My crazy (loveable, delightful, funny, crazy, crazy, crazy) friend spent an evening last week reading my blog and commenting on most of the posts. She is such a goof-ball. I thought I'd answer her all in one post. Just to be funny that way.
Denise has left a new comment on your post "Planet Earth Video":
Hi, sweetie. The video is great. going to check out the secret website. on your way to orlando, maybe i can catch you?
Catch me if you can! I arrived back home without a Denise sighting, so I guess that means you never made it out of your state.
Denise has left a new comment on your post "Jupiter's main bath":
Oh this is nice. I haven't gotten back to the desc of Jupiter Ct. yet, but my memory is that is is small, 1 story. Are the bath and kitchen next to each other (they usually are--why do they do that? Who wants to take a good u know what when suppers cooking?). What i meant to say is that it will be a great visual!
Oh goodness - you are totally hysterical. Yes, Jupiter is a small one story house - it is three bedrooms, two bathrooms. The bathrooms are right next to the kitchen but you cannot access the bathrooms through the kitchen, so not a problem there lol
Denise has left a new comment on your post "Fun Lighting":
that would be fun! would you let the occupants choose what to put in the lamp? what a kewl idea!
It would have been a cool idea, but I think it would have been too distracting for a staged house. People would be all caught up in the stuff in the light and not focus on the kitchen cabinets! LOL I would love to have this lamp. I would play with it all the time.
Denise has left a new comment on your post "The Kitchen":
You are becoming (or have you always been) the IKEA QUEEN! All is so lovely though, neat, simple, clean lines. I love it. Great job!
I have loved IKEA for many many years. I have just never lived near one. This has been my closest now - just 150 miles. I dream of having an organized, clean lines, no clutter, simple lifestyle and furniture. So maybe IKEA is just a way for me to live out my dream without actually having to go there LOL
Denise has left a new comment on your post "WFMW - Water":
Dang and the two things i had on my list for your for your birthday? A mini fountain, and a big ol' conch shell! Back to the drawing board!
Oh Lordy :0)
Denise has left a new comment on your post "IKEA":
No, Ike's not a good swedish name, is it. Rollin' Rollin, Rollin down the river!
Words like Ikea have a way of finding their path into webster. Maybe one day, we'll all say, see my new floor? IKEA'd!
"Why don't you just google that?" "I googled you."
I can see where IKEA could get into Websters, just like Google!
I just like to say the word though - IKEA! Sort of like Eureka! IKEA!
Denise has left a new comment on your post "New stuff!":
Not having worn a bra regularly since the 70s (yep, big as i am, i eschew them!), i've always wondered....
where do they wear out?
and if it's the front--can't they wait?
i'm so fresh!
I always break the underwire on my bras, that's how they wear out for me. Once the wire starts poking me, it's done.
You are quite fresh!
Denise has left a new comment on your post "Write Zoom":
Oh mi god. Where did THAT come from?
I saw the new bandaid commercial (i am stuck on Bandaid cause bandaid stuck on me) and they've changed it up and i get all discombobulated cause somebody's not singing the right words. It's like being in church, singing the doxology, and their singing different words. A discordance. But hey! that's wayyyy off topic here. (i couldn't figure out what the topic was!) Sorry!
You live in New England and you haven't heard of ZOOM? or were you wondering what got me to post the song (but you have heard it before?) Well, I sing the Zoom song fairly often. Somehow it got into my head about 40 years ago and never left.
Denise has left a new comment on your post "Mocha's cat bed":
Um, Kristin, Mocha still looks pretty flat out to me! She is a cutie, isn't she?
She is!!! Gotta love the Mocha kitty.
Denise has left a new comment on your post "Crayons":
Kirsten, i don't know if this is true, or just the imaginings of my little brain, but crayola came out with a whole LINE of flesh tones for our multicultural world, so flesh and Indian red (imagined color of indian skin) may have gone by the board at that time...just a thought.
To be politically correct, I do believe, they changed the names. Another friend of mine said she thought that Flesh became Peach and Indian Red became Chestnut. That is probably the case.
Denise has left a new comment on your post "Buddy & Beverly":
You are a blessing, Kristen.
I know you were feeling some pain, so know that you are in my thoughts.
Thanks. Thanks so much.
Denise has left a new comment on your post "April links":
you were busy in april. I'm gonna dive in! i can't believe it has been that long since i talked to you!
Thanks for stopping by!
Denise has left a new comment on your post "WFMW - sleeping haven":
Thanks for the tip Kristen. Now my bed is only half full of junk rather than 3 quarters full! Ahhhhh...
How is that bed this week? Is it totally cleared off yet? huh? huh?
Denise has left a new comment on your post "Auctions":
Never did hear about the TV! did you fix it?
TV gone. It had lines through the picture, on every station. Even when it was unplugged from the cable. Not sure what to make of it. I had to buy them a new one. I hauled the broken one up to my condo though and it is in the living room as we speak. I think one of my contractors, Kenny, is going to take it and see if he can fix it or just keep it in his garage LOL
Denise has left a new comment on your post "Rice Salad":
OK i'm hooked, 6wbmo or nO! Thank you. What a great way to begin and end a wedding day, doing something extraordinarily ordinary.
It was. That's an interesting way to think about it - extraordinarily ordinary. I really should write about it one day, but I had a fantastic wedding. It wasn't perfect, but it was perfectly fabulous.
Denise has left a new comment on your post "Happy Birthday Zora!!":
Yaaayyyy! Happy Birthday, Big Sis!
She is such a doll that Zora.
Thanks for joining me on commenting on comments -- well, Denise's comments anyway LOL
Have a great day!
Kristin
Friday, May 16, 2008
Thursday, May 15, 2008
Zora the big sister
I wanted to chat with my sister today. Her father in law died the other day and she had a baby a few weeks ago, so I wanted to check in with her. The phone rang many many times & I got the answering machine, so I just started talking. I assumed that Alison was feeding new baby, Stella, so I just wanted her to know that I called to just check in...
Well, as I was just about ready to hang up, I hear this.... "Hello" I thought it was Alison.
Then I am told "This is Zora"
It sure was! So I started asking her questions. I have only talked on the phone with her once before and she didn't want to talk, so this was a totally new experience.
One of the first things Zora said to me was that she really liked the playdough that I sent to her & I told Zora that I had gotten some coloring pages in the mail from her and that they were on my fridge - she said that she was very happy I had them there.
I found out that Stella's eyes are still blue, brown, & black. (She's almost a month old now)
That Zora was making designs at the dining room table. I asked if she was making clothing designs, or designs that just went on paper and she interrupted and said - "I am making designs that will sit on the dining room table." I couldn't argue with that!
I asked if Stella can laugh and Zora said "She's still a newborn, so she doesn't laugh yet"
So I asked if Stella has smiled yet and Zora told me that she was just starting to smile.
I asked if she gets to hold the baby and she said that she got to hold Stella in the hospital! So I guess the answer is yes lol
I asked Zora to give a kiss to her Momma and Daddy and Stella for me and I hung up.
What a fun conversation. I'm so glad I called.
Thanks Zora!! I'm sure we will talk more in the future.
Have a great day!
Kristin
Well, as I was just about ready to hang up, I hear this.... "Hello" I thought it was Alison.
Then I am told "This is Zora"
It sure was! So I started asking her questions. I have only talked on the phone with her once before and she didn't want to talk, so this was a totally new experience.
One of the first things Zora said to me was that she really liked the playdough that I sent to her & I told Zora that I had gotten some coloring pages in the mail from her and that they were on my fridge - she said that she was very happy I had them there.
I found out that Stella's eyes are still blue, brown, & black. (She's almost a month old now)
That Zora was making designs at the dining room table. I asked if she was making clothing designs, or designs that just went on paper and she interrupted and said - "I am making designs that will sit on the dining room table." I couldn't argue with that!
I asked if Stella can laugh and Zora said "She's still a newborn, so she doesn't laugh yet"
So I asked if Stella has smiled yet and Zora told me that she was just starting to smile.
I asked if she gets to hold the baby and she said that she got to hold Stella in the hospital! So I guess the answer is yes lol
I asked Zora to give a kiss to her Momma and Daddy and Stella for me and I hung up.
What a fun conversation. I'm so glad I called.
Thanks Zora!! I'm sure we will talk more in the future.
Have a great day!
Kristin
Wednesday, May 14, 2008
Walter - updated
Walter got called for his Lung transplant. I got the call last night around 7pm that they were on their way to the hospital. This means that he was probably transplanted just a few hours ago.
When I woke up yesterday one of the first things that crossed through my mind was something about Walter receiving a lung. I was not at all surprised when they told me that they had received a call from Mayo. It is so interesting how things like that happen.
I wanted to post this, so that healing thoughts can be sent to Walter through everyone who reads this. Also prayers for the family that has just recently lost a loved one. Thank You so very much for being a part of the Organ Donation process. Thank You.
Kristin
Updated...
Walter went into surgery last night around 1am and was out of surgery at 6:30am. The surgery went real well. He is in ICU at the moment and they have him on a respirator - but that is very very common with Lung transplant patients. The new lung takes many days to many weeks to work on its own. Walters daughter has arrived, along with her boyfriend, so Walter and his wife won't be alone through this.
I say alone, as in family - because Walter and his wife know nearly all of Mayo Clinic and nearly every patient in the place. They have a large group of friends around here, but still, sometimes you really need family. I'm glad that their daughter could come.
I was planning on going up to the hospital today, but have decided against it. The first day is usually really rough. I don't know what I was thinking. I'll go up tomorrow. Day two is usually a much better day.
5/16/08 - Walter took a turn for the worse yesterday evening. His daughter told me this morning that his new lung is totally inflamed and is not working properly. They put Walter back on a ventilator and are probably going to give him a tracheotomy. I have so much confidence in the Mayo Clinic that I am just positive that this whole thing will turn around and Walter will come out of it just fine. This is just a major bump in the road.
I'm still praying for you, Walter.
When I woke up yesterday one of the first things that crossed through my mind was something about Walter receiving a lung. I was not at all surprised when they told me that they had received a call from Mayo. It is so interesting how things like that happen.
I wanted to post this, so that healing thoughts can be sent to Walter through everyone who reads this. Also prayers for the family that has just recently lost a loved one. Thank You so very much for being a part of the Organ Donation process. Thank You.
Kristin
Updated...
Walter went into surgery last night around 1am and was out of surgery at 6:30am. The surgery went real well. He is in ICU at the moment and they have him on a respirator - but that is very very common with Lung transplant patients. The new lung takes many days to many weeks to work on its own. Walters daughter has arrived, along with her boyfriend, so Walter and his wife won't be alone through this.
I say alone, as in family - because Walter and his wife know nearly all of Mayo Clinic and nearly every patient in the place. They have a large group of friends around here, but still, sometimes you really need family. I'm glad that their daughter could come.
I was planning on going up to the hospital today, but have decided against it. The first day is usually really rough. I don't know what I was thinking. I'll go up tomorrow. Day two is usually a much better day.
5/16/08 - Walter took a turn for the worse yesterday evening. His daughter told me this morning that his new lung is totally inflamed and is not working properly. They put Walter back on a ventilator and are probably going to give him a tracheotomy. I have so much confidence in the Mayo Clinic that I am just positive that this whole thing will turn around and Walter will come out of it just fine. This is just a major bump in the road.
