So much going on!

This is me holding a one-day old baby, Sean Patrick. How adorable he is! 9lbs, 13 oz. And so cute! Yeah, when she asked me if I wanted to hold him, I said yes. I got to hold Baby JJ when he was, I think, five days old. I guess I actually am getting more comfortable with the little ones. Oh, yeah, and Frankie when she was only a few days old, too. Wow, I held them all at less than a week old! I guess I am better! Maybe it has something to do with the fact that mine are growing up so fast! Rebekah will be four on the 28th! And Jess will be six in April. SIX! No way! I just had her! It does not seem that long.






We have had a full day today and it is only 3pm! The mall had a Breakfast with the Easter Bunny program on today. A craft, free breakfast from McDonalds, visit the Easter Bunny and a nice man making balloon animals. There was a woman doing face painting, too. It was all free! The girls had a great time! We went with their friend Zack and his parents (my friends). The kids had a lot of fun, but it was crowded, so we left after a little while. Then we went to Mulligan's. There was hardly anybody there! We went on the bumper boats, the go-karts, we played lazer tag and miniature golf. Very fun, but we were there until about 1pm and it was getting really warm. We got a little pink from being in the sun and we were all getting thirsty and tired. But a good time was had by all!


And now, for pictures of our Buddy. He is a very good kitty. Except when Jess and Bekah were at my dad's overnight on Wednesday, Buddy was lonely. Jess was not in her bed to sleep next to, so he came in our room. Apparently Buddy has been sleeping during the day, so does not need to sleep at 1am. He was awake. Wide awake. And he wanted to play fetch. He will bring the paper ball back ten or more times before he gets bored with this game. Better than either dog. He waits for you to throw the ball and hauls butt over the side of the bed to retrieve it. Hilarious. He is a good kitty and pretty smart, too. Jess does really well with him. Bekah, not so much. She won't stop picking him up and, though he is very patient with her, sometimes she ends up on the wrong end of a claw. I think it is mostly accidental, when they are playing. He is very sweet and good about not scratching the girls. But I want her to learn to be nice to the cat! Anyway, he is a love and has already wiggled his way into our hearts. It wasn't hard.

Oatmeal Cookies Recipe

I was talking with Sandy and she was looking for a healthy recipe for something yummy. I created this recipe a while back for Scott's uncle, who is diabetic. The nice thing about these cookies is, they get better with age! The flavor of the cinnamon permeates the oats and flour and they actually taste better a day or two after you make them! And they stay soft, too, because they don't go flat like most cookies. They are yummy little mounds of goodness. And you don't notice the fact that there is only a total of 1/2 cup of sugar in them (the brown sugar and evaporated cane juice). Try 'em, you will like them!

Diabetic Oatmeal Cookies

1 1/2 C. whole wheat flour
1 1/4 t. baking soda
1 t. Stevia sweetener
1/2 t. salt
1 t. cinnamon
Mix together and set aside.

2 sticks butter
2 eggs
1 t. vanilla
1/4 c. brown sugar
1/4 c. organic evaporated cane juice
1/4 c. applesauce, unsweetened
3 C. oatmeal
1 C. raisins

Cream together butter and brown sugar, add eggs and vanilla, cane juice and applesauce. Add flour mixture in thirds, stirring to combine. Then stir in oatmeal and raisins.

Use large scoop (#40) to make uniform 3-inch cookies. Turn onto baking sheet (preferably baking stone) and bake for 10-12 minutes at 350 degrees.

Dad and Ebay

I can't remember if I ever wrote about the problems Dad had with the guy he bought parts from on ebay. Well, he paid for them back in October and received them in November. The parts were junk, sloppy and worn out, but the guy claimed they were tight fitting and in good shape. Well, he wouldn't return them. So we complained to ebay. Took forever, but they replied and said we needed to talk to Paypal. So we did. The guy wouldn't budge. So we filed a claim. Took another five weeks. They decided in our favor. Return the parts, get your money back. So we did. Waited some more. Finally got the credit on the Amex. The guy was a complete jerk. Claiming the parts were in good shape when they were not. Porsche repair is all Dad has done for the last 45 years!

Dad called me up the other night to tell me the guy re-listed the parts. Said due to a "recent horrible experience with a rookie in California" that he would accept no returns on these parts. Trying to sell them again to some unsuspecting person that probably won't take it as far as we did!

It is irritating, though also comedic, that my Dad, who is very well known in the Porsche field, especially vintage racing, 356 restoration, etc., would be labeled as a "rookie".

The nerve of some people!

Here I am

Thanks, guys, for missing me. I am fine. All is well. I have just not even gotten to the computer for more than five minutes. Yesterday was Kid Day. We started out at the park, where my friend Lisa and I walked and the kids played and ran around on the grass. Then we went to the library for story time. Then we went to the mall and had lunch at Red Robin. Then we went to the play area at the mall and the kids played. We ran home and got Jess ready for ballet and dropped her off there. Rebekah and I went to the store and Albertson's was having an 8-hour sale. I spent $71 and saved $93. No coupons! Well, two coupons that they had in the aisle. I did good! Then we went back and picked up Jess and went home and had teriyaki chicken (marinated for two days), steamed broccoli, carrots and zucchini and steamed rice. Yum! I didn't get to the computer! The day before was much the same. No computer! Today I will be home most of the day, except for Rebekah's ballet lesson. She is so cute in her little ballet outfit. Jessica looks like a mini-ballerina, Rebekah looks like she swiped her sister's ballet outfit for dress up. It fits her fine, it's just she doesn't do much. Last week her teacher sent her out of class because "Rebekah wants to lie down on the floor instead of dance". Hmm. We had a little talk and sent her back in. I don't think she is a born ballerina. Jess is. She is graceful and loves to dance. Her only problem is that she wants to do it HER way instead of listening to the teacher. But she is getting much better! No complaints from her teacher in WEEKS! My baby is growing up!

My friend Mary is having her baby today. She called me last night to tell me she would be going in this morning at 6am! She was like 2 1/2 inches dilated yesterday when she went for her appointment. Maybe the dr didn't want to have to be called over the weekend? Anyway, he is a good dr (the same one I go to) and very nice, so she will be in good hands.

We still don't know what the baby is and they have not definitely decided on a name! She said when they saw the baby then they would see what he or she looked like and pick the name from their list.

We will go see them at the hospital on Saturday. Such fun!

We are off to ballet at 10am today, then waiting here for Fedex to deliver eight Pampered Chef boxes and the delivery company to deliver the lower foundation for the bed. Three inches lower - so I shouldn't have to take a flying leap into my bed because it is so high. No joke.

Speaking of the bed, it is VERY comfortable. I don't wake up in the middle of the night when I turn over. Actually I don't wake up in the middle of the night at all anymore. Scott's mom came over on Monday and she wanted to try it. She said she could easily sleep on that and that it didn't hurt her back. It is comfortable.

The kitty is doing very well. He sleeps on Jessica's bed all night. He is feeling much better now, too. He was playing with the girls a lot yesterday. They cut off pieces of curling ribbon and walk around with it trailing behind them and he chases after them. And he can go from that to curling up in your lap and taking a nap. He is really becoming a part of the family. And he is really cute. When you talk to him, he meows back. Then purrs. Really loud. His cold is almost gone. He still has a little cough left. May take him to the vet just to make sure it is all gone. I will see how he is next week.

So all is well and I am fine. Sorry that I haven't written. So much for my resolution! That didn't last long! I will still try to write as often as I can. But don't stop visiting if it isn't every day! Have a great day!

Heeeeeere Kitty kitty!

This should have been posted at 9am, however, blogger was being a butthead and wouldn't let me post. I kept getting error messages! But I'm not bitter...

No, he doesn't have a name yet. And he is going to be an indoor only kitty. Unless, of course, he pees in the bed. Just kidding. We lost two to coyotes and don't want to lose any more! He was very good yesterday and he is learning to not scratch on the furniture. We have a BIG cat tree, reaches almost to the ceiling. He was sleeping on the thing yesterday. It has a round enclosed area and he plopped himself in it, with his head sticking out the front and took a nap. The girls wore him out! Last night Dad spent the night because he was here all day and we decided it didn't make sense to drive home when everything would be frozen! So he left this morning after we made German pancakes.

The kitty sat on my lap for about an hour last night while we watched the food channel. Even Scott is getting into the food channel! He better not try to get in my kitchen! Just kidding, I like it when he helps in the kitchen. Something I like doing and doing it with someone I like. Anyway, while we watched Alton Brown, the kitty sat on me and purred and cleaned himself. He was very good. For a kitten, he is very calm. The kids tried to chase him out of the front room and he looks at them like, "What?" Not scared or spooked at all. Just kind of curious why they are yelling and waving their arms around. It's funny.

So far the only thing we've called him is "Kitty kitty". And that doesn't seem like the right name for a boy kitty. So we will have to confer on this one and come up with something that works. I have always liked Siatee (pronounced C-A-T), but that also sounds like a girls name. So, I don't know. Scott likes Edgar. I think that was it. How about Tommy. Any suggestions? Definitely open for suggestions.

The bed is working out fine. I didn't wake up in the middle of the night, which I used to do. I feel like I sink in and can curl up into a comfortable position. I sleep wierd, kinda twisted over, with one leg crossed over and bent on top of the straight one underneath. Hard to describe. Anyway, it is much more comfortable in this bed than the other one! And Hubby is happy. Much happier than he was in the Number bed. That was such a joke!

Gotta go. Have a great day!

I'mmm Baaaaack!

