depends where your headed -

     A couple of different times recently, we have visited the closest local branch of the Bob Evans chain of restaurants. They are currently running some special chicken sandwich and hamburger specials, as well as fried green tomatoes. AND, their restaurant is air conditioned. Triple win right there! o;-p
    [I was in no way compensated for the above, just voicing our opinion / recommendation.]
    While we were there the first time, we noticed something about these two signs they have in front of parking spaces by one of their doors.
     When we went back the second time, we took the 'kids' with us, and were showing them the signs. We decided that you too might get a chuckle out of them, so we took pictures.
     O-kay, o-kay.... I decided that I should blog about them... and after having some good laughs about all of it at my expense, others used their phones to take pictures for me. Is that better? Geesh... o;-p

     Sign #1

     Sign  #2

     According to Brian, you park in front of sign #1 if your picking up a carry out order to take back home with you. But if instead of taking the order home, your taking it elsewhere (such as a friends house or your church's potluck) then your suppose to park in front of sign #2. ;-p
     In actuality, one sign is much older looking than the other, so we're sure that the wording was just changed along the way. But Brian says his reasoning sounds better.

yet again, He provided ;->

      Brian had gone into work extra early a week ago Monday, due to having a doctors appointment that afternoon. We decided that we had enough time that we could squeeze in a quick date between the two, too. Always a bonus!
      We had decided the 'Grand Rapids Brewing Co.' (R) sounded really good, only to get there and discover they had closed their doors. Truly a sad state of affairs!!!
      We decided to see if the 'Grand Traverse Pie Co.(R)', which we had only visited once, a couple years back, was still in business. Thankfully they were/are. :-) (For the record, they have locations in numerous Michigan and Indiana cities).  They have quite the variety of sandwiches, all of which they put there own twists on, as well as offering pies. Oh the pies. You can order them by the slice, or as a whole one to take with you. We were good little doobies and didn't have any. After all, we were headed to the doctor's office and their  scales. o;-p. But my mind will not let the image of their warm blackberry pie with a scoop of vanilla ice cream drop. My mind is determined that we should go back and get some ......  I have to say that I think it's right .....
     As we were eating, I just kept getting this persistent feeling that we should hop over to the nearby New 2 You resale shop. Didn't know why ... perhaps they'd have a sleeper sofa that we'd like...?   As soon as I got out of the van, I knew the "why". Sitting right outside their doors, was a double stroller. The more 'deluxe', one seat in front of the other, collapsible sun visors attached for both, with a basket in the back, strollers. The exact kind that Byron and Cyndi had just the week before, asked if I could try to round one up for them. I had reminded them that I don't venture out shopping very often, due to still being 'Ms. Vertigo'. They had replied, "W-e-l-l, you just seem to have this way of finding things...."
     No, God has a way of going before me and providing things!!!

     I had approached the stroller with some trepidation. The 'kids' had asked for one.... I had felt the leading to go here... but I also knew how much those things usually run, even used. I was skeptical just how high of a price they might be asking for it. I looked at the tag. Then re-looked at it. Then blinked a couple of times and looked again. At first look I had read $30.00. But it couldn't really be that low, could it? 'My eyes must not be focusing right again....' So I had looked again, silently questioning whether it was actually an 8 instead of a 3 on the tag. It really was a 3. "THANK-YOU Lord!!!"
     By this time, Brian had wandered over and was looking it over himself. Doing 'guy stuff' like checking it's tires, brake/locks, etc..
      I, on the other hand, had gotten out my cell phone and called Byron. I wanted to verify that somebody else hadn't picked one up for them in the in-between time.  Nobody had, "Can you send us pictures?"
      While Brian had his phone out, snapping pictures of the stroller from various angles, this guy walks up - in FRONT of Brian - looks at the price tag and starts looking the stroller over. 8-l  "Sir, (I said) it's sold". "No, it's for sale." "SIR! We're buying it." "Well, I know how much these things sell for new..." and he heads into the store. I could not believe it! After explaining to 'the kids' what that was all about, we wheel the wet stroller (it had been pouring just prior to our arrival there) into the store, and up to the register.
      I leave Brian to talk to the elderly volunteer who was manning the register, and wandered over to see if just maybe they had the right kind of couch too.... They didn't. But we did leave with the stroller. For $30.00! :-D

     Well, that is, we left after some amusing minutes in the parking lot, trying to figure out how exactly you made the thing collapse ...  and asking a different lady as she was walking back to her car if she knew.. she thought she did... but couldn't get it to work... but couldn't let herself leave not having it figured out (;-p) .. and then asking a dad who had just deposited a very unruly son in their car, if he knew .... Between Brian, the lady and the man, they figured it out. Team work and smiles amongst strangers, right there in that parking lot. :-> It added to the smiles of "the find".

      Just in case you've forgotten - the reason 'the kids' wanted a double seated stroller, is because our second grandchild will be being delivered on July 12th. That's only five days from now ....  :-> !!! :-D !!!

      For those of you whom get these postings via email, go visit our actual blog and see the new 'Seasonal Smile' pictures down our side bar ;->

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ 
Next week,  I 'plan' on linking this particular posting up to:

~ "The Penny Worthy Project", is hosted by Laura, at 'Hey What's For Dinner Mom?' (http://heywhatsfordinnermom.blogspot.com/). (on Sunday's)
~ "Gratituesday('s)", are hosted by Laura, at 'Heavenly Homemakers',
~ "2nd Time Around Tuesday('s)", are hosted by Diane, at 'A Picture is Worth 1,000 Words'  (http://diane1876.blogspot.com/),
~ "Nifty Thrifty Tuesday('s)", are hosted by Linda, at 'Coastal Charm' (http://linda-coastalcharm.blogspot.com/).

Wonderful 'Pick It Here' directory!

   During the course of my continued blog 'theme day's' detective work, I came across something which I immediately knew I would be sharing with all of you. See, sometimes I stumble upon something that I share with this or that person, or this group of friends, for particular reasons. But this find was the type that could benefit lots of people. In-fact, it was something that I had often wished (in years past) I had access to. I knew there had to be this type of a thing!

    What am I talking about you ask?  (As though the title I put on this posting didn't give you a clue o;-p)
    When I stopped by Michelle, from 'Heartfelt Balance, Homemade Life' (http://heartfeltbalancehandmadelife.blogspot.com/) blog, I found a posting she had done about this web link, which contains all types of information about fresh produce.
    Things such as:
        - where what is ready for you to go pick in your area*
              (you can click HERE to go directly to that page)
        - picking tips
        - canning, freezing and making jam tips
        - finding canning equipment and supplies
        - to pumpkin patches, corn mazes and Christmas tree farms and lots. 

     The name of the site is 'Pick Your Own  . org' (http://www.pickyourown.org/).
  
