Signs of Spring

The notion that spring will come was the picture of the baseball players and palm trees. But now the first signs on spring are happening in Naniland! David was getting ready to leave for a playdate in Michigan Sunday morning. I lovingly call model railroad sessions grownup playdates, like fantasy sports, but trains. I saw him looking at the ground and pointing his phone. I got a text as he was coming back in to give me a goodbye kiss and he told me to look at the picture because it would make me happy.

I was indeed very happy! As the snow melts away it exposes the crocuses poking through last fall’s remaining leaves. Spring is coming! Once the snow has all receded from the flower beds we’ll need to blow the leaves out and pull the straggly remains of last year’s wild roses so the spring perennials can bloom. There is always one last windy day in the fall that puts that nasty blanket of dead leaves under the snow. But my crocuses are my spirit flower. We both fight whatever they load on us to bloom. I think the crocuses are better at it than I am, but they inspire me.

The other Naniland sign of spring is my hankering for ice cream returns. Ice cream is my favorite food group and I still enjoy it once in a while when it’s cold, but more often I prefer it melted into a coffee drink in the winter. On Saturday I grabbed out one of my Giant Latte bars that’s been there since December.

It wasn’t freezer-burned, but there was a nice layer of ice crystals on it. There’s one more bar in the box and then I’ll be thinking about getting some icy pops and other novelty treats. For the freezer. My afternoon mochas will be transitioning to afternoon ice cream soon!



Just As a note for anyone who read that 50 Shades of Grey review and wondered what the canapé knives looked like.

That image is from the web but they are the exact set I got. 3 romance novels a month from Harlequin and they came with a free knife. Get 6 month of romance books and you have the full set. The wood block came with the first knife. I got the books for 6 months to get the whole set of knives and then quit because the books were pretty much all the same and really not good books. I guess I’m a snob because I read a lot of classic literature in my teens and 20s. Now I read the classics here and there, but I read a lot of action crime mysteries. So after the 50 Shades review I guess I’m, a tomboy snob?


It’s a busy week for me this week and a busy week when the weather is warmer isn’t a bad thing. David met me at the medical supply place this morning to look at lift chair recliners. The probability is that insurance doesn’t cover any of the cost of the chair, but my doctor wrote up a medical necessity form to see if that coaxes them to reconsider. Even if the insurance company doesn’t budge that form will make it an acceptable tax deduction for 2015. Since the chairs are not at all cheap and frankly I can’t afford it, David and I agreed to split the cost of the chair. It helps keep my pride and my financial stress balanced.

I sat in a model chair to see if my width of butt and length of legs fit. I tell you I lifted the legs and moved it back and could have fallen asleep right there. It fit perfectly and I think it’s going to have a happy home with us. Well, it’ll make a happy home too! It’s going to be ready for delivery in 3-4 weeks since the chair is built when it’s ordered. It’s going to be a medium-dark green called evergreen which will match our sofa and contrasts well with the Wedgewood blue sofa sleeper of mine in storage at a time we decide to switch the sofas.

One more piece of recent Art Journaling:

Credits: Mostly elements from She Felt SAD by Wendy Tunison, 

CU Window by CJ's Dreams and very old un-TOS papers in my stash

But I’m starting to lose those winter blues!

The Last of Leo

It’s August 20 and only a few days of Leo left! Last year I expanded Nanifest to include any plans made during the festival week as a Nanifest Event. This enables me to celebrate with more of my family of relatives and friends since I can’t drive out to see them anymore.

I mentioned a while back that part of Nanifest this year is that I no longer drive, officially. On my birthday this year my last driver’s license expired and I replaced it with a State ID. It was a funny bit of irony there. When I renewed the license I had three years ago I used the walker when I went in to the BMV. At that time I was able to load the walker in and out of the backseat of the Camaro so I could use it to get to places once I drove there. I could still drive okay, but walking I couldn’t do without assistance. The clerk at the counter looked at me and the walker and asked if I could still drive. Well, I got there, didn’t I? I assured the clerk that I drove fine; I just needed the walker to walk. With a little trepidation she said okay and proceeded with the eye test. When I went in at the end of July to trade my last driver license for a state ID I got from not one clerk, but that clerk’s supervisor as well the question “Are you sure you want to give up your privilege to drive?” WAY different reaction to my identification situation than 3 years ago! I told them, from the seat of my powerchair, that TARPS got me here because I don’t drive, I can’t drive. I also added that I don’t drive FOR the other drivers. Yeesh; it was as hard to quit driving with a wheelchair as it was to keep driving with a walker. I haven’t driven in 2 years and I don’t have a car and the state of Ohio has finally let go. It’s a good thing they did the kicking and screaming about me not driving because while I scream just fine, I’m not up to the kicking part.

Naniday Breakfast

Double Chocolate Frosted Donuts!

There are two essential components to Nanifest in addition to as many of my people as possible. Those are ice cream and baseball. There was plenty of ice cream, all within my daily or weekly Weight Watchers point allowances. There was even ice cream and baseball together. I talked about stopping at Graeter’s with Rob and K, Rob insisted it was his Nanifest treat. I bought a Blue Bunny cone from a rest area machine on actual Naniday since the ice cream and fudge place at the rest area in Indiana was closed by the time we got in there, but Naniday started with David getting me 2 especially good double chocolate frosted donuts at the Dunkin Drive through near our hotel. We’d done a long weekend in metro Chicago chasing trains and seeing a day game the day before Naniday at the Kane County Cougars. Since we’d been to the West Michigan Whitecaps earlier David has now been to all the Midwest League stadiums I have and we have only the Wisconsin teams and Bowling Green Kentucky to have been to every Midwest League stadium!

 In the 10 days from August 8-17 I saw 4 baseball games, 3 of the Major League! David and I saw the Reds and Marlins in Cincinnati on the 8th and the Mariners and Tigers in Detroit on the 17th and we joined Rob and K for the Red Sox and Reds on the 13th. The 16th, last Saturday was the Strike Out MS dinner and ballgame in Toledo and I went to that while David was working. That game was a sellout and after dinner and a little talking about the Self Help Group I lead I went down to get closer to the game. Our area of seats didn’t really have enough wheelchair spots ad I like to be closer if I can so I went solo. The saddest part of that stretch was that the team I was rooting for lost every game! I did get 2 games with fireworks after, one that made my husband and cousin happy and one that let me see “My Mariner,” Austin Jackson…sniff, sniff…and at least Austin’s team won!

My Mariner (sniff)

After the Tigers game we went to Pop’s house for the second annual Leo Birthday Banquet. Pop grills a fantastic dinner and Aunt Judy, August 18, and I share the cake! We shared a birthday dinner last year and it was very cool, so when Pop asked about birthday dinner this year I suggested that it was a great idea to do it for both of us again. I think it’s going to be a regular thing now! Three of Aunt Judy’s grands, my cousin Lisa’s kids, were there to help eat the cake and ice cream, I mean celebrate, too. I wanted a photo of the Lovely Leo Ladies for my scrapbook and asked the kids to help “make their grandmother beautiful.” Aunt Judy never likes her photo taken because she is never happy with her look in photos. I got some nice candid photos of her at Christmas a few years ago and discovered the secret. I asked the kids to stand behind Pop when he was taking the picture and just be goofy for her and make her smile. It worked! She even said she liked the picture!

