Postcards from July

Card #1 - "Hello all, I send you this card which shows Turku Cathedral in southern Finland. Turku is the oldest town in Finland, founded in the 8th (?) century. The oldest part of the cathedral is also from the same century. My name is Bror, means 'brother' in English, and I live about 25 kilometers outside Turku in the beautiful archipelago."

Card #2 - From Astrid in Nederland








Card #3 -"Hi Everyone! Greetings from the Czech Republic. I live 6 KM from this beautiful castle called Krivoklat. I hope you like it. Enjoy the summer. Michaela"

Card #4 - Them Imperial Palace in Shen Yang

Card #5 - "Hello! Greetings from Finland's beautiful summer! I've got a busy day today as I've reserved the laundry room and will wash the rugs, blankets, curtains, and other big stuff. I also have an appointment at my hairdresser's today. I didn't remember it when I booked the laundry room, so it's quite inconvenient. I'll ride my bicycle to my haridresser's. It's about 10 miles one way, so good excercise as well as a pleasure. These flowers grow in a small swap (swamp?) near where I live. They are called suspursu in Finnish. Regards Sini/Saint"

Card #6 - "Hello and Greetings from Germany. My name is Betty. I live together with my husband, three children, and two cats in a little village not far away from the beautiful castle shown on the postcard. I enjoy hiking and geocaching. There are some wonderful caches around that castle. Happy postcrossing!~"

Card #7 - "Hello! The Spirit of Finland. I live Finland city of Helsinki. I am a grandpapa of Topi boy. Topi is now 5. Helsinki is small but nice summer city. Greetings from Helsinki. Jussi"

KA-RAY-ZEE Day!

I'm just feeling the need to vent a little and to share with you what happened to me today.  I also want to write it down so I don't forget.  Because it was, to me anyway, just that crazy!

First of all, I woke up.  Actually got out of the bed and placed my feet on the floor at approximately 8:30 a.m.  By 10:30 a.m. my dad had come over to stick his nose into whatever I have going on check on me.  He lives next door to me (about an acre or so away) and when he gets bored he comes over to bug the tar outta me see his grandbabies, tickle them, and give them treats. By noon, he stated he had things to do and he left. 

Lemme back up a little bit, 2 1/2 weeks ago, my doc and I made the decision for me to begin weaning off of the 50 mg of Zoloft that I have been taking for 5 years.  Just a few days after that decision, I fell and hit the back of my head, giving myself a concussion.  With these two things combined, I have set myself up for a great amount of stress....and that's if everything was running like a well oiled machine!

Anyway, as a result of weaning off the Zoloft, I have been very emotional.  I know that it's because my doc and I are experimenting.  I have been attempting to use other ways to control my feelings and for the most part, it's been working.  However, by the time my dad left today, I was a wreck.  I managed to hold it in and stay in control until he was out of the house but after that, I caved....just a little...not entirely a melt down...just a few tears.

I began to hyperventilate and my sweet husband came over to me and helped me to think of more positive things.  He helped me to visualize peaceful, tranquil settings to calm me down.  He was awesome!  After that episode, I fed the kids, had some lunch myself, and then laid down for a power nap.  Thank God I did too because just 30 minutes after I woke up it seems that all hell broke loose!

I had planned to run some errands in town, taking my 23 y.o. DQ, her infant son, and my Little Bird and Kangaroo along for the ride in order to free up Dahlin' so he could enjoy the local college football game in peace.  I had the girls all loaded in the SUV, completely buckled in, when I remembered that I had forgotten my cell phone in the house.  I returned to get it, and my dad walked over as well.  

This was right at the end of the 1st quarter of Dahlin's football game.  Dad and I both entered the house and as we did so our very ADHD beagle puppy flew out the door.  Any other time, that might not have bothered me.  Let the dog run around....he'll come back.  But this time, he went straight for the neighbor's (and my dad's) free range chickens giving every available hen a run for her money. 

I have to admit that the sight of him flying through the air, the sun shining off his coat as he jumped a ditch while trying to bring down a hen in flight, was quite a beautiful sight.  If only I'd had the camera....but I didn't. 

