The old picture is of him and I before the Shrine Circus or Parade (cannot remember which) The other one is of him, my grandma and I at my 1 year wedding anniversary party.
1 year ago today I lost one of the most important people in my life. He was the man that was always there for me, who loved and adored me to no end and was a hero to me. We went to baseball games together, we went to museums together and just had the most wonderful time being with one another. It was always that way growing up, if he wanted to do something fun then he chose me to share that with him. Even after I became an adult. I would go see him, visit him and be with him. I loved to hear all his stories of growing up. I loved to hear stories of his work and family life. I loved to hear about his Navy days and all the stunts he used to pull and the fun that they had. I would go to Christmas parties with him. He was so involved in the community that he lived in and would do so much stuff for them that he would go to press confrences and take me with him. All the memories I have of him are great ones. He was the sweetest, kindest, most loving man I have ever known and I love and miss him terribly. I love you, Grandpa. Thank you for all that you have ever done for me. I miss you and love you more than you will ever know.

So things have been kinda crazy. Leah finally approved a baby shower for Cecilia. So now I am in full baby shower mode and trying to get things put together for a great shower. The only problem with that is working with Leah's sister in laws on it. I could just strangle them both. Every time I came up with a date it was not good for one of them... GRRRRRRRRR. So I got to the point where I picked out a date and that is what it is going to be and if they cannot make it... well frankly I DON'T GIVE A DAMN. :o) On top of the fact that the day I picked is my son's 11th birthday. It was the best that I could do and I will just have my son's bday on the 29th instead. Fortunately for me HE understands. So now the big issue is WHERE to have it since we are talking about 50 people or more. My house is not big enough, Leah's house is not big enough... blah blah BLAH!
I have decided on a princess theme for the shower and have found some really cute things and a diaper cake that I want to make. I am planning on making all the invitations, and will hopefully have the stuff to do that today. I will have to find some baby shower games to play. Since Leah has already had the baby it will be a little different than a regular baby shower.
OK, I have other crap that has to get done... I will vent later :o)

The Chicken Parm and the spaghetti sauce I made turned out awesome!!! The sauce only called for half a cup of white wine and it was the Clos Du Dois Pinot Grigio that I used. Of course I had to taste the wine before using it and it really is a very fresh, smooth wine...I used what was needed for the sauce and started drinking the rest... I have to say, it turned out GREAT, and so did I!!! :o) The kids loved the chicken and the sauce and so did my brother and hubby. Those recipes are definite keepers!! I added some extra seasoning to the chicken parm and beat the meat so that it was nice and tender. Friday night was movie night so after dinner and dessert (cheesecake) we sat and watched Christmas with the Kranks with the kiddos ( I fell asleep) But all in all it was a good evening. Saturday was a pretty relaxed day. Did not do too much. Then Saturday night we went to the Trivia night. That was also a lot of fun!! The questions were not near as hard as I figured they would be so it was a lot better than I thought. There were a lot of things I did not know, especially questions about movies and music that were before I was born.. but that was what the older people were for (not that they knew the answers either) All in all it was a great time and we really had fun. ( Did not meet any cops, so hubby did not have to worry :oP ) Afterwards we stopped at a bar called Helen Fitzgerald's and had a drink and went home.
Our older daughter spent the night with a friend, and the other 3 spent the night at my parents and 2 of them were going to go to church with my mom so we picked up the youngest and went to our friends that had our daughter and hubby did some computer work there. We came home and vegged ( I napped) and then later that evening went to dinner with my grandma and spent time with her and played a game of tile rummy. Grandma quit and sat and snuggled with Hannah and watched Jurassic Park with the kiddos. That was pretty much the extent of my weekend.
Not really in the mood to post... will hopefully feel up to it soon...

From my Mother In Law...









My last email Dear friends,
I'm sorry to say this but this will be my last e-mail.
Things have been a bit tough today and life is getting shorter and
shorter every day. I want to take time and smell the roses. So I am
going to quit my job & travel full time with a biker gang to see the
country and enjoy life while I still can. Don't worry about me - they all
seem like really nice people. It has been nice emailing you and knowing you,
but it's time to say good-bye.

