What's up doc?!  It has been a long time since I've posted on my blog!  I really need to keep updated on here so that I can remember all of the fun that I've been having.  Like.....Austin moving back home and renting a UHaul trailer and moving him in the rain!  Or...Ryan and Melissa moving back home and receiving 6 boxes via FedEx and trying to figure out how to make their bedroom accommodate all of their stuff!  Didn't do too well on that one.....still a work in progress!  But all in all.....I have loved having them back home and am treasuring every single day because I know that this is just a 'stopping off' place for 6 weeks and when August 1st is here....we will be loading up all of those boxes, etc. into UHaul trailers and moving them to Kansas City.  I'm not sure how I will deal with them all leaving at once.  On one hand, Ryan and Melissa will be closer this time....instead of Portland, Oregon....Kansas City but Austin will be farther away....instead of Rogers.....Kansas City.  I'm excited for them.  I think Kansas City will be a really fun city for them to live and experience all that Kansas City has to offer!  BUT.....they have to promise to NEVER abandon their Cardinal loyalty and become Royal fans!  Should that happen....well, I just cannot even begin to imagine the consequences!  I just know that it will not be pretty!

Craig flew to NYC this morning.  Was supposed to leave at 6:20 a.m. but American Airlines called during the night to let him know that his flight was going to be delayed until 9 this morning.  We heard his cell phone ring but he didn't answer it (he never does and my thought is if someone is calling in the middle of the night.....it needs to be answered but that is just my thought)!  So...his alarm went off at 3:30 a.m. and at that point he retrieved his message about the flight so crawled back to bed.  We were able to sleep until 7 a.m.!  He said that his flight was crazy....the last hour was very rough and the plane dropped several times!  Hoping the rest of his trip goes better!  

Had breakfast with Mom and Dad this morning.  Had to catch up on their trip to McCook, Nebraska.  Oh to be a fly on that trip!  Imagine Dad on a road trip with Mom and her two sisters!!!!  I remember when I did that road trip two years ago.....the stories that I came back with and the tears from all of the laughing!  I'm glad that they had such a good visit with their oldest sister, Helen.  They said that they sang a lot of old songs and danced!  How awesome is that?!  

I need to water this evening.....lawn guy came and fertilized so will put sprinkler on back lawn this evening and do the front lawn tomorrow.  Would be nice to get a rain shower!  I also need to trim a holly bush and my trumpet vine out back this evening too.  Cardinal game isn't on till 9 o'clock so will need to stay busy so I can stay awake!  May be a good idea to take a little nap before I tackle the watering and trimming.  Yeah, definitely sounds like a plan!

Blessings,
GiGi

Good bye 2012

 
Happy New Year!  One of my new year resolutions is to be a better blogger!  I want to better document things happening in my life because even though I think that I will never forget something.....I do! 

I had the best Christmas ever!  All of my children were home and also spent the holiday with my Mom, Dad and Albie!  Could not have been more perfect!  Melissa had flown in earlier in the week so she was here as well and wherever Melissa is....you can be sure that there will be laughter and fun!  Ryan flew in from Portland on the 20th.  His only request was that Allie come to the airport with me to pick him up so......she did!  I even put a little Christmas bow in her hair which she was a good sport about!  It was if she knew that she was doing it for Ryan because as soon as we were home and he had seen her.....she was determined to get that bow out!  It was so good to see Ryan again.  He and Melissa left on July 1st so it had been a LONG time for this mama!!!! Friday the 21st, we took Ryan, Melissa, Austin and my parents to Cherokee Casino. Ryan and Austin came home winners!!! It was really awesome because out of anyone in that casino, I can honestly say that I think those two needed that money more than anyone else! While there, BJ called to tell us that he and Chloe decided to come up a day earlier and would be home about the time that we would be home! We ran out of that casino so fast! Usually takes a while to get Dad and Craig out of there but when they found out Chloe was on her way.....they nearly knocked us down getting out of that place! Albie came down Saturday so we opened our presents then. Chloe was so fun this year! She totally loved opening the gifts and spending time with each gift before moving on to another one! We had her help pass out gifts and she then helped everyone open their gifts and was so excited about that even! We did try to have Santa come for a visit but that didn't work out as well as we had planned. It didn't work out as well as our worst nightmare even! She was terrified of him! Oh well....maybe next year! Sunday evening we took Chloe down to the town square where she could ride a horse drawn Princess carriage! Oh my goodness! She loved that!!!! She had the best time walking along the rock wall and seeing the ponies. I'm sure it was a night that she will remember and a night that we will remember through her eyes! BJ and Chloe left Monday afternoon. They were predicting snow for Tuesday so to be safe, they decided to head home a day earlier. Which was probably a good idea because I started with a fever Monday night and had fever, chills, body aches. Tuesday was Ryan's flight home but due to weather in other parts of the midwest, his flight was cancelled so we ended up turning around and bringing him back home. He was able to fly out the next afternoon. I was able to spend an extra day with him but unfortunately still had fever, body aches and chills so pretty much ended up sleeping a lot. Thursday I drove Melissa to the airport. My nest was empty once again and I was not happy about it! I think not feeling well just made me feel sadder! I had the fever, chills, body aches for a week so guess it was the flu and it took another week to get my strength back to normal. Note to self....get flu shot next year! I am thankful though that no one else came down with my flu so for that, I am very very grateful! I usually take down all of my Christmas decorations on New Year's Day but that just didn't happen this year. With not feeling well, it took me several days to get everything taken down and packed away. I still have a few odds and ends gathered on my dining room table that need to be packed away but that won't take long so not sure why I haven't done that yet! Mom and I started walking at the Mall yesterday. Our plan is to walk Mondays, Tuesdays and Thursdays. Wednesdays are so busy for me with Adoration that I didn't want to have the whole day tied up without accomplishing anything. And Fridays....just want to leave that day open to get ready for the weekend! I think if we do three days a week....that is a good start!
 