Dahlin' paused his football game (Thank heaven for DVR!) and for the next hour he, my dad, and myself all chased that damn stupid dog around the neighborhood....eventually catching him and saving a few hens; although, they may not be laying eggs for the next week.

Meanwhile, back at the SUV, my daughters were patiently waiting for my return so that we could resume our afternoon plans.  My 23 y.o. had been entertaining the younger ones with the portable DVD player plugged in and powered through the in vehicle power port.  She thoughtfully had turned the vehicle off in order to save fuel.  Unfortunately, it never occurred to her that by doing so AND using the power port for an extended length of time would result in low truck battery.

I took my place behind the wheel of the SUV, turned the key, and heard....."Click-clik-clik-clik".   I banged rested my head on the steering wheel before getting out and heading BACK into the house where my Dahlin' had resumed position in the recliner in front of the squawk box TV to finish watching his game.   

I sat down in MY reliner, took a deep breath, and calmly said, "The truck won't start".  He not so very calmly replied, "JUST GIVE ME 10 MINUTES!"  and I replied.....well, I didn't reply.  I waited.  The girls waited.  Buddy the Beagle waited....and wagged his tail.

Ten minutes later, Dahlin' rose and proceeded to the SUV where he connected jumper cables to the battery to get us going.  Ten minutes after that, me and my girls were on the road.  Ten minutes after that, I hear a "Ding-Ding-Ding" and a flashing light on my dashboard informing me that I now need to put fuel into the vehicle if I plan to go any further.

Next stop, the gas station!  I filled up the tank, started the truck, put it in gear, only to hear "Ding-Ding-Ding" and see a message flashing "Check Tire Pressure".  By this time, I'm ready to explode!  But I didn't.  I stayed calm, and drove over to the air tank to plug 4 quarters into it for 15 pounds of air pressure. 

Got that done and I'm back on the road. 

I was able to run my errands and make the purchases I needed before returning home to vent through the blog world and to all my bloggy friends (all 5 of the them) so that I may cool off and calm down before running myself a bubbly bath and turning in.

Thank you all for reading, enduring, and listening to my rant.   How would you handle such a day?  Please comment below and give me some new coping ideas!

Fourth Grade Writings - Honk! Honk!

Honk! Honk!

Hi! My name Cynthia Twenty-two, my freinds names are Sonya Eighty-four and Carolyn Ninty-three. We each live in the country. One day they came to spend the night with me. When we went to the living room to watch "Spiderman" we had to turn it off the very minute we turned it on. We went to bed about an hour later. The next morning we made a plan to go hiking. We packed our stuff and started out the door. We didn't know it but we found out the street we lived on turned into a super highway. We went back in then we came back out and we were in the country again. I was glad to.

The End

Date Night, Pt. 2: Bookstore Fun!

Lately, I have been searching for different things to do on Date Night with my Dahlin'.  Frankly, I was getting bored with the standard dinner and a movie.  I want to do other things.  So, I've subscribed to different websites, such as The Romantic and Loving You, that directly email me ideas.  Some of them get my creativity going...others...well, they go to File 13.  

But there was this one idea that I came across that I thought was just so cute!  So, tonight, I decided to spring it on the Dahlin'.  I decided to surprise him with the Bookstore Date idea.  After our dinner at Charlie's, we loaded up in the SUV and headed out to the nearest Barnes and Noble.  Of course, Dahlin' had no idea where we were going.  He was just the lowly driver turning left and right as I directed him.  He's such a good chauffer!

We got parked right in front of Barnes and Noble and exited the SUV.  We entered the store and then I sprung it on him.  I handed him a list and promptly endured a look from him that said, "What are you up to?"  I smiled and told him to complete set one and meet me over in the lounging area in 15 minutes with the books he had chosen.



At our first meeting, we discovered that we had picked up the same book!!!  :D



He found a recipe for a baby goat stew!  Eww!  I found one for Cornbread Sausage Pecan Dressing.  Hmmm.

 

Ummm, I'm not telling!

 

For the last challenge, we were s'posed to

1. Find a book that you once read in high school (for me that was White Fang).
2. Find a book that has the words "Happily Ever After" in it (for me that was Snow White).
3. Find a self help book that applies to you.  (for me - well see the pic below).

 HIS answer for all three requirements of the challenge?

