A Good Time For All!

a good time we all had at the family reunion. the only regret...it was too short. i think we would all agree. just as we got all the cob webs and wrinkles ironed out, our time was up. it really was too short. and dennis was only there for 4 short days. i had 7 generous ones. poor denden. and him not feeling as sparky as he used to. well, we got him a "testicle festival" t-shirt, i hope that made him feel better. "fresh from a velvety sac" it says. nope, i'm not trying them. i know some like them, not this girl.
anyhoo, we also had a 70's themed disco party on saturday. he couldn't attend that either, he left that morning. bummer. but we had a big "to do" the night before with marinated steak, corn-on-the-cob, grilled garlic toast on the barbie, baked beanies, potato salada, and of course, don't let us forget all the beer! then it wouldn't be complete without the dairy queen blizzard oreo ice ~ cream cake!!! let us not forget the bottle of champagne to fete the twin's 50th. we toasted them, (not with the garlic ones :0 ) but the the champagne in little tiny plastic cups. it was so cute. even the younguns participated. it was soooo special. then we ate up their cake. when everyone departed we had an actual BAPTISM of sorts. well, kind of. sort of. well...not really. ok....we just threw someone in the darn pool!! she really needed to be in there, ok? she was just asking for it. she is chris' daughter, emily. she was bugging everyone all night. just being a pest. you know the type. so, unbeknownst to me, really, i didn't know....someone....i won't mention diane's name, asked her if she could "try on her shoes" for a second. so she lets her. then one of her cousins asks her if she can "come in the garage" for a minute to talk. walk back from the garage, right by the pool, they play like they are going to throw her in. i say STOP!! this is not nice, and go over to try and rescue her, feeling her pockets for cell phones, wallets, anything of value, without her knowing, the boys, standing by.....lol....waiting....remember....i don't know anything. all i am doing is pretending to help her. then i turn around to walk away, all i heard was a big SLASH!!! it happened so fast, i didn't have time to get my camera or anything. by the time i got it, she was out of the pool and chasing the cousins. dang, i'm always a day late and a dollar short!!

The twins, Dennis and Denise, now 50

Having fun at the Casino with my brother Chris and I blogging into the night Dinner at the Japanese Restaurant

How I wish this week could of lasted....

As my sister stated in her blog, this week has gone by way too fast. A lot of memories have been shared. Tears have been shed. Laughs, until we cried. We have eaten until we almost popped! Told many stories and old jokes! It was a week of emotions. Through all of this, we had quite a bit of drama...if you have been following my sissies "C" blog, you may know of her relationship with her daughter and our middle sister. Well, throw all that in the mix, with us, me and my brother coming up, and LET THE DRAMA BEGIN!! It wasn't much, but it was enough to make my oldest sister Chris, you all know her as "C" go into a tail spin with worry. She wanted this week perfect! She worried the whole time that something would happen almost to the point of sickness. Poor thing. But she has always been that way. Always the mom to all of us, looking out for each of us and making sure we were taken care of. I tried so hard to make peace between the two sisters, and the mom and daughter. And even Dennis tried. Between both of us, I think we did good. We patched it up, at least for the week. I don't know if it will go beyond that, that will be up to them. We have decided that life is way too short to waste it on bickering over small petty little crap. We all came together there and it is much to rare an occasion for us to argue and gripe over NOTHING major. STUPID STUFF!! So let this be a lesson to all you bloggy buddies, take a point from us. There is nothing worth arguing over, NOTHING that is so important that should keep you away from family. Now....put down that coffee, or put aside your computer, and make that call. You know the one, make up with that family member you have not spoken with for the last 10 years. The one that you don't even know WHY you are not on speaking terms with. Life is too short. Be the mature one. If something happened to you or your loved one, God forbid it, one of you would never be able to forgive the other. So please, don't wait. Do it now. While you have the time. Life is precious. Time is flying by, and love, well, tell them you love them. It is not said enough. And this time, say it like you mean it. I love you, Toone. Je t'aime.

FAMILY REUNION 2009

What a wonderful time we are having with our family together! I would never of thought that we would of all have had a chance to be together again. The last time we were together was in 2001. Way too long for a family reunion, especially if one of the siblings is thought to have a terminal disease. Thankfully, that was not the case. Well, we have not gotten ALL the results yet, but for now, we are all together and we are making memories. Pictures will be following. I have yet another party to prepare for. So...off to the store we go...two more days! I don't want to think about it!

