Excuse is Gone

After tormenting me for a few days, It's finally gone.

It showed up when I went to the mailbox to get the mail.
It snuck it's little head out when I went to see if my tomato plants needed water.
When I went out to clip some flowers to enjoy inside the house there it was sunning itself in the yard.

It never showed it ugly self when Mike was out mowing - Nooooooo...
Just for me.

I cried to Mike that I was a prisoner in my own house because of a stupid snake. Yes - I hate them that much.

My hero strikes again.
Mike gets his handy "pickup sticks" tool and captures this sucker. He took it out back in the woods behind the house. Way far!! So he tells me and the neighbor (who hates snakes more than me - she wouldn't even look at it IN the can.)

So my flower beds and vege garden will get weeded today!

She Had NO Clue

Saturday was the 3rd annual T.A.N. (Take Action Now) Golf outing.
It was also my friend Deanna's birthday. The weather was perfect and Sharen and I were ready to enjoy a round of scramble golf. We both decided that golf is more fun when you scramble.

I had an idea to surprise Deanna, but I needed the help of the foursome in front of us. So I called my friend, Gina, who was running this thing and told her what I had planned and she hooked me up.

Four girls that we bowl with teed off in front of us - armed with a gag gift for Deanna for each hole. All they had to do was leave it on the green when they left.

Here she is after 4 holes wearing her "Birthday Girl" pin, her "sparkly Tiara" and her Happy Birthday necklace. The balloon from the first hole is attached to her bag.

I had them sprinkle confetti in each cup that said Happy Birthday. (I know Jon, Not too good for the groundskeeper, but it was really fun for us)
I had each gift in a brown paper bag so nobody knew what was in them except me. Every time we caught up with them they would ask her "What was in that bag?" and she would laugh and show them.

I thought she would catch on after the licorice (hole 6) or the ding dongs (hole 8), but she still thought it was them. Sharen even asked her - "What's up with the ding dongs and how do they know?" Her reply was that "Oh - I probably told them the story" No, I am not going to tell the licorice/ding dong story.

Really NO CLUE!!!

It wasn't until we were in the parking lot putting away our clubs, she went up to Kimberly and Adrianne to thank them, that she found out it was me behind the surprises.

Here I am with the Birthday girl after golf.

She texted me this morning to Thank me for a birthday she would never forget. I was just happy that she is a good sport and forgave me and we are still friends.

Excuses

My flower beds need some major weeding. It is not like me to ignore them.
Here are a list of my excuses.
It's too hot out! (No one who knows me believes this one)
It's too humid. (same as above)
There are too many mosquitoes.
I have to help Bryan and Mary.
One of the boys has a baseball game.
I can't find time.

OK - so I really have no reason - until now.

The weeds can grow as big as they want until I figure out where this big snake has landed. It slithered off right after this picture.

Best Day EVER!!!

That was what Logan tells me when he sees me after the Cubs game.

Mike and Logan dropped me off at Bryan and Mary's house, and as I was painting the bedroom they went to the Cubs game.

All dressed and ready to go!

Logan's first ride on the EL - He thought he was big man, cause Papa let him stand.

Papa buys him a new hat to hold the give away sun glasses.

Everybody knows that Wrigley is a dump. It's old and needs some major restoration. BUT, don't tell that to an 8 year old Cub fan, who is there for the first time with his Papa. He wanted to see it all.

View from their seats. Thank You, Carrie! Logan only left his seat once to go to the bathroom and get an ice cream in a souvenir cup.

Mike mentioned to the usher that it was Logan first trip to Wrigley and he said to go down to the fan desk. Logan got a certificate and a sticker to wear saying "this is my first visit to Wrigley" with the date on it.

His favorite player Soriano got off the DL just in time to hit Logan a home run. Cubs win 12-7.
Mike asked Logan if he was ready to leave in the 8th inning to beat the crowds and Logan looked at him like he had 2 heads. "Are you kidding? We have to sing - Go Cubs Go!!

After the game Logan wanted his picture taken with the sign.

I am not sure who had the better time. Logan going to his first Cub game with Papa or Mike seeing Wrigley, again for the first time, through the eyes of his Cub fan grandson.

I think it was a "Best Day EVER!" for them both.

Scrambled

I don't know who's idea it was, but it was a great one.
It was Monday - Jon's day off. Erica is done with school. Carrie and Dave needed a fun day away from the kids. Sharen and Dup were on vacation. (They left this morning for MN to see the White Sox play the Twins.) Mike and I had no plans.

Jon got T times at Randall Oaks and we had a 2 man scramble challenge.
Rules were simple - you had to use at least one "girl's" shot on each hole. In some cases it turns out someone had to scramble to use one of the "boy's" shot, but Carrie and I still loves them both.

