Off To Florida

Just a quick note to let you all know that my dear sweet wonderful husband, has rearranged his schedule, so that I can go to Florida for my friends funeral. He just let me know, so I have to run around like a mad woman, in order to get a couple of loads of laundy washed, and get my bags packed. Even though the reason for this trip, is a sad one, I am so looking forward to seeing family and friends!

I have a couple of BFF's in Lakeland, one who is going to "put us up" for a couple of days - THANK YOU SUSAN and BOB - and other friend who doesn't know I'm coming yet - Yeah BECKY - I mean YOU! Becky is a blogaholic too, so I'm sure that she will let me use her computer, so that I can let you all know what I'm up to.

I'm sure that many of you have had to get out your tissues, cause you're so upset that I won't be finishing with my "series" this week, (yes all 2.3 of you), but I promise that I'll pick up where I left off, as soon as I get back.

It's so great to have friends, and so great to have family, but to have Friends and Family...
...that's a true blessing, and I am so thankful.


Please keep us in your prayers as we travel tomorrow, and say an extra one for Vicki's family.

Yippeeeeeeeeee It's Day #3

Day Three ~ Family

How can I spend a week talking about my life, without including my family?

I can't!

I'll start with Mimi and Papa, since they are responsible for Steve and I getting together.
They have just celebrated their 36th wedding anniversary. This picture was taken in March of 2007.

For those of you who don't know the story ~ Our parents were both divorced from their first spouses. They met at a Parents Without Partner meeting. The rest is history. They dated, Steve and I dated...and then in January of 1973 my father married my husbands mother. Eight months later, Steve and I were married. Not a day goes by, that I don't thank God for bringing Steve into my life. I love him more, each and every day!

I think that he likes me just a little bit too. As you can see, if I nibble on his ear, he'll follow me anywhere. This picture was taken in 2003.

This was the last time that we were all together.
Kids, kids-in-law, girlfriends, and grand children.
Since this picture was taken we have finally had some more grand daughters.
There is just one up there. Can you find her?

Here are our kids. I think that they are a pretty good look'n bunch! All of our kids are red heads (the first 7) or blondes, but every now and then, one of them has to go and change their hair color - to black. And it's the boys who do it. Look around and you will see who can't leave "well enough" alone!

Stephen
Stephanie
Simon
Sarah
Suzanne
Seth
Sariah-Lynn
Solomon
Sonnie
& Joey

Steve and the boys 2003.

Me and the girls in 2003.

These are the kids who were married (at the time) and their children.
Since this was taken, Simon married his sweetheart, and they are expecting their first child in late March or early April.

Our kids are spread all over, from Florida to Wyoming. I travel to see them as often as possible, and most of them have come to see us in our new home. Steve doesn't get to travel with me very often, but he comes along whenever he can.

I couldn't do a post about family, and not include my puppies.
Look at those eyes. How could anyone NOT fall in love with this face.
Gracie was adopted from the Lakeland SPCA. She is so sweet.
Those goofy ears. One always stays "stationary" while the other one moves around listening for anything of importance...like...well anything!

I decided to include this picture of George with Miley.
Sadly, for me, Miley has gone to Rainbow Bridge.
She is missed every single day.

Look at George - see that gap in the middle of his bottom teeth?
He knocked that tooth out, when ramming into our front door one day.
He didn't like the idea of my leaving, so he got the idea into his head, that if he ran into the door hard enough, it would open and he could run out and get me. OUCH!
I never claimed that he was brilliant...just lovable.

So, tomorrow is another day - ya'll come back and see me.

Day #2 - Where it Happens

The first thing that I have to do today...is say
"HAPPY BIRTHDAY DAD"!
I have two of the coolest pictures of him, that I wanted to include in today's posts - But darn it, I couldn't get blogger to upload them last night, or this morning. I don't know whats going on. I'll keep trying to fiddle with it. I'll do a post one day next week featuring my dad. I'll give him a call this evening so that we call sing happy birthday to him.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Here is where I spend a lot of time. If I'm going to be totally honest, I have to admit that I have become a computer junkie. Hello, My name is Libby, and I'm a blogaholic. I guess it isn't so bad. I don't drink. I don't smoke, I don't use illegal drugs. I don't gamble. I don't go to movies. I don't shop a lot (although I could really do some damage shopping on line, if my husband didn't keep a handle on me)!

