It's Christmas

Today was the official start for Pa and I. Bubba and RP come over so Bubba could give us his gifts. I just now realized that not only did we give Bubba his but RP hers.

Now what will I do come the 27Th?

Bubba is going to try once again to get to grandparents for Christmas. That is suppose to be a surprise to grandparents, so no telling, what you know. He has tried for several years now and the car brakes down along the way making him late. This year he will make it.

Now that Christmas has started for us. I should tell you how lovely my house is, all decked out for the season. I would be lying but I could make it sound grand. Truth is I have 1 Christmas decoration up, a candle wreath that is hanging on the door. Our place looks kinda sad when you look up and down the street.

But really how many Santa's do you need on a street? We have at least 7, sitting, standing even riding in a airplane. As it turns out all these Santa's seem to be stealing my joy instead of adding to it. They seem to loom over everything.

I love the lights and the trees picking through the windows, each seem to be sending cheer to anyone who wishes to take a look.
We just haven't put any out this year or put up a tree. I have been back and forth about all this, I want it, I don't, I do and in the end I don't think I will bother.
Christmas is here, we will give gifts, play games, laugh and enjoy each other.

I do have a strand of star lights that I think I will put up to remind us that once there was a great star that lead wise men to the greatest gift of all time.

I Forgot to Tell You Something

I left out the highlight of our party.
Pa and I have had one or two encounters with famous people, when we have been up around Nashville. Until Thursday night we have never had one in our home.

I was busy getting supper ready and during that time Indiana Jones came for a visit. You heard me right, the man himself, that famous teacher of archaeology, Mr. Jones.

Guess what? He is shorter in real life. His famous Feodor looks more like a black Derby. That coat is just a wee bit big but his pants are "JUST" like the movies.

Here is a little insider secret, his initials aren't not really H.F. they are C.A. and now you know.

Party

Tonight AO's rapscallions came over and we partied.

There was all the box fruit drinks they could hold, sausage links, scrambled eggs, cheese, bananas and little oranges.
Two hours of none stop munching, unless they were providing music to relax by, on their recorders.

Did you know that Hot Cross Buns has become a Christmas favorite? Well tonight it was the number 1 hit on the top 10, along with slots 3 thru 10. Number 2 was thumpdy thump thump- thumpdy thump thump.

I got the low down on which girls put a twinkle in a certain boys eyes. The "I use to but don't anymore" of the another little boy. I don't remember sister saying anything about a boy, she had to be busy talking about her brothers loves.

Now I need my rest because HT is coming over tomorrow for another day of adventures.

How about a guest blogger for a change. This is The Queen Mother's faithful companion Pa.
I have something on my heart and mind that I need to share. I work for one of the big three automakers and have for 36 years. I have been through some very difficult times in my years with GM. The current economic environment is the toughest we have ever seen.
Our government has seen fit to aid the financial sector but is balking severely at assisting the automotive industry. We are not asking for a handout, we are asking for a LOAN. We are not asking for a loan without restriction. We are being asked to allow the government to oversee how we spend the money and if we do not meet their expectations, they have the right to recall the loan. We have agreed to this.

Has the industry made some bad decisions? Absolutely!

Have we been too generous to our employees? Sure!

Do they make as much as the talk show hosts and media are reporting? No. Those figures are misrepresented. Most of you would be amazed at what the "total cost" of your employment is reported at.

Have we been working hard to correct these issues? More than I think most of you know.

It pains me to hear about how the American auto industry has poor quality. That simply is not true. Our quality is on a par with or exceeds that of the foreign car companies. Check out the JD Power surveys.
We have been through a major restructuring over the past few years. We have renegotiated a difficult contract with the UAW who made concessions because they knew it was for the survival of the corporation. They have also agreed to reopen the current contract. We have reduced employment levels through attrition, retirement packages, and even the dreaded "involuntary separation" (spelled fired). We are requiring our suppliers to reduce costs and improve quality. We are closing manufacturing facilities to reduce excess capacity. We have changed our model mix to reflect what the current demand is requiring. By the way, we were not the only car company building full size trucks or SUV's. The Armada SUV and the Titan pick up for example.
We have been an industry leader in technology and alternative fuels. Flex fuels, hybrids, even the EV-1 (yes that's right an electric vehicle). I guess we were at fault for being ahead of our time.
For some reason we have become the whipping boy of Congress and the media. There are (in my opinion) no longer any true news reporters, only news comentators. We cannot receive the news in an unbiased manor. This true of both liberal and conservative news stations. Polls are fashioned to show what the media wants them to show. For example: Ther are two different options to show support for the loan but ony one to support not giving it. Split the numbers and make it look even more biased.
This could go on, but I need to get ready to go to work (which is a privelege I do not take lightly).
What I am asking is for your consideration about the necessity of this loan.
Thank You for your time and patience. I will try to answer any questions this might generate.

On the Road

Got my wheels back. It looked so nice, all clean and shining on the outside, then I opened the door and they had even cleaned the inside. It was like new again. I was so happy. Pa and I were going to get some food and then a little shopping done but I turned on the radio and nothing happened. Pa and the repairman tried a few things and still nothing. It will have to go back up to the dealer and they will fix it but until then no music. I don't know how I'm going to survive with no music. I will miss it very much.

Pick up and return

I haven't even finished shopping and I'm all ready taking things back. I'm not sure what to think about this, most years I do well in the "just what I wanted dept." This year is not one of those.
Pa and I have very seldom bought lots and lots of gifts for the children, so when you get one thing wrong it can cause me trouble.

On the bright side, today we picked up the lap-top and tomorrow we will pick up the HHR. That will be so very nice, I have missed my car. HHR's are great. I love mine.

Wonder and What

This past few weeks have been full. Pa and I are now home again. I am forgetting what all has been going on, that is nothing new for me. I can forget what I was doing in the morning by the time night comes around.

We had a wonderful Thanksgiving with family and friends. We got to babysit FarmWifes little ones for the first time. Now I have stayed with them and babysat some of them but Saturday night we had all of them and it was wonderful.
I thought it was so neat that FarmBoy was taking her out on a date. As it turned out I wasn't the only one, the children got a gleam in their eyes and a giggle when they spoke about it.

Just Stopped by to give some Information

Be Very careful about store gift cards this year. Stores are closing and they may not honor the gift cards. Pa has been getting e-mails from a friend about this. We don't buy gift cards, but I sure would hate to lose my money if I did. Then find out that there is a legal loop hole that prevents me from any kind of recourse. So do your homework before you spend your money

Below is an e-mail I recived today. It states what has been on my mind for a long time so I put it here.

ONE MINUTE EACH NIGHT....
This is the scariest election we as Christianshave ever faced. From the looks of the polls, theChristians aren't voting Christian values. We allneed to be on our knees. Do you believe we can takeGod at His word? Call upon His name, then standback and watch His wonders to behold. His scripturegives us, as Christians, ownership of this land andthe ability to call upon God to heal it.
I challenge you to do so. We have never been moredesperate than now for God to heal our land.
2 Chronicles 7:14 :
If my people, which are called by my name shallhumble themselves, and pray, and seek my face andturn from their wicked ways, then will I hear fromheaven, and will forgive their sin, and will healtheir land.
During WWII, there was an advisor to Churchillwho organized a group of people who dropped whatthey were doing every night at a prescribed hour forone minute to collectively pray for the safety ofEngland , its people and peace. This had an amazingeffect as bombing stopped.
There is now a group of people organizing thesame thing here in America , The United States of America and our citizensneed prayer more than ever!!
If you would like to participate: each eveningat 9:00 PM Eastern Time, 8:00 PM Central, 7:00 PMMountain, 6:00 PM Pacific, stop whatever you aredoing and spend one minute praying for the safety ofthe United States , our troops, our citizens, forpeace in the world, for wisdom and courage for ourleaders, the up-coming election, and that the Biblewill remain the basis for the laws governing ourland and that Christianity will grow in the U.S.
If you know anyone who would like toparticipate, please pass this along. Someone saidif people really understood the full extent of thepower we have available through prayer, we might bespeechless. Our prayers are the most powerful assetwe have. Thank You.

Want a laugh

As you recall Bubba is getting married. The wedding is a year from now but since time is already moving fast I have decided to start looking into just what the Mother of the Groom is suppose to wear.

After a evening of surfing the net I have decided that Stacy and Clinton need to do a whole show on What not to Wear. I mean really, should I look like a great-granny a prom date or a hooker working the boulevard?

I found 3 gowns that would be acceptable if I need a gown. I don't know, do you the moms wear gowns to a afternoon wedding? FarmWife you might look that up for us.

