blog parade

posted on 2 March 2010 | 6 comments

Abigail over at Rear Window is having a blog parade! I don’t usually do these things {well, um, in fact, this is my first!}, but I read her blog and she is a sweet Christian young lady… and it sounded like fun! PLUS! – she is having some giveaways and a link-up and, and, and… well, just click on the banner and go see for yourself and join in!

And now, for my part of the blog parade… my answers to the interview questions Abigail gave us so you can get to know me better:

1. What’s your favorite time of the day, and why? Bedtime. LOL! But, really… my favorite time of the day is evening if it’s Spring and Summer. Jerry (husband) and I are avid backyard bird-watchers and, once it’s warm enough to do so, we love to sit out there of an evening. Jerry will bring the bird book and binoculars, I grab the lemonade, and we sit for hours, often past dark. We especially love the cardinals and hummingbirds that visit us each year… the birds enjoy what we provide them in our bird feeders. And after the sun goes down, we usually get several owls that will perch on close-by objects within feet of us, as curious about what we are doing as we are of them.

2. If health wasn’t an issue, what food could you live off of? Ahhh, this is easy… Tomatoes! Zucchini! Onions! Anything from our garden! We have a big veggie garden each year. I do freeze a lot of what we harvest, too, so that we can enjoy it throughout the winter. I harvest the seeds from year to year, so much of what we plant is descendant from several years back. And nowadays we always have the help of grandkids to plant and maintain everything! This year there will be six grandkids to help us here and there throughout the season! Maybe eight if the other two from Washington get to come down! {I include the three that are my youngest son’s fiance’s girls in this count since they already call us gramma and grampa and we love them as our own anyway.}

3. If you could have one wish granted (besides wishing for more wishes), what would it be? That all our children and grandchildren would come to know Jesus as their Saviour. Really know Him personally! I pray for this each day. Even beyond that, I pray that all people would know Jesus as their Saviour.

4. What’s one thing that you get teased about a lot? I get teased? *scratches head* Hmmmm… believe it or not, I can’t think I get teased about anything. But back in high school, yeah! Because my name is Diana, if someone said Diane back then, I would say “it’s DiaNA-NA,” emphasizing the last syllable of my name so they would hear the “A”… twice. So to tease me, my closest friends called me “Na-Na.”

5. If you could choose one movie, book, or TV show to spend your life in, which would you pick? What type of character would you be? The Little House on the Prairie series of books by Laura Ingalls Wilder! I would have loved to be part of her family, joining in the adventures of pioneering the different parts of the country in the mid- to late-1800s. Yes, lots of hardship and work and all that, but that’s what shaped our country and helped it grow. That was also my favorite TV show. Oh! And I would want to be Laura so I could have my whole life to experience it all like she did!

6. If you could have one talent that you don’t already have, what would it be? I have always wanted to be a part of figure skating! Ever since watching Peggy Fleming all those years ago when she won the Olympic Gold Medal in figure skating at the 1968 Winter Games, I have admired her and others who bring such beauty and grace to the sport.

7. If money were no object, where would you go on vacation? Hmmm, this is a toss-up. It would either be Jerry’s ancestral country of Scotland… or the lands in what used to be called Prussia and also parts of Southern Russia where my German-Mennonite-Russian ancestors lived before coming to Kansas. Yeah, I would combine genealogy with vacation… and Jerry would be happy doing that, too!

8. If you were an awesome singer, which genre would you sing? Christian… maybe Gospel. Like Aretha Franklin. Belt it out, girl!

9. If you could have a $10,000 shopping spree to one store, what would it be? J. C. Penney. I need clothes. Because the clothes that Walmart has here in town leave a lot to be desired for women with my, uh, shape. I’m not that big, and I do have a good shape {hubby says so anyway, LOL!}, one of those full-very-shapely types. But gee, I really need an in-between clothing rack because nothing fits right without making me look huge and frumpy! I’m betting some of you know what I mean. Yeah, a shopping spree at J. C. Penney would be oh-so-appreciated.

