Friday Five

Friday Five

Another week has flown by and I find myself quickly approaching my 55th birthday on Sunday. I don’t feel any different than I did last year, despite the rather rough and tumble year that I have had. But here are a few thoughts on Friday.

  1. My surgery went well this past Monday. Although I had a little bit of pain early on, it has not been too bad.
  2. It has been cold! C.O.L.D.!
  3. To combat the chilliness, we have had a small fire in the hearth almost every night.
  4. I’m extremely good at laying a fire. It’s a gift! lol
  5. Today I have my yearly physical. I am looking for only good news here!

Wednesday Hodgepodge

1. Describe a typical Sunday from your childhood.

We always went to church. Sometimes the children’s choir sung and then I would be in church, other Sundays I would start in church and then run down to the parish hall for Sunday School. After church there was always a Sunday Dinner. Sunday was always family day.

2. How comfortable are you with uncertainty? Explain.

Oh I hate it. I fret, worry, and it literally makes me ill. I like things cut and dried, and with no doubt in it.

3. What have you accomplished recently that might be described as crafty, as in ‘arts and crafts’ crafty? If crafty doesn’t work for you, how about handy? Or both?

I have been going through my three year old file pile! I’ve been organizing and cleaning and the office is slowly taking shape. I saw a great Christmas decoration at a local Christmas Fair, and now a friend of mine want to make them! Details to come!

4. Have you ever worked in a ‘food place’? What did you take away from the experience?

My home is my food place. I guess I’ve learned that disasters can happen along the way. Poor Hubby claims that he is my guinea pig!

5. Cold turkey, talk turkey, what a turkey…in recent days, which turkey phrase or idiom best applies to you and why? Click on the word turkey if you need to read more about the meaning behind each phrase.

How about find a turkey? I went into our grocery store the other day for a “few things”. That’s when a nice small turkey (10 pounds) jumped into my basked for 59 cents a pound!

6. If you could have any one guest join your Thanksgiving dinner table, who would it be?

Easy. My daughter Katie!

7. What is one thing you must accomplish today?

Nothing much. I need to have a quiet day on orders from my doctor. I need to allow my forehead to knit.

8. Insert your own random thought here.

I want to congratulate Joyce on 150 Wednesday Hodgepodge questions. I love the Hodgepodge and look forward to it every week! Thanks Joyce!

Eyebrows

On Monday I went down to have my surgery. As I was preparing for the surgery to start, Dr. P. came in and we started to talk. I told him about the man in Dunkin’ Donuts who thought I was cute and tried to pick me up. You can read about that HERE. Well Dr. P. sat there with the biggest grin on his face. You see, the fact that his work has given me back my faith in myself and made me happy, meant the world to him.

The surgery took about an hour, and then Hubby and I drove back to New Hampshire, stopping to get Fritz dog food, and have a free Veteran’s dinner at Chili’s! I also got a free dessert because of it being my birthday on Sunday. Not bad.

For now though, I need to take my glasses off and rest. My eyebrow really is sore and I need to rest it.

Cut & Paste

Today finds me on my way to Boston for another facial surgery. If this is not the last, it is perhaps the next to the last surgery. I am so close to being pain free and looking like myself again.

Because it is Veteran’s Day, everything is closed and my doggy sitter isn’t teaching, so she will be here to puppy sit!

I am feeling relief more than anything else these days. Being able to look in the mirror and see me, helps so much.

So what if I am slightly battle worn. At least I am winning and although I will not be perfect, I am becoming a reasonable facsimile of the woman I was before all this started.

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Before and now.

I’m getting there!

Visiting My Girls

On Friday I went down to see Mandy and Savannah. It was a cold and clear day when I left, and when I arrived I had a nice breakfast with the girls before we headed over to the Outlet Mall near Mandy’s home.

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The only problem I have with Outlet Malls is that they are outdoors. So one must dress for the cold weather, but also be prepared to remove the clothes once you’re inside and heating up fast!

Savannah got irritated. She wasn’t having the transitions well, and being trapped in the stroller was really making her cranky. We took turns walking her and running after her, but that makes shopping tough.

Eventually we gave up and stopped for take out food before going back to Mandy’s house.

We had lunch, gave Savannah a bath (which she just loved!)

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and then once we got Savannah down for her nap, we sat talking. (That is macaroni & cheese on her nose and squash soup on her temple!)

I drove home mid afternoon, and the weather was wild! First sunshine, then rain, then sleet, then snow! It was amazing. I just took my time, stopping for gas ($3.13 a gallon!) and some groceries.

By the time I pulled in, it was just getting dark outside, and I was glad to be back. So were Hubby and the dogs, as I made dinner for them all.

Happy Birthday, Katie!