I never went to prom so I guess that's the way I will go if a gown is needed.

Now should it be Jean Harlow or Scarlett O'Hara? Mr. DeMille I'm ready for my close up.

Movie

"The Women"

Just wait until you can rent it. Then don't hope for much.

Pa even said it wasn't good until the end.

Anita, SilverBell. is back in the hospital.
I'm not sure about all this but her neck kept swelling and they went to local hospital. There she got breathing tube and was sent to big hospital were she had had the sugery. There they opened her neck up again and drained the fluid and looked to see what the cause was. She is in ICU now and that is all I know.

Please lift her up in prayer.

Thank you

just thought i would stop by and say HI

i got to get my act together and get some more work done.

right now i'm just going from one merry-go-round to another.

cheers to all

Big News

This evening Bubba and B. were at our house when we got back from town. They are engaged.
Bubba ask B's daddy for their blessing this afternoon and Daddy had lots of questions and much to say before he said yes.

If you know Bubba he has spent most of the day up on his toes. After talking to Daddy they are both walking in the clouds

For Ang

Ang,

if you come by, I read your blog and it sounds to me like some jealous people.
They do that kind of thing you know. I'm happy for your success and sad for your troubles.

Monday

Starting a new week, oh what a joy.
New plans, new choices, well maybe same old choices since its the same chores. But I get to choose when do them and what gets done first.
My first choice is the kitchen, my only choice is the kitchen, as it looks like the wreck of the Hespers.
HT is busy watching the kids. He has his 2 dvd's that he watches every morning. He comes in greets me, takes off his shoes, starts to say bye to mom, that can take 20 min. mom has a hard time leaving, he comes and takes my hand, leads me to the couch were the remotes sit and get excited when the show starts.

So to day HT will be busy emptying the toy box and I will spend my time going from the living room to the kitchen, that is until time for the big nap then it's kitchen time.

20 miles

We have friends who live out in the middle of no where. They have to pipe sunlight in.
Last night I got to spend the night out in the Big Woods. It was wonderful I slept and then slept some more.

What a great feeling.

Even if it was just 20 hours away, it felt like many more.

Well, well

I don't have words for this past week, nor for the past year.
The world goes by and on its way life changes.

This is the first day my head has been almost clear. I have had a cold and once again ended up on amoxicillin. All this because Pa and I spent the day sitting in a cold room learning about diabetes and how to change our life style. That room was so cold that Pa was even cold and Pa is one of those people who is warm in winter.

Colds are nasty things. I have had my share of them but this past year or so they seem to have changed. They want to stay longer and behave worse then ever before in my life. I guess this all goes along with the getting old business. You know getting old is not for sissy's and here lately I have felt like a big sissy.

Well this sissy is going to try to get at least one chore done before my head gets all fuzzy again.

How's your mouth?

Have you ever seen someone cuss at their child? Did you notice the child's face or body after the assault? It is very much like the reaction of a person who has been slapped hard or stabbed.

We do lots of stupid things in our day to day living. Without a doubt one of the worst thing we do is use language that inflects pain.

It has been said " the pen is mightier then the sword"

Why is that?

Is it because a knife wound is to the flesh and a word wound is to the soul?
Perhaps it is because a flesh wound leaves us with a visible scar and we must come to terms with it and live with the sight of it. The soul wound is a hidden wound that we think we can push aside and it will just go away.

Cussing or curse?

As long as I can remember, the action of foul words have carried the title of cussing. When I heard someone say that another person used curse words my thought was " it's cuss not curse". I now know that they are curse's.

Curse
1.The calling down of evil or harm upon one.
2. Affliction
a. cause pain and distress to
3. Swear at
a. make or cause to make a solemn statement or promise under oath
b. use profane language

Profane:
1.Treat with irreverence
2. serving to debase what is holy

Holy:
1. sacred
2. spiritually pure
Pure:
Free of foreign matter,contamination, or corruption
Corrupt
change from good to bad

No matter how you defend yourself it all comes down to Words, they bring life or death.
Which do you want to speak into your child's life?
Which do you want to speak into any one's life?
Which one do you want spoken into your life?
More then not, what you send out, you get back.
How's your mouth?

English OR how I got out of high school

I can spell better then I thought. The truth is I can sight read better then I can spell. If I see a word once or twice it gets tucked away in my little brain somewhere and I can pronounce it the next time I see it. Spelling a word or grouping words is a whole other thing.

Back in my high school days all you had to do was get 1 English class in for graduation.

40 years ago, this September, I started the 10th grade and my first year in high school.
Back then, at Griffith schools freshmen were top dogs in Jr. High, it could have been that way in other towns to I only remember Griffith.

I hated English, I do not understand it. That makes life rough when you want to go to college or even write a letter. I wanted to go to college and would take the whole day to write a letter to my cousin.
For me English class added to that wonderful feeling you have about yourself at 14. You know the one with all the ugly thoughts about yourself.

First day of school and the question "who did you get"? Mr. Harken "Oh he is nice you will like him" No I won't he teaches English and I hate English. I'm never going to get through high school.
Turned out Mr Harken was a wonderful and wise teacher. He broke up the literature and grammar so that you could pass the class if you only tried. I tried, oh how I tried when it came to grammar. The lit. part came easy and was fun for me. One grading period I would get a D because that was mostly grammar, the next I would get an A or B because it was mostly reading.
Come the end of the year it worked out to a passing grade, a trip to Chicago and a gratefulness that has lasted 40 years.
My grade school dictionary still sits on my desk. I have a Franklin dictionary book marker and spell check rates right up there with sliced bread.

I remember the names of only 2 of my teachers, Mr Harken and Miss Beanblossom.
Mr Harken got me through English and Miss Beanblossom gave me a love of sewing.

Your Spelling is Okay

You got 7/10 correct. Your spelling is a bit of a problem. Your instincts on how to spell things aren't horrible, but you often make an embarrassing mistake or two.

How's" Your Spelling?

To Late

I missed out on the dates for the little alone vacation. Little house has been booked for the weekend that I wanted it. Oh well, that tends to be the story of my life. I will just start looking for someplace else.
I have a cousin that lives in Kentucky and since I haven't seen her for a while I might just go visit her and the quilt museum. I'll think about it for now.

Today I must get to all the mail that is setting on the end of the table. Oh how I HATE not having someplace other then the kitchen table to put mail. Before we left in May I had all the paper work and junk done but now Mount Mail is back and today before I close my eyes again the plan is to have it gone. Hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahha Just take me to my cell padding and all.

Found a Spot

I have found a little hide-away and its not so far away, just far enough.
Now all I need is the money, reservations and a sitter for HT and I'm good to go.
If this works out I will do 2 things
1. go through a stack of magazines and cut out the thing I want to put in a notebooks.
2. go to the big quilt show at the end of the week.
There is a big part of me that wants this real bad and the part that says if it doesn't happen that's OK (that part is lying)

Today HT is here for the first time since our trip. He is very busy watching the kids and sucking down milk, his morning routine.
He has on the cutest one piece Jammie's, made all the cuter when he walks and his derriere twist. I would let him wear them all day but we are going shopping so he will just have to put on a cute pair of bib shorts that so the same thing. Babies waddle cute don't they?

Now back to work

The fun has come to an end. I hope.

We are now back home and it is time to get all things back in order and place.
Time to start thinking about Christmas and what needs to be put on the BIG LIST.
Time to get caught up on the news around here.
Visit with some friends.
And time to start looking for a place to go for a few days.

Its time for QM to be quite and alone.

Maybe a tent, a book and some music.

HT and I are on the mend and Pa has now started the coughing. Maybe by the end of the month all will be well.

My little brother called to tell me that dad got 2 stints put in during the heart cath. and is doing well. He gets to stay the night and if all goes well he goes home sometime tomorrow.

Today is little brothers birthday. Uncle Gick is 54.

He has had a very busy life. He's been a cowboy, packing his six guns like Wild Bill. He's built roads, racetracks and had more crash and burns then you could count. Baseball made him a star and football broke his jaw. His body has been bruised, cut, beaten and squished all in the name of fun. He was most definitely made of sip and snail and puppy dog tails.

news for tonight

Pa is doing much better. He is working out his food and med. system, keeping a notebook of everything.

I'm slowly getting my chores done. The key word here is slow.

HT and I have decided to react to something in the air. If I'm not running for a hankie for him I'm after one for me.

HT is also working on cutting his eye teeth and it seems like these are going to be the most painful ones. He is not always the happy boy he usually is.

Last night bed time was 8PM and tonight I've made it to 10PM and that's as far as I'm going.

