tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-42818970466064210582012-01-21T11:48:31.160-08:00"Vaisselle" sounds really cool but it means "dishes" in French. "Faire la vaisselle" means doing the dishes. Mundane things can be beautiful. Life is full of meaning if you look for it.Susannoreply@blogger.comBlogger3651100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4281897046606421058.post-83514859948900327602012-01-14T10:21:00.000-08:002012-01-14T10:21:19.672-08:00

We spent Christmas and New Year's in Texas and loved being there for M's baptism. Uncle Zach spoke, Grandpa Bond (Michael) spoke, I played the piano, Morgan conducted and Nathan baptized his boy. A family gig if there ever was one. And such a sweet event. Lots of Denneys there. And Martin had his other grandmother there and two very cute grown-up cousins there from his dad's side of the family.

Susannoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4281897046606421058.post-24821838250563799862011-12-22T09:22:00.000-08:002011-12-22T09:22:12.264-08:00

Here we come a-waddling! Why is Christmas so tied up with food? Michael and I both could stand to shed a few pounds, but it is the holidays after all. Firstly, the Christmas party. It was really fun. That's our bishop in the red shirt. Man, has he had a rough few months with all the extra work and strain the flood brought to our area. Nice to see him a little relaxed. I love living here and I

Susannoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4281897046606421058.post-63344132824836986812011-12-03T17:46:00.000-08:002011-12-03T17:46:05.775-08:00

It has been very hard to be away from the grandchildren so much of the time. When Catherine was tiny and so far away, I saw a precious little ornament with her name on it in the Denton mall. Buying it and putting it on a tiny little tree I bought made me feel closer to her. Now there are ten tiny ornaments on our grandparents tree. And it's just ten times as hard now to be living far away from

Susannoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4281897046606421058.post-32042185992887281832011-10-29T07:16:00.000-07:002011-10-29T07:16:59.765-07:00

 There are just no words! It was hard waiting until Michael came home, but I wanted him to share the moment with me. Of course, Michael had to remind me just how many computers we've bought over the years so that I could write a novel. I did remind him that the current one has been paid off with other things like my shop and my other writing gigs. And the first one was a great investment because

Susannoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4281897046606421058.post-87692120475271903172011-10-19T07:59:00.000-07:002011-10-19T07:59:07.914-07:00

I had a fabulous trip to Texas and Utah. I saw all four children and their families. I missed some grandcats and a granddog but otherwise saw the whole clan. MF had just had her fourth and I went to Texas to help out there. Then I went to Utah for the baptism of GL's second-born. The photo is of one of the dance moves of GL's fourth. What a doll! All ten grandchildren were unbelievably cute and

Susannoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4281897046606421058.post-16784744919088013962011-09-30T10:18:00.000-07:002011-09-30T10:19:06.231-07:00

As a new Relief Society president for only a few weeks (RS is an organization for the women of our church--I'm the president for the women in our congregation) I've been mostly dealing with flood. There have been evacuations, teams sent out to find members who haven't been to church in a while, work teams, donations and a big potluck for workers. The task that proved to be the most difficult was

Susannoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4281897046606421058.post-17356133671549745342011-09-08T17:17:00.000-07:002011-09-08T17:18:57.213-07:00

We are okay. But our valley is not. The flooding is insane here. We live on a mountain and our house is doing great. We have many friends who have had to evacuate. Our church family has tried to house those who needed a place to stay. I must say that it is a bit much to have an earthquake, hurricane and now flood in short order. I'm trying very hard not to believe it's some kind of apocalyptic

Susannoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4281897046606421058.post-69063675908603963192011-08-31T07:45:00.000-07:002011-08-31T07:45:46.346-07:00

Two blocks away Across the street The neighbor to our left. Hard to see but he lost a whole tree. One block away Just one fallen branch. That and debris was the extent of the hurricane's effect on our yard. On Monday morning, a neighbor a few blocks away was already cutting up a fallen tree. We were very blessed. What more can I say? We have three enormous

Susannoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4281897046606421058.post-68698485729606835202011-08-27T09:13:00.000-07:002011-08-27T09:13:12.612-07:00

It's going to be an interesting weekend. We are due for some weather associated with Hurricane Irene but we are on the outer edges of her reach. We keep a supply of stuff for emergencies but I added some more flashlight batteries, drinking water and foods that require no refrigeration or heating up yesterday. Today I got cash. Michael will gas up the third car. Two of the cars already have gas.

Susannoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4281897046606421058.post-83902172597899496552011-08-22T04:07:00.000-07:002011-08-22T04:07:20.067-07:00

 It's been a while since I've visited. But Europe calls to me constantly. I'm reworking a novel right now about a schoolteacher in France. She's helping to herd a group of teenagers on a school trip. Sound familiar? Of course it does. I tend to write what I know, even in fiction. But even those arduous trips with teens are precious to me. Because I love Europe. I've never been to a country in

Susannoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4281897046606421058.post-61335016105969225592011-08-08T19:38:00.000-07:002011-08-08T19:38:38.732-07:00

Here are a few more photos from the Texas/Louisiana trip. Three of my kids made it to the party. I was so happy to have them all together. They reminded me that they are often all together. MF plays hostess at her house in Carrollton to her sibs. It's just the parents who are missing! And we do hate missing out. But I'm glad they get together. How many groups of sibs do that? I'm so proud of all

Susannoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4281897046606421058.post-81485243866543816042011-08-03T16:17:00.000-07:002011-08-03T16:18:50.411-07:00

We had a lovely time in Texas and Louisiana. This is a photo of my mom who was celebrating her 90th birthday and her "baby" brother who is in his 80s. A great time was had by all. All of her children, four of her grandchildren and three great-grandchildren made it. Her brother, a son and daughter-in-law and some very close friends made it a special day. Two of the grandkids made a special trip

Susannoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4281897046606421058.post-6870761473404475222011-07-26T05:25:00.000-07:002011-07-26T05:25:10.686-07:00

I've been not working up to speed for a quite a few months now. The almost constant migraine headaches really put a crimp in my style. But I'm trying a new med now which seems to be working a lowering the number and severity of them. Now I have a whole backlog of things that weren't getting done. So I have a lot of catching up to do. The weather here has been crazy but what's new? Seems like

Susannoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4281897046606421058.post-16615029406685310402011-07-03T05:06:00.000-07:002011-07-03T09:59:49.844-07:00

A very fuzzy photo of my grandgirls having fun at Knoebels on their recent visit. I wanted to convey excitement because that's what the Fourth is like around here. Last night there were three major fireworks shows going on. It was fantastic, noisy and somewhat sobering. It must have sounded like that to folks who lived near Gettysburg during the battle. One set of fireworks is visible from our

Susannoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4281897046606421058.post-91340973002936209482011-07-01T17:04:00.000-07:002011-07-01T17:08:20.996-07:00

That's what a two-week visit from the grandkids feels like--a whirlwind tour in a rock band. And I'm the rock star. I've never felt so in demand. Lots of cooking, book reading and even roller coaster riding made for a very busy two weeks. We had a great time and the kids were very sweet. MF and NL were considerate guests and very cooperative ones. Grammie had to pitch in and ride one day a lot

Susannoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4281897046606421058.post-3890473322079481162011-06-18T06:26:00.000-07:002011-06-18T06:26:03.846-07:00

Knoebels is just one of those things you have to experience. I couldn't begin to explain. So click on the link, visit their website or find some other way of getting an idea of what it's like to go back into the past to one of the "real" amusement parks your parents, grandparents or even great-grandparents went to. Son-in-law NL took extra duty because our daughter MF is expecting our precious

Susannoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4281897046606421058.post-6720600376277241042011-06-12T04:13:00.000-07:002011-06-12T04:17:51.418-07:00

Mystery PA location Moi at Dairy Barn opening Callas on the slate in our side yard Waterfall at Ohiopyle Random view on our way to Ohio The callas Michael bought me to replace the Mother's Day ones I killed So sorry, Texas. But big news flash. Pennsylvania wins hands-down on natural beauty. Here are a few photos from our recent trip and of the yard

Susannoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4281897046606421058.post-84416289808787843752011-06-01T16:08:00.000-07:002011-06-01T16:08:45.379-07:00

If you know my Naomi, you know that she has been excelling all over the place for a long time. She outdid herself at Quilt National though. Naomi took one of the best prizes "Most Innovative Use of the Medium" and, just as importantly, sold her quilt to a collector who will appreciate it and take very good care of it. These photos are large files so be sure and click on them to see all the

Susannoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4281897046606421058.post-37402722295101424782011-05-25T12:55:00.000-07:002011-05-25T12:55:52.304-07:00

We're leaving tomorrow for the vacation of my dreams. My daughter Naomi's quilt will be part of an international exhibition which opens this weekend. Not only do I get to spend a lot of time with Michael away from our jobs, but I get to see my darling oldest child be praised for the great talent she is. And I get to see a lot of art. Not only are we going to the art quilt opening, but we also get

Susannoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4281897046606421058.post-91316457025851030772011-05-22T16:31:00.000-07:002011-05-22T16:48:41.257-07:00

This blog is about my experiences up here in NEPA but I felt like I needed to share one of Michael's experiences. It does have something to do with me. My whole life Dad has been talking to me about Camp Acahela and how wonderful it was to be at Boy Scout camp there. I knew that the camp was close to my home, but I also knew that it was used mainly as a Cub camp now. So when Michael was given

Susannoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4281897046606421058.post-7830926294904387622011-05-13T11:54:00.000-07:002011-05-13T11:54:35.819-07:00

"Wait here for the present." The picture of Ramona Quimby sitting all day on her first day of school waiting for the present always makes me laugh. I like making things. I always have. And so holidays give me an ideal chance to give a handmade gift. Here are a couple that I made recently. Mom's pennant is made from vintage handkerchiefs. I just lucked out and found one with the monogram "J" for

Susannoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4281897046606421058.post-85223124692128560512011-05-04T05:31:00.000-07:002011-05-04T05:57:53.845-07:00

What more can I say than to wish my mom a lovely and happy Mother's Day? She has always been one of those "go the extra mile" moms and I'm grateful. She created a lovely home for us, she fed us, clothed us and was our best cheerleader. There is no end to her talents. She is a font of knowledge. I am constantly amazed at things that pop into my head that only my mom could have taught me. And

Susannoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4281897046606421058.post-36655780578374614752011-04-22T08:18:00.000-07:002011-04-22T08:36:17.311-07:00

Happy Earth Day! It's 43 degrees and cloudy in Shavertown today. Only sixteen degrees below average temperatures. Br-r-r. But the upside is that the daffodils are looking just great. And no, this isn't a photo of this year's daffodils. The yellow ones have started blooming but these have appeared yet. I pulled this picture from my files from my first spring here. It was obviously much warmer. I

Susannoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4281897046606421058.post-12370016225337500962011-04-08T07:55:00.000-07:002011-04-08T07:57:09.052-07:00

 So here's only a small part of a huge stash of patterns I bought last week. It was impossible to walk through the living room for days. I'm still working through them and so there are still boxes stacked high in the living room. (And let's not even mention the store pattern catalogues she gave me. I just sit and read the over and over. And yards and yards of vintage plisse and some silk shantung

Susannoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4281897046606421058.post-14174160860608390952011-03-18T15:38:00.000-07:002011-03-18T15:38:56.760-07:00

 St Pat's is a really big thing here in Northeast PA. Michael didn't know he was part of an ethnic group until he moved here. Irish people take their celebrations seriously and while we don't participate in the green beer and parade thing, we do enjoy the corned beef briskets and rye bread on sale in every supermarket. Last night we did have corned beef and cabbage and tonight it will be Reubens.

Susannoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4281897046606421058.post-29859345871517801482011-02-28T07:30:00.000-08:002011-02-28T16:44:12.036-08:00

Saturday night was interesting, to say the least. First, the funeral. (Actually a memorial service, but for the organist, the gig is the same. Lots and lots of prelude and lots and lots of postlude.) When you're an organist, you play a lot of funerals for people you've never met. (I've never had to play a funeral for a person I was really close to and this is a very good thing. But it's pretty

Susannoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4281897046606421058.post-54857934336437134132011-02-20T16:10:00.000-08:002011-02-20T16:15:16.124-08:00

So my car has been a popsicle since about Thanksgiving. That's it in front of the garage. Why isn't it in the garage? Long story. Michael decided when we moved up here that we should never drive the Happy Car (my red Miata) on the salted roads. The first year we found a happy storage space for it and it was great. It lived in a storage facility for the winter months and Michael visited it from

Susannoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4281897046606421058.post-62394141532856822042011-02-14T09:57:00.000-08:002011-02-14T09:58:17.969-08:00

 I heart Google. I must admit it. I am wildly in love with my husband, Michael, but I need Google in my life almost as much. As a nonfiction writer, I rely on Google for my research. As a fiction writer, Google tells me if there's anybody out there with the same name that I want for my character and prevents me from naming a fictitious town the actual name of a real town. For my ageing brain's

Susannoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4281897046606421058.post-83853739623087652612011-02-13T16:34:00.000-08:002011-02-13T16:34:50.857-08:00

On Saturday, our newest grandchild, a darling little girl, was born in Utah. Lincoln's birthday. Maybe she'll be inspired and be a born leader. But for now, she's just beautiful. Let me say that not all babies are beautiful. Them's the breaks. Some of the most beautiful children had a really rocky start. But this little girl is a knockout. My daughter said all the nurses said so! We are

Susannoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4281897046606421058.post-64916277399323806952011-02-11T15:25:00.000-08:002011-02-11T15:25:33.120-08:00

Firstly, the photos. All I had to do to get this shot was open an upstairs window. The view from any window in our house is pretty stunning. The second photo below is my little Valentine's gift to Michael. The snow was a good foot deep in places and iced over. You can see at the top of the heart where I fell down. Just adds to the charm of the message, I think! The beginning of the year is a

Susannoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4281897046606421058.post-20198152718484937732011-02-02T05:29:00.000-08:002011-02-02T05:29:36.745-08:00

Um. It's been fun. Really. Snowed in....The snow here is stunning and Michael and I enjoyed four blissful days together here in Wilkes-Barre instead of in Manhattan to celebrate our 40th wedding anniversary. We weren't really that disappointed. We're postponing Manhattan for later in the season. We had a blast just doing what we wanted to do for days. We got up when we wanted, went where we

Susannoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4281897046606421058.post-58311160132059027202011-01-09T16:40:00.000-08:002011-01-09T16:40:02.510-08:00

It's been a while, I know. We did have a white Christmas in Utah. This was the view out our hotel window. We had a mountain view (which we saw one or two of the days we were there) but when it's snowing, you don't see any mountains. It was lovely weather and not at all cold. We did almost get snowed into our hotel one day, however. It was a tough trip health-wise. Michael picked up some kind

Susannoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4281897046606421058.post-52144274268989484912010-12-11T16:24:00.000-08:002010-12-11T17:49:51.714-08:00

If you've been following our adventures since last year, you'll know that last year's TubaChristmas trip was a total bust.  We got to Philly only to be told that a huge blizzard was on its way and that we had better hightail it back to our home in Northeast PA before it hit. Which we did. Not so much fun although we did get to see Macy's downtown in its Christmas splendor. This year was much

Susannoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4281897046606421058.post-57738551686349092732010-12-09T03:41:00.000-08:002010-12-09T03:41:38.670-08:00

This is my gift to all the mommies out there. Feel free to share this one with any other mommy you know. Someone has to write viral emails, right? This is an easy quiz. You only have  to keep track of your "yes" answers. And even one "yes" means that you pass. The Mommy Quiz Have you ever… Put a piece of priceless original art on your refrigerator? Sewed clothing for a stuffed animal

Susannoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4281897046606421058.post-73095459614164713112010-12-06T05:58:00.000-08:002010-12-06T05:59:33.518-08:00

Dear Santa, Here is my Christmas list: 1. World peace. 2. Time travel to the Christmas party in this picture or to any time when my kids were small. 3. The power to disapparate to Texas and Utah  (Adding Paris to this list would be a nice extra). 4. A life without migraines. 5. A magic decluttering wand. Before you become sad at not being able to grant any of my wishes, here are the things you

Susannoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4281897046606421058.post-3857252499116523352010-12-03T07:09:00.000-08:002010-12-03T07:09:54.344-08:00

Okay, I've been crazy busy. Sorry. It's been wild. And I've been very happy. Lots of grandbaby hugs and parental hugs and support in Texas and Louisiana. Also, seeing three of my kids in the same room was pretty exciting. We're hoping to get all four of them together next year. But 75 per cent was pretty good. They are beautiful and amazing children. MF and I have finished a book together. We're

Susannoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4281897046606421058.post-78061899257070048112010-11-03T07:55:00.000-07:002010-11-03T07:55:48.425-07:00

