I am...

I was going to name this post "I Am a Mother".  But as I sit here in the hospital room, hearing the nurses talking, typing by the moonlight coming through the window, hearing the beeps, and listening for my mother-in-law so if she gets restless, I can get up and console her, I thought, "Wait!  I am a caregiver."  My next thought is that the words "mother" and "caregiver" are in many ways one and the same. 

In a previous post, I blogged about how I never prayed to have children, that I never planned to have my children, but as soon as I knew they were there, I started to pray for them.  And I prayed for the spouses that they might have when they grow up, and I prayed for their health and safety.  You know...things that I think every mother prays for her children.  It's a miracle to me to think about how God knew just exactly when to surprise me with one of His creations to love and nurture, and when I think about finishing the sentence, "I am..." my mind automatically says "a mother".  I am a mother. 

I have nearly always been a mother, at least in so many ways.  Being the oldest of four, I "mothered" my sisters, and perhaps I "smothered" my sisters!  :)  I've given them baths, I've helped them learn how to spell.  I've taken them for breakfast, I've cooked with them.  I've consoled them, and I've spoiled them.  I've given them advice, and I've loved them fiercely, as if they were my children.

Next comes the biological classification of children.  Katie was first.  I remember she and I, rocking, rocking, rocking at night, and how I would hold her and think that she was perfect in every way.  I would sing to her until I fell asleep with her in my arms.  We did a lot of bonding, she and I.  (And we still do.) Many a morning, she was the reason I got up and carried on, and because of her, the rest of the family was born.  She has been the most monumental influence on my life, for without her, I don't know who I would have become, what I would have done, and if I didn't have a reason to go to school, to prove myself, I'm not sure that I would be who I am today.  In fact, I am very sure I would be someone completely different.  I'm thankful for Katie because I like who I am.  :)  Next came Jessica...oh, how she looked up to me, and oh, how I cared about her. (She would technically be my neice, but when it comes to technicallities and motherhood, who's counting anyways???)  I came into her life when she was in Kindergarten, we did a lot of things together, went a lot of places, and as she got older, she "mothered" my children.  Without her, there have been times that I'm not sure what I would have done.  Then we were blessed with Kevin.  I was scared to death when I found out that we were expecting him, but overshadowing that fear was my excitement...would Kate have a sister or a brother?  Like I said, I was scared...after all, I was only 17, and Katie wasn't very old, and we were just starting out...but as the days wore on, the fear shrunk and shrunk until it was gone, and exitement over the surprise God had given us continued to grow as we found out it was a boy (a first in my family), and as his birthday drew nearer.  Again, a perfect baby was put in my arms, and it was love at first sight.  This kid is destined for great things, for helping people, for sharing the stuff he's made of with others.  I can't explain it; he just is.  And then....then, well, we *thought* we were through.  But as is His plan, we were not through.  Twelve years after my  "baby" was born, we were blessed with Miss Anna Lucia.  This child was born to heal people and to bring people together.  She was born to show others how to be happy, and she was born for us all to enjoy.  It's almost like she's the cherry on top, just for good behavior...we get to enjoy her.  (Thank you Jesus!) 

The next classification of "mother" that I am stems from a job I found in the paper to be a teacher. After I had Anna, I started working with the teens that I *very* affectionately call my "troublemakers".  And not only did I teach them, but yeah....I mothered them.  After all, their moms were in other states, and they were there in a new, scary place and everyone needs to feel as if they have *someone* in their corner, don't they?  I still (s)mother many of them now.  One is getting married, and starting a family of his own, complete with a school-teacher wife and a (mostly) Boxer puppy to keep them company.  And as was his word, an invite to this occassion will be reaching my mailbox soon.  Another has needed my help as he was around the wrong people at the wrong time...and this kid...he makes me happy.  And he visits me, and I love him and I love his mom, and I love to see him healthy.  Then there was the girl that laughed at me when I asked her to consider going to a small, private college close to our town.  Guess what?  That girl graduated from that college, and is in a job doing what she loves, helping other people.  I have "family" in Georgia.  Lots of family...many families...and I miss them as I have not been able to travel there in the last few years.  However, I did come through with two promises I made:  one was to wear a red dress to his graduation, and the other was to go to a graduation in his big, red truck.  Those kids are healthy now, with their diplomas in hand, and are moving on to find careers and such.  I could go on and on and on.  I love them all so very much, and I love that they "let" me keep track of them.  I love how they just pop up here and there, giving me a smile, and always acknowledging me when I comment on their facebook pages, send them a text, or give them a call.  And you know what?  Those rock hard troublemaking kids *love* now, and they are thriving young adults, and here is the best part:  they love me back.   I miss my job helping those kids, and I so wish that I could continue working with them, but alas, that job came to an end...at least as far as right there, at the ranch.  Again, I still mother them...I can do that from anywhere!  :)

Next comes the kids that I inherited because they were friends with my kids.  A couple of them dutifully call me  "mom"...which I love.  Just like my troublemaker kids, these kids pop in and out here and there and just make my day.  I spent the better part of the afternoon today with two of my "sons" just doing nothing, but being around each other, laughing, being silly, talking, not talking, just enjoying being.  Those are the good times.  Those are the things that make up memories.  The little things that you have no idea make such an impression on the person you "surprise" with a visit, a smile, a text, a call, what have you.  Just because they do love you, even if they mumble it sometimes. :)

I think I've kept the chronological order going fairly well here, and I believe that the inheritance of a little blonde headed girl, full of mischieviousness, and bursting at the seems for some attention from a mother figure is next on the list.  I will always remember the first time I went to her program at school.  When she spotted me, she was so excited I had came, she told the girl next to her, "My MOM'S here!!!"  And my heart melted even more.  We've had our ups and downs, she and I, and I would wager to bet we have many more of those trials, tribulations, and successes down the road, but I do believe that a mother's love is a love that can never be broken . It can be hurt, yes.  But never turned off.  I love this child as if she were my own, and to be factual, she is.  I wanted to teach her to cook, to be crafty, to do things special with her, because she needed that, and I think the day that she gashed her leg open and would not be consoled until she talked to me, I knew that indeed, she loved me back as well, and needed me.

Then there is this mother that comes out when I am around my friend.  She is younger than me, yes.  But not that much younger.  But I am fiercely protective of her, as a mother would be, because she lost her mother last year in a very tragic accident.  I cannot imagine...I saw the pain and suffering she went through.  I see the pain and suffering she still goes through.  She has got to be the strongest, most determined individual I've ever known, yet I am fiercely protective of her.   I don't want to take the place of her mother, nor could I if I tried, but she allows me to be the mother duck...she humors me.  :)

I think the common thread that runs through all of these roles, all of these different types of motherhood relationships is compassion.  Compassion for others.  And I believe it is that compassion that prompts the role of caretaker as well. 

Since this post got embarassingly long...I will continue the second half of this post about being a caretaker tomorrow....stay tuned, and thank you for reading all of that if you got this far....also, while I'm thinking tonight in my sleep, if there is any sort of "motherhood" that I've left out, I will be adding it to the next post.  :)

Until next time.....

