get her in here.

So, now I'm a 6 year old and the nurse is getting prepped to get the marble I shoved in there, out. Really, that's what I felt like! First syringe is getting filled up with nice warm water and promptly explodes all over the exam table. And my leg/butt area. Near the pocket of my jeans. Where my phone is stashed. Great. And this poor nurse. Apparently her whole day had been going like that. She kept apologizing...no biggie, it's only water, let's get on with this. Well, after the first syringe-full of water I could feel something gurgling around in my head. After the third syringe-full there was a miracle!!! This enormous ball of crap fell into the drain bowl and immediately, the bubble that inflated inside my head 2 weeks earlier BURST !! I jumped off the exam table with the drain bowl in my hand, yelling "Holy Crap, I can hear!! And I can breathe! Oh My Gawd, you are my HERO right now." and then I looked down into the drain bowl and I saw the source of my problem. Picture the largest pea you've ever seen, color it black and add a heartbeat to it. That thing must have been in there for years. I'm hearing things now that I've never heard before.

And I haven't taken a sinus pill in a week.

Brrrrrr

What a wake up this morning. -7 degrees. That "around the freezing mark" forecast for Wednesday is almost a heat wave. It's been a cold couple of days. At least the sun was shining. That makes almost everything ok.

Happy New Year!

Took down the outdoor Christmas lights today. I wasn't too elaborate this year....my Little Voice said "yeah, we're not going nuts with this, right?".....I agreed....and just put lights on the shrubs. Lights, as it would turn out, would not bee seen because of the 4 feet of snow we got in early December that would not melt, until yesterday and today, as it's been in the 50's. 

Moral of the story... Listen to your Little Voice 

I Treated Myself....

....to a new iPhone4.

8gigs to 32gigs just like that.

Merry Christmas Everyone!!!!

My resolution for the new year will be..... To blog more often. I've been a slouch.

Mother Nature Did A Spectacular Job With The Sunset Tonight

This picture did not do it justice at all.

Wow....

....Time flies!

Yep....it was 4 years....FOUR YEARS!...since The Storm.

And I almost missed posting about it. I really need to get into blogger mode and get my butt here more often.

The First Hint of Fall On The Maple Tree

I spotted this whilst on the porch, sipping my tea.

I also went to Lowe's and bought a heater for the porch so I can be toasty whilst sitting there sipping my tea.  

Ok, I'm Back

I was just looking at my tracking stats and there's somebody out there from the UK who visits.


Like, once a week.


Hi out there in UK land who just lurks and never leaves a comment. Y'all come back, now...y'hear.

What the hell happened to August?

Or the last half of July, for that matter.

I've hardly even Twittered! What's wrong with me?

I've never not posted for a whole month or more.

I'll try and make sure it doesnt happen again.

That is all for now.

Hi Lisa! *waves*

Epic Fail

Yeah,

The begonia didn't make it.

Services at sunset.

We'll gather by the garbage cans.

Can This Begonia Be Saved?

I say YES! !

Ok, it's not as bad as it looks.

I just repotted it.

And deadheaded it.

A lot

The other porch plants are going nuts!

The perfect combination of sun, rain, warmth, coolness.

.

All these impatiens came from one flat.

That I bought from my nephews.

Who were selling them for school.

Buy the fundraiser flowers, people

There was one sprig of flowers

On this next one,when I got it

It's thriving on the steps

It was a Mother's Day gift

From Offspring #2 and The Son In Law.

They're so cute together.

They make a nice couple.

Another Random

So....its been 3 week since The Spouse pulled The Car into the garage. Guess how many miles are on it.

Go ahead. Guess

I'll wait.

Wrong!!!! He's put over 2200 miles on it. Drive much?

******

Funny thing....The Car related. Offspring #1 came home to pick up her mail, and noticed a new registration sticker *her name on it* came. She opened it, and couldn't figure out why she was getting a new one, since hers was not expired yet, but just thought, oh, well. She ended up leaving, forgetting to take her mail with her. Well, The Spouse comes home that night, sees the opened mail, and registration sticker and wants to know who opened his mail. Like I know, right? I wasn't here. So he takes the sticker and puts it in his mail basket. Two days later #1 comes back to get her mail and is frantic cuz she cant find the sticker. She sees it in his basket and grabs it. Remember, she's still thinking its for her car and she's still confused as to why she received it. Well....she studies it for a second....low and behold....its the registration for the Mustang. The dealer put her name on the paper work, not The Spouses. That's a pretty big screw up. Let's see how long its going to take to get this resolved.

