Nelle's Nook

Fumbling through the new year

2012-01-22T21:49:00.003-06:00

Unlike my previous posts, I am not going start another post by apologizing for not blogging lately. It's just a fact of life.

What's been happening lately? Well, I have started another new job, sorta. I started working full time at the bar where I have been working part-time for the past 20 years. I have assumed the manager's duties. It's been an okay transition. Not great but not bad. One of the other staff is not talking to me because she wanted those hours...or some of them. She, at the age of 28, has never worked full time as far as I know. She works one day shift per week. I have always worked 40 plus hours between a full time and part time job. I hope that this phase will pass because I did consider her a friend and would like to resume that. I am however standing firm in my position.

I enjoy going to work everyday. Something that I haven't experienced for over three years. We will have to wait and see if I can make it financially. One thing about a small "neighborhood" bar, you see a lot of the same faces everyday. More on that to come.

This past weekend, I spent Saturday with my ex-fiance's ex-wife. I spent 8 years with this man and over the course of time, his 1st ex-wife and I have become friends. We shared some life tragedies and had the same end goal...raise a son to become a good man. Hopefully, we have done that. So as a weekend get away, she and her husband and 4 other couples came to my town for an afternoon/evening drinking, eating and laughing. Weird...maybe but it works for us. Also, she and I are the only two people who understand his lies and stories because we both lived them.

I did have some camera envy a couple of weeks ago. My brother was visiting from Iowa and brought his new "toy". A Canon TI? I think that's the name of it. It cost around $800.00 with two lenses. I may have to start saving my pennies. At one point, he said to me..."You canNOT take anymore pictures of your cats." As soon as he sends me the disk, I'll be posting about my babies.

So that's been my fumbling so far this year. I haven't so much as knit a stitch, worked on any embroidery, read a book, nothing. I hope that it's just a January thing. So what's happening in your neck of the woods? Somebody write back with something to make my January fumbling seem normal.

Nelle

Monday Morning (mourning)?

2011-12-12T06:52:00.002-06:00

Good morning!
I shouldn't say mourning, except I was sort mourning the end of another weekend and not much crossed off my list of things to do. It's not like I didn't do anything, but my list is just seems so freaking long. So what did I get done....well, on Friday evening I went to a winter holiday parade in my small town. It's the one that I helped originate and organize. It was bittersweet to watch knowing that I helped start this tradition but that because of personal differences, I was no longer a part of it. Now I've talked about this parade before but for those who may be new, let me set the scene....Small town central MN. Temperature at a balmy 14 degrees, lighted and musical floats, princesses, and a wonderful fire department collecting Toys for Tots. We then decided to "warm up" with chili at the chili feed fund raiser and some ice cold Coors Lights. It was a fun night to spend with friends.

Saturday was a work day so not much accomplished except for driving all over town to find vanilla almond bark. Whew! That certainly was a struggle.

Sunday is one of my favorite activities of the season....baking with my friend. Except this year, we both were not feeling it. See here in Minnesota, when there is no snow, we have a hard time getting into the Christmas Spirit. There are parts of MN with snow, just not here in central MN. Now, I struggle with this because I'm driving 64 miles round trip to work and love that the roads are clear, but we are going to need some snow for Christmas. How about you? Are you in the Christmas spirit?

Here's what we made: Cut-outs, Oreo balls and dipped Oreos, and a candy that my mom used to make. She had gotten some other stuff done before I got there so I have to make some of those at home. This has to get done before long so I can mail it to my parents in Florida.

And that brings us to Monday morning (mourning)...I was just wishing that we could have to Sundays this week.

Enjoy your day and we will talk again soon!
Nelle

Christmas lists and the New Year!

2011-12-06T12:19:00.004-06:00

Hi everyone!

I hope that you are all in the middle of your Christmas to-do lists and activities. Each year I think I'm going to get so much done but it looks like that isn't going to happen like I'd like it to. I decided that I need to "scale back" in order to get anything accomplished. So here are my goals for Christmas this year: 1) mail cards only to friends and family that I don't see often. This way I'm not spending time sending to people I see regularly. I will also be able to include a letter if my list is not too long. 2) Bake...I love to bake but my time is short this year. I plan to bake just enough to mail as gifts or to give out to friends and family. 3) Stick to the shopping list. How about you? What does your list look like?

At the end of December, my temporary job will be ending. What started out as an eight week gig turned into 6 months. Let me just tell you that while I love my co-workers the 64 mile round trip is starting to wear on me. What's next? Well, I have been a part-time bartender at the same bar for almost 20 years. Recently the day manager quit and beginning January 2nd, I will become a full time bartender and will assume the duties as such. I'm very excited and hope that this is something that I will like on a full time basis. This past year has lead me down some paths that I never thought that I would travel. It was in that spirit that I thought I would give this a whirl. One definite perk...3 mile round trip.

Wish me luck. At least I'll have a lot of stories to blog about. Make sure that you enjoy, not stress over, all the Christmas activities. Hopefully, I'll have my New Year's Resolutions thought out soon and will share them.

Nelle

What in the world have I been up too....

2011-11-08T06:55:00.004-06:00

Hello all,

Once again, I've been a slacker here in the blog world. Sorry.

In re-reading my last post I discovered what you all probably already knew....snore! How could I just ramble on about that crap? Going forward, I will try to be a little more uplifting.

So what have I been up to? Well, I am still working the temporary job assignment. It's been extending twice...now through the end of the year. It's in a town about 30 miles from me and the hours are from 6:00 am to 2:30 pm. I do like the work and the people. I don't however, look forward to the drive in the wintertime. The hours are a little tough because I need to get up at around 4 - 4:30 am. YUP! I said 4:00. When I bar tend one night a week, I get a little tired.

I have been busy working at the bar. Those of you who follow me may remember that I have been a bartender at a little home town bar for about 20 years. In fact, next year it will be 20 years. I am going to have to start filling you all in about the characters there. Some have become life long friends and some....well let's just say I have called the police on them. We have everybody from millionaires to the homeless and everyone in between.

I also went to Vegas for my friend's 40th birthday. This trip was already planned prior to my getting laid off. It was fun...not fabulous. I think I expected more out of Vegas. I did see a couple of shows while I was there. Vegas the show and Peep Show. One was good and one was okay. I am not much of a gambler so I spent my money shopping. I almost got a tattoo but thought that I had some interviews coming up and decided that wouldn't look very professional. I should have gotten the tattoo because I never got the interviews. UGH!!!!