So what's new? My daughter, Naomi, has just won a top prize at the International Quilt Festival in Houston. This is a very, very big deal in the fiber arts world. Here's the link to the winning quilts: http://www.quilts.org/winners.html Her prize, The Future of Quilting, is so appropriate. She is truly innovative and one of the youngest world class quilters. I'm so happy for her! Actually, for

Susannoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4281897046606421058.post-7472678956830411272010-09-27T04:26:00.000-07:002010-09-27T04:26:34.293-07:00

You nor I will be seeing this in 2010. We had our enormous maple tree pruned last winter. I practically cried all day as they hacked away at it, leaving nothing but a shell. Then we had a very  hot summer and drought. So my beautiful tree couldn't make the comeback the landscape service had promised. The maple tree that was the glory of the neighborhood will be very sparse this year. We're also

Susannoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4281897046606421058.post-21526917850909425262010-09-13T04:07:00.000-07:002010-09-13T04:07:45.234-07:00

The picture? Oldest grandchild CE with a big project on her hands. So, I"ve obviously bitten off more than I can chew since I haven't blogged for two weeks. That's some kind of record, I think. I am enjoying the college teaching. My students are delightful, fresh-faced young'uns who try hard in class. It is a new and time-consuming project. My shops are going and I continue to acquire new

Susannoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4281897046606421058.post-43282891178631628422010-08-31T04:19:00.000-07:002010-08-31T14:38:37.826-07:00

Welp, if you liked the first day of school with the smell of new pencils, paper and books, then you should become a teacher. You get to participate in first days of school even when you've finished school yourself. I start college teaching again today with a class of English at Luzerne County Community College. Should be interesting. This is an introductory class so the students will be mostly

Susannoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4281897046606421058.post-62461074648402765122010-08-23T04:55:00.000-07:002010-08-23T05:56:21.254-07:00

Okay, I think I'm going through a paradigm shift. When you have small children at home (or when you teach high school), you don't have the luxury of time to think about the deeper philosophical underpinnings of your life. So many hours of your day are spoken for. But fortunately, or unfortunately, when you are self employed and alone most of the time, you do have time to think about the essence

Susannoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4281897046606421058.post-13409449787284858332010-08-15T17:49:00.000-07:002010-08-15T17:50:07.749-07:00

Several things have happened this week. One, and probably most importantly, I am gainfully employed. Just a part-time job, but it's a start. I'll be teaching an English class as an adjust professor at Luzerne County Community College. Should be fun. It will be good to get back to teaching again. Secondly, I managed to get off a packet that will be critiqued at the next SCBWI conference in

Susannoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4281897046606421058.post-9002427594880040852010-08-08T16:48:00.000-07:002010-08-08T16:51:11.583-07:00

I had to share this picture story. Be sure and click on it to see all the details. It was a little large for my scanner but I think you'll get the idea. I found a set of Dick and Jane pre-primers at an estate sale a while ago. And I've been seeing on Etsy an artist who makes cute collages out of photos like these. Her shop is named Cabin. So I offered them to her as a special order and she

Susannoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4281897046606421058.post-7271016382801988912010-08-01T16:41:00.000-07:002010-08-01T16:47:51.890-07:00

I did not go to any estate sales on Friday or Saturday. Here is why:  I am overstocked.  Check out this zipper collection. The house I bought them from could have been cleaner (that's an understatement) and so they needed a wash. And that's just the dark colored ones. The brighter ones I'll wash on Monday. Now I could do one of two things: a) sell the metal ones as a vintage lot on Ebay or b)

Susannoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4281897046606421058.post-30214454931269192152010-07-25T04:09:00.000-07:002010-07-25T04:11:24.646-07:00

First the title of this post: we love Netflix. So many fun movies that we missed somehow over the  years. "Dr Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb" is such a fabulous movie! I know how I missed it when it first came out. It was "commie pinko propaganda" so I obviously wouldn't have seen it then. And then later, the "riding the bomb" scene was played over and over and

Susannoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4281897046606421058.post-79992561530703340402010-07-18T05:25:00.000-07:002010-07-18T05:25:59.168-07:00

Estate sales are becoming an obsession. This is how I find new stock for my Etsy shop. This is the most fabulous area. People here are frugal and tend to use things forever rather than throw out and buy new. Add this to the fact that the average population in the county is one of the oldest in the country and you get fabulous estate sales. On Friday, the sale was advertised as being almost

Susannoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4281897046606421058.post-41473428652007817292010-07-14T05:35:00.000-07:002010-07-14T05:35:38.341-07:00

True, his name sounds like you are sneezing (chuh-hoo-lee). But so do many Japanese cars (Diahatsu, Hyundai, etc.). But Dale Chihuly is one of my favorite artists. I realize that this puts me a little bit below the total snob level of those who groove on Jean-Michel Basquiat. But if you had to live locked up in a room for the rest of your life with a collection of either artist's work, which one

Susannoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4281897046606421058.post-66684905466898747462010-07-10T04:50:00.000-07:002010-07-10T09:15:14.407-07:00

It was truly killer in New York the past few days. And I'm not talking about the wild goings-on in Manhattan. No, I'm actually describing the tranquil and beautiful Finger Lakes region which was suffering from a very intense heat wave. And, of course,we had an outdoor magazine assignment there. And we are worn out. I arrived first and Michael followed later that day after a gruelling problem at

Susannoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4281897046606421058.post-83631124345216901512010-07-06T09:41:00.000-07:002010-07-06T09:41:26.984-07:00

Tomorrow Michael and I are heading out to Palmyra, New York, to cover a church pageant for The Friend, our church's children's magazine. On the way we have to pass through Watkins Glen, drive the length of one of the finger lakes, Lake Seneca, and spend a couple of days talking with and taking pictures of cute kids in costumes. Oh darn! And we get to spend all that time together. You can start

Susannoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4281897046606421058.post-84991235364668941102010-07-02T11:23:00.000-07:002010-07-02T11:27:49.795-07:00

We should never whine. It's unattractive and nobody likes a whiner. However, if done in a humorous self-deprecating way, it can, on occasion, be humorous to laugh at the misfortunes of others. In the hopes some of this may be humorous, here are some of the irritations of the past few days. The fridge stops working. We're not quite sure what happened and I'm still not sure it's back to normal,

Susannoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4281897046606421058.post-27749782264592162752010-06-25T19:18:00.000-07:002010-06-25T19:18:58.710-07:00

Did you know that you can buy a facsimile of the original Nancy Drew, book 1? The Secret of the Old Clock is on sale at Amazon and tons of other places I am sure. But I don't need one. I still have my own copy from the fifties. I also have The Hidden Staircase and remember reading them over and over. She was daring, she had the freedom to do as she liked and, of course, she was rich. Last night

Susannoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4281897046606421058.post-22950054877390036512010-06-20T14:21:00.000-07:002010-06-20T14:22:17.376-07:00

This is my dad's dad. He was born in the county where I now live. He left school in eighth grade to go to work as a printer's devil right here in Luzerne County, PA. He worked very hard and learned all he could. He built up his own business and supported a large family as well as serve the community as a lifelong Kiwanian and as a school board president. He was a man of great personal integrity,

Susannoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4281897046606421058.post-58490870267116529582010-06-18T17:52:00.000-07:002010-06-18T17:52:46.180-07:00

Please look at my daughter's blog post for today, June 18th, 2010. She calls her blog Puking Pastilles. This is important.

Susannoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4281897046606421058.post-23459390589212200792010-06-14T02:00:00.000-07:002010-06-14T02:06:17.381-07:00

Michael was in charge of a project at work that required that he work twelve hour days and most weekends for months. The project? The Boulevard Bistro. He worked with architects, contractors, landlords, city officials, caterers, you name it, to put in a cafeteria for the employees at his work. It was grueling. The long hours mostly came from the fact that he had to stay late every day to 

Susannoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4281897046606421058.post-54830714894221038262010-06-11T05:20:00.000-07:002010-06-11T05:22:45.812-07:00

Okay, I have a lot of patterns. And not all of them I can sell. They have missing pieces or instructions or both. But I love them. The one on the left is from 1963 and I remember girls looking just like this. Note the gloves and circle pin that were de rigueur. This one is missing the godet. And I'm guessing a lot of my readers don't even know what a godet is. I've started a new blog called The

Susannoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4281897046606421058.post-22328804137453589192010-06-08T17:11:00.000-07:002010-06-08T17:11:30.031-07:00

It has been difficult having my daughter, son-in-law and grandchildren so far away in Prague. But graciously, the past two summers, MF spent a long vacation with us which we greatly appreciated. As happy as I am to have her coming home so that at least all my children live in the same country (as vast as it it), I was sad to think that we might never return to Prague. We'd love to go back but

Susannoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4281897046606421058.post-86814586687077592722010-06-05T19:49:00.000-07:002010-06-05T19:51:16.065-07:00

Impossible. It is impossible to get too much Mucha in my opinion. Let me say this again. Much Mucha is a magnificent thing. And Prague is full of Mucha. The king of the Secessionist movement (also known as Art Nouveau), Mucha spent a lot of time in Paris doing advertisements but never forgot where he came from--Bohemia. His influence is everywhere and his actual work is not that hard to find. 

Susannoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4281897046606421058.post-68585466361733367242010-05-30T16:57:00.000-07:002010-05-30T16:58:56.675-07:00

I don't know how long you'd have to live in the Czech Republic to get inured to the beauty around you. Two weeks certainly wasn't long enough. We were stunned regularly by a beautiful building or gorgeous landscape. This photo is of Cesky Krumlov where we spent a few days with MF and the kids while her husband was busily buying her a house in the United States. Although very touristy with many

Susannoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4281897046606421058.post-70318943918425535062010-05-20T01:34:00.000-07:002010-05-20T01:34:57.617-07:00

We have had some amazing experiences already. The grandchildren are the most delightful little people imaginable. I got to present my magazine article and write a poem with M's first grade class. We also saw the school play which was a very elaborate production of Peter Pan. We had a day with the four year old. We took her downtown and filled her up with chocolate gelato and McDonald's. Funny how

Susannoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4281897046606421058.post-19971811742084279132010-05-12T15:17:00.000-07:002010-05-12T15:17:51.227-07:00

I just put my Etsy shop on vacation, something I haven't done since it opened it last fall. I really hate to do it. I can't afford the loss of sales. But it wouldn't be fair to keep it open and make people wait as much as two weeks to get their item shipped. I think I've remembered everything. Packing for Europe sounds easy when you're going to visit family, but it's still tough. You'd think I'd

Susannoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4281897046606421058.post-50876671967377279162010-05-11T04:18:00.000-07:002010-05-11T04:18:42.422-07:00

When my daughter, MF, was a very little girl, she was so proud of the fact that she could spell "Czechoslovakia." Now she's a big girl and there's no such country. But she lives in the Czech Republic now and is still a fabulous speller. We'll be going to visit her in a couple of days and it will be an emotional visit. As difficult as it has been having the grandchildren live so far away, it's

Susannoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4281897046606421058.post-16175170129827092662010-05-08T06:13:00.000-07:002010-05-08T06:13:57.715-07:00

If a picture is worth a thousand words, here are five thousand that say it all about the joy of motherhood. Happy Mother's Day!

Susannoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4281897046606421058.post-42477406163759122082010-05-05T13:56:00.000-07:002010-05-05T13:56:57.426-07:00

This AP article about my nephew and other missing men from the Deepwater Horizon will appear in many newspapers. It doesn't tell all. My nephew, Gordon, was the kindest, happiest and friendliest man imaginable. There just haven't been many people in the world like him. He kindly took over a shift for a co-worker a few hours early and, by doing so, put himself in the spot where he was killed. The

Susannoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4281897046606421058.post-44890269819335575862010-05-01T06:14:00.000-07:002010-05-01T06:14:21.233-07:00

I am in a quandary about what to post here. I've just gotten back from one of the most heart-wrenching experiences of a lifetime. And I really don't feel like giving details out of respect. If I say that it had to do with the Deepwater Horizon oil rig explosion, you should be able to figure it out. I would like to say a little about the experience though. I feel so sorry for the folks who have

Susannoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4281897046606421058.post-77288927596081803082010-04-19T04:49:00.000-07:002010-04-19T04:50:43.852-07:00

The random photo is from the dinosaur museum at BYU. Pretty impressive. Yesterday we went to Clarks Summit early in the morning for a choir rehearsal. It was snowing (but not sticking) when we got there. Fun. Michael likes it. So there you go. But the experience was amazing. For the first time ever, I directed a stake (regional) church choir. The best singers in our church in Northeast PA are

Susannoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4281897046606421058.post-50307515641627834642010-04-15T14:34:00.000-07:002010-04-15T14:34:40.809-07:00

I've had a nap so this post is basically just pix. The quality is muy pobre because I didn't take the good camera. My daughter has one just like it, so what's the point? I could always pick hers up and shoot something, which I didn't, which makes me sad. Anyway... This is how the beautiful new Wilkes-Barre Scranton airport looks at 4:30 AM. Yawn!The uber-cool tunnel at the Detroit airport.

Susannoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4281897046606421058.post-5682046393284326252010-04-15T09:49:00.000-07:002010-04-15T09:49:08.045-07:00

I woke up the morning of the trip with a raging migraine and came home with a cold. Yep. Them's the breaks. But there was a lot of good stuff in between. My daughter's children are delightful. And I got every grandmother's dream---lots of one on one time. The kids took turns spending the night with Grammie. It was totally awesome as Dash would say. They came back to the hotel with me and then

Susannoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4281897046606421058.post-38565672866523636502010-04-05T18:12:00.000-07:002010-04-05T18:13:34.655-07:00

Is there anything more amazing than a daffodil? What is it about them? The long wait during winter for something spring-y and pretty? That perfect center trumpet part? The way they stand up so erect and separate from the greenery around them? Don't know, but I love them and they are all blooming all over our yard. As for the tooth fairy, hm-m-m-m. So I've been dealing with a very sore tooth for

Susannoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4281897046606421058.post-72175796213966454872010-03-30T11:15:00.000-07:002010-03-30T11:15:42.508-07:00

Some days are just better than others. I think we all agree on that. So here's my day today. The endodontist moved up my appointment for my very first root canal. So it's today instead of next week. Fun, fun, fun. And to cap that (excuse my pun), it's sleeting. Yes, indeedy. March 30th and my car is covered with ice. Even though weather.com says it's raining in my zipcode, the radar shows a tiny

Susannoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4281897046606421058.post-50556671763225116312010-03-28T17:18:00.000-07:002010-03-28T17:18:03.041-07:00

I am the music chairman of my ward or congregation. This means I am a facilitator more than anything. But sometimes, my job is more demanding. Today we had our Easter program. Although I was rawther busy, Eloise-style, I did notice from time to time that people were listening and and were touched by what they heard. The choir did three numbers, a quartet including my honey sang, we had two

Susannoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4281897046606421058.post-50859542151555558212010-03-23T05:19:00.000-07:002010-03-23T05:19:57.989-07:00

I think I've said this already. I do love my pattern shop. Here's my new banner that my brilliant daughter made for me: Isn't that the cutest thing? I had this dress in green in the sixties. It was actually an Easter dress. And it's my granddaughter V's favorite color: owange. She came to our house a long time ago and was just learning to point out colors. She just walked around the house

Susannoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4281897046606421058.post-17038454093974463352010-03-19T07:31:00.000-07:002010-03-19T07:31:29.763-07:00

This is my pretty little church house. I had to go early this morning to meet the organ repairman. On the way into the parking lot, I noticed a couple of plastic drink bottles in the driveway. I figured I would pick them up on the way out. After the repair was done, I headed out, stopping to throw the drink bottles in the back of my Outback. Of course, once you pick up a few pieces of litter you

Susannoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4281897046606421058.post-12007376865708486332010-03-17T05:34:00.000-07:002010-03-17T08:35:24.270-07:00

So spring is officially here in Northeast Pa. How do I know? Are there leaves on the trees? No. Are there daffodils in my garden? No. Are there balmy breezes? No. It's 33 degrees. But I know it's spring. Why? The Dairy Queen is open. Yay! As I passed by after my writers' group last night, I saw a long line waiting for their first soft serve since last fall. So who are these girls in this Saint

Susannoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4281897046606421058.post-9461348588882822072010-03-14T16:35:00.000-07:002010-03-14T16:35:51.013-07:00

A friend of mine posted the question on his Facebook: "Is there such a thing as luck?" He got an amazing range of answers. Until he asked it, I didn't realize that I do indeed believe that some people are more "lucky" than others. That sounds superstitious. Surely this has more to do with my belief in divine destiny. But just thinking about my family makes me feel lucky. I woke up one morning

Susannoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4281897046606421058.post-45802083854431235382010-03-11T12:56:00.000-08:002010-03-11T14:29:17.442-08:00