He says he read it in high school....he swears it has the words "Happily Ever After" in it (though he couldn't show me)...and he claims it's his "self help" book.  **rolling eyes**  But I love him anyway!  :D

Date Night, Pt 1: Charlie's

For our Date Night tonight, we decided to try out a local little hole in the wall place that we've know was there but we just haven't taken the time to experience.  So....off we went to dine at Charlie's over in Springfield, LA.   If there was a website for this little gem of a place, I would link it.  But they don't have a website.  They DO, however, have many reviews if you only Google it.

Charlie's seems to be quite the popular little place.  When we arrived, there was a waiting line!  We put our names on the list and were told it would be about 10 minutes or so before we could be seated.  Once our waitress got us settled and returned to take our drink order, she was also kind enough to snap a little picture of us to document our first visit to their establishment.



Me and my Dahlin'



The dining room

I was absolutely flabbergasted with our waitress' speed upon her return with our drinks.  When she set them down on the table, we told her we were ready to order.  She whipped out that little notepad that waitresses use and stood at the ready with her pencil in the air.  Once she got our order down, she disappeared again and before I could turn to say something to my husband, she was back with our salads.  Doesn't this one look yummy?

While we had both ordered salads, I wanted to try a cup of seafood gumbo.  What a treat!  I ended up giving the last half of it to Dahlin' because I wanted to save room for the entree.



Seafood Gumbo

After we enjoyed our salads and my gumbo, we were left to sit for a bit.  I fully expected the waitress to return with our plates of steaming seafood in the same quick manner she had previously served us, but that didn't happen.  Dahlin' and I conversed about the different plates we saw passing us by....humongous plates of stuff mushrooms, fried fish platters piled so high on the plate that it looked as if the tower of fish would topple right off and onto the floor.  We were salivating for what was to come.   

While we waited, we noticed a row of lights above the doors leading to the kitchen.  Each light was a different color....red, yellow, green, and white.  We also observed the waitresses who seemed to be assigned a particular light color.  When the green light would shine, a waitress practically ran to the kitchen and came out with her arms piled high with food.  It took a few moments before I realized that OUR waitress was apparently assigned to the red light.   It lit up twice more before she came to our table with our dinner.   I thought to myself, "What efficiency!"

Dahlin' order Charlie's Seafood Platter and as you can see from the pic, it was LOADED!  I should've gotten a shot from the side so you could get the perspective of just how tall this was!



Charlie's Seafood Platter

I played it safe with four grilled catfish fillets, six grilled shrimp, two hush puppies, bread, and fries.  I also immediately asked for a "to-go" box because I knew there was no way I was gonna make a happy plate.

Grilled Catfish and Grilled Shrimp dinner

In the end, this entire meal costs $48 and some change (minus the $6 tip we left).  I would venture to say that given today's restaurant prices combined with efficient wait staff, our meal at Charlie's was worth every penny.  They serve generous portions as well as tasty entrees and appetizer's.  Compared to Baton Rouge's Brunet's Restaurant, they seem to be just as good (minus the atmosphere) and in a safer urban location (see my post on Date Night: Robbery Excitement).  We will DEFINITELY be going back to try out some of their newer additions to the menu.

June Postcards

Here are some more postcards. I modified the sizes so these are a little smaller than the others. I haven't formed an opinion on this particular look, so ya'll please let me know what you think.

Now to share the info on the postcards. #1 - features a sculpture "The sorrow of a mother". The composition conveys the sorrow of mothers who lost their sons during the war. A small pool near the downhill of the sculpture group is a symbol of a mother's tears. The writer, Elena, tells me there are lots of sculptures in her city of Volgograd, Russia.

Postcard #2 was sent from Georgina of Taipei City, Taiwan. She tells me that the bridge lights change at night and it's very amazing and breathtaking to see.

Postcard #3 - is from Tvee, Russia. Natalya says, "Hello! Hope this card acrossed the ocean and met with you. You see the bridge here. It's sight of my town. Som buildings, churches, were destroyed in 1941-45 during the war. There are another buildings on those places now. This is card of series where picture joins remote past and present of my town." The card description on the back reads: View of Vozneseniya Church. Zavolzhskaya embankment. I might have to look that one up and see if I can locate the other cards in the series.