Thanks for the memories, but it's time to make new ones!

A photo of the biker gang is attached - I hope you understand that I
have no choice but to go with them.

I found a recipe I am going to try tonite. I hope that it is good, it got great reviews and I want to try cooking something different...I think that I will add some more spices to the breading but it sounds yummy so I thought I would share :o) Jen, this is not a recipe you can pull outta the freezer sweets :o) (love you queeny!!!) I think I will also attempt to make a marinara sauce... I have yet to try either of them, so if you try them before me and dont like it I am not to blame!!!
Well, it looks like my brother is finally a teenager (he is after all 17) My dad went to his parent/teacher conference yesterday and looks like he skipped school a few months back and did it again last week. Plus his grades are starting to slack. He used to be an A student and it has gone down considerably. So he managed to get him self grounded longer. He also started chewing a few months back and my parents found out. I think he has stopped that, but he got caught a few times :o) Drinking and chewing... not too bad, could be worse. But he says he is not doing any drugs so I hope that he is telling me the truth. Ok, off to get some lunch!

After this...Queeny... I have a new song for you. Keith Urban's Tonight I Wanna Cry.
2 can play the song game :o) I know you are not the biggest fan of Country but you should try this one out!!! And hes CUTE !

Alone in this house again tonight
I got the TV on, the sound turned down and a bottle of wine
There's pictures of you and I on the walls around me
The way that it was and could have been surrounds me
I'll never get over you walkin' away

(Chorus:)
I've never been the kind to ever let my feelings show
And I thought that bein' strong meant never losin' your self-control
But I'm just drunk enough to let got of my pain
To hell with my pride, let it fall like rain
From my eyes
Tonight I wanna cry

Would it help if I turned a sad song on
"All By Myself" would sure hit me hard now that you're gone
Or maybe unfold some old yellow lost love letters
It's gonna hurt bad before it gets better
But I'll never get over you by hidin' this way

OK, now the recipes!!

Chicken Parmigiana

---

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 egg, beaten
• 2 ounces dry bread crumbs
• 2 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
• 3/4 (16 ounce) jar spaghetti sauce
• 2 ounces shredded mozzarella cheese
• 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

---

DIRECTIONS:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Lightly grease a medium baking sheet.
2. Pour egg into a small shallow bowl. Place bread crumbs in a separate shallow bowl. Dip chicken into egg, then into the bread crumbs. Place coated chicken on the prepared baking sheet and bake in the preheated oven for 40 minutes, or until no longer pink and juices run clear.
3. Pour 1/2 of the spaghetti sauce into a 7x11 inch baking dish. Place chicken over sauce, and cover with remaining sauce. Sprinkle mozzarella and Parmesan cheeses on top and return to the preheated oven for 20 minutes.

Best Marinara Sauce Yet

---

INGREDIENTS:

• 2 (14.5 ounce) cans stewed tomatoes
• 1 (6 ounce) can tomato paste
• 4 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 6 tablespoons olive oil
• 1/3 cup finely diced onion
• 1/2 cup white wine

---

DIRECTIONS:

1. In a food processor place Italian tomatoes, tomato paste, chopped parsley, minced garlic, oregano, salt, and pepper. Blend until smooth.
2. In a large skillet over medium heat saute the finely chopped onion in olive oil for 2 minutes. Add the blended tomato sauce and white wine.
3. Simmer for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.

HA HA!!!! This is just plain stupid but too freakin funny to pass up...

Your Stripper Song Is

Pour Some Sugar on Me by Def Leppard "Love is like a bomb, baby, c'mon get it on Livin' like a lover with a radar phone Lookin' like a tramp, like a video vamp Demolition woman, can I be your man?" Break out the baby oil, you rock it old school.

What Song Should You Strip To?

