Goodbye Negative Family Member

Ugh! My niece Amanda is 24 going on 25. She has turned into the most negative ninny I've ever known. She needs to grow up and be responsible for her ownself. She will not phone me but uses her phone to contact me on my space. @@ Drives me crazy because everybody who has every used email or messaging of some sort knows that tone and inflection do no come across well in written words. At least for me they don't. The last message I got from her was Sunday night and she let loose on me how I need to watch how I word things to her because I do not know how it is to be her. Okay then......problem solved. I deleted all of our my space accounts and blocked her on our facebook pages. She needs anything she'll have to break down and call me. I'm through with her. She needs help let her go to her friends that she values above family. You know they're the ones always there for her anyway. Yeah I'm that pissed and I'll stay that pissed til she actually calls and talks to me. She'll either get over herself and grow up or just go away and right now I just don't care. It'd be different if she were 18 and just getting started out but my goodness she'll be 25 in September. Grow up little girl! Take on the resposibility of yourself for yourself. She's blaming everybody but herself for not having a car. She said in the last email to me that she wished she would have had the help everybody else did getting a car. Excuse me? No one ever helped me buy a car. Everything I have I worked hard for and Chris works really hard for us too so I don't even know where she got that crap from. Then she says she doesn't think she'll ever be able to have children and that she wishes she'd meet a freaking good guy that wants to be mature. Okay don't go there with me either. I'm sorry her body is screwed up with her female parts. I really am. She only has one kidney too but I would put her first before she should have kids. I'm not saying never and you never know she just might be able to have a baby someday. Medical miracles happen all the time. I just don't want her to die trying to have a baby just cause her little sister who is 19 had a baby and her brother Todd just had his 3rd. Maybe there's a reason God chose her not to actually birth babies? I hate saying that. It sounds awful but maybe she's supposed to adopt or foster kids instead? I never thought I'd have kids. I was 34 before I met Chris let alone thought I'd ever have sex and get pregnant. She's lucky she's had boyfriends in her life. I thought I was horrible or something cause guys only wanted to be friends with me. Never anything more until Chris came along. Then the next sentence she tells me that she can't go see Grandpa because she doesn't have a car. Okay if that's so why didn't she just say that to start? The email before the last one stated she didn't want to see him that she just wanted to remember him the way he was. I wouldn't have told her anything else about going to see him if she would have said that to start. Then she told me to not try to make her feel guilty about Grandma when she's been writing to Grandma and that Grandma knows how she feels about everything. Okay.........that's a new one. She's never mentioned writing to my Mom at all. I doubt that she has. Anyway, I'm through with her. I tried. She's an adult. A really old adult at that and its way beyond time that SHE GROWS UP! She's my niece not my daughter is my new mantra. Sorry for the caps but I feel so much better for getting this all off my chest. After talking to one of my cousins that is trying to help out another cousin that is the same age as Amanda I found out she's having the same sort of problems and stuff with her. Where did these grown adults get the idea that its okay to live off of relatives at their ages? Yes I lived off and on with my parents after I graduated high school and I lived with relatives here and there until Chris and I married but I always paid my own way for everything and helped out when I could with things. These kid adults just want to live off of people. Amanda's brothers are the same as her. They all act like everybody owes them an existance. I give up on them. I think I'm raising my kids right though. They're pretty good kids so far and they fear consequences. The adults in my niece and nephews generation seem to think they shouldn't have consequences it seems. I'm not speaking about every person in that generation. It just seems the ones I know personally have that attitude. I'm sure there are plenty of good adults in that generation. I know there is because I have met a few at least personally.

Reunion Fun

We had a pretty good time. We didn't go and see my Dad before we left because he had physical therapy that morning and he's usually pretty tired and grumpy after. We got down to Brenham about 11:00 and went and checked in the motel. The reservations were all screwed up. They took one of my rooms and gave it to somebody for two nights and we weren't anywhere near my Mom's siblings at all. Hopefully next years won't end up that way. We'll see....

