American Idol Withdrawal

American Idol is over, and as I've mentioned before, I really get into this show. I wanted Adam to win, but I had a feeling that Danny's votes may go to Kris and maybe that's what happened. Adam's going to have a wonderful career, though, and I'm happy for both of them. It's fun to watch where they go from here and what they accomplish. I love to see the transformation these young people make in their lives and how much it changes for them. I always hope for changes in a positive way for them and what a thrill to have your dreams come true.

Anyway, I do have a soft spot in my heart for Kris because he looks a little bit like my son, Austin. My mother first mentioned it and said that she thought he looked so much like Austin that Kris was immediately her favorite for this reason. So I started to notice him a little more and he not only looks like Austin, but his personality and demeanor is very similar. He also seems to have a very nice family and a beautiful wife.

Don't get me wrong, I think Adam should have won and is more talented and entertaining than any one ever has been on American Idol, but I congratulate Kris.
I'll quit my American Idol obsession now and since "So You Think You Can Dance" started last night, I'll keep you updated with my opinions on that show.

Kris

Austin

So what do you think of the resemblance?

Most Wonderful FAVORITE Award

I received this award from Squirrel Queen. I am so grateful. It feels so good to know that my ramblings may be interesting to others at times. Thank you S.Q.

These are the rules in accepting this award:

Deliver this award to eight bloggers who then must choose and deliver the award to eight more and include the following text into the award.

"These kind bloggers aim to find and be friends. They are not interested in self-aggrandizement. Our hope is that when the ribbons of these prizes are cut, even more friendships are propagated. Please give more attention to these writers."

I would like to honor the following bloggers. As noted in the text above, my aim is to find them as friends. These are some really great blogs that everyone should check out and follow. Thanks all.

1) ask grandma j at: http://askgrandmaj.blogspot.com/

2) My Romantic Home at: http://romantichome.blogspot.com/

3) The Pleasures of Homemaking at: http://thepleasuresofhomemaking.blogspot.com/

4) Quilter Going Bananas at: http://quiltergoingbananas.blogspot.com/

5) Snooty Primadons at: http://snootyprimadona.blogspot.com/

6) cozy little house at: http://cozylittlehouse.blogspot.com/

7) Melissa's Heart and Home at:http://melissasheartandhome.blogspot.com/

8) Airman Mom at: http://airmanmom.blogspot.com/

T.G.I.S. (Thank Goodnes it's Summer!)

Yesterday was such a good day, and so was today. I just love summer and it's finally getting here. The sun is out and it's warming up. The windows are open and I can hear all the windchimes in the neighborhood making their pretty music, along with the birds singing. LOVE IT!
The first bit of good news is that I sold my gas clothes dryer yesterday morning. We had to buy a new electric one because we smelled a gas leak a few weeks ago down in the basement and we narrowed the smell down to the one lonely section of gas line that was going clear across the basement ceiling (covered up with drywall) and up the wall in the garage into the laundry room. So My Bob turned off the gas valve to this one line and the smell went away. We decided it would be a lot cheaper and easier to change to an electric dryer rather than have to tear down the whole ceiling look for and replaceing the gas line. Well, our gas dryer was only a few years old, worked great and looked brand new, but the appliance guy wouldn't give us any trade in. He would haul it away for free, though. I thought, yea, then you'll sell it for a couple of hundred dollars. Bob said, "Just get rid of it, what are we going to do with it?" And I said, "No way, it's worth some money". So I put a five day ad in the local paper, and I got one phone call on Sunday. That couple came to look at it Monday morning, said we'll take it, handed me $200 cash, loaded it in their truck, and off they went. I was so excited and proud of myself. I'm looking around the house thinking, "What else can I sell"? That was so easy.
Since it was such a gorgeous day, and the dryer was now out of the garage, I decided to clean out the garage. What a filthy mess. Now, I keep my house as spotless as I can considering three dogs, a cat, and two grandsons part of the time, but the garage is My Bob's territory. He thought the garage was perfectly clean enough and couldn't see the problem. Are men just blind to dirt or what? I took my handy dandy leaf blower and just blew everything out of there that didn't belong. The whole time Bob is yelling down to me, "What can you possibly be taking so long to clean down there?" Blind, I tell you. So I got that done about two hours later and it felt so good. Well then all the dust balls, dirt, old gravel and crap was now in the driveway, so I continued my cleaning outside. The leaf blower, which is like my outside vacuum and dust rag all in one, was working overtime. Then guess what, it died! I'm devastated. So guess where that $200 is going to have to go? My extra little stash is already spent! It's always something, isn't it? I still felt good, though, because I was outside and I was seeing progress. Then I worked in the gardens a little bit and the perennials are starting to come up. Another good feeling. It is a continual work in progress with flowers around here because of the deer. We have so many deer that they aren't even frightened away by people. They'll just about walk right up to you. I've even had flowers on a stand on my front porch and they've walked right up on the porch in the middle of the night and eaten them. So I have researched over the years the different perennials that deer don't like. I get a few at a time and see how they do before I get more of that same kind. Sometimes a book may tell you deer won't eat a certain plant or flower, but they do. So I get excited over each plant that comes back again in the Spring/Summer. I'll fill in the bare spots with a new deer resistant find, or maybe a tried and true.

