Ketchup Saturday...

This has been a long couple of weeks. It's a busy time of year for all kinds of reasons. 

1. The school year is wrapping up. We have two grandchildren graduating. I'm waiting to hear dates for Graduation ceremony's and open house dates. I'm volunteering to help. I tend to want to jump right in and start getting things ready. which is really code for taking over ... I'm trying to be a good grandma and just sit back and let the mom's make the plans and let me know what I can help with. 

2. Husband Ken woke up with double vision a couple of weeks ago. He's had the problem in the past. The eye Dr. made special lenses for him then. The condition lasted about 6 months and disappeared just as it had come. One day there, the next gone. It's been a good 10 yrs.since he had any double vision. This time the double vision is different.. things are not side by side as last time but askew with one object higher then the other. Eye Dr. checked and the things that cause the condition are scary..  There was talk of tumors, eye disease and  myasthenia gravis. I don't mind telling you I did a whole lot of praying. Blood tests were done..And then we got to wait. 

You know how long waiting can be. The doctor called himself. That is scary, I've never had the Dr. himself call, except when the tests showed Ken's prostrate cancer. The Dr. called that day. Well I held my breath as the Dr. said the results were back..... and they were all good.. (exhale)  He said the double vision was most likely from the diabetes (Ken's sugar has been running way to high for months. He is working with the Dr. to try and lower it) and is most likely a blood flow issue. The condition usually resolves itself within a couple of months. (dancing and yaying go here) Other issues are popping up from the high sugar reading too. We are really watching what he is eating and seeing that now certain foods are causing a problem. Learning what he can eat and the amounts. The readings have come down, but not where they should be yet. 

3. I think Spring may actually be here. It did snow this past week. I got a full show of our weird Michigan weather on Thursday. In 3 minutes I saw pouring rain, hail, and then bright sunshine. Weird. I'm itching to get out dig in the dirt and plant something. I've been wanting to make a raised bed for onions and carrots. I'm hoping we may work on one this year. Right now our yard is a sponge and the garden is a swimming pool. Hopefully it will dry out soon and we can start working it up in a couple of weeks. I want to plant a big garden this year. It will help tame our grocery bill and we both love our own canned and frozen food. 

4. Lastly I got the shipping box for the computer yesterday. Yes the new laptop I've had for less then 60 days has issues with powering up. I have to send it to a "repair depot" in Jeffersonville Ind. for repair. I find it odd that there is no "repair depot" or place locally that could fix the issue. I asked them to go through the whole thing and make sure everything is working. It's still blows my mind that the all inclusive warranty only lasts for 90 days.. then some parts are covered for a year. I'm glad I purchased an all inclusive warranty from SquareTrade.com when I first purchased the computer. It will cover the computer for the next 3 yrs.(after the manufactures 90 day warranty)  from everything like internal problems to my dropping it, spilling stuff on it.. or even space alien attack.. uh wait, maybe not space alien attack but pretty much anything else that could happen to it. I'm thinking I'm really glad I got that warranty. Hopefully I won't need it. 

Happy Spring.... 

  

The New Laptop Is Feeling Poorly...

Yesterday My New (less then 60 days in our family) Laptop became ill. I can't get her to power on. Obviously a power button issue of some kind. Goodness. I'm from the old school. I expect things to work and last for a long time. I'm thankful for warranties I can purchase from 3rd party vendors. A shame that the manufactures warranty isn't worth much. I ordered the prepaid shipping box & label.. Yep, I have to pay the shipping cost for the item that in less then 60 days quit functioning. I feel that is wrong on so many levels.
anyway.. I'll be setting up the old desktop I'm glad I hung on to it. I'll get the new one fixed and hopefully we will enjoy and long and happy life together..

Praying For Boston....

Today I'm thinking and praying for Boston. I know millions of Americans are praying too. Again I see how evil plans by evil men are carried out. I was immediately reminded of 9-11. And the feelings that overwhelmed me..

This time I immediately looked for the good, and I saw it. I saw it in the race volunteers who ran, but almost as one turned and ran back toward those who were injured.. I saw first responders, doctors, and others working to get the injured to a place of safety. 

