Facebook

Okay, so what's the big deal about facebook? Why is it any different or any better than this blogger thing? Pictures, comments, etc. are available on both, right? Am I missing something? I guess I am too computer-illiterate to know why it's all the rage. I guess because you don't have "friends" on here, like you do on there ... maybe that's a 'big deal?' And instead of just posting a photo on a page, you can make "photo albums" ... maybe that's the draw? I don't know. I just know that I don't have time to keep up with ONE bloggy thing, much less two or three. But feels like this blogspot thing is kinda like the old shopping center down the street, where the businesses just slowly move out and move to a new location .... just because ... leaving a desolate, lonely old empty shopping center where once there was a lot of action. So, in attempt to "keep up with the Jones's" (i.e. my family and friends), I made a facebook page. Go find me if you can. But there is no "interesting layout" or anything exciting, because I don't know how to do anything on there except put some photos. And that, I did! All of you are on there (if you're reading this, because only my family reads this!). Oh, and if you prefer NOT to be on there, just let me know and I'll yank the photos. If I get familiar with that thing and learn how to do the same thing I do on here, I'll quit this one, because like I said, I can't even keep up with one, much less two.
Bye now.
I'm tired and I wanna go home.

back for a quick catch-up

You know, you'd really think one could post a little more often than I do, but seriously, I just can't seem to get to this with any regularity!

Not that I have nothing to post about, I guess my problem is the opposite, I have SO much going on that I don't have time to post about it.

Went "back home" to visit the family this past week - spent 3 days there seeing everyone and having a nice time. And enjoyed some good ol' BBQ a couple of times so that was a 'big plus!' Got to see the new great-niece for the first time - she's 4 months old and a real cutie pie! See for yourself .....













So, then it was back to the daily grind yesterday. But glad to have a "daily grind" (i.e. job!) to get back to - with all of the cut-backs and lay-offs that are going on, even within my own company, I'm glad I haven't been hit with that yet. Hopefully, won't be, but one never knows.
Made some of my "famous/infamous" homemade chicken noodle soup last night after work and took to some friends who have been sick and battling the "bug." Also, dropped by friend's house (our receptionist here at the office) who is going to have her first baby this afternoon. Then went by Granddaddy's for a quick visit; he is doing well. Then home about 8:30. Didn't get to work out. So it's been almost 2 weeks - longest I have gone without working out since I joined fitness center. Sad. But I will be there tonight, without fail. I cannot NOT GO, or else I gain back about a pound a day. Think I'm kidding, exaggerating? Nope, almost literally a pound a day, if I don't work out and if I eat ANYTHING in the evening, it just packs right on me! But sometimes "life" gets in the way of my well-laid plans!
Well, that's all I have time for now. Will try to get back here another day to write more. But don't anyone hold their breath now or you'll be in big trouble!

briefly

It's Sunday afternoon. I'm at work.



Sinus headache plagued my weekend.



Got a few cleaning projects done at home yesterday, not nearly enough though.



Nasty weather in the forecast for next few days.



Gotta go, time for lunch, almost 3 pm and haven't eaten yet all day.





(How'd ya like THIS post? Could've been done by dixie herself.)

Resolutions

My goodness, has everyone in this state decided it's time to get in shape??? There must've been 400 new people at the gym last night. Yep, it's January! Wonder how many of them will still be there 3 months from now? I don't know about them, but I will be!

Work is going fine .... still busy as ever, but lost one of our people in the "reorganization." But I'm still determined NOT to get back in the "work from sun-up til sun-down" routine again.

Had a quick visit with the niece last night, as she passed through on her way from one home to another. Nice to see her. She promises that someday she'll stay more than 12 hours!

Have more company coming through tomorrow. Friends who are missionaries to Sri Lanka, back in the states for awhile, as the wife had to have some surgery done just before Christmas. Will be nice to see them and spend some time visiting with them.

Had to report for jury duty yesterday morning. Didn't get picked. NOT A PROBLEM! I've served several times already and I really do think it's only fair to share the experience with my fellow citizens, so glad they chose someone else this time around.

Well, not much exciting news to post, just thought I'd post before 3 months passes by. Don't want to ignore or disappoint my huge and loyal following who wait with great anticipation for my most recent posts! haha!

Gotta post this photo of darling nephew, cutest kid in the world according to my hubby (and I'm in complete agreement there!).

Later gators!

HAPPY NEW YEAR TO YOU ALL!