PC's, Packing, and Partying!

voila!! my wonderful husband has restored life back into the ole girl!! well he reformatted her. poor thing. we had to do complete by-pass (i had to go through and save everything near and dear, put it on his laptop) then he just completely took everything off and it was just like it came when it was new again. i think. now i have to go and "JO"-ize everything all over again. but it is better than buying a new one. again, i think. well i wanted a new one. i am ready for a MAC. but he wants one too. and until we can both get one, i dont think i am getting one. i am lucky to have this one. it is me lil baby come back to life. bless her little cd rom. so, now the chore of getting her the way she was...but all in due time. meanwhile...i am off to pack...i have a trip coming up, ya know! me and me lil delly jo (my laptop, so lovingly named) are off to NE in a couple of days to see my brother and sissies. a BIG party is a plannin'. it is a surprise, so don't tell. my middle brother and sister, they are twins, are turning 50, don't know i am coming. it will be the 1st time in over 10 years we have all been together. SO...i am so excited...of course "C" my oldest sister and i will be posting pics of the gang, and the extravaganza's, i am sure there will be more than one while we are together. my brother, he is the one we were worried about with the cancer, was cleared of intestinal cancer, but still may have lung cancer. we won't know for another week or so. darn doctors just make you wait. enough to drive you to drink when you are already sick!!

it's dead, morte, no life left to her, buh bye, capoote....

Can we have a prayer and funeral for a computer? She was a good ole girl...she was only 18 months old, just a baby really. She was faithful. Followed me everywhere, did everything I asked, most of the time. Then she got it. It came out of nowhere, I swear I didn't know! The poor thing didn't know she was even infected with it. I guess that is the best way to go. My husband, bless his heart, stayed up the last 3 nights with her, trying to diagnose what was her problem. Some kind of weird virus going around he said. She just gave up, she died early today. So as they do with these things, we just go on. We just have to. She would want it that way. Good ole DELLY JO, she was a trooper.

So...until I get my self back together...it may be a few days...I have hubby's but it won't be the same. I will be back and "restored" in a few days. Thanks for putting up with my antics. Jo

THANK YOU BLOGGY BUDS!

Thank you bloggy buddies for all your concerns and prayers. My brother got good reports on his colonoscopy. NO CANCER!! He still has to hear back on his lung tests, but I feel this is a good sign. He feels good, he is out mowing his yard, and he is going up to see my two sisters in NE. And unbeknownst to the two birthday kids, he and my middle sis, they are turning 50 on the 29th, I am flying out to surprise them. Only my older sister Chris knows. You all know her as "C". She is the glue that keeps us all together when the pieces seems to come apart. When things like this happen, she is like the mom that we all never had. She seems to talk on here like she never had that relationship with "our" mom. She may not have, but she was always like a mom to all of us and was the best one any could ever have. we love her like she is our best friend. we can tell her anything like a friend and she is there no matter what. whenever one of us needed anything, she and dave (the A-hole she speaks of now, but then had a decent heart) never said no and took us in or gave us money, or whatever it was we needed. all 3 of us siblings all lived with her at one time or another in our life. some for short times and some for extended times. i don't know that i have ever said thank you. but i don't think that would EVER be enough. So...when we have a chance to get together like this....all 4 of us, I try to make every effort to make it there, come hell or high water. And believe me...it has been raining something fierce over here....lol! The water is high, but I am still on my way. With our brother going through this scare, and we still don't know how it will turn out, the last time all 4 of us got together was over 10 years ago. So...this is going to happen. WE WILL HAVE FUN.... and pics will be posted! So stay tuned.....my bloggy buds....for there will be a great party happening in NEBRASKA next week!

Life is too short, get a long little doggy....

We found out that our brother may have intestinal cancer. "C" and I are praying that some glitch on the test or someone maybe misread or something...I don't know. I feel angry....I feel hurt...he is a young man, married happily, could never have children, although they wanted them desperately. He is only 49. He is a twin to our other sister. He is such a good person, always wanting to good for other people....I know there is a reason, I am a Christian and I understand that God works in mysterious ways. We just don't see it in His time line. But in my human eyes, I want to understand so I can comfort him and his wife. I want to tell them it will be okay. Well, in my own mind, I know that is for me mostly, not so much for them. God will take care of them. Please keep us in your prayers the next few days while the testing is being done and we find out all the specifics. Thanks. God Bless You...