Goodnight

Grandpa M&M is getting better with each passing day. There is a good chance he will be home this week and we will be glad.

We have had a lot of rain this past week. Here in Ill were G'pa and G'ma live 7 and 5/8 inches in just a few days. The rain I could live with it but I have had it with Stormwatch17. I don't ever want to see that mans face again. If I do I think I might just have to slap someone and I would hope it could be him. If only you could reach through the TV.

I have heard that this week we will start a heat wave. Now that gives you something to look forward to. Yes sir you will sweat until there isn't a dry spot on you then you will have to take a shower because you stink then you will start sweating again and around and around you go. HOTDOG

I need help

I know nothing about painting, so I'm painting a mailbox. Here is were I need help. My red paint is to bright and I want to add the black to it, to make it darker is that possible? If so just how do I go about doing it?

Today and 61 years

Grandpa is settled in or at least as settled as he is going to get. He can't seem to mind the nurse when it comes to this whole "don't get up without me being here" thing. He is working hard.

Today Grandma is staying home for a much needed rest so she says. She does need to rest its been a long week. But I think she might have other plans to, like baking a pie or maybe some oatmeal cookies. Tomorrow is G&G's 61 st. wedding anniversary, so special is in the air.

Pa and I will be going over to visit for a while and perhaps shop on Grandpa's behalf.

Then Pa will be headed home and back to work.

Grit

Grandpa M&M called and needed Grandma up at the hospital. She and Pa were heading for the door and talking about something that needed to be done. Grandma then said something about money and having to go to the bank. She stopped, started crying and said "I can't do it, Dad always takes care of that now".
The words had no more then crossed her lips when she stopped crying and announced that she would just have to learn how to do it again, now, because he did it for her when she got sick and she would do it for him.

It was just a moment in time. One of those moments that writers and movie makers spend a lifetime trying to tell about. The moment were you see the vows, that were taken on a day that seems like a blur to most of us, encompass the whole of your world and bloom fresh yet again.
I don't think I will ever forget it, I hope I don't because it is among the truest and best of this world.

Tomorrow Grandpa will go to the rehab center and we are hoping he will only be there a short time. Grandma will be busy helping, as much as she can get away with.
Aunt SilverBell maybe home soon and she may just have to help with her recovery. There is no doubt that what ever needs to be done Grandma will want to have a hand in it.
She's got grit.

I forgot I must plan a party for the Queen

Get Going

It won't be long now. Pa and I are busy trying to make a list for the BIG trip.

I have been busy buying birthday goodies for some little people that I know.

I also picked up a new toy for HT and me. We will be testing it out tomorrow in between all the house work that must get done.

I spent last week visiting all the doctors once again. I found out that my brain is in very good shape for my age.
The migraines may have added to their repertoire, the vertigo and vision blurring are forms of migraines. No pain with the eyes just the aggravation of the blurring and no pain with the vertigo, just the dizziness and nausea. They are all vascular in nature. HOT DOG

I have lost the highest 2 decibels in my left ear, but my hearing is good. I think that the lose comes from FarmWife's scream. My brothers always said she was louder then the warning sirens.

My blood sugar is normal in the morning but starts to creep up as the day goes. I must now do the blood testing and diabetes meal planning along with losing weight and walking. All of this is to prevent the onset of type 2 diabetes since it is a genetic factor in my dad's family line.

So High Ho, High Ho, its off to walk Pa and I will go.

It is 11;46 PM May 16th. Thirty two years ago at about this time I was letting the Pa and anyone else around that I had had ENOUGH!!

In just a few short hours it will be HAPPY BIRTHDAY time for FarmWife.

In honor of those hours I shall do the same thing I did back then. Sleep all day long.

FarmWife having not changed much since that day should spend her day trying to find out what is going on all around her.

Busha said she came out of delivery, laying on her tummy,with her head held high looking at the world. nosey nosey

Happy Birthday Ladybug
I love you

oz, truck and new friends

I'm having one of those weeks. You know were you go and go but get nothing done. This week I feel like I'm in OZ. I even have to set alarms and timers to remember to get ready to go to town. I was in town yesterday to return a blouse and exchange a belt and get the oil changed. In the middle of the store experience Bubba calls and his old car is dead. Were are you Mom? Were are you Bubba? He never ask if I could come get him. Just wanted me to know that the car was dead and that he would find a ride home, his buddy was coming into town and he would take him home to get the Saturn. He just hoped that buddy would get there soon because Bubba had to go to work. I picked him up, feed him and got him home and on the way back through town wondered what it was that I was going to do in town before Bubba's call.

Ugh.. why did I come to town?

Oh yes the oil change. But first a stop at the quilt shop to ask a question and with answer bought the book. Told Jean I was off to get the oil changed and she gave me a coupon for $$ off made me happy.
At the oil change place when they are done with the oil change, they check your lights and stuff. I am not fond of this part because for some reason I can't remember how to turn on the lights or the wipers and usually leave them wondering how in the world I got my licences. It was so bad yesterday that the boys got to laughing and one of them ask if I would like for him to reach through the window and help. I said sure and told them that I don't know why I couldn't remember which side was lights and which was wipers. They wanted to know if I could find the horn.
When my humiliation was over and they were guiding me out one of the boys ask if he could look at the inside of the HHR. I said sure got out and opened the back up showed off my car. He said he would love to have one and we talked about cars for a while. By the time we finished talking I had given him Pa's old truck.
Last night he, his wife and 3yr old son came over to check out the old truck. He was really happy that Pa was would just give him the truck.
Their son was a very busy boy with lots of questions and he took to Pa big time. Pa had to go all around the the yard looking at lots of things and then do it again 2 or 3 more times. Then it was time for them to look inside the HHR and sit in the back of it, get out close it up. open it and sit in the back again. Pa said it was time for the HHR to go to bed so they said good-night to it and the lights flashed back. His folks said it was time for them to leave and after several more good-nights to the HHR the Mom ask the little boy if he wanted to give Pa a good bye hug. The little guy reached right up for Pa and gave him a big hug. Mom and Dad said the little guy was not one to make friends with strangers and they were surprised at how he reacted to Pa and how comfortable he was around us.
So at least yesterday my oz-ie kind of day ended in a very pleasant way.

Old truck gone and new friends made.

party and books

I've been cruz'n the blogs.

I love books!! I love the smell of the bookstore. I love the feel of good paper. I love to read.
Guess what?

I am a very slow reader. Pa and the children can read a book in a day or 2 if it is a medium size a large one will take maybe 2 weeks of evening reading. All books take me twice as long as them. But that doesn't stop me. I have friends who teach over at the college who helped me some but I still read slow.

Know what?
I love to read out loud when no one is around.

Back when I read to the children I was good at reading out loud. As the years have passed I lost the ebb and flow of reading a loud. I realized that is probably the reason most people don't like to read something to other people. They haven't done it in so long that they think they sound dumb. I don't think Pa likes me to read to him but he lets me anyhow.

Books are always better then the movie. Most of the time the movie only shares, the title and characters names or just a small part of the story.

If a book starts out slow keep at it, it may get better as you go but if you get half way and its still bad you did your best. Use it to start a lovely fire and cozy up with your sweetheart or cook hot dogs with the kids.

Now I ask FarmWife "if she had a party for the Queen of England what would she do"? She had a good answer and so did Kork.
Now I'm asking you the same question.

Plan a party for the Queen of England or the queen of another real country and tell us about it. You can post it on your blog and just leave a note here directing us to your post or you can just post here.

Detox

My detox is not going so very well. Last night I was up late, late looking at things on you tube.
It all began with visiting Grace and the little girl singing so sweet.

Just now I can't remember how, but I ended up on a breastfeeding video group. I didn't know that breastfeeding could be such a disturbing event. Some lady was feeding her baby and people around her got upset and my my what a fuss. I wonder just how modest the woman was. After watching other videos on this subject it made me wonder if any of these women understood the meaning of the word modest.
30 odd years ago I nursed my baby in the main hall of the Museum of Science and Industry in Chicago and had a nice conversation with a older gentleman sitting next to me. At first I was nervous about him knowing what was going on but when the whole event was over I realised that the man probably didn't even know I was breastfeeding. I was so proud of myself.
When I was a kid there was a woman down the street who had a new baby and mom took me with her to see the baby. That woman had no modesty and I well remember being disgusted by her behavior.
I also had a unpleasant experience as young woman and said I would never breastfeed.

