
I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel. -- Maya Angelou
Sunday, May 31, 2009
Home Safe

Saturday, May 30, 2009
Arghhhhhhhhhhhh.....

Friday, May 29, 2009
Brain Strain
I am sooooooooooo tired tonite. It has been one. long. week.Long long long.
The boys were so naughty on our long walk today I told Dylan if they didn't straighten up their act there would be no more walks. I don't know if it was because it was so warm and so muggy when we took off around 9 am or because Cooper is having a hard time with teething or what the problem was but the two of them were fighting WWIII in their tandem stroller. Cooper would not stay facing forward and kept pinching and scratching Dylan who, in turn, slapped him on the head, pulled his hair, and kicked at the back of Cooper's seat. Oh my, but did we have fun shopping in WalMart. When we finally arrived home I was never so happy to park a stroller in my life. It also helped that it was Cooper's naptime so after a change of diaper and a bottle popped into his mouth he was out like a light. Dylan sat on the couch quietly watching "Curious George" so I got a little bit of a respite. Then it was Round Two the rest of the afternoon. They aren't often like this, thank goodness. But when Cooper is really fretful and clingy when his teeth are coming thru, Dylan melts down if Cooper's crying is loud and prolonged, which it was today. I'm not sure if it overstimulates Dylan because Dylan has extremely sensitive hearing...but, oh how nice it was to hand them over to Mom and know I have a weekend to sit back and relax. My age definitely caught up with me today.
So...because I'm too tired to think up anything original I'm snatching another bunch of Random Questions from Jaggy's blog. Just because I can.
What curse word do you use the most? I don't curse, not in the usual sense. But when I'm extremely agitated what comes out of my mouth is "You dirty bird!!!"
Do you own an iPod? What's an iPod?
Who on your MySpace "Top 8" do you talk to the most? MySpace has never interested me whatsoever. And I deactivated Facebook for the final time about a month ago, I think it was.
What time is your alarm clock set for? Lately, with Dear Hubby on his super-early work shift, it's been set for 12:45 am. And he's been waking me when he leaves for work around 2:45.
What color is your room? I'm taking this means our bedroom. Sort of an aqua-minty-green?
Flip flops or sneakers? Barefoot, barefoot, and barefoot. Otherwise, very comfortable walking shoes.
Would you rather take the picture or be in the picture? Take the picture. I absolutely detest having my picture taken and I never like any of those with me in it. Never.
What was the last movie you watched? I'm pretty sure it was "No Country for Old Men"
Do any of your friends have children? Yup, and most have grandkids. Even a few great-grands.
Has anyone ever called you lazy? Lazy is a word not in my vocabulary. Ask my daughter.
Do you ever take medication to help you fall asleep faster? Once in a blue moon I'll take an over-the-counter sleep aid that I buy at Walmart. Equate brand, I think it is.
What CD is currently in your CD player? Annie Lenox's "Bare". I couldn't find it for the longest time and when I did a lot of purging this past weekend I found it tucked in amongst a bunch of old exercise clothes I used to wear when I rode my exercise bike on a daily basis.
Do you prefer regular or chocolate milk? Regular white milk and it has to be super-cold.
Has anyone told you a secret this week? Good grief, I hardly ever have conversation with anyone over the age of 3 most weeks.
Have you ever given someone a hickey? Yeah. Dear Hubby but many many moons ago. When we were kids once upon a time a million years ago.
Who was the last person to call you? My daughter called to see what we were having for dinner.
Do you think people talk about you behind your back? I'm sure someone must tho I think I must be pretty boring material. I don't gossip and I don't do much chitchat either. And I rarely talk to anyone on the phone outside of Dear Hubby and my kids.
Did you watch cartoons as a child? Oh, yeh! "Mighty Mouse", "The Flintstones", "The Jetsons", "Top Cat", "Mr. Magoo" "Bugs Bunny" "Daffy Duck", "Huckleberry Hound", "Quick Draw McGraw"...on and on. Mind you, most of these were the originals.
Are you shy around the opposite sex? Not at all. In fact, I'm more comfortable with men than I am with women.
What movie do you know every line to? When I was a teenager it was "Romeo & Juliet", the one with Leonard Whiting and Olivia Hussey. From way back when. My English class went to see it at an afternoon matinee.
Do you own any band t-shirts? Nope. Not even Grateful Dead.
Do you read for fun? I read for fun, to learn, to expand my horizons, to escape.
Do you cry a lot? Most definitely no.
Who was the last person to text message you? I wouldn't even begin to know how to send or open up a text message. I can barely figure out how to use our cell phone.
Do you have a desktop computer or a laptop? Desktop PC.
Are you currently wanting any piercings or tattoos? No way.
What is the weather like? It's just past sunset, still quite warm and muggy with hazy high clouds.
When was the last time you slept on the floor? Sheeesh...I can't remember. It's been a long time.
How many hours of sleep do you need to function? At least 7
Do you pay attention to calories on the back of packages? No.
Are you picky about spelling and grammar? EXTREMELY! Tho I have my own personal quirks on my blog, such as spelling "nite" and "thru". Why, I don't know.
Have you ever been to Six Flags? I don't even know where Six Flags is.
Do you get along better with the same or opposite sex? The opposite sex.
Do you like cottage cheese? I LOVE cottage cheese!
Do you sleep on your side, tummy, or back? My left side and my back. I have to have one leg out from under the covers, and I usually throw the covers off thru the nite because, since my hysterectomy, I get SO WARM!!!!
Have you ever bid for something on eBay? I don't have a clue how eBay works.
Do you enjoy giving hugs? More as I'm getting older. Physical affection, for many reasons, is something I never have been and never will be very comfortable with.
What song did you last sing out loud? "Agnus Deo"
Which celebrity, dead or alive, would you want to have lunch with? Katharine Hepburn was the first one to come to mind.
What one thing do you wish you had? Time. Definitely more time.
Wednesday, May 27, 2009
It's the Best Day Ever!

