Karen

Yet Another Trip To Flagstaff

I have another doctor appointment in Flagstaff today. I am hoping they take out the rest of my stitches, and that they allow at least a month until the next appointment. While I love the beautiful scenery along the way from the North Rim of the Grand Canyon to the city of Flagstaff, right now, by the time we get to our destination, I am worn out from the bumpy, roller coaster ride on Hwy 89A and Hwy 89. I’d really love to be going somewhere else to see other beautiful sights.

hwy 67 near the admin office at the north rim — Leaving the North Rim

Our trip was uneventful, just me and Fabgrandpa in the truck, headed towards Flagstaff. Here are some photos from along the drive, Hwy 89A to Hwy 89.

hwy 89a near cliff dwellers — Rain in the desert

Marble Canyon storm — An enormous storm across the desert to the south of us.

hwy 89 south towards flagstaff — I love these unusual formations along Hwy 89. They take on different colors and look different every time I see them.

clouds in arizona — What a great cloud formation!

little colorado river at Cameron, arizona — It is unusual for us to see water in the Little Colorado River at Cameron, Arizona

hwy 89 near Cameron arizona — The San Francisco Peaks off in the distance means we are almost to Flagstaff

sunrise in flagstaff arizona — Sunrise in Flagstaff. This was taken out the window of our hotel. Quite a lovely way to start the day.

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Time For A Vacation

Karen · Leave a Comment

About this time of the year, I start dreaming about taking a vacation. I think about all the places I would like to go, and usually Hawaii vacations are on that list. I dream about the sandy beaches, the Hawaiin girls doing a hula dance, the catamarans gliding over the water. Oh, and a luau would be mandatory.

If I could take a vacation to Hawaii, to get away from it all, I’d be sure to go to Pearl Harbor to see the memorial there. If I wasn’t such a big chicken, I’d go parasailing or snorkeling. I’d love to see all those colorful tropical fish in their natural habitat.

Oh, and could you imagine taking a helicopter, flying over Haleakala National Park & Summit, Hana rainforest, the rugged North Shore coastline, plus the island of Molokai with its 4000-foot cliffs? All that gorgeous landscape would be so amazing to see from the air!

I would not want to miss a whale watch tour. Seeing those magnificent humpback whales would be such an awesome sight. I have also heard that you can take a Manta Ray tour. Not that I would want to be in the water with them, but since they have no stingers, they would be able to sting me!

With all there is to do in Hawaii, it would be hard to find time to just sit on the beach and relax. I’d have to take a vacation to get over my vacation for sure!

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Just Another Day With Fabgrandma

Karen · 3 Comments

2012-7-13 north rim grand canyon — Out the kitchen window. Transept Canyon

I am not usually superstitious, and that includes being superstitious about Friday the 13th. It’s just another day around my house. I got up, ate a bowl of cereal and drank my Miralax/Tang concoction. I got online and checked my email and Facebook, read some blogs. Just the same old stuff I always do.

stormy sky — The storm is over but the sky is still angry

In the afternoon, I changed the dressing on my incision, and took a long nap. I was awakened by hail hitting the roof of the trailer. It has been a very dry year here at the North Rim, and I have been worried about the possibility of a wildfire. We really needed the rain (and hail) we got here today. About an hour later, thunder shook the trailer and woke me up again! Then the rain poured out of the sky. It was a really good day for the life giving rain here.

ponderosa pines and aspens — This view of the aspens across the street is always interesting to me.

Dinner was warmed over home made chili from last night. I added a bit of colby cheese to mine, just for a different flavor. A snack sized Butterfinger candy bar rounded out the meal.

I took a short walk outside, just to get some fresh air, and discovered it was really chilly out there. I got some nice pics of the stormy sky at sunset, along with this shot of the aspen right outside my door. The aspen bark is white, with black spots here and there. To me, it is an awesome tree.

aspen bark — I love the aspens. This one is right outside my door. So close, in fact, that we have to be sure to park the trailer a few inches past it so we can open the awning.

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Do You Have Life Insurance?

Karen · Leave a Comment

family 2010 without amelia — We have lots of reasons to have life insurance.

For many years, I haven’t even thought about life insurance. I have always felt like it was for “old” people, certainly not for ME. I wasn’t old enough to have it. However, I have been thinking about life insurance since I was in the hospital for 34 days in May and June.

Ever since then, it has really worried me to think that I do not have an insurance policy that would take care of my final arrangements here on earth, and that because I do not have it, my husband would have one more thing to worry about if something happened to me. Even though I want to be cremated, and that would be far less expensive than a full out funeral, there would still be some expense involved in carrying out my wishes.

Life insurance is not really for the person on whom the policy is written. It is for the people they leave behind, to make their life a bit easier once you are gone. I have started to realize just how important it is to plan ahead and think about those people I love, who will be charged with taking care of my remains. I need to look into lifeinsurance.org.uk to see how hard it would be to buy a life insurance policy. What will it take to get you to consider getting a life insurance policy for yourself?

