Another long break from blogging!

Life is still trying to see if I can make lemonade out of lemons. My full time job was very stressful during the month of July. I even had to call off a couple of times for my part time job due to the full time job! Good news is they worked with me.

Then on July 18th, they put my dad in the Hospital. For those of you reading who don't really know me and my family history, my dad has had 4 open heart surgeries with several other surgeries over the last 30 years. He was sick in Feb and we thought we might lose him and he bounced back. I went to visit in May and he seemed a little bettter...but on July 18th they sent him to the hospital. They released him the Wednesday after...but he wasn't doing well so I left on Saturday July 26th to go back to spend some time with him.

Thank God I have a job that allows me to work remotely so I was able to work when he rested and didn't get behind at work...although family comes before work!

I leave on vacation with my daughter, son-in-law and family friend in 12 days....I am so looking forward to a vacation...although we are going to California...where there are fires and earthquakes! I think there is the makings of a country song with how my life is going lately!

Been busy.....

Haven't been here lately, I'm working two jobs and going to school, so free time isn't something I have much of lately!

In almost a month, we'll go on our vacation to California, I am so ready for it!

What have you done for vacation this year?

When life gives you lemons.....

make lemonade. I've heard that statement many times over my lifetime but this week gave me and my daughter the opportunity to do that.

This was a rough week. We found that due to a financial surprise, we had to cancel our trip to Alaska. We were both so disappointed and I was very cranky!

But now we have worked it out that we are still going to go on a vacation with her husband, and 3 friends. We are going to California. I have been but as a teen-ager so its been a long time! =)

We are now planning to go to Alaska for the cruise in May 0f 2009. May is really a better time to go to Alaska than in August from what we have been told.

So when life through us lemons this week, we made lemonade and now we get two trips one this August and one next May!

My great nieces graduation!

Some Misc Pictures from May of 2008!

Another Swap received!

This has been a fun week as I am receiving my swap items from my partners. The latest one received is for the cupcake swap. My partner did a great job.

Here is all I got:

cute ice cream scoop. Ice cream sprinkles in a cute ice cream cone shape! Ice cream lip gloss. 2 candles Ice cream buttons Big Brothers/Sisters key holder. Ice Cream stickers. Ice Cream frame.

Great stuff huh? Can't wait to use the ice cream scoop, think it may happen tonight! =)

Like fabric? Here is an opportunity to swap with others!

My daughter is hosting a Fabric Swap. Please check-out her blog for all the details!
http://www.itching2bstitching.blogspot.com/

First Name Swap

I received my First Name Swap yesterday. It contained lovely gifts and was a nice surprise to a yucky Monday.

D= Food Coloring for "Decorating" and Other Decorating Items for baking.
I= Ink-received a cute pen.
A=Album for pics of the family!
N=Notecards. (This was my favorite...had cute pics of cats and dogs on them).
E=Egg Timer.

Magnet Swap

I received my package for the Magnet Swap, I was so impressed with the magnets I received from my partner. She had included one with a cat on it that looks just like one of my two cats! The others were items based off of things I said in my profile, so this impressed me more! It was a nice surprise as I have been having a rough week at work and this made me smile.

More Swap gifts received!

I received my 2nd Newbie Quick Swap items, it was a great book for my coffee table titled "The Ladies Room Reader" plus a couple of recipes and some cards to send. I loved it all.

The next was a Cupcake magnet and cupcake recipe from 1 of the 3 partners I have for the Cupcake Swap. They are both great gifts.

This is fun!!

Pictures of "First Name" Swap

My partner has received her package so I can post pics now. I had so much fun doing this and if I must say myself...did pretty good for my first swap! I made a "letter" card for each letter of her name which happened to be Tracy. (Since my daughters name is Tracey....it made it easy to remember her name!)



Here are the cards for each letter:



Here are her gifts in order of her name; she liked the tote and fabric the best!
T is for Tote for Traveling:

R is for Ribbon:

A is for "All about Family".

C is for Crafts and Cooking:

Y is for a Yard of Fabric:


I also made her 3 bookmarks and sent stickers for her kids:





The stickers were "Cars" for the son and "Princesses" for the daughter.

I wrapped all of my partners gifts separate and then placed them in the tote. I wrapped the kids separately so they would have something to open.

I'd appreciate any crafters or swap-boters opinions on how I did!

Swap Surprise Received Today

I received another surprise today. One of my Quickie Newbie Swap gifts arrived today. I received 3 candles and an oven mitt set. I had a rough week this week and it was a nice surprise to get home and see this had come. Thanks to Nina for the great gift.

Working hard on swapping....

Whew....got all 6 gifts wrapped and ready to take to the post office tomorrow...hope I don't faint when I hear the total due for postage!

Once I know people have received them, I will post some pics.

First rating....and more....

I got my first rating on swap-blot. You hope for a 5 and if they really like it a Heart. I got a 5 and a Heart! What a way to start!

I also received my 3 postcards today from the Post Card Swap. They were from California, New Orleans and St Louis. They all were beautiful and I loved them. I love receiving them from all over the place! They each made me smile.

I shopped today so that I can mail 3 of my swaps on Monday. The one is the Newbie Quickie one. I have two to mail. I bought one an Art Magazine and the other a book on cats. I can't wait to see if they like them.

For the cupcake swap, I have three partners. I bought each of them something different to make them unique in what the receive. I will post pictures next week.

For the magnet swap, I have one partner but was to buy 3 magnets. I did that today. I will have pictures of them next week also.

