Isn't it funny.............

Photo taken by Poaqao from Flickr.)

the thoughts that run through your mind at 5 AM when you awake and can't get back to sleep? Well, maybe not funny. Maybe a better word for them is strange. My thoughts seem jumbled this AM. Not connected to each other. And for me that is strange. My thoughts usually follow some kind of pattern and are at the very least related. Not so this morning. They have jumped from wishing I had more windows in this house to wondering why the ants seem to like my home year round. We have at least 2 inches of snow still on the ground that hasn't melted or been blown away by the wind. Wouldn't you think that all the ants would be in some kind of hibernation? Not so, it seems. As I went into the kitchen and flipped the light switch on to get a drink, I happened to look down to see probably 30 ants gathered around what looked like a small piece of pizza that had inadvertently been dropped un-noticed on the floor. With a steady line of ants walking toward it from under the cupboard. This actually was fascinating yet at the same time made me angry. I mean here it is 5 AM and I have uninvited guests in my home EATING! Where do they come from this time of year? They are the small red ants.......I have called them 'piss ants' for a number of years. I call them that because they 'piss' me off. I really don't know the proper name for them........nor do I even care! After watching them munch on the piece of pizza for a little while, I went and grabbed the ant spray that is safe to use indoors around children and pets and sprayed them and the not so straight line of all of them and under the cupboard. Hopefully that will take care of them once and for all! That's the way I take care of uninvited guests that enter my home in the wee hours of the morning and eat!

A Wonderful Christmas.....

filled with love and good food. Here are a couple pics of part of the goodies we had Christmas late afternoon when all the kids were able to gather at our home after all the other running around.
Everyone was able to be here except our daughters in Kentucky and Texas and their children. Amber also couldn't make it until today and then I had to drive 103 miles one way to get her. She and her future sister, Alissa, are both here with me tonight. This shows you how well they get along! They are both in jams and are ready for bed......however, from the sounds of their laughter it will be a while before I successfully get them into bed and asleep! I'm sure it will be way before Bumpa gets home at 1:30 AM. I think some of the silliness is because they are both tired. How fun it would be if the two grand daughters from Texas and the one from Kentucky were to join them!

It's Saturday and I am totally finished with the shopping, wrapping and even the baking! Last night our oldest son, Brian, came out with his three children to participate in the annual event. This picture is Brian and his oldest son, David. The little girl in the foreground is his youngest Rebecca......but everyone calls her 'baby Becca'!

The cookie sheets you see on the table are brand new. David, Elijah and 'baby Becca' brought them out as an early Christmas present to their MEMA. My old ones were pretty old and warped. They originally were my mothers and I remember making cookies on them when I was a young girl. Yes, I was young once and I can remember that far back........woo-hoo! This photo is one of David thinking he is sneaking a cookie, but we caught him and half the fun of baking them is eating them!

Doug stopped over too, with his fiance Virginia and her oldest, Alissa! They weren't here long enough to help make them...........just long enough to help eat some. LOL Not a very good picture of either Virginia or Alissa, but at least it gives everyone an idea of who I am talking about!
This is David, Elijah (4 years old) and 'baby Becca', doing what they do best..........waiting under the Christmas tree for Santa's arrival!

This picture is where I spent most of my day on Friday.........trying to finish up my Christmas shopping. And you know what? I got all but three presents. And those three won't be hard......not that the others were either. All in all, shopping was a piece of cake this year. Everything I was looking for ended up being on sale and I got such good deals that I was able to even pick up some things I had been wanting for the house.....on SALE TOO!

And this is what it looks like as I prepare to wrap it all and place it under the tree. I can't wait to get it done. I love wrapping presents. As a college student I was employed for one Christmas season in the gift wrap department of a fairly large local department store in downtown Grand Rapids. It was probably the most fun job I have had!

When I get them all wrapped, it looks like I will have to move that chair somewhere else. That chair belongs to my 'fur kid' and I'm sure she won't be pleased with me moving it to a different spot. She always seems to get out of sorts when I move her chair to a new place in the room. And I never knew that 'fur kids' could give dirty looks, but this one of mine has it down to a science! Okay, gotta go get busy or I won't get it done!

The game is over........

and we both have won. Exactly the way I wanted it to turn out! We both have a better understanding of where the other one was coming from. Now, on to other things!

Hub has been working a lot of overtime......A LOT! He is even working his second shift tonight. He will get out earlier than usual, but he will get about 8 hours in. I worry about his health. As most of you know, he had a major heart attack a couple years ago. It happened in a remote area of the Upper Peninsula and took him over 8 hours to get to a hospital. The doctors say most people don't survive this kind even with getting quick medical attention. GOD was watching over him and keeping him alive and safe. There is no other explanation! I am sure I would not have been able to survive the death of another spouse! Any way, the point of all of this is, that while the extra money is nice, it would never be able to replace him should he over do and not take the time to relax and enjoy life a little more. So that is my prayer..........that things will slow down for him and maybe, just maybe, he will catch a little of the Christmas spirit, thus refreshing mine!

