My Noggin Bloggins

Santa Shawn

2011-12-26T09:35:00.000-08:00

December 21, 2011

2011-12-21T15:38:00.000-08:00

Wednesday evening 5:38p.m., four days before Sunday Christmas, just sitting in front of the computer blogging. Should be washing dishes, should be wrapping gifts, should be doing a lot of things I am not doing. At least I got all my Christmas shopping done, except for one more thing for Eddie. Will work tomorrow and Friday, but going in late tomorrow as I have to have my semi-annual dental cleaning and checkup. Will go in late Friday as well since I have to close. I may have to be there until 6:00p.m., I'm thinking I might be there by myself at that late on Christmas Adam. I have a red and white Christmas tree this year (Down Home Sweet Alabama Roll Tide Christmas Tree). I will post a pic.

Hope all of you have a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

Day before Turkey Day 2011

2011-11-23T16:48:00.000-08:00

It's close to 7PM and I am not, I repeat, I am not prepping food for Turkey Day tomorrow. That's because my family won't be down until this weekend.

Tomorrow will be spent cleaning house and just hanging around the house.

In a few minutes, after Eddie takes his shower, together we will watch a couple of our shows and just laze around. Fried bologna sandwiches are on the menu for supper.

I hope to sleep a little later in the morning before getting started cleaning.

My Thanksgiving Dinner this weekend will consist of: Turkey, Dressing, Giblet Gravy, Ham, Green Bean Casserole, Mac-N-Cheese, Deviled Eggs, Potatoes and Gravy, Sweet Potato Casserole, Stuffed Celery, Tea, Rolls, Pecan Pie, and Sugar Free Italian Cream Cake.

Hope each and everyone of you have a very Happy Thanksgiving with family and friends.

Playing with my Sugar Booger (Shawn is here for the weekend)

2011-11-19T12:43:00.000-08:00

We read; we color; we imagine; we sing; we count; we jump and run; we ride the four-wheeler; we feed the pig, the chickens, and the dogs. Much fun is had while my baby is here, then I crash. LOL

Here's a cute almost current photo of my grandson, Shawn!

2011-11-19T12:40:00.000-08:00

Thanksgiving luncheon at work

2011-11-17T15:21:00.000-08:00

I busted my chops last night making chicken for the Thanksgiving luncheon. To tell the truth by the time we ate it today, the breast tenderloins were a little dry, so we all had to drown them in gravy or bury them in dressing to make palatable.

I bought dressing, 4 Poppy Seed Chicken casseroles, a squash casserole, potatoes Au gratin, and a German chocolate cake from Sunday Dinner. I also bought a spiral sliced ham from Publix. We had a great time with fellowship and the feast was well eaten, but I was disappointed in my food purchases from Sunday Dinner, except for the Poppy Seed Chicken casseroles, which turned out to be very good.

I am full from all the other good eats my co-workers made. Now my hubby wants me to cook supper and I am really not interested. I would just like to go get in the bed and sleep.

I will have to break down and make some homemade dressing and macaroni-n-cheese the way my Momma taught me how to make, so I can get over this craving for Thanksgiving food. I will make some stuffed celery as well.

I hope everyone has a Happy Thanksgiving!

Where did the time go?

2011-11-15T16:13:00.000-08:00

I didn't blog for a day, which became a week, which became a month, which became a year and then two years. I would not have believed it had been that long, except I saw the date of my last blog on here. Instead of blogging I have been living and going through the day to day of working, etc., which makes time fly, truly. I hope to get back into the routine of blogging. I like reading my older posts and remembering what went on in my life back then. Journaling is good for the soul, even if it's just fluff. Glad to be back in the swing of things.

Pictures

2009-10-14T17:16:00.000-07:00

Critters in my yard...

2009-08-18T18:32:00.001-07:00

I had a rabbit running around in my side yard this afternoon.

Sorry about the quality of the pic, it was shot through my glass door.

New Pics of Shawn

2009-08-10T15:33:00.001-07:00

Our handsewn quilt my friend/neighbor made me

2009-08-05T09:12:00.000-07:00

Eddie reloads shotgun shells, so over the years he has saved many a shot bag, hence we had a lot lying about. He got the wonderful/brilliant/insane notion that we should make a quilt, but since my sewing abilities are "MONDO" inadequate, we had a neighbor lady do it for us instead. And look what a fine job she did...

Guard Snake...

2009-07-08T15:52:00.000-07:00

My new charcoal grill requires a guard...a guard snake...that is.

What is it about my house that attracts snakes. If you have been following my blog for a while, you will know that this is not the first blog I have written about snakes. At least this one is a black snake, which is supposed to be a "good" snake, if there is such a thing. Black snakes and king snakes are supposed to eat insects and other snakes. I would like to believe that. I wanted Eddie to go out and beat the snake dead, but he wouldn't and I just couldn't (shudder!).

Here is just another few pictures of my guard snake.

Shawn came for a visit

2009-06-29T07:26:00.000-07:00

He met PoppEY for the first time. They bonded well. He snoozed on his GranDY. Mo and Shannon loved the burgers I made. A great time was had by all.

From Vine to Pot

2009-06-17T12:28:00.000-07:00

Eddie's bean rows and stalks are so straight and orderly AND weedless
We pick em and snap em and throw em in a pot

The we Boil em and eat em Yum Yum I love me some pole beans

New pics of Shawn

2009-06-11T11:04:00.001-07:00

Ziploc Omelet

2009-06-09T06:52:00.000-07:00

(This works great !!! Good for when all your family is together. The best part is that no one has to wait for their special omelet !!!)

Have guests write their name on a quart-size Ziploc freezer bag with permanent marker.

Crack 2 eggs (large or extra-large) into the bag (not more than 2) shake to combine them.

Put out a variety of ingredients such as: cheeses, ham, onion, green pepper, tomato, hash browns, salsa, etc.

Each guest adds prepared ingredients of choice to their bag and shake. Make sure to get the air out of the bag and zip it up.

Place the bags into rolling, boiling water for exactly 13 minutes [we did 15 minutes]. You can usually cook 6-8 omelets in a large pot. For more, make another pot of boiling water.

Open the bags and the omelet will roll out easily. Be prepared for everyone to be amazed.

Nice to serve with fresh fruit and coffee cake; everyone gets involved in the process and a great conversation piece.

Imagine having these ready the night before, and putting the bag in boiling water while you get ready. And in 15 minutes, you've got a nice omelet for a quick breakfast!!!

I was looking at my own blog,,,

2009-06-05T18:09:00.001-07:00

to see how many comments I got about the baby chicks and almost fell off my chair from laughing.

I can't believe you guys didn't comment about this. The last blogs photos show the baby chicks and in the background is a big cup of starter grower, but look at what container Eddie used to put the feed in...A KFC CUP, Oh my goodness, that is tooooo funny. Poor little chicks I'm sure they are way afraid of us now thinking we might eat them for supper when they get big.

More baby pics

2009-06-05T11:31:00.001-07:00

Eddie and I became parents over night...

2009-06-05T07:05:00.000-07:00

We had 12 chicken eggs in an incubator and one hatched early this morning. Here are a couple of photos of our newly hatched baby chick. The other 11 have not pipped yet. We are expecting their arrival shortly.

More photos of things that grow

2009-06-03T15:53:00.000-07:00

Gladiolas
Petunias
Baby chick
Gardenias
Pole beans

Hydrangeas, Hydrangeas, Hydrangeas

2009-06-02T11:06:00.000-07:00

Here are my budding bevy of beautiful blossoms!

Echo okay

2009-06-01T07:31:00.000-07:00

Echo is normal. Kidneys and liver normal. No diabetes. Other than the hypertension, high cholesterol, and the severe spinal stenosis, he is in pretty good shape.

Now if we could just get all of his doctors in agreement over his medications we might be doing alright.

It is hot down here and expecting to get only hotter. I think 95 degrees for June 1st is too hot.

