Brothers

I could not imagine my life without my brothers. Although it is a whole different relationship than the one I have with my sisters, it is still so very special. As with my sisters, I have three bothers and a large age span between the oldest to the youngest, so my relationships are different with each one.

My brothers taught me how to swing a bat (left handed; made me a switch hitter), to roller skate, ride a bike, drive a car, took me on dates with them, were my playmates as children, shared an apartment as young adults, were my confidants, my advisors, and my rock in tough times.

My brothers are smart, handsome, talented, musical and extremely funny. They are wonderful friends, fathers, husbands, uncles, grandfathers and all around great human beings. When my world would feel like it was ending and tears would be falling there was/is nothing better than to receive a hug from my brother.

We are a family that loves music and all of my brothers play guitar and sing, so some of my fondest memories are of all of us sitting around singing and laughing.

My daughter has two wonderful brothers and no sisters. All the years they were growing up I have told her of the special bond a girl has with her brothers. When she got married a few years ago there were only brothers in the wedding. Her brothers were the bridesmen and our Son in-laws brothers were the groomsmen. It was a special occasion and truly showed me that my words were taken to heart.

On this Christmas day I cannot help but remember the family Christmases when I was younger with my Brothers and Sisters. Sitting at the top of the steps waiting for our parents to give us the OK to come downstairs and see what Santa brought us. The older kids always helping with the younger kids, putting toys together and playing games together.  This is our first Christmas without our parents and I think of all Holidays, Christmas is the one that makes me think of home and my family.

A very Merry Christmas to all. And all my Love to my Brothers and Sisters!

A Weekend of Antique Malls: Day Two

After coming home empty handed on Saturday we decided to venture out again on Sunday.

This is such an odd display to me. They have Crucifixes on the top shelf and then these creepy devil like faces and carvings. That does not include the reflection of the beautiful lady taking the picture.

I think these two pictures were taken at a booth that was owned by Sid from "Toy Story".

I have heard of Whistler`s Mother, is this Whisker`s Mother?

Nothing says Texas like a bull horn hat rack mirror.

Should this say All Crowns of Thorns $10?

Is there a need for a model of the human ear that someone would go to an antique mall to look for it?

I think you have to really know what you are buying from this booth. You could become fertile, cursed, loved, blessed, or have good luck depending on what you buy.

I must confess that a confessional was one of the last things I expected to see. Who would buy this? A retired Priest? 

We came home empty handed again today, but it was sure entertaining. 

A Weekend of Antique Malls: Day One

My husband and I finally bought a house in Texas and needed a few furniture pieces for a few rooms. It was a typical sunny day in Texas, and we decided to go antique shopping. Antique malls are interesting in that they can have some very beautiful furniture, or items of interest, but then there are the unusual, to put it nicely. These are items that you wonder not only who would buy them, but who is the person selling them.

There was so much in this booth it was hard to see everything. I am not sure why it is in an antique mall.

I am not sure what you could possibly put in this display case that would stand out more than the case . Maybe a tiara collection?

Besides it being creepy, there is something wrong with using an animal you killed with a gun, and have it be your gun rack. Once again why is this in an antique mall?

Carrier Eagle? Not sure what is written on the paper between its legs, but I hope it is some kind of justification for the $8000 price tag.

Is Morris, Morse`s forgotten brother? Is that why the practice key was named after him?    -- --- .-. ... . / -.-. --- -.. .

I wish I would have kept this same picture I bought from Kohls in the late 1990s. I am sure it would not have been worth twice what I paid for it.  Not an antique.

Really, Chief Watta Pop? This is so politically incorrect that it has to be an antique.

I am just not sure what this is about. Do people go out looking for broken, damaged mannequin legs and arms? OY!

Who designs these items? Better yet, who buys these items. I have never seen the need for a torso magazine basket on legs. It may become an antique while waiting for someone to buy it.

We did not buy anything on this Saturday trip, but we sure had fun looking. Stay tuned for Sundays shopping trip.

My Favorite Sister

There are four girls in my family and I am the youngest. Having sisters is one of the most amazing relationships a girl can have. There is a 15 year span from the oldest to the youngest, so the relationship I have with each of my sisters is different because of their age and personality.

Let me tell you about my Favorite Sister.

