OK I guess I am cheap !

The reservations for New Years eve have been made, the doggy resort expecting Clancy and Clarissa .

Now it is time to pack and plan.Since there is a microwave and refrigerator in our room, I planned on cooking my customary Sauerkraut with pork and smoked sausage and mashed potatoes, packing them in Tupperware inside an ice chest and taking them with us. I also planned on making home made sausage gravy and baking some biscuits that can be heated in the microwave for breakfast new Years morning before we check out. I had it all figured out then Mike started looking closer at the site. It seems that there is a New Years eve buffet in the lobby of the resort. The food choices sound good and at first glance it looks as though it is included in the room price ( really it should be for what we are paying ) I held back my excitement as Mike called to ask. Sure enough it isn't but it is only thirty dollars per person extra. ( what is another hundred and fifty dollars right ? ) Mike sort of wavered to the lets just bring food side but told me it was my choice. I tried to justify it , I really did but we are already paying so much and we always eat the sauerkraut anyway. I was really trying to give the option a fair shot but just couldn't do it. Especially since the buffet closes at ten o' clock when the water park portion of the resort closes. So let me get this straight, you pay all this money for an indoor water park then you get there and pay more to eat which takes time away from using the water park which you payed so much for? OK maybe it all boils down to me being cheap but I don't think so ! So here is the Diane way..... We drop the dogs off and travel the three hours to the resort. We stop along the way at McDonald's for a couple dollar value menu double cheeseburgers ( which will be paid for by the McDonald's Gift Certificate that I purchased at Giant Eagle earning myself ten cents per gallon off of my next gas purchase). We get to the resort, check in , take our things to our suite, change into our swim wear, and enjoy the water park. At ten when the park closes we go back to our suite, change, heat up sauerkraut and potatoes, eat, and then go down to the dance party. After the balloons drop, we go back to the suite, sleep, and get up in time to eat the biscuits and gravy breakfast,( you gotta love the refrigerators and microwaves in the rooms)pack up check out of the room. spend a couple more hours in the water park, and head home, stopping at McDonald's on the way. Yes I guess I am cheap but sometimes that is just how it goes !

Today we Elfed ourselves

Though we may be a little late we finally found time to Elf ourselves take a look !

ElfYourself™ : Brought to you by OfficeMax®

Mike Clancy and Clarissa wanted elfed too !

http://www.elfyourself.com/?id=1847710702

My sister in law sent me the link to the elf yourself that she did of herself, my brother, and my Mom and Dad.Now this one is really funny.

ElfYourself™ : Brought to you by OfficeMax®

New Years eve plans

Our family has always had a rough time finding something to do on New Years eve. First off Mike and I married what some would consider young so our friends who were still all single were interested in going out for drinks when we were starting and raising a family. Though I have never seen a problem with having a drink or two, doing so is just something that I rarely did then and hardly ever do now.Another big drawback to going out has always been financial. Since Mike and I both held down low paying jobs when we were married a night out was simply not in the budget. When the kids were little , I spent most New Years eves home with the kids while Mike worked.As the kids started to get older and Mike had worked hard, took classes, and was blessed with better job opportunities we started looking at doing things on this evening. First we tried an adult club party. This was just not my idea of fun and we ended up leaving picking up the kids early and ringing in the new year at home.A couple years later I heard of a Family New Years eve party at a local Hotel/ banquet room. This was a family friendly event which served food, provided craft opportunities,had a DJ who did wonderful contests, and provided a great time. The best part was that they also provided a hotel room with the hotel pool open until three AM. Though this party was expensive, we were able to fit it into our budget . The problem was that it also appealed to others and booked early. I tried for a few years before I was able to get us in. For years we went and had a great time. We had found our thing and even made friends there. The problem though was that last year a group of people with very small children came in. Because they booked many rooms, the hotel manager decided to cater to them. Where seats were supposed to be first come first served, the manager agreed to give these people all of the tables surrounding the dance floor. These people made the dance floor a play place for their small children making it impossible for anyone else to dance or do activities without stepping on these children. The DJ asked that they be removed to no avail . Many of the guests talked to management but got no results. Many of us decided that it was not worth the money we were paying any more and didn't renew our reservations. So here we are again , at the beginning. Where to go what to do? I had looked around a bit but didn't nail anything down. Since we had puppies we didn't want to have to pay per dog boarding so an overnighter was out. Mike and I had options at the comedy club which we go to a lot but that didn't include the family. the kids had friends offers but nothing fit us perfectly. Until now since the puppies have all left for their new homes, we have decided to do an overnighter at an indoor water park. Mike and the kids have wanted to do this for awhile but we just never did. The price tag is steep ( double what our old New Years eve spot was) and then you have to buy your own food, drinks and stuff but we are going to try it out. Who knows this may be a new tradition.

You finally have to admit that you belong to a family of rednecks when....

You are having your Christmas get together at your parents house with your siblings and their families , Dad and Mom bring out gifts for the grandchildren, the younger grandsons rip into theirs, shriek with joy and look up with grins from ear to ear holding pellet guns. The older grandson then rips his package open to reveal ammunition , targets, and a new cleaning kit for his collection of guns.

( Thanks Mom and Dad, you couldn't have selected gifts that they would like more !)

I guess sometimes we just have to be proud to be who we are !

By the way

The grand daughter's gifts , stuffed neck massaging animals, huge sets of bubble bath, shower gel, lotion , powder, candles, bath poofs,and everything else that was in those giant package, were also perfect .

Merry Christmas all !

Well, we went to Midnight mass as a family and after stopping at Sheetz for free coffee, hot chocolate, cappuccino or tea, we came home to a warm house. We opened the gifts that the kids had gotten for all and then it was off to bed and waiting for Santa. Sure enough he came. This morning I baked the bread for dinner while we opened gifts. Today is going so much better than yesterday. Thank you all who prayed for us, Thank you Dad who spent his whole day helping, to Mom who is preparing the dinner that I was supposed to , to the furnace man who helped us more than he will probably ever know without using our poor situation to make a large profit. to those who understood when we had to change plans, and especially to Mike and the kids.

Merry Christmas all !

Please keep praying

I am typing while wearing my husbands coat with the sleeves hitting the keys so I will try to keep this short.We got a new hot water heater and they were installing it when the house started getting cold. Now my furnace isn't working. I am not sure if it is related or not but the hot water heater pilot will not light either. ( yes I paid the gas bill and the stove works)Dad has been here all day, I have canceled my company who were supposed to come over tonight for which I feel terrible but I had no choice. My Mom has agreed to cook dinner tomorrow so I have to gather up all the groceries that I bought and send them over to her with Dad . I am so discouraged right now but there is nothing I can do. I found a furnace repair service that will send someone out for one hundred and eighty five dollars an hour but Mike said that they will probably have to order a part and would not be able to fix it anyway. Mike said we could spend the night at a local hotel and Dad has offered for us to stay with him and Mom which is very nice but what about Christmas? I guess I need to calm down and do what I have to but I am having a tough time at it. Please keep praying for us.

Update

Dad just left with the groceries for tomorrows dinner and Michael. Thank You a million times to the furnace repair man from Ainsley Heating. He got Mike's message earlier and called Mike back ( at no charge) and talked Mike through some things. It seems that we have a bad switch of some sort that will have to be ordered Wednesday. ( Glad we weren't charged $200 dollars to hear this) This angel of a man also told Mike how he can manually keep the furnace cycling until Wednesday when he will order us the part and not charge us extra to install it. As for the hot water, The eight hundred number person told us that the ignitor is probably bad and they will be glad to honor the warranty on Wednesday. They would exchange it if we unhooked it and took it back but oops they close in fifteen minutes.... Sorry.Oh well since Mom is cooking dinner I guess I can live without hot water. I will heat some on the stove so we can all still clean up and get to Midnight mass.