Card #4 from Irkutskayaoff, Russia is the first handmade card that I've recieved. Asya responds to the news of number of family members in my family by saying she was amazed! "I think that's great and respect you for this very much. In Russian families there is one or two children usually."

Card #5 - "Hi! I'm Kate, 18, from New Zealand. Lake Tekapo is just one of NZ's beautiful lakes. It is very cold, as the lake is full of glacial melt water. The building in the photo is an old church."

Card #6 - "Hi there! Lots of greetings from Holland. This card shows some things that are typical for my country. The picture on the motorbike is an example of our "Delfts Blauw" It is used a lot on China. The cookies are called "Stroopwafels" and are great! We also have ice cream with this taste. Very popular here. Bicycles are a big part of our culture, I have 2 myself but use only one. I live in the capitol city of our youngest province. It only exist for 43 years! No old buildings here! All the best! ~Lottie~"

Card #7 - Jorga from Lithuania says, "Sveiki". The card description reads, "Where fairytale comes from Autorius: Jevgenija Ovsianikova"

Card #8 - "You are getting this card from Nokia in Finland. The card shows a typical lake-view, we have lots of lakes around here. Finland is famos for lakes and forests. Well, Nokia is a famos Finnish brand and this is the city where the company started, but cell phones have never been made here. Regards, Taru"

Card #9 - "Greetings from Frankfurt am Main, Germany. My name is Susanne, I'm 26 years and work in the childcare (1-3 years old). That's a nice job. "

Card #10 - also from Germany - "I study in the town you can see on the card. In the centre of the market is the market church and the so called "Red Towers" (which isn't really red, it's the one with the clock). I study history and work as an author of novells. Bernhard"

Card #11 - "Those architectures have a very long history from China! Happy everyday! Wishes from Jiang Yan"

There is no other description on the back of the card. I'm wishing I had some CSI software that would match up the image to something else and give me some more info!

Well, that's it for the June postcards. I'll have to attempt another upload tomorrow. I still have the July, August, September, and October cards to get through. When November is finished, then I'll have to wait for each month end to post them.

Fourth Grade Writings - The Deadly Cave

Here's another one.

"The Deadly Cave"

One day my freind and I went in a cave. We thought it was an ordinary cave so we went in. My freind, Darla, and I Cynthia, were not afraid. But an hour later our batteries ran down. We didn't know but there was a door on the end of the cave. The door shut and we were traped. We were afraid then. We heard some spooky sounds. We went to see what it was. There was another vally called "Weirdo". Some little people were daning around a king. The(y) shut us up and never fed us for ten years.

The End

Doing the Postcard Thing

About 6 months ago, I started participating in yet another project here at my house. I joined a postcard exchange program. I'm posting the postcards here to share them with you. I'm only showing you the front of the card, but I'd like to share the backsides too.

#1 - "Hello! Greetings from Ulviia West Finland! I love cards, animals, summer, The Bold and The Beautiful, etc.... Anne/Laura"

#2 - "Hallo, Best greetings are coming from Ines. I live with my husband and our kids (ages 8 and 4) (illegible) tri-border regions D-CZ-PL at the Free State of Saxony. Here you can walking, climbing, hiking, and skiing. TschuB, Ines"

#3 - The one you see above is from Anna in the Volyns'ka region of the Ukraine. She writes that she's 20 years old and a student of a technical university. "I hope that I'll visit the USA one day. And you are WELCOM to Ukraine!"

#4 - "Hello. My name is Francisco. We live with my family in a village next to Valladolid on the bank of Duero river. My region is a tableland around 700 metres over the sea and the weather is cold in winter and hot in summer, the spring and autumn are short. This year is raining a lot, although the last two years were a little dry. A (something) typical of my village are the asparagus. They are very delicious even there is a party about them in May, in the last of month.

In my spare time, I like sports, especially soccer (footbol here) and I'm also stamp collector. I like postcrossing because it helps me to improve my english, and I can know some new places. Best wishes from Espana."

#5 - From Australia: "G'day. My name is Racheal. I'm 23. I live on the small island state Tasmania, which is the most southern state of Australia. It is almost winter here so starting to get really cold. I live a short walk from the beach but still rather close to city's and mountains."