I'm still praying for you, Walter.
WFMW - Remembering Passwords
Welcome to another edition of Works For Me Wednesday! Each week hundreds of people from around the world gather at Rocks in My Dryer for WFMW and share their tips. Please take a look when you have finished here. Thanks & I'll see you again next week.
This is one of my favorite "inventions" - I'm sure that someone else thought of it, posted a note on their blog about it and I read about it - but I woke up one morning and I thought --Self! Why don't you put all of your websites and passwords into a book!! How about you put it into an Address Book! You have several very nice address books that have nothing in them - lets find one and put it to good use!
So I did.
I first made up a little secret code for my passwords. I have to admit, I only have three different passwords. So I named them P1, P2 and P3 -- I know what these mean. You should come up with your own secret code for your passwords so that you can remember it.
This is how I used my password book.
Under the P tab of the Address book I have
1st line --- www.photobucket.com (I alphabetize by name of the website)
2nd line --- the email address I used when I signed up
3rd line -- the password or the secret code to the password
4th line -- anything else that might be important to that site. secret questions, secret answers, telephone number you used, etc.
I have 4 different accounts with Photobucket, so the address book has come in VERY handy when I can't remember what email went with which account.
This book has come in handy when I travel or when I am using a computer that isn't my own. I rely on my list of "favorites" on my own computer and have trouble remembering my favorite sites if I can't just use my bookmarks.
Even if I don't have to have a password or login name, I still write down websites - like Rocks in my Dryer, for instance, just so I have a record of sites I like.
I hope you found this to be helpful. I look forward to reading your tips!
Have a great day!
Kristin
Tuesday, May 13, 2008
What a day so far
Sometimes a day just goes in a totally different direction than you had planned when you woke up in the morning. I don't mind those days - not all - well, unless it is a bad day, then of course I don't want that. However today is a good day & a lot of unexpected events and thoughts have raced through already and it isn't even 2pm yet.
I went to our rental condo to finish up the cleaning (it didn't happen) but I got nearly done. The carpet was pretty stained, so I put on a carpet cleaning product and it has to dry before I can vacuum it up again, so that is the delay at this moment. I'll vacuum it tomorrow morning. The rest of the place is tide-clean. It will be ready to rent tomorrow.
While I was there, the neighbors, also my tenants, got a call from the Mayo Clinic. They have him on stand-by for a possible lung transplant. Oh glory. This is his third or fourth call and all have been canceled before he even had a chance to go to the hospital. I do hope that this lung is keeper for him. He and his wife have been with me for 10 months so far. Before it is all over, they will be here for a year. Good tenants, but still, I'd like to see him transplanted and get to go home. That is the goal - Come and stay for a little while and then go home a healthier person. I spent quite a bit of time with them, helping them with a few things in case he did need to go to the hospital today.
Now I'm home, waiting for my phone to charge because it was on it's last second of fuel. I had lunch & read my email. My aunt just emailed to say that when she handwashes her dishes, she thinks of me! I love it. I really love that there are things about me that triggers a "Kristin Memory" in someone and they think of me. What is so cool about that, is that this happens to everyone. There isn't a moment that goes by that someone in this wide world isn't thinking about you. Is that just incredible! Thanks Marg for mentioning the dishwashing event...it is like a big Ah-ha moment.
I go through the people I know sometimes like a Rolodex file. Flipping through Highschool, college, the other college, the final college, events, family, parties, etc. I like to recall the fun stuff, the good conversations and the peoples faces. If I think about people and send out good thoughts to them, then I know that I am getting that from others. Those good vibes crisscrossing the globe. I can see it now. I think the thoughts I send are in a corkscrew pattern though - not a graceful arch. It makes for a fun visual.
Well, I'm off to IKEA again, time to pick up the sink that was out of stock when we went last week. I called and it is being held for me right now. I plan on having a great drive to Orlando & back. Tom is staying in town. He has doors to hang in the Springfield flip, he is picking out tile for the kitchen over there and someone needs to be in town in case our tenant does indeed get the call that the lung is his...and if they need anything one of us will be around for them.
Hope you have a great day!
Kristin
I went to our rental condo to finish up the cleaning (it didn't happen) but I got nearly done. The carpet was pretty stained, so I put on a carpet cleaning product and it has to dry before I can vacuum it up again, so that is the delay at this moment. I'll vacuum it tomorrow morning. The rest of the place is tide-clean. It will be ready to rent tomorrow.
While I was there, the neighbors, also my tenants, got a call from the Mayo Clinic. They have him on stand-by for a possible lung transplant. Oh glory. This is his third or fourth call and all have been canceled before he even had a chance to go to the hospital. I do hope that this lung is keeper for him. He and his wife have been with me for 10 months so far. Before it is all over, they will be here for a year. Good tenants, but still, I'd like to see him transplanted and get to go home. That is the goal - Come and stay for a little while and then go home a healthier person. I spent quite a bit of time with them, helping them with a few things in case he did need to go to the hospital today.
Now I'm home, waiting for my phone to charge because it was on it's last second of fuel. I had lunch & read my email. My aunt just emailed to say that when she handwashes her dishes, she thinks of me! I love it. I really love that there are things about me that triggers a "Kristin Memory" in someone and they think of me. What is so cool about that, is that this happens to everyone. There isn't a moment that goes by that someone in this wide world isn't thinking about you. Is that just incredible! Thanks Marg for mentioning the dishwashing event...it is like a big Ah-ha moment.
I go through the people I know sometimes like a Rolodex file. Flipping through Highschool, college, the other college, the final college, events, family, parties, etc. I like to recall the fun stuff, the good conversations and the peoples faces. If I think about people and send out good thoughts to them, then I know that I am getting that from others. Those good vibes crisscrossing the globe. I can see it now. I think the thoughts I send are in a corkscrew pattern though - not a graceful arch. It makes for a fun visual.
Well, I'm off to IKEA again, time to pick up the sink that was out of stock when we went last week. I called and it is being held for me right now. I plan on having a great drive to Orlando & back. Tom is staying in town. He has doors to hang in the Springfield flip, he is picking out tile for the kitchen over there and someone needs to be in town in case our tenant does indeed get the call that the lung is his...and if they need anything one of us will be around for them.
Hope you have a great day!
Kristin
Monday, May 12, 2008
A new roof
This is just a quick slideshow of the roof and some interesting things that sort of go along with the whole roof thing.
Les is standing up on what is left after all of the roofing has been torn off the roof. When I went inside the view is quite clear - straight to the sky! We need a new roof.
The sunlight pouring through was so cool. I wish we could put skylights in that mimicked that -- oh goodness, that would be a VERY expensive roof. The hallway was so bright with all that light streaming through. Unless something drastic is done, this is the most light this hallway will probably ever see.
All of the roofing supplies have been hauled up to the roof - the felt paper is already nailed into place. The shingles are next!
This is the back of the house. Dan, mr. carpenter man, is putting in my skylight. OK, so he's actually just cutting the hole, but I'm so excited. I wanted a tube skylight in the new bathroom because it doesn't have a natural light source...It is smack dab in the center of the house & it needed light. I have always thought these solar tubes were very cool - the one I purchased has a diameter of 10". Small but mighty, I guess haha
This is the finished roof. The boys were just gathering up their tools. It's only 1:30 in the afternoon. These boys were awesome.
Have a great day!
Kristin
Les is standing up on what is left after all of the roofing has been torn off the roof. When I went inside the view is quite clear - straight to the sky! We need a new roof.
The sunlight pouring through was so cool. I wish we could put skylights in that mimicked that -- oh goodness, that would be a VERY expensive roof. The hallway was so bright with all that light streaming through. Unless something drastic is done, this is the most light this hallway will probably ever see.
All of the roofing supplies have been hauled up to the roof - the felt paper is already nailed into place. The shingles are next!
This is the back of the house. Dan, mr. carpenter man, is putting in my skylight. OK, so he's actually just cutting the hole, but I'm so excited. I wanted a tube skylight in the new bathroom because it doesn't have a natural light source...It is smack dab in the center of the house & it needed light. I have always thought these solar tubes were very cool - the one I purchased has a diameter of 10". Small but mighty, I guess haha
This is the finished roof. The boys were just gathering up their tools. It's only 1:30 in the afternoon. These boys were awesome.Have a great day!
Kristin
Sunday, May 11, 2008
Survivor!
Oh goodness I love Survivor. I've watched every season (in reruns) but started watching season three, I think. Tonight was the final episode + the reunion show. I really really enjoyed this season - it was so much fun to see the blind-sides actually work...even when I was absolutely positive that they HAD to see it coming! Oh goodness.
I won't say any more about the final episode.
not a single word.
Have a great week!
Kristin
I won't say any more about the final episode.
not a single word.
Have a great week!
Kristin
Saturday, May 10, 2008
Jim Jr. - updated
I just got a phone call from my sister. Her husband's father passed away yesterday. He apparently had a heart attack in his backyard, while he was doing some gardening. Jim (my brother-in-law) lost his mother on Thanksgiving day about 10 years ago. I just can't imagine being that young and not having my parents anymore. I cannot imagine.
Look for another post and hopefully a picture of Jim Jr.
I sure did like him.
Kristin
Here is the Obit from the Lansing State Journal...
James Theodore "Jim" Alfredson Jr.
Okemos, MI
Jim died unexpectedly at his home on May 9, 2008 at the age of 67. Born December 6, 1940, He graduated from Perry High School. He served in the U.S. Army before entering a career as a professional guitarist/musician and songwriter. As a young man, he traveled the country extensively playing music, but it was back home in Michigan that he met and married Verna Lou Cogswell. Together they raised seven children and during that time Jim composed the songs of Gabriel's Horn.
Being a father, his schedule as a musician no longer suited him. Jim began an apprenticeship learning how to tune and repair pianos. He quickly learned the trade and created his own business, Calliope Piano Service, which served the greater Lansing area for nearly 30 years. In 1997 Jim's wife of nearly three decades, Verna, died of cancer and he was grief-stricken for several years. It was during this time that Jim composed his dissertation, Under the Sun, which he considers his most important work.
Fortunately, God is great and Jim met another angel on Earth. His second wife, Venecia, loved and cherished him and revived his spirit. Remarried April 24, 2005, Jim spent his remaining years doing what he loved: being a father to his children and Papa to his grandchildren, playing guitar, reading theology and philosophy, writing his journals, managing his website and blog (www.thepilgrimtraveler.com), cooking, tending to his plants, listening to birds, and watching the sky.
His father, James Theodore Alfredson Sr. and his first wife Verna preceded Jim in death. He is survived by his mother, Doris Himebaugh of Mt. Pleasant; his wife, Venecia Burner-Alfredson of Okemos; his eight children: Jennifer Alfredson of Holt, Shelly (Matt) Jones of Owosso, Sarah (Steve) Case of White Lake, James (Alison) Alfredson III of Lansing, Justin Michael Alfredson of Lansing, Julianna (Shawn) Shaltry of East Lansing, Jessica (Eric) Alfredson of Lansing, Natalie Walsh of Lansing; and six grandchildren: Alexander, Kevin, Zora, Sophia, Lucy, and Stella. "He that dwelleth in the secret place of the Most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty." Psalm 91. Jim was a spiritual teacher who believed that simple faith is the foundation of inner peace and security, of the love needed to continue. His words, beliefs and teachings will forever stay with us in his absence. Jim will be deeply missed, and never forgotten, by all who knew and loved him.