So far I am having a blast with this..but as I said, I'll have to slow myself down going forward! =)

Addicted...

For those of you that know me well, finding out that I am addicted to something won't be surprising. For those that don't know me well, don't worry, its not an addiction to things that are bad for me or illegal!

I am addicted to Pepsi, a Mexican food place near my home, jelly beans, mini powered donuts and now I add a new one to the list...

Swap-bot. Yes, I admit it I have become addicted. So to help myself out...after I finish the ones I am currently registered with, I am going to have to limit myself to 2 swaps a month!

See I'm getting better, I at least recognize now when I pick up a new addiction!

Waking up to Tornado sirens....

I don't know if I will ever get use to being woken up during the night to the sound of tornado sirens. Its a sound that goes right through you and you sit right up in bed. Monday night I took a Tylenol PM as I have had trouble sleeping a few days prior to Monday, you got it Tuesday a.m. at 2:30 AM CT I was woken up by the sirens. I was groggy at first but luckily I was able to make sense of what was happening and got my two cats and myself into the bathroom. My one cat could have cared less just curled up in a ball and went back to sleep. The other meowed at the door to be let out. I told him that curiosity killed the cat and he should be thankful that I had him in a safe place. I don't think he appreciated my comments.

We had storms again last night and more tornadoes, flooding and wind damage happened as a result of this storm. I have been lucky except for losing some sleep and being woken from a sound sleep, nothing has happened to my place or car.

This has been a hard year on Oklahoma already, with ice storms in January worse than any others in the history of the state and now this...

Just to make sure you understand, I am grateful for the sirens, they just make your heart beat extremely fast when you hear them!

Swap update

I mailed my box today but since it is going out of the US, it could take her 6-10 days to get it, pictures will be posted when she has received it.

I mailed my postcards today too!

2 swaps done!

I will be shopping this weekend for the cupcake one!

Swap-bot update

I have my first swap ready to mail tomorrow. I will post pictures once my swap partner has received her package. I really enjoyed doing this one.

I have my 2nd and 3rd to work on now. The 2nd is a Postcard swap and my 3rd is a Cupcake Theme swap. Watch for more on them.

The 4th one I should find out about my swap partner tomorrow the 5th on 4/15.

This is so much fun! You really need to check it out!

My first Swap-bot!

I am working on my first swap. I received my partners name today. It is based on the first name of your partner, you buy/make things that they like based off of the letters of their first name.

I've already got some ideas brewing in my head!

Once I have it created and sent, I'll post a new post! I have a few more that start later this month, so you can watch for info about them also!

I do not sew so all of mine will be none-sewing! (I'm not talented in sewing like my daughter...not sure where she got that!!)

Swap-Bot Swaps

Following in my daughter's foot-steps =) I have signed up for a few swaps on swap-bot.com too. I don't sew so mine don't involve that! I'm not sure I will get accepted to all of them since I'm a "newbie". But as I get accepted, I will update my blog with the one's I am participating in.

4th Quarter 2008 Goals

October:
1. This one is an easy one. Go to Craft Fairs with Daughter and Debbie W.
2. Work on organizing photos.

November:

1. Go to Craft Fair with Daughter and Debbie W.
2. Do Christmas Cards.
3. Decorate for Christmas.

December:

1. Wrap presents.
2. Work on Organizing photos.
3. Make goals for 2009!

4th Quarter Goals to be accomplished anytime between October and December:

1. Read a book for fun.
2. Walk around complex atleast 3 times a week. (For exercise and to get some fresh air!!)
3. Work on scrapbooking.

3rd Quarter Goals

July and August: Putting these months together because I have a big system release in July, am going to see Phantom of the Opera in July and am going on a cruise to Alaska in August!

1. Reorganize closet in spare room.

2. Clean out drawers in my bedroom closet.

September:

1. Reorganize cupboards in kitchen again. (This is to assure I keep up with my 1st quarter goal of no junk on the counters!)

3rd Quarter Goals to be accomplished anytime between July and September

1. Read a book for fun.

2. Walk around complex atleast 3 times a week. (For exercise and to get some fresh air!!)

3. Work on scrapbooking.

2nd Quarter Goals

April and May: I have combined these two months because I have a system Release in April and will be visiting family in May, so I will have to spread these out over the two months.

Plant flowers by my front door. Organize recipes and items taken from magazines. Reorganize Pantry.

June: Clean clothes that I don't wear any longer out of closets and drawers and donate.

2nd Quarter Goals to be accomplished anytime between April and June:

1. Read a book for fun.
2. Walk around complex atleast 3 times a week. (For exercise and to get some fresh air!!)
3. Work on scrapbooking.

New Year's Resolutions

I know some of you are wondering why I am posting about New Year's Resolutions when we are ending the month of March. But I made one this year and since I wasn't sure if I would do it or not, I hadn't posted it prior to today. My Resolution was to have atleast one goal for each month or 3 per quarter and to meet them.

I have met my 1st quarter goals and will list them in this post. I will then post the 2nd, 3rd and 4th quarter and will update them as I meet them!! For those of you who are reading this and know me well..know that I make lists of to do items and love to cross them off as I complete them (my daughter rolls her eyes when I add an item not on the list after I complete it so I can cross it off as completed...)

Time Management is very important to me and I am very good at it. However, lately with work, going for my degree, volunteering and fitting in family and friends, I didn't really feel I was accomplishing any goals, so I set some for me for 2008.

1st quarter goals which have been met prior to the end of the quarter!

