Family Gatherings

As there is another family gathering looming on the horizon, I figured it was time I post pictures from the last one.  This sequence of pictures pretty much sums up how our family gatherings go...

Things start out well enough...

Then things start to deteriorate slightly...

Clearly, all control is now lost.

Yup.  That pretty much sums up this family.  What makes me laugh is how Jerry is the same in all the pictures!  I guess he's used to living with me after 31 years of marriage and nothing about me or my nutty family fazes him anymore. 

Hope y'all have a happy Tuesday!

I Did It!

Whew - it's been a long time since I posted. I was in Delaware for 4 out of the last 5 weeks; 3 weeks there, 1 week home, then 1 week there again. And are you ready for this?! Drum roll, please........ I drove there MYSELF both times. Not only that, but during the first session (the three-week stint) I drove from Delaware to Annapolis to meet Tom and Sam and have lunch at Red Robin in the mall, then drove back to Delaware again. Yes, ME! Jerry says he's going to have to keep an eye on me now because I'll be all over the place. Everyone has asked me about the Bay Bridge - believe it or not, that didn't bother me at all. And yes, I do know about the tractor trailer that went off the bridge the week or so before I went. What bothered me the most was the traffic through Annapolis. I feel so boxed in - trapped. I do not like being in the middle of a lot of traffic at all. Oh, and I don't like two-way traffic on the Bay Bridge. My poor truck doesn't know what to think - the odometer actually turned over to 10,000 miles while we were gone. This February will be three years that we have had that vehicle - hmmm, 10,000 miles in three years - do you think I should cut back on my driving some?!

I had fully intended to go parasailing while we were there but it was Labor Day weekend and it was nuts and Labor Day was the last day the parasailing place was open. Here's a link to the parasail place. Look out next year, though! Dad thought I had lost my mind. When he asked me what I could possibly be thinking, I told him he could have his midlife crisis his way, and I'd have mine my way! (can't afford a red convertible, ya know!).

Andy and I are excited - turns out that the neighbors who live on the street behind us homeschool and belong to Conowingo-Rising Sun Christian School too. Conowingo sends out a newsletter with members' names, addresses and emails on it and I was really glad to see someone on there who is so close to us. I emailed them to introduce ourselves and they wrote back. They have a son who is a year older than Andy, a daughter who is 1 year younger, and another son who is 3 years younger. Their mom wrote and said that their oldest likes to skateboard and play video games and asked what Andy liked to do. How cool is that?! Andy likes the very same things. We are looking forward to meeting them.

I am declaring war on my house (again). I am fed up with this clutter. I have had bags of clothes and things sitting around that I was going to list on eBay, but now I just want them out of my house. I want open space back. A thrift shop has moved into the old post office building just down the street now. Guess where all my stuff is going this week?! I do not have the time right now to list all that stuff and the amount I would make from it would be minimal compared to the time spent writing listings for it. I would be better off just doing a few extra medical reports. Flylady is big on letting go of perfectionism and that's a bad trait of mine. My thinking was that I can't get rid of the clothes until I list them perfectly, take perfect pictures, etc. Well, I don't have that kind of time anymore nor do I want them taking up my space anymore - I love that mop commercial where the uppity guy says "Remove it from my space!" Sorry - hope I didn't give you whiplash by changing gears like that! I will still list things like school books and things like that, but the clothes have got to go now.

You may remember a couple of tips I wrote in the past, Karen's Ramblings: Karen's Household Hint #1, and Karen's Ramblings: Laundry Lessons. Here's another one - don't try to wash the fabric softener attachment of your washer in your dishwasher. Just don't. Your dishes will be Downy-fresh for the next 18 cycles.

Santa found a Wii for the boys. Good thing, too. Dad and Mom sure couldn't find one ANYWHERE.
This is one of the azalea bushes with clear blinking lights, although in the picture you can't tell that they're clear or blinking. It's really very pretty at nighttime, though.
Here's the front of our house with the front posts wrapped with pine and lights and the aforementioned azalea bush (behind the lamppost). The bow on the lamppost was blown by the wind and is looking a little sad!
Here's another large azalea that we covered with big lights. Well, the bush was too big to cover, and we ran out of lights - but we did the best we could! It looks nice, anyway.

Back By Popular Demand

Or, relatives just need a good laugh, and material is hard to come by. In any case, I'll try to make more time for blogging.

It feels strange not having things that MUST get done. I can actually breathe for a little while! I know how awful this sounds on Christmas Eve, but I'm actually doing some work today, too. One of the transcription companies is offering a bonus for work done this weekend, and, well, I'm not doing anything else right at the moment. Normally I don't work on Sundays but since I haven't worked the last two days, I probably should! Gotta pay for Christmas, ya know!

