HE IS.

Hubby John and I had Monster Boy Ronan and The Wee Fiend Kian stay over Friday night.  There were lots of giggles, a few tears, lots of cuddles and of course kisses.   After teasing Ronan and telling him he couldn't sleep in my bed because he is stinky and he snores, he looked at me  with the wisdom that only a three year old has, and said, "I don't snore   I don't know how to do that yet!" What could I say except "Well you're still stinky!"  He just laughed and told me that he's still a handsome boy. Sigh...he's right.  He is.

Just Let Her Be.

Well I lasted until today, approximately 6 weeks, before I contacted my mom again.  Six weeks ago she was rushed to hospital after a blood sugar drop  She was aware of what was going on but could not do anything about it.  She could not even reach up t hit her medic alert necklace.  A pot on the stove burned dry and set off the fire alarm, which alerted her neighbours, after one hour of constant ringing, that something was wrong.  Both of moms doors had been left unlocked because she had forgotten to lock them.  This was a good thing so no doors needed to be battered down and later replaced.  They whisked mom off to the hospital and three days later released her.  She's fine, they said. No problem.  She is very capable of living by herself.  There is no medical or lawful reason to have her go  into assisted living. We, the kids, have NO leg to stand on.  She is, she told us not leaving her apartment.  We can't make her.  She could sue us if she wanted to.  This is, unfortunately true.  The law is on her side.  While all of this was happening I spoke to one of her doctors and while doing so I started crying.  I told him that I could not go through another bout of this arguing with my mother. His response was" Back Away.  Tell your mother what you are doing and why you are doing it then walk away AND DO NOT HAVE ANY CONTACT with her.  Stay firm.  If not you will drive yourself into a mental hospital."  I did it.  No contact of any kind for six weeks.  I miss my mom.  I like her.  I do love her very much.  I made myself sick at Thanksgiving (beginning of October for us Canadians) because I didn't have her in.  That was the fist time in seven years. I was making myself so sad not speaking to her.   Today I broke down and called her.  She is doing OK.  There is still a bug problem in the apartment and she  still is to see that as a problem.  I actually lasted for almost ten  minutes before I told her that I loved her and rang off. God, this is so hard to do.  She's my mom and I want her safe and clean without living with bugs in a dump. The doctor and one of her case workers told me that it is her choice to live like that and only she can make the choice or not, to change her situation. So, I will speak to her on occasion make sure she is OK and will run errands or whatever if need be for her.  But I will keep my own mental health sane and will not fall back to the spot I was last year, taking extra happy pills (anti depressants) and crying in the shower and car because I felt so helpless concerning moms living situation.  I have got to stand firm in my resolve that she chooses to live like this and I have to learn to just let her be.

AN EARLY GRAVE

My mother is 86 years young and she is a hoarder, or as she say's, a collector. Not a true hoarder in the sense that her life is in danger because you cannot get around in the apartment, but there is stuff / junk / garbage EVERYWHERE!  There is not one surface in her apartment that is not piled with stuff. We, my hubby John, my brother Conrad and his wife Sue  and my sister Alison, otherwise known as 'the kids", would like her to move into a nice retirement home.  Not a nursing home.  Mom does well on her own and does not need that level of care yet.  But in a retirement home, she would have lots of company (she is very social), her room and living areas would be clean, she would not have to cook and there would be people around to keep an eye on her.  She uses a walker, is going deaf and is legally blind. Mom has diabetes which has been giving her real problems over the last few years, and she has heart problems and major problems with her legs.   We worry, constantly, about her falling or having a low sugar drop or having a heart problem when nobody is around.  We all work. I am a half hour drive away from mom's apartment..  Allie is about fifteen minutes away, and Conrad and Sue are five minutes away. I thank God for those two, especially Sue.  She is the one who takes mom grocery shopping, for haircuts and to the pharmacy. She has mom over for supper at least once a week.  I try to be the one to get mom to her doctor's appointments and will go to wherever I am needed as often as I can.  Allie will do whatever she is asked to do but she works really long early (starts at 4AM) hours.  We all try to be good kids. Mom is oblivious to what we, especially what Sue, does for her. It's as if Mom expects us to do whatever for her without question.  She rarely says thanks and doesn't buy a well deserved gift card (for Sue) once in a while.  She does not offer gas money ever.   Grrrrr....she is a very frustrating woman.  She will not clean her apartment.  She lives in a bug infested dump because she refuses to move because she will not spend any more money on rent.  She has the money but she would rather spend it on more junk that she really does not need.  Don't get me wrong.  I don't care what mom buys.  It's her money and she can spend it however she wants.  But we, would like to get her out of the dump and into somewhere nice. All without upsetting her.  We were all at her place last night to try to clean and move stuff as the corporation that owns the building is having a bug company come in to spray.  We threw out massive amounts of  stuff , aka garbage, and did not make much of a dent. Although now you can see the kitchen counter.  I don't know how long that will last.  I give it till Sunday the latest before it is piled with junk again.Mom refused to let us move out the table or clean the 3 cupboards that surround the tale. I will go back Sunday to try to get more done.  The amount of bugs was disgusting.  It didn't seem to matter how many we killed they just kept coming.  I wish the owners would give mom an eviction notice and force her to move.  I think that is the only way out of this situation. We all , love mom very much but there is only so much we can do.  She is very much of sound mind. She is not confused.  She is not dimmed minded.   She is an intelligent woman. She keeps herself clean and well dresses. With all that being said she is also a very stubborn person. She absolutely refuses to see there is a problem living the way she does.  We have had the powers that be come in assess, interview  and work with her.  They say she is a normal senior who is very capable of choosing where and how she lives and how she keeps her living space, hoarding and all. We have no legal recourse.  Our hands are legally tied. All we can do is try to keep her safe  long as we can. We all love her but  our mother will drive us to an early grave.

