I'm gonna get shot for telling this story...

...but it is too funny to pass up.

Upon finding out that a family we know is (unexpectingly) expecting their 4th child our oldest grandson, (the oldest of 3 children in his family and who 13 years old) made some remark to his mom about 4 children being too many kids.

"We thought about having another baby." replied his mom.

"Really?" he asked.

"Yes, we gave it some serious consideration for a while." she said.

"I guess 4 wouldn't be too bad, why don't you have another baby now, that might be kinda cool?!" he said as he was warming up to the idea.

"We can't."

"Sure you can."

Looking him straight in the eye his mother said a bit more firmly....."No, son, we CAN'T."

"Why not?" he persisted.

"Because your dad was fixed."

"What does that mean?"

Mom did her best to provide a suitable explanation to her 13 year old son, then...

"GROSS!, that is so not right! That is just plain wrong!"

Later that night when mom was replaying the conversation to dad...

"Did you have to say "fixed?"


Hey, I thought she handled it pretty good...I would have just said "Your dad was whacked."

I really wanted to be Snoopy!

This morning I took the test with the same results as last evening...I guess I need to accept it!

I am Charlie Brown....no two ways about it.

You are Charlie Brown!

I really don't see myself as Charlie Brown, but I guess someone has to be him.

Those of you who know me...do you see me as Charlie?

Let me know, because I am getting a complex about this!

I see myself as Woodstock- - just a happy-go-lucky kinda person

PigPen- -I think that speaks for it's self!

(I call my sewing room "My Creative Mind" does that tell you anything?)

I have a bit of Rerun in me I love to learn new things.

Schroeder and I share a love of creativity although I don't play the piano.

Lucy...yep, I have a bit of her in me too...

I am not crabby and neither is she, just ask us!

Linus and I are both able to forgive and forget and move on...

why waste time being angry?

Like Franklin I don't want to miss a moment of the fun,

but also value my time alone.

Snoopy, he's the man! The Snoop and I love life and there is much more to us

than meets the eye, don't under estimate us.

Marcie...oh Marcie...she and I have the mocking down pat,

keep on your toes because we can mock like no other,

and yet we are loyal to a fault.

Peppermint Patty...I can't kick a ball or run a race but I can surely party!

I love Peppermint Patty.

And last but not least...Sally, silly Sally...

I identify with her the least but she is kinda cute!

Which Peanuts Character are You?
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It's beginning to look alot like Christmas...

As soon as the tree was up a present snuck under

and laid claim to his spot for the season!

The tree is up....I think this is the first time in my married life that the tree was up before the middle of December. Of course it is a fake tree so that has something to do with it. Yeah, I came home last year with a fake tree the day after Thanksgiving, thought Ed was going to make me go in for a psychological exam! Kmart was on Angela's shopping list so while she was trying to convince herself that getting a fake tree was a good idea she managed to convince me, a die-hard when it comes to a real tree!

Even if the tree is up it just doesn't feel like Christmas until I have the nativity out. I made this nativity the year my oldest son was born, 1979. Although it doesn't show it, the pieces are quite large. The standing figures are 8" and 9" the standing camels are just over 10". I used a Mother of Pearl paint on them.

One of my favorite holiday things to do is to get up in the middle of the night, turn on only the tree lights, put a few Christmas worship CD's in and watch as the light glistens on the nativity...peaceful, calm, thought provoking.

May this season be filled with moments of healthy reflection and joyous anticipation for each of us.

Gary...hope you find one to try...yummy!

Happy Thanksgiving to all!

Why haven't you been blogging?, she asked

Because my heart hasn't been in it, my brother is dying, my mother's kidney's are shutting down, my brother-in-law was hospitalized for a wk with a very serious infection...STOP!!!!!!! Life is so hard at times...but what can be done about it? I can't save my brother, my momma has made up her mind to disregard what her Dr is doing to help her and thankfully my brother-in-law went to a Dr who was able to treat him quickly (even going so far as to transport him from the clinic to the hospital in his own private vehicle!) So, I've kinda shut down a bit but when the question was asked of me as to why I haven't been blogging, it was just the good kick in the seat I needed and here I am, back blogging. Pity party behind me...blogging before me.

Thanksgiving is tomorrow. What will you be doing tomorrow? I can almost guarntee it will have something to do with eating...maybe that will be the main thing you do tomorrow, eat. Throw in a bit of football, a nap, maybe read the ads in preparation for Friday's early morning shopping trip. Hey, I will be right there with you all.

We (Ed and I) have reservations to eat a traditional Thanksgiving feast with my mother at the assisted living facility she lives at. Noon...be there, only $4/plate for non-residents, complete with your choice of pumpkin or pecan pie! Afterward we will search through the ads - not so much to make a shopping list but simply because that is what you do after dinner on Thanksgiving day, right? While Ed watches football (and I pretend NOT to watch football) momma and I will decorate Gingerbread people (shhh, it's a secret, momma doesn't know yet) that she can give to the healthcare workers who were "lucky" enough to work on Thanksgiving day. Ed and I are planning to sneak away while momma naps to go see "Yours, Mine and Ours" at the theater (I loved the orginial with Henry Fonda and Lucille Ball). After the movie is Survivor Night, which is sacred for my momma. We will stay and watch that with her so she does not get put to bed early and miss it. We like to guard her Survivor time.