I used to think lightning bugs were fairies

2009-05-25T08:11:00.000-07:00

My great niece, Zoie, had a Tinker Bell Birthday Party over the weekend and if anyone looks like a beautiful little sprite it is this child. Sometimes she looks at me out of those beautiful sweet eyes and I see my mother. She is so girly and prissy, but oh so sweet. She was even excited about the hangers that her clothes presents came on. She makes me laugh and she makes me melt. Sweet, sweet child. Then there is her cousin, Connor, who is just as sweet and polite, but all little boy and I love him for it. His little smile makes my heart sing. Isn't it amazing how wonderful children can make you feel? Don't even get me started on Shawn, cause we all know how I can go on and on about that little booger.

I went looking for a present for Zoie (her mother had recommended Tinker Bell wall art as they are redecorating her room in "Tink"), I made a jaunt to Toys R Us because I had visited every other store in town and had just about given up when finally I found a poster which I easily framed. Viola! "Tinker Bell wall-art." See below!

I had to ask one of the clerks to help me find the posters and she said, Are you into "Tinkle Bell?" I said that my great niece was a fan of "Tinker Bell," and she answered back that her daughter loved "Tinkle Bell," too! I laughed all the way back to work.

So here are the latest photos of my sugar booger, you knew I was gonna post em!

Happy Memorial Day

2009-05-25T05:56:00.000-07:00

Memorial Day, originally called Decoration Day, is a day of remembrance for those who have died in our nation's service. There are many stories as to its actual beginnings, with over two dozen cities and towns laying claim to being the birthplace of Memorial Day. There is also evidence that organized women's groups in the South were decorating graves before the end of the Civil War. While Waterloo N.Y. was officially declared the birthplace of Memorial Day by President Lyndon Johnson in May 1966, it's difficult to prove conclusively the origins of the day. It is more likely that it had many separate beginnings; each of those towns and every planned or spontaneous gathering of people to honor the war dead in the 1860's tapped into the general human need to honor our dead, each contributed honorably to the growing movement that culminated in General Logan giving his official proclamation in 1868. It is not important who was the very first, what is important is that Memorial Day was established. Memorial Day is not about division. It is about reconciliation; it is about coming together to honor those who gave their all.

Memorial Day was officially proclaimed on 5 May 1868 by General John Logan, national commander of the Grand Army of the Republic, in his General Order No. 11, and was first observed on 30 May 1868, when flowers were placed on the graves of Union and Confederate soldiers at Arlington National Cemetery. The first state to officially recognize the holiday was New York in 1873. By 1890 it was recognized by all of the northern states. The South refused to acknowledge the day, honoring their dead on separate days until after World War I (when the holiday changed from honoring just those who died fighting in the Civil War to honoring Americans who died fighting in any war). It is now celebrated in almost every State on the last Monday in May to ensure a three day weekend for Federal holidays), though several southern states have an additional separate day for honoring the Confederate war dead: January 19 in Texas, April 26 in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, and Mississippi; May 10 in South Carolina; and June 3 (Jefferson Davis' birthday) in Louisiana and Tennessee.

Traditional observance of Memorial day has diminished over the years. Many Americans nowadays have forgotten the meaning and traditions of Memorial Day. At many cemeteries, the graves of the fallen are increasingly ignored, neglected. Most people no longer remember the proper flag etiquette for the day. While there are towns and cities that still hold Memorial Day parades, many have not held a parade in decades. Some people think the day is for honoring any and all dead, and not just those fallen in service to our country.

There are a few notable exceptions. Since the late 50's on the Thursday before Memorial Day, the 1,200 soldiers of the 3d U.S. Infantry place small American flags at each of the more than 260,000 gravestones at Arlington National Cemetery. They then patrol 24 hours a day during the weekend to ensure that each flag remains standing. In 1951, the Boy Scouts and Cub Scouts of St. Louis began placing flags on the 150,000 graves at Jefferson Barracks National Cemetery as an annual Good Turn, a practice that continues to this day. More recently, beginning in 1998, on the Saturday before the observed day for Memorial Day, the Boys Scouts and Girl Scouts place a candle at each of approximately 15,300 grave sites of soldiers buried at Fredericksburg and Spotsylvania National Military Park on Marye's Heights (the Luminaria Program). And in 2004, Washington D.C. held its first Memorial Day parade in over 60 years.

To help re-educate and remind Americans of the true meaning of Memorial Day, the "National Moment of Remembrance" resolution was passed on Dec 2000 which asks that at 3 p.m. local time, for all Americans "To voluntarily and informally observe in their own way a Moment of remembrance and respect, pausing from whatever they are doing for a moment of silence. The Moment of Remembrance is a step in the right direction to returning the meaning back to the day.

I am blessed with a husband who knows how to make things grow...

2009-05-20T08:07:00.000-07:00

From vegetables to fruits to flowers and my love for him which grows by leaps and bounds day by day.

We are still awaiting the test results from the echo. Thanks for caring.

Eddie's Echocardiogram

2009-05-16T18:44:00.000-07:00

We go Monday for Eddie to have an echo test. He has been having some pitting edema in his legs and medications have not seemed to help. The doctor recommended the echo. I hope nothing is wrong with his heart. He is not experiencing shortness of breath and has never had any palpitations or chest pain, so I wonder if his other medications or even his back problems are causing the edema.

I will let you know.

Great Mother's Day

2009-05-11T06:26:00.001-07:00

I had a wonderful time visiting with two of my most favorite people, both of which call me some version of Mother (one calls me Momma and the other will someday call me Grandy (short for grandmother). I caught a couple of glimpses of the other that lives with these two (Mo-Mo the monster), but only when he wasn't sleeping or working (certainly not enough time for me to capture a photo of him, especially with a baby in my arms at all times).

The bigger/older one of the super duo showered me with presents for Mother's Day (see the photos below) (That's scrapbooking stuff and sugar-free pecan delights, if you can't tell with the naked eye) and all I had to do was buy her lunch and supper, wash three loads of clothes, dry one and a-half loads, and fold a load, unload and load the dishwasher, straighten up the apartment, let her get an extra 2 and a-half hour nap and hold the baby the whole time I was there. Plus I gave her a sappy Happy 1st Mother's Day to my daughter card. Not a bad trade at all.

Here is the latest photo of my chub!

Mother's Day weekend

2009-05-08T16:20:00.000-07:00

This will be my seventh Mother's day without my mother and I still miss her so. I would be with her this weekend if she was still here. I thought I would stay home this weekend and just rest, but Shannon has other plans. Shannon said this is her first Mother's Day and she wants to spend it with me and Shawn. So I guess I will take another trip this weekend too, to see her and my grandson. I guess I will take her out to eat for her Mother's day present. Probably that means going out and getting something and bringing it back to the apartment as it will be so crowded that day at all the restaurants in town. Needless to say I am not cooking, since I am a Momma too!

Happy Mother's Day everybody!

Birthday Party Sunday

2009-04-27T15:37:00.000-07:00

My nephew turns 3 today and we had a party for him yesterday. It was also an excuse to visit with my grandson, although I don't really need an excuse. We had a good time and I think my nephew really enjoyed his party. I had no idea they were having a dinosaur cake and here I picked out a T-Rex outfit and two dinosaurs for his present. I did good! See how I mixed and mingled Shawn's photos all through the party pics, so you wouldn't get bored just having to look at my grandson's mug all the time. I'm nice like that, otherwise you might have been bored stiff. Here are some pics.

More Flowers, more Shawn

2009-04-21T10:47:00.000-07:00

I am totally bummed...

2009-04-15T14:59:00.001-07:00

...that I have to wait til June for the next episode of Saving Grace.

...that I have to wait til Saturday to go to visit my grandson.

...that I don't have a clue as to what I want for dinner.

...that I don't have a book to read (I've read all the ones I had already purchased).

...that it was colder than I expected for today.

...that the local meterologists blow the weather predictions more times than not.

...that I didn't get to go fishing with Eddie this morning (but I would have frozen my tushie off).

...that I have to drive into work tomorrow.

...that I still have a headache and backache.

...that I feel that I have to whine and fuss about such trivial irritations.

I think I will go play Scrabble.

It's springtime and time for gardening...

2009-04-13T17:42:00.000-07:00

The three dogwoods. This reminds me of Good Friday with Jesus and the three crosses.
My crepe myrtles.

Garden spot with cabbage and onions.

Waiting for other seeds.

