A.J.'s Days In Heaven

2009-03-18T19:51:00.000-07:00

I am so disappointed that this blog didn't work out for me. I had all the greatest of intentions, then started having equipment problems. Trying to fix one problem lead to finding the cause of another problem which could fix everything....it all centers around my rather expensive Kodak printer. It is under full warranty and at this time I'm waiting for a THIRD replacement and am trying so hard to keep my cool. Beside replacing the whole basic unit they have also replaced the print head and ink cartridges so I'm really somewhere in the 4th or 5th round with them. The last Customer Service person thought that I'd been through enough and said she was going to send me the newer model but when she talked to her supervisor it was denied.

Sooo...anyway, it's been well over a month that I've missed out of the year which pretty much defeats the purpose of Project 365. I still don't know when I'll be able to upload photos again. So i just don't have a clue what to do with this blog. I just wanted to let anyone who may have been reading it know that I didn't just quit. Granted I was quite sick and lifeless for a while, but that was totally unrelated.

Oh, and the photo that I posted today is one that my son took of his beautiful wife when they were having an 80's party. I just L-O-V-E this picture of her! She absolutely glows!

It's been fun.

It's All About Jimmy

2009-02-15T18:42:00.000-08:00

I want to say Happy Birthday Jimmy. He would have been 61 today. Here is a bit of his life, in pictures.
In the beginning, the first nine years,
he lived with his Grandparents and they
called him Ricky Archey. He remembered
his life back then as being a very
happy one.
When he was 9 months and 5 days old his brother Donald was born. Donald was a rebellious child and when the boys were 9, their mother decided that she wanted to bring her older son home to hopefully have a positive affect on Donald. Ricky now became Jimmy and began to join his brother in rebellion.

I just love all of the old pictures of Jimmy and his family. They help we to piece together the patchwork of stories I've been told by him, his mother and grandmother.
Just for the fun of it, I wanted to see how Jimmy and I would look together as kids. I didn't have pictures at the correct ages (6 years apart) but got as close as possible.

This is one of my favorite photos of Jimmy. He was busy working, doing my set-up. He always did my heavy labor for me, 'cause he was awesome like that. This was the lot in Park City AZ. I remember having good times there.

In Douglas AZ we were working the Cochese County Fair. We really wanted to get married in Mexico (a short walk across the border) but found out it isn't as easy as we thought it would be. The Preacher who gave the sermon at the Grandstand on Sunday morning was happy to perform the ceremony after services. My daughter Kymberly and the preachers wife were our witnesses.

Our first grandchild, Tyler Robert, was born on Jimmy's birthday. He said that was the best gift ever!!!

Who was the apple of "Little Papa's" eye? Number two grandson Jeffery Joel, that's who!! The fact that he lived with us for most of his first two years had a lot to do with developing that bond.

Mr Tough Guy turned into a cupcake when it came to that child!!!

Kimmy was Jimmy's first cat. He'd always been a "dog person". She was an awesome cat and it really tore him up when she died.

Here is another favorite shot of Little Papa and Jeffery Joel. I love this picture because of the way they are looking at each other. That is Pure Love.

I liked how we both had these pictures taken sitting on chairs where our feet don't even dangle over the edge. We were both a couple of shorties! It made a sweet layout with our wedding photo blended into the background.
We made a perfect couple with our natural good looks! They only let us out in public once a year. I wonder why?

When Jimmy first became ill he was in total denial,

but he did try over and over again to get sober so

that he might live a few extra years.

He finally was able to complete a 90 day inpatient

rehab program. Ten days after returning home

he became violently ill and ended up having emergency

surgery and in ICU. He ended up in a coma and all

tests showed that he was brain dead.

Eventually he did wake up, but was badly brain

damaged.

Instead of a husband, I was left with a ten year old child. Life was not easy for either of us. The last year being the worst.

The temper tantrums and running away from home!!! And that was just me! lol

I moved from Utah to Michigan on June 5, 2008. At the very last minute Jimmy wasn't able to make the flight and I had to leave him behind. If there were any way I could have stayed with him I would have. I was assured that he was just having a temporary setback and as soon as he could get a medical clearance to travel, they would put him on a plane.

He died 25 days later on June 30, 2008. My best friend and some friends from church went to be with him before he passed, so he wasn't totally alone. My guilt and anxiety overwhelmed me and I ended up in hospital myself.

I can still see the look on his face when I had to turn and walk away from him that day. It will probably haunt me forever. I broke a promise to both him and Jeffery Joel that day, and I will never forgive myself for that.

I hope you had a good one Jimmy! Marie, Jeffery Joel and I are still missing you.

Holy pharmacuticals Batman!

2009-02-14T19:02:00.000-08:00

I'm having a hard time wrapping my mind around the amount of pills I have to take every day. While living in Utah my doctor and I agreed that less is best and worked at reducing my use. This pile of bottles looks more like what my husband needed just before he passed away.

The box with pink top is how I keep track of them all and make sure that I don't take them too often. You'd be surprised how many times that little box has kept me safe. Just a quick check of whatever day of the week it is tells me if I've already taken that dose or not.

A couple of the bottles say they can cause drowsiness, so it really is no wonder why, on the higher pain level days, I might just fall asleep in the middle of whatever I'm doing. Especially at night when I don't have sense enough to go right to bed after taking Ambien. Speaking of which....I should be doing that now.

See you tomorrow.

Bingo!

2009-02-12T19:52:00.000-08:00

All of the childish squabbling that goes on in this apartment complex that I live in is, for a change, working out in my favor.

The reigning Bingo Queen had stopped our weekly game for the winter because she didn't want to walk the 25 feet to the community room in the snow. (Our walks are always cleared, this is handicapped housing after all!)
Another lady volunteered to run a new Bingo game, on a different day, not wanting to step on any ones sensitive toes. Sounded good to me. I need to get out and socialize now and then.

