New Year

How I wished I could spend time alone here!!! Happy New Year to all of you!

Clearing the air.....

isn't always easy, but it's the best thing to do.

I chose not to attend Christmas Eve festivities at hubby's moms this year. For all my regular visitors you may recall the events of last July that set me on this course. For newer visitors suffice it to say that some things transpired causing bad feelings toward his family on my part!

In my absence Christmas Eve, my daughter-in-law was put on the spot and questioned as to why I wasn't there. In the last few months I have heard they have questioned other family members about whether or not I had some kind of problem with them and everyone chose to remain silent and pretend they didn't know anything. My daughter-in-law(DIL) decided to speak up and say something. I don't mind that she did. My thoughts are that they should have come to me directly instead of questioning people behind my back, but what's done is done. DIL knew of the problem since she and the entire rest of the family were at my home on this July day for a get-together for our daughter, Rachel, who was visiting from Kentucky.

So tonight I decided to call the sis-in-law that was doing the questioning and firmly but politely explained once and for all the reason for my distance from the family. She said how sorry she was that this incident caused hard feelings but she doesn't remember it this way and her feelings were hurt by me on this same day. I tried to explain to her that at least four other family members remember the incident exactly the way I said it happened and what she was referring to never even happened and she didn't have any reason to have hurt feelings even if what she was referring to DID happen! She thanked me for calling and explaining so at least they would know why I was staying away.

Nothing is resolved, but at least now they know that if my grandchildren are not considered part of this family, I am not part of this family either!

Although it remains an unresolved issue, at least the air has been cleared on my part and I have no feelings of guilt over missing the holiday celebration!

A letter home

This letter appeared in our Christmas Eve paper and I thought it worthy of sharing. Please pray for all our men serving in every branch of service everywere!!!!


LCPL Curtis Mejeur from West Michigan is serving in Iraq. His family forwarded WZZM 13 this letter - His mother writes, I thought it would be a good reminder for all Americans:


As the holiday season arrives I would just like to write you all so you remember those serving our country. Remember that they have given greatly of themselves so that you may have a peaceful holiday season. I cannot stress the thankfulness that I have for those that have shown me support over the past year; it has helped me push on so that I can do my job here in Iraq.

I can remember standing in those fateful yellow footprints outside of MCRD. Thinking to myself, "here you go, lets hope it's all that you had planned". And it has been. I have made the best friends I could ever hope for, and I've kept the true friends that I never noticed enough. I've made it half way around the world, and soon, I'll make it back again. I've vested myself in something larger than myself, something larger than Alpha company, I've helped shape history as we know it. But it has come at a cost. I have also lost my friends. I have doubted the shape of the history we are creating. I have doubted the very beliefs at the core of my being.

This is where I will stand, I will. I have made my choices and I promise to stay with them, this I guarantee. Remember on the nights that are coming that there are men and women out there who share the same night, but with far fewer people. Remember his life is far different from yours, but still the same in so many ways. Know the differences, accept them, and hold on to the similarities. That is what we hold onto here in Iraq.

Remember that when you get dressed in the morning and you straighten your tie, he will straighten his Kevlar. You will button up your shirt, he will snap up his flack jacket. You will look in the mirror to make sure you look right, he will look to the right, and the left, to make sure his buddy has his throat guard on. You will grab your keys on the way out the door, he will grab his rifle. You will get in your car, him an armored humvee, and do 75 on the way to work. Anything over 10 scares him to death. You will spend all day attempting to close that lucrative deal, he will spend all day trying to figure out who wants to kill him, who doesn't, and who really doesn't care either way. You will do the same 75 on the way back from work, he'll walk 6 miles. You'll relax when you get home, he'll go right to post for 6 more hours. You'll talk about what you're going to do on Saturday, he hasn't seen a weekend in months. You complain about dinner, he can't believe he's getting hot food this evening. He lives in a world where he must be respectful and polite to everyone he meets, but also keep a plan to kill them.

I write this not for your pity or because I think I have it bad. I write it in the hopes that next time you hear someone disrespecting our troops, that you have the courage to stand up to them, and remind them that although they may not agree with what is happening in the world, our troops are not to blame. We will still care about their safety and interests long after they have forgotten about ours.

Remember their families, they are the ones that have the real fight. Everyone here stands together on the mission at hand. It is not the same at home. It hurts them to hear that, "the war is stupid, all we're doing is sending our young men and women to do, is die". This statement is false and uninformed at best. They fight a much different war, and theirs does not always have everyone standing together. Theirs is the constant state of worry that follows them day in and day out. They will not know much if at all for a year at a time.

I wish you the best, throughout the next year and beyond. Merry Christmas!

First, let me thank all of you for your kind words and encouragement. As you can see, they work!

Today I got to spend some time with two of my grandchildren. Two-year old Drew and three-year old Harley. They are both almost the exact same height, only Drew outweighs her by about 18 pounds. Being that they are both the 'baby' in their respective families, and due to their ages, I thought there might be a little jealousy....and I was right!

Drew was only jealous when Harley climbed up into my lap, but recovered quickly once he realized that there was still room for him too! I was a little surprised at how well they actually played together. Of course Drew, being the younger of the two, wanted every toy that Harley touched. And Harley was trying to be very fair in offering Drew more blocks than she was going to have to play with. When Drew would say a different color, Harley would kindly and gently hand him the color he asked for. Before too long, Harley was left with no blocks and Drew had them all, but Harley didn't complain or fuss about it. She just waited patiently by until Drew went back to watching the 'Cars' movie or moved on to a different toy to play with. I was amazed at this. When she is with her brothers at her house, I have seen her scream, yell, throw things and hit until she gets her own way. Was she being good because her parents and brothers weren't here or do you think she was putting on a show in case Santa was watching? How I wish I had taken a picture of them together.....her mom and dad would never believe it otherwise!

She was the first to get picked up and Drew climbed back on my lap for some extra cuddle time. I was hoping he would fall asleep, at least for a while so he would be in a good mood for his Momma when she got home from work. But that wasn't going to happen. Every time his little eyes would start to close all the way, he would jump down off my lap and run and get another toy car to show me and tell me about.

I guess I could have put him in the pac-n-play and laid on the bed next to him until he went to sleep. That usually works. But it had been such a long time since he and I have been able to spend time together I didn't push the issue. Sorry Naive and Mr. Naive. I'll do better next time! ; )

Dec. 19th......

Survived the boys and we are still alive, but everything else is just kind of sucky right now. Blah, blah, blah......later!

I'm getting too old for this 'baby' stuff....

we have our youngest son and wife's two boys here for the night. The oldest is 6 years....piece of cake to watch and keep entertained. The youngest is between 6 and 7 months old and hasn't seen a lot of us recently. As a result I think he is a little uncertain, if not a bit frightened, of us! He is also in the teething stage. Both of which are not conducive to a quiet evening.

The youngest 'screamed' for about 3 1/2 hours tonight. Never before has it happened that neither one of us was able to calm a screaming baby. Are we losing our touch, or what? The oldest said, and I quote, "I don't think he wants to be here, 'cause he never screams like that at home"! Well, thank you, I feel a whole lot better now! I think I now understand why very young parents become angry and frustrated and lose control and sometimes even become physically abusive. Maybe if all teen-agers were required to care for a fussy baby all night(while being closely observed) with observers readily available to step in before any abuse takes place it would be a great deterrent to the teen pregnancy problem.

Hubby has to work in the morning, he needs to get up at 2:30. It is now 1:00 and I finally have the baby asleep in the family room. I have no monitor. Which means I will be trying to sleep on the couch. Since he feel asleep with the TV on and the lights on the tree on, I am fearful of turning everything off in case it seems too quiet and he awakes screaming. My nerves are shot to say the least....and I need to be at Amber's church by 8:30 tomorrow morning to see her in the church Christmas program. The boys parents are supposed to be here by 7:00....I hope they're not late. The church is about 30 miles north of where I live.

I bid you good-night, while I try to sleep with the TV and lights on.....wish me luck!

I really shouldn't be on the computer right now. I have so much to do still before I go to bed and it is already 11:09PM.