THE MATTRESS

The Hubby didn't wake up with a backache! Yeah! He usually does. He slept well. Me? Oh, well, I need a little time to get used to it. It's just me. I DID sleep more comfortably than I did on the mattress we HAD. And much better than the Sleep Number Bed. Dad still loves his, by the way. Scott even took a nap yesterday. He had a couple of hours between the mattress arrival and the cat pick-up, so he took a little cat nap. Ha. He loves his new mattress.

They brought the wrong foundation. The mattress is....fourteen inches high. To the edge. The top is actually a bit higher. And the foundation is five inches. Put that on top of our Ethan Allen bedframe and the whole thing is like thirty-seven inches off the floor! My feet are like 6-8 inches off the floor when I sit on the edge of the bed! Well, they were supposed to bring the low-profile foundation with it. It is two inches lower. They didn't. We ended up with the regular one. Even though Scott talked to the Aireloom rep beforehand, called and left the message for the saleslady and she called him to confirm. It didn't say low-profile on the order form. So, they are going to order it now. So they have to come back out here. Bummer for them.

Scott is evil. The delivery guy, when he is getting ready to drag the old mattress out, takes a blade and slices the side of it, so he can put his hand in and haul it out. After he slices it open, Scott says, "Oh. We were going to keep the old one." He said the guy turned white. I couldn't do that with a straight face. The Hubby can.

THE KITTY

He is so cute! The girls spent the night looking after him. Rebekah says, "He is SOOOO CUUUUUUTE! He is just a baby!" She likes anything that is a baby. Won't eat baby carrots. You know, 'cuz they are babies. Loves everything tiny. She just adores the kitty.

Jess is really good with the kitty. She is able to pick him up and he doesn't have a problem with that at all. He is very calm and well behaved. She is learning to watch him and follow after him to be sure he doesn't scratch the furniture or anything.

We are going to have somewhat of a transition period, but you know, when you get a new puppy, they have accidents and stuff, too, so this is not surprising.

Should be interesting...

It's Coming

Don't bother me today. My mattress is coming between 9 and 1 and I will be busy after that. Scott stayed home today for this momentous occasion. So, we will be trying it out after it's arrival. Then we have to go pick up the newest member of our family. We got to hold him yesterday and he was just as adorable as I thought he would be. Very sweet. So, what a day! A new bed and a new family member! Wahoo!

My 200th Post

Wow. A momentous occasion. 200 blog posts. I'm good. Pretty soon my number of posts will catch up to the number of profile views. Which means my number of readers is not very high. Oh well. To my five loyal readers - THERE'S LOVE!!!!

So, we, well, more to the point, I, decided I was ready for a cat. It has been a year since the whole cat bite incident and well, I miss having a furry friend to cuddle up on my lap, to wake me up in the morning, to play with the kids, to just generally be there for us. So, The Hubby reluctantly agreed to let me look. Found a few prospects in the Pennysaver, but he shot them all down. And none were kittens. Newspaper? Nothing. Really. Nothing. Petsmart. One cute cat. Eight months old. How long has he been in the cage? Didn't seem all that friendly. Truth is, after what happened the last time, I was pretty nervous about ANY cat from there. The adoption places just get feral cats a lot of times and after the supposedly "nice" cat bit me, I was really nervous about that. So, we went to the pound. All the while The Hubby is warming up to the idea. A little. He's worried about his leather recliner. So am I.

So we go to the pound last week when he was off of work on Wednesday. They had some tiny kittens. They were on hold. They had this cute black one, but he was just found, so we couldn't hold him, take him, nothing. Well, we decided to put a hold on him (that's the way you do it if they are not available yet) and they told us we could take him out of the cage on Saturday and take him home on Monday, after his little snip-snip. So, we dutifully go over there on Saturday.

Animal Control Person: Oh, it hasn't been five days, so you cannot take him out of the cage. It has to be five days and that will be on Monday.

Me: So, you are telling us that the other person got the dates mixed up and we cannot hold him and visit with him until we come to GET him on Monday?

ACP: Yes. And he will be having surgery on Monday morning, so he will be a little groggy from the surgery.

Me: So, we will have no idea of what he is like prior to taking him home.

ACP: Right. But we offer a two week trial period. So you can bring him back and exchange for another animal if it doesn't work out.

Me: Great.

So we go back to look at the cats. All new faces, it seems, except for Junior. (We already named him, since he looks just like Scooter.) So we find the cage numbers for a couple of other cats. No go. One just came in, so he has to be there for five days first and the other has a hold. THIS IS FRUSTRATING! We leave and plan to come back on Monday between 3 and 6, like they told us.

So I get a phone call this morning.

It's the Animal Control Person.

"This message is for Amy. We couldn't do the surgery on the cat you were going to pick up because he ate food after he was supposed to and the vet didn't want to do the surgery on him. So you can't take him home until tomorrow between 3 and 6."

What a rebellious cat. He chose to eat after being told not to! He was probably thinking, "Hmm. If I eat, they won't do the snip-snip on me. Let me think..."

So, why didn't they remove the food so he couldn't eat? He's only four months old. He isn't going to listen if they say, "Okay Jr., don't eat tonight, okay? Good kitty."

Mm-hmm. Scott described the guy working there as Inbred Jed. Not the brightest lightbulb in the box.

I guess we will go visit Jr. tonight and maybe bring him some flowers or kitty grass. After all, he is having surgery tomorrow.

Actually this is good. The Hubby has sympathy for him and his procedure tomorrow. And we could use another boy in the house.

And he's really cute.

My Secret Fairy Friend

Well, here it is. These are the things my secret fairy friend sent me! SSSOOOOOOO COOOOLLL!!! All things chocolate! And when I thought there was nothing more there, we found a little chocolate bar in the bottom of the box! She thought of everything! Stuff I didn't know existed! Everything was so nicely packaged and the girls thoroughly enjoyed opening all the little red packages! It was beautiful. We received it a week ago, two days after Valentine's Day, so for us, V-Day lasted longer than normal! It is so fun to get things in the mail. In this day of email and telephones and all things digital, it is nice to get an old-fashioned package. Especially one brimming with goodies that you don't know about! Such fun! She made a beautiful card that was just adorable! There was an adorable little painted canister full of Hershey's kisses like I have never seen before! Raspberry and Cherry Flavored kisses! Who Knew!!! There were altoids. Chocolate ones! The regular ones are way too hot for me, but when they are paired up with chocolate, I could eat the whole box! And the girls just LOVED the M&M's flavored lip gloss. Such fun! And who ever heard of candy-covered, chocolate dipped sunflower seeds. Rosemary, you gotta try these! And the cutest little magnet and key chain! So many nice things!

So, thank you, my Secret Fairy Friend, Stefani, for making this Valentine's Day a day to remember!

When I joined the SOSF, I didn't think it was going to be this much fun! I thoroughly enjoyed this!

The Aireloom Mattress

Okay, we ordered THE MATTRESS. We finally decided on which one to get. And we got the killer President's Day sale price. We were the proverbial "Wheelers and Dealers". We talked 'em down till they were exhausted. We left em in tears 'cause they didn't make any money off the deal. Yeah, we did good. And we got a mattress that is so comfortable, I am going to sleep like a dream. Scott is pretty happy. He said every day till we get it, he's going to be miserable. It's a paradox.

So, we finally got this whole mattress thing done. I can't wait.

Now, what if we don't sleep any better on the new mattress?

Today I am Thankful For...

My Secret Fairy! I will show you all the things she sent me within the next day or so. SOOO Nifty! We got this oh-so-cool package in the mail on Friday afternoon! Thank you!!!

John Harvey

There is a lady at our church whose son is in Iraq. He has a birthday coming up in a week. So, I got this brilliant idea to send him a package from anyone and everyone who wants to participate! We are going to make some cookies and brownies and send a birthday card with happy wishes for him and anyone who wants to comment and send a birthday greeting his way can do so. In fact, we encourage you to do so! If you want so send something along with the package, I will be sending it out on Wednesday, so whatever you want to include (baked goods, toothbrushes, toothpaste, chewing gum, something cool I am not thinking of now), then let me know and I will plan to include it in the shipment. I figure if we get too many things, he can share them with the guys he is with. I am certain they can't have too much! Chocolate bars are happily accepted and I am told Butterfingers are his favorite! So, if you want to be included, please write something nice and I will print all the birthday wishes and if you want to just send a generic hey, how are ya to the guys in the troop, we will send that along as well. No matter what your feelings are on the war, these guys are over there doing their job for their country and deserve to be acknowledged, right? So let's do right by them! Please feel free to post well wishes in the comments!

Pie Soup

I never made a lemon meringue pie before. But Hubby wanted one for Valentine's Day. I was so worried about the crust (it has been 20 years since I made a crust) that I just didn't concern myself about the rest of it. The good news is the crust was excellent! I had a good recipe, using all butter, no Crisco. And I had a pastry blender that Pampered Chef just came out with last year with a long handle and it made cutting in the butter a breeze. I had a silicone pastry mat (also from PC) that shows you how big to make the piecrust and then you just lift it up, turn it over and peel the crust off of it and into the pie plate. Voila! Easy. The rest of the pie - not so much. I did something wrong with the lemon filling. It tasted really good, but it didn't set up. It seemed fine when I was making it, it just never got really solid. More like lemon pudding consistency. And the meringue. Well, I added the sugar too early. I didn't know you have to whip it up first and then add the sugar. So it took FOREVER! And I never achieved the volume that meringue is supposed to have. It was only about an inch high and then that shrunk. Tasted good, though.

Oh well. This just means I have to try again! It was a fun experiment! So I have had a piece of pie soup for dessert and Hubby had a brownie and milk. Made the brownies the other night when we were watching the chocolate special on Food Network. Couldn't NOT make something chocolate that night.

