Bloggerette Sorority Rush

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Today is "rush" day for the Bloggerette Sorority. Our rush assignment, given to us by Karen at Some Days are Diamonds, was to do something creative with the sorority photo and post it.

Well now girls - - - -

I realize most of you have NEVER heard of little ole me before, so you do not KNOW that I don't "do" crafty, decorative, gardening, baking, cooking, or tablescaping type things.

I "trade" in irreverent humor.

Why, it is the GOAL of my blog to make you spit and snort.

So obviously, no frilly, lacy, girlie project was going to originate with me. I have to be creative in a different way.

So, without further ado, here is my creative "rush" project, in two parts.

First my "virtual" frame on the photo. Hey - - - I made it curvy, that's as close to frilly as it's gonna get around here.

But I didn't stop there! No indeedy - - - check this out:


Here you have our very own LIVE rendition of the bloggerette sisters.

It works - - - first on the left is my flesh and blood "blog lurker" sister, Pam. I am in the middle, and one of our very own Bloggerette Sisters, Cindy of Applestone Cottage is on the right.

I won't EVEN tell you how hard we worked trying to get this picture!

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Bears About the Cottage

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Today Sister Pam, Brunhilda, Borris, and I met Cindy of Applestone Cottage for lunch in Eau Claire. Fortunately, Brunhilda was on her best behavior, and you'd hardly even have noticed she was there!!


After lunch, we followed Cindy out to Applestone Cottage. What a LOVELY place.


What a lovely setting.

We sat on her porch and chatted away the afternoon. Earlier this week there was a bear sighting - - - and NOT the Brunhilda and Borris Bearsaltandpepper type, but the real, live, furry, brown-nosed, mama bear and her cubs type.

They didn't make an appearance for us today.


Here we are - - - two blogland buddies, Cindy and Keetha.

Thank you Cindy for a lovely afternoon!

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The Mystery of the Vanishing Waste Basket aka Where's Nancy Drew When You Need Her???

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While settling into our hotel suite, which shall be our home for the next three days, I decided my hairbrush needed a good cleaning before I could, in good conscience, lay it out on the counter before Sister Pam, Dad, God, and everybody.


Sister Pam came into the bathroom looking for the waste basket in the usual hotel room place.

Puzzled on not finding it, she said: "Keetha, isn't this strange? There's no trash can here. Isn't this where they usually put one?"


"Hmmmm," says I. "That IS really strange. I've never been in a hotel room that didn't have a trash can there. Where do you suppose it is???"

I began thinking about calling down to the desk and asking for a trash can for our bathroom.

Sister Pam, ever the problem solver, found the waste basket in our bedroom and brought it out saying, "Don't you think we'd rather have this waste basket in the bathroom than have it in our bedroom?"

I agreed, relieved that I wouldn't have to call the front desk.

She went about her business and I continued cleaning out my hairbrush. When finished, I picked up the trash can to put it back on the floor, nearly ramming it into the one Sister Pam had just placed there.

Peals of laughter all around.

NOW you know JUST who you're dealing with here.


(Pssssst - - - I posted two posts back to back, don't forget to read the one just below this. I mean if you WANT to and all.)
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Wherein Our Badger State Adventures Begin

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Early this morning dad, Sister Pam, and I loaded our bags into the trunk of dad's car and hit the road heading to Wisconsin.

At first it was smooth sailing, but by the time we reached the northwest corner of the state it was raining pitch forks and hammerheads on us. I thought we'd all be washed away or even worse - - - but I didn't mind 'cause Sister Pam was driving.

About the time we stopped for a potty break and a bite to eat, the rain stopped - - - just in time for me to start driving. Wasn't THAT thoughtful.


I noticed that ONE of us had a mega ginormous purse and the other had an itsy bitsy teensy weensy one. I shan't tell you who belongs to which purse - - - but I WILL admit that the size of the purse is directly proportional to the size of the owner. Furthermore, dad doesn't CARRY a purse and we don't ask if he keeps one in secret. ;-)


The one with the humongous purse defends it by avowing that large is good because it carries so many useful things.

Like, who do you suppose had a full pair of scissors in her purse when dad needed a pair this evening??? Hmmmm??? Mega purse or mini pouch???

