Bittersweet Grandma

Decisions, Decisions

2010-03-03T00:31:00.000-06:00

It seems like the best one-on-one conversations I have with my grandchildren occur in the car. Perhaps it’s because I’m a captive audience or maybe it’s just that I’m less distracted by the outside world. Whatever the reason, I’m really tuned in to what they are saying when it’s just the two of us driving down the road. This is especially true when it comes to my soon to be five-year old granddaughter, who seems to enjoy chattering away in the back seat (or singing).

One day last week, she said with all intensity and seriousness, “Tomorrow, I’m going to make up my mind what I’m going to be when I grow up. Today is the last day I’m going to think about it.” Honestly, you would have thought this was an urgent decision that was weighing heavily on her mind. A few days later I asked her what she decided about her career choice. She answered, “I’m going to be a McDonald’s Lady.” I’m not knocking all the wonderful people who work at McDonald’s but I think all those chicken nuggets have gone to her head. Not to worry though. When her Aunt Sarah was her age, she wanted to be a clown.

First Date

2010-02-09T12:15:00.002-06:00

“Did you know I have a Valentine, Grandma?” my ten year old grandson asked me as I drove him to school. “Oh, and who is it?” I asked. “It’s a girl from Me-maw’s church,” he answered. “She’s eleven.” I couldn’t help but tease a little, “An older woman, huh?” He ignored me. “Do you know what it means to have a Valentine?” “Well, I think so,” I smiled, “but why don’t you tell me what you think it means.” “It means I have a girlfriend.” “Don’t you think you might be a little young to have a girlfriend,” I replied. “No, I’m getting to be the age when you start thinking of things like that.” “Oh, boy,” I think to myself but answer, “I suppose so.” “Do you know what we are going to do for our first date?” he continued. “We are going to the skating rink for Christian night on March.” “That sounds like fun,” I say, trying not to cringe at the words ‘first date.’ He then asks, “Do you think I could do some chores for you so I can earn some money to buy her a coke or something?” That really threw me off-guard but I remained calm. “Yes,” I replied. “If you want to earn some money to buy her a coke, I think I can find something for you to do.”

I am so not ready for this ! He’s only 10! But at least he will be skating to Christian music with a church girl. But still…(sigh).

Self-Defense

2010-02-05T10:33:00.001-06:00

On her way home from school, my thirteen year old granddaughter came upon a crowd of students whose paths were blocked by a couple of boys in pre-fight mode, shouting obscenities at each other. After a few minutes, tired of the wait and the trash talk, she decided to walk between them and be on her way. At precisely the same time one of the boys decided to throw a punch at the other. The punch, however, was headed straight toward my precious grandchild. Without thinking, she blocked the punch and automatically counterpunched. The kid she punched was a head taller than her but he was on his backside with a bloody nose. After a second of stunned silence, the boys and the crowd started expressing their amazement with words such as “Holy S#@#.” My granddaughter, in shock herself, went on her way. As she passed the boy who was the intended target, she winked and said, “I forgot to mention that I’m a black belt.”

As usual, I asked her how her day at school went (I’m the after-school care-taker for my grandchildren). “It was okay until the end,” she answered and proceeded to tell me her story. “It all happened so fast,” she reflected. “I didn’t even think about it until I was delivering the punch. I pulled back a little when I realized what was happening. I didn’t want to hurt him.” She held up her fist, twisting it around, examining it in wonder. “And I didn’t even hurt my hand!” I couldn’t help but burst out in laughter. Her ten-year old brother was also very impressed.

My amusement quickly turned to concern. I thought to myself, “I hope she didn’t break his nose and I hope she doesn’t get into trouble.” I told her to call her parents and let them know what happened in case they got a call from the school. I also worried that the boy she punched would want revenge. When I voiced that concern to my hubby, he pointed out she could take care of herself. I’m relieved to say that all is well. The boy went back to school without a broken nose and after a week, still isn’t bothering her. And, thankfully, we haven’t heard from the school or his parents. This evening she will be testing for Level 3, 1st Degree Black Belt in Taekwondo. And I will be watching.

Mistakes

2010-02-04T09:24:00.003-06:00

As we sat in the line to drop her off at pre-school, my four-year old granddaughter realized she didn't have her school bag. "Well, we just have to go back and get it, then," I merely said as I eased out of the line. Thankfully, we were a little early and I felt absolutely no pressure or aggrivation. My granddaughter, however, was quick to blame me for the forgotten bag. I pointed out that making sure she had her school bag was her responsibility, not mine. She switched from blaming to making an excuse. "Well, I didn't see it!" Still very calm, I replied, "You made a mistake. It's okay to make mistakes, we don't have to blame and make excuses." "Oh," she remarked. "No one told me that."

Are Boys Annoying?

2010-01-11T18:00:00.002-06:00

After dropping off perscriptions for my asthmatic granddaughter, we proceeded to her favorite eatery to await the filling of said perscriptions. As she devoured the coveted chicken nuggets, a little boy around three or four years old approached the table next to where we were sitting. He abruptly grabbed a salt shaker, licked the top of it, and placed it back on the table! His grandmother, slowly following him, picked the shaker up and said, "That wasn't nice; now they are going to have to wash this." I'm sure she meant her words for my benefit since the little boy was long gone before she finished even half of her sentence. My granddaughter looked at me with an incredulous look on her face. "He shouldn't have done that," she remarked. I agreed.

As is our routine, after lunch comes the playground. She climbed over and around the maze for a little while then gravitated to one of her favorite games. She patiently waited while a daddy finished his son's game. Apparently the little boy lost interest. AFter the man relinquished the seat to her, my four year old granddaughter sat down to play. It wasn't long before another little boy came over and began pushing her, trying to move her off the seat. She stood her ground so I watched, not wanting to rescue her too quickly. He finally gave up pushing and tried a different approach, sabotaging her game. Since his parents seemed oblivious to his obnoxious behavior, I decided it was best to leave before I took matters into my own hands. She was fuming as we drove off. "Boys are so annoying!" She utters this statement often. "Some boys are, but not all," I tried to defend the innocent males in the world. After a moment of hesitation I offered, "your papaw isn't annoying, is he?" "Sometimes, he is," she exlaimed. Recalling his delight in teasing her, I sighed and conceded with a smile. "I guess you are right. Boys can be really annoying sometimes!

April Birthdays and Blessings

2009-04-17T23:44:00.002-05:00

I’m almost two days late, but yesterday was my sister, Roberta’s birthday. Here is a picture taken about 50 years ago. She’s on my mother’s lap. Betcha can guess how old she is! Happy ‘belated’ Birthday, Berta! I hope it was a good one!

Happy Birthday to the following April babies I know. Again, I’m sorry I’m late on some of them and I hope I didn’t miss anyone (but please don’t be shy if I did)! Sharing an April birthday with her grandma Berta is my great-niece, Katlyn, who turned three on the 5th. My friend Jane, from my working days, was a year older on the 6th. And as I’ve already mentioned in a special posting, my darling daughter, Sarah, is a bit more into her thirties. My friend Kelly will be celebrating tomorrow, the 18th, and I will be joining her with some other girlfriends! And my niece, Becky’s birthday is on the 24th. And although they have passed from this world I honor the memory of Kirk’s sister, Janet, whose birthday was April 2 and Kirk’s grandma, Faye, who celebrated her last birthday last April 8.

Lately I have been a little depressed and grumpy. So today I decided that it would be good for me to start noticing my blessings. There are so many little things in life that can be overlooked if we don’t slow down to notice. So here’s my blessing for the day - As I ran several errands with my four year old granddaughter in tow this afternoon, I was blessed with parking spaces next to the sidewalks, every time! Now this may not seem a big deal to most people, but to those who have independent, darting toddlers, not having to cross traffic in a parking lot is indeed a blessing!

Doin' the Happy Dance!

2009-04-10T17:42:00.003-05:00

Update from this morning: I found the tax documents and software! Yeah! Thank you, God!

Where, Oh Where?

2009-04-10T09:56:00.003-05:00

Since the beginning of the year, I’ve been gathering tax information. Because we usually do not receive a refund, over the years I’ve developed the bad habit of procrastination in filling out the tax forms. Come to think about it, lately I procrastinate on many other things, as well. So that’s the first problem. I'm just about out of time and I have not started ‘doing’ the taxes. But I have a bigger problem and a more annoying habit that has also developed recently. Where did I put the stuff, including the software I bought? Am I the only one who puts things away so I’ll know where they are and then forget where I put them? So on this most holy day of Good Friday; I plan to continue searching every nook and cranny in my house, praying that God will help me find the tax folder. Or was it a big envelope? Oh, bother!

Happy Birthday, Sweet Child of Mine

2009-04-09T10:43:00.008-05:00

Thirty-three years ago, at 2:35 am,

God blessed Hubby and I with our first born.

A girl, 6 pounds and 9 ounces, 19 inces long.

She always had lots of hair!

And she was always the lady

(although she will show her knees these days)!

Eighteen months old here:

I love those freckles and green eyes!

This is her kindergarten picture.

Fifth grade

and the braces that contributed to her beautiful smile!

Wearing her high school band uniform

and the beautiful smile I mentioned.

Our lovely birthday girl!

We love you! Happy 33rd!

Happy Birthday, Brody!

2009-03-22T16:36:00.003-05:00

My friend's little boy is two today! He makes me smile and warms my heart! I love you, Birthday Boy (and your sister, too)!

The Things We Do For Love...And How Quickly They Forget

2009-03-22T07:05:00.001-05:00

As with many teenage girls (and more than a few adult women who won’t admit it), my twelve year old granddaughter has waited with excited anticipation for the DVD release of the movie Twilight. It was the same with new each book release in the Stephenie Meyer’s Twilight Saga and, of course, the theater release of the movie. Signs and websites galore advertised the ability to pre-order copies of the coveted DVD. It was with this in mind that I, on a whim, pre-ordered a copy while in the video store last Monday renting a movie for my grandson and a friend to watch on their first day of Spring Break. I will be honest in admitting that I didn’t order it just for her but I knew she would be pleased that we would have a copy at my house, as well as at her mother’s house on the very first day of availability.

The check-out person informed me that the video store would remain open for one hour after midnight on Saturday to allow customers to pick up their copy. I smiled and told her we could probably wait until later in the day to pick up our copy (like she cared). However, being a doting grandmother, a plan started to formulate in my head. Maybe she would like to ask a friend to sleep over and we could stand in line around midnight with all the other obsessed fans and then promptly watch the movie after returning home. Not wanting to steal my daughter’s thunder at getting the movie first for her eldest child, I checked with her to see if she would mind if I made this offer. I don’t know why I’m clarifying this, but I suspect it’s related to guilt and regrets. Anyhow…she consented and the plans were set into motion. After taking a late night nap between 10pm and 11:30pm on Friday, I slipped on my shoes, grabbed my purse, and drove the two pre-teens to the video store. Although there was definitely a line, it was not as bad as I had thought it would be. As soon as it was midnight, the lines went pretty fast, especially the pre-order line. As expected, we watched the DVD as soon as the popcorn was ready. It was a late night, but a pleasant one. Now we wait with anticipation for the release of it’s sequel in the theaters in November 2009.

Believe it or not, the above event is not what prompted this posting. Darling Daughter number two called Saturday morning to see when we would be dropping the granddaughter off at her house. Since I was sleeping in, Hubby spoke with her. He relayed to me a comment she made during their conversation that went something like this...“Mom never stayed up until midnight to wait in line for us to get a movie.” That was a true statement, considering we didn’t even have a VCR or DVD player when she was that age. But I had to smile as I immediately recalled something even more outrageous and extravagant that Hubby and I did for our two daughters somewhere back in the 80’s. They were both crazy about NKOB (New Kids On the Block) and we waited for a long time in a long line to get tickets to their concert that was coming to town. We didn’t camp all night, as some parents and their children did, so we did not have a very advantageous place in line (who knew?). As we finally neared the ticket counter, it was announced that the tickets were sold out but they were allowing those in line to purchase tickets at other concerts on the tour. The sad, disappointed faces were too much to handle so we actually bought six tickets for a concert in Biloxi, Mississippi, about four hours away from where we lived. The two extra tickets were for each daughter to invite a friend. We also rented a hotel room since it would be too late after the concert to return home. I’m sure my youngest daughter will be thinking as she read this, “Oh, yeah. We did do that.” Maybe she will even think that the midnight run to Blockbuster wasn’t such a big deal after all!

My Birthday Girls! March 4, 1979 and 2005

2009-03-04T08:24:00.017-06:00

Happy Birthday, to you!

Happy Birthday, to my baby!

10 weeks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 years

6 years . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .18 years

Almost 30 (Feb 2009 - Mardi Gra)

And her baby. . . my grandbaby, four years ago!

I love you! Have a wonderful day!

Birthdays, Birthdays, Birthdays!

2009-03-03T10:42:00.009-06:00

It was my intention last year to honor family and friends on my blog on their birthdays. I started off well but by the end of the year, I failed miserably. So I’m going to try something different this year. I’ll tell everyone “Happy Birthday!” once a month. But since it is already March, I’ll try to catch up on the first two months, as well.

I’ll begin with Brandy, since today is her birthday. Brandy is my niece, the first on my side of the family.

Tomorrow is my youngest daughter’s birthday and her youngest daughter’s birthday. I’ll do a special post for them. It’s the ‘BIG three-o’ for the daughter. I can’t believe it! She’s getting so old!

March is a big birthday month for our family. I also have a very good friend who has a birthday on Saturday, March 7. Happy Birthday, Christy! March 8 would have been my mother’s 74th birthday. Janet and Chris, my sisters, follow on March 10th and March 13th. Hubby was born on March14th. Two more good friends share a birthday on the 20th, Beverly and Craig. And my friend, Carole’s birthday is on the 28th. Busy, busy, birthday month!

Now, backing up a bit…Although I personally told these two ladies “Happy Birthday,” I would also like to post a birthday wish to my friends Terry and Jacqueline (Jan. 3 and Feb. 21). Additionally, February 7th would have been my parents’ 57th wedding anniversary, had they lived long enough.

So there you go… Love you all! By the way, if I missed anyone, please be sure to email me and tell me about it. I don’t have you on my day timer and I do not remember anything that is not in my day timer! The daughter is not the only one getting old!

I'm Back!

2009-02-27T05:55:00.001-06:00

It’s time to start blogging again. I think everyone is well again, for the time being. The flu has hit our area, and our house, hard this year. Hubby was on the verge of pneumonia before he finally went to the doctor. The regular doctor referred him to a pulmonary specialist. Since Hubby couldn’t answer the questions I had for him on the regular doctor’s visit, I decided to go with him to the specialist. They worked him in the very next morning. The pulmonary doctor had a sense of humor and I really liked his bedside manner. When Hubby told him he had been smoking for about 40 years (actually it has been longer, but who’s counting) the doctor asked Hubby if he was ready to quit. Hubby answered with a question, “Why?” The doctor and I looked at each other incredulously and we both chuckled. If the doctor hadn’t been standing there I would have told Hubby how idiotic that question sounded. Actually, I think Hubby may have been afraid the doctor saw something scary on the x-ray. Personally, I’m glad he needed chest x-rays for his infection because the thought had crossed my mind, as well. Anyway, after lots of medications, repeat x-rays, and another trip to the doctor, he is looking and sounding much better. All the kids were sick with high fever, headache, and sore throat. And they didn’t all have it at the same time. Needless to say, I’ve been too busy to get sick.

I’m busy planning a birthday party for the soon-to-be four year old. She wants a “Hello Kitty Tea Party.” The weather has been very nice and I’m hoping to have it in my back yard. So I’m grooming my garden. It feels good to get back outside to work again. It got up in the 80’s the last couple of days.

The older two children have earned their red belts in Taekwondo. We are hoping they will get their black belts before too long. It’s getting harder now but they are both doing well.

Hubby and I joined a gym again. I’ve gone to a couple of spin classes and I hope to start cycling again. I have a friend who has caught the bug so I will have a riding partner.

I’ll end this catch up session with a quote from my little granddaughter. She is a lot of work but she sure makes me smile. A few days ago she was singing and dancing around the family room. I was reading and was barely paying attention to what she was doing. She’s constantly dancing and singing. Suddenly, she stopped and told me, “Grandma, God is so happy in my heart to see me dancing!” Wow, out of the mouth of babes.

Meg is Gone

2009-02-06T09:26:00.003-06:00

Hubby's GPS, which he fondly named Meg, was stolen out of his car last night. Thankfully, the thief didn't break a window and nothing else seems to be missing. His reaction was anger. Mine was sorrow for him. He was so excited to get it for Christmas. We filed a police report and I guess I'll try to contact the insurance company to see if we can recover any of the cost. It was a nice piece of equipment.

Other news: Spent yesterday at the doctor's office and then the emergency room with the toddler. She has the flu and needed IV fluids and a diagnosis on the rash that has covered her body. Her ear and throat infections have not cleared up either. Daughter #2 is currently at an appointment to get a biopsy done. I'm getting ready to go on a women's retreat for the weekend. I'll try to post more later. Busy, busy, busy!

Sick Again

2009-02-03T20:09:00.003-06:00

I haven’t posted for a while because I have been a little busy with sick people. I thought our household was well on its way to reasonable healthiness last week, but, no. A fresh new virus decided to rear its ugly head. Even Hubby didn’t escape this one. I haven’t been blessed with it yet but everyone else in the house has been pretty ill. This morning they all went back to school and to work (yay!). I plan to attend a Women’s Retreat this weekend so I’m hoping and praying I stay well.

That’s all for tonight, unless you can advise me on how to answer a soon to be four year old who wants to know if the Easter Bunny and Santa Clause are best friends. Who started all that nonsense anyway?

Manners, or Lack Thereof

2009-01-28T09:33:00.000-06:00

I’m not sure what the deal is, but my youngest granddaughter sometimes refuses to say hello or goodbye to people, even to those of whom she is very fond. When I dropped of some clean dishtowels at the church this morning, she had a big smile for Mr. Dick and Ms. Christy, but would not talk. When we left, she would not say goodbye and totally ignored their words of farewell. I think it a control issue (it runs in the family). On the way to the car, I explained to her that it is bad manners to ignore people when they talk to you. Her explanation, “I don’t have manners, Grandma.” You got that right! I think I’ll change my strategy and not make a big deal out of it. Sigh. I feel so inadequate when it comes to disciplining my grandchildren. I had to yell at my grandson this morning to get him to get ready for school. I think he enjoyed staying home for the last two days and wanted to try for another day. Now I have a knot in my stomach because he was crying after I yelled at him. Sigh, again.

I do have to keep the toddler away from other kids today because she still had fever last night. She has tonsillitis and is now on antibiotics, again. I am very frustrated with the gym. I had to cancel my appointment with my trainer on Monday and this morning because of my fever infested household. I didn’t let them know 24 hours in advance so they charged me anyway! Yes, it’s in the long contract someplace but I have no control over fevers and when they decide to show up. So I am so finished with the trainer thing. I have my last pre-paid session on Monday and they will not get another penny out of me after that. I don’t want to even go on Monday but I’ll not cut off my nose to spite my face. I have already decided that I will not do squats and crunches but will insist that I be shown how to use the equipment correctly, which is why I signed up with a trainer to begin with. Sigh, one more time. Okay, I feel better now that I have vented a little.

How to Embarrass a Middle School Girl

2009-01-27T13:50:00.003-06:00

While dropping off my granddaughter at her school yesterday morning, I was a little amused at something we witnessed. A carpool mom, dropping off a couple of girls, must have committed a traffic violation. A police officer flipped on his cruiser’s blaring, red and blue lights to pull her over. She quickly complied but did so in the school parking lot. The girls in the passenger seats jumped out and rushed away from the car, mortified. I’m sure it wasn’t worth the ticket, but what a great way to embarrass a middle school child! I’m sure the mom was too irritated and busy to enjoy their red faces, and may have been a bit embarrassed herself, but I thought it was priceless. I can hear it now, “Oh. My. Gosh. Do you know what my mom did? I thought I would die!” I'm just glad it wasn't me.

I’m waiting for the toddler to wake up so I can take her to the doctor. I think, no, I know she has an ear infection. Our house is full of sick people. Come to think of it, the whole community if full of sick people. I almost hate to take her to the doctor, since it’s a good possibility there will be someone there who is contagious. The grandson is on his second day off from school but is doing much better. He’s feeling so much better that I’m making him clean out the turtle tank. If he can play with his Legos, he can clean the turtle tank. He’s not complaining as it’s a chore he enjoys. He just has to be reminded to do it. Come to think of it, he has to be reminded of a lot of things.

Love Is In the Air

2009-01-24T01:59:00.003-06:00

How do you like the new look? With Valentine’s Day coming up, I thought I might focus a little on love.

