Open your eyes!

Open your eyes, look within. Are you satisfied with the life you're living?

-Bob Marley

Cake! Let them eat some!

[gallery orderby="title"]

Click on any photo to biggify! It's magnificent. I wonder if it tasted as good as it looked?

And Kate's evening dress was simply stunning!

I love that Kate's sister Pippa, her maid of honor, also wore white. Something truly elegant, simple, lovely and beautiful. And it took absolutely nothing away from the bride!

Why do so many brides choose the most hideous styles and colors for their attendants to wear in their weddings? I mean no one style or color will be flattering to everyone, but you could at least keep it simple!

[caption id="attachment_621" align="alignnone" width="604" caption="Janice's Wedding 1986"][/caption]

I actually had another word with my sister Janice last night about the dress I had to wear for her wedding. It was horrible on me. Big poofie sleeves, a bustle sort of thing goin' on, no support and a ginormous bow in the front! It looked nice on Lynda and Tina, but not me. Not one bit.

[caption id="attachment_620" align="alignnone" width="604" caption="Janice's Wedding 1986 - The SisterDears"][/caption]

Speaking of sisters... today is the last day my baby sister Tina will be forty-something! I hope you have a lovely day, SisterDear!

So it's the weekend and there's nothing special on tap here. A little grocery shopping. A little housework. A little relaxing... life is good. I hope your day is lovely! Big hugs xo

The Royal Waves

Waving to the crowds, a photo by The British Monarchy on Flickr.

I must say, I had not planned to watch, but I did and I enjoyed it.

The hats were fabulous!

And I loved Kate's dress. She has the cutest, tiniest figure and she wore it beautifully.

As beautiful as the Princess Bride was.... She may have been upstaged just a teeny tiny bit by Beatrice's hat.

It's good to be the King!

All these questions about do you want to be king? It's not a question of wanting to be, it's something I was born into and it's my duty. . . . Wanting is not the right word. But those stories about me not wanting to be king are all wrong.

-Prince William

Fine. I'm watching it.

So what else do you do when You get up at 3am and there just happens to be a Royal Wedding?

So far I have watched the Princes William and Harry arrive, Prince Charles and Camilla, Prince Edward and his daughters Eugenie and Beatrice, a bunch of Dukes, Duchesses and Royal Consorts, and just now Queen Elizabeth. And Kate's family is arriving, too.

Every one is wearing hats! I love hats! Why don't people wear hats any more?

Oh, the bride is arriving! Very pretty! Now I wonder how long her train is? I'll know soon enough as she's nearly arrived at Westminster Abbey. Apparently, everyone has been dying to know who designed her dress. It's all they talked about for an hour.

Yes, she is wearing a diamond tiara! I knew she would!

She has arrived! Apparently the designer is Sarah Burton. And the train is not ridiculously long, thank goodness.

Oh, poo! The tiara is just on loan to her by the Queen. Rats.

Ok. The pomp and circumstance is about to begin.

So sad that Diana is not there. I'll bet she's watching.

Good Advice

Good advice is always certain to be ignored, but that's no reason not to give it.

-Agatha Christie

Gambling

Gambling: The sure way of getting nothing for something.

- Wilson Mizner

Royal Wedding Eve

So are any of you following this? This.... What is this exactly?

I really don't get the whole British Monarchy thing. The British people give them money to live in a couple of castles scattered across Great Britain and Scotland and then every 30 years or so they have a lavish wedding they have to foot the bill for as well? That they aren't EVEN invited to (y'all).

My mother mentioned that the live coverage will start tomorrow morning at 4am. I do recall watching some of Princess Diana's wedding before work all those many years ago... And do you know what I remember most? I remember feeling sorry for Diana for what I imagined her life would become. I hope the new Princess's life will be better and happier than Diana's.

On the up side... I'll bet she'll get a really pretty tiara out of the deal.

And you can bet that there will be cake!

