Bama Listed As One of "America's Fastest-Growing Metros

According to Yahoo's news the state of Alabama makes the list as one of "America's Fastest-Growing Metros. GO BAMA!

Brian Wingfield and William Pentland, Forbes.com
Jan. 30, 2008
It's no secret that the Southeast and Western United States are booming. The costs of living and doing business there are often cheaper there than in big coastal cities. But where and how much those cities are thriving might surprise you.

Take Alabama. The state has some of the fastest growing metro areas in the country, including Mobile, which is projected to have the greatest change in "gross metropolitan product (GMP)," 34% between 2007-2012, according to research forecasts done for us by Moody's Economy.com.

One boon to Alabama is ThyssenKrupp's announcement last year to build a $3.7 billion steel plant in Mobile. And Huntsville--expected GMP growth 15% by 2012--has long been a hub for defense and space research. Since the mid-1990s, Alabama has also become a manufacturing center for automakers like DaimlerChrysler, Toyota and Hyundai.

"The automotive industry has been Alabama's real growth industry in the last 15 years," says Brian Hilson, president and CEO of Huntsville's chamber of commerce.

Roll Tide!

Katie wanted me to take a picture of her wearing her new cheerleader outfit that her Daddy bought for her. As an added touch, she wanted her duck backpack on that her Aunt Sandy & Uncle Wade got her for Christmas. Sandy - as you can see, she absolutely loves this backpack. I tried packing it away, but she loves to fill it full of her stuff and tote it around. She'll come hunting me down and ask me to put her backpack on. The black sequins ballet shoes came from Mom and Dad as a Christmas gift. Right now, they are her favorite shoes. You have to notice that she doesn't wear socks with her shoes. She calls them her "Dorothy" shoes as in "The Wizard of Oz" Dorothy. She looks like a little college student with her flip cell phone, which is really hers. I have more pictures on the photosite for you to see.

CPSC Recall List as of January 31st

1. Kids II Inc. Recalls Crib Toys Due to Choking Hazard. http://www.cpsc.gov/cpscpub/prerel/prhtml08/08176.html
2. Girls' Hooded Jackets with Drawstrings Sold Exclusively at Marshalls Stores Recalled by Apollo Jeans Due to Strangulation Hazard. http://www.cpsc.gov/cpscpub/prerel/prhtml08/08177.html
3. Baby Sterling Silver Teethers Recalled by Elegant Baby Due to Choking Hazard. http://www.cpsc.gov/cpscpub/prerel/prhtml08/08178.html

Alright a lot of grown men have just said to themselves, "that's my little man!" as soon as they saw Jake's t-shirt. If you can't tell what it says, it's "Hooters Girls Love Me." He is such a cutie!

Mom's Tablemate TV Trays and storage rack arrived this afternoon. I debated on if I should wrap it up or go ahead, load it up and take it over there as soon as possible. Katie and I rushed around, packed up the truck and took the trays over to Mom and Dad's house. I figured the sooner she got it, the sooner she could use it. I dragged that big box into Mom and Dad's house and they couldn't get over what I was doing. I told Mom "Happy Birthday" from all of us kids. Dad saw what it was and I think he was more excited in getting the trays then Mom. It didn't take long before Dad dug in and we began assembling the trays and storage rack. Of course, Katie was right in the middle of everything. She is such good help! From the way they acted, they really like the Tablemate trays and storage rack. We did good girls!!

This morning, Mom sounded great on the phone and in a good spirit. By this evening, she was wiped out. She said the Physical Therapist came by and wore her out, walking her around and doing exercises. Plus, she got a few visitors this afternoon as well. She seemed very weak and tired by the time I got over there. After Dad and I finished assembling the trays & rack, Mom's Occupational Therapist came over and tried to get her to do more exercises. I don't know why they had all this therapy done in one day. She was too tired from the PT that she couldn't do anything for the OT. Go figure! I was a little disappointed at her because she wanted to get up on the edge of the chair. I asked her if she wanted to stand up for a little while and she agreed. We got the walker in front of her and Dad put the belt around her waist and she wouldn't stand up right. At one time she told me that she was afraid she was going to fall. What? I reassured her that we had a hold of her and she wasn't going to fall. For some reason, she would not stand up. I asked her what was the matter, why couldn't she stand up. She kept saying, she was trying. Finally, she wanted to sit because she was too tired. I don't know where this was coming from because she never was afraid in the past.

The Lastest News!

Pictured are Elk shot by Wade & a buddy. Congratulations Wade! They are pretty.

I got out some videos from last Easter and oh my gosh, I can't get over how little Katie was. She seems to like looking at herself and she knows that it's her. I finished up the disc from the Snow Day. We watched it as well and Katie wanted to see more. My baby girl is growing up so fast!

Aunt Sherry asked me to measure her when she is 2 1/2 years old and then double it to see how tall she will be when she reaches adulthood. Well, she's 2' 11 1/2" tall. According to my figures, this means she's expected to grow to 5' 11". You'll have to double check my figures and let me know if I'm right. I weighed her last week and she was a whopping 31 lbs. I think she is going through a growth spurt because she could not get enough to eat. I believe she's ate more today than she has eaten in a long time. For breakfast, she had several grapes & strawberries on top of two pancakes. For lunch, she had 6 chicken nuggests with a couple of chips. For supper, she wanted more pancakes. She ate two pancakes and peanut butter crackers.

I checked on Mom this morning. Yesterday, the doctor suggested she sleep on the right side of the bed and see if she'll have pain getting out of bed. Unfortunately, she still had pain getting out of bed. Ugh!! I was so hoping, she wouldn't have pain this time. Dad said she was sick again because breakfast.

eBay News!


Well, all 27 of my auctions have ended. Wow! What a trip? Because I put on my description that I would ship the items next day, I had to get on the ball this morning. Eight people have been nice enough to pay immediately after the auction was over. Beings this was the first time I've ever sold clothing off of eBay, I had to do my homework. I spent most of the morning trying to figure out how to combine shipping cost and fill out the USPS shipping forms. I hope I got everything filled out correctly. I guess we'll find out soon. Since I got six buyers packages ready by 11:45 a.m., I decided to just drop them off at a local USPS drop off. The other two I got ready tonight and was able to schedule a carrier pickup for tomorrow.

Things I've learned:

• Don't stay up all hours of the night, just because I have the opportunity to get the items listed without interruptions. I didn't realize if I listed an item at 3:00 a.m. that the auction would end at 3:00 a.m. 7 days later.
• Don't list so many items at one time. Wow! I got a little overwhelmed late last night and early this morning. Shoo!

I think I did alright with the auctions. I sold 25 items out of 27. Now, the real test will be if all the buyers will keep to their commitment. I've sent out all invoices to remind them to please pay, so I can ship out their clothes.

If you're thinking about selling on eBay, right now is the time to do it. I got a notice last night that they have temporarily lowering their fees for sellers until February 25th (I think that's the right date). I'm preparing another auction soon. I'll let you know.

Phanfare News!

I got an email message from Phanfare, our photosite. In order to tighten up security, they are expecting to upgrade our photosite any time from now to the 15th of February. While they are upgrading, I won't be able to have access to my account. I will be notified when the upgrade is complete. Along with this upgrade comes changes to sharing of photos. The new Phanfare will not have completely open sites to the public. Only my invited viewers will be able to connect with my photo albums. Be watching in the future for my invitation! If you accept my invitation, Phanfare will walk you through and assign you your own login (your email address) & password to access our site. Plus, you can create your own albums to share with me, if you desire at no cost to you.

Potty Training Woos!

Doug and I are about at the end of our rope when it comes to Katie and Potty Training. Okay, we have followed EVERY ONES advice about the technique of a successful potty training. It is clear to us that either Katie is strong headed about wearing diapers for the rest of her life or there is something physically wrong with her. I told Doug tonight that I was at the point to where I'm convinced there is something wrong with her and need to take her to the doctor. Thinking that since she was now 2 1/2 years old, it would be a good time to try once again the potty training. We've got cloth panties & vinyl panties, to put on top of the cloth panties. We've got the Pull Ups during bed/nap time. I've got a travel potty & folding potty on it's way to us at any time. We've got gummies and M&Ms for rewards. We're going to the potty every 1/2 hour to an hour and sit on the potty for 2 minutes or longer. NOTHING! As soon as she gets off the pot, 5-10 minutes will pass and I'll hear her say, "oops, sorry Mommy." UGH!!!! I'll ask her every 5 minutes in between the 1/2 hour to an hour potty break, if she needs to go potty. Every time she'll say, "no." One time, I asked her and she said no, I thought it would be good to go ahead and have her sit on the potty any way. I pulled down her pants and they were soaking wet. No telling how long she had been going around with wet panties. UGH!!! So I don't think June's method will work with her. June said she broke Nicholas because she wouldn't change his pants right away. I have a feeling Katie doesn't care! On top of all of this, I think Katie is going through a little PMS. She didn't want to mind me or her Daddy, she whined most of the day (especially if she didn't get her way), and she pushed every button I had. After pulling most of my hair out, this Momma had enough. I gave her a tubby, brushed her teeth, she said her prayers, read her book and put her to bed at 8:30. I can't remember the last time, she went to bed that early. I can't tell you if she actually went to bed, but she's quiet and has left me alone for the past 15 minutes. Of course, she has tried to ease her way in bed with me, but not tonight. I do believe the potty training is going to be one of the toughest challenges yet to come. After tonight, it's obvious that she's not ready. I really wanted to keep going with this none stop, but I don't want to get us both so mad and frustrated to where I think I'm going to loose my mind. I'm going to have to go with the advice of waiting until she's ready. If she's not ready by the time she's 3, I'm having tests run and that's no joke. Doug and I have jokingly talked about Katie going out on dates wearing diapers and how she had better find a good understanding husband to change her diapers. Doug said it was a good thing because that means she'll always be here with us.

