To Microwave or Not?

Yesterday my microwave smelt like burning electronics. Today. It turns on, it spins around, it makes noise, but, it doesn't heat.

I cleared the counter quick as could be, happy to have some more space (even if for a little while). Now though, I'm wondering if it's worth buying a new one. The only three things I can think that I use it for are:

1. heating milk for hot cocoa (can do on stove)
2. POPCORN! (can do on stove, in air popper (currently don't own one), or down at the apartment club-house)
3. reheat dinner plates (rarely, I usually find they taste better when heated on stove or in toaster oven)

That's it. I actually have a friend that got rid of their microwave a couple of years ago... said it wasn't healthy to use it, etc. I wonder if she (Gabby?) is still microwave-free.

This microwave was a Freecycle item... and perfect for us, like new, clean, white, and a little thing (more counter space.) I've put out a request to Freecycle, but I'm not sure if I even want a free one.

What do you think? To Microwave or Not? This is the question.

Suzy

Third Birthday Memories

So. Last week. Jack turns three. I’m feeling “guilty” for not giving him a “good party”. We’re in a strange new town (strange in more ways than one), with very few friends, all of them new. The mountain passes are full of snow and ice, so, even if our family was well (several recent hospitalizations) enough to brave them, the drive is dangerous.

Add to all that, “Dad” has a broken leg, and is still in a lot of pain from the surgery. So, we spend the day just “us”. It’s the first time since Frank was born that there hasn’t been at least family and a few close friends getting together for birthdays. Of course, everyone lived close (one to forty miles.)

I’m actually in the frozen food aisle the day before the birthday, on the phone with my Mom, trying to decide if I should buy a “store-bought” cake. I’ve NEVER done that for a family party before… except maybe two ice-cream cakes, which are kinda tough to make (for me), so, I justified them… but just a regular, plain-Jane cake from the bakery? Never! Anyway, I’m trying to decide this, with my Mom, on the phone, at the store, frozen food aisle, and I spontaneously start crying. I’m tired. Actually, I'm exhausted. And now I’m feeling guilty because Frank’s third birthday party (probably the one I’m most proud of putting together) was TOTALLY COOL… and right up a three-year-old’s alley.

Elmo’s World: Bubbles

That was the theme for the party. The invites and gift bags were handmade (by Frank and I). There were LOTS of bubbles – soap bubbles, balloon bubbles, packaging bubbles (for shipping / stomping on), bubbles, bubbles, bubbles! This thing was planned out! Ever seen “Elmo’s World” on Seasame Street? We EVEN had an appearances by an expert, "The Bubble Lady" (a school-teacher friend talking about bubbles when we wash our hands) and our own “Mr. Noodle” (aka Dad, dressed in the garb and acting goofy out the back sliding glass door “window”, where the kids were all sitting and could watch. Oh yeah, there was even face-painting.

Let me just say this… I had an agenda and time-line for the party! Who does that? For a party? For a three-year old? Me! That’s who! And given the chance, I would have done it again for Jack this year.

You may wonder why I’m telling you all this? All that time. All that effort. It was ONLY two years ago, so, I just ask Frank “do you remember you’re third birthday party?”

“No.”

What?!?! He has to remember, just HAS TO!

I prompt him… “you know, Elmo’s World?”

He gets a goofy grin and nods.

FINALLY!

“What do you remember?”

“Opening presents!”

Hmmpfh! All that time and planning and just two years later, all he can remember is presents? After the event, I was so proud because he said his favorite part of the day was “spending time with my friends and family”. What happened to that? What happened to our Elmo theme? Nothing. All he remembers is presents. :P

What do YOU remember about your third birthday?

Have you done a party for a child that you were especially proud of? Do they still remember it?

What do you think children remember about birthdays? What makes for good holiday celebrations? Traditions? Right now I’m thinking about Birthday’s. What are some of your favorite traditions from when you were young? Do you plan to or have you continued them with your kids?

I want to know. Tell me all about those special birthday celebrations. Let me hear it!

Suzy

Long-Lost Friends

I’ve been looking up long-lost friends lately. So far, I’ve made contact with one (and she’d been thinking of me too); found the phone number for a second; and spoke to the sister of a third. One lady on my list, I hadn’t started looking for yet, just thinking about. Well, today, I received a letter from her!

Wasn’t it just a few days ago that I told you one of my “pure joys” was hearing from an old friend? Such a treat!

