My niece Bethany's blog

I thought I would do a little advertising and let all of you know that my niece Bethany now has a blog and if you would like to have a look, the link is right HERE!! She just graduated from high school and is job-hunting and preparing to start college at Ohio University-Lancaster this fall. She is as sweet as they come!!! She is the young lady with me in my profile pic!

Words that make me laugh

I can't explain why but there are just some words that make me laugh. Like tonight.....I logged onto Everyone's Connected and there in the "news headlines" was the phrase...."Holy Crap!" and I just laughed out loud spontaneously. Now I do not say crap nor was Daniel allowed to say crap. I just think it is a vulgar word along with alot of other slang words. My nephew, Brian, used to say "crap" quite a bit and it was so funnny, because he said it in such a dry, sarcastic yet funny way. And one time, when Daniel was about 10 or maybe a little older, we were in the car going somewhere and he spilled water on himself and he yelled out "CRAP"!!! And I said, "DANIEL!" And he said, "I don't care, Mom. I just had to say crap because no other word would do and I'm mad! Cow crap, dog crap, bird crap, cat crap...." And on and on he went and I couldn't help it! I busted out laughing. But we made a deal that day. If he just had to say "crap", if in his frustration no other word would do, he would switch the letters around and say "carp". And that is what he did. It evolved into "Carpe Diem" in time. *smile*
So how do I explain the fact that I think it is funny when used at different times? I can't. Don't ask me to. There is no logic....no ryhme or reason.

Then earlier today I was looking for a birthday card for a dear saint at our church whose birthday is tomorrow. She will be 75!!!!! You would never know it. I will take a picture of her and post it here, although it isn't necessarily her appearance that makes her appear younger but her actions. This little lady is a powerhouse of energy!! She gets things done, let me tell you! Anyway, I saw this one card that said, "Birthdays Are Like Weiners". I couldn't resist! And, yes, I was laughing!! So I opened it up and it said: "Okay, weiners are nothing like birthdays. There just aren't enough birthday cards with "weiner" on them. Weiner, Weiner, Weiner!"
I just cracked up! Again, don't ask me to explain it....I can't....there is no logic.....no rhyme or reason.

Good Monday Morning!

Hello, Hello! Well, another wonderful weekend is past and it is now Monday. Okay, I am just curious. Do you look at your week as starting on Sunday or Monday? I have always looked at Monday as the start of the week and Sunday as the last day of the week. I hope this doesn't sound too terrible but I always feel a sense of relief on Sunday night after the evening service is over and we are on our way home. Sunday is a big day for us. I teach Sr. High class on Sunday morning and do the music for the service in the sanctuary. Ed is in the soundroom and does other sundry tasks around the church as needed. Oh, and we are there early for a Senior Staff meeting at 9:00am. We also provide transportation for a couple of people on Sunday mornings. After service, I straighten up my class room, then we head somewhere for dinner or come home and fix something after taking people home. I always take my Sunday afternoon nap and we are back at church by 5pm. Although our services are not always predictable...thank you, Jesus.....we are generally out by 8:30 at the latest. After singing and worshipping and praying and then singing and worshipping and praying some more and hearing the wonderful word of the Lord and responding to it, I am pretty well zapped. Oh, I love it all, but at the end of the day, I am relieved. That is why Monday is such a veg-out day for me. I am still in my nightgown as I type this and it is 12:17pm. Now, now.....before you get all up in arms, I have made my bed, fixed breakfast, done the dishes, fed the cat and dog, cleaned Ellie's litter box, crocheted on my afghan and done other sundry tasks. ("sundry" is my word of the day! *grin* sundry: "miscellaneous, various, as in articles" Source: www.m-w.com)
I need to get myself together, though, because I am out of yarn!! I am crocheting a scarlet and gray afghan. I will post a pic of it here when I am done typing. But then again, no, I won't because I can't get the pic to upload here, although it says it has uploaded, but then it doesn't display! Grrrrrr!!! (Is that why you moved to typepad, Donnie? *feeble grin*) I am going to have to post pics to flicker over at yahoo. Okay, back to the afghan. I am a little less than halfway done with it. It is looking really good and will go great in the den which is done is scarlet and gray.....Ohio State all the way!!! *smile* Okay, to see a picture of the afghan, please click here!
Rocky, our new dog, is doing great! We keep him hooked up at night but let him loose during the day when we are here. He stays around the yard and lays on the back porch. He just likes to be near us. He is such a smart, obedient dog, though he has so much energy that when he sits and begs, his whole body is twitching! It is soooo funny! Seems I can remember having energy like that , oh, I don't know, sometime back before the war.....*feeble laugh*. Oh, I still have spurts of energy and I'll be sitting or laying down and think..."Okayyyy, I am going to jump up and get with it!".....and then I move my body.....and we aren't talking "jumping" here......okay, so jumping hasn't been in my range of body movements for sometime but the desire to do so is inside me somewhere. *grin* You know, honestly, most days I feel about 35. Not physically, mind you, but spiritually and emotionally. I really do. And then I move. Aaarrgghhh!! Anywayyyy......
Well, I am going to close out this post and get with it. I want to go buy some more yarn so I can get this afghan finished!!! The Lord's best to all of you!!!
(Becky, are you home yet??? Did you get me a cheesy souvenir?? *grin*)

