180 Days until Paradise!

See that dot on the lower right bottom of the Ocean? That will be Me in 180 days! I am starting the countdown to My 2009 Sister Vacation on Sandestin Beach, in Florida. My sister has a Seminar every year for work at a luxurious hotel right near the beach. You can actually sit out on your balcony and watch the dolphins jump out of the water, it's that close. Then there are pools if you don't like the sand. She invited me again this year as her guest. Last year it was the end of July, while this year it's the end of June. I will fly into her home town and we will drive together to our destination, which is only about a 6 hour drive. We are Thelma & Louise taking to the open highway, singing and letting our hair down and just having the best time. So, on Jan. 1, 2009, we will be starting our Destin Diet to get our bodies ready for bathing suits. Can you tell I am excited? My sister is my best friend and we don't get to be together that often, so we are counting down the days ..........2009 will also be a special year for both of us, since we are both having new grandson's. Her's in January and mine in May.

My 300th Post!!

What better way to celebrate my 300th Post, than to show you my Dad with his favorite Christmas gift......His Rainbow Suspenders from his grand-daughter, Steph. We were all together at a restaurant a few months ago and my dad spotted this man with rainbow suspenders on and said that he really would love a pair of his own. So, he did receive a pair for Christmas and was thrilled! Of course, my hubby teased him all day and we had a lot of laughs but my dad is really enjoying them. Is this a cute Bum or what?

Day after Christmas was not a good day

It was my day off given by my wonderful boss as an extra holiday. I wondered how I would spend this day of freedom. Would I clean and put away decorations? Would I go take back returns to the stores? Would I go hang out with grand-kids? Would I sit in the cozy lazy boy with my hubby's new slanket over me and dogs in my lap and watch Oprah?
Didn't do any of this......The phone rang at 6:00 am. It was my dad......saying my mom was very sick and wanting ME. If you knew my mom, she would need to be very sick to ask for me or anyone, so I knew it could not be good. I got up and got dressed and started to head on over to check on her.....You will never believe what I went through just to drive 1 mile. It was an ice skating rink on the road. I drove under 5 miles per hour and still slid sideways sometimes. After 30 min. I finally get over there......then I had to get out of the van to walk in their front door. Just putting my foot down made me almost fall, sliding everywhere, so I pulled the van as close to the front door as possible and finally made it inside. My mom was running a very high fever, throwing up all night, pain everywhere. I called the doctor and he suggested to call 911 due to her age and dehydration but he said I should wait about 30 min. for the temp outside to go up a few degrees so the ice would start melting. He said that they were having problems with nurses and doctors not being able to make it for their shifts at the ER. My mom even wanted me to call because she was so sick. So I made the call and started to move small pieces of furniture to make a path so they could take her out. My dad was nervous, not knowing what to do, so I was trying to calm him down as well. Because the ice was so bad outside, they had to call for backup to help them get her out and in the ambulance. The biggest firetruck I have ever seen arrived with 4 burly men. It took 6 men to navigate the cot my mom was in over the icy yard and into the ambulance.
I then went to start up my dads 4 wheel drive to start melting the quarter inch of ice all over it. He and I followed the ambulance which could only creep down the road. Thank God the hospital was only a few miles. When we got there, they got her in a room to examine her. She had 103.3 fever. The doctor came in and he looked like he was ready to fall over from being up for 24 hours. After 4 hours of begging the nurse for ice chips, IV fluids, pain shot, shot for upset stomach, blood work and urine test, the tired doctor finally came in with results. He said she had a Whopper of a urinary tract infection and there were too many white cells to count. He fixed her up with an antibiotic prescription and she got dressed and we could break out of that joint. Before breaking out, the nurse took out the IV port and put a bandage over the wrong hole in her hand, cause when she went out of the room, a fountain of blood started pouring out of her hand. I ran to get her and she came back in and said she was so sorry. I wiped the blood from my moms leg that had gotten squirted.
Because she came in by ambulance, she had no coat and shoes.....So...the nurse gave her some footies and I wrapped my scarf around her neck. She did have her robe on from home to help keep her warm.
I drove them home and got her settled and then went to fill the prescription and pick her up some soup. And this is where I almost lose my mind! I waited almost 30 min. and was only 2nd in line at the pharmacy. The tech did not make it in to work because of the icy road, so he was there by himself with a dozen people needing drugs. After leaving there, I needed to run by the bank, which is next to the other store I needed to get the soup. As I was pulling out of the bank, a man was pulling out of the store in front of me and broadsided a lady who was going straight. Her car went sailing down the road and he quickly backed up to get out of the traffic. I went on in a parking space to get the soup. As I was coming out of the store, the lady that got hit was behind my car parked with a crying girl about 12 years old, holding her neck. I went up to them and asked if they were ok. I told the lady that I saw the accident happen right in front of me. By that time the police came and I gave my name and info if they needed a witness. The man was yelling at the lady saying it was her fault, when indeed it was his fault. Then the same ambulance that took my mom that morning shows up for the girl. They are blocking my car......Dear Lord, why me? So, I manage to wiggle my way out of the space and am on my way.....I stop at Arby's to pick up lunch for my dad and myself.....as I pull up to pay at the drive thru, my money that was in my coat pocket was stuck in the zipper...........Dear Lord, why me? I finally got it unstuck as the guy at the window of Arby's is laughing. I manage to finally get the meds and soup to my mom. She was feeling much better and ate some soup, took her meds and off to bed to get well.

