Double duty litter box......

When we decided to get another cat, our daughter Jen recommended this great new litter box. I know, I know.............What could possibly be so special about a litter box. It's just a cat "bathroom", right?

Well, this one really is pretty cool. There is virtually no odor, it's really easy to clean and it's pretty. See...............

But here's the neat part. See all the pellets? The litter is larger than what you use in most litter boxes and that's cool because it doesn't stick to the cat's paws and get spread all over the house. The large size makes it good for another reason. For Sugar, they have become a cat toy.

She has chased this one pellet all over the house tonight. Who knew................

:-)

Old Photo Wednesday # 7

I've been thinking about my little sister alot lately. She passed away a little over a year ago and there are days when all I want to do is pick up the phone and talk to her. She probably wouldn't like this picture to be posted, but I like it. She'll always be a star to be.



And besides that, it just makes me smile. :-)

And the Winner is.....................

Just call me a VERY proud grandma. Who knew that my grandkids could cook. This past Saturday was the 2nd Annual Friends of Wilson Island Dutch Oven Cookoff and Demo. Long name for a very successful event.

There were 24 entries in the cookoff, 2 of those being my 2 grandkids, Brandon and Lauren.

Lauren brought home the 1st place prize in the Youth Division. She just couldn't stop smiling. Even after she got stung by a bee.

Here's the winning recipe.

Mexican Casserole

1 - 15 oz can chili with no beans

1 - 15 oz can whole kernal corn (drained)

1 - 2cup package of shredded cheddar cheese

2 cups of crushed Doritos

Mix first 3 ingredients together in your Dutch Oven. Cover with crushed Doritos and press them down slightly.

Cover and cook for about 45 minutes.

Tasting the finished products.

Counting the votes.

Brandon's entry "Dutch Oven Pot Pie"

The proud winner!!!!!!

It was a beautiful day at the park. Hope to see you there next year!!! :-)

Sunday Funnies # 3, Church Bulletins

They're Back!

Those wonderful Church bulletins! Thank God for church ladies with typewriters. These sentences (with all the BLOOPERS) actually appeared in church bulletins:

1. The Fasting & Prayer Conference includes meals.

2.; The sermon this morning: 'Jesus Walks on the Water.' The sermon tonight: 'Searching for Jesus.'

3. Ladies, don't forget the rummage sale. It's a chance to get rid of those things not worth keeping around the house. Bring your husbands.

4. Remember in prayer the many who are sick of our community. Smile at someone who is hard to love. Say 'Hell' to someone who doesn't care much about you.

5. Don't let worry kill you off - let the Church help.

6. Miss Charlene Mason sang 'I will not pass this way again,' giving obvious pleasure to the congregation.

7. For those of you who have children and don't know it, we have a nursery downstairs.

8. Next Thursday there will be tryouts for the choir. They need all the help they can get.

9. Irving Benson and Jessie Carter were married on October 24 in the church. So ends a friendship that began in their school days.

10. A bean supper will be held on Tuesday evening in the church hall. Music will follow.

11. At the evening service tonight, the sermon topic will be 'What Is Hell?' Come early and listen to our choir practice.

12. Eight new choir robes are currently needed due to the addition of several new members and to the deterioration of some older ones.

13. Scouts are saving aluminum cans, bottles and other items to be recycled. Proceeds will be used to cripple children.

14. Please place your donation in the envelope along with the deceased person you want remembered.

15. The church will host an evening of fine dining, super entertainment and gracious hostility.

16. Potluck supper Sunday at 5:00 PM - prayer and medication to follow.

17. The ladies of the Church have cast off clothing of every kind. They may be seen in the basement on Friday afternoon.

18. This evening at 7 PM there will be a hymn singing in the park across from the Church. Bring a blanket and come prepared to sin.

19. Ladies Bible Study will be held Thursday morning at 10 AM. All ladies are invited to lunch in the Fellowship Hall after the B. S. is done.

20. The pastor would appreciate it if the ladies of the Congregation would lend him their electric girdles for the pancake breakfast next Sunday.

