Blogging Mojo, Dumbkoff Computer, and a whole bunch of other stuff!

I hate it when this happens.....I've lost my blogging mojo. 

I lost it a couple of months ago when my old computer went kaput.  

I know two German words...and I really don't know that they are German, but my Pa said they were when we were growing up.  One is kaput and one is dumpkoff.  I doubt I spelled them right and they probably need some of these ' apostophre' things somewhere....but anyway, the point is....I lost my mojo.  And here's the thing....I thought it was the new computer that I don't love like I loved my Roofus.   See this post.

One reason..for example....why in thee hell does the text get bigger and smaller when I don't do anything to make it bigger and smaller?  It just happens.  You can't see the difference on the blog, it's the way it is viewed when I'm typing.  I'll be typing along and vrrrrooom - text is HUGE or really really small....it ticks me off.  Dumbkoff computer.  Hey I think I just came up with my computer's new name!!!!

 

Speaking of Pa - we celebrated his birthday the other day.  77 Years Young my Pa is...His name is Charles Thomas...but depending on where you know him from, well that determines what you call him.  People that he used to work with call him Tom or Charlie....his immediate family from growing up call him Tommy...one time some sales guy called him Chuck and I just laughed.  Stupid sales guy.  No one has EVER called my Pa, Chuck.  (dumbkoff)  Anyway, people usually get their own birthday post on my blog....but I am forever getting caught up.

 

 Here is the second reason I've lost my blogging mojo.  I have no schedule in my life.  NONE.  Used to be....I'd get up in the morning, say Good-Bye to my Shug, fix my coffee, get on my computer.  Then do things around the house or whatever was planned for the day.  Now I get up and move stuff.....every day.

Move move move move move.....

pile....pile...pile....pile...pile....

Then find a place to put things....CONSTANTLY.  I'm tired of it.  

At night I have no patience to screw around with this new computer.  So I don't.  I lay in bed reading blogs on my phone. But starting tomorrow, I'm going to try to get a routine going again.  I get so much more done with a routine.

 

 The one thing about moving is you find things you forgot you had....

Like this cake stand.

I also found a jar of apple walnut delight.  yum.

I put it on some oatmeal for breakfast today.  You'd pay a lot of money for this at Starbucks.

The other thing about moving....

You realize you have too much stuff. Not that I didn't know this before, but I have also changed my style a bit too.   So, I'm going to get rid of some stuff.  

 

I am going to have a booth, with another Granny Bee, at the Winter Woolen Workshop.  If you look at the last few years, you'll see this is something I am a part of every year.  But I've never had a booth. It's held at two mansions in Kokomo, IN, and people come from all over to attend.  It's always held in February, and this year it is on the 23rd and 24th.  There is a $10.00 fee to get in, which covers both days, and that money goes to the Historical Society.

 I've decided to try a couple of markets this year too, if I can find a couple that will have me.  I have linens, picture frames, old suitcases, tea cups, saucers, etc.

One last thing.... 

Groovy Girl Yarn.  

She is having a super bowl party and SALE this Saturday.  

See her blog (on my side bar) for times and such.  There will be munchies.....and yarn....need there be more!

And I am teaching a basic crochet class on Thursday, February 7th from 1:00 - 3:00.  So, if you want to learn to crochet, sign up, pay up, and show up!

I've been crocheting a dishcloth and a flower (above) once a week.  Just one.  Usually on a Sunday.  By the end of the year I should have a nice supply of dishcloths and maybe a few stashed away for gifts.  I'm not doing anything special...just a double crochet or a garter stitch.  Quick and easy and ready to use.  

The flowers...no pattern....just random.  I am going to hook them all together at the end of the year for a table runner...or two....or three!

OK I'm done rambling, except for one more last thing....my new computer...does NOT fit in my old weathered leather satchel.   Dumbkoff computer!

Cindy Bee

Rough week

Ok let me just say it's been a rough week.  And since I haven't posted in awhile, I'm gonna recap a bit.

Last Thursday my Shug took half a day off of work and my nephew came up and we moved some furniture pieces that would help with storage.  Dressers, cabinets, and shelves. Heavy stuff.  This particular unit was in the upstairs of our garage.  

We moved it to the room next to our bedroom in the new house.  I was all motivated to get stuff put away, until it hit me.  The stomach flu.  Ack....I threw up every 20-30 minutes the entire night on Sunday.  I know, too much information.  Well I could get a lot more detailed....but I won't.  Let me just say it's been rough.  I haven't left the house since Sunday evening and it's now Thursday.  

 And on top of that, my computer hasn't been working.  Until now.  

What in thee hell peeps?  

Please, will someone tell me why it works some days, hours, weeks...and then it just quits.  The best way I can describe it is it's like a starter on a car when it's going bad.  It grinds and acts like it's going to start up, then it goes down.  This morning,I tried half a dozen times and so far it's working.  Last week it worked fine every day. If you have any answers please let me know.

