Good Bye

Decided to not blog anymore. I have bookmarked the blogs I'm interested in and will check on them but I'm not going to do this anymore. Bye, bye

Why is it??

Why is it that whenever we go on a trip that I am the one who gets the house ready, does all the laundry, makes sure the dog has food and water, the garbage is taken out and that my sweet hubby has everything he needs?
Then I pack the car, the snacks and the beverages, the armrest pillows, the pillows for our beds and a jacket.....just in case?
Just asking ya know!

Getting Old

Yesterday I woke up feeling great and eager for a day of window shopping and possibly purchasing a new dress for church.
Got in my car.....got out and went back in the house for the car keys.
Got in my car....got out and went back in to put the trash out for the collector.
Got in my car and took off.
Got to the library....it was closed for the holiday weekend. Backed up and drove forward 3 times to get close enough to the drive thru book slot.....had to open the door and semi-get out of the car anyway to put the books in the slot.
Took off and drove to Idaho Falls.
Went to the first store and looked all over, put a photo album in the basket, put a dog toy in the basket, put a wall picture in the basket, headed for the cashier. Saw the 2 cashiers and 20 people in line. Left the basket in the store and left!
Went to the second store and looked all over, tried on a blouse.....discovered I'm fatter than I think I am and put the blouse back on the rack and left the store!
Went to the mall. Went up the escalator and clear to the back of the store to the fat lady clothes. Found the dress of my dreams in my size! Looked at the price tag. Put the dress back on the rack and left on the down escalator.
Walked all the way down to the OTHER end of the mall to book store.
Bought way too many books and 3 magazines.
Walked all the way back to the OTHER end of the mall and out to the car!
Drove home
Got out of the car and discovered that my feet hurt so bad I could hardly walk!
Sat in a chair until bed time and hobbled to bed.
Got up this morning, still could hardly walk.
Went to get a drink and sciatica pain in left hip. !@#%#&*@# out of my mouth!!
Spent the day in the chair until hobbling back to the computer.
Made solemn vow to never go shopping all day again.
Amen

I just want to say that I love my sweet hubby!

My sweet hubby can be a stubborn, selfish old man, but he puts up with this stubborn, selfish old woman everyday and is still a sweet, sensitive, caring man.
He is a good father, a patient and loving grandfather.
He is opinionated conservative full blooded patriotic American who takes off his hat and puts his hand over his heart when the flag goes by in a parade.
He is a fanatical, blue blooded, jumping up and screaming BYU Cougars fan who grumbles his way through football season vowing to never watch another game until the season ends and then he can hardly stand it counting the days until football starts again.
He is hard working keeping our cars running, machines working, lawn mowed and fences mended.
He loves animals and won't even kill a spider or ant unless he absolutely has too. He treats his dog better than most people do their kids.
I love and cherish this old man and I thank my lucky stars (or the angels in heaven) who brought us together over 47 years ago. Don't know what I'd do without him.

Awesome!

I found this little book at the library titled "Awesome". It's all about small, insignificant things that are just plain awesome compared to the everyday awfulness that surrounds us in the news.

Like waking up in the middle of a hot night and turning over your pillow and laying down your head on the "new, cool smoothness of the other side of your pillow"

My Awesome moment today was washing all the sheets and pillowcases from the weekend and then hanging them on the clothes line to gently blow dry in the breeze. Taking them down about an hour later and smelling that clean outdoor crispness and folding them right into the laundry basket and placing them in the linen closet and knowing that the next time I change the sheets, we and our guests will be able to enjoy that fresh wonderful smell and feel.

Awesome!
Tell me about your "awesome" moment!

Play Time

Remember when you were little and you loved to play dress up and be someone fantastic?

Remember how you would be a grown up mom or lady going to the ball or the princess or the cowboy or the knight in shining armor?

When you had those costumes on you could be anyone you wanted and do things no one else could do.

