How am I feeling, you ask?

Okay, you do CARE, don't you??? *pitiful grin* Well, I am going to tell you anyway! *smile* I am doing much better, thank you for asking! LOL
I am still contending with pain and discomfort but I am sleeping better at night and that does make a difference in how I feel overall. I finally got flowers planted today in the flower beds at each end of the house. I still have to do one more flower bed which runs along the front of the house. I'm almost done for the year! And, once I finish this post, I am going to go out and wash my car. Yes, you heard me correctly! I am going to wash my car. Of course, you will read about my condition later. *fingers crossed* *hands folded in prayer* I just have to get more active if I am to get any better, I believe. I have been walking more and more, in little increments, nothing too major and I do see improvement in my physical health. So, I will keep you posted, dear readers. The Lord's best to you all!!

Memorial Day Weekend

Hello Everyone! At last....finally.....it's about time! I know, I know, I have really been lagging on the blogger front. I don't know what's wrong with me....*sighhhh* I haven't even been turning the computer on some days. Perhaps it is because of the nice, though hot, weather, hm?

Okayyyyy.....now about this Da Vinci code controversy. I do have something to say. Read my lips: IT IS A WORK OF FICTION, PEOPLE!!!! Hellooooooo!! It was never meant to be taken as FACT! Dan Brown writes fiction: something invented by the imagination or feigned; specifically : an invented story. Source: www.m-w.com I just don't understand all of the hype and hub-bub over this book. Ed read it twice because he thought it was so interesting. But then, Ed has read all of Louis Lamour's book twice and is starting on his third read of them. I have never read a book twice. I know the general story of the Da Vinci Code as Ed told it to me, but I look at it this way: I know the truth about Jesus. It is in my Bible. I've read it many, many times and I accept it as infallible. That settles it for me. I suppose alot of people find it hard to believe that it could be that simpe. But, for me, it is.

Ed has read all of Dan Brown's books and I have read two of them: Digital Fortress and Deception Point. I started to read the Da Vinci Code but just wasn't in the mood to read or it just didn't catch my interest or something. I have to be in the mood to read fiction, too. His stories are fast-paced and hold your attention, believe me. If you are planning to start one of them, forget about doing much else.

Now, back to my post-Memorial Day Weekend post. :-) It was actually pretty uneventful. Sometimes I am guilty of getting all hyped up over an upcoming holiday and I think of all of these great, grand things we can do and then I realize: what could be better than just taking the days as they come, relaxing, enjoying family and eachother? And that is what we did. Friday evening, we waited until about 9pm and then we went grocery shopping. We came home and watched a movie and stayed up later than usual. (You're looking at two people who are usually in bed by 10:30pm each night :-o) We were home most of the day Saturday, doing things around the house.

My sister Debbie called me at 6am Sunday morning! Oh, joy and gladness! Excuse the sarcasm please, but I was sleeping really well, okay??? Well, she had been up since 4am and held off calling me until 6. She wanted to know if we would pick her up for church and of course, I said we would but next time, don't call before 7, at least. You see, she is taking steroids for her congested lungs and the steroids can sometimes mess up your sleep, someone told me. Thankfully, they are weaning her off of them this week, so hopefully she will be sleeping better and more, which means she won't be calling me AT THE BREAK OF DAY!! Sheesh! She called our brother Bill at 5:30am so I guess I shouldn't be complaining too much. Whatever..........*grin*

Sunday afternoon, Ed and I decided to pack a bag and just take off and see where the road would take us. So we called pastor and asked to be excused from service and hit the road. Of course, we had to stop and see Daniel and Erin on our way. We had a good visit with them and the grand-doggies and Brian, Erin's brother. We drove to Pomeroy, Ohio, which I think is such a pretty little town right on the Ohio river. I have childhood memories of mom and dad taking us kids for a ride to Pomeroy on a Sunday afternoon. One particular Sunday, we drove on past Pomeroy where they ferried cars across the river to Ravenswood, W.VA. for $2. That was so neat! Sitting in the car as we floated downriver on this ferry to the other side! Once in Ravenswood, we (there were five of us kids) all went into this big grocery store and mom and dad bought lunchmeat and bread, pop and chips and so on. Then we went to a nearby park and had a picnic. It is one of my fondest memories. Later, dad drove us back to Pomeroy and we all walked across the big river bridge. That was pretty awesome! Simple times, great fun.