I’m also sporting a new “do” so I thought I’d update my picture. I finally gave in and allowed my silver hair to grow out. The color and highlights are gone except on the tips (see profile picture). This was as short as I was willing to go. I’ve had a lot of compliments on the color and cut but sometimes I wonder if people are just noticing the drastic change and are saying they like it because, hey, what else does one say (besides nothing). At any rate, I’m hoping it doesn’t make me look too much older. I may be a bit vain, but this was a big step for me. Now my hair will match my aging knees. On the bright side, it's much easier to manage.

What Boys and Girls Are Made Of!

2009-01-23T14:30:00.007-06:00

“Oh where, oh where is my little iPod, oh where, oh where can it be?” I found myself singing this to the tune of (you guessed it) “Where, oh where, has my little dog gone?” The toddler has a CD set that she plays over and over and over again. They have 150 nursery rhyme songs on them. I didn’t even know there WHERE that many nursery rhymes! I finally found the iPod under a pile of papers on my desk and headed for the gym to work out to my favorite and more mature music. The weather is so beautiful that after my workout, I decided to take the little one to a neighborhood park toting a picnic lunch from Subway. We ate on the little boardwalk along the river. I commented on the beautiful day, the sunshine, and the fresh air. “Yeah, the fresh wind, too,” she replied seriously. I don’t think she has learned how to be sarcastic yet. It was a bit breezy and we had a hard time keeping the paper napkins from blowing away. After hiking back through the woods (the forest, she called it) we headed for the playground. As she played I noticed another milestone. I don’t have to help her climb on the equipment anymore. And she can swing herself, although she likes to be pushed high. I joined her on the next swing and rather enjoyed going as high as I could. I went down a slide, too! It was fabulous, spontaneous fun with my youngest granddaughter. The only down side was when a friendly golden retriever bounced wildly about her and finally on her. Although the dog didn’t knock her down or hurt her, she started crying. It happened in a split second and I couldn’t get to her fast enough to keep the dog off. It has been playing fetch in the river with its owner and was running all over the place; wet, sandy, and very excited. Thinking she was afraid, I kneeled down beside her and asked her if she was okay. “No, I’m all dirty,” was her only complaint. I should have known she wasn’t afraid. Her favorite dog in the world is a golden retriever my friend owns. But she doesn’t like dirt. I brushed her off and she skipped off to her next adventure.

Here are some pictures of the grandson taken at his Cub Scout pack meeting last evening.

Clint, the Snake Guy was there with a few of his friends. Yes, that is a boa constrictor wrapped around my precious grandson’s neck. What fun. (I know all about sarcasm). I’m so glad Hubby takes him to these meetings and outings. I’m just not good at guy stuff (nor care to be). Oh, and this little boy rescued his older sister from a spider yesterday. It was in the bathtub and she wanted to take a shower. She freaked, he very calmly removed it for her. “Snakes and Snails and Puppy Dog Tails, that’s what little boys are made of!” Now where have I heard that recently?

I'm Not Ditzy, But...

2009-01-20T14:41:00.003-06:00

This weekend, in my attempt to become more current on current events, I sat down to read last Sunday’s newspaper. I am embarrassed to say that the first thing I picked up was a sales ad. I don’t plan on shopping anytime soon but it is important to know what’s on sale, right? Realizing quickly that I wasn’t accomplishing my goal, I next picked up the social part of the paper, interested by what was going on at the theater and around town. The rodeo is back in town soon and, low and behold, the Jonas Brothers will be featured at one of the shows! I have no clue what they sing but I know they are on the Disney Channel and my twelve year old granddaughter loves them. Noticing that online tickets went on sale that day, I wondered if I could purchase some good seats and drive her down to the city to see them. I promptly left the newspaper and went right to my computer to order a couple of tickets. They had only been on sale for an hour and had ‘standing room only’ as their best available ‘seats.’ Seems my granddaughter isn’t the only one crazy about this boy band. My excitement over being able to surprise her with tickets was soon deflated. I glanced over at the newspaper and decided to put it in the recycle bin, minus the valuable coupons, of course. If only (a phrase I try not to use anymore) I had read the paper earlier that day! So much for current events! I have tried to watch the news a couple of times with Hubby but he insists on watching the news programs where a panel of so-called “newspersons” argue their opinions about murdered little girls, wayward sports figures and corrupt politicians. I can’t stand it! So, I don’t really care if I’m not up on the latest news. I may be in denial, but at least I’m not sad over things of which I have little or no control. I don't believe I'm ditzy but don't ask my older brother.

I did watch the inauguration and was quite moved by it. I thought Obama’s speech was encouraging and I am quite hopeful that he is not the evil person some make him out to be (okay, darling daughter and sister-in-law, and probably my nephew, don’t hate me!). I have to admit, my favorite part was Pastor Rick Warren’s bold prayer mentioning Jesus Christ in whom he prayed for our nation and ending with the Lord’s Prayer. You go, dude! I also thought the special musical selection by composer, John Williams, and performed by different races and gender was awesome. I searched for the quartet on the internet and I’m writing this down on my blog for my own information (I’m hoping to download it on my iPod). The musical artists were Itzhak Perlman (violin), Yo-Yo Ma (cello), Gabriela Montero (piano), and Anthony McGill (clarinet). It was a historical day and I’m glad I was able to watch it from the comfort of my family room. I’m extremely glad not to be in Washington, D.C. today. Did you see the crowds?!

I love the Bush family and I am saddened by the harsh criticism and down right hatred our ex-president has endured, especially this past year. I respect him and bid him well. Thank you for serving our nation! Now I'm back to the television to watch the rest of the inauguration day events. Later...

Where Have I Been?

2009-01-16T20:57:00.003-06:00

We’ve joined a gym and have started working out again, rather, I have started working out. Hubby hasn’t felt well this week (he has head congestion and all the crud that comes with it). This evening I used the I Pod that he gave me as a Christmas gift. Don’t laugh, but what a fantastic little invention! I am so behind the times. I really enjoyed my own music but I had to turn the volume up to drown out the video music that was being piped out over the load speaker. I hope I didn’t damage my eardrums. Instead of watching the video that didn’t match my music, I started reading the closed captions on the news. It was the first time I heard about the Hudson River plane crash! I really need to pay more attention to the outside world! I can’t remember when I watched the news last, not even the weather! We get a Sunday paper, but just because I want to clip the coupons and Hubby and the grandson want to read the comics (they both watch the news). So, in addition to trying to develop muscle tone, I may try to develop my mind a little more. I really don’t like watching the news or reading the newspapers because I don’t trust the reporters. Nor do I want to hear about the horrible stuff that goes on all over the world and in my own city. But, I think I’ll get my head out of the sand and at least make an effort to stretch my knowledge on current events a little bit better.

We are childless this weekend and I plan to work on my kitchen walls. I need to go back over them and make sure I have all the old wallpaper paste off before we start filling, sanding, priming and painting. This is going to be a long project, especially if I don’t work on it more than once every few weeks! The person responsible for me starting this project will be back visiting in March for the toddler’s birthday. At this rate, maybe she will be able to help finish what she started! Seriously, though, I hope I can finish it before she comes back. My eldest daughter is a great motivator when it comes to remodeling. I think the comment that finally did it was, “If you would just take those lace curtains down, it would make a world of difference.” So, I’m on my way to modernizing my kitchen and breakfast room. Time, time, time! I need more time!

She Keeps Me Smiling

2009-01-15T06:34:00.005-06:00

As we drove home from dance class this morning, the toddler complained most of the way about how unfair it was that she had to stand on the green spot instead of the purple one. “I’m not pretty when I stand on the green one!” Oh, to be three and not have anything more serious to complain about than the color of your spot. And the pretty thing, ugh! I hope she doesn’t base her worth on prettiness.

A few evenings ago, she was diligently working on writing her name and drawing pictures. She was on the floor, working on about twenty sheets of paper (a terrible waste but who wants to stifle a budding artist/writer). She was sitting with her legs crossed, facing away from Hubby and me. Each time she bent over her work, a crack peeked out from over the top of her pants. I nudged him and we silently chuckled. Hubby pulled out his phone and snapped this picture. If she was worried about not looking pretty on a green dance spot, I wonder what she’ll think of this someday.

Cracking Us Up!

Our normal routine after dance class is to drop by a local fast food restaurant for lunch. After eating her favorite food, chicken nuggets, my sweet little granddaughter asked to play the game that came with her meal. Since I was only half way through my salad, I agreed (have you ever noticed how long it takes to chew lettuce and swallow it?). The cute game involved launching paper coins with a mouse trap shaped launcher onto a game board. Of course several coins were launched clear off the table. As she reached for one of them head first, she got stuck up-side-down. “A little help here!” she exclaimed. “Where did she learn that?” I wondered. Her mind is like a little sponge, absorbing everything around her. It is fascinating for me to watch her developing from a baby, to a toddler, and very soon into a little girl. It’s a shame I didn’t take more time to observe and enjoy my own children in that way. I was too busy trying to be a perfect wife and mother while working outside my home that I think we all lost out on some of the joy. No regrets, I’m just saying… Where, oh where, did the time fly?

One last recent quote I found amusing: “I think I’ll measure my feet,” she said as she stepped on the scale. “My feet are 44, Grandma.”

A Ride Home

2009-01-14T08:46:00.000-06:00

Imagine you are a nine-year old kid who just wrecked his bike, hitting the concrete hard. You have two large gashes in your ankle, which you can see through the huge hole in your sock. Additionally, your elbow hurts. Your leg hurts. Your side hurts. You are lying in the street, trying not to cry and you can’t get up. A nice man wearing scrubs happens to see you fall and gets out of his vehicle to help you. The man tells you that he works at a hospital and takes a look at your injuries. He reassures you that you will be okay and offers you a ride home. Although you have a cell phone in your backpack, you feel it will be okay to get into the car with this nice man, even though you do not know him. The man puts your bike in the back of his vehicle and drives you home. He asks to speak to your grandma so he can tell her what happened. He is truly a nice man. After your ankle is properly cleaned and bandaged, your grandma reminds you of the reason you are allowed to carry a cell phone to school. You think you are in trouble because you are not supposed to get into a car with strangers. “He works in a hospital and he was really nice and he just put my bike in the car and I thought it would be okay because I was hurt.” Your grandma reassures you that you are not in trouble and that she understands why you got in the car; however, she explains that it would have been a better choice to call home for help. Your mother echoes the same advice. And now you are bummed because you left your bike helmet in his car and you don’t know where he lives. At least your sore ankle allowed you to sit out of PE the next day.

Picture yourself a grandmother or a mother (some of you are). You are very grateful for the aid rendered to your grandson or son by a kind person. At the same time, you are concerned that the child got into a stranger’s vehicle. You are relieved he is okay, in more ways than one. You try not to wrinkle your face as you clean up the blood and gently bandage the injury. You use this opportunity to show how much you care about your only grandson by not throwing up. Instead, you smile, you hug, and you reassure him that all is well. And it is.

Giggling Girls

2009-01-13T09:50:00.003-06:00

I sat around the table with six giggling 6th grade girls. It was my turn to help the leader at my granddaughter’s Girl Scout meeting. The girls have earned their bronze award and are now starting to work on their silver award. The first four requirements call upon them to build their skills, explore career possibilities, increase their leadership skills, and make a commitment to improve their selves. Yesterday evening, they went through an exercise called “What Matters Most” in which they named qualities they think matter most in a person. They then named qualities about themselves. If there was a quality the girl admired that wasn’t on her list, she was to choose one of those qualities to start developing. They also completed a worksheet about their strengths and talents. I am very proud of some of my granddaughter’s answers and would like to share.

The qualities she admires the most about people are honesty, intelligence, open-mindedness, being fun-loving, and trustworthy. She described herself as tough, fun-loving, brave, friendly, and funny (I agree). I thought it was interesting that she said she wanted to be more trustworthy. I always thought she was very trustworthy. Hmm. Okay, I won’t read anything into that. She couldn’t think of anything that made her special (oh my gosh!) but she had some help from her friends on that one. One of her proudest achievements was that she brought her Re-La (Reading/Language Arts) grade up 16 points (to an A). This exercise was to help the girls build up self-esteem, something every pre-teen girl needs. One of the things I learned at this meeting was that the girls in her troop are very kind to one another but a little modest about their selves. It is a great group of girls and I am so glad she likes girl scouts. It’s a family tradition! By the way, if you’d like to buy some cookies to support the troop, please let me know. We are hoping to earn credits to defer some of the cost of activities.

Hostsesses at Senior Villiage Christmas Party, Dec. 08

A Sad Day

2009-01-09T18:19:00.004-06:00

I watched and offered comfort to my grandson as he went through several stages of grief in a short amount of time. Denial - “Are you sure? Did you poke holes in the box in case he’s still breathing? Maybe he just passed out.” Anger - “Stupid cat! He should have watched where he was going! He should have stayed inside.” Sadness – crying with his older sister as they actually hugged each other. Acceptance – “Can we put a cross on the grave?”

Milo, my daughter’s cat, whom we have all grown to love, was hit by a car (possibly a bus this morning). She and her roommate found him on their way to work. A good friend went with me to get him so he could be buried in our back yard (and to get him off the street). She put him in the bag and then into the box I’d brought. I couldn’t do it. I have really good friends!

Hubby dug Milo’s grave and buried him as soon as he arrived home from work. I didn’t even suggest he change his good clothes and shoes as I watched them get muddy.

We will have a little ceremony for him when my daughter and her roommate can make it to our house. They already have a cross. I’ve never been to a cat funeral but it seems appropriate for some reason.

Milo

Happy New Year, Happy New Day!

2009-01-01T11:15:00.011-06:00

And…Happy “belated” Birthday, Shelby!

As I reflected upon my New Year’s Resolutions yesterday (the normal stuff – loose weight, exercise more, read my Bible more, start riding again) I realized that although the beginning of the year is a good time for a fresh start, every single day is a good day to start anything good. If I look at the year in terms of 365 days, it seems to have a negative influence on me. Either I think I have plenty of time to get bad habits under control or I get discouraged thinking about the daunting tasks ahead. As the year goes on, I feel like a failure and I give up too easily! Not only that, each day that comes may be my last on this earth and I want to live my life that way. So I hope to make a “new day” resolution every morning I wake up. First, I will give my day to God and rely on his power to help me prioritize what is most important for that day. I can do just about anything for 24 hours. Not original, but a good reminder.

We spent the last day of 2009 with our grandchildren and some friends. We went to a popular pizza entertainment place. The kids rode go-carts, played miniature golf, bowled, and played video games for several hours. That was sandwiched between lunch and dessert. We had fun and it got us out of the house. I was ready to experience something other than stripping wallpaper. The younger two grandchildren then went to visit their dad and other grandparents and the eldest granddaughter went to a friend’s house to bring in the New Year with a sleep over. Hubby and I watched television while I worked on a Thomas Kinkade jigsaw puzzle that I got for Christmas. We normally go to a New Year’s Eve party that some friends invite us to every year but we were too wiped out to go anywhere. Needless to say, it was a quiet evening. I have to admit that we were asleep when the New Year arrived in Texas. But we awoke refreshed. I started on my “new day” resolution and walked with a friend for almost an hour in the brisk morning air. It was wonderful. With the exception of a few people walking their dogs, most of the neighborhood seemed to still be asleep (even though it was 8:30am when we started). It might have been those who kept the firecrackers going half the night.

Anyway, Happy New Year and Happy New Day to all!

Bumper Cars!

Time out for a picture!
Acting Silly!
Fun with Friends!A good way to end the year!

Project Wallpaper Removal

2008-12-31T00:00:00.000-06:00

It happens occasionally. I get a hankering to make a change in my house. I casually mention it to eldest daughter. She’s enthusiastic and encouraging. I procrastinate, contemplating the time and money. She visits and asks me when I’m going to start. “I don’t know,” I reply. She suggests I start, now. She offers her help. I’m optimistic that we can pull it off during her visit and I agree. We start our project, tearing up the room we are working on. Hubby frowns…a lot. Daughter keeps on working while I attend to other household matters. She does most of the remodeling work. I can’t keep up with her. The perfectionist in me slows me down. Hubby sighs…a lot. We spend a couple of days wondering if we should have started this project. Things start taking shape and we are excited about what it will look like. We choose colors; I change my mind, then I delay making a decision on colors. Hubby stops frowning and sighting resigned to the fact that it’s happening. He starts to take an interest and offers suggestions. Finally, we are done with the first part of the project. Daughter leaves me to return to Dallas. We are both tired but looking forward to when she returns and tells me how much she loves what I’ve done to my kitchen walls!

Christmas Concert - December 15

2008-12-28T06:40:00.027-06:00

The video clips below are of our first-born granddaughter’s first Christmas Concert. The Sixth Grade Beginners Band played three songs, which are available for your viewing. She is the third on the left of the second row of flutists (middle of the screen). At the beginning of Holly Jolly Christmas you may notice Hubby coughing in the quietness before the music starts. The 3 year old, sitting right in front of us in the auditorium, promptly turned around and with all seriousness hushed him then turned back around to watch the concert. Although the quite audible, “shh!” cannot be heard on the clip, it was loud enough to amuse all those around us. Unfortunately, I had no time to recover from our suppressed giggling before the music started. It is impossible to hold a camera still while laughing under your breath . . . thus, an explanation of the radical movement on the video clip.

Jingle Bells

Up on the Housetop

Holly Jolly Christmas

A well behaved audience for our flutist (rabbit ears imitating Papaw)!

Chicken Head

2008-12-27T05:07:00.003-06:00

Sitting together at the dinner table can be a great opportunity for discovering what is on a child’s mind. In an attempt to give everyone a chance to share about their day, I often pose a question, such as, “What was the best part of school today?” Thinking they are witty, I often get remarks from the twelve and the nine year old revealing how absurd they think that question is. They begin with single word answers like, “lunch, recess, or nothing.” Sometimes they start out with a two or three word answers such as, “coming home, playing with friends.” The three year old toddler, who is never at loss for words when she is at home, quickly turns things around by sharing what she made at pre-school. The other two soon start competing for time to share their news of the day. Although sometimes I feel like a referee, constantly reminding them not to interrupt the others, I am so grateful when they open up and share.

News of the day is not the only interesting thing that is shared at the dinner table. Sometimes questions that are hard to answer are brought up, especially by a three year old who is still discovering basic things in life. Recently, as I served chicken to the children, asking them if they wanted a leg, breast, etc., the toddler piped up that she wanted the head. Laughter from the others ensued as I explained that we don’t eat chicken heads. “Why not?” she questioned. The pre-teen stated the obvious. “Because it’s gross!” “There’s not much meat on the head,” I answered, trying not to visualize my meal as a live chicken. The grandson wanted to share his amusement and started making clucking noises.

Grandchildren are delightful!

"May the LORD bless you ... all the days of your life; and may you live to see your children's children." Psalm 128:5-6

Happy Thanksgiving!

2008-11-27T08:08:00.006-06:00

A simple little prayer that I heard at a meeting this week: "May the only turkey at your house be the one on the table!" I hope your day is filled with thankfulness for the blessings of family and friends. I'm not cooking today. Yay! We are going to my youngest daughter's house. My eldest daughter decided to stay in Dallas this year. She's been driving to Houston alot lately. I am okay with that. There was a time in my life that I would have been absolutely depressed about it. I am so grateful for the Celebrate Recovery program at our church. I hope you have a wonderful day, my dear daughter. We will miss you! Love to all!

Laundry, Past and Present

2008-11-26T22:05:00.007-06:00

Should I try to catch up or just start again? I have been in a slump. I haven’t wanted to write anything on my blog. I haven’t wanted to cook. I haven’t wanted to do laundry, clean house, or work in my garden. I’m going through the motions and taking a stab at most of those things, at least some of the time. After all, clean clothes are a good thing. I wonder what would happen if I only washed my own clothes and perhaps the toddler’s. Would the nine year old boy wear dirty clothes over and over again? Yes, probably. I taught him how to use the washing machine and the dryer way back in the summer. Both he and his older sister actually enjoyed the task for a couple of weeks. And the toddler does a darn good job at folding clothes. I quickly found out that it was easier to just do it than to keep reminding them that it needs to be done. Yes, bad parenting skills. I’m not as consistent with the grandchildren as I was with my own daughters. I don’t have the energy. However, I am reaping the consequences of neglecting such discipline. And I’m not doing anyone else a favor either by allowing them to get away with laziness. So, on this Thanksgiving Eve, I will renew, with determination, my decision that the older two will be doing their own laundry, the toddler will help me with hers, and Hubby will put his away. If they don’t, it won’t get done. Yay, me! I feel better already.