She is nurturing. She has gotten me through some of the toughest days of my life. She has been there to get me through fashion disasters, terrible haircuts, my awkward teenage years, bullying in school, childhood illnesses, heart breaks and break ups, and most importantly the passing of our parents. She gives great advice when asked for, and sometimes when not asked for. My favorite sister also knows when I just need someone to listen. She grounds me. My sister not only gets me through the tough times, but she always celebrates with me during the great times. She still calls me Sweetheart and Honey.

She is my Home. When I am with her there is no place else I would rather be. When I am homesick, she is who I text, or call for comfort. When I travel to our hometown I know her home is my home. I never feel like a visitor or guest.  I am her family.

She is my inspiration. My sister has been through major health issues and accidents, but she never complains, or slows down. She is a woman of faith and she is the first to help me if I need her, or send me her prays. She was the best daughter to our parents, and I will always be grateful for the love and care she gave them in their last days.

She is my biggest cheerleader! She will always find the one thing that is working for me and compliment it. I sent a selfie once after being in the Texas heat all day. I was literally melting. The texts she sent back were, "You look great, love the hat, your hair is getting so long, I love it".  She loves my crafts, my sewing, and my decorating. She values my opinion on her projects, and takes my suggestions when offered. When I was going through a very difficult move this year she sent prayers, inspirational texts, and always helped me see the humor in my situation. She loves my blog and is always encouraging me to continue. She is always proud of me.

She makes me laugh. My favorite sister has the best sense of humor, and she makes me laugh all the time. There is nothing better in this world than a long belly laugh, and we share that often. No matter what we are doing together, it always includes humor and laughter.

I am sure you are wondering which sister is my favorite.

Her name is Kay Lynn Jean and she is not one, but three.

Like with my children I cannot pick a favorite, because each one of my sisters holds a special place in my heart. Each sister has contributed to who I am today, and I could not love them more.

So, since it is a few days before Thanksgiving, I would like to say just how Thankful I am for my "Favorite Sister".

"A sister is a gift to the heart, a friend to the spirit, a golden thread to the meaning of life."
                                                                                                                       Isadora Jame

The Butter Boy Twins

A few years ago we went on vacation to Florida with our son and his girlfriend. I will call her Betsy. So, Betsy was going to buy presents for her family and we went to the local outlet mall to shop. As we were walking through a kitchen store Betsy decided to get a butter boy for her Dad. I am not sure what happened to her father's butter boy, but he missed him and wanted a new one. Betsy found a butter boy in the store and bought one for her father and we loved it so much we bought one for ourselves.

Are you asking the question, "What is a butter boy?"  A butter boy is a plastic green figure that you put a stick of butter into so you can butter corn on the cob. The figure has a head (lid), and an outfit painted on it.

The butter boy we bought in Florida was taken back to our house in Virginia and left there for the 17 months we lived in temporary housing in Texas. While in Texas we went to an outlet mall and bought a butter boy for us and our daughter for Texas. On October 24th our butter boys, separated at birth, were reunited in our refrigerator in our new house in Texas.

Here is the text exchanges announcing their reunion.
Picture sent by Dad

Son: I take credit for the butter twins
Dad: The Butter Boy Brothers are finally reunited. Look at their different outfits.

Daughter: I am glad both butter boys made it safely to your new residence.
Dad: I am tearing up. (Emoji with a tear)
Daughter: They look like the Property Brother twins. One guy is handy, and the other is in sales.
Son In-law: They look happy to be reunited. I'm sensing lots of butterly love.
Dad: Sent Picture below (notice the writing on the Frig behind them)

Daughter: "Twin Cooling"?
Son In-law: Sent picture below

Son In-Law: Our butter boy isn`t so happy. Looks like he made a failed attempt at suicide.
Dad: You can bring him here to a safe place. (happy face emoji)

I butter cut the blog off here, and keep churning on my next post. I will try to stick to fun blogs and hope they are margarine-ally better than this one.

So Long to Our Apartment

The boxes are all packed,
All the pictures off the wall.
The furniture`s been donated,
And we rented a UHaul.

The kitchen has been cleaned.
The bathroom has been scrubbed.
The floors have all been mopped.
Vacuumed used and then unplugged.

Seventeen months have gone,
In seven hundred square feet.
Four rented garages,
Good-bye to the busy street.

