Li'l sprouts

Basil and chives that I planted Saturday!

They're already sprouting even though

all they've had this week are gloomy, sad, gray days.

Is spring cleaning a lost art?

 

March bustles in on windy feet
And sweeps my doorstep and my street.

She washes and cleans with pounding rains,

Scrubbing the earth of winter stains.

She shakes the grime from carpet green

Till naught but fresh new blades are seen.

Then, house in order, all neat as a pin,

She ushers gentle springtime in. 

(Susan Reiner)

Do you spring clean??  I'm on vacation this week and today was the first time I've had the time or the energy to start on anything.  Now living in a small house doesn't leave much for deep cleaning and my house is pretty clean all the time anyway because I probably need mental help cannot stand for anything to be out of place or for dishes to be in the sink or anything like that.  Dust bunnies tremble in fear in my house!  But there are some things I want to get done this week.  

Yard work is out since Winter decided she wasn't done with us yet but thankfully, I got that done last weekend before the storms.  Yeah, we had tornado warnings here last Saturday night and for the first time in my life, I heard tornado horns that TALKED to you!  "Tornado warning! Take shelter immediately!" in English and in Spanish.  Coolest thing evah.

I met Lisa from work at Serenity Spa at 2:00 today to get our massages and mine was ohsowonderful.  If you go, ask for Amanda.  She's awesome!! She worked kinks outta me that I didn't know were there.  And left me feeling like a bowl of jello with Tiger Balm smeared on top.  I was SO relaxed!!  We left there and went and grabbed a bite to eat and just sat and visited for a little while and then went home about 4:00.  It was ALL I could do not to LAY DOWN when I got home.  I took a shower, though, to get the oil off of me and watched an episode of Doctor Who that Brian put on a DVD for me.  He and Ami are trying to get me into that show!  The first ep was great!!

Anyway, so back to spring cleaning.  I kinda got off the subject there!  I remember Mama sweeping the house out and washing curtains and rugs and rearranging the living room furniture and giving the house a good airing out but I'm just wondering if anybody actually DOES that anymore. I have certain things that I like to do a couple times a year, things I do once a month and then things I do every week.  My spring cleaning usually consists of mopping behind the washer and dryer and the refrigerator, cleaning the ceiling fans, cleaning the baseboards, cleaning the tops of the cabinets in my kitchen and taking all my decorative stuff from up there, washing it all and putting it back.  I do all that a couple times a year.  I clean my blinds and wash curtains just whenever they need it.  I vacuum, mop, dust and clean my bathrooms once a week.  I clean my kitchen EVERY DAY.  

Some things I LOVE to clean with are my very, very favorite, Mrs. Meyer's Clean Day Countertop Spray in Lemon Verbena (Walmart, y'all, $3.97), Method Multi-Surface Natural All Purpose Cleaner in French Lavender (Target, $3.99) and Seventh Generation Disinfecting Bathroom Cleaner in Lemongrass & Thyme Scent (also at Wally World, $2.97).  Those three are the only products I buy.  I like to use baking soda, vinegar, lemon ammonia, tea tree oil and good old Murphy's Oil Soap, too.  I've been using kind, natural things to clean my house for six years now and I don't sneeze and cough when I clean my bathrooms anymore!  The natural stuff (like the baking soda and vinegar) is SO cheap, too!!  Win, win.  

I'd love to hear what you do!!  What are some of your cleaning tips and favorite products?

IKEA day!!!

I went with Ami and Brian to IKEA in Atlanta yesterday!!  Oh, how we love IKEA!  Here are a few pictures from our day.

 Me and Ami all happy to be in one of IKEA's kitchens!

 Me chillin' on a VERY comfy chaise watching IKEA TV.  Ha!

 Ami's lunch.  IKEA's famous Swedish meatballs, 

gravy, mashed 'taters and cornbread.

My lunch was identical except I had a fresh fruit salad, too.

 IKEA straight suckered me with this bowl.

They had it on display in one of their rooms 

on the exact coffee table that I have.

I had to have it.

 Pretty dotty shower curtain and lime green bath mat

that I got for my bathroom!

I got this little canvas storage box to 

store blankets in on my laundry room shelf.

It looks great up there!!

We didn't have a particular reason to go to IKEA yesterday, just wanted to. We've had BIG trips (that's what we call them!) where we've gotten tables and cabinets and bookcases but yesterday we wanted to just go and have fun and take pictures!!

And just like that, they were gone nom nom nom

They barely made it through the front door.

Bless their hearts and their yummy little marshmallowy bodies.

We are flowerdust, we are golden...

...but we're no match for a good old Georgia thunderstorm.

What's growin' on??

Spring is finally here!!  The weather's been gorgeous, I finished up winter quarter at MGT Tuesday night with a 98 in Solid State and a 96 in my online computer class and I am officially on vacation as of today!!  Yay!!

