Back from Columbus and a Visit to Katy and David

We went to Columbus this weekend to stay with Katy and David while mommy and daddy went to a wedding for JT and Adrianne. Oma and Opa had a fun time with the kiddos. A couple of pictures are worth a thousand words.

Katy had a fun time with the new Dora the Explorer pony car and stable from Miss Susie, who found it in her garage when she left for Thailand earlier this month! Thank you, Miss Susie!

Doing a puzzle is part of the thing for morning when you are waiting for a chance to put your shoes on and go outside to play in the sand.

That David . . . he is such a funny boy!

We also got to meet Melanie and Aaron for lunch on Saturday; and we even had a chance to meet Mary and Matthew for lunch on Sunday before we headed back to Pittsburgh. Melanie and Aaron joined us then, too. It was a busy, fun-filled weekend.

Hey, Emily. I left a tiny bit of grapefruit juice in your refrigerator. If you don't want it, just throw it away. I forgot about it. Hope we got everything else. See you in a few weeks!

The Minnie Skort . . . a Lucky Clover Day!

Today was golf day, and I wore my new LizGolf skort for the first time. I had one of my fellow golfers take my picture on the first tee before I had to put on my jacket because it was 60 degrees and drizzling out there today. Here's the picture . . . for you Emily!!!!

I shot 56 on 9 holes today. This is the lowest I have ever shot in league play. As a novice my scores in the past have been in the mid 60's. A 56 is a VAST improvement. I'm thinking the Minnie Skort is a hit. What do you think?

They're back! The Anthrocon Convention in the 'Burgh!

Wirds kinnot diskribe ths. It is wurd!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bbmpWa1ZVAI

I was told that these folks have water dishes and litter boxes in their hotel rooms . . . and that there is some kinky stuff going on over there. The Chicago Cubs are in town for a series with the Pirates, and I was also told that most of the baseball teams won't stay in the same hotel with the furries. After all, baseball is a family show.

Spendin' My Gift Cards


The kids have given me a couple of gift cards in the last year, and I have been waiting for the mood to strike me to spend them. One of them was a card for $25 at Joann Fabrics which I used to buy a zipper or something and then put it away in my wallet and forgot about it. The other was a Mother's Day card from Brian and Emily toward golf stuff at Dick's Sporting Goods. Well, today was pay day on the gift cards!


On my way back from getting my nails done this morning, I stopped at Joann Fabrics. Their superstore in Cranberry was having a lot of clearance on summer stuff. I used my gift card plus a few bucks and tax to get this mosaic-topped table to put on the porch. The wicker one we have been using is very ratty looking and isn't level enough to set a glass on without it tipping over. So I am thrilled with this new setup. This will be great for our long summer evenings on the porch after work.

After Joann's, I was on a roll. I swung by Dick's Sporting Goods on my way home, and they were ALSO having a summer clearance sale. I got a wonderful LizGolf skort and shirt with my Dick's gift certificate. For those of you who wonder why a golf skort is different from any other skort, the big answer is POCKETS. Lots of women's pants and skirts do not have pockets! I know, guys, this is hard to imagine for somebody who doesn't do a purse; but that's the way it is. This lack of pockets is a real pain in the wazoo on the golf course. Where do you put the tees and the extra balls and your marker and stuff? My new skort is RED with BIG WHITE POLKA DOTS like Minnie Mouse or Betty Boop. It is awesome. I got a plain, white golf shirt to go with it. The other thing about golf clothes that is good is that they are often made of moisture-wicking material that is cooler than regular clothes---and some of them even have UV protection in the fabric to keep you from getting sunburned. So golf clothes are kind of bionic.

I am tickled to death with my bargains and with using my presents on such fun stuff. It's like having a birthday and Mother's Day all over again in June.

I'm hoping to get Greg out later today to play 9 holes with me. I need the practice, and he hasn't been out this year. We used to play together almost every weekend, but this year has been busy with family travel. I just hate to waste a beautiful day like this at the computer . . . .

Working on the Porch and the Yard this week!

Mary and John have been getting the yard in shape and doing our mulch around the rain storms the last week or so. This was WONDERFUL for me because I have not had the time and energy to get around to it. Plus, Mary is a landscaper and does it better anyway. They finished up today and everything looks soooo beautiful!

