Catching Up On Monday…

Lately, this blog seems like a long, lost friend that I need to visit more often.  More and more, I’m finding it more difficult to make my way over here to blog. Sometimes, I’m just not feeling it, and then when I am, I have other things to do.  Such as the following…

The past week went by in a whirl of activity.  There’s something about the arrival of warm, sunny days that makes me want to clean and spruce up the place!  Therefore, the beginning of last week found me stripping old wax off the kitchen floor, and applying new wax.  I know, waxing floors is a dying activity, but my floors aren’t the no wax kind–yet!  It took both Ed and myself to get the task done, but we made it!  We were so inspired by having a clean, shiny kitchen floor, the following day we began shampooing carpets, and spent the next two days doing that!  Unfortunately, I think I hurt my back, in the process, so it’s been aching for several days. Live and learn.

In addition to cleaning floors, all week, I was trying to get ready for a yard sale, on Saturday.  I’d spend a couple of hours, here and there, working on that.  Meanwhile, Ed finally got started building a small shelter to store his lawnmower under. I worry a bit about him, it’s his first real project since his heart attack, in October.

Ed and I had our yard sale, on Saturday, along with our daughter and her husband.  We held the sale at Ed’s parents’ house, and could not have asked for a prettier day!  The weather was cool and foggy, at first, but that soon gave way to glorious blue, sunny skies.  We didn’t make a lot of money  because we had our stuff priced cheap, but we got rid of a lot of stuff!  At one point, we gave a chair away, and when the chair wouldn’t fit into the lady’s car, our son put the chair in my van and delivered it to her house!

Prior to the yard sale, I worried about “Trouble”, the cat who lives alone at Ed’s parents’ house, because  I was afraid she might get hit by a car, with all of the traffic coming to the sale. However, I think all of the yard sale activity was more than “Trouble” could stand, so she quickly disappeared until the end of the day. “Trouble” did have a close call earlier in the week, though,  when she ran onto the highway to greet Ed as he was coming to feed her.  My blood runs cold just thinking about it!

Speaking of “Trouble”, she was in “hog heaven”, on Friday night, when Ed and I took a break from pricing stuff, and shared a pizza at his parents’ house.  We let her in the house with us, and she sat at the table and begged for scraps from our pizza, which we gladly shared.  Then she wandered all around the house, looking at the boxes sitting all around.  The whole situation makes me sad. Four years is a long time to live alone, at an empty house, but, at least, she has the visit from “the man with the can” to look forward to each day.

In other news, Ed and I were tickled pink when we discovered that our garden peas have sprouted!  There’s a beautiful row of little green plants now decorating the row!  We’re hoping they will soon be  joined by some potato sprouts.  Our seedlings, growing in cups, are doing quite well, in spite of the fact that I dropped one of the trays, last week.  What a mess that made, but the plants all seemed to have survived, believe it or not.

We managed to have some great time, with family, on Saturday, when all the rest of our gang met up following the yard sale.  The weather was so nice, the adults sat outside and watched the grandchildren all playing together.  Actually, our oldest son, and perhaps the biggest kid of all, was pretending to be the wrestling announcer (complete with a karaoke machine), while each child took a turn strutting up the steps and getting onto the trampoline they were using as a wrestling ring!  If I hadn’t been so tired, I surely would have taken some video of “the show”.

As suppertime neared, our youngest son volunteered to go to town and pick up some food for supper.  Praise the Lord for him, because this woman sure didn’t feel like cooking!  I think everyone enjoyed the food and the fellowship, I know I did, even if I had to enjoy much of it from my spot on the couch!

The rest of the weekend passed, and all too soon, it was time to change our clocks–all twelve of them!  Yes, Ed and I actually have twelve clocks!  Oh, how I dislike this time of the year, when the time changes!  In addition to adjusting all of those clocks, I’ll spend the next month trying to get my body clock readjusted.  On that note, I’ll just say “Have a happy Monday” and get ready for my appointment at the dermatologist’s office.  Fun times–not!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Friday Fragments From My Neck Of The Woods…

Another week has come and gone again.  I haven’t been able to concentrate long enough to write a themed post, this week, so how about a few fragments about life in our neck of the woods?

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Ed almost didn’t plant any sweet potatoes, this year.  However, in June, just as we were about to throw away the remnants of last year’s yams, we discovered that some of the potatoes had begun to sprout–at lot!  So, we cut off the sprouts, and planted them, even though most of them had no roots yet. (usually we break off the sprouts and let them grow roots in water first)  To our surprise, the sprouts lived, and soon began growing sweet potato vines.  Last week, Ed plowed up the plants, and dug the potatoes.  He was pleased with his crop!