So, I head on home after knowing she was going to be ok. I had 1 hour left for myself before hubby was due home, so guess what I did? I sat in the lazy boy with the slanket around me and dogs on my lap and laughed my head off at Ellen on t.v.

I have to admit, I felt a little selfish not having my day off to myself, but when it's all said and done, My mom is important and she is worth it and sometimes life doesn't always play out the way you plan. Today is another day and all I can do is make the best of it and be the best person I can be. I will start it off by going to breakfast with my wonderful hubby.....
Get Well Soon Mom, I love you.....

Christmas Memories

It seemed like a blink of an eye and it was over. Piles of wrapping paper & empty boxes. I received some very special gifts and thought I would model my beautiful pearl necklace and earrings from my son, daughter-in-law, Abby & hubby. I feel so pretty. I also received an under the counter CD/radio player from my daughter, son-in-law and grand-kids so I can listen to Celine Dion while in the kitchen. Here are some pictures of our Christmas Celebration.
My Daughter, Steph with her beautiful Ivy.... My son Nate with his adorable Abby.
Abby was playing dress up with her mommy's new scarf...she is such a girly girl.
Abby having a tea party.
Abby playing in her Rose Petal Cottage Santa brought her.
Would you believe I didn't get any pictures of the grand-sons.....just the grand-daughter's. How did this happen? I will make up for it next time I have my camera....We had a Great Christmas with lots of food & goodies. Next year there will be one more added to our family. And we found out that it is a BOY! So, I will have 4 grandson's and 2 grand-daughter's. Abby will have a baby brother due May 9. What's funny is, before I knew what the sex was, I had gotten a boy outfit to put in his/her stocking. I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas and can't wait to see some of your own Christmas memories.....

Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas! May your day be filled with Peace & Joy......I love you all!

Mimi

My Heart will go on.....

What can I say about one of the most fulfilling nights of my life? My daughter Steph, Grand-daughter Ivy and I headed out to Indy in subzero weather to the best concert of our lives last night. I am the big head on the right with my favorite singer in the whole world on the big screen and live body on stage.....I SAW CELINE DION IN PERSON....last night in Indy. I HEARD THE MOST ANGELIC, FLAWLESS VOICE EVER!!! Can you tell I am still on a High? She is the most genuine entertainer and loves to tell her fans how much she appreciates us. This concert was a re-scheduled concert due to a throat issue she had. She apologized to us for having to re-schedule. Who cares? This was the best Christmas gift I could ever receive, (besides my Coach purse, of course). Before the concert, Steph gave me an early Christmas gift. I had mentioned that I saw a pair of brown leather, cashmere gloves at Macy's and she surprised me with them. I named them my Celine gloves. I will try to go into more details about our fabulous night after I get some sleep. I got to bed around 2:00 am this morning and up at 6:30 to get ready for work. I am in a fog right now but it is a great fog.

