Happy New Year 2012

Happy New Year!!!  I sure hope this year is gonna be better than last.  I'm really hoping to get organized this year.  I've got to get our personal papers in order and show the kids where everything is just in case the Lord takes Donald and me.  Not saying He will anytime soon, but we should always be prepared for that.  So that's what I'm gonna work on in the coming weeks. 

We had a very good new year's eve.  Here's our pictures:

It was so nice having the kids come by this evening.  It really makes my day.  I love those treasures the Lord gave me. 

A New Year Already

Tomorrow is new year's eve.  Wow.  I just can't believe how fast the years go by these days.  It's true, the older you get the fast time flies.  I haven't bought our Sparkling Grape Juice yet, but I might make my own this year.  I'm going to try something tomorrow.  Shhh, don't tell dd. 

Christmas Eve we went to dd's church service and we had our picture taken there.

Honestly, I think my face muscles have problems.  I feel as if I'm smiling, but it looks like I'm not.  This has got me to thinking about old pictures I see of families members who don't smile.  Maybe thy thought they were smiling, but it didn't show up in the picture. LOL  Well, tomorrow the tree comes down.  I have to find space for presents we got.  I did spend today cleaning up.  I like filling up the trash can because that means the house is getting cleaned.

The night we went to the Gaylord Center at the National Harbor dh dropped his camera and it didn't work after that.  We too it back to Best Buy to see if I bought a warranty on it and thank goodness I did.  They don't make his camera anymore so we got another brand, brand new and it's and upgrade!!  Super.  I told him not to drop this one.  I hope he listens!  Hahaha. 



Here's the one he had



Here's the one he got



Awesome.  A couple of years ago dd left her camera in her hot car and the gel inside of it melted.  Thank goodness I had bought a warranty on that because they fixed it at no cost. 

Hope  everyone has a happy new year's.

Ice

What an awesome time we had at the Gaylord Center at the National Harbor tonight.  Ice has been there for a couple of weeks; we never been to it but it was really a neat, intersting thing to see.  If you haven't been to an Ice show I recommend it.  The sculpture of the ice, the colors, the 5 degrees in the room...definitely a wintery thing to do.

We took pictures with dh's camera, but then he dropped it and it sorta broke.  I'm hoping I can get the pictures off his sims card.



It's Amazing How Things Always Come Together

Here's our tree this year.  What's funny about THIS tree THIS year is that it's got decorations on it.  Normally, we do not put decorations on it anymore.  It all started when the kids were teenagers and they refused to help decorate the tree.  So I decided at that time that we'd just put the tree up (the lights were included) and plug in the tree and that would be it.  This year dh and I put the tree up together and I said don't worry about decorations.  But I was out with dd the next day and while I was out dh decorated the tree.  As I was putting presents under the tree I didn't notice at first it had ornaments on it, but started laughing when I realized what dh had done.  So, while he was on the computer I got my icicles and put those on the three.  Hahah...it was on Christmas morning that he noticed I put icicles on it. 

But it's funny how things all fall into place even when you feel you don't have it all together.  I always forget to give the present...doesn't matter if it's their birthday or Christmas and of course, I did it again this year.  I had a present for ds that I didn't give him.  I may see him on Thursday so I will give it to them then.  We had a great time opening gifts.




Dh and his new hat

 


I got a 'pier' for my beach living room

 




DD in her safety glasses and her new tool bag

 


DS's blue kilt..no...it's a towel wrap

 

We had ham, potato salad and other goodies for dinner.

It was a great day.....until dd went home.  At about 10:30pm someone started knocking on her door.  Her roommate is out of town and she was taking my advise; she wasn't answering the door.  Then, whoever it was went outside and was ringing her buzzer.  When she didn't respond to that she called me.  I was ready to get in my car.  Well, it ended up that the person knocking on her door was the home association's head man.  Unfortunately, the downstairs condo was having a water leak and it ended up being my dd's toilet that was leaking.  They had to call the plumber at midnight just to fix the problem until my dd can call the other plumber that they use tomorrow.  A terrible way to end Christmas, wouldn't you say? 

I'm tired so will close for now.



