Day Two Ten Days of Grateful

 1. Grateful that we made meatloaf and it turned out good. Grateful to have had some extras to cook with today

2. Grateful the weather was warmer today and I was able to work in my garage for an hour or two.

3. Grateful one basket of laundry is left to do I enjoy laundry so I am never unhappy that I do it. It gives me lots of quiet time and . I have enjoyed it my whole married life.

4. Grateful I had a gift card to purchase some of my groceries today. Also grateful I earned another one for anther trip to buy groceries.

5. Grateful for grocery pick up that is cost free. Everything seems to be so much pricier then before all this mess started. But I appreciate the people that load those groceries into my car. I am always appreciative of them. I don't think everyone shares that sentiment and assume that's their job so do it and get out of my way. I prefer kindness with gratefulness and thankfulness.

6. Grateful we lives another day and enjoyed some hands of rummy. I won once, the hubby won twice but we finished two games by clearing the pile and I love that. It is fun to see who gets the next high card.

7. Grateful for all those who pray for us and send Nick get well wishes. It has been three tough weeks and he is finally better. 

8. Grateful for a doctor that doesn't fall into the "Oh woe is me, we will all die from the virus!" She says she has talked with many patients who have this same horrible cough. She is seeing symptoms go away with proper medical treatment because most of these awful coughs are from the fires. We are still surrounded by four raging fires. The air quality is horrible.

9. Grateful for all the firefighters and other first responders who give up their own security to protect the rest of us. I appreciate them so very much.

10. Grateful the hubby and I can still laugh and enjoy time together.

11. A bonus grateful today! Please pray for Carl the hubby of Barb, They arrived safely at the VA facility where tomorrow they will see a surgeon who perhaps will give them better news. He has a cancerous tumor which other surgeons say is inoperable. Please pray. If you woke up today and are able to get around be grateful! I know I am .

12. Grateful to Pray for firefighters and those who are in the midst of these terrible fires.

** firefighter photos courtesy of Cheris Jensen. My friend Sheri P shared these at social media. 

Ten Days Of Grateful

 1. Grateful I can pray. Knowing a longtime blogger, Mike Golch who lost his wife Celestine recently, made me very sad. There is nothing worse then loss. Please join me in praying for Mike and their loved ones. 

2. Grateful although I am disorganized, I know I can regain control of what I was once so good at and start all over again!

3. Grateful Nick is getting better each day and finally received some much needed medication to alleviate this annoying cough.

4. Grateful and silly, that I found my "Bones" shirt that matches my "Bones" Leggings. It may sound silly and unimportant but I was so happy I dug deep and found that special shirt. I will get photos wearing it and the leggings and post them soon.

5. Grateful to drink hot tea at bedtime (herbal of course) and share a few moments of quiet before drifting of to sleep with my sweet hubby.

6. Grateful to play rummy with him every single night. Ha! He is the master and I am not  but I Love playing and giving him a hard time for winning so much!

7. Grateful "Baby Evan" came through his neurological testing and scan completely healed. I have known his mom via social media for several years and never realized the depth of her faith. It made me smile to see how amazing God works in the lives of all of us, no matter what we may think. It is always to make sure we realize God is truly in control .

8. Grateful to have spent some time cooking and getting reacquainted with my kitchen! HaHa! I get lazy in the summer and never feel like cooking. The cold weather makes me want to cook and bake and spend more time in the kitchen. 

9. Grateful for my stash of really cute aprons, all with a story behind them. Some made by hand by dear friends and others found in thrift stores. Makes me wonder about the person who wore that apron before me. 

10. Grateful simply to be alive and getting through the daily grind, one day at a time. 

TBT and Pink Saturday

 I simply forgot to click post yesterday. Do you have those days? The day went on forever. We played a new game called Unstable Unicorns. My hubby won the game having never played it before. Hmmmm... suspicious?! Perhaps the SIL Zach was feeding him inside info. HaHaHa

It is available wherever games are sold but amazon.com has quick delivery. We live close to a distribution center. Nick worked there at one time and they employee so many people. 

