Morons Hurt too

When I met my hubby I was thrilled to know he had kids but then disappointed to learn that he wasn't in their lives. I had always secretly hoped that one day this would change. Slowly this did change with the oldest, found the son and then the youngest found hubby. Things were starting to look like somewhat of a family. Not so distant after all. I guess with my experience of an absent mother, then a dreaded step mom, I learned to keep to myself and have found it very difficult to extend that closeness that some want. I do have a huge tender spot for the grandkids but most of the time feel like I am a fake, imposter, unwanted extra family member. Honestly since I haven't birthed or raised any children, I am at a loss as to how to be or not to be. I know some parents, step parents and in laws that are all up in their grown kids business. I have always disliked that and well frankly wouldn't know how to be like that. With grown step kids, I honestly don't know them all that well. I guess I don't know how to get people to open up to me or vise versa for that matter. I want to but don't know how to be the "Pushy" one. I'm not the type to reach out and impose my presence onto a person and of course neither is my hubby. Hubby being an absentee father with all of his kids, doesn't know how to be any different than what he is. A laid back recluse or hermit if you will. He is the type that if he has something he needs to talk with you about then yes he will painstakenly use the blasted phone. He is not a sit on the phone chatting the day away kinda person. If "they" (anyone, not just the kids) want to talk to me then they would call. Heck he doesn't even call his own mother (who he loves dearly)! Unfortunately, this is the total opposite than want one wants. What they really want is their father and for him to be better than what he is. Sadly, he doesn't know how to be more than what he is and for some that is just not enough. I know that feeling all to well. My expectations for my birth mother were crushed and I hate to know that I am party to those feelings for one of his kids. BUT I got a hard lesson on how it feels to be on the side of not living up to expectations. Let's just say it hurts just as bad, if not worse. I "DO" understand the other side of it and totally agree we are morons on how to impose ourselves. Sorry I can't continue...

Being Grateful for our Blessings

I've been sitting here thinking on how blessed we are and all the things we have to be thankful for. We live a very simple life and yet we don't really hurt for anything. We still have a roof over our heads, even though sometimes it leaks it is still there. More than some can say, especially in these times of hardships across the country. We haven't had any automotive issues lately and that alone is a great blessing. It doesn't hurt that the hubby is on top of regular maintenance like a fly to glue paper (almost to an annoyance (hehehe)). No big health issues to report. For that alone I am extremely grateful. Sure we have our aches and pains and hubby's coughing/breathing issue but no trips to the doctors or hospital for a good long time. Even though hubby was unemployed for 6 weeks and things were getting pretty scary for the pocketbook, we are thankful to report hubby has a job and starts work Monday. Hard times are still ahead but I am confident that once we get past the holidays things will look up and the pocket book wont be stretched as badly. My little side business Southern Gal's Crochet has been going good and has blessed us with some much needed extra funds in our time of need. Every sale no matter how small helped. I am grateful that I was blessed with the knowledge to crochet and have found a way to help my hubby. I am grateful for my family and friends. We never had to ask a thing from them but they were always there to help provide. My pantry may not look like much to most people but it is filled with love. Many a meal was provided by the wonderful people in our lives. I'm sure I have posted something very similar to this post before, but I never tire of sharing what we have to be so grateful for. I could go on and on but I wont. Be grateful for the big and especially the little blessing you have in your life.

Family BBQ

Good Morning!

Ha, haven't said that in awhile. My mornings usually start cloudy headed and groggy but this morning I am actually thinking...hmm, maybe last nights headache damaged me, I should NOT be thinking this early!

I just got through sending out invites to the family for a get together bbq. Yes I am wondering about my sanity, why thank you for asking.

I get to see my family maybe 3 times a year (on average) but most of them see each other all the time. My gas guzzling truck doesn't allow me to do a whole lot of traveling. I feel pretty lucky to see them more than 3 times, when I do.  I wanted to find a time that we got together for NO holiday, NO birthday, just for the heck of it. AND yes, I am having them come to me this time.

Who knows..maybe nobody will show and hubby and I can eat on a brisket for a week! LOL!


 

Blessings on the table

Sitting here and feeling very blessed.
I get something out for us to eat and I think of the person that gave it to us...

Cereal..my mom
Pancakes and syrup...also mom
Peanut butter sandwich...brother and sis
Zucchini...our landlord
Tomatoes...also our landlord
Venison sausage...trucking buddy
and so much more...

Just soo many blessings and they keep coming, makes one wonder what I have been doing right lately...I have no answer for that. I guess that is why they are called blessings, the unexpected return on something you have no clue what it was. All I know is that I am grateful for the blessings and the people in our lives that bestow such great kindness on us. 


 

What's on my mind this morning...

Well I am quite concerned of hubby's health. Him not smoking has left him with some major coughing spells and some deep wheezing in his chest. Things that he already had before but not as severe. I know it is his body trying to release all that junk in his lungs but dang it gets pretty scary. AND I hate to see him in such pain.