Good Morning Everyone!

Six AM comes awfully early when you have been up and down a few times during the night.  The trick is, at least for me, is to pretend I am still sleeping,  then Monster Boy, aka Ronan, will lay quietly for another half hour before he announces to the household (not that anyone else will hear him over Papa's snores) that the day has begun.  Downstairs it is snuggle time for a bit then MB is ready to watch Dinosaur Train on  the telly. The Wee Fiend, aka Kian, is usually up and joining us by seven or so.  Depending on how long Papa can convince him to stay snuggled in bed. Once TWF is up it is brekkie time.  By this time I am wide awake and manage to feed both boys without injury to myself.  Now most of us are totally awake, fed and ready to start the day. Papa starts emerging from under the covers by eight or nine.  He is definitely not a early riser.  But once he is up and at em the day officially starts. Good morning everyone!

We are so glad he is here!

I haven't posted a picture of our newest arrival yet so here is one of him at 4 months.
Ronan David was born on the lucky date of 12-12-12.
What a great Christmas present he was!
Can you tell he likes to eat??
He is such a cutie and we are so glad he is here.

Funny Fridays

Having three grand-babies keeps Hubby John and I young. It's like HJ always says, "if we'd known grandchildren were so much fun we would have had them first!". LOL! Our newest addition to the grand-babie pool is Ronan David.  Ronan was born on 12-12-12.  Lucky little boy.  He is now almost five months old an is starting to become aware of his surroundings and his family.  He is starting to smile more now that his mommy seems to have found what she can and can't eat while breast feeding.   Ronan is a much happier little man than he has been these last few months.  We enjoy him so much and can hardly wait until he starts to play with us.  We don't get him without mommy being there yet, but that will happen eventually.   The wee fiend, Kian, will turn 3 in June.   He is so much fun to be with. He has learned to run, how to say NO, how to flirt and how to make his Grams and Papa laugh...all the time. Papa is his daycare on Fridays and now that I have every other Friday off I get to join in the fun. The WF loves to walk and we do a lot of walking when he's around. He also loves puddles and HJ and I can hardly wait for the spring thaw. Lookout puddles...here we come. My Cutie-Patootie, Neve, is now, according to her, a big girl, not a baby anymore. At eight years of age, she is right in that she is big, but she will always be our grand baby. CP is still a source of humor for us. Whenever we have her, even if only for a few minutes between school and dance classes, she is sure to come out with words of wisdom, that from a eight year olds point of view, make perfect sense. Most of what she says's makes us struggle to keep our laughter from exploding outwards and making her indignant or mad or both. CP is growing up too fast and we don't get enough of her during the school year. Hopefully, come schools end, we will have have her a for a few Fridays.   Won't that be GREAT? All the grand babies on the same day. Come summer, I think HJ and I are in for some funny Fridays.

My Old Man

My dearest Hubby John turns 60 today and he is having a bit of a hard time with it.
Here, in Canada, it means that they, the powers that be, officially recognize HJ as a senior citizen.
This is not a bad thing......Really!!!
Just think seniors discounts.
People opening the door for you.
You get to say "I forgot" and have people smile at you and say, "that's OK...we all forget now and then."
You get to whine and complain and nobody will tell you to shut up. They will just smile, nod their heads and say "it will be alright" and "things are sure to get better" and ask "is there anything I can do?"
As the "officially old man" wife I will do my best to ensure all this senior power doesn't go to his head.
When HJ forgets, I will be the one to say, "What do you mean you forgot? Why didn't you write it down or put it in your Blackberry?".
When he whines about being cold or hot or whatever, I WILL be the one to tell him to stop whining.
When HJ complains I will be the one to say, "Shut up and quit your complaining!"
The way I see it, getting old gives you the best of both worlds.
HJ will have those who sympathize with him and will help him wallow in self pity and he will have ME, the one who keeps him grounded, sane and in the real world.
So HAPPY 60Th BIRTHDAY HUBBY JOHN!
Remember HJ that turning 60 is not a death sentence.
It's only a number....a big one, I will admit, but still it's just a number.
After all has been said and done in this post,I've saved the best comment for last.
Hubby John remember to "them" you may be an just another old man..
but to me...... your my old man.

