Happy Halloween!

All of the ghouls and goblins at my house wish you a Happy Halloween!

May your trick or treat bags be full to the brim!

A Day of Links

I just visited The Country Doctor's Wife and saw this funny, funny clip from the Ellen show:

http://countrydoctorswife.blogspot.com/2008/10/dennis-quaid-is-here.html

Hilarious!

And then I went to Making Ends Meet blog. For her church youth group she made a "Kitty Litter-box Cake" and "Monster Fingers" and boy do they look real! She also included the recipes. All I can say is GROSS! in a good way. J

And don't forget to stop by and tell Nikki from Blah Blah Blah Blog Happy Birthday. Pay attention to the old lady that looks like a troll at the end of her post! That's how I'm gonna look at 90! Happy Birthday, Nikki!

Watch back for other cool stuff I find today. I'll add it to this post.

Go over and check them out! And Michael and I will be waiting right here for you to come by again tomorrow.

Book Club

Last night was my church's book club night. I called the ladies who usually attend to see if they would be attending that night. Each had a good reason for not attending, but...no one was going.

So I called the lady in charge of the book club to talk to her and see if she'd like to cancel for the night and just keep the same book for November.

It seems that she is burned out. She was disappointed in the number of people attending and felt that maybe it was the wrong time for a book club for our church. I told her that I *love* the book club, and she told me that maybe I should host it then. I did a deep sigh. In my mind I'm thinking, "Man. It is about all I can do to get there. And I have a houseful of children; no one would be able to think at my house." But I began to think about it.....

I really, really *love* our book club. The lady who has hosted it is a former librarian from our public library, and her recommendations for books have been wonderful! I love being given a suggestions and showing up to talk about the book.

I mourned losing that for about an hour and then called our women's group leader and talked to her. And I volunteered to take over the book club. I asked if we could use the church and she told me that we absolutely could. So, the book club will continue!

I made a list of books that I love and that I think are valuable to read. This is my list:

The Chosen by Chaim Potok. We were already reading this one in October at my suggestion. I have now read it 4 times and have loved it every time. It is one of those books that you still find new things to learn from it each time you read it.

The Long Winter by Laura Ingalls Wilder. This book made me realize that having a little extra food tucked away would be a very good thing to have! Laura's family moves to their homestead during the time the government was "giving away" land. They build a house on their land and also build a store in town. They are too late in moving on it, however, to put in a crops, but figure that since they are going to be living next to a town it will be fine because they'll just buy their provisions during the winter now that the train will be bringing in new supplies often. They hadn't planned on the hardest winter in years where the train couldn't get through until spring though, and everyone in town has started running out of all provisions. This book is a must read!

Financial Peace Revisited by Dave Ramsey. I think the ladies will be ready for this self-help book of getting out of debt and putting a little money away for a rainy day after reading The Long Winter ;-) Dave Ramsey is awesome! He really knows what he is talking about, since he had to dig himself out of bankruptsy and put himself and his family back on track financially. I highly recommend his practices! He has broken the system down into steps so that you can feel an accomplishment every step of the way.

The Ransom of Red Chief, The Last Leaf, andThe Gift of the Magi by O'Henry. O'Henry is a wonderful writer, and each of these stories are very different but all are extremely well written and entertaining. I would guess that you have heard of the story of The Last Leaf and The Gift of the Magi, but if you haven't they are must reads. Read The Gift of the Magi aloud at Christmastime to your children or alone, but just read it! The Last Leaf is a great story of service and unselfishness. And you'll never forget The Ransom of Red Chief! It is a story of some guys needing some extra money, so they kidnap a weathy man's son. You'll laugh throughout and love the ending!