Someone please tell me... WHY you would want this( got it in my email)... Get a $500 Gift Card to Krispy Kreme or Dunkin Donuts... Unless of course you were some cop that loves that kind of thing... OK, that was mean and stereotypical but I could not help but find that funny. :o) I am done being mean! Have a great day!

Well, hubby did not go on his biz trip this week, it has been moved to next month. Which is no biggy.
I did manage to escape for a little while last night and hit a few stores. Hubby wanted the new Godfather game so I got that for him and a few little things. Starting to put together baby shower stuff for when they bring Cecilia home. I figure it will be a couple more months but no time like now to start planning :o) I still have to get her something but not sure what to get her since Leah has not registered anywhere and have no idea what she wants for Cecilia. HERE is the website again. They have been updating it pretty religiously. There are some really cute pictures of Cecilia in a princess pink bathrobe.
Other stuff going on... The company that my hubby works for is hiring someone to do Medical transcription. Well, my sister in law did it for years and the job is offering 40k a yr which is double what she is making now. It require her to move here and leave the only thing she knows but she was really excited and her and her son were going to come here and stay with us til we found them something. Hubby and I were working out the details as far as our house goes and I was starting to look into places around here for her and her kiddo. Well, last night she called and said she could not do it, that her ex told her not to take their kid away. So she is turning down an amazing opportunity for her ex. *sigh* It is just so stupid how she is under his thumb like that. He is with another girl, and really is NOT a good person. LOSER is the word that really strikes home about him. She has so much potential and bcuz of what her ex said and because her son does not want to do it, she is turning it down. Just stupidity. I also think selfishness on the part of her ex. It is not that far from where we are to where she lives. Here is an opportunity for her to make good money and take care of herself and for her kid and she doesn't do it cuz her does not want her to. OK, I am done, I could go on and on but I will stop.
The pic that I added is from Christmas. It is just of the girls in the family, except for a few, like my daughter who was sick in bed. Jill is missing and a bunch that no one cares about :o)
The song of the day... Josh Turner - Your Man... he has the SEXIEST voice.... OK, off to have lunch! Have a great day!!!

This is from Drew (damn Canadians)... Guess I should post a guys POV... not that its right, but hey, they can have a voice once in a while...
The Guys' Rules
At last a guy has taken the time to write this all down. Finally, the guys' side of the story.
(I must admit, it's pretty good.)
We always hear "the rules"
from the female side. Now here are the rules from the male side. These are our rules!
Please note... these are all numbered "1"
ON PURPOSE!
1. Learn to work the toilet seat. You're a big girl. If it's up, put it down. We need it up, you need it down. You don't hear us complaining about you leaving it down.
1. Sunday sports. It's like the full moon or the changing of the tides. Let it be.
1. Shopping is NOT a sport. And no, we are never going to think of it that way.
1. Crying is blackmail.
1. Ask for what you want. Let us be clear on this one: Subtle hints do not work! Strong hints do not work! Obvious hints do not work! Just say it!
1. Yes and No are perfectly acceptable answers to almost every question.
1. Come to us with a problem only if you want help solving it. That's what we do. Sympathy is what your girlfriends are for.
1. A headache that lasts for 17 months is a problem. See a doctor.
1. Anything we said 6 months ago is inadmissible in an argument. In fact, all comments become null and void after 7 days.
1. If you won't dress like the Victoria's Secret girls, don't expect us to act like soap opera guys.
1. If you think you're fat, you probably are. Don't ask us.
1. If something we said can be interpreted two ways and one of the ways makes you sad or angry, we meant the other one.
1. You can either ask us to do something or tell us how you want it done. Not both. If you already know best how to do it, just do it yourself.
1. Whenever possible, please say whatever you have to say during commercials.
1. Christopher Columbus did not need directions and neither do we.
1. ALL men see in only 16 colors, like Windows default settings. Peach, for example, is a fruit, not a color. Pumpkin is also a fruit. We have no idea what mauve is.
1. If it itches, it will be scratched. We do that.
1. If we ask what is wrong and you say nothing," we will act like nothing's wrong. We know you are lying, but it is just not worth the hassle.
1. If you ask a question you don't want an answer to, expect an answer you don't want to hear.
1. When we have to go somewhere, absolutely anything you wear is fine...Really.
1. Don't ask us what we're thinking about unless you are prepared to discuss such topics as baseball, the shotgun formation, or monster trucks.
1. You have enough clothes.
1. You have too many shoes.
1. I am in shape. Round is a shape.
1. Thank you for reading this. Yes, I know, I have to sleep on the couch tonight; but did you know men really don't mind that? It's like camping.