Random Facts...Continued

I think of other random things that I didn't include in my 100, and I want to document them, if for no one else, than for my amusement at a later date.

1. I can mirror write.  I was the coolest teacher ever in middle school because I wrote backwards in everyone's yearbook.
2.  I get complimented on my nice handwriting all the time.  This is ironic because when I was in elementary school, I got in trouble regularly from my teachers and my father about my poor handwriting.  It was only after I taught Kindergarten and went back to the basics that I was able to write legibly and started receiving compliments.
3.  My fourth grade teacher wouldn't let me help with the bulletin boards, because I was left handed, which automatically somehow qualified me as a poor cutter.  I was the only kid in the class that didn't get to do them, and I was heartbroken.  I've always wanted to look her up and tell her that the first year I was a teacher, I was an ART teacher, no thanks to her encouragement and support.
4.  I remember being in 2nd grade and being embarassed by the teacher because I didn't know what the contraction "let's" was made up of.  The sentence was,"Let's go to the store."  I knew that let's was let and us, but when you said it: Let us go to the store. it didn't make sense.  I didn't want to be wrong, so I didn't say anything.  She yelled at me and made me cry and I was so embarassed.  Finally, I said "let us" and she then yelled at me for not saying it earlier.  Again, thanks for the encouragement, lady.
5.  In fifth grade, we moved to Tennessee. My teacher was so intrigued with my Northern accent that she would have me read to the class.  This isn't necessarily a bad memory....more like an amusing one.
6.  I *hated* school (geez I wonder why!) and was so relieved to be done after my 10th grade year so that I could get away from the nonsense that was called "learning" and get on with the education that I needed to be a teacher. 
7.  I do not like talking on the telephone.
8.  If I never had a TV in my house again, I would be one happy camper.  I don't like the noise.
9.  I enjoy having a fish tank.
10.  I love light, and lots of it.  Windows.  Lots of windows make Abby happy.
11.  I am very stubborn.  This can bite me in the butt sometimes, but it is also what has gotten me through a lot of my life, and if I had to choose, it is a quality I would keep because I think it has done me more good than harm over the years. 
12.  I love the smell of tomato plants in the garden....transports me right back to the garden with Gramps and the tiller.
13.  I can remember telling two people in my life that I hated them.  Ironically, it was the two people I credit with forming me into who I am, the two people I look up to more than all others on this whole planet.  How did that happen?!?!?
14.  I am queen of the silent treatment.  You will not win, so don't even bother going there.  :)
15.  I *hate* Western movies.  It's the music.  It's too noisy.
16.  I love games and game shows.  Always have.
17.  When I was younger, I read things like the dictionary, the encyclopedia, and the telephone book.  I'm not sure that it made me smarter, but it sure did keep me entertained.
18.  When I was taking classes to get my teaching degree, one of our sources had to be the Internet.  This was just something I was hearing existed at the time, and I was very distressed.  I cried because I had no access, and wouldn't know what to do with it if I did.
19.  I like to sleep on a hard mattress with a board underneath.  I get this from my dad, who made us have boards under our matresses to help us have a better back than he did.
20.  The board theory didn't prove so much to be true at prevention; I had to have a disc removed anyways, but I still like to sleep with one under my bed.  I do not like a soft bed.
21.  One of my earliest memories is of helping Dad put his socks and shoes on after his back surgery.  My children helped me do the same, a couple decades later.
22.  I am the only child out of four who chose not to pursue a career that involved music.  Perhaps this is because the earliest memory I have involving music was arguing with my mom about practicing...and it was an ongoing arguement through the years.  I understand now, of course, that I am a mother, the things that I didn't understand then, and I regret that the talent she cultivated isn't put to use.
23.  I've been married twice, but have never been proposed to (at least not by either man I married) nor have I had a wedding.
24.  I have been proposed to by more men than I can count...and I wonder why????  I got a fortune cookie one time that said that I have a magnetic personality.  I'll say.  I think they see my "happy" and want a dose of it is all....which would require a relationship with God, not me, so yeah....they should thank me for gracioiusly declining.
25.  I love pictures. 
26.  I love to people-watch, and it's better if you have an active people-watcher with you.
27.  I still have not forgiven the kid that made me wreck my bike on purpose, back in the summer between 5th and 6th grades.  Makes me mad every time I think about it, and no, I don't know why I think about it. 
28.  I stink at video games in a huge way, but I am BOSS when it comes to playing Tetris. 
29.  I don't know how to play card games.  I can play Rummy, and Solitaire. 
30.  I stink at math, which could be the reason I stink at the aforementioned games.
31.  I talk to our dogs every day when I leave, and every evening when I return.  Weird.  I've become the "dog lady".
32.  For some reason, I like pumpkins...they make me smile.  Maybe it's the memories from childhood, maybe it's because they are orange. 
33.  Smells make me very sick.  Cologne, perfume, cleaning smells....they are all very bad on Abby.
34.  I wish I had room to keep all of the books that I've ever read, and I wish I had documented them all from the time I learned to read until currently.  I have no idea what I would do with that list, but I think it would be neat to have.
35.  I would rather have a book in my hand than a Nook-like device, but I will admit they are handy.
36.  I am scared of the idea that snakes can't be seen until you step on them.  I am not woosy if the snake is in a cage at the zoo.  But don't ask me to wade through tall grass or a creek...nope.
37.  My sister and I spent countless hours in creeks growing up, huntingn for crawdads and other whatever-we-could-finds along the way.
38.  I don't cry.  Well, hardly ever.  If I cry, I am either really mad, or you've hurt my feelings; cut me to the core.  Either way, watch out.  I don't cry at funerals....and it's not because I'm not sad...it's just...well...I dunno why.
39.  I never cried about my Gramps' passing until I couldn't breathe.  Then, I cried I think not so much because of his passing, but rather because of the selfishness of not wanting him to go...because it is so very scary when you can't breathe.  You know what?  He lived with that problem for YEARS, and never complained.  I know it had to be scary.  I know I was scared, and I don't have asthma, and I don't have COPD, or emphasima (I really don't think that is spelled right, but I'm too tired to care.)
40. I am scared to death of authoritive figures, like bosses.  I always am nervous.  I have no idea why, unless it is the ever-so-loving teachers that I had over the years who conditioned me to be that way.
41.  There have only ever been two people in the world that can make me feel an inch tall.  Those two people are among the top five people who would be thought of to be people that would want to love me, not cut me down using the tactics that they knew would go straight to my very soul.
42.  There are a few things in my life, that despite my stubbornness, I've had to just throw in the towel and walk away from them....and to me, that's the same as conceding to the enemy, which really stinks.  But then again, I only owe to myself to be satisfied that I did what I could, and that I am a winner, not a loser, by choosing to be strong enough to walk away from those relationships and situations.  It takes a lot of courage to throw in the towel, even though it doesn't seem like it would.
43.  I don't watch the news.  This may seem simple-minded, but I don't want to know what's going on so that I have to worry about it.  If it happens, it happens.  Again, simplistic, but me.
44.  I don't choose to be uneducated; I choose not to worry.
45.  I always wanted to be an astronaut.  Still would go in a heartbeat.

