Aw....Mondays

 Aw....Mondays Our TV stopped working and we tried everything trying to get it to work. Our son Jeremy said he would come check it out and then maybe we could get lunch. It was a simple problem solved with a new HD cord. Thankfully no new TV was needed.

Here are a few photos from lunch.  Brody needed a quiet moment with Grandpa so it was captured with the camera.

  

We are well, at least Avery is doing well. Someday my sinuses and my dizzy head and ears will decide enough is enough. But I am at least able to get around and get some chores done. Boy is there a lot of laundry. HaHaha...the hubby surprised me with a day off so he will help me out tomorrow.  Love is...knows how to make us feel better. When she blogged, MD use to post these little cuties, having recently lost the love of her life, she still shares these because together they loved them too. Say some prayers for her. She has good days and bad.  Cancer is a cruel thing.

 

Elizabeth had baby girl Lillian Rose at 3:52 A.M. on January 29, 2022. She spent the night in the NICU because her glucose levels fell due to not wanting to eat. All is well today and she is eating well and hoping they can go home tomorrow. Her sisters are giddy with delight to see this new sister girl. Elizabeth says thank you for all the prayers and thoughts and for all the nice comments she keeps hearing. 

God is Good!

Here's to a beautiful new week filled with much to be thankful for.  Thanks to all who stop by, I am catching up on comments.

Pink Saturday

 

 Pink Saturday 

I hope you have a wonderful SONday and always be grateful. Please visit Pink Saturday.

Feline Friday

 

This is Oreo. He has been living at Jake and Hannah's for at least two years. He and his brother Casper (you will meet him later) like to be on the covered porch even in the bitter cold. But Oreo got into a scrap with someone and Hannah had to get them indoors so she could tend to his eye. He had a gash and lots of goop in his eyes. He sits quietly while she cleans his eyes. Isn't he just the cutest? Leo is the king of goopy eyes and most mornings he sits quietly while I gently clear the goop from his eyes. I think they might be heavy sleepers. Oreo likes the warmth of the house but he will go outside if he can. I think they have such a hard life but as you can see, he is a well fed boy with plenty of warm blankets and good hearty food. He almost acts like he had a home at some time. I could never give him up! I live with the king of crabbiness C A T my Mister Kitty and I love when he sleeps across my feet. Plus show my C A T the open door when it is frigid outside and he looks at me like uh no thank you lady!

I hope you visit Feline Friday and share some felines too. 

Each week Ellen and Lorianne think of these fill in's. Here they are:

1. I get my ________________from________________.

2. It's a good thing _____________________.

3. _____________required me to muster a lot of courage.

4. My younger self would be proud to know that  I now ________________.

My answers:

1. I get my love of people from my late mother. She was the original people person. My dad was quiet.

2. It's a good thing I love fur babies or chasing Thor through the snow today would have not been any fun. It just required two fifteen minute rest periods when he took off around the over 4000  square feet of the back yard.

3. Taking the elevator in the Empire State Building in NYC to the 86th floor required me to muster a lot of courage. I dislike elevators and am claustrophobic.

4. My younger self would be proud to know that I now am content in my golden years with my sweetheart.

Thankful Thursday

 I mentioned my sister lost her precious boy Chompers recently. I have posted his photo but was hoping my sis would be able to catch a photo of Bumby, her last feline fur baby. She says he enjoys sunning himself and swears that he looks up at her and smiles. My sister has a great big heart and has always had a soft spot for her cats.  I found afew  google images to share until she can capture her boy's smile on camera.

This kitty looks so content. Almost like he or she is dreaming of a fresh tuna filet.

This comfortable kitty appears to be enjoying visions of sardines dancing in his or her head.

This one says Hey, am I smiling or what? I Must be the luckiest feline in the world. I have a comfortable home with food and cozy sleeping places. I have humans who love me lots.

Please come visit Thankful Thursday

Time spent with cats is never wasted. Sigmud Freud ( even the greatest minds loved felines).

Cats have it all: Admiration, endless sleep and company only when they want it. Rod McKuen

In ancient times cats were worshipped as gods;They have not forgotten this.  Terry Prachett

Way down deep, we're all motivated by the same urges,  Cats have the courage to live by them. Jim Davis

Happy Tuesday and Wordless Wednesday

 "The word comfort is from two Latin words meaning "with" and "strong" - He is with us to make us strong. Comfort is not soft, weakening, commiseration; it is true strengthening love." Amy Carmichael

I had a break yesterday as my mind what not where it should have been and with the bullying going around and people thinking everything is directed at them, I had to think on everything I was planning to write.