Tobasco peppers

Jalapeno peppers

Butter beans

Cabbage

Strawberries, tomatoes, and a plant

Tomatoes

Japanese Dogwood

Amarylis

Strawberries

Tomatoes

Gracie's Greybeard

Roses

Cookies

2009-04-13T06:58:00.001-07:00

While at the hospital after my grandson's birth I noticed something. Every time I picked Shawn up and held him close, I smelled cookies. Every time I sniffed his pretty little head near my nose, I smelled cookies. I continuously asked everyone if they smelled cookies and no one but me seemed to catch a whiff of the cookie odor. The little sugar booger smelled just like cookies to me. I couldn't get enough of him. A friend said, it was because "I could just eat him up!" Rightfully so, but my take on the situation is...Momma was holding him just before he was delivered to us. I say that because Momma and I used to make cookies a lot when I was younger and I would like to think she held Shawn and made him smell like cookies for me so I would know that she was there during the hand off. Whatever helps me to rationalize that she was there and a part of this miracle is what I say goes. She can't be here with me in person, so she will be with me here in spirit through cookie smells, clouds, rainbows, and the look in my great niece's eyes, etc. She is all around me and I think of her often, so I know she knows how wonderful I feel being a new grandmother. Boy, what trouble Maw Maw and Shawn could scare up together. Whew! What a thought! I love thinking about it.

HAPPY EASTER

2009-04-12T06:25:00.000-07:00

Patience

2009-04-07T07:19:00.000-07:00

I have always been rather an impatient person. Can't wait for anything, have to have it now type. If anything a grandson who lives two hours away teaches you how to be patient. I am patiently waiting for my husband to finish some work on the house since a tree fell on it so we can put it on the market. I am patiently waiting for my daughter in law to put our house on the market. I am patiently waiting for the house to sell. I am patiently waiting for an opening at the office closer to my grandson that I can apply for. I am patiently waiting for the next weekend that I can go see him. I am patiently waiting for him to be old enough for a car ride to come see his Grandy. So you can see I am trying to be patient, but it doesn't seem to be working so well. I probably will hop in the car and go visit very soon. I guess my gas bill and mileage on the car is going to be astronomical.

How are things going with you guys. Hope everyone has been doing okay since I have been away. Maybe I will get back to a somewhat normal routine now.

Exciting and Exhausting

2009-04-04T15:57:00.000-07:00

I am home, but not without a few shed tears on the way home. I miss my daughter and grandson. I miss looking at his cute face and watching him smile when I call him my little sugar booger. Shannon is doing well after her C-section.

Some pics of my grandbaby

2009-04-01T10:44:00.000-07:00

Baby Shawn

2009-03-25T19:26:00.000-07:00

Today is my grandson's birth date, Wednesday, March 25, 2009. He weighs 9 pounds, 5 ounces and is 21 inches long. Shannon agreed to allow me the honor of posting the first pic.

I'm officially on vacation...

2009-03-21T16:03:00.000-07:00

but I don't know if it should be really considered vacationing. I worked overtime today and got all my cases done. I am headed to my daughter's Tuesday (I have a dental appt. Monday) to go with her for her stress test. We will know sometime that afternoon whether she will have a C-section on Wednesday or if she will just be induced. I am washing clothes and spending time with Eddie since I will be away for two weeks. Then when I get to my daughter's I expect to hit the ground running as I will be trying to take care of my daughter and her husband so they can take care of "my little man."

Can't wait to see him. Wow, it's not gonna be long now. Will let you all know.

Visitation, and Baby update

2009-03-17T17:52:00.001-07:00

Went to the funeral home for the visitation of my friend's wife. There were a lot of people there. Lots of flowers. Lots of hugging and crying. Sad times. I ordered a red and white spray and after I got there and was looking at the flowers I remembered they were Auburn fans, but a lot of other people ordered red and white flowers as well, so I don't feel so bad. My friend said that he woke up this morning and his wife's dog that was in the car with her when she died was sitting on the front porch. It took him two days to get home and 11 miles, but he came home. Very touching.

For my baby update, we have no baby and probably won't until next Wednesday. He has not budged and there is no change from last week's report. The doctor said if Shannon does not go into labor by next Tuesday, he will do a sonogram to check Shawn's size and if he is over 8 pounds at that time the doctor will schedule Shannon for a C-section on Wednesday, the 25th.

That's all for now folks. Hope you all had a great St. Patrick's day.

Top of the Mornin' to ya!

2009-03-17T06:36:00.000-07:00

Faith and Begorah, it's St. Patty's Day! Here's hoping that you always take the high road! Cheers!

Night-time phone calls for all the wrong reasons

2009-03-16T09:24:00.000-07:00

I got woke up at 2:38a.m. this morning, thinking it was Shannon, telling me to come 'cause the baby was on the way, but no, it was a friend/neighbor telling me that his wife had died. I thought he meant she had just died and was right there in the room with him, but no, he said she had died coming home from work somewhere between 6:00 and 7:00p.m. and was in a car wreck (but the police officer told him she was already dead when the wreck happened, I guess she had a heart attack. The friend said his wife had told him she was not feeling well before she went to work). So why was he calling our house at 2:38p.m.? He says he didn't mean to wake us up, but that he just couldn't sleep and had been out looking for his wife's dog (I think she took the dog with her to work and the dog somehow got out of the car at the wreck site). I think the man was a little overwrought which is understandable. So I humored him and said the appropriate sentiments that you say during someones time of bereavement. I really can't remember what I said cause I was half asleep when I was saying them, but I didn't hurry him off the phone or anything like that. Afterwards, Eddie and I were unable to go back to sleep so we got up and I made breakfast and we watched a little television. Then we both were zoned out and took a nap, which has made me even more weary, blurry-eyed and just not functional. Why does that seem to happen?

Beware The Ides of March

2009-03-15T10:06:00.000-07:00

The Ides of March is the name of the date 15 March in the Roman calendar. The term ides was used for the 15th day of the months of March, May, July and October, and the 13th day of the other eight months. In Roman times, the Ides of March was a festive day dedicated to the god Mars and a military parade was usually held.

In modern times, the term Ides of March is best known as the date that Julius Caesar was assassinated, in 44 BC, the story of which was famously dramatised in William Shakespeare's play Julius Caesar. The term has come to be used as a metaphor for impending doom.

I have another use for the term Ides of March, for that is the day that my husband and I conceived Shannon 24 years ago. I was having trouble conceiving and had to use a temperature chart and take fertility meds and was well aware of the exact date she was conceived. My pregnancy wasn't confirmed by the doctor until April 6th, but I knew way before then.

I think it would be cute if Shawn was born on this date because of the connection, but if it is not meant to be, maybe he could be born on Tuesday which is St. Patty's day.

Shannon I want you to remember that I recommended you name Shawn (Sean Patrick), but whatever. If he's born Tuesday the 17th, I might just have to call him Patrick. LOL

I am still patiently (but excitedly anxiously) awaiting the birth of my first grandchild.

My husband left me...

2009-03-11T05:44:00.000-07:00

yep, you heard it right...my husband has left me. I am here at the house by myself with two dogs, 10 Barred Rock pullets and 3 Barred Rock cockerels and the television blaring "Cheyenne" on the western channel

AND HE LEFT ME!

He has...

and left me here to work.

I couldn't go with him because I need to get as many cases done as possible before my trip to stay with Shannon when she has my grandson, Shawn. I couldn't leave because I don't have a cell phone in case Shannon calls to tell me she has gone into labor. So I am kinda sad that he left me for happier pursuits which don't include me, but I'm happy for him and he will be ecstatic if he catches some big bream.

*On a sad note, please pray for the families that lost loved ones due to the rampage shooting spree in South Alabama yesterday. It is tragic to lose a loved one to any reason, but to lose a family member due to some stranger's anger seems to me would be life-shattering.

Today, in history, March 10

2009-03-10T16:25:00.000-07:00

On March 10, 1876, Alexander Graham Bell conducted a successful experiment with the telephone. This breakthrough, during which he uttered his famous directive to his assistant, Thomas Watson, is recorded in the March 10 entry of his Lab Notebook.

What do you think AGB would say about the cell phones of today?

