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She begged me to take her outside this morning because she wanted to "get a wish!"

Monday, Monday

Yeah, it's one of those kind of days. So much to do...that freezing time super power would really come in handy right now. Although, I would probably just use it to take a nap.

With Son #1's birthday over the weekend, I really fell behind.  Plus, he needed Zimbabwean sweet potato cookies for school today (hence the mixing bowl in the foreground with remnants of orange goo everywhere...yes, I grated one pound of yams by hand).  My other grandma has been in the hospital for 9 days.  She's having exploratory surgery in a few minutes.  A dear cousin of mine is in ICU after suffering an extreme heart attack.  They almost lost him.  We've had two deaths in the church family this week, so this sink full of dishes is the least of my concerns.

To keep up the complaining rhythm, I got pretty frustrated at the grocery store this morning.  All the good cashiers were either off or on break so I had to get in Pat's line.  There's a reason I avoid Pat.  Today, she looked at and analyzed each coupon I used.  I'm not sure if my coupon usage was putting her out or if she simply didn't trust that I actually bought the items I had coupons for.  Either way, it really began to frustrate me. Plus, I had two people in line behind me who were growing impatient.  I almost turned around to apologize, but then realized I wasn't doing anything wrong.  It was the cashier who was being a feminine cleansing product.  (Sorry, still can't quite use that word.)  When one of my coupons didn't scan, she started digging through my bags, looking for the item.  She found it, then put it back.  Then, she went to her monitor and scrolled up and down the list for at least a full minute.  I couldn't quite understand the problem and I was feeling like I was being  put on trial.  I'm someone who shops at that store every week and have for years.  I'm not trying to misuse coupons for things I didn't purchase.  If I did try that, the coupons wouldn't scan.  Just scan them and move on, Pat!

Finally, I left the store, steam escaping my ears over one coupon that they wouldn't let me use.  But when I stepped outside to breathe the fresh, flower-scented, springtime air, I was immediately refreshed.  So, Monday can just bite my booty.  I'm moving on!  :)

What has defined your Monday so far today?

Ode to a Son

I feel like I am at the end of an era.  Today is my last day ever to have four little children.  You see, tomorrow, my oldest becomes a teenager.  Just saying that makes me feel so incredibly old.  I feel like I should still be in my 20s, should still have brown hair, and should be carrying around little babies.  Son #1 was a smart, adorable, and funny little guy.  He was bald til he was two and made the funniest faces.  Now, he text girls, "hangs out" instead of playing with toys, and only wants to shop at American Eagle.  He would not be very happy if I called him by his childhood nickname, Bubba, in front of his friends.  Baby Girl still calls him Bubby, which secretly thrills me.

So, as I say goodbye to his childhood, I feel like I'm saying goodbye to my youth too.  But it's really not the end of an era, it's the beginning of a new one.  I no longer have to change his diapers or wipe his rear end; I don't have to pick him up to put him in a car seat.  I don't have to cut up his food at mealtimes and I don't have to comfort him in the middle of the night when he has a bad dream.  Those are happy milestones as well as pleasant remembrances of the past.  I wouldn't trade my memories for anything but I'm going to happily embark on a new phase in life.

Next weekend, he's having a group of boys over to play basketball and corn hole while cooking campfire pizzas and hot dogs outside.  His best friend is 16 and as tall as my husband.  His name is David, but I call him Goliath.  He towers over my kid, who has not yet had his adolescent growth spurt.  He's a good boy who told me he would always take care of my son.  I'm thankful for him.

I made a fancy invitation for his party.  No, he hasn't been lucky enough to participate in the NBA's Slam Dunk Contest.  This is just as good though, right?

I need a tremendous bout of wisdom to keep up with this gray hair and aging children.  I need to stop and smell the roses because I'll be blogging about being a grandmother before I know it.  OK, now I'm seriously depressed!  :)

Sleep-deprived parents of babies and toddlers, enjoy them as much as you possibly can today!  Tomorrow will be here soon enough!

