Book club

I'll admit it. I like to read. I read just about anything. Like my mom says, she reads anything including the back of the cereal box. When I was little, we'd go to the Carnegie Library on the South Side. I can still smell the scent of the old books and the wooden bookcases.

When I started going to book club a few years ago, I had mixed emotions about it. Often the books that were selected weren't really books I'd read. I was 10-15 years younger than most of the other women. But now I find that I look forward to book club.

We have read all kinds of books- top sellers, classics, misc books that someone had read and enjoyed. We have various types of conversations. We generally start with talking about the book but end up talking about our personal lives. What is intriguing is that because of the age differences, the older women will talked about when they were younger. Recently, we've read several books about life during WWI and WWII. I'm not a history bluff but these books have opened discussion about, not the politics behind the wars, but the human aspect. The book "The Corner of Bitter and Sweet" deals with the influence of the war on the Japanese-American citizens. It was an interesting viewpoint from a Chinese-American boy and how he saw the unfair treatment of not just Japanese-American citizens but of all Asian citizens.  Another book we've read was based on a little town in WV, where another woman was born and raised.  Another took place in Italy, where yet another woman spoke about her visits and taking Italian cooking classes from an Italian chef.

What is the influence of E-readers and the internet on reading? On Amazon, there are always new e-books available.  New free e-books also become available daily.  You can now link to the library and download books from their website, without having to leave your house.  I find that I am reading more because of my Kindle. Some people still prefer the feel of a real book in their hands.

I think with the availability of books, either ebooks or hard copies, hopefully, people will continue to enjoy  reading.

Until next time, when I continue the rantings and ravings of a mom of an

American Dream Family.....

Spring

Happy First day of Spring!!

Spring is here. Yeah!!!  Spring is my favorite season. The flowers are coming up and blooming.

The weeping cherry is starting to bloom.

I know alot of people say that they like fall to best, with the leaves falling and the chill in the air, but I say I prefer spring because everything is coming alive.  The warm weather is coming instead of going. The sun is shining. Life is good!

I read that Pittsburgh is ranked 5th highest in rainy/snowy days per year with 151 days/average. So that is why we are so excited on clear sunny days like today.

So to those of you who live in Pittsburgh, enjoy the beautiful, sunny day!!  To everyone else, have a wonderful Spring!


          Until next time, when I continue the rantings and ravings of a mom of an

American Dream Family.....

Single women wanted

Single women wanted for reality TV show where you will have the opportunity to bare your body, treat other women horribly, and get to compete to find the love of your life with a man you've never met.

This was one of the first reality shows. I never understood how women could have such low self-esteem to put themselves in these situations.  Do they really think that they will find the love of life after a week and a few "dates" with the chosen bachelor? How can you be so heartbroken if you don't receive a red rose? Or do they think this is could be their big break into show business?

Honestly, I think I watched this show when it was first on many years ago. Now, I just see the segments for the advertisements. Obviously, I wasn't a huge fan. Although I don't consider myself to be a women's libber, I do think shows like this demean women and diminish everything the generation before us had fought for. It's seems to come down to cat fights and backstabbing for attention.

Do I believe love at first sight? Yes, actually, I do.

Joe and I met, were engaged, and married within a year. Do I believe its that way for every couple? No I don't.  I think that with many couples, it takes time to develop a relationship. Way more time than a few "dates", with the camera crew watching everything you say and do.  As compared to regular life and dating, you meet 100's of people throughout your life, not just 24 pre-picked women.   I would like to think that there are things more important like someone's personality or character to determine if they are the love of your life, because the first "cut" of girls is mostly based on looks and appearance, as well as why they were pre-picked.

I guess for reality TV, it is entertaining, but not very realistic.

Until next time, when I continue the rantings and ravings of a mom of an

American Dream Family.....

weddings

Well, Nate informed me that the divorce rate is 52%, so I guess that makes us not normal since Joe and I have been married for over 27 years. I think people often get married for the wrong reasons. Some people are not compatible from the start. Some just quit trying to make their marriage work. It isn't always easy. It is just like any other relationship; you have to decide whether it's worth holding on to or not.

I'm envious of the couples nowadays. When Joe and I got married, he was in the Marine Corps and didn't have any kind of extra money. Couples today have two high end cars, buy a house before they are married, and have extravagant honeymoons. Our first vacation was after 10 years and it was because Joe was going to Ocean City MD on business so the boys and I went along. Before that, we went camping, which was fun. But after staying in a condo, I decided that I was a condo kind of girl. The climate control and soft fluffy beds did me in!

All of the wedding shows on TV fascinate me. But are these shows giving the engaged couples the ideas that this is normal? Terry, our favorite friendly florist, told me once that the average wedding costs between $30,000-$50,000. At the risk of sounding old, our first house only cost us $52,000. Do these wedding shows make brides feel that they need to compete.?

When you leave a wedding, what do you really remember about it besides the bride looked beautiful, the couple looked happy, and Uncle A and Uncle B got into a fight. I understand that for some, they have dreamed about this day all of their lives. But did they need to spend  $100 per invitation or $5,000 on a dress?