I think I'll have the ladies read those short stories along with The Mansion by Henry Van Dyke. I might have to share my copy of The Mansion since it is out of print and hard to find, but it is an awesome story! This man who has lived a charitable life, yet always making sure everyone *knows* that he is being charitable, (i.e. building a library and naming it after himself), dies and goes to heaven. He is being taken to his mansion that he has always been taught that God had for him after death, and is upset when he finds that he gets the smallest one of all. He questions this, reminding the angel host that he has made many contributions when on earth and sites the name of all of his contributions, saying that all knew him for his contributions and thought he was a great man; the angel host asks if he expects to get be rewarded twice for his contributions. The message comes from the Bible in the book of Matthew, Chapter 6

Honey for a Child's Heart by Gladys Hunt. This book offers wonderful suggestions about sharing books with children.

Little Men by Louisa May Alcott. This is my favorite book by this author! Jo, from Little Women, grows up and marries a teacher by the last name of Baer (for the life of me I can't remember his first name!). Upon her aunts death, Jo inherits her house and names it Plumfield. Plumfield is too big to be just a house, so Jo and her husband decide to turn it into a boarding school. Teddy, a friend of Jo's when she was growing up, has married Jo's sister Amy. Teddy, being affluent, helps Jo and Mr. Baer financially to keep their school running, and often pays the tuition for boys who could not afford to go to Plumfield. This book is full of fun and insight because of the boys' antics and Jo and Mr. Baer's wonderful parenting skills. I learned many things about raising happy boys by reading this book.

The Hiding Place by Corrie Ten Boom. This is a true story of Corrie Ten Boom and her family living in Europe during WWII. Corrie and her family are Christian, so they themselves aren't directly affected by the hate happening in their town, but they realize that they cannot sit back and just watch the atrosities happen to their Jewish friends. Corrie, her sister, and thier father are caught aiding their friends and are taken to a concentration camp. While there Corrie watches her sister's faith in God grow, and watches as she thanks Him for all things, including the fleas that infest their quarters that keep the gaurds from coming in. This is a wonderful book that is historically accurate yet is a beacon of hope.

And the next two are but thoughts for now. They are good books, but I will read them again to see if they are what I want to incorporate. The first is The Prince and the Pauper by Mark Twain, and the other is Empire by Orson Scott Card. I love Orson Scott Card books! I had originally wanted Enchantment, but I remembered that there is some sexuality in it, and although it is between a husband and wife and isn't graphic, I think some of the older ladies might not appreciate it. But I highly recommend it! It is Sleeping Beauty with a modern twist.

So, the book club will continue, and though it won't be quite as fun as just bringing a treat and showing up, and I don't really know what I'm doing, at least ladies like me, who like to read and share thoughts about the book with each other, will be able to have an "out" during the month to do something that strengthens the mind *and* the spirit.

I'd love to hear what your favorite books are too! I'm always looking for a good book. And, if you could, could you give a brief synopsis that would entice us to read it?

Stained Glass Window

I have a stained glass window in my bedroom! Its bright colors are beautiful as the light streams through them. Here, take a look and see what I mean:



My bedroom faces west, so from mid-day until dusk my stained glass window is a beautiful sight to behold!

I'll show you a picture of the entire window:



It is really my grandma's quilt as it hangs in front of my window. Isn't it pretty? I love seeing it during the day when it seems luminescent!

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I still haven't started on Josh's quilt yet. Its size really intimidates me! I was expressing my worries to Steve and he came up with a great suggestion: How about making a doll quilt first? Oh! I don't know why I didn't think of that. I can *do* a doll quilt! It is small and if it turnes out terribly I don't have to let anyone see it. Great idea! Thanks, dear!

So here is the material that I chose for a doll quilt (the pic will enlarge if you click on it):



Instead of making a 9 patch, I'll make a 4 patch, having the tiny squares be a 2" finished size and the big squares 4" finished size. The entire thing will be 24" x 28". A little bigger than the doll quilt swap sizes, because I like them a tiny bit bigger.

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Also, I have added some "helps" on my Pimp My Site blog. We are learning how to create your own webpage simply by using Notepad on your computer! There are already explanations there about: using Notepad to build a webpage and what codes to use to title your work and create the body of the page. How to add pictures to a page and reference to them, letting a new window open as they click on the smaller picture of your page. And how to change the font text, size, and color with color codes, all using HTML code. Go on over and try some of it out!