I feel healthier and thinner already

Well, my infomercial purchase arrived this afternoon! I'll tell you one thing... they've got a tidy amount tied up in printing and DVDs. There are several recipe books and 2 sets of recipe cards as well as a bunch of CDs/DVDs, some that are overall instructional, 2 audio CDs and 4 workout DVDs.



Just glancing at the recipes they're very similar, if not exactly the same, to how I already cook. The part that most interested me, and the reason I ordered it, is the Million Meals Menu Planner. It has all foods sorted into the 3 Categories - Protein, Fast Carbs and Slow Carbs. The gist of this program, based on the Glycemic Index, is that each and every meal you are supposed to make one selection from each category, mixed and matched any way you choose - all in the appropriate proportions of course - and have 2 snacks between meals. They contend that it is the balance of these 3 categories that will either REV up your metabolism to burn fat or SLOW it down and make your body hold onto the fat.

This is a style of planning meals to your best advantage, not a diet, as you eat all your favorite foods and beverages - even wine! They view wine, or any alcoholic beverage, as a fast carb. So I just leave out the bread, corn, or whatever fast carb off my plate and have my glass of wine. Literally nothing is off the table. You just make informed choices. There is even a guide to eating out for most popular restaurants. There was no mention of cruises, but I'm sure I could make it work on a cruise with no problem.

Now, putting this plan into action will first involve grocery shopping. My mother does most of the cooking around here and she doesn't use many of the items I do... like balsamic vinegar, fresh fruits and yogurt come to mind right off the top of my head! I'll get a list together and head out to Wally World bright and early Saturday morning!

I'm excited to get back to cooking my own foods again, exercising and kissing that extra padding hasta la bye bye.

Although I gotta tell ya, the exercise part will be the hardest part. srsly.

White Oleander and other Wednesday stuff

This White Oleander tree is now is full bloom over at Al and Barbara's house. It's very, very tall - I'd guess about 15 feet. I had no idea they got that tall actually.

It is pretty and is yet another sign that Spring is definitely upon us here in south Jawjah.



When I bought the Yellow house there were about 5 or 6 Red Oleander shrubs planted in the bed just in front of my front porch. I had Dad take them out - for several reasons. Number One, they were nearly 7 feet high and you couldn't sit on the porch and see anything! Number Two, they are messy, messy, messy. Number Three, they are Poisonous! Ooops. That's all I needed was to have one of my cats nom on it and get sick! Off with its head!

So today is Wednesday and look! We're almost out of month again! Personally, I hate the end of the month because for some reason my business is always very slow at the end of the month. And I truly hate it when my business is slow. So come on, May!

Whatever you've got planned, I hope it's lots of fun! Big hugs xo♥

a snapshot from times gone by

I scanned this shot of Dad from a 2" square snapshot that has been cut out from a larger snapshot.

It has uneven cut edges and all kinds of folds and creases. I cropped it to an 10x8 orientation, used the Spot Healing Brush to smooth out all of the creases and then tweaked the contrast and color. Just as I was getting ready to save it my Dad walked by my office, saw his mug on my monitor and asked, "Who's that good lookin' guy?". :D

Since the photo has some writing on the back but not a date, I asked Dad if he knew about what year it was taken. He had no idea, but he did tell me it was taken on Locust Street in Winthrop because he recognized the couch which he said had been recovered. That means the snapshot had to have been taken in the late 50's/early 60's because we moved to Cottage Park Rd 1963-1964-ish.

Sandwich Beach, Cape Cod, MA

Ahhhh... so pretty.

I didn't take it though. I stole it off of my sister Lynda's Facebook. They just spent a week down at the Cape on the beach. For decades, my parents rented the same little cottage on the beach, a few weeks during the summer and usually one week during the winter.

Sometimes I forget that I grew up on the ocean. Then I see a photograph and I wonder why I ever moved so far away, from my family and from the beach.

Wait. It's the snow.

Never mind.

Hairdate: 1975

One of my parents took this photo... how do you like the framing? bahahahaha!