Everyone tells me to wait until my boys get married.  I'm planning on following the old saying for the mother in law - "Sit down, Shut up and wear beige".

       Until next time, when I continue the rantings and ravings of a mom of an

American Dream Family.....

Customer Service #2

Last week, we decided to spend the night in Williamsburg after leaving Colby's game in Virginia.  The Embassy Suites was very nice and a great price, being off season.  When we checked in, there was a sign on the front desk saying that we were the "Guest of the Day". We thought- How exciting! We never get to win things like this. So we asked what does it mean and were told that there would be treats and drinks in our room.

After going up to our room, we noticed that there was nothing special waiting for us. Actually, there was nothing at all- no water, sodas or treats. When we came back from dinner, we mentioned this to the Asst Manager, who apologized and offered us access to the mini-store at the hotel (which we thought was a little too late)

Our thoughts are if you are going to go through the efforts of creating a program and making a sign, at least follow through.  So needless to say, we didn't feel like the Guest of the Day.

Until next time, when I continue the rantings and ravings of a mom of Just an

American Dream Family.....

US Marine Corps National Museum

While we were heading home from Colby's lacrosse game in Virginia, we stopped at the US Marine Corps National Museum at Quantico,VA.  Quantico is a Marine Corps base for Officer training. It was a wonderful museum and we probably could have spent hours there, going through all of the exhibits. They had a great gift store, where we bought some merchandise. There was also a replica of Tuns Tavern, which is the birth place of the US Marine Corps. Of course, we had to stop for a beer and lunch.  Admission and parking was free to everyone. If you are ever in that part of the country, I would suggest stopping by, just to remember all the past and current Marines.  http://www.usmcmuseum.org/

After we left, Joe and I were talking about the time he spent in the Marines. It's hard to believe that it was over 25 years ago. For Joe, he was obviously more affected by his time in the service. I was only indirectly affected. We are talking about how underpaid all service members are. We survived because it was only us. We had friends who had children, and they qualified for food stamps and WIC. Isn't that horrible?  These men and women are willing to serve their country but their country doesn't even pay them enough for a normal standard of living. They shouldn't have to count on other government assistance to survive.

So when the politicians talk about cuts to the military, they should also think about the lives and contributions of all of the servicemen before making those decisions.

Until next time, when I continue the rantings and ravings of a mom of Just an

American Dream Family.....

Extreme Crafters

I have an idea for a Extreme TV show -Extreme Crafters and Terry U, our friendly florist, is the first nominee.  Terry does all kinds of crafts - scrapbooking, stained glass, jewelry, any thing artsy or crafty. We've taken all different craft classes together.

This past week, we participated in the mother of all craft experiences. She invited me to work with her at the Philadelphia Flower Show. It is one of the largest floral events in the country.  The events theme this year was Hawaii, so every showcase was made with beautiful, exotic Hawaiian flowers. We were asked to work with the AIFD (American Institute of Floral Designers). Their showcase's theme was Fire and Water. The most interesting part was seeing our showcase, as well as the entire convention center, transformed into this wonderful event.  The first day we cut flowers and cut more flowers. For me and my lack of experience, this was fine, but it wasn't the best use of Terry's 35 years of floral experience.  The next day we were asked to make the lava coming from the volcano (hence the fire) out of flowers. You have to have an artistic mind to visualize this. The most interesting part was wondering through the show and looking at all of the showcases. There was a huge volcano with water spilling from it, a dream backyard with a pool, and a lots of wonderful floral ideas.

                                                            Fruit stand                                                                 

                                                                    Floral waterfall

Makes you want to visit Hawaii!!!


Until next time, when I continue the rantings and ravings of a mom of Just an

American Dream Family.....

Donating

We've been fortunate in life and like to donate to help others. We have our favorite causes. We donate to the Food Bank and St Jude's on a monthly basis. There are some other organizations that we also help.

I'll also donate some of my excess purchases from my extreme couponing to the food bank. They always need food as well as health and beauty products.  My mom belongs to a woman's group that send items to the troops. They are always looking for sample size health and beauty products.

For several Easters, a group of us would get together and make Easter baskets for our local community Food Bank. We made about 20 baskets for the families with children. Everyone was very generous. The baskets had everything for an Easter meal plus egg dye, candy, toys, books, stuffed animals, etc.  It was always a wonderful experience, especially knowing the baskets were going directly to families in your neighborhood.

For the crafty side of me, I like to sew and crochet.  There is a organization called Project Linus who donates blankets to kids in children hospitals and babies in the neo-natal units. They give the blankets to the fire departments for kids who are burned out of their house. They also give them to some of the women's shelter for the displaced children.  While I'm watching TV at nights, I'll crochet. Some times when we are traveling, I made a no-sew fleece blanket. They only take about 2 hours to make.  Once I have a bagful of blankets, I'll drop it off.   Over the many years that I've been doing this, I've gotten several notes from new moms, telling their baby's stories and how comforting it was to know that there are people (strangers) who care.

So, if you have some extra time, money, or items, there are always people out there who are less fortunate than you that can use it.

Until next time, when I continue the rantings and ravings of a mom of an

American Dream Family.....