STRESS TEST IS OVER

We went back to Memphis this past weekend to attend Matthew's first communion. We got there Friday night and the service was at 10:00 A.M on Saturday. It was a really large group of communicants. It is always nice to see the little boys dressed in their sports jackets and slacks and the little girls dressed up in their white dresses and veils. It was a special occasion even for Matthew, who never shows much excitement unless he is camping out at a scouting event or finding great treasures at a yard sale or thrift store. ( He gets that from Grand daddy and Mawmaw)but Sunday he had on his best outfit and his brightest smile.

After the service we went to a Hibachi grill and had lunch. I swear I have never had so much to eat in one setting. The cook made fried rice, grilled veggies, shrimp, steak, scallops and chicken to serve us and to top it off he was very entertaining. It was my first time at a restuant like this, so I was empressed with all the cooking, tricks and jokes the grill chef was making. While we were in the restruant a pretty bad storm went over. I guess it was part of the cell that spawn all the tornadoes across Louisana, Missippi and Alabam. Luckily ours was just a heavy rain and some wind, but no damage.

Late Saturday afternoon John and I left heading down to Tunica. The storm had done a little more damage there. The wind had taken out a stretch of power line polls, but that seemed to be the only damage that we saw. Mark and Paige came down and we had dinner and played the slots for a while. They left around 11:00 because Paige had to be at work on Sunday morning. We left there around 2:00 on Sunday afternoon and headed home. The trip took some of the anxiety that I was having about my stress test away for a couple of days.

This morning we got up early and headed down to the cardioligist office where I had to have a nuclear stress test. Man I am the biggest woose ever. I had stressed myself out for the last two weeks worring about this test. Why is it that the fear of something and the letting your mind run away with you usually turns out to be worse than the thing you have to undergo. The test turned out to be much easier that I had imagined. It took about three hours to get out of the office, but most of it was sitting in the waiting room waiting for the next phase of the test. I was injected with a dye and had a scan done, waited again then had the stress chemical injected. It took four minutes to go in and then they let it hold for another four minutes. The last minute of the injection I felt a little tightness in my upper body, but no pain. Then they held me at this point for another four minutes. When the last four minutes was up I was injected again with something to take away the effects of the stress chemical, went back to the waiting room until they called me in for the second set of scans. When that was over I was finished. Had I have known how the test worked I would not have driven myself half nuts for the last two weeks. Yeah, I would probably still worry cause like I say I am the biggest woose ever.

DANCING WITH THE STARS ( WANNABES)

There are three TV shows that I have become addicted to somewhat. Dancing With the Stars, Biggest Loser, and Ugly Betty. I usually set up and watch the first two on Monday and Tuesday nights, but I usually record Ugly Betty because I have a hard time staying up until 10:00. I watch the last ten minutes of Dancing With the Stars on Tuesday night just to see who gets voted off.

Poor Buzz, I'm sure he had illusions of winning the mirror ball trophy. But I think he was still wearing his space shoes. He seemed a little weighted down. I wonder how much they pay these people to embarrass themselves in front of a live television audience.

Jake looked like he was truly relieved that he didn't get voted off. I guess he is not ready to give up his fifteen minutes of fame. He seems to be stretching it into at least 45 minutes. I really liked him when he was a bachelor on the Bachelorette season. He seemed like a real all American type guy looking for the perfect girl. When he came back last season as the Bachelor I figured out the he had the worst taste possible in women. Most of the girls that seemed half way real, he sent home. Then he ended up with two divorcees and a lingerie model. For some reason I don't think he was looking for Ms Right.

I have always felt that Kate Gosslin was very domineering and maybe not so easy to live with person. I'm sure that she and Jon had some deep problems in their marriage and it would probably not worked even if they had not had eight kids and lived the last few years on TV. I do have to say that I truly felt sorry for her the first night that she danced on the show. She looked as horrified as I would have if it had been me doing the same thing. Now whether she is doing this for her own ego or whether she is doing it to support her family I don't know, but I can't imagine anyone willingly humiliating themselves this way. I get to actually praying for her when she comes out. "Dear Lord, please let her do better this time". At least it turns it into a religious experience.

