Emily & I had great fun today. Mike came home early & he & Elliot spent the afternoon together, while she & I had a 'girls day' out. We stopped in at Starbucks for her Strawberry Cream drink, & my Pumpkin Spice Latte. We then set off to find some things for me to offer here in my blog for my giveaway. I have been toying with this idea since I saw a giveaway link on Cindy's blog. I thought it would be so much fun. So in light of that, this is my first attempt at this. I am not certain how most do this, but here are my 'rules' if you want to try to win the items I have chosen to give.

1. You must leave a tag in my blog. This is your 'entry'. Each time you leave a tag, will give you another 'entry'. When you tag the first time, just mention that you want to be a part of my giveaway.
2. I want 'you' to give also. This will get you an extra entry. This isn't a requirement, but I hope you participate. I am a firm believer in 'giving back', & being a blessing to someone else. I am not speaking of giving monetarily (although you could if this is how you chose to give). Giving takes many forms, & sometimes the best of all is giving with simplicity. Something as simple as baking cookies for a friend, a neighbor, co-workers, even family. For years, I chose a family each week, & would bake an apple pie for them. I would drop it off at some point in the afternoon so that they could look forward to an after dinner dessert. Such a small gesture, but it meant so much to the receiving family. Dropping a 'thinking of you' note in the mail or via email. So often, the gift of words is the best gift of all. I cannot tell you how much it has meant when some of you have given me 'wing's, just by your words as we have went through this 'saga' we find ourselves in. Going to Starbucks? Pick up an extra one to take to someone at work, or to drop off to a friend, a family member, a neighbor, ect. (I do this often). Better yet, call & ask someone to meet you there for an hour of chat (gifts of time are wonderful in these days that most are 'too busy'). Call someone, just to let them know you care, & let 'them' talk. While driving, let someone in front of you...happily. Smile at that grumpy salesclerk you may encounter (gift of kindness & patience) Call that tired Mom, & 'tell' her (don't ask her), that you are taking the kids for a few hours. Darylynn's taking her grandson over-night so that Jessica would be well rested for her day of work, was such a sweet gift to her daughter! Simple little ways of giving of yourself. If everyone would give in some form or fashion each day, just think of what a much better world we would live in. If you chose to do this, in one of your tags, please say "I gave". No need to let me know 'how' you gave, just that you 'did'. If you want to share, then please do.
3. If you win my giveaway, I want you to in turn give something to someone else of your choosing. By that, I mean that I want you to chose something out of my giveaway that you won, & give it to someone.

That's it. Some very simple guidelines, & a simple excercise that hopefully will make us all aware of how we can give each day. I am sure there are some very good ideas in chosing the winner, but I am going to do it the good ol' fashion way. Each time you tag, I will write out your name on a slip of paper, fold it, & place it in a bowl. At the end of the week, I will shake them around, & let Emily reach in & chose a name. Do you know how excited she is over having a part in this?!? I am posting the pics of the things included in my giveaway. This will start now, & I will announce a winner on Sunday, September 28th. I am really excited about this, & hope you all enjoy it too. Now for the goodies in this giveaway! Here are a couple of pictures. I'm sorry about the quality of them. I should have taken the picture in daylight, as the flash tends to 'splash'.





Included in the giveaway, are:
1. Three candles - Cinnamon & Clove Buds, Autumn Apple, & The Perfect Autumn Pumpkin.
2. The Perfect Autumn Pumpkin room spray (highly recommended by Emily when I sprayed the tester at the store).
3. A pillow with 'Harvest Blessings' stitched into it.
4. A pumpkin shaped mug to use on those cool fall mornings & evenings.
5. A decorative pumpkin with a folk-artsy scene & 'welcome' carved into it.
6. A Longaberger basket (yes, a Longaberger) - perfect for Autumn goodies - apples, pinecones, candies...whatever your creative minds can come up with to use it for. It is a 'beautiful' basket! It's a 1999 Homestead Apple Basket. You will 'love' it!

If you have any questions about this, please email or tag. I do hope you all have fun with this. I want to do this every now & then as an 'out of the blue' surprise. If you don't want to participate, that is fine. I won't include you if you don't mention in your tag that you wish to participate. Not everyone has the same tastes, & some may not like the things that I've chosen for this Fall giveaway.

Sorry this went long. I hope I explained it all well. At times, I have a tendency to use too many words (sorry!). Hope you all have a wonderful weekend. I will be back here on Sunday, but will make blog visits on my days off from posting. If you want the siggie for today, please tag or email. I have had such fun doing the daily fall siggies this week! See you back here on Sunday!

"You can give without loving, but you cannot love without giving." ~Amy Carmichael~








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Grateful for online friends

Wednesday    September 17, 2008

I had promised pictures of Emily in her Honey Bee 'uniform' tonight, but that isn't possible, since she has decided that she isn't going to be a Honey Bee. She still doesn't enjoy being apart from me in church (actually, she doesn't like to be apart from me at all). She has been dropping little clues that she wasn't going to go...like last night as I am getting her ready for bed, she said "I'm not going to get a Honey Bee skirt." Followed by "I love my jammies more than a Honey Bee skirt." Those little 'hints' told me right there. On the way to church tonight, she said she would go, but when we got there, she told me "I don't want to wear that Honey Bee skirt. I want to be with you." I have to laugh at her. I know she will go (eventually), but she wants to hang out with me for awhile longer. I explained to her that it's not as fun in "big church" for her...she can't talk, she can't play, ect. She told me "But I will miss my music!" She 'loves' music, & plays piano right along with the pianist (on the back of the pews). She also told me that she's afraid LillyTrixieLilly will fall off the slide during playtime. I told her that she could hold onto her. She then told me "One of the kids might get Lilly." Again, I have to smile at her. After having to sit still tonight, as soon as church ended, she said "Next time I want to be a Honey Bee." We will see.

Elliot came 'flying' out of his Awana club (Sparks) tonight, one happy little boy. His team had won a pizza party for tonight, & he won prizes. He was so excited. He ran up to me, holding up his Hotwheel car that he had won, & he said "Top that!" I laughed. I've never heard him say that, so he must have picked that up from his fellow Sparks.

We stopped & got the kids ice cream cones after church. I can't believe they could fit one in, seeing as we ate Mexican food before we went to church. An older couple stopped by our table after they had finished their meal & complimented us on our "beautiful little family"...they said they had so enjoyed watching the kids - they thought they were so adorable. They melted when Emily stuck out her hand to shake theirs & with her beaming smile, said "Hello! Thank you!" As we were leaving, she & Elliot thanked our waiter, & Emily then walked up to him & hugged him. Most likely for that 'mocamole' that she so loves.

I am off to bed at a half-way decent time tonight. I dragged through my day, seeing as I foolishly had coffee last night, & at 3:35AM I was still lying there staring up at the ceiling. Hope you like the new siggie. I am not the best animator in the world (never a fear that Disney will come beating down my door), but wanted to do one with fall leaves falling. I also did it non-animated (2 of them) for those that might prefer it that way. If wanted, please tag or email, & let me know which one.

"It is not your aptitude, but your attitude, that determines your altitude." ~Zig Ziglar~












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Grateful for eager to learn little minds

Tuesday    September 16, 2008

We got ready to go pick up Emily's desk as soon as we finished breakfast. She was 'so' excited. As soon as we got into the car, she said "Did you say we were going to Starbucks & getting my strawberry milkshake?" I laughed, & said "Yes, we can go." I thought we may as well make a morning of it, so we stopped in there, & we also shopped for awhile as we were out. I am in 'big' trouble, seeing as the Pumpkin Spice Latte is back at Starbucks for the Fall/Winter season. I love, love, love it! While out, I finally found Elliot some 'fat' pencils, as he calls them. They are the ones made for beginning writers. He did incredible in his writing today, & he is positive it is the pencils. Anyway - the desk...Emily's eyes lit up when she saw it. It was so precious. Of course, 'nothing' is put together when you buy it now, so it took me almost 2 hours to get it together. I couldn't get some of the screws to go in. It may have had did have something to do with Emily 'helping' me too. She loves her new desk. Here are a few pics - views from different angles. Also notice the built in cup holder - this morning she said "I know! We can get me my strawbery milkshakes everyday, & I can put them in there!"





Doing her 'school' -



Her seat lifts up, so she can store her crayons, books, ect. in it. She was a very happy little Princess today.

Darylynn mentioned that soon I would have a little school house set up. I do have a little school 'room'. My computer room was dedicated to my vast collection of Classic Pooh, but in light of Elliot's homeschooling, I packed it all up & made the room their school room. I wanted to give them a special place, & one that I hope will give them wonderful memories of our 'school time'. I do not take lightly - this teaching of them, & I want to create the most positive, creative learning enviroment that I can. I know that these beginning times of their learning & school experience will affect in part how they look upon learning. I decorated their 'school room' one night as they slept, so it was a complete surprise when they woke up & it came time for school. Here are a few pictures -



The ABC wallborder -



Emily's 'wall' as she calls it - she loves farm animals, not "yucky boy dinosaurs" as she says it -



Last, but not least, my sweet little school boy at his desk -



I have a few other areas - their 'award' area, area to showcase their crafts, ect., but I am afraid I have already posted too many pictures.

I am so enjoying creating the Fall siggies. I hope you like the one for today. If wanted, please tag or email.

"To waken interest and kindle enthusiasm is the sure way to teach easily and successfully." ~Tryon Edwards~





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Grateful for 'do nothing' days

Monday    September 15, 2008

I went from feeling like I had accomplished so much on Saturday, to feeling as though 'nothing' got done today. I think Mike coming home this morning had something to do with that. He had been gone since last Thursday, & I wasn't expecting him home till late afternoon. Luckily, Elliot had just finished his school when we heard the door open, because I have a feeling that he couldn't have kept his mind on anything but time with his Papa. As always, Mike was tackled as he walked in. It's so sweet to watch, & to hear the squeals from Elliot & Emily. He wanted to take us out to eat, but I decided that I wanted to stay in & have a lazy do nothing day. I sent him to our favorite Italian cafe to pick up a pizza, & we had such a relaxing afternoon & evening. He & Elliot played video games, & Emily & I took a long shower. She charmed Mike into running out & buying some ice cream after we got our jammies on.

My hanger thingies (sorry, I cannot think of what they are actually called) that I mentioned yesterday to hang my fall wreaths on our front doors? Just as I thought, Mike has no idea where they are. He is going to try to find them tomorrow. If we have no luck, then I will go out & try to find them to buy.

When I decided that I would teach Emily along with Elliot, I ordered them both a desk. Elliot's came in, but hers was on back order, & I had given up on it coming in. I just got word today that it's in, & ready to pick up. I will do that tomorrow. She is so excited. She has no idea what it is, just that she is getting something. I ordered her a Disney Princess desk, & she is going to be one very happy little girl.

We babysat for Avery for a couple of hours tonight. Emily calls her her "best friend", & I'm sure they will be as they grow up. She is 'so' sweet, & she's fun to babysit. She didn't get into everything tonight, but I think that's because she was tired.

I finally changed out my smileys for my tag board. I have been meaning to do that from day one, but just never took the time to do it. Instead of the 'ice cube' looking things, I now have bears.

Here's the siggie for today...hope you like it. If you want one, please tag or email.

"Forgiveness is one of the best gifts we can give." ~Unknown~





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Grateful for a great weekend

Sunday    September 14, 2008

I had a very productive weekend. Mike was out of town, & I always manage to get a lot done when he's on a weekend trip. Most likely, because when he's here, we do the normal running around on Saturdays. I got a lot of things organized, cleaned house from top to bottom, & my house ready for fall. I want to do a bit more fall decorating, but happy with all I accomplished. I was going to hang my fall wreaths on our front doors, but have no idea where Mike put my hanger thingies. That will get done tomorrow when he gets back & lets me know where he put them (that is, if he remembers!).

Elliot also went from 'hating' to write, to 'loving' to write over the weekend. I was really getting concerned about this, seeing as he broke down in tears each time he thought he had to write. I had forgotten that I picked up these 2 little tablets from Wal-Mart - Capital Letter Stories, & Lower Case Letter Stories. I got those out yesterday, & it made writing so much fun for him. He finally 'gets' it. I think he loves the little story that goes with each letter, & it helps him to 'picture' how each letter should be written. As an example, with the letter 'A', his little story says "A double slide, how fun! Slide down to the left! Slide down to the right! This slide has a tunnel! Crawl through the tunnel to make the A." I love this little method. There are small boxes to practice each letter in, which is supposed to facilitate proper letter size, & increase attention to boundaries for writing on lined paper. He did so good!

I babysat for Avery for an hour or so last night. I have never seen a more determined little girl! If she wants it, then she will not give up. I don't have a playpen, so I either have to follow her around all through the house (& constantly take things from her), or hold her squirming little body, because she wants down. She's 8 months old, but already standing by herself & trying to take a step.

Emily graduated to 'big girl' panties this weekend. She's been potty trained for months now, but I've kept her in the Princess Pull-ups in case she would have an accident. I don't remember the last time she had an accident, so we went out shopping to let her pick some 'real' panties out. She chose a package of Princess ones & a package of Tinkerbell ones. While we were out, LillyTrixieLilly got in trouble. We did our grocery shopping & Emily wanted to hold onto a new bath mat she picked out. I told her that she might drop it, but she assured me that she wouldn't. We're walking along, I'm looking at something & I hear the bath mat go "PLOP" to the floor, immediately followed by "Lilly! You can't throw things out of the cart onto the floor!" It was so cute. When I talked to her about it, she really did think Lilly was the cause, because she said "Lilly was too big to sit beside her with the mat."

Speaking of Lilly, I have told you how Emily takes her 'everywhere'. If you see Emily, then you see Lilly. I peeked into her Sunday School class & this is a picture I took of her (the red haired one) last week right before her Sunday School class started. Notice who has a chair off to Emily's right?



I hope you like the siggie - if you want one, I can change out hair color & eye color, & please let me know if you want it with or without the tree (or both). I have decided to put up a new siggie every evening this week, to celebrate the arrival of Fall, so if you are interested, please check in each day.

"When new wrinkles develop in life, get a 'faith' lift!" ~Unknown~







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We Will Never Forget

Thursday    September 11, 2008

We slept in till 9AM, so that made up for our wee hours of the morning 'gab fest'. Today was such a lazy day. I stayed in pj's all day & got caught up with things that I wanted to do. I couldn't figure out why I felt 'blah', because I wasn't sleepy. Then it hit me. 9/11. My thoughts were with all the families that lost loved ones that day. My heart breaks for them. I watched coverage from day tonight, & it still seems surreal. Rewatching the images of all that happened, are stuck in my mind right now.

Today was our oldest son's birthday, but he doesn't like to celebrate it on this date anymore. I wonder how many others were affected in this way? I know 9/11 was Melanie's wedding aniversary, & the first anniversary after she lost her husband. It's a day of ranging emotions for her. I know my son says he will never enjoy his birthday like he had before this happened. We had big plans to celebrate his day that night, & none of us felt like going out after the events of the day. We all sat glued to the tv instead, his birthday cake untouched.

I went online & ordered the cutest cookie gift basket for my sweet 10 year old niece. She will be so surprised when it arrives. I want her to feel special & I'm going to think of some things to surprise her with from time to time. She is so sensitive & feels things very deeply, & her parents have been worried about her because she seems withdrawn & she cries alot. They had thought it was losing my Mom, her Grandpa, & 2 cousins within a year, & this did affect her deeply, but they found out yesterday that a group of kids from school are mistreating her. She is the cutest little girl, but they tease her & tell her that she's ugly. This only added to the pain she was already dealing with. Kids can be so mean to one another, & Kaitlain is the type that takes everything to heart. I hurt for her. I think her parents should go talk to her teacher & make her aware of what the kids are doing. She doesn't know the cookies are coming, so I can't wait to hear from her.

Today's quote is quite long, but fitting. I don't know the author of this, but it says so much. I will see you all back here on Sunday! Have a wonderful weekend!

"For those that are gone but not forgotten
For the pain we all felt that day
For the strength of character the american people displayed
For coming together to do anything and everything that needed to be done
For the courage of the police and firemen who gave their lives
For the images of those in so much terror that they chose to jump instead of burning
For the sickness of our hearts and souls when we watched the towers fall
For the anger we felt when the plane hit the pentagon
For the bravery of the innocents that would not allow another plane strike Washington when they understood what was happening
For this country showing the best of itself in the face of the greatest tragedy...

I am proud to be an American" ~Unknown~




   

Grateful for my sons

Wednesday    September 10, 2008

I didn't think I was going to make it here tonight. My son Brandon, & his girlfriend Natalie, dropped by & they 'love' to visit & talk. Just how much? It is now 1AM, & they've just left (he is on vacation from work - can't you tell???). I don't mind though. I will most likely be sorry in the morning, as I drag myself out of bed, but we had such fun. I love the sound of laughter ringing throughout our home. Shad had everyone laughing too - he is 'so' funny.

For the few that have mentioned not knowing I homeschool Elliot - this is his first year (Kindergarten). I had no choice in this, seeing as our hands are somewhat tied until we win custody. There is much about this custody situation that I don't talk about, but we couldn't have sent him to school even if we had the power to do that. It is now Nevada law that 'all' children have all their shots prior to entering school. Elliot has had none. Jen doesn't 'believe' in drs., & it's been a nightmare trying to deal with her on this. This is another reason we want & need custody. If something were to seriously happen & medical care would be needed...it's just a scary thought. There are such serious issues at stake here - most of which you probably couldn't believe (she doesn't believe in school either - feels it's not needed), & that is why we want this to go quickly. We want to know that the children are safe & being taken the best of care of. I am so thankful for my dr. He knows the situation we are in with this, & he will see the children if needed (Emily's pink eye a few weeks ago). We are so hoping that we can win, & that this can be put behind us this Fall.

Emily's first night of being in Awana's was tonight. She wasn't too sure she wanted to go, but I talked her into it. She wanted me to stay with her. She had her ever present companion (LillyTrixieLilly), so that helped. It's so cute to see her with her - she takes her 'everywhere'. She is a 'Honey Bee', & I can't wait to take a picture of her in her uniform. She gets that next week, so I will get pictures of her to post then. She is going to be 'majorly' cute!

I had better go on to bed, or tomorrow will be a long day!!

"While we try to teach our children all about life, our children teach us what life is all about." ~Angela Schwindt~




   

Grateful for hints of Fall

Tuesday    September 9, 2008

Elliot kept his word. He 'did' write, & he enjoyed it. I kept his writing at a minimum today, because I think he had a bit of 'writing burnout'. He told me today that he was going to marry me. I explained that he couldn't, & he said "But I love you! I don't ever want to leave you." It was so sweet. Of course Emily over-heard this, & she quickly informed him that I was 'hers'.

We are really enjoying our furniture on our balcony. It is finally cooling down here in the evenings, so Emily wanted to sit out there the other night & have me to read her stories. It's so beautiful out there in early mornings & evenings. The days are still a bit lot too hot. I will be so glad when it cools down to the 80's. I am so ready for fall, & love seeing these little glimpses of its coming. It's my favorite season. I bought 2 fall wreaths for our front doors from Costco a month or so ago, & I'm looking forward to hanging those this weekend.

"Everyone must take time to sit and watch the leaves turn." ~Elizabeth Lawrence~




   

Grateful for rain

Monday    September 8, 2008

I almost talked myself out of posting tonight. I am so sleepy, but seeing as I didn't post for 2 weeks, I thought even a short post would be better than none. Today was such a busy day. Elliot's homeschool took a bit longer, because he decided that he didn't want to write. Ever. He was in tears, telling me how it was so hard. I tried to explain to him that he will love it once he gets it down, & that he will use it everyday. This interested him, & he wanted to know 'how' will he use it everyday. I mentioned writing letters, writing stories, ect. He immediately told me that he didn't ever want to write a letter, so he didn't need to learn to write. He loves every part of school, but the writing. I am going to try a different approach tomorrow. He told me before bed that he will write tomorrow, & that he will have fun doing it. I sure hope he remembers this tomorrow!

We had another appointment with our lawyer today, in regards to the custody case. He gave us a list of more things that he wants us to bring in to him, so now we have more to take care of. This seems to drag on & on, but he warned us of this, seeing as it is being contested. He said once we get the other things, we can hopefully get this done quickly, but that some cases go on for months, or even years. This has been a long journey, & not a fun one.

Emily finally got to see her rain today. It only lasted about 30 minutes, but it was 'real' rain, not just a sprinkling of it. How I wish we would get this more often. We were driving in it, on our way to Famous Dave's for dinner. Her main concern was that LillyTrixieLilly would get wet when we got out of the car. She said we needed to buy a little umbrella for her.

I'm off to drag my sleepy self to bed...

"Autumn, the year's last, loveliest smile." ~William Cullen Bryant~




   

Grateful for my blessings

Sunday    September 7, 2008

Once again, I can't believe how long it's been since I've stopped in here to post. I have been super busy for the past couple of weeks. Mike took some time off from work, & we've enjoyed that time together. We got a lot done around here I put him to work. We have been wanting to get some outdoor furniture for the balcony off of our bedroom, & we finally got that this weekend. We wanted to wait till they went on sale, & it was worth the wait. We got a set that was $400 originally, but went on sale this weekend for $125. We plan on doing some things in our backyard over the next few weeks. Something about the fall always makes me want to 'feather my nest'.

Elliot's homeschool has kept me busier than I expected, but I think that is because we just ended the 2 week point. He is doing great, but is not real thrilled about writing. We tried to think up something fun for him, that would get him more excited about this, so Friday we came up with the idea of sidewalk chalk. He loved it! Here's the result of his hard work -



It is such a joy to see him 'get' something, after him working so hard on it. It fills him with such a sense of accomplishment & pride. Emily 'loves' school. Even though she is only 2, right now she is working in workbooks that are made for age 4 & Kindergarten. She loves learning, & is such a pleasure to teach. She is so funny - if she makes a mistake, she will smile real big & say "Oopsie!", & she tries again. I hope she is always so gentle on herself & can smile at life.

Emily & I went out to shop the other day, & as we went down an aisle, she exclaimed "Oh I always wanted that!" I looked & she grabbed a flyswatter (that doesn't look spelled right). I said "Honey, how in this world do you even know what that is?" We don't have flies here in Vegas - or at least I have never seen one (my Mom was amazed when she came to visit & didn't see one. She told everyone that she thought it was because it was too hot for them to live here. lol) Anyway, she said "I need this shoo-fly-shoo!" I laughed, & asked her where she came up with that. She told me that she saw it on Max & Ruby, one of her favorite cartoon shows. She tried hard to convince me to get her this 'shoo-fly-shoo', but decided she didn't need it when I told her that we don't have flies.

I have done 3 siggies for this week. They are pretty much similar, but I couldn't decide which to offer, so decided to offer them all. The last one is a bit on the 'large' size. I can change hair color & eye color, so if you want one, please email or tag me. Let me know which one, along with the hair & eye color you prefer. Hope you all have a wonderful week!

"Winter is an etching, spring a watercolor, summer an oil painting and autumn a mosaic of them all." ~Stanley Horowitz~









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Grateful for fast healing for Emily

Sunday    August 24, 2008

First off, I want to thank all of you from the bottom of my heart for your condolences & sweet emails that you have sent me in the loss of Nathan. I am grateful that I have you in my life. David & family are doing okay, but I honestly think everyone is still in shock mode. I know as the reality of his being gone sets in, this is when it will hit hard. I so hate that I am not there with him & family. I had decided to go back for just a few days, but then things didn't work out that I could go, so he said he totally understands. I hope to go back in a few months for a couple of weeks.

Emily does have pinkeye. In both eyes. She's basically over it now - by looking at her eyes, you couldn't tell she has it. Dr. Royal gave her some homeopathic eye drops, & by the end of that day, the improvement was amazing. While we waited for him to come into the examining room, the nurse asked her if she would like apple juice, orange juice, or water to drink while she waited. She looked thoughtful for a moment, & then she stuck one little finger up, & said "I know! How about a milkshake?" The nurse laughed, & said "We don't have milkshakes. It's either apple juice, orange juice, or water." Emily lay her head down on me, looked very disappointed, & said in a barely audible voice "Apple juice." Her strawberry milkshake, is her strawberries & creme from Starbucks, so I promised her one after we left the office. She did great until she was told she had pink eye. She took it literally - she burst into tears, & wailed "I don't want pink eyes!" It was so funny. Only she would come up with that. She loves her green eyes too much. She wasn't too keen on the drops the first try at it, but now she is a pro at it. I also have to put drops in Lillytrixielilly's eyes & in Curious George's eyes. This picture doesn't really show up how awful her eyes looked, but here is her & LillytrixieLilly, enjoying the apple juice while waiting for the dr. -



And of course, she said that Lillytrixielilly needed a drink of apple juice too -



Elliot wanted me to show you all his biggest thrill of the weekend - his Spiderman cupcake (this is big for a little boy that likes loves Spiderman!