When I get the recipe right I will post it on the Bon Vivant website. Until then, I am going to practice. I have lots of lemons left!

Today I am Thankful For...

My cold going away.

Finally.

Thank You

Thank you to everybody for all your caring words and concern about me. I am actually really getting better now. I thought I was doing okay the other day, but then I got bad again. Now it has been a week and a half. This thing stinks! I have only a little bit of stuffiness left and a little cough, but it has really zapped all my energy! But this too shall pass and I am feeling better everyday!

So, HAPPY VALENTINES DAY EVERYBODY! Hopefully yours is full of chocolate and love! I made some chocolate caramel turtles yesterday with pecans in some and almonds in others. Then I had more chocolate, so I covered some mini-marshmallows and added a few walnut pieces to that. The girls really liked that. I am trying to temper the chocolate so that it sets up properly. The Food Network (one of the only channels we get that is any good) has been having chocolate week and they have had some really good information on there lately. So, I figured I would give it a try. I may need to buy a chocolate tempering machine, though. Please feel free to tell this to the hubby, in case he is looking for a cool present, oh, in say, mid-September! Or earlier. Maybe in April. Or now. You know, if it comes up! Because chocolate is pretty temperamental, you know. Anyway, everything tastes good, so that is half the battle!

I am going to call a friend. Got to get back into the normal swing of things. The girls are doing better. They are just getting over their colds, too.

Lots of love and hugs and kisses to all of you out there! I will be back at this again regularly! Have a great day!!!

Still Yucky

This is the cold from hell. I haven't slept for the last two nights. I am wheezing so much it wakes me up. Then I start coughing and hacking and I wake up The Hubby, too. Yesterday Mary dropped off three lemons so I could make her cold remedy. Lemon juice in a shotglass. Squeeze a clove of garlic in it and drink it down. Well, I didn't think about it last night after making dinner. But this morning after I got up I took this:

2 Sudafed caplets
1 AirBorne lozenge in a cup of water
1 shot glass of lemon juice with 1 clove of garlic

Anybody else have any suggestions? I certainly won't have any vampires after me, that's for sure! This thing is harder to kick than I thought, though. So far, the score is cold 2, Amy 0.

Oh yeah, and I haven't had any sugar or anything bad, either.

Feeling a little better...

I don't feel like I am going to die now. That's good. Apparently I can't treat my body like I am nineteen anymore. Too bad. But I do feel a little better. Maybe it's the rest, or the 12000 mg of vitamin C I have taken today, or the astragalus, or the ibuprofen. Or a combination of all of them. Whatever it is, it's working. Thank goodness, because the hubby doesn't know what to do with me. He has never seen me sick before and isn't coping very well. Although he did help get dinner on the table (Campbell's chicken noodle soup) and served me my hot tea. And helped the girls get ready for bed. All this after working all day. What a good hubby! I sure hope I am back to normal pretty soon. I don't like feeling useless.

I sent off a package on Thursday to my Secret Fairy friend. I signed up for a parcel exchange a couple of weeks ago at the Society of Secret Fairies blog page here and sent out my handmade card and chocolate parcel. Along with a couple of other things I thought she would like. I don't actually know if I will be receiving a package from the same person I am sending to or if it is someone else. Kind of fun, though. I will be posting a picture of the package I receive when I get it. I can't wait! It is fun to buy a little present for someone and anticipate getting something in the mail. Some of the SOSF fairies are in other countries, mine is in the US. Other than that, I don't think I can say much yet. You all will just have to wait.

Have a wonderful day!

WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN???

Well, Friday, I was cleaning the house until 4am on Saturday morning getting ready for the baby shower on Saturday. I slept from 4-8am, then got up and got back to cleaning. My friend Lisa, who did the shower with me, came over at 12:00 and we started in on the food. My house was almost clean, and her husband actually picked up the last few things that were on the table. So nice! We made a fruit platter, veggies and dip, chips and dip, ham and swiss on croissants, heavenly pink salad, mandarin pasta salad. I think that's it. And another girl named Amy, a friend of Mary, brought over some spinach and artichoke dip and french bread and crab stuffed mushrooms. YUM!!! And then she proceeded to stay in the kitchen and put the pasta salad and heavenly pink salad together. What a nice person! I am so glad I have such nice people around me. I wouldn't and couldn't have done the shower without Lisa. I called her up four times for stuff I didn't get a chance to get and she was so kind and never said no, I can't do it. She is such a gracious friend! She even drove over to the party store on Saturday morning and got some stuff to decorate. I totally forgot about that until about 2am on Saturday. Once all the junk was gone from the family room and living room, I looked around and said, hey, I forgot about the decorations! So she made a really cute banner and bought the streamers and she and her husband decorated the living room and it turned out great! What would I have done without her? And Amy was a big help in the kitchen, too. We are going to get together and hang out in the near future. Such fun!

The baby shower was a huge success. There were about fifteen people here. We played stork bingo, the chocolate diapers game, guess how big around the pregnant woman is, guess how many smarties in the baby bottle and I think there was something else, but now I can't remember. And we had some great prizes! Mary brought a $20 gift cert. to Applebee's, Lisa brought two different body lotion/spa treatment type gift sets. I got a stained glass candle holder, little boxes with See's chocolates in them, and a box of pretty, embossed note cards. Of course Lisa and Mary's prizes were the ones that got stolen when we did the game where you can steal a prize or take a new one! There was a lot of stealing going on! Amy even stole the Applebee's card from a little girl! However, when the little girl ended up with a box of chocolate, she was quite happy! A good time was had by all!

Then on Sunday I had a friend over who I had not had a chance to spend as much time with as I would have liked. We had a blast! She has quite the interesting past and found out about a portion of it. What an amazing woman! Talk about handling adversity! I wish I could tell you all her story, but some things are better left unsaid! I can say, though, if you ever met this woman, you would all love her as much as I do! She is truly amazing and has been through so much!

Well, by the time Sunday night came, I was so exhausted, I ended up getting Rebekah's cold. I really hope my friend doesn't get it! I could hardly sleep, I had the chills. And I stayed in bed for like twelve hours! Then on Monday at 11:30, we had a reservation for tea at Molly Kate's Tea Room. It was so nice! The first time I have taken the girls for tea. They both behaved very well. They had dinosaur shaped grilled cheese and chocolate chip and cherry scones and clotted cream, red grapes and strawberries. And raspberry lemonade in footed goblets! And Jess had her pinky in the air the entire time! Then they had a tiny chocolate cupcake with swirled pink icing and little candy hearts on top, sitting on top of a paper doily on a china plate. So cute! My lunch was a delicious broccoli cheese soup, chicken salad (with raisins, walnuts, celery) on a croissant, mini cucumber sandwiches with dilled cream cheese on wheat, a chocolate chip and cherry scone with clotted cream and for dessert, chocolate cake with chocolate raspberry syrup and cream on top! Yum! We all had tea and the girls got to put "Sugahhh" in theirs. That was supposed to sound fancy. All the time with the pinky in the air, of course. I got a couple of pictures of them there. A great time was had by all. Hey, Joann, they can seat up to twenty for a ladies tea! We could get the whole place to ourselves!

Hope you are all well. If you don't hear from me, it is because I am a little under the weather still and I am trying to recover so we can go visit my aunt this weekend! Have a great day!

My Mom

Well, this is depressing. I sat down a couple of days ago, to write all about my mom. And I realized I don't know enough to write down anything. I know she was born in Florida, that my Grandma was married to someone I never met before, but I don't know much else. And the only one who knows any of it is my aunt, my mom's sister. I am going to have to talk to her to find out more. But when I realized I don't know much, it made me sad. Because I should know about my own mother, shouldn't I? By the time I was at the point in my life that I wanted to know anything, she was so sick that talking was a struggle for her. It just seemed like everything was so difficult. Her mind was getting very fuzzy. About current things. She would ask the same question five or six times and forget the answer. And if she got something stuck in her head, she wouldn't stop thinking about it. For weeks. She had a something on her ear. I don't remember exactly what it was. But she was worried about it forever! She was so worried about this that she finally went to the doctor and I don't remember what they did about it, but then it wasn't an issue anymore. She thought it was cancer or something. And she didn't want to get cancer! But all the while, when she wasn't worried about dying of cancer, she was praying that the Lord would take her home, because she didn't want to live anymore. She was miserable, not able to do anything, couldn't lift a finger by herself, literally. But she was sure she didn't want to die of cancer! Some things just didn't make sense for the longest time. But talking about her history was not really possible at this point. And I should have made more of an effort to do so, but I didn't. And now I don't know much. That makes me sad. But now I will have to piece this all together. Because there aren't many people left.

And on a lighter note. My mom's mother was Grandma Aurlette. Her husband (the man I always knew as my grandpa) was named Arthur. So, Art and Aurlette. My dad's parents were Oma and Opa. It never occurred to me that these were not their real names. Art and Aurlette were so close, I didn't think Oma and Opa (the German name for Grandma and Grandpa) was too much of a stretch. Didn't know until I was like a teenager that their names were Anna and Joseph!

So, after this baby shower is done, I will have to start doing research on my mom.

Today I am Thankful For...

Our friends. New and old. For the happy times we share with them and the wonderful memories.

Our Friends Are Leaving!

