Happy Birthday, Dan!

I love my husband! Not only that, but he is my best friend. Dan & I met, dated, and married in the space of less than five months. It wasn't love at first sight, but it was close to that. He is the person I'd rather be with over anyone. He listens to my near constant chatter and actually responds! He's been a great husband and a terrific father. He enjoys country music, science fiction books, the Chargers, the Padres, BBQ, Mountain Dew, Lemonade and Chinese Food. He can fix just about anything that breaks at our house. He's afraid of heights, but that never stopped him from climbing up on the roof of our two story house every year to put up the Christmas lights. He's simply the best...

Changes

This week brings many changes:

Dan's birthday is tomorrow and he's turning 55. Happy Birthday! He informed me last week that this birthday is bothering him. I was really taken aback because I can't remember him ever having a birthday that bothered him. He's kind of down and quiet. Wonder if I'll feel that way next year when I turn 55? Nah, I plan to feel bothered when I turn 80.

September starts on Wednesday, yippee! At my house fall begins on September 1st or Labor Day weekend whichever comes earliest. I hauled down my fall decor bins and am scouting my home to see how I will decorate this year. I'm also going to change my blog design to an autumn theme on Wednesday.

As I'm writing this, my weather channel on the computer says its 87 degrees, the weather widget on my blog says it's 84 degrees. Either way, it's not 110 degrees! This morning when I went outside at 7:00 am, it actually felt cool! (Well, cool for here anyway). Thursday this week marks the earliest last 100 degree day for Phoenix. It happened it 1904. It's not gonna happen this year, but the end of the 100s is in sight. Hopefully by October 1st.

I'm also changing our "curriculum" at Grammy daycare this week. In August we concentrated on the concepts of "open and shut". We also studied animal identification and the sounds various animals make. For September we're adding the concepts of "loud and quiet" and the study of shapes and colors. Sounds like fun, doesn't it?!

Change is in the air...

Saturday

I remember when the weekends meant something to me. Dan & I worked during the week, the kids went to school and the weekends were a time for outdoor chores, sleeping late (for the kids anyway), going to church, attending sports events, visiting with family and friends; the weekend marked a change in our normal routine.

Now, I sometimes have to consult a calendar to even realize that it is the weekend. It's not because of memory loss, it's because of change in lifestyle. There are no kids here to remind me that it's the weekend because they're not going to school. Dan & I still work, but not at 9-5 office jobs MTWTF. We still go to church, but sometimes it's by listening to the sermon over the Internet. The weekends are no longer a time for running errands, we do that whenever we get the chance. They're no longer a time for rest and relaxation. If Dan doesn't have to work on a weekend day, then we're running around trying to catch up on everything that we've let slide.

On the whole, I appreciate our 24/7/365 lifestyle. I grew up in Kansas when the "Blue Laws" were still in effect and the malls and stores (except grocery stores) weren't open on Sundays until I was way up in high school. I was so thrilled when that change came about. I love 24 hour grocery stores. It's not that I shop at 1 am, it's just that I like knowing that I can shop at 1 am if I choose to.

But sometimes, like this morning, I miss the weekends of the past.

A Fun Play Date

On Wednesday, Sunny & I went to my friend Joanna's house to play with her three children. She has 3 yr old twins and a daughter that is a few weeks younger than Sunny. This was a terrific change from our routine of just the two of us playing at my house.

Joanna's kids are so cute and welcomed Sunny & I from the start. They played well together and shared their toys willingly. It was fun to watch the two babies, I mean toddlers interact. And I really enjoyed getting a chance to talk with Joanna.

This photo explains why she's the professional & I'm not!

We met when she became a co-worker in 2000 (I think). In getting to know her, I found out that I had met her parents years ago at a new members get-together at our pastor's house. Her mom in particular stayed in my memory because she was a cross-stitcher too. I also discovered that Joanna had my son JD in her Sunday School class when he was in 3rd grade. Plus, her birthday is the same as Katie's, July 3rd. I'll never forget it! Our friendship developed at work and I always enjoyed the time I got to spend with her.

