Yesterday, Katie and I went Father's Day shopping. I haven't been to Belk it seems like forever. I remembered Laura asking me to check out the children's department for a smocked halter outfits. Laura - I found two different smocked beach outfits with halter tops. One is blue and the other is red. I was a little concerned if Katie would even wear it because they are shorts. She acted as if she liked it and promised to wear it. I had her pick which one she wanted the best. It was a tough decision, but she picked the blue one with fishes. I thought they both were precious. I couldn't get over the sale I got for it. It was marked $30 and I ended up paying $18. Is this the outfit you were talking about? You'll have to excuse Katie. She was pulling on her outfit because she was aggravated at me for making her look at the camera and saying "cheese". It doesn't normally look like this.

I've also been looking for a swim suit coverup, but never could find one for under $12. There have been times where I came close to just paying the $12. Well, Belk had some terry cloth coverups on sale for $9.99.

Katie and I have decided to make today a swimming party day. As soon as we got out of bed, we put on our swim suits and filled up the swimming pool. Katie saw that I was wearing my coverup, so she wanted to wear her coverup. She looked so darn cute, I asked if I could take her picture. She agreed as long as I would take a picture of her and her new Barbie car. She's sporting around in her new coverup, we bought yesterday.



I finally made a picture of Katie's new swimming pool. I was afraid Daddy might had put a hole in it because it was a little deflated, but it's been doing good since I put some air back in it. I sprayed the yard with Cutter Bug Spray. I thought that would work until I could get the pool full of water and spray Katie down with bug spray. Would you believe Katie got bit twice just walking with me down to the mailbox? Ugh! It seems like the mosquitoes are really bad this year. If you just walk out the door, you are immediately attacked. Yuck! So she wouldn't get anymore bites, I sprayed her down. Our little pool party didn't last as long as I thought it would be. Katie got hungry and didn't want to eat outside. Okay. I fixed her chicken nuggets and juice and set it on the table. Well, she decided that she didn't want her swim suit on anymore. I couldn't believe my ears and her suit wasn't even wet. She insisted that she was done swimming for the day. The rest of the day, she just wanted to play with her new Barbie car and Barbies.

Katie Story Correction
You know the story I told about Katie staying the night with Leslie, Susan and Jon. Leslie told me that she woke up to more pillows and blankets in her bed the next morning. She thought Katie got up in the middle of the night and brought the pillows and blankets from Susan's bedroom and Living Room into her room. Okay. Susan wrote me this morning because she just read my blog. She said that the pillows and blankets came from her and not Katie. Tehe! She just thought Leslie would assume it came from her Mom and not suspect Katie. Too funny. I told Susan how I wished she could have seen Leslie's facial expression when she was telling me this story. My poor baby being blamed for something she didn't even do. Ha! Ha! I'm just kidding.

Prayer Request
I've added a prayer request list to my sideline because there are so many needed prayers out there and it's hard to keep up with all of them by daily posts. I thought this would be easier. Please keep my little nephew, Jake, in your prayers. The abscess continues to come back on his bottom. Jake has an appointment next Monday at the Children's Hospital in order to remove the abscess.

Susan told me this morning that Kody's house caught on fire. If you don't know Kody, he is Leslie's boyfriend. I believe most of the damage is in the Kitchen and a lot of smoke damage throughout the house. Please keep this family in your prayers as well.

Fancy Nancy
I went ahead and ordered the Fancy Nancy party supplies this afternoon. I wanted to make sure I got all the supplies way in advance. You never know, if there might be a problem with the stock or shipment. Now, all I've got to do is get the general things like tablecover, cups and utensils. I'm also wanted to try my hand at the cake ice cream cups before the big day. You'll have to stay tuned to see if it was a success or a big flop. I also need to make an appointment with Portrait Innovations for Katie's 3 year old pictures. I'm thinking about making the appointment for the 12th of July. I don't want them taking too early like the month of June. The first weekend in July is 4th of July and we'll probably be on the road that weekend. I'm hoping to schedule the party for the 19th of July because it will be the Saturday before her birthday.

All Things Southern

Laura mentioned this book in her blog that I've got to read "Suck Your Stomach In & Put Some Color On" by Shellie Rushing Tomlinson. She might not be from Alabama, but I like to support all Southern Belles. I did snope around her website and I like her humor. I'll have to check this book out. Right now in my life, I need all the humor I can get. Some of you that have been reading my post lately, might be thinking I'm a basket case. Woo! It's just been a tough year, but I'm looking forward to a lot of laughs in the future. By the way, I love to laugh. I think I'll make that first step, I would like to take some of Shellie's Southern Jokes and post them from time to time on my blog. Her website is below, please feel free to check it out.

All Things Southern Website

I've always been told that laughter is good for your soul. Well, here's a little soul food for you.

Bear Hunting Yankees
Two Yankee's came down to Louisiana to go bear hunting. They came upon a fork in the road and a sign that read "BEAR LEFT"; so they went home.

Buffalo Chicken Dip

Doug asked me to post this recipe again on my blog because there were a few interested people that wanted the recipe.

Here it is:

Buffalo Chicken Dip
1 pie plate full
35 min 5 min prep

2 (5 oz) cans chicken, drained (by the tuna in the grocery store)
2 (8 oz) packages cream cheese, softened
1 cup ranch dressing
3/4 cup red hot sauce (Doug prefers Frank's Hot Sauce)
Shredded cheddar cheese, you decide how much
Frito corn chips, scoops

1. Beat cream cheese, ranch dressing, and red hot sauce.
2. Fold in shredded chicken
3. Spread mixture into pie plate sprayed with Pam.
4. Bake @ 350 degrees for 15 minutes
5. Add cheddar to top and bake an additional 10-15 minutes
6. Serve hot with Frito scoops.

Note: Doug likes to put this mixture in a small crockpot instead of oven. It makes it a lot easier especially for parties. You can adjust the heat of the dip with the hot sauce to your desired taste.

HAPPY COOKING!

Cute Dog Balloon with Jay Leno

Doug sent this to me and I had to share it with you. I thought it was too cute!

Drill Here, Drill Now, Pay Less

Are you hurting at the gas pump? Here, I'm paying $4 per gallon for the cheapest gas rate. We're trying to do all we can to conserve in order to pay for gas. Doug and I pay approximately $50 a week just on gas for one vehicle. I've been trying to help out by staying home and having him pick up groceries on the way home from work. Doug's tried to help out by being available to work overtime just to pay for his gas a week.

If you've been following the National News, more specifically, Fox News, you've heard of American Solutions. It's a group of supporters wanting Congress to hear our voice against importing oil and forcing Americans to pay higher gas prices. I had no idea that it was illegal for Americans to drill for oil in several areas within the U.S., Canada and just off of our own shores. Did you know that China is in the works, drilling for their own oil just off the State of Florida's shore? Does this make any sense? Does it make you mad because I'm sure fired up?

Newt Gingrich is heading this campaign. He along with celebrities like Chuck Norris is encouraging U.S. citizens to sign a petition to show Congress that we, voters, want to drill here, drill now and pay less gas prices. You can view a few videos off of YouTube.com on the issue, if you are interested. You can type in "American Solution" and be able to bring up a few and I'm sure there are several more out there. If you would like to sign the petition or read more about it click here. This link will take you directly to American Solutions main web page. Newt also encourages us to spread the word and make our own state legislators hear our voice.

Newt Gingrich YouTube Video

I wished I could have showed you today's interview between Fox and Friends and Chuck Norris. It was pretty interesting. They don't have it posted on their website yet. Chuck stated that there should be a new ad on Youtube being released sometime today. Hopefully, Fox will post today's interview by some time this evening or tomorrow.

My Health Update
Well, I finally got my blood test results back and it shows a negative pregnancy. They seem to think it might be from stress and it might come a little later. Here, I thought all my stress issues were behind me. tehe!

