Hello 2013... what surprises do you hold for the world

Closing the book on 2012 has been easy.... It really has not been a great year.  We lost our sweet Kevin in February and the days and weeks since have been full of bitter sweet memories.
I've done NO writing this year. 
I've worked to hard and too long and forgot to play.  My son had heart surgery and my husband has had a couple of health issues.
I know we're getting older but really scary when you can see and feel the age creeping in.




1.  Finish Forever Graceland
2. Plot out the other two books in my brain
3. Enter at least four contest
4. Ride my horse at least once a week

That is my list... doesn't look too bad

Unexpected Treasures

Don't you just love it when you're doing a job that has to be done but brings so many sad feelings.  This was what I was doing yesterday... helping brother by going through pictures of Aunt LoLo (who pasted just over two years ago) and her part of the pictures from Aunt Ella who died several years ago.
Every picture of her trips and friends made me sad because those pictures meant something to her but to anyone else they are pictures of places they've not been and of people they don't know.
I was over half done when this little envelope appeared.... post mark Dayton, Ohio with the date of Aug 7, 1951 and the address written in my mothers handwriting.... tears spring to my eyes
I looked at Ronnie and held it up... "Do you think this is what I'm thinking it is?" 
He said, "Open it and see."  Men... no sense of adventure

A picture is worth a thousand words... it really is with this... this little treasure made me so happy because ... one, my mother wrote it and sent it ... two, my aunt kept it all these years, and three, it's a family treasure I can pass on to my family.

It;s all fun and games until someone turns out to be road kill

that is what my children said to me Saturday night.  They also said they were going to get me one of those buttons you push ----Help I've fallen and I can't get up.... I got up!!! slow but I got up.

Here's the story,  It was about 6:45 pm and I just got home from work... went to the chicken house to gather the eggs before going home... put the 11 eggs in my shirt tail...pulled into driveway and stopped to check mail... got out with my pin flashlight.... stepped on the edge of the road that is much higher than the shoulder.... BAM  fell and because I had eggs in my shirt tail and my hands were full with that and the flashlight I hit my shoulder and then my knee but my hand holding the eggs hit the gravel and bled like crazy.  Broke all 11 eggs... lost my flashlight which Ronnie found next day about 10 feet down the ditch.  Ronnie fussed because I had the eggs in my shirt instead in a basket where the belonged.  He said, "What would have happened if you had hit your head?"   I said, "It would have knocked me out and some redneck driver would have ran over me and then I would have been road kill for Christmas."  He said, "You're not funny." 
Now in truth, that was funny ... wasn't it...

I'm fine.  Just added a few dings to this old body. I'm not showing my knee because then I would have to shave my legs and I'm too lazy to do that.  This picture is of my shoulder three days later.

I like to jump start Christmas spirit for friends and family

Every year on the second Saturday of December, I open my house to family and friends and we eat, drink and catch up.  My family brings friends and even my friends bring friends... but that is great because the theme for this night is Christmas Spirit.  Even though I've been working like  a demon ... and with help from my daughter, granddaughters, husband and son... my house got the usual dose of decorating.  A couple of my friends couldn't be here this year so I'm posting pictures for them... missed y'all

Open your heart and feel the joy of friendship... Christmas is a friend that comes to visit only once a year.  It slips in your busy life to whispter words of kindness, joy and happiness.  It pulls you down the road of yesterday and folics with you memories of Christmas past.  You tell this friend you wish, hopes and sorrows.  Before it leaves, Christmas hands you a year's worth of dreams and says, "I'm always inside your heart... that these dreams and keep me with you all year."

May the Christmas Spirit present you with spectaule dreams this year.

Perfect gifts....

After getting the house ready for my annual Christmas get together, I needed this so bad... one of Missy's friends gave this to me and a gift card to Kohl's ... so thoughtful and I enjoyed them both... :)
The buttons are from JCP and I've won nearly two hundred dollars worth of gift certificates... thank you JCP...









The other present came from Irene Latham and words can't do it justice.... my entire blog in book form from Nov 2009 to Oct 2012 
How cool is that???

Missy said Irene was causing a family fight because her and Ron was already fussing over who got it ..

I love the smell of sweaty bodies in a packed Gym

Christmas time is here and that means that high school basketball coaches everywhere try to mess up Christmas family plans by having tournaments during the season.
I love basketball... I scream and yell and get kicked out of the game ... once... and I was just watching.. hehehehe
The passion lives on with my granddaughter Lake... some of the favorite pictures of her games last year.
Boxing out, rebounding, free throws, shooting... we have laughed at how she does her feet to shoot but hey... she gets it done.