One More Sleep!

Tomorrow morning at 5:00AM, Stella and I are leaving for Boston! I'm dreading the flying experience with a dog in tow. I did take her to the vet for tranquilizers but don't know if I should give them to her or take them myself!
Three weeks with Alex and David! Can't wait!

Bad Boys, Bad Boys, Whatcha Gonna Do?

After supper tonight, Karter, Allison and the boys were in the living room while I was finishing up in the kitchen. Gage came racing out to the entry way and frantically put on his hat, mittens and a pair of red sunglasses. Then he ran back into the living room singing, "Bad boys, bad boys, whatcha gonna do?" He proceeded to take Jameson down, hollaring, "Get down, get down, put your hands behind your back!"

Uncle Paul would be proud! I think he watches "Cops" too much :)

Lunch with Grandma

I took Grandma to the cafeteria for lunch this afternoon. She always eats so well when I take food to her or take her downstairs. I go every other day and am really going to miss her while I'm in Boston. I hope she doesn't lose any of the weight she's managed to put on.
I'm going to ask Joe if he'll start going over more often and take her downstairs while I'm gone so she gets off the floor once in awhile. Poor thing, she gets tired of eating with the same women three times a day. I don't blame her. From what I can tell, none of them are all that with it anymore. Must be hard to try to carry on a conversation and they all seem to be hard of hearing too :(

Sunday Dinner at Grandma's

I had Bruce, Mom, Allison, Karter, Jameson and Gage over for dinner tonight.
We had fried chicken, mashed potatoes and gravy, buttered corn and Mom's homemade buns. Dessert was ice cream.
I love cooking for my family. I hope when I'm gone that my boys will always remember the love I cooked into all the meals they ate at my house.

Bon Jovi!!

At 9:55AM yesterday, I sat with my fingers poised over the keyboard, hitting refresh every few minutes. At 10:05 AM, I had eight tickets to the Bon Jovi concert at the Fargodome in April :) And they're pretty damn good seats too :)
Five hundred and sixty-eight dollars later, the Homemakers are going on a road trip!!! :)

By Request

Caramels

I usually make around 2,000 caramels during the Christmas season, package them and give them as gifties to my friends. This year because I'm going to Sarah's so early, I decided to forget the caramels.
Until Allison called and asked for some to give as teachers gifts. And Kathy said Jeff was asking whether I had given her any yet.
Soooooo, I made two batches yesterday afternoon. I cut and wrapped 200 of them last night. This morning, I bagged and ribboned them and now have 9 bags of caramels sitting on my counter.
It takes almost an hour of cooking and stirring per batch. Another hour and a half to cut up and wrap both batches and approximately an hour to bag and ribbon them. So, 4-1/2 hours into it, I'm done! :)

From the Mouth of Gage

Yesterday I had to pick the boys up and babyst them after school as their Day Care gal had a dentist appointment. I brought along a hot dish, deviled eggs and biscuits so that Allison wouldn't have to make supper when she got home.
As I was getting the biscuits in the oven, I asked Gage to go see what his Daddy was doing. He came racing up the stairs hollaring, "Grandma, he's downstairs and his butt crack is open!"
Seems Karter was naked and getting ready to get into the shower :)
He was dressed again and I assume his butt crack was closed when he came up for supper a little later :)

Rainy Days and Mondays

I had lunch with Grandma at the nursing home today. When I left I told her I'd be back on Wednesday. She said, "Well, at least I know you eat good when you're here."
Yeah, right! Like it's a treat to eat that awful food. But I guess she needs to think that she's the one being good to me :)
Whatever gets you through the night. I love you, Grandma!

Nothing Could be Further from the Truth!

So, the girls were here last night. Patty had had drinks with Paul's sister, Kim the night before. Seems Kim told Patty that she was surprised I broke up with Paul. And that she thinks that I loved him so much that I felt I was betraying Jim. She said she thinks by Feb I will be changing my mind about Paul.
UHHHH, NO!!!! The problem was I DIDN'T love Paul and never will.

Happy Hour

I'm once again hosting Happy Hour at my house tonight. On the menu is Buffalo Chicken Dip and Quesadillas. I also have the makings for bulldogs and have plenty of beer. I hope I get a good turnout, I need a good "gab session" with the girls.

Why do I feel like such a shit?

I broke up with Paul last night. It was hard to do. He's a nice guy, just not the guy for me. I felt smothered. He wanted to be with me all the time and I just couldn't handle it. Yes, it was nice to have someone to do things with but I didn't want to spend every waking moment with him. He was devastated. Not that I am such a wonderful catch but he doesn't have anything else going on in his life and he didn't see it coming. I feel like a weight has been lifted off my shoulders but at the same time, I feel awful for busting his bubble.
I always knew Jim would be a hard act to follow and I miss him more every day :(
Oh well, I guess I'm destined to be alone :(

It's so nice to have adult kids :)

I had lunch today with Grandma at the nursing home and stopped to visit Dad. It's so frigid and windy out that I came home right afterwards and changed into my sweats, planning to stay home for the rest of the day.
Then I got a hankering for a McDonald's cheeseburger and fries. Instead of braving the weather, I called Allison and bless her heart, she went through the drive-thru and picked them up and delivered them to me on her way home from work :)
How lucky am I that I have such a sweet daughter?

I hate colds!

I've been trying to shake a cold for the last week :(

Today I spent the day at Allison's watching the boys while she and Karter worked. They were quite good actually. I think it helped that Paul came out at about 11 and helped. We took them to Planet Pizza for lunch. I had Stella along with me and left her there for the night.

Paul and I are planning to go to Bismarck to do a little shopping tomorrow. Mostly, I just need to get some new dog toys but I'm looking forward to the alpine burger, fries and gravy from the Big Boy :)

Sunday at Grandma's

Jameson spent the day with me yesterday. He, Paul and Bruce all watched the last Nascar race of the season. Although Jameson and Paul's driver didn't win like they wanted, we all had a good time. Paul brought steaks from Charlies and thankfully, Bruce helped out because Paul isn't used to cooking on charcoal :) The steaks were perfect and Jameson ate a whole ribeye! Thank you Bruce!

Poor Paul, Jameson sticks to him like velcro :)

Stella @ Six Months

Stella is now 6 months old :) She is housebroken and rings the bells I have hanging on the doorknob when she needs to go outside. She knows sit, jump, no biting, no barking, no in general, get it, bring it, treat, laundry room (where I put her when I leave the house) and all gone. She also knows she isn't allowed to go downstairs and will sit at the top and bark if a toy accidently falls down the steps. And she doesn't follow anyone who goes down there either.

