One Friday at Steve's

As I've said before, Steve II and I normally spend our Friday's together.  As I think back a few weeks, I remember him inviting me over to watch a movie together.  I think that's a first for us.  Just the two of us, and, of course, his two cats.

The movie wasn't that great, but, conversation was great.  I wish I could have alone time with my other kids, too.  It's pretty rare to find time enough out of their lives to do that.

To continue with our evening, Steve even smoked a couple good cigars.  They sure smelled great.  However, when he offered me a puff, I declined.  Normally, he only smokes cigars when fishing.  This was a first.

Do cigars bring any memories back to you?  Let me know.

My Favorite Bookmark

My sister, Sue, from Council Bluffs gave me my favorite bookmark.  The top says "I Love You, Sister" and has a ribbon with a metal "LOVE' threaded through the bookmark.

The rest says, "Our hearts have grown closer with the passing of time.  Through the ups and downs of life, we've come to understand what it means to have each other.  Sometimes we talk often... sometimes not.  It doesn't seem to matter - the feelings of closeness remain with me because I know you are always there.  I love you, Sister... What a blessing it is to call you mine!" 

It has a little girl on it holding a flower and it is made by Blue Mountain Arts.  One of their 'children of the inner light' series.  I just love it.  It's protected by plastic and will last for a long time.  I will keep this one forever, not because it's neat, but because of what it stands for.  Thank you, Sue!

Music

I missed the last concert that Taylor and Jordan had and also the one with Katiana.  All due to not feeling good.  I love going to their concerts.

I think one of my grandkids plays or did play the flute.  When I watch someone playing the flute, it takes me back to the story of 'The Pied Piper'.  Do you remember it?

Steve has three guitars now.  Two are electric and one is not.  We found Heather's old guitar a while back and gave it to her and she was really surprised and loved it.  I still have the dream where our family will play together.  Josh used to play the drums.  Then of course there are the singers in our family.

Jordan no longer plays in band, but Taylor and Sydney do.  I didn't play in band in high school, unless you count twirling the baton!  :)

No Taco Bell Friday

Normally, Steve II and I spend our Fridays together culminated by going out to eat at Taco Bell.  Yesterday, we weren't able to do that as he spent most of the day at the ER (which Steve drove him to).

Now I'm having Taco Bell withdrawals.  I cannot remember why, but we didn't go last Friday either.  That's just not right!

Do you have any addictions to a certain restaurant?  Leave me a comment and tell me about them.  I'd hate to think I am the only one with this problem.

My Oldest Son

Steve was getting ready to go to work from his apartment.  The roadway to get out of the apartment complex was not cleared.  He took a running start and his car became stuck.  He got out and was trying to shovel the car out, when he fell on the ice and was hurt.

He went to the walk-in clinic and was told he had two fractured ribs.  He woke up in the morning in so much pain, he could barely breathe.  My husband took him to the ER per instructions from Steve II's doctor.  Not only did he have two fractured ribs, but a rib wall contusion. They have him a couple shots and a script and sent him home.

I am so sick of Iowa winters I could spit fire.  I hate seeing any of my kids hurting, life isn't fair.  I know, Jackie would tell us all to move down to Alabama to get out of the snow. 


However, the problems with living near the coast scare me, also.  I guess no matter where you live, there are some dangers...tornadoes, hurricanes, earthquakes, etc.

How is the weather where you are?

Manning Christmas Get Together

Today is the day the Mannings (Steve's family) are getting together with his Mom at her assisted living center for their Christmas get together.

That means all Steve's brothers and sisters, their children, and their grandchildren are coming to Adel to eat and drink (nonalcoholic beverages) and visit.  From our family, only Josh (possibly) and my hubby Steve will be going.

I'm staying home to be on call in case our son, Steve, needs me.  From last report, he is on his way to the hospital again for his injuries.  (See more about those in next post.)

I Love Music

If you've been reading my blog, you know how much I love music.  I had planned to go get Steve a birthday card today.  Since I was so sick last night and today, that didn't happen.  Steve and I usually get a card and put cash in it so we can get what we want.

Great intentions, huh?  Don't leave things to the last minute.  Since I didn't have a card I just gave him this little guitar key chain that I bought online about three or four weeks ago.  It is so cute.  He showed it to his Mom and she really liked it.

Even though it's Steve's birthday, I'll be the one getting the gift...when he plays his guitar later on.  I hope that someday our family will have enough music going on that we will be known.

My oldest daughter leads the children's worship at our church.  They just sang their songs so well, I just loved it.  Watching them sing was a blessing.

Watching TV

I've been watching Dr. Phil as he has Rosie ODonnell on.  She had a heart attack that they call the 'widowmaker'. 

What is a widowmaker?  It's when a vessel gets so much plaque in it the blood can barely flow through.  Normally, once you have that much plaque built up, you do not live.  There ends up being a black spot on the heart as it it is bruised.

In Rosie's case, a stent was inserted and it ballooned out, opening the vessel which allowed the blood to flow through again and her life was saved.  Whew!  What a deal! 