That's enough for tonight!  :)

A New Friend

Stick with me, dear reader, through this semi-long story about meeting my new friend...it involves some pre-explanation...

Picture a plot of land. No house. An old out-building made out of wood that is falling down. A creek. Oh---in Bethpage. Just a mile or so from my house. Where I saw the gigunda bobcat a while back. Do you have the image in your head? Keep it there.

This land happens to be "on the way" to both my house that's not my house any more as well as that house that is somewhat mine now. Remember, if it is "on the way" to my house, then when I leave my house, it is then "on the way" to wherever it is that I'm going. I've lived so that this "on the way" place has been "on the way" for twenty-some years. You can do the math...it equals out to this: I've driven past this plot of land a google-trazillion times.

Here's the thing, though. I notice it *every* time I drive past it. Why? Perhaps because it is somewhat of an oddity, and therefore is somewhat mysterious. Perhaps because it is beautiful? Perhaps because it makes my imagination work. Perhaps it is a mixture of all of the above. Yes, I'll go with that. Bubble in "choice D" for me, please.

Now, let me tell you what this plot of land looks like in-real-life....and it does follow the description I've given you...BUT...I'll bet you had this image of a weedy, tree-covered area of barren-ness, much like a lot of uninhabited land here in TN...am I right? Well, you, dear reader, are wrong. This plot of land is like a little slice of heaven. *Every* time I see it, even all these years later, I still say a prayer of thanks for that beautiful, green, lovely spot of land and the man who owns it. Yeah, I know it's a man. I will say he is quite a bit older than what I had pictured in my mind, but after talking to him, I'm not surprised that at his age he does all that he does. What is that, you ask. What does he do? (More about that man coming up...) He comes to this spot of land *every* Sunday. I mean EVERY Sunday. He loads his lawnmower up on his way-old truck...can't even fathom a guess on the age of the truck...and he comes to Bethpage. He mows that plot of land, weeds it, picks up any branches from the trees that might have fallen, and then he sits back and enjoys it. This piece of land is the prettiest color of green I've ever seen. It should be called "God's Green" if it were to be replicated for a Crayola box. It is pristine. It is shady. It is inviting (and remember, there's not even a house). It makes me think of the word "soft". It makes me want to walk barefoot on it, all over it. I imagine the house I would like to build there, and how it would match the inviting feeling, and it would complete this land that is near-perfect anyways. The out-building, though appearing to be somewhat dilapidated, I could almost assure you is in mint "sturdiness" condition. The creek? It's clean. No weeds, no trash, no underbrush or overgrowth...just a stream milling its way through the perfect yard where the unperfect thing is that there is not a house for me to live in so that my feet could enjoy that "God's Green" grass every day. I think the other thing that makes this land so beautiful is that it is simple. There is no driveway. There is no house, no porch, no stepping stones, no lights, nothing to "junk up" the land. Soooo....the house may be an ix-nay after all.

Why has this land drawn my attention? We'll start with the "oddity" I mentioned above. Where do you see a spot of mowed grass that doesn't have a house on it, that is kept tidy-clean all year round? You don't...or at least I haven't. The mysteriousness of it...what's the story? How did this man come upon this land, and why is it so important to him? Does this man go about everything in his life as he has went about tending this spot of land? So many questions. Definitely, this land has drawn my attention because of its beauty; we've already established that. Does it make my imagination go into overdrive? EVERY TIME. Who is this man? What is his story? Is he alone? Is he lonely? Why is there no house there, and why is it so important to him to keep this plot in such pristine condition, when he is only there to enjoy it for a few hours after his work is done each Sunday afternoon? How would my life be different if I could put a little house there, built the way I want, with nooks and crannies and Abby-ized? I can see the kids enjoying the creek, enjoying the yard. I can see a tire swing hanging from the shade tree. I can see it so much I can almost *feel* it. Weird, I know.

I've always thought this man should know that someone out there besides him enjoys the fruits of his labors. (Perhaps, just in case he is lonely. I just can't stand the thought of a lonely person. OK, you probably know where this is going to end up. After all, it doesn't take rocket science if you know me at all...you can predict what happens. :)

Today, as I drove past the land as I was "on my way" to wherever I was going, I saw the man, and I thought that I should stop and tell him I love his land. Probably, that would be weird, and I shouldn't just walk up and be like, "Dude. I love your land." LOL. But, I thought about it while I was "on my way". After that, it quickly left my mind (and if you know me at all, you know that is the norm...things quickly leaving my mind, that is). As I was on my way home, there was just some reason it was nagging at me that I should pull over and tell this man that I love his land...yes, in different words, with a bit more tact, which I am normally lacking. Soooo...I was pleased to see that his truck was still there, meaning *he* was still there...so I slowed down, and I was looking for him, but I couldn't see him anywhere. As I was almost out of sight, I saw his head raise up out of the back of his truck. I decided that if I didn't do it now, I most likely never would, so I just turned around and went back. Stopped on the side of the road. Waved at the man, and said in my best Abby-Voice: Hi!!!! The man was quite a distance away, and so I had to yell at him: I HAVE TO TELL YOU SOMETHING!!!!! And he got up, put his shirt on (what a gentleman) and ambled over to me. (He''s definitely hard of hearing.) So, I said again to him: "This might be a bit strange but I stopped because I have something to tell you." He kind of cocked his head at me as if to say, "And what is that???" So I stammered on: "I enjoy your land...er...when I drive past, I love to enjoy the beauty, the outcome of all the hard work you do to keep it beautiful when you are here on Sundays...and I thought you should know that someone enjoys what you do." The smile just kept getting bigger and bigger as I stammered on and on, until my brain said, "Shut up, Abby...you've said enough." And so then I quit yammering on and on. And I couldn't really tell you how it happened or what all was said, but the next thing I knew, an hour and fifteen minutes had lapsed, seeming like just five minutes. We learned a lot about each other...I learned that he worked for UPS, had never been married, and was not "lonely" when he was alone. I learned that he enjoys trading stocks and bonds, and he has stock in Facebook, among others. I learned that on Thursday nights, he eats at a local resteraunt because a certain waitress is there that night, and he enjoys leaving her a tip, and she hugs him every time that he comes in. (Everyone needs hugs, right!?!?!) He learned that I have two high-school graduates, and listened intently while I described my three children. I learned that he has no idea how to cook, and keeps a few cans of peaches around in case he gets hungry while he watches Jay Leno (even though he is vulgar, he added). I learned he goes to mass every Saturday night, never misses, and doesn't know why he chose Catholisism as his religious preference, but he attends regularly. After mass, there is a family that expects him to be by to visit and eat dinner, and if he were to not show up, well, they would think the world had ended, just as I would if a Sunday went by when I didn't see him on that slice of Heaven. He is an avid sports nut, and extremely smart, and he really seemed to me in so many ways like a "Forrest Gump". Several times I thought that. It was his voice, but also the things he said. I can't explain. Just trust me. And so a friendship was born tonight, because I stopped to tell a strange man in the middle of nowhere that I thought his land was beautiful. If the right people were to read this, I'm sure that I would be reprimanded for stopping to tell a strange man anything....but for some reason, I just *had* to do it. And while I don't think he is LONELY when alone, I think he was pleasantly surprised to have made a new friend. I promised him upcoming visits, and I mean to keep my promise. I believe we have a lot to talk about and learn from each other...and I want him to meet my kids, and for my kids to meet him, because I just really feel like he is special, even though I can't explain why.