We will never know all the names of those who were heroes. We'll never know what acts of compassion were preformed. We'll never know the number of our fellow citizens who immediately fell to their knees in prayer. 

Today I am again reminded that the Good in Us still outweighs the evil in a few. Today I am praying for the Citizens of Boston, for those injured, for the first responders, for the doctors and Nurses, and for our Nation. 

May God Bless America....

Saying Goodbye To A Brother And A Best Friend...

Ken and Don his brother, buddy, and best friend... 

This past week has been an emotional one. Ken's brother Don Passed away. We got the call in the early morning. It was a shock. We both just sat unbelieving and tried to wrap our minds around it. Ken has now lost 4 of his 7 brothers. I think that is one of the hardest parts about being the baby of the family. You usually watch your siblings die one by one and it stinks. 

Ken and Don on their farm in MO. 

I was talking to one of Don's daughters on fb last night and she mentioned loving the photos of her Daddy and Kenny. He was always holding an animal of some kind. Don taught Ken to love and care for all kinds of cool creatures. They had the usual chickens, hogs, cows, and such, But they also had pet squirrels, pet raccoons and Ken even had a pet fox. The boys had dogs of every size and description. Ken's Dad trained hunting dogs for the founders of Dr.Pepper. Don taught Ken how to train a bird dog. Many times it was the boys who trained the dogs. To this day you will never find our homes without a couple of little dogs. 

one of my favorite photos of Kenny and his big brother Billy and Don

 along with a dog and some chickens. 

Having been a girl with a brother I know all about them. Strange beings, but for a boy a brother is a myriad of things; Especially an older brother. He is the first friend, He teaches you how to fish with a pole, but first he shows you  how to tie a string on a limb. He shows you how to find a cane break and cut your own cane pole. A brother teaches you how to play ball, laugh at girls, and shares his only nickle with you so you can have a coke.   He is the one who teaches you to sword fight to save the princess in the tower aka: the barn.  He is the one who holds you away from him by your head while you try as hard as you can to punch him, and laughs the whole time. He is also the one who will punch anyone who picks on his kid brother. An older brother is continually pestered by the "kid"..  but as he gets older he discovers he really loves that crazy kid. 

Ken was blessed to have 7 brothers. All of them older. They made sure Kenny had a cool Western Flyer bike with tanks and baskets. They whittled toys and bought toy tractors and graders. They even bought his first pair of cap pistols. Many a bandit was killed each afternoon when the brothers came home from school. 

I could tell you wonderful stories of Ken and his brother Don. Don was next in age to Ken so he was at home longer then the others who had left home to join the Service and raise families. Ken could tell you more. Don would laugh as he told those stories. Some I'm sure Ken wasn't to happy about hearing.. But I rolled. I can just see them on their bikes riding the 14 miles into town to see a cowboy movie. I can hear the laughter as they teased the girls with worms and snakes. 

As we talked the other night Ken looked at me with a heart so broken and grieving.. He told me.."I would give anything to have my brother back"..  I know he would..  They didn't see each other much. Visiting just isn't something Ken does. The boys would talk on the phone.  I always loved to answer the phone and hear "Hey is fat boy there"  that was their phone name for each other when calling. I know that it would take only a call from Don for Ken to be there. I think he knew that too. 

Tomorrow is visitation for family and friends at the funeral home. It will be a long day for the family. Tuesday we will say our last goodbyes. It will be an incredibly hard time for all the family. To know that there will be no more drop in visits or phone calls for fat boy is difficult. I am comforted by the knowledge that Don loved and accepted Jesus Christ as his Lord and Savior. I know that we will see him again someday. I will always see his smile and hear his laughter in my memories.  I will make sure I continue to share the stories of Ken and his brothers with our grandkids and their children. I am so glad for the wonderful memories that all the brothers share. That helps to keep them alive in our hearts.

Easter Ham and Grandkids...