#6 - "Hi, we are a group of children 13 years old, students of elementary school in Sitborica. It is little village in Czech Republic in Europe. Our region is famous for making wine and beer. On the card is BRNO, 2nd biggest city with lots of shops, cinemas, churches, museums, parks, libraries, etc. In our country is now springtime - everything is in bloom and nature is really lovely after long and strong winter.... Bye Bye (na shledanou!) :)"

#7 - "Hello there I am Chris from Dordrecht in the Netherlands. Here was the first State of the union written. We also have an big domestic harbour."

#8 - "I am Christa, I'm 36 y.o. and live together with my husband in a small town in central Germany close to Frankfurt. I love to stay outside and do some work in the garden. We also love to travell very much - this February went to the USA for the first time and enjoyed it very much!"

#9 - "Hello! Greetings from Raasepan. I have 3 1/2 year old dog and I like to walk in the nature with him. I love animals very much. All the best to you! Best Wishes, Mikaela"

Well that's it. I hope you enjoyed my first batch of postcards. I will be posting more soon.

Fourth Grade Writings - New Worlds to Explore

New Worlds to Explore Underground

One of the most interesting discoveries was in Lascaux, France. There, in the year 1940, four boys were walking across a field, as they often did. With them was their pet dog. Suddenly, he disappeared as if he had dropped into the eart. They shouted and whisteled, but the dog did not come. They looked and looked but still no dog. Then at last they found the answer to the puzzle: there, beside a bush, was a small hole. The dog really had dropped into the earth. Down they went after him, and found themselves in a deep cave. One of them had a flashlight. Immediately they started to explore. Almost at once their flashlight showed them stags and herds of horses painted on the walls and on the ceiling.

Fourth Grade Writings - That Burn Me Up

Here's another of my 4th grade essays from 1977.

"That Burn(s) Me Up"

What makes me made is my sisters and my brother. My brother always hits me, he thinks he's smart. What I do is I take his knife away from him. He tries to get it back and I kick him down and I run away from him. He gets up and follows me to hit me. I climb a tree. He doesn't look in tree's cause last (year) I couldn't climb trees. He still thinks I can't climb tree's. I hide in trees and I sist all day in tree's and it's fun.

The End

Fourth Grade writings - My Horses

I was digging through some old boxes tonight and was excited to find some writings that I did in the 4th grade (many, many years ago). I'm stunned that the paper held up so well! This one is titled "My Horses". Just in case you can't read the photo, I'm going to type the essay here; complete with misspellings, after all, I WAS in 4th grade!

But before I do, let me share a thought or two. As I was reading these, and doing a little time travel, I was astounded to remember and know exactly what it was I was writing about! The other thing I noticed was how my handwriting changed so much in such a short time period. I thank my mom for keeping these papers for so long!

I'm gonna share an essay a day for the next few days. And now, My Horses:

My Horses

I love to ride horses it is fun. I have one myself, and her name is Gypsy. She is a good horses. She does not kick. You can walk up to her she will not run away.

I love her she loves me. My brother and I we ride her a lot. We have mule and she is mean. Her name is Sugarfoot. We like her but she hates us. Yesterday she kicked someone. My Daddy goes coon Hunting on her.

The End

Well, there ya go. My Horses. :D

Christmas Gift Ideas

I'm posting some pics of some ideas that I'm thinking of for Christmas gifts. I hope I have enough time to get it all done!! These cute ideas come from You Can Make This.

Here are some adorable washcloth puppets.

A CUTE Fabric Christmas Busy book.

A card game that you make on your own computer! This might come in quite handy for my family since it is soooooo large! The kids only see the long, lost relatives once a year during the holidays. I'm thinking this would be a great way educate them on just who their Uncle Steve and Aunt Mary is!

These are Monkey Blankies.

A Felt portable game book.

A crayon holder art tote.
A child's apron.

A chalkmat

There are some more lovely ideas over at these ladies blogs. One of my favorites is the fabric dollhouse at UK lass in US. Valerie at Frugal Family Fun Blog also has some adorable pillowcase PJ pants ideas. If I get busy right now, I might just be able to give my girls a decent Christmas without having to fight the crowds at Wal-mart!!! Whoo Hoo!!!