OK, so it does not ALL apply to ALL men... but to some :o) Enjoy! I will post more later

Ok, so I have managed to clip all my coupons. Now I am sitting here with them wondering what in the hell I am going to DO with them :o)
I did think of something new that I want to do on here... I want to start posting recipes. I prefer to bake above all else, but I do have some other good recipes. Some I use a lot, others only once in a while. I have a husband that does not like to try many things so I am limited in ingredients sometimes or him having to fend for himself when I am really craving something. The first recipe I will post is something that I love in the Spring and Summer on grilled chicken.

Avocado, Corn and Tomato Salsa

1/4 c fresh lime juice
2 T oil
2 tsp. Sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1 large ripe avocado-peeled,seeded and diced
1 large tomato, diced
1 c thawed frozen or canned corn kernels
1/4 c chopped red onion
1/4 c chopped fresh cilantro
1/4 tsp salt and pepper

Roll limes on counter and heat for 10 sec. in the microwave. Cut in half and squeeze out juice into a bowl. Add oil, sugar, salt, avocado, tomato, corn, red onion, and cilantro. Stir until mixed wel. Add salt and pepper to taste. Use as a side dish or later on grilled chicken breasts.

It really is very yummy. I love avocados so it is a great fresh recipe that really adds something to plain grilled chicken.

*sigh* I just made a dr appt. I HATE going to the doctor. I have been yelled at for some time to go and see my doc since I went to the hospital and my GRANDMA got onto my case so I figured I better get it done before she beats me. Blah, blah and BLAHHHHH...

Blah, oh well... I will get over it and it is not til the middle of next month so I have some time to forget about it and pout later :o) Have I ever mentioned that I do not care for doctor appt's?? The orneriness in our family runs deep. We are all stubborn and don't like to go to the doctor unless we just HAVE to.
OK, well I am off to clean my bathroom, it could use a good scrubbing down and I guess I am the one hired to do it... blah yet again :o)

The other attempt at posting the pic did not work... hopefully this one will.

OK, how is this for being a sucker... I AM NOW A PART OF JEN'S COUPON WEBSITE!!! HELPPPPPPPP!!!!!! :o) I AM GOING TO BECOME A COUPON NAZI LIKE JEN!!!! :o)
I could not add the pics like I wanted to... so I will just add one here of Malcolm, Michelle and Nayah. What can I say, good looks run in our family :o) My cousin is beautiful, her baby is beautiful and she has an adorable hubby. I also have 1 pic of my brother that I will add. Since he just got his head buzzed he looks a little different. Still adorable of course. Hmm... seems that I am in an arrogant mood! :o) I just cannot seem to help it. Nothing too exciting to talk about. I talked to M for it seems about 4 hours. It could have been 3, but who knows. What can we say, we have a lot to catch up on :o)
I have 2 confessions to make... I LOVEEEEEE the movie Little Shop of Horrors and I am listening to the song November Rain by Guns N Roses... which is not my normal Country, but hey I love the song :o) OK, I will post more tomorrow dinner will burn if I stay here too long :o)