I'm sure I'll have many more "Mon-roe" stories to tell in the future. And...that's MON-roe with the emphasis on the MON. Just like some people say "Mack-Donalds"...he is "MON-roe".

And that is a true story of how a friendship was born, all from a simple act of kindness on my part and a lot of years of hard work on his. At a later date, I will tell you another reason why I am in awe of this land and this man, but not tonight, because I've probably already put you to sleep with my rambling!

The*End

PS...I tried to post a photo, because we all know that I think that no blog post is a blog post if there is not a picture to go with it, but blogger was NOT having it, so here is my extra-long post with no photo.

The Random That Makes Me Me.

I've done this before, but I thought it might be fun to do it again, years later, and compare the randomness that makes up who I am. I did not read the other list I came across, and I won't until I finish this one.

100 Random Facts about Abby

1. Blogging has been hard for me, since switching from the one I used to keep. It's mental, I know,but still, it's been hard.
2. I love color, patterns, and matching those that others would not.
3. I miss scrapbooking, and I think I shall take it back up again soon, especially since I have the room right now at the store to do it.
4. I never in a million thought i would be a store owner.
5. Why I never thought that, I don't know, since everyone I know has always encouraged me to write a book and open a store. Go figure.
6. I would love to write a book...a book about the random things that make up my life.
7. I have a terrible, schmerrible memory, and it gets worse every. single. day. For. REALS.
8. I never thought I would be divorced, and certainly not remarried.
9. I miss my Grandpa Painter and my Gramps very badly, and the older I get, the more I miss them. Same goes for Jason's Mammy and Pa.
10. I wish that my kids had the relationship with my parents that I had with theirs.
11. I'm happy that they do have that sort of relationship with their Nanny and Pa.
12. One of my closest, most-trusted friends is one of my mom's very best friends.
13. I never want a day to go by without talking to all of my kids.
14. I am very sentimental. Always have been, always will be.
15. My feet don't like shoes, so I'm not sure why I own 200+ pair of them.
16. I love makeup and jewelry.
17. I love to dress up, but not since I've gained so much weight.
18. I want to lose the weight again, and I know how, but I don't have the gumption to do it. What's up with that?
19. If I eat sugar and carbs, I *need* more and more of them, and I know that I don't need them...but I eat them anyways....and I *must* stop.
20. I do my best thinking in my sleep.
21. I rarely see things for what they are at surface level. This goes for people as well.
22. I am a GED graduate, and a Masters Degree holder.
23. I love fast cars. I love to hear them, I love to drive them.
24. I love baseball.
25. I love soundtracks, because of the mix of genres of music.
26. I love to hear the piano being played, especially classical music.
27. I love buttons, and I have a button quilt made by an ancestor and it's one of my prized possessions.
28. I do not drink milk, nor will I ever.
29. I have a heart disease, and shouldn't be alive because of it, and I am labeled a "miracle" by my cardiologist group.
30. My sisters are my bestest friends.
31. I will always craft, as long as I can.
32. I fear not being able to use my hands and not being able to see.
33. I'm really quite shy.
34. Teaching is something I do with great confidence, something that God has gifted me with the ability to do.
35. I miss working with delinquents. In a big way.
36. I bit my nails until I was 29, then I quit. I have no idea why.
37. If I can make things into a game, at least in my mind, I am more motivated.
38. If I were single without children, I would be a flight attendant and travel the world and get paid to do it.
39. I LOVE to fly.
40. I'm friendly. I'll talk to anyone.
41. I may appear to be full of strength, but inside, I am a huge coward.
42. I'm good at disguising the coward and the shyness.
43. My all-time favorite Bible verse is Jeremiah 29:11, and after that would be Philipians 4:13: I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.
44. I love a house with a red door.
45. I've always wanted to own an older, victorian-style house and fix it up.
46. I love to decorate, and could make a living out of it.
47. I also would love to be a personal shopper.
48. I would love to be a life-coach/trainer for women who are trying to make something of themselves and need some help.
49. I love rubber duckies. They make me smile.
50. The word "penis" makes me laugh hysterically. My son knows this and says it randomly just to make me laugh. Wrong, yes. Funny, yes.
51. I love typography and quotes.
52. I want my whole back to be tattooed into a collage of all sorts of images that make up ther person i am.
53. I have two tattooes.
54. I love the smell of leather.
55. I want to go back to school to be a nutritionist so I can council teenagers and others who have Diabetes.
56. I have a personal vendetta agains the aforementioned disease.
57. I love keys and locks, and always will.
58. I love buttercups. They are my all-time favorite-est of all favorite flowers.
59. I love the sunshine, and quotes that are about them.
60. I am an eternal optimist.
61. I love to help others, and wish I could do more along those lines....maybe some day.
62. I love to travel. I'll take anything from a day trip to a vacation...it doesn't matter.
63. I love to drive.
64. I am a good cook, thanks to my mother.
65. I can make the *perfect* cornbread, thanks to my father.
66. I am the gutsiest person I know, or the dumbest. I'm not sure which sometimes.
67. I don't really care what people think of me....except my sisters, my kids, and my parents.
68. I love to see the reactions of people who presume things about me or my family when they find out their presumptions were wrong....or when they can't disguise their surprise.
69. I always love Fred Flintstone and Popeye. I've been married to both. Both have their good qualities, both have their bad.
70. My favorite number is 6.
71. My hands are never ever still. They are always creating, cleaning, making, doing *something*.
72. I love to read.
73. I am a magazine junky.
74. I love strange facts.
75. I love to shop, but only sales, goodwill, and thrift..or yardsales.
76. I've been the fat girl (225 pounds), and the skinny girl (99 pounds), and then the fat girl again (225 pounds) and there are downfalls to both, believe it or not, and neither place is healthy.
77. I'm an all-or-nothing kinda gal. It's jump in head-first, or not at all for me.
78. I have an "off" switch, and when it's been flipped, I'm through with whatever/whoever it is and nothing will change that.
79. I allow myself to be walked all over by giving people more and more chances, but I will stand up for myself at some point, and at that point, you better watch out.
80. I am eternally grateful for so many things.
81. I say "I love you" often, to everyone I love, because I can.
82. I never knew that other kids' dads didn't tell them that they loved them, and I'm really glad mine did...it's made a difference in others' lives. (Thanks, Dad.)
83. I feel guilty about some things that I choose to keep to myself, and nothing will ever change that.
84. I have distinctly lead two different lives. I have only a handful of people that were in my old life that are in my new life.
85. If you've only known me in one life and not the other, you'll never ever understand me. (That's OK, I don't care).
86. I *love* peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, and my kids swear mine are better than anyone else's.
87. Every time I eat a bowl of cereal, I think of my childhood best friend, who loved cereal so much.
88. I never thought I would be me, where I am, living the life I live, not even if I had the imagination of Walt Disney.
89. This quote is what gave me the strength to change my life in a "forever" sort of way: Today is the first day of the rest of my life...I'm alive and well....
90. I've been given many "chances" at life, so I'm trying to glorify God with the life I live, since He has seen fit to keep me around so many times.
91. I love the smell of fresh dirt...it reminds me of being in the garden with my Gramps, followingn along behind him with my coffee can, looking for worms.
92. I am a girly girl, but not so much, really.
93. I don't like water or being wet. At. All.
94. I choose to be happy; I choose not to dwell upon things that have happened that I can't change.
95. I believe that while we should learn from the past, we should leave the past in the past, and concentrate on a bright and sunny future.
96. I believe that if we are not here to help others, then what are we here for?
97. I am a really good speller, but I hate crossword puzzles, or any puzzle, for that matter, except I can get a word search done in record time.
98. I believe that with enough hard work and effort, anyone can be anything they want to be.
99. I also believe that if I treat others as if they were what they should be, they will rise to those expectations. On the flip side, I believe that if others are treated in a negative way, without believe for a bright future, that they will love down to those expectations.
100. I'm a super good judge of character.
And, for good measure:101: I can write things better than I can say them.

