Owen's Quilt

I figured since he is already here I better get off my duff and finish it up. I had the whole thing finished except for the binding, just sitting there for months. So, yesterday I made myself sit down and do it. Of course, I had to go to the fabric store to buy a half yard of fabric to finish it up. I thought I had enough of a yellow or a purple to do the binding, but could not find one piece that would work.

I love the colors in this one. This picture doesn't really show the deep purples. There is a lot of family history in this--the fabric in the big yellow blocks was also used in a quilt for Spencer and one for Becky; a couple of the purples were used in a quilt for Sarah; another purple was in a quilt for Becca; a yellow plaid was used for a dress for Sarah when she was a baby; and the purple plaid was bought on a trip I took to Mexico. I am sure Owen won't care where the fabrics came from, all he will care about is that it is warm and soft.

Sarah and the Diabetes Scare

We went down to visit with Seth, Sarah and Michael in Wahington, D.C. We spent the night on Tuesday night and came home on Wednesday. Before we left to come home, I took Sarah shopping for Michaels school uniforms.

She has been diagnosed with gestational diabetes. The baby is due at the end of September. They prescribed glyburide for her to take. She took her pill, then we left to go to the store. While we were there, she started looking obviously distressed, so I took her out to the truck. She tested her blood sugar and it was 38! I ran over to a convenience store and got her a coke. After she drank about half of the coke, she started feeling better.

She is supposed to go back to the doctor today, so I told her to be sure to tell the doctor what happened. I think they need to either change the dosage or change the medication.

Cooking For the Daughter-In-Law

We got up late on Tuesday morning. While we were having our coffee we were discussing whether or not to call Sarah, our daughter-in-law and ask if she wanted company, when the phone rang and it was her. She had been to her doctor appointment and wanted to tell me all about it. Our little Owen is due in about 58 days now. So, we decided to get in the truck and drive down.

On the way, we stopped at a farm market and picked up new potatoes, green beans, squash, peaches, and blackberries. Those blackberries were as big as my thumb!

When we arrived at their house, Michael was in the yard playing with his friends. As soon as he saw our truck, he raced across the yard to greet us. I heard him telling his friends "It's my grandparents!" That made me feel really good, like a real grandmother. And when Sarah saw the bags of groceries, she said to me, "As soon as I hung up the phone, I thought to myself, yeah, she's gonna cook dinner for me, yum!"

That night, I cooked dinner, except for the pork chops, which my son, Seth, did on the grill. We had green beans with new potatoes, fried yellow squash with onions, fresh creamed corn, and a peach-blackberry crisp based loosely on a recipe from Karina's Kitchen at the Gluten Free Goddess blog. Everything I cooked that night was gluten free, but I did not tell my family that it was because I did not want any bias in their opinion of the meal. They all raved about the food,most especially about the crisp, which they insisted on calling a pie. It was all good.

I used white rice flour to coat the squash before frying, which is the first time I have done that. The squash turned out very crispy and golden brown, and seemed to me to be better than when I used wheat flour for all those years of cooking it. I used rolled oats and rice flour for topping of the crisp. The only negative comment I had was that it was too chewy. Oh, well, if that is the only thing then it wasn't too bad.

We only got to stay for one night, then had to come home as we had not really planned on going down there. But we did make plans to go back in two weeks. So, that was our days off this week.

The Land Of Little Grandchildren...

Sarah and Michael at the playground at Granite Hill Campground

A few days ago I promised more about my visit with the FabGrandchildren. I know you all have been chomping at the bit to hear all about it, and I apologize for the delay. I have been either working, sleeping, or goofing off since they left, so I haven’t had time to write.

One of the things I have been doing is playing games at Fandango. My diligence and persistence at these games paid off the day before yesterday because I won two tickets to the movie of my choice for having the all time high score on a word game called Suds (but that is another story).

Ok, where was I? Oh yes, the visit with FabGranddaughther, Sarah and the FabGrandson, Michael. They are the children of my son, Seth, who is in the Air Force. Sarah lives with her mother and stepfather in Seattle, Washington. Michael lives with his dad and stepmother in Washington, D.C.

Sarah flew from Seattle to Washington with a stopover in Cincinnati, Ohio. She said the flight attendants took very good care of her. She got to visit with the pilot in the cockpit before the plane took off. She said she made friends with two grownups who were sitting in the same row with her. This I believe because I do not think she has ever met a stranger!

After a day or two visiting with her dad and brother at their house at Andrews Air Force Base, they all came up to Gettysburg to spend a few days with us.

Michael roasting weiners at the campfire.

Seth brought his tent and other camping gear, but Sarah decided she wanted to sleep inside with me. We folded down the dining table to make it into a bed for her. She was delighted to have her very own “bable” to sleep on. We did all the regular camping things, like making s’mores, roasting marshmallows and wieners on a stick, fishing, and walking around the campground.

On our days off while they were here, we took them all to The Land of Little Horses.