I also took a class on embroidery. It's a group of women that meet monthly at my favorite quilt shop. I'll post more on my project with some pictures later. Now I am discovering new embroidery blogs and I love them as much as the quilting and knitting ones. If only I was dog-ass tired when I get home maybe I would accomplish a little more.
I hope that you are still out there and let me know what's going on with you. I will try to be attentive.

ttyl

nelle (ellsworth)

Peyton Place and other random thoughts

2011-09-18T13:06:00.004-05:00

Hello everyone!

For the one or two people that follow me (if there are that many), I apologize for the lack of participation over the last couple of months. I just felt that I didn't have much to say. In other words, I was licking my wounds from a couple of months of getting "kicked while I was down".

Here is, in a nut shell, what went down.

1. Laid off from my job of 23 years

2. The guy I was seeing broke up with me. (in truth, he was 19 years younger then me so I knew it had an expiration date...but still.

3. The job that I interviewed for and thought that I would get, I didn't. I was 2ND.

4. My water heater broke and flooded my basement for several days.

5. The guy that broke up with me came back to me and said that he made a mistake and could he call me only to text me the next day and tell me that his work was sending him out of state to work for two or more months.

I think that there was something else, but I can't remember. At any rate, I just couldn't take it anymore. I thought to myself, is it ever going to get better? Or actually, I just sat around and waited for the next shoe to drop. So a friend of mine suggested that I have my "cards" read. My tarot cards, that is. She had been saying this to me for months prior but I just brushed her off saying that that was a bunch of malarky. But after all of these things started weighing on me, I thought, what the hell it couldn't hurt. I just really wanted to know...is it ever going to get better? When will this cloud of gloom and doom lift off of me? So I made the appointment and I have to admit, I felt 100% better after seeing her. I won't go into details because it's not something I am ready to share yet, but all the cards were favorable and I felt that the sun shone a little brighter that day.

How has my life changed since then, well....(1) I have obtained a temporary job doing something completely different then I was before. Let's just say that I went from business casual to wearing steel toe shoes and carrying my lunch in a sack and I LOVE IT. Ok...my lunch "sack" is a brightly striped bag that if it was bedazzled a little could go almost anywhere. But what couldn't with a little bedazzling? (2) I have obtained a library card and have become obsessed with it, (3) I have discovered that I LOVE shopping at the Goodwill and have found many, many bargins there. More on that later. (3) I discovered or should I say rediscovered that I have the best friends and family in the world. They have been very supportive to me during all of this.

So on to the title of my post...Peyton Place. Since I am OBsessed (hear Rachael Zoe's voice here) with my library card, I have read book after book. I have ordered them online and waited with anticipation for each on to be ready for pick up. The Help, now that one took a while. I was 117 in queue for that. About every other day I would log in to see what number I was and zip....there it was. Now that book was AHmazzing. But what I got curious about was a book that was mentioned in The Help, the one-time banished book called Peyton Place. So I "rented" it from the library and I couldn't put it down. My version was actually a twofer. I got Peyton Place and Return to Peyton Place. I highly suggest reading both of these. There is one MAJOR flaw in the second book. They changed the name of the main characters. I would have to say that it was just a job of poor, very poor editing. So I say...check it out. It was very interesting to see what was so risque about it back in 1956. It also made me think about how things have changed and what we are used to seeing on a regular basis on the TV, internet, magazines, etc.

Next on my list is Fried Green Tomatoes. Which when you look it up at the library it is listed as having some gay issues. Don't really remember that from the movie. I'll read and report back to you.

Enjoy the fall...talk to you again soon.....

Oh how life changes...

2011-05-03T22:17:00.002-05:00

Hello everyone,
I know that it's been a while since my last post. Things have really been up heaved in my life. After almost 23 years at my job, I was laid off a couple of weeks ago. Never in my life have I been unemployed. While I kinda knew that it was coming, our company has been struggling for a while, it was still a shock to hear the words out loud. Now, I am not sure what to do. I haven't done anything since then. Clean, paint my spare room, drink beer, put my head in the sand. Today was the first day that I decided to really try to get "back into the world". I have some job leads that I'll be following up on. It's just that I really don't know which way to turn. Now that I have this "do over" in front of me. Do I stay in the same field or try something completely different? Do I take a job just to have a job? A couple of friends have suggested that I take the summer off to regroup and decide what I should do. Financially, I can't do that. Unemployment is certainly not what I thought it would be.
Other then that, there hasn't been much happening that is blog worthy.
The weather is getting nicer and I try to get out and walk. Perhaps I can use this time "off" to work off my fat ass?!
See I just don't have much to say. Hopefully, my frame of mind will be better soon.
For now...Nelle.

One more thing...

2011-03-03T21:38:00.003-06:00

There was one more thing that we did accomplish during "Craft Weekend", we designed a quilt top.

My guest room still looks like it was on the latest version of "Hoarders" but I've started to collect thoughts in my head. I would like to use red toile fabric. I absolutely LOVE red toile. Hope I spelled that correctly. It's a basement bedroom with a window. I would like to keep it bright and cherry. So to the Internet I went to find a red toile comforter or coverlet. There isn't really one that I like that I'm willing to pay for. So , we decided we could design a quilt top. Which we did, but neither my sister or I really love it. I would probably make the quilt using a different fabric but at this point, I got nothing.

Again, until later

What's been happening...

2011-03-03T21:12:00.002-06:00

Hello all,
Here is what's going on...it's Thursday night and there is nothing and I repeat nothing on TV to watch. Currently I've got it on the Jersey Shore. It's embarrassing to admit, I know. I wanted to sit on the couch and watch TV but no...I can't believe these people are paid to be on TV and we treat them like celebrities.

Anyhoo...
What's really been going on is not really much of anything. Work and work.

Last weekend was Craft Weekend with my sister. This month I went to her apartment. It was fun but with a 5 year old and an almost 2 year old under foot, not much crafting was done. It was fun to be there with her and her family. I love hearing Auntie, Auntie, Auntie.

I cast on for a scarf for myself in this awesome pink yarn called James C. Brett Marble Chunky. I'm suing size 10 needles and cast on 50 stitches. Since the weekend, I've gotten about 14 rows...not a lot but it is taking shape.

