Neas Nuttiness...Put Our Family Together and We're Just A Few Nuts Short Of A Party Mix!

He forgot to take his medicine AGAIN today. Drove up to school to give it to him.

In front of all the parents and faculty in the office he says " But mom, I could have sworn that I took my medicine this morning...are you sure you aren't overdosing me"? Heads turned.

Then - he says, "Oh, while you're here, would you sign this"? Seems my boy has been tardy 4 times already. Does he take his head with him when he leaves the house?

I've just finished reading the fourth book, in The Big Stone Gap Series, by Adriana Trigiani.

Big Stone Gap, Big Cherry Holler, Milk Glass Moon, and Home to Big Stone Gap, are set, nestled deeply, in the Blue Ridge Mountains in Virginia. Ave Maria Mulligan MacChesney's (say that 3 times real fast) life is filled with family and friends, joy and sorrow, ups and downs. Trigiani weaves a story so poignant, that sometimes it almost hurts to continue to read. Like life, these books are bittersweet. I am always sorry when I come to the end. I am left wanting more.

The characters are so vivid - so real. Luckily I already have a Jack Mac for a husband, and several Ettas (daughters that are dear to me). But I long for an Iva Lou, or a Fleeta in my life. I have very wonderful friends, but none as colorful as these two. None close by, who can hold me when I cry and shed tears of happiness or of pain.

I can't wait to try out some of the recipes included in Home to Big Stone Gap...Fiona McGuiness's Shortbread, Shorty Johsnon's Biscuits and Gravy, Nancy Kilgore-Hall's Wedding Mints - YUM!

I'm looking forward to reading Lucia, Lucia on the flight out to Denver, but the Big Stone Gap series is so good, I can't imagine how they can be topped.

Adriana Trigiani, I thank you, for touching my heart...bringing tears to my eyes...putting a smile on my face.

Or Poetry in Very Bad Taste - your choice.

My butt is so sore
As I sit on the seat and rid my poor body of taters and meat
That I ate for my dinner tonight.

Sometimes it is veggies
Like tomatoes and corn that make my tummy rumble and mourn.
Cause I ate food I know it won't like.

Milk, Cabbage, pepper, mustard,
Onions, blueberries, apples, oatmeal, pears, oranges, soy, chocolate (okay, I'm trying to find some rhyming words here, but it's not going so well).
You get my drift.

Oh what joy and rejoicing
If I only had stock, instead of always being in hock
With the company that makes Imodium!

Accepting applause / or hiding under a bush.

When talking on the phone with my husband today, he mentioned that I sounded depressed. I said "I think I am, but I don't know why". He then replied, "you always get like this before you go on a trip". I realized that he was right.

You see, I love going to see my kids and grand kids. I miss them soooooo much .

BUT

I'm afraid to fly, and airports bring about a panic that I can barely conceal. Still, this is something much more. It's a dark, deep seeded feeling. It washes over me a few days before my planned departure. It's opressive. I feel like I can't breathe. Melancholy? Maybe thats a good word to describe it.

I don't feel this way when Steve is going with me, only when I leave on my own. When he goes off on a trip, I miss him terribly - BUT - I don't have this feeling of gloom and doom. Is it because, when I am at home, I am surrounded with his things? Surrounded by "the familiar"...


...a book left on his bedside table, his shirt hanging on the back of the closet door, his cologne on the bathroom counter?

I don't know.

I'll enjoy being with my daughters. I'll kiss my grandchildren until they push me away. I'll laugh, and eat, and probably shop. Then when it's time to go back home, I'll wonder how I can leave them.

BUT

An invisible bond will pull me. Pull me back to the man that I love, my best friend, my everything. Because, he is home. My home...filled with the familiar.

I worry about EVERYTHING! I'm not kidding. If I was paid to worry I'd be a gazillionaire. Lately I've been worried about such things as:

The state of our Nation ( political, moral, financial, etc. etc.)

That George is going to kill my Mexican Heather, by peeing on it every time he goes outside.

That my neighbors might think I'm lazy cause by kitchen window needs to be washed.

That I'm going to get lost in the airport on Thursday.

Thank I'm going to get lost in the airport a week from Saturday.

That nobody is going to read my blog.

That lots of people will read my blog.

That we won't be able to "afford" to get the kids, and grand kids, much for Christmas this year.