To shorten this little drama up, I'm trying to remain neutral because I like Bingo and don't see why we can't play twice a week and all have a good time. Unfortunately 90% of the original group decided to boycott the new game for no good reason, but they are starting their game back up tomorrow (still winter) just because they don't like the lady who started the new game.
(These are adults age 50 and above)

For me it's a win. I love Bingo and need to get out. Twice is better than once. If they weren't squabbling over who was Bingo Queen it would be something else so I'll just grin and bear it. If it gets to out of line I'll tell 'em to knock it off. Sometimes ya gotta do what ya gotta do.

See you tomorrow.

What the heck is an Aerial Flood Warning????

2009-02-11T19:21:00.000-08:00

Well, I guess that I've really been sleeping on the job. Literally. Several times I have fallen asleep while typing. Ain't drugs grand. NOT!

What the heck, so I slept through Toothache Day and Umbrella Day! Gosh I'm sorry to have missed those. I am sorry that I missed the sunny warm weather though, because today, the day after Umbrella Day, it is pouring with rain and I can't find my umbrella. Go figure....and of course today was scheduled as shopping day. How fun!

I bought some new jammie's at Kmart. Everything is 25-30% off. Yep, I buy my jammie's in the men's department. Got no man to borrow the comfy stuff from any more.

See you tomorrow. (If my eyes are open)

Fly A Kite Day!

2009-02-08T21:22:00.001-08:00

Well I'm in trouble now. It's Fly A Kite Day and I don't have a single picture of a kite! How about looking at this photo of an amazing Arizona sunset (the only kind Arizona has!) and you can imagine flying a kite against that beautiful background while I tell you a little tale from my childhood. It's about my daddy and a kite.

My daddy has always loved airplanes. When I was a kid he made a couple of kites out of Balsa wood and tissue paper that looked like Bi-planes. One was red and one was green. He liked to fly them in our back yard (one at a time) and they would get up pretty high. When he was finished playing he'd begin winding the string to bring the kite in. Our back yard was 3 acres and my mom and us kids + a few neighbors were always out watching whenever daddy "flew his planes". What none of us realized was how realistic they looked to strangers seeing them for the first time. One evening as he was bringing one in "for a landing" a car pulled over and people jumped out waving their arms and yelling! We all turned around to see what the fuss was about only to see that they were yelling at us. They thought that a plane was about to crash in our back yard!!! Everyone had a good laugh about it later, but it sure did scare those poor folks! I don't remember him flying them any more after that, but I believe he still has them. They are nearly 50 years old now. Good times!

So hey, it's Fly A Kite Day so why don't you all go fly a kite! (I've always wanted to say that)

See you tomorrow.

Ballet Day

2009-02-07T20:39:00.000-08:00

Well I'm excited....not! I love to dance but not in a tutu and toe shoes!! Today is Ballet Day. The closest you'll get me to it is watching ice skating on TV!

Now my daughter in law (pictured here), I'm willing to bet she could do a few steps. Just look how graceful she is. And I happen to know that her daughter has a darling little tutu and is more than likely just as gracful as her mommy. Oh heck, I just have to put her picture in here too. It is just too cute...and it is Ballet Day!

See You Tomorrow!

2009-02-06T20:40:00.000-08:00

Today I read a very sad message from someone I don't really know. But I felt as close to her as if she were my sister. Her dog Oliver, her friend and companion for 13 years, had passed away after suffering a stroke. I could feel her pain and anguish and wanted to reach out and help her in any way possible. But what could I do? A virtual stranger. Just offer a few words that hopefully were of comfort, and sat here alone so totally overwhelmed by the recent deaths that I have been avoiding dealing with.

Out of respect for Oliver, I would just like to say a few things about our incredible friend Dewey.

He was one of a litter of 9 puppies (6 girls 3 boys)and was born under our house. His mothers name was Minnie (Mouse) and daddy we called many thing but his Official name was Peanut Butter. This is what happens when you let the children name the pets. I can't remember what we called all of the puppies but in keeping with the Disney theme the 3 boy pups became Huey, Dewey and Louie. We managed to find homes for all of the pups, giving the last one to a relative as a Christmas gift. Then I heard rumor of one family planning to get rid of their puppy. I went to their house and said I'd take him back. That was our Dewy!

He went through a lot of growing pains. As a young'un he loved to eat crayons and rolls of paper towels and any assorted object he could sneak into his mouth. It was mostly harmless and "Just Dewey" until he ate the brittle plastic water gun. He survived, but couldn't sleep in the house for a long time after that.

He was a wonderful watch dog. He decided that was his job on his own. If he was running loose and playing with the kids he was just a friendly playful puppy. If he was tied up, he wouldn't let anyone he didn't know anywhere near the house. That was great fun when the Church folks came to call!

Even when our family broke apart, we still shared Dewey. We didn't fight over custody, we shared it, just like the kids. So Dewey's circle of love grew in his later years. We let him live where he was happiest, which happened to be the home with the most kids! Everyone adored him and he had plenty of love to spread around. No one was left out.

The last year we knew was bad. It was getting harder for him to walk and even stand. We knew he couldn't handle another winter and decisions would have to be made.

On August 27, 2000, the decision was taken out of our hands and he passed away on his own, waiting just long enough for one last kid to come and say good bye. Even in the end he was thinking of his people.

What a bright light he was in our lives. I hope he and Oliver are able to meet up in Good Doggie Heaven. They were both surely Princes of the Canine World. God Bless Them Both.

This is young Dewey

in Sanford Michigan

where he was born.