10. If you could live in any point in time, when would it be? See my answer to question #5.

11. If every outfit in your wardrobe had to be one color, what would it be? Everyone keeps telling me JEANS is not a color, so I’ll have to go with my normal favorite color of GREEN! Green like a forest, green like a newly mown lawn, green like that lime sherbert I so love. Green like Kermit!

12. If you were one of the seven dwarves, which one would you be? (Doc, Grumpy, Sneezy, Sleepy, Bashful, Happy, or Dopey) What happened to Silly?? *sigh* Okay, well, if I have to choose only one, it would have to be Happy. Although at the end of the day I would probably be best as Sleepy. Zzzzzzzzzz…

13. What’s the last album you listened to? Nights at the Alhambra by Loreena McKennitt. My favorite song of hers is “Caravanserai.”

14. What’s something we’d be surprised to know about you? 1.) I do not like chocolate, never have. In fact, I don’t like much candy at all. 2.) I’m trying to get over my life-long love of Dr. Pepper. Really, I’m trying to quit that… going for more water… and my cup o’ hot tea. 3.) I’m a clutz. Walls move on me, doors jump in my way, drinking glasses {real glass ones} simply shatter in my hands… I’ve actually fallen up stairs. I’ve given myself a full share of self-inflicted bruises, cuts {some requiring stitches}, and close-to-broken bones. Although that one time at the zoo in May 2009… yeah, my foot probably needed to be seen by a doctor. Ouch.

can one send oneself a get well card?

posted on 26 February 2010 | no comments

Jerry had a sore throat today. So I’m sharing my package of Mixed Berry Ricola with him. I was up for a while this morning, trying to push myself into gear and do some of my work, then started feeling horrible all over again so went back to bed, sleeping for four hours more. All day my head feels like it will explode, and my ears ache some. Phooey.

On a lighter note, it got all the way up to 50° this afternoon! I sat on the back patio in the sun for a little while… until the clouds came back and the sun disappeared. Drat.

getting better… and the never-ending winter

posted on 25 February 2010 | 1 comment

Yeah, I’m here… but still somewhat under the weather. I’ve had a rib-cracking cough, lots of mind-numbing sneezing, a sore throat like all get-out, a dizzy earache, fever and ache ache ache all over… and dare I mention diahrrea! Bleah. Yuck. Icky-pooh. Oops, sorry… no pun was intended on that last one. LOL!

But this stuff is going around. I just saw that Sarah’s little one and her hubby somehow picked up the bug… praying they don’t have it as bad as I did! My cousin over in Hutch is a nurse — she says the doctor’s office she works in has seen lots of strep cases. Isn’t that a lovely thought, hmmm?

But really, I’m feeling somewhat better. So far, Jerry does not have any symptoms — he took such sweet care of me — we always hope and pray he never gets stuff like this!

Like the weatherman on the news the other night said, this seems like “the never-ending winter.” Just how long can it stay this cold, you know? And every couple days or so, another wintry mix of some sort! Sooooo…

Look away if you don’t want to see it repeated again… ’cause I’m gonna say the same thing again just like everyone else…

I. AM. SO. READY. FOR. SPRING!!!

illness interruption

posted on 21 February 2010 | 4 comments

I’m sick, have been for a few days… bronchitis, very sore throat, bad cough… all viral. Meaning no antibiotics will help. {I’m allergic to 99% of that stuff anyway and have such adverse reactions we don’t even consider it anymore.} Will just have to run its course. And had recent eye appointment. Some minor problems. When I feel better will do some catch-up. Right now all I’m up to is making some chamomile tea, soup, and back in bed. Ugh. I hate bein’ sick.

jerry’s mom… and skies so blue… and green things!

posted on 18 February 2010 | 1 comment

Update on Jerry’s mom {see Monday’s post and Tuesday’s post for details}: Mom is home from the hospital. Praise the Lord! They did not have to do a colonoscopy. The pipe leading out of her stomach (don’t have any idea what’s it’s called) was too small, pills and food were backing up, not leaving the stomach. So during the endoscopy the other day, they made that hole bigger and pushed all the stomach contents out. In the process, they found out the stuff that had been sitting in there caused four huge BLEEDING ulcers, so that’s where all her blood loss was coming from. {Still doesn’t answer why the pills didn’t dissolve, though, huh!} She’s very tired, but home and doing well. They may have to widen the out-going hole if it happens again in the future. Wow! Have you ever heard of such a thing! It’s a first for me to learn about, that’s for sure! Thanks so much for prayers!! Thank goodness it was something they could fix! Praise the Lord!

