THE CRAZY LIFE

VISITNG FAMILY

2011-01-11T14:55:00.001-08:00

How has the New Year started off for you? Are you keeping any of those resolutions you made? I will be totally honest here – NOPE – I have not even begun my resolutions….well not true – I am working on my word for the year – SPIRITUAL… but I am not down to a routine yet – that makes me crazy!

Last weekend my son and daughter were able to visit my Mom down south (about 4 hours from us)…she had some things for us to pick up and it was the perfect time for the kids to visit and spend some time with her.
I told my daughter to take some pics – so I will share a couple:

My Mom
She has a smile that lights up my life….it makes my heart sing when I see her smile….I soooooo Love it!!

This is one of my favorites – My Son AJ walking down a corridor with my Mom (his Nana) just talking….I so love it!! It just says love and dreamy to me.

As soon as my daughter uploads the pics of her with my mom I will show you all that one….I know my mom had a great time seeing the kids.
So my daughter uploaded a few pics of the grandkids….so I am showing you all the latest one…she did upload also a video of the babies crawling – OMG…I began to cry…my son on the tape is calling her name and she is doing her best to get to me…she even at one point reaches out her hand to touch him…so very cool – I cried..if I can figure out how to download it from facebook and upload it here I will.

Seeing my grandbabies faces just fills me with such joy….they are just toooooo cute!! She can really hold her head up now – too cool!
My grandson just turned 3 last saturday….getting so big…and what a ham….LOL

So – I think I have pretty much updated you all on what is happening here….I hope if you all live with the snow and ice is plentiful – please stay warm – snuggle with someone or something you love….the cold again is going to hit the sunshine state tomorrow – so it is time to put the sweat pants and sweat shirts on again…I never thought I would ever say that living in Florida but it is true!!

THANK YOU for stopping by…I so appreciate the support…remember to HUG those you LOVE…because you are only guaranteed this one moment-now!

PEACE-

HAPPY 2011

2011-01-03T09:25:00.001-08:00

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

I hope that the holidays were absolutely beautiful for you and yours.
The holidays were really wonderful here for us…quiet yet really fun and calm and full of surprises…just like the holidays should be. I was going to leave a Christmas entry and then A New Year’s entry but truly I was enjoying such a relaxing time that I have become way too lazy…lol.

So have you made any resolutions for the New Year..(can you believe it is already 2011—WOW)
My goals (resolutions never worked for me) for 2011 are:
1-Blog More (keeping my fingers crossed)
2-take more pictures
3-get more organized (this is going to take all year-lol)
4-to feel good about me (this is going to be the hardest)

Do you chose a WORD for the New Year in which you make your “mantra”….I usually do and this year My Word for 2011 is: SPIRITUAL/SPIRITUALITY
I am feeling very drawn to building on my spiritual life and to become more solid, more grounded in it.

My Wishes For You My Friends: (in no particular order)
1-to be creative
2-to be Thankful at least once a day for “whatever”
3-to be spiritual – make that a priority in your life
4-to be happy
5-to always dream
6-to Love those that enrich your life
7-to walk away from drama/negativity
8-to believe in yourself
9-to laugh at least once a day (I recommend more much often)
10-to always be Kind To One Another

Well that was my first message for this Glorious New Year…I hope you find everything you are searching for in 2011…and that love and happiness surround you always!

PEACE~

HOLIDAYS ARE COMING

2010-12-16T14:46:00.001-08:00

HAPPY HOLIDAYS!!!!!

Isn’t this the best time of year. I so looooove the holidays – the music just gets my heart happy and the foods are awesome….!
I love getting Christmas cards – hearing from family and friends….baking cookies – having family around for a big meal…and just watching everyone as they open their presents…LOVE IT!!!

So are you done with your Christmas shopping?….for the first time I think in my life – I AM!!! There is no pressure or stress this year – it is wonderful….the secret is to plan ahead…think early on in the year what friends and/or family would like and keep an eye out for sales and special offers for what store sells for what price. Some gifts I make – such as brag books (photo books) or personalized calendars etc…and those I have to have the whole year for because you have to gather tons of different pictures and then put it together….those take me the longest. Or it just may be me because I have to pick just the right picture for just the right person for just the right moment in the book or calendar…I seem to have a problem making final decisions….lol!!!

This year I won a big gift certificate – so I was even able to send some awesome gift baskets to my mom and mother in law…those will be delivered next week…YAY – I did good—LOL!!! I just know they are going to be a hit!!!!

As a side note – I am still trying to recover from that stomach infection – usually a very uneasy feeling hits me after I eat…no what how little or lot or liquid or actual food – my stomach is NOT happy. I truly hope that no one ever has to go through that.

Okay – Here is a pic of my grandchildren – I just could not resist at least showing one of them…..

They are just too cute……these are the most recent ones I have!
They are growing so quickly – I want them to stay small----LOL!

Now some crazy news is that the state of Florida has been battling some hard freeze temperatures. WOW – it is crazy….I usually wear shorts and t-shirts and sandals all year round—that is just Florida BUT this year – for the majority of the last two weeks…I have actually had to put on a sweat shirt and even sweat pants a couple of times – OMG – that is truly cold…now in the cooler weather I can breathe so much more easier…but that same cooler weather makes every joint in my body HURT…there is just not enough Tylenol or ibuprophen in the world to make the hurting stop.

I just wanted to check in with you all and fill you all in on what is happening in my corner of the world…I hope that the spirit of the holiday season is filling your home with much joy and love…remember to HUG those you LOVE…time is just too short~!~

PEACE~!~

RETURNING TO NORMAL

2010-12-05T09:19:00.001-08:00

WOW…life sure does get away from me…..FIRST – I want to THANK all you dear friends who sent me get well wishes and positive healing thoughts and prayers my way….I so very much appreciate it all from the bottom of my heart. I must say I have NEVER been that sick in my life…. not to be too graphic but being sick to my stomach (throwing up) for over a week and then still not being able to eat for another ten days after that…and still recovering is crazy. There is some sort of stomach infection/virus going around college campuses here and of course my daughter caught it and sure enough I caught it from her. OMG – you feel like someone beat you senseless afterwards…. every muscle in my body started cramping..and I definitely lost at least 20 pounds easily…INSANE!!!

This is the first week I have been able to sit at the computer for any amount of time. Believe it or not – it has taken me a couple of days to just type up this much – sitting at the computer is still uncomfortable but there is NOT much I can do so I am trying to do things in small steps.

I must say that I am truly BLESSED beyond mere words…my daughter is OUTSTANDING….she took care of me, without me even asking…she saw to my every need and even slept near by so if I woke up she was there for me….OMG she is truly my angel. When she was at school…my hunnie did his best to help out…I must say he gives the BEST back rubs….now back rubs are dreamy…lol.

Just a few catch up items….Thanksgiving was WONDERFUL….OMG---my hunnie and daughter did all the cooking and it was SUPREME….I could not have asked for better company or better food…I am so BLESSED. I am totally done with my Christmas shopping – actually I was done by Thanksgiving week….Thank God for the internet…and I must say – I have out did myself this year—I just know that everyone will LOVE LOVE LOVE their gifts….I am so excited. Did I mention yet that I received my Christmas gifts this year already….it is great for me…because I so dislike waiting….lol….my hunnie and daughter bought me a brand new recliner – it actually lays back (mine was broken so it did not)…it is a dream…I LOVE it!!!! I also received a food processor (have always wanted one but there were always so expensive) but hunnie found one on sale he could not resist…LOVE it!!! We have already used it a few times…it is wonderful!!! So I have been totally spoiled…and BLESSED!!!

Well I think taking a couple of days just to write one simple entry is a bit much so I am going to end my babbling here and finally publish this entry before any more time goes by….THANKS for stopping by and saying hello….I hope to stay in touch more often…I do so miss hearing from everyone! Remember to HUG those you LOVE….time is just too short to waste!!

PEACE-

GETTING THROUGH MOMENTS

2010-11-02T17:54:00.001-07:00

Yes Peeps – I am still around…thanks for all those that sent messages…I am doing okay!!!

Just trying to set things straight in my head as to what direction I want to go in. I know it sounds like I am speaking in puzzles or code but I have very very nosey children and personally I would them rather not know what decisions I am fixing to make. None of them will be happy.

Personally they have A LOT of growing up to do….tired of the whining and complaining and thinking that they know it all…tired of trying to help only to turn around and getting kicked in the heart for it. My hunnie and I actually agree fully that we are both tired of their garbage and we are DONE….stick a fork in us because we are so DONE!!!

House is still not done – FIGURES!! Tired of waiting on that too!! I guess we will start eating out for holidays too because I just do not have a kitchen to cook holiday meals in. BUMMER!

Still getting paid sporadically from WC – that also figures – Tired of trying to fight the system….I just do not have it in me anymore to fight for my pay or medications or anything!!!

Yes we are finally in the “NEW” computer/craft room…getting my craft area set up is running very slow but that is okay – I like having more room and I like the light so much better in this room (more windows)…and now my webcam shows the picture much more brighter and sharper – so I am a happy camper.

Over at my art blog I am posting every day for two challenges – one is NaBloPoMo and the other is Art Every Day Month… so stop by my art blog – FINDING MYSELF – and see what I am coming up with every day as a creation!!! This should be fun!!

This weekend is suppose to actually go down to 44 degrees – WOW – for Florida that is CHILLY COLD…I can’t wait..lol!
We deserve the cool weather – we deserve the cool off – it has just been too warm for too long here!

Well I just wanted to do a brief update - sorry if I am speaking in code for some – for now – it is the only thing I can do…until certain things are in place!
THANKS SO MUCH for stopping by…REMEMBER to HUG those you LOVE….No One is guaranteed a tomorrow!!

PEACE

WELL…ALMOST

2010-08-23T14:06:00.001-07:00

It has been the weekend of ALMOSTS….let me explain….
*We almost moved into the new puter room
*We almost had the satellite working in the new puter room
*I almost received my WC disability check
*The new kitchen cabinets were almost completed

So now here are the stories……We put my satellite box into the new puter room and hooked it up to my new hdtv flat screen TV…no matter what we tried (after three or more hours) we could not get the darn thing to work….it should have worked but then again- knowing the satellite company you would have to tell them you are changing rooms so that they can charge you for it. (I do not know that for a fact – but it would not surprise me).

We almost moved the stuffies from the old computer room to the new one but there was still a LOT of items from the new flooring and paint items that were still in the new room – so there was still too many things that had to be moved and cleaned – so the move did not take place.

I usually receive my WC disability check on Fridays – at the latest – it shows up in my bank on Saturday mornings---well no direct deposit on Friday so I just thought - “okay—I have to wait until Saturday”……we Saturday came and went and NOTHING….no deposit – now I am thoroughly annoyed…and a bit TICKED. So I thought - “okay-Monday morning it will be there” I was so WRONG…I then got on the phone to call the people in charge and sure enough---with a snippy attitude a rep said that I am actually NOT due a check until today Monday…so check my account after 12 noon….I am trying my best to remain calm – however…..at 3 pm I checked my account and NOTHING….NO DEPOSIT…..so I called my lawyer – trying to explain this to his legal assistant….and she says she will discuss the issue with him and get back to me – well it is just short of 5pm here and NOTHING…I am LIVID.

