Amanda – Page 11 – The Dackel Princess

Being A Mom

This will be short because today has been a long day and I am beyond tired, but here I go.

My daughter had to have some surgery today. It was difficult and truly unpleasant for her and I went down to lend moral support and comfort to her. (I truly hope I did both)

What I discovered was, no matter how old your kids get, they are always your children and that heart stopping, worrying is still there. Of course the easiest thing is that you get to ask them coherent questions about their pain and get straight answers.

However, I’m here to tell you that not matter what, you as a parent would gladly exchange places with your child to ease the pain they are in.

Mandy was brave, she was strong and she came through the surgery very well. I was so proud of the way that she handled herself and the position that she found herself in.

I was thinking about staying overnight, but then M. arrived and he took over the comforting roll, and I drove home.

Now it is bedtime for this Mommy and I know before I can sleep even a moment, it will be morning once again.

The Dackel Weekend Review

We are having a party here on Friday. It’ll be for the 4th of July. Independence Day! We’re doing the usual barbecue, but instead of hot-dogs and hamburgers, we’re going to do kabobs. Steak, chicken and shrimp. Should be good, right?

Well, it will be providing we have decent weather. You will recall that last year we started outside and due to rain quickly had to head in and eat our barbecued food under cover.

So, this year I am planning ahead. Although I will hope that we can enjoy this holiday ritual celebration outside, I will have our screened in porch and dining room cleaned up and ready for immediate occupancy. I think I’ll get Emily to help me this week do that ~~major~~ little cleaning job.

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My test appointment on Friday was……well interesting. Interesting in that I was ~~forced~~ asked to drink a container of orange liquid, which reminded me of Zarex, a kids drink from the 1960’s which is probably 99% sugar. Then they ~~held me down and~~ took blood every hour on the hour for three hours. At the end of this I had a severe low blood sugar attack, which felt like my body had been slammed into a brick wall. I crawled into a “Subway” restaurant and they fed me orange juice and a tuna roll up until I was stable enough to leave. Ah yes, it was a fun day.

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It appears that Bloglines has gone crazy. I check my feeds and I find I have several thousand new posts. Now come on. It’s the summer. It’s a Sunday. No one is writing their blogs, but me. What gives?

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I was in the yard with the dogs when our neighbor’s cat came waltzing across our front yard. He stopped took one look at the dogs, and ran. They in turn ran after him and I in turn ran after the dogs, yelling like a banshee! Not a pretty sight. The owners of the cat managed to pick it up and then yelled at me because my dogs were chasing their cat. I didn’t say much of anything because after all, my dogs simply chased the cat out of their yard. However, I must say it was terribly exciting at the time!

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And lastly, my daughter was up today with her boyfriend “M”. He is a very nice man, very handsome and entirely entertaining. I just love his sense of humor. I promised not to write too much about their visit on my blog, but I will post this one picture of them together.

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I hope everyone had a great weekend!

Shopping With Mandy

I was off to the big city today to meet up with Mandy and do a little shopping. Since we both have lost weight, (combined we have lost 75 pounds, but Mandy has lost more than me.) we both were in need of a few new pieces of clothing.

It is still a bit shocking to me to go to the rack and take off a shirt or slacks in the size I have worn for several years and not have them fit any more. I look in the mirror and I see that woman in the cruise pictures and not the women I am slowly becoming. Today I literally stood in front of a three way mirror in a new outfit with my mouth hanging open with surprise! Yes, I could see that I actually looked pretty good!

I also have to say how much I enjoyed spending the day with my daughter. You know it’s so nice when you can look at your child and be proud of how they have made their own way in life! I am also pleased to be able to report that I would want to be her friend even if she were not my daughter. She is that neat of a person!

The day went so fast and before long we had exhausted all the shops and it was time to say goodbye. I sure hope we can do that again soon!

Springtime

Spring has come to the Dackel Princess homestead. Our fruit trees are budding up and right now our cherry and plum trees are bursting with flowers. It’s just so pretty to go out and walk around the yard, and see the trees filled with life. Flowers, bees and bright green leaves, after a long winter of skeletal shadows and snow drifts that went half way up the tree!

But spring is here!

The dogs love to be out amongst the trees and running through the grass. Thinking back over the winter, I fretted that I would ever see green grass again, and yet here we are!

