Ann Tucker Blog - The Blogging Granny

Thoughts, ideas and stories from Ann Tucker - The Granny Blogger


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Welcome to the Ann Tucker Blog!

Welcome to my personal blog. Thanks to my son for building this neat blog page. I decided I wanted to give my thoughts and words to the world and hope they have some meaning and memories to grandparents (and others) everywhere. I am a retired civil servant (35.5 years with the Department of the Air Force), mother of two and grandmother of five. My maiden name was Scaling and I was married to Tilford N. Tucker. I raised and put two great children through college so I have a lot of experiences to build on. After retirement I became a webmaster (working for my son) for some of our family websites: ShaggyDuck
Have a fun time and a great day, bookmark this site and come back often!!!!

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Check out my Lens on Squidoo
and my son's blog that sneaker wearing entrepreneurial cartoonist internet guy

Read up on some of my political views on my Soap Box Blog "The Screened Porch"

See the great BLOGS I follow and AWARDS I have gotten

• • a d v e r t i s e m e n t • •

Friday, October 30, 2009

Beware Halloween Yard Sales

HAPPY HALLOWEEN !!!

Tuesday, October 27, 2009

Daze in a Maze

We hopped in the car Sunday and drove over to a farm about 45 miles from here where they have a Daze in the Maze. It is one of those places where you wander around, and around, and around and hope you can find your way out. I sat down at a picnic table and let the daughter and grandson do that.

This is a real nice place that is open from Labor day to Thanksgiving. They have a smaller maze, volley ball spot, picnic area, and they give pony rides, a hay ride, there is a petting zoo and they have a sand pile where kids can dig for dinosaur (not real) bones. We got through just in time as a light rain started falling.

Monday, October 26, 2009

Crystal Aspirin

Something that we can do to help ourselves. Nice to know.
Bayer is making crystal aspirin to dissolve instantly on the tongue. They work much faster than the tablets. Consult your doctor before taking this new product.

I have removed some previous information due to the many conflicting comments on using aspirin for pain due to a possible heart attack. Since I do not have a degree as a cardiologist I will not be posting any further information on this subject.

Thursday, October 22, 2009

Chicken/Cheese Spaghetti Recipe

for more recipes

Chicken/Cheese Spaghetti Recipe

3-4 pieces boneless chicken breasts
1 regular can of Rotel
1 regular package of spaghetti
1 regular block of Velveeta cheese
Boil your chicken until done, then dice it up. Boil your spaghetti until soft. Melt your Velveeta cheese in the microwave. In a casserole dish add diced chicken, spaghetti, Velveeta cheese and can of Rotel. Mix together and bake for about 20-30 minutes at 350 degrees, until the top gets slightly golden.

My daughter makes this frequently and it is delicious. Add a salad for a quick family meal.

Wednesday, October 21, 2009

My Halloween Yard Decorations

For more outdoor ideas

Tuesday, October 20, 2009

Summary of Life

GREAT TRUTHS THAT LITTLE CHILDREN HAVE LEARNED:
1) No matter how hard you try, you can't baptize cats..
2) When your Mum is mad at your Dad, don't let her brush your hair.
3) If your sister hits you, don't hit her back. They always catch the second person.
4) Never ask your 3-year old brother to hold a tomato.
5) You can't trust dogs to watch your food.
6) Don't sneeze when someone is cutting your hair.
7) Never hold a Dust-Buster and a cat at the same time.
8) You can't hide a piece of broccoli in a glass of milk.
9) Don't wear polka-dot underwear under white shorts.
10) The best place to be when you're sad is Grandpa's lap.

GREAT TRUTHS THAT ADULTS HAVE LEARNED:
1) Raising teenagers is like nailing jelly to a tree.
2) Wrinkles don't hurt.
3) Families are like fudge...mostly sweet, with a few nuts
4) Today's mighty oak is just yesterday's nut that held its ground..
5) Laughing is good exercise. It's like jogging on the inside.
6) Middle age is when you choose your cereal for the fiber, not the toy.

GREAT TRUTHS ABOUT GROWING OLD
1) Growing old is mandatory; growing up is optional..
2) Forget the health food. I need all the preservatives I can get.
3) When you fall down, you wonder what else you can do while you're down there.
4) You're getting old when you get the same sensation from a rocking chair that you once got from a roller coaster.
5) It's frustrating when you know all the answers but nobody bothers to ask you the questions.
6) Time may be a great healer, but it's a lousy beautician
7) Wisdom comes with age, but sometimes age comes alone.

Sunday, October 18, 2009

A Little Trivia

Did you know that more of the infomercial people have an English accent because Americans are more likely to buy from them since we trust an accent.

That the majority of walls of Restaurants are painted Red because Red makes us feel hungry.

Burning an aroma therapy candle of Pine will increase alertness and Cinnamon will improve focus.

Mark Twain was born on the night Haley's comet passed the Earth, and died the night it passed the Earth.

The Eisenhower interstate system requires that one mile in every five must be straight. These straight sections are usable as airstrips in times of war or other emergencies.

