Preschool graduation

Last night I hurried over to church to be there in time to set up the Fellowship Hall for the preschool graduation reception. I had talked with Betty about a few days ago, telling her I was bringing mini-cupcakes and that I was going to put tablecloths on the tables with some centerpieces. And, I would be there at 5:30 to get things taken care of. But, when I walked in, the room was all set to go. So, instead, I called Mom and chatted with her until Betty arrived. Judy and she had been there earlier in the day because Judy wasn't sure what time she'd get there in the evening. It's okay, I like talking to Mom!

Instead of the cupcakes I brought store-bought cookies which I'd picked up at Publix on Monday, BO/GO. So glad I did because I had a disaster with the cupcakes. Monday night I used a mix from the cabinet, a yellow cake mix, for which I'd gotten chocolate frosting. As I put the mix in the bowl, added the water, oil, and egg, I was surprised at the consistancy of the batter (soup!) and the aroma it had. I smelled the egg shells I'd cracked and they were fine. The oil smelled fine...what the heck? I added some vanilla to try to fix it but nope, they stunk. Still, I ladled the soupy mess into the little cupcake papers and baked them. 

When Justin came out of his room, he said, "Oooh, they don't even smell good..." and immediately I said, "I know! I even added vanilla to help them smell better."  He tried to unwrap one and it came apart, hollow in the middle. Yech, just yech! 36 mini-cup cakes went in the trash. I should not have wasted the paper wrappers or the heat from the oven besides the other ingredients on these wretched things. The box had no expiration date on that Justin or I could find, but the box in the cabinet did, and it was expired as of last year. We tossed that box in the trash right after the failed cup cakes. Store bought cookies it shall be!

Back to the graduation----the kids did a marvelous job, their teachers leading the graduates through the lessons they learned in the classroom. No, not about math or the alphabet, but what they learned about Jesus and His story. Miss Lisa would ask them a question and one of the kids would answer, every time getting it right, and then they sang a little song about the topic. They even sang part of the liturgy and recited The Lord's Prayer. Hard to find sweeter words than those...The parents and grands were very good about not interrupting with applause and most remained in their seats for the program. The students did a very good job and enjoyed the slide program that Michael put together for the night. I even got 'credit' in the program as being the photographer! I love being able to help out with these preschool events and seeing the kids grow this way, in Christ!

Successes and failures

This late afternoon and evening I spent time in the kitchen, something which I rarely do. I invaded Justin's territory, as he refers to it, and made our dinner. On Facebook I had seen a recipe for potato puffs using the pre-made or leftover mashed potatoes, cheese, eggs, and sour cream. We already had the potatoes on hand, just about to expire so this was a good way to use them up. I also made some more chicken thighs, using the recipe Linda gave me. Both items turned out nicely, the thighs much better than the first time I tried it. The potatoes were good, too, but Justin suggested less parsley and more cheese, much more!  A true Wisconsinite!

Saturday I was putting some stuff away in my room including the cotton cardigan I got at Ross for Less when Linda was here. It was rolled in a ball yet in the bag and quite wrinkled so I decided to put it through the rinse with my swimsuit cover-up. Well, when I took it out of the washer and shook it to hang up for drying, I saw numerous stains on the cardigan. What the heck? The beach cover was okay, however. Hmmm...

I figured there was something in the machine that did this so I ran it with bleach in the water through a cycle. When it was done, I discovered a gob of something on the bottom of the machine. By putting a rag on the end on the fly swatter handle (hey, it worked!) I wiped it off as best I could, while standing on my tippy toes to reach all the way in. I sprayed the stains with pre-treat and put the top through a cycle one more time, this time sure the mission would be accomplished. Nope!

I could not say for sure if the spots were old ones, or different ones or even more, but regardless, it was ruined! Was it soil or grease?? From the machine somewhere or what?? I was resolved (ha, ha!, a little stain remover humor there) that the top was ruined and I was out 10 bucks. I had intended to use it for the Worship Conference in July in case the meeting rooms were air conditioned. Oh well, I can just use orange one from last year. 

