GOOD VISIT

Thursday Tammy and I went to Indy to pick up stock at a couple of distributor warehouses. We stopped by Joe and Tia's ...and Leann was there! What a treat...getting to see her as well as Joe's family! Tammy and I had Kadyn with us. That little two-year-old thought he'd died and gone to heaven with all the swings, slide, cars and little house, not to mention the kids, to play with. Bennetts gave him a race car set that thrilled him to death. He had to hold the cars on the way home.

I worked our shop at the flea market today. Talk about dead! I may have talked to five people who weren't other vendors. I did manage to sell 2 crystal tennis bracelets and an aquarium motion lamp.

Tammy needs prayers. She has an appointment next Friday with an ENT...Ear, nose and throat specialist to check out lumps in her throat

Also, Joe and I could use your prayers too as age is slowing us down. Joe is having balance and walking problems and my back and hips ...as well as my lung disease...keep me down most of the time.

MOM

My mother has been gone since Oct. 21, 1991...and I still miss her. What I'd give to pick up the phone and call her and talk to about Kadyn, the flea market, Tammy's health, my pride in my boys and their families!

My mother was a complicated woman. She was a better mother to us when we became adults than when we were children. There was just so many of us! When I was very little, living in Kentucky, Mom worked very hard. She and Dad raised a big garden every summer, then she canned most of our food for the winter...beans, corn, tomatoes, pickles. They always raised lots of green beans and besides canning them, Mom dried them (on strings for what we called shuck beans), pickled some and cooked them every day when they were ripe, usually with little home grown potatoes.

Since we didn't have electricity, Mom washed clothes on a wash board...after carrying and heating tubs full of water. One of my first chores was scrubbing socks on the washboard. She spent a lot of hours during the day just cooking on the coal cookstove...building a fire in it first thing each morning and keeping it hot all day....irregardless of the outside temperature! Breakfast was usually eggs, gravy and biscuits...and the eggs were from the hens mom raised and tended to. Supper was usually a pot of beans...either pinto beans or green beans and cornbread. Lunch at home was usually fried potatoes and cornbread. School lunches were usually peanut butter spread on biscuits. The biscuits were cut in half and spread with the peanut butter...sometimes with potted meat. Sometimes just jelly that mom made herself.

Every wash day Mom would take the bleach water and scrub all the floors with it. We had wood plank floors that were white when she scrubbed them...from all the bleach water that had been used over the years. But...we had coal burning fireplaces for heat besides the coal cookstove...so the floors...nor anything else...stayed clean very long, from the smoke and soot.

With all the work Mom had to do, its amazing that she even had the time to bear nine babies! And she doted on each baby...until the next one came along. She loved us and we knew it...but she was not affectionate to us...after we stopped being the baby. She made sure we were always clean, fed and polite. Mom was big on manners. Please and Thank yous were an important part of our vocabulary taught as soon as we could string words together.

Mom hated for us kids to fight and squabble with each other...and many times we wore the switch stripes to prove it! She often said friends would come and go...but our brothers and sisters were ours all our lives.

We were poor and never had many, if any, luxuries...but Mom shared whatever we had with people....friends, strangers and relatives...who had less. Many times I've seen her pack a box with fresh vegetables from the garden or jars of her canned vegetables, paper bags of sugar, flour and cornmeal and she and Daddy would carry it several miles to my grandparents, uncles and aunts...or the family down the road who she knew didn't have any money.

After we moved from Kentucky to Michigan, Mom had all the luxuries she had never even dreamed of. Electricity. Hot and cold running water. Inside plumbing. Electric cookstove. Wringer washing machine. Refrigerator. And, since most of the work she had always done was not necessary now..like making all our clothes...she didn't do much of anything. During my teen years I can remember Mom only doing the cooking and laundry. Us kids did everything else. But still, Mom mothered us all. Still teaching us all she could. She took care of us when we were hurt or sick. She worried about us when we were out...not sleeping until she knew we were all home and safe again.

Mom always said she didn't care if we "liked" her or not. She didnt' try to be our friend...she was our mother who had to teach us right from wrong and keep us from making disastrous decisions...until we were able to leave home...then she trusted us to do the right thing. But, God help us if we were ever discourteous or sassy to daddy. Dad was the center of her world and we all knew it. Mom was the disciplinarian...always saying she didn't believe in waiting for Dad to come home to mete out punishment for misdeeds. Consequently, Dad seldom punished any of us...and we all worshipped him, just as Mom planned.

After I was grown, Mom became my best friend. I could and did call her nearly every day after I moved to Indiana. While I lived in Michigan, I never let more than two months go by without driving to Indiana to see her for a weekend. After my husband and kids, Mom was the most important person in my life. I couldn't imagine a life without her in it. And since she's been gone, there's been a hole in my life that nothing has been able to fill. I still look at Mother's Day cards and wish I could buy the biggest, prettiest, most sentimental one and give it to her.

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY, MOM!

SORE HANDS

Okay, Tammy and I've come up with this new product to sell at our flea market store. We make necklaces out of little pieces of tootsie rolls...tie them together with yarn, a bow between each piece. I must have made 50 of them already and my blisters have blisters. We sell for for $1.00 each...20 pcs of candy in each necklace. The bags of candy have 360 pcs...cost about $5 per bag...so the profit is good if they prove to be as popular as we think they will.

We have added a lot of new stuff to our inventory. We have salt lamps, sequined newsboy hats, 22 inch vinyl dolls, and aquarium lights...in addition to our other stuff. The Sea Salt Crystals and electric oil warmer lights are still our biggest sellers. The beautiful dolls are selling too. In fact, we need to make another trip to Indy to buy more dolls. Our space keeps growing and filling up as we try to find just the right items to sell...you know, the things people just cant' live without and didnt realize it until they saw it.

Now, if the owners of the flea market would do a little more advertising and get more traffic thru the building, we might make a profit! So far, since January, it's been good enough that it is supporting itself, but all the money we take in has gone right back into buying more inventory.

We are carrying a lot of religious articles...signs, crystal paperweights, oil warmers, etc. and they sell pretty good. AT least they are conversation starters and give us the opportunity to share our faith with others.

Tammy is planning to go to Shipshewanna at least one week a month, perhaps more if she can. A couple of other vendors have offered to go in with her, sharing a booth, and helping her with the work. We're also planning to do the ThreeRivers Festival in July. Haven't decided yet whether we'll do the craft show there, as in years past, or get a booth in the vendors area. I have to do more research on this.

BABYSITTER

I kept Kadyn today...from 9:30 til 3:30.....looooong day! But it was really good, too. He was such a joy...not perfect...but a perfect two-year-old. He played by himself a lot of the time, but still watched to make sure I was watching him! We watched a lot of cartoons...SpongeBob, Curious George, SpongeBob, Noddy, SpongeBob, Bob the Builder, SpongeBob, Backyardigans...and more SpongeBob. About 1:30, I started negotiating with him to take a nap. Every time I'd say he needed to nap, he'd run to the table and grab his plate (he was too busy playing to eat) and yell, I'm EATING! I finally talked him into laying on the couch and watching Spongebob...and he was asleep within five minutes. Slept until his mother came, about an hour and a half.

DO THE MATH

As of May 25, I will have spent 25,550 days on this earth!
I have read AT LEAST 1,100 books...including the Bible.
I have washed a mininum of 1,100 loads of dishes.
I have visited 36 states...all the mainland except for northwest and northeast.
I have lived in 4 states.....Kentucky..13 years, Michigan...19 years, Indiana...25 years, Michigan again..7 years and now Indiana again...6 years. There was a brief three months in California.
I raised 3 children.
I have 9 grandchildren and 5 great grandchildren.
I have been an orphan for 18 years...19, this October. I can't believe Mom's been gone that long!
I have six living siblings, 2 deceased siblings.
I have owned 13 cars...in my name.
I have been a computer addict for 17 years!
I have loved 3 men (not counting Dad and my sons) and been truly loved by 1 (Thank you, Lord, for Joe).
During my working live, I had 6 jobs. Legal secretary, Insurance secretary, Real estate secretary, Selling real estate, Holiday Rambler and Elkhart Door. Shortest one was 2 years, longest was 8 years (tie between real estate secretary and Holiday Rambler.)
I was 13 years old when I accepted Christ.
I reaffirmed my salvation when I was 34, and am still a work in progress.
I have cooked at least 36,500 meals.
Then longest trip I made, where I did all the driving was 2300 miles.

I know there's more numbers...but it's late and I can't think anymore.

HALLELEUJAH!!!!! HE'S HOME!!

Praise God, Chance is home. This morning an older man and a young woman brought him home. What they said about how they got him didn't make much sense to me...contradictory statements, etc. But, I don't care. At least they brought him home. He stunk to high heaven, though. I had to bathe him right away. I think "they" took him to use for breeding purposes and kept him caged up. That's the only explanation I can think of for the way he stunk.

GOOD RESOLUTION

Resolve to be tender with the young; Compassionate with the aged, Sympathetic with the striving, And tolerant with the weak and the wrong; Because sometime in your life, you will be all of these.

DESOLATION

I am desolate! I miss my little buddy...my little foot warmer (always at my feet)...my little bed partner....my greeter when I walk in the door...those little black eyes that were always full of love when he looked at me.

I pray every day that God will take care of him. That whoever took him will love him as much as I did and be good to him. And I pray that he is NOT missing me as much as I miss him.