In addition to the yard, the cushions on the rockers and the Papasan chair had been through two seasons; and they were not covered in outdoor fabric to begin with. They were looking pretty ragged, so I was watching Joann Fabric for some outdoor canvas to go on sale so I could recover everything. Last week, I hit the jackpot. I bought the fabric at 50 percent off; and I have been itching all week to get the new covers made.

After squeezing in 9 holes of golf this morning, I came back and started working on the new covers after lunch. Since I had made the covers once before, I simply took them off and used the OLD covers for the pattern to cut out the new ones. It went really fast, and I love the way they turned out! Those big pink and red geraniums on the green leafy background is bright and cheerful. It makes sitting on the porch even more relaxing.

Speaking of which, it's time for a glass of wine and a wonderful Saturday afternoon rock in the rocking chair out there. See ya'!

BROWN STAINS, OMG . . .

that's right, folks, on my underwear!!! I went to a breakfast meeting this morning at the Westin for the Athena Awards nominations. I poured myself a cup of Starbucks coffee in a paper cup and put a lid on it. The lid didn't fit very well. When I sat down a few minutes later and picked up the cup to take a drink using the hole in the lid, the coffee poured out between the cup and the lid. Before I realized what was happening, I poured about 1/2 cup of coffee down the front of my dress (which, thankfully, was black). The coffee ran down my stomach and (you guessed it) into my underwear!!!! No number of napkins could rescue me. I was mighty uncomfortable for the rest of the meeting.

When I got back to the office and stopped in the restroom, I had to laugh at the coffee stains I had in some unusual places.

Let's just say I am giving up on the lids from now on. :-)

Back from my bucolic past!


We just got back from a quick trip to Indiana for a graduation party for my cousin's son, Scott. It was a family kind of thing, and on the way over, Greg and I took state route 224 across central Ohio instead of taking the turnpike. We did this partly to avoid the tolls and partly because we needed to go to Markle, Indiana, to visit the cemetery where a good number of my family on my dad's side are buried. As part of the bargain, we drove through a lot of the farming communities where I grew up; and at this time of the year, they were busy getting crops in and making sure tender seedlings were ready to grow.


The theme of the day on this beautiful Saturday morning in early June seemed to be "John Deere Rules." Instead of the SUV's and BMW's of suburbia, the 2-lane road will filled with pickup trucks and farm machinery of every type and size. Besides the tractors on the road, the farm yards were filled with horses and cows and chickens and an amazing number of clotheslines full of blue jeans and overalls and towels. This made me laugh at the memory of drying laundry outside. It is the true test of a person tough enough to live in the country! If you have ever dried off with a towel that is dried outside on the clothesline, you know that it is an invigorating experience. :-)



I really enjoyed driving through the small towns with big churches on the main street and all the stores closed up by 9 o'clock on a Saturday night. I had forgotten that the 24-hour convenience store is pretty useless in a town where you can just go next door and borrow whatever you need after the stores are closed. And the store owners go home to their families and let you worry about your midnight craving for pizza rolls.


Here are a few photos to further explain the nostalgia. First, doesn't everybody want to know that your grandparents are resting under a tree in a cemetery near their parents and the rest of their family?

When you get in your car to go to church or to hop over to the next town to pick up something at the hardware or the Tractor Supply Company, people don't get too upset about waiting a few minutes for a train to pass. Counting and cars and wondering what's in them is entertainment enough, and it isn't inconvenient or stressful because the sun won't go down for hours anyway.

In the country, even the people who don't work on the farm anymore but have jobs where they wear business casual clothes and stay in the air conditioning and worry about the computers that keep track of your medical records can find time to be with the family on a Saturday afternoon.

Congratulations to Scott, our newest high school graduate, who will be headed off to Indiana University in the fall to study history. It was really great to see all the cousins and aunts and uncles and parents and brothers and . . . well, everybody. Even though we don't see you often, you are always and forever our family. And there is still a lot of the country in us---thank goodness!

Until next time . . . .

POISON IVY!!! YIKES!!!