A Walk Down Memory Lane

After cleaning out the front attic I phoned my baby boy, John Vincent, to come in and go through the boxes of his stuff that had been stored there. JV is 38 and has been married and out of the house for over 15 years, so his stuff had been there for some time. I think he was quite pleased to see some of the "oldies but goodies" that had been waiting rediscovery. HIs daughter and my Cutie -Patootie, Neve, had a great time asking her daddy what this was and what did that do. JV had a Vic 20, which you may remember was a early version of the home gaming systems. It was in the original box and had all the tapes, connections and cables. I think JV may put it on EBay, Craigs List or wherever, to see if he can make a profit on it. Nothing ventured, nothing gained I say. There were a bunch of old dinky cars with dates on them, teen magazines and books. A chemistry set which had all the test tubes and burners in it. Nothing poisonous in the chemicals; they were dispersed of and the glass tubes were recycled. There were little bits and pieces, the things that little boys keep and collect....you know what I mean, snakes and snails and puppy dog tails. A Dukes of Hazard car....the metal one that Hubby John and I took months to find and give JV as a Christmas present, many years ago. Hot wheels and his beloved skate board which JV used to go all over town on, without a helmet, I might add. An old lunch pail full of buttons, not the ones you sew on clothing but the kind that have advertising and logos and saying on them. A stuffed toy or two, and a whole box of McDonald's treats of the weeks surprises. Of course these are the older ones that were made quite well really with heavy plastic not the thin stuff they use today that breaks if you move it wrong. There was what I thought to be a Transformer but was informed that it was a "Go Bot". My mistake! A wrist Racer that still worked and a dinosaur robot that worked but had pieces missing. In one of JV's boxes of memories, he found Spider Man action toy (it no longer worked) and the arch villain Green Goblin, that still works after all these years. There was one of his baby toys, a Fischer Price Merry-Go-Round with one of the original people still on a horse. It works, sort of. I plan on taking it apart to see if I can fix it. Another find was a plastic "ray" gun that makes lots of noise and looks like it is sparking, when you pull the trigger. My Cutie-Patootie, Neve, was quite taken with that particular item. Unfortunately for her, daddy and mommy refused to let her take it home. Parents today have no sense of humor. Hubby John and I thought it would be a great thing for CP to play with at HER house. LOL! Apparently we are wrong. Go figure! So the noisy ray gun will stay at our place for CP to use when she comes to visit. There was so much more in the boxes. Some John Vincent kept, some he tossed and some got donated to a fund-raising garage sale. It was a great evening and we really enjoyed it. It's always fun to take a walk down memory lane.

One Down and Only Two To Go!

I am SO proud of myself (even if pride is one of the no-no sins but that's another post ). I finished cleaning out the front attic. The BIG attic. I got rid of so much stuff that I am amazed that I didn't go sobbing to my bed each night. I did that once..... oh so, many, many years ago. Hubby John and I had two little babies and two little kittens. I couldn't, either mentally or physically keep up with all of them especially after the little kitties shredded the patio door curtains. I made the decision to get rid of the furry ones. As a cat lover that was a really hard decision for me to make. HJ took them down to the local animal shelter. I was so upset. I cried all evening and that night when we were bedded down HJ said he was going back to the shelter the next day to get the kitties back. Anything to stop my crying. I was very happy with that decision. However when HJ went back to the shelter the next day he was informed that the pair of kitties had been adopted out, together, within an hour of being taken in. Expecting me to be prostrate with grief when he told me, HJ was quite happy when I reacted with a big smile and exclaimed that I was so happy they had been adopted together. I guess that had been my main concern....that they would be separated. So that episode worked out for the best. I kept my babies, got the fuzzy babies adopted together to a new family and, eventually, got new curtains for the patio doors. Does it sound like I may have been a bit depressed or house bound crazy during that time? Hmmmmm.....let me think on that for a minute...LOL...yah I would say so. Anyhow, I digress! The BIG attic is cleaned out and now I can turn my attention to the smaller ones at the back of the house. I have proven that I can do this so onward I march. Out with the old....and some new.... is my new motto for 2012. Once I am done with the attics the basement beckons. That sort of scares me.....there is a lot of "stuff" down there. It won't be a problem though because I have Hubby John to help. HJ is great at saying what (of my things) should go. I compliment him because I am great at telling Hubby John what (of his stuff) should be tossed. LOL! After the basement there is the fruit cellar, closets and the outside sheds to clear out. All will be done all in good time. I am not on a time schedule really. As long as it gets done by the end of this year I will be happy. This weekend however, I am taking a few days off to watch a dance recital, a dance competition and go to an out of town family baptism and birthday party. In time I will get back to the attic clean out. I am not worried about it though. After all, I have one down and only two to go.