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The chickens are driving me crazy! Trying to teach them to sleep on the perches in the chicken coop has been frustrating, to put it mildly. I never know what I’m going to find when I go outside to close them up for the evening.  At first, none of the chicks were on perches, but this is what I found on Monday evening, so perhaps there’s hope…

Three chicks on the perches, four on the shelf!  (We don’t want them to sleep on the shelf.)  In spite of the fact that we stood some of the shelving board upright, some of the pullets insisted on continuing to sleep on it!  I’m sure ‘uncomfortable’ would be an understatement for how they slept!  On Tuesday, Ed moved the shelf around a bit more, then added a large piece of pvc pipe to the top of it, to discourage perching.  By last night, all but two chicks were sleeping on the perches. Wouldn’t you know, ‘Dixie’ (the white chick) was still one of the ‘hold outs’?!  I think ‘Dixie’ fancies herself to be a rooster, as well as the leader of the flock.  I can tell this, not only by her actions, but by the fact that she chose to sleep at the highest point in the coop!

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I don’t know about everyone else, but it’s ‘Red Ribbon Week’ in our neck of the woods. Red Ribbon Week is an anti-drug campaign, which lets students participate in a variety of activities all week, including dressing in different ways each day. I’ve really enjoyed some of the pictures on Facebook, this week! Our daughter-in-law rose to the challenge, when our grandson, Caden, decided he wanted to be a garbage man for ‘Dress Up Day’:

and our daughter, also, rose to the challenge, when her daughter had to dress as a ‘Super Hero’ for AWANA night.  May I present to you, ‘Super Girl’…

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It’s been many years since Ed had to go (in person) to get his driver’s license renewed, but 2014 was Ed’s year to go.  All of the rules have changed, and now a person has to bring a certified copy of their birth certificate, their social security card, and two proofs of their residence when renewing their license.  Tuesday night, Ed gathered all of the required documents (he thought) and put them in his car. Imagine his surprise, the next day, when he handed the lady all of his documentation, and she informed him that he’d brought his wife’s birth certificate instead of his!  Ha!  (He’d kill me if he knew I told this.)  I tell you, old age ain’t for sissies! The license lady, upon noticing Ed also has a motorcycle license, told Ed, “You can ride your bike back to the patrol office, on the return trip, and get some fresh air.”  Ha!  Ed hasn’t owned (or ridden) a motorcycle in quite a few years!  I’m thinking the license lady was probably amused by Ed…

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Last, but not least, our town held trick-or-treat last evening.  Ed and I had four trick-or-treaters. Three of them were our grandchildren, while the ‘Minnie Mouse’ is like an ‘honorary grand’ because our daughter-in-law keeps her every afternoon, and she calls us “Mimi” and “E”, too.  All were adorable!

Halloween 2014 –  Chase, Caden, Madison, and Rylan

Ed’s off again today, so I’m going to end this post now.  Those ‘mandatory’ vacation days sure do roll around often!  Ed doesn’t seem to mind having every other Friday off, so I guess that’s good. Nothing else has happened with the hospital (yet), but I suspect some changes are just over the horizon…  Stay tuned–and have a good weekend–even if we do have to change over to Daylight Savings Time! (Ugh!)  Sunday morning’s temperatures are also supposed to dip down to 40 degrees… Brrrrr!

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Oh, one last thing, a shout out to my brother and sister-in-law, who live in Florida, and usually read this blog– I’ll be thinking of y’all tomorrow during the GA/FLA game.  Go ‘Dawgs’! 🙂

I’m linking this post up @ Half-Past Kissing Time.  Thanks, Mrs. Fours, for hosting Friday Fragments!

Goodbye April, Hello Hodgepodge…

There’s no better way to end one month and begin another, than by participating in ‘The Hodgepodge’.  I don’t know how you feel, but, to me, this year is flying by, so let’s get started!  Thanks to our hostess, Joyce, for another great set of questions to ponder 🙂

1. April showers bring May flowers or so the saying goes. Are you blooming where you’re planted as we begin the month of May?

Yes, I’m blooming (although my blossoms are aging) because I absolutely love where I’m planted!  After five years of city living,  husband, Ed, and I moved to his family’s farm back in 1977.  We’ve been here every since, and there’s no place else I’d rather be–except for an occasional trip to the beach.  Our roots run very deep!

2. On a scale of 1-10, with 1 being no big deal, and 10 being full-scale panic, rank your fear of spiders.

I’d give myself a 5.  The only spiders that really frighten me are black widows or large banana spiders.  I can take or leave the rest of them.

