Just To Appease You

Dear Diary, 

Well, let's see... why am I not in the mood for Christmas my Mom asks.  Well...

1.  You moved my recliner and replaced it with a dozen houses, a forest, fake people and a train that makes an awful noise....

2.  Suddenly the house is filled with bright lights.  It's hard for a girl to get a decent afternoon snooze around here with all that brightness...

3.  There are days when boxes of stuff are everywhere and I have a terrible time trying to find my Gumby or my chew bone.  Geesh...

4.  You're starting to talk about my Christmas antlers and that red Christmas sweater and believe me, I know what they are.  You put them on me, laugh, shoot some pictures... then laugh some more.  

So you thought taking me for a walk in spite of the cold conditions outside was going to make it all better?  Not on you're life lady.  But I'll go.  Just to appease you.  You'll have to do better than that.  

Gracie.

Mondays Mug: Kennedy Space Center

I can't imagine anything that would be more thrilling than to watch the Space Shuttle launch.

If we would have been there just a week later, my dream may have become reality. 

Monday's Mug:  Kennedy Space Center

The blizzard that we drove through while exiting Frostburg, Md.  that first day of March in 2008 wasn't about to dampen our spirits.

Our destination: Florida

We visited relatives, and set aside some fun/educational time as well.

 This place is awesome beyond words.  We did an all day tour.  I took this picture on the bus as we were on our way to the Space Center.

Woahhhh.... Getting too old for this...

My Handsome hubby...

 pretending to be an astronaut.

There he is, first row-far left.  

I chickened out on this ride (simulation) at the last minute.  

That explains the empty seat right beside him.

  I'm such a baby.

There was so much to see and do.

I touched a piece of Mars!

Fascinating place!! Good food! Souvenirs!

Behind us you can see the Space Shuttle Endeavour which was scheduled to launch on the 11th of March... just a week later.  Any adverse weather conditions or even a minor problem will prevent the Shuttle from launch on it's scheduled date.  The security there is tight, and everything has to be perfect before launch.  

We had fun.  Met new people.  Learned a lot.  And brought home a mug.  

Have a Magnificent Monday my friends!

Is Santa on Medication?

When I was growing up, 

I recall Santa as being three things.

1. Dressed in red.

2. White Beard and hair.

3. Jolly, with a Ho! Ho! Ho!

I'm the one on the far right.
Yes, I still believed! (still do)

But through the years Santa seems to have lost something along the way...

He still wears red.  

He still has that white hair and beard

 like he did back then...

But he doesn't seem to be all that jolly.  

I never hear him say, "Ho! Ho! Ho!" 

 Could it be that he's on medications to counter that excessive and extreme joy and happiness that he used to encounter every year around Christmas-time?  Really?  Is Santa taking medication?  

Whatever the case, he doesn't seem like himself.  But I guess todays kids don't know the difference.  

Oh well.  At least this year he wasn't female. 

 Last year my granddaughter wasn't buying it. 

 This year, she was in....

The innocence of children.  

There's nothing quite like it.

Working On the Christmas Putz

Gracie smells Christmas in the air... 

She smells Christmas in the package 

she got in the mail today as well.  

She wrote in her diary that she's glad I signed her up for Jazzi's Christmas exchange...

Huh!  It's from Minnie!

While Gracie was busy snooping, hubby had this project going on...  working on the Christmas putz, as he calls it.  

"Why can't I have my package now?"

I'm so glad I found all these Christmas houses at the summer yard sales I went to...

The Grandchildren will love this!

Christmas magic

Not finished yet. Working on it...

Glad the weekend is here.  

Thanksgiving Day

This Thanksgiving was quiet.  

Our usual full house was empty, with just a shivering pup under an electric blanket.  

"Ugh!  This hairdo is not cutting it.  I'm freeeezing."

We met a few family members at the Ponderosa; oh how I appreciate the Ponderosa for cooking a wonderful Thanksgiving dinner for us to enjoy!

We sat at a table in the back and it was nice.

pop pop and marissa

Me: Happy Thanksgiving, Marissa.

Marissa: (excited and even shaking)   Grammy,  tomorrow Santa is going to sneak into my house and hide presents for me under the Christmas tree.  