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY, MOMMY

the kids are all home, dad has fixed lunch, he even did the dishes! imagine that! now it is time for mom to take her much deserved nap. kids leave her alone. but will that happen? NEVER!! they love you too much to let that happen. one needs their shoes, one needs a uniform washed for a game they didnt tell you about, another one wants 4 dozen cookies for the class party on monday, and yet another NEEDS "mom" time. so....what day is today? oh, i forgot, its MOTHER'S day, yeah, that is why you are getting all the attention!! YEAH RIGHT, GIVE ME A REAL BREAK, WOULD YA? AND THROW ME A BONE?

I CAN'T SLEEP, AND THIS ONE DROPS LIKE A ROCK ANYWHERE, ANYTIME!

faces only EVERYONE can love!!

This is my grand daughter Molly, the number 2, in the yellow sweater. This is taken in Venice, Italy. The caption read that she was eating a carrot, but of course I had to make it say she was puckered up to give me kisses. I miss her terribly. They were here for 6 weeks and just left last week. The other two, Jordan and Samuel, are siblings and belong to my son, (Molly belongs to my daughter) and they live 9 hours away. I won't see them for a long time either. I guess what I want to say to everyone is please don't take your family for granted. I have read on numerous blogs about arguments and things between family members, (me included! I'm guilty now and then!) about how we don't get along, they did this, we haven't talked for this many years, and most of the time, nobody remembers over what! I look at these little faces and I think of how time is flying by and how I can not spend just a few days out of year with them. And here other people have their families right there and they throw it all away on petty little things. It makes me angry people! Yes I am living with my in-laws, but it is not the same as blood relatives. Sisters, children, grandbabies...life is too precious and too short to waste it on trivial nonsense when people can just GET ALONG!! Be the big person and make the first move and reconcile with that one person that you have had words with or have not spoken to in years. You will feel a lot better after it is all done. I promise. Jo

She's Gonna Blow at Any Minute!!!

Enjoying the weather and beauty of nature...

As i sit and enjoy nature and all the wonderful weather that we have been having, it makes you think of the one who made it all. What a great God we serve and all that he has made! For people that don't believe in a Creator all they have to do is look out side and see for themselves the wonders of the earth. What started this was a few days ago when I planted my garden and saw all the worms and buggies that make everything work. I remembered when my kids were little, (really young) and they were grossed out at worms and bugs and dirt. I took that opportunity to tell them about the life cycle of how things grow, we eat it, then it goes to waste, and gets back into the ground and so on. How one species lives off the other, etc. It was so special. I remembered all that just being outside and planting in the garden! But it doesnt have to stop there! It can go so much further. You can teach a whole plethora of ideas and things to your kids from nature. All you have to do is DO IT! Anyway, off my soapbox for the day.

This was just going to be me, being melancholy and remembering all the wonderfull beauty there is all around me. Sorry for getting off on a limb. And what a wonderfully, cute and flowery limb it is. Oops, there I go again! Well, I will go now. I think I have said enough here. You all go out and enjoy the weather where ever you may be. If it is snowy, enjoy it, or rainy (which it did that later this afternoon, yeah! love it!) enjoy that, or if it is just plain, jane old dreary foggy, and cold, one of my favorites too, enjoy that especially! Have a wonderfull day no matter what, and remember, there is beauty and wonderment all around us, no matter what the weather is doing. So enjoy it with the one's you love now. For we know not what tomorrow may bring. Jo

Oh death, why must you sting?

today marked the passing of a dear beloved friend who was such a kind and dear lady, i feel a void knowing she is gone. she was elderly and had a very filling life. a wonderful mother, grandmother and great grandmother she was. anyone who knew her instantly liked her. she was one her drew people in, made them feel at home, never knew a stranger. i only knew her 5 years, but felt like i had known her a lifetime. she was like a mom or grandma to many. just before i left kentucky, she became ill enough to have to move in with her daughter, who happened to be my supervisor. she lived in the dorms where i worked at the school. i saw her everyday. another lady from our school wrote a tribute to her that just brought tears streaming down my face. it was so touching. heart-warming...she will be greatly missed. she lived her love for the Lord everyday. her faith stood strong in all those years. the integrity of this lady, it speaks volumes. if you looked up the word in the dictionary, i am sure her name would be there! our loss today is Heaven's gain. i will miss you, Miss Betty, but save my place, i will see you again.

