The Weekend and Currently

Good morning! We had a pretty good weekend. It was my weekend off and my first off since my part-time schedule kicked in. I have to say I am loving the extra time to get things done and be with the family. I feel more relaxed than I have in ages. People are telling me it shows.

Tim didn't go to work on Saturday, either, because the rain made it too muddy to do whatever it was he was going to do. I had plans with my mom so he was on his own.

Mom and I checked out the Habitat for Humanity store and hit several thrift shops. We also had lunch at Primanti Brothers. Mom made quite a big deal out of how nice it was to spend the day together and shared how her friend (who lost her daughter to cancer) told her to enjoy our time together.

Mom invited Tim and I to share supper with her and John. It was simple barbecue pork sliders and chips, but it was nice to spend the time with them. After that Megan and Cody dropped the grandkids off so they could go out with friends for a couple of hours. We had a good time playing with them and watching Minion movies. Again.

Sunday was supposed to be a day of running errands and getting work done around here. We got the errands done, but we made a stop at Dunham Sports and ended up buying a big gun safe. We had to move stuff in the house to make room for it and rearrange stuff and well...it ended up taking all afternoon. And today I have to put the house back together.

Currently

I am...

Reading...Finding Home by Jackie Weger.

Watching...The Ranch on Netflix.

Loving...being part-time and having time and energy to do things I want to do.

Thinking...about a friend who is ending her marriage today. It's one of those cases where it's the best thing, the only thing, really...but still so sad. Also praying for her safety as the movers were coming this morning after her husband left for work and her daughter left for school. The situation is such that she needs to do it this way without them knowing until it's over. (The daughter is 14 and sides with her father because he buys her whatever she wants.)

Feeling...pretty darn good!

Celebrating...life and family. The death of Kobe Bryant and his young daughter is another powerful reminder that every day is a gift and we are not promised tomorrow so, we'd better make the most of the day we are living.

Grateful...as I see people around me getting sick for the second or third time this winter that I am still continuing to miss all the "fun."

Weather...it's snowing a bit this morning, but it's to turn to a mix of snow and rain as the day goes on with a high temp of 37.

Enjoying...my new Body Groove dvd. It looks silly but it's a lot of fun.

A thought to share...

Christmas Hearts

In the midst of all that is Christmas...in the middle of the shopping, the parties, the feasting, the wrapping, the worshipping, the singing...something else happens. We get nostalgic, maybe even melancholy, especially if we are on the far side of 50.

This is certainly a truth for Tim and I this year. I knew I was missing loved ones and traditions long past in a deeper way this year. I've felt a deep inner need to reach out and try to make "nice" with some long estranged relatives. Jesus's command to love everyone, even my enemies, has been weighing heavily on my heart. A meme glimpsed on Facebook questioned "If you were arrested for being a Christian, would there be enough evidence to convict you?" added to the conviction I needed to act. So, I have been making a very intentional effort to love everyone, mend bridges, reach out, bring those I have "lost" over the years back into the fold, so to speak.

What I didn't know until just this week, in the days leading up to Tim's birthday yesterday, is that he is feeling the same thing. He was born the middle child of seven. He has been sort of the black sheep his whole adult life...a brother they all claim to love, but never fully included, either. He (and me and the kids by extention) has been shunned, criticized, blamed, used when they need something, often over-looked or forgotten. Our kids have not received the same treatment as his siblings' children. If something went wrong when all the kids were together, our kids were always the ones blamed.

I mention all of that to give you some background as to why over the years Tim has pulled further and further away from his family. The last few years he has barely spoken to them. They have called here and he has refused to come to the phone, having me make excuses for why he can't. We have been very isolated from the family other than my contact with them on Facebook. We are only included in invitations to family events that require a gift. 

But this week, I learned that pull of nostalgia is working on Tim. It is probably a combination of Christmas and his birthday. Yesterday he turned 59. Time is most likely weighing on him. There is his own health. He hasn't felt all that great for several years now and doctors can't find the answer. Then there is the fact that both of his parents passed in their 60's and that two of his siblings have passed, neither one even making it to 60. I think the ticking away of time is growing louder.

Whatever it is, I was stunned on Tuesday when I saw that the man who rarely clicks "Like" on a comment on Facebook and never, ever posts anything of his own, posted "I love you" on the pages of all his sisters! Then on Wednesday I found that he'd posted "I love you. Have a good day." on the kids and my pages. He is doing that same mending of fences that I am.

I do love the way Christmas works on hearts, don't you? Have you experienced this in yourself or witnessed it in others this Christmas season? Do share, please!

Filling In Some Blanks

Welcome to Sunday Stealing! I'm sitting here relaxing on Saturday evening following our family Thanksgiving dinner today. It was a great day, but I am beat!