WWTK

I know I haven't been a good blogger lately.  As I say every year in the Spring, this is my busy time.  Please bear with me and I will be a better poster when all of my crazy commitments are over!  WWTK makes posting so easy because the topic is already decided for me.  So, I'll participate today, even though my house is a total wreck!  (Dear OCD friends, if you have nothing to do, come on over here...there's plenty to be found at my house!)

And yes, I know I really need to change my snowy background.  But who has the time???  Actually, it's snowing here today anyway, so I feel rather justified in my procrastination.

In the middle of LIFE is one big IF...so this weeks questions are all about the IF...

{one} If you had to be trapped in a TV show for a month, which show would you choose?

I would have to say 30 Rock.  I would really enjoy hanging out on the set of a television show.  And being in New York for a month- things could be a lot worse!  My second choice was The Office.  I could totally hang out with Jim and Pam for a month. 

{two} If you could be guaranteed one thing in life besides money, what would you ask for?

That's an easy one for me.  I would ask for all of my kids to turn out to be successful, happy in marriage, and living moral lives.  It's my greatest hope in the world....so much more important than money.

{three} If you had to name the most terrifying event in your life thus far, what would it be?

Terrifying?  I've had some bad moments in life, but I don't know if I would describe any of them as terrifying.  I guess I was pretty terrified when I was 17 and my mom had some major health problems.  I didn't know if she was going to make it.  That was pretty scary.

{four} If you could possess one supernatural ability, what would it be?

I would definitely choose the ability to freeze time.  There are so many days that I just need a lot more of it.  

{five} If you could "uninvent" one thing in the world, so that it would no longer exist, what would you choose?

Pornography.  Is that an invention?  Probably not, since it's been around forever.  But I would wipe it totally out if I could.  I would also like to un-invent computer viruses.  Wow, how annoying are those?

Fun questions today!  If you'd like to link up with Mamarazzi and Crazymama, they'd love to have you as part of We Want to Know Wednesdays.  

WWTK

I'm trying this from my phone so I don't have all my links handy. If you want to link up, please visit an old WWTK post for the details.

{1} What is your favorite easter tradition?
With my grandma recently passing away, I'm reminded of the Easter gift hunt she did every year. She purchased the same number of presents for each grand kid and wrapped them all in different papers Sometimes my wrapping was comic paper, sometimes tissue paper. She hid the gifts around the house or yard and we all hunted for them. We knew that every year, one of our gifts would be a can of Pringles. That was the ultimate in Easter gifts!

{2} Tell us about your easter meal.
My aunt's ham, mom's noodles, grandpa's corn, my sweet potatoes, salad, bread, and my aunt's pies. All with sweet tea, of course.

{3} Do you decorate for easter?
I barely decorated for Christmas last year! Once upon a time, when I only had a couple kids...

{4} Your easter basket is not complete without....
Cadbury Eggs. There is no other Easter candy. Leave the jelly beans and Peeps at home, please.

{5} Are you getting an easter dress?
I bought a black jacket with white polka-dots from Forever 21. I will wear it with a skinny, red belt. I actually wore it to the wedding a couple weeks ago. That's cheating, I know!

Relaxing, Enjoying Life

This is where I ate breakfast this morning. I'm resting in a beautiful cabin for a much-needed vacation. Feeling renewed...

The Best of Times, The Worst of Times

Thursday, we traveled to my cousin's wedding a few hours away.  We met the family for the Rehearsal Dinner, which was one of the best meals I think I've ever had!  Served family style, we ate salad (with the best dressing ever), calamari, bruschetta, fettuccini alfredo, chicken scallopini, lasagna, and a selection of desserts.  I ate like it was Thanksgiving!

Friday morning, my kids got to swim in the hotel pool.  Later, we visited a huge outlet mall where I shopped 'til I dropped.  I picked up some new things and Hubby bought me a new purse on a whim.  (He handed it to me outside the store and told me to look in the bag.  What a sweetie!)