A gift from me to me

I wanted pretty nails for the Celine Dion concert, which is tomorrow and for the holidays. So, I treated myself to an early Christmas present and went and had them done this morning..... I tried to find a good Christmas red color. I might end up filing them down next week so I can type better...we will see. I feel so perty and festive!!!! It's fun to ta ta! I really needed a pedicure, but maybe next time....

Ice Ice Baby

This morning I awoke to everything iced over. This is the back yard showing how the ice is weighing down the tree branches. I was in the shower getting ready for work and we lost power. I ended up letting my hair air dry and taking my make-up to work to finish getting ready. I was just a few minutes late. It was very slow moving on the roads.
We lost power at work around noon and the boss told everyone to go home, which was exciting. I was able to almost finish my Christmas shopping with the unexpected free time I had on my hands. I did go check on my parents who had lost power too. They finally got it back on after about 5 hours. Ours was restored too. So, this was a very relaxed Friday. I hope everyone has a great weekend....stay warm!

Jesus Paid it All

I have been singing this hymn all week. "Jesus Paid it All". At church last Sunday we sang it and it really left a different impression on me than ever before.
Jesus Paid It All – What does this mean? Believing Jesus paid it all is at the foundation of Christianity. It is based on the faith that God sent Jesus Christ as His Son to earth and that Jesus was crucified on a cross and rose to life again to pay the debt for sin. This was His purpose. We have all sinned against God and He provided the only way for atonement. Jesus was sent as our Savior to pay this debt. God offers this gift for each of us and all we must do is accept His grace and forgiveness. In doing this, we acknowledge that Jesus is Lord, has taken on our debt and paid it all for us. This realization inspired one of the longest-standing hymns of all time. Elvina Hall wrote this hymn in 1965.
Chorus - Jesus paid it all, All to Him I owe; Sin had left a crimson stain, He washed it white as snow.
Vs. 1 - I hear the Savior say, "Thy strength indeed is small; Child of weakness, watch and pray, Find in Me thine all in all."
Vs. 2- For nothing good have I Whereby Thy grace to claim, I'll wash my garments white In the blood of Calv'ry's Lamb.
Vs.3 - And now complete in Him My robe His righteousness, Close sheltered 'neath His side, I am divinely blest.
Vs.4 - Lord, now indeed I find Thy power and Thine alone, Can change the leper's spots And melt the heart of stone.
Vs.5 - When from my dying bed My ransomed soul shall rise, "Jesus died my soul to save," Shall rend the vaulted skies.
Vs.6 - And when before the throne I stand in Him complete, I'll lay my trophies down All down at Jesus' feet.
all about Jesus Christ.org helped with wording

Sunday afternoon with Santa at the Apple Orchard

After we went to church, we all came back to my house for lunch and then to the Apple Orchard, not far from my house, to see Santa. This was such an amazing time. The big red barn was turned into a winter wonderland for the kids. We didn't even have to wait in line to meet Santa. This was better than any Mall. Gray told Santa he wanted a BIG dinosaur. Carter told me that he told Santa, he knows he is not the real Santa, he is Santa's helper. I ordered a large picture from the photographer taking photos. Steph took this photo.....There was a musical game walk across from where Santa was sitting where you could win really cool prizes. Noah's favorite prize was, they let you fill up a baggie with candy from this huge basket. Gray won 2 bags of candy. Carter won a camera and another toy. Oh, not to forget Ivy, I walked with her and she gave her winnings to Noah. There were homemade apple donuts and kettle corn to purchase. They also had crafters set up selling candles, ornaments, jewelry and other crafty items. Noah picked out a cool scarf to wear from a scarf and hat maker. Oh, and every child received a pair of gloves. Ivy even got some tiny gloves with a little squeaker on them. This was such a fun time. After the orchard, we all went to visit the Great Grandparents and I set up a Gingerbread house kit to make. The boys had such a good time decorating it. I think most of the decorations went in the mouth...........talk about sugar high......Bumpa and I really enjoyed the day.....