21. Low Self Esteem Support Group will meet Thursday at 7 PM. Please use the back door.

22. The eighth-graders will be presenting Shakespeare's Hamlet in the Church basement Friday at 7 PM. The congregation is invited to attend this tragedy.

23. Weight Watchers will meet at 7 PM at the First Presbyterian Church. Please use large double door at the side entrance.

24. The Associate Minister unveiled the church's new campaign slogan last Sunday: 'I Upped My Pledge - Up Yours.'

Have a good Sunday. :-)

New Dutch Oven Recipe.........Dutch Oven Pot Pie

Our 2nd Annual Friends Of Wilson Island Dutch Oven Demo and Cookoff is this weekend. Saturday to be exact.

This is the recipe I'm going to try, or I should say, have the kids try.

Dutch Oven Pot Pie

1 - 16 oz. bags of frozen vegetables (your choice)
2 C milk
2 - 10 oz cans cream of chicken soup
1 C sour cream
1 can refrigerated biscuits
2 C chicken chopped and cooked (I'm going to cheat and use canned chicken)
1 small envelope Hidden Valley Ranch dressing
1 small onion chopped

In a large bowl, mis together, soup, milk, Hidden Valley and sour cream until smooth. Gently stir in vegetables and chicken, until well mixed. in a 12-inch Dutch oven, pour mixture and level with spoon. Place biscuits on top as a crust and bake for 45 minutes at 350 degrees or until heated through and biscuits are browned.

It says this is "kid friendly" so I should be able to handle it.

See you at the park, I hope. :-)

Call me crazy!!!!

OK, I've decided to make a confession, but I'm sure once you read it you'll think I'm crazy. Well, maybe I am, but I decided it was time to tell the world.

So, let's start at the beginning. My oldest daughter Jennifer and her hubby Tom have , or I should say had, 3 beautiful Scottish Terriers. Penny, Isaac and Rowan. I like them all, but Rowan was my special favorite. She loved it when grandma came to visit 'cause she liked to play ball and I would always play with her.

My beautiful Rowan passed away this summer. She had diabetes and it finally took it's toll. I have to admit we've lost some pets over the years and I've shed a few tears for all of them, but something about Rowan's passing was really hard. I still tear up when I think about her.

Anyway, and here's where the story takes a turn towards crazy, I drive on I-29 everyday to get to work in Omaha and there's this tree along the side of the road that caught my eye. I think it looks like a Scottish Terrier standing up on it's hind legs. I've decided that it's Rowan come back in tree form. And if that's not crazy enough, I talk to the stupid thing. Every morning when I pass by the tree I tell it good morning and to "have a great day"!!!

OK, so maybe some confessions are best kept a secret.

Anyway, today I decided to take a picture of said tree so you can judge for yourself. The picture isn't the best 'cause my windshield is really dirty and it was raining, but here is "The Rowan Tree"

Have a great day!!! :-)

Spirograph.........

Did you ever have a Spirograph when you were a kid?

We had one at our house. I think it belonged to my little sister.

We are getting the concrete floors at our building redone today. I think the guy running the machine must have had one when he was a kid.

You decide.........

:-)

Old Photo Wednesday # 6

Don't you just love a man in uniform???




This is Michael's dad Milo in San Francisco.




:-)

It's That Time of Year Again........

And I don't mean Christmas. It's almost October and that means our annual family reunion campout at Springbrook State Park is just around the corner. This is something I look forward to all year.

This trip actually started at least 45 years ago. I don't remember the exact year, but I was just a kid in grade school. Actually, when we started we weren't going to Springbrook either. The first park we went to was Ledges State Park near Boone IA. My grandmother found Springbrook and we started going there because it was pretty close to being central for everyone who was attending.

Over the years, things have changed. Alot.

It used to be an all day picnic on the second Sunday in October. We picked that date because both my dad and my aunt worked at the local Co-op and we waited until harvest was over. We would drive over, have breakfast, lunch and dinner at the park. Go for hikes, play games, take pictures and have lots of fun.

After my sisters and I got married and had families of our own, we started branching out even more. We invited friends and neighbors to come along.