My kitchen area is a disaster! I have 6 large bags of yarn sitting here on the floor waiting to go to mommas house. I also have 2 bags of groceries to take to daughter's house AND the table is covered with my bags of stuff to take to the arrival of my niece. Which none of this can be loaded into the car till the time to head out...

Which leads me to when is that kid going to arrive! Nobody knows, whenever she darn well feels like it! haha, She is in a rush for NO one, she is currently now past her due date. Yes this one has been on my mind for the last 3 days...pins and needles, pins and needles.

I have 8 teeth left in my head and naturally one of them is loose and hurting. Not super bad, more like an annoyance really. Ohh, I long for the day when I will never have another toothache! Just 8 more $75 visits to go!
Ugh, NO! Money get out of my morning!

Sitting here looking out the window and thinking maybe I should mow today. LOL! Yes, I probably should, but the probability of me actually doing it is very low. haha. BUT then again it's not like I have anything else to do today but sit here and wait for that phone call...
Silly kid didn't get the memo that the oven timer has already gone off!

Well it's time to head outside and see what I can get into. Yall have a great day!

Another This and That...

Soo if you have been following my stats on Facebook, then you know I have been a berry picking fool lately. I have blackberries gallore! So far I have filled up 20 quart sized bags and one gallon bag (that I gave to my mother). I'm trying desperately to get as many as I can before the heat dries them all up. Just last week I was outside for two hours and got to gallons of berries. Yesterday it took 4 hours to get the same amount. They are getting harder and harder to find berries that aren't dried up, half eaten or just plain falling off the vine.

I had a lovely visit with my mom, sister and her two youngest. It's funny how we need to see each other at least once every month or so to exchange stuff. By time they got here I had a pretty good stack of stuff for them to take and of course they were bring me stuff. I also had to do some checking on mom's computer, turns out all it was..was her impatience! Not a thing wrong with her computer! LOL!

I finished dad's blanket on the 19th and started mom's blanket on the 20th, I'm 3/4ths of the wat finished with her blanket already! Every chance I get I am crocheting.

I am begining to think that I am repetative and quite boring. LOL! If I am not mistaken my last few posts have been about the same things. What can I say..I'm predictable..sorta.

Back to mom's computer..Any of you computer savvy people know how to change the settings on a computer to enlarge everything? My mom's computer was enlarged to the point that everything is soo blown up it looks distorted. I'm talking everything, from the welcome screen, icons, wallpaper..ect. We need to put it back to normal, but can't find the place to change it.

I guess that is all for today, time to get some yard work done.

Writer's Workshop: Boysitting

This week I choose prompt #5, A memorable babysitting job.


Waaaay back when I was 17-18...

I was married and my husband at the time (NOT my current hubby) had been transferred to a different store in a different town. The commute was long and the graveyard shift was dull and boring. I went along to help keep him awake. A local woman was looking for a babysitter for her 6 boys, ranging in ages of 6 to 12. The job came with a place to stay on their property and it was just blocks from the husbands work. Her husband was a truck driver and she wanted to go with him to help earn extra money.

I was extremely scared to take the job. I mean we are talking BOYS and being responsible for all of them 24/7 was a huge thing to consider. My husband was all for it cause of the location and housing and apparently men are not intimidated by a group of boys. In the end we accepted the job.

She took me through the tour of her house and showed me the ropes of money, chores, food and schedules. In two days of getting to know the boys and there routines the "Parents" were gone. I say "Parents" cause I still felt like a child in soo many aspects, I was instantly terrified! Thankfully the husband was there to enforce the authority and the boys were very kind and on their best behaviors.

What made it memorable other than the boys, that should be memorable enough, RIGHT? Well a few things stand out.

The mother helped me get my drivers license that first weekend they came home, so I could use their van to take the kids places and so she wouldn't have to come home as often. On another weekend they purchased a one ton flatbed pick-up, I got taught how to drive it. That was very intimidating but yet thrilling and powerful too. I always manage to remember her when ever I get my license renewed or look at my birth certificate that she sent away for.

I was exposed to a new religion. Mormon. They weren't the type of Mormons you hear about, they didn't have a harem of wives and kids. They were like the Brady Bunch, him and his kids, her and her kids, makes for one crazy house! I slightly took an interest in their religion till I got to the levels of heaven.

My Grandfather died on my 18th birthday and I went back to Maine for the funeral and to say goodbye to my parents who were staying in Maine. My baby brother bawled his head off and begged me to put him in my suitcase and bring him back with me. The tears flowed for many reasons that week. My husband came up the next day and we left together. At the change over in New York, the husband got his wallet stolen.

I was exposed to the lovely quality of organizing. With six boys, the mother came up with a system for her children. Each child had his own color. This color was on everything that belonged to that child. In the toes of their socks was a loop of that color thread, it was also found on the tags of their clothing, in the waistline of the undergarments. They had their own set of dishes in that color, of which they were responsible for washing. Even their towels were of their own color. There was no confusion of who's stuff belonged to who and blessedly no fighting over things. I found this system to be amazing. She had a chore chart that had that child's color on it for what chores they were to do for that day. When the child did said chores they got a popsicle stick that had been mark with their color and at the end of the week they turned them in for a quarter apiece for their allowance. I also learned the importance of financial organizing.

