Happy New Year!

In America, THE place to be on New Year's Eve is New York City. I've never been there in person, but I always watch the ball drop on TV. Here in Columbus, Ohio they call the celebration party "First Night". I've never been to that either. I just sit at home, nibble on some crackers and cheese and have a glass of Martini and Rossi Asti Spumante. I may watch a DVD and then switch over to Dick Clark's Rockin' New Years Eve to see the ball drop in New York at midnight. IF I have any energy at that hour, I may go outside and burn a sparkler to add light to the new year. Bob will have gone to bed hours earlier!!! [grin]

When I was growing up my mother would get a couple of different chips and dips (potato chips and french onion dip, and Frito-Lay corn chips and salsa), a bag of pretzels (or she would pop popcorn), and a six-pack of pop (soda) for each of us. (This is back when it was still in glass bottles) This was a real treat because we were not allowed to have chips and dip usually, and the only time we got pop was on Sunday, and then just one bottle. On New Year's Eve, Mom would let us each drink all six, if we wanted!!! (I bet we were bouncing off the walls!!!) I should have mentioned that we usually started off the evening with pizza for our dinner... so it was a true gastronomical catastrophe!!! [wink-wink]

We would all get snuggley in our flannel nighties or pajamas and Mom would set up a card table in the living room and we would all work on a big jigsaw puzzle while watching a monster movie(and munching and slurping pop). Yeah... great thinking on their part. Hype the kids up on sugary drinks and junk food and then let them watch monster movies before going to sleep! [grin]

Then at some point later in the evening, Dad would turn on Guy Lombardo's New Year's special, and we would watch that until the ball dropped in New York at midnight. As soon as it dropped, we would grab our flashlights, bell and whistle and run outside, while "Auld Lang Syne" was playing. We would look through the bare trees to our neighbor's house on the hill.

First Doctor Jose (in HIS pajamas) would turn on his floodlight to his back yard, then he would trudge through the snow to his dinner bell which was on the edge of the woods. As soon as he started "ringing in the New Year", Chana and I would start up our noise... Chana on the hand bell, and me on a loud whistle and we would wave our flashlights in the air. (At least one year we had sparklers, which is what prompts me to light one on New Year's Eve, now.) When Dr. Jose was done ringing the bell, he would wave at our family and we would call out a New Year's greeting to each other. The night was cold, and our voices carried quite well through the woods. We would go back in the house and either stay up and finish the puzzle (if it was still not done) or go to bed with a stomach ache!!!

Ahhh... memories! I don't think that the neighbors here in the suburbs would appreciate me ringing a bell and blowing a whistle. [sigh]

May the New Year bring you peace, prosperity, health, and happiness... and a good puzzle or two!!!

Merry Aaa-CHoo and a Happy Hack-Hack

It never fails. I get a few days off for fun and frolic with Bob... and I catch a cold.

Bob has been off work for over a week now, and I swear... within a couple of days I was already starting to show signs of a cold coming on. I'd get to feeling better and the next day I would be out for the count. I made it through to Boxing Day (Dec. 26th) but by that evening, I could feel it coming on again. The next day I was a sniffling, snorting mess!

That is why no one has heard from me. I have been hibernating since then. I am now starting to show signs of life. Of course that means step two is about to start... Bob is showing the first signs of a cold! [sigh]

Ha Long Bay... The Party!

The owners of Ha Long Bay Asian Kitchen threw an appreciation party for their favorite customers and the staff on December 20th. Bob and I felt very honored to be among those asked to attend!

PA cooked up a whole bunch of delicious Vietnamese dishes, some of which are not on the restaurant's menu, and served them up buffet style so that the servers could enjoy the party, too! It was really great to be able to just sit and visit with some of our favorite people!!!

Here are just a few pictures from that evening...


This was my plate. We honored the cooks by tasting a bit of everything that they made... and yes, that included dishes with meat. Although we would never order or eat meat normally, we both felt strongly that this should be an exception to our strict vegetarian rule.

