A Time Long Awaited

Birthday Bar-B-Que Day!

2009-03-28T14:16:00.002-04:00

Last Sunday the kids came over for their birthdays. Two have birthdays in March, so we celebrate all three in March.

"G" grilled his famous chicken and we had homemade french fries, grillin' beans, applesauce, and corn.

Yummy! Everyone's growing up way too fast, that's for sure.

What a great day!

Hey!

2009-03-25T16:25:00.001-04:00

Did Michael delete his blog?

Have You Seen?

2009-03-21T12:08:00.002-04:00

The "I'm Proud to be White" e-mail that supposedly quotes what Michael Richards (Kramer) said in court, in his defense, after he made racist remarks in his comedy act?

No wonder 99% of people that get it, delete it as soon as they see the Subject line. His remarks in his act already spoke for themselves and if he thinks this makes up for his racist remarks, he's sorely mistaken!

Sorry, but it is what it is.

THANK YOU!

2009-03-17T06:27:00.001-04:00

And you know who you are Anonymous! How wonderful of you.

Sincerely,
Cher

Relay for Life

2009-03-14T13:23:00.002-04:00

Please click the link below to see the Relay for Life team I am part of. If you can find it in your heart to donate, please do. Under my name, of course. It will do your heart good!

http://main.acsevents.org/site/TR/RelayForLife/RFLFY09OH?team_id=444064&pg=team&fr_id=16663

Thank You!

2009-03-10T17:41:00.002-04:00

I got a package from Kristy today. We've never met but she actually looked for and found one of the sheer draperies I was looking for and sent it to me! How sweet is that???

THANK YOU, OH-WONDERFUL-FRIEND-OF-MANDY'S!

And THANK YOU Sister-in-Law too! (Teri found me 2, as well) Ain't life grand?!

Help!

2009-02-24T17:22:00.003-05:00

I have a favor to ask of you all.

I found the PERFECT sheers for the living room. My Mother-in-Law graciously said she'd make them for me when I boldly put her on the spot by asking her at Christmas. But, that was because I never thought I'd find the perfect color.

Well, I did. And I need ONE MORE panel. Problem is, I bought all (9) remaining panels from our Wal-Mart and and they are on Closeout. We have (5) windows. (2) panels per window.

So, you know what I'm going to ask, right? If anyone is at a Wal-Mart and finds them, PLEASE pick up one panel for me??? They are only $4.00/panel.

It doesn't matter if more than one of you finds one. I'll take anything anyone finds. And I'll love you forever.

Wait. I'm a Cancer. Once we love, we love forever, anyway. *grin*

So, here's what they are:

Mainstays home / Marjorie / Bordeaux is the color.
59" x 63"

Thanks!

8 Women and G

2009-02-12T16:02:00.002-05:00

Tomorrow evening is Girl's Night and it's going to be here!

My Mom, my one-and-only sister, my niece (having the baby boy!), my sister-in-law, my daughter, my nephew's girlfriend, my daughter-in-law-to-be, and me.

Theme?? Friday the 13th/Valentine's Day/It's a Baby Boy . . . . for starters. And anything else we can think of.

When we all get together for the Holidays (with all the guys) there are so many people, one can not even come close to visiting with everyone. So, since we all live apart from each other, this gives us girls a chance to catch up.

A couple of people have asked, "What G's going to do?"

Well, he'll be the entertainment, of course! He'll make us all laugh. What man wouldn't want to be the center of attention in a roomful of women? Everyone loves G and encourages him. Sheesh.

So, no need to worry about G. He hunts, fishes, and plays golf. I have Girl's Night. It all works out!

Oh My Gosh!

2009-02-07T10:25:00.001-05:00

Scroll down this page to Naomi Watts picture and tell me if her son doesn't look just like our little Brayden! Someone give me Ea's e-mail address. I have to know what she thinks.

http://www.celebritybabyscoop.com/page/12/

Happy Birthday Mom & Dad!

2009-02-05T16:37:00.001-05:00

We love you! (They both have birthdays this month. One year apart. Married over 50 years. Still in love.)