Wish I could show you the whole article but there are things called copyrights. And let me say right now that the content of these photos is copyrighted by Carus Publications. This is the March issue of Appleseeds. The cutest thing about this issue is that they have inserted kids' poems throughout. If your elementary school library subscribes or if your local library subscribes, you can check

Susannoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4281897046606421058.post-48119492919751663122010-03-07T18:53:00.000-08:002010-03-07T18:53:12.560-08:00

So I noticed this morning that the maple tree was dripping. We had it pruned to within one inch of its life and it is now drooling sweet sap from all those cut off branches. This was only mildly interesting until I realized this afternoon that it was also drooling all over the cars. So Michael spent quality time at the car wash on a Sunday getting the ox out of the mire, trying to get the cars

Susannoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4281897046606421058.post-44060421981347531732010-03-04T08:12:00.000-08:002010-03-04T08:12:33.682-08:00

First of all, the photo is totally random. I don't have a photo of what happened yesterday so you get a freebie of one of my grandkitties, Winston. He lives in Denton and is a real sweetheart. I miss him but miss his master a thousand times more. So, here's what you are not going to believe that happened yesterday. You'll need a rather long back story first, so bear with me. About a month ago

Susannoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4281897046606421058.post-24659971279420668092010-03-03T07:40:00.000-08:002010-03-03T07:40:40.467-08:00

Which holidays you ask? In the Wilkes-Barre area, it doesn't matter! Any holiday will do! Perhaps I have already blogged about the fact that folks don't take down their Christmas decorations here. On the way home from my Boy Scout good deed of the week, I decided to see how many holiday decorations I could spot. Let me put this in perspective. Yesterday was March 2nd and a very temperate 45

Susannoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4281897046606421058.post-57113970054613626792010-02-27T13:15:00.000-08:002010-02-27T13:19:22.783-08:00

So first of all, the pictures have nothing, absolutely nothing to do with my blog today. The first is a guess what this is picture. The third is me on our anniversary trip to Philly. They had a cool display where you could just walk into Norman Rockwell paintings. The second is what you get for $1000. Yes, gentle readers, we paid one zero zero zero to get two trees pruned. They hauled away half

Susannoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4281897046606421058.post-31747522492206270632010-02-26T13:54:00.000-08:002010-02-26T13:54:08.398-08:00

Here in the happy Wyoming Valley it was not quite the big blizzard they predicted. We are protected here in the Wyoming Valley evidently. So many of the big storms either pass us by or are much milder here. We didn't get the big winds for example and though they got three feet of snow just an hour or so away, we probably got a foot. So here are a few photos of what it looks like when the snow

Susannoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4281897046606421058.post-34579513396135321552010-02-25T15:51:00.000-08:002010-02-25T15:53:47.596-08:00

Susannoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4281897046606421058.post-52626374622165207432010-02-24T10:45:00.000-08:002010-02-24T10:55:39.595-08:00

Michael's day started with a Skype call from the Czech Republic. He got to see two of the grandkids (one was sadly home sick) and talk to his little girl. The breakfast I had planned had to be canceled due to my migraine. And bad weather prevented our meeting for lunch so although it had started well, it was not running according to plan. He had to wait until dinner to celebrate some more. I

Susannoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4281897046606421058.post-71768713698498532372010-02-23T09:47:00.000-08:002010-02-23T09:47:56.101-08:00

So, I'm prophetic. Last year, when my great friend, Bryan, told me about his second book coming out with Henry Holt, I emailed back and said, "Now, all you have to do is get in the Scholastic Book Fair, and you can retire." So, guess who's in the Scholastic Book Fair this year? Yes, yes, yes! I can see into the future! Bryan's first book, Lunchbox and the Aliens, will be included in Scholastic

Susannoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4281897046606421058.post-59134065981355406142010-02-19T09:14:00.000-08:002010-02-19T09:15:52.891-08:00

I couldn't stand looking at my living room messed up any more. So here's a random picture for those of us who remember the days when dresses were A-line and boys were starched and pressed. Our clothes were just cute. That's all I have to say. We wouldn't have been caught dead in something as ugly as a pair of Ugg boots. And we wouldn't have been seen anywhere with a man who had forgotten to shave

Susannoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4281897046606421058.post-53254002392313091712010-02-15T17:27:00.000-08:002010-02-15T17:27:45.617-08:00

Notice anything different? Yes, the living room is a mess. If you look on the sofa you can see the wrapping paper from the big box.  And is that...Bill Cosby?...on the coffee table? Yes! And look, there's more! Julie Andrews. George Gershwin with a fro. And Dave Brubeck (well, a girl's legs on a Dave Brubeck album.) And the reason for all this? Voila! The Valentine's present.

Susannoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4281897046606421058.post-73250716576278769782010-02-13T05:20:00.000-08:002010-02-13T05:20:53.722-08:00

Notice anything different about the living room? Okay, I know the poinsettia is a weird decoration for Valentine's Day, but ours always last and last and they are red, after all. But how about that big red box? I wondered if Michael would spot it. Ha, ha. But something strange happened. Those who know the man intimately are aware that he will not shake a box. So he goes right up to this big box

Susannoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4281897046606421058.post-17178804168886190702010-02-08T14:12:00.000-08:002010-02-08T14:17:09.960-08:00

You would think we had enough birthdays this month what with my son, granddaughter and husband celebrating. But today marks a very important milestone and I, for one, am totally disappointed there wasn't a Google Doodle to celebrate it. Today is the 100th anniversary of the Boys Scouts of America. This fine program has benefited my own family greatly. My dad became an Eagle in this valley in the

Susannoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4281897046606421058.post-10586866776382673712010-02-04T12:06:00.000-08:002010-02-04T12:06:37.520-08:00