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My whole family has had a cold this weekend. I think the changing of the seasons with the temperature changes has been the culprit. We have taken it easy this weekend, kicking back with movies, books, naps, and plain and caramel popcorn.

I hope that this weekend has been restful and enjoyable for all of you too! And if you haven't tried that caramel popcorn recipe you are seriously missing out!

Good Friends, Bad News, and Quilts

Yesterday was terrible. I took Michael to the dentist because he had been complaining with one tooth, but when the dentist took a quick look, amid Michael's screams, tears, and jerking away, he said that he couldn't see anything wrong. I explained that with a flashlight I saw a crack in his tooth; he said that those sorts of things are common, and the fracture on the tooth was old, and he thought Michael was fine. I ask how we should go about getting x-rays and a cleaning and he said that we'd have to schedule it in his other office. In his other office he has an anaesthesiologist and Michael would be "put under". Yes folks, my child will have to be under general anaesthesia for x-rays and a cleaning. And this *is* the second opinion. Stinks, huh.

I cried on my friend Maren's shoulder, and she told me that every kid at her little boy's school has to undergo this type of treatment plan. She talked to me for a long time to help soothe my frazzled nerves, the same as she has been doing for the past 19 years. Thanks for always being there, Maren.

But it still stinks, and I got teary and my stomach hurt all day just thinking about handing my kid over to a whole lot of people that I don't know while they do the same anesthesia you get when you get major surgery done. The patient is intubated and on a ventilator while the procedure is done. Michael has had 6 major surgeries in his little lifetime, so I know exactly how I'll react to this; this isn't new for us.

It stinks.

So, after Amber & Jared got home from school I called April to see if she wanted to go hang out with me. I told her I was thinking of getting Mexican for dinner and go to the fabric store. She said she would go (Thank you April!). I told her about Michael and she commiserated with me. Dinner was great; it is a local place that has authentic Mexican food. And then we visited a couple of fabric stores. I picked up some material for Josh's quilt and she picked up some material for her etsy shop and some other projects she is in the middle of. She is a true seamstress, while I, on the other hand, am not. I had a great time and felt much better by the time I got home. And today, after a good night's sleep and the great time last night I am feeling like things aren't so bleak after all. Thanks April for being a great friend, for the great time, and for the listening ear.

Unfortunately, while I was out I missed a call from my friend Sherry. :( I can't believe that we have been friends for nearly 25 years! Yep, ever since junior high. She was the one that got me through the hard times after an ugly divorce. She was divorced at the same time, so we always hung out together, went places together, and double dated. After I got remarried we lost touch with each other for awhile, but a couple of months ago we "found" each other again on a high school website that reunites classmates. It has been great catching up! She has always been a terrific friend, and I'm glad that she is back in my life. I'll call her this weekend.

And! This is some of the material for Josh's quilt that I picked up, along with the rotary cutter, self-healing mat, and ruler that April helped me see that I desperately needed if I was going to cut 10 bajillion 3 1/2" fabric squares!



I have struggled with the colors, prints, and basically whole process! of this quilt, but I have decided to do a mottled red fabric for the front (or the back, depending on how you look at a 9 patch quilt!), with the 9 patches being things that Josh has like growing up. The fabric has patterns like: a dart board, pool balls, camping, wildlife, and bandannas, with the...hum...assessory? secondary? fabric being prints that compliment those.

I still need to buy more fabric for the big 9" squares that will go in between the 9 patches. So, I'll be back at JoAnn's this afternoon (the same as I have been every day this week as I have pondered this quilt!).

And thanks to you, my blogging friends, for always listening to me, for the great ideas, and for words of encouragement. Where would I be without such great friends in my life? It is too scary to even think about.

I hope that your day is going well, and that you have a great weekend!

