Tuesday’s Blog Hop–My Favorite Baby Pics

Since this is a blog about our past life’s experiences, I thought it was only appropriate to search through my old photo albums for my favorite pics of our (now grown) children when they were babies…

Brandy, age 6 months...

This is a photograph of our oldest child, Brandy.  She is wearing the headphones to our stereo, but no music is playing.  Can you tell this photo was made in the 1970’s–before small headsets got popular???  It was taken in April of 1979.

Brett, age 2 months

This is a photograph of our second child, Brett.  He was sleeping in his swing.  I love this photograph because Brett looks like a little adult  sleeping.  I love the fist up beside the head…He always seemed older than he really was… Photo taken in July of 1982.

Brad, age 12 months

This is a photograph of our youngest child, Brad.  He’s the one that weighed over 10 and a half pounds at birth.  I love how he’s sleeping on his little pillow, with his stuffed animal, and sucking his forefinger…he always sucked his finger instead of his thumb!  Photo taken in July of 1986.

Click here to enter your link in the blog hop and view the entire list of entered links…

Not Me, Monday…

This Monday did not find me another year older than I was last Monday!  I did not officially turn into a Senior Citizen yesterday!  I remember when our parents turned into Senior Citizens…I remember thinking, well, it’s all over for them now…they’re old people!  I do not feel old–no really I do not!  I feel like a thirty year old trapped in a fifty-five year old body….help, I want to get out……

I did not spent the entire week listening to my dear hubby{with the broken wrist and removable cast} take his cast off…put his cast back on…take his cast off…put his cast on…ENOUGH!  I hate the sound of velcro unfastening!!!  Put it on, leave it on, PLEASE!!!  Hospital employees make the worst patients!

After my trusty computer chair caved in with me last week, I did not find out that my trusty desktop computer is also on it’s way out!!!  I did not just have a new hard drive put in not long ago… that computer is  only 5 years old…humm…same age as the chair!  I did not finally give in and order a new computer…I wanted new living room furniture, NOT a new computer and chair!!!

After I received the news that my computer is dying, I did not plug in the vaccum cleaner on Friday only to have it sputter and die!  People, I wanted living room furniture, not a new computer AND a vaccum cleaner!!!  I did not open our newspaper on Thursday to see that our local furniture store is offering cash for clunker couches…HELLO, I have one of those….I’d love to trade it in….

That’s about it for my Monday, now hop on over to Mckmama’s at http://www.mycharmingkids.net and see what everyone else has been up to.  I look forward to hopping over there myself.  Thanks for stopping by my place…Don’t forget to leave a comment to be entered in the gift card give away…Drawing will be next Monday!!!

Dating and Daughters…Part Two

When I left off with part one of my story, Brandy and G had gone to the prom together at the end of their senior year.  The rest of the school year passed, and both graduated from high school.  Things moved quickly after that.

Brandy found a job working days and began taking night classes at a nearby college.  The couple got engaged and decided to buy a mobile home.  They found a mobile home that they liked and with my husband co-signing, they purchased it.  It was now July of 1997.

A spot was already set up for a mobile home on the 30 acre farm that my husband’s family owns.  Brandy’s grandparents agreed to let the couple put the mobile home on that spot.  Once the home was delivered and set up, G moved in.  He continued to work, and began making the payments on the home.  He and Brandy began to plan a wedding.

Time passed and soon it was the end of 1997.  The couple had set a wedding date of May 16.  Brandy had bought her wedding dress, invitations had been ordered, the wedding site had been booked,  as well as the photographer. 

Christmas came and went and all was well….or so we all thought.  It was a couple of weeks into January of 1998 that we found out different. 

The couple was working, going to school, and planning the wedding.  It was a busy and stressful time.  One  Thursday night, the couple had an argument.  It didn’t seem to be a huge one, but G went home and Brandy went to bed.

On Friday afternoon, G never came home from work.  I just had this feeling in the pit of my stomach that something wasn’t right.  He was always predictable–came home at the same time each day.  Finally, Brandy went down to the mobile home and let herself in.  What she experienced was something that I wished no child of mine or anybody elses would ever have to experience.  