Slay dragons, ride the fastest horse, fly high in the sky. That cape you wore flew out behind you as you ran faster than a speeding bullet and nothing, no nothing could stop you.

Tea parties with the fancy china, delicious flower tea and mud pies for dessert.
Those were the days, yes oh yes, those were the days.

If at first........

While at my son's house awhile back my daughter-in-law decided to make a lemon tart.
She followed the directions exactly and I helped her juice the fresh lemons and the smell was so delicious that my mouth watered and the kids all gathered round to see what was going on.
Shawna used a spring form pan because she didn't have a tart dish and when she took the finished product out of the oven and turned to place it on the counter that pan and the tart came apart and fell upside down on the floor.


Now we could have cried and Shawna did get mad for a little while, but what we couldn't resist was the enticing smell of the lemon and the buttery crust, so we sat on the floor and picked tiny, non-floor touching pieces of the tart up and ate until there were only pieces touching the floor. It was DELICIOUS!

Most people would have said "That's it, never again!", but not Shawna. She is not a quitter.

A couple of mornings later I woke up and when I arrived in the kitchen there was Shawna making another lemon tart. This time in a ceramic dish that was perfect for the recipe.
It turned out perfect and we all sampled the finished product.
Super yummy and even better this time without the threat of floor flavoring.

So many times we give up when life doesn't go the way we want. We rant and rave at the mistakes we have made and decide to go a different direction. Instead we should step back, gather our emotions, think things through and try again correcting our mistakes from the first time and maybe go a little slower and more methodically until we reach the desired result and are even more satisfied than we thought we might be because of the struggle.
Lesson to learn.......when life gives you lemons MAKE A TART!

Painted Toe Nails

When I was a teenager, I used to spend a lot of time growing, filing and painting my finger and toe nails. The only colors in those days were clear, pink tinted clear, pink and bright red. I was only allowed to wear clear or pink.
I took great pride in having beautifully long shapely fingernails and well groomed toes.
Then I married my sweet hubby and had children and between the two the nails went by the wayside. Short fingernails and no polish at all. Sweet hubby likes the natural look! Plus it took to much self-centered time.
After the kids were older, I was working in food service and fingernails were kept short and polish wouldn't have lasted a day!
Now that I am in my sixties and retired I have the time and could do my nails if I wanted, but sweet hubby would not approve.
Last weekend though I stayed with my grand-kids and daughter-in-law who talked me into letting her paint my toe nails and put flower stickers on them! My little 3 year old granddaughter did her nails too!
Suddenly I felt 30 years younger, glamorous, and sexy! Now I have narly old toes and hideous toenails but that bright red polish changed all that in an instant! Gone were the thick nails, in was the long slender foot!
It is now 5 days later and the polish is gone and my old lady feet are back, but for those 5 days I was a changed woman!
Thank you sweet daughter-in-law, thank you!

Memorial Weekend

Sunday Dresses








Fun Rides









Funny Faces








Big Fishes








Crazy kids







Great Weekend!

Soggy in Idaho

It has been raining off and on here in my part of the country for the last 2 months! I have been waiting for a few sunny days, but I am just about certain that I am growing webs between my fingers and toes now.Soon we will start turning into swamp creatures.
Moss will grow everywhere and Mold will creep all over the place.
Oh the horror and the terror of it all..................................oh wait....................................... The sun is coming out. All is well!

boy am I lazy

I should write something interesting but it has been cloudy, windy and cold for the last week and it was the same the week before that!
Went to my sister-in-laws funeral last weekend. Her death was a shock as she was the youngest in the family and 1st to go.
One of our grandson's got his mission call to the Washington Tacoma Mission. Wa Hoo! We are so excited for him. He is a great kid and he will be a terrific missionary.
Another of our grandsons had to have his appendix out but is now doing well.
One of our sons and family will be moving away in another month and although we wish them well....Dang it!
Anyway, that's the news from here for now.....I'm to lazy to think of anything exciting and fun to write!