My friend Lana is leaving. Boo-hoo! I am sad. Jessica is very sad. Her friend Melanie and her brother Austin are leaving, too. We went to Chuck E Cheese with them yesterday so the kids could play. They are moving to Nevada on Monday. Sold their house and bought one in a small town in Northern Nevada. About 11 hours drive from here! They had looked in Idaho (yes, she knows exactly where Sandpoint is) and some other places and they ended up in Nevada. Got some land and they are going to have chickens again. I used to get eggs from her before they sold their house in Palmdale. Rebekah wants to move to Duh-vad-a. And Jess does, too, when she turns eighteen.

I met Lana a few years ago when the kids were in gymnastics together. Neither of our kids go to the gymnastics center anymore, but we remained friends. And she has been my best Pampered Chef customer! She has had like four kitchen shows in three years! The last one on Friday last week.

I remember when my best friend moved away when I was four years old. She moved to Cincinnati. When we got old enough to write letters back and forth, we did. Covered them with stickers. I think I had to pay extra postage because of all the stickers on the pages! Now she is a television producer! And I visited her in New York when she worked at NBC before I got married. We stayed in contact through the years. Still do. I hope that Jessica and her friend Melanie stay friends.

Rebekah is sad that Austin is leaving. He gave her some cotton candy at Chuck E Cheese yesterday. You would have thought he gave her the best thing in the world. She gave him this look - smile, with lips pressed together, head tilted to one side, shoulder lifted up to rest her cheek on, eyes half closed. Trying to look sultry. Only succeeded in looking funny and cute. That's Rebekah! Then when we laughed at her, she kept doing it. Then she winked at him and I lost it! It was pretty cute.

I know Jessica will have more friends. She makes friends everywhere she goes. But Melanie has been her best friend and her first real friend. That she got together with and played with. That is special. They have had their differences, but for the most part they have gotten along great. And Jess has always told me if they disagree. Melanie is the one she wanted to call when she lost her first tooth! Thank goodness we have Vonage and calls to anywhere in the US are free. So they can still talk on the phone and send each other letters.

So we are losing some good friends, but maybe we can get up to northern Nevada and visit them sometime. Hopefully! Well, we are not really losing them, but we won't be able to get together like we have. What a bummer! But I wish them well in their new adventure.

Now Jessica wants to move because she thinks it is exciting to move.

The Doug Jones Experience

So there's this guy who goes to our church. He's an actor named Doug Jones. And he is a great guy and a wonderful example of Christ. And he has a beautiful voice. And he has done some very interesting movies. So I am looking up his site, the Doug Jones Experience, and I click on the link for his store. Well, it just seems really funny, to ME, that I could buy t-shirts, hats, trivets and teddy bears with Doug's picture on them. With "The Doug Jones Experience" emblazoned across the front. Now granted, this is not HIS site. He does not maintain it, it is maintained by a fan of his, a very nice one at that. Still, it made me laugh out loud. And I know he would be laughing about himself, which makes it even funnier. I may have to buy one of the children's shirts for the girls.

Today I am Thankful For...

My mother-in-law. Who watched the kids for me yesterday so I could go to the doctor. So I didn't have to explain to the kids at this age what the dr. was doing. AND she put the kids to work and straightened up my family room and kitchen! I'm going to have her over more often! What could I do nice for my m-i-l that wouldn't cost a lot? Any ideas?

Recycled Dollars - Part Two

She asked about it. Yesterday. Oh boy. Then she started looking for it. Frantically. Because she wanted to show it to her friend. I told her she needed to get ready to go to the library for story time and I was able to delay her for a while. So, we got home from the library and I had to go to the USPS website, get the phone number for the post office in Santa Clarita to find out if their stamp vending machine still gave change in dollar coins. Yes! So, on my way back from the dr's office yesterday, I stopped there and deposited a $20 bill into the machine. I had to buy a whole book of stamps! Oh well, it is for a good cause. I got twelve golden dollars and two dimes back! Now I have enough for later, too! I got back home and deposited eleven golden dollars into the monster safe and carefully placed the other on the floor of her playroom, right underneath where the tooth box had been on the shelf. After a little while, I casually asked her if she had a chance to look for the missing dollar. She said no and we went to look for it. I showed her where I had found the box and told her to look on the floor around there. There was plenty of debris on the playroom floor, so she had to do a little digging. She found it! "There's something here and it is shiny! And it is round!! It's my golden dollar!!!" Me: "Oh, good, you found it! Now put it someplace safe, okay? So you don't lose it again." Well, we put it in the monster as well. In a separate location from the other eleven. Phew. Done. I was so worried all day, since I had used the same one. What if the post office no longer had them? What if they only had susan b anthony dollars in the machine? I have received those as change before as well. So I was very relieved when I got golden dollars out of the machine!

In answer to your questions, Rosemary, golden dollars are the Sacagawea $1 coins that came out a few years ago that are no longer being minted. They were originally called Sacagawea dollars, but when people started to call them "Sucky's" because Americans don't want to carry coins around, they changed the name to Golden Dollars. They are a gold color and tarnish very quickly, so then they look almost copper-colored. They are the same size as the Susan B Anthony's. Apparently, the US Mint could save over $500 million per year if we would switch to dollar coins instead of paper dollars, but we the public are so whiny about it that they keep the paper and get rid of the coins. Since when do they listen to us about anything? JUST MAKE THE CHANGE. People will adapt! The campaign should be about saving the money, not making the money! But I digress.

Jess has her golden dollars from the tooth fairy. My guilt is gone. Today will be a good day. Now if I can just keep Rebekah from hitting her sister...

Recycled Dollars

I am a bad mom. I didn't realize that her tooth was as loose as it was. She was able last night to push it straight out forward, at a 90 degree angle from where it should have been. We put the Baby Orajel on and waited. It takes about ten minutes for it to take effect. So then I tried. She cried. I tried again and it came out. Then she bled. But she was happy! She really wanted the tooth fairy to come last night. Then she wanted to go to bed so Roy, the Tooth Fairy, would come. Then she was asking all kinds of questions. How does he get in the house? What does he do? Too many questions. I had to admit that I didn't really know that much about him. Well, then there was the problem of the golden dollar. She was anticipating a golden dollar. She wanted another one! But, being the bad mom, I did not plan ahead. Alas, there was no golden dollar to be found. EXCEPT...the one that was still left in the little tooth box from the first tooth! I went looking for the little tooth box and found it, with the gold dollar inside. I put the gold dollar in my pocket and brought the little box to her, where we together put the tooth in it. Then we put it under her pillow. Then this morning, she came to me and said, "He was HERE!" and produced the golden dollar! Ouch. Another twinge of guilt. She didn't ask about her other golden dollar. She hasn't realized yet that it is missing. However, she will. Just a matter of time. So, I need to find another golden dollar. And a third for the next tooth that is already loose. Nothing like planning ahead.

Today I am Thankful For...

The Tooth Fairy. Who paid another visit last night and made my daughter very happy. She's not going to have a tooth left in her head at this rate!

crazy week!

This IS going to be a crazy week. I have so much going on and the baby shower on Saturday! So far, there are going to be eight of us here for the shower. Maybe nine or ten. Not too bad. And I have only had two calls. Mary has had three people call her and one of them called me. Good thing it wasn't a surprise! Yes, I know the shower is a week away. And they haven't had a lot of time to think about it yet. But I will need to buy food and plan the menu. Some of you understand how frustrating it is when people don't RSVP. They don't seem to know that it means RESPOND PLEASE. Not "Call if you can make it". I have been guilty of this myself. I forget to call. I always feel bad when the shoe is on the other foot. So to speak. I mean, if I do it and I realize I do it, then what of all the people who don't give it a second thought? Nobody RSVP's anymore. My sister once gave a baby shower and one guest showed up. And I gave a baby shower last year that nobody called to say they were coming. We had NO RSVP's. So, I had to call everyone. We ended up with about 13 people. Who hadn't called. Who we would not have known were coming if they hadn't been called. Oh the shame of it! We all, myself included, have such bad manners now! I do vow to from now on figure out what is going on in a timely manner and RESPOND when I get invited to something.

Okay, I feel better. Let's move on, shall we? I gotta get my house cleaned!

Poor Scooter!

So, my friend was over yesterday and during the course of the conversation, she tells me that the last time we were down to visit her (about two weeks ago), she accompanied Rebekah to the toilet. And Rebekah was telling her about Scooter. Scooter was the best cat I ever had. He was the brother to my dad's cat, Grey Kitty. Dad also has Orange Kitty. Scooter was originally called Black Kitty. My nephew was three when he named them. (As a little aside, when I took them all to the vet for their first shots, the vet asked which one was which. Duh.)

Well, Scooter loved living in the San Fernando Valley, and he spent his days chasing birds and insects, rolling around in the dirt and sunning himself in the sun. He would come in sometimes, but mostly enjoyed being outside. He had spent the first two years of his life as an outdoor cat. He was given to Dad's neighbor, a guy that mainly cared about himself, because he had mice in the mobile home. When John left, he abandoned the cat. When I moved to an apt. that I could take him in at, I went up the mountain and took the cat home. He loved it. Anyway, when we moved to the desert, he stayed inside most of the time. Didn't like it. No trees outside, since we moved into a new house. He liked chasing mice, but we also had coyotes, which is most likely what happened to him, since he just didn't come home one night. Rebekah doesn't really remember him. She was very small when he disappeared. Jessica remembers him and loved him. He would curl up on the bed while she was asleep and take a nap with her. He loved her, too.

Well, occasionally Scooter will come up in conversation. Jess says she is going to cry. Rebekah says the coyotes got him. She elaborated on this in her conversation with my friend.

"Scooter DIED! The wolves got him!"
"Really?"
"Yeah, they tore his feet off and ate them up!"
"Really?"
"Yeah, then they tore his tail off and ate it up! Then they tore his butt cheeks off and ate them up! Then they tore his ears off and ate them up! Then they tore his tummy off and ate it up! Then they tore his nose off and ate it up! Then they tore his BUTT CHEEKS off and ATE THEM UP! "
"Do you just like saying butt cheeks?"
"Yes."