This was taken just before heading back to Florida after driving up to Massachusetts in a non-winterized Chevy Luv pickup truck with my now ex-husband, our then best friends and their 2 dogs. Mako is in the photo! He was just a pup then.

Brad was in the Air Force and was stationed in Tampa at MacDill AFB. It was our first year in Florida and the furthest and longest I had ever been away from my family. I was miserable and so homesick nobody could stand to be around me, and I don't blame them! I seem to recall that I gave Brad some sort of ultimatum about getting the time off so we could go home for Christmas.

Back then we were so poor we couldn't pay attention. Between the 4 of us, we scraped together just under $100 to make the trip! OMG!

We were doing not too awful until we hit snow and ice about 2 hours from home, somewhere in Connecticut. The heater didn't work... although Doreen, me and the dogs were in the back of the truck with no heat anyway...  and then we got a flat. We spent our very last few dollars for a cheap cheap cheap hotel room. Somehow we made them feel so sorry for us that we  convinced them to allow the dogs too for a tiny, yucky room -  a room which we all had to share - and then we made collect phone calls to our respective parents to beg them to come rescue us. After one horrible night in Connecticut Doreen's father and brother and Ralph's brother arrived from Vermont with a flatbed to pick up her, her husband Ralph and the pick up truck and Brad's parents arrived to pick us up.

As an aside... Doreen and Ralph are Jennifer's parents. While I am not at all related to her parents, Jennifer is my niece and I am her Aunt Barbara. Jennifer is now 24, happily married and has an adorable 18 month old son. I no longer have any sort of relationship with Doreen and Ralph... Long story which I will not go into. You're welcome.

Anyway... where was I? Oh... Then we had a fabulous Christmas! And then our parents loaned us enough money to make the trip back to Florida.

Getting back into that truck was one of the hardest things I've ever had to do.

Another aside... The fur coat I'm wearing was my grandmother's. It is Marmot. I gave it to my sister Janice not long after that winter. I sure didn't need it in Florida! Plus there's the whole it was real fur thing. Poor little marmots.

And that story is also why I always have at least $100 hidden in my wallet now, usually more.

Oh... And I thought I was FAT back then!

Reality Bytes

The Carnival Glory in port in beautiful St. Thomas Harbor during the BC4 Bloggers Cruise... with one of the "of the Seas" Royal Caribbean ships and the Norwegian Epic



One of the worst things about being single is that cruise rates are based on double occupancy.

It was no coincidence that my first cruise was shortly after my divorce in 1994.  I bit the bullet and paid big time for my Ocean View Stateroom aboard the Carnival Sensation. Almost at the very last minute I finally convinced my cousin Diane to be my cabin mate. I told her she would be absolutely NUTS not to do an 8-day Eastern Caribbean cruise (St. Thomas, St. Maarten and San Juan) for FREE!

Hello?!?

I had paid for the cruise many months earlier and was thrilled to have her join me, my sister Lynda & bil Rick and about 20 other friends in our group! The group cruise package included airfare from Boston, so she even flew to Miami for free!

I'd be cruising far more often - think long weekends monthly - if I had a cruising buddy.

Is there a online service for people who want to meet people who want to cruise? :D

Wish I Was There

One of my favorite ports on the Carnival Glory BC4 Cruise was Old San Juan. This photo of La Perla, the colorful slums or sub-barrios of Old San Juan, was taken as we were leaving port.

One day I shall return to San Juan for a much longer stay than a single day in port, Lord willing... hopefully with a Nikon. :D

Saturday stuff

Well, thank goodness THAT week is over!

I finally am feeling better, even though that pesky cough is still sorta hanging around. But I feel MUCH better and am almost back to snuff.

I have a confession to make. Hello, my name is Barb and I just ordered something from an infomercial - The Food Lover's Fat Loss System. It's sort of a lesson/plan based on the Glycemic Index. I've wasted more money on far less so I figured, "Why not?". Supposedly, they guarantee it or my money back. Hey, if it gets my scale going in the right direction, it will be worth far more than I paid.

