Housewife, 54

Where have I been for the past several months????  Around; here, there, and everywhere...  Summer was busy with dog shows and some gardening and all the usual activities of fine weather.  Elvis finished his Rally Excellent title in June, with a perfect score of 100 points at his final trial!   If I look shell-shocked in this picture, it is because I was! Woodstock, IL  June 2013 The next weekend, Buckaroo finished his Rally Advanced title, which met the criteria for the AHCA Versatility Award. DC Utchati Buckaroo Bansai, RA Not bad for a 10 year-old dog! In July we lost Nina.  She was 15 1/2 and had suffered from Cushing's Disease for over 2 years.  We still miss her, and will for a long time.  She was a grand dog! Nina, 4 months Nina, 6 years Nina, 15 years Later in the summer, I went down to spend time with my dad several times.  It was good to spend quality time with him, even if he was in the hospit...

Yee Gads (as my Grandmother used to say)...  Once again, I seem to have forgotten all about blogging and more than a month as passed since I have posted anything.  Let's catch up... My Pampered Chef business is going all right.  I had my own show first and welcomed a handful of neighbors and friends to help me through my first "cooking demonstration show".  It went better than I expected and I was pleased.  Two friends then booked shows for April, and those went well, also.  Now that my summer plans are picking up, I am not working too hard at booking demonstration shows, but I would like to get some catalog shows going to keep active.  Anyone want to share a catalog??? Easter was nice.  Flo came from his internship in NYC to spend the weekend with us and that made it special.  We had Jim's mom come for dinner as well.  It was a nice, quiet day... but not very spring-like unless you like your spring cool! Flo and Aaron, Easter d...

Okay, I finally did it! I have been trolling for a way to earn some income - I need to support my hobb(ies) you know - and applying for a time-card kind of job was not working out.  My condolences to all those folks out there that are applying for jobs with online applications - YUCK!  What a horrible experience!  So I decided to look into a home-based business and settled on Pampered Chef. I love to cook and am better than most home cooks nowadays!  It seems like learning to cook is at the bottom of most people's to-do lists.  We have become a society that excels at eating out or opening boxes if we "cook" at home.  I had a thought about a year ago that I would like to teach cooking classes to young people, so this is a step in the same direction.  Except that with the Pampered Chef cooking demonstrations, they most often start with -or at least include- some kind of pre-made or pre-packaged ingredients.  Guess I will have to just acc...

Here it is, almost the first day of spring and there is NO hint of spring anywhere around. Winter didn't really begin here until late January, so I guess we still have to have the full 3 months for winter, whenever.....We have had gloomy days, snow storms, snow showers, warmer weather and rain, flooding... and then snow again!  I am just sick of it! The dogs are confined inside, and most days their only outside time is to toilet - and then I have to let them go out on the deck!   It is the only place that isn't muddy!  And with Afghan Hounds, MUD is to be avoided at all costs.  Fortunately, the week that I had to go down to Dad's, we had snow so they could access their kennel and they stayed clean.  Lucky Jim!  And when I did get home after being away for 4 days, Elvis was not matted and it took me just an hour to comb him out. I won't be so lucky the next time I groom him..... Whenever that might be....  You see, I have done something really stup...

I knew that I had not written in a while, but as I look now, I see that it has been about 6 weeks!  Christmas has been here and gone, with a minimum of fuss.  My oldest son and his wife came for a few days and it was lovely to have them here with us for Christmas.  With Christmas falling during the middle of the week, it was a bit awkward for those who have to work - and don't have vacation time built up yet.  Ben had to be back on the job the day after Christmas, which meant that they had to travel home on Christmas Day....so we tried something new.  We had our celebration on Christmas Eve.  It worked out really well, especially since there are no little ones to wait for Santa! Getting back into the swing of things was a trial this year.... but this does't really surprise me - I generally hibernate in January...  I do NOT have SAD, but I do believe we must all be affected to some point by the lack of daylight hours...And having 'flu doesn't help! ...

All right,  I am finally getting ready for Christmas.  I have made my gift list, checked it twice and I believe that I have finally ordered all of my gifts.  Some are already purchased and wrapped.  I went out yesterday (by myself)  and cut a tree, so I can FINALLY have a good, FRESH tree this year!  Today I brought it in and have it decorated.  I did not do a lot of decorating.... I have three boxes of decorations and I believe that I need to weed through them again and purge... but really what I have are mostly keepsakes and very little that  is expendable.  I have sorted through quite a lot over the last few years, and even though I have things that I don't put out, I am not ready to part with anything that is here... with the exception of some faded ribbons.  So here is the tree: For the past few years, since we have lived in McHenry, I have opted for a small tree that will sit on a table. This is the largest one so f...

Christmas is....how could I put it???  Exhausting.  Garish. Expensive.   and Definitely OFF COURSE!  Why have we allowed commercialism to ruin this holiday?... no, make that Holy Day.  I am so sick of all the advertising and pressure to buy Buy BUY and have Have HAVE and party Party PARTY!  I wish I could find a place to go for the month of December where you are not inundated with all this crap that has infiltrated our Christian celebration of the Birth of Christ. Now, don't get me wrong or mistake my religious fervor.  I am not an Evangelical or fundamental style of Christian.  I practice my faith and a quiet way; I participate in my Church and am active in several of the Church's ministries.  But I am not preachy or evangelistic.... that turns many people away.  If anything I am TOO low-key.  But with all the bright flashing lights and outrageous gifts and holiday parties that are certainly NOT about...