Yesterday was a Happy Tuesday we had lots of snow but the cold could have been nicer.  I love days when I don't have to get up and go somewhere. It is a good feeling. As much as people like to go go go, I am quite content right here at home.

Since Rebekah saw a giant bird standing on it's back legs two nights go, no matter that it was 7 and today 30 degrees outside. We know and hope he was looking for all the rabbit invaders. But we never know because he could have swooped down on the pups. So I have to get in my boots, in my coat, put on my hat and gloves and take these silly pups outdoors to do their business. Two different neighbors just let their dogs stay out in this awful weather. Duke will come to the fence. His smart and sassy owner has a dog door. Duke talks with our dogs. Wondering if they are saying how grateful they are that they do not have owners who leave them out in the cold. Today I noticed the two houses behind me. Someone took part of the fence down so the big obnoxious dog on the right chases the chihuahua behind me. I noticed the chihuahua's  human mom out today. She speaks zero English so if her kiddos are not around I just smile and wave. Her neighbor had a powerline fall on her patio . She wanted my husband to go over there, he said, uh-no you have to call Excel Energy! That is a L I V E wire lady! My question was, where is your own husband??? and why aren't one of you concerned enough to call in the experts. I miss Bill Engvall. He just retired #heresyoursign

WORDLESS WEDNESDAY

                                                                               CHOMPERS

                                                                                RIP 2022

Aw...Mondays and Love is...

 

Aw...Mondays

This was too cute not to share. The wording will not enlarge argh.....but carefully repeat the sequence of letters. Have a wonderful week.

Even Ove is...has the right notion. That should be across the board, no hate speech allowed for anyone. We can be different, think different, act different and still spread K I N D N E S S !

Love sharing with Sparks. Sending some love and kindness to Annie even though she is not online. 

LOSSES OF LOVED ONES WHO TRULY CARED

 If  I post too many photos I will end up just getting too emotional and I will cry and my words will not spill out of my broken heart.

Many of you may have seen this photo previously. It is my maternal grandmother with some of her great grands and one grandchild me She was blessed with 12 grand children and I am not sure how many wonderful great grands. I believe 32!! I will say I can not begin to count the great great grands my grandmother had. But she would have felt blessed beyond measure.

My grandmother was so kind. I Lost her in 1967 and miss her everyday like she just went away. She was a kind heart. That faithful little lady who served God first and foremost. She loved children and although she was blind she always kept her little cupboard, under lock and key, filled with Kraft butter mints.  She would pat our head and count out the candy as she was a very fair grandmother. .She was my confidante. she lived through more tragedy than most of us could even imagine. Yet she was strong, self sufficient and simply wonderful. 

In this photo is my great cousin Rosemarie. A wife, a mother and a breast cancer survivor. The baby boy and his big sister in red/white are Frank and LuAnne. He is a police officer and she was widowed very young with young children. The four boys are my nephews, the children of my beautiful sister Pat. She had five boys, Gary, Edward, Charles, Tony  and only Joe was not yet born 

                                                                                 VIVIAN

Phamilies were so different when I was a child. But they may be a story for another time. After losing my grandmother when I was in the 6th grade I blossomed a bit because I was super shy.  I made more  friends at school and some of them are still my friends today. But when I was a young teenager I met Vivian. She was a kind soul, sweet and caring and she was so trusting a few things I never told another living soul and never will, I told to Vivian. In January 2018 she was taken. I was broken. Vivian was just a model girl. So kind, filled with joy and her love of the Lord, oh my goodness, I was tickled when she and her mom Jessie made the trek to Italy and were blessed to have an audience with Pope John Paul II. Vivian was a happy go lucky gal. She worked very hard and was proud of the work she and her mom did together. They worked in the laundry at the Holiday Inn in our hometown. When Vivian died I was broken. No one knew how close she and I had been. She was always full of surprised and she donated her body to science. The girl never ceased to amaze me. But I have days when I say, I;ll call,,,,,wait no, Vivian is gone. She is probably having a grand time in heavenly. Probably entertaining her own parents and mine too. 

When I met Meredith (Miz Mollye) we have a blog connection. We clicked. We became like sisters and truthfully she helped me fill a tiny part of that gapping hole my sister Pat left when she went on to the Lord. Her husband Mike would say, Mollye, your sister is sending you mail! She was so kind and when she became ill so quickly my heart sank.. There was no way I could lose her too. But God, in all HIs wisdom took her away from this world into His. Mollye will always be my third sister. I miss her so much. It seems like you left yesterday but coming up on 8 years since you have been gone. 