The Best Gift I Ever Got to Keep

2009-01-31T11:17:00.007-05:00

My co-worker's sister made this
"Remembrance Bear" for me to give to O.S. It's made of one of his camo shirt/jackets and one of his tee shirts. You can't see it, but on the left arm is part of the actual pocket from the left sleeve of the original shirt, with a 3 pen holder. The pocket on the front (which the pins are on) is one of the two shirt pockets with velcro closure. The velcro piece above his heart is for the name off his actual camos.

The pins are the:
1) Honor Above All pin
2) The Tenth Mountain Division pin
3) Iraq Campaign Veteran pin

On the bottom of the bear is sewn the actual garment label that identifies the material as an authentic Army issued piece.
These Army camos don't have any buttons or the bear would have button eyes.
So, I will keep it until the Grandkids are born.
I consider it a true treasure.

I did not get permission to put the seamstress' name here, but she will make a bear from any material you may own that has meaning to you (or any other material, for that matter). Please let me know if you are interested and I'll contact her to see if I can give out her number, email address, etc. Her prices are completely minimal for such a special bear.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, BABY!

2009-01-30T06:36:00.003-05:00

It's L.S.'s birthday today. She's my baby. Born 23 years ago. 8:30 a.m. This is my favorite pic of her right now.

She and her man, O.S. and his fiancee are coming over tonight to play cards and board games. We've played Box Car before and it's a lot of fun. Have any of you ever played it? G is a GREAT card player. He'll probably kick everyone's butt! I'm just in it for the fun. (You have to read between the lines on that one)

I've got plans for a cheesecake since that's her favorite. Jazzie made her favorite dinner last night. Pot roast with potatoes and carrots.

LIFE'S GRAND! And GOD is GOOD!

No Trade Show Today!

2009-01-28T08:51:00.002-05:00

I was supposed to go to a trade show in Cleveland today, with 3 of my co-workers. We were going to 'scope out' new product for our 2009 catalog, but instead I'm sitting here looking out the window at the beautiful snow. And the cars that are getting stuck trying to come up the teeny weenie hill on our road. Flashers on. Wheels spinning. Back up and trying again. I found myself cheering out loud when they made it up! WHO needs to get a life?!

Well, stay cozy and warm today, everyone. And we don't want to hear it, Michael. O.k................how hot IS it there?

No Way!

2009-01-21T16:08:00.005-05:00

My husband comes downstairs this afternoon and says,

"Problem upstairs in the spare bedroom."

I said, "What?"

He repeats himself.

Then walks around the corner to the room I'm in with this in his hand and says,

"Leak in the roof."

I jumped up and said "No Way!" I'm ready to run upstairs and my head's already working on the dreaded solution.

Then, being the goof ball he is, says, "Just kidding. I opened the bathroom window and pulled it off the gutter."

MEN! Dang! My heart was racing.....darn dude!

I wish I would've met his Dad. I hear he's the one from whom hubby got his sense of humor.

You don't EVEN want to know how he wanted me to take the picture!

PITTSBURGH vs. ARIZONA

2009-01-19T14:52:00.002-05:00

The 3D Event! Taking place at the end of the 2nd Quarter.

Are you ready like we are?

WE ARE IN!

2009-01-15T15:54:00.002-05:00

That's right! We are ready! All set up! Rarin' to go! Counting the days!

Yes, indeed. We know someone on the inside and we are counting the days!

Stay tuned for more. Coming soon.

For Steph and the Kids

2009-01-09T17:03:00.002-05:00

Marisa and Izzy's Blog...

http://triptime.travellerspoint.com/

Izzy (Israel) is my co-worker's son. He and Marisa are travelling the world. Their blog is fascinating. They are staying in hostel's and are 'working' their way around the world. Argentina, Brazil, and Peru are only some of the places they have visited so far. Their journey started in July '08 so start at the end and work your way to the present post. Their blog is full of adventures and fascinating stories.

We've already referred more than one 'teacher' here.

ENJOY! THEY certainly are! So young and full of life! Marisa's smile is beautiful and Izzy's sense of humor will definitely make you laugh!

Another Awesome Site

2009-01-07T16:26:00.002-05:00

http://www.refdesk.com/

I can spend HOURS on this one. It's a plethora of very useful links. Would be especially of interest to those that home school, in my opinion.

www.pandora.com

2009-01-05T16:01:00.003-05:00

If you haven't checked this site out, you must!