I took the kids to the city pool for some fun, a good time had been had by all and we stayed till they closed. We got back to the house and all the kids lumbered out of the van and into the house. I let them leave their stuff in the van with the strict instructions to retrieve it in the morning. The next morning we was rushing around getting ready for school and I sent one of them to go get all of their shoes out of the van. The boy rushes back into the house and yells that the van is GONE!
The whole herd went out the door to confirm this. I called the police, the school and then the parents. Come to find out it was a repo. I had experienced my first repo! I'll tell ya though, walking out in the driveway and that van being gone was a moment I will never forget!

I guess the mother felt it was too much hassle to try to keep up with the financial things at home and being out on the road, so she came home. We stayed another two weeks and then moved on.

All of my time with them was an experience that will always be remembered.

Now go visit Mama Kat to join in or just read some more posts.

Family Reunion - Day One

Friday evening I was a ball of anxiety and excitement. I felt like I wasn’t getting anything done or prepared right. Thankfully hubby went through the check list and we confirmed everything was A. Okay. BUT of course I still had that nagging little voice in my head that I was forgetting something. I had to walk away and turn it down to a whisper just so I could try to get to sleep. I slept four hours and walked out to the living room to find hubby still up. I asked him what was the matter and his reply was “I’m too excited to sleep!”

For my hubby this day was a lifelong dream that was finally coming true. All of his kids and grandkids together at last. It’s a miracle he slept at all! I had to remind him that if he didn’t get SOME sleep then he wouldn’t be able to make it through the day. That got him to sleep! BUT I had to wake him at 5 am to get the brisket fire going. Then I went back to sleep.

Hubby woke me with “They’re on their way!!” Son called to let him know and get directions. Hubby told me the directions he gave and I briefly said “They’re going to get lost”

The rain had been threatening to pour down all morning, but I don’t think anything could have dampened our moods. It did drizzle and then sprinkle, each passing wave of moisture seemed to be harder than the one before.

We got everything ready and waited. Hubby was outside sitting on the patio and I was pacing all over the place. I looked down at hubby and asked are you still so excited and all I got was a shake of his head and a grin, but his eyes never wavered from the gate. It was like he was using all his will power to force a car, any car to come on in. I was getting worried, yeah I can’t help myself. I called to see how far they are. AH, they stopped at the store. I told her she didn’t have to bring anything but I sure am glad she didn’t listen to me.

The girls and their families arrived and yes we were all having a wonderful time seeing each other and learning about the grandkids and life at home, but you could tell we were all waiting anxiously for the main event. The son and family that none of us have met. Well that is, except for hubby. Hubby was there when son was a baby and toddler, but had only seen him once since and that was nearly 10 years ago. The girls and I have talked to them on the phone and corresponded through Facebook, but it’s just not the same as getting to hug someone and experiencing them in real life.

It had been another hour since I talked to them and they still hadn’t arrived. Yup I knew it…they were lost! Not badly though, they were here before the kids and I could get to the stop sign. I quickly ushered all the kids back, I couldn’t wait to get son and family in my arms!

The day was wonderful with lots of food, hugs, catching up and playing around. Hubby smiled from ear to ear all day long!! He was having a glorious day; rain had no affect on his moment!

The kids and I went for a short walk, but if you ask Bryan he will tell you it was a long walk! We played, climbed, walked and talked. We did some Baby Shower Bingo, lots of fun there! Then the computer got turned on and let the games begin! Lots of fun playing with the umbrellas in the rain. The umbrellas didn’t survive, but I’m glad nobody got hurt while playing with them. Yes, I was a little worried of that.

There were tiffs and there were tantrums and even an ant attack, but all in all it went really well for eight kids in my small trailer and yard. Funny how what I perceived to be a large trailer and yard doesn’t appear to be with nearly 20 people in and around it.

Granny and Aunt D arrived and I have to say watching the reunion from that perspective was very touching. Seeing granny play Free Cell with her great granddaughter was awesome. Four generations in one house, I honestly never thought it was going to happen. We are so grateful that the kids pulled this off, they are the ones that planned it.
AND from my understanding there is already one in the works for next year. Fingers crossed!!!! I’m going to start saving NOW!

The day started too wined down and granny had already left. The younger grandkids were starting to look kinda tired and so was I! I rushed everyone outside while the rain had given us a break and tried to get some family group shots. I did get some good spousal shots, but I do wish I had managed to get some individual family group shots. You should have seen how difficult it was to get a pic with all eight kids in it. That was a riot! Hubby wanted a whole clan pic, but that didn’t happen either. Maybe next year!

I was under the assumption that this was it, we weren’t going to get to see them again till next year, thankfully somebody told me that the plans had changed and we were all meeting up at granny’s house tomorrow. So letting everyone leave wasn't nearly as painful as I was prepared for it to be.