Here I am in my orange cardigan, sitting with Betty

Justin came to my room last night, then, and said he was going to be soaking a load of wash overnight and asked if I had anything to be washed with towels. I said I had some clothes on the floor in my closet and sure, try the cotton cardigan one more time. This a.m. I washed the load which had been soaking in OxyClean over night and when it was done, pulled out the cardigan. Ta da!!! It was almost entirely spot free!  I did see a couple of teeny spots remaining but otherwise, it's good to go. I can hardly believe it, and am so very thankful!  

Stormy weather again

I have a bit of catching up to do---oh my!  First of all, I have to tell everyone about my Mother's Day present from Justin. He was busting at the seams to tell me about it, as he usually is prior to gift-giving time. Justin is in the process of preserving my blog to an e-book! Yes, I am quite thrilled at this prospect. It will be saved in a format which will store it for me away from blogspot should anything wretched ever happen to this site. It is a time-consuming process for him because it basically is converted verbatim. You may have noticed that in more recent postings the font is smaller and I have used fewer graphics. Actual photos are easier to deal with in the conversion process.  Plus, he claims, I am a bit verbose, but in a good way. Yeah, thanks, Justin!  

Today's sky as captured through the sunroof in my car

Every day we have been having storms of various sizes and duration, and, as always, some areas got it and some did not. Out to the pool I go and back in I come, except for the exercise classes. Mornings are usually free of the bad weather, so I get a nice work out. Today it wasn't really storming but it sure looked it would, with light rain ruining my afternoon with Bill and Nancy. We are going to try again tomorrow which is predicted to be clear.

Justin and I had breakfast at Grumpy's this a.m. with me using the last of my gift certificate from Hal and Rosalie. We had to wait for a table (timing is everything!) but it was worth waiting for. That place is just a gold mine! From there we went to Staples to return some ink I had bought to go with my new printer and then we went to the Mall. I had not been at the Mall for anything other than the movies 'n TGIF in many many years. I only had to go into the catalog entrance of Penney's to return some items I'd ordered and that was it. Not technically IN the Mall this time either.

Once home again, I worked at my desk as I waited for the storm to pass, instead of getting down to the pool and get whistled out of the water right away. When it thunders, we have to sit out for 30 minutes before the lifeguard says we can go in again. Got some work done at my desk and then decided it was time to go. Bill and Nancy were already down  there and we sat at the table talking until the rain started again. I enjoy their company and look forward to the next time we are together.

I sat out on the sundeck with my neighbors this early evening and then came in to have dinner with my boy. He'd made a wonderful spaghetti sauce which was served over pasta---lots of pasta!  We are whittling away at it, with probably one more meal left to go. Thankfully, it's THAT delicious!

Missing my friend

This was the sky that greeted me this morning and more than ever, I wished that Linda was still here to see it with me. Normally I will crop the photos before posting them but this one required no such treatment---everything in this photo needed to stay!

Today I was later in getting out to the pool, taking care of a few things in the house, not the least of which is doing physical labor. Yes, 'tis true, I grabbed the vacuum cleaner which is parked outside of Justin's door and took care of the floors in the hallways, kitchen, and my room. Justin had made yet another batch of slush (it's not just for Christmas anymore!) and the floor in the kitchen was a bit sticky. To allow me to use the Swiffer I had to put the empty soda can cases outside the door to take down later. As I opened the door, there was my neighbor, Dick, heading downstairs. I told him I was earning my keep by mopping the floors and he nicely grabbed the soda cases to take them down for me. What a guy! I feel badly for my neighbors having to see me in various stages of dress all the time---either in my nightie, caftan, or swimwear!

Bob, Nancy M. and Bill O. at The Club on Memorial Day

After all my chores were done and I'd had lunch, I headed out to the pool. Bob was sitting out there by himself so I joined him. We talked for a nice while before it began to thunder. Of course! Why, oh why did I wait so long to go out there?? Oh, yes, so that I could go running back to my condo with my tail between my legs, figuratively speaking, and missing the earlier fun at the pool. Later, after the storm passed, folks did gather again but by that time I was already in my nightie and settled for the evening. Hopefully this weekend I can get some decent time around the pool and spend time with my friends. I miss them! Haven't see Rick and Fran yet this season yet either...Time's a wastin'!