I LOVE YOU CHANCE! ( I even miss your irritating barking)

LOST DOG

I'm kinda bummed out. My dog Chance is missing. We let him out Saturday a little after noon and he's been gone ever since. The thing is, we have an electric fence and he had his radio collar on. So, if anybody took him, it had to be from our yard. We went to the Humane Shelter today, thinking they might have picked him up...but he wasn't there.

His barking irritates me to death...but right now, I'd give anything to hear him bark!

GROWING OLD

I don't like old age one bit. Who started the fallacy that these were the GOLDEN YEARS anyway? What's golden about being nearly house-bound? or crippled up with arthritis? Or getting out of breath just walking to the bathroom? or being afraid to drive out of town because you get body cramps?

I do Thank God that I'm still able to drive to walmart...I furtherThank Him for Walmart and Meijer providing electric shopping carts! Still, its frustrating to want to go to Indianapolis and have to depend on someone to drive me...and they always have their own problems and can seldom go when I want to.

Don't get me wrong, I still enjoy what little life I have. I can still read...play on my computer...enjoy having the kids over and, with some difficulty, work (babysit) the booth at the flea market on Friday afternoons when Tammy has to babysit Kadyn and Grant.

This Sunday, Easter, I'm going to roast a turkey with stuffing, mashed potatoes, green beans and a salad. I'm not sure who will be here for dinner, but I'll have enough for whoever shows up.

OH...there's one positive advantage. I now have an excuse for not doing housework!

I'm trying hard to live by my motto: DON'T LET THE THINGS YOU CAN'T DO STOP YOU FROM DOING THE THINGS YOU CAN DO.

MUSLIMS

I got this in an email and have not verified it. But I've heard this before..and if its true, its very scary.

SATAN IS MIGHTY, BUT GOD IS ALMIGHTY>

SPREAD THE WORD>


Subject: Muslim Belief>

This is a true story and the author, Rick Mathes, is a well-known leader> in prison ministry.>

The man who walks with God always gets to his destination.

> If you have a pulse you have a purpose.>

> The Muslim religion is the fastest growing religion per capita in the> United States , especially in the minority races!!!>

Last month I attended my annual training session that's required for> maintaining my state prison security clearance. During the training> session there was a presentation by three speakers representing the> Roman Catholic, Protestant and Muslim faiths, who explained each of> their beliefs.>

I was particularly interested in what the Islamic Imam had to say. The> Imam gave a great presentation of the basics of Islam, complete with a> video.> After the presentations, time was provided for questions and answers.> When it was my turn, I directed my question to the Imam and asked: >

'Please correct me if I'm wrong, but I understand that most Imams and> clerics of Islam have declared a holy jihad [Holy war] against the> infidels of the world and, that by killing an infidel(which is a command> to all Muslims), they are assured of a place in heaven. If that's the> case, can you give me the definition of an infidel?'>

There was no disagreement with my statements and, without hesitation, he> replied, 'Non-believers! '>

I responded, 'So, let me make sure I have this straight. All followers> of Allah have been commanded to kill everyone who is not of your faith> so they can have a place in heaven. Is that correct?'

> The expression on his face changed from one of authority and command to> that of a little boy who had just been caught with his hand in the> cookie jar.'> He sheepishly replied, 'Yes.'

> I then stated, 'Well, sir, I have a real problem trying to imagine Pope> John Paul com-manding all Catholics to kill those of your faith or Dr.> Stanley ordering all protestants to do the same in order to guarantee> them a place in heaven!'>

The Imam was speechless!>

I continued, 'I also have a problem with being your friend when you and> your brother clerics are telling your followers to kill me!> Let me ask you a question: Would you rather have your Allah, who tells> you to kill me in order for you to go to heaven, or my Jesus who tells> me to love you because I am going to heaven and He wants you to be there> with me?'

> You could have heard a pin drop as the Imam hung his head in shame. > Needless to say, the organizers and/or promoters of the Diversification> training seminar were not happy with my way of dealing with the Islamic> Imam, and exposing the truth about the Muslims' beliefs.

> In twenty years there will be enough Muslim voters in the U.S... to> elect the President! I think everyone in the U.S.. should be required> to read this, but with ACLU, there is no way this will be widely> publicized, unless each of us sends it on! This is your chance to make> a difference..> > > > > >

NOTHING NEW

Same old, same old here. Tammy, Sarah, Kadyn and I went to Indy yesterday...boughts lots and lots of "stuff" for our flea market store. Got elec oil warmers, signs, plaques, candles...and two beautiful electric aquarium picture lights. We went to two distributors. It was a full day and I've been bummed out all day..spent most of it in bed. When we got home, it took me nearly 10 minutes just to walk into the house. My legs refused to work...or even hold me. Guess I better not do that anymore!

And what's new in your world?

REMEMBER THAT?

Yeah, I Remember That!
If you are old enough...take this stroll...Close your eyes. Go back...before the Internet ... Before semiautomatics and drugs...before SEGA or Super Nintendo...

Way back...

We're talking 'bout hide and go seek at dusk. Sitting on the porch, Simon Says, Kick the Can, Red Light, Green Light. Lunch Boxes with a Thermos...that broke, Chocolate milk, going home for lunch, Penny Candy from the store, Hopscotch, butterscotch, skates with keys, Jacks, Mother May I?Hula Hoops, and Sunflower seeds, Whist and Old Maid and Crazy Eights, Wax lips and mustaches, Mary Jane's, saddle shoes and Coke bottles with the names of cities on the bottom, Running through the sprinkler, circle pins, bobby pins, Mickey Mouse Club, Crusader Rabbit, Rocky & Bullwinkle, Fran & Ollie, Spin & Marty...all in black & white.

When around the corner seemed far away, and going downtown seemed like going somewhere.

Bedtime, climbing trees, making forts in the backyard... A coaster made from orange crates and an old skate, Backyard Shows, Lemonade stands, Cops and Robbers, Cowboys and Indians, Sitting on the curb, Staring at clouds, Jumping down the steps, Jumping on the bed. Pillow fights, "company," Ribbon candy, angel hair on the Christmas tree,Jackie Gleason as "the Poor Soul," white gloves, walking to church, walking to the Community Center, Being tickled "to death", Running till you were out of breath, Laughing so hard that your stomach hurt, Being tired from playin'...Remember that?

Not stepping on a crack...or you'll break your mother's back... Paper chains at Christmas, bobbing for apples and popcorn balls on Halloween, silhouettes of Lincoln and Washington...the smell of paste, book bags and Evening in Paris...What about the girl that had the big bubbly handwriting...who dotted her "I's" with hearts?? The Stroll, "fruit loops" on the backs of shirts & sock hops.

Remember when... When there were two types of sneakers for girls and boys (Keds and PF Flyers) and the only time you wore them at school, was for "gym." And the girls had those ugly uniforms. When it took five minutes for the TV to warm up. When nearly everyone's Mom was at home when the kids got home from school. When nobody owned a pure bred dog.When a quarter was a decent allowance and another quarter a huge bonus. When you'd reach into a muddy gutter for a penny. When girls neither dated nor kissed until late high school, if then. When your Mom wore nylons that came in two pieces. When all of your male teachers wore neckties and female teachers had their hair done everyday and wore high heels.

When you got your windshield cleaned, oil checked, and gas pumped, without asking, for free, every time. And, you didn't pay for air. And, you got trading stamps to boot

When laundry detergent had free glasses, dishes, or towels hidden inside the box.When any parent could discipline any kid, or feed him or use him to carry groceries, and nobody, not even the kid, thought a thing of it. When it was considered a great privilege to be taken out to dinner at a real restaurant with your parents.

When they threatened to keep kids back a grade if they failed... and did. When the worst thing you could do at school was flunk a test or chew gum. And the prom was in the auditorium and we danced to an orchestra, and all the girls wore pastel gowns and the boys wore suits for the first time and we stayed out all night.

When a '57 Chevy was everyone's dream car... to cruise, peel out, lay rubber or watch submarine races, and people went steady and girls wore a class ring with an inch of wrapped dental floss coated with pastel frost nail polish so it would fit her finger. And no one ever asked where the car keys were, 'cause they were always in the car, in the ignition and the doors were never locked. And you got in big trouble if you accidentally locked the doors at home. No one ever had a key.

And lying on your back on the grass with your friends and saying things like, "That cloud looks like a........". And playing baseball with no adults to help kids with the rules of the game. Then...baseball was not a psychological group learning experience, ....it was a game.

Remember when stuff from the store came without safety caps and hermetic seals, 'cause no one had yet to poison a perfect stranger. And...with all our progress... don't you just wish...just once...you could slip back in time and savor the slower pace ... and share it with the children of the 80's and 90's...??????So send this on to someone who can still remember Nancy Drew, The Hardy Boys, Trixie Belden, Laurel & Hardy, Howdy Doody and the Peanut Gallery, The Lone Ranger, The Shadow knows...Nellie Belle, Roy and Dale, Trigger and Buttermilk...as well as the sound of a reel mower on Saturday morning, and summers filled with bike rides, playing in Cowboy land, baseball games, bowling and visits to the pool...and eating Kool-Aid powder with sugar.When being sent to the principal's office was nothing compared to the fate that awaited a misbehaving student at home. Basically, we were in fear for our lives but it wasn't because of drive by shootings, drugs, gangs, etc.. Our parents and grandparents were a much bigger threat, but we all survived because their love was greater than the threat.Didn't that feel good, just to go back and say, "Yeah, I remember that

HURRY UP SPRING!

It snowed today. I think it was just to make us appreciate the wonderful spring days when we do have them.