I'm running behind because we went to Amber's Christmas program from school tonight. Amber is in the 5th grade and attends what they call a 'middle' school in the district she lives in. I cannot believe how grown up most of the girls in her grade look. Certainly not 11 - 12 years as she does. She is one of the shortest and smallest kids in the entire 5 grade. Not the shortest, but only about 6th from the shortest! Some of these girls look as if they are in 9th grade! At first I thought that maybe I was just getting older but when Amber's mom leaned over and asked "don't these girls look a little old for 5th grade?', that I realized it wasn't just me. Some of them had bigger chests than I had when I graduated from high school! I'm not kidding! Anyway, Amber did fine; all of the 5th graders sang holiday songs and it was a nice evening out. Now I have to play catch up.

I already have the dishes finished. We had to leave right after eating so all I had time for was to clear the table and carry the dishes to the sink to await my return. Hubby is on overtime still, so he got to bed later than usual and he will be tired all day tomorrow as a result. I have put coffee on the timer for morning (thank goodness for programmable coffee makers) and did the general night time pick up. I still have presents waiting to be wrapped, but they will to wait for another time, perhaps tomorrow!

Ok...here is some Christmas fun. It's another meme...but it really gives you an idea of what people are like. I enjoyed doing it, there are only 20 questions, below are my answers. Hope you try it and have some fun. If you want to play along, all you have to do is copy and paste it on your blog, let me know that you did it so I can come visit and tag 5 people. So here it goes:




1. Egg Nog or Hot Chocolate? Hot Chocolate

2. Does Santa wrap presents or just sit them under the tree? Wraps them of course

3. Colored lights on tree/house or white? Colored

4. Do you hang mistletoe? NO, I don't need too, my hubby tells me I'm kissable!

5. When do you put your decorations up? According to hubby, Tom, too early.....the weekend after Thanksgiving usually.

6. What is your favorite holiday dish? Baked, honey-glazed ham smothered with pineapple rings

7. Favorite Holiday memory? Hearing Santa and reindeer on my roof...see last post.

8. When and how did you learn the truth about Santa? Santa? what are you trying to say?

9. Do you open a gift on Christmas Eve? I did when I attended the Christmas Eve celebration with hubby's family, but I won't be attending anymore...:(

10. How do you decorate your Christmas Tree? Lights first...followed by all the ornaments that have special meaning that I have acquired through the years!!

11. Snow! Love it or Dread it? Love to play in it, hate to drive in it.

12. Can you ice skate? Yes, and I went last year and only fell once!!!

13. Do you remember your favorite gift? Oh I have had so many...but when I was about 9 it was a 'Terrie Lee' doll

14. What's the most important thing? Being with the people I love

15. What is your favorite Holiday Dessert? Hmmm..home made ice-cream cake! Yum, yum

16. What is your favorite holiday tradition? It use to be reading "The Night Before Christmas" to my kids....but the youngest is now 34 so that's out of the question :(

17. What tops your tree? A star

18. Which do you prefer giving or Receiving? OH I love giving, I love to watch the look on the persons face....oh nothing beats that...love it love it


19. What is your favorite Christmas Song? I love "Oh Little Town of Bethlehem" and "Silent Night" and "Away in A Manger" sung by little children!

20. Candy canes, Yuck or Yum? Yum!

So I am going to tag:


Clew
Editor
Itchy
V
Chesney
Nelly

Happy Holidays all!!!

A Christmas Memory

Sitting alone in the family room last night and looking at the Christmas tree, my thoughts wandered back to when I was a little girl on Christmas Eve. As long as I can remember, my folks always told us that "if" we were good and "if" we listened closely enough we would hear Santa with his sleigh and reindeer land on our roof just before we fell asleep!

Talk about an incentive to get the kids to bed early on Christmas Eve, this one worked every time. My sisters and I would hurry through dinner and baths, pajama donning and teeth brushing so we could get in bed and listen for the sound of the reindeer and Santa on our roof! And you know what? We actually heard them. Every single year! They sounded like horses sound when they walk on the pavement, followed by a large "THUMP" which we were convinced was the sleigh as it touched down on the roof. And we even heard the soft jingle of sleighbells....we were lucky; and "good" children!

As I grew, I realized that all the noise was my dad enhancing the fun of the belief in the fantasy of Santa Claus. And as a parent with small children, my husband and I carried on the tradition. And my children also were "believers" in the legend of the landing of Santa on our rooftop every Christmas Eve. I'm not sure any of the kids remember these episodes but I do and I think that I had much more fun with the tradition than they did at the time. I can close my eyes and still see the expressions on their little faces as they heard the first "hoof" hit the rooftop!

Somethings are just better when you're grown!!

Christmas Tree - 2006

So this is this years Christmas tree. When I took the picture, the tree lights were on, but it was daytime and they don't show up very well. Usually I have help decorating the tree from hubby and Amber, but this year I was on my own. So I just put the Christmas cd's in the player and went to town. It only took me ALL DAY! Now I can finish with the other decorating but I feel good knowing that at least the tree is up now!

The tree skirt was made by my mil several years ago as a Christmas gift to hubby and me......back when we (she and I) were still speaking to each other. It is a really nice tree skirt and I do like it and appreciate the fact that she made it for us. Homemade gifts are awesome!

Even though we don't really speak anymore and I won't be attending any family Christmas festivities at her home, I do wish her a Merry Christmas!

TAG, I'M IT AND YOU'RE NEXT!

I've been tagged by ChesneyGirl! I am supposed to list "six weird things about myself" and then tag six people to do the same. Check the end of this post to see who got tagged!


1. If eating a small bag of colored candy, I must separate them and eat them in order so there is always the same amount of colors in each group!

2. After going to bed each night, I have to get up twice to make sure I locked all the doors even though I know I did.

3. I have to brush my teeth first thing in the morning, even before I can drink my coffee.....then after I have my breakfast I have to brush them again!

4. I can not stand to go barefoot outside....not even in the summer....I need something on my feet.

5. I have no trouble waking up if a child or baby is crying or calling for me, but can sleep through a blaring alarm clock.

6. I can not stand to have a candle with a white wick....I at least have to light it just to turn the wick black and then can blow it out!

So, I'm going to tag:

Clew

Bainwen

Renee

Melnhead

Mary Ann

Itchy

Have fun ladies!

Looking ahead......

....to this Holiday season. I can't wait to get my tree and other decorations up. I have just started and do have a few out, but with hubby's surgery and my ankle/leg thing still going on, it's been hard. Hubby has returned to work today taking my car (his truck still is not repaired correctly) leaving me stranded at the homefront. I don't mind though, the weather has become quite wintry.....freezing rain, sleet, mixture of rain and snow before turning into all snow.....blowing snow at that. Well, let me correct that. The wind is blowing, but the snow is not the powdery kind so it is not blowing. We probably have about 3 inches on the ground with a 1 1/2-2 inch base of ice under it. Makes me glad that I am inside where I am! When the roads become slippery I would much prefer to be on the inside looking out as I am a today!

Well, if any of these decorations are going to get up, I had better get a move on.
Maybe I'll even take some pictures and post them when I'm done with it all!

Later and stay warm!

Oral Surgery.....ouch!!!

This time hubby had to have extra bone in his lower jaw removed. It was located on the inside, where your tongue would rest. They made incisions on both sides and had to grind the bone down to where it is supposed to be, and then stitch it back together. It didn't take as long as I thought it would, but boy, he sure is miserable! I feel sorry for him, but there is nothing I can do except make sure he takes his pain meds on time and make him liquid meals until he is able to eat again.

Looks like I'll be busy waiting on him for a couple days, so I may not have a chance to stop in and read your blogs until late in the evening.....but I will catch up!

I'm getting real tired of all this, but I'm sure he is too! I'm sure that in a couple days he will start to feel better. Thank goodness this is the end of all the dental work he will be needing for a very long time! :)

I might as well have a job!

I say that because I had to get up this morning at 5:36. My phone rang and it was hubby telling me that he and his truck were stranded at the gas station on the hill near the freeway and could I come and get him. I wasn't happy about being awakened, but I put a smile on my face and told him sure. I put on the smile figuring he was already upset enough being stranded. You see, his son had his truck the entire time he was up deer hunting and was fixing it for him. I'm sure he is now thinking that if he fixed it, why isn't it working right?