It is free internet radio. I listen to it ALL day at work. You can make your own radio station. And if you want to listen to a really GOOD one, type in Motown. It's hard to not sing while I'm sitting at my desk. You can type in a specific song or artist. They won't play that exact song right then, upon request, for reasons you'll read about, but I'm pretty sure you will hear it if you stay on your station. It is a result of the Music Genome Project.

Let me know what you think!

On to Book #2

2009-01-01T10:06:00.000-05:00

Finished Twilight Tuesday night. 3 to go.

I'm Hooked!

2008-12-29T11:35:00.002-05:00

Got the Twilight 4-book series from L.S. for Christmas. Loving it!

Happy Birthday, Teri!

2008-12-27T14:28:00.001-05:00

Happy Birthday Sister-in-Law. We LOVE YOU!!!!

One Happy Mama!

2008-12-27T10:57:00.004-05:00

Always Listen to Your Father

2008-12-19T15:18:00.004-05:00

I had a blow out in my kitchen last night. Water literally running out from under the sink onto the floor.

So, do not ever, under any circumstances, stuff ALL of the potato peels into the garbage disposal at one time and turn it on with the water running full blast.

And that's all I'm going to say about that!

Our Creche

2008-12-16T17:03:00.001-05:00

Tis the Season

2008-12-10T17:36:00.001-05:00

A Tradition in the Making

2008-11-30T09:28:00.003-05:00

O.S. brought his camera and tri-pod over. We FINALLY got a pic of all of us at once!

One Little Mishap

2008-11-30T09:20:00.002-05:00

O.k., so things didn't start out so good on Thursday morning.

I put the unwrapped turkey in the sink for a last minute thawing session and ran the sink over.

Wouldn't you think the water would've just gone into the other sink?

No matter. We had 18 people. (1 newborn and one yet-to-be-born)

It was a wonderful day. The only problem with being the hostess is one cannot be everywhere at once.

But, thanks to O.S.'s fiancee we got it all done and were ready when everyone got here.

Here's the pre-dinner snack table.

The Very Short Discussion

2008-11-29T11:19:00.004-05:00

A day or two before Thanksgiving I was talking to my sister. We were discussing who was bringing what, etc., and making plans. Hubby and I hosted Thanksgiving.

Out of the blue she says, "I'm saying Grace."

Without a micro-second's hesitation I said, "Oh, no you're not! I'M saying Grace. But don't worry, I'll be sure to include all the things YOU have to be thankful for too."

It got real quiet.

For what felt like a LONG time.

Then I said, "Or we could BOTH say Grace."

Mind you, this is my one and only sister. She is less than a full year older than me. We are as close as two people can possibly be. (But truth be told, she always 'ran the show' so to speak when we were growing up.)

But, to make a short story shorter, she conceded.

Like a good big sister should.

I LOVE YOU BIG-SISTER-OF-MINE!

Happy Thanksgiving Everyone!

2008-11-21T17:08:00.003-05:00

My Dad made us all one of these. I decided since he matches my centerpiece and Fiestaware, I'd put it all in the pic!

The Colors of Fall

2008-11-13T16:16:00.007-05:00

I absolutely LOVE the colors of Fall.

Scarlet Red, Shamrock Green, Tangerine Orange, and Sunflower Yellow.

Two of my wonderful co-workers got this centerpiece for us, as a housewarming gift.

Long story, but I've decided I want some COLOR in our house so these are the colors I've chosen.

I've even started a collection of dinnerware in these colors! Goofy, aren't I?

G Got One!

2008-11-11T16:11:00.002-05:00

O.k., people.

Apparently this is something that makes a hunter very happy.

G got home last night and says, "Come on honey! Come and see him!" I was in my jammies and in bed but G was so excited! So, out we go to the garage.

The WHOLE darn deer was in the back of the SUV. Gutted, thank goodness. Ewwwwwwwwww.

G quartered it and did whatever else one does to prepare it for the butcher, while I was at work today. We're taking it to Yoder's (surprised at THAT name?) to be processed. They will make it into the BEST beef sticks . . . ummhhhh . . . I mean deer sticks!

The back straps are in the freezer. That's supposed to be the best part, or so I've been told.

I never thought I'd like deer meat, but it is one of the leanest meats I've ever eaten. And it's fresh. No steroids or whatever.

