Have you given blood?

Once a year at the high school I work, they have a blood drive. I try to make it a point to go. Well, unbeknownst to me, yesterday was that day! Through each lunch, a few kids would ask if I was going to give blood. I knew DD had tennis practice after school & stopping to check in on Babcia wouldn't take long. So after making sure Babcia was ok & had everything she needed for the day, I drove to the school.

When I got there, it was about 2:40 pm. I knew they only had the blood drive till 3 pm so I was hoping I still had time. When I walked in, a couple of people were finishing up. A few of the kids were still there & a couple of teachers who coordinate the project were there, too. I was given the booklet to read about HIV testing & transfusions & being in other countries. I'm glad I'm a quick read so I finished up in a few minutes. A lady in a lab coat called me behind a screen, took my vitals & asked a few questions. I finished the yes & no computer questions from the info that was in the book & Voila! I was ready to give blood. Another woman had me hop (well, maybe "hop" isn't the right word here. Maybe climb carefully so I wouldn't go knocking the table over is better...lol) on the table & lay down. It took her a few minutes to get things ready so she had me lay there & pump my arm to get the vein ready. Then shortly after, we were ready to go. She put in the needle & it only took about 10-15 minutes to get the pint of blood from me.

Of course, since I was the last one there, they were cleaning up & putting everything away. Someone said, "Don't worry. We won't pack you away with all the stuff.". LOL.

When I was done, they gave me an apple juice & some cookies & made me sit for a few minutes so I wouldn't get dizzy or topple over. Little do they know that I do that anyway! LOL. There were a couple of small waters & packages of cookies left that they told me to take since they didn't feel like throwing them out.

So, I did my good deed & I made sure I didn't life anything heavy for a while. The needle site is a little purple but doesn't hurt.

If you get a chance to give blood, please do it! You can make a difference in someone's life!

Making a Babushka Tourniquet,

Collette

Is It Really Spring?!?!?

So, did ya miss me? Didn't even notice I was gone did you? Or perhaps another new blogger falls because of the pressure?

NOPE! None of the above! Actually, I've been a bit under the weather due to our lovely Michigan weather. Warm, sunny, & gorgeous one minute & the next-BLAH-cold, wet, & ugh, snowflakes. Of course, it may be that I'm allergic to work. Seems that I come down with something right as a school break is coming to an end. (yes, it probably is mind over matter. I'm out of my mind, so it doesn't matter!)

Well, I am feeling a bit better & figured I better get back in my babushka & to you.

It has been chilly & raining here for a few days. For tonight & tomorrow morning, they're calling for some snowflakes with no accumulation (whew). Then we should finally get some clearing with a high of about 50. After that, the rest of the week & weekend looks like spring has finally sprung. Possible temp near 80 for Saturday. WOOHOO! My kind of weather.

There are signs of spring popping up all over, finally! Driving today, I noticed the trees are starting to bud & bushes are starting to get their leaves. And, of course, the kids are blaring their radios more so than usual as they fly down the streets.

My Babcia & I planted some tomato & pepper seeds in cups over a week ago & the tomatoes are sprouting the seedlings! It really is amazing to watch them grow from the very beginning to the end when you get that first tomato. YUM! I finally started my small garden a couple of years ago at my own house, but Babcia has been growing hers for years. I have had to help quite a bit over the last years, as she is 92 & she can't do it alone.

Usually, we plant tomatoes, peppers, & cucumbers. Last years cuke crop was sadly lacking, but the year before, we made pickles galore! I'm hoping for that kind of growth this year.

My neighbors on either side also grow many things. On one side, there are tomatoes (several kinds), peppers, flowers, & grapes. On the other side, they grow a vine spinach, some sort of bean in pods & various other things. These neighbors are from Bangladesh and the others are Bosnian, I believe, from Germany. So, we have all kinds of things growing all over! LOL!

During the summer months, I'll take some pics & show all the gardens & how little space we have between our houses here.

So, that's the story for today. I guess it's long enough already & it's getting late so I need to get to sleep. I do have work in the morning (Hmm, I still feel ok...lol). I will say goodnight for now & I will be back soon (OK, I see you all running away...lol!)

Putting on my babushka to keep the snow away,

Collette XOXOX

Easter Vacation

I am so glad that it's Easter vacation, or Spring Break-whatever you want to call it. It's a break for me from work at the high school cafeteria. WOOHOO! (Sorry, I had to get that in!) No matter how many days I get off, I always need more. Less than 2 months left till summer vacation. It can't come fast enough.

Maybe you can tell that I don't like my job much. It has its good & bad points. I've been working there for over 5 years & have been trying to work from home for longer than that. But, I do believe that I am there for a reason. I think that no matter where we are in our lives, we are there for a reason, a learning experience, for ourselves & others. When our "job" is finished there, we are brought to the next lesson. We never cease to learn, to teach, or to grow. I guess my point is that until the need that brought me there has been filled, it's where I will be.