However my best friend in college became a new sister during our freshman year and 2 more times after that. On one of my visits to her families home I witnessed Mrs. B. nursing she was so gentle and modest and that is when I knew that I could do that.
After the breastfeeding I went looking about quilting and found such cool things. Pa got up at 1:30 am and put a stop to my you-tube. THANK YOU PA

I need to detox

You know we have DSL and that I hate it, that is I hate almost all of it. I have in the last few weeks become a junkie of web-site jumping.

It all starts out so simple and innocent. Who is that guy? Were can you get that? And the worst What has FarmWife posted today? Could Princess have posted? What about Art? I need to know. So simple and 4 hours later I have to force myself off the information highway.

Today, after looking up Diabetes, I found out that Wu-Yi tea, the new diet drink, is nothing more then oolong tea and the weight loss is due to the food intake or lack of it and exercise.

However if you need to drop that $75. to $200. on the tea so you can lose weight, its your mind and your money.

Finding out about the tea lead me to colon cleansing products. All of which cost lots and the main ingredient is the same as Metamucil.
What hideous stories they tell and when you check them out, most are lies, Elvis and John Wayne to get your notice.

I even found a Dr. Bill in Jackson,Tn. who has a "Holy Thistle" tea that does wonders. He has a wellness center, except you can't find it or him listed in Jackson, Tn. In some of the other sites that sell his tea, they just say Dr. Bill in Tennessee.

Then I was off to another site.

I'm telling you this is almost as bad as my addiction to Pepsi. I have to stop this before I become one of those seedy characters who hasn't bathed or left their house in years.

Just one more hit of useless information I need a fix.

NO, I need detox.

I'm going to clean my house

some of it

a little of it

OK I'm cleaning off the table

Oh what a Wonderful morning

Do you ever have times when you want to be alone? If the answer is yes, then try one of the state parks. One that is not on the list of must see parks.
Pa, Den, Nise and I spent the weekend at Pickett State Park. It's a small park with trails, water, a few cabins and NO TV or cellphone capabilities. You can call the ranger if there is an emergency, very old fashion.
If you are really hearty you can camp primitive, I'm not, so can't tell you about it.

We had a cabin that had a large living/dining area, 3 bedrooms, a small kitchen and 1 bathroom. Another bath would have been nice, however back when this park was built 1 bathroom was a luxury, especially in the backwoods of Tn. It is all stone, wood and concrete, with a delightful smell of wood burning sunk into the wood. These cabins are pushing 70 some years. They were built by the CCC during the depression and as the saying goes "built to last". I hope our great grands will have the chance to enjoy them.
During our weekend of nothing we checked out a coal mining camp just up the road in Kentucky. We were headed for Stearn's, got lost and ended up at Barthell Coal Mining Camp just down the road from Stearn's. It turned out to be the better of the two. Barthell is being rebuilt just as it was and Stearn's is a interpretive site.
You can go down into the mine if your brave enough or just see the town. We toured the town and looked into the opening of a shaft, that was enough for me.
It is off season right now and we had one of the owners as our guide. He had lots of stories and answered lots of questions. Did you know that snakes don't live in coal mines it's to cold for them. With that knowledge I may just work up enough nerve to go down one someday.
Our second day out we went to Pall Mall, Tn. one of the most beautiful places in the state. That's saying a lot as Tn. is overrun with beautiful places.
We didn't go for the view. We didn't know about it until later. We went to see the home of Alvin C. York. You might have read about him in your history book Sargent York, one of the most decorated soldiers of WWI.
If you don't know anything about him you could rent the movie "Sargent York". It's a old black and white movie. Gary Cooper plays Alvin and the movie stays very close to his real life. This man lead a remarkable life beyond the battlefield, a hero in more then one way.
We walked trails, I am no Daniel Boone I was lost most of the time, played Clue, lounged around and talked. Saturday night came with sadness and anticipation.

After all our next adventure is "Dinosaur World". Now, who wouldn't want to hurry home to get ready for that one.

Hang on loopy

It's not official yet, I have vertigo. Not yet because the doctor that started the whole process has not told me that.
Yesterday I went to the family doctor, because on top of the crazy dizzy, I have a runny nose and ear pain. Since we are going to the mountains I thought I should be sure it wasn't a infection or virus of some sort. You know just so I don't get half way around the world and have to go see a doctor.
We all know how easy that is.

He looked at the letter, he had gotten from the EN&T doctor, ask if I had been back to see EN&T doc. No, not yet,

Why did you go to the EN&T doc ?

Because the neurologist sent me.

Did he order the MRI?

No the neurologist did.

Have you been back to neurologist?
Not yet, next month.

Well I can't do anymore then what they have already done.
What about the pain and.......

Stand up and follow my finger. Follow it some more over here. shake your head this way now move it this way.
NO, I don't do circles of any kind. They make me dizzy and I'm already dizzy enough.

It's all part of it. Did they tell you that you have vertigo? No, Did they do blood work? Well I can do some blood work to see if your anemic or if your thyroid isn't working right.

What about the runny nose?
Does this hurt?
No
I'll run blood work just to make sure your not anemic.
So I don't have a sinus infection or something?
No sinus infection, I put in orders for the blood work, give my regards to Mr. Pa, enjoy the mountains.........said over his shoulder as he walks out.

I may have the something, but at least I don't have to worry about a sinus infection.
I love doctors, I love spending quality time with them. I love being able to call and get a appointment, next month, for the cold, pain or whatever I have right now. I love paying them hard earned money. I love calling in for cough medicine only to be told that the doctor would have to see me, so come in at 1 pm and they would work me in. All that means is your going to sit in the waiting room with all the other people with colds for the next 4 hours and share germs, only to have the doctor tell you that you have a cold and here is the prescription for cough medicine you call in about.

For the record I do love my neurologist. She knows me even outside of her office.

What a Weekend

It all started Friday afternoon. HT and I headed to Berry Hill just south of Nashville, its really part of the big city now. I needed some split rings from the Bead Bungalow. HT saved me a lot of time and money by falling asleep, so there was no time to browse around as I left him in the car.

Don't get excited.

The Bead Bungalow is in little house. The parking is what use to be the front lawn and I parked at the front door. I stood at the door told them what I needed, got it and left. It was that short time while the sales lady was getting my rings that I looked around the room and wished I could look closer and thanked HT for saving me money.
We stopped at the herbal shop, again a little house with front door parking, then Children's Conner. HT had to wake up for that stop, as I wasn't going to just run in and out. We had a wonderful time there and a nice lady was a big help to Grammy. New pattern making material along with advise, HT enjoying the toys and ladies, then we were off.
Next stop Mom's store. Mom had just finishing redressing the mannequin, had to return items to their rightful departments and clock out for the day. I went to pay a bill and HT went with Mom to meet and greet while taking things back. They still weren't done when I got back. A leaky diaper put a end to the meet and greet.
HT and I headed to the shoe shop while mom finished. We were going to wait on her at the shoe shop but we found these cool red sneakers, bought them and had to go try them out. While heading back toward Mom's store HT became the Mall Greeter, He looked and sounded like a politician going from storefront to storefront talking to anyone who would look at him. Then he came across a handyman fixing a BIG glass door and had to help him. Handyman actually gave HT his screwdriver to work with. He was young and probably didn't have any idea what a toddler could do with screwdriver. Grammy took it way and Mom was spotted coming down the hall just in time to keep a hissy fit from happening.

Mom look at this cool shoes, lets show these people in here, no wait there is music lets dance.

Pa was going to meet us, so we headed to the food court to eat and wait. Pa arrived just in time to save us from yet another hissy fit, HT was tired being in the stroller.

Pa look at my new shoes lets give them a walk. Hey, Dad is at work now lets go see him.

That is were we said our goodbye's.

Pa and I went up to Nashville meet some friends at one of those country joints. By 10 PM my ears worn out from the loud live music and it was time to go home. We took the long way out of Nashville and it ended up taking 2 hours to get home instead of 1. By the time I got home tired was really beginning to set in.
Yesterday I woke up bone tired. Pa washed the cars, took a nap while I tried to pay bills and got a shopping list done. We went to town picked up a few things and called it a day because we were both tired.
Today hasn't gone much better. Pa has gone from the couch to the bed and all I have done is look for recipes for next weekend and type this. I'm going to have to start getting ready for church, this being tired is going to cause me to move slower and we need to leave here in about a hour. I'll take a nap on the way.

love those pictures

I got this off someone else. It's southern and I wanted to know what it was about. Oh my! I have spent almost an hour just looking at the pretty pictures.

http://rebekah-southerncharmportraits.blogspot.com/

HT has just gone down for his nap, Not one minute to soon. So far today he has tried to make calls and rearrange the list in my cell phone.
He tore a page out of his book and I almost had a heart attach. Tearing up books is a absolute no no at my house. They can fall apart because you have read them over and over again and you can carry them around and love them apart but you can not just grab a page and tear. We had a bad few minutes then he was on his way again. He had dancing to do and distracting to do just so he could get back to the phone. He is one fast kid.

