Oooops!!!

I woke up this morning and I thought, ‘oh dear, I didn’t write an entry in Dackel Princess last night’.

So I’ve waited until the coffee is brewed and I can have my first cup writing to you all.

Yesterday was a very busy day. First I returned to Weight Watchers, where I learned that yes, I am a stress eater. Funny thing is that I did not eat chocolate or vast amounts of sweets. I just ate too much of the regular foods.

Next, I raced home so I could accompany Hubby to learn how to give himself insulin. His old pancreas is not working as well as it should, so the doctor has put him on a long acting injection of insulin each day.

After that I went off to have lunch with my girlfriend, Laurie at our favorite place in town, “The Coffee House”. The owners are our friends, and they have wonderful coffee and salads and quiches. Best of all is that this place is cozy and we just sit, relax and talk while we eat.

At the end the owner came over and gave us two home made chocolate chip cookies to celebrate my successful cancer surgery!

I came back home and was completely beat, and I still had dinner to make for the dogs and for Hubby.

We watched a little TV and I headed to bed at 9:30.

This morning I tested Hubby’s blood sugar and it was down to 130. This is fabulous news! This means he probably won’t need too much more insulin right now. Yay!!!

Wednesday Hodgepodge

1. Share one fun thing you did last week, while the Hodgepodge was on ‘spring break’.

I went through a bunch of old pictures and I made an anniversary montage for our 25th wedding anniversary, which was yesterday! Go back one post and you can watch it, if you missed it yesterday.

2. April 10th is National Sibling Day…do you have siblings, and if so are you close? Share a favorite story featuring one or all of your siblings. If you don’t have siblings, did you ever wish you did?

I had two sinlings. My brother passed away in 1977, but I am lucky to still have my sister. It is so hard to recall just one favorite story. I have so many of her. Here is one. We shared a room when I was about 11 years old. It was the summer and my cousin, Janet was visiting and as we all were lying in our beds, Mel was telling us a story. I was so tired I drifted off to sleep and when I woke, not realizing I had slept I remember calling out, “aren’t you going to finish the story?” and no one answered with words, just loud snores!

I could also tell you about all the stories she told me when we would stand doing the dishes, and I would tell her not to start the story with “Once upon a time”, and she would promise me that she wouldn’t, and then she began…”Once upon a time” and we both would break out in laughter!

3. Is it important to you to ‘buy American’? Why or why not? How much of an effort do you make to ‘buy American’? If you’re not American, insert your own country in the blank.

It is very important. Both Hubby and I try to buy American or locally made. It gets harder all the time.

4. Besides The Bible, what book has impacted your spirituality in some way?

The Episcopalian Book of Common Prayer. I still read the services from time to time.

5. April showers bring May flowers or so the saying goes. Do you find rainy days calming or depressing? When were you last caught in a rainstorm? What’s blooming in your neck of the woods today?

I love the rain. It is so much easier on my eyes. What’s blooming…okay this is actually funny. Two years ago I planted tulips and crocuses in my yard. They never came up! I was so upset. So last fall, I did not plant anything! Well, guess what? They all came up this year! Isn’t that strange?

6. What’s your favorite yellow food?

Corn on the cob!!!

7. April is National Poetry Month…what’s a poem that holds special meaning for you, and why is it special?

Four-Feet

By Rudyard Kipling

I have done mostly what most men do,
And pushed it out of my mind;
But I can’t forget, if I wanted to,
Four-Feet trotting behind.

Day after day, the whole day through
Wherever my road inclined
Four-feet said, “I am coming with you!”
And trotted along behind.

Now I must go by some other round,
Which I shall never find
Somewhere that does not carry the sound
Of Four-Feet trotting behind.

Feb 16 014

Me with my first dackel, Shubi.

8. Insert your own random thought here.

I am going to my niece’s wedding on Friday. I was nervous about going due to my horribly disfigured face. However, I have been going out and seeing people, and so far no one has run off screaming with freight, or fainted! So I gave myself a talking to and I am ready to face the world! (No pun intended!)

Twenty Five Years

Today, Hubby and I have been married for 25 years! Through the good and the bad, Hubby and I have survived and our marriage has grown. He is still the first person I want to talk to in the morning and the last person I want to kiss goodnight.

The last 25 years have slipped by so fast. Our children have grown, we now have a beautiful granddaughter and our life is full and rich in all the ways that count.

Thank you so much, Sweetie for making my life so full of love, happiness and the security I always wanted.

Happy 25th Anniversary!!!

What I Did This Past Weekend

Miss Marple 2

Our host is Gattina. Come join us and tell us what YOU did this past weekend! After all, you never know when you will need an alibi!

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The weekend was the usual, except that on Sunday I got a call and then a visit from Mandy and my granddaughter, sweet Savannah Rose!

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She is now ten months old, and I cannot believe how tall she has gotten! She is also stand up by herself (not holding on to anything) and she loves dogs!

April 07 13 014

The very best medicine, when you are feeling down, is a visit from a little angel like this one!

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How lucky I am to have this little gem of a child in my life. She makes me smile, just by looking at me.

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How very blessed I am!

Saturday

Saturday was a crazy day for us. It started by getting up early and bringing Fritz to the Humane Society for his Rabies Vaccine. We got there a little late, which meant that we were in the middle of about 50 dogs and cats standing outside in the cold wind!