OK, or until I can make at least as much working from home that I make there (which isn't much). So, I just have to get busy & find something online quick! And although taking surveys doesn't sound bad, I just couldn't do too many at once. I just like to work on the computer & at my own pace for maybe an hour or 2 a day. Then get to all the manual labor I do here at home that I don't get paid for (housework!) LOL. If the government would pay us according to all the work we actually do during a week, we would be rich! (until after taxes)

Well, I guess I have bounced around enough subjects for today. Just a little bit of this & that to think about. Back to my online money search & more laundry. If you have any comments or just want to say "HI", leave a comment or message & I'll be back again. Have a great day!

Peace & Laundered Babushkas,
Collette

Happy Easter!

Hello everyone! I just wanted to write a short note & wish all of you a very Happy Easter & Happy Passover! Blessings to one & all on this special day! For all the kiddies & kids at heart, I wish you lots of jelly beans, peeps, chocolate, & other candies. May everyone find lots of eggs on their Easter egg hunt & in their Easter baskets.
Have a beautiful day, enjoy & love each other! I will see you soon!
Love & Babushkas,
Collette

It Never Fails...

So, here it is, early April, temps still a little cool, ready for the "April Showers". I've seen the robins, which is a sign that spring is really here. I bought dh, dd & myself nice, comfortable outfits for Easter, which is this coming Sunday. Even the air has that unmistakeable smell/feel of newness, growth...Spring.

Well. it did, until last night.

The news had been reporting possible snow for a few days already, but with the warmer air here in Michigan, I didn't really expect much of anything. Then the snow reports turned to a winter storm warning! No way! I am so tired of & done with snow from this past winter. It has to be finished snowing for the season, doesn't it? Well, I guess Mother Nature decided on a belated "April Fool's" joke. Sure enough, it started snowing heavily around 11 pm & kept on going through today. Being that the temps were above freezing most of the time & the ground had warmed up a little, most of the snow melted or was heavy slush. Right now, there is snow on the grass but on little else in our area near Detroit. Weather reports are still predicting some flurries through tomorrow, I believe.

As the saying goes in Michigan, "If you don't like the weather, just wait 5 minutes"! I am hoping that this will be the end of the snow & we can finally celebrate the earth coming back to life.

Besides, I just bought a coral handbag with shoes to match. That explains why I picked up the outfits for Easter. I had nothing to match my new accessories! Then, I felt guilty about buying for just myself & purchased outfits for my dh & dd.

So far, the weather for Sunday is looking to be sunny & about 56 degrees. I may get to wear my new shoes after all. But, as Murphy's law says, if anything can go wrong, it will. IT NEVER FAILS!!!

Wondering if they make thermal babushkas,

Collette

My Easter Traditions

Now that Easter is almost here, I want to share some of the Polish traditions we have this time of year. Some have been intact as long as I can remember & some a little newer but just as important to me.


Both pairs of my grandparents were born here, I believe, but their parents were born in Poland & came over in the early 1900's. My Babcia, (dad's mom). is the only grandparent still living @ 92 years old. So, we have 4 generations living here in the U.S.


We have many traditions through the year & Easter is one of the main ones. Before Easter, we have Lent, which is a Catholic time for fasting and praying for forgiveness. The day Lent starts is Ash Wednesday. The day before is Paczki Day! On this day, we eat paczki (jelly donuts with more fat than usual) to get rid of all the flour, sugar, yeast, & sweets before Lent starts. The bakeries here are packed from morning till night on that day!


On the Saturday before Easter, my Babcia, my 2 sisters, my daughter & me go to church to get our Easter baskets blessed. We take some food that will be eaten on Easter such as: kielbasa, ham, hard boiled eggs, bread, salt & pepper, and anything else you want to add, for this will be eaten Easter morning as our breakfast. We usually add a butter lamb, made by each of us, to our baskets. They usually turn out looking like any animal other than a lamb & more than likely, will have been, stabbed, squashed, or otherwise deformed due to self-consciousness of other lambs looking too professional...lol.


On Easter Sunday, we eat our blessed food for breakfast. In the afternoon, we go to a family member's house to share our meal. It consists of a sliver of raw horseradish on a slice of hard boiled egg for blessings & good wishes to all. The first course is the barszcz (white borscht), made from ham & kielbasa water, juice from dill pickles, sour cream, & peppercorns (which I usually end up biting into!). Into the soup, we put a mixture of ham, kielbasa, eggs & bread. The main entree is ham, smoked kielbasa (store bought), fresh kielbasa (made by us),bread, butter, cole slaw. Later on if anyone is hungry, we have ham & kielbasa sandwiches, usually with lots of horseradish.


Our traditions are based on lots of food & the love that goes into making them! Spending time with family is one of the best traditions you can have.


So, what are your Easter traditions? I'd love to hear what everyone does!

Talk to you soon from beneath "My Babcia's Babushka"!


Collette