That I'm never going to lose weight.

That I'm going to end up in a wheel chair soon.

That I'll never figure out how to use my new camera.

Etc. , etc., etc.

This morning I started worrying about the calendar in my bathroom. It's one of those "page a day" calendars, with a pug on each page, with quotes about dogs. Since I'm going out west to see 3 of my girls and 5 of my grandchildren, should I go ahead and look and all the pages from the 10/30 - 11/whenever it is that I'm coming back, OR, should I wait and look and them all when I get home?

Please John Q. Public - tell me what to do, so that I have one less thing to worry about!

This is one of my beautiful daughters. Want to know what I do to get such a great smile from Sariah-Lynn? Well I'll tell ya - I make her some Bologna Boats. Yup, Blogona Boats. Want to know how I make em? Okay - here goes:

1. Fry up some bologna.

2. Top "boats" with some mashed potatoes.

3. Top suds with some grated cheese.

4. Put them in a 350 degree oven till cheese melts.

5. Enjoy!

What to know how I make her smile even more? I finish the meal with some Rice Krispie Treats. Yup, that'll do it every time.

I love you Sariah-Lynn!

My dear friend, Becky, pointed out that I had made a GREAT ERROR in my "About Me" section. Horror of horrors - I left out a mention of one of my wonderful 4-legged family members! How could I have forgotten my pot bellied pig?

Swinella Porcina was a wonderful pig. She loved to be rubbed down with baby lotion, and to be "swept" with a broom. She had her own sleeping bag and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle pillow. (Please note that I am not being paid to endorse said pillow by any one at any time and I am mentioning them of my own free will. - Grammer police, please don't come get me!)

"Nella" loved raisins, and dog biscuits, and bags of brown sugar, and pig chow, and watermelon, and... well she loved just about everything except her daily multivitamin. She would even eat tomotoes. - Sidebar - Did you know that years and years ago, it was thought that tomatoes were poisonous because pigs wouldn't eat them? It is rumored that there was an assassination attempt on George Washington... somebody slipped some tomatoes into his dinner - it didn't work. As everyone knows (or does now), good ole George lived to the ripe old age of 67. It is believed, that his death was caused by "a case of epiglottitis", which is an inflammation of the small flap of cartilage at the entrance of the larynx.

My dear pig was not a fan of teenage boys. The neighborhood young gentlemen soon learned the art of running through the house at great speed, and then jumping up onto our dining room table. This was her only fault, as she was a loving swine, the likes never to be seen again.

Swinella - I loved you and miss you. May you chase stinky boys for eternity!
PS - I'll post a picture soon - Promise!

These are my dogs. Gracie on the left - George on the right. My dogs are as much a part of my family as my husband, children, and grand children. My husband and children might "take offence" to this, but I got's to call 'em as I feel 'em!

Today we are going to a pumpkin patch. Seth has carved one already, but he wants to do some more. He LOVES Halloween!

I have to double check my grocery cart before I get to the check out, to make sure that we don't have more halloween stuff than actual groceries! Our house is draped in "cobwebs" and there are plastic skulls atop every bookshelf (and on the mantle).

We are having a Trunk -R-Treat at church tonight and, said son, has elaborate plans for decorating the back of the car with skeletons and spiders. I guess that we will have to hit SAM'S for candy. (Oh How I Wish That I Had Won a Gift Card from Pioneer Woman). - Later, I'll post a picture of our completed little "pumpkin patch"!

And a shout out to Mrs. Howes: H, A, double L , O, W, double E, N, spells Halloween!

Geesh - now that silly song will be running around in my head all day!

Tammy from Treasured Heirlooms tagged me yesterday.

The rules are:

1. Link to your tagger and list these rules on your blog.
2. Share 7 facts about yourself on your blog, some random, some weird.
3. Tag 7 people at the end of your post by leaving their names as well as links. Then let them know they have been tagged by leaving a comment on their blog.I am sure most of my readers will tell you they know more about me than they might like!

Here are 7 random facts about me.

1. I am an animal lover!
2. I 've become addicted to "blog hopping".
3. I have a new camera that is soooooo fancy, I'm scared of it!
4. I love to read!
5. I love the tv show "Corner Gas". One of my daughters wants Oscar to be her grandpa, and we think that Joey could replace Hank, if Dog River was a real town.!!!
6. I HATE people who neglect or abuse animals.
7. I am so technologically challenged, I didn't know how to "link to your tagger", so I just copied and pasted the rules & I don't personally know enought people with "open" blogs, to tag seven other people - Sorry Tammy!