Now that he is safe a sleep in his playpen I'm going to get to my house work. No forget that I'm going to go sew on something fun. My house work is not going anywhere I know this because I have lived with it for 35 years now and everyday its waiting around for me and not the maid. After this long it can just keep waiting.

I wish I could show you a picture of my apple trees, they look like 2 big bouquets. They make me happy

Grammy lets take a walk

This morning HT was busy playing with his basket of toys. That means dumping them all out. I was paying a bill.
Anyway HT was very busy, then he wasn't. You know the silence that makes you go looking for trouble because you just know that there is something going on that should not be going on. I looked by the toys and beyond then opened the gate and started to forcefully call his name when I looked and he was asleep on the couch. It was only 9:30 way to early for a nap most days but not today. At12:30 I decided it was time to get up. He decided that 1pm and a bottle were more to his liking.
Back to the toys. Hey Grammy here is this thing that I wear and you follow me around. Lets walk around in circles again and again. Hey HT lets go outside Grammy can't walk in circles she gets dizzy.
Outside is nice the grass is so tall it comes half way up my leg and I look like I'm walking in deep snow. Pa will have to cut the grass soon. Lets go this way down the road and back past Grammys then on down to the curve. Grammy I just can't walk anymore so I will let you carry me. Lets go to the back yard and see the wonders.
HT get away from there, come this way, no No NO, OK we are done. NO GRAMMY NOT BACK INTO THE HOUSE.

So you chipped

You know the feeling you get when you come out of the store and go to get in your car only to see a chip in the door. Makes you kind of sick and mad because the person who chipped the paint didn't bother to tell you or leave a note.

Well guess what don't feel bad anymore.

I was a passenger in someones car, opened the door and scratched the paint on the car next to me. I did just what the insurance company tell us to do. The person call Pa, he gives them our information and gets theirs. Next day the insurance company calls me I tell them what happened and as soon as I said I was a passenger in someone else car I was told that my insurance would not do anything until the person who owned the car turned it in on their insurance. Now that person had nothing to do with me hitting the car next to me. So why should they be involved at all? I don't care if I was in their car. I opened the door and made the scratch. I also pay a nice premium every year for insurance just in case something like this happens. What a waste of money.
If this should ever happen again AND I am in my car I will leave my information just like I'm suppose to.
If I am ever in someone elses car I will leave a note, just like the one Pa found on his car after telling the people at work what happened.

"Sorry, I hit your car. I left a note"

Beach Facts

13 people a year die from falling vending machines

20,000 pollution related closings and advisories are posted each year

1 out of 3 beach goers can not swim

It only takes 20 seconds for a child to drown

1 minute for an adult to drown



THANK YOU LORD

For keeping the rapscallions safe while we were at the beach and pool

Going to the beach

I have been to Destin and now to Golf Shores and guess what.

There are 3 things to do in these places, go to the beach, shop or eat.

Now I can honestly say that I like to eat and that there were at least a dozen restaurants that I would have loved to have tried out but that takes money and we were on a tight budget.
Maybe some day Pa and I will go back there for a vacation and we will try two or three of them. Uncle Bubba's will not be one of them, as Art, the rapscallions and I tried Bubba's. We had to crab claws along with the usual good eats. Crab claws in our opinion were just not something that we could get all excited about. They were OK and a must try if you are ever in an area were most every restaurant serves them. I mean why go to a region and not try one of the local favorites. Isn't that one of the reasons you travel?

This time of year is good for going to the beach as there are not a lot of people there. There were spring breakers, Indiana, Louisiana, Illinois and Tennessee had the most license plates seen. Then there the families with young children and of course the snowbirds down from the cold. We enjoyed a lot of beach space, no beach blankets side by side here .
Unfortunately there was sand.
I am not a fan of sand.
I grew up in the sand bowl of northern Indiana. Its like the Dust Bowl out west, you can't keep it out of your house.
What would a beach be without sand? I don't think mud would be as much fun in the sculpting department. Sand doesn't stain like mud does either.
The children had a great time in it and it is a cheap way of exfoliating your hands, feet and face should one of your siblings toss a hand full there.

I can't tell you about shopping as we did little to none. I do know that there were enough shopping centers around to keep you busy all day or week for that matter.

I think the best part of the beach is the color. Varying shades of blue,pink, green and yellow. The houses looked like a candy store full of different sizes, shapes and colors.
We had a brand new 12-15 storeyed condo nest to ours and by the end of the week I wanted to buy one of them just because I liked the architecture of the building.
Wouldn't it be fun to be able to just open your front door and run out to the beach or sit out on the balcony and watch the weaves come in or just open the door and listen to the sounds of the surf. It's all possible if you have 600 thousand to a million dollars just laying around.

Do you think the bank would loan us the money if Pa promised not to retire before he turned 80 so we could make the payments?

things i have learned

Let me tell you some things I know about Alabama.
1. the yellowhammer is the state bird. I'm guessing its a woodpecker as they have lots of pine trees in that state.
2. the camellia is the state flower. I always think of Greta Garbo when people talk about camellia's
3. the fighting tarpon is the state saltwater fish. You have to be just a little nuts to go out in that BIG, really DEEP water to fish.
4. it is a really long state. I like to call interstate 65 the never ending road. It does come to an end in Mobile. We didn't get to see the end of it as we took a short cut at Bay Minette.
5. the best toast in the state is in Wetumpka. It must be the air that makes the toast so very good, as it is just store bought bread and butter. Or its the excitement of getting to eat toast in the hotel lobby. But if you should ever find yourself spending the night in Wetumpka or even Prattvilles be sure to get toast.

poor Dolly

It seems that Dolly Pardon has started down the slippery slope of Nip and Tucks.

I came across a interview for the Broadway show 5 to 9 and there was a picture that wasn't flattering. I just figured it the angle but no when I hit the interview button Mrs. (she is married and down here you write Mrs and say miss) Dolly's face lit up the screen. I immediately had a flash back to the puppet character Madam of Waylon and Madam.

Dolly please don't go near the nip and tuck guys again. you don't want to cross the line and really become a trailer park Barbie.

Then again you could afford a really big trailer and you already have a park and the plastic Barbie body. Guess its to late

I'm in a fog

My mind has left the building. I'm not sure it is going to return anytime soon either. I don't blame it, it's tired and run down, all the events of the past 10 months have caught up with me.
I really didn't know how tired I was until today.
I had to go to the neurologist today for my check up and to set up a MRI and ear check. When I left the office, the tired began to surface and has stayed with me the remainder of the day.
Next week should help a whole lot.

Just me the beach, a book and naps.

NO, wait, I shell be entertained by Art and The Rapscallions. That should have me well rested by the end of the week. Or maybe arrested?

Here comes the moonwalk

DSL

Pa has wanted faster Internet for a long time.
Yesterday it came in the box. He set it up and it worked then quit. AT&T came out today, fixed something down the road and we're up and running.

EXCEPT
All of my important things were lost and I can't find my way around this new set up.

MAMA ISN'T HAPPY

I'm lost and I feel like its my first day of school.

Cut, turn or flip, sounds like cooking doesn't it?

Which do you do?

When you turn the lights on in your house.

Heir to the Throne loves to turn the lights on and off and if Aunt Meme has him its on,off,on off,on,off and 5 or 6 more times. I know this because yesterday I went to town, then had to pick HT up, back at his house. This was not good since Axel was dropping him at my house and had to go back home. Thus making Axel late for work. Sorry boy.
Back at Aunt Meme's I got to visit with her and Great Granny and watch the little man in action. He was busy emptying his toy box . Granny said " he's a mess, spoiled rotten" Aunt Meme told us she is the one who teaches him how to be ornery. Picked him up and headed for the light switch. G-Granny said "don't be letting him cut that light on and off you'll pop the bulb out".
Down here there is a lot of cutt'en things on and off.
I'm not sure but it seems to me that my mom flips on the lights and dad turns on the light but after 58 years they enter change the terms.
Pa's parents turn on lights.

Thinking on this, this morning I was just wondering "What do people say when they want the lights on?" Do we all say cut, flip, turn or are there other words used to get the lights on and off?

I was the Bride

I took the test and you read the answer.

Here's the facts.

Feminine;
Yes, if baseball, skateboarding, putting up hay, driving tractors and trucks count I'm there.