Anywayyyyy.....Ed and I drove onto Gallopolis and found a quaint little motel and checked in. I had taken some magazines to read, bought the Sunday paper, picked up some literature on the surrounding area and settled in to read and relax and I did just that. Later, we went out to eat and drove around the town. We found a beautiful park in the center of town, which was right on the banks of the Ohio river. There were a couple of really neat black wrought iron swings along the bank and we sat in one of those and enjoyed the weather and the view. It was such a relaxing time away. The next morning, we slept in but eventually hit the road for home, driving up through Rio Grand and Jackson toward Logan. As we were driving through some of these little towns, Gallopolis included, we would see the small bands getting ready to march and the fire trucks lining up for their respective Memorial Day parades and people taking their places along the parade route, sitting in their chairs, waving their little flags. It was a lovely touch of Americana up close.

Needless to say, when we arrived home, we could hear Ellie meowing before we saw her. *grin* While we were gone, we called like 4 times and talked to her through the answering service. Are we pathetic or what? *feeble grin*

So there you have a synopsis of our wild weekend, folks! LOL You were expecting something more? *smile* The Lord is good. Oh, Daniel and Erin called later Monday evening and asked us to come down. They had worked in their yard and in the house and I think they wanted us to see all that they had accomplished. So we drove down and had such a nice visit with them. We played a couple of games of Euchre. We are tied at 2-all. Me and Ed against Daniel and Erin. It's nice to see them take pride in their home. They are doing so well and are so happy. Daniel will be finished with school for the year soon and will be working full-time at McDonald's then. His manager would like for him to become a shift manager. We'll see where that goes. Erin will be taking her state-boards in June for massage therapy. She has a couple of new job prospects that look promising.

Well, I believe I will end this lengthy post. I will endeavor to post on a more regular basis this week,k? Stay cool, everyone! We should get a reprieve from this heat during the next few days! ((HUGS)) to you all!!

I survived......

....though barely. You see, Friday night we took our youth group to the Section 3 lock-in at Zanesville. It was at the Fieldhouse/Y. Bro. Bill Zink spoke to the youth and then it was every girl/boy/man/woman for himself for the next however many hours. 10pm-6am. There was volleyball, soccer, talent show, 3-on-3 basketball, swimming, roller-skating, pizza, pop, and awesome sweets to snack on. Amazingly, all of the soda offered was caffeine-free. Go figure. *grin* Most of the night, Ed and I spent watching the basketball tournament. Our guys placed second and each got a very nice trophy. I drove us all home and it was indeed a quiet trip back. We got into bed about 8:30am Saturday morning, after taking all of the kids home. I slept until noon and only woke up because the sun was shining into the house so brightly. So I got up, made some strong coffee, and sat on the back porch basking in the sun. It was so great to have such beautiful weather after so much rain. I laid back down for a couple of more hours but didn't really sleep too much. I didn't get out of my nightclothes all day. And Ed got sick. Oh, not because I didn't get out of my nightclothes all day.....lol. I mean, he was really sick. The all-over-aching kind of sick with a fever and chills. He is better today, thank you, Jesus. Seriously. He has been one sick puppy for the past two days, not to mention the effect of losing a night's sleep. I am still catching up on that one. I mean, we are 54 and 63. We aren't "youth" any more, but we love 'em anyway and will work with these wonderful kids as long as the Lord leads in that direction. Bro. Carpenter, from Coshocton came up to us at 5:30am Saturday morning and said he wanted to shake our hands. He couldn't believe how great we were doing. *smile* Bro. Cottrill (I'm not sure where he attends church) introduced himself to us and asked if we were staying all night and acted a little surprised when we said yes. *grin* It always amazes me how the Lord just helps us to do what we have to do for the youth, whether it is stay up all night at a lock-in or take them to King's Island or do a car wash or take them to a rally or conference. He is with us. Well, I feel the need for a nap coming on, so I am going to relent. I'll post again later!! Happy Monday!! :-)