A childhood flashback: I remember washing clothes on my aunt’s porch, using a wringer washer. I actually enjoyed dipping my hands into the sudsy water and feeding the clothes into the wringer, being careful not to get my fingers too close. As the flattened clothes dropped into the rinse tub, I felt my way into the wash water for more, over and over until they were gone. With that done, I’d fill it up again with more clothes and pulled the handle that started the agitator. If the water was too dirty or not the right temperature, I’d drain the tub and fill it up again. Rinse time was next. Since my aunt didn’t have double tubs, the rinse tub was a garbage can filled with clean water. My hands and arms served as the agitator then wringing out the clothes began again. The clothes dryer was good ole’ mother nature’s sun and wind with the help of a clothes line and clothes pins. By the time I was finished hanging the clothes to dry, it was time to start the cycle again. Toward the end of the day, before the evening dew started to settle on the clothes, I’d remove them from the clothes line, folding them carefully as I went along. Then came my least favorite part, putting them away! That’s still my least favorite part of laundry day! This childhood memory makes me very thankful for modern day washers and dryers. It also reminds me that I will be doing the grandchildren a great injustice by not allowing them the experience of learning how to do their own laundry and the pleasure of a job well done.

Now, back to how I began this post. Shall I try to catch up or just start again? I think the latter so I hope my beloved relatives forgive me if I didn’t honor them on their birthday and special events as I had intended to do. The grandchildren began their Thanksgiving holiday from school today. I had made an appointment to get their pictures made for Christmas cards. I can check that off my list of things I’ve never done before (Christmas card pictures, that is). It went pretty well, considering the younger two got up on the wrong side of their beds this morning (I wonder where that phrase came from) and the eldest one tried very hard not to get up at all. But bribery won over and after they posed and smiled for the photographer we headed to Build-a-Bear Workshop to purchase Christmas outfits for their favorite stuffed animal. We had a $5 coupon and two $5 birthday gift certificates so it was a reasonably priced payoff to get them to cooperate. Other than that, the day was uneventful.

Thank you, God, for Friends....

Thanksgiving Feast at Pre-School

Halloween Soldiers

Birthday Buddies

An Observation

2008-11-04T15:13:00.004-06:00

This is a totally unimportant observation compared to others these past few weeks but have you noticed how the television media and those they interview refer to the candidates? I'm not talking about the nicknames, the name calling and the jokes that are flying around. I'm talking about how their real names are used. Maybe it's just me but it seems like more than a few times when I heard someone speak of Obama and McCain together they will sometimes say, "Barack and McCain," not "Barack and John," Palin is often called "Sarah Palin," or "Palin," not "Sarah" and Biden is often just "Biden," not "Joe," (at least not until a certain plumber with the same name came into the picture - I hear "Joe Biden" more now).

The ever-so-obvious slanting of the media is one of the things I hate most about politics. The thing I hate even more than that is the down-right hateful things that are said and done to and by decent people everywhere. I think I'll keep an unbiased tally on such things tonight while I watch the election, just to keep my sanity. I'll be sure to address the positive, as well. That is as political as I will get this election, besides my vote, of course. Oh, I almost forgot, we also had a sign in our yard but someone took it.

I know my dear mother-in-law is going to be disappointed that this post has nothing about the family in it. I promise I will try to catch up soon.

First Communion for First Grandchild

2008-10-27T14:35:00.002-05:00

On Sunday, Oct. 26, my eldest grandchild celebrated her first communion. This is a picture of her and the senior pastor of our church taken after the Service. A family lunch and special gifts commemorated this important day in her life. I pray that she may grow strong in the light of God’s love and grace.

“While they were eating, Jesus took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to His disciples, saying, ‘Take and eat; this is my body.’ Then He took the cup, gave thanks and offered it to them, saying, ‘Drink from it, all of you. This is My blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins.’ ‘…do this in remembrance of Me.’” (Matthew 26:26-28 and Luke 22:19b)

Grandma Faye Davis

2008-10-22T10:08:00.007-05:00

April 8, 1915 - October 19, 2008)

My husband’s 93 year old grandma, Faye Davis, passed peacefully away on Sunday morning, October 19. The funeral service is today. This blog is dedicated to her.

Hubby introduced me to his Grandma Faye when she was 59 years old. One thing about her that was most striking to me was her energy level. Up until a few years ago, she mowed her own grass. I’m not talking about a nice, level yard in the city. She owned beautiful land in Washington, West Virginia; beautiful land with rolling hills. There is also a creek bed at the bottom of the hill where she lived, and lots of trees. It was not unusual to see her pushing a mower up and down the hills, working in a garden, or delivering newspapers and mail to everyone on the hillside. Granted, she had lots of help, especially from her son, John, but rarely did I see her sit back and watch her children, grandchildren, or sons and daughter- in-laws do any work around her house without her trying to help. She started slowing down a bit in her eighties but kept pushing herself to keep going. Time inevitably caused the need for a caregiver, a fate she detested. But confusion regarding medication and dangerous mishaps while trying to cook (among other things, I’m sure) made it difficult for her to totally care for herself, though she tried. The last time I saw her was early this year when I was in WV to attend my Aunt Shirley’s funeral. She was fully dressed and she had placed a few rollers in her hair to fluff it up, even though she wasn’t going anywhere. I remember thinking, “I hope I care that much about my appearance when I’m in my 90’s.” What an amazing woman! Her mind was sharp as she asked me about my family, remembering names without much prompting. She showed me some of the pictures of her beloved grandchildren, great-grandchildren, and great-great-grandchildren (I read in her obituary that she had over a hundred!). She offered me something to drink and seemed pleased that I came to visit her. It was a nice visit and I’m so glad I made the time.

For various reasons, I was not able to attend the funeral. Hubby and his sister, Brenda, made the trip, along with many other family members and friends. Another thing that was very impressive to me about Grandma Faye was her genuine love, concern, and care for her family. My daughters and I send our love and deepest sympathy to all in Grandma Faye’s large family, especially my mother-in-law, Jean, and her other surviving children; Harold, Bill, Rich, Jerry, Wayne, Romie, John, Edna Mae, and Macel. Though we could not be there, you are in our thoughts and prayers.

http://leavittfuneralhome.com/_mgxroot/page_10729.php

If I had a Blog (by My Eldest Daughter)

2008-10-16T01:23:00.006-05:00

If I had a Blog...this is the story I'd tell!

Saturday I finally and reluctantly dragged myself out to go jogging. Dogs in tow, I grabbed my iPod, my wallet and my keys and we got to the park a little before dusk. As I was nearing my car, thankful the whole exercise experience was finally over until the next day, I noticed that my keyless entry remote for my car alarm had fallen out of my pocket. The part that holds it on the key chain is broken so I only had the remote. My keys, wallet and cell phone were safely hidden under the seat and locked inside of the car. It was beginning to get dark so I quickly looked all around my car and on the beginning part of the walking trail and decided it was not going to be found. I waited for a police car to drive by (the area is well patrolled!) and I flagged down the officer. Her solution was to drive me to the back of the trail and use the search light on the car to drive the portions we could. When the car wouldn't fit on the trails we would walk with a flashlight. I'd only thought I had finished working out-not so!! We'd walk a little ways and then turn and walk back to the car and drive to another part of the trails and repeat the process. People look at you funny when you are riding in the back of a police car!!! We searched the entire area that I had jogged with no luck. Deciding it would not be safe to leave my car parked there all night, she put in a call to dispatch and asked them to send a tow truck. Then one of her colleagues told her that she wasn't allowed to order a tow truck for a private citizen so she canceled the call and asked dispatch to send phone numbers instead. I used her cell phone to call for a tow and they told me it would be at least 45 minutes. She dropped me off in a semi-lit but populated area and told me to wait with people until the tow company came. I was happy to oblige her because you wouldn't believe all of the craziness I heard coming over the police radio- it's not too comforting to hear that madness going on all around my house! But about 20 minutes later the first tow company showed up just before he got the canceled call. The cop had circled around again and she told me it was up to me if I wanted to use him or not- I decided I was ready to go! But my wallet was locked in the car and he didn't know how to jimmy it open. Problem- no way to pay for the tow. With no cell phone between us to call a lock smith I decided I would try and break the window. At first I was using a flashlight that he gave me and then the big huge hook that pulls the cars onto the flat bed. He eventually tried- claiming all the while that he shouldn't because I could hold him responsible. All I can say is that it had God's strength protecting it because we couldn't break it. Thinking I needed a lock smith, we began driving around looking for a business that had both a phone book and a willingness to let me use their telephone. That is a rare find these days so I finally ended up having him take me home. I used a screwdriver to break into the only window in my house that is near enough to the ground to be able to climb into. The weather being what it is, I had the windows open. In one night I tried to break into my car and I broke into my house- talk about a new skill set!! A willing and able lock smith would meet me at the park so off we go to wait for him! We're driving and chatting and bumping along and then another tow truck passes us going the other direction with my car on it!!!! The second towing company had shown up and loaded my car without me. (The first guy told me that would never happen!) So as quickly as one can turn a tow truck around we turned around and went back to my house. The driver kept telling me he was taking it to the city pound so the red lights that we had to sit through were a bit torturous! But fortunately he had gone to my house to look for me. The two drivers actually know each other so the guy that was helping me explained what happened to the second guy and he wasn't upset. He was actually quite nice and helpful and he knew how to get the car doors unlocked so he proceeded as I called to cancel the lock smith. I paid the first guy $10 bucks for all of his help, got the dogs out of his truck and the 2nd guy put my car in the driveway some time around 10:30 p.m. The dogs devoured their dinner and I make a quick dish and ate it, took a shower and collapsed into bed. What a night!! I was calm through the whole thing- there was nothing I could do but go with the flow (result of working the program!) I'm thankful that the window didn't break and that I didn't need the lock smith both of those would have been an extra expense. I'm also thankful for the crazy guy that was driving me all around- he had some interesting stories about his criminal days- but breaking into cars wasn't one of the crimes he'd perfected obviously! I grateful that it wasn't too expensive- $75. The dogs were good through the whole thing too- between getting in and out of the patrol car and the ride in the tow truck- they were probably wondering what was going on. One of them did throw up on the floor of the tow truck- I was so embarrassed. The rubber mat cleaned up easily and the driver didn't seem to mind. The next morning I figured out how to disarm the alarm so now I can drive the car. I have to use the key to lock it. It isn't protected with the alarm- but nobody will be able to break the windows to steal it so I'm not too worried!!!

Me and Ike - The Final Chapter

2008-10-15T04:47:00.004-05:00

The Melt Down

Warning: This post is a little long, a little whiny, and a little gross.

As most people around here will agree, the first week of no electricity wasn’t so bad. We were blessed with good weather and it made things very tolerable. It was a bit like camping with all the luxuries of home, except electricity. However, towards the end of the week the weather started getting warmer. Then giant mosquitos took over the outdoors and in our case, the indoors. I made the mistake of opening the windows without screens. They were merciless. As each day passed, more and more people were getting electricity. This generally happened in the evening, after crews had worked on the power lines all day. As each night came and went, discouragement settled in and by the beginning of the second week I started thinking about heading to Dallas again. But my daughter found out that they had electricity back on at their apartment. She and her roommate went home Sunday to clean out the fridge and to unpack and put things back in place. I had a meeting that evening and both they and Hubby had to go to work the next day; so we opted to stay at our house, hoping, of course that our power would be restored at any minute. The night was rough. The three year old developed a fever and she and I were up and down most of the night. She vomited a few times and she couldn’t even keep water down. My stress level climbed as early morning came and her fever spiked again. The last dose of Tylenol had emptied the bottle and it was clear I needed to get more. It was 5:30 am and Hubby was anxious to head to work. The heat, the mosquitos, and the virus on his computer were bad enough, but add to that a sick toddler that just puked on his side of the bed (dry heaves by that time) and he was ready to go. The store didn’t open until 6am. Trying not to bite his head off, I calmly told him to go on to work and that I would take the children (who were sleeping) and go to Kroger when it opened. What a martyr! Not waiting for me to change my mind and tell him how I really felt, he escaped in a flash. As I quickly bathed to get the vomit stench off of me, I had my melt down.

I sobbed clear up until a few minutes before six and then woke my grandson up and asked him to get dressed. I left the baby in her nightgown, and placed her and her brother in the car. I knew she was probably dehydrated so I decided to go to the emergency room for IV fluids instead of the store for Tylenol. I was soon very grateful that I went early in the morning. Although the ER was very full, I seemed to have arrived at the tail end of the night time rush and at the beginning of the day time rush. We didn’t have to wait long, especially after they took a look at her sunken eyes and listlessness. She was sitting on my lap as I was registering her when she suddenly had a diarrhea accident. She has a weak stomach and started gagging at the smell and was soon writhing in pain at the heaving of her empty stomach. She became quite distraught, as did I. As I tried to comfort her, the hospital staff found an adult gown for her and I cleaned us both up as well as I could in the public restroom. My grandson refused when I suggested he come into the ladies restroom with us. “Okay, stay right there, and come in here with me if anyone bothers you.” I understood that he was too old to go into the ladies room, even if it was just us in a single room. He did as he was told and we were soon sitting in the waiting room again. It was then that I decided to call someone to pick up my grandson. As I heard my friend’s voice on the other end of the phone, I started to cry again. I really hate it when I do that! It made it very difficult to explain that although I really needed some help, there was no real crisis or anything. My brave little grandson put his arm around me and patted me as I tried to explain to her where I was and what I wanted from her at this early hour of the day. She agreed to come right away and I was so relieved. Good friends are such a blessing from God and He has really blessed me these past two and a half years. After closing my cell phone, I thanked my grandson for comforting me and tried to convince him that everything was okay. His sister would be fine and I would be fine but I was just very tired from being up most of the night and my emotions were overreacting on me. He seemed satisfied with that and went back to watching cartoons on the television. I begrudgingly called Hubby to let him know we were at the hospital. He was sympathetic, which was comforting. The little committee in my head had convinced me that he didn’t care or understand what I was going through so it was nice to hear him say that he was sorry he couldn’t help. Its amazing how just a little bit of empathy (pity?) from my beloved can instantly change my attitude and endurance level. I also talked to my daughter to let her know what was going on. A few minutes later, we were called back to the treatment area.

All the rooms were full, so they had me carry my granddaughter to a gurney in the hallway just outside of the triage room. My friend showed up shortly after that, carrying a fuzzy blanket for me or the baby to use. It was such a wonderful, kind gesture. She cheerfully greeted us and gave me a much needed hug. After she and the grandson left, the best nurse ever began treating my poor, little, sick grandbaby. She actually worked at Texas Children’s Hospital downtown but was on loan to our local hospital’s ER. She was wonderful and soon had this little three year old cooperating with the needle poke to get the IV in her arm. She cried but held very still. She fell asleep almost immediately and I began my long wait. I hadn’t thought to bring anything to read so I basically just sat there trying not to listen to the symptoms and other personal information being asked by the triage nurse of her patients. It was amazing how many people had diarrhea. I remember thinking that it was probably from the lack of refrigeration and people trying to use up the food that had thawed in their freezers. I called Hubby to let him know how things were going with us and to see how his meeting went with his soon to be new boss and how his sick computer was faring. Since the doctor said we would be there for at least 3 bags of fluids, he (Hubby, not the doctor) offered to come and relieve me so I could go home and change clothes (again) and get something to eat. Yea! He came through for me! I really do love that man! After a long morning and early afternoon, the patient started waking up, fever and nausea free. Her color returned and she was smiling again. Before too long, we were able to head for home.

When I stopped by my friend’s house to pick up my grandson, I discovered that he and my friend’s daughter had found a baby turtle in their swimming pool. They named it Ike. He is currently swimming in a tank in our living room. He’s cute, as far as turtles go. But, I digress. I continue…I had already made up my mind that I was going to take up on my daughter’s offer to stay at her apartment until our electricity returned. I went home, changed the sheets on the bed, and packed our clothes. By this time it was evening and time for dinner. I met Hubby with the kids for dinner at Denny’s. By the time we finished eating, it was around 8pm. We received a phone call with the joyous news that our power was restored. I was torn between the decision to return home or to proceed to Daughter’s home. I opted for Daughter’s home. I wanted to spray the house for mosquitoes before I took the kids back. Hubby decided to go home and we parted our ways again. That evening, we slept in blissful air conditioning. The next morning, we returned home and I started on laundry and cleaning the house. We are slowly returning to normal, whatever that is.

Me and Ike – Part IV

2008-10-10T03:37:00.033-05:00

Hurrication Time

As Sunday morning after the storm dawned we proceeded with our plans to attend worship service at the church. They had announced ahead of time that they would have services, with or without power. As we pulled into the parking lot it was evident the lights were working. Exciting news! Air conditioning and hot coffee never seemed so good! It was the beginning of many blessings we enjoyed through our church home during what was soon to be called “hurrication.” Since the church is on the same grid as the fire department, it had full power and was instrumental in providing many basic needs for so many people – a kitchen with working appliances, telephones, a cool place to sleep, and Internet services, just to name a few. But the thing that was most striking was how the people pulled together to help each other out. Almost immediately, needs were assessed and work crews were organized to begin meeting those needs. The church staff and volunteers worked long hours in the days following the storm contacting church members to make sure they were okay. Something that the pastor said during this time was that we may or may not have electricity but we all had “Power.” “Yes,” I thought, “our Higher Power, Jesus Christ, was caring for his flock through His people, the church body.” I am so grateful for what God has been doing this past month. I am also grateful for my church.

Sunday afternoon, we drove to my daughter’s apartment to see if she had electricity. That was quite an adventure!

In this picture we are following a truck going west bound on the east bound side of Beltway 8. The west bound lane was closed due to flooding. We didn't know it until we arrived at the next intersection but the east bound lane was closed as well. Oops! We made it through but the water was deep! Some did not.

Here we are traveling on the wrong side of the road again, this time to dodge a tree, not to far from daughter's place.

Although there was a tree blown down on her building, her damage was similar to ours, a downed rain gutter. Needless to say, there was no electricity. So she gathered a few more things (like towels and a battery operated television) and we headed back home, taking a different route.

I made the mistake of thinking I could make it through this passage without going up on the curb like everyone else. I now have a lovely scratch all down the right side of the Explorer.

Schools were closed and the weather was great. The children on the block played together more and the adults visited their neighbors more, exchanging hurricane stories. Even the cat entertained himself.

I think I can do it.

This is harder than it looks!Now what? The fire department is too busy for cat rescues!
Safe and sound in loving arms at last. Everyone pitched in with cleanup. The eldest granddaughter washed laundry in the bathtub using her feet. Hey, if you can do it with grapes to make wine that people drink, I saw no reason why it wouldn't work with laundry! Thankfully, this was the last time we had to stoop to such a primitive method since one of my friends (who lives near the church) had electricity at her house and offered her washer and dryer.

A broom can be a guitar or a microphone to a three year old singer with a big imagination. Enjoying board games with friends by candlelight was also a new but fun experience.

That's all I can do for now. I'll finish up on the next post.

Me and Ike – Part III

2008-10-02T22:46:00.019-05:00

This is taking me so long that it's old news by now!

Part III - The Morning after the Storm

As the day grew lighter, we were eager to get outside and check on “things.” I haven’t quite decided if it is better to be in a storm during the night when you can’t see what’s happening or during the day when you can see what’s happening. I think I would have been terrified had I known how many trees where falling down around us. Thankfully, none, absolutely none of the huge trees in our yard or around our yard fell into our house, our cars, our fence, or even our yard. We had plenty of branches and debris, as these pictures will show, but we were indeed blessed not to have to deal with the headache of a big tree or two on our house or lawn. That became more and more apparent as we got out of the house, out into the neighborhood, out into our community, and eventually out towards the northern part of the city, where my daughter lives.

The first two pictures are views from outside our back and front doors. As you can see, just minor debris. The third picture was the only damage to our house. The next few picture are trees that were down within a few houses of us, starting with next door.

After breakfast on the grill and hanging around the house awhile, I asked my friend if she would like to go check out her house. I also wanted to get out and see how things looked elsewhere. The radio information focused mainly where there was the most damage, Galveston and the Bolivar Peninsula area. There was also some news of downtown flooding and power outages all over the place. So we joined the adventure seekers (although the emergency responders and electric companies would probably call us something else) and traveled across the lake to her neighborhood. Downed trees blocking roads and laying across power lines were common sights everywhere. Back yards that were normally hidden by 6 ft. privacy fences were now exposed because many of those fences were blown down. Darkened traffic lights bobbed carelessly around, many facing different directions than their intended positions. Likewise, many traffic signs and bill boards were twisted into uselessness. All was well at my friend's house. Her neighborhood is new and their trees were small (not great for much desired shade but wonderful for hurricanes). This is one of the trees in our neighborhood that forced us into taking a detour to get home.