I can be a good Mom. I thought how neat it would be to have Katie's Princess tent over her bed. I measured the tent and her bed and it fit perfectly. I got it all fixed up and Katie was all smiles when she saw it. Now, I can move around in her room without having to squeeze around the tent.

Katie's New Princess Tent

Millard and Peggy wanted to take us out to eat for my birthday supper. We went to Logan's Roadhouse. Doug and I got their Chicken Salad, while Millard and Peggy got the hamburger steak. We ordered Katie Chicken Tenders and fries, but she was so full of peanuts and yeast rolls that she didn't eat much. Afterwards, we headed to Target. I was on a mission. With Mom being home, she's not able to eat very well off the wooden TV Trays that she has right now. Us girls have decided to get her a set of 4 Tablemate trays for her birthday. I saw online that Target and WalMart both sell them, but later I found out that it is online only. Ugh! Target was having a huge clearance sale in the toy/outdoor section. I found the above tent on sale for $24.95. It is regular $49.99. I was so tickled to get it because the Dora Tent Katie got for her birthday has just about bit the dust. She has really played with it. It's got four holes worn in it. It's so bad that I can't kept the poles in it to keep it stable. The tent was small enough to where she could waller around in it. This tent however is very big and hopefully too big that she won't be able to waller around in it. She was so excited about her tent that I had to reassure her inside the store that we were going to get it. Laura - we found the bath time Mermaid. I was going to go ahead, cave in and get Katie a Balleria Barbie when Doug pointed out the bath time Mermaids. I gave her a choice and she wanted the Mermaid. She loves it! She couldn't believe that she could take a bath with Mermaid. After I washed her hair, I just let her play and play in the tub with Mermaid. What an imagination she has? Doug and I could hear her talking from the Living Room. She had a good time. Of course, Mermaid gets the royal treatment. She wasn't to be put in with the rest of the tub toys. Oh no! She had to have her hair dried by the hair dryer, like Katie. She had to get ready for bed, like Katie and she had to sleep with Katie. After tub time, Katie insisted that I get out the Princess tent. I figured it would be big, I just didn't know how big. With the Christmas tree still up, I couldn't get it to fit in the Living Room. I folded it back up and we headed for Katie's bedroom. As you can tell from the pictures, it's BIG! On the box, it says a little over 5 feet tall. I don't know how wide it is, but you can barely get through to the other side of the room. Katie wanted to spend the night in her tent. I put down several of her blankets, for padding. Got out her sleeping bag, pillow and blankets to cover her up. She acted a little scared to stay in there all night, so I got all of her stuffed animals and piled them in her tent with her. I assured her that her animal friends would be with her and protect her all night. Would you believe, she didn't get up any more? She went right to sleep. When I opened her door this morning to check on her, she was in her tent playing with Mermaid. She said she liked sleeping in her tent, but she didn't want to spend the night in it again tonight. I might keep it up for a couple of days, then put it up for a while. I have more pictures of the tent on our photosite.

I'm afraid Katie has been scarred with the whole Mom (Grandma Jerry) going to the hospital. Now, Katie says she's sick that she has a belly ache and she has to go to the hospital like Grandma Jerry. Don't ask because I don't know where she got this idea in her head. Who knows. She told me this twice today. I finally asked her tonight if her tummy hurt her. "Uh, huh." She confirmed. I don't know if she knows what she is talking about. She has ate a bunch of junk the past couple of days, so maybe she knows what she is talking about. I know she had a very soft bowel movement earlier and Doug said her boogies had a little blood in them. Since, I'm having Sinus trouble, I thought maybe she is too. She just can't get over the fact Grandma Jerry was in the hospital sick because she talks about a lot. I try to reassure her that Grandma is getting better and is home now. In fact, Katie has seen Mom a few times since the rehab clinic. I guess, she knows somethings not right with her.

Speaking of Mom, she has her good and bad days. Today is day two of bad days. She complains about her legs really hurting her. She had two episodes today where she had to get Dad to forcefully sit her up in bed, while she screamed and cried. She says once she's sitting up in bed and gathers her thoughts, the pain goes away. Yesterday, she only had one of these episodes. We, family, are concerned if this is normal. She has a doctor's appointment with the Neurosurgeon Tuesday afternoon, so maybe he can look at it. If he seems concerned enough, hopefully, he'll schedule another MRI and make sure there is no more disk pieces come loose. I think both Mom and Dad are scared, along with the rest of the family, about another disk fragment loose in her spine. Mom told Dad that if it was another piece of disk to go ahead, take her in the back yard and shoot her. She doesn't feel she can make it through another surgery. I've heard of people going through several of these surgery from one ruptured disk. Yuck! I can't imagine. Doug, Katie and I visited her for a little bit this evening. She seems so weak. I don't know if it's from her heart being weak or from her not being able to eat much. For instance, tonight she was so hungry. When her supper was ready, she could only eat a couple of bites. She said she was full and couldn't eat anymore. I wrapped up the food and suggested that she might could eat a little more later. Mom has always loved to eat a bowl of ice cream before she goes to bed at night. I offered to get her some ice cream, but she refused. I asked if there was something she might would like to eat that I could pick up for her. Nope! Nothing. A few of us seem to be a little anxious for her to get her appetite back. I hope it comes back quickly because I'm afraid she's just going to waste away.

Tomorrow, I plan on cleaning, cleaning and more cleaning. I'm hoping Doug will be able to find time to get the Christmas boxes down from the attic. Have a great Monday and don't work too hard.

Like Mother, Like Daughter!

As most of you know, I was a huge Barbie doll fan growing up. I had tons of Barbie dolls and you never can have enough Barbie dolls and outfits. I remember playing with my dolls for hours. Well, I have passed the love for Barbie dolls down to Katiebug. She has been begging me for a Barbie now for weeks. Every time we go to Target or WalMart, I make a deal with her. She lets me shop and I let her look at the toys as a reward. Yesterday at WalMart, she kept telling me, as she was holding a Barbie doll, "I check out now Mom." This means she wanted to buy the doll. I told her no that we need to tell the Easter Bunny and see if he'll get it for her for Easter. "Okay." she said. She wanted to see this Barbie Bride and she told me "you tell Easter Bunny. Okay?" I was surprised, she put the doll back without throwing a fit. I felt so bad, but I knew I needed to stick to the plan. I've seen these miniature Barbie Doll sets, like the Disney Princesses. The thing I like about them is most of them come with two sets of outfits that you can mix and match. The best part about it is the outfits snap closed instead of you having to pull and tug on the doll. Katie's ripped off Belle & Mermaid's heads trying to take their outfits off. Sleeping Beauty & another Mermaid's hair is missing because she's tried taking off the outfits. The Miniature Barbies come in different models and run around $7 a set. I thought they would be perfect for our beach trip.

I visited with Mom and Dad a little yesterday. I think they liked the grilled pork chops, I took for supper. She had a small scare yesterday morning. She said she was having real bad pain in her back and couldn't get out of bed. Dad immediately got scared and thought she had another piece of disk come out. She asked him to sit her up. Having lots of pain, he did what she said. She said that once she sat there for a while, the pain began to go away slowly. She doesn't know what happened, but she didn't have the pain the rest of the day. At first, she was afraid to lay back down for awhile. Let's hope this doesn't happen again. She said the case worker & in-home nurse came by. The case worker did an evaluation on her, just to make sure she is the real deal. The nurse helped her with her therapy and she said it went real well. Laura - Mom got your Sunday School Class's card and she wanted me to thank you and your class for all the prayers. She appreciates every ones kindness and prayers towards her.

Katie spent the night with Millard and Peggy, while Doug and I went to the movies. We ended up watching "Untraceable" starring Diane Lane. I love a good "who did it." It was a good movie, but very graphic. I didn't care for how it ended. I think they could have come up with a better ending.