Somehow, I don't think this little girl is going to grow up and be a vegetarian. My friend said she related this story with such glee! It was all she could do to keep from bursting out laughing.

Hmm. The things girls talk about when they go in the bathroom together!

Today I am Thankful For...

Sling.

I was trying to figure out how to link to someone's blog and a very nice person, with a very interesting blog gave me some directions. So, I am going to try to link to his blog and see if this works.

Sling's Domain is here.

I think it worked. Thanks, Sling! Have a great day.

I feel smarter already. I was probably the only person on the face of the earth who didn't know how to do that.

For those of you who didn't know...

I have allowed for anonymous comments on the blog. So, for those of you who don't have a blogger account and don't want to get one, you can still comment. So, post a comment and let me know you were here!

Twelve Things

Okay, 5:30am and I have just finished washing all of the dishes and the dishwasher is going. It sure doesn’t take long before there are no more clean spoons, bowls or pans! The kids go through so many sippy cups, you would think they are disposable! And I actually get paper cups so they won’t use as many. Their main liquid is water and they are allowed to get it freely from the refrigerator. This does mean, however, that they leave water cups on the table. At least if they are open cups, I don’t have to retrieve them later from unknown places. Sippy cups are mainly used now for non-water items and for the car. But I digress.

I need to clean up this messy house today. Finally put away the Christmas tree. But in a few months I will have to pull it out again. It seems the Christmases come much closer together now. It used to take SOOOOO long for Christmas to get here and now, before I know it, there is another one around the corner.

Yesterday I actually got some stuff accomplished! I poked around in the shed for boxes for the Christmas stuff and ended up rearranging part of the shed. The Hubby actually noticed! And it was driving me crazy that there was only a small area to walk around my car in the garage, so I swept and rearranged part of the garage and now there is a decent amount of room to get around my car. My goal is to get The Hubby’s car in the garage, too. I do have a few things I would like to accomplish. Maybe I should make a list and see what gets done. You know, if you write it down and tell someone else, you have a better chance of getting it done, right? So, here goes:

1. Put away Christmas tree.
2. Clean out garage.
3. Clean up patio, sweep, get rid of tumbleweeds, wash table and chairs.
4. Organize closet (been working on this)
5. Clean up and organize computer room.
6. The computer room is such a mess, I need to put it on here twice.
7. Clean up and organize play room.
8. Clean up kitchen.
9. Vacuum.
10. Shampoo carpets.
11. Wash floors.
12. Wash windows.

Okay, twelve things. Some small, some big. Average one per month, though some will have to be done more than once and some will take longer than a month. So, once I get the tree put away, I will have to get started on a couple of the big ones right away, so I make sure they get done before the end of the year. I can’t be out in the garage in the summertime, so that will have to get done soon, if it is to get done at all. I am going to print this out so I can put it on the refrigerator. Wish me luck! This is the year I get organized!

I hope.

My Mom

So, after reading Rosemary's blog http://rosemarys-attic.blogspot.com, I have been thinking a lot about my mother. So, I am trying to put this all together in my head, but one day soon, I am going to start to tell my mother's story. Parts of it, anyway. And from my perspective. So, stay tuned!

I got to hold the baby!

A one week old baby girl! Yeah, I know, but her mother handed her to me and how could I say no? She was wide awake, bright-eyed and beautiful. So tiny, but she seemed so comfortable. So, I put her in my arms and both of us were just fine. She was absolutely beautiful! Tiny ears and hands. She is half Filipino and just beautiful. Her mother is doing well. We took dinner to them last night. Just Jess and I. The Hubby was nice enough to meet me on his way home and take the little Sister home. Jess got to sit on the floor and hold the baby. I felt like an octopus, keeping my hands directly underneath her arms. She held her for about two minutes and I figured we were doing good, so stop while you are ahead. Well, I asked her, when we were in the car later, "So, what did you think of that little baby?" "SHE WAS SOOOOOOOOOOO CUUUUUUUUTE!" Just as I thought. She loved holding the baby.

Today I am Thankful For...

Sleep. When my children are asleep. I get a little quiet time before they get up again. Besides, they look so beautiful and peaceful when they are sleeping!

Three

Three is the new two. I don't like three. There are some things about three that I like, but there is a lot I don't like. Like the hitting. Of the big Sister. Why? I don't understand coming up to someone and hitting them for no reason. And when asked, "Why did you hit your sister?", the answer is, "I don't know." That's not an answer! I want to know what is going on in the mind of a three year old and she can't explain that to me. It is frustrating.

The things I like about three are that she is finding her independence, but still needs Mommy. She is learning about the things around her and what her likes and dislikes are. She gives great hugs. She has a great smile. But there is an ugly, wrinkled up face that she has, too. Oh dear. What is four going to be like? This one is different than the big Sister. She is mostly love and hugs and trying to please. A little rebellion now and then, but for the most part she just wants to love everyone and have a good time. The little Sister has somewhat of a mean streak. This one is going to be my challenge.

"I'm In"

Hillary has finally admitted she is running for President. We've all known since she left the White House that she was going to attempt to get back in. Well, now it is official. Why can't we have someone in office that does a good job and is looking out for the best interests of the people? Republican, Democrat, whatever, a good candidate that has a chance of winning. Because of the way the electoral college is set up, nobody other than a Republican or Democrat can win. So all those votes are wasted. Let's all pray that in this election we end up with someone who will do the will of the people and do what is in the best interest of the country. I guess part of the problem is that the will of the people is divided in half. The country is divided down the middle with half the people on the left and half on the right and no middle ground. Well, we can hope and pray that it works out, can't we?

Today I am Thankful For...

That Jessica asked for prayer when she got sick. Her faith in God is amazing!

MOMMY?!?!

There's nothing worse than being awakened in the dead of night by a child's cry for Mommy! I leaped out of bed. It was 12:30. She was vomitting in the toilet. Scott also was awakened and went to check her bed. Nothing. She woke up from being sound asleep and made it to the toilet to puke. What an amazing girl! No mess anywhere! Well, we stayed up from 12:30 until 4:30 in the morning when Scott left for work (he had gone back to sleep) and she had about twelve episodes of heaving. Poor thing! There was nothing left to come up! Well, she slept until about 9:00 this morning and she felt much better. No more throwing up. But we only fed her top ramen for lunch just to be on the safe side. She seems to be all better now and is running around like normal now. I am so glad. I hate when she is sick! Hopefully Rebekah doesn't get it! I don't think she will. Jess has a sensitive stomach and picks up every stomach thing just because she doesn't want it to get away, it seems. This one was bad, but not very long. My baby is healthy again!

Upgrade!

Well, I am upgraded now. I have joined the world of the new blogger. I try to avoid changing things on the computer until everyone else has worked out the bugs. It is no longer in Beta, so I think I will be okay. Everything seems to be fine. I think this will work.

Little changes around every corner, but nothing dangerous. I think. Bear with me whilst I figure this out. And let's begin a new adventure with a new year!

Welcome to my new(er) blog!

TodayJessica is thankful for...

Sleeping. And flowers and dogs and all our life.

Oh the weather outside is frightful.

And it's cold inside, too. Went to Grandma Alice's house to visit yesterday. Well, let me back up. First, we went to storytime at the library. Then we went to the mall. The girls and I and two friends. So, the kids played at the library, then played at the mall for about 2 1/2 hours. Then we went to See's and they each picked out a candy. This, in addition to the sample candy that each got and they were both in chocolate heaven. So then we went to Grandma Alice's house. Hubby's mom was there too, since her house still has no carpet after the big flood. For those of you who don't know, they were in Oklahoma for three months and she didn't have her heater on in her house. In early December, Hubby's uncle went to check on the house and when he opened the front door a wave of water poured out. The ice-maker line apparently froze and expanded, cracking the plastic and gushing water for two days. This caused a flood in which all the carpet in the house got soaked and had to be replaced. Anyway, they have been staying with Grandma Alice since then. SO, we visited the girls' Grandma and Great Grandma. Grandma Alice will be 96 this year. She's gettin' up there. Pretty amazing for a woman who survived polio in her twenties, the death of her husband in her thirties and raising two children by herself. But then she is an amazing woman. I wish I had met her sooner. She is amazing. Anyway, so I was talking to the Grandmas and Bekah comes in and sits down on my lap. Then I turned her sideways and cradled her in my arms and within a few minutes she was asleep. It was very sweet. She slept like that for about an hour. Then we had to go and I put her in the car and she continued to sleep. I got to have a nice visit and Jess played with Lincoln Logs in the other room. She got to play undisturbed and I got to chat. What a nice way to end a day! We were gone all day so I didn't get anything done, but it was a fun day. AND since Grandma's house is kept at 74 degrees, we got to thaw out a bit. Such fun!

Today I am thankful for...

Blogger. Without which, I would not be able to keep up with the people around me and I would not have met some nice, new friends! There's love!

I Already Blew It!

Oops, only a few days into this and already I didn't blog yesterday! Sorry! Life gets in the way sometimes. We went to Santa Clarita to visit a friend and we walked around the mall. Looked at the puppies in the pet store, the kids played in the play area, and we had lunch at the Asian Food place. Then we went and looked at the sparkly store. I love that store. Everything in there is sparkly and pretty and pretty affordable. More so than the $7500 necklace at the jewelry store next to the pet store. And that was 50% off! I got a pretty pair of green earrings for $7.99. Such a bargain!

