After the Dentist, A Little Fun......

For some reason, the older I get the more I hate going to the dentist. So, when the receptionist called yesterday and said they had a cancellation for today and that I was overdue for a cleaning, would I like to take the appointment -- I was more than a little surprised to hear myself say "yes". I was surprised that I actually went too. And ever so thankful when it was all over. I don't even like the polishing of my teeth. I decided to celebrate when it was over and I stopped at one of the little antique places on the way home.





The Lindy Mall is a fun little place right on Hwy. 31 in Malakoff, TX. It has the items of many vendors. You never really know what you'll find in there. Today, I was looking for a clear glass canning jar with a glass top. I want to put some of the things that belonged to my sister in it, so that they are safe from dust and I can see them clearly all the time. I found one easily. Although I was plenty tempted by some blue ones too. I actually liked the blue ones better, but I knew I wouldn't be able to see Teresa's things as well in one of them. So, I got the clear one. Then I found a cow bell! I've wanted a good, well used cow bell since I first moved out here! I may hang it outside and see if the wind is strong enough to make it move like a wind chime. Or I may just keep it near me and shake it when I feel the need to hear it's low sound.





They had several things I wanted today. I love furniture and if I had a large house, it would be filled with all kinds of odd little pieces. Both of these dressers caught my eye, even though they are very different. They also had some lovely small white dressers! I could just picture a couple of them sitting side by side. I loved the typewriter and the shelf it was setting on. All of those turquoise-y looking things just made me drool. They weren't quite blue enough to make me pull out my wallet right then and there, but I am thinking on it. I've lived here 20 years. I'm ready for a change.

Days 7, 8 and 9 of 29 Gifts in 29 Days

You may have noticed that I've posted a lot lately. I haven't posted about my "gives" though. So, I'm catching up now.



Day 7 - My gift for today was extra prayers for my friend Yvette. She was competing in an Ironman competition in Switzerland on Sunday. She is my hero. I met Yvette through my "quilting friends" retreat and email group. We've actually seen each other in person only a handful of times over the decade or so that we've known each other, but I tell you, she is someone I truly admire. Several times a year, she competes in 1/2 marathons, marathons, 100 mile bike rides and, or Ironman competitions and all of it is to raise money for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. Yvette is amazing!

Day 8 and 9 - I wrote notes to my 6 aunts and added school photos of my granddaughters to each. I also emailed 4 cousins to see if they would like to have small items that had belonged to my sister. I mailed a small gift of tea to my son that I had purchased last week.




The good things that have happened during these days: I made it home from running errands before a storm started! I got to visit with all four of the cousins through email. I hadn't talked to them in at least a couple of months. And my dentist's office called today to see if I wanted to take a cancellation tomorrow. I've had to cancel a lot of my doctor appointments over the last 8 months or so because my hubby had been laid off, then we had no insurance for a while with the new job and then I was out of state for more than 3 months. It will be good to get that started back on track.

Things I Love This Summer

I have a lot of blogs that I check in on. I check on the ones listed to the right of my blog when they are updated, but I have a very long list of blogs in a favorites folder that I check on every other week or so. There are so many wonderful blogs out there! Hula Seventy is one of the ones I check on occasionally. I came across a posting on her blog with a list. I love lists. I make lists all the time. I can't seem to help myself. I can't seem to stop making lists. Then I noticed that at the end of her posting it said something about "52 lists". Fifty two lists! Wow! The thought just made me happy. I had to start reading what she had so far. When I got to her list of 100 things that she loves, I realized that I needed to stop and make a list myself. Here are 100 things I love this Summer:

1. star filled nights
2. cicada music
3. the smell of lavender soap
4. fresh rosemary
5. lightning bugs
6. sudoku puzzles
7. magazines
8. downloading one song instead of having to buy the whole CD
9. wearing my sister's jewelry
10. tiny white lights
11. honeysuckle
12. all the sounds that fill the night air
13. home made ice cream
14. summer fruits
15. hugs
16. watching kids blow soap bubbles
17. blowing bubbles with the kids
18. bookstores
19. turquoise blue
20. white furniture
21. watching the Texas Rangers play baseball
22. batik fabrics
23. ice cream sandwiches
24. spending time with extended family
25. getting a letter in the mail
26. seeing friends
27. quilt retreats
28. old photos
29. postage stamps
30. greeting cards
31. pink envelopes
32. eating sunflower seeds
33. fresh cut flowers in the house
34. a dark movie theater on a hot day
35. spending time with my sweet momma
36. hearing my grandson say "gramma"
37. talking to my grandkids
38. hearing the laughter of children
39. the smell of watermelon
40. puffy clouds that you can see shapes in
41. people watching
42. reading a really good book
43. getting a call from my son
44. polka dots on just about anything
45. quilts
46. comfy blue jeans
47. the sound of chickens clucking
48. rain on a metal roof
49. a good rocking chair
50. a fresh tomato right from the garden
51. music that makes me want to dance
52. little bitty cowboy boots
53. B's self-confidence
54. That my son and his kids are in OK now instead of CA
55. blank books
56. acrylic paints
57. shooting stars
58. holding little hands
59. sticky kisses
60. puppy breath
61. hearing a great new song that I immediately want to download that first time I hear it
62. frogs and toads
63. porch swings
64. smores
65. fruit pie
66. home made peach jam
67. hearing "I love you"
68. the United States flag and the Texas flag
69. seeing the Texas state line when I'm driving back into the state
70. yelling "yahoo" at the top of my lungs when I do see the state line
71. bird song
72. smiles
73. a really cold coca-cola
74. the moments that take my breath away
75. antique roses
76. antique shops
77. religious beads
78. glass bowls
79. heart shaped rocks
80. country music
81. oldies (50's and 60's) music
82. little bowls
83. hummingbirds
84. frozen margaritas
85. sunsets
86. cool morning air
87. Sunday afternoon naps
88. grilled salmon
89. birdbaths
90. wind chimes
91. sleeping in my own bed
92. road trips
93. address labels
94. old sewing machines
95. thimbles
96. shade trees
97. old mirrors
98. sigg water bottles
99. ceiling fans
100. my GPS