I think I could keep going.....but first, it's your turn to tell me something about YOU!

MOUTHOLOGY
Q: What is your salad dressing of choice?
A: Thousand Island
Q: What is your favorite fast food restaurant?
A: Fast food?  I'm not sure.
Q: What is your favorite sit-down restaurant?
A: anything authentic Mexican.
Q: On average, what size tip do you leave at a restaurant?
A: depends on the service.
Q: What food could you eat every day for two weeks and not get sick of?
A: Mexican.
Q: What are your pizza toppings of choice?
A: ham and mushroom
Q: What do you like to put on your toast?
A: who actually likes toast?!?

TECHNOLOGY
Q: What is your wallpaper on your computer?
A: A quote that says this:  Do what you can, with what you have, where you are.
Q: How many televisions are in your house?
A: 2 and one in the garage.

BIOLOGY
Q: Are you right-handed or left-handed?
A: left
Q: Have you ever had anything removed from your body?
A: wisdom teeth, disc in my back
Q: When was the last time you had a cavity?
A: I have some now that I don't have the money (no insurance) to fix.  :(
Q: What is the last heavy item you lifted?
A: a hu-mon-go chain.
Q: Have you ever been knocked unconscious?
A: Nope.

BULL[CRAP]OLOGY
Q: If it were possible, would you want to know the day you were going to die?
A: Nope.
Q: If you could change your name, what would you change it to?
A: I guess I like Abby just fine. I can’t imagine me as anything else.
Q: What color do you think looks best on you?
A: pink
Q: Have you ever swallowed a non-food item by mistake?
A: probably….
Q: Have you ever saved someones life?
A: yep. too many times to count. not fun.
Q: Has someone ever saved yours?
A: yep.

DAREOLOGY
Q: Would you kiss a member of the same sex for $100?
A: A quick muwah-muwah kiss? Yes.
Q: Would you allow one of your little fingers to be cut off for $200,000?
A: Um, NO.
Q: Would you never blog again for $50,000?
A: sign me up.
Q: Would you pose naked in a magazine for $250,000?
A: it would be tempting.
Q: Would you drink an entire bottle of hot sauce for $1,000?
A. sure.
Q: Would you, without fear of punishment, take a human life for $1,000,000?
A:there is not an amount of money that would make me do that.

DUMBOLOGY
Q: What is in your left pocket?
A: I don't have a left pocket at the moment.
Q: Is Napoleon Dynamite actually a good movie?
A: I’ve never seen it!
Q: Do you have hardwood or carpet in your house?
A: both.
Q: Do you sit or stand in the shower?
A: stand (do people younger than 80 and over 5 actually *sit* in the shower?)
Q: Would you live with roommates?
A: depends on who they are.
Q: How many pairs of flip flops do you own?
A: a few
Q: Last time you had a run-in with the cops?
A: What kinda cops?  Made friends with a state trooper a couple of years ago.  None since then, I don't think, thank GOD.

LASTOLOGY
Q: Last Friend you talked to?
A: Nycole
Q: Last person who called you?
A: Tracy
Q: Last person you hugged?
A: Nikki
Q: Last person to stick their foot in your face?
A: That doesn't happen often.  I don't remember.

CURRENTOLOGY
Q: Missing someone?
A: Yup.
Q: Mood?
A: tired, sad
Q: Listening to?
A: Poker
Q: Watching?
A: Poker is on the TV, and I'm listening about half, but I'm not really watching.
Q: Worrying about?
A: relationships

RANDOMOLOGY
Q: First place you went this morning?
A: bathroom
Q: What can you not wait to do?
A: Go to bed.
Q: What's the last movie you saw in theater?
A: 21 Jump Street
Q: Do you smile often?
A: yes, all the time
Q: Are you a friendly person?
A: yes

A Piggapancake Post

There's been so much going on in the Land O' Perry these last few weeks...but then, when isn't there???  There are a few highlights I would like to touch on, though, and hope I remember the important ones.  LOL.

1.  For my birthday, Kate bought tickets for me to go and see Eric Church.  I have fallen in love with this guy's style, songs, stories, voice...enough to say I believe he would be in my top five all-time favorite singers ever.   Period. 

1. a.  I was able to go to the concert with one of my top five all-time favorite people in  the whole entire universe:  Nycole.  The funny  thing about Nycole is that she has been a part of my life for over 20 years now (that makes me feel old to say it like that).  *BUT*...we didn't know each other.  We spoke... you know, the normal "How are you?" or some small talk over Christmas dinner...one of the only two times a year we saw each other.  Then there came a time when she desperately needed me, and I desperately needed her, but we didn't know we needed each other, but God did, and He managed to get us together....it's been over a year now, I think, since we've become closer friends, and I'm sad that we wasted all the time not knowing each other, when we could have had this friendship all along.  BUT...the flip side is at least we are now, and maybe it had to happen when it did for us to appreciate it the way we do. 
What do I love about this girl?  Besides her quick witt and her spunk, she has listening ears, and a caring heart.  She's always sure to make me laugh and have a good time, me just being me, and she just being she.  We've held each other up through some rough times, and we laughed together through a lot of fun times.  Back to what I love...other than all that...I love that she's always up for anything...concerts, rock-hunting, taking a walk, just sitting and enjoying the conversation....it doesn't matter....she'll always be up to going or doing....she's a trooper like that.  (I'm not easy to keep up with, just in case you haven't gathered that already.)  The best part is that we are just right around the corner from each other, literally...less than a mile, I think.  In all of God's green Bethpage and Westmoreland area, he put us right there, together.  And boy, has that come in handy for late-night talks, pick-ups, and drop-offs of kids...and, well.....just because.  Just because I *know* she is right around the corner should I need her.
So, for my birthday, we went to the Eric Church concert with the tickets that my Katie bought.  I just have to love that kid.  She is the most caring and generous and loving person...nough said.  We took Kevin, Mitchell, and Alexis and they hooked up with Katie down there as their seats were all together.  We had quite a few laughs on the ride home, especially...any time you put "Kevin and Mitchell" into one sentence...ya better watch out!  :)