There will be a celebration of Jim's life held 2:00 p.m. Tuesday, May 13, 2008 at the Estes-Leadley Greater Lansing Chapel, burial will take place in Maple Ridge Cemetery, Holt, Michigan. The family will receive friends 5:00-8:00 p.m. Monday at the funeral home.
Published in the Lansing State Journal - May 11, 2008
A tribute to James Theordore Alfredson Jr
This is what Jim read at his dads funeral.
First, let me speak for the family and extend our thanks for the outpouring of support we have received from everyone. I would especially like to thank those in attendance today. It would please Dad immensely to know how much he was admired and loved. For a man who proudly had an air of solitude around him, he had many people who loved him and he never failed to make a lasting impact on the people he met.
Just this past December, I attended the funeral of the patriarch of my wife’s family, her grandfather, Mr. LeRoy Henry. It was at this very funeral home, in this very room, in fact. As I sat in the audience watching the tears stream from the faces of LeRoy’s children, listening to them speak so proudly of their father, and sharing memories of his life and work, I could not help but contemplate my own father’s passing. I thought about how I would cope with his death, what I would say about the man and his life, and how large his presence loomed in my life and the life of our family.
I did not think I would have to face his death so soon.
My Dad was a good father. Above all else he loved his family and held a special, unconditional love in his heart for all his children. He guided us with a firm, but gentle hand. He did not burden us with expectations, other than that we love each other and be honest at all times. He did not force us into careers or shove us into churches or demand we attend higher education or use guilt to make us fulfill some dream of his that he never achieved. He instead let us become who we are, on our own terms and at our own pace, and he reveled in our differences. I remember him telling me over and over when I was a little boy that there was no one in the world like me, there would never be another person like me, that my mind was my own, and that I was unique. He let us think for ourselves and learn for ourselves and make mistakes for ourselves, always ready to answer any questions or help at any time us if we lost our step.
He was a strong-willed man. He was an extremely stubborn man. He lived his life on his own terms. He loathed poor workmanship and respected quality craftsmanship. He did not value money. He worked very hard and considered hard work a blessing. He loved to work with his hands. He liked boxes. He was a voracious reader and considered himself a philosopher. He loved nature and birds. He never did anything half-way. I remember back at the farm when he suddenly got into wind chimes. He brought home one set and the next thing we knew the entire porch was blocked by hundreds of hanging wind chimes, creating a wild, wind-powered chorus of atonal anarchy… which he thought was fantastic!
He loved writing words and writing music. He loved playing the guitar, but he always told me he was a frustrated organist. He was thrilled when I found the instrument on my own and he always supported my music. I owe my music to him.
I will be honest and admit we had some dark times. He had demons with which he fought, usually using the wrong means to combat them. He could be irritable, cranky, and sometimes downright mean, especially in the mornings. But I understand now that he was fighting with alcoholism, a disease which can turn a man against those he loves. He was not always himself, for a long time.
When Mom died, his grief was so great we all feared he would not make it. His demons seemed to be winning the battle a bit more everyday. He lost himself in the bottle. The pain of her death hit him so forcefully that it seemed impossible for us to console him, especially since we were all dealing with the sudden loss ourselves. For awhile, the family seemed irreparably fragmented.
But the strength of the family prevailed. The past few years of his life saw him happier and more peaceful than ever. I told my wife many times that he was like a changed man, but really I think he had uncovered and returned to his real self. That kind, gentle, funny, charismatic and handsome self that my mother fell in love with all those years ago. I place the credit for his transformation solely on Venecia and her immense love for him. Without her, he would never have lived to see his grandchildren. He would never have reconciled with his mother. He would never have achieved a life so happy and so content. With Venecia’s help, he finally faced his demons and he won. I thank you, Venecia, from the very bottom of my heart for what you gave to my father and to the family through your love and commitment. You gave us all a real second chance. You are and will always be an integral part of this family.
Now that he is gone, we siblings must trust in the knowledge that he gave us to guide us through the rest of our lives. We can’t pick up the phone and call him for advice. We can’t come over and sit with him in the office or on the back porch. He won’t be there, smiling as he answers the door. He won’t show up, unannounced, to have lunch and see the kids. He will no longer be at the table for Easter or Thanksgiving or Christmas.
But I believe that he will always be with us and within us, if we take heed of his legacy:
Practice the simple faith.
Don’t worry about the small stuff.
Where there is a will, there is a way.
Belief creates; doubt destroys.
Love overcomes all.
And all is as it should be.
I’d like to end with a few short quotes from Dad’s blog.
“I have always appreciated those of us who dare to take a chance, to follow their dreams, even though the rest of the world thought them crazy. I am such an individual, not nearly as successful as [others], in a worldly sense, but, in my own way, I am. My life has been full and varied, interesting, rewarding, and of great value to me. I enjoy being here, now. I take time to smell the roses, as it were, and love my life to the fullest. I hope you also take time to listen to the birds, smell the sweet breezes, feel the rain on you face: all is good and as it should be. Don’t waste your short life listening to the bummers: they are all on an elevator that is forever going down. Push the ‘up’ button and find ultimate beauty and meaning in what, who, and where you are.”
“Follow your dream and don’t let anyone relieve you of it: it’s yours and yours only. Never follow anybody else, don’t take what they offer, don’t believe their lies. Trust your inner being: you know more about yourself than anyone else in the universe.”
“Life is now and that’s all it is. Better get with it before it’s gone.”
May you rest in peace, Dad. We will always love you.
James Theordore Alfredson III
May 13, 2008
This is what Alison wrote....
I thought I should share a thought or two about my father-in-law. He was an amazing man and I clearly remember the first day I met him. At that time he was still in a state of recovery after Jim's mom's death. Within the last 7 years he proved himself as an exceptionally attentive man to his entire family and friends. He always gave advice, and the kind one wants to get. I was so blessed to have him in my life and in Zora's life. I am very saddened that she won't even remember how much she loved him and their time together.
Jim and his dad are very similar. Beyond their musical interests and physical attributes, they both have a kindness and selflessness that I rarely see (to that extent) in others. I will miss him terribly. I understand the days, months, and years will be rough...to say the least. No one can prepare themselves for this loss. I pray Jim will be able to find comfort in his family and friends.
Thank you all for the kind words. This community means so much to Jim and will help him get through this time.
Alison
Look for another post and hopefully a picture of Jim Jr.
I sure did like him.
Kristin
Here is the Obit from the Lansing State Journal...
James Theodore "Jim" Alfredson Jr.
Okemos, MI
Jim died unexpectedly at his home on May 9, 2008 at the age of 67. Born December 6, 1940, He graduated from Perry High School. He served in the U.S. Army before entering a career as a professional guitarist/musician and songwriter. As a young man, he traveled the country extensively playing music, but it was back home in Michigan that he met and married Verna Lou Cogswell. Together they raised seven children and during that time Jim composed the songs of Gabriel's Horn.
Being a father, his schedule as a musician no longer suited him. Jim began an apprenticeship learning how to tune and repair pianos. He quickly learned the trade and created his own business, Calliope Piano Service, which served the greater Lansing area for nearly 30 years. In 1997 Jim's wife of nearly three decades, Verna, died of cancer and he was grief-stricken for several years. It was during this time that Jim composed his dissertation, Under the Sun, which he considers his most important work.
Fortunately, God is great and Jim met another angel on Earth. His second wife, Venecia, loved and cherished him and revived his spirit. Remarried April 24, 2005, Jim spent his remaining years doing what he loved: being a father to his children and Papa to his grandchildren, playing guitar, reading theology and philosophy, writing his journals, managing his website and blog (www.thepilgrimtraveler.com), cooking, tending to his plants, listening to birds, and watching the sky.
His father, James Theodore Alfredson Sr. and his first wife Verna preceded Jim in death. He is survived by his mother, Doris Himebaugh of Mt. Pleasant; his wife, Venecia Burner-Alfredson of Okemos; his eight children: Jennifer Alfredson of Holt, Shelly (Matt) Jones of Owosso, Sarah (Steve) Case of White Lake, James (Alison) Alfredson III of Lansing, Justin Michael Alfredson of Lansing, Julianna (Shawn) Shaltry of East Lansing, Jessica (Eric) Alfredson of Lansing, Natalie Walsh of Lansing; and six grandchildren: Alexander, Kevin, Zora, Sophia, Lucy, and Stella. "He that dwelleth in the secret place of the Most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty." Psalm 91. Jim was a spiritual teacher who believed that simple faith is the foundation of inner peace and security, of the love needed to continue. His words, beliefs and teachings will forever stay with us in his absence. Jim will be deeply missed, and never forgotten, by all who knew and loved him.
There will be a celebration of Jim's life held 2:00 p.m. Tuesday, May 13, 2008 at the Estes-Leadley Greater Lansing Chapel, burial will take place in Maple Ridge Cemetery, Holt, Michigan. The family will receive friends 5:00-8:00 p.m. Monday at the funeral home.
Published in the Lansing State Journal - May 11, 2008
A tribute to James Theordore Alfredson Jr
This is what Jim read at his dads funeral.
First, let me speak for the family and extend our thanks for the outpouring of support we have received from everyone. I would especially like to thank those in attendance today. It would please Dad immensely to know how much he was admired and loved. For a man who proudly had an air of solitude around him, he had many people who loved him and he never failed to make a lasting impact on the people he met.
Just this past December, I attended the funeral of the patriarch of my wife’s family, her grandfather, Mr. LeRoy Henry. It was at this very funeral home, in this very room, in fact. As I sat in the audience watching the tears stream from the faces of LeRoy’s children, listening to them speak so proudly of their father, and sharing memories of his life and work, I could not help but contemplate my own father’s passing. I thought about how I would cope with his death, what I would say about the man and his life, and how large his presence loomed in my life and the life of our family.
I did not think I would have to face his death so soon.
My Dad was a good father. Above all else he loved his family and held a special, unconditional love in his heart for all his children. He guided us with a firm, but gentle hand. He did not burden us with expectations, other than that we love each other and be honest at all times. He did not force us into careers or shove us into churches or demand we attend higher education or use guilt to make us fulfill some dream of his that he never achieved. He instead let us become who we are, on our own terms and at our own pace, and he reveled in our differences. I remember him telling me over and over when I was a little boy that there was no one in the world like me, there would never be another person like me, that my mind was my own, and that I was unique. He let us think for ourselves and learn for ourselves and make mistakes for ourselves, always ready to answer any questions or help at any time us if we lost our step.
He was a strong-willed man. He was an extremely stubborn man. He lived his life on his own terms. He loathed poor workmanship and respected quality craftsmanship. He did not value money. He worked very hard and considered hard work a blessing. He loved to work with his hands. He liked boxes. He was a voracious reader and considered himself a philosopher. He loved nature and birds. He never did anything half-way. I remember back at the farm when he suddenly got into wind chimes. He brought home one set and the next thing we knew the entire porch was blocked by hundreds of hanging wind chimes, creating a wild, wind-powered chorus of atonal anarchy… which he thought was fantastic!