Now, I'm Really B-A-D!!

I heard this song the other day and it made me laugh out loud! Every time I hear it, I am flat delighted. And the "B-A-D" part is that I think of a particular person when I hear this song. I think of someone I thought I had forgiven. I guess I have some more work to do on that particular subject. Until then, K -- this song is dedicated to you......Everyone else -- enjoy!



There is another version of the video out. In the other video, the woman is, ah, shall we say "getting even" with the man. Maybe I should have put that video on my blog. I don't know. I just know that I like the song.

Ohhh, I'm bad, bad

That's what my oldest granddaughter used to say when she was first learning to talk. She'd say something was "bad, bad" instead of just "bad". I love watching the -- dare I say it -- tweens -- my granddaughters are turning into, but I sure miss the little ones they used to be. I can do so much more with them now and talk to them about so many things, but I miss hearing the precious things that came out of their little mouths as they learned about their world. It's just not the same as they get older. My middle grandchild, #2 can still just knock me over with laughter with the things that fly out of her mouth and I do believe she will always be that way. So, in some ways I won't totally lose that wonder, I guess. And little JT is still quite young in many ways. Fun times at all ages.

Anyway, the reason that I am indeed "bad, bad" is that I'm probably going to keep a couple of the jewelry pieces of my sister's that I had originally intended to give to my sweet cousins. I just don't know that I'll be able to part with them. They are funky and fun. They'll make me think of Teresa and remind me of the things we had in common when so much of our lives were spent in conflict with each other. I try really hard not to think of the wasted years we spent angry with each other over stupid things that meant so little in the long run, but today, for some reason I seem to be dwelling on it. I'm extremely grateful that we made up and became very close to each other, years before she died. I don't think I'd be able to handle this at all if we had not. It's so very hard at times, even with that comforting knowledge.



I picked out the earrings, the ring and the silver colored bracelet for myself to begin with. The bracelet says "With God, All Things Are Possible" all around it. The saying is similar to Teresa's favorite bible verse. So, it will always make me think of her. I've had the ring and bracelet on almost nonstop since I picked them out. Teresa and I were both very interested in learning more about making funky jewelry and about natural stones. I love the charm bracelet that is made from an old men's watch band. What a cool idea! It's tight on me, but I am ever hopeful that I'll lose weight and be able to wear it. I love the red stone bracelet too, it's just not that easy to put on myself. Maybe I haven't learned the trick yet. The other one just wasn't comfortable at all on me.

I've emailed the first cousin to give her a choice in the other bracelet and a cup and saucer. Whatever she doesn't pick will be offered to one of her sisters along with a very shallow bowl. After she picks, I'll see if the last sister wants something and if she does, she gets what is left or I may offer it to Mike. I wish I had thought to get Mike something on his own. Maybe on my next trip down, if there is anything left.

Let's just have a little Chat today....

....and maybe catch up on a few things. First, do you remember me telling you about those horrible, scary, huge crows that they had in CA? Well, I managed to get a photo of one in a nest. Just look at this nest! It's huge. Remember, this is a crow nest. You can enlarge the photo by clicking on it and see it better. I had to take it from my son's back yard and this was in the back yard of a neighbor. The nest is built on the cover for the patio and I honestly can't tell if it's a parent bird or a baby in the nest. I never saw it fly while I was out there. So, it may have been a mother sitting on eggs. Now, to give you some idea of how big those birds are, look at the sticks that the nest is built with. Those are not "twigs". Those suckers are "branches"! When the photo is enlarged you can see them hanging down under the patio covering. I'm telling you these birds would challenge cars. Never seen anything like it in TX.