One last thing… A huge thanks to daughter K! That girl cleaned up my whole kitchen, even though I was continually protesting that it wasn’t necessary. Oh and for not listening to me about bringing anything, she made the most delicious cheesecake dessert I have ever had! Can’t wait to get the recipe!

Thanks to everybody for coming and making history happen! I loved every minute we got to spend together!

Connected to Loved Ones

Teusday afternoon and into Wednesday morning.
A huge phone day! I feel like I have been on the phone all day! Well actually I have, but I have enjoyed every minute of it.

First I talked with bff for hours and then to her mom for nearly another hour. I guess you could say I am still in shock at the turning events of having them in my life again. We have been talking nearly everyday getting to know each other again and the reminicing just goes on and on. The girl has a fabulous memory, which is good cause mine is shot! Getting to talk with mom was so emotional for me, I missed her so much and just hearing her talk takes me to a whole realm of happiness I forgot existed.

I later called and talked to another mom (i currently have five) who I haven't talked to in a few months. There was plenty to get caught up on, so that was another hour of my day.

Then I talked to bff again for about an hour, while we were both trying to get some chores done.

Hubby comes home and we sit down for supper and some tv, but then dad calls and just wants to chat. I couldn't turn him down, cause it is a rare occassion for him to want to do that. Another good 40 minutes pass.

I did manage to watch a few hours of tv with the hubby. Warehouse 13, Covert Affairs, and I started to watch Psych but hubby went to bed and I grabbed the phone again. I had a phone appointment with daughter-in-law for 11pm, but I called just after 10pm. It was on my mind and I didn't want to forget like I did the night before.

It was the first time we had ever spoken, other than through the computer. Sad, I know! IT WAS AWESOME!! Why it took us this long to do it, I don't know. She reminds me soo much of myself and we got along wonderfully. It was just so nice to finally get to hear her voice, get to know each other and make each other laugh.

We talked, laughed and shared stories for two hours!!

Even though they are all so far away, one phone call brings them right into your ear. Sometimes all you have to do is pick up the phone and dial. Don't put it off, take the time, it could be wonderful.

What a Week

My week:
Niece was born.
Sleep was hiding from me.
Phone ringing off the wall.
Road trip to Austin.
Visited niece in hospital.
Vacation cancelled.
Tooth pain finally killing me.
Went to the dentist.
Two holes in head killing me.
Bedroom floor not progressing.
Lawnmower man arrived with niece and SIL in tow.
Took dog to vet, all is okay.
He was such a good boy about it!
Still have two movies from Netflix I have yet to watch.
And of course there were some opportunities for photos.


Families week:
Boo went back to school.
Homework calls have begun.
Sister M was riding her bike home from work.
Bike got stolen.
Mom got use of brother I's car, but he took it back.
Way too much drama.
Sister E decided to homeschool older kids.
Mom and I fought on phone.

Friends/bloggers week:
Spot's daughter had scary surgery, slowly recovering.
Kathryn's beloved dog Metro passed on to the fluffy clouds in the sky.
Dee had cataract surgery on both eyes. (maybe that was last week)
Lucy fell and hurt herself.
Lucy also needs to get jolted again to get her heart back in rhythm.

Talked hours on end with bbf, who now has to see a dentist.
Bf has been testing her crochet skills by making baby booties and stretching the pattern for big kids. Gotta go get some for niece and myself.

Just to name a few of the things that grabbed my attention this week. There is still more, but it's time for another pain pill and eventually today some grocery shopping.

Little Heather

I was going to tell you about my fabulous trip to the Army Surplus grave yard (I believe that will link you to my pics on facebook), but instead I have even better news!

My little namesake niece was born yesterday morning after a long wait.
SIL's water broke Friday morning, labor started Saturday morning and little Heather was finally born Sunday morning. She was already five days late and us old ladies were starting to get obnoxious and annoying. So thank goodness all will settle down soon for them. Well after all the visiting!

The phone has been ring non-stop since that Friday morning. Sleep, what's that? My big and large family needed updates and I, being the one designated to reveal the updates, was a busy old lady playing phone tag with everyone.

Okay, NOT as busy as SIL obviously! That girl is such a trooper, natural child birth with NO meds. Not that I have ever had a baby, but I can NOT say that I would have been that brave.

Momma and baby are doing fabulously! Daddy, well.......Naw, just kidding! I am so proud of him, he really held it together and was a stand up (literally) kind of guy. He really did amaze me, I thought for sure he was going to get sick or pass out. LOL!

My other brother has generously offered his car for me and the proud grandma to go see them later today. Yes, I am taking him up on his offer!

Be back eventually! LOL!

Anniversary BBQ with Daughter and Grandsons

Okay well, lets just throw away Saturday's sadness and scariness and get back to more normal activities around here.

It was a really good week except that it has been so humid outside that it is practically dangerous to be out in. It is like breathing hot water with all the oxygen zapped from the air. There has been some nice moments of breeze, but the humidity makes it impossible to enjoy for long.