I learned a new word--mondegreen. According to Wikipedia: A mondegreen is the mishearing or misinterpretation of a phrase, typically a standardized phrase such as a line in a poem or a lyric in a song, due to near homophony, in a way that yields a new meaning to the phrase. Um, that's a mouthful, but we've all done it. You hear a song and not quite understanding what the words are, your brain

Susannoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4281897046606421058.post-72532774671317228512010-02-02T11:07:00.000-08:002010-02-02T11:21:47.978-08:00

I can't imagine a better day than walking through an art museum. Of course, I like some art museums more than others. I well remember a trip to the Indianapolis Museum of Art when we were first married. They had evidently sunk their whole budget into a glorious new building. But there wasn't any art. Not kidding. A few paintings and some Chinese vases. I'm sure they have some now. Sometimes the

Susannoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4281897046606421058.post-71116608702647547822010-02-01T19:21:00.000-08:002010-02-01T19:24:59.889-08:00

Success! We made it! Thirty nine years being happily married. Okay, so the picture's not the greatest. But we didn't take it, did we? It was freezing cold. Even so, there was a constant stream of folks who had to get their picture made with Rocky. The lady who took this had us take her and her friend's picture too. We just beat a whole busload of folks to the statue. Believe it or not (and I

Susannoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4281897046606421058.post-6099263713484996072010-01-26T16:55:00.000-08:002010-01-26T16:55:52.029-08:00

When I knew that I wasn't going to be the French teacher at Denton High School any more, I scanned in all the photos I could find in my classroom. Good times! I have many mixed feelings looking at this photo. I'm really glad I got rid of that jacket for starters. For some reason, many members of this group have found me on Facebook. I have this labeled as the 1998-9 French Club at Denton High

Susannoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4281897046606421058.post-5473922361873652612010-01-23T06:31:00.000-08:002010-01-23T16:53:00.283-08:00

We have already established that this is land o' sprinkles, I think. They must sell more ice cream sprinkles here per capita than anywhere else in the world. So natch, I had to take a picture of this ice cream store.                                                               Now the other photo is my brilliant idea for fitting a pattern. You can't even afford muslin these days and since I'm

Susannoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4281897046606421058.post-67579277046014121922010-01-22T04:32:00.000-08:002010-01-22T04:35:21.997-08:00

I I got a letter a day ago from folks asking for my social. And I gladly send it to them. You know you're going to be published when you get the IRS form. Pretty exciting. I've rethought a few projects and I'm thinking of a book that I think the grandkids might like reading. Michael and I discussed it last night and he thought it might fly. It goes with my original plan to write about time

Susannoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4281897046606421058.post-33678466541237448572010-01-19T11:37:00.000-08:002010-01-19T11:37:11.283-08:00

I noticed that my little Peach had opened up another Puking Pastilles shop. (The photo is from Christmas visit to the Reading Market in Philly--Maybe there's a puking pastille in there somewhere). I guess great minds think alike. I opened an Ecrater store yesterday. There's not much in it and I have no idea how you get people to visit it, but the price is right (free!). I'll give it a try. If

Susannoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4281897046606421058.post-12911283673032826682010-01-15T05:13:00.000-08:002010-01-15T11:34:11.067-08:00

Okay, what does this gorgeous polar bear have to do with my cell phone? Not much. I just liked the photo. And it's cold here. And as our 39th anniversary approaches, it's nice to remember that 35th anniversary trip to France we took. For our 40th, I've already asked the kids to find a way for us to all be together at one time. At any time during the year. In any place. Life is tough when your

Susannoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4281897046606421058.post-4097316204107644682010-01-12T05:32:00.000-08:002010-01-12T05:35:35.050-08:00

You don't really survive the sixties. Because they never, never, never go away. A much younger friend on Facebook posted the first line of "The Sounds of Silence" by Simon and Garfunkel and in minutes all these young'uns had posted line after line of that amazing song. Our music, our dreams ( like Earth Day and World Peace), and our fashion live on. And check out this pattern that sold in just

Susannoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4281897046606421058.post-4283340409993436762010-01-09T09:46:00.000-08:002010-01-09T10:28:56.038-08:00

So how many days in your life (not counting when you are a little kid and you might have fifty unique experiences in a day) do you do two things that are completely different from anything you've done before? Thursday we did two. We went to see that light show in Plymouth, PA. I'm not posting my lousy pictures because the video is much better. You can see it by clicking on the link in my last

Susannoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4281897046606421058.post-54117315041671862462010-01-07T13:11:00.000-08:002010-01-07T13:15:09.251-08:00

One of the great things about living here in the Wyoming Valley is that Christmas lasts a long time. Folks here love to decorate their houses with lights and put them up even before Thanksgiving. (They just take down the Halloween ones and replace them with Christmas.) And many of the lights are still up. Our neighbor's are all blue. They're new this year. The first time they lit them up, I felt

Susannoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4281897046606421058.post-41332380168031157422010-01-05T11:04:00.001-08:002010-01-05T11:04:58.099-08:00

Just a note for those of you who found my blog through my Etsy shop. This is the last day of my holiday sale. Lots of things go up in price tomorrow! Happy shopping!

Susannoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4281897046606421058.post-10428012687485699752010-01-04T16:44:00.000-08:002010-01-04T16:44:23.059-08:00

So I bought all these patterns. For a hundred bucks! Up to now, I've just been selling patterns I already owned or that I was given. But I broke down and bought a stash. And I'm not sure it was a good investment. But I did post one pattern today from that stash and it was in terrible shape. The envelope was unbelievably tatty and had a water stain on it. But here is why it sold in less than an

Susannoreply@blogger.com0