Tuesday Tidbits

I love apple cider. The unfiltered kind. Tamarack Farms produces a wonder apple cider that is sold at our local Kroger store.
BUT....the price has gone through the roof!! Four dollars or more for a gallon of the delicious stuff! I remember paying $2.50 perhaps just a couple of years ago, but $4.00?? Hello.
I know, I know. If I want the apple cider, I'm gonna have to pay the price AND I probably will, if only just once. Drat it all.
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ANDDDDD......how about the price of bacon?!?! Good grief! And I do love me some bacon. I'm reminded of that commercial for dog's Beggin' Strips where this dog goes through the house saying....although we know that dogs don't REALLY talk.....(I'm drifting, I know...)..."Bacon...bacon...bacon..."
THAT is how much I looooove bacon. (Could I be related to Paula Deen perhaps? LOL)
Anywayyyyy.....I was buying Farmland brand bacon at Save-a-Lot for $1.79 a pound package. Then it went to $2.29. The last time I checked it was heading for $3.00!!! It might be more than that now.
I know, I know....that is really not bad for a pound of meat of any kind, these days. But when the price jumps so quickly and so much, it is a bit disconcerting.
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So Bath and Body Works has once again discontinued the scent that I love the most! Why does this always happen to me??
Years ago, I wore Tuvache's Jungle Gardenia. They quit making it.
Then I switched to Sand and Sable, which also has a nice gardenia scent and I'm not sure why I quit wearing that particular perfume, as I think they still make it.
But then I found BBW's White Gardenia lotion and have worn it for yeeeaars.
Go figure.
NOW I have to find another scent that I like.
I am presently wearing BBW's Moonlight Path lotion, which is okay.
I only wear lotion because perfumes or colognes are just a little too powerful for me where lotions tend to be softer and more subtle plus they keep my skin so soft.
"Skin So Soft"!!!
Which reminds me that I DO like Avon's Skin-So-Soft Soft and Sensuous lotion. Hmmmm..maybe I'll give that a try again.
Does anyone else out there have perfume,lotion,cologne troubles like me??? Am I the only one?? Tell me it isn't so! :-)
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Oh, I am so happy this week, though you probably couldn't tell it by my comments above about high prices and perfume dilemnas, hm? :-)
It is raining in Ohio!!! Yayyyyy!! Thank you, Jesus! And, yes, I had been praying for rain!
It has been so hot and dry here. More so than I have seen it for a long time. Just last week we had record-setting temperatures for this time of year, in the 90's. Then a front came through and it was only in the 70's on Saturday but the weather was absolutely gorgeous on Saturday and Sunday.
The rain started Sunday night and has continued off and on through today.
Yes, it is chilly and rather dreary but I'll not complain because we need the rain desperately!
And the rain sounds so wonderful on the roof at night when I am drifting off to sleep!
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Daniel and Erin have been working away at getting their house ready to move into, so I have been taking care of little Jaylon more than usual, which I don't mind at all but it leaves me very little time for doing things that I like, like surfing the web, blogging, FBing and so on. Or going to the library for a few hours in the evening or watching TV programs that I've DVR'd and, let me tell ya, if you DVR very many programs and get behind? It is impossible to get caught up!
I'll blog more about Daniel and Erin's new home and their moving and so on in another post, when I get the time!
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ANDDDD is anyone watching "Dancing With the Stars"? Oh my goodness!!! Michael Bolton's performance last night was PAINFUL to watch!!!! I just can't believe that he doesn't have any more rhythym *sp* or musicality than he does, considering that he is a world-renowned singer! I could hardly bear to watch him. Poor guy. And he doesn't seem to have much personality, which kind of surprised me, too.
ANDDDD I wish Corky, who is dancing with Florence Henderson, would knock off the dramatics and be serious for once. I just don't care for his goofiness, flamboyance, or whatever it is that you call all of the goofy stuff that he does while he is dancing.
ANDDDD I think Bristol Palin is handling herself so well in this competition, so far. Now, if her mother just doesn't use it as another political platform for herself. Cool it, Sarah. This is Bristol's few weeks of fame.
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Well, we're off to get our yearly flu shots this morning and I hear Jaylon stirring from his morning nap, so I had better sign off here and make sure I have myself and everything else together and ready to go!
I miss blogging and always say that I'm going to be more faithful to it but taking care of a toddler, a husband, a home and myself leaves little time for alot of extracurricular activities.
And even though I haven't been posting much, I have been endeavoring to go around and read all of your blogs and comment here and there as I am able to.
Happy Fall, Ya'll!!! :-)

