Think Spring

I thought I would throw in this extra post today. Chris e-mailed it to me this morning. I would bet that many of you that are living in the ice age like JD and I can identify with this. ~Enjoy

Think Spring!

It's just around the corner! I just wish I could find the right corner.

Today May Be The Day

According to the weather report we are to have quite a mix of weather today. First of all the temperature is actually supposed to climb to above freezing by days end. I don't think I will pack away these winter clothes yet though. By day break we should see some snow (what a rare sight that will be), followed by sleet around lunch time and ending with rain. The rain should wipe out much of this white ground cover that we have been looking at for weeks now. I really and truly do think snow is a beautiful sight to behold. My personal preference though, is that it melts before the next snow and not keep stacking on top of itself, one snow after the other. I am looking forward to seeing the yard without snow for a change. The temps are supposed to be in the 40s and maybe even a 50 thrown in for good measure. Perhaps I will get spring fever and do some serious cleaning, but then again maybe not.

These poor kids have already used so many Calamity Days (used to be called Snow Days) this year that they are going to have a time making them up. I heard on the news the other night that some school districts are opting to make up these days by extending the school day hours rather than extending the calendar date for the last day of school or attending school on Saturdays. It seems to me that such a plan would pretty much add quite a bit of stress to the lives of these children. By the time they would get home and do their homework, eat dinner, and bathe, it would be time to go to bed. Children need down time and some relaxation the same as adults do. That is just my opinion, which I am sure every school district in the state will be taking into consideration...... lol

We had Seth Day a day early this week. His sitter had a doctor's appointment so we made the trip to town yesterday instead of today. He will be walking in no time. Every week it is something new. This week he is pulling up to people and things with no problem what so ever. He is understanding the concept of the words "No No". At the very utterance of the "No No", he stops what he is doing and moves on to other things. Britt was very much like that when she was little. The main difference being that she corrected herself. She loved shiny knobs and buttons. When she just couldn't contain her urges to touch any longer, that little hand would reach for the forbidden item and then you would see her hand would hesitate. That is when you would hear her say "No No Baby!" The extended hand would fall to her side and off she would go to discover other things and correct herself some more. It was a riot watching that one.

Have a blessed day.

~Jo

>>TAG<< (I'm It)

Hope, at Second Time Around tagged me for the 'Seven Weird Things About Me' meme. Now Hope, what in the world ever made you think there was any thing at all weird about me? Has word become so widespread that everyone in cyberland is aware that instead of saying, "Our G'ma is Weird!" my grandchilden say, "Our G'ma is Special!" ......?????


Just remember....You asked for it.


Here Are The Rules


1. Once you are tagged, link back to the person that tagged you.

2. Post THE RULES on your blog.

3. Post 7 weird or random facts about yourself on your blog.

4. Tag 7 people and link to them.

5. Comment on their blog to let them know they have been tagged.

Seven Weird Things About Jo

1.I believe that I am a 19 year old trapped in the body of a 58 year old!

2.When eating sloppy Joes, the menu has to include whole kernal corn and potato chips.

3.If I am rushed for some reason and don't get the bed made, I have to make the bed at some point before I can go to bed for the night.

4.Same goes for dirty dishes. They have to be washed before I go to bed.

5.When I start a project, I want to finish it before I move on to anything else.

6.I believe in Karma and have believed in it long before 'My Name Is Earl' came to TV.

7.I feel organized when I have a to do list to work on.

Now it is my turn to >>TAG<<>

Hmmmmm......

David at Drunk With Barley
J.D. at J.D.'s Soapbox
Mari-Nanci at Smilnsigh
Judy at Memories Are Made Of This
Aisha at Leaf Float Down River
Peggy at Hidden Haven Homestead

Have a Blessed Day.......

Grab A Cuppa

Good morning everyone. Yesterday was quite a long day. J.D. and I both had Dr. appointments, which even under the best of circumstances can manage to shoot a huge hole in your day. The Dr. wants to have J.D. tested for P.A.D. and he is sedning me to the pain management clinic to see if they can help me with the effects of my Fibromyalgia.

They recently built an Olive Garden in Chillicothe so we decided after seeing the Dr. to go there for lunch. Everything was so delicious. That in itself was our bight spot in the day.

