Unexpected House Guest.

Soo, on Thursday August 29th the hubby calls me. Okay that is not an unusual thing he calls every now and then but mostly just to let me know he is on his way home so I can know when to start supper. Those are calls I appreciate BUT this call was of a different topic and of one that I never thought my hubby would bring up.

His long time friend was in need of a place to stay for awhile, he is homeless and fixen to get out of the hospital for depression. Can he stay with us?

I was uttered speechless! In the 22 years of knowing my hubby, he has never asked such a thing. Yes, we have had visitors who have stayed with us for a weekend or even a week but never have we had a guest that had no leaving date. Honestly what could I say but sure, I guess that would be alright. I was thinking the hubs must really want to help him or he wouldn't be asking.

I got busy cleaning up the house a bit and was trying to figure where in the world are we going to put him. I thought maybe the old army cot that is hidden away in the closet or maybe rearranging the living room to accommodate the queen air mattress dad had given us just a month ago. Hubby got home and we talked. He was already regretting saying yes. Honestly he was hoping I would have said no and then the decision would have been out of his hands (yes, folks he wanted me to be the bad guy!). What was done was done and we were going to have to make the best of it. Where do you want me to set him up at? Don't set up anything, he can sleep in the recliner, I don't want him getting too comfortable that he wont leave.

His friend showed up the next day. I had met him a few times through out the 22 years but hadn't seen him in at least 11 years. I swear, I hardly recognized him. He looked so worn and sullen compared to the soft and lively person we had known back then. Alcohol had really done a number on him. I had my time with the stuff and know all too well how bad it can get. This was probably a 8 1/2 out of 10 bad.

I made it VERY clear to the hubs that there was to be NO alcohol in this house, PERIOD. As hubby and I are both recovering alcoholics, I didn't want that stuff in my house. He did relay my message. When his friend went to hug me as soon as he walked in the door, I was on the verge of vomiting, the odor of alcohol on his breathe and in his sweat was soo overwhelming, it was sickening. I guess he thought since he wasn't going to be able to drink he would get in a really good one before he got here. He pretty much slept the days away (in the same funk he walked in the door with for over a week!), just waking long enough to pee and eat. I was seriously grossed out, he only showered twice the whole time!

My living room is... 2 chairs and a couch, coffee table and our only tv. 13 x 15 room, not very big, just right for the 2 of us. I had been booted out of my chair, mostly stuck in my office/kitchen area. I think I watched maybe 6 hrs of tv the whole time he was here. Hadn't had any decent conversations with my hubby in weeks.

Yes, folks he was with us for 3 weeks! But the hardest part was the not knowing if or when he was ever leaving. When the 2nd week rolled around, hubby asked if so-and-so would come and get him if he asked. The response was yes but then nothing happened. Hubby was getting angry, apparently his friend misunderstood him or was blatantly ignoring his request for so-and-so to come get him. 2 days later I was taking him to the store and I asked when so-and-so was coming to get him and he declared it would be the following Friday. I called hubby from the store to relay the somewhat good news...

Hubby says... she is 2 days late!!! LOL!

Okay before you go thinking that I am being very harsh and uncaring, I assure you that is not the case. Hubby and I live in a (maybe) 2 horse town. The job opportunities are nonexistent without transportation. Hubby and I both were shocked and very disappointed to find out he didn't have a car or even a license, there is literally no hope of finding something in his line of work way out here. Thankfully he did have some money to pay for his own smokes and non alcoholic beer (I caved slightly after seeing him sitting there shaking, it seemed to help him psychologically), he did provide for himself. He did clean up after himself, which I was truly grateful. We just didn't see anyway for him to get back on the right path being stuck out in the boonies with nothing to do and no prospects.

All I can say is that we tried to help him as best as we could. I helped him file for disability but that could take years to finally be approved. He had to make his way back to the big city if he was going to have any chance of finding his footing.

Honesty... I am glad that I have my house to myself again, glad that I get to spend time with my hubby again, but feel ohh soo guilty for being glad. I know we did all we could but it just feel like it was enough. Oh well, I will get over it. You can only help a person that is willing to help themselves instead of drowning life away in booze. When he is truly ready to throw down the bottle, then he will be more willing to get his life back on track.

