We can never ever thank them enough for what they do for us. We owe so much to all the men and women who leave their families every day and go into harms way today and in the past. Because of them we live in a free world and not have to be afraid of what we say or do. I can’t imagine as a women living in a country where a man could kill me just because he thought I did something he didn’t like or tell me how many children I can have. Those of us who live in a free world are the luckiest people in the world. God Bless each and every one who has served or are serving. My gratitude has no bounds.

Bill is a veteran. He served 4 years in the Navy. He got out of the Navy shortly after Vietnam started so he was never there but his brother was. Al was a paratrooper and was right in the thick of things. I remember when he came home and how happy and grateful we were that he was one of the lucky ones who did make it home. He was a changed man though from what Bill tells me. Al was already in Vietnam when we met and married a year later so I didn’t know him until after he was discharged. We had a welcome home gathering at his parents house and I will never forget what a friend of theirs asked him. He asked Al if he ever had to kill someone. I was shocked! What a insensitive and terrible thing to ask someone who just got home and knowing he was in the mist of it all. Al just looked at him and said “It’s either them or you and I choose to live”  He lived with us for awhile and he had such awful nightmares. You didn’t dare try to wake him up by shaking him, he would come flying out of bed with fists flying. Some days when it was just him and me at home and the news was on I would watch him as he watched that. You could almost see in his face that he was right back there in the jungle again. I told him he could change the channel if he wanted but he would say no, that he was ok. Sadly All died at the age of 39 from agent orange. So thank you Bill and Al and my brother Leroy, my aunts & uncles my nephews and cousins, friends and  all of you wonderful and brave men and women who helps and helped keep our country safe.

I SALUTE YOU!

Wow, where has the time gone?! I can’t believe Eric is 11 already along with Josh who turned 11 in March. The girls are 9 & 8 and are such a joy. Then when I think William is going to be 18 just blows my mind. They are all getting so big and growing so fast. And then there’s our little Brody who will most likely be our last grandchild so I am going to savor every millisecond while he is still a baby. We were at our son’s yesterday for Eric’s party and had a great time. The kids all get along so well and love being together. Of course we had the Packer game on and that was the bad part of the day as they lost. Next weekend I will take Eric birthday shopping and out for ice cream. When I buy their savings bonds I always get a gift receipt to put in their cards so he thought it was a gift card for $50.00 lol. I guess they don’t remember from year to year that I get those for them.

I can’t get over what a grandma’s boy Brody is. Of course I’m loving it but when we are together and when he sees me he heads right for me. Yesterday he got his fingers pinched in a door and he started crying and came to me. instead of his mom. She held her arms out for him but he wanted grandma. It doesn’t bother her at all and in fact she thinks it’s cute and said when grandma’s around he’s her boy. It was just a little pinch and didn’t even leave a mark but, on those tiny fingers it had to hurt. I love it though and am glad that it doesn’t bother my daughter. I’d hate for her to be jealous but then she’s not like that at all.

Boy the weather sure was nice over the weekend and according to the weather man it will be nice for most of the week. We are finally having an Indian summer. I think it’s the first time in years we’ve had one. As much as I hate to think of it, now would be a good time to get the Christmas decorations put up outside. Last year we got snow and cold so early that I didn’t even put them up. I didn’t feel like standing out in the cold and freezing my tush off just for that.

Well, the carpets need vacuumed, the kitchen and bathroom floors need scrubbing and there’s some dust that needs to disappear so I better get at it. I want to take a walk later too as it’s such a nice day. I be around on and off during the day to see what you’ve been up too. Until then,

HAVE A FANTASTIC DAY!

We heard several fighter jets flying over our house and wondered why until we remembered the president is in Madison today. If I’d know what time I might have been able to see Air force One fly over head.  When I was in Seattle we went to the Boeing museum and in there they had Regan’s Air Force One plane there. I’m sure it’s a lot different then the one today is but it was very interesting to see. They had the red phone along with others, Computers that today they would be antiques. His chair of course was plush compared to the rest and the media room was pretty cramped. I’m sure security is pretty tight in Madison right now.

I’m going to make potato soup for supper tonight. I made a ham yesterday and I can’t let that bone go to waste now can I?  I love soup and could eat it almost everyday. When my mom was alive she loved home made soups too and she would get so excited when I made it and took some over to her and dad. Now days I can’t make soup without thinking of her. As I’m putting it together I always think what would mom put in it. She was a wonderful cook and I don’t even come close to her but I try. I still can’t get my spaghetti to taste like hers and I never will because she never measured. She’d throw in a dab of this and a dash of that and it always turned out perfect.