I'm going to give it a go along with my quit smoking plan. I've been doing well. No, not perfect... But very, very well. I actually believe I can do it! But I have to do it MY way.

Queue the Frank Sinatra song. :D

So, today is  Prepare the Yellow house to turn over to the Realtor Day. Keep everything crossed, say a prayer and wish me luck!

I hope your day is fabulous! Big hugs xo♥

the Goosies are growing

[slideshow]

or, as Forrest Gump said... stupid is as stupid does

Happy 2nd Birthday, Aria!

Can it already be 2 years since this sweet baby girl was born?



[slideshow]

And in a few short months, Aria will be a BIG sister!



Happy Birthday, Aria! Auntie loves you SO much! xo♥

I miss Ronnie

Wouldn't you just LOVE to see what Ronnie would have to say about our current economic situation... and our current President, Congress and Senate? Oboy!

So today is still not Friday, but maybe I'll get some nice orders to help make up for it not being Friday. And I wouldn't mind some chocolate either. Just saying.

Larry, my Realtor, is coming over today with a brand spankin' new contract for me to sign to re-list my yellow house. I told him I wouldn't mind if it sold on Saturday. I'd change my weekend plans for that.

Not that I actually had any weekend plans.

I'm getting my hair cut today... come hell or high water. I've been sick for 2 weeks and, honestly, if I cough the whole time I'm sitting in the chair, I just don't care. I can't possibly be contagious any more, right? And this mop on top of my head has GOT TO GO!

I hope your day is lovely, and that my yellow house sells! :D Big noncontagious hugs xo♥

funny, but true

Hello. My name is...

I had a flash of inspiration from Sandee's post today.

Dude... Here's your sign. srsly.

hi, five!

[slideshow]

Well, here are the newest little darlings! Honestly, Mama and Papa Goose run their little legs off! They are almost constantly walking! And eating. And pooping, of course. I just don't see how they can gain an ounce with all the walking and running they do!

My yellow house is just about ready to put on the market again. This weekend, good Lord willing, we'll be over sprucing up the yard, cleaning the bathrooms and other such things. I expect to turn it back over to my Realtor come Monday morning. I wouldn't mind if it sold by Tuesday. :D

Have a lovely day! I'm going to try to pretend that my cold is all gone! Big hugs xo

the eyes have it

My eye is still ookie, which is adding to my overall feeling of crabbilated. I'm tired of being sick... and then there's the whole nicotine withdrawal thingy. Yeah... that.

The good news is that we have 5 more baby goosies here at the swamp! I shall make it my business to grab a few photos today.



The main thing I'll be doing today is playing some more with this newest iPhone app - Tiny Planet! I just love it! The 2 photos in this post are the same photo, just treated differently. I'll also be hoping to feel better, working on my web site and, hopefully, taking lots of lovely orders. I hope your day is awesome! Big hugs xo♥

I love bugs!

Aria's 2nd Birthday week is upon us! This is her first 2nd Birthday party of her 2nd Birthday week extravaganza.

[slideshow]

As you can see, Aria loves Yo Gabba Gabba and she also loves cake... but Aria does NOT love hearing the Happy Birthday Song sung. To anybody. At All. Ever. She hates it actually.

I've never been a huge fan either, baby girl.

Aria also loves watching, dancing and singing along to Yo Gabba Gabba videos. My sister tells me she really loves to sing "I Love Bugs!".

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M8uqHwWP4Zo]

Me? Not so much.

Happy 2nd Birthday Week, Aria!

monday mania

[caption id="attachment_405" align="alignnone" width="630" caption="Grayson is not quite ready to face the day yet!"][/caption]

I thought I was getting an eye stye yesterday... This morning when I woke up my face all around my eye is slightly swollen and red and there was a bit of ookie goopie gluing my eye shut tight overnight. Sorry, no pictures! hahahaha!

Fun times, eh? I'm without Benadryl in the house - or any antihistamine for that matter - so I'll be heading out to Walgreen's soon. After coffee and a shower! You're welcome.