On top of that, the group of doctors that I currently use as my GYN/OB are all splitting up. Ugh! My initial doctor, when I first got pregnant with Katie, is moving to Huntsville. The doctor that ended up with my file after I gave birth to Katie, Dr. Keller, is moving into another group of GYN/OB across the courtyard. I don't care for Dr. Keller because he can be very vocal about people and specific kinds of compounded meds. As most of you know my history of conceiving Katie, it was a very long and emotionally painful time in my life. We went through three years of infertility treatments to be told that I couldn't conceive children. Have you ever been told that? You talk about a blow right to the face. I was in my lowest of lows. I feel that is where God wanted me, so he was able to shape my spiritual growth. I prayed and thought about it because I still had this very strong feeling in my heart that I was suppose to be a Mom. At that point, I prayed and asked God if he wanted me to service in another way. Should we adopt a child that has no home and people to love them? I really thought this was the answer to my prayers. At the same time, Susan told me about the A.R.T Program in Birmingham. Women, she had been talking to were told the same thing and they went to Dr. Cecil Long from the ART Program and was able to successfully conceive their children. HOPE! Doug and I talked about it and decided to do it one more time before we stepped into the adoption community. God's hands were all over our little miracle because it took less than a year before we conceived Katiebug. I thank God today for allowing me to cross paths with Dr. Long because he was the first doctor to tell me that there was no reason why I couldn't have a child of my own. He restored my hope.

When I was released from the ART Program's care, they referred me to a group of doctors in Decatur because that's where I wanted to deliver my baby. The only request I had was to have a female GYN/OB, instead of a male. I've always had a woman doctor and felt more comfortable. When I started going to the group in Decatur, I had Dr. Loncar (female doc) to be my OB. I really liked her and she understood a lot of things that was going on with my body because she could relate.

According to the rules of this group, they recommended all patients are to visit all the doctors of the group. This method was to help you familiarize yourself with the other doctors, if they were on call while you went into labor. Okay, no problem. When I first met Dr. Keller, I told him about my history. As soon as I mentioned Dr. Long's name, he began bashing his name. He told me one of his patients had a rocky marriage and they thought if they had a baby all their problems would go away. They went to the ART Program and Dr. Long was their doctor. Dr. Keller couldn't understand why Dr. Long didn't screen this couple and figure out that they were having marital problems. Yes, Dr. Keller let me know more than once that he doesn't like Dr. Long and will try to turn people away from him. Ugh! I'm sorry, but I couldn't just sit there and hear this garbage. I let Dr. Keller know that I have the highest respect for Dr. Long and I was glad God allowed us to cross paths. I went into labor earlier than expected and Dr. Loncar was on vacation, Dr. Keller was on call that morning. Ugh! Just because he delivered Katie, my files were transferred to him.

When I became pregnant this last time (November), I asked Dr. Keller if they were going to be checking my progesterone levels. "What for?" he asked me. I explained to him that when I was first pregnant with Katie, my progesterone levels dropped. Dr. Long's nurse told me to pick up some progesterone caplets that is compounded by my pharmacist. Dr. Keller said that they would not be checking my progesterone levels and that whatever happens, you can't help it. What? Then he added, if you want to be put on progesterone caplets that he would give me a prescription. He went on and added that he felt that they were worthless and that it was all in the woman's head. Jerk! When I was pregnant with Katie and spoke to several woman about progesterone caplets, they swore by them. They had miscarriage after miscarriage and their doctors prescribed them some progesterone caplets and gave birth to health children. They felt that if they had used the progesterone caplets during the other pregnancies, there would have been a good chance of having health births.

As you can tell, I'm not fond of Dr. Keller and I feel like I'm stuck with him. Well, I heard through the grapevine that he was moving in with another group of doctors. I asked one of the nurses today, if Dr. Loncar would be staying where she's at? I was so disappointed to hear she is moving her practice to Huntsville. Ugh! That's a little far, but I've heard good things about the Huntsville Medical Hospital. I asked if there were any female GYN/OBs moving into their group. The nurse told me no, but she referred me to some female GYN/OB doctors at the Parkway Hospital. I don't know what to do. I guess since I'm not pregnant, I have some time to check things out.

Gymboree
I've had this 30% off coupon from Gymboree that expires June 15th. I thought I would go online and see if there was anything on sale that I would like to get Katiebug. I have to be picky with her clothes because she prefers to wear dresses on a daily basis. Luckily, they had some cute Summer dresses on sale between $12-25. I've never bought any of Gymboree's dresses because I don't see paying an average $32 for a dress. Then you have to get the accessories to match. Well, I found a cute dress from the Tropical Garden line for $13 and matching barrettes for $3.99. I was able to get approximately $5 more off my purchase because of the coupon and because I'm a new buyer online, I got a discount on shipping. The total purchase cost less than what it would cost to drive to the closest Gymboree and purchase the items myself. I was so thrilled!

I'm sorry this ended up being such a long post. What do you expect coming from me? tehe!
Have a great Wednesday!

How We Spent Our Anniversary

Katie had such a good time with Leslie last night. I spoke to Susan this morning and she didn't know exactly what time Katie fell asleep, but she was up at 8:00 this morning. She said Leslie usually goes to bed around 9:00 and she tried to wear Katie down for bed about that time. I should have warned Leslie that you can't wear Katie down at night. It doesn't work, instead it winds her up more. Katie slept in Leslie's bed with all the stuffed animals, pillows and blankets. tehe! Leslie said they were all cuddled up in her bed around 11:30 p.m. and Leslie thought she was asleep. That was the last thing she remembers. This morning when they got up, she saw that Katie must have gotten out of bed and gathered more pillows and blankets from Susan's bedroom and the Living Room. Uh, huh! She got up and ventured out during the night. I told Leslie, I've been wondering when she was going to start doing that at home. I keep all the doors closed except for her bedroom and ours. One of these days, we're going to catch her asleep on the couch or watching TV in the middle of the night. I know I'll be scared to death when it happens. I'm just glad she can't unlock our dead bolt locks on the doors. I remember Sandy telling me stories of Liz or Allan (I can't remember which) would wonder around outside. They were sleep walking and unlocked the doors to go outside. Mom's told me stories of catching (I think) Sandy sleep walking outside. That would be so scary, especially in this day and time.

Leslie and Jon visited with us for a little while. They couldn't stay long today because there was a lot to do before he had baseball practice. When they were getting ready to leave, Katie thought she was going back with them. Talk about making me feel like the world's worst Mom. tehe! She kept telling me "I not need you Mom. I go with Leslie to her house." Leslie felt terrible about Katie acting like that. I had to pry Katie's claws from around Leslie's neck, in order for them to leave. Katie cried and cried for about 30 minutes after they left. What made it worse, she only had a 30 minute nap today. I just rocked her and talked about her time she had with Sue-Sue, Leslie and Jon. Her eyes lite up then and she was telling me about the time she had with them. The rest of the day, all she would talk about is Leslie and Sue-Sue. She'd ask, "Mom, where's Sue-Sue? I go see Leslie today? I be a good girl and I go stay with Leslie and Sue-Sue." I finally had to promise her that I would let her call Leslie tonight and tell her goodnight. She seemed okay with it then. Around 8:30 p.m. I called up Leslie and let Katie talk with her. I put her on speaker phone, so we could hear what was being said. Katie was satisfied because she got to tell Leslie and Sue-Sue what she did today, said her goodnights and that she loved them.

Doug wanted us to go out to eat at our new favorite restaurant "Sweet Peppers Deli." That was okay with me, I wouldn't have to cook. As soon as we walked out the door, here came Will from next door. He had a friend this time, his own age. He was wanting Katie to come play with them. I had to tell them, we were on our way to go eat. Katie was so upset that she didn't get to stay home and play with Will. I think it was good for him to play with a boy his own age, instead of a 2 year old girl. I was so proud of Katie at the restaurant. She was such a big girl. For the first time, she wanted to keep the hot dog in it's bun with ketsup. What? She told me that she wanted her hot dog in a sandwich. Well, okay! Can you believe she ate it all? She even ate a few chips and some of my fruit. While we were eating, she told me she had to go potty. I couldn't believe my ears. Thankfully, I brought her folding potty seat this time. Like a big girl, she pulled down her pants, pull-up and let me set her right on her seat. She began pee-peeing until the toilet decided to flush on it's own. It scared her to death. She gave me this look with those big brown eyes and she was wanting off . . . NOW! I was afraid she was going to get pee-pee all over her, but she just dribbled a little. Enough to clean up easily. As soon as she jumped off the potty, she told me that "I not potty no more." She was so upset that she was ready to leave that stall quickly. I had to really get on to her because I was still folding up her potty seat. She had unlocked the stall door and on her way out of the restroom.