Those Born 1920-1979 . . .

I got the statement below from a good friend. Do you remember? It's amazing how I survived childhood. The email stated that this quote came from Jay Leno in his "Quote of the Month." I tried to do my research & couldn't find out who originated this "Quote of the Month" because according to Craig's List, Jay Leno did not. Therefore, I'm removing his name from the statement on my blog. I'm not a huge email forwarder, but I felt this was blog worthy.

Those born 1920-1979 READ TO THE BOTTOM FOR QUOTE OF THE MONTH

IF YOU DON'T READ ANYTHING ELSE---VERY WELL STATED TO ALL THE KIDS WHO SURVIVED the 1930's, 40's, 50's, 60's and 70's!!

First, we survived being born to mothers who smoked and/or drank while they were pregnant.

They took aspirin, ate blue cheese dressing, tuna from a can, and didn't get tested for diabetes.

Then after that trauma, we were put to sleep on our tummies in baby cribs covered with bright colored lead-based paints.

We had no childproof lids on medicine bottles, doors or cabinets and when we rode our bikes, we had no helmets, not to mention, the risks we took hitchhiking.

As infants & children, we would ride in cars with no car seats, booster seats, seat belts or air bags.

Riding in the back of a pick up on a warm day was always a special treat.

We drank water from the garden hose and NOT from a bottle. We shared one soft drink with four friends, from one bottle and NO ONE actually died from this.

We ate cupcakes, white bread and real butter and drank Kool-aid made with sugar, but we weren't overweight because, WE WERE ALWAYS OUTSIDE PLAYING!

We would leave home in the morning and play all day, as long as we were back when the streetlights came on. No one was able to reach us all day. And we were O.K.

We would spend hours building our go-carts out of scraps and then ride down the hill, only to find out we forgot the brakes After running into the bushes a few times, we learned to solve the problem.

We did not have Playstations, Nintendo's, X-boxes, no video games at all, no 150 channels on cable, no video movies or DVD's, no surround-sound or CD's, no cell phones, no personal computer! s, no Internet or chat rooms....... WE HAD FRIENDS and we went outside and found them!

We fell out of trees, got cut, broke bones and teeth and there were no lawsuits from these accidents.

We ate worms and mud pies made from dirt, and the worms did not live in us forever.

We were given BB guns for our 10th birthdays, made up games with sticks and tennis balls and, although we were told it would happen, we did not put out very many eyes.

We rode bikes or walked to a friend's house and knocked on the door or rang the bell, or just walked in and talked to them!

Little League had tryouts and not everyone made the team. Those who didn't had to learn to deal with disappointment. Imagine that!!

The idea of a parent bailing us out if we broke the law was unheard of. They actually sided with the law!

These generations have produced some of the best risk-takers, problem solvers and inventors ever! The past 50 years have been an explosion of innovation and new ideas.

We had freedom, failure, success and responsibility, and we learned HOW TO DEAL WITH IT ALL!

If YOU are one of them CONGRATULATIONS! You might want to share this with others who have had the luck to grow up as kids, before the lawyers and the government regulated so much of our lives for our own good.

While you are at it, forward it to your kids so they will know how brave (and lucky) their parents were.

Kind of makes you want to run through the house with scissors, doesn't it?!

With hurricanes, tornadoes, fires out of control, mud slides, flooding, severe thunderstorms tearing up the country from one end to another, and with the threat of bird flu and terrorist attacks, are we sure this is a good time to take God out of the Pledge of Allegiance?

Katie and I visited Mom this afternoon. She was so tired, but she looked great. I think she felt better because her hair was fixed nice & her makeup was on. When we first got there, she was in bed resting. She asked Dad to help her get up because she wanted to go in the Living Room to visit with us. This was the first time I've seen her walk since this whole ordeal. She did so well with the walker. By the time she got to her new wing back chair, she was out of breath. Bless her heart, she did so good. She was a little hungry, so I fixed her some soup. She ate a little of soup before her stomach became upset and her back was hurting. Mom insisted that Katie and I open up our Christmas presents from her and Dad. They got Katie a Barbie Cosmetic Set and a pair of Dorothy (Wizard of Oz) shoes. Doug and I got some well needed bath towels. The chair Dad bought Mom is real nice and Mom loves it. Katie really likes the ramp Dad built for Mom. He also made a nice coat rack to replace the coat tree. He did a real good job! We didn't stay very long.

On the way home, we stopped by KFC and picked up a bucket of chicken for supper. Doug and Katie were so nice to get me a supply of Bath and Body Works. Doug got me a Cherry Blossom gift set, a few soap dispensers, Enchanted Orchid lotion (new fragrance) and Katie got me a Moonlight Path gift set. I love it all! Doug's got us a babysitter for tomorrow. I don't know if we're going out to eat, but we are going to see a movie. I'm stuck between "Untraceable" and "27 Dresses."

Sue, Maryann & June were so nice to call me and wish me a happy birthday. I had a wonderful birthday.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ME!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ME!!!

I've already got a call from my sissy this morning to wish me a very happy birthday. It was so cute. I told Katie that it was Mommy's birthday and she acted all surprised. "It's your birthday, Mom?" she asked. "Yes, it is." I told her. "Happy birthday, Mom." she said. I told her thank you. She saw me looking for a clip art to put on my blog and she said, "I love your birthday Mom" and then she hugged me. Isn't that sweet? Then she went on and asked me if it was Daddy's birthday. "Nope, just Mommy's birthday." I answered. She asked, "is it my birthday?" as she was pointing to herself. "No, not today." I answered. Then she started with the list of people she knew and asked if it was their birthday. "No, no. Just Mommy's birthday." I answered. She said she wanted a Tinkerbell birthday. I told that I thought she wanted a Strawberry Shortcake or Hello Kitty birthday party. "I want Tinkerbell, Mom." she said. Okay, I guess we'll keep Tinkerbell on the list of possible birthday party themes.

Okay, I'm absolutely loving eBay! Isn't this sad? Here it is my birthday and the first thing I do is turn on the computer to see how my auctions are going. They still have well over 5 days left on it and I have 8 bids out of 27 items. There are several watches on all my auctions except for three.

Doug and I were talking about may be going out tomorrow night, since it will be Friday night. He normally doesn't like scary movies, but he said he would watch "Untraceable" with me. All right! I told him that if we don't see "Untraceable," may be we could see "27 Dresses."

Katie loves to sing. I catch her singing all the time. She sings songs that she hears off the TV (Little Einsteins, Jack's Big Music Show, and Blue's Clues). She still sings "Some Where Over The Rainbow," "Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star," "Jesus Loves Me," and etc. It is so cute. The only problem is video taping her singing. Because as soon as she sees that she has an audience, she'll shut up or get really quiet.

Dad and Maryann are going this morning to meet with Mom's doctors, therapist & pick her up to come home. I couldn't get a hold of Mom last night by phone. I think it was because she finally got her hair done. Sue said she was finally able to get a hold of her last night around 8:30. She said she sounded great. Mom was glad to get her hair fixed and she is so excited to be coming home. I wanted to take Supper over tonight for Dad and Mom, but Dad told me to hold off because Mom will be on a specific cardiac diet. I got online last night and The Mayo Clinic has a link to all kinds of recipes for Cardiac patients. I might make a dessert, "Peach Crumble," this weekend for her. The recipe sounds real good and easy.

Heath Ledger Found Dead?

I couldn't believe my ears when I heard the news on the radio yesterday that Heath Ledger was found dead at his apartment in Manhattan. What a tragedy. The first time I saw Heath's acting was on the movie "The Patriot" co-starring with Mel Gibson. What a fox! I've been attracted to his films since. Well, all except "Brokeback Mountain." That film is probably what messed him up. He was great in "10 Things I Hate About You" and "A Knight's Tale." There are rumors that stress and drugs are involved, but I don't know if anything has been proven.

Okay, I didn't get much sleep last night because I got 25 items listed on eBay to sell. Yes, I DID IT! Can you actually believe I got the nerve and went ahead and did it? Well, they haven't sold yet, but at least I made the first step. I would love to be a Sales Representative for "Rosalina" and/or "Kelly's Kids." I just don't have enough self-confidence. When I was in school, one thing I absolutely hated to do was having to sell things to raise money. I remember the sucker & candy bar sales for FBLA, bake sales for band, magazine & book sales for class room supplies. The list goes on and on. At least with "Rosalina" & "Kelly's Kids" brand name clothing has a good name for themselves. I think the name would sell itself. I wished I could look inside a crystal ball and see if I could make a living off of selling these products on eBay. Anyway, I added a couple more dresses this morning to sell off of eBay. They are all baby girl clothes. Some Katie hardly wore at all. From sizes 12-2T and I believe I've got a 9 month old sweater listed as well. You can look me up "windynbama."