Let's see, where to start. Friday night I went to the hospital to visit with Leah and Cecilia. Cecilia was in her green outfit and green hat for Patty's day and looked adorable. She smiled for me several times and just looked adorable. I stayed for about 2 hours and just enjoyed my time seeing her and talking to Leah and John. She really is doing great. She is gaining weight and they are taking her off of more and more of the machines. She is at 1 lb and 15 oz.
Saturday morning I went scrapbooking with the girls for the first time in a LONG time. It was a great time and I managed to get a lot done. MOST of my Memphis trip is done. It is almost to 100 pages just for this one album. Leah and Deanna were not there so I got a lot more done than I normally do. Darla kept me on my toes but that is normal for her. :o) Hubby and the kids just spent a day together and Victoria spent the night with one of her friends for the first time since she had surgery so that was kind of scary, yet it went great!
Sunday morning I cleaned house and got stuff done and then we went to my aunt's for the party. I am uploading pics of that as we speak. Not sure how long that is going to take since I am doing 20 of them at once, but I will put a link up as soon as I have one. It was a great time and it was wonderful seeing Malcolm again. It was also great seeing Nayah and Michelle. They decided not to go to Jamaca til this summer since his family is going to have a family reunion and they want to go to that instead. So they are just going to be here for a couple of weeks, go to FL for a week then come back here for a little while longer. Hopefully we will be able to get together again before they have to leave. Malcolm did decide that he would take the tour to Korea and spend a year there and hopefully be able to get out after that is said and done. Michelle and Nayah hope to go over there and visit him while he is there. Who knows... maybe my mom and I will go with them and make a trip of it :o) I know I want to go back to visit and so does my mom. Anyways, the party was wonderful and it was great to be with them. There were lots of people there and Nayah was being passed around like a hot potato but I did get to hold and spend some time with her. After we left the party we went to my grandma's house to visit with her for a while. She had been at the party but left early with my other aunt since it was too much comotion for her. She wanted us to stop by so we did and stayed and talked with her for a while. She really is the most amazing woman ever. Her and Hannah just sat and snuggled while we were there and the other kids were close by. She loves being with the kids and they love being with her. It is one of those precious things that I will always treasure.
That was pretty much my weekend in a nutshell. Oh, and HAPPY FIRST DAY OF SPRING!!!! NOT, that it is going to be around here since we are getting a snowstorm come through here today and tomorrow and have the potential to get 4-8 inches of SNOW. So, BLAH to the first few days of Spring :o)
Hubby has his first business trip coming up this Thursday. Which is really quick since this is just his second week on the job. He will be going to Chicago Thursday and Friday and either be back sometime Friday night or early Saturday morning. The first of many business trips to come I am sure. He is excited and really liking his job so it should be great. OK, I am off to get more cleaning and laundry done. I will add the link to the pics as soon as it is done. Hopefully it will not take all day to do!

Lyrics to a really cute song... that I sort of relate to...

SheDaisy... God Bless the American Housewife

Look at me,I'm gorgeous in my housecoat with my coffee cup
I bend down to get the paper,every neighbor tryin' to check me out
Look at me,I'm lovely as I wave beside my minivan
Look at how my diamonds seem to sparkle on the garbage can

Chorus:
God bless the American housewife
How she does it all I'll never know
God bless the American housewife
She could use a miracle for sure
God bless the American housewife
Cleanin' up the world for you and me
God bless the American housewife
(Ah Ah Ah Ah AH)

Look at how my children play Commando in the cul-de-sac
Look at how my husband has survived another heart attack
Look at all the other mothers envious of all my things
Have to call the plummer Cause my daughter flushed my wedding ring


Look at me, I'm beautiful and glamorous in rubber gloves
Look how my tiara can be bent back to the shape it was
I can do the laundry and make dinner while I'm on the phone
Look at me, I'm sexy as the devil when I mow the lawn


How she does it all I'll never know
God bless the American housewife

HAPPY SAINT PATRICK'S DAY!!!!

I hope that everyone has a wonderful and SAFE St. Patty's Day!!!

