Christmas Letter

This is good - With all the uproar over Christmas and what folks wish you - it gives us something to think about! This came to me on email this morning and I'll share it here!

Letter from Jesus about Christmas --
Dear Children,

It has come to my attention that many of you are upset that folks are taking My name out of the season. Maybe you've forgotten that I wasn'tactually born during this time of the year and that it was some of your predecessors who decided to celebrate My birthday on what was actually a time of pagan festival.

Although I do appreciate being remembered any time. How I personally feel about this celebration can probably be most easily understood by those of you who have been blessed with children of your own. I don't care what you call the day. If you want to celebrate My birth, just GET ALONG AND LOVE ONE ANOTHER.

Now, having said that let Me go on. If it bothers you that the town in which you live doesn't allow a scene depicting My birth, then just get rid of a couple of Santas and snowmen and put in a small Nativity scene on your own front lawn. If all My followers did that there wouldn't be any need for such a scene on the town square because there would be many of them all around town.

Stop worrying about the fact that people are calling the tree a holiday tree, instead of a Christmas tree. It was I who made all trees. You can remember Me anytime you see any tree. Decorate a grape vine if you wish: I actually spoke of being one in a teaching, explaining who I am in relation to you and what each of our tasks were. If you have forgotten that one, look up John 15: 1 - 8.

If you want to give Me a present in remembrance of My birth here is my wish list, choose something from it:

1. Instead of writing protest letters objecting to the way My birthday is being celebrated, write letters of love and hope to soldiers away from home. They are terribly afraid and lonely this time of year. I know, they tell Me all the time.
2. Visit someone in a nursing home. You don't have to know them personally. They just need to know that someone cares about them.
3. Instead of writing George complaining about the wording on the cards his staff sent out this year, why don't you write and tell him that you'll be praying for him and his family this year. It doesn't make any difference how you voted, he is your president and needs Me. Then do it - it will be nice hearing from you again.
4. Instead of giving your children a lot of gifts you can't afford and they don't need, spend time with them. Tell them the story of My birth, and why I came to live with you down here. Hold them in your arms and remind them that I love them.
5. Pick someone that has hurt you in the past and forgive him or her.
6. Did you know that someone in your town will attempt to take their own life this season because they feel so alone and hopeless? Since you don't know who that person is, try being kind and give everyone you meet a warm smile; it could make the difference.
7. Instead of nit picking about what the retailer in your town calls the holiday, be patient with the people who work there. Give them a warm smile and a kind word. Even if they aren't allowed to wish you a "Merry Christmas" that doesn't keep you from wishing them one. Then stop shopping there on Sunday. If the store didn't make so much money on that day they'd close and let their employees spend the day at home with Me and their families.
8. If you really want to make a difference, support a missionary--especially one who takes My love and Good News to those who have never heard My name.
9. Here's a good one. There are individuals and whole families in your town who not only will have no "Christmas" tree, but neither will they have any presents to give or receive. If you don't know them, buy some food and a few gifts and give them to the Salvation Army or some other charity which believes in Me and they will make the delivery for you.
10. Finally, if you want to make a statement about your belief in and loyalty to Me, then behave like a Christian. Don't do things in secret that you wouldn't do in My presence. Let people know by your actions that you are one of mine.

Don't forget; I am God and can take care of Myself. Just love Me and do what I have told you to do. I'll take care of all the rest. Check out the list above and get to work; time is short. I'll help you, but the ball is now in your court. And do have a most blessed Christmas with all those whom you love, and remember I LOVE YOU.

JESUS

The Finished Project

Well, I am SO proud of myself! I made a pair of socks!! Thank you to Jenn at knit 'n lit for the inspiration! If you have never visited her site, stop by - her collection of hand knit socks is amazing! She knits a lot of other beautiful things too - but the socks intrigued me! I asked her for a book recommendation and she gave me one, so off I went! I started using 4 needles, then went to 5 and was about to trash the whole project, then as a last ditch effort switched to 2 short round needles and that was the ticket for me! There just wasn't enough room for my fingers and all those little short needles in one place!

This is Regina bamboo yarn knit on #2 needles - I have them on today for the first time and they are really comfy! I have short feet, so finding socks that don't hang off the toes is rare. These fit just perfect! About half way through the first sock with all those needles I was pretty sure I was never going to make another pair - but after I changed to the round needles the 2nd sock went so quickly I may just do it again!! That is a good thing - because by the time I bought the needles (a package of double pointed bamboo ones and 2 round ones the wrong size and 2 the right size) and the book, not to mention the yarn, this 1 pair cost a bundle! Every time I use those needles again to make more socks that takes the price per sock down - if I make a lot it will eventually come down to a more reasonable price per pair!

Hubby just laughed - when we moved to the apartment I was determined not to have too many projects because there is just not a lot of extra space - - but here I go starting new things! At least yarn and needles don't take up toooo much space!!

My 9 Weird Things

Well, I got quite a chuckle over this from Morning Glory and Queen Beth - So I decided to join in the fun!

9 Weird Things About Me

1. My left foot is larger than my right - it's a 6 wide, right is 6 medium. Makes buying shoes interesting! Slip-ons usually just don't cut it, and with boots I have to wear 2 socks on the right foot so my foot doesn't slip!

2. My little fingers both curve in at the last joint. Not from arthritis, I was just born that way! First thing I checked on my granddaughters is to see if they had crooked little fingers - now I can't remember if they did or not!!

3. Because my first name is unisex and I didn't use my middle name, I was assigned to boy's gym the first day of Jr High! From then on I filled out forms with my middle name "Annette" showing!

4. I organize all my drawers - my underwear drawer has all the undies rolled and put in rows by color. My sox all line up in rows in their drawer so I can see the colors without messing up the rest. I also organize the tops and jackets in my closet by sleeve length, then color!

5. I discovered, when we moved, that I own more than 100 pair of earrings - I wear the same silver hoops about 99% of the time!

6. I hate my car being messy inside - doesn't bother me a bit if someone else's is messy - just makes me crazy if mine is!

7. I am not athletic, and I don't feel I am very competitive, but I am really into weight training at the gym and I love to feel that strength in my legs when I crouch down and can stand up easily! I also LOVE to snow ski and feel great competition with myself to improve even as I am getting older. I picture myself being more physically active and maybe walking in distance events when I am not working and have more time.

8. If I had the opportunity, I would love to work on an archeological dig - I don't care where - the process has always facinated me.

