Random Dozen…March 31

 Lid, I love chickens, too….real ones or fake ones…I still remember those live colored Easter chicks from when I was a little girl, but I don’t remember ever having one of them…Actually, now, it seems kind of cruel to dye those poor chicks… I wonder if they still do that…

1. How do you feel about the marshmallow Easter Peeps?  I like them, but they are not something that I like to eat a lot of.  I usually buy and eat one package every Easter…sort of like a tradition!  I am partial to the yellow ones…

2. Chickens are notoriously nervous creatures. When you are nervous, what is the best way to calm down?   A nerve pill???  No, seriously, I don’t take those… I don’t have a “best way“…I am nervous by nature, so it’s tough to calm down…taking a deep breath and saying a prayer is sometimes helpful.  At night when I am too wound up to sleep, soothing music helps to calm me…I like guitar music best.

3. People say, “April showers bring May flowers.” Do you enjoy Spring rains?  Yes, I do enjoy spring rains, because they settle the pollen.  I have been suffering with allergies for the past few years–pine pollen!  I also love flowers, and nothing makes them grow like rain water does.

4. When I was randomly flipping through TV channels this week, I saw a show in which tattoo parlor employees received tattoos of a co-worker’s face on their bodies. I can’t imagine having a portrait of a colleague tattooed on me. But if someone forced you to receive a portrait tattoo (face only) of anyone, who would it be? Why?  If I was forced to have a face tattooed on me, I would hope it would be my husband’s face…but even that doesn’t appeal to me….  I can’t imagine having a co-worker’s face on my body–that’s just crazy!

5. Would you rather have a tattoo (any kind) or a nose ring?  Am I allowed to say NEITHER?  If I HAD to pick one, it would have to be a tattoo…nose rings make me cringe–along with any piercings other than earrings.  I don’t care for tattoos either–sorry, I’m just old-fashioned.  I hate to think of all of those wrinkled bodies in a few years–with wrinkled tattoos on them…UGH

6. Do you have any special plans for Easter? Yes, I am baking a turkey, and having our family over for lunch.  I also plan to have an egg hunt for our two grandchildren–and our grown children/spouses after lunch.  I plan to stuff the eggs with money, candy, and funny insults (for fun), and my hubby and I will hide them–just like the good old days!

7. Cadbury Eggs or Reese Eggs? Man, I will seem like a fuddy-duddy today, but I don’t really care for either…if I have to choose, I’d pick Reese’s Eggs.  My favorite Easter candies are jelly beans and chocolate covered marshmallow bunnies.

8. What was the last thing/person you took a picture of?  My little 15 month old grandson, while he spent the afternoon with me yesterday.  I got a precious picture of him while he was napping.  He makes such a cute model to photograph…but difficult to capture ’cause he’s always moving…
9. What book are you reading now, or what was the last one? I just finished reading “A Walk To Remember” by Nicholas Sparks  For some reason, I am “on a roll” reading Nicholas Sparks novels…I’m about to begin “The Last Song”…anyone out there have any kleenex???  By the way, this is totally random, but the movie The Last Song was filmed on nearby Tybee Island beach… here in Georgia!

10. What do you think is the most difficult task when it comes to Spring cleaning?  For me, it’s cleaning windows, ceiling fans, and wiping down walls–that’s why it doesn’t get done every spring!  All of these things are waiting to be done…any volunteers out there???

11. How many pairs of flip-flops do you own?  Probably three.  I prefer regular Crocs over flip-flops, but I do have some Croc flip-flops.  My last favorite pair of flip-flops(not Crocs) caused me to trip and fall down the steps–I landed right out in the yard–not a pretty sight–and my daughter witnessed the whole thing!  Luckily, the only thing bruised was my pride…  I threw those shoes away after that! 

12. Which color makes you happiest? I don’t know if it makes me happy or not, but I love the color red!

I wonder what kind of Easter these chicks are having...

Thanks to Lid at http://www.2nd-cup-of-coffee.blogspot.com for hosting this fun meme.  Cut and paste the questions, answer them, then hop over to Lid’s place to join in the fun.  She hosts Random Dozen every Wednesday!  Thanks for stopping by….Kathy

Easter…Old Times Not Forgotten…

  

Me at Easter...cir 1963

 My name is Kathy, and that is me in the photo above.  I believe I was 8 years old in this photo.  I loved this Easter dress(it was pink), and this is the only photograph that I have of me at Easter as a child.  

The following photographs are very old, and once belonged to my mother.  I don’t know exactly how old most of them are, but they are a good bit older than me.   

