Thank you to those who served.....

For all the men/women that have served protecting you and me...

I never thought that this is where I'd settle down,

I thought I'd die an old man back in my hometown,

They gave me this plot of land, me and some other men, for a job well done,

there's a big white house sits on a hill just up the road,

the man inside he cried the day they brought me home,

they folded up a flag and told my mom and dad, we're proud of your son

Chorus:

And I'm proud to be on this peaceful piece of property,

I'm on sacred ground and I'm in the best of company,

I'm thankful for those things I've done,

I can rest in piece, I'm one of the chosen ones, I made it to Arlington

I remember daddy brought me here when I was eight,

we searched all day to find out where my granddad lay,

and when we finally found that cross,

he said, "son this is what it cost to keep us free" Now here I am,

a thousand stones away from him,

he recognized me on the first day I came in,

and it gave me a chill when he clicked his heels, and saluted me.

(Repeat Chorus)

and everytime I hear twenty-one guns,

I know they brought another hero home to us

we're thankful for those thankful for the things we've done,

we can rest in peace, 'cause we are the chosen ones,

we made it to Arlington, yea dust to dust,

don't cry for us, we made it to Arlington

The countdown has begun....

FINALLY!!!! The 3-day weekend is here!! I so need a vacation, LOL. Ok, so I have been back to work for a week, and I'm already begging for a vacation.

I have 6 more months before I can 'retire'. Hubby has already said that I can retire at the end of the year and stay home to tend to him. Ok, so all I have to do is make sure his lunch is packed for work, his uniforms are picked up from the dry cleaners, fix him breakfast or dinner before he leaves for work, and to 'tidy' up a bit before the housekeepers get here. How hard can that be? I guess I will find out in 6 months. Woohooooo

OK.. I'm off to finish up a few more albums that I have sold. Not bad for having fun at a hobby that I love to do.

Chat later.........

Finally, out of bed.......

I finally went back to work this week. This illness really kicked my butt this time. I'm not quite up to par, still have a squeak for a voice....but I got tired of staying in bed, being waited on hand and foot. Gawd, that man spoils me. But then again, I spoil him just as much. Honey...when you read this, YOU ARE MY VERY NEXT BREATH. I LOVE YOU SO MUCH!!

American Idol was like the BEST EVER. Did y'all see Clay? O M G What a transformation!! His voice tho....is AWESOME! I was a Chris and Kelly fan...and when they were voted off, I became a McPhee fan. When she sang Somewhere Over The Rainbow, I thought she would win it right then and there. Taylor does, tho, put on a good show. I just wish he would learn to stand up instead of singing all hunched over. Looks retarded if ya ask me.

I'm getting caught up on my scrapping and swaps. I think I have taken a whole new direction in my swaps too. I am only going to join the 6x6 or 8x8 page kit swaps, or the stuff I really, really need. No more joining to get one or two items that I want... I need at LEAST 6-8 items to make it worth my while. (Sorry ladies)

Going to a friend's house over the weekend for a crop!! Talk about exciting. I love meeting new people, especially ones that share your hobby. I have a few projects and swaps that I need to work on and get in the mail, so I guess I will take that with me.

It's kinda late, and my hubby is on his way home from work, and should be home anytime now. I miss that man when he's working. I just wish his shift would change...but we all know, he's NOT a morning person. LOL I keep teasing him when he gets up early (early to him is 10:00am) that the sun isn't straight up yet, so he has a few more hours to sleep.

Here is the new tower at the place where he works. I worry about him, even tho he can (and has) take care of himself. He got a Medal of Valor for his actions during a riot. WHAT A MAN!!!

I'm going to leave you with this song...it's the FIRST song my hubby sang to me. It still does something to me every time I hear it....

The Keeper Of The Stars
(Dickey Lee/Danny Mayo/Karen Staley)

It was no accident me finding you
Someone had a hand in it
Long before we ever knew
Now I just can't believe you're in my life
Heaven's smilin' down on me
As I look at you tonight

I tip my hat to the keeper of the stars
He sure knew what he was doin'
When he joined these two hearts
I hold everything
When I hold you in my arms
I've got all I'll ever need
Thanks to the keeper of the stars

Soft moonlight on your face oh how you shine
It takes my breath away
Just to look into your eyes
I know I don't deserve a treasure like you
There really are no words
To show my gratitude

So I tip my hat to the keeper of the stars
He sure knew what he was doin'
When he joined these two hearts
I hold everything
When I hold you in my arms
I've got all I'll ever need
Thanks to the keeper of the stars

It was no accident me finding you
Someone had a hand in it
Long before we ever knew

A gift for my Son......

I have the son that every mom wants. I am so proud of this boy, well, not boy, man. I think I did a good job raising him, yep, I think so.

