Wednesday Random already...again!! :-)

Linda at 2nd Cup of Coffee continues to host the Wednesday Random Dozen! Thank you so much, Linda!
It's a list of 12 random questions that you answer. Then you sign in on her page and you go visit other "randomers" and they come visit you and you all read eachother's answers, leave comments and hopefully make some new friends!
Just click on Linda's blog up there to join in the fun!!


1. What insect are you most afraid of? Feel free to post a picture.
Spiders....I've seen pictures of what can happen if you get bitten by a brown recluse spider! Oh my! I have seen a few around here at one time or another and I do not like them!! I always kill spiders when I see them. Other insects stand a chance of living to see another day but not spiders!

2. What is the greenest/most organic thing about you or that you do?
We recycle all that we can. We are very conservative with our electricity use and water use. Hmmmm....that is all I can think of at the moment. :-)

3. Tell me about a recurring dream that haunts you.
I don't think I've had a recurring dream, other than having dreams where I'm trying to get somewhere and just can't get there!

4. Have you ever missed a flight? What were the circumstances?
No, but I almost missed one! My three girlfriends and I were taking our first trip to NYC...ever! So, at 5 o'clock in the morning, I'm heading up St. Rt. 33 when my car just quits! BUT it quit right in front of our church. I couldn't believe it! I didn't know what to do. Ed had gone into work early that morning, so I didn't have time to call him and wait for him to get there. Sooooo, I walked around my car a couple of times and just prayed, asking the Lord what I should do.
I got my small suitcase and purse out of my car, locked my car up and started flagging down cars....on 33!!! At 5 o'clock in the morning!!! No one would stop...not that there were that many cars out on the road just yet. BUT finally a little silver Toyota pulled over and a young man got out and asked me if I was having car trouble. I told him that I had a flight to catch that was leaving Columbus at 7:45, my car had broken down and I had three friends waiting on me in Lancaster.
Well, he just happened to be the son of my sister's best friend in high school!!! Can you believe it??? He just happened to be going into work two hours early that Friday morning! Can you believe it?
Well, this was in 1999, when cellphones were just beginning to become somewhat popular, so I asked him to please stop at the roadside rest so I could call my friends and let them know where I was at and what was going on. They said they would be waiting for me on the junction of 33 and the road where my girlfriend lived.
I tell you, I was so hyped up on adrenaline at this point that I about talked this young man's leg off. I told him that I truly believed the Lord sent him my way, knowing the predicament I was in.
We finally met up with my friends adn this young man got out of his car and helped me into the other car, put my suitcase in the back but not before I gave him a hug and thanked him profusely! My girlfriends were dying, thinking I was hugging a complete stranger. Well, he wasn't EXACTLY a stranger, even if we had just met. :-) AND I had alot of money already invested in this trip. I was determined to make it or else!!!
We were in NYC three hours later and I called Ed from a payphone, told him what happened and he had my car towed that evening. The timing belt had broken.
Soooo, there you have the story of the flight that I ALMOST missed! :-)


5. What do you consider your best feature?
My personality. At least that is what people tell me and it is what I believe is my best feature. I like my blue eyes, too. :-)

6. What was the last concert you went to?
We took our youth group to a Carmen concert, several years ago. It's the only concert I've ever been to.

7. Describe the most embarrassing church moment you ever experienced.
Oh.my.word. I was coming down from the platform, after the music was finished, as the pastor was beginning his message. Everyone was standing....thank the Lord.....so I don't know how many people actually saw what happened.
I was wearing a long black stretchy straight skirt. As I came down the last step, I accidentally stepped on the front of my skirt, stumbled and fell to my knees. I then proceeded to fall flat on my face on the carpet because I had a couple of folders of music in my arms and couldn't move quickly enough to catch myself.
I somehow managed to get myself up without causing a commotion and I think it was because everyone was standing and following along in their bibles as the pastor read the scripture text. Thank. You. Jesus. :-)

8. Are you a whistler, hummer or singer?
I am definitely a singer! :-) I looooove to sing!!!

9. George Washington Carver said, "I love to think of nature as an unlimited broadcasting station, through which God speaks to us every hour, if we will only tune in." What is God saying to you through nature today, or this very minute?
To slow down so that I might REALLY savor and enjoy the beauty around me, which little Jaylon has helped me to do.