I remember the first time I was going to have Bill over for dinner when we were dating and I wanted to cook it. Mom was there to guide me through but when it was time to make the gravy I really blew it. I mixed a glass of flour and water together and stirred until it was smooth and then I just dumped the whole thing in all at once. Mom yelled but it was too late lol. She managed to fix it for me and never hinted to Bill that I almost screwed it up and that we might not have had gravy with our dinner.

Eric’s birthday is coming up so I went to the bank yesterday to to get him his savings bond. Now you have to show them your drivers license when you buy one. I wondered why and the guy helping me didn’t know either. Are they going to keep you from buying one lol. Maybe it’s a way to find people who they are looking for for some reason or other. That’s the only reason I can think of for having to show your license. We”ll be at their house on Sunday for his party and then probably next weekend I will take him shopping and out for ice cream. I don’t like to take  him before his party as he might pick something out that someone else planned on buying him. That wouldn’t be good would it?

Well I better get started on my soup. Just the thought of it is making me hungry, I love potato soup!!!! So have yourselves a great day. I’ve been around to a few of you and will get back to more of you later. Until then…take care!

The kids sure had a good Halloween and the best part is it didn’t rain. It was cold though and a little windy but they sure had fun. My son said something that I’d never thought of before. He said “I love Halloween. There is no other holiday that brings a stronger sense of of community. Halloween doesn't care about your religion or nationality or what's for dinner or what you are proud of. It simply wants you to have fun, meet your neighbors and get a treat. So simple and so unifying. Everything should be as simple as Halloween.” When you think about it what he said is true. I love how the kids get so excited to dress up in their costumes and go around getting loads of candy. We don’t have near as many kids as we used to. In fact I bet we didn’t even have 30 kids this year.

I’ve been somewhat busy around here doing some spring cleaning. Yes you read that right. I didn’t do all the things I wanted to do in the spring so I’m doing it now. I got all the windows washed, summer clothes put away and the winter ones brought out. Cleaning shelves is a big pain too. Having to take everything off and wipe them down plus wipe the things on the shelves take so darn long.  I still have to shampoo the carpet and plan on doing that this week one day. But you know what they say about the best laid plans don’t you With just the two of us here you wouldn’t think it would get so messy but it does somehow.

My Packers lost yesterday to the Vikings. Brett showed he still has it and he beat his old team like I was afraid he would. I was ashamed of the fans at the game though, they booed him and I thought that was awful. I had hoped they had more class then that. Even McCarthy the Packer coach asked them not to boo him but they did anyway. They not only booed him when he came on the field, they kept booing him for several minutes. The camera zoomed in on him and he was smiling. Before the game when they interviewed him he said he understands but he still loves the Packers and has much respect and great memories while he was with the team. But Rogers is our QB now and he’s good too. All  he needs is for the front line to get their act together and  start protecting him like they should. He sure came back in the second half though and I was hoping they could pull it out but no luck. Oh well, there’s always next week.

Sorry I haven’t been around but I am heading to your place now. I hope you are all well and doing great.

Big hugs to each and every one of you!

I think I might print this picture out and frame it. I love trees and this photo is pretty. I didn’t take it though, it was already on my pc under sample pics. I just bought a picture similar to this one but it is in 4 sections and I love it. I haven’t put them up yet but will be doing that shortly. In fact I think I might search for other photos of trees on the same order as this one and print those out too and place them around the ones I bought. I’m liking that idea the more I think about it. Trees and light houses are my favorite things to hang on my walls except of course pictures of my family. I also have a clock made to look like a tree made out of wood with 6 holes cut out around it for pictures. I call it my family tree. Someone Bill use to work for made it for us but I drew the tree for them to use as the design. I really should update the pictures in there as the ones in there now are of the kids with they were young. I bet Toodie could make a family tree like that and it would probably be awesome.

I started my Christmas shopping the other day. This is the earliest I think I’ve ever started my shopping. I hope to get it done early this year and not be shopping Christmas Eve. I bought 5 gifts so that’s a really good start for me. Thanksgiving will be easier on me this year. It is the year the kids go to their in-laws homes but I usually cooked anyway and had William and his dad here but this year our youngest son and his girlfriend invited us to have dinner with them. I will make a couple pies and maybe a salad to take along. I won’t know how to behave not having to cook on a holiday lol. I sure am happy they found each other. They are a good fit together and I really really like her.

