Happy Birthday!!!

When my grandmother was very young her mother had a little boy who was born with Cerebral Palsy. The doctors were very honest with Great-Grandma and told her that he wasn't strong enough to live very long, probably not more than three years. Tomorrow he turns 76. Yeah, they kind of got that wrong.

Anyway, we had a small party for him at the Care Center he is living in. This morning I called my mom bright and early (she wished I hadn't...really, it was VERY bright and early!) and suggested a blanket for him since he gets chilled easily. She and Grandma loved the idea, so here it is. He is a life-long fan of the Pittsburgh Steelers which made the choice of design very easy. This blanket is only little over 1 yard (that's all the black they had) and with me rushing through it, I made it in just under 4 hours. He loved it! Grandma, Pap, and Mom were thrilled with the results and I had so much fun making it.

Do you see that little girl? That gorgeous little baby? She is cute, isn't she? She is the most beautiful little girl I have ever seen. Only, she's not so little anymore...today, she is 12.

Twelve years ago my older brother's wife blessed our family with an angel. Today, she loves to play soccer, is a dedicated Girl Scout, and can sew better her Aunt Jenny! (although, that is not too hard for anyone to sew better than me...)

Her younger brothers both celebrated birthdays earlier this month but, boys being boys, they tend to run from me when I have my camera so I don't have any decent shots of them...YET! I will get you....one day....hahaha! They both love soccer, too. Both are also dedicated Scouts. I am so proud of them.

Mamma Mia! What a MOVIE!!!

Mom called me the other day. "Jenny, want to go out with me on Thursday?" After some conversation and confirmation I discovered that "going out with me" meant going out with the Red Hatters! LOL! She has been trying to get me out with them for over 2 years now!

So the next day we head up to the shopping plaza where we are to meet the rest of the group. Mom's in red, I'm in pink (not OLD enough to wear red with them...fuddy duddies...lol). We do a little shopping before the rest of the ladies get there. Mom finds some adorable gifts for a few of her friends for Christmas and I find fantastic place card holders! They are miniature Christmas balls that are flat on the bottom with a jump ring for the loop to hold the card. Adorable!

Once the ladies arrive we head over to the chosen restaurant for lunch. Fabulous food and wonderful fellowship! These ladies are just amazing! Crazy but amazing! Following that, we all head to the theater.

We are the first ones of the day. Most of the group went to see The Women. Mom and I went to see Mamma Mia! Oh, my word! It is such a fabulous movie!!! We were the only two in that theater. We could laugh as loud as we wanted - we did! We could dance in our seats - we did! We could talk back to the movie - we did! We could sing along with the songs without worry - WE DID!!! Oh, I had so much fun!

Mom and I haven't had such a great day in a long time! We laughed, we cried, we giggled (she mostly at me because I drank to much and had to go running to the bathroom before I laughed myself into a wardrobe problem!).

When we got home we immediately brought up the movie's website just to hear the bits of soundtrack, to which my two youngest start moving to after they got home. Little Pirate loved it most of all. He was dancing in place, snapping his fingers, wiggling his hips...Hahahah!

Mom called me later to tell me she went right down to the store and bought the CD soundtrack! Oh, I can't wait to get mine!

Honestly, this was such a great movie! Sure the story line is about a girl trying to figure out which of her mother's three beaus is her father but there is no sex, no violence, just laughing, dancing, singing. It reminds me of all the old Doris Day, Frank Sinatra-type musicals. Oh, what a day!

A Wordle...

Well, the other day Dana introduced us to Black Boxes. Now, I am going to introduce you to something I found because of the Black Boxes...a Wordle.

This is a Wordle. Click on it and it will take you to the site where you can create your own. All you have to do is type words. They can be random or have special meaning. They can describe you or someone you love. Then you can customize your Wordle however you like. If you decide to save your Wordle on that site, the world can view your Wordle. You can then take the html code and paste it on your blog where you can share it with your friends. Enjoy.

Another year...

Seven years ago our lives changed. All of us changed. You, me, the neighbor across the street, the stranger across town. Seven years ago women in this country went into shock and, through the horror and heartbreak, brought forth joy. Seven years ago, I was one of those women. Seven years ago today, my youngest son was born

Little Pirate. 10 lbs 3 oz, 20-1/2 inches long, 15" head and chest. No, ladies, it was not a C-section. He was hiding. He was a surprise.

Seven years ago, we all suffered the horror and heartbreak. Many of us more personally than others. Thousands of pregnant women all over the nation went into shock-induced labor. I was one of them. Thankfully my labor was not far enough along for the hospital to keep me. Two days later, however, that was another story. I had just curled up with my almost-3-year-old little boy (Mr. Rebel) to watch a movie before he went to bed. He laid his head on my belly like he always did. He fidgeted a little more than normal, shifted his head, poked my belly...looking at me with his father's faery blue eyes, he said "Mommy, your tummy is hard! I can't get comfy!" Lol! I swear he did!

I figured it would start, I had been extremely uncomfortable all evening and the hardness of my belly was constant. We finished the movie, got him ready for bed and all tucked in. Then Daddy decided that Mommy needed sleep. That was fun...

So to speed everything up, I arrived at the hospital around midnight, could not progress in my labor, and spent the night holding my MIL's hand because her skin was cool and hubby's was not. Mom was in the waiting room with the boys curled up in blankets asleep on the floor. Hubby went to work with little-to-no sleep. My cousin visited me during her lunch break from the CCU/ICU floor to make sure I ate (they figured out quick who I was related to and then tattled on me for not eating!). They all felt so happy with themselves when half my food was gone before exhaustion claimed me.

Fastforward again, transition hit hard and heavy. Language got bad. Memory loss occured. Family thought I was hilarious. Photos of my mom and aunt are all I have to know the work they put in to help my body relax enough to rest. They rubbed my feet and calves for hours.