Seth and at The Land of Little Horses

We have seen the signs for it since we got here in March, and every time I mentioned taking the grandchildren there, FabGrandpa harumphed and said, “That is so hokey! No way are they going to like doing something like that.” It costs $12 per person to get in the gate, another $2 for a pony ride, and another $1 for a cup of food to feed to the animals. What you get for your $12-$15 is wonderful! Even FabGrandpa had a good time. They have about 50 miniature horses, regular horses, a camel, llamas, an alpaca, some other exotic mammals, a full grown turkey, goats, peacocks, and I don’t know what all else. They have a show where the animals do tricks. Three horses danced, and another one could add, subtract, and multiply. A dog even played basketball. And Sarah got chosen from the audience to play basketball with him. If you ever go to Gettysburg, you really need to go there. What fun! Ever since we went there, every place we go is "The Land of Little..." whatevers.

We went to a farmers market and let the kids pick out their favorite berries. That night, Sarah helped me make strawberry shortcake for everyone. She put the little sponge cake things in the bowls, spooned on the berries, and tried to squirt the whipped cream out of the can but her little fingers just wouldn’t reach.

Another place we went was called The Round Barn. It is exactly what the name implies, a barn that is round. I have never seen a round barn before. It was a beautiful building in the heart of orchard country in southwestern Pennsylvania.

My daughter in law, Sarah, at the Round Barn

They had animals there too, which was a big hit with the kids. They got to pet a donkey, and saw a baby goat. Oh, and that bump is the mystery boy, Owen, the newest Fab Grandbaby, who will arrive sometime around the end of September.

They stayed with us for three nights and then had to go home. We had arranged to have four days off the next week, so we went down to Washington to spend that time at my son’s house. My daughter, Rebecca, was there, too. She came up from Norfolk for two days.

FabGrandpa, Michael, Sarah, and Aunt Rebecca at Seth's house.

That Monday, we had told the children we were going to take them to the National Zoo, but it was 97 dgrees outside, and they had already seen a ton of animals, so we decided to take the Metro into Washington D.C. and go to the Smithsonian Museum of Natural History. You know, the one with the dinosaur bones. Both kids loved that display. So did I. I have been to DC twice but had never been to that museum. They also loved the gem and mineral display. Michael collects crystals. There were some on display there that were bigger than he is. Oh, one of the things I did not realize is that all of the Smithsonian buildings and the National Zoo are free.

But out of all these things we did, the thing the kids enjoyed the most and talked about the most was riding on the Metro. It was like magic—both kids sitting perfectly still, silently looking out the window as the train rolled down the track. Every mother, and every FabGrandmother, should have a train!!

The last day I was at my son’s house, the Fabgranddaughter and I spent the afternoon making a scrapbook of all the things we did while she was here. I went to Wal-Mart and had them print out a lot of pictures, and bought some colored paper, sheet protectors, and a glue stick. I glued on tickets, brochures, and pictures, and she wrote about them on each page. It turned out to be a very nice memory book for her to treasure and remember her trip. As if she could forget ME!

p.s. I have a few more pictures I want to post, but my connection is very slow. I will add them tomorrow, I promise!

Making Meals Ahead

Jim and I are working the evening shift at our job this season. This means that on Sunday, Monday, and Thursday, we get off at eight o'clock. On Friday and Saturday we don't get off until ten o'clock, and that will change soon to eleven o'clock. It also means that we are not eating the way we should, mostly because I don't feel like cooking anything when I get off work so late. This is made even harder since I am a diabetic and also recently changed to a gluten free diet.

Today I took a couple of hours to do some things in the kitchen so that we can have a light meal when we get home, or that we can grab on the run when we get a slow minute on the job.

First, I cooked three days worth of meats, packed them in plastic containers, and put them in the fridge. I made our favorite "Chicken and Salsa", then just cooked some ground beef and some italian sausage. Making "Chicken and Salsa" is easy. You just skin your chicken pieces, brown them in some olive oil, add a jar of your favorite salsa, cover, and simmer for about 25 minutes. Served over rice, it is a delicious and filling meal. It is really quick to make, but even this is too much to attempt when you don't get off work til ten o'clock. It keeps well in the fridge, then just microwave for a couple of minutes at meal time.

Next, I cooked up a batch of rice. I have found that when I store cooked rice in a ziplock bag in the refrigerator, it keeps well and heats up fast. I made enough rice to last four or five days. I can serve it with anything and it is gluten free.

After that, I chopped up tomatos, mushrooms, red onions, green onions, and lettuce. I made a big salad with some of it, then put the rest of each item in plastic containers in the refrigerator, so that we can make a salad quickly when we need one. I also boiled a dozen eggs, peeled them, and put them in a ziplock bag in the fridge. They'll be gone way before they have a chance to go bad.

Now that all that is done, I can make a quick batch of chili or ghoulash with the ground beef, and spaghetti with the italian sausage (gluten free noodles, of course). I can have a side salad with a meal, or I can make us a chef salad with boiled eggs, turkey or ham on top. It only took a little time to do this, and it will help us eat better this week.

How To Enlarge Your Breasts Overnight

I hate shopping. And of all the things in the whole world that I hate shopping for, I hate shopping for bras the most. It really irritates me that I have to spend so much money on those items of clothing just so that my breasts won’t flop around and look “unladylike” to others.