We had to wait til 2:00 before we could get into the room so we went to my Uncle Johnnie's house since he lives in town. I had already told Chris that we would be going to the Blue Bell ice cream tour so we didn't stay very long there. My Mom and brother and sister did but not us. We had a good visit with my aunt and uncle though before we went. They hosted a hot dog and all the fixin's supper that night but I had already told my aunt we wouldn't be there cause I was stove up from just the ride down there and would just rest at the motel that night. We went on the tour of Blue Bell and it was just as interesting as it was 20 years ago when I went with a bunch of family at another reunion we had there. We got to the end of the tour and I missed the last step and fell really hard. Lucky me nothing was broken but my pride. I was definitely hurting after that for sure. I was able to twist myself when I started falling so I didn't fall on my face at least. Anyway, we got our free ice cream at the end of the tour. I got a taste of the Southern Blackberry Cobbler and it was really good. A little sweet for my taste believe it or not. I got as my scoop though Nutty Chocolate. A rich chocolate ice cream loaded with milk chocolate-coated pecans, dark chocolate-coated peanuts, white chocolate-coated almonds and roasted walnuts is the description on the website. Boy oh boy, I think its my new favorite. Chris and Nicky both got the Mint Chocolate Chip and Jessie got Dutch Chocolate. If they ever try a new flavor I'll be very surprised. LOL. We got back to the motel after that and saw everybody that was slowly trickling in as the night went by. Chris, my brother Patrick and I went to a steakhouse we found in Brenham for dinner that night and it was really delicious and very inexpensive too. I sure didn't want to be in the heat eating hot dogs. Jessie went with Cheryl and my Mom to eat hot dogs with everybody and Nicky stayed at the motel. They had free wifi and Chris brought his laptop so Nicky was in fanfiction.net heaven and just requested pizza for dinner. We had a good time visiting with everybody but I was so stiff and sore from falling and from the car ride that I had to take ibuprofen to help me sleep that night.

Saturday I woke up about 6. That's what happens when I fall asleep too early and I guess even 10:00 was too early Friday night for me. Went to the breakfast room for comp breakfast and all they had was tiny blueberry muffins, coffee, milk, cereal and oj. Donuts came in later and my brother dropped some off for the kids. We got to the park about 9:00 and the day just flew by. There were all kinds of bbq and sandwiches and cakes and pies galore to eat all day. We had some fantastic guacamole made by a friend that came with another relative and I don't think it made it to lunch time. It was really good. They played horseshoes and pig basketball. Chris and my cousin Justin came in 3rd and Nicky came up and told me he wasn't last in basketball. He really enjoyed himself. I turned him loose with my camera and he got some really good shots. Everybody left the park about 3:00 and headed to the motel to swim and drink. Them, not us. I did get to taste some really good margaritas that night but wish I hadn't after the fact. I got sicker than a dog in the middle of the night and narrowed it down to the margaritas. They were good and I really wished they were popsicles. I just wanted to keep the flavor in my mouth. Turns out that they were made with Corona Light and Tequila. LOL. The recipe is 2 bottles of corona, a giant minute maid limeade and fill the minute maid can with tequila and a can of fresca or lemon lime soda. I didn't have my own but got a sip from two of my cousins and a couple of gulps from my sister Cheryl's glass. I'm so glad I didn't get more than that because of getting sick but it only lasted a couple of hours at least. That's how I know it wasn't a good ol' virus. That's what happens when you haven't really drank in the last 6 years. Chris and I pretty much watched everybody getting drunk. I think its more fun in the long run staying sober. The twin cousins got angry with their Mom and started calling her on how bad a mother she is/was and I wasn't around for that part. I heard my Mom told one of them off and to grow up but she just walked away from my Mom so who knows if it even got through her head.