Sunday, May 24, 2009
"How's your long weekend going?"

Thursday, May 21, 2009
10 Honest Things About Me....

Wednesday, May 20, 2009

Sunday, May 17, 2009


Friday, May 15, 2009
A small portion in a day of my life....

I asked myself
as I trudged along, pushing my 20-pound tandem stroller with my 52-pound grandson Dylan and 22-pound Cooper on board...loaded down with a pack of Pull-Up underwear, a pack of size 3 diapers, a big bunch of bananas, a gallon of apple juice, a half-gallon of Cranapple Grape juice, and a big box of Baby Wipe refills...
Am I crazy?!
Wednesday, May 13, 2009
"Talk in everlasting words..." I dedicate them all to YOU!
When I got close to 500 posts on this blog I was going to say, "Guess what?! I've written 500 posts!" And then real life interrupted yet again and I lost count and I just realized I'm up to 504. All told, with the entries from my old blog which is still in cyberspace hanging around SOMEWHERE....895 worth!...I have a grand total of 1399.Sheeeeeeeeeeeeeeesh.
I sat in slack-jawed amazement when I had my Calculator on here figure it out for me -- at 5 am, I am not known for being particularly mathematical.
1399 posts. Countless words. Blood, sweat, tears, joy, contentment, angst, old-baggage, new-baggage, love, disappointment, grief, peace, frustration, exhaustion, exhilaration, silliness, hormonal fluctuations, recovery, health issues, grandbabies...not all necessarily in that order because I'm typing as they come to mind.
What it boils down to is a Life.
My Life.
And it's a wonderful one. A few bumps in the road, a few bruises to my spirit.
But I'm the Comeback Queen.
Tuesday, May 12, 2009
Every Woman's Lament...
Monday, May 11, 2009
Sunday, May 10, 2009
Mother's Day....
I snitched this photo from my daughter's blog...it's a sunset taken out of the window of the motel she stayed in at Lincoln City during her vacation a week or so ago. Isn't it gorgeous? Sometimes I think the weather on the Oregon Coast is more beautiful in May than it is in the summer!I arrived home a little while ago from a very spur-of-the-moment trip to the beach with my daughter-in-law and grandsons for the weekend. It was wonderful...perfect weather - in May again, of course - and we were able to do a little shopping at the outlet mall. Well, my d-i-l did the shopping because I'm not much for retail shopping. I walked the boys around the mall in their tandem stroller and freed her up so she could shop in peace. Dylan and I took a drive to the beach itself on our own yesterday afternoon and spent two hours frolicking in the sand and the edge of the surf. He had the time of his life and we had an absolute blast! We also drove to Newport early yesterday morning and went to the Aquarium there. With Dylan being so enthralled with Spongebob Squarepants at the moment, seeing all the 'real' versions of his favorite cartoon characters - especially the jelly fish and octopus - really intrigued him. We made about half a dozen trips back to the octopus before we left. The 4 of us were tucked in bed around 6:30 last nite...first Cooper plopped out of bed on to the carpet around 3:30 am and Dylan followed suit a couple hours later. I told my d-i-l we're destined to have babies fall out of bed whenever we go anywhere. The last time we went for a weekend together, Dylan rolled out!When they awoke this morning around 6, she and I packed up and drove home. In the middle of the packing-up-and-heading-out bustle I piped up and said, "By the way, Happy Mother's Day!" and we both began to chuckle at my timing on that one! Arrived home safe and sound an hour or so ago.
What is not said in this one is volumes. So much going on in real life right now. But it was so nice to have this time away and alone with my d-i-l. We really needed time to reconnect. And the boys were so good.
So, Happy Mother's Day, all my moms out there in bloggy-land and cyberspace! I'm alone and it's peaceful as I write this. The sun's shining. I am counting my blessings.
Wednesday, May 6, 2009
Crown of Glory...

