" How's Your Weather ? "

"So how about this weather we're having ?"

It's funny how we often use the weather as an ice breaker for conversation or to break an uncomfortable silence. Although sports has also been one of those ice breakers as well.





Lately in my part of the states the weather has been very , very pleasant. Pleasant being seventies through the day and fifties in the evenings. Tonight they ( those weather people ) are predicting temperatures in the forties.




Now that's what I'm talking about , almost perfect for me. I say almost because I would prefer sixties through the daylight hours but I won't complain. To me , fall is the perfect time of the year. And it's still summer , what more could this girl ask for!

But there are days in the fall and winter that are less than perfect for being outdoors .




I also love the rain . Rainy days make me feel safe. I have no idea why. But I do have a theory. When it rains we generally stay inside. Inside to me feels safe. It also makes me want to get cozy. Maybe take a nap. Sometimes it makes me think what a perfect opportunity for me to clean out a room or a closet or whatever. I will also get the urge to make soup. I make good soup. I hate to cook but I love to make soup. Something that I learned from several people of different ethnicity's in my past life. Rainy days are also perfect days to craft. Create. Sew. Crochet. Paint.





Another important ingredient for a rainy , chilly , fall day is music. Now , I will tell you that I couldn't possibly post all of my thoughts and feelings about music tonight as I am already tired. But you get the idea don't you? Take your choice. Rock , classical , gospel , Jazz , rap , Hip hop , or one of my personal faves standards.




Whatever your taste in music may be or what you decide to do , the rainy , chilly autumn day is a perfect opportunity to do it. If it's not rainy out , open your windows and smell the fresh cool air. Did you know that cool and cold weather keeps you looking younger longer ? Think about the lettuce in your refrigerator. Think about that steak in your freezer ! Cool air slows the aging process !




If it's not getting enough exercise while your in the house that worry' s you , Stop ! We don't worry about real life when we are stranded in the house because of rain or snow. No , we just relax with some good tunes , make some soup , and sew !




For my few fellows that might happen upon this posting , I have ideas for you too. If you are into sports it's a great time to pick up a Sports Illustrated and get caught up on all of the latest stats while you are cooking that big pot of chili . And don't forget that can of beer . Don't worry about the fact that it's only 11:00 a.m. Remember we are talking about acts of God here. Or mother nature if you are a non-believer.



Not into sports ? It's alright . You can break out the old tunes that you used to love . Some Frank Zappa , Metallica or perhaps David Allen Coe. But don't let the chili burn. If your a reader this might be the perfect time to reread " The Old Man and the Sea " , " Huck Finn " or " Old Yeller ". And don't forget the "Twilight Zone " reruns.




Fall is a wonderful time of year for all . Please try to take advantage of the less than perfect days to relax , enjoy and even talk to yourself . If your alone of coarse . Think of it as a wonderful opportunity to rediscover yourself. I know I will !

" Beautiful , Chilly , Sunday Morning "

Ah this is my kind of weather . I can't help but love the chilly air. It gives me energy and makes my thoughts move to evening fires, the smell of burning leaves and all of the indoor winter projects that I will son be tackling.Which reminds me of the denim quilt that I have promised to make for Katie. I really didn't think she would want one but she is asking everyday now when I plan on starting it ! So I guess I am going to have to get busy cutting out squares .


I won't start it today as it is going to be a trip to Wal-Mart and a laundry day! Katie and I went to Saturday evening service last night so that we could get to Wal-Mart before the church crowd descends upon the store this morning ! So I will wake her soon so we can go!


I don't often mention our church services in my blog as I feel that my faith and spirituality is very personal to me. But we sang a hymn last night which we have sung before , only this time one of the verses spoke to me. It really stuck in my head and gave me comfort. The hymn is called " By Grace I'm Saved ". The following is the verse that spoke volumes to me and turned on a little light in my cobweb filled brain.

5. By Grace! On this I'll rest when dying;
In Jesus' promise I rejoice;
For though I know my hearts condition,
I also know my savior's voice.
My heart is glad, all grief has flown
since I am saved by grace alone.

What beautiful words ! And there are many more but these spoke to me last night.
Alright enough of my spiritual awareness talk !

And now I have a couple of photos for your viewing pleasure ! Well maybe they are just for my viewing pleasure ! The first one is of baby Jack , self explanatory ! I took this picture of baby Jack ( I wonder if I'll still be calling him that when he's 17 !) last Friday while we were having dinner at my son's house. I really wanted to get a photo of my granddaughter Sarah , but she was off playing with her friend Lillian and as I stated in a previous post , I was just lucky that I was able to get two hugs that evening!