Bill left hours ago to have the oil changed in my car. Whenever he goes somewhere that shouldn’t take more then a hour or 2 takes him 4 or 5. I keep teasing him that he has a girlfriend somewhere and that is why it takes him so long to do something so simple lol. I guess I’m going to have to start following him huh hehe. He wouldn’t dare, he knows the kids would kill him lol. Besides, he already has the best .

Ok, time for me to hang pictures. Take care my friends and have a fantastic weekend.

Well it’s another dreary fall day and from the reports it will stay that way for about a week. Yippie Oh well what can ya do? Grin and bear it is about our only options.

It actually fits my mood though because I can’t get that little girl who was just abducted and murdered out of my mind. It breaks my heart and I can’t imagine the pain her family is going through. Once someone is listed as a child molester/pedophile and been convicted I don’t think they should ever see the light of day again. No 3 strikes and your out for them, once and they’re in for life. The death penalty is too good for them but do I think they should all die after they have been tortured awhile.. Let them feel what it’s like to be scared for your life and hurt and in pain. I say let the parents of these children alone with them for a couple hours or so and let them have at him! These creeps, these cowards, these scum of the earth makes my blood boil and I think I could personally kill them with my bare hands. When my daughter moved to where they live now and the first time I saw it and saw how long their driveway was and that you couldn’t see the road from the house I told them that in no way do they allow our grandchildren  to walk to the road to catch the school bus. The first thing I thought of was how many times have we heard of kids disappearing while waiting for the school bus or going and coming from school. I knew I probably didn’t have to tell them that but I wasn’t taking any chances and told them in no uncertain terms not to let them do that. And they don’t, they take them to school and pick them up everyday.

How many children do we have to lose before laws are made to keep these creeps in jail or given the needle? No second changes for them…EVER! If the prisons get to populated give them a shot in the arm and they will never hurt another child... period. I’m sitting here almost in tears thinking about what that sweet little girl went through and I want revenge!

Picture of William and his dad in a email today. It made me smile :). I don’t know how he did this, I tried calling him to find out but he must be in school because he didn’t answer. He’s going to school to learn computer stuff so maybe he got it from there. I think it’s cute.

We went for a ride yesterday hoping to see some pretty fall colors but sadly we were either too early or too late. I’m thinking too early. We rode a short distance up the Mississippi river then when there wasn’t much color there we headed for a town where eagles are normally plentiful but once again no luck, not a eagle in sight. It was a disappointing day. Maybe we will go again when it looks a bit better around here, I don’t think the colors have gotten this far south yet. No pretty pictures of fall leaves but I did get this one of an old train depot.    It’s still in pretty good condition and I’m not sure if it’s still used to this day or not. It’s in a nice park along the river and tracks still do run in front of it. It was a nice day for a ride and I could have stayed all day in that park. I’m glad we went yesterday as it was 61 degrees and beautiful. Today however is another story. It’s cloudy and it’s supposed to start raining this afternoon and continue through the weekend. What else is new right?

I took a pork roast out for supper tomorrow as it won’t be thawed out in time for today. I hate thawing things out in the microwave, it seems it does something to it and I don’t like it. It’s a pretty big roast and too big for just the two of us so with what’s left I’ll turn it into soup or something.

I hope the kids have decent weather for Halloween this year. Usually it’s either cold or rainy and they have to wear coats over their costumes and that’s no fun for them. I’m keeping my fingers crossed for them.

I best get busy around here but first I have some visiting to do. I’m brining donuts!

If I should roast my chicken, or make creamed chicken and biscuits or chicken and dumplings. Decisions, decisions. It’s a good day for a nice hot pot of something. From visiting some of you it seems the weather is pretty much the same all over and having the kind of weather to cook something savory.

It’s going to be a fun day tomorrow. Why you may ask. Because Brody and Devan will be here in the afternoon until my daughter gets out of work. Jon and Josh are going up north hunting so those two get to come to grandma’s . Josh is skipping school for the day so don’t tell anyone ok? Jon’s an avid hunter and I think Josh might turn into one too. He loves anything outdoors and would rather be outside then in the house and I think that's great. He’s not one of those kids that likes a lot of video games which is unusual in this day and age. I hope he stays that way.

Well If I’m going to get my chicken doing something I better get at it. The day has flown by for some reason and I didn’t even sleep late this morning. Wow, I think this is the shortest blog I’ve ever written lol. Nice huh hehe.