9. I enjoy being by myself - I like to sew, read or shop - and I usually don't turn on tv or music if I am home by myself during the day. I am not unnerved by silence. I do turn on the tv however, if I am home by myself at night - if for nothing else than to mark the passage of time.

There! 9 things! - - You know - I guess I am not all that weird for the most part after all!! HA!!

Another Fun Meme

I found this one over at The Sassy Lime It looked like fun, so here goes:

A is for age: 58
B is for beer of choice: root - especially diet with a tiny bit of cream - tastes just like a root beer float only lo-cal!
C is for career: Currently - Human Resources and Benefits Administrator
D is for your dog's name: none any more, but my last one was a black American cocker named Nikki
E is for essential item you use everyday: computer, coffee maker, electric toothbrush.
F is for favorite tv show at the moment: I love NCIS and The Unit. I also love any cooking, decorating, and remodeling show I can find!
G is for favorite game: I love card games - but don't enjoy when it gets "cutthroat"
H is for Hometown: Tustin, CA
I is for instruments you play: I tried the piano - 3 years of lessions - just couldn't make my fingers behave! I sing instead!
J is for favorite juice: cranberry juice
K is for things that drive you krazy: people who misspell they're/their/and there and you're/your. And putting apostrophies where they don't belong! That drives me bonker's (See - like that!)
L is for last place you ate: my desk, Medifast diet bar for lunch.
M is for marriage: 38 years and I still really like him!
N is for your name: Grandi will do!
O is for overnight hospital stay: 4 - one to have surgery to get pregnant, 2 babies and a gall bladder!
P is for people you were with today: my husband before work and my work mates.
Q is for quote: from my dad "Mind over matter - if you don't mind it doesn't matter"
R is for biggest regret: not too many really - probably that I didn't keep my weight under control better when I was younger.
S is for sport: love to watch gymnastics, skating and golf sometimes
T is for time you woke up today: 5 am - to walk, have my quiet time and be ready to leave for work a little after 7.
U is for current underwear: Yup - I'm wearing mine!
V is for vegetable you love: nearly all veggies. I love big salads and brussels sprouts, and green beans, artichokes, asparagas - about the only one I won't eat is okra!
W is for something you have won: not too many things - but recently, 2 Disneyland passes - took our son, daughter in law and granddaughter with us! Fun day!
X is for x-rays you have had: well my teeth, but also knees, hand and mamograms.
Y is for yummy food you ate today: the piece of Holloween candy I ate after my diet bar for lunch!
Z is for zodiac: I'm a gemini, but I really stay away from that stuff - I'd rather put my trust in God!

Ok - your turn! Let me know if you played!

Trip To Walmart

Thanks to my friend Terry - She sent this to me and I just had to share it!

Mr. and Mrs. Fenton are retired, and Mrs. Fenton insists her husband go with her to Wal-Mart. He gets so bored with all the shopping trips. He prefers to get in and get out, but Mrs. Fenton loves to browse. One day Mrs. Fenton gets this letter from Wal-Mart:

Dear Mrs. Fenton,
Over the past six months, your husband has been causing quite a commotion in our store. We cannot tolerate this behavior and may ban both of you from our stores. We have documented all incidents on our video surveillance equipment. All complaints against Mr. Fenton are listed below.

Things Mr. Bill Fenton has done while his spouse was shopping in Wal-Mart:

1. June 15: Took 24 boxes of condoms and randomly put them in people's carts when they weren't looking.

2. July 2: Set all the alarm clocks in House wares to go off at 5-minute intervals.

3. July 7: Made a trail of tomato juice on the floor leading to the ladies rest rooms.

4. July 19: Walked up to an employee and told her in an official tone, 'Code 3' in house wares..... and watched what happened.

5. August 4: Went to the Service Desk and asked to put a bag of M&M's on layaway.

6. September 14: Moved a 'CAUTION - WET FLOOR' sign to a carpeted area.

7. September 15: Set up a tent in the camping department and told other shoppers he'd invite them in if they'll bring pillows from the bedding department.

8. September 23: When a clerk asks if they can help him, he begins to cry and asks, 'Why can't you people just leave me alone?'

9. October 4: Looked right into the security camera; used it as a mirror, and picked his nose.

10. November 10: While handling guns in the hunting department, asked the clerk if he knows where the antidepressants are.

11. December 3: Darted around the store suspiciously loudly humming the "Mission Impossible" theme.

12. December 6: In the auto department, practiced his "Madonna look" using different size funnels.

13. December 18: Hid in a clothing rack and when people browse through, yelled "PICK ME!" "PICK ME!"

14. December 21: When an announcement came over the loud speaker, he assumes the fetal position and screams "NO! NO! It's those voices again!!!!"

And last, but certainly not least .. ;

15. December 23: Went into a fitting room, shut the door, waited awhile, then yelled very loudly, "There is no toilet paper in here!"

The Cost of A Child

This is just too good not to share!

I have repeatedly seen the breakdown of the cost of raising a child, but this is the first time I have seen the rewards listed this way.

The government recently calculated the cost of raising a child from birth to 18 and came up with $160,140 for a middle income family. Talk about sticker shock! That doesn't even touch college tuition.

ut $160,140 isn't so bad if you break it down. It translates into: $8,896.66 a year, $741.38 a month, or $171.08 a week. That's a mere $24.24 a day! Just over a dollar an hour. Still, you might think the best financial advice is don't have children if you want to be "rich."

Actually, it is just the opposite. What do you get for your $160,140?
Let's look - -

Naming rights - First, middle, and last!

Glimpses of God every day.

Giggles under the covers every night.

More love than you ever dreamed your heart could hold.

Butterfly kisses and Velcro hugs.

Endless wonder over rocks, ants, clouds, and warm cookies.

A hand to hold, usually covered with jelly or chocolate.

A partner for blowing bubbles, flying kites and making snow angels.

Someone to laugh yourself silly with, no matter what the boss said or how your stocks performed that day.

For $160,140, you never have to grow up. You get to:

finger-paint,

carve pumpkins,

play hide-and-seek,

cuddle under the covers on a stormy night,

catch lightning bugs,

and never stop believing in Santa Claus.

You have an excuse to:

keep reading the Adventures of Piglet and Pooh,

watching Saturday morning cartoons,

going to Disney movies,

and wishing on stars.

