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!

An Early Arrival!

Okay, it's Sunday at 12:49 PM and my son, Doug's two youngest children, ages 5 and 3 ½ have arrived for the holiday festivities. The only thing is, the festivities don't really begin until Wednesday, the 4th. In order for Doug to be able to have them for the 4th of July and the big family get together, he had to get them today and keep them through this coming week. We had originally planned on picking them up Tuesday evening around 6 PM and keeping them until Friday evening or Saturday morning. So I guess I will just be a little busier than I had anticipated Monday and Tuesday, while I make preparations for the arrival of the Kentucky bunch and prepare what food I can in advance of Wednesday.

I will be dragging 3 kids with me to the grocery store instead of just Amber who is 12 and not much work anymore at all. And I will have to plan around the schedules of small children's hunger pangs and needing attention while trying to pull everything else together. Daddy and Bumpa both have to work Monday and Tuesday so I hope Amber is up for a challenge and will be willing to pitch in just a little more than she usually does and help, at least with her little brother and sister.

Wish me luck!!!!

No blogging for a while!

Seems as if my life has gotten very busy as of late! And since I don't want anyone worrying about where I am, this post is to let you all know that I won't be blogging as much....maybe a week or two between posts. I'm not quitting or taking a hiatus even, just don't have the time to give it justice right now.

I'll still be popping in periodically to read and leave a comment though!

Hope everyone is enjoying the summer so far!

Hugs

My Lilies

My lilies have finally started to bloom this year. I thought they weren't going to but am glad they have finally begun to bloom.
So far, I have four different color ones in bloom at the same time.
I have no idea what any of them are called since they were already here when we moved in 2 years ago. If anyone knows and wants to help me out just jump in with some names!
These were the very first ones to bloom this year. The color is very vibrant and bright.

I hope you enjoy looking at them as much as I do!

Some Summer Fun!

This first picture is Doug and Amber after Steve's graduation open-house!

David, Brian's oldest son.
Brian, Drew and Elijah (Brian's 3 year old son.)
Brian watching Elijah in the pool.

Rockin' Girl Blogger

Do you see this badge on my right side bar? It was bestowed upon me by my dear, dear friend, Smalltown RN . If you go to her site, you can read about it and the other four women that she also bestowed it on. She says of me: "I love how she shares with her readers her life, love and joys of being with her grandchildren." What wonderful things she tells about me...not so sure they are deserved, but nice to hear none the less! Thank you my dear friend!

I need to bestow this badge on five other woman that I think Rock! This will be hard because so many of you out there are such great "Rockin'" Women!

1.) Ame - Because she is doing such a great job as a single mom, raising her girls after a divorce. She is a Rockin' Girl, for sure!

2.) Tracy - for her Rockin' Girl ability to relate to others and what they have gone through and for her understanding and kindness to all who visit her blog!

3.) Rebecca - for her upbeat, friendly, positive attitude which makes it a pleasure to visit her blog and read what wonderful things she is writing about daily.

4.) Connie - for her ability to offer comfort to anyone and everyone who visits her. For being upbeat in the face of adversity and loss. And for the beautiful lilies she grows and photographs and posts for everyone to enjoy.

5.) Lori - last but not least! If you have never been to her site, you must go and read what she writes. She is so down-to-earth with her writing about growing up where she lives and the wisdom, truth and love that come through in her words will have you leaving with a greater sense of what is really important in your life.

Now grab this badge for yourselves and find 5 Rockin' Women and pass it on if you want!

A Real 'Girlie' Girl!!!

I just received this photo from my daughter in Kentucky. It was taken a couple weeks ago. This is my 5-year old grand daughter. When she lived up here, she liked bugs, dirt, a bleeding 'ouchie', worms, and all other sorts of outdoor things that would usually make a little girl cringe!

As you can see, that is no longer the case with her. In order to even attempt to take the fish off the hook, she had to don a LARGE pair of kitchen gloves so as not to get 'slimy' while attempting this very difficult task! When I saw this photo I just had to laugh.

We have a wall in the garage and on it hangs an old and large fish net. On this fish net hangs some old fishing poles, lures and some home tied flies and photos of family members fishing or catching or just having caught a fish. Some photos are of 'first' fish caught by new 'fisherman' such as KeAira. Needless to say, I printed this photo and it has joined our family fishing collage!

FRIDAY FEAST

FEAST ONE HUNDRED AND FORTY-EIGHT





Appetizer
Fill in the blank: The best thing about where I live is that it's just the right amount of time and distance from a big city.

Soup
Create a new name for a deodorant (like “Flower Fresh” or “Shower Scent”). Melon Breeze

Salad
What was the last piece of software you installed onto your computer? ATT software for my DSL hook-up.

Main Course
If you were to receive a superlative award today beginning with the words ”Most likely to…”, what would the rest of the phrase say? "babysit at a moments notice!"

Dessert
What two colors do you like to wear together? White and a pinkish rose.

We are lucky enough to have Amber until Thursday. And Trenten came to spend the day with us Saturday too! He and Amber spent most of the afternoon swimming in the pool and playing on the swing set. They get along quite well in spite of the age difference of 6 years between them. They are cousins, not by blood but through marriage. When hubby and I married 17 years ago, we told all five of the kids that there were no step brothers or sisters; the only steps we had were the ones that took us to a different level in the house. The kids accepted that and to this day never refer to each other as step-siblings! And we have never referred to them as step-children either. So, the cousins don't know any difference. As Amber said at dinner the other night...."we're just one big HAPPY family!"