He loved writing words and writing music. He loved playing the guitar, but he always told me he was a frustrated organist. He was thrilled when I found the instrument on my own and he always supported my music. I owe my music to him.
I will be honest and admit we had some dark times. He had demons with which he fought, usually using the wrong means to combat them. He could be irritable, cranky, and sometimes downright mean, especially in the mornings. But I understand now that he was fighting with alcoholism, a disease which can turn a man against those he loves. He was not always himself, for a long time.
When Mom died, his grief was so great we all feared he would not make it. His demons seemed to be winning the battle a bit more everyday. He lost himself in the bottle. The pain of her death hit him so forcefully that it seemed impossible for us to console him, especially since we were all dealing with the sudden loss ourselves. For awhile, the family seemed irreparably fragmented.
But the strength of the family prevailed. The past few years of his life saw him happier and more peaceful than ever. I told my wife many times that he was like a changed man, but really I think he had uncovered and returned to his real self. That kind, gentle, funny, charismatic and handsome self that my mother fell in love with all those years ago. I place the credit for his transformation solely on Venecia and her immense love for him. Without her, he would never have lived to see his grandchildren. He would never have reconciled with his mother. He would never have achieved a life so happy and so content. With Venecia’s help, he finally faced his demons and he won. I thank you, Venecia, from the very bottom of my heart for what you gave to my father and to the family through your love and commitment. You gave us all a real second chance. You are and will always be an integral part of this family.
Now that he is gone, we siblings must trust in the knowledge that he gave us to guide us through the rest of our lives. We can’t pick up the phone and call him for advice. We can’t come over and sit with him in the office or on the back porch. He won’t be there, smiling as he answers the door. He won’t show up, unannounced, to have lunch and see the kids. He will no longer be at the table for Easter or Thanksgiving or Christmas.
But I believe that he will always be with us and within us, if we take heed of his legacy:
Practice the simple faith.
Don’t worry about the small stuff.
Where there is a will, there is a way.
Belief creates; doubt destroys.
Love overcomes all.
And all is as it should be.
I’d like to end with a few short quotes from Dad’s blog.
“I have always appreciated those of us who dare to take a chance, to follow their dreams, even though the rest of the world thought them crazy. I am such an individual, not nearly as successful as [others], in a worldly sense, but, in my own way, I am. My life has been full and varied, interesting, rewarding, and of great value to me. I enjoy being here, now. I take time to smell the roses, as it were, and love my life to the fullest. I hope you also take time to listen to the birds, smell the sweet breezes, feel the rain on you face: all is good and as it should be. Don’t waste your short life listening to the bummers: they are all on an elevator that is forever going down. Push the ‘up’ button and find ultimate beauty and meaning in what, who, and where you are.”
“Follow your dream and don’t let anyone relieve you of it: it’s yours and yours only. Never follow anybody else, don’t take what they offer, don’t believe their lies. Trust your inner being: you know more about yourself than anyone else in the universe.”
“Life is now and that’s all it is. Better get with it before it’s gone.”
May you rest in peace, Dad. We will always love you.
James Theordore Alfredson III
May 13, 2008
This is what Alison wrote....
I thought I should share a thought or two about my father-in-law. He was an amazing man and I clearly remember the first day I met him. At that time he was still in a state of recovery after Jim's mom's death. Within the last 7 years he proved himself as an exceptionally attentive man to his entire family and friends. He always gave advice, and the kind one wants to get. I was so blessed to have him in my life and in Zora's life. I am very saddened that she won't even remember how much she loved him and their time together.
Jim and his dad are very similar. Beyond their musical interests and physical attributes, they both have a kindness and selflessness that I rarely see (to that extent) in others. I will miss him terribly. I understand the days, months, and years will be rough...to say the least. No one can prepare themselves for this loss. I pray Jim will be able to find comfort in his family and friends.
Thank you all for the kind words. This community means so much to Jim and will help him get through this time.
Alison
Secret scrolls
I have two calendar pages from "The Secret" that I'd like to share.
I like this... This means that if you ask for a safe journey on your daily travels, you must be an part of it. You may not drive 90 mph in a 35 mph zone and expect to have the blessings. You are contradicting what you have asked for... This also means if you want to be at your perfect weight, you must start with what you put in your grocery cart and bring home. A cart full of sugar is a contradiction to the request you have made.
The second calendar page is about feelings.
I have noticed that as we go through the process of flipping these houses, I am finding that I am not stressing out, not getting angry about the progress or lack of it, or of the requests people are making of me, or the unlimited amount of questions that I get asked some days. I decided when we started this project that it wasn't something to stress over. I knew ahead of time that it was going to be a challenge & that it was OK. I have gotten frustrated some days, but those days have been very few. I decided to make this fun and it really has been fun. Going into this with a certain attitude has, in my opinion, made all the difference in the world.
Have a great day!
Kristin
Think about what you have asked for, and make sure that your actions are mirroring what you expect to receive, and that they're not contradiciting what you've asked for. Act as if you are receiving it. Do exactly what you would do if you were receiving it today, and take actions in your life to reflect that powerful expectation. Make room to receive your desires, and as you do, you are sending out that powerful signal of expectation.
I like this... This means that if you ask for a safe journey on your daily travels, you must be an part of it. You may not drive 90 mph in a 35 mph zone and expect to have the blessings. You are contradicting what you have asked for... This also means if you want to be at your perfect weight, you must start with what you put in your grocery cart and bring home. A cart full of sugar is a contradiction to the request you have made.
The second calendar page is about feelings.
As you become more and more aware of how you are feeling, you will become more aware of your words and thoughts. It gets easier and easier. And so when you hear yourself say something you don't want, just restate what it is you do want. For example, a common thing that people say is, "I am tired." If you say that with the whole day ahead of you, you are ordering up from the Universe a tough day full of fatigue. So I would change those words to something like, "I am now drawing in unlimited energy. I am feeling more energized with each second. I feel amazing." All of your power with the law of attraction is now, and by intensely feeling what you want, you can change anything.
I have noticed that as we go through the process of flipping these houses, I am finding that I am not stressing out, not getting angry about the progress or lack of it, or of the requests people are making of me, or the unlimited amount of questions that I get asked some days. I decided when we started this project that it wasn't something to stress over. I knew ahead of time that it was going to be a challenge & that it was OK. I have gotten frustrated some days, but those days have been very few. I decided to make this fun and it really has been fun. Going into this with a certain attitude has, in my opinion, made all the difference in the world.
Have a great day!
Kristin
It's Summer
It has arrived!
90˚ days
Humidity
Sunshine beating through the curtains
What month is it?
Oh, It's May...in Florida
How quickly I forget how hot it can get.
Have a nice day!
Kristin
Friday, May 09, 2008
The Kitchen
This is a kitchen display in IKEA - but this is the kitchen we picked out for Jupiter Ct. The upper cabinets in our kitchen will be all closed, except for one on the very end, which will have glass doors.Tom fell head over heels in love with the sink pictured here. I didn't think he liked the apron front, but apparantly he does! In real life, that sink is massive. It extends out from the front of the cabinets about an inch. The space on either side of the faucet is wide and lovely. We have not picked out a faucet that I love yet. Hopefully the best faucet for the job will show itself to me in the next couple of days. (It must be reasonably priced)
We purchased butcher block for the counter top - so pretty much, this is our kitchen!
Thursday, May 08, 2008
Fun Lighting
This is such a cool light fixture from IKEA. There is a space between the light and outside wall of the fixture where you are encouraged to put things in that space. These happen to be straws, but you can put anythign lightweight in there. The message on the side says not to fill with water. I can see why someone would think it would be OK, but water is heavy for one and doesn't get along well with electricity for another.This would be delightful if you wanted to fill the void with christmas ornaments or pine cones (Ones that have no sap remaining) or tissue paper or maybe a those large thumb tacks...have you seen those? They are two inches long or more. Kind of unusual.
This might be fun to put in Jupiter Court over the dining room table area... I hadn't thought of it until right now - I just took a picture of it because I thought it was fun.
I'll be posting more IKEA pictures in the next week. Enjoy!
Kristin
Jupiter's main bath
This is the bathroom vanity that we found for the main bathroom for Jupiter Court. This is an IKEA vanity and sink. We are getting the sink, the cabinet under the sink and the three drawer unit next to the sink.
This picture is just half of the display, which had two three drawer units and two sinks -- we don't have that much room.
We also got the butcher block top, too. The kitchen will have a butcher block counter top and a white porcelain sink - so this will flow quite nicely with the updates we have in mind. The tub is white, the toilet is going to be white, too. We will probably put beadboard around the entire room, subway tiles in white surrounding the tub and I think we may put those small white octogon tiles on the floor - but that is still up in the air.
We picked up the cabinets and the countertop when we were at IKEA the other day, however the sink was not in stock. It should be in stock tomorrow & I'll have to run down to Orlando to pick it up.
So that's the main bathroom for the house. I think it is going to be lovely.
Have a great day!
Kristin
Wednesday, May 07, 2008
Planet Earth Video
This is a beautiful little video from The Secret. It is 3 minutes long and has a lovely soundtrack - although speakers are not absolutely necessary.
I adore The Secret. I have the video, two books now (I have used a highlighter in one & marked up nearly every page) and I just recently purchased the unabridged audio set to play in my car. I will be driving to Michigan in a few weeks and I am going to enjoy having the audio playing during my drive.
Enjoy the video & look around The Secret website if you get a chance.
Have a great day!
Kristin
I adore The Secret. I have the video, two books now (I have used a highlighter in one & marked up nearly every page) and I just recently purchased the unabridged audio set to play in my car. I will be driving to Michigan in a few weeks and I am going to enjoy having the audio playing during my drive.
Enjoy the video & look around The Secret website if you get a chance.
Have a great day!
Kristin
WFMW - Water
This week Shannon over at Rocks in my Dryer is doing a themed version - What Doesn't Work for Me (and others.)
I have to tell you, I have struggled with this. I have complaints about things, but I forget what they are until someone brings it up and then I say -- Oh ya - I forgot about that!
Last night I finally came up with something that does not work for me.
The sound of running, babbling, crashing, or otherwise noisy water. In our previous home we had pool with a little hot tub(ish) area off to the side and water spilled from the hot tub area into the pool. The sound drove me crazy. When I could get away with it, I would turn off the pool pump. My favorite time of day outside by the pool was after dark when the pool pump retired for the evening.
We spent a week in Vieques in a lovely lovely home on the "rough" side of the island. (My In-Laws invited us to stay with them - What a treat!!!) The ocean crashed against the cliffs. Day in and day out. Crash Crash. I thought I was going to lose my mind. I was never so happy to go home.
Last night I spent the night in a hotel room - the faucet dripped. All Night. (Hence the inspiration for this topic!) I finally figured out how to silence it and reported it to the front desk in the morning.
I love a good shower, a nice bath, doing dishes (honest - I love to do dishes) - but the noise of water drives me batty.
Please go to Shannon's blog and read what others have posted and leave me a message so I can come visit you!
Have a great day!
Kristin
Tuesday, May 06, 2008
IKEA
I just knew I'd be awake in the middle of the night tonight. We are just a few miles from one of my favorite places, IKEA, and my head is just bursting with ideas. Most people come to Orlando, FL to see the mouse and all of his friends - I come because of Swedish furniture. The Grand Opening of this IKEA was Nov. 14th, 2007. I ha a post-it on my computer desk for months with that date on it. I wanted to come down here for the Grand Opening, but as the day approached, I decided to wait until I really had something to purchase.
