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!

MRI follow up

We will not get any news on Ed's MRI done on Monday until next Wednesday. The waiting is so hard! Please keep praying for good news!

Movin'

We had a little 'moving away' party for Arthur and SIL (my oldest daughter and her husband) tonight. Just a few of us got together and ate at their favorite Mexican restaurant and then came to my house and told stories, laughed, and cut up. But we all have to get up and go to work tomorrow, so at 9:00 we called it a night and everyone headed home.

Yes, Arthur and SIL are moving...to Pine Mountain (near Callaway Gardens). Some people think I am so sad, but really I am not. It is only a two hour drive away and we have already planned it out so that we will see each other every other month. One month, they will come spend the weekend here, the next month we will go there and spend the weekend. I'll probably actually see them more than I do now! (With the exception of seeing Arthur every morning as we carpool to work).

Please keep in prayer all the folks who are losing their jobs through lay offs...my cubicle mate, Nancy and a whole lot of others who work for Gwinnett County (county wide), a family member who told us tonight they are losing theirs, and everyone everywhere. Pray for these folks to find new jobs and to survive on unemployment, etc.

Your Prayers Needed!

Please pray for Ed today, he gets chemo treatment #5 today. One more chemo treatment after today and then he gets an MRI of the brain to see if it is reducing the cancer tumor.

Please ask God to let his chemo work to reduce or kill his tumor. Ask him to give the nurses and doctors knowledge to treat him and patience and kindness.

Also, my mom fell in the bathtub night before last. She is sore and needs to be more careful! We don't need two down!

Thanks everyone and have a great day!

Not for the squeemish

I got the stitches out of my hand this past Friday. It was 98% painless, and I got a good report from the doc. The assistant took the stitches out and put steri-strips on...which lasted until I got home. He said ok to get the site wet, but don't soak. Ok, it got wet, not soaked, but it still got water logged and split open. It looks really disgusting.

All in all, this experience from beginning to end was not a pleasant one, but not horrible. Dr. T gave me a hug (and a genuine, caring hug) as I was leaving his office, and just knowing the doc has a heart and is caring, well, that made it all ok. He is a good doc. I would recommend him to anyone. Anytime he knew he hurt me (i.e. as when he injected cortisone a year ago and lidocaine for the surgery) he apologized...said he was sorry he hurt me. Honestly, some docs don't seem to care.


Picture 1. Taken the day after stitches were removed. Oops...got the incision wet and the skin got saturated and the incision seperated. The steristrips the doc applied came off and so I put it together with bandaids.











So here is the ugliness of my hand...the day after stitches removed, and then two days after. It is improving slightly. ( :




Picture 2. Two days after stitches came out...the skin on either side of the incision is soft and gooey. I have to keep a band aid on it at all times. I highly recommend Nexcare bandaids. They make a near-water-tight seal all around the affected area and are very flexible. Mostly this isn't painful except when I bump my hand right on the incision area. Ouch!

Thursday's Guilty Pleasures

I had a long and boring day at work today. Things were stressful enough before we received an email from (the commissioner???) announcing more budget cuts for the county. I took it as a sign that I will a) definitely not be hired by Gwinnett County any time in the next three years, b) will probably be laid off within a month to three months.

Therefore, I left the office feeling a bit let down and a bit anxious, and a bit hopeful. Hopeful? Yes, if they are going to lay me off, let 'em do it now so I can enjoy summer, fall and Christmas at home. ( :

Since I left the office this afternoon I have enjoyed several guilty pleasures:

* Dinner at Arby's. I had the toasted Italian Sub and a nice glass of ice water, and dinner was delicious as I read a magazine in the non-crowded dining area.

* Pedicure at NY nails including bright red nail polish, cute little flower on the big toe (I usually don't go that girl-y, but oh well!), and a very strange selection on the massage chair. I've never used this setting before...it felt like I was sitting on Santa's lap and Santa was getting excited, if you know what I mean. This was very strange feeling. I felt like everyone in the place knew I was getting a 'knee in the butt' sensation and were staring at me! LOL! Oh! and all of this was covered by a gift certificate given to me by Arthur and SIL for Mother's Day. I got two pedicures out that gift certificate!