Elvis had over 600 recorded songs, but never wrote any of them. He was the biggest tax payer in the US in 1973.

It is believed that it took Noah 120 years to complete the Ark.

(Elvis from FreeClipArtPics.com)

Saturday, October 17, 2009

A Commentary by Ben Stein

I Only hope we find GOD again before it is too late

The following was written by Ben Stein and recited by him on CBS
Sunday Morning Commentary.

My confession:

I am a Jew, and every single one of my ancestors was Jewish. And it does not bother me even a little bit when people call those beautiful lit up, bejeweled trees, Christmas trees. I do not feel threatened. I do not feel discriminated against. That is what they are, Christmas trees. It does not bother me a bit when people say, 'Merry Christmas' to me. I do not think they are slighting me or getting ready to put me in a ghetto. In fact, I kind of like it. It shows that we are all brothers and sisters celebrating this happy time of year. It does not bother me at all that there is a manger scene on display at a key intersection near my beach house in Malibu. If people want a creche, it is just as fine with me as is the Menorah a few hundred yards away.

I do not like getting pushed around for being a Jew, and I do not think Christians like getting pushed around for being Christians. I think people who believe in God are sick and tired of getting pushed
around, period. I have no idea where the concept came from, that America is an explicitly atheist country. I can not find it in the Constitution and I do not like it being shoved down my throat. Or maybe I can put it another way, where did the idea come from that we should worship celebrities and we are not allowed to worship God as we understand Him? I guess that is a sign that I am getting old, too. But there are a lot of us who are wondering where these celebrities came from and where the America we knew went to.

In light of the many jokes we send to one another for a laugh, this is a little different: This is not intended to be a joke; it is not funny, it is intended to get you thinking. Billy Grahams daughter was interviewed on the Early Show and Jane Clayson asked her 'How could God let something like this happen?' (regarding Hurricane Katrina ). Anne Graham gave an extremely profound and insightful response. She said, 'I believe God is deeply saddened by this, just as we are, but for years we have been telling God to get out of our schools, to get out of our government and to get out of our lives. And being the gentleman He is, I believe He has calmly backed out. How can we expect God to give us His blessing and His protection if we demand He leave us alone?'

In light of recent events... terrorists attack, school shootings, etc. I think it started when Madeleine Murray O'Hare (she was murdered, her body found a few years ago) complained she didn't want
prayer in our schools, and we said OK. Then someone said you better not read the Bible in school. The Bible says thou shalt not kill; thou shalt not steal, and love your neighbor as yourself. And we
said OK. Then Dr. Benjamin Spock said we should not spank our children when they misbehave, because their little personalities would be warped and we might damage their self-esteem (Dr. Spocks son committed suicide). We said an expert should know what he is talking about. And we said okay.

Now we are asking ourselves why our children have no conscience, why they do not know right from wrong, and why it does not bother them to kill strangers, their classmates, and themselves. Probably, if we think about it long and hard enough, we can figure it out. I think it has a great deal to do with 'WE REAP WHAT WE SOW.'

Funny how simple it is for people to trash God and then wonder why the world is going to hell. Funny how we believe what the newspapers say, but question what the Bible says. Funny how you can send
'jokes' through email and they spread like wildfire, but when you start sending messages regarding the Lord, people think twice about sharing. Funny how lewd, crude, vulgar and obscene articles pass
freely through cyberspace, but public discussion of God is suppressed in the school and workplace.

Funny how when you forward this message, you will not send it to many on your address list because you are not sure what they believe, or what they will think of you for sending it. Pass it on if you think it has merit. If not, then just discard it.... no one will know you did. But, if you discard this thought process, do not sit back and complain about what bad shape the world is in.

My Best Regards, Honestly and respectfully,

Ben Stein

Friday, October 16, 2009

Vintage America

A little of the past in todays America!

Tuesday, October 13, 2009

Glass Pumpkin Jars

Do It Yourself Day

I got two clear glass pumpkins at a garage sale (2 for $5).
Then I filled each one with orange pom-poms and tied the black ribbon around the stems.

Monday, October 12, 2009

Caption This Photo

1. I don't mind the purring, I really don't...but those dang claws... EeeOWWW!
2. You never know what's gonna come out of an egg nowadays.

Thursday, October 8, 2009

The Art of Halloween

All NEW
Halloweenology - The Art of Halloween
The October 31st Holiday
The Sneaker Wearing Zombies are proud to bring you the most definitive website devoted to Halloween. Browse our collection of Halloween information, ideas and graphics. You'll find everything from fun to gross and cute to scary.

Wednesday, October 7, 2009

Witch Hits the Pole....

Check more Outdoor Wednesday specials

OK, you know Fall is here and Halloween is on its way

when the Witch hits the telephone pole!!!

Tuesday, October 6, 2009

This Weeks Wonders

OOPS! A crowd of 150 doctors gathered in the Rose Garden to support the  health-care overhaul — as White House staffers scrambled to hand out  camera-ready white coats to those who forgot their own, just so nobody missed Obama's  hard-sell health-care message.

