Archives 2: 10/20/07 - 12/13/07

Thursday, December 13, 2007: Elliot was still running a slight fever today, & he had some sniffles. Because of this, I brought some of my Rubbermaid totes down, & sat on the couch with him as I went through them. We watched the Disney channel. He didn't feel bad, so this was a good thing. I am hoping that Emily doesn't catch it.

Lisa isn't due until December 29 (they moved the date 'again), but her dr. believes the baby will come earlier. In fact, when she goes in next week for her appt., if she has begun to dialate, they are going to induce labor. My son Shad, got to search for the baby's heartbeat today, & the dr. took the picture below. As you can tell by his beaming face, he cannot wait for his little girl. Notice the red hair - all 3 of my sons are red headed, as is Emily. And no, their Dad isn't red headed, & if you've looked at my 'about me' page, you will see that I am not red headed. I have 2 red headed brothers & 2 red headed sisters, so I guess that is where it comes from. Anyway, I wanted to post a picture of this very excited & happy soon to be Daddy, & a 'very' large soon to be Mommy.

"A new baby is like the beginning of all things, hope, a dream of possibilities." ~Unknown~

Wednesday, December 12, 2007: One of my goals for 2008, is a single word. Simplify. This is one of the major reasons I began my quest to go throughout our entire home & declutter & organize. I have made a major, major dent in this, & it feels great. I went through more of my Rubbermaid storage bins today, & got rid of probably 75% of the stuff that was in a few of them. It's amazing what you can get rid of, but you hold onto it because it is hidden in a storage bin. I guess it's a case of 'out of sight, out of mind'.

This is one year, that it doesn't seem as though Christmas is as close as it is. I have put off so much, & I know I'm going to be rushing around like mad, beginning this weekend. I have so much shopping to do. So much for my goal of getting everything done by December 1st. Emily's main gift that she keeps asking for, is a vacuum cleaner. She has found one in a Christmas catalog & she looks at it almost daily, so she will get her vacuum cleaner. I am thinking the Fisher Price one for her. She says she wants to help. She is in her element when she is getting to clean.

Elliot wants Spiderman & Transformer things...typical little boy. He isn't feeling well tonight. He complained of a headache & went to bed very early. I am hoping it is 'just' a headache, & not the beginning of him coming down with something.

I haven't added a picture of Emily in awhile, so thought I would show you the "Princess". I think she is truly beginning to think that she is a Princess. When we are out, she will tell people "I a Pincess." Each time she puts on a dress, we are treated to the swirling as she squeals "I a Pincess!" She saw this gown last week, & 'had' to have it - you see why -

"There are no seven wonders of the world in the eyes of a child. There are seven million." ~Walt Streightiff ~

Tuesday, December 11, 2007: I am 'so' tired tonight. Yes, even nightowl me, is feeling very sleepy as I type this. I worked all day on going through some closets & separating what needs to be thrown out or given away. I got involved in going through my 3 son's 'baby boxes', as they have always been called. From day one, I have kept 'everything' for them & put it away in their individual 'baby boxes'. By everything, I mean first shoes...& by 'first' shoes, I mean every pair of shoes they had until they were in first grade! In these boxes are the outfits they were brought home from the hospital in, their baby blankets, favorite baby toys, first dishware, first silverware, first cups, favorite childhood books (each had at least 20 of them in their individual storage bins), first Halloween outfits, lost teeth that the 'tooth fairy' put in little bags to save, hair clippings from first haircuts, 'every' card they ever received, school papers, first few coloring books, ticket stubs, first 'big boy' underwear, baby journals, scrapbooks, favorite childhood outfits & pj's...now you get the picture of how much I wanted them to have a 'true' feel & legacy of their growing up years. I began these boxes when I found out I was pregnant with each, & kept adding to them until they were 18. My goal had always been to pass them on to them one day. Well - I decided that it is time to let them have them. I hope they appreciate them. Being male, you wonder sometimes if they will have a true appreciation. I would have loved to have had this done for me, so I felt it so important to do it for them. I have talked about these keepsake boxes throughout the years, but they've never seen them, & have no idea the extent I went to. They will have no questions, because I have everything labeled, & gave the stories behind drawings, writings, cards, ect. I shared Shad's with him this morning, & he loved it! He is thrilled to have his. He is sentimental like me. As we looked over everything, there was laughter, tears (on my part), & a good meandering down memory lane. He could not believe all I had kept, & it touched him deeply. I read out loud some of his little boy poems he wrote to me. We laughed at his little boy artwork. I showed him his blankets & the one that I made him. We washed these, because he wants his soon to born daughter wrapped up in them too. It's neat, but the blankets look like new. It will be precious to see her wrapped in them. I read him a card that his first 'love' (he swore he loved her so much & that they would be married one day...he was 11) wrote him. He laughed so hard at the things she wrote in it to him, & didn't even remember getting it. I remembered, & I tucked it away for him because I knew it would be a sweet memory for him one day. Going through them, getting their scrapbooks organized, ect. took a long time! It was a fun time, but sad in ways too. It hits you how fast life goes by - you look at these things, & have the 'little boy' memory, but see now grown young men before you. It brings home how short life truly is, & how it goes way quicker than we would like. It makes me understand why, when I was growing up & wishing a day would hurry by because I wanted to get to another time or day or I was bored, my Mom would say "Judy, don't ever wish a day away, because that is wishing a part of your life away." So true...

"Childhood is a short season." ~Helen Hayes~

Monday, December 10, 2007: I feel as though I've not been here in weeks. What a busy, crazy time it's been. I had to work on some webpages for someone, & that has taken every bit of spare time I have had. I'm sorry I didn't drop in here just to say "hello", & to let everyone know that I hadn't fallen off the face of the earth.

Before I go on, I will have to agree with Darylynn (in my tag box), that yes, Johnny Depp is gorgeous. I 'love' him, & I loved him in Pirates. I think he did an incredible job. He was so perfect for that part. I've never heard him called 'creepy' Kat. I had to laugh at that.

I was going to take a picture of Emily's 'Pincess' bed, but didn't think you would really enjoy looking at it, seeing as it is still in a 'huge' box. Mike's work schedule has been crazy too - he's had such long days. It is going to be a major job to put together, so he's hoping to get it done this weekend. Emily looks at the box & says "My Pincess bed!" I can't wait to have it all set up for her. Now watch us set it up, & she being afraid to sleep in it! I know it will take a bit of time to break her into a 'big girl' bed, so I'm prepared.

I am absolutely freezing here in Vegas. The high is supposed to be 48 tomorrow. To some, that might not seem real cold, but to me it is unbearable.

I am going to cut this short so that I can catch up on reads. I have a week's worth of reading to do. I am glad I'm done with the webpages, so that I can get back to blogging & visits.

"Consider how hard it is to change yourself, & you'll understand what little chance you have to change others." ~Unknown~

Monday, December 3, 2007: Today was a whirlwind of busyness. I suppose it will be this way for a bit longer. I got my Christmas cards addressed & ready to go tomorrow, & I also got some boxes ready to mail out tomorrow. My goal had been to have this all done by December 1st, & I set this goal every single year. I have yet to meet it.

