Things to Think About on Thursday

Family TREE 

SUPER INTERESTING

For each of us to be born we need:

2 Parents

4 Grandparents

8 Great-grandparents

16 Great-Great grandparents

32 Great-great great-grandparents

Okay, you can stop here as you get the idea. But if you want to continue, it's mind-boggling and too much for my brain to comprehend. I don't even know these words.

64 Pentagrandparents

128 Hex-grandparents

256 Heptagrandparents

512 Octagrandparents

1024 Grandparents

2048 Decabuelos

Just the total of the last 11 generations, it took 4,094 ANCESTRALS, all of this in approximately 300 years before we were born!

Stop for a moment and think...

Where did they come from?

How many fights have they fought?

How much hunger have they gone through?

How many wars have they experienced?

How many things did our ancestors survive?

On the other hand, how much love, strength, joy and encouragement did they bequeath us?

How much of their strength to survive, each one of them had and left within us so that we are alive today.

Pretty crazy to think of it like this. So much to comprehend---and we just go about our lives living and not really thinking--ever--what it took to get here. 

I'm very grateful to all of my ancestors for producing this pretty lucky gal! 

What I Buy Wednesday

This week is about food. Prior to our trip, we were trying to think about what the cuisine of Holland and Belgium was. The only thing we came up with was waffles and chocolates. Well, yes they have those things, but so much more! I didn't know about the beer. Apparently beer is really big here too. But, not for me.

Okay, once again, my pictures are not cooperating. So in no particular order:

We had happy hour on the boat every day. I tried a cosmo--not great, a Pina colada--terrible, an extra dirty martini--passable. But, I was mostly happy to be able to order iced tea at lunch and dinner. Of course, they didn't have Equal, but that's okay, because I bring my own. Well, most of the time. I'll settle for Splenda if I have to, but don't like the after taste.

I'm going to try a lemon drop martini. Steph had a couple of those and liked them.

When we were in Bruges, Belgium, Nicky found the BEST restaurant--Gastro. We got the local fare: mussels in a garlic cream sauce, French fries and the Flemish stew. OMGosh! The best meal so far.

Look at the size of those mussel pots! They were brimming! Did you know that French fries were invented in the Netherlands? They are called "French" fries because of the French influence at the time. They are fried partially, removed, cooled and then refried just before serving to have a crunchy outside while having a soft center. They really were "out of this world." They come with every dish. Butch and Nicky got the mussels while Stephanie and I had the stew. That was so good too. It reminded me of beef burginoine (and I have no idea how to spell that). It was tender with a thick, flavorful gravy--and, of course, served with fries. We couldn't make a dent in these big bowls. Oh and they serve the fries with mayonnaise rather than ketchup. You can ask for ketchup, but we just went with the local way. Personally, they were great just plain. I don't need to be adding the extra calories of mayonnaise---that's for sure!

Local beer.

Our tour guide treated us to some Belgian chocolates. So so good! We bought a few to have later. 

And then we had to have the Belgian waffles. That's what Stephanie and Nicky got--pretty much exactly what we're used to. 

Instead, Butch and I opted for the traditional Brussels waffles.

They were thin and crispy--we chose chocolate and bananas as our topping. They were delicious, but I'm still a pancake girl. These were fun and great for a dessert, but I'll stick with pancakes for breakfast--with pecans please!

Then, yesterday, we tasted and bought some incredible gouda cheese. I didn't realize that that cheese was from here too. I bought several types, smoked, chili and truffle--some for gifts. Really good and great prices. You know how expensive cheese is!! 

Well, there you have it. So far, I've only bought food. I'll probably get some chocolates because, well it's chocolate. I cannot resist chocolate!!

Oh, yeah, I forgot to mention one thing. Yesterday, our tour guide shared some licorice (black) with us. I can't remember what she called it. I tried it because I always want to try local stuff. I still didn't like it! But it did make me think of my mother who loved black licorice. I won't be buying any of that!

Travel Tuesday

I'm not going to bore you with regular details of our trip. Instead, I'm going to bore you with the unusual stuff.

1. We were an hour late getting to Amsterdam because in Atlanta, some people had to be removed from out flight. We have no idea what it was all about as we were not aware of any disruption or medical emergency. Nor did police or security come on board. They just made an announcement that they had to get the luggage of the people leaving the plane. Hunting for it through the luggage of 250+ people took some time. Then, they--3 people--were escorted off the plane by the flight attendants. I wish we knew what that was all about. I'm nosy like that. It took an hour. Many, many passengers missed their connecting flights in Amsterdam. Lucky for us it was our destination.