It’s so easy to take our loved ones for granted. We just assume that they know how we feel and that they will always be around. Don’t miss the opportunity to tell and show the people you love how you feel. No regrets, no missed chances.

35 years ago I gave birth to Mandy’s younger sister, Katie. She was a joy for us all, but tragically, she passed from this life into the next when she was six and a half years old.

I miss her every day of my life. I think the hardest thing is the fact that so many new people have come into our world, who will never know Katie, or the great girl she was.

So Happy Birthday, my darling girl! I hope they have delicious cakes in Heaven!

In Memory of Katie from Dackel Princess Maribeth on Vimeo.

Thursday Thirteen

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Today was a wild day. We had so many little errands to run, plus Weight Watchers, so we got into the car around noon and hit the road.

  1. Hubby’s new glasses were in so that was out first stop.
  2. I needed some adjustments with mine, and so far, I think the nice clerk got it right.
  3. We stopped for lunch at Pizza Hut. For $5.00 you can eat from both their salad bar and pizza bar. It was yummy!
  4. Then we went to one of my favorite shops looking for a few tops for me.
  5. Since my weight loss is slower than slow, I need to have some comfortable clothes that fit.
  6. I got no where at shop one, so we went to Talbots.
  7. They were having big sales!
  8. I got three shirts, one sweater and a pair of beautiful black corduroys!
  9. Better yet, I got three more discounts and all of these nice clothes were under $100.00! I love a good deal!
  10. We drove home, stopping at the Post Office, before getting in and being greeted by the dogs.
  11. I had NOTHING planned for dinner!
  12. I thawed some hamburger and then thought! What to do, what to do?
  13. I made an American Chop Suey, spicy and nice. We both enjoyed it.

Wednesday Hodgepodge

1. What’s one way you’re like your siblings? If you don’t have siblings how are you like your lifelong best friend or cousin?

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As much as I love my sister, I think we are very different. We’re both people who value love and honesty, but the way we do things in life are very different.

2. What’s the first thing that comes to mind when you think of yourself at age eighteen?

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Labor. I was expecting Mandy and a month after I turned 18, I gave birth to my first child. I felt such immense joy, as though no one else had ever had a baby!

3. Sculptor-actor-painter-dancer…if you could excel in one of these arts, which would you choose and why?

Painter. I have always wanted to be able to express myself on paper or canvas. When I was a teenager I actually could do this. But after a head injury I seemed to have lost my second sight to draw.

4. What’s a scent that takes you back in time, and where does it take you?

A roasting turkey. It brings we right back to all the Thanksgivings spent with long gone and greatly loved family.

5. November is for Peanut Butter Lovers (National Peanut Butter Lovers Month). Are you a lover or a hater? What’s your favorite dish/recipe that calls for peanut butter?

I LOVE peanut butter! My favorite peanut butter treat is the fluff-a-nutter sandwich!

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6. What do people thank you personally for most often?

Grape Jelly

My jellies or jams. I take the fruit from out trees and vines and make jams and jellies. And I always share!!!

7. What event this year are you most thankful for?

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Savannah’s First Birthday, back on May 31st! I am so blessed. Savannah is simply put, sunshine and happiness!

8. Insert your own random thought here.

I was doing some random shopping on Amazon last night when I started reading a book by Nicholas Sparks, “The Longest Ride”. Well I finished the “free” part of the read and I was hooked! I can tell this will be a quick read, but a fun one! Anyone else read this book?

Way Back When

My birthday is coming up pretty soon, so I thought I would jot down all my vital details from the early days.

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1. I was Born November 17, 1958

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2. At 12:01 PM I was born ready for lunch!
3. I was born in Wareham, Massachusetts. At that time it was the closest hospital to Cape Cod where we lived.
4. I weighed in at 9 pounds and 1 ounce! I know, this is big!
5. I was 21 inches long. I think this is average.
6. My mother was in labor for about 5 hours, but says it wasn’t bad. Of course back then they knocked you out so her memories are more of the nice sleep she had than of actually delivering me.
7. I was born a few days early. This is due to my intense love of turkey and the fact that I was hoping for my first turkey dinner. I didn’t get it for an entire year!
8. I had white blond fuzz on my head and very dark eyes that quickly turned brown.
9. If I’d been a boy my name would have been David Arthur. Needless to say, I am happy to be a girl.
10. My grandmother was already down taking care of my brother and sister, but my Aunt Betty and Uncle George drove down with Janet to see the new baby.
11. My mother stayed in the hospital until just before Thanksgiving. Back then they gave you almost a week to “recover” from giving birth.
12. My sister was thrilled with my arrival. She wanted a little sister. She was 5 and 1/4 years old, and I was her living doll.
13. My middle name is Jewel, which I have always thought was pretty strange. Then again, I have never met anyone with this name, except a dog.