Busy week, busy day today

Little Jaylon has been a pretty sick little guy this week. He's had a high temperature (the highest was almost 104) and intestinal flu. Daniel and Erin took him to Urgent Care Wednesday evening where they diagnosed him with C-diff, which is highly contagious, so we've been doing the hand-washing double time and using hand sanitizer more so than usual. They then took him to his doctor Thursday morning for a follow-up.

He's doing much better as he was laughing yesterday and playing and ate his baby food for the first time this week. Boy, did he eat! :-) I'm thankful that he's been good to still take a bottle and also take pedialyte in his bottle because I was concerned about him being dehydrated.

It is really difficult to see them so sick and just be limp and want to be held or just lay. But we've done all we can for him and he has wanted to be held alot, which we don't mind doing at all :-).

Today is a busy day!! I'm so thankful it is going to be a beautiful day! I have a funeral to attend at 11am. A wedding to play and sing for at 2pm. And a birthday party/fish fry for my one remaining uncle at 4pm. As I just typed that, I realized that Uncle Larry is my only living uncle! Wow! You know what that means, don't you? (Let's not mention it,k? *grin*)

Oh brother! Ed just said, after I told him about Uncle Larry...."Well, hey, I just realized I'm your one remaining husband!" Oh, ha ha. Very funny. *grin*

Sooo, I had better get off of here and get with it! I'm taking fruit salad to the fish fry. And I'll type really fast so I can give you that recipe!!

Fruit Salad

1 can of pineapple chunks (reserve the juice)
1 can of mandarin oranges (reserve the juice)
1-2 bananas sliced and mixed with a little lemon juice so they won't darken.
3 kiwi, peeled and cut into pieces
1 1lb. container of strawberries cored and sliced
Purple seedless grapes....as many as you like :-)
1 container of blueberries fresh, not frozen
I sometimes add maraschino cherries, too, drained thoroughly and halved.
1 small package of vanilla instant pudding. (You an use sugar free and it is just as good.)
Mix all of the fruit together in a big bowl.
Mix the vanilla pudding mix in the pineapple and orange juice thoroughly. Pour over the fruit and mix well. Chill one hour before serving.
I've never cared for fruit salad as I don't like tart fruit and sugar just didn't seem to do the trick, but the pudding mix and fruit juice over this is wonderful and does it for me!!! and it is absolutely lovely, too!! so many pretty colors mixed together!!
Have a great weekend everyone!! Oh, I'll post a picture of the fruit salad later!!

Weigh-in day and Jaylon

I lost 1/2 pound! But, hey, that is like two sticks of butter that are no longer clinging to my body in glee! And, though I've only lost 5lbs. in two weeks, I feel so much better and like I've lost quite a bit more than that, so I am pleased. Onward and downward I go!

ANDDD Jaylon turned over for the first time yesterday! Here we go! And we're off! *smile* It is simply amazing to watch them grow and progress. Simply amazing.
He has three teeth...the two lower middle ones and his left eye tooth, which looks kind of funny! *smile* I call him snaggle tooth!
He discovered his hands and feet last week and it has been so funny to watch him just examine them and play with them!

Oh, and yesterday, I had to run some errands for my sister Debbie so Ed watched Jaylon for a couple of hours. Well, the boy decided to do a pooey! Oh my, did he do a pooey!!! Ed telling me about it was sooo funny!!
Well, Ed had put him in his car seat to let him watch Tigger and Pooh and this is where Jaylon was when he did the pooey but when I got home he was asleep on our bed. Sooo, last night when Daniel came to pick Jaylon up, he went to put Jaylon in his car seat and it was a mess! There was pooey on his car seat liner which I hadn't known about because I didn't use it yesterday and Ed didn't know that that had happened. Anywayyyyyy, the kids sent the seat over today with the newly washed cover but I can't figure out how to do the straps! Whew!! I've looked for instructions online but to no avail. Soooo, hopefully I can figure it out eventually.
I never ceased to be amazed how babies can be so happy when they've just done an awesome pooey. They must feel relief? *grin*
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Here is a quick and easy recipe that I fixed last week for our ladies' meeting. Everyone loved it, wanted the recipe and then couldn't believe how easy it was to fix. I had fixed just the meatballs before but I thought adding the stirfry veggies sounded good, as well as putting it over rice and it was! :0)

Sweet and Sour Meatballs and Rice

1 bag of frozen meatballs
3/4 of a large jar of mild salsa
1 jar of apricot preserves
1 bag of stirfry vegetables
3 cups of cooked rice
Salt to taste

Put meatballs, salsa, and preserves in a large kettle. Cook until bubbly and meatballs are cooked through. Add the vegetables. Let cook until tender and cooked through.
Serve the meatballs, sauce and vegetables over the cooked rice. It is so delicious!!