Anyway, all in all, it was a good day. Even if I didn't have a chance to blog!

Today I am thankful for...

That I can be a stay at home mom and be at home with my kids. It is such a joy to see them grow up!

I'm so jazzed!

Okay, went to the monthly pampered chef meeting tonight. Got the brochure with all the new stuff for spring. I AM SOOO EXCITED!!! I want it all. Since I can't have it all and I don't have any money, I will have to figure out a way to earn it all. Anybody wanna do a Show and get some free stuff? There are some totally cool new products...

Yeah, yeah, I know, I am too into this stuff. (There's new tropical themed recipes and shows, too!)

Aireloom Mattress

Been looking into a handmade mattress made by Aireloom. Anybody heard of it? It is supposed to be VERY well made, all natural, and it feels like you are sleeping on a cloud. We tried them out at three different stores so far. Very nice. Please let me know if you have any experience with them.

Today Rebekah Is Thankful For...

Rebekah, what are you thankful for?
I don't know.
Okay, WHO are you thankful for?
God. Why did He made us?
Why DID He make us?
FOR HIS GLORY!!!
Anybody else you're thankful for?
No. Just God.

ANOTHER Baby Shower?!

Yes. I am going to give another baby shower. My friend is having her baby before the end of February. She has two sisters that live within 1/2 hour of her and neither of them has said anything about having a shower. So, my friend and I talked about it. I introduced the two of them to each other. In December. Lisa said that wouldn't it be sad to think later on that this baby would ask her mother, "How come nobody gave you a baby shower when I was born?" It was too much. Besides, I wanted to do it six months ago when she told me she was pregnant, however, I held back because I figured one of her sisters would do it. Nope. So, Lisa and I are going to give it to her. I can't wait. I like giving baby showers. But this will be a rush! AND...we don't know what she is having! She isn't going to find out! That makes it fun! SO, here goes, with another baby shower! If anybody has game ideas, let me know...

Today I am thankful for...

My Hubby. He's pretty cool. He likes me. And he is a good daddy. Jess asked yesterday if he was staying here today. When I answered her yes, he is, she got all excited and started saying, "Daddy's staying here! Daddy's staying here!" She was very excited. Then, this morning, she was hugging on him for quite some time. She loves her daddy. And it is rare that he gets to stay home with us when we don't have all kinds of things going on. Yeah, I am thankful for my Hubby. He's good.

Yard Update

The gardener came. They guy who pulled all the weeds. He was here all day last Sunday. He planted all the plants. He even rearranged part of the dirt above the lawn. He planted a hedge on the other side of the driveway, by the neighbors yard. He did a nice job. And he worked all day and it was FREEZING! He brought his brother with him. They are from Jamaica. The weather is a little different here than there. He was saying it is too cold here for him and he will be moving. But, I hope it is not too soon! I got someone I like and he is good! Hopefully he won't move. Anyway, all we have left to do is the slope on the side of the house. It is 12 feet high and 90 feet across. This is the section above the existing grass. Only the top half of the slope. The guy never called Scott back when he asked for more time, so I guess it is okay that we are not done yet. It is a work in progress and it is costing a fortune that we do not have, but it does look nicer. So, for a while we will be eating mac and cheese (no problem for Bekah, that's her favorite food) and we will suck it up while we are working on the slope. Such fun!

Today I am thankful for...

That I do not live where it is -6 degrees.

NYR

New Years Resolution

I intend to blog everyday. I will probably bore you all to death, but there it is. Tune in if you dare. I will try to be witty, artistic, and forthright. So, here's to the attempt. Oh, yeah, and everyday I am going to post something I am thankful for. Starting today.

Top Ten Reasons...

Today is a good day. This is more for me than for you, dear Reader. I just need a little pick me up. I could easily come up with ten reasons that it is not a good day, however, then I would be being negative, wouldn't I? And my intent here is to bring myself up. SO, for Thursday, January 11,

The Top Ten Reasons why Today Is A Good Day
10. Because it is almost Friday!
9. Because, although it may snow, I will not have to shovel snow.
8. Because God loves me. (This is, of course, really number one, which just goes to show these are not in order)
7. Because there is a beautiful blue-eyed five year old named Jessica.
6. Because there is a beautiful brown-eyed three year old named Rebekah.
5. Because my daughter will read me a book today!
4. Because there are no weeds on my slope!
3. Because my husband loves me. He told me so last night.
2. Because it may snow today and my children love the snow!
1. Because, well, just because. :-)

Hot Tea

Tea is good. Tea is my friend. Hot tea. Steaming, warming up cold hands. No calories. Tasty and free. I like tea. I never really gave it much thought. Then several days ago, I saw my teapot sitting on the stove looking all lonely. So, I decided to make some hot water and throw in a tea bag. It was good. My mouth was happy. My hands were no longer chilled. Life was good. My tea and I were at peace.

Tea is good. Coffee, not so much. In order for me to drink coffee, it has to be loaded up with something else. You know, to get rid of the coffee taste. And I always end up with a stomach ache from coffee. It doesn't agree with me. Tea agrees with me. I never really realized it until now.

Don't get me wrong. I have had tea before. I like to buy tea. It smells good. I have made iced tea many times. In the Iced Tea machine. Brews it into a three quart pitcher you fill with ice and you have a whole pitcher full of iced tea. It's cool. No pun intended. But it's been a once in a while thing. Not all the time. Until last week. I have made tea every day. Hot tea. It has kept me warm. It has made me feel good. I have even ordered tea the last two times we went out to eat. Last night, mexican food. This place with good mexican food in Rosamond. At the airport. I had hot tea. It was good. Darjeeling. You know, the kind Buzz Lightyear drank with Mrs. Nesbit. And at home yesterday it was the one from Pampered Chef with orange and spice in it. Very good. The day before was Cinnamon Spice tea. How could this be bad? And I have yet to try the Hibiscus tea. I have about six different teas at home to try. Hmmm. Imagine the possibilities. Hopefully, you, dear Reader, are not bored with talk of tea. Take comfort that I have found something that is very enjoyable with no guilt. I already have it, so it costs me nothing. It warms me on the inside and tastes good, too. And it warms my hands. And hearing the sound of the teapot whistling leaves me in anticipation of what is to come. I think I have become a tea drinker.

Global Wha?

Okay, I just checked the weather. Twenty four hours from now it is supposed to get to 14 degrees here. That's freakin' cold! Dad's weather report for the same period is 22 degrees. Ours is colder!? He lives in the mountains. He's supposed to have the dang cold weather. I live in the desert. D E S E R T. Okay, it's supposed to get more extreme than the valley, sure, but not THIS! And the record here, from 1987 is 17 degrees. To me, that seems to be getting colder. Yeah, yeah, I know, it is just one temp from one area on one given date, yada yada yada. That's freakin' cold, though! The high is supposed to get to 43 degrees tomorrow. Woo-hooo! Let's go out in our swimsuits and run around in the sprinklers. So, as for me, I don't see the temps going up any. It's cold here. Talk to me when it gets to be summer here, maybe mid-August and I am dying because it is the hottest summer on record. Then we'll talk about global warming. Cuz right now, I'm not buying it.

Jess and Bekah

Today in the car.

Rebekah: "I spy with my little eye something blue..."
Jessica: "My eyes."
Rebekah: "Yes. I just love your beautiful eyes."

Can't get the inflection in the voices, but it was priceless. Every time we play I Spy, Rebekah's first one is blue - for Jessica's eyes. So cute. They have their moments. Then there are the other moments. Let's dwell on these ones for now though.

That Dumb Bed

Okay, it's going back. I won't bore you with all the details. Suffice it to say, I wake up every morning with a backache and it is either so soft my butt is sitting on the bottom or so hard that I am sleeping on a bubble. No matter what number I put it on. Doesn't make for a good night's sleep. Oh well. I think we are going to pack it back up tonight. Now, where did we put all the paperwork?

Happy Freakin New Year!

Should be an interesting year. We'll see what God has in store for us. To all my blogger buddies, have a wonderful new year! Maybe I will figure out how to do more on this blogger thing this year. That would be nice.

Anyway, hope you all have a fabulous new year!

I Hate My Yard!

We got a letter in the mail regarding the weeds on our side yard. We are on a corner, above the street and there is a twenty foot high slope on the side of our yard. One hundred feet long. The top half was all weeds. Because I had fired the gardener last year when he never showed up. Well, the city told us to remove the weeds. So, as it got near the time of the deadline and I realized I wouldn't be able to do it and the new gardener hadn't showed up to do it yet, I called and explained that we were having a hard time getting the gardener here and could we have a little more time. So the guy looks at the pictures and says, "Once you remove the weeds, you will have only dirt and that is not acceptable. There must be something covering the dirt. You can have until January 2 to remove the weeds and put something in place of it." But he wanted to be sure we would have it done by then. Great. So, I got in touch with the new gardener, Rohan. I explained that I had fired the previous gardener because he never showed up. He thought that was a good reason. Well, he told me, when he came out, that it would be about $100 to remove the weeds. Cool. Not bad. I told him I had a deadline. Not a problem. He'd be back tomorrow. Three days later, I call. What happened? I'll be there tomorrow, sorry. Okay, you'll be here tomorrow? Yes. Two days later he shows up at like 5:00pm. It's blowing ice cubes and he's out there working on the yard. He did part of it, then shows up like two days later. It went on like this until a few days before Christmas. He finished it. We went outside to give him the second half of the money and he was gone already. I called two days later and said to call me so we could finish it and give him his money and he didn't call back.