10. On September, 1, 1752, the Liberty Bell arrived in Philadelphia. What memorable event will take place in your life on September 1, 2010?
I will once again awaken at 5:30am to prepare for the arrival of our little grandson Jaylon, who is 20 months old. I will then proceed to delight in and marvel as he makes new daily discoveries in this new life that he is living in front of us...me and his grandpa.
I am amazed daily at how he delights in the smallest, simplest thing. It has caused me to once again have a sense of marvel and delight, which we sometimes lose through the busyness and cares of this life.
He learned to say "shhhhh", as in "be quiet", yesterday. And when I did it back to him, he would just laugh! He saw a woolly worm in the yard and bent down and watched it for several minutes, so interested in it. He loves sticks. And rocks. He is at his happiest when he is standing by the creek throwing rocks into the water, one at a time and seeing the splash they make, hearing the "kerplop" sound they make when they go in the deep water. Sometimes, he just claps and claps, he's so happy about such a simple thing.
He hardly ever misses seeing a butterfly as it floats by.
AND sometimes he just laughs. He just bends over and laughs because he can!
It doesn't get much better than that!!!


11. Taco Bell or the Liberty Bell? (You must choose.)
Honestly? I stand a better chance of going to Taco Bell, than getting to see the Liberty Bell any time soon. So, Taco Bell it is!!! (I'll have a CrunchWrap please!) :-)

12. Do you believe men and women can have purely platonic friendships
Well, if they are both married, I think not. That would be asking for trouble, in my humble opinion. There are so many of their own gender to be friends with anyway!!!
If they are both single...possibly. But, it seems, in my observations over the years, that one or the other usually ends up being more emotionally invested in the "friendship" than the other, whether they ever REALLY admit to it or not. (Remember "My Best Friend's Wedding"? What a heartbreaker!*sigh*)
AND, married men and women might possibly be able to be "just friends" if one of them is like totally gay. Meaning, if HE was married and his female friend is a lesbian or if SHE is married and her male friend is gay.
And that is all I have to say about that! :-)

Monday Randomness

Where do the days go?? My, but time does fly by!!!

Jaylon has had poison ivy. It started out on his back and started spreading all over his little body, so Erin made an appt. and I took him to his pediatrician last Wednesday and he prescribed prednisone...2 tsps. a day for five days. He said Jaylon may experience mood swings and an increase in appetite.

Well, the little guy surely did experience the mood swings. Daniel brought him over Friday afternoon and little Jaylon just didn't act like himself at all. I felt so badly for him. He was grumpy and didn't want me to hold him and then he did and then he didn't and then he would just stand and stare off into space.

That evening, Daniel, Jaylon, Ed and I went to the Logan Chieftains football game and I wondered if we should have even tried to take Jaylon. Well, he had fun in spurts but mostly he was just fussy and discontent, where normally he would just be happy-go-lucky and friendly with everyone around him and having a ball. But Erin had been home sick for two days with of a bad cold and we didn't want to burden her with him. All in all, we had a good time, as did Jaylon, even if Logan did lose to Lancaster. *sigh* :-) I still enjoyed the bands,cheerleaders and seeing so many people that I know! :-) And we sat with my oldest brother Bill, and his family, which we always enjoy! :-)

I didn't get too involved in anything Thursday, even though I didn't have little Jaylon. He was home with mommy. I wanted to be available in case Erin needed me to take care of Jaylon, if she got to feeling too badly. She went into work late on Wednesday morning because she felt so rough but just couldn't do it on Thursday. The poor girl was so sick for about three days. Thankfully, she is all better this week!

Friday, I painted half of the back porch and really got alot accomplished here at home. Erin was still sick but Daniel was home with her and Jaylon as it was his Friday off.

Anywayyyy....I got alot done here at home and at about three in the afternoon, I drove up to Jack's Steak House and had a late lunch, all by myself, sat there reading the daily paper, sipping on my Diet Pepsi. It was so relaxing.

Afterward, I cleaned the church for the week, and on my way home, I washed my car! :-)

I didn't know if I would feel up to going to the football game that evening, but amazingly, I did!

On Saturday, we shopped for groceries and then in the afternoon we attended the wedding of a young lady who was in our youth group a few years back. It was a beautiful wedding and, again, it was good to see so many familiar faces and have the opportunity to catch up with those I haven't seen for awhile.

This is Lebreeska and her dad as they entered the sanctuary. She was a beautiful bride. Before her dad gave her away, they played a slideshow of pictures of just Lebreeska and her dad that were taken all through her growing up years and the song, "I Loved Her First", played during the presentation. Let me tell ya....I was wiping tears through the whole thing.

On Sunday, of course, we went to church in the morning and for the evening service, as it was a 5th Sunday, we had a singspiration. We invited New Straitsville church to join us and after the service and singing, we enjoyed pizza and fellowship. It was so much fun and the singing was wonderful and so annointed. I think it is the best singspiration we've ever had!

We came home afterward and I showered and went straight to bed. I was sooo tired.