I am so excited that the Pirates of the Carribean movie comes out tomorrow. We 'still' haven't seen this one (#3). We had wanted to see it in theater, but it never happened with the kids. I think Emily is old enough to sit there now, but it wasn't a movie that I think would be for her to watch. She does know "Jack Sparedow' though, as she calls him. Each time she sees his picture, she squeals out "Jack Sparedow!" Elliot loves him, & we are thinking of getting him the Disney Pirates of the Carribean bed. He would love it.

Well...today's post has won the prize for 'most boring'. I have been sitting here for hours writing in & addressing our Christmas cards, so I am more than ready for bed. Maybe tomorrow will bring a more exciting post.

"Waste your money & you're only out of money, but waste your time, & you've lost a part of your life." ~Michael Leboeuf~

Sunday, December 2, 2007: I didn't go to church this morning. I got up too late, so Mike & Elliot went. Emily & I cleaned. We came into my computer room & decluttered. She loved that. She is such a good little worker.

Mike called me after church & told me not to plan on fixing lunch. He said he had a surprise. He & Elliot walked in with Chinese food from our favorite Chinese restaurant, along with dessert. It was so good, & a wonderful surprise too. After lunch, he, Elliot,& Emily napped, & I continued in my quest for a clutter free home.

A few have asked about Emily's 'Pincess' bed. The picture of it is with the November 25th post. She was asking about it today. I can't wait till we get it.

On the 'Smilebox' scrapbook of her birthday - yes, you can print it out, & it prints out exactly as you see it. It's really neat. Also...I hope you all saw the 'next' arrow. I sent it to Mike & he didn't understand why there was just one picture. He hadn't seen the arrow! I mentioned it to a friend that I had sent it to, & she said "You mean there's more than one picture? I didn't see an arrow either." I see it fine, but Mike says it was difficult to see. I just wanted to clarify that in case you didn't see the entire scrapbook.

"There will always be a tomorrow, but there is only one today." ~Joel Laing~

Saturday, December 1, 2007: Wow - where did this year go??? I can't believe it is the 1st of December. To think, that next month will be the not only the 1st of January, but 2008! It doesn't seem possible. The year flew by.

No rain today. It was windy, but very sunny. I was hoping that we would get one more drizzly day, but it didn't happen - not even for awhile.

Emily's 'Pincess' bed will now be picked up on Monday. Mike got called to work today, & the furniture store is closed on Sundays. That is fine though, because I don't want to put her in it until her room is looking more like a room fit for a 'Pincess'. I am still going about searching for wall hangings, ect. I do have her birthday scrapbook link below. I discovered this site a week ago, & I 'love' it! I am having so much fun there. I have made 5 scrapbooks so far, & a few e-cards. You can print them out, & they look wonderful. My printed out pages look just as good as what you will see in the scrapbook. This site has 100's of themes, & 100's of music selections. You can also upload your own music. I went ahead & paid to have no adds on my scrapbooks & to have a larger music selection. I have 2 weeks to cancel. I don't think I will be canceling it though. I have been wanting to get back into scrapbooking, but as I blogged about a week or so ago, it was over-whelming when I went to look at supplies! It's changed a whole lot in a few years. Plus, it was going to be super expensive (it didn't help that I had a cart full!). I think this is the perfect way to ease back into it. This is super easy to use, & makes it very simple. Anway...I hope you enjoy getting to glimpse at Emily's big day. If you have dial-up, I am not sure how it will work for you. I would think it would take forever to load, & be very 'choppy'. I view it in full page, but I guess that is a preference. Enjoy!

"We cannot direct the winds, but we can adjust the sails." ~Unknown~

Make a slide show, scrapbook, or ecard

Friday, November 30, 2007: I am here, feeling so bad that it's been another long gap between posts. I have been up to my neck this week in busyness. I knew it would get busy once the holiday season kicked off, but it's been 'super' busy. I think it was just this week though. I tried to get caught up on some things (including cleaning out my email inbox, & went through over 2000 emails!!). It was insane, as I had some mail going back a long time. I am happy to say, I went from that amount, down to less than 100. Now I want to get my graphics more organized.

I also had some 'blue' days. I knew losing Mom would hit harder during the holidays, but I guess I wasn't prepared that I would feel it so deeply. She loved the holidays & all that go with them, & she's been on my mind so much. There have been days that I wish so badly that I could pick up the phone & call her. I've been working on some family photos for the family, so I'm sure that hasn't helped.

I was hoping to post an online scrapbook of Emily's birthday tonight, but want to get a few more pics. I will try to post it tomorrow. She enjoyed her birthday...she 'really' enjoyed the presents, & caught on very quickly. She would open one, enjoy her gift for a bit, & then say "I wanna open more." Her 'Pincess' bed is here, but we couldn't go pick it up yet. Mike got home too late last night, & tonight Vegas enjoyed the rare rainfall. We should have just had it delivered. If there is no rain tomorrow, we will go pick it up. She has asked about it a few times.

The rain was actually nice today. It made me want to get some household things done. Elliot & Emily enjoyed watching it. Even now, I hear it coming down, so it's been raining for a long time.

Off to bed I go....I hope to share the scrapbook pages tomorrow.

"Surrounding yourself with dwarfs does not make you a giant." ~Yiddish Proverb~

Monday, November 26, 2007: The 'Pincess' bed didn't come today. They told us they would call when it arrived, & we didn't receive a call. This is fine, because she will be breaking in going over to a big girl's bed, slowly. So there is no rush. She & I have some decorating to do when it gets here too.

Monday is normally my cleaning day, but the kids & I had a lazy day. I piddled on scanning in & working on some old photos for the family. The day flew by, but then it always does when I work on photos or do anything on the computer.

Mike got home early today, & we ran out to shop for awhile & then went out to eat. We ate at a Mexican food restaurant near our home. Emily had to have her 'guacamoni' to dip chips in. She dips them, then licks off the guacamole. She has seen Mike hold up the salsa dish or his glass when he's been out for awhile, & the waitress is nearby. Tonight, she ate her entire little dish of 'guacamoni', & proceeded to hold her dish up, & she said "Excuse me! Need more please." The waitress got so tickled, as did we. She is quite the little character.

"The bad news is, time flies. The good news is, you're the pilot." ~Michelle Altshuler~

Sunday, November 25, 2007: I didn't mean for it to be so long between posts. It was such a busy weekend, & at the end of each day, all I could think about was dropping into bed. I have considered posting earlier instead of waiting till right before bed, but I think I prefer doing it at the end of the day. My last few posts were so long, that I am sure skipping a few days was fine by everyone.

