The Days Of Wine And Roses....

Last night, the newlyweds came by the house to see us off to dinner. They had reserved a table for two at a local restaurant for our 33rd anniversary! We arrived home after dinner to find that our deserted house had been turned into a quaint Bed and Breakfast...

Chocolate fondue, strawberries, and chilled champagne, mood music, dim lights, rose petals...everywhere.

Our children are so romantic...

Best of all, uninterrupted conversation and an empty quiet house!



Thank you all....We love you...

Promises...

Are not two sparrows sold for a penny ? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground apart from the will of your Father. Matthew 10:29

Alive they seemed larger than life.
Their death is a stark reminder to us.
We are not promised tomorrow.

~However~
in Christ we are promised eternity...
Which is a tad longer...


"I tell you the truth, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life... John 5:24

Oxygen...

Recently, as I was having lunch with some friends, one shared an interesting story. I asked if I could tell the world and she said fine...So here goes:

Not long ago a girlfriend of hers boarded a flight...
to somewhere...
for something...
at sometime...
Sorry, not part of the story just goofing off...
'cos I can...
It's my blog...
you're just visiting...
OK, sorry, I'll stop messing around...

Anyway, she boarded a plane and right before take off the stewardess stepped forward to demonstrate the use of the oxygen mask.
She explains that one is to don the oxygen before assisting other family members or passengers with this task...

Common sense...Right??? Are you kidding???
Although this is undoubtedly the right thing to do, what good are you to anyone if you're all passed out...
I can't think of a mother alive that would not rush to care for their loved ones first...
It's what we do...

Investigate the things that go bump in the night...
Fight the proverbial monster under the bed,
Feed and clean grimy little faces and bodies,
Kiss and hug those same little urchins,
Check the homework,
Wash the clothes,
Clean the house,
Work in the yard, Make appointments,
Chauffeur everyone,
Everywhere,
For all time...



So moms of the world
STOP!!!
Put that oxygen mask on...
Take a great big whiff of fresh air...
Come on now...
It's for your own good...
Someday you'll thank me.

BREATHE...

BREATHE IN...
BREATHE OUT...

LOOK AROUND...
REALLY SEE YOURSELF...

BREATHE IN...
BREATHE OUT...

APPRECIATE YOUR WORLD....
THE PEOPLE AROUND YOU...

BREATHE IN...

YOU HAVE THIS MOMENT...
IT IS YOURS!

BREATHE OUT...

FOR ONCE,
JUST FOR ONCE,
TAKE A MOMENT,

READ A POEM,
(Reach for those reading glasses, girls)
SAY A PRAYER,
(Now I lay me down to sleep, oh, sorry, just in the spirit here...)
CLOSE YOUR EYES AND FEEL THE SUN ON YOUR FACE,
(OK, maybe that wasn't such a good one 'cos it's hot as hades outside and you're libel to get 3rd degree burns...)
MELT INTO A BEAUTIFUL PAINTING...
(Really, these days that shouldn't be that hard...)
TAP YOUR TOES TO A TUNE...
(I know you don't like aerobic exercise but try it...seriously)
ESCAPE...
(I have tried this; it's harder than you think)

JUST BREATHE...
OUR LITTLE CORNER OF THE WORLD IS DEPENDING ON US!!!

6 Uninteresting Things...

I have been tagged by K at ktheblogger@blogspot.com.

I am to identify 6 uninteresting things that I love and then pass this task on to 6 others, so here's my list: Hmmm...

This is going to be hard....in the first place there is so much stuff I love...

but I don't find any of it uninteresting...
However, here are some things I love that perhaps most people would find uninteresting:

1) My text books...I guess most people would find them boring but I love to read and absorb as much as possible. This is probably a throw back to the years when I would sit in my Dad's doctors office filled with models of feet, eyes, bones, muscles and all his medical texts. Sitting in his office surrounded with pictures of my much younger father and his medical classmates, I would open the books and immerse myself into the workings of the human body...Comfort for the nerd in me...

Yeah, I love my textbooks...

2) My yard...I'm sure most people would not find a yard interesting...but I love my yard and can tell you every plant I ever planted, when and where...probably where I got them and why...we have a memorial garden for the pets, a secret garden for my daughter, a bridge across the creek into the woods beyond and my thinking swing...

Yeah, I love my yard....

3) Blogging...I love to blog, write, visit...my husband can not understand this phenomenon. Perhaps it is an addiction. Frankly, I find it as a relaxing way to "think out loud... silently".

