Something for Sunday--It runs in the family!

Butch and his buddy, Jack are going to Japan in April. (In case you are wondering, I have no desire to go there. I'm reserving all my international trips for England. I still haven't done everything I want to do there. Sheesh! Now, I've made it about me--again).

Back to Japan. So, Butch reached out to Jordan because that girl is darn near a Japanese expert! Well, at least in our family. It started all the way back to grade school when she got hooked on all of that Pokemon stuff. She still is!! She also went there while she was in college for some abbreviated course. Anyway, you get the picture--Japan is probably her favorite place on earth. 

I think that she and Robbie actually met because of Pokemon. Hmm, I'm going to have to get her to write that story for her wedding album!

Last April, Jordan and Robbie were in Japan during the apple blossom season. It's no surprise that he proposed to her there.

Any way, she loves Japan and its culture. 

It was only logical that Butch asked her for some recommendations. This is what she sent:

TWO pages single-spaced!! (I don't know if young people even know what that means today--just a little throw-back to typing class!). Basically, she sent a school report!!

Just so you know, Jordan would not be the only one in our family to be so detailed. This is just how the Eads family rolls when it comes to trips! Thorough research and a packed itinerary--the only way to go!

As I say, it runs in the family!!

Scrapbook Saturday

We had our last AYM meeting of 2025 at Susan's on Thursday. She had a blazing fire burning as it was freezing cold and raining. We all loved that. She served us wine and champagne along with some tasty bites. We got Pete to snap a picture or 5!

Nancy brought a few layouts as she was a bit behind.

This might look familiar as I already showed the left side page. Susan's layout had somehow gotten separated and she only had that page when we had our last meeting.

We discussed our theme for next year and I showed what our title page is going to be:

I might have mentioned that I am taking Ali Edwards December Daily class. I was excited to put some of the techniques to use before I forgot them! 

For the title page, I cut all of these tiny houses on my Cricut. When I took them off of the mat, most of the windows and doors fell out. So, the girls will have a teeny tiny puzzle to put together for their page.

I loved this weaving technique which I decided to use on the end page of our 2026 album.

I pre-cut everything. With all of the classes I've taught for over 25 years now--I've learned to leave nothing to chance. Regardless if I'm standing right there guiding people through the process AND with complete written directions, someone will screw something up. It matters when you have exactly the number of papers you need. One miss-cut dooms the whole project!

So, I've cut ALL the strips and made the frames for the weaving. There should be no mistakes!

Friday Funnies

Ten Things Thursday

Well, the Christmas season is upon us. So, I thought I would start with some beautiful Christmas porches!

This is my favorite. I love all of the white! It makes the lighted garland really stand out. I've always wanted to have a Christmas tree on our upper porch full of white lights. But, I never really wanted all the extra work. The more that I think about it, it wouldn't really be that bad. I could get a pre-lit tree. Then all we have to do is drag it out of the attic and just put it together and plug it in. No ornaments, just lights. Maybe that's what we need to do. 

Words of Wisdom Wednesday

When I saw this, I thought, "This really sums up aging!" I consider myself in the middle of aging--not quite as old as what these wise words suggest, but heading in that direction. Some things are already here, like being sure to hold the hand rails on the steps and sitting more. I always loved to nap--since I was a teenager and then when raising children. Now I rarely nap--not because I do't love them, but because I don't have the time. There is so much I want to do and don't have the time for. Oh wait, sometimes I nap in the movie theater! 

Okay, on to what prompted this post. If this was real paper, there would be tear stains on it!

It doesn’t happen all at once.

There’s no announcement, no warning, no moment where life taps you on the shoulder and tells you:

“Look closely… things are changing.”

It happens quietly.

You’re busy — working, raising kids, paying bills, rushing through days that feel too short.

And then one afternoon, you go home to visit your parents…

and something soft inside you shifts.

You notice the small things first:

Your father gets up from the couch a little slower.