When we were leaving the restaurant, Doug announced that he had a surprise for Katie. Oh, she got excited because she loves surprises. We headed for Sportsman's Lake Park. She saw the swings and slides and got even more excited. "We get out now Mom and play on the playground?" I couldn't get over the playground equipment they've added in the park. Last year, they just had the swing set, see-saw and monkey bars. Now, they've got all kinds of things for the kids to play including SLIDES. Slides are Katie's favorite. A lot of the new play equipment look like they've been donated to the park because they are not brand new. They'll do though and Katie had a blast on them. She was keeping us busy by running from one to another. She even made a couple of friends there and they ran around with each other for a little while. She didn't seem interested in the geese and ducks, at first. On our way back to the car, I convinced her to go see them before we had to leave. Once I got her over there to see the Canadian Geese, regular farm geese and Mallard Ducks, she enjoyed herself. She wanted to follow them every where including into the lake. Yikes! Doug found three baby ducks, so we got Katie a little closer to see them. She couldn't understand why she couldn't hold them. As we were leaving, she had to tell all the ducks and geese "goodbye!"

When we got home, Will and his friend were in our yard playing. Katie all excited asked, "Mom, can I go play with Will now?" I told her to be good and she could go play. All I had to do was unbuckle her and she was on her way. She acted like she was the same size as they were. They all played, I guess, for about an hour before Will and his friend had to go home. Doug drug Katie into our house, crying and wanting Mom. She couldn't understand why she had to go in the house and not play with Will anymore. Ugh! It was getting 8:00 p.m. fast and she needed a bath so bad after today. We had an overall good anniversary, I couldn't have asked for anything better. Thank you for all the sweet anniversary wishes!

My Health
All day today, I tried to get a nurse or someone to give me the results from my blood work. I was getting so aggravated with them because they either didn't know what I was talking about or they didn't have the results there in front of their face. The nurse asked me to call later this afternoon, before closing time, and that she would have the results on her desk. Well, I called back at 3:15 p.m. and had to leave another message. I never heard from anyone. At that point, I was aggravated as it was. I decided it was best not to call again today. I'll try again tomorrow. If I had not had such a good experience with this group when I was pregnant with Katie, I would probably be looking for referrals to another group.

CPSC Recall Notice
I'm so disgusted about this recall. You probably remember me talking about Doug and I getting a play set for Katie for her birthday. Millard and Peggy were even interested in going together with us on the play set. Well, guess what? Would you believe that the play sets, we were looking at from Walmart are all on recall. Now, I don't know what we are going to do. Don't get me wrong, I'm glad I found out now instead of after we've purchased and set it up in our back yard. With that said, here is the notice. We were planning on getting the Cedar Ridge approximately $400. http://www.cpsc.gov/cpscpub/prerel/prhtml08/08299.html .

Happy 13th Anniversary Doug!

I would like to wish my husband of 13 years a very Happy Anniversary! Yay!

Happy Anniversary Baby!

You really need to watch this video my niece passed along to me. Now a lot of you that watch this video may already be Christians and have heard this sermon several times before. That's wonderful! Praise God! But what continues to strike me is God's Almighty plan for everyone of his children. What he might have planned for your life. Everyone whether they are Christian or non-Christian has a destiny and a purpose in life. I love watching the testimony of how a young college student's short life continues to live through the people he toughed because he was an organ donor. This is a long video, but well worth it. Identity:Salvation video . You'll want to click on "Identity", select "Identity:Salvation" and then click on "sermon" in order to view the video.

On The Movies
Last night, I finally got to watch "The Other Bolelyn Girl". Some of my history of Henry the 8th was a little fussy, but it was an overall good movie. If you are into the Royal Family history and present, it's a must see. There are no adult scenes, but I don't know if it's appropriate for younger children. I've got two more movies on my must see list that are out on DVD: "Mad Money" with Diane Keaton and "Over Her Dead Body" with Eva Longoria.

"Mad Money Trailer" with Diane Keaton & Queen Latifah



"Over Her Dead Body Trailer" with Eva Longoria



As you may know, I haven't been feeling all that great for the past few days. So, my doctor asked me to come in for some blood work. I was so greatful, Leslie was able to come and babysit Katie for me. I don't know anything right now about the results of the blood test, but I'll keep you posted. Thanks for the prayers!

Leslie and Katie seem to have a good time together. Katie was hanging all over her and wouldn't let her go far without her right there. Katie asked me if she could go home with Leslie. I didn't care about Katie going home with Leslie, but I didn't know what Leslie had planned for today. She lives so far and I didn't know if she had plans to come back into town. With the price of gas these days, it would cost so much for her to go back and forth. Leslie assured me that she had no plans and would be glad to bring her back today. Katie was so excited when I told her okay. Of course, she was more concerned about her toys and what books to take. Ha! She had this huge tote bag full of stuff. I was more concerned over clothes and pull-ups. I packed extra clothes because Susan and Tim have a creek and pond that Katie loves to get into. Leslie said that they might go to Jamie and Jeff's and swim for a little bit today, so I made sure she had her floaties with her. Around 9:00 p.m., the phone rang and it was Katie calling me to tell us goodnight. Too cute! She kept saying that she was a good girl and she was going to bed. I just hope it was that easy for Leslie and Susan because I know how Katie goes to sleep. One hour of excuses and another hour of sneaking into someone elses bed.



Children's Books
Doug and I decided to go to Books-a-Million on a last minute whem. I checked out the children's section, like always, to see what books were on sale. Guess what? If your little girl is an Angelina Balleria fan, they had several different paperback series on sale for $1.97. Katie really seem to like the "Fancy Nancy" paperback I got her several weeks ago, so we thought it would be good to get her a hardback "Fancy Nancy" book. There are so many Fancy Nancy books to choose from, so I decided to get her the one shown above, "Fancy Nancy Bonjour, Butterfly". She loves book and we've tried to encourage her in every possible way to be interested in books. I hope she likes her new books.

I didn't get to write about Millard's birthday last Saturday. We stop by and pick up some chicken at KFC, so we wouldn't have to cook and be able to spend more time together. As soon as we pulled up in the car, I couldn't believe what my eyes were telling me. I saw Millard messing around in the carport with shorts and sandals on. I don't believe I've ever seen him in shorts and I've never seen sandals on his feet. Way to go Millard! He looked much cooler and relaxed. He seemed to have enjoyed his birthday spent with us.

Millard bought one of those analog boxes for his TV in order to pick up local channels, when they all go digital. He was having some trouble getting a good signal, so Doug and he decided that it was the cable connection between the antenna and TV. The guys spent the remainder of the evening replacing the cable. I took lots of pictures to document the evening. While the guys were working on the antenna, Peggy, Katie and myself sat on the deck eating ice pops and blowing bubbles. I have more pictures available on our photosite.

Have a great day! As Fancy Nancy would say, "Bonjour! For now."

How To Add Other Links To Your Daily Posts?

I can tell Blogger is makin' changes, especially since the last time I linked other websites/blogspots to my daily post. I had a hard time last night trying to find the new html codes for adding links. I would like to help you find "How To" by giving you the Blogger article right at your fingertips and not having to dig every update article from Blogger. Here it is and it's very simple. Just make sure you delete the words: http://, URL and TEXT. You need to delete one of the http:// because you will end up with two and it won't work this way.

I hope this helps you out. Happy blogging!

Praise Report

I think you remember me asking prayer the past several monthes for a church member, Emily. She has CF and is in desperate need of a lung transplant. Emily has an inspiring story on her own blog. Please check it out Emily's Blog Here. I received wonderful news today from church. Emily's doctors have finally found a perfect match for her and she is undergoing surgery as we speak. YAY! What a blessing! Please continue pray for Emily and her family. I know she would appreciate it.

After church, we visited Mom and she was so blue. She's got it in her head that after 8 days, Medicare won't pay for her extended care at the Nursing Home and Dad will have to go back to work. Isn't that crazy?!? Susan, Leslie and Jon were also there visiting today. Susan and I told her not to worry about simple little things like that, besides it's all in God's hands. I think she liked the pep talk. She was also worried about not eating today because she's had a stomachache since yesterday. She's afraid they are going to put the feeding tube back in her stomach and she doesn't want it. We just reminded her that she's got to do want she can and if she has to be on a feeding tube for a little bit, so be it. I felt so bad for her. She got in her wheelchair and stayed out in the visiting area the whole time, we were there. You could tell she was tired, but she hung in there. She didn't tell us her fears until it was time to leave. I hated leaving her all upset, it's probably why she has a stomachache.