And besides, can you see who stowed away in the satchel and will be makin appearances in some future Wisconsin posts?

I rest my case - - - the case of whomever may happen to have the oversized handbag.


Turd Furgeson also made the trip. He is very handy at nap time, isn't slimy nor scaly, and is very quiet.


We arrived at our first Wisconsin destination - - - Eau Claire - - - by five PM where we gladly crashed into our hotel room.

Pam continued texting. (There MIGHT be a hint about the purse scenario in this photo - - - maybe)

Dad looks young and spry for his 81 years, doesn't he? And just check out those tanned legs. Man, once that guy started wearing bermuda shorts he's taken to them like a duck to water!!!

Well, the adventure is off to a great start. You'll be hearing more very shortly. We've got a few bloggy surprises up our sleeves, the first of which will appear here tomorrow.

Ta Ta For Now - - -

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Sum, Sum, Summertime

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My NEW bloggy friend, Jan, this first photo is for YOU!!!


Don't you just LOVE summertime footwear??? A pedi and a pair of flip flops are all you need!!!!

These are a few of my favorite flip flops. Yes, I do have more that aren't shown here - - - they are flopping around on my closet floor.

If you are wondering where I got flip flops with footballs on them, (which is a FAQ every time I show them) you too can find them, and other very fun adornments (like golf balls or fish) here.

Ye Olde Ed is interrupting this post to give info about flip flops and pedis. I buy ALL my flip flops at Dollar General or Big Lots. CHEAP CHEAP CHEAP!!! That way I can have a lot of them. A girl NEEDS a lot of them.

The pedi - - - I get one done every two or three weeks AT THE BEAUTY SCHOOL. The price there just went UP to $13. They do a fabulous job and again - - - CHEAP CHEAP CHEAP so I can get them often in the sum, sum, summertime!


How about a summertime afternoon with the grans?

Yes, my grans ARE the cutest children on the planet, TYVM for noticing!!! ;-)


Even better when you're celebrating a birthday - - - a SECOND birthday. Piper's two.

Elmo LOVED the party until he had to "give his all" for it! :-)

My daughter, Keri, made Mr. Elmo cake ALL BY HERSELF!!!! Isn't she just the greatest???? Uh, yah - - - I taught her all she knows.



NOT

After cake and ice cream, we watched Toy Story Two. Piper is INTO Toy Story two. Do you see what she is clutching in her lap?


Well, let's take a closer look!!!

These really belong to big brother Mackinley, but Piper "needs" them to watch the movie.


Seems that the movie enthralled kids of ALL ages, even mama Keri!


Sometimes when your friends TRAVEL in the summertime, they are reminded of YOU!!! This is my friend Shannon who now lives in Texas, but vacationed in my home state and sent me this picture to PROVE she thought of me.

Even little Miss Halle is giving the Badgers a thumbs up.

Thank you, Shannie!!! I love, love, LOVE it!!!

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Who Said That?

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I just said something in an e-mail to one of my bloggy buddies that I really like, and so with absolutely no humility at all, I am going to quote myself here for all bloggy land to see.

Thankfully, our true roots are in heritage and not things. I just need to keep reminding myself that things are only reminders of heritage. -Keetha Broyles


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The House That Mac Built

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Edit: This SHOULD be the House That Mac BOUGHT, but that doesn't sound NEARLY as good. Geroge Sylvester BUILT it, he was Mac's dad, my GREAT grandpa!!! The house was built either in the late 1800's or the very early 1900's - - - so it is a centenarian.

Ten of the fifteen babies were born right in this house. My Uncle Ron (6) was the first one born here, and then all the rest followed suit in pretty rapid succession.

I had to come back to this post and add this edit - - - I have some cousins whose initials are BOB JR and GEORGE RICHARD and they would have given me FITS if I left this information incorrect. They are already accusing me of trying to become the "matriarch" of the family, which I am not - - - though they could do worse for matriarchs than moi.


These are my paternal grandparents, Mac and Vera, as they looked in the 1950's and in my earliest remembrances of them.