For those of you who asked about the turkey (I shared on my Saturday 9 post that I would be injecting the bird with herbed butter, slathering it all over with herbed butter, and pouring a bottle of champagne into the bottom of the roaster.), it was absolutely AMAZING!! It smelled sooooo good while it was cooking and you could smell it outside at least 2-3 houses away! When done it was so moist we couldn't cut it, it just fell apart...even the breast. The taste was divine and the champagne in the gravy added just a little bit of tang that was delicious. Here's the finished product.

One of today's highlights was also being able to snap a picture of 4 generations together. My mom, me, my kids, and the grands.

Stolen from Friday Fill-in

1. Right now I'm sitting on the sofa in my pj's watching Deck the Halls, and answering these questions.

2. Having to have the sheets perfectly neat while I sleep is my well known quirk.

3. Are you happy?

4. Ask first, then do!

5. That's why I do what I do.

6. The Andy Griffith Show is one of my favorite tv shows ever!

7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to just sitting here and relaxing, tomorrow my plans include cleaning, laundry, and hopefully more relaxing.

8. If I could go anywhere on a road trip, I'd go to the other side of the country. I've always wanted to take a driving trip across the U.S. on the Lincoln Highway.

9. All the hate and anger in today's world is something I don't understand.

10. Thanksgiving makes me think of times and people now gone.

11. A good book is the best way to relax!

12. It looks like Autumn is pretty much over.

13. An orange is one of my favorite healthy snacks.

14. The smell of Camay soap makes me think of my grandmother's house.

15. When I am feeling lazy I go with it.

16. When I look to the left, I see my Poodle, Daisy.

17. The living room and master bedroom are the room(s) that have the best view in my home.

18. A dirty deed was done dirt cheap!

19. Voting is a responsibility that all qualified citizens must share.

20. If you have any good advice/chocolate/piles of money lying around feel free to share it with me.

Sunshine Friday

It's my day off and wooo, I am still riding the high of meeting my half-sister yesterday. It's still so wildly weird and wonderful to know she's out there. I didn't honestly think it would make much of a difference in my life at this point, but dang, we hit it off so well and I felt such a connection with her that I think it was the start of a very lovely relationship. I can hardly wait to meet my brothers next. No idea when that will be or even if, but I hope it will. I know at least one of them wants to.

Tim is a little reserved about it all. He is supportive and all that and wants it to work out the way I hope it does, but he hasn't had much to say. His reserve may stem from his own troubled relationships with his six siblings. Our son is happy for me and naturally curious about the people he shares DNA with, but also reserved in his comments. From him I got a "That's cool." Our daughter, being a female, is a little more emotional like me. Okay, more than me. Way more. She is bouncing with her excitement and can't wait to get to meet these people for herself.

I even had a good "talk" via Facebook with my daughter-in-law about everything. I can't even tell you how that made my heart soar, because just a few years ago I feared that I had completely lost my son and his family. This girl has grown and matured and is becoming a very lovely woman. 

The only downer in the whole situation is my mom. I don't want her to feel like I'm sneaking around, betraying her, choosing them over her, or anything else she might be inclined to feel so I've let her know what is happening ever step of this journey. I didn't, however, tell her about having lunch yesterday until after it was over. I didn't want to gush too much and fretted over what to say, but I barely got it out that I'd had lunch with my sister before Mom abruptly changed the subject. She made it clear she really didn't want to hear about it. That is going to make things a little tricky going forward, but I'm not going to let her steal this from me or my joy in knowing my sister. Mom is bitter and I get it. There are good reasons for her to be, but I really hope that after 55 years she can find a way to let it go. Bitterness never hurts anyone but the one holding on to it.

I was expecting to be "grounded" today as we dropped Tim's truck off at the garage last night and he has my car today, but my girl offered to step in and take me to do the grocery shopping. So I get bonus grandbaby time. Yay!!

Other than the shopping there isn't much on today's agenda. I've got to do some laundry and I'm hoping to enjoy some time reading. I'm still working on The Oracle and I just got 100 Words of Affirmation Your Husband Needs to Hear to review. 

If Tim gets home early enough perhaps we can go out for dinner. It's been ages since we last went out. If not or he's too tired or doesn't feel well I'll order something in.

I hope to check in over the weekend, but it's my weekend to work and Saturday I'm also driving a resident to the country club for a surprise party for her son in one of the nursing home's vans with a wheelchair lift. I've never driven it before and only got one super quick lesson so pray I remember how it all works! Pray, too that we don't have traffic trouble...the town is having it's huge annual festival this weekend and between closed streets, thousands and thousands of visitors and vehicles, it can be pretty tough to get around.

Well, I am off to get dressed and walk over to our daughter's. She called to let me know she's up and ready when I am. You all have a blessed and beautiful day!