Tom designed an IKEA kitchen for the Jupiter Ct. house, so we came down here hauling a trailer, to pick up the kitchen cabinets and find two nice bathroom vanities as well. The kitchen is going to have white cabinets with beadboard door inserts & butcherblock counter tops. The appliances will all be stainless steel and Tom found this cool modern looking hood of stainless steel and glass, that I think will look real good with everything else.
So, I'm awake at 4am. My husband is sound asleep and snoring up a storm. I keep mentally wandering through the IKEA stores that I have been to, looking at all of the fun kitchen stuff, lighting and furniture. My house needs nothing. I have more than enough. The flips on the other hand, are so lacking that it is hard to not furnish them. We aren't selling them furnished, but we are staging, so I want a few things...but in a store like IKEA it is hard to just buy a few things.
Mr. Ingvar Kamprad (& family) that owns IKEA is the 7th wealthiest person in the world, according to the latest Forbes list. So the fact that I have a hard time buying just a few things is not something that is unique - Lots of people purchase IKEA products.
I just looked this up on Wikipedia "The acronym IKEA is made up of the initials of his name (Ingvar Kamprad) plus those of Elmtaryd, the family farm where he was born; and the nearby village Agunnaryd." I did not know this. I'm not sure how the nearby village got figured into the name, maybe it was just because Mr. Kamprad didn't want his store to be called IKE. I figured IKEA was a swedish word for "put it together yourself" or "flat pack" or possibly "No words, just pictures."
I am going to head back to bed. I'm starting to yawn, so that is a great sign. Night all.
Have a great day!
Kristin
Tom designed an IKEA kitchen for the Jupiter Ct. house, so we came down here hauling a trailer, to pick up the kitchen cabinets and find two nice bathroom vanities as well. The kitchen is going to have white cabinets with beadboard door inserts & butcherblock counter tops. The appliances will all be stainless steel and Tom found this cool modern looking hood of stainless steel and glass, that I think will look real good with everything else.
So, I'm awake at 4am. My husband is sound asleep and snoring up a storm. I keep mentally wandering through the IKEA stores that I have been to, looking at all of the fun kitchen stuff, lighting and furniture. My house needs nothing. I have more than enough. The flips on the other hand, are so lacking that it is hard to not furnish them. We aren't selling them furnished, but we are staging, so I want a few things...but in a store like IKEA it is hard to just buy a few things.
Mr. Ingvar Kamprad (& family) that owns IKEA is the 7th wealthiest person in the world, according to the latest Forbes list. So the fact that I have a hard time buying just a few things is not something that is unique - Lots of people purchase IKEA products.
I just looked this up on Wikipedia "The acronym IKEA is made up of the initials of his name (Ingvar Kamprad) plus those of Elmtaryd, the family farm where he was born; and the nearby village Agunnaryd." I did not know this. I'm not sure how the nearby village got figured into the name, maybe it was just because Mr. Kamprad didn't want his store to be called IKE. I figured IKEA was a swedish word for "put it together yourself" or "flat pack" or possibly "No words, just pictures."
I am going to head back to bed. I'm starting to yawn, so that is a great sign. Night all.
Have a great day!
Kristin
Monday, May 05, 2008
New stuff!
Now that we have started working on these flip houses, I see other things in my life that need to be spruced up. I have done something about a few of those things this past week. I bought new shoes and socks, that I mentioned recently but the other day I bought something even more exciting...
Bra's and underwear!
Ooooh the joys of new underthings.
The underwear, was in a smaller size, too. Gotta love that.
Oprah once had on a guest who said that bras should only be worn one day, then handwashed. So in order to go a full week, you'd need to have more than just two bras - smart huh? Well, I loved that suggestion and followed it for quite some time, until fairly recently.
OK, OK... I didn't handwash my bras, but I did buy a little bra holder for the washer. It is round and had a zipper and it holds two bras. I toss it into the regular cycle and then hang the bras up to dry. The reason why I had not been doing this as of late is because my bra supply had dwindled. I was down to just two bras. I don't do laundry that often anymore.
Now I have one bra for each day of the week, they all fit and I can do laundry once a week and have a nice clean bra to wear each day. It seems like such a little thing, but it wasn't. I'm so happy to have nice undergarments.
It is so much fun to get some new stuff every so often.
Have a great day!
Kristin
Bra's and underwear!
Ooooh the joys of new underthings.
The underwear, was in a smaller size, too. Gotta love that.
Oprah once had on a guest who said that bras should only be worn one day, then handwashed. So in order to go a full week, you'd need to have more than just two bras - smart huh? Well, I loved that suggestion and followed it for quite some time, until fairly recently.
OK, OK... I didn't handwash my bras, but I did buy a little bra holder for the washer. It is round and had a zipper and it holds two bras. I toss it into the regular cycle and then hang the bras up to dry. The reason why I had not been doing this as of late is because my bra supply had dwindled. I was down to just two bras. I don't do laundry that often anymore.
Now I have one bra for each day of the week, they all fit and I can do laundry once a week and have a nice clean bra to wear each day. It seems like such a little thing, but it wasn't. I'm so happy to have nice undergarments.
It is so much fun to get some new stuff every so often.
Have a great day!
Kristin
Sunday, May 04, 2008
Write Zoom
Sometimes a song gets stuck in my brain - it can last a day or so...Most of the time, it's just a few minutes. Sometimes things get stuck in my brain for years and years.
Write Zoom
Zeee double O M
Box 35 0hhh
Boston Mass
Ohhh 2134
Send it to Zoom, yaaa
Now they have Zmail and other assorted ways to send stuff to Zoom, but I can still hear the jingle in my head...
Write Zoom
Zeee double O M
Box 35 0hhh
Boston Mass
Ohhh 2134
Send it to Zoom, yaaa
Write Zoom
Zeee double O M
Box 35 0hhh
Boston Mass
Ohhh 2134
Send it to Zoom, yaaa
Now they have Zmail and other assorted ways to send stuff to Zoom, but I can still hear the jingle in my head...
Write Zoom
Zeee double O M
Box 35 0hhh
Boston Mass
Ohhh 2134
Send it to Zoom, yaaa
Mocha's cat bed
This is Mocha. This is Mocha's cat bed.
Mocha's cat bed sits next to my computer chair.
Mocha likes it when I rest my hand on her back as I sit in the computer chair.
It is difficult to type with my hand on her back.
Normally Mocha is not sitting up, but rather laying flat out - but when I turned on the camera she hopped right up.
If Mocha is not in her cat bed, but still wants me to pay some attention to her, she will get behind my chair and poke me in the rear end. I think she could do that for hours - but I don't let her!
This cat bed was a gift from my sister, Hillary. Mocha loves Hillary.
Kristin
Saturday, May 03, 2008
Master Bedroom
It's a Window! A window to the world - you can open the window and get fresh air, you can close the window. But unless you take off the screen, going through the window is not really an option.
It's a Door! In a few weeks there will be a patio outside that door. It is going to make that Master Bedroom feel just huge! Morning coffee can be had outside on the private patio, maybe even a late evening sunset watching or even just enjoying a cold glass of iced tea on a Sunday afternoon.
Friday, May 02, 2008
Crayons
I found this site, while I was Stumbling along the internet. Color + Design Blog It gives a brief little history of Crayola crayons and has some stunning pictures of crayons. I do love a nice new box of Crayola crayons! I'm over 40 years old and crayons are still such a joy.
I post on a website where you can insert color numbers into the HTML and the website above had a really cool chart of all of the Crayola colors with their HTML numbers - so I printed off a sheet - but the colors didn't print - only the names. So I took a captured the screen shot of the colors and made them into graphics. How fun!
Here they are folks - all 120 color names, colors and HTML numbers for those colors. (actually I don't think it is ALL of the color names because I don't see Indian Red or Flesh and I used to color with both of those)
Enjoy!!
I post on a website where you can insert color numbers into the HTML and the website above had a really cool chart of all of the Crayola colors with their HTML numbers - so I printed off a sheet - but the colors didn't print - only the names. So I took a captured the screen shot of the colors and made them into graphics. How fun!
Here they are folks - all 120 color names, colors and HTML numbers for those colors. (actually I don't think it is ALL of the color names because I don't see Indian Red or Flesh and I used to color with both of those)
Enjoy!!
Buddy & Beverly
Buddy and Beverly called me last year in March, I do believe, to ask if I had a place to rent. Buddy was going on the Lung transplant list in a few weeks and they were going to move from Okeechobee, FL for the few months it would take for him to get a Lung transplant. I showed them Avanti (my larger one bedroom unit) and chatted up a storm with them. I adored them. Buddy was quite tall and thin, but had a scruffy voice and a great laugh. Beverly was just sweet. She was my height (5'2" or so) and had a voice that was just like silk. They talked about Okeechobee and their grandkids and using the computer and movies they liked and about the transplant and how I got through it all.
I left town for a few days and that was the weekend that Buddy and Beverly needed to move in, of course, so Tom went and signed the lease with them and gave them the keys. Tom nicknamed them "The Puppies" because he thought Buddy and Beverly sounded like puppy names. So from then on we affectionately called them "The Puppies"
The Puppies called today. I dropped mail off at the puppies place today.
Before Buddy was even officially listed on the Mayo Transplant list, he was called. They had a lung for him. Oh goodness, that was great news. Buddy was so tall that it really had to be a certain size lung to suit his frame. He received the lung and his recovery began.
He was the perfect patient. He healed well, he recovered well, he did his exercises, took his medication, and had the highest spirit. The grandkids came to visit, they sent cards and letters and pictures when they weren't there. It was my idea of a really great transplant experience.
About a month ago I got a phone call that Buddy was in the hospital and did I have place for them to stay. The lung had become fragile and Buddy wasn't doing so well. He had been in the hospital now for a month already. I didn't have a place for them, but I would put them at the very top of my list. Tom had a doctors appointment at Mayo last week, so we both made a point to go up and see them. I arrived first and I didn't even recognize Buddy. He seemed small and Beverly just lit up when she saw me, that was so nice. She looked remarkably well. I don't know if I could have looked so good after spending over a month in the hospital with a sick husband. Buddy knew who I was immediately and the three of us chatted for about an hour before Tom arrived. Buddy said that the 6 months post transplant was just the greatest time. It was his first time in a long time that he was active and healthy, he got to play golf and run after his grandkids, he didn't have to worry about getting a breath. He said that no matter what happened it was worth every second of the waiting, the testing, the transplant and the recovery. He was so grateful to have been able to be a normal person again. Beverly even said that Buddy lived every one of those days to the fullest and that it was so exciting to see.
A few days ago I got a call from one of my other renters that they were going to be leaving in two weeks. Great News! I love it when my transplant patients are well enough to go home. I called Beverly to tell her that I had a condo for her. It was my smaller unit, but it was available and it wasn't a hotel room. She called back to say that Buddy was in a downhill fall and that the next 72 hours would determine his fate. She didn't sound hopeful.
Oh dear.
I got an email last night that Buddy died on April 30th. I don't know any other details at the moment.
I am so glad I got a chance to meet these wonderful people. I'm so glad that Buddy got 6 months of a fairly care-free life. I am so grateful for the Mayo Clinic.
