Birthday's and Singing

Today is my Birthday! NA nahnahnahnah!  I had a nice birthday even though I had to work and I worked my but off this weekend fixing everything but the garage roof.  I never knew how blessed I am until my birthday came along and technology brought all my friends out shouting out their well wishes on Facebook.

Mark started tearing off the roof tonight.....finally the weather is cooperating!  For now.  Anyway, I was in the kitchen making dinner.  The kitchen window is open because it's actually a bit cool out today.  Mark has his new MP3 player he got for Father's day plugged into his ears.  I hear tunes from Nickleback and ACDC wafting in from the garage roof.  A bit out of tune but I smile none the less.  After all, now matter how out of tune, that is a voice I know and love.

We have to take pictures of Mark's progress for inspectors and insurance so I went outside to take a couple shots of the "bare spots".  The singing roofer allowed me a fun shot and actually gave me permision to post it.  So naturally, I have to.............secretly knowing I would have anyway!

Here's my rockin' roofer!  At least he's having fun doing it!

Always,

Gentrie

Another storm.......

So we had another storm.  Many, many trees down all over town.  Not just parts of trees but lots of whole trees.  We were lucky this time.  The branches missed our garage and house and just landed in our driveway.

This is our driveway after storm is gone........

This is our driveway AFTER cleanup......

The dumpster is for re-roofing our garage from the last storm........instead we are cutting more firewood.  After we got our front and back yards done, Mark spent the rest of the day helping the neighbors......what a great guy!

So we will try again tomorrow for the re-roof project.

Saw an ALL white butterfly today....it was cool!

Not the BEST picture, but cool right?  We were making him nervous and he was flapping his wings, but they were still wet so he couldn't go anywhere.  We let him be and were careful not to step on him.

Always,

Gentrie

Nails & Hands

Hailey and I painted our nails.  Hailey did hers last night and I did mine tonight.  She wanted me to paint mine "Twilight" like hers but she is WAY more tan than me, so that color is a little dark on me.  I went with "Ice Queen".

My rings are off because I was washing dishes......notice the dish pan hands?

This is probably the first time I've had my nails painted in 3 years at least, maybe longer.

This is Mark's hand a little distorted (it's the angle).  Notice the black and blue marks?

Hailey:  "Daddy you should paint YOUR nails." 

(She did stress the your.)

Dad: "They are.....(holds out this hand).....see?"

Hailey tilts her head to the side and smiles her sly smile......she knows she's being teased.

That is all the higher he can lift his thumb on that hand by the way.  At some time in his life he cut the tendon to that thumb.  Now he cannot bring it up flat. Mark has working man's hands.  They are tough, tan and scared, marked by time and life.  They have character, and I love those kind of hands, my Dad had them too.  Except his always had some black in the creases that would just never come out, no matter how hard he scrubbed.  Stained by the work he loved, and the work he didn't, so much.

Mark also has one foot/ankle that has been broken on about three different occasions and has quite a bit of steel in it.  In the winter that foot is ALWAYS cold. Hhhhmmm wonder why?

Always,

Gentrie

One book down......sad

I have one of my books read.  I just read The Aloha Quilt by Jennifer Chiaverini......so good.  And now I'm sad it's over.  And I want to make a Hawian style quilt..........accept I SUCK at applique.  Need to work on that first I guess.

Now I have another book to read.  Cold Tangerines (I would tell you who wrote it but I'm not POSITIVE on her name and the book is NO WHERE near me).  UPDATE:  The author is Shauna Niequist.  I really don't want to butcher her name.  I'll come back and tell you next time.  I won the book, and it's autographed.  It's a motivational/inspirational/funny book.  At least that's what I'm told.  Lord knows I need a little inspiration right now.  Not quilting inspiration.....I have lots of that and no money, which just equals FRUSTRATING!

I was looking back through some of my posts and Blah!  I can see it coming........a mile away.  Someday I should really start to pay attention, to me, someday.  I need to pull my head out and can't.  I need some change.  I feel like Alice in Wonderland when she's looking for the way out of the hole she fell in and every door is locked.  She finds the door she can open.......but it's only big enough for a mouse.  Now......the REAL question is where is my FREAKIN' potion to make me a mouse!?!?  Or at least mouse size, so I can fit through that damn door.

Aaaahhhh *sigh*.  Maybe I should start by stop crying into my Cheerios.  (I actually don't eat Cheerios).  Yick, that's my thoughts on Cheerios.

