The Quest

Right off the bat I am going to tell my Uncle Bob that this post may be slightly less interesting to him than the previous skincare/makeup post from last week. 🙂 LOL! OK, here we go.

I have been on a quest. A search of great proportion. About a year long task, possibly longer. The kind you start keeping your eyes open before you need it, because you are already aware that this hunt could take a while to accomplish. 

I have been looking for a new pocketbook. Or handbag, as the search engines call them. It can be a herculean effort. Or a first world problem. But the struggle is real, we use these things every.single.day.!

I posted about this on the old blob in January of 2008. Seriously, the very first month of my blobbing career I felt the need to out myself about my many issues regarding a functional purse. I have most likely discussed it since, as it has come up several times in the last decade.

I carried this little gem for years! It was all my hopes and dreams, basically a wallet on a string with a tiny little zippered pocket on the back that carried everything I needed at this time in my life. My how the years have changed me.

This was my glowing review on the blog post.

I paid $3.20 for it at the thrift store and paid cash money to have it fixed twice! I finally broke down and retired it after the zipper broke in such a way that it could not be used. The zipper didn’t actually break, the zipper pull broke off in a tragically unfixable way. I was crushed to have to leave it behind. It is actually still in my closet, because I still think that someday someone will be able to repair My Precious. It was the last of its kind and I have moved on to bigger and bigger things. Clearly, I have to carry more necessary items around these days.

There have been several purses in between, some loved and some not so much. This was my last winter purse, the one I was on the prowl to replace the last year or so. It was a good bag and I had no complaints on wear, but I have come to an understanding of myself; I cant work with a pocketbook that is all loosey goosey inside. I need some structure. Ain’t nobody got time to be fishin’ around in there looking for every little thing! I bought a cute little purse organizer, and it helped greatly, but I just tired of the chaos.

I know I have been on the hunt for a replacement since I was in Virginia last Memorial trip. This stands out in my mind because Mrs. Schmenkman was also on the hunt. She is looking to replace her own personal Precious, and she understands the hardship. As far as I know, she has not been successful, so lets all have a moment of silent prayer for Schmenky’s pursuit of the perfect black leather purse with all the organizing system she needs 🙂

I continued my search while in Florida a couple of months ago and was rewarded for all of my effort with this one!!! I kept the tags on for a while after I got home because it’s a commitment you know, and I don’t take purse fealty lightly. It would be my luck to cut the tags and find something I liked even better the very next outing! So far I mostly love it! I wanted the little handles because I often grab my purses in the middle, so why not? I don’t like the two longer handle option known as shoulder bags, because in my experience one of the two always flops down. Just a personal peeve.

Still has to be a crossbody because I can’t be bothered with all the holding at the store. Still needs a zipper top because, theft. And big enough to carry my junk., and also at this new stage in our life, Honey’s stuff also. I get the wallet and glasses on occasion. He has actually told me several times that he was going to have to get himself a new/different wife, one who had a bigger purse to hold his stuff.

Holds the normal stuff AND the sunglasses. I never carried them until I got nifty prescription sunglasses with bifocals several years ago. Which led me to wonder, why so long Loser? They are AMAZING. My ONLY complaint is the crossbody strap could be a little thicker. It’s a little cutty, especially when this thing is loaded for bear. As it occasionally is. See? Room on top for all Honey’s belongings!

Much to Honey’s dismay, shortly after the long sought winter pocketbook was purchased, I got a wild hair about finding a new summer bag. I loved this silver Tiganello, which was my bag before last. I think silver is a perfect neutral, adds a little pop and goes with everything, except possibly if gold is prominent. Which it hardly is in my case. But when I got the above mentioned prescription bifocal sunglasses, the silver bag was out. Couldn’t zip closed. And also the Honey conundrum. I still use this on occasion for things that don’t require the usual junk, just wish it were a schnibble larger.

 

It was replaced by this Mosey while on our girls getaway to South Haven in 2014. I have loved this bag well! I remember the salesgirl told me that it was somehow made using recycled water bottles (no idea how) and that her boss had owned one for years. She said her boss had even washed it in the washing machine, it was a wash or die situation and therefore worth a shot. She said it came out fine, and I am here to tell you I have done the same thing because fabric gets a little ….dirty.