Friday evening, my cousin became a husband to the most beautiful bride at a lovely ceremony.  It made the painful (but adorable) shoes I wore worth the pain.  We wished them well as they left the church, anxious for their upcoming cruise.

That night, I crashed in a too-small bed and tried to sleep.  The happiness now over, I worried about what I knew the future would hold.

Saturday morning, we visited the mall again before heading home.  I received a series of strange text messages from my mom, which made me realize what had already happened.

Just after noon on Saturday, my grandmother passed away.  Grandpa and my parents kept the news from us until the mother of the groom, grandma's youngest child, arrived safely home.  We were only minutes behind, so we arrived before grandma was taken away.  Everyone was on the phone calling family and we spent some time alone with Grandma.  It was hard.  So hard.  My kids were there so I tried to be really strong.  My parents and grandfather were doing so well; it had been about five hours since she passed.  Their strength helped me.  My kids all cried, which broke my heart.  Even Son #2, who rarely shows emotion, broke down.  That was the one that bothered me the most..

After grandma was taken away and all the phone calls were made, food began pouring in.  It is so nice to have a host of caring friends through times like these.  I could never count how many funeral dinners I've served and how many meals I've cooked for grieving families.  It's true when they say, "What goes around comes around." The kindness of our church family has come around again and again.

Saturday night, someone must have prayed for sleep to come because sleep came.  Shocking to me, I slept soundly all night long.  We attended church together as a family on Sunday, which was more difficult than I thought.  Grandma used to sit in front of me and I knew she'd never be back on that pew.  She hadn't been in service for a while, but there was a different feeling about it now- a finality.

Today, more food has rolled in.  I don't even know how we will eat it all.  A family friend has offered to be the liaison and organize all the donations over various days.  I won't have to buy groceries or cook for some time.

As for me, I'm doing well.  I'm actually doing much better than I was last week.  It's only by the strength of God that I'm making it through.  There is, of course, a sense of relief that her pain and suffering are over.  No longer will my mom have to sleep on the couch in order to administer medication through the night.  No longer will my grandfather have to get someone to watch Grandma so he can leave the house for a few hours.  No longer will I have to see the confused, pained look on her poor, little face.  She's at peace.

I still have my moments.  Grandpa broke down in front of me today and it was almost more than I could handle.  I'm tired of people asking me why I'm crying.  I spontaneously break out in tears and I would think people would understand why.

I feel closer to my mom than I ever have.  We are leaning on one another in a very special way.  I'm so thankful for her right now and I look on her with such great admiration.  If you knew the things she's gone through over the past year...

The service will be Wednesday night.  As a bishop's wife, we expect visitors from all over the country.  We are hosting a dinner afterward for approximately 100 out-of-town guests.

I'm keeping busy, which has helped.  I am in charge of picking up all the food that comes in at the church and taking it to the house.  I helped create the beautiful honorary program and picked out the photos for the slideshow.  They even allowed me to decide the obituary picture.  This will be a high-class funeral that I wish you all could see.  She was one of the best so we want to make sure she gets the best.

I will probably refrain from posting for a while.  It's not where my heart is right now.  I knew that my faithful readers would suspect her passing when I didn't write for a few days.  So yes, it's true.  But the battle is over and life goes on.

Here's to the memory of my grandmother, Grace.  A woman who was truly the very definition of her given name.  She will be greatly missed.

Shutterfly Yearbooks are Here!

Can you tell which one is me?

Ah, we're nearing the end of the school year.  You can tell by that sweet, spring-like smell that comes in through your open windows and by the stinky, stale smell that comes from your child's backpack and sneakers!  (Man, do my kids stink at the end of the day!)

When I was in school, my favorite thing about the end of the year was receiving my yearbook.  Of course, I bought one every year and couldn't wait to start flipping through the pages.  My Senior year, I even served on the yearbook committee.  I still have every one of my yearbooks and I flip through them from time to time.  My husband has a perfect memory when it comes to names and faces of people.  I, on the other hand, forget someone the moment they walk away.  When he tells me about running into someone from high school on the street, I have to pull out my old BHS yearbook and look them up.  Often, a spark of remembrance will help me realize who in the world he is talking about.  I treasure every yearbook and even take them with me to class reunions.