We did have a great day on Thursday with daughter #2 and the grandsons. Although hubby was a little on the cranky side. The kids (being kids) were coming and going, in and out. The door was hubby's biggest issue. The kids are not used to pawpaw's rules about closing the door after you go through it. Then when they did catch on, it was too frequently getting opened and closed. I think he was a little on the panic attack side. He pulled it off nicely and kept his cool. He joked, grumbled and locked us out!! Several times!! LOL! It was reported that I was begging to be let back in, I forget, it must have been the heat stroke!! LOL!

At the end of the day he said..I'm sorry we didn't have enough money to go out.
I told him that it turned out lovely regardless and Spending time with the kids was great, but exhausting!
He chuckled in agreement and said..I would have rathered had gone out! LOL! (He was just kidding!)
We then spent the rest of the evening laughing and chuckling over the kids antics.

Antics...

Hubby had chopped down the destroyed peach tree and left the limbs all over the ground. I kept seeing the kids stumble over them and had had enough and started dragging them away (in the heat of the day). 10yr old and daughter is helping, 5yr old picks one up and drags it away and announces...I'm done!! I couldn't help but laugh!

I'm sitting on the floor after fixing the broken leg to my coffee table (that is not 3yr old proof). Daughter is trying to get the boys to pick up all their toys and put them back in the toy drawer. She starts clapping and singing..♪This is the way we pick up our toys♪ I was putting the things back on the coffee table and suddenly felt under pressure to get my stuff off the floor!! LOL!

The back door remains locked and Pawpaw locked the front door. 5yr old goes to front door knocking, no answer. He then goes to the back door knocking and then again back to the front door. What did he want? His brother to come outside! All that, just to get brother to come out! Cracks me up!

5yr old found my gardening hat, is running around wearing it. 3yr old notices and wants one too. He then proceeds to try to get pawpaw's black felt bowler. Pawpaw grumbles NO to him and this produced tears and whines, but not for long. 3yr old grumbles right back at him in his best pawpaw impression! They had a stand-off! LOL!

The hat issue was not resolved. I got down some of my older gardening hats. Three grandsons, three hats. Should have been an easy fix. NOT! the fight ensued over who gets what hat and little one being the most stubborn was not a happy camper at all! He insisted he wanted pawpaw's hat, a bwack (black) one! I was going to send them off with my hats, but the fighting would not stop. Remove the hats from the scene and all should be well. How did that work out Daughter? Did they cry all the way home? Lets us know!

It really was a great day, even though it was boiling outside and pawpaw was grumpy. Sorry to cut this short but I have a massive amount of blog reading to do, most likely won't get but a 1/3 of it done tonight.

What does the word "Family" mean to you?

Sister and I were talking about family.
BIL is having this thing (I can't tell) soon and had told sister that he did not want it to turn into a family affair, so he didn't want anyone to come.

If you don't get it, here is a hint..think "My Big Fat Greek Wedding". Where her family is large and loud and in your face..ALL.THE.TIME! Yeah that's my family, minus the extended part. Just Mom, Dad, kids and spouses and grandkids...the family is 17 and growing. Every event that comes along, the monarch of the family (MOM) insists that the whole family is involved.

I totally get BIL's decision.

I know a lot of folks that when they say family, they are talking about those who live in their house. All of us in my "family" wish (no..dream, no..beg) for this to be true for us, sometimes.

I recall another time talking to sister and she said they were going to have a family day, of course she had to specify that that meant just her, her hubby and Boo!
Isn't that sad!!

I also find it to be a little ironic that practically everyone of us kids have chosen spouses that are either from a small family or don't have or want close ties to family. Is that cause we secretly long for that type of family dynamic? Or is it that, we are ensuring we can still have our family as the super power in the relationship? BUT then the question is why did these poor souls chose us with the packaged deal? Was it cause they secretly wanted a large close knit family? Or were they thinking that they could help us break free from the insanity?

I think I need to revise the word family to the word MOM. LOL!!!
Yes I am totally digging my grave (one scoop of earth per word, that mom doesn't like) as I type! BUT hey, it's my blog!

My point...ummm, I don't think there is one. You have just stumbled into rambling questions that pop into my brain!

What does the word "Family" mean to you?

My Weekend

Sorry I haven't been around. The phone issue was freaky and uncertain at best. I could log in during the day but not at night. The buzz in my phone got louder and louder to the point of not being able to use it at all. I spent all weekend with no Internet.

But I got a lot done. Just further proof that the Internet has interfered with me getting things done around the house.

Saturday:
Visited with best friend and had a real good time. That evening I reorganized my dresser and closet.

Sunday:
My brother and SIL came to visit. BUT before they got here, of course I cleaned up the house. They stayed and had supper with us. Pretty cool I was able to feed four people for just over a dollar. Mashed potatoes and free bass fillets, hubby got from BF's husband. YUM!!

I gave them stuff for the baby (who is going to be my namesake), stuff for the new apartment and some food.

If you will remember I won the giveaway over at What passes as sane on a crazy day
When I entered the giveaway, I never intended to use it for myself. I knew right off that I would give it to brother and SIL for the new baby.
I know yall are just so curious about what they picked from the site www.csnstores.com

A crib and mattress (mattress sold separately).