Update again

Mike just told me he was able to ignite the water heater, wow could Christmas be saved after all ? With God it sure can ! Thanks for the prayers :-)

Requesting a prayer for my sanity

Things were really starting to come together. Mike and I finished shopping for Christmas dinner. I was in the process of making the last batch of Christmas cookies. Cindy was busy helping get the laundry done, and Mike and the boys were helping in any way that I found the need. I was getting all excited and then I asked Mike to go to the basement and retrieve some things for me. He went and found that my hot watter tank was leaking badly and flooding my basement. The clothes that Cindy had sorted to be washed, those in baskets that were done, and everything was soaked. I had to stop the mixer turn off the oven and head to the laundry mat with garbage bags full of soaking wet clothes. Meanwhile, my wonderful father dropped everything ,as he has done so many times for me ( Thanks Dad I love you !) and came over with his truck. He and Mike went to Sears where Mike bought a new hot water tank and came home. This is the point where they realized that they needed some "hardware" to install the new one. Home depot and Lowe's were both closed so Dad vowed to be back in the morning and Mike is getting up at six to get what they need. Please pray that they are able to get it fixed quickly as I am expecting company in the afternoon tomorrow and for dinner Christmas day and sort of need water. Please also add a little prayer for my sanity that is just about shot.

So far behind I feel ahead

There have had a couple thoughts for post going through my head today . As a matter of fact I even started to write one but decided not to publish it because it didn't reflect what I want this blog to. The truth is that I am so far behind that I can't imagine ever being ready for Christmas in just a few short days. Sure my shopping has been done for awhile, but nothing had been wrapped before today. Wrapping I did get done today in between yelling at the kids to get their chores done,feeding the family, going to five o'clock mass and realizing that the family ordainment that represented our family on the Parish Christmas tree was missing. ( yes I mean missing.It was there last year and was supposedly packed away with all of the other families but wasn't there today when the kids decided to look for it , on the tree, before mass.)Because we are not represented on the tree , the kids took it personally . In an attempt to diffuse the whole thing Mike and I went to the mall ( where I have not been since early November) in hopes that the same company who were in the mall four years ago was there this year. Thanks be to God, it was.We purchased a replacement ordainment and were on our way. I got home ready to commence wrapping when Cindy told me that the ordainment which I just bought was broken. Sure enough she was right. We got back in the car and off to the mall again. Thankfully the people replaced it without hassle.Anyway, back home we came and wrapping I worked on. I just finished and though I have cookies to bake and Christmas dinner to plan, I am calling it a night.I will be sure to say a prayer for all of you before I drift off though I am sure that i am the only one this far behind.

And then there were none !

Though Clancy and Clarissa are here to stay, we are now puppyless. I am not sure that this is an actual word but no doubt it gets the point across . All of Clancy and Clarissa's puppies have moved to their new homes.
Yesterday morning I got a call from a sweet young man looking for a puppy. He had to go to work soon after he called but asked that I hold our last bundle of furry joy until this morning when he could come and take him home. Agreeing was no problem as we have not had any interest in over a week. I agreed and went on with my business. Five minutes later, the phone rang again. Guess who? A woman wanting a puppy. Cindy told her that she was unsure if one was available or not and took a number.Then at about nine thirty last night another call came in. Mike took it and told the lady that we would call her back today if the dog didn't sell. Again, this morning a man left a message that he was looking. Isn't it amazing how you try and try to accomplish something,be it sell puppies , find a job, or whatever it may be. You try and try and sometimes get discouraged. It seems like all of your efforts are getting you nowhere and then, Wow, out of nowhere your prayers are answered with many calls, many job offers, or whatever.It is like God has said, OK now !
Anyway, Ignatius went to live in Niles with a young couple, twin girls, and a baby boy to protect and love. The kids( OK Mike and I too ) are all pretty sad to see this sweet puppy go but as I stated before, a third dog is just not in our best interest right now.
Farewell Iggy, you have left a permanent paw print on our hearts. Enjoy your new home. We love you !

Prayers Please

Please pray for Cindy's friend Shawnna. She was taken to the ER last night and admitted to the hospital. However, Doctors are still unsure what is causing her problem. To respect her privacy, I will not go into detail but I will say that this girl and her family have had way more than their share of problems lately and can surely use our prayers.

Update

A call during class this morning not only sent the substitute teacher into the tiniest of fits, it also informed us that Shawnna simply had a nasty intestinal virus. Two days worth of tests have shown that surgery is not necessary and that she should be able to go home tomorrow morning. Thanks for all of the prayers.

1st. Snow day

As we went to bed last night schools were already starting to be called off. Unfortunately ours were not in the mix. They were still not called off at five this morning when I got up to get Mike ready for work. But at six o'clock Robby's called off then shortly after we got an automated call from Cindy's school that they were canceling. Since Michael's school goes by Cindy's school's schedule they were all off. I waited for Mike's call that he was at work safely and then returned to bed. I should have started baking or cleaning or something but I didn't ( no wonder I am so far behind !)Now I am up and planning to run an errand or two before taking Cindy to work, then I think I may mix up a batch of chocolate chip cookies and see how that goes. You just never know maybe chocolate chip will lead to PB kisses and sugar cookies. Maybe I should pick up some M&Ms too.Oh if only it were this easy.

Thank God for kids

After coming home last night exhausted from the trip I had no problem going to sleep, however the getting up part was a little tricky this morning. I am so far behind on Christmas preparations, I am starting to think I am ahead. Until this afternoon, I didn't even have our Christmas tree up. Thanks to the kids that is now done and I have to start thinking about baking cookies. wrapping gifts, and planning Christmas dinner. Mike and I have already agreed not to bother decorating the outside of the house this year.In addition to helping putting up and decorating the tree this afternoon Michael ran the snow blower through the driveway again, Cindy did some household chores that have been neglected and Robby gathered up the trash for tomorrows collection as well as a few other jobs. This made things a lot easier for me and even allotted time for me to run to McDonalds for the Chicken McNugget sale for dinner. What tomorrow holds, I don't know but hopefully it will get me a bit closer to where I need to be. Luckily I have these three wonderful kids to help get me there.

Great to be home !

We left for the Ohio State campus this morning at seven thirty. It was chilly but not as cold as many December mornings in Ohio can be. There was not a flake of snow in sight as we headed to Robby's karate clinic. The weather stayed pretty much the same until we arrived. As we parked in the parking deck a few yards from the building which the event was held in it began to snow. Not the pretty little fluffy snow flakes, mind you, but heavy packing snow in the biggest flakes that I have ever seen. We got into the gym without much ado. We arrived before Sensei Okazaki so Robby had plenty of time to change and stretch. When Sensei Okazaki arrived, Michael and Robby asked him to sign their books, so that we could leave after the clinic and not have to wait until he was done with the black belt tests. This was a good move as the snow did not let up at all from when we got there. It fell so hard and fast that crews could not even start to clear the roads. We were lucky to be able to drive forty five MPH on the freeway where we usually drive seventy to seventy five. We just got home and I have never been so glad to see this place .All in all the clinic went well. Robby did well with it even though he was the lowest rank there. There were a couple people one belt ahead of him ( green belts) who couldn't handle more than half of the ninety minute clinic. They called it quits and left about half way through. I took a bunch of pictures but have narrowed it down to just a few.

By the way As I type this Mike and Michael are using the new snow thrower to clean our driveway. It is nice to see them so enthusiastic to do yard work !