I am on my way to bed now, but wanted to share just one thing, along with a picture. For those of you that read my blog when I first discussed Emily's 'big girl' bed, I am sure you remember the beautiful bed we had chosen for her. Just in case, I will post the pic again below. This past weekend, she was looking through an ad (yes, Miss Emily was browsing all the sale ads), & all at once I hear this little girl squeal - "Nana! A pincess bed!" 'Pincess', if you remember, is 'Princess'. She carried this around all morning & kept saying she wanted a 'Pincess bed'. In her words "Cause I a Pincess.' We decided to go out & get her bed this weekend, so we gave 'her' the choice (maybe a bad decision since she's not yet 2). The 'Pincess' bed won out. She is 'crazy' over that bed. She didn't want to get out of it. I am attaching a photo from the ad of it. It is the 'Disney Princess Canopy Carriage' bed (notice the pumpkin on top). It should be here tomorrow, & then we must redecorate her room...a room fit for a little Princess. And...this little Princess will turn 2 on Tuesday, so her bed is just in time. Below are the pictures.

"Yesterday is a canceled check; Tomorrow is a promissory note; Today is the only cash you have; So spend it wisely." ~Lyons~

A little 'Pincess' pushed this one out of the running:


Fit for a little 'Pincess'

Thursday, November 22, 2007: I feel as though I have gained 10 pounds today. I decided that I was going to enjoy all the fruits of my labor, & eat to my heart's content. I feel as though I won't want to see food again any time soon, but I know as soon as my eyes open, I will be wondering what I'm going to eat for breakfast.

We had a wonderful day together. We decided to eat a little later than we normally do, & that worked out wonderfully. We ate at 4PM, compared to usually eating at 2PM. This gave me time to relax & take my time in preparing the meal. Emily helped me cook. I thought a good job for her would be to allow her to tear the bread into pieces, for our dressing. She was thrilled to do this! It was so sweet, because I found quite a few 'big' pieces of bread in it...as in, she just tore the slice in half. As always, I way over did it. My Mom would always fix so much food (she did this in case someone dropped in hungry), & I can't seem to get away from that either. I fix something, & then think "Oh, this would be good to add to our meal!", then I fixed it, & on it goes. We gave away most of our left-overs, so that was good to get temptation out of the house. We had a couple of guests, that I know struggle with money & having enough, so I convinced them that we no way could fit all the leftovers into our frig. I also told them the desserts would go to waste if left here. I needed to get that temptation out of here! They were thrilled to be able to take home so much, & it was a blessing to me to be able to feel like we helped them. There was only one small kink in our meal. My son & I were talking this morning, & he was telling how very much he liked my candied yams. Loved was actually the word he used. He wanted me to make sure that I made a lot of them. I took my time because I wanted to do them the best I had ever done them. We all finished our meal, & as Mike was cleaning up the kitchen (as he does every year as a gift to me), I all of a sudden say "OH NO!" With that, everyone turns to look at me, wondering what was wrong. I said "The yams! They are in the microwave!" I had put them in there for 20 seconds, to soften the marshmallows. And meal finished, there they still sat! I was heartsick about it. I 'knew' something was missing, but couldn't put my finger on it. I looked at Shad & said "You love them so much, but you didn't realize they were missing???" He said "Look at how many dishes you prepared! I just over-looked them." No one could get another bite in them, so they weren't touched. Well, they 'were' touched, because I had to at least take one bite of them. I tried so hard to make them my best ever, & they were. I made Mike take a taste & he said "They are the best this year!" Oh well...I guess we weren't meant to eat them.

Another disappointment, was when I went to take a picture of Emily digging into her meal, my digital camera battery was totally dead! It wouldn't even allow me to take one picture. Now that I am wanting to get back into scrapbooking, I hate it that I didn't get a single picture of this day.

I missed Mom all day long. She was always in my thoughts. I used the same pan she had always used for her dressing, for my dressing. This was one of the things I took after she passed away. It was special, having it present & used at our meal.

As always, I took a bit of time to reflect over this past year & to count my blessings. I have so much to be grateful for. The one thing that stood out in my mind though, was that even though I was missing Mom so much, & missed talking to her today, we made it through it. I called family, & they dreaded this first holiday without her, but we made it & we are okay. It proves that God does give strength when needed, He does heal hearts, & life does go on.

"Remember, we all stumble, every one of us. That's why it's a comfort to go hand in hand." ~Emily Kimbrough~

Wednesday, November 21, 2007: This is just a pitstop, because it is way past time for me to be in bed. It is 1AM. I have been baking to my heart's desire tonight, & got a little bit carried away. The more I baked, the more I wanted to bake. I love preparing a feast for the ones that share Thanksgiving with us. I guess I view it as a gift of love, showing them that I am grateful for them in our lives.

We had fun doing our Thanksgiving shopping today. I wish I had done it yesterday, but I seem to always do it the day before. The stores weren't actually that bad. There were very short lines, which surprised me.

After we got our shopping finished, we tried a new gourmet pizza place. The grand opening was today (of all days!), & it was packed! Believe it or not, right after we ordered, they had to turn everyone away, because they ran out of dough. A pizza place - running out of dough! I found that funny. We were waiting for our pizza, & when a family came in, they passed right by our table & Mike said "I'm sorry but they are out of dough." The woman looked at him like she didn't really know how to take him, & they laughed & said "Oh, thanks." They continued to view a menu they had, & Mike said "No, they are really out of dough." She then said "You mean you are serious?" I guess they had thought he was trying to make an attempt at a joke. They missed out, because the pizza was sooooo good! Emily certainly enjoyed her slice. She ate a hole through the middle, & then stuck her finger in it. This is how she then held it as she ate all around it till she got to that middle.

I cannot close this post without telling each of my regular readers how very blessed I am to have entered this world of blogging, & in doing so, having the joy of getting to know you. I have made some wonderful friends, & I am truly grateful for each of you. God bless you as you set aside this day to give thanks. Enjoy your families, & I hope you take a bit of time to reflect on all the blessings you have been blessed with, & the Giver of all good things.

"Feeling gratitude and not expressing it is like wrapping a present and not giving it." ~William Arthur Ward~

Tuesday, November 20, 2007: What a whirlwind of a day! I always tell myself that I will have everything done early for holidays, but I end up running around with everyone else. We have to go out again tomorrow & finish our Thanksgiving shopping.

Tonight, I took Emily up to Michael's to shop for scrapbooking supplies. I used to scrapbook, but haven't done it in about 7 years. I was 'shocked' at how it's changed! It seems so much more complicated & so many more choices. I know with scrapbooking, you really can't make a mistake...it seems to turn out good once you put it all together, but I feel really intimidated now. I was honestly over-whelmed at all the choices & the supplies. I had a cart full, & then ended up putting everything back. I am going to wait & take in a few pictures at time, & with pictures in hand, chose my paper, embellishments, ect. Emily was so good during our browsing. We spent over an hour there, & she didn't complain once. A lady came up to us & said "Wow, what a good baby! She's been so great during this." Emily then looked at her, hung her head, & made this little whimper sound as she said "I shy." A few weeks ago, someone came up to her & wanted to talk to her. She would not talk, & it embarrassed me a bit, so I said "Honey are you being shy?" That's all she needed to hear, because that is now what she says if she doesn't want to talk to someone when we are out. I am sure she doesn't know the meaning of the word.

I am off to bed. Tomorrow is going to be so busy.