Loved the little bits of leather and the brushed nickel pulls, made it look nicely finished. Nice wide crossbody strap, not cutty at all!  Holds ALL the junk and has held up extremely well. But sometimes the heart wants what the heart wants, and after 4 years of use, I feel like I want something that can co-share summer duty with Mosey and Tig.

A friend from BSF had a pocketbook I thought was striking, but it had a print, and I sometimes fear that in things I need to use every day. It’s that matching business that I have never really left behind. This quandary kept me hemming and hawing about a decision until I remembered that my dear friend Dorothy gave me a purse this Christmas, I call it my Dorothy purse! It will work nicely on those days that I have on a print that is uncomplimentary with the new bag!!! Small and flat enough to even slide in the suitcase when travelling! It can certainly hold the wallet , chapstick, tissues and gum that are the essentials 🙂

There’s my Dorothy!!! She tells others that I am like a daughter to her, we just have different hair!! <3<3<3

So, when the price dropped to very reasonable, I decided to wade into uncharted print territory. After looking at them for months online at Amazon, I pulled the trigger on this Sakroots.

  It has been …problematic. There is a place on Amazon Prime where you can track your order. It went through the normal process of ordered, shipped, and will be delivered by such and such a time, we were on track for an 8:00 delivery, and then it said refund issued!! It did ask if I wanted to reorder. Yes I did, after all of the mental exercise of decision making, I wanted that dang purse! It came several days later!

With a broken bottom zipper 😦  I asked Mousey what to do next, because she is our Amazon Prime expert. They are emailing a slip so we can return it for free, and mailing another. If something else happens, I am going to assume that God does not want me to rock the Sakroots bag, and I will let it go and wait patiently for another option.

I will drop the defective bag off at the post office, the new bag should arrive by next Wednesday, and we should be all ready for summer!!!!

And if Uncle Bob has read all this until the end, you were forewarned! 🙂 And bless your heart! ❤

Advertisement

Eight Months

Good morning MoonPie! These are about a month behind and they have been sitting in the drafts folder. I did post them on the Facebook, so those who follow along there will have to patiently view the duplication. But there are some who are not involved with the time sucking distraction we call social media, and these are for them and for me. I need to post things to remind myself. It’s gotten that bad.

This little gal is ON THE MOVE! Full blown crawling, sitting, standing and all around getting into things! She makes very cute squeely noises and has even managed to wave at her Grammy on Facetime!!! I was telling someone yesterday that it was amazing! She waved intentionally at me! I agree that she does not know that I am her Grammy, but she saw me!

I felt so…..seen! I want to nibble that foot!

There are still rumors that they will move to our neck of the woods at some juncture. I try not to dwell on it because it would make time crawl too slowly, but it’s a nice thought hanging out there!

It would be so nice to squwuntch this little muggins on a regular basis and get to know her personality.

She is getting to a good age to read a story, be a mousey looking for cheese in ticklish spots, ride a leg horsie, and teach all kinds of hilarious things 🙂

She has changed so much in the last few months! I see her Daddy in her face as well as her Mama. She is hard at work growing some hairs, learning how to click her tongue and calling her folks by their names.

She is as busy as the bees on her outfit!

Stuff I Am Liking

This post has been in the drafts box for some time, I just keep adding to it. Here are a few things that I am especially liking these days.

I was having a big problem with dry skin earlier this winter, I am prone to this, but it was particularly annoying because my face was so itchy. Abby’s former dermatologist had recommended CeraVe lotion, because she is a Sahara herself. She had a very good response to the lotion, and when she was looking for a new face wash decided to try theirs. When I was complaining about my distress, she let me try her new product, that she was liking a LOT. Within a few days my itchy dry face was gone, and I am now a satisfied customer!

I think I must have read about this or Mousey (my personal cosmetics information guide) told me about it, but wherever it made itself known, I think it has been helpful. I purchased it from Better Health, and the gal who helped me find it said this was a good brand, so I went with it. I put it on my clean, dry, skin after I clean it with the CeraVe and my Clairsonic Mia. Just a light layer under my eyes, and everywhere else, focusing extra around my mouth and chin. Because seriously, where did all those lines come from??!! I’m not kidding, it looks like I have some sort of snake bite scars! I do wash off the excess with a warm wash cloth just before bed so it doesn’t just end up on my pillow case. My skin remains soft and hydrated after.