What a weekend!!

I played for a wedding on Saturday at New Life. A young couple that used to be in our youth group got married. They just graduated from high school!! *whew* They seem so young! They ARE young! *smile* But they have been "boyfriend/girlfriend" since they were twelve and have planned for this day for some time. It was a lovely wedding and Pastor Keller always does such an awesome ceremony!

AND I got to see Becky!!! Before she flies off to Paraguay!!! I was so trying to figure out a way to see her again before she leaves and in she walked at the wedding. We sat together for part of the ceremony and at the reception. Daniel, Erin and Jaylon were there, too! I was able to see so many friends that I hadn't seen forever!
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But my day began earlier that day (Saturday). I had a piano lesson to give at ten at the church. Laura and I had a great time, learning, sharing and catching up with each other! *smile*

After our lesson, I cleaned the bathrooms and vestibule at the church, then headed off to Lancaster for the wedding!!

I didn't leave New Life until 5pm!!!! I hadn't meant to stay that late but I was just having such a great time at the reception visiting with everyone!!! *smile*

I then, stopped by Walmart in Lancaster and got Ed a box of candy for Fathers Day and a cute card! He is so deserving! :-)

AND then I stopped back by the church and ran the vacuum in the sanctuary and tidied it up for Sunday!

Talk about tired! I was beat. I finally arrived home at about 7:30! I was so worn out. I showered and went to bed, where I commenced to answering a couple of phone calls. And sometime after that, I died, a.k.a. slept soundly.

When I woke up Sunday morning, I still felt tired but also weak. That kind of concerned me, but I made sure I was drinking plenty of water and eating.


You see.......when I exert myself, as in vacuuming the sanctuary, for instance, I SWEAT! I mean, the sweat pours off of me!!!! Even in the air-conditioning. And it isn't because I'm overweight either. I did this even when I was MUCH smaller. It is hereditary, I believe. And now Daniel has inherited this wonderful trait! I feel for him, let me tell you!!


Here at home, even though we have central air, I sometimes have to put a fan on me to get or stay cool. I am sitting here with a fan blowing on me now. We don't set our AC below 70, but even at that temp, the house stays so cool and comfortable.


ANYWAYYYYY....I am sooo thankful for AC!! Soooo thankful!!

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Sunday, I was up bright and early.....6am.....that is just my normal time to get up and I just can't lay in bed. I put BBQ ribs in the crockpot for dinner before we left for church, fed the dog and cat , made the bed and got ready for church. That morning in service, as I played and sang in worship, it felt like it took so much effort. I was still feeling soooo tired.

Sooooo, we came home, I fixed dinner, tidied up the kitchen and went to bed for two hours. Oh, what a glorious nap!!! *smile*

And after I was up for awhile, Ed told me that Daniel had been over, my sister Debbie had called, and Eddie had called to wish him a Happy Fathers Day and I didn't hear any of it AND I didn't even have the bedroom door closed! I must have died!!! *smile*

So, we went to church again last night and my pastor's wife and I were standing in the vestibule when who should come in the door but Daniel, Erin and little Jaylon!! What a wonderful surprise!!! Now, you may wonder why THAT was such a surprise. Well, for one thing, even though the kids live beside of us, we don't actually see them that much and we do endeavor to give them their space and privacy.
AND....I was a little miffed at Daniel because he didn't do anything for his dad for Fathers Day. I mean, he did wish him Happy Fathers Day when he came over to get something that afternoon BUT I felt like his dad deserved a LITTLE more than that after all he does for them!
Soooooo......seeing them come to church last night was just awesome! Daniel said that he just wanted to be in church with "Pops" on Fathers Day and that meant more to Ed than anything Daniel could have gotten him. *tears* Okay, I didn't mean to go and get all mushy on you all!
Oh, and for those of you who don't know, Daniel and Erin go to church in Nelsonville where Erin's dad pastors and we go to church in Logan! So, it is always a treat to have them in service with us, especially because Daniel plays such awesome drums with me! *smile* And Erin helps praise sing and she has a beautiful voice AND we get to see little Jaylon MORE! *grin*

Monday Morning Survey!

My friend, Barbara, put up a survey on her blog this morning and I thought I would give it a go! If you should decide to do it, too, just let me know in my comments and I'll come have a look-see!!
Have a great Monday!!

What is on your desktop wallpaper?

