Many Vacations Later.......

OK....Three years is a long time to wait for the next Blog....But here it is !!!!!

Lets see....we have cruised the carribean, Haiti Jamaica, Grand Cayman Islands,and Mexco on Royal Caribean's Freedom Of The Seas......what a ship , outstanding outstanding, outstanding.   Not to crazy about Jamaica, People seem to get in your face when you leave the ship, they are not supposed to but they do.
Haiti was the most gorgeouse place and Grand Cayman Islands were spectacular, saw OJ simpsons house ...course he is not in residence right now....lol, his place is a little smaller ( a six foot cell).  Bill Gates has a nice little pad there also....hehe.

Let's see next cruise was a real bucket list trip.  we flew to San Diego and met our friends Olivia and Mike for a Panama Canal cruise.....what started out to be 4 of us turned into 19, all Italian with the exception of 3 of the husbands.  we stopped in Cabo san Lucas,  and Porta Vallarta, Mexico, then on to Guatamala (what a poor poor country) but beautiful, next stop Costa Rica, gorgeous, gorgeous gorgeous....more americans living there than Costa Ricans, but I can understand why.  Then on thru the Canal and last stop Cartegena Columbia, South America, also beautifule, but seeing bodygueard standing in doorway with sub machine gun is a little intimidating and makes you want to go back to the ship immediately.  Home to Fort lauderdale and our friends stayed with us thru Thanksgiving, an we left on the cruise October 19th....nice vacation HUH !!!!  Now if I can get Robert to retire just think what we could do!!!!!!

COUNTDOWN TO THE CRUISE......

I cannot believe it has been almost a year since I blogged, boy old age is hell !!!!

Oh well, almost a year to the day since I last blogged we will be leaving for a cruise that should have taken place 4 years ago for our 25th anniversary, but Roberts' mother breaking her leg took care of that. He had to move in with his parents to take care of both of them, even our Pastor was telling people we were separated (he was a comedian wanna be). The Cruise will leave from Cape Canaveral, then to Lambadee, Haiti, Grand Cayman Island, Bahamas, Ocho Rio, Jamaica, then Cozumel, Mexico.
I am so ready !!!!!! I will let you know all the details as we have never cruised, but I understand once you do you are hooked.

Let's see what else has happened since the last blog, I still have not lost weight, I have completed many quilts (this is good), health has kinda stayed the same, I had surgery just recently on my left hand, I had two trigger fingers on same hand that had to be corrected. Doctor said it will just feel like you cut your hand......NOT........ when am I going to stop believing what doctors tell me. Went to a Mexican restaurant with friends last night and played trivial pursuit, what fun !!!! Did very well for ourselves as we came in 4th or fifth out of over 19 groups. Might have done better if the beer had not been as good as it was....lol.

Well I still have stitches in my hand but that is not going to stop me from quilting.....so help me God !!!!

Hooked on Quilting.......

Well I have found yet another craft to spend my money on......

Let me begin at the beginning. When I was at Stitch Camp in Fayetteville in January, (before I was life flighted to Nashville, with a bleeding ulcer...yet another story), I won a quilt book titled "Christmas Traditions".


This was a beautiful Christmas quilt which I thought made a nice book.....lol.

Well I recently found out our local quilt shop was making this quilt as a block a month quilt. What this means is, you purchase your first block kit for $5.00, if you complete the block by the next months meeting, your next block is free.


HOW COULD I PASS UP A CHANCE OF A LIFETIME ?????


What they don't tell you is the fortune that will be spent on background material, various quilting cutters, mats, and tools that make quilting easier. Or that you will be obsessed with completing blocks and be up till the wee hours of the moning, cutting, pinning, sewing, cussing, ripping out and resewing because two points do not match up. Talk about OCD !!!!!


After spending a day with the owner of the quilt shop and learning all the tricks of the trade, my head hurt from trying to absorb so much informations, but boy do my points line up now.....YYYYAAAAAAAYYYYYYY!!!!


So I have completed 6 of the 12 blocks so far, have already started another quilted couch throw, and have made sure my name is on the next "Block of the Month" project.



Various people have visited my home and wanted to know what happened to my craft room, which now looks like a quilt shop, but will have to be converted back to a scrapbook workshop by the end of the month, as I am havin a scrapbook workshop. Then I can transform it again into a room for my new VICE !!!!!


Why did I not just stick to scrapbooking and stamping ????

It's 5 O'Clock somewhere.......

What a vacation......What a vacation..... What a vacation......

We finally made it to the keys- Key West to be exact. Friends had a time share they had to use by the end of March or forfeit......They called and made an offer we could not refuse (FREE),
I told them my bags were packed and we were waiting on the front porch. How come they were not here yet?

Took 2 days to get there we went the scenic route, through the everglades (Alligators by the side of the road) you would be surprised how well your kidneys can hold when that fact is known!!!!

Stayed at the Hyatt Winward, gorgeous 2 bedroom, 2 bath condo. Weather 85 every day, no humidity, ocean breezes......PARADISE.
I can see why Jimmy Buffett and Ernest Hemingway stayed so long there.
Went to Sloppy Joes (where the Sloppy Joe started), Hogs Breath Saloon (Isn't that a great name for an establishment?) We really vacationed, laid out by the pool, like beached whales and I have the pictures to prove it. Even took great pics of an Iguana who casually walked across the pool apron while we were making like the rich and famous !!!

