Too funny

You will either get my sense of humor after this or think I'm a complete and utter weirdo, but I have to share about our trip to Lowe's tonight.

Keep in mind, Dan & I are from small town Northern Illinois so coming to New Orleans can be somewhat of a cultural eye opener for us. You know the ole "your not in Kansas anymore Toto" thing.

As we are standing waiting in the check out line at Lowe's tonight, this fellow walks by with skin tight bright yellow pants, the most psychedelic platform sneakers I have ever seen, Elton John glasses and a double star shaved into the back of his hair. I'm really not trying to be judgemental here but this is just not something we see everyday back home, ok? Anyway so I got to giggling a little bit about "only in New Orleans do I see things like this."

Then this very nicely dressed lady is having trouble with the self checkout. She must have decided she was tired of waiting for assistance so she sat down on the shelf where you bag your purchases. Now think about what happens as you bag purchases in a self checkout. If you put something there that hasn't been scanned, what does the machine say loud & clear? You got it, as she is sitting, the machine says over and over again "unidentified item in bagging area." You bet it is! Just how is a machine supposed to identify a butt when there isn't a barcode to scan?!? Then it says "touch skip bagging to proceed". Ok, I've totally lost all composure at this point and am doubled over. Poor Dan is trying to keep a straight face through it all and I'm in a heap! She just kept sitting there as the machine repeated itself over and over. I don't know if I'll ever be able to use a self-check register again and not laugh.

If you don't see the humor in this, feel free to totally forget you ever read this and pretend you don't know me!

We're here!

We arrived in New Orleans last night about 9:00 pm and have been busy settling into our FEMA penthouse suite for the next week. We've usually slept in teh church on bunk beds but since this week we are functioning as "staff" we get teh deluxe accomodations. :) We're happy with it. It will afford us privacy and a quiet place to retreat to at the end of the day.
We just returned from the WalMart where we purchased our necessities for the week. They feed us while we are here however, one shouldn't be expected to do with out certain necessities, like ice cream and diet Dr. Pepper, now should they???

We drove down through through central Indiana and saw the remnants of some awful flooding they had a few weeks ago. The force that water must have come through with is unfathomable to me. Trees were broken off, crop ground is still cluttered with debris and railroad tracks were washed out. It's been a strange spring for the midwest this year with an excessive amount of storms and heavy rains.

We picked up my motorcycle in Tennessee Wednesday night, stayed overnight at Columbia, TN and arrived Foley, AL to pick up our toy hauler camper trailer Thursday night. Larry & Kathy, who we purchased our trailer from were extremely gracious. Kathy insisted on feeding us supper and that we spend the night sleeping in the trailer in their driveway! It was getting late and would have been a 30 minute trip to the nearest campground. Plus we would have been setting up the trailer for the first time in the dark, so we readily agreed.


We had breakfast the next morning at the Foley Coffee shop, which has to be one of the friendliest places we've ever eaten. We took some time after breakfast and wandered through a beautiful city park across the street. The landscaping was gorgeous with a fountain, an old locomotive and many plants we don't typically see up north.



We stopped at a Coleman outlet store on the way by to the Gulf. I have found my new favorite store! The clerk told us there are only 16 Coleman outlets in the US so that would stand to reason why we'd never seen one before. We purchased a couple of new chairs for the trailer and a new propane camp stove which also converts to a grill. How cool is that? One less item we need to haul along with us. Lisa, you would have loved this store! I thought about you many times while we wandered through it.


We spent a few minutes in Gulf Shores at the beach. And I do mean minutes. To say the beach isn't Dan's thing would be a very accurate statement. But hey, I can still say I was there and had my feet in the Gulf of Mexico.


Then we took the 45 minute Fort Morgan/Dauphin Island ferry ride across Mobile Bay. I will admit it was a little daunting pulling a truck and trailer on and off a ferry boat but what a relaxing ride. It sure beat going all the way around through Mobile and fighting traffic on the interstate. We got our lawn chairs out, let someone else do the driving, sat on the upper deck and enjoyed the ride.


We meandered our way to New Orleans on Hwy. 90 which runs along the gulf through Pass Christian and Bay St. Louis, Mississippi where Hurricane Katrina came ashore. The old homes in Pass Christian are so beautiful and soooo close to the water. What a nice view for those residents but I can't even begin to imagine what is was like there during Katrina.