Now, if I could just get her to quit digging in the rocks in the front yard. Because she sleeps with me, she goes to the groomer every two weeks. She was just there 8 days ago but I had to give her a bath this afternoon because she was so dirty from digging in the rocks. It IS pretty funny to see those rocks fly when she digs though :)

UGH, laundry day

The bad news is that Stella got me up at 5:30 this morning. The good news is that I started my laundry right away and was all done by 11:15. It even included doing the bedding :)
Had lunch with Grandma at the nursing home today, had my yearly mammogram and saw Dr. Grubb this afternoon. He froze a wart off my arm and we scheduled a mole removal for January.
I'm ready to kick back on the couch for awhile. Paul is taking me out for dinner tonight so I can veg until he gets here :)

I hate...

Good old North Dakota! It was in the fifties yesterday, however, the wind was also in the fifties (miles per hour, that is!)! Looks like more of the same today. I hate wind!

I'm supposed to have lunch with Grandma today. I have a rotten cough so I'll have to cancel. I hate to do that to her because she looks forward to it :(

I hate that Thanksgiving is coming. Another holiday without Jim. I think I miss him more every day :(

Oh, What a night!

Jameson spent the night with me last night. Somehow, a kid who sleeps lengthwise across the bed and kicks is not condusive to a good night's sleep, even if you take Lunesta :(

Happy early Birthday, Gage!

We celebrated Gage's birthday a week early today. Paul & I went to the nursing home and checked my Grandma out so that she could come with. She got tired but it's nice to get her out of there once in awhile. Paul is so good to her and it's fun to see her flirt with him :) At 99, she's still got an eye for the men :)

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!

My Dad is 83 today, Allan is 38 today and Jason is 37 today. Love to you all!

Hairspray

I'm finally going to see this movie tonight. I waited for it to come this summer, but it never did. Oak Park, which shows second run movies is finally running it and Paul asked me to go see it :)
AND, he's taking me out for dinner afterwards :)

Happy Hour at my house tomorrow night. Megan will be in town and wants to party with the big girls. Hopefully, Anna willl be able to join us. On the menu for appetizers are Thai Chicken Salad on Ritz and homemade wontons with sweet and sour sauce. Yummmm, hope we have a good turnout.

Paul said it doesn't bother him if I want to have the girls over (of course, this means he can't come over then). I told him it didn't matter if it bothered him or not, I was still going to have them over. I enjoy spending time with him but he either fits into my life OR NOT. I will not settle or change what I like to do for him or any man. So there!!

Another cold, boring day in Paradise

Not much on the agenda today. I plan to go have lunch with Grandma at the nursing home and visit my Dad. And seeing as how Sarah got me hungry for pork roast last week, it's pork roast, roasted carrots and mashed potatoes and gravy for supper tonight.
Other than that, I'm going to hang out at home and keep warm :)

Congratulations Jeff & Val

Val was such a beautiful bride and they seem so happy together. We had a wonderful time at the wedding and Paul got to meet 5 more of the Homemakers, the lucky guy!

With a lot of love and luck, Jeff and Val will have a long, happy marriage like Jane and Marty's. They are still the happiest couple I know :)

Not a bad turnout for the Homemakers, seeing as how it was a seven hour drive for us. Back row, left to right: Me, Cindy (mother of the groom), Jane, Deb, Shirley and Patty. Front row, left to right: Marilyn and Maria.

Post Halloween

I had my Mom, Paul, Allison, Karter and the boys over for dinner last night. We had potato salad and homemade corndogs. The boys were very well behaved and were all fired up to go trick or treating.
Stella was very well behaved too when all the kids came to the door. Paul had her on her leash and she watched the kids through the door. After the first few groups of kids came, she quit barking at them and just sat and watched. She's turning out to be such a nice dog :)
Tomorrow morning, Paul and I are taking off for Willmar, MN for a friend's son's wedding. There will be quite a few homemakers there so Paul will finally get a chance to meet most of them :) Lucky guy!!
I'm curious to hear what they all think of him.
The wedding is Saturday night, so we won't be back until Sunday. These weekend trips are getting to be a habit. I like that Paul is always up for a road trip... not to mention the fact that he prefers to drive over riding :) I like riding :)

I only want a good night's sleep!

So, I go to the doctor yesterday and get a new prescription for sleeping pills. I take said prescription to the drug store and after waiting almost an hour... when they said 15-20 minutes, I find that my insurance company only allows 14 pills in a 25 day period. What the HELL? Plus, they charged me $22 for the 14 pills. If the prescription says, take one every night, wouldn't a sane person assume you need 25 for a 25 day period?? And if they're that expensive after running it through insurance, why am I carrying it in the first place??
The drug store said to have my doctor call the insurance company. So, I called them when I got home. They gave me a number for my doctor to call to have it adjusted in my file. Hmmmm, so they have a policy in place to allow only 14 per 25 day period and all a doctor has to do is call them to have them change it. Why have the stupid policy in the first place?? Meanwhile, I just want to ensure I'll be able to sleep when I go to bed.

Why is it?

That a person never remembers that your oven needs to be cleaned until you go to use it? I actually surprised myself today and remembered to turn the self clean on so the cleaning lady can wipe it out tomorrow. I bet she'll be impressed :) NOT!

Halloween Preparations

I made a batch of caramels yesterday and spent the morning today cutting, wrapping and packaging them. They're for my friends.
Today I'm cooking potatoes and eggs for potato salad and I'm making homemade corndogs to go with it. The boys will have that for dinner tomorrow night before Trick or Treating. Of course, Allison, Karter, my Mom and Paul will be included. I think I'll skip dessert :)

Weekend Update

Friday was a nice relaxing day. Paul took me to lunch and we did a few errands. Then he helped me get the new bedskirt on my bed. I'm loving the new paint color in there and my new bedding. We found new lamps and I'm on the lookout for pictures and a decorative curtain rod, but I love it so far. Now my bathroom looks a little tired but when we go to Wilmar, MN for a wedding next weekend, Paul promised to stop and shop in Fargo :)

Saturday, Paul picked up a few things for me so I was able to stay in my robe and jammies until 4PM :) Love being lazy! I did clean, slice and get some chicken in a Thai peanut sauce to marinate and made a batch of chicken quesadilllas for my freezer. I got cleaned up and we me his niece, brother and sister and their spouses for dinner at Speedway :)

Sunday, we went to the Burlington Fire Department's pancake breakfast. Karter is such a cute fireman :)
I made cookies in the afternoon and then we met his family at St. Leo's for their annual turkey dinner. Came home feeling like a stuffed turkey!

Today, it's back to the old routine. Doctor appointment this morning and then a little shopping for Paul's birthday tonight. Thai peanut chicken skewers and rice for dinner. We're saving the birthday cake for Wednesday when the boys will be here for Halloween dinner so it's apple turnovers for dessert.

Friday Happy Hour

Happy Hour will resume at my house tonight!

Summer time is not conducive to Happy Hour so it was temporarily suspended. Then, Paul arrived on the scene with Fridays off so Happy Hour hasn't been happening. I've heard a few rumblings amongst the troops so once again, the bar will be open tonight. I made fresh mushroom pate and Patty is bringing an appetizer as well. I've got beer, the fixings for Bull Dogs and lots of ice.