I don't like being left in the dark on things, and not only at my work am I left in the dark (and still expected to come up with some wonderful answer with no info)........but I feel like I'm in the dark in my life too.  I'm in some sort of limbo, or transition phase, or, or,or something.  I can't get my head around it.  I'm looking for insight and tired of looking in......so I'm looking out and hoping I'll see something that will send all the bells and whistles screaming and ring-a-ding dinging in my stinkin' thick head.

So feel free to leave your inspiration........maybe the ding-dong in my head will start screamin'.   (HAHA!  That statement is true on soooooo many levels!)  You know what they say......If you can't laugh at yourself then who can you laugh at?

Thanks for everything.........

Gentrie

Father's Day

So I don't have any pictures to post on this blog today.  In fact, I meant to write this blog yesterday and never got to it.  I've been tired this weekend.

1.  Happy Father's Day (belated) to all the dad's out there old and new.  It's a tough job but someone has to do it.

2.  I extend an especially heart felt Father's Day to my Dad, wherever he may be, he is always in my heart.

3.  Some children are petty and mean when it comes to them and their Fathers, so on their behalf:  Happy Father's Day to all the Dad's who didn't get to hear it.

4.  The children referenced above know who they are.  And that is all I have to say about that.

5.  I went to the State Quilt Show with a lot of my BFF's this Saturday, and not only was I exhausted when I got home but WOW!  I can totally say I am inspired!  It is amazing the ART that can be created by quilting.  I'm not worthy to be in some of those quilter's presence.

6.  I'm tired, and did NOTHING in my house yesterday.  NOTHING!  I'll pay for that all week this week.

7.  I have to go grocery shopping tonight before I go home.  (I hate that.)

8.  I have two new books to read........I'm hoping they will both inspire me in many ways and give me the boost I need.  I need direction, my life is spinning and I can't stop it.  Direction and purpose, what is my purpose here?  Um, sorry that's a little deep for a Monday huh?

9.  I don't have a number nine, so I guess I'm done.

Gentrie

Tornados and Twilight

We had three tornados within a couple of miles of us tonight.  Maybe closer.....I'm not sure of the exact location they were around here........but they were not next to our house.  We spent a lot of time in the basement tonight. 

Early on in the afternoon in the pre-rain/tornado storm a large branch off of our huge oak tree in our back yard came crashing down on our garage.  It hit the side of the house but most of the damage was on the garage......like a few hole in the roof now.

Hard to see through the leaves........but they are attached to a BIG branch sitting on the roof..

Uuuummmmm does anyone know a carpenter?  Oh wait.........I married one!

Then after the storm blew over, it was twilight time.....and it was an AMAZING orange tinted color.  A bit eerie really........and cool!

EVERYTHING in town was tinted this color.........

Beautiful...........and well, odd too....

So we did not get hit with the big tornados......thank goodness.  The garage was in need of new shingles.......which we were planning on working on this summer, that and the shed shingles need replacing.  Now we are doing a whole garage roof and shingles on the shed.

So, anybody got some roofing material just laying around waiting to go up?  NO?  REALLY?  Ok....I guess I can see that.  Thanks for looking though.

Always (in pieces)

Gentrie

Self Portraits......

So I couldn't get my memory chip for my camera to work in the camera.  I took it out and put it in the computer to try and figure out what was going on.  Well, Hailey was taking some more pictures and I laughed out loud when I saw them.

Here I'll share......

NICE......I really laughed when I saw this one......

OK I actually really like this one......It's cute!

OH MY!  WHAT? NOT ME!

UMMMMMMMM.......I'm not sure here.......Hailey we need to talk........I think....

There are more but these are my favorites.  Guess what, I got the memory chip to work again.  I should probably check the settings on my camera now.

Hey, I also got my rows back for my row quilt exchange and I sewwed the top togehter yesterday.  I added a few rows and then put a border on it.  Mark loves it, so do I.  I'll post pictures soon.

Always,

Gentrie

Hailey and poetry and rhyming and..........

If I had it all to do again
I would do it the same,
Over and over again.

The same three wishes,
the same favorite dishes,
the same colors and fishes.

The same boyfriend,
the same break-up,
the same heart-ache, again.

And why you ask,
Why would I suffer and laugh all the same?
Why would I choose it all again?

Because if I didn't,
If I didn't do it all again,
There wouldn't be you.........

My baby girl.


This is a poem I wrote for my baby girl Hailey........who most of you know is not a baby anymore!  But I like it.  What more is there to say?  Why don't we go eat hay, down by the bay in the middle of the day............Crap, make the rhyming stop!

Now I'll have to go mop, or pick up the slop or shop, yeah.....shop!

Ok, I really have to go now!