Currently On Monday

Good morning and happy Monday! I'm lucky to have a later start this morning, so I can sit here watching the news and catching up online. Enjoying a cup of this cinnamon spice tea sweetened with french vanilla stevia extract makes it a pretty perfect start to the day. (I'm choosing to ignore the fact that my beloved Steelers lost AGAIN yesterday. Sigh.)

We began Saturday with my husband having to work due to a problem at the job site. I was a little disappointed since I'd hoped we could go to a huge used book sale before we got the grandkids, but instead, I used the time to do several loads of laundry, a lot of cleaning, and start decorating for fall. 

Our son-in-law's parents had kept the kids on Friday and overnight. They brought them over to me at noon. We had a pretty quiet afternoon with the baby napping and Colton playing with cars while watching all his favorite Disney Jr. shows. 

I fried up chicken strips and french fries for supper (Colton's favorite meal) and Pappy moved the furniture and set up the air mattress for him and Colton to have their sleepover. We watched the new live action Aladdin with Will Smith. I thought it was good...beautiful sets and costumes and lots of music. Pappy and Colton were both asleep before it was over. Baby Leah was the nightowl of the bunch and we were up until 11:30, but then she slept all night...

...until her big brother got us all up at 6:30 on Sunday! We had breakfast and then took the kids to Living Treasures, a local animal park that allows you to see the animals up close and feed the ones it's safe to get that close to. Leah was unimpressed and slept the whole way through. Pappy's favorites were the huge brown bear and the wolves (the black one was gorgeous). I loved it all, but the Watusi (a very large breed of African cattle) and the kangaroos were probably my favorites. 

Colton was having a great time and loving the animals until his well-meaning Nanny took him in the Parakeet Encounter. The Parakeet Encounter being akin to a scene from The Birds. You walk into an enclosure with a cup of food in your hand and 167 parakeets immediately land on you. Colton was terrified and the whole rule of not picking up your feet (so you don't step on any birds) went right out the window and the guy working had to come and help me get the birds off of him and get him out of there. He looked at animals after that, but refused to feed any.

We stopped at a little diner near the animal park for lunch and then came home because we'd heard from Mommy and Daddy that they would be home soon. 

It was a good weekend and we sure loved the time with the kiddos.

Currently

I am...

Reading...still working on The Oracle by Jonathan Cahn

Listening to...I've been on a Motown kick lately.

Loving...that rain is on the way this morning to bring the temperature back to something more normal for this time of year. Yesterday was close to 90 and very humid. Ick.

Thinking...about making some serious lifestyle/diet changes because I shouldn't feel this bad physically.

Feeling...content.

Celebrating...that the sore throat I woke up with seems to be just from allergies and being dry...not the nasty cold going around at work.

Grateful for...being born in America and having the life I have.

Weather...scattered rain and 75 degrees.

Enjoying...my cup of tea (I don't drink hot drinks during hot weather).

Something I want to share...

Trucks & Broken Bones

Last evening was busy and interesting.

First, there was this...

It was Colton's actual birthday and we went in with his mommy and daddy and his other grandparents to get him his first pickup truck. Sorry the pictures aren't the greatest...it was dark and he was on the move!

He seemed to like it, but I think he was just a little overwhelmed and a little frustrated with the jerking start/stop ride. He will get the hang of it soon enough, I'm sure, and then we will be chasing after him.

Power Wheels have come a long way since my kids had them. This thing has a horn, makes noise like a diesel engine when it's running, and the cab lights and fog lights on the light bar all light up when it's in motion. And did you notice? It even has duel wheels in the back. What a toy!

Once that excitement was over, I had to drive Tim to MedExpress. His left ankle/leg has been bothering him for over a month, but this Tuesday his ankle turned out on him and he felt and heard a loud snap and he went down. It's been hurting more than ever since then, but he kept right on going to work and walking on it. (Grrrrrr.)

Yesterday it started sending a jolt of intense stabbing pain up his leg every time he stepped on uneven ground....which is pretty much all the ground on a construction site. Still, he worked all day. He could barely walk when he got home.

To make a long story shorter, he probably has a broken foot. They put him in a temporary cast with a walking shoe. Today they will call the orthopedic guy and hopefully he will get an appointment for Monday. In the meantime, he can't get the temporary cast wet so showering/bathing is going to be interesting. It doesn't really fit through the legs of his jeans, either. I'm not sure what he wore to work today. Also, his toes are hanging out and I don't think any of his socks will stretch big enough to slip over the cast.

So that was our Thursday evening.

Weekend Wrap: When Is the Full Moon?

Tick, tick, tick....the Christmas countdown is going fast! Only 15 more days to go. (I will not panic. I will not panic. I will not panic....) So, it makes perfect sense that I'm sitting here writing a blog post when I have so much to do!