I've got a lot of yard work to get done next week and a little spring cleaning stuff to do inside.  I want to tackle my closet and dresser at least!  I'm going to use my spa gift certificate FINALLY that Dr. Niebaum and his family gave me for Christmas next week, too.  Gonna get a massage that I need SO BAD.  My shoulders are so tight that they're starting to be painful so I am really looking forward to that massage.  Sitting at a desk all day and cradling the phone on my shoulder 432 times a day is taking its toll on my body.  My job interview at the base is next week, too.  I've got a lot planned!!

I was walking around in the yard this afternoon and snapped a few pics of what's growing around the Schneider condostead.

 Vidalia onion growing in the compost!

 Halloween pumpkin growing in the compost!  :)

 This little azalea is gorgeous every year!!

She never fails to show up and make me smile.

 This is the biggest these irises have ever gotten!

Hosta sittin' pretty!

Some ABCs of Ginger Rudy!

Age - 43

Bed - queen

Chore I hate - changing the A/C filter!  It's in the ceiling and I'm 5'5".  :(  I'm definitely turning this little household chore over to Larry!

Dogs - I have one in heaven.

Essential start my day item - 600 mg of Neurontin

Favorite color - Pink!

Gold or silver - Silver

Height - see C

Instrument(s) I play - electronic testing equipment  :)

Job title - receptionist at a pediatrician's office

Kids - love 'em!  See J.

Live - her song comes as sweet and clear as moonlight through the pines...

Mom's name - Alice (or Lucy or Mama or Maw Maw or Miss Alice and sometimes Alley Oop)

Nickname - since my legal name is Virginia, my nickname is Ginger.  Other names I'm called are Ninner, Ginger Rudy (that one's for Margie!), Gingeroo, Ginger Ale, Ginger Snap or sometimes just Snap, Gin, Baby, Sunshine and Sunny.

Overnight hospital stays - when I had anemia as a baby

Pet peeve - intentionally misspelled cutesy words like kewl and kuntry

Quote from a movie - "I'd rather have thirty minutes of wonderful than a lifetime of nothing special." (Shelby, Steel Magnolias)

Righty or lefty - righty

Siblings - one brother, Ricky, who's a lefty, and one sister, Ami, who's a righty

Time I wake up - 7ish

Underwear - not if I can help it

Vegetable I don't like - beets

What makes me run late - sleep, the Today show, my hair akkin' a fool

X-rays/MRIs - teeth, back, abdomen, neck, ankle, brain, boobies (I am NOT afraid of a little radiation from Japan!)

Yummy food I make - poppy seed chicken!

Zoo animal I love - baby pandas

A little shoppin' therapy...

I did a little shopping this weekend.  I needed to get a new outfit for my base interview that's coming up at the end of the month so I went to Old Navy and got a pair of my favorite khakis.  There is nothing like Old Navy jeans and khakis!  They are so comfortable!!  The college told us NOT to dress up for these interviews, to wear what we'd wear for the job.  And that's khaki pants and shirts in conservative colors.  So I got a cute navy top that crisscrosses in the front and the ON pants.  I'm ready!!  It feels weird to me to go on a job interview and not wear a dress or skirt.  Coming from the business world and spending so many years in finance, that is just unheard of to me.  You wear a dress, or a suit even, to a job interview!

But I did find this cute little dress at Kohl's that I just loved!!  I bought it with Easter in mind but I wore it today and my hubby was most fond of it.  :)

This is the fabric up close.

It's really pretty!!

I was just looking around in Sally's this afternoon and saw this 1 liter bottle of apple pectin shampoo!!  I remember going to Miss Susan's beauty shop downtown Oglethorpe in the late 70's/early 80's and getting my hair cut and then later permed (ohsweetjesus) and they would always wash my hair with this shampoo and I loved it!!  I even talked Mama into buying a small bottle for me a time or two. 

I was not disappointed when I got home today and washed my hair with it!  It smells so good and that sweet apple scent just took me right back to one of Miss Susan's chairs.  My hair was very bouncy and shiny and full afterwards!  Yay!!  It's super concentrated so you only need a little bit to get gobs and gobs of lather.  This 1 liter bottle that I got for $10 will last me months.

I also tried on a MEDIUM shirt this weekend and could wear it but I got a large just 'cause it was more comfortable.  I'll get there!!

Chia Obama update!

He was off to a bad start but I think with a little more love and attention, he may have the most rockin'est 'do yet.

He's developed a little dry patch on his head, though!  Ha!

I cannot get the seeds to grow right there in the front.  

I have scraped and replanted that area twice and this is what I get. 

I think he's gonna get a combover.

Beautiful moon

You have to step outside right now and see this thing!!

It's a super perigee moon that's about 15% larger than usual, brighter and closer to the earth than it's been in 18 years.

It's a beauty!!

Springtime napkins!

What a nice surprise I got in the mail today!!

My friend, Brandy, sent me these sweet cloth napkins that she made

along with a St. Patty's Day card signed by everybody in the family,

even the kitty, just 'cause she loves me!  :)

I'm absolutely crazy about Brandy's cloth napkins!

I have a little stack on my dining room table

that I use every single day, for every single meal.