Then I usually watch Ugly Betty after work on Thursday. I have watched since the first season and enjoyed it through her awkwardness (glasses, braces, ugly clothes) and waited for her to turn into a swan. I am afraid the producer is turning her into a too worldly woman with too many life experiences that makes her less unique and just like all the other characters on all the other shows. If the story line continues as it is now I guess I will have to say good bye to Ugly Betty and find something that comes on at a better time slot and does not assault my poor naive sense of values.

The Biggest Loser is my favorite. I can't imagine anyone losing 150 lbs in three months. (Mike) I can't figure out how they have kept some of these contestants from dropping dead from the excessive work outs. I guess it is the money that motivates them. I need to tie a dollar on at stick and put it in front of the tread mill maybe I would get a little more motivated.

So there is my TV review for the week.

WHEN I WAS A KID

Today has been the most beautiful day. Right now it is 8:15pm and the temperature is 73 degrees. I think it is supposed to rain later on in the weekend, but right now I am sitting here with the windows opened and a nice breeze is blowing through and I can hear the crickets chirping, the neighborhood dogs barking and the occasional whinnying of the horses in the pasture behind us. It makes us know that warmer days are ahead. It seems that ever thing has come into full bloom in just a matter of a few days. Butter cups, forsythia, plum trees, violets and Bradford trees have changed the drab scene of winter into a splash of color that is just breath taking. Everything is yellow, pink, purple and white. I guess nature is just renewing itself.

We stopped at a yard sale out in Killen and got to talking to a young woman that lived on the street that I lived on when I was growing up. I was able to name most of the people that lived up one side of the street and down the other when I lived there. I was able to go across the street to another yard sale at the little house that my Aunt Ruth and Uncle Jimmerson lived in when they were a newly married couple. It gave me strange feeling walking into the house where they had lived. It really had not changed that much. Just a little one bedroom house with a living room kitchen and bath. It brought back lots of happy memories of staying overnight and sleeping on a pallet in their bedroom floor. They didn't have any children so they spoiled me and my older brother quite a bit.

Up the street was where my grand mother Hale live and I can remember sitting at the base of her porch steps digging dirt with a spoon and putting it into a pan. Across from that was where my best friend Judy lived and I spent most of my life walking from our house on the north end of the street down to the south end to play with Judy. We would get into a huge 50 gallon drum and get her brother to give us a shove and roll down the hill until it would come to a stop just before it reached the pond. Dear Lord you wonder how kids survived, but when we got up in the morning our mothers told us to go out and play and that is exactly what we did. We would usually make it home in time to eat and head back out again.

There were several families on up the street that didn't have children, but the next house with kids was the home of Becky. Becky was a year younger than me and Judy. She would walk by the house and start calling us names and the next thing you knew we would be slinging rocks at each other. Judy and I behind the swing on the porch and Becky behind a tree. I still to this day can't figure out why we didn't like her.

None of the families from my younger days still live there, but it was fun to reminisce about the Mauldins, he was the princaple of our school, the Taylors lived across the street from us, the Lewis',he was from Germany and still spoke with an accent, the Richardsons an old couple at the end of the street. Mrs Richardson gave me a tobacco sack full of ribbons one time and I thought that was the greatest gift I had ever received, the other Hales, Minnie and Connie, Minnie always wore Tabu cologne and to this day when I smell it I think of her, the Hamners and so many other families that lived in our little town. Now I probably couldn't name three families in the area. John laughed at me when we got into the car and left. He said "Man you were sure wound up. I haven't heard you talk that much in I don't know when".

I guess it is the nice weather that puts me in a very nostalgic mood. Remembering the first days of spring. How it felt to take you shoes off and walk through the new, soft green grass. The smell of rain falling on a dusty road. The feel of wading in the first mud puddles of spring and the feel of mud squishing between you toes. Spending hours catching bumble bees in a fruit jar. Tying a string to a June bugs leg and letting it fly around your head. Catching lighting bugs and July flies. It makes me excited to think of all the things that are in store for the grand kids in the coming months. That is if we can pull them away from the TV and all the electronic games...