The other day, I had to go shopping for bras. The last time I bought some was about three years ago at a flea market in McAllen, Texas. I got some really nice, brand new Vanity Fair bras with the tags still on them, for $3.00 each. I picked out my size 38C unpadded underwire bras, paid for them, and took them home. They fit.

I have worn size 38C unpadded underwire bras since my youngest daughter was born 32 years ago. I have never had to try bras on at the store. I just bought them in the right size, took them home, and wore them until they wore out or sprung a wire, then went and got some more. That is exactly what I expected to do when I went to get some more the other day.

But no! At my first choice of store, Target, there was not even one bra in the store that was a size 38C unpadded underwire version, in any brand. I even considered getting one that had just a little bit of padding, but nope, no 38C’s. I thought to myself, I must be in the world capital of size 38C boobies. So, I went to another store. Wal-Mart.

One thing I hate worse than shopping for bras is shopping at Wal-Mart for anything. But, because I was down to only two size 38C unpadded underwire bras, and one of those has a broken wire, I had to go get some new ones somewhere.

Since we were in Frederick for the day, I went to the Wal-Mart there. I found a couple different brands of bras that had my 38C unpadded underwire versions, so I grabbed up four of them, took them to the register, paid for them, and took them home. I felt victorious, that even though I had to go to Wal-Mart to get them, at least I had gotten my new underwear and it would be over with for another year.

When I got home, I changed into my nightgown and started cooking dinner for my husband and me. We have a new trailer that we just got in December. In my new kitchen, the microwave oven is installed above the stove top, where I have to reach over my head to put thing in and take things out. I was cooking steamed asparagus in the microwave that night.

When I reached into the microwave to take out the bowl of asparagus, I accidently poured the hot liquid from the bowl down the front of my body. I rushed into the bathroom and took off my clothes. I put cold water on the burn, then put on some Carmex. The pain stopped, but I was left with a two and half inch long red burn mark right between amd slightly below my size 38C breasts.

The next morning, as I was getting dressed for the day, I attempted to don one of my new size 38C unpadded underwire bras that I purchased the day before. Now, I don’t know how other girls do it, but I have never learned how to put on a bra and fasten it behind my back. No, I have always hooked that sucker on backwards, then turned it around to the correct position, and commenced pushing my 38C’s into the cups. It's like I am a contortionist at the circus every morning. But this day, that action was hampered not only by the pesky burn between my breasts, but also by the fact that even though the tags said “38C” on them, the dang thing wouldn’t fit.

It wasn’t even big enough to fasten, much less turn around on my body. What? I looked at the tag again, just to make sure I had picked up the right one at the store. Yes, it did say 38C on the tag, but the thing was just not big enough. Had I grown overnight? I mean, I have worn 38C unpadded underwire bras for 32 years, how could I have outgrown them in just one night? I soon realized that not only did that bra not fit, none of the ones I bought did. And then, I realized I would have to go back to Wal-Mart. Damn!

The next day, I went to the Wal-Mart in Gettysburg with my Bag O Bras from the other Wal-Mart. I had my receipt, but I had taken the tags of one of them. The sullen clerk at the Customer Service desk told me “I will take this back this time, but we normally don’t take bras back if the tags are torn off of them.” Oh, thanks, I’ll remember that one.

After I got my money back, I went to the lingerie department. I quickly found the size 38C unpadded underwire bras in some different brands from the ones I had bought the day before. I took them to the dressing room to try them on, and guess what? They didn’t fit, either. Now I knew. I HAD grown overnight. Just as I had suspected. I got dressed and went back out to the sales floor.

After trying on several bras, and irritating my burn along the way, I discovered that I had really blossomed into a size 40D in just 36 hours. So, now, I am the proud owner of six size 40D unpadded underwire bras. I hope I don’t grow any more.

   

 

Ten Years

Ten years ago on October 13, 1996, my grandson Michael was born. He celebrated his birthday this year in England with his Dad and step-mom, and six of his friends. I have never spent a birthday with him, because he has always been far away, but I try to call and talk to him each year on the day of his birthday.

When I spoke to him, he asked me if I would send him a map of Maryland, because he is moving there in January and wants to see what it looks like. So, since I AM the Fab Grandma, I drove up to the Maryland Welcome Center today and picked up a map and a ton of brochures to send him. He will read about the National Aquarium in Baltimore, the beach at Ocean City, and the ponies at Assateague Island. I hope I can take him to see those ponies next summer. Since I do not have a recent picture of him, I have posted the "self-portrait" he did for me when he was six.

Spencer's mom, Emily, sent me this photo of him sliding at the fair. He always looks so full of energy When he started to school this year, he was getting in trouble a lot for kicking other students and taking away their toys. He has been doing a lot better lately. Emily says he only had one frowny face last week. He is learing Spanish in pre-K! Wow, they start foreign languages earlier and earlier now. I think we didn't have a foreign language class until 10th grade when I was in school.

I have not heard from Sarah or her mother lately, but her mom is pregnant and having some difficulties, so it may be a while before I get any new pics. So, here is an old one: