Life Happens

My life has been hectic and crazy since my last post. My family (in different variations) celebrated Thanksgiving at home, have been to see the Callaway Gardens light show, attended a Christmas party, been to several chemo treatments (for my step-dad), worked, finished up a semester of college, and shopped, shopped, shopped for Christmas gifts.

(Our 'failed' Christmas Card Photo - the Chapple/Keene totem pole...failed because we couldn't line ourselves up straight!)


(Arthur holding Alex, my brother's pup. Arthur would love to have a pup of her own.)

Thanksgiving was nice and quiet. My oldest daughter, 'Arthur', and her husband drove up from Pine Mountain to have deep-fried turkey, dressing, sweet potato souffle, and cheesecake while giving thanks for our many blessings this year. We took many family pictures...posing this way and that, trying to get that perfect pic for our Christmas greeting cards this year. Of course, no one can agree which is the best one, so I ended up with two finalists, and used them both.
(My adopted daughter, Krumm, and daughter Courage, in front of a store in down-town Lawrenceville...'Girls Night Out' ...after dinner on the square.)

My younger daughter, 'Courage', and I drove to Pine Mountain one Sunday to go see the 'Fantasy in Lights' display. SIL (son-in-law) 's parents joined us and we dined at KFC and proceeded to the gardens to visit the Christmas Village and ride the trolley to see the lights. It was cold which I think enhanced the 'Christmas Spirit' feeling of the event.

(The 'failed' chocolate-fudge layer cake. The layers are not consistant in size, the fudge icing bled between layers. Not pretty...but doggone tasty!)


Courage and I attend the (5th annual, I think) Granny's Girl's Christmas Tea, which is not a 'tea' but really a sit down dinner, ornament exchange and reminisce-fest. My cousin 'Deputy Shell' hosted this year. Her house was adorable...her hubby had adorned the outside of the house with lots of lights and Shell had decorated the inside of the house and they had an enormous Christmas Tree that was very tall and very big around, I believe it was a Leland cypress. The meal she served was a Puerto Rican pork roast, potato salad, brown rice, salad, rolls and Tres Leche cake. Everything was so beautiful and so delicious. I really enjoy getting together every Christmas with my aunt and cousins to remember our mother/grandmother/great-grandmother and just get caught up on everyone's lives.
(Hubby and Courage pick out our tree...almost a 'failed' evening as hubby put the tree on top of the car before getting a fresh cut off the bottom and getting it bagged.)


My step-dad continues to receive chemo treatments twice a month for his brain tumor/cancer. He is doing okay...his tumor remains half the size it was in the beginning, but the chemo seems to be taking a toll. His doctor has recommended he finish up this 'round of chemo' and maybe take a break to let his body heal and build back up. About 3 or 4 more treatments and we will see what happens.

(My step dad, Ed, trying to coax Alex, the pup, to come to him. Was a fail because Alex walked right over and bit his big toe!)



Courage finished her fourth semester at Georgia Perimeter...hopefully with some good final grades. She has one more semester and she will graduate from GP with an associates degree in science. She is thinking about continuing to live at home and attending a local college to obtain her bachelor's degree in science. After that, off to medical school. Which one??? Someplace pretty close by I hope! (Emory? Mercer? Medical College of GA?)

(Mouse cookie...idea for upcoming
parties???)

Arthur and her hubby have become quite the hikers. They hike very often at local parks near their home and have even been able to get 'moi' and Courage to join them on several occasions. We all love hiking and being outdoors and feel this is going to be something we will all get more and more involved in and good at.

We have all been doing shopping for Christmas gifts. It is a challenge again this year, as I am not making a very good salary this year, and hubby isn't either. I do feel like things will change in 2010. I am actively pursuing gainful employment and am feeling the end result will be a better paying job with good benefits and I feel like it is going to happen soon! I feel like the economy is slowly getting better and therefore hubby's business will pick back up and he will start bringing in more income too.

(Courage and Arthur decorate a cookie at the Christmas Village at Callaway Gardens before seeing the light display. Not a fail, thankfully!)

I made chicken dumplings in the crock pot today and have ate myself silly. I also made my first 11 layer chocolate cake and it was not pretty, but it was very tasty. Now I am up late because I have severe reflux disease and cannot lay in my bed (though it sits at a near 45 degree angle) for fear of regurgitating and drowning in chocolate fudge cake icing. It is quite a shame, but I am 12 pounds heavier this Christmas than I was last Christmas. I vow to join the gym and maybe re-join Weight Watchers as soon as I land that gainful employment.



(Gorgeous pic of King of the House...Lex. He has beautiful whiskers. A fail - he turned his head when I was photograhing him - that turned out to be awesome!)

Fall Girls' Trip - 2009

This past weekend was Fall Girls' Trip - 2009, to Cleveland, Georgia, to enjoy some girl time, mountains, and fresh air!
(Picture 1: Cousin Shay and Me at the cabin)

Four of us met up after work on Friday and drove up together, meeting the 5th member of our group at the mexican restaraunt in Cleveland. The place was packed like we've never seen before, but we were seated shortly and served quickly. After dinner we went to Ingles to shop for breakfast groceries.

(Picture 2. The Granny's Girls cake I made for the trip).

We then headed for the mountain resort to check in, unload the bags, and start getting settled into the cabin. Sleeping arrangements are chosen early, as that is where you unload your pillow, blankets and suitcases. For the first time in several years, me and my cousin Shay got the 'master bedroom'. Another cousin got the smaller bedroom with bunkbeds, one cousin called the futon, and my aunt grabbed a bunk bed mattress and pulled it to the 'living room' floor. No one likes climbing up to that top bunk.

(Picture 3. Me, Aunt Judy and Cousin shay on the porch.)

We watched 'The Excorcism of Emily Rose' and finally hit the hay after much talking and laughing.

After a big breakfast Saturday morning, cooked by one cousin and aunt, the day was filled with shopping. We found tons of bargains and came back late that evening with a truck load of goodies which we unloaded to look at, admire, and label for easy sorting when we returned home.

We had a large lunch at Glenda's in Cleveland. There was so much food that we all had a take-out box and had the leftovers for dinner. We watched 'The Lake House' with Keanu Reeves and Sandra Bullock and hit the hay late again.

(Picture 4. Aunt Judy, Cousins Stacy and Shay on the porch).

While watching TV we all pile onto the futon or the twin mattress on the floor. We snack and watch tv in silence. But when the movie is over we head to our sleeping areas and talk and giggle.

Sunday morning comes early - we all rise before the sun, me a little later than the others, and we start showering, dressing and packing. By 9am we are packed and ready for breakfast. We usually stop at Waffle House, but decide to hit Mickey D's this morning. McD's is cheaper, less greasy, and you don't have to leave a tip.

It was a good trip and I got the rest, relaxation and girl time I have looked forward to for the past few months. Early next year we will start planning the Spring Girls' Trip.




(Last picutre: Stacy, Shay and Judy on the hayride).

A Small Man. A Large Presence.

My father-in-law, Paul C passed away yesterday. He was 90 years old.

According to pictures, Mr. C was never a very large man. He was straight and stout, but not very tall. When I met him, some 21-22 years ago, he was a little taller than me (I am 5'2"), and maybe 140-150 lbs. Over the past 5 or 6 years he has become smaller and thinner. With no fat on his body, he wore a sweater and sock cap mostly year round.

But when Mr. C walked into a room, you took notice. He had a deep, rich voice and it carried to all reaches of the room. He had a hearty laugh and a twinkle in his eye.

He loved to tease the girls when they were little by playing ventriloquist with their stuffed toys. His granddaughter 'M' especially took delight in these antics and would talk to the stuffed animals (to whom he was giving voice to) as if they were truly alive and speaking on their own.

He and Mrs. C, who passed a few years back, put on a wonderful spread and display at Thanksgiving. The first time we went to their house for Thanksgiving after Hubster and married, Arthur was 8 years old and not accustomed to such a fanfare exclaimed 'I feel like a princess' when she walked into the dining room with the turkey, fat, golden brown and gleaming on a table surrounded by visually temping side dishes, real china, crystal wine glasses and flickering candles. This absolutely tickled them to no end!

Mr. and Mrs. C accepted Arthur as their own grandchild, and not long after that 'M' and Courage came along. Birthdays and holidays were always fun, or at the least, interesting, at my in-laws. They are Catholic and I had to get used to seeing wine on the table for an 'every day' meal. It also took some adjustment on my part to hear an 'old' person curse like a sailor, and laugh at the same time!

Mr. C was a pilot in the Airforce, an accountant for Dobbins AFB after that, and then he volunteered his accounting abilities to his church for many years. He was the father of one son and two daughters, and the grandfather of three girls and two boys.

In the past few years when I visited Mr. C and would be leaving his house, he would warn me to drive carefully and to watch out for 'the crazy bastards', for he felt no one in Lawrenceville could drive worth a damn. I am inclined to agree!

I was with Mr. C when he passed. I prayed with him, stroked his hair and face, held his hand, and wet his lips. When he took his last breath, he was freed from the confines of his small and withered body, and God welcomed him into his arms.

God bless Mr. C. May he rest in eternal peace.

Time Gobblers

Every day, I deal with time gobblers. Those little things that eat up the minutes, the hours, the day...leaving me feeling like I got nothing accomplished.

In the mornings there are things like indecisiveness on what to wear to work, bad hair days where I have to re-wet my hair and start all over, mornings when I need to check the Internet before leaving the house. You know, just in case I got a VERY IMPORTANT email overnight. Minutes are gobbled up...sometimes causing me to run late for work.

At work, little time gobblers sneak in in the form of co-workers stopping by to say hi, making coffee because the primary office coffee drinker/maker has stopped drinking coffee, and therefore has stopped making coffee, the need to go to the bathroom, the need to stop everything and look for a lost citation, the need to check my emails (work and personal), just in case I got a VERY IMPORTANT email since this morning...and since I checked it at work the last time. Minutes are gulped and swallowed but my, how it makes the day pass by more easily.

On the way home, minutes are devoured by the need to stop by the grocery store for bread, diet coke or blueberries; things me or Courage cannot live without. Sometimes minutes are chewed away by a gas station stop or movie drop or movie pick - up or fast food run. Oh, don't even think about the time consumed when one must stop and go inside the Walmart. Thank the Lord, they do not have computer stations set up at Walmart, Kroger or Quick Trip.

Finally, at home, when the house needs my attention, dinner is waiting to be prepared, clothes are piling up... I must take a few 'minutes' to check Face Book, my Blogs, and email. I also have to see what other people have written on their blogs, see what pictures People has posted of my favorite stars, and see what kind of rudeness Perez Hilton has dished out for the day. I need to check my checking account, pay a bill or two on-line, check the t.v. guide to see what is on tonight. Next thing I know, the minutes turn into hours, and it's time to go to bed. The minutes are gone by way of wireless Internet.

I yell up stairs to Courage to please bring down her dirty laundry or some other mundane chore, and she yells back 'In a Minute'.

Sorry, I have no minutes. My laptop ate them all.

And Change again!

The Merry-Go-Round I call a job continues to go up and down and all around. A week after my last post, I was told I am back on 40 hours a week. The reason? One of the full time, permanent girls upped and quit! The top-dog divvied up her hours between me and the other remaining 'full time' temps and so we both are now 40 hour a week girls again. Whew! That's a relief!

But even still, he promises a layoff by the end of the year. I continue to search for ways to cut my expenses. But mostly I did all the cutting I felt like I could cut when I was laid off in April of last year. Thank God, I have been able to swing my part of the household expenses and my own personal expenses since I was laid off. But I have to admit, that is becoming increasingly difficult to do. I did have several small 'side jobs' to help tide me over on what most people would not call 'necessities'. You know. Stuff like getting the occasional mani-pedi, good make-up and hair care products, hair cuts, clothes, jewelry, stuff for the house, gifts for my girls and friends, and eating out.