One of the teams for the week, (a mixed team of adults and young people of 17 from California) are coming in tonight at 6:00, so our tasks will begin then. The other two teams; 3 men from Vermont and 85 high school students and chaperones from Virginia will be here sometime tomorrow. Then the real work begins - no more "vacationing" for us!

In the morning on my way to work as I come over a rise on the highway, I am greeted by this view. These pictures don't begin to do justice to the lush green landscape as the morning sun shines on it. This very much represents the Midwest for me with farms dotting the landscape. The last couple of weeks I've been thinking I need to take a picture but have either been running late or didn't have my camera along. This morning I left early enough and remembered my camera to boot. So I finally get to share!

Tomorrow morning the view will be a little different for me as we are leaving at 6 am to head back south to New Orleans for ten days. His Hands 2 Go has a team of 100 volunteers coming in next week that Dan & I will be "trying" to help lead. I'm not sure lead is the correct term as 85 of them are high school students. Yikes! Can a person actually "lead" 85 high school students?!? I am hoping to blog the trip as long as my Internet connections hold out.

Fun Sunday

What a fun Sunday yesterday was. Well, that is after the nasty thunderstorm that roared through again first thing in the morning. Nothing like 70 mph winds and pounding rain to get a person out of bed in a hurry on a Sunday morning! Nevertheless...

Our church, Crossroads Community Church in Freeport hosted it's first annual Dad's Day Motor Show to honor our fathers. If it had a motor, you could bring it and display it. We had 43 entrants. Not bad for the first year. We had a little bit of everything. Classic cars, drag cars, trucks, tractors, and motorcycles.
Dan & I were in charge of the food for the event. We grilled 530 burgers, brats & hot dogs and had root beer by the keg to make root beer floats. Yum!

We were blessed with a wonderful group of volunteers who helped grill and serve. It was a great day, but I can definitely tell I have a job that causes me to sit on my backside most of the day. My feet aren't used to that kind of workout. Can you say blisters??? All in all, the event was a great success and will more than likely be bigger and better next year. Ya'll come!

New perspective

I received this email link from a web friend. Mary, I thank you for it. I need a reminder every once in a while that the people I encounter day by day may be struggling with some kind of burden in their life. I hope I'm not being presumptuous in thinking others need the same reminder. I tend to get wrapped up in "my" schedule, "my" agenda, "my" hurried pace. I forget that everyone else is not here to make my life easier or to intentionally frustrate me . Have a watch and see.
Cut and paste into your browser.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LfeXxkbgCVE

Rockin' our weekend...

Storms, storms and more storms...

It's been a very stormy, rainy time here in Northwest Illinois. However, I'm thankful we haven't had the extreme rains like central Illinois. Our son, Luke, who lives by Springfield,said they had 10" of rain in the last few days. But my oh my have we had some nasty storms.

I love to sit on the porch and watch the clouds and lightning roll in but once the wind starts up, I turn into Chicken Little. Our home sits on a hill in the middle of farm fields. We jokingly call it the "Big House on the Prairie." If there is any wind, we're going to feel it.

The picture above is of clouds that rolled in last night just before dark. Fortunately, we got mostly rain out of it and not much wind, so I didn't feel the urge to go to the basement. Yes, I said basement. I told you I was a chicken. I take a book, a flashlight and my cell phone and sit in the basement while Dan stays upstairs and watches. Once in awhile he'll come down but I think it's just to humor me.

The picture below is of our big pussy willow bush that was uprooted by a storm a week ago. It seemed like most of the roots were intact yet so we stuffed it back in the ground and are hoping for the best. It's such a nice, full bush, I really hate to lose it. Plus the bonus is it hides the propane tank from view.

Happy Birthday Grandma Great!

Last night we had the honor of celebrating my mother-in-laws 82nd birthday. My sister-in-law was gracious to open up her home and do all the cooking. I for one was extremely appreciative of that part! What made the evening even more special was it was the first time all of her Great-grandchildren have been together at the same time, so of course we had to take a "generations" picture or two. The first one is of the great grandkids(from left,Tyler, Madison,in back, Ava and baby Owen) with Grandma. The next would be her kids, grandsons who are now Daddy's and the greats. From left:GS-Vince, D-Kathy, GGS-Tyler, GS-Jason, D-Sandy, GGD-Madison, Grandma, GGS-Owen, GS-Jon, GGD-Ava and S-Dan(my sweetie). I love pictures like this that show the heritage of a family, don't you?