So, there you have it...that is what we will be doing on Thanksgiving. Thanksgiving? Where does "thanksgiving" fit into that schedule? With a title like "Thanksgiving Day" shouldn't at least a few minutes be set aside to actually be thankful? Of course!! So tomorrow (and everyday) I will be thankful for (in no particular order):

God, who loves me

The promise of a glorious eternal life in Heaven with my Savior

My husband to loves me and shows his love every day

Children whom I am proud of

5 beautiful and precious grandchildren

My brother, my friend, who has overcome much in his life

My sister who is first my friend and always my strength

Parents whose 59 yrs of marriage showed me how and why to tough it out and stay the course in various life situations

Memories of my father that bring laughter and tears, usually at the same time

Precious time with my mother, making memories for me to hold into the future

Franki and Diana, never two more dear buds....pals to the end

My closests friends who love me inspite of what they know about me

A good job (with great benefits) working for a great boss with an added bonus - he's a Believer!

Enough income and resources to be blessed with the basics and then some:

a roof over our heads, plenty to eat, heat when it gets cold,

clothing, entertainment, vehicles, etc...and always enough to bless others less fortunate.

The ability to move, to walk and excerise

The ability to think and reason

That list might sound like the "same old, same old" list that most would come up with when thinking about what they are thankful for but I have been without most of these things at one point or another in my life. I do not take any of my blessings for granted. I know that next year my list might have to be adjusted, that is painful to think about now so I will try not to "borrow tomorrow's trouble"...

Happy Giving Thanks Day to all...

Last Saturday morning started as most Saturday mornings do with my usual phone conversation with my sister, either she calls me or I call her each Saturday morning. I so look forward to catching up with how her week went, what her antics her granddaughter has been up to, hearing about how the new grand-puppies are growing - - she in turn gets the run of what has gone on around our house and just spending time laughing about this and that together.

Over the past few years our Saturday morning conversations have had a few tougher topics sprinkled in here and there: Our mother had a massive stroke in August of 2001. After years of dialysis our brother had a kidney transplant in December of 2001. In August of 2003 our parents moved nearer to my husband and I so that they could be taken care on a daily basis. In August of 2004 our parents were moved to a care center and 30 short days later our father died. Life changes and we have done the best to deal with these changes. Now we are facing yet another tough and heartbreaking change.

Our brother's health has continued to decline over the past few years. Although the transplant was a success he has many other health issues that have slowly over time eaten away at his body. He has never known, for even one single day of his 56 years of life, what a healthy body is. He was not a healthy child and that has carried over into his adult life. He has taken care of himself to the best of his ability and has had a wonderful team of Doctor's who have done wonders. But those things are no longer enough.

Saturday after I hung up from my hour long yak-session with my sister the phone rang again, it was my brother. He called to tell me that his medical team let him know this past week that they cannot do anything more for him. They have done all they can do. He cried, I cried, he cried some more, I bawled. It was the phone call I knew someday I would get, as time has gone on I knew this call would come sooner than I would be ready for it to come, we knew his medical team had been grasping for various things that "might" help, that "maybe" the trick and we knew that eventually he would get the news that there was no more that could be done. My heart is broken beyond words, literally.

After we talked for awhile about everything and nothing at all we hung up...and I called my sister back. She is so strong. She and my brother have a unique relationship, they are closer in age, they live closer to each other, have more in common and they stay in touch better than he and I. I am the one who was falling apart, once again she was my strength. I hate being weak, but I hate hurting more...and we are all hurting now.

This isn't going to get any easier, my mother also received that call on Saturday morning, just before I did. She is so sad. Parents aren't suppose to have to go through this with their children. It is hard to watch knowing she will never be able to say the things she wants to say to him (she has not spoken since her stroke), knowing that she would be with him in a heartbeat...if only she could, knowing that she still grieves the passing of my father just over a year ago. It is really hard knowing what the future holds but it is so painful when I add the reality of my mother's situation into the mix.

There are no words to our pain...none at all.

I don't wanna be an adult any more!

Warrior is a Child

Lately I've been winning battles left and right
But even winners can get wounded in the fight
People say that I'm amazing
Strong beyond my years
But they don't see inside of me
I'm hiding all the tears

They don't know that I go running home when I fall down
They don't know who picks me up when no one is around
I drop my sword and cry for just a while
'Cause deep inside this armor
The warrior is a child

Unafraid because His armor is the best
But even soldiers need a quiet place to rest
People say that I'm amazing
Never face retreat
But they don't see the enemies
That lay me at His feet

They don't know that I go running home when I fall down
They don't know who picks me up when no one is around
I drop my sword and and cry for just a while
'Cause deep inside this armor
the warrior is a child

They don't know that I go running home when I fall down
They don't know who picks me up when no one is around
I drop my and look up for a smile
'Cause deep inside this armor
Deep inside this armor
Deep inside this armor
The Warrior is a Child

-Twila Paris-

I'm Out of Reach of Retirement, Out of Touch With Reality

Retirement, many people I know are talking about their retirement. Some of my pals are enjoying late mornings and spur of the moment trips. Some are just headed into retirement, still trying to figure out what to do with all those long hours each new day offers them. Others are anticipating taking that long awaited step in the next couple of years. Ed retired 5 years ago...14 years before the government was willing to part with a monthly check addressed to said hubby. My brother-in-law is thinking about retiring within a year or so, and my sister will punch her timecard for the last time shortly afterwards...neither of them are even close in age to getting a SS ck but that isn't going to slow them down, they have things they want to do and being employed is just getting in their way.

So...with all this talk from and about those who have all kinds of time on their hands or who are making plans on how to fill all that time they have suddenly come into...I decided to do a bit of research of my own just to see when I could join in on all of the fun. Guess what? I shouldn't even have opened that box! I am really out of touch with reality. Retirement is far enough away that I can't even get a countdown banner to calculate that far into the future. This could be a prime subject for "Lost in Space" or maybe that should be a "Back to the Future" episode.

Fourteen years, two months, three weeks and two days
which is equal to
5198 days

Gee....it is a good thing I really like my job...

and my boss...and my paycheck!