January-Clean off kitchen countertops. For years, my kitchen counter tops have been a dropping place to store things due to the small kitchen I have in my townhouse. But in January, I reorganized and clean the cupboards and cleared the counters of all extras. A picture of what they look like now is attached!



February--I have a spare room that had become the dropping place for things. So in February I got rid of everything that did not need to be in the room. I also painted a small table I have had in the room which was a goal for over a year!

March--Go through magazines I have accumulated and pull out articles, recipes, etc...that I want to keep and recycle the rest of the magazine. Completed this today!

Making decisions!

When I was younger and thought being in my 50's I figured I would be old and wouldn't want to do anything exciting. I also thought I wouldn't have to face making decisions when I was older...boy was I wrong.

To address the first part, I don't feel old at almost 52, in fact, I have made changes in my life that make me feel better than I did in my 30's. I now color the grey that loves to grow on my head (use to say I would never dye my hair) and even let the hair dresser change the color...of course...this is only because I trust her judgment! I use to not buy clothes for myself except when I had to for work but now since I have lost so much weight, I love to buy new clothes for me. I still want to lose some more but seem to be in a holding pattern...in the past, this would have discouraged me but now I think..."Hey I never thought I'd be back in the size I am now...so I'm happy!". My daughter has also helped me realize that just because I'm in my 50's I don't have to dress like an old woman. I am buying clothes now that she actually approves of (well for the most part...I still slip sometimes)

Now for making decisions....for those of you who are younger than 50...it doesn't get any easier, the type of decisions just change. Decisions use to be for whatever was best for my daughter...but now I can make them for myself and I'll admit its still scary to do that. Rumors are going around that my job may be done away with by the end of the year or early next year...in the past when these started, I would get scared and allow myself to get depressed and normally put on weight. I'm not doing that this time....if I loose my job, I will deal with it then, why loose months of my life worrying about something I don't even know will come true or if it does when it will. I'm actually looking at other possibilities...something I never thought I could do. So making decisions still is hard for me, but I'm finding if you do so with the right frame of mind, it is a little easier.

Happy Easter!

This has been a good Easter as I was able to come down and visit my daughter and son-in-law for Easter weekend, will be leaving in the morning to go back to real life....how come visits and weekends go so much faster than our normal weeks?

I hope everyone who checks this blog had a great Easter and got to spend it with people who are special to them.

Another good quote!

The average person living to age 70 has 613, 000 hours of life. This is too long a period not to have fun.

Unknown Source

Excuse me as I get on my soap box....

My parents told me there were three things you never talked about when in the office, they were (1) how much you made (2) religion and (3) politics. For the most part over all the years I have been able to do this. And normally, one generation looks at the past one and says they are glad they aren't a part of that one, theirs is going to better....

Now to my soap box....I truly wish that I thought the new generation following me was going to have a better life, but the America I see today scares me...not just the increase in crime or the high price of gasoline, but the way American Businesses seem to be going. Now I know that companies have been moving work to other countries for a long time but I guess it caught my attention now that it is affecting people I have worked with for years and who knows could eventually affect me.

A little background...I started at my company when I was 18, just 3 months out of high school I never expected to stay as long as I have but I was surprised once I worked for them how great of a company they were, they cared about the customers they cared about the employees, so I kept staying. Then...they started moving work all around the US, but still they offered everyone the opportunity to move with them or offered them a package that took care of them while they looked for another job. Nowadays, that isn't always the case. There aren't offers to move to where you work is going and even if it was offered, since they are now including other countries, not too many people are interested, and the packages that have been offered for so many years according to the rumor mill will be changing to be almost nothing, no matter how many years a person has with the company. This is all done so that the company makes money and makes the stockholders happy. Now I'm not stupid...I realize that businesses have to make money, but why do we have to loose sight of the other things at the same time?

I have never really paid much attention to politics, I normally just voted the way my parents had voted, but this year it will be different, I am really studying what the politicians running for office in my city, state and country are saying. I'm also listening to what they say they won't do, because that can even be more scary.

March is Women's History Month, and I wish I had the strength of the women in the past who stood up for what they believed in no matter what the consequences...because I would be a voice for the people to Big Businesses asking them what they are going to do when they have moved all their jobs to other countries...who is going to buy their product? It won't be those of us who lost our jobs to the other country, because we won't be making any money to do so. I don't blame the people in the other countries for grabbing on to these jobs that will help them support their families, if the roles were reversed, I'd do the same, I just don't understand why business doesn't see this isn't going to work for the US.

OK...I'm almost ready to get off of my soap box and leave you alone....just one more request, no matter who you vote for this year....study what they represent, locally and for the country and see if you can really say you can live with the decisions it appears they will make, but above all...vote for who you feel is right...not just because you've always voted that way...but please vote.

OK, I'm officially climbing off of my soap box...(feel free to comment, I just ask that you consider others when you write/type your response.)

A quote I had to share separately...

I had to share this one in its own box because when my daughter was 7 or 8, she told her babysitter that I went to school with Abraham Lincoln. She got just a little confused because she had heard me say that when I went to school, Abraham Lincoln was my favorite President to study about.


And in the end, it's not the years in your life that count. It's the life in your years.

Abraham Lincoln (1809-1865) Politician. President of the United States

Some quotes about life....

I love to read quotes that mean something to me or teach a lesson in just a few words, so I decided to share some I found! If you have any you like, please share! (Please keep them clean!)

1. Life can only be understood backwards, but it must be lived forward.

Soren Kierkegaard (1813-1855) Danish philosopher and writer.