Other things that I've finished is a "greeting card" book. As many of you know (ha ha...many of you is probably consists of 2) I love sending cards and I could probably open a small stationery store with all the cards and papers I have. The problem was is that I would put them all over the place and not know what I have in stock. So I had to come up with something. So I took a plain white 3 inch 3 ring binder, used scrap book paper to pretty it up and then used sheet protectors to divide the categories up. I'm pretty proud of it. I don't know why I didn't think about it sooner. And as soon as I finished it I was looking at a Better Homes and Garden (I think) and there on the beautifully colored pages was my card idea. I will post some pictures when the camera is charged.

Other then that not much fun stuff done.

Oh wait, I wrote 2 letters this week. That's part of my New Year's resolution.

So I guess I've done some things.

Well I got to go there kids on Jersey Shore are drunk again...this is really getting interesting. I have to concentrate on who is sleeping with who.

Until later...thanks for stopping by the Nook.

No! I'm not dead

2011-01-14T10:57:00.003-06:00

Ever hear those news flashes that so and so was dead and then like 20 minutes later their rep comes on and says that they are in fact still alive and well. Well, I don't have a rep (I'm not a famous blogger or a famous anything), but here I am alive and well.

I know that it's been a while but I've been in a funk. And there was Christmas.

Since we've last spoken I've had a couple of things happen. One, at my main job, my hours were cut and my pay was reduced. 3 of us had our hours reduced and the entire company had their pay reduced. I know we should feel "lucky" because 5 people got laid off. And by laid off I mean that they are never to return to work at our company. So, trying to find a benefit in this, I worked out a schedule with one of the others and every other weekend I have a four day weekend. No, don't get me wrong, that doesn't suck, but..........

Well that was three months ago and here I sit. Money is starting to get a little tight. Not were me and the kitties will be living out of the car, but I'm starting to feel the pinch.

So let's talk about some possitive things.

As always at the beginning of the year, I make out my resolutions and right about this time of January I've already giving up. Well, hopefully, this year I can have a little more "stick with it" in me.

So I'll share some with you and perhaps that will make me "stick with it" better.

There is always the obvious: Lose weight. Now I have to admit, I'm really needing to do this, but on the other hand one of my other resolutions is to cook and bake more and try new recipes. So...deliemma.

Blog more, write more real letters, send birthday cards, organize my house, go to church on a regular basis, and knit on a regular basis.

Also, my sister has decided and I think it's a brillant idea that once a month we get together and craft. Each month we will switch location. This month she is coming here. I'm sure that we'll add some classes and maybe some shopping. But, while we talk all the time on the phone, we don't always see each often. So that's one to add to the list.

My "post college" roommate and I have decided that we need to get together once a month too. Once she got married they moved to Vegas. They have moved back but getting together was a priority. Now it is.

I at this time of year, I usually reflect on that despite the troubles in my life, I am truly blessed in many, many ways. I am surrounded by friends who I love like family. We always have great times and help each other through the tough times.

That and setting up my new calendars. That's my favorite thing to do. But that's another post.

As for the weather here in central MN...there is snow....lots of snow. I bought a snowblower last night off of Craigslist. I will be using it today or tomorrow. I'm pretty excited to use it. It's also cold here. It's supposed to get colder too.

I hope that all of you had a great fall and Christmas holiday. I also hope that your New Year is blessed.

Talk soon (this time I mean it)

Nelle!

No title...

2010-10-14T20:00:00.003-05:00

I have no title for this post because I don't know what I want to say. I will start by numbering the one hundred million crazy thoughts I have in my head. We will go to ten as fast as I can.

1. The leaves in my yard are up to my ankles. I have raked until my back aches. Wow my fat ass is really out of shape. I have 15 bags of leaves and that's just the front yard. I like to do the work though. I guess that's the joy of being a home owner. This is one of the times that I wish a I had big strong strapping man to help out. Well, it's not the only time. There are lots more and none pertain to the house. That's not the case and I'm left to do it all by myself.

2. On the stove right now is some homemade chicken noodle soup that I made a couple of weeks ago. No it's not been in the fridge this whole time, I froze some. I even made the stock from scratch. I know for all you foodies reading this you are saying "big effing deal". Well, for me it was a big deal. The Pioneer Woman I am not....yet.

3. I'm am just finishing my first Crown Royal and ginger ale. Not my first ever, but my first one of the night. YUM!

4. A friend brought back some delicious dark chocolate from Italy and I am TRYING to not eat it all at one time. Thanks, Jason!

5. After raking I came in and cleaned out the refrigerator and washed all the little plastic dishes that contained just a couple of scoops of something wondering that I had made weeks...months ago. Why the hell do we do that? Why don't we just throw it away instead of saving it and saying to ourselves "no, I'll eat that this week." Whatever.

6. I'm a little concerned about my job.

7. I'm a lot concerned about my job.

8. I love my kitties. Mostly because they love me. I love to feel their little warm bodies tucked in tight next to me in bed. It's very reassuring.

9. I'm really glad that I took my knitting class again. I love my teacher Barb and I really did have a brain fart. I don't think that I could have even cast on by myself.

and finally,

10. I went to the Farmers Market today to buy some bread. A couple of weeks ago, I was there and found a woman that I know, but now really well. She makes the best breads. When I shared with her my fear of making bread, she said just "try it. It's just bread" When she answered me what she didn't know is that I didn't mean just breads. I have a stack of recipes half why up to my knees that I want to "try". Everyday I pour over my favorite blogs for recipes. I print them, sigh and say...I'm going to make this and then I don't. I don't want to have a ton of desserts or sweets around the house (see #1 and the big fat ass reference), and it's hard to cook for just one person. I want to have people over for dinner but can only seat two people at my table at a time. The simplest words, "just try it" have taken a great weight off my shoulders. Thanks, Karen. I'm going to....

Talk to you all later. Time for a fresh cocktail and the Real Housewives of DC reunion.

Fall Ball

2010-10-06T07:42:00.003-05:00

Good morning, all.

Now don't be so surprised that I'm up this early and that I'm blogging so soon after my last post. I told you, I'm trying to turn over a new leaf,

I actually just wanted to send out a cosmic "Good Luck" to my MN Twins. Playing ball in the fall is a dream every year for ball players. Hopefully, we will be playing into November.