Oh, I got Katie's new dress in the mail today. It is so pretty! She will be adorable in it for Easter. I just love eBay. It sure does beat having a yard sale. Yuck!

I spoke to Dad today and he sounds like a little boy that hasn't seen his Mommy in a week. He is all excited about Mom coming home tomorrow. He went out and bought her a new wing back recliner, seat for the bath tub, extension for the potty, and etc. He said he built Mom a ramp to the back porch. He moved things around the house, so she can get her walker around a little easier. I have to say, he has really showed his more emotional/sensitive side a little more since Mom's been in the hospital. Dad and I were suppose to visit Mom yesterday, but she was scheduled to get her hair done. With all the well needed rain we got yesterday, Mom said last night that the lady wasn't able to come to the hospital and do her hair. So, she was rescheduled for today. I think if Mom could get her hair done, it would make her feel so much better. I didn't talk to Mom last night, but Dad said she didn't get sick at all and she ate all of her supper. She hasn't been able to eat all of her meals because she is sick at her stomach all the time. Well, Sue told me today that they've got her on anti-depressants as a prevention. Mom asked the nurse to not give her the anti-depressants and she didn't get sick all day. Sue asked her if she was depressed and she said no that they wanted her to take them so she won't get depressed. What??? Sue talked to a friend of hers and she said that some anti-depressants can make you sick at your stomach. Maybe when Mom gets home and gets off the anti-depressants, she'll feel lots better.

Prayer Request!

Some of you may know Rick Burgess from the talk radio show "The Rick & Bubba Show." They are a pretty popular talk radio show located in Birmingham, Alabama. http://www.rickandbubba.com/

I've got some terrible news. Rick Burgess and his family seriously need your prayers. When the big snow storm of the deep south came through here on Saturday, Rick went on a missions trip (I believe). His wife, Sherri, stayed home with their boys. According to Doug, Sherry was outside with their youngest son, Bronner - 2 1/2 years old, playing in the snow. Rick has a nick name for all of his kids and Bronner's aka "Cornbread." When they got back in the house to warm up, Sherri locked up the house and went to take a bath. When she came out of the bathroom, one of the doors were open and Bronner was missing. She found Bronner in their swimming pool. He had drowned. His Memorial Service is today. There are some pretty touching music, photos & words on "The Rick & Bubba Show" website. I've attached the link in the paragraph above.

Katie will be 2 1/2 years old tomorrow and I can't imagine what they might be going through. In fact, the thought of Katie being able to unlock the doors and get out without me knowing about it, scares me to death. There have been several times, when I go ahead and take a bath while Katie watches her favorite cartoons. Since I heard the tragic new about Bronner, I won't take a bath now until Katie's asleep or someone else is here. I know for sure Katie can't open up the front door lock because I can barely unlock it, very tight; however, she might be able to unlock the back door. We don't have a pool, but she is attracted to the road. I think Doug and I need to look into the locks on the doors. I've heard of people putting an additional lock on their doors up real high, so their children couldn't get to it.

Please keep the Burgess family in your thoughts and prayers, especially Sherri. The picture above was provided by Fox News.

HAPPY ?? BIRTHDAY LAURA!

HAPPY ?? BIRTHDAY LAURA!!

I would like to start out by wishing my friend and cousin-in-law a very Happy Birthday and may you have many many more spectacular birthdays to come.

We have been so busy all weekend that I'm ashamed to say, our Christmas tree is still up. The positive side is Doug got the ladder out for us last Friday night. Unfortunately, that's as far as we got! With all the snow storm threats on the news, we decided to take Millard and Peggy out for their Anniversary Dinner on Friday night instead of Saturday.

Happy 44th Anniversary Millard & Peggy!

We would have enjoyed our time more, if Katie wasn't being such a pill all afternoon. I didn't think the trouble twos could get worse, but she has showed us differently this past couple of weeks. Ugh!!! SERENITY NOW!!!!! Peggy and Millard tried everything they could, being nice, to get her to be good. Nope! It wasn't going to happen. I felt bad for them because she was messing up their Anniversary evening. I know Peggy and Millard felt bad for me because I was mad at Katie for ruining their evening. I've gotten to where I'm ready to lock her up in her room until she gets out of this stage.

I've been checking out all the great sales online from J.Jill, Cold Water Creek, Gymboree & Disney. The only bad thing about the sales online is you still have to worry about the shipping cost. Thursday, I got some coupons from Belk and it was burning a hole in my purse. I wanted to get out of the house all day. After Katie's nap, we coated up and went to Belk to checked out all their sales. Oh my gosh! I got such a great deal on her Winter coat & a wind breaker for next year. The Winter coat is a buckskin colored leather with pink fur trim on the outside and fur all on the inside of the coat. Katie loved the pink furry purse that comes with it. It has a hood, two front pockets & zips up in the front. It was regular $64 coat and I paid $22. I also got a purple hooded wind breaker with fleece lining for $16. I was so excited because I just knew I wouldn't be able to find the right coats and jackets for the price. I figured that they would have already been picked through. Katie loves the jersey material casual dresses, Belk sells. So, we checked out the Summer collection and she found one that she had to have. It's blue with little flowers all over it. She hugged on it all the way to the cashier. Unfortunately, Peggy got her the same one. Oh well, we'll just take it back and get the skort that I wanted to get. I think skorts look adorable on her. By the time we got back home, I was on a bargain buzz. I was ready to go to Disney & Gymboree. Doug was afraid to go off any where distant because of the weather. I told him there was too much talk for us getting 2-8 inches and blah, blah. Every time when a weather person begins talking up the snow or bad weather, it usually turns out to be a bust. Saturday morning, I got up and didn't see any snow. I took a bath and got ready to leave for the mall. Doug knew what I was going to do. He began giggling at me and asked me where I was going. He knew. Then he begins asking about all the Christmas stuff. Maybe we'll get it down by Easter. Who knows I can see an Easter Lily by our Christmas tree. tehe! We went by Millard and Peggy's house and picked them up. At the Disney store, I love their new Spring line. So precious! I showed Peggy the Tinkerbell nightgowns. They are precious and I know Katie would look adorable in one. Believe it or not, Katie actually liked the Tinkerbell PJs better than the gown. I don't think she understood that the shirt she liked really wasn't a gown, but PJs. I even liked the sleeveless Princess night gowns they had right now. Peggy wanted to get the Tinkerbell one for Katie's birthday, but I told her to wait. This line just came out and they will go on sale in a month or two. I don't think she believed me until she saw the price $29. Shoo! A bit steep! Give it a few months, they 'll be around $19-$10. Katie absolutely loves her "Mermaid" night gown that Santa Claus got her. They had them on sale for 50% plus an additional 30%. I grabbed two & Peggy got one for next Fall/Winter. They ended up being $7.49 each, which was cheaper than what I would have gotten them online. I also grabbed a Sleep Beauty Toboggan with flaps over the ears for Katie next year. It was only $2.50. If they had another kind for a little girl, I would have gotten it. I showed Doug the hat and didn't think Katie could wear it, but it says on the tag for 5-7 years. She already wears a Toboggan 2T-5T and it fits perfectly. If she can't wear the Sleeping Beauty next year because it's too big, then she might be able to wear it the next year. Peggy got Katie a pair of Mermaid flip flops and a pair of Mermaid sunglasses. She loves them! We went to Gymboree, but it looked like it had been picked through. I thought about getting the short sleeve cupcake "Birthday Girl" t-shirt for Katie to wear on her birthday. We are going simple this year as far as birthday parties go or that's my goal. I was so glad that we found all of these great deals.

After we got back from the restaurant on Friday night, I began showing a few sites online to Peggy. Because Katie loves her Puddle Jumper shoes (pink & red pairs), Peggy wanted to know if they made them in sandals. I bought Katie's pink pair of Puddle Jumpers last October and they have held up so well. I pulled up "If The Shoe Fits" and "Puddle Jumpers" websites for Peggy to look at. I could even find some Puddle Jumpers listed on eBay, but none were in Katie's size. I love the pink and white polka dots the best, but they have several different colors. Peggy likes the white with pink polka dots. I also showed her the "Smartie Britches" website. She couldn't believe it! We found a few outfits that she wanted to get Katie this Summer. I suggested we call the company, see if we could order the outfits and just pick them up when they are ready. What is amazing is the outfits we found, also came with a custom made purses and/or hair bows. So cute! Once Peggy and I got on eBay, we couldn't put the computer down. We began looking at smocked dresses and Peggy was having a fit because the bids were around $16-$22. I had to tell her, the battle is if you can get it at that price. I think I could easily get Peggy hooked on eBay.