Let the fun begin!

Quiet Wednesday night... HAH!

Paul worked late so we'd plan to have a light, late dinner here. Yeah, right! Five minutes after he showed up, Allison brought the boys for me to watch for 45 minutes. Jameson sat on Paul's lap and Gage sat on mine and each helped us eat our dinner, even though they'd had eaten before they came. Then the race was on and loud escalated to ear shattering quite quickly. Gage was so wound up, he started coughing and ended up puking on my living room carpet. The same carpet I had cleaned three weeks ago :( Allison, with impecable timing showed up to take them home just as I finished cleaning it up. That was the longest 45 minutes I've endured in quite some time.

The painters are coming today to paint my bedroom turquoise. I bought all new bedding and plan to get lamps and such later this week. The hunt is still on for pictures. Stella is going to the groomer this morning while I go to the beauty shop, then it's off to my Mom's until the painters are done. I hope the fumes aren't too bad tonight but if they are, we'll sleep in the basement in the spare bedroom. Sucks there's no bathroom down there :(

We had a fabulous weekend, at least I did! Got to see Paul's old girlfriend, who looked like shit! :) And met his best friends, who were a blast! Nice time, can't wait to go again!

Weekend Plans

Paul's ex-girlfriend's daughter is getting married on Saturday... in Appleton, Wisconsin. He was asked to be in the wedding. Quite an honor, I'd say. Soooo, we're going to the wedding. I will be under the microscope however, so the hunt was on for a spectacular dress. Lo and behold, I found one and in Minot, no less!!! I'm sure that no matter what I wear, I'll somehow NOT measure up :) I WILL be comfortable and confident in my new dress though :) Wish me luck!

Overnight at Grandma's part two

Last night was Jameson's turn :) We went out for dinner, he had a long bath and went to bed very well. However, he was awake at 4:30AM and I had a hard time convincing him to go back to sleep. We got up at 6:00 :(
He'd had a bloody nose during the night so my bedding is in the wash. We've got a big day planned, including lunch with Grandma Roll and his Mom at the nursing home, getting paint for my bedroom, getting him a haircut, a stop at Target and then we'll rent movies for this afternoon. Whew, this Grandma stuff can be very tiring!

Early Thanksgiving

Allison requested a turkey dinner for today so turkey it is! Along with mashed potatoes and gravy, cornbread and bacon stuffing, green beans with cheese sauce and chocolate turtle cookies for dessert. Allison's family, Bruce, Mom and Paul are coming for dinner and Paul's going to pick Grandma up at the nursing home so she can have dinner with us too. Should be chaos around here for a few hours.

Meeting his Mom

Paul took me to Van Hook to meet his Mom and StepDad yesterday. It went well and tonight I'm meeting his Dad's side of the family. I already met his Dad but tonight his StepMom and some Aunts and Uncles will be there along with two of his siblings and their spouses and kids. I've met his brother and his wife and have been friends with his sister and BIL for years so it should be pretty relaxed, thank goodness :)

Overnight at Grandma's

Gage spent the night with me Tuesday night. I wish I had half the energy he does. He was up at 4AM for a little conversation but finally went back to sleep and slept until 7AM. We spent the morning doing errands and then met his Mommy at the nursing home to have lunch with Grandma Roll. If his Mother hadn't stolen my card reader, I'd post a picture of him sitting on his Great-Great Grandmother's lap in the wheel chair on our way to the cafeteria. He was the center of attention over there and that's just the way he likes it. I dropped him at Day Care at 1:30 and was shell-shocked the rest of the day :) I'm sure it was business as usual for him.

Weekend

The races were rained out Friday night, so I saw my first World of Outlaws race Saturday night. We had perfect 84 degree weather for it too! Quite unusual for October in Minnesota. Don't know if I'll ever be a huge fan but I enjoyed it and Paul was thrilled I went with. The rest of the weekend went particularly well and we're still talking to each other after three days together :) Hello?? He treats me like a queen, who wouldn't be thrilled??

Paul bought the boys (and me too) a T-shirt from the races and promised them he'd take them to some next summer when they come to Minot. Sounds like he's planning to stick around for awhile :) Fine by me :) I really like him. He's trying to talk me into going to Phoenix with him in Feb and I just may. Depends if Kathy's going to be there then. She usually is so it may just work out very well. He's got relatives there to visit and of course his only child lives there. Wonder what she'll think of me? She and Paul are extremely close and talk to each other at least once a day. She's 26 so at least she's got some maturity going on.

Bless Allison's heart, she had dinner for us when we got home last night and a fresh homemade apple pie. She's a sweetie and Paul thinks she is too :)
It's a gray Monday out there but I'm happy and content. I'm trying to enjoy each day as it comes and so far, it's working...

Off to the races!

We're going out for dinner tonight and then early tomorrow morning, we're taking off for the races in Princeton, MN.

DQ

Fortunately, Paul and I share a love of fast food. He had new shocks put on his car today and wanted to drive it on the highway for a bit to check them out and asked me to go along for company. We stopped at the Dairy Queen for burgers afterwards. Mmmmm, love them onion rings :)

The weekend

Friday, Paul and I did errands in the afternoon. Sure is nice to have company when doing such mundane things. Afterwards, he took me out to dinner :)

Saturday, we drove to Bismarck. It was a beautiful, sunshiney day and we were able to find the turquoise shower curtain I was looking for... at the first place we looked!

We both got new shoes, Paul got new jeans and a couple of shirts and we had lunch at the Big Boy. Always a highlight in my Bismarck shopping experience and I've turned Paul on to their fries and gravy :)

After we got home, Allison dropped the boys off for a few hours so she and Karter could go out for dinner with friends. It's sure nice to have help when I've got the boys. By the time Allison got back to pick them up, they were curled up on the couch alongside Paul & Stella, watching monster trucks on TV.

Today, I'm going to have dinner with my Grandma at the nursing home. Paul is going to watch the game with his Dad and Brother. I plan to bake cookies this afternoon and Paul will be coming up to try a new recipe I found for supper :) He's a great guy and I'm sure enjoying my time with him.

Stella's Big Day

After spending the morning at the groomer's, Stella went to the nursing home to visit. She got to see Grandma, my Dad and Alta Hove (Lerri's mom). Plus she got a lot of loving and hugs from the staff. She's sleeping "like a dog" now :)
Paul's coming to see her tonight. I haven't figured out if it's Stella or me he comes to see but every time he calls, he asks how she is and if she misses him.

Telephone call

Me: Hello?
Jameson: Grandma, when can we come to your house for supper? Can we come tomorrow night?

So, instead of my Mom and Paul coming for dinner tonight, Allison, Karter, my Mom, Paul , Jameson and Gage are coming :) Should be chaos as usual when they're all here. It'll be baptism by fire for Paul. Hope he's up for it :) Guess I'll have to cook an extra chicken.