Well, I threw a coat over some sweat pants and the t-shirt I sleep in and figured I would go get him and he would bring me back home and take my car to work. Wrong! I didn't know that he would drive to his work and then I would have to drive back home. Had I known he was running late (or thought he was anyway) I would have put some clothes on and at least taken a cup of coffee with me! He was afraid he would be late for work so he didn't want to take the time to deliver me back home. And it turned out that he was 15 minutes early for work so he could have taken me home, saving me from the 20 mile trip in to work and back. Gheeeez!

Now it has become my job to contact our son and tell him where the truck is located. If it wouldn't start for hubby I don't know what makes him think it will start for our son!

The above picture is not of hubby. It is one I found on the net!

Thoughts now turn toward Christmas.....

With the Thanksgiving holiday now behind us I can start thinking of shopping for Christmas. I can't believe the stores start advertising for Christmas earlier each year. I think the first Christmas merchandise I saw in a store this year was the day after Halloween. Come on, people! Isn't that pushing it just a little?

But now, I am ready to think about and even start shopping and decorating for Christmas. In fact, I am actually getting excited about beginning this special holiday season. Christmas is a wonderful time of year. People are usually filled with good cheer and well wishes for the entire human race. Oh, I know there are some who are "bah, humbuggers" but I refuse to let them get to me and ruin a perfectly lovely time of year with their bad attitudes! So in keeping with the true meaning of the Christmas Holiday, I am including an invitation that I received to a very special party and hope that you can make it too!




CHRISTMAS PARTY INVITATION


You are cordially invited to

A BIRTHDAY CELEBRATION!!!

Guest of Honor: Jesus Christ

Date: Every day. Traditionally, December 25
but He's always around, so the date is flexible....

Time: Whenever you're ready.
(Please don't be late, though, or you'll miss out on all the fun!)

Place: In your heart.... He'll meet you there.
(You'll hear Him knock.)

Attire: Come as you are... grubbies are okay.
He'll be washing our clothes anyway. He said something about
new white robes and crowns for everyone who stays till the last.

Tickets: Admission is free. He's
already paid for everyone...
(He says you wouldn't have been
able to afford it anyway...
it cost Him everything He had. But
you do need to accept the ticket!!

Refreshments: New wine, bread, and a
far-out drink He calls "Living Water,"
followed by a supper that promises to be out of this world!

Gift Suggestions: ; Your life. He's one of those
people who already has everything else.
(He's very generous in return though.
Just wait until you see what He has for you!)

Entertainment: Joy, Peace, Truth,
Light, Life, Love, Real Happiness,
Communion with God, Forgiveness, Miracles, Healing, Power,
Eternity in Paradise, Contentment, and much more!
(All "G" rated, so bring your family and friends.)


R.S.V.P. Very Important!
He must know ahead so He can
reserve a spot for you at the table.
Also, He's keeping a list of His friends for future
reference. He calls it the "Lamb's Book of Life."

Party being given by His Kids (that's us!!)!
Hope to see you there! For those of you whom I will
see at the party, share this with someone today!

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

May you all have a Blessed and Happy Thanksgiving. May you find many things to be thankful for this year. May you be blessed with good food and the company of your family and loved ones near.

Please welcome Dorothy Thompson!

I have a guest author, relationship expert, columnist, renowned authority on the Soul Mate phenomena, and queen of the e-books here today, please welcome Dorothy Thompson. The one we will be talking about today is "A Complete Guide to Promoting & Selling Your Self-Published eBook."

Welcome Dorothy! Let me jump right in with a few questions for you:

First, how long did it take you to gather and research all the material needed to publish an e-book that would help others publish and promote their own e-book?



Hi Marcia, and thanks for having me! To be honest, this eBook is the accumulation of five years of research, but it wasn't until the last year did I realize the secrets to real book promotion. Five years ago, I started out with a children's book that was published by an e-publisher. I barely knew a thing about eBooks, much less how to promote them. It wasn't until I started self-publishing my own eBooks did I realize where I went wrong. For starters, I didn't take an active part in promotion. As a newbie author, I thought the publisher would do all that. After only a handful of eBooks sold over the years, I gave up on it.



Now, through trial and error, and a different approach, my eBooks are selling quite well. As in anything, it sometimes takes having you go under before you realize what it takes to come out on top. This I have achieved through "A Complete Guide to Promoting & Selling Your Self-Published eBook."



As for the time it took to gather and research to put this eBook together, I would say it took the whole five years to really figure out how to get people interested in a paperless book, and get them to buy one. People love print books, and I am one of them. But, eBooks are a whole different thing. People buy them for information mainly, and if you can provide that information that isn't available anywhere else, you have landed on a gold mine.



Next, is this the first book you have had published, either in paper or e-book?



Actually, this is my fourth eBook, and I also have print books I have either co-authored, or edited. All of my eBooks with the exception of the children's eBook, I have published myself. I like the hands-on control of self-publishing, and the profits can't be beat either. Where else are you going to make money off your books without having to share?



I am contracted by a small press publisher for books that I feel would do better in print. But, then, there are other books I have that are more suited for eBook formatting, such as one in which contains a lot of clickable links as in "A Complete Guide to Promoting & Selling Your Self-Published eBook."



One thing people need to keep in mind is your market when determining whether to go with print or electronic means of publishing. My eBook is interactive, so electronic is the only way to go. For fiction, I would recommend print because it's harder to sell in electronic format, but I have seen some eBooks do extremely well. Informational eBooks are hot right now. If you have a certain knowledge of a particular subject, put this knowledge into an eBook and sell it from your website. A lot of writers who are waiting for that NY contract or royalty statements from their already-published books find this an excellent way to make a little money (or a lot!) on the side.





Last but not least, what kind of money are we looking at to publish an e-book....from the actual publishing and promoting of it?



LOL, glad you asked. How does nill sound? If you have a program where you can make your own snazzy book covers, and have a way to turn a .doc into a .pdf, you're in the good.



If you don't have a program to make book covers, drop me a line at thewriterslife(at)yahoo.com, and I'll set you up with one. My rates are lower than anywhere, and I have a pretty good eye for what makes a good cover. I've been complimented quite a few times.



As for promoting, my eBook shows you hundreds upon hundreds of ways to promote your eBook without it costing you one red cent. Of course, you can buy ads, what not, but you really don't have to. And this is what it's all about—finding outlets to promote (which I have and are in the eBook), without it costing a thing.



If you would like to find out more about my eBook, visit www.thewriterslife.net/promoteebook.html

Thanks for visiting today, Dorothy. If any of you have any further questions for Dorothy please feel free to contact her at the website she has listed above.

Thanks, and happy promoting to you!

INHERITED OR DEVELOPED?

I was surfing blogs tonight and discovered some very creative ones. Not just in appearance but in content too! And it made me wonder why on earth I ever thought that I should start a blog myself.

I guess I just thought it would be a place to voice my feelings....to vent....to sound off freely. But after surfing and reading I feel it makes all my small attempts, on those rare occasions where I was trying to be creative, seem very ambiguous! I guess some people either lead a much more interesting life than I do and/or are just way more creative and witty than I!

And you know what else I discovered? That all the blogs that I find very entertaining are all written by women well, except for a couple. And those women are all in the same age range. There must have been a sale on 'creative genes' for a few years when these people were conceived and born. Some of these blogs are listed on my side bar and others are just ones I happened on by luck and chance.

Really though....don't you wonder why some people seem talented in so many ways and others seem to have received no talent whatsoever. Or if they have talent, maybe they never had the opportunity or the inkling to develop it. I'm a firm believer in thinking that talent does need to be developed or encouraged either by parents or some other outside forces. So maybe the credit not only goes to God for these peoples talents but maybe to all those others who influenced them and their creative ability!

And maybe the rest of us who wish to be creative just never had the opportunity or encouragement that we should have had.

Enough Already! - A short story

Okay, I have had enough! I am now a single mother of three young children after my husband passed away a few months ago. My children have all been sick with some kind of stomach upset and now I get a call about my 82 year old grandfather. He had been living on his own until recently. Before they discovered colon cancer and did the surgery.

Now he is recovering in the hospital. He doesn't like hospitals and has never before been a patient in one. I don't even ever remember him going to visit anyone who was a patient in one. He always waited until the person was home before going to see them. Even when his grandchildren were born they told us he didn't come to see us until after we were home and he could get his hands on us and hold us.

The hospital called me to tell me that he refused to keep any kind of covering on his body. He was literally sitting around naked and refusing to cover himself up. What was I supposed to do? They asked me to come and try and reason with him. Fat chance, I thought! He's always been a stubborn man, now he's a stubborn OLD man!