This is my nephew Brian's youngest child Alex.  The black and white photo are my dad's phamily  about 1916  .  I think the resemblance is striking. My dad had two brothers that passed away in Joseph 1906-1909 and (Frank) 1915-1918.  Frank passed away from the Influenza  outbreak. When people get sassy about this virus going on now it offends me. My grandparents lived through it. The highest mortality rate were children under the age of five.  Today the right combination of drugs are helping more survive. If a 97 year old could survive it with the drugs being prescribed before this was turned into a huge political fiasco to earn votes regardless of the loss of life, we are truly living in very dark and extremely sad times. I am sorry but these are my loved ones. Frank shared his July 3 birthday with our youngest daughter Hannah and it means a great deal to me personally so I do not need hateful comments about being angry or anything else.  I Have since removed such comments and it is why I continue to blog. The ability to delete hate is easy here. Social media, I do not even want to go there. I wanted to share this for TBT but this photo of  part of my dad's phamily bugged me. Today I was able to record all the 9 siblings birthdates and sort all this mystery out.  I apologize for those of you who are kind and caring and simply visit because we share interests and hopefully kind hearts as well.  On a very happy note, I believe this photo was taken about 1915 or 1916 as Frank was the baby. I Know my father is wearing the short pants with the belt on his shirt because he was very close to his older sister Mary (Mima). I was raised in the Catholic church and according to the First Communion rule back in my day and also my parents day, a child in the second grade was usually given the opportunity to make their First Communion. Auntie Mima was dressed in a beautiful first Communion dress. I had seen one other photo of Frank and also their brother Joseph who was the first born child and he lived 1906-1909. I am positive the baby on my grandpa's lap is Frank.  How they survived losing two young children will always baffle me. I can not even imagine that tremendous of a loss but so many lived through those difficult times and you might have them in your phamily tree too.  I know Martha at Seaside Simplicity is having a hard week so say some prayers . She did not post TBT but I did, although late. 

I am hoping to find my mother's phamily tree. She had a sister named Frances and I believe she may have passed away at birth or soon after. I do not have a year of birth for her. All I have to go on is she is buried in what is called the old cemetery so I am unsure if there are records.  This is hard work finding out info after your loved ones are gone. If you still have parents or elderly relatives sit down and get all the info you can. You will be glad you did.  

Pink skies from 2016 for Pink Saturday

 

Hannah had a tiny helper making graveyard pudding. The kids arrived safely and are enjoying their trip. Going to national parks where there are not huge crowds has been a real blessing for them. 

HODGE PODGE

1. What's one part of your everyday routine you'd be better off without?:

I spend too much time searching for things on line and I get to daydreaming. I do agree on Facebook though. It is extremely offensive over there as well as Twitter. I cut off Twitter quite some time ago. I only stuck it out with Facebook because I chat with friends everywhere. I am slowly moving them to my email which gives me a bit more privacy. There is none at FB.

2. October 5th is/was National Do Something Nice Day So what did you/will you do?:

It was easy! Our son-in-law Jake turned 32 and we sent wishes across the miles and gifts via UPS. I try everyday to be nice if I have to go out. Today the cashier at the Dollar Tree was super nice. I always go the extra mile and give them a compliment everywhere I go. You can smile through your mask too. People can read your eyes and smile back. 

3. What question do you hate to answer? : 

I hate having to remind the doctor's office that my Medicare is secondary to our health insurance as the hubby still works full time ! They ask me every single time! I'm older not stupid!

4. Do we have control over technology or does it have control over us? In that same vein, have you watched The Social Dilemma ( it is available on NetFlex)  and if so, what did you think ?

A friend recommended it but we just have not had the time to check it out. I have never been a huge fan of technology. I think somewhere down the road somehow we will have our national power grid cut off. I pity those who live by their devices. I grew up at a time, when you had to think for yourself and use some grit and determination to get things done. I think iphones and other devices take you away from what is really important.  It is my own personal opinion. 

5. What are three small things that make your day better?

Seeing the hubby off to work. I Love to stand in the doorway and watch him drive away.  I love a good cup of coffee to stir in my collagen and I love seeing all the pups and my cat happy to see me.

6. Insert your own random thoughts here:

I request prayer for my grandson and his sweet little phamily as they travel to visit Hannah and Jake across the country. Pray for a safe flight. I know they will have a great time. They live in the country, so it is a different world. No internet or cable TV. Just peace and quiet and lots of wonderful phamily time. 

Please visit Hodge Podge and share your own thoughts there too. 

Monday is a Maniac with A Special Birthday Wish

 

I don't like to see my hubby return to work after a long weekend but life is what it is and he has a job and we are most grateful. I love this cat's expression.