* Came home, fed the cats and put them out on the porch (for peace and quiet - plus they love it). By-passed the kitchen and living room and came straight to the bedroom and turned on my SOAPS!

* Played on the computer waaaaayyy tooo long, considering I was thinking of taking a computer sabbatical. Rrrriiiiiiggggggggghhhhhhttttttttttt.

Now, gotta let the kitties back inside and get ready for bed!

The Deed Has Been Done

(The bandaged up mess!)

The ole' trigger thumb has been repaired. The surgery took only about 15 minutes from the antiseptic wash down to the final wrapping. (The wait for surgery was much longer...three hours). The worst part of the whole thing was the initial injection to numb the area. The needle went in someplace between my thumb and pointer finger. I screamed loud enough to shatter the window in the operating room door. My wonderful nurse, Nicki, held my hand and I squeezed her hand as hard as I squeezed the Hubster's when I was in labor with Courage. The next injection was not near as bad because the lidocaine from the first shot was beginning to kick in.

Oh, the 5mg Valium tablet I took before surgery... did absolutely nothing to calm my nerves or make sleepy or make me 'not care' as the doc promised. I tried to tell him that such things as Novocaine, laughing gas, and small doses of anesthesia do not work on me. I told him I have awakened during surgical procedures twice. He didn't listen and would not give me more Valium. However, after seeing I was not affected by the Valium, he did shoot wonderfully large amounts of numbing agent into my hand so that I would not feel the scalpel as it sliced into the crease where thumb meets fleshy palm pad. I only felt tingling, pulling and pushing after that.

So far I have only resorted to Tylenol one time. I didn't get the pain pill prescription filled...because as I am very fearful of needles, actual pain does not bother me that much. He said I wouldn't feel like working the day after, but I decided the worst of it was over and went to work today anyways. You really don't appreciate your thumb that much until you have limited use of it. But after much exercise today, the thumb is already loosening up and feeling more mobile and useful. I am really looking forward to this cumbersome bandage coming off soon.

(that's the pill bottle my Valium came in...not pain pills!)

Trigger Thumb...it's baaacckkk

Bad thumb.
Good thumb.
bad thumb.
good thumb.


My 'Trigger Thumb' is back. The condition is very painful and worrisome. So in six days I am having surgery. It is very minor surgery and should only take 10 minutes to complete. Supposedly it is quick to heal from. I hope so. I cannot afford to be out of work even one day without pay, but somehow, it will be okay.

This is my two thumbs...you can tell which one is affected. It is the one with the swollen joints and the inability to make a 'hitch-hiker' thumb.

This is my ouchy.

What's been going on this week

(Blacky looks out the back window)


As usual, I have had a busy week and have had a lot going on. Saturday I attended a retirement party for a friend, Sunday spent the day with the 'rents, Monday back to work and holding a secret, Tuesday could talk about the secret because it's no longer a secret (Arthur turned in her notice at work because she and her SIL are moving south to be closer to his job), Wednesday spent most of the day with my dad at the Cancer Center in Athens (see Ed's Journey Blog), and today worked (very slowly since not many people at work and it was very relaxed).

Stuff in between going on...frantic call from former mother-in-law about my ex-husband, Arthur's dad, making me think he was on his death bed. (Wrong). Helping Courage work out problems with summer college courses (actually just serving as a sounding board because she will make her own decisions no matter what input I have), observing, but not participating in a LOT of drama going on in my office, and trying to squeeze in some exercises here and there.

I did see a cute movie last Friday...'The Hangover'. Bradley Cooper nice to look at, thank God, because the other actors are not. Ha ha! But they are funny and it is indeed a cute little movie.

I am off work on Friday with no pay. So is the life of a temp, but not hired through a temp service. (sigh) So that is (almost) two whole days without pay this week. Thank the Good Lord Courage's HOPE scholarship check came in this week so I can pay off her tuition fees for summer classes.