3. May is National Salad Month (who knew???)…besides lettuce, what are two must-have ingredients in your favorite salad?

I like cucumbers in my salad, along with lots of  french or thousand island dressing.

4. I mentioned on my blog last week that my Daughter1 will be moving to Washington State after she is married. Of the following sites in the Northwest, which would you most like to see in person-Crater Lake (Oregon), Seattle (Washington), Vancouver (British Columbia), San Juan Islands (Washington), Mt. Rainer (Washington) Oregon Coast (Oregon), Mt. St. Helens (Washington), or Olympic National Park (Washington)

I don’t know much about any of these places, but I think I’d like to visit Seattle, Washington.  I remember seeing some of the city on an old episode of ‘The Bachelor’, and it looked like an interesting place to visit.  I’d love to check out the Space Needle!

5. This coming weekend marks the 140th running of the Kentucky Derby…when did you last race (literally or figuratively) to cross a finish line?

Actually, it is this week!  I’m in the process of filing for my retirement pension before my application deadline passes.  I have my part of the paperwork ready to go, but I’m waiting for the lady at the Board of Education office to fill out her part of my paperwork, so we can get it in the mail.  I’m expecting a call from her today.

6. What is something little you love? 

These guys!

my grandchildren – Caden, Madison, Evan, and Chase

7. Would you say you are more of a visual, auditory, or kinesthetic learner? Elaborate.

I’m a visual learner.  I like to watch someone do something, take notes while they’re showing me what to do, then try doing it by myself.  I have to have my notes though–or else I tend to forget what I’m doing sometimes!

Random:  

‘Sick Sister’, our ailing hen, may have turned a corner, yesterday.  (We’ve been treating her for an impacted crop)  Whenever I offered her little bits of soft food, (chopped seedless grapes,  a few bread crumbs, a little cooked rice)  she ate it.  I gave her very tiny portions (about a thimble full), every hour, to see how she would tolerate the food.  I didn’t see any throwing up.  We, also, let her out of her cage for about 15 minutes, while I cleaned it, and she seemed to enjoy walking around in the yard, although she is weak.  We’ll see if the food digests, and how today goes…

A ‘Sweetheart’ of a Hodgepodge…

1.What makes love last?

I give all of the credit to God, for making love last, because He blessed me with a spouse who has always been very easy to love!  Still,  keeping love alive takes some work. Selflessness, the ability to overlook each other’s shortcomings, forgiveness, and a firm commitment to each other are a must.

2. The Beatles made their US debut fifty years ago this week. Are you a fan? If so, what’s your favorite Beatles tune?

Yes, I’ve been a Beatles fan ever since they made their debut on the Ed Sullivan Show.  I especially love their early music, but don’t care for their later music quite as much.  My favorite two favorite Beatles tunes are:

P.S. I Love You

and

If I Fell In Love With You

3. Valentine’s Day-your thoughts? Do you celebrate in any way? Do anything special for the people you love? Expect anything special from the people who love you?

Valentine’s Day has become over commercialized, just like everything else.  Ed and I don’t ‘celebrate’,  as in ‘go out’, but we do exchange cards.  Ed always gives me flowers, candy, or some other gift on or around Valentine’s Day.  The past few years, I’ve baked him a heart-shaped German Chocolate cake because that’s his favorite dessert.

In years past, I’d buy each of our three children a box of candy or a stuffed animal for Valentine’s Day.  These days, it’s our grandchildren who get the gifts!

As for receiving gifts from people who love us, Ed and I have been the recipients of several hand-crafted Valentine’s Day cards or  hand-made gifts from our grandchildren.  Those are always special, and I currently have a couple of those things on display.

4. Steak or burger…you have to choose. Now that that’s settled, how do you like it?

Steak! Cooked well-done, with some ketchup or A-1 steak sauce to go along with it!

5. The Hodgepodge lands on the birthdate (February 12th) of Abraham Lincoln, 16th President of the United States of America. Lincoln is quoted as saying,‘Nearly all men can stand adversity, but if you want to test his character give him power.‘  Do you agree? Why or why not?

I agree with Lincoln’s statement.  For some reason, power tends to ‘go to a person’s head’, and often leads to corruption.  Case in point: Lawyers and politicians!

6. Honest Abe’s image is featured on the US penny (1 cent coin) so I’m wondering…what do you do with your pennies (or your country’s equivalent)?  It’s been suggested the US stop making the penny, and two bills have been introduced proposing just that, but neither were approved. What say you?

I usually spend my pennies, while Ed, on the other hand, saves his.  Much to my dismay, we have several large jugs, filled with pennies, sitting around our house!  Jugs of pennies aren’t worth much, and they take up a lot of space.  They, also, collect dust.