When I have inherited a son-in-law (3 times) or a daughter-in-law (times 1). I have felt very blessed as if I had an extra son or daughter. I have to share my son-in-law Jake with you. We wish we could celebrate his birthday Monday, October 5th but we are miles apart. So we will Face Time them later today and send gifts via the USPS or UPS. October is a double celebration for Hannah and Jake. His birthday, then a few weeks later their first wedding anniversary. However that happened so quickly, it just crazy. Time flies, days go by and turn into weeks which turn into months. You know this drill right?

Happy Birthday Jake! You make our girl SMILE like she has never smiled before and we know how much you love her. So you   make us smile just by knowing you and we love you bunches!

Hannah baked this cheesecake for Jake on his birthday. She is quite the baker and the girl gets around the kitchen just fine. I know they will celebrate with a nice homemade dinner and this yummy cheesecake.

This was from their recent trip to Maine. They love visiting the National Parks. 

It is a true blessing having Jake in our phamily. We could not be happier for him marrying into this phamily of  unique individuals. 

HA HA HA ! We are really just regular people but normal is , in the words of the late Erma Bombeck, "normal" is just a cycle on the washing machine! But seriously we are very grateful that Jake is part of our clan. We keep growing every year and pray we all stay healthy and happy and wise.

Enjoy your 32nd  birthday Jake and the new year that will follow. Praying for another year to celebrate and enjoy your company. May God richly bless you and Hannah and we are hoping we can see you again soon.

WEEKEND HUMOR AND MORE

 

Oh and does it ever come on and stays on ! 

Oh Carole, my life long friend! She really knows how to make us all feel better about aging. She is homeschooling three of her five grands and they are all boys. 

Joyce is a Louisana gal who refuses to spread anything but kindness and love and worship of Our Lord She encourages me most every single day and I like that!. 

Between Loretta in New Mexico for silliness and laughter, Carole who I Have known for 62 years and Joyce. There is one other friend who makes me feel encouraged too. Jean D. We worked many swing shifts together in the hospital days. Jean actually worked the day shift in the billing office and came over to help when we were in a crunch which was lots of times. She lived not too far away from me and when my kids were small, she used to give me a ride home because she didn't want my hubby to have to haul a carload of kids at 11 o'clock at night to come pick me up. She was logical and kind and I still keep in touch with her although she moved to Texas some years ago. She shares encouragement daily too. These are the best kind of people to know.

A small fearless boy with his grandpa. He is a joy to watch. Smart and entertaining and a child who knows nothing but boundless love for those he is closest to. Every time he comes over he has to climb this old wooden posts with Grandpa's help of course. He recently read a book to his mom and it was about a dinosaur. He came to the word ferocious and put such emphasis on that word you could hear that dinosaur roar! At two and 8 months he has a rare kindness which is hard to find. He will always say he loves you and than proceed to list each phamily member from our phamily as well as each one from his mom's side. It makes me joyful! 

My parents liked Lee Trevino and they would most definitely agreed with him on this one. 

I love this, reminds me of Nick's running days. What wonderful memories those bring back. 

HUMOR

 

Larisa is the daughter of Shannon who has a cool business in North Dakota called JunkFlirt. Larisa had me cracking up sharing this. This is my sleep life. While the hubby enjoys countless extra hours of slumber I watch the ceiling in darkness. Hoping I drift off very soon tonight. I do not hate, I just get really annoyed. 

My oldest girl Noelle is the Snapchat Queen. I love these photos. My new glasses even look better! 

Humor aside, prayer is needed for our nation and for those spewing absolute hate. I am shaken to know so many who wish evil and hatred for our president.  It is utterly sickening.  We do not watch any mainstream news including Fox with all of their one sided narratives. I wish for the days of Walter Cronkite. He gave you the headline and you used your own brain to process it. Today we have a cult mentality. It is scary how many people border on mental breakdowns with their frightening hatred. There are things and even people who are not my cup of tea. But I have found that if I trust God and pray as He asks me to I will feel better, be a better person and one day join God in His heavenly home. I ask you all to stop and pray. Satan is attacking our nation from every angle. 

In seeking truth you have to get both sides of a story.

America's health care system is neither healthy, caring, nor a system.

There is no such thing as a little freedom. Either you are all free, or you are not free. Walter Cronkite