I was all set to write a blog  when my son and his girlfriend came in and stayed awhile and by the time they left I was out of the mood lol. I see Terry mentioned Ryker’s birthday party that was on Saturday and boy was she she right when she said that the gifts took up half the table.  They had it at Chucky Cheese and theirs wasn’t the only party they were having there. There were two or three other parties going on and that place was packed. Ryker didn’t like Chucky but Brody loved him. Isn’t it funny how differently kids react to things. Going to add a few photos of his party…

Every one had a good time and the kids loved it. It was a bit too crowded and noisy though but that’s ok. As long as the kids had a good time is what’s important. Ryker did good with his cake. He made a proper mess and looked so cute. By the time he got to his cake my camera card was full already so I didn’t get pics of that but I see Terry did. So that is what we did on Saturday. Sunday I just vegged out and did nothing.

Soon, when the leaves are at their peak we want to take a ride along the Mississippi. I’m worried though, it seems we are going right from summer into winter and if we get high winds the leaves will be blown off before they get a chance to change. Actually we really didn’t have what I’d call a summer either and now it looks like we might not have a fall or Indian summer. The temps are unusually cold lately for this time of the year. It’s like we’ve had only two seasons this year, winter, spring and back to winter again. I’m not happy with Mother Nature this year. In fact, I wasn’t happy with her last year either when she flooded us. I think her and I are going to have to have a serious conversation pretty darn quick if she doesn’t get over her pms or whatever it is she’s so moody about.

Well I have to run to the pharmacy and get my pills refilled but I will be around later to visit. See ya real soon buttercup!

When you’re cutting your bangs. Especially when they are wet!! That’s what I did the other day and what’s worse, I KNOW BETTER! I don’t know what I was thinking when I did that. Obviously I wasn’t thinking. I like my bangs even with the top of my eyebrows and they were getting long and needed trimming so after my shower the other day I got out my trusty scissor, combed down my bangs and snipped away. Of course when they are wet they appear longer then they do when they are dry and I knew that too. After I did that I began to dry my hair and was disgusted when I realized what I had done. I always cut my bangs between hair cuts with my stylist and have done it several times. I know from watching stylists cut hair that you NEVER raise your eyebrows  for bangs to be cut.,now they are in the middle of my forehead and I hate it! Even thought I'm not or every have gone to beauty school I use to cut just about everyone's hair in the family. My mom and dad's, hubby's, kids in-laws etc. so I really do know better then that.  I can be such a ditz sometimes. No need to respond Terry .

Here’s a cool little web site I want to share with you  http://www.supercook.com/ It was on our local news the other night. What it does is give you recipe's with ingredient's that you already have in your house. You just type in what you have and different ideas will appear for you to choose from.. For instance, if you have chicken breasts, basil, tomato paste, noodles or what ever you just type it in and you’ll get several ideas that you can make from them.. I sometimes get so frustrated when I watch the chefs on food network when they are making something that sounds really good then they come up with something that no normal person has in their pantry. With t his site you don’t have to worry about that. Cool huh! 

Speaking of cooking,  I better go and get something out for supper. Bill has a check-up appointment today and he had to fast so I’m pretty sure he’ll want something filling tonight.. Here’s wishing you all a wonderful and happy fall day. See ya soon!

 Eric took 7th place today in the city wide spelling bee and I couldn’t be more proud. He’s in the 5th grade and the spelling bee was grades 5 through 8 and he won a $50.00 savings bond. We were all so nervous for him but he was as cool as a cucumber. The girl who won was in the 7th grade and won a $100.00 bond and a new bike. It just so happened that his mom had taken a vacation day today even before we knew about the spelling bee and his dad was able to get off work as well to be there too. Debi’s sister and I went along as well and I wouldn’t have missed it in the world if I could help it. I tell you, some of the words they gave those kids I would have gotten wrong myself. All I can say is thank God for spell check on here or you all would think I’m a dummy lol.  Needless to say when it was his turn we all were on the edge of our seats. I think he did great to win 7th place out of all the other kids who were there. Him and one other student that got to the top 10 were the only ones in the 5th grade who got that far. We are so very proud of him, can you tell?

It’s going to be a busy week for us. Tomorrow is breakfast again with Bill’s work buddies and their wives. Then on Wednesday Bill has a doctor’s appointment in Madison and I think I might ride along this time. I don’t usually go but I think I will this time. Then on Friday I have to take my sister Jodi to the hospital, she is having her very first colonoscopy and she’s as nervous as a cat. At least she doesn’t have to drink that nasty stuff like I had too. Now you can just take pills if your liver is ok. Then on Saturday is Ryker’s birthday party, he turned one yesterday. I can’t believe that him and Brody are a year old already! Oh, some exciting news to report too. Ryker is going to have a baby brother or sister next year. No it wasn’t planned, they would have liked to have waited a couple years but that’s ok, the kids will be close. And we just love babies in this family so we are all excited. Trent is kind of shell shocked but he’s such a good dad and when he comes back down to earth he’ll be more excited lol.