Robby and Michael look on as Sensei Okazaki autographs their books
Robby is the only one with the orange belt. He is all alone between the back row and the next to the back row because his legs are short and his steps are only half of every one else's



Robby is the last in line up to bow out

A turn of events

For years before Robby joined karate, he has been dragged along to Michael's karate class, tournaments, and testings. He has always taken it in stride ,being happy to set and watch, bringing along his game boy, some gummy snacks and a juice box. Even since his joining of karate he has seen his share of bench time watching his big brother. Now however, the tables have turned. Robby has been doing pretty well in karate lately and is very proud of his orange belt. He has also been putting in more effort than most in his class. In an effort to reward this effort, Mike and I have decided to en role him in a clinic that is coming up on Saturday on the Ohio State campus.This clinic is given by no other that Master Sensei Teruyuki Okazaki, who brought Shoto kan to the United States. Sensei Okazaki is the one who tested Michael for his black belt a couple years ago and usually only does one clinic a year in the area before he does yearly black belt testing. Training under Sensei Okazaki is a privilege as Sensei Okazaki was a student of Gitchen Funacoshi , the man who started Shoto kan karate in Okinawa many years ago.Mike and I as well as Robby and Michael's Sensei all feel that Robby is ready to attend this clinic. He will surely be tired after but we think the training will be good for him. At the end he and Michael will both be rewarded with having their copy of Sensei Okazaki's book , http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0978576322/ref=cm_cr_pr_product_top signed.

Unfortunately,due to doctor's orders , Michael is still not back in karate so he will not be allowed to participate in this clinic . Hopefully by next year he will be testing for his next black belt but for now he gets to set and watch. I think we will leave his game boy home though !

Ever feel like God is giving you a pep talk?

Maybe this sounds odd but have you ever been in the middle of something unpleasant? Maybe a task that needs to be done, a painful medical procedure,being in a car when you have to go to the bathroom or something like this? Now stay with me. In this situation have you ever had a thought like" hang in there your almost done" or better yet something like Your doing good ( your name) keep it up ? Oh please tell me that I am not psychotic. This has happened to you hasn't it ? It has me so many times that I can not count. Most of the time I have thought of it as giving myself a pep talk but this afternoon it felt different. I found myself lost in thought, actually lost in worry. As much as I hate to admit it, I got my dad's worry gene. Nothing particular was going wrong but there has been so much stress in my life lately it seems to have worn my optimistic attitude down a bit. I felt the feeling was coming over me and said a prayer. At this point I should have busied myself but instead I found myself just setting there thinking. As I thought , the worries that I had cast aside in prayer came crawling back. Then out of nowhere I heard myself say" It will all work out Diane" hearing my own voice in the silence almost startled me. Now if I was giving myself a pep talk I wouldn't be startled would I ? I don't think so. I was totally surprised by this. It had to come from God, I can just feel it. Even if I am psychotic, knowing that God told me that it will all work out is a great feeling of relief

So close, Please send a prayer

In many previous posts I have mentioned each of our beautiful cocker spaniel puppies both while they were here and each as they left for their new families. As I mentioned before, so far all have gone to great homes that fit their individual needs. We had no say in which family picked which one but God seemed to work it out as Isabella , now named Maggy, went first to a retired couple with a beautiful house and yard where she is queen. Masamora , the gentle runt, went to a young couple with a four year old son to cuddle with and love . Nelly, The Clancy look a like with his attitude, now resides with a doctor and is the center of attention. This leaves Ignacius, he has seen the rest go and though this may have been unsettling for him, he has been comforted by our kids who have showered him with attention. My prayer lately has been that he also finds his perfect home. Don't get me wrong, it wouldn't be so bad to keep him, but a third dog is just not in our best interest right now. We have not even put up a Christmas tree because the whelping box , which now serves as a puppy pen ( even though he can get out of it he will stay if firmly commanded to ) is where the Christmas tree goes.
Last night during supper we got a call from a woman who may be interested in him. For whatever reason she couldn't come see him until today and couldn't come this afternoon either. It had to be this morning.I am nervous at having someone come while I am home alone and more nervous about selling our last puppy by myself. This may not make sense to many but when the kids are here I can't cry, knowing that I have to be strong and let them know that this is the right thing to do. Also, I sort of question whether this woman will actually show up.( just a gut feeling )
Please, after all my rambling, please pray that if this woman and her family are right for Iggy, that she shows up and purchases him. If she doesn't I will know that it is not right. In this case please pray that his new family surfaces soon. Thank you all so much !

UPDATE
The lady showed up like planned but left alone. She expressed to me that she really wished for a buff Cocker spaniel, or dog that didn't shed much. Ignatius didn't seem to feel a connection with her either.She said that she had to think about it but I highly doubt that she will return. Before she left I suggested that she look more into the Cocker spaniel breed before making a decision. Please continue to pray for the right family for Iggy. Thanks to all !


After some honest thinking and talking to Mike at work to make sure he agrees with my gut feeling we have decided not to sell Ignacius to this woman even if she does return. Her children are in our opinion too young for such an energetic pup. My hope is that she will realize this also and not contact us again. After Mike and I decided this he called me back about an hour later. It seems that a lady whom works where Mike does has a father in law of retirement age who is looking. Mike has a good feeling about this but we will have to see what God thinks. Back to prayer . It is the only way I can truly find peace and contentment in placing Iggy.

Isn't that how it goes?

Last week we got some snow. It started mid week , added a bit more everyday and finished up on Friday with a couple more inches. Friday early afternoon as the neighbors were clearing their drives , I thought about mine. Mike has had major back problems for a couple years since his car was hit by a drunk driver two years ago, Michael covered for him last year but he is not even two months out of his casts from his foot surgery and slipping on ice could cause irreparable damage to his bone graphs. That leaves Cindy, Robby , and me. Cindy works four days a week after a half day of school so it is usually dark when she gets home let alone that she is tired and has homework and a few chores to do. Robby is really too young to do it all and besides since he has had many breathing problems it just isn't a good idea. That leaves me. I can think of a million reasons why I can't do it but it all pretty much boils down to not really wanting to. Besides, are we not living in the year 2007? Shouldn't we have a snow thrower anyway? Just what I thought ! So when Mike came home I asked his opinion. he agreed with me so after dinner we went to Kmart ( who is now owned by Sears and sells Craftsman brand) They had three there but were unable to give us any info on them.We drove to Sears and boy were we glad. They had the same snow thrower there only on sale for fifty dollars less than the K Mart price. As if this wasn't good enough, they had another model with all of the same power and options only a two inch shorter deck for one hundred and fifty less than the K mart price. This had us sold but it got even sweeter. Sears was running a ten percent off your total purchase sale which subtracted another fifty five dollars off the bill. I was thrilled but being who I am I had to sweeten the deal just a bit more so we went to Giant Eagle where we bought gift cards to pay for it. Doing this will save me two dollars and twenty cents per gallon off my next gas fill up at Giant Eagle's gas station. Now adding that made the deal sweet !

So we bought the snow thrower and brought it home. It was late and dark by then so we didn't take it out until Saturday morning. Wouldn't you know that Saturday showed no snow but rain that melted all of the accumulated snow. Now I am ready for the next snow fall but wondering if it will ever come. I am sure it will eventually as snow is an Ohio tradition, but sometimes that is just how things work out !

Something fun for kids

Clean Home Journal™ has a link where you can design a snow globe, add personalization, and Email it to friends.

Merry Christmas !

Though we have barely begun Advent,I have been receiving E mail after E mail on how people are already fed up with people wishing them " Happy Holiday's" and not "Merry Christmas" In these E mails these people are very angry and feel that others are maliciously trying to disrespect Christ by not wishing a Merry Christmas .

Though I am sure that there are some that are trying to show disrespect toward Jesus, I wonder if the majority are or if they are just trying to cover their bases. This would never have crossed my mind a few years back as I always lived in a primary Catholic/ Christian neighborhood. Now, however my family lives in a more religiously diverse suburb. Believe it or not, it is a much better neighborhood than before just diverse. I now have friends and neighbors that are Catholic, Christian, Jewish, Muslim, American Indian, Jehovah Whiteness, and a few other faiths as well . Because of this there are a lot of Holidays happening at this time of year. I can understand where a clerk at the store would just say Happy Holidays .