Courage's BF is arriving (late) tonight from his Marine base in NC, and will be visiting friends & family in GA and TX for two weeks. Then he goes back to NC to prepare to ship off to the big AFF. Courage is so excited about him coming she can hardly contain herself and is difficult to live with. Our whole family looks forward to seeing him and spending time with him, especially for 4th of July festivities.

Including some pics of my cats, because they are cute and special.


(Don't play with your food!) (If I get too close to the edge I might fall off!)

I'm a kitty princess! I like Luaus too!

Father's Day 2009

I had a great Father's Day with my Dad (step dad Ed) and my former father-in-law, Hollis. B2 and his girlfriend provided lunch (Zaxby's) and I brought the dessert (Strawberry Pretzel Salad) and me, my Mom, B2 and his Girlfriend had a good time just sitting around and talking and laughing. B1 and his family didn't make it over...B1 was in Jasper, Georgia with our cousin (camping on the mountain) and my sister-in-law was probably getting caught up on some much needed sleep.

Ed is doing quite well after his second treatment of Avastin and other chemo drugs. So far he has had no bad side effects. I cannot help but wonder if those side effects are coming some time down the road. He goes for treatment 3 on July 1st and I will be going with him for that treatment. Ed said the Baby Bro did much better getting along with the Cancer Center staff this go-round (giggle). B2 also packed a lunch for them and they 'picnicked' in their private IV-drip room. Ed and I have already discussed it and when we go on July 1st I am going to make a 'food run' near lunch time...maybe to Checkers, maybe Mickey D's, maybe Arby's. We haven't decided yet. It is a day long affair, so I will be taking snacks, drinks, and reading material.

I also got to see Hollis (aka Papa) and Mary Kate (aka Nanny) today...my former in-laws who I still love dearly and am still friends with...or I would rather say, still family with. Nanny treated Papa and I with BBQ chicken strips, stewed squash, real mash potatoes, pinto beans, stewed cabbage and cornbread. There was also some cucumber/onion salad and fruit salad complements of her friend Hokey. (sp?) It was a delicious meal and a wonderful time of visiting. I don't get to see them enough and I really enjoyed just laughing, (crying) and cutting up with them.

The Hubster spent the afternoon at his Dad's also. His dad does not feel up to visitor's as of late, so just Hubster and his sister spent time with him. Hubster got a treat bag with articles of clothing he needed for Father's Day...because he is so hard to buy for!

Thanks to all the Dads out there for just being Good Dads. And to all the Dads who aren't good dads, I pray for you, because you don't know what you are missing. And to all you future Dads, just take notes from the Good Dads. I thank God for all my Dads...Ed (step dad) who has been my dad since I was seven, My Dad, (biological), who was a Good Dad until he married my 2nd stepmother and then he got sidetracked, but I love him anyways, God rest his Soul, Thanks to Poppa (former-father-in-law) for being there when I needed him during my marriage and divorced years from his son, and to my current father-in-law who has loved us in his silent but generous way.

If God Texted the 10 Commandments

Got a cool email I just had to share...




IF GOD TEXTED THE 10 COMMANDMENTS

1. no1 b4 me. srsly.

2. dnt wrshp pix/idols

3. no omg's

4. no wrk on w/end (sat 4 now; sun l8r)

5. pos ok - ur m&d r cool

6. dnt kill ppl

7. :-X only w/ m8

8. dnt steal

9. dnt lie re: bf

10. dnt ogle ur bf's m8. or ox. or dnkey. myob.

M, pls rite on tabs & giv 2 ppl.

ps. wwjd?

If you have no idea what this says, look up the "words" on Netlingo:
http://www.netlingo.com/

Blast from the Past: 1984 (and making ammends)

Christmas 1984. I was 23, Arthur was 3, and my dad was a Keystone Cop - ha! ha! I have long hair for another two years after this picture and after that it's rarely got past my shoulders. It did actually get down to my waist before I cut it. Notice the 'wings'...a continuation of the style made popular by Farrah Fawcett during my high school years. At that time, I had real eyebrows too. Now, after 25 years of plucking, they barely grow, except in places I don't want them to grow.