Then there is Sharon. It is too hard somedays to talk about her. Other days I say, darn it girl, why'd you go? She would snarky and  reply, "I tried to tell you these damn doctors tried to kill me before. They finally succeeded" Sharon had illness plague her in her early 60's.  But she was incredibly smart having worked in the UCHSC system since she was a girl of 16. The attending doctors adored her. Transplant surgeons, neuro docs, cancer guys. They would hold off putting a patient in a room until Sharon was free. She knew them and their patient needs better than anyone I ever When she left me in May 2021 I sat down and through my tears that fell freely, I wrote  4 letters. One to her mom Naomi and her stepdad Troy. One to little brother Ted and little brother Gary. Baby sister, Tori, well she is my twin, Sharon would say, I think you're Tori's sister because you can be mean like her! We were not exactly mean, just very truthful. Tori spills it out the way it is. People don't like the truth. I loved Tori the first time I met her. But my connection with Sharon was broken when she passed away in recovery from a routine surgery. Sharon was smarter than all those so called "medical experts" and they pumped her up with too many fluids and she never woke up. It's called, read a chart moran! Sharon's words! She was a dialysis patient and had repeatedly warned these young, cocky doctors, not to give her too many fluids after surgery. One of them did not listen and stole her life from her.  When you work in the medical field as long as some of us did, you learn something quick. Doctors are simply people with higher educations .Good ones will tell you that. Arrogant ones will make you think you own them something. You learn fast who to listen to, it is never an arrogant, full of them self physician. 

Now my lone friend Bea remains. She will turn 92 in May. We call each other weekly to make sure we are ok. She understands my pain. She worked in the medical school with me. She taught me that doctors, male or female, wake up every day just like the normal people and they do their morning routine so they are not better or worst than any of us. She's the gal who jumped up, all  5'9" of her and told off a young arrogant doctor who was giving me the business! We laugh about that young fool even all these years later. We are getting older and we repeat ourselves or we forget little details. But we never forget the love and friendship and the special moments that made our friendship so special.. Also she would never give me the thumbs up sign! She knows I find it to be the most offensive way of cutting off a person! I'm a grown up, or in the words of my one lifelong friend since the playpen days Karen, "Hey I have to hang up now, I really have to pee!"

 

Thankful Thursday Feline Friday

 

 

Thankful Thursday

I was telling two of my young friends who are new mom's and about to be mom's about the differences between sons and daughters. Our sons are Jeremy and Nick. Avery and I are very proud of them and we feel grateful to be their parents.  The same goes for our daughters, Noelle, Rebekah and Hannah. There are many differences to raising girls as opposed to boys but that's for any other time and place. Girls are more challenging but we would never change one thing about the way our lives turned out. That is a fact in case there are fact checkers out there! hahaha Be thankful. God gave us healthy children and even when life is unpredictable I hear my mother's voice inside my head. "Be grateful, God gave you a good husband and five healthy children. There is nothing else you need."

We are thankful everyday for all we have and all those we love. 

If you have a moment would you please pray? My sweet friend Elizabeth is expecting their third daughter any time and she was diagnosed with the virus. She was given the antibody infusion but she chuckled and said it was weird as she had zero symptoms. 

A first  time mom with a new baby girl already has learned that girls tend to have "attitudes:". It is something in life you learn to navigate. I always say I am thankful for Dr. Kevin Lehman and Dr. James Dobson. They were a lifeline for me when my children were young. My friend Chris takes it one step further, she says her mom would have committed a crime as her younger sister was a pistol and Chris was a gentle child. Her mom said Dr. Dobson saved her sanity!

I remember the older ladies in my bible study when I was a young mom. I think I literally would have lost my mind had it not be for them rallying around me when we lost our daughter Rachel Lee. I often think of those older gals, who I am sure are with the Lord today. They were shining examples of kindness and true faithful servants of the Lord. Thankful for those women.

This google images just cracked me up! So tell Feline Friday hello and share a favorite feline.

Love me, feed me, never leave me. Garfield the Cat

Ellen and Lorianne  co host this fun fill in. Please join in and here are the shares this week:

1. I just can't bring myself to ________________________.

2. I have a hankering for ____________________________.

3. _______________changed my life.

