Thursday Thirteen

Thirteen Things You Might Not Know About Me (Or Even Care To Know!)

1. I am easily entertained. I can sit for hours watching the giraffes or the penguins at the zoo, laughing out loud the entire time! I love to people watch at the mall. And I love watching babies do anything, even sleep! And I still enjoy looking in the clouds and trying to find things like dragons and stuff like that!

2. I never had a a real girlfriend until I was about 27 years old. For some reason I always preferred hanging out with guys! There was never as much drama with them (you know what I am talking about, don't ya?) But my friend Karen is the absolute best! It's funny we are best friends because in a lot of ways we are total opposites. She brings out the best in me and I bring out the goofy side in her ;o)

3. I've had both my knees replaced when I was 22, then both my elbows, both of my shoulders and all the fingers on my right hand. I've had my knees for twenty years now and they are still in great shape! PTL for that!! I am quite bionic. Yes, I know I am on crutches and move at a snail's pace, but I can still call myself bionic!

4. I collect anything Noah's Ark! Hallmark always has Christmas ornament out every year that I get, but I also love some of the obscure kind of things too! I have some very old Noah's Ark toys from like 1940-1950. It's a fun thing to collect!

5. I still love baby dolls! Every Christmas I got a new baby doll. One year I received a cloth doll with a plastic head. I took a knife and slit open her mouth so I could feed her real food like green beans. It wasn't long until she started rotting and we had to throw her away! I was so sad, but the next year they came out with a doll called Baby Alive and she was so cool because you could mix up food for her and really feed her! I still have her too!

6. I love music with a passion, but I cannot play any instrument, I cannot read music and I certainly cannot sing! BUT my husband and my three children are all gifted musically. Lalalelulo~wow! I can't even type in tune either...hehe!

7. I have three children and they are all adopted from the same family. We became parents when our daughters were 5 and 3 and then our son came up for adoption and we got him when he was 3 1/2! I really need to write our adoption story sometime because it shows how God was working in our lives!

8. I was bit my a snake when I was five years old and have never been fond of them since!

9. I took some matches from a restaurant when I was seven years old. I went into the bathroom and started lighting them and then throwing them in the toilet. Our furnace kicked on as I was tossing a match and it caught the toilet paper on fire! I also lit matches in my bedroom and set my carpet on fire too. Don't fear~I am cured now!

10. I think my laugh is obnoxious, but most people say it is contagious. I do get tickled pretty easily over things and sometimes I am the only one that laughs at something. I seem to find humor in just about everything. Hey, it's better than crying and complaining, right?

11. I love to pull teeth! I couldn't wait for my kids to start losing their teeth. I've even pulled other kids teeth that I don't really know. I just love to hear that cracking sound!

12. I'm the type of person that once I have met you I pretty much consider you family! In fact, my family is the same way. We truly enjoy getting to know other people and we are not shy at all. I've realized how much we can learn from others and how much we need other people in our lives too!

13. I guess I'll end with one last weird thing about me. I have a big gap between my big toe and the second toe! I could probably fit another small toe in between the two! Oh yea, and a little bonus fact....I cannot stand feet....yucky! I don't even like to touch my own feet when they are clean!

Happy Thursday Thirteen Everybody!!!!!!

Holiday Meme!

1. Egg Nog or Hot Chocolate? Egg nog makes me gag because it is so slimey. I love hot chocolate, especially homemade kind!

2. Does Santa wrap presents or just sit them under the tree? When I was little everything was sat under the tree. I did the same when I had children. Now that they are older we wrap them up. I always wondered why my mom and dad never got us anything!!

3. Colored lights on tree/house or white? I love the big colored old fashioned bulbs~you know, the kind that would probably start a fire!

4. Do you hang mistletoe? We used to all the time, but now that we have teenage daughters we don't! I don't want any boys taking advantage of my girls!!

5. When do you put your decorations up? My daughters birthday is December 16th so we always wait until the day after. She likes it better that way and that's okay with us too!

