Fibber McGee's Closet

I don't remember for sure but I think in my childhood my mom must have called my closet Fibber McGee's closet.  I've used the term all my life for a messy closet and today I decide to research how the term came about.   Fibber McGee and Molly was a radio show that started in 1935 and ran until 1959.  It seems that Fibber was always the butt of jokes in the show,  and we thought the TV shows today were hard on Dads.

  In 1940 the Fibber McGee's closet show aired and was played upon for years to come until it became part of popular culture to say Fibber McGee's Closet.  He would open the closet and stuff would come down all around him.  In later episodes guests would open the closet and stuff would fall on them.  Remember this was on radio.  I wasn't even born when the 1940 episode aired but it's title has been a part of my life since I was a child.  I'm not sure how long you have to have heard something before it becomes part of your vocabulary, but I think I heard the term a lot as a child.  I still have a closet like Fibber McGee's and this one is like a pantry-storage closet.

My oldest daughter shortened the named to "Fibbers" and all three girls have teased me about the closet for years.  It's not that it has never been straight. It has, really.  It just didn't last long.  It's just so easy to open the door and stick something in there.

  How is it that could have three daughters who are all organized.  Maybe it's generational.  My mom was a neat-nick and loves to clean and is very organized.  Then came me, I'm a messy.  I'm not dirty but I'm messy.  I'm trying to change it but it's very hard work for me.  As for my three daughters, one  would run the sweeper out of her room before she would go on a trip so that when she came back it would look beautiful.  I'm not kidding.  I barely got the bed made before we left.  Of course, I'm the one who got all the laundry, food and etc ready to go.   All three girls are list makers, receipt keepers, and may I say wonderful people.  There is hope for me, I have a granddaughter who lives with an organized mom.

Recently my youngest said,  "Mom you are a hoarder."   Then she said, "It's good none of us have allergies or we would all be dead from dust."  I love her and I can laugh about that because she is helping me clean out "Fibber's"  We're on day two and the closet looks great but it's the stuff I'm not allowed to put back in there I'm worried about.  I'm getting rid of a lot and I know it's the right thing to do.  I don't think I'll be able to sneak anything back in there either, as long as you know who is living here.  So I didn't take any before pictures because I couldn't take the picture and keep the stuff from falling, just kidding.  You'll have to imagine what it looked like before.  Think of it as a trip to radio land
with Fibber McGee and Molly.   Here is the after!  Oh, in case you are wondering, my husband is organized too!

A Kitchen Tool You Need

Do you have one of these?  It's called a spring whisk.  My friend, Jill told me about it and bought me one.  If you do any basic cooking at all you need this tool.   The shape of the tool allows you to get in the

creases of a round pan while cooking any sauce or pudding, dissolving lumps a warp speed.  I  love this tool and I'm so glad Jill told me about it.  I got all my girls one for Christmas.  I have saved them a great deal of lump stress.  Maybe I've saved you some too.  Thanks Jill!

Here is a link on Amazon where you can get one.
http://www.amazon.com/MIU-France-Stainless-Spring-11207/dp/B000XVLUAU/ref=sr_1_11?ie=UTF8&qid=1297951036&sr=8-11

Goodbye to Another Old Home in Wilmore

Isn't this a sweet home.  It belonged to Nellie Herriford.  The story goes that she was married for the first time when she was 70.  She was the bookkeeper at the Presbyterian Church until she was 100.  She went into assisted living at 102 and died at 104.

I stopped by to see Nellie one day about 10 years ago.  I thought she might have known something about my grandmother's grandmother who was a Hunter and had lived in Wilmore.  My Grandmother rode the train from Sadieville to Wilmore to visit her Grandmother when she was a child. Nellie was about the same age as my Grandmother give or take a year or two.  Nellie did not remember any Hunter's.  She invited me in her living room and it was clean as a pin.  That was my only contact with Nellie.  When I found out she was in assisted living and was selling her home and personal items I went to view the items the day before the sale.  Everything was immaculate.  The auctioneer said all they had to do was move the items, everything was in beautiful condition.  I placed a bid for her vintage hankies, which I bought at a dear price but it was fun to sell them in the shop and tell people about Nellie.  Nellie didn't have any children and she had outlived her husband.

On my walk this morning I noticed the windows were out of the side of the house.  Nellie sold her house to the seminary and for a while a young family lived in the house.  It was nice to see toys on the porch and life in the house.  The house is empty now and it will be torn down tomorrow.  I feel real sad about it.  It's a sweet brick cape cod with a nice porch.  It's small but it has a basement.   It seems to me it would make a lovely guest house for people visiting the seminary.  Yes, it would need some updates but the lot is small, will it just become a parking lot?    The house is full of wide pine molding with the original varnish.  this could be sold and reused but it seems that the liability is not worth it to the seminary.  I guess in this litigious society, we have become  people who destroy history because we are afraid we will be sued.

Goodbye Nellie's house, I'll miss you.

I've Started Walking

I'm talking about the purposeful walking for my health walking.  Don't want to do it.  Don't like doing it.
I hate to sweat but I need to do it for my health.  I have osteopenia, the preview to osteoporosis.  I've had it a while.  My numbers were a little worse this year.  I need weight bearing exercise.  I'm walking three days a week with my friend Jill.   If I had to do it alone I wouldn't.