I have to quickly find a sitter for my 3 young children. Thank goodness for great neighbors, and I find one who is willing to take on three little ones to her already busy schedule of caring for her own three little ones!

I back out of her driveway and head down the road. I look in my rearview mirror and in the street behind me, I see my youngest son running down the road after me waving his arms and screaming. I stop immediately and when he reaches the car, I am standing beside it and I scoop him up in my arms and try to console him. You see, he is just under three and has been frightened of my leaving him ever since his dad passed away. He is so frightened of being apart that he doesn't even want me to close my eyes when I go to bed at night. He will often sneak into my room while I'm asleep and shake me and say "Don't close eyes, momma".

I return him to my neighbor and we pry his arms and legs from around my body and she must hold him tightly so he doesn't chase me again when I leave this time. He will be fine once he calms down and realizes that his brother and sister are with him.

I drive the thirty miles to the hospital, park the car and take the elevator up to the third floor. I walk down the hallway to the nurses station and speak with the head nurse. She informs me that he is being unreasonable and I need to go and speak with him about his dignity and not sitting there in all his glory!

I enter his room and sure enough...there he sits stark naked with everything exposed. I say "hi Grandpa, what are you doing?" He replies that they have stolen every article of his clothing and they won't give it back to him and he wants to leave....NOW! I ask him to cover himself with the blankets on the bed until we can sort this out because I am embarrassed to see him naked and he obliges. He tells me to go and speak with the nurse and find out why they stole his clothes. I humor him and leave the room. I go back to the nurses station and explain to them that he is at least covered up now and they ask me to try and calm him down enough where they can give him some medication to relax him and let him sleep and hopefully when he awakens he will not remember this episode.

I return to his room and explain that the nurse and I will try and locate his clothes but it make take a while and in the meantime he needs to get some rest. I ask if it is okay if the nurse gives him some medicine to relax him while we conduct the search. He is agreeable and takes the medication. Soon he is sleeping soundly and I sit down to wait for him to awaken in a few hours.

When he awakes, he is more like his normal self. He is remaining covered, calm and has no recollection of the happenings of a few hours ago. He seems surprised to see me there and asks me why I didn't wake him when I arrived so we could visit. I am amazed that he remembers nothing of my embarrassment, but pretend nothing happened also so he won't be embarrassed either.

Grandpa passed away a few weeks after they transferred him to a rest home. Goodbye Grandpa and rest in peace.

AMY

I spoke with my sister today and she tells me that Amy is making remarkable progress toward renewed health. Thank you God! And thank all of you who prayed for her recovery.

She has been home from the hospital one week now and for the first time in a very long time she is breathing without any outside help from oxygen! She even took a walk down the road to the mailbox cluster to retrieve her mail. I am amazed at the spunk this young woman has. I know first hand what it's like to be split down the middle, so to speak, and have your heart worked on. I know the pain she has and is going through and I know that she still has CF and still has a long arduous journey in front of her. But I also know that with God's help and the great attitude and strength of her faith she can make that journey as fun-filled and enjoyable as her health will allow.

I hope and pray for a lifetime of good things for her, her husband and her daughter. I pray that God will bless them with many more years to share their lives together.

She Lied

She told her folks she would be playing at her girlfriends house for the whole afternoon. She lied. She was going to be in so much trouble, but she had no idea when she lied that they would go to her friends house looking for her!

But, that is exactly what happened. And she wasn't there. Her friends mom told her folks where she was. Of course it was somewhere they had forbidden her to ever go. Into the woods where the hobos stayed when they jumped off the train and waited for the next one to come along and take them somewhere else on a new and different adventure. She loved to go into those woods. The hobos were nice. They weren't mean and awful and they certainly weren't looking to hurt any kids. They liked kids. They liked the way the kids listened to their many tales of where they had been and what they had done. The kids were a great audience. Grown-ups just wouldn't appreciate the stories these men told and their way of life. But to a kid it was a magical way of life....something a kid could dream of doing instead of having to grow up and be responsible. It sounded like so much more fun than the lives their parents led.

So that's where they found her.....sitting around the hobos campfire with her friend. They told her and her friend in a calm voice to get up and go home. The girls didn't hesitate to move. Mom and dad were much too calm and she knew she and her friend were in some deep trouble. She walked the few blocks to her friends house and left her there and headed home to wait for her folks to arrive.

It was some time before her folks got there. They had stopped at her friends house and spoke with her mother before heading home to deal with her.

They came in and at first just stood there and looked at her without saying anything. How she wished they would say something.....anything! But they just looked at her with that disappointed look parents get when you've really screwed up and you know it. Then they said "What do you have to say for yourself?" and then they walked into the kitchen and poured a couple cups of coffee for themselves and waited for her to come into the kitchen. They never told her to come to the kitchen, it was just something she knew she would have to do. Why oh why had she gone into those woods? She was sorry, but sorry wasn't going to cut it this time.

She entered the kitchen and sat at the table staring at the table top so she wouldn't have to look at them and see the disappointment on their faces. It seems she was always disappointing them in some way. She wasn't perfect like her older sister and she wasn't the baby. She was stuck in the middle and even when things weren't her fault, she got blamed for them just because of her birth order! It wasn't fair. But then it wasn't fair of her to lie to her folks about where she was going either. Maybe someday she would learn. If only she had already learned to listen to what they told her she wouldn't be in this mess. But here she was.....ready to face her punishment.

Then they dropped the bombshell on her. They asked her what kind of punishment that she thought would be fair to her. WHAT? This is a terrible spot to be in. Trying to think of an answer that would be fair to her and fair to them. They didn't ask for one that would be fair to them, but it was just one of those things she knew they would expect. Besides if she acted mature enough and was fair enough about the punishment maybe they wouldn't be quite so hard on her and would tell her that what she had come up with was too harsh afterall.

She decided that grounding for 2 weeks and having to clean up supper dishes without any help from her sisters for the next 2 weeks would be sufficient. And guess what? They agreed. No, but wait, I didn't really mean it, she thought to herself. It was just a starting point. They were supposed to say no and feel sorry for her and give her a much lesser punishment. She couldn't be expected to really have doled out her own punishment, but that's what they did. And then they told her that she was being much harder on herself than they would have been.

She cried herself to sleep that night. And she did learn.....that was the last lie she ever told them.

The news is getting better.....

Amy is feeling better than she has in a long, long time. She left ICU late Saturday or early Sunday. According to my sister, she is acting much more like the Amy we use to know. Joking around with her hubby and giving him a hard time (all in fun, of course)!

We still don't have the results of the biopsy but the thinking on that is that if it were malignant we would have heard right away. At least that's what we're hoping it means. We are very glad she is feeling so much better and I want to thank everyone of you for your prayers. It means so much to me to know there are blogger friends who really care about what is going on in my life. ;)

Update on Amy

Amy is out of surgery and doing okay right now. We don't have the results of the golf ball size tumor they removed but the doctor thinks it is benign. We are praying he is right about that. They also found a hole in her heart that she must have been born with and went undiagnosed for her entire life, and they were able to repair that. So, if the tumor is benign she should feel better than she has in a long time in spite of having Cystic Fibrosis.

Thanks to everyone who prayed for Amy and her family!

This is a photo of Amy taken in June of this year when I was out there for her brother Tom's wedding reception. Amy is sitting beween her husband and her daughter.

Just a short post as I am very busy keeping Drew occupied. Well, it's not really that hard....I just like to spend as much time with him as I can. We've watched Nemo upteen times and I've played cars until I'm out of gas....LOL.

He's napping at the moment so I'm taking a break. I had to call my sister in Denver and see if Amy(her daughter and my niece) was out of her heart surgery yet. She told me she was, but they haven't been able to see her yet. Amy is still in the recovery room. I now know that they removed a tumor from her heart but don't know if it was malignant or not as of yet. The worst would be malignant....there is nothing they can do for her if it is. She's 37 and is married and has one almost grown child. Still......

If anyone feels like praying for her we surely wouldn't mind!