We were still carrying prescriptions around that needed filling, so on to the pharmacy we went. There we had a 45 minute wait for the prescriptions could be filled. So we did a little bit of shopping and waited and waited and waited some more. J.D. went to check to see if they were ready for pickup yet and got in line where he waited and waited and waited some more. He had noticed a woman standing off to the side that had been waiting longer than he had so when it came to be his turn he allowed this woman to go ahead of him. Sometimes even the smallest act of kindness can spark nastiness from self centered people. The venom sprayed out of the woman's mouth behind J.D. when she immediately said, "Some people don't think they have to wait in line!" J.D. (diplomatic as he is) turn and told her, the woman was there waiting on the side when he got in line. Subject closed! Then it was our turn to pick up our drugs and from there it was homeward bound.

I picked up a big bag of bird seed yesterday while we were out. The other day I looked out the window and the yard was full of robins. We also have our year round birds hopping about looking for seeds. With the ground covered with snow and the trees and snow covered with a layer of ice, I thought it might be the nice and neighborly thing to do to put out some seed for them that is easier accessable than what is under all of that snow and ice.

One of our blog friends visited J.D's blog and asked how we ended up in the little house on the mountain. When we got home yesterday he did a post with that topic. In the four months that we spent on the road looking with realtor listings and classified pages in hand, I truly do believe that the wheels of our truck rolled over every road in this county. Still today we will travel on a road that I don't recall being on before and J.D. will comment that it looks familiar. I remember one house we looked at that wasn't too bad for the money they wanted for it. It had quite a bit of land that came with it. We drove past it and on up the road to turn around so we could see it good from another angle.... The next drive is where we turned at. The house sat back off of the road and you didn't notice it until you pulled into the drive way..... WOW!!!! What we saw was a house surrounded with bright yellow crime scene tape. It didn't take much to convince us that we didn't want to live in that neck of the woods.

That pretty much recaps yesterday. Have a great day and thank you for coming by for the coffee and visit.

Meaningful Monday

A man and woman had been married for more than 60 years. They had shared everything. They had talked about everything. They had kept no secrets from each other except that the little old woman had a shoe box in the top of her closet that she had cautioned her husband never to open or ask her about.

For all of these years, he had never thought about the box, but one day the little old woman got very sick and the doctor said she would not recover.

In trying to sort out their affairs, the little old man took down the shoe box and took it to his wife's bedside.

She agreed that it was time that he should know what was in the box. When he opened it, he found two crocheted dolls and a stack of money totaling $95,000.

He asked her about the contents. 'When we were to be married,' she said, 'my grandmother told me the secret of a happy marriage was to never argue. She told me that if I ever got angry with you, I should just keep quiet and crochet a doll.'

The little old man was so moved; he had to fight back tears. Only two precious dolls were in the box. She had only been angry with him two times in all those years of living and loving. He almost burst with happiness.

'Honey,' he said, 'that explains the doll, but what about all of this money? Where did it come from?'

'Oh,' she said, 'that's the money I made from selling the dolls.'

A Wife's Prayer

Dear Lord, I pray for Wisdom

to understand my man;

Love to forgive him;

And Patience for his moods;

Lord, I don’t pray for Strength,

if I did I'd beat him to death;

~*~*~*~*~*~

Because I don't know how to crochet.

Note from Jo: I had planned on posting this today and after reading Tammy's post today laughed all the time I was working on mine and thought to myself... "I sure hope that Tammy knows how to crochet!"

Wishing all a blessed week..........

Winter Wonderland

I just wanted to share a few photos of the winter wonderland we have going on in our yard right now.

When we first moved here the winding path from the parking area to the house was made of wood chips. It was very pretty as long as it was dry. However with rain it washed out and piled up on the front porch. With snow and ice it was slick and not too safe. We ended up replacing it with stones....... Just as pretty and a whole lot safer.

This would be a good time to check for any buds on the forsythia....Don't you think?

An up close look at this one doesn't show any sign what-so-ever of yellow.

I am thinking it will be a while before we have any buds in our yard. Oh well..... No problem, George made it up the mountain yesterday and we are all hooked up with high speed. So that should keep us entertained for a little while.