Fall Graphics

The simplest of things

Jaylon loves to play with my Hotsticks, so when I have something to do in that part of the house, that is usually what he does.
I remember when he tried to put them back in their holder and couldn't do it and would get so frustrated but now it is a cinch for him.
On this particular day, he concentrated so intensely and would put them in then dump them out, put them in, dump them out. :-) You get the idea
It amazes me how they can do the same thing over and over for an extended amount of time. He did this for approximately 20-30 minutes which I think is amazing.
Of course, he IS my grandson, so most anything he does is AMAZING to me, hm? :-)

Jaylon's inaugral visit to the fair

Ed and I took Jaylon to his very first Hocking County Fair last Friday! He loved the sounds and watching all of the people and the rides but he especially liked the animals!!!
He was good for about the first half of his ride on the merry-go-round but then he and two other little ones started crying and the operator was kind enough to end the ride shortly after the tears started. :-)
Oh, and Jaylon loves the fair fries!! Yum! :-)

The Kitty of the house and Jaylon, too! :-)

So Ellie hasn't been pulling her fur out....thank the Lord....and she quit digging and scratching for awhile but started that back up sometime over the weekend.
Sooooo.....my nephew told me to give her over-the-counter Benadryl tablets as they are safe for animals. He gives them to his dog.
Well, have you ever tried to get a cat to swallow a pill? It is nigh to impossible. Soooooo, I got a bright idea!!! Use the Benadryl spray on her and she'll end up trying to lick it off and it will end up inside of her eventually!!!
Well, we....as in Ed and I.....sprayed her nether regions and back with it this morning and she has not been scratching or digging today. Yayyyy!!
But she has been scratching around her neck and ears, so I may have to rub some on her in that area as I don't want to get it in her eyes.
You may ask why we are going to these lengths. Well, I just don't want to pay anymore money to the vet. It's so expensive. AND this does seem to be working. I'll keep you posted.
Below are some really darling pictures of her....the cat of the house, that is. Ellie!! :-)
Oh, and we can't forget Jaylon! He's down there in a couple of cute pictures. It was raining on the morning I took these and he just looked so cute, sitting there looking so intently at two of his favorite books. (Can you tell I adore this little guy just a tad? *smile*)

Jaylon and Grandpa at Lake Logan

I haven't had time to post lately because I've been taking care of little Jaylon quite alot as Daniel and Erin have been working at their "new" house, getting it ready to move into and little boys have a tendency to get in the way alot. :-)
So I've been keeping alot of company with the handsome little guy, which I don't mind at all!
Ed and I took Jaylon to Lake Logan again last Wednesday and here are some pictures that I took. I especially love the third one down! :-)

Wednesday's Random Dozen! Yayyyy!

"♪♫ It's that most wonderful time of the week ♪♫"


Time for another random dozen questions that help us get to know one another better AND maybe even get to know ourselves better! :-)
If you would like to join us, just go to Linda's blog at 2nd Cup of Coffee and join in!! It's that easy! And you just might make some new friends along the way!

Below are my answers, such as they are! :-)

1. Do you do garage sales? If so, tell me about one great find. If not, tell me why not.
Not usually, though I will very occasionally stop at one. The reason I don't do yard sales is because I don't REALLy need anything AND I get so tired doing yard sales. I mean, you go to one, get out of the car, only to find that they don't have anything anyway and on you go to the next one. AND I get to feeling kind of grungy after awhile, looking through all of this stuff that people pulled out of their attics, basements and Lord only knows where else.
BUT I do love to go to our local Volunteers of America store!
Oh, and I've never really found anything THAT great at yard sales and that is not to say that people don't because I have a friend who finds great stuff all of the time! She's addicted! :-)


2. Name the last thing you fixed.
Okay, are we talking food here or something that was broken that needed fixed? Hmmmm....if it is food, I fixed Johnny Marzetti for supper.

3. Name your A) Favorite item of makeup OR B) Favorite tool
Well, I don't wear makeup, except for a little pressed powder on my face if it is shiny and this is usually in the summer when it is really hot, so that would be my favorite!

4. Which room in your home needs organizing more than any other?
Well, I guess it would have to be the extra bedroom at the front of our house. It is where I have my keyboards and alot of Jaylon's bigger toys. It needs cleaned really good.