      About the "*" by "area" - It lists local farms for the United States, Australia, Canada, Germany, South Africa, Japan, Ireland, The Netherlands, The United Kingdom, Switzerland and Italy.

                            (I found this picture on line HERE)

     Ya know, one of these days I'm going to abandon my 'Ms. Vertigo' title and take full advantage of this site. Strawberries - to freeze and to make into jam. Blackberries - although the best ones really do grow wild in the woods and are always ripe around here around the 4th of July. Blueberries - freeze for adding to pancakes, and muffins, and pies. A-n-d .... Yumminess! (no, I don't care that spell check doesn't think that's really a word! crosses arms, making it challenging to type ... o;-p)

     Another ya know - this lead is right up there with the one about the mission type stores directory... that one was so good, we ended up adding a link to it, in a box down our side bar. I think I might just do the same with this one! ;->

their up and running again -

   The warm weather season has once again arrived in West Michigan :-)  That always means that certain places are once again open for business. Places which each offer their own forms of fun. Or at least we think so. ;->

~ Dog n Suds Drive-Ins - (Click on name to go to web page)
      There are various locations in Michigan, Illinois, Ohio, Indiana, Arkansas,
    Missouri, and  Wisconsin. Click HERE to see a list of all of them.
       The one we like, is in Montague, Michigan.
      You can stay in your car and have curb side service,
     or you can have table side service at one of the picnic tables
     along the canal.
       It is open each summer from April thru September.
      Their address is: 4454 Dowling St,, Montague, MI 49437

~ Allegan Antiques Market - (Click on name to go to web page)
 The last Sunday of every month April - September.
  Hours are 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.
  Admission price is $4.00
  Parking inside the fair grounds is free,
  so don't be conned into parking up the street.
  Held at: Allegan County Fairgrounds
  Location
                 
~ Centerville Antiques Market - (Click on name to go to web page)
  The second Sunday of the month
   Hours and admission fees are:
   Regular Admission Sunday: 8am to 3:30pm / $4
   Early Buyers Saturday: 10am to 6pm / $10
   Free parking
   held at: St. Joseph County - Grange Fairgrounds
         316 E. Charlotte,  Centreville, MI 49032 (at State M86)

~ Grand Rapids's Fulton Street Farmers Market - (Click on name to go to web page)
   Open the first Saturday of May through the last Saturday before Christmas.
    HOURS: Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturdays
    from 8:00 am to 3:00 pm.
     ~ They also host Artisans Markets - (Click on name to go to web page)
     Open the second Sunday in June through the last Sunday in September.
     HOURS: Sundays from 11:00 am to 3:00 pm.

~ Musical Fountains in Grand Haven, Michigan - (Click on name to go to web page)
     You can sit in the bleachers or take a blanket
     and sit on the grass along the canal.
     Their 2011 schedule is listed on their web page.
     We do recommend you take mosquito repellent.
         As well as friends with good senses of humor,
     so you can have enjoyable fun via commenting on the passing boats. ;-p

~ Pioneer Park, in Muskegon, MI - (Click on name to go to web page)
       Part of it is a camp ground. A NICE camp ground!
     Right on Lake Michigan.
       One section of their camping area can be reserved for group camping -
     set yourselves up Pioneer style in a big 'ole circle.
       They have bike trails through the woods. And volleyball courts.
     As well as softball, basketball and tennis ones.
       But they also have a nice picnic area that you can go to for just a day.
    With public bathrooms. Which are good for changing into bathing suits in.
    And grills to add your charcoal to, amongst the shaded picnic tables.
    And steps down to the beach.
         Day pass Hours vary from 8:00 a.m. to 10 p.m. May through September
     and Sunrise to Sunset October through April.
        Their address is: 1563 N. Scenic Drive, Muskegon, MI  49445
         Fees are listed on their web page.
         Take CASH - credit and debit cards are not accepted!

  this concludes this edition of fun places to go this summer.
   Please let us know about the fun you had when you visited these places. ;->

check this out ;->

For those of you who haven't yet seen this, this is a You Tube (R) Video about Grand Rapids, Michigan  :->

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZPjjZCO67WI

The Muppets, Year of the Staycation, and a Sale at Salvation Army

    I woke up this morning knowing that I NEEDED to post something today. It's not that I don't have anything to post about ... I just haven't in a couple of days (will you forgive me?). I couldn't decide which subject to pick,  thought I would figure it out while I worked on a different project on line.
   That had been my 'plan'. You all know how 'plans' go for me. Sometimes they stay on tract. But way more often, they take these sudden turns ....
    Yup, that's what happened while I was trying to decide which subject to post about today. But this time, it was THREE sudden turns. 
    First, I got a phone call from a business. Second thing was, I stumbled upon a blog posting that I thought lots of you might benefit from seeing. And thirdly, I got a phone call from Byron. All righty then. I am not even going to bother trying to choose. Here then is the three different subjects I'm posting about today. (you do understand why, don't you?)

   First, the phone call.
   I got a phone call, personally inviting me to the special sales going on at the Salvation Army Stores this upcoming Memorial Day Weekend. I jotted down what I could, but they didn't have a 'push such and such button to rehear this message' option. :-[. 
    Friday - they are running special sales on purses, shoes, other accessories, and perhaps more?.
    Saturday -  All yellow tagged items are 50% off.
    Monday - ALL clothing is $5.00 for 5 items.

    Second came the stumbled upon blog posting, that I thought lots of you might benefit from seeing.  The posting was titled 'Plan a Staycation' in YOUR town'. The posting was highlighting the 'Staycation' movement currently going on. The idea behind it, is to save money by not traveling, and yet have a wonderful fun-filled vacation with your family. They word it as, "Hundreds of ways to enjoy your city on a budget".
    I found the posting on the blog, 'Life As Mom'. The posting had the United States broken down into regions ('New England', 'Mid Atlantic', 'Mid West', etc.), with various cities in that region listed underneath the title, and links to ideas for those cities linked in. (did I say that right?).
     Go HERE (http://lifeasmom.com/2011/05/plan-a-staycation-in-your-town.html) to view the posting for yourself. Happy 'Staycation' ;->

   Third thing, was the phone call from Byron. "Next time you go on line.." "I am on line" "Okay, go to ..."  That didn't work. "Okay try ..."  "found it :->"  "Watch the movie trailer mom, your gonna love it!"  While I was watching it, Benson came in, questioning what he had just heard. ;-p. I re-plaid it. "That's Awesome!".
    The title of the video clues you in to how good it's gonna be - "Watch the Real-Fake First Teaser for The Muppets" .
    Byron - "Make SURE you tell dad about it!" "Oh yeah!"
    But I knew lots of you might enjoy it too. So HERE('s) the link (http://www.movieline.com/2011/05/watch-the-real-fake-first-teaser-for-the-muppets.php).
    Just remember to keep watching it all of the way through. That's all I'm gonna say on the matter. o;-p
   
    Should more things come up, I'll start tomorrow's posting.  o;->

Larry's Pizza

   From the start, I should let everybody know that this email is primarily aimed at people whom live near me, or who live in the state of Arkansas.