Well, I suppose these dust bunnies will not leave on their own so I guess I need to tackle that to do list!

GiGi

Past due!

Wow! I really need to keep up with this blog!  I know that I 'think' that I will remember everything that happens but I also 'know' that I won't and that is why I started this blog in the first place!  More of a personal journal than anything else. 

October was an extremely busy month!  Went with Mom and Dad to Branson to spend a couple of days with my aunt and uncle from Prim, Arkansas.  The weather was terrible......rainy and chilly but that didn't stop us from shopping and having a good time!  We went up on a Thursday morning.  We didn't do much Thursday other than catching up on visiting and we did watch the Cardinals baseball game.  Friday morning we hit the shops.  We went to Tangier Outlet Mall.  It was raining pretty hard but we were able to still shop and didn't melt when we got wet!  We ate at our favorite place for lunch.....Panera Bread.  Had a bowl of potato soup and with the chilly rainy day, it was so yummy!  Ruth introduced us to the neatest shop.....Mulberry something or other!  Oh my word!  So many neat things and yummy dips!  My new favorite shop for sure!  We weren't able to watch the baseball game Friday night.  Dad just cannot stand the stress....makes his heart hurt.  Craig kept texting to let me know the score.  We were so far behind that we decided to just go to bed and get a good night's sleep!  Well, the Cardinals came back and tied the game!  We hurried up and turned on the tv and were able to watch them win the game!  What an awesome come-back!!!!  Then we were so excited and hyped up that we had trouble going back to sleep!!!!

We were able to keep our favorite little houseguest last week....we met BJ and Chloe in Clarksville on Thursday and got to keep Chloe till Sunday morning!  We had so much fun with her!  I am so in love with that little girl!  She is always smiling and gives the best hugs!!!!  I am always so lonesome when she leaves....I usually leave her toys out for a few days just to ease the lonesomeness! 

This week Mom and I went BACK up to Branson and spent a couple of nights with Albie.  Carol drove down from St. Louis.  And of course, there was not a shortage of laughter!  It is amazing how we can just laugh and laugh and each time we get together, we say that 'this' was the best peep time ever!  It is so good to just get together with my peeps and not worry about anything but having fun!  Whether we stay in and just sit around and talk or if we go out and do some shopping....we ALWAYS end up laughing till our tummies hurt and tears run down our faces!  I am truly blessed with some amazing women in my life who give me unconditional love and support and make me laugh!

Yesterday, Craig took off from work and we early voted and then headed to the lake to sail.  It was absolutely beautiful!  Sun was shining.....air felt warm.....so peaceful and quiet out there.  We saw a deer swim ACROSS the lake!  It was amazing!  And it was not a short distance at all!  I was so afraid that she would get tired and drown but she just kept on swimming!  It was definitely an awesome sight!

We are enjoying the sunshine today with grilling out some steaks, cabbage, potatoes.  I fixed a yummy broccoli/cheese/bacon salad and baked some chocolate chip cookies.  Have Texas Toast to fix when it is time and then we shall stuff ourselves!

With love,
GiGi

Crazy Monday!