On My Way Up

I have decided to clean out the attics this year. It MUST be done. We have 3 attics that are used for storage. They are located at the back and front of our house under the eaves. It is impossible to stand up straight in the attics. When you enter them, if you're smart, you wear a hard hat or helmet to prevent head whacks against the beams. I am not smart. I have however, over the years, learned to crouch and scuttle like a big crab while in the attics thus avoiding, most of the time, getting bruised and battered. So, as I was saying, I decided to clean out the attics. It is time to downsize, to get rid of unused and unneeded stuff. That was, I found, easier to say than do. My problem is that I have a tendency to remember "who gave me what" and so I feel guilty when I put something in the "to-go" pile. SIGH! However, I straightened up my backbone...after I came out of the attic....and got on with the dirty deed. I am happy to say that half the front attic has been cleared. Yes, there is a lot of Christmas stuff going back into storage BUT there was a whole lot more that was tossed. In fact Hubby John was, I think, surprised by how much got sent off to a good cause. Really, when you think about it, it WAS a good cause because it is someone else's problem now. A local organization, now has a whole lot more items, most in excellent condition, for their upcoming garage sale fundraiser. So, by my cleaning out they will be cleaning up. Yes, I still have the other end of the front attic to clean out but that is mostly old paperwork that will need to be shredded. There is not really much else left in there. Maybe 3 or 4 boxes of John Vincent's childhood treasures that will be sent over to his house. It will be his decision to decide what to or not to keep. So now, I have one attic almost done and 2 to go. I have to work faster as hot weather is approaching and I can't work in the attics in hot weather as I will pass out from the heat. Time is moving on so I need to get into high gear. Attics beware.....I am on my way up.

Goodbye Don

It is so sad. I cannot believe that another family member, albeit a distant one, has passed away.

Don was such a nice person. He had been sick, off and on, for some time. We had hoped that he was on the way to better health. It was not to be. His wife Peggy and his children, extended family and friends will miss this wonderful man. He was really a nice person and I am sad to say goodbye to him. Heaven has another angel and if he is anything up there like he was down here then Heaven just got a whole lot nicer than it already was.

Goodbye Don we will all miss you so much.

Goodbye Gus

Gus, who was a wonderful man and grandfather to my dear daughter by marriage passed away on Christmas day. He was in his nineties. He led a very adventuress life and always had a funny story to tell me whenever I had the honour of seeing him. He was very much loved by his family and all of us who knew him. He was so full of life that it is hard to believe that he is no longer with us. Gus was a wonderful wood carver and water birds seemed to be his speciality. He always made us laugh. He was a flirt and a great tease when the ladies were around. He made my mom blush, and that in itself was a real undertaking. Gus was a good person and he will be missed very much. I have no doubt that he is entertaining the angels with all his daring deeds and adventures. He will be missed by us all. Goodbye Gus, we will think of you often and always with a smile.

Out in no-blog-land.