Okay, I have gotten the Halloween pictures from Kentucky so I can now post all of the trick-or-treat grandkids under the age of 6. The one to the left is Drew dressed as a chicken. Isn't he too cute? The next one is of Trenten and Ty. Trenten is a crew member for Lightning from the Cars movie and Ty is a monkey! Cute costumes also. Okay, I'm a little prejudiced, I can't help it! Next picture is of my grandkids in Kentucky that I don't get to see very often. My son-on-laws mother was nice enough to loan her camera out for the evening so they could take some pictures and send them via e-mail. Darian is Superman and KeAira is a cheerleader. And the next one is their baby brother, Cayden, who is dressed as Bat Baby! I didn't get a picture of Amber, Hunter or Harley since none of them came trick-or-treating here. Harley did come over the next day with her Mom and Dad to use the garage to change a tire, but didn't have her costume on.

My sis-in-law did stop by with her two children Telyse and Kameron and her niece Shaila. I took a picture of them and also one of my sis-in-law wearing the shoulder pads her neice wore under her football costume. She's a real clown sometimes and she is a riot to be around!

Well, I guess I can't post the picture of my niece and nephew. Blogger has been acting up all day and that is how long it has taken me just to load the pictures that I was able to post. I think it is having a hissy fit of some kind. And you know what? It's starting to piss me off!!!

Stuff and more stuff!

Well, I finally received a call from the doctor that performed my colonoscopy. The office called this morning and informed me that the biopsy came back benign. I was confident that it would. The gal calling also told me that the Doctor would like me to remember to call and schedule another one in two years. YEAH......RIGHT!!!! I told her I understood and hung up and started laughing really hard. There is no way in HELL that I am ever going to do that again. The preparation for it is soooo terrible and I will not subject myself to it again. If they can come up with some other way to get the 'cleaning job' done, maybe I'll consider it....but if not....I'll just keep laughing ever time they try to schedule one. Enough said about that!

Are all of you prepared for the little gremlins and goblins that will be appearing on your door step tomorrow evening? I am totally looking forward to seeing the little ones dressed up in their Halloween best! Heidi (my dil) and Jeremy did pumpkins with their boys last evening and she took some pics of the big event.
The biggest boy is Trenten and he will be 6 on Sunday. The little guy is Ty who is 5 months old. Ty is our fourteenth grandchild! And the fourteenth is just as precious and special as the first one was! I thought that Naive would have sent me a picture of Drew carving his first pumpkin too, but she may have just gotten too busy to get on her computer and send it to me.

I will have pictures tomorrow of my little 'gremlins' dressed in their costumes as they come trick-or-treating to Mema's house. I will post them as soon as I can.

You all be careful.....and watch out for low flying witches and black cats!!

Cackle, cackle!

Full Circle

Okay, it's almost November. November in our household means deer hunting! Hubby is leaving Monday the 13th for his annual trip to the U.P. Last year was a bad year for deer hunting. Yes, he got his deer, but as many of you will remember he also had a heart attack back in the woods, 4 hours from the nearest hospital. Let's hope this year is better!

I have a beef about hunting this year though. Although our freezer is almost devoid of venison and as much as we could use the meat, I don't really want him to leave this early and be gone for so long this year. The last few years I haven't minded him going for 2 weeks. But the last few years we also had been able to spend quite a bit of time together before he went. Not so this year. For whatever reasons, this year we haven't spent much time together recently, one on one! I know the reasons, but there is no point in going into them here and no point in hashing them over once again. Suffice it to say, that I am feeling rather alone and lonely even though I have many loved ones living in close proximity to me. I'm sure it has a lot to do with the same old issue of not feeling that closeness, that connectedness (new word?) to each other. I've been feeling this lack of being connected for some time now. I don't know if he's not feeling well or is just tired from working so much overtime. I think it isn't that he doesn't feel well though. It just seems like he doesn't have time or isn't willing to make the time for 'us'! Like he is so sure of 'us' that he no longer has to invest time in 'us'. I believe that it's a good thing to be sure of your partner but on the other hand, it's not a good thing to think that just because you are secure in your love for one another that you don't have to stay close and connected. It still takes work and he isn't working at it right now.

Dang....I miss him already and physically he hasn't even left yet.

I thought that writing and venting would make me feel better but it hasn't. Maybe I didn't vent powerfully enough!

The Birthday Boy !

Just got back from Drew's Birthday party. The little lad is now 2! The picture is of Drew and his Mom blowing out the birthday candles (he needed help) and his big brother Steve. Hub didn't go; he isn't feeling well. Heidi also is ill and couldn't make it, but we had a good time anyway.

I think 2 year olds are overwhelmed with large groups of people. He didn't really know what to make of it all. But it was close to bedtime too, so he was getting a bit tired and just a little cranky! But he was still a good boy. He liked his presents and wanted to play with the toys and pushed the clothes aside. Very typical of a child.....Mom and Dad liked the clothes though!

The party was a "Nemo" theme since he is fascinated with anything Nemo right now. In fact, when I had him 2 days this week, we watched the Nemo movie 8 times in those two days! Bumpa and I gave him an outfit and also a big squishy Nemo. His brother and sister gave him 'Bruce' and 'Dorie' and a Nemo plate, bowl and glass. He also received a Nemo book, some Nemo cling-on stickers for the window or mirror, more clothes, cars (another favorite of his right now) and a big car set from Mom and Dad. I'm sure I've forgotten to mention some of the things but if this was all he received he was still doing good! Happy Birthday Drew!!!

Procedure completed and home again.

Just a short post as I am still very groggy. I wanted to thank you all for your good wishes, thoughts and prayers. The preparation was really the worst part since I slept through the actual procedure. Thank goodness for medication!

They found several small polyps and they were removed and sent in for biopsy and I should know the results of those in about a week. Sorry to be so short, but I really need to go and sleep some more.

Thanks again!

Preparing......

Okay, it's Sun. Oct. 22 at 12:21 AM and I have started preparing for a medical testing procedure to be done early Monday morning. I don't want to go into great detail about what it entails. Suffice it to say that the procedure won't be done from the waist up. Nelly works for doctors who do this all the time. If they email you with questions, Nelly, just ignore them!

So from here on until after the procedure Monday morning, I am allowed no solid food. Only clear liquids, which can include broth, jello, coffee, tea, soda, fruit juices without pulp, popsicles, Kool-Aid and hard candy.

On top of all this I have to take some medication that will flush my system "sparkling clean". I believe I will be up most of the night with the 'cleaning my system' part of it. So, not only will I be grumpy from being hungry, I will also be grumpy from lack of sleep!

I originally thought that we would just leave the house on Sunday early afternoon and go for a long ride to distract my thoughts from my deprivation from food, but I have been told by others who have had this procedure done that that will not be a viable option for me as I will need to remain very close to the porcelain facilities for the afore mentioned cleansing! GREAT!!

Since I didn't get any response from anyone who was willing to go to my mammie mashing in my place, there is no need to ask for volunteers for this either, right? All righty then.......see ya later!!!

Birthdays, Birthdays, Birthdays.......

This is the month that we have the most birthdays. Our daughter, Naive, turned 38 yesterday. I don't remember getting old enough to have a child that old....something must be drastically wrong for this to happen! One of our granddaughters is turning '3' today. She's pictured on the right.....a little cutie, and I'm sure the only reason her parents have let her live to be three! We will have cake and ice cream tomorrow night for her and give her birthday presents then. I talked to her on the phone this morning and wished her a Happy Birthday and she said, and I quote, "I got make-up on and I'm big today!" Little things make three year olds happy ..... put a little make-up on a three year old girl and everything's right with the world! At least, her world!!


On the 26th of this month, our little Drew will turn "2"! He is one of the sweetest little boys I know....of course I could be just a little partial. Drew shares a birthday with one of my nephews. Drew is pictured in the photo above with Naive and Mr. Naive.

On the 8th of October, our youngest son turned 27! I don't know how that happened either! Here is a photo of Jeremy....
As you can tell by the photo, Jeremy may have turned 27, but he's still 16 at heart!

My husband's Grandmother turned 89 on Friday the 13th; my great-niece in Colorado will turn 18 on the 28th and my first born niece's husband will add another year to his life on the 30th.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY ONE AND ALL!!!