As for getting rid of the penny, well, for sure, we can’t buy anything with a penny anymore!  However, if they stop making pennies, the government will just round the sales tax up to a dime on the dollar, so we’ll end up paying even more taxes!  Let’s just keep the penny.  I think we’re taxed enough!

7.  Do you think pop culture deserves serious study?

No, not really.  I don’t think pop culture really matters in the overall, big scheme of life. That time and money could be better spent!

Random:

Sadly, I’ve neglected my sister blog, “Mimi’s Mini Tales” for far too long.  I’ve finally gotten myself together, and written a ‘catch up’ post over there.

They say, a picture is worth a thousand words, so I captured some grandchildren highlights, of the past ten months, in pictures.  Here they are, if anyone is interested:

Fragging On Friday…

Today, I woke up to another wet, gray, cloudy day.  Rain has returned to our neck of the woods, yet again!  Thankfully, the rain held off until Monday night so we could have our concrete poured, but it’s rained every day (or night) since then.  Needless to say, we are thoroughly WET again!  At least I don’t have to water the newly planted grass–and hopefully it won’t drown.  My main concern is the newly poured concrete, and how well it’s able to dry out in all of this rain.  My other concern is mud–and we have lots of that, believe me!

This week, it turned out that Ed and I have other concerns besides the rain.  Poor Ed has come down with a case of the shingles!  His back was itching on Sunday, then on Tuesday night, the rash appeared.  Fortunately, early on Wednesday morning, he was able to see a doctor and get a prescription for some  anti-viral medication that seems to be helping.  He hasn’t gotten into the really painful stage yet, and I’m hoping he’ll avoid some of it since he was able to start the anti-viral meds so quickly.  We’re not sure how this will affect next Thursday’s cataract surgery plans, for Ed, since the ophthalmologist is currently on vacation.  Ed’s hoping to be able to go ahead and get the surgery over with.

I spent yesterday morning with our two grandsons, our granddaughter, our daughter, and Alex, the little boy she babysits.  It was a grand old time in my house with four little ones (ranging in age from 19 mos. to almost seven) running around!  Madison was the only girl, but she is able to hold her own with all of those little boys!  Little Alex was right in the middle of the action, too.  Alex has become quite an active little boy since he got his cochlear implants–and, this summer, he’s learned how to use the potty!  Chase, the youngest of the crew, is more than able to hold his own, too.  On several occasions, I witnessed him tackling his older brother, Cade!

Madison reading to Cade and Alex, while Chase listens from the floor

I had planned to plant a small fall garden this weekend.  Now the ground is too wet again, and more rain is in the forecast.  I guess I’m going to have to settle for doing my fall gardening in containers, this year.  This year’s weather really makes me a lot more appreciative of all of the good growing seasons that we’ve had in the past!

This week, our daughter officially began home-schooling with her daughter.  It’s a new adventure for both of them, and I’m hoping and praying they have a good year!  The two of them attended their first home school co-op classes on Tuesday, for PE, History, and Bible, and today they are officially having their first day of regular lessons at home.  Home schooling is something our daughter and granddaughter have been wanting to try, so I’m excited for them.   I hope both have a smooth first day of First Grade.

Their classroom is ready and waiting…

Ed and I have no real plans for the weekend.  It sounds like it’s going to be a good time to read or nap, since more rain is in our forecast! The temperatures are predicted to be somewhat cooler than they were earlier in the week, so I’m thankful for that!  Did I mention I’m about ready to see fall arrive?  I’ve really been missing my shade trees!

Today I’ll be linking up with other ‘Friday Fraggers’ over at Half-past Kissin’ Time.  Feel free to add your own Friday Fragments, or just hop over and read the fragments of others 🙂

Have a great weekend, everyone!

The Wednesday Hodgepodge…

Even though it has been “one of those weeks” at our house, I’m still joining Joyce and friends for The Hodgepodge.  I’m hoping to be able to link up before Ed and I leave for the hospital to have his procedure done.  Your prayers would be appreciated today.  Ed did really well with his prep, I hope his colonoscopy goes well, too.  I haven’t slept a wink all night!

As for me, I got a good report at the doctor’s office, except for the fact that my thyroid levels are very low.  I suffer from an underactive thyroid, and have to take daily medication.  For some unexplained reason, my levels have dropped extremely low all of the sudden.  This explains why I’ve been feeling so tired lately!  I thought perhaps it was because of my diet!  Hopefully, an increase in my thyroid medication will have me feeling more energetic soon.  On the positive side, my cholesterol and triglyceride levels were the best they’ve been in years!  I’ve also lost a total of 25 pounds.  Yay, for giving up sugar!