Sunday dawned bright and early. Chris and I both got showers and went to the breakfast room for coffee. They had a little more out than they did on Saturday morning. My Uncle Freddie was in there and said he tried to make toast but the toaster didn't work so he had bread and butter. LOL. We had coffee with him and other family members trickled in and out. Freddie was sick most of Saturday. He's a diabetic too and said he just didn't watch his blood sugar that well since Friday and was off his routine but he thought he had a virus of some sort. No he didn't have any margaritas and was sick before they were made. LOL. He probably over exerted himself because he did play horseshoes and basketball both. He said his blood sugar Saturday evening was 127 which isn't too much over normal but knowing him he's probably like my Mom and when its closer to normal she gets really shaky cause she's used to it being high. After that we went back to the room and got the kids to get up and dressed and we got everything packed and loaded into the car. I think it was about 9:00 when we finally left Brenham. We had so much fun that we forgot to check out of the motel and had to turn around and go back and do it. LOL, at least we didn't get very far down the road. It was so good to get home finally. I'm still sore and achy and I think it'll take a week for me to recover from everything but I'd do everything over again in a heartbeat except, of course, the fall and drinking that margarita stuff. LOL. Oh and we found a tiny bluebonnet patch by the motel. Above there's a pic of the kids with my nephew Phillip in them.

Family Reunion

Our family reunion on my Mom's side is this weekend. I'm so excited. I feel just like a kid waiting for Christmas to get here. It's been about 3 years since our last reunion and that one while fun really wasn't a great one. My Dad refused to go to the park or hang out at the motel where everyone was staying. I know now of course that it was the start of his dementia but back then we didn't realize it. We had a couple of cousins whose kids (adult kids) decided drinking and getting drunk was the thing to do. We found out after the fact that one of the 2nd cousins that was drunk griped out my sister Kelly about her treatment of another 2nd cousin. Now remember these people are all adults and the thing that went on with the way Kelly treated that other cousin was about him squirting her in the face with water. All she did was make him go to her car at the park and get her makeup for her. Ooohwee, that sure hurt him didn't it? Well anyway that 2nd cousin will be at the reunion but not the one that griped her out. Thank goodness cause Kelly and her husband and baby weren't going to go since he was supposed to have been there. Her husband wanted to go no matter what and just told Kelly to ignore that 2nd cousin but she's stubborn but no worry now since he won't be there. Also the cousin whose adult kids caused all the drinking commotion has it in her head that it was other peoples adult kids who did it. She's clueless and her kids can do no wrong. Yeah right. I love this cousin dearly but the real reason she's not coming is because she's on the outs with one of her sisters and I guess she just can't ignore her either like Kelly couldn't ignore this cousins son that griped at her 3 years ago. I understand but I just don't want all the family infighting to ruin this reunion for my Mom. She doesn't have much to look forward to lately. She cried at Thanksgiving, Christmas and on the littlest grandson's 1st birthday because my Dad couldn't be there. I know she'll cry this weekend too but I'm hoping there'll be enough distraction that she'll let herself enjoy it all. We'll see I guess. My brother Patrick found this picture of the 7 dwarfs on the internet and I mocked it up for the reunion. I made copies for the Aunts and Uncles and my sister Cheryl is going to put it in frames to give to them. I wish my brother would have found it earlier and we could have made family shirts for our immediate family to wear there. What's cool is the Aunt or Uncle whom the name belongs to matches their personalities. That's what we think anyway. See picture above.

Another Weekend Visit

Took my Mom and sister Cheryl up to see my Dad today. It was a pretty good visit. He was in a much better mood than last time and not in any pain this time either. We got to have almost a 2 hour visit with him today. He's getting skinnier still. I could really tell it in his right arm today. Also, they have him on a catheter now. The quilt is a little throw that someone gave him. I'm thinking probably some ladies organization makes them for the Vets. There's a brown piece of fabric with tiny flowers on there that matches one of the aprons that my Granny (his mother) made and used when she was alive. My sister Kelly has it but its a little comfort knowing he has something that might remind him of his mother. In fact the quilt looks a lot like something she would have made herself too. We left right before lunch because he was falling asleep on us. I told him when we left to be good but if he couldn't be good to have fun...or as he used to tell it.....be good but if you can't name it after me. That gave him a big chuckle.