Merry Christmas

Well, I got every done except come baking that I wanted to do, but I can do it tomorrow or even his week.  No biggie.  The stocking are hung on the fireplace, the tree up, decorated with presents under it waiting to be opened.  Tomorrow (well, today now), the children will arrive and we will open gifts, then have lunch.  It's kinda sad that we don't have breakfast together anymore, but life changes from time to time, doesn't it? 

Everyone have a great Christmas!

Crochet Christmas Stocking

I just finished crocheting my first Christmas stocking.  I'm not sure I like the way it came out, but it was my first one and I was creating it as I went.  I'm really hard on myself when I make something because I see the faults with it.  Oh well, I'm learning as I go along!

How Time Flies

I think one or two days this month I have really thought about Christmas.  What I really have been reflecting on are two things:  the first has been my parents.  They made Christmas so magical for us when we were kids.  See, my mother had these plug in candles that she used to put in the windows.  She also had a read wreath she'd hang up.  When they came out of the closet the magic would begin.  It started to feel like Christmas...even though, we were not allowed to put the tree up.  Santa always put the tree up on Christmas Eve.  While everybody at school had their trees up and presents under it, we never did.  But I'll tell ya....going to bed on Christmas Eve with a plain house and then waking up the next morning to a beautiful Christmas tree, lights and tons of presents under it was just magical!  However, as the we grew older and moved out of the house, mom would tell me she wasn't putting up a tree and I would feel sad that she did not continue with the magic I remembered.  Now that my kids are gone I totally understand where my mom was coming from.  I'm just like her.  I have not decorated the house, inside or out, I really don't want to think about dragging out the tree.  It just seems so overwhelming.  There are no kids here anyway to make it magical.  No like in the old days.  And second, how much I miss my kids being young...and I miss the children I no longer have here on earth with me. 

I've got to finish shopping; still have stuff to do.  I'll get it done on time, though.  I always do.  Happy shopping.

Christmas Will be Here in no Time

I can't believe how fast the days are flying by.  It's unreal.  People are putting up their trees..speaking of which, I can't believe the price of trees this year.  Wow!  It's $30 around here.  Unreal.  Anyway, I really need to start baking some fattening goodies...at least some cookies, for sure.  I got the mix and I got the eggs...I need a fire lit under me...haha.  I've got some phone calls to make tomorrow so and a couple of errands so maybe I'll get a little baking in.  The house would smell so homey.  Back in the day my mom used to have this thing...I don't even know what it was called, but it was round like a barrell and it had about six different levels to it, each level was a tray where you could put cookies in.  Every year we'd take a weekend and bake tons of cookies and she'd have that barrell cookie thing filled up.  Yum.  Sometimes memories can be good for something. 

I have to finish shopping....it's hard this time of year.  I wish sometimes I was rich so that I could buy without having the weight of debt on my shoulders.  Somehow this year I have to get the debt down and out of my life.  Well, as much debt as I can. 

Which brings me to new resolutions.  I don't think I made any last year and if I did I forgot them.  Oh well.

Dh and I were in Bob Evans tonight with one of our chapters (we are area reps with the Christian Motorcyclists Association) and my brother and his wife were there having dinner.  Then one of our friends asked if we were twins, maternal twins because we looked exactly alike.  Say what?  My brother has a white mustache...so com'on. 

Sometimes I Feel Empowered, Other Times I Don't

I suppose other people go through this, too.  But sometimes I feel as if I can do anything I set my  mind to; other times I know I can't.  And it's most of those times I continually disappoint myself.  For instance, since October I've been taking a course for becoming a counselor at the pregnancy center.  However, I know I can't commit myself to doing that.  There's a couple of reasons for this.  First, I suffer from anxiety attacks.  Praise God I haven't had really, really bad ones recently like I have had in the past, but I still feel the panic come on when I'm in certain situations.  I'm afraid that if I make a committment and people depend on me wholeheartedly, then I can't measure up, hence the anxiety.  Second, I'm not sure I could handle talking to  women who are abortion minded that, even after I talk with them,  they continued to abort her child anyway.  I would be so upset.  I've heard where some sonographers are the last people to see some children alive before they are aborted.  How very sad.  So, those are two reasons why I know I couldn't be a counselor.  I think I would like to volunteer to file paperwork or do  something with fundraising, maybe.  I just don't know.

Empowered, not empowered.  Hmm.