G wants to have the head and rack mounted. Sheesh! Do you know how much that costs? So, I said, "How many deer heads do you need?" Turns out he needs at least two. Already has one.

But, he loves it so much.

And fishing.

And golfing.

November 5th 2008

2008-11-05T18:37:00.002-05:00

This is a very special day for me and one 'Long Awaited'

It's O.S.'s last official day of active duty in the U.S. Army. And although he is still committed to 3 years of inactive Reserves, I don't think we need to worry about a return to Iraq.

When he called me 5 years ago to tell me about his enlistment, I must be honest.....Iraq was the first thing that came to my mind.

But a worry no more.

For that I thank the Lord.

Sweet and No-So-Sweet

2008-11-01T10:47:00.003-04:00

O.S. and his Fiancee.

L.S.'s pumpkin carving.

Chili, Cornbread, and the Ohio State Game

2008-10-25T13:15:00.001-04:00

The chili's on and so is the count down. Fun, fun!

Fall Chores

2008-10-22T17:25:00.004-04:00

Somehow 'we' don't work as hard as 'we' USED to! G is behind this and loving every minute!

Awwwwwwwwwwwwwww

2008-10-19T09:20:00.006-04:00

Friday night was girl's night.

G had to work early Saturday morning.

We girls got up and were drinking coffee when he got home.

He walked in with these and heard, in complete, spontaneous unison.....

"Awwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww"

Wordless Wednesday

2008-10-15T16:29:00.001-04:00

Coat of Paint #4

2008-10-10T17:38:00.002-04:00

I know what it is like to start a project like Mandy's and get a little frustrated part of the way through. We got the primer/paint on the entire kitchen only to find out it's too light. I chose antique white and it's not 'almond' enough. It, is, however better than the design we covered. Just a little blinding.

Gotta get another gallon and apply coat #4 of a more appropriate color.

Not sure if that's going to happen this weekend though. It's going to be WAY too nice not to go out for a drive and back to Amish country.

Just out of curiosity...do you all think it's going to be a more bright and colorful Fall this year than the two past years? I hope so.

Jayden Daniel

2008-10-09T16:23:00.002-04:00

The Baby is Here and My Dad's Come Home!

2008-10-08T19:14:00.005-04:00

Jayden Daniel has been born!

First baby in our (my) family in 25 years. I can't wait to see his picture to see if his little face looks like his Dad, my nephew. Who said to me one day in the somewhat recent past, "I'm your son from another Mother". Because he and O.S. share the same first name and were born only 4 months apart. And his Mom and I are as close as two people can get.

And my Dad came home today!

How good can a person's life get?

I also JUST made the deadline to register for the Presidential election. October 6th was the last day to register and my registration was postmarked THAT day. Hope that counts when it gets to Columbus. You DO all realize that Ohio is a very pivotal state when it comes to the election, yes?

I just don't know if I could be any more thankful than I am right now.

More Good News!

2008-10-06T19:33:00.002-04:00

I told you this was going to be a 'positive' blog.

I think my Dad will be coming home from the hospital this weekend. We should know for sure tomorrow. He will still have a bit of outpatient physical therapy, but we all expected that.

AND O.S. and his fiancee found a nice duplex about two streets over from us. The Military has been storing their belongings, which are to be delivered Friday afternoon (I think).

Have you ever felt so blessed you don't know if you deserve it? (I'd really like to know what Chros thinks about that thought. I've been feeling it alot lately)

How Did THAT Get There?

2008-10-05T09:51:00.000-04:00

First Full Weekend at Home

2008-10-04T15:53:00.002-04:00

G put mini blinds on (6) windows and I hung curtains. This is the front door/entry way.

I LOVE Country Curtains. My Mom has them in her whole house. (Country Curtains is the actual name of the company). I think I have enough from the other house to do the back door and the den and office.

This is so fun!

Look What I Found!

2008-10-01T17:58:00.003-04:00

I found this beautiful glassware in the basement. It's so much prettier than the pictures depict.

I can't wait to use it at Thanksgiving!

Two Great Pieces of News!