I Miss My Mommie!

Mother's Day is coming up next month and I've been thinking about my mother quite a bit lately!
My boys, their wives and my husband all got together and gave me a really great early Mother's Day gift....a class in learning to do stained glass. I'm going to my second class tonight and I really like learning about this art that I have admired for many years!
I can't give my mother gifts any more. She passed away many years ago and before she passed on she had senile dementia for several years so she wasn't herself.
Everyone says that I look a lot like momma, I don't always see it when I look in the mirror because I wear my hair different and use make-up and I am lots heavier than my mom ever was.
But then I will hear myself laugh like she did and I see her eyes and nose when I look again. The last couple of years I see her hands when I look at my own.
Momma was a very hard worker. She kept our house clean, she had to use a wringer washing machine and clothesline for years, she cooked super delicious meals three times a day everyday for close to 70-plus years.
Most importantly, she loved me even though she wasn't always patient with me. She tried her best to teach me to cook, sew, clean and take care of my own belongings. She gave me lots of free time to read, explore and be myself. She was always so busy being a homemaker I don't think she ever had time to be herself.
I think she always dreamed of doing lots of things she never got to do. She always wanted to go to the Ice skating shows. And when she was 90 years old she painted her very first picture of 2 little birds on a branch and we realized she would have been a good artist! I wonder what other talents she had that we never knew about?
Praise was sparing, but when it came it made you feel wonderful because you knew you had reached her expectations.
I don't really think I ever appreciated my mother until she was gone. Now, whenever I feel ill or down in the dumps or have something beautiful or exciting happen I want to tell my mom about it, share it with her and she is only there in spirit.
I miss my Mommie!

Just messing around

Decided to just mess around and try a new background, font and see what it all looked like!
Yes, I am bored!

Me on another earth

The me on the other earth on the other side of the sun would be strong, slim, healthy, vibrant and sexy.
The me on this earth is weak, fat, not so healthy, dull and bland.
The me on the other earth on the other side of the sun would be fun, witty, active and athlectic.
The real me is only fun with grandkids, witty only on occasion, sedentary and feeble.
The me on the other earth on the other side of the sun is a seasoned traveler.
I've only seen about parts of 8 states of the union.
The me on the other earth on the other side of the sun is beautiful, with sleek sexy hair and long eyelashes.
I'm wrinkled, gray haired and no lashes, etc what mascara can find.
The me on the other earth on the other side of the sun is fictional.
I am real, and for that I am grateful.
Fooled ya huh?

Home Again

Just got home after a few days away.
I loved where I went and enjoyed every minute.
Home is where my heart resides,
and my pillow rests my mind.

Memories

I've been thinking a lot about things that have happened in my life in the past....you know, in my childhood and with my family and friends and school. Boyfriends and play times.
The thing is I'm not sure what I remember correctly and what has been colored by time. Stories that come down through the years sometimes get embellished or important things forgotten. No two people, even brothers and sisters, remember stuff the same way.
So if I write my personal life history, will it be true? Or will it be fantasy?
I also wanted to contact a childhood friend. Someone who I played with and cherished as almost a sister for several years when we were very young. But many, many years have come and gone and I don't have a clue as to where she could be. I thought I had found her brother, but the letter I sent to him came back today "Unable to deliver, no forwarding address". So very disappointing.
What is important to write? Only the good and happy times, or should I include the sad and miserable times too? Should I include the mistakes I made (heaven forbid that I ever made any :D ) and let my posterity know that I was human and tempted just like everyone else on the planet.
Will my memories be of any interest to anyone else on this earth, or will it only be of benifit to me? To validate a life lives, boring and uneventful or exciting and adventurous though it may be.
In the meantime....until I decide to continue writting the life history my daughter-in-law has been begging me for- I guess I will keep thinking about my past and maybe one day, I will open up a word document and continue where I left off.