Under The Snow

I know that under the snow are my stone angels.  I wish I could find some stone moons.  Even though it is winter, my heart is yearning for Spring.

Until then I may just have to find topiaries for sale.  I especially love the star type and the ball type.  That would bring a little Spring into the house.  I wonder if you can take them outdoors in the Summer?

I'm not much of a green thumb, but I still love trying to grow things.  This last Summer didn't bring enough rain for my Kohlrabi to get full grown.  But they were still yummy, though small.  I know, most of you haven't heard of it, and I'm sure I spelled it wrong but it is great with Ranch dressing.

Guess I'll just have to wait for next summer and find a better place to plant them.


Snowing Again

As if we needed more snow, here it comes.  I was up most of the night and noticed at 4:51 AM that it was snowing.  Crap.

Steve took his Mom into Des Moines to Long John Silvers to eat.  She really likes it there.  Then they are going to the Christmas Story at Lutheran Church of Hope.  He went once already but she was unable to go so he's going again so she can see it.

I have to contact the kids to let them know I won't be going to Shang Yuen tonight so I won't pass this crud on to the rest of the family.  With Heather's kids sick and I think Josh's family are going elsewhere, it may just be Steve, Steve II, and Abby's families.

My hubby is so sweet, he doesn't want to go without me.  I'm encouraging him to go anyway.

Today's His Birthday

Happy Birthday, husband of mine.  I've been so excited to see you pick up your guitar and start practicing again.  You go into the bedroom and close the door so as not to bother me; but, what you don't know is that I love hearing you play the guitar again.

I know you found your Dad's old tuner, but maybe it would be a good time to shop for a better one.  And wouldn't that be better for the Gibson guitar you were given from your Dad?

 Either way, I love hearing you practice doing the thing you've loved doing since you were young.  Now if we could just get the rest of the kids instruments, we could have a family band.

That Time of the Month

You're probably thinking the wrong thing.  I'm talking about taking the pill to strengthen my bones.  And it is the only reason I've been up since 5:45.

Actually, I probably had a total of one hour sleep last night.  Started feeling sick to my stomach around 9:30 last night.  I thought maybe it was what I had for supper (one of those ring-type meats, not bologna but one of the others).  We had sauerkraut with it to cut the grease, and biscuits with butter and honey.  Then I ate more than I should.

After finishing with nothing in my stomach (you get the idea), I started drinking water and finally had a tangerine.  Later in the night, it came up, too.  Plus ending up on the pot with a wastebasket in my hands.  Couldn't sleep much after that.

Finally, I decided to get up and take that little pill and drink water.  Maybe in 23 minutes, I'll be able to get some sleep.  At this point, doesn't look like I'll be going anywhere tonight for Steve's birthday.  Bummer!

Everyone Survived

Steve made it to Heather's and he went right to work getting the generator hooked up.  After that, they plugged in the heater and refrigerator (I asked  Heather if they had the refrigerator hooked up yet.  Apparently, everyone forgot about the refrigerator till then).

He had to find a way to the fireplace to clear an area to put the wood when he brought it in.  The floor was body to body, not counting the animals.  After everything was done, he called me and let me know he was going to stay there the night rather than face our road again.

The thought of being here alone all night made me think about immediately going to bed to dream of patagonia clothes.   Of course, I didn't go right to bed cause I hate sleeping alone. 

I watched DVDs, read part of a good book, and got through all my emails.  Yep, I said all of them.  Me, the one who had 5,000 unread emails a few months ago.  I got it down to 3,000 and felt pretty good about it.  Now, I normally have between 30 to 50 a day.  And I usually get through them all!


Postponing Friday Bible Study

Steve and I are calling off tonight's Bible study due to the road conditions.  Snow, snow, snow, and more snow.  We got 12 inches.  I had a bad feeling that someone in my family was going to go north on our road and get into a really bad accident.

All my kids have been in accidents on this road, plus a neighbor just down the road died in his accident on our road.  So when I have that type of feeling, I don't ignore it.

We'll start up the study again next Friday.  Stay warm and safe.

It Will Be a White Christmas

Yesterday was our first storm of the year (snow-wise).  Over all we received 12 inches of snow, whiteout conditions.  Gotta love it.  Before long, Abby called as she couldn't reach Heather.

Before long, Heather called.  They and Josh's family were without electricity.  I told her they were welcome to come out to our house.  She didn't want to leave the birds, cats, or dogs in the cold house.  They were going to try to get wood to burn in the fireplace.   I know she'd rather be singing karaoke music at Ace Karaoke then dealing with keeping the house warm.

Before long, Justin arrived with a load of wood (Oak) for them.  Steve decided to see if the old heater in our garage would work.  After seeing it still worked, loaded that and what wood he could find under the snow, he took of to go to Heather's to get them some heat going. 

By then, Josh's area had their electricity back on.  Weird that Heather's area was still out.  After about 20 minutes, Steve called me to tell me his truck was stuck.  I tried to find a number for the neighbor down the road with no luck.  I let Steve know and he said he'd just continue trying to dig himself out.

