Stye in My Eye

I have had a stye in my left eye for three weeks now. I have been applying warm compresses to it, and it actually did open up and drain. I thought it was on the mend last week, but over the long weekend it began to flare up again. The eye doctor got me in today, and they have prescribed an antibiotic ointment to put in a couple of times a day. My son gets married in less than two weeks, and I want it to look good by then.

Gifts in the Garden

With our renovation project to the house last year came a new deck which connects to the concrete patio. The patio is actually an ice skating rink poured by the previous owner in deference to the budding ice skating skills of their daughter. At any rate, the area has looked a bit bare despite the new furniture we picked up last year for the deck. My husband was able to score some additional patio furniture from a university here who is getting new stuff for the school. We placed it all Thursday night, and what a difference it makes. We now have a wonderful outdoor living room. As we were enjoying it last night with a glass of wine, our neighbors from both sides came over and joined us for the evening. I can't think of a better gift following a hectic week than visiting with friends on a beautiful St. Louis spring evening. Cheers!

Cordelia's Capers

My five year old great-niece, Cordelia, is a hoot. While enjoying being the center of attention around the family, she does not like strangers looking at her. (Which is why she has refused all pleas, threats and bribes to be the flower girl in my son's wedding.) Her kindergarten graduation was Friday, and that morning she told her mom she was sick. She explained that she would graduate at the end of 1st grade instead. Her mom, Julie, said that she had to go this year as each child had a line in a poem to recite during the ceremony. Cordy was silent for a while, and then proclaimed that she would just picture the audience in their underwear to get through it. Ha! As it turns out, the night of the big performance she turned to the audience and gave them a big grin, walked over to the folding chair in the center of the stage, issued a loud flushing noise along with the gesture and reminded everyone "don't forget to flush!" Good job, Cordy!

American Idol

So....I have a confession to make. I love American Idol! I know, I don't exactly fit the demographics, but I watch every year. This has been my favorite season so far. I think there is a lot of talent in the top 12, and I will be happy with either David as the winner. Today tickets went on sale for the tour, and I picked up two for the St. Louis concert. My niece turns 40 this fall, so this is an early surprise present for her. We will have a blast - can't wait!

Powerless in Webster Groves

The neighbor's mulberry tree became uprooted early Sunday morning and fell on the power line running along the alley behind our house. It looked as though a giant had plucked the tree (and several of its siblings) up out of the ground. The power went out at seven homes, which put us at the low end of priority for the electric company. We were without power for 33 hours. At times like this you begin to appreciate all that we take for granted on a daily basis. Telephone service, a warm house, television (or, for me, the internet), cold food, warm food, etc. No wonder the old saying is "early to bed, early to rise." What else was there to do when the sun went down?

The Three M's - Mid-life, Menopause & Metabolism

Like most women, I never lost all the weight gained during my two pregnancies. It's hard to call it baby fat when your baby is nearly 17. At any rate, I was comfortable with where my weight was at and it remained steady through an active lifestyle and consistent exercise. Then I hit menopause, and all of a sudden the "sort of" watching what I ate and the three days a week of exercise weren't enough. My weight kept creeping up until I weighed more than when I had been pregnant. When you are vertically challenged like me, it's hard to hide the extra pounds. Like most Americans, I made a new year's resolution to lose weight. My motivator is my son's wedding in June. My husband and I joined a new fitness center in January, and I continued my membership with Butterfly Life, a women only facility. Through their weight loss express program and working out 4-5 days per week, I am proud to say that I have lost 19 pounds to date. My goal was 15 pounds, and I like having those few extra pounds to play with, so to speak. I feel so much better now, and I know I will look better in my dress at the wedding. Bottom line, pardon the pun, is that you can give your metabolism a kick in the butt!

The Birds and the Bees

We have a bird nest in one of our new shrubs in the backyard. I wondered why this robin was scolding me every time I walked from the house to the car. Now I see she was protecting her two babies. How alike all mothers are! Does she know that all too soon her babies will leave the nest?

Footloose and Fancy Free

My husband is off on his second annual motorcycle vacation with some friends, so it's just us girls here. Well, and Kirby of course, but he's neutered so I suppose he doesn't count. When I'm not working on things for our business, I've been working on my book proposal, scanning photos for my son's rehearsal dinner slide show and thinking about a quilt design for his wedding quilt. I want to have all the guests sign a square of muslin and then put them all into a quilt. Now the question is, can I get all of this done in less than five weeks?