What is your favorite zoo animal? Giraffe

What was your favorite toy as a child? My dolls. I had a bride doll, a 3-year-old doll (they were supposed to be the size of a 3-year-old child), and a baby doll.

What food do you eat too much of? Just one? Bread

What kind of hairstyle do you have? Long straight hair put up in a twist in the back with curls on top.

What was your favorite activity in gym class? I didn't have a favorite activity in gym. I greatly disliked (hated) gym.

What is on the shirt you are wearing right now? It is my fave nightgown and it is soft yellow with pink flowers.

What is the picture nearest to you of? A Home Interiors picture that I've had forever. It has an autumn scene with Proverbs 3:6 on it: "In all thy ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct thy paths."

What kind of salad dressing do you like? Thousand Island

Whats your least favorite food? Pimento Cheese

What do you do on a Sunday night? Go to church and then either go out to eat with friends or come home and have a snack. At the present time, I am watching The Next Food Network Star, too. But if that is not on, I usually go to bed and read.

If you could only use one condiment on your food for the rest of your life, what would it be? Miracle Whip or Sweet Baby Ray's BBQ Sauce

What color are your sheets? Cream with little burgundy and navy flowers

How big is your computer display? Big enough. *grin* (meaning: I don't know.)

What pair of shoes do you wear most often? Black loafers

What is your favorite game? Text Twist

What is your favorite Thanksgiving food? Noodles

What is your favorite pizza topping? Pepperoni

What time do you plan on waking up tomorrow? 5:30AM, my usual. *yawwwnnnn*

Busy day ahead!

Well, I am up and at 'em after a great youth rally at church last night! Bro. Pete Gardner preached and we had an awesome time in the Lord! Daniel played drums for me and I enjoyed having him there so much. He makes me sound so much better. (I play the keyboards.) One of the air-conditioning units quit working (these are huge outdoor units)so while it was a bit stuffy in there last night, Daniel and I were roasting. We did get a fan to help us, but Daniel got the most of it! *smile*
You see, Daniel and I don't "perspire". We sweat! By the time service started, I needed another shower, the back of my hair was wet......I wasn't pretty. *grin*
Daniel came by home later and told us that they went to McDonald's after service and the air-conditioning there was not working!! Can you imagine? He said it was horribly hot in the place. He said, "Mom, I had to ask for extra napkins........to wipe the sweat off of my face!" He is his mother's son! *smile* Oh, thank the Lord for AC!!!!
I have a piano lesson to give at 10am. Then I am going to clean the bathrooms and vestibule for church tomorrow. It is then off to a wedding at New Life in Lancaster where I'm playing the wedding processional, recessional and music for the reception. AND finally, I will be coming home to finish a Fathers Day photo album/memory book I've been working on for Daniel. I hope I can get it finished for tomorrow! *whew*
The flood waters finally subsided leaving a bunch of stuff strewn all over the place that Ed and Daniel will have to clean up and Daniel and Erin's driveway needs some work and new gravel now, while their underpinning needs repaired, too. It's kind of a mess around here but it could have been so much worse.
Daniel and Erin and little Jaylon were at the rally last night. Jaylon just gets passed around like a sack of tatas!! *smile* And I can't believe all of the young guys who hold him! Now that would have been appealing to me when I was that age. (I think I can remember back that far....hmmm)
Speaking of age.....I told Ed something last night and ended it by saying that you know you are getting old when you can say that something happened or you did something that was DECADES ago! Oh my! LOL
Well, I must be off and about the day! Have a wonderful weekend and stay cool!!!

Patience and Wisdom :-)

Two of the greatest virtues

Rain, rain, and more rain!

We're experiencing the worst flooding since we lived here in 15 years! The rain has finally stopped, thank the Lord. But the water is not receding very quickly. The picture of Daniel and Erin's driveway show water still running over it but it had gone down by the time I took this picture. It had been raging over the road down over their driveway. That will take some time to repair and also their underpinning.
I don't know if more rain is forecast, but I pray not or if there is, that it is minimal and happens during daylight hours.
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The sun is now out and as I was standing out on the back porch, all I could hear was the sound of rushing water, as it continues rage down through the valley.

Weigh-in day!!