Lovely Lionesses

Marble cake with fantastic fudgy frosting. My piece was 26 points and pretty much replaces the 2-scoop waffle cone for the week. (But a new week starts tomorrow!)

Happy Summer First!

I don’t have a ton other than "Happy Summer First"to say today, but the first day of summer deserves a little celebration!

:)

Let the summer begin! I haven’t used any of my weekly extra Weight Watchers points and it really does take using half of them for me to lose well. A double scoop waffle cone is half of them, so an ice cream stop in the coming week is a must. We have the baseball game scheduled and trains too if the weather stays sunny!

So there’s my summer kick off post. Make sure you get some ice cream and blow some bubbles!

FREE ICE CREAM???

No sweeter words have I ever heard. I’ve mentioned before that I became a BzzAgent and I enjoy the opportunity to try products and spread the word. It appeals to my love of marketing. My current Bzz Campaign is the best; it started with fee ice cream!

I tried Kroger Yogurt Smoothie Bars, the Strawberry-Banana ones. OH MY! These are SO good! Think about things you’ve had that are banana flavored or strawberry flavored. Not really a fruit flavor, huh? You won’t experience the fake fruit flavor here! Kroger’s Yogurt Smoothie Bars are real fruit and creamy yogurt and oh so good!

But better still, Kroger Yogurt Smoothie bars are good for you too! They are one of Kroger’s ultimate guilt-free snacks. They are very low-cal, almost no points. I’ve been enjoying them as a sweet frozen snack in the afternoon when it’s been really hot.

In addition to the tasty Strawberry-Banana Yogurt Smoothie Bars you can also try the Yogurt Smoothie Bars in Triple Berry. But the guilt-free indulgence doesn’t stop there! There are also Low Fat Fudge Pops or Chocolate and Vanilla Ice Cream Sandwiches and No Sugar Added Fruit Bars. I’m already pondering what I’ll try next after my box of a dozen Strawberry-Banana Yogurt Smoothie Bars quickly empties.

When I got my BzzKit in addition to my “try it” coupon, I got a few generous coupons to share. I’m going to give away two of them at The Chronicles of Nani. In order to use the coupon, you need to have a Shopper’s Card from one of the Kroger Family of Stores; Kroger, King Soopers, Fry’s, Dillon’s or Smith’s. To get the coupon, which is good for any of the Kroger guilt-free treats, just leave a comment and let me know which frozen treat you’d use the coupon for. That will enter you in the random selection for one of the coupons. Then if you win, you can email your send-to address. Yeah, I’m just nosey about what flavors you’d choose.

I think my next box will probably be chocolate sandwiches…or maybe the fudge bars? The Triple Berry Yogurt Smoothie Bars sound good too, especially after the big smile the Strawberry-Banana ones gave me. Oh, maybe I just need you to help me choose!

It's Still Monday, Right?

It's a 2-cup(+) day!

What a morning it was today! I slept in a bit; yesterday was just a day with a lot going on and by before the Red Sox-Yankees game was over my legs were telling me it was time to go up and lay back with them stretched out while I read a few chapters.

I sit a lot during the day and if I don’t get enough stretching or moving my legs get sore and my feet swell. This is why I try to do a little walk around the kitchen and stretching exercises a few times during the day. Well, yesterday was the Tigers and Reds games, neither of which was very satisfying at the end. It was also a few scrapbook layouts that were very satisfying. When I get “in the zone” creatively, I tunnel in and forget to come up for air or stretches. It adds up to sore legs and swollen feet at the end of the day. Don’t pity me or worry; it’s my bad and my penance for it!

So, a little extra sleep, a leisurely shower, phone calls to return and appointments to make for the week and here I am; afternoon and finally posting the Monday Quiz About Me, courtesy of Acting Balanced and Touristic.

1. June 3rd is National Repeat Day - what word or phrase do you find yourself repeating? I repeat...

“Stupid. ___” The blank is filled in with whatever refused to do it my way; stupid knee stupid sink, stupid Windows 8, stupid Cardinals, etc…


2. Who do you feel is a real hero?

I don’t ignore the almost super-human acts of men and women in the military, hospitals, police, fire and rescue and I don’t overlook teachers or judges and lawyers who actually do defend and make decisions for the greater good even one individual at a time. But I think I am a real hero, so are you. We spend so much time loosely throwing that word around when something terrible happens that we seem to reserve it to describe reactions to bad things without realizing how influential and strong we all are. As the saying goes; to the world you may be just one person but to one person you may be the world.


3. Are you interested in traveling to countries where most people don't speak the same language as you?

I did that the summer I turned 13! I was in Italy for a month staying with family, most of whom didn’t speak a word of English. By then of the trip, I asked for the price of a souvenir book in Italian and the shop keeper said to me (also in Italian) “you know this book is in English?” Kinda shocked me and I fumbled and said “Yes, um, Si!” She gave an approving smile after I outed myself as an American, affirming, “Inglese!” and sold me the book.


4. It's also dairy month - what is your favorite dairy or dairy-like (for you vegans and allergy sufferers) food or recipe?

I won’t say ice cream, which is an entirely different food group. So, I’ll say YOPA! Yopa is new Greek yogurt with mix-ins from YoCrunch. YUM! It’s all the protein and positives about Greek yogurt plus something crunchy, I’ve tried the cherry and strawberry with granola and the vanilla with almonds; ALL great! Now I’m searching for the vanilla with chocolate chips!


And my question for this week:

David and I had a discussion about ice cream last week as we passed quite a few Dairy-Queen-style soft serve ice cream places. I determined that there are four basic types of frozen treat products to get when you aren’t home. These include any quality, price and ingredients of product. So we’re talking about ice cream (regular, nonfat no sugar etc…), frozen yogurt and fruit ices within the categories.

Categories are:

1. Hand-scooped, (that includes Baskin Robbins, gelato or anything scooped out of a case and into your bowl, sundae or cone.)

2. Mix-Ins (The likes of Coldstone and that includes a Blizzard or Flurry, anything with extras mixed into a frozen product after you order it.)

3. Soft Serve (It comes out of a machine into a bowl or cone and can be served as a sundae or dipped in a topping, but NOT the topping mixed in.)

4. Novelties (That’s anything in an individual package)

Whew! Now after that work up, my question 5 this week:

5. What’s your favorite category for a frozen treat when you’re not at home?

My favorite is hand-scooped. I LOVE me my weekly double-scoop in a waffle cone! The only exception to the waffle cone is if I happen into an ice cream parlor that has pretzel cones.

After that it’s a tie between mix-ins and novelties, depending on my mood. Although soft serve is fourth, that doesn’t mean I’d ever turn down a dish or cone of it. I might pass a DQ if a Baskin Robbins is just up the road, though.

