Photo of the day

American Idol's cutie-patootie is gone

OK, pardon the ramblings of an ol' lady here, but I am sincerely going to miss Jason Castro on American Idol! I haven't seen the elimination show yet (I have it on DVR to watch tonight), but it's hard to get on the web and not find out who left.

I admit to being a Jason fan. Was he the best? No, unfortunately. But Jason has talent and with the right manager and song writer, I do think he'll go far in the music industry. Besides, HOW CUTE IS HE?!?!?! lol! I didn't care what he sang, I just wanted to see him do that shy smile thang of his!

Best singer? David Cooke, by a long shot. His rendition of "Teenage Wasteland" (or whatever the title was) would make me go out and buy his CD on that song alone. (Let's not forget I've been rockin' and rollin' since the 70's!) The other David is really good, but I honestly haven't heard a song yet that would make me go out and buy a CD of his. Syesha? She's great, but in more of a Broadway singer style than a pop singer. She has surprised me the past few weeks, but I think it's obvious she'd prefer to be in theater.

And YIPPY! So You Think You Can Dance is starting back up on May 22! I love that show! I am just in awe of those hip-hop dancers that are suddenly confronted with the technique of ballroom dancing! I'm really looking forward to watching it.

So now the question is -- do I influence my grandson to become a future American Idol contestant, a dancer, or a NASCAR driver... decisions, decisions. I guess I better let him decide!

A little of this, a little of that...

Just quick blogging today because my To Do List has grown due to the extra babysitting days this week. I refuse to fall behind!

Are you decluttering and donating items to charity? Here's a great FREE web site affiliated with Turbo Tax (though you don't have to use Turbo Tax) that let's you keep track of your donations, give them a tax deductible dollar value, and add it all up at the end of the tax year! Check out It'sDeductible online. My husband the accountant was excited about this one!

I'm really enjoying the Home Sanctuary blog. It really is my goal in life to make my home a sanctuary for myself, my husband, and our family and friends when they visit. Today's HS task: Check your first aid supplies and add necessary items to your shopping list. And she's right -- if my grandson falls down and scrapes up his knees, or my husband gets a case of the stomach flu -- I need to have the necessary supplies ready and accessible.

My Simpler Life's Decluttering Calendar (free online) task for today is: "Toss old food in one kitchen cabinet". I have to admit, this made me laugh out loud. She didn't mention when I'm supposed to take it back out -- on trash day, I suppose. Other than this small grammatical faux pas, it's worth downloading this Decluttering Calendar!!!

Joey the killer cat has a boo-boo on his eye. I imagine he had a run-in with another cat or a wild animal in the woods behind our house. This little guy (he's short and stubby) has the attitude of a lion in a teeny kitty body. I'll keep watch on the boo-boo, but haven't a clue on how to change the attitude.

Does your family have a patron saint? Ours does! About 10 years ago I sold books on the Internet (before Ebay put an end to the profits of that kind of business). I went to auctions and estate sales and bought books by the boxload and carload. My husband and I enjoyed bringing the books home and going through them one by one -- amazing what people leave in old books! We found money, photos, gorgeous old bookmarks, advertising pieces, handwritten letters and more. One day I bought a particularly good lot of books, with many profitable first editions (a first edition John Steinbeck with dust jacket!). As I was thumbing through the books, out popped a small black and white photo, and on the back was the name "Fortune". I knew I was going to make some good money on the books I'd bought, so I showed my husband the photo and said, "Fortune is smiling down on us." No sooner had I said it, than the phone rang. A national chain grocery store had their grand opening that day, and my name was drawn for their grand prize!

Since then, Fortune has been our patron saint, and sits on the bookcase amongst photos of family. Her poor photo is fading (I hope that's not prophetic), but she still holds a place of honor in our home. She's in the small silver frame. Those are my maternal grandparents in the larger frame.

Speaking of home, do yourself a favor and go to Tipper's blog Blind Pig and The Acorn and listen to her wonderful musical family! The music will get your foot tapping and the singing will make you smile, for sure.

Enjoy your day! I'm off to get things DONE!