Thank you, Chuck!

So, Mom and I started to pack up Grandma's apartment today. I did the kitchen and living room and Mom did the bathroom and utility closet. We carried a ton of stuff to the dumpster and packed the other stuff. Sad to see a life in boxes. The only room left is her bedroom. Long morning.

This afternoon the doctor at the hospital called and said he wasn't so sure Grandma should go to a nursing home. Couldn't she go home and have someone stay with her? Or could she go to an assisted living place? Uhh, no. Number one is that she can't afford assisted living and there's no one who can take care of her 24/7. Mom's an only child, eighty years old and has a husband in the nursing home for Pete's Sake! Doesn't he know that we've already considered the options? Just because Grandma said she could take care of herself, doesn't mean she can. She also says she's been widowed for 14 years. Try 60!!!

At any rate, Mom put a call in to Grandma's doctor (Chuck) who amazingly said that she belongs in a nursing home. DUH! Someone oughta slap that other doctor. I wish I knew who it was so I could do it myself.
UGH, today sucked!

Visiting Institiutions

Not only did Paul and I go visit Grandma yesterday, we also stopped at the nursing home to visit Dad. Both Grandma and Dad seemed to like him and he actually thought they were both cool people :) Grandma surprisingly didn't make any off the wall comments that embarrassed me, although she did tell him I have more purses than Carter has liver pills ;) And at least it gives Paul a little insight into who I am.
We have plans to get together Tuesday night and next weekend he's taking me to Bismarck to look for the evasive shower curtain I've been on the hunt for.

I'm going to help Mom clean out Grandma's apartment today and tomorrow and then plan to start searching for a new dining room table later this week. I'd like to get a counter-top height one, if I can only find it in the color wood and style I want. Wish me luck!

Fun Weekend

Paul picked me up Friday afternoon and we went out to Patty's and picked apples, stopped at my Mom's so she could meet him and then were off to the movies. We saw the new Jodi Foster movie and both enjoyed it. Then we came back here for a quick bite to eat and made the dough and filling for a batch of apple turnovers. There's something about a guy who'll stand side by side with you at the kitchen sink peeling apples :) To me, that's romance and I love the companionship.

Yesterday he came over early and kept me company while I made a Mexican feast. Jane and Marty joined us for dinner and we all had a great time. Marty and Jane both remembered Paul from our younger days and hit it off beautifully. Jane took me aside at one point to tell me that Paul's a keeper :) I think I already knew that :) After they left, Paul stayed for quite awhile, visiting and helping me get things around here back in order.

Today he's coming over and we're goig to be making approximately 60 apple turnovers for the freezer. Lucky guy! Although I have to say that he seems to enjoy being my sous chef. And he most certainly enjoys the fruits of our labors. We plan to go visit my Grandma this afternoon and I did warn him that I am not responsible for anything she says to him. God only knows what that'll be :)

I'm having such a good time hanging around with him and he says he's really enjoying our time together too. In fact, he's asked me to go to Minnesota with him for a race in early October :) This is all a little on the scary side for me but I'm enjoying every minute of it. And Stella is getting quite attached too :)

A man in the house :)

Paul came over after work last night for awhile. Sure is nice to have a relaxing evening with a guy around. He unloaded all the bottled water out of my car that I bought a few days ago. Sure nice to have a guy around to do the heavy stuff. He's such a nice guy and very easy to have around. I'm beginning to really like it :)

We're going to a movie tonight, up to visit my grandma this weekend, taking his Harley to Patty's to pick apples and are having Marty & Jane over for dinner Saturday night. I'm anxious to see how well he gets along with them. They're important to me so that should be a big test. I mentioned going to Bismarck to look for a shower curtain and he said it sounded like a good reason for a little road trip. I just need to find someone to watch Stella. It's a little scary how well he's fitting in to and rounding out my life.

Dear Shylah :)

I spent 4 hours yesterday shortening a bridesmaid dress for my niece, Shylah. It's a good thing she's one of my favorite people in Jim's family :)
The dress was Pepto-Bismal pink and had three layers. The top layer was a filmy chiffon and one big bitch to work with.
The good news is that she'll look beautiful (although she'd look beautiful with or without the dress!) and won't be tripping up the church steps in a dress that's over 4 inches too long. The bad news is that I will not be volunteering to hem her wedding dress :)
Love ya, Kiddo!

So Sad

They could find nothing medically wrong with my Grandma. She continues to have some periods of lucidity amid all the confusion. Nevertheless, she will no longer be able to live alone. She was transfered to the Psychiatric floor yesterday until they find a bed for her at the nursing home. I told her they needed the bed she was in for someone else and that they were just going to transfer her to a different room in a different building. No need to tell the poor old girl she was going to the looney bin for awhile. What's amazing is that she was able to stay in her apartment all these years by herself. At 99, she deserves to have someone else looking out for her. I love you Grandma!

I just like listening to you talk

Paul called last night and after prattling on about Stella, I said, "you must be tired of hearing me talk about my dog." He said he just liked listening to me talk. Good answer! :)

At any rate, I have a date for Friday night and Saturday with him. I'm thrilled. I really like him :)

Did You Get New Teeth??!!

Sunday night, Allison called. My 99 year old Grandma had called her and thought Alex (who lives in the Boston area) was at her house and kept hiding from her. My Mom and I went to see what was going on and she was really looney. Hauled her to the ER where she entertained the whole waiting room for several hours. She had lost her hearing aid so was talking extremely loud and commenting on the other people in the room. Then, out of the clear blue, she looked at me and asked, "Did you get new teeth?" "No, Grandma, I've had these teeth since second grade." (I'm 54!) How she ever had her wits about her to call Allison, I'll never know.

They kept her there and Monday morning she swore she and I had played Bingo the night before. She was mad because she'd lost some money and was sure my Mom had stolen it :) If you didn't laugh, you'd cry. Poor Grandma! She's got all the nurses charmed and her labs and everything else are coming back amazingly within normal range. She seems to be very healthy but a bit whacked out. Probably small strokes. The sad part of it is that she'll never be able to live alone again. And she's always said she'd never go to a nursing home. Just proves you can never say never :(
Although she and my Mom are close, they're like oil and water so I'm going to have to be the poor sap that breaks the nursing home news to her :(

Uh, Oh! There Goes The Neighborhood!