You get to frame rainbows, hearts, and flowers under refrigerator magnets and collect spray painted noodle wreaths for Christmas, hand prints set in clay on Mother's Day, and cards with backward letters for Father's Day. For $160,140, there is no greater bang for your buck.

You get to be a hero just for:

retrieving a Frisbee off the garage roof,

taking the training wheels off a bike,

removing a splinter,

filling a wading pool,

coaxing a wad of gum out of bangs,

and coaching a baseball team that never wins but always gets treated to ice cream regardless.

You get a front row seat to history to witness the:

first step, first word,

first bra,

first date,

and first time behind the wheel.

You get to be a little bit immortal. You get another branch added to your family tree, and if you're lucky, a long list of grandchildren and great grandchildren. You get an education in psychology, logistics, nursing, criminal justice, communications, and human sexuality that no college can match. In the eyes of a child, you rank right up there under God.

You have all the power to:

heal a boo-boo with a kiss,

scare away the monsters under the bed,

patch a broken heart,

police a slumber party,

ground them forever,

and

love them without limits.

So, one day they will, like you, love without counting the cost. That is actually quite a deal!

Disneyland!

I finally got my camera to work and time to download the pictures on the same day! Blogger wouldn't load as many as I wanted, but I got some of them in!!

A couple of weeks ago we took Computer Guy, Darling Wife and MissC to Disneyland to celebrate birthdays! We have season passes and won 1-day passes in a raffle, so we could all go - it was such a fun day! Disneyland was packed that day - Yom Kippur, we found out is a Los Angeles City Schools holiday! Oh well - the weather was beautiful and we had a super time in spite of the crowds. The park had just been decorated for Halloween, and although I am not a Halloween fan all the pumpkin stuff was really cute!

MissC was feeling a little puny that day, I think she had a slight fever and a little runny nose - maybe more teeth? She wasn't fussy, just not as perky as she normaly is! So we went with the day and showed her all the sights anyway! (You can see why hubby teases CG about being his bodyguard - he got all the height in the family!)



The view from daddy's shoulders was a lot better than down in the stroller!

We started in California Adventure and rode the carousel and saw that park first, had lunch there then went into the Disneyland side and spent the rest of the day there. There were so many people we didn't ride a lot of things, but we went on Small World - MissC liked that, then she slept through most of Pirates of the Caribbean - the line was long, so it seemed like a good time for a nap! We went out of the park into Downtown Disney for an early dinner - in California they are right next to each other. She perked up a bit at dinner time and was being silly with mommy - (this is not a mad face) - they were playing!




After dinner we went back into the park and saw the parade - NOW MissC came alive! She LOVED all the lights and colors and the music and dancing!! We finished the night with coffee and dessert on Main Street.



CG & DW decided to use the free passes we had to turn in on season passes - so they just had to pay the difference which wasn't bad at all! We have already made plans with them to go again in a couple of months! Miss C will enjoy it more when she is not feeling poorly and we will pick a day that is not a holiday for anyone so the crowds will be down! It will be past Halloween then and all the Christmas decorations will be up - that always makes the parks even prettier!

It was such a fun day - what an adorable family they are!! We are blessed!

To Those Born 1930 - 1979

I've seen this several times, and it always makes me laugh - so I will share it with you! My goodness - all this and we DID survive!!


We are the kids who survived the 1930's 40's, 50's, 60's and 70's !!

First, we survived being born to mothers who smoked and/or drank while they were pregnant. They took aspirin, ate blue cheese dressing, tuna from a can, and didn't get tested for diabetes. Then we were put to sleep on our tummies in baby cribs covered with bright colored lead-based paints.

We had no childproof lids on medicine bottles, doors or cabinets and when we rode our bikes, we had no helmets, not to mention, the risks we took hitchhiking when we got older.

As infants & children, we would ride in cars with no car seats, booster seats, seat belts or air bags. Riding in the back of a pick up on a warm day was always a special treat.

We drank water from the garden hose and not from a bottle. If we were lucky enough to have a soft drink we shared it with four friends, all drinking from one bottle and no one actually died from this.

We ate cupcakes, white bread and real butter and drank koolade made with sugar, but we weren't overweight because we were always outside playing!

We would leave home in the morning and play all day, as long as we were back when the streetlights came on. No one was able to reach us all day. And we were O.K.

We would spend hours building our go-carts out of scraps and then we'd ride them down the hill, only to find out we forgot about the brakes. After running into the bushes a few times, we learned to solve the problem.

We did not have Playstations, Nintendo's, X-boxes, in fact - no video games at all, no 150 channels on cable, no video movies or DVD's, no surround-sound or CD's, no cell phones, no IMing, no personal computers, no Internet or chat rooms....... We just had our friends and we went outside and found them!

We fell out of trees, got cut, occasionally broke bones and no one sued anyone else. Our friends signed our white plaster casts and we were the hero!

We ate worms and mud pies made from dirt, and the worms did not live in us forever.

We built treehouses and forts with hammers and nails and scrap lumber, not with kits from the mega home center.

We were given BB guns for our 10th birthdays; made up games with sticks and tennis balls and, although we were told it would happen, we did not put out our eyes.

We rode bikes or walked to a friend's house and knocked on the door or rang the bell, or just called out and walked in! We talked face to face - not on a computer.

If we did something bad at a friend's house, their mom would scold us, and our parents didn't sue them.

We got spanked when we deserved it and had our mouths washed out with soap when we said bad words and no one thought of turning their parents in for abuse.

Little League had tryouts and not everyone made the team. Those who didn't had to learn to deal with disappointment. Imagine that!!

The idea of a parent bailing us out if we broke the law was unheard of. They actually sided with the law!

Our teachers were not our babysitters and we were expected to behave. If we got into trouble at school, we were in for more trouble at home.


These generations have produced some of the best risk-takers, problem solvers and inventors ever! The past 50 years have been an explosion of innovation and new ideas.

We had freedom, failure, success and responsibility - and we are not perfect - but we learned how to deal with most things!

If you were born in these years . . . I salute you! If you were born later - it's ok to let your kids experience freedom, failure, success and responsibility - learning these things first hand is a good thing!

60 Things About Me

Well, I have finally passed that mile marker that you all passed so long ago! I have posted 50 blogs! Well, 60 - actually counting this one! It seems to be the tradition to do a "Things About Me" blog when you hit these milestones - so here goes - all 60 of them!