2. In three words I can sum up everything I've learned about life. It goes on.

Robert Frost (1875-1963) American Poet.

3. One day your life will flash before your eyes. Make sure its worth watching.

Unknown Source

4. and 5. Have to put these here for my daughter as she is posting something everyday for Women's History Month:

If life were predictable it would cease to be life, and be without flavor.

Eleanor Roosevelt (1884-1962) American columnist, lecturer and humanitarian.


The purpose of life, after all, is to live it, to taste experience to the utmost, to reach out eagerly and without fear for newer and richer experiences.

Eleanor Roosevelt (1884-1962) American columnist, lecturer and humanitarian.

New Template

Isn't this template fun? I love the bears! Of course, being a volunteer at the zoo, this won't surprise anyone that knows me!

Make sure you appreciate your family...

Sometimes in the busy world we live in, we do not take time out to be thankful for the family members we have. Now, I'm not saying I'm good at doing this all the time, but I try to remind myself about it since I lost my mom to cancer in 1981. She was only 49 and I was 25. Such a young age to loose your mom. It hit me hard and if I am honest, took me several years to adapt to. I also lost my nephew 4 years ago, he was too young to die. I hope that through these two great losses, I will always remember to take the time and be thankful for my family and extended family members. You never know how long you have with them.

So if you are reading this and its been awhile since you checked in with a family member or you haven't spoken in awhile over a silly squabble years ago, make this the time that you reach out to them.

My mom was one of the people in the world that I respect the most, she never said a mean word about anyone and was always there to help if someone needed her and I hope that I will always try to follow in those footsteps. She amazed me when she was fighting cancer, she never was angry that it was happening to her, she just made sure to enjoy every moment she felt good. When I think of this, I realize that when I have a cold or the flu and am complaining every moment of it, that I need to change my attitude.

OK, that's it...my words of wisdom for the day!

With Easter close by....

I thought I would share a story of how as a child you believe whatever your parents tell you. The rule for both Easter and Christmas was that you were to go to the bathroom before bed because you were not to get up because the Easter Bunny (or Santa) would not come because you were not in bed. I don't remember my exact age but I remember the event. I thought I heard things out in the living room (the bathroom I shared with my brother was right before the living room), so I snuck out of my room and went to the bathroom. As I turned on the light, my dad was right behind me and asked me why I was out of my room that I better hurry, my mom was sitting on the couch talking to the Easter Bunny and I didn't want him to know I was out of bed. I ran to my room. Seems like a normal story right? But for years, I truly believed that out of the corner of my eye as I ran down the hallway, I saw the Easter Bunny sitting on the couch talking to my Dad. When I got older and told my parents I remembered this they both laughed and told me at that time, my mom was in the kitchen making up the baskets, so I not only made myself think I saw the Easter Bunny, I thought I saw my mom too!

If you have any stories like this from your childhood, please share!

I love to bake!

I love to bake so if you visit my site and have any good baking recipes, please post them. After I try them, I'll post the results! Thanks!

Projects around the house...

Since I have rented for most of my adult life, I have always thought I had to live with what was there. However, my daughter and my friend Debbie W have taught me that you can make changes as long as you can change them back when you leave. So I took on a painting project in January. You have to understand I am not good at painting...when I was first married, we rented a "mother-in-laws" apartment over a garage and for our first two months rent we were able to paint all the rooms. I was doing such a terrible job, my husband (so weird to type that since its been since 1979 since he was that!) asked me if I wanted to go get my mom and go shopping...see it had to be bad for a husband to offer a shopping trip. Since that time I have tried to avoid painting....but I did it! I am proud of myself. I am posting before (white) and after (red) pictures!

Happy Birthday Tracey!

Happy 31st Birthday Tracey. Have a wonderful day! Love Mom.

The things I have done...

OK, since I have shared stories about Tracey, Sarah, Bart and my many friends, I thought it was only fair to share some stories of things I have done over the years.

1. My friend Goldie (you met her earlier in my postings) and I use to decorate people's houses for birthdays, anniversaries, special events, etc. One day I took a 1/2 pto so we could go decorate her niece's house because she was selected for the high school drill team. We didn't toilet paper houses (well not usually) we used crepe paper and signs and other decorations!. The one that I am going to share is one that makes Goldie and I laugh to this day. My brother was turning 21. Tracey was 3. He was renting a townhouse close to where we lived so we went while he was at work and decorated. As we were decorating, we saw the security patrol car coming towards his place and yelled for Tracey to get down as we jumped in the car and hid ourselves. What an example I was huh?

2. Forking. Forking you may ask? I didn't actually do this activity, but I was a support for it. Tracey and Sarah along with two friends from youth group, Levi and Bart (not her husband) use to take plastic forks and decorate members of our church lawns. They were very creative at times, made a smile face out of forks for their youth leader, used blue forks when another youth leader had a baby boy, even used a pitch for in one yard. The pitch fork was used because the husband of the one youth leader told them they better never put forks in his yard, so they didn't put plastic forks, they put a pitch fork with a note on it that said "you have been forked". Where I fall in to this picture is that I bought the forks and I would pay for them to rent a movie and have snacks at my place until it was dark enough to go do the work! It soon became a thing at the church that if the kids liked you, your lawn would get forked. We hired a new assistant Pastor who asked me if the kids didn't like him after he had been there a few months, the reason? They hadn't forked his yard! (Yes, they did it shortly after that!). People also started picking up the forks and bringing them to church and giving them to me so we could recycle!