Identity of Loss

2009-03-09T09:32:00.000-07:00

I read this in a book. I knew I had been suffering, but had no point of reference, and had no idea that something like this actually existed: “Identity of Loss” – or how loosing someone in one’s life causes a change in that person’s identity.

“I’m me, but I’m not me anymore. I am someone else, someone else without Anita in my life.”

Anita was my mother. My beautiful, engaging, tender-hearted mother, she was the life source from which energy flowed through me. She infused my soul with longing for better things. She uplifted me with her resonant harmony and happiness. She was as strong as steel, as soft as a feather, as pleasingly tasteful to the senses as listening to a symphony or biting into the ripest of fruit on a hot summer day. “She was my muse. I lost who I was the day she died. I had to become someone else.”

First and foremost, I became the adult female figure for my daughter. She, nor I, would be able to look to my mother for solace, comfort, and guidance ever again. How sad is that? I had now become the matriarch of my family and the one who had to fulfill that role for my daughter from then on. I was devastated for mine and Shannon’s sake, because being truthful as I can be, I will never come anywhere near the stature of the woman that my mother was.

Secondly, I became an orphan that day, as both my parents were now deceased and I, as such, became “parentless.” What a terrible thing to be, even at 45 years of age. I hate it. “I envy others who still have their parents living among them. I know that is a selfish attitude. My mother would say I was just being “gutty.”” I know death is inevitable, but I wish it hadn’t come for them so soon.

Third on this list, I was reeling from other life-altering events in my life, among them, the murder of my three Yorkshire puppies, Chester, Toto, and Pixie. The dogs’ murders ultimately led to the final death throes of my marriage to my ex-husband as he is bi-polar. I will add here, that the murder of the dogs was the catalyst for the actual pursuit of divorce, but by no means was it the sole reason for the destruction of the marriage, there were much more devastating character/esteem crushing blows of which I had endured for years (I won’t go into all the gory details). In any event, I had shaped my world to fit around those parameters (Can you say Chameleon?), but when my universe came crashing down around me (particularly, my Momma’s death), I ceased to exist as I had previously, (I couldn’t fake it anymore), I truly became a different person with a different outlook on life. I could no longer just accept a dull, non-existent marriage as enough for me for the rest of my life here on earth.

Some of my friends/relatives still seem to harbor some resentment and don’t have a clue as to what happened (it’s as if they feel I abandoned them.) I am always asking myself, “Were they not sitting in the funeral home with me? Could they not tell that I was dying inside? All because the one woman who could have consoled me during my time of grief was the one woman lying in the casket and that woman would never be able to console me, ever again).” I was totally bereft. They don’t seem to realize that for me the only way forward, the only way for me to survive the trauma was to become someone else; to adapt, which meant changing my surroundings (habitat) and shaking off my old ways and redirecting my persona in a totally different pattern.

However, in the midst of all this, God was looking out for me, he sent me someone I could love who loved me back, just the way I am (flaws and all) without wishing me to be any other way. This man truly loves me for me. He is very grounded and down to earth and keeps my feet firmly planted. But, as it goes, you know when you fall in love, you change (as if you are learning new dance steps with a new partner), with subtle nuances which alter the way you feel and act. And so I was changed, yet again.

Since then I have also had GBS surgery and lost approximately 120 pounds. That is mood, mind, and life-altering in and of itself. I have effectively changed my body, as well as my mind, to accept a healthier viewpoint of living. Therefore, I am not so focused on food, and as such, the food-ritualistic holiday family gatherings. The changes in my physical being (shape) and personality (mindset) have so completely transformed me into another person, that at times I don’t think people who knew me before quite know what to make of me. It’s strange how people (even within the same family) react differently to trauma/death and so forth. I tell myself repeatedly that when my Momma died, it also changed/affected the other people in my life, altering their life course as well.

Just suffice it to say, I am a new and different being from the person I was before. I am changed, but hopefully enough of me, still resides here in this mind and body that I am recognizable to the ones who matter and that is because my love for you has never changed, it’s still planted right here in my heart where it has always been.

Grapenuts with milk = stomach pains for this post GBS patient

2009-03-09T06:25:00.001-07:00

I knew I shouldn't have had the milk, even if it is just skim milk. Why am I still so sensitive to milk 16 months out from surgery? Other people get to drink milk! Whine!!! Whine!!! I love milk and I can't have it, whine!!! whine!!!

Then I just had to add Grape Nuts cereal to the mix and man, oh man, what a stomach pain. It feels like Civil War artillery/cannons are going off in my abdominal cavity. Not a pleasant feeling and on top of all that I have developed a headache and a twitch in my right eye. Sounds lovely, right? You should have to see it and hear it, LOL!!

I have posted before that cheese, milk, potatoes make my stomach hurt, and of course, anything sugary. Get this, some people don't have that problem at all, but I am somewhat grateful that I do, so I tend to not even try to eat those fattening foods. If I do try something fattening or new, I get the "foamies" which start with me having a runny nose and sometimes end up being full blown retching of what I call "lather" bubbling up from my pouch/stoma. I don't do this all the time, but if I eat too fast, or eat too much, or eat the wrong things, this can happen.

I'm gonna go take something for my headache and lay down for a few minutes and see if that will help all these symptoms subside. What a morning.

I am reading "Barefoot" by Elin Hilderbrand

2009-03-08T15:59:00.001-07:00

This excerpt I found somewhat amusing, as my (38 weeks) pregnant daughter, Shannon, nears her due date. This is for you, Shannon.

Vicki had entered into motherhood wholly unprepared. She had woken up confused when the nurse brought the baby into feed on the night he was born. The reality had sunk in, gradually, over the past four and a half years. This child is my responsibility. Mine. For the rest of my life.

Being a mother was the best of all human experiences, and also the most excruciating. Getting the baby to nurse, getting the baby to eat solids, getting the baby to sleep, the teething, the crying, the crawling, into everything, can't take my eyes off him for a second, a whole roll of toilet paper stuffed into the toilet, the first steps, the falling, the trips to the emergency room (Does he need stitches?), the Cheerios that stuck together and nearly choked him, the weaning from the breast, the bottle, the pacifier, the grating squeal of Elmo's voice, the first play-date, the hitting, the grabbing, the first word, Dada (Dada?), the second word, mine, the earaches, the diaper rash, the croup. It was a constant drone, all day, every day, occupying Vicki's hands, her eyes, her mind. Invasion of the Body Snatchers. Who did she used to be? She couldn't remember.

I'm not saying you are unprepared, I am saying that all first mothers are totally unprepared, even though you have been preparing for what seems like forever. I certainly was unprepared. You will find that this little baby boy is going to monopolize your every thought and deed for years to come, as well he should, and that's a good thing. I wouldn't take anything for the years I had with you, baby. You made my life complete.

It is funny that this excerpt only entails four and a half years time as that is the age of the character's oldest son, but I will tell you that she has not even entered into the hardest part yet. The teenage years are what undermines most parents. That's when the parents start getting gray hair and wrinkles. Teaching the child how to drive and then letting them take the car for their first joy ride by themselves. How excruciating. That was one of the most terrifying for me. Then how about letting them date, the constant worrying sets in then. The fool kids want to go off for Spring Break by themselves and then off to college. What a heartache? What a headache? But, so goes The Wonderful World of Parenthood." I hope you enjoy it as much as I did. Love you, My Sweetie Pea!

Love,
Momma Goose

New pics of one of my baby chicks...

2009-03-08T13:11:00.001-07:00

or should I say turkey buzzard. She is in the middle of loosing her fuzz and growing feathers.

This is how she looked when we got her at three days old.

This is how she looks now...

And this is how she is supposed to look full grown.

unless she/he is one of the roosters and she/he will look like this...

Daylight Savings Time and me don't mix

2009-03-08T10:44:00.000-07:00

I don't mind falling back in the fall, but springing forward in the spring is cruel. I don't like losing sleep period, whether it's one hour or one minute. I would rather get my full eight hours or more. I am crabby without my shut-eye. I got up and made breakfast, then went over my Sunday school lesson one more time and then got ready. I had a cute little navy blue and white dress with a navy blue sweater and navy blue flats with little bows on them. I wore my pearl earrings and wore my hair curly. I went to Sunday school and church and then hurried back home. I made lunch for Eddie and I. Now I am sitting in front of the computer, but I am very dull and sleepy. I think I will go take a nap. Happy Snoozing, ya'll!