Next I have a couple of photos of my son trimming branches off of a mighty pine tree in the back yard there in CA. I wish he had something that shady in his yard in OK. There is no shade at all there for the kids to get out of the heat. It was a beautiful tree. I sure do miss it.





I added photos to the post about my car being vandalized. If you want to see them, click here. I sure have enjoyed driving PTunia again since I've been home. I love my little car. Although I'll have to admit, I am thinking of getting a different vanity license plate. I have to check to see if anything is available in what I'm wanting to say now though. At this point, my hubby and son neither one want to be seen in my car with it's quilting related plate. That does have some advantages, but I'd like for them to drive it when it needs to be driven. That is only one reason for the new tag thoughts though.

Days 5 and 6 of 29 days of gifts in 29 days

Do you think I'm bragging about my giving? I promise you that I'm not posting about the gifts to brag in any way. There is a website for posting about the giving and we are encouraged to share our stories of the giving there. I thought by sharing the stories here also, that I might encourage someone else to start their own 29 day challenge. That is my sole motivation for posting about it here. More than likely, I will continue to participate in this giving for more than one cycle, but I doubt that I will post about it daily here after the first round.

Day 5 -- I have wanted chickens on my place for years. We would have to keep them penned up or they'd become expensive food for the wildlife around here though and now we have a chicken eating dog too. So, I may never get to own chickens myself. But yesterday I realized I could buy chickens for someone else through Heifer International! Heifer is one of those organizations that I believe is truly wonderful! I've wanted to donate to them for a very long time, but I always want to pick an animal I can't afford and I never will settle for something I can. Well, I can afford chickens, so I just jumped in. The family who gets the chickens will be taught how to care for and raise them properly. When the chickens have offspring, they will give some of them to neighbors and teach them how to care for and raise them also. Those neighbors will then pass the gift along when their chickens have offspring. It's a gift that eventually helps a whole community.

Day 6 -- Today, I wanted to help my friend Yvette. She is an amazing woman! She competes in triathlons and runs marathons to raise money for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. In fact, I think she's even participated in a 100 mile bike ride! The things Yvette does to raise money for this organization are just amazing to me! I've never asked her why she does it. I do know that the grandchild of a friend fought Leukemia (and won!), but I don't know if that is what inspired her. Since she began this, one other grandchild of a mutual friend has fought Leukemia and won and the husband of a mutual friend fought and lost his battle with the disease. As I write this, Yvette is in Switzerland. She'll be starting an Ironman race that will last 16 hours! It starts at 11 p.m. tonight Central time and ends at 4 p.m. tomorrow afternoon Central Time. This is 7 a.m. to 11 p.m. Swiss time. I will be praying for her strength and endurance, but I have also donated money to her next endeavor. Yes, she's already planning and raising money for her next event. I sure wish I had some photos to share with you of these things. Take care.

Day 4 of 29 Gifts in 29 Days

I gave several gifts today. Some without really thinking about them and a few without the proper feeling in my heart at the time I gave. I'm not going to even tell about them. So, on to the ones I'll share....I gave one out of sheer joy and that was a $20 tip at Cracker Barrel restaurant. Our young waitress was a good, attentive waitress and she was also training someone new. I've always wanted to leave a large tip. This is not as large as I would have liked to leave, but I only had a twenty and three ones in my wallet. I used my debit card to pay for the meal for my momma and myself. We were traveling home from my brother-in-law's house. I loved treating momma to lunch too. When we got home, I made up my hubby's coffee pot for him. I don't know if he's noticed yet, but I'm hoping that he's pleasantly surprised when he does.

Hubby surprised me by finding a way to repair my old ipod! I didn't know where I had put it and looked around in the places I would have put it if I had put it away properly. It wasn't there. Then I glanced over toward the TV and there it was! Hubby is charging the battery now and will be repairing it soon. I'll be able to use it again in no time! Hurray!

Home and Updates

I had expected this visit south to be heart wrenching. It wasn't. Mostly is was a good visit with family -- my momma, my niece B, my nephews R and S and my brother-in-law Jay.

Mom and I did pick out some things of my sister's to bring home with us. Our main project, if you could call it that, turned out to be to make sure Teresa's kids picked out things they wanted to be sure to keep. Things that were in the areas that were going to be worked on next week. Things that Teresa had owned and used herself or had purchased to sell again in the shop she hoped to have one day. My sister had quite an eye for treasures in junk shops and yard sales. I really wish I had been lucky enough to go on treasure hunts with her. I never got to really. I mean we did go to a Habitat for Humanity shop a couple of times and I bought a lot of great things there. I'm sure she did too, but I never got to go to yard sales with her and I think that's where she may have really shined.

We were there a couple of days. We talked, we laughed -- a lot, we ate some. It was good. I hope I don't have to wait so long to see them again. It is really good to be home though. I have lots of cleaning plans for my own home. Hopefully they will work out.

Day 3 of 29 Gifts in 29 Days

My mom and I are still down at my brother-in-law's house. This morning, first thing, I saw the opportunity to gift my momma with not having to pick up her bedding from the living room. I cleaned up my own bedding first and then folded up momma's bedding before she noticed. She was surprised and pleased when she started to get up to take care of it.

