Gotta Love Dennis Miller

Dennis Miller Radio: Videos - Video: Miller in the No-Spin Zone

Thank you for your support Mr. President!

We all have heard Korean singer Psy's song "Gangnam Style" I've heard it. I like it. It's catchy. But how many of us know what he sang about before? He was a rapper who espoused the killing of American Soldiers and their families. Here is a sample of his lyrics:

"Kill those f...ing Yankees who have been torturing Iraqi captives. Kill those f...ing Yankees who ordered them to torture. Kill their daughters, mothers, daughters-in-law and fathers. Kill them all slowly and painfully."

As the wife and mother of a soldier, I am deeply offended. Not just because of what he sang about. I can handle stupid people saying nasty things. What I am truly offended about is that our President, yes, the President of the United States of America, the Commander in Chief of the same soldiers PSY sang of killing, met with this guy. He met with him after a performance in Washington on Sunday at the Christmas in Washington concert. Not only did the President watch him sing, but he met with him after the performance and shook his hand. He introduced his daughters to this man.

Rappers have long been known for lyrics that offend, degrade and glorify crappy lifestyles. But this is a little different. This guy actually sang, many times that American servicemen and women and their families should be killed. He apologized right before the concert. I won't question the sincerity of the apology. I don't really care how he feels. I care about our country and the men and women who spend their lives protecting it. I care about a country led by a man who doesn't seem to care. He knew a couple of days before the concert about the past of this singer and his incredibly offensive song. As president he could have easily asked the concert directors to uninvited PSY. But he did not. He sat and listened, enjoyed himself and then met with the guy!

The president of the United States of America should hold people to a higher standard, especially people he meets in public.

I can only speak for me. But I'll bet there are thousands of American military who feel the same way. Thanks for the support Mr. President!

Fine dining without the fat and calories!

Recipes from Skinnytaste.com

Crock pot Santa Fe Chicken... Making this for dinner. In the crockpot now. The house smells soooo good.

Dark chocolate and mint chip clouds... Made these for dessert.

Self Portrait

I've been taking a class at the local Junior College...the principals of Photography I. I'm loving it. But what I really have learned is how much I don't know! A common phrase around here is I have achieved a "higher level of ignorance". When you know a little about a subject matter, you may feel like you know actually quite a bit. BUT...(there's always a big BUT), when you begin to really learn how much information is out there, as opposed to how much you really know...well, let's just say it's a long process. I'm committed to photography II, III, IV. It may be a couple of years before I feel like I can take a good photo. In the meanwhile, I'm having so much fun taking photos and using different settings, actually understanding my camera... This is what I have been playing with today. Large aperture, shallow depth of field, low light...

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas...

Kitchen cabinet redo Before and After

Before

After

Before

After

Kitchen cabinet redo...DONE!!!!!!

We did it! Yeah! It's finally finished. We got all the cabinets hung, hardware on. I love it! The project took longer than we had anticipated. But I thought that might happen. I've lived long enough to know that everything takes longer and costs more than originally planned. It also was not as difficult as I thought it might be. Tedious, for sure. But not difficult. I'm taking a break for a couple of weeks and then I'll paint the woodwork in the adjoining family room. I'm already excited to see the whole space finished. We have been looking at grays for the wall color. Our home is very beige /neutral. I'm kind of tired of beige and tans. The kitchen has by far the most woodwork/cabinets than any other room in the house. We have also learned a lot during the kitchen redo. So the next rooms should be easy peasy... Painting the hardware.

Here's the finished project.

Fall beauty

Had to take a break from painting (on my last coat!) The Autumn Blaze Maple tree in our backyard reminded me to stop and smell the roses. Or in this case stop and admire the beauty that Fall brings. Gorgeous day here, about 80, sunny , beautiful bluest of blue skies. Enjoy...

kitchen cabinet redo, day 10

Just finished the 3rd coat of paint on the inside woodwork. The doors in the garage have 2 coats on the back and 1 on the front. Tomorrow I will try to do 2 more coats on the front side and then...DONE!!!!! The inside looks great. I'm very happy with the look. The only problem is that the new paint makes the walls look awful! I knew that would happen. We plan on painting the walls as well. The kitchen is open to the family room and there is oak wood trim and cabinets in there as well. So that is the next project. I might take a couple of weeks off painting duty before I tackle those. When all the oak is painted then we will paint the walls. Right now we are thinking of a warm grey. We'll see...