I worked this past weekend and it would have been reeeeeeally easy to wallow in feeling sorry for myself since I had to miss out on little Colton's birthday party. I had asked about leaving 2 hours early just so I could catch part of it, but with staffing always being short on the weekends and the activity department being short in general right now...it was a no go. My only option was to call off, get points against me for doing so, and then work next weekend to make it up. It sucks, but, uh, no.

Hearing how the crowd of other kids behaved enabled me to feel quite a bit better about missing the party. LOL Plus, Colton is getting his big present (we went in with his parents and his other grandparents) on his actual birthday this Thursday and they'll wait until Tim and I get home to give it to him. Shhh....it's a huge Power Wheels truck. Actually, it's a Dodge Ram diesel with dual wheels! It's ridiculous, but 2 kids can ride in it and he won't grow out of it right away. The kids decided to wait to give it to him since I couldn't be there and also because they were afraid of how the other kids would probably treat it. Hearing the stories and seeing the basement after the party, I'm thinking they made a good decision.

As for work, it was a long weekend. With us being short on activity aidesAand very short on aides trained to work in the dementia unit it was all me all day with no one for the hours after supper. It's a lot more stress when things go kaflooey and you're by yourself. And things went kaflooey both afternoons. Tell me, are we coming up on the full moon?

Anyway, the sundowners syndrome (some residents get very agitated as the sun goes down) was pretty wide-spread and powerful this weekend. Plus, we have a new resident, a female whose husband passed away less than a month ago and her dementia came on hard and fast following his death. She is still very much mobile but also very out of touch with reality. She latches on to any man that is handy and sees him as her husband.

Most of the time that is one of our other wanderers. He is less in touch with reality than she is and where she speaks clearly, he can't. She takes his hand and they wander all over the place, including in and out of the rooms of other residents. We try to ignore that normally, but can't when it poses a danger or as in this case when they are going through everyone's things and taking some of them (the other day they took everyone's dentures!). I have no idea what the gentleman might be thinking, but the woman thinks the whole place is her home and she does NOT like being told she can't go into a room or being told she needs to let go of the man so he doesn't fall and take her down, too.

One day she "just wanted me to know" that she has 8 guns at home. Yesterday we sat on opposite sides of another gentleman at church and she came out of that ranting about her husband (the man between us) being with another woman (me). Sigh. I guess I should be glad those guns are back at home. LOL

Christmas preparations continue to happen. I did some shopping on Friday and packages I've ordered online are arriving daily. Next up is wrapping and this coming Saturday Mom, Megan and I will be doing our marathon baking.

So, that's my exciting weekend. Now I'm looking forward to the week, more Christmas preparations and all the Christmas activities going on at the home. I hope the spirit of the season has found you and that you enjoy a blessed week!

What a Tangled Mess We Weave

This post may be a bit of a rambling mess. Something huge (in my life) happened yesterday and I am still trying to process it. I really don't know how I feel. After 54 years...I finally know the name of my biological father.

I wasn't always aware that my dad wasn't my father. I found out when I was 10 that he had adopted me when he married Mom. It's always been a taboo subject and Mom has refused to name my father or tell me anything about him. I thought she might tell me about him after Dad died, but she held tight to her secrets.

Enter my son's interest in all those DNA tests that are available. He and his wife have done more than one. The latest was the Ancestry.com one. The one that promises to send you names of those genetically related to you. He recently was given two names, both shared a surname and Ancestry said they were his genetic first cousins...that only happens when you share a grandparent. We didn't think my father-in-law had ever cheated on my mother-in-law so that made it probable, if the tests were accurate, that the link came from my missing in action father.

Afraid that my son might blindside Mom, I broached the subject yesterday. I just asked if the surname my son was given meant anything to her. I was stunned when she said it did and that after 54 years she guessed she should tell me about my father. Whoa.

Dear old Dad was a vocational agriculture teacher at the time I was conceived and went on to become a county extension agent. He had 4 or 5 siblings and has always lived in Mom's hometown...not far from my grandparents' home where I spent much of my childhood. He's still alive and about 81 years old. Obviously, he had at least one other child. 

My son asked me if I wanted to meet these people. I don't know. I'm curious, of course, but I also doubt the cousins or even their parents know of my existence. I don't want to throw their lives into turmoil. As for my father....he definitely knew about me. He paid the hospital bill when I was born, but has never asked about me once in 54 years. I'd say he made it pretty clear he didn't want me. I'm not sure I want to ever meet him. I'm not sure I can handle meeting him...at least not without saying some things I'd regret. And then there is that little devil on my shoulder saying he deserves to be exposed to his family as the jerk he was. There is also the fear that they do know (I'd imagine his siblings must) and they also rejected me.