I have not used paper napkins or paper towels

in over five years and I have not missed them!

I just love this fabric!!  It's so pretty and springy!! 

And GREEN in more ways than one!!

Thanks, Brandy girl!!!

She comes in colors

Pretty rainbow I saw today on my way to school. 

Actually, it was a double rainbow but I'm not going there. 

 You can, though.

Even when I'm in 5:30 traffic at a busy intersection, I'm reminded of God's promise to us.

I do set my bow in the cloud, and it shall be for a token of a covenant between me and the earth.    Genesis 9:13

Don't forget to change your clocks!

If you're me, that means ALL THIRTEEN OF THEM.  How on earth did this house accumulate 13 clocks??!  When did this happen??  WHO is responsible?? 

I will get to the bottom of this.

In the meantime, I'm going to bed.  Clock # 8 is telling me it's after midnight.

Who you callin' OLD?

Teddy Gentry of the group, Alabama, told us about this song on Facebook a couple of hours ago and I've only listened to it 437 times already.

I LOVE IT!!!

Except for the beer part (yuck) and the ridin' around in Tennessee part, this song is ME!! Brad Paisley is singin' with my Alabama about ME!! :)

Thanks, Teddy. What a great way to end this week right heah.

Only one week? Really??

This has been one lonnnnnnnnng week.  I'm sure glad it's over.

Four deaths touched my life this week.  Two beautiful people that I knew, Audra's mama and an old family friend, Ron Woodard.  Miss Brenda died Saturday and Ron died early Thursday morning.  Sad, sad days.

And then Wednesday night, two little girls, sisters, from here were killed in an automobile accident.  Both were Warner Robins American Little League softball players.  All Stars in everybody's book.   

I'm struggling lately to balance life, work and school and the further I get into a quarter (they will be semesters in August), the more draggy-butt I get.  I actually made the lowest grade ever Tuesday night.  An 86.  'Bout KILLED me.  Thankfully, I'd had a 105 and a 101 so those six extra points turned my 86 into a 92.  Whew!  There are two weeks left in this quarter and I cannot wait.  I'm so ready for a break.

I'm taking some vacation time at the end of the month to recharge and get ready for spring quarter.  My spring quarter will only be four weeks long this time.  The class I need is a short one.  Yay! 

We're planning a trip to IKEA in Atlanta that I'm really, really, OHMYGOD looking forward to, my job interview at the base is the 29th and I'm going to spend the rest of the week sleeping, spring cleaning, sleeping, yard cleaning, sleeping, reading (I'm still trying to finish this book!  Sorry, Joshilyn!!  It's great, really, and I LOVE IT!!), watching movies, sleeping, planting flowers and sleeping.

I tired.

I just got slobber on my keyboard.

Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzz. 

While the dew is still on the roses

My sister-in-law, Audra's, mama passed away suddenly Saturday morning.  Her memorial service was today and I went with Mama and we met Ami and Brian at the church and sat together.  It was a very beautiful service, with song and memories, laughter and tears.  Miss Brenda was a wonderful woman, wife, mother and grandma.  She loved her Jesus, first and foremost, her husband of 47 years, her three girls, her six grandchildren (and number seven's on the way!), her family, her friends and her flower beds.  I loved the vision the girls gave of their mama working in her garden barefooted.  A day can't get much better than that in my opinion.

Miss Brenda was such a dedicated and loving Nana to my niece and nephew, my babies, Jessica and Christopher.  I remember birthdays that looked like Christmas morning and Christmas mornings that looked like Santa's workshop had exploded in the living room.  She was head over heels in love with her grandchildren.

In her memorial, there was this poem that I want to share here.  It makes me very happy to know that Miss Brenda is spending her beloved spring with Jesus and that she gets to see and smell and touch and love the flowers that He grows in heaven.

If this were my last day I'm almost sure
I'd spend it working in my garden.
I would dig about my little plants
and try to make them happy
so they would endure long after me.
Then I would hide secure
where my green arbor shades me from the sky,
and watch how bird and bee and butterfly
came hovering to every flowery lure.
Then, as I rested, perhaps a friend or two,
lovers of flowers would come,
and we would walk
about my little garden paths and talk
of peaceful times when all the world seemed true.
This may be my last day, for all I know;
What a temptation just to spend it so!
                            Anne Higginson Spicer

Brenda Faye Lester

March 21, 1946 - March 5, 2011

For Daddy

I remember Daddy's Tony Orlando and Dawn 8-track from waaaaaaay back in the day and this song was on it.  It was actually the B-side of "Knock Three Times" on the 45 version. It was released in 1970 when I was three but we listened to it for many years, for most of my childhood.  This song, "Home" reminds me so much of my daddy now.  How he worked hard every day and came home to us every night. We listened to it in the car and at home and I loved the song back then and sometimes I still catch myself singing it.  Funny how things from when you're little stay with you. I found this on YouTube and had to post it. And how awesome is that crackly vinyl sound? It's been a long time since I heard that!

It just reminds me of a very happy time with my daddy and mama and brother when we were very young. All four of us.