"Shoulda stayed at deer camp..........."

are the words he used on Sunday. All because he cut his thumb and I thought it needed stitches and he wouldn't listen to me. My words...."do you need any help re-packing!" He never did end up seeking medical attention and has since decided it should have been stitched. He also snapped at me and said I had been treating him as if he were a child ever since he came home. I asked him 'how so?' He had no answer...........therefore, I assume he was imagining it.

As a result, we are not speaking! Know what though? He just isn't equipped to continue this silence...........some things women are just better at!

This too, shall pass...........eventually!

Surprise!!!!

I am grinning from ear to ear. Hub as been up in northern Michigan (upper peninsula) deer hunting since Nov. 14Th. He is in a cabin in the middle of the woods.............at the end of a dirt two track at least 6 hours from anywhere. There is a lot of metal, ore, etc. in the ground there so most cell phones do NOT work. Hub has one of the few that works on occasion there and was able to call home a few times. But being on a cell phone, it cut out a lot and garbbled his words, so it was not always easy to understand him or carry on any kind of or lengthy conversation with him. The most cell phones can do up there is offer some reassurance that all is well and everyone remains healthy! And that is important!

Last night, I was surprised and delighted with the early arrival of said hub! He wasn't due back until Friday evening! Wow......it's like getting an early Christmas present! Now, I knew that I would miss the man............I guess I didn't know just how much I had missed him until I saw him! Although he returned without a deer........I, his "dear", was waiting for him!

Now, I'm not one of those woman who can not survive without having a man around. After all, I survived for years, raising my three little ones alone after their daddy died. Not that it was fun, but I know I can do it. So, a short trip deer hunting doesn't represent a huge problem for me. Of course there are those times when he is gone, that something goes wrong and it becomes my job to deal with it instead of having him here to handle it. Or those rare occasions when I want something done that I am unable to do physically 'now rather than later' and am forced to wait upon his return or hope one of the boys will happen to stop over. Yet, knowing I can survive without a man is totally different than not wanting to be alone without the 'man I love' around. If I had a choice, he would deer hunt close enough to home to sleep in our bed every night. But, that's a problem for another year...........he's home now and I AM GLAD!!!

What is wrong with Texans?

As most of you know, I visited the beautiful state of Texas in early October. I stayed with one of the dearest and nicest Christian gals living near Dallas. She is a single mom raising two beautiful little girls, one with special needs. I found her charming, kind and very loving despite some problems she had while growing up herself.

I had met her online almost a year before I went to visit her. With sending e-mails back and forth, reading each others blogs and talking on the phone we formed a bond. I was excited for the opportunity to fly down and spend some time with this beautiful single mom who was struggling and trying her best to cope with all the normal stuff of being a single mom, plus the extra that comes with 'momma-ing' a special needs child. While there I informally adopted her as a daughter and her girls as my grand daughters. And they fit into our large family very well. Everyone is happy.

But recently my 'daughter' in Texas has been ill. With a very bad sinus infection. Now anyone who has even ever had a very bad head cold has some idea of what a serious sinus infection is like. She has been so sick and she has been all alone. She has no family there. Not even any close by she could call on. She even had to drive herself, with a fever of over 102º for several days, to a clinic for medical treatment. Her girls were gone for the entire week with their father. So yes, that was some easier not having to deal with active children when one is sick, but being as sick as she was, she was unable to find one person who would come and help her. Not even ONE who would make a trip to the grocery store to bring in some soup, pain reliever, juice, etc. that a sick person might need.

To my thinking, we as Christians need to reach out to people who need help. She attends a church and I would have thought that some of them might have stepped up to the plate and accepted a chance to show others about the love of Jesus.

Is everyone so wrapped up in their own lives and families, that they can't spare an hour to help a sick single mom? Or a quick phone call to check and see how she was doing? Or is the entire church family also sick with a sinus infection and therefore unable, instead of unwilling, to give of themselves. Where would we, as Christians, be if Jesus was too busy to give of Himself. He gave the ultimate.........His life to pay for our sins! And a Christian group in Texas couldn't find it in their hearts to help.

I'm from the state of Michigan..........and where I live family is important too. And yes, we get busy and wrapped up in our own things too........but when someone we know needs a little help because of illness, our community, not just the church, pitch in and offer what help we can. It may take several different people to fulfill all the needs of the ill person, but many hands make light work. Are the people of Texas that much different? I find this situation appalling. Maybe 'everything in Texas is bigger'.......except people's hearts!

Black Friday!

So, how many of you actually ventured out to the stores yesterday? I have NEVER gone shopping the day after Thanksgiving and I don't have any plans to change that. You see, I'm not normal. I don't even really like shopping, so going on a day when there are even more people in the store than usual would make me crazier than I already am!

I like to take the weekend after Thanksgiving to slowly and methodically set out my Christmas decorations. Amber is here this weekend and I think that is what we will be doing starting today. Yesterday she wanted to bake. We made Peanut butter chocolate chip cookies.



We would have had over 4 dozen, but when I put one of the cookie sheets on the counter to cool I must have not set it down right and the entire cookie sheet fell onto the floor spilling it's contents across the kitchen floor. I was surprised and angry for a split second and when I looked at Amber, her eyes were so big, that I just started laughing! She glanced at me, as if I had finally lost it, and then her eyes lit up and a big smile came to her face and we stood there laughing! I didn't think about taking a picture of it until it was all cleaned up, and Amber then asked me 'aren't you mad?' I told her 'no' those things happen and I thought it was funny.........she said 'me too, but I didn't want to laugh if you were going to be mad!' Actually it was a good thing......I won't be eating near as many cookies and we have a new 'memory'!