The Spiderman on the cupcake was a ring, so he had his fingers decorated all weekend. If you notice the 'chef' behind him - I've had him for years - he stands 42" tall, & on his 'daily special' board he's holding, I put "Today's Special - Whatever you feel like making yourself". I couldn't resist putting that on there (even though it's not true, or everyone would starve!). I haven't changed the message on it since I got him 8 years ago, & it gives everyone a smile when they see it.

I have 'so' much more to say, but I think I have been a bit wordy on this post, so I will close this. I went ahead & made 2 siggies for this week. If you want either (or both), please let me know. Have a wonderful week!

"The only people with whom you should try to get even are those who have helped you." ~John E. Southard~





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Bear siggie made by using tubes from GreatKris.




   

Grateful for my sweet brother

Thursday    August 21, 2008

A large part of my day consisted of being on the phone with family back in Indiana. If you remember - I come from a family of 10 kids, & there is a total of 119 grandchildren, great grandchildren, & great-great grandchildren, so that can add up to a 'lot' of talking, especially when tragedy strikes. Everyone is so heartbroken. I called my brother David early this morning. My stomach was in knots - it is not a call that anyone wants to make, but I couldn't 'not' call. I was in tears before I even called, & as soon as I heard his voice, the floodgates opened. If you were to know my brother, the following would make sense - I called to offer him sympathy & some sort of comfort as best as I could, but it was 'him' that comforted me. He is honestly one of the most amazing men I have ever known. This isn't because he is my brother. You can ask anyone that knows him, & they will tell you the same thing. He is the most gentle, loving, kind man - never a harsh word from his mouth, or a complaint. He told me that they were going to thank God for allowing them to have Nathan for the short time that they did. He said "I would have never dreamed this, nor is it something I would have asked for, but I will not question God as to why." As I told you, he & his wife drove upon the accident, & they saw Nathan being put on the stretcher. David held his hand for just a bit, & is so grateful he was able to tell him that he loved him. Nathan's breathing was very labored, & he's not certain he could hear him, but he is holding to hope that he did. He said he barely opened one eye, so he believes this was in response to him. As you know, when you first get news, things in are bits & pieces. I was told that he only had internal injuries, but David said he had extensive head injuries, multiple broken bones (including 2 broken legs), & the internal injuries. His truck had rolled 3 times & it threw him from it. Sadly, he wasn't wearing a seatbelt (Hannah was). I also so hate it that it was Hannah's birthday, & now this memory will taint that day for her.

It looks as though Emily has some sort of eye infection. I don't think it's pink eye, because she doesn't complain that it hurts or itches. My doctor's nurse said that if it was, she would complain of those things. She is going to see my Dr. Royal tomorrow (if you have been reading me for awhile, you know she likes loves Dr. Royal. I noticed tonight, it looks as though it has now spread to the other eye. She looks so pitiful - they are red, puffy, & 'gunky'. I lay her on the couch & put a warm compress on them to loosen up the 'gunk'. She was loving all of it (future hypochondriac??)...she told me that maybe I need to give her medicine, & then she said "I want to see Dr. 'Oyal'." She is too funny. I hope she is better tomorrow & not worse. As it is, it will look as though I have brought along a little prizefighter...one that lost.

Seeing as this is Thursday, I will see you all on Sunday. Have a blessed & wonderful weekend!

"God gave you a gift of 86,400 seconds today. Have you used one to say "thank you?" ~William A. Ward~




   

Grateful for family

Wednesday    August 20, 2008

I recieved such sad news a couple of hours ago. My brother David's 17 year old son (Nathan) was killed in a car accident on his way home from church tonight. He had his 15 year old sister Hannah with him, but she is okay - just a bump on her head. He died of internal injuries. My brother & his wife came upon the accident as they were on their way home from church, & my heart breaks for them to have that awful memory. Nathan was a true gift - so talented, & so kind & loving. He sang a song at my Mom's funeral that he had written, & it was beautiful.

"That it will never come again is what makes life so sweet." ~Emily Dickinson~




   

Grateful for a girls day

Tuesday    August 19, 2008

Elliot's Grandma picked him up early this morning, so that meant a 'girls day' for Emily & I. She loves this. We ate breakfast & did what girls do - we went shopping. She found a 'neckace' (necklace) that she loved, so I bought her that. Being 2 1/2, she hasn't had luck with necklaces - at least the 2 that she's had. She breaks them. I talked with her before we bought it, & she told me that she is "bigger now, & don't break neckaces." It's just a little bead thing, so even if she broke it, it wouldn't be a big deal. Well, I take that back. It would be a 'very' big deal to her. She wore it proudly the rest of the day. She was certain someone would take it from her since it was so "bootiful". I told her that no one would. We stopped at Walmart, & this guy comes out of the store, running towards his car as we were walking towards the store. She immediately clasped her 'neckace' & said "See! I told you that. That man wants to get my neckace!" So sweet, that she honestly beleived that.

Being 2 1/2, we had to take a shopping break, & bring her home to take her nap. She tried to convince me that she didn't need one, even as she kept yawning. After she woke up, she had a snack & off we went again. One of her most prized finds was a big lollipop, & seeing as it was only her 3rd one, we don't let her bite them - she has to lick them. This particular lollipop would have taken a week with her just licking it. We had to stop into the post office to mail a birthday package out to my sister Jenny on the way home. In the midst of the loooong wait to get to the front of the line (& a very quiet line), Emily all of a sudden lets out this very loud wail. I instantly knew what had happened. She dropped her prized lollipop. I was 'so' embarrassed! There were at least 20 people in line, & all eyes divert to us, & Emily is heartbroken, wailing "My lollipop! I dropped my lollipop!" I calmed her, & everyone around gave a sympathetic "Awwwww!" - they thought she was the cutest. She recovered very quickly, as children do.

Susan bought this pillow & posted a pic on her blog, & I knew immediately that I 'had' to get it for my sister Jenny. Here is a picture of it:



The reason I had to get it, is because so often when I call her, I will say "How are things?" She'll say "I feel like I'm about to snap", or "I'm just draggin'!" She does not deal with any type of pressure well at all, & the slighest thing causes her to feel like she's "going to snap". Anyway...such a perfect pillow for her, & I think she will get such a laugh. It is her birthday next Monday, & Emily wanted to get her something to put in her birthday box. I said "Okay honey, what would you like to get her?" This is what she picked -



I placed it in Jenny's card so that it will be the first thing that she finds. I know her, & it will bring tears to her eyes, & most likely it will be her favorite gift. Children are 'so' precious with their innocence & the things that they feel will bring joy to another. Such simple, sweet things.

I am sorry this has went long tonight - too long! Before I end this though, I want to offer this little siggie. I am making a webset for someone, using these little bears, & began playing around. It may seem more like a Spring siggie, but I think he/she is so cute. I guess it does rain in Summer too (everywhere except Vegas!). If you want one, please tag or email.

"When life seems to be going too fast, slow down." ~Unknown~




   

Grateful for a good nights sleep

Monday    August 18, 2008

I thought I would get here early today. I normally post right before I go to bed, so this seems strange being here this morning.

I'm sorry that I didn't post all last week, but it was a really busy week. Since we don't have legal custody of Elliot yet, I am going to have to homeschool him (Kindergarten). We can't register him, so we'll have to go this route until we get custody. Kindergarten isn't a requirement in Nevada (is it in other states?). I started working with him last week, & he loves it. I wasn't sure how it was going to work with Emily, so I came up with the idea of teaching her too, & she is amazing! She devours learning, & she actually understood a lot of things better than Elliot. I know when it comes to learning to print, ect. I don't think she is ready for that (although she might surprise me), but as far as the other things, she did great. The homseschooling isn't going to be that difficult, since it's Kindergarten. We will be spending 3-4 hours per day.

My tiredness was the result of Trixie. Almost every night this past week, she woke me up yelping at the top of her very strong lungs. She wanted out. She would get up at 3AM & decide she wanted to go out. Come 4AM, she would want out again. At 6 - 6:30AM, she wanted to go back out, then I was up for the day. As far as the waking me up, it was like having a newborn for a week. Mike was out of town, so it was all up to me. He came back Saturday, & she has slept through the nights without wanting to go out.

Okay - I started this post 6 hours ago - now you see how the busyness can take over here. Between having to read stories, play superhero, play Princess, play ball, fixes lunches, get kids down for naps (I'm sure you get the picture), time can get limited.

Okay - back again - after another 3 hour laspe. Kids woke up from naps, so more playtime, & then dinner. Now I remember why I do nighttime posts! Anyway, I feel this post is so 'fractured'...just all over the place, so I am going to go now & enjoy my evening.

"Don't go through life, grow through life." ~Eric Butterworth~




   

Grateful for early nights

Sunday    August 17, 2008

I'm popping in to put up this weeks siggie. I am so tired after this past busy week, so I am off to bed very early for me. If you want this weeks siggie, please tag or email me. I decided to do two for this week, & you may have both if you want them. On the 'friends' one, I can put just your name, or your & a friends name. Sorry this is short & sweet, but I can barely keep my eyes open here! Have a wonderful week!

"He who sees his own faults, is too busy to see the faults of others." ~Unknown~








   

Grateful for a relaxing weekend

Sunday    August 10, 2008

This was such an uneventful weekend, & that makes for an uneventful post. Mike was out of town, so the kids & I didn't do a whole lot. I wanted to stay in & relax, & we did. We did babysit for Avery last night, & that was fun. She went to bed at 7:30PM though, so we didn't get to play with her much. Lisa said she hadn't taken a nap, so I knew she would go down early. The short time she was up, she was into everything! She crawls so fast, & if she sees something she wants, she is determined that she will have it. And just like it was with Emily, she always goes for my Longaberger baskets. I can sit her down with 10 little toys, & she is interested in them for 5 minutes, & then it's off for the baskets.

If you are interested in this week's siggie, please let me know. I can do her with blonde, black, red, or brown hair, so please specify which color. Please let me know if you would like one with a dog, the cats, or without either.

"Do not be angry that you cannot make others as you would wish them to be, since you cannot make yourself as you wish to be." ~Thomas à Kempis~







Siggie created by tubes from:





   

Grateful for a quiet day

Thursday    August 7, 2008

No rain again today, even though we thought we were going to get some. As of now, I give up on seeing any in the near future. Not complaining though - I want to keep that grateful heart.

I had such fun blog hopping tonight, & admiring all the different blog styles & designs. As I mentioned weeks ago, I have become a bit lot addicted to digital scrapbooking. I now see so many blogs using the the digital scrapbook kits, & I 'love' them! With the kits, the design possibilities are endless! I have been tempted to go that route, but feel torn. Maybe I will do a new blog for Emily, & I can have 'both worlds' so to speak.

Lisa & Shad said they had a difficult night with Avery. I guess she wasn't feeling well, & she was up most of the night. Lisa said she finally got to sleep at 6AM, only to be awakened at 7AM. If they only knew! This is the first of many such nights! I'm thankful she was feeling much better tonight.

This qualifies as one of the most boring posts ever! Rather than subject you to more of the same, I will close this. I am absolutely blank on what to write about tonight! Fridays & Saturdays are post free for me, so I will see you all on Sunday! Have a wonderful weekend.

"Since you cannot make more time, spend the time you have more wisely." ~Unknown~




   

Grateful for a child's trust in me

Wednesday    August 6, 2008

We had a forecast of rain (possibly thunderstorms) today, & again it teased us. Tonight dark clouds came, lightening cut a jagged path through the skies for a bit, but not one 'drip' of rain! Not one. We were 'really' excited to think that we might honestly get a 'thunderstorm'. Again - very rare in Vegas. Anyway...Emily was excited about the rain...she heard the forecast, & went running through the house, loudly announcing "Rain is coming! Rain is coming! Rain is coming!" Then she saw lightening through the window. Her face changed...all at once she wasn't so keen on this 'rain' that she had been so excited to see. She wanted the rain, but she didn't want this "lightening 'fing' (thing), & the big 'funder (thunder) fing' ". She began to pace, asking me if lightening "can hurt me?", "Can lightening get in my home?", "Can it get in my Princess bedroom?". I told her that she would be fine, & no, lightening wasn't going to get in her home. Elliot didn't help matters, because he said "Yes lightening can too hurt! It can burn you bad & that will really hurt!" I don't know where he knew that from, because it's not like he's seen a lot of it. I told them "But you are inside. You are not outside where the lightening is." Bedtime was announced, & then the little hands begin to wring, the bottom lip comes out, & she says with a little trembling voice "I can't sleep with lightening outside. I scared." It was 'so' sweet. I scooped her up into my arms, & I asked her "Emily, who is always with you?" She faintly smiled through teary eyes & said "God." Then she informed me that she wanted me with her too. I told her that I was, & that I would never let anything hurt her. She said "I want you to sleep with me." I told her that I would, if that would make her feel better. I got Elliot tucked into bed, & then began to rock Emily. We rocked, and we rocked, & we rocked. Sleep would not come for her, because she wanted to make sure that she saw this forecast rain, and she wanted to keep an eye on that lightening 'fing'. I rocked her for one hour. After that, I took her up & tucked her in & promised her that I would come lay with her soon. She was asleep in minutes. By the time we finished with our evening bedtime ritual, & our marathon rocking time, & I had tucked them in, I was ready to be tucked in! I don't know what she would do if she saw a 'real' thunderstorm! One with booming thunder & flashing lightening that lights up the entire sky. The same type of storms that terrified me so much when I was a little (& big) girl. The storms that caused me to run trembling to Mom & ask her to "please sleep with me!" It was the winds that scared me, because I thought winds meant 'tornado'. I 'loved' the thunderstorm part, although lightening does still frighten me. My family laugh at everything I tell them about her, because as my sister told me the other day "She is exact like you when you were a little girl." I can see it in so many ways, & it's funny.

"The complete trust of a child is one of life's sweetest gifts, & one of life's greatest responsibilities." ~Me~




   

Grateful for thoughtfulness

Tuesday    August 5, 2008

Since my son's birthday took the place of my Monday cleaning day, I had a Tuesday cleaning day. That's really about all this day consisted of - cleaning & laundry, with splashes of playtime with Elliot & Emily scattered throughout the day. Of course with Emily, cleaning 'is' playtime. She loves to clean! Elliot only 'tolerates' it - he will get by with as little as he has to. I'm trying to change that.

Mike called me mid-day & told me to not even think of preparing dinner. He knew it was cleaning day, & he's so sweet about things like that. He told me that he was bringing take-out home (Italian food), & that he had some things planned for him & Elliot. He had downloaded the game WALL E last night, & when Elliot found out, you talk about excited! They played that & then had some play time, while Emily & I did 'girl' stuff - baths, ect. It was a really sweet evening, & I'm thankful that Mike is great about doing things like this.

The past few days, we have been getting rain clouds, but that's it...just rain clouds. I cannot remember the last time it rained, & we want to see rain 'so' badly - even if just for an hour. I know it did rain a month or so ago, only because I saw that the ground looked wet when I woke up. We didn't get to see it, & we want to. So far - just teasing rain clouds!

I was long-winded last night, so I will be short tonight. Below is a picture of Emily (in a sea of bubbles!) enjoying our bath time. She's bathing her 'baby'. Hope you all have a blessed day!



"Planning your future saves you from regretting your past." ~Unknown~




   

Grateful for family celebrations

Monday    August 4, 2008

Monday is normally my major housecleaning day, but 'nothing' got done today. At least not in the area of housework. Today was my son Shad's birthday, so I got up early, & called him & ask if he would like a birthday breakfast of his favorite - french toast. He gladly accepted. Here is Emily, sleepily waiting for him with birthday cards in hand -



She picked out the card from her & Elliot. She looked over every birthday card, didn't find any to her liking (except for a Princess card), & finally settled on one that she fell in love with. It has fireworks covering the front of the card. She insisted Shad 'loved' fireworks. On the front of the card, in big, bold letters, it said - Congratulations! And no, it wasn't congratulating him on having a birthday, it was a congratulations card. He loved it, & said it will always be special to him because she picked it out all by herself.

After the birthday breakfast, the kids & I went out shopping for awhile. Emily wanted to buy a pool...& no, not the little plastic kiddie pools...she wants to buy a pool. As in 6-7 ft. deep - a 'cement pond', as the Clampetts would say. I explained that we can't go out & just buy that kind of pool. She is determined that she will have one.

While the kids took their afternoon naps, I had a good long phone visit with one of my sisters. She was having a difficult day, as August 2nd was the 2nd year anniversary of my niece Nikki's death. That, combined with this month being the 1 year anniversary of my Mom's death, & the worry over one of my brothers still not doing well over this, hit her hard. I had sent her a package out last Friday, & it got there today, so that lifted her spirits somewhat. She said it was perfect timing.

We all met at Macaroni Grill for Shad's birthday dinner tonight. It was 'so' good, but I ate way too much. I filled up on the bread before my meal got to me. Emily had to sample a bit of everyone's meal, & I honestly think she ate a loaf of bread on her own! We all had such a good time. Lillytrixielilly even had a good time! Emily requested a booster seat for her (Lilly), & she got it. Here is Elliot & Emily, as we waited for a table -



Notice the look of anticipation on Emily's face - that is because she knows this outing involves food!

We went to Barnes & Noble for awhile after our meal. We hadn't been there in awhile & I loved it. We used to stop in there at least twice a week. And guess what? Even though we had just finished a huge meal, when we walked in, Emily said "I'm hungry. Do they have food here?" She & Elliot had so much fun playing in the children's area. They played with a train & track setup, & had 'so' much fun, that Emily cried when it was time to leave & she had to put the train back. She said "Please! I want this train." I told her that it belonged to the store, & she replied "Please. I won't keep it. I just want to play with it, & I will bring it back tomorrow." A bit more explaining, & she put it down. She didn't leave empty handed though. She bought a new little friend - a plush Curious George, & Elliot chose a dinosaur book with dino toys included. That probably brought his number of dino toys up to 50! He 'loves' dinos.

We left there & everyone met at our house for Shad's birthday 'pie'. He always prefers a pie instead of a cake. It was a full day, & a good day. It was a blessing to celebrate with family. I'm sorry I was overly chatty tonight!

"Change the inner attitudes of your mind, to change the outer aspects of your life." ~Unknown~




   

Grateful for a heart of gratitude

Sunday    August 3, 2008

I am doing this post a bit different today. I normally post at night, but I'm going to post in the afternoon for a few days, to see if that is better. Sometimes I put this off till right before I drop into bed, & that isn't always the best of times, seeing as I am ready to fall asleep.

Seeing as my blog is called 'My Grateful Heart', I thought I would share a practice that I have had for years. I shared it with Kathy when she was having a 'blah' period in her life, & I love seeing that she has been been taking it to heart. I keep a 'gratitude journal' - it's very simple to keep & doesn't take much time at all. At the end of the day, I write down 3-5 things that I am thankful for, from that day. There will be days, that you might have to 'dig' to come up with 3-5 things, because not all days are good days, & there will also be days that you could write & write & write! It's such a rewarding practice, & it takes just minutes to do each night. I have found that this takes focus off of the problems or the worries that might creep into a day, & put them on the things that are good about life. It helps you to see that no matter what might be going on in life, there is 'always' good to be found in each day - blessings that you might over-look, because you are too busy filling your mind with other things. Personally, I have found that it makes me more aware of the good stuff of life in my days, because it makes me 'look' for it - you become more observant. I love how it changes my perspective - you will actually find yourself becoming more thankful, even for the smallest of things, because you are changing your outlook & 'mindset'. You truly begin to adopt an 'attitude of gratitude'. I love reading back over mine, from years back. It's also a wonderful practice to begin with little ones. I have Elliot & Emily to give me one thing they are thankful for at the end of their day, & it's 'so' sweet to hear what they are grateful for (my balloon, my books, my milk, my toys, my bed, ect.). I keep a 'gratitude' journal separately for each of them, & I think they will love having this one day, just to see the simple things that they were thankful for. They never want to stop at one thing...they will rattle off a looooong list of things they are grateful for. Kids have such a pure heart & I love it. They are never at a loss for things to be grateful for. We take so much for granted each day, & this is a wonderful way to shift that. If you don't already do it, I hope you give it a try, even if for just one week. Just see if your attitude doesn't start to shift!

I didn't mean to go so long, so I will stop at that & give you all a break! I hope you like the siggie for this week. For those of you that regularly ask for one, please click on her & you'll find yours. If anyone else is interested, please tag or email me.

"A grateful heart, is a happy heart." ~Me~




   

Grateful for the blessing of feeling good!

Thursday    July 31, 2008

After my queasy tummy last night, I woke up feeling great! It felt wonderful to get a good long sleep. So much so, that I really should do it more often.

We had 'fun' today - Mike took the day off & we cleaned the garage. It seems we do this a few times a year, & I don't know why. I want to get rid of a lot of stuff out there, but unfortunately, we are the 'storage unit' for our middle son's things. We're hoping he takes his stuff soon.

I have been tagged! Actually, I was tagged by quite a few of you, but Toni was the first to tag me. Anyway, first I must post the rules:

Six Random Facts
First You have to post the rules….

1) Link to the person who tagged you. Toni
2) Post the rules on your blog.
3) Write 6 random things about yourself.
4) Tag 6 people at the end of your post and link to them.
5) Let each person know they have been tagged, leave a comment on their blog.
6) Let the tagger know when your entry is up.

I'm sorry, but there is no one left to tag! I've visited all my reads, & it looks as though everyone has already gotten 'hit'. Anyway...here are my six random facts about me:

1. Up until the age of 4, I could not 'bear' to wear clothes, & would take them off every chance I got! My Mom told me that I sneaked out of the house almost everyday, stripped down, in all my glory, wearing her high heels, & her purse over my shoulder. Most times they would catch me as I was going up the street, but if not, they always knew where to find me - I would walk up to the town church. I would pass by the tavern too, to say 'hello' to all the men (I loved talking to them), & they would call my parents. Luckily, we lived in a very small town. Mom said that everyone told them I was either going to be a stripper or a good church-goer. I'm thankful it was the latter.

2. Since my husband was in the Air Force, we have lived in Germany (moved there twice), Spain (Madrid), & England & visited places most only read about. Stateside we've lived in Mississippi, Arizona, California, New Mexico, & Las Vegas since 1992.

3. I love reading so much, that from the time I can remember up until a few years ago, I read 3-4 books a week. I'm not talking 'skinny' books either! I read a lot to Emily, & she loves books too. She has my love of books, & I am grateful for that.

4. My memory is so good, that I can remember back to right before I turned 2.

5. We had a pet monkey when I was small, & my parents had to get rid of him because he was mean to us kids. He would chase us down & slap us in the face.

6. I never once - not once, had to be spanked. Out of 10 kids, I was the only one. I think it had something to do with being the 'baby girl' of the family, seeing my older brothers & sisters getting spanked, & knowing that I 'never' wanted to go through that. Mom & I talked about this before she died, & she thanked me for "always being a good girl, & never disobeying her". I asked her if there were times that I should have gotten spanked, & she "no". Just talking to me was all I needed, so I have no idea what a spanking feels like...just know it must hurt, cause I would see my brothers & sisters wailing after one.

As I look over mine, they are most like six random 'stories' about me - sorry a couple of them are a bit long. I wish mine could have been a bit more exciting like some of yours. This was fun - thanks Toni!

Off to bed now...I'll see you all on Sunday (so in August!). Hugs!

"The brook would lose its song if you removed the rocks." ~Unknown~




   

Grateful for early nights

Wednesday    July 30, 2008

This will be a short post. We went out for an Italian meal tonight, & within an hour or so after eating, I felt so sick to my stomach. I kept hoping it would feel better, but I still feel really queasy. I want to go to bed & 'sleep it off'. I have a feeling it might have something to do with something else I gave in & nibbled on earlier - see the little graphic for a clue. I had lots of things I wanted to accomplish tonight, but those things will have to wait.

I got everything on my computer backed up, so that is taken care of. It's such a load off of my mind. I worried so often about losing everything, but never took the time to back it up. It was so silly of me to put it off. My computer is working great again, so I'm not sure what was wrong last night, but good came from it.

I am off to bed now. This is really early for me, & it will actually be nice to go to bed early. I've been tagged a few times to list the random things about me, so I will do that tomorrow.

"It is better to embrace a moment, rather than fear the moment passing." ~Unknown~




   

Grateful for a chance to back up data

Tuesday    July 29, 2008

I'm getting here very late tonight. In fact, it is one hour later than what I thought it was, because the time on my computer is showing it one hour earlier. Elliot did something to my computer tonight, & I have no idea what. I had left it on, & he stopped in here on his way to bed, & said he 'touched' it. It was locked up - no matter what I did, it wouldn't do anything. Mike checked it & said that it looked as though my hard drive had failed, which almost made my heart fail! First thing I thought of, was all the digital pictures I have on here - 1,000's! Next, my mind went to all my graphics! And of course, I haven't backed anything up yet, even though he's been telling me for 2 years to back everything up. Anyway, I've been sitting here for hours, backing up all of my stuff. We finally got the computer to shut down by unplugging something, but it was acting very strange when we turned it back on. What a scare that was! I often think of what I would do if I lost all of our pictures. That's one of the bad things about digital cameras, unless you constantly back up your pictures. That's a job if you take as many pictures as I do. I take 200-400 pictures per month (sometimes more)! Am I picture crazy or what??? I learned my lesson, I will back things up!

