Where did the summer go??

I know I had a busy summer but it doesn’t seem like it should be over already. I only spent 2 weeks away from the house yet it seems like I was always gone and didn’t get much done.

We worked hard on the playhouse and the “play/scrap-booking/card-making” area is completed except for some trim around the front door and one window. The laundry room still needs 1 wall and the ceiling covered with our chipboard paneling then it will need the plumbing and carpet. I am already enjoying the playhouse and have had my friend Sylvia over a few times to make cards. Now that we have a place to work I plan on having more friends over because I must get busy making some scrapbooks!

The pictures in the last post are old and I will post some new pictures soon!! I have stuff hanging on the walls and I have 2 new shelves that are not in the old pictures!

Playhouse Update

Wooo- Hooo

I am 98% moved into my playhouse. I still have some organizing to do but overall, I am very excited about it. It has been a lot of hard work but is sooo worth it. Of course, now that I am ready to crop, I have already made plans to go to Mobile tomorrow to crop there with some friends-- this was planned and paid for months ago. I am hoping to get lots of ideas and even some scrapbook pages done!!

Back to the playhouse, we still have not finished the laundry room/ bathroom but that will be next. We have 3 walls done so we have started. We are putting in the original enamel kitchen sink that was in the house into the laundry room. It has a drying tray built on the side and is just one large sink so it will work for laundry, handwashing and just general cleaning purposes. The carpet we bought is an indoor/outdoor so we will be putting it in the laundry room too.

Anyway, here are a couple of pictures and just remember that it is a work in progress---

Making cookies

I spent one day with Kaitlin making cookies. She helped with the measuring, tasting and sampling of the cookies.

Cutest grandkids around

I know the picture quality isn't the best but the two little angels in the picture make it a perfect picture.

Bingo Update

I thought that it would be time for an update on my friends from bingo. Mr. Otto (83 yrs. old) is back with us. He has moved back to Biloxi so I have been calling the numbers out to him again. He is a joy to be around. Mr Thomas (82 yrs old) is still going strong. As a matter a fact, I had Becky bring him some of my homemade bread during her lunch break from school one day and he was out trying to start his push lawnmower so he could mow his back yard. He said it hurt his shoulder to pull crank it so Becky did it for him.

I have been making bread for Mr. Thomas for quite sometime now and last week I brought Mr. Otto 8 small loaves of bread. Well, tonight I brought each of them 4 small loaves. They told me it was the best bread they ever put in there mouths-- see why I like them so much.

So back to bingo, Mr. Thomas hasn't won in a couple of weeks at our VFW bingo but he does play at a couple other places and wins. Mr. Otto won $250 tonight on the pull tabs-- I never play them. But, I have won the consolation prize on the jackpot the last 3 times I have played. It is only $100 each time but I feel like I am winning thousands. Tonight I won a total of $175--- I see more stuff for my "playhouse"-- wiring and insulation???

Just wanted to share my good news

Happy 70th Birthday Dad

Today would have been my father's 70th birthday and oh how I wish he was here to celebrate it. It is hard to believe that he has been gone for 15 years. Sometimes it seems just like yesterday that he died and other times it seems like he has been gone forever. I miss him everyday. There are so many things that I want him to know--
- I love him dearly and he is on my mind most days. There are still times when I think about telling him something or about how he would have really liked something. We would talk everyday on the phone about any and everything and nothing important. Some days he would just call me to tell a corny joke. Speaking of which, dad would have really liked the movie Wall-E because dad collected as much junk as Wall-E.
- I am still teaching school dad and I know that it made you proud of me. I really feel like I am making a difference in many peoples lives with teaching the GED program. (You see, dad got his GED too.) I tell my students about you getting your GED and how you succeed in life. Did I ever tell you how proud I was of you?? I hope I did.
- Kandis has grown into a wonderful young lady dad. She is married to a great, hardworking guy and they have 2 beautiful children. I am proud of her. She is a great wife and mother. She is able to stay at home with the kids and I am thankful for that. You would love these 2 great grandkids-- they are the best.
- Steve is married to a wonderful lady he met back at Fort Polk. Drew has grown into wonderful young man and will be starting college in the fall. Tara is married and has 3 beautiful daughters and Shawna has a growing family with 2 children and 3 step-children which means that Steve is a grandpa- he-he. Steve has a beautiful place on a lake that you would love. He is still in the Army dad.
- Mike and Rachel have a beautiful little boy named Christopher Michael and he is the spitting image of Mike. I wish you could have met him. The "5" looks great because Mike takes such good care of his home, property and family.
- Gina is married to great guy and they have 4 kids. She also gets to stay at home to raise her kids and that is awesome. She has grown into a wonderful woman and you would be happy for her.
- Mom and Lyman are now in Phoenix and boy would you love to visit there. You often talked about going there- did you ever make it? I have been a couple of times and it is a beautiful place.
- Marilyn is doing good. She has found someone to share her life with and that is a good thing because we didn't want to see her lonely.