What she found was an empty home.  G had gathered all of his belongings and slipped away like a theif in the night.  We had no idea where he went or why.  No explanation, just gone…I’ll never forget her face or her voice when she came back and said “mama, he’s gone!”

 We don’t know the exact reason why G left,  even now.  We did contact his mother and found out that he had moved back home.  Apparently there had been some discussions with his family and he’d decided to call the wedding off and move back home.  His mother had him return the mobile home keys to us, but he brought them and left without saying a word. 

What followed was the most painful time of our lives.  We had all been dealt a crushing blow.  Never in a million years would any of us have expected this!  In addition to watching Brandy go through the pain of being betrayed by someone whom she loved and trusted, we had to deal with “unplanning” the wedding and  paying for the mobile home!

We lost the money that we’d invested in the invitations and the booking the wedding site, but we were able to return the wedding dress and  thank goodness we hadn’t paid the photographer anything yet.  My husband returned the dress for us, bless his heart, because neither Brandy nor I could bring ourselves to do it.

The mobile home sat there unoccupied for a few months, but we finally decided that Brandy could either move in and take care of it or we’d sell it.  Brandy moved in, but couldn’t afford her car payment and the mobile home payment, so we ended up helping her make one payment or the other.  It was a difficult time for all of us.

You know the saying…”that which does not kill you will make you stronger”?  Well, we all survived.  It changed all of us forever, but we survived.  We found strength in each other and in believing that God had other plans for Brandy’s life…which He did.

Daughters and Dating…

This is a sensitive subject and I sure hope I don’t get into trouble for writing about it, but it’s a part of our family history so here goes…

My daughter had the most awful time with her “love life” of almost anyone I know.  It’s sort of like a family “curse”.

Brandy and this boy whom I’ll call G, started liking each other in the seventh grade.  This attraction continued through the ninth grade.  Of course they were too young to date, but he was occasionally dropped off  at our house for a visit– with his his sister tagging along most of the time.  His sister was his chaperone!  Occasionally,  Brandy was invited to do things with his family or his mother would invite Brandy and me on a shopping trip with her and G–that type of thing.

8th Grade Graduation

 Brandy and G both attended the same school through the eighth grade, but then we chose to send Brandy to a small private school instead of the large county high school.  Brandy and G were a couple all during the ninth grade, but broke up just prior to the tenth grade.  The two of them got back together sometime around the beginning of the eleventh grade.

All during this dating period, there was one constant…G’s daddy was a “pain in the rear”.  I don’t know any nice way to put it.  I liked G’s mama and we became friends, but her husband was something else.  Even she would admit that!  Any problems that came up between Brandy and G could usually traced back to his dad.  He couldn’t stand the fact that G was crazy about Brandy and he did everything in his power to make it hard for them to be together.  As a general rule, Brandy and G saw each other when his dad was out of town on road trips.   There were many times that G’s dad threw a “monkey wrench” in the couple’s plans… but one particular time he really  outdid himself!

You know every girl dreams of their prom, and getting that first formal dress, and Brandy was no exception.  She found the dress of her dreams and we bought it!  She was all excited about going to the prom….then it happened–G’s dad announced that G would NOT be allowed to go to the prom!   No discussion,  no compromise–just no!  He said he didn’t go to his eleventh grade prom and therefore,  G wouldn’t be going to his either.  Brandy’s dress hung in the closet for another whole year before she got to wear it.

That’s the way things went with G’s daddy until the last half of the couple’s  senior year of school.  Brandy and G were pretty serious about each other by then–they’d been together  for going on five years.  Finally, G’s dad gave him an ultimatum, that I don’t understand to this day…either break up with Brandy or get out of my house.  G made his choice and out.  He left late one night carrying his things. 

G had no place to go–no family near by, so we took him into our home.  I cleaned out part of our “junk room” so he’d  have a place to sleep.  I know that may sound strange, but by then he was sort of like family so we just took him in. 

G had already earned enough credits to graduate high school by December, so he was able to work the last half of his senior year, then go back and graduate with his class.  So that’s what he did.  He lived with us, worked days,  and saw his mother and sister when his dad wasn’t home.

So for six months G lived with us.  I never in a million years dreamed I’d have my daughter’s boyfriend living at our house…but you never know what you will do until faced with the unimaginable.  We took G in and treated him like a fourth child.  Strangely enough, things went very well!  He got along well with our two sons and was very respectful to me and to my husband.