So, now you know I love yearbooks.  You probably also know I love Shutterfly.  I've blogged about my Shutterfly albums and cards many times.  I like to make a book each year to showcase the fun and exciting things that happened in our lives.  I also learned by Child #4 that a Shutterfly album is much easier, neater, and cheaper than a homemade scrapbook (which I always manage to botch up).

This week, Shutterfly emailed me to announce their new line of Yearbooks.  I was very excited to find out more.  I enjoy helping out in the PTA at school and was anxious to find out how this works.  School yearbooks are so costly, especially when you have three kids in school who all want one.  Shutterfly yearbooks start as low as $5 a book, if you contact the company directly for a quote!  Wow...what a difference from the expensive yearbooks my kids make me buy!

You can design your yearbook to your exact needs and specifications.  That's always been my favorite thing about Shutterfly!  If you're not the creative type or rushed for time, they also have a Simple Path option that does all the work for you!

I am very pleased with Shutterfly's quality and I've witnessed how the albums last.  Another awesome thing about the yearbook you create is that Shutterfly saves it forever, allowing you to order another copy any time...forever!  If my house burns down, my yearbooks are not replaceable.  What peace of mind comes with the fact that you can replace a lost or damaged yearbook any time!

This is definitely a deal I'm taking to my PTA president!  Our Art teacher always creates the yearbook, but I just might fight her for the chance next time!  How fun would it be to make a yearbook for church groups or other clubs?  With prices that reasonable, it's definitely something I'm going to pursue for my extra-curricular activities!

If you're interesting in learning more about Shutterfly yearbooks, visit their website.  You can also get more information via Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest.  

This post is sponsored by Shutterfly but the thoughts and opinions are completely my own.

Blessings, Bad Business, and Bread

First of all, I want to say thank you for all the sweet and supportive comments ya'll left for me on Tuesday!  Your warm thoughts were very encouraging!  A quick update- Grandma is still hanging in there.  We think her lethargic condition was due to the fact that she was up for 30 hours straight.  She still is unable to walk and opening her eyes is difficult.  But her Hospice nurse feels like she will make it another week.  That really helps us breathe a sigh of relief about this weekend's wedding.  And yes, Hospice is a wonderful program!  The nurse and aides are all wonderful and genuinely seem to care for Grandma.

~*~

In the midst of all my stress, I saw the need to start running again.  We have had the most beautiful and unseasonable weather here!  A friend of mine and I went running (in short sleeves) last night around the lake in our town.  It was a perfect run and I felt so great afterward!  I was proud to make it 2 miles!  We walked a mile and a half in addition to the 2-mile run.

~*~

I bought a Groupon for a friend's birthday that was good for a mani/pedi at a local nail place.  I bought one for myself too so we could enjoy the day together.  The expiration date was quickly approaching so I called the shop to book an appointment.  They were closed that day and the next day.  The Groupon expired on a day they were closed!  I left an message explaining the dilemma and asked if they would honor our Groupons the next day they were open.  I left my number and asked them to call back as soon as possible.  They didn't call back.  The next day came and went.  I tried to call again but got their voice mail again.

Today, I called again and finally got someone.  I'll save you the drama but they informed me (in a very snotty manner) that I missed my opportunity.  I nicely explained that they were closed for two days prior to the deal expiring so I was left with my hands tied.  They told me I could add $40 more to receive the same service.  Yeah, right.  They apparently don't know me.  I asked for the owner to call me so I could explain that I did indeed call before the deal expired.  She asked my name.  She said they save all their phone records so they would check to see if I really did call.  It was very accusing.  "Great!" I said in my most chipper voice.  She thought I was bluffing, but I wasn't.  I'm still waiting to hear back from the owner.  My next line of defense is to say that Groupons are intended to bring more business to a company.  I will never bring my business to a place run that way and will be sure to tell all my friends how they treat paying customers.  Do you think I have a chance?