Wow....I've been off in no-blog-land since March and when I come back to do a quick post I can't remember how to do it. I mean really....I had to log out and come back in to figure out how/where to go to do a new post. Man, my mind is just too busy! My body has been busy too. It seems there are not enough hours in a week let alone a day, to do everything that I want to do. I have been very neglectful in posting anything and also in reading up on any of my "Blogs that make me go Ohhh". I am hoping in the next few months to be able to remedy this problem. To show how behind in time I am.... I just got the planters on our back deck filled this weekend and we are already into July! The pool just got opened in the last week and the two sheds have been more organized than they were. HJ and I have been trying to get everything that needs to be done....well....done. April was nothing too exciting. I slept a lot. ..and do i mean a LOT! I just couldn't seem to get my act together that month. Every time I sat down I fell asleep. Weird huh? I'm fine now but boy was I tired then. I spent time gathering and putting together prizes for the raffle table for the June golf tournament. That kept me busy for a while as well. I was also busy organizing an upcoming anniversary party.
May was not a really good month. A too-young husband and father of a 4 year old and a three week old passed away. Alan, also left a wonderful wife, parents, grandparents and brothers grieving. Three months from his Cancer diagnosis to his passing stunned us. That was and still is, a hard death to come to terms with. We had 2 funerals that same week. One was for my mom's younger brother Buzz (78 years young) and two days later was Alan's. My Uncle Bert (another of my moms younger brothers), lost a grandson and a brother within 2 days of each other. How very sad for him....and for the rest of the family members of both men.
I know that both Uncle Buzz and Alan are missed very much by a lot of family and friends. They are all in my prayers nightly.
It seemed that May just went so fast. It was such a whirlwind of activity for us. A lot of May was sad but it had some happy events too. At the end of May we had a surprise 25Th anniversary party for Hubby Johns' sister Nancy and her husband Mark. Shannon and Chantal, their girls put a lot of work into this event. I helped where I could. I designed the invites around a "movie" theme. Popcorn was on the tables and the posters we put up had Nancy & Marks faces imposed on them. I must say that Mark made an excellent Alvin the Chipmunk.
Yes, it was a lot of work but it was a big success. M&N were surprised, everyone had a good time, the band was excellent, we had lots of food and people went home happy! What more could you ask for?
Next thing we knew May was gone and June was here. We had 3 events that we were invited to for the first Saturday in June but we had promised way back in the fall of last year to help at a golf tournament fund raiser that our son John Vincent, had organized and headed.
It was for Neve's day care (next year she will go to the after school part as she will be in grade 1). It is a not-for-profit organization. Hubby John and I donated time and raffle prizes. HJ went golfing, enjoyed it very much and then we had a great tasting dinner afterwards. There was a raffle table and silent auction too. There were, as always,some really good prizes and donations. They had a good turnout. This year they let me out of my cage for an hour or so. I was out on the course to oversee the "closest to the flag" chipping thingy. I enjoyed it even if only 5 people tried it. Next year they need to advertise that it is a no charge -try to win a prize event and then maybe more golfers will come over to my side of the course. The event raised a lot of money to be used on playground equipment. We have already booked the first Sat of June 2012 to do it all over again. Whoo Hoo! The following day we spent a wonderful afternoon with our good friends Karl & Virginia. We missed Ginny's 60Th Bday party (which had been held on the day of the golf tournament) so we were able to see all of their gang who had come into town. We had a lovely lunch and spent a few hours just enjoying and visiting with everyone. Happy Birthday again Ginny!
June also saw us both doing a lot, but not enough, babysitting of both grnadbabies. We attended Cutie Patootie's kindergarten graduation ceremony. She is now officially a big girl who will, in September, be able to go onto the big kids playground. CP told me that this is a really BIG deal for her. She will no longer be in the baby playground at school. She is very excited about this. June also saw us going to the Cutie Patooties year end dance review. As always, she did an excellent job (all the kids did). I found it a long night and I was only there from 6:30. Neve had been there from 1:00PM that afternoon and by 9:00PM she (and all the other kids) was totally wiped. Good Dancing Neve! You Rock!!! June saw the Wee Fiend, Kian, learning how to crawl and trying to walk (without help). He is one busy little man. His first Bday was the 24th and although he did get new cars from us his main gift came later. A swimming pool with an umbrella to keep him shaded. He likes the pool. Wow.....I can't believe it has been a year already. Time really does fly! He is sooo cute! A Bday party for our Wee Fiend was this past weekend. It was a great party and the birthday boy was in fine form. All the immediate family of grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins were there for a very HOT afternoon. Great grandma was there too as well as friend Rosie who was visiting from BC and her mom, Aunt Cara. A great time was had by all and the birthday boy got some very cool gifts! It was a wonderful long weekend and a great way to start July!
So, Hubby John and I will be getting away to the USA for a few days, both this month and in August. I am sooooo looking forward to both trips. This month we go to Erie PA for a few days of shopping and then we drive over to Darrian Lake(Sp?) for 2 days of water park wet fun and amusement park rides. We are travelling with John Vincent, Sarah ,and of course, my Cutie Patootie, Neve. It will be lots of fun. This way we get extra cuddle time....well at least one of us will...won't we Papa? (But she does like my macaroni salad and tells everyone that her Gram's make the best macaroni salad, so I can't complain.)
When we get back from the US I get my favourite Wee Fiend, Kian, to cuddle, chase and spoil for a few days while mom Jaime is at a course and dad Mike is working. Then we have another 25Th anniversary party. This one is for my baby sister Alison and her hubby Dave. That's been a busy party to ready for. I had the invites all designed and ready to print then I decided at the last minute to change the design. Why do I do that to myself? Oh well....I am very pleased with how they turned out. Mind you, having to deal with a postal strike was not the greatest but we managed. It's all good. I am sure that everything will come off smoothly. I know that it is a fun crowd of people that have been invited and they will have a good time no matter what! I just have to have everything ready before we leave for Erie. I won't have time the week I get back. So I am checking and rechecking my lists and emailing furiously to my niece Beth and making sure I have all the supplies ready to go. No problem...organization is the key to smooth running events. It will be OK!!!
The Saturday following Ali's & Dave's 25Th,we have a fundraiser dance (for Alan's family) to attend. It's out of town but I look forward to seeing everyone. I haven't seen Wendy and Dave (Alan's mom and dad) for a few weeks. We have talked on the phone but I think they both need some hugs. I've missed not seeing them.
Then there is a week of holidays/babysitting/fun times ending with a long weekend mini family reunion in Ohio. Both HJ and I are really excited about that event. His crazy canuck cousins from the North will be there too so it is sure to be a fun fun time for us all!
I, of course, will want to check out the craft stores in the area. HJ will buy a book and read a lot. He's good that way....let's me wander while he reads....it works for us.
Getting back from the states takes us into the 2nd week of August and I will be crazy busy at work. Sheila, my office cohort, will be gone on holidays for three weeks. I will be by myself in the office. August is always a busy time there anyway and with Sheila gone I know it will be a zoo. I just have to remember to take deep breaths and repeat my mantra.... I AM WOMAN...I WILL SURVIVE! Hmmmm......I'll just keep telling myself that...hee...heee...hee....
Anyway, I've got to go....I will post soon....or maybe not....depends when I can grab an hour or two for myself.
Take care everyone and have a great summer!

A tale of two turkeys.