Weekend Notes and Monday Quiz

Happy Monday! Yeah, silly me; it’s always a happy day. I always look for the one bright spot. Yesterday was a fairly rotten day in my world except that it was a perfect baseball day! The Tigers and Red Sox won and the Yankees and Pirates lost in the day games and the Reds beat the Cardinals for the weekend series sweep last night. That puts the Reds in first place again. YAY! Life is not always perfect, but there is always something to make it good.

Yesterday also had another up point; it was National Ice Cream Day! I may have hated Ronald Reagan’s fiscal ideas, but I love that he declared my birthday month National Ice Cream Month and a specific day for all Americans to enjoy the best food in the world. David and I went out to do our American duty at Baskin Robbins. I had my weekly double scoop in a waffle cone and he had a three-scoop sundae. Should I reiterate how awesome Weight Watchers is? I’m my most successful when I use half of the extra weekly points in the “Plus” part of the plan. That affords me a double scoop n a waffle cone once a week. Awe-sooome!

I tried the Flavor of the Month for July; Oreo N’ Chocolate. Yanno, Oreos would be the perfect cookie if the inside was buttercream. I’m not a fan of the plain fat and powdered sugar “white stuff” and as a kid I usually scraped it out and just ate the cookies. As an adult I can eat them without taking them apart, but the taste would be awesome with buttercream inside! Still I don’t do Oreos on their own because I don’t care for the filling, but put them in ice cream or pie and OH MY! Big chunks of cookie in chocolate ice cream with a fudge ribbon is totally beyond death by chocolate and directly into chocolate heaven! I will add that Oreo N’ Chocolate is probably a better ice cream in a dish because the big cookie chunks make it bumpy for liking and they tend to take chunks out of the cone when you bite it. I’ll probably still have a scoop in a cone next week…or maybe I’ll get it in an ice cream cake for Naniday!


The drought conditions all over this year are just nuts! After so many of the same places in the Midwest that are under it this year were under water last year, it’s just mind boggling to see them so dry this year! Here’s a photo I took last June of the Mississippi River:

Here is an internet shot of it this year:

The this year shot is a little farther notrh than the shot I took lat year, but the difference is extreme all the way down the Mississippi. They have to reroute shipping or lighten cargo through the River. Just incredible!


I have to admit that I’ve kinda taken weekends off of news. Especially during an election year, there’s so much garbage in the news. On Mondays I catch up and realize I didn’t miss much; right still hates left, left still hates right, they all still hate us. Politically jaded much, Nani?


Okay, there are the Nani tidbits this morning. Um, okay they were from this morning. My hands get weak with the typing and I have to take a do the dishes break. After I post it’ll be the laundry stretching exercises before lunch. LOL But first, the Monday Quiz!

1. If you could be on a reality TV show which one would you want to be a part of?

I honestly don’t watch enough reality TV shows to have a clue! I don’t want to do a competitive show so, it would have to be something where I was the person who decided who got kicked off. :)


2. You have the power to create one law, what would it be?

I would cap political contributions at $1000 a year from any source or group. Even debates would be pretty much the only guaranteed exposure to the masses because they’d run out of smut ads about the other candidate or side of an issue pretty quick. “Independent” ads or campaigns for a side count at the $1000 cap under penalty for a violation.


3. How's your weather today?

Chilly. I’m inside the house and the air conditioning that keeps David comfy is a little chilly to me. Outside it’s sunny and high 90s.


4. Other than the country you currently live in, where would you want to live?

Easy for me; Canada. Born in Detroit, I’m a little bit culturally Canadian anyway, just as folks in any border town are a little culturally influenced by the other country. There are things in Canada I like better than here and things that make me want to go home too. If I could pick and choose the aspects the country gets, I’d love to live in the United Areas of Canerica!

And don't forget to add a 5th Question on your own blog so we can answer as we hop around!


5. If you could plot the weather for you, what would be the ideal temperature range and how many rain days a month would you have?

My weather utopia would be temps in the high 70s to mid-80s, slightly lower in the fall. We’d have a moderate amount of rain about 8 days a month with enough rainfall to keep crops and gardens watered adequately. Oh, and one big snowfall for about a week in winter where everyone stays home or plays in it that is amply cold and snowy enough to make the ground fertile for crops, gardens and crocuses!

YUM!

So, I’ve been busy and I’m way behind on this one. I’ve been shadowing Marvi Marti on her 100 things I love posts. She posted her 10 Foods I Love 2 weeks ago! So, I guess the sun is out now and oh look, It’s shadowy ole me! Marti, I’m still with ya!

10 Foods I Love

in no particular order

1. Soup - I know I’ve mentioned how much I love soup before. Right now I have Stuffed Pepper Soup on deck for lunch tomorrow. I look forward to the coming months and a lighter Spring Vegetable soup and the in the summer, homemade gazpacho made with farmers market tomatoes!

2. Hershey’s Candy Coated Milk Chocolate Eggs –

Okay, by Hershey’s Candy Coated milk Chocolate Eggs, I mean chocolate. It’s my favorite food group! The Candy Coated Eggs are my favorite Easter Candy and they were tonight’s dessert. I have about one dessert left in my first bag of the season. Then it has to go on the next grocery list!

3. Hummus –

 
I love Middle Eastern food, and hummus is a staple in my fridge. Tori and Rina and I have a standing date when either of them is in town to go to Ya Halla for lunch. Tori dubbed their hummus “Middle Eastern Crack,” for its addictive quality. At home I like Sabra Roasted Red Pepper Hummus. I usually go carrots and celery for dipping but I also like it with really good pita bread and in a vegetarian wrap in lavash.


4. Organic Carrots – Not everyday carrots and not mini peeled carrots and don’t cook them, just pull a carrot out and eat it Bugs Bunny style. Organic carrots have a sweetness that makes them like crunchy candy! I eat a couple or three a day and pick up a 5lb bag when I shop. Tonight, my darling husband picked me up a bag on the way home from work because my bag in the fridge was just about empty. He really does spoil me!

5. Ice Cream – 2 scoops of Baseball Nut on a waffle cone is 20 WW points. I know this without looking it up. It’s my summer staple when we go to Baskin Robbins and last summer I did well only using my weekly extra points for a double scoop of Baseball Nut in a waffle cone each week. :)

I don’t like Rocky Road, Cookie Dough or Black Walnut ice cream. The rest of the flavors are my favorite.


6. Cincinnati Chili – A trip to Cincinnati is not complete until I have a three-way from Skyline.

7. Nuts – My undoing! When I started really figuring out portions and the weight loss thing, I discovered that 6 almonds or 5 hazelnuts is a serving of fat. 10 peanuts in the shell is a serving. But I thought that big bag at the ballpark…I mean you had to work off some of the calories taking them out of the shells, right? I get the 100 calorie packs of almonds to snack on in the car now and David always tells me “you are what you eat.”


8. Pretzels –

I love all kinds of pretzels! My favorites are the UTZ Selects in the big barrel; pumpernickel, sesame, butter and honey wheat. I also really like the Rold Gold Everything Bagel pretzels. I like regular old pretzels dipped in honey mustard and the big soft pretzels with lots of salt and mustard.