Thanks Buddy and Beverly for allowing me to be a part of your lives. My prayers go out to you and your family.
Kristin
***Update. Beverly said that her kids were with her when Buddy died and that they made sure that she got home alright. I am so grateful that someone was with her and Buddy.
I left town for a few days and that was the weekend that Buddy and Beverly needed to move in, of course, so Tom went and signed the lease with them and gave them the keys. Tom nicknamed them "The Puppies" because he thought Buddy and Beverly sounded like puppy names. So from then on we affectionately called them "The Puppies"
The Puppies called today. I dropped mail off at the puppies place today.
Before Buddy was even officially listed on the Mayo Transplant list, he was called. They had a lung for him. Oh goodness, that was great news. Buddy was so tall that it really had to be a certain size lung to suit his frame. He received the lung and his recovery began.
He was the perfect patient. He healed well, he recovered well, he did his exercises, took his medication, and had the highest spirit. The grandkids came to visit, they sent cards and letters and pictures when they weren't there. It was my idea of a really great transplant experience.
About a month ago I got a phone call that Buddy was in the hospital and did I have place for them to stay. The lung had become fragile and Buddy wasn't doing so well. He had been in the hospital now for a month already. I didn't have a place for them, but I would put them at the very top of my list. Tom had a doctors appointment at Mayo last week, so we both made a point to go up and see them. I arrived first and I didn't even recognize Buddy. He seemed small and Beverly just lit up when she saw me, that was so nice. She looked remarkably well. I don't know if I could have looked so good after spending over a month in the hospital with a sick husband. Buddy knew who I was immediately and the three of us chatted for about an hour before Tom arrived. Buddy said that the 6 months post transplant was just the greatest time. It was his first time in a long time that he was active and healthy, he got to play golf and run after his grandkids, he didn't have to worry about getting a breath. He said that no matter what happened it was worth every second of the waiting, the testing, the transplant and the recovery. He was so grateful to have been able to be a normal person again. Beverly even said that Buddy lived every one of those days to the fullest and that it was so exciting to see.
A few days ago I got a call from one of my other renters that they were going to be leaving in two weeks. Great News! I love it when my transplant patients are well enough to go home. I called Beverly to tell her that I had a condo for her. It was my smaller unit, but it was available and it wasn't a hotel room. She called back to say that Buddy was in a downhill fall and that the next 72 hours would determine his fate. She didn't sound hopeful.
Oh dear.
I got an email last night that Buddy died on April 30th. I don't know any other details at the moment.
I am so glad I got a chance to meet these wonderful people. I'm so glad that Buddy got 6 months of a fairly care-free life. I am so grateful for the Mayo Clinic.
Thanks Buddy and Beverly for allowing me to be a part of your lives. My prayers go out to you and your family.
Kristin
***Update. Beverly said that her kids were with her when Buddy died and that they made sure that she got home alright. I am so grateful that someone was with her and Buddy.
Thursday, May 01, 2008
May Day
Today is May Day. I remember a few times when I was a kid I picked flowers and left them at the front door of my neighbors houses in little paper bags. The first day of May in Michigan is never constant and the flowers that are blooming May first is always an unknown. If we have an early spring, I can pick daffodils on my sisters birthday April 7th. That hasn't happened many times.
The past few years I've lived in Florida on May Day and the day comes and goes without much notice on my part. Spring is almost over by that time and I am not looking forward to the day as much as I did in Michigan.
Today however, I made a special trip to the store and I purchased two small "flower bowls" and gave them to Virginia & Sharon - two of my neighbors. The flower bowls were planted with several different plants but could sit on a table rather than being a hanging plant. The flower bowls will look nice on their patios.
I had fun - I placed the flowers in front of their doors. I put a little card in the foliage that just said Happy May Day - Love, Kristin
They both loved the flowers and enjoyed the thoughtfulness. I liked that just a little thing can connect you with your neighbors.
I hope you had a happy May Day.
Kristin
The past few years I've lived in Florida on May Day and the day comes and goes without much notice on my part. Spring is almost over by that time and I am not looking forward to the day as much as I did in Michigan.
Today however, I made a special trip to the store and I purchased two small "flower bowls" and gave them to Virginia & Sharon - two of my neighbors. The flower bowls were planted with several different plants but could sit on a table rather than being a hanging plant. The flower bowls will look nice on their patios.
I had fun - I placed the flowers in front of their doors. I put a little card in the foliage that just said Happy May Day - Love, Kristin
They both loved the flowers and enjoyed the thoughtfulness. I liked that just a little thing can connect you with your neighbors.
I hope you had a happy May Day.
Kristin
Wednesday, April 30, 2008
April links
WFMW - sleeping haven
Auctions
Rice Salad
The back steps
Before and During
Photo Fun!
Sparkle
First Class Postage
Happy Birthday Zora!!
My old room
WFMW - gmail
Big Give
New Shoes
Stella
Zora's Haircut
More Baby Pics!
She's Here!! She's here!!
The Patio Door
Electricians, Plumbers & Contractors
Boy or Girl???
Flipping saga
WFMW Pill Container
Flip Pics
Jupiter Day Three
Springfield Days 1 & 2
Juptier Day Three
Pics day two
Jupiter Day Two
Zora Mail
Pictures of Day One
Jupiter Court Day 1
Just funny
Us Girls
Cool, very cool
Nervous Nellie
WFMW - The Dishes
Milk for Kitties
Bye Bye Tiki stuff
Happy Birthday Alison
Funny
Springfield Ct.
Cool Building
Flipping Wonderful!
Caffeine
Spelling Alphabet
WFMW - Greatest Hits
I am grateful
Auctions
Rice Salad
The back steps
Before and During
Photo Fun!
Sparkle
First Class Postage
Happy Birthday Zora!!
My old room
WFMW - gmail
Big Give
New Shoes
Stella
Zora's Haircut
More Baby Pics!
She's Here!! She's here!!
The Patio Door
Electricians, Plumbers & Contractors
Boy or Girl???
Flipping saga
WFMW Pill Container
Flip Pics
Jupiter Day Three
Springfield Days 1 & 2
Juptier Day Three
Pics day two
Jupiter Day Two
Zora Mail
Pictures of Day One
Jupiter Court Day 1
Just funny
Us Girls
Cool, very cool
Nervous Nellie
WFMW - The Dishes
Milk for Kitties
Bye Bye Tiki stuff
Happy Birthday Alison
Funny
Springfield Ct.
Cool Building
Flipping Wonderful!
Caffeine
Spelling Alphabet
WFMW - Greatest Hits
I am grateful
WFMW - sleeping haven
My Tip this week is about creating a great sleeping and resting place in the Masterbedroom. When I was a kid, all I had was my bedroom. I will admit it was a disaster. I was a kid, though, and the pressures of the world weren't on me yet, but even then I never slept with anything else on my bed except for me and the comforter.
When I was on my own finally and figuring out life, I learned a valuable lesson - Never bring anything into the Masterbedroom. I expanded that to include NOT sleeping with the bed half full of junk. Have your bed, nightstands, clock, lamps and your one or two books, but that's it folks. Don't pile up your laundry, your stash and dash laundry baskets of clutter from other rooms, luggage, paperwork, childrens toys, etc. If your bedroom is for sleeping and relaxing, then make that room a haven by keeping all of the clutter of life out of it. Having piles of possessions hovering around you all night is distracting, even if you don't realize it. I have met people who do paperwork in their bed and then fall asleep with the paperwork still on their beds. Please don't do this to yourself. Get everything off the bed that doesn't belong. You deserve to have a peaceful place to sleep.
I have pack-rat-abilities and I have a few closets stuffed with STUFF! I have clutter and paper piled high in some places. I have a little storage closet that is so full, oh my, I may never find anything in there again this year, but I truly, honestly have a minimalist bedroom. It is easy to keep dusted, vacuumed and tidy. I don't trip on anything or stub my toes when making my way to bed. Keeping all of the drama of life out of the bedroom makes it a very peaceful place indeed.
It took me years to figure this out - "Don't bring anything into the Masterbedroom" and I am so happy to pass this tip along to you today.
Have a great day and thanks for stopping by,
Kristin
Tuesday, April 29, 2008
Auctions
I love a good auction.
Sofa Express and More! has been in bankruptcy for awhile now, but the countdown to closing their store has been going on for the past month. Yesterday was the LAST DAY - everything must go! Well, everything didn't go - so there was an auction tonight. It was a lot of fun. They had about 20 guys hauling the furniture up to the stage - some hauling, some holding, some moving stuff off the stage - it was like a dance, with large pieces of furniture. It was one of the fastest auctions I've ever been to.
One of our Flip houses is being occupied by one of our worker bees. So far he has a bed.
Just a bed. Plus: One pillow, two sets of sheets and a comforter.
Needless to say, he will have no problem lounging (when the house is finished) in the house on his new sofas. a chair or two, some lamps, quite a few pieces of fun artwork and an ottoman or two. I think I got a side table, too - Oh and a really cool white buffet, with silver door pulls. It was part of a set, but they decided to sell it separately and about 30 minutes after they sold the set, so I got a great price on it -- $50 maybe? Something like that. Awesome Price. Awesome piece.
I have to say - Tom bought the UGLIEST couch. We didn't even bring it home tonight, so no pictures yet, but I hate it. I turned around to look at a table and the next thing I know the woman next to me said - "I can't believe that guy you're with, just bought that!" I thought it was a joke. Seriously. It was truly ugly. I can't wait to see it in the daylight. I hope it improves. He has volunteered to put it up for sale on Craig's List - I just don't think I will be able to stage a house with it.
I just don't want to continue to say how awful I think it is, for fear that someone that reads this will think it is just lovely.
But.... ugh.
I had a really nice time, minus the couch incident. We got several awesome pieces that will work great as staging for Jupiter Court or Springfield. We got some really nice artwork, two floor lamps that match and a few side chairs that will be fun additions to the staging. Oh, I also got some fun bamboo sidetables (they are lightweight!!!) I was not going to get a single table that I couldn't move easily by myself - and those bamboo tables were perfect!! I can even paint them if need be.
I'll take pictures of everything tomorrow I hope. I have to go fix a TV over at one of the rental condo's -- or buy them a new one. So Tom and Robert will be moving all of the furniture tomorrow while I do TV duty. Hopefully I'll catch up with it all and get some photos before it's all piled into a shed.
Have a great day!
Kristin
Sofa Express and More! has been in bankruptcy for awhile now, but the countdown to closing their store has been going on for the past month. Yesterday was the LAST DAY - everything must go! Well, everything didn't go - so there was an auction tonight. It was a lot of fun. They had about 20 guys hauling the furniture up to the stage - some hauling, some holding, some moving stuff off the stage - it was like a dance, with large pieces of furniture. It was one of the fastest auctions I've ever been to.
One of our Flip houses is being occupied by one of our worker bees. So far he has a bed.
Just a bed. Plus: One pillow, two sets of sheets and a comforter.
Needless to say, he will have no problem lounging (when the house is finished) in the house on his new sofas. a chair or two, some lamps, quite a few pieces of fun artwork and an ottoman or two. I think I got a side table, too - Oh and a really cool white buffet, with silver door pulls. It was part of a set, but they decided to sell it separately and about 30 minutes after they sold the set, so I got a great price on it -- $50 maybe? Something like that. Awesome Price. Awesome piece.