Been painting all day...you can see my celebratory glass of wine awaits...

Kitchen cabinet redo, day 47. (seems like it, anyway)

Actually it's day 8. Just finished up the last of the priming on the doors in the garage. I've painted 1 coat of the semi-gloss on the inside woodwork. We changed our minds on the color. the "creme fraiche" looked a little too creamy, antiquish...So we went with White Dove by Benjamine Moore. Looks just like I had imagined it should. I know I will be happy with the finished product, but right now, I'm tired of it all. [See, I told you I would whine!] I'm tired of painting. Seems like there is never an entire day where I can just put on my painting duds and work until it's done. Every day this week there has been one thing or another that interrupted progress. All of it, my own choosing, but that would mean I have to blame myself... Anyway, just popped in from the garage and now will put coat #2 on the inside. Hopefully by Monday afternoon, all painting will have been completed. That's the goal.

Day 5 ????

This is the dining room. Where we are keeping everything from the kitchen drawers and countertops and the cupboards that we removed. There's stuff all over the floor as well. This is the stuff that you don't see on blogs. We always see the before and after. Seems like magic! That's why I am writing about this project. There's a lot of ugly in between!

First coat of primer on one side of every door and drawer.

Kitchen cabinet redo day 2

Yesterday we successfully removed the upper cabinets over the breakfast bar. I washed all the cabinets with TSP, then rinsed them all. Today I sanded them lightly and wiped them down with a tack cloth. I am really getting to know my cabinets! I use the word "all" lightly as I have only done these steps with the wood work inside. All the doors are still in the garage untouched. My plan was to clean, rinse and sand them this morning after church...but it was freezing in the garage today! I decided to work inside instead. Tomorrow's weather is supposed to be warmer, so I'll work on the doors then. I applied the 1st coat of primer today in the kitchen. I can sort of get an idea of what my kitchen will look like with painted cabinets and I love it! So far so good...

No more upper cabinet! Yeah!

All sanded and ready for primer...

1st coat of primer.

Kitchen cabinet redo, day 1

Creme Fraiche is the color we have decided to go with. Just a touch of grey to go with the counter and backsplash. Yet is will look "white". I took some "before" pictures...

So much oak...I know it will look awesome with painted cabinets. Then the hardwood flooring will pop! We decided last night, after choosing which white to go with, to remove the upper cabinets over the breakfast bar counter that separates the kitchen from the family room. We have talked about this before as well, but we are just chickens when it comes to actually tearing out stuff. We decided to be bold and go for it. Always with the knowledge that the handyman's phone number is on the fridge just in case... So far we have removed the doors and shelves as well as the trim. It seems to be all one piece, so we will have to cut it before we remove the screws holding it to the ceiling. Bede is at the hardware store as I write looking for a saw to take care of this. I have already been there to purchase a little trim crow bar to remove the wood trim in a way that we can use it again if needed. I told the guy there what we were doing and promised we would see him again soon! I'm sure we'll be BFFs by the time we are through!

Painting the cabinets and trim...

And so it begins. I have been thinking for a few years about painting the wood trim and kitchen cabinets in our home. Because we have lots, I mean lots of wood trim, I have been unready to make the commitment. No longer! This summer we visited Jody and Mike in Ca. They have painted their kitchen cabinets and oak trim in the adjoining family room. It looks great! Even after we returned home, I still just "thought" about it. I know I will hate myself, I know I will complain, whine, wish I had never started the project. I know this because I have a short attention span. I'm great at short jobs, I like immediate, or at least quick gratification. I know this will not be quick, will not be easy, will not be fun. I also know that I really want the oak painted. Our home is 25 years old. Totally 80's. That's great if you're watching MTV, but not so great in the kitchen. We've updated bathrooms, added granite countertops, new sink, new paint, etc. But the oak keeps it 80's. So I commit! The painting shall begin. Today I went to the paint store and browsed whites. There must be 2000 whites! I picked a few that I thought might be good. Check it out...