Nothing fancy, simply..................

have a very 'HAPPY THANKSGIVING'!

Thanksgiving is approaching..........

UPDATE: Tuesday, November 20 - Went to the doctor this morning, have sinus infection and ear infection. Received a perscription for Zithromycin and should begin feeling better in 24 hours. I WILL be able to attend Thanksgiving and naive's home after all....without infecting anyone! YIPEE!!!!




and I am feeling crummy. I started feeling like a cold was catching me last Wednesday when I was at the doctors office for my annual physical (as if that isn't bad enough)! By Friday, I was positive it had caught me and wasn't about to let go.

Over the weekend, it got steadily worse. I am coughing and that hurts my throat and my head. My head feels as if it will explode with every cough and every time I try to blow my nose. My headache won't go away and my back hurts. My voice is almost gone. Do you have any idea how hard it is for me not to be able to talk? Almost impossible!

I had an appointment today for a bone scan (preventative care) and asked the receptionist if there was a chance I could see the doctor too. She said that they are double booked already and the office will be closing tomorrow at noon for the Thanksgiving holiday and won't reopen until Monday, the 26Th. She did say, that if they have a cancellation today they will call me. I guess that's better than nothing, but I wanted to be feeling a little better by Thanksgiving and I CERTAINLY don't want to give this to the small grand children or anyone for that matter!

Keep your fingers crossed that I won't still feel this way in a couple days!

That time of year again............

and hubby has gone to his favorite hunting spot in the Upper Peninsula! He left last night and won't be home again until November 30TH or December 1ST. SIXTEEN DAYS! And this from the man who hardly managed without me while I was only gone 11 days in Texas! Much different when it's someplace he wants to be! I will miss him, but he does deserve his time away doing what he enjoys too.

This is a difficult time of year for me though. First, he is always gone for Thanksgiving. And although I have a lovely celebration with the kids and grand kids, not everyone is always able to gather for one of my favorite holidays. Second, this is the time of year that my first husband, Dave, passed away from cancer after only 8 years of marriage. In fact, today is the actual anniversary of his passing. For those of you who have lost a loved one because of death, you understand what a difficult day this can be. Not that I won't be fine. I really have gotten over it........I mean it's been 32 years today, and life goes on. My life has and has been completely full and good. But I still wonder sometimes .........what might have been.

My Friend! God Bless You on your journey........

I just received a very sad e-mail from my dear friend's sister. My friend passed away on November 5th. She moved to Chicago over a year ago and I hadn't seen her since, but we kept in touch.

I knew she hadn't been feeling well, but she didn't tell me how sick she was. Maybe she didn't even know. She had been having severe pain in her legs and she finally went to the hospital to have it checked. They did some testing and found a mass in her chest, three tumors on her spine and lung cancer. Before they could do anything for her, her lung collapsed and her kidney's failed.

Her mother, sister and her children were with her when she crossed over into heaven.

Please keep her family in your prayers.

Rest In Peace, Mary Ann

A Mix........

Grandparents Day at the school went great! It was scheduled to begin at lunch time and grandparents or a special person were encouraged to bring a lunch to share with their little person. He had told me that the evening before and asked if I could bring Mickey D's. I did and we enjoyed eating and talking together. There was a paper on his desk with questions on both sides for him to ask me and write down my answers. Most of the questions were about what school was like back when I attended and how different was it today. Some were questions about subjects I liked, what I played out for recess and what kind of lunch I brought to school.............I didn't take a lunch to school. Back when I went to elementary school, they were all neighborhood schools and the kids lived close enough to walk home for lunch every day! The above photo is courtesy of marcia.ashley

Amber did end up coming down this weekend. I had to drive up to a city called Wellston and pick up Doug. He had been working there all week and we both wanted to go and watch Amber play in a basketball game in another little town called Walkerville. I had to leave at 6 AM in order to get to where Doug was and turn around and drive back to where Amber was going to play. She asked her daddy if she could come back with him and if he could take her back to her other Grandma's in Cedar Springs on Sunday. He said sure, so she came back with us. She went to her Dad's home and spent the night and when it was time for her to go meet her mom, her dad, for whatever reason, couldn't take her so I had too. I asked if she had everything she came down with and she said yes, so off we went.

After arriving, she decided to look through her backpack and discovered she DID NOT have her basketball jersey or her hooded sweatshirt with her name on the back. I told her I would make sure she had it before Saturday's game at 11AM. Went to her dad's the next day..........looked through the dirty clothes pile and sure enough, I found it. Brought it back here, washed it and quickly ran to the post office to purchase a priority mailer and sent it to her overnight mail.

I spoke with her on Tuesday and she now has everything that she thought she had before leaving her dad's! She said "everyone should have a MEMA"! Ah, if all of life's problems were so easily handled, eh?

Grandparent's Day at school!