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Mandy came up on Friday to celebrate both Hubby’s birthday and Mother’s Day with us. It was so great to have her come here and visit with us and the doggies. It never ceases to amazed me that the dogs remember her so well each time she is here. Greta especially just loves her Mandy!

Naturally we wanted to celebrate with a nice dinner at Canoe. It’s Mandy’s favorite restaurant too, so we went over for a nice leisurely meal.

When we arrived we saw that our favorite waiter, Andy, had returned to the staff and we were lucky enough to be seated in his area. We had the sweet and sour calamari, a bucket of mussels sauteed in garlic and white wine and a dip of artichokes and crab! I should have stopped there, but we all ordered meals, which we ended up bringing home with us! LOL! Once again we were not disappointed in anything that we ordered. Including the one order of molten chocolate cake for dessert. Mandy got that and Andy brought three forks so we all could try it! Wow! it was amazing!

All too quickly the night ended and Mandy had to drive home again. Hubby and I sat up for a while talking about our evening and how much we enjoyed it.

Yes, loved ones and springtime make a perfect package!

Saturday Scavenger Photo Hunt

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~Thirteen~

These are thirteen of my favorite pictures. The bottom picture is of Greta with her first litter of pups back in 2006. We will know in two weeks if she is expecting her next litter! I’ve got my fingers crossed!

Girl’s Day

On Saturday I drove down to the closest “big city” to us. Mandy drove up and we met at a local bookstore well known for their double cappuccino’s! After Mandy arrived, we got our coffees and then got into my car and headed over to the Mall. We stopped first at Applebees and had lunch and then the shopping commenced!

This is actually a pretty good mall, as malls go, and Mandy, who has also been dieting and lost even more weight than me, needed some new office clothes. We started in “Coldwater Creek” where there was a “70% Sale” sign in the window! I have to say that Mandy looks adorable in clothes, and I enjoyed watching her trying on different outfits.

I hadn’t intended to buy anything, but recently I had experienced our anniversary where I literally had NOTHING to wear. I did not want to buy anything that I really liked because I know in another 6 months it won’t fit, but I decided to try on a new pair of coral colored denim jeans, and a flowery top that matched. Both fit nicely, and the jeans were a size 12 and the blouse was a medium!!!

That was all I bought, but Mandy has an office job, so she truly needed a few outfits, and luckily, she found them and at sale prices.

Dinner was at a local placed called “The Common Man”. We met up with my cousin Janet. The place was mobbed! Talk about a place where you really want to either have a reservation or perhaps eliminate from your weekend dining list. They told us it would be over 1 hour, but we could wait in the bar!!!

We sat in there and decided that we would order dinner sitting at the bar. We ordered salads and lobster corn chowder.

Janet and I talked and talked and it was so nice. I’d brought with me old pictures that I’d gotten when my sister and I were going through things from our parents home. There were great pictures of Janet’s parents, grandmother and yes, even her brother. I was so happy to be able to give them to her. We also exchanged Christmas gifts! Janet gave me

Patty Boyd’s book on her life with George Harrison and Eric Clapton, and I gave her the cutest purse, with a Johnny Depp pirate inside. I hope she liked them!

My cell phone went off twice (I’d set it to vibrate), thus giving me a short thrill and the experience of trying to talk over so many bar patrons! I’ve decided that I like the thrill, but not the talking in a crowded bar.

I got home late. A first for me, the original country mouse who is usually in pajamas by 7:30!!!

Today? Well, I’m tired, but happily so!

In A Flash

It’s entirely possible to view ones life in a day. You can see it flash before your very eyes if….you have a mother like mine, who tossed pictures in boxes and let them sit for 50 years! Today, my sister and I spent the entire day going through these boxes (and we know there are even more!) watching our lives unfold.

I was a cute enough kid growing up. I went from blond curls, to a pixie cut by the time I was 5. After that my hair grew in full and thick, but gone were the baby curls that my mother had so carelessly cut off. (I have never quite forgiver her for that!)

There were the pictures of me with my High School boyfriend, who became my first husband and the father of my two daughters. There were the pictures of me as I carried my two children through pregnancy. (I felt like no one had been as big as I was!) There were the pictures of me holding my babies for the fist time.

And there I was at the baptisms of my children… So small so sweet…that time flew by, too fast.