I was wondering how Jaylon would be today because of possible lingering effects of the steroids but he was almost back to his old happy self! Thank you, Jesus! He did sleep later than usual, though. Well, he woke up when Ed brought him over at 6:30 and then went back to sleep shortly after 7....on the floor:



He fell asleep in my arms and I held him for about 20 minutes but he woke up just enough slip down onto the floor, stretch out and go back to sleep. He woke up at around 8:45am.

It is hot, hot, hot in Ohio this week. In the 90's all week. Hazy, Hot and Humid!! Yuck!! And it had been so nice last week.....a touch of September, just to tease us. *sigh*

AND can you believe it IS nearly September?!??! Again....where does the time go!?!?! Next weekend is Labor Day, then our county fair, Sept. will be half over, then the Lancaster fair, the Pumpkin Show, the Apple Festival, Ed's birthday, then it's November!

Oh, and it is now less than 4 months until Christmas! :-) I don't get too anxious about Christmas as we celebrate very simply, so I don't feel alot of pressure and so on, thankfully. I look forward to Thanksgiving so much more than Christmas.

Well, I am going to post this and then take myself off to bed! Hope your week is off to a wonderful start!! :-)

Wednesday's Random Dozen!

Here's my last-minute Random Dozen this week! I'm determined to get it posted even if I am getting to bed later than usual!
I had a time with coming up with an answer to some of them, which is unusual for me. Normally, I have to control myself so I don't write a book for every answer!
Well, you're getting a reprieve from my usually lengthy answers, this week! So, read on, dear friends! :-)
Oh, and just go on over to Linda's blog at 2nd Cup of Coffee to join in the fun or to just visit some other great blogs, read their answers and hopefully make a new blog friend or three!!! :-)

1. What is your favorite Mexican dish?
I don't eat Mexican food enough to have a favorite dish! :-)

2. When you were a kid, did you get started on your homework right away after school, or did you procrastinate?
I don't know that I procrastinated but I did wait until after dinner when those of us five kids who did have homework would gather around the kitchen table to do homework. Some wonderful memories!

3. What is your favorite store for home furnishings?
Big Lots! We have gotten our living room, bedroom, dining room and miscellaneous other furniture from there and love it!

4. When you were young, did you like school lunches?
Yes! With the exception of spanish rice (which I now love) and pimento cheese sandwiches (which I still detest). :-)

5. Is religion a crutch?
Oh no, not at all.

6. In your region, what is the "big" (most popular in the community or state) high school sport?
Football, with basketball coming in at a very close second. In fact, we are going to the opening game of the season here in Logan this Friday night when the Logan Chieftains take on their main rival, the Lancaster Golden Gales! Go Chiefs! :-)
Of course, I just go to watch the cheerleaders AND the marching bands AND to see and talk to all of the people that I haven't seen in ages and some that I have! Oh, and our band boosters do have the BEST concession food EVER!!!! Last year, they had homemade chicken and noodles AND they grill hamburgers and hot dogs!!! Gone are the days of a box of popcorn and a cup of pepsi. (And we wonder why there is an obesity epidemic in America?)

7. Do you consider yourself rich?
Not necessarily monetarily, but, oh, so rich in so many other ways, for we know the Lord and He has brought a "richness" to our lives that money cannot buy. "Take this whole world, but give me Jesus."
Now, we are debt-free, which we have endeavored to be at this stage of our lives. Ed is retired, working part-time and, of course, I don't work outside of our home and with Ed nearing 70 and me on the verge of 60,we didn't want to be in debt going into retirement.
BUT our true security lies in the Lord, for things in this life can change in an instant, be it financially or health-wise, as we've seen and many have experienced through the years, but the Lord is the same, yesterday and forever and we must have our anchor cast in Him, our hope, our trust, lest we think this world is our source and supplier. Oh, no. It is Jesus!

8. Which of these would you have the best chance for success in administering:
A) CPR
B) Heimlich Maneuver
C) Changing a flat tire
The Heimlich Maneuver, which I have administered before and I'm so thankful that I knew how! Thank you, Jesus!

9. Which dance would you prefer to learn & why:
A) Salsa
B) Hip Hop
C) Waltz
D) Swing
Oh, I definitely have to go with the waltz because it would be easier on my body.....I think! :-) Good heavens, if I tried one of those other dances, I'm just sure I'd end up in traction!!

10. What's the worst news you've ever delivered to someone?
It's something that I can't share here and I know that you all will understand.

11. Name something you learned in college that had nothing to do with classes or academics.
I didn't go to college, so this is an easy one! :-)

12. New variation on an old question: If there's a song in your head that just won't get out, what is your favorite (or most repeated) line in that song?
At the present time, I just don't have a song in my head, although sometimes I do, but I can't remember what the last one was! :-)

Talk about randomness!! :-)

I don't know if I have EVER been this random before, but here goes!