I have found that blog surfing can be addictive. Each morning, after taking the dogs out, I sit down at my computer. My routine is as follows:


1. Check my email.

2. Hit my "Favorites" list.

3. Realize that I've spent 3 hours on the computer, reading my family and friends blogs, and thier friends blogs, and their friends blogs, etc. etc. I feel like I am best friends with people that I've never met, and who only know me as "neasnuttiness" from my comments. And I'm sure that they do think that I'm nutty, cause they have no clue who I am or where I've come from.


I do try to fit in some Family Search Indexing each morning, but I still feel somewhat guilty about spending so much time on the computer. Having said that...I have learned so much over the last year...just by roaming around cyber space. I have been "liberated" with the ability to find answers to my many many questions. Some of my questions are really important - like "Steve, who is that girl, I know that I've seen her in some other tv show?" - and now I don't have to wait for Steve to go find out who she is. I just run to my computer, and go to the Internet Movie Database (thank you Simon), and get my answer.


Okay, I never claimed to be Einstien or Mother Teresa (by-the-way, I googled both of their names to make sure that they were spelled correctly), but this is still a big triumph for me. I have been terrified of technology for soooooooooooooo long. This vast information highway has opened up a new world for me! AND blogging has been such a pleasure. It keeps me connected to my family - yeah for Stephanie, Suzanne, Barry, and Mandee, and friends - yeah Tammy, and a whole community of women with whom I share many of the same values, struggles, and tripumphs.


I've learned (to Steve's delight - yes this is said dripping with sarcasm) to cut and paste (THANK YOU SUZANNE) so that I can send him order forms from online catalogs, that only need a credit card number. Before long, I have brown paper packages tied up with string ( I know that you're all singing with me - yes you are), waiting for me on my doorstep! Okay - what I really have on my doorstep, are brown boxes with clear tape. Don't laught, this is how I'm doing my Christmas shopping this year.


I've found all kinds of free (and not so free) tutorials on everything from A to Z. Right now I'm waiting for a Beginning Photography class to open up at http://www.lvsonline.com/ This site has loads of online classes for $25 each. $20 for "returning students". I also plan to sign up for a blogging class, so that I don't have to rely on Suznne to change my backgrounds for me - I still don't anything about "widgets", but I plan to learn.



Oooh I looked at the clock - it's now been four hours - I better stop, before my joints freeze in place, and I have to have Seth help me out of the chair.


XOXOXOX's to you all.

The Florida Gators whooped the LSU Tigers on Saturday night.

Now... I am NOT a sports fan. Never have been and very likely never will be - BUT - football is a religion in these here parts - AND - in this neck of the woods, EVERYONE is an LSU fan. Every store (I'm talking EVERY STORE) sells LSU paraphanalia (spelling?). On any given day, three out of every four people are wearing LSU t-shirts. Wal*Mart sells LSU:

Purses
Hats
T-Shirts
Lunch Boxes
Flags
Mugs
Shoes
Infant Cheerleader Outfits
etc.etc.etc. - Including big glass top "coffee" tables held up by, close to life size, tigers! Okay, so maybe I exaggerated the part about being close to life size

In our little back woods grocery store, they make LSU displays out of soda boxes (and I must admit, that these are quite remarkable).

Rarely will a car be seen, that doesn't have an LSU sticker on it, and many have those "window flags".

The pews in our chaple have purple upholstry and the trim on the Stake Center (in the city) is painted purple. Inside the fixtures are "gold tone".

Going to a game, is a legitimate excuse for an absence at work or at school! - No lie!

Oooooh Boy, are we in trouble - we still have Florida License Tags. I'm afraid to leave my home, and I really need to go and get sour cream and yogurt. We're supposed to have fajitas tonight, and well, I just really like yogurt - Dannon Light and Fit... Vanilla with frozen blueberries (you have to eat the berries while they are still frozen), topped with Land 'O Lakes Sugar Free Whipped Cream...Oh This stuff is sooooooooooooooooo good. The can says it that it contains 59 servings. I think that this must be a typo. I only get about 9 servings. It's also great on sugar free Jello. Yes Jello - I know that Jello is a brand name, and that is the brand of gelatin that I buy! And pudding... yes, Jello pudding is good with the whipped cream too.

