Category Archives: Living

All My Bags Are NOT Packed

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Peter, Paul and Mary had it all … and they must have had some help if they always had their bags packed. I am not ready and here I sit at my desk, blogging away!

This little Yankee can’t waste a couple of rotting bananas so I had to bake some gluten-free banana blueberry muffins this morning. Killed two birds with one stone because I also used up the fresh Florida blueberries from Costco! And then I decided that a batch of “Mom’s Best” Granola was in order for the boy who’s turning 21 on Wednesday. His big gift will arrive on it’s own. I feel so lucky that we’re able to travel and that I can spend a couple hours with my “baby” on his special day.

All these years later, I’ve got some serious regrets that I didn’t wait until he was out of high school before I left Cincinnati. It would have only been a year … of course at the time, my head was reeling, my heart was wounded (and I was sure it was beyond repair) and I had this wonderful man who wanted me with him … or at least in the same town. I also thought that his father would “step up” and take the parenting seriously (since he hadn’t done too much of it when I was there). Not so much. What nobody realized – not me, not his/our therapist – was how much he was drinking and what a mess he really was. He could barely care for himself after my departure and he certainly didn’t do a great job of taking care of my son. I would never have left if I’d realized how poorly cared for my son would be – and that he was going to have to depend on friends on a regular basis. Neither did I realize how hurt he’d be when I left. I knew him as an independent kid who was seldom home. I was alone all the time in that big old house. Housing choices were not plentiful and it was expensive. But, today, looking back with my 20/20 hindsight vision, it would have been a good choice to stay for my son’s sake.

Over the course of the past four years, he’s graduated from high school, successfully completed (nearly) three years of an extremely competitive and demanding college curriculum and learned to brew beer in his apartment, cook like a professional chef, and dress to the nines. I’m really proud of the young man that he’s becoming and I hope he’s proud of himself.

I’m trying to do whatever it takes to rebuild a relationship with my boy. I love him more than life itself and I wish I could go back and un-do what I did. Sadly, it’s done and now I can only try to show him how much he means to me … even if it means spending an extra day or two in the car on an already long trip so I can have dinner with him on his 21st birthday. Happy Birthday (almost) Boy!

Della Q Contest …

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I love the little contests that are on different blogs. The one that I just entered is on the Webs blog and also on the Della Q blog. The prize is a Della Q circular needle case. It’s lovely and would make a great birthday present for my lovely … WAIT! I’m not telling, because maybe she reads my blog.

Anyway… thanks Webs and Della Q … if you’re a knitter and haven’t “found” these sites, you’re missing some really good knitting stuff! I adore my Della Q circs case that my lovely sister, Kathy, gave me!

Since someone didn’t remember to give me the winning ticket for the Florida Powerball lottery last week when it was over $125 million, maybe I’ll get lucky and win the case!

I’m crossing my fingers … well, I may be crossing my toes because it’s mighty difficult to knit with crossed fingers!

Gone knitting! 🙂

Guilty Pleasures

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What you may not know is that I love watching a couple of shows on TV. Since we cut off the cable, it’s been a bit more challenging but it’s not impossible!

Most of the time, I watch Grey’s Anatomy on hulu or ABC.com after it’s been aired. Most of the time, I don’t really “care” whether I watch it on time or later but tonight I do care! It’s the final night of the Bachelor … Jake’s second time around. Call me a hopeless romantic, but I always start off laughing at the whole process and then somewhere in there I start to like the bachelor (or bachelorette) and a few of the girls (or guys).  SO …

Tonight I’m hunting for a website where I can watch TV “live” (LOL! I just mis-typed that last word and it was “love” rather than “live” … Freudian slip of the fingers?) Anyway … since I know that it will be all over the internet and facebook tomorrow morning, that means that it’ll be wrecked for me (even if I think I know who’s going to win!)

JustTVnuts.com seems to have a streaming of ABC … I’m crossing my fingers and planning to have a lovely little martini to celebrate Jake’s engagement to … to be continued!

Bachelor and Emily

 

 

Breakfast

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a typical breakfast at home ...This photo is a breakfast I was presented with here at home … lucky me, right?

As you may or may not have read, we’re remodeling a house and it’s kitchen time. So, this morning when we found out that the dry wall guys were not coming today to mud and tape, we decided to go out to breakfast at a new place (well, new to us!) down the street – Pickles NY Deli.

We walked in and were greeted nicely and offered one of three options at the front desk … ham and egg or bacon and egg sandwich or bagel. We were handed a couple of coffee cups (paper) and “allowed” to serve ourselves. Our sandwiches were brought to our table by the same woman who took our order but with latex-gloved hands (not very appealing to a customer in a restaurant!) N’s ham and egg had deli-sliced (thin, thin, thin!) ham and my bacon and egg sandwich had the thinnest bacon (I’m guessing microwaved) I’ve ever seen. Both had orange (American?) cheese. Ya know, you’re open for breakfast and I’m wondering why… it doesn’t seem that  there was commitment to serving customers beyond having unlocked the doors and because, maybe, they had to be there to make food for a catering event.

We probably won’t go back – and you’re in our neighborhood!

A few other nails in the coffin: no table service (although lunch appears to be different, waiter and waitress came in as we ate), coffee refills were offered by the aforementioned waiter with an untucked shirt, waitress/order taker took one glove off to ring up the cash register (and appeared to be thinking of putting them back on!) and she argued with me when I said the coffee pump/dispenser was empty. I was right. She complained about having had to brew coffee all morning due to a couple of cater-outs … I’d say in this economy, that’s a nice problem to have! They were out of creamers and she offered us a gallon jug (mostly empty) of milk with which we could lighten our coffee. Lame.

