Happy Birthday to Me!

Card from Hubby

Yesterday was my birthday. I turned 59 years old! YIKES that sounds old but I will admit that I don't feel old (most of the time). I don't mind telling my age anymore and that is because I have learned that everyday is a gift from God and why should I not celebrate every gift!  Plus it's not like I'm 60, like some people I know.  I am enjoying my life and so I proudly tell eveyone my age. I hope you are at an age where you can be proud of your age as well.

Hubby gave me some great and wanted gifts. He knows that I love gadgets and got me just that. More gadgets for this gadget girl.  I did tell you he was smart, right?  I got garden supplies from my west coast family for whenever the snow melts up here and I can get out there. I got serenaded not once but twice over the phone. First by a good friend (and then of course we talked for over an hour) and then by granddaughters!  Oh how I love to hear them sing.

Then there was an explosion on facebook of good wishes and love.  I even got serenaded at work!  What fun. All in all it was a great day and I do feel special and loved.

Since my birthday fell in the middle of the week we will go out to eat this weekend. In the meantime, we are celebrating life and relaxing.

I hope you have a great Easter and find a church where you worship the reason for Easter.  I hope you stop for a bit sometime during the egg hunt, or passing the ham, or taking pictures and remember we are truly blessed because a man did not just die for us, but he also rose from the dead for us. His death was not unusual, his resurrection was!!

Happy Easter All.  

Easter Bunny Wednesday Hodgepodge.

Joyce came up with a great set of questions for this week. Thanks Joyce.

1. What are your plans for Easter? Are you cooking a big lunch or dinner? Dyeing eggs? Attending a sun rise service? Eating too much chocolate?
Our daughter and grand girls are coming over for a bit. We will have Easter baskets for them of course and some light snack for everyone. Hubby and I will exchange a card but no chocolate this year, as neither of us can really have it and we have lots in the freezer if we become weak and "need" some. Of course there will be church and I may even wear a dress (depends on the weather).

2. What is something you feel too young to do?
Die! I plan on living a very long time.....I hope you all live a long time as well.

3. "Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud...it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs..."
Of the characteristics mentioned in the biblical definition of love which do you find most difficult to live out and why?
Patient!! I want what I want, when I want it!  I have a hard time waiting for anything. I find lines annoying as well as waiting to open presents at Christmas or Birthdays.

4. What's a springtime flower you associate with your childhood?

I know that these are not "flowers" but the question is about my childhood and these two flowers screamed Springtime when I was a kid!! I loved picking them and bringing them home as a huge bouquet. I love blowing the flowers and making wishes knowing for sure that my wishes would come true.

5. Ever sung karaoke? If so, what's your go-to song? If not and you're given the opportunity, would you?
Never have but might if someone sung along with me.

6. What is something you keep in a basket?
Cards that I make and plan to send out to others. I keep them in a basket in my office and they are organized by holiday.

7. When was the last time you felt foolish?
Boy I can't think of a time but there clearly must have been times.  I bet I'll think of it later this week.

8.  Insert your own random thought here.
We've had some melting and the other day, I saw this, next to the garage door! Most of the front yard is still under snow so seeing this was JOY.  I do believe it's time to find the rake and get going.... Well maybe after a bit more melting.

So now it's your turn, how would you answer the question? 

Nope, still don't like surprises

The year was 1976, I was very pregnant with our second child and living on the U.S. Air Force Base in England. It was great day.

Taking care of a 4 year old, and being VERY PREGNANT- I always had the deer-in-the-headlight look on my face. Don't judge me...I was very tired.

Our American furniture was finally here! We could get the base furniture that had been loaned to us back to the base. Our fridge was coming as well and we could give back the English fridge which was about the size of a cooler for a dorm room and the washer was coming as well. We had the transformers ready to plug in our American appliances. (American appliances are designed for 110 volts, whereas electricity in England is 220 volts, hence the need for transformers) All the English base furniture that was loaned to us was stacked up to a wall.  It was leaving first thing in the morning. I was so happy!

Hubby was in Spain at a shooting tournament for the Air Force and was not due home for another week! What a surprise for him to come home and see all the American furniture in our home!

Our son, now 4 years old was getting a set of bunk beds and he was so excited! So after tucking him in bed and satisfied that I was completely ready for the big day I went off to bed.

After a few hours of sleep I was awakened when the front door began to rattle.

Everything was packed. He had the guns with him! Someone was clearly breaking in and this time hubby is not even in the same country! I'm not anyplace near a phone! Cell phones didn't exist yet!

The door was now open. I could hear someone walking down the hall. I did what I know to do, protect my baby!

I grabbed hubby's night stick and as the person came around the corner I yelled and swung the night stick hitting the intruder in the gut, doubling him over and trying to breath. One hand went up and in a very rasspy voice I heard my hubby say " surprise, I'm home early"

Apparently, everyone knew I was pregnant and with all the problems we had with our son, they let him get his shooting out of the way and sent him home early to be with me.