My dad and uncle are going out to a sports bar called Brewskee's and invited us along but I think I am going to pass and just veg. But, I am wearing my green :o)

It seems I have forgotten to mention some happy family news. My cousin Michael FINALLY proposed to his girlfriend Jill. Mike is still in school for International Law. They have been together for quite some time and live in Columbia. They have been living together for some time and have 2 dogs. He had her ring made and took her to a park with the dogs and was going to propose then one of the dogs ran off. So once they got him back they went to a dog park and he asked her to get some dog biscuits out of his jacket pocket and after sending her back a second time she found the ring and he was down on his knee proposing to her. I am very happy for the both of them. She is a real sweetie and I am so happy she is going to be a part of the family. So, CONGRATS to the 2 of them.
This weekend should be a good one. I have decided to actually go scrapbooking with our group for the first time in a LONG time. Its from 10-10 tomorrow so it should be a nice and relaxing time. Leah and Deanna will not be there, which sucks but they both have a lot going on. Leah of course will be with Cecilia, who is 1 MONTH OLD TODAY!!!!! And Deanna is moving into her new house this weekend. It is a brand new house that was built in like 4 months. Victoria will be spending the night with one of her friends Saturday night and going to church with her friend. Then Sunday at 3 we have the party for Malcolm.
I talked to my girlfriend Kris last night for the first time in quite a while. It was wonderful to talk to her again. We have both been so busy with our lives that it seems like we just dont have time to pick up the phone to talk. But last night we talked for about 3 hours.
Jen, I have a pic of my brother for you... I will upload it in just a little bit!! :o)

Yesterday was a good day. The kids and I went out to my aunts and I managed to get a few pages done. I will eventually take pictures of the pages I have done. Other than that nothing too exciting going on. My aunt Jamie ( the one I do not like) called my aunt Kathy to let her know that she no longer has a metro telephone line and will not be calling her or my grandmother much anymore because of it. Which is the doing of her husband since the bastards mom and aunt live by them he decided they did not need to spend the extra $$ and took it off the phone so now my grandma cannot even call down there without it costing her too. The guy really is a fat fucking bastard. Did I ever mention I do not like my aunt's husband?? :o) Of course I am not fond of my aunt either, but when it affects my grandma it tends to piss me off. Cuz if it were not for that fact I would not care since I think I have talked to my aunt on the phone 3 times. And all 3 times her fuckin husband thought he had to listen in on our conversation. OK, all done....
Now for the good stuff.... Jen, in honor of you, I thought I would add a few pictures of my brother. This is his bedroom. That is him in blue, that is his friend Sean in the background... who I might add IS 18. LOL (at least he is legal hunny) Oh, and do not forget to note the calendar in the background... we got that for him... (basically to piss off my mom). The blonde in the background is a girl he liked but is not dating. I think I will have to do a pic a day of my brother now... I have some of him in his football stuff too. This should be lots of fun. I will take pics of him on Sunday too... with his shaved, receeding hairline.... :o)

The kids and I are off to my aunt's for the day. It seems I have created yet another monster. Scrapbooking monster that is!! :o) She is absolutely loving her new hobby and since I have been over there I have managed to get a lot of my Memphis trip scrapbooked. Which will be an album all on its own once I am done.
My brother decided last night that he wanted to SHAVE all his hair off. He is as adorable as ever, BUT he has a receding hairline... which I happened to point out cuz I thought his friends had taken a CHUNK of his hair out, but NOPE, its a receding hairline... poor guy. He of course had no freakin clue then here comes his sister to point something like that out *sigh*. Such a bad sister. I will have to take a picture of him this weekend. Oh and might I point out... HE IS ONLY 17! LOL. Hey Jen, that was for you :o)
Ok, well I am off to have a day full of scrapbooking!! Have a great one all!

OK, so I do not have my Jobie pics scanned in... but I thought that I would show a pic from that time frame... This pic was taken in Korea. It is a picture of me and my mom in traditional Korean dresses. It is from 1994.