Have a wonderful blessed weekend.... ~Jo

Reflections

We made a quick trip off of the mountian yesterday afternoon to send the Dish Network receiver back via UPS. By the time we got back home it was drizzling freezing rain. The snow was already coated with a nice thickness of ice and this new moisture would only add to it. As I was sitting at the computer last night, I glanced out the window and was facinated with the reflection from the security light off of the ice covered snow. I grabbed the camera and out the door I went. One thing I had forgotten when I took the picture is that a shot in the dark needs a very steady hand. Otherwise you don't get a real clear picture, but that just adds to the creativeness of the shot....don't you think! lol

After my fretting over how blurred the picture turned out, J.D. (Sweetheart that he is) stepped outside in the cold and took the shot again. It is a much clearer picture. Now I am wondering why the difference in the color between the two pictures. They were taken only a few minutes apart. Perhaps there is some sort of strange atmospheric stuff going on here on the mountain late at night that we just weren't aware of before now. {{ Place Twilight Zone music here}}

Today is supposed to be high speed hook up day.................. We will see.

Have a great day and stay warm.

Snow... Snow... Everywhere Snow

My Cyber-Sis, Julia (~aka~ Queeni), over at Interruptions and Willzmom at Lots of Little Things have tagged me for a new meme. It’s a 'Six Word Memoir', inspired by the story that Hemingway, who once bet ten dollars that he could sum up his life in six words. He came up with: For Sale: baby shoes, never worn.



For more examples, check out Not Quite What I was Expecting: Six Word Memoirs by Famous and Obscure, written by Larry Smith and Rachel Fershleiser.



Here are the meme rules:
1. Write your own six word memoir
2. Post it on your blog and include a visual illustration if you’d like
3. Link to the person that tagged you in your post and to this original post if possible so we can track it as it travels across the blogosphere
4. Tag five more blogs with links
5. Remember to leave a comment on the tagged blogs with an invitation to play!

I came up with two........... My first choice was: Life's A Journey, Hang On Tight. Although this is true of most of my life, present day life for me is quite a bit different so I did a wee bit of a variation on my original.

Life's A Journey, Enjoy The Ride!

With that said, I tag the following people to take part in this meme:

Diane at Diane's Place

Tammy at The Pink Magnolia

Lynne at Lynne's Little Corner Of The World

Mary at Mary's Writing Nook

BJ at Sweet Nothings

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Since my last posting we have had snow twice. We received about 2 1/2 to 3 inches of the white fluff on Wednesday. I ventured outside with the camera and took a few shots to share with you.

As you can see Frog Dog was completely covered. I brushed away a little hole so his smiling face would show.

There is usually very little traffic on our road, but for some reason when it snows there is even less. How ever the Postman's creed still holds true.

I can't wait until it warms up enough to once more sit on the pergola and drink my morning coffee and just enjoy the fresh air and sounds of nature.

Our welcome rooster is a bit taller than Frog Dog so he didn't require brushing off.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Do you remember me mentioning that we were going to be getting high speed internet hook up via satellite? Well, yesterday was the day that the tech was scheduled to come. After the last experience with the Direct TV tech not being able to make it up the mountain due to snow, I scheduled this one in the afternoon, thinking that if we got snow, by afternoon the snow plow would have the roads cleared enough for traffic. It was a good thought, but it didn't work. About 2:30 the tech (George) called and said he was outside of Louisville, KY and would be here in about 3 hours. Right after I hung up the phone, the snow started to fall. It Fell.. and ~ It Fell.. and ~ It Fell.

Two hours later, he called back to let us know that he was hung up in traffic between Cincinatti and us because of an accident. By this time the snow had not let up. Adding what had fallen to what was still on the ground from Wednesday amounted to about 7 1/2 to 8 inches of snow. There was just no way poor George was going to make it up this mountain without 4 wheel drive. As a result, we had to reschedule. Hopefully come Saturday afternoon we will be buckling up the seat belt on our computer chair (mental note: install seat belt to computer chair) and whipping around cyber space at neck break speed.

Have a Great Friday and Wonderful Weekend...........

