Rainy morning in Columbus

 

 

 

 

 

This picture is about what downtown Columbus looks like today.  Rainy.
 

I ended up not going to Buckeye Outdoors on Saturday.  Marco and I rode the cycle there yesterday.  Scott showed us around, and all I actually got was a holster for my Smith & Wesson.  It has clips, and it can be clipped to the inside or outside of a waistband.  Doesn't need to be looped thru a belt.  But the store is amazing.  Glad we finally got to stop by and see it.  We ate at Roosters, and then just enjoyed the rest of the day. 

 

 

Marco and I did decided again to cut back on eating.  I made a Meijer run, and loaded up on a lot of produce and lowfat stuff.  We are growing tomatoes and peppers in containers on the deck, and they are doing good.  Peppers are ready; I cut up one - a Hungarian sweet pepper - for my birds yesterday.  They love peppers.  The tomatoes are obviously still green, but I'm surprised how big they are getting for mid-June.  I've also been sprouting for quite a while.  I add the sprouts to the birds "chop" too.  Here's a picture of today's sprouts ~ mung beans.  They are great on salads:

 

 

 

 

When "going on a diet" again....I always try to remember that there are many other aspects to each of us beside what we look like.  Maybe a bit of a cliché, but still true:  body, mind and spirit.  Maybe it's better to put these in reverse order of importance:  spirit, mind and body. 

When we were younger and all the kids were still at home, it was fun, but crazy.  Especially when the kids became teenagers, got cars, then got jobs and still had scads of friends over all the time.  At times, it was like a merry-go-round....spinning faster and faster.  We were all so busy all the time. Now of course it's easier, but on many days, it's still one thing after another.  I don't even sit down.  So "going on a diet" is going to be several things for me......among them, finding some down time.  Probably one of the many reasons I started blogging again.  Like writing in a diary.  And it is done sitting down. 

So folks.....try to stay dry today, and here's my quote for the day:

 

Happy Birthday Trent

Today is grandson Trent's 17th birthday.  I looked thru my pictures and cannot find a picture of Trent by himself, so I'll use one with his beautiful sister Kelcie (ignore the duckface) in it.  In looking at all my pictures, it's hard to find a picture of any of the grandkids by themselves, so I know what I'll be doing each time I see them this summer. Trent is a great student and athlete, and this summer he's going to be working.  And of course, he's been driving for a year now.......a really good kid.  Have a great day today Trent.

I was having coffee on the deck and thinking about all the kids growing up, and of course....driving.  I remember I got my drivers license at 16, but I never got a car until after I was married.  I went to OSU for my freshman year, and my dad drove me up to campus each day.  After classes, I took the bus downtown to Lazarus where I worked 4 hours a day in the toy department.  Then I took the Livingston Avenue bus out to Barnett Road and walked about 4 blocks home.  Can you imagine doing that today?  I don't think so.  Just another example how times have changed.  I haven't been on a bus for years....and can't say I miss it.

Today I'm driving over to Newark to the Ohio Valley Outdoor Store where my son works a second job.  I have a Smith & Wesson Model 36 revolver and the only carry I have for it is a purse with a built-in holster.  With niece Jennifer having a large property now where we can all shoot, I really don't want to carry a purse out to shoot.  Hope I'm not the only grandma in the gun department trying on holsters. 

That's about it for the day ~ gotta get rolling; thanks for visiting.

 

Has it really been 4 years?

I've had several requests by family members to start up my blog again.  And like I said on Facebook, I use the word "blog" loosely.  I subscribe to a handful of what I consider real blogs.  Mine isn't one of those.  But I'll try to gather information about all the family members and post it here as a reference or gathering point for those family members who are interested.  I also stick in my "quote for the day" .... I'm a nut for quotes.....I may even stick in a cool recipe..... 

And it does amaze me that it's been 4 years since I posted anything.  I wasn't even sure if the old blog was still here, but it is.  We've had one new member of my immediate family.....grandson Vincent Bradley Miller.  He was expected, but not actually here yet when I stopped posting.  We also lost my mother, called Miss Jean by the great grandkids.  She passed away on December 13, 2010, after an awful time with double viral pneumonia.  Up until she became ill, she was a ball of fire, always rarin' to go.  She and Betty White were only a few weeks apart in age, and she was much like Betty.  She was 88, and we miss her and Mr. Jack............glad they are together now............they were true soul mates.  I have more to share about them later......

Marco and I are doing well for old folks.  We still live in the same house, and have the same pets.  We did lose one parrot ~ our African Grey MaggyMay, who died of heart failure in November of 2011 at the age of 24.  And, we still have the same cars.  Our 14 year old Lexus is still going strong.  And our 7 year old Trailblazer is too.  No car payments forever.  That's cool.  But our health is great, and we are very thankful for that. 

Marco has started his own insurance agency ~ Marco Miller Insurance.  He's an independent agent, and has actually only been in business for about 2 months, but it is going very well.  More about that later.