I am sick and tired of having to deal with the state and I promise you – that they are doing this on purpose so that I will settle out my case for a mere nothing so that they do not have to be responsible for my health care anymore. (the meds are about $650 a month at least – the oxygen is a couple of hundred a month and the doctor is an easy couple of hundred a month) (so they are paying dearly for destroying my lungs). I am SO DONE… I am sure that the lawyer and his assistant got paid this past Friday – so they are in no rush because it does not personally affect them.

So that was my weekend of ALMOSTS …. I could have gotten more accomplished had I stayed in bed.

I am not bummed out actually – I know all things will come together – I just really dislike not getting things done!
However – I did get to watch some good football – looks like it is going to be a good season – I did manage to still create – so that kept my head busy – and I am still knitting away….and a bonus is I received more pictures of my grandchildren so that, of course, made me a happy camper.

THANKS for stopping by – Remember to HUG those you LOVE – because no one is guaranteed a tomorrow~!~

MOVING SLOW

2010-08-15T11:33:00.001-07:00

Summer Time is in full swing here – HOT and HUMID and STICKY and well just miserable unless you are inside in the AC.

Of course – I am inside in the AC – soaking up every second of cool air that I can get…
I wish I could tell you that we are moved in finally into the new computer room but that would be a lie…I think we have all become totally lazy and procrastination is our mantra because the heat arrived and nothing is getting done.

Today tho we are making progress – we are going through A LOT of junk in the old puter room and throwing out a ton of garbage…that way we know exactly what is going to the new room without the junk~We are also setting up a craft area for me – that was the original reason for me moving into another room, just not enough room for all my hobbies and such.

I will still be sharing the puter room with the honey tho I am thinking perhaps he needs to move into a different area – I don’t want him to cramp my new style – LOL.

Other News—both AJ and Crystalyn are ready to go for a new semester in school – Crystalyn passed her summer courses with a 3.0 so I am a happy camper—college starts here on August 30th….all other school start on the 23rd. My daughter is counting down the days until she turns the BIG 21… OMG I cannot believe that she is going to be that old. Where has all the time gone – I can still remember like it was yesterday picking her up at pre-K and her being so proud of her day and telling me all about it…and now she is in college and experiencing a whole new life and meeting some wild and wonderful people…OH to be young again.

Have you noticed that Pre-season football has started… I am in complete heaven – so many games to watch and so little time to keep up with them….lol. I am truly excited about football season – I think it is going to be exciting with all the new rookies and changes that have taken place---all the teams so far are truly looking good!

I am still working on my creations – and have even taught myself the basics of knitting and I am attempting to knit a baby blanket for my new grand daughter—then again if it does not turn out right – it can used to cushion her car seat or stroller—LOL.

Just wanted to do a quick update – nothing much huh?
Thanks for stopping by and reading—Remember to HUG those you LOVE – time is so precious and moves so quickly----PEACE~!~

THE WAYWARD HAVE COME HOME

2010-08-04T10:39:00.001-07:00

Yes it is true - the wayward son has returned home. My son AJ decided to return home so
that he could go to school here for criminal justice....I am so very proud of him.
I know he wishes that he could be working right now as a firefighter - (which is what he was trained for in the army) but jobs are just not out there - so going to school is a great thing.
His major opens the doors for so many fields - I just know he will do great!
School starts towards the end of the month.....Now Crystalyn is making quite a name for herself......her Ceramics professor is so impressed
with her clay work - that her creations will be in a gallery show all of the fall semester.
She gets a shelf (area) to herself for her pieces - the background of the display will be panoramic
pictures of a volcano and islands..because the 'Lil Monsters' she created came from such a
place and are now here---(her imagination is amazing also)
Yesterday he collected all of her pieces - I think it saddened her a bit because she had
to part with them -but she is excited to be part of a show.

She was also asked if she had other pieces because there is a second show that her work would
be great at - and she said yes - so this is WONDERFUL for the girl - I am so very proud
of her---she just amazes me!
Now my other son who is still in the army - should be heading to the states around
September 9th - I cannot wait to see him and his wife and my new grandchildren--
what a great blessing to the family!
Then he reports to Fort Stewart by October 1st.
I am still fighting with WC about my meds - this is stressing me out more then I can
handle at this point.....they send me to their doctors and go through their tests and
then the dr prescribes meds and they deny them - any of this make sense?
Well we will see what happens - the lawyer put in paperwork against them again--so
just another obstacle to get over.Have been keeping busy with my zandoodles (I have renamed them from zentangles),
creating in the comfort of the sweet AC. The heat is just unreal this summer!
There is just no rain and we are under a water advisory so vegetable gardens are just
not thriving this year - it is sad!
Thanks For Stopping By - I appreciate the visit~!~
In the meantime - Hug those you LOVE - time is just too short~!~
PEACE

HERE'S TO YOUR HEALTH

2010-07-27T09:26:00.000-07:00

You know that old quote that says "when life hands you lemons-make lemonade"?
Well I am drowning in lemonade.....enough already!!
Here is a short synopsis of just a portion of what is going on.....
my pulmonologist decided to give up accepting WC for patients - his practice is now
leaning towards education for the elderly-preventative care...so that left me in the lurch--after 10 years of going to this doctor - I had to have someone new--
WC did not like this - they wanted to find some sort of fault with me so that
could stop paying for my care.
Well it all came to a head in May because they wanted another deposition (I am thinking we might be heading back to court) so yes we are off to be questioned by lawyers...
the stress of this garbage really drove me so close to the edge - it seems always a game
and my lawyer claims this is just typical of the state and WC--that however is NOT reassuring
to me at all.I found their questions very interesting - some of the same - a lot of updating info...and you
can just tell that they wanted to make sure of who is in my house and what the outside of my
house looks like and who does what in my house....this is enlightening because last time
this info was hashed out - they had me followed for 6 months - they video taped who came
and went and lived in my house everyday for 6 months - what they failed to realize is that
the one person they swore was me was my sister in law - and that is the video tape they
turned into the court -but with my sister in law next to me in court - they lost
miserably - that was 8 years ago.Well this time the deposition was also held at the same time that my lawyer put
a complaint in against WC because they never did a doctor referral - which brings
me up to date - yesterday was that doctor appointment!!!
IT WAS A NIGHTMARE!!!!
I am suppose to be seeing a pulmonologist - that was court ordered, this
doctor is family practice no specialty - his wife is a pediatrician.
Apparently there are time that she sees his patients - and I saw no children there but
then again she was not there....but I am getting ahead of the story ---We walked in and the office had a smell to it and it was kind of warm in the waiting room--
I thought that was odd...I filled out the initial paperwork and this "nurse" asked if I had
all my paperwork from the other doctor with me - I said NO this is
WC they mail it to you for me - I am not allowed to go and transfer records-
she actually snubbed me and dismissed me and told me to go have a seat...unreal!
So when we went to sit down - they were a puff of dust that flew up--we were covered
in dust--the seats were covered in a thin layer of white dust (drywall dust), when we
looked over to the other side - the building is under construction...the place
was a hazard for anyone with respiratory problems!!I was really puzzled - then this one other lady who was waiting to be seen said to make ourselves comfortable because the wait time is pathetic and then said that the filth in this office
location is NOTHING compared to their other office in the next town....OMG - I could
not imagine anything worse.
She said to THANK GOD that we got to go to this office and if sent to the other one
find another doctor.This is before I even go into the asylum - I mean back patient area.
Well to save some time here -I will be brief - the exam rooms were disgusting - the paper on the patient tables are not changed between patients - the tables themselves have not been sterilized in a lifetime, there are holes in the walls with nothing but drawing paper covering
them with scotch tape.
Meantime - they had taken my vital signs and could not get an accurate reading
of my blood pressure - they had to put me on a electronic machine that takes
your blood pressure and the damn thing was squeezing the HECK out of my arm thatI actually screamed out--OMG it was incredible pain - that nurse said well I tried
to tell you that it was high - it is trying to get a reading - OMG I could not believe it.
Finally - I am in tears and the damn thing said that my BP was 221/109
well that freaked me out!
She brought me to some room -DISGUSTING-I called Allen to come back to my room.
I told him where I was at - he joined me and I filled him in on what happened so far.
Now when Allen was in the waiting room other patients told him that the least amountof time that anyone spends there is 4 hours...geez...and that the dr is a real A--H---!!
As a matter of fact - the other patients also said the same thing - they also said that
he tries to eliminate any use of medication for WC patients. He also will never address
issues of pain because he will not prescribe anything for pain...any kind of pain.
Now Allen was already in a bad mood because when we called for directions while
on the road - (the directions that my lawyer sent were wrong) the person
who answered the phone was really RUDE - not a good way to be to Allen on the phone..
so when he heard from these patients how nasty this doctor could be in attitude - that only
put Allen in a more nastier mood - he was ready for a fight.One lady said that her dad had an appointment with him and the dr tried to double talk and
eliminate meds that her dad knew he had to be on and the dr tried to mouth off on him and her dad picked up a chair and threw it - now when her dad shows up
he is taken directly back and seen quickly and then sent on his way - apparently also her dad
had waited several hours to be seen and was TICKED over it.
The dr talked about not getting paid if he prescribes certain things or requests certain tests.
I personally think that it is NOT professional to talk to a patient about whether or not
you get paid or your concerns over fees...that is between him and WC - that has nothing
to do with me.
He also wanted to know if I was collecting any money as my salary from WC - I also believe that is not professional nor any of his business.He also mentioned that he is going to be running a drug study for respiratory patients - and if after a PFT test (pulmonary function test) depending on my lung usage will determine
if I qualify for the research study (truly I have no interest). Now that last time
I saw my first pulmonologist - my lung function went from 11% to 71% but it took
8 years to get there - lots of trial and error and changes with meds...now I have been
without meds for a couple of months because WC took their sweet time finding another doctor
for me and the depo and all...my function test result was 36%. This is NOT good! Because
they took their sweet time getting me referred - 8 years of work almost completely disappeared.
Now I understand why I have been running out of breathe more then usual and why I am overly
exhausted - my body is having to work twice as hard just to breathe.This doctor wants blood work done and claims that I am probably diabetic
because I have been on steroids too long (three different steroids for 8 years) and
apparently steroids on long term usage causes diabetes. OMG something else I have
to worry about.
Well as he is leaving he wanted me to have my blood pressure taken again because it was
MUCH too high. They have you chew on this NASTY NASTY A-- medicine
that you have to suck the juices out of this pill tube.It was DIGUSTING - but I did it and they have you sit for a while for the med to take effect. Meanwhile I am watching all the activity taking place in the reception patient area - the hub of
the place - it was MASS confusion - lots of lost files, even the doctor was walking around
and asked this other patient and I what was he doing before he went in the other room.
One nurse was walking around trying to figure out what test to run on what patient next.
I have never seen such chaos before - it scared me.Finally after 20 minutes maybe a bit more they decided to take my BP again to see how the
meds worked....after crying again from the pain it was 225/125 - OMG it went up..
now they say I am fixing to stroke out and they HAVE TO bring it down quick - and again
I have to take that DAMN NASTY medicine again - the nurse bribed me with soda if I took it
again so I agreed - ( you need a gallon of anything after wards because it is SO BAD).
So now it turns out that I had to wait over an hour before they would take it again...
(did I mention that I had a RAGING headache all this time) I am in tears wanting to
leave so bad - I was hungry and have been there all day.....finally they took it again
and it went down to 198/95--so the doctor is happy and they let me leave...they gave me
prescriptions including a new one for my blood pressure. When Allen and I finally left we had been there from 10:30 to 4:00 - CRAZY!!We walked out and the waiting room was JAMMED packed....there was only standing room
and there plenty of people standing.
I was so happy that part of my day was done -We went to our favorite buffet place to eat and
to have an early celebration for Allen's B'day - alone time at last.
The food was good and then headed to the pharmacy to drop off the scripts...then finally home.
Unfortunately once I got home the rage in my headache returned - NOT GOOD...BP must have been going back up - So we called about the meds because they would be ready in an hour and we find out that there are problems with the meds -
WC refused to pay for the blood pressure meds - and two of the lung meds - I CANNOT BELIEVE THE GARBAGE I AM GOING THROUGH.So today we had to go get a copy of the scripts and fax them to my lawyer so that they
could put paperwork against WC again. This is getting old....the lawyer said that I would have
to wait until it is approved once the complaint is put in order to get my meds unless
I want to pay for them out of pocket and wait to be reimbursed - well that is NOT happening
because I do not have $115 to put up front...so now I have to wait. That money is only
for one prescription - there are two or three that were denied - I just do not have the
money!!! This is just not a good day!!!
BTW - we found out from one of the nurses that all the construction being done is because
there is BLACK MOLD inside the walls (the same garbage that made me sick years ago)
So Now I have caught you all up on my health adventures!Something has to give soon - because emotionally I do not think I can take much more!!
PLEASE if you have any advise I would love to hear it - I am just totally exhausted
having to deal with all of this!
Meantime - THANKS for sticking around long enough to read my story -
Remember to HUG those you LOVE - life is just too short!
PEACE~!~