   Both Chris and Amy (our neighbors and friends) had told me about and recommended Larry's Pizza to me.
   They told me where it's located here in G.R. - the corner of Plainfield and Fuller (some of you will locate it faster in your minds, when I say it's in the old Bill Knapp's building. ;->)
   They told about lots of the different varieties of pizza the place offers. From a Regular Supreme, to a Cheeseburger (which has diced pickles amongst other items on it), to a Loaded Baked Potato one (the potatoes are cut scalloped potato style), to a Chicken Alfredo, to... . Then there's their dessert pizza's. Oh golly! I thought Kayla was going to swoon over the Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip one, which by the way is served warm. And Cyndi was so thrilled with their Bavarian Cream one (with chocolate swirled on top) that Byron bought another one for them to take home with them. But I'm getting ahead of myself.
   They told about how there is both a pizza and a salad bar buffets that you go through after being shown a table. Then, if they don't currently have something on their buffet which is featured on their menu, you can request to have it made, and they are happy to do so. But then, they don't just go put it on the buffet. No, they bring it right to your table and allow you to have as much of it as you want, before they start going table to table offering it to other patrons. Larry's refers to themselves as "The Lazy Man's Buffet". Cute!
  And Chris and Amy both also told me about how realistically priced the place was.
  As I've shared, our out-of-state kids arrived for a visit early last Fri. evening. I had already suggested to everybody that we try Larry's out that night, and they had all voted yes for it. So that's where we headed. The sad part was that Brandon had the wrong starting work time in mind, and ended up not being able to join us due to needing to be to work in twenty five minutes. But we still had nine adults and one "infant" total, since Adam was coming along as well.
  Was it realistically priced? The total (before tip) for the nine adults (Analyse is young enough we didn't need to pay for her) was $79.84.
  Was the food good? The local guys are biting at the bit wanting to go back, and we ARE going back when Byron and Cyndi are here again in a few weeks. So the answer is YES!
  Did everybody really get full? The serving size of the pieces are quite small. It looked like they bake them on maybe a 10" pan, and then slice it up small. But it's an 'all you can eat' type of place. And even after you've decided your full, they still come around tempting you with more. Benson, Brent and Adam even declared themselves stuffed, and that takes a bit to accomplish!
   
    It turns out that the local Larry's, is actually part of a chain of Larry's Pizza Restaurants. It's just that all of the other 'stores' are located through out the state of Arkansas. Twenty one of them there. One so far here.

   While we didn't have to pay for Analyse, they did have high chairs and kids cups available (free).
   You can order any of their pizza's to go.
   And Brian was impressed with their salad bar. It had sliced cucumbers (which I'm not sure who ate more of, Brian or Analyse), and even peas.

Hot Dog Bar -

    Lately, the 'All American Hot Dog' seems to be making quite a come back. But not necessarily in what some think of as being the A-Typical way to eat them; in a bun with ketchup, mustard, and perhaps some relish on top. Those are now considered oh so boring, and rightfully so.
     A different long liked way of eating them, is via the Chili Dog style. A bun enclosed hot dog, topped with a thick chili sauce, sometimes some ketchup, and chopped onions. But lately, even this variety has been getting dressed up a bit.
    Several times recently, I have seen a TV promotion ad by Sonic's (R) for their four different styles of specialty hot dogs.
    There is a Sonic's near us. There is also Yesterdog (R), which Brian and his dorm friends were frequent visitors too, late on weekend nights. Many around here claim, 'you havn't lived till you've had a 'Yesterdog(R)' '.
    Another well known local spot for (especially chili) dogs, is 'The Corner Bar' in Rockford, MI. They even have a carry out window so that anybody whom 'wouldn't be caught dead entering a bar', can still be patrons of their dogs.
   
    Like I mentioned, I'd recently been seeing the newest commercials that Sonic's is running.Then I got my blogging friend Michelle's (from Big Black Dog (TM) ) posting titled, 'Chili Dogs with Home made Potato Chips - Diner Style!'. And I had also gotten an invitation to a high schoolers Sr. open house. All of those things combined to get me thinking about the 'Hot Dog Bar' we had done for our son Benson's open house.
    Benson graduated back in 2003, and yet  to this day, we still get compliments on that hot dog bar. Therefore, between all of the above mentioned things and that fact, I thought I should share the details of "The Hot Dog Bar" with all of you.
    The inspiration for the bar, had come out of a several page featured article, in the Better Homes And Gardens(TM) magazine, May 1992 edition. I still have one page of it. The top corner reads, "FOOD by Lisa Holderness". The Article was titled "America's Top Dog's - Six regional favorites".
    We took that article, and added one more dog to it - "The Ao-Wa-Kiyan'. Camp Ao-Wa-Kiya is a youth camp that we were a part of for m-a-n-y years, and it has it's own version of a specialty dog. (;-p)
         
    We had typed the following out on our computer and then run off copies of it. Those we then inserted into page protectors, which we hung numerous copies of from twine over the buffet. We had also laid a protected page of it on each of the eating tables.
    You are more than welcome to do the same. For graduation open houses. Or summer parties. Or any other reason/occasion you come up with.

     First, I am going to give you a listing of what the page looked like. Then I will list out all of the various ingredients needed. Yup, the list is a rather long one. But when totaled up, it's not all that expensive after all. I will also list what else we offered to eat.

                    America's Top Dogs
                     Seven regional favorites

Make your own favorite style specialty hot dog:

NEW YORK - The Coney Island red-hot is New York City's traditional hot dog. Nathan's Famous of New York, the nation's first hot dog chain, started selling red hots in 1916 on Coney Island. Now New York has approximately 3000 licensed hot dog vendors.
   For this unpretentious frank, top a grilled all beef hot dog with sauerkraut and mustard and serve in a plain bun.

CHICAGO - The Chicago-style dog was a product of the Depression. For a mere 5 cents, street vendors sold all-beef hot dogs nestled in a steamed poppy seed bun.
    But it was the amount of savory toppings that made this dog famous -- yellow mustard, pickle relish, chopped onions, tomato wedges, dill pickles (a spear or sliced), zesty sport peppers (small hot green peppers), and a shake of celery salt.
    To order one of these delightful dogs as Chicago folks do, specify "make me one with everything", "drag it through the garden", or "I'll take one with a salad on the bun". (But at this open house, you'll have to make it for yourself.  ;-p)

NEW ENGLAND - Bostonians, known for their baked beans, even spoon (baked) beans on top of their hot dogs. These New-Englad style dogs make great picnic food.