The 'side jobs' have all but fizzled out. In fact, I have two small ones left, and that only brings in about $100.00 a month. So, I have limited myself to eating out with friends to once a week. Cut back on going out to the movies to maybe once a month, and that is sometimes at the Nasty Discount Movie Theater (which I have to admit has cleaned itself up a wee bit and is not quite as nasty as before), I buy cheaper hair care products and stretch haircuts long as I possibly can, and will doing my own nails. But every month it seems like something increases in cost. I buy a tank of gas a week instead of every other week now that my oldest daughter has moved away, and the cable bill keeps going up a couple of dollars every month or so! The health insurance policy I have is almost worthless, but I am so afraid not to have it in case something catastrophic happens. I know my car will need tires and brakes soon. Not to mention birthdays and the holidays coming up.

I think I feel another panic attack coming on. Breath deeply....deep breaths!

But anyways, I am full time again, for now. Also, I submitted my resume to the company of a very good friend who has been singing my praises and trying to pull every string she can get her hands on to help me get hired on at her company as a customer service rep (my area of expertise, I think!). She is a really good friend and I would love to work with her again...what less get some benefits like vacation days and better health insurance. And too, her company is a medical supply company and it sounds so very interesting and I think I would actually love to work there!

I am a bit proud of myself for my 'smart shopping' for those times I feel I must shop. I have a funeral to attend this weekend, and I simply do not have anything in my closet that I felt would be appropriate. Yes, I am sure I could have found something in that closet that would suffice, but I didn't want to wear that same tired old gray pantsuit that I have worn to everything since Arthur's graduation from college! I wanted a simple black dress. I stopped in at Heirs II, a consignment shop in my area, and tried on about six dresses. Two were too tight, one was too short, one was too hoochie, and one was too frumpy. 'Here, try this one', the shop girl said as she handed me one last dress because she wanted to close up and go home. I looked at it and was pleased. I pulled it on, and was pleased. The shop girl zipped it up with ease and it felt fitted, but not tight. I was pleased. I looked in the mirror...and bought it. The dress was brand new, still had the tags on it showing a $49.99 sale price. I got it for $18 and change! And it's so pretty! It's black with pink piping. It has a clean, fresh line and fits me perfectly. I have sling-backs to match in my collection of a bazillion shoes that my husband frowns at every time he walks by my closet or peeks under our bed but I refuse to part with a pair just in case I need them.

Pictures to come in a few days.

Changes

Ah...just when you start to feel comfortable, things get shaken up again. Things change. Change is a constant. You either roll with it, or you bog down and get lost or run over.

I've worked full time with Gwinnett County as a temp for ten months, but was told this week that due to budget cuts all temps are being reduced from 40 hours to 20 hours per week. Okay...I personally cannot survive on 20 hours a week. Unless...I drop our health insurance plan.

And you know what would happen if I drop our health insurance plan, me or Chuck would suffer a stroke or heart attack, and Jess would get some terrible virus and need hospitalization.

What to do? You kick into SURVIVAL MODE...that's what!

So....the day after Labor Day my new schedule kicks in...I will work for G.C. two and half days a week and will find another part time job to pick up the other 20 hours....I hope!

Why not find a whole new full time job???? Because with my step-dad having chemo every other week, I need my Wednesdays free to take him to those appointments. We do have other people who could fill in, but the appointments are very involved and a lot of information is exchanged, and I just don't feel comfortable anyone else taking him except myself or my brother or sister-in-law. My brother is currently in school, and hopefully when he finishes up there will find a job. My sister-in-law's own mother is in need of her care, as is another elderly lady who has been ill, plus her own full time job.

I have had a few panic attacks this week...but walking, deep breathing, meditating and praying, has all helped immensely.

So, as it stands now, I will get one more 'full time' pay check and then it goes to half. I have already contacted my car insurance office and upped my collision deductible and cut out everything else I feel is not necessary. If I have to, I will become one of the terrible statistics in this country right now...a person who does not have health insurance. But I am hoping it doesn't come to that. (Oh and yes, my husband is self employed...so no go on that point).

I am scared of the changes which are coming about, but I am thankful for the constants in my life: Family, friends and God.

"HALF"

Please see my post to Ed's Journey...Wonderful news received today!