4. At this stage of my life, I __________________.

My  Lorianne answers:

1. I just can't bring myself to feel badly for people with lack of common sense.

2. I have a hankering for brisket tacos. Unfortunately tonight, the place closed early.

3. Jesus Christ changed my life.

4. At this stage of my life, I let a lot of things roll off my back like a duck outta water. Too old to get into drama. Was not raised with it, do not care for it.

I think Lorianne had different fill in's from Ellen. These are on Ellen's page:

1. _______________is music to my ears.

2. My favorite kind of soup is _______________.

3. If I were going to migrate or hibernate for the winter, I would go to _______________.

4. I would _______________if I ________________.

My Ellen answers:

1. Peace and quiet is music to my ears.

2. My favorite kind of soup is potato cheese soup.

3. If I were going to migrate or hibernate for the winter, I would go to where the swallows go, Mission San Juan Capistrano and to hibernate, I would go to Alaska.

4. I would run away to a secret place if I had endless amounts of money. A reverse Howard Hughes. I would anonymously care for others in need. I would rest and relax and leave TV's and iphones and all electronics behind. I would have a plan laid out before I left.  Money is no good if it makes you a miserable recluse.

WORDLESS WEDNESDAY

 Wordless Wednesday

Happy Tuesday

 

Happy Tuesday

I'm not sure I have a happier photo of this lil bro to share. He is a character and today he is under the weather, You know that happens when your big bro and Sis go to school. But this was taken a few months ago. He is holding Avery O'Robinson  my adopted Cabbage Patch boy from the Salvation Army. Loki had to get into the photo too. At first he thought he might need to help this busy toddler but this child is always full of surprises. Say a prayer for him so he gets well just like Big Bro did. 

Maxine, can I relate to you and your words! My body is getting so old I can predict the weather. Actually I have been predicting the weather since the 80's when I had lots of neurosurgery and my knees started aching in the rainy and winter seasons. Oh Maxine...you are a wealth of wisdom.

Some silly humor to help your week off to a great start! The holidays always throw me off by one day.

A man who gave his all for the equal rights of all. It is a shame today many have tried to undo his sacrifices. His remaining family say he would not have wanted to see what happened in  the summer of 2020 watching cities burn for nothing.

Today I miss my friend Sharon. She knew history well and she was proud of who she was and what she came from. Maybe she and Dr. King are conversing in the heavens. 

A  Sparks share even though Annie is not currently on line. 

Please have a wonderful week and if you want to send get well wishes and encouragement to LaVoice please email me 53strait@gmail.com for her address. Thank you.

Pink Saturday and Aw...Mondays

 

Pink Saturday

I always wanted this pink princess phone when I was a teenager. 

I have a few  prayer requests/ My great cousin Paul and his wife Lisa are feeling  badly. They live on a farm and Paul had to leave to check their animals. Lisa was resting and he had to leave their two kids in the house. When he returned their daughter was busy in the kitchen and their son was playing their piano/ He is very grateful his kids are so well behaved. He was a holy terror, he says his folks are still recovering from his antics. hahaha But if you would pray that they feel better very soon, they would be grateful.

A reminder to please pray for LaVoice (LV) who is recovering from COVID and needing to regain her strength. If you would like to send her a Get Well message please contact me for her address. She loves cards and her niece Suzanne believes they will help her heal. Thank you.

Aw...Mondays

The C A T does not like the puppies to take his favorite spot on the couch/sofa. He had to move to the chair and was glaring at them. It is funny because Lulu and Mollie could careless. The boys will move and give up the spot but the girls glare right back at him. He is so terribly ornery.

Love is....makes me smile everyday no matter what is going on or if things are hectic or even sad. 

PRAYER AND CARD REQUEST

 Suzanne use to blog and she stopped and I miss her terribly.  She chose to step away for her own reasons and I do respect that. We still keep in contact and her aunt    

LaVoice was still blogging into her 90's as of December 2021. Suzanne asked if bloggers who know her aunt and anyone who would like to send a card would please request her address through myself or Suzanne if you would like. LV is ill with COVID and she is is having a hard time fighting it. Suzanne knows how much she loves receiving cards so she feels if we send her plenty of good thoughts, get well wishes and prayers that she will be able to recover.

Please join me if you would like to join us. Thank you.

Always thinking of those who need prayer including myself. The passing of our son Jeremy's friend John really hit us hard. He was the kindest young man with a big heart and had class, integrity and respect for those he knew. He always blended in at celebrations and we know his "Granny" was the only person John would never ever say no to. We feel that John has joined his Granny & Grandpa in their heavenly home. It is always hard to lose loved ones but when they have their whole life ahead of them, it makes it incredibly even more difficult.