WHAT A RIDE !!!!

This story appeared Thursday morning on WZZM-13 News Website and I thought it interesting.



Paw Paw - A wheelchair-bound man went on the ride of his life Wednesday after visiting a gas station in Van Buren County.

Calls began pouring in to the Paw Paw post of the Michigan State Police around 4:00 p.m. The first call came in with a woman telling dispatchers, "You are not going to believe this, there is a semi- truck pushing a guy in a wheel chair on Red Arrow Highway!"

The truck was traveling westbound on Red Arrow Highway just outside the village of Paw Paw.

Authorities responded to the call on Red Arrow Highway where the man and his wheelchair were still attached to the semi-truck.

Troopers and officers found a 21-year-old man un-harmed as he sat in his wheelchair, its handles still lodged in the truck's front grill.

Investigators say the semi truck owned by RMI had pulled out of a local gas station. The young man in the wheelchair some how pulled in front of the semi-truck, causing his wheelchair handles to become stuck in the front grill of the truck.

Authorities say the semi-truck at times reached speeds of nearly 50 miles per hour for nearly four miles.

The semi driver was in disbelief as troopers told him about the man on his front grill until he saw it for himself.

Police say the 21-year-old man was un-harmed and unfazed by the incident. The young man was quoted as saying, "It was quite a ride."

One trooper said, "You could work another 90 years in Law Enforcement and never see something like this. We're just glad no one was injured in this unusual incident."

I got this quiz off smalltownrn's blog. I'm sure she won't mind. Pop on over and read what it says about her!

Your Dominant Intelligence is Interpersonal Intelligence

You shine in your ability to realate to and understand others. Good at seeing others' points of view, you get how people think and feel. You have an uncanny ability to sense true feelings, intentions, and motivations. A natural born leader, you are great at teaching and mediating conflict. You would make a good counselor, salesperson, politician, or business person.

What Kind of Intelligence Do You Have?

FRIDAY FEAST # 146

Appetizer
Name something you think is “the best.” Holding a newborn for the first time.

Soup
On a scale of 1 to 10 (with 10 highest), how stressed are you today? No stress yet so I'm giving it a 1, but it's still early!

Salad
What kind of cleanser do you use to wash your face? Ponds Facial Cleanser

Main Course
Tonight is a blue moon! What is something that you believe only happens “once in a blue moon.” Still having money left after all the bills are paid! ;)

Dessert
When was the last time it rained where you live? Last Saturday, May 26 and we need some more right now!

The first photo is Ty eating his birthday cake and his dad, Jeremy. The second is after finishing his cake and right before his bath! LOL

He received lots of presents including clothes that he needed. But he got lots of cool toys too! He did seem a little overwhelmed by it all. There were about 40 people there and Jeremy cooked on the grill for all of us. The food was great and the company wasn't bad either!
Now the next big celebration will be Steve's graduation open house coming up in June! And then that's the end of everything ~ for a while anyway!!!!

What I've been doing!

Hunter's first fish on his new pole!


Trenten and Ty had to be 'first' to try out the pool Brian gave us...BRRRR!

Drew waiting for the graduation ceremony to begin.

Steve (in green gown, center of photo) actually receiving his diploma!

Now I can rest until later this weekend when we celebrate Ty's "1st" birthday.

Sensational Saturday

What a great day! Doug's two youngest came to spend the weekend with him. Monday is Hunter's 5th birthday so we celebrated Saturday. As soon as breakfast was out of the way, the kids helped make the 'birthday cake'. Then we all went to the park to fly the kites that Doug got for them. Hunter's was a 'Sponge Bob' and Harley's was 'Dora the Explorer'. Dora was true to her name. Boo (aka Harley) let go and Dora was off exploring on her own over the treetops and far away. Bon Voyage, Dora!!
Then it was back home for lunch and singing 'Happy Birthday', eating cake and opening presents.

Both the little ones were given fishing poles by their dad as he had already set up a fishing expedition/picnic for today, Sunday. So far I'm the only one up. They must all be exhausted from sitting up last night watching the bon fire.

Guess maybe I should be out in the kitchen packing a picnic lunch. Nah.....I think I'll drink my coffee first!

EIGHT Things About Me.

I've Been Tagged and it has taken me a long time to get to it!


Here are the rules:

1. Each player starts with eight random facts/habits about themselves.

2. People who are tagged need to write their own blog about their eight things and post these rules.

3. At the end of your blog, you need to choose eight people to get tagged and list their names.

4. Don't forget to leave them a comment telling them they're tagged, and to read your blog.

So here is my eight:

1.) I have 14 living grand children and one that was still born. I've held everyone one of them - all 15!

2.) Garfield and I have something in common....we're not overweight, we're undertall!

3.) I've colored my hair since my 20's to hide the gray!

4.) If I'm really angry with somoene I live with, I clean the house like crazy! An outlet, I suspect!

5.) I was widowed at the age of 29 and have been remarried for 17 years.

6.) I am scared to drive in the winter time with all the snow and ice, so I usually stay home unless hubby is driving.

7.) My mother-in-law and I are NOT friends! In fact, we don't even really like each other.

8.) Now that my children are all grown, they have become some of my best friends!

Okay, I'm not going to tag anyone, but if you decide to do this, please let me know so I can read about you!