The next photo ladies and gents is of Katie and a few of her friends at the football game Friday night. Unfortunately the Mt. Vernon Rams were beaten severely! This is a small peek at the high school graduating class of 2013 ! This makes me feel old ! Katie is the fourth one from the left.




This next photo I just couldn't resist posting as it was us girls getting ready to pose for a previous photo that I had posted in another post. We were feeling a little silly !
From left to right , Mom , me , Katie , Daughter-in-law Amy and down in the center , Sarah. I think this photo might be better then the original !




I have been having some knee issues lately so I have Katie running up and down stairs doing laundry for me today. It's nice sitting here with me feet up while someone else does the slaving!



The rest of my Sunday is going to be spent relaxing as I need to rest this old knee. I am enjoying the chilly air in my house .
I think I will have to go and dig out my comfy , cozy, and warm slippers !
I hope you all enjoy your Sunday!

" Friendly Blog Award "

Maria from " Calm Energy " has been gracious enough to pass this " Friendly Blog Award " onto other friendly bloggers.

Maria's daughter Amanda , took this photo of the Daisy as an offering to the beholder as if to say " Here's a Daisy for you."

I love this award because I know so many friendly bloggers and I think it is a very nice way to say "Thank You " for being there, being compassionate,being caring and being friendly !

So to all of my blogger friends take this award and put it on your sidebar. Thank you Maria and thank you all my blogger friends for being so friendly!

" The Villagers Gather for Celebration "

Yes this is a special day in the village. Today is our founders birthday ! Happy birthday to you Marcy !

A Birthday Poem for Marcy

Marcy is as sweet as can be.

She is here everyday you see.

We rally around to hear all the village news.

And there are many jokes and amusements too.

Today is her special day you see.

But do we know quite how old she can be?

Ah it doesn't matter what age that she is,

Because after all in this village we're all kids !

As for Marcy and her special day,

Somehow I know, she's going to play!

Oh Marcy we love you and this much you should know,

You are very special and we all love you so !

I hope your special day is filled with love, hope, peace and all that God's blessings can bestow upon you!

Love Di

" ssshhhhhh!!!!!!"

God forgive me for posting this photo. I don't think that my Kate reads my blog but truly I am not sure. I am old in her eyes and boring and embarrassing, and slow and stupid, well I really don't want to go on as I just might start to believe what my fourteen year old thinks.

Judge Judy always Say's , do you know when a teenager is telling the truth ? When their mouths are open. Well I would like to have a little more faith in my girl but I have raised two other teens that were less than truthful at times.

It seems that the first two weeks of freshman year of high school is very exhausting! Mind you , I have not heard one complaint. Although I do believe that the shock of it all was a bit much!

I can remember high school but now that I think about it , I can honestly say that I don't remember all of the details of the first week or two. Perhaps this is a good thing. Or perhaps I am acquiring senile dementia .

The girl seems happy so far in this her very beginning of " The Real World ". You can be reassured that I will diligently be her shadow for the next four years. I do believe that I have learned from my past mistakes.

Patience comes most times with age. I wish that I had been more patient with my other two children when they were growing up. I can only hope that they will forgive me for not being the mother that I probably could have been. I do know that they love me. I do thank the Lord for that.

Unfortunately in life there are no redo's. So I pray that I gave them something to walk away with. Something with a little substance. Perhaps the knowledge , at the very least that God loves them. And God will always be there for them.

I acknowledge that I have made many mistakes as a parent. But still we all know as a parent we would give our lives for our children. In an instant.

As I look at that tired , exhausted , and still , little girl face in the photo , I can't help but think , can I be the best mom that I can be?

God willing I will be guided. The world has changed my friends. I am getting very tired. But I will never give up. I won't leave her side . I will be there for her as long as God allows.

Sleep tight Katie. Your road is just beginning and it is long . Get your rest while you can and know that I will be there when you feel the need for a nap.

" My Daughter , Ginny "

" I'm Just a Quitter "

I did it again. I quit. I quit quitting smoking. So I guess that makes me a quitter.

Life Lesson # 5,256 : It is very hard to quit something that you don't want to quit.

It seems that I had forgotten life lesson # 5,256. And after reading Joe's story , the temptation to smoke was just too overwhelming. Oh and by the way , upon further research I discovered that Joe is actually Josephine. As I took Ruby for her walk this evening , I noticed that Joe ( For short ) was still diligently guarding her web. It seems that this fascinating little garden spider has more control than I do !

Besides it was killing me. I know your probably saying " No, smoking is killing you!".
And right you would be but that's not what I mean. You see every time I started to crave a smoke , I would get up and start cleaning. Or I'd pick up my needle and thread and start crocheting. So much so that I am paying dearly for it these past two days. Arthritis you know. I quickly remembered how difficult it is for me to sit still , let alone sit still going through nicotine withdrawals.