I AM A GRAND MA

2010-07-13T06:30:00.001-07:00

WELCOME TO THE FAMILY
SAVANNAH MARIE!!!
She has finally arrived - 6lbs 5ozs - 19 inches long
Born July 13 2010 at 9:24am
She is absolutely beautiful!!!!

Here she is with her Mama - my daughter in law
Katherine - what a beautiful Mom and obviously Savannah's beauty comes from her!!

Here is my son Eric - holding his precious daughter
That is the picture that made me cry - such a precious moment
so full of life and love
I am excited for all of them!!!
Thanks for sharing this moment with me - I know there will
be so many more pictures and moments but for now
that is it - We are Truly BLESSED~!~
Hug Those You Love - Every Moment Is A Blessing!

SUMMER NEWS

2010-07-11T03:50:00.001-07:00

HELLO SUMMER TIME!!!
I have been wondering if keeping a blog is a smart thing for me.
I have lost so much motivation to keep up. I have wanted to write about things
happening here - but getting my behind to actually sit and type out an entry
seems to be a major endeavor.Anyway - I am here now - so let me catch you all up on what is going on.....

Some GREAT news is that I am finding some dear friends that I have lost touch
with over the last 20 years - every once in a while I put type in their names
in a Google search just to see if I could find them but alas it
was not to be.....then on face-book I tried to do a search and slowly but surely I
am finding these wonderful friends/family once again and it really has
done wonders for me...I am finding that there were a lot of missing pieces to my life until I started finding
these dear friends.

The first friend that I found is sweet sweet Lauren - she was my roommate in college.
WOW it is wonderful to connect with her - she could always make me smile and is just
beautiful on the inside and outside - just so sweet...Golly I missed her.
Slowly but surely we are catching up on news--her emails sound just like her.
I am so determined to NEVER lose touch with her again or any of my dear friends.
I am VERY thankful for the internet - through it I have connected my past with
my present - and it is the perfect match!!! It feels like I am becoming more
like myself...I will write about my other friends in my next entries - I am trying to save topics to discuss so that I have at least that motivating factor helping me out.

It is typical SUMMER weather here - temps in the triple digits - so the a/c and I have
become really good friends - just another reason to stay inside.
I see a new lung specialist towards the end of this month - my other doctor
was slowly trying to get out of the WC business - he has turned his business into
educating senior citizens in preventive care - running a lot of community programs.
He barely had any more office hours - and trying to please everyone in this situation was just not working out for me - so now I have to start again.
Oh well - typical state garbage!

Any day now I am going to be a grandma - now that is exciting!!!
We know the baby is a girl---I am so excited -- I just wish I could be there..
but they are in Japan. But 6 weeks after the baby is born they are coming back
to the states - my son is heading for Georgia - so at least he will be closer to home.
I will have plenty of time to spoil and enjoy every second of it~~
Allen thinks if he just ignores it he will not become a grandpa because he is
claiming that he is too young - OMG ready or not - here she comes....LOL!

I have been keeping very busy with staying creative - I am still playing with
digital painting---and I am improving upon my zentangles - it really does
relax me - feel free to check out my art blog - FINDING MYSELF - and checking
out my art - it makes me feel like I am doing something good...and not
just wasting away!!!

Allen has been keeping busy with working on lawn mowers and small engine repairs.
Now that he can do for HOURS and HOURS...he gets into the zone and he just keeps busy.
Now he even has people from all over the place calling him to see if he can help them.
We are also talking about creating with gourds - dried up gourds - we have the tools,
we are just comparing prices right now of places that sell the gourds-because we
cannot find any that are local.
My hunnie wants to be creative with me - now how cool is that.
The daughter is working at her school job all summer and taking a couple
of classes also - she is loving it all - and she has a art exhibition coming up that will last
until the end of the year - WOW - I am truly impressed!!
She has created her own army of "monsters" - they are just so cute!!
They are out of clay - and just so very cute - she is also doing teddy bear jars - that
girl has such talent - I am in awe!!

As for the renovations - they are still going on -the roof was finished - the ceiling
in the garage and dinning room have been repaired - the dinning room has been
painted ( that room is our new computer/craft room).The walls in the hallway and entrance way have been repaired and painted.
We have the new kitchen cabinets - Allen is still staining them--and we have to move the
old computer/craft room to the new - but I have to wait until
Allen gets help because he hurt his back and he just cannot do it by himself!
So things are moving forward - but just a bit slower!!

Well for now - that is all the news fit to print -
I THANK YOU for stopping by
and staying in touch--leave a comment and let me know that you have stopped by - I look forward to hearing from you!
In the meantime - HUG those you LOVE - time is so short!
PEACE~!~

HAPPY FATHER'S DAY

2010-06-20T00:08:00.001-07:00

First I want to say HAPPY FATHER'S DAY to all the dads out there. I hope
your day is very special.
Today is a bit tough for me - the other day I was thinking of Father's Day coming up
and I picked up the phone to call my dad to ask about his plans - then it hit me - and I spent the next several hours just sobbing....God I miss him....
Here are a few words of wisdom for Father's Day that I happen to come across:

My Father

When I Was... 4 years old
"My daddy can do anything."

5 years old
"My daddy knows a whole lot."

6 years old
"My dad is smarter than your dad."

8 years old
"My dad doesn't know exactly everything."

10 years old
"In the olden days when my dad grew up, things were sure different."

12 years old
"Oh well! Naturally, Dad doesn't know anything about that.
He is too old to remember his childhood."

14 years old
"Don't pay any attention to my dad. He is so old-fashioned!"

21 years old
"Him? My Lord, he's hopelessly out-of-date!"

25 years old
"Dad knows a little bit about it, but then he should because he's been around for so long."

30 years old
"Maybe we should ask dad what he thinks."

35 years old
"I'm not doing a single thing until I talk to Dad."

40 years old
"I wonder how Dad would have handled it.
He was so wise and had a world of experience."

50 years old
"I'd give anything if Dad were here now so I could talk this over with him.
Too bad I didn't appreciate how smart he was.
I could have learned a lot from him."

~ Ann Landers ~
I LOVE You Dad and Miss You So Very Much
Hug Those You Love....Life Is Short~!~

THANKFUL THURSDAY-TIME FLYING BY

2010-02-04T12:07:00.001-08:00

WOW - time is just flying by - where the heck did January go?
I feel like I am missing out on things because I just cannot account for the time
flying by and nothing is happening. GEEZ~!
Well since today is Thursday I thought I would do THANKFUL THURSDAY!
I have not done one of those in a very long time--

I am Thankful for:
1- My daughter - she has been voted in as a president of a club and is
doing a SUPREME job in running the club and making changes that are
attracting more people who are interested in joining...so proud of her.
College seems to agreeing with her - lol
2-I found my long lost BFF from college on facebook. Have been searching for
her for such a long time - trying to get friends to look for her
in the tri-state area and finally -after 20 years I have found her....
Love ya Lauren -
3-for my hunnie who shares my passion for football and we are
well stocked for some fun food and football craziness this sunday...
4-For my friends who have not given up on me--Thanks for always
staying in touch with me--through my highs and lows - and my
withdrawing from the internet from time to time--
THANKS from the bottom of my heart!!

I hope life is treating all of you GRAND--what are you thankful for?!
Until Next Time........PEACE~!~

HAPPY NEW YEAR - 2010

2010-01-03T13:10:00.001-08:00

First and Foremost - HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE~!~
Now Yes I have dropped out of sight again - really not spending a lot of time on the computer
I really think I have become somewhat burnt out over it.
I did manage to blog on my artblog for 30 days straight and create a lil piece of art for 30 days straight - both in November - I enjoyed myself...then the holidays came on
much too fast.
It was my first holiday without my dad which saddened me a great deal - but I did manage
to be okay---better then what I thought--for me - this is good.
Just wanted to wish everyone - a wonderful New Year--did anyone make
any new year resolutions - it was almost two years ago that I woke up and said
NO MORE CIGARETTES - so that is something to celebrate this month.
My resolution is going to be DECLUTTER MY SURROUNDINGS/LIFE
and BE CREATIVE at least once a week--do something
to keep those creative juices flowing!
I am still living the life of a recluse - but I am getting better at accepting
that of myself instead of making myself feel terrible about it! This also is a good thing
for me!
I hope to put some pics up of stuff around here--hopefully soon!
In the meantime - I hope your New Year brings you much HAPPINESS and PROSPERITY..
and that LOVE guides your every step!
See you all soon-PEACE~!~

GIVEAWAY FOR A BIRTHDAY

2009-10-03T02:39:00.000-07:00

I just wanted to share some fun news - let you all get in on the fun, Aimee from Creative Flutter, is having a giveaway celebrating her own birthday!!! There are some wonderful prizes listed - so check it out for yourself!!! You Never Know---Click Here-CREATIVE FLUTTER