When Jeremy and Brittany married in 2016 John was part of the wedding party. He was one of those rare friends who never let you down and always stood up for you. He cared for you and Jeremy is very broken over the loss of his good friend. Jeremy was asked to be a pallbearer at John's funeral and it is one of the hardest things he has had to do. But he went, he stood strong and honored his friend. Prayers are asked for our phamily and John's phamily. His only sibling Jennie Leigh is hurting as is John's parents and other  phamily members. 

I love this verse in reference to losing someone you deeply cared for.

If the late John Wooden is conversing in heaven with John Vialpando Mr. Wooden would undoubtedly know those of us left behind believe these words he wrote to be especially true about our loved one John V.  This wonderful young man had character, more than one could even imagine. He is sadly missed.

If you know Marty you may know that she lost her oldest son Chuck on January 13, 2021. Marty lost her soulmate and husband in August 2020. Both she and her husband Jim had been hospitalized for COVID. Unfortunately she lost the love of her life. But her oldest son Chuck passed away from a lung infection. In her grief and sorrow I think it is tragic that she felt she had to state that "No he did not pass away from COVID." I think people have overstepped their boundaries when they ask these ridiculous questions. First of all, if someone is grieving, simply express condolences and move forward. It is unbearable enough to lose a loved one and many people do not wish to give the world a full written report on their loss. Marty is one of those talented, kind and very sweet ladies. She has a beautiful blog, writes wonderful posts and is always kind and caring toward others. I think the best we can do is pray for her and remind her that so many of us do care for her and will be here for her in her grief. 

Marty is the second person to lose her child in these past few months. Life is so fleeting. It is fragile. It is hard. My mom was right, we need to pray harder.

Our sweet grand boy Brody is under the weather. I hope you will remember this sweet boy in your prayers. He is such a smart little guy and so much fun to be with. He has a terrible case of the crude so I am praying he gets well soon.  Everyone else is currently ok at their house. I think sometime the weather plays a huge part in how we feel. One day it is warm and sunny than the showers or snow comes flying through, lowering the temperature and changing our moods and our healthy days get stuffy or runny noses, tiredness and sore throats or fever. I personally think I Have been stuck in a sinus dilemma since September 2019. I step outside of my house and my nose can not decide if it should run or stuff up ! I sneeze, my eyes get goopy sometime at night and then I have days where I could run a marathon. hahaha...oh how I wish!

I recently told another blogger, Debby who was frustrated by yet another lung infection and new medication that made her feel worse, move slowly. You can only do so much and whatever you need to get done will be waiting for you another day. Take it one day at a time and go slowly. You can not replace you. Life is a gamble somedays. Other days it is peachy keen and some other days, in the words of my beloved friend Bea, age 92, "girl let's blow this pop stand! " hahaha....

...and in my prayers tonight, as every night, I thank GOD for my wonderful friends!

WORDLESS WEDNESDAY

 Wordless Wednesday

This is my folks wedding photo with mom, dad and her siblings, Louis and Annie. My mom had another heavenly birthday in heaven this year. Born on January 4th, it is always hard for me to get through my day. But she was a wonderful person. An excellent wife, mom, grandma, great grandma. She was a people person and I am grateful I inherited that quality from her.

I am not able to be wordless today. I was wordless yesterday.

Happy Tuesday

 Happy Tuesday

Today's weather was cold and the skies were not very bright. This is the perfect thing for those kind of days. Cozy and Comforting. I found some cool fuzzy socks that are perfect for these cold winter days.

These silly socks are bright lime green. I guess I put too much color in the background. They sure keep my feet cozy and warm. Who loves cozy socks? These make me very happy!

Mister Kitty parked in front of my photo I was planning to take of these socks! o I had to move over near the window. He is so bossy! But he is happy so I am happy too!

Maxine ain't lying! Airlines have become one of the rudest industries in our world. The last two times we flew, NYC in 2015 and Buffalo, NY 2020, two different airlines but with the most slovenly, rude attendants. I'd walk before I would board a plane.  United takes the cake for lost luggage! Las Vegas, 2015, wonderful trip and no luggage. It went to Florida. Worst CS in the entire airline industry. Tied for first place with USPS! I will take a road trip in my own vehicle so I can  see what I want to see. I trust Maxine today 100 percent! She is telling everyone the truth! hahaha