Well, the New Year has gotten off to a good start around here, except that the hubby is w/ the kids and grandkids, so missing him, but otherwise, a great day! Had the day off yesterday (NY Day) and used it to:

1) SLEEP IN!!!!! Yea! Yippee! Woohoo!

2) Take care of some errands that I haven't been able to do due to working all day every day (week days, I mean), such as go to the Sheriff's Office/jail to p/u my c.c. permit. That's not a place I would like to have to go very often. First off, not knowing "the rules" I had to go back out to my car and leave my purse and cell phone. Then I was subject to be SEARCHED!!! Luckily, I wasn't. Then you have to go through all these locked doors and be escorted down to the elevator where someone has to swipe a badge to let you on it! THEN you have to go to THE BASEMENT! This was not my idea of fun! Glad it's a one time deal!

3) Stopped and ate lunch at one of the places I like that Jimmy doesn't.

4) Spent an hour and 1/2 in Hobby Lobby! Fun, fun!

5) Visited Granddaddy for awhile. He's doing real good.

6) Then went home and cleaned, cleaned, cleaned. Like a madwoman. From about 4:30 pm until 1 am. Zipping around the house like a tornado. Did 5 loads of laundry, cleaned up Christmas junk, put away other junk, cleaned kitchen (which was a TOTAL wreck, I might add, from my night-before-New-Years-Eve cooking extravaganza in which I cooked a QUADRUPLE recipe of my famous Spicy Black-eyed Pea Casserole to take to work and feed the troops on NY Eve!), cleaned the living room, sitting room, etc. Also framed photos and organized some Christmas items we'll be needing for our "late Christmas" whenever we get a chance to go to TN. All the while, listening to some CDs at a very loud volume and singing at the top of my lungs! It was a sight to behold (and hear!), I'm sure! haha!

Now, today it's back to work! Yippee, skippy, as my dear friend Esther would say!

Okay, now it's time to post some recent photos (yes, the "brag" photos!). I'm down 17 pounds, so surely I'm entitled to a few of those! But the loss is all in the lower half of my body, can't budge the northern hemisphere. I'm still working on it, though. Want to lose 6 or 7 more pounds to be right where I want to be (5 pounds below my original goal - heck, why quit now?? I'm "this close!").

Well, I do hope you all have a wonderful New Year in 2009! Wow, can you believe it is 2009??

Y'all have a good one and keep in touch!

Love ya,

J & J

Comparisons

Wow, isn't it amazing how you can look at a picture of yourself and think, 'surely that's not me!' But it really is! ??? The most recent picture of me (Christmas party pic that I posted a couple of days ago) looks a lot more like the "real me" I remember, as opposed to the pictures I have seen of myself in the past 10 years. I guess as we age, in our own minds' eye, we always keep the "favorite and best" look we ever attained and try to reject the face we see in the mirror every morning! In getting out Christmas cards to work on, I found last years and the year before's, both having photos of us on them, and compared it to this years. Noticeable difference! Encourages me to stay on my plan of getting in better shape.

Was great to get a quick visit in with #3 sister on Monday night! Just wish it could've lasted longer, but hey ... I'll take what I can get!

Ready for Christmas? Neither am I. But it's coming whether we're ready or not, so just accept it and enjoy it! I have decided not to worry or fret about all that I am not getting done (decorating, baking, cards, etc.) and just enjoy Christmas for Christmas' sake. After all, it never should've been about all the activities we try to cram in it anyway! Fun if you can do them, not fun if you kill yourself trying to do them! Know what I mean, Vern???

Christmas Party Photo

Hello bloggy friends and family!

Thought I'd take a second (since that's all I have!) to post the latest pic of us, taken by a friend at our company Christmas party on Sat., Dec. 6th, 2008. If I manage to get Christmas cards out this year, most of you will see this photo again!

It was a fun time! That's all for now!

Bye!

Update

Well, just a little update ..... I've lost 12 pounds! Yea!! Yippee!! Yahoo!!


As they've always said ..... "eat less, exercise more" .... that's the ticket! Yep! Yessireebob! Works for me!

I don't have any "show off" pictures (yet!) but the most recent one, taken just 2 days ago, will have to do for now. (But you probably can't see any weight loss in this picture - it's me and sis in beautiful Colorado) .....

And one of me and hubby in same beautiful state ....

It was a quick trip up there and back (in Fri pm/out Mon pm) but we sure did have a good time! The weather was perfect and it is such a beautiful and peaceful place! Check out these pictures below ....

Here's the comfy chair ...


Here's the view from the comfy chair .....