My mind is reeling. I always knew I had relatives out there, but it was in a kind of nebulous, fairy tale kind of way. It just got real. I have aunts and uncles, siblings, nieces and/or nephews. One uncle passed away a couple of years ago so there is no chance I will ever know him.  

I've been searching the internet ever since hoping to find pictures. I just want to see him and know, do I look like him or any of the family? I can only find a picture of the one who died. Maybe there are some resemblances. Maybe. The rest of the siblings appear to be old enough that they don't have a presence on the web.

If anything comes of this, I'll let you know. Oh, and I guess there really shouldn't be any doubt about the accuracy of those DNA tests.

Easter & the April Challenge

Good morning! I have been up for quite a while...not at all what I was hoping for on this last day of my Easter break, but eh, life happens.  And speaking of things that just "happen...."  As I was stumbling out to the backdoor to take the dog out this morning, Tim casually mentioned I might want to put my boots on. Huh? Why? Because a quick peek out the door showed that we'd gotten a good 3-4 inches of heavy wet snow and it was still coming down. Good grief!! Spring, where are you?

We enjoyed a nice family Easter yesterday.  Mom, John, our son and his family, Tim and I all went to our daughter's home for Easter. I cooked most of the dinner, but everyone contributed something.

The grandkids hit their Easter baskets before dinner and I'd say they were pleased.

After dinner we took them outside for an Easter egg hunt.  Each of them had a specific type of egg to hunt and then there were plain colored ones that any of them could find.  We only had a big, open area to work with so no eggs were actually "hidden." Still, we laughed that they seemed to have more trouble finding eggs lying out in the open than they did when we hid them. 

Poor little Colton was exhausted and could hardly keep his little legs going. He was trying to keep up with his bigger cousins, but was stumbling and wobbling like a drunken sailor! He finally just gave up and sat down and let his mommy put his eggs in his bucket.

Back inside, we visited a while longer and the kids had a great time playing. Colton was so excited. He doesn't get to see his cousins very often and he just adores them.

Late in the afternoon everyone piled into their cars and came over to our house.  We unveiled the jungle gym. It was a big hit! I can only imagine when they see it with sand in the sandbox and a slide attached. Aeden was heard at one point to say that it was "the best day ever!" 

The kids were all gone by 6:00 and Mom and John walked down for some leftovers. They sat and visited a bit, but by a little after 7:00 Easter was officially over and we could relax.

It was a wonderful day. The only thing missing was going to church. I miss that, but there is a church I'm planning to visit and Tim has said he thinks he will go with me to check it out (that is a huge deal!), so maybe next year will include a service. 

I hope you all had blessed days, too.

April Challenge #2

Your earliest memory.

There are two brief flashes of memory that are my absolute earliest memories. One is of being in my crib at my grandmother's house. It's dark, I'm yelling or crying, and someone opens the nursery door and looked in at me. They are backlit by the light from the hallway so I don't know who it is. 

The second memory is of being held and looking over the shoulder of whomever is holding me. We are in a parking lot and it's raining so we are under an umbrella.

Other than those two, I have many more detailed memories, but I'm not sure how they line up time-wise. They are all at my grandparent's home and involve doing something with my Nana...usually out in nature.

* If you'd like to join in the April Challenge visit Kwizgiver for the prompts and to sign up.

Wedding Week Update

Here we are a mere four (4!!!!) days from the wedding of our daughter, our youngest child. Am I panicking? Not yet, but it may come. There is more danger of the bride imploding than of me cracking. She is one who dwells on things and also tends toward seeing the cup as smashed, broken, and totally emptied out rather than either half full or half empty. It makes for some stressful moments as each thing can quickly become a make it or break it in her mind. Thankfully, she usually calms down after taking a few moments to process it.

This is so true! I can't believe how rude
people are about not responding. We even stamped and
addressed the RSVPs. All they had to do was check
yes or no and drop it in the mail. Even when asked
or called quite a few refuse to be pinned down
one way or another. Keeping all THEIR options
open, I guess, is the reason for it.

Yesterday was a busy day. I was out the door at 8:30 to head to Walmart in search of paint for the arch my husband built (to the bride's specifications, ala Pinterest) out of two old doors I bought just for the purpose. Then it was off to meet the caterer to get the table linens from her so we can set up the centerpieces ahead of them coming in to set up the buffet.

My doctor's office is, thankfully, just across the road from the caterer's day job in a podiatrist's office so I was able to be on time for my appointment. (Another check up on my weight loss journey with Adipex-P. I am down another 4 pounds and it turned out that I can be on it for one more month before having to take a break.)