Catching Up

Since my last post, (a month ago?) my family has endured a homemade German dinner (complete with paper alpine hats), and all sorts of other things. I also started running again using the Couch to 5K Running Plan (which is wonderful BTW!) until last Sunday when I attempted to step up on my husband's 4 wheeler and missed.....giving myself a concussion. Now, I'm not allowed to raise my blood pressure or get my heart rate elevated for 14 days (well, until Nov. 21 cuz that'll be the 14th day) when the doc will give me the okay (hopefully) to ease back into a routine. I can't believe how one week with no exercise has got me feeling so blah!

In the meantime, I'm trying to entertain myself with Christmas gift ideas. And since I'm drawing a blank right now....Well, I'll just leave you with a photo of my new grandson known here as Monkey as he attempts to decipher the newspaper comics. He's such a cutie pie!!!

The Germany "armchair Vacation" plan

I have been seriously bitten by the traveling bug. I want to travel! I want to go away! I want to see other countries and experience other cultures! However, the pocket book says NO! Therefore, I have come up with the idea of PRETENDING to go on a trip to some foreign country. My plan is to visit a different country once a month, from the comfort of my living room.

Our first trip is coming up. I've set the departure date for October 18, 2010. Destination: Germany!! The following is a rough sketch of what I have planned.

First of all, I plan to turn my living room into an airport/airplane. Upon entering, each traveler will receive a passport. They will then be screened with the metal detecting wand by the "Security". Once seated, we will enjoy a leisurely flight over the German countryside via "Visions of Germany" DVD. Afterwards, we will retire to the "chateau" (a.k.a. my dining area).

The dining area will be decorated with a blue and white checkered table cloth and solid blue placemats and napkins. The centerpiece will be a small pot of chrysanthemums in gold and red colors with perhaps a miniture flag of Germany stuck into the arrangement. I also plan to drape the walls around the dining area with white and blue sheets of fabric. There will also be some posters up of the German countryside.

I have chosen to do dinner in the evening even though I have learned that Germans eat their main meal at Lunchtime. They save the evenings for other, more leisurely activities with no worries about "What's for dinner?".

For our dinner experience, I have planned an appetizer of thin German potato soup and Homemade Pretzels followed by the main course of Weinershnitzel, sweet red sauerkraut, and hot German potato salad. Dessert will be a choice of Apfelstrudel and Linzer cookies. According to my husband (who has spent time in Germany), the Germans like to drink their beverages at room temperature. Therefore, I plan to make tea (since Germans are big tea drinkers) but will serve it at room temp with no ice, the way we would have it if we were actually there.

So far, this is the plan. I will post more when I get closer to the departure date. I'm so looking forward to posting pics!!!

Whew! It's been busy!!!

Again, I have been neglectful. I'm sorry. Just know that I haven't forgotten about ya'll out in the bloggy world. I have been busy. Between the last two posts, our family welcomed a new family member. For Blog purpose, we'll call him Monkey. He joined the family on the 11th weighing in at a healthy 7 lbs and 14.2 oz and measuring nearly 22 inches long! He's quite a handsome fella and we're overjoyed to have him!

DQ has certainly been adjusting to motherhood and is doing a wonderful job if I must say so myself! Now if we could only get her a car and get her out and about to get a job and do the other stuff new parents are supposed to do. Forget about the dad, he decided he didn't want to be involved and DQ says she's not gonna push the child support issue do to the fact that he's already raising a child on his own (her mom abandoned her with him). It's complicated.

Monkey was right at one month old when we all hopped in the surburban and went down south to visit the Aquarium of the Americas in New Orleans. It was quite fun! I'll have to post some pics later.

In the meantime, I'm back to post regularly for my new brainstorm...."Dinner around the world, a different country each month from my kitchen." Since I have been suffering from a severe bout of cabin fever, I have decided that since I can't actually travel around the world right now (if ever), I would bring the world to my kitchen through ethnic dining. It will be quite an experience and I look forward to it!

Now, I'm off to search for travleing DVD's, recipes, table decor, and atmospheric music, as well as perhaps some candles and such to help enhance the experience. If you have read this far into this bloggy post, I sincerely thank you. If you have any suggestions that will help me on my "journeys", feel free to holler at me or give me a link or two!!!