Prom Night 1997

…The months went by and soon it was time for the prom again.  This time Brandy and G got to go to the prom–and she finally got to wear the beautiful dress that had been hanging in her closet for over a year! (to be continued tomorrow)

They are Brothers, They are Friends…

My boys, Brett and Brad were born three years and two months apart.  They were close from the beginning.  I think that Brett could hardly wait for Brad to grow up and be his buddy.

Buddies at an early age...

From day one, Brett was the leader, Brad was the follower.  Brad just has that kind of personality.  He’s easy going, and not hard to please.  Brad would always play whatever Brett wanted to play.  I don’t ever remember hearing Brad suggest something to play when they were young.

the little super heros...

I remember all sorts of phases that the boys went through.  There was the super hero phase…They both liked Batman and Superman.  Brett also loved He Man and the Masters of the Universe, but Brad didn’t care much for them.  There were the  Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and of course Wrestlemania —good ole’ Hulk Hogan and The Ultimate Warrior!  We had some serious wrestling matches going on at our house until we had to put a stop to it.    Brett thought all of those moves were real and was trying them out on Brad!

Sportin' those matching neon outfits on vacation at Marineland...

After Brad got old enough, I used to enjoy dressing the boys alike.  I did that a lot.  Sometimes I would buy the same outfits, but in different colors.  While they were growing up the neon colors were popular, so they had some pretty flashy summer outfits!  The things we do in the name of style!!!

Brett and Brad shared a bedroom for many years.  They slept on bunk beds–Brad on top, Brett on bottom.  When our oldest child, Brandy, moved out, Brad moved into her old room.  By then, the boys were teenagers and needed their own space.  I remember Brett didn’t respect Brad’s privacy and would go in his room and take things without asking.  Brad responded by installing a lock on his door which he locked from the outside with a key.

Oh the tales I could tell about those two boys, but I’ll save some for another day.  I am still finding out things to this day that I didn’t know about!!!  Apparently they were quite good at keeping secrets and covering up for each other…and each did their share of things that needed to be covered up!

the boys looking through old toys that I'd saved...

Both boys are grown now.  Brett is married and has an eight month old son.  Brad is still single and lives with Ed’s 87 year old mother.  He helps see that her needs are met.  Only a small patch of woods separates the residences where the boys live.

Several months ago, Brett and his wife were going through some rough times in their marriage.  They were separated for a few months.  Brad was there for Brett every step of the way.  He cooked for him and fed him, listened when he needed to talk, and spent hours trying to help fill the void in his life–even drove him to have his wisdom teeth taken out.  He was a true friend, as well as a brother…

Although each young man lives their own life now, Brett and Brad remain pretty close.  They both continue to like a lot of the same things.  A weekend may find them playing a video game or watching a NASCAR race on television.  Boys will always be boys–at heart!

Thanks so much for stopping by and reading my blog…don’t forget to leave a comment to be entered in my 100th post give away contest.  Details are at the top of my blog page under Kathy’s Contests…

Tuesday’s Blog Hop–Make Me Laugh

 Hi everyone, the theme of this week’s blog hop is Make Me Laugh, so that’s what I will try to do…..please read on!

 

 

IF MY BODY WERE A CAR…..

If my body were a car, this is the time I woud be thinking about trading it in for a newer model. 

I’ve got bumps, dents, and scratches in my finish…my paint job is getting a little dull.

But that’s not the worst of it.  My headlights are out of focus, and it’s especially hard to see things up close.

My traction is not as graceful as it once was.  I slip and slide, skid and bump into things–even in the best of weather!

My whitewalls are stained with varicose veins.  It takes me hours to reach my maximum speed.  My fuel rate burns inefficiently.

But, here’s the worst of it—

Almost every time I sneeze, cough, or laugh, either my radiator leaks or my exhaust backfires!

CASH FOR CLUNKERS….I QUALIFY, HOW ABOUT YOU???

———————————————————————————————-ABOUT CHILDREN…to those of you who have children in your lives, here is something to make you chuckle…

Whenever your children are out of control, you can take comfort from the thought that even God’s  omnipotence did not extend to His own children. (read on)

After creating heaven and earth,

God created Adam and Eve….and the first thing that He said was “DON’T!”