Sick little boy and a tired grandma

Brayden spent the day with me again because he was too sick to go to his other babysitter's. The poor little guy was SO sick this morning -- just hacking and wheezing and not wanting his mom to go to work (I felt as bad for Mary as I did for him -- it's so tough to walk away from a sick child, even when you know he'll be well loved and taken care of -- it's still not YOU taking care of him). The cough just got worse and worse, and then about 8am he started vomiting too. That actually turned out to be a good thing because he got rid of a lot of the mucus that was so bubbley in his chest. But, like any little one, he hates throwing up and he doesn't understand why it's happening, and he pretty much fights it. But we got through it, and he settled down into Umpa's recliner with a pillow and blanket and watched his Baby Einstein movies for awhile. We read some books and played with his gyroscope (purchased at a rummage sale last week for .25 and it just fascinates Brayden) and generally tried to keep activities quiet. By 10:30 he was hungry, so I gave him a few crackers and a cheese stick, then he asked to go for a nap (yes, that's right -- he asked...lol) He slept for about an hour and a half...

And was UP AND READY TO ROCK N' ROLL!!! Oh my goodness, did that child have energy! Although he still had a runny nose, his cough was very minimal and there was no holding him back. He wanted to ride his bike, he wanted to ride the lawn mower, he wanted to pull weeds (who am I to deny him the pleasures in life? Yes, Brayden, you can pull weeds....), he wanted to chase the cat and play with his cars and blow on dandelions and push his wheelbarrow and get the mail and help me hang out clothes and and and...

And Umma is just plain tuckered out tonight! From the frazzle of having a vomiting child to the frazzle of having an over-energetic child... wow. He hasn't worn me out this much in a long time!

I have a Brayden story to share. I have a large rubber tree in my computer room. When Brayden arrives in the morning, his job is to get a bottle of water and water two plants -- one in the kitchen (see him at work in picture on the left) and one in my office. He doesn't spill a drop and I don't even have to supervise anymore. One day he went into my office to water the plant, and came running back to the kitchen, grabbed my hand, and said, "Come, Umma" and pulled me into the office. He stood in front of the rubber tree and showed me where one of the smaller limbs of the tree had fallen off and was laying on the floor, with a few almost-dead leaves scattered nearby.

He pointed at the limb and leaves on the floor and said, "Umma - WEEDS!" :)

This is why I babysit for my grandson. It's lovely to see the world through the eyes of a two year old again.

Monday's To Do List

Here's my To Do list for the day:

• -- Laundry - wash, hang out, fold, put away - done
• -- Empty all upstairs trash - done
• -- Change sheets in master bedroom
• -- Jeff's breakfast - done
• -- Pack Jeff's lunch - done
• -- Clean up kitchen - done
• -- Run dishwasher - done
• -- Dishes away - done
• -- Clean cat box
• -- Vac upstairs - done yesterday
• -- Clean both upstairs bathrooms - done
• -- Task from My Simpler Life blog - "Declutter kitchen island". Since I don't have an island, I'm decluttering and cleaning under my kitchen sink - done

Pretty short list, so I should have some time to do more weeding today.

UPDATE

Got a phone call at 10am - Mary had to take Brayden to the doctor for a very croupy cough - and could he come visit Umma after the doctor's visit so Mary could go to work for a few hours? Of course -- that's what Umma's are for! Luckily, I'd gotten most of my To Do List done before he arrived, and he hung out in the yard while I hung clothes on the clothes line. Today he rode his tricycle by himself for the first time - such a big guy now. He wasn't very sick in the A.M., but once he layed down for his nap, he started with the croupy cough again. Doctor said it wasn't bronchitis this time - just a croupy cough that should clear up quickly on meds.

I haven't posted a picture of Brayden for awhile, so here he is! (Taken last week)

Picking dandelions - his favorite flower.

With his favorite guy - Umpa. His new t-shirt says "My favorite thing at Grandma's house is Grandpa!" and boy, is it!

Look! He has a moustache just like Umpa!