Well that’s all the news I have for today. I could tell you that it’s nasty outside and raining but I won’t. I don’t want it to spoil my mood . See ya soon!

Tomorrow is the city wide spelling bee our grandson will be in and I sure wish him loads and loads of luck. I’m going to go watch and pull for him the best I can. I sure hope he wins but if he doesn’t at least he tried. I’m taking my camera of course and I hope to get a picture of him getting the winning award. Wouldn’t that be wonderful! Good luck Eric, we love you!

I went and did some shopping yesterday. I got an email from Shopko and saw that they were having a 2 for 1 sale on sweatshirts and I needed some new ones for winter. I only had a couple and they both have a grease stain on them from frying chicken. I ruin more clothes that way. Anyway, when I got to the store they not only had those on sale but just about everything in the store was either on sale for 2 for 1 or on sale at half price. Well I couldn’t pass that up so I also got me two new pair of jeans. I saved over $44.00 dollars that I wouldn’t have if I’d had to pay full price. The sale is on through Wednesday if any of you have a Shopko near you.

Bill went turkey hunting at our daughters place on Sunday and look at the pictures she got of him and Brody. I just love that big smile of his! You can’t help but smile just looking at him. Bill said Brody was giving him great big hugs and smooches, lucky papa! He didn’t get a turkey but he got something much better don’t you think?

The fuel pump went out on Bill’s van and it cost us $504.48 to be exact to have a new one put in yesterday. Oh well, I guess it could have been worse but it’s so annoying when there are other things you’d like to buy but now have to put it off AGAIN! On top of that the weather is crappy which doesn’t help my mood at all.I’m glad I went to the grocery store yesterday and got that out of the way for another few months lol. It’s true. I only go every few months and in between Bill goes and picks the things up we need. I just write him a list and off he goes. When I go I usually get quite a bit of meat and other essentials and it holds us over for quite awhile. Of course we do go out to eat almost every Friday for fish and sometimes another night as well or order pizza to be delivered.

It’s fall and time to change the batteries in your smoke alarms again. Speaking of smoke alarms… Years ago when the kids were all home and if I’d forgotten to clean out the broiler or that I had buns in the oven or if something spilled over in the oven and would start to burn and smoke and cause the smoke alarms to go off the kids would all holler out “Mom, suppers ready”Smart aleck kids! We’d laugh about it and I’d try to save what it was that was burning lol.Those were the good old days eh!

When microwaves came out I had to have one of course but I later almost wished I didn’t have one. The kids were teenagers then and were always home for supper until we got a microwave. They knew they could always reheat it in there so they figured they could just do that when they got home. I had to put the kabosh to that. I liked having them all here for dinner and so I told them unless there is a good reason, like a school function or something they had to be home to eat…period. Sometimes you just have to put your foot down.

Well I guess I’m just rambling on and probably should go do something productive. Haven’t a clue what that will be but I’m sure I can find something that needs cleaning or washed. Hope you are having a good day and that sun is shining for you at least.

Hugs all around!!!

  It is suppose to get down to 37 tonight and as much as I hate the thought of it I’m sure Bill will turn the furnace on. It says it’s 59 right now but it sure doesn’t feel like it to me. There is hope though. The weather man (if you can believe him) said it will warm back up by the end of the week. I sure hope so! At least the sun is shining! The wind was something else yesterday, things were flying all over the place. We have a empty lot for sale and it blew the sign right out of the ground.

Did you see on the news this morning about this women in Michigan who was doing her friends a favor by watching their kids for free for about 40 minutes in the morning until the school bus comes and picks them up? A neighbor must have complained for some odd reason and the state sent her a letter telling her she either has to stop watching them or get a day care license. If she didn’t get a license she could get fined and or go to jail. Now isn't’ that the most ridiculous thing? One of the mothers contacted her representative and he looked into it and found that is the law there. If you watch children for more the 28 days a month you have to get a license. It doesn’t matter how long during the day you watch them either. I guess he thought it was a ridiculous law too or the way it was written and he is going to try to get it changed. Whatever happened to it takes a village to raise a child? It’s a crying shame people can’t help each other out for fear of going to jail or acquire huge fines for being a good Samaritan. I hope he can get it changed.