I'm wondering what pollen I came in contact with to cause an allergic reaction, because I sure haven't eaten very much. Perhaps it's just part of this Spring cold from hell. Either way, not so much fun.

But it is Monday and the start of a brand new week! And I for one am hoping that means LOTS of lovely orders. Uncle Sam, the great State of Georgia and my General Contractor all got some mighty large checks from me last week and I sure would like to have my bank account balance start going back in the right direction again!

I hope your day is lovely and that you do not get this cold! Don't forget to put some YAY in your day! Big hugs xo♥

smokeless sunday morning from the swamp

Well... the photo isn't from this morning - it was taken 11 days ago -  but trust me, it's just as pretty as that this morning! Only with baby goosies scampering all about.

I'm feeling much better this morning! I still have that pesky cough but it's not nearly as violent or frequent. Yes, I said violent. It shook my entire body and made so many of my muscles sore as can be! Oh. And I think I went through 3 large boxes of Kleenex.

My appetite is back, too. I really ate pretty much next to nothing for about 4-5 days.

And guess what? I haven't smoked either! I couldn't have even if I had wanted to, which I didn't. I'm going to try to keep NOT smoking, so PLEASE! Say a prayer that I don't cave into cravings, especially since my parents and brother are all smokers.

Thank goodness I don't allow smoking in the house. That should make it easier. I hope and pray!

Big hugs xo

There was a river in my hallway

And a fire in my attic.

The contractors have been busy drying it out, ripping out the flooring, repairing the ceiling, painting, replacing burned ducts and ceiling joists...


I had the contractor put the new water heater in the utility room in the garage rather than back in the attic. Seriously? Who thought putting a water heater in the attic was a good idea?



Well, except for a minor problem with the air conditioner filter frame, it is all back together and better than before since it has brand new carpeting now.

Much better than the river than ran through it a few weeks ago.



Hopefully, I'll be contacting my Realtor to get it back on the market by the end of next week.

Humble Pie, anyone?

I was sitting here 'stewing' over some inevitable challenges... The kind that show up whenever you add another person to a household dynamic.

I've never been long on patience, and I am keenly aware that as I age I tend to be far less flexible. Thankfully, I try never to 'act' when i am frustrated or angry... nor make any decisions until I at least count to 10... or 100.

Today, while cooling my jets over a minor adjustment I was taking my mind off of the situation and tension by reading my recipe blog and i happen to see a comment from Haley about her Key Lime Meringue Birthday Pie... And it was then that I noticed my own words greeting anyone who might be about to leave a comment on the blog...

Recipe For Happiness

2 Heaping cups of patience
1 Heart full of love
2 Hands full of generosity
Dash of laughter
1 Head full of understanding
Sprinkle generously with kindness
Add plenty of faith and mix well.
Spread over a period of a lifetime
And serve everyone you meet.

And I realized that I needed to eat my own words... Thankfully, before I uttered them.

2011 Goslings, Day 1

IMG_0016, a photo by Barb Gretter on Flickr.

Well, the goslings arrived a few days later than I was hoping. Lynda left on the 9th and the Goslings arrived on the 14th. Poop. Literally. hahaha.

But they are cute as ever and they are already having their tiny little legs run off by Mama and Papa Goose. They really do keep them moving! srsly.

I took these with my Canon from quite a distance so they aren't great but Mama and Papa Goose will let me get closer as the goslings get older, bigger and stronger.

More photos from day one here.

Still waiting to see if the other mated pair of geese have produced any goslings.

Big hugs xo

Unlikely bedfellows

As I sit here watching the Red Sox miserably lose yet another game - they were winning 3-1 when i turned it on at the top of the 5th inning and now at the top of the 8th they've managed to turn that into a 7-3 losing game - I am struck by a little miracle at the end of my bed... Grayson and Whitey snoring softly... next to each other. 18 months ago I never could have imagined seeing this. Not that they are best buddies... But they tolerate each other. They really tolerate each other!