Okay....are you ready for this? I weighed myself this morning and I've lost 4 1/2lbs.!! That is good for my first week and I know that that will probably not happen again anytime soon but I am determined to get some of this weight off and feel better.
AND I can hardly believe how much better I feel already. Actually, I felt better after just two days of eating better. I haven't felt so sluggish and tired and draggy. I mean, it's worth it just to feel so much better.
I've also been exercising a little. Ed and I have been taking short walks and I've been doing minimal upper and lower body exercises. But they do really help me to feel better and my range of motion is getting so much better.
I HAVE to get in better shape! I've got a grandbaby that is going to be crawling and walking before long!!! *smile*

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Speaking of grandbaby......he has three teeth now!! He's had his two lower teeth for about a month now and his top tooth.......I believe it is an eye tooth....broke through last week. I

just can't begin to say what a joy and blessing little Jaylon is to us. It's just unbeliveable. Pawpaw Luke stopped by this morning and did Jaylon ever light up!! *smile* He is soooo loved!
Here's a picture of him and his daddy, MY baby! *smile*

Absolutely adorable!

I receive some really neat emails and though I don't like to fill my blog up with this stuff, I just had to share this one. I received it several months ago but saved the pictures.

Apparently, this family had installed a doggie door for their dog, so he could get out to do "his business" when they were gone.

Well, they came home on this particular day and found a visitor laying on the sofa with their doggie. The little deer apparently came through the doggie door and made itself at home. I think this is sooooooo adorable.

Inexpensive fire alarm

Redneck Fire Alarm!

Grocery shopping...Oh My!

Saturday morning, after going to the vision center, Ed and I proceeded to shop for our weekly groceries. We don't usually do this on Saturday, opting for Monday evening when it isn't so busy, but since we knew we were going to be at the vision center, I made a list and we just killed two birds with one stone!
Our Walmart has just been COMPLETELY remodeled! And I love it! The aisles are so much more spacious and the new paint job and signs have made it so much brighter and all. I'm still having some difficulty finding things but that will come in time, unless my mind REALLY starts to go. LOL
This week I was able to get everything I needed at Walmart, because they do price-matching on competitors' circulars. Some weeks I also have to go to Dollar General or Kroger. Sometimes to Aldi's or Savealot. I do endeavor to be a very conscientious shopper, even more so now that the prices have gone up steadily because of the downturn in the economy. Do you shop at just one store? Or do you find that going to two or three different ones saves you money?
I have not always been a big user of coupons but I have noticed that the coupons have improved recently. For instance, I have coupons for cereal, paper towels and a few other items where previously you had to buy two of the item to get the coupon savings but now you only have to buy one item. In fact, I haven't seen a coupon where you have to buy two of something in order to use the coupon for some time. That is definitely a plus, in my opinion. And there seem to be more coupons coming out for items that I actually use. Do you use coupons?
Barbara had an interesting post HERE about buying brand name items. There are some items that I do prefer the brand-name on, though I am willing to give the house brand a try.
As far as brand-name (is that a hyphenated word? I don't feel like looking it up..*grin*) items go, we prefer Folgers coffee or Maxwell House. We buy them when they are on sale or we have a coupon and there has been a Folgers coffee $1 off coupon in the weekly paper for some time now! Yay!
We also prefer brandname paper products, i.e. paper towels, toilet paper, tissues. Again, we buy when they are on sale or we have a coupon. If neither is available, we will buy these items at DG. We also buy most of our medicinal items at Dollar General and buy the DG brand which has proven to be just as good as the brandname products and cheaper than the Walmart brands.
As far as supplements, i.e. vitamins, glucosamine/chondroitin, I buy those at Walmart.
I am amazed at how different everyone's shopping habits are but we are all different......for sure, so it should come as no surprise! *smile*
I remember several years ago, that a friend and I were talking about buying milk. I had purchased a gallon of milk where I always shopped and they were appalled that I would pay that kind of price for it when I could get it for a few cents cheaper in Lancaster. Like I was going to drive 25 miles to save a few cents and they had about the same distance to drive, too. This was before gas prices went up so much. I've never understood driving quite a way thinking I am going to save money, especially now in this economy and with gas prices so high. Now, if I am going to BE in Lancaster for some reason, I do try to use the trip to shop and save money when I can. But I no longer shop for groceries out of town. Plus, I place a premium on my time, too. *smile*
And then there is hairspray. I use hairspray, to say the least. Well, several years ago, I used Rave. #3 / $1 a can. Life was good. Then they changed it! New and improved the can said! Not so much. Oh my word!! And at this time I was doing hair for like 4 or 5 ladies and I had them all using Rave! Well, the new and improved Rave was horrible!! I used the aerosol and it came out too wet, didn't hold and the smell was gross! I emailed the company and really complained and then I set about trying to find a new hairspray that worked. I tried so many different kinds, only to give them away. At least I was able to keep family and friends in hairspray while I struggled to keep my hair done. I ended up with Tresemme' #2. It works wonderfully but it is now $3.42 a can! Wow! But it works. And that makes it worth it. So, I have been endeavoring to use it sparingly.