After about a half hour, he called and said he made it to the interstate after getting the truck unstuck.  I tried calling Heather as by then it was after 10:30 PM.  Neither she nor Pato answered their phones.  Oh, well, if their asleep, they'll be surprised when he gets there.

Keep reading to find out the ending....

It wasn't the first snow of the year.  That was a few days earlier.  That one the snow melted as it hit the ground.  I got all excited that day and called my kids and started singing the title of this post.

Of course, the snow hadn't reach any of their homes yet, but, eventually it got there.  The kids were all disappointed it melted when it hit the ground at their house, too.

Oh, well, the storm will be here in a few days.  Just keep reading and you'll see how everyone makes it through.

4 New Tires

Steve went to Des Moines to get my tire fixed.  Naturally, the nail (or whatever) was too close to the sidewall to repair.  Boy, have I ever heard that phrase before.

Also, the last time he had the oil changed, he was told we needed all new tires before winter.  So, he decided (after calling me a few times) to get the tires today.  Of course, they cannot put them on for a few hours.  So, he's gallivanting (his words) around until time to get them put on.

Then, we will tackle the problem of getting a new bearing, but that's another story.  It's a good thing we're not rich (or not), because then we'd need a CPA.  As it is, I think we can handle our own taxes and bills.

We may not file on time, but, when you get a refund, there's really no deadline.  We did just send State in about a week ago.  I know....a little late, but, if you don't send it in early, you don't spend it early!

What An Adventure

What started out as a normal trip to church on Wednesday night.  The exception being, Steve was asked to lead the Bible study as the Pastor Jeff had to take his wife to the hospital as she has kidney stones.

We stopped at the Assisted Living Center to pick up Steve's Mom.  As I backed the car up, I could hear a noise that was different.  Steve got out and as I pulled the car forward, he told me to stop.  I had a flat, down to the rim.

By then it was about three minutes till we were due at the church.  Steve called the pastor and let him know we would be delayed.  Pastor Jeff said he'd call someone else to lead the study.

By the time we made it to the church, the study was over (it was after 8 PM).  So, we drove Mom back home, called it an adventure, and went home.  What a day!

Back To The Dr.

Well, I've struggled along with my gimp knee since November 17.  Although my knee feels better with the immobilizer on, it doesn't seem to be getting better.  In the evening, it seems to be worse so I decided it was time to get back to the doctor.

I was lucky in that she had one opening today so off I went to the 1:30 PM appointment.  I didn't even have to wait to get in.  I barely sat down and they were calling my name.  I couldn't believe it.  Plus, the doctor sent me down to the xray department.  I am not sure if something is fractured or not, but feel reassured to have it done just in case.

After I get the results, I will be heading to an orthopaedic doctor.  Once I get my knee back in shape, I can start concentrating on Christmas.  We're even thinking about putting up a tree this year.  We haven't done that the last couple years.

I know that my grandkids will all have toys or electronic devices.  Yours probably do, too, so click here for sanyo eneloop batteries.  There's nothing worse than seeing them open their presents and there aren't any batteries included. 

Do you have all the gifts on your lists purchased?  There's less than 15 days left so shop till you drop!


Saturday

Well, it is Saturday evening and I'm watching 'The Borrowers' on our TV.  Steve is at the store after going to his Sat. night church service.  He called me a while ago so he should be home pretty soon. 

I can't remember if he made it to the library or not.  I'm out of the library's DVDs, so it's either watch TV or a 'Raymond' DVD.  They are always my standby.

What do you do on Saturday evenings?   We do not have cable TV so our selection is pretty limited. 

Are you ready for Christmas?  Do you know what it's really about?

Have a great weekend!

Friday

Yesterday was a long day.  I started out with an hour or so in the whirlpool tub (ahhhhhh).  Then Steve, Steve II and I met Abby and her little munchkins at our favorite place, Taco Bell!  The food was outstanding as usual.  Aiden wasn't much in the mood for food, though we tried. 

Towards the end, Abby left the table for a minute and I looked back and Kayla was feeding Aiden with a spork.  It was so cute. He finally started eating a little, ended up eating maybe a third of his soft taco.  What he really wanted was my Dr. Pepper.  When he first sat in the highchair, he grabbed it and was drinking it before I knew it.  Abby was like, "Mom, what are you letting my son do?"  I rescued my pop and from then on he wanted Abby's water.

Abby took Steve with her to Winterset to pick up a ceramic Christmas tree to take over to Grandma.  Steve II and I went shopping for the items on his list.  There weren't any baseball gifts, but that could be next Friday, you never know. 

After that I took Steve back to his friend's house to let out the dogs and on up to his girlfriend's house.  The directions were to look for a barn that looked like an old lady that was across from her house.  On back to Adel to pick up my hubby and back home to eat and get ready for the Bible study.  We stayed for a visit with Mom, then back home.  Whew.  I slept pretty good after all that.