Your mother asks you to repeat something she once would’ve heard clearly.

The house feels the same —

but the people inside are aging gently, silently.

You notice they hold the railing when they go downstairs.

They double-check the locks before bed.

They sit more than they stand.

They nap more.

They walk a little closer together.

You realize things you never thought about before:

Who changes the lightbulbs now?

Who carries the heavy groceries?

Who helps them understand the new phone they’re afraid to break?

And suddenly, the roles you’ve always known start shifting.

The hands that raised you

now tremble when pouring tea.

The voices that soothed you

now need reassurance themselves.

The people who once felt invincible

now feel beautifully, heartbreakingly human.

You begin to understand something deeper:

Growing older isn’t just happening to them —

it’s happening to you, too.

And love starts to look different.

It becomes:

• driving them to appointments

• fixing things they didn’t want to ask help for

• listening to stories you’ve already heard

• staying a little longer instead of rushing out

• calling even when you’re tired

• appreciating all the little sacrifices you once overlooked

Because now you finally see it:

Your parents aren’t just aging.

They’re winding down a chapter they spent decades writing —

a chapter filled with you.

And the quiet truth is this:

They won’t say it out loud,

but they’re hoping you’ll walk through their door a little more often.

Not to fix anything.

Not to bring anything.

Just to be there.

To sit.

To talk.

To laugh.

To listen.

To remind them that they’re still needed…

still valued…

still loved.

One day, you’ll realize these are the visits that matter most.

Because time moves fast.

But moments with aging parents?

Those are the memories that stay soft forever.

Tuesday Thoughts About...

...stink bugs! They are so disgusting! 

We never had a problem until about 15 or 20 years ago. In fact, I had never even seen one stink bug the first 15 or 20 years we've lived here. But once they started coming, they have multiplied like crazy. Actually, I say that, but I don't think I've ever seen even one outside. I was certain that they came from a bad load of wood and we literally carried them in the house. 

Once the weather starts getting cold, they come inside. It's awful! I can smell them long before I can see them. Even at night when I'm sleeping. I'll smell one, jump out of bed and turn on the overhead lights. Of course that wakes Butch and he's not too crazy about that. But, I just cannot stand it. I have to track down every single one! I'm a fan of flushing. 

So, in case you are wondering why I'm mentioning this, I have a story! Of course I do!

The other night, we were watching tv. I always have a drink on my table--mostly iced tea. I also use a lid and a straw in case of spills. Anyway, I reached for my drink and started to take a sip. All of a sudden--A STINK BUG WAS IN MY MOUTH!! I guess it was on the straw. I immediately spit it out and started freaking out. It landed on my robe and I was going crazy for Butch to get it!! I cannot tell you how disgusting this was. 

I will say one thing about this, well, actually two.

1. It didn't have a taste--although it couldn't have been in my mouth longer than a second.

2. It didn't smell. Butch was able to get it and flush it right away. My heart raced a good half hour afterwards. I was so jumpy! 

I had to look up how to get rid of them. I learned a lot. 

Stink bugs like the brown marmorated stink bug are native to East Asia and were introduced to the United States by accident, likely via shipping containers in 1998. From their initial point of entry, they have spread across the country and become a nuisance and agricultural pest. They seek shelter in buildings during the winter, which is why they become a problem inside homes. 

Just posting this picture is freaking me out! I further learned that they are a problem

in Pennsylvania, California, Connecticut, Delaware, Indiana, Kentucky, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Mississippi, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Oregon, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, Washington, D.C., and West Virginia. 

Kinda makes me think I need to move back home to Missouri!!

The night I almost "swallowed" a stink bug, I was afraid to go to bed. I read in bed and they are attracted to the light from my Kindle. I made Butch go with me. I usually go in earlier than him to read. I didn't get much sleep that night. I can hear them buzzing, causing me to jump out of bed and hit the overhead lights. I've taken to leaving the tv on all night so they'll be attracted to that light instead of my little one.