“Don’t what?’ Adam replied.

“Don’t eat the forbidden fruit.”

Adam, “Hey Eve, don’t eat the forbidden fruit!”

Eve, “No, way!”  

“Yes, way!””Do NOT eat the fruit!” said God.

Eve, “Why?”

“Because I am your Father and I said so!” God replied…wondering why He hadn’t stopped creation after the elephants…

A few minutes later, God saw His children having an apple break and He was ticked!

“Didn’t I tell you not to eat the fruit?” God asked.

“Uh huh.” Adam replied.

“Then why did you?” asked the Father.

“I don’t know.” said Eve.

“She started it!” Adam said.

“Did not!”

“Did too!”

….having had it with the two of them, God’s punishment was that Adam and Eve should have children of their own!  Thus the pattern has never changed…

But, there is reassurance in this story…

If you have persistently and lovingly tried to give children wisdom, and they haven’t taken it, don’t be too hard on yourself!

If God had trouble raising children, what makes you think it would be a “piece of cake” for you?

———————————————————————————————-

 And I just had to end this post with one of my favorite photos from my collection….

Just imagine what she would’ve done if there had really been something in that toilet!!!!

Click here to enter your link in the blog hop and view the entire list of entered links…

Not Me, Monday…What a Week!

Sweet Monday again!  I am reminded each week how fast time truly goes– when it’s already time to recap the previous week–again!

No, I did not spend the majority of my time last week on the computer.  I did not sit in that computer chair so much, that the bottom of it finally gave away and sunk in…My butt, however, has not grown to the chair as my hubby said it would!

I did not sit at my “untrusty” computer all day on Monday trying to make a button for my blog…I failed!  I did not send Brent Riggs an email ,out of desperation, begging for a tutorial on how to make a blog button! 

I was not thrilled when my youngest son stopped by on Saturday and agreed to help make a button for my blog!!!!  I am not very proud of my blog button!!!   Check it out and grab it for your blog….please.  Those are mine and hubby’s actual wedding rings in the picture…

I did not spend 4 hours downloading Photoshop Elements, only to discover I didn’t have a clue what to do with it.  It’s okay, I have 26 days left on the free trial, I will not continue to work with Photoshop!

My dear hubby, who is always doing a building project, it seems, did not let our very old, and very shaky ladder, break and throw him off while trying to finish up his “Man House”.  Dear hubby did not come into the house and announce that “the ladder threw him off and broke his wrist”!  He did not refuse to let me take him to the ER…he did not have me tape a magazine on his arm and wait until he went to work at the hospital the following day, before getting an x-ray!  My hubby was not correct in his diagnosis… his wrist is broken!

Early Sunday morning, I did not decide to make a cake for lunch.  I did not open the pantry, pull out a bag of powdered sugar– which had been opened but not clipped(duh!).  Sugar bag was not upside down and did not pour powdered sugar all over me, groceries in the pantry, and the kitchen floor!  I did not lose more sugar than I saved–and it was nearly full!

That sums up my week, what did you not do?  Head on over to Mckmama’s blog carnival at http://www.mycharmingkids.net  and let’s see what’s happening over at her place!

Oh!  Before you go, remember to leave a comment and your name will be entered in the drawing for a ten dollar Wal-mart gift card to be given away on 9/7/09….Good luck and thanks so much for stopping by!

Meet and Greet! 100th Post Give Away Coming Soon

HooRay!!!  I will be publishing my 100th post in 2 more weeks.  I am so excited!!!  I am enjoying  jogging my memory and posting about my life experiences.  I hope you enjoy them reading half as much as I enjoy writing them…You could win a ten dollar gift card just for reading and leaving a comment!!!!

I usually write about my past, but today, I would like to  flash forward to the present and tell you just a little bit about myself and what’s happening with me and my family at the present time–just in case you are interested!

I can’t believe that I will  turn 55 in about 10 more days.  Wow, that sounds old!  My husband, Ed, will turn 60 just a couple of months later.  I am currently enjoying early retirement from my former job as a first grade paraprofessional–a job I dearly loved and thoroughly enjoyed!  There’s a reason for that early retirement, but that’s another post(stay tuned)…Ed is currently the director of radiology at a small hospital near where we live.  Ed is hoping to be able to retire within the next 5-6 years.  I am looking forward to spending some quality time together when he does retire.