"Courage doesn't always roar. Sometimes courage is the little voice at the end of the day that says...I'll try again tomorrow." ~Unknown~

Monday, November 19, 2007: Emily & I had just begun 'keening', when the phone rang at 7:45AM. It was Mike, telling me to make sure I was ready to go out to breakfast, because he would be home in 1-1 1/2 hours. I had expected him to be home late afternoon, so this kinda threw my plans into a tailspin, but it was a 'good' tailspin, I guess. We had a wonderful day. We went out shopping for most of it, but had to come home in the middle. We were at Costco, & Emily kept yawning, & she said "I tired. I sleepy. Wanna go home & sleepy." We took her home & she napped for 2 hours, then we went right back out again. She is wonderful with her naps & her bedtime. Never a complaint.

We tried Marie Callenders for a late lunch. We've never eaten there before, & it was quite good.

I got a new cell phone today also. I got the LG Chocolate (in...can you guess? Red). Everytime I get something red now, I hear my sister's words in my head - "It's because you are getting older." She is 15 years older than me, so we have a different way of seeing things. My phone is more of a burgundy, than a red. My lamps are more like a burgundy too. I really love it! I've been wanting it since I first saw it. Tonight I piddled around with it & got it all set up. For my wallpaper on it, I decided to go away from what I normally put on it (Classic Pooh). Instead I put a picture of my Mom & Dad in their early years together on it, & for my banner, I typed "In Memory". It looks so nice, & Mike really loved it. I thought it would be wonderful to see them each time I open or close my phone.

Darylynn shared a couple of things she did in the 'Christmas Spirit'. It made me think about how so many people feel kinda lost this time of year. They may not have family, they may not have money, & so many are depressed. Years ago, on Christmas Eve, we were going into a restaurant. Right outside was a homeless man, sitting with his head in his hands, & looking so lost. We stopped by him, & asked him if he was hungry. He said "Yes." We then told him to come in & order what he wanted, & that we were going to pay for it. Our Christmas gift to him. In case it made him uncomfortable, we told him that he could get it to go, or sit alone. He wanted to sit alone, & that was fine. He ordered & it brought tears to my eyes when his meal arrived. He ate like he hadn't eaten in days. As we left & went by his table, he thanked us with tears in his eyes. His image has stuck with me for years. That was money well spent, because he said it meant the world to him, to be able to go in & sit down & eat a good meal. I couldn't help but wonder what it was like for him, with it being Christmas Eve, & sitting there seeing families file into a warm restaurant to eat, while he was hungry, & no home to go to. My sons kept saying "Let's ask him to go home & spend Christmas with us!" Of course, we couldn't do that. I told them that wouldn't be safe to invite a total stranger into our home to stay. I said all that, to say this...it's so easy to over-look the less fortunate, but it truly doesn't take a lot to give someone a memory for the holidays. We try to keep up this tradition now, even if it is offering someone something as simple as a Starbucks coffee with pastries. One year, we saw a woman outside a McDonalds, so we stopped, went in, & ordered a bag full of cheeseburgers & fries & a drink, & took them out to her. If you could have seen her face when we handed the bag to her! She cried & kept saying "God bless you!" over & over. These weren't one of the people that stand with a sign, asking for money. These were people who were obviously homeless, & just making their way through the day. It's always so appreciated.

Mike only has to work for 4 hours tomorrow, so I will now have to get things caught up while he's at work. I still haven't done my Thanksgiving shopping, so I will do that tomorrow. I am sure the stores will be madness.

"One person, caring about another, represents life's greatest value." ~Jim Rohn~

Sunday, November 18, 2007: Do you ever type the date, & then just sit & stare at the monitor? This is what I have been doing for 5 minutes or so. Last night, you couldn't shut me up, & tonight I am drawing a blank. It's not that I didn't have a single thing go on in my life today, just things that I don't think anyone would be interested in.

I got caught up on some Oprah's that I had recorded. Emily 'loves' Oprah, so she & I sat & watched a few of them. Did anyone see the one with the hoarder?!? Whoa - how could anyone ever let things get to that point??? It was shocking. My little 'keening' partner, kept wrinkling up her nose & saying "Oooh! Dirty!" Being buried under that, would suck the life right out of you. I would go mad!

I am seriously thinking about getting 3 or 4 inches cut off my hair. I am 'so' stuck in the 80's! I love my layered messy look, but maybe it's time for a change & update. It's not like I would have real short hair, even with cutting that amount off, & my hair grows fast. Since Mom died, it seems I am craving change. I haven't pinpointed the 'whys' of it, but I have. My sisters are feeling the same thing, as well as some of my brothers, nieces, & nephews, so maybe this is a normal feeling. I'm not sure I will have the courage to get that much cut off. If not, I may start slow & get only 2 inches cut off, then go shorter in a couple of months if I want to. I can't see myself ever going shorter than shoulder length, & I don't think I would want to.

"The only problem with building walls, is that you never have enough left over to build a ladder." ~Claire Holland~

Saturday, November 17, 2007: I truly hate it that my posts & visits have been hit & miss this week. I have stayed so busy, so the blogging has taken a backseat this week. I got caught up on my reads tonight, so I hope I can get back into the swing of things this coming week. Of course, it is Thanksgiving week, which means it is going to be very busy too.

Emily & I have spent the past 2 days cleaning the house from top to bottom. She thinks she is big enough to do it all, & it slows me down to let her help, but she loves this. I know I will treasure these memories of her going through the house with her little cleaning rag. She 'loves' to clean, & I also know I need to continue to encourage that. Like I said though, she believes that she can do it all ! She loves to help load & unload the dishwasher, gather up dirty laundry, put the laundry in the wash, help me put the clothes in the dryer, help clean windows, help in feeding the dogs, making the beds...in her eyes, nothing is out of her reach or ability. She's not even 2! She is my little princess - or "Pincess" , as she says. Now Elliot...he would never lift a finger if he were not made to do so. He might get a desire to help once in awhile, but the desire doesn't last long. But Emily, she loves to "keen" as she says it.

There was a lamp that I have had my eyes on for about 8 months now, but didn't want to pay the $90 per lamp that they were priced at, especially since I wanted 2. Each time I would go into the store, I would admire them, & 'almost' get them, but couldn't bring myself to buy them. Yesterday, Emily & I went out shopping, & I decided that I was going to get them. We went into the store, & my heart sank because they were gone. I prayed that they were just moved. We rounded the corner, & they were moved. To the clearance section! They only had 2 left, & they were $29! I couldn't believe it. I 'snatched' them up as fast as I could. I am posting a picture of one of them, but the picture doesn't do it justice. They are so beautiful! I came home feeling so blessed at my bargain. For the past year or so, I have been adding more & more red as an accent color (my sister says it's because I am getting older, but I don't agree with that. She says that as you get older, you start wanting to decorate with purples & reds...not sure where she gets that, but she swears by it). I think it adds 'punch', & such warmth. An energy. These lamps brightened up the entire room. Lisa walked in & couldn't believe how different the room looked, & she was right - it changed the entire look. Another reason I had wanted these too, is that the fabric on the shades is the fabric on the pillows on our couch in that room (you can see a bit of the pillow on the couch in the background), so it really looks nice & pulled together. That was my Thanksgiving gift from me, to me.