******

We've got a new pet. Ok, its not a pet, more like a critter. Out back, after dark, The Spouse has seen an animal walking along the fence, from the neighbors yard on the right, to the neighbors yard on the left. He asked me if I'd ever seen it....and I hadn't until the other night when we were sitting out there. It looked like, in the dark, a huge white cat...or a ferret. Last night, the critter was out a little earlier than usual, and he saw what it was. A ginormous SKUNK! Great. Pepe LePew is living under the sheds of the neighbors and we're caught in the middle. Hopefully the town will come out and set a trap....I don't want to be surprised some night, walking around out there and getting sprayed. That would ruin my day, I think.

******

Ever hear of 'gin-soaked golden raisins' to help with aches and pains and arthritis? Well, we're gonna try it. A bunch of people at The Spouse's office swear by it it. We're gonna do it. I'll let you know what kind of effect they have. Not that we have a PROBLEM with arthritis, but our bones creak, here and there. Sometimes. :-)

Something For Flag Day

Robin Williams as the American Flag.....

Robin Williams As The American Flag : The Coolest One

And I thought this would embed, you'll just have to follow the link.

Guess What I Did Today

I ran over to the mall today, and I went into the Apple Store to get The Spouse an audio cable, so he could hook up the iPod in The Car *from here on out, The Mustang will be referred to as The Car* . On my way out, I stopped and played with the iPads *I want one!, its like playing on my iPhone, only bigger* . I was just surfing around, when I had the most evilly brilliant thought. So, I typed in the address for this blog.

And then I walked away.

Hi! person playing with this iPad and reading me!

I was gonna do it on more than one, but I was in a hurry, damnit.

Speaking of the mall...they reallllllyyyy need to fix that ring road around Galleria drive. between Best Buy and the Post Office. Somebody get on that.

Time For An Update On A Tree

Picture it....October, 2006 a couple days after The Storm. This weeping willow tells the story of the devistation

'

Flash forward to Spring, 2007. Pretty gnarly

Present day.She's looking way better.

The New Phone Books Are Here! The New Phone Books Are Here!!!

The Spouse got the call....The Mustang is in. We went over to the dealer today and took it for a little spinnerroo.

He picks it up Monday. Just our little way to stimulate the economy.

"Ooo Ooo That Smell....

...Cant you smell that smell?" just my little Lynyrd Skynyrd interjection here.

The Lilac bush is in full bloom. I sit on the porch and the scent is incredible.

And the color....just lovely

It's Do Or Die Time....Again

Let's Go Buffalo *clap clap clapclapclap*
Let's Go Buffalo *clap clap clapclapclap*
Let's Go Buffalo *clap clap clapclapclap*
*tosses blue and gold glitter everywhere*

Ooooooooohhh, Ahhhhhhhhh...

Now That My Computer And My Modem Are Communicating Again, Here's Some Dyngus Day Pictures.

These were taken from the parade staging ground. Thats the Central Terminal in the backround. Pretty much the epicenter of the Dyngus Day Festivities. Let me tell you....it is more fun to be IN a parade, than to watch one.

Rosie, Mark, Justin, Emily, Diane

Me, Emily, Justin, Rosie, Mary and Diane on the float.

The group in front of us were handing out these stickers. Well, mostly they were slapping them on the butts of people.

We had a bunch of candy that we threw, the tshirts you see above, and.....best part, Wardynski's gave, yes GAVE us a couple boxes of individual wrapped Polish Sausage to throw. And of course we all had our squirt guns. I wish I'd had pictures from along the parade route, but it was no time for snapping shots. We had time to take shots of Krupnik, a honey liquor, not real tasty, don't judge, it was Dyngus Day but not pictures.

We headed off to the Adam Mickiewicz Library & Dramatic Circle after the parade and we had our usual good time. No pictures from in there either, what with all the squirt gun squirting and water everywhere stuff. Plus, I just didnt want to be bothered with lugging around the camera. And then remembering to bring it home.

We're already decorating next years float.

It Seems Like Only Yesterday....

...that we had problems with the computer.

Well...here we go again. *sigh*.

The Only Difference Between Men And Boys Is the Price Of Their Toys

In a couple of weeks, me and my Chrysler 300 will be displaced from occupancy of the garage. The Spouse's new toy will be taking over.

note...this is a pic of 2010..the pics for 11's arent out yet. Well, I havent found one anyway.

