Nobody Puts Pondies in a Binder

[PH in VA]

My sisters and I helped out our parents for our Easter meal:

smoked ham (bought by my parents; we helped Mom get it in and out of the oven, & BIL carved it)
steamed green bean/yellow wax bean medley (I prepared that; we'd grown the beans in our garden last year & I'd frozen them)
broccoli salad (made by my sister A)
apple salad (made by me)
macaroni & cheese (made by sister J)
deviled eggs (made by J)
homemade rolls (made by A)
pickles (made last summer by DH)

coconut pie (made by Mom)
blackberry cobbler (made by A)
egg-shaped cake (made by Mom & me)


Mom has gradually been allowing my sisters and me to do more of the work. It makes it so much easier on her. We did have to practically shove her out of the kitchen during cleanup time, LOL. But we wanted her to be able to relax. J washed the dishes, A dried them, I put them away as well as put away the leftover food. It all worked out well.

[PH in VA]

My dad's sister inherited the home their parents lived in. Dad couldn't remember exactly when the house was built, but he thought he was about 9 or 10 when they started living there, so that would have been about 1933 or 1934. After my grandma passed away, my aunt and her husband rented the house out to some people.

In the last few years the renters have moved out and my aunt passed away, so my uncle owns the property now. The house is still structurally sound (well, reasonably so for its age), but would need a lot of renovation work to be rent-able again, so he's decided to donate the house to the local fire department so they can do a training/practice burn.

Uncle's daughter was in town for the weekend, and she invited us to go through the house one more time. ODS and YDS sadly were not interested in going. But DH and I went with my cousin and her DH and two DDs. Then when sister A and her DH got to Mom & Dad's, they wanted to go, and Mom & Dad decided they wanted to go too, so I went back again with them.

Right after Dad graduated from high school he started farming along with his father, and when my parents got married, Dad's parents gave them an acre from their property as a wedding gift. They eventually built the house where I grew up on that acre, which was literally across the field from my grandparents' house. (If you've ever heard the expression "hollering distance" - that describes it accurately. LOL) Dad had a path through the field which split to the left to go to the barnyard and to the right to go to my grandparents' house. My sisters and I would use the path to go over to Grandma's and PaPa's most any time to visit them.

So it was neat going back into the house again, not just from remembering how it was when I was a child, but also hearing Dad talk about it. I didn't realize that the bathroom had been added onto the house after Dad's family lived there for a while. The house was wired for electricity when it was built, although power lines hadn't yet been constructed along the road they lived on. So the first few years they didn't have electricity, either.

My parents lived with my grandparents the first 2.5 - 3 years of their marriage, until their house was built. I knew that my parents had used the largest of the three upstairs bedrooms when they were married, but I didn't know that my grandparents used that room when they first lived there. I guess they moved to the downstairs bedroom when the bathroom was completed.

But the most endearing thing about going back was when we went in one of the smaller bedrooms upstairs. My grandma had used it like attic storage after her children all moved out, so my cousins and I never played in there. I hadn't realized the room had a closet. But Dad peered into the closet, and pointed toward the back of it and said with a mischievous grin, "That's where Momma and Daddy used to hide our Christmas presents."

The mental picture of my dad as a kid sneaking around to find the Christmas presents just makes me all sniffly.

[Stampin Wrose]

Pretty sweet, PH.

[sewsplendidstamper]

Originally Posted by Stampin Wrose

Hey V, I didn't know you guys had severe thunderstorm warnings today! If we did, I missed it. Didn't hear that on the news last night.

It was pretty quiet here today, sunny and cloudy. I think it's raining now though.

I didn't know that either. Nothing exciting on the weather front after Friday night. I left out masterbath window open all night and it rained and the air was warm. It was really nice.

[Stampin Wrose]

Oh okay, yeah, when I heard about it, I was surprised.

Some people are given to exaggeration when it suits their needs.

[Stampin Wrose]

We had a bunch of rain overnight too.

[Stampin Wrose]

I'm officially a klutz today.

But I won't cry.

After all, you aren't supposed to cry over spilled milk.

[Stampin Wrose]

I guess I will check the mail, it's after 4 now.

[Stampin Wrose]

Which do you like better?

[jmscoping]

Originally Posted by Stampin Wrose

Which do you like better?

I like them both. Definitely case worthy!!

[Stampin Wrose]

Which BG color looks better, the Ruby or chocolate?

[Stampin Wrose]

I will put a ribbon across around the lower third and a greeting and mount it on a white base.

[Stampin Wrose]

Copying these guys. Minor changes.

SUO CCC12 July Group by stampindoe - Cards and Paper Crafts at Splitcoaststampers

[Illinois Marge]

Originally Posted by Stampin Wrose

Which BG color looks better, the Ruby or chocolate?

I like the chocolate. But the ruby is fine also, if you need to use up any of that color cs

[Illinois Marge]

PH, I liked your story about the old house.