An Update On The Animal Farm

See this cat? Well, she is no more.....literally. She was Roxie, our grand-kitty. As you will recall, if you read my blog regularly, she had gotten out of the house (Daniel and Erin's) accidentally. But then, what cat wouldn't want out of the house if it had to live with three crazy dogs??? (pictured on the other side of Roxie over there.) Well, Erin was coming home from work early one morning and she saw a black furry something splattered on the road, so she turned around went back and, sure enough, it was Roxie. Poor Roxie. Daniel went back later that morning with a shovel to get her,(he wanted to give her a proper burial) but she was gone!!! Scavengers, vultures, or the highway workers had gotten to her first. *sighhhhhh* We'll not forget you Roxie. You were our FIRST grandkitty.

Ode to Roxie:
She wasn't striped,
Or exactly spotted,
She was a splotchy thing,
Not solid or dotted.

If she had any talents,
I'm afraid they were obscured,
By that trio of dogs,
Who'd do anything,
Even the absurd.

So you might have missed her,
If you went to visit,
The dogs stole the limelight,
They were always in it.

But we'll remember Roxie,
Our first grandkitty,
And it is in her honor,
That I composed this loving ditty.

The End. (of this poem and of Roxie)

Daniel's first sermon

I feel very humbled in my spirit today. You see, our son, Daniel, spoke to the church last night for the very first time. He spoke about having the right foundation. He began by reading a summary of the life of Lance Armstrong and all of the obstacles he faced while endeavoring to achieve his goals. Daniel talked of how Armstrong was able to overcome terrible setbacks and go on to victory through sheer determination and grit. (Daniel used bigger words than those but I can't remember what they were. *feeble grin*) How much more are we able to be overcomers if our foundation is built on the word of the Lord and our relationship with Him. I must be honest and tell you that I sat in my pew with my mouth wanting to just hang open. (But I controlled it, you will be happy to know :-) I mean, I just couldn't believe this was Daniel up there. He appeared confident, prepared and he delivered his message with humility and compassion. He used a bopping buddy as an example of getting knocked down but getting right back up every time. He also mentioned that this was possible because of the balance and foundation of the bopping buddy. He compared that to our walk with the Lord. He used many scriptures, beginning with I Cor. 3:10-11. His message title was "What Foundation Are You Building On?" He asked everyone to come to the altar at the end. After Pastor Martin had closed the service, I had a few things to do, a few people to talk to and then I went to find Daniel. He and Erin were over on the steps at the right side of the altar and Daniel was in tears. I asked him what was wrong and he said, "Nothing, Mom, it is just that nothing has ever felt so right to me, except for marrying Erin. It just felt so "right" up there tonight." We talked for a little while longer and then I told him that he really did need to go and talk with the people and thank them for coming and so on. He made this mother proud and I am still in awe at how comfortable and natural he seemed to be. The Lord is so good. I heard a gentleman, a missionary, in fact, preach at family camp last year and a couple of things he said were, "Where are the young 19 and 20-year-old preachers? Where are the young evangelists? The world is stealing them away from the church by offering them careers and education, money and material gains." This is not to say that there is anything wrong with any of those things. As a mother, I pray for Daniel daily that the Lord would direct his steps and path because I want so much for him to be in the perfect will of God, for his and Erin's sake. God's plan for our lives is so much better than anything we might have mapped out. We'll see where their future together goes with the Lord. I'm excited! *smile*

Where Have I Been Anyway????

Hello Everyone! During this past week, I have been in quite a bit of pain. Consequently, my sleep and rest at night have been fitful. After a while, it takes a bit of a toll. I have been in a bit of a fog mentally. Not from drugs, but from a lack of good rest and sleep, I'm afraid. Anywayyyy......I have resolved to keep speaking healing to my pain. You see, I DO have pain and some disability BUT God is still my healer. In time, the reality that I keep speaking is going to take over the other reality. I heard this spoken on Israel/New Breed's CD "Live From Another Level" and it so inspired me. It seems that just when I am getting discouraged, the Lord allows me to hear just what I need to hear right on time. He is so intricately concerned about us and I am so thankful that I am not in this alone.