2. There was some confusion amongst us as to what countries comprised The Netherlands. Actually, the correct term is called The Kingdom of the Netherlands which is made up of 4 countries: 1. The Netherlands has 12 provinces which includes North Holland and South Holland. The other countries are 2. Curacao,  3. St. Maartens and 4. Aruba. Okay, now that we have that cleared up, let's move on.

3. The Netherlands has the most bikes of anywhere in the world! I have never seen so many bikes in all my life. Turns out, there are 1.8 bikes per person here--881,000 while there are only 200,000 cars. On average, only 19% of the population use their cars on a daily basis. Holy smokes! Our tour guide said that leaving your bike is just like leaving your car in East St. Louis. When you get back, it's either been stolen or the tires removed! Even if the bike is locked, things will be stolen besides the tires--seats, handlebars, etc. He said that if you are lucky, you can find your bike or parts at the local flea market! Okay, I made that part up about East St. Louis, but knew that anyone who has seen Vacation with Chevy Chase, OR lives in St. Louis will know exactly what I mean! A few more interesting bike facts in Amsterdam:

    A. the German occupation in 1940 started, Amsterdam cyclists purposely slowed up convoys and refused to give way to German vehicles.

   B. There are 477 miles of bike paths in Amsterdam.

   C. Amsterdam has the largest museum in the country and you can ride your bike through it!

   D. 75% of the people still ride their bikes in the snow.

   E. 100,000 of the bikes are stolen every year.

   F. 15,000 bikes wind up in the canals every year. They are either stolen and tossed or acts of vandalism. I'm sure teens think it's funny to toss someone's bike in the water. The government organizes a clean-up day each year to fish out all the bikes.

   G. No one--including kids wear helmets while on a bike. We saw so many kids propped on the bike with their parents--even babies without proper seats. Bikers are respected and given the right of way, so there are fewer fatalities. Children here are taught road safety from the age of 5.

4. This city has the most unusual architecture I've ever seen. The ducks are huge--more like the bodies of Canadian geese. Their legs are longer too. We saw one standing on one leg. I didn't know ducks did that. 

5. They have boats with bars on them. I guess they are party boats. In Nashville, there are party buses, party hot tubs, all kinds of moving bars and pedal taverns. If we had canals downtown, there would be floating bars too!

Okay, that's it for now.

   

Me On Monday

Just thought I would give you a sink update. 

The guys started installing it on Friday. It took three guys. When they arrived, Wilder---guy in charge called Christy and wanted to know exactly why we were replacing it. ALL the guys thought it looked fine! The fact that one sink was completely dull compared to the other two didn't bother them at all! When I told Butch about that, he said, "Yeah, I didn't know why you were changing it out either. This is going to cost a fortune!"  

Well, maybe--a fortune--we'll see. I was wondering how they were going to do it. They ended up taking out the dishwasher and removing the cabinet doors and drawers. Christy said they worked on it all day Friday and were exhausted because it was a beast to get out! Oh and they had to replace all the drains because they could not use the old ones. At least they'll be all shiny and new too. Now that I think about it, it must have taken 4 guys because who is taking the picture? He must be the granite guy. Christy said he was coming to make sure the granite wasn't damaged. 

All I can say is Butch knows me. You cannot put a price on my sanity!! Good thing he loves me! I think I push him to the limit sometimes.

Update:

Since I typed this post, Christy got back to me about a few other things. The guy taking the picture is the plumber! I forgot about the plumber. Turns out, all of our shut-off valves were old and one was leaking, so Christy had them update them all. Also, when they pulled out the dishwasher, it was obvious that there have been mice under there---many. She had her guys seal everything to the nth degree. She told them she didn't care what it looked like, just make sure no mice can get in. I thanked her for having my back and authorized her to do anything she thinks necessary. She knows me very well!

Something for Sunday

You are not going to believe what happened! 

Remember my "What I Didn't Buy Wednesday" post about my "non-buyers" remorse over these? Well, I couldn't wait until Wednesday for an update.

You know that saying "good things come to those who wait?" It's true. As it turns out, my BFF's daughter contacted me.

That little girlie on the left is Malinda---Steph's childhood BFF. She texted me after reading my post and said that Cole Haan is one of her clients and she could get the shoes for me with a 40% off discount! She handled everything. When it was all said and done, I Venmo'd her $63.57. Can you believe it? At that price, I HAD to buy them. It would have been foolish not to. I mean, come on. That's a bargain not to be missed. Deals like this don't come along everyday. It's amazing! I am one lucky gal. And, it helps to know people in high places! Thanks Malinda!! I owe ya' one! Oh and did I mention that she is going to deliver? All the way from Atlanta! I can't wait. I'm going to put them on right away and do a happy dance right in front of her!