I thought I would be happier,
Maybe jumping up with glee.
Finally moving out of the apartment,
My feelings have surprised me.

I will miss my neighbor Sue,
And the short drive to Market Street.
Being able to walk to Target.
The location can`t be beat.

Major events happened,
While we were living there.
Some were filled with joy.
Some with great despair.

The passing of my Mom,
On my Anniversary day.
The Birth of our Granddaughter,
On the 16th day of May.

The College Graduation,
Of our youngest son this year.
And our first Holiday season,
Was celebrated there.

Although I say so long,
On this 4th day of November.
Events that happened while living here,
Will always be remembered.

OMG Goodbye

This will be a short but sweet post. OMG is used all the time in not only written form, but verbally. OMG you look great, OMG I have to see that movie, or OMG I love that blog, hint, hint! We all know what the G stands for and no matter what your intent is for its meaning, gosh, goodness or whatever, it is taken as God. I am not a really strict religious person, I would describe myself as more someone of faith, but it always bothered me when I would use OMG.

A month or so ago we were talking to our older son, and we were telling him a crazy story about some weird thing that had happened to us. This is a normal occurrence, as weird things happen to us all the time. In the conversation he said, "Oh My Stars!" That was it, no more OMG it is now OMS for me. I spread the word to my family, and now I am getting text messages with OMS all the time.

OMS, I love it!
Pass it on.

A Dogs Life

You would think that our dog would be sick of living in this small apartment, but she just does not care. We took her back to Virginia when we had our house packed, she was in her crate, in the front of the van. She slept the whole trip. She doesn't care where she is, she is just happy to be with us.

This is Edy sleeping in the crate on the trip to Virginia.

Our dog, Edy, sleeps about 23 out of the 24 hours in the day. She is the dog version of a Koala. She eats twice a day and poops after each meal just like clockwork. When we come home after being out, she runs and jumps, and you would think she had not seen us for days. If we are gone for a trip, when she sees us on our return, it is so pathetic how she whines so hard and loud with a wagging tail, it is like she is so happy it hurts.
.

One of Edy`s many sleeping positions.

In the evenings Edy sits right next to me on the couch. It is the same thing every time, she walks over to me, backs up until her rear end is against me, and then moves the rest of her body next to me and lays down. It is like doggy parallel parking. She will stay there and not move for hours. Sleeping the whole time. (If you cannot see the video below, go to the blog site instead of viewing it in an email.)

This dog eats food for digestive health and never gets treats because they give her diarrhea. That brings up an interesting problem for us. She has been on the same food for all her 8 years. It is a prescription diet that is just for digestive health. The company that makes the food decided to change the formula. Their customer service said that customers wanted it to taste better, I am not sure how their customers knew it needed to taste better. It could not have been from the dogs, they think poop tastes great. So, the manufacturer added flavor enhancers. Edy ate the new formula and threw it up. Why would you change a formula that was for digestive health, and expect dogs with digestive problems not to react to it negatively. I digress. We will now have to ween her off the old food onto the new food and hope for the best.

Just threw this picture in because she looks so cute in the onesie. No we are not those people that dress our dog. She wore it after her hernia surgery to keep her from bothering her stitches.

Dogs in general are pretty gross creatures, and Edy is no exception. For a dog with stomach problems it does not stop her from eating disgusting things. She has recently decided that rabbit poop is a delicious snack. What is it with dogs eating poop, including their own? She loves to eat toilet paper, maybe that is to cleanse her palate after the poop eating, lol. She use to eat Bounce fabric softener sheets, but not so much any more. Edy also loves to chew on dirty socks, the smellier the better. She loves anything gross in the trash, but thank goodness she is too short for most trash cans. When she was younger she would love to get into my sons hockey bag and just lay in the stink. She also loved to chew on his hockey mouth guard, and she has ruined 2  dental retainers. Like I said, dogs are gross.

Edy is a long haired mini dachshund and hates exercise. She gets hot easily and will just stop, sit down, and want you to carry her. Several years ago the Indy 500 had a "Mutt Strut" for the Humane Society where you could walk your dog around the track (2 1/2 miles). Let`s just say we carried her more than she walked. Little dog, long hair, short legs!

She hates exercise, but loves to lay in the sun!