Walmart only had part of the paints I needed to get so my next stop after the doctor was Lowe's to find the the rest of the paint. A friend of mine, who is also the wedding photographer, texted me while I was waiting for the paint to be mixed and asked if she could come out to the farm and have a look around and scout out potential photo sites. I hadn't counted on that, but up the ridge to the farm I went (with lunch from Arby's in a sack and a HUGE soda to give me some extra oomph). I was there a bit before she arrived and she spent a good while looking around and talking to the bride and groom...and me, too.

I ended up having just enough time after my friend left the farm to swing by the florist's to ask if they could save the flower petals they remove or that fall off for use in the flower girls' baskets. They can't...said it's too hard. (I asked because I've heard of other florists that do. I guess more phone calls will be made today.)

From there I went home to let the poor puppies out and grab a 30-minute nap before heading up the mountain on Rt. 30 to Jennerstown to meet up with a woman selling wedding stuff on one of the Facebook flea market sites. Had she posted a few months ago I probably would have bought most if not all of what she was selling....beautiful and perfectly matched to my daughter's theme of fall/sunflowers. As it was, I purchased an adorable sunflower headpiece with dreamy long streamers for our granddaughter to wear as the junior bridesmaid (and puller of the wagon holding our little guy with the sign asking "Are you ready, Daddy? Here comes our girl.").

By the time I got back home and got dinner ready it was 8:00! I was quite glad afterward to clean up after the meal, get into my jammies and relax in the recliner for a while.

So far today there is no where I HAVE to go, except for Bible study tonight...I need that sanity in my week even more than usual! I am hoping to use the day to get started on a thorough cleaning of the house. I don't expect much if any company to come here (they are all staying with other family) but you never know.

Back to School & Back to Work!

Just a quick check-in. Today is the first day of school so I am back to work. Yaaaay.....I mean, YAY!!!!!

Everything went so smoothly this morning, I'm kind of worried about how this afternoon will go. Ha! Actually, it's been great. One problem kid moved away, a couple moved up from elementary to middle school which changed the dynamics of the bus (for the better), and one whole family of sweet (but rather boisterous girls) seems to have moved away, and several high school kids are now driving. I only have 24 kids on the high school bus (that's ALL of them even if no one drives themselves) and 21 on the elementary bus.  Not too bad at all.

My vo-tech run has changed this year. There is a student in a wheel chair going so the school did away with one big bus and contracted for a mini-bus with a wheelchair lift.  There's no possible way for me to switch buses and take the kids to vo-tech then switch back and do my elementary run on time, so someone else has to take them. I stick around the garage after the morning runs and go get them with the mini-bus when it's time.  It's a pain and I'm not thrilled with the way it chops up my day, but if I do this then if they ever put another big bus back on the vo-tech run, it's automatically mine. If I don't do this, then the next full run would go up for bid.

We ushered summer out with a quiet day at home yesterday.  My hubby built the bar for our daughter's wedding (she wanted one made from pallets). Our daughter and future son-in-law came over to help in the afternoon and I got to watch the boy!

The front of the bar. It's going to be stained a darker color
and will be decorated with white lights and autumn leaves.

The back side has a shelf (will be getting a rail on the shelf)
to sit bottles on and enough room for the bartender and
the groom's parents' Kegerator.

Riding Nanny's goat.

And now it's, unfortunately, time to head back to work for the afternoon. Have a great week!

Thankful Thursday: Say Cheese, Please?

Click here visit our hostess,
Rebecca Jo @ Knit by God's Hand.

It's Thursday and you know what that means.

This week I am thankful...

* the combination of calcium spray, calcium rich fertilizer, and lots and lots of water seems to have cured the problem I was having with all of my larger tomatoes getting blossom rot.  The tomatoes are finally beginning to ripen, too. I have been waiting and waiting, not so patiently, to be able to pick a fresh tomato and make a sandwich out of it.

* that over-the-counter sleeping pills have helped my daughter get some sleep. She has not been sleeping much at all...no more than maybe an hour or two a night.  It all came to a head on Monday and she was a basket case...weeping nearly continuously and lashing out horribly at everyone who came near.  A trip to Med-Express was pointless (after they took her payment and got her in a room they informed her they couldn't treat a sleep problem and suggested she go to mental health), but somewhere during that process I figured out that she had never tried Tylenol P.M. or Nytol or anything like that.  Got her a box of Sominex and a bottle of melatonin.  She's at least getting a few hours of sleep at night now.

* for all my friends and family that reached out to wish me a happy birthday this week.  I was blessed by my Bible study group who gave gifts, hugs, and prayed for me. My hubby was sweet, but we aren't going out to dinner until the weekend since he is so tired at the end of a work day. Oh, and I treated myself to a gorgeous new purse (I am a purse woman as opposed to a shoe woman) yesterday with my birthday money.

* for the "unfriend" button on Facebook. I don't like to use it, but I am grateful it is there when a friend becomes so toxic you have no other choice.