It’s not surprising that my oldest, fondest, memories of Easter in the “good old days” are of the food…Easter Dinner!  Women actually cooked back then…everything from scratch!  No boxes or cans…it was either fresh, or came from the your own freezer or jars.  Those were the days…and the food was awesome!  I did notice that there is a packaged cake on the end of the table…I wonder who did that? 

The dinners were especially fun if they were held outside, weather permitting.  It’s a lot of trouble to do this–setting up tables, chairs, and carrying the food in and out,  but it sure is fun!  People don’t do that very much anymore.  I miss those days… 

Once lunch was finished, and everything was put away, the adults would rest and talk for just a bit, while the children played.  Soon it was time to hide the eggs! 

one of my cousins posing with all those eggs...

All of the dyed eggs that everyone brought were combined together in a large dish pan.  The men would then take the eggs down to the woods near Grandma’s house and hide them.  Yes, they actually hid and hunted eggs in the woods back then!  I don’t ever remember being afraid of snakes…It was a real challenge to find those eggs that were hidden in the woods.  The ground cover was thick, and the hiding places were limitless!  Of course, we never found all of the eggs.  

Egg hunts were family affairs back then.  Mamas and daddys went out and helped their children hunt for those elusive eggs.  The event following the egg hunt  was almost as much fun as the hunt itself.   Someone would buy a couple of crates(24 bottles each) of bottled soda pop of various flavors, and have them chilling on ice.  Everyone would gather around outside, grab a drink , and eat the Easter eggs that we’d just finished hunting.  We didn’t know about salmonella back then, and I don’t remember anyone ever getting sick! 

The picture above was taken at the last big family egg hunt that I remember attending at Grandma’s house.  By the time this egg hunt was held, my grandparents had moved to a different house, and the former “egg hunt in the woods” was actually held near their home under some trees.  It was the late 60’s, and that is my daddy(white shirt, black tie) standing in the far left of the picture.  It wasn’t too many months after this egg hunt that my Grandaddy became ill and eventually passed away. 

Those were the days…simpler times…simpler pleasures.  Why in the world did things have to change? 

Except for tomorrow, when I’ll  join a weekly meme, I’ll be sharing more Easter memories the rest of the week…Hop back over for another dose of reminiscing…I’ll be sharing about Easter with my children when they were small.

You can also click on the link below to see what other’s posted about Easter in this week’s blog hop hosted by Brent Riggs–or you can write your own post and join in the fun!  Thanks for hopping by…Kathy

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

It’s A New Monday…

It’s Monday, and after the previous week that I’ve just had, I’m glad it is here!…Between allergies(headaches & scratchy throat), insomnia, diarrhea, and fatigue –I’m more than ready to begin anew!   This fibromyalgia is kicking my butt!  Dang, I’m ready to have a few good days for a change!   I spent the entire weekend in my pajamas, and never left the house once!   However, it’s Monday, and thus begins another week.  I’m going to think positive and hope for a better week!  Gotta’ keep looking at that “half-full glass”!

Lots to do with Easter coming up this weekend…no time to give in to sickness.  I did convince myself to take a sleeping aid last night, and despite a crazy cat clawing on my outside bedroom door during the night, I slept some.

Just as an update, Hobbs, my faithful companion is still lingering on…He’s eating a hotdog or two a day, that’s all.  I don’t know why a hotdog!  My husband suggested it!  I’d tried other things–his favorite foods–with no luck, but a hotdog seems to be working.  Each morning I expect to find him “gone”, but each morning he’s still here.  I’ve had lots of time to give lots of hugs and goodbye kisses.  I don’t know how long before he his heart will give out…but these last two days were real unexpected “gifts”–probably because of a hotdog!

Thanks to all who commented over the weekend.  I’m getting very near to my blogiversary–and to my 1000th comment.  I am planning something special for both occasions.  The winner of the weekend giveaway is Shakira!  Congratulations!  Thanks, Shakira, for taking the time to participate!

  Have a great day, and I will be back soon with a post for Tuesday’s blog hop–as soon as I find out what the theme is…Thanks for hopping by!    Kathy

Six Word Saturday…

 

Once again, thanks to Cate at http://www.showmyface.com for hosting this meme.  Hop over to her place and join in the fun!  Unfortunately, my six words today are sad ones…

…..Sadly bidding my faithful companion farewell 😦

My old dog, Hobbs, is dying…  He is in the final stages of heartworm disease.  He’s not eating at all, and each breath is labored.  He can only walk a few steps.  I’ve watched him progressively grow worse with each passing day lately.  I know his time is near. 