He came in and saw all the base loaner furniture packed to one side and was worried about me so he was coming right down the hall to check on us when I surprised him first. 

I was so mad! He surely knows not to surprise me right? Didn't we have something like 4 years ago, did he forget?

Apparently not. Since he had the guns with him because of the competition he figured he was safe!  Right!?

Once again he had to learn that no matter what I will stand between whatever/ whoever and protect my child. Any danger would have to go THROUGH me first.

Lesson learned.

He started calling me when he left work to let me know he was on his way home. For a while, he yelled from outside the house that he was entering the home now!

Good boy!

They can be taught.

The photo yellowed with age, this is long before ditigal camera and keeping photos safe.  Still, I'm huge with child, don't surprise me.

With cellphones, he stills let's me know when he on his way home but no longer feels the need to announce that he is outside the home waiting to come it.

He also doesn't surprise me.

Weekend Review & Pinned it Made it Monday

We had a wonderful weekend of melting snow!! It's not all gone by any means, in fact, I still can't find the septic tank.  The snow melts there first since there is so much percolating going on in there and it creates heat, of sorts.  It's still under snow, a lot of snow.  Still, there's a lot of wonderful melting going on all weekend. A wonderful weekend in Spring!

Our oldest granddaughter turned 4 years old and this was truly the first year that she was "Into" the whole birthday party thing.  Before this party she would get over stimulated and leave the room, even if there were gifts left to open, or cake to eat or whatever.  This year, she was able to enjoy it all, the meal, the cake, the  gifts and the play time with her cousins.  It was so nice to visit with the other set of grandparents and I had my first vegan meatball.  That is a oxymoron but I don't know what else to call them.  Our daughter is vegan and so she made vegan meatballs.  I had never had them before so I tried one and was pleasantly surprised that they were pretty good.  Not bland at all which is what I thought it would be.  I would eat those again. Really I would. 

I'm also joing the Pinned it - Made it Monday for the very first time over at Country Girl At Home.

Here is what I pinned

And here is what I made.

I make cards for people and needed a way to organize them. I saw this on Pinterest and had to try it.  I thought that it was a nice way to put my cards in order.  My basket is larger and  my labels are smaller but still,  I didn't have to buy anything because I had everything on hand. The photo is not as good as I would like, but it was taken with my cell phone and so it's not the best, and I'm not the best with my cell phone calendar. 

So that is my weekend and my Pinned it - Made it Monday.  How was your Spring weekend?

I don't like surprises!

When hubby and I got married, I knew he was going to be cop so guns were going to be part of our life. We didn't have guns growing up and no member or our family were hunters so when hubby brought guns into the house it was time to get use to them

At first it was just his guns, I would watch him clean them and see how many parts they come apart into, that was a surprise to me.

Then we would go to the firing range and he would load it and I would shoot it. He then would pick me off the ground laughing because it had quite a kick back.

Laugh away big guy-laugh away!

We started to get more guns, and a rifle, and a shotgun.

We had a safety plan to make sure any future children of ours would not have access to any guns in our home and so as the kids came, they knew we had guns but only ever saw them on daddies work belt. They knew they were in the house but had no access to them

Over time, I had learned to take apart, clean and put together and load a gun. I also became a pretty good paper target shot.

One night after hubby went to work, I was watching our baby son breath. Oh come on, we all sit near the crib and watch our little miracle breath right? For me it was a blessing beyond belief because he was HOME.

If you've read this blog for any length of time, our son was a sickly child and spend 6 weeks longer in the hospital than home the first year of his life, so having him home was a big deal.

Anyway, I was watching him breath late at night with only the light from the nightlight plugged in near his crib, when I heard something at the back door. I got up to go look what was making that noise and saw a shadow through the back window. A BIG shadow. It was jiggling the back door!

Without even thinking, I got the gun, loaded it in the dark  and walked back into the kitchen. I didn't want to wake the baby with a loud "bang" so instead I yelled "I have a gun and I WILL shoot". I will admit that the yelling could have woken him as well, but it didn't. The shadow dropped to the ground and I heard hubby's voice say " Yes you can shoot, I taught you".

 Hubby had forgotten something at home so came back to get it. He figured I would be sound asleep and he would simply quietly come in, get it and leave. Huh! Simple! Really!

Lessons he learned that night

Moms watch baby's sleep

Moms hear all kinds of noises in the night when home alone

Moms will defend their children ALWAYS

I proved to myself that This girl will shoot a person and will "warn" them first.
I don't like surprises.

I still don't like surprises but hubby would have to learn that lesson again, at least one more time.

Men learn slowly don't they!

I'm still a good shot, 40+ years later.