SPRING IS COMING TO ALABAMA

I am into my fourth day of spring break and am finally settling into the idea of being off work for a few days. About the time I get to feeling comfortable being off work it will be time to go back. The weather has been a little dreary this past weekend and it has been a little colder then I like. But today it finally started to warm up a little and we were able to make it out to the park and walk for a bit.

I took a few pictures this morning of the buttercups and the forsythia in bloom. That is a sure sigh that spring is on its way in Alabama. It seems that the buttercups just start popping up every where you look. In every one's yard, in pastures, even along side the road. As you can see in my picture they are growing up between the cinder blocks that I have setting at the side of the house. The green onions are starting to take over the yard but they say if you wait and cut them on Good Friday it will kill them for the year. We'll see.

Mark and Paige came in for a visit this past weekend. We went to a few yard sales and prowled around at a couple of thrift stores while they were here, but we didn't find a thing. We spent the rest of the time they were here just hanging out at the house. Mark grilled some really yummy New York strip steaks Saturday night. The only time we ever grill out is when Mark comes home. John and I are not very good at grilling. Mark has it down to a fine art. Paige bought a sofa while they were in town and of course it rained cats and dogs up until about 3:00pm on Sunday. Finally it slacked off enough they were able to start the drive back to South Haven Ms. They made it back without ruining the sofa.

Johnny and Tracy are getting ready to move into their new (to them) house. They came over on Sunday after church and had lunch with us. I made a couple of pictures of Johnny and Mark aka Grisly Adams and Junior Samples. Mark says he is growing his hair out for Locks of Love (is he kidding? Who knows). Johnny was going over to the new house to paint. That's my boys.

I found this really old table at an auction the other week and when we got the old paint scraped off there was a really cool design underneath all the paint. We decided to leave it unfinished and sale it the way it is. It also has a really nice marble top, that I didn't get a picture of. John seems to think it is from the late 1800's. I figure someone that is into Shabby Chic will be smitten by it. Anyway it fills up a spot in our antique booth very nicely.

A FEW DAY'S WITH MATTHEW

This has been a very hectic week and yet a very enjoyable week all rolled into one. Hectic because of work. Our contract is up for grabs and this has had all the management in a real tail spin, cracking the whip and trying to make things perfect that sometimes just cannot be made perfect. Everyone's nerves is about shot and I'm afraid that by the time the decission is made about the contract, the great bond that we have had with all the employees is going to turn to crap. It is such a shame that you have to dread getting up in the morning and heading off to work. At 65 I guess if if gets too much worse I can just say "See ya later. Bye".

The enjoyable part was a short visit from grandson Matthew. He was on spring break this past week and was really antsy to go somewhere for a few days. Monica's mother-in-law is recovering from hip replacement surgery so Monica had to stay close by to check in on her. When I talked to Monica she told me that Matthew was having a fit to do something with his time off. I told her to meet John in Corinth MS and we would bring him to AL for a few days. He had already questioned John about whether we still had Monica's typewriter. Well Monica has been away from home now for about 25 years, but I guess he thought being the pack rats that we are we would still have it stuck back somewhere. So on the way home they stopped a the Salvation Army over in Sheffield and just happened to find a portable Smith-Corona for $5.00 bucks. John said when they got in the car that Matthew kind of held the typewriter to his chest and said "I am finally happy".

John spent Thursday and Friday doing just about anything Matthew wanted to do. Feed the neighbors horses, cut limbs to whittle on, play cards, ride his scooter and you name it. Friday night he spent the night with John Pearson and Emily. On Saturday we took Matthew and Emily and spent several hours at the Antique store pricing items and trying to set thing up in our new booth. I was surprised they let us stay as long as they did. I guess the only reason they were as patient as they were is because they knew there was pizza waiting at the end of the line. After stuffing ourselves with Pizza we headed home. Me for a short nap and the kids to watch a movie. Sometimes while I was napping Sandra called to see if we wanted to go to this little dance club. A friends grandson plays drums for a country band. After Johnny and Tracy picked Emily up to go to town and get her birthday present, we headed back out.