Are we as a society that paranoid of our neighbor that we always have to feel that they are putting down our beliefs? It sure seems to me that we are. Now I can agree that the use of the term X-mas is offensive and I would be sure to offer anyone wishing me a Merry X- mas a Merry Christmas.

I hesitate to publish this post because I know that I will get E mails from those who feel that converting the world to their faith is the right thing to do. I personally do not. I respect the freedom of others to believe what they wish.

In closing I would like to wish everyone the best of whatever holiday they choose to celebrate as well as a Merry Christmas ,because I choose to celebrate the birth of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ !

Let the Baking begin !

The big blue truck pulled up at almost nine o'clock this morning. Yes..... my waiting was done.

My oven started acting up and I put this new one in Lay-A-way back in July. A self cleaning cycle cleared the gas pipes in the old and helped it to heat a little faster, but still not as fast as I would have liked. A couple weeks later the right front burner quit working. Cooking the daily meals with only one front burner was the pits. Saturday after the gas lines were updated and I scheduled delivery, the burner mysteriously started working. Not entirely working as the ignitor still refused to work but it could be lit with a lighter and used. I suspect that all of this was this old oven's way of trying to stay , knowing that it was on it's way out. Probably when I had ten batches of cookies needing baked or worse yet on Christmas morning when I had dinner for ten to cook. I couldn't chance it. The nice men took the old oven with them without mentioning it's fate. Perhaps it will be used for parts or maybe end up in a scrap yard where it could spend it's last days with other old appliances. Either way,at the risk of making myself appear insensitive , I am just happy to know that I can now do some Christmas baking and plan a Christmas dinner without worrying that I might have to waste everything because I have no way to bake or cook it. Sorry but A Crock Pot Christmas just isn't our style.

Isn't she beautiful !

And then there was one !

Our last buff female puppy, Nelly, left for her home with an area doctor last night. Now only Ignacius remains . It seems that just when you least expect a call from someone looking for a puppy, you get one. I was out running errands when Mike called from his cell phone on his way home from work. As I pulled in my drive my cell phone started beeping. It was my call waiting ( never used it before) and Michael . Seems a guy was wanting to come see the puppies. Since Mike was stopping to pick Cindy up from work on his way home it was on me to show the puppies and run off the sale contract. All went well and Mike and Cindy even got home in time to say good bye. Poor Ignacius , being all alone has been the recipient of quite a bit of attention. Cindy even took him into her bed last night as she was afraid that he would get cold. Thank you all for the prayers that found Nelly a good home even though there are four other litters listed in the newspaper. Please keep praying that Ignatius is as lucky.

Farewell Nelly, We will always love you !

To the customer service rep at my insurance company

Dear Sir,

I apologise if I hurt your feelings this morning when I was not satisfied with your "it's not covered" and asked to speak to your supervisor. I do realize that your supervisor has told you to tell people like me that he will tell me the same thing that you did so that he doesn't have to deal with people like me.Before you take offence, though maybe you should know who I am and why I am not willing to accept your answer.
I am the Mom of four children, three of whom are alive.My precious daughter now resides with Jesus .Why did she die? you ask. Unfortunately, I can not answer that. The autopsy didn't show a cause of death. All that I know is that I was a couple months pregnant and felt that something was not right. I called my Obstetrician's office who got me in to see him quickly.My doctor examined me, found my babies heartbeat and told me that he could not find anything wrong. There , of course, were tests that could have been done including an ultrasound that could have identified the problem,but none were ordered. Why? you ask. Because your company had decided that "in most cases" these tests were not needed this early. In an attempt to stay in business my doctor conformed to your companies policies and made me wait until the appropriate time for an ultrasound. I had no choice but to wait. Unfortunately when the appropriate time came, the ultrasound did in fact show a problem. My daughter no longer had a heartbeat. It was too late to do anything but induce labor . My daughter was gone !

The next time that i was expecting, my doctor labeled me high risk which allowed him to care for me and my baby a little better. Though there were problems with this pregnancy too, my doctor monitored me through ultrasound and other tests. It all went pretty well until my son was born six weeks premature. Again, Mr. customer service Representative, your company wanted to put a cap on what tests could and could not be run. Four or five doctors had their hands tied as my son struggled to breathe and was unable to get any nourishment from the little bit that he was actually able to eat and keep down. Sure, you allowed a test or two, but drug your feet at OK- ing the next test when the first came back negative. This took valuable time that could have meant the difference between life and death for my baby. I learnt quick not to waste my time debating approvals with people in your position. It is nothing personal, you may be a great person who goes to church regularly and helps the poor, but understand, I just couldn't accept your denial and let my son die.

Now that this son whom I speak of is eleven, due to my pestering your company's employees all the way up to the CEO if necessary to find what his problems were and treat him, don't even think for a minute that I will give up now. You see, I have been hung up on, treated rudely, even cursed out,but you know what? It was worth it to be able to see my son receive his orange belt in karate or sing at his fifth grade chorus concert. There is nothing that you or anyone else can say or do to make me give up. So please understand, when I insist that you connect me to someone who can connect me to someone, who can connect me to someone, who can connect me to someone, who may be able to help me to get the medical test or medication that any of my children need in order to insure that I never loose another child. Please understand that I mean no rudeness to you , but it is just something that this mother has to do. Honestly it would be better for both of us if you didn't take it personally and agreed to transfer me to your supervisor . Wishing me a good day would be nice too. Honestly, I understand that your job can be difficult but so can being the Mom of a kid in need of medical tests that your company feels are " not usually necessary" I pray that you never truly know how I feel !

Advent is here and things are coming together.

Though the house is still not decorated and two puppies still remain ( check them out in the Christmas card photo from the last post. I think they were asking Santa for a forever home) and we have even had a little SNAFU( situation normal all filed up ) with the Christmas shopping (WE were done shopping and one gift that we bought for each of the boys went on sale for eighty dollars less than we paid. Of course being the bargain hunter I am, after Mike looked them over and confirmed that they were the same, I bought them planning to return the pricier ones. Because of this my numbers were off and I had to spend eighty dollars more on each boy. I got this done and again felt relieved that I was done. Last night however, after claiming my doneness at my Mother-In Law's church's Woman's luncheon ( Thanks again Linda) I decided that it was time to take the more expensive items back. I asked Mike to put them in my car , which he immediately went to do ( Bless his heart). The problem occurred when he called me to the garage. Diane, he said when I got there, these are not________ like the more expensive ones. OK I said we will return the others, which we did. The problem now is that since I bought more for the boys now Cindy's numbers are low.Luckily she is my easiest to buy for and after a quick trip out, she is almost done again.)

My biggest most happiest accomplishment, though is that while I was at the luncheon Mike had a plumber come in and upgrade the gas line for my new stove. It was all done when I got home and all I had to do was call and set up a delivery date. This too had it's snag as Robby has a dentist appointment Monday, and Cindy needs a ride from school to work everyday but Thursday. As God would work out, there was an opening on the truck on Thursday ! So Thursday night I can start my baking. Now my prayer is that God finds our two little puppies good homes before Christmas. Anyone who would like to join me in sending a prayer up would be appreciated. I will be sure to send one up for a blessed start of advent for all of you too !

It may not be perfect but it's this years Christmas card photo. Courtesy of Pets Mart.

Information to know

Where to find size sixteen Nike athletic shoes? Why shoe carnival of course !

OK no Clown shoes being found at the carnival jokes. Mike has heard them all from me already ! Anyway, there are now many area locations and though size fifteen and sixteen are still not plentiful, they do carry them . I suggest buying a couple pair if you can find a style you like as they will not have them on your return visit. By the way , shoe carnival offers many buy one get one half off sales throughout the year( one is going on now ) and they are the cheapest place for Nike shoes that I have found even without the sales. They also carry sizes for toddlers and up for those of us without mammoth feet.