I have to say - Tom bought the UGLIEST couch. We didn't even bring it home tonight, so no pictures yet, but I hate it. I turned around to look at a table and the next thing I know the woman next to me said - "I can't believe that guy you're with, just bought that!" I thought it was a joke. Seriously. It was truly ugly. I can't wait to see it in the daylight. I hope it improves. He has volunteered to put it up for sale on Craig's List - I just don't think I will be able to stage a house with it.
I just don't want to continue to say how awful I think it is, for fear that someone that reads this will think it is just lovely.
But.... ugh.
I had a really nice time, minus the couch incident. We got several awesome pieces that will work great as staging for Jupiter Court or Springfield. We got some really nice artwork, two floor lamps that match and a few side chairs that will be fun additions to the staging. Oh, I also got some fun bamboo sidetables (they are lightweight!!!) I was not going to get a single table that I couldn't move easily by myself - and those bamboo tables were perfect!! I can even paint them if need be.
I'll take pictures of everything tomorrow I hope. I have to go fix a TV over at one of the rental condo's -- or buy them a new one. So Tom and Robert will be moving all of the furniture tomorrow while I do TV duty. Hopefully I'll catch up with it all and get some photos before it's all piled into a shed.
Have a great day!
Kristin
Monday, April 28, 2008
Rice Salad
I've been trying to figure out how to get Rice Salad onto my blog. Thanks to Pioneer Woman, I have a great excuse! Pioneer Woman's call for a favorite recipe was just the excuse I needed. Actually, PW (Ree) is giving away a Shiny New KitchenAid 610 Stand Mixer and the qualifications to be a part of it, was to post your favorite recipe that you were willing to share. I posted Rice Salad. All of you 6WBMO friends of mine - turn away. This is not on plan. Probably none of the comments in Ree's give-away are on plan -- but I have a point here.
What was my point?
Oh right, the comments section - when I posted my Rice Salad recipe I was comment #3075 - right now, right at this moment there are 4400 comments. That means that there are probably 4000 recipes there that are family favorites of some kind. 4000 recipes that people make at least once a year and that they serve to their friends and families. If you are ever in a quandary as to what to make for breakfast, lunch, dinner, dessert and any other time, you now have a location.
There are now 4413 comments.
I'm assuming that some of the comments are blank, double posts, questions, comments without a recipe, etc. So that's how I came up with the 4000 recipes.
Here is my submission to PW's site. I had to post it. For one reason, it was the only recipe that I know off the top of my head. It is something that I truly believe should be in everyones recipe box. It is that good. It pretends to be healthy with rice, yogurt and some veggies. The mayo is the deal breaker -- I wonder what this would taste like with real homemade mayo?? Hmmmm, that's something I hadn't thought of... oh goodness. Here's the recipe.
Rice Salad
2 boxes Uncle Ben’s Long Grain and Wild Rice - original recipe (Fast cook is OK, but I prefer the 25 minute kind)
1/4c plain yogurt
1.c Hellman’s Real mayonnaise
1c. cucumber peeled and sliced (I like the English cucumber - just use the whole thing or two)
1c. tomatoes
a few sprigs of fresh parsley chopped
Cook the rice as directed, omitting the butter. After the rice has cooked, mix in yogurt, mayo, cucumber, tomatoes & parsley and serve warm or cold.
I have to admit, I almost always forget the parsley lol I also try real hard not to eat it all when it is freshly made and still warm — oooh lordy, it is wonderful. Rice Salad is a HUGE hit at potlucks and family reunions. It is a staple at nearly all summer family events & bbq’s. Enjoy!
This is the page where my comment is located on PW's site.
4481 comments now (so that's probably 4100 great recipes)
I gave this to my friend Bob and she now takes it to her neighborhood potluck dinners and BBQ's. She calls it the Corlett Michigan Salad. It is requested by friends of hers "...be sure and bring that rice salad." She lives in New Hampshire, so the Rice salad love is being spread across the United States. Who knows, maybe a few folks from the PW site will make the salad and start passing it on.
I made the rice part of this the morning of my wedding. I think I made 4 or 6 boxes. I thought about taking it to the reception, but as wedding mornings would be...I ran out of time. After our wedding and the reception people started coming over to our house. My mom noticed the GIANT pot of rice on the stove and asked if she could make up the salad. We spent the next few minutes chopping up the cucumbers and tomatoes and soon had a beautiful pot of Rice Salad. I don't recall if we actually got it into a serving dish, but I do know that there wasn't a single spoonful left after about an hour. It was literally inhaled by everyone.
It is that good!
Have a great day!
Kristin
What was my point?
Oh right, the comments section - when I posted my Rice Salad recipe I was comment #3075 - right now, right at this moment there are 4400 comments. That means that there are probably 4000 recipes there that are family favorites of some kind. 4000 recipes that people make at least once a year and that they serve to their friends and families. If you are ever in a quandary as to what to make for breakfast, lunch, dinner, dessert and any other time, you now have a location.
There are now 4413 comments.
I'm assuming that some of the comments are blank, double posts, questions, comments without a recipe, etc. So that's how I came up with the 4000 recipes.
Here is my submission to PW's site. I had to post it. For one reason, it was the only recipe that I know off the top of my head. It is something that I truly believe should be in everyones recipe box. It is that good. It pretends to be healthy with rice, yogurt and some veggies. The mayo is the deal breaker -- I wonder what this would taste like with real homemade mayo?? Hmmmm, that's something I hadn't thought of... oh goodness. Here's the recipe.
Rice Salad
2 boxes Uncle Ben’s Long Grain and Wild Rice - original recipe (Fast cook is OK, but I prefer the 25 minute kind)
1/4c plain yogurt
1.c Hellman’s Real mayonnaise
1c. cucumber peeled and sliced (I like the English cucumber - just use the whole thing or two)
1c. tomatoes
a few sprigs of fresh parsley chopped
Cook the rice as directed, omitting the butter. After the rice has cooked, mix in yogurt, mayo, cucumber, tomatoes & parsley and serve warm or cold.
I have to admit, I almost always forget the parsley lol I also try real hard not to eat it all when it is freshly made and still warm — oooh lordy, it is wonderful. Rice Salad is a HUGE hit at potlucks and family reunions. It is a staple at nearly all summer family events & bbq’s. Enjoy!
This is the page where my comment is located on PW's site.
4481 comments now (so that's probably 4100 great recipes)
I gave this to my friend Bob and she now takes it to her neighborhood potluck dinners and BBQ's. She calls it the Corlett Michigan Salad. It is requested by friends of hers "...be sure and bring that rice salad." She lives in New Hampshire, so the Rice salad love is being spread across the United States. Who knows, maybe a few folks from the PW site will make the salad and start passing it on.
I made the rice part of this the morning of my wedding. I think I made 4 or 6 boxes. I thought about taking it to the reception, but as wedding mornings would be...I ran out of time. After our wedding and the reception people started coming over to our house. My mom noticed the GIANT pot of rice on the stove and asked if she could make up the salad. We spent the next few minutes chopping up the cucumbers and tomatoes and soon had a beautiful pot of Rice Salad. I don't recall if we actually got it into a serving dish, but I do know that there wasn't a single spoonful left after about an hour. It was literally inhaled by everyone.
It is that good!
Have a great day!
Kristin
The back steps
This is the floor of the kitchen. Or the lack of flooring. All of the hundreds of layers of flooring that was bad, warped, substandard and otherwise unusable is now gone. It also contained a million nails, as I mentioned in one of my other posts. The nail theme is a running joke now. It is found everywhere in this house - if one nail is good - 10 must be better!
This next picture is looking through the former kitchen floor, onto the crawlspace. See the set of concrete steps? Those are the original back steps into the house. The kitchen was an addition we believe and the original kitchen is what was the closet/storage area and the bathroom (which we have turned into two separate bathrooms, now.) I think it is so cool to find indicators of the past. I wish we could save some of these features, but the only thing we can really do is just to cover them back up again and not destroy them. So the steps are staying under the house.
Meet Les and Chip. Chip has a hat on. They tore up the rest of the flooring on this particular day. They have been a part of the construction crew and have been a lot of fun. I have truly enjoyed having these two gentlemen on the job.
Have a great day!
Kristin
Sunday, April 27, 2008
Before and During
The next picture is a close up of the front door area. Lots of fixes are needed.
This last picture is how it looked on Friday. The main electrical service is now on the side of the house, the windows now have window sills, the awning is gone, the front attic vent will be replaced with a roof top vent. The house wrap is almost completed and the siding should be going up on Monday or Tuesday.
The Windows before and after
They still need work, but I like the window sills.
Photo Fun!
I really like Photobucket. I have several accounts, two of them are paid accounts (No ads & lots and lots of storage) and the other few are the free accounts. Those are really nice for sharing photos with friends, without having access to EVERYTHING. If I've taken a photo, chances are I've got it loaded into one of my PB accounts. Well, PB has been revamping the site for quite some time, adding new things, taking out things that didn't quite work, all the while I just ignored a lot of it because I just find graphics, I don't alter them.
Wellllll.... Let me tell you something. The newest edit feature that Photobucket has is FUN! I played with it a bit this evening. Here's what I did. I took an original photo - this one happens to be of the Sitting King - The Burger King logo from the late 50's through the middle 60's. This was one of the Burger Kings that was in one of our original family stores. It now hangs in my laundry room. (Isn't he great?!!)
OK, so here is the original picture, followed by the fun edits I found in the Edit section of my personal PB account. I have placed text on each of the alterations so you would know what I did.
Enjoy!!
Kristin
(10 July 2017 - edit
I am having to edit all my blog posts because photobucket has upped their fees so that in order to continue third party linking, like I have done with all of my photos on this blog, we are forced to pay $39.99 a month. I am so mad I can hardly stand it, as well as a few thousand others. So although I wrote this post praising PB, I no longer do. sigh.)
Wellllll.... Let me tell you something. The newest edit feature that Photobucket has is FUN! I played with it a bit this evening. Here's what I did. I took an original photo - this one happens to be of the Sitting King - The Burger King logo from the late 50's through the middle 60's. This was one of the Burger Kings that was in one of our original family stores. It now hangs in my laundry room. (Isn't he great?!!)
OK, so here is the original picture, followed by the fun edits I found in the Edit section of my personal PB account. I have placed text on each of the alterations so you would know what I did.
Enjoy!!
Kristin
(10 July 2017 - edit
I am having to edit all my blog posts because photobucket has upped their fees so that in order to continue third party linking, like I have done with all of my photos on this blog, we are forced to pay $39.99 a month. I am so mad I can hardly stand it, as well as a few thousand others. So although I wrote this post praising PB, I no longer do. sigh.)
Saturday, April 26, 2008
Sparkle
I could hear the choir
ahhhhhhhhhhhhh
I was almost out of the glass cleaner & had seriously been wondering what to do. But no more, no more!
I just recently went to one of the Ace Hardware stores here in Jacksonville, FL and the choir sang again.
ahhhhhhhhhhhhhh
It was there in all it's Sparkle beauty.
This window cleaner doesn't have ammonia in it, it is purple and it is de-ioninzed (whatever that means) and it is one of my favorite things - right next to the Magic Eraser, The Absorber and my dishtowels :0)
Have a great day!