~*~

Last night, I was carrying the leftover spaghetti back to the kitchen after dinner.  The pan the sauce was in is huge and the lid started falling off.  There was no way I could catch it, with the heavy pan in my hands, so I did the next best thing.  I stuck out my foot.  This is a 13" stainless steel lid from Williams & Sonoma (costing a pretty penny) and I wasn't willing for it to get damaged.  The edges are thin and that thing fell right on the top of my foot, causing a gash.  I have a huge bruise half the size of a dollar bill on that sensitive part of my foot near the bottom of my leg.  I must say, I saved the lid so I consider it a victory!

~*~

Something new I've learned is about freezing bread.  I always thought people who froze bread were ridiculous.  Number one- it's cheap.  Just buy more.  Number two- old bread is not good.  Just buy fresh.  One night for dinner, my grandfather (who grew up during the Depression) pulled a loaf of bakery bread from the freezer.  I sadly shook my head, wondering why he ruined that delicious bakery bread by freezing it.  He separated the slices and laid them on a plate for just a few minutes.  When dinner started, I took a piece to be polite.  Let me tell you, that bread was as fresh as the day it was baked!  My mind was blown!  I now buy an extra loaf when it's on sale and stick it in the freezer.  Who knew?

~*~

What crazy or random things are going on in your life?  Do you have any pointless or interesting tips to share today?  What have you learned lately?

WWTK

It's Wednesday and today is all about the food!  I'm linking up with Mamarazzi and Crazymama for We Want to Know!  Feel free to join in the fun!

{1}Ricki Jill wants to know:

I would like to know what the WWTK's  participants serve when they have company for dinner.  What are your go-to recipes?

I love to entertain, but haven't had the opportunity for a long time.  If I'm having a crowd, I love to serve up Mexican food.  You can easily make enough to feed an army.  I usually season ground beef and chicken while offering up a selection of toppings to please everyone.  I also make Ranch Salsa or my aunt's famous cheese dip as a side.  

If I want to offer something more hearty, I will make a selection of soups.  My favorites are Chicken Paprikash, Broccoli Cheddar, and French Onion. I will offer various breads and crackers for dipping and make a nice, green salad.

For summertime, I buy a loaf of French bread and slice it lengthwise.  I fill it with a selection of deli meats and cheeses and slice the loaf into sandwiches.  I'll serve it with chips, potato salad, or macaroni salad.  That broccoli, cheese, bacon salad is also a favorite of mine as well as Fancy Coleslaw.  Mmmm...I'm getting a craving for summer food now and will have to share those salad recipes sometime very soon!

{2}Jill wants to know:

If you were told it was time for your last meal, what would you order up or make for yourself?

If I was about to eat my last meal, I surely wouldn't be the one to cook it!  I would probably choose to eat at our favorite Japanese steakhouse, since I don't get to eat there very often.  If I wasn't in the mood for that, it would be chicken parmesan.  Of course, there's always the go-to Chipotle that never disappoints.

{3}Suzanne wants to know:

Sugar or alcohol? or more delicately Drink or Dessert?

I'm a non-drinker but a heavy dessert eater.  If it was possible to get drunk on chocolate, I would have done it.  I make a mean chocolate cake and I can bake up some serious chocolate chip cookies!  All this talk of food is really making me hungry!

{4}Myya wants  to know:

What is your favorite Crock Pot Recipe?  

People might be surprised to hear that I don't use a Crock Pot.  I've never really needed to use one because I've been a stay-at-home mom for 13 years.  For me, a Crock Pot is something that is used to keep food warm that you've already cooked.  If I had to make a Crock Pot meal, it would be roast beef, potatoes, and carrots.

{5} Mamarazzi is having a hard time getting breakfast in everyday so she wants to know:

What are you eating for breakfast these days?

Boring old toast.  I'm actually kind of addicted to it.  I was on a cereal kick for a couple years but it's been toast and Earl Gray tea for a few months now.  I actually crave hot tea in the mornings and say, "Oh, that's good," every day when I take my first sip.