The Train

Like everybody else, I receive lots of forwarded emails...this one came from my friend Becky.  I was honored to receive it -- and I'm delighted to share it.  The older I get, the more I understand the wisdom of this...

ON TO YOU MY FRIEND !

At birth we boarded the train and meet our parents, and we believe they will always travel on our side.

However, at some station our parents will step down from the train, leaving us on this journey alone.

As time goes by, other people will board the train; and they will be significant i.e. our siblings, friends, children, and even the love of your life.

Many will step down and leave a permanent vacuum.

Others will go so unnoticed that we don't realize they vacated their seats.

This train ride will be full of joy, sorrow, fantasy, expectations, hellos, goodbyes, and farewells.

Success consists of having a good relationship with all passengers requiring that we give the best of ourselves.

The mystery to everyone is: We do not know at which station we ourselves will step down.

So, we must live in the best way, love, forgive, and offer the best of who we are.

It is important to do this because when the time comes for us to step down and leave our seat empty we should leave behind beautiful memories for those who will continue to travel on the train of life.

I wish you a joyful journey on the train of life. Reap success and give lots of love.

Thank You for being one of the passengers on my train

Christmas Franken-Sweater

Many of you USED TO WEAR Christmas sweaters and/or shirts (Deena).

But then you stopped (Deena).

As you know -- I don't let other people dictate MY sense of style.  And I love having a holiday wardrobe.

There is nothing but total joy in being able to wear a garment with a Snowman, or Santa Claus, running reindeer, connected by jingle bells and maybe even some obnoxious lights. It is the definition of happy.

I don't care how tacky you think it is -- Lillian is DELIGHTED with my holiday wardrobe. And isn't that all that matters??

The month before Christmas -- at the Goodwill store -- I found a black sweater, with the tags still on it ($89). There was no actual Christmas motif -- but it had "HOLIDAY" written all over it -- with many silver flowers made out of sequins. Wow. THAT is a statement sweater.

The two sides were asymmetrical -- and I loved the individual pearls along the bottom...

$3.38.  There was only only problem. It was a size SMALL....

Fortunately -- I SEW!! I took a look, and decided I could cut the sleeves off -- and insert them into the side of the sweater...making it a much larger Women's VEST...

I laid the size S sweater on top of one of my plus size -- just to see how far I'd have to go...

Once I cut off the sleeves -- I had to rework the armhole, of course.  No problem -- I'll use black t-shirt fabric to make a simple facing...

And -- EVEN THE PEARLS on the bottom of the sleeve match the pearls on the bottom of the body of the sweater...

Oh, yeah, this is gonna be fun. Lillian is going to LOVE MY NEW HOLIDAY VEST...

Kenny Rogers Concert

So -- how did a young, hip, happening chick like me end up in Bloomington, Illinois at a very geriatric Kenny Rogers Christmas Concert??

Serendipity. You've gotta love it...

Here's what happened....

I was SUPPOSED to drive to Chicago that morning. I was really looking forward to attending the exciting One-Of-A-Kind Show at the Merchandise Mart (more about that later), but I was struggling with a stomach bug....I decided the night before that me driving to Chicago was not a good plan.

At Noon, my sister Deena called and said she and Nicole (our niece) were driving to Bloomington to see Kenny Rogers. Nicole has a strange obsession with Kenny Rogers. (she calls him her boyfriend). Deena checked online and there were MANY tickets available (shocking, eh?). Nicole works at a bank, and it's a two hour drive...so we'll have to eat in the car...we'll buy tickets at the door.... c'mon...LET'S JUST GO....

I told Deena I wasn't feeling well. She said Nicole would do the driving...I could take a nap in the back seat...I took a pass....

Kenny Rogers was my Mom's favorite singer. I smiled when I remembered how, in 1994, Mom bought tickets for all of her girls -- and we drove down to Peoria (six of us packed in her Cadillac) to see his Christmas concert. He was amazing. We had such a wonderful time.

Mom died two years later....

Life is like that. None of us could know on that day that the six of us would never again be in a car together. Ever.

In 1994, Mom was 65 years old. The same age I am now. Yikes.

I called Deena back -- and the three of us drove down to Bloomington.

Nicole was, of course, the youngest person in the room.  AND if it hadn't been for HER -- Deena would have been!