6. What is your favorite holiday dish (excluding dessert)? My sister in law makes the yummiest dressing I have ever tasted! Ooh, and she also makes the best yeast rolls too! Okay my mouth is now officially watering :o)

7. Favorite holiday memory as a child: On Christmas Eve my mom and brother would set out the gifts while my dad drove me around the neighborhoods looking for Santa and his reindeer! You know what? I always saw Santa flying! I would get so excited and my dad would play along too. Then when dad felt mom had had enough time we would go back home to a tree full of presents and I would get to tell her where I saw Santa! Yes, good times.

8. When and how did you learn the truth about Santa? I was a very immature child and just didn't want to grow up. I really believed until I was about 11 years old. Someone at school made fun of me for it so I asked my mom if Santa was real. She asked me, "What do you think?" I said, "I think he is real!"

9. Do you open a gift on Christmas Eve? Well, normally we are at my folks for Christmas Eve so we get to open up lots of gifts! When we get home the kids are usually begging us to let them open one more, but G'ma and G'pa get them so many things that I play Scrooge and say NO!

10. How do you decorate your Christmas Tree? We have lots of special ornaments that we put on every year, but my favorite ornaments are the ones the kids have made throughout the years. The kind with the cotton balls for Santa's beard and the ones with all the glitter that gets every where!

11. Snow! Love it or Dread it? I love to be inside safe and warm and watching it fall! I gotta have snow on Christmas Eve though!

12. Can you ice skate? In my dreams I can!

13. Do you remember your favorite gift? One year my husband was in Bahrain and brought back a beautiful little box that contained gold, frankincense and myrrh. Very special!

14. What’s the most important thing about the holidays for you? Getting everything I want! Just kidding! I would have to say having more opportunites to share the story of Christ's birth and why He came to earth for us with my unsaved friends!

15. What is your favorite Holiday Dessert? Probably all the different yummy kind of cookies people only make once a year!

16. What is your favorite holiday tradition? There are so many, but I just love it when we have Christmas music playing while we are decorating the tree. After we're finished we turn off all the lights and only have the tree lights on. It is peaceful and quiet and we sit together on the couch all snuggly like and drink hot chocolate. We talk about past Christmases and just enjoy being together. I can't wait!!

17. What tops your tree? An angel that my daughter made on a paper plate when she was in first grade. I just can't bring myself to change it!

18. Which do you prefer giving or receiving? I do love both I will admit. I love finding just the right gift for people I love. And I love receiving the special ornaments my friend Lori makes every year or when my husband makes me something special like a Noah's Ark shadow box to put my Noah's Ark ornaments on!

19. What is your favorite Christmas Song? These may not be too familiar with you, but I love Mark Lowery's song~Mary, Did You Know? I also love 4Him's song~Strange Way To Save The World. They both make me cry.

20. Candy Canes! Yuck or Yum?? I think they are pretty to put on the tree! I don't care for peppermint, but they have so many flavors now I am sure I could find one I liked!

You Can't Teach An Old Dog New Tricks

You've all heard that saying right? Well, maybe we can't teach an old dog new tricks, but they can certainly teach themselves a new one! Yep, you guessed it! Sneaky little dog tried it again last night, but this time she went to the refrigerator for I am assuming a dish of ice cream! My hubby was there to witness it and we all had a good laugh!

My daddy is still having a rough time and not responding. His blood pressure is very, very low. The hospice nurse said we didn't need to be concerned. She said that since dad lays all day and doesn't move it's okay for his blood pressure to be so low, which by the way is 75/40. I am still concerned though and so is mom, naturally. I just wish he was able to let us know what was wrong. Maybe he doesn't even know. Please keep him in your prayers!

I am bracing myself for winter to hit later this week. I am not looking forward to the snow this year. I am just so afraid of slipping on the ice and breaking a hip or two. I guess I will just take it one small step at a time!

Now here is a very random fact, but I was thinking about it this morning and it's kinda cool. My husband's grandmother sold blank sheet music to George Bennard. Who is that you ask! He wrote that beautiful hymn The Old Rugged Cross. I dunno, I just think it's pretty neat that she met him!