I worked our "store" at the flea market on Friday. It was very slow and boring, but I sold a few things...like 4 electric oil warmer touch lights. I was so proud of myself! Then, today, Tammy called me, all excited because she had one customer bought SEVEN of them!! Four weeks ago, we had an inventory of 54...now have five left. Looks like a trip down to Indy this week to our supplier is a must! I'm so glad we have hit on something that people really go for.

New Pictures

Here's some updated pix of our "store" at the Speedway Flea Market in Fort Wayne.

CRIME VICTIM

The other evening as Tammy drove up to the house to let me off after a shopping expedition to Indianapolis, we noticed that the license plate was gone off Buick. At first we thought maybe it had somehow dropped off. But after further investigation, we discovered it had actually been stolen! I had driven it to Walmart just the day before, and a police car was behind me, so I'm sure it was stolen during the night.

What a hassle! I called the police and was told I had to go downtown to the police department and fill out a report. The next day George took me downtown. a Policewoman took my report and gave me a form to take to the BMV. When I went to the BMV they said a replacement plate was $9.00, but a new one was only $49. When she looked at my registration, she said I had paid the wrong amount for the stolen plate. I paid $45 and it should have been $49.

Anyway, I got the new plate for $49 and now I'm good until December of 2010.

I don't like being a victim!

THE MOM SONG

I COPIED THIS FROM TIA (the6Bennetts.blogspot.com) Click on it and check it out. so funny.

the Mom Song
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A7R9SFBLvIk

FLEA MARKET PICTURES

these are pictures of our booth at Speedway Flea Market. Tammy is standing by our new sign. The day it was finished and hung, she was so excited she called me and insisted I run right up and see the sign.

SENIOR ALPHABET

A for arthritis,
B for bad back,
C is for chest pains.
Perhaps cardiac?



D is for dental replacements and decline,
E is for eyesight--can't read that top line?
F is for fissures and fluid retention
G is for gas (which I'd rather not mention.)

H high blood pressure (I'd rather have low)
I for incisions with scars you can show.
J is for joints, that now fail to flex
L for libido--what happened to sex?


Wait! I forgot about K!
K is for my knees that crack when they're bent (Please forgive me, my Memory ain't worth a cent) ?
N for neurosis, pinched nerves and stiff neck
O is for osteo- and all bones that crack.


P for prescriptions, I have quite a few
Give me another pill; I'll be good as new!
Q is for queasiness. Wine or flu?
R is for reflux-- one meal turns into two

S is for sleepless nights, counting my fears?
T for tinnitus--I hear bells in my ears.
U is for urinary: difficulties with flow
V is for vertigo, that's "dizzy", you know.

W is worry, now what's going 'round?
X is for X ray-- and what might be found.
Y for another year I've left behind
Z is for zest that I still have my mind!

Have survived all the symptoms my body's deployed,
And kept twenty-six doctors gainfully employed!

TWENTY FIVE THINGS ABOUT ME

1. BLUE IS MY FAV COLOR
2. FRIED CHICKEN IS MY FAV MEAT
3. I LOVE THUNDERSTORMS
4. I DON'T WATCH MUCH TV
5. I WOULD RATHER READ THAN WATCH TV
6. I'D RATHER PLAY ON THE COMPUTER THAN WATCH TV
7. I HATE SHOPPING
8. I USE ELECTRIC CARTS WHEN I DO GO SHOPPING
9. MY MEMORY IS GETTING BAD...I MAKE LISTS SO I WON'T FORGET STUFF...THEN CAN'T REMEMBER WHAT I DID WITH THE LIST!
10. NOW I'M PUTTING PICTURES FROM GREAT GRANDKIDS ON MY FRIG DOOR.
11. I CAN'T CARRY A TUNE IN A WASH TUB...BUT I LOVE TO SING ANYWAY
12. I GET A GUILTY PLEASURE OUT OF JOE DOING DISHES EVERY NIGHT
13. OF ALL THE DOGS I'VE HAD, I LOVED KRISTIE MOST...BUT MISS FRECKLES MOST.
14. I THINK FAMILY IS THE MOST IMPORTANT THING WE HAVE.
15. I LOVED BEING A MOM...FROM CONCEPTION TO THE PRESENT.
16. I LOVE BEING A GRANDMOTHER...AND A GREAT GRANDMOTHER. BUT, IF KADYN ONLY HAS
12.5 PERCENT OF MY BLOOD,THAT MEANS HIS GRANDKIDS WILL HAVE BARELY A TRACE...AND THAT MAKES ME SAD.
17. I CAN TALK TO ANYBODY, EVEN PERFECT STRANGERS
18. I LOVE BIG FAMILY DINNERS
19. SPRING IS MY FAVORITE TIME OF THE YEAR, FOLLOWED CLOSELY BY FALL.
20. MY FAVORITE DESSERT IS ANYTHING CHOCOLATE...EXCEPT I DON'T LIKE CHOCOLATE CAKE.
21. I'VE ALWAYS LOVED WALKING IN THE RAIN...NOW I JUST STAND OUT IN IT!
22. I HATE MAKING BEDS
23. I WOULD RATHER TAKE A SHOWER THAN A BATH
24. I ACCEPTED JESUS WHEN I WAS TWELVE YEARS OLD...REAFFIRMED MY SALVATION WHEN I WAS THIRTY-FOUR YEARS OLD. (IS THAT WHAT I MEAN?)
25. I KNOW I'M GOING TO HEAVEN

WEEKEND

We had a pretty nice weekend. Tammy did a lot of work on our booth at the flea market. We moved across the aisle to a larger space...8 by 14 now...had 8 x 10. One of the vendors there made us a sign...TARAH'S GIFTS....looks really good. I'll post some pictures when I can. So many booths are selling jewelry...like every other one there...we've taken ours to a backseat..kinda...and emphasizing scents....scented rocks (sea salt crystals), fake perfumes, fragrance oils and the electric oil warmers-night lights. the scented sea salt is our biggest seller...but need to sell lots of it at $3.50 for six ounces to pay the rent! At this point, I'm still putting much more money in it than we're taking out. But...hope springs eternal!

Car Repairs

Egads!! I just had some work done on my car. Two weeks ago, when I left the flea market on Saturday, it wouldn't start. I finally had to get it towed in to a garage. Needed a new fuel pump. Also, the driver's door hasn't opened from the outside for over a year, so had that fixed...and they said the band holding the gas tank was nearly rusted through, so had to replace that. Totat cost was $595!!! For the life of me, I can't see how anyone raising a family could ever afford something like that. I remember once when a timing belt went out on Steve's Buick and it cost us $250 to repair it...we had to eat beans and macaroni for a month! That was a week's pay for the two of us combined!

MUSIC!!!!

I finally figured out how to put a music player on here. I hope you enjoy it.

I've been sick this past week and have not posted anything...nothing serious, just a cold, turned into asthmatic bronchitis. Thanks to the doctor and ClaritonD, I'm feeling much better.

The flea market has improved....it paid the rent for Feb!!

Since its late and I'm sleepy....after working all evening on figuring out the music player, I'm going to bed and will write more later.

THREE ABOUT ME

Okay...I stole this from Tia..who said she stole it from Steve Gall. I liked the idea, so here goes....Three about me.....

THREE JOBS I'VE HAD (and liked)....Legal secretary...when I first got out of high school, the lawyer also paid for me to go to night school and get a legal secretarial certificate.

Real estate secretary. I loved the job and my bosses. Over the nine years I worked there I became sales manager, property manager and they paid for me to go to school to get an appraisers license and my own real estate license.

Real Estate Salesperson. It was a wonderful job when my last child was born, Icould choose my hours.

THREE GREATEST ACCOMPLISHMENTS.....Tammy, Buddy and Joey. I thank God every day for entrusting those precious lives to me....and for all His help in making them the wonderful adults they are.

THREE FOODS I could, but don't want to, live without.... Peanut butter M&Ms...should be one of the major food groups. Fried Chicken. Fried baloney sandwich.

THREE PLACES I've lived....Kentucky, Michigan, Indiana

THREE PEOPLE who have had the most influence on my life....Mr. Banks, my 4th and 5th grade teacher, Granny (my grandmother Polly Shepherd). Pastor Bob Hueni.

THREE PLACES I'd love to be right now....forget this one, I don't want to be anywhere else at this point in my life or with anyone else but Joe.

GRANDMA'S APRON

The principle use of Grandma's apron was to protect the dress underneath, but along with that, it served as a holder for removing hot pans from the oven.

It was wonderful for drying children's tears, and on occasion was even used for cleaning out dirty ears. From the chicken-coop, the apron was used for carrying eggs, fussy chicks, and sometimes half-hatched eggs to be finished in the warming oven.

When company came, those aprons were ideal hiding places for shy kids. And when the weather was cold, grandma wrapped it around her arms. Those big old aprons wiped many a perspiring brow, bent over the hot wood stove.

Chips and kindling wood were brought into the kitchen in that apron. From the garden, it carried all sorts of vegetables. After the peas had been shelled, it carried out the hulls.

In the fall, the apron was used to bring in apples that had fallen from the trees. When unexpected company drove up the road, it was surprising how much furniture that old apron could dust in a matter of seconds

When dinner was ready, Grandma walked out onto the porch, waved her apron, and the men knew it was time to come in from the fields to dinner.

It will be a long time before someone invents something that will replace that "old-time apron" that served so many purposes.

REMEMBER THIS! Grandma used to set her hot baked apple pies on the window sill to cool. Her granddaughters set theirs on the window sill to thaw.

DEAR GRANDSON

I have become a little older since I saw you last, and a few changes have come into my life since then. Frankly, I have become a frivolous old gal. I am seeing five gentlemen everyday.