There are times when I do consider myself on the lazy side. I put some chores off, I stay home most of the time, watch tv, mess around on the computer, crochet...etc. NOPE, I'm not all that lazy at all, I have seen the true definition of lazy and it is disturbing! He slept, ate, watched tv, the most exercise he got was walking back and forth to the fridge for his fake beer and going to the bathroom a million times!

I do wish him the best of luck and I am glad he was appreciative of us putting him up for a few weeks. Too bad it wasn't a life changing  3 weeks. It definitely was for us!!


 

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.

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. 


 

Tagged

So here I was blissfully hiding in the shadows and crocheting my life away, totalling ignoring my responsibility to my blog and all the lovely peeps that have been so kind to continue with me through my wishy-washy way of blogging. I was suddenly reminded (kicked in the butt) of certain peoples loyalty and was slapped with a tagging. LOL! My dear friend Spot has been reading my occasional posts and has been a true blue friend on facebook. She is all up to date on how much time I have been spending with my hook and yarn and decided it was high time I focused on something else, hence the tagging. LOL! Isn't she just the sweetest! Seriously, I really do need the break.♥♥

So lets see...where did I put those questions. Hold on, still looking...Ah, found them!

#1...If you could go back in time and relive a moment, what moment would it be?
Okay I have thought long and hard about this one and it has to be this...
Hubby and I had gone to visit my grandparents in Florida. Nana lived with them and was sitting in her chair crocheting..blind. I sat down on the floor in front of her chair and watched. Then she proceeded to teach me a particular crochet stitch. It was the first time I ever had the chance to really be close to her and feel that bond of learning something from my Nana in something that we both enjoyed doing.

#2...If you could go back in time and change one thing, what would it be?
I'm not really sure there is anything that I would change cause that would alter the reality I live in and also alter me. There are things that I regret but in all of those things were a lesson learned. If I was to change the outcome of things, then I would have changed to lesson I got from it. Although...I could stand to go back and change that hairdo I was sporting in the eighties! LOL!

#3...What movie/tv character do you most resemble in personality?
I would have to say this would be a mixture of Ma Ingalls or Ma Walton. Very down to earth and strong, tough and at times even rugged and yet the homemaker with heart.

#4...If you could push one person off a cliff and get away with it, who would it be?
Wow what a question! I'm sorry to say, but I don't have anyone that I hate that much to end their life just for my satisfaction. Now if you had asked me that question back in my teens or early twenties I might have been able to come up with an answer. Thankfully I learnt that if you really dislike someone that much and can't get past it, it's best to stay away from them for both of your sakes.

#5...Name one habit you want to change in yourself?
Just one? Hummm...Give me a minute! I'm thinking...
Balance. I have a really bad habit of not being able to balance more than one thing at a time. Blogging, crocheting, photography, sewing... so on and so on. I wish I had more balance in my life to accommodate all of my loves, everyday.

#6...Describe yourself in one word.
I can't do it. I am a woman of many words. Lets just say I am a 50's housewife with a slight twist of modern. I am my grandmother.

#7...Describe the person who named you in this meme, in one word.
♥♥Friend♥♥

#8...Why do you blog?
For many reasons...To have a record of my life, to have a place to get it all out(vent), to have a place to keep family and friends up to date.

Now here is the part that everyone dreads..Hahaha (evil laugh)!
I am to name some folks to bestow this on. This might be harder than I realised considering my lack of blogging has lost me alot of readers. So in my good person fashion, I am NOT going to tag. I'm a meanie arent I?! You was soo looking forward to getting your name called out, weren't you? LOL!

Instead I will just direct you to some of my favorite peeps.
Tink
Suzicate
Peg
Angelia
Grace
MrsBear
Sprite's Keeper
Carol
Consider yourself tagged if you really want to be.

I hope to do better...