MIDWESTERN - The Midwest takes credit for the franchisee, a boiled hot dog stuffed with cheese and wrapped with bacon. To make our own franchisee dog, cook a strip of bacon till just cooked through but not crisp. Cut a long slit in the hot dog and stuff it with cheddar or American cheese. Wrap bacon around the hot dog and attach with a wooden toothpick. Broil till cheese melts and bacon is slightly crisp.

KANSAS CITY - Kansas City hot dog lovers claim the Reuben dog as their creation. Modeled after the Reuben sandwich, their dog is topped with sauerkraut and melted Swiss Cheese, all on a - same seed bun. If desired, spread a little Thousand Island dressing on the bun too.

SOUTHWESTERN - South westerns, partial to zesty flavors, ladle chili (with or without beans) a top their hot dogs and finish them off with a sprinkle of onions. Also known as Chili Dogs or Coney Dogs.

Ao-Wa-Kiyan - Every Wed. campers and staff canoe over to the big lake, where dinner is then served on the beach. To make the ever so infamous "Ao-Wa-Kiyan dog", spoon some of the available baked beans on to your hot dog. Add ketchup, mustard and relish. Take some of the available potato chips, squish them in one hand, and then add them on top of the other hot dog toppings. The key ingredient - sand, will be blown in by the wind. (although here, you will have to add it yourself from our available bowl full. ;-p) 


   Now for the list of all of the various ingredients needed:

- Hot Dog Buns  -while different styled dogs called for different types of buns, we only bought and thus offered the basic type.
- Hot Dogs  (we like to use the 1/4 pound style, which we buy in big packages at GFS.) We had had Brent cooking them on our grill right outside the door by the beginning of the buffet. Thanks yet again Brent ;-) (we recommend planning 1 1/2 hot dogs per expected person in attendance.)

   (I couldn't quickly find a picture of our buffet, so I just took a picture of what dogs we currently have in the freezer. Had to have a picture for link-ups ;-p)
- Sauerkraut  (the 5 gallon jug of it in GFS's cooler gets us the best raves.) We sprinkled it with a little brown sugar and had it cooking in a (sprayed!) large crock-pot.
- Chopped Onions  - rather finely chopped - not chucked! (If your not a fan of chopping a lot of onions, GFS offers them already chopped, by the bag full)
- Tomatoes - wedged. (slice in half, slice those halves in half, slice those halves of a half in half...)
- Dill Pickles - either wedged or sliced (we went with the wedged, because lots of people like them on the side whether or not they actually put them on their dog. (These are a much better bargain bought in the huge jars at GFS, Sam's Club, or some such place!)
- "Zesty Sport Peppers" is what the above list calls for, but we offered Banana Peppers and Jalapenos. And both were hits! (These are also easier on the budget when bought in the larger size jars!)
- Celery Salt - I just took my bottle of it from home.
- Baked Beans - Make them up the way you prefer them and make plenty, because lots of people will eat them along with their hot dogs rather than on their hot dogs. (Use a sprayed crock-pot for these.)
- Cheddar Cheese - We had a big bowl of shredded cheddar available. And no, we did not offer the use of the broiler like the 'Midwestern' calls for. People survived ;-p.
- Bacon - We offered a bowl of 'Real Bacon Pieces' (TM) (they come in a bag) instead of actual bacon strips. (Much more budget friendly that way!)
- Shredded Swiss Cheese - We had a small bowl of it available. (The Kansas City style says to melt it on. Again, the people survived with out that option being available to them. ;-p)
- Thousand Island Dressing - A regular sized bottle of the dressing is sufficient.
- Chili - We like to use the Chef Mate (TM) brand available in the big cans at GFS. (Heat in a SPRAYED crock-pot).
- Potato Chips - Have lots of these (also a better bargain bought in bulk sized packages!) because far more will be eaten off of the dogs than on them!
- Sand - a small bowl of it will suffice o;-p. It's mainly for the chuckle effect.
- Ketchup, Mustard and Sweet Pickle Relish. Have more than one of each available!

    And now for the list of what else we offered to eat:
- Sweet Pickles - some people like dill pickles, some like sweet. (Also best bargain is via the BIG jars of them)
- Potato Salad
- Deviled Eggs (a couple of friends and I had lots of laughs while making up several Tupperware (R) Pie Takers (R) full [put a paper towel in the bottom of the container first!] )
- Tang, Ice Tea and Water to drink ( in the large orange colored Igloo(R) coolers)
- Benson's favorite kind of cake.

A  Couple of Bonus Tips Here -
- Use a power strip for all of the crock pots, and then put duct tape over the extension cord running to the out let.
- If your buffet is going to be open longer than an hour in length, place your bowls of cheeses, chopped onions, pickles, potato salad and deviled eggs, inside larger bowls containing ice. (Borrow every body you knows large metal bowls for this.)
- Ice lasts much longer if you include some large ice chunks you made (like out of Tupperware's(R) hamburger press).  In the coolers of beverages, we use 1/2 gallon plastic milk jugs, which we have run through the dish washer and allowed to completely dry before filling 3/4ths of the way full with water and allowing several days to freeze solid. Make sure the jugs have a lid on them of they will dilute your drinks - and nobody likes diluted water. o;-p)

    Like I said, "You are more than welcome to do the same. For graduation open houses. Or summer parties. Or any other reason/occasion you come up with."  However, if you do, we'd really like to hear what you and others thought about yours!!!
   And for the record, we found that the pages listing the different types of regional hot dogs, made for great conversations basis between people whom did not previously know one another, but were attending the same open house!! :-D

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ 
  I 'plan' on linking this particular posting up to:

~ "Whatever Goes Wednesday('s), hosted by Michelle, at 'Someday Crafts'
(http://somedaycrafts.blogspot.com/)
~ "Full Plate Thursday('s), hosted by Miz Helen, at 'Miz Helen's Country Cottage' (http://mizhelenscountrycottage.blogspot.com/)
~ "(Foodie Friday's)", are hosted by "Gollum" (aka: Michael), at 'Designs by Gollum' (http://designsbygollum.blogspot.com/)

and then next week, linking up to:
~ "Making Your Home Sing Monday('s)", are hosted by Nan, at 'Mom's the Word (I love to hear)' (http://momstheword--livingforhim.blogspot.com/).
~ "Homemaker Mondays ... Yours, Mine & Ours", are hosted by Jen, at '11th Heaven's Homemaking Haven' (http://rtheyallyours.blogspot.com/).
~ "Market Yourself Monday", are hosted by Sumo, at 'Sumo's Sweet Stuff' (http://sumossweetstuff.blogspot.com/)
~ "Tempt My Tummy Tuesday('s)", are hosted by Lisa, at 'Blessed with Grace' (http://blessedwithgrace.blogspot.com).
~ "Tuesdays at the Table", are hosted by Cole, at 'All The Small Stuff' (http://allthesmallstuff-cole.blogspot.com/).
~ "Kitchen Tip Tuesday('s)", are hosted by Tammy, at 'Tammy's Recipes' (http://www.tammysrecipes.com/).
~ "Tasty Tuesday('s)", are hosted by Jennifer, at "Balancing Beauty and Bedlam" (http://www.beautyandbedlam.com/)

time spent with a friend :-]

     A week ago Saturday I got to spend a few delightful hours with "my" Kate. :-]. She drove, I treated to lunch, and then we went shopping.