TRYING TO MOVE FORWARD

2009-09-27T10:38:00.000-07:00

Life has taken some turns for me - I have been gone for so long that I noticed not many of my friends keep a blog/journal any longer - that saddens my heart. I tried to keep up with everyone - but I let my personal life run my life--let me explain. I know that things will happen and one must take care of things - but those things were running my life….my mind became so consumed by “what will happen next” that I no longer had the capability to move forward with my own life - instead I worried about everything else. Am I making any sense yet? Last Thanksgiving things took a drastic change - my brother and the police found my dad kicking my mother (who was on the ground) and he was totally unresponsive. Dementia hit him hard and fast…yes there were little signs - but now he is not coming back--then my brother had to find a place that could take care of dad and a place were my mom can live on….he did and he had to make hard decisions. I had no part in any of it - but I am thinking now that it was probably a good idea that I did not --because I do not think I could have found the strength to find all the help and take care of all the personal things that my parents needed done. My brother is extremely emotionally detached…and he is able to keep a level head so much more easier then me. Now the months following - my mother would call daily crying to me how lonely she was - how much she wanted to be with my dad - how much no one loves her…and the list went on…every phone call I tried to reassure her that life was good and dad needed the special care and she was very well loved and cared about….that is when it hit me to send my mom flowers to just say I love you….so since she moved into this senior citizen complex - I have sent her flowers once a month. She is in heaven. Her phone calls are happy and excited because she received beautiful flowers and her “neighbors” became more friendly because they saw flowers always getting delivered. The last month of my dad’s life was very stressful for her - she noticed he was going down hill - his verbal skills were non-existent….he also was no longer responding to her like he was. Then he finally closed his eyes and God saw fit to give him his final peace. My mom misses him tremendously but she also said that she is blessed that the last few months of his life they were not in the same house - because she felt it would have been harder for her. I thought I would be able to handle things better - I am wrong. First I saw my mom after a couple of years of not being around (even tho we talk every week) and she looked VERY unstable on her feet….she could not sit still for more then 5 minutes …. Always seemed nervous. I felt so bad because I just do not know how to help her. I still send her flowers of course - but you can just tell that her life is so very empty without my dad. They made it to 60 years together - that in itself is a true blessing. I should feel blessed for all the wonderful memories I have of my dad - of all the help he gave me when I was a single mom - for everything…. But I feel such a loss that I cannot call him and just say “Hi Old Man-Watcha Doing?”. That leaves me sad and empty--and causes me to cry. I really miss him. At the funeral I felt very left out of everything…I guess that is my own fault…but very disconnected nonetheless. There was no warm feelings from my siblings - no support - nothing. I tried to reach out but I was quickly ignored in a snobbish way. I think my siblings would have preferred that I was not there--that I never showed up because I really did not belong. We were going to stay the night just to visit with everyone but I quickly got the feeling I was not welcomed…and so I have not heard from any of my family down there since then. My dad (I believe) was my connection with my siblings since he lived down near them and now that he is gone - there is no reason for them to stay in touch with me. I miss my dad - I knew it would be hard on me when he died - I knew that I would be the one who would have to problem of moving on--but God I miss him. I am trying to get back to what little a normal life I used to have…but I cannot seem to concentrate and I definitely do not have the motivation. I am slowly reaching out to peeps I used to visit in blog land, friends, etc…but it really is taking me a long time to feel OK to do any of that. Hopefully this is the start to something positive --at least something of a sign of moving forward. Thanks for stopping by - HUG those you LOVE - because Life is way too short~!~ PEACE!!!!

BREAKING MY HEART

2009-07-18T07:32:00.000-07:00

This says it all - I am still trying to come to terms with it....
My mind has been swirling and non stop -
God I miss him already~!~

I LOVE YOU DAD

WORDLESS WEDNESDAY-FLORIDA SUNSET

2009-07-08T06:07:00.001-07:00

At the end of the day - every day - the most soothing sight I could possibly look at is a Florida sunset. To me - it just closes the day so peacefully!! So I am sharing my sunset with you. Enjoy~!~
Thanks For Visiting ~~~PEACE!!

THANKFUL THURSDAY

2009-07-02T15:42:00.001-07:00

I have discovered that my life is quite uneventful for the most part and I do not have
a lot to write about.
There are some dull moments daily - there are so many random thoughts that go through
my mind that it is hard for me to just settle on one and write about it....my mind seems to never
stop.
In those crazy thoughts - random as they may be - are struggles for me to just function
in some way every single day. I think I would depress too many peeps if I let you
all into those thoughts.
It is quite the struggle to just get up every single day - and this is after only a couple
of hours sleep....then it becomes a struggle to actually hold a conversation with anyone....
then it becomes a struggle to deal with whatever life throws my way (as minuet as that may be).
Then at the end of the day - struggling with trying to sleep...I think insomnia and I
have become good friends.

So today I think I will stick with being THANKFUL...
yes it is that day in the week in witch at least I think about being Thankful.

1-I am thankful for getting up today...that is a step forward
2-I am thankful that I am slowly getting back to creating...feels good to complete
a piece.
3-I am SO VERY THANKFUL for my family and friends who have hung in there with me.
I know living with me is insane!

Well enough of my ramblings - Thanks For Stopping By!
Remember To HUG everyone who LOVE......PEACE~!~

WORDLESS WEDNESDAY - GIANT MOTH

2009-07-01T06:20:00.000-07:00

Typical Giant Moth found in florida - this one in my kitchen -
when they fly - it looks like it is carrying luggage - lol
It is a bit larger in dimension as the circumference of a can of soda.
When it flight, of course, it is larger!
I have never seen moths this big but here it is~!~
Thanks For Stopping By ~~ PEACE!!

WORDLESS WEDNESDAY - ATHENA

2009-06-24T04:46:00.000-07:00

I am going to try and do a wordless wednesday every week.... just sharing a pic or two that do not need a lot of explanation...just sharing. My baby Athena - one of eight rotties - she is all mine - great personality - a mother to everyone and anyone...and has some "junk in her trunk" - LOL.
Thanks for stopping by - PEACE!!!

HAPPY FATHER'S DAY

2009-06-21T05:42:00.000-07:00

I just wanted to take this opportunity to wish all the dads out there a very HAPPY FATHER'S DAY - but most of all to my dad--I know he would not recognize me right now - I wish things were back to how they used to be 5 years ago - when all was well - and we used to hang out on sundays....but I just wanted to say how much I LOVE YOU DAD...Thanks for everything you have ever done for me - Thanks for making life so beautiful for me - Thanks for just being you - I miss you immensely and need you - for now I just pray that
God hold you so close to his heart - HAPPY FATHER'S DAY daddy -

Below is a poem I found - could not find one that really hit home but I really like the story in it...have a beautiful day~!~

Father's Day Game Delay

He sat and watched the baseball game like every Father's Day,
His kids were grown and all moved out and lived so far away.
He knew one at a time would call and they would always say,
"Hi Dad . . . I just called to wish you Happy Father's Day."

His wife had passed some years ago, now he lived all alone,
So now the highlight of this day was waiting by the phone.
The game would start at 1 PM when he would hear "Play ball."
And he knew by the last inning that all of them would call.

When they would call it would be short and few words would be spoken,
He wondered if on Father's Day their calls were just a token.
He loved his children and he knew that they all loved him too,
But it seemed that they had drifted as kids often do.

They get so caught up in their lives, so busy all the time,
And don't give him a second thought because they know he's fine.
He sees them maybe twice a year around the holidays,
It's hard to get together as they've all gone separate ways.

At least they do remember him if just a little call,
And remember that he's here just watching his baseball.
So as he sits and waits for them, the game is growing long.
It is the seventh inning and no calls; there's something wrong.

Deep in thought of what had happened with no way to tell,
He was jolted from his thoughts by sounds of his doorbell.
He quickly got up from his chair it caught him by surprise,
And when he opened up the door could not believe his eyes.

A man was standing at the door and smiled and called his name,
And he replied "Why, yes, that's me. I am one and the same."
Then, "Happy Father's Day to you, now I am on my way."
And then he handed him a huge and beautiful bouquet.

He just stood and stared at them while standing at the door,
No one had ever sent him flowers in his life before.
He thought someone had made an error on delivery,
He took the flowers in and opened up the card to see.

He opened up the little card to see what it would say,
And as he read the first line it said "Happy Father's Day!"
"It's from the kids," he softly said, "now this is a surprise."
And as he read the little card the tears filled up his eyes.

Dad you know we always call you on this special day,
But it's so hard for all of us to find the words to say,
To tell you Dad how much we love you just for being you,
So this year we all got the idea to try something new.

Flowers are the ultimate expression to show love,
Flowers are the special gift when you are thinking of,
Someone who is precious and means all the world to you,
Nothing else says "I love you" the way that flowers do.

So place them somewhere you can see and smell the sweet bouquet,
Because the flowers represent what we all want to say.
We love you Dad with all our hearts and this is just our way,
To tell you this and hope you have the greatest Father's Day.

He put the little card aside and smiled and wiped his eyes,
The tears were running down his cheeks because of his surprise.
His heart was overflowing with the love behind their plan,
Flowers say "I love you" even when sent to a man.

LOOK WHO IS BACK!!

2009-06-19T04:08:00.001-07:00

YES - it is me - LONG TIME NO SEE!!!

I am sorry - I truly do not mean to disappear but fighting severe chronic depression has not been easy - especially since I no longer take meds for it (but I already explained all that last year). I hope I have NOT hurt anyone's feelings by disappearing -(if I did - please know I am sorry from the bottom of my heart) it was NOT my intention - I just could NOT get my head wrapped around the idea of blogging or just talking to anyone or answering email. I know that might sound selfish - but just the thought of doing any of that gave me such panic attacks I just withdrew more and more. I have NOT left my house (not even gone outside) since last fall I think. I just can't...the thought of it sends me to tears. I truly HATE being like this...and I am trying to not hate myself excessively for being like this.

I have not even done any creating - all those art supplies and the great craft table my hunnie made for me - and all the plans and ideas I had -nothing.

God Bless my family - because they have truly hung in there with me - I so feel for them.

WELL - here is a fast catch up - what made me take a nose dive emotionally is right after Thanksgiving - I got a phone call from my mom - saying my dad beat her and the police where called and they found him kicking her (she was on the ground)... to make a VERY long story short - my dad after a few days had no memory of doing that to my mother - but this had been the second attack in almost 3 years....turns out my brother had the doctors run some MRI's and my dad has dementia - after they had my dad in the hospital for about a month - my brother had to get power of attorney and put my dad in a facility that caters to dementia patients and he put my mom in an assisted living facility about a mile from my dad - my mom could not stay in their apartment because she panicked and just screamed in terror - now without my dad with her she has gone into deep depression and just wants to die now....she believes that she is in a place where old people go when their families do not want them anymore! It has been a horrendous battle and it has only added to the friction between my brother and I - we just do not talk - he does not call me to tell me what is going on...but neither does my sister for that matter...Just as a side note - I did offer my mom to come stay with me but she wants to be near my dad and I totally understand that...my dad has now gotten to the point that he is starting to not recognize anyone - etc - so the past 6 months have been hell. I do call my mom - and starting at the beginning of this year I started sending my mom a bouquet of flowers every month - huge ones - so it lasts her the whole month until the next one comes - it has helped with her depression and it shares some flowers with a friend she has made at the place - so this is good - every time the flowers arrive -she calls me and you can hear the joy in her voice - that just thrills me. I have also noticed she does not speak of negativity as much - more positive! The doctors have told my mom over and over that dad cannot leave because he will definitely hurt her again..it is just crazy!!!

I have cried constantly over this - I am so terrified of leaving my house - I cannot go see them (at least I can talk to my mother) but I cannot talk to my dad - they are not allowed phone calls...all of this is just tearing me up.

OKAY - that is all I am capable of writing about that for now - maybe more later! I do ask that if you pray - PLEASE pray for my parents --I would so appreciate it!

I have also had quite a lot of dealings with WC (workman's comp). It seems every few months they get a bug up their butts and they screw with me--according to my lawyer they do this to everyone - just to see if anyone wants to get off the program so they do not have to pay anymore--unbelievable.