I guess you could say I got quite bored with blogging. I mean let's face it, I don't live a very exciting life. Most days I dream up stuff to do to fill my day, watch a movie, play games, go for walks, take pictures, talk on the phone, light housework and of course crocheting. To tell you the truth, I'm pretty boring. My day doesn't brighten till the hubs gets home and that's only an hour or two before he hits the hay.

Here lately I have been filling my time with crocheting, and have gotten alot of it done. Well that time is about over since the high today will be 87, impossible to work with yarn and blankets in that weather.

Soo, what's left? Do I return to the blogging world and try to win all my friends back or do I find something else to comsume my time? For now, I have opted to try to win back the bloggy love. Yall have all been so kind and patient with me, I really don't deserve such loyalty, considering I can't even remember the last time I read some one elses blog. I am determined to read at least ten blogs a day, so if I don't get around to you but once a week, please bear with me. Ten blogs is about 2-3 hours of my day, so it's a start.

Tuesday I started my spring cleaning and totally kicked A** in the livingroom, it was spic and span by time I got done. Although it did take all day to do it. Yesterday, I started tearing apart my closet, getting it all reorganized and in top shape but halfway through the process I started not feeling well. Temp of 101.2 and feeling run over. I spent the rest of the day in and outta bed till this afternoon. My fever broke and all I am left with is a sore and constant tickle in my throat. Thank goodness it wasn't one of those long drawn out death scenes, where you not completely convinced your going to make it through.

I guess I'd better close this up, so I can get to reading them blog posts. See ya around.

Randomness

Soo I finally finished blanket #3 of this winter season. Yes I am thourghly pleased with myself for working so hard this year. I think I might be able to get at least two more done this year before the warmer weather kicks in, if I keep at it. I would post a picture of this last blanket, but the recipients are watching/reading and I want it to be a surprise.
.
.
We have had two deaths in our friend circle (hubby's and mine, not ours here in bloggy land). First a long time friend from back in our truck driving days, died last week from a long illness. Now, a friends sister (very dear to me) had a freak accident and suddenly died. I am waiting on bated breathe to hear who's third. They always seem to come in threes.
.
.
The IRS are nuts, if they think I can remember what I did or did not recieve last year or the year before! Seriously? I can forget to go to the store as I am driving to the store. How the heck am I supposed to remember something from years ago. Audit me if they must, but I'm checking "No" since they don't have a box for "Maybe" or "I don't know".
.
.
I have a loose tooth. I was thinking maybe the tooth fairy would give me money for it, till I was reminded by bf that adult tooth faries are the dentist, they don't give..they take and take and take. LOL!
.
.
I finally posted some new pics on my other blog, just incase you missed them.
.
.
My show is on, gotta go.
Yall have a good one!

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.

Reflection After My Mishap, Plus Many Pics...

I would like to thank all of you for your well wishes, finger wagging and even some yelling. They are all very much appreciated. I am sorry for not getting to replying back to comments. I truly have been zapped of all my energy. I normally take an hour nap most everyday, but since this mishap I have been lucky to be awake for more than an hour at a time. I didn't even get my chore (out in the yard) done yesterday, which means I had better get it done today.

About the comments:

1) I did take water with me..I'm not a total mesh head! BUT this is the bottle I took, not the wisest decision and now I know it.

The is a aluminum (thanks spell check) container and it was fine for the ride into town, but it quickly got hot and the water was too hot to drink. I will never make that mistake again.

2) I said I was old...well at the time I said it..I felt old! I mean what ever happened to the days when I could go outside and lay all day and never nearly die from the heat. Every summer my family used to ride our bikes to the lake 5 miles and swim and play all day and still ride the 5 miles back. I sure could use some of that energy!

3) I really should be concious of the heat, but I tend to put that in the back of my mind. I do what I want and suffer for it later. Bad way to go about things, but this old lady never does seem to learn much.

4) My friendly, talkative nieghbor and now gardian angel (who I can't for the life of me remember her name)...well, as soon as I get my strength back, I am going to walk down to her house and deliver a basket of muffins.
Hopefully if she is not to busy (I remember her telling me how busy her life is) I will get a chance to visit with her for awhile. I can't even express how much she NOW means to me, her kindness has deeply affected me!