Almost to Advent

Here I am only a few days from Advent. The Christmas shopping is ninety percent done but that is about as far as I got. I was hoping to have new homes for all the puppies by now but since I still have two, I have to find a place to put their box so that I can put up a tree. In addition to this I still have to bake. This in itself is proving to be a thorn in my side as my oven is old and acting up from time to time and my new one is in lay-a-way ready to be delivered but I found out that the gas line was not upgraded to code before we moved in so I have to have a plumber come and upgrade the flexible pipe to solid and add another shut off before I can have the new one delivered. Add to this the fact that I need to clean before the plumber comes and of course clean again for Christmas, wrap, and plan and prepare dinner. No doubt I will get through it but it could get ugly. I have decided to put it all in God's hands and let him sort it out and get back to me. Isn't it great that we all have that option ?

After eight months.....

Michael has left for school wearing two shoes ! He had an appointment yesterday where x rays were taken and his foot / ankle inspected. All looked good and he was told that he could try going without the air cast. The catch was that we were advised to get new shoes so that neither shoe was worn more than the other nor molded to a foot before surgery. This was no big deal other than we got out of the doctors office, had to leave immediately to take Robby to karate , then go to Shoe Carnival a half an hour before they closed. This annoyed the employees and then we had to first find what size was needed since the reconstruction has changes the foot physically . Luckily we found the size and then a pair of Nikes that were stylish and fit comfortably. We were out of the store with five minutes to spare. It was then that we realized that we did not eat dinner. The kids had grabbed some leftovers but Mike and I had not eaten . Thankfully Arby's was having a sale so it was roast beef for all.

Today's agenda looks almost as busy as yesterday's so I best get busy. Prayers for Michael's continued recovery are certainly appreciated.

Farewell Masomora

Masamora left today for his new home. That little runt of the litter had captured all of our hearts and left us in tears as he was carried away. I think he will be happy with his new Human Mommy , Daddy, and four year old human brother. He moved across town with his own fenced in yard and lots of love. May God Bless Masamora and his new family

Hot wheels event

Because Mike was offered overtime today and because we seem to always need money, the kids and I agreed to go to K Mart hot wheels day this morning for him. I was slightly discouraged in that there were forty people and only sixteen boxes of cars to go through . There was even a shortage of posters which are usually in great supply. Tickets were handed out and drawn .Out of our four tickets only one was drawn. Much to Mike's pleasure, our box contained a treasure hunt. The kids then picked out the exclusive event cars and we were on our way to the check out. As I passed the new store employee who was put in charge of the event this year ,I overheard him telling another; "That wasn't near as bad as I had anticipated." I thought to myself. No, it really wasn't. Enjoy your Treasure hunt Mike.... We love you !

It is always better when Mom pays for it !

Since my kids were little, Mike and I have always tried to teach them that Christmas giving can be as fun as receiving. In doing this we would take them shopping ( usually a dollar store or Santa's workshop when they were in elementary school) and have them pick out a gift for each member of our family. The rules were simple; one gift per family member( this has changed to a dollar amount per person now that they are older and not shopping at everything is a dollar) and nothing for themselves. The latter has honestly never been a problem as they know that their siblings would be getting for them.This afternoon , while Mike was at work, the kids and I started talking about the Christmas shopping that they will be doing.Since Cindy is working this year other than mowing my parents yard , she proudly stated that she would not be needing money from me for this. She then went on to talk about her friends that she intended to exchange gifts with this year. I reminded her that,after Christmas last year, I bought some things on sale for her friends this year . She was pleased at this and we ended up going through a box of things remembering what we had bought for whom. This particular box also contained things that were bought for no one in particular but were just a good deals. These things are usually used as donations for charities, anonymous gift exchanges or for the extended family auction which funds a yearly Christmas Party / reunion for my Mother's brothers and sisters and their families. After Cindy had gotten all of the gifts for her friends from the box she looked at me with a smile. So mom, she said, what would you like for Christmas. How about this..... Gee Cindy, I guess that since your shopping with your money this year , you are keeping costs down ! We both just laughed.

I wonder if all of those people in line knew?

After my last post, before crawling back into bed, I checked my E mail which contained an ad from Staples. I opened it to find the four gig thumb drive that I didn't get this morning was available online at the seventeen dollar price. Wait a minute here. It seems that all of the advertised values that people were waiting out in the snow, probably for hours for are available online. OMG I would be sooooo mad right now had I stood in line for this.I am mad that I even drove there and didn't realize this. Anyway I just went to the site and purchased the thumb drive. It will be sent to me by one day delivery (I will have it tomorrow) for free. Yes I didn't have to stand in line and don't even have to pay shipping. I wonder how many of those people in that line ( especially at the end of it) knew this? Amazing !

Black Friday

The past few years Mike and I have taken full advantage of Black Friday early morning shopping deals by leaving for the stores two or three hours before they actually open , getting there to a line already standing in the freezing temperatures. Luckily my little brother Curt and his group of friends would have already been there since midnight and at the front of the line. Mike and I would casually join them and be one of the first ten into the store when the doors opened. Because of this we always got whatever we were after at the best prices. We also had a good time as we waited and froze together. This year however Mike was offered overtime at triple time pay. We figure that it is better to make money than spend it so he decided to work. Since I am responsible for making sure he is up for work, cooking his breakfast, and making his lunch and extra large cup of full espresso cappuccino is ready , I was also limited on where I could be. I did however finish in time to drive to Staples fifteen minuets before they opened in the hopes of getting a four gig thumb drive for seventeen dollars.Unfortunately for me ( fortunately for Staples ) they had offered some good deals on computers and there was a line, at least ten yards long, waiting to get in when I got there. Though I did get out of my car and started to walk to the end of the line, I decided that I would probably not get one anyway and went back to my car.I then drove past K mart where there was a smaller line but I didn't stop. I drove to Wal Greens where there was hardly anyone. I went in and they had the advertised specials that I wanted but the sale price did not go into effect for forty five minutes. I put the things that I wanted in my cart and was going to wait until I decided that I wanted more than the limit. I called and told Cindy to get ready and I would pick her up in five minutes. Within five minutes I had her and was back . The place was packed at this point but I still got what I wanted and waited until the sale time to check out. While leaving the parking lot Cindy asked where else we were going. Nowhere was my reply. Maybe it is the fact that I need Mike with me in order to enjoy these types of things, maybe we are just not as poor as we used to be when we would do anything for these sale prices,maybe I am just getting too old. Whatever the reason I will just have to pay more later or do without whatever it is but I am going back to bed !

Happy Thanksgiving Everyone !

Today Mike, the kids , and I will be having Thanksgiving dinner with my Mom and Dad, brother and sister in law. After which Michael is looking forward to target practicing with the new gun that he was just given from Pop's collection. Robby is also excited as he has been promised that he can also go target practicing for the first time and shoot Michael's air pellet riffle. Usually I would take this time to help with dishes or relax while the men bond but this year I get to go too ! Dad recently gave me his 38 special so I get to now practice shooting it.

HAPPY THANKSGIVING ALL !

Which makes more sense?

Christmas preparations have brought back a memory, of a few years ago, that still brings a smile to my face.

Robby had a classmate who had stopped believing in Santa Clause and was on a mission to spread his opinion to everyone around him. In his quest he ran into Robby.

" Robby guess what" he asked " There is no Santa Clause ."

Robby replied " No Santa ? No way, where do you think all the presents come from?"