The nosy couple across the street were gone most of the weekend. I was rather relieved they weren't around to speculate on Paul's comings and goings. But I had to giggle to myself to see Mr. Nosy walking out his door when Paul and I came roaring up the street and into my driveway on his big 'ole Harley. And for as much as Jim despised this particular neighbor, I couldn't help but think that he was up there chuckling too :)

Saturday Night Date

Paul cooked dinner last night. If he was trying to impress me, nice thick ribeyes from Charlie's was a good start:)
Today he's taking me for a ride on his Harley. Or as Jameson and Gage call it, big fat hog. I'm cooking dinner tonight. Hope he's impressed with walleye :)

3:10 to Yuma

I had a movie and dinner date last night. Good movie, good dinner and super nice guy :) He's making me dinner tonight :)
Stella liked him too. Oh, and this guy IS taller than I am :)

Chaos at Grandma's

Allison, Jameson, Gage and my Mom had dinner here last night. Good old Fall type dinner of roast pork, mashed potatoes & gravy, roasted carrots and biscuits. Cherry Turnovers for dessert. Mom went home but Allison and her gang spent the night because their house was being painted. Karter breezed in after a meeting to a dark and quiet household. Apparently he heated up leftovers and hit the sack. Bless his heart, his dishes were rinsed and in the sink this morning :)

We were up and at 'em at 6AM. Yyyyaaawwwwnnn!! :) Jameson wanted breakfast burritoes for breakfast and Gage of course wanted pancakes. God forbid they want the same thing. They ate everything on their plates and the dishes are done. Couldn't sell breakfast to either Allison or Karter however. They're all gone now to work, school and day care.


Stella has a groomer's appointment at 10:00 and the carpet cleaners are coming at 11:00. Stella and I will be spending the night at my Mom's tonight to let the carpet dry. I decided that seeing as how we haven't had any accidents for a couple of weeks and she's asking to go outside, she is officially house trained! She was 4 months old on Tuesday. YAY Stella!!! Time to have the carpet cleaned! :)
I'm predicting a much calmer and quiet evening tonight :)

Puppy Overboard!

I woke up at 3:12 AM to a soft thump. Stella had rolled off the bed :) I guess she'll learn the parameters of sleeping on a bed just like little kids do.

DONE!

Front closet............DONE
Dresser Drawers.....DONE
Grocery Shopping...DONE
Walk Stella..............DONE

And I added one more 36 gallon trash bag to the pile!

Yuck, cleaning!

I cleaned out my closet this afternoon and toted out THREE 36 gallon trash bags full of unwanted clothes, shoes and purses. Why the HELL do I save it all???
I love purses and whenever I get a new one, the old one gets put on the closet shelf. Not because I'm ever going to use it again but because... well... I love purses.

And why did I have three pairs of red sandals?? I never wear red sandals, but I always think I need them. And lipstick pink sandals that have never been worn... really, what the HELL was I thinking?? I don't have any clothes that match them and never did. But they ARE cute! :) It's a sickness and... well... I love shoes too. I hate to admit it, but I cleaned out that closet about a year ago.

Tomorrow I'll tackle my front closet (I probably have twenty pairs of sandals hiding there too) and my dresser drawers. And did I happen to mention I love panties too???
Hmmmm, maybe I love purses, shoes and panties because they're the only things that always fit. Yeah, that's it! :)

Dinner

I made a shrimp and macaroni salad this morning and picked up 6 big ribeyes, garlic toast and corn on the cob at B&D. I'm bringing it all along with Mom and Stella out to Allison's tonight. Karter's going to man the grill and Mom is bringing carrot bars for dessert. YUM! Nothing like a good grilled steak and B&D always has great steaks!

Who's here??

I'm loving the program Sarah installed on my computer. It tells you who is reading your blog. It's fun to check and see where everyone is from and it's also cool to see how many readers are "regulars." So, hello to all you blog readers out there :) Bet you thought you were anonymous didn't you??

Dinner with three handsome men :)

Too bad it was two of my grandsons and one of my son-in-laws, although the youngest two are always good for a little snuggling :)

Teddy Bear on a Leash

An old guy stopped to pet Stella while we were out for a walk this evening. He said, "You have a teddy bear on a leash."
Yeah, except teddy bears don't have wicked gas. Phewwwww, Stella!!

Miss Stella G had a bath :)

She came home all muddy from her walk so she got a scrubbing. She now smells like Apple/Pear and is all fluffy again.

Betty Lou's in town :)

Had a nice time catching up with him at the Barley Pop last night.
Thank you Allison for babysitting :)

Labor Day BBQ

Bruce, Mom, Grandma, Stella and I were all invited to Allison & Karter's tonight for a BBQ. I love BBQ and since Jim died, I don't get it much anymore. Can't wait!

It was a three walk day :)

Gage and I took Stella on a long walk this morning. Later this afternoon I took her for another and then this evening, we went again :)
She's getting better at not trying to run ahead and I'm getting some excercise :)
Plus, she's one tired little girl tonight :)
I think last night if I hadn't had to get up and use the bathroom at 5:00AM, she would've slept through the night. Too bad I can't make it through a whole night without getting up. If I could, I'd have a better chance of her sleeping straight through.
Oh well, with Lunesta, going outside in the middle of the night is just a foggy memory in the morning :)

Little Boys, Big Pitas

And no, I don't mean P.I.T.A. Welllllll... maybe I do :)

A tired puppy is a good puppy

I took Stella for a long walk this afternoon. By the time we got back, her tongue was longer than her tail. Except it wasn't curling over her back :) She had a looooong nap afterwards.

I invited my Mom over for dinner tonight, so after I put it in the oven, I took Stella for another walk. I was hoping she'd sleep while we ate dinner. We walked several blocks and I had every intention of going to the end of our street and back up before we hung up the leash. However, Stella had other plans. Once she spotted our house, that was it. She laid down on the grass and refused to budge. Interesting, seeing as how our condo is identical to all the others for 2 blocks down and two blocks over. I guess my little girl knows where she lives. Is that kind of like learning your address when you're a little kid?

BTW, she did sleep during dinner and is still conked out :)
Maybe I should take her out walking again before bed so she'll sleep through the night without having to get up for a potty break. My luck, she'd just be too tired to get up and would pee my bed.

Grandma???

"Daddy's not home, so can you bring Stella to our house cuz we wanna play wiff her?" said Jameson in his best whiney, 5 year old voice.

I did and they did :)

Good Girl!

I hung bells on my door Monday morning. All day yesterday, every time I took Stella out to potty, I used her paws to ring the bells before we went outside. Today, she rang the bells four different times when she needed to go outside :)
Too bad kids aren't this easy to train!

Hard at Work

Mike worked while Shirley and I took a coffee break ;)

Weekend

Stella spent the weekend with Allison, Karter and the boys. I spent the weekend with Mike and Shirley at their cabin at Indian Hills. We both had a great time! :) I picked Stella up just in time to join the Lesmanns and their company for dinner. Allison cooked spaghetti, cheesy garlic toast and had a huge salad. Very tasty!! The kid can cook when she wants to!

My contribution was a quick stop at the DQ on the way out there for Buster Bars and Red, White and Blue Star Kisses. When we left, 4 little boys had blue faces. Stella enjoyed giving Gage a goodbye kiss :)

Dear Jim,

Even with all the odds stacked against you, you still won the bet. It's not fair. I'll always love you and miss you.

