Many of you have asked where in the world I've been.

All I know is that after 7 plus years of blogging and a different lappy, which I don’t like, I seem to have lost my blogging fervor.

Someday, when you least expect it, I will post again.

For those of you still waiting I say thank you.

Meanwhile, I am rather prolific on twitter. Find me: @KeethaB
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The Eclectic Company - Waitin' on a New Adventure!!
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Saturday, February 28, 2009

Oh Goody, Goody, GOODY!!!

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Look what I GET to tackle today:



Mount WASH-ington.

This is laundry for just two people!
Stupidly insane.

You know what this means, don't you???
It means it's been
Entirely TOOOOO long since
I last
climbed this particular mountain.


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Thursday, February 26, 2009

Alberta Clipper Sky - Friday

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Saturday an Alberta Clipper
Swirled through our woods.

Snow squals erupted
From choppy gray skies


Etching tree trunks with white
(Click this one to enlarge for details.)


Before the tempest abated.


Late in the afternoon
The winds broke the clouds


Allowing the sun to stream through


Preparing the way for dawn's calm.

Reminds me of God's promise:
"This too shall pass."

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Thrifty Thursday - Favorite Things

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These favorite things
Were free to me,
And that's as thrifty
As thrifty can be!!!


I've shared pictures of this little stool before.
It was made specially for me by one of my room moms.
Every time I show it, it gets RAVE reviews.
I love it.


My parents got this carnival glass tumbler
Out of a box of soap, Fels Naptha I believe.
As a child I always chose to drink from it,
So years ago my parents gave it to me,
And now instead of using it,
I keep it in a place of honor
Amongst my other treasures.


Double your treasure, Double your fun
Two freebies here instead of just one!!!

The cream and gold plates
Were the "good" dishes of my maternal grandparents.
The cups and saucers
Are from my Great Aunt Elsie.


Violets again.
My maternal grandparent's cheese dish.


My paternal grandmother's gloves.
I believe the little rose teacup on the left
Was a gift from my friend
Who also happens to be an antique dealer.


My father found this cabinet in the basement.
It was glassless and covered with layers of
Red and Black lacquer paint.
Dad "cleaned it up" (that's what he said)
And gave it to me as a toy cabinet.
It has NEVER been a toy cabinet in our house.


Aunt Martha's china set.
She used to work at Ward's (remember THAT place?)
Where she purchased these dishes.
The pattern is "Mildred."
She noticed one day that I love china things
And these dishes came here to live with me.


Tassels and Teasels
Which I cut myself
In the field across the street
And stuck haphazardly in this urn.

And that is my entry for this week
In Leigh's "Thrifty Thursday."

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Wednesday, February 25, 2009

Ding! Ding! Ding! And the Prize Goes To:

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Jackie!!!!!



Jackie had the answer to my "following" dilemma.
She gets the prize.

For any of the rest of you who have ALSO had following issues: Go to dashboard, click on the "manage" followers button, then make sure each entry is set to public.

Blogger may set them back to anonymous at a later date, but you can just click them back to public.

Much easier than what I did last night which was to re-add everyone!!!!

Jackie - - - you are the BOMB!!!

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Tuesday, February 24, 2009

The Problem With Following - - -

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Oh that title sounds like I'm going to wax philosophical.

I'm not.

I love the "follow" option on blogger. I have a LONG list of blogs which I follow. However, I have encountered several problems with this process, and am wondering if anyone else has had these same issues and if so have they found the cure?

First of all, some of my followed blogs suddenly, out of the clear blue, and for no apparent reason just stop giving me the alerts that they have made a new post. I have tried re-adding them to my follow list - - - to no avail.

Secondly, today my little picture has disappeared from quite a few of the blogs that I follow. I still have them on my list, and several of them had new post alerts in my dashboard this morning - - - but I was stricken from their following list. If I re-add them to my list, my picture reappears, but goodness gracious, I do NOT have time to re-add the whole world!!! (Tuesday night addendum: Oh but I FOUND time, I went through my follow list and re-added EVERY single one from which my little avatar had been deleted!!!)

Very sad face. (Much happier face now!!!)

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Monday, February 23, 2009

Workin' 9 to 5

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Tryin' to make a livin'


First I'll let my fingers - - -


Do the walkin'


Through the yellow pages.


You expect me to do your computer work too???


I think I'll use this thing - - -


Just as soon as I figure out what it does.


Now don't blame that on me - - -
You were the one trying to double task, Kamma!


I'm outa there before you work me to the bone!!!

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Babysitting - Papoo Style

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Help me, Papoo - - - I need my snack opened!


Help Piper, Papoo - - - she isn't very happy.
Help me too, Papoo - - - my train isn't working.


What are you doing, Papoo? That doesn't look like babysitting!?!


Did we wear you out, Papoo??

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Saturday, February 21, 2009

Pied Piper - Report #3

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Wakin' up in the pack-n-play.


Kamma, are you going to pick me up or just stand there taking my picture?