And here's the "big picture view" from same chair ...



AWESOME, HUH???

Changes

A couple of months ago, I had some kind of "epiphany" (not as in "divine revelation" but as in "an illuminating discovery, realization, or disclosure OR a revealing scene or moment"), a sort of "wake up" moment and decided I needed to make some changes. It was the sudden realization that I am going about things all wrong, trying to do too much and never feeling like I am doing enough, and that it's just "not working." With this realization, I reset some of my priorities and set myself on the path to some changes that I think will benefit my life, as in my work life, personal life and physical and spiritual well-being. I am now "closing" the print center at 4 p.m. (except in unusual circumstances). We come in at 7 every day and if we take a lunch-hour, our 8 hours is done by 4, even though we have always still continued to work well past 5, most days, and well past 6 plenty of other days. No more. We will work 8 hours a day like everyone else around here (not including those who work LESS than 8) and like all of the other print centers do. We will have to get used to having regular 40-hour paychecks, something I haven't had in over 3 years, but the rest of my life is too important to ignore this. I have GOT to make time for a 'personal life' and every day cannot just continue to be work, work, work, go to Granddaddy's, go home and go to bed, day in and day out. I just can't do it anymore. I joined the Aspen Athletic Club and have been going regularly. I had 3 sessions with a personal trainer, going over work out plan and overall fitness goals, getting measurements and weight recorded, along with BMI and body fat information, etc. That helped get me started on the right track. It is a beautiful, modern and up-to-date facility with just everything in the world that you could ever need or want for working out, plenty of room, helpful and knowledge staff, in an environment that I am very comfortable with. I know I will feel a lot better when I get back into better shape and condition. Heck, I already do! I don't want to wait until I have a heart attack or some other major illness to "wake up." I am trying to eat better and not as much (moderation, moderation!). The thing that helps me most is not eating late in the day or evening. I can tell a big difference when I change that one thing right there. By Christmas, I hope to have achieved noticeable results.

I'll Be Back!

I swear, I'll get back to posting someday, hopefully soon! I'm on vacation next week, maybe I can "catch up" then!

Frosty Orange Pie

Y'all have GOT to try this new recipe I just tried last Saturday. It is so yummy and SO easy!

FROSTY ORANGE PIE

1 pkg cream cheese, 8 oz, softened
1 can sweetened condensed milk, 14 oz
1 can frozen orange juice concentrate, 6 oz, thawed
1 carton frozen whipped topping, 8 oz, thawed
1 graham cracker crust, 9 inches

In mixing bowl, beat cream cheese and condensed milk until smooth. Beat in orange juice concentrate. Fold in whipped topping until completely blended. Spoon into graham cracker crust. Chill for 3-4 hours before serving. Can garnish with dollops of whipped cream and mandarin oranges, if desired (looks real pretty that way). Can freeze up to 3 months. Very nice to have on hand for unexpected company or occasions where you suddenly need a dessert. A very good 'summer' dessert, as it is light and fluffy and refreshing!


Try it and let me know what you think!

New bloggy style

1) Hubby is in TX helping #1 son do some remodel work in his kitchen and spending time w/ the grandkids in the 'off' time.
2) Stayed up until 2 and 3 a.m. Fri & Sat nights, slept til noon on Saturday, napped Sunday afternoon after keeping 2-yr-old nursery (with 25 kids - 5 workers).
3) Visited Granddaddy Sat & Sun - doing real good.
4) Made 4 pies on Sat. - 2 pink lemonade / 2 'frosty orange' - ice box type pies made w/ Eagle Brand, Cool Whip, frozen juice concentrates, 1 w/ cream cheese (orange one) - both very delicious - cool and refreshing and light, perfect summer time dessert. Brought to work - quickly devoured.
5) Had wonderfully cool weather (for August) yesterday - high of 90, overcast most of the day
6) Raining today - much needed. Cloudy and dark outside.
7) Might have to mow the yard MYSELF if hubby doesn't get home soon! :(

That's all.
How's that for brief and to-the-point. Trying to learn a newer, more sleek style of posting, so as not to put my readership to sleep every time!

Sum ... sum ... sum ... summertime!!!

Summer weather is good for one thing – GETTING WET AND GETTING COOL! We recently took 2 of the grandkids to the local waterpark for just that very purpose. What great fun we had, yes, even us grown-ups! (Fortunately, we had one buy one/get one free coupon (saved $25!) and another discount coupon that saved us about $8 more!) We got there about 1 p.m. and left about 6 p.m. Let me show you some of the fun:

GD (granddaughter) #3 coming out of tube slide ....