The little dance club is for families, no beer or anything like that. Just a little band that plays really ole country music. Lots of Willie, Merle and Loretta Lynn . They are not the best band in the world but it is just a fun atmosphere. Mostly old people just having fun. For $4.00 you get in and the lady serves food for the guest. That night she had potato soup, chips and dip, hot dogs and dessert. You just buy soft drinks. A really cheap date:)

Matthew had fun. He carried his guitar and strummed along with the band. He and I danced a couple of dances, and he got up and line danced (some what) with the rest of the group. He ate hotdogs and finally wore himself down around 9:00 so we headed back home.

At church this morning Father Andy was asking a question to anyone that knew the answer. I was watching Father and he was walking toward our pew. I thought "Oh crap, I hope he is not going to ask me something. When he stopped at our pew I realized that Matthew had his hand raised. He answered Father's question, which was not exactly the answer Father was looking for, but was the logical one. I was really proud of him for paying enough attention to answer. After church John said it scarred him, because he was afraid Father was going to ask him something too.

After church we headed out to Corinth to meet Tim. We had a bite of lunch at Dairy Queen. We loaded Matthew's stuff into Tim's car. A $5.00 typewriter, two hermit crabs, an eight foot wild cherry tree limb for whittling, a watch with a Indian head penny for the face, his bag, guitar and lord knows what else. It was a great week and Matthew seemed to have a wonderful time. John and I headed back home for a short nap before before we had to turn in for the night. Wheee!!!!

ANTIQUES, INSURANCE AND ARRHYTHMIA

Time is amazing. Here we are heading well into March. Spring is rapidly over taking winter and the time will change next week and we will have longer days to cram more things into. I have been trying to sit down at the computer and write something on my blog, but every day when I would get home from work it was straight to the computer trying to straighten out something about insurance.

John and I have decided that it is a huge ploy to drive all people over 65 to drink, suicide or the mental ward. Well right now I am looking at two out of three. I shudder to think what will happen if the government takes over the health care completely. I bet between the two of us, we get 20 pounds of mail a week just about insurance. Don't you think there should be a cheaper easier way? I know I throw away a small forest of paper each week. I could probably have had liposuction and a face lift on what has been spent on just paper alone.

Oh well so much for insurance woos. I have felt pretty good this week after my visit to the emergency room last Saturday night. I have had arrhythmia for years and occasionally have a spell with it, but that night I had ARRHYTHMIA!!. It scared the beejeebees out of both John and I. They did all the things they do, EKG, blood test and chest xray and sent me home with a huge dose of beta blocker and I have an appointment with a cardiologist on Wednesday. I hate going to the doctor so keep me in your thoughts and prayers.

On to happier thoughts. John and I had spent last Saturday at an auction and bought a van load of really interesting things. We got a marble top wash stand, a table to fit in an entry way, a night stand, a chestnut bed, some mirrors and glassware to name a few. I told him that we would probably be featured on the Hoarders or American Pickers in the future. Most of the items will have to be refinished some what.

We spent all day yesterday day carrying things to our antique booth. We put out a lot of stuff and rearranged both booths. At lunch time we went down the mall to Stefano's and had a pizza (they make the best mega pizza with black olives, green olives, Canadian bacon, Italian sausage, pepperoni, peppers and onions. Come back you are losing you train of thought....). After we ate we stopped in at another little antique store that has just been opened. It is called Keepers in the Corner. While we were in there, I talked John into getting another booth. You know a place to put our overflow things. ( Now you understand why we may be on Hoarders or Pickers) I guess John will have to get everything organized there this week. You know I am sort of glad I will be working:)

I feel better now that I have posted on my blog. Now it is off to church and away we go into a new week. Hope everyone has a great one.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY LITTLE ROCKET MAN

P1010147.MOV

David will be 5 years old on Saturday. We got such a kick out of this video that I thought I would post it. How in the world do kids get so smart so fast. I am 65 years old and couldn't begin to give all the names of the planets in our solar system. He cut them out and designed the solar system by himself, unless you count Daniel who was watching him. I think we have a rocket scientist on our hands.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY DAVID WE LOVE YOU T....H....I....S... M....U.....C....H... XOXOXOXOX.

PRIDE, ANXIETY AND LOVE

The last week has literally flown by. We got in from our visit to Fayetteville, I went back to work and John's brother Jim and Becky came in for a short visit. I have not had the time or took the time to sit down and write on my blog for a few days. But since I have a snow day today I have nothing else taking my time, so I will try to post something.