Quilts

I have been agonizing for a couple of weeks about what to give my ds, who will be turning 18 in a few weeks, for his birthday. My mom had a tradition of giving her kids a big present when we graduated from high school, but my ds will not be graduating. So I have been trying to decide how to go about celebrating that special time when the apron strings are clipped and my kids become adults. For my mom, that was graduation; for me, I think I'll celebrate their 18th birthday instead.

Since deciding that, I tried to decide what item I want my children to leave my nest with. Something that they will treasure, that will come in handy, and that will remind them of me when they are away from home. I decided on a quilt.

How I wish that I would have realized that was the gift that I wanted to give a little earlier in the year! My poor son might get his gift in the summer instead of on his birthday!

My choice had a lot to do with this quilt:



This is a quilt that my grandma made for my mom and dad. The date embroidered on it says "1975". My mom accidentally left it behind when she moved from my home into her own apartment a few years ago after staying with us for a year. I asked her if I could keep it, and she agreed! I have hung this quilt behind my bed as both a decoration and a barrier to the approaching cold weather. My grandma's quilt will keep both my body and soul warm this winter!

The thing is, my grandma passed away over 10 years ago. This quilt is the closest thing I have to her. She spent many hours laboring away on this quilt, and that is what I have left of her.

I realized that that is what I want to give my children: a piece of me that will last for as long as the quilt does. It will warm their hearts as it reminds them of the love and service that I have given them throughout their childhood, and it will warm their bodies when it is cold. It will be there through the good times and bad, and I hope that they remember my love for them every time they look at it.

Okay, lest I wax too emotional here, I will discuss the physical aspects rather than the emotional ones for a while.

I saw this quilt on maggiestitches. And then I followed her link over to the Bloomin' Workshop and saw this quilt too! Aren't they great? Mine will be a little different, but I love the 9 patch quilt. Josh loves soft things; in fact, he would rather have hand-me-downs that are broken-in and soft than brand new "scratchy" clothes. So, I am going to make him a flannel quilt. At a local fabric store all of the flannel is on sale until Nov. 1st, so I am hoping to get all of my supplies before then. I am trying to get him to take an hour or so to go with me to the fabric store and pick out some material that he likes; I especially want his help on the fabric for the front.

When I told him that I really wanted him to help me pick out the fabric he said that he would love anything that I chose. I told him that I didn't want him to hate the print that I chose and he said that whatever I chose he would love and would proudly show his friends what his mom had made for him. He was very sweet, but I still wonder if he was just trying to get out of going to a fabric store. Oh well, I will do as my brother tells me and "Take what is given me", which was the sweetness of his words....but I'm still going to try to take him along! ;-)

Queen of Easy Meals

Melody Queen of Easy Meals. Yep, that's me. I don't love to cook, but I do love to eat healthy (relatively speaking), good tasting food.

For the past few days I have been making simple foods. There was a vegie noodle soup one night, stir fry (which I showed you) another night, bean soup, and last night was chili.

Because I am a sharing person, and I assume everyone wants easy, yummy meals, I will share with you my recipes.

Chili

Prepare your beans. If for you that means opening a can of kidney beans, so be it. If that means that you get out your 5 gallon bucket of beans, sort the beans, wash them, soak them, and cook them, good for you ~ use 4 cups of dried beans for this recipe. Any way you do it is great with me. I used 3 - 15 oz (so 45 oz total) undrained cans of assorted beans (use that juice!) that I found in my pantry. There was 2 cans of black beans and 1 can of kidney beans. It was the first time I'd ever used black beans, but they were yummy. I usually use kidney or pinto.

Add diced tomatoes. I added 1 - 15 oz can. Use however much you like, but start small and add.

1 very full tsp of Oregano.

1 very full tsp of Salt.

1 tsp Baking Cocoa (Yep! I even put chocolate in my chili! Try it!)

1 TBS Chili Powder

Simmer together while you:

Brown 1 lb Hamburger with 1 medium Onion and 1 clove of Garlic. Drain. Add to beans. Simmer for about 15 minutes more. Serves about 6.