I try to keep my desk neat and clean - isn't it pretty! Steve bought this desk for me right before we moved. We got it from some dear friends - Hi Stephanie and Biz - and I think we got it for a steal! My only complaint is that the desktop is a little too high for me to comfortably use the mouse. I forget to pull out the the "shelf" to prop my arm on!

I love index cards. Love, love, love them! This little box doesn't seem very special, but I'll tell ya - it's my brain!. I keep all kinds of info in this box. (It might not seem like there is a lot in there, but remember I have other boxes in other places around the house.) I have cards that tell me where things are packed away. See the little black thingie right in front of the "D" tab. I have all of my Christmas "cards" clipped together. Each card has a number that corresponds to a storage box. On the card, I've listed everything that is inside that numbered box. Did I explain that so that I'm understood?

I have been having so much fun keeping track of where my "visitors" come from. I keep cards for each state, and country (with cities), that pop up on my live traffic feed. I actually preferred Maploco (cause it kept a 24 hour record of visitors) but my map crashed, and I haven't been able to get it "back up". Any body got and suggestions as to what happened?

I also have cards with lists of sites that I want to check out on a rainy day.
AND THEN - I have really important stuff, like my recipe for homemade ear drops for George. Because my brain doesn't always work right, I have many of the cards cross-referenced, so I'm always able to find what I'm looking for.

Here is the box, closed and tucked into the corner, along with my trusty Fly Lady timer. NOTE* there will be more about Fly Lady in a later post. I need the timer, so that I don't burn dinner, leave clothes in the dryer too long, forget to eat (yeah right, like that's ever going to happen), or fail to be ready to leave on time, if I need to go somewhere.

Here are some of my hanging files. They contain all kinds of wonderful things, like:

1. Newspaper clippings, magazine articles, and "random thoughts" - to use for future posts.
2. Photos, that are waiting to be framed.
3. Printer paper - both plain white and decorated, along with envelopes.
4. Computer related "tutorials", and keyboard shortcuts.
5. Worksheets for all kinds of stuff, that I'll never get around to filling out.

My printer - oh I do like my computer. What did we do without them?
You can't see it, but just to the left of my desk, under some of the pictures of my adorable grand children, is my photo printer. I can go through more photo paper and ink, than anyone would think possible. I'm one of those people who wants a REAL photo in my hands! Just having pictures stored in folders in the computer isn't enough for me.

Speaking of photos...see the photo on the monitor above. That's Jientje's Blog. She is a wonderful photogtrapher. I have started an album with photos (with the photographers permission of course) of some of my favorite photos, taken by my bloggie freinds.

It's amazing how many wonderful women (okay and men, but male bloggers are "few and far between" when it comes to blogging) I've "met" through my blog surfing. I feel like I really know them, as if they were people that I grew up with. There are several people, - like Jientje, and Robynn, and Sharon - who are near in age to me, and that think so much like I do, that I feel like we could be sisters.

Others have similar interests - like my "dog people".

Speaking of dogs, I could never leave out my constant companion. Here is George, on his pillow next to The Desk. Wherever I go, my little buddy is only steps away. As I type now, he is snoring softly, but as soon as I get up, he will be on my heals. Gracie loves me too, but she is content to do "her own thing". She doesn't need to be near me all the time, like George does.

News Flash - the doctor's office just called (I'm working on this draft on Monday afternoon), apparently I have Hypothyroidism. They are calling in a script and assure me, that I should start feeling better in a couple of weeks. I'm so glad that there is really something else going on medically, and that I'm not just going crazy! Shame on you...I know what you were thinking...My craziness is not debatable - well maybe I'm a little crazy, but a little craziness suites me well.

Rise and Shine?

Well here we go. This is my life. I'll begin with the start of my day. Since I have sleep disorders...I take different drugs to help me get to sleep and stay asleep. They have been a Godsend. But - on the flip side - I'm kind of hung over in the mornings, so it takes me a while to get up and get moving. This is just fine with George, as he likes to sleep in. He is supposed to sleep at the end of the bed, but as soon as Steve is up (he's out of bed at 4:45 and off to work by 5:20) and off, George crawls up and snuggles with me.

This is what my bed looks like, after I've gotten up!

I wish! But seriously, I do make my bed everyday, and this is what it usually looks like.
I really do love my bedroom. It is peaceful. Not too big, not too small. It's just right!
You can see that I have a tropical theme going on here. I took all the photos that are on the walls. They were all taken in Hawaii. Steve loves Hawaii, and would jump at the chance to live there.

Here is one corner of the room.
All the plants are silk, as I have just the opposite of a green thumb.