I sat right down and wrote her a note, put some pictures of the boys in, and put the envelope by the door. It's nice too because she moved to Salt Lake City about two years ago, and in her letter, she invited us to stay in her guest room... which will make the overnight trips for shopping (we're three hours away - in good weather) a lot more affordable!

I guess this “Law of Attraction” stuff, there’s something to it!

Running Out of Carrots

What happens when you run out of food, a three year old is serving, and he likes the food?

How about, he gets all of the said food, sparing just one piece per other person, in this case, raw carrots. :D

And yes, those are HOMEMADE NOODLES on the plates, thank-you-very-much! And the pork chops that went alongside of them, and the gravy, and … mmmmmm, it was delicious!!! Even though I burned the original veggies (which is why we switched to raw carrots) while I was making the gravy and pasta and all of it.

Postscript: when I logged on to post this, I realized I forgot to post yesterday. It’s the first time in about three weeks I haven’t made a post. I.just.plain.forgot. I don’t even know what happened to make me forget. Guess it’s one of “those things”, we'll just know!

Grandmother’s Flower Gardens and Other Such Quilts

The first quilt I remember is the one my Grandmother made for me… yellow sashing and borders around 12 appliquéd zoo-animal blocks, two of each animal. My baby quilt.

The second quilt I remember is Grandmother’s Flower Garden that my Aunt’s had on the guest bed (which was located in the living room (they lived in the family room off the kitchen). I don’t remember anything else that was in the living room, just the bed in the corner with this quilt on it. Flowers with white borders and green paths. I use to trace my finger round and round the green paths, pretending to go in my gardens and tend my flowers. I spent a lot of time looking at the fabrics that made up each unique flower. I was maybe seven or eight.

By the time I was old enough to think to ask for the quilt, it was long gone. Unfortunately, lost over time and or use.

Fast forward a few years… actually, to more than a few, but we won’t go there! Last Christmas, this same Aunt sent me $50 cash to “spend on something (I) want”. I’ve been keeping it in an old salsa jar on my sewing work-station.

Last week, while I’m looking for a side-table for my hubby, I go into an Antique store. Turns out the owner is trying to clear out her stock in preparation for a truck of new merchandise. What’s more, there’s an antique quilt that could have been the one from my Aunt’s house… and she wants just $25 for it! SOLD!

I also left with these two quilt tops, which I think came from the same bag of scraps (same fabrics can be found throughout).

They were $15 each! Whoo-hoo! You know I love finding a great deal!

These two tops are both full size right now. If I add some borders, they’ll be even bigger. I plan to practice on the long-arm with them… the Rail Fence for Jack and the Four-Patches on Point for Frank.

(Postscript: All of these quilts are pictured on my Queen Size "guest" bed (another steal, once upon a time, the headboard and footboard cost me just $25!) The quilt-tops are just to the far-edge of the mattress (there is none hanging over the top or far side). The finished GM Flower Garden quilt is centered on the bed (the drop covers both sides and the foot of the bed). )

(Another Postscript: Notice all the quilts piled on the quilt rack by my side of the bed? We use them! Most of them are baby / lap quilts, so, I'm working on some bigger bed sized quilts to help keep us (and our guests) warm.)

So, thank you Auntie Lou for the lovely quilts! You're $50 gift went a long way!!! It is so fitting that I was able to purchase the replacement GM Flower Garden quilt with money from you. :D

Suzy

My First Sixth Anniversary

Today is my first sixth anniversary. I’ve been married twice before; once for five and a half years and the second time for three and a half years. If you’re wondering, yes, Thomas was a little concerned about the year and a half mark! ;)

They say “the third times’ a charm” and for me it definitely was!

There was a time when being married and divorced made me feel bad and like something of a failure. I remember “not wanting to be a statistic” but then realizing that whether I was married or divorced, I was still a part of a statistic, it just depended on which side of the fence you were looking at. Now, I think back on my first two marriages and I appreciate what I learned from them. I also know that Tom and my marriage wouldn’t be as good as it is if not for all my growth and learning from the first two.

I have dated four men in my life. I’ve married three of them. This is not what I feel to have been a healthy dating life. But now, finally, I seem to have “lucked out” in that I have a husband who treats me like a Queen. We get along very well, in good times and bad. We support each other when we are stressed out and also when we’re happy. Certainly we have issues, but I’ve come to realize that every healthy relationship has times that are rough… these help us to become a stronger couple and to understand things better – ourselves and each other.