"He walks with me,
And He talks with me,
And He tells me I am His own....."

When I consider where I was back in December in regards to my physical health, I am so much better today. He's still working on me. Of that, I am sure.

"He's been faithful, faithful to me,
Looking back, His love and mercy I see,
Though in my mind, I have questioned,
Even failed to believe,
Yet He's been faithful, faithful to me."

A Momentous Occasion

At church, we have designated the third Wednesday of the month as Youth Night, meaning the youth will be in charge of the entire service. Tonight, Daniel will be speaking to the church for the first time in his young life. He called rather late last night with many questions about his lesson/message, so we went to our bibles over the phone and he talked himself through some things with me and I offered some ideas when they were asked for. Understandably, he is nervous, but I believe he will do a wonderful job. His father-in-law gave him some pointers Sunday afternoon as they were grilling out for Mother's Day. Daniel has been blessed with wonderful, godly in-laws and for that I am so thankful. I will let you know how things go, tomorrow. I have every confidence that he will do just fine. He has studied, prepared, prayed and fasted. Now he must trust the Lord to annoint and bless. It is a milestone for him. And for us, his parents. Amazing. Just amazing.

My Special Mother

I don't have a picture of my mother to post here, but if I did you would most certainly agree that she was the cutest little thing. You see, my mom was only 4'11' and maybe weighed a hundred pounds when she passed away. She had been this size for the last few years of her life. She passed away in 1999 two Sundays before Mother's Day. If I could tell you one thing about my mother it would be that she had the best attitude of anyone I ever knew. And this is an amazing thing which you will understand once I tell you a little more about "her story". You see, my dad passed away in 1979. Up to this time, my mother had not driven a car, gone into a bank to do business or alot of others things that today's modern woman does and takes for granted. So upon my father's passing, she had to "learn to live" all over again, so to speak. I took her to the bank for the first time, took her to the lawyer's office, and to the Bureau of Motor Vehicles. She tried taking a driver's course through AAA but the instructor just wasn't patient with her, so yours truly taught her how to drive. I remember the day she took her driver's test: Mom took it in a 1970 Pontiac Catalina, which was a huge car. You could hardly see my mom in it. There were a bunch of teens taking their driver's test that day, too, but they were driving all of these little, compact cars. You go, Mom! She passed! This was like a new lease on life for her!! She started driving everywhere! My little mom...unbelieveable. Mom developed a new-found independence and life was going great. She drove herself to town and to see her different children and grandchildren. Life was good. Three years later, at the age of 53, Mom suffered a massive stroke which left her paralyzed on her left side. It was devastating to all of us. Once again, Mom had to start over. The doctors told us she would never walk again. That she would be in a nursing home the rest of her life, etc., etc. She spent the first month in Fairfield Medical Center without much of a change, but then was transferred to the Long-term Care Unit at Hocking Valley Community Hospital here in Logan and that is where she began getting her life back. During this first month, we prayed for mom without ceasing that she would have the desire to fight back, that she wouldn't give up. Well, once in Logan she began her fight. She fought her way through physical therapy and learning how to do menial tasks in new ways. She ate that hospital out of house and home....