Sleep, how I love thee....

Blessed sleep. I hate nites when it eludes me. I had one of those last nite, which surprised me because I was totally exhausted when my head hit the pillow. But I have a lot on my mind and I couldn't seem to shut it down so I tossed and I turned and my head churned. It seemed I sat up to see what time it was every half hour or so. These bouts of sleeplessness were a common thing back in my perimenopausal days, about halfway to 'the end'. I had something like 3 years where it felt like I was awake more than I was asleep. Since beginning the daily care of my grandsons sleep usually consumes me within minutes of my head hitting the pillow. Not so last nite.
We'll be keeping the grandboys overnite Thursday. Our son goes in for gall bladder surgery tomorrow morning and will most likely be released later in the day. At least they won't have to worry about juggling around schedules with trying to get the boys home. It's amazing to me how laporascopic surgery is so much simpler than the old form of surgery, so much less invasive. When Dear Hubby had a kidney removed back in 1977 they nearly cut him in half. As serious as his surgery was, I'm sure something like that is still a major operation. But to have a gall bladder removed? Just a couple of little holes barely a centimeter or two big and - in my case - they 'super glue' you with some kind of adhesive and you're done. The exception to my surgery was mine was an emergency and had to be done as quickly as possible so I spent a couple of nites in the hospital, the first nite because the operating schedule was so packed the day I was admitted, the second to make sure my labs came back ok since I didn't get in for surgery until after 7 pm. With our son...he had his attack, the medication they gave him killed the pain and got him to feeling better, but surgery was scheduled a week later because of his gall stones. I still find it mind-boggling that I had a complete hysterectomy last year as well and went home the next day! Good grief...some year in the future, we'll probably perform our surgeries at home ourselves with some kind of zapper we can point at ourselves and shoot!
My daughter-in-law is taking Friday off and will be coming by mid-morning to pick the boys up so I'm going to have an extra half-day off this weekend. Dear Hubby's planning on going bear hunting at the coast, leaving when he gets home after work, so I might-- just might -- have some time to myself. If I do I think I'll do my grocery shopping after the boys go home to free up my entire Saturday. It's supposed to be halfway nice so I'd love to get out and do some yard work. I'd also love to finish Maeve Binchy's book, "Heart and Soul". I read about half of it last Saturday when Dear Hubby and I went to his archery club and it's very good. My son called the other day and asked if we'd like to go to Madras in central Oregon for Memorial Day weekend with them and the boys but Dear Hubby's on call that weekend so we'll be sticking close to home. Which is fine with me. I hate traveling on big holiday weekends. Actually, I hate traveling most any old time. I am not a very good car-rider...I get carsick easily. In all truthfulness, I'm a diehard homebody. I don't need to go anywhere. But I will, if poked and prodded to do so. Just not very enthusiastically.
Today, it's raining. Yesterday the skies opened up several times and just dumped rain on us. I'm not too optimistic we'll find any sunbreaks to get out for a walk today. Dylan must've asked me a hundred times yesterday if we could go for a walk. He lives for them as much as I do. Sure beats staring at these walls all day.
It's 4:30. Better get on the ball. Maybe even try to do a few minutes of 'visiting' before I sign off. I've had to pare down my 'Coffee Break' list. I hardly have any on there and I still can't keep up with them. It seems like I'm constantly saying "Someday...." when it comes to doing things I used to love to do. I keep in mind "Someday this too shall pass." It helps.
Tuesday, May 5, 2009
Windows

Friday, May 1, 2009
Middle of the Nite Musings....
We're having one of our infamous slumber party nites, Dear Hubby and me. The phone rang at 1 am, our son calling from Emergency at a local hospital. He's having what they think is a gall bladder attack and he called asking us to pray for him. I can definitely relate to that, having had my own gall bladder removed last September. Once the phone rings in the middle of the nite like that, sleep is pretty much over with. Even so, Dear Hubby and I were both very tired when we went to bed and we lay there for a while, hoping we'd be able to grab a couple more hours. No such luck. So we got up at 2, put on the coffee, and here we are now at 3:21, wide awake and eating breakfast, getting a jump start on our day. I have a feeling we're in for a long one. Our son just called...still waiting for his x-ray. The Emergency department is busy tonite. Is it a full moon out there? I worked in hospitals for years and full moons always seemed to bring on extra-busy nites. I don't know why. Full moons brought out the crazies, too. I'm not sure what my schedule will be like with the boys today, if I'll have them at all or end up having them today and overnite. We'll see what unfolds when the sun rises.I don't care how old they get -- my son is 30 now -- but our kids are forever our kids. Their problems become more adult, is all. They still call on us when the going gets rough. We just can't take away all the aches and pains, the disappointments, and fix their worlds like we could when they were little, when a kiss on a boo-boo or a quick cuddle was all they needed to make it all better. Oh, that Life could remain that simple. But it doesn't.
So...here I sit. Restless and anxious. Awaiting news.