SO, we go to this nursery on Saturday. Get like forty 1-gal. plants that are supposed to grow into good sized bushes and shrubs, four to five feet wide. At $3-4 each, we get like six of this, ten of that, so we can put them in groupings and make it look nice. Get half a dozen bags of compost and we are off to a good start. Then we ask the guy, do you know of anyone who can help us with this? Sure, he knows a guy named Greg that buys plants here, just moved to the area. We call him and he comes out the next day. Sunday. Nice, easy going, returns phone calls. He tells us he wants to put a cedar hedge at the top of the slope and a bunch of 5-ga. rock pines (not in the Big Plant Book and we don't know what they are) in as well as some mulch. Like $1350. And that is with his discount for the first customer of the year. He has those plants, is even willing to trade for the plants we bought. He makes his own mulch, has his own plants and even when we cut the number of plants in half, half the mulch, I do a portion of it, it still would never be less than $800. His base cost for labor for two days was like $500, plus $300 for the mulch. But he was cool with us calling him in a couple of hours to let him know what we decided. Well, we figured at least it would get done and we wouldn't get fined from the city. So, we call him back. He took another job and can't do anything for us until the 6th of January. Nice. Didn't tell us there was the possibility he would take on another job. Oh well. Probably for the best. That is, if I can get the nice, understanding man at the city to grant us another extension. He wasn't very. But, we removed the weeds, got our trash can behind the fence (it was visible from the street, a possible misdemeanor offense that was also on the citation notice) and we bought the plants to go on the slope. We are much further along than we were. We just have to plant the plants and put the mulch down. Will he be nice and grant us another extension or are we going to be fined $500 because we couldn't get a gardener here during the holidays to finish the job? I left two messages for Rohan and hopefully he will call me back and I can get him out here. I have never planted stuff like this before and it is especially hard on the slope. It is STEEP! It is hard to stand on or walk up, let alone plant anything on! The Hubby still has blood on his knee from when he kneeled down and came down pretty hard on it. He already had an infection in his leg and that made it worse. He will probably need to have it drained. He will not be going up on the slope. Yeah, I've got an extra grand to put into this right now, right after the holidays and all.

We'll see what the guy at the city says. Hopefully he had a nice holiday and won't throw the book at me. I can hope, can't I?

Lies, Deceit and the Tooth Fairy

Well, Jess lost her first tooth. The replacement had already grown in behind it and looked like the beginning of a second row of teeth! We put it under her pillow and I checked later and sure enough, the tooth fairy has brought her a shiny golden dollar! She was so anxious to go to bed so the tooth fairy would come. Roy. You know, the Moleinator. The guy from the Santa Clause II movie. She watches those movies like they are the guidebook to how this all works. A big part of me feels really guilty. What happens when she realizes we are LYING to her? Is she going to think that God is not real either, since you can't see Him either? Rebekah was in the car with Scott. "Santa Claus isn't real. The Devil isn't real. Neither is God." What was going on in that head of hers? She must have been thinking about it for a while. Jessica has no questions. She just believes.

So, we put some Baby Orajel on her tooth, right at the base near the gum. This idea came from my friend, who used to work as an RDAEF, or Dental Assistant with too much training to get a job. After about five minutes, she said she couldn't feel it. So, I got a tissue, held onto the tooth and pulled. I felt it pull away, but it didn't come all the way out. She let out a little cry and she saw the blood on the tissue. Scared more than in pain, though, she let me try one more time and out it came. She was amazed. A second later, she had her tongue in the little hole in the front of her mouth. You can't tell me of any kid who doesn't stick their tongue there! She was so excited. She had to call her friend (who is nine months older) and she yelled into the phone, "MY LOOSE TOOTH CAME OUT!" Her friend Melanie exclaimed, "WOW, AND YOU'RE ONLY FIVE!!" She was impressed. Jess was pleased. So then, she gets into her jammies and says good night and Scott told her not to go to bed yet. I couldn't believe what I was hearing! So, she waited about ten minutes and gave us hugs and kisses again and trotted off to bed. Where Rebekah was making too much noise and Jess was getting upset because she couldn't get to sleep. She went to our bed, but not without saying, very anxiously, "But the tooth fairy will not come if I am not in my bed!". Daddy assured her that the tooth fairy wouldn't come while we were still awake and we would put her in her own bed when we went to bed. So, she went and was asleep within a short time. That is when the tooth fairy went rushing around the house trying to find a golden coin. Probably should have located one when the tooth got loose. Dumb tooth fairy! Anyway, a golden dollar was located and placed in the box. The tooth was removed and the whole kit and caboodle finished before she was placed in her bed.

We did a little research. Apparently here are the guidelines:

1. The going rate is a dollar. Sometimes paper and sometimes coins. But the preferred tender is a $1 coin. Just depends on how many kids lose their teeth that night.

2. Nobody knows how the tooth fairy gets in the house.

3. The tooth fairy always takes the tooth with him/her.

4. It is a good idea to put the tooth in a little box to be sure that it doesn't get lost. Ours went in a ziploc bag inside of a little box. Seemed to work just fine.

We'll see how excited she is when she finds all this.

I still feel a little guilty. This being our first tooth, I think we all got through it okay. There's another one that is loose next to where this one was.

I feel old.

Women of Leisure

Yesterday, we got to be women of leisure. Me and the girls. We went to this beautiful mall with my aunt and she treated us to the best lunch I have had in a LOOOOONNNNNNGGGGG time. Beats Chuck E Cheese hands down. Beats mall food court food hands down. We went to the Cheesecake Factory! Yum! I used to live around the corner from the one in Woodland Hills, and when I did, I would get a Chinese Chicken Salad at least once a week and take it home. Soooo good! Well, of course, that is what I had. And the girls shared a Bistro Shrimp Pasta, which they didn't eat much of because they ate all the bread, and it took over an hour for our food to arrive. The kitchen was, apparently, working on a table for 28, so everyone else had to wait. So without crayons or anything to keep them busy, my girls sat and ate bread and had strawberry lemonade (Bekah) and raspberry lemonade (Jess) and they were really very good, for 5 and 3! We were at the restaurant for over two hours! And even though they didn't eat the Pasta, it is their Daddy's favorite, so he had that for dinner. And we all feasted on The BEST DESSERT EVER! Carrot Cake-Cheesecake. It is Delish! Should be outlawed. Better than cheesecake. Better than Carrot Cake. It is soooo good! Boy, did I feel spoiled. Now I know how the other half live. But, they don't have two cute little girls to keep them entertained! It was a wonderful visit and I enjoyed myself immensely. And since I hardly ate anything else all day, I managed to lose a pound in the process. So, I have figured out the Cheesecake Factory Diet. Yeah!

Going to Work Today...

Today was The Hubby's work Christmas party. So, I got up at the usual time, 3:45am, but this time I had to get showered, dressed and get two sleepy girls dressed. At least they were supposed to be sleepy. They woke up at about 4:30 and were ready to go! Jumping around like it was a reasonable hour of the day, which it was not! So, we all piled into the car and drove through the canyon while the girls watched the dvd player in the car. Which broke on the way home. Enjoyed it while it lasted. So, we got to his work at about 6:45am and then had donuts and bottled water. The girls had hot chocolate. Jessica got a ride in the bucket truck. 40 feet in the air in a little plastic bucket attached to a piece of metal. It scared Rebekah and she didn't want to get in it. Jessica has no such fear. She was chomping at the bit to go again! She got to go up twice and then it got too windy when they were going to go up again later, so she didn't get to go. But she enjoyed the chance she did get to go! They both had a lot of fun and didn't want to leave The Hubby's work. HE on the other hand, didn't enjoy it nearly as much as they did. It's still work. And the same people he sees every other work day. But, at least if you have to go to work, this is the best day to go. And he told me I was the prettiest woman there! You gotta love getting a compliment like that! There weren't many wives there though. Most of them wouldn't get up at that time of the morning, or so the husbands say!

It was fun. Eight years together and I had never seen his office. Well, now I can picture him at his desk when he is there. And it is much different than the picture I had in my head. All in all, not a bad day. Except now I am ready to take a nap instead of making stuff for Christmas!

Chili

Scott calls me last night, from his instructors' house. He had his last class for the semester and they went over there to celebrate. So he calls me, to tell me the chili that Mrs. Father Victor made was great! He said I can make that one, that the recipe is on the back of the package. I tell him HE can make it. I'm done.

Isn't chili more of a guy thing anyway?

Aargh.

Deep, dark secrets

Jessica sat down this morning to write a book. She folded the paper in half, about twenty sheets and couldn't figure out why it would not staple. Too much paper. So, I helped her. Then, she decided she was going to make it a DIARY! The conversation went something like this:
"I need a diary for all my deepest, darkest secrets!"
"So, you have deep, dark secrets?"
"Yes!"
"Like what?" (trying to act totally nonchalant)
"Like that I love you very much."
"Well, I am glad that isn't a secret!"

Then, I think she got bored with the idea of making a diary and decided to write a book instead. Complete with illustrations. This is her third book, I think. It is titled, "The Dancing Princess".

I think we need to find a publisher.

The ghost in my hallway

Standing in the hall, getting batteries out of the cupboard and I hear, behind me, "Ooohhooohoooohhh! I'm a goaaassssssttt!" I turn around to see Rebekah standing there, with her nightgown over her head, waving her arms around. Priceless.

Somebody else's chili

Okay, this morning, Jessica says, "That was really good chili you made last night, Mommy!" "Thank you, sweetheart!"

So then I asked Scott again this morning what he thought of it. He said a definite three at least (out of ten)! But I think he was kidding.