We have 3 children, all of whom are grown.  Brandy, our oldest, and only girl, is about to turn 31.  She is married and has an almost 3 year old daughter who looks just like she did when she was small.  Brett, our oldest son, is 27, married, and has an 8 month old son.  Brad, our youngest, is 24, and lives with his 87 year old grandmother–that’s another good story…think about it, 24 and 87, two very different worlds, but Brad’s been a Godsend to her…and to us for helping her out!

Our family, including Ed's mother

We live in the country with quite an assortment of pets, thanks to my former days of volunteering at the local animal shelter…another good story!  At the present time we have 1 parakeet, 2 rabbits, 3 dogs, and about 16 or so cats.  I am happy to say all are spayed and neutered, except the rabbits who are kept in individual cages.  All of these animals are rescues except for 1 rabbit and 3 cats.

Ed’s mother is still living, our three other parents have passed away.  We live on a 30 acre parcel of  farmland.  All three of our children and their families live on the land, currently owned by Ed’s mother.  We are so blessed to have our whole family so close…  Ed’s brother also lives on the land. 

I have a chronic health condition which is a “rheumatoid arthritis like” disease, that as yet, has no name.  I have been on medication for this for 15 years, but function pretty well most of the time.  I also have been diagnosed with fibromyalgia, but this is under control most of the time, too thanks to medication.  Never take good health for granted!

I love my life!  I like doing what I want, when I want!   I stay very busy with keeping up two blogsites, scrapbooking, visiting with my grandchildren, reading, shopping, and doing odd jobs around the house.  If only I could get paid to do this, things would be perfect!!!

Now, I’m giving away a ten dollar Wal-mart gift card in honor of my 100th post that is coming up soon…and all you need to do to be entered in the contest, is leave a comment on this, or any post.  That’s it!  On Labor Day, September 7,  a winner will be drawn and announced.   Thanks for stopping by, and do come again…Good luck!

Ear Piercing, Oh My…..

Not me, no way!!!

I was in Claire’s the other day with my daughter and grandaughter when I noticed a 68 year old lady in the chair about to get her ears pierced.{I overheard her say her age}  As always, I immediately left the store!  There is a reason for my being squeamish about ear piercing and it began in 1975…

I was 21 in 1975 and had always thought about getting my ears pierced, but in those days people did it at home with a needle and a cork.  That didn’t sound like much fun…

My hubby and I had gone to Florida to visit my brother and his wife  for the weekend.  When we got there, my sister-in-law told me that she had decided to go and get her ears pierced.  I tagged along, and somewhere during the trip, I got up my nerve to have mine done as well.  We went to this “no name” little shop to get it done–there were no Claires in those days. 

I don’t know what I was expecting, but what I got was a gold stud with a sharp point on the end jabbed through my ear, by hand. OMG!  That was painful!  Then I had to suffer through having the other ear done…Oh, wait!  It gets worse.  The holes were really low on my ear lobes and the holes weren’t straight–the stud slanted downward on one ear.  I know I should’ve taken them out, but I wasn’t about to have it done again.

So I left the earrings in.  Everything went well for about 3 weeks when I decided to change my earrings….NOT a good thing to do!  Not only that, but I tried on several pairs….DEFINATELY not a good thing to do.  My ears got infected.  I went to the doctor and he told me to let them grow up, but of course I didn’t listen because I knew there was no way that I was having them done again!!!

My ears eventually healed, but as a result I developed an allergic reaction to ALL earrings–even hypo allergenic ones.  If I put any kind of earring in my ears, they swell up, start to run clear fluid, and itch very bad!  I still have my holes, but never wear earrings because of this–it’s not worth the misery.

Now, flash forward about 14 years… It’s around 1988, I have a daughter and she’s about 10.  She decided that she wanted to have her ears pierced.  I told my husband that he’d have to take her, cause I just couldn’t deal with that–too many bad memories! 

Ed, being the nice guy that he is, took Brandy to the drug store to get her ears pierced!  Brandy is like her mama, and after the first ear is done, she wasn’t not too thrilled about getting the second one done.  They did it, but she squirmed and the earing went in crooked!   