We had a very nice time at Sherri's yesterday. It was fun talking about "the old times" (hushpuppies and such!). I miss the days of visiting Mom and Paul when they lived in the cabin in WV and we would go up for the weekend when Tom was small. They were fun weekends. In fact, I just plain miss WV! We still haven't given up on getting there, but now it will probably be after Tom graduates in two years. That's our plan, anyway. But as the country song goes, "If you want to hear God laugh, tell him your plans". Last year I was so set upon getting out of here and getting to the mountains that I just didn't have my heart into decorating this house for Christmas and didn't put a lot into it. This year was different. I actually made an effort! I'll take some pictures of our lights this evening and post them. I put a little more effort into the inside of the house too and didn't keep 80% of the decorations boxed up like I did last year!

A couple of weeks ago we (Jerry, Andy and I) went to Delaware. We spent five days there. While Jerry was doing some work, Andy and I hung out. We had a great time - and got more exercise than I have in a LONG time! We walked to the mini golf course which isn't too far, but it's not exactly right next door to the trailer, either! It's part of the Sea Shell Shop and so we went shopping there too. Then of course on the way back we have to go right past a KFC and A&W restaurant, a Subway, and a Chinese restaurant. Might as well stop and get something for lunch, right?! Then about the third day I was feeling brave and took Dad's van out and Andy and I drove around a bit. We went down to the boardwalk and then walked on the beach. Unfortunately, everything is closed for the season, but it was a nice day for a walk anyway. Then we drove to one of the outlets and did some shopping. There's also a Salvation Army thrift store in Rehoboth that we went to. I was kind of surprised, though, because their prices seemed a little high to me. Andy got a desk chair there, though! He didn't have one and was always swiping a dining room chair to use at his desk in his room, then we'd have to haul it back out at dinner time. Got to be a pain, but we have been doing it for the last year since he got his computer last Christmas! So, we got a good deal on a desk chair, and no more furniture moving at dinner time. We'll probably be going back in a couple of weeks. Wonder what we'll get into then, now that I'm feeling braver about getting out and driving around (albeit not far, but I at least I ventured out!)

Now I'm going to go post pictures from yesterday. One of these days I'm going to remember to post the pictures first, so the writing will be on top, but not today!

Not a lot going on, but I wanted to update. We're just trying to keep up with schoolwork around here and I'm trying (really, I am) to get the clutter under control. So what did we do? Get more stuff from Jerry's aunt's house when his cousin was throwing it all out. *Sigh*

It seems there are never enough hours in the day. Back in the summer I created a website for Dad's new business and trying to keep that updated is a challenge, trying to find the time to do it. Then there's keeping up with my real jobs (gotta pay the bills, ya know), and last but not least, trying to edumacate my son. (Yes, I meant to write edumacate - please don't write to me about my lack of intelligence!).

Aunt Ruby passed away last week. A few months ago she was at a casino in Delaware with Uncle Bill when she collapsed. At the hospital in Dover they found a brain tumor. She was unresponsive and Uncle Bill had started making funeral plans. Then over the course of the week she started coming out of it and they thought there might be hope to treat the tumor. She got well enough to go home, but has been declining in the past few weeks. It turned out it wasn't just the brain tumor. She had lung cancer that had spread to her stomach, brain and bones, so there really wasn't anything they could do for her. Uncle Bill had throat cancer a number of years back and has a hole in his throat that he talks through. These things coupled with the reports that I type day in and day out about smoking-related illnesses and complications, really make me wish that Jerry would quit. I have lost track of the number of reports I have typed where people went in for simple surgeries; gallbladder, appendix - what should be simple procedures - and ended up on a respirator because their lungs just couldn't handle the anesthesia from the damage done by smoking. Grrrr.....I hate cigarettes.

Well, I guess I shouldn't be whining about not having enough time for stuff. I obviously found the time to write this, didn't I?! Now I'd better get busy doing something. Where to start.........

Here's Andy checking out the carnage.
Jerry does not look like a happy camper, does he?!
Jars, jars, and more jars!
The chipper from Hades.

Here's a one-arm bandit in the casino. I played $1.00, lost $1.00 and quit!
Here come the ponies! I bet 5 times, lost 5 times, and quit!
Sammie and Jo dancing to the bluegrass music. It was hard to sit still while the music was playing!
A great picture! From the left there is Jay who is cousin Lisa's husband, then Uncle Jim, then Lisa (trying to hide in the back!), Aunt Nancy, Michael (Faith was there too, but not in this picture) Dad, Betty who is Nick's wife, then Nick, who is Dad and Uncle Jim's cousin. Jonathan and Amy were there too, but not in this picture.
It was great seeing Dad, Nick and Betty having a good time. This is the only time they see each other.

Jerry netting a crab from the crab line. Turns out it was too small to keep, though!

Sam's graduation picture.

Memorial Day

We had a great time yesterday. We went to Mike and Linda's house for Matthew's birthday. The boys are growing up so quickly. Jerry wanted to beat the traffic on the holiday weekend, so we left at 3:30 yesterday morning (YAWN!!!). We are still feeling tired today. We really had a good time though and we are glad we went and got to visit with everyone.