Kristin
Friday, April 25, 2008
First Class Postage
Have you heard the news?
May 12th the new postal rates will be in effect.
You still have time to go to the post office and get the Liberty Bell Forever stamps for 41¢ - they will be available until the 11th of May at 41¢ after that, they will increase to the new postage rate. Remember though, you can use them forever, no matter what price you paid for them.
Here are the new rates...
First-Class Mail letter (1 oz.) $0.42
First-Class Mail letter (2 oz.) $0.59
Postcard $0.27
First-Class Mail large envelope (2 oz.) $1.00
Certified Mail $2.70
First-Class Mail International to Canada and Mexico (1 oz.) $0.72
First-Class Mail International to all other countries (1 oz.) $0.94
a 62¢ stamp will be available shortly after May 12 for 1-ounce nonmachinable First-Class Mail letters, such as square greeting cards.
Have you written a letter lately? One to a friend, a family member, a long lost high school friend. Did you have a pen pal when you were a kid? I haven't written to Ingrid in ages...I will do that. May 12th will be my deadline for getting that fun project finished.
Have a great day!
Kristin
Thursday, April 24, 2008
Wednesday, April 23, 2008
My old room
I had a memory flashback last night. I was back in the old house, the one in Lansing, Mi on Ingersoll Rd. I was laying in my waterbed, with the great dark blue wall paper with the little squares of color, looking at my dresser... My dresser. It was the most unique dresser ever. It was tall - 6 feet tall maybe? No, not that tall - but it was taller than me and I'm 5'2" on a real good day. It had a top portion with two doors, a middle section that was just an open shelf, and it had 3 or 4 large drawers on the bottom. This dresser was covered in a crushed-velvet type of maroon fabric, with Gold trim.
I don't recall how I got that dresser. I don't know if my mother picked it out or if I did - I just know that one day is appeared and I loved it. I really liked that room. I liked the dark wallpaper, the dark blue shag carpet, the stereo system/record player that I got for Christmas one year. My mother told me that I really needed to take care of that stereo system because it cost $142. She said she normally didn't tell me what things cost, but that I needed to know so I would take very good care of it - and I did.
I think one of my sisters used that dresser for awhile, after I left for college.... and after that I really can't remember what happened to it.
Well anyway, I had a fabric covered dresser. With Gold trim. It would be considered very retro today LOL
Have A Great Day!
Kristin
I don't recall how I got that dresser. I don't know if my mother picked it out or if I did - I just know that one day is appeared and I loved it. I really liked that room. I liked the dark wallpaper, the dark blue shag carpet, the stereo system/record player that I got for Christmas one year. My mother told me that I really needed to take care of that stereo system because it cost $142. She said she normally didn't tell me what things cost, but that I needed to know so I would take very good care of it - and I did.
I think one of my sisters used that dresser for awhile, after I left for college.... and after that I really can't remember what happened to it.
Well anyway, I had a fabric covered dresser. With Gold trim. It would be considered very retro today LOL
Have A Great Day!
Kristin
WFMW - gmail
There are so many email programs out there on the internet. One of the problems that I see people run into, is using their current service providers email program as the main email that they use. I have moved three times since I first became an internet user. I've had three or four service providers and I've sent out those messages -- "I have changed my email address, please change my email address in your address book" That only works about half the time. Sometimes your friends change the email address at home, but not at work and they can't remember if your email is through roadrunner, comcast, bellsouth, or aol. Then, is it dot net, dot com or dot org.
I got a gmail account (a free online account) several years ago. I LOVE IT! I have tons and tons of storage. Right now the counter is at.... Over 6650.692399 megabytes ...and that number grows each second. I don't have to delete anything for the rest of my life LOL I do, but I don't have to. I can search my email easily with a google search feature. Gmail is a part of Google, so you can probably see why the search feature is so great. If you don't change the subject line on an email, all of the responses will line up in the same email. You don't have to keep clicking to open emails, you just scroll down to read all of the responses. You can get email on your phone, too.
But the tip I have for you that is just so cool -- You don't ever have to change your email, ever ever again. If you change service providers, so what! If you move to a new city, so what! It doesn't matter what internet service provider you have, gmail will be there for you.
You can be free to roam about the country and log into gmail from any computer connected to the internet.
It is an incredibly easy email program and has more features than I can mention. It is however, my most favorite email program and I think everyone should have one. Go ahead - go to www.gmail.com and sign up for your free email. You'll be so happy you did!
Have a Great Day!
Kristin
I have no interest in Google except that I love their email program!! This is not a paid advertisement, just real enthusiasm for a great product.
Tuesday, April 22, 2008
Big Give
I watched all of the Big Give episodes on ABC, in fact the finale was just this past Sunday. It was so exciting to see all of the ways that the contestants reached out to communities and made a huge difference in peoples lives. It also helped me to see all of the ways that I could be helping others, even in small ways. AND, the shows also let me know that I am a giver right now. I may not be doing all I can, all the time, but I do give and I do go out and make a point of giving. That's nice to know. :0)
The reason for this post is about one of the top 4 contestants, Rachael. I learned a lot about myself when watching her, but just learned a whole lot more this evening, so I thought I'd share. Rachael was something. She was driven, annoying, stubborn and focused and at times she was all consuming, but the most incredible thing about her was that she just didn't get it. IT being the big picture. She thought she got it, but she didn't. Oprah has had all of the contestants on her show after they have been eliminated and Rachael was no exception. However, when Oprah interviewed Rachael on the Oprah Show section, Rachael was asked if she would do anything different in regards to her last "Big Give" and Rachael said no. The collective gasp was audible. I even sucked in my breath. How could she NOT see her error??? Oprah immediately said that they were going to talk after the show and that the audience could read/see more about the conversation online. So I did. Oprah literally tells Rachael that she had a lot to learn and that she needed to step back and see the lesson. The chat that Oprah and Rachael had is right here...Rachael learns about Ego. It is 15 minutes long and it is an incredible learning experience for more than just Rachael. I got a ton out of it. Oprah talks a lot about the Eckhart Tolle book and class that she is doing, but you don't have to be reading that book to understand this segment.
How many times have I heard - "You have to get out of your own way" So true so true. I hope that you will go and listen to the 15 minute segment. The very last minute is incredibly poignant, so don't rush out of the viewing before it's over.
I know I'm not even close to perfect lol I also like to think that I get all of my lessons. I know that there are observers of my life that shake their heads and think -- She Doesn't Get It! Here's to hoping that I can get the lesson, too. (and don't have to go on national TV to get the lesson)
Have a Great Day!
Kristin
The reason for this post is about one of the top 4 contestants, Rachael. I learned a lot about myself when watching her, but just learned a whole lot more this evening, so I thought I'd share. Rachael was something. She was driven, annoying, stubborn and focused and at times she was all consuming, but the most incredible thing about her was that she just didn't get it. IT being the big picture. She thought she got it, but she didn't. Oprah has had all of the contestants on her show after they have been eliminated and Rachael was no exception. However, when Oprah interviewed Rachael on the Oprah Show section, Rachael was asked if she would do anything different in regards to her last "Big Give" and Rachael said no. The collective gasp was audible. I even sucked in my breath. How could she NOT see her error??? Oprah immediately said that they were going to talk after the show and that the audience could read/see more about the conversation online. So I did. Oprah literally tells Rachael that she had a lot to learn and that she needed to step back and see the lesson. The chat that Oprah and Rachael had is right here...Rachael learns about Ego. It is 15 minutes long and it is an incredible learning experience for more than just Rachael. I got a ton out of it. Oprah talks a lot about the Eckhart Tolle book and class that she is doing, but you don't have to be reading that book to understand this segment.
How many times have I heard - "You have to get out of your own way" So true so true. I hope that you will go and listen to the 15 minute segment. The very last minute is incredibly poignant, so don't rush out of the viewing before it's over.
I know I'm not even close to perfect lol I also like to think that I get all of my lessons. I know that there are observers of my life that shake their heads and think -- She Doesn't Get It! Here's to hoping that I can get the lesson, too. (and don't have to go on national TV to get the lesson)
Have a Great Day!
Kristin
Monday, April 21, 2008
New Shoes
My feet were hurting something horrible this morning. The ball of my foot was nearly numb. It was a very strange sensation. I knew I needed a new pair of tennis shoes, especially with all of this contruction going on - I was doing a lot of just standing around and standing on concrete...but this foot thing was almost unbearable and I'd only had my shoes on for about an hour.
So I took off the shoes and made a thorough inspection of my socks and the inside of my shoes and finally I turned my shoes over. I had a nail in one shoe and three staples in the other. All of these items were imbedded in the "Air Pockets" of the shoes. The staples had let the air out of that shoe - but I think the nail had pierced and plugged the hole in the other shoe. I was seriously walking funny.
I had said something today about my weird walk to my family in an email, funny I should bring it up again. I do walk funny, I can feel it sometimes, but this shoe thing was not comfortable.
So, I went and bought two new pairs of shoes. I buy the same shoes again and again and the same socks, too.
White Ryka womens size 9 wide tennis shoes from Lady FootLocker
Lady FootLocker almost always has them at 2 pair for $89 - so I buy two pair. One pair for now and one for later LOL
I also buy 3-6 pair of Womens Crew socks - White CoolMax socks.
They are the only socks I wear. I LOVE THEM!!
When I get new shoes, I almost always buy new socks and then go to my sock drawer and toss 3-6 pairs of the old socks. This trip I bought 6 pair.
The shoes I just retired I got out of the box just before Thanksgiving. The nail and staples made the demise of these shoes a bit quicker - but not too bad. Usually I wear a pair of tennis shoes for 6-7 months.
My feet felt MUCH better and the numbness went away almost immediately when I switched shoes. I'm so glad I had the time to get the shoe thing fixed today. I don't think I could have lasted another day.
Have a Great Day!
Kristin
So I took off the shoes and made a thorough inspection of my socks and the inside of my shoes and finally I turned my shoes over. I had a nail in one shoe and three staples in the other. All of these items were imbedded in the "Air Pockets" of the shoes. The staples had let the air out of that shoe - but I think the nail had pierced and plugged the hole in the other shoe. I was seriously walking funny.
I had said something today about my weird walk to my family in an email, funny I should bring it up again. I do walk funny, I can feel it sometimes, but this shoe thing was not comfortable.
So, I went and bought two new pairs of shoes. I buy the same shoes again and again and the same socks, too.
White Ryka womens size 9 wide tennis shoes from Lady FootLocker
Lady FootLocker almost always has them at 2 pair for $89 - so I buy two pair. One pair for now and one for later LOL
I also buy 3-6 pair of Womens Crew socks - White CoolMax socks.
They are the only socks I wear. I LOVE THEM!!
When I get new shoes, I almost always buy new socks and then go to my sock drawer and toss 3-6 pairs of the old socks. This trip I bought 6 pair.
The shoes I just retired I got out of the box just before Thanksgiving. The nail and staples made the demise of these shoes a bit quicker - but not too bad. Usually I wear a pair of tennis shoes for 6-7 months.
My feet felt MUCH better and the numbness went away almost immediately when I switched shoes. I'm so glad I had the time to get the shoe thing fixed today. I don't think I could have lasted another day.
Have a Great Day!
Kristin
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