Dentist Office

Hubby visited his dentist yesterday. He had some extensive dental work done requiring him to remain home all of yesterday. He came home with a script for some pain medication which I took to the pharmacy and had it filled for him. The pain medication makes him sleepy not long after taking it. He will be home from work today as well. One can not work if one can not remain awake! He is pretty miserable anyway. His face is quite swollen and without the medication he is in a considerable amount of pain. I'm certain he will return to work Wednesday.....at least I hope so. I love him and I feel sorry for him, but dang, he really interferes with my normal routine. See, it's all about me! Just kidding....I really do feel sorry for him. I am taking good care of him......soup, jello and anything else that he feels he can eat. I am tired though.

The night before his dental work, one of our sons called and asked me if I would take him to the emergency room. He was running a temp of 105 degrees and he said something was swollen on the roof of his mouth. His significant other couldn't take him without waking up their small children and dragging them along, so what's a mom to do except get dressed and make the ER trip. After he received a shot of an antibiotic in the right buttock (which was good for a lot of moaning and carrying on by him and a stifled chuckle by me) and a written RX for some more antibiotics and some pain medication, I returned him to his house and came home. I got home about 1:30 AM.

I'm thinking that in another day or so, they both need to share their pain meds with me......I'll be ready for a much needed rest by then!

MICHIGAN CHILL

This photo is from a ride last Sunday. It was a beautiful day and probably the very last day that we, here in Michigan, will have temps in the 70's and so much sunshine this year! It was really nice.

This week has been very chilly and breezy. The temperature dropped down to below freezing on a couple of nights and we have had frost/freezing warnings and high wind advisories posted. The winds have caused many of the colorful leaves to begin an early descent toward the ground. Hence, many of the trees are "naked" at the top while sporting a full array of color around their mid-section. I don't know why, but this reminds me of a groomed poodle! Strange, I know....but sometimes I'm just strange. Some of the trees are just plain bare at this point and still there are a few that haven't even begun to change color. I suspect that those that haven't turned already are in the oak family and they usually turn brown anyway.

We are finally warm in our house again. Thanks to the 'furnace doctor' and being $3200.00 poorer. But it is well worth it to know that we won't have to worry about it for the rest of this winter at least.

Hope you all stay warm!!

Halloween Swap!!

My Halloween Swap partner Mary Anne sent me these lovely goodies. She couldn't have known that today was the perfect day for them to arrive! We just found out that we need a new boiler/heating system at a cost of $3200. And we need it today! And just two days ago, Hubs truck starter quit working and we discovered that my car needed two new tires, pronto, for safety!

It was just the most cheerful thing that could have happened to me after that bit of bad news. The package contained candles, a witch wind sock, a light up pen, some pumpkin faced candle holders, wonderful stickers I can use in my scrapbooking (they will be an added bonus near the pictures I have taken of the items!), a Halloween wall decoration, and an adorable little bear wearing a witch hat, a lovely little pumpkin decoration, and some really cute little stickers that she had adorned the package with. It all came wrapped in orange and black tissue paper with the pumpkin stickers attached. And enclosed was a nice little note from my newest friend. Very lovely, indeed. Thank you so much, Mary Anne, and keep your eyes peeled for your Halloween package!

THE LAST NICE SUNDAY OF THE YEAR ?

Well, the weekend of the big "Blogarita Festiva" is now a thing of the past. Hopefully it will become an annual event with some other family get togethers thrown in, like a picnic or something.

I understand that some of the lovely(?) ladies saran wrapped my garage door! Hubby is the one who found it at 3:30AM Sunday morning while trying to leave for work. He opened the garage door and his first thought was (remember it was very early in the morning and he was still a bit fuzzy from not getting enough sleep) 'what kind of a spider makes a web like that?' When he told me what his first thought was I couldn't help but laugh at him....sorry, hubby! So I didn't even get to see it. I am told that they took pics of it though and I can't wait to see the pics!!

I didn't get to hang out with the 'girls' very much due to the fact that another grandchild, Amber, was here for the weekend and she arrived from school with a temp of 101.3. So, I couldn't very well go over to Naive's
and leave a sick child here alone nor could I take her with me to infect everyone over there.

By Sunday, Amber was no longer feverish although she was still coughing, so we went for our ride to the lakeshore and walked on the beach. Then out to dinner and back to Amber's home to drop her off and then to stop at our son, Jeremy's home to have birthday cake and ice cream to help celebrate his 27th birthday.

Now I am anxiously awaiting new posts from Clew, Chesney Girl and Nelly to see what they thought of the weekend!

Miss you girls already!!!

This picture is for Drib.....

The girls had me take this picture for the Dribbler .......no offense intended. I can't post pics of their faces until I get permission from all of them to do so. Don't want any lawsuits on my hands!!! LOL So this will have to do for now....they all stopped by for a short visit with me while Naive was dropping Drew off so they could go out to lunch and, God only knows, what other mischief they were planning on getting into! I had a veggie tray and dip and some festive mini cupcakes waiting for them. You know, to tide them over until they reached their destination.

I didn't get to hang out with them last night because Amber came for the weekend and arrived with a temp of 101.3 and coughing. Maybe today she will be feeling better and Bumpa can stay with her while I spend some time with them scrapping. I sure hope so.....I want to get some more pictures for blackmail.....er, I mean for my scrapbook too!

One last walk on the beach!

This weekend is supposed to be lovely here in West Michigan. Sunshine and temps in the high 60's to mid 70's.

I would love to take a ride to the lakeshore with hubby and walk on the beach for one last time this year. I find walking on the beach very romantic and relaxing. All except for having to listen to the noises the gulls make trying to entice us to feed them something.

The ride to the lakeshore is always pleasant too. The way we take goes through many forests and small wooded areas and the colors should be beautiful with the sun shining on the different colors of leaves and foliage.

And another added bonus.....because it will take up most of the day, hubby will take me out to dinner! What more can a girl ask for on a beautiful autumn day!

Hope the rest of you have a great Sunday, too!

Been here and gone....where was I?

Hey, I just realized that I had an anniversary last month. On the 29th, I had been blogging for a whole year. It came and went un-noticed by me! How come I didn't remember...was I too busy, what was I doing that day?

Oh, that is the day of the cold air funnels over the Big Lake and the out of season tornado warning. No wonder I didn't remember.

I should have baked a cake or something to celebrate....oh well, too late now.

Happy Blogsversary to me.....a few days late!!

RIDE FOR COLOR!

October 1st and we went on our first color tour ride this season.

We took Amber with us and one of our nieces, Telyse. She is 9 1/2 but she and Amber have always played really well together and we thought if Amber had someone to help keep her occupied, she might not complain and get bored as easily. We were partially correct.....she didn't get as bored but instead of having one little girl to complain about things we ended up with two!

Fifteen minutes into the ride they complained that they were thirsty. I repeated to them that I had asked them if they wanted to bring something to drink along and both had told me "no". I guess I misunderstood. "No" meant they didn't want anything to drink that we had at home, they wanted us to stop and buy them something. I laughed and told them that they would have to wait. We would be stopping to have some lunch in a while and they could get something to drink then.

As we looked at the red, yellow, orange and mauve leaves, they played tic-tac-toe in the back seat and some other games. Hey, they were quiet and that was a good thing! Then they started talking about hearing stories of when their moms and dads were little and had to endure hours spent riding in the car and inevitably ended up arguing in the back seat. So they started THE GAME. You know, the one where one says "She's touching me, make her stop touching me!" and the other responds with "She's looking at me, tell her not to look at me!" When they are just playing it isn't so bad....but we know it always escalates into the real thing, don't we Moms and Dads?! Sure enough, that's exactly what happened...after one of them said "She's breathing my air!", I told them that is enough and to stop it and get along or we wouldn't be stopping for any food. Success! Now they weren't even speaking to one another.....ah, it was bliss.....nice and quiet for a few miles until they once again became friends and chatted amicably in the back seat for the duration of our outing.

We stopped and ate and then headed back to drop Telyse off at her house and then came home. Normally Amber would go home on Sunday evening so she wouldn't miss school Monday morning, but she doesn't have school Monday, so she will be staying with us and I will take her home sometime on Monday.....unless she talks me into one more night and I drive her to school on Tuesday! She's a good talker.......

Is it fall or summer?

Here in Michigan the weather is not very predictable.

It is the end of September and today in southwest Michigan where I live we were under a tornado warning. These are pictures of two different waterspouts within a 7 mile range of each other. The lower one on the left is the one that came on shore and headed inland triggering the tornado warning. The upper one on the right came on shore and quickly dissipated! Waterspouts that occur on the Big Lake this time of year are called cold air funnels. They are only upgraded to a tornado when they come on shore and intensify. Fortunately there was no reported damage from these storms.