1. I am a 3rd generation native Californian
2. My horse lived in my backyard for about 10 years starting when I was in 7th grade, and I rode in the hills behind my house almost every day.
3. I love classical music
4. If I had the opportunity, I would go and live in England for 6 months or so
5. My first car was a 1959 Studebaker Lark - turquoise
6. The scar on my arm is from scraping the pavement with it when the go-kart my brother and I made turned too sharp because the steering wasn't finished and the seat wasn't nailed down and I wanted to test it anyway going down our hill when I was 13
7. I went deep-sea fishing with my grandfather 3 times - caught my fish, then got seasick every time
8. I don't do rollercoasters - or anything remotely like them
9. I have best friends - and I am blessed to have them
10. I have been married to the same man for 38 years
11. I love to body surf or boogey board in the ocean
12. I had to have surgery in order to get pregnant
13. It worked and after 2nd son was born, had surgery to not get pregnant!
14. I love to put a bit of heavy cream over ice and add diet root beer - tastes just like a float!
15. I love to sew
16. I hate doing alterations
17. I tried being a "seamstress", did NOT like sewing for other women!
18. I love making quilts
19. I took a pottery class in 1990 and got hooked - I have taken a ceramics class every semester at the local community college since then.
20. I am not an artist by "brain" - but I love the process of shaping the clay on the wheel
21. I offer to take pictures of folks with their camera if they want a picture of themselves together
22. My husband and friends laugh at me for doing this!
23. I am a mother-in-law
24. I cringe when girls talk about hating their mother-in-laws
25. I really loved my mother and father in law - they are gone now - I miss them
26. I love to take walks in pretty places
27. I could sit and watch and/or listen to water moving or a fire burning for hours
28. I love the taste of coffee - and will drink it even if it has been in the pot for a while, or has gotten cold in the cup.
29. I keep a book in the car so anywhere I have to wait I have a book to help me do it
30. I can walk/ride the cardio machines at the gym for a long time if I have something to read - if not, I can't do more than about 10 minutes
31. I think I am mildly ADD
32. I am easily distracted - but can keep track of several tasks at the same time
33. I love to go camping & hiking
34. I am NOT fond of spiders
35. Snakes don't bother me
36. Mosquitos and fleas usually don't bite me
37. I love big fireworks displays
38. I used to have a vegetable garden - I'm looking forward to having the time to have one again
39. I have had lasic on my eyes - twice - I can see - Wahoo!!
40. I did not need glasses at all til I was 35 - then slowly progressed to legally blind!
41. I recently bought my 3rd bicycle - a Trek - it's really neat - I should get a helmet
42. My next vehicle will either be another minivan or an SUV - I like being up high and having a lot of space for stuff and people
43. I work on a computer more than 90% of my workday
44. I love to travel
45. I love pretty much any day that I don't have to be sitting at this desk!
46. I love to cook when I have the time
47. I love to do things with my hands, ceramics, sewing, knitting, crocheting
48. I love relaxing before dinner with a glass of red wine and a piece of good cheese
48. I'm sensitive/alergic to most perfumes
49. I like the increasing silver in my hair - and I highlight what's still darker to make it lighter too
50. I am right handed, but use the computer mouse with my left
51. I love my husband
52. I enjoy playing golf and one of these days I'll play more often
53. I can hardly wait to quit work and move out of state and have time for my hobbies.
54. I worked part time for several mortuaries doing hair and makeup while the kids were in school when I was a stay at home mom
55. I hate funerals
56. I love hot & spicy food - pepperoni and jalapeno pepper pizza - yummmm!
57. I love going shopping by myself
58. My favorite way to spend an evening is with friends drinking coffee, and visiting or playing a game
59. I loved being a stay at home mom
60. I work out with a trainer at the gym twice a week

Happy Birthday to You

Well, Birthday Greetings are in order - My oldest son, Computer Guy has a birthday this week! He will be 32 on Friday! Wow - I can hardly believe that 32 years have gone so quickly! (This picture was of him and MissC at her birthday party 6 months ago!)

We tried to get pregnant for about 6 years before I had to have some corrective surgery - and "taa-daa" - we did it!! We were on tour with the gospel quartet hubby sang with back then and we were in Durango, Colorado where they did an outdooor concert at the home of some friends. I was 7 months pregnant and was very uncomfortable sitting in a folding chair, so I was hanging out at the back with the kids and there was this darling little boy - who's name was C***! He was the cutest kid I had ever seen and later that night I asked hubby if he had noticed him. He had, and right there and then, we had a name for our baby if it was a boy! I sort of "knew" down inside that a boy was coming - we didn't have ultrasound for that sort of thing then!

He has always been a terrific guy; very compassionate, good athlete, loyal friend, consistant christian, incredibly smart with computer stuff, super musician, now loving husband and daddy! It was so fun to watch my kids grow up and become who they are! And such a blessing to see what quality people they have become! CG was my first reason for being a stay-at-home-mom and I never regretted making the choice to quit work and raise my kids. They were so.much.fun!! Oh, we had our time-outs and spankings (yes, I spanked) - but over all I had a great time! Now he is all grown up and has a family of his own - Darling wife and sweet MissC and even a granddog who is a character!

One of the fun things about CG's birthday, is that 4 days later is Darling Wife's birthday! This year we get to celebrate both birthdays by taking them all to Disneyland! It will be MissC's first time so you know we will both have cameras ready! (Providing I can get blogger to post the pictures I'll show you next week!) Hubby and I are taking a day off work and they are driving up to meet us there. We are so excited to see CG and DW of course, but MissC changes so much every time we see her - we can hardly wait! This morning DW emailed me to say that MissC has added the word "pretty" to her vocabulary! Perfect timing - with Disneyland being so pretty!! I hope she can make it to the fireworks - that will really exercise her new word!!

This is a recent picture of her I just can't resist - DW let her pick out her own outfit that day, and this is what she wanted to wear - don't you just want to kiss that face??!!

Tag - I'm It

Morning Glory tagged me for a little word meaning meme - I'll bite!


Piggy Bank - Not my style - never liked those little guys looking at me!

Yesterday - is gone, but not forgotten, but in some cases needs to be gotten over

Ronald - Well, we call him Ron and he is a dear friend

Rainbows - hmmm - I love looking at them and looking for them, they remind me that God is there, even in the storms.


There! Not too difficult! How about it Tammy, Karen and Beth?

Here are your words:

Mountains
Humor
Candles
Elephant

Any body else want to play? Let me know if you did!