After I figure out how to scale down my bean soup recipe (it makes a HUGE pot, so I'll adjust the recipe) and how much and of what kind of noodles I use for my veggie noodle soup, I'll post those too!

Oh! While I'm thinking of it, do you want a good meatloaf recipe? I haven't made it for a while, but here it is:

Meatloaf

1 lb hamburger
3/4 cup oats (I prefer instant)
1 - 8 oz can of tomato sauce
1 medium onion
1 egg
1 tsp salt
dash of pepper

Add all ingredients and squish together. (Does the word "squish" bother you?? I use my hands to mix it through and always think "squish" but what I mean is "mix it together".) Put in an ungreased loaf (bread) pan and bake on 350 degrees for 1 hour.

OR...(yes, it is time for my "Oh crap! It's almost dinner time and I haven't even started making dinner yet!" recipe) use muffin tins so that the meatloaf cooks quicker! Just divide the hamburger mixture into pieces (enough to fit the muffin cup) and place in muffin cups and bake on 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes.

I like ketchup on top, but maybe that's just me.

Enjoy!

Bits and Pieces

It was Amber's 16th birthday a few days ago! She wanted to have stir-fry for dinner, so I made it for her.



I tried to make the presentation pretty for her, so I put the rice on a steamed cabbage leaf. I should have added more color to the stir-fry, but didn't think about that in advance. :-( She liked it anyway and wanted to take a picture of it.

She told me in advance that she is sick of cake, so we had cheesecake instead:



I can't believe that she is 16! Why I was 16 just a couple of years ago, wasn't I? It seems like only yesterday.

The kids are out of school for the deer hunt, but since we don't hunt, we are staying home and CLEANING! We have been fall cleaning for most of the day, and Amber impresses me so much! She is a person who can really take charge of a situation, and she has been a tremendous help in getting things deep clean, preserving food (she helped with a ton of zucchini!), and getting the younger kids to do what they needed to. She has also been great company. I am so lucky she is part of my family! I love you Am!

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The first frost hit the other night, killing off my tomato, cucumber, melons, and zucchini plants. I had Jared go out today and pull out all of the plants. Here is my garden now:



I had him harvest the rest of the produce a couple of days ago, and he arranged it "just-so" so that I could take a picture of it. What a great guy!



I'll leave the pumpkins in our pumpkin patch for a little while longer to harden them just a bit.



Today he picked apples from our apple tree. Guess what I'll be doing tomorrow?

Thanks for your help in the garden, Jared! You have been a lifesaver!

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Emily & Matt worked hard today too, feeding the animals the left-over zucchini pieces, helping Jared pick the apples off of our tree, and scrubbing walls, baseboards and cupboard doors.

I do believe I have the best kids in the world!

I'm off to the kitchen to cook dinner and make some caramel popcorn from April's recipe that she posted today. See you tomorrow!

Letting the Dog out of the Bag

Okay, I had to post this, but please don't forget about giving me soup recipes, okay?

Meet Madame, our Border Collie. This is a terrible way to meet her. You see, I walked in on her like this:



And then she heard me and started wiggling out:



Then she looked at me like this:



And this is what she said with her dark eyes, "Who me? Eat all of the cat food? No, you must be mistaken. I am a dog you know."

Yeah, Madame, I know. You'd never stoop to eating cat food, would you? Okay, I promise to never post another comprimising picture of you eating out of a cat food bag ever, ever, again as long as you promise never take a picture of me eating a whole bag of Peanut M & M's okay? Let's just forget the whole thing ever happened.



Hey, wait! You didn't promise! Madame, Madame do you hear me? Madame, let's make a deal okay! Madame......


P.S. Hi! It’s me! (Me being my mothers oldest daughter Amber :D).
Anyways…..my mom just posted a blog about MY dog Madam. THERE IS NO E IN HER NAME! Thanks :D, that’s all.