In the last 10 years or so, it's turned into a weekend campout with a big picnic on Saturday for those that don't camp. The last 4 or 5 years, we've gone over for the whole week.

Now that the family has changed again, some have died, some have moved away, we have started inviting alot of friends and co-workers. We're all just one big happy family at Springbrook.

Some years the weather is great and we have even been known to go swimming or boating, even that late in the season. Some years it's cold and we all huddle around the campfire. You never know what's going to happen, but then, that's all part of the adventure.

So, the trip is just around the corner and it's a little bitter-sweet. I always get so excited, planning the meals and anticipating the fun. But, it's also the last campout of the season and that means putting the camper away until spring. I absolutely LOVE fall, but I hate winter with a passion. Springbrook is just another sign that winter is getting closer.

Well, for now, I'm not going to think about winter and cold and snow and ice. I'm just going to think about the fun, family, friends and food.

So, if you're near Guthrie Center IA the second weekend of October come out to Springbrook and look us up. We're pretty easy to find. We're the ones with tons of food and a HUGE campfire. :-)

Shoes for Jen

Ok, this is pretty lame, but I thought I'd share it with you.

My daughter Jen is addicted to shoes. I'm sure there are people who have a worse case than she does, but she has alot. And she features them weekly in her blog.

Anyway, I had a haircut appointment last Wednesday and since I arrived early I decided to do a little "window" shopping. I was at Westroads and decided to check out DSW. I've starting following Jen's lead of taking my camera everywhere and taking pictures of interesting stuff. I'm even getting used to the weird looks you get sometimes. It makes life interesting.

Anyway, back to my story. I was at DSW and starting taking pictures of shoes that I thought Jen might like. Here are the entries in the "which shoes do you think Jen would buy" contest.

1

2

3

4

5

6

7


I sent the pictures on to Jen and the winner was.................

Drum Roll please.................................

Number 2.

Jen said "Sweet". So if you're shopping and have nothing better to do you can always take pictures of shoes for the "Jen" in your life.

Happy Shopping. :-)

The Real Survivor

Nope, not someone sitting on the beach of some remote island, stabbing everyone in the back while smiling and burning socks. Sorry, just got done watching the first episode of Survivor this season. I'm addicted and I really hate to admit it.

No, the Survivor I'm talking about is me, today, after walking a total of six miles which should be easy. I thought it would be easy. I really looked forward to it, but now, sitting here on the couch because I really can't move, I'm feeling pretty stupid. I did finish the six miles, almost in last place. I can only console myself by saying, you did better than all the people who only did 2 miles, but that's a copout. I'm almost dead after walking, I repeat WALKING, 6 stupid miles. I finished but I feel like a loser. My shins are cramping up and I have blisters on the bottom of both feet. How stupid is that. We went out for brunch afterwards (I represented infoGROUP, my company, but walked with Jen's group from Majors Plastics) Anyway, we got to the restaurant and I almost passed out. A splash of cold water in the restroom and some OJ had me feeling pretty good again, but really, how wimpy is that?

Well, it does tell me one thing. When I can move again I need to get off this couch. Like actually working out on a regular basis and eating right. I've been such a bad girl this summer. Anyway, I did finish, I survived and I will do it again next year. Without the blisters and almost passing out part.

Anyway, here are a few highlights of the day.

The race started at 8:15 AM and Omaha was looking pretty good that early.

I always like checking out all the different shirts. Each company designs their own and try to stand out in the crowd. I'm not being prejudiced here, but the Major's Plastics team won hands down.

If you check out what their shirts say "Race Offical Do Not Pass" it would seem pretty clever. Well it was, but some people just didn't get it. They thought these guys were race officals and kept asking them questions. It was hysterical.

These would come in second and third.

Our shirts didn't really stand out much.

The gal in the middle with the white shirt with "Run With It" are ours.

One of the local businesses had a sign up to urge us all on.

I think the guy behind the police car was the winner. He was WAY ahead at the 4 mile mark. I mean nobody was even close and he was bookin'.

The finish line, finally. As you can see someone with a stroller came in ahead of me. Actually, alot of people with strollers came in ahead of me. I even saw a couple of blind people who came in ahead of me.