It's ok to go home now!

The sun has been out the last few days and the snow is finally melting in some areas of our yard. The driveway is mostly clear now, but the front and back yards still have 2 to 3 feet of snow being stubborn about leaving. Kind of like guests that stay long past their welcome!
I sent an email to a long lost friend once who I hadn't seen since high school and all I really wanted to do was find out if she was still alive and kick'n. And she was and she came to visit......for a week!! It was a wonderful visit, got to find out all about her life and what she had been doing and all the friends we used to have. But I still had to go to work and cook dinner when I got home and the visit was totally un-expected and although I loved having her here, I was glad when she finally moved on.
Family is different....after all they are FAMILY and you love them, you know all about them and they help around the house and they are YOURS. They can stay as long as they like.
But long lost friends? After awhile, they aren't anymore.
Kinda like winter. It's ok when it first arrives. It's pretty, it makes everything look so beautiful and clean and white.
After awhile it is amazing how much there is of it and how much fun the kids have with it. Sledding and skiing and skating and throwing it.
And then it's a bother. All the shoveling, and plowing. And the heating bill goes sky high, and you have to wear boots and gloves and heavy coats.
And then you slip and fall and sink in up to your knees and the dog tracks it all in all over the place.....and so does your sweet hubby!
AND IT JUST NEEDS TO GO HOME.....wherever that is!

7 grandkids+ one weekend= LOTS OF FUN!

Lots of fun and games at the ol' house couple of weekends ago. 7 grandkids 8 years old down to 5 months! Noisy, wild, chaos, but oh such sweet blessings!

Gathering to Give

Every 3rd Wednesday a few (not enough) ladies gather in a room in the church building to tie quilts to give to the needy.

A kind lady has already put the quilt top together and another has donated a full size sheet or flannel for the bottom, plus the batting.

2 or 3 ladies put it all together on the quilting frames and then the rest of us bring our chairs around and begin to thread our needles and discuss the world news, the local news and the health and welfare of those that are close around us.

The quilts when finished will be sent to the local distribution center and from there sent out all over the world wherever needed, right now mostly to Haiti, or some other devastated country.

More than quilting is going on at these gatherings. Friendships are formed, laughter is shared and faith is reaffirmed. And each one of these ladies ends up feeling that she is doing something at long last to help others.

I for one feel helpless when I see these tragedies on the news and want to help and in this small way I can. No one can do it all alone, but together we can help someone feel that quilt around them in the cold and know that someone cared.

Bored and Surfing! Enjoy

Wishful Thinking......

Icicle bars on my windows












Frozen frogs by my door

















Makes me wish for those popsicle days of summer once again!

Update

Finally went to the doctor today because I coughed all night long last night.

Still no fever, still feel ok, except tired.

Doc said I have bronchitis, ear infection, possible pneumonia in my upper right lung.

So one shot in each "cheek".......no that is not my hair butt, mine is much cuter and less hairy! And I was told to moon my sweet hubby to show my psychodelic bandaids.

A prescription to take for the next week.

I already feel better....less congested and I'm thinking.....................what the h e double toothpicks took me so long to go see the doc??

Do I need a slap on the side of the head to remind me this is what they have to do every single time I get a cold!

LIVE AND LEARN!!!

Snow and Sore Throats

It has been snowing off and on for the last week and although we did have a couple of warm sunny days when we actually had puddles in the driveway, it started snowing again this morning and everything is white and gray and cold. Along with a little wind that makes it miserable to be outside.
I am not a little kid anymore who loves to play in the snow, make snowmen or dig snow caves. I don't think I was ever a little kid anyway.
We had a kind of different week in other ways too. Sweet hubby decided to have some medical tests done, which so far have turned out just fine thank you very much. But it involved driving into Rexburger at least twice a day for 4 days running. It also involved a very cranky sweet hubby, who is finally back to being a sweet hubby.