This is the wall to the left of the door leading into the master bath. The shell leis are from our trips to Hawaii. If you look very carefully, in the photo, you can see my husband jumping off of Macho Rock at Waimea Beach, on Oahu.

This is the wall to the left of my bed. The picture on the left is Steve. He and Barry had just come in from surfing. All these photos were taken in Suzanne (one of our daughters) and Barry's (her husband) backyard. They lived in Punalu 'u for a couple of years while Barry was going to BYU Hawaii.

Here is another great picture, taken close to the shore line, in their backyard. This is looking out, I think, at Kahana Bay.

Here is my wonderful, comfy recliner chair. I spend a lot of time here. It's a great place to read. Sometimes when I'm having a rough night, I'll spend several hours in my chair (with my trusty heating pad and small down comforter), so that I don't disturb Steve. See those clunky pink slippers. My daughter Sariah-Lynn gave them to me. The have batteries in them and they vibrate when turned on. Heavenly!

This is the basket at the foot of my chair. As you can see, I still haven't sent out all my Christmas Cards. I'm working on it, and I may get them in the mail before summer. I keep my address book, steno pads, recipes from the newspaper, etc. etc. in this handy little basket. It looks like I've got a pair of gloves in there too. I need to shove them back in the pocket of my jacket...so excuse me a moment...talk amongst yourselves...I'll give you a topic..."should the legal driving age be moved from 16 to 37?"...okay I'm back.

Here's another basket that sits by my chair. It has assorted pads of paper, post it notes, crayons, book marks, index cards - I love index cards! - and other handy items.

A calendar, index card box, and pens are sitting on a small hanging file container. I have files for: 1. my coupons and weekly store adds, 2. articles that I've printed off the internet, 3. notes for the lessons that I teach on the second Sunday of each month.

On to the bathroom. Here is my spa tub. For me this is almost a must, as opposed to a nicety. Some nights, this is the only thing that keeps me sane, and able to climb into bed. ( If you scroll back up to the very first picture, you can see the steps that I need to use to get into the bed. I'm short - the bed is high, so the steps come in handy!)

Thankfully, we have hot water heaters on both sides of the house, so I can soak in this baby for for as long as I want, adding more hot water as needed. I usually come out after about an hour, looking all pruny and red as a lobster. Right now, I can still manage to get in and out of the tub - but, for safety reasons, I never get into the tub, unless Steve is home. At some point in the future, we will have to put in a "step in tub", but I'll keep using this one as long as I can.

The right side of the tub.

The left side of the tub.
Those fantastic towels were given to me as a going away gift (when we moved from Florida) from my friend, Eleanor. She didn't know that I had this shower curtain. The towels are almost an exact "negative" of the shower curtain.

There is a giant frosted glass window behind the tub. My husband swears that you can't see through it, but I couldn't take a bath until we had a curtain up, and this shower curtain fit perfectly! I'm sure if we had neighbors actually living in the house next door, they would be very grateful that they didn't have to risk getting a glimpse of my nekkid hiney !!!

Okay - so this how I start my day:

1. I force myself to get up.
2. Potty break.
3. Brush my teeth, and hobble to the computer.
4. Check my email and do my post for the day.
5. Blog surf til my butt goes numb and the dogs are begging for breakfast.
6. Feed the dogs and give them their morning meds ( Enalpril, Furosemide and Amitriptyline for George and Furosemide and Amitriptyline for Gracie ).
7. Convince the dogs that they don't need to go out again (Big J takes them out at 6:00 before he goes to school), until Seth is up.
8. Go back to the computer and recheck my email and blog surf.
9. Realize that it's almost noon, and I haven't eaten my breakfast or taken my medicine, so I fix myself a bowl of cereal, and take my medicine.
10. Recheck my email and blog surf some more.

Actually, I do try to throw in a load of laundry once in a while.

Later in the week, I will share with you all, my cleaning routine. Don't give me that look, you'll like it - I promise!

So that's the start to my day. Come back tomorrow if I haven't bored you to tears.

Hugs and Kisses!

P.S. In yesterdays post, I meant to say, that the doctor thinks that it might be Lupus, that's causing a lot of my problems. Hopefully she will have the results today or tomorrow. I've been having some weird symptoms ( like my face will start "burning" and sometimes my upper lip feels like it is going numb - and my nose turns bright red), and I'll fell better when I know what's going on.
Thanks for all your prayers and kind words.