This is a picture of Daniel that Erin took at the Cavinee reunion a couple of weeks ago. I just looooove this picture of Daniel, probably because he is smiling so hugely and "relaxedly". Can you tell I love him just an eensy bit? :-)

And here is a picture of a DEAD horsefly! Now, you may be wondering WHY in the world I took a picture of it BUT, you see, we have been inundated with horse flies this summer! Our neighbor has horses, so I'm sure that has something to do with it but I did hear on the news that there has been an inordinate number of horseflies this year.

Anywayyyyy.....Rocky, our trusty black lab, kills them! It is so funny!!! He chases this and snaps at them until he nails, a.k.a kills them. I think he eats them sometimes, too. Oh, and he also kills and eats bees, which reminds me of this saying that Ed says, "He was grinnin' like a dog eatin' yellow jackets!" LOL Sounds like somethin' he may have heard over in Perry County when he lived there! :-)


About a month ago, we attended the dedication of Bethany (my niece) and Drew's little Hayley, my great-niece, who is the newest addition to the family! She is sooooo adorably cute!!! Love the pink bow!!!
Pastor Sheets, Bethany and Drew's pastor, said somethng during the dedication ceremony that I don't believe I have heard before but he turned to the family members gathered around Bethany, Drew, and little Hayley and asked us to take a vow: "And to the grandparents, brothers and sisters, aunts and uncles....I ask you to make a solemn vow, that should something happen to Bethany and Drew, be it death or sickness, that you will do your part in making sure that Hayley and Nathen are brought up to know the Lord, to love Him and to love His word." It was a beautiful dedication ceremony!


This is a picture of Jaylon swinging at the Cavinee reunion. That's grandpa in the back! Jaylon will swing as long as someone is willing to push him and he usually....*gasp*.....has a bit of a fit when he has to get out! :-)

Oh, and the picture below is just some random humor. I received this in an email and thought it was so funny. Not because it is referring to President Obama, necessarily, but because I do grow weary of hearing the lot of them, the politicians, just going on and on and saying what they think their constituents want to hear...blah, blah, blah, blah, blah.

AND a picture of my two favorite guys sharing a high-five at Easton! How cute!! :-)
And I just had to include this pic of Daniel mopping the kitchen floor at his house. Erin thought it was so funny that he was standing on a towel while doing it but he didn't want to track his clean floor. :-) (Did his mama raise him right or what? LOL)

And, lastly, but not leastly, my two favorite guys sharing a sweet kiss. Awwww....I could just hug them both to pieces!!

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I've been dealing with being tired and feeling a little blue, for some reason, and the blues and being tired don't go very well together, so I'm heading to bed early tonight, hoping to feel more peppy tomorrow. :-)
I sometimes think I just expect too much of myself after a day of taking care of a toddler....a 12-hour day.....I mean, I SHOULD be tired, right?
I just remember the days when I could work a job all day and then go all night and get up and start all over again.
Which reminds me of an old song..."Those were the days, my friend, we thought they'd never end...."
Oh, they've ended, all right. Never to be seen again. :-) *yawn* *groan* LOL
AND there is a full moon. I've oftened wondered if that really does affect how a person feels. Hmmmm....what do you all think?

Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhh...........

No humidity! Lower temperatures! A breeze! Finally, a bit of a reprieve from the heat! At least for today and tomorrow. Then it is back in the nineties and humidity through the roof for the weekend. *sigh*

I'm enjoying it while I can! I think September is just teasing us. :-)
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My sister Debbie gets Meals on Wheels. They move so fast that she has trouble eating them....No, no....LOL...I'm sorry....that is what ED says about them. Only he says something like "Those Meals on Wheels are pretty good but I just can't eat that fast."

At first, I didn't get it but it eventually came to me. *groan*

Anywayyyy.....Debbie gets Meals on Wheels and sometimes she just doesn't eat breakfast and two meals a day, so she passes a few meals on to me as she doesn't have alot of freezer space.

So, I was wanting something to eat this morning.....I eat anything at any time of day....and I saw that there was a roast beef, dressing, mashed potatoes and gravy and vegetable dinner. So, I commenced to heating it up in the micro.

Well, once it was all done, I removed the cover and it came to me that Ed could probably eat this meal and it surely did look and smell delicious. The meat was really tender and he DID just get all of his teeth pulled so he can't just eat anything he pleases.

Sooooo, I covered the meal up and saved it for him. Yes, I did.

He came in the house a little while later from doing weedwacking all around the yard. After he got cleaned up and all settled in, he said he was hungry and I told him about the meal.

He just couldn't believe that I had saved that meal for him. (He knows how I am about food. *grin*) He told me he would love me forever as he delved into the mashed potatoes and gravy. *sigh* That's nice. :-) Just kidding. And it was easy for him to gum...er, uh...I mean, eat.

