Gingerbread Men Casualties

Many stories come from Grandma’s kitchen and told down through the ages.  Mine is a little different.  You see, I am in my 80’s,  and making gingerbread men came down through my years,  but after many years of not making them, grandma caused a few casualties. Children fondly called them boo boo cookies.

The Gingerbread Men were to be a surprise for a Bunco party I was hosting.. I carefully kneaded the dough then I proceeded to roll the dough to about ¼ inch thick. Now, the trouble began! I pressed the cookie cutter into the dough and tried to put it on a cookie sheet. Well, it stuck.  I lightly floured the cookie cutter and tried again. Better results this time. I managed to get a dozen cut out and onto the cookie sheet and baked them according to my recipe. After the cookies cooled on the sheet, it was time to place them on a cooling rack. Casualties began to happen! A leg fell off one, an arm fell off another until I only had six whole ones left. This would never do! I needed six more.

The process for making the cookies started over again. I was working along and realized I made the recipe for gingerbread cake instead of cookies. Well I finished the cake and frosted it with the cookie icing. The cake looked pretty good but was a little plain so I put a whole gingerbread man right in the center of the cake. He looked handsome there.

When we were ready to serve the cake the lone little gingerbread man became the casualty as the cake was sliced

You Can Teach an Old Dog New Tricks

 At the age of 83, I started learning to knit at the Mt. Juliet Senior Activity Center. My teacher, a group of remarkable senior women who meet at the center and knit and crochet for various charity organizations. They share their knowledge, skills, friendships, and a lot of conversation. I never learned the stitchery as a child. I grew up in a family of 8 children whose mother's day was filled with cooking, laundry, house cleaning, and mending. So to be a part of this group I made a bold statement:" I want to learn to knit".
Right after I made the statement I came a crossed an old saying:" Let your self-be a beginner" which I did. The thought took a lot of stress away when mistakes were made and so much quicker in learning to correct mistakes. It also allowed me to see daily improvements.

The first two scarves I knitted were for Charity. The third one, the black, grey and creamed one pictured in the upper left-hand corner, I made for myself. The fourth project I made my first hat and a scarf to match. It is the picture in the upper right-hand corner. This set also went to Charity,

Each day I am becoming more comfortable with knitting and my stitches are even. When All the quotas have been met by various Charity Organizations, I will be working with the group to fill the the Local Cancer Society need for soft cancer hats.
It is so rewarding to be able to learn new things, help fill a need, and experience a heart warming feeling of being needed.

                                                  

Jeanne Robertson | Don't Take the Hotel Room Key

GrandmaOnDeck-Challenge for NPF's 2015 Championship Series.

Memorial Day Weekend presented me with a chance to visit Hoover, Alabama for the 2015 SEC Championship baseball tournament and to see the facility. Met Stadium In Hoover is also the site of the National Profastpitch League (Women's Softball) 2015 Championship Series.
It was 3 hours from my home in Mt. Juliet, Tn. The weather prediction was excellent; the ride was short, and none other than a chance to see Vanderbilt & Florida baseball teams play!

My daughter and I started off on a bright Friday afternoon, taking our time and loving the scenery of beautiful trees, wildflowers, pastures and barns. The drive was so pleasant. It was then I realize the location where we live is almost the center of USA -easy to travel with great highways.

 We registered at our hotel and got to the Met Stadium just in time to enjoy some good food from the VIP hospitality room.  The Met Stadium is a fan friendly stadium with ample parking and includes an RV Park- tail gating which is a sport in itself! The event host and all the workers had that southern hospitality charm. Vanderbilt won their game. Next we watched The Florida Gators.

The City of Hoover is a beautiful and sports minded community just 15 minutes from Birmingham, Ala. It has a lot to offer anyone who wants to plan their vacation around the 2015 NPF Championship Series Tournament August 14 through August 17^th.  Start now to plan your vacation- pack up your RV and get it registered for a spot in the Met Stadium RV Park or book your hotel reservations. Buy your tickets for the games on-line through the NPF website www.profastpitch.com  Keep up with all the news, schedules and NPF events there also.

Check out the Hoover Chamber of Commerce website for accommodations and recreational opportunities at http://www.hooverchamber.org/.