Speaking of eBay, I've decided yesterday to clean out some of Katie's Spring/Summer outfits from her closet. I got the dresses and outfits that didn't have any or slight flaws, washed them up, ironed, took pictures, wrote descriptions on MS Word and spent the rest of the night doing my research. Now, I've got to go to WalMart and get some supplies including a weighing scale, Ziploc bags and packing envelopes. I've got her dresses & outfits ready to put on auction that I think would be nice for Easter. I also have a few other separate auctions on stand by like Spring Capri Sets and Summer outfits. I figured Doug and Peggy would be upset with me when they found out. They seemed sad, but they know this will allow her to have new cute outfits to come.

I just won this dress! Isn't it pretty? It's not new, but it suppose to be well taken care of. I don't think the hair bow is included. Normally, they are just for show. Katie has a pink organza hair bow that I think will look perfect or she has a pretty white & pink bunny hair bow. Katie will look precious in this for Easter. I'm also bidding on another more Spring Capri set. It will end later this afternoon.

Pushing Mom's Buttons

When Katie got up this morning, she couldn't understand that all the snow was gone. Well, all the snow was gone, except for our partly melted snowman. She told me that she wanted to make another snowman. I had to tell her, we have to wait for it to snow again. She looked at me so funny. We are to expect a few flurries some time tomorrow evening. I believe further East, they are expected to get up to two inches of snow. It would be so nice to get two inches here.

Little Katie's schedule never has been to the minute. I've tried my best considering, we never know what's going to happen from day to day. Her naps have nearly been destroyed. Day before yesterday, she ended up taking a late nap. Because of the snow yesterday, she ended up taking a late nap. I tried every which a way and she wouldn't take a nap for me today. If she doesn't take a nap in the afternoons, she's either whiny or likes to push my buttons. Today, she's pushing my buttons! I found the switch on top of the refrigerator and threatened her with it. She turned to me in her prissy little way and let me know that "I just a little girl." I told her that little girls mind their Mommies. She continued without a second thought and let me know that I was the Mommy and she was Katie. I told her again about minding me and all she would say was that she was just a little girl. I have to really gather myself while trying to discipline her.

I got the new dress, I won off of eBay, for Katie in mail today. I was so surprised! It was a good surprise, but surprising to get it so quick. An added bonus, the lady included a white bow head band. I didn't see where she was going to include the head band. Nice. The dress fits perfectly! I'll have to adjust the buttons on the straps, so she can wear it for Easter. The dress goes down to Katie's ankles, hopefully she'll be able to wear this dress for a long time. Peggy was here when I got it and she couldn't believe it was a pillow case. It's so pretty and Katie loves it! I'm definitely giving this seller excellent remarks for the purchase.

I spoke to Mom tonight and she sounded tired. She said she got to walk up a few steps today. She said it was a little tough, but she did it. She is so excited about coming home soon. I know she misses everyone, just being home again and not in a hospital. She said Dad was still there and Whitney and Zane were on their way to visit her.

CPSC RECALL
Cranium Cadoo Board Games Recalled Due to Violation of Lead Paint Standard. For further info.: http://www.cpsc.gov/cpscpub/prerel/prhtml08/08169.html

Let It Snow! Let It Snow!

"Oh, the weather outside looks frightful, but the fire is so delightful. As long as you love me so, Let It Snow, Let It Snow, Let It Snow!"


I bet every child within this county is jumping up for joy right about now. It began snowing here around 1:30 this afternoon and it hasn't stopped. In fact, it's coming down harder and there are huge flakes, which I love. I hope it snows a foot tonight. Some people around here don't really care for ice and snow, but I love it. Not so much about the ice, but I love the snow. I took the first opportunity and got a blanket around Katie and we went outside to see the snow. I really didn't think it would last because it's rare around here. At the time, the snow was so light that I'm not for sure Katie understood the whole snow thing. I taught her to stick out her tongue and catch the snowflakes. She didn't understand what I was doing until the snow got harder as the evening wore on. We've got quite a blanket of snow outside, up to an inch, and the driveway is beginning to get covered. Wow! I can't remember the last time it snowed like this. I've got pictures on the photosite for you to see.



In this picture, Katie finally got the knack of catching snowflakes with her tongue. Peggy called me to make sure Katie saw the snow. At the time, I had Katie laying on the couch to take a nap. I had the shades down so she could relax. I looked outside and I could tell it was snowing even more. I coated her up and outside we went. I took a few photos and taped her playing around outside.



This snow is the good northern packing snow. As you can see, Katie and I were able to make a small snowman out of it. Yeah, it's not the best snowman. Like I said, it doesn't snow around so I don't have the technique down. Katie had a blast making her snowman, but it was hard keeping her interested long enough to finish him. We used sticks for the hands and mouth, rocks for the eyes, nose & buttons and one of Katie's old sun hats. I didn't have a spare scarf to put around his neck, so I guess he's going to have to do without. I also taught Katie how to throw snow balls and she loved it. I had the hardest time finishing up the snowman with Katie putting snow down my pants. Brrr! It was cold! She couldn't get the snow ball all packed round. She would just grab some snow and put it on me. I would make little balls of snow and toss it to her. She laughed and giggled! I had a hard time getting her to take this picture with her snowman because it was getting dusk and she was cold and ready to get in the house. She doesn't like being outside when it gets dark. I taped her beginning a meltdown because she wanted in the house now. I guess all little kids go through the scared of the dark phase. Our lights inside the house went out this past weekend after a thunderstorm for about an hour(6-7 p.m.). The wind was so bad, I believe a limb or branch blew on our electric line causing the outage. Katie was having a fit because it was dark. I knew where she was, she I got down in the floor and crawled over to her. Me holding her didn't give her a sense of security. She wanted a light on right then and there. Doug went and got the flashlights, while we stayed put. As soon as Katie got her flashlight, she seemed satisfied. She kept that flashlight with her until the lights came back on.

I have good news! Maryann called me this afternoon about Mom. Dad and her went to the rehab clinic and met with Mom's Occupational Therapists and Physical Therapists. She will be able to come home a week from tomorrow. The OT & PT told Dad and Maryann that they were satisfied with her progress and we, family, need to make sure she doesn't fall. They advised that Mom will need to use a wheel chair when it comes to doing lengthy walking or activities like going shopping. This has nothing to do with her ability to walk, but more for her heart. Her heart is still very weak and she wears out fast. I understand, she will need to do this until her heart gets stronger. To walk around the house, she will need her walker to help her out. Maryann said that Mom is so relieved to be going home. Maryann said that Dad will/made arrangements to get an in-home assistance for about a week. Then she can go to the gym and get help from a physical therapist there.

Don't forget American Idol comes on tonight at 8/7 central on Fox

Stay warm!

Happy Birthday Nolan!

I wanted to wish Nolan a very Happy Birthday!

I didn't get to mail your birthday card until yesterday. Sorry! I know Liz and the kids made your birthday very special.

We went to see Mom yesterday. I have to say, she seems to be improving more and more. She seemed to be in such a good mood and refreshed looking. She enjoyed having Katie there to visit with her. Katie wanted to sit by her Grandma in the bed. It made me so nervous her bouncing around in the same bed with Mom. Mom finally had to tell me to chill out because Katie was fine. I just knew she was going to end up hurting Mom by accident. Would you believe that Mom sat straight up in her bed to eat supper without any pain? She didn't even make a face. I couldn't get over it. She said that one of her therapist, Anthony, was talking about the clinic sending her home with a walker to help her out. I know we were a little scared when they were talking about sending her home in a wheel chair. I was so proud of Dad. Eventhough he is nervous and upset that Mom's at rehab and he has to go home every night, he finally held it together and wasn't so hard on her this time. In fact, he was more encouraging to her than I've ever seen. She was a little down on herself last night. She seems to think that she's not doing anymore improvements with her therapy. Dad and I tried telling her that we could see a great improvement, but I don't know if she really took us at our word. If you call Mom sometime, you might want to encourage her a little bit.

She didn't get to do physical therapy the other day because she had bowel problems and had to go back to the hospital. The hospital visit wasn't as bad as it first sounded. The regular doctor from the rehab clinic was concerned about the ooze coming out of her back. The doctor thought the ooze was suppose to be gone by now. They called Dr. Harsh and he wanted to check her out. This is the reason why, she went to the hospital. According to Dr. Harsh, her back is healing perfectly.

I didn't get to see all of The American Idol last night. Doug said it was pretty boring. What I did get to see was somewhat entertaining. What about the ape man dressed up in the opera garb and then goes through a wax treatment just to get a chance to sing in front of Paula? I think the scariest I saw was the stalker that wrote and sang a song for Paula. Paula had better tighten up her security for the next year or so. The idol will be on again tonight at 8/7 central, I plan on curling up with a bowl snacks and watching it.

CPSC RECALL NOTICE

Toy Wrestler Figures Recalled by A.A. of America Due to Violation of Lead Paint Standard. For more info.: http://www.cpsc.gov/cpscpub/prerel/prhtml08/08164.html

AMERICAN IDOL PREMIERE

Don't forget!

