Tuesday, May 22, 2007

Ack!

First of all, the best time to change your hair color is NOT Sunday morning before church! I did a NOT so great job and felt awful the whole day.. I thought I'd go a little darker, and picked an "auburn" toned dye. Can you say brassy almost orange?

How bad? Well, our Phoenix Suns were in the playoffs, and I had no purple or orange to wear to work... lets just say that I received comments that my hair could sub for orange! Yikes!

It has since mellowed out, AND.. I've had it cut much shorter, so it's a little easier to live with until I can get it colored again. (AFTER camping this weekend..)

And on that note, I'd better get Nutz's interview questions answered!


1. What food(s) could you not live without? What makes it (them) so special?
Chocolate. Not anything fancy, but Hershey's with almonds does the trick.
I know I could live without Dr Pepper, and I should...but, not at the moment. I enjoy a cold refreshing glass of DP, poured slowly into a glass, then put the ice in slowly.

2. If you could bring back one lost fashion trend, what would it be?
Well, you didn't say the fashion trend had to be one I liked. I would bring back the Victorian style dresses, because I am tired of seeing so much skin. At my son's 6th grade promotion ceremony I saw some pretty slinky dresses on some 12 year old girls!

3. If you could have a conversation with a famous dead person, who would you choose and what would you talk about? Well, I don't have a "favorite" famous dead person...but, if I could have my mom & grandma back for a short time, I'd find more out about my Dutch ancestry - which is very interesting, but now not so accessible.

4. If you were famous, what would you be famous for? (...and let's say you can't choose your famous bread making skillz.) ;-) Well, I would like to be famous for being compassionate... (if that were something to be famous for) only because I know that it is not my best characteristic. I love to sing, and I think I have a pretty good voice, but I wouldn't want all the pressure that goes with being a famous singer.

5. If you could choose any place in the world (and money is no object), where would you live and why? We lived in the Portland Oregon area for about 2 years when our son was very young. I loved it there - it's so NOT the desert of AZ. I loved the green, and there were always things to do. I almost chose to live in England or elsewhere in Europe, but I love my American conveniences way too much! Oh, Ireland would be on the short list, too.

I'm sorry that it took sooo long to get the questions answered - life's been crazy busy - as my SIL would put it!

Hope everyone has a good Memorial Day!

Saturday, May 12, 2007

Give my love to Mom!

Grandma Jessie was born in Friesland, The Netherlands in 1921. She came to America with her mother and brother when she was a very young girl. She met and married Frank, and my mother was born in 1943, when he was away in the service of our country. Two sons followed several years later.

When their children were grown, Jessie and Frank kept busy as rock hounds, square dancing, and travelling the country. After they moved to Arizona, they became Sunbirds - leaving in April for cooler country and returning in October. They went to Oregon and Alaska fishing for salmon - canned it and brought it home to stock the pantry with lots of other goodies.
Christmas 2006 - Me, Gram & DH
We weren't around my grandparents alot when I was young, but my mother was always in contact with them. 20 years ago my family moved to Arizona also, so we became more acquainted. When it was time for Grandma to go to a nursing home a few years ago, my mom chose one less than a mile from my home. My mom would visit her several times a week, seeing to her needs, and always bringing fresh flowers and sugar-free cookies. Grandma Jessie loved her chocolate as well- having a 2 lb box of See's Chocolates on special days!
When my mom passed away in Feb 2006, the responsibility of tending to Grandma Jessie landed on my shoulders, and it has been an honor. Walking into the nursing home with bouquets of fresh flowers, the staff knew I was going to see Jessie. She had a "boyfriend", Mark the maintenance man, who would stop and give her a kiss whenever he could.
But all good things usually come to an end, and Grandma Jessie's time came. I knew her time was imminent this past week - she'd been assigned to hospice care recently as her condition was deteriorating. She refused to eat or drink - I think she was tired of being here, with her body not working so well, and she gave up. As I was driving home from work yesterday, one of the nurses called to tell me she was gone. I was there within a few minutes, and stayed until the mortuary came to get her. I'll clean out her room later today and bring her belongings home.

I believe that her Mother's Day will be spent visiting with her daughter, my mom. My dad had the wish that he could whisper something in Grandma's ear, a message of love to take to his bride. I'll miss them both on this Mother's Day, but will remember their examples to me, and strive harder to be a Mother that they'll be proud of .

Tuesday, May 01, 2007

Why... Thank you!!!

Big Thanks to BMG Music - I am pleased to say that after sending back the CD that DD "ordered" by clicking boxes on the web, BMG sent me a letter stating they'd cancel her account, and remove her name from any further promotions. The ironic thing was that a packet for ordering more CD's came in the mail the very same day! (Yes, I know they probably crossed in the mail.)

As for my sister, as far as I know, they are still trying to find a place to live. I haven't had an update from her, and she's not committed to that, so , no big deal. I probably should call to check on her however.

On another note, I'm still patiently waiting for my interview questions from Nutz...

*grins*

ETA - oh great, as soon as I published, I went and found my PM with questions! I am off to work, so I'll have to do it later!