I get to watch the game live today for the first time in our new stadium. I have my "uniform" all picked out.

Now to work before I get fired.....

Memories vs. Reality

2010-10-04T21:12:00.003-05:00

I'm starting this post without naming it, because, quite frankly, I don't know what direction it will take. I see that it's been a month since my last post. I know that I promised last time that I wouldn't wait so long in between. I have however been somewhat busy. Also, they blocked blogs at work so unless it has a dot com at the end I can't get it. Which is good, because I'm supposed to be ummm working. It's is at work that I get ideas for blogs. Since they haven't taken away my pen and paper, I'll have to start jotting notes the old fashioned way.

I drove through the country the other day where I grew up. While it is only probably 45 minutes away, I haven't been back there in several years. It was a cold, rainy day and the fall colors were at their peak. As I drove past houses and farms I was struck by how much things had changed. Some homes were only slight different but some were...for lack of a better word, just sad. For example, growing up I rode the school bus for 1 hour on the way to school. Along the bus route was a large cattle farm. This family had several different farms, including one big operation where the "main house" was. The grandparents rambler was there as were two small rentals. One was the home of my best friend. I loved to go there. It reminded me of the farms you saw on TV. All the buildings on all of their farms were painted the same color, a goldish yellow. You knew whose property you were on just by the color. Everything was well groomed and prestigious. I was sort of envious. Fast forward 25 years. I was shocked to see the condition of the buildings. All were in desperate need of paint. There were no cattle present. It made me sad and I wished that I hadn't driven past. I liked my memories better then reality.

As I continued down this country road, I drove by the cemetery where my mom is buried. Our family headstone is one of the closest to the road and you can read our name quite clearly. I didn't stop as I was on some one else's time schedule. I haven't been to visit her grave for many years and I felt guilty.

I continued up the road about 1 mile and saw the house that I grew up in. It was sold to a member of our family and I was very pleased to see that they had taken great care of it. I didn't stop there either.

I wondered if this little visit would have been lost on me if I went back more often? Would I have been hit with such guilt and nostalgia?

It feels like fall...

2010-09-04T22:52:00.005-05:00

Hello everyone!

No I didn't fall off the face of the earth. I am still here. I'll tell you why I was away for so long or at least one excuse. I told myself when I started this blog that I didn't want it to turn into a bitch fest, an open forum for me to be snarky and mean about people in my life or if shitty things were happening to me at the time. To tell you the truth, I had quite a bit of that going on in my life for a good portion of my summer. Not to go into details, but...I had a falling out with a person that I volunteered with and now it's quite impossible for me to go back to that activity while this person is still involved. I would like to send out an electronic F.U. to this person. So there it's done!

On to better topics...

As I sit here I have most of my windows open and there is a chill in the air that I look forward to feeling all year long. I love fall. I smell that one of the neighbors is having a fire. It's not my crazy neighbor who burns his garbage in his fire pit. Thankfully. That's a story for a different time. This summer has been hot and somewhat miserable here in central Minnesota so the change in temperature is very welcomed. I heard some geese fly over the other day. Everytime I hear their honking I stop whatever I am doing and just listen. It's one of my favorite sounds in the world.

Things are progressing slowly on house projects. I did take a couple of days off last week to clean and tackle my project list. It was awesome to cross things off the list. All the moving boxes have been carried in to the house. They aren't all emptied but we are getting there. I can actually see a light at the end of the tunnel.

For my step-sisters' 40th birthday, they wanted to go skydiving and needed a group of ten to get a discount. So, on August 21st at around 5:30 pm, I put my foot on the step of a plane that was flying at 11,000 feet and jumped head first out of a perfectly good airplane. It was awesome!!!! I would highly recommend everyone to try this at least once. I believe that I'll be doing it again. It was the biggest rush I have ever had. Some one described it to me as "air-gasm" and it really was.

Well, that sort of catches you up on what I've been doing. I know it seems like not a lot. But don't forget I work two jobs and that keeps me pretty busy. That and I still managed to drink some beer from time to time. The sound of a beer can being cracked open is another favorite sound of mine.

Until later,

Thanks for stopping by Nelle's Nook.

Here I go again...

2010-06-14T22:04:00.004-05:00

Well, it's been a while since I've posted (again). I keep telling myself that I should do it more often and then one thing or another creeps into my life and boom it's been weeks and weeks. Often I don't blog because I don't think anyone will want to hear what I have to or even scarier I won't have anything to say. My friends think that I could write a Minnesota version of Sex and the City. Let's face it, I could with probably a lot less sex. I have a great, wonderful, funny life and yet I edit myself here because I want to this to be a blog that doesn't offend anyone. I can't just right about the characters at the bar where I bartend, or the the crazy nights out with friends where we drink way too much and talk way to smart. I think that I thought that this would be a way to explore the other sides of me. On my "bucket" list is to write a novel or at least publish something. Maybe this way I can work on my creative writing skills. I guess I'm not sure.

Recently, I've been I've been spending a lot of time reading blogs about letter writing. For those who follow me (ha ha), you know that I love to write letters and receive them. This too is a hobby or interest that I have let go because I felt like I didn't have anyone to write to. I'm going to try and change that. The Missive Madame, 375 letters, the Letter Writing Alliance and a letter a day are all good blogs. You should check them out.

So what have I been doing...well I am slowly working on unpacking the never-ending stack of boxes since moving. I am ready to just throw the rest of it away instead of unpacking it. The house has a long list of to-do's, including having the bat guy come out and rid my house of bats. Good thing was that he didn't find any (I had one - that's another story which includes me hiding in the bathroom and calling a friend to come and get rid of it - proud moment). I have curtains either to buy or make. I hoping to find some vintage dish towels to use in cafe style in my back entryway. There is painting to be done, flowers to plant, lots and lots of things. I know that is how it is with every home owner. I'm not complaining. I just wish I had the funds and the time to make some major progress. I guess I've only lived here from 3 months but patience isn't really one of my virtues.

I am in the middle of helping to plan and pull off another city festival. Did I mention that before? I am on the board of directors for our city festival which includes a pageant, parade and food fest. It's very rewarding yet challenging to work with all the personalities involved. Sometimes I wonder why I do it and I am sure my friends, who have to listen to me vent (bless you) wonder the same thing. Then I think, I don't want to miss out on doing something fun that brings a lot of joy to a lot of people. I guess part of it is that I want to be part of something big and we are. We throw one heck of a festival.