3. This one is work related but still makes me laugh when I think about it. I was working in Bridgewater, NJ and was a Supervisor/Manager for a small team of people. One day, a representative from our largest client called to complain about the service they were receiving from one of my team members. After calming them down and taking care of the situation I start to end the call by saying "If you ever need any thing, please feel free to call 1-800-***-***** and ask for Doris and I will be glad to help you.". I instantly started laughing which caught the person off guard so I quickly explained "I am sorry, I did not mean to laugh, but my name is Diane not Doris, I do not know where that came from." After that my team members said that it was my split personality, Diane was the mean one and Doris was the nice one!

Son-in-law memories

The first two are before they were married!

1. They both worked at our church camp during the summer. The staff was cut off from the outside world for the entire week due to campers so one or two Saturdays a month, I would go down with my van and load up as many as wanted to go and take them into town. As the summer progressed, whenever we were loading up...Bart would call "shot-gun". Tracey would say "No...its my mom's van, I get shot-gun". So Bart would reply "Then I guess, you'll have to sit on my lap". Stephanie, Sarah and I all told Tracey that Bart liked her but she kept insisting they were just friends...but we knew it was more and soon she found out too!

2. The Engagement story. When Tracey was 8, we moved to Johnstown PA. In J-town, there is an Inclined Plane. This was built back when J-town was having all the floods they are famous for to help people get out of town and up to higher ground. It is now a visitor attraction. You can take your car on it or you can just ride it up and down the mountain. During the time we lived there, Tracey told her friend Ashley and me that the man that she was going to marry would ask her to marry her on top of the Inclined Plane. I told Bart this story one time but never thought anything more about it. The year they became engaged, Bart flew to Ohio to meet Tracey as we were there celebrating Christmas with Tracey's grandparents and Bart came to meet them and then return to Morrisville PA (where I lived at this time) for a visit until school resumed for them both. We drove back from Ohio to PA and stopped in J-town for the night so Bart could see where Tracey lived from the time she was 8-14. It was a very cold night and the snow accumulation was probably around 8-10 inches. But we took Bart to the Inclined Plane so he could see this place he had heard about. Bart tells me he is going to ask her to marry him there. We pull up and I say "I've seen this many times, you guys go ahead, I'll wait in the car and that way it will be warm when you return". They get out of the car. A couple of minutes later...they return and I look to Bart and he shrugs his shoulders. I ask Tracey why they are back and she states its too cold. I get angry with her and say "Get out of this car and take him on the Inclined Plane.". She looks at me like I've lost my mind and says "If I have to go, so do you.". So I get out of the car with them. The Inclined Plane car has two sections, one is open where cars can be put or people can stand and then a glassed in room with a bench. So I go into the room to let them outside so Bart can ask her. Well Tracey can't figure out why her mom is acting so weird so keeps following me from section to section. I finally tell her to leave me alone and go out with Bart. He asks her to take her glove off and she refuses because she is too cold. Eventually, he gets to ask her and after screaming, shoving him up against the wall (by mistake) she answers yes. What a night! She did forgive me for my attitude after she had the ring on her hand!

3. Shortly after they were married, I visited them in Waco. We were leaving their apartment and Bart thought it would be funny to "moon" Tracey. However, at the time he did it, she was looking down and I was looking out the window and said "Oh my goodness". Tracey looked up and couldn't believe he had done what he did. He on the other hand was quite proud of the fact that he "mooned" his mother-in-law!

4. I wanted a screen door put on my front door at the townhouse I am renting and ask Bart if he thinks he can put it up for me. He says he will try. We go buy the door and he has to spend a whole afternoon trying to get this door put up for me. I have to make sure you understand it wasn't because he couldn't do it, it was because the building had shifted over the years and my doorway was not even. He did get it installed. I am grateful that he gave up his afternoon to put this up for me every time I get to open the door and let the fresh air in! (My cats like it too!)

A couple youth group memories that came to mind!

1. I was the woman advisor for a trip to Colorado with 4 boys and 4 girls. There was also a man advisor that went with us. One of the evenings, we stopped at a steak place to eat, it was one of those that you go through a line and then pay before you go to your table. The kids went first, when we went to pay, the cashier smiled real big and said "You two are awesome". We looked at each other confused and then she continued "It is so awesome that you adopted 8 teen-agers, not many people would adopt just one." Yep, you guessed it, one of the boys told her that we had just adopted all of them and this was our first family outing.

2. Diane Time. I have never been a patient person, but the kids in the youth group let me know that I had developed my own time zone...let me explain...I would tell them they had 10 minutes to clean up or get in the van or something on those lines...and then a minute or two later I would say "Lets go". So the question soon began when a time limit was provided "Real time or Diane time?"

3. Same Colorado trip as in number 1 above: We are on our way home and we have a flat tire on the u-haul trailer we are pulling behind the church van. We have to wait for what seemed forever for u-haul to send someone to help us. The girls had to go to the bathroom so bad, but the boys were allowed to get out of the van and use mother nature's background! The girls were not happy that they could not do the same thing!

4. I helped start the Wednesday night program at our church for the youth group. In order to try and get more kids to participate, I asked some of the kids who regularly attended to make a video. I still have the video and from time to time get it out and watch it...they were very creative!

More of my favorite memories...

You will see that alot of the memories I am sharing involve my daughter and her friend, Sarah. They were inseparable throughout high school and are still the best of friends. It was good for Tracey, as she was an only child and Sarah became the sister she didn't have. The two of them have some memories that they may someday share on their blogs...but for now, I will share some more of mine.