My daughter-in-law, Diana, came home from her weekly doctor's appointment and the doctor said the baby is ready and could be coming anytime. She's actually due June 8, but doctor said that if she hasn't had the baby by June 1, then he'll induce. They figure the baby is already weighing about 8 lbs. How can they know that? But from the size of Diana's belly, I would agree. We don't know if it's a boy or girl, but Diana and her girlfriends did the Drano test just for fun and it's a boy! Anyone ever hear of the Drano test? I guess you mix your urine with some Drano and then if it turns a certain color (I don't know what color that is) it's a boy, and another color, it's a girl. I have a mother's intuition hunch that it's a boy. I have two brothers, two sons and two grandsons. I just don't "feel" like a girl is in the plan for my life. That's OK.
My son, Brandon, is leaving for Spokane from San Antonio tomorrow to start looking for a house and start to get settled and prepared for Dee and baby to move out. For those of you not caught up, Brandon is in the Air Force and will be stationed in Spokane. So as soon as he gets "the baby call" he'll be on a plane back here to PA and will have 15 days leave. I can't wait!! Then he'll go back and Dee and baby will move in about a month. I'm not looking forward to that. I may need to go with them. I'm serious!

Stay tuned for updates on my sons, the Airmen. They're doing well and I'm so proud of them. I'll also be showing some before and after garden pictures as soon as the after comes in a little more. And, of course, baby updates will occur frequently. Life seems to be moving at warp speed right now.

Big G.G's Birthday and Boat

Yesterday was my Dad's 72nd birthday. He's affectionately know as Big G.G. This nickname came about after my grandson's came into this world. They are lucky little boys in that they have several older generations of relatives; 6 grandparents, 5 great grandparents, and 2 great-great grandparents. We had to come up with different "names" for all of us to differentiate. Since they couldn't say "Grandma and Grandpa" for a few years, my Bob and I are just lovingly called "Bob" and "Nina" by our grandsons. And ever since they heard Bob's mother call him "Bobby", that is the new name given to him by the grandsons. We think it's so cute. Well, Great Grandma and Great Grandpa was just too much of a mouthful for the little guys, so their names were shortened to "Little G.G" for my mother, Great Grandma, and "Big G.G." for my dad, Great Grandpa.

It just so happened that Big G.G's boat was delivered to our dock on his birthday. The day "Big G.G's" boat comes back for the summer is always an exciting day. We have the boat dock, but the boat belongs to my dad. We live very close to the Marina and each day now boats are coming out of winter storage and being delivered back to their rightful docks. Logan and Landen, the precious little ones, had spent the night on Friday with Bobby and Nina. Their mother, Melissa, had just come to pick them up when Big G.G came by to say he was going to the Marina to pick up his boat and bring to the dock. Logan and Melissa went along as Landen and I stood on the deck waiting for Big G.G and his boat and two passengers to show up on the lake.
Just as we saw the boat coming across the lake, the dark cloud right above us opened up and it poured for about 5 minutes. We ran in the house and watched the docking procedure from the window, and the Skipper and his Crew got soaked.
Now if I can get my Bob to get my blue kayak out of our storage shed for me, then summer can officially start.

My dad is the perfect father and grandfather. He loves to be around all his kids. We are all so lucky to have such an active, healthy, young father, grandfather and great-grandfather. He's always supportive, even at times that his support is not deserved; we're always loved unconditionally by him, even at times that we may not be that lovable; and he's always forgiving, even when we probably shouldn't be forgiven. I know my grandparents and mother would agree that he's also a wonderful son and husband.

Dad is very intelligent, extremely successful and accomplished, and admired for his community volunteer work. I'm sure the whole family, though, would agree that his OCD (obsessive/compulsive disorder) and his ADD (attention deficit disorder) keep him from perfection. But I must say that these two traits seem to run in the family and we all must embrace these traits and make them work. We can't help it.

Happy Birthday, Big G.G. and I hope you're around for a long time, long enough to become Big G.G.G.

American Idol

I don't know you all that well yet, and maybe I shouldn't admit to this, but I love American Idol. I haven't missed a show this season and I'm so excited about the final next week. My favorite and pick to win is Adam. He's an excellent singer, but he's also a performer. I love to watch him. He just mesmerizes me. Even though he's the same age as my sons', and even though he's said to be gay, I think he's very sexy. My sons and husband would probably cringe if they knew I said that.

So who's your pick? Adam or Kris?

That's all there is to this post. Not philosophical, not political, no deep thinking. Just short, light and fun.