I like to think that I'm challenging myself to find more sides of me, to make my life rich and full (even more then now). Maybe even to make new friends, you know who you are. Maybe that's why I write this blog. Hopefully, I'll have time after the festival to figure out how to post some pictures.

Until then, be patient with me and keep stopping by Nelle's Nook. Who knows what I'll say next.

Fleeting moments...

2010-04-20T20:55:00.006-05:00

Since moving into my new house, I have had "moments" in which this "house" felt like "home", my home. One time was last week when I was sick in bed all day. I got to see the sun come up an pass over the whole house. Each hour bringing a different glow or shadow to a room.

The very first one was before I bought the house. I was with my realtor and a friend in the basement when another friend arrived and I was running up the stairs and I stopped all of a sudden because a sense of "home" came over me. Like being in my home with my friends coming to visit was a sense of completeness.

Tonight was another one of those feelings. I had come home after a particularly crappy day at work. Finished raking some leaves and decided that it was too nice of a night to just do chores in the house. I wiped off a new lawn chair, got a soda (yes...soda), brought my book outside and sat down. I just looked around my lawn and my house and my garage and my trees and my birds (yes...they are my birds)and breathed. In and out. Out and in. Again I was overcome by a feeling of completeness.

Now I know that as time goes on these won't be fleeting moments anymore. They will just be how I feel all the time. Will it become the norm. Will I not stop and look at everything when I first come home? Will I just go up the walk, start the laundry and look at the bills? I hope not. I hope that while they are fleeting moments, they are the moments that fill me with pride, happiness, and yes completeness. I hope they never go away.

Until later....Nelle's Nook!

PS When I picked my blog name, I had no idea that Nelle's Nook would actually become a real structure and not just a feeling.

Moved In...

2010-04-20T00:50:00.002-05:00

Hello out there...

It's official and the papers are signed, the boxes have been packed and some are unpacked...I have purchased my first house. It was a very scary step, but I'm glad I've done it.

What have I learned in this adventure? Well, first and foremost, I learned or should I say I was reminded that I have the most amazing friends in the world. They supported me through the initial process, they moved, they've painted, they've racked my lawn. They have done so many things for me that I'm not sure how I'll ever thank them. The fact that in 24 hours my little house went from drab to fab... No really it did. The previous owners really, REALLY like sponge painting. It was everywhere. Now unfortunately, my camera batteries went dead the minute I started taking "before" pictures so I'll have to figure out a way to get some pictures on here for you to see.

I've spent more money in the last three weeks at the Home Depot then I ever thought that I would. I've really come to love walking around the aisles. Plus they are very show a lot of patience for a girl who doesn't know grass seed from her a...well you get the picture. So any advise you can give me...I appreciate at.

Now I want to wonder off to a totally different topic. April is National Card and Letter Writing month. If you've been reading along, you know that letter writing is a topic that is dear to my heart. So I challenge you to send one letter a week, at least, for the rest of April. It doesn't have to be long or pretty, it should just come from your heart and should brighten the recipient's day. Of course, finding fun, pretty stationery doesn't hurt.

Until next time...Time to close the nook up for the night. Thanks for listening to my ramblings

Randon thoughts

2010-03-11T21:00:00.002-06:00

Random #1: So it's roughly two weeks until I move into my house. I'm getting very nervous and scare and excited. I hope to have pictures to show you - before and after. I pray that my friends will help out their inexperienced friend with her house woes.

Random #2: Is watching "Real Housewives" really that bad? I was having drinks and apps with some friends and one thought it was appalling that some of us watched it.

Random #3: How do people who you don't know get listed under the "suggested" friends on Facebook. It's stalker like

Random #4: Will this blog ever be viewed other then the two people who I know are reading...Thank you by the way.

Random #5: Thank God for friends...I'm starting to doubt finding a man that wants to be with me.

Random #6: Why is Coor's lite soooo good. (yes it deserved 4 "O"s)

Random #7: How much crap does a girl and two cats really need?

Random #8: What is it that a cat sees when it stars at a a spot on the wall.

Random #9: I miss when I don't see my church ladies group.

Random #10: How did the Pioneer Women get to where she is.

Well, time for another beer...everyone have a good night

Church ladies and cats

2010-02-18T20:53:00.002-06:00

I think that I've talked before about my church lady group. Tonight was our second official meeting and it was poorly attended. I'm hoping that people weren't there because they were glued to the TV to watch the Olympics, however, I still made it...
Anyway, there were four of us there and I was for sure the youngest person in the room. Our bible study question was "When God says no" It was about answered prayers. During our conversation I said I sometimes feel that it seems that God is punishing me for something by not bringing just one good man. Of course we all laughed and I said I know that God doesn't punish us but just brings things to us when we are ready for them. The conversation continued to online dating. I said that I wasn't really into it "wasn't how I rolled". It was then when the oldest woman in the group who is probably 65 said, now this is 13 years ago so there wasn't really online dating but I put an add in the singles section and that's how I met my "P". She launched in the best story I've heard in a long time. She said that by the time she hung up the phone after talking with him for the first time, she turned to her cat Daisy and said "well, Daisy are you ready to become a farm cat?" She knew just after that one conversation that this was going to be the man she was going to marry. Now this was her second marriage but still a love story worthy of being put to paper.
I was struck by two things I thought were incredible, 1) she knew right away that this was a good man...one for a lifetime and 2) she talks to her cats TOO! See I'm not crazy.
So I left there feeling recharged with spirituality, the potential of blooming friendships and the hope that true love can find you at any age.
By the way, it's hard to type with a kitty on your lap.
Until next time...