Oh Christmas Shopping .... fa, la, la, la, la

I'm a last minute shopper, usually.  Today it was time to start thinking about Christmas presents.  My dd said she is not sending me a list with pictures of the things she wants because I never buy the exact one she sends me.  That was an eye opener because I always think I can get her a better one or I see that maybe she doesn't know a different one would work for her better.  When she told me she wasn't sending me a list and why I felt bad.  But yet I thought she is right.  I don't like it when I ask for something and I show a picture of it and yet I get a different one than I wanted.  However, the reason I do that is because I see it as a mother thing.  I want the best for my kids and I rethink what they think.  I am now going to TRY to stop doing that.  Really, I am. 

I started to make my Christmas list for the family.  So far here's some needs/wants:

1)  I would like to have a meat platter.

2)  I would like to have an ac/dc charger for my ipod.

I'm sure I'll add more onto it. 

DD and I are going shopping on Monday.  Sweet.

Tomorrow I have to take my cat back to the vets.  She has tumors in her ears that need cauterizing.  They bleed and when she shakes her head blood goes everywhere.  It's disgusting, yeah. 

So much to do tomorrow.....

Holocaust and the Unborn **graphic photos**

The 180 movie:  http://www.180movie.com/


Some people are mad about this movie.  I want to know what is it that they don't get?? 
   

One picture of a body during the Holocaust.  The other picture is a baby where a late term abortion (partical birth abortion) was performed on.  So what's the difference???  The government wants us to believe that the body at the Holocaust was murdered.  The body that is a smaller person who had his brains sucked out of his head while he was half delivered and still alive is not a person.  Seriously?   The baby body looks just like the big body right down to sex organs so what is it that makes one a person who was murdered and one that isn't a person and wasn't murdered?  I don't see a difference and if you do I'd like to know how you see a difference.

 

The Holocaust is alive and doing well.  Just ask the abortionist's who pockets are stuffed to the gill with green stuff.  Don't be fooled..we need to protect the unborn.

Here Today

The first of the month (Nov. 1st) was the 19th anniversary (if you can call it that) of my daughter's death.  It's been 'one of those' weeks.  You go along doing okay, but when the anniversary of a death comes up depression sorta sets in.  Take the month of May for example.  That's when my daughter Katrina was born.  May has always been a wonderful month for me.  It's just so beautiful..everything is coming up new.  Birds are making nests and having babies.  Flowers are blooming, the sun is bright and it's just a great start to summer.  But then, one day in 1989 my mom died.  And then my beautiful May became one of the those depressing months for me.   And then my mother in law died on Katrina's birthday years later.  How weird is that?  And if that isn't weird enough years after that my father in law passed away in May.  And now May that was once a month I so looked forward to is only a reminder of the people we loved and lost.  And that is how it is with October through the new year. 

Not too much is happening really.  It's just been a slow month (haha).  I am thinking about Christmas, though.  It's time to get to the shopping.    That can be a good thing and bad thing.  :)

Working on my Coupon Binder.....again!

Back in the day (my day) when I started collecting coupons I had a small box I kept them in.  Back then, coupons hardly ever expired...it was great because you could save them forever, well, almost.  But then, I got lots of coupons from my family (they saved them for me) and I had to graduate to a bigger box.  And that worked for a very long time for me.  I just pulled out which coupons I needed and off to the store I went.  We didn't buy anything unless I had a coupon and since I didn't take all my coupons with me I only bought what I coupons for.  I thought I did pretty good at it, but I don't know.  I'm not nearly as good as some of the 'queens' of today.  I try, I really do.  But.....

Then the years rolled by, the kids moved out and I stopped couponing.  Dh and I would just go out and eat..it was easier because it was just the two of us and I didn't have to spent hours in the kitchen preparing food.  But then a few years ago, when the ecomony fell, gas went up, well, I found my coupon box and decided it was time to get back doing this.  So I used my box for awhile and then I went online to see how couponers were saving their coupons and everyone was using a coupon binder.  Oh my goodness.  Whatever had to the index card boxes we used to keep things in?  LOL....okay, so I ordered me a biner online and started setting it up.  I thought it takes much more time filing my coupons then putting them in a box.  But, I got it all done and took it to the store a few times and I felt it was so bulky.  And truly, I was sorta embarrassed to carry this huge note book around with me. I don't know why.  Once I took it with me and my daughter shopping and my daughter was making fun of me and saying how embarrassed that looked.  Ok, I know she was teasing me, but still, it was weird. 