12 Days Left!

So, 12 days left to Shop, Wrap & Bake......Are you ready? As I sit here and sip my coffee and think of a game plan for today, I am just so thankful that we all agreed to scale down Christmas this year in the gift giving department. I think kids become over whelmed with all of the gifts they are given to open. I remember last year when we were opening gifts, I heard one of the kids say "Do I have to open another gift"? They want to play with what they open first before they open all of them. So, I hope the next 12 days are stress free for you and you are able to get thru your list of To Do's and So What if you can't get to all of them. Don't be hard on yourself. Try to watch the old Christmas Classics on t.v. and sip hot chocolate, put your feet up and take deep breaths....oh, and don't forget to laugh!

Snow in Louisiana!

My sister, Diane, is SO excited this morning to wake up to snow! She lives in Louisiana and it never snows there. She is in her p.j.'s playing in the snow....She was brought up in the North and married and moved to the South, so she really misses snow, especially around Christmas time. Her grandchildren have never seen snow, so she called them this morning and they are jumping up for joy. They are even calling off some schools, can you believe? This is a dusting of snow, but to them it is a blizzard.

My crazy sister, making a snowangel! She said her butt was wet afterwards....duh!

This must be the worlds smallest snowman. I am so glad Madigan, my great niece got to experience snow....she wanted to see it so bad.

Here comes Suzy Snowflake

This is the art work of my 7 year old grandson, Noah. The boys hung out at my house today so Steph could get some rest. She has Strep Throat...Yuk! Noah decided to make snowflakes to decorate my french door in the kitchen. He did a great job and taped each one up. I am very proud to display the most perfect snowflakes.
Get Well Steph!

Saturday Baking Frenzy

I have a broken oven. Smoke billows out of it when I turn it on, so I hauled all my baking supplies to my parents house this morning, 1 mile away, to use their oven to start my marathon of baking pumpkin & banana nut breads. You see, I spoiled my husband by baking many loaves of pumpkin bread before Thanksgiving and freezing it, so when he got done with one loaf, there would be another one to set out to thaw. He loves to slice off a big piece to take to work every morning. I love to bake when I am in the mood and it's a very good de-stresser for me. I ended up making 12 loaves, plus 2 round tube pans. My dad loves the banana nut bread so he gets to keep all of that at his house. My husband hates bananas. Since it was a very snowy cold day, I also made a big pot of chili with corn muffins. When I cook in my folks kitchen it brings back memories of when I was growing up. I love how their kitchen is set up with a large opening that you can look into the living room. My folks sat on the couch watching me bake and we visited and it was really a great day. We had the curtains pulled open and watched the snow falling. So, having a broken oven is not all that bad.
This is my little snowbaby tree that I just adore. It has 300 lights on it. We didn't want to put up our big tree this year, so we were just as happy with this little one.

Four Christmases

My hubby and I were treated to movie tickets to see Four Christmases. If you like roll in the floor funny movies, this is the movie to go see. It will help put you in the Holiday mood, if you are not already there. We went Sunday afternoon and had a slap the knee funny time. Reese & Vince are great together. I really enjoyed the combination of good n plenty, boston baked beans, buttered popcorn and a cold root beer....AHH...that's the life. Thanks S & J!

What to do with your leftover turkey?

I have a delicious recipe I would like to share with you. I made the best turkey salad yesterday. I actually cooked a turkey breast in my crock pot until it was falling off the bone, about 5 to 6 hours. We didn't have much turkey left over from Thanksgiving after I gave everyone some to take home, so I cooked a turkey breast. My son-in-law told me about a delicious Arby's pecan chicken salad on a wrap. I went and tried one last week and fell in love! I thought to myself, I can make this. So, I gave it a shot yesterday using turkey instead of chicken and it turned out delicious. Here is how I made it:

I prepared my turkey by making a butter paste to lather all over and under the skin of the breast. I add to the soft stick of butter, parsley, sage, rosemary & thyme, about 1 tsp of each. Add 1 can of chicken broth. Either cook in oven, or the crock pot. After cooling, cut turkey into small cubes or just cut up in small pieces. Add the following:
Purple grapes (cut grapes in half) About 1 lb.
Gala Apples (cut in small bite size pieces) 2 apples. You can use other kinds of apples.
Pecan halves, about 1 to 2 cups.
Mayo or Miracle Whip, about 1 to 2 cups. (use more or less to taste)
Mrs. Dash seasoning, about 1 Tsp.
Mix all together and fill a wrap, taco shell, flatout or anything you wish to use. Enjoy!