I suppose tonight we will go home and have another few games of Scrabble. We all stayed up again last night until after 11:00. My poor kids are going to be exhausted at school today. Maybe will only stay up until 10:30 tonight ;o)

I better hush and get on Quickbooks and learn a thing or two today! Sending hugs to anyone that reads this far!!

She Thinks She's Smarter Than Me?

Okay, I knew that my baby was a pretty smart girl, but I didn't realize HOW smart until last night!

Wensley knows that when she goes potty she gets a treat. Last night she came to me to let me know she needed to go potty. I let her out and she did her thing. She got her treat and all was well with the world.

A few minutes later I heard my son giving her a treat and telling her what a good girl she was. He told me she went potty. I figured maybe she just didn't get all her business done the first time.

Well, a few minutes later she went to my daughter and "told" her she needed to go out and go potty. I had my daughter follow her out and she squated but wasn't doing anything. Wensley ran in and headed straight to her treats. We told her no and this time she went to my husband, who had no idea what was going on. He asked if she needed to go potty and she headed for the door again! I asked my hubby to see if she was actually doing anything when she goes out. He came back and said that she would run to the edge of the driveway and squate, but nothing was happening. Again she ran straight to her treats! The little stinker was trying to trick us the whole time! HA! She thinks she can fool me?

Let me tell you that Wensleydale did NOT get a treat for trying to trick me! No siree! BUT she did get a dish of vanilla ice cream for being so clever! What can I say? I'm not even sorry for spoiling her! I'm a sucker for a con artist I guess!

Always Thankful!

God is so good to us, you know it?! I will admit I was afraid on Thanksgiving day, but God has shown me to put my complete trust in Him.

We all gradually got up around 9am Thursday morning. We had stayed up the night before playing more board games. Boy do we have a good time playing games!! The game of choice that night was Scrabble....parents vs. kids....hehe hubby and I won!! I'm not boasting mind you, just letting y'all know who won, that's all ;o) Anywho, back to the story...my hubby enjoys cooking and to tell you the truth we all prefer it when he does so because his food is yummerlicious! He made a buffet of breakfast foods for all of us. We felt like we were eating at Denny's only ten times better.

After I ate I gave mom a quick call to see how dad was doing. She said he was having a bad day. He wasn't responding to her in any way. I guess the day before he had told her he didn't feel right in his head. What that means I really don't know or understand, but for him to complain about something must have meant he was feeling horrible. I asked her when she wanted us to come over and she said to wait until the afternoon. So we got out the Scrabble board once again and played a game or two, but I had a hard time concentrating for wanting to be with my dad.

We all took our showers and headed over to my folks to spend the rest of the day with them. My mom asked if we cared if she left for just a little bit to go to Wal-mart and get out of the house. Of course we didn't mind one single bit. The poor lady never has a moment to herself and rarely gets the rest she needs. She does have someone that comes everyday from 9-5 to help her, but it just isn't the same. She is the one who knows dads every need and his schedule, etc. She is so patient with him and loves him so much! It is so difficult to take care of him, but she is determined not to put him in a nursing home. I agree with her and we help as much as we can too, but it is basically up to her.

Again, I am getting off track, aren't I? So we get to there house and I walk out to see dad and can tell right away he just doesn't feel well. We all say hello and give him kisses on his forehead...nothing....I rub his arm and let him know I am there....still nothing. I am usually the one that can get him to laughing and even trying to be silly so I am quite worried about him. Mom assures me that he'll be okay, she just thinks he feels so bad he just doesn't want to try and visit. I tell her to go ahead and go shopping and we'll sit with dad. My hubby and I tell him what's going on in the world...we focused on all the positive and didn't tell him anything negative.