*grin*.....the doctors said it was her body's way of rebuilding and gaining strength. She did get stronger but didn't gain alot of weight, thankfully. I remember the first steps that she took. I was there. There was nurse on either side of her and she had this humongous brace on her left leg, but she took some of the most wonderful little, halting steps I about ever saw! I laughed and I cried and she said in her little wobbly voice, "Oh, Jewel, do you really think I did that good?" To which I just nodded my head and laughed and cried at the same time. I mean, I was told she would never walk, stand or have a life of any quality ever and here she was taking her first new steps. It was something I will never forget as long as I live. Over the next several months and years, Mom was able to go home again and live independently, though through the ensuing years, she did suffer various medical setbacks, among them being a heart attack, ephysema, copd. She was in and out of various hospitals, nursing homes, but she always found her way back home. She was such a fighter and always had such a great attitude and a smile for everyone.
When she was in Rockmill Rehab Center, she was put in a room with a lady who never left her room. She would not participate in any of the activities or socialize . Well, Mom slowly but surely got that woman out of their room and they played bingo and went to different parties and just became the best of friends and had fun. That was Mom. One time when she was in Logan Health Care, she had another roommate that didn't get the care she needed. Well, Mom saw that that changed and got this little lady involved in activities, too. Mom was just so full of life and laughter. The nurses and aides always gravitated to mom's room because they knew that happiness lived there.
She loved a good joke, but I had to watch her because she liked the ones that were a little off-colored and I admonished her to "keep 'em clean" Mother. One time when Mom was in the emergency room because she was having trouble breathing, Bev and I were sitting with her. There was a young, good-looking respiratory therapist getting ready to give her some sort of test or treatment. He was unbuttoning her blouse which had these little buttons that were hard to work with. He was having difficulty with them and my dear little mother looked at him and said in an ornery voice, "Honey, you act like you've never undressed a woman before.." He kind of blushed and Bev said, "Moooother!!!!" It was soooo funny!!!! That was Mom.
Another time when she was in Park Medical Center in Columbus, a young doctor came to her room to do an ultrasound on her leg. Of course, he had to lift her leg and put it in this contraption and Mom said to him, "You know, I've decided that I don't have private parts anymore. You see, in the shape I'm in I've been dependent on everyone else for everything and they've seen everything I have soooo no more private parts for me." We were speechless, but amused. That was Mom.
One of the last times we had to put Mom in the hospital, as they were wheeling her into her room, she motioned for one of the nurses that she knew well, to come to her bedside. She said, "Shannon, do you know what one strawberry said to the other strawberry?" "If you weren't so fresh we wouldn't be in this jam!" Even when she was sick, she wanted to make others laugh and smile.
I pray that I can always keep such a wonderful attitude when adversity comes. I pray that I will be able to look beyond myself and my situation enough to bring light and happiness to others. I pray that I will always make the best of any situation that life hands me. For that is what my mother exemplified. Thank you, Mom.