I was looking back at the pictures that I had taken of new baby Mark Hayden and also the pictures that I had made in August when Daniel was born. It made me smile to look at the expressions on the siblings faces. You could see a little anxiety, (maybe wondering if this new baby is going to take over my territory). You could see the look of pride. (look I have a brand new baby brother). But most of all you could see the look of love on all the faces. Happy moms, glad to have baby here. Big smiles from the dads showing the pride they have in their families. Super happy Maw Maw and Grand daddy knowing that these are little pieces of them that will stretch into the future for another generation.

I dug out some pictures of our own little family when the kids were babies and I could see the same expressions on their faces. Big brother holding little brother, sisters being the little mommies to new baby and the look of "is he taking my place". I'm sure if I dug further and looked at pictures of my own siblings, I would see the same thing. ( Pride, anxiety and lots of love.

It never ceases to amaze me how fast time goes by. As hard as we try to grab hold and slow it down and keep it for a little longer it slides right through our fingers. The great part is that you can relive it again through children and grand children. I am really happy that we had a large family and the process of growing has been on going and no end in sight at the moment. This is what life is made of.

TIME TO HEAD HOME

We arrived here in Fayetteville last Wednesday. Mark Hayden was born on Thursday morning and because of the crazy weather got to come home the following day. The rest of the time has been spent trying to entertain Luke and Charlotte and let Sarah get back into the swing of things. Cody started his two week leave yesterday so it is time for John and I to head back toward Alabama. We will head out tomorrow after church.

Last night was very hectic. At around 3:00 AM, I heard Sarah and went into the hall to see what was going on. It seemed Luke had had a accident during the night and she was changing his PJ's. I was stumbling around sort of in suddenly awakening stupor. She tells me to check on Charlotte. Charlotte was sitting in Sarah's bed where she had just thrown up. I starting stripping beds and throwing linens into the washer. Somewhere in all the hustle she and Cody had notice that Luke had what appeared to be a reaction to a shot he had taken two day before. I felt that it was a reaction to the band aide he had worn since the shot. I was voted down:) and he called him mom in Nebraska at 3:30 AM. I know this probably scared her to death. (Sorry Linda). Then a call to the 24 hour medical advice line where they told us to just watch the area. Charlotte was sick a few more time during the night, but was feeling better this morning. Mark Hayden slept through all the commotion. Hopefully everyone is back on track now.

I guess we have done all we can do and from now until the other Grandma comes to visit in a few days Sarah and Cody are on their own. They will probably be happy get into their own routine. It was nice to get to be here for the happy occasion. It is true about grandparents coming and spoiling the kids and then getting into the car and waving bye-bye.

NEW BABY

We have been staying in close to home since we brought baby home from the hospital. Sarah was able to come home a day earlier because the weather. We were on the tail end of the snow storm that went through the area and mainly got freezing rain and ice. There was a couple of inches of snow on top so the kids were able to get out and play in it for a while. Things are starting to clear up some but refreezes at night. Maybe this will be the day it warms up and completely melts.

Schools are still closed so Luke gets to stay home for another day. This has given the kids a chance to get use to having a new baby in the house. Charlotte is starting to warm up to baby a little. When we first got home she seemed a little scared of him. Now she is asking to hold him and will give him a kiss.

Sarah is feeling much better and is getting around really well. John is the main child entertainer and I am the chief cook and bottle washer. As Charlotte says "Maw maw is a good cooker and Grand daddy is a good washer".

We will be taking Mark Hayden to the pediatrician later today. He has been eating like a little pig. We are pretty sure he has gained weight. He is in that eat sleep, eat sleep stage so we don't hear much from him yet. I'm sure that will change in a week or so.

MARK HAYDEN HAS ARRIVED

Mark Hayden was born this morning at 7:51 am. Sarah and Cody got up at 3:30 am to get ready for the trip to the hospital. I thought I was up most of the night waiting for them to get up but I must have fallen into a sound sleep just before time, so Sarah had to awaken me and I had just enough time to hop into my clothes and brush my teeth before we left. I had this bedhead spot in the back of my head all day that made me look a little like a Monk. There was a time when I would never have ventured out of the house like that. That's the beauty of age you don't worry about stuff like bedhead.