Here are three more skin related tidbits, to be worn together. For the last few years the majority of my skin care questions to Mousey have been about old skin. This has caused her to have to research, because she is not old.

I have never been a connoisseur of pricey makeup. I don’t think I have ever ventured out of the isles of Meijer, Target or CVS for any cosmetics. Until the last few years, I had never even worn moisturizer on my face. In the summer i wore a little powder, bronzer as blush, eyeliner and mascara. At some point I started recognizing that the old grey mare (literally and figuratively) just ain’t what she used to be. I needed some kind of regimen.

Enter Olay Pro X. Welcome to the family. I think Capri P may have told me about this. I started to feel a little better about my hide. Now I realize that in the scope of products, these are probably reasonable, but having never worn any such stuff, I had a little sticker shock. They have lasted a long time though.

And then Mousey found me this at Ulta, one of her favorite stores. Having already been broken down with the price of the afore mentioned moisture, I just took her advice and grabbed it. We did have a coupon, that made it easier to bear. And I will say that this is the second winter I have used the same tube and there is still a ton left.

The other thing I use to make myself presentable is from Arbonne. I really like their loose powder. It sets the foundation nicely and gives your face a nice glow. That sounds really dumb, but I don’t want to look like matte Hag Barbie. I have also used their bronzer as blush for years now. I buy these products from Mrs. Schmenkman’s darling niece. Funny story, she works at a nearby city hall. When my order arrives she texts me and we arrange a time to meet in her parking lot. She tells me to park by a side door then she comes out and we exchange a check for the goods. I told her feel like we are conducting illicit business!!!!

So there you have it, what it requires for me to look presentable these days!

Grammy’s Christmas Present!

I wanted to show you all my Christmas present from The Boy and The Dane!! And of course MoonPie, the reason for the charm! 🙂 ❤

Because our family is late in all things celebrated, I didn’t get it until later, but I did wear it to the BSF Leaders Retreat in March! Love it, thanks guys!! I am Grammy!

Gun Range Mousey

Last February Honey and Mousey went on a special trip. To the gun range! They had both been interested in trying it. They both said it was an interesting experience!  Isn’t she the cutest?

Assuming the position.

Honey said she was a good little shot too!

I wanted to get this on the blob so I would remember the occasion!

Wednesday Hodgepodge

Hi Guys, it’s good to be back, here we go!!

1. April is National Jazz Appreciation Month. Are you a fan? If so what’s a favorite you’d recommend to someone new to jazz listening?

I am not a fan of jazz, sorry.

2. Mandolin, ukulele, harp, accordion or banjo…which would you be most interested in learning to play? Or do you already play one of the instruments listed?

Hmmm, no desire to play any of those.
3. Do you judge a book by it’s cover? Elaborate. You may answer in either/both the literal or figurative sense of the word.

Literally, I probably do! I have been known to put a book back on the library shelf if it looked too …cheesy. I have also recently discovered that I don’t want to read a big, heavy, hard cover book. I had the hardest time holding onto one of Ken Follett’s newer books! It was so big and bulky I eventually downloaded it onto the Kindle. So I’m a little judgey on the gigantic hard cover. I also prefer to take a certain size and thickness of a book on vacation. I have judged some too tall, too thick, and believe it or not, too small. Not a fan of the small, many paged paperback either. Whoa, I sound very hard to please!

In the figurative sense, if I’m being honest, I probably do somewhat. I try and be friendly and kind to everyone, but I have silently judged some parents who had absolutely wretchedly behaved children. I may have even whispered judgment to whomever was with me. I judge pushy and rude folks also. Some people act like they were raised by wolves.
4. According to a recent study the ten most nutritious foods are-almonds, cherimoya (supposed to taste like a cross between a pineapple/banana), ocean perch, flatfish (such as flounder and halibut), chia seeds, pumpkin seeds, swiss chard, pork fat (shocking! but I don’t think they mean bacon), beet greens, and red snapper. Are any of these foods a regular part of your diet? Any you’ve never ever tasted? Which would you be most inclined to add to your diet?

I regularly have almonds, and occasionally have chia seeds, pumpkin seeds. We love halibut, but it’s pricey, so we don’t have it as often as we would like. Honey is going fishing in Alaska this summer and we are hoping he brings home a BUNCH!