We all miss you Dad. You are always on our minds and will forever be in our hearts.
I love you-

The cost of Children- what a deal!!

The government recently calculated the cost of raising a child from birth to 18 and came up with $160,140.00 for a middle income family. Talk about price shock! That doesn't even touch college tuition.But $160,140.00 isn't so bad if you break it down.

It translates into:
$8,896.66 a year,

$741.38 a month,

$171.08 a week.

A mere $24.24 a day!

Just over a dollar an hour.

Still, you might think the best financial advice is; don't have children if you want to be 'rich. 'Actually, it is just the opposite.What do you get for your $160,140.00?

Naming rights. First, middle, and last!

Glimpses of God every day.

Giggles under the covers every night.

More love than your heart can hold.

Butterfly kisses and Velcro hugs.

Endless wonder over rocks, ants, clouds, and warm cookies.

A hand to hold usually covered with jelly or chocolate.

A partner for blowing bubbles and flying kites.

Someone to laugh yourself silly with, no matter what the boss said or how your stocks performed that day.

For $160,140.00, you never have to grow up.

You get to:finger-paint,

carve pumpkins,

play hide-and-seek,

catch lightning bugs,

never stop believing in Santa Claus.

You have an excuse to:
keep reading the Adventures of Piglet and Pooh,

watch Saturday morning cartoons,

go to Disney movies, and wish on stars.

You get to frame rainbows, hearts, and flowers under refrigerator magnets and

collect spray painted noodle wreaths for Christmas,

hand prints set in clay for Mother's Day, and

cards with backward letters for Father's Day.

For a mere $24.24 a day, there is no greater bang for your buck.

You get to be a hero just for:
retrieving a Frisbee off the garage roof,

taking the training wheels off a bike,

removing a splinter,

filling a wading pool,

coaxing a wad of gum out of bangs, and

coaching a baseball team that never wins but always gets treated to ice cream regardless.

You get a front row seat in history to witness the:

First step,

First word,

First bra,

First date,

First time behind the wheel.

You get to be immortal.

You get another branch added to your family tree, and if you're lucky, a long list of limbs in your obituary called grandchildren and great grandchildren.

You get an education in psychology, nursing, criminal justice, communications, and human sexuality that no college can match.

In the eyes of a child, you rank right up there under God.

You have all the power to heal a boo-boo,

scare away the monsters under the bed,

patch a broken heart,

police a slumber party,

ground them forever,

and love them without limits,

so one day they will, like you, love without counting the cost.

That is quite a deal for the price!!!!!!!Love & enjoy your children & grandchildren & great-grandchildren!!!!!!! It's the best investment you'll ever make!!!!!!!!!

It is Official

I have placed the order for my "scrapbooking shed" that will also hold my laundry room in the back. I ordered a 12 by 30 building and am sooooo excited. Yes, I know I have a problem but at least having a place to crop will keep me at home!!!

It should be here in about 3 weeks so we have a couple of trees to cut down and we are ready. I am already making diagrams of how to put the shelves, countertops and my tables. It is going to be a dream come true. It will be big enough to host my own scrapbooking weekends and we are putting in a bathroom too. Of course there will be a small frig. Heck, if I could have gotten it alittle bigger, I could have moved a bed out there too!