2.  Mother's Day (and coincidently, my birthday as well).  It was a nasty, rainy day.  For a myriad of reasons, Katie and I ended up alone, staring out at the rain, and decided to take Nycole up on her birthday lunch offer, so we trekked out to get some lunch...and do a little shopping, too.  As always, a great time was had, the rain slacked off, and rain or no, there was a lot of sunshine in my time with them.  :)  When we got home, Kevin and Mitchell and Anna came over to tell me Happy Mother's Day, and we all got to just sit back and talk and laugh.  Just me and my kiddos....there's just nothing better than having them all in the same room, at the same time, laughing and being happy together.  I was given my Mother's Day/Birthday card, and some very awesome earrings, which I happen to be sporting today:

Sorry for the scariness, but it's hard to take a picture of your ears, lol.  I think part of the day that gave me the biggest smile was when the boys came tromping back in the house around 9:00 and I asked them what they were up to, and they said to come and tell me Happy Birthday, because it was my BIRTHDAY!!!!  :)  Two trips for two holidays, all wrapped up into one day....gotta love their creativity. 

I may be a tad bit prejudiced, but I think I have the best kids in the whole entire universe. 

This turned out longer than I thought, so we'll have to get to #'s 3-5 in another post....if I can remember what they are!  :)

Happy Thursday!



On Rocks.

Yes, I said,"Rocks." 

I have to preface this post with a little story...

Once upon a time, there was a little girl named Katie Key, and she *loved* rocks.  Yes, rocks.  She would pick them up and put them in Ziploc bags, baskets, her hands, her pockets...whatever "container" she could come up with was sure to yield a rock, if not more.  She would come to me, and show me all her pretty rocks, and would talk about each of them as if they were a priceless gem straight from the Smithsonian.  I would find these rocks in what was their "normal" container...the infamous Ziploc, all over the house, and when I would straighten her room, there would be bags upon bags of them.  I would sneak and take them out to the driveway, where I thought they should live, and then I'm sure they ended up back in the house at some point in time...and back out to the driveway, too...you see the cycle, right?  I think I suffered from the "Mom's on Autopilot" syndrome, because I really didn't care about the rocks, or find them nearly as glorious as she did.  I'm sure she received a lot of "Ummmhhhmmmmms" from me, rather than some form of conversation that *really* involved two people  as she shared the beauty of her findings with me.  As she got older, she grew out of her love for rocks, and I suppose I really haven't thought much about them or her love for them in many years.  That is....until tonight.

Me, being me, tends to mean "out of the box" or "outside the lines" or "creative" or "weird".  I'm sure the list could go on and on, but the bottom line is that I want to have art classes that are not the norm.  I want to do fun things with my students, and I want them to be proud to show off their creations when they leave the class.  I want them satisfied.  (Of course.)  I have said it hundreds of times, and will no doubt say it hundreds more....I do my best "thinking" in my sleep.  Lately, though, I've been brainstorming, and it seems that my mind is constantly working, constantly looking, and I can't turn it off, not even if I wanted to.  You see where this is heading, right?  One of my ideas is to create something with...rocks.  Yes, rocks!  I am not going to be more specific than that right now for several reasons, but you *will* hear more about them in the future, I'm sure. 

I know this is going to be a huge, long post, but....I think it's worthy of telling, so I'll keep telling!  :)  I have this friend...friend seems not a good enough word for her...but it's what I can think of to call her.  :)  One of the things I love about her the most is that she is always up for anything, with a smile on her face, tramping right along with me on the way to the outside of that proverbial box.  Seeing as how I had this idea about using rocks for class, I needed to go rock hunting.  Who else do I call when I want to go on an adventure?  None other than Nycole.  And here is why I love her so: 

True conversation:

Abby:  Hey, you wanna go rock huntin' with me?

Nycole:  Go what???

Abby:  Rock hunting.  You know, rocks?

Nycole:  I can't hear you very well.

Abby:  Be ready, I'm coming to get you in 10 minutes.

Nycole:  OK. 

Now, as if that is not reason enough to love this girl, it gets better.  Once we clarified that I had indeed said I was going "rock hunting" she didn't even ask why.  She didn't even act like I was weird for "hunting" for rocks.  She just came along and looked for them with me, and I suspect that she had a hunch what they were destined to be:  an Abby creation, and she was OK with that because she loves me inspite of my "weirdness," or maybe even because of it, for there is never a dull moment in the life and times of Abby.  Ever.  Never ever.  Ever ever.  She can vouch for that, too, in case you think I'm exagerating.  Anyhoo...the perfect rocks eluded us, and when I found a snake, we decided that maybe it was time to head back towards home, and besides, it was getting dark. 

Now, for the rest of the story...the today part of the story. 

I bought a bag of rocks today.  Yup.  I know you're at least smiling, if not maybe chuckling just a tad.  The irony did occur to me as I shopped for the perfect bag....all I could think of was all those bags of rocks that I snuck back to the driveway years before, and now there I was, looking through bags of rocks for *just* the right ones.  And paying for them!!!

When I got home, I started sifting through the bag, looking for the "good" rocks; the ones that would work for the project that was residing in my head.  This bag of rocks, or perhaps they are more like pebbles than rocks, was ha-uge.  It was *heavy*!  It filled a 5-gallon bucket.  That's a lot of rocks, folks.  I sifted through this bucket of rocky goodness for way over an hour, I know.   Possibly closer to two.  For real.  

As I sifted, not only did I think of the irony I explained above, not only did I reminisce about days gone by with my "little girl"...who will be 20 this year...but I also thought about how even though the rocks seemed alike, they were very different.  Some were smooth.  Some had cracks.  Others were chipped around the edges.  There were some that looked like jellybeans (which made me think of my dad with a smile on my face), and others were big enough, I could see them all dolled up as Easter eggs, should I choose to give them a new look.  There were many different colors...some matching closer than others...and all different sizes.  There were even "fat" rocks and "skinny" rocks...big ones, and little ones.  There were smooth ones, and then there were rough ones....but all of them were different from each other in some form or fashion. 

Next, my mind wandered to how the rocks in my bucket are much like people.  We come in all different shapes and sizes, all different colors, all walking different paths, all with both a past and a future.  I wondered what made the smooth rocks smooth....how many years they withstood water running over them, slowly but surely shining them up and making them soft and "pretty"...if you could call a rock "pretty".  I also wondered what happened to break the broken ones...why the rough ones were rough...how they got chipped, and why they were different colors.  Each rock, as with people, I observed, had its own personality; its own story.  The only part of the story that I knew was the "future" part of it.  I didn't know the past, why some were scarred and others were not, just as I don't know what many of the people around me have been through or are going through...and this reminded me that no matter what, I need to remember that each person, no matter if they seem happy, sad, or indifferent, has a past, a path they are walking, and a future...all making and molding them into who they are and who they will be.  This being said, I should treat each person that I come across during my days with kindness, for I have not walked their path, I do not know what they face or where they have been...but I do know that if I am kind, I can make a difference. I can help take a cracked and broken person and make them new and shiny, just by being kind...by smiling, offering help, saying a kind word, having a positive attitude....because that matters.  Just like with these rocks, my actions have an effect on their future...and I want those actions to help make them beautiful, not sad or disheartened.    Like another fir

 

I guess I had a lot of time to reflect on life in general as I sifted for the "perfect" rocks...but I must have enjoyed it, since I spent such a long time bonding with this purchase I made today!  :)  If you have read to the very end of this post, you deserve at least one gold star, if not 5.  :) 

Stay tuned to see the fate of these pebbles....I will be "playing" with them tomorrow!