As soon as I wake up, Will Power helps me get out of bed. Then I go to see John. Then Charlie Horse comes along, and when he is here he takes a lot of my time and attention. When he leaves, Arthur Ritis shows up and stays the rest of the day. He doesn't like to stay in one place very long, so he takes me from joint to joint.

After such a busy day, I'm really tired and glad to go to bed with Ben Gay. What a life.

Oh yes, I'm also flirting with Al Zymer.

Love, Grandma

PS The preacher came to call the other day. He said at my age I should be thinking of the hereafter. I told him, "Oh I do it all the time. No matter where I am, in the parlor, upstairs, in the kitchen, or down in the basement, I ask myself, "Now, what am I here after?"

DOCTOR DAY

Today was a big day....both Joe and I went to the doctor! Mine was just routine (you know the usual routine from the doctor....you still smoking?)

Joe went to get his ankle checked out. He's had an open sore on it for two or three months. I clean it every day and put neosporon and bandage on it. It seems to heal...redness gone, swelling gone....then within a week or two it's back, as bad as ever.

Doc said it's a Venus Ulcer. He cleaned it (abraided it...or something like that) and put a bandage on it. Joe has to go back in two weeks.

After the doctor, I dropped Joe and George off at OTB and went to the flea market...worked there for four hours....froze my project off!! This zero and below temps are the pits. At least it's supposed to be warmer tomorrow....in the 20's....Heat Wave!

LOOKING GOOD

LOOKING GOOD

My face in the mirror isn't wrinkled or drawn.
My house isn't dirty. The cobwebs are gone.
My garden looks lovely and so does my lawn.
I think I might never put my glasses back on

THE LORD'S PRAYER...A CONVERSATION WITH GOD

Our Father which art in heaven ..."

"Yes?"
"Don't interrupt me. I'm praying."

"But you called me."

"Called you? I didn't call you. I'm praying. Our Father which art in heaven ..."

"There ... you did it again."

"Did what?"

"Called me. You said, Our Father which art in heaven. Here I am. What's on your mind?"

"But I didn't mean anything by it. I was, you know, just saying my prayers for the day. I always say the Lord's Prayer. It makes me feel good, kind of like getting a duty done."

"All right. Go on."

"Hallowed be thy name ..."

"Hold it! What do you mean by that?"

"By what?"
"By 'hallowed be thy name'?"

"It means ... it means ... good grief! I don't know what it means. How should I know? It's just a part of the prayer. By the way, what does it mean?"

"It means honored ... holy ... wonderful."

"Hey, that makes sense. I never thought about what 'hallowed' meant before. Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven."

"Do you really mean that?"

"Sure, why not?"

"What are you doing about it?"

"Doing? Nothing, I guess! I just think it would be kind of neat if you got control of everything down here like you have up there."

"Have I got control of you?"

"Well ... I go to church."

"That isn't what I asked you. What about your bad temper? You've really got a problem there, you know. And then there's the way you spend your money ... all on yourself. And what about the kind of books you read?"

"Stop picking on me! I'm just as good as some of the rest of those people at the church.

" Excuse me. I thought you were praying for my will to be done. If that is to happen, it will have to start with the ones who are praying for it ... like you, for example."

"Oh, all right. I guess I do have some hang-ups. Now that you mention it, I could probably name some others."

"So could I."

"I haven't thought about it very much until now, but I really would like to cut out some of those things. I would like to ... you know ... be really free."

"Good ... now we're getting somewhere! We'll work together, you and I. Some victories can truly be won. I'm proud of you."

"Look, Lord, I need to finish up here. This is taking a lot longer than it usually does. Give us this day, our daily bread."

"You need to cut out the bread. You're overweight as it is."

"Hey, wait a minute! What is this ... 'Criticize me day?' Here I was doing my religious duty, and all of a sudden you break in and remind me of all my hang-ups."

"Praying is a dangerous thing. You could wind up changed, you know. That's what I'm trying to get across to you. You called me, and here I am. It's too late to stop now. Keep praying. I'm interested in the next part of your prayer ... (pause). Well ... go on!"

"I'm scared to."

"Scared? Of what?"

"I know what You'll say."

"Try me and see."

"Forgive us our sins, as we forgive those who sin against us."

"What about Ann?"

"See? I knew it! I knew you would bring her up! Why Lord, she's told lies about me, spread stories about my family. She never paid back the debt she owes me. I've sworn to get even with her!"

"But your prayer? What about your prayer?"

"I didn't mean it."

"Well, at least you're honest. But it's not much fun carrying that load of bitterness around inside, is it?

"No, but I'll feel better as soon as I get even. Boy, have I got some plans for that neighbor. She'll wish she had never moved into this neighborhood."

"You won't feel any better. You'll feel worse. Revenge isn't sweet. Think of how unhappy you already are. But I can change all that."

"You can? How?"

"Forgive Ann. Then I'll forgive you. Then the hate and sin will be Ann's problem and not yours. You will have settled your heart."

"Oh, you're right. You always are. And more than I want to revenge Ann, I want to be right with you. Ann, I want to be right with you ... (pause) ... (sigh). Alright! Alright! I forgive her! Help her to find the right road in life, Lord. She's bound to be awfully miserable now that I think about it. Anybody who goes around doing the things she does to others has to be out of it. Someway, somehow, show her the right way."

"There now! Wonderful! How do you feel?"

"Hmmmm ... well, not bad. Not bad at all. In fact, I feel pretty great! You know, I don't think I'll have to go to bed uptight tonight for the first time since I can remember. Maybe I won't be so tired from now on because I'm not getting enough rest."

"You're not through with your prayer. Go on."

"Oh, all right. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil."

"Good! Good! I'll do that. Just don't put yourself in a place where you can be tempted."

"What do you mean by that?

" Don't turn on the TV when you know the laundry needs to be done and the house needs to be picked up. Also, about the time you spend having coffee with your friends ... if you can't influence the conversation to positive things, perhaps you should re-think the value of those friendships. Another thing, your neighbors and friends shouldn't be your standard for "keeping up with." And please don't use me for an escape hatch."

"I don't understand the last part."

"Sure you do. You've done it a lot of times. You get caught in a bad situation. You get into trouble and then you come running to me. "Lord, help me out of this mess, and I promise you I'll never do it again." You remember some of those bargains you tried to make with me?"

"Yes and I'm ashamed, Lord. I really am."

"Which bargain are you remembering?"

"Well, there was the night that Bill was gone and the children and I were home alone. The wind was blowing so hard I thought the roof would go any minute and tornado warnings were out. I remember praying, 'Oh God, if you spare us, I'll never skip my devotions again."

"I protected you, but you didn't keep your promise, did you?"

"I'm sorry, Lord. I really am. Up until now I thought that if I just prayed the Lord's Prayer every day, then I could do what I liked. I didn't expect anything to happen like it did."

"Go ahead and finish your prayer."

"For Thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory forever. Amen."

"Do you know what would bring me glory? What would really make me happy?"

"No, but I'd like to know. I now want to please you. I can see what a mess I've made of my life. And I can see how great it would be to really be one of your followers."

"You just answered the question."

"I did?"

"Yes. The thing that would bring me glory is to have people like you truly love me. And I see that happening between us. Now that some of these old sins are exposed and out of the way, well, there is no telling what we can do together."

"Lord, let's see what we can make of me, okay?"

"Yes, let's see."

CREATION

On the first day God created the cow. God said, "You must go to the field with the farmer all day long, suffer under the sun, have calves and give milk to support the farmer I will give you a life span of sixty years."

The cow said, "That's a kind of a tough life you want me to live for sixty years. Let me have twenty years and I'll give back the other forty."

And God agreed.

On the second day, God created the dog. God said, "Sit all day by the door of your house and bark at anyone who comes in or walks past. I will give you a life span of twenty years."

The dog said, "That's too long to be barking. Give me ten years and I'll give back the other ten."

So, God agreed.

On the third day God created the monkey. God said, "Entertain people, do monkey tricks, make them laugh. I'll give you a twenty year life span."

Monkey said "Monkey tricks for twenty years? I don't think so. Dog gave you back ten, so that's what I'll do too, okay?"

And God agreed again.

On the fourth day God created man. God said, "Eat, sleep, play, have sex, enjoy. Do nothing, just enjoy, enjoy. I'll give you twenty years."Man said, "What? Only twenty years? No way man. Tell you what, I'll take my twenty, and the forty the cow gave back, and the ten the dog gave back and the ten the monkey gave back. That makes eighty, okay?"

"Okay," said God. "You've got a deal."

SO: That is why for the first twenty years we eat, sleep, play, have sex, enjoy, and do nothing; for the next forty years we slave in the sun to support our family; for the next ten years we do monkey tricks to entertain our grandchildren; and for the last ten years we sit in front of the house and bark at everybody.

AMERICAN IDOL

Yeah...yeah...I'm a big fan of American Idol. And these two nights of auditions have not disappointed me. I really liked the blind guy last night. I think he will go far. Tonight, my favorite was ...again...the last performer, the mother of three. I think it's going to be a good season!

Nothing much is happening in our lives right now. So.....I'm going to be inserting some articles...humourous and otherwise....on being a senior citizen, culled from other sites on the internet. I hope you enjoy them. Don't be afraid to comment.

I'M A SENIOR CITIZEN

I'M A SENIOR CITIZENAnd proud of it!I'm the life of the party... even when it lasts until 8 p.m.

I'm very good at opening childproof caps with a hammer.

I'm usually interested in going home before I get to where I am going.

I'm good on a trip for at least an hour without my aspirin, beano, and antacid.