In the year following the time this photo was taken, me and my dad had a 'falling-out'. I am pretty certain that this occasion is the last time we were photographed together and the last time we were comfortable with each other. We had a disagreement over his wife's language in front of Arthur, and he refused to speak to her about it, so we stopped speaking and seeing each other.

Over the next twenty years we barely had any communication and only saw each other a couple of times. I had finally decided to try and make amends with my dad and was trying to muster my courage and decide how to go about doing so, but before I got around to actually taking action, I got the call that my dad had died from a heart attack. I never got to tell him that I still loved him despite all the years of silence and despite all the hurtful things that transpired between us. As a little girl, Daddy was the one who took care of me when I was sick and comforted me, and encouraged me to be more. I don't know what happened to us, except stubbornness and meanness on the part of other persons.

If you have someone in your life with whom you need to make amends, I urge you, do it before it is too late.

Hump Day

I made it through another hump-day. Yesterday, attended the funeral of my friend's brother. Thanking God that she has a big family to help her through this sad time. Thanking God I still have both my brothers. Looking forward to a fun weekend with my kids!

Family Visit

Here are pics from my visit last weekend with my parents.

Pic #1) Ed and Hubster
Pic #2) Me and B2 (my youngest brother)
Pic #3) Courage with Mama

Ed was having a good day that day. Hubster visited even though he was afraid he would cry when he saw my dad. But Ed looked so good, Hubster was actually bolstered by his good mood and good appearance!

Today, my dad got good news from the oncologist...he is starting a new treatment for his brain cancer tomorrow and we are hoping and praying this goes well. (For more details see Ed's Journey in the list of blogs on this page.) Unfortunately, Ed did suffer two seizures today, but thankfully, they were relatively mild. Of course, no matter how mild they are, seizures are scary and not fun what so ever. They always leave him tired and a little 'out of whack'. But some good friends were coming over to visit tonight and my brother is taking him for his first Avastin treatment tomorrow and this brings him hope for more time and better quality of life.

Work is still plugging along...I am still temping at Gwinnett County and still holding out for a permanent position there. Summer is in full swing with lots of my office mates taking vacation so my days at work are busier than ever filling in here and there while the office is short staffed. I actually like it like that; busy and crazy and no time to breath. I have no time to think of personal problems while at work. No time for anything personal actually. I do take my two breaks with my friends and we walk two miles each break even though it is beginning to be almost too hot outside to do that comfortably. Some days I take a 30 minute break (in order to bank comp time for doctor visits for myself and my dad) but most days take an hour and either spent it with daughter Arthur in her office (she has a real office with a door, not a cubicle like moi) or go out with my girlfriends to wonderful places like McCray's on the square. I even sometimes manage to get some thrift store shopping in. Yes, I love thrift store shopping!

So busy!

Whew! It's been a crazy last couple of weeks. Last weekend I went on the Girl's Mountain Getaway Trip, a twice-a-year-outing with my bestest girlfriends (who also happen to be an aunt and cousins).
(Little Church on the Mountain - in the resort)

We don't go far...we all have family obligations that keep us from wandering too far away. My Mama was all worried about us all leaving for the weekend, but when I called her an hour and a half after leaving her house to say we had arrived at the cabin, her fears were relieved. (Me and Aunt J before dinner at Paul's Steak House, Helen)

Girl's Mountain GetawayTrip is always a fun and relaxing time for me. We don't do anything exciting, we just do what we like to do, which is eat, shop, watch movies, eat, shop, laze, eat, play bingo, (yeah, like old people play), and sleep. This trip we had dinner, drinks and dancing at Paul's in Helen. The next morning had us up early to shop...and I don't mean outlets or malls. We go to all the local thrift stores, church yard sales, consignment stores and garage sales we can find. We all have 'something' we are looking for. SF always looks for craft and teaching supplies for the daycare she owns and operates. I was looking for Tiki Party decorations. The others had nothing in particular in mind, but found treasures. SF and I hit the jackpot at a church sale. She got lots of crafts and supplies for a Western Themed party she is having for her daycare kids. I found tons of Tiki/Luau party decorations and supplies I need for a friend's retirement party! We were both very happy.