Tomorrow night

January 15 at 8/7 central

American Idol Premieres

Katie's Imagination Grows

I have to say that Katie is developing a huge imagination. When she takes a tubby, she likes to play around in the bath water. She tells me that she is a mermaid and she'll splash around. Of course, most of the water ends up on the bathroom floor. She likes to pretend that she is a ballerina. She'll get up on her tip toes and put her arms around to her head and dance around. So cute! I wished I could get it on video. The other day, she was play behind one of our chairs. She said it was her castle. I asked her if she was the princess to the castle. "Yeah!" she replied. I draped a big blanket over the chair and opening into the Kitchen. It made a perfect roof for her castle. She was so excited that she wanted me to squeeze into her castle with her.



Well, I got the beach dress through eBay. I'm not too proud of the price I paid for the dress. Eek! It was a battle and I don't know if I went overboard, but this is the only dress that I really fell in love with. According to the description, the dress is fully lined white pillowcase dress from the boutique brand "Just in Case". It has satin bows at the shoulders, cot tom trim at the hem and intricate white embroidery at the bottom. It is 25 inches long and no stains or fading. For the price I paid, she may have to use it for Easter, Decoration Day, Birthday party & beach vacation. I'm seriously thinking about selling some of Katie's other clothes, so I can pay for the special occasion dresses.


This is another dress, I've been bidding on for Katie's Easter dress. Isn't it pretty? I thought she would look so adorable in this dress for special occasions as well. I've been bidding on this dress a few days before I found the pillowcase dress. So far, I'm still in the lead with this bid, but I have a feeling not for long. Since I spent more than I wanted to on the beach dress, I've decided not to bid anymore on this dress. I hate to see it go, but there are lots more out there just like it or close.

I went through my closet this morning and bagged up lots of clothes that either don't fit or I never wore them that much. I got two large trash bags full and I'm planning on taking them to a shelter for under privilege families.

Dad, Katie and myself didn't get to go visit with Mom today because she is having some bowel problems. The nurse felt it would be best, if she didn't have any visitors today. Maybe tomorrow she'll feel better. It's a good thing, I didn't tell Katie that we were going to see Grandma today. She would have drove me crazy wanting to go. I've learned that lesson so many times. I'll tell Katie we are going to a specific place or see a specific person and our plans would fall through. It really disappoints her. I spoke to Dad at 2:30 and he said the rehab clinic had just called him. They were sending Mom by ambulance back to the hospital for her to see Dr. Harsh, Neurosurgeon. They want him to check out her back in ER and see if it is alright. Dad said the nurse told him at one time, Dr. Harsh may want to open up her scar and clean it out real good. Dad acted like he would have met up with Mom at the ER, but Mom told him not to. She said that she wanted him to wait and see what they say at the hospital. She has been through so much. Please keep her in your thoughts. I will keep you up-to-date on her recovery. Thanks!

Our Weekend!

Yesterday, Sherry, June and myself met Maryann and Natalie at Cracker Barrel for a ladies brunch. I just love Cracker Barrel's breakfast. No, I didn't take Katie with us. Doug was nice enough to watch her for a few hours for me. I wanted to be able to visit with my aunt, sisters and niece without having to tire myself watching over Katie. Beside, Doug said they had a good time playing and watching TV. I think it did them both some good to spend time together. After brunch, we went shopping for Mom. According to her therapist and nurses, she doesn't have enough clothes with her. So, Dad gave us Mom's Belk card. Yes! Let's go shopping. We got her three night gowns. Two looked like big dress shirts with collar that buttoned in the front. They both had strips (pink & turquoise), but one was made of silk and the other cotton. The other gown was a pretty, soft, pink pull over. Maryann also got Mom a nice sportswear pant set. After we bought Belk out, I took Sherry and June back to their place. They had to get freshened up before going to visit Mom that evening.

I got home just in time to take a little nap with Katiebug before we left again. CompUSA is going out of business and Doug wanted to check it out for good deals. He took us to The Olive Garden for supper. Oh my gosh! The wait was 45 minutes long and with Katie it felt more like 45 hours. As much as I love The Olive Garden, I couldn't believe I was suggesting to Doug that we leave and go to McDonalds. On the way to CompUSA, we stopped by Best Buy. I got a couple good movies, they had on sale - "The Last Holiday" and "Yours, Mine & Ours." I had to get "Rush Hour 3" to add to our collection. Katie is beginning to get interested in the Veggie Tales at church. I found one that the story is based around "The Wizard of Oz." I thought it would be a nice gift for Valentines Day. She keeps asking about it because she knows that we bought it. I wanted to go walk around Target, so Doug dropped us off there while he went to CompUSA. I have so much fun looking at all the neat stuff at Target. I guess it's a good thing, we don't have one close by us. With my Christmas money, I got a new stainless steal 8 qt. stock pot. I'm so excited. My 6 qt. stock pot has seen better days because I use it all the time. I checked out their gardening stuff for kids. Yes. I found a bug catcher and matching magnifying glass for Katiebug. It has butterflies on it. I think she will love it! I plan on giving it to her for Valentines Day as well. Katie was so good while I shopped, so I took her to the toy section. She wanted to see Strawberry Shortcake, but they didn't have any. I think everyone is still under the Christmas shock. Maybe in a couple of months, they'll be able to have their shelves fully stocked once again. We did however get to check out all the Barbies. She has been begging me for a Barbie, but I think we are going to let the Easter Bunny give her, her first Barbie doll. We went by the party supplies and I ask her what kind of birthday party would she want. She couldn't make up her mind between Strawberry Shortcake and Hello Kitty. I thought she would pick out Tinker Bell or Mermaid, but she seemed to like Hello Kitty the best. They didn't have birthday stuff with Strawberry Shortcake. We'll see if she changes her mind in a few months.

Poor Katiebug got a cut on the tip of her right ear. It was my volunteer day at church in her class. I kept getting on to her and Claire, girlfriend, for running around in the room. I didn't see it happen, but Kathy, another volunteer, saw Katie slip on some books in the floor and hit a chair with her head. I cleaned out the cut and put some medicine on it. Tonight, we went to June and Pat's for supper and she showed everyone her boo-boo. June said she accidentally touched Katie's boo-boo and she said that Katie let her know right off the bat that was her hurt ear. It must hurt because when I put some more medicine on it before she went to bed, she jerked as if it was sore.

Most of us got together tonight to throw Roger and Sherry a goodbye supper and give them some gifts to show our appreciation. They are planning on leaving in the morning. We sure are going to miss them. I know Katie has taken a liking to them both. All the food there tonight was so good, too good. Pat grilled out steaks. With our steaks, we had potatoes, salad, macaroni casserole, barbecue bread and dinner rolls. For dessert, Susan brought Chocolate Eclair. Katie was running wild. Nicholas got out his crown from Homecoming and put it on Katie. We got a few pictures during the night. You'll have to check the rest of them out on our photosite.

Susan and her family visited Mom this morning and she said that she did so good. With her pulling herself around in bed, her sheets were all mangled. With Susan's help, Mom got out of bed, so Susan and Leslie could straighten it up. I forgot to ask about the culture that was done on her back the other day. Katie and I are to meet Dad tomorrow afternoon to visit Mom for a little bit. So maybe I'll get my answers about the results of the culture then.

Oh, I've been eBaying again. I found a pretty Easter/Portrait dress for Katie. It's white and lavender smock with ribbons that hang down. I still have a couple of days left on it. I hope we can get it. I think it would be perfect! Laura, I also found a beautiful white beach dress. So pretty! It's considered a pillow dress, but it doesn't look like a pillow dress at all. It has straps with bows on it and there is some embroidery at the bottom of the dress. I hope we can get it! I have until tomorrow afternoon before the bidding ends.

Have a great Monday and don't work too hard! Love ya!

SBP Homecoming - Congrats Nicholas!

Congratulations Nicholas! Nic was crowned Homecoming King 2008 tonight during SBP basketball game's half time. Nic was so surprised that he got king and was even more surprised when they let his Mom put the crown on his head. I will get the other pictures on the photosite as soon as possible. By the way, the Saints blew Lynn HS off the campus. I don't remember the score because my hands were a little full with Katie and her new friend, Katie.