I'm the first one to find the bathroom wherever I go.

I'm awake many hours before my body allows me to get up.

I'm smiling all the time because I can't hear a word you're saying.

I'm very good at telling stories. Over and over and over and over.

I'm aware that other people's grandchildren are not as bright as mine.

I'm so cared for - long term care, eye care, private care, dental care.

I'm not grouchy, I just don't like traffic, waiting, crowds, children, politicians.

I'm positive I did housework correctly before my mate retired.

I'm sure everything I can't find is in a secure place.

I'm wrinkled, saggy, lumpy, and that's just my left leg.

I'm having trouble remembering simple words like...uh???...uh.

I'm now spending more time with my pillows than with my mate.

I'm realizing that aging is not for sissies.

I'm anti-everything now: anti-fat, anti-smoke, anti-noise, anti-inflammatory.

I'm walking more (to the bathroom) and enjoying it less.

I'm going to reveal what goes on behind closed doors. Absolutely nothing!

If you are what you eat, I'm Shredded Wheat and All Bran.

I'm sure they are making adults much younger these days.

I'm in the initial stage of my golden years. SS, CD's, IRA'S, AARP.

I'm wondering, if you're only as old as you feel, how could I be alive at 150?

I'm supporting all movements now...by eating bran, prunes, and raisins.

I'm a walking storeroom of facts, I've just lost the key to the storeroom.

I'm a SENIOR CITIZEN, and I think I am having the time of my life!!!!

LEAD RULE IN CHILDRENS PRODUCTS

I must have had my head in the sand the past few months. Just today, for the first time, I read an article about the lead rule that goes into effect Feb. 10th. It effects all products aimed for children 12 and under....and any other product that will be used by children. From the research I have done this morning, the list seems endless. It is a good law for children...we all want to protect them from lead exposure. But what will it mean for manufacturers and retailers?

One article said Feb 10 is being called NATIONAL BANKRUPTCY DAY. Why? because small manufacturers can not afford the $300 or more cost to test each of their products. Makers of Hand-made products can't afford the testing, Resale shops...like Goodwill....can't afford the testing. And what about the small flea marketers? Their choices are to either disregard the law, thereby selling illegally, or trash all their existing products.

I suppose a small retailer like a resale shop or flea marketer could ignore the law and keep on keeping on. But, if they should get tested by the "lead police" the fine is $100,000! EEK....I don't know of any flea marketer who could afford that!

There goes all the handmade hats and gloves and jewelry that sell at the flea markets. There goes all your cheap children's clothing at Goodwill or Salvation Army. Because, after Feb 10, they must be able to prove, by testing, that the products are compliant with the lead rule.

I'm mostly concerned about the hand made products. None of us would knowingly use lead products...but even if we absolutely make sure the components we buy and use are lead free, we still have to be able to prove it. Or maybe not....perhaps we just have to make sure we're not selling something manufactured before Feb 10...including components. Probably, if you get nicked by the "lead police" they would have to test your product is see if it is compliant. And woe be to you, me, us, if, say a yarn manufacturer or retail store slips an old skein of yarn in on us that is found to contain more than the allowable amount of lead!! Or, you used an old charm or button you had lying around. See...every component of hand made stuff must pass the test!

What can you do? Write your Senators and Congressmen....ask for an exception for hand made items.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, ANN

Annie....I hope you have a wonderful birthday. NINE!!! my, you are growing up so fast! Always remember, your Grandma Lori loves you very much. You are very precious and special.

GOOD WEEKEND

This was the best weekend we've had in two months. If we could do this every week, we could pay the rent and make a little profit! So, I have faith that things will improve! Today, three local tv stations were at the flea market filming...news at 6:30 and 11. That is going to make a big improvement in foot traffic!

HAPPY NEW YEAR

Happy new year to all my loved ones. I hope this new year will be your best ever. The economy looks bleak, but that can be a blessing in disguise. It might force us to spend more time...quality time, too...with those who matter most.

My new year's resolution is to praise God more for what I have and petition him less for what I wish I had.

FAMILY CHRISTMAS

Our family Christmas was held yesterday, Saturday, at Billy's house in Napannee. We had a wonderful time. Billy and Erica were super ....food was terrific. One of the best family Christmas get-togethers, ever.

There were 22 of us present....all of my immediate family...except for Joe and George who opted not to go. But that is mind-boggling to me, knowing that at least seventeen people are in this world because I am.....and because my Mom was....and my Granny was. and so on. My memory bank only goes back to Granny. That means my memory bank has direct knowledge of six generations. Awesome!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, JESUS

I hope today was a wonderful Christmas for you and yours. Ours was....not quite what I had planned!

Tammy, Sarah and Kadyn came over about 9 am and Kadyn opened his gifts from us (me and Joe.) He was one excited little boy. I do believe his favorite present was the Spongebob Squarepants hat and mittens. We got him a gadget-belt that he liked, too. And a bunch of other toys.

We were supposed to go to my brothers, Jim and Loretta, for dinner. But after the kids left, Joe said he didn't feel good and was not going. Therefore, we all stayed home....and I had not bought anything to cook a Christmas dinner. We had chicken wings and vegetables with dip. As it turned out, Joe was not sick...he just didn't want to go. He thought I would go alone. When I stayed home, he felt bad....after I moped around and made him feel guilty!

Teri, Anthony and Grant didn't come over, they'll stop by tomorrow to get Grant's presents. Then Saturday, we're going to Billy's for our big family Christmas. I'm going to that one whether Joe goes or not...and I don't think he will. But I doubt he'll fake another illness!

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!

It's Christmas Eve...everybody here is asleep except me. I've been trying to play bingo on the computer, but my mind keeps wandering. But, it keeps going to a good place. I finally had to give up a little bit ago and read the story of the first Christmas...in my bible. We all know the story how Jesus was born in a manger in Bethlehem because there was no place else available.

But, for some reason, tonight my mind keeps going to Mary. Can you imagine how scared that girl was....and she was a girl. Only 13 or 14 years old. We all know it hurts to have a baby. And here she is, in pain, wanting, needing, somewhere she can lie down. And everywhere Joseph checks, they're turned away. I'm sure he was frantic. Mary was telling him she was hurting...find something, anywhere. Finally, someone tells him about this cave where livestock is kept. At first, I would imagine he scoffed at it. But when he told Mary, she said...lets go, somewhere is better than nowhere!

Once in the cave, I imagine Joseph cleaned out a spot for Mary, covered it with fresh hay and straw, left there for the animals, covered it with his or Mary's coat, making her as comfortable as possible. By then Mary wouldn't have been worrying about where she was. Her body would have taken over her mind as she entered that world only another mother could know. All her energies and emotions and thoughts would have been centered on the painful contractions that were bringing her baby into the world. Do you think she was was thinking it was God's baby she was bearing? I don't. It was her baby. She had carried it for nine months, felt it move and kick inside her.

After the baby was born, as she and Joseph examined and exclaimed over how perfect He was, perhaps then, they talked about who the baby's Father was. And gave thanks to HIM for the litle baby He had entrusted to them. Do you think they had any idea of the impact that baby would have on the world?

HAPPY BIRTHDAY JESUS

Thank you Mary, for bringing my saviour into the world! Thank you Joseph, for being a godly enough man to take on the task of raising God's son! Thank you God, for giving your son, knowing he would die a horrible death, to save me!

CHRISTMAS JUNKIE

Here's an essay I wrote a few years ago...and it is NOT autobiographical!

I love Christmas! I love the Christmas carols on the radio, in the mall and blaring from speakers on the street corners. I love the cheerful "Merry Christmas" from a perfect stranger. I love the brightly colored lights, the blinking rope lights, the gaudy lighted santas, and the nativity scenes that remind me every day of the real meaning of Christmas. Most of all, though, I love the anticipation of Christmas morning.

I begin preparing for Christmas the day after Thanksgiving. Making "santa lists" and dragging the decorations down from the attic. Of course, my list will change weekly or even daily, as I change my mind about what will be the perfect present for each person on the list. Now, I have 20 people on my list, and each gift will take at least one full day since I always think the next store will have that perfect gift for my daughter, my son, my husband or my brother. So you can see why I have to begin shopping the Monday after Thanksgiving. (Not the day after because the stores are too crowded.) And every gift I buy, as soon as I pick it up, I can tell if it's the right one or not. All the time I'm wrapping it, I imagine how happy it's gong to make her or him. I can see the surprised look and glowing smile and hear "Oh, Mom! It's perfect and just what I wanted! How did you know!" And they won't realize they're holding more than a bought present... They're holding my love in their hands.

This year my Christmas was proceeding just as planned. The house was decorated, the tree was trimmed, and I was making good progress on my list, when my daughter showed up one morning.

Now this child of my heart, who I carried in my body for nine long months and brought into this world throughh great pain, knows me well. At least I thought she did. Yet, when she walked in, stomping the snow off her boots, she looked around, laughed and said, "Wow, Mom, you've out-done yourself this year. Looks like Christmas has puked on your house!" Puked??

I had barely recovered from that artless remark, deciding that maybe it wasn't meant to be derogatory, when, sitting at the kitchen table with a cup of coffee and a plate of homemade peanut butter fudge, she said, "Mom, I have a great idea. Since I don't know what to buy you for Christmas, let's go to the mall and you can pick out what you want. I'll even pay for lunch."

Pick out my own present? What was this child thinking about? Nobody picks out their own present. Most of the fun of Christmas morning is anticipation...wondering whick present is yours. Maybe it's that gayly wrapped green one with the speckled bow...or the big red package in the corner that wouldn't fit under the tree. ( And, NO, I never looked ahead of time.) Okay, so I'm sixty-eight years old, so what? Everybody's a child on Christmas morning!