When we were co-workers, the age difference did not matter, at least to me. I have to admit though, that going to her house to play with her kids with my granddaughter made me feel very old, at least for a few moments. But, thankfully, once we got to talking that "old" feeling disappeared and I found myself enjoying our camaraderie.

We had such fun, and are planning to do it again.

Friendships... what would we do without them?!

Breakfast With Gramps

On Monday, Sunny sat with Dan while I was preparing her breakfast and he was eating his. Not satisfied with just watching, she insisted that he share some of his cereal with her. Afterward, they shared a laugh as you can see in the photos below. (Note to self: clean the dog paw prints off the glass door before using it as a photo backdrop next time!)

Christmas Corner Updated Today

Can you believe it? Only 121 days until Christmas. Check out this week's Christmas Corner Update...

Hanging Out With Gramps

Dan almost always has Wednesdays off, but he's usually out on appraisal appointments or in the office writing an appraisal report. He hasn't had the chance to spend the day with Sunny since I started watching her. Last Wednesday, he was home with no appraisal business to attend. to. He decided to put together the CA King size bed we bought a couple of weeks ago.

He had a little helper as you can see in the following pictures. They had such fun together. He commented "it's been a long time since I've had a helper!" I know we're biased, but she is so smart. She would watch him put the screws and dowels in and then take the extras to another section of the bed and try to put them in. She appropriated the wrench and Dan had to go out in the garage to get another one so he could finish the job! (I don't know why the pictures are so yellow unless it's because our bedroom is painted a hideous golden mustard yellow color and gets the afternoon sun. We rent so we can't repaint).

Trying to stick the dowel in

Handing Gramps the screws

The best of both worlds - helping Gramps and sitting on his lap

Do Ya Wanna See Some Pictures?

I am so so far behind posting pictures of my granddaughter, that I thought I'd try to catch up today.

A few weeks ago, I started playing with puzzles with her. She loves to take the pieces and place them on Daisy and Rascal. One day I went to let Rascal out and he had three puzzles pieces laid out on his back. I have no idea how long he'd been walking around with them! This is a photo of her placing pieces on Daisy while she was sleeping.

One of the fun parts of our day together is walking around looking at the framed photos and identifying who's in the picture. I don't have a good framed photo of Gabe & Sunny, so last time they were over for dinner I took these photos. Didn't they come out good?

I found tons of bath toys on clearance at Target. Sunny loves them and I have to say this is the best 48 cents per toy that I've ever spent!

Below is a photo of the exceptionally nutritional lunch being served at Grammy's house.

Cheese sandwich, pineapple chunks, pumpkin pie, yum yum!

Stay tuned... more photos tomorrow!

Hello God? It's Me, Vicki

As of 10:17 am on Wednesday, August 18, 2010 the population of the US was 310,023,002. The population of the world was 6,863,174,350. Boggles the mind, doesn't it? If you really want to blow your mind think of this, God knows the most minute details of each of those 6,863,174,350 lives. He knows each name. He knows the spiritual condition of each person. He knows their needs, even when they haven't talked to Him about them. He knows the future of each and every person on our planet. He's known all of that for each person since time began. He knows all of it for each person yet to come.

This what I've been thinking about lately as I pray for the people on my prayer list. I can't even imagine how many people are praying at the same time that I am. I can't imagine how many people might be praying for the same person I'm praying for. And I can't fathom what it sounds like in God's ears.

To my ears it would be a jumble. A babble of indistinct voices whispering, talking, crying, pleading, shouting, praising in a variety of languages. But I believe that to God, it's beautiful like music. I believe He can distinguish each voice, indeed, He recognizes each voice. He welcomes hearing each voice... after all, these are the voices of His creation.

For some reason these thoughts have added a new dimension to my prayer life. As I prepare to pray now, I envision God leaning forward expectantly, waiting to hear what I have to say. Waiting to hear if my prayer is all me, me, me, or if I have the needs of others on my heart. Anticipating this action from Him, causes me to lean forward a little, waiting to hear His voice, waiting for His presence to calm me, reassure me, strengthen me to the day ahead.