Firestarter

2009-03-07T16:00:00.000-08:00

Eddie and I picked up sticks and then burnt them. We set them on fire. We built a bonfire with the limbs stacked on top of each other. The flames licked at the wood, crackling and roaring, consuming all the sticks we piled together. I wish I had some more to burn. I did not know I was a firebug!

Up early...

2009-03-07T05:23:00.000-08:00

Up early and going to town. We are headed to G'Ville for breakfast and supplies. Probably will hit Wal-Market while we are there as we always do.

The chickens are growing. I need to take new pictures to post. They look like little buzzards right this minute. They are losing their fuzz (cuteness).

We are going to try and keep busy cleaing out the kitchen of the big house. Shannon if you need to call I will be checking the answering machine periodically just to be on the safe side.

Talk at you guys later. Got places to go and things to do, busy, busy, busy.

Pregnancy Watch 2009

2009-03-04T07:13:00.001-08:00

For those of you who do not know, my daughter is 37 weeks pregnant.

She came down with a stomach virus yesterday and was violently ill. She had stomach pains which somewhat mimicked labor pains, so she called her doctor. He asked her to come into L&D for evaluation instead of going to ER as she is so close to term. She was put on an IV drip (two bags) as she was dehydrated and they found her to be anemic, so she has been instructed to take an iron supplement. He gave her some medication (Zofran) for the nausea and in the middle of the night sent her home. She is currently at home resting.

As for now, no baby yet...

Who else watches "Saving Grace?"

2009-03-03T11:30:00.001-08:00

I know the show is rated MA for mature audiences and the show infers Grace's lack of belief in God. However, this series infuses us with a sense that deep down Grace's religion is a part of her and even though she has seen hard times that make her question her faith, God is inher heart. The show alludes that Earl, her last chance angel, is fighting for her even though she continues with her amoral pursuits which are a part of her sinful nature, but that he is there to serve her at God's bequest, as he feels that even though she is with sin, that she is worth saving as she saves other's lives everyday as a Oklahoma police detective.

I love Holly Hunter!

I'm close!

2009-03-01T12:31:00.000-08:00

I'm close, REAL close, to having 4,000 visitors who have read my blog. From 54 countries no less, but I gather that I have probably visited my own blog at least a thousand times, ha ha!

Thanks for reading mine. I hope to read all of yours someday.

Snowy, cold, blustery weather screams for hot chocolate

2009-03-01T09:09:00.000-08:00

The wind is howling down my chimney and the snow is falling. It's cold and dreary.

Puts me in mind of a warm fire, hot chocolate, and snuggling under a blanket with a good book.

I breathe in the fragrant aroma as I sip at my mug of hot cocoa, mmmmm, such a nice relaxing scent. The flavor is exquisite and the heat radiates warmth all the way to my tummy.

Hope you have a nice Sunday as I am nice and cozy, snoozing by the fire.

Free Personal signatures - cool!

2009-03-01T07:14:00.001-08:00

TEXTAREA_ID

Self CPR? It really can save your life!

2009-02-27T16:06:00.000-08:00

I thought I was reading the National Enquirer when I read an article on this, but after checking with a certified medical cardiologist, it dawned on me that this could be really helpful for rural folks especially. Called the cough CPR, it sounds impossible but it's very true and does indeed work! If you read this please pass it on to someone else and especially anyone that may be at high risk for a heart attack. If we can save just one life, it will be worth the effort.

Let's just consider a very possible scenario, say it's late afternoon and you're driving home alone after work and you've had an unusually hard day. You're tired, upset, and frustrated both physically and emotionally. All of a sudden you start experiencing severe pain in your chest and it starts to radiate out into your arms and into your jaw. The nearest hospital is seven miles away and you really don't think you can make it that far. You've been trained in CPR, but not for yourself. Since many people are alone when they suffer a heart attack, this is what you should do. Act quickly because without help you can lose consciousness in as short as ten seconds. You can help yourself by coughing repeatedly and very vigorously. A deep breath should be taken before each cough and the cough should be deep and prolonged, like when you're trying to clear mucus from deep inside your lungs when you have a bad chest cold. This needs to be repeated every two seconds without letting up until help arrives or until your heart starts to beat normal again.

Deep breaths get oxygen into the lungs and coughing squeezes the heart keeping blood circulating. The squeezing pressure on the heart also helps it regain normal rhythm. This should allow you time to get to a hospital in time to save your life. Please pass this on!

I wanted Mexican for lunch, but I had half a panini turkey from DQ

2009-02-25T15:54:00.000-08:00

I am going to critique the new turkey panini at DQ. It had way too much mayo. There was also too much lettuce, but the turkey tasted good. I was only able to eat half. It was a large sandwich, but cost about $4.

I would have been happier with some salsa/chips and a chicken taco, but Eddie was not hankering for Mexican chow today.

I am currently reading...Whistling in the Dark

Some new (random) pics

2009-02-22T15:21:00.001-08:00

The scrapbook page I referred to in my last blog.

How do you like my coffee mug plant?

The baby chicks.

Don't let the sunshine fool ya...

2009-02-22T14:10:00.000-08:00

Wow, even though it is gorgeously sunny out this afternoon, the wind has a bitter bite. Makes me shiver to the bone.

The chickens are all nestled up together in one tiny corner of their box under a flood lamp to keep warm. They are so cute. One has a blonde top and we call him Dennis as in Rodman. They spread their little wings out and run from one end of the box to the other. That, and the patter of little chicken feet and constant peeping sounds is hilariously funny to me. I could sit and watch them all day long.

Roger was not feeling well this morning, so church services were cancelled. That's what you get when you go to a very small (and I do mean small) church. So Eddie and I went to Marvin's and Wal-Mart. We bought all the Diet Twist-ups they had. We had lunch at Sonic.

When we got home we went and looked at the plants in the greenhouse that have already started budding out. Eddie has such a green thumb. I am all thumbs, but they are not green.

I made a scrapbook page. I will have to take a picture and post on a future blog.

I have Gladiator with Russell Crowe on the television (muted) and am mostly reading, but as Eddie is playing with his airplanes and listening to Oldies music I am somewhat distracted with all the surrounding peeps, scratches, thumps, and movement. Not to mention, the thugs and their boom-boxes blaring going up and down the road 50 million times a second. it's such a madhouse.

We are having sausage and butterbeans for supper with cornbread, tomatoes and onions. Come join us, but we might not have enough to go around. It's like slopping hogs around here as we devour the delicious, delectible dishes we concoct. We don't deliver, I say, we don't deliver. Shannon, you will just have to bring your pregnant self down here to have a heaping helping of goodness on a plate. Mmmm hmmmm, I know you are hankering for some of my homecooked delicacies. Maybe when I come up there, when you have Shawn, I will make you something scrumptious to eat.

Just now a guy from up the road has come by to holler at Eddie, so I will go for now. I have to go check the butterbeans. Talk at ya later. Have a great sunny Sunday.

My new baby chicks

2009-02-18T09:50:00.000-08:00

I just finished reading...

2009-02-18T08:59:00.001-08:00

It made me laugh, it made me cry, it made me reminisce about my teenage years (riding bikes, roller skating, etc.). Wow, the book effectively mind-ported me back to the 70's. It made me miss my friends, my mom, and my daughter. This is a good chick book, I don't know why they haven't made a movie yet. I certainly want my daughter to read it, but it is so close to her due date, if she doesn't read it within the next few weeks, I'm afraid she won't be able to read it for a long while once MLM "my little man" (Shawn) is born.

I wholeheartedly recommend this book for a good read.

The soon upcoming arrival of my grandson has me looking at baby pictures...

2009-02-17T09:29:00.000-08:00

Here are a few baby pics of me, I wonder if Shawn will look anything like my side of the family?