I wondered myself if maybe he was depressed that day. He has every right to feel down. Last Thanksgiving was his last one to get out his bed and even eat a few bites of real food. I didn't try to be funny or bring up anything that might cause him to be more depressed (if that's what it was). I gently rubbed his arm and then his leg for a little while. I know he must ache something awful sitting in that bed in pretty much the same position. He has so many bed sores that mom has to be careful how much she moves him because the sores rip open. Just writing this makes my eyes fill up with huge tears and a huge lump in my throat. Now I understand how painful it was for him to watch me suffer as a child. As a child I tried not to show how much pain I was in because the look they got in their eyes was sometimes more painful than the arthritis itself. I love my dad so much and I want him here forever because I am selfish and I still need him no matter if he can speak to me or not. But on the other hand I don't want him to continue suffering. I know he is saved and when he does pass away he will go to Heaven and have a new perfect body free from this nasty Parkinson's disease!!! PTL!!

I have learned that being a parent can be rough. I never knew how hard it would be to be a child of a sick parent. But I am thankful to God for this opportunity to learn to lean on Him more and trust in Him. He does know what's best for us and He has a plan for all of us. Even my dad.

My dad spent all day Friday, Friday night and most of today sleeping. I wondered if he would ever wake up. My mom said she felt better with him sleeping and thought maybe by the time he woke up the feeling in his head would be gone. Sure enough he woke up late this afternoon and was alert and told her he was hungry and that his head felt better!!!!!! I wasn't able to go tonight because I was in the grocery store, but after church tomorrow you can guess where I'll be going! I just pray that tonight he is still able to sleep and feel even better tomorrow!

I am a daddy's girl that's for sure! I love you, Dad! You are my precious little daddy!

Things Are Different This Year

We usually have the full spread at Thanksgiving~you know, the turkey with all the trimmings, any kind of veggie you can think of and talk about desserts~Oh my! Well this year is going to be totally different for us and that is okay.

My father can no longer take food or drink by mouth. Now how fair would that be to him to have his home filled with all the mouth watering fragrances of the above mentioned foods? It only serves as a reminder of something he can no longer do. He would be the first one to argue and tell us to go ahead and make it, but I just could not do that to my father. We have decided as a family that we will still get together and have sandwiches, chips and cookies. And you know what? It will be just as special as it always is! Why? Because we will still have full bellies at the end of the meal, but more importantly because we will be together as a family. We will be sharing stories and laughing, watching the parade on television and then football (much to my dismay!).

I am thankful to God for giving me my dad. He made sure we went to church every Sunday morning and evening. He taught my brother and I to work hard and appreciate what we had. He taught me to be kind, caring and patient. He has the same weird sense of humor that I do ;o)

I know many of you are thankful for your dads too so let's make sure that this Thanksgiving we all let our folks know how thankful we are for them!

Hoping you all have a wonderful evening!

Mellow Monday

Today's question at www.carlalynne.blogspot.com is~What Games Do You Play?

That's a good question for me today because all weekend long I was down with a sinus infection and cramps~you name it, I had it! But to keep me entertained my kids and I had some kind of board game out all weekend! We played: MadGab, Sequence, Yahtzee!, Racko, and Guess Who. Last night after church we came home and made individual pizzas and sat down and the whole family played six games of Clue~I won twice :o)

I've said it before and I'm going to keep saying it, but my family enjoys sitting around and talking, eating and playing together! I've noticed lately that the families I come in contact with rarely do this anymore. I find that very sad. Some of my very favorite memories with my family is playing games together. It was always a big deal at my home because dad would get out the card table and set it up in the family room. My brother and I would race to the closet and we each got to pick out a game we wanted to play for Family Night. I usually chose Yahtzee and my brother enjoyed Monopoly. My mom would be busy in the kitchen making popcorn~on the stove no less (not in the microwave!) and filling up glasses with lots of ice because we were allowed to have soda on Family Night!! Ah yes, good times :o)

What is your favorite board game to play?

Friday's Feast

Appetizer
Do you believe there is intelligent life on other planets?

I'm still trying to figure out if there's intelligent life on this planet!

Soup
What is one thing you said you'd never do, but you eventually did?

I let myself get to heavy and now I am paying for it. I have lost 18.5 pounds though!

Salad
Who is the teacher that influenced you the most in school?