Stella & Gage

Gage takes a quick time out for a little thumb sucking but Stella gets a run for her money when he stops to visit. She's such a good girl, she doesn't snap or growl at him when he picks her up... even when he's got her around the neck. YAY, Stella!! I'm so pleased that she's ok with being manhandled, errrr... boyhandled :)

Bring it

Stella loves to play fetch. Only we call it "bring it." I close the door to my bedroom and sit under the dining room window, wind up and throw her ball all the way to the door. She runs her little heart out and gets the ball and brings it back to me. Then she has a nice, long nap. We're now working on "drop it" :)

Two years ago today...

my world stood still :(
Life sucks!

And the EYES have it!!

Never mind the runny nose, who could resist a pair of eyes like this?

Holy Haircut, Batman!!!

It's just hair and it'll grow back but remind me next time Stella goes to the groomer to ask for a 1 and NOT a 2!

Gage still loves her though :)

Treat Whore!!

So, Stella had her appointment with the vet on Thursday. Dr. Thunshelle always gives her treats to distract her while he's giving her shots. He remarked that she was very "treat driven." I told him it was indeed a treat because I don't give her many. He then suggested that I give her lots of treats. Any time she does what I want, I should treat her. Going potty, sitting, etc. He said that's what he'd do.
OK, then.
Before Thursday, we were doing quite well on the potty training, except that she didn't bark to go out to pee. Just to poop. I took her out on a regular basis and she was learning to pee on command however. But I still wanted her to bark to go out so I wouldn't have to watch her so close anymore.
So, I decided to take his advice and started treating her every time she pees or poops outside.
Great, she's now barking to go out to pee.... EVERY. FIVE. MINUTES!!!! And I can't ignore her bark at the door cuz you just know, the time I do, she'll have to go really bad and have an accident.
Interestingly enough, she always pees when I take her out or maybe she's just posturing?? Heck if I know and I WILL NOT run my hand under her to see if she's wet.
I've now resorted to giving her a 1/4 of a tiny training treat. By the way, she loves the peanut butter flavored ones best :) Tomorrow we're cutting back on the treats and using just verbal praise as before.
The good part is that she is barking to go out to pee.
Dr. Thunshelle, I love ya man and think you're a great vet, but you've created a MONSTER!!!

Sit, Stella

We've been working on sit today and I'm proud to say my little girl is a quick study. Of course, 5 billion treats didn't hurt :)

Strawberry, here I come!!

Why is it that if you're dressed and ready to go somewhere, you invariably spill food on your clothes?? Of course if I'd just had grubby clothes on, nothing would've spilled. Ahhh, must be another of ole Murphy's laws, huh?

At any rate, my cooler's packed, I filled up with gas, Stella's spending the night with her sister and as soon as my shirt is dry, I'm heading out! :)
I love me some girlfriend time!!

Hmmm...

So, I had a date yesterday. A very nice guy, easy to talk to, likes to have fun and not bad looking. I could only find one thing I didn't like too much so far... he's shorter than I am :( Didn't seem to bother him but I haven't decided where I stand on the deal.

A big plus was that Allison, Karter and the boys stopped over while he was here. Jameson crawled up on his lap and laid his head on his shoulder. Now had Gage done it, I wouldn't have thought much about it BUT Jameson is just not that comfortable with people when he first meets them. Like I said, Hmmmm....

Happy Birthday David James!!!

One year ago today I got to hold you for the first time. It's hard to believe that it's already been a year. Grandpa Aiken would've been so proud of you! Hope you have a wonderful day, little sweetie!!

Potty Training Breakthrough?

Stella seems to know what I want when I take her outside. It's been many days since we've had an accident. However, I believe I'm the one that's trained. I take her out regularly and she does her business but up until today, she hasn't asked to go outside.
This morning, she actually went to the door and barked. I immediately took her out and she peed. TWICE!!
I sure hope this continues!!

But seriously, she's only been here for 3 weeks and we've had less than 10 accidents in the house. I think she's doing pretty damned good. And she's learning to fetch a ball. She's bringing it back to me about 80% of the time :)

And the biggie is that she definitely knows who she belongs to :) She follows me everywhere :)

PSA to Men in Cars

When you drive by a woman in a bathrobe @ 4AM who is out pottying her dog, DO NOT drive slowly, roll down your window and try to engage her in conversation! You'll scare the shit out of her!
End of message.

Strawberry

It's that time of the year again! Yep, you guessed it, STRAWBERRY!!!! As many Homemakers that can make it show up for three days of good food, good drinks, and good friends! No men or kids allowed! We usually solve MOST of the world's problems :)

The planning meeting is at Patty's tonight and the phone calls will start flying the closer we get. This year we're going against tradition and will go down on a Sunday. Normally we do Wednesday through Friday but because Jennifer's son is getting married August 10, we had to adjust the time. August 12-14 it is :)

I've never missed a Strawberry, and have even brought TPN on two different occasions. Because of Stella G, however, this year I will be going for the days only and driving back each night. I have no one to leave her with, she's too little to be kenneled, and the cabin owners do not like dogs. I will bring her with me but won't let her in the cabin and will clean up after her so they won't even know she was there. Actually, I would clean up after her anyway but out of courtesy, I just can't allow her in the cabin. Which means, I won't be going in either. Sure hope the weather is nice :)

Joining In

A- Available or married? Available
B- Best gift to give? Time
C- Cake or Pie? Cake, butter, yellow cake
D- Drink of Choice? Golden Margaritas
E- Essential Item? Money
F- Favorite Color? Red to wear, otherwise, purple
G- Gummi Bears or Worms? Neither
H- Hometown? Minot, ND
I- Indulgence? Alaskan King Crab
J- January or February? January, it's my birthday month
K- Kids & names? Allison 34, Sarah 31
L- Life is incomplete without? Love
M- Marriage Date? April 28, 1972
N- Number of Siblings? 4
O- Oranges or apples? Oranges
P- Phobias/Fears? The dark
Q-Favorite Quote? "If you're going to walk on thin ice, you might as well dance."
R- Reason to Smile? 4 grandsons
S- Season? Fall
T- The last thing you returned? A ham :)
U- Unknown fact about me: I can't go to bed with dishes in the sink
W- Worst habit? Smoking, but I'm working on it and can say I ALMOST have it beat
Y- Your favorite food? Alaskan King Crab
Z- Zodiac? Aquarius

Join in if you have a blog, it's fun!

For Lindsey :)

Hey Lindsey!!

Here are the latest of my new baby. She just had a drink of water so her muzzle is soaking wet. ENJOY! :)

P.S. I wish you lived closer so you could puppy-sit Stella G when I go on my cruise in January.