[Stampin Wrose]

I do have Ruby to use up but it's not important. I bet if I didn't have that one block of red BG, I'd like the ruby behind better. I can make a set with that one changed, maybe. I guess I'm not fond of how it blends in. But y'all don't seem to mind.

[Stampin Wrose]

I figured it out. The configurations that contain large red pieces will go on the chocolate chip cardstock, and the ones that have only smaller red pieces can go on ruby red! Then I can use some of each. I've got four of each already.

[Stampin Wrose]

So the one on the left, above, got moved onto chocolate. I had only used temporary tape.

[Stampin Wrose]

Have any of you seen (heard) the new Progressive Insurance commercial? The guy that, I guess, makes the GOAL call, is in it. You know, he yells it and holds it
GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOAAAALLLLLL LLLL
really loud and a long time.

Well he does that in the commercial. So the second time it came on, I grabbed the remote and hit the mute button.

[Stampin Wrose]

They call it the announcer commercial. I found it if you want to check it out.
Announcer

I had the sound off. lol

[jmscoping]

Originally Posted by Stampin Wrose

Which BG color looks better, the Ruby or chocolate?

Everything's better with chocolate...

[Stampin Wrose]

LOL Ain't that the truth.

[Stampin Wrose]

Quiet here too.

[Stampin Wrose]

I really wish it didn't take an hour for my back to feel like it's straightened out after I get out of bed.

Sigh.

[Stampin Wrose]

I pulled out the new black sandals I got last Sept. before I went to Atlanta, time to start wearing them again!

[Stampin Wrose]

I think I need a new mattress.

[Stampin Wrose]

DH and I are meeting an old friend from Atlanta tonight at Olive Garden. He's in town for the week; lives in MD these days.

[AlysonRR]

Originally Posted by Stampin Wrose

I pulled out the new black sandals I got last Sept. before I went to Atlanta, time to start wearing them again!

I pulled out clothes I hadn't worn in awhile (I had gained weight ), and they fit!!! I've lost ~50lb (I never weighed myself at my high ) but hadn't thought to try on any old clothes. It's like having a whole new wardrobe!

[AlysonRR]

Originally Posted by Stampin Wrose

I think I need a new mattress.

We've been so happy with our Comfortaire mattresses (Comfortaire Mattress). We like the ones with 6.5" air bladders - we have two basic models that we added 2" memory foam to and they're perfect. Adjustable levels of support. The people who started Select Comfort worked for Comfortaire and left there because they wanted more direct marketing. Of course, that increases the price, so we're quite happy to pay less for an equivalent (or superior?) product.

We bought the first about 23 years ago for us, passed it on to DS eleven years later when he was ~2yo, and he is still sleeping on it with no detectable decline in comfort (I sleep on it sometimes). It's had an air bladder replacement or two (pro-rated for warranty age) but that's about it.


We bought another one for DD when she was one - souped it up with memory foam, too. No replacements of anything in 10 years.


We're not as happy with the 3.5" air bladder mattress with thick memory foam which we bought about 6 years ago. We're planning on replacing it with one like the kids as soon as we can manage it.


Satisfied customer report

[PH in VA]

Originally Posted by Stampin Wrose

I figured it out. The configurations that contain large red pieces will go on the chocolate chip cardstock, and the ones that have only smaller red pieces can go on ruby red! Then I can use some of each. I've got four of each already.

That's the way I would have done it, too.

[jmscoping]

home...

[Stampin Wrose]

Glad you're home. E.

[Stampin Wrose]

Originally Posted by AlysonRR

I pulled out clothes I hadn't worn in awhile (I had gained weight ), and they fit!!! I've lost ~50lb (I never weighed myself at my high ) but hadn't thought to try on any old clothes. It's like having a whole new wardrobe!

Good!!!!!

[Stampin Wrose]

Another quiet day!

[Stampin Wrose]

Okay I found some new sneakers today and the shopping trip put me over 1000 miles on my car, so of course I'm bragging about it. Only took seven months to get there.

You know, they filled the tank when I bought it, and I've gotten gas three more times since then.

I was on the highway today too, so my nice red car got a good workout. Still does 80 really well.

[jmscoping]

crockpot chicken for supper... wanting to look for different crockpot recipes so that we can eat better for supper.

any suggestions?

[Illinois Marge]

I think I am the only person in the civilized world still without a crockpot.

[Illinois Marge]

Wrose, ouch on sore back, but congrats on new shoes and 1K car milestone.

[Illinois Marge]

Welcome back E. Glad you survived intact!

[Illinois Marge]

Originally Posted by PH in VA

Mom has gradually been allowing my sisters and me to do more of the work. It makes it so much easier on her. We did have to practically shove her out of the kitchen during cleanup time, LOL. But we wanted her to be able to relax. J washed the dishes, A dried them, I put them away as well as put away the leftover food. It all worked out well.

That is so nice. It's good that you all can still get together. I do miss not having relatives in IL around any of the big the holidays.


And your Easter menu sounds great (except I would have passed on the coconut pie. Never did develop a taste for coconut.)