Brunch at Taxi's. Food was good but it was the OJ that saved the day.

Well, I think I may just sleep on the couch tonight. It will save me having to move again.

Here's to you and your race, whatever it might be. :-)

Sunday Funnies # 2, Aircraft Problems

I got this a couple of years ago and I've kept it all this time. Sometimes I go back and read it just for a chuckle.

Aircraft Problem reports:
After every flight, pilots fill out a form called a gripe sheet, which conveys to the mechanics problems encountered with the aircraft during the flight that need repair or correction. The mechanics read and correct the problem, and then respond in writing on the lower half of the form what remedial action was taken, and the pilot reviews the gripe sheet before the next flight. Never let it be said that ground crews and engineers lack a sense of humor. Here are some actual logged maintenance complaints and problems as submitted by Qantas pilots and the solution recorded by maintenance engineers. By the way, Qantas is the only major airline that has never had an accident.
(P = The problem logged by the pilot.) >>(S = The solution and action taken by the engineers.)

P: Left inside main tyre almost needs replacement.

S: Almost replaced left inside main tyre.

P: Test flight OK, except auto-land very rough.

S: Auto-land not installed on this aircraft.

P: Something loose in cockpit.

S: Something tightened in cockpit.

P: Dead bugs on windshield.

S: Live bugs on back-order.

P: Autopilot in altitude-hold mode produces a 200 feet per minute descent.

S: Cannot reproduce problem on ground.

P: Evidence of leak on right main landing gear.

S: Evidence removed.

P: DME volume unbelievably loud.

S: DME volume set to more believable level.

P: Friction locks cause throttle levers to stick.

S: That's what they're there for.

P: IFF inoperative.

S: IFF always inoperative in OFF mode.

P: Suspected crack in windshield.

S: Suspect you're right.

P: Number 3 engine missing.

S: Engine found on right wing after brief search.

P: Aircraft handles funny.

S: Aircraft warned to straighten up, fly right, and be serious.

P: Target radar hums.

S: Reprogrammed target radar with lyrics.

P: Mouse in cockpit.

S: Cat installed.

P: Noise coming from under instrument panel. Sounds like a midget pounding on something with a hammer.

S: Took hammer away from midget.

Makes you wonder if you should ever fly again. :-)

Foggy Morning

I love driving out of the campground early in the morning in the fall. It's always foggy and usually very pretty. Today was really nice and I tried to get some pictures. They didn't turn out all that great, but take my word for it, today was excellent.

Have a good one!!! :-)

Old Photo Wednesday # 5

Only one photo today, but I think it's pretty cool.

This is my Grandpa, Samual Vittitoe during WWI.



How cool is that??? :-)

Welcoming Committee

Just a really quick post today. As Jen would say it's "mostly wordless". Anyway, took Sugar to the campground a couple of days ago. We're determined she's going to be a "camping cat". Took this shot last night when I got home.



Isn't that a cute face to come home to? :-)

It's been a quiet weekend................

It was a VERY quiet weekend at Wilson Island. Most of the electric sites were filled, but just very quiet people. That's always ok with me when we're camphosts. I don't need excitement.

Friday night was just Michael and Sharon at the campground. Hasn't happened in awhile and we enjoyed it. It was Michae's birthday but we didn't celebrate much. Party was to be on Saturday. Saturday was a beautiful day. Started out a little rainy, but cleared off later in the day. Jen and Tom couldn't come to the party in the evening so they came out for lunch.

Don't know what's with the look on Jen's face. Anyway, had a great visit with them. While they were there another unexpected guest stopped by.

Not sure what kind of bug this is, but I'm calling him Herman.

Mom, Doug, Cindy, Lauren, Kerri and Kevin (my boss and her husband and our camping buddies) and Kevin's sister Pam came out for birthday dinner for Michael. Had a great visit with everyone, but I didn't even get the camera out, so no photos of the gang. Doug and Cindy were running a little late, 'cause Cindy said they had to pick something up on the way. The something turned out to be a Cocker Spaniel puppy named Emalee. Cindy's reward for being a good girl at the dentist. She is a cutie!!!!!