So here we are my friends. At least you don't have to worry about second hand smoke! And I am NOT disappointed in myself. I know that I can do it if I want to. And therein lies the rub. If I want to.

I truly love all of you my Blogger friends. You all gave just the right amount of support with no lectures. But I suppose we all have habits that we would rather not have. Bad habits aside , we are what we are. And I am extremely crazy about all of you.

" Joe's Story " ( Fiction ) By Diana

Oh yeah , yeah , it ummm , can get really slow around here. I mean hours , you know, hours go by. And it's not easy let me tell ya . Some will say , ya know , " Oh yeah I got it made , all I do is sit here all day and night."

But those are the one's , they don't take it seriously. No , no , it's a lot of work yeah.

Patience , you have to have a lot of that ! Those other one's brag ya know. But they don't got it. You watch long enough and you'll see em run off . And then later they'll say " Oh I been out there all day, I deserve a little piece of that !"

But I know , I know. They sit awhile and then when they think you're not lookin' , off they run!

Then maybe they'll get lucky ya know and get a catch. Oh boy that burns me. Like I wouldn't want to be off havin' a smoke somewhere ! But no, I'm the one sittin' here all day. Payin' attention ya know. Sometimes I even shake things up a bit . It really scares the heck out of the kids ! Yeah that's fun. But it can be real dangerous too , ya know .

I knew this guy , big guy, bigger then me. It went to his head. There was this kid that would come by everyday ya know. Well as soon as this guy would see this kid he'd start shakin' that web. Back and forth , to and fro , over and over, faster and faster !

What an idiot . He was to big to be goin' that crazy to begin with . All of a sudden his own web launched him! Poor guy didn't know his own strength . He went flyin' clear across that garden ! And then splat ! It was bad , real bad. Jeez , I really needed a smoke that day . Scared the heck out of the kid ya know , yeah he went screamin' home to mommy , the little wimp.

It's real hard work . Yeah . And you gotta show up everyday. They'll replace ya now ya know. Yeah as soon as ya think it's your spot , you can be outta there quick as a skeeter bite. In the old days ya know, you could take a break, have a smoke and a beer. Ya know , regroup.

But there all doin' that green thing now ya know. Like it's something new, hehehe ! Ah God bless em they keep trying. It all comes back around ya know and they all think it's their idea. Well I just let em have there fun.

Are we done here now ? They catch me not payin' enough attention and ya know , I don't wanna end up like that big guy . O.K. so get movin' or I'll have to start shakin' at ya. Yeah nice talkin' to ya too.

" I Don't Know Much Anymore "

My poor dog looks confused ! It is because I am confused. I quit smoking yesterday for the fifth time in my life. They say that lack of oxygen to the brain can cause learning disabilities. Well so can lack of nicotine. Please whatever you do don't say things like " Good for you" or " You'll be so much healthier ". I am not a moron. I realize that it is bad for me and I know it's freaking fantastic that I am quitting yet again. So please no cheerleaders.

I don't want to quit smoking. I like to smoke. I don't care that other people find it disgusting. I know that it is bad for my health. I am aware of how much money it is costing me to smoke. And I just want to say a quick thank you to my internist who realizes that I am not stupid , he refrains from giving me the lecture at every office visit.

My neurologist on the other hand is an idiot. I am 51 years old and have been smoking for 40 years. Yes I know the health hazards and risks so just shut up! If you don't want to smoke well hallelujah for you and all that.

The longest that I managed to stop smoking was two years. The entire two years I wanted to smoke. So I did again. I have quit twice since. Both times after my last two strokes and obviously both times unsuccessfully.

If I sound angry and well, just not my normal self. It's because I am angry right now. I haven't smoked in 23 hours. I am going cold turkey this time and am not quite sure how well it's going to work. I have two boxes of patches in my cabinet but I just don't feel like messing with them right now.

I do know that I have been very, very tired all day. Nicotine is a stimulant. So I have wasted most of my day sleeping. I have also been continually hungry. When I quit for the two years before, I gained forty pounds. So tomorrow I will once again drag my stationary bike up out of the basement and put it back in use. And I will start back at Curves everyday but Thursday. I clean on thursday. That's enough of a workout!

I don't want to quit smoking. I am quitting because I can no longer afford it. The money I save from smoking will pay a little bill of buy a little more food. And I will still be stuck at home. Only difference will be that I won't have my toxic stick of death in my hand to help calm my already exhaustedly overtaxed nervous system. And yes I know it's better for me, but right now, I really don't give a crap!