Drum roll please!

Welllllll......here are the "after" pictures of my newly cleaned and re-0rganized hall closet! I showed no mercy to all of that clutter! If you click here you will see the "before" pictures of my formerly cluttered closet! It is a definite improvement, hm? This is part of what I have been doing for the past two days instead of posting here and surfing the web! It has really given me a sense of accomplishment to see the end results of my hard work! You know, I really appreciate the new plastic storage containers. It is so easy to organize everything with them. Do any of you remember when all we had to store things in were cardboard boxes that we scavenged from local stores like Kroger or Ames or other retailers. Smead was a good place to get boxes, too, but I think they only give them out to employees now. Wow, am I ever making myself feel old here now, or what?? Anywayyyyy.....I'm lovin' these new plastic storage containers!! Yeehaa! It doesn't take much to make me happy, hm??? *grin*

The Weekend That Was

What a beautiful weekend it was! The weather was just perfect, to begin with. Friday evening, Ed and I did go to Lori's place and I had a delicious cheeseburger! It was huge and I ate the whole thing with lettuce, tomato, and mayo. In a previous post, I had said that these are not frozen hamburger patties, but their hamburgers are made from fresh ground beef or chuck or whatever. They are super. Ed had a pizza burger and the trimmings. Afterward, we went out to the church and helped clean up after the monthly dinner. That is our part that we do every month. That way some of the people that have been there most of the day can go home. A special surprise was that Bro. and Sis. Brott were there!!! They are the former pastor and his wife of our church. They have been missionaries to the Philippines but now, if I understand correctly, they are doing deputational travels for various missionaries so they can stay in their field and work instead of having to be here in the states travelling and raising money, which I think is just great of the Brott's. I have heard more than one missionary talk of how they want so much to be in their "country" instead of deputizing, raising money and it looks like an answer to that dilemna may have been found, at least to some degree. Bro. and Sis. Brott are just wonderful christians. We have had so much fun through the years and I have learned so much from them in my walk with the Lord. Bro. Brott is a real prankster and even before Ed and I had gotten to the church, he had called our home and left a stupid message on our answering service! It was so much fun coming home and listening and laughing to it!
After finishing up at the church Friday evening, we went by Wally World and I bought more flowers and potting soil and stuff. It is now all out on the back porch waiting to be planted. These plants are for my pots and hanging baskets, but I can see that I am going to need more. I told Ed that is what I want for Mother's Day.......more plants! I know I should plant more perennials but I just love annuals! What can I say???
Would you believe that we stayed home for most of the day Saturday??? I fixed us a nice late breakfast and we did little things around the house here, watched a movie (White Fang)......and I cried......okay, watching this movie makes me want a dog in the worst way!!! I miss Bearly soooo much. Well, a little later in the day we went up to my sister Debbie's to get a gas grill that she gave to us. Actually, Troy gave it to her and then she gave it to me. Let me tell you, we have all traded, swapped, given away, and hauled more furniture throughout our lifetimes than I could ever tell you about!!! LOL Ohhh, that reminds me of a story that I have to tell you all sometime (esp. Becky!). Anywayyyy.....while we were at Debbie's, Ed got to playing with Emma, Debbie's little terrier dog that used to be Troy and Leigh's, but they weren't home enough to have a dog so that asked Debbie to take her. See what I mean??? We don't just swap furniture. We swap animals, too! Well, Ed just loooooves little Emma so we are thinking about bringing her home for two or three days and see how Ellie (our kitty) gets along with her. Troy said Debbie could give her away as long as it was someone in the family. Oh, this story reminds me of another story about Yakkie, Troy's former dog that John Vanperson now has. Now that is a loooooonnngggg story! And sooooo funny! Well, at least to me it is. LOL Oh my gosh, it is so funny! (If Troy is reading this, he is probably dying laughing!) Sooooo, we may go up to Debbie's later today and pickup Emma and see how things go.

On Sunday, after morning church, Daniel and Erin came by for dinner. They boy still knows how to eat! Whew!! It was so good to have them here and to visit. Daniel is just so funny and makes everyone laugh. He did all of these little irritating things at the dinner table that he used to do, just to make me laugh. Erin just grins and shakes her head at him. After dinner, Daniel headed for his dad's recliner and Erin and Ellie joined him as you can see in the pic to the left. They really like the way we have turned his old room into our new den. We do, too! :-)
Well, Ed is out painting the wood around our flower beds that go around the house and I think I will go and help him! Well, try and help him, that is! I hope you are having a wonderful Monday!!

Have you seen this kitty????

This is our grandkitty, Roxie, and she is missing! Erin said that she(the kitty) got outside about 4 days ago and they haven't seen her since, but last night while Erin was home alone and it was quiet, she heard Roxie meowing from somewhere down under and she is thinking that maybe she is stuck under the house somewhere. They took out the vents on either end of the house outside so she could get out if possible, but so far they haven't seen her yet. They may have to go under the house and look for her but it is such a mess under there. It is just a crawl space and it is wet and spidery and yecky. I am just going to pray that Roxie can get out of there and find her way back to the front door. Poor Kitty......I'll keep you posted.

"Casting all your care on Him; for He careth for you." I Peter 5:7

A little treat for you!!

Here's another cute picture of the granddoggies! From the left, they are Jasmine, Macie, and Heidi. Aren't they just adorable???
And here is Erin and Jasmine.
They both are sooo pretty,hm?
Erin loves Jazzy.