1. We were on a youth group servant event in Colorado and one of the other youth groups had two boys that Tracey and Sarah fell in love with. I need to correct that statement, I believe each girl at that event fell in love with these two boys. Sarah and Tracey even talked about marrying the boys and staying friends forever. Well the staying friends forever worked, but the boys are just a memory...its really a loss for those boys who passed up these two girls, but a win for Bart and David who now call them their wives.

2. Tracey had to stay awake all night in order to take a medical test when they were trying to figure out why she was sick. Sarah helped her stay awake and went to the doctors appointment with her the next morning. Tracey had not been able to eat and was starving when we left the doctors office, so we went to a pizza buffet that the girls liked, Tracey ate so much food that Sarah and I couldn't help but laugh at her.

3. Tracey and Sarah bought some "old 60's dresses (that would be back in style now) at a thrift shop and wore them as I went grocery shopping, trying to see what type of reaction they would get. People did stare but no one said anything.

4. Sarah rode to Nebraska with me to pick Tracey up to bring home for the summer. A police officer pulled me over in Kansas and was giving me a hard time. What made it even harder for me was the two of the girls and the comments they were making from the back seat. I am surprised I didn't get taken in just for the comments! I did get off with a warning only. But in the girls defense, he was a jerk!

5. Tracey wanted to make a surprise for me so she tried to bake some cookies for me but we didn't have one of the main ingredients. The cookies turned out more like communion wafers than cookies, but I ate them! But don't ask her what I did when she made Turkey burgers, not a story a mother is proud of!

6. Tracey entered a beauty pageant in Pennsylvania at age 12. We had to go to Harrisburg for the event. My friend Goldie, her husband Richard and their daughter Keli came over from Ohio and went with us. I had never been in the world of beauty pageants and I hope I never have to be again. These girls were all 10-12 years old and some of the mothers were unbelievable. I wanted Tracey to have fun, if she won, fine, if not, fine. Some mothers picked up their girls and moved them if they started talking to other girls, some mothers had family members block the girls so the other contestants could not see what they were doing with their hair, and all kinds of other things. Tracey did receive a trophy as runner up. The reason this is a memory that makes me smile is in the car driving back to Johnstown PA, Tracey looks to me and says "I never want to do that again". I answered that was fine that I was proud of her for trying it once. Some time passed and she said "Those judges must be crazy, I am so much better than the girl they picked." (Yes, I agreed!)

7. This one just happened in 2007. I just discovered the world of texting and was sitting watching tv one night when I received a message from Tracey. All it said was "I am so glad you are my mother". While this was wonderful to receive, I'll be honest, I wondered where it came from. I later found out that she had gone for a girls weekend with some girls she worked with and the mother of the girl they were visiting did not display actions Tracey and the other friends expected from a mother. Later, she was out with some friends who were sharing memories and stories with their moms and they were all terrible stories, mothers who put them down, didn't support them, etc... Tracey said to them "You need to come and visit my mom and see what a real mom is". (Yes, I will remember this moment for the rest of my life!!!). She scheduled a visit mom weekend but only two were able to come with her. I had a great time spoiling the 3 of them and have given them an open invitation to visit at any time. I have added them to the list of my adopted daughters (along with Sarah and Keli!).

That is enough for one post....I'll share more memories in the future. If you are reading this and have memories of Tracey please share them...I'd love to hear them. If they are memories about me....be nice!

One of the best gifts I've ever received...

Caught your attention didn't it...but I bet the topic will surprise you! The best gift I have ever received is my daughter, Tracey. Tomorrow she will be 31 and I can't believe time has gone so fast. I was a single mother from the time she was 11 months old and we had some rough moments in our life together but now I consider her one of my friends as well as my daughter.

For those of you who are struggling with your kids right now and wonder if you will make it, take it from me, you will, your children will make you stronger and will make you proud when they turn in to wonderful adults...so don't give up on them or yourself!

Tracey....enjoy your birthday...and I am very proud of the woman you have become!

Scrapbooking

I love to scrapbook but haven't done it lately, doesnt' seem to be enough time, but after seeing the website in my earlier blog entry, I have decided I need to get back to it. If you view my blog and have any scrapbook hints and/or suggestions, please let me know.

Scraplovers Web-Site

I found this wonderful Scraplovers web-site. Hope you enjoy it too!

http://store.scraplovers.com/

Memories that make me smile!

I have many many memories that make me smile so I will be posting them at different times!

Here are the first ones:

1. Tracey was 3 years old and we were sitting in the 2nd pew at church. She whispers to me she is hungry. I tell her she has to wait until the Pastor is done and then we will go eat. She thinks about it for a minute and then says loudly to the Pastor "Can you be done now so we can go eat?". Yes, the Pastor did stop shortly after that! People asked me if she could do that more often!

2. Tracey was 5 years old and we were sitting at a red light when a red convertible corvette pulled up next to us with a man driving. Tracey was sitting in the passenger side (remember we didn't have seat belts and car seat laws then) and looks over to this man and says "Do you want to be my Daddy?" Now in her defense, she wasn't trying to find me a husband, she wanted the car!

3. Tracey was around 8 years old and we were at the Dayton Mall. A lady stops and talks to us and as she walks away (but is still in hearing distance) Tracey says "Isn't that the lady you don't like?"

4. Tracey is 16 years old and my nephew and niece are visiting us from Ohio. I am working but let them keep the car so Tracey can take them places. Tracey needs to stop for gas. She drives off without the gas cap and later has to go back to get it, luckily it was still there! My nephew loved this story and told it every time he saw Tracey!

