Down In My Little Valley

Randomness! :-)

2012-01-26T15:37:00.000-05:00

Here is a picture of Ed's "first hold" of little baby Jaxon! :-) A month and a week later, little Jaxon is so much bigger already!!

And this is Jaylon playing some drums at a music shop he and his parents visited! He loves the drums!!! Just like his daddy!1 :-)

The next two pictures are of Jaylon having breakfast with Papa! :-) I take Jaylon to evening storytime at the library on Tuesday evenings. Then he spends the night with us and the next morning we always have breakfast together!! Makin' memories!! :-)

Oh, and Grandma, aka "Beh-Beh", (that would be ME!! LOL) lets Jaylon play in the water in her kitchen sink. I made him a bunch of bubbles and he looked at me and said, "Beh! Snow!!" And I said, "Yes, it does kind of look like snow, hm?" And we blow bubbles and just have fun!!! Does he have me wrapped around his little finger or what? ;-)

What we did this past weekend! :-)

2012-01-24T18:12:00.002-05:00

About 1/4-1/2 inch of freezing rain fell overnight this past Friday in our little valley....well, actually, in most of Ohio, for that matter! :-/
Thankfully, we didn't lose the electricity but we couldn't anywhere until the sun came out and melted the ice on our driveway. Ed tried chipping away at it but to no avail and we didn't have enough salt to really do any good.
Anywayyy....we spent a cozy day inside, cooking, reading, eating, watching a movie, cooking, napping. You get the picture! :-)
Here is some of what we whipped up:

Apple Crisp with Caramel Sauce

Apple Crisp

Cabbage with Onions, Diced Potatoes and Smoked Sausage

Peanut Butter Fudge

At Monster Jam with my favorite guys!!

2012-01-15T14:20:00.000-05:00

I've always wanted to go to Monster Jam, though back when Daniel was just a baby and they held it at the Ohio State Fairgrounds Coliseum, I don't think it was called Monster Jam.
BUT, Ed didn't seem interested in going and as Daniel got older, he didn't really seem interested in going either. He was always into sports.
But, nowwww....allllll of these years later, I have a little grandson who LOOOOOVES monster trucks!!!
We think he discovered them through YouTube. You see, he was watching construction vehicle videos on his parents' IPad and happened upon monster truck videos which were displayed on the sidebar. And that is how it all started! :-)
Soooooo, when they started advertising Monster Jam, I just knew we had to take Jaylon and go! We had such an awesome time and Jaylon looooooved it!
Jaylon especially likes Gravedigger, pictured below! :-) (I do, too!) :-)

Oh, and we can't forget Monster Mutt! We love the red tongue! :-)

And one more picture to share:

This was taken on one of the train cars down at Rocky Boots in Nelsonville! We had eaten lunch there with the kids earlier and Jaylon was in the mood to have his picture taken!

2011-12-31T22:14:00.006-05:00

Here I am holding my newest little bundle of joy....Jaxon Nathaniel! He is the most precious little thing. Already, he's making little baby sounds and looking around.

I had to stop by today and give him hugs and kisses and also, hug and kiss on Jay, though he needs some persuasion nowadays because he is on the move! AND he has better "boy" things to be doing than hugging and kissing on grandma!

And here's little Jaxon sacked out on a pillow. Erin says he loves to lay like this! :-)

When we were going to the hospital to see Erin, Daniel and little Jaxon, Jaylon just loved all of the Christmas trees at the hospital and had to have his picture taken with them:

When he was younger, he didn't like having his picture taken but now he has gotten to be a "poser". :-) Not that his grandma minds one bit! :-)

Well, this grandma is going to take a shower and tuck myself into bed. I'll not be staying up to see the new year in, so may I now wish you a blessed new year!!! Good night!!

Jaylon, Jaxon, Daddy and the Grandparents! :-)

2011-12-23T13:43:00.002-05:00

You might be wondering where Mommy is, but she just wasn't up to having her picture taken yet. I do have a picture of the first time she got to hold little Jaxon but I do want to be considerate of Erin Maree and not post a picture of her just yet.
She gets home tomorrow....Christmas Eve and I'll get another one of her and her boys! :-) That has such a nice ring to it, hm? :-)
Jaylon looks so grown-up in his picture at the bottom! My my.....how his three years have flown!! :-)

Jaxon Nathaniel Cavinee!!

2011-12-23T11:33:00.003-05:00

Welcome to the world, Jaxon Nathaniel Cavinee!! He was born at 11:27AM Wednesday morning, weighing 7lbs. 13oz. and being 20 3/4 inches long!
He is beautiful and mommy and baby are doing wonderfully, thank the Lord!
It's been a hectic few days, to say the least, going back and forth to the hospital and taking care of little Jaylon with the help of his Mawmaw and Pawpaw. They've kept him the past two nights and we picked him up this morning and we will be keeping him today and tonight.
Erin, Daniel adn little Jaxon will be coming home tomorrow! Yayyyy!
I'll be posting more pictures later today!
I pray you are all having a wonderful holiday season!! ((HUGS))

Erin Maree and little Braxton!!!

2011-12-02T21:34:00.001-05:00

Noooo, she hasn't had the baby yet! But he's in there!! :-) As you can see!! Erin doesn't like to have her picture taken but I told her that we had to have at least ONE for the record!! :-) I think she is beautiful!! She is scheduled to have a C-section the 21st of this month but I'll be surprised if she goes that long!

AND below is a picture of her and Jaybug! :-)

AND below is a picture of me trying to get the hang of taking a picture of myself! As you can see, it didn't turn out so great but then the camera can only take what it sees they always say!
My arm isn't long enough! LOL It isn't!
You see, what started this is........I just don't know how all of these people take countless pictures of themselves and change their profile pictures (on Facebook) all of the time! I'm lucky if I get one good picture of myself a year!! I'm not saying I'm ugly....I'm just not very photogenic, I guess. :-)

ANDDDD remember the time-change kick I was on in my last post? Do you know what time the sun set today? 5:07!!!!! I don't have enough daylight to get the things done that I need to get done outside....as in finishing putting up the Christmas decorations!
I mean, I have to wait until it warms up, which is usually in the afternoon sometime. AND, up until today....and that is another post for another time......I've had little Jaylon, so by the time he took a nap, I was ready for a nap, too. AND by the time he goes home, it is dark AND cold again! LOL
AND tomorrow, it looks like the day is going to be full already!
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BUT there is always Monday. No, wait! It is supposed to start raining on Sunday and then rain through Wednesday, with snow arriving on Thursday! I HAVE to get the lights and decorations up tomorrow!

Tomorrow...Saturday....we are cleaning the church in the morning, Ed has an eye exam at 11:30pm. We have someone coming to look at the mobile home next door. It is for sale. The Logan Christmas Parade is at 2:00PM. Tomorrow evening is Stuart Opera House's Annual Christmas Program which my friend Pam and I always go to!

See? There isn't enough time for everything! Oh, and I left out Green School's Annual Christmas Bazaar which I love to go to!

Do you all find that there are just sooooo many things going on at this time of the year that you don't know what to do and what not to do? Is it just me? AND I need down time, too! As in a little nap in between or I'm no good for anything!
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I'll go ahead and tell you in this post about what I was talking about up there!

Yesterday was my last day of taking care of little Jaylon fulltime. *sigh* Erin is now on maternity leave and will not be going back to work after having little Braxton.

I know, I know.....I'll still see him all of the time. I know that but it is going to be a bit of an adjustment, still.

I'm planning to take him to storytime at the library on Wednesday mornings. And now that I don't have him everyday, all day, I want to have him spend the night with me and Papa once in a while!

My house needs to really be re-arranged and organized because we have toys and just Jaylon stuff everywhere!! :-) I'll have to post some pictures before I change everything just so you can see how much Jaylon stuff we have here! :-)

It will all work out and I will be fine and I know that I am going to enjoy having some "me" time to do some things here at home that have needed done for a long time!

I still have 2 or three crates of Daniel's homeschool books and paper and folders that I've never sorted and gone through!! And he's 25! AND he went to public school the last two years of high school! See how behind I am?!?!?!?! :-0

Okayyy....I'm getting off of here and taking myself to bed! It's been a busy day and tomorrow....well, you've already read about tomorrow! :-) I need rest!!

I'll just jump right in with both feet!

2011-11-29T20:02:00.003-05:00

I hate being plunged into darkness at 5:30 in the evening! But there isn't a thing I can do about it except accept it! I just feel like stomping my foot and having a little fit about it but that wouldn't do any good either, sooooooo.....my only other choice is to just flat get over it and realize that it is going to be this way for the next 3 1/2 months! help.

I've already gained my 5lbs. of holiday weight. I read somewhere that that is the average weight gain by most Americans over the holidays. Of course, that was a few years ago, so it may be 10lbs. by now, at the rate America is going with its obesity.
Soooooo, tonight I am cutting up a large bowl of salad, of which I will be partaking during the next several days.

I have so many extra "eating occasions" in the coming weeks and it is mostly at night! Help! :-/

AND as if that isn't enough, I read on the internet somewhere today that diet soda is bad for you in that it causes you to bloat AND is thought to have something in it that causes you to want to eat more or eat more sweets or something like that.

I loooove Diet Pepsi in the 24oz. bottles/six pack. I drank Diet Pepsi in the can for years and once in a while would buy a 2 liter bottle but I seldom could drink an entire can at one time and the 2 liter bottle would get stale before I drank it all. (Ed doesn't drink soda.)

Well, one week while getting groceries I saw that someone had the 6-pack bottles of Pepsi on sale for like $2.50 so I purchased one. I cannot begin to tell you the difference in flavor and carbonation!!! It scarcely tastes like the same soda as what is in the cans and 2-liters. I always kind of wondered why people bought the 6-packs, thinking they were more expensive, but they aren't. It is the same as buying a 12-pack of cans and I only buy pop when it is on sale.

I loooooove Diet Pepsi in the bottles!!! Only to read that it is not good for me and could very well be one of the reasons why I need to lose weight around my middle, like a kazillion other people!

Okay, I'm done with that topic. :-) But I did have to go and get me a glass of Pepsi on ice before continuing this post! :-) Ahhhhhh....how delicious and refreshing!!!
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Below, you will see a picture of little Jaylon alllllllll stretched out taking his afternoon nap! He is getting so tall!!! Oh, but he is my precious little man! He is so good to take his nap every afternoon, for which I am so thankful. By two o'clock, grandma is needing a nap, too, or at least a good stretch of quiet time! :-)

Oh, and that is his blue blanket laying on top of him. Now he doesn't rub the silky border on it but he does rub the taggy on it that you can see right there by his hand. :-) His daddy rubbed the silky border on his blanket when he was little. :-)
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A week ago Thanksgiving, my oldest sister Bev, pictured below with her daughter Bethany, and me and our sister-in-law Sandy drove to Newark to spend the day with Bethany and her little ones. I had Jaylon with me that day, too. We had such a good time!
Bethany lives the farthest away of any one else in the family and she feels kind of isolated sometimes so we finally were able to get away and go spend some time with her. We had such a relaxing, pleasant afternoon.
We ate at a local buffet which the little ones loved, as well as the "big kids", too! :-)
Jaylon loved the train they had which ran on a track that hung from the ceiling in the middle of the restaurant. AND he loved playing and spending time with Nathen and Hayley. Now he played with Nathen but he just loves girls!!! Of all ages!!!
It was so nice to just be able to go and not have to be concerned about being back at any certain time and to be able to relax and enjoy ourselves with Beth.

My sister Bev and her daughter Bethany

My sister-in-love Sandy and me!

Jaylon and Hayley

Nathen and Jaylon! :-)

Weather heaven!

2011-10-10T18:50:00.008-05:00

If there IS such a thing as "weather heaven", I am living in it and have been for the past few days! Wow!!

AND with the changing leaves, it is absolutely gorgeous here in the Hocking Hills and our little valley! This HAS to be my favorite time of the year!

I mean, I DO love spring. It is soooo welcome after the dreariness of a long, cold winter.

BUT, I do believe fall has come out on top!!! :-) (Not that I was havin' a contest or anything! LOL)
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Ed and I spent the evening down in the lower part of the yard Saturday evening, burning a brush pile that we had accumulated over the past few months.

Later in the evening, Daniel called and invited us up to watch the OSU/Nebraska game. Here is what we saw when we walked in:

Awwww....I just fall in love with him all over again each time I see him! *sighhhhh* This being a grandma is the best! :-)

Well, anywayyy......we had gone up to the kids to watch the game and we've come to a conclusion: We like to watch football at our house.
Erin's brother Brian was there, too. He and Daniel are best buds. Erin and I were on the IPad and laptop and Ed was watching the game with the boys.
But Daniel and Brian dissect all of the plays and watch the game so intensely....in a fun way....but it just about drove me crazy! :-)
So, Ed and I have decided that we'll just watch the games here at home or listen to them on the radio. We think it might be our age differences, perhaps. :-)
I mean, they were all having a great time but it was a bit arduous for me. :-)
Oh, here's a picture that Erin took of Daniel and Brian a few weeks ago. They were all at a restaurant somewhere, eating and watching the game together: :-)

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Moving right along......
I couldn't remember if I had posted pictures of our new granddoggy or not, so I thought it only fitting that I post some pictures of his cuteness! :-)

He is a Chiweinie! Yes, you read correctly! A Chiweinie!! He is a cross between a Chihuahua and a Dachsund (weiner dog). Isn't he absolutely adorable? And we love him to pieces!
The first few weeks that the kids had him, Erin brought him to our house and we helped to housetrain him. We fell in love with him and now that he no longer comes here daily, I miss him and whenever we go to their house, he is all over me! :-) We have a mutual admiration going on! :-)

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Well, I need to end this post and get myself ready and off to bed! I need all the rest and energy I can glean for "you-know-who" and he gets here bright and early in the morning!

Thursday in the park with Jaylon! :-)

2011-09-08T18:14:00.002-05:00

I took Jaylon to Rising Park in Lancaster last Thursday and below are some of the pictures I took of him, the ducks and the beautiful park. We had such a delightful time! :-) AND met so many nice people and their dogs! It is a beautiful park and they have a great play area for the children but I didn't get any pictures of it because I was too busy playing with and keeping tabs on Jay to snap any! I know you can understand.....*pant..huff...puff*. (That's some of the sounds a 60-year-old grandma makes when playing with her soon-to-be-three-year-old grandson! LOL)

Oh, and the last picture is of Ellie, the kitty of the house. Whenever she hears me open and shut the dryer, she comes running because she knows there is going to be warm laundry to snuggle in! :-)

It could only happen to me! :-/

2011-08-27T20:49:00.004-05:00

Soooooo....remember back a long time ago when I said that I was now able to get high-speed internet?

Wellllllll.....being the careful person that I am, wanting to read the fine-print and all.....I endeavored to sign up online at Frontier. BUT what their contract said there was different than what the brochure said AND what their representative said on the phone.

In essence, I was endeavoring to make sure that I understood the contract so that I didn't sign us up for something that was going to end up costing us an arm and a leg in 12 months. Ya know what I'm sayin'?

AND it isn't like I don't have anything else to do in my daily life than research prices and contracts for telephone, internet and cable services.

So, I finalllllly get it all figured out.....go online to sign up, because it is alot cheaper, aka, alot less expensive *grin*.....only to have a page come up saying that high-speed internet is not available in our area at this time.

I refreshed the page. I went back and redid everything, rechecking, double checking that I had everything entered and checked correctly, only to get the same page.

I decided to call Frontier and see if I had done something incorrectly, only to be told that all of the available high-speed internet connections in this area were taken and they didn't know when there would be more.

WHAT?????? Is that possible? Are you kidding me?

*sigh* I kind of went into a funk. Can you believe it? Over the internet? *sigh*

*banging my head against the wall* (figuratively speaking, of course) *feeble grin*

But life does go on. LOL Hopefully, the next time. There's always a "next time", they say. :-)
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Jaylon is learning so many new things and talking more and more. It is so amazing to watch him grow and become aware of new things and learn new things.

Jay is into anything that has to do with road construction, be it Tonka, Cat, Matchbox or Hot Wheels. He even lines his little vehicles up when he takes his nap:

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Daniel and Erin took their youth group to North American Youth Congress in Columbus, Ohio on either the first or second Wednesday of this month. It ran through Friday night, so they planned to return home on Saturday.

Ed and I kept little Jaylon and Rico (the new grand-dog!)while they were gone. We went to check on their house late Friday afternoon and discovered that it had been broken into!!! AND Daniel's car was stolen!

The thief or thieves broke into their back door and apparently saw Daniel's keys on the kitchen table and took them which enabled them to get into the garage and take his car. They also stole a few other things but the house was not ransacked, thankfully.

The car was found about a week later in Cincinnati in the garage of a house where this same man had broken into AND stolen their car. He was apprehended here in the Logan area and is now in jail, thankfully.

Daniel's car was not damaged and everything is being settled by the insurance companies...homeowners and auto. But it just unsettles you when you have been violated in this way, even though it wasn't our house or car.
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I went with Erin to her last doctor's appointment and got to see the new little baby boy in her tummy!! He weighs 15oz!!! :-)

Jaylon went with us, too, though he wasn't nearly as interested in the baby as we were but he was so good!
He sat in the corner on a swivel stool by me, as we watched the images on the monitor. The technician asked us if he (Jaylon) was always so good to which Erin and I both replied unanimously, "Yes".

He really IS a good little guy. I mean, every day at two o'clock in the afternoon, he knows it is nap time and hops up on the sofa where I have his pillow and blanket ready for him and proceeds to take a nap that usually lasts at least for an hour and a half, sometimes longer. AND by that time, grandma (Beh-Beh) is ready for a nap, too, because he gets here at 7:15 and is wide awake, ready to go!
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Well, it is heading for 11 o'clock on this Saturday evening, which is late for me, so I am going to post this and take myself to bed, for tomorrow is the Lord's day and I want to be rested!!

We're having another boy!!! :-)

2011-07-29T09:01:00.002-05:00

Okay..well...actually...ERIN is having another boy but, of course, this little guy will be a blessed addition to our family!!! :-) AND Erin is doing so well with this pregnancy. Thank you, Lord Jesus.

I am so thankful for such a wonderful DIL! Having just the one son, I prayed that we would get a daughter-in-law that just melded with our family and did we ever!! Erin is so easy to be around and just makes herself at home here and allows us to do the same at their home. We are truly blessed.

Anywayyyy...I don't remember if I posted about her previous pregnancy and some of the difficulties that she had but her red blood platelet level would plunge which would necessitate her going on steroids to increase them but she could not stay on the steroids too long because it could affect the baby. Plus, there were some pretty nasty side effects for Erin from taking the steroids.

She had to have her blood tested every week or two, I believe it was.

BUT, so far, she has not had any of these similar problems! Thank you, Lord. She is still having the blood tests periodically to make sure her platelet level is sufficient.

So, though we were kind of wanting a little girly, we're just as happy about the little guy that is on his way!! AND he already has LOTS of toys to play with!!! :-) AND clothes to wear!! :-)

AND in case you are wondering if Ed and I are up to taking care of two little guys, Erin is planning to quit work and be a stay-at-home mommy after this little one is born.

She will still be doing Ebay selling, of course, at which she makes more money than at her 8-5 job at a local university.

ANDDDD, Erin has already assured me that I need not worry about not seeing the babies as much.....I can have them as much as I want them! :-)

BUT, on the flip side of that....it has been so long since I have just been a homemaker and had my days to myself to do as I wish. There are so many things that I am looking forward to doing but, alas, they will wait, while little ones tend to grow like little weeds and we must cherish each stage of their little lives.

What newness and delight they can bring to an ordinary day. Jaylon is soooo aware of everything around him.

We take a walk around the yard most every day, down to the creek to throw rocks. Well, one day he stopped in his tracks, kind of sucked in his breath and his little mouth formed an "oh". He heard something! So I listened, too, and it was an airplane going overhead. I pointed it out to him and he was just amazed.

Over the course of the next two days or so, when we were outside, Jaylon kept hearing these planes going over our house, yard.

Come to find out, there is an airline flight pattern that goes right over our property into Port Columbus airport! Who knew? :-) AND there are alot of them! Airplanes, I mean....going over our property into Columbus!!

We're planning to take him to the airport in Columbus and let him see the planes land and take off! :-)

Jaylon will be spending 3 nights and days with us next week, as Daniel and Erin are taking their youth group to the UPCI Youth Congress in Columbus next week. Perhaps we will take him to the airport one of those days and just maybe stop by and let him see his mommy and daddy for a little while!

Have a wonderful Friday and stay cool wherever you are!!!

2011-07-27T17:11:00.008-05:00

I don't believe I've ever gone a MONTH without posting to my blog since I started blogging and it's not going to happen now either! I just have to get a grip on my time and life! Sheesh!

High-speed internet is now available to us through Frontier(formerly Verizon). We can get a bundle with telephone, internet and DirecTV combined, which we are planning to do once I get signed up for it. I endeavored to do so about a week ago but could not complete the process because of a problem with my browser. Probably the dialup. So, I am going to sign up at the library or at Daniel and Erin's.

I don't mean to whine but I just kind of dread switching everything, meaning specifically the TV. It always seems to be such a hassle but hopefully it won't be as bad as I am imagining it to be. :-)

BUT because of having dial-up, I have almost foregone using the internet at all because it is so time-consuming.