" T. G. I. F. "

Well I can't quite believe it because I truly didn't think that it would happen today. But here I am posting. I remembered that it was Friday Favorites too!

It has been a very busy Friday for me which is not unusual . I just dropped Katie off at the high school with her friends. Football season is almost here and the freshman team is being introduced tonight. Katie has never been a football fan much to her fathers disappointment. He still misses the old days when our oldest daughter used to sit and watch all of the Packers games with him. Yes he is a Packers fan. As was our older daughter Ginny. That girl knows more about football then most guys I know ! Some how I don't think that Katie is going for the football . But either way, she is enjoying herself so far in this , her first week of high school . She has been very happy yet very tired all week . She has many old friends and has already made some new friends. And now goes to school with some friends from our church . So far all is well in high school land . Check back with me in a few months to see if the novelty has worn off !

And now I have a few Friday Favorites to share with you . In my hand you will notice two things. The glass heart necklace I had bought for myself when we went school shopping in Evansville last week . I think it was last week . Time flies so quickly it could have been the week before ! I was going to wear it in a photo but I couldn't get it on by myself . I just loved the swirl in the heart and the little rose . It might be hard to see . The other thing that I am holding in my hand is a piece of mulch. Not just any piece of mulch , but a very special piece of mulch. How you ask is this piece of mulch so special?

It was given to me by the cute little guy below. Who , in the photo was playing pass the fly swatter back and forth with grandma game . Baby Jack was showing grandma is new walking skills. He's still pretty wobbly but darned cute don't you think.

As we were walking around the yard together last weekend , he bent down , picked up a piece of mulch and gave it to me. He had a look of pride on his face as I showed him how excited I was at this gift. I will keep it forever !

Later on that evening on another walk , he picked a flower and gave it to his mommy. I did feel a little cheated but she is the boy's mommy after all!

In the next photo you will see me as I walk around all day. I usually always have a bandanna on my head. I have many different colored ones. Today as Katie and I were walking through Wal-Mart , I spotted a Halloween bandanna ! I love Halloween , so this to me is truly exciting ! And Katie just shakes her head thinking what a crazy old lady I am. But I don't care , I just have fun !

Also in the photo I am holding one of my favorite dogs Ruby . She is a pug . I want you to imagine if you will , me holding the camera and Ruby saying through my clenched teeth smile " Come on Ruby look at the camera , come on , oh never mind!". She doesn't know what a great photo op she missed. Next time I shall hold a treat in the hand that I am holding the camera with. Hindsight !

The last photo I am posting is a picture that I forgot that I had. It is a photo of my son Frank's house. The old bank . The one with the safe inside.

Well my girl just got home and she told me , as I suspected , that the game was boring . I'm sorry my dear husband ! But I will still watch the games with you.

Goodnight All !

" A Safe Place "

I remember blogging quite some time ago about my son Frank and his wife Amy's house. It is over one hundred years old and was the original "Bank of Waltonville", the tiny town that they live in. As a matter of fact , the town is so tiny that there is no longer a bank in the town. But back then there was a lot of mining going on and I suppose the town had a need for a bank.

I finally remembered when I was there this past weekend to get a photo of it. With their permission of coarse ! Not to worry, the locks have been disengaged so no one could accidentally get locked in there! The door is very hard to close as it is very heavy .

The walls that line the inside of the safe are made out of 10 inch thick concrete.

Unfortunately they have never found any money in there but they have found some very old receipts from long ago business owners.

The safe itself sits inside of a pantry or closet type room with a door so unless the door is open you can't see the safe.

They asked that I not post a picture of the inside as they use it for a tool/ closet/catch-all room. I understood. Just open one of my closet doors!

I think it would be very nice to have a safe place in my house. Don't you ?

" Day Two, More Alone Time "

This is ridiculous. I feel like I should be whispering. I feel as if I am doing something wrong. Every year for the past 31 years I've had to wake up one or more of my three children for school. Cook breakfast. Make sure everyone arrived to school on time with all of the proper supplies. Not so this year.

My last child at home is a freshman now. She is impressing me. She is waking on her own. Fixing a small breakfast ( She's not very hungry in the morning.) getting herself together and off she goes to school. Wow. What to do, what to do ?

I will get myself together after she leaves and run some errands. I also must go and work out. My husband has left again for work and I won't see him for two weeks. So I have no excuse to not exercise! Yes I must get off of this chair and move! But it's just so nice not to have to. Katie even brought me a third cuppa Joe! Wait a minute here. Am I in the right house. Am I awake ? It's all so confusing. I'm used to being the one that does everything in the morning. Who's life is this ?