Opa pulled some poison ivy up in Katy and David's yard when we helped with the moving over Memorial Day. By Tuesday when we returned, he has 2 or 3 spots on his hands and arms. Within a few days, this had spread to his stomach and thighs and a couple of other . . . uh . . . sensitive spots! He was very itchy and uncomfortable, and he couldn't figure out where the new patches were coming from.

Late last week, Opa decided that he had it on his shoes and that every day when he put them on and tied them he was spreading it further. Hence, the shoes spent the weekend in the middle of the back yard---in the rain and everything. They were eventually washed off and allowed back in the house.

Well, Opa doesn't seem to have as many new patches of poison ivy this week; however, he is still very itchy in spite of the cream the druggist recommended to help him. (He won't take the Benedril that the druggist also recommended. That's another story.)

How long does poison ivy last? When will this story end? I have never had it before, but I am wondering if this might change if it is all over the sheets and the towels and everywhere.

HELP!!!!

BIG NEWS! G-20 Summit in the 'Burgh!

I'm sure you've heard the announcement . . . all the world leaders are coming to Pittsburgh in September for the G-20 Economic Summit. As I've mentioned before, our building is right across the street from the David L. Lawrence Convention Center where the summit is being held. And the Federated Investors Tower is physically attached to the Westin Convention Center Hotel where the president and a bunch of people will undoubtedly stay.

It will be interesting to learn whether we actually try to work down here during the summit given the London situation at the last summit. Just getting downtown and parking could be an all-day job with the security and the extra people. I'm sure they will tell us about that later.

Greg said we could rent out our extra bedrooms to protestors and come to understand their point of view. :-) He would actually do this, you know. Better understanding through sharing a meal and a beer . . . it's the American way.

Anyway, here's the story:

Countdown On For G-20 Summit In Pittsburgh

Pittsburgh To Host Next G20 Summit (5/28/2009)

Pittsburgh's recovery from the collapse of the steel industry in the 1970's was one of the main reasons the White House announced Pittsburgh will host a meeting of the G-20 nations on September 24th and 25th. That means in exactly 120 days, our hometown will play host to leaders representing 85 percent of the world's economy. As many as 1,500 delegates are expected to converge on the David L. Lawrence Convention Center, along with an estimated 2,000 reporters and an unknown number of protestors.

In April, thousands of protestors tried to disrupt the last G-20 Summit meeting in London. "All the resources of the federal government are going to be made available in order to make sure this is a safe event, and one where people can express their opinions, and do it peacefully," Yarone Zober, Mayor Ravenstahl's Chief of Staff, said.

Dennis Yablonski, CEO of the Allegheny Conference on Community Development, was thrilled that Pittsburgh was selected to showcase it's recovery to the world. "We've transformed our water, our air, and we now have an economy that's balanced. We've also got a great medicine, and education economy," he said.

The Big Move!


Opa and I were in Columbus for Memorial Day helping Brian and Emily and Katy and David move into Katy's new house. On Saturday, Opa and I helped pack the kitchen and finish up the last minute stuff in preparation for the final truck load on Sunday. We were smart enough to keep out the coffee and the filters for the next morning in anticipation of needing some caffeine to get started. We were not, however, smart enough to leave ourselves any cups to drink out of. So Brian made a run over to Tim Horton's for bagels and donuts . . . and hot cups . . . on Sunday morning.


On Sunday, Oma and Aunt Mel took Katy and David to church and then to Home Depot for flowers. From there we went to the play area at the mall. We ate lunch in the food court and rode the "Oma Toys" in the corner that move when you put quarters in them. Then we visited the Disney store, the toy store, and the candy store before heading home for a much-needed nap!


During the afternoon while David was sleeping, Katy helped me plant and water some new flowers in front of her porch. It was great fun, but Oma's gloves were a little too big. Later, Kate and Dave and Frank from the Home Group brought us a yummy dinner and stayed to visit for a little while.

David is almost walking. Every day over the weekend he took a few more chances with walking between furniture and doorways. My prediction is that he will be running in another week or so. He also LOVES to climb the stairway and to "walk" down with somebody holding his hands. Needless to say, David enjoyed this game long after Oma ran out of gas. Emily and Brian were plotting how to get a gate up at the foot of the stairs on Monday before we left.