Needed: Soup Recipes

Ok, in preparing the week's menu I am looking for tried and true soup recipes. (This can include chowder, stew and chili recipes.) Please, oh please, oh please leave your favorite soup recipe (or 3 or 4 or 10!) as a comment.

My family thanks you. =)


My OCD is really bothering me. I'm so used to posting every couple of days that it feels wrong not to! BUT, I really would like to get some more soup recipes, so thanks to those who have helped me out. Send some more my way though, and I promise I'll write something new, okay?

Thanks!

Flag Football Season

Flag football season started last week, and Matt was playing.



This is his first year, and he is doing really well. I have to say though, I wish it was warmer! It is a little chilly when we first get to the field and then cold after the sun goes down.



The kids have so much fun though that it is worth it!

I hope that you have a wonderful weekend!

Scenery

Take a look at some of the beautiful scenery around here, and I'll be back tomorrow, okay?



Did I tell you it snowed in the mountains over the weekend?



Have a great rest of your day!

THE Best Pot Roast in the WORLD!

Argh! I had finished writing a post with an entire recipe on it and it got deleted! {sniff, sniff!} But because I love all of you and want you to be able to taste the Best Pot Roast In the Whole Wide World, I will again write the recipe. Be glad I love you!

Ok, so like I said in the earlier post that is now ancient history, I made this Pot Roast yesterday and it was scrumdiliumptious! It is even better than Cracker Barrel's, which before supper last night happened to have my favorite pot roast in the world!

So, without further ado, I will tell you how I made this fabulous supper!

The recipe came from the Better Homes and Gardens New Cook Book. (A great cookbook, I might add! If you are interested in purchasing, will you think about buying it from the following link? It will pay me a little kickback for every sale. And if you do, let me know in a comment so that I can thank you, will you? :)



Beef Pot Roast (the Tastiest Pot Roast in the World!)
- 2 1/2 to 3 lb beef chuck pot roast
- 2 TBS cooking oil
- 3/4 cup water, dry wine, or tomato juice (I used water)
- 1 TBS Worcestershire sauce
- 1 tsp instant beef bouillon granules
- 1 tsp teaspoon dried basil, crushed
- Potatoes. The recipe calls for 2 medium, but I used more like 3 or 4
- 8 small carrots or parsnips
- 2 small onions, cut into wedges (I used one finely cut onion)
- 2 stalks celery, bias-sliced into 1 inch pieces (I didn't add this because none was on hand)
- 1/4 cup flour

Trim fat from roast. In a Dutch oven brown roast on all sides in hot oil. Drain fat. Combine water, Worcestershire sauce, bouillon granules and basil. Pour over roast. Bring to a boiling; reduce heat. Cover and simmer for 1 hour.

Meanwhile, peel and cut vegies as desired. I took off the skins of the potatoes, but you can leave them on if you'd rather.

After the 1 hour of cooking the meat, add the vegies and continue to simmer for 45-60 minutes longer, until vegies are tender.

To make the gravy:
Remove vegies and meat from the pot. Measure the pan juices and skim the fat. Add water enough to equal 1 1/2 cups of liquid. Add 1/4 cup flour to COLD water; whisk into pan juices. Cook at stir until bubbly; continue to cook and stir for 1 minute more. Season to taste.

Makes 8-10 servings.

Enjoy!

New Blog full of Gadget Helps

Today I started a new blog. I called it "Pimp My Site".

It will be dedicated to helping people with the code that they need to add the gadgets that they want.

I thought of it after Maren, at SahmSisters wanted to add a button that others could put on their sites and link to her. She also asked that the code be with it so that others would easily be able to put that link on their site. So I helped her make this:

• 
  Link to Me
  
  <br /><a href="http://www.sahmsisters.com/"><img <br /><br />src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_hOmRNkkjNEc/SOpWyJQ<br /><br />nI6I/AAAAAAAAASQ/oY2FB6zSRMg/s200/sahmsisters+button<br /><br />.jpg" source="blank"/></a>
  

She was so happy and said that I was the only person that she knew who could do this (and I told her that she should get out more ;-) ) But after thinking about it, I realized that I really do have it easier than most since I am married to a computer programmer. What I can't figure out on my own, he can help me with.