     We headed out to Grand Rapids Brewing Co. for lunch. If you've never gone there, you really should go!!! Yes, it is a Brewing Co.. But the 'pub' part and the restaurant part are completely separated. Yes, you can still order a brew while sitting in their dining room. But enough about all of that. I'm sure you get the general idea.
     Like I said, 'if you've never gone there, you really should go!!!' Their food is really good! They recently got a new chef who made changes to their menu. Some of the newer dishes are more along the lines of some of the now more popular veins in cuisine (things such as including goat and other 'fancy' cheeses, etc.). But they still have some of their old favorites (such as their huge wonderful hamburger). And I filled out a comment card requesting that they bring back their Pecan Honey Mustard Chicken Sandwich (a fav. of mine), their loaded waffle fries (something I probably shouldn't like, but they were just so-o-o good!) and their Lumberjack sandwich (which was one of Brian's fav.'s). ;-)
    I would hate to see this be another good place to eat in G.R. that closes.
    O-kay, so-o, enough of that free commercial. ;-)
    Our lunch time took quite awhile because we were so-o enjoying our conversations. While we do have a lot of differences, we are none the less truly 'kindred spirits'!
    And then there were the phone calls I kept getting. More drama in a family members life. But Kate totally understands that that is a big part of me. The being a part of my family members lives. And thus she even joined in on the listening and encouraging. Thanks Kate!!

   We then went shopping. As you know, that is something that I seldom do any more. Vertigo and shopping do not blend together smoothly. But we did so for two reasons.
    First, as my unofficial yet almost official 'doctor', Kate has learned well how to read my body language over the years. By looking at my eyes, the color of my skin, the way I move, she can tell whether I'm attempting to push myself further than I should. And, when of my own accord I admit that I've had enough, she never squabbles over it. Thus we went shopping to see how much I was now up to handling. People. Movements. Scanning things on racks. Etc..
    Secondly, earlier that week there had been a message on our answering machine that the local Salvation Army Stores were running big sales that Saturday. I had understood it to be 50% off all winter apparel, including winter outerwear. The announcement that came over the intercom shortly after we entered the store, stated that it was 50% off ALL clothing. Kate asked, "Children's wear?" With a huge smile I had answered "YES, please!!!"
   
   We were going to head that direction, but then a display caught my eye. In it was a pair of shoes that literally shouted "Kayla" at me!!!!!!! They were oh so bright pink, with white polka dots. They were platformed fronts with thick heels. They had little bows both on the toes and at the back of the heel. While you knew they had been worn, they didn't at all appear "worn". They were oh so super 'girlie' and shouting 'Kayla' at me. And I thought the size was right. So I called Kayla and inquired. They were!!! But I didn't tell Kayla a thing about them, just said, "ask me no questions and I'll tell you no lies" o;-p!

    (the pink and white polka dot parts are actually fabric!)

    When I showed them to her the next day, Kayla did the excited 'girlie girl' giggle. She was thrilled they fit. And then she gave me a wonderful hug. ;-]  In-fact, much later before they left, she purposely came back in the room to again thank me and give me another hug. ;-] For $4.99, I had hit the bulls eye. Thank-you Lord!  She plans to wear them for Easter.

    Kate and I then did make it to the children's clothing. What fun!!! We pulled out and showed each other ever so many adorable clothing pieces!!!  It would have been oh so easy to buy Analyse clothing through size 5T. LOTS of it! But I took a deep breath and kept to being practical. Practical, but also ever so frugal. Seeings how all clothing was 50% off, I didn't pay over $1.50 for anything for Analyse. Here are pictures of what all I was able to get for her for $19.00.

   two pairs of pajamas. Not super heavy winter style, but not thin cotton either.

Both the black pants and the full length overalls are cordory. Cute! Speaking of cute, check out those denim overall shorts. They were a 'must buy'!!!

two summer dresses. The pink and green one is seersucker like material and the other is a brushed cotton.

 The sleeved one has lace on the top of the bodice, and the skirt is sort of scooped edged which just flows when moved. It's going to be ever so cute on our always dancing Analyse!
   The sleeveless one is brushed cotton and is a mixture of a dress front with a onesie style middle. (hope ya get what I mean.)

   I got our dancer a 'tutu'. :-} [hey, I saw her stand on the very very tips of her toes to be able to reach something she was determined to get! ;-p]

   Yet again, God had provided. When we were there recently, the "kids" had just pulled out the stored away box of size 24 month / 2 T clothing, due to Analyse now being that size. There wasn't a whole lot in there. This week I will be shipping my recent purchases to them. And soon I might be brave and venture out to do some more shopping. While I do hope they are again running a good sale, I never the less hope that it's not heavily attended. Too many people, not standing still, making so-o much noise, and .... Yup, I've still got a ways to go on this road back to 'normal' (which I freely admit I have never been. o;-p) But in the mean time, I spent some delightful time with "my" Kate, got some adorable shoes for my daughter-in-love-to-be Kayla, and some great clothing for my grand daughter Analyse. It was a great afternoon!!!

a neat place to EAT!