Well I did go shopping with Tammy. How could I refuse? We visited every store at the mall. And every thing I liked, she scrutinized with great care and then decided was not quite "me" and maybe we could find something better at Macy's...or Steinmart....or Target.

Sitting in the car several hours and 20 stores later, rubbing my swollen, aching feet, Tammy said, "See Mom? That's why I don't know what to get you for Christmas. You're really hard to buy for. Why don't you just give me a list of things you'd like."

Things I'd like? I had just shown her fifty things and she didn't think any of them were just right!"

"Look, Sweetie," I said with great patience, "you know I'll like whatever you give me." And before she could offer any argument, with an inward smug smile, and an outward tired sigh, I suggested, "Why don't you just surprise me!"

GIVING

I just read a post on the Bennett's blog (the6bennetts.blogspot.com) that reminded me of my dad.

Most of you know I was an original "coalminer's daughter" but my dad, though dirt poor, had a heart as big as the sky. When we lived in KY, every Christmas Dad and Mom would pack up several bags of fruits, nuts, candies, and canned vegetables, maybe a freshly killed and cleaned chicken, some salt pork....and, on Christmas Eve, carry them several miles to my grandmothers and the aunts and uncles worse off then we were.

After we moved to Michigan, Dad continued this tradition. Only now, our relatives were better off than we were. What he would do is ask the town marshall in Sumpter for a family who needed help for Christmas. Then he and Mom would make up their bags and boxes and deliver them on Christmas Eve.

One year, after the annual delivery was made, Dad happened to talk to the marshall, who toldhim about another family with five kids who had been over-looked by the township Santa.
Dad fretted and stewed about that poor family all the rest of the day. At supper, he said to Mom that they had to do something. Mom replied that we didn't have enough to share anymore. Dad looked around the table at each of us and asked how we'd feel if we were those little children.

The upshot was...of the two chickens Mom was planning for Christmas dinner, one would go to the poor family. Our fruit salad would be a little smaller...five each apples, oranges, bananas, and a handful of nuts would go in their box. Then Dad did the unthinkable...he asked each of us kids to give up one present we knew we were getting.

Of course, we all balked at first. But Dad talked to us and made us see that giving is more rewarding than getting. We didn't contribute much. As I recall, I gave a fuzzy collar I knew I was getting (there was a girl about my age and those collars were all the rage ...worn with sweaters). Pauline , who was about 13, offered her new socks...but ended up giving new pj's.
Jimmy bargained hard to give away his socks, too...but ended up giving the nine year old boy a cap pistol. Sue gave away the tea set Santa was going to bring her and Margaret gave crayons and coloring book to the youngest.

About ten o'clock pm on Christmas Eve, we all piled into the car and delivered the boxes of goodies. We all stayed in the car while Mom and Dad carried the boxes to the door. When the woman answered the door....Mom and Dad handed her the boxes and said Merry Christmas. Well, that woman broke down. She set the boxes aside and grabbed dad in a stranglehold. Her husband...on crutches....came to the door and when he realized what was going on, he too, cried and hugged Mom. Watching from the car, I sobbed unashamedly.

That made my Christmas that year. nevermind that the family was not the same color as we were. They were so grateful, but like Dad told them, we were the lucky ones....we had enough to share! I never again saw any of them...they lived in a different school district, but I never forgot them, either. Or how wonderful my Dad was!

GOSPEL MUSIC

I love the new contemporary Christian Music. Yet, I find myself singing the old time hymns I grew up with. The first song I ever learned all the words to was

THE OLD RUGGED CROSS.... and it remains one of my all-time favorites.

On a hill far away stood an old rugged cross,
the emblem of suffering and shame;
and I love that old cross where the dearest and best
for a world of lost sinners was slain.

Refrain: So I'll cherish the old rugged cross, till my trophies at last I lay down; I will cling to the old rugged cross, and exchange it some day for a crown.

2. O that old rugged cross, so despised by the world,
has a wondrous attraction for me;
for the dear Lamb of God
left his glory above to bear it to dark Calvary.
(Refrain)
3.
In that old rugged cross, stained with blood so divine,
a wondrous beauty I see,
for 'twas on that old cross Jesus suffered and died,
to pardon and sanctify me.
(Refrain)
4. To that old rugged cross I will ever be true,
its shame and reproach gladly bear;
then he'll call me some day to my home far away,
where his glory forever I'll share.
(Refrain)

And my new favorite Contemporary Gospel song is..Here I am to Worship (and any song by Michael W. Smith)

Light of the world You stepped down into darkness
Opened my eyes let me see Beauty that made this heart adore You
Hope of a life spent with You
Here I am to worship
Here I am to bow down
Here I am to say that You’re my God
You’re altogether lovely
Altogether worthy
Altogether wonderful to me
King of all days
Oh so highly exalted
Glorious in heaven above
Humbly You came to the earth You created
All for love’s sake became poor
I’ll never know how much it cost
To see my sin upon that cross.

You can do a search on the title to hear the songs...can even download them to your computer.

BRRRRRRR COLD FREEZER

As if the ice isn't enough to deal with, now we're getting zero degrees temps plus blowing snow. In all my years, I've never seen an ice storm like this one. Ice was between one and two inches all over. Trees were falling...electric lines were breaking...over 100,000 homes were without electricity. As of 8 pm tonight, still 50,000 homes didn't have electric. And with this cold weather, its not going to melt anytime soon.

The flea market was open today...but it was a waste of time. I didn't go but Tammy worked it all day and said she might have seen 25 people who were not other vendors. The parking lot and walks were pure ice. I was afraid to go out. All I need is a broken hip!!

Tammy and I are making "scrubbies." ....little pot scrubbers. We crochet mesh fabric into little pads. They work great on non-stick pans and the stove without scratching. I'm so proud of us, hahah. We're also making lots of hats and gloves. What we don't sell at the flea market, we'll donate to various charities around town that collect coats and hats to give to people who need them. We have already donated some for Christmas presents.

HAPPY WINTER!!

The eve of the first day of winter hit with a vengeance! We had...have...at least an inch of solid ice on both decks and both cars. Closings were numerous...schools, businesses....even our flea market.

God compensates. I looked out my kitchen window and the trees were absolutely gorgeous in their shiny coats of ice. It didnt' bother me anyway, I had nowhere I wanted or needed to go. I went out yesterday and finished my Christmas shopping. Nothing really jumped out at me, so I bought what I liked and hope they like it too! Now I have a mountain of wrapping to do.

It looks more and more like we will have a White Christmas this year!!

CHRISTMAS SHOPPING

I'm really running late this year on my shopping. Usually, I'm all finished before Thanksgiving....except for one or two I save for the first snowy day when it looks like Christmas. This year, here it is, less than two weeks until Christmas and I still have several presents to buy. As the grandchildren get older, they get tougher to buy for. Too old for toys....and Idon't know their style in clothes. Gift certificates seem so impersonal. Therefore, I make several forays through Walmart and Meijers and Big Lots...hoping something will jump out at me and be "just the right thing."

I'm really looking forward to Christmas morning. Santa Claus is going to drop off Kadyn's presents here! He will be over probably by daylight...well, maybe not that early. We're talking about Sarah here, too. Has she ever gotten up at daybreak??? Anyway, it will be fun watching that wonderful two year old boychild open his mountain of presents!

CHRISTMAS AT THE FLEA MARKET

Although the crowds are still small, they are all in a festive mood. This is likely due to the Christmas decorations each vendor has put up (except us). Every space has Christmas "stuff" for sale...ornaments, trees, lights, dancing and singing santas, reindeer, snowmen. I bought a singing and dancing hillbilly santa for my brother, Jimmy. We even have a Santa taking pictures with kids. But not with Kadyn...Kadyn is scared to death of him!

Vendors continue to come and go. We lost the vendor next to us, but we're taking over the space...expanding. Jewelry is not selling good enough to support the space, so we've added other stuff and are too crowded in one space. Besides jewelry, we are selling Scented Sea Salt Crystals..(an air freshener), candles, smelly jelly, hats, gloves, scented waxed bears, and we're adding some everyday items...dishes, etc. (If you can't beat 'em, join 'em). Tammy made some dish scrubbies out of nylon mesh and they're selling well. The metallic bracelets are going good. I sold five of them yesterday...Friday.

Today, we had a Mexican Radio Station broadcasting from there and it brought in a whole bunch of Mexicans. Tammy does the brunt of the selling...booth sitting, anyway. I have to work when she has to watch Kadyn...usually four or five hours on Friday and perhaps two or three hours on Saturday. If I'm feeling okay, I actually enjoy it.

I'm still convinced that this venture can be a money-maker...even tho nobody gets rich selling at a flea market. We just need more foot traffic. All in all, to be a new venue, its going pretty good. I'm still pouring money into it and getting no return back...but it is accomplishing my purpose...and that was to give Tammy a purpose. She's been so sick she can't work, but she can sit at the flea market and take money...most days, anyway. I think its helping ease her depression.

SUPPORT YOUR LOCAL FLEA MARKETS.

HOLIDAYS

Thanksgiving was great this year. On Thanksgiving day, I had dinner at my brother, Jim's. Besides him and his wife, Loretta, my other brother, Frank and his wife Linda were there as well as Jim's son and wife and four kids. My daughter, Tammy and her daughter Sarah, and Kadyn along with my husband Joe and his brother, George. We had a wonderful time visiting and all ate too much. I haven't seen so much...and such a variety...of food since Dad died and we stopped having Thanksgiving at Mom's....in 1985.