Hobbs was an old dog when I adopted him from the animal shelter six years ago.  He already had heartworm disease then, and treatment wasn’t an option.  He was such a kind a loving dog, I just had to rescue him.  He’d been at the shelter for a while, and was on the “to be euthanized” list when I adopted him.  I’ve had six wonderful years with him, and I wouldn’t change a thing.  They’ve been good years, and we’ve had lots of good times together.

Hobbs has been the best dog that I’ve ever had.  He’s been my grateful, gentle, loving, loyal companion for the past six years.  Every time I’d return home, Hobbs was always there to greet me when I got out of the car.  He’d wag his tail, and try so hard to talk!  Anytime that I went outside, Hobbs was always there beside me.  Hobbs even “mothered” two puppies that I adopted after I adopted him, something male dogs never do.

There are two things that I will always remember about Hobbs…the first thing is how he loved to dig holes–especially beside my car!  The other thing is  how  he always layed down to eat.  I’ve never seen a dog lay down to eat until I met Hobbs.  Hobbs even taught one of the puppies that he “mothered” to lay down when he eats, too.

I checked on Hobbs last night before bed, and Ethan, one of the dogs that he helped “mother” (and the one who lays down to eat) was there with him.  It brought tears to my eyes.  I know that Hobbs will be missed by Ethan, too.

It’s hard to say goodbye, and to let Hobbs go, but I know that his time has come.  Go rest in peace, my faithful friend…

Friday Follow/Do You See The Glass As Half Empty Or Half Full?

How do you view this glass of water when you look at it?  Do you see a half empty glass, or do you see a glass that is half full?

For me, if I were drinking it, I would view it as half empty.  I’d begin to worry about running out of drink.  If I use the glass of water as an analogy of life, I view it as half full.  Interesting…

I choose to concentrate on the things that I DO have, rather than the things that I DON’T have in life.  I know there are people who are more blessed than I am, but I also know that there are just as many people in the world who are less blessed than I am.

My mother-in-law comes to mind when I think of a half empty glass.  After her husband died, she became a very negative person.  She always concentrates on the negatives….what she can’t do, instead of being grateful for what she can do.  I always try to remind her of how blessed she is.  After all, she is nearly 89 years old–and she is still able to live in her own house–and her health is very good for a woman of her age.  She prefers to complain about all of the things that she can no longer do…

I belong to the “I can no longer do” club, too, but I choose not to dwell on it.  I simply do what I can, and work around the rest.  No use crying over what used to be.  My thoughts are…it could always be worse!  My health is not as great as it once was, but it’s not as bad as it could be either!  

We’re not rich–not even close, but we are able to pay our bills, and have a few extras.  My car is 9 years old, but I still love it, and it gets me where I need to go.  Our house is not fancy, but it’s our house, we built it, and it’s just 3 years old…and virtually paid for.  We manage to have plenty to eat–and feed over twenty pets, too. 

So…to enter this weekend’s giveaway, just look at the picture of the glass and tell me what you see–half empty or half full glass.  That’s it.  You can always elaborate if you would like to.  You know I love comments! 

 

The giveaway this weekend is a “gardening giveaway”.  It consists of a pair of cotton gardening gloves, 3 packs of  various flower seeds, a cup insulator for your cold drink, and a bottle of  Sun-Ripened Raspberry Bath and Bodyworks antibacterial soap to wash up with after gardening.  Not a gardener?  It would make a nice gift for someone you know who is!  Have a great weekend, everyone, and thanks for stopping by!    Kathy

Below is the list for the Friday Blog Hop/Giveaway…Below that link/list is the Friday Follow list.

Click here to see the entire Giveaway Blog Hop List….

Friday Follow Blog Hop (March 26)
Hosted by Rita @ One 2 Try Tami @ Hearts Make Families and Lynn @ Midday Escapades . Join us every Friday as we celebrate followers! Link up your blog name and URL below to follow and be followed!

The list below is the Friday Follow List…

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

The Time Of Their Lives…

 

Do you remember being in your early to mid-twenties?  Do you remember looking good, feeling good, and having your whole life ahead of you?  Do you remember those days before marriage and children?  How about before mortgages and high electric bills?  Those were the days…

Those are the days that my youngest son, and his girlfriend are living right now.  They are having the time of their lives.  Both have finished college, gotten degrees, and have jobs.  Eventhough Brad’s job isn’t in his chosen field (accounting),  it’s a JOB, which is something to be thankful for in this economy!