Traditional;
I would have to say yes only because I never gave getting married much thought before 1972. I just kind of took what I liked from other weddings and put them all together in ours.

Wedding Dreams;
I know that when I was with girlfriends and the talk was about getting married, I would say if I get married I'm going to have this or that. Wedding dreams just wasn't part of my real world, since I wasn't getting married.

One time, way back in high school, my aunt, uncle, parents and some siblings were sitting around the table. The adults were talking about someones marriage and I said "I'm never getting married". As time went on they started talking about the way some little kid was behaving, I said "I would never let my kid act like that". My dad said "Your not getting married remember" I said "You don't have to get married to have kids". After dad put his teeth back in his mouth, they talked about something else. I have no idea what mom or the aunt and uncle thought as I was so proud of myself for shocking dad as I left the table to get something out of the kitchen.

Big White Gown
Yes, I didn't really have any idea as to what kind of gown I wanted. Mom said something about liking big skirts. I went to one dress shop, it was down in the harbor, near the steel mill were my dad had been working for 20 some years. I found a empire waisted gown with a hoop skirt and some ruffles just down the sides. I tried it on, liked it and told the lady I would take it. She wanted me to try on more I looked at some, tried on one then told her I would take the first one I had picked. I put it back on and she brought out the little crowns with veils. The head piece took longer to find then the dress, little crowns are stupid looking and I was not going to have one. My head piece was wide with beading.
All done, the dress would be ready in a few weeks.

Dad took me to get the gown and got lost, could not find the dress shop that he had told me how to get to and had driven by many times over the past 20 years. He told me I couldn't tell anyone he had gotten lost. I thought it was funny, turns out dad wasn't handling all this wedding stuff well.

Husband's name
Yes; Pa's last name could be a first name and I tried to talk him into adding an s.

I even said he could take my name. I was ahead of my time with that.

Come the 24th I walked out of the church with his last name.
The only trouble I have had with it is that some people add the s and some change the name because they don't listen to what I'm saying.

Bridesilla;
I was not.
Pa's mom made the bridesmaid's dresses. The pattern was sweet and simple. They could have been cut off and made street length. They were sky blue double knit.

Our napkins were blue so was the punch.

The only person I got upset with was my mom, the morning of the wedding. I just went down a couple of houses to Carol's and waited for mom to leave for the hairdresser. Then I went home got cleaned up and headed to the church. Put on my make-up and had a friend do my hair to fit the headpiece. Got the dress on, then upstairs for pictures before the wedding.
I was over being upset with mom by the time I got upstairs.

Pa got upset after the wedding during all the picture taking. Oh and the night before. We were all at mom and dad's and needed something so Pa and brother head to the store only to get back after midnight. Mom wouldn't let him see me it was our wedding day. He left very unhappy.

Good Eats

I was reading Silver Belle blog. She made a cheesecake and I am sure it was very good as everything she makes is. It reminded me of a cook out she and Greenteeth had a long time ago. Silver Belle had made homemade dinner rolls that were wonderful. Pa had 1,2,3 "Pa you have had enough" 4,5 "Pa you had better stop or you are going to be sorry"6.
After a nice long visit we headed home and Pa's belly was hurting but not as bad as it hurt after we got home. He looked a little like Santa. You know the round little belly. Only it didn't shake like a bowl of jelly.

Surprize Surprize

The end of the month is our wedding anniversary #35. I will be gone on the day but Pa and I are planing on doing something in the next month or so.
This past Wed. Pa called to say he had some extra work to get done and would be later getting home. HT was very busy that day so the time passed fast and next thing we knew Pa was calling to say he was on his way home. In he came and we both were busy playing and chasing HT that is until Pa left the room and came back in with a sack. In the sack was a little box with a Large aquamarine stone surrounded on three sides by tiny diamonds.
Pa says its the first time in 35 years that he has "got me speechless" and although I don't think that's true, I do know that it is the first time he has really, really caught me by surprise.

Well, I have started to read The Shack. I have red flags jumping up all around me. I'm begining to think that I have just spent money that I really wish I had not spent. It starts out with depression and anger then goes to the cause of the pain. All this to put you in an emotional whirlpool, and at my stopping place, to bring you into a new world that seems to be heading for the warm and fuzzy's with a new nicer way of looking at God.

Now I know that many people have been burned by the church.

I've been there, done that, got the t-shirt.

I have even been one who has caused burns.

I don't believe vilifying it or walking away from it is the answer to the pain.

I still believe in the church. The faith that walked and worked in the first century church, is the same faith that walks and works in the church today.
That can also be said of the hypocrisy and self centered-ness that shows up at church.

I grew up in the Christian church, when the doors were open our family was there. My parents were involved with the leadership and ministry of our congregation. I know the sins of the people, from the cleaning lady to the elders, the pastors and even people in other congregations. Little people have big ears and adults forget that. I over heard far more then I should have.

I spent my early 20's and 30's looking at the church with eyes that had knowledge and little love. God knew that I wanted to see the true church and He has been faithfull to show it to me. Men and women who with out great fan fair spend their time helping, giving and praying for our world and the church. People who clean up after messy teens and adults. People who care for screaming babies, teachers of busy 8,9,and 10 year old boys. People who lovingly give up their free time to help carrie folks back and forth to town. People who work extra hours because they want to give more to kingdom work at home and around the world. People who will pray and pray and then pray some more until there is an answer.
They will laugh, cry and hurt with you and just love you the best they can. But their hearts hurt for the church, because, they to, see the hypocrisy and self centered-ness and long for its end.

Until that time and even after that time I don't believe there will be warm fuzzy's or a new way of looking at the Almighty God. I haven't misunderstood when I have read "I am the Father of Abraham,Isaac and Jacob or when Jesus said I am in the Father and the Father is in me.
What I do see is an Oprahness and All you need is Love. Making red flags pop up.
I will keep reading but I will be cautious.

Wonder which one I am

If all of the eight desserts listed below were sitting in front of you, which would you choose?

Sorry, you can only pick one)!



Here are your choices

1. Angel Food Cake

2. Brownies

3. Lemon Meringue Pie

4. Vanilla Cake with Chocolate Icing

5. Strawberry Short Cake

6. Chocolate Cake with Chocolate Icing

7. Ice Cream

8. Carrot Cake

No, you can't change your mind once you scroll down, so think carefully what your choice will be

OK - Now that you've made your choice, this is what the researchers say about you









1. ANGEL FOOD CAKE....................
Sweet, loving, cuddly. You love all warm and fuzzy items. A little nutty at times. Sometimes you need an ice cream cone at the end of the day. Others perceive you as being childlike and immature at times.


2. BROWNIES.........................
You are adventurous, love new ideas, and are a champion of underdogs and a slayer of dragons. When tempers flare up you whip out your saber. You are always the oddball with a unique sense of humor and direction. You tend to be very loyal.



3. LEMON MERINGUE.........................
Smooth, sexy, & articulate with your hands, you are an excellent caregiver and a good teacher. But don't try to walk and chew gum at the same time. A bit of a diva at times, you set your own style because you do your own thing. You shine when it comes to helping others and have many friends.



4. VANILLA CAKE WITH CHOCOLATE ICING.........................
Fun-loving, sassy, humorous, not very grounded in life; very indecisive and lacking motivation. Everyone enjoys being around you, but you are a practical joker. Others should be cautious in making you mad. However, you are a friend for life.



5. STRAWBERRY SHORTCAKE.........................
Romantic, warm, loving. You care about other people, can be counted on in a pinch and expect the same in return. Intuitively keen. You can be very emotional at times but a true person in every way. You like to do things for yourself and help others learn about themselves.



6. CHOCOLATE CAKE WITH CHOCOLATE ICING........
Sexy; always ready to give and receive. Very creative, adventurous, ambitious, and passionate. You can appear to have a cold exterior but are warm on the inside. Not afraid to take chances. Will not settle for anything average in life. Love to laugh.



7. ICE CREAM........................
You like sports, whether it be baseball, football, basketball, or soccer. If you could, you would like to participate, but you enjoy watching sports. You don't like to give up the remote control. You tend to be self-centered and high maintenance.



8. CARROT CAKE.........................
You are a very fun loving person, who likes to laugh? You are fun to be with. People like to hang out with you. You are a very warm hearted person and a little quirky at times. You have many loyal friends. You were meant to lead and teach others. A wonderful role model.

Fast Food?

Do you like Steak & Shake? Do you even know what it is?

Well in the middle of the country it is a chain of hamburger joints. Hamburgers made with steak instead of hamburger.