Then today, Sunday, we had another Thanksgiving dinner at my granddaughter, Teri's house. my son Joey and wife and four kids were there as well as all of Tammy's kids and grandkids. It was wonderful seeing all of them. The food was great, the company was greater. Teri's baby, Grant, gets cuter everytime I see him. He has these great big blue eyes that seem to be taking in everything he sees so he will remember it next time. We only stayed a couple of hours. I had a coughing spasm that left me weak and exhaused and all the little kids were getting on Joe's nerves. He loves the kids and loves to see them. But in small doses! Kadyn adores Joe. As we were leaving, Kadyn stood in the door and said, over and over..."uv oo, papaw...uv oo papaw" You think he'd say to me "uv oo gram" but no....Kadyn loves me...but when Joe's around, he's number one to Kadyn.

Joey's son, Andrew who is five, brought me a box of crafts he'd made. He wants me to sell them in my "store"...at the flea market. There's book markers, door knob hangers...all with Colts theme. Stories...in book form...he's written...some pictures, a bracelet, tree ornament. About 20 items total. He has put a lot of hard work in them. Amy and Ann grow prettier and sweeter every day. I am so lucky to have such wonderful grandchildren. They are my legacy to the world and the world will be a much better place with them in it!

Soon it will be Christmas...always my favorite Holiday. This year we will celebrate it as a family at my grandson, Billy's house on the Saturday after Christmas. But first, I'll have Tammy's daughters, Teri and Sarah, and their babies here at my house for Christmas morning. I can hardly wait. I'm buying a bunch of little things, just to see Kadyn's face when he opens them. I wish I could talk my brother, Frank, into coming up and playing Santa. I'll work on getting him up to Billy's! Frank has this wonderful white beard, mustache and hair. Tho, his belly is not as big as it used to be, he'd still make a great santa claus! If he's able to do it. He has Lou Gerig's disease and it is advancing rapidly lately. Please keep him in your prayers.

Things I'm thankful for

God has been good to me. He's given me much to thank Him for. Here goes....Joe, my husband. My children...Tammy, Buddy and Joey and God-given daughters, Leann and Tia. My wonderful nine grandchildren and five great grandchildren.

Health...Joe and I still can get around to take care of ourselves! My brothers and sisters and inlaws. My car. My home. George.

Im thankful for Thanksgiving. It gives me a chance to reflect on how good life really is...even when I'm sick and in pain.

ELECTION RESULTS--AMERICAN

FINALLY!! The election is over. I was so sick of all the commercials. I'm not real thrilled with the outcome, but I know its all in God's hands. We just need to pray really hard...and often...that God will use President-elect Obama in the best way He sees fit.

Now I have a problem with Obama being called African-American! Isn't he just American? Will he be president of Africa and America?If he wants his race acknowledged, why not just plain old Black American? I don't really like that term either. No more than I want to be called White American. As far as I'm concerned, we're all just Americans. If the skin color makes a difference...say on a rap sheet...it should be noted under description...such as black complexion...or white complexion. Come on people, lets do away with Black American, White American, Japanese American, Mexican American, etc. American doesn't need any other description. Be proud! I'm an American who happens to be white, he's an American who happens to be black, she's an American who happens to be of Mexican descent. Don't call me White American...nor Irish American (my descent) nor my son Serbian American! Just call us Americans! President-elect Obama...I'm suggesting it start with you. Tell people...news media, for instance...that you're just an American! and they should drop "black-American" designation.
I suggest this be the first "change" you make.

GREAT SUNDAY

Today was a wonderful day! Joey and three of his kids came to visit. They brought home-made potpies that Tia had sent...yummy! It was sooooo good to see them. I don't see nearly enough of those kids and I adore them every one. Amy is growing up so fast. Seems like yesterday she was Kadyn's age. And here she is, a lovely young lady of 12! I took them up to the flea market so they could see our store there. At least Andrew (5) was impressed. He called me after they got back home and said he has a great idea...he will make stuff and we can sell it for him, like book markers, pictures, bracelets. I said, sure....send it and we'll sell it and send you the money!

Then Tammy came over and said she had a good day selling at the store, too. Yayyyyy! finally a good weekend!

Don't forget to Vote Tuesday.

DULL THURSDAY

second day in a row without seeing Kadyn....big sigh. He's sick. Was throwing up all day yesterday and last night. Sounds like he's on the mend now though.

Tomorrow is flea market....Tammy's working it all day. She's opening at 11 and will probably close at 5 or 6. Then Saturday, I have to open and work until probably 2 because Tammy has Kadyn. Kenny, his father, gets him on Saturday afternoons and all day Sunday.

Last weekend was a little better. We still didn't do very good, but at least there were more people walking through. I saw an advertisement in the little "Mad Money" coupon book today for the flea market, so perhaps that will help traffic.

I went to Joanne's yesterday to buy the crystals I need to make a special order bracelet. What a wasted trip. First of all, their crystals were so picked over, they didn't have the colors I needed. I did pick up a few other beads that were on sale. Then I went to check-out! One register was open. fifteen people in line. I stood there in line for five or ten minutes...and was in so much pain, I just pushed my cart to the side and exclaimed..."There's nothing in this store I want badly enough to stand in this line." As I walked away, I heard another lady say she agreed with me....and she walked out the door behind me. I didn't feel good all day today...so hopefully, tomorrow I can go over to Michaels and find the crystals I need.

KADYN

There are days I don't see Kadyn....but Tammy brings him over at least three or four times a week. And it just warms my heart when he walks in, sees me, and grins from ear to ear.

The other day he taught me how to eat a freezer pop. Now, I don't care for them. But he loves them....and has to have one every time he comes over. He can open the freezer and get one..this day, he got two...and gave one to me. He took an orange, gave me a green. I cut off the ends, and he was watching me suck on mine. I put it in my mouth and pulled out a little bite with my teeth. Kadyn yelled uh-uh...frantically shaking his head. Then he took it from me, and diligently worked it up the plastic with his little fingers, then handed it back to me. I bit off what was sticking out....then again, I worked a bit up with my teeth. Uh-Uh, he says, shaking is head. He took it and again worked a bit up sticking out, and gave it to me. We did this four times....then he decided I wasn't going to learn to do it correctly, so when he worked it up, he held onto it while I took a bite. This went on three or four times. Meanwhile, his orange one is laying on the table, melting. Finally, he worked a bit up, and I opened my mouth for it. Mine, he yelled...and stuck it in his own mouth. Needless to say, by this time, I was in tears from laughing so much. I said, OK, I'll eat the orange one. Uh-Uh, he said...Gam. and he grabbed it from me and took it to Tammy. I guess he thought if I couldn't eat it right, I shouldn't have any at all!!

Every time that child walks into my house, he goes to the refrigerator and gets the cottage cheese. This is before the freezer pop. One day, because there was just a little bit left in the carton, I gave him a spoon and let him eat out of the carton. Then it took me and Tammy several days to break him from always wanting to eat out of the carton instead of putting some on a dish.

It is such a privilege to watch that child grow and develop day by day. I swear he's the smartest not-quite-two-year-old I've ever seen. He watches every move Tammy makes...and imitates it perfectly. If she sits at the table with her arms folded in front of her, Kadyn will do the same. And he wants to help all the time. He helped me mix up a meatloaf the other day....and every move I made with my hands, he duplicated exactly. He doesn't talk much. But I think he's just like his Uncle Billy...just doesn't want to talk. He can repeat everything you say and understands everything you say to him.....or to someone else.

JOEY'S BIRTHDAY

Today was Joey's birthday. He is 39 years old now...my baby! All day I've thought about the day he was born. I had quick and fairly easy births with Tammy and Buddy. But not Joey. I was in the hospital from 8 a.m Sunday morning...and he was born at 5 p.m Monday. They'd get me up walking and my pains would intensify and get close together...and I'd start hemorraging...I'd lie down, and pains would quit. Early Monday morning the doctor decided to induce labor. Breaking my water didn't work, so he gave me meds in an IV....OUCH!!!!! One constant labor pain without letup for an entire hour! AT one time...about three, they decided both the baby and I were in distress so they called the school and left word for Joe to come to the hospital. (he had basketball practice)...but the message they left was...it wasn't an emergency, but he should come to the hospital as soon as possible. The message he got was....it was'nt and emergency...we were doing ok. So, he didn't come until after practice....about 8 pm.

About 4:30, the doctor decided I had to have a c-section. But....as I was moving from my bed to the gurney, my labor came back with a vengence....bearing down pain so hard I couldn't stop it.
They rushed me to delivery....game me a spinal block...that didn't work, the doctor missed the spot. I ended up having natural childbirth....the doc couldn't even give me anything for the pain when he stitched me up....double OUCH! Because of the botched spinal....I had a headache for a week every time I sat up.

The same day Joey was born, Joe's cousin's husband, with whom we were quite close, died. He was driving to work that morning, didn't feel good, pulled off to the side of I-75....and died of a massive heart attack. Subsequently, all Joe's relatives were in town from Pittsburgh and Florida, and I had a steady stream of visitors to my hospital room and the nursery.

Then the day we went home...Saturday....(Mom had come up to stay with Joe and Tammy and Buddy)...the kids had been playing with the bassinet and broke it. Joe and I had to go to Sears and buy a portable crib for the downstairs. Also, a new washing machine because mine had quit working. Actually, Mom had overstuffed it and burned up the motor. She had never used an automatic washing machine except at the Laundromat! And a washing machine was a necessity because babies still wore cloth diapers.