Happy Birthday Millard!

I would like to wish my father-in-law, Millard, a very Happy Birthday. May you have many many wonderful years to come.

As soon as Doug got home last night, he took us out to get some air. I've been couped up in this house pretty much all week. I called Maryann to see if she wanted a ride to the Nursing Home to visit Mom. Whitney answered and said that Maryann was already at the Nursing Home. She and Zayne were on their way out the door to babysit his little sister, Nia, and Natalie was with Primetime on a date.

We got to the Nursing Home, Maryann and Dad were already there with Mom. She looked real good. I couldn't believe my eyes, Mom's Supper plate was empty. Maryann told me that the nurses have been threatening to put the feeding tube back in her stomach, if she doesn't eat enough. Maryann brought Mom and her roommate, Flo, a McDonald's hamburger and fries for supper. Mom told Maryann that she would have loved to eat the hamburger, but she had to eat everything on her plate. I guess whatever it takes to get her to eat, I'm all for it. One of the nurses came in the room and Mom asked her what they were going to do when she gained all this weight. Her saying this makes things a little clear as to why she won't eat that much. It's a self image problem. She's got it in her mind that she's going to gain all this weight and won't be able to shade it off. The nurse explained to her that she has to eat in order to get some strength and we can worry about the excessive weight after she is much better. I hope Mom is listening to what the nurses are telling her. While we were there, Mom's physical therapist came in to visit us. Right off the bat, Doug announces to the group "hey, I know you." We know Christy, therapist, through church. Her husband is a deacon. Anyway, Christy asked if Mom had some walking shoes at home. She wants Mom to have some walking shoes in order to help out with the physical therapy. She said she was afraid to start trying to walk Mom without the proper shoes because she is showing signs of rolling ankles. Mom hasn't been able to walk in like forever, so now she has rolling ankles. Christy said they were able to stand her up during yesterday's therapy, but that's when she noticed the ankles. She told Dad to give her about a week, working with Mom and she should be able to give us a prognosis on her walking. I checked out Mom's feet/ankles for the swelling. They are still swollen, but not as bad because I could see her ankle bones. She told me that her friend, Opaline, comes to visit her everyday. I thank God for allowing Mom to have friends like Opaline and Flo by her side to encourage her when we, family, are not around. It's a huge relief. She was so glad see Millard and Peggy yesterday. They came by and visited her for a little while. I think the different faces does her some good. We had a very nice visit and I was so glad to see her doing better.

On the way home, we went to our usual hang out - WALMART. I know, we sound so boring. Shoot! With the price of gas and a little girl, we can't afford to do the things we use to do. At Walmart, we ran into some old friends. We haven't seen Greg and Melissa in forever and a day. They are always so busy with their schooling and career. They are both RNs and Melissa went back to school to be an anesthesiologist. On top of that, we heard through the grapevine that they were planning to adopt a child from China. I asked Melissa last night how the whole adoption thing was going. Apparently, it's not good. I believe, she said they've been going at it for a little over a year. She expects three to four more years of the political garbage. Yuck! I never knew the International adoption system is just as screwed up as the American adoption system. Go figure!

Everyday this week, Katie's "needed" to go swimming. Too funny! As soon as she would get out of bed, she'd tell me "Mommy, I need to go swimming." We've got our nice little water park set up to the side of the house outside. I've been meaning to take pictures, but kept forgetting. I've been too busy working on my blog headers. tehe! I'll make pictures as soon as I can.

New Blogger Heading

Okay, I couldn't stand it. I had to figure out how Ashley created Laura's Blog Header. She did a fantastic job, by the way. I got on Photoshop Elements and drafted out this header. I really didn't know exactly what I wanted. Boy, did I ever have a challenge figuring out the width & length. I went through several drafts before I came up with this one. Now that I know how to do it, you'll be expecting different layouts from me in the next few weeks. tehe! I can't take all the credit. I had to do some research on the web and get tips from other bloggers. Wow! Their tips sure did help or I would have never had figured it out. Laura - do you know if Ashley drafted your's out by using Photoshop? Please let me know because I am very interested.

As you can tell, Katie and I are taking it easy today. I'm still feeling a little blah, so I would really like to stay in the house. Actually, I'm surprised Katie allowed me to stay in the house today. Ever since we got the pool, all she's wanted to do is go outside and swim. Of course, Will hasn't come over yet today. Will is taking swimming lessons all week and afterwards, him and his Mom stop by Evelyn's house for the evenings. Evelyn told me Monday, he will be visiting her all week. So far, he's come over everyday this week. Last night, I was trying to get Katie ready for supper and I ended up spending about 15 minutes outside explaining to Will why Katie can't eat supper with him. Then he started in on wanting her to spend the night with him at his grandma's house. I finally told him "no means no." He would make a great attorney when he gets older because he doesn't take no as the final answer.

I spoke to Sandy this morning. Bless her heart! She is just as tired or more than I am from this past month. Sandy - you might as well give up trying to catch up on sleep.

Cherokee Indian Rite of Passage
Do you know the legend of the Cherokee Indian youth's rite of passage? His father takes him into the forest, blindfolds him and leaves him alone. He is required to sit on a stump the whole night and not remove the blindfold until the rays of the morning sun shine through it. He cannot cry out for help to anyone. Once he survives the night, he is a MAN. He cannot tell the other boys of this experience because each lad must come into manhood on his own. The boy is naturally terrified. He can hear all kinds of noises. Wild beasts must surely be all around him. Maybe even some human might do him harm. The wind blew the grass and earth, and shook his stump, but he sat stoically, never removing the blindfold. It would be the only way he could become a man! Finally, after a horrific night, the sun appeared and he removed his blindfold. It was then that he discovered his father sitting on the stump next to him. He had been at watch the entire night, protecting his son from harm. We, too, are never alone. Even when we don't know it, our Heavenly Father is watching over us, sitting on the stump beside us. When trouble comes, all we have to do is reach out to Him.

Moral of the Story: Just because you can't see God, doesn't mean He is not there 'For we walk by faith, not by sight.' ~ 2 Corinthians 5:7 ~
- I received this story from Laura and wanted to share it with other parents -

Happy Birthday Emma!

I want to wish my great-niece, Emma, a very Happy Birthday!

I got to visit Mom last night. Her feet/ankles are still swollen and she wasn't feeling too good yesterday. Dad was a little upset because she didn't eat all that good. We are all afraid that if she doesn't eat good, they'll hook her back up to the feeding tube. She can't really say what's wrong, except she just feels "blah." Nothing hurts. Mom said she was in her wheel chair out in the hall and her nurse didn't even think she looked like she felt good, so she took her back to her room and put her to bed. She didn't get to go to therapy. Dad left soon after I got there. Mom felt bad that he left mad. I assured her that he wasn't mad, but really lonely. I told her how the company this past month has filled that void and now because they are all gone, he is lonely again. She perked up when I got out the computer for her to see pictures of Leslie's Graduation and family get-togethers. I told her stories about our weekend and visit with the Keyes family. By the time, we went through all the pictures and stories, it was getting late. The nurse said because of Mom's swelling in her feet/ankles, they are going to run some blood test today.

Italian Herb Chicken Recipe
1 pkg. McCormick Seasoning
2 1/2 lbs. Chicken Parts
1 pkg. (8 oz.) fresh mushrooms, halved or sliced
2 cans (14 1/2 oz. each) stewed tomatoes, undrained
1 can (6 oz.) tomato paste

1. Place chicken and mushrooms in slow cooker.
2. Mix Seasoning, tomatoes, and tomato paste until blended. Pour over chicken and mushrooms. Cover.
3. Cook 8 hours on LOW or 4 hours on HIGH. Remove chicken and vegetables to serving platter. Stir sauce before serving.

IMPORTANT: For best results, do not remove cover during cooking.

NOTE: I like to use boneless, skinless chicken breasts for the chicken parts.

The recipe above is really good. I'm making this tonight for supper along with a pot of garden fresh new potatoes, can french cut green beans, crumbled bacon and seasoned with bacon drippings. I'm also going to boil some cabbage. It sounds so good.