Brad lives with his almost 89-year-old grandmother–which is quite a story in itself–and Jennifer lives at home with her parents.  They are both free to come and go at will, and neither have any major responsibilities except for their jobs.

The two of them are still in the “honeymoon” phase of their relationship.  They are spending as much time together as possible, and just love being around each other. ( Those times with Ed are among my fondest memories of my life! )  When Brad and Jennifer enter a room, the two of them light it up with laughter and excitement.  It’s fun to be around them.

I’m extremely happy for this couple…so glad that God has brought them together.  I think they make a good pair.  I hope they have many long, happy, years together in the future, but for right now–I hope they realize that they are having the time of their lives!  Enjoy yourselves, guys–these are the days that you will treasure the most when you get to be my age!

Random Dozen…March 24

1.  What is your favorite sign of Spring?  I look forward to those first blossoms on fruit trees, dogwoods, and other flowering trees.

2.  Did you remember to spring forward on March 14?  If not, how did it impact your day? Yes, I remembered to spring forward…ugh!

3.  If soil, time, talent and climate were no problem, what vegetable would you plant in a garden this year? I can’t think of a vegetable that I would plant.  We live in a farming community, and fresh vegetables are all around us.  I would love to be able to grow kiwi though.  I love them, and they are sort of expensive here.

4.  If soil, time, talent and climate were no problem, what fruit would you plant?  Well, I guess I just answered that one in number 3, didn’t I?

5.  What is your least favorite insect?  I have two insects that I hate equally–the mosquito, and the gnat–both seem equally attracted to me!

6.  March 22 was World Water Day. To celebrate, here are some water questions. Do you drink bottled water? If so, what brand?  I only drink bottled water while traveling.  I don’t have a particular brand that I favor.

7.  Have you ever been somewhere that it was not safe to drink the local water? If so, how did you handle that?  Years ago when the kids were little, and we’d go camping, some of us always ended up getting sick.  Finally we figured out that it was the water in the campground that made us sick.  Once we figured that out, we bought jugs of drinking water–and never had any more stomach problems.  Who would’ve “thunk” it?

8.  How many glasses of water do you drink per day?  I’m lucky if I drink one.  I am a huge fan of iced tea though!  Can you tell I’m southern?

9.  March 24 is the birthday of Harry Houdini.  Have you ever watched a professional magic show? Share.  No, not anything like David Copperfield.  However, I have watched the magic shows included as part of the Ringling Bros. Circus which were pretty good…like turning a lady into a tiger, or making a bird disappear then reappear.

10.  Have you ever been a participant in a professional magic show (up on stage!  No, thankfully not!  I try to avoid the spotlight.

11. March 24 is also the birthday of Steve McQueen and Clyde Barrow. Do you like Westerns or gangster movies?  If so, what is your favorite?  I like westerns the best.  I love the old Clint Eastwood westerns–The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly is my favorite.  I recently saw The 3:10 to Yuma with Russell Crowe and enjoyed it very much, too.

12. (Really random)  What U.S. state that you’ve never visited would you like to visit someday?  My first choice would be to visit Hawaii.  It’s such a beautiful tropical place…I’d also like to visit Nevada and go to Las Vegas–not to gamble–but to see all the lights and sights!   Two extremes–from the tropics to the dessert!  LOL

Thanks to http://www.southlakesmom.blogspot.com for filling in for Lid this week by hosting the Random Dozen.  Hop on over to her place if you’d like to read more Random Dozens or join in the fun…

So Many Answered Prayers…

Fifty years ago found my brother and me growing up in a less than desireable home environment.  Our parents were struggling  with a multitude of problems brought on by alcohol abuse.  I think back to those times, and I know that scores of prayers must’ve been sent up on behalf of my parents, my brother, and me.  I also know that many of those prayers were answered.  We both grew up to be healthy, happy individuals with no desire to partake in alcohol.  Our parents even  took a six-year hiatus from drinking, and got their lives somewhat in order, not an easy task since they’d  lost nearly everything that they owned.

I remember back to the late sixties, when my parents were sober and doing good, I was halfway through school, and  my brother was happily married.  Unfortunately the Vietnam War was going on.  Like so many others during that time, my brother was drafted to go and fight in the war.  He served his time in the army and got sent to Vietnam, but returned safely and unharmed to his loving wife…more answered prayers!

By the late eighties my parents health had declined rapidly.  The years of alcohol abuse and prescription medication abuse finally took its toll.  They were in their late 50’s at the time.  I was 35 years old, happily married, and had three children aged 3, 6, and 9.  Suddenly I found myself being forced to deal with both of my parents being hospitalized– for four long months. 