It's almost here...

...Mother's Day, that is! 

When I saw this quote a week or so ago, I KNEW that I wanted to make something with it, and I knew it needed to be a class.  Since Mother's Day is approaching and us mothers tend to get a bit sentimental, it seemed fitting to work on it and offer the class now.  ("Now" being Monday, May7 at 6:00)

I found myself pondering the prayers I prayed (and still pray) for my children, and how this quote can be taken in thought in two different directions.  I have a few friends who have diligently prayed for a child, who have had trouble conceiving or carrying their babies.  I am happy to report that those friends all have babies of their own now, and all of the prayers for these children worked...in HIS time, not ours.  (Imagine that!)

Then, I think about how I never prayed for a child.  Not like they did.  It's funny..I never prayed to be blessed with children, yet my world has revolved around my prized possessions, my children, since I was the ripe "old" age of...hold on to your seats, please...15.  Yes, I was 15 years old when I found out that I would be having a baby.  I was scared to death, but I immediately started praying for the child that God had given me.  Fast forward a little while, and at age 17, I found out that I would be blessed with another gift from God.  And I immediately started praying for that child, as well.  Fast forward a very long time....and at age 28, I found out that I would be receiving a third miracle from He who thought I should not be done rearing children too soon.  And guess what I did?  Yup...I started praying. 

I often think about how differently my life could have turned out had I not been blessed, blessed, and re-blessed with the best things that have ever happened to me, and I am in awe that God knew *exactly* what I needed, and gave me those gifts, without me asking.  He knew just what I needed and when, even if the timing did seem kind of wonky and scary to me at the time.  :)  I mostly think that I would not have *chosen* to have children, but then, what 15 year old really does, ya know?  So maybe I would have later on down the line...nevertheless, I was given the three best surprises ever when God chose to allow me to be Mommy to Katie, Mama to Kevin, and Mom to Anna.  I thank Him each and every day that He has given me to be with my children, my friends, my anchors, my purpose, my life, for without them, I would be lost.

I love you, Katie Lynn Key.  I pray for you daily.
I love you, Kevin Allen Key.  I pray for you daily.
I love you, Anna Lucia Key.  I pray for you daily.

Thank you, Jesus, for these gifts you have given me, and help me to treat them as the jewels that they are day in and day out, and never to take them for granted.

Togetherness

I've been speaking with someone special lately about things that relationships need in order to thrive and grow. There are three things that I've told my sisters and my children that they *must* find in the one they decide to settle down with, and one of them is to have similar interests in any way(s) possible. This means you enjoy they same thing, yes, but it also means there should be a give and take of liking the other person's interests as well. I will use PiePie and Honey's relationship as an example. While they like a lot of the same things (yahtzee, baseball, decorating/remodeling, etc, etc, etc....) they also participate in different things that the other likes. A good example of that is the toy chest below....it is a mixture of PiePie's love of building things and Honey's love of making them colorful...and so together, the box is built and finished. I must be onto something there, because as I was "watching" Oprah last week or so, she had a relationship specialist on and although I wasn't really listening, I tuned in when I heard her say that without togetherness, relationships really couldn't last...and so when PiePie called me to the garage later and I really didn't feel like being out in the cold.....I went anyways. Because a successful relationship not only is about togetherness, but also has participants that are willing to give as well as take.

Happy Friday....

On Giving

Today, I get to give to someone who has given to me repeatedly. Someone who is virtually a stranger to me in this big ole world, but yet stranger she is not. Each day, I go into the local gas station and get my cherry slush, and each day, I am greeted with her voice calling, "Good morning, Beautiful!" and no matter the day, the weather, the mood, I simply smile...can't help it. It just comes. Every morning, she gives me a smile; a cheerful start to my otherwise dreary (as of late) mornings. And everything is better after a smile because someone called you beautiful, no? I think yes.

Lately, she's been gone. Not working. Not there to greet me. And you know what? I quit going in and getting those sugar-filled drinks I don't need anyways. My days have not started the same way, and I miss my friend, the friend who made me smile every morning, the friend who, no matter what, always was cheerful...the way I strive to be and sometimes don't quite make.

I'm excited today to be able to see this friend after a month of no contact. Oh, how I miss her! I was thinking on the way to town this morning that I want to ask her about her family, about her brothers and sisters, about her children and does she have grandchildren? I think I need to know! I want to tell her about my kids, and make friends with her in a more real way than a smile each morning at the gas station. I'm really super excited to do this, did you know? :)

Here's the part about giving I was going to talk about: receiving is also giving a gift. It is giving a gift to those who love you and want to do something for you, to make your day better, to help you out, to give YOU a smile, and Brenda did not hesitate to give me that gift when I spoke with her. Immediately, I got directions to her house, and her order for breakfast, with no argument. It doesn't get any easier than that, does it!? (I just hope I can find her house!) I am so stinking excited to walk in, hand her her egg biscuit, and give her a hug and call her beautiful that I'm like a kid at Christmas, waiting until the exact moment that I can open a present. This will be the first in a line of many gifts I will receive from Brenda because I will be going to visit her often...as often as I can, and helping her any way I can, with a smile upon my face, because I believe that's what God put us here to do: to help and uplive our neighbors as we would like to be helped and uplifted ourselves.

Brenda won't be returning back to work for a long time, if ever. She was just diagnosed with cancer in several parts of her body plus leukemia. (I probably spelled that wrong.) It's been there a while, but it became not-ignorable about a month ago, and she learned all of that information at once, when she went to the ER thinking she had the flu or some such annoying germ. When she told me all of this, while she was at work, she had a smile on her face and told me just as if she was telling me it is supposed to rain on Thursday but clear off and be a beautiful day on Friday. I hope I can act like that in times of distress, be that peaceful, lean on my God in that way, and show others that I believe that God really is in control and will take care of us as only He can do.

So the moral of the story is that when someone wants to do something nice for you, or to help you, don't argue; let them do it, and tell them thank you, because, after all, you don't want to steal the joy that comes from helping away from them, now, do you? I thought not.

Smile at someone today, be kind to a stranger, for you never know when that stranger may need it more than you could imagine...and it may come right back around and bless YOU in the end.

Happy Thursday!

I find myself with nothing to say.

Soooo....since it is a rainy, dreary kind of day here in middle Tennessee and I seem to have some sort of an umbrella fettish, here is a photo to keep you, dear reader, happy and coming back for more. I'll see if I can do a better job tomorrow. Promise.