Mrs. German...she was my english and spanish teacher for all four years of high school. I started off hating (well, that's a little strong) her because my very first day in high school I couldn't get my locker opened because it was jammed. I was also on crutches which made it difficult to carry books~we didn't have backpacks back in the olden days! I walked into her class right after the bell rang and she yelled at me for being late...she wouldn't even let me explain. I told my mom that night and of course my mother wrote a her a note explaining my circumstances and the next day Mrs. German apologized and she was my favorite teacher from then on. I missed a lot of school and she always made sure I didn't get behind in my studies and proved herself to be a very dedicated teacher!

Main Course
If you could trade places with anyone for one day, who would it be and why?

I'm not trying to change the question, but I would take my dad's place, but I wouldn't want him to have to have my body for a day. My dad is bedridden because of Parkinson's and already suffers enough. I would willingly take his place if I knew he could have one day free from pain, bedsores, not being able to eat or drink, not having a catheter, being able to speak, just being able to walk!!! And I wish it could be longer than a day....but I do know when we get to Heaven he will be from from all his suffering and will have a perfect body! PTL!

Dessert
What is your favorite dish to prepare?

I love to make homemade chicken and dumplings with all the fixin's like sweet corn, baby carrots and green beans with some kinds of cobbler for dessert! Yummy!

Thursday Thirteen

Thirteen Dumb Things I Have Said Or Done In My Life!

1. All for the love of a boy named Bobby~we dug a hole in the ground just big enough for my foot. I would stick my foot in the hole and he would try to hit it with my dad's rusty shovel. We were trying to see who was faster-me or him. Guess who won? I had to have a tetanus shot that day! Hey, I was seven years old and in love and completely stupid!

2. I found a stray cat one winter and my dad said I could bring him in and feed him some cat food. I could tell by the look in this poor kitty's eyes that he wanted milk instead. I gave him a big bowl full~at least two cups full. My dad told me I needed to put him back outside, but I went and put him in my bedroom and closed the door. When I had to go to bed that night I opened my door only to see that the cat had had diarrhea ALL OVER my bedroom walls! Obviously the milk didn't settle with him! This was the only time my father was ever mad at me. Poor daddy spent the next two hours cleaning it up. A couple of weeks later I got new wallpaper in my room and I never saw the stray cat again! I wonder where he went to....

3. When I was in eighth grade I cheated on my science test. I had studied, but for some reason I got so nervous when taking it. My teacher confronted me and then I lied to him about it. I couldn't sleep because I knew I had done wrong and for no reason! I knew the answers! Dumb!

4. One Sunday morning during worship service someone got up to sing special music. I wasn't fond of his singing and leaned over to my friend and said, "Oh great, can't somebody else sing today instead of him?" Only then did I realize I was talking to his daughter! I quickly covered up by saying, "I wish you could see the look in your eyes! You thought I was serious!" I quickly turned my head and started listening! That man still sings today at our church and has a beautiful tenor voice. I was stupid as a teenager not to recognize his talent. And I am still friends with his daughter I'm happy to report!

5. I hate milk with a passion! My mother always had me drink a glass at dinner. We had one of those big oval rugs under our kitchen tables growing up. I would make sure I was always the last one at the dinner table and when no one was looking I would pour my milk out on the carpet! I would then use my foot to rub it in so mom couldn't tell ;o) Well....she didn't notice until the sour smell filled the air! Being the dedective that she is it didn't take long to figure out what I had done! You know the saying-Don't cry over spilled milk-well I did because I got a spanking!

6. I was dumb enough to let my brother talk me into believing that there was a Hair Fairy! I would save all the hair from my hairbrush and put it under my pillow hoping that she would bring me some new ponytail holders or ribbons! Yeah, that was dumb!

7. My first day working at Hickory Farms I sold one of the displays to somebody that was shipping it as a gift to Texas! Nobody bothered to tell me they were fake~they weighed as much as the real thing! I wonder what that person thought when they tried to bite into the beef stick?