Here's the birthday boy enjoying his new ride.

.....and here comes contestant number three in the Mr. All-That-And-A-Bag-Of-Chips contest........

We'll miss you, Busa.

Plenty to be thankful for.

Maybe it's just me, but I believe that when I have grandchildren, (which had better not be for a LONG time yet), they will only know what trick or treating was because of being told by their parents, not because they will have the opportunity to do it themselves. We have been here 10 years and the number of children that have come here on Halloween has dwindled each year until last year, for the first time, we had NO ONE come to the door. (Had to eat all that candy by myself, you know. I considered it a mercy eating - had to save my family from the stuff, of course). This year we had two little girls come to the door, but they were my neighbor's daughter and her friend and were on their way home and stopped by. Can't really count that as true trick or treating, though. I remember a few years back when a very tall teenager dressed in combat fatigues and Army boots held out his bag and with a very manly voice said, "Trick or Treat". I looked around for a hidden camera somewhere, but not finding one, and seeing the expectant look on his face, I obligingly dropped candy into his bag. I do have my suspicions, though, that he actually WAS in the military............

Andy has only been trick or treating once, and that was when he was in kindergarten. Neither of my boys was ever really interested in it. That's not MY doing - I'm all for free candy, especially if I get a cut of the chocolate! And as for that one time that Andy went, he only went as far as Hilda's house, scored a haul there, and decided that he was finished. We had painstakingly made a paper mache (did I spell that right? Doesn't look right....!) turtle shell so that he could be Franklin. I went all out on that costume, attaching Velcro straps to the "shell", and even painting a turtle shell pattern on it. For one house. Oh, well. Once I sewed a dinosaur costume for Tom when he was small. THAT was really cute. Somewhere around here I have a picture of him in it. It was like a green jumpsuit that had a hood, and I had made "fins" all down the back and on top of the hood that were stuffed. Tom went trick or treating a few more times than Andy, but didn't start getting into the swing of it until he was older and then I finally had to gently break it to him that 18 was really too old to be doing that. Nah, just kidding. It's probably a good thing my family has no interest in reading my blog huh?! Oh, the stories I could tell......!

Andy did the neatest (I'm old, okay? I use words like "neatest") thing the other night. He plays an online game in which there are players from all over the world. He and Tom have both been playing this game for a couple of years now. There is a translation mode on the game so that all the players can understand each other while they chat, but the other night Andy took a chance and decided to try chatting in Japanese with a player from Japan. I knew he was playing the game, but I didn't realize what he had done until he excitedly screamed, "I DID IT! HE UNDERSTOOD ME! AND I UNDERSTAND HIM!". He nearly scared me out of my desk chair, but his excitement was worth it. So is homeschooling! They chatted for a minute, then Andy got stumped on something and had to write that he hadn't gotten that far yet learning the language!

It is getting late now, and I think I will read for a while. Right now I am reading Seasons of the Heart, a wonderful book by Janette Oke, which I have already read a couple of years ago, but it's huge and takes me a long time to get through it. I am also reading the new issue of The Old Schoolhouse homeschooling magazine that came in Monday's mail, and An Encouraging Word magazine which came in today's mail. And there's ALWAYS an issue of Countryside lying somewhere near me. Oyasumi!

I finally got Tom's birthday pictures off of his camera. These were the only two I could manage as the batteries were low (dead!) and kept cutting off when I tried to take a picture. We gave him an iPod. Once children get older it's hard to get gifts for them. I have to say that I really like his iPod - I may just have to get myself one - well, after I get a decent camera!

I had written to my cousin Lisa last week and she wrote back the other day. Her email had me in stitches. I had written in my letter to her that listening to conversation between her dad and mine (brothers) explained A LOT. She wrote back, "It's genetic. There's no hope. Give up now". She was packing for a trip to Australia the next day! I wish I had gotten her flight information so Andy and I could track her flight. We tracked Sherri's when she flew from New York to come to Maggie's funeral. At various points throughout her flight I jotted down the plane's altitude and speed. It's very interesting - and Sherri didn't realize until I showed her that she was hurtling through the air at 525 mph! The tracking must stop once a plane reaches an altitude of 5000 feet when it's getting ready to land, because we could see the plane steadily descending, then it got to 5000, then it read "altitude 0 - arrived". I'm quite sure the plane didn't just drop from 5000 to 0 in a minute's time! The last flight we tracked was the same way, when Jerry's mom was flying to Ohio. We even got to see that her flight had been delayed twice before taking off. She was supposed to have left at about 8 PM and arrived at around 10 PM. Jerry was at his brother's house and called me at 10 to let me know he was on his way home and he said, "I guess Mom's plane has arrived now". I was seeing on the screen that she was actually still sitting in BWI airport because there had been another delay. I don't get out much - therefore I live vicariously through relatives!

Jerry did the writing on Andy's cake. He should consider a career change!

Andy and friends.