As I get ready to publish this post it is 6:54 am on Thursday, 8/19/10. The US population is 310,030,273. The world population is 6,863,353,548. And God knows the smallest detail of each of those lives...

It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like...

Hobby Lobby is my secret drug this time of year. I love to go there and wander the Seasonal aisles, snatching up items almost quicker than they can put them on the shelves. Check out today's Christmas Corner Update... after all, there's only 129 days til Christmas!

A Mom's Influence

In case you wonder if you have influence over your child's life after they've grown up, I have proof that you do. My son, JD and his wife, Janel spent last week at Disney World in Florida. After their trip I was talking to JD and he informed me that they finished their Christmas shopping (except for each other) while they were there. Not only that, but they sent the gifts for Janel's family home with her folks who joined them in Florida. Wow! He beat me this year...

Book Review: In a Heartbeat by Leigh Anne & Sean Tuohy

Wow. That's my review. Wow. I really enjoyed this book. I couldn't put it down. If you saw the movie The Blind Side or read the book by the same title by Michael Lewis, you may think you know the Tuohy family. You don't. This book is written by the couple about their family. Yes, it's also about their adoption of Michael Oher. But it's so much more than that.

This is a book about giving. It's a book about giving small that turns into giving big. It's a book about looking at the people right in front of us, recognizing their needs, and choosing to do something to help them. It's about making generosity a part of our life day-to-day. It's about a family that is not perfect, far from it. But, it's a family that recognizes how blessed they are and a family that is determined to use those blessings to bless others.

The thing that I admired most about this book was their willingness to put themselves out there. Warts and all. Character flaws and all. Imperfections and all. It's the kind of book that makes you look at yourself and realize "I can make a difference too!"

I highly recommend this book. If you do read it, I'd enjoy hearing your comments.

Christmas Corner Changes Gears (for this week)

Today the Christmas Corner is focusing on Thanksgiving... which is only 15 weeks from tomorrow!

A Special Day

Today is my birthday. I am now 54 years old. Yippee!

I love my birthday. It is the one day out of the year when I allow myself to feel special without feeling guilty. Today I will be watching Sunny. This evening Katie is having all of us over for my birthday dinner. I am so looking forward to tonight. All of the kids except JD & Janel will be there. (They're at Disney World celebrating my birthday, isn't that nice of them! Wish I was there, ha ha)

This morning when I awoke, I stopped to analyze (as I do every year on my birthday) whether I feel older. I don't. I'm hovering at feeling about 35 years old. Getting older doesn't bother me yet. I hope it never does. I truly view each year as a gift and as an accomplishment.

In other news on this special day: today is the average last 100 degree day in Phoenix. Of course, average means nothing. It's supposed to be 110 - 112 this whole week. Oh well, at least the average high temp clicked down to 105 yesterday!

What a Response!

Check out the current total on our flip-flop drive for the orphanage in Haiti! We're so thrilled at the response. Our drive continues until August 26, so if you want to contribute there is still time. We're also accepting donations for the postage to get all of these flip-flops to the orphanage. Thank you to everyone who has contributed, you're the best!

Thursday Thoughts

Thank goodness my refrigerator is fixed. Now we'll see how long it lasts. I will say that this tech was much more professional from the start, so I have high hopes that he really did fix it. There was a loose wire which caused the defrost thermostat to malfunction. I never needed the two new computer boards that the other company installed. It is so frustrating!

My birthday is coming next week. I love my birthday, I always have and I probably always will. I'm not ashamed of my age, I'm proud of it. I enjoy having a day to celebrate myself without feeling guilty or egotistical. One of the best things about birthdays these days is that I get all of these coupons and free stuff in my email basket every day in the week leading up to the actual date. Plus, Dan turns 55 this year, and I noticed on the Fry's ad yesterday that the first Wed of the month is Seniors Day and you get %10 off your bill. Yippee!