Emily wanted to go 'swimming' in our big jacuzzi bathtub today. It was so sweet to sit there beside the tub with her, & watch her lying on her tummy, kicking her feet, moving her arms, ect. She 'really' thought she was swimming! She is so precious. I was telling her what beautiful pajamas she had, & she said "Remember when you were a baby & had pretty jammies like these?" I said "Sweetie, I don't think I 'ever' had such pretty jammies like you!" She welled up with tears, & then came the downpour - completely unexpected! She put her arms around me & was crying so hard! I said "Baby, what is wrong?" She said "I want you to have pretty jammies when you were a baby!" I quickly told her that I did, but she didn't believe me for a bit. She is 'so' protective over me.

I don't think I felt the California quake here in Vegas. We have felt many of them, but I didn't feel this one. Dru, I cracked up at your tag - can't believe you forgot you had a quake!

I better go on to bed now, since I lost that hour. I'll pay for it tomorrow. Hope you all have a blessed day!

"Taking a step back, is sometimes the best way to continue forward." ~Unknown~




   

Grateful for tender hearts

Monday    July 28, 2008

I was determined to get here tonight, even though I am getting here quite late. We babysat for Avery this evening, so we had our hands full. She is such a good baby though, & so contented. Always smiling too. It's so sweet to see her react to Elliot & Emily. She will squeal now, & she squeals with laughter when she sees them. Emily adores her, & she will kiss her & say "We're friends 'Abery'!" She's so gentle with her.

Today wasn't the best of days. Everything was fine until I turned on my computer. I was greeted with 3 ranting emails (Jen & her family again). I am 'so' tired of this. They can be so bad, that it actually makes me sick to my stomach, so today I didn't feel real well all day. I can't wait until this is all over, & then I can block their emails.

Because of the emails, we were going to go out for awhile tonight & go out to eat. I decided last minute that I would rather stay home, relax, & do take-out. It is 'so' hot here, that the thought of going out in it tonight, didn't appeal to me at all. Mike ran out to pick up our meal, & I got to stay inside with the ac.

Elliot was in 'superhero' mode today. He was Spiderman 'all' day! I look at him & expect him to run down any minute, but he just keeps going & going. He is 100% all boy! Emily is such a contrast - she is 100% all girl. At 2, she already says "I don't like boys." I don't know where she came up with that one. There is one boy she does like though - although he's animated. She has a crush on Christopher Robin in Winnie the Pooh movies. She will blush & say "I love Christopher Robin! He's 'coot' (cute)!" It's the sweetest thing.

Darylynn mentioned that she couldn't tell that Emily was saying "Shhh!" in the picture she chose for the book I read her (see yesterday's post). Here it is larger & in color. I put it in black & white for her book, so that she would look like the other 'children' -



I still cannot believe that she saw the pictures in her book, looked through hers, & chose this one to relate to what she thought the girl & boy were doing (laughing during storytime).

Emily announced to Mike tonight that she wants a swimming pool. In her words "I don't want a 'yittle' one, I want a 'BEEG' one, with a gate around it." She always stresses the word 'big', & it's funny to hear her say it. She looked at our neighbor's pool from our bedroom balcony, & she is determined she will now get one.

I found one of my Classic Pooh vases underneath Elliot's bed today. Broken. He began to cry when I showed it to him, & he said "I'm so sorry!" Apparently, he was admiring the picture of Eeyore on it, & dropped it. Now it makes me wonder what else he may have hidden! You know how you think your kids or grandkids won't do certain things? Well, I would have never thought he would have done this. I wasn't upset about it, especially when I saw how very sad he was over it. He didn't just cry, he sobbed! He's so tenderhearted. I told him to never hide things, & that accidents happen. We then talked about always being truthful & 'owning' up to mistakes. I hope he absorbed it. Emily broke one of my pieces a couple of months ago (a Piglet), & it broke her heart! She let out a 'wail', & said "Oh I broke your 'Piget'! I sorry!" For days afterwards, she would just start crying, & hug me & say "I sorry for breaking your 'Piget'." He was able to be fixed, but she still felt so bad.

I feel as though I have done nothing but rambled tonight. Maybe because I've left this & came back to it 3 or 4 times, so it feels so fragmented. Hope you all have a blessed day!

"Action without thought, is like shooting without aim." ~Unknown~




   

Grateful for the blessing of doing for others

Sunday    July 27, 2008

The 'bad girl' of blogging is back. I really should say the 'busy girl' of blogging. Still, when I look at the last post date, it amazes me that it truly has been 'that' long. It didn't help that my mouse went 'kaput', & I was without one for days. Things have been super busy, & I've been trying to make these summer months as fun & exciting for Elliot & Emily as I can. We've been doing lots of things to fill our summer days with good memories for them to carry with them. Our days have been full, but a very good full. We're doing all to enjoy these 'lazy days of summer'.

I do have Emily stories - she loves helping me carry in groceries after shopping, & I asked her if she would like to drag the paper towels in. This is a 'huge' pack of towels (15 rolls) from Costco. She was so excited to be asked to help with such a big thing. I carried it to the end of the sidewalk, sat it down, & she grabbed ahold of one end & began to drag it behind her, up the sidewalk. She had went only a foot or so, & she let go, ran to our door & into the house. She had let out a scream, & wide-eyed she asked "Did you hear that?! I think it was a scary animal behind me!" The dragging of the paper towels made a hissing, dragging sound, & it did sound a bit scary. She calmed down when I showed her that it was the towels. This was probably a story that you needed to be there for, but it was really funny.

I read to Emily from a book that I read to my sons when they were small. On the last page of the book, there is a story that you cut out a head shot of your child, put it into the book & add their name. They get to feel as though they are a part of the story. Emily has me to read this over & over to her, & each time, she laughs as hard as she did the first time I read her name out loud. Being as we put her picture in, I thought she should get to pick which head shot she wanted to go in. Of all the sweet pictures we have of her, she chose one that didn't really show her face all that much, & not one that I thought she would choose. Here it is:



I asked her a few times "Honey, are you sure that is the one you want?" She would say "Yes." After we read it, I asked her why she liked that picture. Can you guess, just by looking at it? This will show you how this little mind works, & it amazed me. First off, she chose a picture that would show her facing the other 2 children. Secondly, she chose one in which she was saying "Shhhh!" in (see the little finger up to her mouth). She told me, "See those children laughing? See that girl looking at me, & laughing bigger at me? She needs to close her mouth & listen to the story & not laugh at me. She shouldn't be laughing at me. That's bad manners! I need to tell her shhh!" I gave you the 'short' version of her reply, because it went on for about 5 minutes. She kept repeating how she had to tell that 'girl' "Shhh!" because she was laughing at her, & that girl needed to listen. I still cannot believe she looked through hundreds of photos, & she chose that one, & for that reason.

This week's siggie is maybe a bit large for a siggie, but I had such fun working with it. If you want one, I can do black, red, brown, or blonde hair, with or without hat. Please let me know if you want her, & what hair color, ect.

"Fear either makes you strive to accomplish things, or stops you." ~Unknown~





Siggie created by tubes from:





   

Grateful for our 'fur babies'

Monday    July 14, 2008

Today was busy, busy, busy. All day. I hadn't intended on it being a cleaning day, but it turned into one (much to Emily's delight). That took up the better part of the day.

After Elliot & Emily's naps, we had some grocery shopping to do. Tomorrow is Mike's birthday, & I needed to pick up the stuff to make his cake. Elliot & Emily insisted we buy him some candles shaped like balloons. They also wanted to buy sprinkles, but I think know this was more for them than him. Emily tried to convince me that "Papa loves tuptakes!" (cupcakes) - Elliot agreed, but I steered them towards a cake. They 'really' got into this. After they had picked out everything that they felt was a 'must' have, we were going down an aisle & Emily put her hand over her mouth, gasped, & with big eyes, said "Oh no! We forgot balloons!" I told them that we'd go out tomorrow & get them, because we wouldn't be able to keep them hid. It is 'so' sweet to see how a child would plan & do a birthday celebration. The things that they think are fun & good is precious. I then told them "Now remember...we want this to be a surprise. No telling Papa!" They both sat there, wide-eyes, shaking their heads in agreement. On the way home, I reminded them again about this being a surprise. Again, both agreed. Then Mike comes homes...they did the usual tackle & Emily squeals "Happy Birthday! We got you balloons! We got you balloon candles! It's your happy birthday!" Elliot then says "Yeah! And we got your cake Papa! It's chocolate! And ice cream! And you got presents!" Mike hadn't even managed to get fully into the house, & they squealed! I am so glad that I didn't share with them, what 'they' got for him. I know it will be a fun memory, & it's not like he didn't know he was going to get these things, seeing as it's his birthday. I just couldn't believe they squealed so 'fast'.

Tonight on our walk, I had to take Emily by the house to see 'her' owl. She wanted to see if he was there. Little does she know that he will be there until they remove him, seeing as he isn't real. I guess the mind is powerful, because as we left him (we have to sit & watch him for a few minutes, while she tells him 'hello') she said "Did you hear that? Did you hear that owl say 'Whoo! Whoo!'? It was so sweet.

Right before our walk tonight, to Mike she said "Good-bye! We gotta roll!" We laughed & I said "Emily, where did you learn that?", thinking she had heard the phrase. She pointed to her stroller wheels & said "See my wheels? My wheels roll." She never ceases to amaze us. I 'love' the way her mind works.

I want to close with this picture of what we saw tonight as we left on our walk. It's our 'three amigos' - left to right - Trixie, Annie, & Lilly. They were peaking through our side gate - most likely wondering why they weren't invited.



"Any plain that cannot be changed, is a bad one." ~Unknown~




   

Grateful for simple pleasures

Sunday    July 13, 2008

I feel like the 'bad girl' of blogging! Honestly, I don't know how I let an enitre week slip by & not post. It makes me feel bad. I guess I should back up here though - I do know how I let a week slip by. Digital scrapbooking! I so love doing this, & it kinda did take over my spare moment for the week. I might share a few of the pages eventually. I am enjoying every creative moment, & am loving getting some memories done up. Maybe after I've done it for awhile, I won't want to do a page every spare moment I get. I'm still a newbie (1 week).

It seems I have missed so much in this past week. First off - Emily still hasn't gotten her 'sticks'. We found some, but none we have found have been to her liking. She said they weren't "pretty", & she wants them to have red in them. 2 years old, but she know what she wants & likes. I think we'll run out to Homegoods, & give them a try. I love the variety of things they have in the store.

I have missed telling my 'Emily' stories! She & I (& Lilly) go on a walk each night now. This is our time, & Elliot & Mike use this time to have their time. I put her in her stroller, & off we go for an hour. You would think she was going camping or on a picnic. Never mind that we go not long after dinner - she still has me to pack her a little bag & a drink. She talks & snacks the entire walk time. It's so sweet to listen to her. I love using that time to teach her more. Last night I taught her how every street has a name, & then I pointed out the streetsigns. I taught her our street name. Now every time she sees a street sign, she has to know what its name is. She gets such a kick out of some of the names (tonight she told me that she likes Silver Pony & doesn't like Arrowbear). She also teaches me a lot - just listening to her sweet innocent thoughts is very eye-opening. She can also be unknowingly funny. Tonight I pushed her over one of those knobby grates & it made a low growl like sound. She said "You sound so hungry!" I bent down to kiss her & I said "Emily, you smell just like an ice cream cone!" (She did). She looked at me & said "Are you going to 'yick' (lick) me? You can 'yick' me if you want." It was so sweet. There is this home that has a lifelike looking owl sitting outside. She has to go by there each time to see if it is there. I haven't the heart to tell her that it's not real. She did ask me tonight "Why the owl always turns that way?"...so she has noticed it never moves.

We were out & Elliot said "Nana, I had a wish last night." I said "What did you wish sweetie?" He replied "That you would buy me a little toy in a store." He got the "little toy". I couldn't 'not' make his wish come true.

I don't want to go too long tonight, even though it would be easy since I missed a week. The siggie for this week is below. Again, I went ahead & did it for those of you that are 'regulars'(click on it). If you would like one, please email or tag. Have a great week!

"The door to success is always marked "push"." ~Unknown~






   

Grateful for new hobbies

Monday    July 7, 2008

I'm sorry I didn't get here yesterday. I began 'cleaning out' my computer - deleting old files, organizing my graphics into folders, organizing my digital pictures, ect., & before I knew it it was 1AM. I don't think I've ever had my graphics & pictures organized so well, so I am feeling really good about my time spent.

I have a new addiction! Digital scrapbooking! I absolutely 'love' it, & I'm having so much fun! I have been wanting to try it for quite some time, but thought it was much harder than it is. One thing leads to another though, so now I am wanting a new printer. One that prints out the 12x12 papers. The paper to go with it is quite expensive ($20 for 10 sheets), but I am looking around to see if it can be gotten any cheaper.

We had a really nice 4th. We stayed home (ate too much), & relaxed. There were more fireworks that night, & the kids were excited over that. I had explained to them that it was America's birthday, & Emily got so into it. It was because she heard the word "birthday". I had to make a 'birthday' cake for America, because she couldn't understand why we weren't going to have one. It was fun, & afterwards I thought it was probably a good idea for the kids.

Dinner was so fun tonight. Not that we did anything special, but because of the memories that Elliot & Emily gave me to take away from it. Elliot was eating, & he said "Wow Nana! You are a good cooker!" That made me smile. It was the way he said it - just so sweet & touching. I gave Emily corn on the cob for the first time tonight, & I don't know where she got it from, but she looked at it & said "We need sticks to eat this with." She then pointed to the ends & said "We need to stick the sticks in here." She really enjoyed it (even without the 'sticks'), so I promised her that we will buy some 'sticks' this week for when we eat it next. I fixed honey barbeque chicken, & as I was eating it, I decided to use some Bullseye Smoked barbeque sauce to dip my pieces in. Emily was not going to miss out on this, so she told me to please put some "Bulls" on her plate. She saw the picture of the bull on the bottle, so that is what it is to her..."bulls".

In her tag, Sandy asked me what camera I use. I use the Sony DSC-T200.

If you want this week's siggie, please tag or email. For those of you that regularly request one, I will go ahead & post yours on the Siggie Sunday page (or click on the siggie & it will open to that page). This way you won't have to request one each time, & if you don't want a particular one, you can leave it. I hope that makes it easier for you. I am thinking about doing a little 'series' of these, but not certain yet.

"Know what to remember, as well as what to forget." ~Unknown~






   

Grateful for our country

Thursday    July 3, 2008

The last couple of days haven't seemed like weekdays. I think it's because Mike is off from work, & that always seems to give days a different feel. Yesterday & today have both felt like a Saturday. It's so nice to have him off work & him being able to just relax. Well...relax is used loosely, since Elliot is such a Papa's boy. They've planned some 'guy time' for each day, & had such fun.

I had been thinking that tomorrow was our neighborhood park fireworks display. When I heard music blaring at 3PM, I remembered that they always have their celebration on the 3rd. We live 2 streets over from the park, so we can watch the fireworks from our balcony. That makes it really nice, because the park is normally jam packed with people. Tonight, one of the bands announced that over 3,000 was there. We can hear the bands from our home too, so Emily got into that once we went onto our balcony. She 'loves' to dance (you ought to see her do the 'Pase Doble' with Lilly...she followed along with the dancers on DWTS as they did this dance...it was hilarious). The fireworks display was awesome, but for some reason they don't show well in the photos. I have never used the 'fireworks' setting on my camera (don't shoot fireworks often), & I now wish I had used my normal setting. All the photos have such a weird look - the fireworks look more like 'strings'. Anyway, here are a few from tonight that I took from our bedroom balcony -







Aren't they the strangest looking pictures??? The photos do not do the 'real' thing justice. Emily cried when they ended - she said she wanted to see more. She gave us a laugh (as always), right before they started. The band ended their last song, thanked everyone, & said "Good night!" She got such a shocked look on her face, immediately lay down on the balcony with Lilly, & started to cry. She said "Oh no! We have to go to sleepy. I want to see fireworks!" I said "Honey, we don't have to sleep." She said "The man said 'Good night'!" Elliot didn't like the noise of them going off. So much so, that he decided to go inside & watch them from our bedroom. Avery was here, & she enjoyed her first firework display. I thought it would scare her, but she was so enthralled by them.

I am fine from my tumble down the stairs. I thought I would be sore today, but I'm not. I don't even have a bruise. This surprised me. First thing this morning, Elliot asked "Are you okay Nana? Do you hurt?" It was sweet. Especially since he called it "awesome", after knowing I was okay.

The last 2 siggies for the 4th are below. Please let me know if you would like them. I hope everyone has a safe, relaxed, & happy 4th! See you all on Sunday!

"A person's laugh is as unique as his fingerprints." ~Unknown~








   

Grateful for busy days

Wednesday    July 2, 2008

Today was a complete flipflop from yesterday's lazy day. It began busy, & 'stayed' busy. Mike is taking today-Friday off from work, so he & Elliot did some 'guy stuff', while Emily & I ran out for abit. A very 'short' bit, because of the high temperatures. She wanted to go to one of her most favorite stops, the Christian bookstore. 'She' bought some Hermie stickers, a bracelet, & a tiny top (the spinning kind, not a shirt). She saw one on a movie, & has wanted one ever since. She was quite amused by it. She shared her bracelet all day, & I am sure you can guess who with. Yes, 'LillyTrixieLilly' (Lilly for short). It was so cute to see her putting it on Lilly's 'arm'.

Elliot & Papa had a fun guy day. I have mentioned before, how he adores his Papa. I love that! He went to his favorite park - the 'dino' one, & then they came home for naps. After they woke up, they went to see WALL E, while Emily & I went grocery shopping. As I mentioned a few posts back, Emily wasn't in the least bit interested to see this movie. For some reason, she says WALL E might bite. Plus, grocery shopping is high on her list of favorite things to do. I get such a kick out of her. Back near the seafood section is a picture of a lobster tail. She comments on this "scary" & "sickening" thing every single time we go. She always says "I wouldn't eat that sickening 'fing' (thing)". And of course, "It will bite me!" I got such a laugh from her today while there. She saw the lobster tail & made the usual remarks, & then she saw the big picture of bacon near it. She snarled her nose & said "Oooh! Look at that crab's tail!"

And then...there is a huge picture of a kitten as we pass the pet food aisle. With her, her hard 'C's' & 'K's'are pronounced as 'T's', as I think most 2-3 year olds do. Candy is 'tandy', cow is 'tow', cat is 'tat'...but 'this' picture is a baby kitten. A 'kitty' (see where this is going?). We get lots of smiles & looks at she says quite loudly "Oh! Look at the pretty..." I won't type it here - you can figure it out. It is embarrassing.

I somehow fell down about 8 of our stairs tonight. That was a first, & not fun. I had taken Elliot up to get his pj's, & as we were coming down, I somehow slipped off the top step. I hit hard! Elliot yelled "Oh Nana! Are you okay?", & he ran to me & kept massaging me. It was so sweet. Emily let out a blood curdling scream...it scared her so badly. She was frantic, crying, & kept saying "Oh my baby! My baby!" It took awhile to calm her. She calls me her "baby" quite often. And as concerned & sweet as Elliot was, as soon as I assured him that I was okay, he said "Wow Nana! That was AWESOME!" I guess that is a boy.

Okay, enough rambling tonight...sorry! Here are 2 more siggies. Yesterday's & today's were created using artwork from Trina Clark. I 'love' her artwork, & she has such lenient usage terms for using it in making your creations. If you would like them, please email or leave a tag.

"Enjoy what you have, instead of being sorry for what you do not have." ~Unknown~








   

Grateful for lazy summer days

Monday    July 1, 2008

Today was a typical lazy summer day. I tried to make it like one from my memory of my childhood. Seems like kids don't have those kind of days anymore. We played, looked for cloud shapes, had an 'indoor' picnic (too hot outside), played some more, had ice cream, then they got a before nap bath so that they could cool down & go 'swimming' (as Emily put it) in the bathtub. After naps, we got snacks & settled in to watch a Pooh movie they had chosen. It was a nice way to kick off the month of July.

We babysat for Avery for an hour or so this evening, & that's always fun. She is such a good baby. Elliot & Emily love her. I wish she would hurry & get some hair! She's trying so hard to crawl, but not yet too successful at it. She babbles up a storm, & has the cutest expressions as she 'talks'.

Hope you all don't get sick of the siggies this week. I thought it would be fun to make quite a few of them for the 4th. By now, you know what to do if you want one, so please let me know. Have a great summer day!

"Most people are better judges of others, than of themselves." ~Unknown~








   

Grateful for my computer

Monday    June 30, 2008

As I typed the date, I cannot believe that tomorrow we enter July! This month completely whizzed past. Unreal, that we are halfway through 2008. I wish time would slow down, especially as I watch Elliot & Emily grow up way too quickly. It struck me today, about all the sweet innocent things that Emily does & says - this stage of her life will not always be here. I used to be able to write about the things that Elliot would say each day, & that 'kids say the darndest things' stage has all but ended with him. I miss it.

I must have pulled or strained a muscle in my shoulder yesterday, because it was a bit tender this morning. It's fine now, but I was afraid it was going to stick with me through the day. I was rubbing it, & Emily asked what was wrong. I told her that my shoulder muscles hurt. Immediately she said "I know! I'll 'fay' (pray) for you!" Each time she says that, she bows her head & goes right into her prayer. She said "Jesus, please help Mommy's mushrooms not to hurt", & as soon as she said it, she opened one eye, looked up at me, & said "What am I 'faying' for? What's that thing called?" I told her "muscles", & she closed her eyes, & continued "Please help Mommy's mushrooms - I mean help her muscles to feel better & not hurt..." She never fails to make us all smile.

We received our first big electric bill of the summer. Are you ready for this one? $400!!! It's absolutely insane, & the really insane thing? It is only going to get higher here in this desert. Last summer's highest month was $655. We keep the ac on 76, but when it is 110 or hotter outside, it runs non-stop. Having a big home, & a two-story home, doesn't help matters either. Mike wants us to push it up to 78 & see if that makes a difference. Only problem is, we can already tell a difference in our being comfortable. You wouldn't think that 2 degrees would be that big of a deal, but apparently it is.

I have 3 more siggies in honor of the 4th. If you want one with your name, please let me know. For those of you that regularly request one with your name, I already have it made for you. I'll send them out as soon as I hear from you.

"A good laugh & a long sleep are the best cures." ~Unknown~










   

Grateful for childhood memories

Sunday    June 29, 2008

It was such a scorching weekend (108-110), so we didn't do a whole lot beside just stay indoors & keep cool. We did run out for a bit yesterday, but went from air conditioned home, to air conditioned car, to air conditioned shops - it was the 'in-betweens' that was miserable. This type of heat drains you! Tis summer life in Las Vegas.

This is a story that you probably needed to 'be there' to find it funny. You needed to hear how Emily said this, but hopefully it will make you smile. As I was preparing dinner the other night, she wanted to get some black olives out of the pantry. Unbeknownst to her, Elliot had just asked for one tortilla chip to hold him till dinner. She reaches up & gets her can of olives, he has his chip in hand, she drops her can & it grazed her head as it fell, the noise frightening Elliot into dropping his chip. She saw bits of the chip falling, looks a bit bewildered, touches her head, & said "Oh no! I broke my head! Now I need to pick up the pieces." She bent down, picked up a piece of the chip that had landed by her foot, looked at it, looked at me, & said "Oh, this isn't my head. It's a chip." Like I said, you probably needed to be there, but we rolled with laughter at the look on her face, & the way she said it.

Mike was going to take Elliot to see the movie WALL E this weekend, but it was so hot that Elliot didn't want to go. He said he would rather stay home & watch a movie. That surprised me, because he has wanted to see it since he first saw previews. He is such a homebody anyway, & the heat only added to it. He says he will go this week, so Mike is going to take a couple days off & they will go on one of those days. Emily says she doesn't want to see it, because in her words "Wall E might bite me." I think she thinks we would actually see WALL E - not the movie.

For this week's Sunday Siggie, I think I went a bit over-board, but once I got into Paintshop, I couldn't stop. If you want any (or all) of these with your name, please email me or leave a tag. If not, click on them & save them when they open up in a new frame. I had fun doing the animated one, so hope you all like that one. It's too big to be a sigtag, but wanted to do one a bit more special for the 4th. I wasn't keen on making the background black, but wanted the 'fireworks' to show up good.