* for my friend who made all of the bouquets for my daughter's wedding. She finished the bride's on Monday.  I can't believe how fast it is all coming up at this point.  For a year it's seemed so far away.

* for the Swallowtail butterflies who like the big planters of flowers along the sidewalk. I love seeing them...there was a stretch of years when I didn't see them at all.

* for every moment I get to spend with my little buddy...who finally has his first tooth coming in!

He's a very happy baby...until it's picture time.  Have I ever mentioned how hard it is to get a picture of him smiling?

* and for all of you!

Weekend Wrap: Lottery Tickets, 1985 & Zucchini

Another weekend of my husband working. Both days this time...well, only half a day on Sunday. I hope the day will come when he doesn't feel so driven to work so many hours, but as our various governments (notably state and school district) keep raising taxes and medical/insurance costs keep rising, I don't see that happening any time soon.  Unless we hit the lottery.  I'm beginning to believe the financial and political people who say the middle class is going to be taxed out of existance.

By the way, did anyone win Saturday night's Powerball? I haven't heard and I have two tickets hanging on the refrigerator that I didn't check yet.

We got some time with our youngest grandson on Friday evening while our daughter and her fiance worked on a sign for the wedding shower in Hubby's workshop. Poor little man was kind of cranky, though. He did NOT like his Pappy in his reading glasses (first time he had seen him that way) and was just fussy about everything. I finally just cuddled him up and sang our special song and he went right to sleep. Is there anything sweeter than a sleeping baby?

Saturday was all about cleaning up the house, doing laundry, and sorting through the boxes of memorabilia my mom gave me.  I lost a big chunk of time reading the May 1, 1985 newspaper that our wedding write up was in....Reagan was president, Gorbachev was the fairly new leader of the Soviet Union (which was still the Soviet Union), Delmonico steaks were only $4.99/lb, a brand new Buick Century sedan could be had for under $10,000, and you could put brand new Goodyear all-season radials (their highest quality ones) on that car for $20 or less per tire.  My husband wanted to know if there was a coupon.  Ha!  Can you imagine showing up at the garage with a 32-year-old coupon?

We got a big surprise Saturday evening when our son called and asked if we were at home. Since we were he said they'd stop by to visit. They had been at a local state park swimming all day. They don't really live that far away from us, but it's far enough that we can't really just pop in on each other.  Visits are always planned.  Anyway, it was good to have them here and then our daughter and her family stopped by, too.  It was great having the whole family here on the spur of the moment.

On Sunday I mostly relaxed, but I dealt with another pile of zucchini.  I shredded all of it. I made two loaves of pineapple-blueberry-zucchini bread (recipe here) and froze the rest for later use.  I also pulled some weeds and the plants that were done producing from the raised beds then fertilized what was left. I'm trying to cure my tomato rot problem by supplying more calcium and a LOT more water. Hubby worked then mowed our yard and my mom's.  I made beef stew in the slow cooker for supper and we spent the evening watching TV.

I'm just playing around on the internet this morning, not doing much of anything, and this afternoon I'm babysitting our youngest grandson for a while.

Books, Boogie & Bambi

Just a quick catch up on the weekend for today.

Friday:

I woke up early to oppressive humidity and cloudy skies.  Rain and thunderstorms were in the forecast.  Not a good day for any outside plans. Fortunately, I didn't have any.

Mom dropped her dog off before I was even dressed.  She and my stepdad were headed to her hometown for her 55-year class reunion.  I don't know how many of her class of 60 are still alive, but she said the last she'd heard only 13 of them had signed up for the reunion.

Once the dogs were settled in I headed out for Monroeville and the ginormous Half Price Books clearance sale at the convention center.  I did stop by the Toyota dealership our son works at to give him some things they had forgotten on their last visit, some books I was parting with, and a couple of things for the grandkids.

It was crazy at the book sale!  The convention center is a satellite of the mall and there is a big Hilton right next door.  When I got there, shortly after opening, there were no parking spaces to be found near the place.  Cars were waiting in line just to cruise the lot hoping to get a space.  I got out of that mess and parked over a 1/4 mile away and hoofed it in.  It was so crowded and hard to get at the tables.  I ended up spending THREE hours browsing!

I bought a few novels for myself, a couple more cookbooks, a couple of books for our grandson (too many choices for me to choose books for the older grandkids), a book of homemaking tips for my daughter, and the prize....a signed copy of Jeffery Deaver's Garden of Beasts for my son.  Anyway, thank goodness they will box up your books and hold them at a pick-up point while you go get your car.  I would have hated schlepping them all that way back to the car.

Our youngest grandson had spent the first two days of his parents' vacation with his other grandparents, but they brought him here around 8:00 Friday evening to stay with us until Mommy and Daddy got home on Sunday.