Now on to the pics I put my life in jeopardy for..











Anyone need a fork?

Stupid Old Woman On A Bike...

This is how yesterday went from nice to crappy...

A nice and beautifully cloudy day, temps not too high and with a slight breeze. Oh what a perfect day to take my camera outside and hopefully get some great shots. I debated just walking around the usual neighborhood, but really I am starting to find it difficult to get some new material. Oh, occasionally I do get some lucky shots..like the lighting being different or just the lucky butterfly just happens my way. Soo feeling that I had pretty much exhausted my resources, I decided to take myself on a bike ride. You know to venture out in areas I normally can't get to just by walking.

I left the house right about 11 am, after stopping numerous times to catch that pic I just glimpsed and even at times backing up for it. I managed to make it into town by 12:30 (noonish). The sun was starting to really take its toll on me, fairly quickly. Yes it was a gorgeous day, with clouds. The sun for some unknown reason decided I needed a sunburn and heat exhaustion, cause it refused to find one of those lovely clouds to hide behind.

I soon realized I had gone too far into town and of course there is still the ride home to look forward to. I decided to camp out under a tree at one the schools, there are like four schools in that one area. I sat there for a good while, trying to cool down and also hoping to catch my luck with the sun going behind a cloud. It took about 30 minutes, but it eventually happened. In the meantime (while waiting) I called my mom, telling her...I am lost in the wilderness and can't get back home!!

I set off for home and within minutes there is that blasted sun again. I hide under a tree for a few more minutes and my sister calls. She knows it and I know it, once she and I get on the phone..time slips away from all the talking, laughing and cutting up. Throw in her hubby to the mix and it is nonstop fun. After many minutes I figure I would try to walk the bike while still on the phone, needless to say I had some choice words about the sun!

Finally after getting far enough to where my ride would be down hill for awhile, I hung up with sis and wiped off my sweat on the phone (again) and proceeded on. I got to the bottom of the hill with great speed and actually made it up the other side more than halfway, BUT by time I got there I was breathing hard, dizzy and felt incredibly nauseous.

Once again I am on the side of the road trying to recoop. The recooperation wasn't happening, the breeze was no longer there and the sun was just getting hotter. I walked it, peddled it and took many breaks in the shade. I was just about 3/4 of a mile from the house and that was it!

I slumped off my bike (I did manage to get my stand down) and collapsed an the side of the road. Couldn't breathe, couldn't see and weak as a cooked noodle. I don't know how long I was there, but thankfully a truck stopped. The lady comes over to me and asks if I am okay, I couldn't answer her. I then heard her say..You don't look soo good. She grabs my arm and gets me to my feet, she puts my bike in the back of her truck and takes me home. She knew where I lived, was all I could think.

I get in the house and the living room floor was as far as I got. I woke up almost an hour later. Flooded myself with soo much water my eyeballs were probably floating, crawled into the shower and then into bed. Hubby woke me up when he got home and when I relayed to him what happened, I most definitely got chewed out and asked if I learned anything. Yes I learned that I am old and that the sun is all powerful!

I lived!

How did that lady know where I lived? Considering I have not made any friends since we moved here. Well remember this post, yeah that was her! I now owe her my life and my friendship! Don't cha think?

My death defying pics, will post soon.

Milestone and Awards

Time sure is flying by. 200th post and I haven't a clue what they were all about. Some were stupid, some were silly and then there were the occasional serious ones. I wish I could write deep, profound and meaningful posts for ya, but hey what ya see is what ya get! I'm brash, hard, silly, goofy and nuts! AND in all of that I am a big procrastinator (or maybe a FREE SPIRIT, yeah I like that better)!

My dear and precious friends have bleed their hearts and have tagged and awarded me. What do I do? I keep the pic in my little awards folder and let it sit there. I'm no good folks! I love the fact that I even cross yall's mind and yet I let you sit there and leave ya hanging. The guilt has been tormenting, but not enough to dig them out. Yes, I do need a kick in the pants! Thanks for asking.