Later, my niece B was talking about her cruise that she'll be going on next month with friends and she mentioned that she didn't have flip-flops to take with her. This is not the first time I had heard her say it, but I felt the urge to gift her the money for them this time. I had set aside $10 for something to be gifted on this trip south, so I got my purse and handed it to her. She was quite thrilled. If she has anything left, maybe she'll get lucky and find a floppy hat too.

Seconds after I gave the money to B, I looked into my purse for something else and discovered two safety deposit keys that I thought I had lost! I looked all through my purse yesterday for them and could not find either of them. I almost cried from the sheer joy of knowing I wouldn't have to have the safe boxes re-drilled!

Day 2 -- 29 Girfts in 29 Days

Today's gifts have been simple and from the heart. I bought my son two types of tea that I'll be sending him when I return home. He's recently been drinking hot tea. Things like chamomile blends to help him relax. I found a couple of organic flavors that are for stress relief and relaxation that I thought he might like to try, so I got them both. I also treated my momma to a strawberry banana smoothie drink thing from Starbucks. I bought myself a bar of lavender soap and later bought a book and two purses. They were on sale, 2 for the price of one. I've never had 2 purses that I could use for everyday before. I bought the gifts today, even the ones for myself, with joy and love.

Momma came with me down to my brother-in-law's place. She wanted to buy the gas on the way down. That was a generous gift to me. Another couple of good things also happened. I was driving just a tiny bit faster than the law allows (5 - 6 mph) and I passed a police officer and a highway patrol car, both with radar set up and neither stopped me. I did decide not to push my luck and I slowed down after that though. My brother-in-law also bought me dinner. I wanted to pitch in, but he wouldn't take my money.

Full of Love

I'm about to head down to my brother-in-law's place to go through my sister's belongings before any are sold and help with them if I can. Not going to be an easy few days for me, or any of us, I'm sure. I still have trouble grasping the concept that my sister is even gone. Truly gone. I miss her so very much. It's still a physical pain for me -- when I allow myself to really think about Teresa and her not being on this earth with us any longer. So, today before I leave, I wanted to post the photo of my heart rocks. I purchased them. They were found on the shore. Shaped by the sea. I love them. The heart shape symbolizes love and what can be more fascinating than a sturdy rock beat by the sea into the shape of a rock. Today it will remind me to act out of love. And I will also try to keep joy in my heart. Take care.

Day 1 of 29 Gifts in 29 Days

For my first day of 29 Gifts in 29 Days, I first told my friend Catherine about the movement. I'm hoping she'll join me in doing this. I wish all of my friends would, actually, and all of my family. I'd love to compare ideas for giving and see if good things come into their lives during the 29 days.

Later, I hand wrote a letter to an old friend and two thank you letters. All of which were really over due, but couldn't be done, for one reason or another, until today. It felt so good to tell these three women how I felt. They are all a blessing in my life. I truly feel that a letter in the mailbox is a gift nowadays, but a handwritten letter is very special indeed. They are hard for me to write because my hand starts to hurt, but I just kept thinking of love and gratitude the whole time and rested my hand when I needed to.

Then, around dinner time, I made up the coffee pot for my husband tomorrow. I do this often, but I often resent it. I don't drink coffee and even though it doesn't take all that much of my "precious" time, I really don't like to do it. Today, I did it with gratitude in my heart because he was working for "us" and he had washed the dishes and clothes while I was at our son's and grandchildren's house. So, I wanted to show him that I appreciated what he had done and does do. I know he will appreciate it when he wakes up tomorrow afternoon. He works nights, you see. I feel good. Talk to you soon.

Sissy Dog

Sissy is my son's and grandchildren's dog. My son got Sissy for M before #1 was born. She may have been a Christmas gift, I can't really remember. She's a miniature pincher or minpin and is brown and tan. When she first came to live with them, she was smaller than a Coke can. M never had Sissy spayed. She had planned to breed her. I was totally against this. First of all there are way too many unwanted dogs in this world. Second, Sissy is really funny looking! No one with any sense would pay to have her or a puppy of hers. Oh, sorry son. I think you paid for her didn't you? Yikes! We'll she is a very sweet little dog. Anyway, Sissy has one ear on top of her head and one on the side! It's just hilarious looking! But you don't have to try to imagine for yourself, here are the photos to prove it.....

A Little More for Today

I finally uploaded my photos onto the computer from my camera. These were photos that I've had in there since Quilt Celebration in mid-March. Looking through them reminded me of several things that I had wanted to write about. Unfortunately, life kept me from actually writing about almost all of it. So, I'll be playing catch-up over the next few weeks.

One thing I want to mention right now is a movement I plan to participate in. It's called 29 Gifts in 29 Days. I first wrote about it in this posting, if you'd like to read about where the idea came to me from, just click on the link.