"The optimist sees opportunity in every difficulty." ~Unknown~














   

Grateful for fulfilling days

Thursday    June 26, 2008

It is not very fun working out in the yard when it is in the triple digits! After I had been out there for a few minutes, I realized I should have waited till late afternoon or early morning. Or...been smart & left it for Mike to do. Of course, the kids loved it - especially Emily. She finds such joy in everything - even work. Especially work. We can learn so much from children if we just take the time to listen & watch, & push aside all the 'stuff' that life puts into us as we grow older. We didn't stay out long because of the heat, but long enough to appreciate so much that we walked through the door into a wonderfully cool house. As a treat for helping me, I gave Elliot & Emily a popcicle. This particular kind, Emily had never had. When she asked me what it was, I told her, & she said "Oh I LOVE those!" I said "Honey, you've never had one." To which she replied "Yeah, but I love those!" And yes, she 'did' love those!

Today Emily said "My hair is getting too bigger. I need you to clip it for me." I'm sure if she could get to the scissors, she would 'clip' it herself.

Elliot has a new title - Souper Man. And no, I don't mean Superman. Basically every single day, for lunch he wants soup. Very few days does he wants something different. Today? Soup. I said "Honey, since you love soup so much, I think I will call you Souper Man." He got it, & laughed so hard, threw his arms around me, & said "Nana, you are so silly!" Seeing as he loves pretending he is Superman, I think he likes his new title.

I got to spend some time with Avery today. She is getting 'so' big! She got her first tooth today, so they wanted to celebrate (don't you just love the sweetness of first time parents?). I gave her a bath in the kitchen sink, & took this picture. I took it with using this effect in mind, & love how it turned out. I only wish she would have looked up, but she wasn't going to take her eyes off of the floating bath toys -



One last thing before I end this lengthy post...Emily 'picked' me some flowers today -



And no, she didn't 'pick' them for me when we were outdoors working in the yard. She 'picked' them from a basket of some silk geraniums that I have had for a long, long time. They are so real looking, everyone thinks they 'are' real. She comes to me & says "Oh look! I love you & picked you some flowers." I will treasure this memory. And yes, I am keeping these petals always. See you all on Sunday!

"Sometimes you need to lose, in order to win." ~Unknown~




   

Grateful for fun

Wednesday    June 25, 2008

I mentioned in my last post that I had been bitten by the cleaning bug. I woke up this morning, & we had day 2 of going over everything. I 'love' my shutters throughout the house, but what a pain they are to clean! I decided this morning to do all the downstairs ones (upstairs ones will be done tomorrow). I also used Old English Oil on the kitchen & bathroom cabinets. I try to do that every 4 months here in Vegas, since the air is so dry. Anyway, needless to say, Emily was so thrilled that we were going to do a lot of work again today. When I was in the kitchen cleaning, she went into the family room & this is what I found -



You may not be able to see it, but she is beaming with joy at her handiwork. She had taken all the back cushions off our sofa, so that I could 'clean' them. I am sure her sidekick "Lilly" helped her, as you can see her with her.

Elliot actually wanted to help some today. He normally thinks it might involve fun with he sees me get out the vacuum cleaner, because I usually throw in some 'vacuum monster' playtime. They never know when the 'monster' might get them, & it keeps them on edge with excitement. And when it 'does' get them, you can hear their squeals of laughter a block away! Here is Elliot getting 'attacked' by the 'vacuum monster' -



After their naps, we had to run out for a bit. It was 'so' hot! Elliot told me to hurry & make the "cold air" (ac) get on him. It's sad when it's so hot, that even kids don't want to get out in it. Emily came home with her Mrs. Potato Head. She got Mr. Potato Head last week, & wanted a "girl" one too. She couldn't understand why Mrs. Potato Head's tongue was pink. She said "See," (sticks out her tongue) "I'm a girl & I dont' have a pink one. I have a red one." She also informed me that her (Emily's) tongue was too big, & she wanted to get it out & have Mr. Potato Head's "little one". She thought his pink ears were prettier than hers too. Elliot couldn't understand why she would want a tongue like that. He said that he would want one like "Venom's" (from Spiderman).

"Don't be in a hurry to tie what cannot be untied." ~Unknown~




   

Grateful for my cleaning 'partner'

Tuesday    June 24, 2008

I so needed a break from working on photos today, so do I rest? No, the cleaning bug bit me. Emily was thrilled with this, as cleaning is one of her favorite things to do. She is such a little worker! I gave her a little (miniature) wagon that I used to sit a few of my bears in, & she came up with the idea that it would be a good way to clean up her toys. She would fill her little wagon up, & pull it to her toybox. We accomplished a lot. Elliot escaped working...Lisa wanted him to spend the day with her. Just as well, as cleaning isn't high on his 'love to do' list. He had such a good time with her.

Emily said the sweetest thing to me today. I cleaned her mouth with a napkin & she said "Oh Mommy! You wiped your kisses off of me! I don't want you to ever clean them off." I had to kiss her again, to 'replace' the wiped off one. She says the sweetest things. And yes, she called me "Mommy". This has been happening more & more. In fact, for the past 2 days, she has called me "Mommy" more times than "Nana". I knew it would happen, seeing as we are the only parents she has known. In the past year, she has seen her Mommy twice. She really doesn't know her. I debated - do I not allow her to call me "Mommy", or do I let it go. I am not her "Mommy", but she has been with us since she was 5 days old. I told her that she could call me "Nana Mommy", or "Mommy Nana", but she said "No, you're Mommy." I wish I knew what was the right thing to do. No matter what Jen (her Mom) has or hasn't done, she is her Mom. The only thing she has done for her, was to bring her into the world, but that doesn't change who she is. I feel sorry for her that she missed out on having this little girl in her life. She blew it, & she knows this, even though she didn't want her, or love her.

It is so hot here! 106 today, & supposed to be 108 Saturday. It's hard to believe that we are only going to get hotter. Our air conditioning seems to run non-stop. High utility bills go hand in hand with the summer months in Vegas, & they are supposed to be getting higher also.

Tonight Emily & I took a long bath after our hard day of work. I bought me a Ped Egg over the weekend, so decided to give it a try afterwards. The tiny blades scared me a bit when I saw them (just the thought of running blades back & forth on my feet!), so as I read the instructions I said (mainly to myself), "Ooh, this is a little scary." Emily immediately said "Don't be be afraid. I am right here with you." It was so sweet, & I thought about how children learn so much from us. That is what I say to her if she is feeling apprehensive about something. By the way...the Ped Egg works great, & I do still have my feet intact - even with the blades.

Off to work on some photos for a while now. I am so glad that they are almost done!

"Spare moments are the gold dust of time." ~Unknown~




   

Grateful for quiet evenings

Monday    June 23, 2008

This will be a quickie post. I'm sorry I didn't get here yesterday to put up the siggie for Sunday. I had meant to, but got involved in working on some more pictures for my family. I had thought they were done, but as I went through them, I found about 30 that I had missed. I worked on them till 2AM this morning, & I am hoping to work on them tonight & finish them tomorrow. Anyway - seeing as I have a small pile of pictures waiting for me, I just stopped in to put up the siggies. I have done two this week...the summer one might be too large to be a siggie, but I wanted to do a fun summer one. Click on it & it will open in a new frame. If you want the sunflower one, please let me know & I'll put your name on it. I'll see you tomorrow.





"Summer afternoon - Summer afternoon... the two most beautiful words in the English language." ~Henry James~

   

Grateful for air conditioning

Thursday    June 19, 2008

I was leary of checking into my blog tonight, for fear of finding last night's post gone too. This has me completely baffled - how my post just disappeared. I know it couldn't just do that, so obviously I did something. Since it's gone, I wanted to put the picture of Elliot, Emily, & Avery back up. For those of you who haven't seen it yet, it is below.

Summer is here! We have been having triple digit temps for awhile now, so it's here to stay for awhile. Our AC seems to run non-stop. The heat, coupled with the gas prices, makes me want to stay in & be cool. We had to run out for a bit this morning, & Emily kept saying it was too sunny for her eyes to see. When Elliot was small, I loved the way he would say "the sun is poking me in the eyes!"

I am finally seeing the light at the end of the tunnel in getting the pictures done for family. What a job this has been! As I worked on some pictures of Mom tonight, I still can't believe she is truly gone. I miss her so much, & there are times that I want to talk to her so badly. Like today - I felt such a need to just hear her voice. She was such a beautiful woman - inside & out.

I got the dreaded jury summons today. I am hoping I can get out of it. I have never had to serve before.

I am drawing a complete blank here tonight. I think my brain is tired after working on pictures all evening. Rather than sit & stare at my computer screen for another minute, I am going to put myself to bed.



"He who trims himself to suit everyone will soon whittle himself away." ~Raymond Hull~

   

Grateful for warm welcomes back

Wednesday    June 18, 2008

I am adding this bit to my post for tonight...I just read over my post, & feel heartsick because my post that I wrote last night (explaining my absence & with a picture of the kids), is gone! I don't know how or why it disappeared, but it is gone. This has never happened. I have went over & over this in my mind, & I didn't do anything to 'make' it go, so I don't know. I will post the pic of the kids again this week for all that didn't see it. I am 'really' bummed out about this! Now on to my regular post -

What a wonderful welcome back from my month of absence from my blog! You all have a knack for making one feel very special, & I thank you for that. It's like picking up right where you left off with an old friend. I am truly blessed by the sweet friends I have been fortunate to meet through my blog.

In my last post before I was gone for a month, I told you all that we were leaving for Disneyland. We didn't tell Elliot or Emily until we were going into the park to park. To say they were excited, would be an understatement. We had a great wonderful time! Emily was so excited to get to meet all the characters. This is one of my favorite pictures of her meeting one -



It is so much a favorite, that I want to put in a close up of her face - pure joy to meet Pluto! She was laughing so hard, that she was near tears -



Look at the little brown legs peeking out from under her right arm...yes, it is Lilly (shortened from Trixielilly). She would not hear of Lilly being left behind. Mike tried to talk her into letting her 'sleep' in the car when we went into the park. That did not go over well. Lilly "did not need to sleep because the sun is out, Lilly is not feeling tired, & Lilly wants to go to Disneyland too." I told him that I would not dream of making her leave her in the car, & that I thought the pictures of her sharing her big day with her would be priceless (& they are). It is so sweet to look over all the pictures & see her little faithful companion in every shot. She introduced her to 'everyone' as she would stand in line for rides. And of course, Lilly was introduced to the Princesses too -



She also spent an afternoon at Huntington Beach, Darylynn! I wish I could share every single picture & share the memory of every moment. I will share this - our little Princess came home with her treasure - her very own Princess dress -



She got a bit carried away on the Pirates of the Carribean ride - by the end of it, she was singing "Yo ho! Yo ho! A pirates life for me!", & she told us that she "needed a map & a bird for her arm". It's so funny the things that kids pick up from just looking.

Here is Elliot with two of his favorite characters -





For some reason, he was afraid to ride the Pirates ride this time, even though he loves pirates. He did get on a couple of the bigger rides, & decided he didn't want to be on them, but...he decided too late. He loved the afternoon at Huntington Beach! Mike took him out into the water, & he was afraid at first, but that quickly faded. By "out into the water", I mean up to his knees. Here is a picture, using my favorite effect - black & white with some color left in -



This post has been a bit long (sorry), but I do want to close with an Emily story for today. She was standing up behind me in my computer chair, giving me a big hug. She saw something on the back of my shirt & told me to turn around & look. I told her "Honey, I can't turn around & see it." She told me that she would 'help' me, & then proceeded to take my head in both of her hands, & tried to turn (twist) my head around to the back to see what she wanted me to see. For the life of her, she couldn't understand why she couldn't get my head turned backwards!

Since I didn't put up a siggie for Siggie Sunday, I have posted one below. If you want your name on it, please tag or email. If you don't care for your name on it, click on her & she will open in a new frame.






"Grandchildren are a grandparents link to the future, just as we are their link to the past." ~Unknown~

   

Grateful for surprises

Saturday    May 17, 2008

This will be short & sweet. Awhile ago, Mike said "We're going to Disneyland. Oh, & by the way, we're leaving early in the morning." I have been flying about trying to get everything ready. It's amazing what it takes to go somewhere for just a few days. We haven't told Elliot & Emily yet. We want it to be a surprise. All they know is that we have a big surprise for them tomorrow. We've taken them before, but this will be Emily's first time that she can remember it & really enjoy it. She was a baby last time. We can't wait to see her reactions. We try to go there twice a year, but with everything happening, it's been over a year since we've gotten to go, so I will be just as excited as the kids. Anyway, I wanted to make sure I put up the siggie for Sunday. It's a simple one, seeing as I didn't have a lot of time, but because it is simple, I made two. If you want one (or both), please tag me or email me, & I will get it to you as soon as I get home. For those of you that asked for your name on last weeks Raggedy siggie, I will get that to you as soon as I get home too. I'm sorry I didn't get it to you this week. I'll be back Wednesday!

"It is a terrible thing to see and have no vision." ~Helen Keller~

   

Grateful for trust

Friday    May 16, 2008

Today was such a busy day. I had a haircut appointment & decided to take Emily along to get her hair cut. I've shared in the past about her hair being so 'shaggy', & an absolute mess when she wakes up. I have often thought she would look adorable in a 'Suri cut' (my name for it). 'Suri', being Suri Cruise, Tom's daughter. That is what she got, & she is adorable! It changed her look, & she is so sweet with it. She wasn't so sure about the cutting process, but she did great. Everyone got such a kick out of her, as she talked them too death. Trixielilly had to go along, & she had to introduce her to anyone that was interested in being introduced. Which was everyone. My stylist asked if it would be okay to offer her a cookie for being so good, & I told her that was fine. As soon as I got finished with my haircut, Emily said "Good job Nana! You get a cookie too." Here are a couple of pictures of her big day. I will have to take a better one of her tomorrow, to show her face. Notice in this first one, that Trixielilly is looking up at her. The stylist told Emily to look down while she trimmed the back, I held Trixielilly there for her to look at.









I love the back. No more frizz! She really is cute with it.

I'm not so sure about my hair. I suppose I will get used to it. It normally takes me a week or so to adjust after a cut. I went shorter, & I'm not sure I like it. My hair was to the middle of my back, & layered. I had decided that it was time for a change, so told her to shorten it. It now touches my shoulders. Still layered, but shorter. It will be nice to have it shorter for the Vegas summers, which has already seemed to hit (supposed to be 103 tomorrow).

From there, I went to my contact lens appt. I hate the yearly eye exam, but with wearing contacts, I really have no choice..

We then ran home, so that I could fix fajitas for dinner. Mike wanted to go out, but I felt like a 'home' meal. As always, I had to fix Elliot something else, because he says they are too spicy for him. We finished up dinner, went shopping, then came home & got the kids bathed & in bed. After today, I am looking forward to bed too! It seemed I was out all day, & I hate that feeling.

A sweet story that I want to share about Emily - I told her that I wanted to buy her a little present since she was so brave & good about getting her hair cut. I know she was scared at first. On the way there, I had told her that I would hold her hand if she felt scared, & I was so touched when the stylist put her in the chair, put the drape over her (the tiger one, as Emily called it), & I then see this little hand sneaking out from underneath, & reaching for my hand. I held it until she released her grip as she began to see it wasn't scary. Anyway, when we were out shopping, I took her through the toy department & said "Baby, what would you like for your present?" She looked around for awhile, & then got excited because she found it. A new box of crayons. That was it. All those toys, & that is what she chose, because then she could "draw pretty pictures for Nana."

"Simplicity is making the journey of this life with just baggage enough." ~Unknown~




   

Grateful for technology

Thursday    May 15, 2008

I almost didn't make it here tonight. When Emily went up to bed, I decided to go lay down with her for a few minutes, & I just woke up. What a horrible feeling - to intend on just laying there for a few minutes, & then waking up wondering what time it is, how long you've been there, do you even 'want' to get back up, ect. I felt 'turned around'. Not a pleasant feeling!

Today was cleaning day for me us, as little Miss Homemaker Emily loves this day! Elliot told me that he likes to "lay on the couch" instead of cleaning, but he didn't get his wish. Once he gets going, he does great, but he far from enjoys it like Emily does.

I decided to print out new pictures today, & change out my framed ones for the new ones. What a chore! I haven't done this in the longest time, & we are long over-due for some fresh pictures. My only problem is, I love all the ones I have in frames. I can't continue to add new frames though, as I will run out of space. I really, really do love my Epson PictureMate. It's so neat to be able to take a picture, & go into my computer room & print it out right then & there if I want to. Technology amazes me sometimes.

Speaking of pictures - for the ones of you that asked about the frame I used (it's called the corners tape frame), for Emily & her tricycle pictures, I believe it is only available in the Corel Paint Shop Photo X2 program. This is the program that Mike bought for me a couple of weeks ago, & believe it or not, that tape frame is the only reason I wanted it. I love it! I now really love the entire program though, after working with it & getting to know it.

I wanted to share a few pictures from my babysitting for Avery. As you can see, Emily enjoys her, & Avery enjoys Emily. Elliot was out with Mike, but it would have been so sweet to get the 3 of them together. Maybe next time.










She is such a sweet baby, & a very good baby.

Since I posted so little this week, I will be back tomorrow instead of taking it as 'blog-free'. See you then!

"To be a complete person is to be a part of others, and share a part of them." ~Elliot Richardson~




   

Grateful for memories

Wednesday    May 14, 2008

It seems like weeks since I last posted. I have had such a busy past few days. Lisa had jury duty, & I babysat for Avery. She is incredibly good. Not a single peep. She's always smiling. I took so many pics & would love to share some, & will another day, since I have other pics to share today.

Emily is so in love with her trike (bike, as she calls it). Only problem? She needs about 2 more inches on her little legs! She manages to scoot her body from side to side & make the pedaling 'somewhat' work, but she can't quite reach. We took about 20 pics, so please forgive me if these 4 are too many to share. Here she is on her 'bike' -




Notice her passenger in these next 3 -







I wanted to make one black & white, since it seems fitting for a 1936 replica trike -



The pictures don't do it justice. It is truly a beautiful tricyle, & I now see why they say it is a collectible & can be an heirloom. It also has a working light on it.

I don't know what came over me today, but I took the kids to the grocery store, & all at once decided to make a 'Sunday-like' dinner, on a Wednesday. I made 'way' too much food, but it was greatly enjoyed. Unfortunately, afterwards, all I wanted to do was to go lie down, but when you have children that want to play with you or do other things, you don't get to do that. I told Emily that my tummy was too full & that I needed to rest. Her reply? "I'll pray for you!"

I had a sweet Mother's Day, but it was tinged with a bit of sadness. I awoke with my mind on my Mom, & missed her so much on this day set apart for honoring Mothers. I knew this first one without her would carry some sadness with it, & it did. There are still days in which I cannot believe she is truly gone. It was a comfort to call & talk to my siblings, as we were all feeling the same emotions & could talk about it & share our memories.

I think the American Idol final will be really good - David against David. I think David Cook will win it. He already seems 'star-like' in many ways.

"Memory is a way of holding onto the things you love, the things you are, the things you never want to lose." ~The Wonder Years~




   

Grateful for rest

Tuesday    May 13, 2008

I didn't want readers to think that I had disappeared again, so I made a quick 'pit-stop' in here just to let you know that I am fine, just 'really' busy over the past few days. I had every intention of posting tonight, but the bed is looking much better than the computer right now! That comes with staying up too late, & being awaken by a little girl too early. I will be back tomorrow with pictures of Emily on her Princess Skyking Tricycle. See you then!

"Behold the turtle. He makes progress only when he sticks his neck out." ~James Bryant Conant~

   

Grateful for memories of my Mom

Sunday    May 11, 2008

I wanted to pop in here real quick & put up the Sunday Siggie. My youngest son & his girlfriend just left, & it's been a long day, so I am going off to bed early. I hope you all had a wonderful Mother's Day! I enjoyed having my family with me & being spoiled. If you want your name on this week's siggie, please tag or email me. If not, click on it to open it up in a new frame. See you tomorrow!

"When you are a mother, you are never really alone in your thoughts. A mother always has to think twice, once for herself and once for her child." ~Sophia Loren~

   

Grateful for sweet babies

Wednesday    May 7, 2008

The emails from Jen & her family have started again, & it's been far from pleasant. They are so bad, that when they start up again, I actually feel sick to my stomach as I turn on my computer, for fear of what could be waiting in my inbox. Sad, but true. Today, I kept putting off even turning the computer on until 7PM. It's like these people came from another planet - none of them seem to get it! Jen's Mom called me yesterday, & went into a screaming rant. I treated her with respect, & spoke to her calmly, but she continued to scream. She then sent me a couple of ranting emails, & then she sends me another one tonight & closed it by saying "Don't take this personally." That's a bit difficult when you are being called every name in the book, & accused of the most insane things. How I wish we didn't even have to deal with them. Her Mom & her Dad (they are divorced) want another meeeting with us. They honestly think that they can talk us into dropping all of this, & as her Mom says "Let things go back as they were". They will find out, that we have no intention of dropping any of this. In fact, I am going to tell them that it makes me deeply question them as Grandparents. They certainly in no way, have the best interest of Elliot or Emily at heart.

In the middle of all this mess, I am so grateful that Elliot & Emily are safe & sound with us. I am glad that they are oblivious to the battle that we are fighting with all our might for them. It's strange, but Elliot never mentions his Mom. I am sure there is much that he wants to block out. Emily doesn't even know her, & in my opinion, this is a blessing.

One of today's bright spots, is that I got to spend some time with sweet Avery Shade. Shad & Lisa are 'so' proud of her! She is the perfect baby - never a peep, unless she is hungry. I love the way she breaks into the biggest smile when she sees me. I am the only one that can get her to giggle. Here are 2 of her latest photos -







Emily & I took a long bubble bath in our whirlpool/jacuzzi tub. She so loves it when she gets to bath in "the big tub", as she calls it. We sit in there & talk. She asks question after question. It's so sweet, the way she wants to know 'everything'. She asked her 'regular' question. That being, "Can I shave my legs?" I cherish the memories of our 'girl time' in the bath.

"Blessed are those who give without remembering. And blessed are those who take without forgetting." ~Bernard Meltzer~

   

Grateful for family

Tuesday    May 6, 2008

Emily is getting her first set of 'wheels'! I have known that we were going to order this for her for about a month now, but didn't want to post about it until I had actually ordered it. I ordered it today, & it should be shipped within 48 hours. She doesn't know about it yet, & we can't wait to surprise her. Ready to see it? Here it is -



It's a replica of a 1936 Sky King trike. I had never heard of them before, but fell in love with it the very first time I saw it. The originals cost over $3000, & thank goodness they have come 'way' down since then. This one is called (of course), the Sky Princess. I cannot wait until it gets here & she goes for her first 'spin'. I think it will serve her well, as it says it is for children from 2-6. I'll be sure to take pics of her on it, & I am sure that 'Trixielilly' will somehow be on it with her. I can't wait for them to share many adventures on it.

No, it didn't rain here in Las Vegas today, but I do think we can expect lots of 'showers', courtesy of Elliot. He got a Turbo X Spinner water gun. He had the time of his life with it. He 'promised' he would never 'shoot' Annie, Trixie, or Lilly, but I wonder if he can resist? He ran around in the backyard with it, & all 3 were chasing him about. It was 90 out there today, so they were probably hoping beyond hope that he would spray them!

I have a cute story about Emily. We ran to Walmart, & as we were getting out of our car, there was a child crying 3 or 4 cars over, as His Mom put him into his car seat. It was a horrible cry - like a screeching sound. Emily didn't see him, she only heard it as I was putting her in the cart. She looked around & up into the sky, ducked her head down between her shoulders, & said "What was that!?! An eagle?" If you could have seen the shocked look on her face. I almost fell to the ground laughing.

I think Simon is right - Jason should busy himself packing his bags tonight. It's like "What were you thinking???"

"The hardest arithmetic to master is that which enables us to count our blessings." ~Eric Hoffer~

   

Grateful for creativity

Monday    May 5, 2008

I had to smile as I sat down to post tonight. I look around my computer room, & see the hard work of a sweet budding artist, adorning my walls in here. I look at the one that she worked so hard on today - bright, colorful scribbles all over a piece of paper, & in my eyes there could not be a more beautiful piece of artwork. I smile as I think of her sitting here beside me today, babbling away about the "present" she was going to make me, & so proud when she finished it. She handed it to me & said "Here Nana! For you! Put it on the wall." So of course, I put it on the wall. She then steps back to admire her work, & says "Ooooh, it's so pretty!" I think I may have created a little 'monster' the other day, when I said "Oh honey! It's beautiful! Let me hang it up to make my walls pretty!" She now wants to do one or two a day for me. I don't mind though. If I need to, I will wallpaper the walls in here with the works from her tiny hands. I am going to buy some frames to showcase her work. Below is a 'piece' that she created for me today -



I wish I had some from Elliot to hang, but he is not into sitting down & coloring or drawing. He will if it is with his 'Doodler', but not with paper & crayons. His hands are normally to busy playing. He is all boy.