No pictures with this post.  You can imagine, dragging out of bed, throwing on some clothes, brush the hair and teeth wash the face and find a coat.  I'm not a morning person.  I'm not mean in the morning like some in my family who will remain nameless.  Jill meets me with a smile and she's excited about the route.  She can talk the whole way without being winded.  Did I mention I take baby aspirin with me and everywhere I go since Marlene's heart spasms.  We walk about an hour.  I should get a pedometer.  I would be nice to know how far.  Surely it' s about 2 miles.  I must admit I feel pretty good later in the day.

Did I mention I'm a klutz.  Always have been.  I trip, stumble, stagger, and grab onto Jill if I think I'm going to fall.  At my age that probably isn't going to change.  I'm glad I have a walking buddy who will put up with that.   When you see me ask me if I'm still walking.  I hope I will be but it's a battle.

Are you taking care of yourself?  As Martha would say,  It's a good thing.

Booth 25

This is the beginning of Booth 25 at Twice As Nice,  a place where you can find almost anything.

The difference in my shop and Booth 25 is that I won't be there to greet you.  Maybe I'll run into you sometime when you are shopping at Twice as Nice.  As you can see from the pictures, I will be having Pashmina,  His Gem Baby Clothes and many other items.  That's what makes Twice As Nice so much fun,  you never know what you will find.  Prairie Kari Soap is also available at Booth 25.  

I will be making some baby towels for the booth too.  You can also give me a call or email me if you want to one.   Did you see the drum set thing in the above picture?  That is a Rock Band 2 for a Wii.

I also have a sweet baby swing for $20.00  

Above is a new offering from His Gem. It is a gift box with a onesie, a bib and a beautiful fish or heart rattle with a sweet jingle.  They are $20.00

Do you remember the stencil I had in the shop?  Here it is again in Booth 25.

I have a few things in the booth left from the shop and new things too.

I hope you will stop in soon at Twice As Nice and have a look at Booth 25. 

Enter the store and turn left after the cashier.  Then turn right down the next asile and Booth 25 is the 4th one on the left.  

My friend Charlotte has a booth too.  Turn left after the cashier and go straight and hers will be the third booth on the left that you will come to.

Twice As Nice has a nice clean restroom and a sweet friendly owner.  Bring your friends and have a nice time finding a treasure.  

Twice As Nice is Open every Day.

M-F 11-8

Sat 11-5

Sun 1-5

If you would like to email me with questions, comments or suggestions please do!

tgoepper @aol.com

Are you a big spoon person or a little spoon person?

It may just be one of my little quirks but I like a little spoon for cereal or soup or ice cream or anything.
I just don't get the big spoon thing.  I guess it is proper etiquette but I like a little spoon.  I don't just like any little spoon however,  I like this spoon on the left.  I'm not sure where it came from.  It doesn't match my other spoons but  I look for this spoon when I want to eat something that requires a spoon.  I don't let other people have the spoon when I'm setting the table.  It's not a real shiny spoon.  It seems to have almost a satin finish.  Things taste better to me when I use this spoon.  It looks like an early American style, perhaps a Paul Revere type spoon.  I know it's odd but I really like that spoon.  What quirks do you have?

Update on Marlene

 I haven't had time to blog lately because I have been in the thick of things with Marlene's health.
First of all I think she will be fine, but the last two weeks has been very hard on her.  She had several trips to the emergency room and it looked like she wasn't going to have an appointment with the cardiology group for 4 to 6 weeks.  Can I just say that really stinks.  I mean these doctors see you in the hospital for 5 minutes and I am not kidding.  They send the nurse in with instructions that are wrong and then she has to call and get it straightened out.  Shouldn't the doctor see the patient before they leave the hospital and go over the diagnosis and the plan to handle it.  I won't name names but Marlene's family doctor stepped in and got her an appointment in two days with another cardiologist.  After two trips to the emergency room I think that was called for.

So this doctor was great.  He went over everything with her and he had already looked at her heart cath before the appointment.  None of this Hmm , now tell me what happened because I'm too busy to know who the heck you are.  Yes, I'm a little frustrated.  Finally though,  Marlene has a plan and is under very good care.  She will be ok.  I'm relieved.   I don't have any sisters so my friends are like my sisters and Marlene and I have been friends since 1rst grade.    God is good.  He gives us friends to help us through the trials and joys of life.  We've been through birth, death, and everything in between.  She is like an Aunt to the girls and now that she has two great niece's  and I have a granddaughter we are having a great time loving this new generation.  Life goes on.

  I know this will be hard for you young ones to understand because I didn't think this when I was young.  The truth is no matter how old you are you still feel like the same person you were  when you were young at least on the inside.  The body changes but who you are inside does not.   Marlene and I are the same girls who played with Barbies,  and jacks and doubled to our senior prom.  We were in each other's wedding,  She knew my Grandma's and I knew her Grandma and Great Aunt who lived with them.   We went to two high school reunions and swear we will never go to another one.  We've been there when loved ones have died.  We'll be there as we age.  While we are different in many ways we share a history of friendship that is priceless.   I love you Marlene.

                                                            Marlene and Sadie (my granddaughter)