9. Ham Steak – The pig is possibly the most edible creature on earth, but the best part of the pig is ham! I like ham sandwiches and occasionally ham spread, LOVE Honey Baked Ham for the holidays, complete with soup end, but my absolute favorite is a nice ham steak made with honey cooked just until it caramelizes.


10. Shrimp – my top three preparations would be scampi, coconut and low country boiled served hot. I also like a gazillions other preparations, just not crazy about fried shrimp when it’s not coconutified.


I’m glad that’s the end. It’s too late in the evening for me to be getting hungry! Oh, but what I wouldn’t give right now for a Sheetz black forest ham on a pretzel roll with honey mustard!

Links

Marvi Marti’s 10 Foods I Love

Sentimental Saturday

Me and Mom 1999

Yesterday was another productive, although tiring afternoon/evening in the White Tornado world. I got another chunk sorted and cleared in the future woman cave that turned up some wonderful things. I went through a grandma box and a Mums box.

Before I go further, I want to clear up a source of confusion. I realize that what’s simple for me can be very messy to try to read and I’m sorry. But don’t we all do that from time to time? Things that have just “always been” don’t seem to need clarification. My brain says if I made a distinction once, it’s already overkill. That would be true if I was writing in my private journal and didn’t expect anyone to ever read it. Even my private journals I do want read after I’m gone. They are all my secrets that might make insightful, helpful or entertaining reading 60 years or so from now by my nieces, grand nieces and nephews, and greats and so on.

Grandma, Mums and Mom 1945

Anyway, the distinction issue. The other day when I mentioned women in my blog who were here before me, I spoke of “Mom.” “Grandma,” “Mums” and “Grammy.” Those are four different women. It gets more confusing because if I talk about Tori and Rina the names are different for each one. SO the round up goes like this:

I am Nani, nicknamed that by my mother and in 1994 it was intended that I’d be “Aunt Nani” to my nieces. Well, they never called me Aunt Nani, I am Nana, pronounced /NAH-nah/. They are 17 now and I’m still Nana, so I don’t think that’s changing.

When I speak of “Mom” on my blog, I speak of my mother, Janet. Truth there is I didn’t call her “Mom,” I called her “Fluff” pronounced /Floof/. That was a private nickname and to my friends and other family members I still referred to her as Mom. To the Niecii, she was “Grams”

My first communion with Noni and Grandma 1973

Now is where it starts to get a little more complicated. Being the oldest is so cool because you get to name everyone. I had very distinct differences in the names so I could keep them sorted out when I was very young. My grandmother, Wonda, was “Grandma.” She got to keep the American English Grandma because my paternal grandmother, Rosa, was Noni. Oldest grandkid, I got to choose to call my nonna, Noni and all of my cousins followed suit. The girls never got to meet Noni, so they know her as “Noni” or “Dad and Nana’s Noni” Grandma to them was “Grammy.”

Grandma and Tori 2005

Grandma with Rina 2007

We’ll skip a generation for a moment. This is a huge source of confusion. My nieces and I share a wonderful treasure in that we all knew our great and great-great grandmothers long enough to remember them! They called their great-grandmother, Wonda, “Grammy.” I called my great-great-grandmother, also Wonda, also “Grammy,” and their great-great grandmother, Opal, “Great-Grammy.”

I actually have just one vivid memory of Grammy whom I didn’t see very often, but I did a few times. She passed when I was 9. I have lots of pictures and things she wrote on, touched and some of her quilts, but the memory I hold is just a simple saying hello when I was about 5 or 6. It’s just at a family gathering, I made a point of finding her to say hello. I just remember saying “Hello Grammy!” and she said “Hello Honey,” with a smile. We hugged and kissed and that’s the memory. Small, but special because I don’t remember anything else from that family gathering except that it was summer and outdoors at a relative’s home in the country.

Mums and Grandma 2000

Back to the original timeline. My great-grandmother, Opal, was “Mums.” She’d originally been “Mom-mom.” which is what my mother called her, but I eventually shortened it to Mums. I was very close to my great-grandmother. I remember spending the day with her from time to time when I was little. We lived about an hour apart then, so it was a big, just us, holiday for me. When we were building our house that was just a mile away from her we lived with her for a year and we shared a room. Mums snored, shake the rafters loud. I think that’s why I don’t even notice when David snores; it’s actually a comforting sound to me. Once I started driving, I never missed a Tuesday coffee at her house. I was in my 20s, she in her 80s, the first time I heard her say, “Sometimes I feel a little old.” She also told me, “But a spoon of ice cream makes that go away!”

Some of the real treasures I found in the box from Mums’ things that I went through yesterday include a diary that starts on January 1, 1944, which is the year my grandparents eloped. There are lots of very old photos. Three identical photos of a baby in an old brown cardboard fold over frame. There’s nothing written on any of those, but I have a hunch it might be Donald, the older brother Grandma never met because he died from pneumonia before she was born. I think that’s part of why Mums and I became so close. I was hospitalized with pneumonia when I was 2. Mom had told me that Mums was terrified when I got sick and the happiest of the whole family when I came home.

Here is one of the wonderful treasures:

Mums 5 years old

This says “Opal, taken 1912” on the back. She turned 6 in December of that year. What really struck me was that if I’d dressed Rina up and taken her picture in black and white when she was 5, it’d look like they were sisters. Mums is definitely where the eyes come from, those sultry eyes that Grandma had, I have and Rina has. But Grandma and Rina work them, without trying. I’ve got the same eyes, but I’ve never been sexy. All the older pictures of Mums, they’re just pretty eyes, not sexy. Grandma and Rina got the tools and the natural talent. Mums and I appear to have gotten gypped in the sex appeal department. Oh well. Who needs sexy? There’s still ice cream!

On the top of the box were some more current photos. I recognized those as the ones Mums kept on her buffet. She kept every post card I sent her when I travelled, and if I went to the zoo, I sent a post card, and some photos. She used to show off the picture of the production truck I drove for sports and the George Bush presidential rally photo from 1992 to friends and family when they visited. She kept this picture on the buffet too:

Me and Mums 1985

That’s us on New Year’s Day 1985. I kept the same photo framed in my living room. Her buffet is now my buffet and if you visited that same table we used to sit at for our Tuesday coffee, you’d see Tori and Rina’s senior pictures displayed. The buffest still boasts about the women of the current generation.

So that’s the nomenclature of the women in my family you hear me speak of from time to time, especially if I’m talking about my vintage treasures or the origination of some of my quirks.

Wednesday Hodge Podge

1.. The NFL playoffs were held this past weekend and this year's Superbowl lineup will feature The New York Giants versus The New England Patriots. How do you define 'patriot'?

Super Bowl Champions? :)


A patriot is one who thinks of country before self. Today, there are more football patriots than American patriots.




2. What's something in your life right now that feels like a 'giant'?

The reorganizing project in the house, which is just a nail and hammer away from remodeling. I’m making decent progress though. Tomorrow is assemble the first shelving unit day!



3. What's the first thing that comes to mind when you think back to being 18?

Voting! I turned 18 in a Presidential election year and I was pretty excited about voting. My birthday was a Sunday, but I was at the Secretary of State office on Monday to register.