Ascension Day

Tonight was worship for the festival of Ascension, when we remember our Savior leaving earth and returning to His Father's right hand. I sent out a reminder about the service earlier in the day but alas, it apparently went out too late. My heart is a bit heavy about the low attendance but it is also filled because the service was so very nicely done. I feel badly for those who missed this opportunity to worship.

We had another ferocious storm roll through this afternoon and I hoped it wouldn't keep our members from making it to church. I guess it must have been a pocket storm because some folks I talked to after church had nothing but drizzle. We had thunder, lightning, and wind with the rain, not for long, but with a fervor! A mile west of here and just some drizzle. I fear for Justin's safety when these storms come but he assures me that he will take shelter if need be. It's the mom in me that is concerned and sometimes I am embarrassed for being worried for his safety. Should I be?

My friend, Nancy W., sent me a text message saying she was having lunch at Koko's but I was still at Bible study, or on the way back. She went ahead without me which is fine, since she had been at her booth in the resale shop in the same plaza. But, when she was done eating, she came to pick me up so we could go and get our badly needed pedicures. My previous pedicure, a treat from Mom last March, had held up famously, and only began to show wear 'n tear when pool season began. I had wrestled my feet up and clipped the nails a bit so I could get my shoes on, but they were badly in need of care and management. Nancy had a place here in OP that she likes, where she took her daddy every two weeks.

The nice lady who runs the place said she could do us both, but not at once. When we got there, Nancy said she can never pronounce the lady's name and wasn't sure how to introduce me, so I did it. I said, "Hello, I'm Kim..." and stuck out my hand. She said it was nice to meet me and asked if I was Nancy's sister. I said that I was her friend, and then asked, "...and what is your name?"  She said, "Lisa." Ha, how we laughed! Nancy explained that she thought the name was harder to pronounce than that...Lisa did a nice job on our feet, filing and shaping, massaging and applying lotion, and polishing. I chose a pearly color which won't look as bad when it begins to chip off from the pool.  When we got outside and were going to the car Nancy said, "I SWEAR that is not the name she has told me before!!!" and we laughed some more.

Before the nail shop visit, though, Nancy, a great white hunter, wanted to step into Goodwill (Willy's, as she refers to it) to snoop around. She often finds a treasure or two there which she can turn around and sell in her booth. Today, though, I had the treasures---a set of Mirro Teflon fry pans. When Linda was here she was looking for a smaller pan than ones I had and the next time she comes, it will be here waiting for her! The larger pan will replace the one we had been using with a most beat up bottom. So glad to find Mirro fry pans yet, now that the factory is being demolished...Cost me $3 a pan!

Bible study this morning was as wonderful as usual. Had a full house but then again, the tables were arranged differently. We can use the kitchen area for our classes in the summer due to no VPK going on, very nice for us. Dawn brought an article to show me about a Bob Dylan book she thought my brother-in-law would be interested in and Pastor teased us about being groupies! She is a huge fan but avers she is not a groupie.  

A cool thing happened while I was talking on the phone with Mom as I drove to Bible study. I'd already pulled into the lot and was telling her about the recent memorial service held at Victory. She began to exclaim, "I've got a hummingbird!"  At last---a hummingbird, or two, found their way to visit Mom's feeder. My sister, Kerry, had just planted flowers on the porch and placed some planters on Tuesday, and now the birds showed up. Mom was absolutely thrilled, so while I went in to Bible study, she was bird watching! I just love that for her.

"Be now?"

I am not sure exactly what prompted me to think about this but it was a fun trip down memory lane. Perhaps I was thinking of when 'we' took all of Timmy's baby bottles, nipples, accoutrement's related to bottles and had them disappear one night. All that was left for Timmy to drink from were sippy cups---imagine that! We just had to remember to NOT open the cabinet over the ovens when he was around...shh!  That was how we went from bottles to sippy cups cold turkey, and it worked!