Anyway, this is the shelving unit they were moving.  It's going to help tremendously. 

On Saturday, before the dreaded flu...my friend Teresa and I went to Horton's in Tipton, IN.

This is what the entrance into their restroom looks like now.  Love it.

 I saw a sled at a sale somewhere and I didn't buy it because it was in rough shape.  I wish I did! They painted this one white and glittered it. Cute idea for a worn out sled.

I always come home from there so motivated, then never know where to start.

But start I did!  My friend and I stopped at a garage sale on the way to Horton's and I bought this for $5.00!  My Shug and I have been wanting a plant stand for our patio.  This would be perfect if it wasn't too rough.  It was missing all kinds of bolts and it was pretty rusty.  But for $5.00 I figure I could scrap it.

Shug changed the ball on top of it to this pineapple thingy,

sanded some of the rust

added bolts, and painted it.  Ok so maybe he is the one that got creative, not me!  But I bought the stand to begin with, so that's something!  I had the vision!

 And here it is!

 And this is half of our patio.  See those windows, those are the windows in the room we're living in.  Room.

 He also painted this birdcage yellow, because he felt we had too much green going on.  And I gave him a couple of Patti Beck birds to put in it.  Cute!

The other half of our patio.  More windows.  I reckon I should take a full on picture, but I didn't.  Next time maybe.  We'll add greenery and such to our patio next summer.  This is just a start.

The other thing I did was get this mess of costume jewelry all sorted out. What a mess.  It kinda got jumbled when we moved it.  I needed an idea for my earrings so I got on pinterest and got part of an idea.  Take an old picture frame and put burlap in it (they used screen wire) and hang the earrings on the burlap.  I can't find my burlap. Anywhere.  I looked and looked.  It must be at the other house.  I am not buying more burlap...or screen for that matter.

I did find my yarn though (not hard to do) and finished this hat I made for my Mom, if she wants it.  She hinted around that she wanted one.

Ok - so this whole time my computer is still up and running.  I feel like I should keep on blogging....I won't....not to worry.  I hope to visit you all and comment before it shuts down on me....but who knows.  I do keep up on my phone, but I'm so slow typing on my phone.

I just want to say one more thing....if you made it this far...

I would like to point out a particular post I'm impressed with if you have a chance please read it.  It's Blether's (see my side bar) and it's her political rant post.  Very inspirational.  Very well written.

Cindy Bee

Bittersweet

 So, I told you I've been cleaning out our old house with the help of my nephew.  I haven't even posted on the Hilltop Farm blog much, but I'm going to try to do that sometime this weekend.  We have made a few updates, but mostly been trying to settle in.  

 Let me say it's so nice to have someone tall around to help when you've moved all ladders to the new house!  The other day when he left, I stayed behind to clean a few areas upstairs, and I felt moisture in my eyes.  Crap - are those tears....again.

 I am moving into a beautiful home that we are building ourselves and I really do feel blessed. I do.
But this house, in town, in a wonderful neighborhood, where the neighbors are like family, is going to be missed.  This was our bedroom.  It is empty now.

 This house has so many nooks and crannys and secret hideouts!  It's a cape cod style home built in the 1940's.  My nephew said it was amazing how they used every single area of the house.  Nothing went to waste. I could go an a rant here, about how in the 40's things didn't go to waste like they do now, in this throw away society of ours....but I won't.  You see, at 54 when your hormones rage, they don't just rage, they RAGE!  If I start ranting I might not stop.

 I reckon I shoulda picked up the rug I rolled up and put away the sweeper cord before I took this picture, but I wasn't planning on sharing them.  I was just snapping a few pics of the upstairs.  So many stories about this house.

We bought it from the original owners. They built the house.  We still have neighbors that built their house, when this one was built, and they still live in their homes.  They are in their 90s.   From our bedroom, you can see in the bedroom across the hall.  When one of my nieces spends the night I always have to sleep with her.  We go to bed with books and flashlights and read.  One time she was shining her flashlight in the other bedroom on my Shug.  He got up and closed the door.  As she tried very hard to position her flashlight, she said, "I think....I can still do it....yup! look Aunt Cindy."  In the crack in the door she shined the light in his room.  I don't know...you probably had to be there but it was funny. Anyway, I love this house.
And I'm feeling bittersweet these days.....or maybe a bit hormonal.

Not to worry, it'll change...in about 5 minutes....just like Indiana weather!  

See there....it just did!

Cindy Bee

PS - I think my computer is a peri-menopausal female.  It only works when it wants to and then goes off on it's own!   geeeeeeesh

Moving? Extracting! Posting....