Thaaaaaats right, he bought a 2011 Mustang. 412 horsepower, 5-litre V8, 6 speed, In the words of Tim The Tool Man Taylor, ARRRRH ARRRRRRH ARRRG

On a positive note, when thats paid for, I get a new kitchen.

Confession Time

Confession is good for the soul, so I'm going to come out with something. I'm just going to spit it out, a verbal 'ripping off the of the band-aid' if you will.

Here goes.....

Last night we left the Sabres game early.


That's right!!!!....we broke a cardinal rule. We left with 4 minutes left and the minute we got in the car and travelled 20 feet in the parking ramp, the couple that was with us, The Spouse and I had a discussion. It went like this.....

• Watch, they'll score now.
• Watch, they'll tie it up now
• Watch, it'll go to a shootout
• Watch, Miller will be awesome.
• Watch, they'll win.

Son of a Bee Sting don't all those things happen.

In our defense, it was a pretty crappy first 58 out of 60 minutes of hockey, the couple we were with had an hour + ride home, we all had to work in the morning the game stared late, and ended late....after 10:00 we didn't want to be stuck in the upper yeah, we shoulda been there earlier, but hey, we were having ribs at Al-E-Oops parking ramp for an additional hour, so we left.

That kinda sucked, but it all worked out.

The Search Is Over

Remember my post about shopping for a sideboard?

Well, I went a little beyond the whole sideboard thing and just purchased this from Pottery Barn.



I love Pottery Barn. If I could, I'd buy everything they had. I need to win the lottery or something. Its not available for delivery till April 11, so I have to put on my patience pants till then. Well, technically I have to keep them on because I've been wearing them since I ordered Pirate Radio from Borders a couple weeks ago. That movie gets released and shipped tomorrow. AND my new sneakers should be here by Thursday. Man, the Fed-Ex/UPS truck never stops here. Till now :-)

Two Things That Practically Just Dropped In My Lap Today.

Thing One...

I found THE most comfortable sneaker! I have a hard time finding sneakers that dont hurt my feet. This is why I wear Crocs to work. Yes, I realize that they are hideous not exactly the fashion statement I wish to project, but they saved my feet. and for that reason they are gorgeous. So, anyway...I needed new kicks to wear to the gym and I needed new sheets, but thats a different story so I went to Kohls and found these. Skecher's D'Lites Extreme.

I can tell within 5 seconds after trying on a pair of shoes if they're comfy enough to buy. This was one of those times. I've been wearing them for 3 hours and my feet don't hurt. At all. Brand new shoes. 3 hours. No ouchie. SOLD! I liked them so much, I went to skecher.com and bought another pair.

Thing Two...

Got an email from ChaCha today and it offered a link to this....quite possibly the funniest thing I have ever seen on the internet. And I've seen a lot of funny things....

Powder Keggin'

My Festival Buddy and me headed down to The Powder Keg Festival this afternoon. It was a gorgeous day. A little too gorgeous, tho, the Labatt Pond Hockey had to be cancelled today. They got yesterdays games in but there was a little too much snow yesterday and it was a little too warm and the ice just wasn't safe enough to play today.

Downtown was bustling. Lots of people. We had lunch at The Pearl Street Grill (pictured here, the hub of the activity) then hit the streets. *as always, click on the pic to make it bigger*

Lots of characters....the Abominable Snowman even showed up.

The tubing down the Seneca St. exit ramp of the Skyway was a big attraction. But, that too was a little mushy and slushy because of the warmness. But it didnt stop people from giving it a go. Not the best vantage point for a picture here, but its as close as I could get. The line was pretty long.

Broom Ball Tournament going full swing

Here's the incredible Ice Maze. Official dubbed by the Guinness World Book as the largest ice maze in the world. Yeah, I totally stole this picture from The PowderKeg website.

This is as close to the maze as we could get....the line started here...

wrapped around to here

then ended up waaaaaayyyy down there. No way were we waiting 90 minutes in line.

So we headed over to the beer tent. Good plan.


I think this is going to turn into quite a nice festival. Maybe a little earlier in the month might help with the snow and temperature conditions and maybe spread it out a little, but it was really cool to see all those people out and about downtown in the middle of winter. Good job Powder Keg People!

Things to make note of for next year. Different boots for me. I wasnt sure how dry my feet were going to be in the "Ugg" type boots I have (they havent really been tested in wet conditions), so I pulled a page from when we were kids and did the 'pair of socks, plastic bag, another pair of socks' thing just to be safe. Good thing I did. And draft beer still gives me a headache.