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I Need To Clean My Carpet

Karen · 1 Comment

We have lived in this RV since December, 2006. In all that time, I have not had our carpet cleaned, except for the area right under our dining table. I did that myself, using a spray carpet cleaner and a brush. Getting down on my hands and knees? That is NOT going to happen again any time soon.

We spent the last winter in Georgia, which is known for red clay soil. That soil sticks to the bottoms of your shoes, and tracks in the house with every step. Now we are in Arizona, at the North Rim, where the soil is sandy shale, with little rocks that get stuck in the crevices of your shoes. Each step through the trailer causes those little rocks to come out and grind into the carpet.

As soon as we get through with our season here at the Grand Canyon, I am going to be looking for a place like this rug cleaning company new york, to have my carpets professionally cleaned. The carper in the bedroom area of the trailer are especially bad. We had a runner at the foot of the bed, but it wouldn’t stay in place. It “walked” or moved, every time we walked on it. So, we put some of that carpet tape on the bottom. It did keep the rug in place, but when we took that rug out, the adhesive from the carpet tape stuck to the carpet, and it looks terrible. I am hoping that a professional carpet cleaning company can get that glue off of the carpet and make it look nice again.

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Shopping With My Granddaughter

Karen · 22 Comments

Sarah, my granddaughter, is 13 and a half. She lives in Tennessee, and I am in Arizona, so going shopping with her is something that just doesn’t happen. Unless, of course, we are both looking at the same website, and chatting on Facebook at the same time.

sarah on facebook — Sarah on Facebook in Tennessee

I was looking at Oasap.com, a site that has some cute clothing. While I can’t wear the styles they offer, I was sure that Sarah would find something she liked. So, I gave her a $40 budget to “go shopping”.

I had asked her if she liked this Blue Pony Laptop Shoulder bag:

oasap pony laptop bag — I thought this was a cute bag

But wow, was I wrong about what I thought she would like. She picked the Glossy Silver Ruffled Shoulder Bag instead:

oasap glossy silver ruffled silver shoulder bag — She’s growing up way faster than I thought!

If you like fun, funky, cute clothing and accessories, check out Oasap.com. They have quite a variety of clothing, bags, shoes, hair accessories, and jewelry at affordable prices. Do you shop with your grandchildren?

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Flowers For Special Occasions

Karen · Leave a Comment

bouquet, flowers by post, flowers — The flowers Fabgrandpa sent me.

For a number of years, all I’ve wanted is to receive a great bunch of flowers from those I love the most. However, I never managed to pluck up the courage to ask them for flowers, as it would spoil the surprise. If I was ever to receive flowers by postas a gift, they would have to come from the heart, as they’re not the same if you ask for them beforehand.

I remember the first time I ever received flowers from my first husband. It was just after I gave birth to my second child. At the time that our first child was born, we didn’t even have enough money for the smallest, most basic bouquet. The flowers given to me by my husband was a dozen red roses. I tried to dry them in order to make them look better, but it didn’t work out.

Another time I remember receiving flowers as a gift was from my boyfriend. This was after my first husband and I divorced, and was an exciting time of my life. The flowers in question were tiny pink rosebuds, and, romantically, were delivered straight to my office in person. I was in awe at receiving them, as they looked incredibly beautiful, while I loved my boyfriend even more than before he gave me them.

The last time I remember receiving flowers was after I went to Washington D.C. in February. I went to the capital city to take care of my granddaughter while my grandson lay in hospital. I thought I would only be there for a week or so, but I was actually there for three weeks. After I finally got home, Fabgrandpa gave me a massive bouquet of flowers. I was so moved by his grand gesture that I was in tears! It made me wonder when you’ll send flowers from Interflora.

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I’m Still Recouperating

Karen · 9 Comments

I am one of those people who Must. Be. Doing. Something. all the time! Right now, I can not do anything, and that is driving me crazy. I want to sew, but I can’t sit at the sewing machine for very long at a time. I also can’t lift the mattress on the bed to get the sewing machine out. And if I could do either of those things, I can’t bend over to pick up things when I drop them, and I drop things a lot when I am sewing. So, I just sit here, bored to tears.

One of the things I CAN do is look at fabric online. I have found the cutest fabrics this week! Just look:

This one is called Jack and Jenny by Laurie Wisbrun. How freaking cute!

I could have so much fun with that fabric. I can see a baby quilt, diaper bag, curtains for baby’s room. Maybe some curtains for a sewing room, or a quilt for a teenage girl. So many ideas pop into my head when I see this cuteness!

And look at this set by Riley Blake called Seaside: I am thinking a quilt for my guest room at the new house, so my visitors can sleep relaxed by the ocean colors:

What would you make with these fabrics? What fabrics have you found this summer that have you wanting to sew?

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