Saturday:

My husband worked so it was just Boogie (our grandson Colton's nickname) and me all day.  We didn't do much of anything because the poor little guy had a cold and was so stuffed up.  He had a bit of a fever, too.  All he wanted to do was be held, even when he slept.  I loved cuddling him, but I sure didn't get anything done.  My husband worked longer than I thought he would and he wasn't feeling well when he got home so it was just me and the two sickies.

On an interesting note, a man came to my door and asked if he could have all the fallen apples on the ground under our apple tree.  He said he had a deer farm and the deer would love them.  I told him he was welcome to them.  His response was to invite us to come see the deer farm as a thank you.  How cool!

Sunday:

Boogie was feeling a lot better after sleeping 8 hours straight through the night. My husband was another story.  Still we took him to see the fawns at the deer farm, picked up a few things at Walmart and got an ice cream cone.

Boogie was so excited when he saw the deer (not that it shows in the pictures). His little arms and legs were flailing all over the place and he was squealing and hyperventilating at the same time!

Mommy and Daddy got here around 8:30 and oh, if you could have seen Colton's face!  At first he just kind of looked at them, then our daughter said his name and he got this look of absolute wonder on his face and turned to look at me like "is this for real?"  Then he just went nuts when his mama took him in her arms and he kept reaching out to touch his daddy and look up at him in awe.  It was so sweet.

Today:

The house is quiet except for the sound of the fan and the hound dog's snoring. I don't have much planned beyond trying to put the house back together.  It kind of looks like a tornado blew through.

Heroes, Sleepovers & Books

Mornin'.  The view out my window this morning is pretty gray and still damp from all of last night's rain, but I don't mind. Nope, not at all, because for the first time in a week it is blessedly cool out there.  No horrible heat.  No brain-melting humidity.

We had a pretty quiet weekend around here.  It started off with my husband staying up until after 10:00 on Friday.  He NEVER stays up that late these days.  Partly because of his work schedule. Partly because of the way he usually feels.  So it was nice to have his company for a while.  We got even more company when our daughter called around 9:30 asking if she and the baby could spend the night.  Her fiancee worked an extra shift and she didn't want to be alone (the depression and all).  So the day ended with a sleepover in Nanny and Pappy's living room.

My hubby worked Saturday and our daughter and the baby packed up and went home by 7:30 so the house cleared out and I had the day to take care of some chores...laundry, vacuuming, dusting, dishes...the glamorous stuff.

I finally went through all the books on my bookshelves and (inspite of the emotional pain it caused) I created a big pile of books to part with.  My son is going to take a lot of them.  I'm going to show the rest to my mom.  What's left after that will go to St. Vincent de Paul or the Salvation Army.

Around 3:00 my daughter and the baby were back to pick me up and go look at the hall where the wedding shower will be next month.  We hadn't seen it before and the bridesmaid who is putting the shower together wanted to know what she'd have to work with. (She's in Alabama and driving up just for the shower!)

It turned out that the woman who showed us the hall was the grandmother of the state trooper who was killed in a traffic accident last week.  He was only 26 and it was such a sad thing.  Our whole town was shut down for his funeral and people lined the streets holding up signs and waving flags during the procession to the cemetery.  There were so many police officers from all across the state and from all over the country that it took over half an hour for the procession to go by (I was stopped at a traffic light just as it got started).

Saturday would have been the young man's 27th birthday, so Grandma was having a hard time.  It was an honor to offer our condolences and hear some of her memories.

My husband got hooked on a marathon of the Showtime series Ray Donovan and stayed up late watching that.  It really wasn't my cup of tea....too dark, violent, crude, and well....just no redeeming qualities.  I really thought it was horrible.  If it's one you like.....sorry.

Sunday found us sleeping in, doing a little grocery shopping, and not a whole lot of anything else.  I did however start the newest Janet Evanovich book, Dangerous Minds, which is the second book in the Knight & Moon series.  As usual, Evanovich is wickedly funny.

And the weekend closed with another sleepover.  This time because our grandson wasn't feeling well and Mom was worried he'd need to go to the ER in the night because of his fever (Dad was working so Mom had no car).  Happy to report that the fever seems to have come down a little and while he has a lot of congestion, he seems to be in a good mood and feeling...okay.  Daddy picked them up when he got off work so it's just me and the dogs for the day.

Our daughter sees her doctor this afternoon.  She is hoping her fiancee goes with her.  She wants the doctor to talk with him about depression.  It seems he might be less than understanding or supportive about it....listening to his mom, who thinks it's not real.  Keep them in prayer, if you would, please?  She confided they've been fighting a lot recently and the wedding is less than 2 months away.  Baby or not, I'd rather see her call it off than go through with it if there's any doubt.

Happy Monday, friends!  May your week be blessed.