I did actually feel better in giving him the meal than I would have had I eaten it myself. Imagine that. :-)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
We went to the Cavinee family reunion Sunday.


Of course, Ed and his sisters had a fun time laughing and carrying on.

And then the brothers-in-law and Ed's brother, Leroy, joined in.

He has another sister, Ruth,who lives in Georgia and could not attend. Also, he has a sister, Mary Lou and two brothers, Robert and Paul, who have passed away.

It was so nice to meet more of Ed's extended family...aunts, uncles, cousins, second-cousins and so on.

Jaylon got a cute little stuffed doggie for being the youngest Cavinee in attendance!! But I think this happy young couple will probably have the winner of THAT award with them next year!

This is Ashley and Justin, Ed's nephew and his sweet wife. They are expecting their first child next April and announced it at the reunion Sunday!! We are all so happy for them!!!

Ashley and Justin live in homeplace, where Ed and his siblings were born and raised. Ed's dad built the house and added to it through the years. Ashley and Justin have remodeled quite a bit but they haven't changed the outside so much that it doesn't still look like the same house. I'm happy that they are living there and that the home is staying in the family, just as my parent's home is still in the family with my brother Bill and his wife Sandy living there.

Back to the reunion. :-) It was pretty hot Sunday afternoon but thankfully, a breeze was blowing occasionally.

We stayed for about three hours and then bid everyone goodbye, promising to come again next year. Ed did a group hug with his sisters. :-)

Daniel, Erin, and little Jaylon came to the reunion, too, and when little Jaylon saw me....I was eating....he just came running to me with his little arms open. Melted my heart.

So I gathered him up on my lap and we commenced to eating fried chicken and easy cheesey potaotes and broccoli and rice casserole.

Have I told you all how much I love this little guy? Oh my......

After eating, Jaylon and I walked over to the swings and I pushed him way up high in the little toddler swing and he just laughed and jabbered.

But by the time it was time to leave, he was fussy and tired and hot....poor little guy......and so was grandma. Well, I wasn't fussy but, boy, was I worn out from the heat and all. And I had been up since my usual getting up time of 5:30am, fixed food, went to church, came home and helped Ed load the car.

We got home at about 5 o'clock and I put things away, showered and finally just laid down on my bed and slept soundly for two hours.
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Well, Jaylon is napping as I type this, so I am going to and rest a bit before he wakes up all raring to go.....again! :-)

Thanks to my dear blogging friends for stopping by my blog so faithfully and leaving comments. I visit your blogs as often as I can, not always leaving comments, but doing so if I have the time.

I find myself talking to Ed about each of you sometimes, perhaps about something that's going on in your life that you've blogged about or something you've done, and I always have to remember to tell him that you are one of my blogging friends. He thinks it is pretty neat that we've become friends even though we haven't met in real life. Technology is wonderful, hm? :-)

Hope you are having a blessed day wherever you are, my friends!!! :-)

Our little adventure of the week! :-)

Early Tuesday morning of this past week, Ed, Jaylon and I headed out for Cedar Falls, a local state park, for a time of hiking and seeing some beautiful scenery.
As this was Jaylon's first time out in the local state parks, we weren't quite sure how he would do but he was a real trooper, holding our hands and going up and down every step! He had a ball!
There are 7 beautiful state parks in the Hocking Hills area where we live but Cedar Falls is my favorite. It is one of the smaller ones, located between Old Man's Cave and Ash Cave. It is absolutely take-your-breath-away beautiful.

Here is Jaylon and Grandpa heading down the steps into the gorge.

The view from the steps they were walking down.

This is part of the path leading to the falls up ahead. Oh, and this is me keeping up with Jaylon. :-) And in the picture where I am holding him, it is pretty obvious that he is anxious to get down and be on his way again. :-)



We finally reach the falls and Jaylon immediately wants to play in the water! Go figure! :-)




But it is soon time to get our shoes back on....I went wading, too.....and trek our way up and out and back to the car!

One last shot of Ed and Jaylon before we make our way up the stairs to the left and up and along a bit of a steep and tricky trail and more steps!



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Let me end this post by saying that there was a time, about two years ago, that I was almost housebound and never thought that I would be able to be out walking and hiking on my own!
But the Lord made a way for me to get insurance, to have the tests that I needed to find out what was wrong with my legs and two hip-replacement surgeries and two years later, I am once again able to do so many things that I love to do!
When Daniel was about Jaylon's age, I started taking him to the "Caves", what we locals call the state parks, and he developed such a love and appreciation for their beauty and serenity.
Now, here I am, thanks to the Lord, able to take little Jaylon so he can enjoy the outdoors and gorgeous area where we live!
I tell you, just when we think we have reached our lowest point and things cannot get any worse, the Lord will step in right on time and let us know that He sees where we are. He knows what we are going through. And He does all things perfectly and well.
I've been rejoicing all week because I am able, once again, to walk freely and without pain. I'll be forever thankful.