Oh... I don't think they come any cuter than this!!! I'm talking about the baby, folks... not me! [grin] Isn't she a sweetie!!!

Here are three of our favorite waitresses... Annie, Beth and Kim. Two others, Sera and Christine, were out of the state at the time of the party. I missed the opportunity to take pictures of the two waiters, Khan and An. They are all great, and always make us feel right at home!!!

Bob poses with Christina and the wee one. Christina asked Bob if it would be okay for them to call him Uncle!!!

The people seated at the table were other guests of the evening. Standing behind the table is the head chef, PA, his mother, and his wife, Christina. PA and Christina are the proud owners of Ha Long Bay Asian Kitchen, and the hosts of the evening.

If you would like to see more pictures from that night, just click this link!!!

Straight No Chaser - 12 Days

Don't Judge a Blog...

I had a good laugh today!

I opened up my blog and checked to see what was going on. I have this little program that runs on my sidebar that lets me see approximately what cities, states and countries that my visitors are coming from. Doesn't tell me who the visitor is, just their location. It also tells me what site they arrived from (if they arrived via a link on that site) and gives me the option of clicking on it to visit that location. Now occasionally someone will arrive there via a search. Once in a while, I will click on searches to go back and see just what they were searching for that lead them to my site.

Today I had to laugh. The search had been for "divas in girdles" and after reading the description of my site, who could blame them for checking it out!!! [grin] (Keep in mind also, that in addition to being women who eat raw foods, the phrase "Raw Diva" is used by some professional women wrestlers in this country!)

keely bush: I'm a Raw Diva!!!
I felt really good about the program, and loved the lovely Divas, Tera and Amy, ... Bras and Girdles - Sexed Up!!! Thong Bookinis - Look at ME!!! ...
keelybush.blogspot.com/2007/09/im-raw-diva.html - 70k - Similar pages

Can you imagine their dismay when they actually arrived at my site and saw to what those titles referred!!! "Bras and Girdles" is a picture of an amusing sign in Youngstown, Ohio and directs you to go to my hubbies blog for an amusing, yet thought provoking, post. "Sexed Up!!!" and "Look at ME!!!" are both posts about our bird Clyde. And "Thong Bookinis" is actually just a post about some bookmarks I made out of beads and a string!!! Oh... and the "I'm a Raw Diva" is the post about me adopting a raw vegan lifestyle!!! [ROTFL]

Sorry... just had to share!!! [grin]

Happy Birthday, Bob!!!

Fifty-One years ago, a cute little baby was born. His proud parents named him Robert Scott Bush and he was a very good little baby. However, he grew up!!! [wicked grin] Oh... don't get me wrong, he is still a great guy. It's just that the years have turned him into an imp with a devilishly wicked sense of humor!!! [grin]

We went to our favorite restaurant, Ha Long Bay Asian Cuisine (Vietnamese food at it's finest) where he was showered with gifts and a card signed by the staff. The owner and head chef made him a special meal and then sent out a decadent slice of cake for us. The cake was not your typical cake. I'm not sure what it was called, but it was very good!!! We love them up at Ha Long Bay! They did the same thing for my birthday, and we often get e-mails from the waitresses!!! [grin] If you are ever in the neighborhood, let us know! We are always looking for an excuse to visit Ha Long Bay!!!

NOTE: Although I had the above post all cued up in my computer to be posted on Bob's birthday, we were running around in and out of town so much that I didn't realize that I had forgotten to publish it. It is actually being posted on Dec. 10th, but I kept it under the original date of his birthday.

Penny for your Thoughts

My blog is worth $5,645.40.
How much is your blog worth?

And those pennies add up! So... where do I go to cash it all in??? [evil grin]

No Turkeys and a Ten

This is a picture of our Raw Vegan Thanksgiving dinner. I dug out the antique china but was too lazy to drag out the box of sterling silverware. [grin] If you would like to see more of our dinner and find out just what is on those plates, please go to Dinner for Two!

Tera of The Raw Divas tagged me to post ten things I am thankful for this season. Here is my ten. And if you are reading this post, you have just been tagged!!!