We didn`t get Edy until our kids were older, our youngest was in the 8th grade and the older two were in college. Edy is such a part of our lives that we just cannot imagine our lives without her. You would think that my kids would not be as close to her as we are because they were older when we got her, but that is just not the case. They love her as much as we do. She sure feels the same about them as you can see when they come to visit. My oldest son walks in the door, lays on the floor and just lets her welcome him by licking his whole head and face.  Are you thinking about the poop eating paragraph, I am, lol. He has done this for the last 8 years and she expects it from him. All you have to do is say our youngest Son`s name and she wags her tail and starts barking. Our daughter lived away all of Edy's life, but now that we are in Texas she is our doggy daycare when we travel. Edy thinks our Daughter's house is her second home.

Edy at our daughter`s house getting room service.

I don't know how long we will be blessed with Edy in our lives, but I do know we will love her till that day comes.

Good Bye Virginia

The packers and movers have left. It is Friday night and we decide to go out for one last look at the beautiful scenery from the balcony. What is the grille still doing here? I must have reminded the movers 10 times that the grille was still on the balcony and they still left without it. Of course it is Friday night and no one is in the office. I will have to make the call on the drive back to Texas. Oy! It is always something.

The truck driver had to come back on Monday and pick up the Weber.

It is FINALLY time to say good-bye to Virginia! We have all the plants packed along with the items that the moving company would not pack. We are ready to drive back to Texas in the church bus. I thought that for this installment I would also share some of the signs we saw along the way, of course with my take on them.

Good bye House!

The main reason we drove the church bus to VA was to take all the house plants back with us and they certainly took up most of the room in the van. The largest plant was a plant our middle son received in the 4th grade. It is close to 20 years old now.  We call it the hair plant because it grows like hair and sheds too. We could barely get it into the back of the van.

The Hair Plant

The rest of the house plants

There is a farm outside of Leesburg, on Route 7, that always has a bale of hay out by the road decorated like something fun, or relevant to a current season or Holiday. The first time we saw them it looked like an "Angry Bird" in a slingshot. Not long after that it looked like the green pigs from the "Angry Birds". This time it was decorated as a Lego soldier in honor of the 4th of July.

The head of this Lego solider is made of a wrapped bale of hay.

Virginia is one of two states that does not allow radar detectors. On every highway they have signs reminding you that they are illegal along with a sign that says "Speed Limit is Enforced by Aircraft". How exactly does an aircraft enforce a speed limit? Do they swoop down in front of cars to slow them down or drop something down on the cars? How can they enforce anything from the air. The sign should say "Speed Limit is detected by Aircraft" or "Speed Limit is Monitored by Aircraft", not enforced.

Virginia also has one of the nicest seat belt signs. it is not threatening like the "Click it or Ticket" signs.

Arkansas`s Welcome sign is not just a warning to buckle up, but it must be their way of warning you that their roads are so bad that you have to buckle up for safety. The sign says "The Natural State", is that because the roads are going back to their natural state of dirt and rocks?

This must be one of the Natural State roads.

One of the things that has always surprised me is the number of Adult Stores along the highways. The only time we were happy to see those signs is when we are playing the sign game in the car where you find words for each letter of the alphabet. Adult stores for X, Dairy Queen for Q, and it was a crap shoot for Z.

OK, I have to ask what do they sale at an Adult Factory Outlet? Overstocked items, clearance items, old models, unpopular items, irregulars........ it boggles the mind!

I am a big fan of the car window sticker, I love the family stickers with the dogs, or the figures in Mickey Mouse hats or in Star Wars outfits.  Personally we have the flip flops and dog paws, that`s right ADORBS!, My favorite all time family sticker was one on a mini van, driven by a middle aged man, that had a picture of a man, woman and 2 teenage boys and above the woman was a message bubble that said "position available." What I don`t understand is this truck and its owners lack of self control. How can he possible see out his back window?

This is a new look for the trucks on the road. The Trailer Tail!! It is suppose to be aerodynamic and saves the driver on fuel costs. To me it looks like a poorly designed kite. Worst of all it is hard to write on the back of the trailers, so it ruins my fun.

I am just throwing this one in because it cracks me up. The cab of the truck was bright purple and it was labeled with the trucking companies name all over. They must have run out of paint for the back, because I am sure the name is not "Durple Sage."