      Way back, after Byron and Cyndi had gotten married, just Brian and I had gone to visit them for a weekend. That Sunday, Cyndi had not been feeling good and Byron had had to work for awhile, so Brian and I had set off exploring. Turns out that the direction we headed off into, is pretty much closed up on Sunday's. That resulted in us driving further than we probably would have. And after a while, we went from being 'kind of hungry', to "let's find someplace to eat!". 
    The first real restaurant we came across, we pulled into, but for reasoning's that we don't now remember, we just weren't that thrilled with the looks of the place. As we started to pull out of their driveway, another place caught our eye. And the things they were promoting on their digital front sign sounded good. It was close to St. Patty's Day and they were promoting a Corned Beef and Cabbage dinner, as well as a Lamb dinner. Brian likes both, and I was willing to try something new, so we pulled in.
    The name of the place is Simon's Restaurant, and it's located at 2 W. Roosevelt Road, in Villa Park, Ill.
    We had gotten there shortly before noon, so we were just in time to see the 'Sunday Church Crowd' arrive. We found them very interesting and fun to observe. We were impressed with how cross racial lines they were. There were blacks and Mexicans and obviously Greeks and Caucasians, all sitting table to table and smiling warmly at one another. We were also impressed with how cross income groups they were. While some weren't flaunting their wealth, they wore it oh so subtly well!!! And there were others whom you'd dub 'hicks'. But like I said, everybody smiled warmly at one another, and lots of them seemed to be regulars, whom more than nodded at one another. Nice!
    Getting there when we did, had also then allowed us to view a whole lot of their menu choices, as they were paraded past us to their destinations. What a colorful interesting parade! Everything was served with garnished flare! Somewhere in their kitchen, was a culinary garnish-er whom took pride in their work! The fruit platter with a huge scoop of chicken salad in the middle, was a colorful, multi-textured, arranged not dropped on the plate, inspiring work of art! All this time latter, I can still close my eyes and picture it's beauty.
    Not only were all of the passing dishes pretty to look at, most all of them were also mouth watering appealing. We had already started on our dinners, and were enjoying them immensely, but "doesn't that look good!" Oh man! 
    We liked the place so much, that not only did we make mental notes to take the "kids" there sometime, but I also jotted the name and address of Simon's down in my calender/reference book. We didn't want to have to try and remember where it was and what it had been called!! (I'm sure none of you ever have that problem. ;-p)

    So time has passed, and even though we have visited "the kids" several times, it just never seemed to work out to take them there. But this time we were determined that WAS going to work out. It didn't on Saturday, which was fine, so we set Sunday as our goal. Wouldn't ya know that Ms. Analyse took a long nap on Sunday. ;-p. But that was okay, because she was in an extra good mood afterwords!

   And as you could guess by the picture, she charms everybody she encounters!
   We found out that they (the restaurant) run special features EVERY Sunday. And due to the owners Greek heritage, several of those specials are always Greek cuisine. They also always feature a good ole ham dinner, a fish dinner, and something made with chicken. "Sunday Dinners"!  :-)
    Right when we started looking over the menu, Cyndi had gotten all excited. They had "Saganaki Flambe" as an appetizer!!! We had no clue what she was talking about. But man was she excited! ;-p  She explained that it's a thick slice of some type of cheese that's been fried, they light it on fire when they serve it to you, and then put the flames out by squeezing the juice from lemon wedges onto it. We were both intrigued and curious, so we ordered some. She was right, that's really good!
    Brian (aka: "Pappy!!" :-) ordered their Greek Combo which contained Lamb roast, Moussaka, and Spinach Pie with HUGE burgundy/red pitted olives and small chunks of Fetta cheese. He declared all of it delicious!! And, "we have got to bring Brent here!" (Brent loves lamb!)
   Cyndi had some kind of a roast beef and cheese sandwich, Byron had Veal Parmesan, I had turkey with dressing, mashed potatoes and green beans, and we ordered Chicken nuggets for Ms. Analyse. Her's cost $5. The PLATTER came with ten(10) larger than McDonald's sized chicken nuggets and a heap of thick fries on it. Yup, she had a couple of day's lunches brought home for her. ;-p
    At the end of your meal, everybody is served a small scoop of a soft serve ice cream, which our waitress described as "choconilla" flavored. She was right. It was a mixture of vanilla with a small amount of chocolate in it. Smooth. And tasty. And it cleared any hidden spices out of your mouth, like she had told us it would, "that way, you don't latter regret what you ordered". ;-p!

     Ms. Analyse greatly enjoyed her ice cream!!! Yup, she was feeding it to herself via a spoon. Well, most of the time. The fingers did get submerged into the bowl too. ;-p

   So-o-o, if your ever any-where's near Villa Park, Ill, we highly recommend that you drive yourselves over to Simon's Restaurant! Every day of the week their menu contains good looking and sounding selections. But on Sunday's, they take it notches higher!
    When (not "if", WHEN) you go there, let us know what you ordered. ;-)
    Don't know where "Villa Park" Ill is? Neither did we originally. ;-)  Thankfully for you, internet based maps or "Tom Tom's" (TM) can locate it easily for you.
  

We're moving ... o;-p (NOT weather related)

  (I thought I should add that "NOT weather related" part, seeings how we're still in blizzard conditions here. I wrote up the draft for this particular posting early last week, back before Brent began to wonder if he'd ever be able to leave his plow truck! Read the posting... you'll soon catch on as to why then we are moving o;-p)


    Last weekend while I was looking on line for new pictures to use for our "Seasonal Smiles", I happened upon a picture of this dining room which I just fell in love with. I sent the link to the picture to some friends, along with a note which this is an excert from. "While looking for something else, I came upon this picture today." ... "Beautiful, yet friendly looking. Classy, yet not stuffy. WON-DER-FUL!!! YES PLEASE!!! :-)"
    For your viewing pleasure, here is that picture:

    {I found the picture via THIS link}

    Thursday I decided to use some of the words in the address for the picture and see if I couldn't find information about the building the dining room is housed in. I chose to use the words, "Thornewood Castle" to start my search. BINGO!  Immediately I had the a lead to the places official web site.
    Once the site downloaded, I just started smiling. What a beautiful structure! To me, it reminded me more of a wonderful, perhaps English, estate (with estate being the key word there) then it did a castle. And yet while it definitely resembles an estate, it's not one of those daughting type of places. You know, the ones that look like they are too classy for a person such as yourself to enter. This one looked classy, yet inviting. Not only did it grab your curiosity about what the insides were like, it gave you the impression that you were not only welcome, but encouraged to enter and find out. Nice!
    Then I read the very first paragraph in their left hand side bar. "Thornewood Castle is a 500-year-old Tudor Gothic historic site known as “the house that love built.” " OH - MY GOODNESS !!!!! Come-on! Byron had named our original blog "The House That Love Built"!!! And then when we moved to blogspot, together we had changed it to "The Bz House That Love Built". And now I'm reading that this beautiful estate is referred to as "the house that love built"?!?!?!  "Okay Lord, I'll take it!!!" o;-p

    As I went over the page, I discovered that the place is located in the state of Washington. In-fact, "Thornewood is 12 miles south of downtown Tacoma and 42 miles south of downtown Seattle in Washington State, USA.".  Oh my goodness. Just last week my blogging friend Nan had been encouraging me to come to Seattle and visit her. Seriously! Let's see, on NCIS 'Special Agent Jethro Gibb's" doesn't believe in coincidences. "Umm Lord, I hadn't planned to move across the country ...", but then I looked at the house again ... and re-read that first paragraph ... Hummmm. "But my 'kids' are here...".  We'll have to employee them to work in what ever business we use the place for! (I just did an 'Abby' arms crossed / head nod there. o;-p)