Earlier this morning we had a frost and freeze advisory posted. And a couple of days ago the temp was 71. Heck, our high for today was only 57 degrees. So much for thinking that tornados only happen when the weather is hot and humid.

There is a saying about Michigan and the weather. "You don't like the weather, wait 5 minutes and it will change, but you still might not like it!"

At least it didn't snow!!

GOODBYE DEAR FRIENDS!

First, I want to thank all of you for worrying about me after my fall down the stairs. It has been almost a week, and I have recovered very nicely and can actually walk without any pain once again. I am fine, so you can all stop worrying now. LOL

One of my dearest friends is moving away. We used to get together every day for coffee and just to chat. We were each other's link to sanity. I moved away from the neighborhood that we both lived in just over a year ago, but still kept in weekly contact and still had our coffee and chats.

That will all end on Saturday morning.....early. That is the day she and her husband are moving out of state.

On Friday they will come over for a last get together. We will have something on the grill. Probably hamburgers since that is her husbands favorite food cooked on the grill. Our granddaughter Amber, will be here also. When she was younger, she use to go with me for the coffee klatches with my friend. She started calling them Grandma Maryann and Grandpa Del. Grandpa Del always played the tough, gruff guy, but Amber saw through all that and realized that he was just a big ole' softie at heart. Grandma Maryann just fell in love with Amber as she has no grandchildren of her own. They are giving Amber a 7 speed bike they picked up at an estate sale dirt cheap. It is a really nice bike. Amber will be thrilled with it. She will cry when they give it to her and she will cry when it is time to say good-bye to them. She is a very sensitive little girl. Grandma Maryann will cry too.....she always was a sucker for Amber's tears! And I wouldn't doubt it one bit if Grandpa Del claims to have gotten something in his eye at that moment too! ; )

I will hate to see them go too, but we will keep in touch and after all, it gives us someplace else to visit on vacation! See, there is a bright side to everything!!

Like toy soldiers, sometimes we all fall down!

Before y'all get to far into this and think your crazy.....you're not! Well, maybe you are but not about this. Yes, I changed the name of my blog from "MadHatter" to "In The Middle". Also the appearance is looking a little different, but it is still ME!

Now on with the story at hand.

As you noticed from the picture these toy soldiers have fallen down. I too have fallen. My fall was down the stairs Friday afternoon just before hubby got home from work.

I was talking on the phone, cradling the phone between my shoulder and ear while trying to fix some floral arrangement with both hands and walking down the steps. It is now obvious that I can't do more than one thing at a time, let alone attempting three things at once!

I first thought that I had broken my right ankle. It swelled and was quite tender but that subsided. Then I thought I had somehow injured my left knee. I landed on it after I twisted my ankle and fell. That also swelled and remains a little puffy yet today. And Saturday morning when I awoke I hurt almost everywhere. I didn't know I had so many places that could hurt! I was amazed that a simple fall could leave so many muscles aching so badly! A few years back, a fall like this would not have left me feeling so rotten for such a long period of time. I guess that's what happens when people get "old". Today is much better than Saturday but the major problem now seems to be my right hip. I don't even remember that hurting when I fell. I can't seem to find a comfortable spot for my hip when I try and lie down in bed to sleep. Consequently I remained awake most of last night. Hubby thinks he should take me to the ER but I refuse to go and tell everyone that I fell down the stairs. Besides, I'm sure nothing is broke so I really don't know what they could do except to tell me to be more careful and take it easy while the muscles repair themselves. I can tell myself that and save a bunch of money in the long run.

Y'all be careful, ya hear!!

Up a Creek......

So, here it is...almost autumn and then follows winter! Brrrrr.....the cold mornings and frosty air. This is all regarding the title of this post. The temperature dropped to a low of 42 degrees in the wee hours of the morning.
We have hot water heat in our home. We moved into our present home a little over a year ago. The boiler/furnace/heating source is not working properly. Hubby thinks we need a new one! We're only talking about $1500. and I'm not sure that even covers the installation or just the cost of a new system! I've been leaving reminders (ads from the newspaper) around as subtle (or not so subtle) hints that he needs to do something soon.

We have three different heating zones in our home, the lower level, the middle level and the upper level. Of course, the bedrooms are on the upper level and that is the zone that isn't working. Well, that isn't entirely true. I'm not quite sure how the zones are split, but it is our bedroom that doesn't seem to be getting any heat at all. With the temperature dropping into the 40's at night, our bedroom tends to get a little chilly come morning...... and that isn't very conducive for getting out of bed. It is much easier and more comfortable for me to linger under the covers a little longer than I should.

He called from work today and asked me to call a heating place in a nearby town. He said that hopefully they won't be that busy yet. HA HA HAHAHAHAHAH!

I called and they are....imagine that! The first opening they have is for 11:00 AM on October 11th. They took the information and we are now scheduled for that day. See what happens when one procrastinates!!

A Bad Situation Made Worse ~ Updated Fri. 9/23

I received an email from Amy today and she said they have started her on anticoagulant therapy. They believe that the "thing" is a tumor inside a blood clot. We will just have to wait and see what happens next. Thank you all for your prayers and support!! ;)



Meet my niece Amy. She is the one with the blue/gray top on. Her husband is next to her on her right and on her left is their daughter, Emily. On Emily's left is my sister that I went to visit in Denver. This picture was taken at my nephew's wedding reception.

Amy was diagnosed with Cystic Fibrosis last year at the age of 36. She is now 37 1/2 and has been on constant antibiotics to combat the ever present lung infections, a complication of the CF. She even had a 'port' implanted in her chest earlier this year to deliver the antibiotics intravenously for better results. The port had to be removed last week. She was having chest pains and the ultra-sound showed that it had somehow shifted and was now resting on her heart. They pulled the port in the out-patient surgery department of the local hospital where her Pulmonary Doctor practices. A blood clot had formed but was dissolving on its own. But there was still something there.......they thought perhaps a tumor.

She had an MRI done early in the day on Wednesday and it showed that the "thing" (for lack of a better name to call it at this point) had grown 1 cm in a weeks time! They have decided to treat it with drugs at this point and recheck in less than a week and see if there is a noticeable improvement. If it is no smaller or if it is larger they will see if they can go in to remove it. This alone is a very dangerous thing to do to a woman whose health is already compromised. They aren't sure that her lungs will hold up for any lengthy procedures or operations. It this "thing" turns out to be malignant, there is nothing they can do for her.

Please pray for her and her family!

Three Musketeers + One

Well.....it won't be long now! Just a couple more weeks before Clew, Nelly and Chesneygirl show up in Southwest Michigan at Naive's home for the first 'Cackling Locust' get together! It should be interesting!

And I should probably keep them in line somewhat....but how? I really don't think my 'spanking stick' that I use to keep hanging in my kitchen will do the trick. I'm sure threats won't work either. Ame suggested I get a video camera and hide it in Naive's house....sounds like a good idea to me. Maybe if they just think that there is one hidden there capturing every funny and out-of-line thing they do it will be enough of a deterrent to keep them on the straight and narrow......NAW....I don't think even that would do it!!

I can only attest, first hand, to Naive's shenanigans of the past. Although, I have read plenty of Chesneygirl's antics on her blog....something about not remembering some happenings in the pits of the MIS. And I have spoken with Clew many times and learned some of the things she did while growing up. Nelly is a different story. I've not heard about any stunts she has pulled.....maybe I should have a chat with her sister! Don't worry, I plan on taking plenty of pictures myself. Since Naive lives so very close (less than a mile from me) I can just pop over there, camera in hand, at any given hour and start snapping away and be gone before they even realize I was there....heeheehee! This could prove to be a very profitable adventure for me. I wonder just how much each will be willing to pay to have me not post them on my blog? What? What's that you say? You say that's blackmail!?! I like to call it 'security for my old age'!

WHAT A DAY!!

Well, it's been quite a day and I can honestly say I'm glad it is over and doubly glad that tomorrow is a new day.