Then there I was with my current Hubby. The first few time I brought him to meet my parents and then the early years of our married life. Sharing the looks that only newly married couples share. Something so intimate and knowing.

Yes, my sister and I shared today. We watched our lives flash before our eyes. We watched our children grow, the birth of her grandchildren and the constant renewal of life.

In a flash…..

Thursday Thirteen #59

This weeks Thursday Thirteen revolves around my daughter Mandy. She came up today to visit and celebrate both her birthday and Christmas, and it was so good to see her. Here is a little list about my daughter.

1. I think she is one of the nicest people I know.
2. I also think she is very beautiful. But then, I am her Mum so perhaps I am somewhat biased! LOL

3. Mandy works very hard at her job as a project manager in Oncology research.
4. She drives a cute little convertible sports car. I really love it!
5. She is also a great driver. I never feel uncomfortable driving with her.
6. She loves all animals and is very sweet and gentle with them.

7. She has a great sense of humor too. She makes me laugh!

8. All my dogs go crazy when she arrives. They just LOVE her.

9. She got me the most wonderful Christmas presents. My favorites are two wire-haired dachshund Christmas ornaments! Those I may keep out all year long.
10. Mandy takes really good care of her grandmother, even though it is not an easy job.
11. She lives about an hour and a half from here and I wish she lived closer.
12. She has three big, beautiful, cats! Maestro, Cleo and my favorite, Ortez. He was named for David Ortez of the Red Sox.
13. At the end of the day, I am and will always be, proud to be her Mum!

Happy Birthday Mandy

The best Christmas present I ever got, was back in 1976. I was 9 1/2 months pregnant and waiting for a long overdue and much wanted baby. The day before they were going to induce my labor, my water broke and 8 hours later, 8 pound, 13 ounce Amanda Mae came into this world! She was my first baby, and I was in heaven. I looked into her face and saw the most beautiful baby ever born. I was a young mother and everyone warned me that a new baby had no neck muscles and that I should be so careful, but what did Amanda do as she lay on my chest? She picked up her head and stared right into my eyes! I guess I knew then that she was going to always be a very special girl.

Mandy has grown into such a special woman. She is a wonderful friend, granddaughter and daughter. I don’t tell her often enough, but I think she is really fabulous, and I am so proud of her and cannot believe that I am lucky enough to be her mother!

Happy Birthday, Sweetie!!!

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Lucky Lady

I was up early, made a quick breakfast and then hopped in my car and headed off to spend the day with my daughter. Do you all know how much fun it is to have a grown up daughter? For those of you who do, isn’t it great? For those of you whose kids are still growing, just wait! It gets really good!!!

I arrived at her place about 9:30, patted my grand kitties, and then we dropped her car off for service. Next, we headed to the mall. Neither one of us had been to this particular mall in years, and aside from Macy’s and Starbucks (yes, I was brave enough to go inside and get a cup of coffee!) the mall was a real disappointment.

However, I got a few tops at Macy’s on sale for $9.99 each and a dress, as well as a cute skirt.

Then we were off to the LL Bean Outlet, where I got the cutest blouse, and then decided I should look for some new hiking boots. So, I went back to the shoe section and began hunting for some comfortable boots. The first and second pair felt horrible and quickly went back on the shelf, but the third pair fit perfectly and felt like bedroom slippers! I looked at the price and it read:

$9999.99!!!!

Now that is some hefty price for hiking boots! I Took them up to the check out counter and asked the girl if this was the real price? And if it was, was it perhaps because they were magical boots? LOL!

Yes, it was a tremendous mistake that took several minutes to figure out. In the end they were $81.99, a much more manageable price! They came home with me too.

The best part part of my day though, was sitting at Bugaboo Creek having lunch with my daughter. For that hour it was just us talking, and enjoying each other. I really am a lucky lady.

I dropped her off to get her car and then headed home late in the afternoon. My ride didn’t seem so long because my friend Gail and I got a chance to talk on our cell phones and play catch up on life. Gail and I have been best friends since we were 13 years old! We met at summer camp. This is our 35th year of friendship!

When I arrived home, Hubby and the pups were all so happy to see me. Greta even sang me a sweet doggy song, then Hubby took me out for fish and chips. That was great too.

Now I am ending my day, in my pajamas with Greta by my side, thinking I am one very lucky lady.