Having it all figured out, the boy replied" Your Mom and Dad buy them with their Christmas bonuses" he informed Rob. " What is a Christmas bonus?" Robby asked? " It is money that your parent's bosses give to them at Christmas time" " For what? Robby asked" Just because it's Christmas" the boy replied." Yea right" stated Robby, "Like any boss would give you money for nothing ! Get real.... There has to be a Santa Clause !"

Oh he of great faith in Santa and little in the American business owner !

society?

Last week while I was driving , I noticed that a local radio station had already began their annual all holiday music broadcasting. Though it seemed too early I enjoyed listening. Then when I stopped at the super market the Salvation Army red kettles were in full swing. Again, it just seemed too early. I guess that commercialism has caused us all to start Christmas way before the Thanksgiving turkey is even purchased. It just doesn't seem right. Those who know me well are probably surprised by my feelings on this as I start Christmas shopping for the next year as soon as the Current Christmas is over. I am a sucker for a sale and the Post Christmas ones are the best. Still , what happened to Santa coming to the mall the day after Thanksgiving? Are we as a society all messed up ?

I guess that when you honestly look at society as a whole, we are in fact all messed up. Last week at TRE ( Total Parish religious education ) there was a comment by an older woman which infuriated me. On the subject of today's children She asked where we as a society went wrong. I took offense to this as I am raising children with morals as are many that I know. Is it just that the media has a way of constantly showing the bad of society without any due time given to the good. Unfortunately time ran out before I got to respond to this comment but perhaps there is something to what this woman had to say. Perhaps it has something to do with the fact that life is going too fast. We start Christmas preparations in October or we are made to feel behind. What messages are we sending our kids?

That time again

This morning I awoke to snow. I wasn't surprised as it is well into November, but displeased. The snow didn't change our routine too much as the winter coats were already out and yesterday at Sam's Club I bought a case of hot chocolate and cappuccino. Cindy and Michael both take a cup with them on snowy mornings .

The problem is that I somehow lost all summer. I vaguely remember going to Cedar Point, Kings Island, and the last season at Geauga Lake but surely that was not all summer. Surely it could not have went that fast. I still have a pair of shorts that I have never worn, a container of sun block that I never opened.

Where has the time gone?

I should be used to the flying time . After all the babies that I just brought home from the hospital are now seventeen, fourteen, and eleven. Sure I remember having some birthday parties but not that many. Is it just me? Have I really lost all of this time? Or is it that the world is just going too fast? Twenty some years ago when I was in school time crawled. Why is it now flying? I guess that I will just never have all of the answers .

Am I a trooper or what?

After being unemployed since her last employer dropped out of the school's program, Cindy was hired as a medical assistant at her interview yesterday. Her strong computer skills landed her the interview so we just assumed that her duties would be limited to the computer part of a Medical Doctor's office. Though computer is a big part of this job, it is a full medical assistant position. The kind that calls patients back, takes medical histories, does weight , blood pressure, and any other test that is needed. I was surprised because though I know that Cindy was taught many things last year, the goal of the class was to get the students State tested for a nurses aid position. I asked her last night how long it had been since she had done a blood pressure to which she answered months. Because I felt that she probably needed practice I decided to invest in a cuff to go with the two hundred dollar stethoscope that I invested in last year. She was happy with the purchase but needed a guinea pig. That would be me. Oh well , I thought, I gotta do what I gotta do. The problem lies in that I was then told that she would probably have to do finger sticks and maybe even draw blood too. OK now I want her to succeed but ......... Oh well I guess what I am saying is that if I don't blog for a few days you will know that my fingers are healing. Why oh why did she pick medical occupations ?

Happy Birthday Linda

Congratulations Miss Vice President

Last week Cindy asked me to help her with a speech that she had to give. I agreed and asked what it was for to which I was informed that she was running for vice president for Mahoning county's Skills USA chapter. What is Skills USA? I asked. She informed me that it is a group which represents the students of Career and technical school labs.( Labs are the classes where they learn their trades. Cindy's lab is medical occupations. )Anyway , with all that goes on in our family, her request for help slipped my mind until I was informed a couple days later that her speech was finished.Evidently she did a good job because she won. Her duties will include going to Columbus for a week for the regional conference as well as other duties .She is pretty happy about the whole thing especially because her very close friend was also voted in as a representative, so they can room together in Columbus. I am happy for her achievement but honestly, I think that between school, work ( she has just been hired as a medical assistant for a near by doctor ), chores, and a very limited social life, she is over extended enough. I realize that she is only seventeen and that now is the time to grab life by the horns but I am tired just keeping up with where she is and what she is scheduled to do. This feeling may lighten up when she gets her licence ( she will have had her permit for the six month mandatory period at the end of February) but I fear that i will exchange my running for worrying then . I guess that it all comes down to being a part of my vocation as a mother and I wouldn't want it any other way !

Sometimes coming up short is a good thing

By the end of the last school year I was on my way to making senior preparations for Cindy. We had Senior pictures already taken, had kicked around post high school options, we were considering, planning, asking questions, reconsidering, and planning some more. I thought that I had it all under control and I did. One of the things that we had spent a lot of time on was starting to plan a Graduation party. Though we looked into the possibility, a home graduation party was just not feasible. I don't have the yard space nor the parking space. We decided to rent a hall. My little brother, Curt can get the hall of the union to which he belongs for a good price so we thought we would book it. I was warned to book early from the parents of a friend of Cindy's who ended up having their son's party on a Tuesday last year. It isn't that I didn't listen but first of all Mike wondered if we needed as much space as this hall provided. Then I asked Curt to check on it but we didn't solidify a date . Then came Michael's second surgery with it's complications followed by Mom's complicated surgery. Life happened and we never booked it. I remembered this last Friday when Cindy brought home the order form for announcements. Curt stopped over on Sunday and I asked him to, against the odds, check on availability. Monday he did and as I feared there was none. I immediately started calling halls. Booked booked and booked was what kept coming through my phone. Finally one hall was open. The catch was that you had to use their caterer. I got three or four of these. Though I pride myself on my cooking abilities and had planned on doing it all myself, I considered it and asked questions. Most were fifteen dollars per person. OK I decided to pass on that. Next there was a hall open where I could do my own food. For eight hundred dollars. Oh my I don't think so. I felt defeated. What to do ? I called Mike and Cindy into the room to help brainstorm.
We came up with a local restaurants breakfast buffet. It is less expensive than the catering estimates and if I didn't go too overboard on the guest list it wouldn't be much more than if I rented the hall and did the food myself. I called and yes they had an opening ! I started on the guest list and found that I didn't even have to cut it down much from where it would have been in a big hall. I put the deposit down and that is that ! Now all I have to do is show up and set out some pictures and everything else will be done for us. yes it is odd and different but so am I ! Thank God that I came came up short . He knew all along that I wouldn't need the huge hall and all of the work that would go with it . The only thing is that I am limited to one hundred and twenty guests, but realistically looking at the list, that should be just fine !

Good bye Isabella ( Maggy)

As promised our for sale ad for the puppies appeared in the paper. There has not been an ad for Cocker spaniels in this paper for months but as soon as I put one in so did three other people. One was for a ten month old who someone decided that they could not keep . One was for all black and another was unspecified. Of course the ten month old was cheap but the other puppies were all equal for the males but we were $50 dollars higher on the females. My heart sank when I read this but all we could do was wait and see. Within minutes of reading this we got the first call. A sweet young couple got directions and were here within a half hour . They fell in love with Ignatius but were looking for his father who wanted a female. Isabella was chosen for her calmness. They were thrilled and so were we. Another call came in a couple hours later but they wanted to bargain the price down for Nelly. We declined and though they told us they would be here in an hour to see her. We never heard from them again. That is OK as I hear that buff females are in short supply and I am sure that she will be sold soon. No doubt that the males will also find a great home. Now if only I can keep the house clean enough to let people in to see them. Now that is the problem.