Anywayyyy....enough of all that and my whining and I am just going to DO IT!! This weekend!!
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Jaylon is growing by leaps and bounds AND he is talking alot more!! Yayyyyyy!!! (for now anyway! LOL)

Yesterday afternoon, I got him ready to take a nap and he told me: "No nap...No nap". He didn't say it "brattily" or anything, just very simply, "No nap".

Uh, yes. Nap. If not for you, then for grandma!!! Oh, how I love those afternoon naps! How I NEED those afternoon naps!

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So, we had another "first" last week. We took Jaylon to Burger King and he wanted to go into the play center.

WELLLLL....he couldn't go by himself.

AND, Lord knows Grandma couldn't go up in there with him. SOOOOOOO, that left one person to go with him.

Well....as you can see....that person, AKA, Grandpa is kinda tall and could only go so far. BUT how hilarious it was to see him TRY. :-) Bless his heart. LOL

Thankfully, a lovely little girl, Olivia, came in shortly after Grandpa exited and she said she would climb upward and onward with Jaylon and her mother said it was alright with her.

Jaylon was fine climbing UP but he didn't want to crawl across this strappy bridge thingy to get into the car at one end or the helicopter at the other but he did do the slide and climbed up both of the towers AND I do think he took a fancy to Olivia. :-) She was a sweetheart.

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Looking back over the month and endeavoring to catch up here on my blog.....we had a nice July 4th weekend.

Daniel and Ed we "whole hog" on the fireworks this year. I mean, when Daniel was still home we always set of a few but they decided to "go big" this year.

Oh.my.word. They were great! We called some of the neighbors and they even sat out in their yards and watched them!!!

We smoked up this valley, let me tell ya and talk about mosquito control! There couldn't have been one left alive when they got done!! :-)

The only negative was that little Jaylon didn't like them at all, so Ed and I took turns taking him to the house and watching from the window in the den.

Other than our fireworks here, we didn't see any others, although we could HEAR the ones being set off at the July 4th celebration in Logan! :-) We laid in bed reading, while listening to them! :-)

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We had our annual church picnic on July 3rd, Sunday evening. While I always look forward to the picnic, I have to tell you that I just didn't enjoy it so much this year because it was sooooo hot and there wasn't a breeze to be found blowing!

The food was great. The fellowship was wonderful. BUT the heat was unbearable. I could hardly wait to get home, shower and just go to bed.

I know...I am such a wimp! I don't care. I am what I am.

One very big reason is that I SWEAT! Buckets!! None of this dainty perspiration stuff for me. Oh no. I should be so lucky. My hair gets soaked. Drops of sweat fall from my forehead into my eyes, onto my glasses. AND this happens even without much physical exertion. You can imagine what I'm like if I actually get very physical doing anything. I'm soaked through and through, that's what I am!

So, as you can imagine, I parked myself in my trusty lawnchair, nibbled on some food....amazingly, the heat even kept me from eating very much....... and I ~~guzzled~~ sipped on several beverages during the course of the evening.

My pastor's wife tried to get me to play lawn darts. Uh, no.

How about cornhole? Uh, no.

How about.....uh, no. Bless her heart. She finally gave up and some other ladies decided to play and I didn't see any of them "sweating". I think they all belong to the "daintily perspiring" club. *sigh*

Anywayyyy.....I was so glad when we had been there long enough to say, "Oh, it's been so much fun! We've had such a good time!" and we got out of there into our air-conditioned car on our way to our air-conditioned home!!! (Don't I sound terrible!?!?! But I'm just been totally honest here. :-/)

Oh, but I did fix a lusicous dessert for the picnic! It was a strawberry-blueberry patriotic trifle. It was so pretty and delicious! This is a picture of it from Taste of Home's website but mine didn't look nearly that neat or pretty. I don't know how they got the strawberries to look like that and to be so neat but still mine was okay.

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Well, that is all for now but it is good to blog once again! I pray you are all doing well. I will endeavor to get around to your blogs and catch up!!!

If we had it to do over.....

2011-06-25T11:44:00.004-05:00

When Erin brought Jaylon to our house Monday morning, she told me that he was a bit warm, had been coughing and was not feeling too well, so she would be making an appointment with his pediatrician, hopefully for that day.

She called around nine o'clock and asked if we could take him in at about 11am, to which I replied, "Of course!".

By ten o'clock that morning, Jaylon could not be comforted. He was crying and fussy and didn't want to be held. In all honesty, I had not seen him like this before. So, I told Ed we needed to get ready and just take him for a ride on our way to the doctor. Perhaps that would soothe him, and, thankfully, it did. He fell asleep almost immediately, once in the car and on our way.

His regular pediatrician was not in, so his partner would be seeing Jaylon. Right off, he seemed very personable and efficient.

Jaylon's regular pediatrician is a bit aloof and not very personable, in my humble opinion. He doesn't even look at you when he talks to you. He talks with his eyes closed or averted, which just bugs me to no end.

So, this other doctor starts asking me a barrage of questions, which I answered. His nurse had already taken Jaylon's vitals, oxygen level, and so on. The doctor said we might be looking at pneumonia, which surprised me, because Jaylon had a runny nose, itchy eyes....he had been rubbing them all morning.....and a cough. I was thinking perhaps allergies and sinus, certainly not pneumonia.

The doctor ordered a strep test. No strep and his ears were fine, too.

Then he said we needed to rule out any infections, because Jaylon was running a fever. He wanted to do a catherization to get a urine sample. I called Erin at work and she told me to do whatever the doctor thought was necessary and I thought, "Hey...he must see something here that I don't AND, after all, he IS the doctor."

So, while I held his little arms down and Ed helped hold his legs down, the nurse got a urine sample. It took everything I had to not just fall apart.

I tell you....I do believe taking little Jay to the doctor or seeing him sick is harder on me than when I took Daniel. I wonder why that is?

Now...as if all of this hasn't been enough, the doctor wants to give Jaylon a shot of Rocephin to treat the pneumonia, which he is thinking Jaylon might have. Again, I call Erin to get her permission, though I already have a legal medical permission form for Jay, they just want to make sure.

So, again, Ed and I are holding little Jay down while the nurse gives him a shot in each thigh.

Next, we are off to the hospital to get blood work done and a chest x-ray. In between all of these tests, the little guy is falling asleep on Ed's shoulder because he is just simply worn out.

I'm telling you, Ed and I were both almost in tears, just holding it together because of little Jaylon.

We finally leave the hospital after one o'clock and Jaylon falls asleep on the way home.

Oh, and we also have three prescriptions. Amoxicillin, Albuterol *sp* and a steroid, though I cannot remember the name of it. He is only to take it if the albuterol doesn't take care of the cough.

Again, I just though all of this was a bit much. Was I missing something here or what?

Jaylon slept for a bigger part of the afternoon, once we arrived home and when he woke up, he seemed fine. Fine! I'm serious!!!

Oh, and we had also purchased Gatorade and Pedialyte for him to drink.....on doctor's orders, to make sure he didn't become dehydrated.

Later that evening, after Daniel had taken Jaylon home, we called to check on him and Erin said he was doing fine....laughing and playing....eating and drinking. I told her I just wondered if this doctor didn't overreact a bit and she agreed somewhat, though we were still waiting to see how Jaylon was going to be.

Thankfully, none of the medicine prescribed had to be given to Jaylon until the next day because of the shots of rocephin given to him earlier that day.

Erin stayed home Jaylon the next day and received a phone call from either the hospital or dr's office, letting her know that they had found something on his x-ray. It looked like he may have swallowed something and it was making its way through his intestines. They were to take him to Children's Hosgital Urgent Care in Pickerington.

Once there, they checked him over thoroughly.

Apparently, he swallowed something but was going to be fine regarding it. It would "pass through" in the next couple of days.

Regarding the apparent pneumonia or whatever else might have been suggested when we took him to Dr. Anonymous (I don't want to mention their names here for privacy reasons), they said not to give him the medicines prescribed because he was fine. Not strep, no ear infections, no pneumonia, nada.

I am contemplating whether to write to this doctor and tell him what I think of his "doctoring", in a nice and respectful way, of course.

AND...one more thing: There was another little boy and little girl....not brother and sister, just different patients..... about Jay's age, in to see the doctor and it seemed to be with the same ailment AND they were at the hospital, too, as we were leaving. I had to wonder if this doctor was running them through the same tests and procedures as he had Jaylon. Good heavens!

I am praying that Erin and Daniel will endeavor to find another pediatrician for Jay. I just don't care for either of these doctors but they are the only ones locally and before they would dismiss Jay from the hospital when he was born....because of the difficulties he had, resulting in a six-week stay....he had to have a pediatrician locally and these two were all there was. That sounds meaner than what I intend, but it's the only way I know to say it.

We...meaning Erin and I .......have taken Jaylon to Children's Hospital Urgent Care two or three times before and love it. We get right in and the doctors are just wonderful. It's a bit of a drive but, in my opinion, so well worth the trip.

Anywayyyy.....Ed and I have questioned ourselves a few times since Monday, wondering if we should have said something or done something to have kept little Jaylon from going through all that he had to and I think that we agree with Daniel and Erin that it won't happen again. We'll take him to Children's, if we are ever faced with something like this again.

I am going to talk to Jaylon's regular pediatrician about it if/when I take him to the doctor again. Sometimes Erin takes him and sometimes I do.

My, but I tell you....I told Ed more than once...."Can you imagine what parents with chronically ill children must go through? It must be sooooo very terrible. How my heart goes out to them."

So, today, Jaylon is fit as a fiddle!! We had a fun day yesterday with him, going to the mall and all. And he is really starting to talk!! Yesterday evening he said, "Beh-Beh's house!" (Uh, that's me...Beh-Beh...:-)...I love it!)

Thanks for listening to my long story and I would appreciate your input...as to what you would have done in our situation with little Jaybug and the doctor. Sometimes it is difficult to know what to do, but I will tell you that this will not happen again. Not on my watch. :-) (That's a grandma talkin'!) :-)

Below is a picture of Jaylon and Grandpa watching the sheep behind my niece's house! Jay loves sheep and does a mean sheep imitation! :-)

In my neck of the woods.....

2011-06-20T18:26:00.009-05:00

Below, for your viewing pleasure, is some of what has been going on in my little valley the past few days and weeks. :-)
We didn't have Jaylon the past couple of days because he has been sick....kind of (I'll explain later.)....so it was wonderful! to have him come this morning AND has he ever been one busy little guy since arriving! Wow! He's playing with most of his toys, played basketball with Papa in his room, read books with moi', watched a little Thomas the Train and is now watching Tigger and Pooh with Papa and barely managing to sit still. Well, actually, he doesn't sit still.....hardly ever! :-)

Below is a picture of Jaylon and Papa "fixing" eggs for breakfast one morning. :-)

The next four photos are of us as we walked through Ash Cave, (okay, I'm resting....but I DID walk, too LOL) a beautiful state park in our area. Jaylon just looooves to be outside exploring and walking! AND it sure helps to keep me and Papa in shape!

These next two are of Jaylon sitting and sometimes bouncing on Papa's legs as they watch Tigger and Pooh! :-)

And here is the boy all snuggled in, in "his room/used to be his dad's/kinda our den" watching Tigger and Pooh or Thomas. :-)

Outside my kitchen window is a beeeeyoootiful hanging basket that I got for just $6.88 at Carnival in Lancaster. They had beautiful hanging baskets of all sorts for that fantastic price!!!
This particular one looks like a miniature petunia but isn't. I can't remember the name of it but I looooove how pretty it is outside my window!

A young soldier from our area was killed in action two weeks ago in Afghanistan. He was one of five soldiers killed in an attack.

Spc. Robert Hartwick was brought home to Logan, Ohio on Wednesday, June 15. Many people lined the streets of Logan, as he was brought from Rickenbacher Air Base to Heinlein Brown Funeral Home.

It was such a moving sight to see so many honor this fallen soldier. Ed, Jaylon, and I waited for his return, along with many others from our communtiy. It was a privilege.

On the day of his funeral, Westboro Baptist Church was supposed to come and protest, but was stopped from doing so by someone slashing the tires of their vehicles which were parked at the hotel where they were staying..

Now I'm not a proponent of such things, but I am thankful that they were not at this young man's funeral, spewing their hateful, misguided protests.

I am thankful for all of those who showed up to honor this young man's service to our country!

And, lastly, below is a picture of a slice of Peach Dream Pie that I made for my wonderful husband on Fathers Day! I asked him what he wanted and he said a couple of grilled sirloin burgers (I didn't get a picture of those, though I did make them and they were to-die-for!) and a yellow cake with chocolate icing (his favorite)but in leiu of the cake, I made him the pie! :-) I think he has one piece left to devour eat! :-)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I have a couple of things that I really feel the need to blog about......Summer's death and Jaylon being "sick".....and I've mentioned them here so I will not forget what they are!

We are having absolutely gorgeous weather here, except for the pop-up storms which can get pretty violent. But the temperatures have been in the 70's and the humidity has been nil.

I'm praying for the dear people in Minot, N.D. and those in the West dealing with the horrendous fires.

I hope you are well in your part of our wonderful country and in your part of the world!

Happy Fathers Day!

2011-06-19T13:12:00.002-05:00

Of course, this is a picture of my dad AND my mom! :-) How I miss them both!
I heard a quote on "Lonesome Dove" that was said over a man that they had just buried and it reminded me so much of my dad:

"He was cheerful in all weathers and never shirked a task."
That was my dad indeed. He was always happy, it seemed. No matter if we were working in the garden or picking berries or mowing grass, Dad had a way of making it fun. How did he do that, anyway? :-)

Because..... we kids DID have to do our share of work. There was a huge garden to tend to. And once the vegetables came on, they had to be picked and cleaned and canned. And guess who helped do that? Five kids, that who! :-)

We had a huge yard that had to be mowed, too, so we five kids divided it up every week and saw that it got done because that was our job. I remember one evening, one of us was finishing up the big yard across the road, when a storm arose. Dad ran across the road and jumped on the riding mower, kicked that thing into high gear and went round and round like crazy finishing it up. We stood on the front porch and laughed like crazy, as Dad put on his antics as usual. :-)

He took us swimming at the local swimming hole....no city pools for us....after he got home from a long day's work and had had his supper, fed the animals and rested a bit. He taught us all how to swim.

And I remember one dark, stormy, rainy night when the power went out. Dad gathered with us kids in the living room, lit candles and made "hand animals" on the wall for us and told us stories. :-)

He played ball with us. He rode bikes with us. He would pop popcorn for us when we all settled in the living room to watch a TV program together before going to bed for the night. He popped it in this big black iron chicken fryer that mom had. I can just see him standing at the stove sliding it back and forth with a flourish....of course :-)....to keep it from burning. Dad kind of did everything with a flourish and gusto. :-)

Oh, and I remember him taking us to get ice cream cones! Being little, we kids couldn't always keep them "licked up" fast enough when they started dripping, so we would hand them to dad and he would lick the drips up for us! Can you believe that I remember that? :-)

Of course, our precious little mother was right there with us, too, but Dad was kind of the "life" of the family. Mom was quiet and dealt with depression and mental illness during many of our growing up years. Oh, she was functional and took wonderful care of us and loved us, but Dad was right there beside of her, helping to raise us. They were definitely a team. :-)

He wasn't perfect by any means.....but he was such a good dad and I'll be forever thankful to have had him in my life.

Pictures of You-Know-Who!! :-)

2011-06-09T18:33:00.003-05:00

Hellooooooooo out there, to whoever might still be coming by here to see if I have posted or not!

I am still alive and well, as is my dear husband and rest of the family! Thankfully!! :-)

We've just been living life and enjoying the blessings of the Lord.

Erin is doing fine with this second pregnancy and the little "peanut" (that is what it looks like at this stage) is progressing right along.

Jaylon is growing by leaps and bounds, is happy as can be and is still holdin' out on the talking for the most part, but he is giving up occasional new words here and there. Daniel said that today it was "shoes", as they were shopping for swim shoes and he told Jaylon to say "shoes" and he did!!! :-)

This past week, he said "cracker" and of course he says his other "normal" words that he has been saying for months, like "Beh-Beh" (that's me!), Papa (that's Ed), Mawmaw and Pawpaw, Mama and Dada, dog, cat, okay. Oh, and he does alot of animal sounds! He does a killer impression of a sheep!! Baaaa-baaaa!! I have it on video and plan to post it here one day when I am at the library!

So, I figure that he says the "names" of those who are the most important/needful to him in his day-to-day life and he makes animal sounds. That's pretty normal male behavior, isn't it? LOL Just kidding....just kidding!!! :-)

The picture below is of the little cutie pie sleeping on the sofa one afternoon tihs past week. I just couldn't resist taking his picture! :-)

The next three are of Daniel, Erin and Jaylon outside of Millstone BBQ, where we met for dinner last Sunday morning after church!

And this last one is of Jaybug playing with his Matchbox and Hot Wheels Tractors and wagons and blocks!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Regarding Summer Inman, the young mother who was murdered on March 22.....the Inmans have all been charged with kidnapping and the two Inman men have been charged with murder. Sandy Inman, Summer's former mother-in-law, has filed a motion saying that she was insane when the crimes were committed and is trying competent to stand trial.

The young man who was the arresting office and also the one who interrogated Sandy, has said she will never get by with this plea. The legal proceedings will just be slowed and delayed further by these legal acrobatics.

Summer's parents and her three little ones are doing amazingly well and we know that it is because of the strength and grace of the Lord working in their behalf.

An autopsy report and recent details of the investigation and charges was in our local paper last week and can be read HERE.

It is still so difficult to comprehend that people are capable of such horrendous acts, but indeed they are.

So many people, myself included, had been praying that the Inman's would agree to a plea-deal, because we were hoping to spare the Cook's a lengthy, detailed trial to contend with, but it is not to be. At least, not at this point.

We covet your continued prayers for Summer's children and parents.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Well, it is getting a bit late this Saturday evening and I must be going to bed.

Thanks so much to those of you who still frequent my blog.

I always have the intention of blogging more but it just never seems to come to fruition.

There's so much I want to blog about and hopefully will manage to do in time.

I hope you are having an awesome spring wherever in this wonderful world you are!! :-)

Marvelous Miscellania

2011-05-17T16:05:00.006-05:00

Finally!! The sun showed it's lovely face yesterday and today! What a difference some sunshine makes!
Below are two pictures of the hanging baskets Ed got me for Mother's Day. They are blooming like crazy, as you can see. They are New Guinea Impatiens and I love them!

While everyone around is has been mowing their lawns for the past two days, we are unable to because beneath the tall grass lays a swamp! :-/ It is like this every spring, it seems. We usually don't get the entire lawn mowed until the middle of June! Seriously!
But Ed did get most of it mowed last week, for the first time this year. I think the place looks pretty good! :-) I took these while we were taking Jaylon for a walk one morning OR maybe he was taking US for a walk....not really sure sometimes! :-)

Below is another picture I took while we were on our walk. I just thought it was a pretty scene! :-)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Well, that's about all I've got. I'm going to take a shower and go to bed a bit early on this Saturday night! I've had a full day! :-) I hope the sun is shining where you are!

Happy Monday.......

2011-05-16T07:13:00.006-05:00

.......even if it is still rainy, cold and dreary here in SE Ohio. At least the weather is being consistent, which is more than I can say for ME and blogging.

I hadn't thought about how difficult it might be for me to get back into the habit of blogging once I hadn't blogged for such a long time!

BUT......do you know what? There is life beyond blogging. Yes, there is. :-)

I started blogging when I was unable to get out much.....back when I began having difficulty with my back and hips. Blogging kind of became my social life.

I do enjoy going back and reading what I blogged about and, actually, do want to continue blogging. I am determined to get back into the swing of things here!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Jaylon is now 2yrs. 5mos. old Almost 2 1/2!!! AND he still isn't talking much! Drat! He says Dada, Mama, Pawpaw, Mawmaw, Papa, Beh-Beh (that's me!), dog, cat, pop, amen, okay, meow, moo, woof-woof, baaaaa, okay. :-)

Everyone keeps telling me to just be patient. He will talk and, probably, once he starts, it will be in sentences! :-)

We do manage to communicate somehow. He is soooo smart. He knows EVERYTHING we tell him or are talking about! :-)

Oh, and by the way......I just happen to have a picture or 3000 to share.....just in case you might like to see what the little guy is looking like! :-)

Here's Jaylon and Grandpa reading one of his Thomas the Train books:

He's learning the fine art of CLIMBING! :-0

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
AND on a completely different note......this is what I made for Ed on Mother's Day:

Yes, you read that correctly! :-) It's a Peach Upside Down Cake. And it was delicious!
Ed had already taken me out for a delicious steak dinner the previous Sunday, after church, because all of the restaurants are so busy on Mother's Day, so we had a quiet dinner here at home.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Well, I am going to post this before I get busy with something here at home and don't have time to finish it!

I may appear normal.....

2011-04-25T18:32:00.000-05:00

.....but it is as though something profound has shifted inside of me since Summer's abduction and murder. I can't quite put my finger on just what it is that has changed, though.

Oh, I'm not thinking about it all so much now, though, still, there isn't a day that goes by that I don't mull over conflicting thoughts about what was done to Summer and by who and what will eventually happen to them.

....and just when I think I am doing alright, I go to church and see her three little ones with their Grandma Debbie (Summer's mother) and Grandpa Mike (Summer's father). Adam, Summer's boyfriend, comes with them most of the time, too. And the children just love him so.

This morning, little Kaylee....she's three.....was all wrapped up in Adam's arms as they sat in the pew toward the back of the sanctuary. I wondered if she longed for her mommy. If she ever wonders where her mommy and daddy are. My heart aches and wrenches inside of me for these little ones.