We've Got A New Neighbor

lol.................. I bet you thought I was talking about here on the mountain!! The only time we know we have neighbors is in the winter when the leaves are off the trees. The rest of the year no one knows we are here.

I just wanted to point you all in the direction of a new blogger to our neighborhood. I don't even remember how I found Connie, but I am very glad that I did and I added her to my blog list right away. I keep going back to check out what she is up to. She is a very gifted crafter and right now is struggling to get her cyber feet and learn about this new world she has found herself involved in. Personally, I think she is doing pretty darn good. She is doing a give away for three wedding cards. From the pictures she has posted of her other work, I am sure that they are beautiful. You will find Connie at 'My Thoughts And Creations'. So please stop by and give her a warm welcome to the neighborhood.

Weekend Recap

This is our frog dog. He sits on top of a 1 1/2 to 2 foot rock, half way down our winding path from the parking area to the house. He was laying on top of that rock when we bought the house 4 years ago and still occupies that spot welcoming anyone that should come to visit. I used to use him as a guideline for Riley when he was a little guy and played outside. He could play anywhere in the front of the property, but wasn't to go past the frog on the rock. I would watch him run up the path and bend over and look that frog over real good, then come running back to the house to inform me, "That frog isn't even real, Gummaw".



While I am on the subject of Riley, I have a story to share. About a week ago, out of the blue he asked if dogs can take cat naps!! That I think is an excellent question. He was told yes. Then he goes into the living room and lays down, closes his eyes and Mom and Dad hear...... "zzzzz... meow.... zzzzz... meow". This was their cue to carry the discussion of cat naps a little farther. I love it when these little ones come up with questions like this. It shows that those little minds are churning away and they are doing what they are meant to do................. LEARNING!!

The Direct TV tech made it up the mountain on Thursday morning and got us hooked up with some great reception. We questioned him about the lousy reception we had from Dish Network and he told us that from what he saw, as he disconnected their handy work was that it was never hooked up right to start with. I told him about the tech they had sent to install everything and how he kept saying he had a steel plate in his head and it was throwing everything off. I thought he was joking, but now I have come to wonder if it wasn't true. The Dish Network guy had been here for the biggest part of the day doing what it took Direct TV about half an hour to do. I remember thinking that if he stays a little while longer we may be able to claim him on our income taxes. Any way.... we now have a great picture on the TV and we had storms come through since Thursday and didn't loose reception. With Dish Network, everytime a dark cloud passed over Houston we lost reception.

Now comes the really great news. We have been dealing with a dial up connection since we left Louisiana in 2003. It wasn't too bad when we first moved back here and lived just outside of town. Our connection speed was around 56000 bps. We tolerated it, but for the past 4 years here on the moutain, we have been fighting with a 24000 bps which is the same as a snail's pace. Hughesnet is making the satellite high speed internet connection more affordable to people that live out in the booneys like we do. We made the arrangement indirectly through Direct TV and The Hughesnet Tech will be here Thursday to hook us up to that. Keep your fingers crossed that a blizzard doesn't blow through here and prevent that from happening. I look forward to being able to visit my blog friends again and leave comments for them. There are a few that have become so graphic intense that my slow dial up connection won't load all of the graphics and then when I try to leave a comment, the comment box won't even load. So if you wonder where I have been and why I haven't left any comments...... Now you know the rest of the story.

The Scioto River winds its way south through Ohio and empties into the Ohio River at Portsmouth. This past weekend Chris and Melody took us to Portsmouth to eat at the Scioto Ribber. It is a little sports bar the sits on Galia Street with dining available. They serve the best Ribs and Steak you could ever think of putting into your mouth. They have been serving up these special meals since 1978. Nothing is cooked ahead and put on the back burner. Your meal is prepared when you order it so there is always a wait, but it is so worth it.



G'pa and Seth before we left. Seth loves his G'pa. The boys stayed with Melody's sister, Mindy while we went to eat.

Of course Riley was busy working as he usually is. There was still snow in the yard and he needed to rearrange it and make room for new snow. From what I understand he and his cousin Calley tried to pull a few fast ones on Aunt Mindy while she was there, but it didn't work. He is so much like his Dad it isn't funny.

