*sigh*

I'm back...been back since Tuesday evening, just haven't felt like writing this all out. I'm going to bring this up to date, but, first, I want to say thank you to all of you that have responded to me, extending your thoughts and prayers. I so appreciate that!!!

Mom wanted to know if I wanted to view Dad's body on Friday, with her and my two younger brothers. I didn't. I wanted to remember Dad from the nice visit we all had in October. He hadn't been showering or shaving and I chose not to go get in the way when he was sick. It's a good thing I chose to stay home that day, because I ended up calling the Red Cross to a request through to the Air Force, that I wanted my son home for this funeral....and finally, at the last minute on Friday, they granted his leave. Then, I found a flight for him and got to save $73 for military discount...thank you US Airways!
I got to Moms about 5 p.m. Saturday, not knowing what I was going to get into since, we've had a family 'mess' for the past 3 or 4 years. It turned out to be just my mom and 2 brothers all evening. And, it turned out alright.
Sunday, was a real busy day. I took mom to the grocery store early, to get stuff for a huge batch of green chili we made that afternoon, for our supper and for the potluck the next evening. I ended up getting enough flowers for 3 arragements, since no flower shop in town to speak of and it wasn't even open. I did a white daisy and daffodil one from the Grandkids, a red rose and white lily one from us kids and a peach rose with mixed oranges and purples from mom. (I am so glad I did them, because there were few flowers or plants. Mom had requested donations to Hospice and she also received alot of checks from people.)
I took her out to the cemetary to see how the boys had weeded and cleaned the family plots where my younger brother, a great uncle and my maternal grandparents are, so, she knew it would look nice for the burial service the next day.
Later that afternoon, her brother from El Paso got there, as well as my sister-in-law and 2 kids. Bishop had left home for Phoenix that morning, to get Jeffrey at the airport and they arrived about 9:30 p.m.
Sunday, we were busy again, getting the photo collages all ready, as well as breakfast and a light sandwich lunch. The service was at 2 at the mortuary, but, we went before noon to drop off the flowers. When I went into the seating area, I almost lost it when I saw the urn for Dad....it was real to me, at that point. I'm glad the mortician's wife grabbed the flowers from me.
When we came back for the service, the room was packed! The Hospice pastor did a great job speaking, then, he had people that wanted to, stand up and share a memory or anything about Dad. When that was over, my oldest younger brother read a paper of thoughts/rememberances of Dad...his wit kept it upbeat. I think the whole place lost it though, when our youngest son, Jeffrey, who was dressed in his Air Force dress blues, was called to the front where he was handed the folded US flag that he walked over and presented to his Grandma.....it tears me up everything I remember....it was a very sweet, special moment to remember always.
We had a short service at the cemetary and then, we all met up at the CattleRest just outside of town. It's a small bar, that friends of my mom and dads own. The parking lot was so full, I thought they had something going on inside, but, it was all for Dad....
It was a great turnout and just a special time. Mom did very well through it all. She was so afraid of making a mess of herself, but, she handled it all well. We all got home about 6:30/7 p.m. and just spent the evening all together at home. It was all good.
Tuesday, everyone left sporadically. My oldest younger brother, had just moved back to town in December and was staying with them until he could get a house bought...it's a blessing that he never bought a house yet.
Jeffrey and I left arounc 12:30. I took him to Phoenix to meet up with his buddy, where he would spend the night with him and then, get to the airport the next day. It sucked! I always hate saying goodbye and I was a weepy mess, and you know how hard it is to keep it bottled up... I do not drive in Phoenix EVER and I was worried sick about that, too! And, rush hour at that! He is so impatient with me sometimes (I hope it's just his age) and that wasn't helping at all. We parted about 4:30. Do you know how crappy it was crying my eyes out and 'trying' to drive in rush hour traffic? UGH I got in the wrong lane twice and it took about 45 minutes to finally get to the edge of town, where I could finally breath! 16 lanes of traffic sucks!!! I finally got home about 8:30 p.m.
I will post some pics and say goodbye...

































count your blessings...

.....dad passed away today

How do you say it? There's no nice way of putting it.
We knew it was coming and he was ready to go. He'd pretty much 'quit' many years ago.
He'd been sick since about the first of the year...that anyone knew about or that he let on about. He was adamantly against any doctoring, so, he was at home the whole time. Mom finally took his keys away the first of the week and cajoled him into going for a ride....and took him up to the dr. office. A friend of my moms and my mom went to see if the doctor made house visits, and a CNP came out and talked to dad and took his non-existant oxygen level with the finger thingy....evidentally she could tell he was sick enough that that little 'visit' in the parking lot was enough to be able to get hospice involved.
They started coming in Wednesday and surprisingly Dad was very co-operative with them. Yesterday, she bathed and shaved him and clipped his toenails, and changed his bedsheets. She told mom he was getting 'markings' meaning he was showing signs of his body shutting down. They had gotten him on oxygen Tuesday or Wednesday, but, it wasn't staying in with his sleeping positions.
Mom checked on him this morning at 8 a.m. and he had tried to get up to go potty and just couldn't. His feet were on the floor, but, he just flopped back onto the bed. She called the hospice ladies right away and one of them was there within 5 minutes. The last thing he said to mom was 'I won't be here much longer'...he slipped away about 11 a.m., peacefully, in no pain and he had been in control of his own situation. So, there are blessings there.....
Now, to get through the rest of it...
I ask for your prayers.