We shopped, shopped, and then we shopped some more., New Bathing suit, bathing coverup, great Key West T shirts, long Lounge Dress.
Bill and Wylone Brandt were our hosts and so much fun, we have traveled before with them, and never tire of their company. Bill used my camera to take Boob and Butt shots for his Father in Law (he said.....sure). I was afraid the subjects were going to catch on to what he was doing and throw my good camera in the pool.
They pulled me out of there kicking and screaming when it was time to go, and 17 hours later we were in Birmingham at the Brandt Bed and Breakfast, and I could barely get out of the car.
This old body was not meant to travel 17 hours in a car. I purchased a book about the haunted houses of Key West,found out I had taken pictures of some of the homes, all of them are beautiful Victorian homes. On the way home Robert told me I could have taken a tour of all the haunted houses.......Oh well guess we have to go back.....YYYYAAAAAAYYYYYY!!!!!!

I AM BLOGGING AGAIN !!!!!!!!

Ok where do I start?????
It has been almost 2 years since I have updatred this blog....due to a computer from hell that would not let me into the blog spot.

I tried everything to no avail, then I bought a laptop, never thinking I might be able to log on from it, then tonight I thought what the heck and VOILA I am in.
So now I have to catch up on almost 2 years of my life......
Let's see Robert and I have built another home (we downsized for sure this time) of course we had to sell the home on Hermitage, then move to a rental house and then build the house we wanted, just down the street from our old house. I am tooooooo old for this C_ _ P. I told hime his choices now are assisted living, the cemetary or divorce...I AM NOT DOING IT AGAIN !!!!!!

I do love this house, all on one floor, including my craft room, that is to die for.
Wonderful walk in pantry, great lot, maintenance free including landscaping.
Fiftys room is now attached to the detached garage across the pool from the house, works as a pool house. LOVE IT !!!!

OK a quick overview, health about the same, had a stent collapse, so they went in and placed a stent inside a stent (wonder how many times you can do that). Had bleeding ulcer act up again (must have been the stress from being on the Tour of Homes with the new house). What was I thinking when I allowed over 200 people to come galavanting through my home. Anyway I was enjoying a Stitching Camp in Fayetteville, TN when the ulcer decided it was time to reek havoc on my body, and had to take the old Helicopter ride in the sky to Nashville, since I made a complete fool of myself and passed out cold in the emergency room at the Fayetteville Hospital.

They fixed me up at St Thomas (as they always do) and sent me home to see what other kind of trouble I can get into.

My good friend Kate and I are going to a Scrapbook Retreat put on by CTMH this weekend in the North Georgia Mountains at DILLARD HOUSE, I am so excited.

Robert is not too thrilled considering what happened to me the last time I went away to any kind of camp.

I am doing very well with "Close to My Heart", I have workshops in my home now (putting that great craft room to good use).

Leaving in the morning for North Georgia, will update you later with all the news of what fun we had.

The Easter Snow Storm

April 6, 2007 will go down in Infamy as the Easter Snow Stowm !!!!!
That's right kiddies, I sat here this early evening and watched snow swirling around my deck and yard, while the Dogwood, Bradford Pears, Crabapple and numerous other shrubs which have made my allergies miserable in the last 3 weeks, are in full bloom.

I had to call my friend Olivia in California just to confirm my sanity and let her know the world was coming to an end based on weather conditions in Southern Tennessee.

We also discovered last night we had no heat and the cold snap is supposed to last 3 days thru Easter, with temps in the 20's at night. Our luck continued through the day, when we had Redds Heating and Air come out to find the problem. Are you sitting down, well the bill was $60.00 to discover an ant that had commited suicide in the gas orfice of the furnace and was stuck there. I am not making this up, I swear. My husband is telling everyone he has a $60.00 piss ant (southern expression)

The good part of this weather oddity is that it made me start posting to my blog again. So much has happened since my last posting, I will try to catch up on all past happenings in the next couple of days. First and foremost, my beloved husband had a heart attack on January 23rd, Thank goodness he is fine along with his two new stents, and multiple new medications. We now have the same Cardiologist, (Is that not sweet). He got to take a med flight, which I did not. He froze to death during the flight, and lost all hearing, only sign language was possible he tells me.
And he almost had another heart attack, when he saw the bill just for the medflight, $12,432.00 ( no joke) we did not want to buy the helicopter only use it for 45 minutes to take us to Nashville. Thank goodness for Insurance !!!!


I promise I will try to catch up on other things we have done since last October, including a trip to Tampa, Florida and California ....stay tuned!!!!

I thought with size and the way I like to eat "Miss Piggy" was more in order. So now I will go out and buy new clothes!!!

You Are Fozzie Bear

"Wocka! Wocka!" You're the life of the party, and you love making people crack up. If only your routine didn't always bomb! You may find more groans than laughs, but always keep the jokes coming.

The Muppet Personality Test

Now I am Officially a PIRATE !!!!!!!

I answered all the questions, and officially received a Pirate Name of " Dread Pirate Rackham".

I would have thought a first name would be in order, but then maybe I have to choose my own....let's see, I think "Dread Pirate Rosie Rackman" sounds pretty good, or "Dread Pirate Rowdy Rackman" maybe. A vote is needed at this point, or suggestions from my fellow dastardly compatriots, else I will have to retake the test to get a new name.

That is a great Idea I think that is what I will do !!!!

My pirate name is:

Iron Mary Flint

Get your own pirate name from piratequiz.com.

A pirate's life isn't easy; it takes a tough person. That's okay with you, though, since your a tough person. Like the rock flint, you're hard and sharp. But, also like flint, you're easily chipped, and sparky. Arr!

part of the fidius.org network

That is more like it !!!!!!!! "IRON MARY FLINT"

I am convinced there really was a pirate with this name, so I will spend the rest of my natural life researching this.

I will have to find a scarf, earring etc, or maybe my friend Kate (Captain Anne Bonney) will let me borrow her Pirate Princess headgear that she received from Mickey Mouse for being such an avid fan of Pirates of the Caribbean. Or if I am really a Pirate, I could STEAL IT !!!!!