Let me tell you a litte about it since I can't find a picture to post. It will be 12 feet across the front and 30 feet deep. It has a 4 foot front porch and the front door has the large window like on the cottage. It will have 5 windows, one on the front and 2 on each side. I plan on putting in at least 2 stain glass windows inbetween the windows on each side. We are going to put up a wall in the back about 7 feet from the end and the will have the washer, dryer (yeah), small deep freezer and the bathroom. There will be a back door (that was extra along with 2 of the windows) anyway, I will be able to exit to hang out clothes instead of going through the front.

So, if you are around about the middle of June, stop by and see it-- and you can help if you want. We will be putting in the electrical, insulation, sheetrock and then painting!! Woo Hoo

Random bits of info

I have an addiction-- scrapbooking and card making. It is so bad that next week I am going to order a 12x30 building with a porch to use for my hobby and a small portion will hold a washer and dryer.

The Pond-- you know it is time to shock the sh#t out of the pool when your 4 year old granddaughter asks if when she will be able to swim in the pond. So that is what we did this afternoon and it is already looking good! I scooped out leaves and scrubbed the sides with a new brush and pole.-- Woo-Hoo, just thought you would want to know.

Water bugs-- where do they come from?? How do they get in your pool??

Birthday party-- I had a wonderful birthday. On the Friday night before the "big" day, we went out to dinner (Mom, Lyman, Mike, Rachel, Chris, Kandis, Becky and I) to a Japanese hibachi grill where the chef cooked our dinner right in front of us. It was super-- they even had surprised me with the "servers" singing Happy Birthday to me and I shared my ice cream and fried banana's with them. Mom and Lyman had to leave on Saturday so since it was my birthday, I decided to go to a scrapbooking thing-- well, they surprised me with gifts and 2 birthday cakes!!! See, I have good friends along with a good family.

May-- wow, it is here already. It is the down hill slide for school teachers and I am sooooo excited. It's not like I don't love my job but am ready to sleep in everyday!!

That's all for now--

Whirlwind of April

Wow-- what a month!!

It seems like just the other day I was planning my spring break trip to Phoenix for April 4- 11th and now it is the end of the month. I have been swamped to say the least.

Spring Break--
What a blast!! Becky and I flew to Mom and Lyman's to visit and sight see. The weather was absolutely beautiful and it seemed that we planned everything on the right day to fit the weather-- go figure, that never happens but let me give you an example or two. We planned to go to the Grand Canyon and the day we were there was sunny with a slight breeze. We packed a picnic lunch and ate at the edge of the canyon. Becky and I even ventured out alittle on spots that were safe -- trust me-- I don't want to miss the opening of New Moon so I'm not going to do anything stupid. It was a wonderful day-- pictures to come-- having trouble with my card reader and no time for Wal-Mart right now. Anyway, we never thought about how lucky we were to have great weather until we went to the Meteor Crater--- honey, hold on to your hats.

The wind was wiping so hard and fast that dust was flying everywhere and we even felt the car rock and Mom has a big car!! Once we arrived at the crater, which is in the middle of nowhere, the wind was still gusting. The tour guide told us that the wind was gusting to 76mph-- where I come from, that is hurricane 1 force winds. Needless to say, we only took short looks outside and hung on the rails for dear life. They had canceled the 1 mile walk around the crater because of the wind-- Amen-- The strong winds even shook the video screen inside the visitor center. We had lunch there-- inside-- and we were still amazed at the size of the crater and the history behind it-- some 50,000 years ago. We were very glad that the winds were at the crater and not at the Grand Canyon.

Once we left the crater to head to Flagstaff, we noticed that there wasn't any traffic on the interstate as we approached it-- it was CLOSED!! We went back to the only gas station and the attendant told us that it was closed because there was ZERO visibility going East due to the wind storm-- geezzzz. It was so wild to drive West and see the traffic stopped for miles and miles because of a WIND STORM!! That was a first for me.

Mom said 2 days after we left Flagstaff, they had snow-- darn it, we missed that.

After Spring Break-- go, go, go, work, work, work

May will be another busy month but I will try to do better on posting--

First day in Phoenix

After a beautiful flight, we landed and began our journey. Our first stop which was literally after landing was South Mountain. We stopped there because it was closer to the airport than to Mom's house. What a view. As you can tell from my skirt blowing, it was a windy day to be standing on top of a mountain. Nope, didn't climb it (note the flip-flops).Because of all the wind stirring up dust, the view was not as breath-taking clear as it normally would be but you can still get the idea.