While we were gone, the grandchildren and their friends played in the drizzling rain. The girls had changed into dry clothes before we even arrived back to the house but my grandson was enjoying this rare experience to its fullest.

I joined him outside and asked him if he wanted to venture out to the greenbelt. Of course, he did. On hindsight, it probably wasn't a good idea (especially since we were barefoot) but the destruction of trees drew us deeper and deeper into the wooded area behind our row of houses. The once lovely walking and biking path was barely visible under the debris.

We gingerly dodged our way though stumps, branches, and limbs. I wanted to get to the area directly behind our house but when I saw these poor, dead baby opossums, I quickly realized I no longer wanted to be anywhere near there without shoes on my feet (duh!).

Before turning back, however, I snapped a couple of distant pictures of the bench that is directly behind our house.

The opossums were not the only animal casualties we witnessed. Before we even ventured outside after the storm, I saw this poor little creature as I opened the living room window for air. We think it was a newborn kitten. It was still alive and shivering. The children begged me to try to save it but the other sensible adults in the house talked me out of it. We told the kids the mama cat may come back for it so we needed to leave it there. Later, one of those sensible adults went out to remove it from under the window only to discover several more underneath a shrub. They were already dead. That explains the cat screeching in the middle of the hurricane, although it is hard for me to believe this was a feline. If it was, it must have been an early delivery, I think. But, then, what do I know about cats? All said and done, it broke my heart, no matter what it was.

Me and Ike - Part II

2008-09-28T20:02:00.009-05:00

Part II - A Long Night
After the lights went out, I started lighting the strategically placed candles to insure at least some visibility in most rooms of the house. My eight year old grandson, the self-appointed man of the house, informed me that we needed to pray and had already gathered the other children and my friend into the living room. “Good idea,” I replied. “Let me light these candles first.” My daughter joined me in what soon became the candle ritual. As the week wore on, we quickly learned that it was easier to light all the candles in one place and then take them to their appointed spot. It saved on matches (and fingers – ouch!). We also learned that we didn’t need to light so many candles! By the time we got them all lit and placed, it was time to blow them out and go to sleep! Apparently, the young man of the house thought we were taking too long and repeated his request that we come into the living room to pray. Okay, okay, we’re coming! As soon as we were reverently seated (he was standing in front of the fireplace with his hands behind his back looking a bit like a preacher) he began a beautiful prayer. I was so impressed with and moved by his heartfelt requests for protection for our family, our house, our neighborhood, and all the people affected by the storm, especially those who were at that time being hammered along the coast. After he finished, we went around the room and allowed everyone to participate in expressing their concerns to God. Even the three year old joined us. I felt peaceful and tranquil. We were not afraid, just bummed that the television was out, which probably helped with keeping away the fear.

It occurred to me that we didn’t really have a safe room ready in case we had damage to the roof or windows so I cleared out the closet under the stairway. The only other window free room downstairs is a small guest bathroom off the kitchen. Upstairs wasn’t an option. We all agreed that downstairs was best. I was amazed at how much stuff was packed in that closet. After emptying it out, it looked like a hurricane had blown through the dining room! A big empty closet was exciting for the children. They immediately gathered quilts and pillows and begged to sleep in there. They even extended it to make a tent outside the door with the bar stools. The girls decided that the grandson would sleep in the tent part. Four kids in a closet meant that the peace and tranquility was about to end. After more than one argument, the older girls decided to sleep elsewhere and before too long they were all asleep.

The boy and the toddler - sleeping in the closet.

The eldest granddaughter alsleep under the breakfast bar.

Do you mind? I'm trying to sleep here! (Milo, the cat)

During the course of the night, I was able to talk to hubby on the other side of the world and to my eldest daughter in Dallas. The cordless phones had stopped working as soon as the electricity went out. The good old fashioned, plug into the wall, phone worked for a while but it, too, eventually went dead. The cell phone circuits became very busy and calling became difficult. Text messaging worked best, at least for a while. We could hear the wind and rain a little bit but it was surprisingly quiet in the house. Certainly not like I thought it should sound in the middle of a hurricane. The girls thought they heard a cat yowl outside but then thought it must have been the wind. It seemed safe enough to open the door and take a peek. It was much louder outside and the trees were whipping around. I had to insist that the door be closed. I sent a text message to hubby around 3am and told him I was going to try to get some rest. He told me, "I wish I were there with you. Take care. I'm praying and by the way, Happy Birthday!”

Darling Daughter brought a cake! Ahh, chocolate to relieve stress!
We played musical couches for a while but eventually settled in to try to get some sleep. We started hearing what sounded like limbs falling on the roof. After a particularly loud thump, my daughter said she hoped that wasn’t her car. I looked out of the uncovered, upper window in the entryway and had a moment of anxiety. Then my eyes caught a reflection from the candle on the fireplace. It was a cross. “Wow,” I thought and dozed off for what seemed like a few minutes but was really a few hours. The eye of the storm passed right over us around 6:30am shortly after I awoke. Dawn was about to break, revealing the damage outside. To be continued…..Sorry, but I have to do this a little bit at a time!

Me and Ike - Part I

2008-09-27T04:58:00.015-05:00

Things are starting to get back to normal at our household. Many are still without electricity in our area so we are grateful ours was restored Monday night. Here’s a recap of how I viewed Hurricane Ike these past two weeks. After I started typing it up, I realized I am probably going to want to do this post in parts.

Part I - The “Not So Calm” Before the Storm – Last minute preparations were a challenge but also a bit interesting, if not entertaining. As I ventured through the aisles of almost empty shelves at the grocery store, I couldn’t help but notice some of the things people were buying. Because what we really needed to stock up on was in short supply (or non-existent) it seemed to me as if many of us were buying just about anything that wouldn’t spoil when our fridge and freezer stopped working. Too much junk food and not enough “D” size batteries. The bread and buns were gone. I happened to be standing in the bread isle trying to decide if I should buy tortillas instead when a seemingly over-worked bakery worker brought out about eight loaves of just baked multi-grain bread. I quickly picked one up, not caring that it cost nearly five bucks! In the blink of an eye, the rest disappeared, grabbed up by desperate shoppers. Thankfully, I only needed a few last minute things and was soon able to dodge the bumper carts to the check out isle. “Oh, yes,” I thought. “I should probably get some ice.” Yeah, right! I wasn’t even disappointed as I looked over at the empty ice freezer. “We are fine on ice,” I told myself. “I made up four blocks of it in gallon size water bottles and filled several large ziplock bags from the ice maker.” Mental note: make more ice bags. Mental notes are pointless for me. I don't even pay attention to the written notes I make for myself. As I waited in one of the long lines (once I discovered where the lines actually formed) I watched the patient, adrenaline-pumped checkers and baggers. I wondered if their families were prepared for the storm yet. Then my mind wondered off, thinking about those who had to be away from their families so they could serve the public. I said a prayer for the firemen, policemen, and medical workers. Then I said a prayer for my husband who was in Asia the whole time, worrying about his family, phoning me every so often to remind me of how big the storm was (thanks) and making sure I was prepared. He knows I don't watch much TV. I briefly thought I may take the gang and head for Dallas, where my eldest daughter lives. But the authorities were asking us to “shelter in place” so the coastal communities could evacuate. I remembered all too well making the traffic jammed trip to Dallas when Hurricane Rita came through three years ago. Besides that, they were predicting that the storm may go that direction. And, after all, Ike was only a category two hurricane. “No,” I decided again for the third or forth time, “we’ll stay put and go there later, if needed.” I said a prayer for those evacuating from Galveston and the coast. Surprisingly, the lines went fast and I had to stop my daydreaming to pay for my purchases. It was then that I discovered that I had forgotten my ATM pin number. I’ve only had it for years and years! What’s up with that? Stress or menopause, I’m not sure. I was going to get cash back to have a little more extra money. “Oh, well,” was my attitude. “I’m glad I went to the bank yesterday.” On the way home amongst crazy, frantic drivers, I passed several gas stations and was grateful I had filled up the day before. They were either extremely busy or had no gas left. With a sigh of relief, I pulled into our half-cleared garage. The grandchildren had pushed everything to one side to make room for the patio furniture and the Explorer. They had worked diligently beside me the evening before to get “ready” for the wind and rain. My eight year old grandson declared himself the man of the house since his papaw was gone. “Sure,” I thought, “whatever,” and then replied, “That’s great and very noble of you.” I returned to ordering, I mean, directing us all in the chores that needed to be done. Even the three year-old helped without arguing.

The “hurricane party” guests came; my daughter, her roommate, their cat, a friend of mine, her daughter, and their dog. As my friend opened the back door to allow the beautiful blond lab outside, I realized the unfinished gate to the newly constructed fence was going to be a problem. So we constructed a barrier (not me, I supervised) out of wood I had just piled into the shed to keep it from blowing around.

The Nail and Board Holder Person

The Hammer/Builder Person

The Dog Lover and Dora the Dog

Then they changed jobs. Hurricane Dance Teacher and Movie Maker.

Daughter #2 took pictures of all valuables in the house and became the chief photographers and video camera operator. This picture was taken after the lights went out. She'll hate me for this picture but it shows her beautiful blue eyes. I dash of color in the candle lit rooms.

Finally, all things were ready except the last two loads of laundry, which were in the washer and dryer. We cooked and ate our last electric range prepared dinner at home until ten days after the storm. Dishes were loaded in the dishwasher and started. I decided to make a pot of coffee and put it in a thermos. We all piled in front of the television to watch the hurricane news but not for long. The wind was barely blowing and it hadn’t even started raining when the electricity went out. “Ah, man!” was echoed throughout the room. The dishwasher and coffee pot were not able to finish their tasks. The clothes in the washing machine were finished but were not put in the dryer yet (at least the water spun out). At that point, the hardest part was not being able to watch the TV to see what was going on. But I had stocked up on “D” size batteries prior to the mad dash and the radio became our main means of information. It was shortly after 8pm. To be continued….

Wednesday Update - Still Powerless

2008-09-17T15:06:00.005-05:00

Things are looking up. Our neighbor let us plug an extension cord into his generator so we have been able to plug in the refrigerator, make coffee, and charge our cell phones. Today, I put gas in my tank and filled a gas can for the neighbors generator and the wait was under an hour, which was good. It was the longest gas line in which I have ever participated. It was very organized, with the help of the HPD and other security people. I am doing laundry at a friends house who lives a couple of minutes from the church (her power is restored) so I thought I'd drop in and check my email and write another quick post. Hubby will be home on Friday evening. Yeah! It has not been a great time for him to be out of the country, if you know what I mean. Daughter, the youngest, cannot return to work yet because they have no power. That is a bit of a blessing, since she has been with me and the kids and has been a huge help! But she doesn't know if she will get paid or not. Her friend, who is also staying with us went back to work today. She found milk, eggs, and cheese at the grocery store where she works. Yeah, again! The simple pleasures in life are so appreciated when they are not readily available. The children go back to school next Tuesday, we think.

Just a Quick Post

2008-09-16T12:21:00.002-05:00

I'm at the church checking email and thought I would do a quick post for family that may be worried. Hopefully I can do more later. We are all doing well but still do not have power. Making do. People are helping each other. It's great. We have had a cool front and the weather is great so we are not sufficating from the heat. Humidity is good, too. God is so good! Love to all!

Signs

2008-09-07T13:39:00.010-05:00

My mother often said that bad luck runs in threes. A good friend of mine believes that affirmation from God or spiritual things come in threes. I don’t believe in luck and I’m undecided on the other but I pretty much notice when things happen in threes. That is what prompted the subject of this post, signs. Not the kind that come from God, but the kind you read as you travel about town.

The three year old, our third grandchild, took notice of certain signs three times in one day. She is usually pretty chatty in the car, especially when it’s just her and me, but it was the first time I heard her mention anything about signs (other than McDonalds, of course). The first time was right after I dropped her older sister off at the middle school at 8:25 am on Friday. Someone had placed an advertising sign right next to the driveway exit sign, so they were literally side by side. Her comment was, “Look, Grandma, those two signs are friends!” I smiled remembering that the pre-school teachers were talking about friends on Thursday and had even taken a picture of her and her friend, Raine. Of course, I thought her comment was cute. We headed for the church to attend a MOPS meeting (Mothers of Pre-Schoolers) or in my case GOPS (grandmother of a pre-schooler). After the meeting, as we left the church parking lot we passed the church sign. She told me that the church sign read, “Art museum at the church.” I laughed. I suppose the church pre-school probably looked like an art museum with all the hanging pictures. I admire my daughter, her mother, for giving her children a taste of culture by visiting the children’s museum downtown several times in the past year. It amazed me that a three year old child would even know about museums.

On the way home, she made her third “sign” comment in as many hours. “There’s Hairy Bob, Jr., III!” she exclaimed. Hairy Bob, Jr., III is the neighborhood’s beloved stop sign. It has a beautiful floral vine that has grown up through the post and out of the top, giving it an appearance of having hair. The older two grandchildren came up with the name for the stop sign earlier in the spring, before it had blooms on it. Now they say he looks like a girl (some of you won’t get this, but here we go again!). I tried to explain (pointlessly and stupidly) to the older children why Jr. and III are not possible in one person’s name. Wait, did I just say “person?” Why, yes I did. Then I got to thinking about how George Foreman named all his boys, George. So there is actually a George, Jr. and George III, within the same generation of Foreman boys. But I decided not go into that with the children. I enjoy Hairy Bob, Jr., III each time I stop at that corner.

Anyway, my mind then moved on to thinking about a song I remembered from my teenage years. I found myself humming words from the song by the 5 Man Electric Band, entitled, “Signs.” Anyone remember that rebellious little tune from the 70’s? Then I started thinking how appreciative I am to live in a community that has restrictions or guidelines for erecting signs. Most of the signs have been landscaped and have beautiful flower gardens around them. So there’s no “blocking out the scenery, breaking my mind” going on around here! What does “breaking my mind” mean anyway? I’ve heard of “blowing my mind” and “breaking my heart” but not “breaking my mind.” Perhaps it’s a combination of both feelings. I haven’t totally lost my marbles, I’m getting somewhere with this. In the song writer’s last verse to the song he includes these words, “so I got me a pen and a paper, and I made up my own little sign, I said, ‘Thank you, Lord, for thinking about me. I’m alive and doing fine’.” I may have just convinced myself that spiritual things do come in threes.

First Day of Pre-school

2008-09-02T23:07:00.023-05:00

The three year old started pre-school this week. I asked her to pose for some pictures and she obviously thought that to pose meant to act silly and frustrate your grandma until she decides to go with it. And no, she is not making gang signals with her hands on the third photo. The "I love you" sign on her right hand is for her mommy. I'm not sure to whom she was sending the "L is for loser" sign. Actually, she was trying to get the pinky finger up but I snapped the finger too soon.

Checking out the doll babies, first order of business.

Miracles Happen

2008-08-29T23:52:00.010-05:00

Most parents love their children and many are quite proud of their sons’ and daughters’ accomplishments. I am a member of that club but I also belong to a smaller club of parents who have children who have overcome great obstacles just to survive. I once thought I had lost my daughter, but I now know that she was never mine to loose. I thank Almighty God for taking care of His child, especially these past two years, and for allowing me to see the miracles He is working not only in her life but also in the lives of those of us in her family. I love you, JB, and I always will. I will continue to pray for your courage and strength to continue on this journey of sobriety. I rejoice with you and I am proud to be your mother. Happy “2nd” Birthday!

Life is a dance when you do the steps.

ODAAT (One day at a time)

Handsome vs. Cool and Other Such Words

2008-08-28T22:56:00.002-05:00

It is obvious to me that grandmothers do not say the right things. Come to think of it, this must be a carry over from when I was a mother and didn’t say the right things. This morning, intending to extend a compliment to my grandson, I made the mistake of telling him he looked handsome. He told me he didn’t want to look handsome, he wanted to look cool. “Oh, well then, you look cool.” He rolled his eyes and shook his head in disdain. I guess it is not cool to have your grandmother tell you that you look cool. Please notice the comment from his great-grandmother on yesterdays’ post. She must not know about the word “handsome” either.

I was thinking about some of the words that were popular at different times to describe something we liked. The word “cool” was actually used in my generation, too. Does anyone remember the word “tuff?” A few friends used this word to describe me in my high school yearbook. It really doesn’t sound like much of a compliment, does it? So, I’m taking a survey. Maybe I can find out if anyone is reading my blog. I dare you to let me know what your favorite “cool” word was in high school. Just push the little comment link and remember to put your name, initials, or something so I know who you are.

First Day of School 2008

2008-08-27T22:39:00.004-05:00

“Middle school is not as scary as I thought it would be,” our granddaughter answered the question of how her first day went. She was a chatterbox all evening and even sang and danced around a bit. So I think it was a successful day. She had most of her classes with an old friend and all but one of her classes with a brand new friend. Friends are so important. I pray she will be surrounded by kids who will have a healthy influence on her. As I waited on her on the greenbelt after school (yep, I managed to embarrass her right away on the first day) I heard children using such vulgar language as they passed by without any care at all that there was an adult within hearing distance. It’s so common these days. I was at the urgent care clinic on Sunday with my three year old granddaughter. A girl that I would guess to be around 14 or 15 years old was sitting with her mother and was cussing up a storm. I was very close to asking her to please watch her mouth in front of my granddaughter when they called me back to see the doctor. I have well learned my lessons on criticizing and blaming parents for the behavior of their children but, at the threat of sounding judgmental, I sure think it would be a great idea to at least attempt to clean up some of the trash mouth that abounds. Of course, that would mean that the adults would have to work on it a bit themselves. I’m far from innocent in this matter but, as my grandson would say, “C’mon!” Sorry, I digressed. Here’s a picture of her before school on the same greenbelt.

Speaking of our grandson, I’ll get back on track and say that he was equally as enthused about his first day. He likes his teacher, who is new to the school this year. He also has a good friend who goes to our church in his class as well as a girl from his class last year with whom he seems to be quite smitten. He is radiantly happy about his battery operated pencil sharpener. The teacher is graciously allowing him to keep it at school as long as he doesn’t pass it around and only uses it in the morning before they start working. We’ll see how long that lasts. I’m trying to pump up the idea of responsibility, now that he’s growing up and in third grade. I sure hope this will be a good learning experience, as opposed to a difficult one. He loves that pencil sharpener! Here’s a picture I took of him on the first day of school. Have I mentioned before that he hates to have his picture taken?

End of Summer Vacation Crunch

2008-08-22T19:40:00.003-05:00

It’s just about over…summer, 2008. Where did it go? In an effort to cram a mini vacation in for the kids this week, I rented a mini van, invited a girl friend and two of her kids (who are the same ages as my eldest grandchildren) and we headed for Corpus Christi for two days. Since school starts on Monday, it was now or never. Ignoring the impending bad weather (90% chance of thunderstorms on Tuesday and 50% on Wednesday), we headed south to the beach. After all, there was a slight chance it wouldn’t rain. Oh, and I made the mistake of making hotel reservations through an online bidding site last week and I couldn’t cancel the reservations. Prepared to be cooped up in a hotel room with five children we loaded down the van with lots of games, movies, and snacks. We left early to avoid the morning traffic as much as possible. It rained most of the way there. We had a while before we could check into the hotel and it wasn’t raining so we headed for CC Public Beach with thoughts of having a picnic. As we pulled up to the park, it started to rain. It was also very windy and very cool. Making lemonade out of lemons, the youngsters played in the rain and the sand and waded into the gulf. I stayed in the van with my friend and watched. Wimpy on my part but she had an ear ache and was wise to stay inside. As we watched them play, we wondered aloud why we didn’t think to have them change into their bathing suits. Oh, well, we had towels and dry clothes. After a bit, the rain stopped and the wind died down. We had our picnic lunch and headed for the warmth of the hotel. After that, the weather was great, even sunny. I’m glad we went. Oh, and I forgot the camera, so no pictures to post. But I am posting these pictures from my niece taken of my great-nephew on his first day of school, with his little sister, waiting on the school bus, and then climbing aboard. What a precious little boy taking such a big step!

Brown Eyed Girl

2008-08-11T21:47:00.009-05:00

Look, no glasses!