Here is Dewey nearly 14 years old. Three months

later he would be gone. This picture was the

only one in the whole batch that had those

light streaks in it. They were all taken about the

same time, same place. We believe he was

surrounded by Angels preparing to carry him

home.

See you tomorrow.

2009-02-05T18:20:00.000-08:00

It was sure a happy day for us today!!! After months of waiting and "playing by the rules" Alexander James finally came home for the first time in over 5 months! Only a few hours at a time for a while until he gets to know his daddy again, but it was so wonderful to see my son smile and his son smiling too. It was enough to make this old one cry, but I didn't. Too busy taking all the pictures I could and playing with our little guy. How fun to have a baby again! And he's just so sweet! I feel some scrapbook pages coming on! LOL

See you tomorrow.

Happy Don't Forget To Remember It's Almost Valentines Day Day

2009-02-04T21:25:00.000-08:00

If the slide show doesn't load for you, click on view all images. That's what I did and the slide show was there.

It's really been a foggy brain day for me so I got nuttin'! Hopefully the temp will rise enough above zero I'll be able to get outside tomorrow.

See you tomorrow.

2009-02-03T20:28:00.000-08:00

I don't think it matters how old they are, how long it's been since you've seen them. It doesn't even matter if they were the oldest or the youngest or the middle child. Were they from a large family or small or maybe a medium one? It doesn't matter.

It doesn't matter because no matter what, If you are a Mommy, you will remain a mommy for the rest of your life. You will worry about your kids even when you're pretty sure that you're being ridiculous.

I have given birth to six beautiful kids so I am an expert worrier. When my daughter and her family get the Disney itch, I just don't figure into the short list of people to inform. They go, have a super Disney vacation with lots of pictures. Just perfect for a family with little boys who adore the Disney characters.....almost as much as their parents!!!!

Meanwhile, day after day goes by with no sign of my daughter.....not just my daughter, my very much pregnant with her first baby girl, daughter. The first week I was cool with it. I'm not an annoying phone caller, I'm a blog watcher. She isn't an everyday blogger so a few days not seeing anything is no big deal. I think that I actually made it most of the way through the second week before making the dreaded "Phone Call", I left a message. I didn't try again 'til just before my phone and Internet troubles began. By then it had been nearly 3 weeks, quite a long time for a Disney trip even for these die hard season pass holders. I was certain that something was wrong. Maybe with the baby, or maybe she was depressed, maybe I'd done something and made her not want to talk to me.

Today I finally reached her....and was chastised for all the worrying! They wanted to fit in one more Disneyland before they'll be tied down for a while with the baby. So I worried for nothing....or did I?

I didn't-

worry myself sick

bother others with my foolishness

leave a bunch of irrational phone messages

I did-

what any normal mom who loves her kids would do. I cared.

Do I care too much for my adult kids? As long as I keep remembering that there is no S in front of mother, it'll be fine. What do you think?

See you tomorrow.

2009-02-03T19:50:00.000-08:00

AAaaarrrrrrrggggghhhhh!!!!!!!!! My cable, phone and internet provider really let me down this weekend! The service tech who came out to fix it was really perturbed because the problem was caused by another employee who shouldn't have been doing anything with my wires and meters. Anyway, it's all fixed now, but I didn't think that I'd be able to get caught up on this by doing 5 daily's, so this is a brief show and tell of Jan. 30-Feb. 2.

Now hopefully I'll still have time to post for today. Yay! I'm back on track!

It's National Puzzle Day!!!

2009-01-29T10:40:00.000-08:00

Yay for National Puzzle Day! I do love me a good puzzle! I'm more of a word puzzle kinda girl, but totally respect all the jigsawer's out there. I just don't have the personal patience or the space for them unless they're quite small.

One of my favorite puzzles involved 2 bent nails that you had to figure out how to take apart, then put back together again. That puzzle kept the family occupied for quite a while.

When I don't have access to my computer I always like to keep 2 puzzle books handy. One just an ordinary word search and the other is almost always a Penny Press Variety Puzzles and Word Games book. That is packed full of about every word puzzle you can imagine! Crosswords, codewords, syllabuses, cripto families, places please, and on and on.....

Then there are those puzzling questions. Sometimes they are really sorta funny, and sometimes they make you think. Some questions like these maybe,

If it is zero degrees outside today and it's supposed to be twice as cold tomorrow, how cold is it going to be?

If someone invented instant water, what would they mix it with?

Some months have 30 days. Some months have 31 days. How many months have 28 days?

Well, I could go on forever and make up a word search and blah dee blah dee blah. Just not techie savvy so am totally puzzled when it comes to blogging on this subject.

See you tomorrow.

Who Is That Kopy Kat?

2009-01-28T21:17:00.000-08:00

(This is an add on because I forgot to put it in the original post.) Today is National Kazoo Day, so I want to wish Happy Kazooing to all of you Kazooers out there! Hey, do you guys have your own website or Facebook page? I was wondering if there is a kazoo band or if you all are just soloists or whatever?
--A Kazoo Fan From Kalamazoo

Having two cats reminds me a lot of when I had kids at home. Way, way back, when I only had two daughters and two sons, the oldest child had a severe case of sibling rivalry. Mostly with the next one down. Any time #2 child would do or say anything that got attention from mommy or daddy, #1 child would always pipe up and say "Me too!". We heard it so often that eventually we named one of out cats Metoo in honor of our #1 child. It also stopped said child from saying it all the time.

Now all I have at home are two spoiled rotten cats. Susan B Anthony (Suzy) and Isabel (Izzy) might as well be sisters. Izzy was born in my house so she has always known Suzy and until all of our trauma happened last summer Suzy hated little Izzy with a passion.