Stubborn, meet Stubborn :)

Potty training is going quite well as we haven't had an accident since Wednesday night. Stella seems to be pretty smart and gets what I want her to do. Now if I can just get her to ask to go out.
She's also quite a stubborn little girl. If she doesn't want to do something, she plants her little butt and refuses to move. Guess she found the right home. Luckily for me, she's too little to outstubborn me :)

Jameson & Gage

Allison and her boys met us for dinner last night. They were all spiffed and shined and were very well behaved. Gotta love a guy who can wear pink, huh?

I STAND CORRECTED :)

Alex is on his FOURTH Harry Potter book, not his third as previously reported :)

Book Worms

Alex is reading the third Harry Potter and Sarah is reading the seventh and final one. It amazes me that 6 year old Alex is reading the same series as his 31 year old mother.

UGH!

We've had temps in the 100's for the last few days and my lawn is buring up! Although, they checked the sprinkler system in May, they didn't do anything about the broken one in my area until the 16th of July. I called asking about it on the 7th as the lawn was already burning up. It's been very hot here for weeks now. I am beyond pissed about it all. The president of the association told me that grass doesn't die, it goes dormant but I'm here to tell you, mine is DEAD!!! Yes, we had a lot of rain in May but it needs water NOW and has needed water for over a month! People are asking why my grass is dead. I didn't move into a condo so I could pay fees and have dead grass! I plan to go to the annual meeting in January and bitch!! This is ridiculous. The association across the street has beautiful lawns which make mine look even worse. If Jim were still alive, he'd have been livid over the whole situation. UGH!!

HAPPY EARLY BIRTHDAY DAVID!!!

We celebrated David's birthday two weeks early so his North Dakota relatives could attend. Bruce, Carol, Grandma Phyllis, Auntie Allison, Uncle Karter, Alex, Mommy, Austin, Jameson, Gage, Grandma Kathy, Emily, Uncle Joe, Auntie Shari, Matthew and Matthew's friend, Lucas were there to help eat cake. David made quite a mess.

Ladies Who Lunch

Sarah and Allison took all the boys to Splash Down Dakota for the afternoon. Mom, Carol and I went to Up The Creek for lunch. Stella got locked into the laundry room. I had a trophy margarita, Carol had a martini and Mom had a glass of wine. Mom and Carol went home for naps. Me? I want another margarita :)

Can I make you some breakfast?

So, I offer to make scrambled eggs, bacon and toast for breakfast this morning. Alex wants only toast with jelly. Grape jelly. OK, I can handle that. Being the good grandma, I go to the frig to get him some milk to go along with the toast. I noticed a glass with a built in straw in there with milk in it. I assumed it was left over from a previous meal. Alex drank it without a word. Later when Sarah looked for the formula she had made up for David's next bottle, she discovered I had served it to Alex. Poor kid.

David

Taking a little tour of Auntie's cabinet.














My, what BIG eyes you have.

Harry Potter

Alex attended a Harry Potter "thing" at the library today. They made a hat, some goop, glasses and a wand that was really a pretzel rod dipped in chocolate with sprinkles added. He's just finishing up the third Harry Potter book and is really enjoying them.

SARAH'S IN THE HOUSE!!!

It's wonderful to have all my kids at home :) Slamming doors, squabbles, noise, boys and all!
It sure makes me realize how old I really am. I don't tolerate the chaos as well as I used to. Actually, I don't think I ever did tolerate it much, but nevertheless, it's sure nice to have them all here at once. I know Jim would've loved every second of it. Wish he were here.

Can it be??

OK, I picked Stella up in Bismarck Thursday afternoon. I have dogged (no pun intended) her every step since then and she's had a total of two accidents. Pretty damn good if you ask me. Yesterday, she went potty only about half the times I took her out. No accidents but she didn't seem to know why I kept taking her out, took forever. Today, she's gone. every. single. time. I've taken her out AND has done it quite quickly each time. It's like it finally clicked :) I realize I still need to be hypervigilant but it's nice to know we're making progress.

I've been shutting her in the laundry room when I leave, where I have her crate and a few toys. The first two times, she cried horribly. She also was crying when I came home. I don't know if she cried continuously or not but I hope she settled down and then started crying only when she heard the garage door opening when I got home. Today when I left, she didn't cry when I put her in the laundry room. She wasn't crying when I returned either. More progress :)

2 MORE SLEEPS!!!

Sarah, Alex and David will be here on Monday!! I'm so anxious to see my boys and to have them here!! I'd better get busy washing sheets and cleaning the spare bedroom. They'll be in on the 4:00PM flight, maybe I should wait and let Sarah wash her own sheets. I think she'll have plenty of time before bed time, don't you?

Thumbs up from the vet :)

Stella had her first vet visit yesterday and she got a clean bill of health :) She gave Doctor Thunshelle a smooch right on the lips that earned her a treat. She's doing well with potty training and the only accident she's had was when Allison was watching her this morning. Oh well, I'm sure it won't be the only one.

Gage and Stella G

Jameson and Gage ran circles in the yard last night, with Stella G hot on their tails. They were all tuckered out afterwards and Gage has a new buddy.

Why didn't I think of that?

Me: Guess what? Stella will be here tomorrow.
Jameson: Is she coming on the airplane?
Me: Yes, she is.
Jameson: I don't want her to come on the airplane.
Me: She's so far away she has to fly here on an airplane.
Jameson: She could run.

Tomorrow's the day!!

I'm driving to Bismarck tomorrow morning to pick up Stella!! YAY!!! Amazingly, the breeder's daughter has now found a way to get up early enough to get her on the plane in Tampa by 8AM, kids, husband and full time job notwithstanding. Last Friday she said it wasn't possible. Stella will be arriving in Bismarck at 12:45. And yes, I have a confirmation number :)

Funny how things work, isn't it?

After about 15 e-mails back and forth over the weekend between the breeder's daughter and I, I think Stella is finally going to come home! First, it was the temperature problem. Then she couldn't get to the airport early enough because she has two kids and a full time job. Next she wanted me to go down there and get her which would cost me roughly $1,700. Then she wanted to ship Stella to Michigan where her Mom is via Delta airlines. Mom would then re-route her on NorthWest to Minot and I would have to pay for shipping on both airlines.

I reminded her that when I initially spoke to her Mom (before I sent the check to pay for the dog), she assured me that shipping NWA wouldn't be a problem. Daughter said she would have to talk to her Mom to see if she had any ideas but hadn't been able to get ahold of her yet. I then told her that when she talked to her Mom, to ask if I would be able to get the $2,000 refunded if I had to back out at this point.

Lo and behold, she has now found a flight!! Furthermore, she is also now able to get to the airport in Tampa early enough to get Stella on the early flight and I'll be picking her up in Bismarck at 12:45PM on Thursday afternoon :) I should've asked for my money back 14 e-mails ago. I just want my puppy.

Frustrated!!