All in a day's time!!

Below are a few pics of what Jaylon and I usually do throughout our days. He loves to be outside doing anything! We usually walk around the yard and eventually end up at his house, next door, where he loves to look at the rocks, select just the right ones and throw them in the little stream that runs down through the middle of our yards.
And we almost always head out to the front porch where he plays in his Little Tikes water table/boat. He absolutely loves it! And he has a little big wheel that he loves to ride around on.
So far, I think I've done a great job in keeping up with the little guy this summer.
Actually, I think he has been really good for ME, in keeping me moving! :-)

♫♪♫ It's Random Dozen Time ♪♫♪

......♫ It's Random Dozen Time ♪.....(sung to the tune of "It's Howdy Doody Time").

Yes, it's that most wonderful time of the week once again!!!

Linda, at 2nd Cup of Coffee, has started Wednesday's Random Dozen, once again, after taking a much-needed summer sabbatical from racking her brain in her endeavor to come up with 12 inquisitive questions for us to respond to each week! I don't know how she does it but she does, and I am thankful because I have made some wonderful blog friends through her efforts! So, from my heart.....thank you, Linda.....and here goes!!! :-)

If you'd like to join in the fun, just click on Linda's blog...up there....follow the instructions....and join us!!!

1. When was the last time you laughed until you cried?
I can't remember, though I know I have and it certainly hasn't been that long ago.
Oh, I remember!!!! It was during our weekend vacay in July when we were at our friends' house, Bob and Betty, who live near Mt. Vernon. We were playing Euchre and, oh. my. word., did we ever laugh!!!! Tears were streaming. Feet were stomping. Hands were clapping. LOL It makes me laugh even now just thinking about it!!! :-) Oh, there is nothing better than spending wonderful times with precious friends, especially those who love the Lord!!!

2. If you found $10 today, what would you do with it?
In all honesty, I would probably use it to go out to eat somewhere, adding some money to it, of course.
BUT....in all SERIOUS honesty, I really SHOULD put it in my Sheaves for Christ can. You see, every year, our church participates in Sheaves for Christ, which is a fund-raising program that the youth branch of our particular denomination, the United Pentecostal Church Internationl, sponsors. There are alot of different ways in which churches raise money for this worthy cause, but our church has been very successful in using the SFC cans!
SFC supports many worthy causes within our organization, the most important being missions!! So, we do support it wholeheartedly!!

Allllriiiiight.....I'd put it in my Sheaves for Christ container! :-)

3. Do you volunteer anywhere?
I would have to say that I volunteer mostly at our church. I've been the music director, off and on, for approximately 25 years. My husband and I were the youth leaders for 7 years. We've done a little bit of everything, actually, through the years at our church and continue to:
Outreach, teaching, cleaning, mowing, cooking, clean-up, decorating, organizing parties, banquets, special occasions, holiday programs. In short, ANYTHING that needs to be done, we are willing to do.

4. What is your favorite summertime veggie or fruit, and how do you eat it?
Oh, my favorite veggie would be corn!!! I cut the corn off of the cob, after it is
cooked and slather it with butter put some butter on it, salt and pepper and oh yum!!
Tomatoes are a close second but I have to be careful not to stuff myself eat too many because they cause canker sores in my mouth! Oweeeeee!!! And, yesssss, I've tried the acid-free yellow tomatoes but they just don't taste as good. (Okay, Ed???) :-)

5. Is your social sphere (circle of friends) small, medium or large?
I would have to say medium, though many of my family and friends would say large. And then there's Ed, my dear husband, who says I'm just like the Pope: I know everybody! :-)
You see, I have a small circle of REALLY close friends, a medium circle of very, very good friends and a large circle of friends that I love dearly but am just not as close to as the other two groups.

6. When was the last time you attended a family or school reunion? How did that go?
We had our (Peters) family reunion in June at my niece April's house and it was absotively, posilutely wonderful!!!!
And this past June, we attended my 4oth class reunion at which I had an unbelieveably wonderful time! It was like a FAMILY reunion! We could have talked for hours and some of us did!! :-)

7. When you're feeling blue, what is the best way someone can cheer you up?
Take me somewhere really nice to eat where the food is really good! Yep, that usually does it! We eat and talk and eventually laugh and relax and talk about the goodness of the Lord and other good, positive, uplifting things.

