The Cardinal Tree

At first I didn't even want to move the tree to the new house.

Then Hilary wanted to use it for the photo shoot that she was doing for the Christmas Mini-Sessions.  We brought it to the new house sometime early in November.  

That tree didn't work out too well with the background plans she had, so into the garage it went.  At some time she suggested that we use it in the dining room in front of the long corner windows and decorate it for Christmas.

Not exactly what I wanted to do, but I decided to try it.

When Greta was here, I mentioned the plans for the tree, and she added her suggestion.  Decorate the tree with cardinals.  The dining room is painted a cream above and deep red at below the chair rail.  The windows look out onto the back yard, the deck, and the bird feeders.  Although we haven't seen as many cardinals here as we did at the other house, they could start to flock in at any time.  Or maybe we haven't really noticed since most of the time we are observing the antics of the many squirrels.

I started to look for cardinal ornaments.  Mom had many of them for her tree, but we sold most of them.  At the time using a cardinal for decoration was not something I wanted to do, mainly because it was a reminder of Mom and her obsession with them.  However, as I mentioned before, there were always cardnials flitting around at the house in Pulaski, and it always seemed like they appeared in pairs or there would be four of them, two males and two females, and I thought they were signs from Leo and Agnes or from Mom and Dad at holidays or special times when family was gathering.

A box of cardinal ornaments went into my cart at Hobby Lobby.  

I found a few at Target.

I picked up three containers of small red ball ornaments and a tiny red beaded garland.

I also found a red star that would be perfect as a topper for the tree.

Over the last couple of days we placed the tree, added the cardinals and the topper, and today, finished it with all three containers of small red balls.

It is beautiful.

And to make it even better---I had purchased a new tree skirt for it.  Before I had used a piece of fabric draped around the base of the tree which matched the fabric for the window seat cover.  But this time I needed something new.  The skirt was white and had  the word "Believe" stitched in black across the front.  After I opened the package, I realized that the skirt was reversible, and the other side was a red and black buffalo check.  Perfect!

The tree is beautiful, and it is indeed a perfect addition to the dining room.  No one can see it from the road.  Actually no one can see the house from the road!  But the glow of the lights adds to the holiday spirit each time we walk into the kitchen/dining room.  The combination of the tree lights plus the lights on the deck railing and the lights from the new lamppost next to the door is very festive.

Let the season begin!  Happy Holidays!

Cheesy Scrambled Eggs

We offered to watch Lynnlee today so Hilary could finish editing the photos from her holiday mini-sessions and make the CDs to send to the clients so they can make their Christmas cards or print pictures or whatever they want to do with them.  The sooner they receive their pics, the better it is.  Plus Hilary has a wedding to do on Saturday and she will need time to work on those pictures next week---so crossing these off the list will help.

When she stopped by with Lynnlee, we had just finished breakfast, but Dad was prepared.  He offered to make her the favorite Dad's Cheesy Scrambled Eggs.  Both she and Megan claim that Dad's scrambled eggs are the best. 

Of course she settled into a spot at the table and was ready to devour a large plateful of the declicious concoction.

That made me think about our conversation on Monday as we were doing our version of "Shop 'Till You Drop."  What foods or dishes are our favorites, especially those made by special people in our lives.

Auntie Ann's cheese ball

Grandma Greta's potato salad and fried chicken

Grammy's beef and noodles

Aunt Sandy's chicken salad croissants and her corn casserole

Megan likes my Beefed Up Biscuit Casserole

Mike, Angie, and Nick devoured the Breakfast Casserole I made for Thanksgiving morning

Megan makes awesome Pumpkin Bread (which I think is Linda Doll's recipe)

Hilary makes great Caramel Apple Salad

For Thanksgiving - Grandma Greta's Cranberry Salad

Also for Thanksgiving - Peggy Fife's Sweet Potato Casserole

Comfort food.  We all need it.  Sometimes just starting the day with a favorite will set the tone for the entire day! 

And that is why Dad made Cheesy Scrambled Eggs for Hilary this morning.

What to do first?

Now that Thanksgiving is over, it's time to prepare for Christmas, right?

New house.  New decor.  Trying to find places for the old decor.  Deciding what to keep and what to donate.  I ran into a woman at Hobby Lobby who said she was going through her decorations and realized she was just tired of some things, bagged them up and took them to Goodwill, and was at Hobby Lobby looking for new stuff.   I feel that same way.  Everything I think about buying, though, is met with another question.  What will I do with it once the holidays are over?  That is also an issue.

So the decor is something on my mind.  What to do?  Where to put it?  What to keep and what to put away and what to donate?