Many presidents for whom I didn’t vote lived in the White House before a candidate for whom I voted did, but I finally felt like I had a right to complain about it!



4. Coconut-mashed potatoes-vanilla ice cream-mayonnaise...which white food would be the hardest to give up?

That one’s easy. Vanilla ice cream; there would be no Baseball Nut ice cream without it!






5. Describe an incident or a day you remember as the coldest you've ever experienced?

Once the temperature drops below70 outside, I’m pretty much cold all the time, unless I’m in bed or someplace with heat. Right now I’m wearing the thick fleece robe I always wear over jammas or clothes at home and my furry house slippers!


The coldest I remember in my mind was ice fishing when I was little and I think that’s where my intense dislike for cold came from. It was a family adventure when I was 6 or 7 years old. It was cold enough that the ice on the lake was thick enough to drive on to get to the shanty for fishing. Everyone was in snowmobile suits with ski masks and gloves, much layered warm clothing. They sent my brother and me outside to play. I guess it’s because we were restless in the shanty. I remember being so cold that I was sitting next to the ice shanty balled up and rocking back and forth praying. You see, it was supposed to be fun and I felt bad that I wasn’t having fun at all. In fact, I was praying that God wouldn’t let me die from the cold because it would make my parents feel bad if I died. I was a kid. That is what I remember thinking, that it would hurt their feelings if I died.

That memory has never left me and I don’t think I’ve ever perceived I was that cold. It was the most terrified I remember being of the cold.



6. You're hosting a brunch...what's your favorite dish to prepare and serve?

I could say “waffles” because David cooks the waffles. :)


Seriously, if I’m hosting the brunch, my specialty is cinnamon chip pancakes.



7. How do you combat negative thinking?

I write in my journal about it. Sometimes it takes a few pages, or even a couple days of writing if something is really bugging me, but I usually find the answer to getting over my troubles.



8. Insert your own random thought here.

I made stuffed pepper soup Sunday with a recipe I found online. I did a half batch, which was 3 servings. I had the last one for lunch yesterday and I don’t know what I’m gonna do now that it’s gone! Oh my, it was HEAVEN! I need to make a huge pot of it to freeze!

Click photo for recipe

Come join Joyce at From This Side of The Pond and share your Hodge Podge of answers!

Happy Naniday!

Perfect black forest birthday cake, huh?

Original photo and recipe at Ahaar Pleasure and Sustenance

Happy Naniday, everyone! I am officially 45 today. My Twitter message said that I was 45, even to a newspaper reporter. Yes, that’s directed at that guy who shares the same last name and address as me. For the last 48 days we’ve been calling ourselves the same age, but he has insisted I was 44. I think when I’m 48 days away from 45, I‘m much more 45 than 44, My always cheery honey, reminds me that if I dropped the day before my birthday, the obituary would call me 44, not 45. Okay, so I made it to 45. Told him so! :P

Last weekend David and I kicked off Nanifest XLV with baseball in the Motherland, specifically in Lansing. I hadn’t been to a Lugnuts game in a few years and when I lived in Michigan I went to a couple Nuts games every year, so I really missed seeing them. I’d been to a couple Lugnuts games on my birthday or during the Festival. We kinda copied the first Saturday off Nanifest XL, stopping in Hell on the way to Lansing. The ice cream in Hell is great! This year, also just like when I turned 40, David bought me a Hell T-shirt! The new one is a Screams Ice Cream shirt! It’s cool! The lettering is in glow-in-the-dark green on dark purple! The shirt is a “goal shirt” right now. It is a size smaller than I usually wear and just a bit snug. By Halloween, it’ll fit great!

After ice cream at Screams, I had chocolate fudge wrapped around cherry in a waffle cone, black forest cone, baby, we went to the Lugnuts game. Finally the streak of losing home teams is over! The Lugnuts won 3-1!! I’m feeling better about upcoming games at home in Toledo and in Cincinnati to see my Reds! The Lugnuts celebrated my festival with fireworks after the game. I love birthday fireworks!

On Sunday, we took our buy one get one coupon to Baskin Robbins with us after dinner. I had two scoops of Baseball Nut in a waffle cone. I like waffle cones because they hold the ice cream all in the cone instead of on it, better for avoiding dropped ice cream! I’m using the Weight Watchers Points Plus system to help with my diet goals and the coolest part of the program is how real it is. There are weekly extra points that allow for an occasional treat on plan. With the extra points I was able to have ice cream twice. Okay, that uses almost all the points, but hey, it still working, slowly and safely! Best news is the weekly points reset on Thursdays, just in time for the Festival weekends!


Last night, David took me out to Mancy’s Bluewater Grille. I had the Pretzel Crusted Flounder, a dish with Nani written all over it! We shared a flourless chocolate cake for dessert, truly decadent! Tonight the Mud Hens are having fireworks to celebrate the actual day again, just like last year and we’ll be there. I know the Reds really wanted me to come to Cincinnati tonight, they’re doing fireworks set to music from the 60s, the decade in which I was born, but my Dad is doing a barbecue for me tomorrow in the Motherland and Tori and Rina will be there too. So, my Reds game will be later in August. I still love the Reds for hosting a Naniday party!

After dinner at Pop’s tomorrow, which will be chicken kebabs and teriyaki pork with grilled veggies, oh my mouth is watering already, Pop is the king of the grill, Tori and Rina are coming home with us. They’re having lunch with me and Sheri Sunday at our favorite Toledo restaurant, Ya Halla. Sheri likes Middle Eastern food and this will be her first time at Ya Halla. Then we plan to visit Cold Stone to use my birthday coupon for dessert. Sunday evening, the girls and I will meet Dave and Laura for dinner and they’ll take the girls home. Both of the girls have their drivers licenses now, so I’m thinking I can get by with only having to drive home from dinner this weekend!

I’m trying to set up some travel to the Motherland for next week. Maybe the Farmers Market with Scotty and then lunch with Heather H and Tracy. Still working on that plan.

I’ve had some interest in doing the Photo Walk in Frankenmuth in October, so maybe I’ll gather a modest group, maybe I’ll even sign up for it being an official Photo Walk. Edna, when I posted about Photo Walk, I SO had you in mind too! Anyone reading can either form an informal or solo Photo Walk or check that website out to see if there’s an organized one in your area. It’s definitely something to which I’m looking forward!!

My birthday wish is that I hope everyone has a great Naniday, do something that makes you happy and eat ice cream!

Me Time

This is a Sponsored Post written by me on behalf of Dove Ice Cream. All opinions are 100% mine.

Dove Ice Cream Mini Bars, the perfect treat! Three different flavors of chocolate, ice cream and, hello? 70 calories!

Dove did a survey of 400 mothers and found that 70 percent of them made a point of taking a little “me time” in their days. Most of us know that time is after the kids are asleep and the house tidied up and yes, often that time includes a treat. That would be the time to try the Dove Minis if you haven’t – they are wonderful!

After you try the Mini Ice Cream bars, checkout Dove’s "My Mini Moment" contest. They are asking women to send a photo and write a short essay describing your favorite mini moment of escape. There are three great mini-prizes: a mini getaway to Napa Valley, Spa services for a year or a mini home makeover.