The nearly two months of hell that they went through together brought them to a peaceful and sympathetic truce. Suzy would allow Izzy in the same room as long as she respected her boundaries and remembered who was Top Cat in the household! Izzy played along for quite a while....as she watched. Suzy always had the top spot on the back of the couch and it was OK for Izzy to lay on Mommy's lap, just as long as she was lower.

Izzy has always been a Mommy cuddler. Suzy is a Mommy watcher, she needs to be able to see me but not necessarily touch. Any time I even go into the bathroom Suzy follows and sits on the edge of the tub and waits. If Izzy follows she has to stay on the floor.

Well, that's how it was....but these girls are so jealous of each other that recently they have taken to switching places every couple of weeks. Izzy started it by running ahead and getting to the spot first. I could almost hear her saying "Na Ne Na Ne Boo Boo!" and waving her little paws up by her ears.

At first I thought that Suzy had just given up her "place" and I was mad at the little one ('cause Suzy is older and by far my favorite!), but when she got tired of playing the game and letting Izzy pretend to be boss, she just got up one day and tackled her, beat the snot out of her and went back to her role as Queen.

I learned my lesson. I will not interfere with their kittenish squabbles as long as they don't break anything!

See you tomorrow.

2009-01-27T17:59:00.000-08:00

A few years back I took an IQ test and scored pretty well. Not a genius by any means, but with the "average" score being 98, my score of 130 was pretty good. My certificate is one of the many things lost, and by all means one of the least important in my life.

The other day I ran across this "Dumb Test". It said that I was 28% Dumb and my score was 5/18. There was no explanation, it didn't tell me which ones I got wrong (or right). I guess that's the point of a Dumb Test. Make you feel dumb no matter what. While I was looking around for the Dumb answers, there were a bunch more silly tests and quizzes to take. I saw the IQ one and it said that there were only 10 questions so I knew it wasn't a "real" IQ test but I wondered just how dumb I'd gotten in the last 4 years.

According to the results of this quiz, I missed only one question. That makes me just as dumb as I was 4 years ago when I was sorta smart. I can deal with that.

See you tomorrow.

2009-01-26T17:05:00.000-08:00

Today is the beginning of the celebration for Chinese New Year! The Year od the Ox, 4707. The celebration lasts aprox. 15 days. It is based on the Lunar Calander so when it begins and ends depends upon the moon.

The calander is based on a 12 year cycle and each year is named for a different animal. This is the second year of the cycle, the first being the Year of the Rat. There is a really cool story about the Year of the Rat and why there is no year of the cat. If anyone is interested they can Google it, or ask me and I'll tell them.

The Chinese history and culture is quite fastinating. A lot of people follow their Astrology. I find it to be interesting but not reliable (just my opinion).

I had a lot of fun looking up everything "Chinese" so that I could post this. The most "funnest" stuff I learned was that I am a Water Snake and so were two of my husbands, Jimmy was an Earth Rat. Of my children they are one Wood Tiger, one Wood Rabbit, two Fire Dragon's, one Metal Rooster and one Water Dog.

The Chinese believe that this is a time of great celebration so no matter what your nationality, Let's raise a glass of your favorite beverage and give a toast to this New Year, The Year of the Ox! Cheers!

See you tomorrow.

2009-01-25T19:39:00.000-08:00

Today is Opposite Day! Yay for that and everything that is opposite! The Yin's and the Yang's that make life interesting. Does everything have an opposite? Is it true that opposites attract? Are you the opposite of me? Is day the opposite of night? Black the opposite of white?

I love to do all kinds of word games and I had this great idea to make two lists of words so you could match up the opposites. Only problem with that is, no matter how I type it up on this page nothing ever lines up even close to the way it's supposed to once I post it. That kind of takes all of the fun out of it.

Well here are a few opposites that I came up with. I'm sure that you can add on plenty of your own if you want to.

young- old

poor- rich

sweet- sour

asleep- awake

coward- hero

laugh- cry

cold- hot

long- short

soft- hard

sit- stand

love -hate

life- death

sad- happy

dirty- clean

closed- open

difficult- simple

early- late

dangerous -safe

and on and on and on........

See you tomorrow. (Chinese New Year)

Perceptions and Transitions

2009-01-24T17:53:00.000-08:00

It is late and today is an undesignated day. I

almost didn't turn my computer on, but I did make a commitment, so on with the show!

Today is about perception and transition. I know that I'm not alone in having this poor perception problem. I read enough blogs and watch enough on Tyra and Oprah to know that nearly everyone has a problem with their perception of themselves.

On this post there are three pictures. The first being how I normally look when I'm around people. This picture shows what people see when they look at me. I'm getting tired of the upkeep on the hair though.......

This next image has been Photoshopped to show my perception of what I "think" people are seeing when they look at me. The two pictures were taken on the same night. On one level I know that the top picture is a closer representation of what I actually look like, but that other side of me just can't believe that at my age, I might actually look halfway decent....or maybe I don't want to.

Now here is me in transition. No more pale blond and dark brown hair. No make up. It's going to take a long time to get the hair all one color. Has to be done in stages. Now that I have welcomed the transition I'm more likely to be able to accept the reality that I may truly look like my picture. Just so I don't hear of any more twenty somethings telling my kids I'm a milf. LOL I'm way too old to be trainin' babies!

See you tomorrow.

Think "opposite"!

It's Measure Your Feet Day!

2009-01-23T12:46:00.000-08:00

Today we must pay homage to our lowly feet. Most of us don't give them enough attention! When is the last time you treated them to a pedicure? After a bath or shower as you're primping with your body butters and lotions, do you include your poor little feet?

I have to admit that I take better care of my feet in the summer than I do in the winter. I don't know why, it just works out that way.