Katie the Little Mermaid

We all spent our last day with Sandy, Wade, Liz, Nolan and children by the pool. Doug got to try out his new fish cooker that Wayne and Laura gave him for his birthday. We took it with us to June and Pat's for a fish fry. He loves it! The guys fried up some fish and hushpuppies. We also had salad and some of Maryann's wonderful baked beans. Everything was delicious!

As soon as we got there, Katie had to have her swimming suit and floaties on. Thankfully, Natalie, Leslie and Liz were in the pool to watch Katiebug for me. I didn't get in because I haven't felt all that great for the past few days. Katie had a blast in the pool. She did so great swimming by herself, without anyone holding on to her. Leslie or Natalie (I can't remember which) tried to teach Katie how to jump in the pool. I remember when my other nieces and nephews were little, about Katie's age, we would teach them how to jump in the pool. Katie did good jumping in the pool with the girls. When she jumped in, the girls let her go under water a little ways. She did great holding her breath, she didn't come up coughing very much. She liked the jumping, but I think she preferred swimming. We had to remind her to kick her legs. I was so proud of her.

I have to tell this story. While Katie was in the pool, she told me that she had to go potty. Well okay, here we go. Right? She wanted to go in the house, but I wouldn't let her because she was soaking wet. I told her that we were going to pee-pee around the back of the house, so no one would see us. I stripped her down and got her to squat. She didn't like the whole pee-peeing outside idea. She kept telling me, "I not think this is a good idea Mom. I not want to go pee-pee outside. It's not a good idea." She's been coming up with new phrases like " . . . good idea." I think it's cute.

When it was time for the girls to stay out of the pool, I set up the Princess Tent. Maddie seemed to like it and of course, Katie loves her tent. We put a blanket and rug inside the tent, along with all the kids' toys. Some one put Jake inside the tent to play. I didn't know he was in there for the longest time. He was having a ball with the girls and toys. Maddie kept trying to recruit people to come sit inside the tent with her. She got Wade in there for a while, but I warned him that it gets hot because there's no circulation inside that tent. It wasn't long before Wade had to get out. It was getting way too hot for him. Natalie was brave enough to stay in there for awhile.

We had a wonderful evening visiting and it wasn't long before the day was gone. It was great seeing everyone again and I believe we were all wore out by 9:00. We got home, gave Katie a bath and we all went to bed around 10:00. I think Katie fell asleep as soon as her little head hit the pillow. I have more pictures on the photosite.

Yesterday, I really didn't feel good with a stomach ache. Needless to say, I didn't go to church with Doug and didn't get to visit with my Mom either. I haven't see Mom since Friday, so I wanted to go visit her a little bit. I was too afraid she might catch what I had. Lord willing, I'm going to sneak away later this evening and go visit with her.

Today, Katie and I got out our new pool. Katie played in the pool, while I washed all of her outside toys and furniture. It's amazing how filthy her outside toys get. It's too bad, we don't have a storage building to store them. Maybe the storage building fairy will visit us some day.

Birthday Gift List
Okay, some of Katie's Aunts have been asking me what they could get Katie for her birthday. These are just suggestions that I've gotten out of Katie the past few days.

• Red matchbox car (She's been playing with a matchbox (I think it's called) car from a McDonald's Happy Meal. The toy theme is from the "Speedracer" movie. She told me that she wanted a red car for birthday).
• I've been looking at some Barbie doll accessories and I've found a cute Barbie car, she might like too.
• "Barbie in Mariposa" DVD movie
• Storybooks

Congratulations Leslie!

Katie and I spent the day at Tim and Susan's place yesterday. It was great seeing Liz, Nolan, Maddie and finally meeting Jake. Katie and Maddie seem to hit it off the bat. They ran around the yard and played. I just hope Katie didn't teach Maddie too many bad things like throwing her tenny shoes in the pond. Ha! Ha! I have to back up. Leslie was Katie's buddy most of the day. Leslie took Katie up to the pond, while Liz was trying to get Maddie and Jake to take a nap. It wasn't long before Leslie brought Katie in the house and told me about her throwing her tenny shoes in the pond. Ugh! Sue said she saw the whole thing. That Katie was standing very quiet by the pond and looked like she was thinking "hmm! I wonder what I could do?" All of the sudden, she pulled off her shoes. She threw the first shoe in the pond and before Susan could get it out "STOP!" She threw the other shoe in as well, but a little further than the first shoe. Poor Leslie had to go fish the shoes out. Yuck!

Jon found Katie's mini bubble blower and the girls went crazy catching bubbles. Little Jake looked like he wanted in the middle of all the fun. So, I traded off Jake to Susan and I took pictures of everyone having fun. They played with bubbles until Jon ran out of solution. Leslie tried to make some more, but they didn't do as well. The girls were laughing and squealing after one another. Katie tried to teach Maddie how to play Ring-Around-the-Rosy, but I think Maddie was afraid Katie was going to hurt her, I believe. I have to tell you about these frogs, Tim and Susan have by their pond. Susan tells me that they are baby bull frogs, but they are as small or smaller than crickets. When you're walking along, you'll see them hoppy around. You have to really look to tell if they are frogs or not. On Memorial Day, Katie couldn't get over these frogs. She wouldn't touch them, just look at them. Yesterday, she loved holding the frogs. They would hop out of her hand and Leslie would have to find them and put them back in her hands. There are more pictures of our day and visit on our photosite.

While the babies took a nap together, Liz and I snuck off to the pond for some R & R. She and I grabbed a fishing pole and began to fish. Of course, we had to be taught how to cast the rods, so we wouldn't make a mess. Right off the bat, Liz caught her first fish and it wasn't long before I reeled in one as well. I thought I had the casting down, when I got a birds nest all in my reel. Ugh! My line was in the pond, but I had to pull out some more line to fix the mess I made. Right before I got it all fixed, Wade informed me that I had a fish. I looked down at my bobber and it was still there. I told Wade, "no I didn't. You're crazy!" My bobber had already made it's way to shore, so I decided to reel it up and re-cast. Well, I'll be! I did have a little Rock Bass on the other end. HA! Wade took him off my hook. I told the fish to grow up some more and threw him back in the pond. I told the guys that I'll never have that opportunity again. We stayed out there quite a while. Katie, Maddie and Jake woke up and by that time, Katie wanted me to take her to the potty. Yes! She didn't do anything, but at least she's going.

We all got ready for the Graduation at Susan and Tim's. Katie and I followed them to the school. We were not able to seat everyone of the family, but we were all pretty much together.

CONGRATULATIONS LESLIE!

We are all very proud of you!

Happy Birthday Alise!

I would like to wish Alise a very Happy 3rd Birthday! We love you and hope you had a wonderful birthday weekend.

Happy Memorial Day!

HAPPY MEMORIAL DAY!

I hope everyone had a wonderful Memorial Day weekend. It's been kind of a blur to me. As you may know Nicholas graduated yesterday. CONGRATS NICHOLAS! Doug and I were running late because we thought we could squeeze in a Walmart trip for later that day. Unexpectedly, Katie's Pull-Ups leaked and got her outfit soaking wet. Ugh! We were heading out the door to go to the Graduation too. I was so disappointed, but there was nothing I could do except get her cleaned up and changed. We got to the chapel a little before 2:00 and the ceremonies started at 2:00. The church was packed, but Wade was nice enough to let me take his seat. Isn't that so sweet? We all (9) squeezed together and got Wade to sit next to me. We were all either sitting sideways or up on the edge of the pew. I couldn't keep a straight face throughout the ceremonies because Dad, Wade and Sandy. They were so funny. After everyone sang the National Anthem, Dad pipes in "play ball." Oh my gosh, how funny. He said it loud, but hopefully not too loud because the only person that acted on it (laughing) was the guy sitting in front of Dad. The guy had to turn around to see who it was saying "play ball." I have to say, Katie was very good through the whole thing. She walked up and down the kneeling bench. She was picking on Jon, Susan, Dad and myself or we would pick on her. Then, she would get into her bag and get out some snacks. She had to show everyone her "Fancy Nancy" book, she got from Walmart. I guess the ceremonies lasted 1 1/2 hours. I thought that was good because I've been to one of these things and it be closer to 2-2 1/2 hours long. I was surprised. It was humid outside, so we didn't hang around too long after the graduation. Doug and I went back home and changed into some comfortable clothes before going to June and Pat's house for Nicholas' Graduation Party. Whitney told me to bring Katie's swimmingsuit. While getting Katie's swimmingsuit, I went ahead and grabbed her floaties that she didn't use last year. Oh my gosh! She loves the swimming pool. She stayed in it as long as the cousins were in it. Whitney really worked with her on swimming from the pool stairs to her. Her little feet were kicking away. I was so proud of her. She'd get my attention, "look Mom, watch me!" She'd kick those feet and most of the time go around in a circle, until Whitney got ahold of her. At one time, we caught her wanting to climb up the ladder of the slide. Apparently, when she couldn't go that way, she decided to get on the slide closer to the pool. She did! She climbed up on the slide and sled a little ways into the pool. Whitney just so happen to be right by the slide on the swallow end, to catch her. Yes, Katiebug went under water, but luckily Whitney caught her just in time. Katie had her floaties on, so she didn't go far under water. Shoo! According to the pictures, I see she did it again and again with the kids close by to catch her. Ugh! I think Nicholas had a nice party. We were so tired by the time we got back home.