The years have not been kind to Kenny. He is very thin and frail.  His lead guitarist's big job is making sure the stool is behind Kenny at all times... And he really cannot sing. But we didn't care. They could have played his CD's (and maybe they SHOULD HAVE)...

We had a wonderful, terrific, memorable, great time that night.

We bought seats in the second row!!  ($47 each)  It wasn't exactly a sold-out crowd.

Linda Davis is touring with Kenny. Did you know her daughter is the lead singer in Lady Antebellum?

Maybe it was the five glorious hours in Nicole's van...driving down and back. We caught up with each other's lives...and we talked about everything under the sun. The frustrations of the holidays and our respective people.  We laughed...and talked about the old days...and discovered some nowadays things we did not know.

The three of us had THAT kind of visit -- the kind that only happens during a road trip...

Keep up the good work, Kenny. It can't be easy -- but I'm glad you are still touring!!

Snowflake Shower Curtain

Our bathrooms are small. That's fine with me. But that means the shower curtain makes a MAJOR STATEMENT...and I like to change-it-up every now and then.

This is what our shower curtain used to look like...

I jazzed it up with t-shirt fringe at the top, and a beige panel at the bottom...(more fringe)

Taking the shower curtain DOWN to wash it is a lot of work. So, I usually add another t-shirt panel...

If I remove one -- I add something else....

Like most things in my house, the shower curtain is an on-going work of art. Humm...That's an odd phrase, I think. An on-going work of art. Maybe it's just another way of saying CHANGE IS GOOD. Everything changes. People change, our taste changes....doesn't it? Our likes and dislikes, the jobs we do, the things we enjoy, the music we listen to. Change happens whether you like it or not. So you might as well embrace it.

Which brings me to my winter shower curtain. I once bought a snowflake shower curtain -- (75% off in February) because it went with the snowflake rug.

As a part of my "Mugs and Rugs" decorating campaign, this rug comes out right after Thanksgiving.

But the shower curtain was too short...and after mopping up several big wet puddles -- it came down and was packed away.

This year, I was excited to find the shower curtain at the bottom of a box of Christmas ornaments -- because I realized there was an easy fix to the problem...and I can't believe I didn't do this years ago...

I cut off the handkerchief hem of a blue glitter formal (quarter day at the Goodwill)...and sewed it on to the bottom of the shower curtain.  I DECLARE IT PERFECT...I think it even looks like show!!

I made no attempt to make the hem "straight". I simply used the finished edges to my advantage...and I like the pooling affect. It gives the shower curtain enough weight -- so it stays where it belongs. No more puddles...

I put up my new reconfigured shower curtain, and was very pleased. The next day, Lillian came for a visit. She came out of the bathroom with a scowl on her face and said, "the bottom of that shower curtain looks like my favorite dress-up dress."

Spot Cleaner

At TMBC, our conversations travel ALL OVER THE PLACE. We always have the BIG three: Family, friends and feelings.

We like day trippin'...this was us at the Hoover Presidential Museum.

Of course, some of us have more exciting lives than the others.  Recently, Linda P.  (blue jacket) got back from a trip to the Panama Canal!! We were all looking forward to her report.  Right now, Sharalan (orange top) is doing her winter-in-Texas thing (nobody ever wants to hear about that)....

And we always share lots of sewing, laundry and cooking. Just about anything that would make it onto a  seven-days-a-week dishtowel...

Recently, Sandy (red jacket) shared a SPOT REMOVAL recipe she got off Pinterest. It worked wonders on her favorite pair of pants. There were some strange spots that would not yield...no matter what she tried. The bad thing was that before she saw the stains, she washed the pants and put them in the dryer.  The kiss of death...(once you bake in a stain, the only remedy is to applique a flower over it....)

BUT THIS WORKED...and I am delighted to pass it on to you.

1 tsp Dawn dish detergent (MUST BE DAWN)
3 - 4 tablespoon hydrogen peroxide
2 tablespoons baking soda

Mix and apply with a brush.
Wash as usual. Should be good, if not repeat.

******************
Sandy used an old toothbrush -- and one treatment did the trick!!

I figured with the holidays upon us, a good spot remover recipe might come in handy. Remember -- your best defense is AN APRON!!