Today being Measure Your Feet Day, I Googled how to do it and found several sites. My favorite is http://2bigfeet.com/measure.php where it tells you how to measure them and has a link to convert the length and width in inches to the proper size.

So, after you take care of your feet and have them properly measured, go out and treat them to a fabulous new pair of shoes! I think they deserve them after all we've put them through!

***Helpful Hint*** Remember, it's all about the feet so when significant other complains about money spent on "you", say "Oh, no, no! I did it for my feet!" You can even throw in an "I read about it on the web.", maybe even encourage them to give their feet a day! And if their feet aren't too gross, you might offer to measure them. (No tickling!)

Yay Feet!!!!

See you tomorrow.

2009-01-22T14:25:00.000-08:00

I have been honored today with this most excellent award! Many thanks to you Lori Ann for all the nice things you said about me. If you hadn't just received this award yourself, you would be right at the top of my list of people to give it to! I will do my best to follow the rules though, so I guess I will begin by listing five things I'm addicted to. There are a few different directions I could go with this. The ridiculous, the serious, try to be funny, or maybe seriunnylous!

1....might as well face it, I'm addicted to love.... (is there a 12 step for that?)

2. PPPppppepsi, PLEASE!!!!!! (One a day with no caffeine is just a tease for an addict like me!!!)

3. smoking, but I almost have it licked! Some days I don't even think about it, other days I might smoke 3 or 4.

4. digital scrapbooking, and I dare any one to try it for a week and NOT get addicted!

5. stuff, you know, like sit-arounds, dust collectors. I'm kinda choosy about my stuff, and I really hate it when I lose my stuff.

Now it is time to pass the torch, so to speak. To honor 5 others just as Lori Ann has honored me. The first couple are easy as pie for me. Every day I check out 4 blogs just hoping there will be a new post that in one way or another will brighten up my day! Lori Ann is in that 4, so I' start out with 3. I've got a couple more in mind, but I want to get this party started.

In no particular order I have chosen these 5 to receive the Fabulous Blog Award:

Andrea (these are the days to remember) who is my scrapbooking mentor. Without her I would never have found this wonderful world. She is also a great writer and reading her blog is like she is bringing you right into her family with all the laughter and the tears. I never want to miss a moment!

Audrey (jacobsonfive) A fantastic children's party planner, caterer, SAHM, and great recipe supplier. Always has tons of pictures that I love and you can vote on naming their baby girl! I only wish she would post more often, but she is very busy and very pregnant!

Tara (chiapellifamily) She puts fun things on her blog. Over the holidays she had a snowball fight with her family! I was sooo cute and too much fun! It's a family life kind of blog, but they are such a cute family!

Deb (listed in my Partners in P 365) I love this one because not only are her kids cute, but she takes pictures of the pets as well, and often it sounds like she refers to them just like the rest of the family. I love that!

Vicki (aworkinprogress) What's not to love here!? She has combined her usual blog with Project 365 so we get pictures of her doggone beautiful pups, AND tons of freebies too!

As for my picture of the day, I mentioned above that one of my addictions is my "stuff". Well....a lot of my stuff is actually stuffed stuff. When I worked for the carnivals, that just fed my addiction! One of my bosses used to spoil me rotten, and one day my husband objected saying we didn't have room for all that "crap". The boss just stared him down and said "Everybody needs something to love! Obviously you're not doing your job!". That was the end of any more remarks about my stuffed toys.

See you tomorrow.

PS A hint for tomorrow's "Day". It might inspire you to buy new shoes!

2009-01-21T09:03:00.000-08:00

It's National Hugging Day! So get busy and start hugging!

Hug Your Pets!

Hug Your Babies!

Hug Your Sister or Your Brother!

Hug Your Mommy's and Your Daddy's! Step's and Fosters Too!

Hug Your Extra Special One!

Your Friends and Neighbors Too!

And don't forget before you're done, to save one last hug for YOU!!!

See you tomorrow.

2009-01-20T10:13:00.000-08:00

Yay for National Buttercrunch Day! Hope everyone is enjoying their yummy's!

When I look back on this blog in a year or two....or ten, what am I going to want to remember about today? I certainly don't want to diminish the importance of NBD for all of you buttercruncher's out there, but for me I am going to remember that this is an important day in the history of my country. The Inauguration of our 44th President Barack Obama!

It matters not what political side we may have voted on. Today is the result of America's freedom of choice. I can remember Martin Luther King Jr saying "...I have a dream...". Today that dream is so much closer to reality!

See you tomorrow.

2009-01-19T12:01:00.000-08:00

OK, let's just say that one day money really did fall from the sky. It was yours, no strings attached, to use any way you wanted. You can use my example of $150.00 or go larger if you prefer. If you're going to dream, dream big! is always a fun thing to say. I'm not going to tell you my answer, because I'd just hate to influence anyone in any way. I'll tell if you'll tell though!

Happy Martin Luther King Jr Day everyone!

Don't forget that tomorrow is National Buttercrunch Day, so be prepared!!!! LOL

See you tomorrow.

2009-01-18T21:13:00.000-08:00

This is going to be a short post because today has been one of those feel like I've been kicked in the gut days.

I took some pictures to show just how bad I feel, but ended up just cropping this one way down. The rest of the batch contained way too much of the ugly unvarnished truth.

To show you what I mean by varnished and unvarnished I've posted this admittedly awful, shows all the cracks in my armor, photo that has only been cropped on PhotoShop, no recoloring or retouching or any other magic. It's just the raw, ugly truth.

This next photo is one I chose because I thought it was nearly as awful as the 1st picture. After putting it through several paces on PhotoShop, this varnished and polished version leaves me looking much more presentable.

I have found in my life that most people prefer the varnished, polished version of my truth's and thankfully PhotoShop allows me to give them what they want.