Perhaps our Lord has decided that I can slow down a bit now. Maybe that's it . It's not like I don't have anything to do. I need to go to the library, post office, Curves and I do have work to do at church. But all of these things can be done any day of the week that I choose. I also want to start a quilt for Katie. And I have two painting projects and several crochet projects that I can start at any time. But for this short period of time this morning, I think I will just sit and relax with that third cuppa Joe my Katie brought me!

This is a bit difficult for me to get used to. I am not complaining. I am just feeling a bit lost. Since my two strokes, my doctor has urged me to slow down. So slow down is what I will try to do. It's just a very odd feeling being able to just sit here in the morning. But I think that I can get used to it!

" Free at Last ! "

The husband went back to work today after ten days of being home. Katie started her first full day as a freshman today after being home all summer.

You know that that means don't you ? Well I will tell you what that means. Finally after months of waiting I can once again go back to vacuuming in the nude while having a nice cool pitcher of cocktails!

Alright , so I really wouldn't have the nerve to do that exactly and I don't know that I would care to. Although I have never really tried it so I cannot say for sure. Maybe one of you have and can get back to me on that.

What I have been doing since they both left is cleaning. Sounds exciting I know. For some reason unknown to me , whenever my husband Jake is home I get very lazy and not by choice. I think he puts a spell on me. Although the whole while that I am sitting there like a zombie staring thoughtlessly at the boob tube with him , my brain does tend to have to fight off the urge to get up and move. Thus my excitement at their departure today. I will have a clean house once again!

And then when my whole house is back up to my standards , I will be able to truly relax without guilt!

As I stated in an earlier post , at least I think I stated in an earlier post , I am very proud of my husband as he accomplished everything on his to do list and a few extras!

The best part about it was that he did it all at the beginning of his vacation this time. He usually waits until the last day and runs around like a crazy man trying to get it all done. If he had his own blog I would give him an award for that!

Something else I wanted to mention , Katie ( my 14 year old ) said to me a couple of weeks ago that I was going to cry on her first day of high school. I said that I wouldn't cry. Can you guess who was right?

If you guessed Katie , you were wrong. Sorry but I do believe that this was the first time that I did not cry on her first day of school. I realize that this probably makes me sound like a bad mother , but after having kids in the house for 31 years , well I do believe that I am looking forward. Forward to what , I haven't a clue! But forward none the less.

We had a wonderful visit Sunday at our son Frank and his wife Amy's house . It was wonderful seeing little baby Jack walking and talking. And he gave me a piece of mulch. My very first gift from my first grandson, how very special !

And as usual my cutie pie granddaughter Sarah had many , many things to catch me up on. As soon as we arrived she pulled me aside and said " I have so much to tell you grandma! ". And we had to go and sit away from everyone so she could fill me in on everything. She called me that same night when I got home to tell me goodnight and promised to call and tell me all about the first grade. I can't wait to hear!

Here is a photo of my boys.

My son Frank. My grandson baby Jack , who just woke up from a nap.

And my Teddy Bear ( husband ) Jake!

I do have more stories to tell about our time together but I must go clean. It's a have to thing with me ! My husband thinks that I have a problem with it. Whatever , at least my house will be clean!

I am going to leave you with one final photo today. I'll bet you're relieved! I have more to post but will save them for later.

This one is of us girls. The only one missing is my beautiful daughter Ginny, who lives in North Carolina. Prayerfully we will get to see her soon as she is always in our hearts and on our minds. We love you Gin !

From left to right , My mom Ann, Myself , my daughter Katie, my Daughter-in-law Amy and in front of me is my granddaughter Sarah.

I am now off on my cleaning frenzy.

" What I Did On My Summer Vacation "

Baby Jack at grandma Diana's house.

This has absolutely nothing to do with my vacation and speaking of which, I don't really get a vacation. I did however watch a fabulous movie before my husband came home for HIS vacation! This was a wonderfully warm and witty movie. I won't get into the story in case you might like to see it. I will say that the way the main character talks reminds me a little of how Bernie from " On My Own " writes. I kept thinking of her through the movie because of the way Mrs. Palfrey spoke. I highly recommend this flick!

My husband is still home for his time off. We have been enjoying our time together very much. Saturday evening we, Jake, Katie and I went out for dinner. We went to "Ryans" which is a large buffet and had a great meal. Jake and Katie over indulged a bit with the buffet as I heard moans and groans of overly full belly's on the drive home! I was very full myself but for some reason I wasn't as uncomfortable as the two little piggy's in the car!

On the way home we stopped at the video store as I have been wanting to see Tyler Perry's new flick " Madea Goes to Jail ". Jake and Katie also wanted to see it. Wow something we all agreed on! I love all of Tyler Perry's movie's. One of my guesses in Jackie's from " Teachers Pet " guessing game was Tyler Perry as I am pretty sure that all of his movies take place in Georgia. His movies are usually pretty funny but also have serious story line weaved in. They also always have an inspirational message.