I now have the book written by Cami and I started reading it last night when I got home. I'm a little more than half way through it. Cami started this because of her health problems. I want to start it to get my focus off of my life. There has been constant upheaval in my life for well over a year now. I don't feel that I've truly gotten to handle each thing as it has come up. I may never get to, but right now, I want to concentrate on other things besides me.

I'm Home for a few Days

I came home a couple of days earlier than I had originally planned when I left home. My son managed to get the kids enrolled in daycare earlier than I had expected. Mostly due to the fact that Angie got the paperwork she needed to sign early on Wednesday morning and was able to send it back out to us the same day. We got the paperwork on Thursday and he enrolled the kids on Friday. They start tomorrow. So many changes in all of their lives!


My son bought his new car too. I forgot to take a photo of it, but I will next time. It's a Hyundai Tucson and I am in love with it! I tried to get him to switch cars with me, but for some reason, he just wouldn't go for it. Wonders never cease!

On Friday, son, the kids and I went out to eat burgers. You may know (or remember) that I am allergic to beef, which gives me migraines and makes me itch, so I haven't had a beef hamburger since I discovered this almost 2 years ago. I was really craving a burger and had decided that we'd just go somewhere that served bison on Friday night. Well, it wasn't as easy to find as I thought it would be. But I did find a place called Irma’s Burger Shack in OK City that served beef that had been raised naturally with no pesticides, hormones or other stuff added. It comes from a small private heard at the No Name Ranch right there in OK. I'd been thinking for a while that it is really the things that have been added to beef that I may actually be allergic to and not the beef itself. So, I decided to chance it and try a "no name" burger. The last time I ate beef, I had a migraine within 30 minutes and was itching all over my body within 15 minutes. I ate the "no name" burger at Irma's and didn't realize until we were home that I was having no symptoms at all! I didn't even get a migraine the next day, which was possible also.



Friday night, after our burger dinner, the girls and I baked 22 cupcakes for #2's 8th birthday the next day. It was after 9:30 PM when they came out of the oven, so we waited until morning to frost them. Originally, #2 wanted strawberry frosting on chocolate cupcakes. Her sister, #1, said she didn't like strawberry, so #2 changed the frosting to red, white and blue. Now, I didn't quite understand how #1 didn't like strawberry since she'll practically knock you down to get to eat fresh strawberries when they are in the house, but I have a few oddities myself, so OK. The next morning we divided the frosting into three bowls and added food coloring into two of them -- attempting to make red and blue frosting. We did get a light blue, but never added quite enough red food coloring to make red. We ended up with pink as you can see by the photos. The cupcakes were then topped off with chocolate sprinkles.

Number 2's party was going to be held in a park, at noon, outside, in the hot. And I do mean HOT. So, I asked permission to skip the party and go on home. Everything I had come up to do was done. I was ready to go and let this little family get used to being on their own. I think they were really pretty ready too.

A LIttle Good News

PTunia has new driver's side glass.

I have a new GPS, even though it was not covered by my insurance (it had to be permanently affixed to the car to be covered), I am happy to have it. Just being able to get around a new area will be worth the cost to me and ease my mind. I will probably have to invest in a larger purse though. I don't think it will fit in the one I have.

My son got the paperwork that he needed to get the kids into daycare. Being a single parent, in the military, he had to have written prof of his back up system should he be deployed. He couldn't even get his kids into daycare without it, which is why I had to come up this week. Now, he has it. Proof of the three people who are willing and able to step up and step in if the need arises. Hopefully, he'll have them in some sort of daycare situation tomorrow and I'll be free to leave after CL's birthday on Saturday.

My son is, as I write this, out shopping for a new car. I have no real idea of what he's looking for other than a car that at least 5 people can fit into, is dependable and has room for all of the junk that 3 kids and a dog require when traveling. The Impala felt more than a little crowded on the way here from CA. I wish him luck. Until next time, take care.

Yet Another One

My son's car died for the LAST time yesterday afternoon. If he decided to repair it again, it would be the third time since mid-May. Plus he had paid to have it gone over and some repairs done in preparation of the drive to TX before the break downs even started! Throwing good money after a bad car has to end at some point. That's not to say that it's always been a bad car. "Sweetie" has been a pretty good car for a good long time actually. They got this car pretty soon after they got married 11 years ago. I think that's a pretty good life span for a car nowadays, myself.

So, the car shopping has started and my poor little broken windowed car is the one in use until one is found. Speaking of my car (who is fondly named PTunia), she will get her window repaired tomorrow. I will also get my new GPS tomorrow. All will be right with my world again, pretty much.

Saturday is CL's 8th birthday. There should be good news and fun photos on the horizon for you all. Until next time, take care.