Happenings of the past few days!

Daniel's baseball team had a wooden bat tournament this past weekend. He plays for the American Legion Post 78 here in Logan. They had the championship game at two o'clock on Sunday afternoon. Ed went but I didn't because I knew that I couldn't go sit in the hot, humid sun and be any good for church in the evening. Anyway, I was getting ready to lay down for my Sunday afternoon nap, when the phone rang. It was Ed telling me that Daniel went down on his first warm-up pitch. He pulled a groin muscle. Well, the mother in me wanted to race up to the ball field and help my baby, BUT I controlled myself and stayed home, fretting and praying.....sounds a bit contradictory, hm? Then the phone rang. It was the boy:
"Mom?"
"Hey, buddy, how are you doing?"
He told me he was in quite a bit of pain but was sitting in the dugout. Someone had given him motrin and gotten him an ice pack. He asked me what to do for a pulled groin muscle so I told him I would look up info on the internet. So I did. Not much you can do but rest, ice the affected area and wear a snug undergarment for support. So I called him back and told him the news. 1-2 weeks till the pain subsides/possibly 5-6 weeks of recovery. I think he is probably done for the season as far as baseball is concerned. *sigh* I know he is disappointed.
So after we talked for awhile....I am so thankful he called me *feeble grin*......I again attempted to lay down for my nap. I was laying on my back, dozed off and woke myself up because I jerked so hard in my sleep and wrenched my back, of all things!!! Sheesh!!! Butttt....I am better now, three days later!
Erin took her state boards for her massage therapy license yesterday morning. She said she might not know if she passed until August! I'm sure she passed. Erin is so smart! She was Valedictorian of her graduating class AND won the senior talent contest!!
Backtracking a little here.....Daniel is on crutches. Erin borrowed a pair from her grandmother, Sis. Pullin. Well, Daniel thought they were going to be these ancient wooden things, but when Erin went to get them late Sunday night, Sis. Pullin came out with a pair of aluminum ones, saying she just knew Daniel would want the Cadillac of crutches!! She does know Daniel!! *smile*
I am enjoying the rain today. First of all, we need the rain and secondly, it just makes the house seem so cozy and I don't feel the need to be outside doing all kinds of stuff, because I can't.....IT'S RAINING!
Oh, I wanted to share a couple of easy recipes that I have fixed the past couple of days. On Sunday, Father's Day, I fixed Sunday dinner because I know that Ed really prefers to eat at home, though we have been eating out quite a bit for dinner on Sunday, which I kind of like. Anyway, I fixed boneless pork chops in the crockpot. I buy these at Super Thrift. They are kind of small and come about 6 or 7 in a package. I browned them in a little oil first, seasoning them salt and pepper and Montreal Steak Seasoning. I sprayed my crockpot with cooking spray and put the pork chops in it. I then mixed up a box of stovetop stuffing and placed it on top of the pork chops. Next, I mixed a can of mushroom soup with some water until it was the consistency of gravy and poured and spread it out on top of the dressing. I cranked the old crockpot up on high until we left for church (about an hour), turning it back to low when we left. When we came home about three hours later, I fixed some delicious green beans and we sat down to a yummy dinner! This is one of my favorite dishes. You can also fix this same dish with chicken! Give it a try! It is so easy and absolutely scrumptious.
I have been using my crockpot and outdoor grill alot since the weather has been so hot and humid.
Yesterday I fixed pepper steak in the crockpot. I cut up about 2 1/2 pounds of sirloin steak into serving size pieces. I browned and seasoned this in a small amount of oil. I transferred it to the crockpot which I had sprayed with cooking spray. On top of the steak I put a couple of green peppers, cored and cut into slivers, a large sweet onion peeled sliced and separated into rings, a can of mushrooms/drained, and a can of stewed tomatoes with the juice. I salt and peppered this generously and also added some more Montreal Steak Seasonings. I let this cook on high for about three hours. I then thickened the liquid up with a couple of tablespoons of cornstarch mixed with a little water. I just added this to the steak, vegetables and liquid, mixing it in very gently. It thickened into a really nice sauce. I made some mashed potatoes and we were good to go!! It was wonderful!!! I cut up cantaloupe for dessert!
I hope you are all having a good day! I love the sound of rain on the roof!! Another wave just arrived!