8. I tried buttermilk once because my grandma loved it and I admired her so much~NASTY!

9. As a teenage girl I always sat by all the teenage boys at church~one time after going to the bathroom I came back to the pew with my dress tucked inside my undies. Talk about embarassing~the guys have never let me live that one down!

10. My husband and my brother-in-law sound exactly alike, especially on the phone. Right after we were married my bil called me pretending to be my hubby (my husband put him up to it). Being the young newlywed that I was I said all kinds of embarassing mushy things. This went on for at least five minutes until I heard my husband laughing in the background. I was none to please with my new husband to say the least. I still kinda blush in front of my bil too!

11. As some of you know my husband restores cars for a living and many years ago he asked if he could bring home a transmission because he had no where to store it for the time being. I said SURE why not! Fast forward about fifteen years...that same transmission is still here! Gggrrrrrr. My fault, me dumb!

12. I'm sure many of us have done this (I hope anyway) but one time I double deposited a big check. I'm not sure why I didn't realize it because it was quite a large one and of course I bounced many checks until I discovered it. Luckily, we have a checking account that pays for that kind of stuff-but still this was a really dumb thing to do!

13. The list could go on and on of all the dumb things I have ever said or done, but I guess I will end with this one....We had a nurse shark named Fluffy...NO! That's not the dumb thing I did was naming him Fluffy...that was my husband's doing! Anyway, I accidentally killed him. When my husband was in South Africa it was my job to take care of Fluffy. By this time he was 28 inches long. We had a 110 gallon tank so he had plenty of room. Anywho, one night Fluffy bumped one of the tubes in his tank and it broke. By the time I realized it about half of the water had gushed out onto the floor! I spent hours and hours drying up all the water. I let it dry overnight and the next morning when I went to feed Fluffy I turned on the lights for his tank... there was still water left in the power strip and it somehow it shocked him to death and sent me flying. Do you have any idea how hard it was to tell my husband I had killed his shark? He was not mad at me and was more concerned for my injuries, but I felt horrible. We had a nice little funeral for Fluffy the Shark. He will always be remembered fondly.....

What's something dumb you have done that you are willing to share?

WFMW~The Christmas Edition!

I know this Christmas edition of WFMW is going to be a fun one!

When my husband and I first married we had absolutely no ornaments to put on our nine foot Douglas Fir tree! We went to Target and Wal-mart and bought those colored balls which were okay, they just weren't svery special. Over the years we have accumulated more than enough special ornaments to decorate two nine foot trees!

When I had kids I knew that when they were old enough and moved out I didn't want them to start out with a bare tree. Every year I buy them a very special ornament (usually from the Hallmark stores) that describes their personality for that year. When "J" was big into fire trucks we bought him a fire truck ornament, when "K" wanted to be a ballerina we bought her...well, you get the idea! Each of the kids have their own special box of ornaments that they get to hang on the tree each year. They get a kick hanging them up each year and remembering the different phases of their childhood. Plus they know that when they decide to leave home that they get to take their special ornaments with them to decorate their very first tree!

If you haven't thought of this before, it's never to late to start!

Merry Christmas Everybody!

Nine Weird Things

I've been seeing this meme different places and wanted to do it too!

1. Both my folks and my brother wore glasses and I didn't like being the odd one out so I failed my eye exam on purpose so I could have glasses too! Let's just say I couldn't see nary a thing when I got my new spectacles! I'm still the only one in my family that doesn't need glasses!

2. When I read a paper, a magazine or an ad I always start on the back page first. I've tried the normal way and I just can't do it! I'm fine when I read a book tough!

3. I'm scared to pick up cans of refrigerated biscuits~weird I know, but there is a good reason why....the first few times I bought them at the store I picked them up and they immediately popped in my hands ! Been scared ever since ;o)

4. I love to dip my grilled cheese in ketchup and lots of it!

5. When I was eight years old my cat Napoleon ran away from home. I was heart broken because he was the husband to my other cat Angel! One day when I left for school Napoleon was on my front porch waiting for me! I rejoiced with gladness. My mom said, "That cat is NOT Napoleon!" I insisted she was wrong and that I knew my own cat! Well, turns out mom does know best. "Napoleon" gave birth to a litter of five kittens two weeks later!