I spent a lovely day at Metigoshe yesterday with Kathy & Jeff. Before I left I had an e-mail conversation with Stella's breeder. Seems they're having a hard time finding a flight for her plus the temperature has to be below 85 degrees for it to be safe to ship her. Because of the distance and because the only airlines that flies in here is NWA, she would have to be on a plane during the hottest times of the day :( Not good for a little 3-1/2 pound pup.

Today when I got home, I checked my e-mail to find that they still haven't resolved the problem. For me to fly down there to pick her up, it would cost $1514 for just the plane ticket. Plus a hotel room for the night and an $85 charge to bring Stella back in the cabin with me. Not happening. I've already paid $2,000 for her, I think they should be able to figure out a way to get her to me. When I initially talked to the breeder, she assured me that it'd be no problem getting her here. It's not looking so good :(

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, ALLISON!!!

Happy birthday, Sweetheart! Where did the last 34 years go?

Cookie Therapy

There's something therapeutic about making cookies. I've always loved to bake and every once in awhile, the mood hits. And when it hits, I don't usually make just one kind. So in preparation for Sarah and the boys' visit later this month, I've been baking cookies. I'll bet Alex and David will be pleased :)
So far, I've baked 6 dozen gingersnaps and 7 dozen oatmeal craisin cookies. I bought the ingredients for and still plan to make snickerdoodles, waffle turtle cookies, s'more clusters, peanut butter cookies and good old fashioned chocolate chip cookies. My freezer will soon runneth over. Of course wouldn't you know that when I talked to Sarah today, she said if it were her, she'd bake Grandma's frosted molasses cookies. Hmmm... ya think I should go get the ingredients for those too?

COUSINS

Jason's twins were in town this week and we all got together at Mom's last night. It's so much fun to watch them interact with Jameson and Gage. It usually takes about a half hour for Olivia and Sophia to warm up and then they're all off and running. Literally!
They've got the routine down pat:
Run from one end of the house to the other, loudly. Repeat until the adults holler. Ignore the adults and giggle uncontrollably. Run some more. Refuse to be caught. Throw in some squealing, and ratch the volume up. Repeat until the adults drag you home.
They all had a blast and for sure I know the boys slept well last night. I'll bet the girls did too. This Grandma sure did and I wasn't even running :)

No buts about it!

Jameson to me:" You look like a witch."
Me: No words, just a horrified, quizzical look on my face.
Jameson, backpedaling: "Uhhhh... with your hair and stuff."
Me: Still too surprised to speak.
Jameson, "But I love you anyway, Grandma."

My sister-in-law tried to spare my feelings and said he probably meant a good witch, like Glenda. Had he not added the BUT or ANYWAY into the last statement, I might have believed her just to make myself feel better. And I even had makeup on and had done my hair. Guess next time I won't bother...
Out of the mouths of babes...

Em & Elliott

Emily flew to Minneapolis yesterday and returned this morning with her new baby, Elliott.
She's such a little sweetie and Emily is totally smitten with her. She's a Dorky, half Yorky and half Miniature Dachshund and no bigger than a minute. First I'd ever heard of this combo but then what do I know?

Happy Birthday Bruce!!

Hard to believe you're 41 already! Where have all the years gone?

Eighteen more sleeps :)

I'm counting the days until Sarah, Alex and David get here! Eighteen more nights and I'll once again get to share my bed with Alex :) I'm sooooo glad he got his cast off. Maybe I'll come out of it minus the black and blue marks this time :)

Don't All Grandmas Carry Cameras In Their Purses?

I have to admit that I do get a few strange looks when I drop everything, dig in my purse for my camera and crouch down on my knees and start taking pictures of the boys. But when you hang out with adorable, active boys, you never know when the opportunity will present itself. Gage had way more fun on the playground than he did watching Jameson's T-Ball game last night. And Grandma got the knees of her jeans dirty along with those weird looks. Wouldn't you say the shots I got were worth the looks?

Bless His John Deere Green Heart!

Not only did he spend Sunday morning staining my deck, he also arranged for Economy Autoglass to come and get my car, replace the windshield and then bring it back today. Gotta love a guy like that! But the main reason I love Karter is because he is sooo incredibly good with my boys and loves them as his own :)
Here's to you, Karter!

Sharon and Gianna

How lucky I am to have such thoughtful friends! I got a package today from Sharon and Gianna (Stella's middle name is named after Gianna) Sharon had a beautiful necklace made for me. I got a little teary eyed when I opened it. I tried to take a picture of it but it just didn't work. Anyway, it's got two circle pendants on it with each of my girls' names on them. And in between the circles is a clear purple bead. It's so cute but hard to explain. Just wait until you see it though, you're going to be jealous! Thank you Sharon! I'll treasure it always!


The rest of the package contained stuff for Stella. CUTE stuff! A pink polka dotted leash, a pink harness, a red & purple stuffed bunny that squeeks, a purple ball that squeeks, a pink furry dog bone and a chewy toy that you hide a treat in. And the BEST thing of all is the card! The front of it says, "G" is for girlie!! Now who else but Sharon could find such a perfect card??

I'm about 110% positive that G had a big hand in picking it all out. She's a little sweetie who definitely knows what she likes and what she doesn't :) When I go visit them next year (that is IF they'll have me again) I'm going to bring Stella with me so she can meet her namesake. You can see by the picture what a good little shopper G is!

Stella's Haul

Now all I need is a puppy :)

Friday Fun

TGIF!!!

7:17 AM, phone rings... Jameson on the other end, "Grandma, can you come and get me and Gagey and take us to Day Care? Mommy's dizzy and can't drive."

Me: "MMMmmm, ok, let me get out of bed, get dressed, brush my teeth and I'll be there. Do you have Bible School today?"

Jameson: "Yes."

Me: "I'll be there as soon as I can."

I got there around 7:30. Bible School doesn't start until 9:00, so I took them to McDonald's for breakfast and let them play until 8:45. I got some cute pictures but I'm too lazy to go get my camera to upload them.

After we took Jameson to the church, Gage and I stopped at Miracle Mart so he could bring a treat for the kids at Day Care. Couldn't sell him on the push up idea either so he bought (actually, I bought) a bag of lollipops for each of the classes. Then on to Day Care for him. (I did ask when we got there, and yes, they have a freezer there so next time, THEY WILL GET PUSH UPS!!)

Came home, jumped in the tub, did my hair and make-up and returned to the church for the Bible School program at 11:00. It was cute and I got pictures :)
Afterwards, I took Jameson to Day Care and came home to finally put my feet up and read the paper.

At 2:00, I picked up my Mom and we drove to Bismarck. We went to Bread Poets and picked up some yummy bread and then on to Petsmart to get all the equipment I'll need for when Stella gets here. Afterwards, Mom treated me to dinner at the Texas Roadhouse. YUM! The drive back was uneventful.

I plan to take my phone off the hook, turn off my cell phone and sleep in tomorrow. I may even take two sleeping pills tonight! Darn good thing I don't have a job... when would I fit that in??!! I'm sure glad Bible School is over until next year!