1 day down for my hubbies new job and 4 more to go this week :o) Now if we can get another 33 years outta this company then we are set to go!!! Nothing really new to report. I have not paid any attention to politics, no attention to sports and not about much of anything else for that matter!
My parents came over last night and we watched Sopranos. Which I have to say, I like the show and it was a great way to start. It has been a long time since its been on so I had to refresh my memory on who was who but all in all it was good. The premier night was Sunday but we were with my grandma, and that was more important. My dad invited us to go to a trivia night out at the Police Dept that is by them. I have met a few of the guys since they do a lot of business with my dad so it should be a good time. Trivia (which I suck at) and drinking sounds good to me Plus, they provide the beer lol. Guess I should load my brain up with useless information and dates to play trivia. Hmmm.... wonder who will be patroling the streets...
I have talked to my best friend several times lately and Cecilia is doing great. She invited me to go up to the hospital with her last night since her hubby is not feeling well but my parents came over so I did not go :o( I was planning on going tonite but she will not be up there and I want to see Cecilia out of her isolete so I will wait for another night when she is up there and I can see her.
I got an Email today... so for all my Saint Louis friends... Matt is working with the Perfection DeMolay Chapter and they are having a scenic flight around Saint Louis raffle. It is a 2 hour long sightseeing tour of St. Louis for 2. The raffle tickets are $5 each and the drawing will be during Missouri DeMolay State Conclave which is May 28th 2006. The flight originates from St. Louis but date and time is up to the winner. For those of you that do not know what DeMolay is, it is a Masonic branch for boys. There is also a couple of girl's branches, Rainbow girls and Job's Daughters. Matt was a DeMolay and I was a Jobie so we go way back when it comes to this stuff :o) hmm... maybe I will have to dig up a pic of me from Jobie's and scan it in.... I probably even have some of Matt in DeMolay garb... wouldn't that be nostalgic! :o) Anyways if you are interested let me know by leaving me a message here or by Emailing me. (cjbren@yahoo.com) and I will get you in touch with Matt to get those raffle tickets.
It really is a wonderful organization. All of them really, but the girls and boys parts are a lot of fun. It is a wonderful way to meet people, to learn things, volunteer and just have fun... HERE is a link for the MO DeMolay if you want to check it out. If you got to Chapters and then 7 and Perfection you can see the Chapter that Matt is working with. HERE is the website for MO Job's Daughters. I belonged to this organization. If you go to Missouri Bethel's I was in Bethel 1 and was a PHQ ( Past Honored Queen) there. Anyways, someday I might add a pic or 2 of those days long past. OK, what started as a short post got pretty long...

HEY JEN, HE IS ONLY 17!!!!! I LOVE YOU!!!!! :o)