Our oldest grandson and his son Aydin 

I have a revolt on my hands. The brood decided they just didn't want photos this time, and frankly I was busy cooking, eating and playing with great grandkids and only took a few photos when we got out the Easter Baskets from grandma and papa.

I love this pic of Aydin from last year. He was 6lbs the ham was 10lbs.. 

amazing what a year can do for your size... 

BTW. Aydin out weighed the Ham by allot..  LOL 

Here is our Aydin this year... Mama has called him her Buddha baby all year.. 

He now weighs only a few pounds less then his 3yr. old brother.. 

Kristopher was in deep concentration. 

He was trying to figure out how to get the toys and the ball out of his basket. 

This was the first time Kristopher wanted me to play with him. It was great. He doesn't see us much. He is all boy. He loves the barn. I'll have to do a post on that old Fisher Price barn. Every boy kid that's been in our house over the past 30 years has loved the barn. They all ask to play with it as soon as they get their coats off. 

I really miss the photos I always take. I gave everyone a pass this time. It won't happen again.  You all can't see our Jon, he's been living in Southerner Ill.for the past 2 yrs, wear Kristopher's Orange Easter basket as a hat. I can't even begin to describe how attractive that was..  

Our only Granddaughter Marisa brought her Beau to Dinner. What a wonderful young man. Very respectful and polite. I'm so happy to see her spending time with such a wonderful young man. 

Because we chose a time for dinner later in the Day, I was able to attend Church. It's the first Easter I've been to our services in a while. I love it. I love the Easter flowers in the Sanctuary. I love the "New" Easter outfits including the new shoes. I love the Songs of Worship. I love remembering Christ's Love and Sacrifice  for me. Easter the time of renewal. I love that God has made "all things New"..  in the world and in my Heart. 

Surprises, Birthdays, Hats, and Rainbows...

Love this pic of a rainbow

It's been a couple of weeks since my last post. Lots has been going on here at the home front. Mostly it's everyday "fun" stuff like doctor appts., dental visits, grocery shopping, snow shoveling. (I really hope you can hear my voice dripping with sarcasm. None of this stuff is really viewed as fun.) We manage and it's not all bad. I really enjoy the "gas" at the dentist. (grin) 

The new laptop is great. It's been a little easier to get into using the windows 8 then I thought it would be. I just got brave and click on stuff till I figure out what it is and what it does.. and where it goes..  LOL  I can always back out of scary stuff.. or click No when it asks me if I really want to do that.  

Birthday dinner Celebration... 

We got a surprise visit from our youngest daughter yesterday. She had a coupon for a free Birthday dinner at BD's Mongolian Barbeque. She asked if we'd like to go with her. I've been wanting to try it out. For any of you who don't know, you get a bowl. You then choose a meat, a bunch of veggies, some kind of sauce, (this part was scary for me cause I only recognized terryaki) and spices if you want. Then a guy takes your bowl, dumps it on what looks to be a huge cast iron grinding wheel and cooks it. They use some cool chopping sword looking things. They sing, dance and pretty much show off their culinary talents. 

Hubby and our Sue in her attractive Birthday hat... 

Our waiter let the cooking crew know that it was our Sue's Birthday. One of the guys made her this attractive hat. It was all the rage. We all wanted one. I'm planning on getting one next year. I picked up the form to fill out and get a free birthday dinner. I'm doing that today. 

I have known my husband for 33 years now. I've been married to him for almost 30 of those years. I thought I knew everything about him. Really I've talked to him every day for 33 years. I can tell some of his stories better then he can. I am still reeling from the shock of something new he did yesterday at the celebration dinner. 

First you need to know that he wasn't going to eat anything. he was just going to watch us and see how it went. He changed his mind as soon as we grabbed our bowls. He got his food and headed back to the table. When I got back to the table (mine took longer as your food is cooked in order) he pulled out a set of chopsticks he had gotten while waiting and started eating. I sat there in stunned amazement as did Sue. I never knew he could eat with chopsticks. He was really eating with them. He wasn't doing my "stab it and try to get it to your mouth" eating with chopsticks.. Noooo  he was really eating with them. Just like he did it every day. I was in shock. I told him I never knew he could eat with chopsticks. He laughed. He said " you don't live in an Asian country for a year and not learn how to eat with chopsticks".   I asked if there were any other things I didn't know about him. He just grinned.  That was a little scary. 