After the two of them came home and I saw the earring, I was upset!  Ed called the drugstore and asked what to do because I wasn’t satisfied.  They recommended taking the one crooked earring out and leaving the good one in.  They said to wait about a week or so, come back and they would re-pierce the ear.  GRRRRRRR!  That’s just what we did.  Brandy wore one earring for a few days, went back and had the ear re-done, and never had a bit of trouble.

Now, if I could go back in time, I would’ve listened to the doctor and let my ears grow up.  Even if I never had them pierced again, I wouldn’t be any worse off than I am now.  That said, now you know why I run from ears being pierced!

I have to add a footnote here about my sister-in-law.  Her ears weren’t done correctly either.  Hers were pierced so low that the earring eventually split the ear lobe and came out.  Just recently, she had her ears re-pierced–it took her all these years to try it again–she faired better than I did!

Don’t forget to leave a comment  if you want to be entered in my 100th post give away…details at the top of the blog page under Kathy’s Contests!

Buffy…My Good and Faithful Friend

 

Buffy on her weekend visit

 For many years I worked at our local elementary school and we always got off  a little early on Fridays.  After leaving school I’d go to the animal shelter 20 miles away and volunteer until 7 o’clock in the evening. 

On a particular Friday in February, 2005, I drove up in front of the shelter.  It wasn’t uncommon to find one or two animals roaming free to greet me.  On this particular Friday, it was a small, older, white shaggy mutt named Buffy.

What can I say?  Buffy stole my heart immediately.  She was old, but she was very smart and loving.  She looked a bit “thrown away” but I loved her anyway.  I decided to bring her home with me to visit for the weekend, and take her back to the shelter on Sunday evening.  Occasionally, I did that on the weekends.

Needless to say, my husband wasn’t too thrilled to see Buffy.  I’d gotten into the habit of bringing home an animal just about every Friday, and most of them ended up staying…we already had about a dozen and a half cats, as well as, 3 dogs.

Long story made short, when we went to take Buffy back to the shelter on Sunday evening, it broke both mine and Buffy’s hearts.  I left crying, and she stood watching me through the window as we slowly drove away.  Shrotly after that,  Buffy ended up living with us…one more added to our large group! 

I’d never had a house dog, and really didn’t want one, but it was February and I wasn’t sure about putting Buffy outside.  So she became a pampered house dog, she got regular grooming and boy did she hate those hair bows!  She usually didn’t rest until she’d worked them out of her hair.

Buffy after grooming

She was housebroken, and would either go outside or use a puppy pad placed in the bathroom for her.  She never went anywhere else.  She slept in a doggie bed beside my bedroom door.  My son tells me that when I would leave for work in the mornings, Buffy would always let out a long, mournful howl as I was driving away.  She was always at the door to greet me each afternoon.

Eventually, Buffy ended up living outside with my three other dogs.  They are all large males, and Buffy was a small female, but she could hold her own!  Nobody messed with Buffy!  I think somebody forgot to tell her that she was small…I think she was actually happier outside, where there was plenty to occupy her while we were gone.

 The biggest problem with Buffy was her mouth.  She barked at everything!   When she got started, she went on and on and on!  It wasn’t uncommon to hear my son-in-law, who lives next door,  outside in the middle of the night scolding Buffy for barking and waking him up!

I don’t really know how old Buffy was when I got her,  but she was old.  She had cataracts.  She had a skin condition on her back.  She’d had many litters of puppies, and she had heart worms.  I had her spayed, and tried to treat the persistent skin condition.  I didn’t even worry about the heart worms at her age.

This year Buffy’s health really declined.  She became blind in both eyes, and almost deaf.  The heart worms began to get the best of her.  For the past month we heard no barking from her.  She usually just laid around on the front porch–in front of the door.  When I’d feed her, she didn’t always want to eat her food immediately.

On Wednesday, August 12, Buffy left us.  My husband found her little body under our car shelter and buried her for me.  I chose not to go out and see her after she’d died.  I will miss my little shaggy friend, but I know she’s much better off.  Rest in peach, my faithful friend.

Don’t forget to leave a comment to be entered in my 100th post give away.  Details are listed at the top of my blog page under contests.  Thanks for visiting!