Confessions of a Grandma

The ghosties and ghoulies were out in force at the Rutland Halloween Parade . And so were the angels. I did not get good pictures, but there were some good floats.  We got into town 45 minutes before the parade started to stake out a spot by the curb.  It was cold, but we bundled up.  The atmosphere was festive--lots of costumes, music playing, excited kids.  Once the parade started, this woman stepped out onto the street directly in front of Mike.  He was not thrilled with the view. There were several kids, hoping for some candy, lined up in front of us.  They were cute.  Unfortunately, their parents (Not the behind seen here) would run out to coach the kids on the best begging techniques to maximize the likelihood of being noticed by the candy distributors.  Good grief.  One kid was terrified by a skeleton that passed by and his mother actually pushed him back out on the street with orders to "Get more candy!"  These were we...

I signed up for an online craft workshop with Betz White .  Since the weather seems to have stuck on rain lately, I have not felt guilty about holing up in my craft area (a corner of the laundry room) to play.  So far, I have made pinecones and a Christmas tree out of felted sweaters, 2 package topper poinsettias, and 2 angel tree ornaments.  I need no ornaments, but I can always give them away and I have fun making things. The crafts are all copy right protected so I cannot sell them.  That is a good thing.  Based on the time put into each item, I'd have to charge like $300 a piece.  They are cute, but not THAT cute, for sure. My corner Mike noted today that I was outgrowing my space here...taking over the house is how he put it, actually.  HA!  He of three rooms in the house he has entirely to himself.  I have converting the garage to a dedicated craft room on my secret list of home improvements.  I spring these on him slowly over ti...

Another invitation card by Smilebox

Bobby at HOT COFFEE & COOL JAZZ  shared this recipe for Apple Cake .  I tried it and it was really good--spoke to me of all things autumn. Having a slight anti-authoritarian steak, I can never just follow a recipe exactly. When I made it, I substituted 1/4 cup of apple cider for 1/4 cup out of the 3/4 cup of oil and there were no problems with that.  I also used King Arthur white whole wheat flour.   Hey, this is Vermont.  There is no actual law that says one MUST use King Arthur flour, but is clearly the correct thing to do. I had a fun day with friends making Christmas cards today.  Donna and her mother have a fabulous assortment of all the right tools and lots of experience so I feel like I learned a lot. Incidentally, she served squash soup and the orange-cranberry scones that are currently featured on the K.A. site noted above.  Delicioso, as my 3 year-old (Dora the Explorer watching) grand son would say.

THE very worstest thing about a warm day in the fall when you live in the country is the g*#!d*#! flies.  I could spend the whole day vacuuming them out of the windows.  And, of course, last week I washed windows--just in time for the g*#!d*#! flies to spot all over them. Ick! I went for my annual physical yesterday.  As usual, my blood pressure was high the first take in the doctor's office, but this time it didn't go down with subsequent readings--averaged out at about 160/90.  Yikes! Now I have to go back and have it monitored again.  I think it was because I was somewhat dehydrated.  It is my opinion--unsubstantiated by any science--that all the ailments known to women stem from dehydration.  I drank lots of water last night and this morning my BP was 118/56.  On Thursday, I'll get my fasting blood work done.  Last year my cholesterol had gone up quite a bit.  With the increased fruit and veg intake, reduced meat and ...

 Writing a thank-you.  So polite.  I had a fun time with my grand children.  This morning I found a little post-it thank-you note on the bulletin board next to the kitchen telephone from Kristen.  I didn't realize that's what she was doing in the picture above.   What a sweetie.  Kristen showed me how to make this pumpkin.  We made a jack-o'lantern costume for Dane. We did craft projects, went shopping and rode the escalators (many times); visited a farm to see the animals--pigs, chickens and goats; drew pictures and read stories; ate lots of spaghetti, cookies, and pop corn; and spent time at the playground to burn up the energy. Things are very quiet today.

The grand children will be here for a few days so I don't imagine I will have too much computer time for a while.  I will be busy with other fun projects and getting my exercise trying to keep up.  Maybe we will be making Halloween costumes. The guy who is going to do the inside painting stopped by today to scope out the job.  He seemed to think it was a doable project and he will get started after Thanksgiving.  At first, I thought that was a long time away, but, gee, it really isn't.  He left a pile of color samples and a promise to bring colored boards in the shades I pick so we can test them in the room.  I look forward to getting things spiffed up.  Mike says, "Who looks at the ceiling?" but he will like it once it is a done job.