GD #3 & Granddaddy (theirs, not mine) making the long climb up to shoot back down (came back down the curly blue tube in last 2 photos)

That little tiny speck on the green slide is grandson #3

That next tiny speck on green slide is GRANPA HIMSELF!!!

Yes, we (adults, not kids) were worn out and ready to go by dinner time! But it sure was fun!

Busy Bee

Aren't these lovely colors we can type in?


Well, as everyone knows, summers seem to be super busy. We have had a fun one, so far, but as usual, I am ready for cooler temperatures already. Of course, as far as I'm concerned, I would be very satisfied if the temperature never got above about 80 degrees, that would be SUMMER ENOUGH FOR ME! I guess it is the August heat (and July, as well) that makes me wish for such impossibilities. After several 100+ days, I'm ready to crawl in the refrigerator and stay there until late September! So, obviously, I could never live in a place such as south Texas, Florida, Arizona, New Mexico or any of those other inhumanely hot locations!!!

On Saturday, June 28th, we drove to TX and picked up 2 of the grandkids and took them to a Rangers baseball game. We had a great time. We had tickets to awesome seats in the Corona Club, which is a nice, indoor, AIR CONDITIONED area directly behind home plate (about 50 ft back) with huge glass panels all the way across the front for a full, unobstructed view of the whole field. Our seats were in the very middle on the front row, so no one between us and the view. We had waitress service, access to a nice (free) buffet, comfy leather seats with attached little tray to hold your food, etc. Best ball game I've ever been to! (for obvious reasons!! a/c being #1)


View from the (not) cheap seats ....







(Those little blond/bald heads near the middle of that last shot are hubby & grandkids.)

Wasted days and wasted nights .....

Remember that tune? If you do, you're tellin' your age or you like oldies!

If I don’t post soon, the month of July will be gone and I won’t have entered my once-a-month post! That would be a terrible shame and a huge disservice to my loyal readership! Hahahahaha!

This past weekend was the first weekend in months that we have been able to just stay at home, with no commitments, no trips, no appointments, no nothing and I was sooo looking forward to it! Just stay at home, work on a few of my ‘projects,’ get some things accomplished in a non-hurried way, rest, .... you know, just a nice productive weekend. But, lo, it was not to be. I woke up early on Saturday morning (bad sign right there!) about 8 a.m. with some bad pains in my chest. I have had these same type pains off and on for about a month or two, but they don’t last long and haven’t ever reached the “I can’t stand it anymore” stage, so I always just figure it’s “one of those things” that just comes and goes, maybe a ‘getting older’ type of thing. So Saturday morning, it was hurting pretty good (I mean, pretty bad) so I finally had to get up. You KNOW if I get up at 9 a.m. on Saturday, something is not normal. This pain would come and go, and would almost get to the real bad stage. I thought to myself, ‘if it gets any worse, I’ll have Jimmy take me to the ER, just to get checked out’ but it never quite reached that stage. But it bothered me for most of the day so I just laid around on the couch or on the bed or in the chair, didn’t have any energy to do anything. Wasted my day feeling bad. How disappointing for my Saturday plans! Late that night, I did look on the internet under women's heart attack symptoms and noticed that I had about 4 out of the 6 things that they mentioned, but by then, the pains had stopped. Maybe I should've gone to the doctor. Sunday I felt a bit better, didn’t have the same pains but was just very tired and lethargic all day. Didn’t even feel like going to church, morning or night! I did go over to see Granddaddy both days, but that was about all the energy I could muster up. Glad to say the pains haven’t come back (well, except one time yesterday morning about 8:30, one little pain hit me but it went away and didn’t come back), but sad to say I wasted my weekend laying around. Just last week I called and scheduled an appt w/ cardiologist because of these particular pains, but can't get in until August 28th. Hope I don't croak before then!

Maybe this coming weekend will be more productive! I sure hope so! I have tons of stuff that I need to do!

Company

Well, we have had a bit of company lately! And we like company!