Sewing.  I went to Rossville Quilts this afternoon.  I was looking for a layer cake of fabric for a quilt for Sandy since I drew her name in the family drawing.    Not only did I find what I wanted, I was immediately cast into the 'quilter mode' and realized how much I had missed sewing and creating quilts.  The last quilt I made was for Ryan, Matt and Courtney's baby, and that was in April.  It's been a long time!  I am ready to get started, but my mind is not focusing on what I need to do, the fabric I still need to buy and scheduling time to make the top.  It's something I want to do, I mean REALLY want to do, but I feel like I am stalled.

Devotions.  What can I say about Reading the Bible in 365 Days?  Well, I haven't been.  I got behind in September, then caught up in late October, but I fell behind again around Veterans Day and I just can't keep up again. Why?  Because reading the Bible had been the first thing I did each morning---and now it isn't for some reason.  We have been getting up and going early, so that has contributed.  I haven't been sleeping well past 4 a.m. so that has contributed also.  It just isn't working.  Switching to reading in the evenings doesn't work either. I just don't know what to do.

OBS.  The last OBS I did I read the first chapter and that was it!  I even volunteered to be responsible for a Tuesday activity each week, hoping that it would make me more responsible.  But it didn't.  I failed miserably.  This one has been good for the first two weeks, but I haven't read anything for this week yet, and here it is Tuesday night and I am behind.   Again.  How can I make myself focus on this?  I don't have the answer.

My plan a few months ago was to send our Christmas cards early because of our new address.  The time it takes for mail to be forwarding is horrible.  We received a letter on Saturday that had been mailed from Winamac on November 8.  Two weeks later it was in our mailbox, forwarded.  Ridiculous.  But I haven't addressed the first card yet. I don't even have my list ready. 

Too many things on my mind.  Too much to do.  Too many decisions to make.  At least I don't have to drive an hour to get to Lafayette or Rossville any more!  That is definitely a plus!

Getting Good at Entertaining?

New house?

New opportunities to entertain.

And entertaining we have been doing!

First - Jane and Junior came to see the new house.  We met them at Stone House in Delphi for lunch one day and they followed us to the new house to see it.  It was important to me, at least, that they be one of the first to see our new place and to know that they were always welcome to visit us.

Next - the "surprise' Housewarming Party.  Jan's idea, but the girls carried it out.  It was a small crowd due to numerous conflicts, but it was fun and I loved showing off the new place to our family and friends.  The comment that meant the most to me was that Gary and I seemed really happy here.  And we are.

Karen's Surprise 60th Birthday party was the next time many cars came up the lane and parked at the Party Barn.  That event originated with Amanda, then she pulled Shelby, Megan, and Hilary on board with the planning and execution of the party.  The best part was that I had to do nothing, absolutely nothing, except have the house ready for the bathroom brigade and I did that before the Las Vegas trip.

Sandy and Kent celebrated their 40th wedding anniversary with the next party in the Party Barn.  It was a small event, but I was more involved with planning the menu and cooking the food.  One of the things I really remember about that day is that Hilary was here for most of it and she commented that she really enjoyed the day, just sitting in the kitchen, talking with Karen and me, helping out where needed, and listening to the kids playing.

Sometime in there we had three visitors individually.  Tina stopped by after an REMC Board of Directors meeting in Delphi.  I had baked an apple cake and we enjoyed that and a cup of tea and chatted for an hour or so.  Having a friend stop by for an afternoon visit was fun and i hope she does that often.

Rebecca, our realtor, stopped on morning also.  We had a gift to thank her for everything she did to help us find the new place.  It was fun to show her the improvements we had made and listen to her reactions and comments.

Chris and I became friends when we were both teaching at night at Ivy Tech, she as an adjunct.  We started to have dinner out somewhere on those nights before the 6:00 start time.  Of all the people I knew at Ivy Tech, she is the one who makes the most effort to keep in touch and get together.  We met at Stone House also, then came to the house so she could see it and we chatted for a couple of hours, just to catch up on everything.

The most recent event was the visit from Melanie, Brian, and their girls.  They were Mom's neighbors in Wooster and we got to know them well over the last years of her life and while we were cleaning out the house.  Melanie's step-father was also our auctioneer/realtor for the property.  We had given them a gift certificate for a photo session as a thank you for all of their help, and they redeemed it by coming for Hilary's mini-photo sessions for the holidays.  Last night we invited them along with Megan and Hilary and their families, plus Karen and Amanda for pizza, salad, breadsticks, and desserts.  The kids played all evening, and the adults played a fierce game of Shanghai Rummy which was really intense at times.  It was a fun time.