Today, we grilled out some Ribeye Steaks on Millard's new grill. Yummy! Peggy made baked potatoes, salad, baked beans and apple pie for later. Yum! Henry was able to come over and eat with us. The rest of the afternoon, Millard, Henry and Doug kept their noses to their computers. Too funny! After we ate, I tried to get Katie to lay down and take a quick nap. Nope, it wasn't going to happen today. After getting relaxed, I had a hard time waking up. I suggested us going outside and walking around, instead of sitting there watching either TV or the guys with their computers. I tried to get Katie interested in making a clover necklace, but I couldn't remember for the life of me, how to make one. I tried tying knots and the clover stems would break off. Ugh! I sat there for a long time, but was only able to make a strand long enough for a ring. What a disappointment! Later, as I was telling Susan and Sandy about my necklace inabilities, Sue reminded me to make slits in the stem. Okay, I'll try that next time.

At 3:30, we headed over to Susan and Tim's house for Leslie's Graduation Party. On the way over there, we got to see the Mule Deer again. The bucks were resting in the tall grass by the fence, next to the road. There were several because you could see their antlers sticking out. The large herd were either laying or standing around very close to the road and they were not afraid of the our car. I really wanted Katie to see them, but she fell asleep and missed out. Susan and Tim had smoked some chicken and grilled ribs. Everything was so good! A few of us were sitting by the pond, eating supper and talking. Susan told Leslie to show Katie the baby bull frogs. I couldn't understand fully what Susan was talking about. I've never seen baby bull frogs. Katie wouldn't touch the frogs. In fact, she was more comfortable if Leslie just held them and let her watch them. She finally brought one over for me to see. Oh my gosh! I've never seen such teeny tiny baby frogs before. They were about the size of a pencil eraser, if that big. After Katie had her fill with the frogs, Leslie baited her hook on a fishing pole and helped Katie catch a fish. Oh Katie was so excited that she got to reel in her first fish. She was amazed to see a big fish like that up close without any glass, but didn't want to touch it. I think Susan took a picture of her with her fish. Of course, she wouldn't look at the camera. Boy, after her and Natalie put the fish in the basket, that's all she talked about while we were at the pond. I didn't fish, instead I sat down by Sandy and watched her and Leslie fish. I was a little concerned about sitting down on the ground because there were tiny little bull frogs jumping all over the ground like crickets. I've never seen such! I was afraid I was either going to squish one or it would jump up in my shorts. It wasn't long before the rains rolled in and was set for the rest of the day. We moved our party out to the garage. I got tickled at Katie because she would inch her way outside and get wet. Leslie and her finally did the rain dance, which lasted maybe a couple of minutes. Oh, she loved that and wanted to do it again. When the rains stopped for a little bit, I let her go out and play in the puddles. She was having a ball. When she was ready to wash her hands, Leslie took her inside for a tubby. She got to bathe with Leslie's special bubble bath and Leslie had fun playing with Katie's hair. If there was some way to get Katie home tomorrow, I think Leslie would have wanted Katie to spend the night tonight. We just couldn't get it to work out. Katie was wore out by the time we got home around 9:00, but we had a great weekend.

Dad told me tonight that Mom's appetite seems to improve daily. She still has a feeding tube, but they are planning to take it out for a few days to see if she will eat good without it. She is getting bored and can't wait to get out of that bed. I believe, they are planning to get her out of the bed tomorrow and see if she will be able to start eating in the Dining Hall. They are having to take baby steps with her recovery. Thank you for the many prayers and please continue.

Alise, I hope you had a wonderful birthday party!

Laura - post lots of pictures

I was able to do a little house cleaning today. Wow, what a mess! Our house is back in somewhat of an order. I dug inside the house, while Doug did all of the outside work. We were both wore out by 2:30 this evening. I made up some Ham and Cheese sandwiches for a late lunch and we all took a nap.

Katie had to wear her new Bee dress, she got from Alise. She saw her Daddy outside working and she wanted to go help him. She got her shoes on and started outside, but Doug told me not to let her out. She was so upset that she couldn't because He was spraying for bugs and spiders around the house. Right now, we have a spider problem. Are you having spider problems where you live? It scares me. We apparently have a mosquito problem as well because Katie got ate up this week, while we were working out in the yard. I didn't notice them, but we found bites all over Katie's arms and legs. I guess it's just the beginning - welcome Summer. After Katie's nap, she insisted on changing dresses. She's been begging to wear her birthday dress, yellow eyelet dress. She calls it her Belle dress, like from "The Beauty and The Beast." Well, I caved and let her wear it until it was time to eat supper because she wanted ketsup with her chicken nuggets. I had to pull her out from underneath her table in order to change her clothes. She didn't make it easy on me.

Our 3-in-1 printer died on Doug last night, while he was trying to work on his homework. He was getting aggravated with it, so he just turned everything off and tried again today. It's bad when he has to come to me and ask me to look into it. It kept saying there was a paper jam, but there really wasn't. I got the flashlight and looked all in it, but nothing. We tried restarting it and continued selecting "enter." We feel it died, but it's been a great printer. I know I've really used the heck out of it for some ten odd years. I'm just glad it decided to die after Doug's birthday party. Shoo! God was watching over me. Doug went to town tonight to get a new one. He saw where OfficeMax had their 3- in-1 printers on sale for $50 something. I told him that was a good buy because the other one, I believe, we paid close to $100. It's amazing how electronics is more reasonable now then what they cost years ago. Don't get me wrong, I'm glad.

Wade's Flight Came In

Whitney and Natalie came over and picked up Katie for me this morning. Katie didn't wake up in the best of moods this morning, so I was kind of concerned if she would be good for Whitney and Natalie. I let her run around in her PJs, while I got ready for the day. Today was the first day to play with my new hair style, so I had a little bit of a difficult time. I did the best I could and finally left it alone. I was so aggravated because I dropped my hot spray into the floor. When I picked it up and tried to spray some on my hair, it wouldn't spray. Ugh! I must have broke the nozzle some how. I worked and worked with it before I finally gave up. I don't know what to do now. I guess I could try to see if Theresa might have an empty bottle that I could use the nozzle. I don't know. By the time Whitney and Natalie drove up, Katie was beginning to get really woke up and ready for the day. She was wound up and ready to go hang out with Whitney and Natalie. She was too cute! I forgot to give Whitney Katie's butt paste, in case she was to have diarrhea. I debated on if she would really need it or not. I knew if she did have diarrhea and a butt rash from it, I would feel terrible. I didn't have time to stop and eat at home, so I fixed a sandwich for the road.

Sandy and I went to the airport to pick up Wade. On the way to the airport, we stopped by Maryann and Kevin's to give Whitney the butt paste. The workers were there working on their Kitchen and Katie was right in the middle. Whitney and Natalie said she couldn't get over what they were doing. In fact, she would strike up a conversation with all of them. She'd come up to them and say "hey" or ask "what are you doin'?" Whitney said she even helped open the door for them as they were going in and out. The girls were amazed how Katie would sit by the workers and start talking to them. Too funny! What can I say? She's my little social butterfly.

We got to the airport without any problems and had a few minutes to spare. Sandy was pretty hungry and I needed something to drink. We found a "Golden Rule BBQ" inside the terminal. Sandy ordered fried green tomatoes, while I just got a coke with ice. We sat by the window and watched planes coming in. I was sort of amazed that there were not that many planes flying in and out today, with it being a holiday weekend and Friday. I guess with the price of gas, not every one can afford to fly places during the holiday. Wade's plane was a little late coming in, but got there safe and sound nonetheless. Sandy was so glad to see him. They have such a wonderful bond. I hope Doug and I have that type of bond after 30 years of marriage. It was good to hear Wadie's snort! I get tickled every time I hear it.