I'm going to wrap this up today, and start fresh tomorrow.  I'll be hitting everyone up for information, and I'm sending a special hug to my cousin MaryAnn who is a big family supporter, and always read my old blogs......

Smooches to all ~
Barb

It's a boy-to-be

I'm posting another pic from Ava's baptism because I don't have a pic of just Todd & Aubrey alone on this computer, and I want to get a post done this evening. So.....that's Todd & Aubrey between Papaw Marco and me. They are expecting a new Miller around mid-December, and they just found out it's a boy. Suffice to say, Todd and Papaw Marco and very happy. And actually, Todd and I both thought it would be another girl, and Papaw and Aubrey thought is would be a boy. Right now we have 5 girls and 5 boys, and this new boy will tip the scales to the "guys". All the other kids - Scott, Amy, and Brad, have 3 kids each, so Todd may try to keep up the all his older bros and sis, and have a 3rd. We'll see. Todd is almost 38, so he can't wait too long if he doesn't want to be the oldest dad in his kids graduating class. LOL

No other good news ~ it was 90 here today and muggy, so I didn't even venture out.

More later! Smooches . . . . Grandma Barb

A baptism in the family

Sunday was a fun day in the family, as granddaughter Ava Maria was baptized at St. Elizabeth's Church. Todd and Aubrey live in Raleigh, and they wanted to do the baptism here at home where everyone could attend. They were here the last time at Christmas, when Ava was just a year old, but the church doesn't do baptisms during the Christmas holidays, so they had to put it off till this visit. Ava is now 18 months old, but she did real good. Here's one of the pics: Brad, Todd, Aubrey with Ava, me and Marco. We loved the priest - I can't recall his name - but he conducted a real nice service. We had a great party afterward at Aubrey's sisters house in Clintonville. Amanda is Ava's godmother, and Brad is Ava's godfather. This was a new experience for Brad, and he was honored that Todd and Aubrey asked him. Also, Todd and Aubrey will make us grandparents for the 11th time around mid-December. We are all hoping for a boy. Like all visits, it ended too soon, and with the new baby due just before Christmas, we're not sure when we'll be seeing Todd and family again. :-(

So....that's it for today....more news and pics soon.

Smooches!

A milestone tonight

Congratulations are in order for Miss Kayla, our 18 year old granddaughter. She graduates from high school this evening. Reynoldsburg holds it's ceremonies at the Schottenstein Center up on the O.S.U. campus, so we'll be making a road trip up there. I'm using my laptop, and I don't have the grandkids pictures on this one, and can't post a pic of Kayla. She is working at Kroger this summer, and heading to O.S.U. Newark Branch in the fall. Good job Kayla!! And best wishes to Scott and Jackie too!

We had lunch with Todd, Aubrey and Ava today. Ava's christening is Sunday, and they are in town all this week. Ava has grown so much, and is a sweetheart, and a little lady. Polite and well behaved. Aubrey is 10 weeks pregnant, but you'd never know it yet. Needless to say, T-Bone wants a boy, but is thinking this one will be a girl too. I agree. Marco and Aubrey and thinking it's a boy. We'll let you know when they find out at the end of the month.

That's really all for today. I need to clean up my birds room and do a quick load of laundry before we head out for the ceremony. Luckily, it's a beautiful day.

More later, smooches, Grandma Barb

Remember me??

Despite many good intentions, it's been over 6 months since I've taken the time to write anything. Shame on me. However, it's not totally my fault. Some of it is beyond my control. I have an old "Fortune Telling Birthday Book" from the 1930's and part of my "fortune" is: "although you plan many things, you tire quickly and drop them before completion." Yep, that's me. It's in the stars that I'm a slacker.

That aside, about 3 dozen things are "new" since my last post, but I'm not going to try to enumerate them. The nice picture above is from Marco's 60th birthday party, and the people in the pic are all relatives on his mother's side of the family. Midgie, Mildred, Teri, Joey, me, Marco and Betty and Maryann in the front row. All lovely people. Almost 100 people attended the party, and it was loads of fun.

Marco and I and all the kids, grandkids and pets are doing good. Granddaughter Kayla graduates from high school tomorrow, and will be going to Ohio State for college. School is out either today or tomorrow for all the school-age children. And Todd and Aubrey are expecting another baby at Christmas, bringing the total to 11. So far.

I am finally going to an orthopedic surgeon to get an opinion on my knee. I think it will be needing replaced, and soon. I don't think the doc will disagree.

My sister-in-law, Connie, has retired recently, and I wish her a happy and long retirement. She's a very nice gal.

Miss Jean is doing pretty good. She stated that she gets around better than I do, and some days, she's right. I'm limping around like granny grunt.

The birdies and doggies are doing fine. Poor Dusty, the 7 year old, had to have a lot of extractions when he got his teeth cleaned last time. I just don't remember any of our pets, when we were kids, having so many medical bills for stuff like teeth cleaning. Dusty's set us back over $500. That's awful.

This is a good beginning. Don't want to tire myself the first thing out of the gate. But check in often, I promise to be back with more exciting stuff from my life.

SMOOCHES!!