Little Alex.....he's 4 going on 5....looked so handsome in his new suit. He looks just like his daddy. Does he wonder where his daddy and mommy are?

His daddy will never see the outside of a jail or prison again, unless it is to be taken to court or another jail.

Mike, Summer's father, is in his late 60's and not in good health. You can see all of this taking such a toll on him. How I pray for him and for Debbie, as they care for these precious grandchildren.

I guess I am just grieving for all of them....for Summer, who is gone......for Adam, who had such hopes and dreams for his and Summer's future with these sweet babies.....for Alex, Kaylee and Alanna, wondering what their future will be like, taking comfort in knowing that they are loved and cared for beyond measure.

I've never experienced losing someone I am close to, in such an horrific way. And then for her to be murdered by people that I knew and spent time with. Maybe that is why I am finding it so difficult to move on. I don't know.

I am thankful that Ed let's me talk this out with him when I need to, sometimes at length, sometimes in short bursts, as thoughts come to me that I need to try to reason out, but there just doesn't seem to be any reason to any of it. So I am back to square one.

We went to church with Daniel, Erin and little Jaybug last night. Bro. David Baker opened the service and, oh, how his words ministered to me. He talked of the comfort of the Lord and how he knows every detail of what we are going through, our thoughts, our struggles. He took it all upon Himself at Calvary. The tears just flowed down my face. I really had to control myself so I didn't just turn into a blithering mess right there in the pew, but still the Lord did minister to me so.

I just have to "cast all of my care" upon Him, knowing that He knows all about it. He has all of the answers. He knows the beginning and the ending.

"I am trusting in Christ alone....."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
On a lighter note.......after Summer's funeral, which was a month ago, family and friends gathered back at the church for a wonderful meal. There was so much food!
I made a Pumpkin Torte and it was delicious and so easy to make. It was pictured on the front of a Taste of Home cookbook I have and I had been wanting to fix it and decided to this particular day. It was a hit.
Here is a picture of it I got at the website and also the recipe:

1 package (18-1/4 ounces) yellow cake mix
1 can (15 ounces) solid-pack pumpkin, divided
1/2 cup milk
4 eggs
1/3 cup canola oil
1-1/2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice, divided
1 package (8 ounces) cream cheese, softened
1 cup confectioners' sugar
1 carton (16 ounces) frozen whipped topping, thawed
1/4 cup caramel ice cream topping
1/3 cup chopped pecans, toasted
Directions
In a large bowl, combine the cake mix, 1 cup pumpkin, milk, eggs, oil and 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice; beat on low speed for 30 seconds. Beat on medium for 2 minutes. Pour into two greased and floured 9-in. round baking pans.
Bake at 350° for 25-30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes before removing from pans to wire racks to cool completely.
In a large bowl, beat the cream cheese until light and fluffy. Add the confectioners' sugar, and remaining pumpkin and pumpkin pie spice; beat until smooth. Fold in whipped topping.
Cut each cake horizontally into two layers. Place bottom layer on a serving plate; spread with a fourth of the filling. Repeat layers three times. Drizzle with caramel topping; sprinkle with pecans. Store in the refrigerator.
. Yield: 10-12 servings.
Nutrition Facts: 1 serving (1 slice) equals 528 calories, 28 g fat (14 g saturated fat), 93 mg cholesterol, 378 mg sodium, 61 g carbohydrate, 3 g fiber, 7 g protein.

Oh, and if you go to http://www.tasteofhome.com/ you will see that they are offering $5 subscriptions to four of their magazines through tomorrow, the 26th, for first-time subscribers! I signed up!! :-)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
And lastly.....Little Jaylon is growing by leaps and bounds! He is 2 years and 4 months old now. Of course, I take pictures of him doing anything and everything! :-)
Here is one of the latest AND cutest ones:

AND.......we found out YESTERDAY......on EASTER....that we are going to be grandparents AGAIN!
YES!! Daniel and Erin are having another baby!!! :-) There will be more details forthcoming!

Where to begin......

2011-04-03T14:05:00.003-05:00

Most of you who read my blog live in other states, so I am not sure if you know of all that has transpired here in Ohio and the area in which I live, so I will try to tell you and to be brief, including links to where you can read or view more if you wish.

A young mother who attends our church was abducted from her place of work....she cleaned two local banks, after hours.....by two men and a woman with bleached blonde hair.

All of us who knew Summer immediately knew who had taken her, though we didn't want to believe that it was true. Oh, but we didn't want to believe that her husband would do what he had threatened to do.

Our worst fears were to come true in just a few days.

Summer's estranged husband and his parents were apprehended 48 hours later and arrested for kidnapping Summer. They are being held on $1 million dollars bond each at Southeastern Ohio Regional Jail in Nelsonville until a grand jury convenes in Hocking County in mid-April where they are sure to face more charges in Summer's kidnapping and murder.

Even after two weeks and knowing that this HAS truly happened, I still find it so hard to comprehend. How could these people do this to this lovely young woman.....to these three little babies.....take their mother from them?

Summer's body was found one week later after her mother-in-law made a plea deal and told where her body was.

Summer's mother heads up our outreach program and her father is head usher at our church. They have handled this terrible, tragic situation with such grace, strength and dignity.

You can read more articles about Summer's abduction, murder and recovery at the Columbus Dispatch website.

I've known Summer since she was born. My husband and I were her youth leaders and I taught Sr. High Class on Sunday mornings, which she always attended and her estranged husband did, too, on occasion, as he went to church in Nelsonville with his parents. They attended an independent pentecostal church for a time.

She and Willie were so happy when they started dating. I did the music for their wedding. Attended her bridal shower. Her first baby shower when she had little Alex, who looks just like his daddy. Summer has two little girls, too. Kaylee who is 3 and Alanna who is 1 1/2.

I have to leave shortly to go to the church where visiting hours are being observed from 2-8 pm today. The family will not be in attendance from 4-6 so I've been asked to be there in their stead.

I'll write more as I am able.

Please remember us in prayer, as I know many of you have been already.

You can also view video about this case by searching "Summer Inman" on YouTube.

A Missing Mother

2011-03-23T20:47:00.002-05:00

A young woman, who attends our church, was abducted at approximately 11:15pm last night. Summer is 25 and the mother of three beautiful little children. She has been separated from her husband for several months. She and the little ones have been living with her parents who also attend our church.

Summer cleans a local bank after hours and it is believed that she was abducted while taking out some trash. Eyewitnesses said she was abducted in the alley beside the bank and was forced into a car by two males dressed in dark clothing.

I cannot even imagine this happening to this sweet girl. I've known her since she was born. She was in our youth group. Oh, you just never think something like this will happen so close to you.

Summer has been through some difficult times but always has a smile on her face. You never know when she is going through adversity. She has such a sweet spirit. I remember looking back at her and little Alanna cuddling as they sat in the pew at church just this past Sunday morning as I was playing the keyboard.

Please, please join with us in praying for Summer's safe return to her beautiful babies and family.

You can read more about Summer's abduction at NBC4i.com

Surprise! :-)

2011-03-18T13:11:00.006-05:00

Yes, I am still here! And doing well! BUT I just don't seem to have much time to blog or else I'm just not managing my time well or I'm spending too much time on FB instead of blogging! *sigh*

Still waiting to hear about high speed coming to our area and still hoping that it really IS going to get here soon!! Do you have any idea of how much time I spend sitting here just waiting for pages to load? It is so aggravating!

Jaylon is just growing by leaps and bounds but is still not talking much....drat! BUT several people have encouraged us by saying that their children/grandchildren didn't talk till a bit later....especially the boys....but once they did? Oh. shut. up. LOL One grandfather told me that when their little granddaughter stays with them that they inevitably end up telling her gently that they are going to have a "quiet" break and just not talk for awhile. :-)

Oh, but this sweet little guy....who is sleeping still this morning right behind me....is growing by leaps and bounds! See?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Have you tried the new Philadelpia Cream Cheese cooking sauces yet? Well, I have! A friend was trying a new dish and told me about them, so I used the recipe on the back of the Zesty Garlic container. I don't remember what it is called...:-/....but below is the recipe AND some pictures! It is so yummy AND easy to fix!

3 boneless skinless chicken breasts cut into bite-size pieces
1 red pepper cut into slivers and halved
1 package of fresh spinach (I used 2/3 of a 10oz. bag)
2 cups of uncooked penne pasta
1 container of Zesty Garlic Philadelpia Cream Cheese Cooking Sauce

In a large skillet, sautee the chicken and red pepper in a small amount of oil. Add the spinach and cook until it is wilted. (I couldn't believe ALL of that spinach cooked down so much! I've not cooked fresh spinach before.)
Drain the cooked pasta. Add to the other ingredients in the skillet.
Add the cooking sauce, mixing gently but thoroughly and serve! :-)

AND I can't believe I paid $1.98 for a red pepper! BUT I knew it would really make the dish so pretty with the green spinach and all. :-)

Let me know if you give this recipe a try, k?

Well, I hear the boy stirring behind me and Ed is home today as it is a teacher in-service day at school and he is wanting some breakfast! :-)

Oh, but before I go! We made reservations Saturday evening for a 3-day stay in Washington D.C. as we are once again planning to go to the Cherry Blossom Festival at the end of the month!! Yayyyy!!

We had planned to go last year but there was a death in family, so we were unable able to go, of course.

Have a wonderful day and I hope you are having nice weather wherever you may be! :-)

It's Wednesday! Hodgepodge Time!

2011-03-09T06:17:00.002-05:00

Here I am....posting at the last minute....again! :-/ I've been working on this here and there throughout the day and am finally finished!!
I apologize for not being able to get around to everyone's blog and commenting but my dial-up has been impossibly slow and I just don't have the time it takes to be on the internet and get anything done!! BUT Frontier (our phone provider) let us know that they will have high-speed capabilities to us in about three weeks!! Yes!! Finally!!! Hopefully, I will be able to get back into my blogging groove once again!! AND visit all of your wonderful blogs and comment and so on!!!
Anywayyyy.....here is my Wednesday Hodgepodge for your viewing pleasure.

If you would like to join in, just go to Joyce's blog at From This Side of the Pond, where you will find out how to do so!

1. The season of Lent begins on March 9th this year...do you participate and if so, in what way?
No.

2. Traditionally pancakes are eaten on the day known as Shrove Tuesday which is the last day before Lent (March 8th this year). So....butter and syrup? Blueberry? Chocolate chip? ewww, no thanks!! What's your pleasure when it comes to eating pancakes?
I am not a big lover of pancakes BUT if I DO have them I prefer plain ones with lots of butter and syrup! :-)

3. Spring is coming. (It is coming, right?) What's your favorite springtime flower and do you suffer from seasonal allergies? Two questions I know, but they're lightweights.
I do love beautiful tulips and lots of them in a myriad of colors, though I don't have a tulip one in my yard!! I know, I know, I need to plant some! :-0
Thankfully, I do not suffer from allergies, though our son Daniel does. He really has a rough time of it but is usually able to find some relief with medicine, though it doesn't always seem to help. My heart really goes out to those who do suffer with allergies!

4. "Our opinion of people depends less upon what we see in them than upon what they make us see in ourselves." Author unknown. Agree or Disagree? Why?
Okay, I'm not sure that I am up to thinking this hard so early in the day. Maybe I'll come back to this one! :-)

5. Since it's "March" and also the season of Mardi Gras....have you ever been in a parade? What's the best parade you've seen?
Yes, I've been in quite a few parades as I was in the marching band in school. Oh, the memories! :-) And our church has had a float/unit in our local Christmas parade several times and I've loved participating in that, too.
I think the BEST parade I've ever seen was the Parade of Hills in Nelsonville, Ohio, several years ago. You see, this is an annual event and we used to go every year....we were younger then. :-) It was an awesome parade with several marching bands, which is my favorite part of a parade, and many other great units! But now there are only TWO bands and the parade is much smaller.

6. You would jump up and down and shout for joy right now if someone told you___________?
That my oldest nephew and his precious boys were together. It's a long story and so heart-wrenching.

7. How clean is your car on the outside? Inside? Is there junk in your trunk?
My car is in pretty good shape on the inside. I just cleaned the inside this past weekend. The outside is not too bad but it usually has some dirt on it because we live on a township road and the weather has been pretty messy around here for weeks. I always keep my trunk cleaned out.

8. Insert your own random thought here.
It has rained all night....again. The creek is almost out of it's banks and it is supposed to rain all day today into tomorrow morning. AND now it is looking like we might be getting some snow! Really?
I am so ready for spring and sunshine and warmer temps, green grass and flowers, leaves on the naked trees. Spring forth, O Spring!!

Italian LOVE Cake? Who knew! :-)

2011-03-07T13:49:00.002-05:00

Soooo......we had a time of fellowship after church last night......desserts and coffee for everyone. Welllll....I had made a Mexican Wedding Cake to take. I had gotten my food and coffee, found a seat, when I heard a bunch of laughter and carrying on up at the food table.

Sis. Leatha kind of hollered over to me from her table and said, "I really like your Italian Love Cake, Jewel, ".

"My WHAT?" I asked! "Your husband told me you brought this Italian Love Cake." she replied.

Oh brother....not again! :-)

You see, Ed doesn't always remember things that I tell him, correctly, so he makes stuff up that sounds ALMOST right but not quite, you know? :-)

So when he came and sat down across from me I asked him what he had told them my cake was.

"Well, when they asked me what kind of cake that was that you made I told them that I couldn't remember but that I think you said it was an Italian LOVE Cake. Sis. Margaret just about spit her dentures out laughin'! And Bro. Chuck said to give him two pieces and make sure I slipped his wife a big ol' hunk of it! LOL and poor ol' Bro. George just kinda grinned and said, "Awwww, I better pass on that love cake, Bro. Ed, and, thank goodness, the wife is diabetic.... " :-)

I about died laughing at all of the commotion my "Italian LOVE Cake" stirred up!!! AND on a Sunday night after service, no less!! :-)

AND, though it may actually be called a Mexican Wedding Cake, I'm thinkin' real serious-like about changin' the name of it! Whadaya think? :-)

Marching into Wednesday's Hodgepodge!! :-)

2011-03-01T20:10:00.006-05:00

It's Wednesday Hodgepodge time!! Just go over to Joyce's blog at From This Side of the Pond and join in the fun, meet some new people and make some new friends!! And get to know your old friends better!!! :-)

1. March 2nd is Dr. Seuss's birthday so I'm wondering...do you like green eggs and ham? Okay-how about this instead...how do you like your eggs? Or don't you?
Green eggs do NOT sound very appealing to me. Yuck! :-)
I like my eggs over medium, meaning I want the white done and the yolk just a little soft in the middle but done around the edges. And I don't want my egg to be crusty at all. (Am I being too picky?) My dad was the only person, besides moi', that could fix my eggs just the way I liked them! :-)

2. Is March coming in like a lion or something less ferocious where you live?
March is coming in like a lamb in SE Ohio. It was a beautiful, sunny day here with temps in the 50's! Yeehaa! Butttttt....I have a feeling that winter is not through with us yet, though the temperatures are supposed to be moderate all week! Time will tell!
The year that Daniel was born...1987....we had a blizzard on I believe it was the first Saturday in April. I don't know exactly how much snow fell BUT I was determined to get Daniel's 4-month-old picture taken at Ames, so I loaded his cute little self into the car and headed to Ames....in the snow.
Well, when we returned home, I managed to get the car ~~buried~~ stuck in the snow, so I hiked it up to the house and got Ed to help me get unstuck. It was not going to be a quick fix. So, he took Daniel, who was in his little carseat, up to the house and set him in front of the TV with the local cable channel on.
You should have seen him! I wish I had taken a picture! The local cable channel was in bright reds and blues and he just puckered up his little lips and kicked and looked at those bright colors. It was so cute! :-)
Ed and I ran back out and with the help of a neighbor, got the car unburied..er, uh...I mean, unstuck!
We were without power for three days! It was a blizzard, let me tell ya! IN APRIL!!!

3. Do you work better or worse under pressure?
Actually, better. You see, I am a procrastinator. Yes, I admit to this. Can you believe it? BUT, most procrastinators work very well under pressure and are known to be very efficient! :-) (That's my story and I'm stickin' to it! :-p)

4. March Madness-are you a fan? It's college basketball in case you're wondering. And if you're outside the USA tell us-is there any sort of 'madness' taking place during March in your part of the world?
Yes! though I don't watch much college basketball in the regular season. I know that Ohio State is doing great this year, ranked #1 in the nation again! They are 27-2/14-2 and I believe they are playing Penn State even as I type! Go Bucks! I watched all sports more when Daniel was still living at home. Now, I just keep up with the Buckeyes and our town's teams through the internet and local paper.

5. Under what circumstances do you do your best thinking?
You know, at night when I go to bed, I like to just lay there and think. Sometimes Ed will be reading and I just lay there with my eyes open, staring and thinking. Really thinking.

6. What item of clothing from your wardrobe do you wear most often?
Black skirts! I have so many of them and I am thankful that I do! :-)

7. Do you use sarcasm?
Yes, sometimes, though never to anyone's hurt. I usually use it in a humorous way.

8. Insert your own random thought here.
I have most of my spring cleaning done! Not on purpose, mind you. No. Ellie, the kitty of the house, has been dealing with a flea allergy, pulling hair, digging, scratching. From about the middle of her body back, she looks all scraggly and she doesn't have much hair left on her haunches or legs. Poor thing.

So, last Monday and Friday, when I didnt have little Jaylon, I started in the den, washing everything that could be washed. Curtains, rugs, washed down furniture, baseboards, then vacuumed thoroughly....we're talking thoroughly here. Next, I sprayed each room's carpet as I finished cleaning, sprayed around the baseboards. Sprayed the furniture after washing it down, vacuuming it.

I did this in EVERY. room. of. the. house. By Monday evening I was so tired I was on the verge of tears and there was still more to do but I had to wait until Friday when Jaylon would not be here.

You may ask how she could have gotten fleas. Well, we keep her treated with Frontline, so I wondered myself. UNTIL I read online that fleas can become resistant to any flea repellant and it is best if you switch around from Frontline, Advantage and so on. Who knew?!?!

The fleas don't bother us because they are busy bothering Ellie. She is the host. Poor thing.

So, on top of all the cleaning, I have given her two baths...Monday/Friday....talk about fun!....after which, I combed her thoroughly. It has been pretty stressful....and she has now been treated her Advantage. Oh, and you can buy Frontline and Advantage on Ebay for a fraction of the cost that you would pay at a vet. :-)

BUT, lest I thought I had her all taken care of......she now has worms, which she has probably gotten from ingesting fleas! Soooo, I am now in the process of worming her...that has such a lovely ring to it, hm? :-/.....and I can tell that she is feeling better already! :-)

So, I am praying...literally...that I have conquered the fleas AND the worms! I told my dear husband that if this happens again, I am going to have her put to sleep. I don't know if I could really do it or not because I DO love this kitty....alot! BUT I surely don't want to go through all of this again! Nor do I want her to be miserable. Poor thing.

25th Anniversary Pictures!

2011-02-26T20:47:00.008-05:00

Here are some pictures of our surprise anniversary party that Daniel and Erin hosted. They were so very pleased with themselves that they managed to surprise us! And surprise us, they did!!
The way they managed to do this, you ask? Welllll....they have been wanting me to give them piano lessons and asked if I could meet them at the church at 5pm and could Ed please come to keep an eye on little Jaylon. Made sense to me! :-) And, though I was pretty weary from a busy day, I didn't want to put them off as they have been wanting to start piano lessons for some time and I want them to so much!

BUT when Ed and I were almost to the church, we noticed that the parking lot was almost full and I told him, "Keep Driving!" He stopped the car just up the road and I called our pastor and asked him what was going on at the church. He said they had been busy and just to get over there! :-)

Well, when we pulled into the parking lot, we saw my brother, Bill, and our friends Pat and Dee and KNEW that something was up!

We walked into the fellowship hall and were so utterly surprised to see so many family and friends who had gathered to celebrate our 25th wedding anniversary. I was speechless! And if you have rendered me speechless? Well, you have really accomplished something! :-)

We had a wonderful time, needless to say, visiting with friends and family and enjoying the delicious food that some of my family had helped prepare! AND we had plenty to send home with many of those who were there!! :-)

Yes, Ed, I would do it all over again!!! :-)

Thank you, Lord, for keeping your hand upon us through the years. Yes, we have faced difficulties but have always looked to your for strength, wisdom and sustaining grace. You have never failed us as we have endeavored to commit each day to you, asking you to guide our steps as you see fit. Thank you for blessing our efforts and giving us a wonderful son, beautiful daughter-in-law and adorable grandson. Thank you, Lord, that Daniel has married into a godly family that loves him as much as we do. We are blessed beyond measure. We couldn't make it without you by our side. Thank you, Jesus, and help us as we continue serving you and look forward to your coming!

Still celebrating 25 years!

2011-02-18T23:29:00.007-05:00

Daniel and Erin treated me and Ed to a night out Friday evening to see:

....which was presented at Ohio University in Athens, just a few blocks from where Erin works. It was an absolutely beautiful evening as we walked through downtown and across the green to the theater.
Jaylon was with us, too, and he was so good and enjoyed himself so much AND entertained everyone around us before the show and during intermission. :-) During the show, he was mesmerized and clapped enthusiastically with the rest of the audience!