I am not surprised about the pork fat. I grew up in the low fat era and just about everything they preached has turned out to be garbage. I remember our family switching from butter to margarine, from lard to Crisco. We have now come full circle back to butter and lard.

I would love to try the cherimoya! Have never even heard of that one.
5. Besides a major holiday what is the most recent thing you’ve celebrated with your people? Tell us how.

We celebrated my Dad’s 80th birthday last weekend!!!!!!! I blogged about it here.

 

His best friend Mrs. H had us all over for a lovely dinner and dessert!

Happy Birthday to The Grandpa!!!! ❤ ❤ ❤

6. Insert your own random thought here.

Our Michigan weather has been all over the board lately!!!! We have had warm days, in the 20s, snow, all in a 24-48 hour span! We call that “Pure Michigan”, like The Mittens slogan!

There is a rumor that it will be in the 60s today and tomorrow, with some 70s on Friday! I’m trying not to get too excited though, they are predicting flurries over the weekend. We are just trying to do the best we can up here!

BUT, I did see proof of life on Sunday! The Bradford pear is tryin’!

Thanks for stopping by!

The Octogenarian!

We had a BIG celebration last weekend! The Grandpa’s eightieth birthday party!!! We all gathered over at his best Friend’s house, and Mrs. H entertained us in style! Yummy dinner, delicious cakes and much love ❤ I discarded my keto diet for the day and enjoyed every bite!

We all thought this water pitcher was the cutest thing. We feasted on lasagna, ham, salad, breadsticks, and devilled eggs, YUM.

There was cake and Texas sheet cake, ice cream and a scrumtrulescent cherry sauce. Pretty sure everyone was stuffed to the gills.

Goomba was a fan 🙂

It was so sweet of Mrs. H to host us all! And here is the Birthday Boy! Or Birthday Octogenarian!

He chose to blow them individually.

I will now tell you 8 things that I love about my Dad, because 80 would be cumbersome, for you and me 😉

1. He is a faithful man. He was a faithful husband. One of my favorite things about him was how he tenderly and lovingly cared for my Mother in her last years. She always said she had a great nurse. He is a faithful father and grandfather. Our children have wonderful memories of special times with him, from playing, experiences, and that white raft at the lake! I still don’t know who had more fun! He was a faithful United States Mail carrier, a faithful servant at his church, and a faithful friend.

2. The man is HANDY!! When we were growing up we knew he could build, create, or fix anything! For goodness sake, he built his previous home! He is very generous with his skills. His church calls on him regularly, he generously helps friends and family, he has built a stairway to the basement for a woman in need that he didn’t even know, has travelled out of state to drywall for the glory of the Lord. And So.Much.More!

3. He is a lifelong student. Firstly of the Bible. He still likes to talk about what he has learned. In his 70s he took up the violin and became a student of music. He has to be an avid learner to know how to keep up with his many hobbies and activities!

4. Speaking of his many hobbies, he is an Enthusiast! Cars, trains, boat Captain, genealogy, history and the bits of paraphernalia it produces! I’m sure all of his many interests help to keep his mind sharp! He has recently gotten a smart phone and is currently frustrating himself trying to learn how to use all of its many options!

With Mrs. H and The Butterfield’s. They are his grandson’s wife’s parents, got that? His grandson’s family was on Spring Break in Mexico and unable to attend. Whenever my Mom mentioned the Butterfield’s, she always added how much fun their extended family was! Lovely folks.

5. He is a kind, friendly person. He can talk to anyone, and frequently does! He even talks to telemarketers, and always asks if they know Jesus. He is good to visit friends in nursing homes and unfortunately, going to the funerals of those who have been important in his life has become a part time job.

6. He is a talented fellow. Besides the ones mentioned above, he is a painter of pictures, ceramics, walls and houses. A fixer of cars, lawnmowers, boats and just about anything else, a builder of bathrooms, a remodeler of kitchens and basements, a dry waller of family rooms, a builder of retaining walls, a gardener, an upholsterer of chairs and anything else you might need. He put an ice cream parlor in his basement, had a complete train village set up in its own room, and knew just how to entertain 3 rowdy littles with Barbies, picking strawberries and worms, involving them in his many interests and that above mentioned white raft that had them all laughing hysterically!

With his Girlies.

He is Medium Goomba’s P-Paw.