Follow up

After my rambling about Halloween treats, I have received a couple E mails and comments on good treats vs bad treats. The all time worst seem to be two that my kids got this year that hit the trash so fast that I forgot about them and didn't even grace them with mention. First off was an Avon Book. yes we have an Avon Lady in the neighborhood that is this desperate for a sale. Though I find handing these out without even a piece of candy taped to it, extremely rude and would never buy from her if all other Avon ladies quit and I was out of deodorant.I did look at one a couple Halloweens back to find that it was three months old. Yes not only did this lady try to use Halloween for peddling Avon, she was too cheap to get current books. I also got an E mail stating that Tupperware books have found their way into candy bags too. How sad ! The other top rude Halloween treat was election fliers. My boys got refrigerator magnets so that is not quite as bad but still even if I was going to vote for this person who is running for school board, I surely wouldn't now. Besides, how many trick or treaters are over eighteen anyway? Talk about targeting the wrong group ! Amazing what is becoming of people's sense of common sense. Are we as a society that desperate? Just something to think about !

Candy or Play do ?

While going through the boy's candy bags last night I was sort of surprised at some of the contents. In addition to Reese's cups, Milky Way, Snickers and the usual cheap off brand candies that seem to always find their way into the trash can after all the rest of the candy is gone and for some strange reason the kids have had their fill of candy. Of course there were the couple pamphlets from near by church groups trying to convert our young children to their religion, but there were also things such as small containers of play do, Halloween pencils, small plastic puzzles , stickers , and the such. As I went through these things my mind wandered off. Were these things better than candy or a waste of money? Of course because we are happy with our religion, the religious recruiting pamphlets were thrown out, the pencils could be used by school age kids but what about preschoolers? The ironic part is that so many complain that the kids who are trick or treating are too old and that Trick or Treating is for the preschooler age group. This age group would surely like the Play Do but parents of this age group usually are not really fond of that messy stuff. How about the small toys? Around here they also hit the trash can . Preschoolers could choke on these things ,though I guess that some families may appreciate them. How do you find the perfect treat? Too much candy is really bad for kids so is that a good treat? Are Potato chips better? How about peanut butter crackers or raisins? As a mother I can affirm that Chips are OK for my kids but crackers or raisins will surely put you in the skip that house next year list. What is a person to do? I have tried to buy different things but that can cost quite a bit and asking every kid what they want can take awhile then you have mind changing, it just becomes a mess. I guess that is just the nature of Trick or Treat. People have different ideas of what constitutes treats and sometimes you get your idea of good stuff and sometimes you get stuff that you wish that the person hadn't wasted their money on. What to do? It would be awfully rude to refuse a treat offered to you but isn't wasting a bad thing too? Maybe you could pass the rejected treats on to another. Maybe families should host a trade party. Johnie trades his chips for tootsie pops. Julie gets Play do for her Snickers bar. Of course the off brand stuff would still be unclaimed but I guess that is just how it goes.

Halloween evening

Michael and Robby dress up.Robby is riding a dinosaur and Michael is a basketball pole and hoop. the hoop is on his head with a ball going in. Our carved pumpkins
Guess whose is whose

This one is Michael's

Michael's Robby's & Cindy's

Puppies turn eight weeks old.

The fliers are up and the Newspaper add is set to run on Sunday. Now all we have to do is wait for the New Human parents of our puppies to call. Last night Mike decided to introduce them to the leash. Clancy and Clarissa decided that there was no way that the puppies were going for a walk without them so Mike took them and I took two of the puppies at a time. We thought that they would follow Mom and Dad but they couldn't have cared less. They walked to the neighbor's year and played in his leaves while Mike walked Clancy and Clarissa . Though they didn't walk far , they all used the outdoor potty so I was pleased. The time outside seemed to help them sleep too. This morning when I got Mike up at five they were just waking up and their box was. clean. Not wanting to let an opportunity to not have to clean the box this morning pass, I grabbed all four and took them out back with Clancy and Clarissa. They evidently don't like a messy box either as all four were happy to use the back yard. Clarissa didn't quite like the idea of them out there chasing her as she did her early inspection of the yard but I am sure she will get over it. I didn't keep the puppies out once they were done as it was forty degrees. Once back in I rewarded them with their breakfast, then an hour later I took them out again. Sure enough they understood what I wanted. Now I am not saying that they are by any means housebroken yet, but their box is still clean and it is after one.I will soon take them out again and who knows. One thing is for sure though, If I get them housebroken, the price will go up or I will be buying six dog licence next month !

Sometimes having a big brother who is recovering for surgery on his feet and a big sister can be a good thing !

Robby's first ride on The Top Thrill Dragster

99% perception

I will count yesterday as a productive day. Not that I got massive amounts of work done but the couple small things that I did get done were ones that I have needed to get done for awhile. One of the main things was that Mike and I took the hours that it took to pose the puppies and try to snap pictures of them ,for "for sale" fliers ,before they got up and walked away. We gave up on getting one picture with all of them and reduced our expectations to one half decent picture each. I figured that this would be a challenge but I had no idea. Clancy and Clarissa, though not trained perfectly, do follow basic commands like "sit". This word in puppy means spin, jump, run, anything but hold still. We started this little task at about six o'clock and decided to pick out the best of the many imperfect taken at almost nine. Some would say that it was a waste of time but my perception is that the flier is done so I put one in the plus column.

Sometimes you just have to take the small victories when you can get them !

Life has been too busy

These last few weeks have been busily flying by. So much so that I have left many blogging topics go. I really have realized this and have not intended to let them go but the days have been ending with my to do list longer than it was when the day began.

One topic that I can not leave out is thanking everyone for their prayers for Michael. As previously posted he had an appointment with Doctor D on Saturday. The X rays looked better this time and he did get the pins out and the non weight bearing cast off. He was, as anticipated, put into the removable air cast which he can walk on. He will probably be in this cast constantly( except for showers) for two months or so.

Because he got the cast off, as promised we went to Cedar Point yesterday for the last day of the season. The weather was chilly (mid 40's to mid 50's) but there were quite a few people there. Michael still qualified for a handicapped pass so the kids got to ride quite a few of the most popular rides without having to wait in line. A few made them come back at specified times but other than the Maverick at an hour and a half return time, most were ten to twenty minutes. A more memorable moment , though was Robby's first ride onTop Thrill Dragster, Roller Coasters, All the Rides, Cedar Point. Robby has wanted to ride this for awhile now, so his delay was not due to fear but rather he was too short in the past. Now though , thanks to his orthotics he is tall enough for all of the big boy rides. I have pictures that I will try to post soon. For now I have to start working on that to do list before it turns into a to do book.

Seven weeks old today

Happy seven week Birthday to the four cutest puppies I have seen since their parents were puppies. In honor of this milestone Mike and I took all four plus Mommy to the veterinarian yesterday to get their check ups and first shots. They made quite an impression in the waiting room as the four were in a pet carrier and were not real happy with the arrangement. Once in an exam room all five were worn out and took a nap. One by one the puppies were taken for a through exam . I did not expect any problems in three of the four puppies but the fact that Masomora was a bit flat a few weeks ago still concerned me. Upon his last check up I was told that he would probably remain flat and could have problems due to this condition. With a little therapy and a bit of Love he is no longer flat and though still the runt at four pounds twelve ounces, he has rounded out, walks fine, and even beats up on the others.

After all four were examined Dr. Tom informed us that all four, not three but four, were perfect. No birth defects, no heart murmurs, nothing ! They are all perfect specimens of the Cocker Spaniel species. Mike and I both attributed their perfectness, especially Masomora's , to their being blessed the Sunday before St. Francis' feast day and of course prayers coupled with St Francis' intercession.

The sad part comes now that it is time to start looking for new homes for all four. I hate to see the days , when they leave , come but I know that six dogs are just too many.