We were pretty exhausted on Sunday night. The new guest room is very comfy, and Opa and I were just settling down for the night when the board that was holding the box spring in the frame suddenly gave way and dropped our heads to the floor. After we stopped laughing, we managed to crawl up out of the bed and figure out the problem. Then Opa went down to the garage and found a piece of wood to prop up the frame so we could sleep level again. However, it was a memorable first night in the guest room.

On Monday, things were starting to feel more normal. Once again we had a near emergency with the coffee which had been packed last at the old house in a white trash bag with all the last-minute articles in the kitchen. After about 20 minutes of searching all the cabinets, Emily went into the garage and found the trash bag in the dumpster. She promptly rescued the coffee and the waffle iron and several other critical kitchen items that nearly ended up in the land fill.

Later in the morning, Katy and David were trying out their bikes in the new driveway and getting used to the nice yard with trees and a place for the sandbox. Opa taught David how to do a wheelie, and Katy might just get the peddling thing going on that tricycle now that the sidewalk is longer. :-)

Welcome home, Brian, Emily, Katy, and David! You have an awesome new place.

Look what Susie gave me!!!

Susie is getting ready to move to Thailand in July, and she invited me over today to "adopt" some of her dishes and linens that she can't take along. Part of the stash was this lace tablecloth and some 'dresses' for the backs of my chairs. Aren't they pretty? Wouldn't Martha Stewart be jealous?

Susie also gave me some napkins and a bunch of scarves in AMAZING colors! I am going to be STYLIN'!!!!

Katy's Birthday . . .

We went to Columbus for Mother's Day weekend, and Katy started her celebration of her 3rd birthday with a "friend party" on Saturday. This was lots of fun, and there are some pictures here to prove it! The finale of the party was Katy and her two girl friends wearing princess clothes and performing a dance for us. Jack, who is Katy's BFF and future prom date and current swim buddy, wanted nothing to do with the princess clothes or the dancing. He stayed safely back with the snake cake while this was taking place. Here are some pictures from the weekend.

The famous "Snake Cake" that Katy requested for her birthday!

"Happy Birthday to you! Happy Birthday to you! Happy Birthday dear Ka-ty! Happy Birthday to you."

Jack, Brooklyn, Ella and Katy

While Brian and Emily were running errands and doing some work at their new house, Opa and I had charge of the kids for a while on both Sunday and Monday. It was nice outside, so we played in the yard some of the time. David got to show off some of his almost-walking skills; and he can crawl like an army guy with his cast!

Oma and David in the yard.

David walks well with the push toys, and he takes several steps by himself every once in a while. He will be cruising soon . . . and then running before you know it.

Opa and Katy try out the new Candyland game that was one of Katy's presents!

Show us your cast, big boy!

Opa takes a break from the Walk on the Ceiling game to do some tickling and tumbling on the couch.

Are you ready???? --- Bring it on, Opa!

"Can I hab a cupcake?"

Do I look tricky enough to slip my arm out of my cast? Well, just call me Houdini; because I DID it! After just 3 days, Mom had to take me back to get a new no-slip cast so I couldn't wriggle out of it. Heh Heh!!!

Sojourner House Tea Photos

Here are a few photos from the Sojourner House Victorian Tea on April 25 at Amici Restaurant. There were about 150 people there, and it was wonderful to win some new friends and greet some long-time friends as well.

Honorary Chair Deborah Breslof, me, President of Sojourner House MOMS - Anne Crawford, and Victorian Tea Committee Chair Sandy Hein

Sojourner House Board Members attending the Tea: Renee Randleman, Sandy Hein, Anne Crawford, me, Lynne Chadwick, and Jackie Keiner-Szwarc

Rose Edmondson, Winner of the 2009 Pearl of Hope Award

Rose has been the volunteer coordinator for Sojourner House for over 10 years!

Weekend Update for the first of May!


Greg and I went to our first Pittsburgh Pirates game of the season on Friday night. It rained on us a little bit, but our seats were great and we didn't care. The Pirates played Cincinnati, and although I wore a Pirates hat, it was hard not to get confused and root for the Reds. :-) Old habits die hard. We bought 4 games this season so far from a shared season ticket pair at the office. Maybe we will do some more when people come to visit. PNC Park is the most beautiful ball park I've ever been in.