Every time I see that awards folder, I reproached myself for not having done some of them yet. Two days ago I realized I was approaching this 200th post milestone and I had to yell at myself. No more excuse Heather, now is the time! Get'er done!

First up we have this kicking award of friendship given to me by Spot:


The rules are that I have to list 6 things I'm a master at and then pass the prize to six other bloggers. Here goes:
Master at:
1) wishing I could do this or that, go here or there, have this or that.

2) making my sister laugh so hard she gets hiccups, brother laugh so hard he can't breathe and crumbles to the floor. They find my snarky humor funny.

3) hurting myself! I can trip on nothing, fall onto things, swing my hands into things, bump my head on trees....

4) annoying my pets with the flash of my camera. Gezz, you would think they would be used to it by now!

5) Forgetfulness. I forget nearly everything. Like..stopping at the post office for stamps, doing my awards, watering my plants (the poor things) and sometimes even making hubby's lunch! But yet ask me where something is at inside my house and I know.

6) My money. I know where every dime went and if for some unknown reason I don't, dang it I will find it!! I have many accounting methods of keeping track of the money. Checkbook register, (actual real)folders for each household bill, receipt box divided into sections, Monthly bills chart created with Word Document and checking the bank website. Every penny is important in this house.

Now everyone yell "Pick Me" and hopefully I heard you!

1) Tinkerschitzel at Zommbie Mommy. She is an aspiring artist and crafter. She dapples in painting, drawing, ceramics and she even does reupholstering! She loves to go camping! She also shares stories of her little family and the joys and trials of her job in her posts.

2) Eric at Bored Neoclassical Guy. He always manages to make me laugh or learn something. He is an artist with stone, he also intrigues me with history and takes me to other countries.

3) Maureen at Islandroar. Seriously if you don't know her, where the heck have you been hiding?! She is one of the sweetest ladies ever! She will draw you into her life as a mother of grown children. She will also take you to the beautiful island of Martha's Vineyard, the beauty of it, the history of it and the daily life of it.

4) Jen at Starting Over. This girl just amazes me all the time! She is an outdoorsy kinda girl. She hikes through the state parks, kayaks rapid waters, marathon bicycle rider, marathon runner, camper. Plus she has a daughter and she is doing college courses. Her adventures are amazing!

5) Kathryn at From the Inside...Out. She is just so funny, it seems like she doesn't even have to work at, it's just natural. I love going to her blog, she is sweet, funny (yeah I mentioned that already, but gawd it is soo true), witty and a mom to teen aged boys!

6) Ocean Girl at Live High. She shares her love of the Isles of Malaysia with stories of life and culture. She also shares beautiful photos of the area. I seriously am soo jealous, she lives in paradise!

Now if you are saying "But I didn't say "Pick Me"" Well let me wag my finger at you and tell you "You weren't playing the game right"



Then we have this Panda award for super comments given to me by Jimmy:


The rules for this award are to answer the following questions:

1) Why do you blog?
To have a record of things for when I go senile.

2) What was your favorite age to be and why?
Can't say I ever really had a favorite age, maybe I just haven't reached it yet.

3) What's your favorite sport to play?
Chase the dog. Is that a sport? I also like to walk.

4) What's your favorite sport to watch, and who's your favorite team?
Nascar baby!! Mark Martin and Michael Waltrip, hubby likes E.jr and Mark Martin. At least we have one in common.

5) If you could pick your perfect career (and money doesn't matter/the kids are out of the house) what would it be?
Travel the world and take lots of pics. Well that would make money matter, cause someone would have to pay my expenses for a while. Money don't matter...work at a nursery and be someones apprentice.


6) Do you ever feel guilty for blogging?
Yes and no. I don't feel guilty for blogging, but with blogging comes responsibility to your readers and I feel guilty for not keeping up my part as I should.

7) What is your favorite holiday?
Christmas! Not for the presents, I prefer a present less Christmas. I like the decorating, gathering, feasting and the music.

8) What's your favorite kind of music?
Just about anything, except for rap. I really haven't paid much attention to current music, but I do have some music that is only 8-10 years old.