A New Adding Machine

Oh! The joy of a new adding machine!! Now this might not seem like a joy to you - but I use mine a lot here at work!! My old one never really quit working, but over the last few months has started to blur all the numbers. Not too bad when it was just for my eyes, because I could still see the totals on the screen even if I couldn't quite read all the numbers on the tape. Things changed last week though, the gal who always did the bank deposits moved on to a new company - and since we don't have an accounting department in our office - and since I am HR (and can do darn near everything!) it naturally (?) fell to me!!

"So what?" you say? Well, since I now have to run tapes of all the bookstore sales and the bookshow sales (we sell building code books) I now have to have tapes someone can actually read! I scrubbed the number barrel on my old machine with a toothbrush and a soft cloth - but that actually made it worse - so I broke the news that it was time to retire and I placed my request for a new machine.

I got it this morning - and, WAHOO!!, I (and anyone else that wants to) can really read the numbers!! Not only that but it has a setting so that I can print the date on the top, and it automatically counts the number of items I have just listed! It also prints negative numbers in red and is a lot faster than my old one! I am in adding machine heaven!

I know - it doesn't take much to please some folks - - and that is me today!! It's nice new, clean cover has promped me to clean that area of my (usually messy) desk so I can actually use it without reaching over a (smallish) pile of paperwork! And since today is the day the Brinks truck comes to pick up my deposit, I will be proud of the results on my new machine!! Oh - happy day!!

Neat Stuff

One of my friends sent me an email with these handy tips. Most of them are new to me - find any you like?

Reheat Pizza
Heat up leftover pizza in a non-stick skillet on top of the stove, set heat to med-low and heat till warm. This keeps the crust crispy. No soggy micro pizza. I saw this on the cooking channel and it really works.

Easy Deviled Eggs
Put cooked egg yolks in a zip lock bag. Seal, mash till they are all broken up. Add the remainder of the ingredients, reseal, keep mashing it up mixing thoroughly, cut the tip of the baggie and squeeze mixture into the egg half. Just throw bag away when done - easy clean up.

Expanding Frosting
When you buy a container of cake frosting from the store, whip it with your mixer for a few minutes. You can double it in size. You get to frost more cake/cupcakes with the same amount. You also eat less sugar/calories per serving.

Reheating refrigerated bread
To warm biscuits, pancakes, or muffins that were refrigerated, place them in a microwave with a cup of water. The increased moisture will keep the food moist and help it reheat faster.

Newspaper weeds away
Start putting in your plants, work the nutrients in your soil. Wet newspapers and put layers around the plants overlapping as you go. Cover with mulch and forget about weeds. Weeds will get through some gardening plastic they will not get through wet newspapers.

Broken Glass
Use a dry cotton ball to pick up little broken glass pieces of glass- the fibers catch ones you can't see!

Squirrel Away!
To keep squirrels from eating your plants sprinkle your plants with cayenne pepper. The cayenne pepper doesn't hurt the plant and the squirrels won't come near it.

Easier thank you's
When you throw a bridal/baby shower, buy a pack of thank you cards for the guest of honor. During the party, pass out the envelopes and have everyone put their address on one. When the bride/new mom sends the thank you cards, the envelopes are all addressed! She also won't have to set some aside for addresses and run the risk of losing them!

MINE!!!!!
If you purchase a new bike for your child, place their picture inside the handle bar before placing the grips on. If the bike is stolen and later recovered, remove the grip and there is your proof who owns the bike.

Flexible vacuum
To get something out of a heat register or under the fridge add an empty paper towel roll or empty gift wrap roll to your vacuum. It can be bent or flattened to get in narrow openings.

Reducing Static Cling
Pin a small safety pin to the seam of your slip and you will not have a clingy skirt or dress. Same thing works with slacks that cling when wearing panty hose. Place pin in seam of slacks and - Voila - static is gone.

Measuring Cups
Before you pour sticky substances into a measuring cup, fill it with hot water. Dump out the hot water, but don't dry the cup. Next, add your ingredient, such as peanut butter, and watch how easily it comes right out.

Foggy Windshield?
Hate foggy windshields? Buy a felt chalkboard eraser and keep it in the glove box of your car. When the windows fog, rub with the eraser! Works better than a cloth!

Reopening envelope
If you seal an envelope and then realize you forgot to include something inside, just place your sealed envelope in the freezer for an hour or two. Voila! It unseals easily.

Conditioner
Use your hair conditioner to shave your legs. It's a lot cheaper than shaving cream and leaves your legs really smooth. It's also a great way to use up the conditioner you bought but didn't like when you tried it in your hair...

Goodbye Fruit Flies
To get rid of pesky fruit flies, take a small glass fill it 1/2" with Apple Cider Vinegar and 2 drops of dishwashing liquid, mix well. You will find those flies drawn to the cup and gone forever!

Get Rid of Ants
Put small piles of cornmeal where you see ants. They eat it, take it "home," & can't digest it so it kills them. It may take a week or so, especially if it rains, but it works & you don't have the worry about pets or small children being harmed!

Take baby powder to the beach
Keep a small bottle of baby powder in your beach bag. When you're ready to leave the beach sprinkle yourself and kids with the powder and the sand will slide right off your skin.

Disclaimer - I have not tried most of these - so if they don't work - Oh well!!

Thursday Babblings 7

This last couple of weeks have totally flown by!! I looked back to see when I last posted, and it was a LOOONNGG time ago!! I was out a couple of days helping mom with legal stuff. And I had my eyes re-lasered to try to get my distance vision a bit clearer. I now can see to read without my "cheaters", however, that wasn't the plan - and my distance is still fuzzy! I go back in 2 months for a re-check and I don't know if they can laser them again or not! Seeing up close is not all bad though, I am enjoying not having my granny glasses around my neck on a chain! (I know - not a pretty picture, but they were handy that way!!) I was going to have to wear them for up-close anyway, so if I can see everything else pretty well, maybe I'll just wear glasses to drive and call it done! We'll see - I have to keep my eyes very moist with hourly doses of drops, and they will continue to adjust for about 4 months. I would love to have the best of both worlds, and not have to wear any glasses at all, but I can't do mono-vision (one eye for close, the other for distance), so that is probably not in the cards!