Rocky!!

Here is the newest addtion to our family!! Isn't he adorable? And, yes, he is full of energy! He is coming up out of the creek in this picture. The best thing about him is that he doesn't bark incessantly when he is hooked up to his run. Ed ran a cable between two huge trees in our back yard and then attached Rocky's cable to this so he can run and get plenty of exercise. It is really a neat set-up. Most dogs would bark their fool heads off, especially a young dog like Rocky. He is 6 months old. He can sit and he will fetch a stick or bone as long as you keep throwing it. We got out several times a day and let him loose to run and get used to the place. He pretty much stays in the yard, which is really big, and comes when we call him and when it is time to hook him back up, he comes and sits down and lets us. Now that's what I call being obedient. Thank you, Lord. I am going to teach him how to shake, speak and lay down next. I think he is going to be a quick learner. It is good to have a dog around again. It was just a matter of timing and the right dog.

What I've Been Up To!

Well, I hardly know where to begin, folks. Let me see.....hmmmm......I'm trying to think of the last thing I posted.....oh yes....I remember. Well, I HAVE gotten a bit behind on the happenings here in my little valley, haven't I? Wellllll......Father's Day has gotten an early start here as Daniel and Erin delivereed Ed a black Labrador dog early this afternoon! His name is Rocky and he is 6 months old, so he still has a lot of pup left in him! He is neutered...thank you, God.....and he came with his house, collar, leash, food, the whole enchilada! He is a sweetie! He knows how to sit and believe it or not, he doesn't bark hardly at all. Again, thank you, God. I will have to teach him how to shake, how to speak, lay down and all of that stuff.
Erin, my sister Debbie and I went to Bethany's graduation party this afternoon. It was in the fireplace room at New Life Christian Center in Lancaster. We visited with alot of friends and family and enjoyed some delicious food. Once my sister Debbie eats, she is done for. It is nap city for her! So once we ate, we didn't hang around too long. She snoozed all the way home.
After dropping Debbie off, Erin and I went to Mingo Park in Logan where Daniel's ball team is hosting a wooden bat American Legion tournament. It was sooo hot, though there was a very nice breeze blowing.....again, thank you, Lord! *smile* It was the bottom of the 5th inning and we were down 5 runs but we came back and won by 3! Isn't that just great??
After the game, Ed drove Daniel and Erin back here to our houe so they could shower and change clothes. They went to the Washboard Festival which is being held in downtown Logan this weekend. I went out to the church and cleaned the bathrooms and vestibule because Ed and I signed up to clean the church this week. He and one of the young men from church had gone out earlier today to do the vacuuming.
I finally got home at about 6:30 and Daniel and Erin were still here so we had a nice visit together. I have been fighting sleep ever since I got home. I don't want to go to sleep, because then I'll be up half the night.
Yesterday afternoon, Ed went into the ballpark to watch one of Daniel's games. He had gotten all of the grass mowed but the hill side and part of the lower yard. Well, seeing as how it is Father's Day tomorrow, I thought I would be nice and finish the mowing for him. Well, with my back the way it is I wasn't too sure how this was going to work. Anywayyyy.....I climbed onto the mower and fired it up and took off. Now, it did hurt me somewhat to get on the thing, but I managed and once on, I was okay. It took me a little over an hour to finish the mowing. I actually enjoyed doing it. But once I was done, I could hardly get off of the mower. My legs wouldn't move and my body wouldn't cooperate, so I just said..."Help me, Jesus" and pushed up on the steering wheel. It hurt but I got up and off of it. I got cleaned up a bit and headed for the ballpark. I didn't feel too bad considering. After Daniel's game finished, I went to Walmart, then got some takeout for supper and headed home. We were in bed my ten o'clock last night!!! I was exhausted. I was in quite a bit of pain in the night and this morning I could hardly move. Oh, let me back up a little here and tell you that when Ed found out I had mowed the grass he was thankful, but he kind of scolded me and told me that if I messed my back up again don't look to him for any sympathy, so I have tried to keep a stiff upper lip today, because I did kind of mess up my back again. *sigh* But I do believe it is better this evening. Sheesh, but I want so much to just be normal! Okay, let me rephrase that because there are those of you out there who will say that I will never be normal! *grin* I mean, physically. I would like to just walk normal, be able to do normal things. Like this evening and last night.....I wanted to go to the Washboard Festival but I knew I just couldn't do all of that walking. *sigh* But I am trying not to whine because I could be so much worse. And I am so much better than I was 6 months ago. Okay, on to another subject.
I bought some scarlet and gray yarn because I am going to endeavor to make an afghan. Now I know how to crochet but I have never actually MADE anything. Oh, I got about a third of an afghan done one time but it was ugly and I got frustrated with it. Anyway, I am thinking that if I can get this FIRST one made and it turns out good, that I might make some and try to sell them because Ohio State stuff sells like mad around here. I'll keep you posted.
I tried to post a picture of Rocky but there is a glitch here at blogger, so stay tuned for the revealing of Rocky! *smile*
Happy Father's Day to all of the great dads out there!!! Oh yes, Daniel is singing "Wind Beneath My Wings" in the morning service tomorrow at church. Well, not just because he is my son but the boy can saaaaaiiinnnnggggggggg! Whew.....I don't know if I will be able to take it. And he has never sung a solo at church. Can you believe it? He has sung with the choir and the youth but he has just been obstinate about singing a solo. Well, Sis. Martin, our pastor's wife, asked him to sing this song for Father's Day and he didn't even hesitate. Go figure. I'm just so glad that he is going to finally sing. I'll let you know how it goes!!!
Goodnight All! I am off to the shower and then to bed!