count your blessings...

a day for emotions

Another week has flown by! Amazing! I will start by saying that today is/was my Grammas birthday. I never forget it. I'm pretty good with stuff like that, but, I don't remember all the older relatives birthdays, 'cept Grammas...
My maternal Grandmother, her name was Hazel Mae. (That's my Grandpa with her here. They had a real story to tell about their getting together.)I have great memories of her and think she is the kind of Grandma you are supposed to have. My paternal Grandma was pretty old and not in good health, I don't recall much of her, and I find that really sad. My Gramma has given me a role I would like to follow, as far as how she was with me. We moved to Arizona, where she lived, when I was 12. We used to come to Arizona once if not twice a year to visit until we finally moved here. So, most of my memories are of when I was older. I loved to spend the night at my grandparents house. It was always a treat to get away from the turmoil of a house with 3 younger brothers. I loved sleeping in the extra bedroom (they were the first in town to buy a triple-wide trailer) and I LOVED feeling spoiled in the morning, when I got to have toast with REAL butter *well, from the store..but, it wasn't O L E O !!! LOL* I used to go clean for her---a ploy, I'm sure---and she would always give me $20!!! That was ALOT of money to me back then! When my cousins, that lived about 30 miles away (or the rest of the family from Iowa that came at least once a year) came to town, the trailer was huge enough for ALL OF US!! My girl cousins and I would have a sleepover and we played Canasta for HOURS! Good memories.....they are so nice to have, since, I really don't have a ton of them.
~~~I had a fun day Friday. I got to babysit our local scrapbook store from 1-5 for store credit! WOO HOO!!! The owners are out-of-town for a big industry show until the 15th, so, I'll also work Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday! The kicker on this, is this store is in my old flower shop building! LOL What memories there, altho, they've redone the whole place.
~~~On a really sad note, the week ended pretty crappy. I got a call from my mom yesterday about my dad. He's basically on his deathbed, pretty much willing himself to die. He's been relatively healthy and active for an 80 year old. He did sort of turned things off about 20 years ago when he 'retired', when they closed the El Taco...our family owned version of the beginning franchise that eventually became Taco Bell...after 20 years of owning/running that. He had a good friend that passed away not long after that and he was just 'ready' all these years....it's so sad, really. Anyway, about 3 weeks ago, he started not doing his usual daily routine of 'checking in at the office' 2, 3, 4 or 5 times a day for his one glass of beer. Not showering or shaving. He was getting weak and not himself...other than being ornery and stubborn enough to not go to a doctor. Anyway, mom told me dad has been in the bed since Thursday, not eating, not drinking and even getting sick in the bed. He is barely able to get up for the bathroom, but, tells her he is just pooped, when she asks him about getting up and about. Being a smoker for a L O N G time, she thinks he probably needs oxygen among other things
I would have liked for him to go to the doctor and just see what they do have to say...he's probably expecting the worst, anyway. But, if he knew what it is, then, he could decide to take medicine or not. (He doesn't take any kind of medicine at all and hasn't been to a dr. since 1991. He did have a scare with tongue cancer in the 80's.) He's already signed all papers that are needed with his signatures for DO NOT RESUSCITATE, etc.
What are you supposed to do with a person that just wants to die?
I had a bad night, last night, thinking all kinds of things, including that they were 'killing' him *my oldest younger brother moved in with them after the first of the year when he moved back from Boise---a blessing the deal on his house fell through, so, he is there with them for right now.
I talked to Dad about 10 days ago and he sounded pretty good, just dad. I've thought about going down to see him/them, but, with all that was going on, even then, I decided I wanted to remember him in a good way, and, I didn't want to 'get in the way'. Things are not 'good' with my two brothers and I. This impending funeral is going to be a mess, I just know it.
So, I've been on pins and needles all day waiting for that dreaded phone call. I will call in the morning, when my brother is at work, and just play it by ear.
anyway...

This is what I do when I'm stressed, so, I guess you could say I am stressed....
















count your blessings...

SNOW BABY SNOW!!

WooHoo! We got 8+ inches of snow today!!! I am lovin' it! The picture was taken before noon, but, it snowed til about 4:30. Snow just makes me happy! Growing up in Iowa, I've always loved it.
Hubby and I went to Show Low to get a couple of faucets we needed to replace, on Saturday. We went 'over the mountain' *elevation 9210*, and we were surprised to see so much snow! I don't think we've ever seen so much snow piled that high along the highway, and we've lived here for over 18 years. It was almost as high as my van in a couple areas...it looked like a couple of feet on the ground. LOVE IT! I just kept thinking how nice it's going to be for picinking in the spring.....it will be so green and the streams and creeks will all be running.