When we returned from our Arkansas vacation, we already had 2 guests! Big sis & her hubby were here, having arrived the day before. Came to visit with Granddaddy so just made themselves at home before we arrived. Family is family and “mi casa es su casa” rings very true around our place. So they came on Thur and we arrived on Friday, with Mother and Daddy right behind us. So, had a houseful for that weekend! Enjoyed a good meal at a small, family owned Italian restaurant real close to the house that first evening. Brought Granddaddy over on Sat. and again on Sun. so he could visit with everyone in one place. Not enough room at his place for more than about 1 visitor at a time, unless you want to go out into the common area, where they do have a nice big ‘visiting room’ but it’s way, way down the hall from his room and he doesn’t go down there too much, plus, I knew he would enjoy getting out for a change of scenery. It was quite a task to get him out, as he is getting weaker as the days go by. But he did enjoy it and we all did too. We all went to church Sunday (except G'd) and then enjoyed a delicious lunch at one of our favorite places on the lake here in town. Stopped and got G'd and brought him over again to visit. Then sis & b-i-l had to head back to TN on Monday – had to get back to work. Monday was a holiday so hubby & I got to go for a nice, long, relaxing motorcycle ride, first time this year. I drove the whole time and by the time we got home, my hands were tingling and tired, from the vibration for such a long time (and not being used to it!) and the top of my legs and my shoulders were very sunburned! Mom & Dad got to stay the rest of the week! That was nice, they got to chill out and relax during the day while I was at work, go visit with G’dad, make their daily trek to Wally World, go to Sgt Grits to get Marine stuff (Daddy loves to go there!), go to Shepler's and look at the western clothes, do some reading and napping, sometimes meet me for lunch, and then we could visit in the evenings. Then they headed home, too.

Then 2 weeks later, they came back out, as it was Father’s Day weekend and Mother wanted to be here with her dad on that day. Which was nice because that way I got to be with MY dad for Father's Day, too, and that doesn't happen often with us living so far apart! And as it just happened to turn out, AC & UJ & their daughter, my cousin, happened to already be scheduled to come down for that weekend also! UJ was scheduled to preach at a little church just about a mile from our house (for a preacher friend of his who was on vacation) so it worked out that for the first time in probably 50 years, G’d got to be with both of his daughters on Father’s Day! That was real nice. We did enjoy all of the visiting but it sure meant a LOT of time in the kitchen, cooking up meals and snacks and then cleaning them up, then fixing them again! Thank goodness Daddy was a big help in the kitchen! And of course, cousin and auntie and mom all offered help, too, but can only get just so many people into my kitchen without causing a major traffic jam. There were too many folks to just go out to eat every time, plus w/ G’d with us, he wouldn’t be able to do that, so we sort of had to eat in all weekend. The KS folks left on Monday afternoon (I had already had to go back to work) and M&D stayed through the rest of the week. I told them as long as they’d spent all that gas money to get out here, no use in turning right around and going home 3 days later! So, they did stay until the weekend so that we would have one more “whole day” of visiting on Saturday and then they headed out Sunday morning before we went to church. Always nice to have family come and see you when you live so far away from them all. Our door is always open and you all are welcome anytime! (Just do be sure and call first, simply to ensure that we will be home and not out of town ourselves!)

We do love company, but we also do enjoy the "peace & quiet" that comes when everyone is gone. Of course, after a little bit of "peace & quiet" we're ready for some more company again!! Ya'll come! :)

Summertime

Well, it must be unofficially summertime here because we've hit nearly 100 degrees already! I was hoping those temps wouldn't show up until, oh, say maybe ... AUGUST!! ha! Yes, I was daydreaming. And tornado season has visited with its usual intensity, in fact, I think I heard on the news recently that we were having MORE tornadoes so far this year than our average years. We haven't had to get in the closet yet this year, but came close once or twice.

I see that I didn't enter even one post in the month of May. I guess that's because May just has too much activity in it! The family reunion, out of town company, the week of vacation in lovely ARK, plus the usual work schedule and church activities. I must say we did have a WONDERFUL time in Arkansas, the weather was great, couldn't have asked for better! Just right for sitting out on the balcony and reading a book, eating a snack or just gazing out over the lake, watching the boaters, skiiers and fishermen, or even just taking a little snooze! Got in the pool once (only because little J-boy wanted to GO SWIMMING!) and wow, was that water ever cold! So cold, in fact, that the little man couldn't even get in it, just up to his ankles on the steps! Did sit on the kick-board if I held it up on top of the water so he wouldn't get too wet! But we had a fun time. He spent the whole time throwing those 'waterbomb' things at me and I threw them back. I think he could've done that for hours on end, but after about an hour or hour and 1/2, we had to go, time to get busy getting over to the reunion and getting things set up for that event. Had a good turnout, a good meal of bbq and all the fixin's and a good time visiting and singing along with cousin Lanny and his guitar pickin'. Stayed there all the rest of the week and had a very nice and relaxing week. Came back home and had company for a few days - oldest sis and her hubby, along with mom and dad. Sis & company headed home Monday morning, but not before we got to go to Pearl's on the lake and enjoy a yummy catfish dinner on Sunday after church. Mom and dad stayed through Friday so that was nice. They got to spend some time with Granddaddy while I was at work during the week. He really enjoyed that. Now, everyone's gone home and I'm back with my nose to the grindstone, working sun-up to sun-down. I keep telling myself 'it's only for a little while longer, until things either slow down or we get more help' but I'm beginning not to believe myself! ??

