Happy Birthday DaveO
Happy Birthday Danny Boy!
Gone Cruising!
I KNOW . . .
I promised a new post to my blog real soon.
I KNOW . . .
Many of you have your nose glued to your monitor waiting.
I KNOW . . .
You think I’m a total dud for being so remiss.
I KNOW . . .
I’m a big disappointment to some most of you.
Can’t help it.
Andy & I are sailing to Alaska!
. . . CYA SOON
If I can find my mukluks.
. . . CYA SOON
Unless I buy an igloo and stay.
. . . CYA SOON
If I’m not swept overboard.
. . . CYA SOON
Unless I’m swallowed by a whale.
. . . CYA SOON
Barring the captain falls for me.
. . . CYA SOON
Precluding we hit a glacier.
. . . CYA SOON
As long as the ship doesn’t sink.
. . . CYA SOON
If there’s room in the lifeboat.
. . . CYA SOON
When the fat lady sings!
(That will be me, after
eating at all the buffets.)
ANCHORS AWEIGH!
Posted in Lauralee Stuff
ABOUT TIME FOR SOME MORE NEWZ
Posted in Miscellany
Surprise! Surprise!
THURSDAY NIGHT
July 3rd, 2008
10:00pm
A loud knock, knocking on my front door!
(Sits me straight up from watching TV.)
I say: “Who in the world can that be?”
Andy says: “Maybe it’s Bill and Kathy.”
I say: “Can’t be, they are away to sleep long ago.”
Andy opens the door with a flourish and there stands my Dan!
He had driven down from British Columbia to surprise me for the 4th!
Andy was “in” on the surprise,
so I was the only one fooled.
What a total thrill.
I hugged Danny so tight.
I had Dave, Lisa, Austin, Dan & Andy around for the 4th celebration.
A Mother’s dream to have some of her family come home!
Now where were Bob and James and their families?
The day was full o’ fun. Baseball games (Austin’s team, the NW
Timberjacks, won all three of their games), BBQing, laughing, visiting,
a drive out to our storage (that’s an event, believe me!) and much more.
A terrific time was had by all.
Dan and Andy left to drive back to B.C. today.
Dave, Lisa and Austin will be in Oly until Sunday night.
Hope you all had great fun & a super safe holiday.
I sure did!
Posted in My Family
Got Stress?
A lecturer, when explaining stress management to an audience, raised a glass of water and asked, “How heavy is this glass of water?”
Answers called out ranged from 8oz. to 20oz.
The lecturer replied:
“The absolute weight doesn’t matter.
It depends on how long you try to hold it.
If I hold it for a minute, that’s not a problem.
If I hold it for an hour, I’ll have an ache in my right arm.
If I hold it for a day, you’ll have to call an ambulance.”
“In each case it’s the same weight, but the longer I hold it, the heavier it becomes.”
He continued, “And that’s the way it is with stress management. If we carry our burdens all the time, sooner or later, as the burden becomes increasingly heavy, we won’t be able to carry on.”
“As with the glass of water, you have to put it down for a while and rest before holding it again. When we’re refreshed, we can carry on with the burden.”
“So, before you return home tonight, put the burden of work/life down.
Don’t carry it home.
You can pick it up tomorrow.”
“Whatever burdens you’re carrying now, let them down for a moment if you can.
Relax. You can pick them up later after you’ve rested.”
“Life is short.
Enjoy it!”
Posted in Miscellany
Happy Birthday Nainy
Posted in My Family
Whew!
In the shadow of Heidi and Melanie,
I have now finished blogging . . .
“A Post A Day for A Month.”
No easy task, but I wanted to give it a try.
(Don’t think I’ll do it again for a while.)
Hope you enjoyed my barrage of posts with
thoughts, links, memories, recipes, silliness,
jabber and just a little bit of everything.
Back now to random posts.
More fun to come, so stay tuned.
Posted in Miscellany
Depression Glass
One Saturday, over 48 years ago, I went to a yard sale and there sitting, nestled on a card table, were the prettiest little oval green dishes. They were so small, about the size of your thumb to the first knuckle. I had no idea what they were, but they were so cute and I loved the look and feel of them. There was a set of six for $.50 so I bought them. Little did I know at the time that this purchase would lead to a life long love of green depression glass.
Butter Pats &/or Salt Cellars
My First Purchase!