Check out the Birmingham, Ala. Chamber of Commerce https://www.google.com/?gws_rd=ssl#q=birmingham+al+chamber+of+commerce

The area offers a great variety for vacation action and to watch the World’s best women’s softball players play in a city and state who love softball. The Met Stadium holds 10,000 fans. Can we fill it up?  GrandmaOnDeck  is counting on the softball fans in the state of Alabama  and Coach Pat Murphy , Head Coach of the University of Alabama to lead the challenge. You have managed to turn out great crowd so fill the stadium up and maintain the bragging rights of the “greatest softball fans”. Let's All make a statement for all who love the game.

 

 

 

Help Make Their Dreams ComeTrue

The 2015 National Pro Pastpitch (NPF) season is open. 30 of those college standouts in the WCWS will put on a Jersey for an NPF team and start play. These girls will get to continue their softball careers because the NPF provides the opportunity. Lets all promote the NPF for all women who have a dream- equality on the playing field as men who play baseball. Here's how:
1.Keep up with schedules, events, players, news and scores.
2.Wear NPF apparel or from your favorite NPF Team.
3.Follow your favorite Team Website
4.Plan trips to games-purchase tickets on line for games and   special events.
5. Be a sponsor, ask someone to sponsor for NPF. Ask the company you work for.


Here is the most important thing of all !
 Browse the National Pro Fastpitch League for all the information listed and share NPF's  posts and that of its Sponsors . It takes us all to promote.
www.profastpitch.com




NPF Website Info:
Team Rosters Team Websites
All Games Schedules
TV Schedules
Featured Players
Videos
Elite Sponsors
League Suppliers
Pro Shop
Sponsorship Info
Team Owner Info
History.

It Takes Us All

I will shout it out as a challenge to all.  As they say, I am “Older than dirt” but I find age is no excuse for inaction.  Each day as I grow older I find that it is true that if you don’t use it you lose it. I learned to paint to fill empty space in my day. I found such joy in painting I had to figure out a way to share the joy I get when I paint.  That is when my slogan was born: “Let me share my joy of painting”

What a great day it was when I discovered Etsy, a handmade website online to sell all things handmade. The learning began. Next to learn was writing descriptions for my artwork posts.  With that done, I had to figure out ways to promote myself and get my name out there and let folks know where to find me. How did I learn and grow?

 First I researched how to use social media sites and which were the best for my situation. There were so many bloggers on Twitter and Facebook who shared so many” how to do” and found the writers willing to share.  I began to communicate and find that as an 82-year old I had things in common with all ages. My first friend, teacher and role model on Twitter was a 31-year-old Margie Clayman. She has such a gift of writing.  Next was a well-known gentleman, Dave Carpenter who is a great mentor for many. Then I met Linda Fitzgerald of AWI online and later on in person. Linda writes constantly and on many topics. We both have one thing in common: too promote women in the workplace, through education; by treating the whole person personally, professionally and politically.

 Let’s all pay forward and continue to be a spokesperson for all women and share our thoughts, problems, and solutions to help each of us learn and grow.  It takes us all.

Gloria Wilson-

Compassion-True Treasure of the Heart

Compassion is two words with co-meaning of strong feelings. It is the sympathy we show with warmth and for the bad misfortunes of others. Human compassion is boundless. It provides hope and empowerment. We all need love and compassion to be happy. True compassion means not only feeling ones pain but being moved to help relieve it.

Compassion is a true tradition. I believe in honesty, equality, kindness, and compassion. Helping those in need by showing compassion is a true traditional character or core value. Compassion is giving and receiving.

It is hard to practice compassion when we are off-balance with our own authenticity. Don’t get stuck with ego. We all have different purposes. Love and compassion unfolds it. This day and time we often put people status above their more important qualities. Long letters and degrees after someone’s name do not guarantee kindness, compassion, or humor- the important qualities.

Compassion and kindness are true treasures of the heart. We need Compassion to change the conditions that support our suffering like ignorance, bitterness, negligence, and holding on. Compassion is the capacity to be attentive to others experiences, to wish the best for others, and what will serve others. At the end of the day, love and compassion will win out.

We all lean toward love. Pets have more love and compassion than most humans. Compassion is a knowledge acquired by daily practice. Compassion and forgiveness are not our storyline in the present time. People who have been through painful, difficult times are filled with compassion.