Tomorrow, November 2nd is the annual Grandparent's Day at one of the grandson's school. This is something I have gone to every year since he started school. Yes, he has another "Grandma", but he always asks me to come. And I always say "yes"! I never want to miss an opportunity to spend time with any of my grandchildren...time is too short and I want to build great memories and strong bonds with them all!

This year it is only for an hour ~ during the lunch hour ~ so I will call him tonight and find out what he would like from Mickey D's, and go and have lunch with him. It seems as if every year, there is at least one of his friends who, for whatever reason, does not have a grandparent there. He always tells them that they can join us! Shows a lot of compassion for a young boy of 10, and I am proud of him for doing so! He attends a charter school and the kids come from differing walks of life and the diversity is great!

This is his last year for this event. The upper grades don't do this..........just the lower elementary classes. But it won't be MY last year! His younger brother begins school next fall and it begins all over again!

Texas - Part 3

Ame, Barbie and Me! Saturday, Oct. 6, 2007, Ame and I drove (well Ame did the driving and I did the riding) to Oklahoma to meet up with another blogging friend, Barbie. It was our first meeting and it was GREAT! It was like a meeting of very dear friends who had known each other for a long time!

You just have to love Barbie. She is such a comical, witty person and so much fun to be around. We went to Carrabba's to eat. Our waiter asked "what can I get for you GUYS? and Barbie responded with a look down the front of her shirt and said "Yup, they're still there so we're ladies"! Very funny moment......you had to be there!!!! But that was the day of the Oklahoma University/Texas football game at the Cotton Bowl and since Barbie was interested in the outcome (she was cheering for Oklahoma) the waiter was kind enough to keep her informed of the happenings during the time we were there. We had a lot of fun that day. On the way to meet Barbie we also stopped in a city south of where Barbie lives to meet one other blogger. I know, meeting 3 in a span of less than a week was really awesome. This one is a college student. His name is Chris and I found him to be such a delight. He is very intelligent and has more depth than some people twice his age!

Anyway, Ame and I had such a great time........something we will always remember. And we talked and laughed the entire trip...both there and back! But we sure were tired by the time our heads hit the pillow. I don't remember even falling asleep!

Texas - Part 2

Pleased to introduce "Big Tex" who greets all visitors to the Texas State Fair every year! I am told he even says "HOWDY", but I didn't hear him.

This is a photo of me taken by Ame. We are way up high on the ferris wheel with the Dallas skyline and the Cotton Bowl behind me.

One of the walls in a little "hole-in-the-wall" restaurant that served the BEST Mexican food!

Ame's oldest on the climbing wall at the fair.

Ame's youngest on the adjacent climbing wall. She made it all the way to the top and rang the bell! Pretty impressive!

And this is a photo of the new harbor that is being built near where Ame lives. It is absolutely beautiful, but then all of Texas that I saw was! ;)

The plane has landed..............first in the series on Texas!

Sunday, September 30, 2007. I'm here. I gather my carry on from the overhead compartment and follow the crowd off the plane into the terminal. I walk toward the luggage carousel to claim my suitcase and there she is.........beautiful AME! I would recognize her anywhere. She looks exactly like the picture she sent.......and her smile reaches from ear to ear! We embrace, and it is like we have known each other all our lives!

The ride to her home from the airport is spent in a rush of talking and laughing. And after we arrive, her precious girls return home from their weekend visit with their dad. What absolutely beautiful, loving girls. It is apparent where they get their smiles from. And they give the best hugs! They all made me feel so welcome, so special and so loved! I was charmed by these girls and if I could have figured out a way to bring them and Ame back home with me, they would be here now. But life is what it is and I had to leave them in Texas and return alone to Michigan.

The entire time I was there was just such a joy to me. I kept asking Ame what I could do to help her and she just kept telling me nothing........spending time with the girls was a huge thing for all of them. I actually felt guilty not helping more with dishes, etc. but as a good 'mom' I always try to follow the rules of the home I am in. ;)

On Wednesday we all went to the TEXAS Sate Fair.......my very first visit to this state and I got to attend the fair! It was much larger than any fair I have ever seen.......and it was fun to watch the girls reactions. The day was hot and humid, as I found most of the days down there to be, but not unbearable. Thank goodness for air conditioning!!!

: (

I'm trying to post about my trip to Texas, but blogger is unable to upload any of my pictures at the present time.

I guess I will have to finish this in the morning....but one more day probably won't matter that much.........ya'll have waited this long!

I thought that I would have had a chance to post about my wonderful trip to Texas by now. And I fully intended to do that tonight but got called to watch Drew while Naive went to the ER. Everything turned out good.

I came home and intended to post but wanted to return some phone calls and check my email first. My son, Doug, called and asked me if I would hang onto a little black box he had that contained a matching wedding band to the diamond he just put on his girlfriend's finger after he asked her to marry him and she said YES! Wow, this is really a huge moment for Doug! I am so happy for him and his bride-to-be!

I called Naive and filled her in on the news and she was going to call him and tell him congratulations. As soon as I hung up from talking with her, Bumpa came home and let the dog out.

When she came back in the telltale odor of skunk was strong. Of course we didn't have the ingredients for the skunk neutralizer in the house so Bumpa had to go to the store and purchase 4 bottles of peroxide! IT is now 1:30AM and the dog smells much better and I have emptied an entire bottle of 'Febreeze' throughout the house and it still smells. If anyone has any ideas how to rid my home of this odor please let me know.