On a Spending Fast

There are just such great ideas out there in blog-land. I'm fascinated with the things people come up with and find great motivation in the ideas of others.

One of my new favorite blogs is called My Simpler Life and I knew I'd enjoy it once I read her slogan for her blog: "Creating a simple, fulfilled, joyful life." Isn't that really what we all strive for?

Beginning May 1st, the blog began a "Spending Fast" -- not spending any money for "wants" but for necessities only. No impulse buying, no unplanned buying, etc. I've joined just to see if I can do it. I'm a lifelong impulse buyer, but have recently been trying to be more frugal in all my spending. This will just motivate me that much more.

Another thing I found very helpful on her blog is her free Declutter Calendar. Print it off, hang it on your refrigerator, do the daily task and you can only benefit, whether you're a clutter-bug or not. Today's 15 minutes is spent in the "hobby area" -- and it never hurts for me to spend 15 minutes cleaning my quilt room! You can download one month at a time, but be sure and download the sheet that contains her tips - I found some very useful ideas there!

So my report on my spending fast - Since May 1st I've spent $0 on unnecessary items.

I went to the grocery store yesterday and spent $31. That was for perishable items and cleaning items we needed to restock only. I brought a list and stuck to it. Certainly better than my old $130 to $140 a week come h*ll or highwater grocery shopping days.

I also purchased a $300 Kroger gift card. Krogers gives you an instant 10% if you buy a $300, $600 or $1200 gift card. Since I shop almost exclusively at Kroger, it made sense to take advantage of their offer. I certainly don't get 10% on my checking or savings accounts from my bank!

Need Recipes!

My husband and I are trying to eat more healthy and drop some winter weight -- well, OK, maybe it's two winters' worth of weight that we forgot to take off last summer! The problem is, Jeff is a night-time snacker -- he wants something sweet or something crunchy and salty. Neither of which seems to go along with the "healthier" recipes I have.

Does anyone have any recipes they can share? I'm looking for lower-in-fat, lower-in-calories snacky foods. You can suggest fruits and vegetables, but it's not going to happen unless it's apple chopped up in a cookie. I do supply him with no-fat, low sugar ice cream and sugar-free pudding, but he wants something with a crunch to it -- whether it's sweet or salty.

I'd sure appreciate it if you can share any recipes or web sites you have! I'd like to go with homemade foods instead of processed, but right now I'm open to all suggestions.

My kids are the Best - no, REALLY!

My birthday always falls very close to or on Mother's Day. When my kids were little to celebrate my birthday, we'd sometimes have a "Hookie Day" where I'd call off work and call the school and tell them the kids weren't coming and why -- and we'd go do something fun -- usually the Cincinnati Zoo -- for the day.

So this year, I decided it would be fun to reinstate that old custom, and talked to both kids on the phone, and told them for this year's Mother's Day/Birthday celebration, I would like a card (I love cards), but in lieu of a gift I really, really wanted them to take the money they'd spend and go do something FUN. Both of them work hard, have terrific families, and I'm really really proud of both of them and what they've accomplished. I wasn't trying to be a martyr or one of THOSE mothers who holds her hand to her forehead and says, "Oooooh, don't worry about buying me a gift... you save your money." Shoot, no. Next year I might be asking them for a Lexus. But THIS year I had it in my head and in my heart that I wanted them to celebrate my day(s) by actually having fun and celebrating! To be honest, I'm not so sure either one of them "got it" when I talked with them and I kind of got a "My mom is SO nuts" reaction..lol..

Yesterday I was sitting at the computer and saw a van pull up in the driveway. A florist's van?? A lady walked up to my door and I knew -- since it wasn't Mother's Day, wasn't my birthday -- that she had the wrong house. It's happened before. (Is there ANYthing more disappointing than having flowers delivered to your door to find out they aren't for you? Eeeek!) But lo and behold, the flowers were for me, and they came with this card:

Mom -

We will go and have fun for you on your day,

but we can't just let these days slip away!

Here's a gift from us to you,

just because we appreciate all that you do!

Love, JJ and Mary

See? Toldja they were the best!

Photo of the Day

Unusual shopping bags