Headaches of a Different Kind

I have one of those built in anti-theft alarms on my little PT Cruiser. I've always thought that was really cool. It lowered my insurance rates a bit and gave me an added bit of peace of mind. Well, I found out last night that that peace of mind only works if they actually attempt to open the door of the car! If they smash in a driver's side window, for instance, the alarm just sits there silent. A fat lot of good that does when they smash, grab and run! So, today I have lots of glass to clean up, a car window to replace, an insurance agent to call, a police report to make (in all likelihood), I'll have to take my car to the dealership with all these grandkids in tow and I no longer have a GPS to help me find the place!




I'm sure I had taken it off the window. I'm not sure I had unplugged it. Unfortunately, I did leave it in the car. The car was parked on the street to make it easier for my son to get in and out of the garage for work. We think one of the neighbors did it.

The silver lining to all of this is that even though moving is a pain in the butt, my son is even more determined to move on base. I am happy about that. Maybe we should just pack some of this stuff back up until they get there.

Totally Hot and a Migraine or Two

We made it to OK City and beyond with no real problems. I had been concerned about the drive since it was supposed to be so hot and there had been construction when my son drove it, making the drive very long for little kids and dogs. As it turned out, we were able to make a quick pit stop at Quilt Country in Lewisville for a potty break while it was still early and cool. The dog did fine for the short time we were in the shop.

After that, we drove pretty much straight through. There was rain along the way, which kept the temperatures down and the construction stopped. There were a couple of minor accidents. One of which had me concerned that we would literally run out of gas on the highway, but we didn't. Our prayers were answered when the accident cleared by the next exit and there was a gas station there also. My GPS took us straight to the new house and my son had just gotten home, so all were happy! It took us almost 5 hours to get there. I was hoping it wouldn't take that long, but was happy it didn't take longer.

Saturday, most of the cable, Internet and phone service was hooked up. They'll have to come back to finish up on an early morning to do some attic work. There is still a lot of putting away to do and some organizing also. The house is about the same size as their last one, but there is less storage. So, we'll have to get creative and do some things different here.

The only real complaint that I have is that there is no ceiling fan in the girls bedroom. And baby it is HOT in there at night. Nights are hot for a woman of a certain age anyway and I do believe that I am a woman of a certain age. I've offered to buy the ceiling fan and pay to have it installed, I'm so desperate for a night's sleep! Of course my son has to check with the landlord and the handyman about all of this first. I'm sleeping on the couch in the living room tonight. I know that much for sure.

For some reason, I've had one migraine since I've been here and feel that another is just looming ready to pounce any second. I don't know what has caused it and don't know what to do to prevent it. I have a horrible feeling that it could be the neighborhood (some weed we don't have at home) or the house itself (maybe the lovely newly painted walls). If that is the case, I'm in real trouble.

A couple of things have happened that I wanted to mention since I've been here. I had stopped to pick up my mail before I left and was surprised to get a lovely, sweet card from Tracey. She sent it to me as her "building a bridge of love" act for the Dalai Lama's birthday a few days ago! Thank you Tracey! It was such a nice surprise. I first met Tracey when I was "assigned" to her by Se'lah in the gift of jewels post card swap over at the Necessary Room back in February. Tracey has been so sweet to me and has contacted me several times since then. I had lost her address while in CA. Hopefully, now that things have calmed down some, I'll be able to keep in touch with her.

The other thing I wanted to tell you is that I had bid on 4 quilts in the mini auction to benefit the North TX Food Bank that was being held through Quilt Country. I lost out on all 4 of them! My friend Sandy got 3 of the ones I wanted that were made with the theme "hunger". So, I'll just have a make a donation to the food bank myself and one to the East TX Food Bank also. (I'll come back later and add more links to this post.)

On the Road Again

I'm hitting the road Friday morning to take my grandkids and their dog to their new home in OK. The furniture was delivered today. The Internet will be hooked up on Saturday morning. They've had a good visit with their Aunt Angie, their other grandparents and other aunts, uncles and cousins. But, it's time to go home. They miss their dad and their dad misses them.

Now, when my son first drove from here to OK, it took him an unbelievable 6 hours! This should be a 4 hour drive, maximum, but there was construction all along the route. I am quite concerned about this for the drive tomorrow. It's too hot to leave a dog in a car while you take three kids into a restaurant for a potty break. I can't think of one restaurant that will let you bring a dog in for the potty break. I don't know of one young kid that can "hold it" for an unbelievable 6 hours! And last, but not least, I'm not comfortable sending three kids, ages 6 - 9, into a restaurant by themselves for a potty break. I'm thinking of taking a coffee can and toilet paper and having them pee along the highway between the car doors with me standing in front of them. I'll let you know how it goes.

A Call from Beth

My friend Beth called this morning. She lives in TN now, much to my dismay. She asked what the doctor had said about my arm. I gave her the run down. After hearing the news on my latest injury, she started to kid me a bit about how it happened. Then she asked how I was feeling and if I was rested. She and I had talked several times when I was in CA and feeling overwhelmed. I told her that I was feeling good and that I was just frustrated not to be able to do anything yet because of the arm. She said that my injury was God's way of making me rest more. That He didn't think I had rested enough yet. I joked a little about Him telling me to go ahead and try to step over that gas hose, but what she said makes a little sense. Forced rest is not something I do well, but I'm going to try to take it as something that I need and that it happened for a reason. Even if I can't see it like that all the time.