Well, have some overnight guests due in tomorrow night, another set of guests next weekend and more company two days after those leave. And I've got tons (and I mean tons) of housework that I need to get completed before tomorrow night, so gotta get up off this chair and get busy. Got out of bed this morning and immediately started cleaning. Cleaned for about 3 hours (cleaning out drawers, under the bed, arranging photos in new frames, etc.) then stopped to go grab some lunch and go by and see Granddaddy and hang up some new photos on the wall for him. So, now that my "leisure time" is over, I'll have to get back at it.

Chat with you folks later!

Oh, let me post a few new photos before I go .....

Cousin and family, April 2008

"I'm going SWIMMIN'!"

Cool Shades!

That water is TOOOO COLD!!!

I am too cute, aren't I???

What a little angel!

Oh, I must tell you one more story .... one night while sis and adorable little fella above were there with us, said sis got really sick (you know, hanging over the toilet sick), so she had to get into the bed right away. So, lucky great-auntie got to entertain little J - that meant hours of "hide & seek" which in his mind consists of me counting to 10 (real loud) in another room and him hiding in the same place every time and when I say "ready or not, here I come" he jumps out of his hiding place and runs to me while I scream and wave my hands around shouting "I FOUND YOU!" at which point he cracks up laughing and falling on the floor. Then we do the same thing again. And again. And again. Once I got to be the one to hide, so I hide behind the wall length floor-to-ceiling curtains. After he "found" me, that's the only place he wanted to hide. But instead of hiding there, I'd enter the room and he'd be behind the curtains with his head poking out of the crack in the curtains watching for me. I'm not too sure he gets the concept of "hide & seek" just yet, but we sure had fun. Then it was time to quiet down and start getting ready for bed. So, it was storybook reading time. We read 3 books, then had to get some more, then after about an hour of reading, I suggested that I was getting really sleepy and maybe it was time to go to bed. "I not go to bed, I just be real quiet," he said. Hhhmmmm, how am I going to work this out. You know I don't want the little fellow to start crying. So, we went upstairs and I thought maybe he'd like to get in his bed while I read another story (and hopefully fall asleep). (Worked for 'honey' the previous night.) Oh, no! We're not even thinking of getting in that bed. And when honey stuck her head out from under the pillow and tried to sound all stern and serious with a sickly "it's time to get in the bed" then I could see the tears start to well up! Well, with 'honey' deathly sick and Mother also deathly sick at the same time (a whole 'nother story!), I certainly didn't want any loud crying and getting upset, and I sure didn't want to see him cry, after all, he was in a strange place with folks he doesn't see often, and I'd do just about anything to keep him from being upset, so I took him to the toy crate and let him pick out a dozen more books. We got up on the couch and I tried to make it sooo comfortable that he couldn't HELP falling asleep - I mean, seriously, it was going on midnight and I was dead-tired and having to prop my eyeballs open! But he was determined "I not go to sleep!" So I read. And I read. And I read. Finally, I saw the fidgeting start to cease, the eyes get droopy, so I kept reading - trying to read in the most monotonous boring voice (no more 'character voices' that make reading so exciting!) so that he would fall asleep. Finally, he scootched down with the blanket a little and closed his eyes. So in a minute, I quit talking. Oops! Too soon! Eyeballs open again, so I start reading again. By this time, I was just making up stuff. It was the book that you find all this stuff on a busy page, so I was making up stories about everything on the page ('cuz I was too tired to keep turning the pages!). So it was like "and the little girl with the pigtails was walking along with her daddy and they were going over to the bakery to get some of those big fresh loaves of bread, and the little girl near the fountain was looking for some pennies to throw in there so she could make a wish, and the boy in that upstairs window was looking out over the city to see if he could find his dog ....." etc etc. Of course, not a word of that was really in the book, but I was desperate. FINALLY, he was asleep. But I didn't dare take a chance that he would pop awake again so I kept droning on for another 5 minutes. Then I got quiet and gave him a few minutes to get in a really deep sleep, then I picked him up and carried him to bed. Got him tucked in and POP! opened those eyes! "OH, NO!" I thought to myself, "I can't POSSIBLY stay awake another minute," but thank you, Lord, he closed his eyes and was right back to sleep! What a precious little sight! And not a bit of crying! I succeeded. And it was only half past midnight!