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Yesterday was so beautiful! I went out back during my break… couldn’t resist the sunshine! Just look at that sky… with the still-dormant tree stark against it.

We still have some of that frozen stuff hanging around, mostly in the shadowed areas.

Mullen {son’s cat} came out with me… we are trying to teach him not be afraid to come outdoors {we use a tie-out for him, we don’t want to lose him even though he does have a microchip}. He so far goes straight to my pampas by the patio and hides behind it.

Hmmm, Jerry’s going to have to re-string the rinky-dink wind chime he made for me long ago… which, by the way, I LOVE. One of the pipes was lying on the ground.

And wandering around the yard {I was actually trying to figure where we’d put the veggie garden this year}, I ran across this….. do you see it?!

Growing green stone crop! No leprechaun ever danced a merrier jig than I did at that moment! Woo-hoo! LOL!

Oh! And the neighbor’s tree is budding!

*sigh* Just waiting…..

update on Jerry’s mom… and Jerry’s birthday

posted on 16 February 2010 | no comments

Update from yesterday’s post: Doctors ordered an endoscopy today on Jerry’s mom… only thing they found there was a fistful (yes, a fist-size amount!) of old pills sitting in her stomach that haven’t dissolved/digested, so they are wondering what’s up with that, for sure. They will be giving her more blood today, too. She’s almost too weak to be on her feet without help… and she is having black stools, so something’s going on there. Tomorrow doctors will probably do a colonoscopy. That’s all we know for now. Please keep Juanita in your prayers. Thank you!

And today was Jerry’s birthday! Happy birthday, honey!

prayer for Jerry’s mom

posted on 15 February 2010 | no comments

Jerry’s mom {stepmom} was taken to the emergency room at 3am this morning. We found out she has lost consciousness several times in the past week or so… she thought it would “go away.” Ohhhh, Mom. She is being kept in the hospital. The doctors found her to be low on blood, extremely anemic, so she was given 3 pints of blood today. They’ve ordered tests for tomorrow. She is my #1 prayer warrior when I ask… when she prays, things happen! Please say a prayer for her, name is Juanita, age 77 {her birthday was Feb. 12}. She has other health problems that have been getting worse lately, too… maybe all are related to what’s going on with her.

dinner and a show

posted on 13 February 2010 | 2 comments

So the granddaughters were over the other evening. Maddie and Kara spent the night because Jeff and Amanda went to the Theory of a Dead Man concert in Wichita… Sirenity, Brooklyn and Natalee were over for just the evening while Christen and John went to pick up some things at Walmart. First time we have watched so many grandkids at once. (I’m sure Drew was happy not being here with so many girls around, LOL!) Anyway, I fixed my homemade spaghetti… and then the girls entertained us with a variety show!

First was an awesome fashion show…

There was a cool magic show! {Sorry, we cannot show you the whole trick… magician secrets, you know. *wink*}

We were really wowed by the choreographed dancing!

And lastly, there was a “play.” You may recognise some of the “actors” in this play.

I thought Mr. Bear and Mr. Zebra had quite good parts. Both of them have such wonderful stage presence.

There was an intermission where the “cast” was introduced. It was certainly nice that even the littlest actress was remembered… see her? Look in Sirenity’s right hand {she’s wearing the red shirt}… it’s Tink!

And of course, in the second half of the play, there was the obligatory kissing scene….. ewwww, mush! LOL!

Bravo, girls! Bravo! *applause*

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