My Word Is PEACE

Chele had this quiz on her blog the other day. I took the quiz - just 5 or 6 questions. Here are my results:

You see life as precious, and you wish everyone was safe, happy, and taken care of.
Social justice, human rights, and peace for all nations are all important to you.

While you can't stop war, you try to be as calm and compassionate as possible in your everyday life.
You promote harmony and cooperation. You're always willing to meet someone a little more than halfway.

If you want to take the quiz go HERE, and then come back, and let me know what your word is!

I know that this post is short, but I had a bad night again last night. I threw up all of my meds, so subsequently, I didn't get to sleep til about 4:00 this morning. I sure hope that something comes up in all the lab work I had on Friday. The doctor thinks the Lupus might be causing the all over body pain, and the burning sensation across my face.

Also, my dear bloggy friends, would you please pray for the Marlowe and Studstill families? I got the news, yesterday, that my dear friend Vicki died. The family made the difficult choice, to take her off the ventilator, when the doctors told them that she would never be able to breath again on her own. She would not have wanted to be left in that state...so I'm glad that she is now at peace.

Blog Love Award

This one came from SimilingSal. Oh how I love awards!!!

Here are the rules:
1) Put the logo on your blog.
2) Add the link of the blogger who shared the award with you.
3) Pass this award to bloggers whose blogs you love.
4) Add your link to the list of participants below.
5) Leave a message on the blog of the blogger who passed this award.

Now, this is a simple thing for me to do! If I come over to your place, and comment - then this award is for you!. And I would LOVE to present you with this neat award! Please, please, please, leave me a comment and let me know if you'll give me the pleasure of awarding you. (It IS more fun to give than to receive!)

Now onto a few other things...

Have any of you kept up with the Idiot former District of Columbia Judge ? The one who is suing a dry cleaner for $54 million dollars, over a pair of lost pants? This is for real. Roy L. Pearson has claims that Custom Cleaners failed to live up to its promise of "Satisfaction Guaranteed." Can you believe this? So far three appellate judges have agreed that Pearson failed to show that the store's advertising amounted to fraud and said his argument defied logic AND an appeals court has just turned down a request for a new trial. Thank goodness - there are some judges on the bench that still have some sanity!

Have you hear about the Gassy Gus Flatulence Game (oh, I hope that a couple of my grand sons don't read this post, cause if they do I'll have to buy this thing)? You can purchase this game from Amazon.com for just $34.99 plus shipping and handling. According to Dave Barry, and I quote...

"Here is a fun game that will provide hours of entertainment for the whole family, provided that nobody in the family has an IQ higher than 40. Gassy Gus is a board game that comes with a little man named...get ready..."Gassy Gus". Players use "food cards" to force their opponents to pump" Gassy Gus's" head up and down. Each pump inflates his belly a little more, until finally Gassy Gus "blasts gas." Oh no! In other words, it is exactly like chess, except that instead of strategy there is flatulence. So in that sense it is actually more like the United States Congress."

Gotta Love Dave Barry! If any of you would be interested in purchasing the game - click HERE.

I love heading over to GitzenGirl. Last summer she did a 5 day set of posts, sharing Her Life with her readers. I really enjoyed that, so I thought that I might do the same thing here. After all, I know that the first that thing each of you do each day, is jump out of bed, run to your computer, and head on over to my place thinking "Oh what wonderful and marvelous words has Nutty Neas got for me today"? I know that you are holding your breath, charged with anticipation, at the thought of taking a peek into my world...seeing where I eat and sleep...where I sit and create posts that amaze and astound you...where I show pictures of my goofy dogs, and silly grand children. So people - take a chill pill and go mark your calendars - cause on Monday you are going to be able to step into my home and my life....Welcome!

Baby Memory Blanket Giveaway

From This...

To This!

Do all you mom's and grand mother's out there, have some precious baby clothes, that your children can no long wear, but that you can't bare to part with? Well I've got a solution for you!
Please go HERE, to Sandier Pastures, and enter this giveaway for the chance to win a Baby Memory Blanket, from Willow Creek Studio. You send them the outfits, and they send you back a completed baby blanket. They have adult blankets too. Think about all those t-shirts from clubs or classes that you or your teen aged children have. If I had the money, I'd been sending away for 13 baby blankets, and 17 adult blankets...like today, but alas, I don't have that kind of cash. But you can believe me...I'll be saving up!

Okie - Dokie, after you've been to Sandier Pastures and Willow Creek Studios, head on back here becase I got me some more awards - YeeHaw!