6. I like my hot food hot-I'd rather blow on my food and cool it down than to take a bite of lukewarm soup...eewwww! Speaking of which, I also like my drinks super duper mega cold with tons and tons of ice! I drove my family nuts when I had kidney stones because my drinks never seemed cold enough. We went through many bags of ice trying to please me!

7. Ever since I was eleven I have been in love with Donny Osmond and I know that someday when both he and I are no longer with our current spouses that we will meet and fall in love ;o)

8. I've said it once and I'll say it again...BLUE makes me happy. One of my employees brought me in a cell phone holder today that is blue and I keep looking at it and smiling. I told "G" thank you so much and he said it was no big deal. I told him it was to a big deal because if he messed up today on a car I couldn't get mad at him because I have my new blue cell phone holder sitting beside me to keep me happy! Then "G" said that blue made him happy too! Aha, a new convert!
9. I'm 42 years old and I still love to blow huge bubbles with my bubble gum. I'm still a kid at heart~what can I say? :o)

Monday Madness

1. From ch'i:If you could only read one blog every day- which one blog would be on your daily list?

Oh, that's an easy one....the first one I read everyday is Barb at A Chelsea Morning! She not only has yummy recipes, but craft ideas, dog stories :o), shares openly about her family, and I love her Sunday Meanderings! She is a very special lady.

2. From kat:What do you do to de-stress from a hectic day? I like to sit on the edge of my bed and take a deep breath, play a little Tetris on my cell phone and then give God the praise that I made it through another day and ask Him to help me ge through the next day!

3. From paxil princess:What is your favorite piece of clothing to wear in the winter?

I keep a navy blue sweater with me at all times. It's one of those big ugly kind, but it keeps me just the right temperature when I get a little chilly!

4. From sherle:Do you prefer discussing problems with a sibling, a parent, a significant other, a psychologist, or a total stranger?

Definitely my husband and then we go together in prayer and ask God to give us wisdom in solving the problems we are faced with at the moment.

5. From trista:How long have you been blogging?

Only a few short months. I tend to do alot of these memes because I spend most of my free time reading other blogs! I cannot believe how many great ones there are...the list goes on and on and on!

6. From lisa e:Which side of the bed?

Always the right side no matter where we are at.

7. From elton:How often do you pig out when you eat?

The only thing I've ever really pigged out on is Penne Rustica from Romano's Macaroni Grill! I get full after a few bites, but it is just so darn tasty I usually end up eating most of it! I know, me bad!

8. From karen:Do you watch the space shuttle launches?

My husband loves to watch them so I usually watch with him. When we were in Florida a few years back we did get to see some kind of launch at night! It was amazing to see the least.

9. From dawn:What's your favorite leisure-time activity? My family loves playing board games together! Usually every Friday or Saturday night we play something~it depends on the girls' work schedule. Friday night we played Mad Gab and laughed and laughed!

10. From sherle:When is the last time you said, 'I love you' and to whom? What about hugs? Who is the last person you hugged?

My hubby just walked out the door and I told him I loved him. The last "person" I hugged was actually my bulldog when I left for work! If I hug her and tell her I'll be back she doesn't try to get in the car with me; otherwise she races to the car and jumps in and is ready to go bye bye!

I hope everyone's week is off to a great start! Mine is actually a little rocky today. I have lots of things to be praying for this week, but I have lots to be thankful for too! I'm off to read blogs!!

Thursday Thirteen

Thirteen Things I Did And Learned On Our Las Vegas & California Trip!

1. This is sad, but true~On the flight out to Vegas I watched my new Donny & Marie Osmond dvd and cringed at every cheesy skit they did! It was great to be eleven years old again!

2. I learned to complain in Vegas (I usually keep my complaints to myself). When we arrived at our hotel room the lock did not work. The maintenance guy worked on it for three hours and it still didn't work. If we wanted in our room we had to have security unlock it for us. It was the only handicapped room available otherwise we would have switched rooms. Anywho, they got it fixed and told us so and left it at that. We said we wanted compensated in some way so they did give us a couple of nights free!