Still Among the Living

Happy Friday, Everyone! Okay, okay, I know I'm a little late in the day getting a post up, butttttt.......at least I'm here? *feeble grin* Seeing as this is my favorite day of the week, I just had to come and put up a post of some sort. I'm not promising much, so don't get your hopes up. And let me say at the start......this sounds a lot more chipper than I am feeling,k?? *hacking cough* (that's attractive,huh? *grin*)

I have not ventured anywhere since going to the polls on Tuesday. Can you believe that? I did go out and sit on the back porch a couple of times to get some fresh air, though that was as far as I made it. It has been so nice outside this week and I have been sooo sick. I just have to keep reminding myself that there will be alot more beautiful weather to enjoy. You know, though, is it just me or do we all feel like we just have to get outside and enjoy those first wonderful days of spring like we aren't going to have anymore than 2 or 3 them or is it just that we have been in the throes of three or four months of dreary winter weather and we just have to get outside in the sunshine or die???

Ed didn't have to work today. He does private transport for troubled teens. He takes them to a counseling program in Athens. Because of so much sickness among the teachers and students there, they shut REACH down early for the weekend. I don't know if it is the flu or just really bad colds and allergies but it is miserable, let me tell you. One of the young ladies in our youth group has been home yesterday and today with a really bad cold. And this girl never misses school! She has what I have. I am surprised that they haven't closed the schools for some extra days to let kids get well. Maybe they will yet. It is just really bad in this area right now.

Our monthly church dinner is tonight and I am wanting to go out and help in some way but it is probably best if I don't. *sigh* I thought perhaps I could go out and at least scrape trays. (does that sound desperate? *feeble grin*) Well, I do think Ed and I are going to go into town because I need to pick up a few things, like Tylenol, Ibuprofen, and Benadryl. And I am hungry for a good hamburger, so I think I may ask Ed to take me to Lori's Diner because they make the best hamburgers. Not those frozen patties but they patty them out themselves. Ohhhhh, they are sooo good! The first and only time we've ever been there, I ordered a patty melt and I couldn't eat it all! Folks, we're talking ME. Me, who never leaves anything on her plate. It was so 'licious. I'll let you know if we go and if it was as good this time!

I did hair for my two girlfriends early this morning, then rested a bit. Later this morning, I actually got my pantry/closet straightened up. You see, the pantry/ closet is a pantry on one side and it WAS Daniel's closet on the other side. Well, I sorted out more of Daniel's things.....ball cards, old love letters, cards, pictures, etc......and put them in a storage box. There are also a few old board games that I am going to take to VOA and I have a box of stuff for Daniel to take to his house. Now that I have the pantry/closet straightened up, I can finish my hallway closet because there are things that were in it that I can now put in the closet/pantry. It's all a process, as I am sure all of you ladies and Tony know! *grin* (I love you, Tony! I am waiting for the before and after pictures of Seth's room)

After I finished the pantry/closet, I ate a little bit of something......I haven't had much of an appetite, which is nothing short of a miracle......and then I meant to lay down and rest for just a few minutes and ended up sleeping for 2 1/2 hours! I couldn't believe it!! But I know that that is really the best thing I can do to get over this flugey I have. You know, I was just thinking this week about when I was younger and my parents would tell me to rest (God forbid) and take care of myself so I would get well when I was sick. It is only now, some 30 years later that I am actually doing what they told me and amazingly, IT WORKS!! Honestly, I have learned that the best way for me to get well is to rest and drink plenty of liquids. I read somewhere that America is the most sleep-deprived nation in the world. I believe it. Somewhere along the line, we have come to believe that we must occupy every waking minute with some kind of activity. Well, I am well on my way to unlearning that philosophy. I am trying to teach it to some of my friends who are on the fast track but they are moving too fast to hear me, I believe. It is like this: Either you slow down and learn the lesson while you are healthy or you will BE slowed down and learn it the hard way. I speak from experience here.

Okay, I didn't mean to get "preachy" up there,k?? I am going to sign off for now because Ed is ready to "head on into town"....*grin* I may post again later! Take care, everyone and have a great weekend!!

I made it.........