(Aunt J, MS, SMR - Aunt J is Mom to these two sisters)

When we are in or near Helen, we always have to visit two places; Nora Mills Granary and Betty's General Store. I sampled grits and bought sorghum syrup, blueberry and pear preserves, and a pecan roll at Nora Mills. SMR got funnel cake mix for her kids. At Betty's we got all the supplies needed for an 'at home' dinner...bread, tomatoes, mayo, and chips for tomato sandwiches. It is not in good taste to leave Betty's without sampling the salsas and mustard dips. It is a sin to leave Betty's without purchasing at least one of the saucer sized cookies from the deli/bakery. I kid you not, the cookies are homemade, and the size of a saucer, if not bigger. The peanut butter cookies are scrumptious, but the chocolate oatmeal are to die for! And they are only $1.59 each! If you are on Weight Watchers, they count for all 35 of your EXTRA points for the week!

Just a year ago, SF and I gladly took the tiny center bedroom with twin size bunk beds to avoid being trapped in a room with any of the other ladies, who were notorious snorers. But these particular cousins had gastric by-pass surgery last year and have both lost over one hundred pounds each and no longer snore. Therefore; SF and I drug the mattresses off the twin beds and pulled them into the living room and got the best sleep ever since these trips began, years ago. Yes, into the same room with MS, a previous log-sawer. I think SF and I did any of the snoring if any occurred. SMR, however, drew the short straw to sleep with Aunt J in the back bedroom and barely got any sleep at all...because Aunt J (who is her Mom) did not have gastric bypass and still snores. Or most notably, she does a thing with her mouth like swoosh (big intake of air) and puh, puh, puh, puh, puh (short little bursts of air blown out of her pursed lips). It's very annoying and nearly impossible to sleep through.

Saturday night we spent the evening playing Bingo with all the other mountaineers and SF won a round, and then we watched chick flicks late into the night. Sunday morning we packed it up and made one last stop before heading home...the Huddle House in Cleveland, where our delightful waiter entertained us between bringing us scrambled eggs, hash browns, biscuits and gravy, and coffee. SF left him her Bingo winnings for his tip, which was well earned.

Other things going on in my life...driving Courage back and forth to the airport (she flew up to see BF at Fort Lajuene, NC), taking my Dad to various doctor appointments, and working over time to make up time lost when taking Dad to various doctor appointments. I am ONLY A TEMP, so I don't have vacation or sick time to use for such things. Thank the Good Lord, my supervisor lets me make up time when possible.


(SF is proud of her Bingo winnings.)

My house is a wreck, (who has time to clean?????), I am sleep deprived, and haven't been exercising like I should. But it is well with my soul. The Hubster and I did take time out to see a couple of movies...Star Trek, which we both loved (yes, we are nerds) and Obsessed, which was very predictable and quite the let down. Better luck next time, Beyonce.

Lots of stuff going on!

I have lots of stuff going on...so I am busy, busy, busy! But I will be updating soon!

Happy Mother's Day...To Me!

My Mother's Day celebration began last Friday...by having my two daughters and their 'significant others' over for dinner. It is hard to work until 5:00, get home at 5:30 and have dinner on the table by 6:00, so I pre-cooked most everything Thursday night and re-heated right before we ate. The menu consisted of Marie Callender's frozen lasagna, Red Baron's frozen cheese pizza, frozen sugar snap peas, frozen corn on the cob and frozen bread sticks. Italy on Ice!