Grandpa Mac, being a master carpenter, built this home for his family. Most of their babies were born right here- - - and there were fifteen babies, thirteen of which grew to be adults. My dad, number 9, is one of the six boys and seven girls who lived to grow up.


In this house, 3740 South Nebraska Street, those children were raised to work, play, love, and laugh. They spent long evenings sitting around the oval dining room table doing their homework or playing around the wooden Monopoly board that Grandpa Mac made for them, or gathered around the piano in the parlor singing "Great is Thy Faithfulness" or "Wonderful Grace of Jesus."

Once during his boyhood school days, my dad remembers seeing smoke billowing in the sky ahead of him as he walked home from school. The closer he got to home, the closer he was to the smoke. He began to run - - - fearing it was his house, THIS house that was on fire. Sure enough, the second floor, the bedroom floor was burning. The fire was put out, and Grandpa Mac rebuilt the second floor.

In my earliest memories, this house was dusky yellow. Later, when I was a young adult, it morphed into a sea foam green. Still later, when my own children were nearly grown, it was covered in this gray vinyl siding.

I didn't inherit the love of Monopoly - - - but the rest of those home place images are burned into my memory because all the way into my adulthood, we continued to gather there as an extended family. Sometimes we came back, formed a Tent City in the side yard, and stayed for a week or more to paint or roof the house. There was always a meal or two where as many of the original 13 as were present still sat around that same oval dining room table, grandpa Mac at one end and Grandma Vera at the other, later with just Grandma Vera at the head. The rest of us crowded as near as we could around satellite tables in the living room. It became a "rite of passage" to be old enough to be deemed ready to sit at the main table.

Once when I was a small girl and only our family was seated around that table with my grandparents, I saw Grandpa Mac get a large scoop of ice cream instead of milk on his cereal in the morning. I remember asking why I couldn't have ice cream too and therewith learned the valuable lesson that in this world we do not all receive exactly the same things, and that some privileges come with age and experience.

Once when there was a large crowd of us, far too many to all be seated in the dining room, my brother-in-law Joe and Uncle Ben out at the satellite tables suddenly began to laugh. At first it was just a silent shaking of the shoulders kind of laugh - - - but as the rest of us around those satellite tables began to try to discover what was funny, they disintegrated into tears-rolling-down-the-cheeks laughter - - -and all of us with them, though to this day none of the REST of us know what was so funny.

I have so many more memories: card games around the dining room table, sitting on the window box seat learning cat's in the cradle from three of my cousins, climbing on the ladder to "help" paint, smelling the wonderful blend of hardwood and cooking as I walked in the front door - - - which odor said, "This is grandma's house."



But all good things (and praise God, bad things too!) must come to an end. Grandpa Mac moved from 3740 South Nebraska Street to heaven first. For many years Grandma lived on alone in her house.

When she was in her late eighties, it became too difficult for her to live alone. My parents, who lived in the same town, moved in with her. My Uncle Ron, one of dad's brothers, and his wife, Alice Mae, came from California to help. At first, they flew back and forth spelling my parents at intervals. Eventually, Uncle Ron moved here permanently, bought the house, and after Grandma's death (by this time she was in her nineties) completely restored and renovated the house.


When Uncle Ron passed on to heaven, Aunt Alice Mae lived here alone - - - until Memorial Day. This Memorial Day - - - when she too went on to join the other members of the family who were waiting for her around the dining table in the new mansion, where there are many rooms, and where they sing with the heavenly host - - - and I imagine they are still singing "Great is Thy Faithfulness"

Though our family is very large, there is no one in a position to purchase the house and keep it. In fact, my father being the trustee, already has sold it. It will move into new hands on or near July 15.

I can tell you that there is great conflict in my soul over this loss. We in America are becoming a rootless society. We move frequently and far. Items of family remembrance have a way of slipping through our fingertips. (I think this is why we all love and gravitate to antiques - - - but that is the subject of another post.)

3740 South Nebraska was our last tangible family root, and now it is being severed from our illusive tree. My heart breaks. I've racked my brain trying to come up with a way to buy "our" house and keep it forever. As if I would last forever.