Here is the recipe for the skunk odor removal from a dog.

1 quart hydrogen peroxide
1/4 c. baking soda
1 teaspoon liquid detergent

Wash the dog for about 5 minutes with this solution paying attention to keep it out of the dogs eyes and ears. Rinse thoroughly. This mixture will wash a dog approximately the size of a Jack Russell Terrier. Double or triple it accordingly.

Now I am going to try and get some sleep!

Time is flying!

My time here in Texas is flying by now and my plane leaves on Thursday morning.

While I do miss Bumpa and the rest of the family, my dog and my home, a part of me wants to stay and bond some more with this new family I have been blessed with. The girls are so precious and sweet and Ame is so appreciative of the time we have had together, and I will miss all of them.

As I look forward to the future, I am confident that we will see each other again soon! Perhaps next summer.........I'm sure Ame would not care to come and visit during Michigan winters. When one is use to the Texas heat, Michigan winters just aren't able to compete. It's fine for those of us who have grown up here and love the four different seasons, but for those who would be experiencing it for the first time would be difficult at best!

We also took a road trip Saturday and went to Oklahoma to meet a couple more blog friends and it was so much fun. Stay tuned, there will be more on that when I get back.

Texas State Fair

Today started out with rain......and changed to sunshine and very warm and humid!

We went to the Texas State Fair! Now, being from Michigan, I am use to the size of county fairs not state fairs. It was huge! I have pictures of some things that I may or may not ever have the chance to see again and I will post them when I return home.

The time here is just flying by. It seems like I just arrived and come tomorrow, I will only be remaining for one more week. I will fly out on Thursday morning and Bumpa will pick me up at the airport.

More to follow! ;)

TEXAS!!!

I'm here and it is wonderful!

Ame and her girls are such a blessing! Love them all.

This is just a quick update.

I will tell you all about my visit when it is complete..........I am tired, but happy!

Confusion

Traffic Light Tree
Originally uploaded by zakgollop

Did you ever feel like this? Totally confused? Usually I am a very organized person. And yet I just can't seem to pull it all together. Usually I am so organized it is unreal. But my excitement over my upcoming trip to Texas has me in a most dis-organized state.

I spent yesterday cooking......preparing meals for hubby that I can freeze and he can remove from the freezer and warm up in the microwave when it is his dinnertime. Before any of you women who consider yourselves liberated get your panties in a bunch, know that he didn't ask me to do this. It is just one of the small ways I can show him how much I love him, and assure that he has good nutritional food to eat while I am gone. At least that is one thing I can check of my 'to do list'!

Today I had to make a visit to my doctors' office ensuring my flu shot would not be late since they want me to have mine early Oct. Now I just have to put up with a sore arm for a couple days.

There is still last minute laundry and cleaning to be done. And shopping. Can't forget to make sure hub has everything he will need in the house while I am away. He isn't a shopper....in fact, I don't know when the last time was that he was even in a grocery store. Can't have him running out of paper plates and toilet paper.......two essentials for a man when being a bachelor!

An Extraordinary Gift!

I have been given a most wonderful, special, extraordinary gift! Paid airfare to visit someone very special to me. Actually three 'someones'! They are extended adopted family. I feel guilty accepting this wonderful gift knowing that she probably could put the money to better use than paying to have an 'old woman' visit, but it is what she wishes to do and I have prayed about it and gotten my answer. And I am going! My flight out leaves Sunday, September 30th at 5:55 AM and I return Thursday, Oct. 11th at 3:05 PM. I will even be attending the Texas State Fair! Woo-Hoo!

Thank you dear Ame for this wonderful gift!

Not much happening..........

except for a minor trip to the ER Saturday night to easy my family's fears. They all thought I was having some kind of cardiac event but it was only muscle spasms.....I get them all the time. Sometimes are worse than others and that was one of them. So after a short visit I was able to return home (in a fog from the medication they gave me) and I'm fine now.......REALLY!

So since nothing much is going on I thought I would list some little known laws that may or may not be in effect anymore. Here goes:


It's A Crime! (or at least it used to be) to:

.........eat a snake on Sunday in Kansas!

.........wear cowboy boots in Blythe, California, unless you own two cows!

.........get a fish drunk anywhere in the state of Oklahoma!

.........go to church in Georgia without a loaded rifle!

.........to wiggle while dancing in a bar in Stockton, California!

.........to buy a beer in the state of Maine unless you are standing up at the time!

Hope you get a chuckle out of these useless, silly laws.

Tuesday, September 11 ~ Six years later

This isn't going to be some lengthy post regarding 9/11. We all have our memories of that day 6 years ago and need no further reminding of what occurred on that fateful day. I just want to say that I flew my flag today, as I have done every day since then. Not just in remembrance of them, but because I am patriotic and I love the USA! I think that who ever has the opportunity to fly 'Old Glory' should!

On to other things.