A friend of mine, upon her retirement gave me a pillow with the following saying about friends but the same could be said for family.

"A person goes through life meeting all different kinds of people. They will go in and out of your life, but some of these people really get to know you and accept you for who and what you are. These people are called true friends and are always close at heart."

Families accept each other for who you are, good qualities, bad qualities, quirks, and all. I have also been extremely blessed to have some friends in my life that are more like family than friends. They know what I'm thinking without me saying a word. All it takes is "the look." They seem to know when I need a call or email even when I haven't realized it yet. These are the people (friends and family alike) I know will always be part of my life no matter what. I praise God for each and every one of you!

Relaxing Sunday

What a relaxing Sunday! We went to church last night so we could get up late (7:00 am - sad isn't it when 7am is considered late) and have a relaxing, non-hurried morning.

Joe rode his motorcycle home from Island Lake today to help Dan buff out a tractor. Here he is showing his Dad his expertise. He has come so far in his abilities. He has definitely inherited his father's perfectionist eye when it comes to paint and body work.

I made a nice big Sunday dinner. I grilled BBQ ribs, and made macaroni salad, potatoes, corn bread and dessert. There was something kind of comforting in making a "traditional" Sunday dinner again. Then Jon, Heidi and the kids stopped on their way to an afternoon in the park. Owen is getting so big and Ava talks more and more all the time. Dang, grandbabies are alot of fun!
After lunch, I actually got a chance to sit on the deck in the sun in a lounge chair I bought two years ago and have probably used twice! I finished up a book and just relaxed. To top off the day, tonight we went for a motorcycle ride. It doesn't get much better than this!

Where I'm from

I am from...

I am from clothelines, Milkbones, bridal wreath and the Wonderful World of Disney on Sunday nights.

I am from the Midwest farm fields, a four square country home, and small town ranch home in Northern Illinois.

I am from lilac bushes, apple trees and peonies.

I am from breakfast cookouts in the park, family camping trips, playing caroms and PIT. I am from Floyd, Harriet, Pam and Marcia by blood, Paul and Doris, Em and Helen and Mid and Fritz by luck.

I am from tea in the afternoon and “I Spy” and "Button, button, whose got the button."

From Pull up your pants and just do it, Be nice to others, You can always go a little and Think cool.

I am from a country church, youth fellowship, ice cream socials and Christmas programs with a color light wheel.

I am from catching lightning bugs, camping in the backyard and playing “Scare” after dark.

I'm from staying at Herman and Martha's farm, Sunday night popcorn suppers, homemade applesauce and ice cream.

I’m from boxes of pictures and slides in Fibbers closet, “good melmac” dishes, metal ice cube trays and Texas tumblers.

I am from the hard working father who loved to garden and create things with his hands, the mother who was the best cook on the planet, the older sisters who tolerated me and fun, practical joking aunts, uncles and cousins. I am from the ability to laugh at ourselves and not take "me" too seriously.


Where are you from? Click here to find out.
You might be surprised what you find as you rummage around in those dusty old trunks of your mind--your personality, your family traits and history, and the places you've called home--as you complete this poem with your own memories and facts.

Mushroom Spinach soup

I had spinach and mushrooms in the refrigerator that needed to be used, so looked online for something new to make. I found a couple of recipes, combined them and added to my ideas to make this soup. It turned out really good and smelled great while cooking.

Mushroom Spinach soup
1-1/2 T. butter
2 stalks celery, chopped
1 onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1 lb. mushrooms, sliced
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
2 T. cooking sherry
4-1/2 cup chicken stock
1 T. tomato paste
1 bay leaf
fresh ground black pepper, to taste
salt, to taste
1 pkg. fresh baby spinach
3 medium Roma tomatoes, sliced

Saute celery, onion and garlic in butter until tender. Add mushrooms (reserving 1 cup), Italian seasoning, black pepper, sherry, chicken stock, tomato paste & bay leaf. Simmer for 30 minutes.

Stir in the reserved mushrooms, spinach and tomatoes. Cook until spinach is wilted. Add salt to taste. Serve garnished with parmesan cheese, if desired.