......through the election, that is. We were not overwhelmed with voters, as in a presidential election, but we were steadily busy. Thankfully, we did not run into any problems, for which I am so thankful. I am the presiding judge for our precinct and I have three of the best people working with me which makes my job sooooo much easier. First, there is Tina, my girlfriend, neighbor, and church family member. Secondly, Gene and Audrey, a retired couple who are just the greatest people you'd ever want to meet. Gene and I traded jokes and one-liners all day yesterday and he kept me informed of what time it was...*groan* and Audrey is just a sweetheart. She let me work in her word search book and I swear I must have done at least half of them. Unbelieveably, the time does go by quickly and that is saying something when you consider that you are in this small area for almost 15 hours straight. I do believe it has alot to do with the people you work with and of course, your own attitude. Well, let me tell you, I was sooooo sick yesterday but I couldn't just call off because I am a presiding judge and it does carry quite a bit of responsibility with it. But the ladies and Gene mothered me yesterday and watched over me, bless their hearts. You see Green #1 and Green #2 voting precincts are in the same building, so there were 7 of us ladies and Gene. They were all so kind to me. And then, my dear friend, Becky, came to my rescue with medicine!! That is Becky, a.k.a. Beautiful *wink*, up there in the picture to the left! Becky is an RN at Fairfield Medical Center and she is currently working towards her Master's degree. Thank you, thank you, Becky. I called her and asked if she had some Benadryl because I was pretty sure it was allergies. She came right on the double and even administered the medicine! How's that for service??? We all brought in food and we had some wonderful eats, but I just didn't feel like eating much. What tasted best to me was this Ribbon Jello dessert that Ethyline brought. A similar version of it is pictured here. Ethyline's was red, white and blue, though and she made it in a 9 x 13 dish. She brought it last year, too, and I raved about it so much she brought it again this year! It tasted so cool and light and refreshing. Anywayyyy....that is all for now. I am going to take another dose of medicine and crawl back into bed. I may post again later or possibly wait until tomorrow. Enjoy the beautiful weather for me,k????

I need more than a nose mitten!

I have contracted a cold from someone, somewhere, somehow and I am feeling prettyyyyyy miserable and it is such a beautiful day outside and I have soooo much I need to gone done! Heeellllppppp..........

I am in the process of making TWO Mexican Wedding Cakes, one for the voting polls and one for my church, which is a voting place and they are serving lunch to the public tomorrow. The other cake is to take with me to the polling place where I will be working....*groannnnnn*. I am also in the process of cooking chicken for making Rotel Chicken which is absolutely delicious on any other day, but todayyyyyyyy......I can hardly bear to move. I don't have a fever. I just ache around my shoulders and neck, sneeze quite a bit and have drainage and a cough, squinchy, watery eyes. Sounds lovely, eh??? And noooooo, I won't be posting a picture of myself in this condition, so forget it!!! And that is final! *weak grin*
You know, though, one thing about having this rotten cold.....my back doesn't seem to be hurting me nearly as badly as it normally does. Go figure......*said in a really whiney voice* Aren't we just miserable creatures when we are sick??? *feeble grin* It is only out of the sheer goodness of my heart that I am posting today because I will be out of commission here tomorrow, for my day at the polls starts at 5:30am and will not finish until 8:15pm. I will be meeting the other workers this evening at six to set up the polling place. That should take about an hour and then I will come back home and take my sick self to bed. The only thing is, is that the night before an election I just don't sleep very well because I am thinking about all of the little details of the voting machines, the tallying at the end of the day, wondering if we'll have any problems, etc., etc., etc. It always turns out fine, really it does, but my sleep the night before is seldom restful. Please pray for me that I will feel much better tomorrow and that I have a good night's sleep tonight......in Jesus' name. (thank you for listening to me whine.....*feeble grin*)

Flower Power

Ed has been working so hard getting our yard in shape....mowing, trimming, raking, picking up sticks. Well, yesterday afternoon he planted the flowers I had bought for him and here is the result! He also planted two tomato plants in the midst of them. I told him that he would probably want to plant them somewhere else because they might take over the flowers eventually. We'll see what happens!

What do YOU do when YOU'RE bored????

Wellllll.....this is what my dear son and his brother-in-law, Brian do.....obviously!!! They climb in the kennel with the dogs! Erin sent me several pictures this morning and I just about laughed my head off! What will these guys think of next?
Erin will never be bored as long as Daniel is around! LOL