I just love the humor on this truck. Not your everyday "We Make Wide Turns".

I have to include one picture of Kudzu. This vine just fascinates me. It is literally eating the South.

We stayed in a Hotel in Memphis and I will just say it was not the Ikea Suites we stayed in on the way to VA. It was closer to the Bates Motel. It was dog friendly, just not people friendly. Fortunately we were so tired that we collapsed as soon as we got into the room and didn`t really see how bad it was until the morning. What a DUMP!

Bathroom door frame.

Metal trim around the bathroom light.

Room door. Makes you feel really safe, right?

This was a 2800 mile round trip and my husband is not the most relaxed driver. His number one pet peeve, and instigator of road rage, is the slow driver in the passing lane. Most states have Highway signs that say Slower drivers use the right lane, but who decides if they are slow drivers? Obviously people cannot self diagnose themselves. Texas has the best sign. right lane is for passing only. No judgments to make, it is direct and very clear.

This sign should be on every highway in all 50 states!

We are definitely in TEXAS! It is HOT, HOT, HOT!

Toto, we are not in Virginia any more.

Meet Our Moving Crew

I will not show you any pictures or use their correct names, but they are an interesting group and I want to tell you about them.  There have been a total of 6 different men that have been here over the last 3 days. This is the first moving crew we have had that did not include women. They were in from Baltimore and we got the whole Colts vs Ravens debate out of the way first thing. We had to broach the subject due to the very large pictures of the front page of the the Indy Star covering the Colts` Superbowl win. We talked it out, and let it go.

This was our safe space during the packing process. Everything we need to get through 3 days of packing. We would stand here all day working on our computers and eating our junk food. Don`t judge our choices.

Don: He is in his early 50s and very tall. Don seems to be the man in charge, although he may be second to the driver. Don has a very deep voice and at times is very hard to understand. He knows his stuff. Don is in charge of the puzzle, the packing of the truck. When he is done it looks like the game Jenga. I pray no one pulls something out of the middle. Don is a big fisherman and loves to cookout. A very nice man.

Forgive the stickers, but I wanted to protect the packing company and our names. Don did a great job packing! Doesn`t it look like Jenga?

Ralph: He is 62 years old and has been working in the moving business since he was 14. He is the older brother of Don. Ralph loves to talk and talk and talk. Politics, wages, family, music, comedians, you name it, he will talk about it. He is fun to listen to and is kind of the father figure for all the guys on the crew This man can pack a box. Late in the afternoon he starts singing crooner songs to us all while he works.

Tre:  He is in his early 30s and is the guy that is in charge of the Truck and the "stickers". He will be driving the truck to the warehouse in Texas. He also has to put a sticker on every box and piece of furniture and then log them so they can be inventoried when they are delivered. He is very quiet and has a bluetooth headset on all the time. When he is on the phone he seems to be just listening. One day I could hear a woman's voice on the other end of the line and he was just saying uh huh over and over again.

See the stickers on all the boxes (not the dollar signs). Things have changed since our move 3 years ago. The stickers back then did not have a bar code on them, so all the numbers had to be written in and the items hand written. They still do some of that now because not all the companies have a scanner for the bar codes. It is a work in progress.

Leaf: He is an older man in this late 40s, short, and quiet.  He has an injury so he was a packer of boxes only and the other guys would carry the boxes out to the truck. The 2nd day there was a big debate on how he was injured. One of the brothers thought it was in a war, and the other smacked that down because of his age. Still don`t know how he was injured. He was only here for the first day.

Derek: He was a young man in maybe his late 20s and wore Crocs to work. He was very polite and very strong. He was only here for one day. Derek does not eat pork, so we had to special order his pizza. A really nice and polite kid.

This kid moved everything wearing Crocs. To me it was like wearing flip flops.

Pete: He is the cousin of Tre  and I would guess in his late 20s or early 30s, Pete is by far the quietest of the crew. He has tattoos all over his arms and is strong as an ox. He was here the last 2 days and does mostly lifting. Pete seems to be very shy and very polite. He loves to eat continuously and loves to drink very cold water.

So that is our crew. We are on day 3 and hope to be completely done by dinner. Then my husband and I get to pack the church bus for our 2 day drive back to Texas. Yippee!