2008-09-29T19:17:00.003-04:00

First and foremost, my Dad's double knee replacement is done! It took about three hours (I think) and then a couple of hours in Recovery. When we got there to see him, he was sitting up eating and talking like he'd never had surgery! (Thank the Lord) Well, he was a tiny bit pale, but all in all he was so much more alert than I ever suspected he would be. I thought he'd be all drugged up. But, physical therapy starts tomorrow morning. Can you believe that?

Secondly, we are completely out of the apartment...it has been cleaned and we are turning in the keys tomorrow!

Moving Day

2008-09-27T16:10:00.007-04:00

My brother-in-law and sister-in-law are wonderful!

They are in the other room working their hiney's off helping us move while I'm in here blogging away. They saved the day because they brought a dolly to help us move all the big stuff like the fridge, sofa sleeper and the other pain-in-the butt stuff.

And also brought the very 'special gift' above.

O.k., gotta run . . . . G's breaking out the grill for the first time. We're having Angus Burgers!

We Are In!

2008-09-24T20:15:00.002-04:00

Lots more to do, but tonight's our first night in our new house. We brought our kitty over today. She doesn't know how to act. Sooooooooo much room!

50's Retro Walls

2008-09-21T16:24:00.003-04:00

Here's what the (2) remaining walls in the kitchen look like. Wouldn't YOU want to paint this?

The Kitchen

2008-09-21T10:41:00.005-04:00

I tried to get a picture of the 50's retro walls yesterday, but my camera's batteries were dead. I'll try again today. We got the first coat of primer on 2 of the walls yesterday and will put primer coat #2 on today. Followed, hopefully, by the paint.

One of the great things about moving is . . . you can get rid of all the JUNK. We have a dumpster here, at our apartment, and you can bet we'll be taking advantage of that over the next week or so. And you can also clean the place you're moving into from the inside out while it's empty. Speaking of that, my hands are a wreck! But, it's all good. L.S. asked me why I don't wear gloves. I told her because you can't clean as well with gloves on. I'm not sure if she understood or not. She'll never know. All she did was keep me company and hand me cleaning supplies. LOL

Not really . . . she's helping us paint. And I'm glad of that. She's a perfectionist. She told me I was putting it on too thick. Had to get G involved. Which was a good thing. The man can reach the darn ceiling from the floor!

New Home

2008-09-19T18:41:00.005-04:00

Let's just say it's exactly what we were looking for . . . and MORE!

It's a little 1.5 story cape cod with two dormers . . . one in each of the two upstairs bedrooms
3 car garage / cement driveway (garage door openers!)
BIG back yard (1/2 acre) - with deck (that needs power washed and stained and needs a railing added)
Formal living room and dining room (because of the next entry...the house wasn't built that elaborately)
Office and den (we are converting the 2 lower level bedrooms that are adjoined with access between)
Neutral carpet (getting cleaned by the seller) and walls throughout
New fridge, stove, dishwasher, and microwave
New tilt in windows throughout
Washer and dryer
2 full bathrooms (the upper level bathroom needs updated badly...it has the 60's thing going on)
Central air

We are having the kitchen and bathroom floors replaced with vinyl flooring, and are having the office and den recarpeted. We get that estimate Monday.

The kitchen needs repainted. The wallpaper is 50's retro and UGGGGLLLYYYYYY. We've got the primer and paint ready to go, though.

But the main thing is.......I DON'T HAVE TO SCRAPE MY CAR OFF THIS WINTER!

Full basement too, but that's a whole 'nother story (needs lots of work)

We want to get a lot of things done before our families see it, though, so be patient with us as far as invitations go. And, thanks for understanding, family members!

New Homeowners!

2008-09-16T05:45:00.002-04:00

We closed on our house yesterday! More to follow.

My Dad's double knee replacement surgery is the 29th. Two surgeons. Interesting, eh?

Home for Good!

2008-09-13T10:23:00.005-04:00

Our son, and his fiance arrived home for good last night! What an overwhelming set of wonderful emotions. I just sat there looking at him thinking, I've got my son back!

Our Faith in the Lord and His protection of our soldier got us here.

God is good!

A New Beginning

2008-09-10T16:00:00.002-04:00

This blog is for my friends and family. Those that supported me during the trying times of the past (5) years. It will be about the happy times in life we all take so much for granted. And the life lessons it took to get there. So, please feel free to comment and share YOUR happy times!