As far as the MONEY DIET goes....the faucets were an exempt expenditure. We did stop at Walmart for gas and groceries that I had already had a list for the next trip to Walmart. And, we did stop at my favorite Mexican food restaurant for dinner. We hadn't ate out since we were at the trailer in Safford, for Thanksgiving. I did buy milk Sunday, 2 for $4. So, I'm doing alright, no worries.

Sunday, I watched the commercial show....lol....the Super Bowl. I don't watch football, but, once a year I like to watch the SB. It was a good game, I'll admit. LOVED the commercials...my favorite was the Planters nut, Tide talking stain, Pepsi Max, E-trade baby and of course, the training Clydesdale. You can go to ::HERE:: to watch all the commercials.

I am going to cut this short so I can get a couple snowflakes done for 'Snowflake Monday', before I hit the sack.

count your blessings.....

Money Diet.....

Ok, I've been contemplating this for awhile. I've read on others blogs about them doing it, so, I decided to try it, too.
As I clean and such around the house, I see I have wasted ALOT of money *thank God hubby doesn't read blogs* ALOT on stuff I/we don't really need. The older I get, the more I am becoming aware of the fact, that when I am gone, no one is gonna give a crap about my/our 'stuff'. So, I have been making a major effort for about the past year of not buying on a whim, like I usually do. Alot of times, I will stand with the item in my hands or basket, considering if I want or NEED it. Sometimes, I will even go around the store with it 'in my possession' like I DO own it. Then, when I've made the final want/need decision, I either take it back or buy it. More and more, I'm finding I just put it back immediately. It has gotten easier and easier to walk away and I do feel better about it all.
SO.....this month, I am going to REALLY bite the bullet and NOT BUY. I will buy an occasional few groceries like produce, bread and milk, but, no sale shopping or unnecessary 'stuff'. I do have a few things I am already committed to, but, overall NO SPENDING other than normal bills. I'll see how it goes. This will really be a new concept for me.
Today, I spent -0-. I did go to the store, but, I put back what I had in my hand. One 75¢ bag of chocolate chips. I 'really' don't need more and they wouldn't take a coupon for it anyway, because it was a store 'thing'. (Oh, I remembered I did stop by the scrap store and picked up an order I had already placed and didn't get it in January. I don't consider that a February expenditure, tho.)
....wish me luck! I'm gonna need it.

Catch Up

I've been missing again......I just can't believe how fast the week flew by! I had every intention of posting..even taking pics, but, I am so tired after supper, that I just read a few emails and shut the puter off.....last night I was in bed before 10 and slept soundly all night....without a midnight potty run even....until 8:15. I didn't hear hubby come to bed or get up this morning.

Anyway, here's some pics from the week.....
Beautiful, red tulips! They splayed open and looked like daisies or something. I will plant the bulbs in my front flower bed.
My hyacinths!!! OH, how wonderful they smell! And, I love to see how fast they grow! ...more bulbs for the flower bed, too!
I finished another afghan. I just LOVE this pattern, it's so quick and easy. I like the no-brainer, repetious type of patterns, so, I can do them without looking at a pattern all the time. I have enough of this same yarn to do another one, but, I'm holding off on that for a bit. I want to start a rose square one next. In the meantime, I'm doing some little doilies with some #30 crochet thread, which is about like sewing thread. They turn out so cute and delicate. I like to give them away and send alot in the mail, too. I also found a fun thing online...Snowflake Monday. So, on Mondays, I'll be making 2 or 3 snowflakes, so, at the holiday season, I'll have lots of them ready to give.
Tuesday, I picked up my window advertisement....you can't see how cute the lips are in this pic. I'll have to take another one to show up better. Don't mind my dirty van, I knew the storm was coming and there would be no sense in washing it. *Notice my red, white and blue license plate. I bought that at the MVD. I love it! AND, now that I think of it, I haven't seen another one like it yet!
Wednesday, we got SNOW! I was beginning to get bummed out, thinking the snow missed us again. But, about 12:30, it started snowing hard and sticking. We ended up with about 5" on the ground. I had Avon to deliver, so, I did until the roads got TOO bad. Yucky, slick, and scary, plus, it was like a whiteout, all snowy and foggy. So, I came home and made some YUMMY Cinnamon Rolls....DE-licious!!! I have only made homemade cinnamon rolls twice before, so, I was really proud of these! I don't think I'll wait so long to make them again. I've been baking and cooking alot since hubby came home. I am loving it!

Yesterday, when I went to Safeway, they had Nestle's Chocolate Chip bags marked down to 75¢, so, picked up 8 bags of them....I couldn't pass that bargain up. Today, I made chocolate chip cookies. They were delicious AND soft...when they were warm! #1 son got one out of the cookie jar an hour after I had made them and said they were hard as a rock!!!! CRAP!!!! Please someone, send me a recipe for SOFT chocolate chip cookies!!! I thought these would be great! They were a new recipe from the Blue Bonnet margarine box, they stayed nice and puffy, so, I thought they would be soft, but, nope...they are dunkers for sure!
I have another post to share, but, for now I'll leave my
TIP OF THE DAY
When cutting cinnamon rolls into slices to bake, use dental floss. Slide it underneath and pull it though. Clean as a whistle! Using a knife to slice the dough will cause it to squish and flatten the slice.
count your blessings...