Elm Creek Quilts

2010-02-02T21:04:00.002-06:00

Hello Blogworld

I have a confession to make....I'm lazy. I know there are probably better terms such as overworked. But I'm not one to sugar coat things sometimes and so it's out there...I'm lazy. So instead of packing, cleaning, organizing, paying bills, knitting, quilting, cleaning, packing, I've been reading. What have I been reading that has been so good that I have been neglecting my chores. It's a book series called "Elm Creek Quilts". My sister, who you can visit over at needles threads & crafts has borrowed to me the first six books of this series. I cannot, CANNOT put them down. If you are looking for a good read whether you are a quilter or not, you should pick these up. I'm sure that you can find them at the library. The problem is, I think that I'm missing one. Now these books don't need to be read in order, but I would suggest that. While they do talk about quilting and use some quilt terms, the basic story is about the lives and history of a group of women who support each other. In other words, if you are looking for a good story, you should check these out.
Of course, it does make me want to break out sewing machine and start in but if you reread the first sentence, I have work to do. However, if my sister is reading this, I need to know what book comes after the "Master Quilter". Is it "The Sugar Camp Quilt" or the Christmas one? Help your sister out.
I hope that you are enjoying reading my blog. I don't hear anything from anyone, although I'll admit, I'm a creeper too. I visit blogs without leaving a message. However, I wonder, what happens to my words once I press "publish post". Do they just go away never to be read again. But I guess the point isn't to have them read so much as it is for me to just write them down.
No house news. However, for those of you that are like me, I have my idea binder purchased and the pictures of all this cool to go into it. Isn't that a start at least?
ta ta for now

Church Ladies

2010-01-28T20:26:00.002-06:00

Hello blogworld,
Tonight I had the great honor of joining a 100 year old tradition. Or at least I think it's that old. I met with my "church ladies group" for a service project. We haven't decided on a name yet but I keep telling them we can't call it group or my friends will think I'm in therapy. Anyway, we formed a small women's group in my church. We met for the first time last week and decided that the main kitchen of our church need a scrub down. I was by far the youngest of our group so far. It's good to finally be the youngest again at something. I just am so amazed how much fun I had. This group of women range in ages, careers, background, financial stability but all of us came together and were all equals. Now we've decided that we aren't going to be the cleaning crew. Much like the circles that used to meet in Lutheran churches everywhere, our group hopes to have the following criteria: fellowship, stewardship and bible study that pertains to our lives today. I'm very excited about this group. Perhaps it's because I lost my mother when I was younger and I yearn for someone to fill that void. At any rate. Stay tuned for updates. Hopefully we can come up with a decent name.

No house updates. I can't wait to move. Hopefully, I will have a bunch of friends to help.

May the sun shine upon your day tomorrow no matter where in the world you are.

New House!

2010-01-25T22:26:00.002-06:00

Hello blogworld,

Well, I did it. In one short month I thought about, looked at, pondered over, made an offer and bought a house. Now this house is little and old...not unlike me...well except for the little part. HA HA. I never thought that I would be buying a house on my own at this age. But I decided to take a leap of faith and here I am.

In the coming months, I'll be taking photos, lot of before photos. Hopefully, it won't be too long before some "after" photos appear here as well.

As I mentioned this house is little, approximately 940 square feet spread out between a main level and a basement. It does have the requirements that I always said I wanted. I wanted three bedrooms no matter the size, I wanted a garage and I wanted to stay living here in small town Minnesota. While it does have all of those requirements I am not looking through rose colored glasses. This is not my dream house. My dream house would have been a huge affair with many bedrooms and bathrooms, a huge dining room where my friends would gather, with horses and land and a rich husband to pay for it. So instead I have this house. It's cute and hopefully I will make it warm and inviting. I guess that all I really wanted is a house where my friends would want to come and share good times and probably some bad with me. Where they would feel welcome and comfortable. What this house does lack on size I guess it's up to me to make the rest happen.

There are some quirky things about this house. One of the things is that i don't have much for closet space and that my organizational skills are going to be tested to the limit. Hopefully, you all will be kind enough to share some tips and tricks.

I am going to need to lean on my friends for advice and help (moving and painting). I don't really know what I'm in for but I know I can count on them to ease my fears (or bring me beers).

It's going to be a couple of months before I can move...now I have to start packing...Wish me luck.

May tomorrow be a good day for you.

Delayed Christmas

2010-01-03T15:37:00.002-06:00

Hello all,
Happy New Year! As you may have read in a previous post, one of my resolutions was to blog more so here I am. One was also to clean and keep up with laundry. Well that's not getting done because I am here with you. Oh well, there is always tomorrow to do the dirty work.
I hope that you all had a safe and fun New Year's Eve. I spent the night with my sister's family. Any time I can spend with my nieces, ages 4 and 9 months, is a good time. My sister and her husband are pretty fun too. Although if you judged us by our New Year's Eve celebration you would think that we were 100 years old. The only one of all of us who saw the new year in was the 9 month old. You can read about my sister and all of her adventures in crafting at her blog, needlesthreadsandcrafts.blogspot.com.
We had our "delayed Christmas" present opening and it's always one of my favorites. Not only do I get to hear comments like "I love you Auntie" when presents are opened, but my sister stick close to the lists I give and gets me things that I want but haven't bought for myself. A book, fuzzy socks, a cookbook that I have been crushing on for a while, "Baking...from my home to yours" from Dorie Greenspan and a camera. Now I can add pictures. Yea!!!
For some of you in blogworld, you may be familiar with Dorie Greenspan. She's got her own blog and is referenced all over as TWD or Tuesdays with Dorie. TWD is where other bloggers are chosen to bake something and then blog about it. It's pretty cool.
Well, welcome 2010. I hope that all of you have a good year with much happiness and good health.
Until next time.

New Year's resolutions

2009-12-28T21:17:00.002-06:00

Hello all,

My hope is that all of you reading this had a wonderful Christmas holiday. If you were anywhere in the Midwest, you had to spend a good deal of time shoveling snow...many inches of snow. My travel plans changed due to the fact that I didn't want to drive in the crappy weather.

So now we begin the new week thinking of where the last year went and what great things we will accomplish in the new year. I'm wondering why we do that and does any body really fulfill the long list of "resolutions". I want to make this year different. To be accountable for the resolutions that I made sitting by myself on New Year's Eve. Maybe if I share them with you with specifics and then report to you how I am doing. Can you help me with that? Maybe you can share your resolutions with me and we can help each other.

So here we go (no laughing or judging. Some will be stupid and simple)

1. Balance my checkbook each payday. I don't know why this is so hard to do but I hate it and I want to be more on track. This will help me to have my bills more organized and pay them on time and not just within the grace period.

2. Exercise more - I need to have a healthier live style and I'm going to be in a wedding next November. I will be 10 years older then all the other bridesmaids and I want to look my best.