1. April showers bring May flowers…what have you been showered with this month?

Unseasonable weather!   From the look of everyone else’s blogs, I don’t think I’m alone in this.  One day I’m wearing shorts, the next day it’s back to sweaters.  What the heck?!  Then there’s the unusual amount of wind we’ve been having…it seems more like March than April.  I won’t even comment on the ridiculous amount of rainfall…

2. What is the nature of compassion? Is it learned or innate? Can compassion be learned? If you’re a parent is this something you’ve purposely sought to instill in your children, and if so how?

Boy, Joyce, this one is deep…For me, compassion is an emotion, and it’s felt in my heart.   A certain amount of compassion is innate, but I believe some of it is taught, as well.  For example, very young children have to be taught not to hurt each other, or to respect nature and animals.  I believe a person’s personality also dictates how compassionate they are.  Some people are born with a kind, compassionate spirit, while others seem to be more self-centered and less caring.   Ed and I always tried to lead our children by example.  I ‘m proud of all three of our off-spring, so we must done something right.

3. Do you prefer to watch romantic comedy or romantic drama…or are you rolling your eyes saying bring on the action flicks?

I prefer to watch a romantic drama, with some comedy thrown in for good measure!  Pretty Woman and Steel Magnolias are two of my all-time favorites.

4. It’s April which means baseball season is officially upon us here in the US of A. Humphrey Bogart is quoted as saying “A hot dog at the ballgame beats roast beef at the Ritz.” Agree or Disagree?

I agree.  I’m more of a ‘hot dog at the ballgame’ kind of girl.  I’d be like a ‘fish out of water’ eating roast beef at the Ritz!

5. What’s something in your community or city that needs fixing or improving?

Our ‘main street’ business area desperately needs improving.  For almost a year, the city has been busy replacing the sidewalks and adding new street lights on main street.  The problem is, there are very few businesses located on main street anymore.  There’s NO PLACE TO SHOP THERE!   Most of the downtown buildings are old, and in bad need of repair, too.  Our downtown area consists merely of a bank, a gas station, a Christian preschool, two drugstores, a Chinese restaurant, two barber shops, two beauty salons,  a couple of insurance offices, and two thrift stores.

6. Share a song you enjoy that mentions flowers or a specific flower in its title.

“Kiss From A Rose” by Seal.

7. April 22nd is Earth Day…do you believe there’s life on other planets? That wasn’t the question you were expecting was it?

No, that wasn’t quite the question I was expecting, Joyce 🙂  I’ve never really given much thought about  life on other planets, so I’ll say “no”.

Random:

I’m so proud of how much our grandchildren are learning these days!  Their mothers spend a lot of time working with them, and their little minds are like sponges soaking up the knowledge they’re exposed to!  Our four-year-old grandson, Caden, counted to 100 for me yesterday! Our granddaughter, Madison, age six, has  been learning the books of the Bible.  I don’t have a video of Caden counting, but  here’s a little video of Madison naming the books of the New Testament:

Better Late Than Never ~ The 2013 Easter Recap

(Update:  Since originally beginning this post, I’ve had my R&R– in the form of the stomach flu!  After two days of spending my days and nights between the couch, the bed, and the bathroom, I’m finally feeling some better.  Meanwhile,  Ed’s doing fine, and still going–just like the Energizer Bunny…)  Now, back to the original post:

Wow, Ed and I have had so much going on at our house, we could desperately use a little R & R–rest and relaxation or rest and recuperation, which ever you prefer.  We’ve been going practically non-stop since last Friday morning at 7:30!

Ed took “Good Friday” off from work so we could get some of our garden planted.  First, Ed prepared the ground with his tractor.  Then we began by transplanting over seventy tomato plants from the greenhouse to the garden.  Whew, what a job!  Next we planted a very long row of green beans, followed by a row of butter peas, and a row of black crowder peas.  Once again, Ed made our garden rows [well] over 100 feet long, and all of our beans and peas were planted by hand!  Ed poked the holes, four inches apart, while I dropped the seeds into the holes.  We laughed when Ed said, “I don’t recall seeing any other farmers around here doing this”, and  I replied, “Yes, but they don’t have as much fun as we do!”  After planting those four rows, we called it a day.

Saturday found me slaving away in the kitchen.  I baked and frosted forty-eight cupcakes, and prepared the stuffing for the Easter meal.  I, also, boiled two dozen eggs for the grandchildren to color later in the afternoon.  Meanwhile, Ed raked and cleaned up the backyard for the egg hunt, then planted squash and cucumbers in the garden.  He finished off the afternoon by stringing the row of tomatoes we’d planted the day before.  Yes, thanks to Google, we officially learned how to “string tomatoes”!