Did anyone else have Pixy Pin-Ups taken? That's the photographer who did the photos below. Mother constantly had them made of me and then we changed and started going to Olin-Mills for our photo-shots. I don't know if Pixy Pin-ups folded up their operation or why we stopped using them. After Shannon was born, I always took her to Sears for her annual photos.

I was born two months premature (3 pounds, 10 1/2 oz.). I had to stay in the hospital for two months and they let me leave before I had gained up to 5 pounds (that was a prerequisite back then to go home). Daddy says they brought me home in a shoebox. The nurse at the hospital was Mrs. McNutt and I was aptly nicknamed Pea-Nutt, as she was my caregiver during my stay at the hospital. (I wonder if that's why I don't like hospitals now.) Mother said I looked small for my age for years. I actually shocked some people when they would see such a little tyke as me walking around, or so she said. I was probably between two and three years old in these photos, they are not dated, and I can't remember how old mother said I was when they were taken. I'm just guessing, because of how many teeth I had. I might have been younger, who knows?

Ladybug Bracelets

2009-02-14T16:06:00.000-08:00

My cousin is the teacher for a group of church cheerleaders called the Ladybugs. She wanted to make them something with ladybugs on it. I made bracelets for her and all the girls.

Valentine's Day Party at work

2009-02-13T16:31:00.000-08:00

Okay, all you readers/stalkers out there...

2009-02-11T14:27:00.000-08:00

My daughter is chomping at the bit for someone to read her blog, so she has asked me to promote her new blog page. Go say hi!

Shannon

It's Wednesday, what's for supper?

2009-02-11T11:30:00.000-08:00

I have been washing clothes, working, rummaging around trying to find Valentine's decorations that I know are somewhere in the house or down at the big house (but I have yet to find), fighting the wind (it is horrendous today. We are supposed to get rain, but other than a couple of sprinkles, it just hasn't happened), cursing creditors (why do we get bills in the mail every single day), and drinking lots of fluids to stave off the hungries. It seems the hungries are winning though because now my mind is focusing on what to have for dinner although I just got through eating lunch. Not much of a lunch - Southwestern Tortilla Soup. Why do they call it that? There certainly aren't any tortillas in the soup, if there were it might taste better. The black beans tasted like dirt and I quit eating it halfway through the portion I served cause it just wasn't tasty. Back to the creditors, why don't they all send the bills at the very first of the month and give us the rest of the month to pay them. I hate getting bills and I don't really like getting junk mail and that includes store flyers and catalogues. I love getting cards and letters from friends and family, but those are very far and few between even if I count emails. I think that's why I blog so much. I want other bloggers to comment to me, so I can read them. Back to the quandry of what to have for supper, I guess we will have to have spaghetti. That sounds good and spicy to me. Eddie will just have to like it or lump it. He is not much of a spaghetti eater.

Ciao, baby! Good eats!

Happy Twosday

2009-02-10T05:53:00.000-08:00

Hope you have twice the fun, twice the happiness, twice the pleasure, twice the love twoday. Hope you have a twin-kling of these same wishes for twomorrow.

Manic Monday 2-9-09 Valentine's Style

2009-02-09T06:11:00.000-08:00

What is your favorite candy?

It was Russell Stover's Pecan Delights (Turtles), but since GBS surgery, I don't eat candy, sugar makes me sick (dumping syndrome).

Kalea_Kane stated in her blog that she loves Bazooka bubble gum, me too! Nothing compares. Double Bubble doesn't even come close. GBS patients are not supposed to chew gum either. SIGH!!!

Name one thing that you'd want to receive as a gift for Valentine's day.

I would be happy with just a a mushy romantic card, but if I received a small cute stuffed animal, a home-cooked meal prepared by my hubby with love and one red carnation, I think would just complete the day all round.

Can we truly love someone who loves another?

We can truly love someone who loves another. Unrequited love has gone on for centuries. It is one of the most hardest things a person can do. To see the object of my affection giving his attention to another would be truly devastating, but it happens to the best of us. Why, I don't know. I am happy and secure in my love for my husband and that he reciprocates my love ten fold. That is the most joyous feeling in the world.

I hope all of you experience that kind of love in your lifetime.

The following is a copy of a blog I posted a couple of Valentine's ago. I think this suffices for what my Valentine's Day will be like, I hope:

I have found that what I used to consider a "romantic" Valentine's Day is just not as romantic as I once thought. Being married to a "country boy" has changed my way of thinking.

A "city guy" will buy you a Valentine's card from the Hallmark store, but a "country boy" will carve your initials in a heart on the old oak tree in the back yard.

A "city guy" will buy you a dozen expensive cut red roses, but a "country boy" will plant you a row of daffodils outside your window so you can gaze at their beautiful yellow glow every year in the early spring.

A "city guy" will buy you a box of expensive chocolates, but a "country boy" will make you a batch of brownies with fudge icing because he knows how much you love them.

A "city guy" will take you to an expensive restaurant and wine and dine you, but a "country boy" will take you for a ride in his 4WD truck down by the lake to have a picnic under the stars.

A "city guy" will take you to the latest movie out in the theater, but a "country boy" will sit with you for hours gazing at a full moon whispering how much he loves you.

I don't particularly mean to diminish in any way what a "city guy" can come up with for a "romantic" Valentine's Day scenario, but now that I am a "country boy's" wife, I guess my tastes have changed. I love my country boy so much, he is the love of my life and now that I have found him, I can't bear the thought of living a day without him. He makes my life worth living.

Now that I have told you what a "romantic" Valentine's Day entails for me and my "country boy," please reply to my blog and let me know what you consider to be a "romantic" Valentine's Day for you.

I have a pain in the neck

2009-02-06T17:10:00.000-08:00

OKAY...I know what your thinking!!!! I said I have a pain in the neck, not that I am one!!! Although I can be at times.

I came home with a pain in my right shoulder. I guess I held it wrong typing or slept on it wrong, but it didn't start hurting until this afternoon late. Since I got home the pain has moved up into the back of my neck. I am going to go take some Tylenol. I hope I feel better quickly.

I am planning to work tomorrow.

Hope you all have a wonderful weekend.

Started back up with Netflix; Eddie's complaints; and my reading lists...

2009-02-03T16:00:00.000-08:00

We set up 2 movies at a time with Netflix, we ordered on Tuesday and received the movies on Thursday. We watched "The Invasion" with Nicole Kidman the other night and the other movie we got which is on hold til Eddie feels better is "The Assassination of Jesse James" with Brad Pitt. We enjoy watching movies, but we have a little bit of a difference of opinion on what we like. Eddie, as you probably guessed it, is a Steven Segal/Jean Claude Van Damme type of a guy, where as I am a "Must Love Dogs" kinda girl. Who knew? So we have a little trouble coming up with movies that we both will enjoy watching together, but we are making it. Keep your fingers crossed that we can keep up with this movie-time "camaraderie" feeling.

Eddie is still reeling from his painful gout attack. He looks so pitiful "hobbling" around. We are supposed to visit the doctor tomorrow to test for rheumatoid arthritis. We are praying that he is not also saddled with this disabling condition along with everything else.

Tell me what new "good" book you're currently reading.

I am currently reading:

The Last Summer of You and Me

I have 11 books I have bought which are in line to read:

Me & Emma
An Angel for Emily
A Woman's Place
Time is a River
Sunset
Someday
Summer
Sunrise
Sundays at Tiffany's
The Shack
Change of Heart

I also want to check out the following books to see if they may be worth reading (I know nothing about any of these books other than their titles and am not recommending them at this time, just stating I will be checking each one out for reading worthiness in the near future):

The Giving Tree
Lighten Up
The Ultimate Gift
Sister Eternal
Broken Things to Mend
The Someday List
Fireflies in December

Happy Groundhog Day!

2009-02-02T06:25:00.001-08:00

The celebration of Groundhog Day began with Pennsylvania's earliest settlers. They brought with them the legend of Candlemas Day, which states, "For as the sun shines on Candlemas Day, so far will the snow swirl in May..."

Baskets for Office Charity Club Valentine's Luncheon

2009-02-01T11:59:00.000-08:00

I made these baskets to sell at our Valentine Charity Luncheon set for Friday, February 13th. Each basket includes a stuffed animal, a candle, candy, conversation hearts, heart- shaped memo pad and flower-dy pen, and a balloon with a card. That just about covers everything except flowers, I think. Hopefully some of the office workers will buy them for their "honey" and then we will use the money towards our Charity Club donation at the end of the year. Do you think a $15.00 price is too expensive for these baskets?