As a surprise, hubby decided the kid was old enough. He has shown us that he is responsible, trustworthy, etc., that the time has come. Look at this face....does that face show just how much he loves his gift? Yep....his FIRST gun....a 30-06 Ruger Mark V for a lefty at that. AND it has a Leopold scope. That was given to him for his birthday. For Christmas, hubby gave him a Springfield 4006 Satin Finish Semi-Auto pistol. This kid is loving life!!

He thinks I'm a GREAT mom......never thought in a million years that I would be putting my name on a gift tag for my son that was attached to a gun. I guess I've soften throughout the years.

She's Tinier Than a Minute....

I have the GREATEST granddaughter of all time. Honest!! Why would I lie about something like that?

She calls me Mema and one of her favorite things to do with me is to snuggle. We have snuggled for 13 years now. At one time, when she lived downstairs from us, she would run up the stairs right before bedtime, and tell me that she needed to snuggled before she went to bed. How cute is that?

Even tho she's 13, she still likes to snuggle. When she comes to spend the weekends with us, in the morning, she will crawl up into our bed.....for that snuggle. You're never too old to snuggle I guess...at least this Mema isn't.


Alix is in 'Travel Softball'. Out of all the girl's softball teams in Orange County, she was one of the 10 girls chosen. She is traveling all over. She plays either Second base or Catcher...depending on the pitcher. Last week, she had a tournament in Arizona. WHIPPED THEIR BUTTS !!! So now, they move on.....this time to Utah. They will be playing there in July. WATCH OUT UTAH....O.C. KRUSH IS ON THE WAY. When they win in Utah... they will be going to either Oklahoma or Texas next. (This picture is of her at practice.)


For her birthday, we took her out for a steak dinner. We told the waitress that it was her 13th birthday...and she said leave it to her. LOL

All the waiters and waitresses came over to sign Happy Birthday to her.. but before they could sing, she had to put on the OFFICIAL BIRTHDAY ATTIRE.
So the slapped a toilet seat cover around her neck, and a coffee filter on her head. Then one of the waiters announced that it was a very SPECIAL birthday...a 13th birthday. "BIG TEENAGER IN THE RESTAURANT." Everyone sang....even the other customers.

We then gave her one of our gifts...$130.00. Ten bucks for every year. Talk about surprise!!

After dinner, we took her for a shopping spree at the local scrapbook store. (Actually, we took her to the MOTHERLODE.) And shopping she did.

She took Grandpa all over...wanting this and wanting that. Oh she needed this and that too. Oh, and look at this. "I must have this too" All in all...she had a GREAT birthday.


Here is her FIRST layout. We took her and her girlfriend to Disneyland last October. She did a GREAT job, huh? She even used the tickets and receipt. Expect her book How To Scrap on the shelves in a few years, LOL

Before I Was A Mom.....

Before I was a Mom
I never tripped over toys or forgot words to a lullaby.
I didn't worry whether or not my plants were poisonous.
I never thought about immunizations.
Before I was a Mom -
I had never been puked on.
Pooped on.
Chewed on.
Peed on.
I had complete control of my mind and my thoughts.
I slept all night.
Before I was a Mom
I never held down a screaming child so doctors could do tests.
Or give shots.
I never looked into teary eyes and cried.
I never got gloriously happy over a simple grin.
I never sat up late hours at night watching a baby sleep.
Before I was a Mom
I never held a sleeping baby just because I didn't want to put it down.
I never felt my heart break into a million pieces when I couldn't stop the hurt.
I never knew that something so small could affect my life so much.
I never knew that I could love someone so much.
I never knew I would love being a Mom.
Before I was a Mom -
I didn't know the feeling of having my heart outside my body.
I didn't know how special it could feel to feed a hungry baby.
I didn't know that bond between a mother and her child.
I didn't know that something so small could make me feel so important and happy.
Before I was a Mom -
I had never gotten up in the middle of the night every 10 minutes to make sure all was okay.
I had never known the warmth, the joy, the love, the heartache, the wonderment or the satisfaction of being a Mom.
I didn't know I was capable of feeling so much before I was a Mom.
And before I was a Grandma,
I didn't know that all those "Mom" feelings more than doubled when you see that little bundle being held by "your baby"...

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY

UGH!!! I have NO VOICE!!!

I have just a moment on the computer, so I thought I would update this a bit and let y'all know what's happening.

I have been so sick the last few weeks. It started out with allergies and went into pneumonia. Now that that is a bit over, the cough that I have had has literally left me with no voice. I get to coughing so violently it seems, that it's a wonder it hasn't ripped my vocal cords to pieces.

My hubby has taken over all my swaps it seems. I only wonder what he has done once I get back online to look things over.

I have been off work, and with this new cough medicine that Dr. has given me, I sleep most of the time now anyways. The Dr. says that is good, as he does not want me to utter one word so that my voice can start to mend itself. It got to the place that when I did speak, it hurt my head from the strain. My throat doesn't hurt, but the sinus pressure is almost unbearable at times.

Oh well....that is what's happening with me. What's happening with you??