Katie had a great time at the ball game tonight. We pretty much kept it a secret from her until we got to the gym. She knew we were going some where because I got ready and she got a bath before we left. I put one of her favorite dresses on her tonight, fairies. She told me that she was ready to go. I asked her where she was going and she said, "I see Lolly and Junie." At the game, She met a little girl, 4 years old, named Kaitlyn. Her Mommy and Daddy call her Katiebug as well. It was kind of funny because there was a third girl sitting close by with the name Kaitlyn. When some one would yell Kaitlyn, all of us, parents and girls, would look to see who was calling. Kaitlyn and Katie had a great time playing together while the game was going on. When everyone would begin clapping for the team, they got so excited and began jumping up and down, clapping and carrying on. There were times, when Katie would get a little crazy and I was afraid she would fall over the bleachers. Katie shared her snacks with Kaitlyn, I had M & M's, Peanut Butter crackers, Smarties and gummies. The girls ate all the M&M's, gummies and Smarties. They were so wound! Kaitlyn was still hungry for more candy, I had to tell her that I was afraid her Mommy would ring my neck if I gave her any more. Kaitlyn was such a talker and tell stories about her life that were so funny. I told June that will be Katie in a couple of years. Ugh! Like all kids, Kaitlyn couldn't wait to tell us about her dog's poop, how a little boy fell on his butt and what her Mommy and Daddy does. So funny, I could tell her parents were getting a little embarrassed. She was also good at telling Katie about butts. I brought Katie's dolls for her to play with and Kaitlyn showed her that they were naked. Swell! I don't know if Katie understood completely, but she would just laugh at Kaitlyn. When the game was over, the girls hated leaving each other. In fact, Kaitlyn began crying and hugging on Katie. Oh, it made me feel so bad.

I have to tell this story. Earlier today, Katie was in the floor playing with her dollhouse. By the way Moms, this is the best toy ever! Out of the blue, Katie tells me, "Mom, I like my house (referring to the dollhouse)." Then she begins hugging it. I told her, I guess Santa did a good job getting you that house. "Yes," she replied. "I wanna see Santa again, okay?" She asked. I explained to her that Santa was back home at the North Pole getting ready for Christmas next year. "I wanna open more presents." She added. Oh, now the truth comes out. Forget Santa, she just wants the gifts. I reassured her that she's got more gifts to open later. I was referring to the family get together when Mom gets home, in about two-three weeks. I thought that was funny and had to share it.

I didn't get to speak to Mom tonight because her nurse was in the middle of doing a culture on her back. Wednesday when we visited Mom, there was ooze coming out of her back where she had the back surgeries. Mom said tonight, the doctor wanted a culture done on it to see what's going on with it. Hopefully, it won't be anything serious. Since it was getting late, I told Mom that I would talk to her tomorrow. I called Aunt Sherry and she was so thrilled about Mom progress. She said, with a little bit of help, Mom was able to go from her bed to the wheel chair and sit in it. Sherry could tell today, Mom seems to be getting stronger and doing a little more. She said we would be very proud of her. I'm so relieved. Now, if she can get her bladder to working properly. She still has to have a catheter put in her, in order to empty her bladder. From what I understand, one of the therapist have already shown Mom how to put it in herself. Maryann and Dad are still suppose to meet with the rehab therapist on Wednesday about Mom. I'm pretty sure they are therapist because they are suppose to show Dad and Maryann some therapy techniques to use on Mom, when she gets home.

We are planning a little get together at June and Pat's to tell Roger and Sherry goodbye. They are still planning to leave here Monday morning. We are going to grill out and I'm suppose to bring the salad. Doug wants everyone to try his new recipe "Buffalo Style Chicken Dip." The sample I tried was pretty good, but a little too hot for me. He promises to cut down the heat a lot because I know if it was a little too hot for me, it will be awful for my family members. I'm surprised Susan puts regular black pepper on any of her meals. June and Sue can't handle the HEAT.

CPSC Product Recalls for 1-10-08

1. Coin Banks Recalled by TJ Promotions Due to Violation of Lead Paint Standard. http://www.cpsc.gov/cpscpub/prerel/prhtml08/08158.html
2. Shims Bargain Recalls Pacifiers Due to Choking Hazard. http://www.cpsc.gov/cpscpub/prerel/prhtml08/08160.html
3. Kash N’ Gold Recalls Tinker Bell Novelty Lamps Due to Violation of Lead Paint Standard. http://www.cpsc.gov/cpscpub/prerel/prhtml08/08162.html

Visit with Mom

Katie and I picked up Dad and Sherry yesterday to visit Mom at the rehab clinic. Mom looked real good and seems to be a little stronger. She said that the therapists have really worked hard with her. They've got her walking on the parallel bars, with a walker and doing lots of exercises. She really enjoyed yesterday's workout because she got to go outside for a little while. She also added that they've got her doing puzzles to wake up her brain. She said she was able to put the puzzle together yesterday a little faster than she did the day before. I was pleased seeing her sit on the side of the bed to eat supper. Last Saturday, she wasn't able to do that because she was so weak. She seems to be eating a little more every day, but the food looks a little more appealing than the food from the hospital. One of the directors from the facility wants to meet with Dad and Maryann next week. They said Mom will be staying at the clinic for three weeks. With this said, I feel comfortable with Mom's progress. I don't think I need to be there every day or every other day. Mom told me after the work out she goes through, she gets real tired. I basically went yesterday because I knew Mom would want to see Katiebug. She hasn't been able to see her for weeks. Katie has never been in a hospital before. She was going crazy, running around Mom's room. She was up and down in Mom's bed, pushing buttons, open and closing the door. Unfortunately for her bottom, she ran away from me once. She soon got restless, so Sherry and her went for little walk around the clinic floor. Sherry said Katie made lots of friends with patients and nurses. When they made it back to the room, Katie wanted me to see all of her friends. She told me, "come on Mom, let's go." Any one she meet in the hallway, she'd start waving and smiling. The elderly patients seemed to enjoy seeing a little girl, full of life, waving and smiling at them. Katie did draw a line when it came to talking with the patients. As soon as they began talking to her, she all of the sudden got real shy. The nurses got a little chuckle watching her. She took up with one of Mom's techs, Daisy. Daisy gave Katie some ice cream, she loved it. We would see Daisy in the hallway and Katie let me know, there was Daisy. I believe Maryann is going to visit her tonight. Susan talked about going this weekend.

Uncle Roger & Aunt Sherry are planning to leave either Sunday or Monday for FL. They have some friends, they want to visit with. Roger plans to go fishing, while Sherry goes shopping with a few of her friends. They'll meet up with their card playing buddies in the evenings & play games all night. Retired life! Sherry said they will stop by here on their way back home. She went on to say that if Mom takes a turn for the worse, they'll come back sooner. We all hope that doesn't happen.

We've had rain off and on for the past couple of days. Katie and I are going to lay low today because we're expecting strong storms. I think it would be a good day to rest and watch movies.

Katie Learning Her Numbers, Colors & Shapes

Katie and I got back into her books today. We went over her numbers, colors, and shapes. I'm happy to report, she can count up to 12 without any problem. She can also count backwards from 5 to 1. I have to thank "The Little Einsteins" for her education. With a little help, she can count to twenty. Sometimes, she gets her numbers a little mixed up after the number twelve. She recognizes the shapes: triangle, square, heart, diamond, and star. We have a little work to do when it comes to circle, rectangle and oval. She wants to call them a square, but I understand where she could get some of them confused. We have a lot of work to do when it comes to colors. She thinks every color should be "green." I'll even put a green crayon by a different color crayon and she still calls it "green." Oh well, she's only two. If everything goes well with Mom come next week, I think it would be a good time to start potty training once again. I'm just kind of holding my breath. I know this is crazy, but I've been looking into themes for Katie's birthday. We've got a lot going on this year, so I'm afraid Katie won't have a very big birthday party. Doug said she is done with the big cakes from Publix. I guess you have to know the story. He said we need to stick to the basic sheet cakes. tehe! Based on what Katie is into right now, our list would be the following: Tinker Bell, Strawberry Shortcake, Miss Spider and Sunny Patch, Mickey Mouse, Winnie the Pooh, Mermaid and The Little Einsteins. Katie will have to help me narrow it down by July.

I spoke to Mom this afternoon and she said that she survived the first day of therapy. She's done quite a bit of walking & brain functioning exercises. She sounded pretty tired, but I told her this was a good thing.

BCS Championship Football

I can't believe it!

LSU won 38 - 24 against Ohio State

I tried to aggravate Doug all night, telling him the buckeyes would come back in the next quarter and win this game. It's too bad that the buckeyes couldn't win this game. Doug had my computer and began teasing Laura, making her think that it was me IMing her. There's no telling what he said to her, but it wasn't long before Wayne began calling.

Bama will get LSU next year. Roll Tide!

Beautiful Winter Day!