Sunday was another quiet day. Most everyone packs up on Sunday morning and heads out, but we had a few that just didn't want to leave. The day was beautiful. Met a couple from upstate New York that is traveling the country this summer. They has chosen Wilson Island because they had heard about the museum next door at DeSoto Wildlife Refuge. They were anxious to get to see it.

Monday was back to work for Sharon, but Michael had one more day off. He spent it working on Friend of Wilson Island finances and getting our cat Sugar out to the campground. She is now officially a "camping cat". She seems to like it ok, but wants to get outside. I want to get her a leash before she starts exploring. She's a city cat and I don't know what she'll do in a forest. Time will tell.

:-)

Sunday Funnies # 1, Caught My Eye........

I friend and co-worker sent me this yesterday. Loved it!!!!

The Redhead

A man is dining in a fancy restaurant and notices a gorgeous redhead sitting at the next table. He's been checking her out since he sat down, but lacks the nerve to talk with her. Suddenly she sneezes, and her glass eye comes flying out of its socket toward him. He reflexively reaches out, grabs it out of the air, and hands it back. "Oh my, I am so sorry," the woman says as she pops her eye back in place. "Let me buy your dinner to make it up to you," she says. They enjoy a wonderful dinner together, and afterwards they go to the theatre followed by drinks. They talk, they laugh, she shares her deepest dreams and he shares his. She listens. He listens. After paying for everything, she asks him if he would like to come to her place for a nightcap and stay for breakfast. They had a wonderful time.
The next morning, she cooks a gourmet breakfast fit for a king with all the trimmings. The guy is amazed. Everything had been SO incredible! "You know, he said, "you are the perfect woman, are you this nice to every guy you meet?" "No...she replies…’you just happened to catch my eye.”


“Perfection is not achievable, but in the
attempt to reach it…excellence is.”

Keep laughing, it makes everything better!!! :-)

I hate numbers!!!

There's a reason I never became an accountant. Well, actually there's more than one, but the main one is "I HATE NUMBERS!"

Yesterday was budget day at work and that's all I thought about all day. I was so tired when I got home and I woke up with a headache. I really hate numbers. I mean the figuring and refiguring and refiguring. I admire people who can do it and really like to do it, but not me.

I'm glad today isn't going to be more of the same. I have other things to do this morning and this afternoon I'm heading to Carter Lake to help with a move.

And then, it's out to the campground. Michael's off work this weekend so I will have company and I won't have to clean the bathrooms all by myself. Hopefully, the weather will be nice so I can take some hikes and get some more pictures.

So, here's to the people who like numbers and long may they wave, or whatever. :-)

Old Photo Wednesday # 4

Graduation

I was talking to a friend of mine about kids and grandkids the other day and the subject of Graduation came up. It suddenly occurred to me that Brandon would be graduating from high school in a relatively short amount of time. Granted, he's only 13, but graduation is just around the corner. It DOES NOT seem possible. Seems like only yesterday when I was graduating. Anyway, I decided that would make a good topic for Old Photo Wednesday. So here are some folks in my family on graduation day.

My mom.

Uncle Jim

My kindergarten graduation. I'm the cool one on the end with my legs crossed.

My 8th Grade graduation.

My Sister-In-Law Linda and her family. She was graduating from seminary. She's a United Methodist Pastor and we're VERY proud of her.

My oldest nephew David's High School graduation. His mom and dad, Jim and Carol, are with him. Carol's my older sister.

Youngest daughter Cindy's High School graduation. Sorry Jen, I couldn't find yours. I know I have them, but where is the question.

My niece Amanda's high school graduation. I didn't get to see her in cap and gown, but got this shot of her putting the cap on the flamingo. Amanda's the one in the while jacket.

My younger sister Annette with her oldest boy Tony at his graduation. I really miss her. ALOT!!!!!

Granddaughter Lauren's pre-school graduation. They all looked so cute in their little caps and gowns.

My high school graduation.

I've learned alot from looking back at these past graduations. Mostly I've learned that I need to do a better job of organizing my pictures. I've missed alot of people, and to them I can only say "I'm sorry".