Here's a picture of eldest granddaughter wearing the new contacts she's had since Saturday afternoon. Yesterday evening she slept over at a friends house. This morning she lost a contact, not even 48 hours! Aye-yie-yie! Since she wasn't home and since she didn't call anyone (me) AND since she had no experience with what to do after dropping a contact lens while trying to insert it, she gave up looking for it. Yeah, I know that's a long, run-on sentence, but you get the point. Anyway, she now knows that she is not to give up looking for a lost contact until she finds it. It's hard to find but it's there somewhere! And contact lens will stick to anything so you have to look everywhere, not just the floor. I informed her that I would replace this one but the next time, she has to pay for it. At the time I didn't know they wouldn't charge me for it. Not only that but they are disposable lens that can only be worn for two weeks. Regardless, I feel it is important for her to understand her responsibly with them. None the less, she's doing great and was able to insert them both into her eyes in less than two minutes this afternoon. She informed me that she wants to get blue contacts next time so she will have blue eyes like the rest of the family. "What am I, Swiss cheese?" I ask. Then she goes into a spill about her "half" brother and sister having blue eyes just like her mom and that she feels left out. She rarely uses the word "half" when she refers to her brother and sister. Besides, her dad and other grandmother have very pretty brown eyes, just like her. I think she's working me so I'll let her change her eye color. But just to be on the safe side, I will remind her of how God has made her a special and unique little girl, unlike anyone else in the world, and that is something to be happy about.

The picture below was taken by Hubby on August 2. He thought the folks in WV would be interested in the temperature. He and his mom enjoy talking about the weather and he loves his little weather station. The grandson is also fascinated by it and notices nearly every change. So, Hubby snapped this picture and told me that I should put it on my blog. Okay, it's ten days later, but I'm doing it. I try to be appreciative when he tells me what I should post on MY blog but sometimes I get a little ruffled. Then I realize that ultimately I have the choice to use his suggestions and post his pictures or not. And it is my choice to post them. And I'm not one bit jealous of not thinking of it myself. And it's not about CONTROL either!!! Convinced? Ha! Ha! Ha! It WAS pretty, darn hot that day! The temperature is on the bottom - 106.4 degrees F.

I leave for California tomorrow morning to attend a Celebrate Recovery Summit. I'll be back on Saturday. I'm very excited for several reasons but especially because I will only be responsible for me, myself, and I for the next five days! Even though I'll be busy attending workshops, I consider this a vacation! I'm taking my laptop but I don't know if I'll have time to post. However, insomnia sometimes rules the night.

Growing Up…So Fast!

2008-08-10T14:03:00.004-05:00

Our soon to be 12 year old granddaughter hit another growing up milestone yesterday. She has been wearing glasses since before she could walk. She now is the proud owner of contact lens. She earned it. At the beginning of the summer, I asked her what would motivate her to quit sucking her thumb. She had quit that bad habit about a year and a half ago after she had worn an appliance in her mouth for about 9 months. But, as with any habit or addiction, a person cannot really stop until they have that desire on their own. She slowly started it back up and before long; we had to ask her to remove her thumb from her mouth over and over again. She didn’t even have to think about a motivator; she wanted contact lens. I agreed that if she stopped sucking her thumb before she started middle school this fall, I would take her to the eye doctor to see if she can wear contacts. Perhaps entering middle school might have been enough motivation and perhaps some would disagree with my approach (you shouldn’t try to buy someone out of a habit) but it worked. She counted the days down. She knew how long they say it takes to break a habit (whoever ‘they’ are) and she counted down the days, taking it one day at a time. She also put away her baby blanket that her Aunt Janet gave her when she was fourteen months old. We discussed how it could possibly sabotage her progress since the two go hand in hand (or in this case, hand in mouth, ha, ha, ha!). Well, needless to say, she did it. Yea! She and her dad met me at the ophthalmologist office and after her exam, we got the okay from the doctor. Next came the hard part, inserting and taking them out of her eyes. I remember well my first attempt and as some of you know from experience, it doesn’t come naturally! She was getting a little frustrated but finally managed to get them in and out, then back in again so we could leave the office. I assured her that it just takes practice. She wrestled with them yesterday evening to get them out but she did much better today putting them in. She’s a happy camper now! Congratulations, Sweetie!

Our Karate Kids

2008-08-07T23:19:00.012-05:00

Actually, they would correct me and say “It’s TaeKwonDo!” But 'Our TaeKwonDo Kids' isn't as catchy a title, in my opinion. Besides 'Karate' is a lot easier to spell. Anyway, here is a picture of the two oldest grand kids in front of the four judges at their belt test and, at the bottom, a video of them receiving their brown belts. The other two pictures are of the youngest granddaughter hamming it up at the belt testing.

Accident Prone Family

2008-08-06T08:10:00.004-05:00

Heelys Healing - My great-niece, Shelby, is an all-star catcher on her girls’ softball league. I just found a couple of days ago that she couldn’t finish up her season due to an accident on her heelys (shoes with wheels on them). Shelby, I just want to say that I am very proud of you and that I miss you! Now we have something in common. I broke my arm when I was a year younger than you are, the summer before I went into third grade. It sure puts a drag on summer vacation fun. I hope you get your cast off soon. Please ask your mom or grandma to post or send a picture of you and your cast for me.

Rib Recovery - My youngest brother, Steve, broke a rib and tore his spleen in a fall last week. Thankfully, the spleen is repairing itself and he didn’t need surgery. He is recuperating but when I talked to him over the weekend he was still in a lot of pain.

Daughter and Doggie Distress – A few weeks ago, our eldest daughter and her two dogs drove in for a visit from Dallas. Not unlike many canines, the dogs love to put their heads out of the window. Her first born, Olivia (they are like her children), was on daughter’s lap with the window half down, enjoying the wind in her face. Mind you, it is hot and air conditioning is hardly an option this time of year, but….Anyway, Oscar, the baby of the family, was in the back seat and was obviously jealous of his sister’s car privilege. He started to roll down his power window with his paw, which, of course, concerned and startled Daughter Dear. As she glanced back over her shoulder, the car drifted to the right and smashed into a guardrail. Livie Lou (that’s what I call her) flew out the window. The car was traveling 50 mph. She landed in the road, now stunned and bleeding. Thank God she landed on the right side lane instead of in front of the oncoming traffic. Fighting panic, Daughter slowed the car down to a stop, secured the other dog and ran back to get her dazed dog. Before she could get to her, Olivia darted straight toward her car, obviously seeking safety. Long story, short…we took her to the vet and she only suffered from shock and road rash. The doc gave her a shot of antibiotics and some pain pills. Here’s a picture of a scrape that came pretty close to her eye. The car was scraped up, too, from the front fender to the rear. Before returning to Dallas, she went and bought some doggie seatbelts. They were out of them before she even got out of town!

Bread, Bananas & Batteries and Pop tarts, Pudding & Pickles

2008-08-05T07:13:00.004-05:00

Staple Foods – “What’s that?” my grandson asked me yesterday as I explained why we were stopping at the grocery store yesterday. “Its food you can eat that won’t go bad and that you don’t have to cook, just in case the electricity goes out for a couple of days.” I replied. At least that was my definition for it at the time. The three B’s were on my mental list. The three P’s were things the kids came up with. As we passed the canned foods I thought, “No way am I eating cold Beefaroni.” I did get some tuna, canned chicken and Vienna sausages. Yep, Vienna sausages! I remember eating them as a kid and loving them. The laundry is done, the dishwasher has been run, and the kids have been scrubbed from head to toe. So if we run out of hot water, at least things won’t get too smelly around here. Except, of course, the heat and humidity may make that short lived if the air conditioner doesn’t run. So, I think we are prepared if the power goes out for any length of time (probably way over-prepared).

It’s starting to rain. They are expecting the eye of the storm to pass pretty much over us. Thankfully, it’s not a very strong one. To family up north: I'll keep you posted. Later...

I'm Back. I Hope. I Think.

2008-08-04T17:20:00.006-05:00

July was quite a busy month. Blogging just had to go down on the priority list. I’m glad to know that some of you missed my postings. I know I missed writing them. I hope to keep up now.

First of all, thanks to everyone who has inquired about my knee. It is much, much better now. I only have minor pain from the two inch heals I wore to church yesterday because the flats just didn’t look right! Vanity, vanity! I went to physical therapy a few times and learned what exercises to do at home each day to strengthen the muscles around the patella (knee cap). I’m also going to start a walking program as soon as the Spirit moves me (I think He’s trying to move me but I weigh too much! (Ha! Ha!). Okay, reality is that I don’t make the time. But I must, I must, I must. I do not want to hobble around the rest of my life with arthritic knees. I’d start tomorrow but there’s a tropical storm coming that is probably going to be a category one hurricane before morning. Maybe I’ll start walking this evening after it cools down a bit. Of course, I need to do all the laundry up and make some bags of ice for the cooler, just in case we don’t have electricity tomorrow. Oh, I could think of a billion excuses, so I guess I’ll just knock it off and go this evening.

Speaking of the storm, the grocery stores and gas stations are crazy busy. I couldn’t find ‘D’ size batteries at Kroger but decided not to run around looking for them with three excited kids; wasting the expensive gasoline I just filled up in the car. The batteries in the good flashlight are pretty fresh anyway. Besides, we had a minor catastrophe at the store that distracted me from any concern about batteries. Let me set this up…This morning, Hubby gave the three-year old granddaughter a precious little pink Bible some friends from church gave him over the weekend. Their daughter had outgrown it. As you may recall from a couple of posts back that she keeps taking off with my Bible. Well, she has carried this little girl Bible around all day, including into the grocery store. As we pulled away from the parking lot to head home, I hear a panicked cry from the back seat. You guessed it. She left her Bible in the grocery cart. She put it on the bottom part of the cart and the checker didn’t notice it. The bagger dude loaded my groceries into another cart so I didn’t notice it either. We immediately did a u-turn and headed back to the store all the while listening to sobs between these heartbreaking words, “That was my special Bible! My papaw gave it to me!” I kept trying to reassure her that we would find it. We must have looked in every grocery cart in the parking lot and in the store but we couldn't find it. The people working the check out counter didn’t see it and the customer service desk didn’t have it. I left my name and phone number and asked them to call me if anyone turned it in to them. Then we got busy praying that someone would find it and give it to the lady in Customer Service. The two older children informed me that they had already prayed about it six times! After we had been home for about a half hour, we got the phone call. We were singing thanks to Jesus all the way back to the store. After returning to the car, the toddler wanted to know why the people in the store didn’t sing with us. That was hard to explain. I have no idea why they were not as overjoyed as we were at this answered prayer! I love my grandchildren so much!

Well, I better get off here and prepare to hunker down for Edouard. What an odd name for a storm! And is that the correct way to spell 'hunker'? I’ll try to do more catching up later. Perhaps the electricity will stay on tomorrow. Thanks for reading!

Happy Birthday, Daddy!

2008-08-02T23:01:00.002-05:00

He was born August 2, 1930 and passed from this life on February 15, 1981. He was only 50 years old. I feel like I hardly knew him. That makes me sad.

EEK! EEK! YUCK! GROSS!

2008-08-01T22:31:00.005-05:00

I love the birds that have found their way into my backyard because of the feeders, the birdbaths, and the flower gardens. Unfortunately, the squirrels won’t leave the birdseed alone and they are quite remarkable at figuring out how to get their grubby little paws on it. Hubby gets a kick out of watching them and for some reason he thinks it’s funny when they get on my bird feeder and chow down. I gave up and resigned to the fact that if I want to feed the birds I also must feed the squirrels. I’m not totally opposed to it since they are cute, even though they are a bit greedy. However, I draw the line when it comes to this little rodent! I’m not sure how to draw the line, or where to draw it, but I’m drawing it (even if it means no birds). Hubby was able to get this picture because the thing was petrified of the cat that was hanging around the bottom of the bird feeder post waiting for him to dismount. That also explains why I found bird feathers and other ruminants of what was once a blue jay. I suppose I have been living in denial thinking there are no rats or mice in the woods behind our house. Gives me the creeps! This picture was taken about a week ago and we haven’t seen a rat since then. Come to think of it, the birds are not as abundant either. But the squirrels…let me just say, they do not fear cats!

Who Took My Bible?

2008-07-19T07:12:00.002-05:00

My favorite bible is missing. I first noticed this yesterday morning when I sat down to do my devotions. "Hmm," I thought. "I wonder what she did with it." The "she" would be my granddaughter. Not the eleven year old, who can actually read the bible, but the three year old. In the past week or two, I have found her sitting on the sofa turning the pages of the bible pretending she was reading it. A few emotions passed over me when I first saw her doing this. First, I was amazed that she would be looking at a book that has no pictures or anything else that would normally interest a toddler. Secondly, I was amused that she was ever so seriously and meticulously turning the pages, occasionally speaking quietly (too quiet to understand what she was saying). I was also very proud that she would pass up all the lovely, colorful children's books on the coffee table and pick up God's Word instead. Pride can get you into trouble though. "She's mimicking me! How special!" I thought. NOT!!! I quickly realized that what was so special was that God draws me to His Word. I long for it and I miss it when I allow other things to come first in my day. A good reason to memorize Scripture, I'm thinking. Anyway, I pray that she will continue to enjoy the bible and will come to love it as much as I do. I picked up my second favorite bible and started working from it. I decided not to go on a hunt for the other one just yet. I have been way too distracted this week already.

Psalm 119:105 Your Word is a lamp to my feet and light for my path.

Poor Kitty!

2008-07-03T22:05:00.001-05:00

This is the continuing saga of Milo the cat. For the original post see Friday, April 11 (also a little bit at the end of the April 20 post).

My youngest daughter’s cat was neutered yesterday. But let me back up to a couple of weekends ago when she (my daughter) purchased an identity tag for him at Wal-Mart. They were out of regular tags so she bought a bone. The cat’s name and address are on a bone! The mistaken gender early in his life was one thing, but a dog bone on the poor cat’s collar is too much! She and I had a little chuckle about it though and assured each other that it didn’t really matter.

I am very proud of my daughter for rescuing a homeless pet and that she is also doing the responsible pet owner thing and getting him “fixed.” There are way too many kittens and cats (not to mention dogs) at the SPCA (and other places) needing to be adopted. Prior to the neutering, she was also responsible about making sure Milo was vaccinated. Since she works and gets about town via Metro, I volunteered to help her out by taking the feline for its shots and checkup. The two youngest grandchildren and I crated him up (he hates his pet taxi) and headed for SNAP. Let me assure you, his meow button works just fine and for a good long while! As we waited in the lobby, Milo became a little distressed around the other animals so my eight year old grandson suggested we cover the box with his pink blanket (Milo’s, not the grandson’s). It worked very well! He settled down quite a bit. That is until we were in the examining room. Oh, that poor lady who was assisting the vet! I have seen pictures of cats in peculiar positions before but I am now convinced that they don’t have skeletons. If they do have bones in their little bodies, they must have a bazillion joints! I stated in my earlier post that Milo tends to be a little mean at times. Well, at that time, he was ferocious! They tried to clip his claws but only got two done and gave up. And if there is such thing as a cat muzzle, it could have been put to good use. They finally just hurried to get what they needed to do over with and somehow got him back into the crate. I watched in wonder as he happily munched on the treats they gave him. It was like Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde! The vet, the assistant, and the receptionist all commented on what a beautiful cat he was. Amazing attitudes, in light of his behavior! But then, who can blame him.

Yesterday’s minor surgery was pretty much uneventful except he bit the attendant who checked him in at the SPCA. I think he was a little calmer because my daughter went with us to drop him off and to pick him up. The young lady who brought him out to us afterwards said he was such a sweet cat with a great personality. Daughter and I looked at each other as if to say, “Did they bring us the right cat?” He wasn’t interested in the little ball with a bell in it that I brought along to cheer him up and let him know I cared. He was happier with the fingers I placed inside the wired gate. He rubbed up against them with his face as if they were giving him some comfort but being a dog person, I’m not really sure. Back at their apartment and out of the cage, he scampered into the kitchen looking for food. As he disappeared around the corner, my innocent three year old granddaughter asked if Milo was a girl now. Where did that come from???

More Poetry and Report on Knee Woes

2008-07-02T15:59:00.002-05:00

This if for my grandson and his friend:

Hating Skating – Part 2
Written by my grandma (again)

Though skating’s not my game
I’ll join in just the same
But only when I’m good and ready.

I will not go by force
But money works, of course
As does coaxing by my friend, Eddie.

Riding my bike is fun
And swimming in the sun
I can think of other things to do.

Than skating at the rink
It’s boring, so I think
But if friends are going, I will too!

He asked me if I was going to write a part three. Answer: Nope

Report on my knee injury: The orthopedic doctor took x-rays and thinks I have arthritis in my knees, although I could have some torn cartilage. He aspirated the fluid off my knee and gave me a shot of cortisone in it. Ouch! A friend asked me how big the needle was. Answer: I didn’t look! (I don’t think she knows my history of fainting when it comes to needles puncturing the skin). I also have some anti-inflammatory drugs to take and will be going to physical therapy for a few times to learn how to do some strengthening exercises. If it is has not improved in six weeks, he will order an MRI. It feels much better today but it still hurts when it catches. No more time for now but I should have a cat story tomorrow. How’s that for anticipation?

Summer Skating with Friends

2008-06-29T19:42:00.007-05:00

He finally decided to skate instead of play video games the whole time. It took a little bribing but my grandson proved that he could indeed skate last week. The last time we went I wrote him this little poem.

Hating Skating
Written by my grandma

It’s great to be eight
Although I can’t skate
No matter how hard I try.

The floor is too hard
When I’m caught off-guard
It hurts so bad I could cry.

But I’m a tough guy
So I will just sigh
And get up and try again.

But not right away
Cause I’d rather play
Video games I can win.

I will have to come up with Hating Skating Part 2, since technically he can skate. Keep tuned in. I’m sure you can’t wait for the sequel. Ha! Ha! Anyway, the kids and I went with our friends to the skating rink on Wednesday. Here are a few more pictures. I’m hoping I will be able to get out there and skate with them next time! My knee is feeling much better and the swelling is down.

Medical Matters

2008-06-28T12:06:00.003-05:00

I think it is time to update my blog for the following reasons: 1. My eldest daughter would probably appreciate moving her surgery picture on down so it is not the first thing you see when you open it. 2. I can’t do anything constructive that requires walking (more on that below). 3. It’s been a whole week since I last updated it! Time flies!

So, I’ve replaced the pre-surgery picture with a post-surgery picture. We were at a Chili’s not far from her house. Yes, that is an alcoholic beverage I was drinking (my favorite, Captain Morgan Spiced Rum and Diet Coke). She was on pain pills and drinking a diet coke. Her healing process is going well although she wasn’t able to return to work last week like she had hoped she would. Sitting for very long is too uncomfortable so lounging or lying down works better. She is on vacation for two weeks now so she will return to work after that. She’ll be visiting us the last week of her vacation. Yeah! Her post op checkup is scheduled for Tuesday.

Before I leave health issues, I’ll go back to my walking problem; I have injured my knee. It popped out of place last Thursday, the day before daughter’s surgery. This happens occasionally but it usually only hurts for a few minutes and then it’s back to normal. Not this time. At first, it was mildly irritated. The drive to Dallas was awful, especially since it is my right knee. It has been getting progressively worse since then and I finally went to the doctor on Thursday. He thinks I have torn the front cruciate ligaments and said I should see an orthopedic doctor. I have an appointment on Tuesday. I can barely walk now. It is too painful to put weight on my knee. My friend, Christy, brought me a walker this morning. When she offered it a couple of days ago, I just laughed it off. I am so grateful for it now. I am trying to behave by elevating it and resting but I hate being immobile! Such a waste of time! Anyway, please pray that I will heal quickly and that I will not need surgery.

And while I'm on the subject of medical stuff, my youngest daughter's cat, Milo, had it's vaccinations and check up yesterday. He is in good shape and is scheduled to be neutered on Wednesday. Eldest daughter's dog, Oscar, has allergies. He received a steroid shot this morning and will be given benedril for his itches.

I was going to write more stuff but I am sleepy from my pain pill. I'll do more catching up later!

Cute Doctor, Cute Hat

2008-06-21T18:04:00.004-05:00

Eldest daughter’s laparoscopic surgery experience went well. She no longer has a gall bladder and except for a little soreness she is feeling pretty good. The highlight of her day was when the cute anesthesiologist came in to introduce himself (her description, not mine). After he left the room, she mentioned how nice looking he was. “Oh, yeah,” I agreed half-heartedly, “I really didn’t notice.” She was right, I thought. He is cute and I most be getting too old not to notice. “Good thing you’re wearing that attractive hat,” I teased. After a couple of hours in surgery and a short time in the recovery room, we returned to her home about six hours from when we left. She slept most of what was left of the day. Keeping the dogs from jumping on her when she lies down on the sofa or the bed has been a challenge but I think they are starting to understand that something’s up. Today we have been relaxing in front of the tube and catching up on stuff. She helped me shop online for a couple of ring tone downloads. Figuring out the perfect song for Hubby’s ring was fun. We laughed way too much for someone with a sore stomach! It was much easier and more humorous to pick out which ring tones were so wrong than to pick out just the right one. I finally settled on ‘Faithfully’ by Journey. ‘Mello Yellow’ came in second. Speaking of Hubby, he said that he had a good time at Vacation Bible School yesterday. I know the kids enjoyed him being there. He’s a good papaw!