Good Monday Morning to you all!!

It has been a wonderful two days over the weekend and now that Monday morning is here, we have the boy once again. He is asleep in grandma's bed at the present time. I'm looking forward to him waking up so I can talk to him and play with him. My friend, Pat, said she didn't think I had posted this picture of Jaylon, so here it is for your viewing pleasure!! *smile* (You know how we grandmas are!)

I went to Walmart Vision Center Saturday morning for an eye examination and new glasses. I definitely needed new lenses but Dr. Stein said that that was just a normal progression that comes with age. Argh. I have had the same frames for almost ten years and he suggested that I get new frames, soooooooo, I had the arduous task of picking new ones out. Argh, again. It is so hard for me to make decisions sometimes and this was definitely one of those times. I had even been going into the vision center on occasion during the past month to try on frames so I would know what I wanted when I DID go for my exam, if new frames were advised.
Once again, on Saturday morning, even after the previous visits, I tried on frame after frame and always kept coming back to this one pair that is quite different from what I have been wearing. The technician suggested a few styles but I kept going back to the same frame, so I finally took the plunge and said, "These are it." (Ed was so relieved.) (And so was his wallet or should I say our bank account? Triple argh.) So, I will post a picture when I get the new glasses. It will be so nice to be able to read small print again! *smile*

Saturday 9: Games People Play

I saw this Saturday Meme at Barbara's blog and thought it looked like fun!

Saturday 9 is hosted at Crazy Sam’s. There is a Mr. Linky there if you’d like to join in or see others’ answers.

Saturday 9: Games People Play

1. What was your favorite active game as a child?
Statue: One person would be the "swinger" and would swing each child around and then let them go. The "swinger" would say what kind of pose they were looking for: pretty, funny, etc. We would try to land in a unique pose, be a statue. The "swinger" would pick the best pose. The winner got to be the next "swinger".

2. What was your favorite board game as a child?
Monopoly. We had an older half-brother that bought us our first Monopoly game and we used to sit at the kitchen table, playing Monopoly late into the night. Wonderful memories. Daniel and I used to have an on-going game of Monopoly during the winter months when he was still home.

3. Tell us about a friend you played these games with in your youth.
I always played these games with my siblings. Two sisters/two brothers. And, once in awhile, neighboring kids. We lived in the country.

4. What is your favorite card game?
Euchre

5. What board games do you enjoy now?
Bible Trivia, when I have sometime to play it with.

6. Do you play video games?
Which ones?
Not since our son got married and moved. He took them with him.
I used to be addicted to play Tetris.

7. Tell us about the friends you play games with now.
We play Euchre with our son and daughter-in-law and do we have a time! Daniel keeps a running acount of how many games each team has won. They are four up on us (me and Ed) at the present time.
Also, we occasionally have game/pizza nights at church and the last time we did this, I played Bible Trivia with my husband, our pastor and another man from our church. We had soooo much fun and about died laughing! It was a great time. Oh, and I played Scrabble with two elderly ladies from our congregation. That was really fun, too!!!

8. Do you play any sports now?
Hellooooooo. Uhhh, that would be a no. LOL Unless housework or watching the grandbaby is considered a sport! The way I am out of breath sometimes, you might think they were!!! *smile*
9. What’s your favorite sport to watch?
Ohio State football!!!! Go Bucks!

What was I thinking?

I was sooooo tired yesterday!! From the get go! and I just couldn't build up any steam as the day progressed. So what did I do? I called Daniel and told him that I would fix supper for him and Erin. I usually try to fix dinner for them at least once a week just because I love 'em! *smile*

When I ask them what they would like, they always say "Dutch Potatoes and Shake n' Bake Chicken!", almost without fail. And both of those are easy enough to fix!


So, even though I was growing more weary by the moment, I managed to fix a nice supper for all of us. Daniel and Erin took theirs home and I hit the bed. *sighhhh* Oh, but I do love my bed.

My back gets so tired some days. I am still dealing with lower back issues but I'm hoping they get better as I strengthen those muscles and endeavor to lose some weight.


Oh, and regarding losing weight....I've started eating less this week. I'm not even going to mention that four-letter word. I started watching what I eat on Tuesday..........okay, so I always WATCH what I'm eating....har, har.....*grin*....which reminds me of a joke of sorts:

Did you hear about the new "light diet"? Yes, you eat everything that "lights" in front of you!!