5. Sarah is spending the night with Tracey. I let them have my room. I got up early and ran to the grocery store. I come home, peak in the room and the girls seem to still be a sleep, so I continue to bring in the groceries. I learn in a few minutes that they were awake, but pretended to be asleep so they didn't have to help me!

6. I am not sure where Tracey and Sarah were coming from, but I am in the master bath cleaning the bathtub when they come in behind me and scare me. Yes, you guessed it, I slid into the bathtub. (Not completely...but enough for the girls to be proud of themselves.)

7. Tracey was being a typical teenager and I was driving down the street with her and Sarah in the backseat. I reach my point with Tracey and say "I am going to stop this car and put your ass out of it." Sarah saves Tracey by the next statement..."Diane, I didn't know you had a donkey." I couldn't help it, I started laughing and the tension was broken. Tracey so owes Sarah for this!

That's enough for the first time!

Watch for more!

Wishes and Dreams

1. That my job doesn't go away until I have finished my degree!
2. Happiness for everyone in my family and all my friends.
3. To make it to Alaska (planned for this August).
4. To make it to Hawaii to make it to all 50 states!
5. To visit England to see the sites but also visit my niece, Lorrie.
6. To visit Paris.


Thats all I can think of today, I'm sure I'll add to this!

Friends along the way---last one!

Debbie W is the one I saved for last because we have a different type of friendship!

Tracey was involved in her youth group while living in OK and we met Debbie W's middle son David as a part of a group called Ongoing Ambassador's for Christ. They ended up going to the same college. One year on the weekend we brought them up for the school year, Debbie didn't have a motel room and found that there were none available so I offered her to stay with me. We ended up staying up most the night talking and laughing and forming a friendship. We never knew that this relationship would become a bigger part of both of our lives.

Debbie and I became more than friends in 2000. This is when her oldest son Bart, married Tracey. It scared Tracey and Bart a little in the beginning that their mothers were friends.

Our friendship has grown over the last 7 plus years and we have found how much we have in common as well. We still scare the kids from time to time when we start laughing about something and can't stop or laugh at things they don't think are funny, but we don't care! =)

Debbie was a true friend for me as I wanted so bad to take the cruise for my 50th birthday and asked her to go along. Doesn't seem like an unreasonable request but Debbie is afraid of water so it was a big request to ask of her. She came through from me and we had a wonderful time (except for when Debbie fell in the parking lot as we left the cruise...I was afraid her boys would never let us do anything together again!).

I look forward to our friendship to continue to grow and I value having someone as my daughter's mother-in-law that I get along with as I know that does not happen often. By being friends, we get to have holidays' with our kids together and this makes us both happy!

Friends along the way---continued.

This brings me back to Oklahoma. I moved back here in 2001 and began working with Kathy S and Jan. They both helped me adjust from working in the "life world" to the "annuity world". We were a small team so we seemed to become close quickly. What I have learned about annuities I owe to one of the two of them. Kathy even became my manager for a time period and helped me get out of my comfort zone and take on some roles I wasn't sure I could do and found that I loved them and am grateful for the opportunity. Jan and I are back on the same team now and we sit by each other and are a support system for each other. Jan has a teenager and has to put up with me reminding her how glad that I am that I am past that stage in my life, although, her daughter is a good daughter and reminds me alot of Tracey. Jan also got me to do something I never thought I would do...that was to take a cruise. I went on a cruise with Debbie W for my 50th birthday and am now planning a second one later this year!

Debbie R is another friend I have made since moving back to OK. Although we knew each other when I worked here before, we didn't become friends until the second time I was working here. We like so many of the others continue to find how much we have in common and are a support system for each other. We also both like country music and went to see Blake Shelton at the Tulsa State Fair....what a night!!! Friends are so important at work but when they also become a part of your life, they are priceless.

During both of my times living in Oklahama, I also have three friends that aren't related to the office! First is Susan and Ellen, they are daughter and mother. I worked with Susan with the youth group during my first 6 years in OK. We became friends over the years and both share a love for animals. Ellen and Susan became our "Oklahoma family" quickly. If we could not make it home for the Holiday's we always had an open invite to join them. We did for many years and they made us feel like we were a part of the family. One doesn't often have the opportunity to have a friendship with both the daughter and mother and I have two sets (Goldie/Keli and Susan/Ellen.) Susan always had "Diane's room" at her house for me when I came back to visit the four years I was back on the east coast. In fact, when I moved to the east coast, they packed my stuff up a week early and I stayed at Susan's for that week! Susan and Ellen also worked with Gail and my sister-in-law Shirley to take care of Tracey's wedding reception so I didn't have to worry about it! What a relief! Susan and Ellen also hosted a brunch the day after the wedding at Susan's so that we could see Tracey and Bart open their wedding gifts before moving to Texas.

The other one is Gail. You saw that she helped with the reception! We worked with the youth group together too. Gail helped me when I took on the role of running the Wednesday evening youth night at the church. Her son, Levi and Tracey became friends also. My best memories with Gail are the movie nights we have shared over the years, where we got together and got caught up, ate junk food and watched movies, sometimes 2 or 3 a night! Gail has just recently moved to Arkansas and I miss those movie nights, I guess I'm going to have to go over there some weekend so we can have another one.