So long story short, I'm here for y'all. If you have a question, take a stroll over to Pimp My Site and leave me a comment and I'll see what Steve & I can come up with. Send your friends, too, and tell them to tell me who sent them, ok?

This should be a fun endeavor!

My New Playlist Tunes

Hey! Did you notice the music?? I hope you like Country music, because I do. I thought I was more eclectic in my choice of music, but I found last night as I was loading my playlist at http://www.playlist.com/, that really. . . I like Country.

BTW, please let me know if it makes my blog load too slowly for you. That is my biggest concern of adding that feature to my blog. I figure if you really hate Country, you can turn off your sound for a minute while you visit, but if it takes too long to load you might not like to visit because of the time involved. Just let me know, okay?

If you want to add your own playlist to your blog, you can get a free playlist at http://www.playlist.com/. Just sign up and add your own favorite tunes to your blog!

If you want to take a look at my playlist, it is located on the left-hand side of my blog after my archives. You can change the song if you want, or pause it while you're visiting if you don't have the same taste of music as I do.

I thought I was only playing with my new playlist for an hour or so. Steve told me later I was busy with it for at least 4 hours. WOW! Time flies when you're having fun! I loved listening to what I loaded, long after the playlist was set up. Those songs are part of my soul. I was reminded of the song "Drift Off to Dream" by Travis Tritt. It was my themesong in those difficult months after my divorce and before I met Steve. "Not a Moment Too Soon" by Tim McGraw was my theme after I met Steve.

It is interesting how much music is intertwined with our lives. When I hear a song I remember memories of people, activities, and places. Those memories could have been from long, long ago, but hearing the songs brings them back clear as a bell.

So I hope that there is at least a couple of songs that you are familiar with and like!

Also, did you notice the changed header pic at the top? That was another view on my Kentucky property. Isn't it beautiful?! I'm so glad that I took lots of pics before I left.

(Added 10/7/08 - Look on my other blog, Pimp My Site for detailed instructions on how to add your own playlist!)

I hope that you are having a GREAT weekend! Take a look at playlist.com and take a listen to your favorite songs!

Grandma's Funeral

Today was Steve's grandma's funeral. The kids and I showed up late at the cemetery for the graveside service. There had been a viewing at the cemetery and I missed it. I was very disappointed, because viewings somehow make the death more real for me. I still don't think it is all real for me, because the first thing I did when I got there was look over the crowd and when I saw an older lady with white hair sitting on a chair next to the grave I thought to myself, "Oh, there is Grandma." She was always at every family function and I am going to miss seeing her.

After the graveside service we went to the church for the funeral. I parked the car and went to get out and heard, "Mom! I'm stuck!" Apparently, for some reason, my 8 yos had leaned out the window and when I rolled the windows up he got stuck. He looked like he was in a stockade; his head was turned to the side and his hands were on either side of his head. How in the world did that happen??? Anyway, I panicked. And I swore. In the church parking lot. And my brother-in-law heard me. Apparently I shouted it. With all of our nice family around....but I only saw Rob. Maybe nobody else heard. (I rolled down the window and he was fine. Little turkey scared me to death!)

Later on, during the funeral, when everyone was as still as a proverbial church mouse, Michael kept clicking his tongue to a tune that I don't remember. It was traumatic so I blocked it, maybe. And he also kept saying loudly that he wanted to go swimming. He went swimming once this summer and keeps asking for it again and again and again whenever he gets bored with what we are currently doing....usually at the wrong times. when it is quiet. mostly at church.