So, I went to Staples to see if I could find a smaller binder and I did find something that I really liked a lot.  I made it work; it as small and easy to carry around.  I could fit quite a few coupons in it, too.  But last night I was clipping coupons...online coupons, paper coupons and then I had too many to fit in my small binder.  Frustrated, I looked at that huge, green binder and I said to it, "well binder, it looks like we are partners again" and here I am working to transfer all my coupons to the big binder again.  I think I drive myself crazy!

You can see my small binder at the top of my big binder.  Now, I have to find a new used for it.  LOL 

I've been using coupons for just about everything.  As soon as I get my receipts together I'll post my savings.

Dh's Birthday, Coupons

Since it is now 12:08am---yesterday was dh's birthday.  Another year older for him!  Tonight the kids are coming to the house for cake and ice cream or whatever I decide to make.  Always so much to do and little time....heheh.

I'll post pictures later.

I found this on another website; I thought it was funny:

Ds Surgery..Glad That's Over With

Most people have problems with hospitals just because it's a depressing place to be.  I have problems with hospitals because I've spent hours upon hours sitting next to a sick loved one.  Sometimes with grandparents, parents and my daughter.  So sitting there watching my son on a gurney, dressed in a hospital gown with an iv in his arm gave me anxiety.  Thoughts of watching my daughter in hospital beds with ivs in her arm were coming back in my head and heart and I just didn't want to be there.  But because I wouldn't let my children go through something like that without their parents being there, well, that's why I was there.  I LOVE my children.  They are the treasures of my life.  They make my heart sing.

Ds's surrgery was scheduled for 11:30am.  We arrived at 8:30am like we were told.  Can you believe the doctor didn't show up until around 1:30pm?  Unreal.  But this is why I'm glad that day is over with.  Stressful!  Here's ds in his hospital garb:

These gowns are something new, something I haven't seen before.  They actually have a heater that connects to the gown and shoots warm air into it.  Hahaha.  What will they think of next?  

When ds's surgery was finished the doctor came out of the operating room and told me (and dh) that ds had actually cut his tendon long ways instead of straight across.  Doctor said he repaired it and now we just wait to see how ds is doing in two weeks.  Of course, trying to him to rest and take it easy is almost impossible.  He actually went to a hockey practice (to watch not to play) last night.  Tonight he went to the hockey game with his sister to watch the Capitals play.  I'm a happy momma that ds got through the surgery and that he is up and running as before.  There's something to be said about 'normal'.

Surgery

It's official.  Ds has to have surgery.  He has never, ever had surgery before.  He hates needles..I don't know how he's gonna get through this.  I mean, he will, but I know he is scared.  When he was a little boy and we had to get blood out of his arm it took three grown women to hold him down...I'm telling ya...he had the strength of a bulldog then.  Now that he's a man, he is very strong even though he is a skinny boy.  Don't let that fool ya, though. 

I'm so scared for him because he needs his index finger to shoot his gun.  His career depends on his hands.  Why do things like this have to happen? 

He is scheduled for surgery Monday at 11:30.  I guess I know what I'll be doing then. 

This is the thing...when ds gets sick he springs back within a couple of days.  It's amazing, really.  He's never sick very long...not like normal people (hahah) who hang onto a cold for a week or so.  Ds is only sick a couple of days and then he's well.  I always wondered what his immune system is made of because he is able to bounce back so quickly. 

I also worry about how long he's gonna be off work, and then there might be physical therapy.  This is just awful.



Author of Prayer of Jabez



Okay, on another note, dd, dh and I are going to the pregnancy banquet tonight.  Last week we went to our local banquet where author Bruce Wilkinson spoke.    Tonight we are going to another one with a different speaker. 

Okay, that's my update for now. 