So, take your break and have your relaxing time, your alone time. Try one of those fabulous mini bars in the classic café collection, which includes Java Chip and Cappuccino. And start writing up tha6 essay about your special time for just you. What’s it gonna be? Wine tasting, “pimp my room” or just treat me like the queen I am?

Grab a box of those heavenly ice cream treats and dare to dream away!

I am Super Woman 43!

What a festival this year. I still have a few days left, and I’m hoping there is more reward than challenge to show me how much of a super woman I am!

On my actual birthday, I woke up early, as I usually do because my husband has turned mme into a bona fide morning person, I just wake up around 7 AM, even without any alarm now. Whoda ever thunk that would happen! I did a scrapbook page in mt ever winding road to catch up. I’m almost 40 on paper now! It’s David’s 40th on the laptop and cats around the time of mine on the Mac. So I did a cute kitty page and it was nearing David wake-up time. I needed him to get a top shelf photo album for me so I could post that Photoblog. I didn’t have the picture of Mums and me on my 17th scanned yet. Then we went downstairs, I made coffee and washed up the dishes that I didn’t get to Tuesday nighty.

Maybe that’s the problem. I didn’t do the dishes Tuesday night and that jinxed me. Physical therapy has made me quite quite weak in the back nd hips as we’re working on retraining my walking muscles. Near the end of a not very large sink of dishes, my back weakened and I was teetering standing up. That is so frustrating when it happens! I put the last pan in the drain and stepped away and was hit with pan in my left lower back-hip area like a bolt of lightening! It’s like a combination muscle spasm and cramp. Nasty birthday present from fate, huh? So, ice, ice, Nani time!

Ice, Advil and Icy Hit rub have made it bearable and bit by bit better over the last three days, but I haven’t been as mobile as I wanted to be! Just today I’m finally feeling up to trying to get the laundry done and run a few errands. Yeesh!

But then yesterday, add to superwoman for this week, I get a phone call from Grandma’s next door neighbor, at Grandma’s house. There is a sad truism about living alone as you get older. If Grandma doesn’t feel physically up to fixing a meal or even going into the kitchen to get something to eat, she just doesn't. Not a good thing for a diabetic! Her friend, whom she talks with a couple times a day, was worried because she just didn’t sound okay, so she called the neighbor who went to Grandma’s house. Grandma’s blood sugar had tanked, again. The neighbor got her some juice and made her breakfast, then called me.

After I called her doctor and subsequently, he called her, the neighbor brought her in to see him. Now she’s in the hospital getting some tests done and getting some heart-related issues tended to.

I’m her power-of-attorney person and the one the doctors give all the information to, so I am also Grandma-info-central! I have more area codes in my recent calls list on my phone than someone who doesn’t like talking on the phone should have! Thankfully, when I talked to Grandma this morning, she sounds great. She was complaining that they are feeding her so much all the time and I encouraged her to just listen and eat when they say eat because that’s why she ended up there! Dad is working close to her place and is visiting after work. Dave and Dad were planning a visit next weekend anyway and my Cincinnati pans have changed to traveling north rather than south. I’ll go up to bring her home when she gets out of the hospital and be there when the rest of the family gets there. At her doctor’s suggestion, our goal is to get her to be on board with the thought of a senior apartment.

Her doctor says it’s really time to think about assisted living. She has her independence, but 24/7 help when she needs it. I’d really prefer Grandma to be okay with it rather than have to play the “You signed papers saying I can bully you” card! Wish us luck!

So, since turning 43, I’ve been on ice and painfully immobile, Grandma is in the hospital and, oh, there was a back-up and overflow in the bathroom this morning, that I fixed and cleaned up, sopping wet towels with my cramped back. I firmly believe that life’s challenges are God’s way of showing you how strong he made you. He’ll never give you more than you can handle, but sometimes I just wish I wasn’t so strong!

Just in case God telling me I’m super woman wasn’t enough to make me smile, when it’s all done and I realize what I’ve accomplished, there are some nice things that I didn’t have to work for too! There have been a ton of birthday greetings on my Facebook page, email greetings including a cute email card from Sheri. My Dad called Wednesday just to say “Happy Birthday” and Dave called and the whole family sang “Happy birthday davonna-sis-nana...” to me. I got a sweet card in the mail from Heather. David cooked me a fish dinner and brought home the ice cream cake he ordered, and he gave me a card. I LOVE cards and he’s not a huge giver-of-cards, which makes me feel even more spoiled and totally romanced when he gives me one. There was also a sweet personal note in it that made me get misty too!

Now, I’m going to take Advil again for the back, switch the laundry loads, run a couple errands and stop at Cold Stone Creamery with my free Love-It Size birthday coupon. The make a fat-free cake batter than is just crying to have chocolate chips and cherries mixed in it for me!

Festival Break Time?

I just wanted to share this set of lyrics I found on a party-planing website. SOOOO Nani for the Birthday Festival!

Take Me Out For Some Ice Cream
from 7-26-00 Original Author Unknown (But it so HAD to be a Leo!)

Sung to: "Take Me Out To The Ballgame"

Take me out for some ice cream,
Take me out to the store.
Buy me a triple scoop jumbo cone.
I won't share, I'll eat it alone!
For its scoop, scoop, scoop up the ice cream--
Give me three kinds I adore!
For it's one, two, three, scoops to go
At the ice cream store!

Now I’m hungry. Where’s that Baskin Robbins coupon?

Trade Deadline and Nanifest Report

All I want for Nanifest this year!

I know what everyone looking is thinking! The non-baseball fans are wondering if I’m mad at David. The baseball fans are doing a double take and saying, “Huh? No way, they wouldn’t!” The casual-but-devoted Astros fans are either crying or throwing something and David is laughing!

Last week, in exasperation I asked, “What’ll it take to get Lance Berkman in a Reds uniform...and DON’T say “Halloween!” Well, the question is still the same, but today’s interim answer is “Photoshop.”

But I Just can’t accept Photoshop as my only answer, especially in light of today’s big trade news! Ken Griffey Jr. was traded to the Chicago White Sox. I’m not as much an American League fan as I am a National. My cousin emailed today, asking if I was going to be a White Sox fan now. Well, I am a Reds fan. My American League allegiance is to the Tigers. I cut my baby baseball teeth on them! The Braves are number two in the NL and then, it’s the Cubs. White Sox fan? HECK NO!

I still want to see Junior do well. I wish he could have retired at home, in Cincinnati, but as he is in the twilight of his career and it was pretty much accepted that Cincinnati wasn’t going to exercise their option on his contract for 2009 if he kept playing, it was sensible to make the trade.

That being said, I am NOT giving up the season for the Reds! Nuh-uh, no way! We’re only 9 games away from the wild card, 14 games out of first. But losing Griffey takes our number three hitter away! We need to do some shuffling, and we NEED Lance Berkman! The Astros will have to put him on waivers for me!