Madea movies are always my favorites of Tyler Perry's however this last one wasn't as funny as his past one's. We did enjoy it as it was still entertaining , just not quite as funny as usual , to me anyway

On Sunday Jake and I did our big project that we had planned. That was cleaning out and rearranging " Happenstance ". " Happenstance " is the name of one of our spare bedrooms. We named it that years ago because things always end up getting thrown in there. It it a mess most of the time. It is part office and part bedroom. Every year Jake and I clean out the closet in which every possible thing that doesn't have it's own place gets thrown into. My husband is so good at this job. By the time he gets through sorting things out and rearranging it looks great. We had a huge old chair in there that we never use. So I asked my daughter-in-law if she might want it for her house. My son is going to be picking it up tomorrow ! Yay ! More free space.

The room looks so much better and roomier. I was very pleased, even my hubby commented on how much better it looks. We may have to rename it someday. But I doubt it as it always ends up being the crazy catch all room.

On Sunday afternoon my daughter-in-law called and asked if Katie might want to come out to their house to babysit for baby Jack. Being that there was cash involved, Katie said yes. My DIL , Amy's younger sister is moving in to the house next door to my son Frank and his family. Frank and Amy have been helping her fix it up so they wanted Katie to keep an eye on Jack for a few hours. Jake and I wanted a night alone so we asked Amy if Katie could stay the night too. Of coarse Amy said yes. Well Katie put up a big stink as if she were a five year old. She whined and whined until Amy showed up to get her. Amy told her to just " Go get your stuff, your stayin'". Wow, that's all it took for Katie to stop whining! Thank you Daughter-in-Law!

So the husband and I had a wonderful and well deserved evening alone.

Tuesday was the day that I was dreading. That was the day we had planned on taking Katie clothes shopping for school. We can't do that here as our mall is very puny. We usually take a trip to another mall which is about sixty miles from our house.

Katie had been researching malls online to maybe find a different one to go to. Either way I hate car rides. I never used to but anymore I find them totally boring.

While researching Katie found a different mall located in Evansville, Indiana. It is a little farther then the other mall, about ninety miles one way from the house. But we said " What the heck we'll try something new". I grabbed some crochet thread and a needle to bring along. The ride was quite pleasant as I sat in the back seat, put my feet up and crocheted the whole ride. My knee hurts quite a bit if I have to sit with my foot on the floor for very long. So this was much more comfortable for me and Katie and her daddy were able to goof around up front. The ride to Evansville is much nicer then the ride to Fairview Heights. Much less traffic!

I have to explain that as rule Katie is a pain in the butt to shop with. She will have meltdowns and tantrums when she can't find what she is looking for. It takes every ounce of patience I have in me to deal with her. I have, on occasion, just left with her walking behind me, both of us angered. Jake doesn't like to be with us at all when Katie is clothes shopping.

This time everything was different. I felt as though I were in a dream. The ride was very pleasant. I thought about Jerelene from "Jerelene's Journal" during the ride as I knew that she lived around there somewhere. Hi Jerelene! The mall was just opening so it wasn't very crowded yet. Katie managed to find a pair of jeans right away and found nine assorted tee shirts that she liked. We wanted to find more jeans but she's a little hard to fit so we will try our Penny's here this weekend. We had a nice lunch at the food court and then headed home. No tantrums. No fits. No meltdowns. I do believe that it was our best shopping trip ever! We will definitely go back there again.

When we got back to our town we made a quick stop at our local Wal-mart where Katie picked out hair coloring. She went back to dark brown. It looks good on her.

She is now ready for her first day as a freshman on Friday. And her Daddy will be home to see her off.

I have to go clean house tomorrow and then work at church on Friday. We wanted to take a trip out to "Devils Prop" while my husband is home so that Kate and I could take some photos, weather permitting. It is this beautiful place that is very wooded and has fabulous rock formations. I am still hoping to be able to fit this in sometime before Jake leaves. I don't think that I could find it on my own.

We are going out to our son Franks, house on Saturday to visit. I will try to get some photos of baby Jack who is walking now. And of coarse my granddaughter Sarah who is starting the first grade. My MaMa will be there too so we should have a nice visit.

The photo above was taken when Sarah spent the night with us a few weeks ago. She was playing with her littlest pet shop toys in " Happenstance ".

Well there you have the week so far. We have four more days together left. So far it's been very nice.

" Please Accept My Apologies!"

Alright people listen up! Did I sound like a teacher there Jackie? This is just a quick post to let everyone know that the king of my castle is home all of this week for his vacation.