And now we head into Thanksgiving week.  Starting on Wednesday the house will be full of activity again.  Greta and Kent are coming on Wednesday and will leave on Saturday.  Mike, Angie, and Nick will be here late Wednesday and leave either on Thursday night or early Friday morning.  The house will be full of the rest of the family for Thanksgiving Day.  And that is the way it should be!

Entertaining used to scare me.  I dreaded it.  I was embarrassed that the house might not look as good as it should, that the tub was old and the enamel was wearing off. On Thanksgiving everyone seemed to crowd around the table, shoes were piled by the door, and there wasn't room for everyone to sit comfortably and visit ---anywhere.  Now with the new house we have more room and no scarred tub and everything is in better shape that it was in the old house.  I like the way the new house looks, the room that we have, and the counter space that will be able to hold all of the food that will be prepared that day!

Yes, we are getting better at this entertaining thing.  That's the way it should be!  Next up will be Christmas!  Yeah!

Election Day 2018

My dad always said that it was our duty to vote in each and every election.  Primaries.  November elections.  It didn't matter who was on the ballot or what races were being contested, or even if the ballot was full of candidates running upopposed.  Voting was our right and our duty.  Voting was one time that ALL Americans were and are created equal because each American citizen has one and only one vote.

Now there are some naysayers out there who might argue that some people vote more than once, that people create fall IDs so they can vote in the place of the recently deceased, that others will vote in the place of the those who are hospitalized or in institutions or are in nursing homes and other care centers.  But I like to think that those instances are rare and that my vote is equal to that of anyone else in the United States.

Voting has been the focus of much attention, specifically in this mid-term election.  The Democrats are urging everyone to vote, hoping that those that usually don't will vote in their favor and tip the House and Senate to the left.  The Republicans are hoping the same thing - that more of the conservatives who usually don't vote in the mid-term elections will do so because they are fed up with the recent antics of the left. 

Both sides have issues, good and bad, and both sides are hoping for great results in their favor.  I, for one, am thrilled that more people are taking voting as their right so seriously and going to the polls.

In our area, and I think this is true all over the country, the numbers for early voting have been staggering.  Gary and I were in Payless Supermarket a week ago Saturday and line of people waiting to vote was snaking its way through the foral department and into the dairy and bakery area. The parking lot was packed, and the people were NOT buying groceries!

I am not sure what that means exactly. It could mean that the Democrats are sick of Trump and what they call his antics and want to lessen his power.  They are hoping to bring impeachment charges against him and boot him out of office.  The only way to do that is to strengthen their hold of the seats of the House and the Senate.  The Republicans are tired of the Democrats name-calling, trying to stop Trump with everything he is doing to better the country, and they continue to work their way through these four years with bitterness and manipulation, calling our POTUS, Not MY President. 

What both sides need to realize is that their actions, their diatribes, and their manipulations are dividing the country rather than unifying it.  While some preach that we need to accept everyone, that we need to have tolerance for those whose views are different than our own, that we need to talk and discuss calmly and with open minds, others are determined that if someone doesn't think and say as they do, they are wrong.  And it is happening with Republicans.  And with Democrats.

Tomorrow will be an interesting day.  I will be glad to not see political ads spread all over the television, on the radio, and through Facebook.  The negativity is rampant this election season.

While Dad would be upset with the state of our country today, he would be pleased to see that so many are exercising their right to vote.

And I will be one of those who do that.  Bright and early tomorrow morning.

Feeling Content

One of my Dotti's friends commented on my post today that she hoped I could relax for the weekend because we are hosting a 40th anniversary party for Sandy and Kent, Gary's sister and her husband.

I had to smile about that---because the word 'relax' has taken on a different meaning for me.

It used to be that when we entertained, whether it be for one of the girls' birthday parties or for a big family gathering, I would be in a panic mode.  Last year was a little easier for Thanksgiving since I started preparations at the beginning of November.  But usually I am fussing around, nervous, and I never enjoy the festivities---until they are over.  In fact usually DURING the event, I watch the clock and gauge how many more minutes or hours it will be until everyone leaves.

Pretty bad, huh?

Why was it like that?  I think it stemmed from my mom being so critical all the time.  Re-hashing her comments and viewpoints are pointless here, but I always felt like I had to be up to the Better Homes and Gardens according to Marjorie standards or else I was a failure.  Even if she were not attending, which was most of the time, I still felt like I would be criticized if things were not clean enough or uncluttered enough or arranged as they should be or the food warm or cold enough, or whatever.

I also had problems because our house was just crowded with things.  I was running out of places for everything, which is why the blue bedroom and the garage were always off limits.  I did the best I could with the room I had to work with.  No one complained, but I always felt like something was lacking in my hostessing skills.