What I was thinking of, though, was when my little nephew, Jamie, stayed with 'us'. When he was born, I was my sister's coach, with her hubby cooling his heels in the waiting area. Then, when he was only 12 days old, Jamie came to spend the night, sleeping alongside our bed in a little fold-out bed. I can't remember if he slept all night, pretty sure he didn't, but we were attentive to his every whim. Like having a real live doll to play with! 

Since his mom worked and was in the Reserves, and his dad also worked, 'we' were more than willing to help out. I worked from home when I wasn't working at Shady Lane and we had a room all fixed up for Jamie. We'd built a 'big' house in this subdivision and had our office in our home. With the intercom system we could keep tabs on him during his naps, and he was in the office when he was awake. 

As he got older, we moved him from the little fold out bed to a wooden pack 'n play from my mother-in-law. It was probably not deemed child safe any longer but what did we know? It sure beat sleeping on the floor in the fold-out bed. As Jamie grew bigger and bigger, the rickety 'old' wooden crib was just not going to do it for him. We had a twin-sized bed in the same room where the crib was located. Well, one day, when Jamie came over, that little wooden crib was gone! We pretended to look all over the place for it, with him helping us. Opening the closets, under the bed, going room to room, with him asking his little question, "Be now?", whenever he was looking for someone or something. "Be now?"  

Not finding the crib, he had to sleep in the twin bed. My spouse put him to bed, tucked Jamie snugly into the bed, where he stayed all night long. That plan worked! Well, it worked until it was me who put him to bed one night, tucking him in snugly, I thought. But then, during the night, we heard a big thud! and a crying boy. We both flew from our room next door and into his, finding him on the floor. I could not tuck the blankets in tightly enough to keep him from rolling onto the floor, it seemed. 

Well, one day we were having the family over and everyone was going between the house and deck on the side of the house. Some of the folks were playing 'ball ball' with Jamie outside, him sporting his jaunty hat with the snap under the chin to protect his ears which had tubes in them. I can still picture his face when he came through the garage toward the back yard and he spotted the missing crib----hidden behind a door! Oh, my, was he ever excited to have found the lost crib! and we were so busted!!!  Too late now, he was going to be using the bed but he was excited over having found the lost crib. "Be now!!!"

A memorable Memorial Day

I did feel better this a.m. having dropped off to sleep early and not waking up in entirety until I was good and ready. Guess I simply had to sleep off those chills or something. Weird!  When I woke up I watched Fox and Friends all morning, as is my custom and then moved to my desk for a bit. Justin was keeping me posted on activity at the pool, watching for my friends to show up, though Patty had sent me a message saying she'd secured seats for us. Glad she was on top of things, since the official opening of the pool today is a big draw, with seats going fast. 

Today I was meeting my friends, Jacquie and Mark, plus their daughter and her gentleman friend for the buffet and pool fun. I have been looking forward to meeting their daughter in person, having only heard about her up to today. She is a beautiful young lady and her friend is quite handsome, making a lovely couple. We all enjoyed the sumptuous buffet which offered several meat choices, side dishes, ice cream treats for dessert, and the best thing of all---cotton candy!  Jacquie actually went back up to The Club patio to secure the cotton candy for me. The young woman trying to make it was struggling with it and Jacquie told her that she better get it figured it out because she didn't want to disappoint Miss Kim! That we DO NOT want!  Ha ha!

About 2:00 or so the rumbling began and the wind was picking up. Nuts!  The lifeguard whistled everyone out of the pool, not allowing any of the children's games to take place, activities normally done on Memorial Day. Mark and Jacquie decided to head for home, having a long trip back to the 'Burg, and I packed my stuff up to come upstairs. The wind was whipping dirt around, got some in my eyes as I approached the gate, meeting some of my neighbors just coming out. They, and some other brave souls, had decided to wait it out but that was not to be. It was absolutely ferocious---thunder, lightning, sideways rain, and yes, even a tornado warning!!  That is what I call a storm!  It was so wild that Justin even took a video of it, feeling the glass on the river room doors moving in and out as he recorded. Yikes!  

This is not the video but a picture from it. The palm trees are inside out as you can see.  In a couple of hours, it was clear and folks were back at the pool...not me, though, I was done!