Why is it so hard to say GOOD-BYE?

This is my daughter Jennifer, and her baby, Molly who is 1 now. The came from Italy to help us move from KY to NC.

My two girls left today after
being here for 6 weeks. i really miss them now. the house is quiet, no one to put to bed, no diapers to change, no one to follow around the house, ho hum....on one hand, yes it is quiet and peaceful. but i like the "busyness" of having a family around. call me strange. i like that meals have to be made. food has to be bought, things have to be cleaned. yup....i am a mom and now a gramma. that is what we do. i got so used to having them around. now there is an emptyness. a void. my husband and mother-in-law came home from eating supper out (thats because we didn't have to come right home and get a little person to bed) and when we all came in, it was soooo quiet.

so now we have to find our niche. we moved here when she and the baby were here. now we have to "find our own way" sort of. i have to find my groove. so, for now my bloggy buds, i am off to bed, i am worn from emotional energy spent today. if you have any suggestions for me, i am all mouth, ears, eyes and noses!! lol g'night......zzzzzzzz

Gardening, it's good for the soul, BAD for the sunburn!

today i planted my garden. all my 10 herbies, and my tomatoes, 3 kinds, cukies, squashes, jalapenos, and watermelons. got them all nice and comfy in the ground, fertilized and watered. labeled. put all my junk away. so proud that it is finally done. done. and done. i walked in the house. the daughter and husband had been grocery shopping and started cooking lunch. they looked at me and looked at each other, and asked me if i had felt OK. i said i was hot, thirsty, and i hurt my back, but other than that i was fine. i just wanted to sit and revel in my accomplishment of the day. as i walked past the mirror, i saw what they were talking about. my face was soooo red, it looked almost purple.i was totally flabergasted. 1st because i had been going to the tanning beds for the last 2 weeks with the daughter so she could be tan for a trip she is going on. 2nd because i was only out there for maybe 90 minutes. then of course, i get the lecture. did you not put sunblock on? i walked through the house, on into bathroom and took my nice long soak. i was in a good mood, and dadgummit, i was determined i was not letting the husband or daughter ruin my good accomplishment today!! but boy did i ever look bad when i saw myself in the mirror. egads.......i could slap myself if it wouldn't hurt so bad. why didn't i put the stupid sunscreen on before i went out? i use it before the tanning beds and everytime i go out for any length of time. well....this is my bits of advice: after my nice soak, and re-hydrating, re-freshing, and re-moisturizing myself, i went in and ate of the bounty the daughter and husband had to offer. and NEVER, EVER go out without your sunblock on. you will grow old and wrinkly. well, everyone grows old, but you dont have to be wrinkly. your skin can be nice and supple and young looking if you take care of it. so that is my two cents worth for today. Jo

My Grandaughter teasing Morgan, my dachshund

How to Make a Doxie Sandwich in 3 Easy Steps

A New Horizon

I think I am going to tackle a new challenge. Yup. Even more than the ones I am facing. So me bloggy buddies, out of no where, but always in the back of my warped little mind, I have always wanted to write a book. No particular kind, just a book. This one happens to be a children's book. No specifics yet, but it is something near and dear to my heart. I have no clue where to start, but then that would make it easy now, wouldn't it? And would it still be called a challenge? So I will keep you posted. As for settling in, we are still unpacking many boxes. The problem is, we don't have places to put the darn stuff! So my wonderful husband is building and renovating as he loves to do. Mom and Dad-in-law are about the same. He won't be coming home from the nursing home. He will stay there permanently. Slowly but surely we will get it all done. And my little writing adventure....we will see how that turns out. My daughter wants to draw my pictures for me. She is pretty good. We will see. Have a good weekend my bloggy buddies. Enjoy the great spring weather where ever you are!!

Tears of the Saints by Leeland