Wow! I’ve gotten quite philosophical. I just wanted to let you know it is my anniversary and that it is special (though unusual) at six years. The only way to understand why it’s a milestone is to know a bit about my past. Now you do.

Something else about Tom and my marriage… we didn’t make a big deal about it. Actually, we eloped, just before sunrise, outdoors in the Sonoran Desert. After we eloped, Thomas went to breakfast with his Dad, and I went to my first day “on stage” at the Arizona Renaissance Festival. That night, I slept in a RV Trailer in the desert (behind the Renaissance Festival) with my brother, and Thomas slept at home, alone. Talk about red-neck! :P Life just “went on”.

Even though I had weddings for my first two marriages, I never had professional photographer at any of them. I did dig up a few pictures of Tom and I during the first Spring of our marriage, I thought you might enjoy seeing them:

Canyon de Chelly, Arizona
May 2002

Lord and Lady Vader
Spring 2002

Oh. And I just stumbled on this picture of Tom without his helmet or sunglasses.

Vader Revealed
15 January 2006

Yes. He is a MAJOR GOOFBALL and I LOVE HIM!!!

Suzy

100th Post! --- My 100 Pure Joys

Quite a while ago, a friend gave me a challenge to write a list of my 100 Pure Joys. Thinking it would be tough to do, I've been putting it off and dragging my feet.

A few weeks ago, I realized I was approaching my 100th Blog Post. I wanted to do something special for the 100th post, so, I quickly decided to list My 100 Pure Joys. I wrote the first half of the list very quickly, then added about 25 more. The last 25, I wrote up today. It was actually easy and FUN to do (thanks Viv!) Here then, is my list:

My 100 Pure Joys

1. bubbles

2. rainbows

3. Crayola – anything!

4. Painting a watercolor

5. baking

6. kneading bread

7. Jack’s giggle

8. Frank’s sparkling eyes

9. Tom’s gentle touch

10. Arizona

11. saguaros

12. California Poppies

13. quilts to snuggle under

14. designing a new project

15. warm feet

16. heated leather seats (in my van)

17. Grandad

18. Auntie

19. Mommy

20. Friends Calling Just when you need it.

21. Balloons

22. A surprise flower arrangement

23. a happy surprise “anything”

24. cards and letters in the mail

25. confetti

26. fairy dust

27. angels

28. fairies

29. butterflies

30. turtles

31. America

32. The Star Spangled Banner

33. I’m Proud to be An American – sung by Lee Greenwood

34. stained glass

35. organizing a party

36. writing a “to-do” list

37. checking everything off my list

38. writing

39. receiving a compliment

40. helping a stranger

41. helping anyone

42. finding a great “deal”

43. photography – analyzing great photos

44. photography – taking great photos

45. portraits

46. making my own books

47. finishing a quilt

48. sewing

49. quilting the quilt

50. art projects made with my kids

51. playing a game (card, board, etc)

52. The Internet

53. The Library

54. Cell Phones

55. eMail

56. blogs

57. warm sweaters

58. Live performances

59. Theater

60. Renaissance Festivals

61. Thesauruses

62. The smell of paper in an old book.

63. A crackling, warm fire.

64. Writing

65. A new blank journal.

66. Quilt Shows

67. Riding A Horse

68. Listening to “our song” with my hubby.

69. Giving a homemade gift.

70. KALEIDISCOPES!

71. Receiving a homemade gift.

72. Superman ;D

73. Strawberry Shortcake

74. The feel of fabric in my hands, especially as I feed it through a sewing machine.

75. Accomplishing a goal

76. glitter

77. fresh flowers

78. African Daisys

79. desert cacti blooms

80. designing a quilt

81. wearing a little “sparkle”

82. creating something out of my imagination

83. Quilting on a Long-Arm Machine

84. soft dirt in a garden

85. finding an earthworm in the dirt

86. amazing sunrises and sunsets

87. yoga

88. getting a phone call from someone I haven’t heard from in a while

89. being the recipient of a massage

90. pedicures

91. motivating a group to do something

92. publishing / formatting / creating a document / form / newsletter

93. setting up a party

94. pictures on display

95. sharing knowledge / teaching

96. mastering a new skill

97. discovering a continuity error (in a movie / TV program / book)

98. alphabetizing, anything

99. singing “High Hopes”

100. saying “Sfupercalifragilisticexpialidocious”

So, perhaps you have learned a little something about my silly-ol' nature from this list.

Suzy