Tennessee Time

Well, I'm a little late in posting about it but week before last, we got to take a much-needed week long vacation and go to lovely Tennessee to visit with my family! Spring is a great time to go there (fall ain't bad either!) because summer is swelteringly hot and humid and winter is sometimes bone-chillingly wet & cold. The dogwoods and azaleas were just awesome! They were blooming profusely everywhere you looked and dang it! if I didn't go off and forget both of my cameras, so no exciting vacation photos to share! :(

We both gained about 10 pounds in that one week (okay, maybe slight exaggeration) but our 'schedule' consisted of "who-are-we-meeting-today-and-where-are-we-eating?' - Monday night Top's BBQ (which I do love, even though some might not AND it's conveniently close when you're clear out in T-county!), Tuesday afternoon Corky's BBQ, Wednesday night Red Lobster, Thursday night BBQ Station, Friday night Erwin's, Saturday night Mazzio's ... get the picture? I'm convinced that part of the reason our society has a weight problem is because so many of us center our social life around FOOD!!!!! And oh, my, I'm not complaining about that because I LOVE that, but I can see where it could definitely contribute to excess pounds! If we kept our "social eating" the same but added in healthy amounts of exercise, like riding our bicycles around town, walking to the store, tending a large garden, etc. then maybe that would help even out some of the calorie intake! But alas, I don't see that becoming a trend anytime soon, do you? I think if we worked just half as hard (physically) as our ancestors did, just even 2 generations ago, we wouldn't have the obesity problems we see nowadays. Imagine if you had to pick you out a 60' x 70' plot of ground out back, till up the soil with some hand-held animal-pulled implement, plant the seed (by hand, not with a tractor!), keep it weeded and watered (and forget the garden hose and running water, get that bucket and head to the creek!), pick the beans, peas, squash, tomatoes, cucumbers, corn, etc., take it all inside and wash it up, shell, peel, snap, cut, chop, dice, boil, then can or freeze all of that bounty and place it on your pantry shelves (quite a different scenario than walking up and down the grocery store aisles and plopping things into your shopping cart!), and on top of that having to fetch your water (for cooking, cleaning, bathing, washing, etc.) from either the well, the creek or the pump outside, hauling it in heavy buckets, chopping the wood you need to keep your home heated and your cooking done, sewing all of your clothes (and the clothes for all of your family) by hand ...... I could go on and on, but you get the picture!!! No wonder they weren't as heavy (as a whole) as 'we' are these days!!! Most of us would never make it if we were suddenly dropped back in time to the 1800's or early 1900's, would we?? We sure have a lot to be thankful for that we take for granted just because it's all we've ever known! Yet we hear so many people complain and moan about how "hard" they have it, how "tough" things are for them ..... poor, poor things!!!!

Well, I was SUPPOSED to be talking about my VACATION, not obesity and history!! Back to the good stuff ... we had a great time! Got to see all of the family (except sister #3, who we will see in a week or two) and that was sure nice. Saw nephew & wife's new home - VERY NICE and LOVE THAT BACK YARD!!! - and spend some time with awesome little great-nephew! Sure miss that little fella! Saw niece on that same evening while we enjoyed some mid-town bbq and she is doing well and looking well! We were fortunate to be there on youngest nephew's 16th birthday so got to celebrate that with him AND got to be one of the first to have him drive me somewhere!!! That was fun!! And mind-boggling that he is OLD ENOUGH to be driving me somewhere! My, how time flies! Spent lots of time with mom & dad and had a good time visiting, talking, reminiscing and relaxing (threw in a little cleaning here and there, too!). Of course, I had to sit down at the piano every chance I got and peck out a few songs to the best of my ability (which is not much to speak of!) but I enjoy it! Can't say the same for anyone within ear shot, as it's not exactly 'beautiful music!' :) Got to see #1 sister (& hubby) several times, had homemade ice cream at her house the first night, saw her on-the-job a couple of times and at mom's a few times, once to do some 'sangin' around the piano for awhile! Saw #4 sister (& hubby) a few times, as well, at her house and at birthday dinner - so all in all, we got in a good visit with everyone! The week went by all too quickly but I sure enjoyed the trip!