Oh. Wait... The Sox just brought in a run and it's 7-4 now. Dare I hope for another little miracle? Film at eleven.

Big hugs xo

crud

Just popping in from my sick bed, my Snuggie and my iPad to tell you all that I sincerely hope none of you get this cold/virus/crud.

The fever must've broke sometime last night because I went from shivering under my Snuggie to tossing all the covers off and turning on the ceiling fan.

I've only been awake a short while, but I can report that I still am doing some mighty impressive coughing and going through tons of Kleenex. And trying to stay hydrated. I don't seem to care about eating at all. And my mother made lasagna and meatballs last night.

Is it feed a cold? Starve a fever?

I'm staying away from my parents and Billy... But I can't seem to shake the cats.

Big hugs xo

riddle me this

A boy was at a carnival and went to a booth where a man said to the boy, "If I write your exact weight on this piece of paper then you have to give me $50, but if I cannot, I will pay you $50."

The boy looked around and saw no scale so he agrees, thinking no matter what the carny writes he'll just say he weighs more or less.

In the end the boy ended up paying the man $50. How did the man win the bet?

Click here for the answer

monday schmonday

Nap Time, a photo by Barb Gretter on Flickr.

So yesterday was a big old boring blur. My cold kept me feeling disconnected from everything. The day-quill goes a long way in masking the symptoms, thank goodness, but it still has to run it's course.

Grayson is eating a bit better, but he's still not back to his normal volume of food. He does have an appetite and is enthusiastic, just not eating much. He has lost a lot of weight, but he is better.

Whitey has been gagging for several days. I think he's fighting a hairball.

Gracie is still not happy that Billy is here but she IS hiding less.

Gandalf is THRILLED to have the opportunity to polish off Grayson's unfinished foods.

It's Monday so it's back to work for me. That's life at the Swamp today. Hope your day is lovely, and maybe includes a nap!

Big hugs xo

why, yes... i did steal this off of your facebook.

[caption id="attachment_368" align="alignnone" width="630" caption="Aria at a friends party. She'll be 2 in a few weeks!"][/caption]

I just love this photo of Aria! Lynda missed her terribly while she was here. She spoke to Aria several times on the phone and Aria told her,

"Nana, I love you SO much!"

I'm sure many, many hugs and kisses were in Lynda's day yesterday!

Aria's baby brother Ian is due to arrive in July. I was planning to pick him up a few little things yesterday but never made it to the store. Do you remember Aria's Lovie Monkey Peter that a friend made for me? Well, I'll be asking Nancy to make me some Puppy Lovies made for baby Ian.

I went to bed around 6:30 last night, after taking a nap in my chair. I was going to go to bed without supper but my mother convinced me to at least heat up some of the leftover spinach rice and butternut squash.

Between Lynda's visit, Billy's arrival, all the running around to Billy's appointments and now I have a head cold... I was completely wiped out. I slept until 6:oo, with a few wake ups smattered in there somewhere.

There may yet be a nap in my day today.

Hope your day is marvelous! Big hugs ♥

on golf

i wish that i had taken up golf. i could go to the club and meet all kinds of people. one of my neighbors golfed at the country club a couple days ago with a bunch of doctors. he shot another great game. actually, he used the word 'spectacular'! hahahaha!

my bil can't wait to come down to go golfing with them... in fact, i may never see him while he's here unless i go to the golf course to watch him play. :P

quite a few of my neighbors happen to be excellent golfers. one of them is a scratch golfer. he almost became a pro golfer in the pga but decided he wanted a family more than a golf career. one has about an 8 handicap... still, quite good! i tried putt putt golf once... horrible! i bet my handicap would be 100! or whatever the highest allowed handicap may be!

congratulations. it's a boy.

i took lynda to the airport this morning in the wee hours. i enjoyed having her here SO much. i can't believe how quickly the time went! I wish we lived closer so we could have daily visits, a lunch, a show, a cuppa coffee, a pedicure...

