New Years Eve Eve

Yep, since Friday night seemed a better option than Saturday night for a party, our New Years gathering earned the double "eve" moniker.  We sure enjoyed the company of all those who attended.

Kamela posted a number of photos of the event in her blog here and here so feel free to look there for more detailed coverage.

Several years ago we had a chili cool-off which seemed to go over well.  Someone mentioned recently it might be time to do that again so we decided to try a variation for New Years eve eve.  The theme was chili and soup. There was no contest this time, just a lineup of crock pots filled with a delightful variety of meats, beans and other assorted vegetables.  With a little planning and small portions, it was possible to try each and every one on the table!

I decided to try something different from my normal chili.  A recipe I'd seen for seafood chowder sounded good but there was no seafood readily available when I finally got started preparing something to take.  A quick look in the freezer yielded some venison cajun brats, a pheasant and smaller amounts of rabbit & squirrel so the seafood chowder turned in to a woodman's chowder.  There were enough people that tried some and enough compliments on the stuff I'd make it again.  

Yellow

My mother-in-law has talked about yellow cars for I don't know how long.  Make & model has never mattered, just yellow.  I'm not sure she'd notice an elephant parked on the shoulder but a yellow car would never go unnoticed.  Nor would a yellow truck or even the rare yellow motorcycle for that matter!

Since Carl hasn't bought her a yellow car yet a grandchild suggested Norma at least deserved a ride in one.  So it was decided that for her 80th birthday she'd get a ride in a special yellow car.  Unfortunately, on the milestone birthday, Norma was in Florida assisting with an ill nephew.  The event was put on hold.

But sometimes things work out after all because over Christmas break while most of the family was together we were able to make it work.  That made it even better though a bit late.

We'd arranged for a friend from Eureka to help us out.  He drove up and we ushered the family outside and brought Norma out of the house last...  she caught on quick!!

She got a ride about town and some time in the driver's seat.  

"That was one snazzy car"  Norma Rodgers, Dec 2011

I don't think Norma knew initially what type car she was riding in - but now she does.  Not only was it yellow; but a Corvette to boot.  Happy Birthday Norma... again!

When we were kids, birthdays were a big deal.  If we live long enough, they are also a big deal I suppose.  But there is a period of years where the birthday thing is just another day - unless you have family & friends who just won't let it be "another day".  And especially if the birthday happens to be of the milestone sort!

So Brenda hit one of those milestone birthdays and not without some fanfare.  I think it was August 3rd she was presented with a tray of 50 chocolate mint brownies and that was the first of 50 consecutive days of gifts.

I can take no credit for thinking this up nor for accumulating the gifts.  However, it was most enjoyable to be the one presenting them to Brenda each day.  There were a few occasions where our family was together and they were able to present that day's gift.  It was during Seneca convention that 50 different people handed Brenda a total of 50 cards, each one saying Happy Birthday but each card in a different language.

Thanks for making it happen Kamela.   Your Mom loved it! 

Here's Brenda with her table full of goodies.

1. 50 stickers
2. 50 bobby pins
3. 50 min. scalp massage coupon
4. 50 min. back massage coupon
5. 50 band-aids
6. 50 paperclips
7. 50 piece puzzle
8. 50 index cards
9. 50 songs on CD
10. 50 thumbtacks
11. 50 proverbs
12. 50 poems
13. 50 interesting facts about 1961
14. 50 pieces of construction paper
15. 50 snack bags
16. 50 lunch bags
17. 50 pipe cleaners
18. 50 napkins
19. 50 sheet protectors
20. 50 straws
21. 50 craft sticks
22. 50 sheet lint roller
23. 50 page notepad (box of crayons)
24. 50 pencils
25. 50 plastic cups
26. 50 q-tips
27. 50 erasers
28. 50 cupcake papers
29. 50 states fact quiz
30. 50 vacation destinations
31. 50 penguin fact cards
32. 50 drink stirrers
33. 50 party forks
34. 50 address labels
35. Happy Birthday in 50 languages
36. 50 small notebooks
37. 50 kid quotes
38. 50 water balloons
39. 50 crayons
40. 50 page notepad (Dr. Seuss)
41. 50 page game pad (Tic-Tac-Toe)
42. 50 page game pad (Dot to Dot)
43. 50 page game pad (Hangman)
44. 50 Post-it flags
45. 50 chocolate mint brownies
46. 50 peanut M&Ms
47. 50 things we’ve learned from Mom 
48. 50 pieces of cold weather gear
49. 50 useless items 
50. $50

The stalled car

The Mercury Sable Brenda has driven for the last few years had some hard to diagnose problems for the last 5 months. On 3 occasions it refused to start so we'd call the local garage, they would come and tow it in but every time it would start by the time the tow truck got to the car or by the time they got it to their service bay. They replaced the fuel pump twice but were unsure if that was the problem because before too long, the problem would manifest itself again.

Then one day in August the Sable did a particularly nasty deed. It stalled in one of the busiest intersections in Peoria; with Brenda driving and me out of town. The previous issues had happened when the car was home or I was driving. This time it messed with the wrong person!