Here he is playing a game on his daddy's iPhone before the show started:

AND me and Ed waiting for the show to start! :-)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
BUT, not only did they take us out Friday night, come Saturday evening, we were the guests of honor at a SURPRISE 25th wedding celebration at our church which Daniel and Erin planned and hosted for us! More about that in a later post! :-)

Wednesday's ♥♥♥ Hodgepodge

2011-02-16T11:00:00.006-05:00

It's time for Wednesday Hodgepodge which is sponsored by Joyce at From This Side of the Pond! Go on over to her blog to join in the fun!

1. Your favorite chocolate treat?
Well, Snickers is my favortie candy bar, so I might have to say that and I just had one Sunday, but I also like me a luscious piece of chocolate cake on the rare occasion because, as I have said before, I am not a big chocolate lover. I especially like the chocolate cake in a bowl with milk poured over it. The milk kind of soaks up into the cake and it is sooooo yummy!!
Sooooo....I think.....I'll go with.....the Snickers! :-) Because I would be more apt to grab a Snickers than bake a cake if I HAD a chocolate craving!

2. What more than anything else makes you feel loved?
Having read the Five Love Languages by Gary Chapman....more than once....mine is Acts of Service with a little of Words of Affirmation sprinkled in there. I used to think it was Words of Affirmation with a touch of Touch until I really made myself think about it and really observe what made me feel loved.
I finally discovered that it was Acts of Service when Ed had to take on so much of the daily chores here at home when I was so disabled. I never felt so loved. AND, even still, if there is something that needs to be done, I mean something I am just dreading doing....if he goes ahead and does it....well, talk about feeling loved!
So it would be Acts of Service. That is my final answer! :-)

3. Cherries or blueberries?
You know, in all honesty, I am just not fond of either BUT if I have to pick one, I'll go with blueberry because I do like blueberry muffins.

4. What is the one trait you most want the leader of your country to posess?
Integrity

5. Are you a saver or a spender?
A spender. Thankfully, my husband is a saver and we tend to balance each other out nicely. He has taught me to be more thrifty AND a saver and I have taught him how to have a little more fun with the money! :-) Yeehaa!

6. If you gave a party for all of your friends would they already know each other? No, not at all. I am so thankful for my friends. They are all so diverse and truly they have enriched my life beyond measure.

7. Are you interested in antiques?
Does my husband count? He's over 25 years old! :-) and I'm definitely interested in him! I find antiques interesting but not to the point of collecting them. I find them interesting in that they bring back so many memories of my childhood and so on.

8. Insert your own random thought here.
Our 25th wedding anniversary was yesterday, Feb. 15. There was a time when I wasn't too sure if we would ever make it to 25 years, but, with the help of the Lord, some....okay...quite a bit of determination and a double dose of commitment to eachother.....here we are! :-) We went out to Bob Evans last night for dinner and I had my favorite salad....the Heritage Salad with Hot Bacon Dressing. Oh.my.word. It is to die for!!!
We had wanted to get married on Valentine's Day which was on a Friday in the year that we were married, but our pastor was out of town and would not be back till the 15th, so that is when we got married.
I remember that I didn't want a wedding cake. I'm just not that much into cake and couldn't see spending so much money on a cake, so I ordered 14 dozen heart-shaped iced sugar cookies from the bakery and the dear friend that did my reception, (Lyda Kornmiller) arranged them on tiered serving pieces.
Also, at the time, 1986, it still wasn't quite the thing to have anything more than cake, punch, nuts and mints, and perhaps chips at your wedding reception. Well, I wanted food at mine! We're talking a spread here! :-) We had ham and turkey breast, salads, buns and all of the sandwich fixin's, baked beans, fruit trays, veggie trays, cheese trays. It was sooooo wonderful!
My sister Bev fixed Ed and me a box lunch of sorts to take with us when we left the reception to head off on our honeymoon and I'm so glad that she did. That food tasted soooooo wonderful a short while later when we were in the car, on our way and somewhat calmed down from all of the excitement.
Our wedding day was all that I had hoped it would be and it is now a precious memory that we have. I'm so thankful to all of the people that made it possible.
I wish we had had our wedding videoed but I don't think they even had camcorders yet. :-) So, we will just look at our wedding photos together and remember together!

Tuesday Tidbits!

2011-02-15T07:51:00.010-05:00

Hmmmm.....that might be a good title for a new meme but I'm not EVEN going to go there! I don't have the time AND my computer/internet just isn't fast enough for me to get much accomplished.

Anywayyyyy.......I am still among the living. Oh yes, I am. I will be honest and say that I do FaceBook and that is, no doubt, taking some time away from my blog, which I hope to remedy somehow. It would help if my internet were faster. :-/ BUT I am able to stay in touch with so many family members and friends through FB! Now, if I could only get them to come to my blog, perhaps I would not be so busy with FB.

Jaylon....remember that cute little grandson of mine?....... is growing by leaps and bounds! See?

He is asleep in his bed this morning. His mommy, Erin, drops him off at about 7:20 and most often, I rock him for awhile and he goes right back to sleep for a couple of hours. BUT he doesn't want to take his hat and coat off. Noooo...he goes back to sleep in his coat and hat. Kinda weird but who am I to argue? :-) We all have our little quirks.

TODAY is Ed's and my 25th wedding anniversary!!!! TADA!!! I can hardly believe it!! TWENTY-FIVE YEARS, people!!! Who would have ever thunk it??

I mean, when we got married....I was 34 and he was 43....my brothers acted like it was the Taming of the Shrew or sumthin'! LOL It wasn't THAT bad, for heaven's sake! :-) So, we will celebrate quietly and go onward with life and marriage and the Lord, for He truly has seen us through good times and bad. I can't imagine my life without Ed and I don't want to even try!

I made Ed and Jaylon heart-shaped pancakes for breakfast yesterday for Valentine's day. :-) AND I am NOT responsible for all of the butter and syrup on Ed's pancakes, k? :-)

AND while I'm on the subject of Valentine's Day.....when did it get to be like a mini-Christmas thing? I could hardly believe all of the space that Walmart and other stores devoted to V-Day! Sheesh! Only in America! AND I remember when I was in high school. I had a boyfriend but you didn't send flowers and balloons and all kinds of stuff to eachother at school. Or at least we didn't at our school. My boyfriend did give me a heart-shaped box of candy when we were alone but I just think it has all gotten out of hand. Actually, what holiday in America hasn't gotten out of hand, except for Memorial Day, July 4th and Labor Day? Just my opinion. :-)

We've had a Volunteer's of America store in our town for as long as I can remember....forever. Well, they decided to close it this past December and I was just devastated. I'm still getting over it, in fact. We bought so many great things there, like new, for next to nothing. Especially books. Like new, up-to-date books. Books for me and especially for Jaylon. And the most I've paid for any of these books is $1.91 for the Tonka Truck book for Jaylon. Most of them were $ .50 to $ .90 each. Unbelievable, hm?

I've purchased clothes for Ed and me, toys for Jaylon......a Tonka dumptruck for $1.91 (they price things kind of strangely) that was like new and sold in the store for $25.00! A Little Tikes basketball stand with rim for $3.94, which sold new for at least $30.oo or possibly more!

Well, we went to Columbus this past Saturday for the express purpose of going to one of the VOA stores there. AND, once again, we found some GREAT books for Jaylon and for me. We figured it up and found that we purchased over $100.00 worth of books for ten dollars and some change! And they were all like new!! We WILL be going back! :-)
Oh, and one last thing about shopping at VOA.....I was wanting a good radio because I like to listen to Focus on the Family and Family Life Today on christian radio but I dont' get good reception here in the hills with the radio that I have. Well, I found this great GE radio at VOA for $1.91! Talk about great reception! You just touch the dial and there's a station playing. So very thankful that I can once again listen to my two favorite programs!

The sun is supposed to shine "brilliantly" today or so the weatherman has said, so I am going to get off of here, get some things done so Jaylon and I can head outside later! :-) There's nothing like sunshine to help the "winter blues". :-) And I am needing a little assistance in that area...still.

I hope your day is off to a good start wherever you are and that the sun/Son is shining brightly upon you!!!

The best I've got......

2011-02-09T09:17:00.003-05:00

Soooo, I was talking to my sister Debbie on the phone yesterday afternoon to see how her weekend was and how she was feeling.

She said her caseworker from Tri-County Mental Health had stopped by earlier to talk with her and see how she is doing.

Debbie has struggled with mental health problems for many years but is doing very well now, though she still counsels and also takes medications.

Anywayyyyy......our brother Johnny stopped by while Kim (Debbie's caseworker) was there. He asked Kim, "So, how's she (Debbie) doin'?"

To which Kim replied, "She's the best I've got!"

Well, it just struck me and Debbie as hilarious and we about died laughing!!! :-)

I said, "Good heavens, then what kind of shape must her other clients be in?" LOL Debbie thought the same thing!

It was just too funny!!! BUT I am so thankful that Debbie is able to laugh about it all because sometimes that just isn't the case, you know?

This was a good day. :-)

My dear sister Debbie shortly after she had her open-heart surgery two years ago. :-)

Groundhog's Day Hodgepodge! :-)

2011-02-02T16:25:00.003-05:00

It's that time of the week, once again.....Wednesday! And time for Hodgepodge which is hosted by Joyce at From This Side of the Pond. Go on over to Joyce's blog to join in!!

1. Would you rather be seen as a person who did their duty or forged their own path?
There are times when I do things because they ARE my duty. You know, there are times when, if it wasn't for my sense of duty, I wouldn't do alot of things. So, I am thankful that I have and feel a sense of duty.
While, another part of me does walk to the beat of her own drum and I do believe there is a place for this as long as it doesn't go against what the Lord expects of me, according to His word.

2. This week's Wednesday Hodgepodge happens to fall on Groundhog's Day. In keeping with that theme, if you could have a do-over of any one day out of the last seven, which day would it be and why. If you haven't seen the movie Groundhog Day this question will make absolutely no sense but that's okay....you can answer anyway.
It would be last Saturday. You see, I left the house at 9:00AM so I could be at the church and ready to give a piano lesson at 10:00. I left the church at noon and headed to Walmart. I then went to the library to do some things on the computer. By the time I was ready to leave the library it was almost 4:00PM. Just then my cellphone rang. It was Daniel. He asked if his dad and I could take care of Daniel for 4 or 5 hours so he could finally take Erin out for their anniversary. *sigh* By this time of the day I was soooooo tired and was looking forward to just going home and doing nothing but I didn't have the heart to tell him no or to tell him that he should have planned ahead and given me an advance notice BUT I said, "Sure, that would be fine. I'll be right over."
They just live a couple of blocks from the library. And once I saw the cuteness that IS Jaylon, I didn't mind so much after all. :-) BUT I was still so tired and he had just gotten up from a two hour nap, so I knew it was going to be a long evening.
Sooooo, Jaylon and I arrived home and got all settled in with Papa and, all in all, we had a very good evening, though by ten o'clock, I was definitely wearing down and that is when the kids arrived to get the boy! :-)
Sooooo, if I had know that I was going to have Jaylon that evening for 5 hours, I would definitely have come straight home after the piano lesson and rested!
You thought my question was going to be weather related didn't you?

3. Hot cocoa...yay or nay on the marshmallows?
Nay, on the marshmallows. I just don't care for their gooeyness on top of my creamy hot chocolate. That IS my final answer. :-)

4. Do you wear makeup every day? What are the top two must haves in your daily makeup routine?
No, I don't wear makeup at all. I do wear lip balm, not gloss. In the summer, when it is terribly hot and humid, I use a bit of pressed powder now and again to take care of the shine on my face if I am going to church or somewhere nice.

5. Is it more important to you in a relationship to be loved or understood?
Well, I don't know just how deeply you can be loved if you aren't understood, too, at least to some degree.

6. Parsley sage rosemary or thyme... your favorite?
I don't know what thyme tastes like. I do like rosemary, in small doses. I like parsley, though I don't think it has much flavor to it. It is very subtle. AND I looooove sage! Especially in dressing/stuffing. Oh yum! And I put just a tad in meatloaf.
Soooo, I would have to say SAGE! That is my final answer. :-) (I couldn't resist saying that again! ;-p)

7. What do you do when you feel angry?
Well, my carnal self loves to slam things and throw things. BUT, because I have endeavored to submit myself to the Lord through the years, my spiritual self just has to get away from whatever is causing my anger. Go into another room and shut the door. If the weather is conducive, I go outside. Sometimes, I've even gone for a drive. AND there have been times when I have just found a place and gone to my knees and cried out to the Lord! AND, in all honesty, there are still times, though they are now very rare, that I have been known to slam a cabinet door.....still. :-/

8. Insert your own random thought here.
I have been dealing with a pretty severe case of the blues. *sigh* This is certainly the time of the year for them, hm? :-/ I've been trying, trying really hard to count my blessings, reminding myself that I don't have anything to be blue about. I am so blessed.
It's not been working very well for me.
I've even told myself......you COULD be living in Egypt, be in the midst of all that turmoil. You COULD be living in a third-world country where there is no electricity and so on.....not working. You COULD have just a loved one to illness or sudden death. Counting my blessings. Not working.
Then there was wonderful sunshine this past Monday. That helped some. I made sure to get outside and soak some of it in. Helped a little.
I've been feeling bouts of loneliness and I wonder, "How can this be?". I don't know. I have my dear husband. I have little Jaybug. I have my church family. Sibs. Friends that I talk to. Why in the world am I feeling lonely.....AND blue.
Is it REALLY just the effects of this time of year? REALLY? It would really help if I knew that that is what it REALLY is!
Oh, and we've been in some really wonderful services at church and a couple of other churches during this past week, too, and still......feelin' blue. *sigh*
This, too, shall pass, I keep tellin' myself. *little smile*
Oh, but let me tell you this: This morning, I was telling Ed something while we were sitting at the table eating breakfast with Jaylon sitting in between us. Well, I was being pretty demonstrative, spreading my arms out and all.
Well, that little Jaylon started mimicking me and it was soooo funny!! I started laughing at him and he started laughing at me. We laughed for a good five minutes, maybe a little more!!! :-) He is a dollbaby!!!
Oh and he is FINALLY calling me something! Yes.he.is!!!! Are you reading for this? He is calling me "Beh Beh". Sometimes he says really softly and it is so precious. And he says it with a staccato sound.
I'm thinking that he is really calling me "Baby" BECAUSE I call him "baby" all of the time. For instance: "Come here, baby." "Grandma loves you, baby."
But it really doesn't matter WHY he is calling me Beh-Beh, hm? :-) No sir, it doesn't!
I am BEH-BEH!!!!! Yayyyy!!! LOL

Monday, Monday.....

2011-01-24T19:47:00.000-05:00

I'm having computer problems. Somehow I got a virus on my computer and it is not going to be an easy fix, sooooo I am probably going to just look into getting a new computer. *sigh* Thankfully, I have all of my pictures saved on disc.
You know, I heard of this program that saves all of your computer info online and I think it is only about $50/year. I am seriously going to look into because that would surely be easier than saving everything to a disc.
Anywayyyy....I am typing this at the library, so I have to make it quick! :-)

Below are some random pictures I've taken:

This was the view out my kitchen window on several different occasions this month! :-) It's beautiful but I am looking forward to spring!

I looked out the front door Saturday morning and saw the sun peaking over the hill onto the snow and snapped this!

AND here's Jaylon looking all big and grown-up looking through a folder of kitty pictures I made for him. He loves kitties and can go through the pictures by clicking on the right arrow! :-)

AND this is the two watches I told you all about in last week's Hodgepodge. See how similar they are? I bought myself one of them and my sister Debbie bought me the other one! :-)

Hope you all are having a wonderful January!!! God Bless!!

2011-01-24T19:38:00.000-05:00

My Wordy Wednesday Hodgepodge!!!

2011-01-18T21:58:00.006-05:00

Okay, you have been warned. :-) Some of my answers are a bit lengthy. I can't help myself!!! (You understand this, hm, Joyce?) :-)
Sooooo, here is my Wednesday Hodgepodge! Click on Joyce's blog to join in the fun!!

1. Do you like your name? Were you named after someone? If you have children how did you settle on their names?
Yes, I do. My full name is Jewel Bell (Peters) Cavinee. Now get this: My parents were William and Betty. My sibs, from oldest to my twin are Bill, Bev, Debbie, and Johnny. So my parents get to me and call me Jewel Bell!! Now, I don't mind at all but I just thought it was kind of strange that they all had such common names and it's like they just kind of went cahrazzzzyy when it came to naming me! :-)

Long before I met Ed, I knew that if I ever had a son, I would name him Daniel. You see, my sister Debbie had some dear friends that helped her and her children during some of the worst times of their lives. Debbie struggled with mental illness and she and the kids had very little. Dave and Brenda were a god-send to them during this time.

Well, they had a little boy whose name was Daniel. Daniel was crippled and had to wear leg braces and use crutches but he had the most radiant spirit in spite of his adversities. I just loved that little guy and just always knew that I would name my son after him.

Many, many years later, when I worked at the library, a young man and woman came into the library as I was working the checkout desk. Though I was busy, I noticed that he was on crutches and had a difficult time walking. They smiled and said hello.

When they came to check out their books, I could hardly believe it. It was Daniel!!! THE Daniel! And he still possessed that radiant spirit!! It was quite a reunion right there in the library. Though he barely remembered me, I could tell that he was quite touched when I shared this same story with him and showed him pictures of his namesake.

AND.......the Bible also says that Daniel had an "excellent spirit". (Daniel 6:3)

2. How do you define success?
To finally be comfortable with who I am. To be genuinely me and to be able to be my genuine self with others. To be comfortably confident and to feel that I am making a difference in my small part of the world, with the help of the Lord.

3. Wheel of Fortune or Jeopardy?
Wheel of Fortune because I have more time to think about the answers and I just don't know that much random knowledge to be very good at Jeopardy, PLUS I'm just not crazy about Alex Trebek *sp*. I seldom watch either show but would definitely choose Wheel of Fortune. AND I might add that I AM pretttyyyy good at it BUT as Ed says, everytime I tell him he needs to take me OUT there and put me on the show......"You'd probably bomb!" :-) I've oftened wondered if I would do as well as I do here at home! I'll probably never know! :-) But it's a nice daydream!!

4. If you could own any single object that you don't have now, what would that object be?
I am really thinking about this one and having some difficulty coming up with an answer. Soooooo.......I will say a new Roland keyboard with weighted keys. *sighhhhh*

5. What is something that inspires you?
The Word of the Lord
I never cease to be amazed to find help for every situation that life presents within its pages. Thank you, Lord.

6. Meatloaf-yea or nay? If its a yay how do you make yours?
A definite "yay"! Here is my favorite recipe!

7. Which is more admirable-the ability to organize and be methodical or the ability to adapt and make do?
Well, I think there are admirable qualities to each persona, actually. I mean, if we were all methodical and organized, life would be pretty regimented and boring and t.o.r.t.u.r.e. for someone like ME! :-)
While, on the other hand, if everyone was adaptable and make-do types....like moi'.... we would be living in chaos. Not that I live in chaos. No, no. If you came to my house, you would think it was tidy and neat BUT I know where the disorganization is! Trust me on this. :-)
So, my conclusion of the whole matter is that both are good and we definitely need the two in order to live a balanced existence! :-) Thank you, Jesus. (He knew what He was doing!)

8. Insert your own random thought here.
This was taken from the back of our Sunday church bulletin this past week:
God's creatures can sometimes be illustrations of important truths. If a buzzard is placed in a small pen, it will be totally imprisoned, even though the pen is not covered. For, despite their ability to fly, buzzards always run eight to ten feet before taking off, and without that space to run, they will not even attempt to fly.
]The ordinary bat cannot take off from a level place. If placed on flat ground or on a floor, it ca only shuffle around helplessly until it comes to a slight elevation from which to launch itself into the air, where it is then able to fly with remarkable agility.
A bumblebee, if dropped into an open tumbler, will be there until it dies, because it cannot see the means of escape at the top. Instead, it will persist in trying to find a way out through the sides near the bottom, seeking a way where none exist.
People are in many ways like the buzzard, the bat and the bumblebee. We struggle along with our problems and frustrations, never realizing that all we have to do is look up to the Lord for help.
In Psalm 121, David said: "I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills, from whence cometh my help. My help cometh from the LORD, which made heaven and earth." (KJV)
~ by Paul J. Twist

New Year's Eve Day lunch with the Sibs!

2011-01-16T15:05:00.002-05:00

Several years ago, I asked my brothers, sisters and their spouses to join me and Ed for lunch on New Year's Eve day. They all agreed and we have been doing so now for at least 10 years, perhaps longer. I'm so thankful that everyone really makes an effort to be there. Though I wish they'd write the date and time down because I got so many calls the week prior and even the day of, wanting to verify the day, time and place! Sheesh!! :-)

We usually meet at two o'clock so as to beat the lunch and dinner crowds. We've always gone to Red Lobster, except for one year when we went to Millstone BBQ here in Logan, which we all enjoyed but Red Lobster just seems to be the place to go for all of us. Go figure. There's really no rhyme or reason for it. :-)

Soooo, once again, this year, we all met up at Red Lobster and had a most enjoyable time of food and talking and sharing and taking pictures.
And it is good to get together without kids and grandkids. Just us old folks. :-) Though we aren't THAT old. Ed, my husband, is the eldest, at 68, and he probably looks the youngest! :-) Below are some pictures of our time together:

This is me and Ed, of course!

This is my oldest sister Bev and her husband Bud! That's Johnny, my twin brother in the background! :-)

And here we have my sister Debbie , my oldest brother Bill and his wife Sandy!