The lasagna was mediocre. The pizza and peas...over cooked. The bread sticks...stale tasting. The corn...was pretty tasty. The dinner was YUCK. But my new son-in-law ate two helpings because he said any meal he didn't have to cook was tasty to him. Courage's BF ate heartily because he said any food that didn't come from the mess hall was good. So they each scored tons of points. Afterwards we went to DQ for ice cream.

On Saturday I attended a Gold Exchange party at my cousin's house. I love to get together with 'my girls' and eat finger food and make money. I turned a few pieces of junk jewelry into cash for an upcoming trip! What fun!

Sunday came and me and my brothers and their families got together with our Mom and Dad to have a picnic. We had sandwiches, chicken, Mama's potato salad and cole slaw, baked beans and watermelon while we sat around and laughed and told stories.



Mother's Day is not about gifts, but my girls gave me nice ones. They know I love to shop and be pampered, so they gave me gift cards to do both! So nice!

I hope everyone had a very nice Mother's Day and got to spend a little time with their kids too! If not in person, then at least a phone call.

Tired

For two weeks now I have been very tired. I don't know what the problem is. I have been trying to list all the reasons for being excessively tired:

* lack of sleep
* lack of exercise
* too much exercise
* depression
* anemia

Now I have gone through the list to see which one may apply to me:

* I get on the average seven hours of sleep each night. I wake up after 7 hours of sleep no matter what
* I walk on both my 15 minute breaks at work and some afternoons an additional 30 to 60 minutes - I think I get enough exercise
* As shown above, I think my exercise habits are okay. I've not been exhausted after exercise, so it's not excessive
* I don't THINK I am depressed. I don't have a problem wanting to rise and shine, I haven't had any crying jags lately, and I have no desire to hurt myself or others. I don't feel sad all the time.
* I do have a history of anemia. I am thinking this could be the culprit. I don't eat a whole lot of red meat, or spinach, black eye peas or other sources of iron. I do weight bearing exercise. I don't give blood anymore, I still have mother nature's monthly 'gift', so I am thinking this might be it.

The symptoms of anemia include fatigue and tiredness, confusion, shortness of breath, dizziness and pale skin. I have all these.

I am due for my yearly check-up and at that time I will get my iron tested. And once again they will ask all the questions and then they'll prescribe iron supplements for a month or two and I'll get ok again. I hope.

Four Meeses

Arthur and S.I.L. have meeses.

One night, while S.I.L. was attending a good friend's funeral, Arthur was home alone with my two grandkitties, Arthur saw a little 'something' run across the floor. Chloe and Buffy took after the 'something' which turned out to be a baby meese. After chasing, catching, tossing and generally having a good old time with the meese, the meese managed to escape.

The next night Arthur and S.I.L. put out meese traps and have so far snagged four. Of course Arthur cried when the first one was found, and almost cried on #2.

Last night, Arthur woke up because Buffy was jumping on the bed and immediately digging in her claws and jumping back off the bed, back and forth several times. When Arthur flipped on the light to see what was going on, a meese was in the bed! Thankfully, that one was already dead.

I am not sure, but I think most mother meeses have a litter of about 8 - 12 babies. So there are probably 4 to 8 more fuzzy-wuzzies running around there.

When I was in the advanced stages of pregnancy with Courage and still experiencing morning sickness, I kept saltine crackers on my headboard to nibble on first thing in the mornings. One morning I woke to find a nice bite taken out of one of my crackers. I immediately woke up the Hubster and told him I didn't think his little prank was very funny. I was fat, nauseated, uncomfortable, and not humored at all by his nibblings. But the Hubster insisted it was not HE that took a bite from my cracker. I didn't believe him and told him to stop picking at me, I was not in the mood. That night, Hubster put a mouse trap under the head of the bed and under a dresser. I couldn't believe the cracker I had that morning had been dined on by a mouse, but in the wee hours of the morning a snap and squeal proved that was indeed the case. I had not believed a mouse climbed the bedpost and made it's way to the headboard. But it did.

I hope Arthur's meeses only get in her bed if brought there by Buffy. And they are already dead.