I am really enjoying the Paint Shop Pro Photo X2 that Mike got for me. I thought it would be so difficult to figure it all out, but like so many things, once you sit down & 'just do it', it's much simpler than you thought it would be. There are so many different things that you can do with it. As you can see, I 'love' the 'tape corner' picture frame that I can use with my pictures.

Emily told me that she wanted a cup of coffee this morning. She says she wants to be like Nana. Like I have said before - she is 2, going on 22. I know I share so much about her & Elliot, & I hope you don't tire of it, but they are so much a big major part of my days. They make me smile at things they do & say, & I hope it brings a smile to your face too. Before you know it, you will all believe that 'Trixielilly' is real, just as Emily seems to think at times. I must share this picture of her - Emily said that "Trixielilly wants to play Princess", & this is what I found -



I thought Cristian did wonderful with his 'one-armed' dances. I look forward to seeing a lot of the dancers from former seasons tomorrow.

A very close friend of mine, just found out that she has MS. She is in shock - devastated, but holding onto her faith. I think some of the shock is wearing off, & she's focusing on doing all she can do to fight the progression of it. Tonight she told me that it opens your eyes 'real' quick to what a blessing health is, & that she is not taking a single day for granted now. One thing that is bothering her so greatly, is how she sailed through each day, just kinda taking for granted that health & life would always be there. Her name is Paula, & if you can remember, please keep her in prayer.

"I love people. I love my family, my children . . . but inside myself is a place where I live all alone and that's where you renew your springs that never dry up." ~Pearl S. Buck~

   

Grateful for sweet imaginations of a child

Sunday    May 4, 2008

This weekend (like most weekends) flew by so quickly. Tonight, the thought hit me - "Where did it go?!?" I wish I could say that it was a through & through wonderful weekend, but I can't. Jen & her family put such a damper on it - all the same old problems. I am beginning to see that her Mom has some very deep mental issues too. Just to give you an idea, she called Jen this weekend & told her that we (Mike & I) had taken Emily to give her a blood transfusion. It's all so crazy, & seemingly never-ending, but I know that "this too shall pass". I felt quite down about it all Friday, but decided that I will do my best to not let them get to me. My focus is on Elliot & Emily, & making sure they are safe, loved, cared for, & in the best enviroment that we can possibly create for them. I also know that the Lord has a purpose & a plan for all that He allows us to go through, so this 'valley' is not without reason.

Mike took Friday off from work, & we took Elliot & Emily out for the afternoon & evening. We took them to the Disney Store, & they each got to shop. Bless Emily's heart - out of everything in that store, she chose a pair of flip-flops. Before she saw them, she had chosen sunglasses. Elliot wanted a million things in there - going back & forth on what he wanted to chose, but Emily walked the store, looked at everything carefully, then went back to choose. Elliot decided on a dinosaur, from the movie "The Robinsons", so this meant that he had to 'watch' The Robinsons as soon as he got home.

On Saturday, Mike & Elliot went to the park, & Emily & I went shopping with Lisa & Avery. We went to one of my favorite stores (Kohl's), & got a lot of bargains. Avery certainly made out! I couldn't resist adding to Emily's already bulging closet. I also picked up 6 shorts & shirts for Elliot, & he was thrilled when I showed them to him. On the way home, we made our 'have to' stop, at Starbucks.

Emily made sure that 'Trixielilly' was included in all the happenings of the weekend (as she always does). She felt so badly because 'Trixielilly' didn't get flip-flops, so she told her that she could wear hers -



'Trixielilly' is always included in our shopping expeditions, & Emily fixes her just right -

I have seriously considered writing a book about Emily, & her taking 'Trixililly' on many wonderful adventures with her. She goes 'everywhere' with us. I must mention about the picture of her in the cart...she (Trixielilly) got in trouble when we were in the store. Emily said that she was "licking the steering wheel & getting germs in her mouth". It was so sweet to hear her telling her how she couldn't drive anymore if she was going to lick it. And she did lick it again, so Emily promptly sat her down on the seat, away from the steering wheel.

I am sorry this has went long. I think when I don't post over the weekend, it makes for a much longer post Sunday & Monday. There was so much more I wanted to share, but I won't keep you. I will close with the new siggie for this week. The font is supposed to look like 'dripping paint', so I hope it comes across like that. Click on her if you would prefer her with no name. If you want your name on it, please tag or email. Have a blessed week!



"Not everything that can be counted counts, and not everything that counts can be counted." ~Albert Einstein ~

   

Grateful for weekends

Thursday    May 1, 2008

Yesterday was supposed to be the day that I got my cleaning done, but that got lost when I began to play with the kids. 'Ironman' doesn't clean house or do laundry, so it was left till today. Elliot & Emily 'helped' me, so we actually got done very quickly, so that left the rest of the day to do whatever we wanted to do. That being, watching Pooh's Blustery Day for the 105th time. It's so funny...Emily 'knows' Pooh gets stuck when he eats too much honey at Rabbits house, but she is totally 'on edge' while he is eating, wondering if he will get stuck "this time". I so love how a child's mind works. This brings me to something that I found so funny, that I keep forgeting to mention - last Sunday on Extreme Home Makeover, it was cold as Ty was outside & talking - you could see the 'steam' coming from his mouth. Emily had never seen that, & she 'squealed' "Oh no! Ty on fire!" She thought it was smoke.

Elliot's wanting another pet continues. As we cleaned this morning, he said "Nana, I want a mouse for a pet." I told him 'again' that he has 3 pets already, & that I wouldn't really want a mouse, because it might run through our house, He said "I would keep it in a cage." I replied "What if it got out?" He thought for a moment & then said "Oh yeah, cause you could be vacuuming & vacuum my mouse up, & only leave it's tail on the floor." Again, the way a child's mind works is so sweet!

Emily decided that my desk should be a different color, so she took her crayons & colored the top of it. Luckily, when I bought them for her, I decided to get her the washable crayons, & they work. I found that out, as I scrubbed away an 8 ft. area of wall as you go up our stairs. She had told me that she was "making it so pretty for me", in bright orange. Crayons are now put away, & she cannot have them unless I am sitting with her as she colors.

Mike bought me the new Corel Paint Shop Pro Photo X2. I haven't opened it yet, & not sure I want to learn a new program. Right now, I have Paint Shop Pro 7, & it has done well for me. I am thinking of keeping it to work with my graphics, & using the new program for our digital photos. Anyone else out there have it?

Hope you all like the new siggie for today. It will be up till Sunday, since I don't post on Friday & Saturday. I do still read blogs & check my tags, so if you want your name on it, please tag or email me. If you don't care for your name on it, click on it & save it.

The quote I am closing with tonight is one that always made me laugh, & I hope it ends your visit here with a laugh, or at least a smile. Have a great weekend! See you all on Sunday!

"I put on a peekaboo blouse. He peeked, & booed." ~Phyllis Diller~

   

Grateful for fun

Wednesday, April 30, 2008: I was awakened by a little girl very anxious to begin her day today. I tried to convince her that it wasn't yet time to get up, & she replied "But Nana! The sun is up!" She then runs over to the shutters, opens them, & with glee, squeals "See Nana! See!" Elliot then hears us, & he comes bounding out of his room, declaring that he is "Ironman". I don't really know 'Ironman', aside from the fact that he is a super hero (right?). That told me right there, that I was in for a 'little boy pinging off the walls fun day. Before I knew it, I had become 'Ironman'! This provided Elliot with the biggest laugh. He was rolling on the floor with laughter as he watched me run through the house, jumping, running, kicking. I'm only glad that he & Emily are the 'only' ones that viewed this spectacle. As happy as it made him, it was well worth me making a fool spectacle of myself. It was so sweet - he said "Oh Nana! You make me so happy!" How easy it is to make children squeal with laughter. It's one of my most favorite sounds in the world. And Elliot - when 'he' laughs, his entire little body laughs. He has the sweetest most genuine rippling laugh. It makes all who are near him laugh with him.

I guess you can tell that I finally learned a new little trick today - the 'strike through' effect. I had seen it done on other blogs, & loved the way it could be used. I'll probably drive readers batty with it!

Seeing as I can now use this strike through effect, I will share a story that was one of my Mom's favorites. She once had a found an injured pigeon & kept it in a shed while she nursed it back to health. We had to go somewhere, so she asked my married older brother to please stop over & check on it & make sure it got fed, ect. When we got home, he had left a note on the kitchen table - a note that she kept for the rest of her life, as it made her laugh. He had written - "Mom, I stopped in & took care of the pidgen pigen pidgeon pigun pi bird. Love you." That is exactly how it was written. We rolled with laughter. I hope it gave you a smile. This is another reason I love this strike through effect - without it, I couldn't have gotten across how his note came out - it was neat how I could 'show' you how it looked.

A few minutes ago, the winds were howling outside my window. They went as quickly as they came. As hard as it was blowing, it's very strange that it's now completely silent.

Emily brought tears to my eyes today. We were sitting together, watching one of her favorite cartoons & talking together. All of a sudden, she put her head down on her hands, & I heard her say "Dear Jesus"...& next I hear "Amen". I couldn't make out what she was saying in between the beginning & the end, as she was speaking so low. I said "Baby, what were you doing?" She responded "I was faying" (praying). I said "What about honey?" She said "I was thanking Jesus for my Nana", then she hugged me so tight. Am I blessed, or what?!? She amazes me. She & Elliot 'both' amaze me. To think, that at 2 years old, just out of the blue, she decided that she was going to "thank Jesus" for her Nana - it's so precious to me. I am so grateful to be able to share my days with her & Elliot. If you ever wonder why I chose the name that I did for my blog, you now know why.

I had great fun making today's siggie, & I hope you like it. Again, it might be a bit big to use as a siggie, but once I started on it, I couldn't stop adding things to it. If you would like to have one, please let me know. If you would prefer one without your name, click on it & will open in a new frame. This has been a fun week, offering a new one each day.

"We count our miseries carefully, and accept our blessings without much thought." ~Chinese Proverb~

   

Grateful for variety

Tuesday, April 29, 2008: Yes, I've changed out my graphics 'again'! Emily is is to blame for this change. I really did love the graphics I had in here (as did Emily), but she & I were looking through my vast graphic collection & all it took was one look at my miniture collections from Graphic Garden, & she was hooked. She immediately said "Put those little bears on your puter." I took her to my blog to remind her of how much she loved the sheep, & she said "I like little bears." So, "little bears" it is. I must admit, I have been toying with using them for the longest time. I 'love' Helena's graphics, & I 'love' bears, so I am very happy with the change. I created the header graphic using Helena's miniatures, along with some tubes. I emailed it to her & asked her if this would be okay to do, & she graciously told me that I can do it. She loved the finished product. I also did one for my 'blog intro' page, & am really happy with it also. I've been wanting to add her miniatures to my posts, & now I look so forward to that.

Not a whole lot happened today. I piddled with this change-out, & spent time with Elliot & Emily. That was about it. I will now have to tackle laundry & house-cleaning tomorrow.

I hope you like the siggie for today. I am wondering - is this too big for a siggie?? If you would like your name on it, please leave a tag or email. Have a wonderful day!

"A gem is not polished without rubbing, nor a man perfected without trials." ~Chinese Proverb~

   

Grateful for Papa being back home

Monday, April 28, 2008: I woke up earlier today, & the kids were still sleeping. I peeked in on them, & both looked like perfect little angels. Elliot would wake up if I were to crawl into bed with him, so I went & lay down with Emily for awhile, & just watched her sleep. I don't know if I have mentioned this before, but she often says "Nana" very softly in her sleep. She has done this since she began to talk. It's strange, & I love it, but she says nothing else in her sleep - just "Nana". I love to think that she's dreaming of me. She is certainly a 'Nana's girl'...she thinks I know everything & can do everything. Sad, but one day she will find out that isn't so. She will let no one do anything for her, except me. Now Elliot - he is a 'Papa's boy'. Through & through. He is 'all' boy, but so very sweet.

They soon came tumbling out of bed, & after being fed & dressed, & helping me to clean for awhile, Papa surprised them by coming home early. He had been in California since Friday. As always, he was tackled. He told them that after naps, we were going to go out for awhile - to all their favorite stops - the Christian bookstore, Costco, Best Buy, & then to eat. You would think that at least one of their favorite stores would be a toy store, but for some reason, they 'love' going to Costco & Best Buy (go figure). They both came home with new books, so those will be part of 'storytime' tomorrow.

When we were out, we had one of the kid's cds playing as we drove, & they were saying "Sing Papa, sing!" He didn't know the words to the song, so he began to whistle. Emily said "No Papa. Sing with your tongue!" We broke up in laughter. She never ceases to amaze me at how much she knows or how she thinks at the age of 2.

Elliot told me again today that he "wants a pet". I said "Elliot, you have pets." He replied "What pets?" I then told him that he had Annie, Trixie, & Lilly, to which he replied, "Nana, those are not pets!" I asked him what a pet was then, & he said "A tiger. A snake. A monkey." I guess he is determined that he will have something other than a dog.

There was so much more I wanted to ramble on about, but I will spare you. Below is today's siggie - another Raggedy. I love Raggedies, & have enjoyed doing these. Click on her to open in another frame. Please leave a tag or email if you would like one with your name. I'll be putting a new one up tomorrow night. Have a blessed day!

"Regret for wasted time is more wasted time." ~Mason Cooley~

   

Grateful for pj days

Sunday, April 27, 2008: Mike had to go out of town this weekend, & because of that, I took it as my 'lazy' time. Not really lazy though, as I had every moment filled with things that I wanted to do. I took long showers, read, worked on graphics, worked on my website, stayed up till the wee hours, ect. Yesterday, I stayed in pj's all day, & 'loved' it!

The kids & I went out shopping with Lisa & Avery Friday night. I surprised Lisa by telling her that she had a certain dollar amount to spend & to have fun with. She was so thrilled. Since Avery's birth, I know it's been tight for them financially at times, so I wanted to do something special for her. She is such a great Mom, & she spent every penny on Avery. We had a lot of fun together, & went out to eat afterwards. She is like a daughter to me, & I love her to bits!

On Saturday, Elliot told me that he had decided that he wanted a pet. I told him "But you already have 3 pets. You have Annie, Trixie, & Lilly." He replied "But I want a penguin, Nana." I explained to him that a penquin has to live in the cold, & that Las Vegas is way too hot to keep one." He thought for a few seconds & then said "Okay. Can I have a lizard then?" I don't do lizards! He was naughty yesterday, & got into some chocolates that Mike had put on our dresser. He had went to nap, & a bit later I went into his room to put away some laundry & I found him awake. He was sitting there, trying to unwrap a piece of chocolate, & had 2 unwrapped (& eaten!) ones beside him. He jumped out of his skin when I walked in - eyes as big as moons. I said "Elliot, what are you doing?" There he was, chocolate in hand, a completely chocoloate covered mouth, & he says "I'm just looking at this", & he holds up the half-unwrapped piece of chocolate. I asked him how he got a chocolate mouth by "just looking", & then sent him to look in a mirror & clean his face. We then discussed being untruthful, & he told me that he was sorry. He is so sweet, & it breaks his heart if he feels he has disappointed someone.

Emily wanted to 'wrap' me in a blanket, so of course I let her. She spent the longest time doing it - she wrapped it so that it came up around my head. She then looked at her handi-work & got the most loving, sweetest look on her face when she looked down at me, & she said "Oh Nana! You look like baby Jesus!" She then gave me the biggest hug. The look on her face made me laugh so hard.

It is 'so' warm (90's) here in Vegas, & I'm sure it is here to stay till fall. It seems we have 2 seasons here - Summer & Spring. I dread the temps of 115 & above for the summer.

I piddled around in Paintshop yesterday, & made my first little webset with the tubes. It's simple, but I like it. If you'd like to peek at it, click here. Like I said, it's really simple, but I think it's sweet. I used to 'over-crowd' with graphics, & I'm trying to simplify some of my pages, a page at a time.

Here is the siggie for Siggie Sunday -



Click on it to open in a new frame. If you would like your name on it, please email or leave a tag. I can also give her red, brown, black (shown), or blonde hair.

This is the first of the siggies for this week -



Click on her to open in a new frame, & again, if you would like your name on it, please tag or email. I will leave this one up till I post tomorrow, & then remove it & replace it with another one.

"Blessed is the person who is too busy to worry in the daytime and too sleepy to worry at night." ~Unknown~

   

Grateful for healing

Thursday, April 24, 2008: Today was such a sweet day with Elliot & Emily. There are certain days that echo perfect, from the moment we get up, till we drop into bed. Today was one of those days. I am so proud of Elliot & so happy that he's back to his sweet self. He may even be sweeter! We were so concerned when we found out that his Mom had been sexually abusing him. We could see such changes in him. We were worried that he would never be the same 'Elliot' that we've known him to be. It took a bit of time, & a 'lot' of love, nurturing, & just showing him that he was safe, but he's doing so wonderfully. We prayed for his emotions & his memory to be healed, & we are seeing those answers. We are blessed to share our life with these little people.

Mike got home at noon today. It was a surprise for Elliot & Emily. He walked in, & the house was 'filled' with squeals of "PAPA!" Then he was tackled by them both. He got here just in time to take a nap while they did. Elliot is such a Papa's boy. He adores him.

Emily showered with me tonight. This is one of her favorite things. I spent a good 3 minutes explaining to her why she can't shave her legs. Afterwards, she still wanted to shave her legs! She is 2, going on 22. For readers that have been with me for awhile, I am sure you remember her determination to have a bra. She's still determined. This has been a desire since she was about 17 months old. She cracks me up. She told me that she was going to go clean her room after breakfast, & I noticed that I didn't hear the 'room cleaning' sounds that I normally will hear. I called up to her, & was met with silence. I called her again...& again...& again. My heart kinda dropped, & then I hear a muffled voice coming from one of the downstairs bathrooms. This is what I found -



She had climbed up there by herself, & of course she had her constant sidekick with her - Trixielilly, her partner in crime. After I got her down & talked to her, explaining how she was to 'never' climb up there by herself again, she gives me the most innocent sweetest look, & says "But Nana! My teeth is so need brushed!"

I was thrilled that Grey's Anatomy was back tonight! I have missed it so much. Looks to be a good rest of the season! I don't like seing 'McDreamy' with someone other than Meredith...I guess I don't like change. I'm interested to see all the goings on for the rest of the season, since it looks like Addison is back next week too. Did 'Private Practice' get canceled?

Wow...have I ever rambled tonight, huh? I got one more thing to share. I made a little gift today, for all of you that would like to have one. I guess it could be considered more of an 'adoption', so I made a certificate for it too. I was thinking today about how many wonderful friends I have made through my blog. This gift is for all of you - for sharing my journey. Thank you! If you want one, click on it & it will open in a new frame. I will leave it up till I come back Sunday. Speaking of which, next week (beginning Sunday), I am going to put a new siggie up everyday till Thursday. This will be in addition to the Sunday siggie. Each one will only be up & available till I put the new one up the following day. Just wanted to let you know in case you are interested. I'll do this every now & then, so I hope you enjoy them. Sorry I went long on this tonight. Have a wonderful weekend! I'll see you all here on Sunday!

"No love, no friendship can cross the path of our destiny without leaving some mark on it forever." ~Francois Mauriac~

   

Grateful for a night off

Wednesday, April 23, 2008: Have you ever had a day that once it ended, you wondered where in this world it had went? That is the kind of day this was. Maybe it's because the kids & I slept in a bit later, & before we knew it, they were ready to go down for naps. Whatever the reason, it sped by.

Mike picked up Italian food on his way home from work, so that was a nice treat. We have this wonderful little Italian restaurant about 10 minutes from our house, & it is 'so' good! It's real authentic Italian. Elliot & Emily were thrilled to see it brought in. I was glad to have the night off from the kitchen! Elliot announced that he was going to "eat it all", but you know how filling Italian food is - he sang a different tune real quick. His appetite has picked up unbelievably. He has eaten enough for 2 or 3 kids for the past week. Today he asked me if "tummys could break", because he said (as he lifted his shirt to show this little protruding tummy) "it feels like mine is going to break."

Lisa's aunts & cousins are here from Illinois for a week. They were so excited to finally meet Avery, & Lisa & her were going to spend the night with them tonight. That didn't work out at all. Lisa said that as soon as they walked into her Uncle's house, Avery burst into tears, & screamed for 2 hours - the entire time they were there. She was so embarrassed. Avery screamed each time they came near her. She's only 4 months old, but I guess she is already shying away from strangers. Anyway, Shad packed all the baby stuff they had packed into the car, back into the car, & they had to go home. They want to meet Mike & I, so we're going to have them over for coffee & desert tomorrow, along with Avery. Hopefully she won't reject them if they are here, since she is used to our home.

I was shocked that Carly got voted off AI tonight. I thought it would be Brooke. Maybe it's just me, but it seems like each song Brooke sings, they all sound alike. I'm not real keen on her. Emily had her microphone in hand again as she watched, so I took some pictures of her tonight. She had her ice cream cone in one hand & the microphone in the other - singing her little heart out. Notice 'Trixielilly' in the background on the floor, watching the 'show'. Emily gets 'so' into this! She walks the 'stage', eyes closed, so into character. It is so funny! I will close with those pictures - our very own little American Idol -

"The best index to a person's character is (a) how he treats people who can't do him any good, and (b) how he treats people who can't fight back." ~Abigail Van Buren~

Taking her bow





   

Grateful for friends

Tuesday, April 22, 2008: I have just spent the last 2 hours on the web, searching for another 'Trixielilly' (Emily named her after two of our Pugs - Trixie & Lilly). I did find a small version of her, but the large one is no longer made. I also checked Ebay with no luck. As I said in my post last night, Trixielilly goes 'everywhere' with Emily, so I am afraid she's going to have all of her fur 'loved off'. Elliot never really got that attached to a toy. He did used to always carry around a little Spiderman, but that was short-lived.

Elliot's Grandma picked him up this morning & spent a few hours with him. She is Jen's Mom, & isn't in town for much longer. She lives in Texas, & is only here because of Jen's mental issues. She told me that she was going to talk to Jen one more time & try to get through to her concerning what she is facing. Jen's in total denial. Quite honestly, her Mom is pretty much in denial too. Anyway, he came home exhausted. She let him run around his favorite park (the Dino park, as he calls it). He is a real homebody, & was happy to get back home. He 'loves' being home. He wanted to watch "The Muppets Take Manhattan" this afternoon, so we cuddled up & watched that. I hadn't seen it in years. When Miss Piggy & Kermit were getting married, he said "Nana, are you going to do that one day?" It was SO sweet! Little did he know that Nana did that a long time ago! Then he said "You will look like a Princess in that dress." He then told me "Nana, I'm going to marry you one day when I get big." I have mentioned before, but I 'so' love his innocence. He is such a sweet boy.

Just as I thought, Marlee was voted off of DWTS tonight. The remainder of the show is going to be competitive.

I now wish I had watched AI from the beginning of it. I had never watched it before this season. I'm really enjoying it, & think that David Cook will be hard to beat. Emily sits there, with her pink microphone in hand, as she watches with me. It is so sweet.

I made a link off to the left for the 'Siggie Sunday' sigtag. This way, if any of you want it, you don't have to scroll down to the Sunday post. Thank you for all the compliments on them. I do enjoy creating them, but my creations are only as good as the tubes I use to put them together. I do hope you enjoy them. If any of you have suggestions as to something you would like to see me do, please let me know.

"If I were to say, "God, why me?" about the bad things, then I should have said, "God, why me?" about the good things that happened in my life." ~Arthur Ashe~

   

Grateful for laughter

Monday, April 21, 2008: Today seemed to whiz by! It was a busy morning, & before I knew it, it was 1PM, & time for Elliot & Emily's naps. Of course, Emily told me that the clock didn't say "naptime". "The clock says later." She is something else, & always manages to give us lots of smiles. I had to run down to my dr's office, & she had to have her ever present companion along. She takes "Trixielilly" everywhere. In the waiting room, she put a magazine on the floor & said "Here Trixielilly. You can read a story." It was so sweet, so I took a pic of Trixielilly in the waiting room:



It's so sweet to see her dragging this toy around with her. I don't know what she will do when Trixielilly wears out. I have tried to find another one to put away, but the company doesn't make it anymore. I guess I could give Ebay a try.

After their naps, we had to run to the grocery store to pick up a few things for dinner. I decided last minute to fix fajitas - a favorite in this house. Elliot didn't want any part of them, so I had to prepare him something else. They are too spicey for him. Emily of course, had to try them. She would take a bite & then say "Oh! Too 'picey'!", take a big gulp of water, then take another bite. After dinner, Elliot wanted to watch "The Incredibles". He's watched that movie so many times, but never seems to tire of it. So we all watched that before DWTS came on. When it came on, he wanted to go play games with Papa, because "Dancing with the Stars is for girls." He's so sweet. He used to love watching it with me.