Updating - A Week at VBS

2008-06-20T10:38:00.003-05:00

The grandchildren had Vacation Bible School at our church this week. I volunteered to help out so I have been there all week, until today. Due to more gall bladder attacks and the intense pain that accompanies them, eldest daughter decided to go ahead and move her surgery up a week. So Hubby is filling in for me today and I am currently sitting at the Texas Surgery Center in Dallas, waiting. It is the first time a child of mine has been under the knife. I have a knot in my stomach but I don’t know if it is nervousness or if the fish oil capsules are giving me indigestion again. Since they tell me I have a couple of hours before I can go back with her, I thought I’d catch up on my blog.

Walking around with the kids at VBS brought back fond memories of my teenage years and early adulthood. I thoroughly enjoyed watching and participating in the fun. The kids have all had a blast. We are so blessed to have such creative and talented people willing to put in the time to make such an event successful. I also feel especially blessed that Hubby substituted for me. I’ll let you know how his day goes. This is the first year the oldest granddaughter had the opportunity to participate as a helper instead of a student. She is doing a fantastic job. When I was able to slip away for a few minutes from my rotation group, I went to check out how the younger two were doing. If I stayed very long at all watching my grandson, I was rewarded with views of excited jumps of glee (especially when he watched diet coke and soda explode into the air). Singing and dancing were a big hit with all the kids as they learned new motion songs. Even the three year old got into it.

My eyes are drooping from lack of sleep last night. I didn’t arrive in Dallas until 1:30 this morning and was up around 6 am. I think I’m going to stop fighting it and try to doze a bit in the waiting room. I’ll try to add an update on the surgery later today.

One of the sugeons just came out and wanted to talk to the family of Wanda Gooding. My mother's name was Wanda Goodwin. Brought back more memories.

Happy Father's Day, Mr. Byrd

2008-06-15T09:56:00.001-05:00

It’s a natural thing for dads to love their sons; a chosen thing for a step-dad.
There is no way to measure the value of what you brought to the life of a boy,
Even now a grown man.

But here are a few things that come to mind, of things for which I am grateful.
You taught him to fish, to hunt, to appreciate mountain streams and nature.
And to build a campfire.

You taught him to laugh and enjoy life even when times were difficult and sad.
To find joy in small things like the love and the faithfulness of an old dog,
Westerns and war movies.

You’ve shown its okay for men to wash not only the car but to help with the dishes.
That there is an art to changing oil, fixing flats, and looking under the hood.
And doing the yard work.

You were instrumental in creating fond memories of boating and water skiing.
Warm summer days on the Ohio River and on the island before the tourists came.
Roasting yummy hot dogs.

Thank you for helping to mold my husband into the wonderful man that he is.
And for being a fun-loving grandpa to our children and a beloved father-in-law to me.
And for loving your wife!

Have a Wonderful Father’s Day, Tever! We love and miss you!

PS And thanks for the endless trips you make to the airport to pick us up and drop us off.

Back Seat...Car Seat Driver

2008-06-09T21:55:00.003-05:00

“You’re getting pretty good at red and green lights, Grandma,” my three year old granddaughter remarked in the car yesterday morning. “You think so?” I asked after laughing. “Yep, you are,” she replied. She finally has the stop and go thing down. She is the most impatient child at a red light. For quite some time now she has been telling me to ‘go’ because she gets tired of sitting at red lights (some of the red lights around here are very long). My standard reply is, of course, “I have to wait for the light to turn green.” I suppose she thinks now that she understands the concept, that I’m better at it, too. In my opinion, she’s way too young to be a back seat driver! It’s bad enough that Hubby sometimes thinks he’s a co-pilot. Of course, I will admit that I have the same little character defect.

Here are a few more of the things she’s said lately that I’ve been collecting to share.
“My flower grew smaller.” Translation: “My weed wilted.”
“Are you going to put it in the washing machine to dry it?”
“Ah,man!” Translation: “Amen.” At some point I realized she was using the two interchangeably.

In answer to eldest daughter’s question, “What’s in Angola?” here is a picture Hubby took from the staff house in Luanda. His words, “It’s not Brussels!” He will be glad to know that they finally chopped down the huge, dead tree behind our fence that was hit by lightening last year. Too bad we were gone when they did it! I think it would have been interesting to watch and I know the grandson would have been delighted to observe how it’s done. There is now a great path through the woods to the greenbelt. Unfortunately, they didn't cut down the leaning willow tree. Someday it's going to crash down the fences, the arbor and land in the neighbor's pool.

Balloons, Chocolates and Waffles

2008-06-08T22:23:00.017-05:00

Before I get started on pleasantries, please allow me a moment to get something off my chest. Don’t you just love it when you are eating in a restaurant and they make some poor kid mop the floor around you? Somehow the aroma of the food just gets lost amongst the fumes of disinfecting floor cleaner. That happened to me today. I wonder if I’m the only one who feels guilty when one must walk on the newly mopped floor and thereby feel compelled to tip-toe so one doesn’t track it up too much! I still have work to do on those guilty feelings! Okay, I'm better and I'll proceed with a more positive attitude.

The two youngest grandchildren had the opportunity to be dazzled by a balloon artist this evening. They wanted me to take a picture for Papaw. The three-year old has a heart hat on her head and is holding a pretend sword. The ever-so-serious warrior has a helmet and a sword (complete with belt and sheath). I tried to get him to pose with the sword out but one picture is his absolute limit!

Speaking of Papaw; he left Brussels and made it safely to Angola. He will be leaving there Wednesday evening and should arrive home Thursday afternoon, bearing gifts I’m told. I’m looking forward to the Belgium chocolates he bought. I guess I’ll delay my sugar-free diet for a little while. Here are two more pictures he sent to me. Although he hasn’t improved much in the self-picture department (smile, dude!) the building behind him is across the street from his hotel and he was trying to capture the beautiful architecture. The other picture is of authentic Belgium waffles. Don’t they look yummy!

Doing the Happy Dance!

2008-06-07T10:22:00.002-05:00

Friday at 5:30 pm I was doing the happy dance. I have the entire weekend to myself. Kids are gone. Hubby’s gone. I adore the kids and love my husband very much but I’m feeling exhilarated that I can do whatever I choose without a time limit and without a tinge of guilt. So I went to a meeting for two hours then went to Starbucks and chatted with some friends until almost midnight. I have to admit that I didn’t want to go home to an empty house.

Our first week of summer vacation was not exciting but it was relaxing. The kids each had their first sleep-over on the first day they were out of school. My eldest granddaughter went to a friend’s house and the friend’s little brother, who is the same age as my grandson, came here. It worked out well and the kids had fun. The following day was kind of a “kick-back and do nothing” sort of day. On Thursday, we went to the church for a couple of hours and later went to the pool. Thursday evening the two older kids had their Taekwondo awards ceremony. They both advanced to Sr. Blue Belt rank. Yea! Friday morning, we made pancakes, my grandson’s favorite breakfast. After breakfast and a quick straightening up of the kitchen, we went outside to work in the yard. The plan was to weed out the patch of ground that used to be a fern garden. We want to replace it with a play area but the weeds have taken over and the ferns refuse to go away no matter how many times you pull them up. No sooner had we taken out all the yard equipment and put on our gardening gloves, it started to rain. I only lasted a couple of minutes so after a brief time in the shed, we started pulling weeds. The girls quickly became bored with that; however, my grandson was a big help. I decided they have been watching too many infomercials when they started describing this cool piece of yard equipment they had seen that would make the job so much easier. It kept raining off and on and I finally gave up and went inside. After lunch, I took a two hour nap with the toddler. I had not meant to go to sleep but just to lie there long enough for her to doze off. The other two occupied themselves with TV and video games. Next week I’ll make a better effort to stimulate more activity.

Here are a couple of pictures Hubby sent from Belgium. They are, he tells me, of the famous statue of the little boy peeing. I’m trying to remember if I already knew there was such a famous statue. They actually dress this statue in different outfits. In the one with all the tourists in front of it, he's wearing a tux. I’m going to Garden Ridge with a friend in a little while. They have water fountains on sale. I wonder if there’s a replica. I also wonder if I would have the courage to display such a thing in my yard. The kids don’t need encouragement, if you know what I mean!

Bring on Summer!

2008-06-03T08:43:00.003-05:00

Three and a half hours left of school, but who’s counting? The kids were excited to go today. It will be a fun day full of movies, games and general goofing off. The fifth grader has a pool party from 11:30am until 1:30pm, then, we are on our own to find something to do for two and a half months. I think we will be okay in that area. I just hope my energy level stays up.

Hubby left for Brussels on Sunday. I don’t think he’s been there before but I know for sure that he hasn’t been to his next stop, Angola. Yep, Africa! His words, “I haven’t been on that Continent before.” My words, “Don’t they have a lot of civil strife going on there?” Oh, well. I put him in God’s hands. He’ll be home on the 12th with two more countries to add to the places he’s traveled.

The cub scouts had a family skating party yesterday evening. My grandson eagerly put on his skates and promptly fell down. That was the end of his skating for the evening. He enjoyed the game room though. The eldest granddaughter took a friend so she had a blast. The three year old skated around for a little while in her Dora skates and then she was finished. She had fun just running around. It was a new experience for her. The last songs were the Hokey Pokey and the Chicken Dance. Since we were allowed to go on the rink with our shoes on, everyone joined in, including me. The three year old was too cute! It was fun. I took my camera but forgot and left it in the car so I have no pictures. We didn’t get home until 9:30 pm so it was a late night for the kids. Me, too, actually! But, hey, bring on the summer!

First and Fifth Grade Teachers

Seasons Passing and Passing and Passing

2008-05-31T22:00:00.005-05:00

My eldest granddaughter will be attending Middle School next year. She’s growing up too fast! Thursday was awards day at school for the fifth graders graduating from elementary school. The homeroom parents and the PTA really made the day special for the kids. After the awards ceremony, there was a little reception (for lack of a better word) outside under the basketball court cover and the parents were invited to stay for cake and punch. After the reception, they were served a pizza lunch. Cake first; pizza second - a dream lunch for any child I should think. The kids get out at 11:30 am next Tuesday, the last day of school. That afternoon the PTA is hosting a pool party for the fifth graders at our neighborhood pool. We went bathing suit shopping Friday evening just for the occasion, especially since last year’s suit no longer fits her. Sigh, she’s growing up so fast! I know, I said that already.

Thursday was also the last Musical of the season with my cultural friends, Beverly and Janice. We saw “The Drowsy Chaperone,” and it was hilarious. We have already purchased tickets for the next season. I really love those evenings out.

Friday was uneventful except I had lunch at a wonderful friend’s home after which we went shopping. I am redecorating my kitchen and have asked her advice. She really has an eye for such things. I have no creativity what-so-ever. My eldest daughter will probably be glad to hear that I have decided to get rid of my out-of-date wallpaper. I have really enjoyed the wallpaper and it hadn’t even occurred to me to change it until she mentioned the possibility of a much needed re-do. I have warmed up to the idea and now have added yet another project on our long to do list. Hubby looked at me like I was crazy when I mentioned to him what I’d like to do. I’m sure he was moaning inside. He doesn’t want to say goodbye to the wallpaper either, but for different reasons!

Today was belt testing for the kids’ Taekwondo Academy.. Both eldest granddaughter and grandson did well. The granddaughter hates to spar but she is very good at it. The grandson got in some good fighting as well. I think they both probably passed their test and will soon be Sr. Blue Belts, adding a black stripe to their belt.

I think that catches me up on my blog. Now if I can just catch up with other stuff.

Mama Spider

2008-05-28T23:24:00.002-05:00

I was in the garage this morning and noticed a huge spider inches from my feet. It was big, fat, brown and hairy - probably about four inches from leg to leg (and not stretched out legs). Without panicking (Hubby had already left for work) I calmly went into the kitchen and got a glass to put over it. I didn’t know what else to do. I didn’t want to smash it because I was hoping to identify it. I didn’t want to let it go free, for obvious reasons. So, I covered it with a glass and went about my day thinking I’ll let Hubby take care of it later. After school my grandson was looking at it and came into the house and told me it was a female spider. “Really, how can you tell?” I replied. “Because it has a bunch of babies,” he answered. My heart sank. I imagined the ending of ‘Charlotte’s Web’ when hundreds of baby spiders hatch out of the egg sac. Sure enough, there was an egg sac and a bunch of itty, bitty spiders crawling all over the place under the glass. “Look how cute,” the three-year old exclaimed. Her favorite video is ‘Wilber’ (translated Charlotte’s Web). At least she wasn’t afraid of it. Now the eleven year old granddaughter is a different story. She joined me in feelings of being totally ‘creeped out.’ The boy was thrilled, of course. He wants to take it to school tomorrow. When Hubby came home, we transferred the new mother and babies to a jar (that was challenging) and put the lid on it. Hubby wanted to know if I wanted to put a hole in the lid. “Yeah, right,” I’m thinking. But since I’m trying not to be so sarcastic these days I sweetly said, “I think the babies might escape if we put a hole in the lid.” “Oh, yeah, the babies,” he muttered, returning to sanity. We spent quite a bit of time on the internet trying to identify it but we are far from experts on arachnids (it’s a word, I looked it up!). So now the jar is sitting on the desk with a big ole spider in it. I think the mother has eaten some of the babies and the babies are crawling all over the mother. Maybe they are trying to eat her. As I recall in the movie, Charlotte died before her little ones came into the world, leaving Wilber to take care of the egg sac. So why isn’t this thing dead yet? And I don’t remember any cannibalistic scenes either!

Counting Down the Days

2008-05-27T22:39:00.000-05:00

We are counting down: four and a half days left of school. I hope the eight year old makes it. He is really struggling to pay attention at school and at home. His conduct grade has plummeted. He is ready for summer, and so am I. No more homework battles until August!

Hubby and I had a very productive Memorial Day weekend. We worked in the yard on Saturday. After church on Sunday, he started sanding the arbor swing so we can refinish it. He used the sander I bought myself for Mother’s Day and he really liked it. On Monday, he finished sanding while I cleaned inside the house (yuck!). Our internet was down most of Sunday and Monday, so I couldn’t post or check email. Did anyone miss me? It nearly drove me crazy! I’m going to be short on this post because it is late and I’m tired. More tomorrow….

Sharing Joy, Thankfulness and Grief

2008-05-24T10:11:00.005-05:00

We have an All-Star catcher in the family. Congratulations, darling Shelby! I wish I could be there to watch you play! Tell your grandma, “thanks for the pictures!”

The pictures below are of the concrete truck my brother (Shelby’s papaw) was driving when it decided to crash. He was bruised and banged up but they tell me he is okay. When I talked to him a few nights ago, he said the doctor is keeping him off work awhile. Hmm. I plan to do more research this weekend (talk to someone else) to see if indeed he really is okay. From the looks of the pictures, it’s amazing that he was not killed or hurt worse than he is. I now have a picture file folder entitled ‘Accidents – D and B. I hope I’ve just stored the last of these types of pictures in there! I love you guys! Stay safe!

Today is the funeral of Steven Curtis Chapman’s five year old daughter, Maria Sue. I am so sad about it. It breaks my heart when I hear of children dying. It is such a tragedy for the family in more ways than one. I don’t know why I want to post this but please join with me and thousands of others in prayer for this family. I pray an extra measure of peace and comfort for their teenage son, who was involved in the accident and for the family members who witnessed it. Steven Curtis Chapman’s music is an inspiration to many.

http://www.stevencurtischapman.com/

http://chapmanchannel.typepad.com/inmemoryofmaria/

With Hope ------Steven Curtis Chapman
(Album: Speechless, 1999)

This is not at all how

We thought it was supposed to be

We had so many plans for you

We had so many dreams

And now you've gone away

And left us with the memories of your smile

And nothing we can say

And nothing we can do

Can take away the pain

The pain of losing you, but ...

We can cry with hope

We can say goodbye with hope

'Cause we know our goodbye is not the end, oh no

And we can grieve with hope

'Cause we believe with hope

(There's a place by God's grace)

There's a place where we'll see your face again

We'll see your face again

And never have I known

Anything so hard to understand

And never have I questioned more

The wisdom of God's plan

But through the cloud of tears

I see the Father's smile and say well done

And I imagine you

Where you wanted most to be

Seeing all your dreams come true

'Cause now you're home

And now you're free, and ...

We have this hope as an anchor

'Cause we believe that everything

God promised us is true, so ...

So we can cry with hope

And say goodbye with hope

We wait with hope

And we ache with hope

We hold on with hope

We let go with hope

Home from Rio

2008-05-23T09:40:00.004-05:00

Hubby is home from Rio de Janeiro. His flight arrived around about 5:10 am. He had to sit all night beside a belligerent, foul-mouthed “big ole boy” (his description, not mine) who was so intoxicated they wouldn’t serve him an alcholic drink on the plane. Thankfully, he passed out shortly into the flight. Trouble was that he and his blanket were all sprawled out in a seat that was too small for even a small person. So, Hubby shared his seat. Wasn’t’ that nice of him? He said he preferred the beautiful Brazilian woman who sat beside him on the way down. Really? I would have, as well. Here are a few pictures he took with his BlackBerry but he only had time to be on the beach when the sun was going down and the moon was coming up. I’m guessing the shots don’t really give the scenery its due justice, but hey, I’ve never seen Cococabana Beach, have you? At my request he attempted to take a picture of himself. I think he deliberately included the lady in the bra because he sure wasn't concentrating on taking a good shot of himself! (I originally put 'chick' instead of 'lady' but erased it - probably not nice.) The three-year old has been following her Papaw around all morning; talking, talking, talking. He has learned in a very short while that if he doesn’t answer her questions, she will keep asking them until he does. I’m grateful for the break. My throat is a little worn out from coughing and drilling the 8-year old on his spelling words yesterday evening. He practiced those words all week and he is still having difficulty with a few words like ‘caution’ and ‘imitation’ and ‘quotation.’ With school almost out for the summer, I think he is having a problem concentrating on anything. I have to constantly tell him to zip his pants. What’s with that? Is it a normal boy thing?

Well, I better get started on the chores, again. It seems like I never finish them. And now there’s a big suitcase of laundry to do. I’m so glad he’s home, honest, but I just can’t convince him that it would be absolutely wonderful if he had the hotel do his laundry before he comes home from his trips! I’m not complaining, but….okay, I’m complaining. I stop that now and count my blessings. I'm so glad to have a washing machine and a dryer! Many people do not. How's that?

The Joys of Watching a 3-Year Old

2008-05-21T00:25:00.011-05:00

One day last week as I was working on my computer, I realized my 3-year old granddaughter was very quiet in the living room. When she’s awake, quietness usually sends up a red flag. “Whacha doin, Sweetie?” I called out. “Reading to my dollies,” she answered. I peeked around the corner then grabbed the camera to capture this picture. Although technically one is a teddy bear and the other is not her doll, she was ever so quietly 'reading' a story to them from the little inspirational book she received for her birthday from her friends across the street. She loves that book and I guess she wanted to share. She has such an imagination (which is one of the many things I love about her) and believes possession is ownership, especially when her brother and sister are not around (normal for a toddler, but difficult at times). Which explains why we have her toys in the den and we just bought a lock for the bedroom to protect her sister’s ‘stuff.’ She has been sleeping with me this week since her Papaw is out of town. Dispite the extra room in the bed, she still insists on being right up next to me. Last night I was on the edge about to fall out of the bed and so I got up as she was sleeping and went to the other side. A little while later she sat up and whined, "I was on that side!" Rather than point out that she was no where near that side of the bed, I scooped her up and said, "let's just share this side of the bed." Sharing is not a well-received notion either but she was happy to be snuggling again. Since she is at her last day of Mother's Day Out today, I should be napping!

Oldest daughter's gall bladder surgery is scheduled for June 27. Please pray that she won't have another episode before then. Youngest daughter received a raise at work. A prayer of thanks would be appreciated also!

Eight year grandson's latest joke: What kind of pen doesn't write? "A safety pin," I guessed. "Wrong, it's a pig pen! Ha!" The eleven year old granddaughter chimed in with a joke she swiped from her brother, "When is a car not a car?" "Hmm, I don't know." "When it turns into a driveway! Ha, ha, ha!" Never a dull moment around here!

Feeling Thankful and Rested

2008-05-18T14:15:00.003-05:00

Hubby made it to Brazil and is in the Marriott Hotel across from the Cococabana Beach (poor thing). He’s there on business so I doubt he’ll enjoy the beach much but I’m sure it’s a great view. I was actually all by myself in the house last night. I dozed off reading and woke up with a jolt to the ice maker filling with water, that’s how quiet it was. At first I thought it was water in the sink running and started to become alarmed there may be someone in the house, especially since I left the doors unlocked (not smart since we have had some home invasions in the area). After a half a minute of rationalizing that I was not going to get robbed or murdered, I locked the doors, set the security alarm, and headed for bed. I slept like a baby with not one person to wake me up with their snoring or whining to get in bed with me.