Out of pocket expense for me: $41! What a fabulous deal! Thanks Spot!

Well while they were here, my brother starts looking around wanting to see what things have been done to the house since he was last here. Sadly I was embarrassed that I really haven't done anything noticeable except for the office. This was weighing on my mind after they left. Sooo, I broke out the tiles and glue and started doing the hallway and bathroom floor at 1am to 3am. this morning!

Monday:
I worked extra hard in the yard while waiting for the so called phone repairman. I weed eated the patio bricks and sprayed weed killer into each and every seam of each and every brick. When I tried to stand up, I thought my back would never be the same again!! I am sooo feeling the burn in the back of my thighs! I might not be able to move tomorrow! LOL! I then moved on to weed eating the other trouble areas, like the flower bed I put down last year and was over grown with the toughest grass I have ever seen. I decided to tear it all up and move all my rocks. I don't think I will try that area again any time soon.

About that soo called repairman...I wanted till 2:30 and called the company thinking they could easily find out where their man was and how much longer. Nope all I got was a vague UP TILL 8pm. I told her he had better not show up at 8pm, cause my hubby is going to bed at that hour and he will come unglued! It fell on deaf ears. I took both phones to bed with me for a nap. I figured when the guy came knocking on the door the dogs barking would wake me up. No barking ever happened and I didn't miss any calls. I call them back and she says he has been here and didn't find any problems, so he left. He never even tried to let me know he was there or to check to see if the phone was fixed. That pissed me off!

I checked if I could get online and well here I am! I will be here for ever, cause I'm too scared to go off line, I might never get the connection back again! LOL! AND my phone still has a hum in it!

Not So Fresh Zombie

Sunday:

I spent the whole day tearing my office apart and reorganizing it.

I currently have two desks in my office. Well, one is actually a desk with 4 drawers, the other is a kitchen table. The real desk is damaged and not large enough for my needs, so I decided it was high time to empty it out and get rid of it. To do this..I had to find a solution for all the office supplies I have been storing in it. Last year we bought large bookshelves and on another occasion I had gotten some decorative boxes on sale after Christmas. I made a point of getting some sticky labels just for this chore. Needless to say I filled boxes and reorganized and dusted and threw a crap load of things away. It was a eight hour chore and my feet felt like they were going to burst, but everything is all nice and neat and for the time being a little lost. I keep trying to turn my chair around to other desk to get something, but when I open a empty drawer, I have to try to remember where I relocated that item.

Now how to relocate a usable, slightly damaged desk. I guess I will be using Craig's list tomorrow and if that doesn't work then I'll have to move on to Freecycle.

I was so tired I never even got around to reading everyones posts. I went to bed 2 hours early!

Monday:

The agenda for the day was to go spend time with the grandkids, which I did and had a blast as I always do.

Bright and early in the wee hours of 8 o'clock in the morning, I was awakened by grandsons voice on the answering machine. He was wanting to know when I was going to be there. Well..my first waking thought was..not now, that's for sure, my feet haven't even hit the floor yet! LOL!

If I had to be woken up, I'm glad to have had it be him and not by a bark in my ear or a pounce on my tummy!

I called him back with my first morning coffee and scruffy voice. He was sorry to wake me so early, but I guess he was in a hurry for this day to begin. I told him noon cause he has school work to do. He made a point to let me know he was already doing his school work. LOL!

Really made me feel old for using wee hours of the morning for sleeping! My goodness what was I thinking wasting the morning away! No sleeping off the previous days work when there are grandkids waiting on zombie grumpy old Nana to get her act together and find the sweet Nana, for the day! LOL!

I did get there at 10:45. I was entertained from that moment on. We played and talked and played some more. There was lunch and tears over a missing toy and lots of things for Nana to be caught up on. We went shopping here and there and by 3pm I was ever so ready for a nap!

I told the youngest (3yrs) that Nana was going home to take a nap and that I would be back later on.
He says..After your nap?
Me..No, maybe next week.
He says..Okay! (with a happy bounce)
Cracks me up!!!

I left and went back to one of the stores and got a new rug for my office. I get home and check all my comments and Facebook. At 4:30 I crawl under the covers and settle down to take that much needed nap. 2 minutes later hubby is home!

The not so fresh zombie is now making supper and trying to engage in conversation with hubby and listen to his day and tell him about mine. I think I must have zombied out cause for the life of me I can't remember a thing we talked about.

I spent two hours downloading 12 pics on Facebook and finally was sooooo tired I decided to shut down the computer and go to bed at the very early hour of 9pm. My mistake was to sit down in front of the tv and flip threw the menu and watch Hoarders.

I don't know why this show affects me the way it does, but I got up and was headed to bed when instead I found myself scrubbing the toilet, sweeping the floor, changing the wastebasket and scrubbing it down, cleaning the counter. I then moved on into the kitchen. Washing the dishes, wall around the sink area, stove top, sweeping the floor and making hubby's lunch.