3. Don't let the laundry pile up too high.

4. Clean the house so that I won't be embarrassed if somebody just stopped by.

5. Buy a house - this one I am actively working on. I'm going to see a house for the second time. More on that later.

6. Get a library card. Simple and should have done it sooner. We have a great library - brand new and I haven't even been inside.

7. Entertain more often.

8. Here's a no brainer...blog more, Duh!

So there it is...literally out there in black and white. Perhaps this will be the year that I change my ways and actually accomplish those goals.

So what do you have on your "resolution" list? Share some with me and maybe this will be the year for both of us to accomplish those goals.

Happy New Year, blogworld. God Bless

Winter parades

2009-12-08T21:43:00.003-06:00

Hello Blog world,

So tonight is a blustery cold and snowy night here in central MN. It's the first measurable snow and it's blowing like the Dickens. So you ask, "Why would anyone live in this type of weather?" Well I can't really answer that because I think we all ask that at least once a winter. Now, once I get a digital camera (don't say it, I know), I can show you just how beautiful this area can be in the winter.

So what is that we do when the weather turns cold? Well here in central MN several communities, including the great one that I live in, plan outside activities. Yes...outside. One of those activities includes having a parade. Yes...outside. I know of at least 5 different communities that hold these parades. They are a lot of work to facilitate but the payoff is much greater. Yes, blog world, that's what I've been doing. Planning an outdoor parade in the middle of winter. If you are reading this from a warm state, you should check one out sometime. They are a hoot.

Since I've been a slacker on the blogging lately here is another one of my lists to update you

Here at Nelle's Nook we've been up to the following:

1. the usual cleaning, working, laundry

2. planning above mentioned parade

3. surviving H1N1

4. attending other community parades with the best decorated float of all time

5. suffering through another terrible cold - excuse my sneezing

6. and the very best thing of all time, something I have been crushing on for years and years....I purchased my very own Kitchenaid 5 quart stand mixer in Green Apple. I will post a picture as soon as I get a digital camera (I know!) It was a very big purchase for me, but there was a deal and a mail in rebate and a small windfall of cash.

This purchase caused a chain reaction. First, since it was such an awesome color, it's home, of course, is on the countertop. Since I live in a small apartment, countertop space is at a premium price. So I had to do some rearranging. I purchased another shelving unit this one just for $24.00 at Home Depot, cleaned out the kitchen closet, set the shelf up in there. This new shelving space, caused me to clean out and rearrange a couple of other cabinets.

All in all, things are getting more organized for a little while that is.

Now, I can't wait to start making Christmas cookies. Let me ask you this blog world, is it lame to send parents who are retired in a warm state, homemade cookies, breads, towels and a cd? They don't need or want anything. Is this too cheap or since it's homemade from me, would it be appreciated? What reactions have you gotten on homemade gifts or better yet, do you like receiving them?

Let me know.

I promise to write more. But in the mean time..,may the true meaning of the holidays be in your heart and not in your pocketbook.

From us here at Nelle's Nook - Happy Holidays and Merry Christmas

Merlot and Macaroni & Cheese

2009-10-26T22:03:00.002-05:00

Hello Blogworld...

There is something about Monday nights. It doesn't matter if the past weekend was busy or boring, Monday night rolls around and all I want to do is curl up on the couch. And as all of my friends can attest to nothing goes better with curling up on the couch then a glass of wine and some comfort food. Well, in the single girl's world that means Merlot and Mac and Cheese. Just a couple of glasses and that bowl of Mac & Cheese starts to look like Gaida served it to you herself. Throw in some fake chocolate chip cookies and what more does a girl need. Hmm...... I know you were thinking, "hmm....what does she mean by fake cookies?" (Seriously, what were you thinking...what else would a girl need.)

But aren't all cookies real? Judge for yourself.

Recipe for Fake Chocolate Chip Cookies

Preheat oven to 350
Take pre-made cookie "pucks" out of freezer (purchased from a school fundraiser)
Place cookie pucks on ungreased/unprepared preferable clean (but not required) cookie sheet
bake for 11 minutes
Gulp down wine and refill while cookies bake
return to couch with full glass of Merlot and plate full of cookies
Enjoy!

I wanted to be a cookie snob and not like these cookies, but they are darn good.

I would imagine that some would and could say that the combination of Merlot, Mac & Cheese (by the way, it was not homemade either. Just straight out of the blue box), fake cookies and a single girl is a recipe of disaster or depression. An old maid with her cats destined to never find a man. I say Pish-Posh. I am in full possession of the remote, can lay around in my ugly gray sweats, get a little drunk if I wanted to.

Ah...the joys of being single.

Until next time when I'll probably be whining about not having a main man.

May tomorrow bring you smiles at unexpected times.

Silos and Haystacks....

2009-10-19T20:12:00.003-05:00

Thelma and Louise we aren't but there was a road trip.

My sister and I drove the five hours from my home to my brother's home in Iowa. We've made this trip before a couple of times. The last time was a couple of years ago for another confirmation. My brother has three wonderful children, a senior, a freshman and a fifth grader. Smart kids. I've missed the fact that I haven't been able to be a bigger part of their lives, but that happens when you live 5 hours apart. We will be making this trip again in May for graduation. It seems that those are the occasions that we make the drive either north or south. Confirmations, graduations and funerals.

I think that when you only get together a couple of times a year, the differences in adult siblings are much more apparent. You see, blogworld, I have two siblings. An older brother and a very much younger sister. My brother was a senior in high school when my sister was born and I was thirteen. My sister was 9 when our mother died and our dad remarried not long afterwards. She was basically raised in a completely different household then my brother and I. My sister and I are very close. We actually speak to each other every day. We are developing the same interests and hobbies, although she is much better at them then me. Our brother seems to have much different interests then we do. Love is not questioned ever, similarities are. I would have to imagine that every family is like that. I would also have to imagine that if you got one of those books that studies the child ranking and personalities crap, we would probably be right on target. All that being said, sometimes I wonder how we can be so different and yet be family.

What I did come to realize on this trip was just exactly how beautiful Iowa is. Since I was the driver I had to pay attention to what was going on and couldn't knit, nap or read. (Although my co-pilot did very well keeping me company). From southern Minnesota to West Des Moines all I saw was rolling hills, beautiful fall foliage, farms with white houses and red barns. Cornfields broken up by pastures peppered with cows and horses. It was very picturesque. I don't know if it's something that happens when as you get older but I've never really appreciated these views until this trip.