Memories of Thanksgiving 2008

AND TO ALL OF THIS, I AM TRULY THANKFUL!

Black Friday was a Good Friday

I had no intentions of getting up this morning at an ungodly hour to fight the crowds just to pick up a doorbuster item or save a few dollars on something that will probably be thrown aside a few weeks after Christmas.
All of a sudden, my eyes pop open at 4:30 am. I had to be at work at 8:00 am. I lay awake in bed and thought, I could get up, get ready for work and since I work a few miles from all of the major stores, what would it hurt to go see if they might have some items that are on my Christmas list? I did just that and found myself in my minivan motoring towards the madness. My first stop was Babies R Us to buy Ivy's gift that was in the sale paper. As I was going in, a lady had 2 of them in her cart, so it was a hot item. I head on in and asked the sales associate where I could find the item since I didn't see any on the shelf and as I was asking her, another lady came over to see if they had anymore. She went to check another area and low and behold, there happened to be "2" left! One for me and one for the other lady. I was so excited that we both were able to get them and for half price at that! So, I head on over to get in line, which was not at all bad. While I was waiting, a pregnant lady and her husband were sitting in the front of the store and the lady started to pass out. Her husband was trying to help her and I am the type of person who gets involved when I see someone in trouble. I yelled to him to ask if she was ok and if they needed help. He said to call 911. There was a nurse shopping and she heard the call for help and she went over to check on the lady in trouble. The person in front of me in line called 911. The paramedics arrived shortly. As I was leaving, the lady looked like she was doing much better. Then, I head on over to Carson's. People were parking way out and walking far away from the entrances, then the heavens smiled down on me and a spot opened up close to the entrance and I whipped right on in the parking spot and said out loud, Thank you God! I was able to get some more shopping done and found some great buys at the yellow dot racks. I used my coupons and felt really great at what I accomplished before heading to work. I even got to work early.
So, even though I had to work today, it was a very good day. A lot of people were off today and it was very quiet. My boss even told us we could leave early, which was very nice and unexpected. It was nice to go home to left overs and not having to worry about what's for dinner.....How did you spend your Friday? Did you fight the crowds? Stand in long lines? Eat leftovers? Speaking of left overs, I hear the pumpkin pie and cool whip calling my name........

I am truly Thankful!

I would like to wish everyone a very Happy Thanksgiving. I have so many things to be thankful for. God has really poured out his Blessings this year on our family. The arrival of my grand-daughter, Ivy was an added blessing this year. Next year I will look forward to a new grand-child, which we will find out in 5 weeks if Abby will have a brother or sister. I am thankful for my 2 wonderful children who I could not be more proud of and their wonderful spouses. My grandchildren are my heart and life is not the same since their arrival. I still have both of my parents living and appreciate them so much. I am so thankful for my sister, brother and their families and even though we live thousands of miles apart, they are with me everyday in spirit. I am also thankful for a special person, adopted sister, who is there for my parents to help out and step in when needed and without her, I don't know if I would have made it to Disneyworld.
The most important person I am thankful for is my husband, my rock, my best friend. He completes me. I know, this is mushy and I stole the line from Jerry Maguire.....
My hope for everyone today is, spend time with the ones you love. Don't stress over preparing the meal and dust on the furniture. It will all come together.....Take a deep breath and smile at the heavens......

Dear Santa, Mimi wants a Wii..........

