More on the Bad Hearts....

Well, what was supposed to be a double bypass ended up being a triple, and the surgery seemed to last forever! I can only imagine how hard the waiting must have been for her family. I talked to her husband right after he talked to the doctors, and other than the fact that she will be feeling like she was run over by a bus, twice, it all seemed to go well well. Hopefully I can talk to her tomorrow, but I don't want to rush her. At least the part of it is over and she can start healing now. What a rough week all around, and it is only Tuesday night! Another friend has a brother that is very ill...cancer.....and the prognosis for him has gotten much worse. And, still another friend that has an ill grandmother. I am not sure what the heck is going on, but I am sure that it is not OK with me. Not at all. It is just too much sadness and anxiety for all of them. I know it is all just part of the process, but they are all amazing people with so much to deal with. Wish I could take some of it from them, and give them back just a little quiet, sanity and order. So, to all of them...much love and support, and all the positive energy I can muster. Please keep them in your thoughts! Here's to better days ahead!

Old Friends and Bad Hearts (pt 2)

Well, sometimes life throws you quite a curve ball. The angioplasty wasn't as routine as they were expecting, in fact they didn't do it at all. They got in there with their camera and took a good look around and decided this was more serious than they had expected. So, sometime very soon she will be going through full on open heart surgery. So to anyone that might stumble across this little blog, please send your prayers and happy healing thoughts her way. She is a beautiful person, inside and out, and needs to come through this with flying colors. She has 2 great kids and a husband that loves her and needs her around. So, if you have a minute today, please just send some positive energy her way! I will keep you posted....

Old Friends

I spent most of the day yesterday sitting with an old friend in the hospital. And let me clarify....by old friend, I mean back in the day, not 10 minutes from dying. She is the same age as I am, in fact, we are only 12 days apart. My friend had a heart attack. A very mild one, and she was smart enough to know that something was terribly wrong, so she went to the hospital right away. She is having angioplasty right this minute to open up the blockage, and all should be just fine. Of course this will require a modification to her current lifestyle...no more fried or smothered foods, and the cigarettes have got to go. But she is OK with all of that and I am confident she will live a long and full life. Seemed so strange to get that phone call though. When she told me it was a heart attack, I was certain that I had heard her wrong. It took several seconds for my mind to actually grasp what she was saying. I have no illusions about my age, and the fact that I am getting older, but wow....still seems we are way too young for that to be happening. I guess maybe it is time for me to pay a little more attention to the twinges and aches and pains, but I don't want to become some hypochondriac either. Hard to find the balance I guess. Here's to everyone staying healthy, for themselves and the ones that love them.

Thoughts on cookies

Eldest daughter brought the grandparents "us" some great chocolate cookies. There were 6 or 7 cookies in the bag. They disappeared into that region we all have in our houses. Asked my husband......he didn't know we had cookies. The dog is a bassett hound with really short legs so leaping on the counter is not an option even if he did have a red cape. I think there are gnomes who live here. They steal cookies in the dark of the night. Not sure where to get a gnome trap though. Guess eldest daughter will have to make some more cookies. Maybe I can see what kind the gnome doesn't like..........

Words by grandma......

TGIF

Happy Friday everyone. Hope the week was kind to you all. I talked to Critter today, and he is coming home next weekend for Little Man's birthday. Hard to believe he will be 5 all ready. The time really does go by too fast, especially when you have kids. I remember when Critter was turning five and it really does only seem like it was yesterday. And now he is an amazing 19 year old man that I could not be more proud of. I miss him a lot sometimes but love being able to watch him grow and mature into such a wonderfully complicated person. His sense of humor is so unique, he can always make me laugh, and his compassion is so touching. Little Man could not ask for a better big brother, and I know they both miss each other a lot. And, I think he and his sister are even closer now that he doesnt live at home. Guess the old saying "absence makes the heart grow fonder" is really true in this case. Hope everyone has a great weekend, and Carin....just throw on the shirt I bought you and know that Karma will continue to beat those that deserve it with the pudgy wand. :)

Rules of the blog

I am hoping to turn this into a bit of a family blog but want to be sure everyone understands the rules...
1) Don't say anything you cant take back...if you happen to be mad at a sister/brother/cousin/parent, just remember that they may read this too. Retaliation will probably be swift, and will more than likely include some type of pain being inflicted on your person.
2) Search engines are an amazing thing, so if you plan to run for any political office at any time in your future, do not post anything that might be used to embarrass and/or humiliate you. Trust me, it will come back to haunt you since the entire family will know you wrote it. And I am pretty sure most of us can be bought for nothing more than the price of a happy meal.
3) No criticizing what anyone else posts. I know your parents taught you that if you cant say anything nice, it is best to say nothing at all. For the consequences associated with ignoring this rule, please refer back to rule #1.

And, last but not least, be creative and have fun with it!