Do we accept mediocrity too readily? If my customer service is ever that poor, I sure hope someone says something to me to knock me out of my reverie! Thank goodness for places like First Watch where it’s consistently consistent – fresh, friendly and dependable is a really good thing.

The Savages

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The Savages

We watched a sweet, if somewhat depressing, movie last night. I didn’t think it was going to be one that I liked and was surprised to like it at the end. “The Savages” (Click here to read the NY Times review!) is about a dysfunctional family (like there are families that are not) that doesn’t really seem to have any connection until dad’s girlfriend dies and he’s forced by her family to move out of the house that they shared because of some pre-nup that wasn’t really a pre-nup. Anyway, they move their father to a nursing home in Buffalo and the daughter stays with brother in Buffalo through the holidays and they all get to know each other. The scene that “got me” was when the brother tells the sister that her play is good …

I’ve just lived that scene. A week or so ago, I had a voice mail on my cell phone from my brother’s new wife (my new sister). The gist of the message was that he’d found my blog and was amazed that I was blogging and that he liked my blog. Not only had I whooped his butt in Scrabble when we were out in California for the holidays but I was blogging … and doing it well. He said that he had underestimated his big sister! Abbie said that he was completely blown away … and he said that it was good stuff! It touched me right where it counts because I’ve never been told how special I was and just knowing it myself wasn’t really enough. I needed the outside validation from the people in my life who really mattered. Hearing it from my brother (and sister) felt so great – and I’ve saved the message. It’s a healing thing. Healing from never being good enough for my parents because I was just a girl. My father’s famous phrase was, “Pretty good, Monk” never “Good Job” or “I’m so proud of you.” It was “Of course we love you” during an argument not just “I love you” for no reason.

So, just for today I’m relishing the fact that my younger brother thinks I rock … and it’s really good!

Progress

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Progress is all around me. The kitchen renovation, my blogs new banner is … well … new and different (if not exactly what I was wanting), my business is progressing, my contacts around my business are certainly progressing, my relationships with my boyfriend (partner, sweetie, man friend – what do you call a 50+ year old man with whom you are living but not married or engaged?), my children, my ex … and none of it in MY time!

But, I’m learning (it’s about time, right?) that it’s alright and I’m keeping my happy outlook most of the time. That is really progress. I’m proud that I’m clear about my direction despite little roadblocks that pop up in my way on occasion. For example, I’ve been taking classes in education which I will use to teach (knitting, elementary art classes, whatever) and this “semester” something got goofed up and I didn’t get signed up for the class which I thought I had signed up for. I believe that was an opportunity for me to spend more time with my girls and to focus on the business and knitting. Randy Pausch says that roadblocks are there to tell you how much you want something. He was a very, very wise man. If you haven’t watched his last lecture, click here. This is a MUST SEE video and it truly has changed my outlook on life. If you don’t cry, I think you’re a “tin man” without a heart.

For today, I’m good with the progress that I’ve made and that we’re making. My heart is full and I have way too much yarn to write any more!

Gone knitting!

Banner Attempt

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Since my last post (today’s post) I’ve attempted something new. Do you see my banner? I’ve tried over and over to create a banner for my blog and my Etsy shop … with no luck. Until today.

Now, this one isn’t perfect on this blog but it’s looking good on the Etsy shop! Somehow this one must be smaller or slightly shorter because it cut off a couple of pictures of my former projects, but it’s close. The color is also a tiny bit (ok, a lot) off … give me some time and we’ll see how I do getting them matched! The ultimate goal is to have all the colors (yellow, in particular) the same … Etsy shop, blog, business cards, the whole kit and caboodle.

Today I worked on a couple of “new” (the quotes mean that they’re only new today because they’ve been hiding in the closet in the UFO basket for way too long) projects. I frogged and started over the Senorita Lolita sweater (second or maybe third time) and I’m pretty pleased with the new tack. I re-started the little Noro shawl that I bought the yarn for last summer in Maine. I don’t like the yarn … or maybe it’s the needles. Whatever it is, it’s not going particularly well and I’m not loving the project. Haven’t gone out to look for some buttons for my yummy buttery yellow angora cowl that is nearly finished but am looking forward to having another finished UFO!

I’m also trying to attempt something new in my life and get to know me – and see what I love, like, want … it’s a really new thing for me and I have made some choices that I wouldn’t necessarily make again. Already. The unfortunate thing is that you can’t always undo what you’ve done. Once you make a choice, you have to move ahead having made it – good or bad, right or wrong. Sometimes it’s too late before you’ve made the choice. People are not perfect, people make mistakes. I am a person. I can only say I’m sorry … sometimes only to myself … and move on. What’s done is done. Move on.

Passion … fruit?

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My baby RIPE Pineapple

I love to “cook” (translation – bake) and wanted to share a few recipes with you that are my favorites in this blog. While this isn’t actually a baking recipe, it’s one of my favorites!

Pineapple-infused Vodka

1 fresh, ripe pineapple
1 bottle cheap (or pricey) vodka

Peel and slice the pineapple and place the good stuff in a large plastic or glass container with a lid. Open the vodka bottle and pour the contents over the pineapple. Put the lid on the bottle and stash it in the refrigerator for no less than two weeks. Strain vodka, toss out the pineapple (taste it, it’s nasty now!) and keep refrigerated.

(I love this over ice, equal parts of pineapple vodka and pomegranate juice with a wedge of lime, squeezed.)

LOL!  … guess my priorities are enjoyment.

Lesson 1: I like to have fun … a cold beverage is lovely at the end of the day and I do enjoy one  … or two.
I am a (mostly) happy person and embrace life with an open heart and an open mind … and am truly blessed.

PS – the little pineapple grew in a pot at our front door. Right before we were to leave on vacation, we picked it and ate it. It was good. Thank you pineapple!