First it was paperwork - some mix up so they stopped paying me - a little section on some paper said only sign here if you have worked...so I did not sign because I have not worked - so when they received the paperwork they stopped paying me because they said I had to sign that little section - I said no because the way it is written it says If I have worked to sign there and I have not....they said I had to - so it went to the lawyers - and I was right and they had to change the wording but in the meantime I did not get paid until the entire issue was resolved.

Now I canceled an appointment with the lung specialist because he had ordered several different tests for me but WC denied the tests....and the doc said I needed them before our next appointment...so I have been fighting them and they will not approve them...because I did not show up for the appointment - I am in noncompliance and they suspended all of my care...including the oxygen - meds everything - so now I have made another appointment and will have to go just to hear that he needs the tests--what a damn vicious circle - cannot win for losing. This issue just got resolved yesterday - so we will see what happens.

But all that garbage just adds so much stress to me and that only adds to my anxiety.

Now the good news is that at the beginning of this month - I started digitally painting again - I am taking things one slow small step at a time - but it was so nice to create again - see what I painted....

The daughter finished her first year of college - had lots of trouble with math - but did very well otherwise - she is quite proud of herself as so am I...time just flew by with that first year.

My son AJ moved back home temporarily while he attends EMT school so that he can upgrade his credentials (he is already a firefighter).. he should be done in august-hopefully he will find a great group after that. My other son Eric who is deployed is doing well - his deployment ends in November--I think he might be coming state side - I look forward to seeing him here.

Of course - June 1st started hurricane season - geez - the heat and humidity is already getting out of control - we already have had days of over 100 degrees with the heat index...I just cannot breathe in that kind of heat! It is definitely going to be a long summer!

So how was all that for catching up on news....I hope I did not bore anyone - AGAIN I am sorry for missing in action - it does feel good to be back - I will take things one day at a time...and see where it leads me.

Remember to HUG those you LOVE - Life is so short.........PEACE~!~

NOVEMBER PROJECTS AND HOLIDAY STUFFIES

2008-11-30T02:40:00.000-08:00

WOW - First I want to THANK YOU all for the great Thanksgiving wishes.
We had a beautiful time - it was just my hunnie and daughter and I - small, intimate and absolutely delicious.
Allen actually cooked the turkey - melt in your mouth...Crystalyn made all the side dishes that
were flawless...and I - I was the slave driver and enjoyed every minute of it...LOL.
Truly we had such a beautiful meal, laid back and watched football and just pigged out.
I loved every second of it!
We had enough leftovers for the next day and that was it...we were piglets.
We heard from our son overseas - he sounded homesick because it is the holidays but
it was nice to hear his voice and spend some time with him.

Then, of course, we had to watch rivalry saturday in college football...we made
homemade chili (YUMMO) and we were glued to the TV.
The best news is that the GATORS WON (my team) against the SEMINOLES (my hunnie's team)
YES YES YES - another year of bragging rights!!!
They kicked butt - Gators 45--to Seminoles 15.
That was a smear!!
GO GATORS!!!

Now this past month - I have been participating in a class called SOUL COACHING...
I truly enjoyed every second of it and met some supreme peeps...
Every day we had to write about whatever the topic had been that day...
I blogged about it at my other blog if you ever want to check it out:
MOTHER AND DAUGHTER PROSPECTIVE.

Because I had to blog every day for the class - I joined in on NABLOPOMO which is
National Blog Posting Month....I did it!!!
I managed to blog every single day for the month of November!!
I was also part of Art Every Day Month for November - I created an ATC card (my choice of medium and expression) - every single day for the whole month of November.
Now that was a creative flow that I hit right on the money - because all the cards just flowed putting them together - I did not struggle once with what to do or what direction
to go into - I love it!!
If you want to check out all the ATC card creations I made they are on my art blog:
FINDING MYSELF.
I am so proud of myself - three projects that I started and finished and did not
let my illness and depressive fog interfere or overpower me.
Truly - if you just knew how much I struggle every day to get up and do something
those three projects being completed are miraculous...my family has been so supportive and have noticed the difference!

Okay - there were some of you that asked about the PEOPLE MIGRATION project that
I was getting involved with....PLEASE email me (addy in my profile) that you are interested and I will send you the email address of the lady that created them...and she can send you your own people.
So before college let out for the holiday, my daughter brought a people to her college to hang out with her at the library while she worked on a project...she has named her people "FAT LOUIE" my daughter has a vivid sense of fun and creativity...so here is the start to
the people living here with us...Fat Louie at a college library:

the above is fat louie listening to ACDC (with headphones) on the puter.

this is fat louie - looking up myspace pages!!

This is Fat Louie phone texting people migration!!

This is going to be fun - you can tell we just go crazy - with any project - we will constantly be
including our people in our every day lives and that way - you can see where this project goes..and the fun...my daughter is thinking of making our people their own blog - OMG - she has gone over the deep end - but I like it.....LOL!

Remember that little Christmas tree that I purchased last year and took pics to show you all?
Well anyway - we decided to not put it outside this year....we have brought it into the puter room since that is the room we use the most etc...
So our little tree fits perfectly on top of our file cabinet (short one) and is decorated.
I will upload pics next time...It really looks cute and even the hunnie thought it
was a great idea...so I am always looking at the great light and a few trinkets on it!!
LOVE IT!!
We bought potted evergreen trees (about 4 feet tall each) - and that is what we are going to put
outside. I think it will look neat - of course I will take pics of that too and show you all!
We took the majority of pics off my wall in front of my puter for Christmas cards so that they are the backdrop for the tree...I think it is going to look cool!

BTW - if you would like to exchange home addresses for a christmas card exchange
PLEASE email me and I will send you my address and then you can send yours to me..
I would love to get cards from you all - you are my peeps...and for the first time
since I became ill - I am so IN THE MOOD to do fun things for the holidays and this
is one of them!!
So please do not be shy - I will NOT share your address with any one for anything....I just want to send out some christmas cheer!
Well I think I have rambled on enough - so I will end my small novel now.
Thanks for stopping by - remember to HUG someone you LOVE!!!
PEACE~!~

HAPPY THANKSGIVING

2008-11-27T03:30:00.001-08:00

HAPPY THANKSGIVING ONE AND ALL!!!
What a great day to enjoy the LOVE of family and friends, eat DeLiCiOuS food, and have a day of fun!
This is also THE day to remember what you are THANKFUL for. So Here are a few
highlights (in no particular order) of what I am so VERY THANKFUL for:

1- For all of you - TRULY your comments, support, fun emails, questions (guess you get
the idea)..have made me feel like a million bucks...you have helped me more
then any of you could realize fighting this depression and staying positive about my
illness, and all the ugliness that constant pain brings!
PLEASE know that you all are always in my prayers - I am always wondering what you,
my peeps, are up to....you bring a true smile to this crazy woman's heart and life!
THANK YOU

2- For my family - my kids - who make my heart complete and my hunnie who
makes my soul complete...they are my rock..my sounding board...and my comic relief.
Just hearing "I LOVE YOU" has the greatest medicinal value that money just cannot buy.
I LOVE you all more then mere words could ever express!
SHMILY

3- For the roof over our heads and the food on our table every day....PRAISE GOD...
I sometimes listen to the news - and just cry (yes - truly cry) because so many people
have lost their jobs and/or homes, some now homeless and cannot even afford to feed themselves, their kids etc.
For such a rich nation - it is devastating to see and hear.
We live from check to check - but THANK GOD we have those checks - and yes
we have to now watch every little penny - but at least I have those pennies...and
I can afford the electric and phone and my house and gas for the car....
I have never seen such instant devastation then the condition of our nation and its people
who are suffering! Truly Heart Breaking!!

4- For those men and women in the military - fighting to protect us and others...
GOD BLESS THEM....I am in awe of their courage and devotion!

I could go on and on - there is so much more this year that I am more aware of to be
THANKFUL for...but those are the highlights...I pray and hope that your blessings are over
flowing and your worries few!

Here is a bit of inspiration to share for this beautiful holiday - enjoy...

Thanksgiving Action

All across this country as... Thanksgiving Day draws near,
We all make preparations for... this joyous time of year.
We celebrate Thanksgiving... as we think about the reason,
It also is the day that always... starts our Christmas season.

Thanksgiving Day until we reach... our welcomed brand New Year,
It is a time to celebrate... and also shed a tear.
Sharing with the ones we love... our family and our friends,
It seems our hearts have much more love... until the season ends.

Each year finds us different... as we sit down to the meal,
And those that share the meal with us... determine how we feel,
To have your family there with you... enjoying those you love,
But each year can be different... if one has gone above.

We never think a time will come... when we will lose someone,
We think about when they were here... enjoying all the fun.
The holidays are special... as we go from year to year,
And never think about a time... when one just won't be here.

For years the holidays have come... and gone without a change,
The family's gotten bigger... so some chairs were rearranged.
Adding to the family... is a blessing we enjoy,
A brand new baby daughter... or a bouncing baby boy.

A daughter or a son-in-law... we welcome to our midst,
And hopefully become a part... enjoying all of this.
Each new member brings a change... as we enjoy transition,
And beam with joy as they become... a part of our tradition.

But this may be a year of change... you lost someone instead,
There is an emptiness around... this change is what you dread.
For years they were a part of you... enjoying all of this,
But now there is a void around... and it is them you miss.

So as you try to do the same... without them being here,
It's difficult to share the joy... and not bring forth a tear.
But we must also realize... the love we have for them,
And love the family here with us... the way it's always been.

So as you gather for your feast... with those you love the most,
As a guest for dinner... or the tired, but blessed host.
Enjoy the love of family... on this very special day,
And just before you eat the meal... just bow your head and pray.

Thank you for my family... and the friends who've come our way,
Thank you for the love we share... while gathered here today.
Thank you for the loved ones... who were here but have gone on,
Thank you for the years we had... we treasure every one.

Thank you for a heart so full... we want to share with others,
Thank you for the families... that now share with one another.
Thank you for this time of year... when love just seems to grow,
Thank you for this time of year... and why we love it so.

Thank you for this holiday... but let us realize,
Today is all we really have... and it's before our eyes.
So raise your heads and hug the ones... sitting at your table.
Tell them how you love them so... today... while you're still able.

[ by James A. Kisner © 2001 (PoppyK1@aol.com) -- {used with permission} ]

I THANK YOU for stopping by....Have a BEAUTIFUL and BLESSED day!!!
HUG EVERYBODY TODAY and tell them how much you APPRECIATE them!!!

THANKFUL THURSDAY - SHUTTLE - PEOPLE MIGRATION

2008-11-20T13:38:00.001-08:00

I cannot believe another week has flown by...geez - the time is flying and I am so not ready
for holidays or anything!
Before I get to THANKFUL THURSDAY....let me catch you all up on life here.
Last week the Shuttle Endeavour went up to the space station - it was a night flight - and the last one for the shuttle mission. You would think because we live in Florida that Floridians have seen hundreds of flights take off and we are used to it...but that is so NOT true...
every flight there is traffic for hours on end just to see it night or day....it just takes your breath away to just be here so close yet so far away...it is amazing!
A night flight is awe inspiring...the beauty of it just cannot be captured in words - the experience
of seeing it speaks volumes...
my daughter went outside to get some pictures but they are a bit blurry but I am going to share with you all...just to get a sneak peek at a shuttle experience - (in case you have never seen it).

The above picture is after about 30 seconds into the flight...it lit up the sky as if it was
daylight - so awesome.....all the high school football games STOPPED when the shuttle went
up because the skies looked like the middle of the day - it was amazing...
as you can see there were alot of cloud cover which will explain the next picture....