(Laura, I hope you didn't throw away Jim's shirt...give this a try and let me know if it works)

Smart Phone Update

Okay. I did it. I got rid of my Smart Phone. Really, I did.

I can't remember when I got my first smart phone, but I went through two Blackberry's, a Samsung and a Motorola Droid.  The apps and features just kept getting better and more addictive.  I loved reading my email...I loved talking my texts...using it to check in at the airlines....the Northwest app was great...I loved reading the New York Times....looking for restaurant reviews.....I totally relied on the excellent GPS....I would look up JoAnne Fabrics coupons as I walked in the door...

This is a seriously cool piece of technology....life changing....

Oh, yeah,  I completely understand the benefits...AND I LOVED IT.

SO WHY DID I GET RID OF IT?? At some point, the HATE overwhelmed the LOVE.

Of course, I hated the BILL every month for the data plan.  That was annoying.

But mostly, I hated the behavior, the addiction, and the rudeness.

This has become a serious issue in today's world.  I can remember when people used to TALK TO each other -- in doctor's offices, waiting rooms, airports -- NOT ANY MORE...we're all absorbed by our cellphones.  There is no interaction.  Ever. 

One of my particular pet peeves is when I see young parents playing on their phones and completely ignoring their children.  I've witnessed this behavior in restaurants, in parks, at McDonald's, at the Children's Museum, the library, while driving a car...IT HAPPENS EVERYWHERE....All the time.  In every city and town in America.

How about this?  TURN YOUR PHONE OFF WHENEVER YOU ARE IN THE VICINITY OF A REAL PERSON...ugh...

The truth is,  I was falling into some addictive behavior myself.  If I had a spare minute any where, any time, any place -- I was checking my phone.  For what?   Like most people -- the stuff I was looking at was garbage.  Absolute.  Total.  Garbage.  For example -- Facebook postings of pictures of meals being eaten by people I barely know??   Or yet another email from a Mexican Viagra pharmaceutical company.

The stuff that was coming to me via my SMART phone was really, at the end of the day, completely STUPID....and a total waste of time.  My time.  Your time.  EVERYBODY'S TIME...

WHAT ARE WE DOING, PEOPLE??

And if you are playing GAMES on your smartphone -- you are missing your real life.

Last spring, I was sitting in the waiting room of Lilly's dance studio.  There were two Grandmothers and four young Moms.  I had a lovely conversation with the other Grandma.  But the four Moms were all on their phones.  Emma (3 years old) was having a hard time.  She started to cry, and the teacher sent her to the the wall.  Emma totally melted down.  Crying, she kept looking towards her Mom. Who was sitting right next to me -- playing Angry Birds on her phone.  She was so involved in the game -- her child's crying did not register.  Long minutes passed....Another Mom poked her -- and when Emma's Mom finally looked up,  she said, (very annoyed)  "what happened?"

I'm thinking, ""your daughter realized 5 minutes ago that a meaningless video game is more important to you than she is."  THAT'S WHAT HAPPENED, YOU IDIOT.

I wanted to stand up and scream:  YOU SHOULD BE ASHAMED OF YOURSELF. 
  
Clearly, if I'm going to judge -- AND I AM -- I need to put my money where my mouth is.  Or rather, I need to NOT put my money where the smart phone is...

************
Next Saturday, I'll give you an update...

Warren and Num Num...

It is amazing to me how a non-verbal toddler can communicate EVERY important thing that matters to them. When Warren is tired, he hugs his comfort blanket, walks down the hall, and repeats the phrase, "nite-nite"....

And when he's hungry, he goes to the table and says, "num-num"

AND THERE IS NO TIME TO WASTE. By the time he is doing the num-num dance, he is apparently on the verge of starvation -- and there is no time for any complicated food prep. (like boiling water.)

So, whenever I have leftovers -- I freeze them in little sandwich bags...

The secret is to freeze everything FLAT...so all I have to do is break off bits of mashed potatoes and flat pieces of gravy...

The freeze-leftovers-flat-in-a-sandwich-bag is a GREAT tip. It takes less than a minute in the microwave. PERFECT.

Homemade mashed potatoes can get watery after freezing...just add a few instant potato flakes.

This is Warren, with a non-verbal message -- 'GRANDMA, YOU ARE THE BEST.!"