Maybe I'm starting to believe that bit about putting what you want out there in the universe and it will come to you. That's a little "new wavy" for me, but I'm really starting to believe it. I was meant to have these shoes!! 

Now if I can only wish myself to be a sewing machine expert! I'll let you know how that turns out!!

Scrapbook Saturday

Our AYM word for this month was "cups." These girls have gotten so good with coming up with great ideas. 

Nancy's layout.

Karolyn's layout.

Pam's layout.

Susan's layout.

Jeanne's layout.

Janet's layout.

My layout.

And now for some of my scrapbook frustrations. There are always frustrating parts of scrapbooking. For example, I cut a title on my Cricut. Then, I decided to see if Janet would like me to cut one for her. I did---and it was the wrong size! I forgot that I had changed it. The frustrating part about it was that it was the last of the gold that I had! Sheesh! 

Then, on Wednesday before our trip, I decided to get my "grid" ready for this month's AYM. Now, I am not a pro at using my sewing machine. So, I was really surprised when it came out perfect--at least the first page. I had to change the thread--sounds easy if you know what you are doing, but I don't. Still I got the new thread in. Then I adjusted the stitch and was happy 

It came out perfect!

Don't be fooled, my lines are just about perfectly straight despite how they look here. But when  I was pulling the thread to cut, I noticed that the bobbin thread was really tight. I decided to take out the bobbin. I unwound the tight thread until it pulled freely. I put the bobbin back in and started sewing the second page. This happened:

What? This looks like some sort of heart monitor test. I looked on the back, and it was the zigzag. So I figured that somehow I was sewing upside down. Okay, then I'll just keep going because I can turn the page over. 

So, I finished the line, but when I turned it over, this is what it looked like.

This is crap. I have no idea what went wrong. I guess I put the bobbin back in wrong. I don't have time to deal with it before our trip. But, now, it's going to bother me the whole time I'm on the trip. I don't like it when things are right. It's so darn frustrating!

Update:

I found myself with an extra hour the day we were to leave since Butch told me the wrong time. So, I went back to the sewing machine because this is going to mess with my trip. I don't like things hanging over my head. 

I took the bobbin out and turned it around. That didn't work. I took it out again and turned it around. Still doesn't work. I had to leave it. 

When I get home, I'll ask Karolyn--my sewing expert--to come over. I just hope I haven't screwed it up royally. It will cost me $100 to take it in. Considering I only paid $75 new, that doesn't seem worth it! But, I sure do like how the stitching looks on the page.

Stay tuned....

Friday Frustratioins and Friday Funnies

The saga of the sink continues!

So, I told you about Christy being a miracle worker. She has gotten us a new sink. The delivery company called me last week and I set up the delivery for this past Monday. Someone has to be there to accept and sign for the delivery from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. I asked if they would put the delivery in the garage. The woman said that it wasn't set up to be an inside delivery. The sink is cast iron and 165 lbs. She said that putting it in the garage would be at the discretion of the driver. They would give me a call one hour prior to arrival. So, you really had to sit around and wait. Well that doesn't work for me! I got Butch to agree as I had a bridge date. 

About 11 a.m. I got the call and texted Butch that the sink would arrive in an hour. Around 1:30, I got this text from him:

"This is total b******t! They dropped it off at the end of the driveway! I can barely move it. It's clear they had a forklift because it's on a pallet! They could easily have brought it up the driveway!" He sent this picture with it:

If you know Butch, you know that he rarely uses foul language. But I don't blame him for being mad. He noticed it when he went out to get the mail. Not only did the delivery guys not alert him that they were there, they didn't get a signature either. How lazy can they be!

Now here I am, trying to concentrate on bridge when this drama is unfolding at home! When I got there later, the sink was gone. It was at the top of the driveway. I asked Butch what happened. He said that he put a rope around the pallet and drug it up the driveway inch by inch himself! I wasn't happy that he did it because he doesn't need to hurt his back. Instead, it was his golfer's arm that is already hurting all the time that took the brunt of it. 

I let Christy know that it was here, but not inside. Luckily, it's a sink, so water won't hurt it--due to expected rain. It's being installed on Friday. Thank goodness we won't be here. These kinds of things make me nervous. The granite guys are going to be here too. There's too much that can go wrong. Luckily we'll be having fun on our trip.  I have no idea how they're going to do it. It's going to require removing some wood and painting when they put it back. The area to work is so small and the sink is so heavy. We'll see. Hopefully we'll come home to a new shiny sink.

So, I cannot leave you with only a frustration. Here are some funnies for your pleasure!

THie one's for Jack!