I am trying to keep up with everyone's post but it can be difficult when a certain someone wants my undivided attention! Really though I don't mind. We sat together last night and figured up how much time we are together in one year. It adds up to approximately 76 days. Just a little over two months in one year. No wonder we get along so well! It's sad really as we do get along so well. But thats the way the cookie crumbles, right?

We have several things planned for the week so I wanted to apologize in advance if you don't hear much from me. I have been reading blogs trying to stay caught up and will try to comment as much as I can. I wanted to let everyone know that I am still here just not for very long!

In the meantime continue on without me and enjoy yourselves. But do be careful and remember to wash your hands frequently! Alright then, I do feel better now. I will post about our adventures later in the week. Until then I love you all!

" Please Let This Work "

O.K. I will try this again! I am using Katie's laptop that she got back from Pastor about a week ago. It didn't let me post on blogger last night so I am trying again.

Katie has been hoarding her computer for a week and I let it go for awhile. Finally I had enough and had to confiscate it from her! The mouse on it is super sensitive and it's driving me insane so you may get a post and you may not! I must have her fix this.

Monday was registration day. Katie is now officially a freshman! She is pretty excited and a bit nervous as we all were. Her first day, which will only be three hours, is a week from Friday. You can bet that I will be anxiously awaiting her return home that day to hear all of the news!

I have been tagged by Marcy with a MeMe. In this one we are supposed to reveal seven things that our children think or thought was awesome about ourselves.

Tag seven other awesome bloggers.

And let them know that they are tagged.

I don't know that I will have seven other bloggers to tag unless I retag some, so I will just do the best that I can.

Also Marcy say's that we may use someone other then our children if need be.

Last night I emailed my oldest daughter Ginny. She is 28 years old and I was pretty sure she would have something nice to say about her MaMa! She emailed me back a few comments .

Also last night I posed this question to my 14 year old daughter Katie. Truthfully I didn't expect anything good from her. But she came up with three things which I had to write down right away as I was in shock!

I tried to get my son Frank who is 31 years old, on the phone last night. He was to tired to call me back. I really didn't expect him to give me an answer as he is sort of a Yup and Nope kind of guy! But he called me back this morning and to my surprise had two things to say about his mom!

So here is my list. I will do the best that I can to use their words!

1. Katie's first answer: " You let me listen to my music in the car."

This is only because we always drive short distances. But she doesn't have to know this!

2. Katie's second answer:" You always watch my shows with me."

Yes and I have no idea why I do this!

3. Katie's third answer: " You'd let me get my eyebrow pierced if dad said yes."

Would I ? We'll probably never know!

4. Ginny's first answer: " You are an amazing cook, always creating tasty concoctions! We were well fed!"

Well I couldn't let them starve could I?

5. Ginny's second answer: " You were always supportive of everything I was interested in. I never had to convince you to let me try out for a new club or sport. You never tried to hamper my odd Punky Brewster style!

There are great forces out there that just can't be stopped!

6. Ginny's third answer: " You introduced me to some awesome music including the Beatles, Janis Joplin and Manhattan Transfer."

Well o.k. I did try there, it would explain my sons love of Led Zeppelin!

7. Franks only answer: " You always made us a hot breakfast everyday."

Yes I did, and now you know why I am sick to death of cooking!

And there you have it. See how awesome I am!! I cooked and listened to music a lot apparently.

I am going to tag:

Terrie

Teresa

Eileen

Annette

Oh what the heck girls, I am tired and have to go to a board meeting tonight so consider yourself, all of you, tagged!

Oh and the second thing that Frank said about me in case you were wondering was that I always gave him things that he needed!

Did they think that I wouldn't for some reason?!

" Just Checking "

This is just a test blog to see if this computer works.

" As Per Katie's Request "

I have not done this before. It is a first. I have to tell a little story that Katie feels is quite amusing and would like me to blog about it. It is something that is funny between her and I so I don't know if it will be funny or interesting for that matter to anyone else.

I will start out by saying that there is a thirty-six year age difference between Katie and I so our tastes can be vastly different, especially when it comes to television viewing. However we have found one particular show, out of pure boredom, that we have discovered tickles both of our funny bones. It has given us both several hysterical fits of laughter and also has left us feeling a little " creeped out " at times.

The show is called " Ghost Adventures ". I cannot remember at this time what network it is on but I do believe it is on the Discovery Channel or is it the Travel Channel ? Katie would remember but it's 5:45a.m. and fourteen year olds are generally asleep at this time in the morning!