Yes, I love blogging...

4) My hillbilly family...I love my family and find each and everyone of them interesting, intriguing and gifted in their own way...And of course, my grandchildren are..well...grand! However, I'm sure most people would not find them as fascinating as I do...

Yeah, I love my family.

5)My overalls and/or nursing scrubs...Yes, if you suspected I was crazy before, now you're sure of it!!! My mother was a snappy dresser and my daughters have the "snappy dresser gene" but it skipped me!!! So sad...I prefer to throw on overalls or scrubs A) for comfort and B) so I don't have to ponder what am I going to wear...Pathetic, I know....

Yes, I love my overalls and scrubs!

6) My life...I am a pretty ordinary woman, doing pretty ordinary things.... piddling in the yard, working at the hospital, and raising my family, going to school. The stuff life is made of can be pretty uninteresting...I mean... I'm not rich and famous or... simply rich or simply famous for that matter. I'm not dramatically impacting our country or planet at the moment... But, I love my little corner of the world and the people in it....

Yes, I love my life...

Now to pass this task on to 6 other people (mind you I'm going to try and pass this task on to those not constantly be leagued with tasks)...
Please note you are not required to do this if it's not your cup of tea;
however, oddly enough I found this to be harder than it looks,
but quite fun!

So have at it:

Sharon at Dances with God

Deanna at Home Haven Ministry

Robin at Robin's New Song

One Nurse at Heartbeats of Faith

RC at Confessions of a Rotten Correspondent

Jane at Gaston Studio

Babysitters and Other Super Heroes....

This evening, while we're eating, I don't know why but we started talking about babysitters. Goodness knows through the years, we have had quite a few! I guess it's the hillbilly thing...

It started way back after our first was born...Everyone who knows her, can't believe we had anymore children. Seriously, I'm not joking. It's true she was quite the little "pistol". It's funny these days when her baby girl gets mad and bangs her head...My daughter looks at me and asks, "What in the world? Where does this come from..." Hmmm, where indeed....

Back in the day, we would return from evenings out to find the sitter with her head in her hands telling us she wouldn't be back...Why, oh, why, couldn't we have normal kids...you know the ones people don't run from in terror like some crazy "B" movie.

Eventually, the older children became babysitting age. This was nice; finally a little freedom... CK was the best. The younger children loved her. Later, as she acquired a life of her own, T began to watch everyone for us. Hmmm, this is where the story gets interesting. Apparently, the minute he shut the door behind us, he would banish all remaining underlings up to the bonus room to serve out their time. If you were brave (crazy) enough to come down you would be put to work cleaning...No one ever told because they were sure he would exert revenge...

In his defense, our crew could be a handful...Once when E was 2 or 3, he wandered down the street unnoticed by a distracted babysitter. His older siblings rescued him. Another evening, the house was almost burned down when one of the toddlers turned the tub jets on and the motor burned up. No one noticed until we, the parents, returned home to a house full of smoke. On a separate occasion, we returned to find all my husband's ties had been thrown on the ceiling fan blades from the balcony above....No, we did not get out a lot. When we did; the babysitters received "combat" pay.

We're eating, talking and laughing. CK feigns righteous indignation at her brother, "How could you do that to them...I was such a good sister to you..." Here the evil one laughs and reminds all involved that when he babysat everyone was fed, breathing and safe when Mops and Pops returned home. No one ever wandered off or had any other adventurous escapades when he was in charge! Well, I guess not... only so much one can do from prison...Hmmm, perhaps that is the key...fear and imprisonment..at least no chains or beatings were employed...

"All's Well " by William A. Quayle

My heart,

The sun hath set.
Night path's
With dews are wet.

Sleep comes
Without regret;
Stars rise
When sun is set.

All's well.
God loves thee yet,
Heart, smile,
Sleep sweet, nor fret.

Hear ye, Hear ye...

I said I wouldn't ,
I thought I couldn't,
I probably shouldn't
But oops,
I did...

I joined Facebook!

It is so hard these days to stay in touch with family and friends.
I have been blessed with so many wonderful
people in my life.
Often they probably do not realize the impact they have had on me.
I hope to do a better job of staying in touch.
A full life with many obligations is wonderful,
however, it can be very isolating...
Now, I get to see(stalk) their every move...
Yay,
Creepy, huh...