***

Never in the history of the White House has a First Lady spent so much on so many personal assistants, all paid from taxpayer dollars. Hilary had three; Jackie Kennedy one; Laura Bush one; and prior to Mamie Eisenhower, social help came from the President's own pocket. Michelle Obama has 26 - from makeup artist Ingrid Miles and hairstylist Johnny Wright to her "chief of staff" Susan Sher, whose salary is $172,200.00.

The First Lady does not get paid to serve as First Lady, and she doesn't perform any official duties. But this hasn't deterred her from hiring an unprecedented number of staffers to cater to every whim and satisfy every request in the midst of a great Recession. Sort of makes one think the White House has been mistaken for the Versailles Court of Marie (let 'em eat cake) Antoinette, doesn't it?

$172,200 - Sher, Susan (CHIEF OF STAFF)
$140,000 - Frye, Jocelyn C. (DEPUTY ASSISTANT TO THE PRESIDENT AND DIRECTOR OF POLICY AND PROJECTS FOR THE FIRST LADY)
$113,000 - Rogers, Desiree G. (SPECIAL ASSISTANT TO THE PRESIDENT AND WHITE HOUSE SOCIAL SECRETARY)
$102,000 - Johnston, Camille Y. (SPECIAL ASSISTANT TO THE PRESIDENT AND DIRECTOR OF COMMUNICATIONS FOR THE FIRST LADY)
Winter, Melissa E. (SPECIAL ASSISTANT TO THE PRESIDENT AND DEPUTY CHIEF OF STAFF TO THE FIRST LADY)
$90,000 - Medina, David S. (DEPUTY CHIEF OF STAFF TO THE FIRST LADY)
$84,000 - Lelyveld, Catherine M. (DIRECTOR AND PRESS SECRETARY TO THE FIRST LADY)
$75,000 - Starkey, Frances M.. (DIRECTOR OF SCHEDULING AND ADVANCE FOR THE FIRST LADY)
$70,000 - Sanders, Trooper (DEPUTY DIRECTOR OF POLICY AND PROJECTS FOR THE FIRST LADY)
$65,000 - Burnough, Erinn J. (DEPUTY DIRECTOR AND DEPUTY SOCIAL SECRETARY)
Reinstein, Joseph B. (DEPUTY DIRECTOR AND DEPUTY SOCIAL SECRETARY)
$62,000 - Goodman, Jennifer R. (DEPUTY DIRECTOR OF SCHEDULING AND EVENTS COORDINATOR FOR THE FIRST LADY)
$60,000 - Fitts, Alan O. (DEPUTY DIRECTOR OF ADVANCE AND TRIP DIRECTOR FOR THE FIRST LADY)
$52,500 - Lewis, Dana M. (SPECIAL ASSISTANT AND PERSONAL AIDE TO THE FIRST LADY)
$52,500 - Mustaphi, Semonti M. (ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR AND DEPUTY PRESS SECRETARY TO THE FIRST LADY)
$50,000 - Jarvis, Kristen E. (SPECIAL ASSISTANT FOR SCHEDULING AND TRAVELING AIDE TO THE FIRST LADY)
$45,000 - Lechtenberg, Tyler A. (ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR OF CORRESPONDENCE FOR THE FIRST LADY)
$45,000 - Tubman, Samantha (DEPUTY ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR,SOCIAL OFFICE)
$40,000 - Boswell, Joseph J. (EXECUTIVE ASSISTANT TO THE CHIEF OF STAFF TO THE FIRST LADY)
$36,000 - Armbruster, Sally M (STAFF ASSISTANT TO THE SOCIAL SECRETARY)
Bookey, Natalie (STAFF ASSISTANT)
Jackson, Deilia A. (DEPUTY ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR OF CORRESPONDENCE FOR THE FIRST LADY)

This adds up to a whopping $1,600,700.00 and the amount doesn’t include the elite benefit packages granted to the White House staff and their significant others (include same-sex partners). Nor does the figure take into account the salaries for the two additional full-time staff members mentioned by Mrs. Obama’s Press Secretary nor the full time hair-dresser and makeup artist assigned to her. A guesstimate of the total salaries for Mrs. Obama’s attendants is $1,750,00.00 plus the additional benefits.

Who actually APPROVES and allocates this funding??? GUESS WHO???? "In my own life, in my own small way, I have tried to give back to this country that has given me so much," she said. "See, that’s why I left a job at a big law firm for a career in public service,"— Michelle Obama.

Miz Michelle, who requires 26 personal assistants at a cost of $1,750,00.00 plus change- - - the only change American taxpayers can believe in!!!

Full article: http://canadafreepress.com/index.php/article/12652

Monday, October 5, 2009

Enid Goes For Guinness World Record

Well we didn't get the record but gave it a good try.
At final count, 2,598 kites were counted in the air at the same time. When organizers began planning, that would have broken the record of 967 kites that was set in 2008 in Germany. But this past summer, the record was broken when children flew 3,710 kites in the northern Gaza Strip, according to the United Nations.