Mom is doing very well - she is keeping pretty busy. Her lonelist times are around dinner, so quite often she calls a friend and they do dinner together - either potluck or out. She started back at her art classes today and is excited about the new painting she has started. She started taking classes several years ago and she is VERY good!! She sells them every once in a while and averages $300 - $400 depending on the size!! I feel very lucky to be able to "baby sit" some of them in my apartment! She is doing a 1-woman show next summer that will require her to hang 30 -40 paintings for a month. But I get to keep them til she needs them for that! I should take some photos of them and post them - I'll have to see how they come out!

I am having a "rich" couple of weekends! Last Saturday Computer Guy and Darling Wife came up with Miss C for a visit! We hadn't seen them since July 4th in San Diego and in that short period of time Miss C has certainly bumped up on the cuteness scale!! She is 16 months and her hair is getting long enough to curl around the back of her neck. It's blondish and she has big blue eyes! She had fallen asleep in the car, so DW carried her upstairs and put her on the floor in the guest room with her blankee. We halfway shut the door and were visiting quietly in the living room. About 15 mins later Miss C came out of the bedroom dragging the blankee with the biggest smile on her face! She was SO CUTE!!!

We got the blocks out and she sat and stacked and whacked and stacked again for the longest time! She is such a joy - very happy, and will come to Grandi and Poppy for a kiss without being shy!

After a late lunch we went out to the pool and Miss C loves that too! DW and CG are teaching her to be pool safe - she is a little young for swimming, but is not afraid of the water and was at ease floating on her back! They are very cautious with her anywhere near a pool, but her San Diego cousins have one, so she will learn to swim early!

In the early evening we got ready and went to a 1-year birthday party for Miss McK - another cousin and really good friend. There was probably 60 people there during the evening, and momma served 4-ft long burritos - it was a lot of fun. There were several kidlets there, and they are not totally sure how to play together yet, but it was great fun watching them!

This weekend is going to be fun too! We leave tomorrow morning early to fly to Ohio to see our other granddaughter; Miss T!! Her parents, the VP and his wife (daughter-in-law) have invited hubby and me and my mom to come back for a visit. We haven't seen her in a year, so we can hardly wait!!

I could write a lot about the relationship to explain why so long, but it's not fun to talk about, so I won't! The VP has been lobbying for this for several months however, so we are grateful that DIL said yes!! She loves my mom, so she was delighted that she is coming with us!

We will be staying at a nice hotel just a couple of miles from their house, so the 3 of us will have fun there too! Hubby and I flew back last September when VP was starting the new job and getting the house ready to move in to. We weeded flower beds, ripped up carpeting and stayed out of the way of the guys laying a new tile floor in the kitchen and generally had a really fun time with him! DIL and Miss T flew back about a month later after their SoCal house sold. He told me today that their new patio should be done by noon Friday, so we are anxious to see the house now that it is done and the new patio!

I hope to be able to post some pictures when we get back! Bye til then!

A Friend Returns

Christina over at Mind Wanderings is back! Be sure to drop by and give her an encouraging word! She is learning some new techniques in child raising!!

Ponder This

These came on my email from a friend this morning - I thought you might enjoy them like I did!

Have you ever wondered about those people who spend $2.00 apiece on those little bottles of Evian water? Try spelling Evian backwards - - it’s NAÏVE!

Isn't making a smoking section in a restaurant like making a peeing section in a swimming pool?

OK..... so if the Jacksonville Jaguars are known as the "Jags" and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers are known as the "Bucs," what does that make the Tennessee Titans?

If 4 out of 5 people SUFFER from diarrhea...does that mean that one enjoys it?

If people from Poland are called Poles, why aren't people from Holland called Holes?

If a pig loses its voice, is it disgruntled?

Why do we park on a driveway and drive on a parkway?

Why do croutons come in airtight packages? Aren't they just stale bread to begin with?

Why is a person who plays the piano called a pianist but a person who drives a racecar is not called a racist?

Why isn't the number 11 pronounced onety-one??

If lawyers are disbarred and clergymen defrocked, doesn't it follow that electricians can be delighted, musicians denoted, cowboys deranged, models deposed, tree surgeons debarked, and dry cleaners depressed?

If Fed Ex and UPS were to merge, would they call it Fed UP?

Do Lipton Tea employees take coffee breaks??

What hair color do they put on the driver's licenses of bald men??

I was thinking about how people seem to read the Bible a whole lot more as they get older; then it dawned on me.....They’re cramming for their final exam.

I thought about how mothers feed their babies with tiny little spoons and forks, so I wondered what do Chinese mothers use - Toothpicks??

Why do they put pictures of criminals up in the Post Office? What are we supposed to do, write to them? Why don't they just put their pictures on the postage stamps so the mailmen can look for
them while they deliver the mail?

If it's true that we are here to help others, then what exactly are the others supposed to be doing?

Whatever happened to Preparations A through G?

Next time income tax time approaches, think about this: When you put the two words "The" and "IRS" together, it spells … "THEIRS"

On Friendship

"A true friend knows your weaknesses but shows you your strengths; feels your fears but fortifies your faith; sees your anxieties but frees your spirit; recognizes your disabilities but emphasizes your possibilities." (William Arthur Ward)

Aren't friends grand? This last 2 months (yes, that's how quickly dad went from apparent health to death) friends have been even more special than usual! We always have fun together, but when there is sadness, friendship takes on a new dimension.

There's Kathy - who I have only had occasional contact with in the last 35 years or so, you know, birthday and Christmas cards. We reconnected by email again over the last year - we met in the 5th grade, and she loved my folks and cried with mom and me over my dad's passing. She has been an unexpected source of strength for my mom by sharing how important she and dad were in her life when we were growing up together.

There's Morning Glory - we got the news when were at their house - she and the good Dr supplied hugs and lifted us up that weekend with their love.

Chris and Ron, who had opened their home to us during our homeless days, and are wonderful friends, invited us to stay for dinner the night we got home from the airport - we had to go sign papers with the funeral director - and they loved us and picked our spirits up after a long travel day.

Dave and Jeanne - love my folks and visited dad in the hospital. He didn't especially want folks to come and see him sick. But they came and loved him and cheered him - he and mom both really appreciated their visit. They are dear friends through thick and thin.

Pastor and Jan - they love mom and dad too, and went to see them in the hospital - Pastor has a wonderful voice and he sang an old favorite hymn to my dad. He came again by himself a few days later, to make sure there was no question about daddy going to heaven. That was the best of gifts.

