Love Generously, Praise Loudly

Birthday Wishes and Other good stuff.

Today Madison turned 14 years old...

But, to get the full story of today, I must begin from yesterday.  Yesterday afternoon my sister Lori and her kids came down to visit and swim.  When they left around 8 pm I turned on the pool water to fill it up. I then went inside the house, bathed the kids, read a magazine, and fell asleep.  I woke up this morning a little before 7 to decorate the downstairs prior to Maddi waking up.  (Was making her favorite breakfast)  As I walked downstairs I heard water running... which I thought was odd at that hour. 

And then the light bulb went off in my head. 

I ran out into the backyard to find my yard completely flooded.  After turning off the pool water, I went into the front yard to find the grass slope that leads to the road a lovely waterfall.  Think Niagara on a smaller scale.  In addition, we had been toilet papered ONCE AGAIN...cars and all. 

I came inside and instead of screaming, crying and throwing a fit, started decorating for Maddi.  Then I woke her butt up, wished her happy birthday and told her to get cleaning the TP from the yard. 

Somehow my girlfriend had convinced me yesterday to take all four kids to the Mall school shopping while Dale and her hubby installed a ceiling fan in Maddi's room.  So, after all the loveliness of the morning, I took the kids shopping. 

I hate shopping. 

All in all I do believe Maddi has had a great birthday.  She is now with her father for the weekend and he has some grand plans for her. 

As for me?  I am enjoying a glass of wine while dressed in jammies.   :)  What could be better?

 

 

And another joke...

At Penn State University , there were four sophomores taking
chemistry and all of them had an 'A' so far. These four friends were so
confident that, the weekend before finals, they decided to visit some
friends and have a big party. They had a great time but, after all the
hearty partying, they slept all day Sunday and didn't make it back to
Penn State until early Monday morning.

Rather than taking the final then, they decided that after the final
they would explain to their professor why they missed it They said that they visited friends but on the way back they had a flat tire. As a result, they missed the final. The professor agreed they could make up the final the next day.

 

The guys were excited and relieved. They studied that night for the exam.

The next day the Professor placed them in separate rooms and gave them a test booklet. They quickly answered the first problem worth 5 points.  Cool, they thought! Each one in separate rooms, thinking this was going to be easy... then they turned the page. On the second page was written...

For 95 points: Which tire? _______

 

Thoughts and a 'SO ME' joke.

I really thought that after this past Saturday's funeral "life" would go back to normal.  Sooo wrong, however it is getting easier.  Dale and I each took two naps yesterday, which was wonderful. 

Last night close to 9 pm we received a call telling us the reason for Linda's death.  I must say the news was a huge relief...wish I could fill you in more, but I must leave it at that. 

I was sent a joke that I really want to share.  It is just SOOO me and how my thought process would work too.  Hope you get a laugh out of it as I did.

Jennifer's wedding day was fast approaching. Nothing could dampen her excitement -- not even her parent's nasty divorce.
  
Her mother had found the PERFECT dress to wear and would be the best dressed mother-of-the-bride ever! A week later, Jennifer was horrified to learn that her father's new young wife had bought the exact same dress! Jennifer asked her to exchange it, but she refused.  'Absolutely not, I look like a million bucks in this dress and I'm wearing it,' she replied.
 
Jennifer told her mother who graciously said, 'Never mind sweetheart. I'll get another dress.  After all, it's your special day.' A few days later they went shopping and did find another gorgeous dress. When they stopped for lunch, Jennifer asked her mother, 'Aren't you going to return the other dress? You really don't have another occasion where you could wear it.' Her mother just smiled and replied, 'Of course I do, dear. I'm wearing it to the rehearsal dinner the night before the wedding.'

Enjoy your day...I am off to clean and get my house back in order after neglecting it for the past two weeks!  :)

Stressed

When I started this blog it was for the sole purpose of displaying my scrap pages and crafts.  Soon it became a blog about my family and my life.  I have always tried to have "light" posts...

Truly the hits seem to keep on coming at our house.  Nothing terribly tragic, but just A LOT OF STUFF piling on to the already stressed, emotional house. Any blogging I did do would be forced, as I am just not in that "happy place".

Due to this, I am going to take a blog break for a week or so.  I hope you have a wonderful week/weekend, and check back at a later date.

((hugs)) for now...

trying to relax...

I feel like I have been going a million miles per hour lately. 

The past 48 hours I have been determined to relax and find joy in every day things, rather than stress about all that's going on around me. 

Joy #1.  I have lost five pounds since last Saturday.  NOT because I haven't been eating...because I HAVE.  I just think my stress level somehow has made my metabolism jump into over drive.  Whatever it is, I will gladly take it.  Now if I can only lose ten more...

Joy #2.  We have received many plants and flowers from family and friends.  Here is a photo of one of my favorites...I wish I had taken it a couple days ago when it was fresh...It has my favorite flower in it too!  Hydrangeas!!!  My friends sure know me!