Warning..Bloody Picture

This is a picture of my son's hand.  He called me today to tell me he had just gotten back from the emergency clinic.  No mother wants to hear that no matter how old your kids are.  He proceeded to tell me that he was walking into his bathroom, tripped over the rug in there and his hand went through the bathroom window.  He showed me a picture of his wound before it was stiched and it's a very deep cut.  The doctor told ds that he needs to go see and ortho and make sure the tendon in his hand is not cut.  Ds ended up getting eight stitches.  The scary thing about all this is that ds is a police officer and this is his shooting hand.  All kinds of scary thoughts invaded my head today....thinking about what if he did cut the tendon in his hand and had to have surgery?  What if he couldn't use his hand?  That would be the end of his job.  That's scary.  Okay, but then I had to tell myself to stop thinking that way...everything will be alright.  Ds was more worried about breaking his roommates window then he was about his wound...however, he drove himself to the ER.  Oh my poor, poor son.  On the funny side of this, his roommate had gotten season tickets to the National Capitals game and ds refuse to stay home last night.  He was going no matter what.  He was at Target buying bandage supplies today and he got different color bandages to match his jerseys.  Hahaha.

Sunday we had such a fun family day.  Dd got us all together to see the new movie Courageous.  Okay, it was very funny and sad, too, but I do not think it was all that great.  It's got great reviews, but I think Fireproof was much better done.  After the movie we all went to Fridays to get a bite to eat.  Then today my son cuts his hand open.  You never know what a day brings.

Saturday my next door neighbors got married.  They've been living together for about three years so it's nice to see them finally become husband and wife.  She has waited for her wedding for sure.  I suppose every girl does.  For their honeymoon they have gone to Arizona. 

Tomorrow I have to run errands and I really need to clean the house.  Dh and I are gonna be busy making outdoor cat houses and working on the basement.  :)

Until next time...

Ds's 30th Birthday

I just can't believe that my beautiful son is now 30 years old.  You wouldn't think he was looking at him...he has a baby face and is very skinny.  He could probably pass for 18 at least.  I know at times he still is carded.....which I have to laugh about.  He's birthday was on the 27th, but he was working so we had his celebration last night.  We went to his house and took him out for Chinese Food.  He opened some presents before we left and we got back to his place we had and Oreo Ice Cream cake.  Yum. 

He bought a wig for his Halloween costume...he had to wer it for some of his birthday pictures!  hahah

Another Anniversary!!

I can't believe another anniversary has rolled by.  Just seemed like it was a few months ago that dd took us to the Cheesecake Factory for our 32nd anniversary.  This year dd took us to Bertucci's where she gave us this very funny card. We had pizza and enjoyed dinning with each other...it's ALWAYS a treat to have dinner with our kids.  After eating we left the restaurant, got into dd's car because we were going to a few stores with her and as we were pulling out of the parking lot I realized I left my card at the table.  So dd had to turn around and she went into the restaurant to retrieve my card, but had to ask the manager because when dd went back to the table my card was gone!  LOL  Anyway, she did find it and I've carried it around in my purse since. 

Ds's birthday is next; I have to get with him to find out when he's got off so we can take him out to dinner OR I was thinking of making his favorite dinner.  He loves meatloaf with mashed potatoes and cheese over top of it.  I call it Shepherd's pie, but it doesn't have all the vegetables in it.  When he came back from Iraq both times that was his welcome home dinner. 

I'm proud of myself last night as we stayed home and I cooked dinner.  I have gotten out of the habit of cooking so bad I forgot how to do it.  I so want to cook more at home.  I miss some foods I cooked even though my cooking never compared to my mom's or my grandmothers!  Oh how I miss their cooking. 

So tonight for dinner I'm gonna look in my cookbooks for something nice to cook or since I need a grocery trip to stock up I'll have to put something together.  But that's okay.  I have to keep  reminding myself of how much money I'll be saving!  And that eating out has to be a Friday night treat instead of a way of life. 

Catching Up..a bunch of stuff

This post is gonna be a few different things.  First, we went to the Baysox game last weekend.  Of course our team lost AGAIN! LOL  Oh well, we had fun. 





It was the last game of the year so no more baseball games until next year!

Next, it was dd's 26th birthday.  My cousin took us all out to dinner for her birthday.  That was so nice of her.  It's not often we can get together and talk and have dinner.

My ds is ALWAYS making funny faces

Dd, my cousin and me

Then we went to ds's house so dd could open her presents.

So yesterday morning my dd called me.  She told me that the car dealership just two miles down the street from me was underwater.  Shocking!  I get on the internet and start searching and sure enough most of my town is underwater.  I've lived here for 33 years and we've had a little flooding from the rivers here in town but never, ever nothing like this.