My other good friends; Chris M, Phyllis, Terry, Barb, Mike S - friends who prayed and encouraged and called and emailed and let us know they were there for us. It was so special that our kids were able to come and visit before he got so sick at the end, and those were precious times for him - and us!

And then you - my blog-buddies, with your prayers and your sweet messages of care and concern. I appreciate you all - you lift me up!

38 Years

Today is our 38th anniversary! 38 years!! That sounds so looong when you are on the starting end of it! But looking back over the 38 years I've been married it really doesn't seem that long at all! I have no idea how my kids got as old as they are when we don't feel any older than they are now!! HA!!

I met hubby 40 years ago when he was a tour guide for a bunch of Swedish students on tour around the US. He had been part of a Lutheran Youth Encounter singing/ministry team that had toured the Scandinavian countries the previous year, and they asked him to go with the tour, because when he was there, he had stayed in the homes of many of these kids. They were staying in the homes of Lutheran church folks around the US, and we hosted 2 girls. Our youth group had a big beach party for them, and among all the very fair-skinned Sweeds, was 1 tan guy with wonderful blue eyes. I flirted shamelessly and made sure I sat by him when were around the bonfire that night! He had a super voice and I was totally smitten! I gushed to my mom all the way home from the church, only finding out much later that one of the girls we were hosting had a major crush on him on that trip!!

I made sure he had my phone number and address - so he could "send me literature on Lutheran Youth Encounter"!! Yeah - right - and I never got that literature either!! HA!! He sent me a postcard toward the end of the tour telling me he would call me when he got home. Home, by the way was only 15 miles from where I lived! (Handy!!) He called me 2 weeks later and said he had been drafted, and would I like to go out? We went out 3 times that week and he left for boot camp! We wrote and had a few phone calls, and I went to San Francisco one weekend with his folks to visit after boot camp - then he was off to Viet Nam for a year!

We wrote like mad that entire year - and I sent a lot of pictures. For my 19th birthday he sent me an engagement ring - he had borrowed money from several of his buddies to buy it, and every time I sent pictures they wanted to see "their" fiance, so he got them paid off quickly!! The military gave guys over there a 2-week R&R (Rest & Relaxation) in the middle of their tour, and he wanted me to meet him in Hawaii! I was only 19 and still living at home, and things were different then, so when dad said I could only go if he met me at the airport with a preacher, I decided to stay home!! We talked on the phone when he was there for 2 hours one day!! He went back to his (thankfully!) desk job on a big base in Viet Nam, and came home about 6 months later. The wedding was planned for about 6 months after that and we were married in his church then left on our honeymoon after a short reception in the fellowship hall.

We went up the coast to Santa Barbara and stayed in a cute hotel near the ocean. Things were vastly different then, and we were in a gaily painted (by my younger brother with permanent paint - oops! we had to have it re-painted after we got back!) tan VW and had about $100 in our pockets, and a $5 check an older lady at church gave us right before we left. We stayed 3 nights, and the last night we had dinner out on the pier with our last $20. Our dinner was $18.50 and we left $1.50 tip and took off quickly! I worked for a bank, so we waited til the Santa Barbara branch of that bank opened at 10 the next morning, cashed the $5 check, filled the VW with gas, had breakfast at McDonalds, and headed home! We got home a day early, so we didn't tell anyone we were home and enjoyed our own little duplex!

Marriage has had it's ups and downs like every one experiences, but we learned early-on how to fight fair and come out the other side still loving and committed to each other. We have buried grandparents, and now 3 of our combined parents; raised 2 wonderful sons, put them through college, watched them marry and have adorable daughters. We have bought 3 houses and sold 2 and have attended the same Nazarene church hubby was raised in. Through everything we have seen God's hand in our lives, and the lives of our friends and family. While we are neither perfect people - we are perfect for each other and are still much in love!

What does the future hold? I have no clue! We have our working/retirement/moving/traveling plans laid out, but our plans are subject to God's re-routing as He sees fit! What I do know for sure, is that as long as I live, I will love and respect this man that God hooked me up with all those years ago! Happy Anniversary Babe!

New Things

Wow - what a lot has happened over the last couple of weeks!! You have read my other posts, so I won't go back there. We went down to Mom's house yesterday - she is 1 amazing lady! Of course she misses my dad a lot, but she is staying busy and is not afraid to tackle anything! She has a list of things to accomplish every day, and she is doing them!

She has a group of friends who walk the park every morning, and on Tuesday nights they all meet there for a picnic and a walk around the lake. She invited us to go last night, and it was great. There were 14 of us, and while we were visiting around a circle, they "lifted a cup" to daddy and talked about what a wonderful man he was and how they will miss him. It was just a couple of minutes and not emotional - more a "kiss and a wave" sort of. It fit the situation and opened the door to speak his name frequently with good memories. We visited a while, then adjourned to the picnic tables for dinner. It was a beautiful warm evening and the walk around the small lake was just right too. What a neat bunch of friends she has!

While we were there, she and one of her friends who has been widowed for several years, told us that they want to go on our Panama Canal cruise next March together!! They do both love to travel, and since they can share a room they are really excited about doing it. Both are so youthful and active it will be great fun to have them along! Mom had wanted to go, and she and dad were talking about going when he was diagnosed. She sort of kept it in the back of her mind just in case. I'm so glad they want to do it - it will really give her something to look forward to!!

We talked about the possibility of flying up to my brother's house in the Sacramento area for Thanksgiving, and mom was delighted!! I talked to my brother today, and he was equally excited, so I got right on line and made our reservations!! Good old Southwest - they do have great fares!! This will be perfect, because since we have moved to the apartment we don't have room for hubby's big family, and since our gathering was always so big, mom and dad didn't come up - they just had their own day with a couple of friends, then drove up to Bro's house the next weekend. Breaking the old tradition was perfect for us and her this year! Since Bro and his kids all work in retail it has never been an option for them to come to us on Thanksgiving weekend. Oh - I'm sooo jazzed!!!

Christmas will also be different this year - we have always had the day at Mom and Dads, with Computer Guy and Darling Wife making the 100-mile drive between her folks and us. Last year, since Miss C is growing up, CG & DW told us they would not be making the treck this coming year on Christmas. We totally understood, since 100 miles - no 200 miles with the round trip - is HUGE with a toddler who just wants to play with her toys!! We haven't talked about the logistics yet, but I'm thinking that we would love to drive down on Christmas eve and spend the night and fit in with their holiday celebration! We will see them in a couple of weeks, and we will see if that will work - that would be super, since without them coming up to mom's house, Christmas day would just be mom and hubby and me!! - A.Bit.Bleak!!