On top of all that, I started last Monday morning sneezing my head off, and then decided I had a head cold, which then turned into a sore throat, which turned into laryngitis, which turned into a sneezing, blowing, coughing, sore throat, raspy voice. Now, its Sunday and I am finally starting to feel better.

All in all, it's been a mucky week, but I got some wonderful news tonight from a grandson and I know that sweet hubby is fine and another grandson will be baptized this next week and everyone else seems to be doing ok, so life is good and this tough ol' bird will keep on keeping on!

Doggie Dementia

Rawhide Rowdy Boy Odin, better known as Odie in this neck of the woods is 9, going on 70 years old and showing signs of "Old Timers'", or Doggie Dementia!

He can often be found late at night or early, early in the morning out at the end of the driveway barking at things only he can see. Maybe there are snow rabbits or deer somewhere out there in the fields that spread out everywhere around us, but they would have all taken cover at the first sound of him high tailing it out the dog doors at the darkest hour of the night. He has a deep, loud bark that a neighbor over a mile away has reported hearing at 3 a.m.

Tennis balls are his passion! Give him a brand new tennis ball and he will have it torn to shreds in 10 minutes flat! Either that or he immediately takes them outside and drops them out in the yard after carrying them around in his mouth while he barks at invisible rabbits.

His other obsession is digging. He loves to go out in the field and dig for mice and after he has completely dug out the burrow he will come happily into the house with mud and weeds covering his nose, feet and belly. Sometimes he brings the half dead mouse in as a gift.

Friday he decided something was in the snow in our front yard so he spent the day pursuing whatever he thought was at the bottom of the dig. All day long he dug and soon grass and mud where being flung behind him and all we could see was his stubby tailed butt sticking up in the air while his front was deep into the crater now in the middle of our front lawn.

Occasionally he would come up for air, twice he came in to beg for a snack or have a drink of pure toilet water and then out he would go again in search of the treasure.

Finally around 8 or 9 p.m. came in, drug himself over to his dog bed and collapsed and slept straight through until 8 the next morning. No barking that night.

What did he find? Maybe it was the chewed up bone I found on the living room carpet that day...I don't know, but he's back to barking again now!

Maybe I will have sweet hubby go bury some tasty treat in the snow in the back yard for Odie to dig for tomorrow!

Progress!

Since I posted the blog about Lot's wife, I have tried hard not to look back and I can truly say that I have only gained a couple of salty toes and maybe a finger or two since!

I haven't been as good as I should with the exercising, but I am watching what I eat and I am realizing that if I eat something sweet, it gives me indigestion!

I have lost a couple of pounds and better yet, the doc says I have lost fat and gained muscle!! Also my overall cholestrol numbers are down and so is my A1C!

So, I am looking alittle less like Joe Blow on the left and a little more like Slim Jim on the right!

Hurray for me!

Lot's Wife

I just read an interesting article about looking forward and not looking back.
The article referred to the story in the Bible about Lot leaving Sodom and Gomorah and his wife looking back and being turned into a pillar of salt.
The reason the article gave was not so much that she looked back, but that she looked back with regrets and longing for what she was leaving behind.
It said that she was leaving the city, but she still wanted to be part of the life that she had there.
This view point made me immediately think of dieting......yeah it's been on my mind alot, ok always.
I want to lose weight, I want to eat healthy, I want to be lean, mean and HOT! But I still want to eat shakes, fries and burgers.
So I am just like Lot's wife. I want to go with the new, but I'm not willing to give up the old.
If I truly, honestly want to be slim and healthy, I have to look only forward with the new eating plan and exercise. I cannot always wish for the sweet desserts and fatty foods that taste so good and linger so long on the hips.
I guess I could say that unless I want to turn into a pillar...or glob...of hardened fat(salt), then I need to face toward that list of "free carbs" and step on the treadmill of life and get moving!!
No more looking back towards that old lifestyle of indulging and then guilt......wish me luck!