I am a Mom again at 50!

Thank goodness it is weekends (pretty much) for now, except during emergencies!

My best friend from church had to "go away" for a year and a half or so, so I now co-parent her 2 year old (not potty trained) daughter Katelyn with her god mother.

Can I just say, it is really hard to get a 2 year old up and ready for "school" and me off to work and out the door on time, especially on Monday morning!!!

Church yesterday was not as bad as I thought. I was harder today. And she had puked all over her bed last night. Who started daylight savings time anyway???

We are trying hard to be potty trained, but the daycare laughs at me, and the god mother thinks the chunk o' dunk 2 year old (wears the same size shows and clothes as a 5 year old up the street) is a baby doll and still carries her WAY too much.

But we both love her and are trying to keep her safe from her crackhead granny and her mean "I hate your mother" grandmother, who didn't know how to spell her name and only saw her because of probate court (her sweet, my son wouldn't hurt a fly, beat Katelyn's mom for five years before he died).

And blessing of all blessing, Miss Katelyn LOVES to nap. Almost killed my spanish elders yesterday for coming by during nap time and almost waking her up (she sleeps solid for like 3 hours!!!).

Good thing I didn't have and don't want a social life . . .
:-)

Pressure Free South

Okay, my retarded disclaimer is . . . I have spent two days trying to remember, find and/or reset my password so I could post, cause I can't take the pressure!
;-}
I haven't written before because I don't want to rub it in the my windows were down (again) at lunch today and I raked my backyard all day Saturday . . . and I am not wearing pantyhose today and it is the end of January!
God Bless the South.
and
God Bless Mitt Romney!
:-D
Am still sad at the passing of our prophet. Has put me in a constant state of reminder of the song "We Thank Thee Oh God For a Prophet"! And how thankful I am for the gospel in my life and the knowledge that Heavenly Father loves me enough to let me be born when the gospel has been fully restored.
:-)
I am also thankful this week for new prints from Jennifer (3 hot chicks and the naked babies), and Karen's family picture!
In talking to my Dad the night President Hinkley died he confirmed what I have known all along, that I make really cute grandkids! Doesn't mean they get to sleep over in the 5th wheel ... but they are too cute for that anyway.
;-p
Am preparing for the big squirrel hunt coming up this next week. Finally found members in my ward with pellet guns, and not afraid to use them! Or eat them (which is okay with me so long as they are out of my tree and out of my hard. Hacking off some limbs on Saturday to get to the latest low lying nest ...
;-0

Here is to 2008!

Okay, so I missed posting in the month of December. Big hairy deal!
I am practicing a stress free Christmas ... and blogging just seemed to stressful ...
:-D
I am looking forward to a wonderful 2008. Planning my travel plans and life around Lacey and Carter's baptisms and our Gramma trip to Disneyland (hopefully next Christmas).

Am so loving not having snow and cold at Christmas. Had my windows opened all night one day last week. Not bad for December! Not bad at all.

I had a great and quiet Christmas. Saw a slew of movies. Read a book. Blew some leaves in my yard. Had a nice dinner with my neighbor and a friend and her daughter.

Got a squirrel for Christmas! Most appropriate gift ever!
Used up all of my Mom's candles.

Am most thankful in 2007 for my Savior and His perfect love for me. Am grateful that I learned of His love earlier enough to show and teach my children "I love you period". Am so grateful for the blessing of being a Mom and being a Gramma. Am constantly amazed how many times someone here looks at a picture of one of my children or my grandchildren and says he/she looks just like me!
:-)
How blessed is that!

Am loving my callings and my ward and my friends and my neighbors.
Pretty much my whole life.

Planning on wrapping up some leftover legal issues and move fully forward in 2008!
And then take another cruise in 2009 (depending on baby births!)!~

Happy New Year.
I Love You All (Y'all)!

Cause I want to test the email posting theory ~

Okay, so this past week/weekend I got electrical outlets (I only had one in my entire kitchen ... remember, it is a little grannies house and almost as old as me when electricity wasn't as important as now days) added througout my house (got a 4 plate and a 2 plate added to the kitchen) (got a 2 plate added to each bathroom, which only had an outlet at the light fixture above the medicine chest which is pretty much too tall for me to reach)).

THEN . . .
I got new bathroom fixtures. Okay, a new medicine chest (oak, of course) and light fixture in my master bath. And a new BIG medicine chest with the light fixture built in already in the hallway bathroom. I had little old metal ones ... and not enough shelves and you can't get replacement ones since they are so old and glass ...

So now I have two pretty almost modern bathrooms! And electric outlets where I need them.

It IS the simple pleasures of life!
:-)

Hot off the press ~

So Jennifer tells me we are supposed to write regularly and that this will help keep everyone informed better.

So . . . here goes.

We had a baptism (okay 3!) after church last night. It was really amazing. An inactive Mom came back to church, and as result, her two teenage daughters were baptized!

The other new convert already worked in the nursery with some other brethren for Super Saturday a week ago. Not bad, when the learn service is a good thing even before they are baptized!

Loved not having anything to do on Saturday so I spent the whole day in my yard. Good thing I did cause I am sure the leaves were just about ready to take over the backyard!

Am anxious to have my new deck done, but it looks like he is going to have to re-build the stairs and re-install all the rails around the deck. Good thing he has already been paid . . .

Thinking this weekend I need to start playing in my attic and find my fall/winter clothes. Looks like pantyhose season is back.
:-(

November 2007

I am excited, happy and at peace here in South Carolina. I got here the dumbest way possible, but am thankful every day to be here.

Southerners are truly graceful, loving and accepting. They love everyone. They accept everyone. They men apologize for swearing. People let you in front of them in line and on the freeway or in parking lots. Everyone talks to everyone, everywhere. In fact, if you don't at least acknowledge someone you come in contact with (ie, saying hello and how are you in the line at the store or the bank or on the elevator or the gas pump ...)then it is considered rude.

When I explained to my husband and wife bosses after returning from the West this past summer that people out West don't look at each other, let alone talk to each other, they cannot even fathom it.

At church it is even better. Almost everyone hugs our Relief Society President every Sunday (at least once)! It is also quite appropriate to hug any and all new converts every Sunday and any of the women over 70.

Our ward boundaries were realligned just before Conference so I am now in the newly created Congaree ward. I am very excited as it means I get to have multiple callings. So far I have been called to be the Missionary Meal Calendar Coordinator and the Relief Society Compassionate Service Leader. Hearing rumors from my ward mission leader (who I have offered to Jennessa as he is a new 31 year old convert with a recommend)that I have also been put up to be a ward missionary. Given the fact that I feel like a mother of two sets of 19-20 year old twins with the English and Spanish speaking missionaries I have now ... being a ward missionary vs. a member missionary is not a big stretch.

Am loving my home, neighbors, friends, bosses, pretty much everything here in South Carolina. Working on getting my new deck all done and ready to grill. Next step will be to get some concrete work done on my driveway (wider) and extend my front porch (again, mostly wider ~ has to be big enough for a couple of rocking chairs!).

Asking Santa for a pellet gun to rid me of my squirrels. Need to pay to have my pine trees taken out so there is less food and home space for the little tree rats!

Looking forward to a very family focused 2008 what with Lacey and Carter's baptisms back to back and then our celebration to Disneyland! Probably take me two MORE years to save up for the next round of grands (Alivia and Mason) baptisms and Disney time!

As much as I love my children and they filled my life with joy for the past 30+ years, my grandkids are the best and have brought me more joy that I ever thought possible (and that includes Cloe, Cole and Duncan ~)!

How blessed my life is!