After a few minutes of wind related pain, I begged to come inside, and looking at my poor face, they allowed me to come in and wait. Fritz and Hubby had to wait outside until it was their turn.

As always happens, Fritz becomes the center of attention. He is beautiful, sweet and likes to charm the ladies!

He got his shot and we left to come home, where I tossed a few things in a bag and headed to see Nataliya to get my hair done. I love the way she colored my hair, and she carefully shaped it too. I feel so much better knowing that at the very least my hair looks good!

April 06 13 006

I drove home and a beautiful bouquet of flowers was just being delivered! They were from my Mom and Sister, Melodie in honor of Hubby’s and my 25th wedding anniversary, which is on Tuesday.

I came inside, made a small snack of tea and popcorn, and then fell asleep in my chair with the three dackels.

Dinner was an easy meal. Hamburger Helper and a salad, and now I’m just waiting for the day to end so I can go to bed. I am just beat.

But as tired as I am, I am happy. I got so much done! Yay for fresh hair styles and colors!

Before

I’ve been doing a lot of thinking in the last couple of weeks about who I think I am. I finally had to admit that I do like the way I have always looked, and found facing myself in the mirror fairly easy to do. (It was better when I was in my twenties, but heck…)

Now I am faced (no pun intended) with having a new face to look at each day.

After my car accident I had a few scars on my face that eventually faded. I had plastic surgery on my ear, because it was nearly torn off in that accident. But in the end, this new face was something I got used to.

When I had detached retinas I found I could no longer wear my contact lenses, and I got used to wearing glasses instead.

After all, it’s more important to be able to see to live your life.

Now I will have to learn to live with a new nose. I’m guessing it will not be like my old one, and that’s okay. I think eventually your forget what once was and find that you accept the new normal.

After all, I’m still me inside here. I’m still the Maribeth that I have always been. Just the old nose will have changed.

mb age 3 Maribeth

This is me at age three. Then the next one is from Christmas. Soon we will have the after. I can hardly wait to see it.

Friday Fill-Ins

Friday Fill-Ins

And…here we go!

1. I use tons of Aquaphor right now on my nose.
2. Love Actually is one of my favorite movies.
3. It’s springtime! Yay!!!
4. This time I plan to be prepared for my operation!
5. I said should we celebrate our anniversary, and then he said why don’t we wait until we are both feeling better.
6. Another cup of hot tea is what I’m craving right now!
7. And as for the weekend, tonight I’m looking forward to eating pork ribs, tomorrow my plans include getting my hair done and Sunday, I want to kick back and watch a movie or two!

Thursday Thirteen

Thirteen Wires

  1. I am going in to get my hair done on Saturday!
  2. Oh, I can hardly wait to get my roots done and my hair shaped!
  3. I need to call my house sitter and get her ready for her time with the pups.
  4. My niece is getting married on April 13!
  5. We’re driving down the night before as the wedding is at 10 AM!
  6. She is such a beautiful woman, inside and out.
  7. I bet she will make a beautiful bride!
  8. I think it is even nicer because this bride and groom are a true love match!
  9. My only sadness is that I must attend the wedding looking like this…
  10. They’re getting married in my sisters Episcopal Church.
  11. The reception is at a nice place close by/
  12. I’ll be sitting with all my cousins and my Mom.
  13. And it will be wonderful to watch a new life begin!

A Pity Party

Tuesday morning I got a call letting me know that my next plastic surgery has been delayed a week. So instead of being operated on on April 16th, I will be operated on the following week, April 23rd!

I am just so disappointed and sick about it. I’ve literally been hiding out, not going anywhere, or seeing anyone due to my freakish looks. I keep wondering what I will look like when all is said and done, and now I need to go another week before I can find out!

So here I sit. In a small puddle of tears, feeling very sorry for myself.

I wonder if doctors realize how horrible it is for people to go around looking like this?

People have said I’ve been brave about going through all of this. I don’t feel very brave right now. I feel very much like I am falling apart.

Hubby, The Fruit Trees & Me

Hubby has been working pruning our fruit trees each afternoon. It brought back memories of the first time he tried to teach me to prune a fruit tree.

He told me to stand back. To imagine the living tree, and how I wanted to shape it to grow with just one leader and a series of supporting branches.

The other important thing was to be sure that each of the tiers had the ability to let the sun in to nourish the fruit.

He demonstrated with several trees, and I watched him carefully. It looked easy enough. Just take the pruning pole and snip, snip, here, and you were done.

Well, carefully I took the pruning pole. I stood back and looked at the tree. It was a beautiful tree. Actually I thought it was so beautiful, it probably didn’t need my help. However, Hubby stood waiting and after I’d surveyed the tree for several minutes I went up, put the pruner in and snip!

I stood back and horror filled my chest! I could feel the blood rush to my cheeks as I realized I had made the worst cut ever to that poor defenseless tree!

I started to cry (silently) but Hubby took the pole and walked to the next tree and mumbled, “Oh well, good thing about trees, is that they grown back after a cut like that!”

And after that dreadful first pruning lesson, given to me when Hubby and I were just engaged, but not yet married, I can happily report that he married me anyway!

But he doesn’t ask for my help pruning trees now! LOL!