I have had a very nice weekend so far. I played Bunco with the ladies’ group at church on Friday night. I won the prize for the most loses. Yep, there’s good in everything. Yesterday, I took my treasured friend, Janet out for a birthday lunch and then we shopped a little. The picture was taken last summer at the zoo.

The church service today was very uplifting (even sitting through it twice to work the power point). Sunday school was interesting, as usual. We are reading a book entitled, “The Sacred Romance, Drawing Closer to the Heart of God.” Good reading…I recommend it.

I check my email after church and found out my brother, Bill, was in a major accident yesterday. Here is part of the email his wife, Debbie (still recuperating from a serious care accident) sent me: “Angels were watching over Bill again. He was driving the mixer truck today and a tire blew. The truck ended up on the passenger’s side against an embankment. Bill was hanging there by his seat belt. The windshield broke into a million pieces and landed on him. He managed to climb up and out the driver's door and walk on the truck to the back and get on a hillside (he was about 10 feet in the air). He is bruised and battered with a few scrapes. Not one broken bone or cut. I am just in awe that he survived at all. After we left the ER we went over and saw his truck. The cab of it is smashed down to the door on the passenger side. The side is smashed so far in that we don't know how there was room for Bill. No one can believe that he lived. There were no other vehicles involved. He was over in Ohio on a dirt road somewhere. Thank God for taking care of him and letting him come home again.”

Busy, Busy, Busy!

2008-05-16T10:40:00.001-05:00

I think I have about 30 minutes to get something posted today. “Go, Diego, Go” is entertaining the three year old for now but once that’s over I won’t be able to concentrate. It’s amazing how needy children become when you get on the phone or when you sit down at the computer.

It’s been a tiring week. I thought the youngest granddaughter was over her asthma. She hasn’t had an attack in a long time and since both her mom and brother grew out of it around 2 years of age, I was hoping she would too. But it came back full force this week and I had to take her to the doctor on Tuesday. The doctor now wants her to do three months of breathing treatments and steroids to get her lungs strong again. Our share of the medication was $236! I just don’t know about all this. I want to trust the doctor but I’m leery about leaving her on steroids for three months. Needless to say, she doesn’t feel well and she’s very cranky. I’m a little cranky myself. But at least she slept all night last night.

Both of the older children had to work on projects for school. The fifth grader's project is on the history of the six flags of Texas and the second grader's is an economic project. He had to make a product to sell at the economic fair at school today. His poster to advertise his product was due yesterday and the actual product was due today. He made 24 bookmarks. Add that to a sick kid, three meetings and Taekwondo lessons (they have a belt test coming up and need to attend at least twice a week to prepare) and it makes for a crazy week. Oh, and we had a storm early Thursday morning and the power was out at our house and the school from about 3am until sometime in the early afternoon. All three children hung out with me yesterday. I’m glad it’s Friday, but I have a busy weekend planned. Bunco with the ladies at church tonight and a birthday lunch and shopping with a friend tomorrow. I also will run the visuals at church on Sunday so I’ll be there for both services. I may take a nap in a little bit. I’ve made myself tired. But, first, I have to run a couple of errands. Later!

Mother's Day 2005 and 2008

2008-05-12T23:15:00.010-05:00

For my regular readers (that sounds funny – what am I, a columnist?) who do not want to sign on to make comments (or can’t) I have decided to make it easier for you. I have adjusted the blog spot to allow comments without logging on to google. I think I still have to approve them before they are published but at least you don’t have to do anything extra except sign your name or nickname (so I’ll know who you are). I feel like I’m in a one sided conversation and would love to hear from ya’ll. Hint, hint! Okay, now that I have that off my chest, onward…

Yesterday was nice. I slept longer than usual so Hubby and I went to the late church service. The kids were with their mom and Hubby left right after the offering to help count it. He’s a counter every second Sunday of the month. So I sat quietly by myself totally relaxed and engrossed in worship. They had three baptisms. It brought back memories of three years ago when my two youngest grandchildren were baptized on Mother’s Day, 2005. Here are a few pictures. Their Aunt S. is their sponsor and godparent. Yesterday was also Pentecost Sunday. How fitting to be reminded of the power of the Holy Spirit as one adult and two children were being baptized. How wonderful to be reminded that God is active and alive in the hearts of my precious grandchildren. I can’t imagine how but I know He loves them even more than I do.

Later, I chatted on the phone with my eldest daughter as we drove to my youngest daughter’s apartment for a delicious lunch prepared by her roommate (except for the potato salad daughter made - she makes a great potato salad – it runs in the family). We spent a relaxing afternoon by the pool. Here are a few of the ba-zillion pictures I took. I just love digital cameras. You can just keep clicking away until you get a few good pictures or until you run your batteries down. While watching the kids swim, we took turns talking to Hubby’s mom. After dessert and presents, we headed home with kids in tow. I ended the day by reading the comment my eldest daughter wrote in my blog. You are a sweetie! I love my girls. Yep, yesterday was nice. As a matter of fact, it was great! Even the weather was great!

Happy Mother's Day!

2008-05-11T12:57:00.002-05:00

I have an awesome mother-in-law.

She hates it when I send her serious cards in the mail and prefers funny ones so it doesn’t make her sad. She’ll be happy to know that I didn’t send a serious Mother’s Day Card. But then, I didn’t send a funny one either (more on that later). I knew I wanted to write a post in her honor today. She has been like a mother to me, especially after my own mother passed away in 1991. I remember being so comforted by her tight squeeze as she mourned with me that evening. So, at the risk of making her mad at me for being serious, I continue. I’ll try to interject some humor to lighten it up a bit for her.

I have known her for 34 years and she has always been loving and kind to me; even when her only son and I moved her grandchildren 1200 miles away. And even when she couldn’t smoke in our house after she traveled 1200 miles to visit us. I can be a big pain in the rear when it comes to cigarette smoke. But she always made the best of it and never complained. I don’t feel too guilty about it because I think she has enjoyed sitting outside alone with Hubby making up for lost time as they shared ashtrays, lighters and countless cigarettes. On the other hand, the Louisiana and Texas summers and mosquitoes make it pretty miserable sometimes to sit outside for any length of time.

On our first official date, the car my future husband was driving had a flat tire. Really! I’m not kidding! It was one of many car problems he encountered while we were dating and for which he blames me (he claims he had no car problems before meeting me). Anyway, he ended up calling his sister to come and take us to get the tire fixed because the spare was flat, too. After that, he dropped his sister off and took me home. Keep in mind that we were at three far ends of the county so all this took a while. There was no time left to do anything else! That was the first time I met his sister, Brenda. I don’t remember when I first met his sister, Janet, but I remember when I met his mother. He either forgot to mention to her that we would be coming by or he didn’t think it was a big deal to drop in unannounced. She was in her nightgown. She handled it with dignity and made me feel very comfortable and welcomed.

She’s a strong and brave woman who has been through many tragedies in her lifetime. Her father drowned leaving behind eleven children. She has also lost her husband and her daughter, Janet, to cancer (Missy, my thoughts are with you today). Although I never met her first husband, Albert, she sat down with me early in my marriage and shared photos and memories about him. He died of cancer in 1963, when my hubby was seven years old. He had been sick for a very long time. As she shared her memories I was drawn into her past and felt so much closer to her. I really appreciated that she did that, even though it was probably painful for her. Her second husband, Russell (or Tever, as we call him) is a dear man who has been like a father to my husband. He often jokes around with me and I smile when I think of him. Although I know he gets cranky with her, it’s evident that he loves my mother-in-law very much. Last year, she also lost a granddaughter, Brenda’s youngest daughter, Tracie. I know this may be a hard day for both of them, so please keep them in your prayers.

Jean, back to the fact that you didn’t receive a card from us; sad, funny or otherwise, As your son, my husband and I ate dinner yesterday evening he mentioned that he didn’t get me a mother’s day card and that we could pick up my sander (my present) later that evening. I said, “That’s okay, I’m not your mother. You should be more worried that you didn’t send her one.” The discussion turned toward co-dependency stuff (by the way, I didn’t nag him to take care of his speeding ticket either and he almost got arrested. Not really, but he didn’t show up for court and had to rush down the next day to take care of it). Anyway, back to the dinner conversation. We are going to buy a plane ticket for you to come to Texas next month as a Mother’s Day gift. We hope you can use it. Please let us know a convenient date to come for a couple of weeks. Kirk said the flower beds look great so as you sweat in the heat, you can at least look at pretty flowers. We both wish you a wonderful and blessed Mother’s Day and we will call you later from Daughter #2’s house. We love and miss you!

Birds and Elephants

2008-05-09T04:36:00.003-05:00

I have been sick the last two days so no posts. I did well to hold my head up yet alone think about writing anything in my blog. Poor hubby tries so hard to be a good nurse. He doesn’t give himself much credit for it but I think he does a great job. I’m feeling almost back to normal again, whatever that is.

I read in the paper that my granddaughter’s ophthalmologist drown in his swimming pool. I had thoughts of not telling her but with her mother’s help we decided she would probably hear it sooner or later and she needs to learn how to cope with life and death. I need not have worried. She had already heard about it at school but didn’t realize it was her doctor. It was her teacher’s eye doctor, as well. She seemed to take it well, but then, she only saw him once or twice a year. Sad, though, he was only in his 40’s.

On a lighter note, I am very pleased to announce that I finally saw humming birds at my new feeder. I was starting to think there were none around this year. We also have a cardinal couple that hangs out in the garden and on the fence. We think they may have a nest in one of the bushes but we are trying to stay away. They are so pretty. I love hearing the birds chirp and sing in the morning. I also love watching them out my living room window splashing and drinking from the bird bath.

My youngest granddaughter informed me after she apparently woke up from a dream a little while ago, “I went out in the grass and the elephants stepped on me. I want to sleep in your bed.” She’s sound asleep again and I’m wide awake! Darn those elephants!

Short Post for a Short Program

2008-05-06T23:59:00.003-05:00

On Monday, I went with a friend to take her cat to SPCA. It was the first time I had ever been there. They had so many cats and kittens that needed to be adopted. There were dogs and puppies there, as well, but not nearly as many dogs as cats. It was sad. It made me glad that my daughter gave an abandoned kitten a home.

Today was my grandson’s end of the year music program at school. It lasted 15 minutes! It was the shortest program I have ever attended in my life! At least we only drove down the street. His other grandparents drove a lot further and I’m wondering if it was worth their gas money. Of course, he was very pleased that they were there so it was worth that. But they were a few minutes late because they couldn’t find the school and they almost missed it! I did get a picture of him in his Dr. Seuss tie. It was cute, but very, very short. And I paid $18 for a DVD! Okay, that’s probably enough complaining.

Update: My eldest daughter received the results from her ultrasound. She has multiple gall stones. So now we wait to see what the surgeon says.

Mostly Girl Stuff

2008-05-04T22:49:00.004-05:00

Among the flurry of activities going on this weekend, my grandson attended a birthday party for a little girl in his classroom. I took him shopping on Friday evening with three coupons in hand from Build- A-Bear Workshop, which is where he wanted to get her present. He’s very coupon conscious and thinks if we have a coupon, by golly, use it! I discovered on this shopping trip that he is rather smitten with this little girl (he’s eight!). As we proceeded through the building stations, he decided to put a voice box in the bear that said, “I love you.” I tried to discourage it by saying, “How about a box that sings ‘Happy Birthday’ instead?” I finally had him talked into it and then discovered they were out of them. I caved in to his first choice, against my better judgment. We picked out an outfit (he couldn’t have cared less about that) then proceeded to the computer to type in the certificate. It was the most involved he ever got with picking out a birthday present for someone. On our way out of the store, I suggested that he must really like this little girl. “She’s my girlfriend,” he replied. “Does she know she’s your girlfriend?” I questioned, wondering how second graders have such a notion. “Yea, she told me,” he said. I couldn’t help but giggle a little at the thought of telling someone you are going to be their girlfriend. He added, “I needed Sissy there ‘cause I didn’t know what to do.” I suppressed another giggle and just smiled, wondering why he thinks his fifth grade sister would be such an expert on the subject. Anyway, I hope her parents don’t think the present is too ‘over the top’. Hubby picked him up from the party so I didn’t get a chance to talk with them but I think I’ll try to call her mother tomorrow.

While the grandson was at the birthday party, I took his sisters to an event at church. The women’s group had a doll making presentation given by a professional doll maker. Everyone brought dolls that have special meaning for them. The granddaughters brought their Middleton dolls (Abby and Lulu) and I brought a doll that my girl friend from high school made for my oldest daughter when she was a toddler. In the picture, it’s the one with the yellow yarn hair beside the youngest granddaughter. She doesn’t have a name, poor thing. My oldest daughter wasn’t much interested in dolls and sure didn’t name them. The granddaughters picked up the doll nurturing skills from their mother (we still have her Jessica and the three year old still plays with her even as old and tattered as she is). It was fun and interesting to see all the different dolls, old and new. All the girls from three to ninety ‘something’ enjoyed sharing about their dolls and why they were special to them. We took this picture early so there were many more dolls added later.

Speaking of the daughters, our youngest and her roommate moved into a new apartment last week. So the kids were extra excited to visit this weekend. It is so much closer to our house, it’s clean, it has several nice areas where they can play, and it has a pool and a park close by. A positive move for everyone, I think. The eldest daughter is feeling much better. Hopefully, she won’t have another gall bladder attack before she makes it to the surgeon on the 20th. No news on the ultra sound yet. I'll keep you posted, Grandma Jean!

Yesterday, Continued

2008-05-02T06:19:00.005-05:00

Let me get back on my soapbox about the housework. Yesterday morning I had so many choices…what to do, what to do, what to do first! Pay bills, fold laundry and put more in the washing machine, work in my garden, or (you guessed it) clean the house. Well, since it usually gets hot in the afternoon, it’s best to work outside in the morning. And the beautiful spring weather is not going to last very much longer…so I worked in my flower beds. The three-year old granddaughter helped me dig holes and plant flowers with her very own Dora the Explorer garden tools, gloves included. She also helped with the mulch and the watering. I could only fill the watering can a forth of the way full so she could lift it. She had a blast and so did I. We wouldn’t have had near as much fun cleaning the house. Then it was lunch time and we had a picnic outside. After lunch, it was nap time. I usually have to lie down with her to get her to sleep, and today was no exception (otherwise, she just plays). Of course, I fell asleep. After about 45 minutes, I woke up thinking, “I need to get busy!” The nap rejuvenated me a little bit so I worked on the laundry and started picking up around the house. I knew I wouldn’t have time to completely clean it before the kids would be home from school but I completed the all the laundry, even put it away. The kids had Taekwondo from 5-5:45pm. After a quick bite to eat at Wendy’s we headed south to help their mom finish up her move to a new apartment (lots closer -Yea!) The kids took their baths at their moms so they were able to go straight to bed when we returned home around 10pm. Yes, I know that’s too late for a school night. So there are all my justifications for not cleaning the house today. Oh, well, there’s always tomorrow.

And here’s proof of my past lack of enthusiasm to be a diligent disciplinarian when it comes to my grandchildren. I have totally enable them to be lazy. This morning, at his request, I made my grandson cream of wheat for breakfast. As I multi-tasked, getting the three-year old her cereal and orange juice, serving his cream of wheat, and making toast, he sat in his chair doing nothing. “You need to eat, it’s getting late,” I remind him. His reply, “I’m waiting for you to get me a spoon.” Aye-yi-yi! I’ve created a monster! I very calmly pointed out that he had two hands and feet and was fully capable of getting his own spoon. On his face appears a half grin as he heads for the silverware drawer. I’m determined to change his motto from “Don’t do anything you can get Grandma to do,” to “I better take care of that myself if I want it done.” I wonder how long it will take to undo the damage.

Update on eldest daughter: Her doctor told her that her gall bladder needs to come out, which, of course, means surgery. She will have an ultrasound this morning (Friday) then next will be an appointment with a surgeon. I see a trip to Dallas coming up soon. And my friend’s son is doing better and will probably be moved out of ICU and to a regular room today. Thank you for your prayers.

Quotes from the three-year old:

“Papaw and I already had that word.” (Said after she told me that she wanted to see her mommy and I told her that she was working and that she would see her this weekend).

“My favorite colors are pink and chocolate.” (She is often asked what color of lollipop she wants).

“I don’t want to be grounded! I want to be happy!” (Don’t we all? I grounded/banned her from my bedroom for the rest of the day for getting into my things, again!)

"If you drink too much milk, you'll turn into a cow." (Relaying false information her papaw used to explain to her why he doesn't drink milk).

And finally, this morning she rose out of bed at 5am and I told her it was too early to get up. She asked, “Why are you up, Grandma?” “Because I couldn’t sleep,” I answered. “Oh, was Papaw snoring again?”

A Not So Cheerful Post

2008-05-01T06:30:00.002-05:00

I have turned into a really, really bad housekeeper and often take the Scarlet O’Hara attitude. I’ll think about it tomorrow. Today, I’d rather….do anything else. I used to love to clean the house. It made me feel like I had accomplished something. Of course, I had more energy back then. I also required my girls to help as soon as they were old enough to learn how and I made them pick up their things. To hear them tell it, I was a slave driver. I know I’m doing my grandchildren a disservice by allowing them get away with leaving their stuff everywhere. Sometimes it’s just easier to let it go. Of course, it’s not the best or wisest thing to do. Perhaps I’ll encourage them be more responsible starting tomorrow (right after I pick up my stuff, of course). Hubby just left for work and asked me to lock the door behind him. “We don’t want anyone to come in and trip over something in the dark and sue us,” he teased.

Eldest daughter went to the emergency room with severe stomach pain yesterday. It appears it may be her gall bladder. Hopefully, she will be able to get into a gastroenterologist tomorrow. Please keep her in your prayers along with my friend, Sandra’s son, who is in ICU in Corpus Christi.

Today is the third anniversary of the death of my best friend from high school. Kristy was so generous with her love and time for others. She always looked for the best in people and was a great encourager. I met her when I was in eighth grade confirmation class. She was an answer to prayer. It was the first time I ever had a best friend. I have to smile when I think of the times we laughed so hard, especially at ourselves. She introduced me to a group of girl friends that were my salvation in high school. I was painfully shy and needed friends so badly. I thank God for bringing her into my life and I look forward to seeing her in heaven. For those in my family who knew Kristy, I found the link below to a memorial set up by Olivia in her honor.

http://www.virtual-memorials.com/main.php?action=view&mem_id=11856&page_no=1

Sticker Stamps

2008-04-26T05:05:00.000-05:00

Words can be so wounding, even when they are not meant to be. I hurt someone with my words yesterday evening but was surprised and, I admit, a little miffed at the misunderstanding and the reaction that spread out like a plague. After a restless night of self examination (I let the sun go down on my anger) God has taught me a lesson on making amends and seeking forgiveness. I haven’t done it yet, but I got the lesson. I pray with His help, I will be able to do what is right, without trying to justify or explain why I said what I said. Yuck, yuck, yuck, yuck, yuck!

Now, on a happier note, the two older grandkids had Super Kids Day at school today (outdoor activities and games galore). It’s amazing how easily they can get out of bed when they have a fun event lined up at school. Instead of needing blasting caps to get the preteen out of bed, she and her brother were up and dressed before 6am! They even packed their own lunches! I think perhaps that may become a regular task they can take off my hands. After school, they were so excited to talk about their day that it was almost sheer torture that I made them take turns while the other one spoke.

Although it’s nothing compared to the price of gasoline, it would be nice if the postal service would make up their mind about the price of stamps and leave it there for a while. Oops! I’m slipping back into a negative attitude. Let me change direction…A funny thing happened to my recently purchased book of stamps yesterday. Hubby had warned me that the desk drawer was probably not a safe haven for anything that slightly resembles stickers, a favorite item of our three year old granddaughter. She thought they looked lovely in rows down each leg. Thankfully, most of them were salvageable. At least it presented a learning experience on the use correct use of postage stamps, not to mention the repeated ‘these are my things, and I don’t like to share my things because you mess them up - so knock it off” lesson.

Becky's Birthday Greeting!

2008-04-26T04:15:00.010-05:00

Thursday was my niece, Becky’s birthday. She was recently married to hubby, Kenneth. Since that blessed event occurred before I started blogging, I have included a picture of them on that happy day. Happy Birthday, Beck, and congratulations on your wedding! Love ya!