1) Bob
2) my family and my in-laws
3) my wonderful friends
4) a roof over my head
5) raw food in my tummy
6) The Raw Divas
7) rubber stamps
8) luscious yarns
9) green smoothies
10) Ha Long Bay Restaurant

Weather in Ohio

About a week ago, the temperature in the Columbus area was in the mid-70s and beautifully sunny. Two days later, it was snowing and pretty darn cold! The bottom picture was taken that morning from the hotel window where we were staying. Although we were in Youngstown at the time, our local friends assure us that it looked much the same here.

As for today... it almost made it to 50 degrees. The day started out quite pretty and I was admiring the fall foliage (the buckeye trees look great right now), but it is now just after 3 PM and it looks like it should be around 6:30, it is so dark out right now!!! [sigh]

I guess it just proves the old joke correct... You don't like the weather in Ohio? Wait a day (or hour, in some tellings), it will change!

I won!!!

I was just notified that I won one of the Stitch Swag Bags in the giveaway from Funky Finds!!! I'm so excited!!!

I'll take a pic of my prize, when it gets here, to share with all of you!!!

Bras and Girdles

If you guys would like a good giggle, head on over to Bob's blog and read his Bras and Girdles post! How he can combine a sign for bras & girdles, Muppets, the meaning of life and raw foods all in one post is truly amazing!!! [grin]

Sexed Up!!!

WOW! That title got your attention, didn't it!!!

Bob and I have always referred to Clyde as a he, although we both suspect that he may be a she. However, without having a sex test done, it is impossible to know for sure.

Today I took Clyde to see Dr. Mohan, and he suggested that we have Clyde sexed. I told him that we really did not need to know, but he pointed out that we may want to consider it in the future. Certain medical questions would be answered by knowing which sex he was for sure. I told him I would consider it for a future visit.

However, one of those medical problems popped up. Dr. Mohan said that Clyde is in excellent health, but when I took him to see the doctor six month's ago, he had an elevated reading for something that started with an "L". (My memory is shot.) Anyhow, we treated Clyde with medications to clear it up, but he again tested high for it at this visit. Dr. Mohan said that we would check it again in six month's and if it was still elevated he would medicate him again. However, he said that if he is a she, and has "come of age" shall we say... well then, those elevated readings would be normal. So I bit the bullet and shelled out the cash to find out. I figured that if he is a she, then I wouldn't have to pay for the medication again... which costs just as much!

I told Bob that I really did not want to know, because for twenty-one years the bird has gone by the name Clyde, and I did not want to feel guilty for not changing it. Bob went online and looked up the name Clyde and found that it was of Welsh origin and could be used for a male or female. I asked him what the name meant and he said that it meant "hardy and fair", as well as "heard from afar". Well... we certainly named that bird right!!! [grin] Anyhow, it will be a couple of weeks before we get any news on that front, but we'll keep you posted!!!

UPDATE: He is a She!!! [grin]

Thong Bookinis

Quite a while back I was browsing in a bookstore when I spied the coolest bookmarks. They were called "Book Thongs", and my first thought was... I can make those! The amazing thing is, I actually did make some!!!

The ones you see above were made as Christmas gifts for my coworkers at the time, about four years ago, I think. Of course, I couldn't call them by the same name! [grin] Mine are called "Thong Bookinis"!!!

The one on the left was made for one of Bob's coworkers just this past year to mark her pages as she recovered from surgery.

The last grouping was also made at the same time as the first group and went to family members and my buddies Sue and Valerie. All of the ones made as holiday gifts were boxed in a little red box with a green fabric ribbon with a little tag (shown temporarily attached to the bottom groupings thongs) identifying the recipient.

I just thought that if you were trying to think of stocking stuffers and had a bunch o' beads and some waxed linen...

Look at ME!!!

Yeah... He's a ham!

Another Year Older...