Wade felt up to seeing Mom at the Nursing Home, so we headed that way from the airport. Mom was having a bad day today. Sandy seems to think it was from all the excitement yesterday. If you didn't know, Mom and Sandy road in a stripped down ambulance working as just a transporter from B'ham to the Nursing Home. Well, the transport driver got lost on the back roads, instead of taking the interstate. Dumb idea! Sandy told me today that they ended up far East of the Nursing Home in the other county. They were taking that ambulance vehicle down pot hole infested country roads. Mom told me that she just knew, they lost a wheel at one or two of the pot holes. It was a funny story to hear about today, but I'm sure it was horrible to go through. This morning, the nurse told Dad that Mom's blood pressure was extremely high. They called Dr. King and he prescribed some meds for it. Luckily, it went down a little later this morning. Mom told us today that she kept having nightmares about their ambulance adventure all night last night. Whitney, Natalie, Katie, Susan and Dad were there as well visiting Mom. Poor Whitney. She told me that she changed Katie before they left the house to come visit Mom. They forgot to bring Katie's bag. Well, they didn't think that they would need it because they wouldn't be gone that long. Whitney said no sooner did they get to the Nursing Home, Katie pooped in her pull-up. Ha! Ha! Natalie was going on about how bad it smelled. Katie was out in the gardens with Sandy, so I didn't see her. It didn't take long after Katie came into the room, I smelled the stinky pull-up. "Oh Katie, what did you do?" I asked her. She just grinned and giggled. I asked her why didn't she go to the potty? We were all going on about how bad she smelled. Mom seemed very tired and she kept complaining about her stomach hurting. I found out later that they gave her liquid that was a little thicker than what she was use to in her feeding tube. Ryan said that they probably gave her a little too much and she got a stomach ache from it.

Sandy, Wade and Dad wanted to go to Ryan's to eat supper. So, Wade loaded his stuff up in Dad's truck and they left. I went on to Maryann and Kevin's house to visit and pick up Katie. When I got there, Maryann, Ryan and Kacy were looking through some pictures on Ryan's computer. It wasn't long before Whitney, Natalie, Katie and Susan got there. I got to see Maryann and Kevin's new floors and cabinets. Very nice! I thought they had tile put in, but it was really some kind of wood flooring. Susan and I both really liked it.

I guess it was after 6:00 before we got home. Doug was already home updating our TV computer. I've been hungry for a breakfast supper. So, I baked some biscuits, fried a few strips of bacon and scrambled some eggs. It was good! After supper, I fell asleep for a few minutes. Doug was in the computer room taking a test. So by the time, he got back into the Living Room, I put in "National Treasure 2" for us to watch. Doug was getting too tired to watch all of it, so we had to turn it off for the day.

Schedule this week

• Tomorrow, I plan to clean the house. I don't know what Doug's got planned for tomorrow, but our yard really needs mowed. I hope he is able to cut grass because we are not going to have time this next week.
• Sunday is Nicholas' Graduation and a party soon after at June and Pat's house.
• Monday, we are planning to grill out at Millard and Peggy's to celebrate Memorial Day. As you know, I bought some steaks for us to eat that day. Later, we plan to go to Susan and Tim's house for a Graduation Supper Celebration for Leslie. Leslie's Graduation is on a Thursday night, so she's not really able to have a party that night.
• Wednesday, Liz, Nolan and the kids fly in from out West. They will be staying with Susan and Tim for a couple of days. Their flight is coming in late that day, so I won't be able to go visit them that day. I'm still working out a plan to visit them on Thursday before the Graduation, but I don't think it's going to happen.
• Thursday is Leslie's Graduation at 8:00 and Doug has to work that day. If I go out there early Thursday morning, I'm going to have to come home to get ready and pick up Doug. The cost of fuel makes that idea nearly impossible. The drive between our house and Sue's is approximately an hour. It's too far to drive back and forth. Ugh!
• Friday, I believe, Liz, Nolan, Susan, Wade and the children are planning to come back to June and Pat's. They will all have to leave by the first of June. So, I'm hoping to get at least two days of visiting in before they have to leave.

Hope you have a great Memorial Day weekend!

Gettin' Things Done

Millard and Peggy came by this afternoon to pick up Katie for the day. My brain went into overload of all the errands I needed to run. What a perfect opportunity!

When they left with Katie, I went to June's to drop off a few things for both her and Sandy. June is throwing Nicholas a Graduation party on Sunday night. She wanted to borrow a few things I had for the party. I wanted to help Liz and Nolan with a few baby things, so they wouldn't have to pack so much on the plane. It's not much just a portable high chair, monitor, disposable bibs and toys for the Maddie and Jake. Monday, I'll get the Pack and Play from Millard and Peggy to take to Sandy. Hopefully, they will be set by the time they get here.

I couldn't really visit with Dad and June because I had to stop by The Movie Gallery to return Doug's movie. He rented the newest "Die Hard" movie with Bruce Willis. I never was a big "Die Hard" fan, but this movie was pretty good. Anyway, I had to get it back before my 2:00 hair appointment. Yes, I said HAIR appointment.

I've been growing out my hair out for the past 6 months in hopes of a new style. It was getting a little unbearable when I finally decided it was time to shape it up and color this gray. Yuck! Oh, I've got to tell you. As soon as I walked into the shop, I could smell the solution for either color or perm. Right away, it cut my air off. I was sucking on a piece of peppermint, but it wasn't phasing it. My eyes teared up and I started coughing. Honestly, I couldn't stop coughing! I had to leave the building and go back to my truck to catch my breath. Luckily, I had a cup of apple juice in the truck to sip on and try to control myself. I didn't know what I was going to do, if I couldn't take the smell without coughing. I bought a coke from the outside vending machine and explained to Theresa what was going on. We took frequent breaks, so I could get a drink and cough. I like new hairstyle, but wow do I look different. Of course, Doug said he couldn't tell, but I sure can. Theresa really thinned it out where it won't be so heavy and sticking to my head. I have a feeling though that my hair is going to stick to my head regardless. That's just the way my hair does. I told Theresa that I finally bought a flat iron this week to help shape my hair a little and she told me about spraying on this stuff by Kenra to prevent from the flat iron frying my hair. I didn't know that a flat iron could be that damaging. She said it won't, if you don't use it a lot. I went ahead and got me some of that stuff because I will probably use it a lot and I don't want to damage my hair. Today was the first time I've used a flat iron ever. I think I like it much better than a curling iron. I had to do something because I have no more curl in my hair and when I would try to slightly curl some of it under or flip it out, it would be too extreme.

Mom was finally released from the hospital this afternoon and was transferred by ambulance to a local Nursing Home. After I got my hair cut, I headed to the Nursing Home to visit her. Because I've been so sick with allergies and sinus junk, I haven't been able to see Mom in over a week. I've missed her so much and it was so good to see how well she's been doing. Sure, my sisters and Dad have kept me up-to-date on her recovery, but it's not the same as when you see her for yourself. She seems happy to be closer to home. I checked out the facility as I was walking to her room and it seemed very nice. Every staff member that I ran into or met was very friendly and everyone had a smile on their face. It didn't smell like a hospital or medicine, so that was good. When you look out the window there are some beautiful gardens with water fountains, veggie gardens, gazebo, swings and bird feeders. I've heard nothing but nice things about this place and I think Mom will be happy here. I really like that there is no restricted visitation time. I didn't stay long because she was so tired from the ride. I guess I visited with her approximately 30-40 minutes before leaving. June told me this morning that this place is in connection with a preschool, where once a week (I believe) the children come over and visit with the elderly. I think that's the best therapy. Pets and children are very welcome and you could go outside into one of the gardens and visit. Mom can't wait to see April, her little dog. She hasn't seen April for weeks, so I know that will be good therapy for her. She will be undergoing some physical therapy while she's there. I'm kind of glad about that and she's seems excited about wanting to walk again. She was trying to feed herself while I was there. She did pretty good, but still had some problems judging where her mouth was located. It's just going to take time.