Just to show that I do still have a sense of humor, I'm leavin' you all with these great words of philosophy from Socrates, Sartre, and.....Sinatra!!!!

For all of you day watchers:

Monday of course is

Martin Luther King Jr Day! Prepare to not get any

mail! (Personal thought, Wow, would this man be

sooooo proud of his country right now! Probably

has tears of joy running down his face right now!!)

An early heads up for Tuesday:

Of course you all THINK that it is Inauguration Day!

Well, of course it IS, but OFFICIALLY it is

National Buttercrunch Day! I'm giving you a heads up

early so you'll have no excuse if you're not prepared!!

LOL

See you tomorrow.

2009-01-17T11:50:00.000-08:00

Today it's snowing....again! But we've been there and done that picture wise already. Unless I can get an awesome snow shot there's no need to go there again.

I was just over on Facebook and my sisty had just tagged me and my baby girl in a couple of pictures. There are very few pictures of me with any of my kids. Mostly because I'm usually the one behind the camera. I also rarely like any photos taken of me and with today's technology it's easy as pie to just edit what I don't like. Two of these photo's are acceptable, so I have no problem posting them here. I remember the day these were taken and it was a very happy one! I also know that I've lost 10 pounds since then because I've been to the Dr. twice and weighed on their "official" scale. I'm not on a diet, or eating less. Just newly diagnosed as diabetic so I'm eating....different. I couldn't accept giving up the Pepsi that I love so much and can't stand the taste of Diet Pepsi, so I allow 1 a day and water the rest of the day. That alone eliminated a LOT of calories! I also seem to be eating all day long, celery, carrots, apples, dried apricots, prunes, string cheese.....and then I eat dinner. LOL It isn't easy to eat all the time when you aren't even hungry, but it's something that has to be done to keep the test numbers between 95 and 105.

I personally think that I look healthier...at least in the face....when I weigh more. I'm at that age when your skin begins to lose it's elasticity and all the facial exercises in the world aren't helping me with that "saggy" look. Bllllaaaaahhhhh!!!!! Good thing I'm not lookin' for no man! LOL

FYI Today is the anniversary of the Wright Brothers First Flight. Yesterday was National Nothing Day!!! Yay for both of those!!!!

See you tomorrow.

2009-01-16T22:01:00.000-08:00

I'm usually scrambling to figure out what kind of photo to post for this blog. My life really is quite boring, but that isn't such a bad thing for me really. It's just bad for this blog! When I decided to go ahead with this project I'd completely forgotten who I am these days. The "good ol' days" were so packed full of this and that and the other thing, I hardly knew what end was up! I kind of like this peace and quiet thing, but still have a hard time recognizing it as "my life". I'm always waiting for the other shoe to drop, so to speak. Kind of crazy, but it always seems to be lurking there in the back of my mind.
This evening was a nice change of pace, halfway between crazy and normal. A trip to Chuck E Cheese to celebrate eight year old Jeffery Joel's birthday! What a photo opp it was too! Everyone who could be together was and I don't see many of them often so it was great to get pictures especially of the not so little anymore kids! OMH! One of them I had just seen in June and today I bearly recognized him! He's at the massive growth spurt stage having turned 13 recently.
The star of the evening was our birthday boy, the now 8 year old and out of a booster seat, Jeffery Joel! Just look at those cheeks puff out there and you can tell that he is full of a lot of hot air like his gramma! LOL
This is the only picture I'm posting here today because it is late and I have at least one more blog to write tonight.
See you tomorrow!

2009-01-15T15:26:00.000-08:00

I did a Speed Scrap today and there isn't much I like better than a good Speed Scrap so I figured what the heck, I'll post that picture today. It was kind of cool how it worked out. I was writing info for another SS on my calender when I realized that one was just beginning in a few minutes at another site. There wasn't time to reset my PhotoShop so I crossed my fingers and went for it.
I got lucky! The project that I had started fit right in with the instructions, well enough that I didn't have to start over anyway. Everything just fell right into place and I finished well within the time limit. I just LOVE when that happens (which isn't often!).
I'm patting myself on the back for this one because there is not just one, but three extractions in this layout. Two of them I did during the SS and one had been executed prior and was the main reason I didn't want to ditch the project. Even so, there usually isn't time to get one good extraction in a SPEED Scrap so I'm quite happy about two.
Oh, in case you're wondering about the pictures, in the background, myself at about 18 months in Troy, Michigan and my husband Jimmy at about 5 years in or near Bakersfield, California. The composit picture, taken somewhere in the Bakersfield area is from left to right Donald Urquhart, Jimmy Urquhart, Janet Urquhart. That is rather deceptive but it would take a soap opera a couple of years, maybe a lifetime, to tell that story.

The buzz over at ESS is that TOMORROW is the GRAND OPENING!
See you tomorrow.

2009-01-14T22:52:00.000-08:00

So, what did I do today? Well that's sure easy. Same as every other day. Sat in front of my computer and tried to be productive. Didn't succeed too well at that today. Feeling a bit overwhelmed and under informed.

This picture is small, but on the computer screen is my new home scrapbooking site, Enchanted Studio Scraps. It's very cute and lots of fun. I thought that it was having its grand opening tomorrow, but now I'm not sure. Guess I'll know tomorrow. Then maybe I'll tell you!LOL

Happy Birthday to Jeffery Joel! Hope to see you soon. I want to hear all about your surprise party! Bet it was tons of fun!!!

See you tomorrow.

2009-01-13T10:34:00.000-08:00

WHAT!!! It snowed again? Who'd of figured that here in Michigan! OK, that isn't shocking. What is shocking is that I put on a coat and scarf and went out into the 15 degree snow storm just to take a picture for this blog. For me, that is real commitment! I must admit that I didn't get very far once outside. I stopped just before I took one step too many. Snow drift! Not only did I forget to put my boots on, but was wearing my plastic summer shoes with all the holes in them. What was I thinking?