I had to do it.

I couldn't help myself------------------

Breaking Dawn

I have finished the Twilight series!! WOW-- I am still going over everything in my head. I am satisfied with the book and how it ended. I am not going to say any details because my best friend, Becky, is going to read them next. She has watched me cry, read until midnight, and think about these books constantly. Stephanie Meyer did a wonderful job of writing because she engrosses you in the story and you become entangled in it so much that you have a hard time getting it out of your mind. It (the story) becomes a part of your thinking process in everyday activitites. Heck, I have even thought about Jacob and Seth running the perimeter of the Cullens house while I was teaching my students about perimeter on the white board. I'm up there drawing a picture and the whole time I am picturing the scene from the book-- yes, it is that bad or good-- which ever way you want to look at it.

I must now filter through my thoughts and put the story to rest in my mind.
I am content with the ending of the story and yes, I do see how she could continue the story should she ever want to write more about Bella and Edward---hmmmm.


Added note: And why does it all happen in a high school setting?? Here I am grading papers and thinking about these characters-- again-- and wishing that mine were as smart as the Cullen Clan!!! Geeezzz-- I guess while my students are testing tomorrow, my mind will be back with the Cullens--

The winner is....

ME!!!

I just finished another weekend of scrapbooking and I won the GRAND PRIZE! Now, I didn't win it because of any fancy work or anything. I had my name in the drawing for attending all 3 days. I was soooo excited because this prize is a scrapbookers dream-- it has a large tote that is open at the top for easy access, has a 12 by 12 scrapbook and lots of goodies to go with it. I really wanted to win the bag so I can have it to put my other goodies in!

I didn't get as much done this time but did learn many new techinques and I have some great ideas for my homemade Christmas presents!!

I finished Eclipse

Okay- I have heard from some that Eclipse was their favorite book of the series but I am not voting right now. I am in emotional turmoil because I have just finished reading, blowing my nose and drying my eyes. I need to digest what this book means because there were so many twists and turns. Some things really threw me off and caught me off guard that at one point I didn't want to finish it because of what was happening and I didn't like it. It still blows my mind at how she does such a good job writing-- wow, that is talent.

I do have the last book, New Moon and may start it tonight but not sure- patience.

Cardiac Smartscore-- have you had one done??

How often have you heard: "if we had caught this sooner, the outcome may have been different". Preventive imaging is a proactive approach to better health.

This information was copied from the website
http://www.egh.org/healthcare_services/radiology_services/ct_scanning/cardiac_smart_score/Coronary

Coronary arteries carry blood to the heart. When you're young, these arteries are smooth and blood flows freely. But, as years pass, the arteries become lined with deposits of cholesterol and other organic materials that accumulate as plaque - a condition known as arteriosclerosis.
This plaque is deadly. It damages the cells of the coronary arteries, and its buildup can restrict blood flow to the heart. But what makes plaque such a killer is its tendency to rupture and break loose from the lining of the arteries. When this happens, a clot can form that will block the supply of blood to the heart, resulting in a heart attack.
Heart attacks continue to be the number one killer in the United States.

Every 20 seconds someone has a heart attack, and every minute someone dies from one.

Remarkably, about one third of the people who arrive at an emergency room with a heart attack have has NO chest pain or similar warning. It just happened.
Now there’s an early detection test at "Elkhart general" ( I went to Ocean Springs Hospital) called Cardiac SmartScore that an help predict the likelihood of having a heart attack by measuring the buildup of plaque in the coronary arteries, the most likely cause of a heart attack.

Not only can Cardiac SmartScore identify a potentially deadly heart condition, it can be a life-saving warning signal for people who may be otherwise healthy but are in the very early state of plaque buildup. When the condition is caught early enough, modest adjustments in diet and lifestyle often can be enough to effectively deal with the problem.