And finally........

Tuesday evening, our friends Tony and Becky invited us over for a cookout and to see their newly-remodeled living room and kitchen. Well, Ed was at the ballpark but came over later. My nephew, Troy, and Seth, Tony and Becky's sweet son, was there, too. They have a lovely deck and pool at the back of their house and we were out there eating when Ed arrived. He joined us and while eating asked Tony: "Hey, Tony, is that your pool?" To which Tony replied soberly, "No, Ed, it's the neighbor's. We just let him set it up in our yard."


HERE'S YOUR SIGN! I hate stupid people......LOLOLOLOLOLOLOL
We about died laughing! Even Ed, bless his heart. We all do it, don't we? Ask those stupid questions......

Our pastor, our friend

We have become good friends with our pastor and his wife. We have shared tears and laughter, good times and bad. Still, it is not always the easiest of friendships to maintain, in that they are still our pastor and his wife and sometimes situations arise where they have to be careful not to show partiality or favoritism. We always try our best in these times to let them know that we understand. We are still their friends. We assure them that we do not feel threatened at these times and we know that they must be careful. Oh, but what times of laughter we share/ have shared!! This past Sunday night, sitting in Burger King after church, we laughed so hard about something or other, that we laid our heads on the tables, hung onto the back of our chairs laughing. And then Wednesday night, after church, we decided to stop at McDonald's. It was pouring buckets of rain, so Sis. Martin offered me one of her umbrellas. Well, we get to McDonald's and in driving around to the other side of the parking lot, we see Pastor Martin getting out, his umbrella first and the wind and rain was so fierce that it turned his umbrella inside out!!! And then when he finally got it turned right side out, gallons of rain dumped on him!! We four stumbled into McDonald's soaked and laughing our fool heads off! I was bent over with laughter! I am so thankful for their friendship and that they love me. And even when things are kind of rough, we can always find something to laugh about!
Oh, the picture of them above was taken on old-fashioned Sunday. *smile*