What was this post about? I think I need to go eat breakfast. "Geaux" Gators

Suzanne's Mother-In-Law sent this email to me. At first I just laughed... And then I thought "Oh No... This is My Life"!





Know the symptoms.....Please read!
Thank goodness there's a name for this disorder. Somehow I feel better, even though I have it!
Recently, I was diagnosed with AAADD. Age Acitvated Attention Deficit Disorder. This is how it manifests:
I decide to water my garden, as I turn on the hose in the dirveway, I look over at my car and decide it needs washing. As I start toward the garage, I notice mail on the porch table that I brought up from the mail earlier. I decided to go through the mail before I wash the car. I lay my car keys on the table, put the junk mail in the garbage can under the table, and notice that the can is full. So, I decide to put the bills back on the table and take out the garbage first. But then I think, since I'm going to be near the mailbox when I take out the garbage anyway, I may as well pay the bills first. I take my check book off the table, and see that there is only one check left. My extra checks are in my desk in the study, so I go inside the house to my desk where I find the can of Coke I'd been drinking. I'm going to look for my checks, but first I need to push the Coke aside so that I don't accidently knock it over. The Coke is getting warm, and I decide to put it in the refigerator to keep it cold. As I head toward the kitchen with the Coke, a vase of flowers on the counter catches my eye--they need water. I put the Coke on the counter and discover my reading glasses that I've been searching for all morning. I decide I better put them back on my desk, but first I'm going to water the flowers. I set the glasses back down on the counter, fill a container with water and suddenly spot the TV remote. Someone left it on the kitchen table. I realize that tonight when I go to watch TV, I'll be looking for the remote, but I wont' remember that it's on the kitchen table, so I decide to put it back in the den where it belongs, but first I'll water the flowers. I pour some water in the flowers, but quite a bit spills on the floor. So, I set the remote back on the table, get some towels and wipe up the spill. Then, I head down the hall trying to remember what I was planning to do.
At the end of the day:
The car isn't washed,
the bills aren't paid,
there is a warm can of Coke sitting on the counter,
the flowers don't have enough water,
there is only 1 check in my check book,
I can't find the remote,
I can't find my glasses, and I don't remember what I did with the car keys.
Then, when I try to figure out why nothing got done today, I'm really baffled because I know I was busy all day, and I'm really tired!!! I realize this is a serious problem, and I'll try to get some help for it, but first I'll check my e-mail......
Do me a favor, forward this message to everyone you know, because I don't remember who I've sent it to.
Don't laugh--if this isn't you yet, your day is coming!

Many days, I wake up and think about how hard my life has been - how hard it seems to be. I dwell on how much I hurt, or how much I have to do (that I don't particularly enjoy). I daydream about being able to see all of my kids and grand kids, anytime I want (without a long drive/and or plane ride). I think about how hard Steve has to work, just to "make ends meet" (and then I ususally think about something new that I want;)!

I'm trying to find the positive more often that the negative.

I'm trying to move more, and eat less (or eat more of what I SHOULD be eating, and less of what I SHOULDN'T be eating). AND I'm trying to be grateful that I can still move, on my own two feet (even if some days I'm moving very slowly).

I'm trying to be grateful that I can sleep most of the time - and I'm sooooo grateful for the people who have developed the medications that enable me to sleep! Sleep is soooooooooooo under rated! Take naps people - Go to bed early - Embrace the mattress. Sleep is restorative. It is a slice of heaven on earth.

If you are ever having a day when you are feeling down and out... When you think that you have been given more that you can handle... When you are feeling sorry for yourself, and you don't think anyone else "has it as bad as you do". ..

Just visit this blog:

www.gitzengirl.blogspot.com

Make sure that you have a tissue. Read a few entries... Feel a little ashamed of yourself... Blow your nose, and then give a prayer of thanks for all that you have to deal with in your life! After all... Dealing with Life is what we are here for!

Love you ALL

Just got back from a trip to the audiologist. Nothing new:

1. Joey still has a hearing loss.
2. Joey still needs to wear his hearing aids.
3. Joey still won't wear his hearing aids.

The End