The Advantage of the Unique SmartScore Test
There are many types of heart tests. EKG. Stress echocardiogram. Intravascular ultrasound. Each of these tests can play an important role in evaluating your heart's health. But none of these tests can accurately detect the silent presence of deadly plaque. Even angiography that looks for constriction in the vessels may not reveal the presence of plaque. That's because as plaque accumulates, the arteries actually expand to compensate for the buildup, resulting in little change to the opening of the vessel. Although the angiograph may look fine, a heart attack could happen at any time.
Of all heart tests, Cardiac SmartScore is the most accurate non-invasive method of determining the presence of deadly plaque.

Test Procedure
Cardiac SmartScore (also called coronary artery calcium scoring) is a type of CT scan that detects areas of hardening (calcification or plaque) in the coronary arteries, which supply blood to the heart. Normally, the coronary arteries do not contain plaque. Plaque deposits in the coronary arteries indicate the presence of coronary artery disease (CAD). Cardiac calcium scoring is used to diagnose CAD in an early stage and to determine its severity.

During the Cardiac SmartScore, you simply lie on a table, fully clothed and hold your breath for a few seconds while the CT images are taken. These images are analyzed by a computer to produce a detailed picture of a “slice” of the heart. Each x-ray pulse lasts only a fraction of a second, and it takes only a few seconds for the machine to record each slice. A CT scan provides clearer pictures of internal organs than regular x-rays. Information from a CT scan can be saved and stored on a computer for further study. Photographs of selected views can also be made.

Who Should Have a Cardiac SmartScore Exam?
A Cardiac SmartScore exam can be a life-saver for men over 35 and women over 45 who are at higher than normal risk of heart attack.

Risk factors include:
A family history of heart disease or stroke .
Smoking
High cholesterol levels
High blood pressure
Obesity
High stress
Diabetes
Sedentary lifestyle

Test Results
Copied from http://www.ableimaging.com/cardiacscoring.htm#cardiac6
"Smart Score" gives you a score indicative of the amount of calcium in the main arteries feeding your heart, from zero to more than 1,000, in each artery.
Regardless of your score, always discuss your test results with your doctor.

If your score is 0: Your probability of having significant coronary artery disease is minimal. Share the results with your physician and discuss any lifestyle modification for continued good health.
If your score is positive but less than 100: Cardiac scoring by "Smart Score" has detected calcified plaque in the arteries of your heart which are unlikely to be causing a narrowing at this time. Along with your physician, you should discuss cardiac risk factors and initiate appropriate preventive measures.
If your score is between 101 and 400: Cardiac scoring by "Smart Score" has detected considerable amount of calcified plaques in the arteries of your heart. While this is not a medical emergency, there is an increased risk of heart attack. Your physician will determine what additional tests may be best. Your doctor will place you on a treatment regimen to modify your risk factors to reduce the risk of a heart attack.
If your score is greater than 400: Cardiac scoring by "Smart Score" has detected extensive calcified plaque in your coronary arteries which may have critical narrowing. You are at increased risk of heart attack. Based on your physician's recommendations you should begin treatment immediately to reduce your risk of heart attack.

Okay-- Let me give you my 25 cent tour -- My test took about 30-40 minutes from the time I checked in until I was walking out the door to go to work. I had to pay cash because my insurance feels this is "experimental" but the test was $150 which I thought was a steal of a deal. Kandis said that it was $150 for "peace of mind"-- anyway, I got my test score results today and I scored (drum roll please) a ZERO!!!!!! WOOO- HOOO!!!!!!!

Go and check out these websites and ask your doctors about this test-- now remember that it doesn't mean that I will never have a heart attack but I know that I am less likely to have one from plaque buildup right now-- How often do they recommend this test? Who knows but I will have it when the doc tells me to? I want to be around for a long, long time!! Kandis, keep waiting on the kitchen table-- it will be a while!

What am I going to do??

I am at such a loss for words here—I am reading Eclipse and I am about 1/3 of the way into it. I want to take my time reading it so I can enjoy the book but then on the other hand I want to finish it tonight to see what happens.
How can someone write a book like this – one that makes you want to just hang on every word—and you're dying to find out what will happen. I don’t want to finish it because I know that there is only one other book and then it’s finished.
What am I going to do?? Is there life after this book? Do people keep going on with their lives? What is there to look forward to? What do you do with your spare time?
What do I do???

How sweet it is.....