I went on a tour today. It was at the new Metro Health Hospital in Wyoming, MI. This new facility is due to open on Sept. 30. It is a beautiful and modern and new and updated with all the newest technology for caring for those who are injured or ill or recovering from surgery. I'm sure that some time in the future, I too, will be a patient in this facility and I wanted to see what it was like. I went there not knowing exactly what to expect and was very pleasantly surprised by what I saw. They even have a 'green roof' that several of the patient rooms overlook for a lovely view while they are there. For those of you who are unfamiliar with a 'green roof', it is not a normal concrete roof. It is a one-acre green roof made of living plants that changes with the seasons and provides great insulation. I forget just how many plants they said are planted there, but the brochure says there are over 100,000 plants and they were all planted by volunteers and hospital staff. They are all small now, but by next spring, they will be beautiful. This sustainable feature is easy to maintain and cost effective, but more importantly, it offers therapeutic scenery for patients and visitors.

This is the same hospital that I have applied at for a new position that they will be starting when the hospital opens. I have heard nothing yet from them, but hopefully either this week or next they will contact me. I'm keeping my fingers crossed. At this point, it is a temporary position that will run from the end of September through the end of December. There is a chance that it could become permanent. It could be full time or part time. And one of the nice things about it, is it is only 11 miles from my house and very easy to get to!



And I wanted to tell you about my dear friend at A Place I Call Home. She is a full time RN and has just returned to University to learn more. She is bright, witty, intelligent, caring and one of the nicest, kindest women I have ever met. And she gave me this badge: with instructions to pass it on. She has already passed it on to one whom I would have bestowed it to so I will pick a few others who make ME smile.

Clew

Hobess

Renee

Rebecca

There is one other that I would like to give this too, but she prefers to remain hidden from only a select few. You know who you are so feel free to grab it and post it on your own site. ;)

Things That Are Done!

Do you remember the picture of my Morning Glory. It was blooming and I was surprised it was still doing so well. Hubby fed it some plant food a couple weeks ago and this is what it looks like now!!!



They are just going crazy! I love looking out first thing in the morning and seeing them. And they stay open until close to noon, so by the time I get dressed and out on the deck to drink my coffee I can still enjoy them.

And speaking of my deck. I never put a picture of the finished product up. That's because it only got finished this past weekend. Hubby was working overtime and then he got placed on second shift and it was hard to adjust too. So he only had the weekends to work on it and last weekend he had to work so that left this weekend. So, without any further suspense, here is the finished deck:



The grass will be there next year, even if we have to plant more. Building and draught have taken their toll on the vegetation here. All except for my flowers that I so painstakingly dragged hoses in order to keep them watered.

So, the deck is finished and so is the summer. But I look forward to many fairly warm fall afternoons and crisp evenings sitting out here watching the birds. It's a nice ending to the busy day!

Face behind the blog!

This is the face behind this blog!

MaryAnne from A Place I Call Home tagged me for this meme quite some time ago and I am just now getting to it. Sorry MaryAnne. It's called Face behind the Blog. The idea is, I tell you a little something about myself and show you a picture of me...I then get added to a blog roll......I pick some bloggers to participate there it goes. Please check out Dreams of border collies for more information as to how to play along. Like I said, it's been quite a while so you may have to search her archives to find it. Sorry 'bout that!



Most of my regular visitors know what I look like and a lot of the things I do. This picture was taken back in June of 2006 near Denver when I went to visit my sister for my nephew's wedding reception. With me are my baby sister and a cousin.



My garden......I love my flowers.
And the last photo is of the entire group, or as many of them as we could get together at one time (only 2 are missing) on July 4, 2007 after the parade.

I'm not going to tag anyone for this since I was tagged back on August 15 and am just now getting around to doing it. But if you want to join in anyway, feel free and let me know so I can see the 'Face Behind the Blog'.

Lunar Eclipse - August 28, 2007

This is what I saw at 5:20 AM today! Last night as I watched the clouds moving in, I was sure that I wouldn't be able to see it. But the clouds cleared and I could see just fine until shortly before the moon was getting ready to set and then the trees obstructed my view. Still, at least I got to see some of it and that's better than nothin'!

Middle Name Meme

Okay, I've been tagged by Rodeo With A Twist of Suspense and played along. Now it's your turn.....see the bottom of this page to see who has been tagged and please play along. And after you play, be sure and notify the person who tagged you so they can read your answers!

What's in a name?

1. You have to post these rules before you give the facts.
2. Players, you must list one fact that is somehow relevant to your life for each letter of your middle name. If you don’t have a middle name, use the middle name you would have liked to have had.
3. When you are tagged you need to write your own blog-post containing your own middle name game facts.
4. At the end of your blog-post, you need to choose one person for each letter of your middle name to tag. Don’t forget to leave them a comment telling them they’re tagged, and to read your blog.

L -- Loyal! I'll stick by my friends through thick and thin. Once I know I can really count on you if I need you and you feel the same, we will remain friends forever.

O -- Olive Branch! I will more likely than not, be the first one to try and make peace after a disagreement or altercation with a family member or good friend.

U -- Understanding! Doesn't mean I will always agree with where you are coming from, but I will try my hardest to understand and I usually can accomplish that.