 

Joy #3.  Getting to spend the 4th of July with Connor and Emily. I would have loved to be with Dale, Steph and Maddi...however Dale had to work, and S and M are still with their dad in WA.  We went to the kids sitter, whom they call "grandma Nancy". Nancy lives on the golf course, so not only did we get to see fireworks that were being set off at a local neighborhood park in the sky, we got our OWN lil show put on by her SIL.   Connor and Emily had NEVER seen a sparkler, nor fireworks up close, so they were thrilled to bits. 

 

 

 

This last photo is of the personal fireworks that Nancy's SIL did in the backyard. (Well...technically ON the golf course!) 

 

Joy #4.  It is after 11 am and I am still in jammies.  I am not rushing as I don't have to do anything in particular today, nor be somewhere at a certain time.  I just LOVE those kind of days.

Off to go have some family time with Dale and the lil boogers.  Have a safe weekend.

15 minutes

Fifteen minutes after I posted that last entry, my MIL passed away.  Thank you for all your emails and phone calls. We appreciate it more than you will know.

Where do I begin?

Since Saturday our life has been a blur.  Not the good kind of blur, either.

I won't go in depth, but Saturday morning while running errands with Emily, Dale called my cell...his mom was in full cardiac arrest, and he was leaving the fire station and on his way to the hospital.

Sunday we were told that his mom had suffered significant brain damage.

Monday she was taken off life support.  However, in Linda style she just wants to do this in her OWN time...  (if you know my MIL, you will know how true this statement is!) 

Right now, (Tuesday) Linda is still with us, and getting lots of visitors from family and friends.  Please keep your thoughts and prayers for my FIL, Darrell, Dale and his brother Darrenn.

If you don't hear from me for a bit, you now know why....I apologize to my friends who have called the house for playdates, etc...I will call back when things calm down! (((hugs))) until then.

 

You might remember when this accident happened..... 4 years ago this March.  

This Southwest Airlines flight from Vegas overshot the runway at Burbank .  

The plane smashed past the airport fence, careened across the street and ended up with a collapsed landing gear, right next to this gas station. 

A week from today...

Is the Fourth of July!!!  Dale is on duty that day, and S and M are in WA state with their father.  I have had five invites from friends/family to join them and celebrate the holiday....I just don't know yet what I am going to do!!!  A part of me just wants to hang at home and fest. Another part wants to be social...I think if I do join anyone it will be with someone that can help me control Emily.  (ha ha!)

However, IF you are going somewhere, or are hosting a shin dig, here are some neat recipes to try!

Betty Crocker

Kraft Foods and click on Fourth of July.

Today Dale and I are emptying out our storage unit and bringing all the holiday and teacher bins home to store in the garage.  I may not be able to walk around in it anymore...but I will be $150 richer every month.  Also, we were going to Huntington Beach to look at a upright freezer we found on Craigslist.  I have been wanting one so bad. Even though we have another fridge in the garage, I still do NOT have enough freezer room.  When dropping off the kids at the sitters, she told me that she thought her neighbor would just GIVE me hers....(At least until they remodel a few years from  now...and by then, I will only have 2 kids at home, rather than 4!)  Anyway, we went over to look at it, and it is nicer and newer than the one we were going to purchase.  Can you hear me squeal from where you live? 

I am also taking advantage of the sitter time and washing down my walls along the hallways.  Such a lovely chore.

Off to continue cleaning.  Enjoy the weekend.

 

Toodles for now!

Platdate {squared} and Miguel vs. Rigoberto

I am now nominating myself for Mom of the Summer. As I type this I am outside watching C and E, as well as two of their friends swim.  This set of friends kept them busy earlier so I was able to scrap a double LO.  Yeah!!!!!!!!!!  In an hour I will drive these two to their respective houses...and then at 5 I meet up with another friend and her two kids to have dinner, then go to a show thingy at the library. 

Tomorrow C and E are going to a sitter's.  Thank you, Lord.

Today, while piling in C, E, their two friends, Maddi and her friend Maddie in the car, I waved to my Gardener and said "Hi, Miguel!" (I had to take Maddie home, and my Maddi to volleyball camp)  He walks up to me and says, "My name is Rigoberto."

Say what?????????  Miguel/Rigoberto has been my Gardener since we moved here, over 6.5 years ago.  I have said hi every week, and have written out his check to Miguel.  I have given him Christmas gifts, addressed to Miguel.  Why has he not spoken up before??  And, why today?  I am so curious.  If I spoke better Spanish, or if he spoke better English, I would investigate this further.  I am just so perplexed by this.  Furthermore, how did this happen???  The only explanation I could come up with is that my girlfriend, whom we bought the house from TOLD me that was his name. 

I called Dale at work to tell him, and he was just as confused as I was.  Maybe Miguel has a double identity too????  LOL

Off to enjoy kids.  (ha ha!)