I have one thing more to say about this snow. Go Away! Virginia is calling and my grandchildren want you!

See you all tomorrow.

2009-01-12T23:20:00.000-08:00

Gosh! Where does the time go! It's late and I need to get this posted.
This is a photo of my youngest son. he doesn't feel well these days so he probably won't appreciate that I'm putting his sad face out on the internet. He isn't at all a ham like his sister and he rarely smiles. As with all of my family though, I treasure any and every picture I can get my hands on. As my son and I both know too well, sometimes that is all you have left to hang onto.
Here's hoping that he will have a happier future! See you tomorrow.

2009-01-11T06:44:00.000-08:00

I'm kind of breaking my own rules today. I am posting a "Scrapped" picture. There is a reason why. The photograph that I scrapped is......how shall I put this....not exactly a new photo. It' is actually from back in the 50's, just like yesterdays. But then again, it is also from 1976....and 2008.

I don't know if you'll be able to see the little poem that is written on the layout, but I wrote it "as if" my little grandson were saying the words. It is called "Be Little"

If I could have just one wish, I know what it would be. For Mommy and Grani to be little, And spend the day playing with me.

The picture, from left to right is, Noah, Grani, and Mommy.

If I had a little better eyesight, it could probably be tweaked a little to get us all proportionate to each other. All in all, with my limited abilities, I'm happy with the results. See you all tomorrow.

2009-01-10T19:38:00.000-08:00

Whoa! It's been one of those days! Or should I say 2 of those days. I never was able to get to sleep last night so they have kind of blended together for me. I almost forgot to post today! I did forget to take any pictures.

My dear Sisty was kind enough to post some pictures of me on Facebook after I asked her for some childhood photos. Leave it to a sister to get a good laugh at my little behind hanging out when I was maybe 3 years old! I'm determined not to let her have the last laugh though. If you take a nice look at the picture, that's my Sisty bending forward and stareing at my cute little tushie! I want to know just what she found so fascinating down there? I know I'm cute sisty, but really!!!!!(And isn't our Mom soooo beautiful!!!)

Thank you Deb for playing along with my previous post. You are completely correct, that is a Jacob's Ladder! My Dad made it so long ago I can't even remember! Sorry I don't have a prize or anything. HA! Maybe that's why no one else bothered to guess!

Well, here's hoping I can get some sleep tonight...and I'll be seeing you tomorrow.

2009-01-09T15:42:00.000-08:00

Kids and animals. Two of the greatest loves in my life. They both can give the greatest joy, and also cause the worst heartache. That pretty much sums up what the circle of life is all about. The ups and downs, good and bad, happy and sad, and how you handle it all throughout the years. Hopefully we all grow and learn from both the good and the bad experiences in our lives.

My kids and I have traveled a very rocky road through life. The details are not for this particular blog. One thing that has never waned is the love between us.

Today my son is way too sick to let me take pictures, so I talked my daughter into it. She is such a ham! I was happy with just 2 or 3, but she just kept posing. First with one cat then the other (and she doesn't even like that cat!). She even danced a little for me under my special DANCE sign. If I had an SLR camera I could have gotten some really good action shots. She is the best "Hair Dancer" I have ever seen! (Not that I've seen that many!)

Of course with all of her great enthusiasm, I couldn't choose just 1 picture! And since she went to the trouble of being nice to the "other" cat, I

couldn't pick just one of those. Soooo....... today just had to be a 3 photo day, with 3 of my favorite beautiful girls. My youngest daughter and my 2 awesome kitties! Ain't they sweet!

See you tomorrow.

Diabetic Who? Day 8

2009-01-08T21:12:00.000-08:00

I have been bad. So very, very bad!
In the grocery store the other day, just after I told myself no to a second bag of chips, I happened upon a tasty treat that I'd been looking for in 2 states over the past few years. My most favoritest Kraft Green Onion Chip Dip. OMG!!! You have no idea how much I have missed this stuff. There isn't much in this world that I like better this with Lay's Classic Chips!
I do have some amount of will power, I did turn away from that second bag of chips! I also cut myself down to only 1 Pepsi a day which is HUGE in the will power department!
Since I've been diagnosed with diabetes, I have lived pretty much on fruits and veggies with the occasional toast, or cereal and sometimes even meat thrown in for excitement.
Seeing that dip in the store the other day though, something inside of me just snapped. I bought the dip. Not just one, but two, AND went back for that second bag of chips!
All I have to say for myself is I'm eating a lot less than I used to, and this photo was staged to make it look a lot worse than it really is.
See you tomorrow.

2009-01-07T12:02:00.000-08:00

Well what do ya know! It snowed.....again! I looked outside the window and decided that I could get a nice picture without having to go outside. So this is it, the winter view from my living room. I love the beauty of the snow, but could live without the pain the cold causes. Ah, well...such is life.
See you tomorrow.

Day 6

2009-01-06T18:29:00.000-08:00

Well here we are, January 6, almost a full week into the baby new year. I already know this project is going to be a challenge for me. I went outside today, put the camera in my pocket, went about my business, came back home....and remembered the camera was in my pocket. SOooo, no outdoor pix today! It's a good thing that I still have quite a few sit-arounds that I haven't lost yet so I picked a couple and made them pose for me. I am going to tell you about the tweet little birdie shortly, but first, I won't say what the other item is until Saturday 1/10. Feel free to guess, just leave your guess in the comments area of this entry (Day 6).
Now for the little birdie. That little rascal has told me a lot of stuff! Remember when your mom would just "know" things, and you thought that you'd covered your tracks well? You would ask her how she knew and one of her clever little replies might have been, "A little birdie told me". Well, when my 2 youngest were quite small (and very gullible) they believed that this little bird was all seeing and all knowing, and a tattle tale!
That of course is a little faerie tale.
See you Tomorrow.