We continued our meal. The two hooligans made me try to eat with chopsticks. I know they did it so they could laugh in my face. Sue picked hers up and ate with them too. I'm so jealous. I'm signing up for chopstick lessons as soon as I can find a place. I'm not confident I'll master the technique, but I'm hoping to at least be able to grab something with them. 

I love the colors. 

Lastly I wanted to add a bit about the rainbow pictures I took last week. The sky was still a bit dark from a rain storm that had hit North of us. Suddenly the sun appeared and so did the rainbow. I was so thrilled at how bright the colors were. It was beautiful. I love seeing rainbows. It reminds me of God's promise to us to Never destroy the earth with a flood again. 

The past couple of weeks has been challenging at some points and fun at others. About the time I think my life is terribly boring God reminds me of His Love, His watch care, His promises. He gives me a day full of Surprises, Birthdays, Hats, and Rainbows. 

New Laptop + Windows 8 = 1 Confused Me

I'm so excited !!!  I got a New Laptop for my birthday. A doubly sweet Joy since I have 1. never owned a Laptop, and 2. Never had a new computer. I am overjoyed and totally confused.

I had fully intended to buy a refurbished laptop to make sure I got a Windows 7 operating system and to get the little extras I have always wanted. I just happened to pop in to Staples with a friend and decided to mosey over and check out the laptops.

A hawk eyed employee saw that I was staring longingly at the pretty 17.3 Toshiba. He pounced. He quickly popped up behind me exclaiming in a loud voice " Hey if I took $75 dollars off the price today would you buy it"..   My first instinct was to scream back "YES" I really had to fight off the urge to say that. In a totally calm and cool voice, I very nonchalantly said " I'll have to go home and so some research on it first" . He looked a little disappointed, but then had me follow him to the front checkout where he handed me a coupon good "for a couple of days".

I got home and rushed to look up all the stats on the model I had been admiring. I sent the URL of the page to a few Tech friends who all said it looked great and was a great price. I finally got up the nerve to ask hubby if I could buy it. I've done this numerous times before and the answer has always been an emphatic NO. I prayed about it and asked again. He said " YES"  LOL  I had to ask him twice since I was sure I was just hallucinating. He really said yes. I got up the next morning and hurried down to the Store to get my Laptop. I glanced at the sample machine and realized it was Windows 8.. It looked kind of cool. The Salesman said "hey I think I need to show you one thing. There isn't an x to click to close out of stuff. You have to move your mouse pointer to the top of the screen. When it turns into a hand, you have to left click hold and drag it to the bottom of the screen then release."  I was very thankful he said that.
My friend Cindy showed me how to turn it on. I had to find a youTube video to figure out how to shut it down.

I have spent 2 days watching instructional video's on YouTube. I am totally confused. Some of the videos I've watched twice. LOL  I feel a little more familiar with it now. I've made pages of notes. I was thrilled to find a series of video's that also showed me how to use a program to return the traditional start button and programs to the old familiar way I've always known them.

I really like the start page, the rolling tiles, the apps.. They have made this Operating System one that will work the same on any device you own, laptop, desktop, tablet, and phone. I really do think I'll like it once I can figure it all out and I'm comfortable with it. Right now it feels really scary and confusing. Kind of the same way I felt when I got my first desktop. Thinking I would probably blow it up in the first 20 minutes.

I'm excited to get a router and the Wi-Fi. I'm looking forward to taking my computer around the house and on vacation. Even into the backyard and the lawn chair. I'll keep the old desktop till she finally goes. She is on her last leg. I can't get her to reboot if I turn her off. I'm hoping she will keep chugging along for a while till I get use to the new system and how it works.

So today I'm ready to learn some new things. I'm confused and my head is spinning a bit but it's still exciting.
I can't wait to venture out into "app world".. I think I'm going to like it.