A little Papoo time while waitin' for my breakfast.


I HOPE I grow up to love football as much as daddy and Kamma do!!


Being entertained by Macky-antics.


Have fun, Mommy!!!
'Cause we are.

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Weather Report

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Outside - An Alberta Clipper: a low pressure system, complete with snow, which moves down from Canada as quickly as a Clipper ship.


Inside - A sudden storm of unknown origin.

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Mackinley's Saturday Morning With Papoo - Report #2

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Watchin' cartoons and waitin' for Papoo to get up!



Having oatmeal and a movie with Papoo. Sound fun?


Then Papoo attempted to have a little "me time" with his computer and headphones - - - but I had OTHER ideas.


I thought it was a great time for Papoo to "vroom-vroom," and even hauled out the vroomer.


I inspected it carefully - - -


And pronounced it fit for service.

Alas, Papoo didn't budge from his comfortable position on the couch.

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Milk Bottle Saga

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AKA: Wherein Kamma got Piper to take her bottle.

Piper normally drinks her milk from the bottle that God supplied just for her. SO - - - I was a tad nervous about whether or not she would take it from an artificial one here at my house.


On the left you see the yellow-cap bottle which CAME to my house with Piper. Do you think she would drink from that for me?????

Oh, there was screaming and there was arching backwards, and there were darting hateful looks, but there was NO drinking.

And that was just from me - - - you should have seen Piper Renae!!! (j/k)

Well, I may not be the SHARPEST twig on the branch, but even my old dull eyes could see the difference between the nipple shape on yellow-cap bottle and the nipple shape on green binkie, which is loved and adored and used non-stop by Piper.

So, after a short trip to the grocery store, during which Papoo tried HIS hand at being alone with TWO grandchildren, one of which was rather unhappy, I returned with purple-capped bottle. Notice the shape of purple-cap bottle nipple.

This time there was cooing, and gurgling, and dozing off with joy, and smiling and most importantly, DRINKING.

And again that was all from Kamma - - - - oh but I kid.

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These are some FUNNY accountants
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Thanks to Little Pastor in the Woods who posted this first.

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For Our Mommy - Report #1

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Hi Mommy and Daddy!!! See, no tears at Kamma's house!!!



Mommy, I know you will be especially PROUD of me for loving these footballs! I also liked watching the ceiling fan go round and round as my big brother was playing with the switch!!!

I never made a peep all night long and am still sleeping happily in my pack-n-play and it's 8:30 AM.

This morning Kamma tried to find a kiddie show on TV for me. She asked if I liked this one, I said 'I not like it' but she left it on and THIS is how I watched it. What do you think? Did I like it?

Papoo and I just finished eating our oatmeal. It was yummy.

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Thursday, February 19, 2009

This Just Tickles My Little Gizzard PINK!!!!

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By 2012 nearly all cell phones will be using the SAME recharging technology.

Do you REALIZE what this means??????? Kiss your jumble of TOOOOOOO many wires good-bye.

Just one set'll do ya!!!

I heard it on NPR Yesterday.

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Tuesday, February 17, 2009

Dog-Gone Good!

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Should be mandatory viewing in "Hubby 101" class.

:-)

(Thanks Groovy - - - I stole it from you.)

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Sunday, February 15, 2009

"Teas" Are A Few of My Favorite Things - - -

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I realize "things" really aren't very important. They have no eternal value. And yet I confess, I do have some favorite things - - - little treasures.

While I did not find any of these in a "thrifty" manner, I am linking to Leigh's "Thrifty Thursday" at her request. Welcome to my blog if you came here for the first time today via her Mr. Linky.


Way up there on my list are "tiny fine china tea things." This is one of my antique children's tea sets. It is large enough to be what I would call demitasse.


I found this little set in Monterrey, Mexico. It is glazed pottery and each mug is about an inch high.


Demitasse teapot with matching sugar and creamer.


I bought this set new in 1997 - 12 years ago - so I guess technically it isn't an antique yet.


Who wants to come have a tea party with me? I think we could just about make two cups in this little rosy gem.


Sometimes when we're on vacation I look for a new treasure. I found this one on one of our infamous summer Hayward, Wisconsin treks.


This demitasse cup and saucer was a gift from my friend Vangie. The child's "toy" tea cup and saucer is an antique, it was made is occupied Japan.


Straight from Cracker Barrel - - - a china tea-spoon.


The rest of these pictured items are all demitasse sugar and creamers. This one is English china covered with a gold glaze and and nestled on a matching leaf tray.


From one of my Hayward trips.


These violets are way up on the top of my favorites list.


This was my first demitasse set. It was given to us as a wedding gift by my Aunt Janet. I guess it's probably an antique by now, being 34 years old! If you click on the picture to enlarge it, you will see that I managed to break the creamer. I can't remember now how I did that - - - but I know it was all my fault.

By the way, the dresser scarf upon which they are sitting was embroidered by my paternal grandmother as part of her hope chest.

Coming soon to this blog: more favorites!!!

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