On Saturday evening, the family gathered to color some Easter eggs.  It’s become a tradition at our house for the grandchildren to color eggs at “Mimi’s house”.  Our youngest, Chase, surprised everyone when he joined in the egg coloring fun for the first time!  He acted like he’d been coloring eggs the entire 15 months of his life.

Chase’s first egg coloring experience

While the women and children were in charge of dyeing Easter eggs, the men were in charge of grilling hamburgers, hot dogs, and sausage dogs for supper.  Clean up was easy, and concluded my day in the kitchen.

Brad and Jennifer decided to join us on Saturday night, instead of waiting until Sunday to come over.  Brad came late in the afternoon, but Jennifer had to wait and come after her shift at work ended.  She didn’t arrive until 11:00 pm!  We were all late getting to bed.

Ed and I were back in the kitchen cooking, bright and early on Easter morning, while everyone else prepared to go to church.  We baked an eight pound turkey breast and a small spiral ham to feed our growing family!  I also cooked fresh green beans, made a sweet potato casserole,  and a couple of other side dishes, plus the girls brought some food they’d prepared, as well.

Easter morning was stressful for me, because the weather wasn’t cooperating for the egg hunt I’d planned for after lunch.  The morning skies were filled with clouds!  Ed checked the weather radar, and predicted a clear, dry spell around lunchtime.  (His prediction was correct, thankfully!)

Ed and I took a quick break from cooking lunch, and raced to hide all 222 filled plastic eggs before our guests arrived back from church!  Do you have any idea how difficult it is to hide 222 eggs?  Ed hides them in places you’d never think to search, too!  After about an hour of hiding eggs, Ed left to go and pick his mom up from the assisted living facility, while I put the finishing touches on lunch.

We all finally gathered and ate lunch around 1:00.  As quickly as we could, we cleared the table and headed outdoors to snap our yearly Easter family photo, and begin the 2013 egg hunt before the threatening showers began.  It only took three tries to get an acceptable family photo.  Not bad, for a family of twelve.

Easter ~ 2013

We almost managed to pull off the egg hunt without getting wet, but near the end, a quick shower ran everyone indoors for a short period of time.  At that point, I think we were still missing around 30 eggs.  The grandchildren had already tired of hunting for eggs, and the adults were taking their turn!  After the rain shower passed, the “die-hard hunters” went back out and searched some more, but at the end of the day, ten eggs still remained hidden.  This isn’t unusual.

Caden and Madison searching for eggs

The most memorable moment of the egg hunt came when our daughter’s dog, “Jack” found the prize egg!  He found the egg, opened it, and was eating the paper which read “Prize Egg” when Brandy spotted him!  “Jack” won five dollars!  A day or two following the egg hunt, “Jack” sniffed out another hidden egg.  He wanted the bubble gum inside of it!

“Jack”, the egg hunting dog

The other memorable moment of the 2013 egg hunt came when Brandy and Jennifer collided while racing off in search of eggs!  I almost caught it on camera, but it happened too quick.  All I captured was me calling “time out”!  Honestly, the adults can sometimes be more entertaining than the grandchildren!

I didn’t  give a prize for “most eggs” this year, but grandson, Caden, won the title.  He found 42–or he ended up with 42.  He and Madison were actually finding eggs and giving them to each other!  Madison followed closely behind Caden, with 33 eggs.  As for grandson, Chase, he found three or four eggs, then threw the eggs out of his bucket and went to play on the steps!  Here’s a short video of the egg hunt activities:

It was a great Easter Day, filled with lots of food, family and fun.  Ed and I fell into bed around 10:30, exhausted, but happy we’d  survived another day.  Little did we know the stomach flu was lurking around the corner for me, and granddaughter, Madison!

Note:  As of today, we still have seven eggs which remain hidden.  Ed takes his egg hiding job seriously!  The refrigerator is still packed with Sunday’s left-overs.  Nobody around here has had much of an appetite… 

Thursday’s Thoughts ~ Around Here…

Around here, many things are winding down, as we get ready for the beginning of summer.  Grandson, Caden, played his last T-ball game on Tuesday.  Ed and I took granddaughter, Madison, with us to watch his final game.  Those little T-ball players are quite entertaining to watch!  At one point, Caden hit the ball, then took off running after it!  When you’re only 3, it’s hard to keep all of those rules of the game straight in your head.  It wouldn’t be nearly as entertaining if everybody did what they were supposed to do!