7. He is a patient man. He loved my Mom and got Beeve and I in the deal.  He had the unpleasant task of living with me in my ugly rebellious years, and it probably required the patience of a saint. My Mom used to say that if she lived through my 15th year, she could do anything. We all came out on the other side. There is nothing but love, respect and genuine affection now.

8. He is a disciple of our Lord Jesus Christ. He would be the first to tell you that he needed a Savior, and he would be just as quick to tell you that you did too. He has lived his life with devotion and gratitude to Christ, who saved him from perishing in this life and the next.

He is muchly loved.

Thank you SO much for having us Mrs. H!

Happy Birthday Dad, here’s to being a nonagenarian!!!

Building a Better Mouse Trap

Here are some of the changes we would like to make to the winter home in Estero. They will all add to function, and I am a fan of functionality!

This is the extent of the kitchen cupboard space in the new house. Seriously. that is it. And not shown on the other side of the fridge, that is not that massively wide in real life, is a pantry with white wire shelving.

Because I am nosey, i looked to see what one might store in those little bitty top cupboards, that many of you short people could not even reach! One had paper plates, another had flashlights. I quit peeking. Basically, not that useful for storage for anything of any sort of big-ness. Large-ness? Heft? Girth? Size? And if we decide to remove that half wall to open up the kitchen, sometime in the future, we would lose 4 skinny cupboards in one fell swoop. So, if you discount them, you have exactly 3 top cupboards to hold dishes, glasses and mugs. Not including the functionally useless skinnys above the microwave and fridge. I’m just going to say it. We require more. OK, I require more. Honey might be able to manage, but he might not. He takes up a considerable amount of our cabinetry with his pills and spices, and he has hogged 4 drawers between the kitchen and laundry room as his own personal junk drawers!!! So clearly, we need some more space!

When we went to the open house for our house, we also hit some others that were the same models, just to see how they had done things. We saw a few really good ideas that we could try and copy. This was an option. Take out the thin white wire pantry and add this with adjustable shelving. We would most likely use it for non perishable food and bigger pots and Tupperware.

And this would be IMMENSELY helpful!!! Oh, there’s the thin white pantry, just like we have, on the left. These folk must have had even more Tupperware than I do to require another thin white pantry type thing!!! So ignore that and rest your gaze on the extra cupboards and counter on the back wall!!

That would make everything SO much better! I then wouldn’t even mind if Honey commandeered a drawer and cupboard!!!

Here is another idea Honey is going to lift. A door between the spare bedroom and bath to give your guests a little more privacy. Also cut down on morning or evening noise.

The previous owners were also the original owners. This house is almost 20 years old and I have a question. Where have you been putting your laundry detergent for the last 20 years? I am going to need some sort of cabinet or shelving situation in here. I don’t want to look at that stuff all the time, especially since this room is just to the left of the front door.

There is also a door to the right in this room, with a space behind it. I can’t remember exactly what was there but it did not seem as functional to me as it could be. To be discussed at a later date.

 

And last but not least, the extended lanai. The owners had requested and been approved to add on, so Honey made sure that approval would transfer to us. It would expand our entertaining and living space very nicely!

Well, that’s all we think we need to do! There could be other projects or tweaks, but all in all, we are very pleased 🙂

Easter Fondue!

Seems we are all about the non-traditional holiday meals lately! We decided to have one of our family’s special occasion feasts for The Grandpa and Beeve’s family. I think they thought it was a fun experiment! Grandpa took all of the pictures, because he is getting to be a regular phone guy!

Goomba seemed to enjoy cooking his own choice of protein, with a little fondued tater tots on the side.

These two dug right in. No surprise there. They are serious eaters.

I think Stacey is a fan.

We all ate until we were stuffed!! And then had chocolate!!!!

There was chicken, steak, sausage, cod and shrimp. With cauliflower, broccoli, mushrooms, asparagus, onion rings and the tots. With plenty of dipping sauces!

With the chocolate there were strawberries, pineapple, marshmallows, angel food cake, banana, pretzels and Honeycrisp apple! SCRUMTRULESCENT!!!!!

After visiting and chatting we watched one of our kid’s old favorite movies, Rocket Man, a fick I was pretty sure Goomba would enjoy!!! And I think he did!

And now Honey and I are back on keto  😦