The Hootin Hollar Hillbillies Visit Church

This past Sunday morning we gussied ourselves up and left to visit a new church.
A group of eight going anywhere can attract quite a bit of attention, especially when they can be a bunch of hillbillies, so through the years I have learned a few tricks to try and remain as inconspicuous as possible.

So begins our visit...
We are right on time. There are only six of us today, but the sanctuary is full.
My inclination is to sneak us up to the balcony,
but a usher dutifully guides us to the SECOND ROW!
There is no one on the front row.
This is a huge church which broadcasts its services on the TV and web.
I'm thinking... OK ...We came to worship and somehow, leave it to my crew, we're gonna be on TV...It's OK... It works; we can deal with this...

The service begins and it is beautiful.
The prayer ends and my husband signals me that something is wrong...
I look over to see my baby boy, E , with his head in his hands,
white as a sheet,
covering his mouth...
Supermom rises lithely, "excuse me, excuse me, excuse me"...
I grab the potential "sick one" and proceed back down the aisle of this ginormous church with a slightly embarrassed,
" No you don't know me, but I'm trying to keep your carpets clean" smile pasted on my face.
E is gagging intermittently. What follows seems like an action flick, where we are racing solemnly to the back of the church in slow motion ...
Is it possible to race solemnly?
Apparently so...

Finally, we arrive at the big doors to the exit.
We burst through them to the outside as if coming up for air.
I usher E to the nearest flower bed.
"Yay, no gastric contents inside the church or on TV... This is good..."
My poor guy is white as a sheet bent over the shrubbery.
Out of the corner of my eye, I spy what appears to be the president's own secret service entourage...emerging from all doors on the premises.

YES, I'm serious...
NO, this is not for blogger effect.
The ushers are wired up with inconspicuous little earpieces and tiny devices up their sleeves for talking to..well...the other ushers who have inconspicuous little earpieces and tiny devices up their sleeves.
E and I are bent over the shrubbery and I look up.
One apologizes..."I saw what was happening, I'm sorry I couldn't get to you sooner..."
E recovers enough to want to try and make a dash for the bathroom which is,
you guessed it,
back inside!

It is at this time that the secret service escorts us quietly and reverently back inside,
back down the aisle, to another door.
All the while I have that thin lipped,
" This will be funny in, oh, about a hundred years" smile on my face...
And, behind door number 2... we have the bathroom!
Once inside the bathroom, Secret Service Dude Number One uses his wrist radio to tell someone he needs ice in the bathroom, asap...
Poor, E, he's too sick to notice the precision with which his rescue is taking place.
He would love this.
The ice appears...whereupon Secret Service Dude informs E he can have a Sprite there just as quick if that would help. E, refuses politely and fairly groans," Mom I need to go home."
Secret Service Dude informs me he will escort E out,
while I get my keys...

Oh yeah...My keys...
The ones that are INSIDE MY POCKETBOOK ON THE SECOND ROW OF THIS GINORMOUS CHURCH ON LIVE TV...OK... I can do this...
I paste the, "I'm sorry I'm interrupting your lovely church service again," smile on my face...
Walk down the now well worn aisle, manage to squeeze into the second row, sit ,
bump remaining kids further down the pew.
I signal for my pocketbook. The pocketbook begins the silent journey down the pew,
hand over hand, until finally it is in my hand. I prepare to walk the aisle again...
Oops, almost forgot, I paste the
"I'm sorry I'm leaving before the end of your beautiful service, really" smile on my face...
and walk down the aisle one last time!

Outside E is sitting on the sidewalk accompanied by Secret Service Dude.
I tell him to stay put; I'm going to get the van...SSD informs me that they can drive him to the van in a golf cart, "That's ok," I murmur. Too late,
SSD has already messaged the powers that be;
up pulls the golf cart...

Profuse thanks were showered upon the SSD for being our hero of the day. We ride to the van and I safely tuck E inside...

Once down the road a bit, I gently inform E that if he didn't care for the church,
seriously,
he could just tell me next time...
No smile,
poor E, he really feels bad....

Note to self:
1) I think I'm glad we were not in the balcony! Ugh!
2) I think we'll definitely visit here again;
these people definitely know how to handle their hillbillies!