I guess it’s about time I changed the theme of my space in here huh? I will look for some pretty fall pictures and use them for awhile. I need a change anyway, it’s been this color for a long time now.

Hoping that you are having a great day. Do something nice for yourself today!

Hugs

We had a nice time at his class reunion. Even though I thought the dinner was quite pricey it was delicious. It cost $30.00 a person and the choices were filet, salmon. chicken and prime rib. It did include the tip so maybe it isn’t so bad considering that. It didn’t include drinks though. Almost all who were notified showed up and some came from Arizona, Missouri and Florida. I think he said that only 9 have passed away so that’s not to bad I suppose. I must say everyone looked great and are ageing quite gracefully in my opinion. The lady sitting in the chair in the picture is someone I graduated with. She lost her husband 3 years ago but he graduated with Bill’s class and she grew up with most all of them so she asked if she could come to the reunion. I was happy to see her as I never go to my reunion. I took the photo in two shots and stitched them together. It turned out pretty well didn’t it! Sunday morning we met a bunch of them for breakfast and that was fun too. They are all very nice people and even though I don’t know most of them very well I had a great time. I like watching Bill when he’s around people he grew up with and listen to their stories of the things they did as kids. They laugh and still pick on each other like they did in school. A couple of their teachers came as well and boy one of them was so funny. He talked and joked around and actually kept the conversation going. They had a band who was quite good and a couple who were there but not with us were fantastic dancers. I could sit all night watching people who really know how to dance well together. Anyway, it was fun and we had a good time.

Today is a chilly windy day so I think I’m going to cook roast chicken for supper tonight with roasted potatoes. Will probably have a salad to go along with it as we have salad almost every night with dinner. It is a little crispy in the house so having the oven on will help warm it up some without having to turn the furnace on. It really isn’t cold enough to turn on the furnace yet but I feel it heading that way. Temp will be only 49 tonight they say so it wouldn’t surprise me if Bill does turn it on, he gets cold easy and I don’t so…Houston we have a problem. Last winter he practically drove me out of the house as hot as he had it sometimes so I’m sure we will go through that this year too. I wonder if they have electric long johns lol.

So, how was your weekend?

I’m talking about my grandson here. He won the spelling bee at school and will participate in the city wide next month. I’m so proud of him as are his parents of course. I’m not surprised though, he is a pretty smart kid. He started reading when he was 3 years old and he loves getting books as gifts and I think that’s great. I could tell he was so tickled and proud of himself when he called to tell me last night. He’s in the 5th grade but when they go to the city wide I think he competes with others in other grades. I’m not sure but will find out next month I guess. I wish him all the luck in the world. I know he’ll do well and hope he wins :). I’ll let ya know if he does

Saturday is Bill’s 50th class reunion. Boy can you remember what it was like back in 1959 if you were even born or old enough to remember that far back. I was 12 years old and still in grade school when he graduated high school lol. That sounds so funny doesn’t it. I met him when I was 17 and he had just gotten out of the Navy. If we had known each other in 59 and someone told him that we would be married someday he would have laughed his head off and I probably would have run home to mom and dad lol. Anyway, the class reunion should be fun. We’ve gone to just about everyone of them so I do know most of the people who goes so that helps. I hate going somewhere where I don’t know anyone but it usually doesn’t take me long to get to know someone and have a good time. I just hope the DJ they got is good. I hate polka’s and one of the reunion’s they hired a polka band and I couldn’t wait to leave. I can dance polka’s. My aunt taught me when I was a kid. She loved dancing as much as I do and she loved polkas. If we were somewhere with music she would always grab  me up to dance with her. I love my aunt so I would dance with her of course but I still didn’t like the music lol.

Well that’s my news for today. I hope you all have a great day and will be there soon. Hugs…me!

Now isn’t that rude to rain on his birthday? He’s 69 today. How in the world did I end up being married to an old man lol. Anyway…Happy Birthday honey! I love you! I don’t think he looks 69 at all and most of the time he doesn’t act 69 either. Some days he does but don’t we all?  He even still has a full head of hair, I don’t think he’s lost any from the first time I met him.  I don’t know if we will do anything today or not. Right now we don’t have any plans but that can change. We’ll play it by ear. I never know what to get him anyway. If he wants something he just goes out and gets it. That way he gets what he wants.