Poor Allie's tummy was growling all morning. It was so loud. I thought she was just hungry but when her little paws hit the floor....she wasn't interested in her food at all. She just wanted to go outside first thing. Her normal routine is to eat, THEN go outside, come in and get her treat and dingo bone. This morning she skipped her breakfast and just went outside. After coming in, she didn't even want her treat or dingo bone. Was glad that she had vet appt. this morning. We got there a little early and found out that her ear infection is gone.....she still has some 'stuff' in her ear but it isn't infected so they think if I just put ear wash in her ear once a week and the ear drops once a week....it will dissolve and clear out. Think we will be doing the wash and drops for lifetime to keep her ear infections from coming back. Her tummy was growling while we were at the vets but they thought it was just nerves. She was acting okay so thought once we got home she would eat and be okay. She just doesn't have an appetite today. Maybe she is just exhausted from the busy weekend and I think her tummy is bothering her. She may have eaten too many of 'Chloe's treats' over the weekend too.

Neighbor's mom came over this morning as I was getting ready to get into the shower. She had accidentally locked herself and her little grandson out of the house with the baby inside! She was hoping that I had a spare key for Teresa's house but I didn't. She called her daughter who luckily teaches at the elementary school 5 minutes away. She said that Sarah has been sick with runny nose and cough so she was babysitting for her grandkids. She had just put Sarah to sleep and she was in her little swing. Otherwise I think we would have just broken a window!

Am missing Chloe today. She brings so much laughter and love into our home and hearts! She just says the funniest things! She is so entertaining......I wish that she lived closer! It had been 4 weeks since we had seen the little sweetheart which is the longest we have gone without her since she was born! That was WAY too long!

See that precious little face!? I love every single minute I get with that little girl and it is so lonesome here when she goes home.

Allie is snoring on her little dog pillow so hopefully when she wakes up she will be feeling a lot better and will feel like eating something. For Allie to NOT eat.....is MAJOR!

Blessings,
GiGi

A Mama's heart......

Well, my heart is heavy......I know that it shouldn't be......I KNOW that kids grow up and they are SUPPOSED to leave home and be on their own in every way but I didn't KNOW that sometimes that means leaving home and going so far away! I think it is easier for the person LEAVING than it is for the person left behind. I think maybe because the person leaving is going somewhere new and making new memories. The person left behind is left with ONLY memories......and an emptiness. My family has always been close by....maybe not in the same city or even the same state but always within a half day's drive! Now Ryan is moving 652.59 miles away......mapquest says that is a 10 hour drive from MY HOUSE! I keep telling myself that it could be worse.....he could be moving to California or New York City......and he will be staying with a friend while he is job hunting and once he finds a job....Melissa will join him.....but it still makes my heart feel sad. I need to put on my big girl panties and I need to be excited for him! He worked so hard to get his degree and now it is time for his degree to work for HIM! This is what is supposed to happen I know.......but.....I still think of him as this:

And it seems like just yesterday that he was pretending to go to work doing this:

BUT in reality....he has grown into this:

A young man who has fallen in love with his niece and who will someday be a wonderful daddy to his own children. I can just see a little boy with Ryan's freckles and dimples and love of life!

Okay....maybe a little wine to go with my whining?! Let's see if that helps!

Love,

GiGi

Global warming?

Well, I think I just need to pack up and head South....somewhere warm and sunny and warm! I'm just not understanding this whole global warming thing that the 'experts' say we are experiencing. We have broken records in snowfall this year and broken records in low temperatures....someone just explain this to me! It is almost the middle of March.....Spring is just around the corner and it is 39 degrees outside with a wind chill of 30! I am so ready to get outside and work in my flowerbeds, dig in the warm dirt, plant some flowers, feel the sun on my face! I think March is the hardest month for me. It teases me with warm, Spring-like days and then we are back to bitterly cold windy days where the wind just chills you to the bone and no matter what you do to try to get warm......it is never enough!


See these temps!? I just looked out the window and a whole flock of little birds are lined up on the top of the back fence by the bird feeder. I think that they are also wondering what is going on! At least our extended forecast is calling for sunshine tomorrow and temperatures in the 50s and warming up into the 60s after that!

Craig and I went to 7 a.m. Mass this morning. We sat with Mom and Dad. After Mass, Dad treated us to Susan's for breakfast. Craig had to head off to work so he didn't get to eat with us. Mom and I shared a pecan waffle with strawberry topping and a little whipped cream! It was so yummy!