Following the T-ball game, Madison convinced us to take her out for supper–at McDonald’s!  I have to take a moment and rant here.  Thanks to Michelle Obama’s campaign for “healthier eating”, a trip to McDonald’s is no longer the pleasure  it used to be!  The “Happy Meals” are so small, it shouldn’t even be considered a meal anymore (more like a snack)–and there’s no caramel dip for the apples!  The Happy Meal prize?  It was a microphone/hairbrush!  Really?

Speaking of winding down, Madison is also in her final week of pre-K.  She “graduates” next Monday night.  It seems like just yesterday when she was leaving for her first day of school!  Madison has really learned a lot this year.  She’s now beginning to read, and I love it!  Have I ever mentioned how much I enjoy teaching/watching a child learn how to read?  I think it’s the real key to success.

The regular public school has already ended for the summer.  Yesterday was their last day.  It seems like school ends earlier and earlier each year!  I don’t ever remember getting out of school in mid-May!  In fact, I remember having to go to school on Memorial Day!  Of course, school will probably be starting back in July!  Who in the world creates our school calendars???  (I know, it’s those clever people at the BOE!–and I use the term clever loosely)

When I wrote earlier about Mother’s Day, I neglected to mention what a nice Mother’s Day gift my daughter-in-law, Christina, received on Mother’s Day.  As the family was sitting around relaxing after lunch, the newest member of our family, baby Chase, said “Mama” just as clear as day!  It was priceless–and quite unexpected.  Chase is only 4 1/2 months old.

I’m resting and relaxing today, after another grueling day in “Bountiful” (our garden).  I picked and canned 14 more quarts of green beans yesterday!   That puts the total up to 53 quarts of beans–so far.  Yesterday, I noticed little butter beans on the bushes next to the green beans.  Oh how I dread picking those butter beans, because it’s hard on the old back!  Thank goodness for my little “Grasshopper” gardening stool!

Speaking of grasshoppers–I take a jar with me whenever I go to the garden now.  If I am quick enough to catch any bugs, who are busy eating my plants, I put them in the jar, and later feed them to my chickens!  I normally don’t  catch bugs, but the chickens are so grateful for their “bug treats”!  Bugs are special to chickens, like  candy is special to children!  One night I went outside, with a flashlight, catching “tater bugs” (large hard-shelled bugs)!  What a sight that must have been!!!  Life in the country is never boring…especially if you live on a farm!

Speaking of life in the country–our daughter saw a deer running from the garden on Tuesday.  We couldn’t see any deer tracks or signs of anything eaten, so…perhaps our little doll in the garden scared it away!  We added a “man” to the garden yesterday.  We dug our Halloween man, “Spooky Dude” out of storage, and placed him near the peas!  I don’t know about deer, but this thing would certainly scare the daylights out of me!

Last night, I researched ways to deter deer.  Some of the answers I found through Google were quite interesting, but I didn’t find anyone who suggested using dolls…One of the highest rated solutions (on Google) was to use “coyote or mountain lion urine”!  It’s too bad that I don’t have any coyote urine on hand!  Ha Ha

Okay, I suppose this is a good place to end this post!  I need to get up and get movin’ anyway.  Have a great day, everyone!

How Sweet It Is To Be Loved…

Don’t you just love how there is at least one song for every possible situation in life–and you usually don’t have to search long to find it, thanks to Google.  Recently, I was making (another) video montage of our family.  This one in honor of Valentine’s Day!  I didn’t have to think very long before I thought of the perfect theme song for it–which also happens to be the title of this post!

As I was creating my video montage, I began to ponder, Is there anything sweeter in  life than loving and being loved?  I didn’t have to ponder long before I knew my answer…  I wouldn’t trade having all the gold and riches in the world for the honor of loving and being loved!

I still remember how I felt, all those years ago, when Ed and I met and fell in love.  We may be older, with a lot of miles on us, but our love for each other is just as strong and true as it was forty-two years ago!  In addition, the truly amazing thing is, who knew that forty-something years later, we’d be surrounded by so many loved ones who have made our lives so much sweeter over the years?

Six years after our marriage, Ed and I were blessed with a new love–in the form of an eight pound baby daughter.  We loved her and nurtured her, and she in turn, loved us back.  Over the next seven years, Ed and I were blessed with two more bundles of love, otherwise known as our sons.  With those three wonderful additions, Ed and I became so much more than just husband and wife–we became a family!

We all lived happily together in our little circle of family  love, until one day Ed and I blinked our eyes, and discovered that our children had grown up!  Before long, Ed was walking our daughter down the aisle, and giving her away to another man.  But we didn’t lose our daughter, we gained another son, in the form of a “son-in-law”.