Me: Umm, I think Mommy meant next month...  after Thanksgiving Rissie.

 She told Santa over and over again,  "please bring me a Bouncing Baby Babbles..."  

And then the real Santa showed up... 

"Santa, can you bring me a bouncing baby babbles?"

Her conversation with Santa was priceless!  She gave him a big hug before he went to have his dinner at the back of the restaurant.  

me with my #2 son, Justin

It was a good day.  A quiet day.  

Good News Today

The flea dilemma.  Two days ago I found two fleas on Gracie's belly.  I brought out the trusty Dawn dishwashing liquid and dabbed those nasty critters away.  Next morning, called for appointment with the groomer.  Time to get groomed, and a flea dip I suppose.  

So I said goodbye this morning to my shaggy, multi-layered crooked cut cockapoo....

And welcomed home my little rat-dog later this afternoon.  The groomer said she didn't see one single flea on her, so there was no dip.

I gave the groomer a nice tip for having to deal with the

 mess I had made. 

BIOPSY UPDATE:  From last weeks visit to the dermatologist.  

First the stitches came out.  OUCH!!!  Then the talk.

Dr:  Here's what I want you to do...  Stop off on your way home and get a bottle of champaign.  

Tonight you need to celebrate.  

He was sure the lesion he found was a deadly melanoma.  He was prepared to give me the bad news, but told the office workers to move my appointment to after Thanksgiving.  Why ruin my Thanksgiving?  

Then the tests came back... benign.  He couldn't believe it!  So he had four other doctors look at the  results, all came with the same conclusion.  Benign.  Though he did send it away to have yet another opinion, he's sure at this point that I'm okay.  But I'll need to go to my Gyn to have it removed.

  

Whew!!!

So on this Thanksgiving let me just say that I am Thankful for my life!!! 

Thanks, friends for your prayers, well wishes and positive thoughts.  I love you all!

Dear Diary,  

Good news today.  No cancer for Mom.  No fleas for me.

Happy Thanksgiving to all my doggie, bloggie friends out there...

Gracie. 

Jesus=The Reason for The Season!

I caught a glimpse of Ol' Saint Nick Saturday while strolling through the Hagerstown Mall.

And so starts another season of spending, shopping, stressing, fighting for parking places, decorating, eating too much, and wondering what happened to the real meaning of Christmas. 

Spend carefully, shop considerately, be anxious for nothing, gift your good parking spot to someone else, decorate with CHRISTmas in mind and honor God, not cookies. 

Jesus=The Reason for The Season!

Mondays Mug: Mug People

 Mug People.

Fine Porcelain by Papel.

1976 Retro vintage by Phil Papel

Found at an antique mall in Indiana thanks to Hubby's keen eye and the mall that was just a few blocks from his home in Chesterton (before he moved to Maryland).  

Searching for treasures @ Yesterday's Treasures!
June 2001


Oh, how I love browsing through antique malls!!


Happy Monday everyone!

Double Stuff Cookies for Dogs

When my kids were young each one of them had  chicken pox at different times.  Each of them were given a chicken pox party, complete with cake, ice cream and gifts as well.  It's the least I could do to lift their spirits at an itchy, scratchy, difficult time.   Gracie's flea trauma was no different.  

Her package arrived yesterday from Three Dog Bakery.  She keeps dragging her peanut butter chew bone from room to room hiding it, then digging it out from under pillows and hiding it again.  I'm not sure if she likes it, or if she's just trying to get rid of it.

Double stuff cookies for dogs. Gracie likes!

Today it was up early for a business meeting in Hagerstown.  My boss and me think so differently about how my office should be run.  Errrrrrr.  

 But he's my boss.     

I wish this guy was my boss.  He'd listen to my ideas.  He'd probably even give me a huge raise.  He'd never argue with me or put me in my place.  He'd just sit there and quietly agree.  

Oh well.  Enough of my bellyaching... 

Went to see 'Unstoppable', a real nail-biter.  I liked it, and gave it a 7 on a scale of 1 to 10.  That's pretty good for me, and especially since I took a 5 minute catnap before the action started. 

Other than that... not much to report.

Anybody Else Doodle?