I thought Kristi & Mark did incredible tonight! I think they will most likely win this, but you never can tell. How amazing, that she has done all the she has, with being born with a club foot. Goes to show, that we can accomplish much if we don't let our obstacles become road blocks in our lives. Sad to say, but I think Marlee will be the one to go home tomorrow.

"Not what we have, but what we enjoy, constitutes our abundance." ~John Petit-Senn~

   

Siggie Sunday

Sunday, April 20, 2008: I had meant to get here earlier today to put up the siggie for Sunday, but the day was so busy. This entire weekend was busy. We decided to get up early on Saturday & clean the garage, & that set the tone for the entire weekend. It made me want to go through closets (again!), & then that snowballed into me wanting to do more. I love the feeling of starting off on a Monday with the house sparkling.

I am watching the Hallmark movie on tv (Sweet Nothing In My Ear), & I feel as though I have only half of my mind on what I am typing, so I am going to go finish watching that. Hope you all have a blessed week. I also hope you like the siggie for this week. Click on it, & it will open in a new frame. If you would like one with your name on it, please let me know by leaving me a tag or by sending me an email.

"Happiness is inward, and not outward; and so, it does not depend on what we have, but on what we are." ~Henry Van Dyke~

   

Grateful for fun, full days with the kids

Thursday, April 17, 2008: As soon as the kids woke up, I decided to take them out for the morning. We went to run some errands & do a bit of shopping. Emily was in her 'shy' mode. Everytime someone said something to her, she would say "Oh please! I so shy!" She can be a hoot. We stayed out till nap time, & as soon as they woke up from naps, we took off to the park for the afternoon. It was a fun, full day! Lisa & Avery joined us, & as soon as we got home, we all had such a craving for fresh fruit. We sliced up some strawberries, banana's, & had some cantaloupe. It was so warm today, so the fresh fruit was really refreshing.

This turned out to be a day just for the kids. We had an early dinner, & settled in to watch "The Little Mermaid". Emily had never seen it, so she enjoyed that. After the movie, we played with them. They were both 'so' ready for bed by the time it rolled around. Emily didn't creep out of her bed even once tonight. She was asleep within mintues.

Jen had another 'episode', as they have been called. We only found out today, because she didn't want us to know (big surprise there!). It was bad enough that she had to be taken to the hospital & kept for a few days. She was released Monday. Now it makes sense why the emails started up again.

Tomorrow is Friday, so I will take Friday & Saturday off from blogging. See you all on Sunday, with a new siggie! Have a spectacular weekend!

"Middle age is when you're sitting at home on a Saturday night and the telephone rings and you hope it isn't for you." ~Ogden Nash~

   

Grateful for hope

Wednesday, April 16, 2008: What a great night's sleep I got! I went to bed at a bit before 11PM, & we (the kids & I), slept in till 9AM. I couldn't believe it when I opened my eyes & saw the time, & that they were still asleep. We got up, ate, & then cleaned house. We then had to go out for awhile to get our grocery shopping done. That is always a favorite trip for the kids, especially Emily, with her great love of food. We did that, came home, I put them down for naps, & then had some 'me' time.

I babysat for Avery for awhile this afternoon. She is such a good baby. She didn't make a peep. She is all smiles & coos. Lisa & Shad are head over heels with her, needless to say.

I promised Emily that she could help me to make a salad when she woke up from her nap. She was so excited. As soon as she opened her eyes, she remembered. It was so sweet to help her wash the veggies & then to watch as she basically ate an entire salad as we made it! She was so proud to announce during dinner that she helped make it.

I had a down evening. The crazy emails from Jen's family started up again tonight. Things have been pretty quiet for a couple of weeks, & then out of nowhere, they start again. I'm trying to not let it bother me, but it's difficult when such horrid things are said to us. I know any case involving families, involves some very heated feelings, & confusing feelings. I have asked them to please just focus on the best interest of Elliot & Emily, & to let go of the harsh feelings. I am really saddened over much that has been said & done. We continue to hold out hope, that we will win this & be able to continue to raise the children.

"Life is a gift, and I try to respond with grace and courtesy." ~Maya Angelou~

   

Grateful for long naps

Tuesday, April 15, 2008: I just finished watching DWTS, & have to say that I was surprised that Priscilla went before Marlee. I was hoping that Priscilla would stay on longer. You can never tell who will go, as it was proven last week on AI. I think that also shocked viewers, as well as the judges & performers.

As I sit here, I can hear the wind howling outside! It is really blustery, & Emily does not like this as she is going off to sleep. She says it is "scary". She's been downstairs twice since she went to bed, so I guess her getting back up phase is not over. She will use every excuse in the book. They are all very sweet though - she "misses me", she "needs more kisses", she "needs help in covering up Trixie Lilly" (her plush toy dog), "Trixie Lilly is scared", she "heard a lion", she "heard an elephant"...it goes on & on, & I can't help but smile.

Today it was my turn to feel 'blah'. I didn't feel completely well all day, but not bad enough to call myself "sick", just not up to par. I napped a long nap with the kids this afternoon. I don't like napping, but today it felt wonderful. I did hate how I lost my afternoon though. Lisa felt fine today, so I didn't have to babysit for Avery, which was good, since I didn't feel well.

Well...Emily just poked her head in here. She now "needed 2 pats on her back". As she was going up the stairs, she also informed me that "Trixie Lilly wants to hear a story".

I am off to bed now. I am looking so forward to a good nights sleep.

"Without humor, life is a walk, not a joyride." ~Unknown~

   

Grateful for the innocence of children

Monday, April 14, 2008: It's past 10PM, & Emily has already come out of her room twice, so I am hoping she is in there for the night now. Last night, the last time I put her back in her bed was 11:55PM! She was getting up every 10 minutes, with the most pitiful excuses you have ever heard. This just started in the past week, so maybe it's a phase?? I think I do remember my sons going through it too for awhile. Phase or not, I hope it doesn't last long. I know she's tired, so I don't know why she just doesn't close her eyes, & go to sleep. So much for me hoping she is in bed for the night. She just poked her head in here - now she "misses me". I've just sent her back, so here's hoping she goes off to sleep.

Elliot was fine today, so that was wonderful to have him back to 'normal'. I'm sure that tomorrow he will be in his Spiderman mode - spinning webs, flipping all over the place, ect. He can be 'all' boy!

We are hoping to have some answers this week, as to what we can expect on us getting custody of Elliot & Emily. I just want it over, so that we can move on in life. It's been such a difficult few years, knowing that Jen was/is ill & that she was so unfit as a Mom to Elliot. I'm thankful that we've had Emily since she was 5 days old, & that she's been taken care of.

Lisa said she was beginning to feel lousy today, so she's afraid she's getting the bug that is going around. Her concern is that she won't be able to care for Avery, so I may be caring for her tomorrow. She is such a good baby, so it should be easy, if I do have to take care of her.

I enjoyed DWTS tonight. I think that it might be Marlee that will be going home tomorrow. I really admire her for doing this, considering that she can't even hear the music. I couldn't believe that Pricilla Presley did the splits! I could do them up until 4 years ago, but haven't really tried lately. I don't want to try, 'cause I know I can't do them now. Since taking over 'Mommy' duties full time, my workouts have suffered 'greatly'.

I want to close with a picture of Emily's pots & pans. She keeps them in my pots & pans drawer, right beside mine. I had to smile on the day she got them. I went to open my drawer, & there they were.

"Dancers are instruments, like a piano the choreographer plays." ~George Balanchine~

   

Siggie Sunday

Sunday, April 13, 2008: I have decided to blog Sunday-Thursday, & take Fridays & Saturdays off. This seems to be a growing trend amongst bloggers - the taking of a couple of days off each week, & I can understand why. It can get difficult to blog daily, & most things, I think that others wouldn't want to read about. I will give this a try & see how that schedule works.

Elliot didn't feel well all weekend. He hasn't seemed to fully get over the bug that hit him last week. I am hoping he's back to himself tomorrow. It's so hard to see kids sick, & not feel like doing a whole lot. Especially when you are used to seeing them be so active. Because of him feeling a bit sick, I don't really have a lot to blog about tonight. We all relaxed with him, & kept him quiet all weekend. He loved all the extra attention, & we all really did enjoy not doing all the weekend running about that we most times do.

Sorry this is such a pitiful post, but I am drawing a complete blank here! Hope you all have a blessed week, & hope you like this week's siggie. If you like it, click on it to open it up in a new frame. If you wish you have your name on it, please leave a tag or email me & let me know. If you would like to put something other than your name on it, please let me know that also.

"Not what we say about our blessings, but how we use them, is the true measure of our thanksgiving." ~W. T. Purkiser~

   

Grateful for fruitful days

Friday, April 11, 2008: I got bit by the cleaning bug today, & that is how I spent the major part of it. It feels good to have everything sparkling tonight! Yesterday I didn't feel like doing a whole lot because of my shoulder/neck pain, & today it was fine, so maybe that is why I woke up wanting to do so much.

Lisa put some pictures of Avery on my computer today, so I wanted to share one of those. They just got her an activity thingie - it's also a walker. I cannot believe the neat things you can get kids, compared to when we were buying for our sons. I remember our son's walker, & it was 'so' basic compared to what you can get now. Anyway, Avery discoverd herself in the mirror, & this is that shot -



She is such a sweet baby, & sleeping through the night now. She 'always' has a smile on her face. Emily wasn't too thrilled when I held her. She said "Give baby to Lisa. You're my baby!" Elliot loves her, & is so sweet & gentle with her. He loves all babies.

I am ready to drop into bed after my cleaning binge today! Hope you all have a wonderful weekend!

"The best kind of friend is the kind you can sit on a porch and swing with, never say a word, and then walk away feeling like it was the best conversation you’ve ever had." ~Unknown~

   

Grateful for prayers from little lips

Thursday, April 10, 2008: Today was a pain in the neck, & I mean that literally. In the middle of the night, I turned over in bed, & I felt something pull in my neck/shoulder area. I had a difficult time going back to sleep, & awoke with it aching. The ache would come & go all during the day, but luckily not bad enough that it made me miserable. I told Emily that my neck hurt, & she gave her sweet usual reply, which is "I know! I'll 'fay' (pray)!", then she proceeds to pray for me. There is something so sweet & touching about a little child's prayers. They are so innocent, & it comes from their little hearts. No flowery words - just heartfelt attempts at prayer. And that faith! When she prays, she believes it is answered. Immediately! Her prayer this morning was "Dear Jesus, thank you for Nana's neck be better. Nana not hurt. In Jesus name, Amen!" She immediately says "You feel better now?!" She takes it seriously. I went to get a couple of aspirin, & when she found out this was what I was doing, & that it was for my neck, she began to cry, & she said "No get 'aspin', I 'fayed' for you! You be better!" It's so sweet.

We went out for awhile today. Normal errand type stuff - groceries, ect. Emily was in her shy mood today. Each time someone said something to her, she would pull back & say "I so shy!" Elliot 'never' meets a stranger...he is always ready to talk. Too much so! It's sweet (& sad) how he's growing up & separating the 'boy stuff' from the 'girl stuff'. Like tonight - Mike accidentally grabbed Emily's princess cup & poured him some milk, instead of his Spiderman cup. Elliot looked at the cup, turned red, & kinda squirmed. He said "Papa, that's a princess cup!" Mike told him he was sorry that he messed up, but that it would be okay to drink out of it. He didn't want to at all. He looked around to make sure no one was watching, & then he drank it straight down. It made me laugh. It wouldn't have went over too well if Emily would have seen him drinking out of her 'pincess' cup!

Does anyone know where Melanie of 'New Creation' is? My link to her says the blog has been removed, so I am concerned. Maybe I missed a post when I was MIA???

"Any concern too small to be turned into a prayer is too small to be made into a burden." ~Corrie Ten Boom~

   

Grateful for sweet days with Elliot & Emily

Wednesday, April 9, 2008: The kids & I slept in again (8:30AM), & had such a lazy morning. After breakfast, they wanted to watch a Pooh movie, so I cuddled up with them on the couch & enjoyed it with them. Afterwards, we ate lunch, & I went to nap for awhile with them. It didn't really feel as though I had started my day till 2PM. I really dislike the feeling that my day disappeared on me!

Mike got home early from work & brought take-out with him. That's always a treat, & the kids squeal with delight when they see him walk in. Especially so, if he has food in his possession! We ate, plopped down to relax, & before I knew it, it was time for the kids to go to bed. So went my day...fast, & very lazy-like. About all I accomplished was spending time with Elliot & Emily & enjoying them. It is days like that though, in which I feel like I accomplished much. I did get to spend some time piddling with graphics tonight, & I always enjoy that. I also worked on my website abit. Emily 'helped' me, & that slowed things down a bit, but I didn't mind. Speaking of graphics, please don't forget that each Sunday is 'Sunday Siggie', & I will put a new one up each Sunday that will remain up till the following Sunday. If you want it, click on it to open it up in a new frame, & save it. I hope you will like them as much as I enjoy creating them. Tubes are so much fun to work with.

This lazy day wore me out, so off to bed I go. Have a blessed day!

"Motivation is what gets you started. Habit is what keeps you going." ~Jim Ryun~

   

Grateful for time with family

Tuesday, April 8, 2008: After my 'surprise' wake-up call yesterday morning, it was wonderful to be able to sleep in till 8:30AM with the kids. It was so good to have them feeling well & back to the routine of a normal day. Apparently, they both had a bug that had run its course in about 6 hours. After even that short amount of time, thank God for good health!

Emily was excited today, because our sons came over for dinner, & wanted me to fix fajitas. That meant guacamole, & she 'loves' guacamole ('maucamole')! We had to run to the grocery store to pick up all the things I needed, & as soon as we stopped at the avocadoes, she squealed "Maucamole!" She ate her fair share of it. She also had a teary moment at the store. The avocadoes would not scan, so a manager had to come over & do it for us. She took the avocadoes to look for the product code on them, & as soon as she picked them up, Emily let out this little wail, & said "Oh No! She taking our food!" Then the tears came. She takes her love for food seriously!

We had a relaxing evening with everyone here. Our son Brandon brought Elliot & Emily kites to fly with them as I cooked, & they loved that. It was a windy day here, so it was perfect for kite flying.

We all watched AI & DWTS together. I wasn't surprised that Adam was the one that left DWTS tonight. What he said about everyone having something that they are afraid of & to embrace it, was about the only serious thing he had said all season with the show. It was a gracious 'good-bye' speech, & I saw him differently. The rest of the season should be good. I think Marlee will be the next one to go.

There are some posts (lots of them!) that I have such a difficult time finding a title for them. In light of that, I am going to highlight one thing that I am grateful for on that particular day, & put it in my title box. I began this blog, wanting to close each post with one thing that my heart was grateful for (hence the name "My Grateful Heart), so it will be good to share that again, even if just through the title box.

"Experience teaches only the teachable." ~Vernon Law~

   

A rude awakening!

Monday, April 7, 2008: The wee hours of my morning were not the most pleasant. Emily awoke me at 4AM, gave this little cough, & proceeded to vomit all over me. When I say all over me, I mean 'all over me'! I was lying down, so it went in my hair, all over my pj's, all over the bed, & all over my 'face'...YUCK...yes, my face! What a way to wake up! We had to shower, & she was quite excited to think that we were going to stay up. I put her in bed with us, & she kept asking to get up to play, to read, & to eat. She wasn't acting sick at all. We lay there till 6AM, & she said "Oh, I feel so hurt", then she repeated the 4AM saga!! All over me - again! So back to the shower, & needless to say, we didn't go back to bed. The funny thing is, she wasn't sick. She ran & played & wanted to eat all day. It was just the 2 times of vomiting, so it must have been a stomach upset. Elliot was up in the wee hours too, doing the same thing. With him though, he said his head hurt. He was fine too in a few hours, & his normal, playful self. Emily had never vomited before, so she wasn't too thrilled about her first experience with it, & neither was I!

I pretty much dragged through the morning, & napped when the kids took their naps. Only problem is, we napped from noon till 3PM, so I am now feeling wide awake. I'm going to 'make' myself go to bed as soon as I post though.

Emily has seen Sponge Bob quite a few times, & she's picked up something from that show (we think it's so cute!). She had her first hamburger last week (from In & Out), & when she saw it she squealed with delight "Oh, a crabby patty!" Tonight she said "Papa, I want a crabby patty!" I told her that it's a hamburger, but she insists it is a 'crabby patty'. Can you imagine her ordering a 'crabby patty'??? Kids say the sweetest things. I love the way their minds work.

I think Adam will go from DWTS tomorrow. I bet Julianne is disappointed that she got him for her partner, & not be able to get that 3 peat.

"The darkest hour has only sixty minutes." ~Unknown~

   

Siggie Sunday

Sunday, April 6, 2008: Today was a long & busy day, so I'm just popping in here to offer my 'Sunday Siggie'. If you like her, please click on her & she will open up in a new frame. If you would like it to say anything other than what I have on it, or would like your name on it instead, please let me know. Wishing you all a blessed & happy week!

"Friendship is a strong and habitual inclination in two persons to promote the good and happiness of one another." ~Eustace Budgell~

   

She ain't no cowgirl!

Saturday, April 5, 2008: We took Elliot & Emily out to Bonnie Springs. It's a little ranch/petting zoo type thing, about 15 minutes outside of Las Vegas. They had so much fun with it all. There were pony rides, so they wanted to do that. When we went to do them, the guy that saddled up the ponies, got the kids ready, ect., was on lunch break. This gave the kids time to look the ponies over & get excited about it. Emily saw a cream colored one, & she said right off the bat "I want to ride the white one." We took off to pet the animals, & all the while, she would say "I wanna go ride the white pony!", every 5-10 minutes. We finally took them over to the riding area & waited. Both were so excited, but Emily was 'beyond' excited! Anyway...the guy comes back from his lunch break, & Emily tells him "I want the white one." He told her that the pony's name was 'Butter'. That made her even more excited, because she 'loves' butter! He got the ponies ready, & put the kids on them. Cowgirl Emily - the one that had went on & on about how she was going to ride the pony - the one that was 'consumed' with the thought of finally getting to ride a 'real' pony - the one that asked us every 5-10 minutes if it was time to "ride the ponies"...this is her, after being placed upon the back of 'Butter'.



Butter didn't even get to walk 2 steps with her. Come to find out, she had thought all along that I was going to be on the pony with her. She wanted me to climb on with her, & when I told her that Butter could only carry little girls, she proceeded to tell me that I "could grow little". The more I told her that she would have fun on him, the louder she screamed. So off she came! I felt so badly for her as she watched him walk around with an empty saddle. We watched Elliot ride 'Peanut' (seems like every pony is 'Peanut'), & each time Butter would pass, Emily would wail "Oh Butter! I like you!" It broke her heart, because she thought she had hurt his feelings. Her pony tales aside, both of them had a wonderful time. Elliot loved his ride on Peanut, & getting to pet all the animals. He really enjoyed a pot bellied pig there. On our way home, we ate at our favorite Mexican food restaurant, & then brought too very tired out little ones home.

"If you take too long in deciding what to do with your life, you'll find you've done it." ~Pam Shaw~

   

An eating machine

Friday, April 4, 2008: Mike took today off, & we had a really slow, laid back morning. Well...I guess it was 'me' & the kids that had this slow, laid back morning. He worked on our taxes (fun). After Elliot & Emily's nap, we went out to eat with Shad, Lisa, & Avery. Emily loves black olives, & she saw some of them in my salad, which ended up on 'her' plate. After she gobbled those down, she then checked out everyone's plate, & collected their olives too. I love olives also, but never seem to be able to keep them now. After eating, we stopped off at Costco (another one of the kid's favorite places). Both of them love seeing if there is food samples being offered as we walk around. Never mind that we had just ate. Emily's main goal when we walked in, was to get her a book, & to sample every morsel of food that was being handed out. And sample, she did! Even after having dinnner out, & the sampling in Costco, as we were checking out we noticed she had one eye (actually 'two' eyes) on the food court. We then hear this little voice say "I'm hungry. Let's go sit at that table.", as she points to a table in the food court. She is too funny. I convinced her that she couldn't be hungry, so she managed the 10 minute drive home, only to announce that she was ready for dinner as soon as we walked into the house. We do a lot of laughing with the kids. They gifted us with a day full of smiles today!

Concerning Trixie's pacifier - yes, it is real. When she first discovered that she liked it, we were concerned that she would chew it up, but she doesn't. She just walks around with it in her mouth. It's 'so' funny! She began this when Emily was a baby, so it's like she saw her with one & took it that it was the 'thing to do'.

"A laugh is a smile that bursts." ~Mary H. Waldrip~

   

A day of housework

Thursday, April 3, 2008: I woke up this morning feeling like devoting the day to cleaning the house from top to bottom, & that is what I did. I emptied all our kitchen cabinets & drawers, cleaned them out, & replaced everything. I got rid of so much stuff - things that we haven't used in a long time. Emily helped me to go through her toys. We set aside her baby toys for Avery. We also went through her & Elliot's clothes. There was quite a bit that they had outgrown. Kids outgrow their clothes so quickly! By the end of the day, we had accomplished alot. We had went through every room. I rewarded Elliot & Emily with cookies tonight, for all their hard work.

I think I'm having brain fog tonight. I am drawing a complete blank here! I sat down with so many thoughts of what I was going to write about, but all of it seemed silly once I began to put it down. I will go ahead & close with a couple of pictures of Trixie, one of our 3 Pugs. I'll just say that she thinks she's a baby, & I'll let the pictures speak for themselves.

Getting sleepy...


Sweet dreams...


"A Pug is proof that God has a sense of humor." ~Margo K.~

   

I love the sound of 'sleeping in'

Wednesday, April 2, 2008: Mike didn't have to go into work till later, so he got up with Elliot this morning, & I slept in till Emily got up (8:30AM). It was a great way to start my day, but I could have used a couple more hours sleep. I didn't go to bed till 1AM (nightowl), so I was blessed that I got a little extra sleep. Mike had some errands to run, so he & Elliot ran out, & Emily & I ran out & took care of some things that I needed to do. She loves it when it is just 'us girls'.

Darylynn, this is for you - no, Trixie isn't named after the Honeymooners. My son brought her home, thrilled that 'he' was going to have his own dog. A co-worker gave her away when she was 3 months old. He'd always wanted a 'Trixie', so he named her. She was 'our' dog after 3 days, because she was such a handful. The other 2 are Lilly & Annie. Annie was found running down the road in the middle of the desert, & after trying to find her owners for 6 weeks, she was ours. She was a little orphan, so we named her after Little Orphan Annie. She is the exact image of our Pugsley that we lost a few months before she came. The 3 of them can be a handful! It was never our intention to have 3 dogs (& we cannot believe they are all Pugs), but it kinda worked out that way. Maybe this was a bit more info that you wanted, but thought it would be a good place to 'introduce' our furbabies.

I love to read, but haven't been able to do a whole lot of it, with all that is going on. I decided last week that I need to make it a point more than ever to put aside time for me & for the things I love to do. That is exactly what I've been doing, & I'm on my 3rd book in a week! I'm beginning to use Elliot & Emily's naptime as my reading time. I have always loved books, & I am thrilled to see Emily's love for books too.

It's Avery's turn to be showcased in Nana's blog. She is 3 months old now, & such a sweetheart! The picture below is one of her Easter pictures. By the way, her name is finally settled. If you remember, when she was born they named her 'Adrina Avery'. Within 2 days they both felt she didn't look like an 'Adrina' (she didn't). We all began to call her Avery, but they couldn't decide on her middle name. They decided they wanted to get rid of the 'Adrina' name totally. They finally chose 'Avery Shade'. It's different, & we like it. Shad chose it, & liked it since it is so close to his name. So below is sweet Avery Shade...



"Only those who look with the eyes of children can lose themselves in the object of their wonder." ~Eberhard Arnold ~

   

Thankful for lazy days

Tuesday, April 1, 2008: I had to do it. I just spent a couple of hours changing out all my blog graphics 'again'. I have mentioned before, that I will be known as the 'serial graphic changer'. I so love this set from Caroline. I saw them in Joan's blog, & it had such a warm feeling to it. Plus, Emily loved these sheep, so she wanted Nana to "put them on your puter!"

Speaking of Emily - she & I went out for a bit to shop today. Her favorite store is the Christian bookstore, & she picks up a book each time she goes there (which is a lot!). She is so sweet to shop with, as she points out every little thing to me. She'll put her hand over her mouth, & say "Oh my goodness! This is so 'pitty'!" After we left there, we had to stop at Starbucks. That is another one of her favorite stops. Elliot was hanging out with Papa, & they called & suggested we meet up for an early dinner. That was music to Emily's ears, as she 'loves' food.