I know I am making this sound much worse than it is. I'd say that on average, I find and flush about 3 or 4 a night in my bedroom and another 3 or 4 during the day in other parts of the house. There are always a couple days where there are more. Plus, we'll find plenty of dead ones. This onslaught should end soon. At least I hope so.

It reminds me of when we first moved to Nashville, I was sitting in the "hook-up" line at school. Mindy was an infant and sound asleep in her carseat. All of a sudden, she started screaming. I looked back and a huge locust was in her mouth!! I started freaking out, jumped out of the car and got to her as quickly as I could. I got that gross thing out. Little did I know that we arrived in Nashville in the year of the emergence of the 17 year locusts. Just our luck!

I know I'm sounding like a baby. I'm not really scared of bugs--even spiders don't bother me. But, I am fanatical about "getting" them. I don't want them going off somewhere and having babies! 

You might recall this picture from 2019:

You can read about it here. I thought spiders laid eggs. I'll admit, those tiny spiders were really pretty cute. But I washed them down the drain and ran the garbage disposal without a second thought!

As far as I'm concerned--the only good insects are dead ones! I do not want them in my house! And especially NOT IN MY MOUTH! 

Me on Monday

Okay, I am so proud of myself! 

Here's the story:

On Wednesday, I had to go to the dermatologist as a follow up to the "age related warts" I had removed the month before. I go once a year for a "mole" check where basically you stand in front of the doctor (thank goodness she's a woman) in your underwear while she checks you! I believe in preventive maintenance when it comes to health care. Plus, Medicare pays for it--well, who am I kidding--WE pay for it!

Anyway, everything was great. Then I told her that I forgot to have her remove this little white pimple at the base of my nose. It was just bugging me because of how it looked. She gave me the medical term--which I cannot recall--for basically a "clogged pore." Why she can't just lead with that I don't know. Oh wait, yes I do. Maybe she's like I am with my flowers. I prefer to use their Latin names--not to show off (okay, maybe a little), but more so that I don't forget them. You just never know when a question like this comes up on Jeopardy:

$100 for the Latin name of the foamflower. 

Me: What is tiarella cordifolia, Alex? Ding, ding, ding!

Yeah, that's it, my doctor just wants to keep her brain fresh for whenever she's at a medical convention and finds herself in the middle of a Jeopardy round! 

Anyhoo, the doc proceeds to tell me that this is a cosmetic procedure and will not be covered by Medicare. I asked her how much. She replied, "$75.00. I'll have to numb you since this is a very sensitive area. Then I'll extract it and depending on how deep it is, it might have to be cauterized."

Not to be dissuaded, I asked, "Well, what if I don't have it numbed and you just do it?" I'm thinking of all the times I've pinched and squeezed pimples and was able to manage the pain. 

To which the doctor replied, "Well, I can do that, but depending on how deep it is, it could be pretty painful--especially if it needs cauterizing."

I asked if it hurt too much if I could just stop at any point. She said "yes." I said, "Let's do it!" 

She grabbed whatever she was going to use to pierce it and said, "To be clear, you are certain that you do not want anything to numb it?" Now I'm thinking that maybe this wasn't such a good idea after all. Still, I wanted to proceed. I'm not a baby and have a pretty high pain tolerance--at least I think I do.

She sterilized the area with alcohol and the next thing I knew, it was over when I heard her say, "Well, that was easy. It wasn't very deep at all! It practically just popped out. Let me just make sure I got it all" 

Honest to god, I barely felt it!! 

On my way out, I stopped to pay. There was NO charge!! I guess that numbing stuff must be pretty expensive! It was the best FREE procedure I've ever had!

Come on, seriously, it was basically a pimple. And we've all popped those! Next time I have one, I'll know what to do and do it myself. On second thought, maybe I'll just have the doc do it for FREE!

Yeah, I'm one tough broad!