I tag:

MaryAnn

Janet C

Rebecca

Well, this is probably one of the last photos I will take of Amber this summer. This one was just before she left to go to the beach with her dad! We took her back to her moms on August 11Th and haven't seen her since then. She called me yesterday and invited us to meet her in Muskegon for her first time as a cheerleader at her game for Hart Middle School. So, we are going to try and make it. That's a lot closer than driving all the way to her house.....not that she isn't worth it! Hubby has to work tomorrow, so I'm hoping her dad doesn't and is free to go along. I hate going alone and trying to find a new place without a navigator with me! But, if he can't make it, I will still go.....I need to see her!

I'm starting to make the adjustment to hubby working a 2ND shift although it has been difficult. I think the silver lining (if there is one) in this is that we now have our big meal in the middle of the day so I have time to burn off more calories and eat much lighter at supper time! The evenings do seem awfully long and to drag on though and I'm sure they will seem even longer once fall and winter arrive and it gets dark much earlier than it does now. But, I'm sure I will find something to occupy my evenings with.....I can always sit by the fireplace and stay toasty warm and read some good books or do my counted cross stitch.

Okay, I can't believe it's been a year already since I went for my........... "mammy mashing"! But it has been that long and my doctors office called me last week and told me that they have scheduled my mammogram for Aug. 20Th at 10:30 AM.

But I'll bite the bullet so to speak, pull up my big girl pants, and once more do what I know is good for me! Do you see the picture of the machine at the upper right? That's what they look like. The clear plastic tray is the one that the breast is placed on while the smaller box jutting out on the front comes in contact with the breast, flattening it and takes the pictures. And they aren't happy until your breast is almost totally flat on the tray! I wish there were other ways to check on this stuff than putting women through this torture machine! I bet it was invented by a man!

And as if that isn't bad enough, they have also scheduled my 12-hour fasting cholesterol blood work for a ½ hour before that. Which means that as of now, I am done eating, snacking and/or having anything wonderful to drink until after the blood is drawn tomorrow morning. I must once again go without my COFFEE! That makes for a very cranky ME!

I'm thirsty so I'm off to get a bottled water.....hey, it's better than nothing!

This is what I saw as I opened the blinds this morning and looked out into the back yard. I love morning glories........they are bright and beautiful and can almost certainly bring a smile to my face as I look at the delicate way they flutter in the slightest breeze.
The only colors that were opened this morning are the pink and the purple, but I have a blue variety too. They are all pretty much planted in one area so they can grow and curl up the trellis as they reach for the sunlight. A much cheerier picture than the clouds of yesterday!

The sky reflects our mood!

I don't mean to complain but............today is hub's first day on 2nd shift! He hates 2nd shift! Me too! But, we need to be thankful that at least he didn't get laid off. And with 2nd shift comes more pay.....night premium always bumps his pay up and he is due for a cost of living raise in September too. I guess that may be our silver lining....more money coming in! Still, when all is said and done, I'm not sure the little extra money he will bring home each week is worth it! Although he had no choice in the matter, he was pretty unhappy when he had to leave for work this afternoon just a couple hours earlier than he would be getting home if he were still on 1st shift.

We took Amber home on Saturday. I had originally thought that where she had moved to was just a little over 80 miles one way. We checked our trip mileage and it is exactly 103.1 miles from our house to her house, so round trip is 206.2 miles. I'm not sure I'll be driving that very often with the price of gas and Michigan winters now that hub is on 2nd shift. He wouldn't get home from work until about 1:30 AM if he is on overtime on Friday night so he would have to sleep in Saturday. If we left at noon on Saturday, we wouldn't get home until around 4 PM and we would have to take her back on Sunday so she could go to school on Monday. Not very practical to pick her up for one afternoon and have to return her right away.

Okay, gotta go now before this turns into a total rant and rave and vent session!

Contests.....

Hey, I found this on a friend's site. You can enter this contest too by visiting Ashwin's Blog


Over at Ashwin's Blog you will find one crazy blog owner!! You can win $2500!! To enter just copy this text and paste it in your blog!! But hurry, this competition will not last long! So get posting!

Check out my friend's site too, as she has links to more contests. Besides, her site is great!

Night flowers.

I think I may have posted a photo last year of my 'Moon Flowers'. I couldn't find it, so if I did, then I apologize for repeating this years photo.

I have no idea what the real name is for these flowers. They look like a giant morning glory, only white, and they only open in the evening. They remain open all night long, close in the morning, and then curl up and fall off within a day or two. But when they are open, they are beautiful. They are especially pretty when a lot of them open on the same evening. This picture shows three of them open when I took it, but as the night went on, more opened. I missed them.....I only knew that they did when the next morning I saw about eight of them closed and curling. That's probably the most that I have ever had open at the same time.....and I missed it!

The seed pod on this baby is WICKED. It reminds me of the size and shape of a chestnut inside it's protective covering, but the spikes on this seed pod even frighten the grown men in our family! If you enlarge the photo and scroll down, you can get a peek at the seed pods hiding under the leaves.

Drought Stricken

We finally had some rain last night. I don't know exactly how much we got here, but it was a nice, steady, gentle rain for about 45 minutes. Hopefully it will rain again sometime today.

See that window? That's the room I sit in while on the computer!

This is what my backyard looks like,even after the rain last night. You can see the hoses there that I have been dragging around just to keep my flowers watered. These bushes by the house are usually green with little yellow flowers on them and the grass next to the lilies is usually thick and green!