This only took me 45 minutes, but still it woke me up enough to be writing this post from 10:55pm to 11:50pm. Well now that it is almost midnight and I am about dead enough to fall out of my chair, I had better sign off and say good night!

Long Lost Brother

I can't believe I forgot to post. I stayed up last night till 3:30 this morning, just reading and reading. I know I read at least sixty posts and it took me 7 hrs!

So...here we go...


First you must know that for a long time it was just me and Daddy. My birth mother had left us when I was 18 months old. We were still very close with her parents and with out them helping dad, we probably wouldn't have made it. I had issues, as I would think most kids who lost a parent (but didn't really loose a parent, they are floating out there in this world somewhere) would have.

I was the only child for the first 8 yrs of my life.

Daddy eventually got remarried and life went on. He and Mom (who was once referred to as the Evil One, is now the ONLY mother I have and love her very much) quickly went about giving me siblings, three of them in 4 yrs.

Life was crazy and I wasn't the best daughter, more like I was the Evil One and had no clue.

Daddy and I would escape to the local Jack-in-the-box or Whataburger for coffee in the evenings (probably about twice a week), just the two of us again. I loved these times.

Once on our nights out, we was walking to our destination and I vaguely remember daddy saying something about me having another brother. I was 14 and really wasn't paying much mind. Knowing me I was probably thinking on how I was going to make it over to my boyfriends house. I know..its sad..that I jumped into adulthood so fast.

This little bit of information daddy revealed to me, did stay in the back of my mind for many years, but yet..was sorta forgotten.

When I was 18, daddy sat me down at the kitchen table and presented me with a picture of a teenage boy. I remember looking at it and then looking up at my father and asking..My brother?
Daddy was surprised!
He asked..How did you know that?
I remember you talking about it a long time ago.

Daddy gave me all the info on getting in touch with him. I used it. It took me awhile though. Like..what do you really say to a person you have never met? At 18 I had no clue. Thank goodness for yall, I grew out of that! LOL!

I wrote and he wrote, back and forth for many years. We will now start calling him Brother D.

Brother D, once sent me a newspaper clipping of what had happened to him and why he was lost. Our birth mother "The Wicked Witch of the East" left him alone tied to his crib and Social Services found him, only after another person in the building called it in, out of concern. He was also 18 months old. I guess she has her age limit!
He was placed into foster care and was adopted out.

I finally got to meet Brother D in the flesh when I was truck driving all over America. We meet at Grampies (birth mothers family) camp on the lake along with other family members.


We had a really good time and (I believe) we did it again a little time later. We still wrote letters occasionally, but it just wasn't the same. He was already into technology and had a email address. I kept it, but of course I never had even sat down in front of a computer.

Two years ago (next month), I got my first computer. A hand me down from hubby's sister. I found him in Myspace and sent him a message saying...I FOUND YOU!!

I feel closer to him now, than I ever did. Love ya, Brother!

Hi, brother D, say something to the lovely peeps. He reads my posts, but never says anything! He's a stalker! LOL!!!

Spin Cycle: Blogging

What makes my blog breathe? I'm not really sure that it breathes, but it definitely helps me keep breathing, thinking, remembering and it really helps having followers who think my words and life are worth reading.

I have always lived in rural areas as an adult and I like it like that. I like being removed from the city and all its noise. Living in rural areas and not having the latest technology always available or sometimes affordable, I was forced to have a phone with no long distance. Most all calls were long distance, like to family and even some of my friends. I would go months on end (sometimes years) without talking to certain people cause of the cost.

Getting a computer changed all that! Sister J had a myspace and so that was the first place I went. I ran across the blog page and from that moment on I was hooked. I began blogging so my friends and those long distance family members could get a glimpse of my world and of me. (I also found it to be a great way to deal with my spelling issues and to get my typing skills a boost from one finger to four, plus it forced me to remember things) They were also a way to let my long lost brother (that is another post) to get to know me.

My Step daughter #1 (who I call daughter, I hate the word step) had a blogger page, that is how I was introduced to it. After myspace started changing things and became more about games and music, lots of my friends and family switched over to Facebook. I followed suit but didn't like the blogging area on facebook and so I decided to start my own blog here on blogger.

Welch Happenings was born! While exploring my new surroundings, I went to the Blog of Note and found Kathryn (From the inside out) and Nancy (f8hasit). I was looking for some bloggers I could possible relate to and who weren't over or under my head. I know that sounds bad, so here's the thing...they do sometimes go over my head, but not bad enough that I can't follow what they are saying. Like you all know..the dictionary is within arms reach and gets used A LOT! But I like that, it challenges me to learn new words and even sometimes how to spell it.

Anyway..I found and received some very dear friends just from starting with those two amazing gals.

Am I staying on topic, probably not. Another one of my issues! LOL!

I have run across a lot of folks who write because:
It is their passion in life.
They just want to be heard.
They need an outlet from their daily lives.
They want to pursue a career as a writer.
Many, many other reasons.

I write cause..I am afraid that when I am older I wont be able to remember a darn thing! Dementia runs in my family and grammie had it real bad. She couldn't hardy remember anything and now all those fabulous stories are lost forever. I don't want that to happen to me or my family. I want a chronicle (or Journal, if you will) of my life.