As we were saying our goodbyes i told her,

"i'll be calling you often to discuss billy, keep you up to date and to share ideas. after all, i've never raised a child before!".

sisters

today is lynda's last full day here at the swamp. she'll be leaving in the wee hours to fly back up nawth. it goes by so quickly.

last night we all stayed up uber late... looking at old photos, laughing, teasing, joking, reminiscing.

family... to share a common history, share the now and look forward to what is yet to come knowing you will still be intricately woven into each others lives...  it's just the best.

especially when you're wearing your tiaras. ♥

green, green grass of home

well, you know it takes rain to make the grass green. and we sure had a lot of rain! so now we have a lot of green!



lynda has today and tomorrow here at the swamp and then she flies back up nawth early saturday morning. 9 days just flies by when you're spending time with your sisterdear!

billy has been kept quite busy with his appointments. he's also been wonderful about helping out friends and neighbors. he's also helping my dad and doing chores around the house. he's going for a much-needed haircut this morning with my dad and he has his first aa meeting today. he is required to attend 2 per week.



billy told me this morning over coffee that he's starting to get use to being here. he's also finally falling into a more normal schedule. the first few days he stayed up real late and slept until very late in the morning. the past few days he's been in bed by 11:00 and up around 7:00-7:30. much better! i'm working on getting him to cut back in his caffeine. he drinks way too much coffee and soda and then he gets antsy and anxious. duhr.

i've got tons of paperwork today but once that's done i'll be spending more time with lynda. put some yay in your day, too! big hugs ♥

neighborly

today is another day of cleaning up after that storm. billy will be helping al cut-up and and haul-off 4 large trees that fell in al's next door neighbor's yard. one of the trees fell on her fence, too. what a mess.

her husband is in the service, currently serving overseas. al and billy will make sure it's all cleaned up like it never happened. well, except for the missing trees.

i started with the scratchy-throat thing yesterday morning and by afternoon my nose was running. yup. i'm in the beginning stages of a cold. rats. pass the day-quill.

my mother is fixing roast chicken dinner today. you know that's my all-time favorite so i'm a happy camper today! i just hope i can taste it with this cold!

don't forget to put some yay in your day! you know i will! big hugs ♥

stormy

boy howdy! that was some storm last night, wasn't it?!

hello. and what day is it? my routine is all kafloozled so i'm not at all sure. my sister lynda told me this morning she only has 4 days left before flying home. that blew me away. could 5 days really already have flown by since she and billy arrived?

for those who asked, yes, my brother billy will be staying here at the swamp with me and my parents for the duration... not at all sure how long that may be yet.

billy has suffered 2 life-threatening traumatic brain injuries (TBI) and as a result he has some life-long consequences, so what we've been trying to do is to get him hooked up with the right doctors and in the right kind of programs that he needs. naturally, that means lots of appointments, interviews and paperwork.

but in addition to all of the aforementioned dull, tedious and exhausting tasks, he's been thoroughly enjoying my mother's cooking!

i hope your days have been far less hectic than mine! big hugs ♥

happy birthday, billy

my baby brother billy is now home here at the swamp! his 41st birthday was saturday!



we had ice cream cake!



candles were blown out!



gifts were opened!



parents were happy!



sisters were happy!



did i mention the ice cream cake?!

things are rather hectic around here lately and my sister lynda is here visiting through saturday. therefore posts and blog visiting will be scarce while we get done what needs to get done and we visit and enjoy each other's company.

don't forget to put some yay in your day! i sure am! big hugs ♥

what day is today again?

yesterday was a long, long day, crammed full of have-to-dos; in line here, wait over there, fill this out, now wait over there... exhausting.

at one point my sister asked, "ummm... just when does my vacation start?"

today, sisterdear. today. well, at least for the weekend! today shall be hair cuts and pedicures and manicures and baseball and relaxing. :P

at the moment the only creatures stirring here are me and the cats. snoring and birds chirping are the only sounds of the swamp. i believe i will go out on the patio and listen while i have my coffee and watch the sun rise.

put some yay in your day! i know i sure will! big hugs ♥