Can I just tell you that holding a grandchild in your lap with her head pressed against your chest is the next best feeling in the world to holding your own child that way?! Sunny didn't feel good on Tues/Wed this week. Yesterday, she sat for most of her time here (when she wasn't napping) on my lap with her head pressed into my chest. I sing to her when she sits that way. I guess the vibrations of my voice must sound cool through my chest wall. Anyway, it's the most precious thing in the world.

I used to love watching the Weather Channel. I'm totally into weather and there is no statistic too bizarre for me to file away in my brain. Since the WC became part of the NBC family, I've been very disappointed and rarely watch it. Seriously, do we need to get news stories slanted to NBC's political agenda on the Weather Channel?! I don't. I just want the weather forecast, facts, and figures. Plus, they gear it all to the east coast time zone now and from about 7 pm on we get the re-run here in Phoenix. I want current weather, not 10 pm EDT weather. It just sucks.

Speaking of the weather, August 10 is the average last day for 110 degrees or higher in the Phoenix area. That's a milestone to look forward to. As we all know, average doesn't really mean a thing. The latest 110 degree or higher day that we've had was on September 15 - ugh. We have to wait until September 28 for the average last 100 degree or higher day. In 2003 it was 100 or above on October 23. I remember that year, it was very warm that Halloween.

I have a lot more thoughts for Thursday, but they're best shared on my political blog...

Christmas Corner Update

Check out this week's update...

I'm frustrated...

... or maybe it's something beyond frustration. Our refrigerator is out again. I thought maybe it was feeling warmer on Sunday so I put the thermostat we usually keep in the garage freezer in the fridge to check the temp. By last night it was up to 50 degrees. So once more, it was time to borrow ice chests, take everything out of the fridge, load into ice chests. I feel so bummed out.

This time I called Whirlpool. They gave me the number of a local Whirlpool repair shop. I called them, explained the sequence of events including how much I got charged the first time by another shop for the part. This guy mildly commented, "that's too much". Great. Not only does my fridge not work, but I let myself get scr***d in the process.

So, the new repair tech is coming out today at 11:00 am. I hope he/she knows what to do. The guy I talked to did say the parts have a 90 day warranty. I asked if that meant I have to call the old place if my parts are bad. He replied that they would handle it for me. That's good.

I wish I understood credit cards better. I have half a mind to call mine and make them get the $300+ back that I paid the first guy. I don't know if that's allowed or not. Can you do that if you just get taken advantage of? Guess I'll wait and see what the new tech says and then go from there.

I just want cold water, cold milk, cold OJ, cold margarine... you get the picture.

And I don't want to have to call a refrigerator repair tech every two weeks.

Have a nice day...

What a Weekend!

Yesterday was amazing... we had rain, actual rain showers with a nice steady rain from about 7 am to about 3 pm. It was indescribably wonderful. For those of you who live in normal climates, you think I'm nuts. But if you were transported out of your rain-every-week-or-so climate into my rain-every-three-months-if-you're-lucky climate, it would be a tough adjustment.

The other big event from this weekend is that Sunny spent the weekend with us. Katie and Gabe went to Las Vegas with friends so we had her from Friday morning until this afternoon when Gabe picks her up. I didn't get a lot of pictures. Well, actually I took some with my phone to send to Katie, but I don't know how to get phone pix onto the computer.

She is developing at such a rapid pace. She loves to dance, spinning, clapping, swaying, waggling her hands. We're on an animal theme at Grammy's house and we spend most of our time playing with toys that involve identifying the animals and trying to make their sounds. (What kind of a sound does a giraffe make?! I have no idea) She's eating better for me. She's very obedient. She knows when Grammy says don't touch, Grammy means don't touch and usually complies the first time. She answers "yes" and "no" when you ask her questions. If she doesn't know the answer or can't decide she shakes and nods her head simultaneously. I try not to laugh.

She's started to notice the images on TV and can recognize a dog or cat on a commercial. We also saw a cat out in the neighborhood and she was thrilled, saying "kitty cat" over and over.

Her world is definitely expanding. So is mine, through the eyes of a toddler.