Having my wonderful new blogging friend enjoy my stories and daily junk, makes it even better! Love and Hugs to you all!



For more great spins go visit Sprite's Keeper.

What I did for Ten Days

Random things that happened in the last ten days.

Monday..As you all know, I rushed my computer to the computer doctor after my screen went blue and Microsoft shut me down and dumped my physical memory. I did try rebooting, but the Internet wouldn't open any pages. The doctor said it was going to be 3 days, I felt lost leaving it there. My first thought was "What am I going to do with myself for 3 days!" I went home like a wounded puppy with my tail tucked.

Tuesday..With nothing to do, I called my bf and made plans with her. By noon we was going over crochet stitches and went shopping for yarn. I really shouldn't have spent the gas money but it was so worth getting to spend time with her. I started a crochet project as soon as I got home.

Wednesday..I called everyone in my speed dial to whine about my boredom. I'm sure everyone got plenty sick of me complaining. I eventually got off my butt and went outside. I first played with the dogs and before I knew it I was laying 12 inch cement blocks for a walkway. Hubby came home and before he got to the door, he said..
"Your computer should break down more often."
I shut the storm door and held it shut till he took it back!

Thursday..The computer doctor called and said my baby was ready. I rushed out the door on half a cup of coffee. I was so excited! I had to run to the bank first for several reasons and figured while I was there I would try to see if we could get a loan to help pay off a credit card.

I got home hooked it up and ten minutes into checking my emails, it started doing the exact same thing it was doing on Monday. I called them back and this boy told me somethings to do, this only made it worse. I couldn't even get it to open to my desktop.

Needless to say I was sad and pissed. I took it in to get fixed and all I could tell was that the only thing they did was add updates and give me a better virus protection. They didn't even try to FIX it.

Hubby came home right after me getting it back, so to keep him from blowing his stack, I didn't tell him. He came home early cause he was super sick, I didn't think he needed the extra stress.

A little later in the day I called to see about the loan and we was approved. What a relief and blessing. We can pay off that card and will still be saving ourselves 40 bucks a month and hundreds of interest in the long run!

Friday..First thing in the morning, I took my computer back. Now there wasn't any set time to pick it up, more of a wait and see kinda thing. Aggravating! I did tell hubby the situation before leaving. He was too sick to know what I was saying, lucky me. Stopped and got groceries and back to care for the sick fella laying on his "Death bed" (as he called it, when he crawled on it).

Saturday..I went to the hardware store (for wood) and the auto store (for spark plugs) and just for the heck of it went to the thrift store (just to browse around).
I came home and used hubbies skill saw and cut and laid the new steps. ALL BY MYSELF!

Sunday..Hubby feeling a little better. We fixed by bike together. New tires and a wash down and then attached a basket to the handle bars. Its fixed and ready to go, but I have yet to use it. Lazy. We sat around the rest of the day and watched the race.

Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday..I sat around crocheting and calling the computer doctor twice a day. I did manage to get in a lot of extra heavy duty house cleaning and extra chatting with the family everyday.

Now that brings up to date with Thursday..Computer doctor calls and says my baby is ready. They didn't charge me anything extra!
So far so good and very happy, happy, happy!!

You Lift My Spirits

This week has been a rough one.

My father went to his usual Dr's appointment Monday and they admitted him. He has Emphysema real bad. While waiting for my mother to call me back, one of my bfs calls. Her hubby has been in the hospital for two months now (heart troubles and strokes) and it doesn't look good. She went to the hospital herself three weeks ago and they found something. After further tests, it has been confirmed as lung cancer. My other bf is watching her beloved dog of 15+years very closely, he's not doing good either. Mother finally gets to call me back and she's not doing so great, her asthma has been kicking her butt. Plus she has to try to help my sis with the new baby and deal with her husband in the hospital in a different county with no wheels to get to see him.

I feel like walking away from this week or at least the phone.
Yeah, I've been in a funk.

BUT, there is a bright side...
Everyday (sometimes twice a day), I open my email to see my comments.

Yall just have this way about getting me to laugh, in spite of my worries or funk.

This week alone I have been tagged, received an award and won a key chain!

Some of those comments yesterday had me roaring a good belly laugh. The idea that there is no sex..OMG how can that be? The world has stopped turning!!! LMAO!!!

I have also meet some new bloggers that I have decided to follow. I know I shouldn't be adding more to my list, cause I can barely keep up with all of yall but I couldn't help myself.

Here are some of my new peeps:
Gently Said
Here is what I think...
I AM OTTER
My Walking Path
Starting Over
RockyCat

The tagging, I'm still working on that. It is really long.

The award..just so wonderful and beautiful..The Sunshine Award given to me by My Walking Path.



The rules are to give this to 12 peeps, let them know about it in their comments and link the giver.

I am such a break the rules kinda girl. I say it goes to all of you, cause yall are my sunshine on these cloudy days. Take it, enjoy it and pass it on if ya want.

You all make my day, every day!