Two and 1/2 weeks from now, we'll be off on another vacation! Starting with the family reunion (which is part work/part vacation) and ending with week on the lake in Hot Springs - THAT will be fun and relaxing too! Anyone who is able is free to come and join us there!

Gotta run! Talk to you all later!

The Sound of Silence

There are times when I most definitely like to have a little SILENCE!!! Like after being in my office for 10 hours hearing the incessant hum of 5 continual feed printers running almost non-stop all day! When we turn them off when we get ready to leave, the silence is ...... AMAZING!!!! A welcome relief on the old ears! And brain. Somehow the constant noise just seems to make your brain tired!

But the silence I DON'T like is coming home to an empty house. No one to say "hey honey, I'm home" to. No one to reply "....'bout time! Where ya been all day?" Not to often does hubby go out of town without me, but on a few rare occasions, it happens for a few days. Like today. I scored some FREE tickets to a big NASCAR race at Texas Motor Speedway for tomorrow, along with parking pass, passes for tour of Roger Staubach's teams garage and pit area and tailgate party/lunch - probably a pretty nifty package for a race fan, but since I'm not a big race fan, I wasn't that hip to the idea of going down there for a quick 24 hour 'there-and-back' trip, so I told DH (dear hubby) to see if one of his sons would like to go with him. Figured they could enjoy a little 'male bonding' down there amongst the noise, cars and smell of fuel. So, off they go. I do hope they have a great time and I'm sure they will. Then he'll go on down toward Houston to visit his mom for a few days. She's getting on up there in age (80 this year) and her husband just passed away in February so he wanted to go visit her. They don't usually see each other but maybe once or twice a year, if that, but I think the older we get, the more he thinks of visiting when he gets the chance. So, I'm glad he's taking this opportunity to spend some time with his side of the family. Lord knows, I do spend time with mine whenever I get the chance so I certainly wouldn't begrudge him to do the same! But I'll sure be feeling lonesome when it comes time for lights out tonight. We don't even usually go to bed at the same time, he usually sits up watching TV until real late (he says it's so I can go to sleep without his loud snoring keeping me awake but I've told him it doesn't bother me - as long as I can fall asleep first!) but since he can sleep in as long as he wants every morning, and I, on the other hand, have to rise and "try to shine" about 5:30 a.m., I do have to hit the sack much earlier than he does. But it's still comforting just knowing he's in the other room watching TV and will be in later. If you're so used to being with your spouse day in and day out, night in and night out, you might unknowingly begin to take their presence for granted. Don't do that! Spending a few days and nights all alone (and that would include no kids in the house, just you, no other living, breathing soul!) will sure make you have a greater empathy and understanding for what it must be like for all of the people who do live alone, widows and widowers, single folks who've never married, ...... wow! I don't know HOW they do it! There's a whole row of little old ladies at our church that always sit together every Sunday and they are so cute, always so happy to see each other, hugging and smiling and laughing together, sharing their little 'candy bag' (little plastic baggy of hard candy that they pass down the row before the sermon gets started!). Sometimes I'll notice one of them has the little tag sticking out the back of her blouse, or her hair might be sticking out a little funny in the back, or the buttons in the back are buttoned cock-eyed, or some little thing like that and I automatically think, 'well, no wonder, there was no one there this morning to help her' ..... no one she could stand proudly in front of and say "honey, how do I look?" as she gives a whirl around, making sure everything is in place. I often wonder how do they manage with no one to help them get their necklace fastened when their fingers don't want to cooperate because of a little arthritis flare up, or because of being a little too shaky that day, how do they get out of their dress when the zipper gets stuck, who buttons up that last button at the top that she just barely can't reach? Bless their hearts ..... the things we take for granted!! Don't ever forget to thank God for your mate!

The sound I'll be looking forward to in a few days ....... "hey honey! I'M HOME!!!!"

Spoiled? Not me!

OK, so I did one of those silly personality test things. So join my silliness and do it, too. Come on, humor me! Go here: http://www.blogthings.com/areyouspoiledquiz/ But ya gotta come back and tell me what the results were! Heck, if I'd only had a job during high school, I would be 0% spoiled!!! Oh, well, no one's perfect!

Here were my results:

You Are 4% Spoiled
You are definitely not spoiled. You've worked hard for what you have.Down to earth and grounded, you don't need a lot to make you happy.

Take note - my SHORTEST POST EVER!