This is my twin brother Johnny and his wife Cheryl!

AND...this is the dessert we all shared! It was yummy but after a delicious meal, none of us wanted a dessert all to ourselves, so this shared one was just right! :-)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

In this new year, I'm going to suggest to Daniel and Erin that they start a tradition similar to ours, of getting together with their cousins on the same day each year, be it at Christmas or Easter or in the summer. It is so important that we stay connected and not let life just kind of run away with us, keeping us from those times spent with family.
I'll let you know how my efforts turn out! :-)

Snowy Hodgepodge! :-)

2011-01-11T09:24:00.007-05:00

It's that time of the week again when Joyce at From This Side of the Pond hosts Wednesday Hodgepodge. Just go to her blog and join in, if you like and make some new friends or get better acquainted with some old ones!! Happy Snowy Wednesday!!! :-)

1. Every January 1st since 1976 Lake Superior University has published a list of words they'd like to see banished from the Queen's English. Words may be banished due to mis-use, over-use or just general uselessness and they receive over 1000 nominations. Here are the fourteen words/phrases they'd like to see banished in 2011-viral, epic, fail, wow factor, a-ha moment, back story, BFF, man up, refudiate, Mama Grizzlies, The American People, facebook/google when used as verbs, I'm just sayin', and Live life to the fullest.
What word or phrase would you like to see banished from our everyday vocabulary in 2011? You can choose one from the 'official list' or you can get creative and come up with your own.
PHENOMENAL - I just think it is so overused when you consider that it is meant to describe something highly extraordinary according to dictionary.com and Webster's. I mean, I kind of cringe when I hear people use it! :-) What can I say?

2. Do you consider opportunity something that comes to you or something you create for yourself?

Wellllll......I think the way we live our lives has much to do with opportunities coming our way. So, I would say that it is a bit of both. :-) People do watch us and the way we live our lives on a day-to-day basis. So does the Lord, of course. :-) BUT, having said THAT, we do have a responsibility to take advantage of opportunity when it comes our way, if indeed it is something that we have desired to do.

3. Since we're all eating healthy this month, ahem, what's included in your favorite salad? Is there dressing?
We are? :-0 Oh my. :-) Where do I begin? Lettuce, as in romaine, leaf, a little iceberg, tad of spinach. Tomatoes. Onions. Cucumbers. Radishes. Green Pepper. Carrots. Dill pickle. I also like alfalfa sprouts. Boiled Egg. Crumbled Bacon. I don't care for cheese on my salad. My favorite dressing is Asian Sesame. I love, love, love it! I also like 1000 Island.

Bob Evan's has a luscious hot bacon dressing that is to die for! Oh my! :-)

Oh, and I do like grilled chicken on my salad, too!

I know, I know....I do have to be careful because salad CAN become a not-so-healthy thing! :-/

4. The fourth Monday in January is said to be Blue Monday...aka the most depressing day of the year. The date was calculated using many factors including weather, debt level, time since Christmas, time since we've failed at our new year resolutions, low motivation and feeling a need to take action. Do you get the blues this time of year and if so what is something you do to lift your spirits?
Yessss, I usually do. Believe it or not, having snow on the ground helps me alot. It makes everything so pretty and takes away the drabbiness of winter for me. Also, getting outside, whether the sun is shining or not, and breathing in the fresh air and walking around really helps, too.

My friend Barbara posted a very good article about combatting those winter blues at her blog Stray Thoughts!

5. Do you wear a watch? Any other everyday jewelry essentials?
No, I don't wear a watch, though I have one that I like very much. Actually, I have two. You see, I had just bought myself a watch from Avon that I really liked because it had large numbers on the face of it.

Well, lo and behold if my sister Debbie didn't buy me one almost identical to it! AND I had bought one for her, too!!! :-) Cahrazzzyyy, hm? :-)

Maybe it is because I've not worn one enough to get used to it, but it just kind of bugs me, having it on my wrist. I use my cellphone for checking the time. The only other jewelry I wear is my wedding ring which has been on my finger for 25 years this Feb. 15!!! :-)

6. What is something useful you learned in high school?

Typing and sewing. I use both of these skills all of the time. When I was teaching a computer class at the library, I had quite a few students who wished they had taken typing in school. Not knowing how to type really frustrated them in learning to use the computer but most of them stuck it out and pushed onward! :-)

I learned the basics of pattern reading and sewing in Home Economics, which I am so thankful for. My older sister Bev taught me many, many sewing skills and sewing shortcuts later in life.

7. Do you use an accountant when completing and filing your income tax returns or do you attempt to muddle through all by yourself?
Hmmmm.....I use a friend who is an accountant. :-) NOW, I have done our taxes in years past but I do not like math or numbers so it was a real chore for me. When I work with numbers like that I feel like my brain is being squeezed! Yuck! Sooooo, though I COULD do them, I would much rather PAY my friend to do them. It is also just one less thing I have to do, you know? :-)

8. Insert your own random thought here.

Another year I enter,

Its history unknown;

Oh, how my feet would tremble

To tread its paths alone!

But I have heard God's whisper -

I know I shall be blest -

"My presence shall go with you,

And I will give you rest."

What will the New Year bring me?

I may not, must not know.

Will it be love and rapture,

Or loneliness and woe?

Hush! Hush! I hear His whisper -

I surely shall be blest -

"My presence shall go with you,

And I will give you rest."

~author unknown~

Pictures of "You-Know-Who"! :-)

2011-01-10T19:45:00.002-05:00

At least once a day, Jaylon goes in on my bed and commences to stacking up the pillows as high as he can get them. :-) Then he jumps on my bed and, most days, I help him! We do have ball!!!

Well, in the picture below, he had gone in for a second round, which I wasn't terribly pleased about, BUT when I saw this cute face and pose....well, how could I resist? :-)

AND, the picture below was taken of Jaylon's FIRST trip ever outside to play in the snow! He wasn't too crazy about the snow, though he loved being outside, of course!

2011-01-10T09:26:00.003-05:00

I've not been blogging much these past few weeks during the holidays and I've noticed that some others whose blogs I follow haven't been either, for whatever reason.

But with the coming of the new year, we have begun to come back to our blogs and begin posting again. Yayyyyy!!!

I could hardly believe how good it was to see that this one or that one had posted, as it showed up on my blog reader!!! And I rushed "right over" to read your posts and comment!

Now, the amazing thing about this is that we've never met in "real" life but I have come to love you dear ladies as my friends!!! I have! Amazing, I know, but I'm thinkin' that you all feel the same way, hm? *little smile*

It especially means so much to me because I am at home ALOT, especially now that I am caring for little Jaylon and also because it is winter.

AND though I am a bit reluctant to admit this, I struggle some with the "blues" this time of year. You know, the dreary, cold weeks between January and the first signs of spring in March. The walls can kind of close in a bit sometimes.
AND it hasn't helped that last week I was sick with the stomach flu for a couple of days. I am fine now but thankfully Erin was able to come home and get Jaylon on the worst day. And now the little guy is here this morning and he is sick with vomitting and a low-grade fever but he is sleeping at the present time. Poor little thing......but he doesn't cry or fuss. He just vomits and is kind of limp and just lets grandma (me *smile*) clean him up.

I got all of the Christmas decorations down and stored away last Monday and Tuesday but now the house looks kind of drab...*sigh*......so I am trying to "spruce" it up some.

I've been experimenting with rearranging the living room to make room for a "big boy" bed for Jaylon but I don't like the present arrangement, though the hubs does. :-/

Believe it or not, I had whined to him about not liking the new arrangement and he said that he really did like it. (drat.) *grin* So I thought.......I'll give it a couple of more days to see if it grows on me. :-) But then he turns around and says......"Babe, go ahead and change it back if you want." What's a woman to do? :-)

Sooooo, I got to thinking......:-).......we seldom go into the den anymore. It used to be Daniel's bedroom. We could turn THAT room into Jaylon's room! But then I think of all that that would entail. Am I really ready to do all of this?

One REALLY big positive about doing this is that I could put all of Jaylon's toys and things in one room AND I could reclaim MY room up front which has been overrun by toys. MY room is supposed to be for my keyboard, desk and sewing/craft stuff. Not that I sew or craft much BUT at least I would have a designated place for it if I should choose to do so! :-)

AND what furniture to keep and not to keep. What to put where. Decisions, decisions. A bit overwhelming to even think about this morning. So, I won't, 'cause I have a sick little guy to hold and take care of today and love and hold and take care of.

In closing......we took Jaylon out to Lake Logan a few days ago to see the ducks, geese and swans and found them all gathered around one opening in the ice. Alot of people feed them and we are not exception. :-) They weren't paying much attention to us until I started tossing some pieces of bread out onto the ice and slowly they started making their way to us AND those big geese an swans were not in the least shy, let me tell ya!......as you can see in some of these pictures!

Okayyyyy.....so I will be posting NO pictures as my internet is unbearably slow this morning! I'll post them tonight from the library!

Have a blessed and peaceful Monday!!! We are expecting 3-6"of snow sometime between this evening and tomorrow evening. I love the snow though there are so many who have the chore of having to drive in to work but, for me, it does make winter more bearable and it makes everything look so pretty! :-)

2011-01-04T08:56:00.007-05:00

Happy New Year to those of you who are still coming by my blog. :-)

Hey, you might even be coming by here more often than ME! :-) (This is not good.)

I don't know what is wrong with me! I have just kind of been in a blogging funk of late. I mean, I WANT to keep up with my blog but a part of me just isn't into it or inspired or sumthin'. *sigh*

I have been livin' life, let me tell ya! We had a wonderful Christmas with Daniel and Erin and little Jaylon here at our house.

They came by on Christmas Eve Day afternoon with Erin's cousin Natalie who was here visiting from Houston, Texas!

I grilled out steaks and chicken breasts and we had a delicious meal together. We then proceeded to the living room and began opening our gifts. The kids got me two wonderfully soft, snuggly robes which I really needed AND wanted.

AND because the kids already have everything, we got them each an array of gift cards, batteries and little candies. Usually I put all of this in a stocking for each of them but this year I bought two 5X5 square velvet and bowed gift boxes. I managed to stuff everything for each of them into their respective boxes so when I handed these to them, I told them that we were keeping it simple this Christmas! :-) (Oh, but there was PLENTY in those small boxes!) :-)

I know, I know, I should have taken pictures of them! I've been kind of slacking on the picture-taking lately, too. *sigh*

BUT here IS a picture of Jaylon in his Christmas present from Grandpa and Grandma:

Okay, okay.....ERIN took the picture and I ~~swiped~~ borrowed it from her FB page photos, okay? *sigh* :-)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
These next two pictures are not very clear but they are totally hilarious! This has got to be one of the funniest sights I have seen for a loooooong time! See if you agree!! LOL

AND now, for your viewing pleasure, here is the REAL owner of the horse in all of his two-year-old cuteness!!! :-)

Tada!!! Isn't he one adorable little guy? *sigh* I think I am going to have to go and fetch him this afternoon, as he has not been to grandma's house since LAST Thursday! We are in the process of getting him a "big boy" bed! I've been rearranging "stuff" and furniture, sorting and tossing and cleaning.....you HAVE to clean when you rearrange, hm?......where do those dust bunnies come from anyway? I am hoping to finish up today and not be too tired because I do want to get the little guy and keep him overnight. Well, I mean, I'll have him all day tomorrow, too and then Thursday and Friday but I am just missing him!

Daniel called yesterday afternoon and asked me to come up and take care of Jaylon while he went to a dentist's appt. When I tapped on the back door and little Jaylon saw me, he just started laughing and jumping!! It was soooooo precious!!! We played with his trains. Then we tossed a balloon in the air and back and forth for awhile. Then he patted the floor beside of his drums and I sat there while he played his drums for me. Next, it was on to his kitchen set where he heated me up (pretend here *smile) a cup of coffee in his little microwave and sat it on the little bar WITH a spoon. He also served me a piece of toast and a piece of pizza on a little plate. (How adorable!) LOL This being a grandma is so unbelievably awesome! :-)

Okay, I'm thinkin' I'd better get away from this computer so I can get everything done that I need to get done so I can go and fetch the boy later and that means, I am going to have to rest a little sometime between now and then!!!

AND I think Ed is having pancake-withdrawal, so that is on my list, too!

Noooo, NOT to put Ed in "pancake-rehab" but to MAKE him some pancakes for breakfast this morning!! :-)

Over and out! May you have a blessed Tuesday!!!

A quick Merry Christmas post!

2010-12-23T14:00:00.001-05:00

We are about to leave to go to the Columbus Zoo with Daniel, Jaylon and Erin, but I wanted to post quickly before we left!
Hope you all are having a wonderful Christmas!!

Some months ago, I got out Daniel's old Matchbox car carrying case which also contained Daniel's cars. Jaylon fell in love with them and I have bought him many more since! BUT one day he found an old ice cream bucket that I had and commenced to putting all of his cars into it.
THAT is now his "Matchbox Carrying Case". :-) Oh, it is pictured below. Yep, he likes the "bucket-style" carrying case. I've even put his cars neatly back into his dad's old carrying case, but I found him dumping them back into the bucket one day.
Soooooo, the bucket, it is! Why fight it? :-)

Below is Jaylon and Grandpa looking through Jaylon's new book "Only One Woof" by James Herriot.
Jaylon isnt quite patient enough to have an actual story read to him yet but he does love to look at the pictures and, in his own way, comment on them. :-) And, of course, I always have a running commentary going on when I look at books with him. Grandpa does, too. :-)

These are the rolls that I baked for our family get-together which we had a couple of weeks ago. I though they looked so pretty so I just had to take a picture of them! :-)

The sun actually broke through the clouds one morning last week and little Jaylon just had to see what that bright light was! :-) He laid in it and played with one of his little cars.

Oh, and this next picture is of a Christmas Candy Pizza that I made for our family get-together! I got the recipe from Mary at Life In A Small Town. I took one to our ladies Christmas party at church and everyone loved it!! Just click on the link to Mary's blog up there and it will take you to the post that has the recipe! Mary has a fun blog so take some time to look around and get to know her!! :-)

Below, is a picture of my front porch! Well, one half of it, anyway! I think it looks so pretty and Christmasy!! I'm so thankful that we have snow this Christmas!

Becky Kelley - Where's the Line to See Jesus - OFFICIAL MUSIC VIDEO

2010-12-18T16:24:00.000-05:00

Wednesday Hodgepodge!

2010-12-14T22:20:00.002-05:00

Once again, here I am, as Wednesday is coming to a close, finishing up my response to Wednesday's Hodgepodge, which is hosted by Joyce at From This Side of the Pond! Good questions this week, Joyce! :-)

If you would like to join in, just click on Joyce's blog and follow the instructions!

1. What does it mean to have the 'holiday spirit'?

The first thing that comes to mind is to have "goodwill toward all men", to truly want the best for all, no matter what has transpired throughout the year and to do something to make life a little better or easier for someone along the way.

2. What sits atop your tree (s)? Why?
At the top of my tree sits a blue,white and silver bow that I bought a few years ago at an after-Christmas clearance sale. I just looooove this bow and I have small ones scattered about on my tree. I've tried several different things through the years, but think I'll be sticking with this bow for a while. :-)

3. When was the last time you gave yourself a pat on the back?

Hmmmm........I have to really think about this one. Andddddd, I honestly can't remember, although I may have an eeeensy, weensy bit this past Saturday after our family get-together was over, which I organize every year. We had a wonderful time!

4. Which of your senses is most sensitive this time of year?

I believe it would be my sense of smell because Christmas brings such a wonderful array of holiday smells! Cinnamon, fresh pine, clean, fresh cold air, wood burning in the fireplace or stove, the smells of cookies baking, turkey roasting, and mulled spices for hot tea!

5. What do you have too much of in your kitchen?
Just stuff. It takes a constant effort to keep the counters cleared and organized, the table, and so on. Ed tends to put all of his stuff on his side of the dining table.....He says, he wants it where he can see it. :-) And I have my own stuff on my side of the table. It's not looking too good at the present time and no, I'm not takin' a picture of it either! :-) Just trust me when I say......I need to get right on it first thing in the morning! :-0

6. What do you do for meals on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day? Big meal? Breakfast tradition? Open the cookie tins and have at it?

Hmmmm.......I'm really having to think about these questions this week. On Christmas Eve we have been known to order pizza because it used to be me, Ed, and Daniel. Now that it is just me and Ed, I think we will definitely be having some Pizza Crossing Pizza. On Christmas Day, we usually go to Erin's (our DIL) aunt and uncle's home where all of her family gather together for dinner and every one carries in for a big meal. They all usually have breakfast together earlier in the morning.

Sometimes, later in the day, on Christmas Day, Ed and I drive around to each of my siblings' homes and visit with them and partake of their leftover goodies and enjoy a warm time of visiting and seeing what everyone got for Christmas and so on. I like it when we do this and I think my brothers and sisters do, too. :-)

7. What is the best thing about winter? It isn't sweatin' hot, humid, and muggy to the point that you just don't want to go outside or do anything. There aren't bees, flies and bugs to contend with. AND there is all kinds of time for just staying inside, cozying up in bed or by the fire, reading, relaxing, watching a movie, because there is nothing that needs to be done outside, the days are short and the nights are long. Plenty of time for sleeping! :-)

8. Insert your own random thought here:

Welllllll......Daniel and Erin are going to be off work starting this Friday through the Monday after Christmas! Sooooo, that means I won't have the boy during that time either. Now, I'm sure I will just have to go and get him at least a couple of days during this time, seeing as how I love him sooooo much! :-)

BUT, I have to admit that I am looking forward to having some time to myself. I don't know if I'll get much accomplished, but I won't be setting the alarm. I WILL be going to the library to find a good book or two to read. Oh, and I'm definitely doing some baking next week!

Miscellaneous Pictures!

2010-12-12T15:34:00.001-05:00

I was shopping in Lancaster a couple of weeks ago and when pulling into Meijer's parking lot, I spotted this kind of confusing signage! :-)
I mean, they really had to tell people not to take a right turn into the building? Okayyyyyy......:-)

I was at home with Jaylon one day and noticed that I hadn't heard or seen him for a bit and when I went looking for him, this is where I found him.....just looking so grown-up and serious. :-) He had gotten up there all by himself, though I know not how. :-)

These next few pictures are of MY room, which used to be Daniel's bedroom before his dad built a new one for him. What I didn't take a picture of is all of Jaylon's toys which are stacked not-so-neatly in the other corner. I'm havin' to fight to keep this MY room and I'll give you two guesses as to who I'm havin' this tug-of-war with! :-)
The reason I took these pictures is because I just got it cleaned and rearranged the way I have been wanting it. Pretty pleased with the results. :-)

Wednesday's Hodgepodge!

2010-12-08T16:26:00.003-05:00

Happy Wednesday, everyone! I'm posting my Wednesday Hodgepodge kind of late but I was determined to participate this week! :-)

It's a bit late to join in this week, but you are most welcome to do so next Wednesday! Just go over to Joyce's blog, read the instructions and join in!!

1. Have you ever been on a real sleigh ride? How about the warm weather version - a carriage ride?
Oh yes! I took a carriage ride through Central Park in NYC with my New York girlfriends.....I have a picture somewhere. The one memory I have of our excursion was that our driver was not very courteous and did not want to answer any questions that we might have. But other than that, it was fun.
And, for my birthday one year, my friend Becky took me to One Nation for dinner, which WAS a wonderful restaurant at the top of the Nationwide building in Columbus but it is no longer there...*sigh*.... and then we took a carriage ride through Victorian Village. It was so freezing cold!!! And it was snowing just enough to make it absolutely beautiful BUT did I mention that it.was.so.cold?!?!?

2. What's your policy on 'chain mail'...you know, the emails you receive that are often some sort of poem/blessing/good wish that ask you to send it on to 10 or 12 friends? Do you delete without opening, read and trash, read and trash and then worry you won't be blessed/lucky/protected? Do you delete the sender from your contacts or just go ahead and send the love onward?
If I have alot of email and not alot of time, I just go through and delete most of the fwd's, unless one looks really interesting or if it is from Daniel....the son.....:-).....then I read it/them.
If I am at the library where I can really go through them quickly, I will look at most of them.
If I see one that is REALLY good, i.e. funny, interesting, encouraging...I will forward it to just a very select few who I am sure will like it or appreciate it.
Oh, and the ones about being blessed/lucky/protected? In the words of Tigger....ppsshaawww.....DELETED! :-)

3. Who is your favorite character in any of the Christmas movies and why?
I looooove Elf. He is just so sincere, honest and child-like.