Of course Emily & I had to make our Starbucks pitstop. She is really getting this down. She had to have her regular - an organic apple juice. She also had to have a new little 'friend' - a bear. She walked over to the basket where they were kept, pulled one out, hugged it & said "Awwww!" Then promptly lay it on the counter & said "I want this one. Need to pay." Everyone got so tickled at her. It was so cute, I couldn't resist getting it for her. I am posting a pic below of her out front of Starbucks, her drink & her bear in hand.

I am sorry this is a bit long tonight (believe me, you are spared, because I want to say more!), but I had so much to say since I haven't posted daily this week. I hope you all have a blessed week, & have fun getting ready for your Thanksgiving.

"If you do not find peace within yourself, you will never find it anywhere else." ~Paula A. Bentley~

Thursday, November 15, 2007: This entire week has been super busy. I have so much that I want to get done before Thanksgiving, but am now feeling the pressure since it hadn't registered in my brain that Thanksgiving was 'next' week. I know I'll get it all done, but the perfectionist in me wants everything perfect for the holidays.

Mike was supposed to have left yesterday, but because he was feeling so badly, he left early this morning. He was still under the weather, but feeling a bit better. I hope I don't get whatever he has. I had the thought today, of 'what if I get this, & am sick for Thanksgiving'? I guess I would send Mike & everyone out to one of the Vegas Thanksgiving buffets. We've done that a few times, & it is incredible. My Mom used to tell me that if she had a feast like that to go to, she would never cook during a holiday. It is good, & it is pressure free. It's good to have a 'back-up', just in case you don't feel like doing the meal, or if something comes up to prevent you from cooking. It's not the same though, as everyone at our house, nibbling & waiting for the meal.

I went to take my car to be smogged today, but didn't have any luck. The first place I stopped, the smog techician had left early. They sent me to their other place, & it would have been a 45-60 minute wait. I told them that I would come back tomorrow. I put this off, & now wish I had done it last week. It has to be done by the 18th.

Since Mike is gone, the kids & I, along with Shad & Lisa, went out to eat. It was a relaxing evening. I am posting a picture below of Emily, since the last pic (her in her boy's Diego pj's), didn't do her little girl look justice.

"To many people overvalue what they are not, & undervalue what they are." ~Malcolm Forbes~

Tueday, November 13, 2007: Today was one of those days that I was so busy, it went by in a blur. The only problem is, I feel as though I didn't really accomplish a whole lot, so I don't exactly know where the minutes went. I spent quite a long time working with some graphics, & time gets away from me when I do that. I love it though, & wish I could spend hours each day piddling with them. I'm learning more about making the linkies,& that has been fun. I know they are simple to make, but it's still been fun doing them. I have also been doing some sig tags, & that has really been fun to do.

A few asked what 'Diego' pj's are. Diego is a cartoon character (Dora the Explorer's cousin). It's an educational cartoon on Nick Jr. I am posting the picture below of Emily in her 'boy' pj's...these are the Diego pj's that she wanted so badly. She's so cute in them, but it's funny, because she 'looks' like a boy in these. She's very proud of them. Elliot is with her in his Superman pj's (or Soupman - as Emily calls him)

Mike seems to be coming down with something. He has a sore throat & sniffles so far. I hope Elliot & Emily stay free of this bug. I feel sorry for him, because he feels so lousy, & he has to go out of town again tomorrow (California this time). He just got back Saturday (from Florida), & now he's off again.

Mike called me today & said "Do you realize that Thanksgiving is next week?" I said "Mike it's not next week!" He said "Judy, this is the 13th, it 'is' next week!" I don't know what I was thinking, but I it hadn't registered that it was so close. I now feel the pressure on to get everything planned & done. This month is flying by.

I thought that Marie would go before Cameron on DWTS. I think she has a very large fan base though. Then again, so does Cameron. I think she or Jenny will be the next to go.

"True friendship is like sound health. The value of it is seldom known until it is lost." ~Charles Colton~

Sunday, November 11, 2007: First off, I want to congratulate Susan on becoming a Gramma! I am so excited for her, & happy that we can now share stories of our little blessings. He is very blessed to have her as his Gramma.

Mike got home yesterday, after being in Florida for 2 weeks. As always, he was greeted with squeals from Elliot & Emily. They love their Papa. We took them out shopping, & got them pretty much set for their fall/winter clothes. When we were in the boys section for Elliot, Emily saw some Diego pj's that she wanted. She said "I want this one." I told Mike "They are boy's pj's." He said "Judy, she isn't even 2, so what does it matter? She loves them." I gave her an option of those & something else, & she said "I want Diego." So...she got Diego. Her heart was set on them. She is 'so' cute in them. I took some pics of her in them, & will try to post those tomorrow. While at Kohls, it was madness! They were having a big sale, & it was wall to wall shoppers. Every store was like that this weekend, so I guess everyone is gearing up for Christmas. We saw a few things we wanted to get for Elliot today, but couldn't get it since he was with us. Mike will go back to pick the things up this week.

Mike bought a new router, & that was our problem with the internet. It's amazing how supersonic it now is. We have high speed internet, but it had slowed down to a crawl for the past few weeks, & some days we couldn't even get a connection. It is great to be back on my desktop.

We got a few sprinkles of rain tonight as we were leaving Costco. Elliot was so excited, but was disappointed that he didn't get to see the downpour that he was hoping for. It sprinkled for whole 2 minutes!

"When we seek to discover the best in others, we somehow bring out the best in ourselves." ~William Authur Ward~

Friday, November 9, 2007: It looked like fall in Las Vegas today, but it didn't feel like fall. It was overcast all day. You would think I would have enjoyed it, seeing as we rarely have a cloudy day here, but it looked sad out...gloomy. Mom has been in my thoughts so much for the past few days, so maybe that had something to do with the way it felt so sad. Elliot & Emily wanted to watch Pooh's Blustery Day, so we cuddled up on the couch together & watched it. I was thinking today, most of the movies we watch these days, don't involve real people! That's okay though, because I know these days of childhood will pass so quickly.

After Elliot & Emily woke up, we ran out to exchange some tennis shoes I bought for Emily the other day. They have little flowers on them, & the centers of those flowers light up & flash as she walks (they're called 'Flashers'). They are really cute, except only one of her tennis shoes lit up, & it didn't flash with every step. We got those exchanged for her. I also bought each of them a few outfits for fall/winter. We plan on getting the rest of their fall/winter wardrobe this weekend, since Mike comes home tomorrow. I can't wait to take pictures of Emily modeling a few of her new outfits, because they are 'so' cute! She swirls around & says "I'm a pincess!" I am sure you know what she means by 'pincess'.

I can't believe that Shad & Lisa's baby will be here in 4-5 weeks! She is due December 16th, but feels she will come earlier. Still no name either! They are tossing about one, but I have fingers crossed that they won't go with it. They are super excited about becoming parents.