   I scrolled up and clicked on "Gallery". In retrospect, perhaps I shouldn't have. But I'm glad I did!!! :->!
   First I looked through the "Castle Exterior". All of it's gorgeous.
   Then "Castle Interior". The sub-heading read, "The interior of Thornewood Castle is comprised of 54 rooms, including 22 bedrooms and 22 baths." Yup, definitely going to need to hire help! The only thing besides changing a bunch of the pictures that I want to change, is there doesn't seem to be a library. Come-on, such an estate with out a library?!? It will have when I live there. o;-p. One with my dream window seat.
   On the "Castle Interiors" page, there was a link to the "Suites". Not sure which one we should chose to be our own private room. Most likely one of the ones with a view of the lake .... . Then as I scrolled down further I read, "These apartments are adjoining to the castle and may also be reserved for overnight stays." GOOD! Our 'kids' can have their own little homes right on our estate!! o:-]   (Oh, and they will no longer be available for outside rentals. ;-p)
    The next 'gallery' link I clicked on was for the "Secret English Garden". Cool! Brain has ALWAYS wanted just such a thing!! ;-p  And then they won me over by the picture of two young girls having a tea party in the garden. Gracious!
     I HAD to click on the "Weddings" link in the gallery. HAD to? YES!!! Because "my" Kate's reply to the email I had sent out with the picture of the dining room had been, "I want my wedding reception in THAT room. I'm just saying. :)". See?!?!!! o;-)  Question then becomes if we can be there in time for Brent and Kayla's wedding this October. Kayla had always wanted a princess themed wedding ... ;-> After all, one of the pictures does show a black and white themed wedding reception. And with that many bedrooms, well... we could house at least some of the relatives from both sides. At a price of course, chuckle, chuckle.  Oh and Kate, if Steve doesn't work out, you could always marry one of our sons and live on the estate - be our resident doctor.... o;-b!
     Any of our 'already married' friends could always book a 'repeating your vows' ceremony with us! ;-]
    Benson, you are going to be thrilled with the link title "Statuary"!!
    There are also links such as "Dock and American Lake" and "Christmas" (Brian, they showed a train track in one picture. Wonder if they'll leave it behind for you? ;->), and "Seasonal", and "Historical".
    Then came the gallery titled "Medieval Stained Glass". Above the pictures it reads, "Most of the windows of Thornewood Castle are filled with Medieval Stained Glass inserts. To add to his Castle and complete his construction in 1911, Chester Thorne purchased a special stained glass collection from a Duke in Europe who had spend 40 years collecting this collection salvaged from 15th &16th century churches. These are remnants, saved from a time when books and other works of art were being destroyed. Some pieces have specific dates on them, such as 1563 and 1650. There are approximately 100 of these special pieces in the house. In the past, a couple of university professors came to photograph and catalog our collection. They stated that there is not another house, that they know of in the United States, with this kind of collection."  " "Kids", I want you to be extra careful when cleaning those!" ;-p!
   
    There were all kinds of links under the heading of "History", as there also were under the headings of "Events" and "Weddings" (as in, info. about having weddings there, not just pictures of weddings there like were featured under the "Gallery" heading), and "Lodging".

   As you can see, I thourally enjoyed my visit to their web site!! What a beautiful inviting place!! ""Kids", are you with me on this?"  "Ummmm Brian ......" o;-p

(Seeings how your all snowed in today, you can take a couple of minutes and follow some of the links. Bonus! :-D)

laugh fest

    March 10 - 20 promises to be full of laughter here in Grand Rapids, MI this year!!! Those are the dates for our local Gilda's Club 10th anniversary.
    The only original info. I had, was that three particular comedians were going to be part of this years "laugh fest" here in G.R.. So I started my search for information by typing in "Laugh Fest in G. R. MI".
    The first lead I followed was a clip on one of our local TV/News stations web page - WZZM-13. In their info. I read, "Carroll Velie, Co-Chair Laugh-Fest notes, "Our Gilda's Club is one of the most successful Gilda's Clubs in the nation." " 
      And then "... funny fundraiser that will include 50 some comedians performing at 25 venues over the course of ten days in March. Big names include Betty White and Bill Cosby." Brian had seen a bill board stating that Gabriel Iglesias (aka: "fluffy" - chocolate cake guy ;-p) had also agreed to join the line up.
     I followed the lead on that page to the Gilda's LaughFest official page. I first clicked under the "comedy" title and read, "Comedy ....The biggest of our four festival categories…".  Appropriate for a Gilda festival! You can click HERE to see the comedians they have lined up.
    Under the "Call For Talent" label I read, "What makes YOU laugh?  Showcases are forming and Gilda’s Laughfest is currently booking acts – from amateur and professional talent, to anything in between.   If you like to laugh, or make others laugh, come share “What Makes You Laugh!”  Go HERE if your interested in being a part of their "version of American Idol of laughter with you on stage".
   Under the label "Performance  & Film" it starts, "Laughter for stage and movie enthusiasts ....Wanna watch?  Kick back and be entertained by live performances or a variety of funny films."  Click HERE to read more just on that.
    And then there was the category "Seriously Funny Stuff" which started off with, "Other things which make YOU laugh.   Experience! Here’s where you’ll find seriously funny stuff so original we had to create a catch-all category for it.  Below is our list-to-date…"  Click HERE to see that list.
    Of course you need tickets for everything. You can follow a link on the sites main web page to get  information about them.


     It seems that good ole' Grand Rapids, MI is becoming the host to a lot of big events!

     In THIS posting I mentioned how they have been filming more movies here.

     I've told you about how our city is currently hosting the Princess Diana exhibit.

     Above I told you about this years 'menu' for our local Gilda's Club yearly fund raiser.

     And Grand Rapids also hosts what's called "ArtPrize".  The dates for ArtPrize 2011 are: Sept 21st - Oct. 9th. The first paragraph on their web page reads, "ArtPrize is a radically open competition. Open to any artist in the world who can find space. Open to anybody in Grand Rapids, Michigan who wants to create a venue. Open to a vote from anyone who attends."  To visit ArtPrize's web page, click HERE.
  
     Lots of events to enjoy right here in mid-west MI. :-) 

upcoming Antiques Show -

    Last night, Brian said that he had heard something about the local Rotary Club sponsoring a huge Antiques Show sometime soon at the Delta Plex.  I knew that that meant he wanted me to look up info on/about it. I also knew that many of you would want me to share the info. with you as well.  So here it is o;-).