Now that we have moved, I have relaxed.   I really have.

Yes, I am still cleaning before everyone comes for anything.  But it is easier.

One reason is that everything is new and fresh.  New paint.  New carpet.  New furniture.  New room arrangements.  That makes a difference.

Another is that the house is bigger.  More room for the tables for dinner on Thanksgiving and Christmas.  More room for the kids to play.  More room for people to sit and visit and watch football games.  No one will be crowded and we won't be stepping over each other.

A third reason is that  we have gotten rid of so much stuff!  Six dumpsters full of trash.  Countless bags of donations to Goodwill.  Even though there are still boxes in the garage to unpack and sort through, the house itself does not feel like it is bursting at the seams from TOO MUCH STUFF.  I am getting much better about just saying 'No, I don't want that anymore.  We have no room for it.' about many items.  Either into the trash or the donation bag they go.

And finally, we have the Party Barn.  I had never thought about using the white building by the barn for our gatherings until Megan asked about the flooring there.  A concrete floor, a wood burning stove, and a built in worktalbe add up to a perfect spot for casual gatherings.  Our old refrigerator is out there, and the fire ring is just outside.  All that is needed is a bathroom and the downstairs bath off the living room is perfect for guests.  No tromping through the house.  Just into the dining room/kitchen and around the corner. 

Housewarming Party in the Party Barn.  Perfect.

Karen's Surprise 60th Birthday Party in the Party Barn.  Perfect.

Sandy and Kent's 40th Anniversary Party in the Party Barn.  Perfect.

Thanksgiving will be in the house, but it will be fine.  And I am looking forward to it.

In fact I am looking forward to all of the entertaining we will do.

Melanie and Brian and the girls on November 17th.

Christmas for our little family on Dec. 23.

Siemens Christmas on Christmas Eve.

And who knows what will come after that!

We are ready.

And I feel content.

Another thing I don't understand....

When a offer is made to buy a house, earnest money is given to the realtor to show the seriousness of the offer.  If the offer  is accepted, both parties sign the purchase agreement.

If the buyer changes his mind and wants to break the agreement, then the sellers will receive the earnest money as a payment for a broken contract and the possibility of another offer being made.

On Wednesday, Oct. 24, a couple made an offer on our house west of Pulaski.  We accepted that offer.  A purchase agreement was sent to us via email, which we signed digitally that afternoon.

On Thursday, October 25, they contacted their realtor and wanted out of the agreement.  They claimed that they found a large piece of wood close to the downstairs bedroom windows that was crawling was live termites and they wanted no part of the buying the house.  They wanted out and they wanted us to sign a release form.

On Friday Gary went to the house.  There is no large piece of wood close to the bedroom window, which we already knew.  There were landscape timbers at the front of the house, behind the garage, and along the sunroom.  Those have been in place for nearly 30 years and are rotting.  There may have been some bugs in them, but there were no termites.  Gary said we would not sign the release, especially since in the purchase agreement they specified no inspection and said also that we didn't have to clean out any other trash that we wanted to pitch.

On Tuesday evening Wendy called and said that she had talked to her boss and he recommended that we sign the release.  He felt that if we didn't, they would continue to find other things to use to try to break the contract.  To do this they would be returning to the property and looking around without permission (as they did earlier) and without contacting either agent.  We didn't want that.  Also Wendy said that as long as we didn't sign the release, no other offers could be made or accepted which would NOT be in our best interest.

So we said we would sign the release.  When she sent it to us on Wednesday to sign, the date on the release and on the buyers' signatures was October 25.  The day after we signed the purchase agreement.

The whole scenario sounds strange to me.  Why did they make an offer and then want to back out of it so quickly?  Were they not serious about it?  Were they expecting us to  refuse the offer and panicked when we did? 

That is one thing I don't understand.

The other is that there is no earnest money coming to us.  Why?  Because they didn't pay the money to their realtor at the time they made the offer.  He didn't collect any so he can't give it to us.

The only way we could collect the money is to take them to court, which would cost more than the $1000 by the time we pay for an attorney to represent us, and which would prevent any other offers to be made on the house.

That just doesn't seem right to me.  When we bought this house, we gave the check to the our realtor and we wouldn't have done it any other way.  We are honest people.  At least I think we are!

In the long run there are now several lessons we have learned.

One is that we will not sign another purchase agreement unless we know the earnest money has been paid.

Another is that we will not do business with the realtor that neglected to collect the earnest money from the buyers.

A third is that we will call Terminex to inspect the house for termites and eliminate that problem, if one does exist.

Better safe than sorry, right?