Okay, so here's what happened. I was going to make it early. But one thing led to another (it always does, doesn't it) and I didn't get to the dinner-making hoohaa until about 6:30. Well, Doris specified in her recipe that it takes one hour of simmering for the first part, 45 minutes for the second part and 30 minutes for the third part. That would have put dinner at like 8:45. No bueno. So, I speeded up the process. And the person at the grocery store didn't put the ground red pepper in my bag, so I have to go back for that today and needless to say, it didn't get in the chili, since it didn't get in the bag. So, the ingredients were not exactly right. But close. This recipe basically consisted of 2 1/2 lbs of chili grind beef, a can of beef broth, small can tomato sauce and a WHOLE BUNCH of spices. No beans. Hi-falutin' chili. Scott was lamenting the omission of beans and even went so far as to look in the cupboard for chili beans. He NEVER looks in the cupboard for ANYTHING! He told me to add them if I wanted to. I didn't. So we sat down at the table. Me with a big bowl of chili, Scott with his chili and crackers, Jess and Bekah with small bowls. Jessica really liked it. She loves my chili, too, though. She said this was better than the way I normally make chili (beef, beans, tomatoes, spices). Rebekah ate some, declared it was too spicy and only ate a little more when I added more tomato sauce to hers. And a little to Jess'. Scott brought up the rear, finishing his with a ton of crackers. But then he puts crackers in his chicken noodle soup, too, and he likes that.

So, all in all, I think it was a success. I would eat it again. Scott wants me to add beans to it and see how it goes, but he would eat it again. I will have to try The Good Deacon Michael's recipe, which I also printed out. Next time. For now, prime rib is on sale at Albertson's for $4.97/lb. So that is what we will be having for Christmas Day and I am going to try out a new recipe, so I will be getting a smaller one between now and then to try out. Gotta put the chili on the shelf for now. Figuratively speaking, of course!

Bed Day something

I guess I am one of those not totally enamored with this bed. I am pretty sure we are going to keep it. It just doesn't seem like much of a bargain. I don't know if the pump mechanism is going to last the twenty years that it is supposedly guaranteed to. But it is a sliding scale guarantee. If it breaks 15 years into the 20-year guarantee, you only get 25% of your purchase price refunded. Something like that.

SO, if I write sleep number bed a whole bunch of times, then when someone does a search for the sleep number bed, my blog should come up on the search engine, right? Okay, sleep number bed, sleep number bed, sleep number bed. Let's see if it works!

On a scale of one to ten, I would probably give it a 6 or so. At least at this point. Maybe when I get it figured out, I will be happier with it. Not yet. I slept at 80 for most of the night (pretty firm) and I slept on my side, but I went back to sleep after Scott left and put it down to like 45 while on my back and it was okay. Maybe I just need to adjust it depending on which position I sleep in.

When you do something stupid...

and you want to laugh at someone else who did something more stupid than you, this is it.

I was in my twenties. I was not nearly as intelligent as I am now. I had gone to the gas station. Joshua, you know the one. At the northeast corner of Canoga and Oxnard. Well, I had just filled up my tank and, wanting to be the good driver, reached down to press the reset button on the mileage counter/trip meter. Being the type that thinks I can do two things at once, I did this as I had pulled out of the driveway from the gas station onto Canoga heading north. Well, lo and behold, what I didn't realize until it was too late, was that I had stuck my hand through the middle of the steering wheel to reset the trip meter while the wheel was turned to make my right turn. As I started to go, with my arm still stuck through the steering wheel, I quickly realized that it was either break my arm or bust a very hard right into the curb. I chose the latter. POP! goes my right front tire. Talk about feeling stupid. So I sheepishly put my car into reverse, backed up into the garage portion of the service station and asked them if they could change a tire. They had all seen what I had just done. They all turned my direction when they heard the loud sound my tire made as it slammed into the curb. I was laughing so hard I couldn't tell you what any of them said. That may be the dumbest thing I have ever done. Nah, I'm sure there were more stupid moments.

Oh yea, about that bed...

Well, Scott likes it. So I guess that's something. It's okay as far as I am concerned. I guess as long as HE is happy, right? ;-)
I think we will be keeping it. Dad loves his.

My cookbook

My cookbook is a notebook. A three ring binder that I bought when I copied all of my grandma's recipes from her cookbook. Then I added to it. And added some more. It is not organized. But what good cookbook is? I had little scraps of paper with recipes, pages printed off the internet, notepapers with recipes on them. All different shapes and sizes stuffed into the front pocket of the binder, until there was no more room left in that pocket. I have recipes from my grandma, a few from my great aunt, some from my Aunt Sandy, some from my sister. I keep on collecting. And I need to get the family favorites from Scott's side of the family from his 95-year old grandma. I got one recipe from his mom and I think she didn't want me to make it, because it didn't turn out right. Then, she told me how to revise it and it still didn't come out right. That was the no-bake cheesecake. He doesn't think I can make it now. It turned out okay, but not quite the same as his mom made it.

So one day, I got really inspired. I got out my three-hole punch and punched holes in the scraps and notepapers and internet printouts and I put them all in. So, at least they won't fall out now. Next step will be putting them in some order, so I don't have to flip through the whole book to get to something good. When I can't find something I need the recipe for, I just call my sister. She has hers all organized. Even if it is a recipe in a magazine, she knows where to find them all. So, someday I will continue the organization of my cookbook, but for now, I have to flip through. But when I flip through it, I get a smile on my face, because as I turn the pages, I see my Aunt Sandy's writing and my Grandma Aurlette's writing and others that have given me recipes. And I have good memories.

What I am not good at

I am sure there are plenty of things. But, for now, we will leave it at keeping my house clean and making chili. Okay, so, forget the clean house thing for now. I will deal with that later. So, it all boils down to the chili. (Pun intended.)

Scott doesn't like the way I make chili. Too much of this, too little of that. I just throw it all in the pot and let it cook for a while. No go. Well, I like it really tomatoey (is that a word?) and all the chili recipes I am finding don't have any tomatoes in them. So, that's a start. And no beans, either. They all seem to have beef broth and some have chicken broth. And, they all put the ingredients in in steps. First this set of spices, then this set of spices and so on. So, I found two recipes I am going to try. Found them on the chili.org site. They are both award-winning chili recipes. So, I will try. And if he doesn't like these, then I am going to hang up my chili hat and buy a can of Hormel. Got to go to the store today and get the ingredients. There's gonna be chili tonight!

Dead or Alive

Saw this quiz and thought you might enjoy. Will post answers tomorrow on comments.

Famous people. Are they dead or alive?

Jack Palance
Lauren Bacall
Martin Landau
Shelley Winters
Gene Wilder
Don Knotts
Kirk Douglas
Glenn Ford
Red Buttons
Maureen Stapleton

Sleep Number Bed Day 3

Dad needed a new mattress. His bed was shot. He had to lower the bed when Mom first got sick, so he could get her in and out of it. So, now, his bed was still on the floor. Well, he had enough. Time to get the bed fixed, so the frame could sit on it and time to get a new mattress. Well, the guy who fixed his bed told him about the sleep number bed, which has an air chamber in it, so you can adjust it. So, having studied this when Scott started complaining about our mattress a year ago, I showed him online what people had to say about it. They either love it or hate it. No middle ground. It's a pretty freakin' expensive mattress, so you better decide you like it when you fork out that much money. Well, after not convincing him when we looked at it online, he wanted to see it at the store. Didn't take him long to decide that this is what he wanted to do. We all tried it out. He wanted it. Scott asks the guy, "So, do you have a buy one get one free offer?" Well, no, but they do have 15% off the second one when you get two. So, we got one too. Scott's happy. My first night, I felt like I was in a hammock. I had it down too low. The second night, still too low. So, I decided to put it up even higher. Really firm. Like at 80 (out of 100). This seemed to work. I guess it is okay, since Scott likes his side softer and me, firmer. You can't do that on a regular mattress. Someone has to compromise. This way, we can have it the way we each like it. So, this will be night #4. We'll see what happens.

tiny blessings

So, a friend is having a baby tomorrow. Another in January and another in March. Babies everywhere! I am so happy for them. Got to see all the tiny little clothes and jammies and caps and things. So cute!!! I love babies. My own, other people's, it doesn't matter. They are adorable. Those tiny hands and bitty feet. When they stick out their little tiny tongues! Everything is so small! Yet perfect. God is amazing. Something so small and helpless, but perfectly formed. Tiny blessings from God. Every child is a precious gift. Pure innocence and peace. A whole lifetime ahead of them! Who knows what lies ahead. A complete, blank canvas. Sitting in the back pew the other day. Put a hand out to give Noah a high-five and he comes over and places his hand, ever so deliberately on top of yours. Then he pulls away and looks at you, with those perfect little brows furrowed. Watching. So serious. So adorable.

Jessica loves babies. Every time she sees a baby, her voice hits the high notes. "Oh! He's so CUTE! Can I touch him? Oh! Such a cute baby!" Just loves babies. All of them. She doesn't care what color, what race, how big or small. Loves 'em all. I told her about the baby coming on Wed. Hit the high notes. Wants to see him. Can't wait! Wants a hundred of her own someday. She's the only one with enough energy for that!

Can't wait to see these new babies. Don't need to hold 'em though. My sister holds the new babies. I love to look. Don't want to break 'em. I wait till they are sitting up, then I will hold them all day long. I have unknowingly hurt new mother's feelings because I didn't want to hold the new baby. This has happened more than once. My own, no problem. Others, I like to wait. It's funny, how people expect you to be a certain way and when you aren't, they get offended. I love the babies. And I can't wait for their arrival! But I will hold them when they are sturdy and not going to break. So looking forward to tomorrow!