Then after the funeral we went into the gym to eat a lunch that the church had provided. The kids were playing on the stage. Michael wanted to play too, and I figured there was no harm because I could watch the stage and both doors that exit the stage and make sure he was ok. Yeah well, there was a third door at the back of the stage behind a curtain. And he escaped. We all took off in search of Michael, and after about 2 or 3 minutes Steve came back with Michael in tow looking a tad bit embarrassed. Steve, not Michael. Michael *never* gets embarrassed. So I asked Steve where he found him and he told me that he found him at the bottom of the stage stairs going into the gym with his pants around his ankles. He had used the bathroom and didn't pull up his pants. Why, oh why, oh why?!

So after all that, we bought a BIG bag of Peanut M & M's to share on the way home. Chocolate always helps with dementors of all kinds, doesn't it?!

And now I am home. I am so glad to be home! There is *no* place like home. My kids can be naughty without anyone seeing. I can say a bad word with no one hearing (I do try *not* to do that one, FYI). Michael can pull down his pants without anyone witnessing it. Ahhhhhhh. Home.

I will really miss our Grandma. She was a wonderful lady! She was the first person I met in Steve's family. He invited me to a family dinner at her house, including all aunts & uncles & cousins, just a couple of weeks after we were dating. My three children under 4 years old were invited too. I remember hoping that his family would like me and being so nervous that the kids would do something naughty. His family are wonderful people, and his grandma was super. They all tried to make the kids and me comfortable. Not much has changed I suppose. I still worry about my kids being naughty and they keep trying to make me feel comfortable.

His grandma let us have an Open House at her house after our wedding. She also was our first stop when we moved back to Utah from Kentucky. She let us sleep at her house the first night and fed us dinner late, late at night. A more perfect hostess you could never find. She was always kind and loving. We will dearly miss her.
P.S. The green coloring is edits after talking to Steve and finding out *why* Michael was naked, and also to make situations clearer.

Roses

The other day my 15 yod was riding with me in the car. I saw a place in the city that had a dozen short stemmed roses for $9.99. They have had the same price forever it seems. Anyway, I said to her that I should just buy my own roses instead of waiting for Steve to buy them for me. I told her I didn't think that guys "got" the whole flowers thing anyway. Immediately she asked to use my cell phone. I couldn't imagine who she was going to call since all of her friends were in school. She promised she wouldn't call or text any of them and that I wouldn't be mad at who she called.

She called Steve! Her conversation went something like this "Hi, Dad. Mom says that she wants you to buy her flowers. They have roses for $9.99 a dozen here at this place. You should get her some. K. Bye."

I couldn't believe it! She hasn't learned what I have as a woman. You know the unwritten rule that one doesn't *ask* for flowers. Instead, you just get upset and think they don't love you when they don't buy them. They should just *know* that you want the flowers. But no. She is so obvious!

So guess what? The next week when I went in for my EGD Steve said that needed to stop at a store for a quick minute. Guess what he bought? Yep. Roses. Maybe I should learn from my teenage girl and simply *tell* the poor guy what I want. Imagine that!

Small World

Need a funny bit of news? Ok, but I better back up just a bit.

My mom started dialysis last week, did I already tell you that? Anyway, on Thursday or Friday, I don't remember which, when they inserted the needle that takes the blood away and the other that returns it to the body, her blood pressure went down to 50/20. My neice said her eyes rolled back into her head...I guess she passed out. Anyhow, that isn't the funny part. The next part isn't the funny part either... her arm got infiltrated with blood. I don't understand how that happened, but some of you with more knowledge than I probably do. I think it had to do with the needle going through the vein instead of in it. But I *did* see the ugly bruise. And I *did* take a picture to show to you. If you are squimish you'll want to close your eyes and scroll down quick to see the funny part of this whole story!



Looks terrible, doesn't it?!

Anyway, on to the funny part. So she had to take the weekend off and go back at the first of the week.... and guess who she sat next to? This guy, only grown up!

So April, do I make you remember California a little? Rubbing shoulders with the celebrities...even if his shoulder is pretty darn small? Funny, funny, funny! "Small" world, isn't it? hahahahaha Sorry. I'll quit with the silly "little" jokes.

A "small" bit of humor is all I could muster today! =) Ok, ok, I'll stop now!