Dentist Date with Grandson

2008-04-24T00:12:00.006-05:00

It was pretty much an uneventful day except for a trip to the dentist office. Grandson was complaining of a toothache and his checkup wasn’t scheduled until June. When I called yesterday to see if they had an opening soon, they were able to move up his appointment to today. Since I had to cancel my last cleaning appointment, they managed to schedule us at the same time. My dental hygienist and I could hear him talking to his dental hygienist across the hall and we were cracking up at the questions he was asking her. He’s so inquisitive. I don’t know how she cleaned his teeth as much as he was talking! When the dentist came in to examine him, grandson said it felt like the hygienist used a nail to clean his teeth. I don’t recall exactly what the dentist said but he started laughing when my grandson explained he wasn’t talking about a nail you use with a hammer, just the kind on your finger. Anyway, come to find out, he has an infection underneath what looks like a perfectly good baby tooth. He has to take an antibiotic and then get it pulled next week. He may have to have a spacer if his permanent tooth hasn't grown down enough. He likes that idea for some reason. I took him to McDonald’s for lunch and then took him to school. He seemed very happy with our dentist date. The best part for him, of course, was that he got to miss some of the school day. The best part for me was spending special time with him, even if it was at the dentist office!

Kid quote: “Did you know there’s a city called Armadillo? I think it’s somewhere near El Paso.” (By eleven year old granddaughter about the city of Amarillo, TX – just in case you didn’t get it. This came to mind as she was studying something about armadillos on a science homework sheet).

Bowling and Bullies

2008-04-22T09:27:00.014-05:00

Only a good friend will hug when you have a runny nose!

What form! What grace!

!

Loves to bowl, hates the shoes!

I recently read on a Dove chocolate wrapper, “Remember your first everything.” That little saying came to mind as the grandkids and I went bowling yesterday with a friend and her daughter. Her little girl is 3 and best of friends with my 3 year old granddaughter. It was the first time either of them bowled so I brought my camera along to record this “first.” The older two grandchildren had a school holiday so they went along, as well. Those anti-gutter ball bumper rails were a great invention! We discovered that bowling doesn’t really hold the interest of 3 year olds for long. But the free popcorn they received from the concession lady (just for being cute, I guess) kept them occupied for a while. My friend also played “Simon Says” with them while the other kids bowled. We bowled for an hour and didn’t even finish the game but we had fun.

Soon after arriving home from the bowling alley, I called a friend to confirm a lunch date we had planned for Wednesday. She answered the phone quite upset and said she would have to call me back. Later, she explained that when I had called she was in the middle of filing a police report because of threats made by the man who was doing their lawn care service. Her husband is in his early 80s and has Parkinson’s disease. She is in her late 60s and also has health issues. She had decided to cancel the service and when she called him he started spewing out offensive language, threatened to come to her house, and said she couldn’t stop him. So now she’s afraid to leave her husband alone. It really ticks me off when elderly people are abused and taken advantage of by bullies in society. My friend asked me to pray for the man. I replied, “Are you kidding, I want to be like Peter and chop off his ear!” I knew she wasn’t kidding and I am honoring her request to pray for him. After all, that’s the best defense against evil. It wasn’t long ago that another elderly friend of mine was threatened and her home was vandalized by a raging neighbor. Arrrrr!

Matthew 5:43-45 - You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy. But I tell you: Love you enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven. He causes His sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous.

Busy, Busy Weekend!

2008-04-20T23:40:00.004-05:00

I’m exhausted. Hubby and I took advantage of another kid free Saturday and worked all day in the yard. It was great. I love working outdoors with him. You can actually see the work you have accomplished and it stays that way for almost a week. Housework just doesn’t stay done, ya know what I mean? Anyway, the new flowers and plants look great (thank you for all the great advice, C). We are not quite finished with the beds but we definitely made lots of progress.

I heard a good sermon at church today. It was about resting. I must confess that I had a couple of negative thoughts when the pastor said, “You are not lazy if you rest.” I was thinking, “That’s relative. Certainly if you rest more than you work, that’s laziness.” Then, “I hope hubby doesn’t pick up on this because he gets plenty of rest and he doesn’t need encouragement!” I quickly realized through the nudging of the Holy Spirit, that I was missing the point! The message was on resting (abiding) in Christ and that more rest meant more peace. More rest also means more fruitfulness. So I took my mind off of how this was going to affect Hubby’s naps and focused on how it will help me to be more peaceful and fruitful. Since I worked the power point slides at both services, I had double the opportunity to get the message. But right after church and lunch, I requested that we make a run to Lowe’s to purchase mulch, even though our Sunday schedule was already tight. No sooner did we get home and unloaded the mulch when he had to take off for the two hour round-trip drive to pick up the kids and I headed back to the church for two back-to-back meetings. After the meetings, I headed to the store to pick up milk, bread, and mouth wash (basic essentials until I can get to the grocery shopping). I didn’t get home until around 9 pm, just in time to tuck the kids into bed (Hubby was resting in front of the TV). Then I checked my email and my favorite blog spots. Now I’m typing on the computer. I think I’ll rest tomorrow but not until after my two Bible studies. But wait, the kids have a school holiday and a friend invited us to go bowling in the afternoon. Maybe I’ll rest on Tuesday. Or maybe I’ll get a CD copy of the sermon and listen to it again!

Kid quotes of the day:
“I was so cold my teeth were shattering,” said my eight year old grandson describing his swimming experience today.
“When Milo gets bigger, he’ll be a girl again and we can call him Miley.” My three year old granddaughter is in denial about the cat. Must run in the family, right JB? He’s a boy; he’s always been a boy; and he’ll always be a boy; no matter how much ya’ll want him to be a girl! :-)

Friends, Flowers and Flutes

2008-04-19T06:28:00.002-05:00

We will soon have another flutist in the family. According to her other grandma, who took her to her tryout meeting, our granddaughter did very well Thursday evening. I totally agreed, although I wasn't there. Neither of us know anything about music but we were sure she was the best one there and will be sitting first chair! :-) The list of assigned instruments was posted on the middle school band website and she has been officially assigned to play the flute in the sixth grade band. Yea! We don’t have to buy or rent an instrument while she decides if she’s going to like band or not. Maybe she can get some private lessons from her Aunt S this summer???

I have a very good friend who is great at gardening and I have decided to be a copy cat, right down to the type of manure I’m using. She went with me to a couple of garden stores yesterday evening and gave me some tips on what types of flowers to buy and where to get the best prices. She is also going to come over to my house today and advise me on the placement of my purchases. What a friend! I can hardly wait to get started on the planting! As you can tell, I didn’t pay much attention to hubby’s remark about how great the flower beds looked without flowers. But he only mumbled a little bit - something about the hanging fern I bought (he’s been trying for two years to dig out all the ferns we planted in the garden a few years ago but they just keep coming back). He now hates ferns.

I have another good friend who met me for lunch yesterday. I ask you, who but a great friend would meet you for lunch when she doesn’t feel well and wasn’t hungry? Not only that, but she met me at Burger King so my granddaughter could play in the play area while we tried to talk amongst seven or eight squealing children (not mine, of course). I think we can add that to the list of 'not such good ideas.' Next time, I’ll have her come to my house after I put the youngster down for a nap.

Friends are such a blessing!

Below is just a little ole verse from a little ole song by a little ole group you may remember – well, some of you). It popped into my head while I was writing about some of my buddies. This is actually the Joe Cocker version which I like a little better...the words, not the voice...although he sings it pretty well. So, here's to all my friends out there...with love, g. Oh, and the part about getting high, I'm not sure if its talking about a drug induced high or a Rocky Mountain high. Considering its a Beetles tune as opposed to John Denver's thoughts on his love of nature and being high on life...oh, never mind. I digressed a bit.

What would you think if I sang out of tune,
Would you stand up and walk out on me?
Lend me your ears and I'll sing you a song
And I'll try not to sing out of key.
Oh, I get by with a little help from my friends
Mm, I get high with a little help from my friends
Mm, gonna try with a little help from my friends

It's Kelly's Birthday!

2008-04-18T06:09:00.005-05:00

Happy Birthday, my friend! It is amazing what God is doing in your life and I am awed by the privilege He has given me this past year to watch it happen. Although you are as young as my daughters, I consider you one of my special friends. May you have a blessed day and a wonderful weekend with your family. Love ya!

Thou Shalt Laugh

2008-04-17T12:42:00.015-05:00

This evening is when my granddaughter attempts to earn a chair with the flutes in her school band next year. These photos are of her being shown by her aunt how to hold it, how to place her fingers and how to blow into it to get sound. She was actually able to get a pretty good tone to come out of it! Please say a little prayer she makes it. Not only will it make her happy but we won't have to purchase another instrument right now!

The other night while flipping channels on late night television, I stopped to watch the end of a Christian comedian show called "Thou Shalt Laugh," hosted by Patricia Heaton, lead actress in Everybody Loves Raymond. I laughed so hard I woke my dozing hubby. I was trying to be quiet but I think the bed was shaking as my suppressed laughter turned into snorts. I did some research and found out that the show is available on DVD. Since I missed the beginning, I may see if I can rent it or buy it. One of the comedians was poking fun at people who state the obvious when you push on a door that should be pulled to open. "You gotta pull," a voice comes from behind you. "Thanks, my second choice was going to be to try to lift it from the bottom!" I hope you are at least smiling right now, because that's funny. Sarcastic, yes, but funny.

I chaperoned my granddaughter's fifth grade field trip to the museum and IMAX theater yesterday. It was fun watching her interact with her friends. Fifth graders are so interesting. They flop back and forth, trying to act grown up but the kid in them keeps surfacing. I rode down with three moms and really enjoyed it. I'm ever so grateful they wouldn't let us ride the bus with the kids. That may have been a little bit too much! May God bless teachers!

Genesis 21:6 And Sarah said, "God has made laughter for me; everyone who hears will laugh with me."

Half a Century!

2008-04-16T00:23:00.001-05:00

Today my sister, Roberta, is a half century old. Welcome to your 50’s, my dear! I’m so glad we survived our childhood with hair on our heads. I remember well the few fights we had as girls that usually consisted of pulling each others hair until we were flat on the ground, neither of us giving an inch. Finally, we’d start laughing because neither of us could move yet we were too stubborn to be the first to let go. But I guess, all things considered, we got along okay. You were my roommate in a house full of kids, my playmate when friends were scarce because we moved so often, and my helpmate with the dishes most of my girlhood. Thanks for being so good-natured. I love you. Happy Birthday!

Darling Daughters and Georgeous Granddaughters!
Handsome Hubby!
They're very attached
but not at the head!

Trimming the Shrubbery

2008-04-14T09:50:00.002-05:00

I forgot to mention in last night's post that I trim shrubbery like I trim hair. I have to cut more and more to get them even on both sides. Pretty soon, they look pathetic. That’s why I will never; ever again cut my hair or anyone else’s! I know my limitations. However, I discovered Saturday that I over-estimated my gardening skills as well, at least when it comes to grooming the bushes. My only consolation is that they will grow back… I think… I hope. Hubby says they look fine. He also said the flower beds look great without flowers. I’m trying not to totally dismiss his opinion, but I’m struggling with it…especially about the flowers.

Good Weather, Bad Weeds, and a Joke

2008-04-13T21:48:00.006-05:00

The weekend weather has been gorgeous. Working outside in the yard in the coolness of spring makes me forget about the scorching heat that’s just around the corner. It was actually fun hanging out with hubby as we pulled weeds, trimmed branches, pulled weeds, spread compost, pulled weeds, fixed the fence where oldest daughter’s dogs regularly escape to freedom when they come to visit, and pulled weeds. Yep, we had a lot of weeds because we had a lot of neglected flower beds. It felt so good to get them all cleaned out! I can’t wait to start planting flowers. But that will have to wait for a couple of days while I finish our tax forms; inside. Sigh!

Our eight year old grandson is in a joke telling phase. I’m thinkin’ that it’s a developmental thing, you know, when kids actually start getting jokes and want to join in on the fun. I know this is probably a phase but I also know it lasts a lifetime for some folks, sometimes a good thing, sometimes not. Anyway, here’s the joke you can tell your kids or grandkids and they might get a kick out of it (no pun intended).

Why isn’t Cinderella very good at soccer? (I guessed it was because she had a glass slipper – wrong). The answer is (and if I could, I’d write it upside down like they do in the professional joke books): She keeps running away from the ball! Ha! Ha! Ha! (I gave it three ha’s).

Thanks be to God, who gave me such wonderful gifts this weekend; a beautiful day with my husband, the sunshine, the delight of seeing two cardinals land on a tree branch in my garden only a few feet from me, cold water to quench my thirst, fellowship with friends at Starbucks, contemporary Christian songs that touch my heart at church and on the radio, pizza and hugs at CR, a silly joke that made me laugh (a little), and for the privilege of belonging to your glorious kingdom. Amen.

Identity Crisis, Miley (I mean Milo) the Cat

2008-04-11T05:52:00.004-05:00

My youngest daughter has a kitty. She thought it was a female but just recently found out it is a male, much to her disappointment. Although I do not have many opportunities to be around the cat, it seems apparent that she, I mean he, may have anger issues. He likes to attack for no apparent reason and he isn’t at all cuddly. As a matter of fact, he’s just plain mean. But is it any wonder? First of all he was taken away from his mother way too soon and was left abandoned by some irresponsible human being. After being rescued from a life on the streets, this poor male cat has been called Miley for all his sheltered home life, named after Miley Cyrus, I mean, Hannah Montana, also known as Miley Stewart (who also has identity issues). Not only that but he has a pink collar and a pink litter box. Reminds me of the time our apricot toy poodle was once groomed and they put bows on his ears. Normally, after getting a hair cut he would prance around with pride in his cowboy bandana. This time he acted like he was humiliated. I’m not kidding, he was moping. I really miss that dog. I’m starting to get strong desires to get another one but hubby doesn’t want one. So anyway, I suggested they call the cat Milo, in honor of Milo Hamilton, radio voice of the Houston Astros. It IS baseball season, after all. I don’t know if the name will stick, everyone’s used to calling him Miley. He may be stuck with it. Oh, well. He’s still cute and maybe he’ll settle down when he’s fixed and de-clawed. Now that’ll really tick him off!

Happy Birthday, Sweetie!

2008-04-09T10:25:00.003-05:00

As I started to think about what I could write special to and about my first-born on her birthday, part of this song kept swirling around in my head:

On the day that you were born the angels got together
And decided to create a dream come true…

Although Karen Carpenter sang these words about romantic longings to be close to someone, the words reminded me of how overjoyed and fulfilled I felt when you were placed in my arms for the first time. Your crying stopped as you peered up at me and we instantly bonded as mother and daughter. The emotion was indescribable. My life was changed forever and not only because I was a mom but my relationship with God changed. It was the first time I felt significant in His kingdom. It dawned on me right away that I had to teach you about Jesus. I wanted you to know the Lord in your heart and soul. My desire to learn more about Him myself was intense. I began to study the Bible in a way I never did before. Although I was not a perfect mom and became overly protective of you and your sister, my intention was to help guide you both on a path toward the Lord. I thank Him whole-heartedly for the gift of seeing how you both love Him as much as I do. On your birthday, I thank Him for the gift of you. I love you so much. Happy Birthday, Sweetie!

PS Have fun in Mexico with T. Tell him I said hello.

A Few of My Favorite Females

2008-04-08T08:32:00.007-05:00

My first-born grandchild.
Growing up too fast!

My last-born grandchild (so far)
Also, growing too fast!

Happy Birthday #2, Katlyn!
(my great-niece)

Happy 'belated' Birthday,
Jane and Bev!
(me and my GNO buddies -
Jane, me, Terri, and Bev)

Happy Birthday, Grandma Faye!
(Hubby's grandma)
93 Years Young Today!

Bev, again.
(at the theater last week)

Yesterday, my first-born granddaughter had a big, first event. She’s now a babysitter in her own right, no longer just grandma’s assistant babysitter. True, it’s only for an hour after school on Mondays, and she’s not exactly alone (she’s watching two younger boys, one and three years old, while their mom helps the older two with homework). But, she feels very grown up. Her growing up is a little bittersweet for me. Time is passing so quickly. She’ll be in middle school next year. Middle school! It doesn’t seem so long ago that her mom was in middle school. She’s hoping to play a flute in the school band. Her mom did that too but lost interest in it before high school. Those were the years she started losing interest in a lot of things (but I won’t go there). Middle school is hard on kids, I think. Anyway…Aunt S. is loaning granddaughter one of her three flutes. She will try out for a flute position on April 17. I’m not sure how beginning band students try out for instruments they’ve never played, but none the less… From the letter we received, I’m guessing they are going to encourage some children to play a different instrument than the one they signed up for. I’ll just put that one in God’s hands and not worry about it. She’s also taking the TAKS Math Test today. Another important test to pass!

The youngest granddaughter had a first event, as well, two nights ago. She said her bedtime prayer all by herself without our normal, repeat after me, format. The prayer went like this, “Dear, Jesus, help me go to sleep tonight. God bless Mommy, and Daddy, and Sissy, and my broder (brother), etc. (it was a long list, I’ll spare you). Amen.” At the end of her prayer, because the list had finally ended, I felt inclined to say, “Thank you, Lord.” “You’re welcome, she replied. “Noooo!” I laughed. “I’m thanking Jesus.” “Oh,” she said. “You’re welcome, Jesus.” I wonder sometimes what kids understand about God. I remember when my oldest granddaughter was about three, she pointed to the pastor one day during church service, “Grandma, is that Jesus?” “No, but he tells us all about Jesus. Jesus is in heaven and in our hearts.” She always loved to hug the pastor after church. It’s as if she understood somehow that he was exuberated with God’s love. Now, she’s too shy to run up to him and give him a big hug like she used to but she manages to get a small one from him now and then.

More quotes from the three year old:

“Papaw, will you talk to grandma and tell her I have a cape on?” (I was working on the computer and managed to tune out her endless chatter – I know that’s awful but don’t worry, she will not be ignored! I thought that was a pretty smart solution to getting my attention, and without whining! We thought it was hilarious.)

“My face is in my eyes.” Translation: My hair is in my eyes.

“See this muscle? That’s why I’m strong.” (spoken after she pulled a full gallon of milk out of the refrigerator and put it on the counter - as I hold my breath)

I love my grandchildren so much!

Picture for Grandma Jean

2008-04-06T22:14:00.005-05:00

Our one and only cub scout holding his third place winning, most unusual metal toting, green machine, Pinewood Derby truck. You have no idea how difficult it was to get this picture. I'm usually allowed one or two shots and if they are lousy shots, too bad! His attitude gets as lousy as my shots! Then my prompting for him to smile becomes a not so pleasent demand for him to turn back around and "smile like you mean it!" Yeah, that works! If it were not for E. taking this with her phone, we wouldn't even have a decent photo! But, the eye-rolling, picture taking tension went away as soon as I put the camera away. Grandmothers!!!

I'll do a belated birthday post tomorrow. I have to make myself get away from this computer and go to bed. I'm obsessed!

Boys and Men

2008-04-05T23:02:00.005-05:00

I'm convinced that one of the best times to talk with or listen to someone is in the vehicle, provided the traffic is not too bad and you and they are the only two in the vehicle. Today, while he and I were traveling home from a shoe shopping trip, I had a rare opportunity to listen to what was on my grandson's mind (at least for the moment). This took me by surprise, actually. It was then that I discovered that I really enjoy car trips with one other occupant. We each have a captive audience. Anyway, back to my story...My one and only grandson says to me, "Grandma, don't get used to my voice because someday it's going to change. But I'm not saying not to listen to this voice." I have no idea why he happened to think of such a thing at that moment but it put another smile on my face as I mentally added it to the list of cute things my grandchildren say. Yes, I'm sure his voice will change someday and he'll become a man. But in the meanwhile, I'll listen to his little boy voice (the one I'm already used to) and hopefully I'll listen carefully and not miss these precious things he says.

And since I'm on the subject of my grandson, today was a special day in his cub scout world. It was the Pinewood Derby Day for his pack. I'm finally starting to understand the difference between a den and a pack but I am very confused with how the Pinewood Derby works. The best thing about this event was watching his excitement as he and his friends competed for the title of winner. He kept a big smile on his face as he jumped up and down, cheering for his favorites and celebrating their wins. He won several races before being eliminated. His green pickup truck came in third in his den. He also won a Pinewood Derby Metal for the most unusual design in the whole pack. We were all quite proud, especially his papaw who helped him build his truck out of a block of wood. It was also heart-warming to see this grown man participate, waving a checkered flag as winners crossed the finish line. He was smiling the whole time as well. Yep, I was sure there was a little boy in there somewhere (even though his voice has changed). I'll post pictures later...going to bed now.