We live in the country and don't have to pay for our water, but still we have to pay for the electricity to run the pump that pumps the water through the faucets. I don't think that cost is terribly significant, but because of the pump running so much and since it is older, we do need to be careful that it doesn't burn up. It would be quite costly to purchase a new one at this point, not to mention how terribly inconvenient it would be to have to go without water, even temporarily while a new one could be located and installed! And then, with hubby on overtime, it would be hard to find the time for him to run around searching for one to purchase and finding the time to install it wouldn't be easy either. The man needs to sleep sometime, right? He does have Sundays off, but that day is usually spent sitting in his recliner in front of the television, with his eyes closed.....checking his eyelids for leaks (his words, not mine). I can't tell you how many NASCAR races that man has claimed to watch while checking those eyelids! But it is hard to keep up with sprinkling to keep the grass green. And hubby broke our best sprinkler last week.....the one that looks like a tractor and runs along the hose so you don't have to go out and move it every ½ hour or so. He thinks he can fix it, but then we have the same problem of finding the right part to do so and the time it takes to repair it.

See why I want it to rain more? If any of you in Texas or Canada or anywhere else are getting way too much rain.....feel free to send it this way! Thanks!

Time Flies!

I have no idea where the time has gone. It has just flown by...I have been busy, but it still has flown by faster than I realized. My cousin was here from Oklahoma and that had me busy but only for a day or so. Yet, I cannot account for where it has gone. It's almost as if I've been sleeping or in a coma or something!

I know that I have still been busy taking care of grand children and enjoying every minute of it, but it certainly hasn't taken up all my time. Perhaps I have been busier than I thought just catching up with housework and laundry. Unless I am behind because it is taking me longer to get everything done since I injured my foot! I don't really know how I did it for sure. I think I fell off a backless shoe and landed on the hard edge of the shoe with my heel...the doctor says it's plantar fascitis. He took x-rays and said there are no bone spurs which surprised him. He also said it is terribly painful.....that much I already knew and didn't need to fork over a $20 co-pay for that piece of information. He says he has it too and he prescribed 800mg Motrin for me with one refill. I must remember that this med is a pain reliever not a 'pain killer'! It does help some, but I guess I must be a baby, because I am tired of it huring all the time!

On a sad note, my little Amber has moved to Pentwater, MI. It is over 80 miles one way from where I live. I know we won't be able to see each other as much as we are use to and she cried quite hard the last time I spoke with her on the phone the night before they made the move. I'm sure she'll adjust fine......me, not so much! :(

A Day at the Zoo!

The zoo we took them to is in Grand Rapids. It is called "John Ball Park Zoo". It was a very hot and humid day to go, but we were working within a time frame before the Kentucky Bunch had to head back so it was Thursday July 5th or not at all!


This picture is the two adult bald eagles they have there. The kids were impressed with such a large bird and huge nest!


The zoo has an aquarium that you can go in. That is where we found the penguins....lots of them!



Here we are, under a small waterfall. I think this must have been the coldest spot in the entire zoo that day! Sure felt nice.


One of the many varieties of fish in the aquarium.


And this Siberian Tiger was lying very quietly until we showed up to bother him. When he looked at the kids with us is when he decided to lick his lips. Do ya think he was trying to tell us that any one of those kids would have made a great SNACK!!!! LOL

Before I forget, today is Darian's 7th Birthday....Happy Birthday Darian!!!!

Empty Nest ~ Almost

It's Saturday, July 7, and everyone has left but Amber. Doug is taking his little ones back to their mother, and Rachel and her family are on the way back to Kentucky. The house is quiet now with just Amber and us here. After 6 little ones and five adults in the house for the last week the silence seems almost eerie!

We had such a good time with everyone here though. Brian decided not to camp out in the back yard with his two boys and they only came for the one day.....July 4th. The parade was long and the weather was great. Not too hot but sunny just the same. No rain either! Not any that day, so the fireworks went off without a hitch!
Waiting for the parade to begin! Most of the people on the left are kids and grandkids!
Family friends driving their old car in the parade.
Our family portrait! Only Brian's wife and 1 ½ year old daughter are missing.Left to right, Steve(holding Drew),Michelle, Glenn, Emily,Jeremy(holding Ty), Heidi, Trenten,Doug,Amber,Hunter,Harley,Mema & Bumpa, KeAira, Rachel(holding Cayden),Trenton,Darian,Brian,Elijah and David. Missing are Brian's wife,Vanessa and his 18 month old daughter, Rebecca.
Our oldest son, Brian, pushing several grandchildren on the swings to entertain them until the food is ready!
And one of the many fireworks that we could see right from our backyard. All the kids and grand kids that stayed for the fireworks walked to the local park to watch the fireworks. Bumpa and I thought we would just stay home and see if we could see them from the back yard. Boy am I glad we did! We had awesome seats on our lawn furniture and didn't have to walk anywhere! I hope they shoot the fireworks off from this same place every year!!!

On Thursday Bumpa and I and Amber, Hunter, Harley, Rachel, Trenton, Darian, KeAira and Cayden all went to the zoo in Grand Rapids. I'll get those photos up soon. Maybe tomorrow or Monday.....I desperately need to catch up on some rest and housework!