Ok, so I finally got to experience the "Wii". I guess you could say, I don't get out much. I was invited to a special friends house Saturday afternoon to sing karaoke with her. She was having her family Thanksgiving dinner and no one in her family sings, so she begged me to come over. She bought herself the neatest karaoke machine with 2 microphones. We always love singing together, so I took her up on it and my hubby told me to go and have a good time. When I got there, some family members were upstairs watching t.v. and other family were downstairs playing Wii. The karaoke machine was set up downstairs across from the Wii. Her and I sang and had a blast. We didn't have much of an audience. I was asked if I wanted to bowl, so I jumped at the chance since I had never experienced the "Wii". Well, they got me set up with what I needed to hold and showed me how to press the button and off I went. Would you believe I beat 3 people? 1 adult and 2 kids. They couldn't believe It was my first time playing. I am not a competitive person but it did feel good to win 3 times. It felt so good to let my hair down and have some fun. So, Santa, I have been a very good girl this year.....I will leave you a bunch of yummy cookies if you would please deliver me a Wii.....oh, and I would also need the big screen t.v. to go with it.....Thanks a bunch....XXOO, Mimi

Sunday with Grayson

Gray spent the day with us today while his mommy, daddy, brothers and sister went to do a special activity out of town. I am sure his mommy will be sharing the excitement of their day with everyone.
Let me just say that having one on one time with my grandchildren is a very special time. Gray went with me grocery shopping and was a perfect little angel. I told him he could pick out a toy for doing so well with potty training, so he spotted the perfect toy that he is holding. It does take batteries, but no problem. We have a cabinet full of batteries. I just hope that this growl and roaring doesn't drive his parents crazy. I told him he could pick out a treat, so he picked gummy fish.... I think he ate too many while I was preparing lunch cause he didn't have much of an appetite for healthy food. I had the best time with him playing connect four. Remember this little game? It doesn't require a battery, or a joy stick. It is a simple little game that he simply loved and even though he wasn't following the rules, he thought he won every game. We didn't have the t.v. on today. We played imaginary games and just had simple fun.
Gray does enjoy cooking. Here he is making scrambled eggs. I save my egg cartons and put plastic easter eggs in the carton and the kids love it. They put the whole egg carton in the stove. Don't try this at home! I had a fabulous weekend. I hope you did as well!

Sleepover with Abby

Abby spent the night last night. We had a good time playing tea party. She woke up at midnight wanting to go downstairs to play. Well, after trying to get her to go back to sleep, I gave in and we got up and went downstairs. We looked at books, played with stuffed animals, leap frog toy and finally around 1:30, Mimi couldn't keep her eyes open any longer, so we went back to bed and she finally fell back asleep around 2:00 a.m.. Guess what time we got up for the day? 6:30 a.m. Anything goes at Mimi's for breakfast within reason. She chose string cheese and my homemade pumpkin bread, oh and some goldfish crackers....Nate called around 8:30 and asked if she could stay a little longer so they could do some housework and of course I said Yes. She did take a morning nap and when they came to pick her up, she didn't want to leave, so when they said she could go home and take a bath, she was ready then.

She loves to play with our extra computer that just has games on it. She plays burning monkeys solitare, or at least she thinks she plays it.......We had a fun sleepover. Abby is my girlfriend!

Throwback Thursday

This is what it looks like hours after a sweet little baby girl was born at home. Big Brother, Gray was sacked out on me. It has already been 2 months & 5 days since his baby sister, Ivy was born. Could she be any cuter? I have the pleasure of being a baby holder as often as I can.

Are you ready for Thanksgiving?

Only 9 days til Thanksgiving. Are you ready? Do you wait like I do to do your grocery shopping the week of or days before? I am watching the store adds to see who has the cheapest prices on sweet potatoes. They are the price of a gallon of gas per pound. Since my hubby does not eat birds, I cook ham too. I love watching the Food Network channel to learn new ways to prepare the turkey. Got any hints of what works best for you?

Happy Birthday to my beautiful Mom!

Today is a special day. It is my mom's birthday. Iva Ruth is one classy lady. She loves pretty things and always thinks of others before herself. I can remember one year when my daughter was a toddler and it was my mom's birthday, instead of her spending her birthday money on herself, she bought my daughter a beautiful coat with a white fluffy muff. She was always famous for her Sunday roast dinners. You could smell it cooking for a mile. I wanted to honor her today because I love her so much. She is out of town at my sister's house in Louisiana spending some time there. Mom, I know that you will probably be reading this and I wanted to say, have a wonderful Birthday. I love you!