Well, here it is....Thanksgiving....again.....I can't believe that a whole year has already flown by since last years turkey dinner. This is one of Hubby Johns favourite holidays because he LOVES turkey! I don't mind turkey but it tends to give me ....how can I say this delicately and lady-like?um...well, it gives me .....gas. So although I do like turkey it doesn't like me. But I eat it anyways and I excuse myself a lot. Last year I insisted on a smaller turkey so we wouldn't have fifteen tons of it left over and be eating it for three weeks. BIG MISTAKE! We ended up with just enough leftovers to let HJ have one or two sandwiches. He was NOT a happy camper. This year Hubby John insisted on a larger turkey so there would be plenty of meat left for his midnight raids on the refrigerator. I agreed. Thursday evening while doing our holiday grocey shopping we debated as to whether we should buy a fresh or frozen one and because of lack of fridge storage space we bought a nice sized frozen turkey. No problem! We took it home, packed it in an ice cooler and left it outside in one of the vehicles to thaw. It was cold enough to keep it from going bad but would defrost in time for Saturday morning. Or so I thought! Come Saturday morning stuffing time I got a rude awaking when I realized that half the turkey was still frozen. Great....just great.... I have eleven people coming that evening for dinner and the bird can't be stuffed. Well, it could have been stuffed but I couldn't get at the end of the bird that the neck, liver and all those goodies were stuffed into. I had no way of knowing it they were loose or in a bag and if there was a bag was it paper or plastic?
Grrrrr......I was not a happy camper. Down went the bird to the laundry tub which HJ filled with cold water in the hopes that the bird would finish thawing in an hour or so. No such luck! I couldn't wait any longer so Hubby John and I went to off to the store to pick up a fresh turkey that I could get into the oven right away. HJ dropped me and the bird off at the house and off he went to buy me a burger for my lunch. I got into the house and put the groceries away and then went to stuff the fresh....not frozen.....turkey. What a surprise for me when I realized that the so called fresh turkey had been and was still frozen in some parts. In fact it was frozen in the in the same place that the turkey in the laundry tub downstairs was still frozen in. Grrrrr.....To say I blew a gasket would be an understatement. I am sure there was a blue cloud hanging in the kitchen. I did the only thing I could do. I chipped at the frozen parts while running water over them until I had a big enough hole to get my hand in to check for the extra parts and the bag, if any. No bag had to be pulled out and I stuffed the turkey, cranked the oven up to 450 and put the bird in the oven. By that time, HJ was home with A&W teen burgers and root beer. That definitely helped and I had a smile back on my face by the time I was done eating. Yummy! Then HJ took the half frozen turkey from the tub downstairs, put it into a plastic bag, packed it in ice and cold water in the cooler and set it outside, in the shade, to continue thawing. The turkey in the oven did get cooked in time and nobody knew it had been slightly deformed from being hacked. It was delicious, if I do say so myself. That evening, as company left, almost everyone took turkey leftovers home. In fact we didn't have any turkey for HJ to make a sandwich for himself later that evening. Poor Hubby John. But it was all good because on Sunday morning I was up early and put the second, now defrosted, turkey in the oven. (And yes, there was a plastic bag in it.) Because I didn't stuff this bird it cooked faster and we had turkey sandwiches for a very late lunch and a later supper and as a snack for HJ really late last night. At his request, there is turkey in the freezer for Hubby John to make turkey soup. We had turkey sandwiches for lunch today and will probably have them for supper tonight too! I will be taking turkey for lunch all this week and HJ will munch on it all week as well. We should be growing feathers by the end of the week. LOL! So there you have it. The tale of two turkeys. Hubby John won't complain about a turkey shortage again....at least not for this year. And believe me when I say this....
next year I'm doing a ham.

The best part of our summer.