3. Although we went to the SEMA convention for work I did manage to get 98 pens, 37 lanyards, about six pounds of assorted candy, six hats, over 100 stickers, 42 key chains, a bunch of miscellaneous stuff like air freshners, screwdrivers, water bottles, etc., 11 t-shirts, and a ton of nice bags to use for whatever! I love getting the freebies!

4. I got my crutches signed by Mario Andretti~now I can walk faster ;o)

5. I'm not a gambler, but I did win $30 on a penny machine! I took my earnings and bought three Las Vegas hoodies for my kids at just $10 a piece!

6. I won a hat and six really nice polo type shirts at the Quaker State oil booth! I know my son will love the shirts!

7. I got my crutches pin striped by Hot Rod~a famous pin striper~who is also a christian!

8. Went to MGM on Halloween and saw some freaks! I did see some really good Jack Sparrow costumes and some other clever ones. Then there was the guy dressed up like a Playboy bunny~eewwww, a guy dressed as Tarzan with very little on, and a blind referee!

9. We did the usual touristy stuff in California like the Chinese theatre, walk of stars, see the Hollywood sign, went to the ocean, saw the NBC studios and ate at In & Out Burger!

10. I learned that I always overpack no matter how hard I try not too! Went home with a huge duffel bag of clean clothes. I guess it's better to be safe than naked :o)

11. I learned that it's nice to have some time for yourself! I let the guys go to Magic Mountain without me and spent the day reading blogs (happiness and joy) reading a Lori Wick book, talking to my kids without interruptions, watching whatever I wanted on the television, and eating when I wanted to!

12. I realized that I can spend eight days with the same three guys (hubby and our two employees who are more like my sons) and survive all the car talk from morning til night! I'm good at pretending to be interested!!!

13. I learned that it's nice to go away for a bit, but the best place to be is at home with your dog, your parents and mostly your children who you missed more than anything!

IT"S NICE TO BE HOME!

Monday Madness

Using the letters in your name (first, last, both, whatever), describe your life!

A~AWANA. This is a "Bible" club at our church and I am the director of Chums, which is 8 and 9 year old girls! This keeps me very busy from week to week, but I love it so much. This age group is the best!!

M~mom stands for Mean Old Mother! This is a running joke in my family, but seriously I can't think of a more rewarding job than to be called "Mom"!

Y~yesterday is the past, learn from your mistakes, try not to do it again, and move on.

D~devoted. I am devoted to my family and friends. If you need me I'm there for you!

I~Indiana. I was born and raised in Indiana and have never lived anywhere else. I love my town and my state and would be happy living here the rest of my life.

A~arthritis. Not trying to be a downer, but this is my daily life which brings on new challenges everyday. It is not who I am, but having it has made me the person I am today.

N~never a dull moment! It is a good thing I can adapt to any situation because while I try to plan things and know what's going on, it never happens. But that's okay too!

E~eternity....because I have accepted Jesus Christ as my Saviour I will live forever after my time on earth is no more!

S~secrets. Nothing bad, mind you, but nobody knows I do this blog. This is just for me and it's fun to have this harmless secret!

T~tough. My family and friends always dscribe me as being one tough broad! I take it as a good thing!

R~rich. Not with money and material things, but rich in spirit and life. My treasure chest is overflowing with love for my Saviour, my family, memories and stories to tell my grandkids, contentment in knowing that this world is not my final home!

I~in love! I love my husband of 22 years more than anything!

B~blessed! My life is filled with many blessing everyday from my kids, my hubby, my best friends, my dog....I could go on and on!

L~laughter :o) My very favorite thing to do! I can see the humor in almost anything!

I~interested. I am always interested in other people's lives. I thinks that's why I love reading blogs so much!

N~new. I look forward to each new day and the challenges it brings along with learning new things!

G~giraffes! They just make me happy, what can I say?!