Before the game on Friday, I looked up the roster on the web site, and then I bought a scorecard at the park. The best way to get to know the players and stay in the game is to keep score. Greg was impressed with my score-keeping ability. Of course, thanks to Dick, I have lots of experience AND expertise in this area. Dick and I actually met when I was the scorekeeper for the company softball team at Specialty Papers. I learned score-keeping from pros. Here are my sheets from Friday. They aren't complete because I had to keep the card under my raincoat part of the time to keep it semi-dry. But you can still tell that the Reds won 4-0. We had fun, though, and got free Pirates umbrellas (made in China) for attending the game.



On Saturday, we slept in. I got the piano tuned in the morning. Dan came and raised the pitch and got my baby back in shape. I spent a lot of time at the piano yesterday enjoying the great harmonies that were now in perfect pitch. It was wonderful. I'll be back up there in a little bit to play some more.

Later on in the day on Saturday, I went for my "April" massage at Massage Envy. I was really relaxed; Bron does a great job when she stretches the muscles. After that I topped off the afternoon with a trip to Joann Fabrics where I purchased some lovely black and gray and hot pink print fabric that Mom would probably call "whipped cream" to make a flowy skirt. (This is all over the island in the kitchen awaiting my attention as I write this.) And on the way home, I stopped at Dick's Sporting Goods and bought a new golf bag from the clearance rack. My bag was one that had legs to prop itself, which have long since been broken. The big problem, though is that the pockets aren't big enough. My new bag has a place for your cell phone and an insulated pocket for your water bottle, etc. It will help me keep play moving. I also have my eye on a new hand cart at Dick's; but it wasn't in the budget right now. Maybe next month.
My golf score this week improved dramatically from last week. I was a deplorable 74 for NINE HOLES last week. I got in a sand trap at one point and wracked up about 5 strokes being in the hole. Anyway, this week I shot a 56 and even had one bogie on a par 4 hole. So I am encouraged that I can improve at this game. And it is a lot of fun to play over at Clover Hill with other women and feel safe about being a relative beginner at this game. Maybe I will take a few more lessons after the gardening season gets a little further on and the yard work isn't looming.

Well, I need to go for my walk, play the piano some more, cut out my sewing project, and download my banking stuff into Quicken. Better get busy. Have a great week!

Zonta Update

I have been a member of Zonta for a couple of years now, and they recently asked me to be a "First Year Director" on the board of the local Three Rivers North Chapter. Since my term as president of the Sojourner House board is ending in June, I expect to have a less time-consuming role there (although I'll still participate). So I said 'yes' to the director spot for Zonta.

A week of so ago, the nominating committee called me back and asked if I would consider taking the position of President Elect. Since I have almost no awareness of the Zonta International aspect of this organization, there would be a learning curve here. However, they convinced me that my leadership experience from Sojourner House would serve me well; and they have a couple of people who can mentor me. So I have accepted the President Elect spot. Guess I am just a born leader . . . or a born woman's advocate . . . or both.

Zonta . . . Advancing the status of women, worldwide.

On that note, one of the Zonta members in our local club is Mary Jo Hess, who is fighting a courageous battle with cancer. Her faith and courage are inspiring, and I have put her CaringBridge site on my favorites for all my blogger friends. Please lift up Mary Jo in prayer on her journey.

HOME GROUP DEDICATION FOR MELANIE!

Here is our picture from last night's open house and dedication for Melanie at Northway! It was an awesome evening, and Melanie is over a third of the way toward raising her support goal. She wants to be finished by August so she can be full time with the students at Ohio State by September. Let us know if you have friends who might be willing to be part of her team!

Thanks to Bill for his wonderful dedication.

Weekend doings!

Matt and Mary came over from Columbus on Friday night. It was a beautiful day yesterday, and we went walking in the neighborhood and just relaxed in the morning. On Saturday night we headed downtown (duntun) to The Church Brew Works for dinner and then off to Heinz Hall for a concert. The program was all Rachmaninoff, who is one of my favorite composers. This picture was taken at Intermission in the garden courtyard outside the hall between the Vocalise and the Symphonic Dances (part 1) and the third piano concerto performed by Denis Matsuev (part 2). The pianist was truly an amazing performer; he did TWO encores that were also beautiful. This guy was rocking that 9-foot Steinway grand. I'm sure they tune HIS piano very often. It was great to spend time with Matt and Mary and to do something so fun on top of it!