For now I will just rejoice in our miracle of their health and know that God will play a major role in finding their forever homes.

Puppies go outside for the first time today

Tonight was the night for the puppies first trip outside. Mike and I took one out at a time so we would be able to keep an eye on them and document this milestone with pictures. Two of the four even caught on to the purpose of going out . Nelly was the most nervous about the whole thing and would not move away from Mike or my feet. Masamora was the bravest and chased a couple fallen leaves. We all had a great time ,

Masamora chases leaves
Iggy was pretty brave also

Izzy takes a break

Nelly hides between Mike's shoes

Puppy first

All four of the puppies have started to climb up on the whelping box in an attempt to get out. Here is the whole quad caught in the act.

The day after this picture was taken Izzy ( Isabella,third from the left) made it all the way over. Much to her dismay we have since turned the short side to the wall.

Mom's favorite???

Though all mother's are, from time to time, accused of playing favorites among their children, most do not. However sometimes there is merit to those accusations.

Thanks Aunt Sondra !

Prayers please

Just a quick note this morning to ask for prayers for Cindy's present situation. After working her shift at the veterinarian's office yesterday she was informed that the vet and his wife/ office manager decided that it was too much work ( for someone who wants for us to believe in him when he promises that he will commit himself as our president ) to comply with the schools program. They stated that though Cindy did nothing wrong, all the requirements and training that is necessary for compliance, are taking too much time. Hindsight is twenty twenty in that from the word go there have been signs that they were not wanting to comply but wanted to be able to say that they they were supporting today's youth. Cindy is quite upset over this but has options. Her strong computer skills have already landed her an interview at a doctors office and the nursing home which previously offered her a job told her teacher that if she changed her mind, their offer would still be there. I am sure she will do OK but could use your prayers that she finds where she is supposed to be. I could go on and on but I find myself very bitter and suppose that it is best for me to keep my mouth shut. I know that God will use this experience for good, somehow, I just have to trust. Maybe a prayer for me would be a good idea too. Thanks a bunch !

Brought to you by our resident Computer man

I have some milestone puppy pictures on my camera that I intend to post sometime soon.

Also I want to thank all who are praying for Michael and let them know that not only are we also praying, but Michael is doing his part in bumping up his calcium intake. Last night Sparkle had three almost half gallon containers of Bryers ice cream on sale for ten dollars. Though they didn't have vanilla strawberry swirl like Michael asked for, none of the other three stores closest to me did either so I bought three other flavors. Cherry vanilla, strawberry cheesecake, and caramel chocolate covered pretzel. Michael ate half of the carton of cherry vanilla last night and another quarter of it for breakfast this morning. He took a pepperoni sandwich with pepper jack cheese ( he usually skips the cheese but Pepper jack is one of the few that he will eat ) two string cheeses ( another that he will eat from time to time) and Kraft crackers and cheese in his lunch. He refused the idea of buying milk to drink and stuck with grape juice. If he can keep this up for a week and a half, not only should his bone graphs take but he should have calcium to spare !

All of this news and I almost was unable to post. Last night my computer died ( would not boot up or anything ) I did look up a few things on the kids computer but don't care too much for theirs so only did what was necessary. I didn't want to use the lap top either so I figured I wouldn't do much online for awhile. I went to the store to get the stuff that Mike was supposed to take to work today for their lunchtime party, and some pop for Cindy to take for a similar party in Government class. When I called home to ask what brand Cindy wanted, Mike told me that he had fixed my computer. I replied " I thought you would " Amazing how he can diagnose and fix these things so quickly. I don't think I said Thank you yet so here it is.... Thank You Mike,I appreciate all you do !!!!

Look for puppy milestones later today or tomorrow .

Disappointment

Michael had his almost eight week post op visit today. He had his air cast in hand ready to get the non weight bearing one cut off and his pins removed. He had plans of walking out of the office never needing to use his crutches again. After all he has been dependent on them the biggest part of the time since April. He was in the room and the medical assistant was plugging in the saw , when the student doctor came in. We all thought he was trying to be funny when he yelled " stop the presses" He then asked if Doctor D had told Michael that his cast was coming off. We answered yes. he then said " he told me so too " OK he was kidding, wasn't he? No he sure wasn't. It seems that the x rays showed that the bone grafts had not attached to the bone. Michael and I both verbalized " that stinks" at the same time. Mike tried to calm us both. Dr. D came in and said two more weeks. I tried to bargain it down to one to no avail. We left with long faces. Cedar Point's last day of the season is the twenty eighth and the cast would not come off until the thirtieth. On our way home I tried to comfort both Michael and myself, but just couldn't do it. Once home I decided to call the office and see if I could move his October thirtieth appointment to Thursday October twenty fifth. I called but the girl said she could not do that but took pity on us and said she would move our appointment up two days to Saturday the twenty seventh. This would work, I thought. Now all we have to do is pray that the graph will take , push dairy products for added calcium , and pray some more. Please join us in prayer. Michael has been such a trooper over the past seven months and still has such a ways to go , one last trip to Cedar Point where he could ride some rides and walk through some haunted houses would do his spirits a world of good !

The Mom song

I seen Anita at Women of Faith a couple years ago and loved her. Aunt Sondra sent this to me YouTube - which I had to share! Hope you enjoy !

Just thinking

This past weekend I ran into an elderly woman in the store who was accompanied by a young school age child. In today's world you never really know, but the child was calling this woman Grandma so I assumed that she was. It seemed like they were going down all the same isles as I was so they kind of caught my attention.One thing that sort of stood out was how this woman didn't seem "grandma like" at all but rather "Mom like". At one point Grandma was asking the child how to spell different words. In the next isle Grandma was lecturing about how important school work was. Another isle was grandma "explaining" why the child could not get fruit loops instead of bran flakes. Grandma then promised a small carton of chocolate milk if the child ate her vegetables at dinner that night.

Before I go any farther, please let it be known that I was not anywhere near what you would call close to my grandmothers.One grandfather died a month before my birth and the other, though I was very close to him, died when I was seven years old. There were twenty seven grandchildren born to my maternal grandparents ( plus quite a few more joined in by marriage) and twenty born to my paternal grandparents. Though I was by no stretch of the imagination close to being a favorite, I can honestly say that my parents were my parents. I can't ever remember my Grandmothers caring if I ever ate a vegetable or not. I understand that in this day and age many grandparents are raising their grandchildren , which is sad to me, but the conversation at the store indicated that Mom was raising her child. My question then is why is Grandma acting like mom ? I ask myself to no avail, is it because Mom has pushed her responsibility off on Grandma or is it just that Grandma doesn't get how these things work. Grandma is supposed to be the one to sneak a cookie when Mom says no . Grandma is supposed to be fun. Grandparents should never worry about spoiling her grand kids that is their job.

In my opinion kids need a grandparent figure as much as they need parents. Don't we all need someone to cry to from time to time? Someone to soothe us with a cookie when we are feeling down? Maybe I am the nutty one but Grandparents should not be teaching their grandchildren any lessons other than that Grandparents were put here to spoil them !

Sign me the mean one, so my kids grandparents don't have to be !

Sometimes your the windshield....

Sometimes your the bug !

Chalk me up as the bug today. It may have something to do with Saturday , Sunday, and Monday's weather hitting record breaking highs in the nineties, Tuesday's rain, and today's high of not even sixty. It could also do with my hemoglobin setting steady at six. Wouldn't it be nice to just be able to pop an iron pill , go back to bed and sleep away days like This?

Clancy's Birthday

Clancy poses with Mike and the kids while he awaits his liver dinner

Clarissa, Izzy, Iggy,Masamora,and Nelly join the crew for a picture

Five DQ cup cakes and two doggy carrot and cheese frozen yogurts

( the puppies were given their rice cereal)

Clancy unimpressed with his candle !