Now, writing on the blog doesn't hurt a whole lot, but I do feel an occasional pull in my arm when I am on the computer. So, I may not be on here as much as I had planned to be over the next week or so. I'll be back as soon as I can. Until then, take care.

Happy 75th Birthday Dalai Lama

So many ideas have run through my head for my random act of kindness to celebrate the Dalai Lama's 75th birthday today and build a bridge of love with Se'lah at the Necessary Room blog. Unfortunately most of my day was taken up at the doctor's office. I finally went in about my arm. I fell on June 25th while doing something stupid. Tip for the day, don't try to step over the gas hose while filling up your tank, even if you think you can do it, it's not worth it if you don't. I've managed it in the past, but this gas pump was elevated several inches on a cement stand for some reason and that is all it took for me to take a header and land on my elbow! Excruciating pain ensued. Of course this happened late afternoon on a Friday. I only briefly thought it was broken, so I decided to wait to go to the dr. until the next week. By then it was so much better that I felt I was doing everything right and just needed to continue. Over the weekend, I hurt it again -- a couple of times, so today I headed in. I have a severely bruised deltoid muscle. I am not to use the arm in any way that makes it hurt for at least a week to ten days. Now, I'm trying to figure out how to drive to OK this weekend, because driving definitely hurts!

So, after I get out of the doctor's office, I realize I'm starving - it's after one PM and I haven't had breakfast much less lunch -- so I decide to drive through to get a burrito. I'm in the Taco Bell drive through when I realize that someone just pulled in behind me. Yippee! When I pay for my food, I ask the young lady if she would tell me the total of the folks behind me because I would like to pay for them too. I told her I was doing it in celebration of the Dalai Lama's birthday and to please tell the folks to have a great day for me. I do believe she thought I was nuts, but she let me pay their tab, the whole while smiling a little oddly. I hope they got a kick out of it.



Description

NEW YORK - MAY 20: The Dalai Lama bows before the start of a press conference at Radio City Music Hall during a break between teachings May 20, 2010 in New York City. The Tibetan spiritual leader will deliver three days of teachings at Radio City followed by an interfaith dialogue at the Church of St. John the Divine on Sunday. (Photo by Mario Tama/Getty Images)
Content © 2010 Getty Images All rights reserved.

Did you do anything to celebrate the Dalai Lama's birthday today?

Leaping Lizards

I didn't know how to add video from youtube until the last posting. That gave the the idea of sharing my very favorite video with you. This is one from a local Dallas station, channel 5 KXAS which is an NBC station. It happened years ago. Unfortunately, I don't remember the newscaster's name. I'm pretty sure it happened on either an early morning show or a Saturday show. I wish I had seen it live when it happened. I've seen the video so often that it almost feels like I did see it live! If you don't laugh at this (I do every single time I see it!) your funny bone is broken!

From my Friend Jan and YouTube

I Fought for You



I had to wipe the tears away.

Happy 4th of July!

Our 4th of July celebration has not gone as planned this year. Our son was not able to make it down from OK because of heavy rain. He was concerned he'd get stuck here and not be able to make it back to the base in time Monday. So, he turned around yesterday and went back. Turned out to be a good thing. His dad is sick and upchucking. Would not have wanted him or the grandkids to get sick. So, our celebration has turned into a quiet weekend of reflection. Never a bad thing.

I didn't have any photos worthy of the 4th of July. So, I went online and started to look for free photos to use. I came across Picapp and this photo really touched me. After all, if it were not for the military, both past and present we would not live in a free country. I am so very grateful to each and every person who has served in the military and who is serving now. I'm grateful for their sacrifice. I'm grateful for the sacrifices of their families also. Thank you to each and every one of you.





BAGHDAD, IRAQ - JULY 4: (L-R) U.S. Army Specialist Jason Horner from Paulsboro, New Jersey, Specialist Anthony Johnson from Madison, Missouri and Corporal Jason Hughes from Marysville, California, of the 1st Armored Division color guard, stand during a casing of the colors ceremony July 4, 2004 in Baghdad, Iraq. As America celebrates the 4th of July, many soldiers in Iraq continue their work. (Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images)
Content © 2010 Getty Images All rights reserved


I hope that you are having a wonderful 4th of July and celebrating in exactly the way you want to. I hope that you also take just a few moments to reflect on the reason for this holiday and the sacrifices made for you. We'll visit again soon. Take care.