Seriously blogger...I don't need one more change in my life right now.
It looks like blogger has changed their format once again, and it also looks like I have about half of the links I'm supposed to have to post.....I was going to be nice and just go with it, but I can't even figure out how to post a picture.  Their tutorial and my actual post page do not look the same.
Just so you don't wonder where I've been....I've been extracting more honey than I've ever extracted...EVAH!  And we are trying to move this weekend.  Trying....I guess it's supposed to rain tomorrow and we got news last night that out of state family will be here Sunday.  Next weekend is just as busy so we're just going with it for now. 
And I won't have internet at our new place, not for awhile. 
Right now I have two options.
1) Change my phone service so Ican hook up my phone to my computer...apparently wifi stops about half a mile down the road.  Same with cable tv.  Or
2) Carry my computer with me to all the places in town with wifi.  I still have my weathered leather satchel!
So let me say I've been trying to read your blogs whenever I have a chance, but who knows when I'll have a chance to get back online.  I want to stay connected.  You all have become like friends.

Cindy Bee

Should I keep it or let it go?

As you know...I've been packing up the house....to prepare for the move. And I have a lot of crapola! I do. So what do you think.....

Should I keep this? Isn't it kind of cottagy...kind of a memory of yesterday's lake cottage? Or let it gooooo.......

And I'm thinking about taking this out of the to go box and keeping it...

and this too!! My Purge-atory friends are gonna get so mad if they see me carrying these. They made fun of them the most! (80's my @ss! I just bought this one six months ago!)

And what about this......yes or no....keep or go.....

Does it work? Nooo....

And what about these.....keep or no?

(just seeing if you are paying attention!

ahem janis - those are mushrooms dear...helloooo....a bag of bones? sheeesh!)

Cindy Bee

PS Before anyone asks....none of this stuff has a story that goes with it. Not to me anyway. The typewriter didn't belong to my parents, I didn't play with that little doll as a child nor did my Grandma makae it for me....

Scones and Granny's

So yesterday morning...Mrs. Susie B dropped by my house, totally unplanned, and gave me a scone. She had a free one coming to her from Panera, and thought I might like it! HOW NICE, my Ma would say, in her sarcastic mode because I got the treat and she didn't! And it got me to thinking about moving to the country. I am going to miss my house in town folks. I am. People stop by anytime, just walk in and yell "anyone home" and we are close to everything. Our neighborhood is the greatest. I know all of my neighbors. And I wonder if Susie would just stop by if I live 20 minutes away... And it got me to thinking about moving...and sometimes when I spend so much time at home, I need to go have a look at where we'll be moving to. So I went for a walk out there... Susie B....you gonna bring me a scone when I move out here? It was cold out, 34 degrees, so I didn't walk long. This goose and I caught each other off guard and she is nesting there, so I left. It is beautiful out here. I'll adjust. And since most of you "weaned out" (read...too afraid to tell me the truth about the stuff I'm trying to decide on keeping or not) I won't even ask your opinions on this stuff....

but I will say...

I never realized...

I have so much

fake greenery!

RJ & Scribe....My Mom made this wreath and I'm keeping it. I knitted the bow out of raffia.

I put the little empty nest there...need to find some eggs and birds for it....

Last night I went to the Granny Bee stitchery group and the hostess was in a ....hmmm....some what of a snappy mood you might say. First of all, I had to make sure I was at her house and not the Wal-Mart. I don't think she was really into us coming over when she answered the door in her pj's.

And you can tell by her stance that she didn't care if you did care about her being in her pj's! Lawsamercy...what's the world coming to?

When someone asked her if she would move the chocolate off of the coffee table she said, "No, I don't move it for my grand kids and I'm not moving it for you!" Alrighty then! By the way - she's a neighbor!

Now, remember my felting friend Leslie and her cute little sheep. Well, this is Mr. Drummond. Isn't he adorable?

She felted him. And when Mr. Drummond started walking towards me, because I think he likes me better and wanted to go home with me....

she snatched him up!

We had our moods last night, I tell ya. You shoulda seen RJ trying to knit. If she held those needles any tighter they were gonna snap in two! Or would that be four? Anyhoo, twas a nice evening, but I think I'll just go have a tea and a scone and relax a bit.

See ya..

Cindy Bee

What? You still here? Ok then.....don't wean out on me this time....tell me, what do you think of this?

It's a granny I made, and I'm thinking of turning it into a purse. RJ has a purse/bag that I like. I covet it actually. So, I thought I'd make one. Well I got to looking at my yarn stash. I don't want to buy more yarn, and I thought I needed something beachy. Whatev...I can't help it, I'm sick of winter and into beachy. This looks beachy to me...so what do you think. Do you like it? I actually bought this yarn to make a bag. The pattern came with the yarn, but I like granny's better right now. Do you think it will make a nice bag? I'll probably have nine squares on each side....oh I'll just show you when I get it done. I'm making it. I'm into granny squares...All of a sudden, I am.

Cindy Bee