Before I worked at my present job, I was a CNA/GNA in a nursing home.  Many see this as a dirty and disgusting job. For me it was an opportunity to help older people in their last days.    This was by far one of the most rewarding jobs I've ever had.  I wasn't there too long... but oh, how I was blessed.  

  One night when I came in for my 6PM - 7AM shift, I was advised by one of the nurses 

'jim won't eat unless you feed him....  we can't be doing this here... there's too many residents and blah, blah, blah etc.'  I got the picture.  

I love old people.  Or at least I did.  Until I became burned out.  

The Old Geezer talks about burnout on his blog and I realized that I SURE AM>

Anybody else doodle?  Oh, this is nothing.  Doodle pad's are a big part of my office expense.  

It's not the nice people that have caused my burnout.  And it's not the honest ones.  It's the ones who come in after ten years and complain 'these hearing aids have never worked'> yet they did not come in for the entire ten years to have their free checkup, or 'i just took it out of my ear and it fell apart... it's junk' when obviously it was stepped on.

Doodling has become a nervous habit for me.  

When I talk to the disgruntled customers (the burn-out causers)  , I refer them to the many happy ones.  The ones who I love... who have become my friends.

I don't only fit hearing aids.  I listen to stories, talk about hip replacements, laugh at silly jokes, and wipe away tears.  

I don't like burnout, but I'm praying about it. 

Dear Diary,

No bugs but itchy skin.  Mom vacuums every single night and I hate the sound.  She yells at me if I lay down in the grass.  Whatever.  

Gracie.

Mom Looks Worried

Dear Diary,

1:00 AM -  I'm sick as a dog.  Literally.  Barfed on one, two three throw rugs.

1:15 AM -  Mom looks worried.  She says she wishes she wouldn't have given me the new flea treatment that morning.  She thinks I'm having an allergic reaction.  

1:30 AM -  I'm in the bathtub.  Mom's sudsing me up with Oatmeal Shampoo, trying to wash away all the poison.  I sit looking straight ahead.  

2:00 AM -  It's the blow dryer.  I hate that thing.  It makes such noise, and it scares me when it blows all that warm air on me.

2:30 AM -  I'm still not dry.  Wish that stupid blow dryer would break.

2:45 AM -  Almost dry.  I'm shivering.  Mom wraps me in her warm soft robe and I fall asleep in Dad's chair.

8:00 AM - I'm too tired to get up.  Mom thinks there's something terribly wrong.

8:01 AM - Dad tests me, 'There's Max outside!" I jump from the chair and run to the window.  

I must be all better.

Gracie.

Today It's All About Gracie

Poor Gracie. 

 I thought Sunday's episode of  Unhappy Camper

would be the end of her woes for a while.  Not so.

Today before going off to work I caved in to her begging-for-a-belly-rub routine, and saw that she was crawling with fleas again.  We'd purchased a flea collar for her Sunday so we immediately put it on her.  I wasn't satisfied that it would do the job so I quick-ran to the animal hospital that's two minutes from our house and purchased a remedy much like Frontline  that the worker said she uses for her dog.  She says it works!  I was vulnerable... so I paid the sixty bucks and ran.  The stuff smelled strong, and once I got to the office, all I could think about is, 'what if she has a reaction to it'?  I had visions of her convulsing and vomiting all over the place and nobody would be there to help her.  Worry for nothing.  The only thing out of the ordinary that happened was that she pooped on the floor. Ick. I guess she figures on these rainy days she has to go somewhere, wouldn't want to go outside and get her little tushy wet.  Bad dog.
I just checked her a while ago, so far no fleas.  Someone said I'm going to have to fumigate my house though... make sure they're gone for good.
I'm checking into something called Flea Treats which was recommended by Sam and I'm hoping it will be safe and effective.
Meanwhile,  I have to keep checking through Gracie's multi-layered locks to see if she has any more bugs.

I ordered something special for her online...  since she's been having such a tough time.  A few years ago I read a great book called Amazing Gracie by Dan Dye and Mark Beckloff.  These guys started Three Dog Bakery, a bakery for the best of the best in homemade dog food and treats.  It's pricey, but today it's all about Gracie.