What is Gout Anyway?

2009-01-28T16:01:00.001-08:00

gout - an acute, recurrent disease characterized by painful inflammation of the joints, chiefly those in the feet and hands, and esp. in the great toe, and by an excess of uric acid in the blood.

I had to take Eddie to the doctor this morning as he was in much pain and his right foot was so swollen he could not wear his shoe. He hobbled into the doctors office and had to get a shot and was given a round of Prednisone. He is not a happy camper. This is similar to Eddie's current outlook:

It's only Jan. 27th, but I don't think Spring is very far away

2009-01-27T08:17:00.000-08:00

I base springtime on when the daffodils start blooming and guess what, Eddie's King Alfred's are blooming.

Running in an effort to catch up...

2009-01-26T16:51:00.000-08:00

I have felt a little behind all day long. Lagging too far behind is not how I like to spend my time. When will I get it together?

I didn't post yesterday...

2009-01-25T08:38:00.001-08:00

cause I was so busy doing this...

They say it's my birthday...

2009-01-22T16:22:00.000-08:00

I am 52, howdydoo. Another day older...I don't feel old. Eddie seems to like me the way I am, so I'm not too worried about it.

My co-workers gave me presents and took me out to lunch. A friend's great niece was born this morning on my birthday, but they are not going to name her after me, shucks. Eddie lavished me with presents and a wonderful birthday card. He also is making me grilled steak and peas, my favorite. I am taking off tomorrow to make all the food for the baby tea, so all in all it's been a great birthday for me.

January 22nd is a pretty good day.

What a difference a day makes

2009-01-21T12:43:00.000-08:00

Last night I felt as if a MAC truck had run over me, but I feel better today. Don't know if it was a "spell" or what, just felt "plain tuckered out." I am ready to feel better and I do to most extent and purposes.

I am excited and apprehensive about the upcoming baby "Tea." I am joyful about having my first grandson. I am happy that we will celebrate with Shannon on Shawn's upcoming arrival, but I am worried we won't have enough food, etc. That is always a worry for me, but we always have double enough. I guess what I am wanting is Shannon to have such a good turn out of people that we will run out of food. Yeah, that's what I am worried about. Hope she gets a gazillion presents that are just what she needs.

I am going to go wrap some more presents and attend to last minute details. See ya later.

Today this is how I feel

2009-01-20T18:06:00.000-08:00

Baby Safari Zebra Favor Boxes and Baby Album

2009-01-19T16:47:00.000-08:00

I marked the plain white boxes to make 'em zebra striped. I wrapped the gifts for Shawn in jungle animal wrapping paper. I scrapped the plain photo pages with jungle motif.

I am making chicken salad with pecans and grapes, potato salad, and cheese balls. My SIL is making sausage balls. My cousin is making punch and mints. My nieces are getting a veggie/fruit tray. Shannon's MIL is making deviled eggs. I think it is going to be a "roaring" good time. The next photos will be after the tea on Saturday.

Another trip to the doctor

2009-01-19T10:28:00.000-08:00

Took Eddie back to the doctor. They are changing up his medications again to see if he can get some pain relief. The doctor recommended weight loss and if that doesn't help, then they will try surgery. We will get another opinion in the meantime. He also has to see the rheumatologist to see if he has RA.

This is how I spent most of my holiday off from work.

Safari Baby Tea Decor

2009-01-17T16:14:00.000-08:00

I said I wasn't going to post pre pics of the baby tea decor (the tea is set for the 24th), but I can't help it, I think the diaper cake (that my friend Velta helped me make) and the floral arrangement I made are gorgeous, if I do say so myself.

An Award For Me!

2009-01-16T16:16:00.001-08:00

An Award for Me!

My blogging friend, Amanda K., over at My Remodeled Life is a fantastic person and a great blogger/photographer. She gave me this award:

Here are the rules for the Honest Scrap award -

The honorees are to:

A) first list 10 honest things about yourself - and make it interesting, even if that means digging deep!

B) pass the award on to 7 bloggers that you feel embody the spirit of the Honest Scrap.

Simple. Or not.

#1 I absolutely adore getting awards. I am so shallow and vain.

#2 You asked for honesty, so here goes, my newest hairdo is a wig! No, I didn't just tell all of you that!

#3 Somedays I check my blog every 30 minutes or so to see if someone has read my blog and commented. I am so shallow and vain.

#4 In honor of Amanda K. and her roadkill moose story. My ex used to call me "Moose," like the guy in the Archie comic books and I actually liked the nickname.

#5 I make good money at my job, but I would love to own my own decorating business and make big money at it. There's the rub, it takes money to make money and I don't have any.

#6 I don't have any money.

#7 My house is always a wreck because I don't like to clean house, so if you are coming for a visit, give me a two hour heads-up if you don't want to sit around in knee-deep dust and washed, but not-folded clothes.

#8 I would love to work for a publishing company as an editor. I could read books all day long. Sigh!!!

#9 I lay beside Eddie at night and watch him sleep/listen to him snore and love him even more because of it. I could eat him up like ice cream. Yeah, too honest I presume.

#10 I wear my bras for two or three days before washing them so they don't wear out as fast.

Here are my picks for awardees:
http://enroutetolife.blogspot.com/
http://angie-beem.blogspot.com/
http://asimplecountrylife.blogspot.com/
http://artonalimb.blogspot.com/
http://gingerjar-gingerjar.blogspot.com/
http://blarneyspot.blogspot.com/
http://boodasbusiness.blogspot.com/

I Believe,,,

2009-01-16T15:56:00.000-08:00

I Believe..
A Birth Certificate shows that we were born.
A Death Certificate shows that we died.
Pictures show that we lived!

Have a seat . . . Relax . . . And read this slowly.......

I Believe...
That just because two people argue, that doesn't mean they don't love each other. And just because they don't argue, that doesn't mean they do love each other.

I Believe...
That sometimes when I'm angry I have the right to be angry, but that doesn't give me the right to be cruel.

I Believe...
That we don't have to change friends if we understand that friends change.

I Believe...
That no matter how good a friend is, they're going to hurt you every once in a while and you must forgive them for that.

I Believe....
That true friendship continues to grow, even over the longest distance. Same goes for true love.

I Believe...
That you can do something in an instant that will give you heartache for life.

I Believe...
That it's taking me a long time to become the person I want to be.

I Believe...
That you should always leave loved ones with loving words. It may be the last time you see them.

I Believe...
That you can keep going long after you think you can't.

I Believe...
That we are responsible for what we do, no matter how we feel.

I Believe.....
That either you control your attitude or it controls you.

I Believe...
That heroes are the people who do what has to be done when it needs to be done, regardless of the consequences.

I Believe...
That money is a lousy way of keeping score.

I Believe...
That my best friend and I can do anything, or nothing, and have the best time.

I Believe...
That sometimes the people you expect to kick you when you're down will be the ones to help you get back up.

I Believe...
That maturity has more to do with what types of experiences you've had, and what you've learned from them.....and less to do with how many birthdays you've celebrated.

I Believe...
That it isn't always enough to be forgiven by others. Sometimes, you have to learn to forgive yourself.

I Believe...
That no matter how bad your heart is broken the world doesn't stop for your grief.

I Believe...
That our background and circumstances may have influenced who we are, but we are responsible for who we become.

I Believe...
That you shouldn't be so eager to find out a secret. It could change your life forever.

I Believe...
Two people can look at the exact same thing and see something totally different.

I Believe...
That your life can be changed in a matter of hours by people who don't even know you.

I Believe...
That even when you think you have no more to give, if a friend cries out to you........you will find the strength to help.

I Believe...
That credentials on the wall do not make you a decent human being.

I Believe...
That the people you care about most in life are taken from you too soon.

The happiest of people don't necessarily have the best of everything; they just make the most of everything. Thank you God for all the wonderful people who help us throughout the journey of life.

I went in to work today...