This is the County Administration Building

This is the main street in our town

This is the main highway Rt 301

This is the dealership just 2 miles down the street from me.  I'm just glad that we have a town in the opposite directions that we can get to.  So, within the last two months we've had an earthquake, a hurricane and now flooding.  So, what's next?

Did I Mention?

I don't know if I mentioned going to the Baysox game a couple of weeks ago with dh's cousins.  He gets extra tickets and invites us.  I think he gets them free...at least it sounds like he does as he knows somebody that works there.  Anyway, Bowie Baysox is the minor league team for the Baltimore Orioles.  The stadium is about 10 minutes down the street from us.  Every few games they have fireworks which is always fun to watch.  Here's the pictures I took when we were there:

Dh and his cousin

Dh's cousin and me



My $5 lemonade!



Sometimes we buy hotdogs/drinks at the ballpark, but it's really expensive.  On this day it was very hot and I tried holding out, but this guy kept coming around with these lemonades and I just had to have one.  It wasn't really great, but it was good.  I'm gonna save my change this time so I can buy another one.  I think it's better than soda; I was told this is real lemonade.  Okay

I took these pictures on my ipod as I forgot my camera.  I was surprised how easy it was to get the pictures off the ipod.  I just plugged it into my computer and up came the camera program and it downloaded the pictures.  At least I didn't have to go through itunes to download them.  So now I might just use my ipod for picture taking if I need to.

I'm feeling better today, still not totally back, but I'm getting there.  Thanks to Vicks and throat spray...my cold didn't last so long this time.  Yeah!

Tomorrow night we are going to another Baysox game and dd is coming along.  Fun!  Batter up!

Still Not All There Yet

Well, I'm still not totally back to my old self; having runny nose and tight throat, but I'm really praying I will skip the coughing stage.  It's gonna be a busy weekend...Saturday we were invited to another Baysox game, dd is going with us, too.  So it's gonna be fun.  And this is dd's birthday weekend!  Our cousin emailed us and asked if she could take us all out to dinner for dd's birthday so we are going out maybe to Olive Garden on Monday.   Then maybe to our son's for dd's birthday cake and presents.  I still have to ask him if it's okay.  It's hard to believe my dd will be 26.  Wow! 

Then three weeks later it will be my son's birthday.  It's his big 30.  Wow, again. 

Under the Weather

I went a whole year without being sick, other than the episode I had when I ate at Long John Silver's.  I thought I was on a roll until last night when my nose started running and my throat was getting sore.  Well, actually last week I was sneezing, but we have been renovating the basement, so I thought that had something to do with it.  Maybe it has something to do with my sickness.  It doesn't matter because I'm sick and I'm a huge baby when I have a sore throat.  If I could be put to sleep for a week and wake up feeling good, I would, that's how much I hate being sick.  Today I've had to deal with chills, too.  I don't have tissues next to my bed, I have a roll of toilet paper.  That's a draw back from the days when I had little kids around.  We never had tissues, we always used a roll of toilet paper for our nose blowing needs.  However, it would be nice to have some Puffs tissued with soothing aloe in it.  My nose is already getting red and raw.  My ears tickle and my teeth are beginning to hurt. 

Dd got called into work at least twice this weekend.  A few hours ago he was at work and called me to let me know he was on his way home.  He asked if he could get me anything.  I said I wanted an egg salad sandwich from Wawa's.  Okay, I can still eat, but there are still alot of places around here that don't have electricity and he came home with a sweet tea and chocolate donuts.  Oh wow.  Then I asked dd if he would fill my cup up with ice for my sweet tea and he's what he did:

Okay, thanks dd.  But I wanted to close the lid.  LOL  Anyway, when the female is sick in the house she can't expect things to run smoothly.  I've been through this for 33 years.  I should know better by now.

Well, this is my life.  I'm tired.  I sleep, then wake up, then sleep, blowing my nose and spraying my throat in between.  This is gonna be my life for the next week and then the coughing will start...and let's just say I have leaky pipes and it's not pleasant to cough your head off and have leaky pipes. 

I now feel a headache starting.  Think I'll drink my tea, blow my nose and spray my throat....until later.