Well, It's time to leave, and I am outta here! Bye!

Bye Dad

Well, my dad passed away on Saturday, August 12 early in the evening. He came home from the hospital with the help of Hospice on Friday, and went into a coma sometime Saturday morning. It was peaceful, and with the help of medicine, painless. As sad as losing him is, the relief that he is no longer suffering soothes my heart immeasurably. He was such an active person that being in that bed was not the way he wanted to spend any time, but his body was just unable to do what his mind wanted any more.

We know he is in Heaven, and that thought sustaines me. They have both always hated funerals, so there won't be one, but she is requesting folks support the St Joseph's Hospital Hospice program in Santa Ana, CA - or their local one! What a great program Hospice is - they were so supportive for my mom during their brief time at home!

We are heading for the airport and home - but I did want to update you all and thank you for your prayers - they really meant a lot to hubby and me!! Blessings Friends!, Love Grandi

Update on Dad

We had good news on dad while we were in Hawaii - the medicine is apparently shrinking the tumor in his lung - YEA!
However - when we got home, there was bad news - he is back in the hospital - he has a vein in his knee that could use a stint - but since it is in a bendy part, a stint won't work. Well, that vein has closed down, and his foot is turning blue - not.good. He has also developed a blockage up near his gall bladder - also not.good. They tried to go in with a camera to look at the blockage, but he had to be on his left side, and there was a great deal of pain, and he couldn't breathe, so they couldn't do the camera. He now has fluid in his left lung that they are supposed to be draining off this morning to see if that will take care of the pain and breathing so they can run the camera in.

Mom is braced for the fact that the end may be near. She's doing ok - she just doesn't want dad to suffer. Seeing him down like this is hard for her - - for all of us! He has always been so active and interested in everything!

Please pray that they can do this test and find the source of the blockage - and that it can be taken care of. Then next, the foot/knee vein - that needs to be open. If they can take away the blockage they will do a bypass on the vein. Thank you for your continued prayers for them!

Aloha

Aloha! We're back from a great week on the big island of Hawaii! There were 12 adults, and 11 & an almost 1. Most of the folks stayed in a large 3-br condo, and Dave and Jeanne (pictured here) and hubby and I stayed in a very large 2-br just 1 building away. There was a pool between us and we spent much quality time in and around it! The 2 condos are timeshares and are in a beautiful complex that borders the ocean and wraps around a beautiful golf course.

Our condo looked out on the 16th green and we could look down the fairway and see the ocean beyond the trees. We had the best of both views in one! We had a lovely lanai (patio) where we started every morning with 2 pots of wonderful Kona coffee and watched the golf course staff taking care of the green, and ended the day with happy hour watching the golfers try to minimize their putts!

This is the view - you can see the ocean just above the low trees - of course in person the color of the ocean was much more vivid - it was dusky in this picture, so the colors aren't as bright!

Our first night sunset was spectacular - we couldn't see it from the lanai, but we walked out on the green and discovered that the trees made a beautiful frame for it!

I got to play golf with the guys two times! I was sooo jazzed! The first day (Tuesday) was with Dave and hubby - I haven't played in 4 years, so sometimes it wasn't pretty - but over-all not too bad! On Thursday the other 2 guys were supposed to play with them, but one got sick, so - what was I to do?!! I "had" to go play again!! I took 11 strokes off my Tuesday game! I had a higher score than the guys, but I didn't embarass myself!!

The golf course was beautiful - a lot of it was right on the ocean, and was bordered with very black volcanic rocks - the colors were just incredible!

When we got to the 16th green Jeanne came out and took our pictures - you can see her going back to our condo - this is how close we were - It was a perfect location!!

One of the fun things about going to a different place is the different food you can find! This is a Dragon Fruit - we saw it in the grocery store and it was too interesting to pass up! It is a beautiful fruit inside! It is really mild, faintly similar to the taste of a kiwi. We had it for breakfast two times!

(As you can see Jeanne's hair is making a good come-back! She still wears her hats and wigs, but only when we went out - its really soft, and looks like it could be coming in a bit wavy! Her "old" hair was very straight - so she is hoping for a bit of curl - sometimes that happens after a chemo-induced hair loss!)

This is our last morning breakfast - white pineapple (yum!), papaya, and dragon fruit! We squeezed a little lime on the papaya, and I even tried some on the dragon fruit (double yum!!)

We drove out to the volcano and looked around out there - that was our only rainy day - the remnants of a wanna-be hurricane were drifting by the south and east portions of the island. We went through the museums and the lava tube (interesting! - it was left after the lava quit flowing through it!), but the cloud cover was down low, so we didn't drive out around the old crater area. The current flow is not real accessible, so we didn't drive down to the coastal area to see that.

We stopped by the Volcano Winery on the way back - that was fun, and the Hawaiian Bread company - their bread is soooo wonderful!! It took about 2 hours to drive back to Kona, and until we rounded the south end of the island and started up the west side we had a LOT of rain! The closer we got to Kona though, the nicer the weather was, and by the time we got back to our condos the sky was blue and it was a beautiful evening!!

We snorkeled a lot - almost every day! ( no pictures - I didn't want to leave my camera sitting on the beach) the bay is just a half mile from the condo, and is protected by a reef - way out - so the bay is calm and a perfect refuge for some wonderful fish and sea turtles!! They were both in abundance this time of year and we never tired of watching them! Spending an hour or more in the water each time was easy!!

The 11-yr old in our group got to go swim with dolphins one day. The Hilton Waikola over on the north side of the island is a spectacular resort - we drove over and spent a few hours looking around one day. Ron (his grandpa) learned that if his folks would sit through a timeshare presentation, he could swim with the dolphins for free. It is normally $190 - and since they already have a timeshare, they had no problem listening to their talk and saying "no"! ( They were interested, however, and the Hilton plan was interesting to them - they will expore further!) Anyway 11 got to swim - he LOVED it!! He got to be right in the pool with the dolphins, pet them, even hold one up (in the water of course)!! They took tons of pictures, and of course the Hilton staff took a video - that came with the experience!

Ok - my laundry is done, I'm ready to pack and go back!! Hawaii is just one of those places you can go back to again and again and it just doesn't get old!! Aloha!