4. Share a favorite quote.
"How far you go in life depends on your being tender with the young, compassionate with the aged, sympathetic with the striving, and tolerant of the weak and strong. Because some day in life you will have been all of these." ~ George Washington Carver

5. What's your favorite holiday scent?
It would have to be cinnamon or a blend of cinnamon and another scent!

6. Does the Christmas season stress you out? In what way?
No, because we do not do alot of gift-giving, so there is not alot of shopping to do or gift-wrapping and all. Now, there are parties and banquets and our annual family get-together but these are spaced far enough apart that they are not stressful, so all is well. :-)
I only have one small tree that I put up in the house and just a few other very simple decorations, so that is fairly easy.
AND Ed and I put the outside decorations up in record time last week! I used to think the wreaths had to be PERFECT and the pine swags and the bows, but discovered......when I was so down with my back and hips for a few years.....that they didn't have to be.
I learned to give those puppies a quick fluff and pat and on the windows they went and looked just fine! :-)
Being down physically really helps you to learn what is really important and what really matters and that things don't have to be perfect AND life will still on! Imagine! :-)

7. What's the best thing about your life right now?
Being me. I mean, I am comfortable in my own skin at 59....finally. I like being a mature, older woman. I've learned so much through the years. I feel calmer and more stable than I've ever been. I've learned to trust the Lord in every situation because He's been so faithful through the years in helping me through trials that I thought I might never survive.
I've learned what love isn't. And that is a good thing. :-) Love isn't romance and candlelight and a box of candy.
No, it is being awakened by your wife, who just had major surgery, every two hours to tell you that she has to go to the bathroom. You (being my precious husband, Ed) gently say...."Turn on the light and give me a minute to get awake,k?". And you proceed to do all that it took just for me to get out of bed and to the bathroom, just to have to get me all settled back into bed again just to have to do it all over again in a couple of hours and never once....not once....did you complain. You just loved me through my recovery......twice.
Oh, and before the surgeries.....well, you just loved me through the pain and frustrations that I felt while learning to live life on a much smaller scale because of my physical limitations.
So, in a nutshell? The best thing in my life right now is being me and being able to be me with the best husband that the Lord could have ever given me!

8. Insert your own random thought here.
This being a grandmother is more wonderful than I could ever put into words. The following quotes shed some light on this most wonderful of relationships, that of you, as a grandparent, helping to raise and loving YOUR child's child.

"Nobody can do for little children what grandparents do. Grandparents sort of sprinkle stardust over the lives of little children." ~ Alex Haley

"Perfect love sometimes does not come until the first grandchild." ~ Welsh Proverb

"What children need most are the essentials that grandparents provide in abundance. They give unconditional love, kindness, patience, humor, comfort, lessons in life. And, most importantly, cookies." ~ Rudolph Giuliani

"Our grandchildren accept us for ourselves, without rebuke or effort to change us, as no one in our entire lives has ever done, not our parents, siblings, spouses, friends - and hardly ever our own grown children." ~ Ruth Goode

"It is as grandmothers that our mothers come into the fullness of their grace." ~Christopher Morley

I am so far behind.....

2010-12-02T19:24:00.009-05:00

....that I'll never get caught up! With my blogging, that is. :-) I'm doing pretty good with everything else, thankfully!

Gosh, so much has happened that I haven't blogged about. Where do I begin?!?!

Okayyyy....for starters.......Ohio State whooped up on Michigan! Yayyyyyy!!! AND, I am not totally sure about this, but I have a friend who got married on the same day as the game?.....the 27th of November....and she scheduled her wedding for 5:30pm. I didn't get the opportunity to ask her, but I had some people ask me why she had her wedding so late in the day, seeing as how the next day WAS Sunday and all and I said I thought it was because of THE GAME being at noon that day. Seriously. Her pastor who is my former pastor is a serious Michigan fan......*grin*......I'm just saying......

AND, our town's annual Christmas parade was moved to the Saturday AFTER Thanksgiving weekend! Hello!! It has always been the Saturday of Thanksgiving weekend because people have friends and family in visiting for the holiday and going to the parade is a tradition for many families.

Well, the Chamber of Commerce put something in the paper about it being moved to the next Saturday so it would put people in the holiday spirit. WHAT? Hello. That is just...well...stupid. There....I said it. I don't usually use that word but why didn't they just say it was moved because of the Ohio State/ Michigan game? People would have had a hissy if they had tried to have it on that Saturday. I mean, no one was going to miss THE game for the Christmas parade.

AND while it was thought for awhile that this would be the last game the two rivals would play against eachother because of changes in the Big Ten.... *sigh*.....why do things have to change?..... they will continue play at the end of the season, so THE rivalry continues! Yayyyy!!!
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Now for some really random stuff! Brace yourself! :-)

I am not sure of just what day or date it was that this happened but we had ourselves a windstorm come through this little valley!
If it wasn't tied down, it probably got blown somewhere and little Jaylon's play center got blown over to the backporch! Amazing! AND we had a yard full of limbs and sticks to pick up and add to the bonfire pile! :-)

And here's Jaylon and "Papa" playing with the mega blocks! They are so much fun to watch and listen to! :-)

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My "New York" girlfriends" and I had our annual lunch date at Old Dutch Restaurant here in town a few weeks ago. It is always so much fun to spend time with them. :-)
I call them my "New York" girlfriends because we four took our inaugral trip to NYC back in 1999 and in 2000 three of us went back again, as Arlene, who is second from the left in the picture, was sick and unable to go.

Oh, did we ever have fun!! We walked for MILES and saw all of the usual touristy sites and saw "Phantom of the Opera". The next year on the second trip we saw "Lion King"!

These are just three of the sweetest and most fun ladies you will ever meet!! :-)

Oh, and if I don't look so great in the picture? I was so sick that day and when I got home, I had to call Erin to come home early and get little Jaylon. I went to bed and thankfully, was feeling much better the next day.

But I just couldn't miss my lunch date with these three wonderful ladies because it is always so difficult to find a time when we can all get together!

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Moving on to the Saturday before Thanksgiving......Ed and I joined his brother and sisters at the church fellowship hall where they attended as children for their annual Thanksgiving dinner and gathering!

It was an absolutely gorgeous day and we had a great time eating, singing and catching up with Ed's family! We always have so much fun with them!

This first picture is of Ed, his four sisters and brother. They have had two brothers pass away and one sister and their oldest sister lives in Alabama and was not able to join us as her husband is not well.

In this next picture, I'm the little short woman in the raspberry sweater! Good grief! LOL Though, I do believe that Leroy's friend, who is standing on the step up and behind me is about my height, too, so I wasn't the only short one there! :-)

We took these pictures on the steps of the church. It is just the prettiest little church ever! I just love it!

Below is a picture of the church cat and kittens! :-) Yes, you read correctly! And the cat is simply beautiful!

The cats actually live across the street from the church but anytime there is church or an activity in the fellowship hall, there are the cats at the door. And yes, we fed them! How could you not? They are so adorable!!! :-)

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Now, you didn't think I would post without sharing a picture or two of the boy, did you? I didn't think so. :-)

Here he is with his little bucket gathering rocks to take down to the creek and toss in! And he's doing the same in the next picture only he's dressed a bit more warmly because it was chilly that day!

In this next picture is the kitty of the house better know as Ellie! She's never met a box she didn't like, IF she can squeeze her fat little body into it, that is!

I had just cleaned out the pantry and had this empty box. Well, I actually never thought she would be able to squeeze her fat self into but as a tease, I put it down in front of the woodburner and called her.

Don't you know that here she came, sauntering in, acting a bit snooty.....she's a cat, remember? She can't act too excited, you know. She DOES have her pride. :-)

Well, she sniffed around the box a little .....it was difficult to be patient while she went through her typical cat antics BUT before longggggg....there she was maneuvering her chubby furry self into that LITTLE box! And she has been sleeping in it ever since! Well, when Jaylon isn't here, that is. :-)

I told Ed that I hoped she doesn't cripple or deform herself in squeezing into that little box! LOL

That's all for now! So glad to be back! But I've had to forego my afternoon nap to post this!! Wait....he's still asleep.....shhhhhhh......I'm going to try and sneak in a little snooze before he wakes up! :-)

Wednesday's Thanksgiving Hodgepodge!

2010-11-24T09:28:00.006-05:00

Yes, I am still alive....just super busy and, believe it or not, the internet is not a priority most days. :-) But livin' life IS!!!! :-)
BUT I just had to make time to do the Wednesday Hodgepodge, even if I have gotten WAYYYYYYY behind on my Giving Thanks Challenge! I may just catch it up on my sidebar!
Anywayyyyy.....here is my contribution to the Hodgepodge! I just love that word!! :-)

1. If you had known what they knew then, would you have boarded the Mayflower?
Well, I tend to be a bit of a daredevil and I am always up for a challenge. I tend to be like the Apostle Peter, too! Ready to jump in with both feet! But, over time, my enthusiasm tends to wane a bit. BUT,in all honesty, I'd have to say....."When do we sail?"
Oh, and this would have certainly been in my younger years. As I've gotten older....now at the mature age of 59, I probably would have stayed on land!

2. How far have you traveled on a boat and how do you feel about boats in general?
Hmmm.....we travelled to Perry's Island in Lake Erie one summer. That was a one-way 17 mile trip and loads of fun!! And I've also taken the ferry to the Statue of Liberty. Neither trip was very long and did not affect me adversely. I'm okay with boats!

3. What traditions have you kept, acquired thru marriage, and/or tossed? If you're single what are some of your family's favorite Thanksgiving traditions?

The only tradition I can remember Ed, Daniel and I having through the years is this one:
I would always have the turkey and rolls baked by mid-morning, say ten-ish.
Daniel would usually wake up about that same time and ever since he was old enough to do so, as soon as his eyes opened, the first word out of his mouth, even before his feet hit the floor, would be, "Fooood"! :-)
Well, he and his dad would come into the kitchen and I would carve off a few slices of hot, juicy turkey and butter rolls for them as they sat down at the table and while I continued doing this and that in the kitchen they would enjoy a leisurely mid-morning snack. :-) They did this for years!! We would have dinner later at about 1 or 2 in the afternoon.

As a child the only tradition that I can recall is having the same foods at Thanksgiving each year and, oh, how we looked forward to Thanksgiving dinner! There was not ONE thing that I did not like! Okay, well, I wasn't craaazy about sweet potatoes but I ate them smothered with butter and gravy or noodles. :-)

Turkey, dressing, mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, noodles, homemade yeast rolls, pumpkin pie. I honestly don't remember anything green being on the table...:-)....though there may have been, most likely in the form of green beans, but not green bean casserole. It would have been green beans fixed with bacon, the way my mama taught me to fix them and I still do today. :-)

I do remember waking up early in the morning and hearing my Dad in the kitchen humming. It would still be dark and everyone else snug in bed still. He was always up before anyone else, making coffee and starting the rolls and noodles for Thanksgiving dinner.

Dad would have on a pair of gray work pants, and a clean, white t-shirt, his hair freshly combed and usually a dish towel laying over one shoulder.

Our dinette set was gray and red, with chrome legs on the tables and chairs. Remember those? :-) I would crawl up onto one of the chair, all sleepy-eyed and Dad would tell me to go over to the sink and wash my hands so I could help him shake out the noodles as he cut them. :-) It is such a precious memory that I have. Just me and Dad in the early-morning kitchen, working together, not saying much, but there was no need for alot of conversation. How I loved my dad!

4. What time is dinner and how many will be round your table? And what is the one side dish you cannot do without on Thanksgiving day?
We will be going to our son's in-laws for Thanksgiving dinner and it will be at 2pm. I believe there will be approximately 15 people there.
Besides the turkey, we must have noodles on Thanksgiving! That is a Peters' family tradition. (Peters' was my maiden name.) And, yes, I have the noodles made! :-)

Yes, I know it goes against all I believe in to ask for 'just one', but I made up for it by asking three questions here.

5. Have you ever used a fire extinguisher? Do tell....
No, I never have but we do have two in the house, just in case. I'm thinking I need to make sure that I know how to use them? :-/

6. Tell about a situation that caused you dreadful trepidation and feet dragging, only to realize later it was a true blessing.
Well, I am not able to share the details here but I can tell you that on the other side of even the most dreadful of situations, you will indeed find the blessng of the Lord when you've done all that you can to make things right, when you've been honest with yourself and others and when you've allowed yourself to completely surrender to the Lord and His will, humbling yourself before Him.

7. Baked, sweet, mashed, hash browned or french fried...which one's your favorite?
I would have to say hash-browned or homefries! With plenty of salt and some ketchup!! :-)

8. Insert your own random thought here.
Would you believe my mind is just kind of empty at the present time? But I do have some fleeting thoughts.....
I will say that I am so thankful for little Jaylon. I never thought I could love a little one like I did Daniel, but I do.....oh, and how! :-) And this "grandmother" love is different than the "mother" love that I had for Daniel.
I am more patient. I am not so pre-occupied with all that needs to be done. I so enjoy watching him grow and learn and discover every little thing. I think it is just that I have slowed down and come to realize what is really important and am able to give myself to that more now.
I'm sure I was much the same with Daniel but life WAS busier for us then, what with us both working full-time jobs, me until he was 2 1/2. We must have done a pretty good job. I mean, the boy....Daniel.....has turned out pretty well! :-) The Lord is so good.
I am so thankful for where I am at in my life. At times, I feel kind of cocooned in the wisdom that I have gained through the years and there is a secure feeling about it, this being a "mature" woman. :-) Oh, but I've earned it and learned most of it the hard way, but learn it I have! :-) And I'm still learning. Aren't we always? But I've been so blessed to reach this "good" place in my life for which I am so thankful.

Happy Thanksgiving to each of you and remember:

"Count your blessings,
Name them one by one,
Count your blessings,
See what God hath done!
Count your blessings,
Name them one by one,
Count your many blessings
See what God hath done."

My first Wednesday Hodgepodge!

2010-11-16T12:49:00.003-05:00

Joyce, at From This Side of the Pond is hosting Wednesday Hodgepodge and I'm excited to be participating in my first!! Just click on her blog and join in the fun and make some new friends while getting to know some "already" friends better! :-)

1. What is the most amazing weather you've ever seen?
I'm not sure just what year it was, but we had FEET of snow here and were without power for days. Talk about being socked in! I'm thinking it was in December of 2002, if my calculations serve me correctly, because it was right before Daniel turned 16.
It was right after Christmas, because we were able to dig out before Daniel's 16th birthday party. And we were concerned that his then-girlfriend and her aunt and uncle, who are dear friends of ours, might not be able to make it. But they did and I remember them coming to our house after the party and our driveway was like a tunnel almost with mountains of snow on either side!
If you're wondering why I'm including all of these details, it's because I'm thinking out loud about it all in trying to figure out just when it was.
I'm going with the snowstorm of 2002-03!!! :-)

2. What is a sound or noise you love?
Jaylon yelling "Pa-pa" when we are outside. It is so precious! I'll have to get a video of it and post it!! AND the quiet....is that a sound?....like right now, as I'm sitting here typing this and Jaylon is sleeping. *sighhhhh* All I can hear is the computer humming and the tapping of my fingers on the keys.

3. Do you like seafood? What's your favorite seafood dish?
I looooove seafood! And would you believe that just about my favorite seafood dish is the seafood salad at our local chinese restaurant? Oh yum! AND the fishtail dinner at Jack's Steakhouse!

4. What part of your day requires the most patience?
I would say the evening between 5-6 o'clock. I'm usually kind of weary from a long day. It's time for Jaylon to go home. Some evenings, we have somewhere to go or I'm thinking about dinner. And now it is dark by that time. It just tends to be a bit of a stressful time for me.

5. What's your favorite shade of blue?
I would have to say navy!

6. Do people underestimate you?
I believe so, if appearances mean anything. ;-)

7. When was the last time you had butterflies in your stomach?
You know, honestly, I think it was when little Jaylon was being born. *tears* Can you believe it still makes me teary-eyed? It's so amazing that you can love this little baby so much and you've not even seen him till that moment in the nursery, where the nurse is doing all of the necessary things, gathering measurements and data and so on, while we grandparents stand at the window straining to get a peek at him. *sigh* Yep, I think that was the last time. :-)

8. Insert your own random thought here, and remember...I have a wooden spoon and I'm not afraid to use it.
Joyce! You are so cute and funny! A wooden spoon! :-)
There are days when I think, "Who has time to blog?". It would just be one less thing I have to do. But then when I finally get back to blogging, I find that I just love it and the people that I've met and blog with.
I don't mean to whine, but it would help tremendously if I didn't have to deal with dial-up still, so I'm praying that they get high-speed capabilites here in my little valley SOON!!! Please!!!!

Jaylon livin' life!! :-)

2010-11-11T16:57:00.005-05:00

Jaylon was a cute little monkey for Halloween! And his daddy was just his handsome self, as you can see!! :-) And mommy was her pretty self but she is behind the camera so she is not visible! Gosh, that reminds me of someone else....ME!! Always behind the camera! Never in the pictures! *sigh*

Here's Ed and Jaylon playing with blocks. Jaylon loves his blocks, especially dumping them out onto the floor! That is his favorite part AND he is pretty good at helping me pick them up, too, thankfully!! But we do have to be a bit dramatic about putting them in the container, so as to make it alot of fun!!! :-)

Awwww...and when we were outside the other day, I was sitting in my rocking chair on the front porch when Jaylon came bringing me a pretty little pink flower that Ed had helped him pick! It was so precious!!

And these are pictures of Jaylon and Rocky down by the creek, one of their favorite places....with me right there with them....behind the camera!!! :-)

Not enough hours in the day!

2010-11-11T16:54:00.003-05:00

OR am I mismanaging my time? OR am I trying to do too much in a day's time? OR am I getting older than I am willing to admit and really slowing down?

Who knows?!?!?! But blogging or even the internet in any way just hasn't been a priority of late because I have a toddler at my house most days and then when he isn't here, I'm endeavoring to accomplish some things that I don't or can't do when he is here. 'Cause when he IS here....well, I just wanna spend time with him....playing cars, reading books, being outside, watching Tigger and Pooh, just holding him and kissin' on him and responding to his jibberish which he speaks very expressively and I try to respond to intelligently. :-) He is sooooo adorable, as you will see in the photos supplied below! :-)

Isn't his little toboggan just the cutest on him? :-) And in the last three, you can see just how much he loves laying on grandma's bed! Oh, and he loves jumping on it, too! :-) Especially when I hold his little hands and help him to jump "way up high". AND he can watch himself in the mirror!! :-)

I remember, as a child, loving to lay in AND on my mom and dad's bed. There was just something so comforting about it.

Mom and Dad's bedroom was the middle room of our house downstairs and it was kind of a combination bedroom/sitting room where we kids tended to gather to play especially in the winter time.

In the mornings, after mom and dad were up, usually on a Saturday or Sunday morning, Johnny, my twin brother, and I would get out of our beds and snuggle into mom and dad's bed. :-) It is such a warm cozy memory. :-)

Enjoy the pictures of the boy and I'll do my best to post again before the day is done!!

Oh and are any of you watching Dancing With The Stars? Who are you hoping will win? My money is kind of on Bristol, believe it or not!!! At first, I was of the opinion that she shouldn't even be on the show but I've had a change of heart. I mean, she is the only person who doesn't have any performance experience and after seeing the bios that they showed of each of the final four last night, my heart really went out to her AND she has been dancing really well the last two shows!

And I thought she looked especially pretty last night!!

It would be pretty awesome if she won!

Catching up on my thanksgiving!!!

2010-11-08T09:10:00.007-05:00

Okay, somehow I missed Day 7 of the Giving Thanks Challenge that is being hosted by none other than Leah at South Breeze Farm!!

Soooooo, I'm catching up today!! Oh, AND today is my birthday!! My 59th birthday, no less!!

Did I ever think I would see 59? Nooooooo......I honestly thought the Lord would have come by now. Some 35 years ago when I gave my heart to the Lord and started learning about Him and also about His second-coming, I never thought we'd see the year 2000, but here we are and I am still watching and hoping, trusting Him each day, knowing that He IS coming back for His church one day!!! Hallelujah!!!

Today, Day 8, I am thankful for my relationship with the Lord. It isn't just something I've read about or heard about but it is a walking, talking, living, breathing relationship that my Saviour and I have each day. Oh, what a friend He has been to me and continues to be and He's so much more than just a friend. He is everything to me....a father, a comforter, a healer, a refuge, my hope, my peace.....everything I've ever needed Him to be, He has been! He has never failed me and never will. How great is our God!!!
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Backtracking a bit, as in going back to Day 7, I am thankful for my home. Next to the Lord, it is my refuge. Is there any place like home? That place where you can just be yourself and truly relax. *sigh* I loooove my bedroom! And truly.....be it ever so humble....there IS no place like home!!!

Giving Thanks - Day 6

2010-11-06T20:46:00.003-05:00

It is Day 6 of the Giving Thanks Challenge being hosted by Leah at South Breeze Farm!

I am thankful for my blog and blogging. I started blogging as a sort of therapy because I was going through a difficult time physically, I was unable to do as much as before and it became an outlet of sorts and also a great way to meet new people! It is also a journal which I would love to have published one day.

AND this Giving Thanks Challenge has really helped me to up my blogging game!! EVERY DAY!!! :-)

Giving Thanks Chalenge - Day 5!

2010-11-05T20:48:00.005-05:00

Leah at South Breeze Farm is hosting Giving Thanks Challenge at her blog and I am enjoying it immensely!! Thanks, Leah! And it is always wonderful to make a new blog friend, too!!

On this, Day 5 of the Giving Thanks Challenge, I am thankful for my friends. My friend and prayer-partner, Pam, and I went out to dinner this evening and I was once again reminded of what a wonderful friend she is and how blessed I am to have her in my life, along with my other blessed circle of friends. (You know who you are!) :-) Thank you, Jesus.
Below is a picture of Pam in the lobby of the Ramada Inn where we had dinner this evening!

Giving Thanks Challenge - Day 4! :-)

2010-11-04T20:34:00.004-05:00

It’s Day 4 of the Giving Thanks Challenge hosted by Leah at South Breeze Farm.

Today I am thankful for my two sisters and sisters-in-law! They took me out for my birthday dinner tonight and we had such an awesome time!! My birthday is coming up on Monday, November 8, but this was a good night for everyone to go out, so we did!

They took me to the new Golden Corral in Lancaster and it was very good!