There I go again! Weeks and weeks since my last post! I have not been motivated to turn on the computer to even read my "Blogs that make me go Ohhh!". Well, that’s not quite true....I did sneak on to read a few of them....I'm not saying which ones because it might be taken as showing favoritism and it shouldn't be taken that way. I didn't even leave a comment on the few I quickly read and I hate doing that but I was just too tired to do more than get a quick blog fix. Both Hubby John and myself have been busy....at work and home. But we are still trying to spend time with Cutie-Patootie and Mr. B. as often as possible. Hubby John and I took Cutie Patootie Neve to the beach twice this summer. We had a great time (both times) and played and ate and jumped in the waves. Good memories for us all. Papa (Hubby John) and Grams (that's me) go over to spoil Kian (aka Mr. B.) at least once a week and I know we would both be there every day if we could. He's just so cute and cuddlable (is that a word?). He's only six weeks old but he changes a wee bit every time we see him. So we see him as often as possible without intruding on his mommy and daddy too much. I can hardly wait for sleepovers…..although I know that is a looong way away yet! The summer has flown by so quickly and I did not even go to one garage sale OR to Michael’s. THAT is saying a LOT! I love to do both so it just goes to show how busy I/we have been. Mind you, last Thursday I booked a day off work. HJ was having some dental work done up in E town and I went along for the ride. While there, I managed to get some great deals. E town just happened to have a sidewalk sale and the annual book sale at the local library that day. It was great! I got to spend a hour or so browsing and buying some used books. Then I went into a thrift store that I didn't even know existed, picked up a few things and when I went to pay for them, was told they were all half price. HOW GREAT WAS THAT?!?!?! Needless to say, I was a very happy camper for sure!
HJ and I haven't taken full holidays this summer. I get every other Friday and Monday off so it hasn’t been too bad. Hubby John books his appointments around my time off whenever possible so it’s all good.
I am hoping to maybe get away camping up north this year....in the fall.... Maybe......we'll have to wait and see how the money and work (for HJ) goes. He needs to take work when he can get it. We've had a lot of expenses this year with one thing after another. Now my car is in the shop to replace the door latch assembly on the driver’s door. $700.00 plus dollars for a door handle? I don't think so! That cost was so ridiculous that I told them to find a generic or a used one instead. The generic one does not exist apparently, so I am now waiting for them to procure the used part. Had it been one of the back doors I would have just left it, but crawling through the passenger side and over the gear stick thingy is just too much of a pain.....literally.....Do you know how high you need to lift your legs to do that? Trust me....it's higher than it looks! You need to be double jointed or a Zen yoga master to do that without hurting yourself. I can definitely say that I am not either one of those. LOL!!
Anyway, time just flies too fast at our household. I am hoping that HJ and I will have some down time in these last few weeks before September descends on us. There are thrift stores, garage sales and Michael's stores just waiting for me/us to spend time at. And we both definitely need lots more Cutie-Patootie and Mr. B time too! After all, spending time with those two grand babies is by far the best part of our summer.

Welcome to the world!

My tongue is sore from biting it.
I had to wait for the go ahead, although there have been a few little hints in the last few posts. However now I have the official go ahead. I can finally, after all this time, spread the news.
I am a Gram's...AGAIN!
Mr. B, aka, Kian John was born June 24, 2010

and I am blue with excitement.
Go here and read all about his royal highness.
Thank you to daughter Jaime and her hubby Michael.
Kudos's to you both for our new grandson.
Welcome to the world Mr.B.
We're so glad your here!

In the picture, my Cutie Patootie (Neve) and Mr. B (Kian),

are shown in their first meet and greet.

A stones throw away.

I have a very low pain threshold. I get a hang nail and it's enough to make me want to take a Tylenol. Not that I whine or anything like that. I usually grit my teeth and suffer in silence until I deem myself sick enough to have to go to the hospital. This has not, thank goodness, happened very often. Hubby John, on the other hand, could cut off an arm, loose all his blood and tell me to go get him a band-aid. Needless to say he has a very high pain threshold. He is rarely sick. With that being said I must tell you what happened this week. The other day HJ and I said goodbye in the morning and off I went to work while he finished getting ready to go a job over in G town. He had casually mentioned that he had a sore back and had not had a very good night. He was feeling tired but there was nothing to raise alarms of any kind. I got into work and was checking my schedule for the day when I got a call from Hubby John who asked me to come home to take him up to GR hospital emergency. Hmmm....that call told me he was really sick. By the time I got home HJ was on the phone speaking to his doctor's office who were telling him to go to emerge. So with HJ doubled up with pain off we went to the hospital. I drove....that confirmed that he really was sick. It only takes a few minutes for us to get to the hospital. Within a hour or so HJ was in a bed, and hooked up to an IV filled with anti spasm and antibiotic medication. Thirty minutes after that he was given a shot of pain medication. HJ promptly fell asleep. After having an exam by the doctor and an ultrasound the verdict came back....probable kidney stones. A prescription for two kinds of pain meds was given and we were sent home with instructions to come back to emergency only if the pain came back and the medications didn't work. I dropped Hubby John off at home. He went to bed for the rest of the day and I went back to work. Whew.....what a whirlwind day that was! Lows and highs....Good and bad. The low part was how fast it happened....the high part was how fast it was over. The bad thing.....Hubby John was really, really sick.....the good thing .....Hubby John is now all better.......the best thing .....help was only a stones throw away.....kidney stones that is.

Take me out to the ball game.