8. Have you taken a vacation this summer?
Not an actual vacation/vacation but we did go away for a very nice weekend last month which you can read about here! :-)

9. What is the most unnecessary item you carry with you all the time?
A pocket knife? I've carried it forever, thinking I or someone might need it for sumthin' some day.
But, so far, huh-uh. :-)
Oh, let me elaborate a little here and say that it is small and I carry it in a little zippered compartment of my purse where I also keep my nail clippers, emery board, lip balm, compact, safety pins, hair pins, etc. I didn't want you to think that I go around with this knife strapped to my waist or ankle or something, like Rambo or Crocodile Dundee. LOL

10. What is the best summer flick you have seen so far?
Uh, that would be "none". :-) You see, there just hasn't been anything on that I've really wanted to see and my resident "friend-to-which-I-go-to-the-movies-with-friend" has been in Florida with her son and his family all summer and just returned home last Friday! Sooooo, in time, we may be going to the movies but it will probably be a favorite-autumn-flick by the time we do! :-)

11. Describe a perfect summer day.
Very low to no humidity. Blue skies. Big puffy white clouds. A gentle breeze is blowing. The grass is mowed and trimmed. The house is clean. Groceries are bought. And I don't have anything that I HAVE to do. So, we might just stay around home, lounge on the front or back porch in a comfy chair, reading or talking. We might do a light chore that we've been putting off but actually kind of doing on a day like today. We might grill out. Or we just might order in. But we would just enjoy being
home, chillaxing.

12. Please a share a favorite photo from the summer so far!


Ed, Jaylon and I left early this morning and went to Cedar Falls, a beautiful local state park near where we live, to hike and enjoy the magnificent scenery before it got too hot. Jaylon had a ball!! He loves to walk and went up and down every step and there were alot but he didn't want to be carried. He just wanted me on one side holding his hand and grandpa on the other. Jaylon is so much like his daddy, in that he loves the outdoors and is so sure-footed for a little guy!
The picture is of him and Ed/Grandpa waiting for me to get done taking pictures so we can go up and wade in the water and throw rocks at the falls. :-)

Our little homeboy!!

Okay, I know that I post ALOT of pictures of Jaylon, the grandson. BUT he IS here with us Monday through Thursday from 6:30am until 6:00pm and occasionally for a few hours during the weekend. Soooo, he is kind of like my life, my world, for those four days! AND a grandma can NEVER have enough pictures of her grandchild/children!!! I mean, how many is ENOUGH?? :-)

I bought him a big bag of giant legos a few months ago, but he just wasn't very interested in them until about a week or two ago and as you can see in the pictures below, he loooooves them AND he especially loves them when grandpa plays with him with them. :-) They have such a time!!!

Most of the time, Jaylon brings his books to me to read to him but this particular time, in the picture below, he allowed Grandpa to read his book to him. Grandpa changes words and skips pages and somehow gets away with it, too. Go figure. :-)

I had fixed breakfast for Jaylon this particular morning but he just had to sit on Grandpa's knee and eat breakfast with him, which Grandpa didn't mind one iota! :-) It just tasted better coming off of Grandpa's plate!

I stepped out the front door one morning this week and, as usual, looked up at the sky and it was sooooo beautiful, I HAD to take a picture! I believe this was taken on July 28th or 29th.
Oh, and disregard the dates on these photos. I don't always set the date and time and have not figured out how to just take the date off! Grrrr!! I've tried everything. I probably just need to hand my camera off to a six-year-old and let THEM do it for me. *sigh* :-/ How do they do that?

Below is a picture of Jaylon all vegged-out watching Tigger and Pooh, his favorite!!! It's the only thing he likes to watch on TV, which is fine with me as we don't want him watching alot of TV. Oh, and he likes The Price Is Right, which Ed and I sometimes watch or if we can't watch the whole show, we try to tune in for the Showcase Showdown. I should just record it, hm?
I think Jaylon likes all of the clapping and excitement!!


This is just a cute picture of you-know-who standing down by the creek as we were taking our daily walk around the yard one afternoon and I thought he looked so cute and what would it hurt to take ANOTHER picture of the boy? I mean, I don't have one of him in THIS particular outfit! :-)


Awwww...and I just love it when he sleeps in this position 'cause his daddy did, too, when he was little, and it is soooo adorable! And look at his little feetsies, how he has them crossed....Awwwww. :-)


Oh, and below is Jaylon CLIMBING. INTO. his water table! Good heavens, I had just turned around and when I looked back, he had climbed up into the little boat and was sitting there looking at me with the ornriest grin on his face!!! You can't look away for a second, I swear!!! And he has no fear! Oh my!! Lord, help me! :-)

And, lastly....I've said it before and I'll say it again.....kids love to play with things that you would never guess could possibly be fun....like my note and pen holder.
Jaylon kept pointing at something on the table and after holding up a kazillion things....he finally settled on the note and pen holder. He must have spent a half hour....no kidding....putting pens into the holder and taking them out. I gave him three or four more pens to use. Then he would take out a little square of paper and scribble on it. He was just simply entertained with this simple amusement.


