Prim roses in bloom!

Spring has arrived on the dining room table in Oregon.  I went to the farm store to see the baby chicks with the grandchildren and these prim roses, jumped in my cart.  I brought them back to the local dining room found a wooden bowl to display them in.  Well, one thing lead to another, a trip outside for some twigs, and a trip to the ribbon supply and tada!  A new center piece for the table.

Pork Chop, EMT & Bra

Last month my husband and I were enjoying some delicious pork chops which were hand raised in Croyden. They were given to him as a Christmas gift from a fellow driver. He was into his third bite and he began to cough and sputter. He walked over to the kitchen sink and the next thing you know he is giving me the universal choking sign. So I tried to do the Heimlich maneuver on him and he is a pretty tall guy and I am short, so it was hard. I asked him if I should call "911" and he was shaking his head yes. So I called and they ask me to stay on the line and I begin thinking I don't have my bra on. I have got to save my husband, stay on the phone and somehow get my bra on before the EMT's arrive. Well he coughed some more, threw up and dislodged the pork chop. They still wanted to send the EMT's and ambulance to check him out, so I did get off the phone. I got my bra on and a beautiful six foot tall blonde twenty-something female, is the first on the scene, as the only EMT (so much for worrying about the bra). My husband was very pleased to see her and I was too, even if it took thirteen minutes for her to arrive. I am very happy it turned out for the best and he is going to be around to celebrate his 60th birthday soon!

Try Again!

I previously recommitted to doing a monthly post. I missed January 2010, I am blaming it on pneumonia again. On New Years Day I had a relapse of the bacterial bug, this is not how I wanted to start off the new year.

We had a wonderful Christmas and enjoyed the holiday and the time off from work. New Years Eve was fun in that we had four grandchildren over for the night while their parents were off to a party. The oldest one fell asleep first and the youngest held on almost until midnight! Jared and Holly came in around 12:30 and slept on their own mattress in the basement with Mallary.

I cant believe we are in a new decade! I remember spending January 1, 2000 at the West cabin in the mountains. We had one snowmobile to transport all of us into Christmas Meadows and really enjoyed the stay in the winter wonderland. I am glad the new millennium started out that way and the world did not implode while we were in the mountains. Time gets faster as you get older and gets even better as grandchildren arrive. We love all of them so much!

Super Bowl 19

What I remember about the Super Bowl held on January 20, 1985. It was the last time I talked to my Dad before he passed away on January 25, 1985. I think of how silly it was that our last conversation was about a football game. Yet, my Dad loved to watch TV and especially football games. He didn't spend a lot of time in person attending games, but he loved TV. He would sit in his recliner chair in the basement of the Rosewood Lane house and his snacks were all lined up. He loved candy, pie, and cookies which he called "non essentials" sometimes. He had a metabolism that made my Mom jealous. He could eat anything, as much as he wanted, and not gain an ounce. Mom use to say he would eat pie and not gain weight and she would just look at a piece and gain a pound!

So in someways I hate Super Bowl Sunday, because it makes me think of what I should have told my Dad on that day, instead of discussing football. I know he knew that I loved him and that is all that really matters after all. We thought we would have more time to discuss things, but that was his last Sunday on earth.

Today would have been his 89th birthday!

It was one of the most watched games in history with 115.9 million viewers. This game also was the first time television commercials ran for a million dollars a minute. Joe Montana was quarterback for San Francisco and Dan Marino for Miami.

Oregon Turkey Leg

We made it over the Oregon Trail segway up to Silverton for Turkey Day. We had a snowy experience over the Blue Mountains, but Pa was at the helm and we slid on into Pendleton to camp over for the night. It was wonderful to see the grandchildren and spend some time with their parents too. Matt as usal put on the feast with me being the assistant, that is cleaning up as fast as I could to leave some counter space, he is a great cook. He gets pretty hyper as he gets going, but is not intimidated by anything. First time I have watched someone make the green bean casserole with onions rings on top!

He was also the one out shopping on Black Friday early enough to get a new TV, blue ray, and movie. He even got back home and had it all installed and working before the rest of us even got out of bed. As grandpa went downstairs and Eli says how do you like the new TV, poor grandpa didnt even notice it was new! We did enjoy Friday movie night and watching UP with camel popcorn freshly made.

Matt also worked grandpa into the clinic and gave his back a work over, he is almost back to normal. Normal being he doesnt like Christmas and all the commercialism, after 38 years of marriage he is still trying to tolerate the rest of us. Well bah humbug, we love it and will carry on anyway. (he does say to me on Christmas Eve about 3:00 pm well I guess we better go to the mall and get you something) It will be a different Christmas this year without Grandma Dorothy, she did love Christmas and has passed that onto her many grandchildren and great-grandchildren. Thanks for all the great memories Mom, I hope to journal a bit more and record some of them. In the mean time I will enjoy the earring Christmas tree and Blinky the snowman each day!

Once a Month

I have decided to do a post at least once a month, so I don't forget my password. (I know you are laughing at me girls). Last December 2008 I put a post on about being thankful and expressing thanks in my prayers. Since that time I have been thankful for the breath of life in each prayer and expressed it. Little did I know this would become a literal thing in my life the past month. I have had pneumonia for the past month and I truly am grateful for each breath I am able to take. I have taken my health for granite for most of my life, the past few years have been a challenge with several surgeries and lots of stress. A good friend and co-worker said to me on Friday, "I am not surprised you are sick, you burn the candle at both ends!" So I am hereby giving myself permission to blow out the candle on at least one end! Yes, I enjoy being a gypsy and traveling at least once a month. (I cant give that one up) I love being a grandma and playing with my grandchildren. (I cant give that one up either). So I decided it has to be sex! (yes, grandma nut has found something to give up). At least for the rest of this month!

Not My Idea!

Someone has told me before they dont like it when I put things on my blog that I have read somewhere else. But, I like this advise at this time of life!

" Focus on all that you have! There will always be people that are richer than you...there are also people that have less than you have. Focus on appreciating what you have and don't let advertisers, blogs, magazines or TV shows influence you into buying things you can't afford and most likely don't really need anyway! You are not what you own or don't own!"

Back in the 70's we had a recession and I was into recycling before it was Chic to do so. I loved getting hand me down clothes for myself or my children. I even cut up old clothing and made it into something new for us. I do love all of the ideas out their on blogs about shabby chic and living on a shoestring, I have been doing it for years. My navy knife in my silverware drawer has got to be 60 years old now, it was a hand me down from my Dad when he worked at the Naval Supply Depot back in 1946.