After we ate, we came home & had a relaxing evening - a much needed one! This entire day was slow, relaxing, & lazy, & we all embraced it! Mike & Elliot played games while Emily & I watched one of her favorite cartoon shows (Oswald). One in which the characters (Oswald & Weenie) were eating a sprinkled donut, so guess what? She suddenly decided she 'had' to have a sprinkled donut too, & asked Papa if he would please go buy some. He & Elliot ran up to Krispy Kreme & fulfilled her wishes.

I've watched American Idol for the past 4 weeks. I had never watched it before. I now see why so many really get into this show. After reading about it on so many blogs, I had to check it out.

It's Elliot's turn to have a picture posted, & he wanted this one shown. He loves our 3 Pugs, & this is his favorite (Trixie). He gets out & runs all of his energy off with them. Believe me, he has a lot of energy! He & Trixie make the best of buddies, as Trixie is filled to the brim with energy! Elliot is such a beautiful, sweet little boy. He has such an innocence about him that I absolutely love. I was so afraid he was going to lose that after having been through the pain that he's been through. He is simply adorable, & growing up way too fast!



"I shall live this day as if it is my last. And if it is not, I shall fall to my knees and give thanks." ~Og Mandino~

   

Papa has feathers!

Monday, March 31, 2008: It was so wonderful to see tags in my blog! Thank you all for not giving up on me, & for welcoming me back each time I go MIA. It will be so wonderful when this custody case is over with, & we can feel like we can move on in life. We have actually discussed leaving Las Vegas if we win this. Not that we really want to, but because of Jen's family. They have made life miserable some days. I woke up to 2 emails from her Dad today, & then got a voice mail mid-morning. He was screaming at me & cursing me. Then later, I received a ranting email from Jen's Mom. They are so angry at us because we will not back down & allow Elliot to see Jen. I am amazed that they cannot see why he should not & cannot see her. We just want this to be over with. The emails & the voice mail put such a damper on my day. All day long, the tears would come & go.

Now on to a brighter subject - Elliot & Emily. They always make me smile. I have such a cute story about Elliot. A couple weeks ago he was sitting on the couch with Mike. Mike had on shorts, & Elliot said "Papa, you have lots of feathers." Mike said "Honey, Papa doesn't have feathers. Birds have feathers." Elliot responded "Yes you do Papa! You have so many!" Then as he rubbed Mike's leg he said "See!" We got so tickled at him calling 'hair', feathers. It then made perfect sense that he told me he had found a "feather" in his food a few days prior, when we were out to eat. I looked at his food & said "Honey, there is no feather in your food, so go ahead & eat." I didn't realize that I was looking for a 'hair'.

You all know how Emily is 'Little Miss Homemaker'. For Easter, her Easter basket gift was a miniture set of pots & pans. She was/is thrilled! She keeps them in with my pots & pans, & it is so cute to see her getting them out when I cook. She has her little utensils & she 'cooks' up a storm. She was tickled pink when she saw that she also got a tiny potholder.

Avery is growing so much! I will have to post pics of each of them over the next few days. Lisa & Shad said she's finally sleeping through the night. I think that's really good, considering she's not quite 3 months old. She is 'so' cute!

I'll close with a picture of Emily. This was taken Easter morning. She is our little Princess.



"It's not what you leave to your children, it's what you leave in your children." ~Unknown~

   

Still here!

Sunday, March 30, 2008: Where to begin? That is what I feel like after such a gap between posts. Day after day, I would tell myself that I would update my blog, but my heart has been so far from the computer for the past 6 weeks or so. The longer you go, the harder it is to get back to it. We feel as though we are on an emotional roller coaster. It seems as though the status of things change from day to day. Jen is out of the hospital, but she doesn't seem any better whatsoever. She feels she is completely recovered, but talk to her for 5 minutes, & it becomes clear very quickly, that she is just as ill as ever. She isn't taking her meds (no surprise there), & she says she will not take them. Her final diagnosis is psychotic/bi-polar/schizophrenic. Needless to say, we are under 'extreme' pressure from her family, regarding us filing for custody. They feel it will "push her over the edge", & have used this as a 'tool'. We have received threatening emails from them (especially from her Dad), & this has caused some difficult days, & some sleepless nights. We have met with our lawyer numerous times, & are hoping to have everything ready to go this week. We had hoped beyond hope that Jen would sign papers, but she says she is going to contest this. Nevermind, that our lawyer has said she cannot possibly win this, she is still going to contest it. Because of this, we go from a fee of about $2500, to 'minimum' $20,000 for a court battle. This is what our lawyer told us. No matter what, we must fight for the children's safety & well-being. We will talk to Jen one more time to try to convince her to sign, so please pray that she will. If she will sign, this will be over in one day!

My mind has been occupied basically 24/7 with all that has been going on, & this is another reason I have not posted. I didn't want to go on & on about something, & it be a 'bummer' post on top of that. I'm trying to take my focus off of all the trials of this, & place it elsewhere. The kids are great at redirecting me. They are doing great. Spending our days with them, is such a sweet reminder of just 'why' we must keep fighting this battle.

Seeing as I haven't been here in so long, I don't want to make this too long. I will catch you all up day by day. I do want to mention that I have found a new hobby to busy my mind when the stresses of this custody journey become a bit much, & that is working with tubes in Paintshop. I am going to have "Siggie Sunday", & offer one of my creations each week to anyone that would like one. If you like today's offering, click on her & she will open up in another frame. Right click & save, & link back to my site. I will add your name if you would like that, so please contact me if you wish this. I'll leave each week's offering up till the following Sunday. This is today's 'Siggie Sunday' offering:



A big hug to all of you for being so patient with me! Thank you also for all the sweet encouragement I have received. Even though I have been MIA, I do so appreciate the friendship & the prayers that grace my days.

"He who limps is still walking." ~Stanislaw J. Lec~

   

What is sleep???

Monday, February 18, 2008: Today was a long day. Especially so, since we all have gotten 'maybe' 5 hours sleep in the past 3 days. That is 5 hours sleep 'total'. My son kept us up for most of the night last night. He was having a very difficult time. He is so heartbroken & he needed us all to just talk to & pour everything out. 20/20 hindsight, as they say. He has such regret that he didn't 'make' Jen get help. He now looks back, & wonders how he could have been so blind about how deep her illness was/is. I had told him many times that she was desperately ill, & he apologized for not taking me seriously. He is devastated by guilt & regret. He keeps hope that she will recover. She's still not responding to anything. The drs. say there is nothing they can do, so they will most likely send her on to a mental institution tomorrow. They say they are not equipped to help her with her illness. They will let no one see her but my son, & today they told him that it would be better if he didn't see her in the state she was in today. We will get a more firm prognosis once she is moved.

My son told us to get the custody papers drawn up so that he can sign them. He now realizes that we need this more than ever. We are hoping we can do this without her signing. Hopefully we can find this info out tomorrow. We are so happy to see an end in sight for our battle over the children's safety, but so sad that this is how it came.

We took the kids out tonight for awhile. We had fun with them, & it was nice to get out. Elliot took this little 3 in. skateboard with him. Shad had given it to him today as a little 'pick-me-up'. He took it into a store & as we were leaving, he said "Oh no! Where's my skateboard?" So of course, we had to backtrack everyplace we had stopped along in the store. We finally found it somewhere that 'he' had stopped. The candy display. He was so thrilled that he found it, & even more thrilled that he got to choose a candy.

My son Brandon made Emily's day very bright. He went to Disneyland last Friday, & brought her back a Princess hat. She was thrilled! Elliot got a Buzz & Woody bank. He checked to see if money was in it. I don't think he has the concept of a bank down yet!

"Every tomorrow has two handles. We can take hold of it with the handle of anxiety or the handle of faith." ~Henry Ward Beecher~

   

Wishing I had done more

Sunday, February 17, 2008: I don't know where to begin. The past 24 hours have been horrible. My son called at 2AM in the morning, so I knew immediately that something was 'very' wrong. He was sobbing, & said "Mom I am so scared! Jen is out of her head." I could hear her screaming in the background & yelling out things. He said "Do you hear her? She's been doing this all evening. I've had to sit & hold her for hours to try to calm her." She was seeing things (dead people, demons), & hearing voices. He was so frightened. I asked to talk to her, & it was chilling. She would take so long to respond (because she was listening to the 'voices' tell her what to say). Her voice was so different. She didn't know who I was...I kept telling her she would be okay - we were coming & would get her help. She began screaming - telling me she had killed the kids, she had killed Jesus - she told me she was a demon & gave me her name. I told her that I had the kids & they were good. She was begging us to pull her from hell, because she said she could feel herself going down. She begged our son to help her find her brain in her kitchen cabinets. It was the most frightening thing I had ever experienced. I will never forget her guttural screams, & the horrible things she was saying. She was completely gone. My heart broke for our son. I told him "Shan, we 'have' to call 911. She's dangerous to herself & to you." She was begining to try to hurt him. He sobbed, & said "Mom please! I cannot leave her. I have to stay with her till the end. I know she's gone, & once she is taken through that door, I know she will never return. Please let me hold her until daybreak." I told him that I couldn't, because we had to get her help. We called & she was taken to the psychiatric ward. As of tonight at 8PM, the psychiatrist said she had not improved at all, & that she was actually worse. They had to restrain her tonight - she got very violent, so they gave her a sedative. He was shocked, because the sedative did nothing to her. She had not slept in days. He said she is psychotic, & that in his opinion, she will never come out of the state she is in. He feels she will have to be put in a mental institution. They are going to watch her for 72 hours, & if not improved, this is where they will put her. I have cried my heart out today. I am so saddened that we could never make her get help. It's horrible to watch a life unravel, & you are helpless to do a thing. Her Dad told me that they knew she was mentally ill when in Jr. High. So sad, & they did nothing! We did everything we could, & I keep wondering if we could have done more. My son has done everything he could. None of us could convince her that she needed help. I guess there is still a chance that she could be better with medication, but the dr. doesn't feel there is hope. I am so thankful that we had the kids. My son says he thinks she would have killed them. He told the authorities this too. Poor Elliot - I don't know how we can explain this. Tonight he asked where she was, & I told him that she was very sick & was trying to get well. He's been through so much. I'm sorry that this is long, but I wanted to fill you all in. Please continue to pray for us & pray for our son. He is having such a difficult time. He's stuck by her through everything, & wanted to believe that she would get better. I hurt for him.

"The real voyage of discovery consists not in seeking new landscapes, but in having new eyes." ~Marcel Proust~

   

Rollercoaster of emotions

Saturday, February 16, 2008: I knew this journey that we are embarking upon, wouldn't be a pleasant one, but I had hoped that knowing the 'end' result of this (having custody), would have would have helped keep the emotions on a more even keel. It's like being on a rollercoaster! At times, the fears of 'what ifs' are scary. I guess no matter what, there is always a chance that we would somehow 'still' not have custody. Jen is already saying that she will change her story completely, & this is going to become very ugly. There is so much of it that I dread with a passion. I can't bear the thought of Elliot being talked to. I hope he does talk. The thought of him claming up does cross my mind also. He will talk openly to me about it, but with a stranger, I am not so sure he will. We want to live, knowing that we no longer have to worry about not having them. I sometimes go into Emily's room at night, & look at this little 'Pincess' fast asleep in her Princess bed, & I lay down beside her, & just watch her. I cuddle her & pray, & many times it brings me to tears to think that we may somehow lose her. It would devastate her, seeing as we have had her since she was 5 days old. And little sweet Elliot...I want him to not have to ever again live in fear that his Mom will be able to do such horrendous things to him. He knows he is safe with us, & he knows we care so deeply for him. Please continue to pray for him, & for us.

Today was difficult. Jen had a 'meltdown' (according to her family). I was called by them. She wanted to talk to Elliot on the phone. I told them that legally, she 'cannot' talk to him. We aren't even supposed to talk to her. That didn't go over so well. There are some that are outraged that we are truly going through with this. Some want us to give her a little slap on the wrist, & give her a few months to get herself together. I have told them for 5 years, that she needed help & that she 'must' get it. It's sad, but they finally see it. They are using this "But she needs help!", to get us to just forget this entire thing. They know she is facing jail, & there is anger building against us. I got call after call, & it made me feel physically sick. I was actually screamed at a few times. All except her Dad, want us to arrange for her to sign all the paperwork that would terminate her parental rights, thereby clearing the way for us to adopt, & to drop sexual abuse charges. Her Dad said she is plotting to be declared mentally unfit to stand trial. I pray this isn't true.

On a lighter note, we babysat for Avery today. She is getting 'so' big! I will post a picture of her below. She is so sweet. It's a blessing to have her in our lives in the midst of this mess. Shad & Lisa are incredible parents! I am enjoying getting to play the "Nana" role with her...I get to love her, enjoy her, & then let them take care of her.

I forgot to mention - my 42 in. hdtv flatpanel tv came 2 weeks ago. I 'love' having it here in my computer room! We hung it on the wall, & it really looks nice.

"The art of living lies less in eliminating our troubles than in growing with them." ~Bernard M. Baruch~

   

Thankful for encouragement

Friday, February 15, 2008: I want to thank all of you for the sweet words of encouragement & for the wonderful emails I have received. This means so much to me at this time. There have been times over the past few weeks, that we've felt so alone in this, & it's a blessing to have others to draw strength from. I know I said that I wouldn't blog much about Elliot's sexual abuse, but I would ask that you please include him in your prayers. There seems to be such a sadness in him, & this breaks my heart. I know that much more happened than what he has told us, especially since this has went on since he was a baby. It must be so difficult for his mind to sort all of this out & try to make any sort of sense out of it. Of course, no sense 'can' be made of it, no matter how hard one would try. It seems strange that this has been going on for so long, & yet it is just in the past month or 2, that he's began to show signs that he was having some real difficulties. Maybe it built up until he had to let it out???

We took Elliot & Emily out for awhile tonight. We let Elliot choose a place to eat & we met up with our sons there. He was so hurt & distraught, because he accidently knocked his plate off the table as soon as it came - & PLOP it went, face down. He began to cry softly, & say "I'm sorry! I'm sorry!" We told him that it was okay - that it was an accident. Mike asked if they could please replace his meal, & they charged us for two meals for him! I thought for sure they would take the meal that he dropped, off of the bill. That actually surprised me.

We went shopping afterwards, & Emily picked out her 'potty chair'. She was so happy! I had been putting her on the 'big potty' (as she calls it), but she wanted her own. As soon as we got home, she wanted to sit on it, & was so proud when she went. She went again before bed. Her potty 'sings' when she is successful, & she loved this. She chose her pull-ups too, & of course, they are Princess ones. I hope she learns this quickly. I was concerned last night about her not getting the hang of it. She wore her Princess 'panties', as she calls them, & announced so proudly "Nana! I peed! Yaaay!" Yes she 'did' pee, but she peed in her pull-ups! She thought this was the way it went.

"Sorrow looks back... Worry looks around... But, faith looks up." ~God's Little Instruction Book~

   

In the midst of heartache is hope

Thursday, February 14, 2008: I feel like the worst blogger in the universe. I would say that I rank pretty low as one. I actually considered leaving the blogging world, but I do enjoy it, even though you cannot tell that lately. We've been going through some heartache & trials in our life. We found out that Elliot's Mom has been sexually abusing him when he would visit her. Apparently, this has been going on since he was a baby. We still feel a bit numb & in shock. We dread the process of all of this, & we hurt for the road ahead for him. We can see that he is deeply affected. He is so emotional - very teary, angry at times, very clingy to me - upset in general. He has regressed in his speech too. My heart breaks for him. It hurts so badly to think that this little boy's innocence has been taken from him. An innocence that is forever gone. I cannot imagine how difficult this would be for a little child to process. It would be especially difficult when your Mom did this to you. The unreal thing, is that she sees nothing wrong with what she did. She said all she was doing, was "teaching him the beauty of sex, & about his body & the pleasures of it." She also made him watch porn. Sick to the core!! She actually called the day after she confessed this, & said "Hi, could you bring Elliot over to me." Can you believe that? I told her that she will never see him again...'ever'. She then went into "But what did I do? I did nothing wrong! What I showed him was beautiful." I told her that she will get her chance to tell a court that. How we dread this road, but it must be gone down. I don't know why he never told us. A few times, he would begin to say something & then say that he couldn't tell me because "Mommy said she will spank me", so that raised a red flag. All at once though, all these happenings came pouring out of him, & I am so thankful he began to talk. Please pray for us, & pray for him. He has some difficult days ahead. I will not blog of this daily, because I don't want my posts to be such a 'downer'. Plus, we are trying to get back to a sense of normalcy - for us, & for him. I will keep you updated as we begin this journey. We are hoping it will be a journey that 'finally' ends in us being able to have custody. We have fought for this day for almost 3 years now. We did not want it to come this way though. In the midst of this heartache lies the hope that 'finally' we will know he & Emily will be safe with us.

"He who knows no hardships will know no hardihood. He who faces no calamity will need no courage. Mysterious though it is, the characteristics in human nature which we love best grow in a soil with a strong mixture of troubles." ~Harry Emerson Fosdick~

   

Here comes the rain

Sunday, January 27, 2008: Sorry for the lack of post yesterday. I turned off my computer last night, went to get a drink, kept thinking I had forgotten something as I went off to bed, & then it hit me - my post! I 'almost' went back downstairs, but bed was calling me..

I went to bed early again last night (10PM), & didn't wake till 9AM this morning. I couldn't beleive I had slept so long, & that Emily had slept that long. I probably would have slept longer, had she not woke me up. One top of that long sleep, I also lay down with the kids & took a nap today. A short one, but I did sleep. And now? It is almost 1AM, & I am not in the least bit tired! This is not good, & I will pay tomorrow. I guess the hours of sleep backfired on me.

I began teaching Emily to try to work the computer mouse tonight. She has the 'clicking' down, & is trying to work out the moving it to make the arrow point to where she wants it. She is so smart, & seems to pick up things so easily, so I thought it would be fun to work with her on this. She knows all her shapes, & this past week, she's been pointing out the shapes of everything (the frig, rugs, cabinets, plates, picture frames, ect.). She is the sweetest little girl, & a real joy to have.

Rains have rolled into Las Vegas, & it was nice to have the bits of sprinkling. We are supposed to get a storm front from California, & heavy winds & rains are to come with it. It dropped the temps down today, & I felt chilly all day. It was a good day to sit inside & just relax. I didn't make it to church today, since I over-slept, so I played 'lazy' again. Mike comes home Tuesday, so I figured I may as well take advantage of being a woman of leisure for a bit. As leisurely as I 'can' be, with the kids. The rains fit nicely into these kinds of days.

Emily went 'potty' on her own for the first time this weekend! She was so proud, & talked about it all day. I think she will be easy to train, since she picks things up so quickly.

Avery is getting big! Her nights & days are still a bit messed up, but much improved. I think Shad & Lisa are feeling more comfortable with her, & adapting to less sleep. Her hair seems to redden more each day.

"I wanted a perfect ending... Now, I've learned, the hard way, that some poems don't rhyme, and some stories don't have a clear beginning, middle, and end. Life is about not knowing, having to change, taking the moment and making the best of it, without knowing what's going to happen next. Delicious ambiguity." ~Gilda Radner~

   

Hooray for the weekend!

Friday, January 25, 2008: How wonderful it felt to wake up feeling 100% & ready to tackle the house! Emily & I cleaned from top to bottom, & she 'vacuumed' right alongside me with her Dyson.

After cleaning most of the day, I vegged out in front of the tv after I got the kids down for the night. I haven't done that in such a long time. I watched an espisode of 'House'. I had heard so much about that series, but hadn't watched it before. Not sure if I like it or not. It was a bit different tonight, but maybe it is that way every episode. I do like Hugh Laurie, but his House character is sure a whole lot different from his character in Stuart Little!

I am so looking forward to this weekend. Mike is out of town, the house is all caught up, so I plan on just relaxing & doing some blog hopping. This past week has been so busy, so a pj day would be wonderful tomorrow!

"Our character is what we do when we think no one is looking." ~H. Jackson Brown, Jr.~

   

What a blessing health is!

Thursday, January 24, 2008: I had such a pounding headache last night, that I couldn't even bare the thought of turning on my computer, let alone posting in my blog. I rarely get headaches, but when I do, I get a headache! I was so ill with it, that I don't even like thinking about it. I felt so bad for Emily. I told her that I was sorry, but Nana had to go to bed because I was so sick. Even at 2, she has such a heart. She began to cry softly & say "Oh Nana, no! No be sick!" She flew up the stairs in front of me, jumped into bed, & was straighening my pillow. She was determined she was going to lay down with me, & she did. She fell asleep right beside me. She woke me up a few times during the night, & said "Nana, you feel better?" She would then go right back to sleep. As I drifted off, she would rub my head, & she prayed for me. We are so unbelievably blessed with her, & with Elliot too. How very, very wrong her Mom was/is, when she said that Emily came from the devil himself. I have shared some of how her Mom is ill, & these thoughts show you some of the horrible depths of it. We will count every day a blessing with the children, & thank God that we have been able to raise Emily from birth.

I still felt a bit 'wobbly' when I woke up this morning, but felt almost normal by the time afternoon rolled around. It never ceases to amaze me how we take our health so for granted until we don't feel well. We then think we'll never take it for granted again, but sadly, we do.

Since I didn't feel 100% yet today, I lazed around with the kids. We read, watched some Disney chanel programs, & I napped with them this afternoon. Our lazy day continued into our lazy night.

"How much more grievous are the consequences of anger than the causes of it." ~Marcus Aurelius~

   

Caught up - 'finally'!

Tuesday, January 22, 2008: I finished my laundry today! I thought I would never get through it all, & the worse part was putting all the clothes away & hanging things. With a two story house, it was a constant going 'up & down'.

Nothing much went on today. I babysat for Avery for a good while. She still has her days & nights backwards, & Lisa was in dire need of sleep. I hope she gets her days & nights straight soon. It's crazy - they said she sometimes wakes up at midnight, & doesn't go back to sleep till 7:30AM. She doesn't sleep her days away either, so you would think she would sleep better at night. I am posting a picture of her with Emily. You can tell by her red contorted face, she was not happy at the moment, & Emily was bewilded by her screaming. She kept saying "No cry, no cry. It's otay Abery."

Sorry for another boring post, but I am going off to bed early again tonight. I am catching up on all of those 'past midnight' nights I have had.

"We are drowning in information, but starved for knowledge." ~John Naisbilt~

   

Got laundry?

Monday, January 21, 2008: This will be a short post. I am 'laundered' out! The repairman got here at 9:30AM, & had the washer repaired by 10AM. I began doing laundry immediately, & as of 9:45PM, I 'still' have 3 loads to go! I am leaving them for tomorrow, & going on to bed early for once. I think I'll dream of having to climb mountains of laundry! Sorry this is such a boring post & really nothing to even post about, but this is one 'very' tired blogger tonight!

I do want to close with a silly, funny quote. It may not be funny to you, but I read this years ago, & it made me laugh so hard. Maybe because my sister always told me that she thought her feet looked like 'gator feet' because they were so dry & wrinkled. I hope it makes you smile.

"You know you're getting old, when someone compliments you on your alligator shoes, & you're barefoot." ~Unknown~

   

Packers sent packing

Sunday, January 20, 2008: I had so wanted the Packers to win today! I thought they would pull it off, & it was so close! I guess I will now root for the Patriots.

I guess I will never learn. No matter what good intentions I have, I cannot seem to make it to bed until after midnight. I think I would have made it tonight, but Emily wanted me to lay down with her for awhile in her Princess bed, & I woke up a bit later. I then decided to make some visits before my post, & here I am, past midnight again.

We love Extreme Home Makeover, & Emily 'thinks' she cannot miss it. I let her stay up to watch it in full tonight, even though it was a 2 hour episode tonight. She was so tired, & each time I would tell her that she could go to bed, & watch it tomorrow (I dvr them), she would say "I gotta say Move that bus!" It's so cute to see her screaming along with the crowd - her little hand balled into a fist, shouting "Move that bus! Move that bus!" She 'so' gets into the family running through the house to see each room too. She is right there with them - hand clasped over mouth, saying "Oh my doodness!" 'Doodness', is 'goodness'. She is something else, especially being only 2. Today, I told her that when she is potty trained, she gets to wear 'panties' like Nana. Well, this thought had never occured to her, so she is super excited now. It was so funny, because she said "And wear bra & shave legs?" She has wanted a bra for such a long time, & yes, she has wanted to shave her legs ever since she saw me doing that when she showered with me. She loves our 'shower' times, & each time she asks me if she gets to shave her legs.

After being without a washer for 3 weeks tomorrow, it gets repaired tomorrow! I cannot wait, & will jump for joy just to be able to put a load of wash in. Wow - we take so much for granted until it is gone!

If I close now, I can get in bed at 12:30AM, so off I go. Have a blessed week!