Just wanted to add my thoughts

This is my daughter's blog. My 2 daughters & I spent most of Saturday together as she told you. I am so very proud of them and my son. I have been so fortunate.........also have 13 grandkids. We are quite a gathering on holidays. My kids and I are a square with our backs to each other. This has been my strength for much of my life. Also want to add that there is justice in this old world. My granddaughters are just like their mothers & father. I remember during the teen years I hoped for this. Now I hear my daughters telling their daughters they can't drive in the rain/dark. I guess you have to have kids of your own to understand driving in the rain/dark.

Conversation with a 4 year old

Me: Wow...that is some new shirt you've got on!!
Little Man: Do you like it?
Me: I sure do...it makes you look pretty hot!
Little Man: Do I burn your eyes??

Where do they come up with this stuff???

Sisters and Friends

On Saturday I got to hang out with my mom and my sister for the day, and it was a pretty good time. My sister and I don't get to hang out as much as I would like anymore cuz we live about an hour apart, and life just gets in the way. But she really is my best friend. I have several friends, but she is the one that I would call if I was in real trouble. For instance if I called her and told her I had killed someone, she would offer to bring a shovel and plastic bags. Now, I have not killed anyone, so please don't think that is an actual example. But she would come, and we would bury the evidence and she would lie through her teeth for me. I think it is mandatory that everyone have someone like that in their lives. More than likely I will never need her to help me cover up a serious crime but it is comforting to know that she would, and she would not be judgemental about it. I really don't have any deep dark secrets but if I did she is the only person I would confide them to. And it goes without saying that I would do the same for her. Of course, the odds of her having a deep dark secret are about as good as the sky turning a lovely shade of plaid today. As far as moral compasses go, if north is good and south is bad, hers is always pointing due north. And someone like that is also good to have as a friend and confidant. Hope you all have someone like her in your life!

UPDATE: It has been brought to my attention that if my sister's moral compass is just strictly northward pointing, why would she help me bury a body? The answer to that is simple....for me to actually cause someone serious bodily harm, they would have to be a very evil person. And she would know that. But again....just an example. I don't plan to be doing anyone in, at least not today. :)

Dysfunctional Family Dinner

So, the big dinner was last night, with all the kids at home. Somehow I saw it going better...you know, I would be there in my June Cleaver pearls and heels, with my Ward at the head of the table in a shirt and tie. My amazing kids would come in, my oldest in his college jacket all smiles and happy, the girl in her poodle skirt and bobby socks. And of course, the littlest man perfectly enunciating "hello mother, hello father" (just that, not the song) when sliding up to the table. But, reality stepped in and kicked me in the head!! Raising teens is hard!! Why didn't those wonderful nurses in the pre-natal classes throw out a little heads up on that??? Seriously...we all knew childbirth was gonna be painful (DUH) but this...this is nothing I was prepared for at all!!! The Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde of it makes me tired and very confused sometimes. But, I wouldn't change it even if I could. And truth be told, my little dysfunctional clan could kick the crap out of the Cleaver brood, and that gives me a very strange amount of pleasure at the end of the day. I will take my reality over that kind of un-natural perfection any day!!

Pot Pies and Teenagers

So, the pot pie turned out pretty well. To be fair, it wasn't a tough recipe at all, which is really what you need when you are cuisine challenged as I am. Of course the youngest wanted no part of it cuz he saw "salad" in it...that is anything that might possibly be, or have ever been, a vegetable. He gets that from his dad, and I am hoping when he gets older he might be more open to at least trying a bite first, before he proclaims his total disdain for it. My oldest is coming home tonight for dinner so I am looking forward to that, and the girl will be home for dinner too! Not sure she is happy about it, but she will be here and I will take what I can get. Don't get me wrong, I remember being 16, vaguely, and I know I was almost never home. But I miss her being around. I am not sure when she stopped being my baby girl and turned into this semi grown up, beautiful young lady, but it has happened. Just wish I had been given some kind of notice that is was coming, ya know. There is a lot of attitude that comes with her being 16, but I will take that too. I guess it is part of what makes her who she is. She will not take shit from people, and that will serve her well as she moves through life. I wouldn't change anything about her....she is just perfect as is. Well, gotta run and do some work. Might check in later.

My First Blog

Hello world...how's it going? So, this is my first shot at this, so don't expect miracles. I am an insanely happy wife, and mother of 3 living in the middle of nowhere, and I wouldn't change it for the world. I tend to lean more to the left than right and firmly believe that all things happen for a reason. Cant always tell you what the reason is, but I am absolutely certain there is one! My oldest son is a sophomore in college, my daughter is a junior in high school, and then there is the youngest boy...turns 5 in just a few days. And I know what you are thinking, but NO, he was not an accident. I was lucky enough to find an amazing man after my divorce, and since he had no kids I was more than happy to give him one. He needed to be a father, trust me. He really is the biggest kid in the family, and just as I suspected, he is an amazing daddy. And a pretty darn good step-father too.
So, I am not sure just yet what this whole blog will be about, but I can guarantee there will be some rambling, so bare with me. :) I guess I will just post about what I know. So, thanks for checking in. Gotta run right now, I am trying out a new pot pie recipe. I'll let you know how it goes.