Then, after a neat discovery of why I wasn't progressing and a fabulous nurse that conned me into letting her try something - "Oh, honey, don't worry, you won't even notice" - yeah, right! (Honestly, she had to do what she did and if I ever had another baby she would be the nurse I would want in charge of my birthing room!)

9:00 PM. There he is. Not even seconds old and already irritating my doctor! Lol! Of course, not breathing for over 1 minute would have that effect on many people. "Breathe baby, breathe baby...for mommy..." Then the most gawd-awful scream, the indignation very apparent! Lol!

He was impressive. The nurses were shocked. DH was in awe. My response to my husband after hearing the stats of our newest joy? I am woman...hear me roar! To which I promptly pass out from exhaustion.

So, seven years ago, despite the tragedy and loss, new life came forth to make us smile and be thankful. So, Happy Birthday, Little Pirate. Happy Birthday to all the seven-year-olds.

Inspiration and an idea...

When my brother and his family came down to visit this past Spring, they brought all the presents they had been saving from Christmas. My gift from them was this no-sew blanket my SIL Dana made. I just loved it! I still do. It reminds me of the Mardi Gras celebrations my brothers and I grew up with in Louisiana. These are the exact colors put on the King Cakes!

So, I decided to give it a try.

This one is for my niece, Paige. I plan on making one for each of the kids on my DH's side for Christmas. If I can, I will make one for each adult. If not, I am DEFINITELY making one for my MIL. She loves these things! Anyway, each of the four girls (ages 1-1/2, 6, 16, 18) will get the tie-dye pattern with their favorite shade on the reverse. Obviously, Paige's color is purple. Pink, orange, and green are next.

Dana, thanks for the inspiration! I still love my blanket! DH says I remind him of Linus from Charlie Brown...LOL!

Senior Photos

I did a Senior Photo Shoot a week or so ago. This young lady has been part of our lives since our two oldest were in junior high school. She is just an absolute doll! Rebel and Pirate are her "Monkeys" and have been from the first day they met her (they crawled all over her, hence the knickname!).

Anyway, she and Mr. Chef are seniors this year and, both being in band, they have to have a Senior Bio and photo available to put in the Senior Night football program for when they introduce the seniors on the FB team, Cheer Squad and Band. She was complaining about the cost of Senior Photos and the she didn't want them to look like everyone else's. I mentioned that I took Mr. Gamer's photos because we 1) didn't have the money to spend on a photographer what would charge us an arm, a leg, AND our wallet; 2) we didn't have the time to wait. She talked with her mom and her mom suggested asking me to take her photos. So, I did. For free! I have this problem right now about having people pay me to take photos. I just can't do it. I figure if I do it for free I get experience, they get pictures, and I don't have to feel like I am being mean to a customer by telling them what to do...I am so much better at plantlife!

So, I checked with Ms. 4-H (yeah, she's a country girl!) about posting her photos and she said SURE!

Visit and Volunteering

Friday marked the fourth day of school for the three boys still at home. It also marked the third morning without our oldest. We all seem to be doing well. DH called Mr. Gamer to let him know that Mr. Pirate was really missing him. Amazingly, he had called him as he was pulling into the drive to come home and we were just walking back from the bus stop! So Mr. Pirate got to talk to his brother and be reassured that he wasn't that far away, it's okay to miss him but he would be home every so often to visit and check on him so he best do his homework! Haha! Mr. Rebel was thrilled to hear his brother's voice. As usual, they talked 'video games', being so much alike.

As I left the house at 3:45 pm that Friday afternoon, a blue car pulls up. Mr. Gamer!! Lol! He had come back to get a few more things that hadn't fit in the car the first trip and to pick up his girlfriend to visit with her. He walked up to the bus stop with me to surprise the youngest two, who have missed him tremendously. Oh, their smiles! It was a beautiful thing. Mr. Pirate looked confused at first, unsure if he was really seeing his brother. Then the joy, pure and radiant, came bubbling to the surface! Running, arms open, he was enveloped in a hug only a brother can give. Mr. Gamer smiled, hugging both Rebel and Pirate, growing up in front of me, learning instantly that his brothers' love is something that is given unconditionally and will always be there; always be a joyful thing.

So, volunteering... sounds like a great thing, and it is. Just keep in mind that the volunteering I speak of requires a recovery period. For the last 7 years, the high school band members have volunteered to answer phones during the MDA Telethon at our local TV station. A few years ago, the coordinator had several groups from a different high school back out at the LAST MINUTE. I am talking, she needs volunteers and needs them NOW! So, being a band parent herself, she starts calling all her band kids. I was the first parent that actually answered the phone. For the next 20 minutes we worked out what could be done, who we needed, and "Fran, you're going to need chaperones for this if it works!".

So, DH and I tossed our hat in the ring. What ring? The thing has been called the MDA Overnighter for the last 3 years! Yep, an average of 25-30 high school band kids sleep in a TV station overnight to answer phones at scheduled times during the wee, WEE, hours of the morning. They arrive around 10:30-11:00pm, stuff envelopes, get their sleeping bags set up and work on-air segments and answer phones.

DH and I have chaperoned this shindig every year. This year, we fully embraced our position as chaperones. I was the Girls Warden and DH was the Prison Guard for the guys. The kids sleep in different rooms, on opposite ends of the floor we stay on. They bring games, books, cards, etc., anything to keep themselves entertained until we get passed the first few segements and then they have a few hours downtime to rest. This year we had a rather interesting game of Twister! And I have the photos to prove it! Those will be going on the slideshow at the Spring Band Banquet! heheheh!

Hope everyone had a great Labor Day Weekend!