This morning Terry and I went to meet our cousins for breakfast. One of them is from Florida and she comes up every year so we try to get together when she does. My cousin who was in the hospital with liver damage came as well. I went and picked her up as she still isn’t driving yet but she’s doing a lot better. She’s not yellow anymore and looks like her old self again. She still tires easy but she is on the road to recovery and we are grateful for that. She was a hair’s breath away from having a transplant when God answered our prayers and her liver started responding to the meds. Now it is starting to work like it should and they said in about 3 months she should feel more like she use too. Thank you God!

Boy, Atlanta sure is getting the rain aren’t they. My heart breaks for the parents whose little boy was swept away in the flood waters. I can take just about anything but if something happened to one of my kids or grandchildren I believe I would lose my mind. My heart goes out to them and to the other families who they say were 5 more lost because of the flooding. The thing is it’s all from rain water. None of them live near a river or stream or something like that so I doubt they have flood insurance like we have to have living by the river. Watching that on the news sure brings back bad memories from last year for me. I feel for them all as I know what they are going through. Tennessee is getting it bad too so I hope and pray the weather clears up for all of you.

Well my sister-in-law just walking to to wish her brother a happy birthday so I better go and visit with her. I hope you all are having a great day.

Hugs

Our little guy is getting the hang of walking now. We were at our daughter’s yesterday for a while so I took this video. He’s so darn cute and he’s grandma’s boy. When I’m there it won’t go to anyone else. The minute he sees me he either holds his arms out for me to take him or he comes over to me and wants me to pick him up. We tried to get him to walk to grandpa but he would just turn around and head for me lol. Of course I love that! And grandpa knows how kids can be so it doesn’t hurt his feelings at all. I just love looking at that smiling little face and hear his giggles. The other grandchildren are older now so it’s a joy having a little one again. To see all those first once again makes your heart swell with pride and joy. Being a grandma is the best part of getting older.

I’ve mentioned before how much Josh is infatuated with snakes. Well, they have two in a tank and of course he had to get them out to show us. I’ve never held one before and always wondered what they feel like so I had Josh give it to me. I held Devan’s snake as Josh’s is a little more aggressive where hers is more tame.

See Sherry holding a SNAKE!

They feel so weird! So smooth and slippery. It wrapped it’s body around my fingers and that felt creepy. I didn’t like the way it was looking at me here either lol. So I can take that off of my bucket list of things I want to do and experience  now. I’ll try just about anything once and besides, it was just a little one.

Well I guess that’s all for now. I hope you all have had a wonderful weekend so far. Ours has been great. The weather has been absolutely perfect for the last couple of weeks and I’m loving it. We won’t have too many days like this left and I’ve been spending as much time outside as I can. I’m still walking everyday and it does feel good. My legs and back feel much better so I hope I have the conviction to keep it up. Today I plan on taking 2 walks around the neighborhood which probably adds up to 2 miles. I should drive around my route once and see just how long it is. I might do that just out of curiosity.

Take care everyone and have a terrific Sunday! I’ll be at your place soon.

The other day when Terry wrote about her son getting his arm caught in the wringer washer reminded me of a couple experiences I had with my son. One morning when he got up to get ready for school he came down stairs and said he had pain in his stomach. I asked him to show me where the pain was and he pointed to his right side. Right away I thought of his appendix but I also knew that he eaten about a half dozen of peanut butter cups the night before so I thought it could just be an upset stomach. I told him to go lay back down and see if he feels better in awhile. It wasn’t an hour later that he came and said it was getting much worse and he could hardly stand up straight.  I decided he better be looked at and took him to the ER. The doctor there ran a bunch of tests and found his white blood count was elevated and determined it was his appendix and needed to come out. A few minutes later she comes back and said she put a call into the surgeon. I asked her what surgeon and she told me Dr. W. I looked at her and said “Well you can cancel that call. That Dr. won’t lay a hand on my son” She said “Oh, you have a preference?”. I told her yes and to call Dr. S. You see, Dr. W. had a very bad reputation. I knew 3 people personally who he performed surgeries on and botched them. Those people had to have several surgeries to repair the damage Dr. W did to them so that man wasn’t touching my son or even coming close to him. Just then the phone rang and she hollered out to the nurse and told her that if that was Dr. W to tell him to never mind and to put a call into Dr. S. Dr. S came in and removed his appendix right away. I’ll never forget the look on the ER doctor’s face when I told her to cancel the call to Dr. W. She was surprised to say the least. Hi missed about 3 weeks of his senior year then and boy did he have a lot to make up lol.