Okay, so, what’s in it for Berkman? No brainer there, Berkman is the hottest visitor in Great American Ballpark. His stats in Cincinnati are remarkable! Imagine his stats if he played more games at Great American Ballpark, say 81 of them. Can we say “Hall of Fame career?” So, there is no question that Berkman should be ecstatic over my idea!

What to offer in trade was a bit more difficult. Berkman is a first baseman and I am NOT giving up my adopted Rookie, Joey Votto, at first base. Berkman throws left, a great plus at the right corer. Votto, who has been putting extra practice time in on his defense, has great natural instincts and throws right, better for third anyway. So I suggest moving Votto to third and offering Edwin Encarnacion and a couple of prospects for Berkman. Hey, he’s a .300 career hitter withOUT playing half his games in Cincy. It’s not going to be a straight trade!

So, there is what I want the baseball gods to do for me for Nanifest XLII


Now lets talk cake!

It tastes BETTER than that!

“Plan A” for the Queen Cake was that I was going to make a black forest cake. We’d stop at Kroger on the way in Monday and I’d bake the layers before I took Tori home, finishing it at lunch time Tuesday. But then horror took over!

When I picked Tori up last Thursday, we had engine heat issues. We had to drive home from Fort Wayne with the heat blasting and the windows down. That’s what my owner’s manual said to do. It worked too! David was getting a little rattled at my lack of engine coolant knowledge. I know oil, not engine coolant! Engine knowledge is neither a requirement for Mensa nor a birthright in Detroit, so I don’t think I'm a special needs driver because I don't know coolant! I was on the phone with Scott on Friday and he was walking me through. My lack of engine coolant knowledge wasn’t so frustrating to him. I told him that I needed someone to think it was cute that I was a princess when it comes to radiators and he chuckled and said he’d talk me through it. That’s what big brothers who know cars do! They laugh at little sisters and play the part of the super-hero “Carman.” Well, with David’s help, I topped off the engine coolant overflow thingy, which Scott said should have fluid I could see. Then we left for Hershey in the rental car.

Following David out to take back the rental car, I had the same problem! No steam, but the gage read too hot and the “check gages” light came on. Now stress. I was afraid to go all the way to Fort Wayne to meet my brother half way to get Tori back. He had to work Tuesday and couldn't drive all the way up here.

We ended up meeting in Angola after I put the rest of the bottle of engine coolant in the overflow thingy. I got there and back, not turning on the heat and no overheating. It seems I just needed a little bit more in it. I also know where to check the engine coolant and I check the overflow thingy whenever I check the oil now. BUT in all the stress of the overheating engine, no cake!

So, Tuesday morning arrives. It’s my birthday. There’s no Queen Cake for Nanifest. As David was leaving, he told me not to worry, he’d make sure I had something to put my candles in.

“A Twinkie?” I asked.

“Or something chocolate!” He smiled.

So this incredible double layer chocolate with chocolate frosting and chocolate ganache was the “twinkie” he brought home! My honey knows how to turn what was trying to be a kinda depressing birthday into a heavenly event! He brought me cake batter ice cream too! We’ve been enjoying that dessert a little every night since Tuesday. There’s enough left for tomorrow too!

So weighing out the good and bad things this week, and adding in some stellar postings I’ve found and applied to in the last two days and it’s been a great festival so far - and I’m only half way through!

Nanifest XLII Kickoff

Credits - Stay tuned to this blog!

Today at 5:00 is the start of Nanifest XLII - Nani is the Answer! This year the actual holiday is on a Tuesday, so it’s just a one-week festival! I have a few things planned and one big thing I’m wishing for! Well, you all KNOW what that thing is! (begins with “j,” ends with “b” and has a big number BEFORE the decimal every couple weeks)

My 9 days run from today at 5 PM until next Sunday at midnight. I’m inviting everyone to join in on the festival! Treat yourself to some ice cream or black forest cake...or both! See a baseball game or some fireworks. Have fun! I’ll consider that my gift and thank you! The actual day is Tuesday and I’ll have a birthday gift for my scrapping visitors too!

So for the opening night of my festival, as a gift to me, take your kids out for ice cream and make sure to have a scoop yourself! If you don’t have kids, have a tub of Ben and Jerry's Cherry Garcia or Cake Batter and eat it right from the tub!!

Scrappin’ Saturday

Nothing says summer like a funnel cake, right?

Okay, click the image to go to the page for Heavenly Funnel Cakes. What a great page of ideas! The one pictured, of course, is a BLACK FOREST FUNNEL CAKE! Yum!!

It’s been a couple busy weekends in a row! Since we have one day with nothing to do this weekend we’re doing a stay at home and veg day today. I like those! David is kicked back on the couch playing online poker and watching the Red Sox game for me it’s a scrap in my jammas day! I’m hoping to get a few more pages done for my heritage project and I have a new kit that I’ve been working on too. Right now is take a break to blog and share some fun and interesting stuff! I’ll probably go watch some of the Sox game in bit!

I hope you’re checking out the sites in my “Blogs I Read” section on the right. That’s me sharing my Google Reader with all of you! I wanted to call attention to two new blogs that I’ve added in the last week!


Lady Larissa Designs has some just fabulous kits! Larissa also offers coordinating mini kits as freebies to wet your appetite. Okay, I admit, it was a post promoting her freebie mini kit for “Brain Freeze” that initially caught my eye. As you all know, my weakness for ice cream is almost as bad as it is for black forest cake! But she also has some other great kits, even a steam train kit, I just gotta give props to any designer who has a train kit in her store, ya know?

I put this page together for my regular scrapbooks to show off Larissa’s Brain Freeze mini. I just HAD to do a layout to use that Sundae! Still working on catching up, the photos are from a Dunkin Robbins evening in May 2006 with Scotty and Roger.

Credits: Brain Freeze by Lady Larissa Designs, Fonts - Trebuchet MS and Times

Visit Lady Larissa Designs Blog to get you own inspirations and the kits to make them happen! Make sure you check out her newest, “Black, White and Red All Over.” The mini kit is free for now before it moves into her store!


My other new must-read blog is Dinphy’s ScrapSpot.

The color swatch for KimB’s Color Challenge at DSO for July is nice, but it didn’t inspire me to do a kit. That’s nothing at all against the colors! July is a very booked month in my world, plus I have the job hunt by day and something going on every weekend. Also in a couple separate visits, I have each of my twin nieces over. They are old enough to keep themselves occupied for a half day while I’m doing working on working stuff, but then I give them the other half day and the evenings they are over. It only amounts to abut four days total that I give up scrapping and half day of job stuff, but add that to busy weekends and I’m working to keep up on my personal pursuits as well. Not so great for designing inspiration. I have that kit I’m slowly working on that spoke of earlier, but since I’m till relatively new at this designing thing, it takes a little more concentration than I can spare this month!

So, I needed a kit to do a layout with for the color challenge. There are always some wonderful kits done as part of the challenge, and the one Dinphy did, Old Love, really caught my eye! It was perfect for this layout for my heritage project -

Kit - Old Love by Dinphy (Free at her blog!), Base - Dani’s Girls July 08 Template,
Inspired by“Sand Baby” by Memory Keeper (at SAS),
Fonts - American Typewriter, Chalkboard, AKA Frivolity

I loved reading her “7 Things” blog, I think we’ve all done the 7 Things blog. Dinphy is Dutch and English is not her first language. You’d never know that to read her blog though! But in her 7 Things, she tells of looking spellings of words in English up and that reading blogs is refreshing her English, but don’t ask her to speak it! I had t laugh because my French is the same way! I read and write it better than I speak or understand it spoken! I think I type better in French too, because I type slower in French.