"Every exit is an entry into somewhere else." ~Unknown~

Thursday, November 8, 2007: I'm on my desktop! I thought I would check it tonight for the fun of it, & the wireless seems to be working. I am so happy, because I can now piddle around with a few of my pages & bring up some new graphics that I've been wanting to tinker with. I hope it continues to work, but it has done this a few times now (worked for awhile, & then not worked). I have been on my laptop today, so at least I do have a computer if this one decides to fight against the wireless. It's funny how quickly we get used to new things. This huge monitor now looks so ridiculous, compared to my laptop. This is a 20 in. flat panel, so it's like a monster to me now. I also still cannot get over how different certain of my webpages look on the laptop. This text area fills the table completely on this monitor, but on my laptop, it's centered & has a lot of space on both sides of my post. I prefer the look of this page on my huge monitor.

Not a whole lot went on today. The time change is taking some time to get used to. I 'hate' how it now gets dark between 5 & 5:30PM. I took the kids to the park after their naps, & we didn't get there until 4:15. Because of that, they didn't get to play long before the sun began to set. I told them that we will go in the morning, so that they can get lots of playtime in. They never tire of the park. You could keep them there for hours, doing the same things day in & day out, & they still get so excited when it's time to go. How sweet to be content with such small pleasures.

I am going to cut this short, so that I can get back to uploading some graphics. I don't want to chance this wireless connection sputtering to a stop again.

"Enjoy yourself. These are the 'good old days' that you are going to miss in the years ahead." ~Unknown~

Wednesday, November 7, 2007: I haven't been here to post, but not for lack of trying or wanting to be here. Internet problems 'again'. With Mike being out of town, it isn't the best of times for things to go wrong with the set up that he has. He has all of our computers on wireless, & after having problems for quite some time, he has determined that our router is kaput. For the past week, I've been lucky if I have been able to get on for an hour a day. Most days was for about 20 minutes. Today? ZERO. I have been so frustrated with it. He says he will replace the router when he gets home this weekend. So how am I here if I haven't been able to get on? My seldom used (never used!) laptop. When I spoke to Mike tonight, he told me to get it, turn the wireless on it off, & use it that way. We have cable modem, so it is so superfast, that I can't believe it. The only problem is, everything I want & use is on my desktop. All my graphics, ect. Oh well - I suppose I can wait till Saturday to play around with those. It's really a shame that I've not used my laptop more. Mike got it for me 2 years ago for Christmas. It's a limited edition HP, & it's beautiful. The sad thing - I've used it 4 or 5 times since I got it - probably 2 hours max! I prefer my desktop, but need to start using this more. I don't like working without a mouse, so I am going to pick one up for it. I also don't like how very different my website looks on this. Anyway - I didn't mean to bore you to tears. I just wanted to fill you in on this ongoing computer saga of ours. Mike promises it will be fixed after this weekend.

I took Elliot & Emily to the park, & spent over an hour there with them. They had such fun, but they got so hot. It was in the 80's here today, so a far cry from feeling 'fallish'. Beautiful day though, & perfect for them. After we had played till we dropped, we went shopping for awhile. Elliot was thrilled, because he came home with a big pirate ship, with pirate characters. He played with it all evening. He had to bath with it too. Emily wanted a magnetic drawing board, & had such fun with it all evening. These are things that should be put up till Christmas, but kinda hard when they are right there.

I am off for some much needed sleep. Fighting with this computer problem for awhile, has me tuckered out!

"It is easier to build a child, than to repair an adult." ~Unknown~

Sunday, November 4, 2007: I do not like the time changes. Whether we go back or forward, it always seem to make the day seem so different. It seems to take a few days to get used to it. I also don't like it getting darker so early.

Elliot, Emily, & I had another pretty much lazy day. We played, & Emily had to watch 'Toystory' again. That seems to have become one of her favorites. Elliot has always loved it, so he was happy to cuddle up on the couch & settle in to watch it too. After Emily went to bed tonight, he & I watched 'Extreme Home Makeover'. That is one of his favorite shows (mine too). He is always quite thrilled when he wakes up, if he discovers that his hair looks like Ty's. It's so cute to see him run to a mirror & squeal - "I look like Ty!"

Susan,about the cat in the above graphic - I don't have a cat either, & would have preferred to not have him there too. I actually didn't think about asking her if she would remove him until it was too late. Not that I have anything against cats. We have had 3 of them throughout the years, & I do like them.

Today was my last day of munching on the left-over Halloween candy. The sad thing is, it 'has' to be, because it's all gone except for the bits that no one wants. I'm sure if there were still come 'good stuff', I would be tempted to eat more. I hadn't had sweets in so long, & I am disappointed that I made up for lost time.

"To be upset over what you don't have, to to waste what you do have." ~Unknown~

Saturday, November 3, 2007: Karen, from RBG, made me the custom computer desk graphic above. She was so gracious in making me one for each season! Thank you so much Karen! I love her graphics. There is a special & unique quality to them. If you haven't visited her webgraphics site, please click on the link at the bottom of this page. Of course, now that she made that for me, it has got me wanting to change the backgrounds, email graphics, tag graphic, ect. to fit with fall too! I am trying to resist though. One thing I do love about her graphics, is that so many of them fit the season no matter what. I have also used her graphics on my site intro page (click 'main site' button to the left), & I love her Raggedy's!

With Mike being gone, today was a lazy day for Elliot, Emily, & I. They 'helped' me clean house this morning, & after their naps, we went out to eat with Shad & Lisa, then went to a park near our home to let them play. Emily has really taken to the slides. She is still a bit afraid of swinging (she says she will "fall down"). Elliot runs like a little wild man while there! I love seeing them just be kids.

When we got home, they wanted baths, & then we settled in to watch Stuart Little 2 (for the 100th time). I like that movie too. It's cute.

I am seriously thinking about doing the majority of my Christmas shopping online this year. I have a friend that didn't have to go out to buy a single thing last year. She did it all online, & loved it. I think it would make the holidays so much more enjoyable, as well as taking much of the stress out of it also. I have already went to the Walmart site for the kids, & I can get things there that are not in their stores yet. How awesome to get it all done online, then to be able to settle back & just enjoy the season. Of course I would go out to mingle with the crowds once or twice, because it wouldn't seem right if I didn't. I would just be out to enjoy it though - not rushing around trying to find gifts. I have already gotten all my friends gifts done by shopping online, & it was wonderful to just 'click' & have it be done. One thing I love about shopping online too, is that you can find 'everything'! Things you wouldn't find in stores, or if you did, you would have to search for it.

Have any of you ever done your grocery shopping online? I haven't tried that, but again, I have had friends that have. They loved that too. We 'almost' tried it, just to see what it was like. We went to a grocery store website (Albertsons), & prices didn't seem to be different if you ordered via the internet. It's so hard to believe that you can even grocery shop without ever leaving your home, & it is delivered right to your door. Talk about convenience.

I tried another effect in Paint Shop, but I don't like it as well. It's supposed to give your photos a 'retro pop' look. I will insert the picture below. It's the same picture of Emily that I used to do the pencil & charcoal effect on.