Brenda called me on my cell and told me she was sitting at the intersection of War Memorial Drive & Knoxville Ave at rush hour. I called our local auto mechanic who immediately dispatched a truck. Forty minutes later she was heading back to Eureka sitting right seat in the wrecker making conversation with Scott, the driver. Meanwhile, I was heading home from my trip wondering what model of car we should consider for our next vehicle because I was absolutely certain of one thing. We were going car shopping - really, really soon!

Fast forward a couple of weeks and allow me to introduce our new 2012 Hyundai Elantra. After driving several models by Honda, Toyota, Nissan, Kia and Hyundai the decision was made. Brenda loves it. All is well!

Meanwhile, our mechanic found out the 2 fuel pumps he'd installed were defective. Apparently an entire lot were manufactured with the defect so lots of people likely suffered the same malady as we experienced. So now the Sable is operating quite nicely on it's third fuel pump and we decided not to trade it. Instead I'm driving it. We've had no further problems and it saves me some money since my Tahoe is something of a guzzler.

Got Gnats?

Oh how I dislike gnats.  

Every summer something sits in the garbage for a few days that breeds or draws gnats and then it's a battle to get rid of them.  They stick around for days even after getting rid of the things they are attracted to.  Which is how it happened at my office recently.

I'd forgotten about the old peach thrown into the wastebasket in my storage room - until taking out the garbage about two weeks later. A horde of tiny black gnats came flying out of the garbage sack as I hurriedly took it outdoors.  The next day, a multitude of hungry gnats flew circles around my face as I tried to get some work done on the computer.  After spending the morning slapping at the seemingly slow flying guys, but with very few smashed bugs to show for my efforts, I decided there must be a way to get rid of these pests.  So I consulted with my friend Google.

In case you ever need to know, take a glass jar ( or plastic bottle since I had no jar ) form a funnel out of paper and insert into the jar.  Seal the area where the paper sits in the jar.  I used tape.  Put apple cider vinegar ( white vinegar also works I found out since that is all I had ) and a couple drops of dish washing soap into the jar but leave some room between the bottom of the funnel and the top of the liquid.  It might look like this.

The idea is simple.  The gnats are attracted to the vinegar,  go down the funnel and can't find their way back out.  Exactly how long they buzz around before expiring I don't know.  I didn't watch the proceedings.  All I know is it works.  This is what the bottom of the bottle looked like the next morning when I got to work!  It was a beautiful sight!!!

( I've no idea why the dish washing detergent is one of the ingredients - maybe someone can tell me )

A Nickels worth of decades

Brenda comes up from the basement and is surprised by fire in the kitchen which immediately grabbed her attention. The flames from 50 candles are hard to ignore! 

Now she realizes multiple cameras are busily recording the moment and she reacts quite instinctively.  This is similar to what her mother & maternal grandmother would have done. 

Blowing out candles is not Brenda's best trick and now she's faced with 50 that are starting to burn down and drizzling wax into the cake. It took a few moments to get that many lit and some have been burning for awhile. But she's up to the task and makes quick work of it.

Smiling, she is ready to share with us the cinnamon spice cake. You can't see the rest of us smiling also. We love our youthful and wonderful quinquagenarian wife/mom.

New life for the living room.

Yes indeed.  Mom told Brenda a while back she wanted to re-paint the living room.  The original paint, curtains and carpet were over 40 years old.  Not only would fresh paint look good, but a slight update would work out well.

Brenda decided after school was out last month, to take a week off, head to my folks and paint the living room for them.  However, finding an entire, available week this summer just wasn't working out so I asked if she would like for me to go along and see if we could do the job in two days.  That is how I got involved.

We arrived about 9 PM on Tuesday and immediately started moving furniture, taping off trim, etc., and by midnight it was ready for paint and we were ready for bed.  So to bed we went.

A few years back prior to a new roof, there was some leaks that reached the living room ceiling.  So I started there and applied a sealer over those stains then repainted the entire ceiling while Brenda started working her way around the room with primer.  I didn't get any photos of the ceiling painting process.

Here is what it looked like sometime Wed morning.  Note the old curtains have become drop cloths! 

We are ready to roll!  ( A little painting humor there - grin) 

Since we were going over old oil-based paint, we were advised to use a primer first before applying the new latex paint.  Once I finished the ceiling, I started rolling the walls and Brenda keeps ahead of me with the corners and trim.

The new paint dries and....

Brenda works on the stairway while....

Dad catches up on the local news.  (I caught him sitting.  He wasn't there long!)

China cabinet is back in it's spot and Brenda starts pulling tape.

Dad finishes washing windows and.....

...it's coming back together.
Dad selected the new curtains but the vendor didn't have enough in stock, hence the half-way done look on the window....

... and the 3/4 way done look on this one.

This is how it looked when we left Thursday afternoon.  Mom and Dad went to Carbondale and obtained the remaining curtains they needed and installed them that evening after we left. 

It looks pretty nice if I may say so myself and we were glad to have the time together as well.

Enjoy it Mom and Dad!!