Gentrie

Tomorrow night is quilt guild.....YEAHHHHH!  The guest speaker is doing a talk on old quilts......I wish I could go to semminars for a whole week about historical quilts and quilting!  I've never been a history buff......but throw in a real persons life story and history with it and I'm all there!  Just like walking into very old homes....I like to think about all the families that lived there and what their lives were like.  I guess you could say I like PEOPLE history.

OH! Guess what else?  Next Saturday (not this one) is the State Quilt Show and I am riding a bus with some of my BFF's.  The bus ride is only $20 and that includes our ticket in.  I know!  Can you believe it?!  I couldn't even drive myself there for $20.....being as it is in St Cloud.

I also got my last row done for our row quilt exchange.  I get mine back tomorrow night.  I'm excited to see what I end up with.

Hailey and I have been going on bike rides pretty regular lately.......and my ass HURTS!  It is currently too WIDE for my bike seat and for some reason (beyond my comprehension) my ass is still BONY!  OUCH!  Too much weight pushing my but into the little skinny, hard, scrawny seat.  Hopefully that will start remedying itself soon.

Better get to bed, got a long day tomorrow!

G-Night!

Gentrie

Dinner with new friends.....

The night before Elli's family left on vacation they took us out for dinner.  We had a good time and it was funny watching them read the menus and eat their food.  Everything is an adventure, Claudia so ENJOYS everything she sees, it's uplifting.

We played Go-Fish while we waited.......

And we acted a little silly.........

It was fun and nice of them to treat us all to dinner.  I believe I will miss her Mom when she flies back to Germany.  Her and I connect on some level.......we are the same age.......

Goodnight!

Gentrie

Graduation

Graduation is over now.  Elli is on vacation with her parents in an RV.  Touring all of our old stomping grounds.  We helped them plan their route and gave them lots of options of places to stop and see.  They'll have a blast.

And as I promised   dadahdahdah!!!!........graduation.........

Elli and her Mom and Step-dad............before

This is after with Mark............

Elli's American Family......minus Mark

Whew......do I need to loose weight or what?  Anyway we had a lot of fun. 

Gentrie

Calmer......kinda

Ok......so I'm calmed down now.  I'm sorry for freakin' out on you guys.  Usually I am not like that, the stars must be aligned to freak out mode for me.

I just made about 118 deviled eggs today and a pan of almond bars.  We went to the grocery store first thing in the morning and got a few things they needed and got groceries for my family for the week.  That was fun, trying to translate ingredients.....and find them.

Elli's Mom, Claudia, speaks fairly good English, while her step-dad speaks very little.  He is having a hard time, but Claudia is doing great.  He is very nice and I think he and Mark would get along famously if only they could actually communicate.

Claudia made dinnere for us tonight, and WOW was it good!  I got the recipes from her so we can duplicate it again.  YUM!

Tomorrow is graduation and the big party.  Elli's Mom made a chocolate cake for her.  Well actually two.......evidently American cake pans are half the size of German ones.  So two cakes, a pan of almond bars and about 118 deviled eggs.  I think we are set.

Graduation tomorrow.........no photos tonight but tomorrow.

BTW....Thanks Rachel, sometimes a person just needs a calm SANE voice to bring them back down to earth!

Gentrie

Freakin' Out......Inside

I think I'm freakin' out inside a little bit.  OK, I'll be honest, I am REALLY FREAKIN' OUT!!!! (Inside).  Elli's parents are flying in from Germany tomorrow.  Strangers in my house who barely speak a word of English.  I am excited, it is Elli's parents after all.  I am also freakin' out a little.  What will they think?  Of my house, of me?  How do I communicate with these people?  How do I step back being Elli's mom while her REAL mom steps back in?

Freakin' out........

On top of it all we have financial issues going on right now and I am STRESSED.

I have to feed two extra people for four days and then two more days a week later.  I also have to make 150 deviled eggs and a pan of almond bars for a graduation party Sunday.  Elli's mom has to make a German cake for the graduation party also.

So I probably won't make 150 eggs.......probably more like 100.......some people will just miss out.  That's 5 dozen eggs people, plus food for a ravenous family of 7 or so.  This coming from someone who grew up in a family of four and went from being single, to being married, to having ONE daughter living with her (one with her biological mom).  Never quantities of 6 or 7.

Some of you are laughing at me right now I know...........but for me this is BIG.  Did I mention I'm freakin' out?  Food is expensive these days people.....and gas....and.....and.......crap.

Crap.

This is Elli and her first fish.  This picture is SOOOOO Minnesota!

Yep, I think it pretty much personifies Minnesota.

Hopefully everything will go well and I'll make it through the next few weeks without heart failure.  Pray for me..........I'm headin' for the deep end..........head first.

Gentrie