"We never know the worth of water 'til the well is dry." ~English Proverb~

   

From scrubbing to screaming

Saturday, January 19, 2008: I hadn't planned on spending my Saturday cleaning, but I got bit by the cleaning bug this morning, & I kept at it all day. Emily was quite thrilled about it, as cleaning is one of her most favorite things to do. So she & I cleaned & scrubbed till things sparkled. It was wonderful to sit back & enjoy it tonight.

Mike didn't spend his Saturday like he had thought he would either. He had to meet Shad & help him with his car. It quit on him last night, so he had to leave it parked. Apparently, some belt had broke on it.

I went from scrubbing to babysitting Avery for a few hours. This is what I saw for about an hour:



She had a tummy ache, & there was no calming her. Shad & Lisa said she's been really gassy. After a bath, she was fine. She loves baths!

I got this cute picture of Emily below. This is her 'post' whenever I am baking or getting dinner. She hangs out in the kitchen with me & loves to watch things bake. You'll hear "Ummm!" every few minutes. Food is her passion! She loves to help me, or get her out a pan with a spoon, & she 'cooks' right along with me.

"Every flower must grow through dirt." ~Unknown~

   

A girls day

Friday, January 18, 2008: As soon as I woke up, I decided to get ready & go out for a few hours. It was a 'girls day out', & Emily was thrilled. Elliot had a 'guys day', so he didn't get cheated. He is such a homebody anyway - he loves being at home, & would be content if we never went out. Emily had to take along her dog. No matter where we stopped, she took her in, & let her shop too. She would place her on the floor right in front of things & then tell her to look at certain things. I had always thought this dog was a 'he', but I guess she is a 'she', as Emily finally gave her a name today (after having her for almost a year). She said her name is "TrixieLilly". 2 of our Pugs are named Trixie & Lilly, so I think she was kinda inflenced by that. Here is Emily & 'TrixieLilly' today:



After we got home, Emily took a nap while I went through our mail & then cleaned house real quick. I also transfered the stuff from my purse to another one. I was way over-due to change my purse out, but never thought to do it until I got out each time. As you can see, I had a real exciting afternoon.

Mike felt like going out for a bit early evening. We didn't stay out long, because we all wanted a relaxing night in. Lisa & Avery were here, so I fixed a spaghetti meal & then all of us 'girls' watched some of my recorded Oprah shows, while the guys played video games. Avery is getting more plump - her face is rounder. Her hair is also redder, which thrills my son & Lisa. Me too, as I had wanted her to be a redhead like her Daddy. She is so sweet!

Emily treated us all to watching her dance too. She 'loves' to dance. In the picture below, you can't tell it, but she is indeed dancing. Notice the ever-present Princess shoes.

"Experience is not what happens to you; it's what you do with what happens to you." ~Aldous Huxley~

   

I hate hearing - "On backorder"

Thursday, January 17, 2008: I just ended a babysitting evening. One of Shad's California friends came into town & wanted to get together with him & Lisa, so they asked me if I would mind babysitting Avery for a couple of hours. She slept the entire time, & decided to wake up & eat as soon as they walked into the house. She gave them a long night last night. She was up for most of the night.

We got word today, that my 42 in. HDTV LCD, is on backorder! It will not ship till February 1st. I guess it's no big deal, seeing as I have a tv in my computer room, but I was excited about it arriving this week. We are going to hang it on the wall, with the wires hidden. We have a plasma in our bedroom, & the wires go through the wall into our closet. It makes it look so much nicer, with no wires showing. I am a neat freak, & it would drive me insane if the wires could be seen!

Elliot got 2 Hulk figurines from friends for Christmas. He had them on the coffee table, playing with them just like little boys play with these type of toys. I told him that I didn't like him making them fight each other, & he said "But Nana, they are Hulks!" It was so funny, because he was making them fight, & he accidently dropped one. He then made the other one, jump down to the floor, & he said in a 'Hulk' voice, "Are you okay?" He made the other one answer "Oh yeah, I'm okay. Thanks." Then he had the one help the other one back onto the coffee table, then proceeded to make them 'fight' again. He's just started this making his super hero toys act like superheroes, so I guess the 'boy' is kicking in. I hate to see him begin to get into the 'bigger boy' stage. I have so enjoyed his 'little' boy antics & thoughts. He is the sweetest little boy - such an innocence about him. We took him & Emily up to Mt. Charleston (about 30 minutes from our home), & let them play in the snow. It was the first time they had seen real snow, & they were so excited. Most people can't believe we can see snow such a short distance from Vegas (35 minutes from the Strip). There is a ski lodge up there too, & it's really beautiful (link) here). It's a very popular spot for weddings. We have really turned into weather wimps though, as none of us could tolerate the cold! After 10 minutes, even they were saying they wanted to go. None of us dressed warmly enough. Below is a picture.

"You cannot create experience. You must undergo it." ~Albert Camus~

   

Can you say "Boring Post?"

Wednesday, January 16, 2008: I got into bed last night & remembered that I hadn't posted. I 'almost' got up, but was too tired. It had been a long day, & there really wasn't a whole lot to blog about anyway.

I am trying to come up with some things to do on certain days in my blog (like the 'Wordless Wednesday, ect.). There are a lot of days that I don't really have much to blog about (or at least nothing of interest to others), so it would be nice to be able to do some fun things. I have thought about the 'bullet post' too, but not too sure how that works. I've seen others use it, & it is a good idea for 'slow news days'.

Our washer gets repaired next Monday! I never thought that I would look so forward to laundry in my life! By the time it gets repaired, we will have been without it for 2 weeks.

I think my brain is shutting down for the night! I am so sleepy tonight, so going to spare you my ramblings. I will end with this picture of Emily I took today. She was sitting on my desk beside me, 'writing' & telling me a story as she wrote. I think it's such a cute picture of her, especially with her Princess shoes sitting beside her. She had taken them off while up there.

"Let him who would enjoy a good future waste none of his present." ~Roger Babson~

   

To tell or not?

Monday, January 14, 2008: I received a box today in the mail from a good friend. She had baked loads of assorted cookies & also made some candy. Problem is, she put 6 candles in the box too (I love candles!), & put in some sheets of fabric softener. Everytime she sends me a box, she adds the fabric softeners. Her thought is, it takes away any 'box' odor. The problem? All the cookies & candies smell & taste like the fabric softener smells! She had packed them in gallon sized ziploc bags, so I think the bags absorbed the smell. I am debating, on whether I should tell her or not. I wouldn't hurt her feelings for the world, but I feel so badly that she put time & money into all these goodies, only to have them not edible. This isn't the first time this has happened. She sends these out at least once a year, & she puts the fabric softener sheets in each year, & it ruins the goodies. So do I tell her??? I am sure she sends these goodies out to others too, as she's talked about it. I will most likely keep it to myself, but feel so bad about this.

She sent Elliot & Emily this bubble stuff, so I was the bubble blower, while they laughed & tried to catch as many as they could. The bubbles 'hardened' after you blew them, so that they could actually be picked up. What a mess though! They were sticky, & they didn't pop on contact. They were 'everywhere'! Of course, Emily ran to get her vacuum cleaner & 'vacuumed' them up. Mess or not, it was worth it, because they had so much fun chasing the bubbles.

"Look at life through the windshield, not the rear-view mirror." ~Byrd Baggett~

   

Are you ready for some football?!?

Sunday, January 13, 2008: My title was fitting for this post, as this is how my husband spent his day. Plopped down in front of the tv, watching the games. I didn't watch any of it. I kept busy with the kids & even took a nap with them today. I normally don't take naps, because it makes me feel lousy afterwards (plus, I don't like losing a piece of my day), but I was so sleepy today.

I got to spend some time with Avery also. They have decided to go by her middle name. Shad & Lisa were thrilled, because she only woke up twice during the night, & went right back to sleep both times! She was awake for long stretches of time today too (2-3 hours at a time), so I think she will sleep well tonight also. She was so much more aware today - just busy taking everything in.

I am off to read for awhile tonight, so I'm going to keep this short. Hope you all have a blessed week!

"Life isn't a matter of milestones, but of moments." ~Rose Kennedy~

   

Lazy day

Saturday, January 12, 2008: As soon as I opened my eyes today, I knew it was going to fall under the title of 'Lazy'. I didn't even get out of my pj's today! I enjoy doing that on some days, & this qualified as a 'pj day'. I worked on some online scrapbooking, read, & watched a Pooh movie with the kids (for the 1000th time). Even though I am an adult now, I enjoy watching Pooh as much as Elliot & Emily. I have a Pooh website, & collect Classic Pooh things. In fact, my nickname is 'Pooh'. I do get a kick out of watching the Pooh movie with Emily. She gets so into it when he floats up with the balloon to get honey (disguised as a little black rain cloud). It doesn't matter how many times she has seen it, she still tries to warn Pooh about the bees as he climbs the tree. She will squeal "No Pooh! Bees! No! No! No!", as he climbs. She has actually come to tears when she thought he was being stung.

As I thought about my blog today, the thought came to me that about all I blog about is my days with Elliot & Emily. I should have called it "A Nana's Life" or something to that effect. I do enjoy my days with them, & enjoy sharing about them. They make me smile, & hopefully make readers smile too.

Adrina Avery (most likely going to be called 'Avery'), still has her days & nights turned completely around. Shad says he has never been so sleep deprived in his life. I don't remember it being that way with our sons. None of them had their days & nights mixed up.

"When you say a situation or a person is hopeless, you are slamming the door in the face of God." ~Charles L. Allen~

   

Note to self - check pant pockets!

Friday, January 11, 2008: Today ended up being a 'got nothing accomplished' day. The Best Buy repairman called at 7AM & let me know that he would be here before noon to check out our frontloader washer, & that made me pretty much enter into 'waiting' mode. I hate it when you don't get a more definite timeframe, because I was on edge even as I got ready. I just knew I would get half my make-up on, & the door bell would ring. Luckily, I made it. He brought me a small comb (my husband's) after awhile, & said "Here is your culprit for the washer breaking." I said "A comb???" He said that it had gotten in between the rubber that goes around the door & went down in the pump & made a hole in the pump. Bad news is, that it will take another week and a half for it to be repaired. They have to order the part, which will take at least a week to get here, & then they will schedule the repair once it arrives. I called my husband & told him that he's the culprit in the damage, & he told me that I was the culprit because I didn't check his pant pocket! How I dread being without a washer for another week & a half. Laundromat here we come! I dread that. I guess we could drag our laundry over to one of our sons.

We went out for Italian food tonight, waited to be seated, only to be told that they were out of high chairs for Emily. As we walked out, she thought that meant we weren't going to eat at all, & she said in this little pleading voice "Oh please! I need eat!" We got so tickled at her. She then started saying she wanted some "mocamole", so since Mike missed out on the Mexican food the other night, that is what we settled on.

Today, Emily picked out her outfit that she wanted to wear. A pink jumper with a polka dot top. She pointed to her polka dots & said "See the circles?" I taught her her shapes months ago, & she always amazes me that she knows them & remembers them. Anyway...she learned 'polka dots' today.

"It is good to have an end to journey toward; but it is the journey that matters, in the end." ~Ursula LeGuin~

   

Wrong name?

Thursday, January 10, 2008: I babysat for Adrina Avery this morning for awhile. I guess I should rephrase that - we, as in Elliot, Emily, & I babysat her. Elliot loved her from day one, but Emily was a little bit jealous. She still is somewhat, but she loves looking at her now, & touching her hands & feet. Shad & Lisa are still pretty much sleep deprived, so I told them that we are willing & able to watch her when they need to get some sleep. She is so sweet. I love her new baby smell & all the little grunts she makes. She's so aware too. I'm posting a picture of her below. Shad is feeling a little bit concerned that they shouldn't have given her the name they did. He says it doesn't 'fit' her. The night she was born, they asked me what I thought about her name, & told them that after seeing her, I didn't think it fit her. Hard to explain, but she doesn't 'look' like an Adrina. They thought it was fine, but are 2nd guessing their decision. I'm sure she will remain 'Adrina'. I told them that they could call her by her middle name (Avery), so that's an option.

I was so looking forward to my computer room tv arriving tomorrow, but now it looks like it most likely won't get here till next week. I had told Mike that I didn't need one that big in here, but I'm really excited about it now.

Our frontloader washer stopped working right in the middle of a load on Monday. It took over an hour before I could turn it off. It was making this horrendous noise! Problem is, it will not let us unlock the washer & get the clothes out. We've tried everything. So that happened on Monday, & our clothes have been sitting in the washer, in water, since then. The soonest a repairman could come out is tomorrow. Even after us explaining that we had wet clothes in there, they still said it was the best they can do. I can't wait until it's fixed. Laundry has been building up big time this week! We take so much for granted, until we no longer have it.

As Emily took her bath tonight, & did her nightly "swim" in the tub (she lays down & 'really' thinks she is swimming - it is the cutest thing to watch!)...she invited me to get in the tub & go 'swimming' also. It was so sweet - she kept saying "Come on Nana! Swim with me!" I explained to her that her bathtub was too tiny, & not enough room for us both. She was happy when I told her that we would bath in my big bathtub, & then I would 'swim' with her. When Elliot has his bath, he has all these 'boy' bath toys - a whale, shark, octopus, a huge rubber alligator, ect. Emily wants no part of them in that tub when she's in there. She says they are "too scary", & I not only have to take them out, but they have to be hidden from view in case they "get back in the water". She makes me laugh. The sweet part is, not only does she want me to remove them, but she wants me to remove them without touching them. I guess she is afraid they will 'bite' me.

"It's true that we don't know what we've got until we lose it, but it's also true that we don't know what we've been missing until it arrives." ~Unknown~

   

Little Miss Homemaker

Wednesday, January 9, 2008: If you have read my blog for any length of time, you know that Emily loves cleaning house! From the time she has been able, she follows right behind me, & has to participate in whatever job I am doing. At times (most times), this slows me down, but it's worth it just to spend that time with her & to train her in small ways at this young age. Her dream for a long, long time was to have a Dyson vacuum like mine. It has been my dream too, because when I vacuum, she holds onto it too, & this makes it very difficult at times. When we received a Christmas catalog months ago, she spotted a toy vacuum, & would look at it everyday. She got so that she knew just where to turn to find it right off the bat. We bought her a toy 'Dirt Devil', but in talking with someone about how very much Emily wanted a vacuum just like Nana's, a lady told Mike that she had a toy Dyson that had never been opened. It was a promotion a year or so ago. Buy a Dyson, & you got this toy one free. He asked her if he could 'please' buy it from her & she sold it to him for $20. The neat thing is, it is purple just like mine! We couldn't wait to see her open it, & it was so worth the wait. She squealed when she unwrapped it! She forgot all the other gifts waiting for her & all she wanted to do was to vacuum. She flew to me, hugged me so hard & said "Nana! I vacuum like you!" Each time I vacuum, she gets hers out too, & walks right beside me, vacuuming her heart out. I feel so badly for her though, because she cannot understand why her vacuum won't pick up things. She will go over & over & over a string or piece of paper, & she'll say "Uh Oh! Can't vacuum!" I try to sneak it up, but she is too smart. It's all too adorable. If I use my wand, I have to unhook hers too. She watches everything I do, & she has to do it. After I put mine away in the closet one day, I told her to put hers up too. She came running & told me to "Come see!" She then showed me how she had put hers up. She is tooooo precious, & she got a really big hug for just being her sweet self! I am posting a couple of pictures below. Out of every single gift she got, her vacuum is her favorite. By the way...Elliot, who has to 'really' be in the mood to help clean, now says he wants a red vacuum so that he can help me too.

"Housework is something you do that nobody notices until you don't do it." ~Unknown~

   

Unlikely dinner guest

Tuesday, January 8, 2008: Shad & Lisa received a huge gift basket of cookies from 'Cookies By Design'. Lisa's Aunt & Uncle sent them, & they in turn gave us some. They are 'so' good! We used to go there quite often, & I would buy their gift baskets too, but it's been years since we've went there. I try to stay away from sweets, but couldn't resist a few cookies. I think Shad & Lisa are enjoying all the well wishes & gifts that keep pouring in. It takes me back to when we had our babies. It's such a special time, & it makes you feel special. Lisa says she feels as though she's now joined this special club, & she loves it.

Mike called me early afternoon & said to be ready to go out to our favorite Mexican food restaurant. That was all Emily needed to hear, because she knew this meant 'mocamole'. She 'loves' it, & we always have to order her a bowl of her own. She told me that she wanted to take 'Woody' (from Toy Story) with her. I asked her what he would eat, & she replied "Chips". As we were driving & just about there, we hear this wail from the backseat - "Oh no! I forget my Woody!" She burst into tears. I looked over at Mike & said "Do you want to earn some 'big' Papa points?" He said "No, but I will." We turned the car around & went back for Woody. It was worth it, just to see the joy on Emily's face. We decided to stop off at Best Buy before we went to eat. Mike has been wanting to buy me a larger tv for my computer room. Right now I have a 21 in. in here, but have been wanting a larger one. He bought me a 42 in. flat panel LCD! I never dreamed I would be looking at one 'that' large & wonderful for this room! He says it will make it great for me to be able to come in here & piddle on my computer, while I watch tv or a movie. I am really looking forward to it. It's supposed to be here Friday.

While at Best Buy, Mike got called by his workplace. They needed him to come in for a few hours. He wasn't real happy about it, but had no choice. Since 'mocamole' had been talked about the entire drive, I had no choice but to take the kids & eat without him. We dropped him off at the house, & took off with Woody for a meal. Everyone at the restaurant got quite a kick seeing our dinner guest. Emily insisted he sit in a chair, & he needed to eat also. Below is a picture.

"There are no seven wonders of the world in the eyes of a child. There are seven million." ~Walt Streightiff ~

   

Welcome to parenthood!

Monday, January 7, 2008: Adrina decided that she wanted to have a slumber party last night, & I do mean slumber party. Shad & Lisa said that she woke up at midnight & stayed up till 6:30AM. I asked them if they would like for me to take her for a few hours, while they were able to get some sleep. Lisa was in tears - she was absolutey exhausted. She said "Oh yes, please! Thank you so much!" I think Adrina was exhausted too, after pulling her 'all-nighter'. I fed her a bottle & she slept till the next one. I fed her another one, & she slept till the next one - you get the point here! Shad left Lisa sleeping & came to talk to me. I smiled as he walked into our family room, & I said "Welcome to parenthood!" He smiled back & said "Wow, what a night! No matter what we did, she wouldn't sleep." He told me that you don't think about what your parents have went through & all the work & love that goes into raising a child, until you have this little screaming being in your arms. I wanted to encourage him, so I told him that this one sleepless night was just the beginning. :-) I told them that if they ever needed a break, to let us know, & to not feel guilty about needing some help. Lisa said she felt like a failure, since she already had to let me take her for a few hours. I told her that it will get better, & she will begin to feel better soon. She's still so sore & says she aches all over.

Emily wasn't so sure she was real keen on Adrina taking her Nana's time. I kissed Adrina & Emily heard it, so she came flying to me & said "What's that?" I said "Oh nothing sweetie." Again she said "What's that sound? You 'tiss' baby?" This went on for a couple of minutes. I had to laugh at her worries that I had kissed her. She kept telling me to "Give baby to Lisa".

I have been so encouraged by the thoughts & emails that I have received, since sharing a bit of the 'whys' of our having Elliot & Emily. I now wish I would have been open about this from the beginning, but as I mentioned, you never know what you should share, or how much you should share. You've all been wonderful! When you feel the love & support of friends, it gives you 'wings', & it has been a blessing to me, & given me strength. Being open is freeing in so many ways. I don't feel so 'alone' in this now, as I have many times in the past.

"Truth and tears clear the way to a deep and lasting friendship." ~Unknown~

   

Fit for a 'Pincess'

Sunday, January 6, 2008: Emily's 'Pincess' bed has been in use for a few weeks now. Emily loves it! We have her room basically done, except for a few more wall hangings. I had thought that maybe she would miss her baby bed, but she climbed up into her 'Pincess' bed, & hasn't looked back. It was certainly money well-spent, as it has brought a lot of smiles to this little girl's face. I am posting pics below, but the pictures don't do it justice. I don't think it comes across in pics, that it's a carriage (notice the pumpkin on top!). It is 'so' cute! How I would have loved to have had a bed like this when I was a little girl. Next on our list - the Disney Pirates of the Carribean bed for Elliot. He's very excited about this.

One of my goals for 2008, is to simplify & declutter. As I visit blogs, it seems this is a recurrent theme for so many. I am glad I began my quest to declutter after I got back from spending my Mom's last weeks with her. I am just about 'there', but have a few more areas of our home to do. As we took our Christmas decorations down, I organized all of that also. We bought a bunch of the Rubbermaid storage totes, & now all of our Christmas decorations are in one area & all are labeled. It's going to make it so much nicer for next year. We also got a new tree after Christmas. Ours was 10 years old, & we decided that it was time to buy one of the pre-lit ones. How I hate dealing with the lights each year! This will make it much easier & nicer to put the tree up. We got a very large one - a 9 1/2 ft. one & 'so' real looking! It was orginally an $800 tree, & we had had our eye on it, but was in 'no' way going to spend that much on it. Who in this world would spend $800 on a Christmas tree??? We went the week after Christmas, & there was one left in their after Christmas sale, so we got an incredible deal on it. It's so beautiful, & now we have to wait a year to enjoy it!

Shad, Lisa, & Adrina Avery came home from the hospital today. Yes, Shad too. He wouldn't leave their side, & slept very uncomfortably in a loveseat in Lisa's room. He's 6'2", so I don't know how he managed it, but he wanted to be with them. He & Lisa are 'so' in love with their little girl, & I look forward to watching them be the wonderful parents that I know they will be. Emily got to see her today, & she said "That's my baby."

"Friends are relatives you make for yourself." ~Eustache Deschamps ~

Our 'Pincess'

   

Where to begin?

Saturday, January 5, 2008: I've been gone from blogging for so long, that the above title seems fitting. It's been a difficult past month, not only dealing with my first Christmas without Mom, but in dealing with stressors again with Elliot & Emily's Mom. As most know, we have had Emily since she was 5 days old, & Elliot was 2 1/2. Without going into a lot of detail, we were called by our son to come get them at that point, because of their Mom dealing with horrendous thoughts towards them, including wanting to kill them (especially Emily). Emily hasn't spent a night there since, nor has she seen her Mom except for a few times since then, even though she lives 5 minutes away. This is not because of us not allowing her to come by. She is ill & refuses to get help. These thoughts & feelings that she had weren't limited to that time - they started before Emily arrived, & have continued. We have begged her to allow us to adopt them, seeing as this is the only home that Emily has ever known, & we feel it would be devastating for her to be taken from us after having her for over 2 years, & her not really even knowing her Mom. Not to mention, all the dark thoughts & desires that her Mom has had towards her & Elliot. From time to time, things get 'crazy' with her, & she makes life pretty miserable. During these times, I will get daily insane emails, ranting phone calls, ect. She is now determined that she is going to take the kids, even though she went through another 'episode' (as she calls them), for 3 weeks in December. We have told her that we will fight to protect these kids, & will do whatever it takes to keep them safe & raise them in a loving, caring, nurturing environment. We do not want a court battle, but wonder if this is what it will take to end this. Anyway, that is the 'short' version. I've been putting so much of my focus on this situation, & I honestly didn't feel like even being on the computer, let alone blogging. I now regret that, because I need to be open & get the support that so many have given me. You really never know what you should share in posts though, & I debated on whether I should share this or not. Things are calm again with her, but we never know how long that will last. I am so grateful for the emails & the concern that so many have shown me during this time. Thank you also for all the prayers...this means the world to me. It was so touching that many contacted me via email, because they were fearful that something had happened. I am sorry that I didn't post that I would be offline for a bit.

We have started out this New Year with a blessing in our lives. Shad (my son) & Lisa's little girl, 'Adrina Avery' was born at 2AM this morning. I am posting a couple of pictures below. She was 9 lbs. & 20 in. long. Bless Lisa's heart...they induced her at midnight on Thursday, & 26 hours later, Adrina made her entrance! I was there for the birth (by the time I got home, I had been up for 24 hours!), & was blessed to see her arrival, & to be able to share in the joy & tears of happiness of Shad & Lisa. They will be incredible parents! It's going to be fun, to finally get to be a 'real' Nana. With Elliot & Emily, I feel more like the parent - especially since we've had Emily since her birth. This isn't a complaint though...we are blessed to share life with them on a daily basis.

I know I said I wasn't going to change out my blog graphics again, but with all that went on this past month, I felt such a need for a change to 'freshen' things up. I guess I may as well accept that I will always want to change it out from season to season, & this is a fun thing. I wanted an entirely different layout also, & I am very happy with this.

I have went 'way' long in this post, & I am sorry for that! I just wanted to catch you up a bit. I will show the 'Pincess' bed tomorrow. Our little 'Pincess' is thrilled with her 'big girl' room. I'm off to catch up on my blog visits. I have missed you all so much!

"The doors we open & close each day, decide the lives we live." ~Flora Whittemore~

A 'hello' kiss from Daddy