Jaylon is saying quite a few words nowadays. He says Dada, Mama, Pawpaw...which is what he calls Grandpa Ed and Pawpaw Luke, Bubba for his Uncle Brian, dog, cat, okay, hey, pop, and he even said Mawmaw today, which is what he calls his maternal grandmother. Soooo, what am I...chopped liver???? *sigh*
BUT....then I thought for a little while and do you know what? Jaylon can say "Jesus" and that is the most wonderful name of all, so I can wait on being called Grandma a while longer! :-)

Oh, but let me tell you this....Erin and I were talking this afternoon (Saturday) and she said maybe he is calling YOU "Nine-nine" which is kind of a whiney, irritating sound he makes when he wants something and doesn't know how to say it and we keep pointing at things until he lets us know that that is what he wants.
Well, I told Erin, "Oh, that is just great! So, you're telling me that he COULD be calling ME Nine-nine and all the while I'm telling him....Jaylon....what do you want?..please say something else besides nine-nine....say "cookie", "drink"....anything but that whiney, irritating nine-nine."

Nooooo, he CAN'T be calling ME Nine-nine, can he? *sigh*

I'm going to bed. I was at least hoping for Ga-Ga. But Nine-nine? We'll see. :-)

Goodnight.

Tuesday Tidbits!

My dear husband is now toothless! He had his upper teeth....the ones he had left.....extracted (that's a fancy word for PULLED) last Tuesday and today he had the remaining lower ones removed/extracted. The poor guy.....he has needed to have this done for so long and has suffered with his teeth through the years, having one pulled when it really got bad, and just toughing it out.
He is doing well and isn't in any pain or anything. He is a trooper! He will have to wait for about 12-13 weeks before being fitted for dentures.

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Jaylon is now saying "Mama, okay, go, JESUS! :-), Dada, Pawpaw (which is what he calls both Pawpaw and Grandpa), dog, cat, pop, pow"......I think that is about it but it seems he is saying a new word pretty often and easily! I have a video of him saying "Jesus", that I will have to upload when I am at the library sometime!!

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And while Ed has had all of his teeth pulled, I went to the dentist last week to have mine cleaned and she said that my teeth are in great shape! Thank you, Jesus! I had been having some pain with two or three of them but the hygenist said she thought the cleaning would take care of the sensitivity and pain and it has!!

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I don't know if it is attributable to the heat and humidity or not but I just feel so tired most of the time! I went for my 4-month checkup last week and Dr. Keller said I am doing great. Just get some extra rest. Okay....*yawn*.

Well, I did go to church camp two nights last week and didn't get to bed until after midnight and was up at the usual 5:30am, getting ready for the boy to arrive, but still, those late nights knocked me for a loop!

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My sister, Debbie, the one who moved to Lancaster just 3 or 4 months ago, after having lived in Hocking County all of her life, has now moved back to Hocking County and is living with her oldest son, who is single. She just felt kind of displaced and wanted to be back in good ole Logan, Ohio! :-)

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I've lost 9lbs. in the past 2 1/2 weeks. I'm doing Advocare, as my nephew and some friends recommended it and while it is a bit expensive to get started, I just needed a good jumpstart and I do believe this is doing it!! I'll tell ya more later!

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Where has summer gone?!? School starts in a couple of weeks!!! Egads!!!

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I loooooove Project Runway!!! The first episode was last Thursday night! Now, I don't claim to know all there is to know about fashion design, BUT I LIKED the dress of the lady that was eliminated!!! AND I felt that there were two other designers....both men...who should have definitely been eliminated instead!! (It's too early for me to be remembering their names, just yet! ) BUT I will still be watching again this week!

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Also, I looooove Design Star on HGTV BUT I think Vern Yip is just sometimes very rude to those poor contestants!!! Be nice, Vern!!! Sheesh!!! AND I didn't really care for either one of those kitchens, personally!!! But then, what do I know about interior design except what I like and don't like? :-)

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AND a show that I DO love is Selling New York on HGTV!!!

I loooove NYC and I loooooove seeing how other people live!!! Especially in NYC!! Now, I wouldn't want to live there but I've always thought that I would like to go and spend a couple of weeks with a person or family that lives in NYC just to experience it, their way of life. Then they could come and spend some time with me and Ed in our little valley. They would probably go stark raving mad!!! :-)

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I just LOOOOVE all of the fresh vegetables of summer!!! Especially the tomatoes! We have our own tomatoes this year and they are luscious!!! We always have cabbages coming on, green peppers and yellow banana peppers.

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Well, that is about all my weary brain will allow for tonight, so I am taking myself tired self off to bed!!!

Stay cool, wherever you may be!!! :-)