Hmmmm....seems I've been on THAT one for some time now!!! LOL And look where it has gotten me!
Soooooo, I am now in Day 4. I'll keep you posted. I am serious this time! I've never weighed this much in my life......well, until now, that is!!! AND my FAVORITE clothes are getting more than a little snug. So, I have no choice! (please pray.)

Oh, and for those of you who are not weight-concious at the present time, here is the recipe for Dutch Potatoes:

Dutch Potatoes
Scrub and bake 5-6 nice size potatoes.
Bake them in the microwave until done but not
too soft and mushy.
Remove the skins.
Melt a very liberal amount of butter or margarine
in a big skillet. Slice the potatoes and add
them to the skillet. Salt and pepper liberally.
Brown them thoroughly though don't get them too
crispy. You might need to add more butter/margarine.

I like alot of butter/margarine. :-/
Once you have them at the desired brownness,
sprinkle two tablespoons of flour
over the potatoes.
Next, pour one cup of milk over the potatoes and
slowly turn with a spatuala, mixing the flour and
milk together, which will make a gravy or sauce.
Add milk if you need to, to get the desired
consistency.
Then cover all of this with a 2-cup package of
shredded cheddar cheese or another flavor of
shredded cheese that you like. My family
prefers cheddar.

Keep a low heat under the skillet until the

cheese is melted.
These are Daniel and Erin's favorite potatoes!
Enjoy!
Oh, and this is not diet food!
You have been warned!
:-)

Miscellany

Our Asiatic Lilies finally bloomed! I took this picture this morning during the rainstorm, so that is why the picture is dark.
My new porch mat! I just love it!

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I needed windshield washer for my car but the price has gone up sooo much in the last few months, so I just put water in it. The water just wasn't doing the job cutting the road grime and so on. I got the idea of putting a cup of window cleaner w/ ammonia in the water. What a difference it made!! So, I went to Dollar General and bought two big refill bottles of DG brand window cleaner for $1 a bottle! Now we just add a cup of window cleaner to the water in our windshield washers! Talk about a savings!!

These two shall become one....

We had a couple of real downpours this morning, so while the water was really gushing out of the gutter, I took this picture:

What kind of contraption is that, you ask? Wellllll.....it is a piece of leftover metal roofing that Ed bent, then nailed to the porch post to catch the rain coming off of the roof so it wouldn't just hit the ground and spatter mud all over the porch.
When he first rigged this up, it really bugged me, and Daniel teased him about it, but it is just Ed. And that is okay. Well, at least NOW it is okay.
You see, during the first few years of our marriage, I was a perfectionist and Ed? Well, not so much. Grrrrrrrrrr. I cannot even begin to tell you the frustration I felt. Ed would finish projects, be it adding a garage to the first house we bought, or putting on new roof shingles, landscaping the yard in the back where a parking place used to be. I could go on. What you don't see in his projects and so on is that they are not finished perfectly. Ed has a tendency to just kind of rig somethimg up if he doesn't have what he actually needs.
So let me fast-forward to the present. Many years have passed. We've made some adjustments. We've gotten older. Our priorities have changed. We've learned so much. (Especially me. *grin*)

Last week, Ed said he was going to buy a piece of down-spouting and get rid of that piece of roofing sticking out there from the porch and I was aghast!!!!!

Me: "Nooooooo, you can't do that!"

He was shocked! "I thought you didn't like that piece of roofing sticking out there?"

Me: "Well, I didn't.....at first....but, honey, it is so YOU!!!" LOL

You see, I've given up my perfectionist ways. And Ed? He, too, has changed and, like me, learned to be a better spouse, with the help of the Lord. But some things will never change! *smile* The proof?
What IS this, you ask?
Welllll, Ed put a new porch AND roof over the porch. He also made a gate to keep Rocky, our lab, off of the porch. *smile* BUT he needed a latch to keep the gate closed.
Sooooo, he looked around in the garage and on his workbench and found a hook and piece of chain from an old hammock that we used to have. He hammered a nail into the porch post, hooked a chain link on it and slipped the hook over one of the gate slats. Voila'! And there you have it! Our gate latch! It falls off sometimes, especially if you don't have it taut enough which depends on which chain link you hook over the nail. BUT it works!!