Halloween went well with the kids. Elliot had fun with his class party at Awanas. He wasn't interested at all about going out to trick or treat. He said he just wanted to go to his party. After Mike took him there, I took Emily around to a few houses, & she 'really' got into it once she realized what the purpose of the door knocking was! She was a giraffe. I will post a pic of her in her blog. She was the cutest thing. It was adorable to hear her say "Tick or teat!" Everyone got a kick out of her. After they would give her something, she would say "Tank you much! God bess!"

After having not posted for a few days, I could go on for a loooong time, but I will spare you all! Have a wonderful day!

"Life does not have to be perfect to be enjoyable." ~Annette Funicello~

Friday, November 2, 2007: Just to let you know - I haven't fallen off the face of the earth. I have been super busy this week, so I've not given the time to my blog that I had wanted to. I am hoping to make a post tomorrow, but for tonight, I want to catch up on my reads. I hope you all have a wonderful weekend!

"Life is not a having and a getting, but a being and a becoming." ~Matthew Arnold~

Tuesday, October 30, 2007: I've been so busy for the past few days, & I hadn't even realized that I hadn't posted since Saturday. The days just got away from me I guess. I have been toying with not posting on Sundays anymore, & going so far as to letting that day be my 'computer free' day. I am not sure I can do that, but I'm thinking about it.

I have just finished watching the results show of DWTS, & am in total shock! I actually couldn't believe it when Sabrina was voted off. Yes, Cameron has improved, but Sabrina is by far the better dancer. He most likely has lots more fans, being as he is a soap opera star, & like the judges say, this is half of what keeps them on. I felt so sorry for Sabrina. She looked so shocked, & I think everyone was - the audience, the judges, & viewers. I think the remaining stars now see that 'anyone' can go...just because you may be good or have good scores, ect., doesn't mean you are going to stay. This has been an interesting season.

Elliot, Emily, & I did our grocery shopping today. We went to the Wal Mart supercenter, & it was madness there. You would have thought it was Christmas (which by the way, they were setting out!). Halloween costumes were scattered everywhere. That is, what very few they had left. The candy was so low, I decided to wait till tomorrow to pick that up. We most likely won't be here to pass candy out though, as Elliot has a party at church with his Awana group. He is excited about this.

I have been playing around with a few effects in my Paintshop Pro. I am going to post the picture below. I will post the beginning picture, & then the effects. This is one of my favorite pictures of Emily, so I used that one to play with. I think it turned out pretty neat. I am also posting a picture of me that I used the charcoal effect on also. I know that is a lot of pictures to have to load, but I wanted to share this with you all.

"Some people are making such thorough plans for rainy days that they aren't enjoying today's sunshine." ~William Feather~

Pencil effect:


Charcoal effect:


Charcoal effect:

Saturday, 27, 2007: Today was slow & lazy. Mike had to work, so that always makes a Saturday feel so unlike a Saturday. Before he left for work, we ran out for a bit, but didn't do a whole lot since we got a late start.

After he left, I got the kids down for naps, & I read for awhile. I piddled around with Paint Shop for awhile too. I remade Emily's linkie for her blog. I've been working with Paint Shop for years, & I just found out today that there are preset shapes you can use, so I wanted to play around with that.

Lisa's dog (Buffy), is still alive. The vet told them that she shouldn't be, but she's hanging on. It is her heart, & they also found out she has a brain tumor. She is 15, & they don't expect her to live long. Lisa is having such a difficult time dealing with this. It's brought all the memories back of when we lost Pugsley. I still cry over her, & miss her so much.

It felt a little more fall-like here today. Still 82, but it felt cool.

Emily got me up to watch the sunrise. We were looking at the sky & I said "Look at the colors in the sky honey." She said "Sun coming." I don't know how in the world she knew that, or that she even understood completely what I meant, but she did.

"Let him who would enjoy a good future waste none of his present." ~Roger Ward Babson~

Friday, October 26, 2007: Emily has been wanting to go sit on the potty for quite some time now. (Just read that - what an opening sentence, huh??). Anyway, every day she tells me "Pee pee's coming. I need to go potty." She'll begin to take her pants off, followed by her diaper, & then get on the potty. There she sits. And sits. And sits...until she will say "Pee pee's not coming. I done." Then she gets a little piece of toilet paper & cleans herself (the 'cutest' little thing to watch her do this), even though she didn't go. Today, she sat there for about 10 minutes, & finally got off. I then told her that we would go get her bath taken. First I wanted to check something, & she stood nearby waiting. Within 5 minutes, she said "I need go pee pee. Pee pee's coming." I said "Honey, you just tried, & pee pee is gone." She said again "Pee pee is coming." I repeated what I said. She said it again...I repeated what I said. She then said "Pee pee's coming. Oh, pee pee's done." And there she stood in a little puddle. Being as we were going to bath her, I didn't put her diaper back on. I felt so bad for her...she was telling me she needed to go, & I was telling her that she already tried. 'Never' again! If she tells me, I will let her sit on the potty no matter if she's already sat there. I kicked myself all afternoon over it, because I felt so badly for her. She's never went on the potty yet, so I think if she could go that one time, she would be so proud & ready to be trained.

After she woke up from her nap, we went out for awhile. She loves the Christian bookstore, so we went there for a bit. She got her another book. She also wanted a few little things, so we got those too. Mike said "You know, Christmas will be here before you know it. We should start wrapping these things." He's probably right.

We also ate at Macaroni Grill, & had such a good meal. Emily enjoyed her meal. A lot!

After that, it was home to have a relaxing evening. We were really enjoying it, but then Lisa got a call from her parents. Buffy, the dog Lisa has had since she was a little girl, is dying tonight. I guess she became ill this evening. They think it's her heart. She's 15 or 16 (in human years) - a Cocker Spaniel - & Lisa's heart is broken. Shad & her went over there. It was so difficult to hear her sobs. It actually made me feel ill, as it brought back all the memories of the day we lost Pugsley (our Chinese Pug), 3 years ago this November 7th. I hope I can be of some comfort to her. It's so hard to lose a pet, because they are such a part of the family. A loyal & much loved member.

"Animals are such agreeable friends - they ask no questions, they pass no criticisms." ~George Eliot~

Thursday, October 25, 2007: Emily didn't get me up again in the middle of the night, so I think she is back on track with her sleeping. She still acts as though she's getting a new tooth, but I can't see one. She & I were out for a big part of the day. I wanted to go out & see if I could find 'Woody' from Toy Story. We got Elliot one 2 years ago, & I saw one last year, but wasn't able to find her one. She loves him & Jesse, so I hope I can find one. I will go to Ebay after I post & see if I can find one there. She didn't come home empty handed though - she got some fall/winter clothes, shoes, & she 'had' to have a little Dora backpack. She's not even 2, & she's wanted a backpack for months now. I think she looks upon it as a purse. I will let 'her' write more of it in her blog. We stopped by Starbucks on the way home, & she had her organic apple juice. Everyone there fell in love with her & thought she was the sweetest thing (she is). As we were leaving, I said "Emily, you need to thank them." She said "Thank you! Bye!", then she blew 4 or 5 kisses. All I could hear was a chorus of "Aawww!"