Then what is hamburger? Good question, I'm not sure I want to know the answer.

Back to Steak & Shake.

Monday Pa, HT and I dropped off my HHR for some repairs. Steak & Shake was close by. It reminds us of home, so I wanted to spend the money for the over priced burger and the great skinny fries.

We have never been in that joint but what you didn't have had to wait and wait for your food. Monday we walked into a almost empty restaurant, thinking this shouldn't be bad and it wasn't since we had All evening,
Today we went to get the car and guess were we ate. Yep S&S only it was full today and surprise surprise we got our food fast.
During the meal we over heard a waitress say "sorry we're understaffed today"

I think for now on we will only eat there when they are busy and understaffed. But then again I'm not so sure that today wasn't the exception.

Moving Day

Today Pa, Bubba and a couple of other guys moved a new friend into our house.
Our friend is a 50 inch up right piano. She (as she looks like a lady) will be staying with us until such a time as AO can move her to another new home.
For now I get to look at her and enjoy her architectural beauty.
Art and I have talked about the day when she can be restored and enjoyed as she was meant to be. We have wondered how long it would take and just how much it would cost. WOW is my guess. We both think it would be worth it. Perhaps some day one of the children will sit down and play beautiful music for us to enjoy.

Princess has also moved. She is now in the Blogger neighborhood.
http://thelifeandtimesofht.blogspot.com/ Go by and say hi.

How Fw and Princess got their Names

Pa and I settled on a boy's name real early on. We then spent the rest of the time trying to find a girls name we both liked. We would pick one and then spend a few days trying it out. You know Billy Bob YOU GET DOWN, Billy Bob Attorney at Law, Dr. Billy Bob and so on. After a few days out the door it would go. There were certain names that I really liked and wanted to use for each girl. Well, after a long winter and spring half over it was time to get a name she would be coming soon.
Pa and I meet at college my second year. We quit school for 2 years and then went back, so there were still a few old friends around. One Sunday night after church I was talking to a girlfriend. We not only grew up together but also ended up living just down the hall from each other in the dorm. Near the end of our conversation C. was talking about one our girlfriends from the dorm. We said our good byes and when I got in the car I ask Pa if he remembered this girl. He did after I told him that she was a cousin to two of his buddies. I ask if he liked her name and said she would be a good person to be named after. He said he did and FW got her first name. Then I added the middle name and for a few days it was settled.
Pa told me he didn't like the middle name. I wasn't real happy with him and started working on another name along the same line. I picked out her new middle name and Pa didn't say a word but you could tell he needed to. He finally told me that the name I picked out was his last girlfriends middle name. To which I said I liked M. and wouldn't mind naming a girl after her. M. and her husband were also our next door neighbors in Married Student housing. We were close friends. M.'s big brother was also Pa's best friend and roommate back in the dorm. We were just one BIG happy family.

Princess, who was our surprise, also got her first name from college friends. R and B are from Texas and had come to Illinois for graduate work. We met just after moving back to school. In no time B. was my new best friend. The end of that year they had a girl. The next year was my turn and B. got me through those 9 months. I did not know anything about babies and B kept telling me it would come to me.
School was out, baby born and we moved home. Bubba came along and then the Big Surprise. When I found out I was having a baby I told Pa that if it was a girl we were naming her after R.and B. little girl. He said that was fine so we just needed a middle name. Now at the time I didn't miss the Walton's and loved watching one of the girls. That is were Princess got her middle name.
All the names being pick, the time came and she was born. Pa called the family with the news. We got home with new baby and Grandma took the older 2 home with her. One day, I'm talking to Mom on the phone and she said that my oldest brother wanted to know why I had named my child after a cow and duck. I thought he was crazy and ask what he was talking about. There was a duck on TV who's name was close to babies name and Mom use to get milk from a diary who emblem was a cow with babies name. Princess's nick name became Ducky Moo Moo, NO, she hasn't had to go to counseling, Because Bubba changed it to Bill,

Valetines and History

This being the month of love, Black history and my birthday I shall tell you the story of my name.

My dad is 78 years old. He grew up in the back woods of south central Illinois. Almost everyone farmed and did other odd jobs to add to the family income.
Now back in those days there were not many black folks in that area of the country. Those that did live there "knew their place" and could live quietly for a time if they followed the rules.
I'm guessing"quietly for a time" was one of the rules, since black folk did not stay long.
I was a grown woman the first time I saw a black person in my folks hometown. My uncle told me they were not allowed there. Later when I ask, Dad told me about the county history. What a surprise. I just figured that black people didn't farm because of slavery. I had never seen a black farmer and all the black kids I knew lived in the same steel city we did.
Now when dad was small, a family lived down the road from them. Hard working folks with a bunch of kids. Kids being kids they soon knew each other well. The Mrs. helped grandma with some of her big chores and their big girls would tend to the children, from time to time.
My dad lost his heart to one of the older daughters. From the way he tells the story and the soft sound in his voice during the telling, there must still be a piece missing.
This one sided puppy love did not get to play it's self out as most do. Dad's love "just upped and moved" for reasons unknown to him. Leaving him with a sore heart and the sweet memory of first love.

When I was young Mother would tell me that Dad named me after his lost love. Sometimes he would say "that isn't true" then other times he would just smile and say "I don't remember her name. I was just a little guy".

you can't trust them

I just found out you can't trust the blogger test things. What a surprise I'm broken over this. Here all this time I have been taken those test to find out just who I am. Today, because I couldn't get it to post here, I take the same quiz twice and get 2 diffrent answers.
To say the least both answers were So NOT me. Acording to them I could have ruled the world and cared less who liked it or not. All out going and big.
Most days I'm more like Piglet, then Pinky's friend The Brain. There are days when my Petite Realm is just to big for me.
I am sorry if I have just busted your bubble about those test. Perhaps you should just look up the word noble that's were you will find out who you are.

I don't like St. Valentine's Day. To many bad memories and to much pressure.

I liked it when I was a kid.

Mom and Dad were all dressed up and going to church for the Sweetheart Banquet. It was exciting they looked so sparkly, even if they were wearing the same clothes that they wore on Sunday. I'm guessing the sparkle came from not having to take all of us kids with them. A whole evening of fun with other adults, at any rate it was exciting to me.
Then came the years when I was supposed to be going to the banquet with my sweetheart.
THE BAD YEARS
Yes the sweetheart of my youth was in love with Judy. She was a little tiny thing with blond hair you know the girl all the boys wanted to date and Tommy was dating her.
From 7th grade to college that boy broke my heart time and again. Of course there were a few fill in guys while I was waiting for Tommy to find out he was madly in love with me but they were only temps.

Tommy came to my house one day to talk to me. Our years out of high school had changed him. He was in love, it wasn't Judy it was Denice and she was a friend of mine. They married and lived happily everafter.
My heart didn't break to much, it's only been 30 some years and now I can talk about it. NO! really I'm OK I'm over it... honest... I'll be right back...

Changed from the Inside Out

Max Lucado

When you believe in Christ, Christ works a miracle in you. You are permanently purified and empowered by God himself. The message of Jesus to the religious person is simple: It's not what you do. It's what I do. I have moved in. And in time you can say with Paul, "I myself no longer live, but Christ lives in me" (Gal. 2:20).
If I'm born again, why do I fall so often?
Why did you fall so often after your first birth? Did you exit the womb wearing cross-trainers? Did you do the two-step on the day of your delivery? Of course not. And when you started to walk, you fell more than you stood. Should we expect anything different from our spiritual walk?
But I fall so often, I question my salvation. Again, we return to your first birth. Didn't you stumble as you were learning to walk? And when you stumbled, did you question the validity of your physical birth? Did you, as a one-year-old fresh flopped on the floor, shake your head and think, I have fallen again. I must not be human?
Of course not. The stumbles of a toddler do not invalidate the act of birth. And the stumbles of a Christian do not annul his spiritual birth.
Do you understand what God has done? He has deposited a Christ seed in you. As it grows, you will change. It's not that sin has no more presence in your life, but rather that sin has no more power over your life. Temptation will pester you, but temptation will not master you. What hope this brings!
Hear this. It's not up to you! Within you abides a budding power. Trust him!
Think of it this way. Suppose you, for most of your life, have had a heart condition. Your frail pumper restricts your activities. Each morning at work when the healthy employees take the stairs, you wait for the elevator.
But then comes the transplant. A healthy heart is placed within you. After recovery, you return to work and encounter the flight of stairs--the same flight of stairs you earlier avoided. By habit, you start for the elevator. But then you remember. You aren't the same person. You have a new heart. Within you dwells a new power.
Do you live like the old person or the new? Do you count yourself as having a new heart or old? You have a choice to make.
You might say, "I can't climb stairs; I'm too weak." Does your choice negate the presence of a new heart? Dismiss the work of the surgeon? No. Choosing the elevator would suggest only one fact--you haven't learned to trust your new power.
It takes time. But at some point you've got to try those stairs. You've got to test the new ticker. You've got to experiment with the new you. For if you don't, you will run out of steam.
Religious rule keeping can sap your strength. It's endless. There is always another class to attend, Sabbath to obey, Ramadan to observe. No prison is as endless as the prison of perfection. Her inmates find work but never find peace. How could they? They never know when they are finished.
Christ, however, gifts you with a finished work. He fulfilled the law for you. Bid farewell to the burden of religion. Gone is the fear that having done everything, you might not have done enough. You climb the stairs, not by your strength, but his. God pledges to help those who stop trying to help themselves.
"He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus" (Phil. 1:6.) God will change you from the inside out.