Friends along the way-continued

Next I moved to Morrisville PA to work for a friend I knew from Johnstown who was now working in Princeton NJ. I went out there not knowing anyone but the friend who had hired me. When I came out to look around to see if I wanted to move there, he asked a girl I had worked with for years over the phone if she would mind showing me around. She agreed and we hit it off right away, her name was Dorothy. She showed me around and even took me to see her apartment, I ended up living in the same complex! I had some rough times during my time out east due to the cost of living changes, and for a time period, when my car broke down, I could not afford to fix it, Dorothy was a lifesaver during this time period. She would let me take her car on Saturday's to get groceries and run any errands and drove me to work!

During the 4 years I was back on the East Coast, there were 4 other women who helped me make it through tough times as well as helping me have some good times and good memories. The first is Marilyn. We knew each other from the Dayton office and were glad to be back working with each other. Since both of our families still were in Dayton, we use to carpool on our trips back to Dayton. This made the drive so much more bearable and saved mileage on our vehicles! My job moved from Princeton to Bridgewater and my next friend, Lorraine was my person travel agent. Any time I needed to know how to get to somewhere, she gave me directions. We also used each other as support as we took on roles in management. I learned so much about being a manager from just watching her! The third person is Linda. She is such an important person in my career life as she was an awesome mentor for me. She lives in Rhode Island and traveled down to Bridgewater every week, just for that I admired her. Her attitude was always positive and she would always be there to get me back on track should my attitude decide to go off the path! The 4th is Kim. Kim and I didn't become friends until later in my time in NJ, in fact, we became better friends after attending a week long training course in Massachusetts. These 4 women along with Dorothy helped these 4 years in my career be the most beneficial, I truly believe I became more mature in my career during my time period working with them.

Friends along the way-continued!

Next is Lori. I met her when I moved to Johnstown in 1985. She was just returning from maternity leave with her son Jason. We were close in age and over the years have learned how much we have in common. We are still in touch with each other almost on a daily basis as we both are still working for the same company! We also have tried to visit in person over the years after I left Johnstown to move to Oklahoma the first time in 1991. In fact, we are planning to do so this May, if all works out. From Feb 6 to May 16 we are the same age and every year I make sure to remind Lori of this fact, she is much nicer than me because from May 16 to Feb 6 she doesn't remind me that I am older than her...I guess she respects her elders! Can you believe its been 23 years this year Lori????

Next is Kathy B. I met her when I moved to Oklahama in 1991. She was another person that I seemed to become friends with instantly. We use to tease that some day I would become the CEO and she would become my assistant....I don't think she should wait for that position to come to her any time soon! When I left OK in 1997 to go back East, Kathy stayed in contact with me and made time to visit with me when I would be back in town for a visit. Then when I moved back in 2001, we picked up the friendship like there had not been a break in it. Although, we both are so busy sometimes we think we saw each other more when I lived on the East Coast than now!

Friends along the way-Goldie!

In my journeys with my job taking me from state to state, I have had the opportunity to make some frinedships that would not have been possible if I had not moved. I have been laughed at before because I have so many "best friends", but its true...I have them in every place that I lived!

I am putting them in order of the length of the friendship.

Goldie: Where do I begin on her? I have known her for 29 years now. I met her when Tracey was 2, my mom was getting worse with her cancer and needed me to find another babysitter for Tracey. My mom had noticed kids in Goldies backyard (2 houses down from my parents house) so we asked her and she agreed to watch Tracey. It felt like we became friends instantly. And being my friend was not easy for the next few years, I had surgery when Tracey was 3 and she helped with that, my mom passed away when Tracey was 4 and she was such an important support for me through all of that. Tracey and I even lived with them for a time period and she still remained my friend! A year later, I offered to take their son Chris for the weekend so that they could celebrate their anniversary, a few months later we were driving to my uncles house to get some green beans and potatoes from his garden when we stopped for a Pepsi, as I was getting out of the car, she told me she was pregnant, I laughed and got out of the car....Goldie didn't get out, I got back in and said..."You aren't teasing are you?". So the next March, Keli was born! They never let me take Chris for the weekend again! =)
We moved to Johnstown when Tracey was 8 and no matter how long between visits when coming to visit Goldie it seemed like we were always able to pick up our friendship like there hadn't been time between seeing each other.

I would have never made it through the years without having her to listen to me and to give advise. The neat thing is that I now am friends with Keli who is an adult.

Goldie is a true friend as when I am home in Ohio, she lets me choose where to eat so I can get to the places I love to eat in Dayton that aren't in Oklahoma!

Some day I see us sitting on the front porch and going down memory lane and wondering how time went so fast but I will also wonder how I was so lucky to get a friend like this!

Accomplishments

When telling others I thought I was too old to blog they said just think of all the accomplishments you have made in your life that should give you something to put on a blog...so here I go!

1. I am still employed by the same employer going on my 34th year! Not many can say that nowadays!
2. I was a single mother to a wonderful daughter who has grown into a wonderful woman, so I must have done something right!
3. I am going back to school for my Bachelor's Degree in Business Management. As of this Saturday, March 1st, I will have completed 60 of the 120 required to get my degree.
4. I have visited 48 of the 50 states (this summer will increase to 49, watch for more on that.)
5. I have been able to live in different states while working for my employer and have made friends along the way that will always be a part of me. (Watch for more under Friends along the way!)
6. I have created my own blog!

Am I too old to Blog?

I have found it interesting to visit Tracey and her friends blogs but always felt I was too old to do such a thing, but some people have convinced me I am not too old so I have created one just to see what I decide to do with it!

I am going to start with 4 main catagories and then see what happens after that...so watch for: Accomplishments
Friends along the way
Wishes and Dreams
Memories that make me smile.

Under Construction

Watch for more soon!