My day started out early at 7:00AM, after being awake most of the night due to thunderstorms and some lightening. You may remember that my wonderful companion from the rescue center does NOT like storms!! I would much preferred to have slept through them or at least been able to stay in bed. I don't know about any of you, but if I have to get up in the night I am always hungry which undermines my trying to lose weight. Although, I didn't eat last night or drink even a drop of water. I was doing a 12 hour fasting for some blood work at my doctor appointment this morning. It was time for my blood pressure check, annual physical including blood work, urine specimen, and pelvic/pap smear. Sorry any of you guys reading this...I know that kind of talk makes you all a little uncomfortable!

I left my doctors office and headed for one of my sons to pick him up and take him to the surgeon that repaired his ankle/leg in May. While waiting in the waiting room for him to be finished, my cell phone rang and it was my daughter in Kentucky informing me that she and her 8 month old son, and one of her younger sisters and the sister's 3 week old baby had been in an accident and were at the hospital in Richmond being checked out and she would let me know how they all were later!

Finally a little after 7:00 PM, I was able to speak with her again and found out that they were all okay. Sore.....but okay! Thank God!!! I was already tired from lack of sleep but this news and worrying and waiting to find out causes stress and stress causes fatigue!

As Scarlett O'Hara said in "Gone With The Wind", 'tomorrow is another day!!

All's well that end's well! ;)

Happy Birthday, Elijah!!!

Yesterday was my grandson's 3rd birthday! Elijah is getting so big so fast. I wish they could stay small longer but it doesn't work that way.

I went to his party at a place where they serve pizza and the kids can play on slides, climbing ropes, a bounce tent, and in a cage containing plastic balls. I took Amber and her younger brother Hunter with me. Bumpa wasn't able to attend with us due to a previous engagement.

No sooner had we arrived and the kids started playing when Hunter came to me crying that he wet his pants. Hunter is 4! Of course we had no extra clothes along with us for him. He doesn't usually wet himself. I think with all the excitement of playing on all the equipment and being with his cousins, he just forgot to come and tell me he had to go to the bathroom. There was nothing I could do but leave and find a store and buy him a whole new set of clothes to wear. The place we were at was over 20 miles from our house and 30 miles from his house. Luckily, there was a Target store nearby. Hunter and I left and went shopping and found him a pair of shorts on sale, a shirt to go with it, and some new underwear and socks! Yupper! When he wet, he got everything wet!! So after dropping $21. on new clothes for Hunter and washing him up with baby wipes I had in the car and dressing him in his new clothes, we headed back to the play place.

The party was fun and the kids had a great time running and playing and screaming. Amber got a couple of rugburn marks on her elbows from going down a slide holding hands with another little girl, but other than that, no injuries. HOORAY!! Hunter and Amber were both going to spend the night here, but after the party and upon exiting the play place, Hunter started crying that he wanted to go home instead. So I had to call his parents and let them know that I would be bringing him home. They live 16 miles from my house so after driving the extra 16 miles there and back, I never got home until 10:30. By the time I got Amber settled in, it was well after midnight before I got to bed. But, as long as Elijah had a great birthday that's all that matters!

Last camp-out of 2006!

This picture is of my oldest son (facing the camera) and his youngest son and hubby (back to camera) setting up the tent for the last camp-out of the year. Never mind that it was their only camp-out this year due to out of town employment requirements for our son! The kids were excited! They were going to sleep in a tent! It would be our grandson's {Brian's youngest boy, Elijah (3)} first time sleeping in a tent. I'm not sure he actually was aware when they were setting the tent up that this would be his lodging for the night. Brian's older son, David and our granddaughter, Amber, were looking forward to staying in the tent all night. Both have camped before, so it wasn't a brand new experience for them, but still something to look forward to!

Amber and David disappeared into the house to play video games while hubby and Brian set up the tent. Elijah and Drew (who was here for the weekend) were getting acquainted playing outside and getting a feel for each other.

Elijah(dark hair) will be 3 on Sept. 8th and Drew will turn 2 on October 26th. This is probably the first time that they have really played together for any length of time. They weren't at the right ages for playing with one another during previous family gatherings.


The boys really seemed to enjoy the others company and really didn't fight at all. Of course there was a few times when they both were a little upset if I was holding the other one....do ya think they might have not wanted to share the Mema?

I, nor Brian, received a lot of sleep this night. The kids didn't want to settle down in the tent and it seems like everyone had a bladder that was way too small. David and Amber made several trips into the house to use the bathroom closest to the door, but being that I am a really light sleeper, and after deciding that I should sleep on the couch in the family room in case they needed me during the night the frequent trips kept me awake. When all three kids finally fell asleep and I was dozing off, I heard the door once again. It was Brian this time, needing to use the bathroom and he wasn't feeling well. It might have something to do with drinking a few beers and eating s'mores at the same time....I'm not sure, just wondering!! He was eventually able to go back to the tent and I thought I was surely in for some much needed sleep. Not quite! Elijah woke up and was freezing and wanted to come in the house. Bri brought him in and made a bed for him on the loveseat. He went back out to see if the other two wanted to come in the house with him and Elijah, but they opted to remain in the tent for the duration. That was about 4 AM, and I finally fell asleep ~ only to be awakened 2 hours later when David came in because he was freezing too. Brian sent him back to the tent to wake Amber and make her come in too. He didn't want to leave anyone alone in the tent. Retrieve her he did and then they were wide awake and making too much noise for me to be able to get any more sleep!

After a big breakfast of eggs, sausage, toast and pancakes, juice and coffee, we put a movie (Nemo) in the DVD player to entertain the little ones while I cleaned up the breakfast mess. I glanced in to see Brian sound asleep on the floor!

Brian and his boys left about 12:30 PM and Bumpa, Amber, Drew and I decided to just play outside until it was lunch time and then nap time for Drew. Boy, was I ever ready for bed Sunday night.

So, it is now Labor Day evening and I am trying to catch up on laundry after taking Amber back to her mom today and after Michelle and Glenn picked up Drew. Quiet at last.

Almost too quiet for my liking!

Labor Day Weekend.......the end of summer!

That's what Labor Day weekend is supposed to signify, right? Growing up, we were always led to believe that Memorial Day was the beginning of the summer season and Labor Day was the end of the season.

As a child, the first camping trip of the year was always Memorial Day weekend. Albeit, the last camping trip was......you guessed it, Labor Day weekend. This weekend, I won't be doing any camping, but one of my sons is bringing his tent and children and camping in my backyard. He has promised all summer that he would take them camping but his job requires that he be gone out of town frequently and for at least a week at a time, and with a wife and 3 young ones (9,3 and 8 months) at home, it has been almost impossible to get away on a camping trip. I hope we have good weather. I don't care if it's somewhat cool, but if we get rain and thunder and lightning, I know they'll all be sleeping in the house and they will be disappointed that they aren't camping out! Amber is coming for the weekend too, so it's a good thing that the tent is big enough for at least 4 people!

My daughter, naive, wants to go up north to help mr. naive finish building the house he has been working on. She is anxious for him to get it finished, so he can come home and stay home, instead of just coming home for the weekend. I will keep Drew for her so she can go. Drew will NOT be sleeping in the tent! He will stay in the house with his Mema where it is nice and toasty and comfortable!

That reminds me; I better stock up on hot dogs, and s'mores fixings cause we'll be having a "campfire" at night and it is impossible to have a camp fire without marshmallows!!

I'm lucky!!

I must be one of the luckiest women in the whole world. Why, you wonder? Because I am blest with some of the best children and grandchildren. Most of my children live fairly close by. The only one who lives far away is in Kentucky and we talk every week on the phone. Sometimes two or three times a week!

My oldest daughter, Naive-No-More lives less than a mile away. She is a very smart lady! She is a mortgage loan originator/loan officer. She helped us get the financing for us to buy the house we live in now. She just helped us re-finance from an adjustable rate mortgage to a fixed rate at a decent percentage rate. She is awesome!

She also just made a "Grandma's Brag Book" for me. She is very talented and creative. It is made out of paper lunch bags and scrap book supplies! It contains pictures of her children, my grandchildren, Steve, Emily and Drew. Steve is a senior in high school this year, Emily a freshman, and of course Drew, who will be two in October. It is very hard to believe that she is old enough to have a child who will graduate from high school next May. Even harder to believe is the fact that I have a grandchild that old.

I took a picture of the brag book, but the picture doesn't do it justice. I have posted a few of the pictures contained in the album for all of you to enjoy too. Of course I think they are some of the nicest looking kids around!