Mark Hayden is a beautiful baby with lots of dark hair and a perfectly round head. That is one good thing about a c-section baby, they come into the world with rosy skin and no cone shaped heads. He sucks his fingers already and apparently was born hungry. I took as many pictures as I could, but I am no competition for the other Grandma.

I came back to the house this afternoon so Sarah and Cody could have some time alone with Mark Hayden. Luke and Charlotte are sad that they can't go into the hospital to visit. With flu season in full swing, the hospital doesn't allow anyone under 12 years of age. Hopefully everyone will be home by the weekend. Maybe the snow won't keep them from coming home Saturday.

It is a relief to have No. 10 here and healthy

WAITING ON THE STORK TO ARRIVE

We are still waiting on the arrival of new baby Mark Hayden. I think it may be harder on Maw Maw and Grandaddy waiting on the birth than it is Sarah and Cody. I have had my clothes stacked on the dresser in our bedroom for a couple of weeks now. I would put them in the suitcase, but I would just have to keep digging them out to find something to wear.

Sarah is scheduled to have a c-section on the 28Th, but we were all sure that she would go earlier. I guess we were all wrong, the 28Th is just a week away. I am not the best at the waiting game. I find myself getting more and more nervous. It is like listing to water drip. Your mind gets totally caught up in waiting for the phone to ring, then when it does you about jump out of you skin. We are just getting so excited.

As fate would have it two out of three of the cars we have went kerplunk this week. John spent all of today putting a new radiator on one and the battery went out on the other. If we take the van, we will need a couple of new tires. So while I worry about the birthing process, John is worrying about keeping a car running long enough to get us there. I guess it all goes back to the vow he made with God before we were married.

We will probably be out of pocket for a few days starting next week. When we I get back I will post pictures of Mark Hayden. In the mean time I continue to wait. DRIP..Drip....drip.

GRAND KIDS, THEY ARE ALL DIFFERENT

I started back to work Monday. It was great having three weeks off for the holidays. We stayed pretty busy the whole time and actually had all the family home for the New Year's holiday.

Our family is growing with leaps and bounds. Daniel was born in August and Mark Hayden will be here by the end of the month. That will make 10 in all with 8 boys and 2 girls. This is wonderful. Lots of people to take care of us in our old age.

It is funny how all the kids are so different. JP our oldest is still very loving at 13, but you begin to wonder how much longer he is going to want to hang out with the grandparents. Right now he seems very comfortable with us, because at thirteen, he thinks we are a little crazy. Emily is very smart and such a good reader. Emily was our only grand daughter for a long time. She is not as affectionate with us now as she was when she was younger, but is glad to have us available to answer her beck and call, and believe me she can keep us both busy.

Andrew is super smart and will probably have Musial talent. He is into boy scouts and just made the school play. Matthew is probably going to venture off into the wild and become the next Indiana Jones. He is not crazy about school and wants to be grown up before his time. You just want to tell him to slow down and enjoy being a kid. Aaron is a little stand offish with us. It takes him a little longer to warm up to us when we visit, but once he does he lets his hair down. Andrew and Matthew are the ones I have to fuss at the most when they visit, but when they leave they cling to us and the tears flow. Maybe they just love to hear Maw Maw fuss and scold.

David and Daniel are the two grand kids we have spent less time with. David is quite the little man and talks big and tells you everything he can think of and more. Daniel is just 5 months old and is all snugly and smiles. That is a wonderful age to bond with a child. He is a really tall baby. He is average in all his percentile measurements except 25% in weight and 95% in height. I guess he will be tall and thin like his dad.

Luke and Charlotte have been with us the most. Luke has lots of common sense and if you tell him to go move something or carry something, he goes and does it without asking how or why. I guess he has a lot of Nebraska farm boy in his genes. Charlotte is our little miss Pris. She is one of those little girls that is just born with the girlie nature. She likes to dress up, have tea parties and play with dolls. We are now waiting to see what Mark Hayden's personality will be like. Our wait is getting shorter each day. He will be born at the end of the month.

I guess no matter how many you have, there will be a different personality to go along with each one of them.