The premise of the show is this. Three young men ( thirty-ish?) armed with night vision camera's and many other very expensive , ghostbusterish, technical looking, paraphernalia, travel the world to destinations that are supposedly frequented by the paranormal. Ghosts. The three, or is it four, young gentlemen guide us through these home's, prison's, tavern's, hospital's, etc. as we are told stories by the present day proprietors of the mysterious happenings, sightings, and what have you's. After which the polite young gentlemen are locked in to these very old structures overnight. But of coarse, it wouldn't be any fun during the daylight hours!

Once locked in at approximately 7:00p.m. the get very busy setting up the night vision cameras throughout the building. I do admit that I very much enjoy the tours as touring very old places is one of my very favorite things to do. I also found out that Katie like's buildings that are over one-hundred years old. Sorry dear our house is only sixty.

I will tell you this. I do not, I repeat, I do not believe in ghosts. The only ghost I believe in is the Holy Ghost. But at fourteen I did. It doesn't seem to me that Katie believe's in them either but I haven't yet come right out and asked her. With that said, on we go.

The main character on the show is a tall muscular fellow. I will call him dude #1. Look I am lucky to remember my own name most days and really, that's what they refer to each other as, through the whole show. Dude. Katie and I have picked up on the habit of turning to face each other and saying "Dude!" each time that they do. Why we will be just riding in the car and see something and just turn to each other and say " Dude! ".

Dude #2, with the night vision camera follows dude #1 around the supposedly haunted buildings in hopes of seeing a ghostly image or as they refer to it "disembodied voices ", are you gettting scared yet? They have these magical voice recorders that can actually turn what sounds like it could be a voice, into something like this " Get out "or " I don't want you here ". Katie and I try to hear the words but for some reason everytime they record a voice, the words don't interpret to us what it does to the dude's. We really try though.

Anther thing that dude #1 does is taunt. He likes to stand in a spot where someone has said that they have felt a tug or a push. Dude #1 will say something like this " O.K. tough guy, you've picked on other people, nows your chance, come and push me down the stairs ". Alright, I apologize as I am now laughing. If you saw the show you would know why. This is usually one of the parts of the show where Katie and I can't help but laughing so hard that we can't hear, so we try desparetely to control ourselves!

"Whoa Dude! Did you see that?". Where, what, did Katie and I miss the smoky looking figure cross the threashold? Perhaps we were laughing too hard. Not to worry as they will rewind the night vision camera tape and we will get to try and see it over and over again. On occasion we have seen a speck of dust here and there but it has been through tears of laughter so we could have easily missed something. A head rolling down the stairs perhaps?

The dude's have however had some severe headaches. We watch with much concern as they feel something (?) coming over them and then the poor dears clutch their head in their hands and fall to their knees in pain. There have also been scratches. Now those we can see! Odd though that they only seem to appear after the commercial breaks.

Some of the place's that they visit are very interesting. I would love to go on a tour of them as I have a good imagination and I love to walk through old places and buildings to try and feel what it was like to be there many years ago. There is a certain feeling that I get that just thrills me, which is why I so loved visiting Springfield Illinois and Abraham Lincolns home and haunts. Get it? Haunts!

So far Katie and I have really not seen any concrete evidence that leads us to believe that there is any supernatural or paranormal activity. Of coarse we weren't locked in these places with the dude's overnight either. Although this might have been perfect for Katie as she has trouble sleeping at night, I on the other hand would have trouble staying awake past ten.

And although we have had more laughs from the dude's adventures then anything else, we have also gotten a little creeped out here and there. This is the part that I have to tell you for Katie. After the show one night, it was past 10:30, past my bedtime, I went upstairs after saying goodnight to Katie. It was after an episode that was filmed in England at The Rams Head Inn. I guess I was a little creeped out as I heard unusual sounds that night as I went upstairs. Of coarse I repeated to myself "There's no such thing as ghosts, there's no such thing as ghosts. " in my head and told myself how ridiculous I was being. I also reminded myself that we have four cats and two dogs in the house and they are always lurking around somewhere ready to pounce at given moment.

I am a grown up. In a loose sense. If you are wondering what I thought I will tell you. After I turned on all of the lights which didn't give me much more of a sense of security then I had already had , I stopped to think a moment. It seems to me that we are full of emotion. Good and bad. Happy and sad. Even creepy. God gave this gift of emotion to us to experience. Maybe just maybe he was trying to shake things up a bit. Give me a little thrill perhaps? After all, he does have a wonderful sense of humor. Right?

The next day I had asked Katie how she slept. She told me she had slept just fine. I asked her if she might have been a little creeped out from watching the " Dude's " the night before. She said no. I told her quite casually that I was a little creeped out before bed. She thought that this was funny. Apparently I don't get creeped out too often. As per Katie's request, this is our story.