Melody displayed the menu for me to take a picture of it.

There were so many combinations and portion sizes that we left the ordering up to Chris and Melody. They did a great job. We all left 'full as ticks ready to bust' and even had left overs to carry home for Chris to take to work the next day for his lunch.

This is one of the 7 or 8 smokers that they keep going to cook all of that wonderful food in.

From the marks on the wall I am guessing that they are about due for another load of firewood.
We had a wonderful day with Chris and Melody. All that was missing was Tersie. She wasn't able to go with us because that flu bug had bitten her and she was home trying to sleep her way through it.

Speaking of the flu bug...... It finally caught up with JD Sunday night. I fixed fried chicken for supper last night and really had a problem eating it. I just felt quilty that I was eating good stuff and he wasn't able to. This morning, he said he slept good last night, so let's hope that he is on his way to feeling better too.

Wishing everyone a Blessed Day.

~Jo

Meaningful Monday

Grandma's Hands

Grandma, some ninety plus years, sat feebly on the patio bench. She didn't move, just sat with her head down staring at her hands. When I sat down beside her she didn't acknowledge my presence and the longer I sat I wondered if she was OK.

Finally, not really wanting to disturb her, but wanting to check on her at the same time, I asked her if she was OK. She raised her head and looked at me and smiled. "Yes, I'm fine, thank you for asking," she said in a clear voice strong.

"I didn't mean to disturb you, grandma, but you were just sitting here staring at your hands and I wanted to make sure you were OK," I explained to her.

"Have you ever looked at your hands," she asked. "I mean really looked at your hands?"

I slowly opened my hands and stared down at them. I turned them over, palms up and then palms down. No, I guess I had never really looked at my hands as I tried to figure out the point she was making. Grandma smiled and related this story:

"Stop and think for a moment about the hands you have, how they have served you well throughout your years. These hands, though wrinkled shriveled and weak have been the tools I have used all my life to reach out and grab and embrace life.”

"They braced and caught my fall when as a toddler I crashed upon the floor. They put food in my mouth and clothes on my back. As a child, my mother taught me to fold them in prayer. They tied my shoes and pulled on my boots.”

“They held my husband and wiped my tears when he went off to war. They have been dirty, scraped and raw, swollen and bent. They were uneasy and clumsy when I tried to hold my newborn son. Decorated with my wedding band they showed the world that I was married and loved someone special. They wrote my letters to him and trembled and shook when I buried my parents and spouse.”

"They have held my children and grandchildren, consoled neighbors, and shook in fists of anger when I didn't understand.”

“They have covered my face, combed my hair, and washed and cleansed the rest of my body. They have been sticky and wet, bent and broken, dried and raw. And to this day when not much of anything else of me works real well these hands hold me up, lay me down, and again continue to fold in prayer.”

"These hands are the mark of where I've been and the ruggedness of life. But more importantly it will be these hands that God will reach out and take when he leads me home. And with my hands He will lift me to His side and there I will use these hands to touch the face of Christ."

I will never look at my hands the same again. But I remember God reached out and took my grandma's hands and led her home.

I will never look at my hands the same again. But I remember God reached out and took my grandma's hands and led her home.

When my hands are hurt or sore or when I stroke the face of my children and husband I think of grandma. I know she has been stroked and caressed and held by the hands of God.

I, too, want to touch the face of God and feel His hands upon my face.

~Author Unknown

Have a Meaningful Monday ~ Jo

Vegetarian Valentines

Love Is Like A Cabbage

~*~*~*~*~

My love is like a cabbage

Divided into two,

The leaves I give to others,

The heart I give to you.

~Author Unknown

Veggie Valentine

~*~*~*~*~

You may not "Carrot" all for me

The way I care for you.

You may "Turnip" your nose

When I plead with you.

But if your "heart' should "Beet" with mine

Forever "Lettuce" hope

There is no reason in the world

Why we two "Cantaloupe".