Something Beautiful for Sunday

"If ' by Rudyard Kipling

IF you can keep your head when all about you
Are losing theirs and blaming it on you,
If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you,
But make allowance for their doubting too;
If you can wait and not be tired by waiting,
Or being lied about, don't deal in lies,
Or being hated, don't give way to hating,
And yet don't look too good, nor talk too wise:

If you can dream - and not make dreams your master;
If you can think - and not make thoughts your aim;
If you can meet with Triumph and Disaster
And treat those two impostors just the same;
If you can bear to hear the truth you've spoken
Twisted by knaves to make a trap for fools,
Or watch the things you gave your life to, broken,
And stoop and build 'em up with worn-out tools:

If you can make one heap of all your winnings
And risk it on one turn of pitch-and-toss,
And lose, and start again at your beginnings
And never breathe a word about your loss;
If you can force your heart and nerve and sinew
To serve your turn long after they are gone,
And so hold on when there is nothing in you
Except the Will which says to them: 'Hold on!'

If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue,
' Or walk with Kings - nor lose the common touch,
if neither foes nor loving friends can hurt you,
If all men count with you, but none too much;
If you can fill the unforgiving minute
With sixty seconds' worth of distance run,
Yours is the Earth and everything that's in it,
And - which is more - you'll be a Man, my son!

No Special Hugs, Thank You ; Just Kittens, Please...

A few years back, I was working night shift. Our oldest daughter was expecting our first grand child and our youngest daughter was almost 6. One day as I am leaving for work Baby Girl asks the obvious question, "How did that baby get in Ma's tummy..."
Good question!

Of course at this moment I'm trying to walk out the door for work. Quickly trying to think of a one sentence, simple explanation, I explained that when Mommy's and Daddy's love each other very much there is a "Special Hug" that plants a baby in the Mommy's tummy.
I was pretty satisfied.
It was simple and to the point.

Later, I heard that while I was gone Baby Girl had cornered her older siblings and her father demanding to know the details of this "special hug".
I guess, as one of my older daughters explained, it probably was a little unnerving to think that you could hug someone and suddenly look like that?!!
I really loved how everybody assured Baby Girl that Mom would settle this confusion when she got home! Thanks, guys!

Next morning,
I am met a the door, literally, by a curious and confused daughter with concerns!

So I get "the book" to explain this mystery of nature.
Quietly, Baby Girl sits and absorbs the content as I read to her a truthful but not explicit version of where babies come from and how they are born.
After finishing the book (I think it was by Mr. Rogers), I asked if she had any questions, if she understood? "No," she didn't have any questions . "Yes," she understood; she answered and was off.

Definitely not the organized routine I had hoped for but it seemed to work...So I figure that is it for a while....

The next day Baby Girl sat down to breakfast and relayed a conversation she and now newlywed had engaged in. Briefly, Baby Girl had reviewed her newly processed information and had decided that it looked like this whole process could be quite uncomfortable so according to her "When CK and I grow up and we get married,; we have decided there will be no "special hugs" we're just going to have kittens."

O.K.

Yes, I kept a straight face barely...

I love how :
1) They were going to grow up and
2) They were going to get married but
3) There would be NO special hugs and
4) they would just have kittens.

As you can well imagine, CK's fiance who is allergic to cats scoffed at this idea ...
I really didn't see the problem,

sounds like a plan to me!

Rock And Roll, Baby...

Now y'all know that my favorite leisure activity is to piddle in the yard.
So I am out in the yard doing what I do best, when the grands arrive.
Nana's Boy follows me around with a spade to help.
I hear him say something indistinguishable and I ask,
"What?"
Nana's Boy repeats his statement, which I hear as," Nana you ..."
"What?"
At this time Ma steps in to translate...
"Nana you rock!"

Oh, my goodness. Well, that takes the cake.
I rock!
In 26 years with my own 6 children,
I have been told I'm quite a number of things but never have I been told that I rock.
Well, I'm not one to play favorites but at this moment in time Nana's Boy wins, hands down.
'Cuz I rock ...and that's just how I roll...yeah.
Sorry, couldn't resist, get it? Rock and Roll...

Well, anyway...
this could explain a startling statement made by a brand new grandpa a few years back. He picked up his
brand new grandchild looked straight at me and said, "Now THIS is why we keep our children!"
At the time I just thought...O.K.
a little questioningly.
However, now-a-days I think perhaps that fellow may have had something there...seriously.
My children have been known to try the patience of a saint (that would be me).
I never actually entertained the idea of giving them away.
On the other hand, I have entertained the idea of running away, going on strike or fleeing to
another dimension.
Haven't we all?
Well, now here it is, the reason we stay,
in a word,
grandchildren!