Bethany's Graduation and Other Miscellaneous Activities

My niece, Bethany, graduated this past Saturday morning. I wouldn't have missed it for the world! When each graduate was called up to receive their diploma, a slide presentation of pictures of the student's life was presented. It was so neat. And Bethany has been such a beautiful girl from day one. (I wish I had a scanner so I could post a baby picture of her!) After each graduate received their diploma, they were given a rose/roses to give to their mother and other significant women in their lives. Well, here came Bethany with a rose for me, after she gave one to her mother. I just about lost it. I couldn't believe how emotional I got. So I did shed a few tears but I held it together. *whew* After graduation, we went to Red Lobster for a late lunch and enjoyed such a good time of eating and visiting. After lunch, I proceeded to going shopping, which I loathe, (I'd rather have needles stuck in my eyes!) but I was hoping to find something to add to my sparse wardrobe. Welllll....my first stop was Elder Beerman, where I tried on six or seven things to no avail. I was in quite a bit of pain so as I made my way through the mall to C.J. Banks, I sat and rested often. Thank goodness they have alot of benches! Okay, nothing suited my fancy there either, especially for the prices they wanted! So, I left the mall and headed for Catherine's. Nothing. Nada. On to Fashion Bug. Why did I bother? More nothing, nada, zilch. Finally, I made my last stop at Value City. I gathered up about seven things in my cart and headed for the dressing rooms. And at last I found a really pretty Alfred Dunner turquoise linen shirt/jacket with 3/4 length sleeves! And it was on sale for $12.88! What a find! I practically ran....okay, that IS an exaggeration......I walked kind of quickly to the checkout and headed for the hills (home). It was about 5:30pm when I got home and I was beat. I showered and spent the rest of the evening preparing music and putting the finishing touches on my lesson for Sunday morning! But what a good day it had been, even in the midst of my pain. The Lord is good!

I did it! I did it!!

In a post from yesterday, I said that I was going to go out and plant flowers and wash my car. This was after I finished doing the usual every day tasks here in the house. Well, you will be happy to know that I did both! Isn't that just wonderful??? I can hardly believe it myself. I got both end flower beds done and about sweat myself to death. Okay, now look.....I do not "perspire". I wish! No, I SWEAT! It pours off of me in buckets, especially down over my forehead and into my eyes. Not a very attractive feature for a woman, but, hey, the Lord created me, so I am what I am. A sweater. Daniel sweats like me. Ed does not sweat. Go figure. How can you not sweat, I ask. How in heaven's name did I get on THAT pleasant subject. *smile* Back to the flowerbeds.......
I still have a long flowerbed to do in the front of the house, so hopefully I can get that done tomorrow. After getting the two end flower beds done and putting everything away, I came into the house, washed up a little and collapsed on the den floor. I must have laid there for oh, about 20 minutes and when I went to get up, it was as if rigormortous *sp* had set in! But I prevailed and was on my feet .....well, I would like to say "like a flash" here or "in no time"......but that wasn't the case. It was more like "after heave-ho-ing my body back and forth for about 10 minutes" or "after Ed got the crane out and hooked me up to it". No, it wasn't anything that drastic, but it wasn't a pretty sight. Trust me on this one, for there will be no pictures posted any time soon of that one. I am so thankful Ed loves me. Oh, the miracle of married love. Thank you, dear Lord.
Now, onto washing the car. After getting my body in an upright position, I gathered up the car wash stuff and headed outside. Do you know how long it has been since I washed a car at home? Close to forever, I think. I have gotten into the habit of just running it through the automatic in town. How easy is that for the price of a crisp Lincoln? But my car was really grungy, so it really needed to be scrubbed and, I am sorry, but those soft brushes at the car wash just don't do the job. So I gave my cute little buggy a deluxe hand wash. I cleaned the wheels and the tires. Polished the windows. Ed could hardly believe it when he got home. He came in the house looking for me with this very concerned look on his face, like he thought I might be laying dead somewhere. Much to his surprise, I was still alive and breathing, laying on the living room floor once again. You see, I like to lay on the floor because that is the best way I have found to rest my back. Sitting just seems to kind of jam it up or something. Eventually, I heave-hoed myself up off of the floor and showered and got ready for church. Yes, folks, we had church last night, too. I'll admit, I was pretttyyyyyy sore and achy, but not as much as I thought I would be, considering what I had accomplished. So I am pretty proud of me! Andddddd I slept from 10:30pm to 6am without waking up! Hallelujah! So work does help one to sleep more soundly, as the Bible says. "The sleep of a labouring man is sweet....." Eccl. 5:12. And sweet it was.
I do believe I am getting stronger and better with each passing day and I am so thankful to the Lord and to all of you who have been praying for me and encouraged me and even for those of you who have made fun of my funny little way of walking! *smile* (you know who you are!)
Well, the Lord's best to each of you! I'll be posting again soon!!