9) Do you consider yourself a good driver or bad driver?
I am a good driver, never had a ticket or accident. The fence might call me a liar, but never had on with another vehicle. So don't listen to the fence!

10) What's the farthest away place you have visited?
Not really a fair question. I have been to all 48 states, Mexico and Canada.

Now for the hard part I have to pick some of you excellent commenter's to pass this one along to:

1) Mrsbear at Outmunbered Two to One. Has her hands full with the daily life of a house full of kids, but yet she always manages to make me smile or laugh.

2) Peg at Square peg in a round hole. I'm still getting to know her, but so far I have found her to be down to earth and very friendly. Hey she is Suzicate's sister, what more needs to be said!

3) Gerardine at My Walking Path. She will take you into her little family and make you feel at home. She writes about her hubby, her pets and the beautiful nature around her.

4) E.D. at Eternally Distracted. Ohhh what can I say! This girl is hilarious! She writes about her life in a country that she has to remain anonymous. She most common subjects are Mec (her other half) and Max (her cockatoo).

5) Lucy at What is left of a whole new life. She is 80 years old and blogs. To me that is amazing! I hope to be still blogging when I'm that age. Heck I hope to still be around! She writes about daily life with hubby Joe and dog Spunky.

I also did another awards show a month ago, but for some reason nobody got there awards (except for South Dakota Cowgirl). It might have something to do with the fact that I forgot to personally inform them about it. Go here to check if one of those was yours!

Great Birthday Weekend and Day!

I really didn't expect a whole lot for my Birthday, I usually don't do anything special. Most of the time it is just another day, no cake, presents or party. Sometimes I do buy something small to mark the day, but those times are rare.

My mom started the birthday celebration when she sent me a birthday card along with my mother's day card. I guess she was making sure she didn't forget by sending it early.

Hubby started asking where I would like to eat if I was to get the chance. Of course my reply was Red Lobster or Olive Garden. That was two weeks ago, I had forgotten by now.

Saturday I was researching for cameras. I was trying to find something that would give me the Macro feature. I posted on Facebook wanting folks to tell me what was their favorite camera. Angelia at Living, Loving, Laughing... responded with such a super generous offer of a camera she had. I was blown away! It should be arriving later today, so that counts as a birthday gift!

Monday Jimmy at Jimmy's Opinion gave me this award:

I promise to do it tomorrow! Thanks again Jimmy, nice birthday present!

That is just the beginning of my birthday bash.

Monday night it rained pretty hard. Hubby kept telling me I needed to go to bed. I don't usually go to bed till after he gets up in the morning. I stayed up and did my blog post, read some blogs and messed around in google searching out some ancient ruins. At 2:30am I was making his lunch and again he woke up to tell me I needed to get to bed. I thought this was puzzling and asked why? Cause it's raining, I'm not going to work today and you need to get up early. How early? Well earlier than noon! Well if I go to bed now then I can be up by nine, is that early enough? It will do.

Soo..I griped myself out for getting the coffee and his lunch ready and promptly went to bed. I should have thought about the rain and realized rain and work don't mix in his line of work. I just wasn't thinking.

Chaquita wakes me up six minutes early and HE is still asleep! After he gets up he hands me the gift card he won for getting a "No violations D.O.T. inspection". His first ever in 30 years of truck driving (they are very hard to get)and he gave it to me for my birthday! One hundred smack-a-roos to spend at Wal-Mart. I was in my clothes and ready to go in 2 minutes!!

He, on the other hand was taking his sweet time. He had a strategy but I didn't know that at the time. I was antsy and eager to go! I was getting a little miffed at him. You don't just give me spending money and expect me to sit on it! Not when there are sooooo many things running through my mind that I have been needing. Like all that stuff I don't get cause it would be selfish to buy over the things that are needed for him and the house. Mainly being clothes for me.

Just after we finally left he revealed to me that he had taken a vacation day for my birthday, we requested it three weeks ago! The man still finds ways to surprise me.