Kindness

I'll admit it, I'm a little lost right now. I want to be super happy and blogging every day about happy things. I want to have fabulous photos on every post too, but the fact of the matter is that I'm nursing a injured arm (I fell on my 3rd day back home and hurt it), my house is filthy (which zaps my energy and I can't even clean it because of the arm!), I have not mourned my sister's death (and now that I've put her loss in that little locked "box" in my heart -- how do I get it out so that I can grieve properly? -- maybe I need to go back to therapy) and I'm still tired from all I've been through over the last three months. Heck, I'm tired from all I've been through over the last 10 months. Maybe even longer. It doesn't seem like I've had the time to deal with any of it properly. I've tried to deal with each thing as it came up, but something else came up before I could finish and the first thing would get shoved into the "box" and never brought back out. This is a defence mechanism I learned as a very young child when I was being molested by an uncle by marriage. I'm very good at blocking things. Very good at it. Such is life. Sometimes it just flat sucks.

Life is hard, but it is worth the work it takes to be happy. I should tell you right now, and in no uncertain terms, that I am not unhappy. The arm is getting me a little down because I had lots of plans for when I got home and I am disappointed to have to postpone them. I wanted to super clean my home. I wanted to start and finish several quilts. I had lots of plans! Unfortunately, I can't do them right now. So, on to plan B.

What is plan B? Do I even have a plan B? Well, I didn't until tonight although it started forming a couple of days ago when I read a posting on the blog Necessary Room. Se'lah wants to "build a bridge of love" to celebrate the Dalai Lama's 75th birthday by doing random acts of kindness on Tuesday July 6th, which just happens to be the birthday of which we are speaking. Read her posting here and then look over her blog. Se'lah is a lovely woman and full of warmth. I'll be joining her for her random acts of kindness idea on Tuesday. I love random acts of kindness! They make me feel good. I can only hope they make the folks that I act upon feel as good.

photo taken from picapp. Here is the photo description.
WASHINGTON - FEBRUARY 19: The Dalai Lama participates in a ceremony after recieving the Democracy Service Medal at the Library of Congress on Febru,ary 19, 2010 in Washington, DC. The medal was created by the National Endowment for Democracy and has been presented to a wide range of individuals who have demonstrated through personal commitment, their dedication to the advancement of freedom and human rights. (Photo by Mark Wilson/Getty Images)
Content © 2010 Getty Images All rights reserved.

Then earlier tonight I came across a post in the Bayou Quilts blog when I was catching up on blogs I missed reading while in CA. Her blog posting is titled A Kindness Revolution and is about giving 29 gifts in 29 days. Here is an article about it also. The article and blog posting are about Cami Walker, who at age 33 was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis. She was prescribed the 29 gifts in 29 days by an African medicine woman named Mbali Creazzo to help her through some of her more difficult symptoms. Cami has written a book about her experience -- 29 Gifts looks to be worth the read and I am definitely going to order it after I finish this post.

I went to the book link on Amazon and read all it would let me read about the book. All I can say after doing so is that I am in! I'll do it. I look forward to the challenge of 29 straight days of gifts to others. I won't start this until after Tuesday. I'll blog about it again the day before I start and I'd love for you to join me! I also plan to blog about each gift each day and any benefits I get from the gift I give. Now, I'm going to go check out the 29 gifts website. We'll visit again soon. Take care.

More Minis added the the Auction Site!

If you have not gone over to see the miniature quilts up for auction through Quilt Country to benefit the North Texas Food Bank, I highly recommend that you go right now! Even if you did go yesterday, I recommend that you go back. They have added more quilts! Oh, so fun!

Quilt County has miniture quilt auction to benefit North TX Food Bank

My friends at Quilt Country in Lewisville, TX are having an online miniature quilt auction to benefit the North Texas Food Bank. The link to the auction is here. The auction ends July 11th at 3 P.M. CDT. I hope you'll check it out and possibly put a bid in for one of the little gems. If you're unsure as to whether or not you want to help out, go read the article that inspired the ladies at Quilt Country. Picture these children as children you know. Help if you can, but if you can't help here, then please donate to your local food bank. I'm sure they are all hurting in this economy.

I've already put a bid in on one quilt and am seriously wanting to bid on several others. Miniature quilts are very collectible and can be quite addictive -- kind of like trying to stop eating potato chips. As I write this, I can see 4 minis on the walls in front of me. I know there are 4 that are "resting" off of the walls at the moment and several others that are on walls that I can't see from here. One day, I'll take a photo of all of my minis to show you all.

I'm hoping that Quilt Country will have this auction annually. They have been collecting food annually, so I know that the North Texas Food Bank is a charity of choice for them. I was not able to donate a miniature quilt to be auctioned off since I was in CA with no sewing machine, fabric or other supplies at the time that they put the call out for minis. Sometimes life gets in the way of the things we'd really like to do. The food bank is a great organization to help. As much as I want to help people in other parts of the world (and I will continue to do so) I want to help our people here in our own backyard as much, if not more. There is no excuse for a child in the United States being hungry. There is no excuse for any person in the United States being hungry. We can stop this, but we need many of us to do it. Every little bit helps. Every single dollar given to the North TX Food Bank feeds 4 people. That is amazing. One dollar equals four meals!