The above picture is when the shuttle hit the high clouds and those are the colors that it put off.
Absolutely outstanding - you just cannot help but be in awe seeing it in person.
The green hues were wild.

NOW - I am also involved in a little world peace project going on (I just happen to stumble upon it - it is interesting). It is called People Migration. There is a lady from Montana who is an artist and she made clay figure (small) that she just calls people...she decided to promote world peace by offering to send these people to other people - who would share some of the people with people they knew...with the people you keep - you take pictures of things that the people are doing....(is any of this making sense?) She initially made 910 clay people...and does not
charge anyone for mailing them to you...she just wants you to play along and take pictures of what these people are doing...all in the spirit of peace and friendship...now how cool is that.
Anyway - I got my people the other day and this is the picture of their arrival:

Now one of these people will be heading to Canada to a friend of my daughter's so that she can enjoy a people and take pictures of a people in Canada.....
One is heading to Japan to the wayward son....I am sure a people would love to see what army life is like...and my son is crazy enough to jump right in on this project...
on the bottom of each clay person is a note tucked up inside that tells you about the project and where to email or upload the pics to....
What a positive way to get people together to do Good!!!

Okay that was all the fun news....now onto THANKFUL THURSDAY...
Here we go:
1- I am thankful for the people migration project and for my people - something fun and to be creative with...now how cool an idea!!!
2- I am thankful for my hunnie making me some awesome coffee this past week....it has been
especially delicious...and in the cool weather - just perfect!
3- I am thankful for the MUCH cooler/cold weather - it feels wonderful to breath it all
in and not feel stiffled or struggling to take a breath.
4- I am thankful for my hunnie planning out Thanksgiving dinner...he even did the grocery shopping for it...I am blessed!
5- I am thankful for my bird SPIKE who has found it even more necessary lately to mimic the words I am saying - he is just cracking me up...he already says quite a few words but lately
he is going overboard...lol

So what are you THANKFUL for......?
Well I think I have made up for not writing any entries this past week...
I hope you all enjoy the rest of the week...and how exciting - ESPN NFL NETWORK has a football game now on thursday - so you know where I will be...LOL
Remember to HUG someone you LOVE~!~
PEACE

THANKFUL THURSDAY

2008-11-13T20:49:00.001-08:00

WOW - another week just flying by.....I am really busy with the course/class I am taking online
that I seem to not have enough time with much else. The class is going great and I am learning a lot about me - so far so good!!
I do apologize for falling behind in dropping by your blogs and/or leaving comments - this month just seems so busy with creating artwork every day, and NABLOPOMO, and the class - but I promise soon I shall be back to normal!! (whatever normal is)

Today is THANKFUL THURSDAY... at least I made it here for that...can never forget things I am THANKFUL for.
So without any further delays - here we go:
I AM THANKFUL FOR
1- the weather - for the humidity being low and the cooler weather arriving...makes it
so much easier to breathe!
2- for all the new peeps I have met through my Soul Coaching class...what a BEAUTIFUL group of encouraging and inspiring peeps...I am in awe!
3- for sleep - finally - being able to calm my mind enough to get some real sleep - and it feels wonderful!
4- for our dog Big Head (he fits his name) actually it is LT...anyway - he makes me laugh
he has discovered my cockatiels and stands on his hind legs in front of the cage and tries to talk and lick the birds...just too funny - strange dog - LOL
(promise he cannot hurt them or get to them)
5- for my hunnie - who has been super about rubbing my back this past week - it really has helped with the pains.
6- for all of you - you made me feel wonderful when you stop by and leave such encouraging comments and all - it touches my heart - more then you know!

Thanks for stopping by and let me know what you are THANKFUL for...
Blessings bring Abundance~!~
Remember to HUG someone you LOVE!
PEACE~!~

VETERAN'S DAY 2008

2008-11-10T23:43:00.000-08:00

Today's entry is dedicated to my dad, a US Marine who served on board of the USS Bataan, and all the veterans that truly risked all they had and all they were
for God and Country...
I truly hope that no one ever forgets - Keep their spirit alive - honor them every day of the year
Make sure their legacy is passed on to the next generation.

Many Americans mistakenly believe that Veterans Day is the day America sets aside to honor American military personnel who died in battle or as a result of wounds sustained from combat. That's not quite true. Memorial Day is the day set aside to honor America's war dead.

Veterans Day, on the other hand, honors ALL American veterans, both living and dead. In fact, Veterans Day is largely intended to thank LIVING veterans for dedicated and loyal service to their country. November 11 of each year is the day that we ensure veterans know that we deeply appreciate the sacrifices they have made in the lives to keep our country free.

Here is a short story from John McCain himself - that he told last Veteran's Day..and I am passing it on to all of you!

JOHN MCCAIN'S REMARKS ABOUT THE PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE!!!

In light of the recent appeals court ruling in California, with respect to the Pledge of Allegiance, the following recollection from Senator John McCain is very appropriate:
"The Pledge of Allegiance" - by Senator John McCain As you may know, I spent five and one half years as a prisoner of war during the Vietnam War. In the early years of our imprisonment, the NVA kept us in solitary confinement or two or three to a cell. In 1971 the NVA moved us from these conditions of isolation into large rooms with as many as 30 to 40 men to a room.

This was, as you can imagine, a wonderful change and was a direct result of the efforts of millions of Americans on behalf of a few hundred POWs 10,000 miles from home.
One of the men who moved into my room was a young man named Mike Christian.
Mike came from a small town near Selma, Alabama. He didn't wear a pair of shoes until he was 13 years old. At 17, he enlisted in the US Navy. He later earned a commission by going to Officer Training School Then he became a Naval Flight Officer and was shot down and captured in 1967. Mike had a keen and deep appreciation of the opportunities this country and our military provide for people who want to work and want to succeed.

As part of the change in treatment, the Vietnamese allowed some prisoners to receive packages from home. In some of these packages were handkerchiefs, scarves and other items of clothing.
Mike got himself a bamboo needle. Over a period of a couple of months, he created an American flag and sewed on the inside of his shirt.
Every afternoon, before we had a bowl of soup, we would hang Mike's shirt on the wall of the cell and say the Pledge of Allegiance.

I know the Pledge of Allegiance may not seem the most important part of our day now, but I can assure you that in that stark cell it was indeed the most important and meaningful event.
One day the Vietnamese searched our cell, as they did periodically, and discovered Mike's shirt with the flag sewn inside, and removed it.

That evening they returned, opened the door of the cell, and for the benefit of all of us, beat Mike Christian severely for the next couple of hours. Then, they opened the door of the cell and threw him in. We cleaned him up as well as we could.

The cell in which we lived had a concrete slab in the middle on which we slept. Four naked light bulbs hung in each corner of the room.

As I said, we tried to clean up Mike as well as we could. After the excitement died down, I looked in the corner of the room, and sitting there beneath that dim light bulb with a piece of red cloth, another shirt and his bamboo needle, was my friend, Mike Christian. He was sitting there with his eyes almost shut from the beating he had received, making another American flag. He was not making the flag because it made Mike Christian feel better. He was making that flag because he knew how important it was to us to be able to Pledge our allegiance to our flag and country.

So the next time you say the Pledge of Allegiance, you must never forget the sacrifice and courage that thousands of Americans have made to build our nation and promote freedom around the world.
You must remember our duty, our honor, and our country

"I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the republic for which it stands, one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all."

Freedom is Never Free

To the many who have fought to make and keep us free. THANK YOU!!!

I live in a Country
Where I am free.
I know about the men
Who fought for it to be.

I thank God everyday
That I live in this Country
And not in a land
That is far, far away.

I know freedom is never free
It took brave men and women
Who shed their blood
And fought hard for you and me.

So, if someone tells you that freedom is free,
Just smile and look at them
And tell them that freedom
Took someone dying for you and me

Freedom comes with a very high cost
It takes our young people and tears them apart,
It grabs a hold of families and breaks their hearts,
It's paid for by the blood of those we've loved and lost

So, you see my friend,
freedom is never free
It is paid for by others
Who set our Country free

Next time you see a war Vet
Don't forget to say "thank you"
It was only because of them that you can be you
And as you look them in the eyes, you will see no regret!

Right or wrong, they fought a good fight
And they would do it again
For you and for me,
Just to make sure things remain right

THANK YOU - FROM MY HEART TO YOURS!

THANKFUL THURSDAY AND TIDBITS

2008-11-06T20:07:00.000-08:00

WOW - it seems to me that the weeks are just flying by - it is already THANKFUL THURSDAY!
I am liking the idea that I am keeping this a regular routine - at least it gets me to my blog - this is a good thing...
before I get to that tho - I have been following through on my commitment to creating
art everyday - have had some wonderful reactions to my ATC cards - this is a good thing
because it is just feeding my soul with positive energy and reinforces what I feel is the right
track I am on!
I also have been faithful to the soul coaching class I am taking - have really woken up to a lot of feelings, issues, energies, just things that I did not realize before..so much more growing left to do but it is also feeding my soul!

WOW - the election is over - and "none of the above" did not win - so I guess we will see
what direction our nation heads for! Thank God for NO MORE political ads - now that was getting on my nerves!
The weather has been pleasant - not too cool but comfortable - this is good because I can breathe!

Now - in case you have not heard - the case of the toddler missing CAYLEE is taking on many directions....Cassie Anthony's lawyer sent in a 30 page brief claiming that if anything happened to Caylee - it was an accidental overdose...WHAT WHAT WHAT- I cannot believe this chick and her lawyer - Cassie made some claim in some statement that the Orlando Police will never break her - if she was innocent what is there to break - well now we know - she used chloroform on her daughter and it was too much and she died...OMG - I would not be surprised if something happened to this chick once she is put in regular population - they can only keep her separated in county jail but NOT IN STATE...she is in for the surprise of a lifetime!
Her murder trial will be insane - I can see it now! EquuSearch is holding the biggest search in Orlando this coming weekend - they are determined to find this child - I pray they do just to give her grandparents true closure - because they are just so torn they do not know what to do!

okay - time for THANKFUL THURSDAY!!!
1- I am thankful for my family who let me sleep today because I had such a migraine - bless their hearts!
2- For my dogs - who kept those who were drumming up votes for their politicians house to house, at bay - never had to deal with any - YAY
3- For the cooler weather - I can breathe
4- For that creative spirit still stirring inside me - it has allowed me to create everyday this past week - WOW this is saying A LOT
5- For football - I just cannot get enough of it - I just love cheering on teams
6- Again for you my friends - thanks for your kind, caring, encouraging, inspiring comments - they truly feed my soul and heart and make me want to keep coming back without feeling
overwhelmed or alone~!~

What are you THANKFUL for this week - share!!!
Thanks for stopping by - Remember to HUG those you LOVE!!
PEACE~!~

GO VOTE

2008-11-04T00:23:00.001-08:00

GO VOTE GO VOTE GO VOTE GO VOTE GO VOTE!!!
I already voted by absentee ballot (thank God for those) and was done with that last week or so.
I am so done with all the political ads on TV.
Now we wait!!!
I do not care about who you vote for just VOTE!!!
It seems this election is going to be close and crazy - so make sure that your voice is heard!
Well that is it for me as far as political talk.