Day 5

2009-01-05T20:28:00.000-08:00

I will say right off, I did not take this picture. I wish I had. This is my niece's son. In his words, or at least pretty close, this is the most awesome picture of him, EVER! He is one handsome young whipper snapper for sure. I'm not absolutely positive if I have the correct wording for this, but I believe it's called Live Action Game Play, which he participates in with his parents. That is what is depicted in this photo.
My niece is my sisty's eldest child, she is 3 months younger than my eldest (both girls). Sisty and I also both had twins. I had boys, she had girls. They were all born in December.
Anyway, about the picture, I will definitely be scrapping it! I think the young'un is right, it is a very awesome picture and looks more like a movie still than some random shot from a cold winter day. Hey! If you, on a COLD winters day go out for some Live Action Game PLAY, would that make you COLDPLAYers?
See you tomorrow.

Day 4

2009-01-05T19:22:00.001-08:00

Throughout my life I have gathered many treasures. On more than one occasion I have lost nearly everything. There have been times so low that I've wanted to just give up, but somehow I'm still here and a few of the things I've collected have survived for many years. Of course there is always something new as well. A special gift or a memento of a happy day. Whatever it might be, because of all I've lost these little things mean more to me than ever before.
In this photo is one of my treasure shelves. The doll was a last gift from my husband, the cat a memory of a Utah friend. The little boy with the teddy bear reminds me of when my twins were small. I've had that for nearly 30 years. Same with the other little boy, he is stooped down looking at a turtle. That was a Christmas gift from my parents and I'll never forget when I opened it. I lifted the tissue from the box and there was an adorable little tiny turtle! I picked it up to show everyone and said "Look! I got a turtle!", just as I said it I realized there was more in the box. I pulled out that sweet child and said, "and it comes with a boy!"....I don't know, maybe you had to be there, but it was really funny at the time. I've always been a bit backward.
See you tomorrow.

OOoo La La!! Mommy Has A Boyfriend!!!!

2009-01-04T21:04:00.000-08:00

I know that I said I'd never do it again, and it's pretty surprising anyway since I rarely leave my apartment! You already know that I'm going to say, " He's different! He's not like the others! This one would slay dragons for me!" Where did I meet him you ask? I should have known, it's all about if "he's got money" and "is he another drunk" or "does he use drugs" . Why can't you just trust my judgement!? OK, so I haven't done very well in the past. Don't you think I've learned something from all of those mistakes. This one IS different, and when I say that he would slay dragons for me, I'm not exadurating! Where did I meet him? When did I meet him? What is this? Are we playing twenty questions now? (heavy, huffy sigh)Well, if you must know...I met Juan...what? you have a problem with his name now? (louder)I met JUAN Ramon Bernardo Carlos Fernandez, ...if that's OK with you...(mumbling)at the dollar store. What do you mean, what did I say? Why don't you clean out your ears.
You know I really wanted you all to meet but I guess....well, here's an old picture of him from his job. He is a Dragon Whisperer! It just so happens to pay very well....when you can...find...a um...wild er...dragon. Stop laughing! It's not funny!!!!

See you tomorrow.

2009-01-04T17:30:00.000-08:00

My kids are all grown now, scattered far and wide. I've learned the hardest parenting lesson of all, the word "mother" does NOT begin with an "S". My husband passed away 6 months ago, and as much as I complained about what a pain in the behind he was, I obviously liked having him around or I'd have put him in a home long before it became a safety issue. Now he sits in his little plastic box next to my printer. Life is lonely,thus I spend a lot of time with my very bestest friend, Suzy B. We've been together around 8 years now. We have moved across the country and back again. She has been shot...and survived and attacked a dog 8 times her size because it was killing her baby. She couldn't save her baby, but she left that dogs face nicely sliced.
She is very bossy and dominant in her animal kingdom, but completely opposite with people. I have never known her to bite or even draw a claw on a person. As long as I keep her claws trimmed, there are never even accidental "catches". Suzy thinks that when anyone comes to visit they have come to see her. She insists on getting her loves before she'll leave you alone.
She knows when I'm sick and my meds aren't working before I do. She was the same way with my husband. When she gets very "clingy", it's time to see the Dr.
I could take pictures of my kitties all day long, funny thing is though, they don't change their hair or their expressions much. I love this picture of Suzy for two reasons. The glowing eyes and it reminds me of her personality because I was taking a picture of the word art behind her and every time she saw me with the camera she jumped up in the chair in front of it. Just like a kid! Ya gotta love 'em!!!
See you tomorrow.

2009-01-04T16:55:00.000-08:00

This is the first day of a new year and my great resolution is to take a picture a day for the whole 365 days of it. That called for a brand new blog to keep me on track, and make me stay on task.
For my 1st photo I want to say good bye to 2008 with this photo of my Christmas tree.

It is actually a picture of 2 of my handmade ornaments that I brought back with me from Utah. Those little round silver things were almost all we had our 1st Christmas out there. I picked them off of our tree and spray painted them, added a red bow and voila...instant ornaments. The other one is something I've been making for years. My kids used to sell them for me door to door. Ah yes, Good times!!!!

I love my mostly home made little tree and I'm glad that this time I was able to save my memento's from the last few years. Now it's time to say good bye for another year. That's what makes you so special, Christmas Tree, if I saw you every day you wouldn't mean near as much.

Now on to 2009. Here's to good health and happiness, and as my friend in Washington (state) would like, Whorled Peas!!!!
Cheers!!!!
See ya tomorrow.