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My Cousin's Getting Married!

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My cousin is getting married this upcoming weekend. My anniversary is on the 13th, and my cousin is getting married on the 12th. I am attending the wedding on the 11th. Does that make sense? Doesn't sound like it but it's true! Let me explain.    My cousin and her older sister (who I have never met), live on the other side of the world. Her father, who was my mother's first cousin, was born and raised in New Jersey. Her mother was born and raised in England. My cousin and her sister were born in Australia where her parents decided to put down roots. Hence, she is getting married on Saturday the 12th September and I will watch her, by live stream, get married late in the evening on the 11th. Kind of weird, but also kind of cool.   But let me tell you more about my amazing cousin. (She is an incrediblehuman being!) I'd say she's my favorite cousin, but I have a lot of favorites.  (I don't have that many relatives, but the ones I DO have are pretty darned aweso...

Labor Day Weekend

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 The way the calendar falls, Labor Day is late this year.  (Actually as late as it can be!)  And as it sometimes is, it is the weekend before my wedding anniversary.  (30 years!  Amazing right?  Where did the time go?) This time of year is probably my favorite.  I love Labor Day weekend.  (And thank you to those who made it happen:   https://www.britannica.com/topic/Labor-Day and https://www.dol.gov/general/laborday/history )  Although now it does bring back bittersweet memories. In the past, Labor Day weekend would find me at the NJ Shore.  Before I had my own family, I would often spend the whole week.  The crowds were gone, the weather was still (mostly) warm.  I could sit on the beach and soak up the sun without having to deal with people talking loudly/yelling, and kids walking over my blanket or kicking up sand.  It was peaceful and calm.  (Something we all need.)   Of course, sometim...

Memories: Frugal and Foodies

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  When he was alive, my brother was a foodie.  He loved to eat.  Even as a kid he wasn't afraid to explore new things.  Once when we were on vacation at Skytop , he ordered sweet breads.  He knew that they were not bread.  He knew what they were and he went for it.   He loved the dining experience.  As an adult, he took his wife to Victoria & Alberts , an exclusive restaurant at the Grand Floridian Resort in Walt Disney World.  They would eat their way around the world at Epcot . So you get the idea that he liked to eat.  He also liked to cook.  I think the only time my husband had turducken was when my brother made it at Thanksgiving time,  (Remember, I can't each any poultry due to food allergies and even being in a room with poultry that is being cooked can make it difficult for me to breathe.) His love of good food and cooking started at a young age.  And when he was still young he got a copy of The Frugal Go...

Another Reading Project

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  I'm a reader.  I often write about what I read.  For years I've done a "Best Books I Have Read This Year" post both here and on  https://myveronanj.com/ .  I undertook a project back in 2015 (how can that be over 10 years ago?) where I read as many of the Pulitizer Prize winning books for fiction as I could find. (There were plenty that I couldn't find.)  At the time there were 89 books that were on the list, I read 58 with an additional 8 that I didn't because I had previously read them (such as  Gone with The Wind  and my all-time favorite,  To Kill a Mockingbird ).  It took me over a year to complete, and I had to give myself some breaks because it was quite overwhelming.  (My wrap up can be found  here ) At the beginning of this year, a friend had taken a challenge to read a number of books that corresponded with her time on this planet.  Example, if a person turned 30 they would read 30 books.  The true chall...

Corrections And Renaming

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 Renaming places seems to be a "thing" these days.  So I thought I'd join in the fun because my thoughts and opinions certainly count as much as the next persons.  I also wanted these names to be "correct," meaning they'd tell the truth (as I see it).  So below see a map of part of Washington, DC.  Each lettered place has been renamed by me.   A = The White RACIST/RAPIST House B = The Reflecting Pool that the liar ruined C = The BEST REPUBLICAN PRESIDENT Lincoln Memorial D =  The Grounds ruined by a trashy "party" E =  The Golden Guilded mess of a room F = The trash patio formerly known as the Rose Garden G = The Washington Monument: he (supposedly) couldn't tell a lie; does anyone even know what truth is anymore? H = NOT a shopping Mall; the National Mall for ALL people, except for... I = The United States Museum of IT DID Happen  because the Holocaust is was a real thing even if you try to deny it J:  Smithsonian Museum and F you ...

Two Years Ago...

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  ...we did a thing.  I wrote about it last year:   https://bfthsboringblog.blogspot.com/2025/08/its-been-one-year.html .   And now it's two years. So you think I'd know it all by now. 2 years in this house, on this property, and there are still questions! There are still things I don't know! One of which being how to turn on the giant light in front of the detached garage. I have no idea which switch might turn it on. I have no idea because I don't know if the light fixture actually works. And another switch that I figured out turned on an outside light on the side now no longer works; is it the bulb or the switch. I should know, but I don't.  I still don't know what to do with all of the space for the detached garage. Should I try and make it a game room type place? A man cave? A she shed? All that would cost money which I don't have. Plus it's not that easy to access when it's cold and there's snow on the ground. I still don't know w...

Why We Will Remember Dolly

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The other day singer-songwriter, country legend, Dolly Parton died. The news was devastating to her family, friends and fans, but also to countless other people around the world who didn’t actually know here. The world will never forget Dolly    I was quite devastated by the news. I do like her music and some of her films. (Steel Magnolias and my favorite, 9 to 5 ), but that wasn't why I was so upset. It wasn't why so many people all over the world are filled with sorry. We could appreciate her music and we could appreciate our incredible talent, but what drew us in was not that. It was her not the big hair or the long nails. Not the “boobs” or the clothing that she wore, but who she truly was. Who she truly seemed to be was a good person (not a perfect person because nobody is).   She was a loving, caring, compassionate, human being.    Based on what she said during her lifetime to me she was a true Christian. It doesn't matter to me if she ever set a foot...