We WERE each buying a set of bath towels for whoever's birthday it happened to be but we talked the last time we got together for my sister Debbie's birthday and discovered that we are all getting way stocked up on towels, sooooo we decided to buy gift cards to Walmart instead, or wherever the birthday girl would like them from.

These wonderful women gave me some of the most beautiful cards! I will cherish them!!

It just seems that as we have all gotten older and our children have married, had children of their own and so on, that we five have gotten closer and really appreciate and enjoy our time together when we go out.

But now there isn't another birthday to celebrate until May! We will be having our family get-together for the holidays on December 11 and my two sisters, two brothers and our spouses go out for lunch on New Year's Eve Day, which is always a special time, so we will still be seeing plenty of each other. :-)

And I think we've discussed and agreed that we will probably do dinner out together sometime in February just for the fun of it! :-) The sisters and sisters-in-law, that is! :-)

Giving Thanks Challenge - Day 3

2010-11-03T20:32:00.003-05:00

Well, here it is! Day 3 already of the Giving Thanks Challenge being hosted by Leah at South Breeze Farm! If you would like to join, just head on over to her blog and follow the instructions!!

Today I am so thankful for my church family, my Pastor and his wife. I am always encouraged and strengthened when going to the house of the Lord and spending time with these wonderful people as we worship the Lord and break the bread of life together, the Bible.

Some Wednesday Randomness

2010-11-03T15:19:00.000-05:00

Or, perhaps....."It's A Hard Habit to Break"!! :-) I mean, being used to posting randomness Wednesday, that is. Those of you who read my blog faithfully and were used to doing the RD each Wednesday will understand said comments.

It is a beeeyoootiful day in SE Ohio today!! Wow......let the sun shine in!!

First of all, several weeks ago I had mentioned wanting a blog button and Joyce at From This Side of the Pond emailed me to tell me that her sweet daughter Shannon makes blog buttons. Shannon has a cute blog at Sincerely Shannon and, after emailing her, she responded and said she would be happy to make me a blog button. She just needed some time to look around my blog and kind of get a feel of what would be fitting for me. I could hardly believe the end result!
It's amazing! Thank you so much, Shannon! Sorry for taking so long to acknowledge your wonderful gift to me!!!
Here is the blog button she made for me:

Again, thanks so much, Shannon for my new blog button!!
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Okay, I have to take a couple of deep breaths here.

I.Cannot.Believe.That.Gretchen.Won.Project.Runway!!!! GRRRRRRRRRRRR!!! Mondo was robbed!!!! There was no comparison!! None whatsoever!!!! Gretchen's clothes were so drab and boring!!! Oh.My.Word. I am 59 years old and wouldn't wear her drab, saggy stuff! Hello.

When something like this happens, I always say that am not going to watch the show next season! BUT I usually do. :-/ I just cannot believe that they picked Gretchen over Mondo. Sheesh!!!

I have a Michael Kors shirt hanging in my closet that I really like but I am about ready to offer it as a burnt offering in protest!

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Jaylon has not been feeling very well, so Erin made an appointment for him yesterday and I met her at the doctor's office with little Jaylon.

The little guy has infection in both ears! No wonder he was whiney yesterday morning and wanted Grandma to hold him with his sippy cup and blanky.

AND does this little guy throw a fit at the doctor's office! Oh my!

When we got out of the car? He started crying and twisting in my arms but once we were in the waiting room and he saw the toys, he was fine.

But then the nurse came out and said, "Jaylon?" and he started in again, even when he was just getting weighed and having his temperature taken.

So we get settled in the examining room and all is fine until the doctor came in. Oh my. I had to hold both of his arms down while he examined his ears, nose, and throat and listened to his breathing. I had my hands full!

BUT, once the doctor scooted back away, Jaylon was fine. Those tears stopped like a water faucet being turned off and he even high-fived the doctor before we left.

And then he started crying and reaching for grandma when we left the doctor's office and he had to go with this mommy. BUT I just kissed him and told him goodbye and left. Whew. It took me a few minutes to recover. :-/

Anywayyyyy.....he is here now this morning, taking his morning nap and from what I can tell, he is feeling pretty good, even if his little ears aren't a 100%. But, hopefully, medicine and prayer will have them good as new in no time!

AND, hopefully, we won't be making any trips to the doctor again any time soon. *fingers crossed* :-)

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I have a pot of chili simmering on the stove and I finished baking a double batch of oatmeal raisin cookies since Jaylon' s been sleeping this morning. I also started a load of clothes, got myself together for the day, so my day is off to a good start!

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Oh, and my dear husband's birthday was October 17th! He turned 68! Instead of baking him a cake, I made him his favorite dessert....peach pie!!! And it turned out really good!! Thank heavens!!

Oh, yes....AND, lest I forget....here's the birthday boy!! :-)

Giving Thanks - Day 2

2010-11-02T20:23:00.002-05:00

I am thankful for good, well-marked roads to drive on, especially as my husband and I've gotten older!

Give Thanks With A Grateful Heart

2010-11-01T18:41:00.003-05:00

Let me begin by saying that I have enjoyed participating in a wonderful meme for the past several months at Linda's blog, 2nd Cup of Coffee. She has so faithfully turned out 12 random questions every week for a long time, giving those of us who participated a chance to share some of ourselves with the blogging world and also a wonderful opportunity to meet and make some wonderful new friends, which I have! Thank you from my heart, Linda!! ((HUGS))

Linda has decided to take a break from doing the Random Dozen and I understand completely!

So, in leiu of the Random Dozen, I've decided to take part in the 4th Annual Giving Thanks Challenge which is being hosted at by Leah at South Breeze Farm, which I found out about at my good friend Barbara's blog, Stray Thoughts!

If you would like to join us, All you have to do is post one thing you're thankful for each day somewhere on your blog. It doesn't even have to be an actual thought-out post. Just start making a list on your sidebar if you want - somewhere you can see it every day to encourage an attitude of thankfulness. You can click HERE to read more about it!

Soooooooo......to start the month off, I want to say that I am so thankful for our little grandson, Jaylon, who is truly a gift from the Lord. He got a bit of a rough start in life, as he had to spend his first six weeks in the NICU at Ohio State University Hospital:

BUT.... he is now healthy as can be and how can I help but be thankful for that? Jaylon will be TWO years old on December 22! How the time has flown!! :-)

Saturday Night Live

2010-10-30T21:03:00.009-05:00

Yes, that's me! Here at my computer on Saturday night, I'm still alive and it is 10:23 AND I am determined to get a post up! Here goes! :-)

We have just been so busy and then, as a result of the "busyness", pooped....in a word. *sigh* When does it ever end?!?!?!?!

One thing....well, okay, the main thing that is keeping us busy is.....besides life....is that we bought Daniel and Erin's mobile home which they had lived in next door to us before buying a home in Logan and moving about a month ago.

Well.....we have been doing some work on the mobile home, sprucing it up, cleaning, painting, etc. getting it ready to sell and also for the impending winter if we do not sell it right away. So, that is where much of our spare time has been spent.

Oh, and, yes, we are still taking care of our cute little grandson, Jaylon, every day and is he ever growing by leaps and bounds, even if he still isn't calling me anything in particular yet. But he does seem to be calling me "Mom-Mom" or something that sounds vaguely like "grandma" every once in awhile. I'm thinking maybe I'm just making myself too instantly available to the little guy and maybe if I would play a little more hard-to-get, he might come out with a definite name for me! Just my luck, he would probably say, "Hey You!" LOL
Oh, but you should hear him run through the yard yelling "Pa-pa...Pa-pa..." It is soooooo adorable!!! *sigh* Someday, perhaps, he'll run through the yard yelling, "Grandmaaaa.....Grandmaaaa...." or whatever he's decided to call me. :-)

We took Jaylon to the pumpkin patch yesterday and he had a ball!! This particular pumpkin patch has several tractors sitting around and Jaylon loooooves tractors, so he was doubly excited! He even got to sit on one, as evidenced in this picture:

BUT, even more than tractors or pumpkins or anythingggg....he loooooves rocks! As you can see here:

I am the resident picture-taker in our family, so we end up with alot of pictures of Ed and Jaylon but occasionally Ed does try to get a picture of me and Jaylon together. Here is his latest attempt:
LOL.....I told him that he is going to have to just take my camera and become friends with it!

It is now 11:30 and I need my sleep so I'll close this post with some pictures of Jaylon and Ed, traipsing about the yard midst the beauty of fall here in our little valley:

My/Our Graduation Picture

2010-10-13T15:44:00.002-05:00

Here it is, finally!! My and Johnny's graduation picture and, you know, I think I may have been a bit too critical of myself when telling about the picture in this week's Random Dozen. It is actually a good picture of me, especially seeing as how I am not very photogenic in the first place. Now the glasses? Well, what can I say? They were in style at the time...1969-70.

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Is anyone growing weary of all the political advertisements and mailings? Good grief. It seems to be worse this year than ever! I honestly just turn a deaf ear to it all and I wonder how many others do the same thing and, if so, does this mean that all of those advertising dollars are essentially being wasted?
AND I am tired of hearing from BOTH sides. In this case, one is just as bad as the other, where the advertising is concerned. Enough already. But then I realize that I might as well save my breath because it is only going to get worse as we get closer to election day.
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And here I thought that perhaps they were going to be a little more conservative on DWTS this year because the outfits didn't seem to be quite so revealing and the dances not quite so suggestive BUT I thought too soon, hm? Whoa. Monday night a pretty steamy. And, no, I don't like the raised, round dance floor. What's the point?
And what about Bristol Palin? First of all, I just don't think she has any business being on the show in the first place, what with all of the negative press that she has gotten over the past few months, whether deserved or not. Nor does her mother. Puhleeeeease. AND did you see Sarah looking at the monitors and then, upon seeing herself, smiling and laughing hugely? Again, I say...Puhleeeease!
I know this may sound a bit terrible but I just think they all need to go back to Alaska and stay out of the limelight for awhile ESPECIALLY if Sarah is thinking of throwing her hat in the ring in the next presidential race. AND for the sake of their children! All of them!!!

ANDDDDD....The Situation? How in the world do you become famous for being who you are just because you ARE who you ARE? I've never watched Jersey Shore and surely don't plan on it but I WILL say that he did lose gracefully.
And aren't you surprised at the people who just can't dance, like The Situation (AND what kind of a name is THAT? Hello.) and Michael Bolton (oh, but it was painful to watch) and The Hoff, though I didn't have as difficult a time watching him dance, but I was surprised that he was eliminated so quickly. I thought he surely had more of a fan base than that. Oh well.
Okay, I have one more thing to say about DWTS. Florence Henderson. I've never been a fan or not a fan. I didn't watch the Brady Bunch. But what I don't care for is these older women coming on this show and trying to act sexy or whatever. Can't they just age gracefully? I almost quit watching entirely when Cloris Leachman was on. Thankfully, I could fast forward past her segments. She was an embarrassment.
By now you may be asking why I even watch the show if I am so critical of different aspects of it. Hmmmm....because there are people and parts of it that I do like. :-) One of those being the host, Tom Bergeron. Oh, and that brings me to another criticism. :-) Brook Burris? Don't like her. She preens too much and tries to act too "alluring". Get over yourself, Brook. (My, but I am being a bit harsh, aren't I?) I much preferred Samantha Harris.
And that is all I have to say about that! :-)
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I also loooooove The Next Iron Chef!!! There is alot that I don't know or understand about this level of cuisine but I do find it so interesting.
I've watched Ming Tsai when he was a judge on Top Chef and also occasionally on his TV show "East Meets West" on PBS.

He strikes me as being an eensy bit egotistical but that could be complete misperception on my part?

This past week, Ming was one of the bottom two chefs. I believe it was a real wake-up call for him. I'm very interested to see if he does indeed become the next Iron Chef!

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And lastly.....Project Runway. I loooooove this show so much. I used to sew quite a bit in my earlier years. I made the dress that I wore in my senior picture. I made alot of my clothes when I was in school but nothing on the level of Project Runway AND I just don't get some of the designs, you know? Oh, now I don't have any trouble picking out the BAD ones! Oh my!! Only to find out that the judges sometimes loooove them. But I do sometimes wonder what they see in some of outfits that don't lose or are in the top designs such as this atrocity that Gretchen got raves for, though she didn't win this particular challenge. She was one of the top three. Go figure.

But, once again, I am anxiously awaiting the next episode which is due to begin in about ten minutes, so I had better get this post up, get some snacks and get all settled in. :-)

I hope you've had a good Thursday and tomorrow is Friday! My favorite day of the week!! :-)

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Oh my! I almost posted without sharing a picture of little Jaylon!! Sooooo, here you go! I got this one this afternoon as we were out the door and getting ready to take our afternoon hike around the yard! :-)

Wednesday's Really Random Dozen! :-)

2010-10-12T20:25:00.006-05:00

I haven't participated in the WRD for a couple of weeks because of time constraints but am determined to do so this week! :-) I think if I didn't put so much thought into the questions it wouldn't take me nearly so long but I tend to overthink things sometimes.

Anywayyyyy, below are my answers and YOU can participate, too, by clicking on Linda's blog and following the simple instructions!! :-)

1. Is there a word which you initially mispronounced? Were the circumstances in which you made the faux pas embarrassing? By the way, that's not "foax pass." (I know you know that. Just jokin' with ya.)
Why in the world I have never forgotten this, I may never know BUT when I was in grade school, I remember mispronouncing "Scioto", which is the name of a river that runs through central and southern Ohio. I pronounced it "Ski-o-toe" and was corrected by someone, though I don't remember who exactly.

2. How do you feel about the use of texting shortcuts and trends? (ex: "I've got ur notes. Get them 2 u 2morow.")
I seldom text but when I do, I still text complete words, along with punctuation. After 59 years, it's just a habit that I find hard to break and the shortcuts seem a bit juvenile, which I am not. :-)

And I have to agree with Joyce, in that if I really want to get in contact with my nieces and nephews or DIL, who do not always answer their phones (an understatement), all I have to do is send a text. Voila'! An almost immediate response! Go figure. (Does this mean I am really old?) LOL

3. Tell me about your high school senior picture. Please feel free to post.
Well, I am a twin. I have a twin brother and so many people thought it would be neat if we had our picture taken together, so we did. I think Johnny and I were also endeavoring to be considerate of our parents, as they did not have alot of money to spend on extras when we were growing up. It was one thing to pay for senior pictures for one child but two? Hello.
Anywayyyy....we had our picture taken together and it turned out pretty good but I've always thought that I look old in mine. Not one of my favorites. :-) I'll try to post the picture sometime soon but time is not on my side presently!

5. Share a high school or college homecoming memory.
I can only remember our school having one homecoming. And we only had basketball at our high school. No football. My oldest sister Bev was one of the finalists. Of course, I wanted her to win but another girl did. She was a cheerleader but had a pretty wild reputation and, in my opinion, was not attractive at all. She and some of her friends had always given Bev a rough time about being a goody-two-shoes. Oh,well, it's in the past and as my friend Pumba once said, "Ya gotta put your behind in your past". LOL

6. Linda at Mocha with Linda wants to know: "Do you prefer sunrises or sunsets?"
I think sunsets because I stand a better chance of getting to see one. And the ones in the fall are absolutely spectacular! Our church is on a small knoll and is the perfect place to watch a sunset!

7. Lea at Cici's Corner asks, "What is something you have not done that you desire to do?"
Get my photos organized and in albums. Travel out west and see the west coast. There is so much that I would love to do, it is difficult to just list one thing! :-)

8. Carol at Wanderings of an Elusive Mind ponders, "If you could come back [in another life] as an animal, which would it be?"
I would have to say a house cat. What a life! :-)

9. Joyce from The Other Side of the Pond is curious: "Where were you 10 years ago?" Please feel free to elaborate more than just your physical location.
Well, we were living here in the same place as we are now. I weighed about 50lbs. less than what I do now. I was a walking fanatic! :-) We were still home-schooling Daniel, which is such a wonderful memory that we have! I was working part-time at the library, which I absolutely loved! We had just returned to our former church and had begun working with the youth, which we continued to do for the next 7-8 years. That is just about all that I can remember at the moment! :-)

10. When you are proven to be correct in any contentious discussion, do you gloat?
No, but that is not to say that I haven't wanted to but the Lord always reminds me, "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you." "Be not overcome with evil, but overcome evil with good." "He that exalteth himself, shall be abased." Need I go on? :-)
I am so thankful for the word of the Lord that keeps me in line when I want so much to just tear loose sometimes. :-/

11. What is your favorite food which includes the ingredient "caramel?"
Oh.My.Word. On Sunday evenings after our evening service at church, we have been going through the drive-through at Dairy Queen so I can get a small caramel sundae with pecans. I am addicted. I don't know what kind of pecans these are but they are mostly whole and maybe toasted but they are to die for when mixed with the rich, creamy ice cream and the smooth, luscious caramel. Help me! I'm dying for one! LOL

12. From my 17 year-old daughter to you: "If you could be part of any fictional family, which family would you choose and why?" (She's so cute. And clever.)
The first family that comes to mind is the March family in Little Women. I just loved the book and the movie with Susan Sarandon as the mother. They were such a loving and giving family and I admired the conservative, humble way in which they lived, but I also loved the way that Jo was allowed to go forth and pursue her dream of writing in a time when women's worldly ambitions were more often than not suppressed. I see much of myself in Jo. :-)

It's Monday already!

2010-10-11T17:44:00.004-05:00

This is surely going to be hodge-podge of a post....you have been warned....so here goes! (I have to get a post up! This is supposed to be a journal of sorts! Sheesh!)

Below is a picture of a barn that I took a few weeks ago. I was out early on a Saturday morning and was just amazed at the beautiful fall "flowers" that are or were so abundant in the fields! You know...the wild flowers that only come out in the fall? Aren't they gorgeous? I love the yellow, daisy-like flowers that just flourish around here in the fields and along the roads and the beautiful purple flowers that are everywhere.

Remember I told you about my FAVORITE apple cider? AND how expensive apple cider is? Well, my fave was on sale last week for $2.99 and I just had to have some! AND I took a picture of it to share! :-) (Do I need to get a life or what? LOL)

You know, I just can't figure out Ellie the cat sometimes. When Jaylon is here, she doesn't want anything to do with him....at all! But look at what I found her doing on Friday when he was home with his daddy! Yep, gazing into his bed as if she missed him. I picked her up and put her in his bed thinking that maybe she just wanted to lay on the softness but, no, that wasn't it. As soon as I put her in, she wanted out. So maybe she was just missing the little guy a bit. We'll probably never know, hm? :-)

Below are some adorable pictures of Jaylon AND his MawMaw Pat, as you can see in the first picture!

I just love these sober pictures of our little guy! He's all gussied up, ready to go to church! :-)

And I think I should send these pictures to Steak N' Shake to use in one of their advertisements! :-)

I took this picture last Wednesday as Erin and Jaylon were getting ready to leave for church! Aren't they both just beautiful? Erin is the best daughter-in-law anyone could have. We are so blessed!

Well, I'm going to get this posted before Jaylon arrives! May you have an awesome autumn day wherever you are!!!

Just Livin' Life to the Fullest!

2010-10-03T14:08:00.009-05:00

Helloooooo....is anyone still out there, interested in reading my blog? :-)

We've been helping Daniel and Erin move into their new home, cooking meals for them, taking care of little Jaylon more than usual.....like we mind that at all! Not! :-).....carrying boxes, painting, scrubbing and cleaning, anything and everything that needs to be done, all the while taking care of things here at home and enjoying some activities that we like.

Below is a picture of their kitchen, which I think is just adorable. It will have more red in it, eventually, but as you can see, it is black, white, stainless and will also have red in it when finished.
Next is a picture of their little house. Well, it LOOKS little but it is like an optical illusion when you step inside because it has so much ROOM inside......two big bedrooms, one smaller one, a ginormous bathroom, two very nice-sized living rooms, one of which they are making kind of an office/study room out of, and there is a laundry room. There is also a small partial basement.
They have a spacious two-car garage that has alot of extra room for storage, an attached carport right by the back door and a rather small yard but that is good because they don't have alot of time for maintaining much of a yard anyway. Jaylon will still have plenty of room for toys and a swingset and all next summer! :-)

Jaylon just loves his new home AND his new BIG bedroom. It seems he is in their playing every time I've been there. He has so much more room now to play and all. But he hasn't been sleeping very good at night and we are praying that that resolves itself as he gets used to his new bedroom and surroundings.

Well, I have an appointment with the chiropractor in about a half-hour, so I am going to post this and be on my way!!

Oh, there are a couple of really cute pictures of the little guy down below, too! :-)

And those two cute critters laying on the doggie bed are our two grand-doggies. The boxer is Heidi and the Jack Russell is Macie.