Then yesterday, in her "Sunday Favorites" repost, Podso told a story about her grandmother's house, only her story is from the perspective of 38 years after the house was no longer theirs. Somehow in her words, which you can find here, I found a little balm for my rootless soul. Things are just things, afterall, and while they can pass into new hands, the memories that they imparted will live on in my heart.

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NEWS FLASH ADDENDUM: The new owner contacted me in my comments. She is a BLOGGER, and low and behold I've buzzed through her blog in the past. How amazing is that? You can find her and her blog here.

Sing with me: "It's a small bloggyworld after all, it's a small bloggyworld after all . . ."


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Sunday Reruns - Short and Sweet

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It's Sunday again, and you know what THAT means!?! It's time for Sunday reruns!!! Thanks so much to Chari over at Happy to Design for hosting this meme, "Sunday Favorites".

In honor of Father's Day, a little Fisherhubby funny. He is enjoying his day fishing in Canada, so we shall enjoy our day with a little chuckle at his antics.

Funny Hubby
(First posted on 2/18/08)

Greg has done it again - - -

Yesterday morning our bulletin proudly announced that the evening service would be BYTBox Cafe. (Short for Beyond the Box)

Greg read it Botox Cafe, and was quite ready to remove some wrinkles.

Ya gotta love that man.

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Wooooo to the Huge HOOOOOO!!!!

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140

That's how many followers I now have!!!!

You girls that already have ginormous numbers of followers, you probably can't even REMEMBER how excited we little peons are when we hit 140 followers!!!!

Thank you to EVERY SINGLE ONE of my followers, whether you are actually still following me or not.

And if you think I sound excited about 140 followers, just wait until my site meter hits 100,000 visits!!!! You'll be able to hear me crowing all the way from Canada to Costa Rica!!!!

Ain't blogging just the grandest?

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Totally Unsolicited "Plug"

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GET

SOME

OF

THESE!!!

I'm just sayin' - - -

Any Dove is great, but when it has these two magical words in the corner - - - HEAVEN in a wrapper.

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I've Never Been in a Sorority Before!

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And I'm not sure how long THIS one will keep me!!!


Karen, over at Some Days are Diamonds,(don't you just LOVE that blog name?) has started The Blogerette Sorority. She started it on June 1, but I just heard about it today. If you are interested in joining, click here to learn the "scoop."

I think we all love our blogging world, and I see this as an opportunity to expand that world AND that love.

Of course, I'm not sure what they will do with a nonthrifter-nondecorator-occasionalcook like me, but we shall see what we shall see.


Besides, I'm pretty sure that girl second from the right side of this photo is me.

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Teee-oooo

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Today is Piper Renae's birthday. Watch this little video and she will tell you just how old she is!




And if you don't think THAT'S cute, your cute-ometer is broken!

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Holly Lost Her Glasses

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Holly lost her glasses.

Somewhere in her house.

In Florida.

I found them.

Somewhere in this desk in my house.

In Indiana.

No, I DON'T know for sure that they are hers, but it seems logical, doesn't it? I mean, she LOST a pair and I FOUND a pair! All kinds of things pass back and forth through cyberspace, why not a pair of glasses after all?

I brought this little Rain Forest Tree Frog home from my classroom. He was more than willing to model the glasses so Holly can see if they are hers.

And this baby doll sends Holly HER greetings with assurances that she too will be a "baby doll" if she wears these.


Even Brunhilda and Borris got in the act, though Brunhilda decided she LIKED wearing them and is hoping Holly won't claim them. She's threatening to hide them from me so I can't send them.

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UP North

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This is the Namekagon River found Up North. I posted it here just to lure you in so I could give you some EXCITING Up North news!!!

Perhaps you have seen comments on my blog as well as on other blogs from "Ann in the UP." Well, after much cajoling by some of the rest of us, she has begun a brand spanking sparkling new blog, UP North.

Oh, please click on the link and hurry right over!!! She needs followers and she needs words of encouragement to keep going.

You will love her, I promise!

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More Fun With the Grans

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Our four year old grandson, Mackinley, knows his mind. When given the choice of where he wants to be taken to eat he chooses a Chinese Buffet. He LIKES Chinese, though I suspect what he likes MOST is the ice cream for desert.