      "Rotary Antique Show :

November 05, 2010 5:00pm - 9:00pm
November 06, 2010 10:00am - 7:00pm
November 07, 2010 10:00am - 4:00pm

Vintage, Antiques, & Collectibles Sale A Charitable Shopping EXTRAVAGANZA of fashion, furniture, & memorabilia Featuring 75 antique dealers, sports lounge, & café Friday 5pm-9pm Saturday 10am-7pm Sunday 10am-4pm The Rotary Antique Show Website!


Ticket price is $7.00"


   And on the 'Rotary's' Show site, I found:

Friday Night
Vintage Fashion Show
Live Music

Saturday Noon - 4pm
Appraisals with Caroline Ashleigh
and Siegal Jewelers
Appraisals 1 for $15, 2 for $20

Sunday
Free admission with a case of juice boxes
for Kids Food Basket

All Show Hours –
Gold & Jewelry Buying with Siegel Jewelers
Crystal & China Repair  “While You Wait”
Free Parking
Raffle & Door Prizes

Purchase $5 Discount Tickets Through Oct 15th
General admission $7 at the door
Children 17 & under free
Free Parking

The Rotary's site also had something which would be of interest to lovers of shoes ....  go to their site to see ;-p

Let us know if you go, and what you couldn't leave sitting there o;-)

Princess Diana

    I was a big fan of Princess Diana. From my perspective, we had several things in common. She was a school teacher, I had started towards getting my teaching certificate (remember, instead I got my Mrs. and Mom degrees ;-p).  Most often, she wore more casual style (aka: comfortable type) clothing, definitely the type I prefer!  We got married around the same time, although her's did receive a bit more attention than mine did ;-p. And we had sons around the same time period.
    That latter similarity provided me a great deal of chuckle, at the medias expense. Oh my goodness did it. At the time, the media made HUGE deals out of the fact that Lady Diana was headed home from the hospital, only so many hours after having delivered Prince William. They presented it as though it really was some feat she was accomplishing. What they failed to consider in, was the fact that at home, she had a private nurse, and a nanny, and a cook, and a house keeper, and a chauffeur, and gardeners, and a secretary, and a laundress, and all kinds of other helpers. But typical media, they were all about the hype. They haven't changed much have they? ;-p
     I will admit that I cried when the news came out that she had died. I cried, a lot!!! While I never have been to keen on her husband, I was a big fan of Princess Diana!!!
     So I smiled broadly when I got up the other morning and found a small flier taped to the microwave. (inserted tip here - the door of the microwave is a great place to tape notes for the family!! For some reason, they always get noticed when hanging in that location ;-p ).
      Benson and a friend had taken advantage of the one dollar admission fee to the art museum the day before, and he knew that an upcoming exhibit would be of interest to me. Thanks for the flyer Benson!!!
     I, in turn, knew I should spread the news to all of you.  Oh, your welcome o;-b.

    "DIANA  a celebration."  "Novemeber 9, 2010 - February 16, 2011"
"This award-winning exhibition showcases the life and humanitarian work of the 20th century's most remarkable women, Diana, Princess of Wales. The exhibition's nine galleries feature more than 150 personal objects including her royal wedding gown, 28 designer dresses, family heirlooms, personal mementos and rare movies."
                  GRAM
                  Grand Rapids
                  Art Museum

                  Presented by:
                  Daniel and Pamella DeVos Foundation

    From the back of the flier :
Ticket Prices (includes admission fee):
Adult: $20,  Senior (62+): $18,  Student (with ID): $18, Youth (6 - 17): $15, Children 5 and under: free, Tour groups: $15 (10 or more),  GRAM members: $5, Audio tours: $5
   Tickets can be purchases for a specific date and time, but walk-ins are welcome.

Tickets are available online at www.startickets.com,  at GRAM, all Star Tickets locations in Michigan Meijer stores, or by calling 800 - 585 - 3737

Special group packages:  Available for groups of 10 or more, contact grouptours@srtmuseum.org or 616 - 831 - 2931

GRAM hours:
Tuesday - Thursday: 10 a.m. - 5 p.m.
Friday: 10 a.m. - 9 p.m.
Saturday: 10 a.m. - 5 p.m.
Sunday: Noon - 5 p.m.
Closed Mon.
visit artmuseum.org for special extended exhibition hours.


   PLEASE let me know if you go, as well as if you enjoy the exhibit or not!!!

Time with Reva :-)

    Reva picked me up and took me out this morning. Our first destination was one of my favorite haunts, which I have been missing horribly - 'Somewhere In Thyme', in Grandville.
   The main part of the first floor (*at least use to be) consignment items. The side rooms and upstairs are all 'dealer' booths. I did manage to make it through the main floor (we had gotten there shortly after they opened and thus it wasn't very busy at first, which helped!), then I found a patted seat and sent Reva off to explore the upstairs. She had said that it wasn't necessary, but I didn't want her missing some great find just cuz I was spinning.
    I did purchase two cute things, but due to whom they are for, I'm not saying any more about them just yet ;-). I will however give you a clue. The person they are for, well....her name starts with an 'A' and she is adorable!!! o;-p
    Reva found a dining table and chair set in one of the front window displays, that she really liked. We took pictures so she could show them to her husband. I'm posting the picture because it gives those of you whom are unfamiliar with the shop, a glimpse of what the shop is like.

     Yes, it has furniture, and dishes, and collectibles, and lines, and cute stuff and......

     I also of course had to have a picture of Reva and the neat painted wooden bowl she decided she couldn't leave there.

                                        [Isn't Reva pretty?!!!]

    A couple of weeks ago, when I had asked Brian if I could reserve the camera for today, because I was going out with Reva, he hadn't gotten the connection. I had said, "I'm a blogger and bloggers are suppose to take pictures of  EVERY-thing!  He had shaken his head while chuckling.

     Now, about the "*" by the words "at least use to be". Somewhere in Thyme's owner (Carol) has sold the business. The new owners are changing the name to 'Changing Thymes' and having a grand opening on Fri., Oct. 29th from 10 - 6 p.m. and Sat., Oct. 30th from 10 - 5 p.m.  Their notice reads, "Come as you are or wear your costume! Refreshments and treats provided! Maybe even some tricks."   The store is located on Chicago Drive in Grandville.

    After leaving Somewhere in Thyme, we went to Cracker Barrel for lunch. Yum! The funny thing was, we both ended up ordering almost identical lunches - their wonderful chicken and dumplings. I had mine with green beans, carrots and cottage cheese, she had spiced apples instead of the green beans. And of course we had their biscuits! :-)  Mine with blackberry jam, hers with honey. Definitely yummy!
    Michael, thanks for allowing your bride go out with me this morning! I enjoyed her company immensely!!! 
    Reva, thanks for continuing to be my friend! You are such a blessing!
    Brian, thanks for allowing me to retain friendships with 'my girls'!!!
    Lord, can you arrange it so we can get together again sometime?  Thanks!