Most of this glassware was made in the central and mid-west United States, where access to raw materials and power made manufacturing inexpensive in the first half of the twentieth century. More than twenty manufacturers made more than 100 patterns, and entire dinner sets were made in some patterns. Generally the pieces were free or low cost ‘give-aways’ at the gas station, movie theater and the grocery store. Even some food companies put pieces in their boxes to encourage people to buy their product.
Common colors are clear, or crystal; pink, pale blue, green, and amber. Less common colors include yellow, jadeite (opaque pale green), delphite (opaque pale blue), cobalt blue, red, black, and white (milk glass). I have even seen a couple of lavender colored pieces. Green and pink are the most popular colors to collect. Martha Stewart collects, and featured, green depression glass on one of her very earliest TV shows.
I found this little film on YouTube from a glass show that started back in the 1960’s and is still going strong. This was long before people caught on to its value. Since the glass was so cheaply made, it broke easily and therefore not a whole lot was preserved. Once the collector’s bug bit, it became extremely collectible, hence the continued popularity of this glassware show.
Throughout my lifetime I have bought and sold many pieces of depression glass. I found a beautiful and rare two-piece cheese server in Ireland in 1984, made by Bagley Glass. It is in mint condition, but then that one’s a keeper.
I have also used parts of my collection as accent pieces or for serving dishes on my dining room table, coordinating nicely with my china. The old timey look and the beautiful clear sparkle of the glass just takes my breath away.
My darling niece (and namesake) Lorelei also collects depression glass and she loves the pink pieces. Some collectors limit their collection to one specific pattern, but, as for me, I pick up whatever thrills my heart when I see it.
All legitmate depression glassware is becoming more scarce on the open market. Rare pieces may sell for several hundred dollars. Some manufacturers continued to make popular patterns after World War II, or introduced similar patterns, which are also collectible. Popular and expensive patterns and pieces have been reproduced, and reproductions are still being made. It is important to know the difference between the authentic and the reproduction pieces. I’ve checked out all the reference books from the library and studied them to know which is which.
A second category of Depression glass, of much better quality, and sometimes referred to as “Elegant” glass, was distributed through jewelry and department stores. From the 1920’s through the 1950’s, it was an alternative to fine china. Most of the Elegant glassware manufacturers had closed by the end of the 1950’s, so finding any piece in nice shape is a worthwhile investment.
One of three displays of my
beautiful green depression glass.
Do you have a collection that makes your heart sing?
Posted in Lauralee Stuff
This Week Had Four Days
Andy arrived home in the middle of the night last Monday. We have not stopped since! We have been crashing and banging around the house with Andy fixing everything that had broken or needed replaced since he last left. While he was away at sea, I kept a list of fix-its that needed attention, and Andy is crossing more items off everyday. The best part about it all is that he is willing to tackle anything, has super ideas, and gets the job done ‘right’ the first time. He knows how to fix everything, which all women know is the greatest asset a man can possess.
We are also currently in the middle of changing the whole theme and decor in my living room. Andy bought me a simply beautiful new ‘cinnamon’ colored sectional couch, which I love beyond words. It was delivered on Wednesday. It really suits my living room bringing out the colors in the rock fireplace and the carpet. We brought the etagere back from the storage shed plus found all kinds of pictures and other accessories which might fit right in to this new fresh scheme. We bought two new floor lamps and two table lamps as well. And, although it may sound odd, we are incorporating blue and Asian accents into the mix. Trust me, it will be truly lovely. (Pictures will be posted once the tweaking is complete.)
Of course Andy has been cooking! He made up the breakfast Muesli that he makes/eats every day on the ship. It is full of cashews, pistachio nuts, raisins, oats, honey, oranges and cream and other yummy bites. He made such a huge amount that we have been eating it all week with no end in sight. Pure health in a bowl. Now that the nicer weather has finally arrived we will be grilling more and, no doubt, the specialty salads will be created in abundance.
In between times we have been out and about shopping, watching movies, talking non-stop, working and playing on our computers and more. Needless to say there have been a whole lot of very late nights. There is still a lot to accomplish before his visit comes to an end the first part of August, but we are sure enjoying every day we have together.
Only one week left before Andy sails to Alaska, on his trip with his Dad, Myrna and Dan, so we are trying to make the time count. Although, thinking about it now, it will give me just enough time to create another bunch of things for Andy to help me with once he returns to Olympia.
Let’s see, where is that list . . .
Posted in My Family