~Author Unknown

~Happy Valentines Day~

Vitameatavegamin

As I made my way through the blogs that I visit on a regular basis yesterday, I took note of the fact that many of you are under the weather. Having just rode that boat last week, you have my sympathy. I was running a 101.8 temp with my bug. It is the first high temperature I have had since the 80's. Here I was thinking I got my yearly flu shot and here it is the middle of February and other than a sinus infection here and there, I am going to get through this winter without getting sick. That is how it happened for me. Just when I started getting big headed that I had cheated the bug from attacking me this year, it latched on to me and reminded me what it feels like to be sick. I hope that you are all on the mend and will be feeling yourselves again soon.



Yesterday, we were looking for the Direct TV techs to come hook us up to their sattelite, but not really counting on them making it because of the bad weather and road conditions. Before the morning was gone we received a call from Mike our friendly and determined tech. He was 24 miles away and wanted directions to the house. I gave him the directions and we waited for him to pull into the driveway..... And we waited....... And we waited....... The phone finally rang again and we heard Mike's flustered voice on the other end. It seems that after driving all that way to get to us, he made it to the bottom of the mountain and that was as far he was going to be going. JD's mountain is very steep on the front side and it seems that Mike didn't have four wheel drive and just couldn't get enough of a running start to make it past the steep part. I really felt bad for him, because before he was faced with climbing that mountain he was so determined to get here and do the job. So we are rescheduled for Thursday morning.... God willing and the roads are clear.

Frozen Rain Drops

We had a blast of cold winter weather come back through our neck of the woods yesterday and the night before. As a result, I figured the best thing to fix for dinner would be a BIG pot of Chicken and Sausage Gumbo. Next to Veggie Soup that is the best remedy to ward off the cold that I know of. While I was waiting for the final 10 minutes of cooking time to add the remaining ingredients, we received a call from our adopted daughter, Amy. A few months ago she packed up and moved off to western Kentucky. The call was to let us know that the storm that was coming our way is a bad one and if we will be in need of anything in the next few days we had better get to the store to get it. She said it was already going through where she was and it was a nasty winter storm. She was pretty certain that if it still carried the punch that it had there, we wouldn't be leaving the mountain for a day or two. It doesn't matter how far away Amy moves, she will still call to check on us like she always has. In the winter time it is to see if we are staying warm or to tell us there is a level warning for the roads. In the summer time it is to make sure we are not overheating and to be sure that Papa isn't outside overdoing things like he has a tendency to do. She is a sweetheart and we do appreciate her.

We have had major issues with Dish Network for the past year over reception. After repeated phone calls and no satisfaction to resolving the problem we are switching to Direct TV. Our contract with Dish Network is up this month, so Friday I thought I would arrange to get Direct TV up here to hook us up to their equipment. I have been counting down the days. Well today is the day and if they don't cancel on us, I will sure be surprised. They announced that area schools will be closed today. So the snow plow won't be in a big hurry to come driving through the back roads and up the mountains today.

On that note I will leave you with a couple of pictures of our over night snow fall. We are supposed to get quite a mix of winter stuff all day today.

I stepped outside just long enough to snap these and decided the rocking chair next to the wood stove and a cup of coffee were calling my name.

Everyone that is in the path of this storm stay warm, but enjoy the beauty of it.

Wishing you a Blessed Day.

Meaningful Monday

Two Wolves

One evening an old Cherokee told his grandson

about a battle that goes on inside people.

He said, "My son, the battle is between two wolves inside us all.

One is Evil.

It is anger, envy, jealousy, hatred,

greed, arrogance, self-pity, guilt, resentment

inferiority, lies, false pride, superiority, and ego.

The other is Good.

It is joy, peace, love, hope,

serenity, humility, kindness, benevolence,

empathy, generosity, truth, compassion, and faith."

The grandson thought about it for a minute

and then asked his grandfather, "Which wolf wins?"

The old Cherokee simply replied,
"The one you feed."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Memories Are Made Of This

Yesterday was a wonderful day here on the mountain. It always is when family comes to visit. T-Bear has been to have her hair styled since we saw her last and the new 'do' fits her perfectly. Britt had hers done too, but was wearing it up freestyle, so we couldn't see the 'new do'. These children are growing up way too fast.