5. Which room could use re-decorating?
I'd like to redo my whole house!! :-) But especially my living room and kitchen which are kind of together.

6. Share something unique about your town.
We now have all new schools in our community. Five new elementary schools. A new middle school and a new high school complex.

7. If you could send a one-sentence message to your great-grandchild, what would it be?
"Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength." Mark 12:30 (NIV)


8. Do you Facebook?
Yes, but not nearly as much as I used to. I just don't have the time. Plus it takes away time from my blog and blogging which I don't like. I prefer my blog and blogging. FB tends to make blogging difficult.

9. Describe your favorite shoes.
Oh, this is easy. My Birkenstock sandals, which I've had for several years. Do they ever hold up well, or what? Now, they aren't the most attractive or dainty or feminine shoes in the world but I'll trade that for the comfort they afford! :-)


10. Do you listen to more talk radio or more music radio? What kind of station is it?I would have to say talk radio. I listen to 610 WTVN out of Columbus. They have Glenn Beck in the morning, Rush Limbaugh in the afternoon, John Corby in the evening and Hannity at 8pm.
But I've not been listening much since the presidential election. I just get tired of hearing it all. But I don't listen to much music either. You see, we used to have a really great christian music station but it went out of business, I guess. *sigh*
I love to listen to Focus on the Family, Family Life Today and Family Matters but I can only get them when I am in the car, which doesn't happen very often and it's not like I can go sit in the car and listen when they are on. I'm watching a grandchild. :-)
Now we do have a local christian station but they play ALL southern gospel which I like but I don't want to listen to it exclusively, nor do I want to listen to contemporary only either. I guess I am a bit too picky, hm?
I used to like to listen to Sunny 95 (94.7) in the evening when they played love songs but I can only take so much of Delilah, you know? I just want to tell her, "Would you please just be quiet and play MUSIC?" I even emailed the radio station and complained and they emailed me back, saying that Delilah was one of their most popular programs...yadayadayada.
Before Delilah, they had a male DJ who played music and OCCASIONALLY took a dedication. It was just a relaxing evening of love songs. Delilah is ridiculous. I think she likes to hear herself talk. Me? I'd rather listen to music.

11. How far would you travel for a really good (favorite) meal?
I would drive to Columbus, which is about 65 miles away and we have a few times. Or Parkersburg, which is about the same distance.

12. If you were totally honest with yourself (and us) what should you probably be doing right now instead of blogging?
Sleeping or laying all stretched out in bed reading. *yawwwnnnnn*

And that is where I am going now that I have this post finished! Good night all!! :-)

Monday's Randomness on Wednesday!!

I started this post on Monday but am just now getting it posted, so here it is!!!
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A while back, I made some of THE MOST delicious crockpot chicken I have ever put into my mouth! Oh.my.word.

I get a weekly email from a few recipe websites and I'm not sure just which one this was in but I'll try my best to get the recipe right. So, here goes! Oh, and be warned! This is not low-fat, diet, or anything to close to it! :-)

4 boneless chicken thighs and 4 boneless chicken breasts
8 slices of bacon
Slices of dried beef or cooked ham lunchmeat
2 cans cream of mushroom soup
1 cup of sour cream
1/2 cup of flour

Spray the crockpot with cooking spray. Line the bottom of the crockpot with the dried beef or ham. The recipe I used called for the dried beef but all I had was ham and it worked really well. Wrap each piece of chicken with one slice of bacon. Lay the chicken pieces on top of the dried beef/ham.

Mix the mushroom soup, sour cream and flour together thoroughly and pour over the chicken.

I cooked this on low in my crockpot for about 6-7 hours. It is wonderful!!! So very wonderful! I believe I served it with mashed potatoes and green beans. We may have had a salad, too! :-)
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My flowers are just about gone for the year. We've cut back most of the hostas and daylilies. It has been so dry here. We've not had any rain for a month, at least.

Below, are a couple of pictures of my petunias and of one of the hanging baskets on the front porch.

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I finally had to take Ellie to the vet. She was still pulling out hair and digging and scratching like crazy and just wasn't herself at all AND I couldn't believe how it was stressing ME out! But I do love her so much and just hated seeing her so miserable.