I am in the mood to change lots of pages on my website, & I changed my opening (index) page again tonight. I love the look of RBG, & I used one of her purchased websets. I love the set, because it has graphics for each of the seasons, so there won't be a whole lot involved in changing it out for the seasonal changes.

Shad & Lisa still don't have a clue - not even a little one, on what they are going to name their little girl. I wish she was named. I will have another reason to add a few web pages. I have built some for Elliot & Emily, so I want to get busy & get hers going too.

This week flew by. I don't know what I was thinking, but it hit me tonight, that tomorrow is Friday. I was thinking it was Thursday tomorrow. It's good when the weekend arrives sooner than you thought it was going to!

"Friendship improves happiness, and abates misery, by doubling our joys, and dividing our grief." ~Joseph Addison~

Wednesday, October 24, 2007: Emily didn't get me up at 1AM, so that was a blessing. She slept through, so I am hoping she is back on schedule again. It was 'so' nice to not have this middle of the night visitor to my bed!

I didn't do much today...well actually, I did do a lot - but not stuff that is interesting enough for me to write about. I cleaned house, did laundry, & worked a bit on my website. And of course, played with Elliot & Emily. I can see sometimes, why bloggers blog every other day. I could write alot, but it's not 'biggie' stuff - it's the 'piddly' stuff of life. I guess that is what life is much of though - the piddly stuff.

When Mike got home tonight, we ran out to shop for awhile, & then stopped off to eat at a Mexican food restaurant near our home. We called Lisa & asked her if she would like to join us, & she came up. Shad had to work late, so she was bored, & jumped at the chance to get out for awhile. As we ate, she was talking about how her appetite has changed, & how her body has changed right along with it. She was always so slim, & told me tonight that she has gained over 40 lbs., & she has until mid or the end of December to go! I laughed with her, when she said "I look in the mirror & I don't even recognize myself. I honestly can't believe that is me staring back!" She said she wasn't going to worry about it though. She said "I'm pregnant, hungry all the time, & I am going to eat!" I reminded her that when the 7-8lb. baby is born, all that extra weight doesn't go away with the birth of it. I think she will regret not controlling her portions more.

It was in the 80's today. I wish we would get some 'real' fall weather soon.

I got a sweet surprise in the mail today...a card from Nancze. It was a surprise & such a sweet, sweet message from her in it. This is one thing that I have truly loved about joining the blogging community. I have met some wonderful people. People that I now call 'friend', & Nancze is one of my dearest. She is someone that I would love to sit down with & have a long, long chat. Thank you Nancze!

"Some people come into our lives and quickly go. Some stay for a while, leave footprints on our hearts, and we are never, ever the same." ~Flavia Weedn~

Tuesday, October 23, 2007: I'm sorry I have been MIA for a few days. I had meant to get here each day, but got caught up in working on my website. I became a member of an online group, & I wanted to get my dedication pages done. I also piddled around with making a few graphics. I wish so badly that I could create like so many of the wonderfully talented graphic artists out there, but that is dreaming. I did make Emily a linkie for her blog. It's simple & not really eye popping beautiful, but I am proud of it. It was my first attempt. If you want to see it, it is on 'My Reads' page. I don't think a lot of people will request it to add to their reads, but I thought it would be fun to have one for her blog.

I also put up a few Halloween cards. I know I am late on this, but wanted to do it. I've never done that before either. If you want one, you can click here, & save to your hard drive. Anyway...I've been kept busy piddling around with stuff like that, & keeping busy with Elliot & Emily.

As I type, I am watching a special on the California fires. It's so sad & heartbreaking to see the devastation caused by these fires. My heart goes out to the ones that have lost homes. I have been praying for them, & I hope these fires can be brought under control very soon.

I will be glad when the Marie Callender pie special goes off ($5.95 per pie). We have bought our fair share of them, & Mike brought home another one tonight. I will have to work hard to get all the padding off of me, that I am sure the slices of pie are putting on me.

For the past week or two, Emily has been getting up 'every' night at 1AM or a bit after. This isn't just an 'open the eyes, & go back to sleep', but getting up out of bed, coming to get Nana, & wanting to 'stay' up for an hour or so. It wouldn't be so bad if she then slept in, but she still wants to get up at her regular time. She acts as though she is getting a new tooth, but I don't see one coming in. I wish she hadn't learned to climb out of her babybed. She was 'so' cute today when she got up. I said "Honey, why aren't you sleeping longer? You need to go back to bed." She said "Nana, I miss you." So of course, I melted & scooped her up in my arms.

I am off to 'help' Emily post in her blog. I've been very bad in not posting in hers for awhile. Have a blessed day, & for you in California, my prayers are with you.

"The more sand that has escaped from the hourglass of our life, the clearer we should see through it." ~Jean Paul~

Saturday, October 20, 2007: Well, as you can see, I changed my graphics out again. I am going to be known as the 'identity crisis blogger'. I have decided that I need to find a theme that I love, with a main graphic that I can change out for the seasons, while leaving the rest as they are. I love RBG. Her graphics have such appeal - they are unique. My plan is to stick with this one. It will save me so much time in changing out graphics every month or 2 (which is about how often I seemed to be changing them). When I changed everyting out, I also moved my prior posts into archives (link at the left).

The winds are howling here in Vegas. I can't believe how hard it has blown. There is a chance of rain tomorrow, & I hope we get it. We see rain so rarely here, & it's a treat when it comes.

One of my brothers is having such a difficult time with the loss of Mom. He is grief stricken to the point that he can barely function day to day. He cries for hours & when he's not crying, he is on the brink of crying. His first session with a 'grief counselor' was Thursday, & the family is really upset with her. Turns out, she sounds more like a psychic. She told him all sorts of things - like she saw Mom there with him, things that Mom wanted her to tell him, ect. She told him that Mom was really mad, & that he needed to search her home to find out why. She ended the appt. by telling him to get 2 candles & some blades of grass from Mom's yard, & to do this ritual she outlined, & that Mom was going to come to him that night. She also told him that he was grieving so deeply, because, & I quote "You are the chosen one - the special one." She even told him that she saw me & the rest of the family at the funeral, & she wasn't even there! I have never met the woman, so it was all very weird. Everyone was hoping that going to a grief counselor would be a positive thing for him, & would help him to move on. To me, this doesn't sound like a grief counselor - she sounds like a kook! It's so sad, because my brother genuinely needs help in dealing with his grief, & to get a counselor like this is unreal. I sure hope he has no plans in returning to her.

I wanted to share a link with you - Karol, from Home Sweet Homepage Graphics has her first blog. It is devoted to things that make your home your haven. It's called "Home Sweet Home Inspiration". Click here if you would like to visit, & please leave her a tag. It means so much when first starting your blog, to get visits & tags. It really is a good blog, filled with good info. I enjoy visiting there.

I'm off to bed - I can barely hold my eyes open. I hope you all have a blessed Sunday!

"May every sunrise hold more promise, every moonrise hold more peace." ~Unknown~