Heard from the wayward son - he is fine - doing his army thing - the news he had to report is that he got a promotion - YAYAYAY!
I am really happy for the kid - he is talking about re-enlisting next year- I reserve my opinion on that - but if it is what he truly wants then I am all for it!

Well - this entry is a short one - just wanted to make sure I got my voice out there and encouraged all of you to VOTE VOTE VOTE!!!
Thanks for stopping by - Remember to HUG those you LOVE!
PEACE!!!

WEEKEND FOOTBALL AND STUFFIES

2008-11-02T19:24:00.001-08:00

It is sunday night and I must say that I have enjoyed a wonderful weekend full
of football and play time on the puter.
OMG - have I mentioned yet that the GATORS kicked some major butt against the
Georgia Bulldogs - YAYAYAYAY - the final score 49-10 that was a butt stomping of a game!
Then I watch Texas Tech play number 1 TEXAS...and TEXAS went down...it was
glorious! This means that the FLORIDA GATORS move up in the standings even more - (is that success that I smell in the air - lol).
Then Today - in the NFL - Buffalo wins - Giants win, Tampa Bay Wins and I am presently watching the Colts leading the Patriots. Just a great weekend in sports - at least for me..lol!

Yesterday I began my month long commitment to NABLOPOMO (National Blog Posting Month) and Soul Coaching and AEDM (Art Every Day Month). It might seem like I am
over loading myself - but I really wanted to push myself into accomplishing something fairly short term and creative and it would benefit me both spiritually and emotionally. All three things pretty much intertwine together - but I really want to complete them all.

So every day I am adding another item that I have created in some form here at my art blog
FINDING MYSELF
I am blogging every day at my collaborative blog about my walk through Soul Coaching which also covers me with NABLOPOMO. You can find that here:
MOTHER & DAUGHTER PROSPECTIVE
Free feel anytime to drop by those other blogs and check out what is going on...there is
still time to join in on the fun if anyone is interested...if I can do it - trust me - anyone can do it!

Well I Thank You All for stopping by - Remember you can always find me on TWITTER (hint hint) have you at least checked it out yet...it really gets addicting because you just send out short messages about what you are doing or anything really - and you can follow other people and find out what they are doing...I love this stuff...(I think I need a real life - LOL)
Remember to HUG someone you LOVE!!
PEACE~!~P.S. Here Is A Maxine For You All!

THANKFUL THURSDAY & TIDBITS

2008-10-30T15:35:00.000-07:00

WELL - finally baseball season has come to an end - (Thank God) (I am so not a fan really) but
it broke my heart that Tampa Bay did not win the world series...Congrats to the phillies but Lord I was so pulling for Tampa...gotta stick with the home team - sort of...lol
I am so looking forward to a football weekend - the gators will be playing the georgia bulldogs - biggest rival - the analysts say that whoever wins - has one of the best chances for the national championship.....Lordy I am praying hard for my Gators - they so deserve it!

Okay - enough about sports - The weather has been glorious here this week - in the high 40's at night and mid 60's during the day - WOW - weather I can breathe in - I am loving it!!!
It is suppose to be a bit warmer this weekend but I am hoping that more cold air is in the forecast soon!
The Hunnie and the daughter are doing the grocery shopping right now - YAYAYAY...
I made out the list - but somehow they get distracted and new things are added to the
list - so if they have added anything they will come home and all of a sudden they will butter
me up about how we needed something so they took the initiative and added it to the list. LOL-they crack me up....!
Okay - before I go on any further - I have noticed that there are some other Maxine lovers
out there - and they have been sharing their Maxine clips - well since my family thinks
that I am as close to Maxine attitude wise as anyone they know - (we even had the same slippers) I thought I should share mine with you all also....

Okay - it seems like the week has flown by because it is already THANKFUL THURSDAY...
so without further ado here are things I am THANKFUL for today:
1- my Hunnie and Daughter doing the grocery shopping - never complaining!!
2- for the cooler weather - I can breathe
3- for football - just gives me such pleasure to watch and cheer for
4- for Maxine - always knowing exactly what to say for any occasion.
5- for each and everyone of you - always stopping by and leaving such beautiful comments-
WOW - it just blows me away - the kindness shown!
6- for less anxiety - less tears - seems that fog (depression) is being kept at bay and I am able
to get on the computer so much more often!

WELL - I think I have lingered enough here - Thanks for stopping by and remember
to HUG someone you LOVE!!
PEACE~!~

PUMPKIN DECORATING AND RANDOM DIRT

2008-10-28T02:33:00.000-07:00

I know - kind of lazy in my postings - to be honest - I have not felt up to par - lots of headaches - but I have noticed now that the cooler weather has hit the last couple of days - the headaches are
gone - maybe it is something to do with the atmospheric pressure - at least that is my story and I am sticking to it...lol.
Allen was away all weekend - he decided to head down south
to help out his brother with
fixing some cars that his brother owns - to be honest - this is one of the first times I did not mind. I think Allen needed a break away - he has been keeping himself busy but he also internalizes a lot and I think just getting away for a bit works for him...
the daughter was
home all weekend so I was not alone...we had a nice weekend - pigged out on munchies - played on the puters until the wee hours - laughed at silly stuff - watched football and some cool movies - so all was well.

Allen and Crystalyn did manage to buy some pumpkins last week - the perfect sizes for us...and of course we cannot be normal - so here are our decorated pumpkins--the daughter gets the credit - she amazes me:

Aren't they just the cutest pumpkins - LOL!!!
Okay have a mentioned that our high temps today will be 56 degrees - for Florida in October
that is COLD - but I am loving it - feels so good - makes the air so much easier to breathe for me!

Now onto a game.....
Well, I got tagged by Anke and Mrs B here are the rules:

* link to the person who tagged you * list 6 random things about yourself * tag 6 new people * let each tagged person know by posting a comment on their blog * link to the 6 people you've tagged * and let the person who tagged you know that you posted

Things you may not know about me - random----
1- The majority of schools I attended, growing up, were private all girls schools
2- I used to own and run a Day Care Center
3- I used to be a party planner for kids parties
4- my first language was Spanish not English -
did not speak English until I was about 5
5- I wrote/developed and taught a life skills program for juvenile offenders
that were given adult state time.
6- I played the piano at a Carnegie Hall concert when I was much younger - played the piano since I was 4 - gave it up sometime in high school - too rusty now!

Okay - these are the peeps I tag - I want some dirt on...LOL
Bill (Bears Den)
Kathy (Field of Dreams)
Chris (Cabs Creations and Chit Chat)
Emmi (Emmi's Snagger Tagger)
Dawn (Carpe Diem)
Marilyn (Marilyn's Creative Angels)

A-L-R-I-G-H-T-Y THEN - I will end this torture here -
Since it is after 6 in the morning I am
guessing I should get some sleep - then again - who needs sleep -
I could go on for hours...LOL.
Thanks so much for stopping by and Looking -
Remember to HUG someone you LOVE!
PEACE~!~

THANKFUL THURSDAY

2008-10-23T16:18:00.000-07:00

Got this idea from Dawn - since I am at a temporary loss to write about anything - thought I would give this a try:
THANKFUL THURSDAY!!
1-for my daughter and hunnie - everyday I know it can be very difficult to put up with
me and my illness - yet every day they find a way to make me smile and surprise me with something of life - God I am blessed~!~
2-for my dogs (all 8 rotties) because I have the safest house in the neighborhood - I am alone alot and my dogs keep people at bay at the street - no one dares come onto the yard - feels good to me - LOL
3-for those blogging friends of mine - that encourage me every step - say the nicest things to me that make me feel welcomed all the time
4-for my art - an outlet I should have pursued eons ago - but am very thankful for now
5-for all of you that posted fall colors (or sent them to me)- THANK YOU - I am still longing for autumn leaves but seeing them in pics is just inspiring!!
6-for discovering TWITTER - I am hooked - it is addictive~!~

So what are you thankful for - let me know if you create a list - would love to see it~!~
Thanks for stopping by - remember to HUG someone you LOVE~!~
PEACE!!

WRITERZ BLOX

2008-10-19T16:34:00.000-07:00

Happy Sunday Everyone-
I have been trying to keep up with everyone -and their new blogs - if I have missed you please let me know - leave me a comment with your blog url so that I can find it and click on follow -which BTW - have you clicked on my FOLLOW - if not please do so-I would so appreciate it - ANYWHO- I have been using the google reader - that is a handy lil gadget - if you have not tried it yet - you should - it would use your blogger sign in that you have now because blogger is owned by google!! (convienent ain't it-lol) but it is really working for me.
Okay - life actually has been extremely boring around here - nothing to talk about hence the lack of entries!(the above lolcat is compliments of DAWN)
It is exactly how I feel!
Usually I am a person who can talk - and since I am home a lot by myself (daughter in college and hunnie off doing stuffies) I have no one to talk to - so you would think I could blog forever but alas - like the cat says I gots the blox!!!!

I did manage to update my art blog - FINDING MYSELF ...so that was a good thing. Right now I am trying to finish a digital painting of a hibiscus but it is going very S L O W L Y!
Now I am sure I have mentioned TWITTER - it is a way to let peeps know what you are doing at the moment - I think you can even send a twitter from your cell phone - I am enjoying it way too much - but have met some super people on it!!! I encourage you all to try twitter out...and if you do - plz let me know so that I can follow you on twitter - I think it is cool - then again - I have way too much time on my hands--LOL!

I did receive a great surprise in the mail this past week - I won a give away - yes yes yes!!!
I have met this lovely person (can't mention her name because I did not ask first) through her blog FIREFLY HILL - she makes her own bags and make up bags and belts and Xmas stockings, etc - absolutely awesome!!! If you have a moment - check out her blog - you will not be disappointed at her talent and Christmas is right around the corner, down the road - any of her creations would make great gifts!! Well she had a give away and I WON!!!
Here is a pic (from her site) of the bag I won - the picture does not do it justice - the makeup bag is absolutely lovely - I am blessed.

I also updated my poetic/inspiration blog ANGELS TOUCH MY HEART..I only have a few stories up - but I am slowly getting that organized also!
OKAY - did I mention that I collect business cards - well I do - I know it is a crazy kind of hobby but fun and inexpensive - I love looking at business cards, I love noticing what fonts and the artwork used and such - quotes that some peeps use on them - things like that - ANYWAY - if you happen to come across business cards -I am begging you to send them my way...
to send 20 business cards costs one postage stamp - I will send you back a new stamp if you want - but I have pretty much collected all the cards from the area I live and now I need to expand and I need everyone's help - SEND ME BUSINESS CARDS!!! if you want to do this - please leave me a comment and I will send you my addy so that you can send any and all that you collect - and even if you send some - KEEP LOOKING FOR MORE - I need need need more business cards (do I sound obsessed or what?)

Okay - I will walk away from that topic for the time being but I reserve the right to come back to it at a later time--LOL!
If you have nothing exciting to do tonight - you could always watch the seahawks (cough cough) play the BUCCANEERS (yayayayay) in football tonight - GO BUCS!!!
Well I hear dinner calling my name so I will end this rambling here - I hope everyone is doing well - and enjoying the cooler weather - here it has been lovely - I think we are starting to dry out (THANK GOD).
Thanks for stopping by - remember to HUG someone you LOVE!!

THE NEWS

2008-10-14T19:37:00.001-07:00

OKAY - I am sure that you all have heard by now about Caylee Anthony - the little three year old girl who has been missing and her misfit mother Cassie that does not give a damn - and most likely helped kill her.