I also wanted to post a great new picture I got of our newest family member, Nathaniel Ethan, on the occasion of being 6 weeks old! Stan and Abby (and big brother Gabe) sent two great pictures of Nate - - - with his eyes open! I just couldn't resist putting this little cutey on the blog.



Finally, Greg and I did some yard work this afternoon, and the honeysuckle plants in the corners have come under attack again. This time Greg cut them down to about 2 feet off the ground. He trimmed off all the "feelers" and put the main plants below the top of the fence. They look pretty pathetic, so I will see if they are going to behave themselves or whether we end up taking them out completely. I've also planted 10 new perennial mums that I got from Spring Hill nurseries. And the Ohio State Horticulture donations of spirea and ground cover are once again showing signs of life. You just can't beat that OSU plant stock.

Melanie was here!

My baby girl is all grown up. She amazes me how she has changed in just a few short months since graduation. The transition to young professional is completely underway.

I didn't take any pictures. We were enjoying ourselves so much that I didn't want to interrupt the flow to take photos. It was an awesome Easter at Northway, though. We haven't been 'home' for Easter in several years. I forgot what it is like to celebrate with your own church family. It was nice to get hugs from all our home group friends and to say "He is risen! He is risen indeed!"

Hope you had a great Easter!

Hello from the Windy City!



I got up at 3 a.m. this morning and left for the airport for a 6:00 flight to Chicago. With the time difference, we landed at 6:35; and I was downtown at the Sheraton Towers before 8. My training conference started at 8:30 a.m., and I had time to check into my hotel (thank goodness there was a room available before noon). I have been in training all day and attended a showcase reception before going out to dinner. The way I figure it, I have now been up for about 19 hours and have eaten two real meals and miscellaneous coffee and snacks. My body is totally whacked . . . I think I should go to bed soon.



I really like Chicago . . . I don't know why. I have come here countless times over my career on business. A couple of times I have come here for fun reasons, too. There is something cool about the place. For example, as I came up LaSalle this morning to the hotel in the airport shuttle, there was a police vehicle parked along side the street with the words "Scuba Unit" on the side of it. Pittsburgh has lots of waterways, but I have never seen a scuba unit in downtown Pittsburgh. What's up with that? When I'm here, I always expect Dick Tracy to come out of some building in his trench coat and hat or something. Chicago has its own personality with the El and the Miracle Mile and Navy Pier. The one thing I don't think I'd like to deal with is the traffic; I'm really spoiled in Pittsburgh.



Tomorrow is another long day, but I will be home tomorrow night. I wish I had a picture to share with you. How about this?

It has been a long week, my friends!

As I sit here on Friday evening, I must say that March did NOT go out like a lamb! I had some stuff going on at work this week that culminated a couple of months worth of business case analysis . . . and getting it in front of executive management for approval. I have tap danced this presentation at least 4 times this week . . . each time with a different stakeholder. I'm glad to say, I think it will be approved on Monday. And that Irish blarney served me well in giving my presentation.

In addition to launching my business case and strategy, I also met with my boss for a performance review, tried to convince another of my business customers that we need to hire some consultants to help us with a project, and spent a number of hours on Visio drawing logical diagrams of some of our processes as a reference model. I DESERVE this glass of wine, I'm telling you.

The week was complicated because I got a cold about Wednesday. Unfortunately, I wasn't sick enough to be down in bed, so I struggled through the last couple of days. (Better living through chemistry.) At night I was doing NyQuil and Vicks Vapo Rub. Greg said I smelled pretty bad, but it didn't bother me. :-) I needed to sleep, and I accomplished that goal. Greg even talked me into trying the Netty Pot this morning, which I have yet to master. Regardless, I think I passed the critical part this morning. I am starting to feel better. This is good, because Melanie is coming over on Sunday. YAY!!!!

Tomorrow I am going to finish the taxes (yes, Dad, I started them). Then I want to cut out my dress that I've had fabric for since about the first of February. The sewing is my reward for doing the taxes. It may sound crazy, but I find the reward system still works for me.