On the way to the Nursing Home, I stopped by some friends of ours, Mike and Sheila's store. I've had this baby shower gift for their daughter for months and I never could either find the time to take it over or too tired. Of course, I didn't make the baby shower. Well, the baby is two months old and I finally decide to take the gift to her. Ugh! We got baby Reese one of those light up car mirrors that play music. We couldn't live without one when Katie was an infant. It helps out so much, especially when we drove at night because she was scared of the dark. Now, I've got to get Mike and Sheila's son a baby shower gift. They've already had the shower, but the baby hasn't come yet. I don't remember how long they've got before the baby gets here. If you seem a little confused about Mike and Sheila and the grandbabies. Yes, their daughter, Misty, just gave birth to a baby girl, Reese. Their son, Rusty, and his wife are expecting a baby boy. Isn't that great? When I got to the store, Mike was on the phone talking business, so I got to visit with Misty. Oh my gosh the pictures of Reese are all over that office. Too funny! I didn't get to see the baby because Sheila took the baby with her to the house for the day. Mike was a typical proud granddad, beaming with joy.

When I left the Nursing Home, I stopped off at the grocery store to grab a couple more Ribeye Steaks for Memorial Day. Warehouse Discount Grocery have a pretty good sale going on right now $5.98 lb. Normally, Ribeyes run around $9-$10 lb. I've been so hungry for a good juicy steak in quite sometime. Ribeyes are my favorite, so Monday will be a treat. We are planning to spend most of Memorial Day with Peggy and Millard. I'm thinking that maybe Katie needs to make some chocolate chip cookies for dessert. I'll have to think about it.

I started on my way home from the grocery store, when I began to wonder if maybe Maryann was home. I knew Ryan and Kacy Rae were coming in today from SC. I've never met Kacy and was excited to finally met the love of my nephew's life. Sure enough, they were all home. I couldn't stay long because of the food, but I had to stop by and say hi before going home. Ryan was right there to give me a hug. He always gives the best hugs. He's so tall and long armed that it just wraps right around you like a good bear hug. Poor Kacy looked like she was scared to death. Bless her heart, I remember meeting Doug's family for the first time. You are sweating to death and afraid to say anything for fear you might offend someone. She was standing not saying much and smiling. I didn't want to seem obvious that I wanted to met her, so I took my time getting to her. I chit chatted with Ryan for a little bit. I made it over to Whitney and Natalie. I had to ask their opinion about my hair - too late to change it if they didn't like it. I expect them to tell me the truth. Whitney and Natalie went on about it like they liked it. They did say it was going to take some getting use to seeing me with such straight hair. I had to agree with them, but I think I might like it. Poor Ryan had to tear me away from Whit and Nat to introduce me to Kacy. You know us girls, we never get tired of talking about hair styles, men and clothes. Kacy seemed very nice and so pretty. I am jealous though, she is so teeny tiny. I bet when Ryan gives her one of his good bear hugs, she disappears because she's that petite.

By the time I put up the food and checked on Katie, Doug drove up in the driveway. I thought about making breakfast for supper, but he wanted Sweet Peppers Deli. Lately, he's been addicted to their chef salads. I tried a different sandwich called BBC. It's Roast Beef, Bacon and melted Cheddar Cheese on a whole wheat hoagie bun. It was pretty good, but I love their Chicken Salad on Greens. Yummy!

Our local National Guard troops came home today from serving a little over year in Iraq. The town had a big parade type welcome home. I didn't see the parade, but Theresa told me it was impressive. I guess it was impressive because it made the news tonight.

I was so relieved to get all of these things accomplished in one day. Thank you again Peggy. I sure do appreciate all you have done for us.

My brother-in-law, Wade, flies in tomorrow. Sandy and I are going to go pick him up from the airport. It will be good to see Wadie. He is such a sweetheart and I know Sandy misses him so much. Whitney is such an angel for agreeing to watch Katie for me.

Congrats David Cook!

American Idol

You talk about a shock! I just knew they were going to announce that David Archuleta won the American Idol tonight. I was so hoping David Cook would get it because of his whole story. Wow! I couldn't believe my ears. If I'm not mistaken, they said he won by approximately 12 million votes. Is that right? I was too busy thinking, if my ears were hearing this correctly. Nonetheless, I wasn't listening to Ryan Seacrest very well.

Dancing With The Stars
We TiVo'd Dancing with the Stars and my predictions came true. I knew several weeks ago that Christie would win and sure enough, she did. She may not have had past experience dancing, but with her skating career, she had some advantage in winning this competition. I've heard throughout this whole competition that she shouldn't have been in this contest because she was much more qualified than the other competitors. I do have to say, her and her partner did an outstanding job on the dance floor.

Mom Update
Sandy said Dr. King is still planning on releasing Mom tomorrow. She will be transported to a Nursing Home close by. He doesn't feel that she is physically ready to go back into a Rehabilitation Center, instead she needs to be some where that they can monitor her and take care of her needs until she is able to get enough strength to use a walker. Dr. King assures Mom this is a temporary thing until her strength returns. She seems pleased with the decision. Yes, she would much rather be in her own home, but she knows that she needs assistance. Sandy said today, Mom insisted on feeding herself and doing more things for herself. I was surprised when Sandy told me that Mom was reaching for the side rail and turning her own self from side to side. Also, the nurses have cut back on the feeding tube nutrients. They want Mom to get a sense of hunger, so she'll start wanting food again.

Prayer Request
As you may know, Little Jake has this re-occurring abscess on his bottom. The doctors that Liz has taken him to haven't seen anything like it - coming back so many times. The doctor drained it once again, but advised that he see a doctor in Denver. I'm not going into detail for fear I might have some information wrong. Too much going on to remember the whole layout of the events. Liz is beside herself with all that's going on (my Mother's health and her Mom in AL)and now Jake's health. I ask you to please remember Jake and his family in your thoughts and prayers. I'm sure this has to be so scary for Liz and Nolan. They are having to be strong for Maddie and Jake, which makes it even that much harder.

I spoke to my neighbor, Evelyn, last night and now that all of her company has gone, she is having a little bit of a difficult time coping with the lose of her husband, Charles. She says, she tries to stay busy because it keeps her mind occupied. Every once in a while, things will pop in her head and she thinks about Charles. I've always heard that it's harder on the loved ones when all the company is gone and reality sinks in. I ask that you please remember her as well in your thoughts and prayers.

Katie's Little Mind
Katie's little mind amazes me every day, the little things she can remember. Tonight for example as I was tucking her into bed, she told me "Nite-nite, sleep tight, Mommy." I told her "don't let the bed bugs bite." Out of the blue she said, "hit shoe." This continues the saying "if you do then hit 'em with a shoe." My daughter is so smart! She told me again yesterday that she's not getting the lotion because she be in time out and won't get to watch her TV. Is this not funny or what? When did the lotion incident happen? I know several days have passed and she's still bringing it up.

You know how kids go off and talk to themselves while they are playing. Well, I hear her talking with Cinderella the other day. She was giving her the right act. I don't know what Cinderella did, but Katie told her if she didn't stop then she was going to be in time out. I love time out and taking things away, when she acts bad. Hey, it works with me! I had to rack the gravels back into the driveway from the road. Katie thought she would get in the road. Here I am telling, yelling and begging for her to get back in the driveway. As soon as I mention time out, she straightened up and got back in the driveway. She told me that she didn't want to be in time out. I love it!

Tomorrow, Millard and Peggy are picking up Katie for the day. I've got to get caught up on some laundry and house cleaning before I go to my hair appointment. Yes, I'm finally getting my hair trimmed and colored. It needs it so bad! I have tons of gray that needs attention. I would also like to get back into my yard. I racked a little bit of died grass out of the front yard. Doug and I also hammered a few fertilizer steaks around our azaleas in the back yard. I really hope they hang in there because it will be the start of slowly remodeling the back yard. It's a disaster area! I found the hose and the roller upper thing that the hose goes on. Doug told me, we could fasten it back to the facet in the back yard. Okay, no problem. Except the hose and the roller upper have been chewed on a little. I'm guessing when Dexter and Shae were younger they teethed on these things. Ugh! I guess I'll have get new for the back of the house.

By the way, I went to Walmart and got the new "National Treasure Book of Secrets" and I love it. It's just as good as the first one. I recommend it to anyone who likes action/adventure movies. I guess I like them so much because they remind me of the "Indiana Jones" movies.