Some months later this son started having black out spells. He would all of a sudden just stop and stare into nothing and then not remember anything during that time. He could be walking along and all of a sudden he would do that. I never saw it happen but his sister and girlfriend did. I made an appointment with our family doctor and he ordered some tests. Those tests showed nothing so he sent us to see a neurologist. This doctor took EEG’s and several other tests which again showed nothing. He did a test where you watch a strobe light thinking he was having epileptic seizures which if it was that the strobe could bring on a seizure. It didn’t and none of the other tests showed a thing. Regardless of that he wanted to diagnosis him as an epileptic and put him on seizure meds. Well I went through the roof. I said no way are you diagnosing him with that unless you are absolutely sure that’s what he has. I told him that you don’t just throw a diagnosis out like that unless you are absolutely sure that’s what it is. Besides a diagnosis like that would affect his insurability, his employability and his drivers license to boot. So I fired him! I made an appointment in Madison to see a specialist. They ran even more tests with the same results, nothing abnormal showed up. To this day we don’t know what it was but it only lasted for a couple months and then stopped.

This same neurologist was my best friends Dr. who has MS and the day I was taking my son to see him I talked to her that morning. She was having a bad day and was crying and said she called him and was waiting for him to call back. Our appointment wasn’t until late that afternoon so I called her before we left to see what he told her. She said he hadn’t called back yet. When we got to the clinic and they put us in his exam room I bet we sat there for a good 45 minutes waiting for him I could hear him out in the hall talking to someone about his vacation and what they did. He went on and on for at least 20 minutes or more and I was getting madder by the minute. Finally when he came in and finished giving us the results of the tests he took I told him that Nancy was my best friend and that she’s having a bad day and is crying and was waiting for his call. He looked at me and said “There’s nothing I can do, she has MS.” I looked back at him and said “ You don’t even know why she is calling you or what’s wrong and you could at least call  her back.” He walked out and when my son got dressed we walked out and he was standing there and told me I made him feel guilty so he’s calling her back. Boy when I got home I called Nancy and told him what he said and to fire that SOB! She did. She found a better doctor who returns her calls. It breaks my heart to see her that way but she has a great attitude and is always upbeat and happy no matter what. I admire her for that.

So I have fired 2 doctors over the years but when it comes to my kids I don’t care who you are. I will tell you what I think and what I want no matter what lol.

Ok, now I’m off for my walk. See ya later gator.

To our oldest son. He’s 42 today!!! How in the world did he get that old on me lol. Not only that, my twins turned 37 on Saturday and they are my babies. Dang those kids will be catching up with me pretty soon :0). We all got together a week ago to celebrate so there will be nothing special going on now. It’s always great having them here but I don’t like that fact that I have kids in their 40’s lol. Just doesn’t seem right. Anyway…Happy Birthday kids! We love you!

What do you think about Ellen DeGeneres becoming the new judge taking Paula Abdul’s place on American Idol? I’m kind of on the fence with this decision. I like Ellen a lot but is she a good fit for American Idol. Personally I hate seeing Paula quit and was hoping she’d change her mind and go back. Ellen has a hard time talking to anyone without cracking a joke somewhere in the conversation which is what I like about her but is AI the right place for that? And can she spot talent when it’s standing there in front of her? I don’t know? Maybe it will work out, I hope it does. To me though I would think someone who has been in the music business would be a better choice. Someone like Naomi Judd or Pink, or someone like that. Ellen said she’s going to be kind and gentle like Paula was and I can see her being that way. She’s a good person with a huge heart and it would crush her if she thought she hurt someone’s feelings but she’s going to have to criticize and tell them they way it is if what they do doesn’t sound good or doing it completely wrong. She did say she will try to do that the way Paula did with gentleness and love. I wonder how her and Simon will get along lol. I can just see her throwing some good digs into him lol.

Isn’t it sad about Patrick Swayze? He was such a great actor and to die so young just doesn’t seem right. My favorite movies of his was Ghost and Dirty Dancing. I would have loved to be able to dance with him once. Wouldn’t he be great on Dancing With The Stars? I’m sure they would consider him a pro so would never invite him on the show but he’d be awesome. He fought a hard battle. So rest in peace Patrick, and a quote from the movie Ghost…

"The love inside...you take it with you."

I’ve started walking again and I must say it does feel good. For the life of me I don’t know why I get lazy and stop but I do. I hope I round up the motivation to stick with it this time, even during the winter. I don’t mind if it’s kind of cold but the below zero temps might cause me pause. Maybe if you guys asked me everyday if I walked yet that would make me stay at it lol. See that way I can blame you if you didn’t remind me hehe. Evil huh?

Well It’s time I got around to see what you guys have to say today. Hope you are all having a super day!