From Next Door Savior

Migraines

I just read this article in the NY Times
http://migraine.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/02/07/arms-at-rest/

I hate migraines. I had my first one 26 years ago. I look forward to the day when I am free of them.
The first time I had ever heard of them was when my friend W. told me about her head hurting so bad that she couldn't even stand the little movement of the bed when J. came to check on her. It was hard for me to believe that she could have been in that kind of pain. Little did I know.

My first one was something like W.'s and it scared me. I did not think people could live very long with that kind of pain.
It was almost a year later that I had the next one. Then came more and more until I went through almost 4 years of non-stop migraines. FarmWife started calling them "my drug days" after I started using Imitrex shots. For me the shots were a God send until a year ago when I started having rebound headaches from the years of use. Now I have been on a couple of diffrent med.s but haven't done as well as Imitrex and yet they still beat the "drug days".
Those days were usually 3 days of heavy duty drugs then a trip to the hospital were I would get a shot that would knock me out for day and the migraine would be gone for about 24 hours and another would start. It was not a fun time in our house.
FarmWife became the mom to Bubba and Princess and the house keeper. To much for a 8th grader to take on.
Pa was on a new job that kept him away for to many hours a day so our happy little home was anything but happy.
After reading the article I think I will give magnesium and B6 a try to see if they will aid in the death of my migraines. It Could Happen.

A Cup of Coffee

A group of alumni, all highly established in their respective careers, got together for a visit with their old university professor. The conversation soon turned to complaints about the endless stress of work and life in general. .


Offering his guests coffee, the professor went into the kitchen and soon returned with a large pot of coffee and an eclectic assortment of cups: porcelain, plastic, glass, crystal - some plain, some expensive, some quite exquisite.

Quietly he told them to help themselves to some fresh coffee. When each of his former students had a cup of coffee in hand, the old professor quietly cleared his throat and began to patiently address the small gathering. .

''You may have noticed that all of the nicer looking cups were taken up first, leaving behind the plainer and cheaper ones. While it is only natural for you to want only the best for yourselves, this is actually the source of much of your stress-related problems."

He continued, ''Be assured that the cup itself adds no quality to the coffee. In fact, the cup merely disguises or dresses up what we drink. What each of you really wanted was coffee, not a cup, but you instinctively went for the best cups. . . Then you began eyeing each other's cup. . .''

''Now consider this: Life is coffee. Jobs, money, and position in society are merely cups. They are just tools to shape and contain Life, and the type of cup we have does not truly define nor change the quality of the Life we live. Often, by concentrating only on the cup, we fail to enjoy the coffee that God has provided us. . God brews the coffee, but he does not supply the cups. Enjoy your coffee!''

The happiest people don't have the best of everything, they just make the best of everything they have. . . So please remember:

Live simply.
Love generously.
Care deeply.
Speak kindly
Leave the rest to God!

And remember - The richest person is not the one who has the most, but the one who needs the least

Art, Look who you get to travel with

***Your Travel Personality Is: Easygoing***
When you travel, you're looking for a lot of downtime. Vacations are your chance to recoup.All you need is a scenic spot and plenty of time on your hands. You'll figure out the rest.You're not one to make lots of plans when you travel. You just follow whatever path seems right.
What's Your Travel Personality?http://www.blogthings.com/whatsyourtravelpersonalityquiz/

This has been a weekend that has given us heightened anticipation, and expectation.
BabyGirl and parents are we hope on a new road of discovery.
Grandpa & Grandma M&M, Uncle Greenteeth and Aunt SilverBelle may have just found the house that will become their new home.
There is something in the air for us too.
I'm like a little kid at Christmas right now, I want to know what is in the boxes. Will they be filled with yes's? My heart grabs just a little each time I think about either one of them.
This is just going to be a week of wait and see in so many ways.

HT has won the prize of first stitches.

I always thought it would be BB who would take the prize. Saturday HT fell off the step at home and he is now sporting 3 big stitches in the crease of his eyelid. All is well and he does not seem to mind.

It just goes from there

You know how it is, all your going to do is pick up and sweep and the next thing you know a different room.
HT wasn't coming over today until late so I wanted to get the living room cleaned up. Now it has been moved around so the little man has more play space. Well at least he isn't as apt to smack his head on a corner.
He didn't show up this afternoon and I'm not to happy with dad for not calling. I could have gone shopping for foam that is going to take up the back of the HHR. I guess HT and I will take care of that tomorrow maybe.
Pa came home with a bad headache and looks like this whole cold thing is starting over, sure hope not 2 weeks is long enough. We have to get well as Grandpa and Grandma M&M are coming down for a short visit here soon so there is no time for another go a round

See what you can do

the comment left by FarmWife. My own dear child.

I still have the baby with the pink gown & bonnet that would have peed if you'd ever let me give her a bottle of water. Oddly, she is nameless.

Yeah, just take away their baby doll's bottles and do not give them an Easybake oven and you can mess up their heads something awful. Then they will spend the rest of their lives telling anyone who will listen what a sad childhood they had. They will even tell you that they once had a dog.

Tiramisu

I love Tiramisu.
Years ago Pa took me to the Macaroni Grill and I couldn't read most of the menu. We had some wonderful Italian something. The waiter ask if we would like dessert. Pa looked at me waiting for the usual no, instead we had Tiramisu. I really couldn't tell you what it is that I like about it. There really isn't much to it, it is mostly fluff but oh what fluff.
This month it is on the cover of Southern Lady magazine and perhaps by the end of the month on my table.
I love Southern Lady magazine.
It has all the wonderful things in it that I would love to have in my home. It has pictures of places that I would like to see and jewelery I would like to own.
Someday I should like to be a lady I'm not so sure that north or south makes a difference when it comes to being a lady.
Do you still have your last doll? What's her name?
I have mine but that is only because I didn't want a doll anymore so she got stuck some were. She has no name and my dog chewed some of her fingers off. She spent a lot of years with no clothes and even now may just have a rag strip tied around her body. I should name her maybe someday I will if not Farm Wife can since she likes to name doll baby's.

The truck hit but we won't know if it was a Mack truck or a different kind for a few days.
I was going to go to the doctor this morning, the office is closed on Friday. He was there and so were the office people. He said go on over to the hospital and if I need to I can come to the office for a follow up visit on Monday. Thats a joke.
The ambulatory care doctor looked at my ears and took a swab. He never touched me so he missed the lumps on the side of my neck or maybe he could see them, who knows. He put me on augmentin and I'm to go on the assumption that "no news is good News" and stay on the augmentin. BUT if it is something the medicine won't take care I will get a call. YEAH
All this wonderful medical care is only going to cost me my co-pay. That is if I have met my deductible, if not then I can set up a payment plan with the hospital. This just being the first of Jan. I guess I'm going to set up a plan. I really wish I would have worked harder on that deductible.

My thoughts are, Well, lets just say they are thoughts.

I need a new doctor. One that prefers to practice medicine and not a hobbyist. I hate to have to start looking for one but this one is now on my last nerve and has to go. I should have known better when he had to approve of our insurance. If I'm going to keep him I really must learn to only get sick Monday thur Thursday morning for his office hours.

Could it be that January is just one BIG Monday?
September brings you into that fall mood, with the passing of the busy days that get you into the swing of school and such.
Then time picks up speed and the next thing you know you hear yourself saying " If I can just get through Christmas then I'll start a new".
January starts and just about now you realize you have been blindsided.
Well, maybe its just me, but here I sit wishing a Mack truck would just run over me and get it done. HT has a nose problem and I just keep telling myself that I'll feel better tommorow After all tomorrow is another day.