So, head on over to Dinphy’s ScrapSpot and download the Old Love kit, it’s just beautiful! She has other color challenge freebies and quick pages, so I’m sure you’ll find something there that will inspire you!



Finally, great news that many of you may have heard, Beckie Wallace could not keep away from designing! YAY! I love her stuff! You’ve heard me rave about kits that practically make the pages themselves. Beckie was going to take a break from designing with the birth, very soon, of her third daughter, a new lioness due next week! I think she was out of “the Biz” for about 2 weeks. She sees designing as a creative outlet she’ll need with three little ones at home. I’m glad she’s back! She’s now selling at Sunshine Studio Scraps and this weekend is her grand opening sale there, 20% off everything in her store.

Part of the celebration includes several new designers at Sunshine Studio and a huge collab Kit called Mango Tango. This mega-kit is just gorgeous and it’s a total freebie! It takes some blog hopping to get all of the pieces, but that also gives you an opportunity to visit the designer blogs and get to know each of them and their work. When it’s done, you’ll have visited some very talented people’s blogs and you’ll have a great kit too!

Stop at Beckie’s blog to get more details and all the links to her new store and the fabulous designers who have contributed to Mango Tango!

Visit Beckie’s Blog

Last, but certainly not least, a freebie from ME, a quick page done with Dandelions and Thistle!

Here’s My Layout -

Credits - Dandelions and Thistle quick page by Digitalegacies, Font - Times

The word art layer is included as a separate file.

As usual, please leave comments at The Chronicles rather than 4-Shared and if you’d like to pass this quick page along, please send friends to my blog for downloading! Enjoy!

sorry, this link is expired

99

Monday Mug Shot

Happy Monday to everyone! I have a couple of things I want to post before getting into the Mug Shot today. First off, I did receive a Red Wings photo to represent the other side in the hockey signs. This one isn’t a current sign, but a photo from a previous Red Wings win. It came from my brother, Dave, who doesn’t live in Hockeytown anymore, so there aren’t as many signs all over, but I think his leg counts as a sign of some sort anyway. He gave a calf to the cause with a tattoo of Steve Yzerman holding the Stanley Cup down the length of it! (For me, not even Pete Rose or Al Kaline, but then again, if I have a tattoo, it’s the kind that comes off with baby oil!)

So here is Dave’s answer to the call for Red Wing Pride, somewhat reminiscent of his tattoo...



Of course, pictures of signs supporting the Red Wings or Penguins, regardless of the outcome of the series, are welcome and will be posted all week! Send them to chroniclesofnani@gmail.com

MORE FREE ICE CREAM!

I also wanted to add another great birthday freebie link! The Baskin Robbins birthday club isn’t as generous as the last one was, but their ice cream is generally a bit less expensive too! Joining their club gets you a coupon for a free scoop for your birthday! It depends on the location and how regular a customer you are too, I suspect, but some locations will trade you the free scoop for a two-scoop sundae for the price of a one for your birthday. But that’s personal bartering and varies from franchise to franchise! The promotion is a fee scoop in a cup or cone!

Baskin Robbins Birthday Club Sign-up

Now on to the Mug Shot!

Screams Ice Cream
Hell, Michigan

I don’t own this mug...yet! It’s a birthday present, but I asked if I could photograph it for the Mug Shot and the giver said “suuuuure.”

David and I carpooled with friends, Dave B and his son, Jacob, to travel across Michigan to see Tori’s 8th grade spring musical, “Katastrophe Kate.” Tori played Snakebite Sally, she had the first spoken lines and Sally is a main supporting female character. She did really well! It was a cute show and I have to admit that I was very impressed with her stage presence, not surprised, because she IS bigger than life, but impressed with the quality of her acting!

I also got to meet my brother’s new girlfriend, Laura, and her kids. I haven’t said this in a very long time about any of the women my brother has dated, but I am so happy to say that it was a great first impression. He’s finally moved up! ;)

Our group of 12, who was at the play to cheer on and support our Snakebite Sally, returned to his house after the play for an after party and hockey party. When the video games started after the game, I found Rina and Jacob playing poker and asked to sit in. As far as how I did against a 13-year-old and a 14-year-old, let me just say that last time I wrote about my poker skills, I had gotten 4 aces. Remember that, always, I had 4, very well-played, aces in the beginning of May!

At this point you have to be wondering how this all goes with the mug. Well, we’re about to get there, about to walk the tightrope of propriety glancing down at way out of reach good taste in the world of puns!

We left in plenty of time to get us back to Toledo in time for David to get to his OT Sunday evening shift at work. Plenty of time, that is, for us to make a stop we’d talked about on the way to the Michigan western coast. The conversation went something like this:

Nani: “When we stop at the train shop for David tomorrow, we’ll almost be in Hell!”
Jacob: “What?”
Nani: “You’ve never been to Hell?”
David: “We’ve been to Hell...”
Nani: “...and back! We had ice cream!
Jacob: “Oh...Ice cream in Hell?”
Nani: “Yep, awesome ice cream in Hell, but no water tower.”
Dave B: “What would they do with a water tower in Hell?”
Nani: “Put out fires?”
Dave B: “There really is a city called Hell?”
David: “Yep, with ice cream. We’ve even seen it frozen over!”

We played with the concept, in good hearted jest, suggesting we could all go to Hell, and decided that we indeed, should go to Hell on the way home!

Please know that the giggles here are not made up by me, they are all real! If you’re going to Hell from the Michigan Paddlesport and Model Train Center, you’ll see the sign directing you to go left to go to Hell. It’s right in front of a large dead tree. The left turn is at Darwin Road. If you’re caravanning in a couple of cars, you get to really mean it when you say, “See you in Hell, my friends!”

Hell, Michigan is an unincorprated little hamlet about 15 miles out of Ann Arbor. They have a great swimming hole created by the water dam in Hell Creek, so people can got to Hell and swim at the dam. You can get Hell souvenirs, like this coffee mug, when you stop at Screams Ice Cream. When David and I went there for the first time, it was at the beginning of Nanifest XL, in 2006. You could still get commemorative T-shirts and other wares from the big holiday on June 6, or 6-6-06!

Sunday, the four of us stopped at Screams for ice cream. I had the Raspberry chocolate cup swirl in a waffle cone! I don’t remember what all everyone got but Jacob was chuckling at the coffin full of sundae toppings. He got a coffin of mints too. Dave B and I both squished pennies. Regular readers know I can’t resist the opportunity to add to my squished penny collection. Mine is Screams Ice Cream from Hell penny and Dave got a “Damn Lucky Penny.” David bought me this mug, to be put away for my birthday!

All in all, it was a great weekend - and a helluva trip home!

Read more about Hell, Michigan