Hubby started his new job today!!! We are both really excited about it, yet we have grown accustomed to being together all the time so that part sucks that hes not here all the time now. He will have to travel to Chicago, India and Canada for this job but hopefully not often and we all plan on going to the one in Canada. It will be great for the kids.
Yesterday was my grandpa's birthday and he would have been 81. My parents, my aunt and uncle and us and the kiddos went to my grandma's and went to have dinner with her at Bandana's. Which was one of my grandpa's favorite places. She seemed to handle yesterday fairly well. My aunt took her to the cemetary. Then March 30th is the 1 year anniversary of him dying. No plans for that day yet, but I am sure we will all get together again.
My best friends baby is doing great. She is gaining weight all the time. She is now 1 lb 12 oz. They had her christening gown on her last night so hopefully she will get pics of her up soon. I will hopefully go up and see her tomorrow evening. I have not been up there since she was a day old. I figured mom and dad probably need time with her and the bonding time that is so very important along with all the emotional stuff that goes with it. But she will be a month old on Friday and its about time I went and saw her :o)
The picture that I have up today is of a little girl named Hannah ( not my Hannah). Her mom is a good friend of my best friends and her and I have done the TS walk for Hannah. We did it the first and second year and missed last year and I will hopefully do it this year. HERE is the link from 2 years ago when I blogged about doing the walk. I got over $200 for that walk and hope to do better this year. The walk is April 8th, its a mere 2 miles and a beautiful park to walk through. The first year my best friend and I did it we had wonderful scenery... Almost all the fields were filled with guys playing rugby. It made the walk fun :o). Not sure if my best friend will do this walk but if not then I am sure I can sucker my hubby into going with me. He went with Leah and I the second year so I am sure he would do it again. I have a recent pic of Hannah but I do not have it scanned in yet. So I will have to work on that and see if I can get it in and up here. If you would like to donate let me know and I will get you the info so that you can do that.
My cousin Michelle, her baby Nayah and her hubby Malcolm are coming home this coming weekend so we are going to have a welcome home party for Malcolm since he just got back from Iraq. They will be here a week, then going to FL for a week, then down to Jamaca for a week, that is where Malcolm was born. It will be great to see them all!! We did get some bad news though. The Army is trying to screw Malcolm and trying to get him to resign for another 3 years. He of course is done with it all. Done 2 tours in Iraq, been away from his baby most of her life, and now they want to resign him send him to a different base and send him BACK to Iraq for a third time. His other choice is no resign and he can go to Korea for a year without his family. And by the time he gets back from there he will have served his full time and can hopefully get out. He was in Iraq for 11 1/2 months this last tour and really does not want to go back and be away from his wife and baby but if it means going to Korea and getting out in a year that is more appealing than resigning and being sent back to Iraq. Then to top it all off he was exposed to TB and had to go get tests run. No results yet, but he was vaccinated against it so hopefully he is ok.
Now, for my grandma. I have managed to spend some time with her, especially while my hubby was home. I went to my aunts last Wednesday to scrapbook with her and she had taken my grandma to the doctor the day before. My grandma has 30-40% use of her heart, her lump in her breast is cantalope size and reaching around her side now, she has spots on her lungs, that she will not get tested since there is no point, and she has COPD emphesyma(?). So needless to say it was horrible news. The doctor once again tried talking her into a masectomy but of course that is a no and wanted to test the spots on her lungs and again it was a no. Not that I blame her. This is the way she wants it and its quality of life not quantity. It hurts like hell to see her hurting, though she hides it well, and is horrible knowing that I am going to lose her soon. My aunt, grandma and I went to lunch last Thursday and had a great time. I am cherishing every moment that I have with her. We spent all afternoon together and had a great time. We went to Hemispheres, a beautiful furniture store and wandered around there for a long time then just sat and visited. We are planning a trip to Kansas City soon. She wants to see her sister and since Dory is unable to make the trip we are going to take grandma to her. They have not seen one another in at least 10 years. That is a long story that I will have to share another time.

The pic is of me and my littlest at my aunts from this past weekend.
Fortunately nothing traumatic seems to be going on right now :o) My hubby got a new job and I am very proud of him. Now that he has a new job I can say he was fired over all the stuff that happened with our daughter. The guy he was workin for thought that he took too much time off when our daughter was in the hospital and that he was not doing his job. He forgot about the times that my husband had his computer at the hospital and worked from there or the time that my husband went to a client before my daughter had another surgery. He fired him over the phone while we were on our way to the emergency room for the 3rd time, with our daughter who was having a lot of pain in her side. We spent 9 hours in the emergency room with her and more blood tests and another CT scan and the bastard FIRES my husband for spending too much time away from work... Oh, well things turned out for the best. He has a better job that pays a whole hell of a lot more. So not all bad came of it.
I did end up in the emergency room last week also. (problem 143 it seems) Nothing too big. I was having massive pain in my abdomen, could barely walk, turns out that I had a cyst on my ovary that ruptured. Not that it was a picnic but at least it was nothing that required anything further other than I have to put up with the pain.
My best friends baby seems to be doing good. She is on meds to close a valve in her heart. She is gaining weight and really bonding with her mommy. My best friend is completely in love with her baby and is so cute to listen to her talk about her baby girl. It is the sweetest thing to see. Finally she has a child and is able to bond with her.
My grandma seems to be doing good. She is hiding her pain and is just living her life like she always would. We have been visiting her more often and she is really just enjoying life. The 12th is my grandpa's birthday so we are going to go there to be with her and then the 30th of this month is 1 year since we lost my grandpa so it is a really hard month for all of us, especially her.
Ok, I am off to scrapbook with my aunt for a while. Hope all is well with everyone out there!!!