He also likes cars and trucks - - - so how exciting to come upon this race car rig in the Wally World parking lot!


Thumbs up for the joy of it all.

Next he wanted to go to the park - - - the "real" park. That cracked me up, real as opposed to what? What is a "fake" park?

So, we headed out to the school playground which in his mind qualified as "real."


Piper liked it too, and was more than happy to pause for this "cheese!" pose.


Mackinley slowed down long enough for one picture with his little sister.


Then Papoo made it all even more fun by letting out his own inner child.

Inner child??? What am I talking about! I don't think he's ever attempted to grow out of being a child!!!

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Piper Time

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The other day, Fisherhubby and I got to have a little two-on-one Piper time while her mommy, daddy, and big brother were off doing something else.


First we buckled her into her little car seat - - - and then we were off to exotic places.


One of our favorite places - - - Bummie's.


Bummie's is one of the REAL old fashioned drive-ins still alive and well in America.


You know, the kind of place where the car hop comes to your window to smile and take your order.


Papoo made Piper smile just by getting her OUT of that car seat. Piper ate a chicken strip and drank root beer.


Papoo and I had the Indiana classic, and our favorite, grilled tenderloin. This is made from a slice of pork tenderloin that has been pounded flat and then grilled. As you can see, there's much more meat than bun. YUMMY.

After Bummie's, we went back to Piper's house where - - -


Papoo entertained Piper for more than half an hour by using his Blackberry to make a video of her and then playing it back for her over and over again. It was the cutest thing EVER.

How in the WORLD did they babysit BEFORE the advent of electronic gadgets?????

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And Then They Strapped Me Down!!

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This is a "TMI" post alert - - - so if you choose to read on, please don't say I didn't warn you.

I wasn't going to talk about this on my blog, but then they just gave me sooooo much blog humor fodder I changed my mind.

I had a relatively minor surgical procedure today. Now, I am no stranger to the OR - - - this wasn't my first rodeo. It was however, my first time to EXPERIENCE so much of it. For some reason today, they began to "position" me BEFORE they put me to sleep.

(photo from enco.sk/en/ponuka/produkty/zdravotnicka.com)

Of course, I had seen THIS part before. Don't you wonder how they manage to keep you on such a narrow, thinly padded little slab????

Well, wonder no more - - - I'm about to enlighten you.

The first thing that was different today from other of my surgeries was that a student or possibly he was only a job shadower - - - he didn't seem to have much knowledge as yet, was there to assist. So, right away - - - being a keen student and all - - - he began to strap me down - - - right across my abdomen.

Have I mentioned yet that I'm very claustrophobic? Well, consider it mentioned.

I felt that strap go across my abdomen and said, "Oh dear, I'm kinda claustrophobic." Perhaps at that point I should have begun screaming and pulling out my hair because evidently I was too calm and he didn't believe me.

So, I closed my eyes and began saying over and over to myself: "I can do this without hystrionics! I CAN do this! I WON'T scream! etc." Only I never said the etc.

(photo from ascomedical.com)

Next thing I know, that young whipper-snapper had pulled out crucifix arms and was strapping mine down to them!

Have I mentioned yet that I'm claustrophobic? Well, consider it mentioned - - - AGAIN.

I made another feeble attempt to explain my claustrophobicness, which attempt was also ignored.

More silent chanting of my new mantra in my mind.

(photo from sh-channelmed.en.alibaba.com)

Just when I thought my chanting was going to get me through the strapping, something very much like this was lowered down over my nose and mouth.

Have I mentioned yet that I'm claustrophobic? Well, consider it mentioned - - - one more time.

Fortunately, my chanting didn't have to go on very long at this point for I was whisked away to some very dark and very silent place from which I didn't surface again until all the TMI part was finished.

And let me just say that the procedure seems to have gone very well, I came home this evening, and feel STRONG enough to be sitting here telling you the story.

Oh - - - but I have hip and thigh muscles and lower back suture joints, that I didn't even know I HAD until today, which feel like they were given a strenuous work-out while I was in that very dark and very silent place.

(photo from newyork.timeout.com)

I suspect some position like this was involved, only I wasn't awake nor was I smiling.

I'm very glad they didn't show me the video.
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