Ed kept hoping she would "just get over it" but that was not be, I'm afraid.
The vet gave her a shot of steroids and anitbiotic drops to take at home. Ellie just hugged up to me and was such a good kitty while they worked on her.
This was last Wednesday and, though her coat still looks ragged, she is back to her old self again, thankfully. She has been following me around like a pup and I'm not complaining! I'm just so thankful that she is better and it only cost $67.50 when it could have been so much more! *whew!*
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Jaylon loves to help me do laundry. You know, put the soap in washer or throw in the softener ball or put the clothes in the washer or throw them in the dryer and shut the door.
Well, whenever he sees one of Ed's shirts, he recognizes it and says "Papa". It is so sweet! I can't believe he recognizes Ed's shirts!
Oh...what was that? Does he recognize any of my clothes? Uh, apparently not. He doesn't say "Grandma" when he throws in my blouses or nightgowns.
What am I? Chopped liver? *said whiningly*
Noooo, I'm just the one who feeds him and changes his diaper and reads his books to him a kazillion times and....... well, you get the idea.
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Well, that's about all that I have, folks...for now anyway!

I'm gonna get this posted as we are going to take Jaylon to the lake again today because Ed doesn't have to work for the next three days! Yayyy!!! Hope you are able to enjoy this beautiful "autumnal" (that's Martha's word....you know, THE Martha, as in Stewart!! LOL) weather wherever you are!!! :-)

Me and Jaylon at Lake Logan

When Daniel was little, one of his favorite things to do was to go to Lake Logan and throw rocks in the water. Simple, hm? :-) Those simple things make the best memories! :-)

Well, last week, I took little Jaylon to Lake Logan so he could throw some rocks in the water. Now, he is used to doing that at our creek but the creek is all dried up for lack of rain, so you can imagine how excited he was at seeing all of that lake water! LOL

I had gotten him a chicken nugget meal before going out and thankfully, we had some leftover fries to feed to the hungry ducks!

Below are some pictures of our adventure!

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AND...below are a couple of pictures of Jaylon and Grandpa enjoying some moments together!
Jaylon loves to sit on the mower and take the key out and put the key in and take the key out and put....well, you get the idea. :-) Isn't it amazing how they can do something over and over a kazillion times and never get bored? I love it! :-)

Jaylon loves to drink Ed's warm green tea, especially with a fresh cookie! :-) Here he is partaking of the tea!

Wednesday's Random Dozen! :-)

It's that most wonderful time of the week! Time for the Random Dozen questions which are given out by Linda at 2nd Cup of Coffee!! If you would like to join us, just click on her blog, copy the questions, answer them on your blog, link up at Linda's and have fun meeting some wonderful ladies all about the web!
Here goes my attempt at answering this week's questions to the best of my ability! :-)


1. Describe the best sandwich in the world, according to you.
It would have to be the Garlic Portabella and Swiss Angus Burger at Scrambler Maries. Oh.my.word. It is served on a soft pretzel bun and is to die for!!

2. Which inspires you more: a good conversation, a song, a book or movie?
I would have to say a song. Music has always moved me and because I play and sing, it is very close to my heart. I could really elaborate but I won't.
Okay, I will tell you one short story. :-)
Several years ago, I was on my way to work at the library as I listened to a local christian radio station. I was going through a difficult time and this song came on the radio by Avalon..."I Can't Live A Day Without You." I cannot begin to describe how the words of this song went straight to my heart. It was as if the words came from my heart. They were just what I wished to say to Him. I prayed and cried to the Lord the rest of the way to work and actually had some difficulty pulling myself together to go into work. What an awesome song! And that is only one of many that have had the same effect on me through the years.



3. What is your favorite board game?
Hmmmm.......it used to be Monopoly but I'm not sure now. The last board game that I played was Scrabble and that was really fun, too. So, it would probably be one of those.
Oh, wait. Bible Trivia. I played that with my husband, pastor and another gentleman from our church and we had such a crazy blast playing it! So, that is right up there, too!
Oh, and I do believe that it depends on who you are playing with, too. Makes all the difference in the world! :-)

4. As you grow older, are you more or less patient with small children?
Actually, I'm more patient. I believe that taking care of little Jaylon, our grandson, has helped me in this area AND, as I'm getting older (58), I'm learning more and more what is really important in our day-to-day lives. They are only little once and they deserve our time, attention, and patience. They are so defenseless and are learning about this life and world one step at a time.

