Printed Pants

Hey, I think we all go through stages. For awhile now, I've been enjoying my "Zebra Stripes" phase. I have A LOT of zebra stripes in my wardrobe -- AND I STILL LOVE 'EM...

However -- the summer of 2010 will go down in history as the SUMMER OF THE PRINTED PANTS...


I got a manicure with a pink big toe and the other four are lime green...shockingly -- they went perfectly with my favorite pair of printed pants...
Here I am, in the Schmetz booth at Baby Lock Tech. (I'm holding the Super Needle)...

Here's another picture -- on my way to my Tuesday morning breakfast club...

During Deb's recent visit -- I got a great picture of me with Deborah and my sister Deena. Trust me -- I'm wearing FLOWERED PANTS...
Mostly, I just wanted to use the rare picture of me and Deb and Deena. Deena is holding the Simon Haskins embroidery design. More machine embroidery Deborah is responsible for. Me? I'm holding a box of Jello?? That's why we're fat. In our family, Jello was considered both a fruit and a vegetable...

Hey -- there's no real point here. I'm just having a good time with my printed pants. Mostly, I buy them from thrift shops...so it's not like I've invested much...and I am a firm believer that the clothes you wear should put a smile on your face...

That's all I'm sayin....

HERE'S JEFF..!!

Back to the snafu that was the delayed airport pickup in Rochester. Apparently, Jeff, I'm still not tired of telling this story...lol...

As Mary & I sat in baggage claim for several hours -- we kept fantasizing various scenarios about what could have gone wrong...

Maybe this Jeff guy had car trouble or got into an accident....horrible thought.

Or -- maybe he was abducted by an alien spacecraft...we decided that was an acceptable reason for the no-show pick-up....

Most likely -- he was just a man driving around the airport, in a big holding pattern, listening to a baseball game on the car radio...and he simply lost track of time..

But -- HEY -- IT DOESN'T MATTER ANY MORE -- BECAUSE HE DID COME TO GET US. HERE HE IS...Pretty cute guy, hey?


We were glad he had a nice big SUV -- but he was a little overwhelmed by the size AND NUMBER of our suitcases...

For the record -- only THREE of our FOUR big bags would fit in the back of Jeff's Subaru...load that puppy up, Jeff -- so WE CAN GET TO THE PARTY...

Here we are, at the opening reception...this was just Day One of MAJOR RAZING for poor Jeff. Apparently -- he still hasn't heard the end of it...

I mean -- here I am -- still blogging about it...and blogging about it...

But, for the record, Jeff -- you totally redeemed yourself! And you are officially forgiven.

Thanks for a wonderful time in Geneseo. (wait until you hear about my new best friend, Carol -- and the FOX HUNT...)

Happy 40th Anniversary, John!

How is it possible that I have been married to the same man for 40 years?? October 17, 1970 was a beautiful fall day in New Philadelphia, Pennsylvania...and of course, neither one of us knew what we were signing up for.

One of the reasons we lasted so long is because John is smarter than me. Actually, he's so smart -- he pretends I'm as smart as he is. But when the boys were small -- I'd wait up for him (he worked second shift and got home at 12:35 every night) -- and we'd play Scrabble. I had those scoring notebooks for years...and I never once beat him.
We are NOW at a point in our lives where we know it's important to enjoy every single moment. We spent many years worrying about the wrong stuff..(mostly -- that was him..) Maybe you appreciate the good times that much more if getting there wasn't easy...

John is the happiest retired guy in America. In the winter, he is always trying to bake the PERFECT loaf of crusty Italian bread...

Most of the time, it's just the two of us living in this house. Maybe that's the measure, eh? How well the two of you get along once the kids move out...
Hey -- I'm gonna quit now before I get all mushy and unrealistic. This marriage has not been a Fairy Tale...it's a work in progress. But we are in a very good place. We both savor the moments and enjoy the simple pleasures...
Happy Anniversary, John...Because of you -- I've had a wonderful life.

Shopping in Kalona, Iowa

I wonder what year it was when -- in the State of Iowa -- this would have been considered a "State of the Art" bathroom...??

On our recent day trip to Kalona, Iowa -- Bert and I found many interesting shops...

Probably the MOST INTRIGUING thing we saw on this day was this recycled chandelier...with plastic doll body parts hanging down...it was $99. Really?? ICK, ICK, ICK...

One of our favorite antique malls...yes, it used to be a church...

I loved this child size iron bed. The Hey Rita tote was ready for a nap...

Here are the two BEST ideas I got all day...and both of them will surely turn up in the next Midwest Ya Ya show. I love, love, love this fake fur muff. I think muffs make a lot of senses -- and I have a small collection now...

AND THIS FABULOUS SHAWL. It is probably 60 years old -- and the extra long fringe is what makes it so spectacular. Can't you just see this done with t-shirt fringe? Bert does NOT enjoy being my Saturday-treasure-hunting model...

I mean -- c'mon -- is not always possible to take a picture of YOUR BACK, BERT. But, fine -- whatever you say...

Babies grow up...

Lillian is 19 months old. Although we are VERY fortunate that she only lives 4 hours away -- some days -- I wish it was 4 minutes. I miss her. Although -- she has a wonderful Mommy and Daddy...

And in her beautiful home, she is IN CHARGE OF HER DOMAIN...(and she looks great in zebra!)...

Clearly, when we visit Wisconsin, her mother allows me to dress her in the mornings...(my favorite little dress from Bloomingdale's in NYC)...

We spent John's birthday in Wisconsin -- and this was the first time John really bonded with Lillian. They are intently watching a Curious George video...

It was a great couple of days for Grandpa...

I know I'm not telling you anything you don't already know -- but a baby is pure joy. I'm trying to savor these final moments of her babyhood -- as our Lillian careens through her childhood...

Where's Jeff?

The Rochester Airport really is lovely...Mary and I should know...

We had lots of time to study their interesting sculptures...as it turns out, we had so much time -- we could have attended an art history class...

A vintage airplane hanging from the rafters ..."HEY, BUDDY -- HAVE YOU SEEN JEFF??"
There's a small group of people -- HEY -- have any of you seen Jeff?

After several hours of airport-waiting -- Mary is getting kinda loopy...

And -- Oh yeah -- here's the kicker. By 2:00, we are STARVING. And we discover that in Rochester -- all the food is on the OTHER SIDE OF TSA SECURITY...so, yes, The Midwest Ya Ya Sisters were dining out of a vending machine...
I am telling you -- the world needs some WOMEN AIRPORT DESIGNERS...
Hey -- you there -- in the yellow vest -- ARE YOU JEFF?

Chilean Miners

Like everybody else in the world -- I was up until the wee hours watching the rescue of the Chilean miners.

Miles away from civilization -- 2000 feet below the surface of the earth -- 33 men were trapped for more than two months.

Last night, with tears streaming down my face when they brought up that first capsule -- I thought -- Good for Us. Good for the people of Chile...good for all the other countries who offered their help...good for the companies, the governments, and the workers who tirelessly worked around the clock for two months.

What an amazing story. What an incredible rescue. Unbelievable...

What a wonderful headline to wake up to this morning. GOOD NEWS. They are alive. And now they are rescued...so far, eleven are safe...With fingers crossed, we can rejoice.