I am not a real big sports fan. I do like to watch the occasional golf game even though I don't play it myself. I also enjoy a good boxing or Judo match. And once in a while I like to watch a tennis match even though, again, I don't "do" tennis. Sometimes when your a Grams or a Papa you do and watch things that you normally would not do or watch.
For the last month or so Hubby John and I have been going out to "W" Town to watch our Cutie Patootie Neve play soccer. The teams consist of Jr and Senior kindergarten children. It is a non competitive sport in that it's meant to be an hour of activity for the kids and an opportunity for them to learn a new sport and how to be part of a team. No scoring is kept. It is the funniest thing to watch. Last week in the middle of a run to the opponents end of the field, CP who is on the burgundy team and her her best friend, who happens to be on the yellow team, both stopped to compare their shoes. Then another girl stopped to find out what the conversation was about and all three were showing off their fancy footwear. Needless to say, parents of all three were shouting at the girls to "go get the ball!". HJ and I did not yell with the other adults. We were too busy trying to hold each other up so we didn't fall down laughing. Would I miss one of my Cutie Patootie's games? Not for a million dollars! Where else can I go and laugh all evening and not have to pay for it? We get the best seats on the field. We get to laugh all evening. We get to cheer for the other team when they make a goal OR block one. We get to see coaches trying to keep some kind of order. (Note I said trying.) We get to see soccer players stopping to watch ants doing whatever ants do, while they, the players, are in the middle of a game, and we get to watch everyone stop to go and help someone who has fallen down, even if he or she is not on their team. Last week we spent half the night watching a little guy take 2 steps, stop to pull up his pants, take 2 more steps and stop again to pull up his pants and then run all the way down the field while holding up his pants. Finally we got the coaches attention and the pant problem (ties not tied) was fixed. The little guy ran the rest of the game with his pants staying put.
Silly me......I always thought that soccer was a very boring game. Boy, or should I say Girl, was I wrong! I am starting to think that "W" Town Monday-night soccer, is a game I could watch every night of the week.

I'm Back!

It's been a little over a month since my last post. A lot of really great things have happened during that down time. But I can't discuss them because someone else hasn't discussed them on her blog yet and it would be mean of me to do so before she does so for now I will just say........I'm back!

Busy May

I can't believe that it has been almost a month since I last posted anything.
May has been quite busy for me......two baby showers for daughter J and Mr.Bump (and of course Daddy-to-be M) with another one coming up soon.
I guess time really does fly when you're having fun.
Shower #1, which was two Saturdays ago, was a small intimate shower for friends and grandmother to be. Jessy, our hostess, and her new baby boy Reid, kept us fed with homemade salsa & guacamole, cheese and crackers, dips and veggies, along with a fresh fruit platter and chocolate peanut butter ice cream cake. A punch with floating strawberries kept everyone coming back for more to drink. Baby Reid made the rounds of women fussing over and holding him while Mommy Jessy kept us all fed and happy. When we left we all got a miniature baby bottle filled with blue jellybeans. Very cute! Jaime got so many lovely outfits and onesies and baby things given to her. I am sure that Mr. B and daddy-to-be M were both happy too. Thank you Jessy for being such a good friend and hostess. It was a very laid back relaxing day and I know that I, for one, enjoyed every minute of it!
Shower #2, which was this past Saturday, was so different. The invitations were based on a "Sweet Prince" theme. What could be a more perfect celebration for a prince than a "High Tea"? The tea party was held with 13 ladies in attendance. Most of us were related to each other in one way or another. All of us ladies were all dressed up, and some even wore hats and gloves. It was so elegant looking. The food was almost too pretty to eat. Homemade scones with heavy cream and jam, crust-less sandwiches of butter, Havarti cheese, thin sliced cucumber and sprouts..... ohhhhh.....so good... they melted in your mouth. Tea was served in a selection of Aunt Phil's antique cups with matching saucers. Such thin porcelain and china. Most, I think, were hand painted and some had 18 carat gold trim. Very pretty! Pink champagne was served to those who wanted it. A mango/citrus punch was available and tasted very nice. Dessert was a chocolate cake (decorated to match the invites) that was so light tasting. Sweet tasting cantaloupe was on the fruit tray and there were strawberries and blackberries that were HUGE. They were also so sweet tasting.....yummy! Everything was absolutely delish! Bridie & Joanne, our hostesses with the mostessess, did a most excellent job of keeping all of us well fed and laughing. A wonderful afternoon was had by all. Oh yes.....Jaime and Mr. B and dad-to-be got some very nice gifts. And also, I must mention, baby Reid was there with mom J, and again he made the rounds with mostly grandmothers and one great grandmother vying for his attention. None of the ladies present, except his mother, were related to him but all wanted to claim him. I hope he slept well for his mom and dad that night. As we left the tea party we were given cupcakes (that matched the dessert cake) along with a little box with four chocolates wrapped in blue paper.
Oh My Goodness.....those chocolates were so good that Hubby John only got to eat one.
Oh well......
Family get-togethers are always so much fun and this one, even though it was for a baby shower, was no exception. Thank you again B&J for such a wonderful afternoon!
Shower #3 will be this coming Sunday. It's going to be a very large shower. We have a lot of family and friends coming. A luncheon will start around 1:30. There will be special treats for the 30 plus guests that will be attending. There will be a receiving blanket decorating station set up. It should be a lot of fun. It will be a relaxing, eat and talk day with no games being played. Cutie-Patootie Neve, mom Sarah and I will be the hostessess for the day. I think everyone will enjoy themselves. We'll just have to wait and see. I'll be sure to post about it once it's all done.
Well that has been my May to date. Like I said, I have been busy. Be sure to let me know how your month has been going so far. I'd like to read what you have been up to!
I hope you all have awesome week.
Take care everyone and I'll read you all sooner than later I hope!