I like this

Remember yesterday,
dream about tomorrow,
but Live today!

Okay-- so I don't want to talk about the super bowl

Since my team lost, I think it would be better to go onto good news-- I got a Wii Fit!!!!

Yes, yes-- I am now one happy camper. Of course every muscle in my body hurts but I feel good. Just got it last night after a great dinner out with Mike and Rachel. We decided to go to Wal-Mart and I got lucky because they had 2 Wii Fits behind the cash register back in electronics-- woo-hoo, yep, it really doesn't take much to make me happy these days!

Anyway, we worked out until 10:30 last night and got in a good 30 minute work out. Now those of you who don't have this balance board have no idea what they are missing. I have been snow skiing, hola hooping, running, ski jumping and some fun balance games. I tried on yoga session and realized just how uncoordinated I am and the "stepping" session-- OMG- I have no rhythm but I am working on it. I did much better the second time on that.

I have exercised for about 30 minutes each of the last 2 days. I hope to get at least 15 minutes a day during the week and 30 would be perfect. I have modified my diet (just not eating as much) and am drinking a Herbalife Tea everyday to increase my metabolism and energy-- even before the wii fit. So far I have lost only 3 pound but am hoping that the pounds will melt away while using the wii. I would like to lose 8-10 pounds ( in addition to the 3 I have lost).

I need to get my skinny mii back!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The story behind the pictures

Okay-- I told you that I had made 29 scrapbook pages but I only took pictures of a few because I didn't want to over do it. The story behind the pictures- I had a workshop to attend in Atlanta during the summer of 2007. I decided that it would be a good idea to invite Kandis and Kaitlin to go with me so we could make a mini-vacation out of it and go and visit the girls (Tara and Shawna) in Kentucky. Needless to say, we had a great visit and enjoyed our stay with them. We even went to the kids favorite spot-- the zoo. I really have some cute pictures of that too. Girls, if you see one of the pictures that I have and you would like a copy just tell me and I will email it to you.

The other pictures are of an accordian album that I made and absolutely love. I added some pictures that we had taken of Kaitlin showing us her mad, mean, sad, happy and smiley faces.

Pictures of my Scrapbook pages

Let me tell you about my weekend

I had so much fun last weekend at a "scrapbook retreat" and I accomplished so much that am ready to go again. You see, I have pictures and pictures that are developed and need to be in a scrapbook (fancy photo album) and I have to make time to put them together.
This retreat was in d'Iberville so it was close to home but it was away from home so you could actually get something done with a bunch of other ladies who like to do the same thing. We started Friday afternoon at 4 where I met the first 4 of my new friends: Becky, Gina, Lisa and Brenda. I proceeded to tell them that I would not forget their names because I already have a friend named Becky and one named Brenda, Gina is my sisters name and heck- I'm Lisa. Of course there where more people, I think the total was 16 and I only remember about half of their names. We worked Friday night, all day Saturday and Sunday until about 2pm. I learned many new tricks and saw some gadgets that I might put on my Christmas list. I also completed 20 scrapbook pages-- Woo Hoo- Woo- Hoo- Woo-Hoo. I am so proud of myself and am looking forward to the next weekend retreat!!!
Okay- yeah, I don't have much of a life!! ;-)

We workout on the Wii

WOW: What fun it is to be a kid again!!!

We have purchased a Wii and have been having a blast playing all the games. My favorite is bowling but I am also enjoying the tennis and am learning how to hit the ball on the baseball game. I have every intention of getting the Wii fit because I have heard that it will help me get into shape. I had sore muscles the first 2 weeks and now am getting in better shape-- I have lost 3 pounds so far with my diet and my game playing. I bowl 2 games, play at least 3 tennis rounds and then 2 games of baseball each night except for Friday night. I did play a little last night before bingo but not my full routine.

You might be thinking that my motivation for losing weight would be a "New Years Resolution" but actually it is something as simple as "my best friend weighs 13 pounds less than me" motivation. Laura and I have been friends for about 30 years-- gosh, I am getting old -- anyway, her and I have always been within a couple of pounds of each other. Of course, she has had 5 kids and I have only had one but that doesn't matter. What matters is the fact that she weighs less and I can't stand it. So I must get my act together and do this----