5. Name one item you never let yourself run out of.
Hairspray. (Hate to admit it, but it's true, nevertheless.)

6. Do you agree with Tennyson's assertion, "'Tis better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all?"
Oh, yes.
Is there anything as affirming as knowing that you love/loved someone unconditionally and were loved in return in the same way?
As we've gotten older, Ed and I have had some discussions about death, what we would do if something happened to the other one. We don't like to think about it but it does make our love for one another that much dearer. We have no promise of tomorrow.

7. Name one national treasure or monument that you have visited.
The National Archives in Washington D.C., where the original Declaration of Independence is stored, along with the Bill of Rights and the Constitution.


8. Which is more painful, to be disappointed in someone else or to be disappointed in yourself?
I would have to say in someone else. You see, I know my own heart. I know my motives. I know if I am truly sorry. I know the sincerity and intentions of my future actions.
But, with some people, you might never know what was REALLY going on, what their motives/intentions were, or if they were truly sorry.
There are some situations that I still struggle with sometimes because I was never given the opportunity to REALLY know what was going on with them. I still shake my head in disbelief sometimes, wondering at what is going on in their thinking, but realizing I can only deal with my side of the situation, to the best of my ability, unless and until they make a move toward reconciliation. *sigh*


9. What makes your kitchen uniquely yours?
Me. I mean, that is the only thing I could really think of. I have my own order of things in my cupboards and refrigerator. I have my own style of cooking.
When Daniel was still at home, he was in the kitchen cooking something and, I'll never forget, he said to me, "Mom, I hope, someday, when I have my own kitchen that I have a spice cupboard like you do.....I like the smell of it when you open the door...... and that I have an onion bowl, like you do in the fridge. You just have everything in a certain place and you know it is going to be there when you go to get it. "
I just thought that was such a nice thing for him to say. AND he does have his own spice cupboard now! :-) It is kind of located in the same area of his kitchen as mine is, in the cupboard between the sink and the stove. :-) Daniel loves to cook, especially grilling out. Oh, and Erin calls him the "Breakfast King"!

10. Are you a crafty person?
Not really. Crafts are just not something I have ever cared to do. I mean, I CAN do them. I just prefer not to. :-)


11. What is your favorite traditional picnic or bbq (cookout) food?
A really good macaroni salad. One that is not too soupy nor too dry.


12. Name one leisurely activity you enjoyed over Labor Day Weekend.
Watching my DVR'd TV programs while crocheting and enjoying my morning coffee with a warm blueberry poptart, while Ellie sat in the open window by my chair and we enjoyed the cool, fresh morning air together as it wafted in through the screen. Ahhhhhhh.........:-)

Post Labor Day Weekend and other stuff

Has the weather been absolutely gorgeous or what? Now, this is my kind of weather! Oh my!
I could just live outside when it is like this!!

We went to my brother and sister-in-law's 40th wedding anniversary celebration on Saturday and had a wonderful time. The weather was beautiful....oh, I mentioned that already, didn't I? :-)......the food was delicious, and we enjoyed seeing alot of family and friends.

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Oh, I forgot to mention that I had bronchitis last week, into the weekend and am still dealing with it, somewhat....*hack* *cough*. LOL

I was feeling fine on Tuesday evening when my pal, Pam, stopped by and we decided to go to Bob Evans for a bite to eat. Okay, we ate much more than just a "bite" and it was scrumptious! :-)

Anywayyyy.....I woke up Wednesday morning feeling a bit achey about my shoulders. By the afternoon, I felt really bad and have dealt with this old floogey since.

We still took care of little Jaylon, with Ed helping me so much. The only kind of difficult time was in the afternoons when Ed is gone for about three hours but Jaylon was usually napping during some of that time, so I rested, too.

His poison ivy is all gone and he is back to his usual happy little self! Here's a cute picture I got from Erin's FB page! :-)

He has his mommy's old cellphone now and loves playing with it. Looks like he's having ball, hm? :-)
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I am so bummed because I had this post all finished but when I tried to post it, I got an error message saying it "might" not be saved or published. I tried everything I knew to do but hoped it was saved and proceeded to restart my computer, only to log back on and find that only a small portion of my lengthy "finishd" post was GONE! I am so sick of dial-up that I'm thinking of just doing away with the internet here at home and just going to the library when I want to blog or do the internet. It can be sooo aggravating! AND time-consuming!
Oh, that's just great....NOW it's "saving", AFTER I've lost my post already! GRRRR!!!
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Perhaps I'll have to start posting in tidbits.....smaller posts, so I don't lose what I've done already.
Hope your Tuesday is off to a great start!!! :-)