Now, we could certainly go and buy a gate latch but it wouldn't be the same! Crazy, hm? *smile*
BUT, what used to bug me to no end, has now become a kind of endearing thing to me in our relationship.You see, the Bible says that when a man and woman marry that these "two shall become one". "Shall" means that it is possible. That possibility depends up on the participants involved. It doesn't just happen. And certainly, not overnight. It helps tremendously if both parties are willing participants, too. (I wasn't.....at first.....okay...okay.....for a few years. Oh, alright....maybe for several...*feeble grin*)
But, thank the Lord, we finally got it right. Yes, both of us, because we both had to be willing to change and come together on alot of little issues. They may have seemed little but ohhhhh the difficulty they could cause.
Twenty-three years down the road, we both can say that what we have now has been worth every difficulty. Okay, "difficulty" might be too nice of a word for some of the fights, arguments, and sleepless nights that we've had!
How I wish I had been a willing participant in making our marriage "a marriage made in heaven" so much sooner than I did. But, I also call Ed my Rennaissance Man. He has also changed unbelieveably through the years! Wow. Do I have a great husband or what? *smile*
One thing that may have hindered us a little was that we didn't get married until I was 34 and he was 43. We were older and so set in our ways. I don't know. That may have been part of it.
But, now, here we are, enjoying the best years of our lives with eachother, blessed with our little grandson. God has been so good to us. Oh, and He's been patient, to the "nth" degree!!! Thank you, Jesus, for this husband who makes my life so much more interesting and adventurous!!
(One last thing? How many times can a guy watch all of the Rocky movies? And Days of Thunder? or Top Gun? I'm just asking.....)

Some humor for the day! :-)

1.. My husband and I divorced over religious differences. He thought he was God and I didn't.

2.. I don't suffer from insanity; I enjoy every minute of it.

3.. Some people are alive only because it's illegal to kill them.

4.. I used to have a handle on life, but it broke.

5.. Don't take life too seriously; No one gets out alive.

Check these out for a smile or two!! :-)

Okay, before you shop for Fathers' Day, you just HAVE to go check our Ivman's post on gift-buying for fathers. Also, if you have the time, stick around and read some of his other posts, too. They are great!!! *smile*

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AND on Barbara's blog, you will find some hilarious posts about marriage here and here!

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Becky's graduation party!

After church Sunday morning, Ed and I came home, had a light lunch, rested a bit, and then headed for Mt. Vernon, where we were going to attend Becky's graduation party after service that evening. Mt. Vernon Apostolic Church is such an awesome church. We just love these folks! We arrived about an hour early, so we got to spend some great time visiting with Ross and Theresa Hines who have blogs here and here, respectively.

By the time service was over, I was feeling some hunger pangs and not being a big sweets-eater, I told Ed that I hoped they were serving some protein at this party! And they did! Thank you, Jesus!! The refreshments were wonderful! They even had a chocolate fountain, which was beautiful but I did not partake of it. No, I loaded up on the sandwiches and chips, thank you very much. *smile* Okay, I did have a piece of cake, but the sandwiches were delish.

As is pretty typical for most graduation gifts, we gave Becky money. Soooo, we got this neat idea of slipping just a one dollar bill into the money card, while folding up the "real" gift and tucking it into the bottom of the card, just letting the one dollar bill show. Think we could fool, Becky? Not for a minute! *smile* She slowly pulled out the one-dollar bill and gradually opened the card further to see if there was "more"! Still, it was funny! Charity, her mother, told us earlier that Becky was not easily fooled by things like that and she was right!!! *smile*

As we were driving to Mt. Vernon Sunday afternoon and then driving home later that night, Ed and I just enjoyed one another's company so much, sharing conversation and memories, sipping on coffee, enjoying the drive together. More than once, the thought crossed my mind that I just don't know what I would do without him. He's my best friend. I love his company. We share the best of times together and the difficult times. I love this time in our lives. I thank the Lord every day for this wonderful husband that he has given to me. We've been through so many things together. Oh, there have been times when we wondered if we WOULD make it through, but with the help of the Lord we did and it has been worth it all. We are truly enjoying the best years of our lives together. And, now, with the addition of little Jaylon, it's just gotten even better! *smile* We had little Jaylon in his Bumbi seat on the kitchen table yesterday afternoon and Ed and I sat there together reading his books to him together and showing him the pictures and then I fed him his baby food while Ed and I talked and laughed with him. Special times. Thank you, Lord Jesus, for your goodness to us. Great is Thy faithfulness.