We got back from Sears, and Mom informed us that Daddy was over at Aunt Susie's. He had come to pick her up...when she had planned to stay another week with me, but Daddy said a week away from him was Enough! Since Joe wouldn't go without me, he and I, with all three kids, drove Mom up to Ypsi. I was in total pain, sitting so much. On the way home, we stopped by Avanelle's and got a pillow for me to sit on.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, JOEY. YOU WERE WORTH EVERYTHING I WENT THROUGH BRINGING YOU INTO THE WORLD.

FLEA MARKET

BLAH!!! Another bad flea marketing weekend. There was, maybe, 100 people went through over the three days. The only things I saw anybody buying were cheap garage sale stuff. In fact, if they bring in any more garage sale type booths, we'll be outta there! And I have a problem anyway....when I first talked to the owner about renting a booth, I told her my concern was that there would be too many jewelry booths....and I didn't want a booth if there would be jewelry in every 3 or 4 booths...she said she wouldn't allow that. Wellllll......She's rented perhaps 30 booths...besides the garage sale booths her family has, perhaps 20 or more....and of the 30 or so, NINE of them are selling jewelry.

We're paid up through November, and I hope we can make enough for December. After that, we'll see. If we're not making money, I can't see going on with it. We haven't made enough to get my initial first months rent back.

Tammy's going to make some candles...maybe that will help. Its obvious that we need something besides jewelry. Maybe I should clean out my house....lol....garage sale stuff!

KADYN...the first weekend at the flea market, I bought this car for him. It was in the back of the van and he had to try it out!

MORE PICTURES

BILLY'S KIDS....FROM LEFT

LAYNI, JONAH AND ABBY

Picture

Joey's kids. bottoms to top...or left to right...Andrew, Amy, Aaron and Ann.

Doctor Day

Joe and I went to doctor today. Got flu shots. Joe got a thumbs up and I got a thumbs down. Said he couldn't hear any sounds in my lungs...no movement of air. On the plus side, I had lost 12 pounds...somewhere. Maybe because in the summer I eat more vegetables. I swear, I could become a vegetarian if I could keep fresh green beans, cabbage, potatoes and tomatoes all year.

And we have been eating a lot of chicken...grilled, baked, stewed...and only occasionally, fried. One of our favorite chicken dishes is cooked rice in a baking pan, then a layer of frozen broccoli... with chicken breasts on top of that...cream of chicken soup (mixed with can of water)poured over that...and covered with tin foil, baked for about an hour. yummy. I've also made it with a stuffing mix instead of rice...still very good.

Today I bought some fresh collard greens, cooked them in water til tender then fried them in a little bit of bacon grease with onions. Fried some cornbread. That's all I ate today. The guys opted for left over pot roast from a couple days ago, for some reason.

Meals are so boring anymore. I'm trying to cut down on pasta. But the table looks so bare with just meat and vegetables. Sometimes I get ambitious and open a can of peaches, too. Haha. Now both Joe and I can make a meal out of peaches and cottage cheese, or cottage cheese and tomatoes...but George hates cottage cheese. Wednesday is pasta day, Thank you Jesus! I'm thinking spaghetti.

TERRIBLE!! TERRIBLE!!!

ACKKK!!! Two terrible days at the flea market. nothing...no $ yesterday...and only $6 today. Sure hope tomorrow is better.

As it worked out, I didn't have to work the booth at all yesterday. I went up at 2 but Teri was there visiting with Tammy. She had Grant and Kadyn with her (she was watching Kadyn)...so I just took Kadyn outside for awhile, then we closed it all up at 3:30 since nobody but vendors were in the building.

Today, I went in and relieved Tammy at 3...closed up at 6:30. Tomorrow I'm supposed to work it from 10 to 2, when Tammy will take over. She has Kadyn until then. He's a real hand full up there, so its easier for Tammy to just stay home with him.

They tell us that there used to be a flea market in the same building up til about six years ago...and it was always crowded! I sure hope it gets that way again.

FLEA MARKET

Tomorrow is Friday...and I'll be at the flea market most of the day. Tammy and I have a booth at a local flea market...every Friday, Saturday and Sunday. After only two weekends, we showed a minor profit...but we did pay in advance for November.

Joey stayed with us last night. He had some work here in Fort Wayne yesterday and today. It was wonderful having him. I don't see nearly enough of either of my sons....and am very grateful when I do. Thank You, Lord.

Today was a lazy day for me. I worked on my laptop...trying to figure out what's wrong with it...but whatever it is, is beyond my expertise. I've talked to a few people about it and the consensus seems to be that....Vista is crap. I may end up taking it to a computer repair shop and having XP installed on it.

POLITICAL OUTSOURCING

Yesterday I had a phone call asking me to participate in a political survey, which I did. I answered all the questions, although several times I had to ask him to repeat the question. I just couldn't understand him since he had a heavy foreign accent.

A couple of years ago, I had a similar experience. Then, I asked the caller where he was located and he replied that he couldn't say. I said, "can you at least tell me if you are in the United States?" "No, I'm not," was his answer.

Now, I have a real problem with this. Our economy is in the tank and our politicians are hiring foreigners to poll Americans. There's just something wrong with that picture.

Of one thing you can be sure...I will not vote for that politician!

FIFTY YEARS

In the fifty years since my daughter was born...there have been so many changes in the world...things we have now, I never even imagined back then.

If you were lucky and rich enough to own a TV....it was in black and white...on a a tiny screen. The biggest screens were 19 inches. In 1968 I got my first color TV...a floor model with a 21 inch screen.

Telephones....if you lived in the country you probably had a "party-line"....two or more families on the same line...and someone was always talking when you wanted to use the telephone.

Washing machines....if you had the latest and newest and best, you had a Maytag wringer washer. The dryer was lines strung in the back yard. Or in bad weather, in the house.

The only instant food was instant mashed potatoes that had the consistency of glue and tasted like it too. Of course, you could buy canned vegetables and fruits....but meal preparation ...breakfast, dinner and supper....took up several hours of my day. I thanked God for Campbell's soups and Pork n beans! And there were no microwave ovens. I got my first one in Bremen in 1976.

There were no disposable diapers! All diapers were cloth...Birdseye was the best. We had a choice of square or rectangle ones. And there was a diaper pail in the bathroom where they were put to soak after dumping the contents into the toilet, until washday, by which time they were pretty ripe and smelly! And babies wet a lot...so, without rubber pants, I could go through a dozen diapers in a day! Tammy was allergic to the rubber so, every time we picked her up, she had to be changed.

Nobody locked their doors...or their cars. You could fill your gas tank...18 to 20 gallons...for less than $5. Mark was in the Air Force and brought home $80 a month plus my allotment of $72...went up to $92 after Buddy was born. We didn't own a car until after Buddy was born and I went to work full time....making $40 a week. My budget was....$80 rent, $60 food, $10 laundromat. When Buddy was six months old, I went to work full time, making $40 a week and we felt rich! Even after paying $15 a week for a baby-sitter! We bought a used car and got a telephone and could afford to go to a movie once in a while.

It just seems that life was simpler then. Kids could play outside and we didn't have to watch them every minute. I do appreciate all the conveniences we enjoy today, but I find myself thinking more and more about how simple life was back then...and wish I could have realized it and taken the time to enjoy it more instead of worrying about what we didn't have and how we we could get it.

WHO'S GETTING OLD?????

My daughter Tammy was FIFTY years old this past Wednesday. She was a tad upset over it...and I thought...you should be me, honey!

On Monday her daughters took her out for lunch to Olive Garden and I tagged along. Then on Wednesday Joe and I took her to Red Lobster for lunch. Her kids bought her a new couch...at least they gave her a card with a picture of a couch. They've picked out one at Big Lots ...now they just have to pay for it and pick it up.

It doesn't seem possible that it's been 50 years since she was born. I remember that day like it was yesterday. Mark and I were only 19...and we were equally scared and excited. He was so excited he called his mother...and shouted in the phone "I'm a Dad...I'm a Dad" and then hung up without even telling her anything about the baby!

Being the oldest of eight kids, I was pretty knowledgeable about how to take care of a baby...so I wasn't worried about that. But I was so in awe of her, I used to hang over her crib just watching her sleep. Mark would too. If she stretched, we would oooh and aaaah...yelling for the other one to come look. Mark was determined to be a hands-on dad...very unusual for a man in those days....and took great joy and pride in changing her diaper....until he had to changed a very messy one....he took one look at that dirty diaper and promptly threw up...barely missing the baby! From then on, before he'd change her, he'd pick her up and smell her bottom. If he smelled anything, he'd hand her to me to change.

A couple of day after we brought her home, Mark was making up her formula...well...I had made it and put it on to boil. We didn't have instant formula back then. We mixed up Carnation milk, corn sugar and water...poured it in previousely sterilized bottles...and then had to "cook" the filled bottles in boiling water for 30 minutes. Well, Tammy was hungry and Mark took the boiling hot bottle and held it under cold running water....and it exploded! He got a piece of glass in his eye. We didn't have a car, so I ran upstairs to a friend...and asked him to drive us to the ER. At the ER, while the docs are working on Mark, a nurse came up to me...and said why are you bleeding so hard? I looked down and there was a pool of blood at my feet. So they put me on a table in the same room...and discovered I had torn my stitches so bad they had to restitch me. Ouch...ouch...ouch! Mark had to wear a "pirate's patch" over his eye for a couple of weeks...but it was fine, eventually.

I've always said its the Mother who deserves the birthday cards....giving birth is such a miracle...and so much work for the mother...she should celebrate the day every year!