Later in the evening, I found myself thinking that after this year, Britt will be graduating from high school. It seemd like only yesterday we were watching Barney on the VCR and shaking our tail feathers as we sang and danced along with him. We played choo choo with the port-a-crib. She would stand in the crib while G'ma pulled it through the house making choo choo sounds. Oh how she laughed and clapped her hands. That's what it was all about, putting a smile on her face and laughter on her lips. T-Bear is doing her share of growing up as well. She is coming into her own special personality that they all seem to develope as preteens. She is going to be just as witty and wonderful as her Mama and sister are. T-Bear lived through her toddler years without me because I was in Louisiana at that time. I remember when G'pa was ready to retire and had decided that he wanted to move to Ohio. We called the kids to let them know our plans. T-Bear got on the phone and said, "Oh, Bammaw, I am so glad that you are moving back to America!" Then there was the time she mis-quoted G'pa. One of his favorite sayings is, "You are sweeter than snuff, but not near as dusty!" Shortly after retiring the girls came to spend the evening with us and when their Mommy came to get them, T-Bear told her that G'pa had told her that she was 'Sweeter than stuff and her ears were dusty!' Such sweet memories to cherish. God certainly blessed us with the family we have.

They followed my directions to get them here the back way through Amish country. The last time they came that way Tersie missed one of the turns and discovered the Amish bakery, 'The Country Crust'. Well, this trip she didn't even have to miss her turn because the car knows where the bakery is. While we were waiting for the chicken and dumplings to finish cooking she shared the cinnamin bread and wheat bread that she bought. Mmmmmmm ....... There are few things that tastes better than homemade bread.

Yes, yesterday was indeed a 'Good Day'.

Thank you girls for wanting to spend it with us!

We love you ............ :-)

TGIF

In my dictionary, TGIF doesn't mean Thank God It's Friday because the week is over. It means Thank God It's Friday because it is also Seth Day!

It is days like this that I am glad that my health is good enough to be able to offer my Fridays to care for little Seth. It will always amaze me how fast time passes with these little ones. Just Thursday Melody told me Seth was crawling very well now. (Keep in mind that this is in just a weeks time.) She also told me that if he is on the carpet he doesn't venture past it.

Well, guess what the little man did yesterday!! You got it..... ventured right past the carpet onto the hard wood and found something of interest along the way.

WOW!!! Tools of the trade G'ma...... It looks as if he has inherited big brother Riley's facination with tools and sweepers. Trust me once he had roamed this far from the carpet, it took no coaxing to tempt him into other areas of the house. He kicked that crawling up to high gear and went cruising into the dining room and then to the bedroom/bathroom hallway, grinning all the way. The grin was what tickled me. He was so pleased with himself.

G'pa caught these pictures of Seth on the camera, but then had errands and chores to tend to yesterday so he didn't get to spend much time with us. When he cleared his agenda and came back, Seth was thrilled to see him.

Riley had a big day yesterday too. It was his first visit to the dentist. Before he left he told us he was going to the dentist to get some braces. One of his older friends has braces and he is facinated with them right now. To a 4 1/2 year old, anything that is shiney is GREAT! I am sure that one talk to his Dad about braces would put them in the right perspective. Poor Chris really suffered with his. Any way the dentist told Riley he has no cavities and that he has good looking teeth, did the flouride treatment and all went well. He and his Mama stopped by the house on the way to Riley's appointment so he could freshen his mouth with another tooth brushing. Riley told me that when they were finished at the dentist office he and his mom were going on a date and he got to choose where they would go..... I asked where they were going and he couldn't remember the name of the restaurant, but it was the one that has nuts. (Dakota's) I am so glad that his first appointment with the dentist was a good experience.

Today Tersie, Britt and T-Bear are coming to the mountain to visit. I just have to cook on special occassions and that is what this is. We just don't get to see any of the girls (Oop included) nearly as much as we would like to. Time available is split in half when there is divorce. Add to that equation the fact that these girls are now preteen and teens with a social life and obligations to their activities, and time available is split again. So any time we can spend with them is greatly appreciated, loved and jumped at. I am fixing Britt's favorite meal: Chicken and Dumplings, biscuits, coleslaw, and the healthy recipe cheesecake for desert. I need to get this meal started and on that note I will end today's post.

Have a wonderful blessed day..................