The group before picture.

Only the men felt the need to practice their putting. Why Jon was out there who knows? He did have Erica for his partner and she is the only one that sunk a birdie putt.

The weather was perfect and it felt great to be out on the course with the Dupplers. Thanks Guys for including us.

Finals Scores
Team Jon & Erica/75 = 6 boogies, 11 pars, 1 birdie This was Erica's first time actually hitting a ball on a golf course and not at a driving range.

Team Mike & Karen/78 = 7 boogies, 11 pars

Team Dup &Sharen/83 = 1 double boogie, 10 boogies, 7 pars

Team Dave &Carrie/83 = 12 boogies, 6 pars

More Golf Pictures

Old Memories

I was about 8 or 9.
We had just bought a house big enough for our family of 9 and it needed a lot of work. Dad, being a fireman had 2 days off in a row and spent his time at our new house making it into a home.

I had the mumps with my twin, (Yes-Carrie, twins do get sick together too) so Dad had to take us with him as he went to work on the house. I can remember laying on a mattress on the floor and watching Dad deal with the layers and layers of wallpaper and paint. He would rip off the paper only to find plastered wall that needed some TLC underneath.

Deja Vu all over again.
Mike and I have spent a few days this week over at Bryan and Mary's new digs.
Stripping wall paper in EVERY room off walls and ceilings.

The bathroom wallpaper covered this wonderful turquoise blue. UGLY - right?
Bryan said that he could live with it till they tear the bathroom out for a complete make over. I couldn't stand it so I brought the left overs from our bathroom and covered it up. Now the salmon and black tiles have tan walls just like ours.

Before

After

Paper coming down in the babies room.
Can I just say - That climbing a ladder is not one of my favorite things -and so now I have come to also hate 10 foot ceilings. My two-step ladder just wouldn't let me reach to the top.

Painting is all about prep work.
Mike washing off (after sanding off) wall paper paste in the master bedroom.

Me sanding down the patch around the base boards. It seems to be working me doing the ground work and Mike "up the ladder" work. I had dust every where, notice the fan in the window!!!

We took down some paper in the living room/dining room only to find more paper underneath. Under layers of paint. Bryan and Mary haven't chosen the paint for these rooms so we just left it for later.

Mike removing the hardware from the drapes. She had these beautiful windows covered in 3 layers of drapes. Really - 3 layers?

Is it a lot of work? Of course it is, but We look at it as "working out" because when we are finished for the day - My thought are on one thing only and that is the hot tub.

Having Fun

Apparently coming to Papa's and Grandma's house is boring.
There is nothing to do there.
I invited Stacy, Kory and the kids over for a cook out since they haven't been over in awhile. We see them at ball games, but we are all concentrating on watching some baseball and not truly catching up on things.

The grand kids weren't too thrilled on coming over.
All that's changed and now our house is the place to be.
All because of this!

Friends of ours were moving into a smaller place that didn't have a yard big enough for this thing and asked us if we wanted it.
Mike sets it up, hooks up the water, and all of a sudden our house is a cool place to be again.
Especially on hot days!

House Hunters NO More

After months and months, and houses after houses, spending weekend after weekend and some week nights with their realtor seeing potential Real Estate, Bryan and Mary found their home.
The house is in Chicago the Norwood Park neighborhood. A little old lady lived there for 52 years so it needs some updating, but Bryan and Mary are both up to the challenge of putting their own mark on this 3 bedroom bungalow.

Yes guys that means the house is really yours.

The proud home owners.
The house has an over sized lot (for Chicago standards) and Bryan told us he is looking forward to mowing his lawn. As you can see it needs some landscaping. A job that Mary, I'm sure, already has mapped out in her mind.

Congratulations!!!

Lilacs

I planted a lilac bush right outside my sewing room window.
It took a couple of year for it to get it's root firmly established before it decide to bloom, but this year it blossomed. HUGE!!

Today is the perfect day to open the window (after washing them) and let the breeze blow through. Seriously I love my house in this weather. I have been wandering around putzing and cleaning and every time I walk by my sewing room, I smell the lilacs.

SO I decided to bring that smell into the house.
Lilacs in Grandma's Vase.

This vase holds memories of visiting Grandma and Grandpa Budney at the farm in Antigo. They had lilacs growing along the road. We would pick them and put them in this vase. Grandma would be watching us from the porch and scold us if we got to close to the road.


These pics were taken in 1955.
Pictures of us at the farm. Me and Sharen helping Grandpa with Betsy their cow. He even had the patience to let us help with the milking.

Posing for a picture with Mom and Dad. Don't ask which is which I really have no idea. That's probably me showing the underwear.