Really! I laughed out loud when I saw them in the kitchen! Does it really matter? NO! Any one of them will be fine, as they are all almost identical. Swiss Coffee, Dove White, Marble white, Fresh cotton, White light, Clean white, Creme Fraiche. I probably will just ennie meenie minee moe it. I'm sure not going to agonize over which of these colors will work. I'll show Bede tonight and ask him to choose his favorite... Then I'll tell him I like the "white one". Hopefully this weekend I will get the cabinets cleaned and prepped for painting. Wish me luck...I'm going in!

Passing the BUCK

Our 33rd President was a Democrat. Harry S. Truman. He famously had a sign on his desk that said, "The Buck Stops Here". This was meant to tell the nation, to tell the wold, that no matter what came before him, as president, he was responsible for the present. I write this because in the past 2 or 3 days I have heard nothing from the Democrat pundits but the name George Bush. He evidently is responsible for all the ills Pres. Obama has had to deal with for the past 4 years. Pres. Obama did not "inherit" these problems. He wanted to be president, he campaigned to be president. He knew there were problems, but he told us he was the man for the job. He could fix things...He could change things...Well, how's that change working for you? He is the polar opposite of Harry S. Truman. Pres. Obama takes no responsibility for the mess we are in. Bush did leave the US with a sizable debt. But it has grown exponentially under the presidency of Barak Obama. He takes no responsibility. He continues to blame George Bush for everything. He has held the presidency for 4 years. We are deeper in debt. Unemployment is still very high. Our lives as Americans are NO BETTER then they were 4 years ago. Yet he still blames Bush. Man up Mr. President! You are President of the greatest country in the world. You have done nothing to fulfill the promises you made to be elected. I want a president who will take charge and also take responsibility. You have had your chance. Next...

Margot Lou

Happy Anniversary

34 years ago today I married my high school sweetheart. He's still my sweetheart today. On the 1st day of school, our sophomore year, there he was assigned to the locker next to mine. The rest is history! I remember how my heart would flutter when I saw him. He still makes it flutter today. 34 years, 3 great kids, a beautiful grand baby, a son-in law, a daughter-in-law and a soon to be daughter-in-law. Lots of homes in many places, thanks to the US Army. Always the constant love and support from my sweetheart. Thanks Bede for the most wonderful life! I am the luckiest woman in the world!

Cuteness

Found this adorable photo holder at St. Louise Thrift Store. Knew when I saw it, it would look fabulous with pictures of my grand baby! Love it, LOVE her!!!

Tailgate shopping

Nothing says Summer in Nebraska like sweet corn. Sometime around the beginning of July, pick up trucks with their beds heaped high with fresh sweet corn begin showing up in Lincoln. They park in parking lots all over the city. Everyone has their "favorite"truck.... On the way home from work just pull up and buy the sweetest, freshest corn on the planet. Grilled talapia and sweet corn tonight!

Desk organization...still working on it!

My new desk is in the living room. By choice. We have several rooms that could be used as a dedicated office, but I don't like being away from the "action". Not that there is much of that happening here at the old homestead, but I do like being on the main level and love looking out the windows while I work. That being said, I do want the work area to look neat and attractive while still being functional. I want family photos on the desk, but just don't have the space for several frames. Solution: Ball jars. These were left over from wedding decorations and I'm using them as pen, office supply holders. By cutting a few photos to the proper size and inserting them into the jars, I now have photos and organization in one.

And...because that just wasn't enough, I tucked a few photos into the shade of my lamp. This was a super thrift store find. Now I am surrounded by the people I love while I work.

Hot!

Officially 104, a cool 100 on the shady front porch. Somebody bring me a fan and a mint julep.