What a beautiful January day!?! The sun was shining and the temp reached a comfortable 70 degrees with the wind blowing. I had to get some laundry washed because I've been gone for so long. Katie stayed right around my feet most of the morning. She wanted to go with me to the mailbox and that's all it took. I had a terrible time getting her back in the house. She said she would stay right around the house and not go to the road. I still was uncomfortable leaving her unattended for any length of time, while washing clothes. I pulled out the truck and blocked the driveway, this seems to help block her play vehicles from rolling away. All it took was a second. Katie was playing in the carport, so I went and got another load of laundry. When I went to check on her, she wasn't there. I looked over to the sandbox and then around the truck. There she was following her ball across the street. UGH! I'm such a terrible Mother. I ask God just about every day, why He blessed me with this job and I can't seem to do a good job. I think someone else could do a better job at it then me. Of course, I saw that there was no traffic on the road, so I got a switch and here we go. She saw me coming and she began telling me what happened. In so many words, she told me she was getting her ball because it ran away from her. Thankfully, our next door neighbor saw Katie and she was on her way to get her. Apparently, our neighbor saw the whole thing and was defending Katie because she said that she saw the ball get away from her. I had to switch Katie because she knows not to get in the road. As soon as I got her back up in the yard and my heart slowed down, I sat her down and explained that if her ball gets away to come get Mom. "Okay, Mom." she said. I couldn't trust her staying outside without me and I hated to make her come inside because she was having so much fun. Her and I went walking around in the back yard. I wanted to see if there was anything back there that she might get hurt. I really don't care for our back porch because it doesn't have a rail, but Doug says she does good around it. I decided to move her to the back yard with Montana. I showed her all the poopies and explained they were nasty. I watched her as she walked around them. Thankfully, Montana isn't a kind of dog that will poopy just any where. He has a particular spot where he does his business. I showed Katie where not to go and she did pretty good about hanging close to the house. I moved her slide and a few other toys back there with her. I felt comfortable leaving her toys back there because Montana never learned to raise his leg to pee. Yes, he may be gigantic but he's a sissy when it comes to going to the bathroom. I guess she stayed back there for an hour before wanting to come inside. There was a time or two when she begged to go in the front yard to play, but she got over it when I said no. I think our front yard playing days are over and I knew it was a matter of time before we had to move to the back yard.

I spoke with Sherry and she seemed pleased with Mom's progress today. I guess Mom is going to have her off and on days. She said they didn't have to make Mom do her therapy that she did it all on her own and very well she might add. When I spoke to Sherry around 10:00, Mom was taking a shower because she wanted to wash her hair before she went to the rehab clinic. Mom arrived by ambulance to the rehab clinic this afternoon. Dad and Sherry met her there and got her all tucked in before they left for the day. Tomorrow will tell us where Mom will be headed. We're suppose to get chance of storms tomorrow, so I'm not getting Katie out in the weather to visit Mom. We'll see what the weather will look like on Wednesday or Thursday. I know Mom would love to see Katiebug. I just hope Katie will be a good girl while we're there. She asks about Grandma Jerry a lot. She knows she's sick and in the hospital. Doug and I have caught her a time or two pretending to talk on the phone saying that Grandma Jerry was sick in the hospital.

Doug had to go back to work after two weeks off for Christmas and New Years. I think he hated the idea of going back, but tomorrow will be a little better for him. You know how it is going back for the first time after a long vacation. Those first couple of days are torcher, but you finally get back in the groove. I know Katie and I had a hard time getting back in the groove. In fact, I'm still trying to catch up from two weeks ago. Doug also started back to school as well. He is taking Project Management this Semester. Sounds like fun. Huh?

I still have our Christmas up in hopes Mom will come home soon, but not too soon. We want her to be able to walk into her house without pain. When this happens, we are going to have a huge Christmas/New Year's/Birthday party for her. Yes, I said birthday because her 72nd birthday is right around the corner. I believe we've all agreed, sisters, it would be best if we move the party over to June and Pat's house. This way, if Mom begins to get tired, she can just walk to her house to rest. Doug took down Frosty & the Christmas tree from outside last night and it was the first thing Katie noticed this morning. She asked, "Mommy, where's Frosty & Christmas Tree?" I tried to explain, Christmas was over and we are looking forward to Valentines Day. "But Momma," she said stunned. "I wanna see Santa Claus again. Okay?" I told her no, we'll see Santa Claus next year, but she has to be good all year. I guess we will have to take a little bit of our Christmas down at a time. The tree and Christmas decor have been up long enough.

By the way, I've got photos of Sandy's visit on our photosite, if you would like to check it out. Take care and have a wonderful week.

Happy Birthday Nicholas!

I wanted to wish Nicholas a Happy 18th Birthday! I think his parents threw him a great birthday party yesterday. I hate it that we didn't get to stay too long. I understand Katie had a great time at his party and her aunties have enjoyed making her rotten.



Last night was our goodbye get-together with Sandy. I hated to see her leave, but I know she needed to get back home to her family and new job. Sandy - Congratulations on the job and becoming another Grandma. Lord willing, we'll be able to see her in May under much better circumstances, Leslie & Nicholas' graduations. So I can't hardly wait. I'm glad Sandy was able to spend a little time with Katiebug before leaving. Sandy hasn't seen Katie since she was born. Apparently, Katie was in rare form, no thanks to the chocolate she was given, because Sandy, Sue & June all said she was so funny. We couldn't get Katie to go to sleep until close to Midnight because she was so wound up. She hated getting up this morning for church. I had to remind her that she was going to play on the playground today at church and it seemed to help get her out of the bed. When she got ready, she automatically assumed we were ready. She was beginning to get aggravated with us.

We had Sherry and Roger over for supper. We enjoyed visiting with them, but Sherry and I couldn't get Mom off of our mind. What are we going to do with her? Sometimes, I don't know what to think. I don't want to judge her on the spot, but she's got me really concerned. She told Doug and I last night that her brain was telling her legs to move, but they won't. She told this to Sherry, Maryann, Whitney and others today. Sherry seems to think that she is enjoying being waited on hand and foot, this is why she won't put forth any effort. I would like to give her a benefit of a doubt. I asked Sherry if their Mom was just as difficult when she got older. She began telling me stories about Grandma. Sherry was pretty much telling me that my Mom is her Mother's daughter. I just hope by the time Katie and I get over there to visit, she'll be up walking around the room.

What did mamma say?

I saw this on Yahoo News and thought it was cute. Katie likes to mock me and say "you better be good." It's amazing what children will remember and repeat.

Maryann and I went to the hospital last night to visit Mom. We think she did good getting out of bed to sit in the chair for supper. Yeah, it took her a while to get there, but Mom said she was having some difficulty trying to get her brain to tell her legs to move. She ate pretty good for us, but I think she is getting pretty sick of the hospital food. She's excited about going to the rehab clinic. The short time she was there, she said they treated her real well.

I was concerned about Mom being at the hospital by herself during supper time tonight, so Doug and I are going to head over there later. My concern is when the nurses get her out of the bed and into the chair to eat, they don't make sure her butt is far back in the chair. This position puts her in an awkward position and her back begins to hurt. Plus, it seems to me the nurses forget to put her lumber belt on before they transfer her from the bed to the chair. According to her PT, she should have this belt on any time she gets out of the bed and moves around because it will protect her back and take a lot of the pressure off of it. I would just feel better, if a family member (that knows this) to be with her and make sure this happens. Her Infectious Disease doctor has put her on the antibiotics orally. She seems to be reacting to the medicine great, no fever or bad side effects other than her stomach still gets upset. All of her doctors have released her, so she will be able to leave by ambulance Monday to the rehab clinic. She will stay at the rehab clinic for a few days, in order to get full time therapy on her muscles. Sandy leaves out of here tomorrow morning. We sure have appreciated her coming and being with Dad and Sherry this whole time. I know Mom was relieved to see her. Sherry and Roger will leave a week from Monday. They have been so wonderful to be with Dad and Mom during all of this and to keep us encouraged. I know we had to sick Sherry onto a couple of nurses at one time because we were not getting any answers or the proper care for Mom. Doug calls her "Scary Sherry" because you don't want her on your bad side. Mom wanted me to tell everyone that she sure does appreciate all of the prayers that have gone up for her. The dear Lord has protected her and got her through all the tough stuff. I know the Lord has been helping her right along, holding her hand and He will continue through the recovery and therapy. Thanks again for all the phone calls, prayers and cards. It is much appreciated!

Doug is so excited! They announced yesterday that Alabama will play Clemson on August 30th in Atlanta. He wants to go because he wants to say that he's been in a domed stadium. Right off the bat, he gets online and found a hotel to stay. This one hotel/condo has a package where you could get tickets to the GA Aquarium. Doug and I have been talking about going to seeing this aquarium because I understand that it's the world's largest. We had such a good time this past October when we went to Chattanooga's Aquarium, so I know we'll have a great time. Doug talked to Laura, because Wayne's hunting Bambi, to see if they were interested in going with us and staying in the same hotel. He went ahead and got the package for all of us to stay and go to the aquarium the next day. I haven't been to Atlanta in so long, I just know I'll be amazed with all the changes. When we went to Chattanooga this last time, I couldn't get over the changes.