Stopped at Wal-Mart for a few groceries after Adoration this afternoon and then decided to fill the jeep up with gas. I had to pay $3.45 a gallon this afternoon! That is another thing that I need explained to me.....how gas prices can flucuate from DAY to DAY! Haven't they already paid for the gas that they have in their tanks.....wouldn't the price depend on how much they had to pay the DAY they had to order it!?

Time to get off of my soap box and share a cute picture with you! Ryan had given Chloe a 'few' cheerios one morning while I was fixing her breakfast. As you can tell from her smiling little face....she loves her Ry-Ry!

Just looking at that little face puts things in perspective.....doesn't really matter that it is bitterly cold out there or that gas prices are climbing higher and faster than the thermometer......we have our health...... we are part of a loving family who love spending time together.....we have a precious granddaughter.....our sons are doing well......life is good.....it really is!

Love,

GiGi

Long time since I posted!

I REALLY need to make more of an effort to blog more.....I want my blog to document the special times in my life....in my day. I think I will always remember those times but I don't and I won't. Special times spent with my parents, my husband, my kids, and especially my granddaughter. Since becoming a grandma....I realize how fast time goes.....witnessing this everytime I see Chloe and how much she changes from week to week! Seems like just yesterday she was an infant and now she is running around and talking. A whole year just flew by in a blink of an eye!



Here is a picture of Chloe taken last week when she was here. She is now a year old and is such a sweet little girl. She is so loving and I love, love, love hearing her calling me GiGi! The sweetest sound in the whole wide world! I treasure our time together at bedtime when I am giving her a bottle and rocking her. She just looks at me with those big blue eyes and it is like she can see into my soul and hopefully sees how very much I love her! After she finishes her bottle, she lays her little head on my shoulder and we snuggle and rock until she falls asleep. Doesn't get any better than that! She absolutely adores her Mimi and Poppy. Whenever they come over....as soon as they walk in the front door, she starts squealing and gets so excited! I am so glad that Mom and Dad live so close and are able to enjoy her as much as we do. Craig had to go to Muskogee on Friday so she and I packed up and spent the night with Mimi and Poppy. We had a lot of fun and they were able to see how much she enjoys her bath time and how happy she is when she wakes up! She is happy all of the time but when she first wakes up....she stretches and stretches and it is just so funny! The weather was so warm so we spent a little time outside before we headed back home Friday. She played for the longest time with a fly swatter. She was pushing it all over the back deck, under patio chairs, in the yard......

She keeps us all so entertained! Craig and I met her mommy and daddy in Clarksville Saturday morning. That is about half way for both of us. I love having Chloe but on the days that I have to give her back......it is really sad around here. Just miss her smiles and laughter so much. BUT.....I know that her mommy and daddy miss her too when she is up here so I put my big girl panties on and just try not to think about it so much! I usually take a day or two before I can pack away her toys and pack 'n play......

Mom, Dad and I started back into our walking routine on Monday morning. Dad is doing so much better now. Is able to walk without wheezing and/or chest pains. He is walking fast too! We are anxious for warmer weather so we can start walking outside. Walking at the Mall is nice but it does get pretty boring! We always go out for breakfast after our walk.....I enjoy just spending that hour visiting with them and we usually laugh a lot and solve a lot of the world's problems! It is a very special part of my day and I treasure that time with them.

I just talked to Mom and she said Dad was riding his bike patroling the neighborhood. He is the self appointed neighborhood watch dog! He is 73 so not sure what he would do if he spotted trouble but I'm sure he would do what he could! He kept riding back and forth down the little road behind their house she said. She waved every time he rode by and said he was probably tired of her waving. I told her that he was looking each time at her so probably didn't mind so much. I suggest that she 'flash' him the next time he rode by....she should kind of pull up her shirt! She said he would probably crash his bike! Unfortunately, he was on his last round so she didn't get a chance to do that. I suggested that she do it the next time but make sure it is HIM riding by when she does do her flashing thing!

Craig went to the chiropractor this afternoon. Said he laughed like a girl and could NOT stop laughing when Dr. Santos popped his neck. Said he worked on his back and hooked him up to a machine for his hip. Will go back Thursday. With being hunched over his desk and computer so long every day, I'm sure his back and neck are so knotted up. Next we are going to try to get him into a walking routine. It is probably a good idea to get his back, neck and hip lined back up properly before we do much walking.

Craig and I are going with Mom and Dad tonight to US Pizza.....having that pizza and beer before Lent starts tomorrow!!!! So.....on that note....I had better get ready because Craig will be here soon and we want to go early.

Love, GiGi