With that wedding, we learned how to open our family circle of love, and include others.  Over the next ten years, Ed would make two more trips down the aisle, to serve as Best Man at both of our son’s weddings.  Twice more, our family circle opened wider to include new daughters.

For a long time, Ed and I had no idea that the sweetest additions were yet to arrive in our family.  You know, those little bundles of joy that you can love, spoil rotten, then send home with their parents–otherwise known as grandchildren!  We opened our family circle just a little bit wider, and it didn’t take us long to figure out that we loved being grandparents!  Our first grandchild arrived just over five years ago, with two more following!

For now, our circle of love has been enlarged by three  precious grandchildren–one girl, and two little boys.  Just the same as it was so many years ago when Ed and I were raising our little family!  Each addition to our family has been a blessing, and we treasure them all, whether they married into or were born into our family.

How sweet it is to love and be loved!  Happy Valentine’s Day!

The Best Things In Life…

our grandchildren, Madison and Caden

For those of you whose children have grown up, flown from the nest, and left you feeling sort of “at odds”, let me assure you that the best things in life are yet to come!  “The best things” come in the form of little people called “grandchildren“!

I don’t often write about our grandchildren on this blog because they are so special they deserve a blog all to themselves–and they have one!  I write about their adventures and accomplishments over at MiMi’s Mini Tales.  However, today I’m going to make an exception, because  I want to address the topic of being a grandparent.

I wanted to be a grandparent from the time our daughter got married in 2001.  By then, our youngest had turned sixteen, and I was already beginning to feel the “empty nest” beginning to come on.  Holidays were sort of boring without children, and I was missing the pitter patter of little feet. 

It was five long years, and three months before my dream of being a grandparent came true!  Finally, in October of 2006, our daughter gave birth to our first grandchild, Madison Elizabeth.  It took over a year of trying, a round of fertility meds,  and over six months of bed rest before get our first little miracle arrived.

By that time, I’d taken a position as a nanny for twin infant girls, belonging to my daughter’s best friend.  I was knee-deep in poop and spit up by the time I officially became a grandma!  I stuck with babysitting the twins for another nine  months, then gave it up to come home and be with “my girls”.  It was where I wanted and needed to be.

Then life got a whole lot more exciting when our oldest son and his wife blessed us with  little grandson, Caden Wesley, two years after our daughter gave birth to Madison.  Wow, suddenly we had the best of both worlds!  But wait–it’s going to get just a little bit better at the end of this coming December, when Caden welcomes a new baby brother!!!

Now, let me tell you, being a grandparent is a lot more fun than being a parent!  Everything is a lot more fun when you aren’t the one in charge!  No more fussing about bedtime, tooth brushing, or homework!  Love it!    It’s fun to shop for little ones because you want to–not because you have to!  It’s fun to love them, then send them home! It’s also fun to experience the world again through their eyes, without having to feel the weight of their responsibility resting on your shoulders.  Who knew it could be like this?

We are blessed to live “a stone’s throw” away from both of our grandchildren.  Our little granddaughter, Madison, lives just across the yard, while little Caden lives a few yards down the road.  When the weeds are mowed down in the field, we can see him playing in his yard.  We can actually see Madison inside of her house–she’s that close.

Our family usually gets together at some point during the week or definitely on the weekends.  Maddie and Cade enjoy meeting up at MiMi and E’s house.  Yes, that’s what they call us.  I chose the name “MiMi”, but the name “E-pa” chose Ed.  It started out as a joke–and it stuck.  “E-pa” eventually got shortened down to just plain “E”(for Ed).  One thing’s for sure, there are no grandpa shirts with “E” on them!

Our granddaughter, Madison, and my husband, Ed, have had a special bond ever since she became a toddler.  Up until that point, she was  “MiMi’s girl”, but eventually I got the shaft!  These days I have to share my man!  Madison refers to E as “her friend”.  She always expects him to drop whatever he’s doing, and play–and he usually does. 

Maddie and E have been inseparable for over three years–except when Ed is wearing his white lab coat from work!  Madison doesn’t like him much when he’s wearing that coat.  I believe she thinks he looks too much like the folks at her pediatrician’s office!

Caden has recently become more attached to E, too, although he seems to prefer the company of Madison to either of us. He loves E’s tools, as well as his tractor, and his lawnmower.  Caden’s been known to hitch a ride on the tractor every time he hears E coming down the road.  He also begs to see E’s tools nearly every time he visits.  Nothing thrills Caden like browsing through E’s tool shed!  Folks, I tell you– the little things mean the most!

In honor of Maddie and E’s special three year friendship, I have put together a little video for them.  So sweet…and kind of funny!

There is life after raising your children–it’s called grandchildren–and it’s simply the best!