My father was in ICU for over 2 months and wasn’t expected to live.  When he beat the odds and survived, he had to go through rehab.  My mother had a complete mental breakdown, and was in the mental ward the entire 4 months.  The hospital was a 125 mile round trip drive from my house.   I can honestly say those were the most difficult and trying months of my entire life.  I had to try to be everything to everyone and there were times when I didn’t know how much more I could endure…then I would pick myself up and go again.  I know that many, many prayers went up for me, my family, and my parents during those months, and they were answered. 

I believe because of those answered prayers, I never had an accident or any car trouble on those many trips driving alone to the hospital–once I drove home in the middle of the night after being up for two days and nights.  Usually,  I managed to drive to and from the hospital, visit both parents, and still be home when the children arrived home from school.  My parents survived, but were forced to enter a nursing home facility at the end of four months.  It was not what they preferred, but for the first time in my life, I didn’t have to worry about them.  I knew they’d be taken care of, and wouldn’t have access to things that weren’t good for their health.  So many answered prayers…

Ten years later, both of my parents were deceased, two of our children had graduated from high school, and the last one was just three years away from graduation.  Life was fairly calm…just before the next storm when I discovered that I had two masses on my ovary.  I wasn’t overly concerned–at first.  That was before I had a CA 125 test that came back elevated(possible indicator of cancer).  Suddenly my life was turned upside down again, as I faced my own mortality.  Many prayers went up again…and once again God heard and answered.  The test was wrong!  My ovarian masses weren’t cancer, but were by-products of a massive case of endometriosis.  Not only were the masses not malignant, but the hysterectomy cured many of the health issues that I’d suffered from for several years!  God answers prayers!

Flash forward six more years…our daughter had been married for 5 years, and  desperately wanted to be a mother.  After a year of trying, Brandy finally became pregnant–just before a scheduled appointment to a fertility specialist!  The pregnancy wasn’t an easy one though.  It was nine long months of ups and downs, tears and prayers, bed rest and hospitalizations.  Almost anything that could go wrong, did go wrong–and it was like that for the entire pregnancy and delivery!  Despite all of the ups and downs, trials and tribulations, God answered our prayers when little Madison Elizabeth was born healthy.

 I’m so grateful for all of those answered prayers–and for the ones who prayed those prayers.  In the midst of all of the mentioned situations, I always felt God’s strength and presence.  Although I didn’t know how each situation would turn out, I had faith that God would see us though, and He did. 

The theme of this week’s blog hop is “Answered Prayers”.  Join us with an uplifting story of a time in your life when prayers were answered.  Just click on the link below to join in or to read other stories in this blog hop.  Thanks so much for stopping by…

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

Monday, Monday…

No, this is not a picture of my house…yet!  However if I don’t take a break from blogging, and get things in order–it soon will look like this.

Therefore, I am giving myself permission to slow down blogging a little bit and tend to some things that I have been neglecting–first and foremost my housekeeping duties!  I do not enjoy cleaning house, therefore it is not hard to put the task off.  I also have some yard work that is screaming my name…So, if I am MIA occasionally–I’ll be busy doing house and yard work!

I have a nice long post about “answered prayers” all written and prepared for this evening, but for now I am going to roll up my sleeves and dive into my housework.  Before I go I need to announce the winner of my weekend giveaway…

The winner of the wind chimes and spring socks is Ruth at http://www.daretobeused.blogspot.com …Congratulations, Ruth!  Thanks for participating and for being such a loyal reader and commenter!  I love visiting your blog, too.

Happy Monday everyone…and now–off to clean the house!

Six Word Saturday…

My six words for this Saturday are:    Working around our goldfish pond today.

The weather is beautiful here today, and much yardwork needs to be done.  Our goldfish pond looks neglected, and needs a lot of work.  We’re going to clean up around it, and get it ready for summer.  It’s a never-ending job…but I love my pond.

The pond water was actually clear today(usually it’s mirky and green) and I could see the fish.  I look forward to the yearly visit of the frogs, and the tadpoles which hatch from the frog eggs.  Tadpoles are great algae eaters.

Since the water was clear, I got a good look  at all of the fish.  They have gotten so big!  There is a koi in the pond that is at least 18 inches long… amazing since he was only 2 inches long when I put him in the pond!   I sure hope nothing happens to him…sometimes predator birds swoop in and eat or kill my fish–especially when the water is clear!

Thanks to Cate at http://www.showmyface.com for hosting SWS.  Have a great weekend everyone…as for me…I’ll be hanging out with the fish!