There are several blogs I follow that are about farm life. Maybe it was from reading about their farm life, their trials and tribulations, their pictures of baby pigs that made me look at the landscape of Iowa in a different light. I am green with envy that this is not a life that I live or have a part in. Although, I can't say that I'd survive farm life, but I would give it my best effort.

So, Iowa, I want to go on record by saying that you are not a state to be taken for granted. More like a state of mind, a state of peacefulness, a state of beauty and a state that I want to see more of. Thank you for sharing part of your beauty with me.

Look around, blogworld, is there something or someplace of beauty that you haven't truly seen before even though you seen it before?

May tomorrow be a good day.

Do you ever get the blahs?

2009-10-14T09:24:00.003-05:00

Hello Blogworld,

I wonder, do you ever get the blahs? It's not like your sad or mad or really anything but blah. Work is blah. Crafts are blah. Books are blah. Food is blah. Blogs I read are blah. TV is blah. I hate all the clothes in my closet even the ones that do fit. I hate every thing in my home. I don't want to do anything. What causes this to happen quite frankly out of the blue? How can I snap out of it? So I wonder, does this happen to other people? If so, how do you cure the blahs?

Even this blog is blah...hope you are having a better day.

The art of the handwritten letter...out of style or all the rage?

2009-10-13T18:19:00.005-05:00

Hello blogworld,

I wonder about a lot of things. Some important, like the crime rate and some not so important like when one of my cats stares at a spot on the wall I wonder what they are looking at, which is nothing. But what I've been wondering about lately is the art of letter writing. Not writing an email, sending a message on Facebook, text or Twitter. But sitting down and actually putting pen to paper to send a letter or thank you to someone. Back in the day, this is the only way people communicated. It was how families, friends and even lovers communicated. By the way, nothing is hotter then a love letter. Now I am not saying that I don't love technology...hello I do have a blog after all. I have had an entire relationship come and go via texting. I've probably Googled just about every person I know. But there is nothing like opening the mailbox and there amongst all the magazines and junk mail is a little envelope written in hand. Who could it be from? Who actually took the time to sit down and write me, ME a note? It's just so exciting.

Now, I feel that it's my personal mission in life to bring back or at least help support to the best of my meager ability the lost art of letter writing. Many other people feel this way. There are many books out there full of tips and trick and quotes and just about everything a person would need to help them do the thing we've been doing since birth...communicating with another actual, live person. And there is, of course, Hallmark which writes the words for you.

Many people don't take the time to write a thank you note or a letter because they are afraid of, gosh, I don't know, maybe their handwriting sucks or they are a bad speller. Fear not, all you need to make someones day is a few simple words written from the heart. Hello, I was thinking of you today. Dear so and so, I had a blast this past weekend. Thanks for the digs.

Now many of my friends could tell you that I could run a small stationery store out of my home and that I'm a pen snob, but that's just my weirdness. I am a pen snob and I do have a ton of stationery, some cheap and some expensive (some is monogrammed) but that's just me. Your friends, your family, your grandmother would pee their pants to see a handwritten note in the mail...from you. It doesn't need to be on fancy paper. Plain white paper would be fine, although once you've written on fine paper, you won't want to go back. Start with a thank you note because then you have a reason to write. Thank you Grandma for the pink fuzzy slippers. I love wearing them when I am hungover. Okay maybe you don't need to be that specific, but I think that you get the point. If you go to Emily Post's website, there is a standard format for writing thank yous.

So I challenge you to write someone-anyone a handwritten letter and smack .44 cents on it and stick it in the mail. You will definitely make the recipient's day. Give it a whirl!!!

Leave me a comment on if you write letters or if you don't, why not? Or share with me your favorite memory of a handwritten note. Mine are two small slips of scratch paper which were wrapped probably around a ten dollar bill from my mother when I was in college. "come home and visit us, we miss you. This is for you." They are written in pretty handwriting and when I read them, I can almost hear her voice. She's been gone a long time now, so they are very important to me.

Happy writing!

What the...!

2009-09-18T11:27:00.003-05:00

So I get all excited that I have a blog. WHOO HOO!!! And then what do I do, nothing. I post nothing....nothing!

Okay so enough bad punctuation and swearing at myself.

What I've been up to since logging my first post is as follows:

1. Celebrated my birthday - which can take several weeks to complete.
2. Started sewing on my first quilt ever.
3. Stated sewing for the first time since the 9Th grade. See #2 for project.
4. Spent some time recovering from said birthday celebrations.
5. Ordered from Etsy for the first time ever.
6. Helped a friend celebrate their 40Th birthday (notice how much I like to celebrate stuff)
7. Started reading the Elm Creek Quilts books and have completed the first two. They seriously need to be made into a movie.
8. Lived regular life and jobs. (yes plural. I work two jobs)

So it's not not like I've been just sitting around doing nothing but watch NCIS marathons. Oh, wait, yes I did that too. That Gibbs can really pull you in. A girl has got to wonder if they really make men like that. And if so, where do I meet them.

So, dear blogging world (which is just me at this point), I promise to post more thoughts, observations and perhaps, just perhaps some bitching. Eventually I'll get a digital camera and post photos of my work if you promise not to judge my ability.

Have a great weekend - drink some beer. I will!

Welcome to the neighborhood!

2009-08-20T21:40:00.003-05:00

Hi there blog world.

After three (or four) margaritas, I have finally stepped in the deep end of the pool and joined the world of blogging. By deep end, I mean that I have for a while now been just a reader of blogs, splashing in the shallow end end as you have it. So here I am. What I am going to do or say or share on this blog I really have no idea.

Last year's birthday was a mile stone birthday for me. I decided that I was finally to the stage in my life that I was going to try new things without being afraid of failing or what people would say. So far, I've done pretty well. I learned to knit, have gone bowling (yup...never before), finally joined a church, have signed up for sewing lessons...and started a blog. I am sure that there are other things that I did or tried that I normally wouldn't have. I have to say that, thus far, I'm proud of myself.

Here I hope to capture the random thoughts in my idea, send out to the world questions that I have everyday, record the trials and tribulations of my new hobbies, probably ramble on and on.

So welcome to my "Nook", my corner of the world. Stop in and visit, stay and have a cup of coffee or a beer depending on what you prefer. I prefer both, but not at the same time.

More to come...