2009-01-15T17:06:00.000-08:00

If you don't already know, I work three days a week at home Monday through Wednesday and then drive in on Thursdays and Fridays. This week I was sick Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday and did not work even here at home. I felt so bad I just couldn't think to work. So today I drove in, still sniffling and sneezing, coughing and such. Everybody probably wishes I hadn't showed up, but I tried to stay in my office as much as possible. It is cold out, but not as cold as they said it would get. We will see if we get down to 14 tonight as some of the forecasters predicted. I am not to hep about the meterologists on either of our local stations we watch. They just can't seem to get it right.

Hope everyone is doing okay, better than me.

This is one of the photos you get when you google images for Jan. 14th

2009-01-14T15:04:00.000-08:00

I find the flower interesting. Isn't this a rose? The painting shows texture and depth. I wish I could paint. Maybe I will take up painting as a hobby. Do you think it would be relaxing and therapeutic or nerve-racking trying to get it just right?

Well, it was inevitable, I got the New Year's Crud!

2009-01-13T10:50:00.000-08:00

I'm slogged down, clogged up, and blogged sideways.

I don't even remember what day it is. My head feels like it's stuffed with cotton. Oh, wait a minute, I remember now, I put some cotton balls in my ears cause they were hurting, No Wonder!

I am sneezing and sniffling. Don't really know if it is a cold or a sinus infection, but I am running a low grade fever with chills and sick to my stomach from drainage.

I hate this stuff. I got a flu shot, but that doesn't seem to help. I usually come down with this the same time every year. Several people at work have been sickly and I can only assume I got it from one of them.

I have on my jammies with a box of tissues under my arm. I am slathered with Vicks, sucking on a Hall's (sugar-free) cough lozenge, cotton sticking out of my ears and toting a small garbage pail with me in case I barf. Is that a colorful enough description for you to get the idea of what kind of agony I am in?

Eddie's doctor called this morning and my voice is so deep from laryngitis that he thought I was Eddie. Excuse me, but I am not male, even though my voice currently is as deep as a man's.

I am hoping this goes away pretty darn quick.

And that's just what you can see...

2009-01-12T15:34:00.000-08:00

So what's just beneath the surface?

This is an awesome photo. Hoep you enjoy it.

What caption would you put under this pic?

Blah Sunday!

2009-01-11T13:07:00.000-08:00

I finished "The Road." Good book. If I start describing it, I might give some of the plot away, so I will just say I recommend it.

I googled books today cause I still have about $70 dollars of Christmas BAMM gift cards left to spend. Wow that is a great gift that keeps on giving.

I went to the store and took a nap. It is chilly and cloudy down here and that makes for a dreary, sleepy Sunday.

We watched Hancock last night and I just have to say it was really not what I was expecting it to be. What did you think about it?

What are you doing this January Sunday?

Whoever heard?

2009-01-10T18:52:00.001-08:00

Whoever heard of Death by Gordita? I thought it was supposed to be Death by Chocolate! I ate way tooooo much homemade gordita and I think my heart is racing out of my chest. My stomach is hurting and I think I am dying and not in a good way. Ohhhh! Please make it stop hurting. I got on the computer just to see if I could get my mind of my troubles. I have been hit with the Tijuana Brass, I just hope I don't have the Texas two-step in the morning on the porcelain throne. I hope I can go to sleep, but that will have to wait until I quit hurting. Remind me not to ever do this again.

At home...

2009-01-09T16:29:00.000-08:00

I am home and in my jammies, it doesn't get better than that. I had chili for supper and have been reading my current book. It really is a good read or by my standards it is. Eddie is taking a shower and we thought about starting a movie, but since I am working OT tomorrow and I usually get up early for that, we decided we wouldn't. So I am reading and Eddie will probably watch the Western Channel (Maverick) reruns.

I drove Eddie's truck to work today to get the Christmas decorations out of my office and back in the storage house. The truck is a stick shift. Fun to drive, but also hard work.

Hope everyone has a good day.

Thursday

2009-01-08T15:45:00.000-08:00

I am busy and I am reading so I am not blogging much today. Will be back tomorrow with a vengeance, but since I am trying to stick with this Project365 thing, I just had to blog something.

I started a new book...

2009-01-07T06:54:00.000-08:00

The Road by Cormac McCarthy (Pulitzer Prize Winner). The book cover notes, "Now a major motion picture."

The searing, postapocalyptic novel destined to become Cormac McCarthy's masterpiece.

A father and his son walk alone through burned America. Nothing moves in the ravaged landscape save the ash on the wind. It is cold enough to crack stones, and when the snow falls it is gray. The sky is dark. Their destination is the coast, although they don't know what, if anything, awaits them there. They have nothing; just a pistol to defend themselves against the lawless bands that stalk the road, the clothes they are wearing, a cart of scavenged food--and each other.

The Road is the profoundly moving story of a journey. It boldly imagines a future in which no hope remains, but in which the father and his son, "each the other's world entire," are sustained by love. Awesome in the totality of its vision, The Road is an unflinching meditation on the worst and the best that we are capable of: ultimate destructiveness, desperate tenacity, and the tenderness that keeps two people alive in the face of total devastation.

"His tale of survival and the miracle of goodness only adds to McCarthy's stature as a living master. It's gripping, frightening and ultimately beautiful. It might very well be the best book of the year, period." ~~San Francisco Chronicle

"Vivid, eloquent...The Road is the most readable of [McCarthy's] works, and consistently brilliant in its imagining of the posthumous condition of nature and civilization." ~~The New York Times Book Review

"One of McCarthy's best novels, probably his most moving and perhaps his most personal." ~~Los Angeles Times Book Review

"He IS in a snit!"

2009-01-06T12:13:00.000-08:00

Noun 1. snit - a state of agitated irritation; "he is in a snit"
annoyance, botheration, irritation, vexation - the psychological state of being irritated or annoyed

DON'T ASK ME WHY HE IS AGITATED? HE JUST IS!!!!!

Maybe annoyance because of the pain he is in, maybe botheration with having to take medications, maybe irritation that he can't get out and do anything, maybe vexation with the doctors. Maybe all of the above. He is in a state alright, whether it be Alabama or Texas or elsewhere and I don't think psychology has got a thing to do with it.

Maybe it would be nice to be somewhere else right this very minute, that's me whispering out the side of my mouth. Shhhh! Don't make him angry, you wouldn't like him when he's angry! LOL

MY WORD! It is hard work walking on eggshells.

I just feel so sorry to see him in so much pain and agony. He really is suffering right now. It's really not fair! I wonder what I could cook for him for supper tonight which might soothe the savage beast within? for at least a little while!

This is currently what I am reading...

2009-01-05T14:42:00.001-08:00

love walked in

by Marisa De Los Santos

It's heady and not what you would think it's about. I love the author's verbiage style and wittiness. I'm not even halfway through, but it's caught me up and I am ready to stay up half the night to finish it, if I must.

From Sunrise to Sunset, there is order to the creation that God hath made

2009-01-05T06:02:00.001-08:00

I learned in my Sunday School lesson this week, that we must each look to the skies to see God's creation, look in the Scriptures to read of God's plan for us, and look in our hearts to ask for acceptance of His devine grace.

Thank you God for the blessing of this new day.

There's Just Something Fishy/Kissy About This Photo

2009-01-04T07:01:00.000-08:00

The first time I ever kissed a boy, he told me I kissed like a fish. What I want to know, is how he would know that unless he had been kissing a lot of fish? Is it a good thing to kiss like a fish? I think it is if the above photo is any indication! Since I was 13, I have never had anyone else criticize or bad mouth my lip-locks. No one else has bad mouthed my puckering abilities.

It's raining, it's pouring, the old man is snoring...

2009-01-03T14:32:00.000-08:00

As the raindrops plink, plink, plink against my window panes

And the rumble of thunder and lightning waxes and wanes

I perch on the sofa with glasses on my face and a book in hand

Reading, absorbing time like the sifting of hourglass sand

While I drift afloat on another's words, the rain is pouring

And my sweet dear hubby has fallen asleep in his chair snoring

A peaceful feeling overwhelms me as I delve deeper in the prose

I snuggle back in the cushions reading and find myself taking a doze.