Jaylon's Dedication

So we get to church Sunday morning at Nelsonville UPC and there is my oldest brother, Bill and his wife Sandy. Also, Pastor Dunnells, better known as Lew...*smile*.....who is Daniel's father-in-law. Then a little later, my sister Bev and her family arrive but there is no Daniel, Erin and little Jaylon. Well, come to find out, Lew didn't know that kids were having little Jaylon dedicated Sunday morning or else, he says, they told him and he forgot, but he didn't think that was the case. AND, Bethany, my niece, told me that she called Daniel and Erin at 9:30am to let them know that she and Drew were going to be late but they would be there and Daniel asked her, "For what?" and she said, "For Jaylon's dedication, silly!", to which Daniel replied, "Oh my gosh, we forgot we were having him dedicated, Bethany!!" I mean, they were still coming to church but they had just forgotten about the dedication. That's my boy! (He takes after his mother *feeble grin*)
BUT everything turned out wonderfully!!! Although, Daniel says had they remembered they would have dressed differently, coloring coordinating better and all, but they were running late, were already dressed when Bethany called and didn't have time to change and all.
BUT the morning's service was wonderful and the Lord truly blessed little Jaylon's dedication and moved so wonderfully in our midst.

And, next, here's a picture of me and my sister, Bev. Do we look alike or what? Everyone thinks we're twins but, alas, we are not. But I do have twin brother, Johnny. Weird, hm? And we kinda sorta look alike but then he's a guy, I'm a girl. *grin*
BUT the crazy thing about me and Bev is that we even tend to dress alike, fix our hair alike AND have almost the same style of glasses. And, no, we do not consult one another on this stuff. It just happens. Like what we chose to wear Sunday morning! Almost identical outfits! Oh, by the way, in the picture below, I'm the one of the left! *smile* And let me say, there is no one I would rather be mistaken for than my sister Bev! She is beautiful on the inside and out and I love her to pieces! :-)

Mothers Day and friendship

My good friend, Tina, came by for a visit the Friday before Mothers Day. We had coffee and just caught up with one another and what has been going on in our lives. It was so good to see her and to hear about her sons and daughter. Her daugher, Kaitlin, was like a daughter to me and Ed. We got her off to school for many years and she was also in our youth group. She is a beautiful young lady now and is getting ready to move to Louisiana.

Anywayyyy.......Tina gave me a beautiful hanging basket of flowers and I've hung it on the back porch so I can see it anytime I walk through the house. It is just such a pleasant thing to be able to glance out and see the beautiful flowers and also be reminded of the friendship I share with Tina. She is a treasure.

"I count myselt in nothing else so happy as in a soul rememb'ring my good friends."- William Shakespeare

The kitty of the house

When we buy a package of bottled water, once we've taken some of the bottles out and put them in the fridge, Ellie tries to get her hairy not-so-little self into the box. You know how cats like to crawl into things, especially spaces too small for them.

Well, I emptied the package this morning and called out to her and she came galloping into the kitchen and I told her, "Get in the box, Ellie!" So she did:

This past Saturday, we bought her a new bag of cat food. Everytime we buy her cat food, when we get it home and set it down, she KNOWS it is HER food. We've not bought this particular kind before, either. She rubs all over the bag and purrs and meows until we open it and give her some of it, whether she needs it or not! She is so cute! *smile*

Our first library books with Jaylon!!

Ed and I took Jaylon to the library today. Now, it is not the first time we've taken him but it is the first time that we've gotten books for him. I got two really awesome pop-up books. He loves them! I sat him in his little Bumbo chair and showed and read them to him and made the animal sounds for the one book. Oh, you know how we grandmothers can be! We have to get excited and animated! *smile*

When Erin came to get Daniel this evening, she saw the books and said that she and Daniel were talking just last night about how they need to get little Jaylon some books and start reading to him but they just seem to have so little time to do anything. She was soooo happy to see that I had gotten him books. I think she was relieved. I do sometimes wonder how young couples do it all when they both work such long hours, you know?

AND Jaylon started eating baby food last week and cereal! What a challenge that was at first BUT I finally got the hang of it! It wasn't Jaylon as much as it was me! LOL I always make sounds like a plane coming in for a landing as I swoop the little spoon towards his mouth and he just opens up as the spoon gets closer. BUT when he is finished, he clamps those little gums together and you KNOW he is done! LOL

He loves peas and carrots and sweet potatoes and fruit and cereal....well, he just loves it all!!
I can hardly believe how fast he is growing and the months are just flying by! He is 5 months/3 weeks old!

I keep thinking I'm NOT going to be as tired at the end of the day, the longer I take care of him. You know, I would be building my stamina or something like that. Uhhhh.....it's not working. I am so tired at the end of the day but again, I am up at a little before 6am and Daniel and Erin don't get him until at least six o'clock. I am just thankful that he is such good baby and he is so happy!!
He has learned how to squeal and make all kinds of noises! We love it!!! *smile*
The picture below is of Jaylon, with just his diaper on, sitting in his Bumbo chair. He looks like he is in his "nakey"! You can see his little books on the table there beside of him.