He asked where I want to eat and guess what comes out of my mouth...IHOP! Yes folks I was in the mood for some pancakes! Lovely hubby that he is, didn't even mention my other two choices two weeks ago. Yeah I'm a money saver and a cheap date!

He took me to the Dollar Tree (Every thing's a Dollar), I love that place.
I bought:
Supplies for SIL's baby shower
Wicker basket
New pot holders
Cups for the grandkids for when they visit
New fake grapes that line my kitchen window sill.

On to Wal-Mart:
New sheets for my bed
New bra
Tennis shoes
Nice office boxes
With $23 left on the card for another day

Then he dropped me off at the Fantastic Sams for a haircut!
First time I have had it cut by someone other than me in over two years. LOVED IT!!

Then on the way home he went a different way, a way I had never been before. I saw all kinds of fabulous scenery and many photo opportunities, but didn't have my camera. I will be going to take those photos soon with my new camera!

He then stops at the Dollar General where I picked me up a pair of capri's and a shirt.

New hairdo, new shoes, bra, pants and shirt! New camera and a lovely award! What a Birthday!!!

Exhausted we both take a nap!!

Thank you all for the many many birthday wishes!!

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.

My Good Friend Eddie

Sorry today's post is not a funny, I told Spot I would post it.

Here is the post that I wrote in July 2008.

A long long time ago:

When I was with my ex (monster), he had a friend named Eddie. I met him shortly after the relationship started. He turned into one of my biggest allies in that screwed up relationship.

When my monster and I would fight he would be the guy in my corner telling me that my monster was wrong or crazy. Eddie would move in with us when he and his woman were fighting which was often, so he was a constant in the relationship, almost like having a good friend always there. Eddie and I did have our issues just like any other friends do, I hated how his woman treated him and embarrassed him all the time. She could not drink without getting horribly drunk, worse than I had ever seen and I worked in a bar and drank. Eddie would get so upset with her, they would fight and he would move in. I was happy to have him there, but sad for his relationship. I always felt that, he felt the same way about my relationship.

Lots of times he would tell me, he wished he had meet me first and maybe we would have saved each other a lot of heartache. I would say "that it would never have worked because I would always be mad at him for leaving and not coming home for days." He says "I would never have left you cause you would never treat me like my woman does." I say "that is so true!" Then we would laugh our fool heads off, we both knew we were just joking.

Many of times Eddie was the one to talk some sense into my monster, which was probably the deciding factor in whether or not the guy was going to kill me or not. I truly believe Eddie saved my life on many occasions, for that I will always be grateful.

Even on the times when he didn't live with us, he was always there because they both worked at the same place. The only big issue I had with Eddie was the fact that he would always volunteer himself to do extra stuff, not only at work but also to his friends. Then he would complain that he didn't get paid for it or that he was so exhausted. I would always tell him to stop saying you'll do things unless someone else asked you to and it is okay to say no every once in awhile, but he couldn't do it. Which was one of his most endearing and frustrating qualities.

Eddie had again volunteered to go help the boss's father in law with a flat tire. The father and sister in law were stranded on the side of the freeway. As Eddie is practically under the truck changing the tire, the sister in law was sitting on the guardrail and the Father standing close by.

A passing truck had a trailer hitched to it and somehow the drop hitch came unbolted and the trailer came and crashed into the father in laws truck. The crash threw the father in law over the guardrail and pinned the sister in law between the guardrail and the truck, tearing open her back. Eddie ended up being pinned between the truck and trailer which had made it's way half way up under the truck. His leg was cut opened from the knee down to almost the ankle, it was very gruesome to see. We got to the crash site right before they rushed him to the hospital.

This accident caused him to move in with us and brought his woman back. It was a privilege to be able to take care of HIM this time, instead of the other way around. His leg was healing nicely so he and his woman went back home.

Eddie's father passed away from colon cancer that had gone to his bones and brain. We hounded Eddie to get checked.

My relationship ended, finally! I lost touch with Eddie.

Years later I found out that he had finally gotten checked and the results were positive. He fought it for a long time but the colon cancer finally won.

I was informed that he has passed away today at the age of 50.

Eddie you was loved and was a great friend, you will be missed!