I truly did not want to believe that this mother would kill her child because she had a support system at home where if she felt overwhelmed and no longer able to take care of her kid that her family would jump right in...but NO - this crazy ITCH...has been indicted today for murder one among 6 other charges....this saga has gone on long enough - all the news programs only showed the entire break down about what happened with the Grand Jury for over two hours....every night on the news - actually no matter what time the news is on - there is always some drama about this crappy mother and her lies and stories and on and on and on!!
Crazy people showing up at her parent's house to protest her being there - OMG they are just as crazy as she is....the biggest observation that everyone has noticed that NOT ONCE did this ITCH ever ask to be a part of ANY search for her child...NEVER did she make a plea on TV or in the papers to have people look for her kid...if my kid was missing - I would be going crazy to keep her face in the forefront of the news and beg people to come out and search- I would be a pain in the butt for the police to keep on looking and calling every day to see what progress they have made - but no she lied about EVERYTHING to the police - misleading them on purpose and then becomes uncooperative.......the final straw for me today was seeing her cry crocodile tears because she knew that her ass was going to prison for the rest of her life...so no more partying, which is why people think she did something to her kid because she wanted to be a big partier not bogged down with a kid...OMG...and her lawyer had the nerve to get in front of the cameras and say how sad she is - in his whole speech not once did he mention Caylee and how now the FBI and Police feel she is dead....this has been insane!!!
She is already going to face 15 years in prison for all the check frauds and stealing money from people's bank accounts and such -

The lawyer she has now will NOT be allowed to represent her during the trial - he can be second chair but NOT lead because he has no experience in murder cases and we have a law that states you must have experience in order to represent someone in capital murder cases....there is also a rumor that she wants to represent herself - I hope that is not true because then it would just be a mockery of justice.
My heart goes out to the grandparents of Caylee because they were always pulling to have people look for the little girl - I think the grandmother is really beside herself and does not want to admit her daughter might be a murderer because she might feel it is a reflection on them. All of this must be tearing them up.
Lord - I am just TICKED OFF thoroughly over this ITCH - today just put me over the edge how disgusting she really is!
Okay - I am tired - tho I did manage to get some sleep last night (about 4 hours) so I will stop now before I get some myself crazy again!
If you have heard about this case - let me know how you feel (be nice)...I really want to know!
Thanks for stopping by!
Hug Someone You LOVE!!!
PEACE~!~

AUTUMN AND FOOTBALL AND GIVE AWAYS

2008-10-11T22:23:00.001-07:00

I just had to use more fall colors - since the leaves do not change here in the sunshine state - I
have this longing to see them this year...it has been about 2o years since I have since a true autumn day full of colorful leaves - I so miss that - if any of you out there take pics of some autumn leaves/colors please send them to me - thanks!!!

So far the weekend has been good - watch some great college football - and YES YES YES..the Florida Gators beat LSU.... the score was 51-21 -what a great game!!!I am presently struggling with some insomnia - but I seem to go through phases of that...tho
right now I could really use a good night's sleep.
We have been having an unusual amount of rainfall this month - usually we dry up in october and go into our dry season but it has been raining every day for almost a week here - tho the temps are a bit cooler - (very low 80's) it just makes for a soggy feeling.

NOW - for even better news - I entered this give away at a blog that I am truly enjoying (NOT an aol refugee) she is having a give away every day this month - pretty cool -anyway - I never win anything but lo and behold I WON...yes a halloween pendant...YAYAYAYAY...it arrived the other day...here is a picture from her blog of the pendant - I put it in the window at my front door for all to see - it is too cute....I wanted to win this so bad because the artist who made it - I just happen to be acquainted with - I think I can say we are friends in blog land - so I am doubly blessed.

Anyway - if you would like a chance to win some fun stuffies - head on over to
MRS. B'S 31 DAYS OF HALLOWEEN.

Some more good news - I got to chat with my son-who is deployed - he is doing good - army is keeping him busy...he just got back from some specialized training for a week in Korea..how cool. It does my heart good to know life is good for him...this worrying stuff is aging me...LOL.
BTW - did I mention that the hunnie and daughter had a MAGNIFICIENT time at Universal. I am so glad - Crystalyn took some pictures but not many because it was storming there. But a great time was had by all and they came home exhausted!!! As soon as she uploads any of the pics I will show you all what I can!!!
Well I think I will go check out some blogs before trying to get some zzz's.
Thanks so much for stopping by and Looking!!
Remember to HUG someone you LOVE!
PEACE~!~

MY BLOG HAS BEEN BAD

2008-10-08T22:50:00.000-07:00

For some reason - the little spam robots have tagged new blogs that they felt were spam.
Unfortunately one of them was mine - I did not know I could still post - but I finally figured things out...(I am a little slow).
I received a letter from AOL to import my old journal to blogger - it was FAST - and I had 5 years worth of entries...I did import - but it does NOT let you import into a blog you already have. It imports a blog using the name you had at AOL or as close as possible to it...mine was not taken but now I have that blog and this one...GEEZ - what to do what to do!!!
Anyone have any suggestions...I am lost!!!
All my entries and the comments imported over but not in color (just B/W) and all the graphics I had ....but the sidebar does not import - obviously.
I have complained everywhere, by the way, over my blog being flagged. I think my blog went out visiting or something and attracted too much attention because it is so cute (geez - I am getting slap happy over this garbage). I do not know if it is going to let me publish this - there is a word verification thingy I have to do so I am thinking it will...but the impression you get on the dashboard is that you cannot publish anything....there are people waiting over two weeks to get their blogs released - blogger is so far behind. But if I can publish then I am ok with all of this!
It will get resolved sooner or later.
The only thing I could figure out about getting tagged is that I changed my security verification twice in 24 hours - first I had a word verification then I took it off because some people find it hard to see the letters - that is pretty much the most common factor among those that got flagged that I could read in the forum that blogger has at google. It had nothing to do with too many entries - just security because that would cause people to receive spam...that is
bottom line!
Well my anxiety is settling down now...OH by the way...if you want to see how my old
journal imported over here - you can take a look here - ELLIE'S CRAZY LIFE..
Tonight I will be home alone because hunnie and daughter are going to HORROR NIGHTS at Universal...so the dogs and I will vegetate --BTW - as a surprise I bought them "easy passes" for the night so that they do not have to wait on long lines...YAYAY!!
I hope everyone is having a happy week and let me know if you have stopped by and if you imported your journal from AOL (if you are one of the discarded children from there).
Hug SomeOne You Love ...... PEACE~!~

HALLOWEEN HORROR NIGHTS

2008-10-05T21:29:00.001-07:00

WOW - is it me or did this past weekend just fly by - somehow I missed part of friday night and some time on saturday I think...I am not ready for another week to start - oh well...! I do not believe that I have mentioned anwhere - that my baby - my little girl - yes the one who graduated from High School (ugh) just had another birthday - she turned 19...OMG...that also makes me feel old...lol. So for her birthday we have given her tickets to Halloween Horror Nights at Universal Studios. Now if you are a BIG halloween buff - love to celebrate it - love haunted houses - then you MUST make a trip to Halloween Horror Nights in Late September or October of whatever year...of course every year the theme changes and the horror gets worse...but it is something you will not forget...It definitely is not for the meek or mild or those that get scared easily. Also if you think you are big and bad - that means nothing during the horror nights...It really is unreal. I do not celebrate "Halloween" per se - but I do celebrate the fall feast and harvest and celebration of that day.... My hunnie is going with her - I think she needs daddy by her side...if not it is still good to have daddy by her side...and Allen REALLY is about the only person I have ever met that does not scare at all - kind of creepy if you ask me...LOL. I think they are going at the end of this week. I am so very happy to sit at home and let them do all that walking and getting scared at ever corner... the monsters and horrific characters come out onto the streets to chase people and do things to them...no thanks - I stay at home and play with the dogs....LOL. (This year's theme is BLOODY MARY - never say Bloody Mary in the mirror 3 times on friday the 13th or on halloween - you never know what will happen!)

Finally I was able to get a new webcam for my puter (video chats with my son in Japan)..the webcam I had is for windowsXP and the company (creative) is not upgrading the software for it to go with vista - so my hunnie bought me a new one....but it is too dark apparently in my room and you can barely see me - so now I am trying to figure out where to put a lamp so that it lights up the room more. It also seems not clear enough for me - anyone have any suggestions!? I have played with the settings but that is NOT helping!

I am slowly finding my friends from AOL J-LAND...hopefully I will find everyone before their journals disappear from AOL.... It was a good weekend for football - the GATORS won (THANK GOD). Also the won which was nice - Unfortunately Tampa Bay lost - NY GIANTS--GEEZ I wish they could get it together! Well I think I will sign off here - I shall return soon - Thanks for stopping by--- PEACE~!~

MY CRAZY LIFE

2008-10-02T04:49:00.000-07:00

WOW - there has been a mass exodus from AOL journals to the lovely BLOGGER...
All my dear friends from AOL are now here - I am hoping to catch up with as many as possible -
or I hope they find me. AOL has done the last of the final screwing of their customers and has
closed down their web pages and their journals...I believe it might also be their picture storage
area but I am not sure yet...they have given us exactly one month to try and save our pages, journals and pictures before the end of October because come November 1st, they will be gone.

There are some new toys I have discovered on the web - the fun one being TWITTER.
(you can see the lil pink box in my side bar - with my recent messages to all that follow me on twitter). A way to send out short messages to friends and whomever from your cell phone by texting or via the web...just a fun way to keep up to the minute news with friends, family and all.
I have been using TWITTER for I think about two weeks or so and really have enjoyed it.
You might see on web sites - that they tell you to add them to their twitter - because companies are also using TWITTER to keep their customers/clients up to date with news and such.
It is easy and fun and nothing to download...so head on over and check it out for yourself.
If you do join TWITTER - let me know so I can follow you and you can follow me on it.

I also have joined NaBloPoMo (National Blog Posting Month) (you can see the lil image on my sidebar). It started out as encouraging bloggers to take the month of November and blog everyday for one month - that is it...you write about whatever you want...just every single day....I always wanted to do it - so I joined their forum (which you do not have to) and I am committed to doing it...It is also one of the goals I set out for myself this year. Since I was sick the first half of the year - I definitely want to accomplish some of my goals - so at least I feel like I have accomplished something.
Check it out for yourself - again let me know if you join - I think it will be a blast!

I should also mention that the daughter has started college - OMG - that officially made me feel old. I am so thrilled for her tho. This semester is NOT thrilling her at all because she has to take all required classes like Math and student life and such so that you can start taking classes of your choice. She is also taking an English (language arts) class, she likes english - but prefers to take creative writing but has to take this english 101 first.
She is attending the local community college for her first two years. She will be getting her A.A. degree in Graphic Designs..and then head to a state university for her B.A. in the same field. It is so much more easier to get into a state university here if you already have all the preliminaires out of the way and you are transferring with a degree already in hand.
Once she gets into her art and design classes she will be a very HAPPY camper...and time will fly by for her.
Here is one of her graduation pictures from High School -

I wrote about some catch up news prior to starting this blog which you can read here at:
Mother & Daughter Prospective...gets into some news that I am leaving out right now!
Well I wanted to get some sort of opening entry here in my blog so that it does not look like I deserted my blog - Thanks for stopping by - PEACE~!~