F is for Fabulous, Fashion, and Fun

I really want this book: I could be a What Not to Wear j-u-n-k-i-e if only I were home to watch each day at 11:00 or had the ability to record it. Alas, I do not, so I just wish that I could watch it, especially as I'm getting dressed each day. I love Clinton and his wit, and I love to read, so therefore, I deem this book worthy of being on my want list. Granted, I probably will never need to know a lot of the things that he talks about....I can't think of a time in this lifetime that I've needed to know where the silverware goes or how to decorate, but still.....I want this book. What books are on your "want" list?

There is something about reading (and owning) books that in and of itself is enough to make anyone want one...or a thousand or two. I like the convenience of my Nook Color at night, because I don't have a place for a lamp and Honey can't be disturbing PiePie's slumber, so the Nook is the perfect solution, but I don't like the idea of paying for a book that I can't hold and file on my bookshelf when all is said and done. Virtual just doesn't cut it for me. I guess I'm just too tactile for that. I couldn't digi scrap, I wanted paper. I love to sew and collect fabric....I love the feel, the texture, the patterns. I like to think I inherited that from my Granny who couldn't walk through a row of fabric without touching even if you offered her a million and one dollars. I remember Gramps laughing at us as we both would go through the rows of fabric, touching, touching, touching....you just have to touch! Back to the books...do you keep yours when you're done with them? Are you ever really done with them? Do you go back and read them again?

Leave me a comment and direct me to your answer, please! I am curious!

Happy Sunday!

Meet the In-Laws...

Makayla took this photo at the nursing home a few weeks back. I figure that if I am going to talk about them often, and I will, that you should know who they are! These two have been so good to me....they took me into their family and loved me and my children regardless of circumstance, heresay, and rumors. Unconditionally. How often do you get that, I mean REALLY...how often do you get that? I've been twice-blessed with in-laws that love me...more than many see in one lifetime, I know. I am a lucky girl. Any prayers you wanna send up for Barb and Carl (or Granny and Papa) are appreciated...both have numerous health issues, and both need all the help they can get, so pray away! (Thank you.) That's all for today. Happy Saturday.

Confirmation.

See that quote up there ^^^^ by the ever-popular John Lennon?

My daughter (up there ^^^) left that for me on my facebook wall. You know how sometimes you get little glimpses that tell you you have done right or good, when you are least expecting them? When I read this quote, I had one of those moments. It was confirmation, at least in my eyes, that the "work" I do to make sure and stay happy and be a good role model (at least in that manner) has done some good; has sunk in.

I looked up the definition of the word, "confirm," and I found that among other definitions, the word means "to make valid" or "to add strength to". I shall take that strength with me into this brand-new day that I have ahead of me, and I shall try my very best to continue to be that role model each and every day. After all, we only have one life to live, and we might as well do it happily, right? I challenge you to do the same.

Have a happy Monday! :)

So I'm 18 Days Late....

but at least I showed up! (Better late than never, right?) I said I was going to start blogging on January 1....oops.

Let's see...I think I shall make this a catch-up post, then really start sharing random things afterwards.

In case you care to know:

*I've been busy being happy.

*We have Kevin signed up for the Nashville Auto Deisel College.

*Kate starts "hair school" on Thursday of this coming week.

*Anna is still so stinking cute it should be illegal.

*Makayla is done (I mean d-o- n-e) with basketball. Whew!

*I got a new tattoo.

*The store is going well.

*Mark is busy taking care of us, the dogs, and any and everything else that needs to be done because he is Mr. Wonderful, and taking care of us is what he does best.

*We are caring for Mark's parents, and it is proving to be quite the job. I'm running 8 days a week, 26 hours a day. I'm tired.

*I'm happy.

*I think that's all. If I forgot something, feel free to ask.

See ya tomorrow!

A Lesson From the Dogs

...which are sometimes the very best lessons of all....

...and so I open.

For as long as I can remember, my sisters, my mother, and I have always dreamed of opening a store. Preferably together, but all of us would have accepted alone if that were the only option at hand. Being that we are all two hours away from any sister in all different directions, alone, sadly, would appear to be the only option for us, if any. Thankfully, I am the one who has been able to step into "storehood" and open an actual shoppe. This is bittersweet, because in my mind, our store (the five of us equalling "our") would have been similar to the tea room we all love and adore. There would be food, crafts, knick knacks, and who knows what all mixed in. We would all be there, happily chatting with our customers and each other, enjoying the fact that we were able to realize a dream come true. In reality, my store, Perry's Paradise, does not have food, sisters, or a mom....it only has me and also the PiePie...at least in support, at best in the store. Thankfully, it also has Debbie (and not my mom, Deb), who takes photos and fills the room with her cheerful presence whenever she is around. Being here with her is easy; sharing a room with her is comfortable. I'm so thankful for the friendship we have and that it *works*. (You know what I mean, right?) So there you have it....I am officially a store owner! I've shared with you the welcome on our door, which the rain promptly removed, which I promptly replaced with indoor writing utensils rather than window paint outdoors! I was able to practice my mirror writing skills, even, as I drew the new "welcome" and hibiscus for our visitors....it's not every day that I get to practice that skill! I will be showing you around our store and inviting you in to see what we have to offer as the days go by, but I will also be sharing every day life with you (including the things that the Nanna comes up with, as always) as we go. Stay tuned! There is a lot of eye candy in a very small place for me to share with you!

Today's quote comes to us from Mark Twain: "Apparently, there is nothing that cannot happen today."

See you tomorrow!

At Long Last.....

...I am here to blog. I dunno why, but even though I *think* about blogging every day, I don't *think* of something to say every day these days. Sorry about that! However, today's post is the grand post of all posts because it is the sneaky peaky of the store.....and I *know* you all want to see that! (If not, don't bust my bubble, K? Thanks.)

This is just a collage wall of some things that I thought were deserving of a wall in our store....just because I said they were. That and because I love to mix up a bunch of things that don't "match", but yet "match". It works...and I like it.

Here is a little look-see of my desk....I loved her when I first layed eyes on her, and I love her now that she is cleaned up, yet still old, and she will remain all mine. Again...because I said so.

That's it for now....but stay tuned for tomorrow's episode...I will be showing off our mascot(s) and who knows what else!

Entertainment.....

Just Sayin'

Dear Mom and Dad,

There are some things that have popped up in my recent expeditions that have brought to my attention that I need to thank you for a few things. Stay with me here....

1. Thank you for teaching me to have a need for people even when you don't need to use those people.

2. Thank you for teaching me that it is ok to lean on shoulders as much as I need, but it is not ok to stand on those shoulders in order to get what I want, or where I want to go.

3. Thank you for teaching me to look out for others first, then myself...not vice versa.

4. Thank you for teaching me to have respect for people I love, and in turn, they will respect me.

5. Thank you for teaching me to be a pleasant person to be around, and on that note, thank you for teaching me that it is true that the best makeup a girl can wear is her smile. (Dunno who to attribute that to....it's not my own.)

6. Thank you for teaching me that being snide and snippy and sarcastic is not becoming. Ever.

7. Thank you for teaching me the Golden Rule...do unto others as I would have them do unto me.

8. Thank you for teaching me not to be lazy, but to jump in and get the task at hand done, and with a smile.

9. Thank you for loving me when you had to teach me these things, for it has taught me to love my own children while I try to teach them those same things.

10. Thank you for just being you for me.

I love you.....