Yeah... I know that the picture quality is poor, but it is what it is! What is it, you say?!?!? Why this is a picture of a couple of young women in their senior year of high school in 1979. What does that have to do with me turning 47? Well, THAT is a convoluted story!!! [grin]

This photo is of my best friend, Holly Lisle, and I. I believe it was taken on or very close to her birthday as I remember buying her a hermit crab as a gift (and that would be what she is holding). Holly and I were born the same year, but Holly's birthday is exactly one month earlier than mine. She also gave birth to her last child, my godson, on MY birthday!

So happy birthday to me... and Happy Birthday Joe!!!

First Snow of the Season

It's official!!! When Bob and I were piling into the car this morning, the first tentative flurries of the season were just starting to come down.

On The Road Again...

Bob and I will be heading out the door bright and early in the morning. We will be staying at our home away from home, the Residence Inn in Youngstown. I will be spending my birthday on Thursday in the pool and Jacuzzi!!!

If you are at all interested, you can take a photo tour of the inn here.

The Root of the Problem

I just love roots! There is so much to see in them. What do you see?

Back to the Light!

A friend sent this to me and I thought that it would be appropriate for today's post since I am turning on the lights again here on the blog, so to speak.

NOTE: This is a hoax. For more info, see the comments to this post. [sigh] It would have been so cool if only...

Day of the Dead

For those of you who celebrate Day of the Dead or All Soul's Day, have a happy!!!

The Day After

This is the type of thing you have to "look forward to" when you decorate as extensively as I do for Halloween. Putting it all away can be a real pain!!! This year, at least, I don't have to contend with all of the Kitchen boxes as I didn't get out any of the specialty plates and such.

I forgot to mention before... feel free to enter the rooms for a closer look around at the stuff. Just click the picture to enlarge it and take a look at the details!!!

Halloween 2007

I spent Beggar's Night in the company of the neighbors this year. We just hung out outside the digs and passed out candy! (Note to Self - four regular sized bags.) Where were my regular revellers, you ask? Bob is out of town through Friday. Carol no longer lets Bob drive at night, so they (my in-laws) stayed home. Katie and Kara spent their Halloween in their new home, and Laura (who may have missed one since I've known her) is hot and heavy into moving mode, so was unable to come over.





I did get a surprise visit from Jennifer and Jeff Baringhaus showing off their little bundle of joy in Brady's first Halloween costume, though! That was a real treat!!!

Because I have been out of town so much with Bob, and because I was not going to be making a fancy meal just for me, I only decorated the outside of the house and did nominal decorating in the front room. Mind you, it still was pretty impressive, but I know how many more boxes of stuff I have that never got put out!

Below are pictures from this year AND you can find the pictures of the 2007 pumpkin in the post You Don't Know Jack! Enjoy!!!





















Although I like the fact that you can see everything to a much better degree in the "red" photos taken with my camera, the photo below, taken with Bob's camera, is actually much closer to the true color.

Halloween Haunting

These are just a few pictures of Beggar's Nights in the past. These primarily focus on the kitchen as I did not decorate it this year so have no new pictures. (I did change the light bulbs and put sheets over the table and chairs, though.)



This is my typical spread for Beggar's Night! The menu features Pumpkin Burgers. We also have a variety of cheeses, whole cashews, Craisins, veggie platter with homemade spinach dip, Pringles chips, M&Ms and white chocolate covered pretzels. We either serve mulled cider, or I have a Halloween punch that I sometimes make.



I dearly love my Halloween cheese plate and my chip bowl and drink carafe with matching beaker glasses!!!



This is my antique cherry cupboard festooned for the season.



Top of the cookbook bookcase. I made the CD Eyeball Clock at one of my Stamp Club meetings.



This is my mini gothic church ruins and forsaken cemetery. I did not get them out this year, but wanted to share!





I think this picture is ingenious!!!



The painting resting against the wall was made by my sister, Chana, while she was still in high school. Although you can't tell it by looking at this picture, it is mostly done in vibrant colors. I had it framed, but the picture jumped off the wall, not long before this picture was taken and the frame broke in a couple of places.



And I just KNEW you had to see what was on my refrigerator!!! [grin] I made the stamped domino magnets.