Tuesday Tidbits

2010-09-28T07:58:00.002-05:00

I love apple cider. The unfiltered kind. Tamarack Farms produces a wonder apple cider that is sold at our local Kroger store.
BUT....the price has gone through the roof!! Four dollars or more for a gallon of the delicious stuff! I remember paying $2.50 perhaps just a couple of years ago, but $4.00?? Hello.
I know, I know. If I want the apple cider, I'm gonna have to pay the price AND I probably will, if only just once. Drat it all.
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ANDDDDD......how about the price of bacon?!?! Good grief! And I do love me some bacon. I'm reminded of that commercial for dog's Beggin' Strips where this dog goes through the house saying....although we know that dogs don't REALLY talk.....(I'm drifting, I know...)..."Bacon...bacon...bacon..."
THAT is how much I looooove bacon. (Could I be related to Paula Deen perhaps? LOL)
Anywayyyyy.....I was buying Farmland brand bacon at Save-a-Lot for $1.79 a pound package. Then it went to $2.29. The last time I checked it was heading for $3.00!!! It might be more than that now.
I know, I know....that is really not bad for a pound of meat of any kind, these days. But when the price jumps so quickly and so much, it is a bit disconcerting.
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So Bath and Body Works has once again discontinued the scent that I love the most! Why does this always happen to me??
Years ago, I wore Tuvache's Jungle Gardenia. They quit making it.
Then I switched to Sand and Sable, which also has a nice gardenia scent and I'm not sure why I quit wearing that particular perfume, as I think they still make it.
But then I found BBW's White Gardenia lotion and have worn it for yeeeaars.
Go figure.
NOW I have to find another scent that I like.
I am presently wearing BBW's Moonlight Path lotion, which is okay.
I only wear lotion because perfumes or colognes are just a little too powerful for me where lotions tend to be softer and more subtle plus they keep my skin so soft.
"Skin So Soft"!!!
Which reminds me that I DO like Avon's Skin-So-Soft Soft and Sensuous lotion. Hmmmm..maybe I'll give that a try again.
Does anyone else out there have perfume,lotion,cologne troubles like me??? Am I the only one?? Tell me it isn't so! :-)
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Oh, I am so happy this week, though you probably couldn't tell it by my comments above about high prices and perfume dilemnas, hm? :-)
It is raining in Ohio!!! Yayyyyy!! Thank you, Jesus! And, yes, I had been praying for rain!
It has been so hot and dry here. More so than I have seen it for a long time. Just last week we had record-setting temperatures for this time of year, in the 90's. Then a front came through and it was only in the 70's on Saturday but the weather was absolutely gorgeous on Saturday and Sunday.
The rain started Sunday night and has continued off and on through today.
Yes, it is chilly and rather dreary but I'll not complain because we need the rain desperately!
And the rain sounds so wonderful on the roof at night when I am drifting off to sleep!
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Daniel and Erin have been working away at getting their house ready to move into, so I have been taking care of little Jaylon more than usual, which I don't mind at all but it leaves me very little time for doing things that I like, like surfing the web, blogging, FBing and so on. Or going to the library for a few hours in the evening or watching TV programs that I've DVR'd and, let me tell ya, if you DVR very many programs and get behind? It is impossible to get caught up!
I'll blog more about Daniel and Erin's new home and their moving and so on in another post, when I get the time!
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ANDDDD is anyone watching "Dancing With the Stars"? Oh my goodness!!! Michael Bolton's performance last night was PAINFUL to watch!!!! I just can't believe that he doesn't have any more rhythym *sp* or musicality than he does, considering that he is a world-renowned singer! I could hardly bear to watch him. Poor guy. And he doesn't seem to have much personality, which kind of surprised me, too.
ANDDDD I wish Corky, who is dancing with Florence Henderson, would knock off the dramatics and be serious for once. I just don't care for his goofiness, flamboyance, or whatever it is that you call all of the goofy stuff that he does while he is dancing.
ANDDDD I think Bristol Palin is handling herself so well in this competition, so far. Now, if her mother just doesn't use it as another political platform for herself. Cool it, Sarah. This is Bristol's few weeks of fame.
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Well, we're off to get our yearly flu shots this morning and I hear Jaylon stirring from his morning nap, so I had better sign off here and make sure I have myself and everything else together and ready to go!
I miss blogging and always say that I'm going to be more faithful to it but taking care of a toddler, a husband, a home and myself leaves little time for alot of extracurricular activities.
And even though I haven't been posting much, I have been endeavoring to go around and read all of your blogs and comment here and there as I am able to.
Happy Fall, Ya'll!!! :-)

Fall Graphics

The simplest of things

2010-09-18T12:48:00.002-05:00

Jaylon loves to play with my Hotsticks, so when I have something to do in that part of the house, that is usually what he does.
I remember when he tried to put them back in their holder and couldn't do it and would get so frustrated but now it is a cinch for him.
On this particular day, he concentrated so intensely and would put them in then dump them out, put them in, dump them out. :-) You get the idea
It amazes me how they can do the same thing over and over for an extended amount of time. He did this for approximately 20-30 minutes which I think is amazing.
Of course, he IS my grandson, so most anything he does is AMAZING to me, hm? :-)

Jaylon's inaugral visit to the fair

2010-09-18T12:45:00.002-05:00

Ed and I took Jaylon to his very first Hocking County Fair last Friday! He loved the sounds and watching all of the people and the rides but he especially liked the animals!!!
He was good for about the first half of his ride on the merry-go-round but then he and two other little ones started crying and the operator was kind enough to end the ride shortly after the tears started. :-)
Oh, and Jaylon loves the fair fries!! Yum! :-)

The Kitty of the house and Jaylon, too! :-)

2010-09-18T12:40:00.002-05:00

So Ellie hasn't been pulling her fur out....thank the Lord....and she quit digging and scratching for awhile but started that back up sometime over the weekend.
Sooooo.....my nephew told me to give her over-the-counter Benadryl tablets as they are safe for animals. He gives them to his dog.
Well, have you ever tried to get a cat to swallow a pill? It is nigh to impossible. Soooooo, I got a bright idea!!! Use the Benadryl spray on her and she'll end up trying to lick it off and it will end up inside of her eventually!!!
Well, we....as in Ed and I.....sprayed her nether regions and back with it this morning and she has not been scratching or digging today. Yayyyy!!
But she has been scratching around her neck and ears, so I may have to rub some on her in that area as I don't want to get it in her eyes.
You may ask why we are going to these lengths. Well, I just don't want to pay anymore money to the vet. It's so expensive. AND this does seem to be working. I'll keep you posted.
Below are some really darling pictures of her....the cat of the house, that is. Ellie!! :-)
Oh, and we can't forget Jaylon! He's down there in a couple of cute pictures. It was raining on the morning I took these and he just looked so cute, sitting there looking so intently at two of his favorite books. (Can you tell I adore this little guy just a tad? *smile*)

Jaylon and Grandpa at Lake Logan

2010-09-18T12:36:00.003-05:00

I haven't had time to post lately because I've been taking care of little Jaylon quite alot as Daniel and Erin have been working at their "new" house, getting it ready to move into and little boys have a tendency to get in the way alot. :-)
So I've been keeping alot of company with the handsome little guy, which I don't mind at all!
Ed and I took Jaylon to Lake Logan again last Wednesday and here are some pictures that I took. I especially love the third one down! :-)

Wednesday's Random Dozen! Yayyyy!

2010-09-15T17:17:00.005-05:00

"♪♫ It's that most wonderful time of the week ♪♫"

Time for another random dozen questions that help us get to know one another better AND maybe even get to know ourselves better! :-)
If you would like to join us, just go to Linda's blog at 2nd Cup of Coffee and join in!! It's that easy! And you just might make some new friends along the way!

Below are my answers, such as they are! :-)

1. Do you do garage sales? If so, tell me about one great find. If not, tell me why not.
Not usually, though I will very occasionally stop at one. The reason I don't do yard sales is because I don't REALLy need anything AND I get so tired doing yard sales. I mean, you go to one, get out of the car, only to find that they don't have anything anyway and on you go to the next one. AND I get to feeling kind of grungy after awhile, looking through all of this stuff that people pulled out of their attics, basements and Lord only knows where else.
BUT I do love to go to our local Volunteers of America store!
Oh, and I've never really found anything THAT great at yard sales and that is not to say that people don't because I have a friend who finds great stuff all of the time! She's addicted! :-)

2. Name the last thing you fixed.
Okay, are we talking food here or something that was broken that needed fixed? Hmmmm....if it is food, I fixed Johnny Marzetti for supper.

3. Name your A) Favorite item of makeup OR B) Favorite tool
Well, I don't wear makeup, except for a little pressed powder on my face if it is shiny and this is usually in the summer when it is really hot, so that would be my favorite!

4. Which room in your home needs organizing more than any other?
Well, I guess it would have to be the extra bedroom at the front of our house. It is where I have my keyboards and alot of Jaylon's bigger toys. It needs cleaned really good.

5. Which room could use re-decorating?
I'd like to redo my whole house!! :-) But especially my living room and kitchen which are kind of together.

6. Share something unique about your town.
We now have all new schools in our community. Five new elementary schools. A new middle school and a new high school complex.

7. If you could send a one-sentence message to your great-grandchild, what would it be?
"Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength." Mark 12:30 (NIV)

8. Do you Facebook?
Yes, but not nearly as much as I used to. I just don't have the time. Plus it takes away time from my blog and blogging which I don't like. I prefer my blog and blogging. FB tends to make blogging difficult.

9. Describe your favorite shoes.
Oh, this is easy. My Birkenstock sandals, which I've had for several years. Do they ever hold up well, or what? Now, they aren't the most attractive or dainty or feminine shoes in the world but I'll trade that for the comfort they afford! :-)

10. Do you listen to more talk radio or more music radio? What kind of station is it?I would have to say talk radio. I listen to 610 WTVN out of Columbus. They have Glenn Beck in the morning, Rush Limbaugh in the afternoon, John Corby in the evening and Hannity at 8pm.
But I've not been listening much since the presidential election. I just get tired of hearing it all. But I don't listen to much music either. You see, we used to have a really great christian music station but it went out of business, I guess. *sigh*
I love to listen to Focus on the Family, Family Life Today and Family Matters but I can only get them when I am in the car, which doesn't happen very often and it's not like I can go sit in the car and listen when they are on. I'm watching a grandchild. :-)
Now we do have a local christian station but they play ALL southern gospel which I like but I don't want to listen to it exclusively, nor do I want to listen to contemporary only either. I guess I am a bit too picky, hm?
I used to like to listen to Sunny 95 (94.7) in the evening when they played love songs but I can only take so much of Delilah, you know? I just want to tell her, "Would you please just be quiet and play MUSIC?" I even emailed the radio station and complained and they emailed me back, saying that Delilah was one of their most popular programs...yadayadayada.
Before Delilah, they had a male DJ who played music and OCCASIONALLY took a dedication. It was just a relaxing evening of love songs. Delilah is ridiculous. I think she likes to hear herself talk. Me? I'd rather listen to music.

11. How far would you travel for a really good (favorite) meal?
I would drive to Columbus, which is about 65 miles away and we have a few times. Or Parkersburg, which is about the same distance.

12. If you were totally honest with yourself (and us) what should you probably be doing right now instead of blogging?
Sleeping or laying all stretched out in bed reading. *yawwwnnnnn*

And that is where I am going now that I have this post finished! Good night all!! :-)

Monday's Randomness on Wednesday!!

2010-09-15T10:09:00.001-05:00

I started this post on Monday but am just now getting it posted, so here it is!!!
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A while back, I made some of THE MOST delicious crockpot chicken I have ever put into my mouth! Oh.my.word.

I get a weekly email from a few recipe websites and I'm not sure just which one this was in but I'll try my best to get the recipe right. So, here goes! Oh, and be warned! This is not low-fat, diet, or anything to close to it! :-)

4 boneless chicken thighs and 4 boneless chicken breasts
8 slices of bacon
Slices of dried beef or cooked ham lunchmeat
2 cans cream of mushroom soup
1 cup of sour cream
1/2 cup of flour

Spray the crockpot with cooking spray. Line the bottom of the crockpot with the dried beef or ham. The recipe I used called for the dried beef but all I had was ham and it worked really well. Wrap each piece of chicken with one slice of bacon. Lay the chicken pieces on top of the dried beef/ham.

Mix the mushroom soup, sour cream and flour together thoroughly and pour over the chicken.

I cooked this on low in my crockpot for about 6-7 hours. It is wonderful!!! So very wonderful! I believe I served it with mashed potatoes and green beans. We may have had a salad, too! :-)
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My flowers are just about gone for the year. We've cut back most of the hostas and daylilies. It has been so dry here. We've not had any rain for a month, at least.

Below, are a couple of pictures of my petunias and of one of the hanging baskets on the front porch.

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I finally had to take Ellie to the vet. She was still pulling out hair and digging and scratching like crazy and just wasn't herself at all AND I couldn't believe how it was stressing ME out! But I do love her so much and just hated seeing her so miserable.

Ed kept hoping she would "just get over it" but that was not be, I'm afraid.
The vet gave her a shot of steroids and anitbiotic drops to take at home. Ellie just hugged up to me and was such a good kitty while they worked on her.
This was last Wednesday and, though her coat still looks ragged, she is back to her old self again, thankfully. She has been following me around like a pup and I'm not complaining! I'm just so thankful that she is better and it only cost $67.50 when it could have been so much more! *whew!*
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Jaylon loves to help me do laundry. You know, put the soap in washer or throw in the softener ball or put the clothes in the washer or throw them in the dryer and shut the door.
Well, whenever he sees one of Ed's shirts, he recognizes it and says "Papa". It is so sweet! I can't believe he recognizes Ed's shirts!
Oh...what was that? Does he recognize any of my clothes? Uh, apparently not. He doesn't say "Grandma" when he throws in my blouses or nightgowns.
What am I? Chopped liver? *said whiningly*
Noooo, I'm just the one who feeds him and changes his diaper and reads his books to him a kazillion times and....... well, you get the idea.
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Well, that's about all that I have, folks...for now anyway!

I'm gonna get this posted as we are going to take Jaylon to the lake again today because Ed doesn't have to work for the next three days! Yayyy!!! Hope you are able to enjoy this beautiful "autumnal" (that's Martha's word....you know, THE Martha, as in Stewart!! LOL) weather wherever you are!!! :-)

Me and Jaylon at Lake Logan

2010-09-13T13:48:00.007-05:00

When Daniel was little, one of his favorite things to do was to go to Lake Logan and throw rocks in the water. Simple, hm? :-) Those simple things make the best memories! :-)

Well, last week, I took little Jaylon to Lake Logan so he could throw some rocks in the water. Now, he is used to doing that at our creek but the creek is all dried up for lack of rain, so you can imagine how excited he was at seeing all of that lake water! LOL

I had gotten him a chicken nugget meal before going out and thankfully, we had some leftover fries to feed to the hungry ducks!

Below are some pictures of our adventure!

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AND...below are a couple of pictures of Jaylon and Grandpa enjoying some moments together!
Jaylon loves to sit on the mower and take the key out and put the key in and take the key out and put....well, you get the idea. :-) Isn't it amazing how they can do something over and over a kazillion times and never get bored? I love it! :-)

Jaylon loves to drink Ed's warm green tea, especially with a fresh cookie! :-) Here he is partaking of the tea!

Wednesday's Random Dozen! :-)

2010-09-07T21:17:00.005-05:00

It's that most wonderful time of the week! Time for the Random Dozen questions which are given out by Linda at 2nd Cup of Coffee!! If you would like to join us, just click on her blog, copy the questions, answer them on your blog, link up at Linda's and have fun meeting some wonderful ladies all about the web!
Here goes my attempt at answering this week's questions to the best of my ability! :-)

1. Describe the best sandwich in the world, according to you.
It would have to be the Garlic Portabella and Swiss Angus Burger at Scrambler Maries. Oh.my.word. It is served on a soft pretzel bun and is to die for!!

2. Which inspires you more: a good conversation, a song, a book or movie?
I would have to say a song. Music has always moved me and because I play and sing, it is very close to my heart. I could really elaborate but I won't.
Okay, I will tell you one short story. :-)
Several years ago, I was on my way to work at the library as I listened to a local christian radio station. I was going through a difficult time and this song came on the radio by Avalon..."I Can't Live A Day Without You." I cannot begin to describe how the words of this song went straight to my heart. It was as if the words came from my heart. They were just what I wished to say to Him. I prayed and cried to the Lord the rest of the way to work and actually had some difficulty pulling myself together to go into work. What an awesome song! And that is only one of many that have had the same effect on me through the years.

3. What is your favorite board game?
Hmmmm.......it used to be Monopoly but I'm not sure now. The last board game that I played was Scrabble and that was really fun, too. So, it would probably be one of those.
Oh, wait. Bible Trivia. I played that with my husband, pastor and another gentleman from our church and we had such a crazy blast playing it! So, that is right up there, too!
Oh, and I do believe that it depends on who you are playing with, too. Makes all the difference in the world! :-)

4. As you grow older, are you more or less patient with small children?
Actually, I'm more patient. I believe that taking care of little Jaylon, our grandson, has helped me in this area AND, as I'm getting older (58), I'm learning more and more what is really important in our day-to-day lives. They are only little once and they deserve our time, attention, and patience. They are so defenseless and are learning about this life and world one step at a time.

5. Name one item you never let yourself run out of.
Hairspray. (Hate to admit it, but it's true, nevertheless.)

6. Do you agree with Tennyson's assertion, "'Tis better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all?"
Oh, yes.
Is there anything as affirming as knowing that you love/loved someone unconditionally and were loved in return in the same way?
As we've gotten older, Ed and I have had some discussions about death, what we would do if something happened to the other one. We don't like to think about it but it does make our love for one another that much dearer. We have no promise of tomorrow.

7. Name one national treasure or monument that you have visited.
The National Archives in Washington D.C., where the original Declaration of Independence is stored, along with the Bill of Rights and the Constitution.

8. Which is more painful, to be disappointed in someone else or to be disappointed in yourself?
I would have to say in someone else. You see, I know my own heart. I know my motives. I know if I am truly sorry. I know the sincerity and intentions of my future actions.
But, with some people, you might never know what was REALLY going on, what their motives/intentions were, or if they were truly sorry.
There are some situations that I still struggle with sometimes because I was never given the opportunity to REALLY know what was going on with them. I still shake my head in disbelief sometimes, wondering at what is going on in their thinking, but realizing I can only deal with my side of the situation, to the best of my ability, unless and until they make a move toward reconciliation. *sigh*

9. What makes your kitchen uniquely yours?
Me. I mean, that is the only thing I could really think of. I have my own order of things in my cupboards and refrigerator. I have my own style of cooking.
When Daniel was still at home, he was in the kitchen cooking something and, I'll never forget, he said to me, "Mom, I hope, someday, when I have my own kitchen that I have a spice cupboard like you do.....I like the smell of it when you open the door...... and that I have an onion bowl, like you do in the fridge. You just have everything in a certain place and you know it is going to be there when you go to get it. "
I just thought that was such a nice thing for him to say. AND he does have his own spice cupboard now! :-) It is kind of located in the same area of his kitchen as mine is, in the cupboard between the sink and the stove. :-) Daniel loves to cook, especially grilling out. Oh, and Erin calls him the "Breakfast King"!

10. Are you a crafty person?
Not really. Crafts are just not something I have ever cared to do. I mean, I CAN do them. I just prefer not to. :-)

11. What is your favorite traditional picnic or bbq (cookout) food?
A really good macaroni salad. One that is not too soupy nor too dry.

12. Name one leisurely activity you enjoyed over Labor Day Weekend.
Watching my DVR'd TV programs while crocheting and enjoying my morning coffee with a warm blueberry poptart, while Ellie sat in the open window by my chair and we enjoyed the cool, fresh morning air together as it wafted in through the screen. Ahhhhhhh.........:-)

Post Labor Day Weekend and other stuff

2010-09-07T04:52:00.004-05:00

Has the weather been absolutely gorgeous or what? Now, this is my kind of weather! Oh my!
I could just live outside when it is like this!!

We went to my brother and sister-in-law's 40th wedding anniversary celebration on Saturday and had a wonderful time. The weather was beautiful....oh, I mentioned that already, didn't I? :-)......the food was delicious, and we enjoyed seeing alot of family and friends.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Oh, I forgot to mention that I had bronchitis last week, into the weekend and am still dealing with it, somewhat....*hack* *cough*. LOL

I was feeling fine on Tuesday evening when my pal, Pam, stopped by and we decided to go to Bob Evans for a bite to eat. Okay, we ate much more than just a "bite" and it was scrumptious! :-)

Anywayyyy.....I woke up Wednesday morning feeling a bit achey about my shoulders. By the afternoon, I felt really bad and have dealt with this old floogey since.

We still took care of little Jaylon, with Ed helping me so much. The only kind of difficult time was in the afternoons when Ed is gone for about three hours but Jaylon was usually napping during some of that time, so I rested, too.

His poison ivy is all gone and he is back to his usual happy little self! Here's a cute picture I got from Erin's FB page! :-)

He has his mommy's old cellphone now and loves playing with it. Looks like he's having ball, hm? :-)
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I am so bummed because I had this post all finished but when I tried to post it, I got an error message saying it "might" not be saved or published. I tried everything I knew to do but hoped it was saved and proceeded to restart my computer, only to log back on and find that only a small portion of my lengthy "finishd" post was GONE! I am so sick of dial-up that I'm thinking of just doing away with the internet here at home and just going to the library when I want to blog or do the internet. It can be sooo aggravating! AND time-consuming!
Oh, that's just great....NOW it's "saving", AFTER I've lost my post already! GRRRR!!!
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Perhaps I'll have to start posting in tidbits.....smaller posts, so I don't lose what I've done already.
Hope your Tuesday is off to a great start!!! :-)

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

2010-08-31T08:27:00.005-05:00

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

2010-08-30T11:34:00.000-05:00

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!

2010-08-25T04:54:00.006-05:00

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!! :-)

2010-08-22T15:05:00.005-05:00

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...........

2010-08-17T12:35:00.005-05:00

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. :-)
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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! :-)

2010-08-14T12:38:00.007-05:00

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.