First Line Friday

My friend Kathy loves books and bags and Bon Jovi. Not in that order necessarily but she has a love for first lines and came up with the idea for First Line Friday. You can find her here

http://bagsbooksandbonjovi.blogspot.com/2010/03/first-line-friday.html


First lines have always intrigued me since I heard an author say that writing the first sentence is, by far, the most difficult part of writing a novel. The reasoning was that a first sentence can make the reader continue reading or cause the book to be tossed aside. So, go to your To Be Read Pile, choose as many books as you want and share the first line. Be sure to include the title and author so that if your reader also finds it intriguing, they can find the book. Also, share your thoughts about the first line. Does it draw you in? Is it...exciting...thought provoking...scary...funny?

The book today is a highly recommended author. From Kathy as well as a half dozen other women I know. We used to post on an aol message board with her from time to time and I know she dedicated one of her books to the women on the board but I wasn't there at that time I think. She has a couple of monikers she uses. As Wendy Corsi Staub she writes Thrillers and Mysteries and Young Adult Books. As Wendy Markham she writes Women's Fiction. Today's book is a Wendy Markham book. It's called If Only in my Dreams. It's a time travel book and I found it on www.paperbackswap.com. Again another book website that is a must in my life. I stumbled across her new book about these characters (The Best Gift) but before getting it I wanted to read the first book first of course. I couldn't find it at my local library so hence going to paperbackswap to find it. I've read several of Wendy's books and have loved all of them. Her characterization is always well written and she does have a way with twists which is another thing I love about her writing. Okay enough gushing......here's the first line........Okay again I have another book that has a prologue so I'll do that first line and the first line of Chapter 1 also. Here's the prologue first line.........

Thanksgiving, 1941

Glenhaven Park, Westchester County, New York

"This was Glenn Miller and his Orchestra with his newest hit record, 'Chattanooga Choo Choo.'And now, before the latest news from Europe, a word from our sponsor, Lifebouy."

First off I love time travel books. I can't get enough of them in Sci-Fi and then to have one written in a romance setting is also a fave of mine. I loved the Time Traveler's Wife (book and movie both) and can't wait to get into this book. Its set during World War 2 so I can tell already its going to be a heartbreaking romance of some kind. Now heres Chapter 1's first line........

The Present

New York City

Malignant.

Okay so I know from the synopsis what to expect from this one word and its definitely not good. I think even not knowing the synopsis or anything about the author or her writing style I definitely would have picked this book up just from that first line one word start. It makes you think is it something medical or emotional or both? I know I'm going to love this book and I've got to start looking for the sequel too. I haven't read anything of Wendy's in a long time and I'm looking forward to a nice long read. Wish the book was thicker this time though. LOL.

.........sigh............

Took my Mom and sister Cheryl up to see my Dad today. It started out as a good visit but we weren't there very long before he started complaining about his leg hurting him. He kept yelling help really loudly too. We found out they had just given him pain medication right before we got there so we told him that he couldn't have anymore yet and that just frustrated him to no end. We'd talk a few minutes and then he'd start yelling help again. We reminded him off and on throughout the visit but it seems like his short term memory is going too. He got very angry at my Mom and told us to leave and so when we finally said we were going he told us we didn't need too and then turned around and yelled at us to leave. It was all in the same breath too. The nurse said they're going to let his doctor know that he does need some kind of med to calm him down but not that'll make him sleep so much. Hopefully there'll be something that'll work for him. He also kept asking us and the nurses to shoot him. Just shoot me in the head and he kept saying it over and over. I know he doesn't know what he's saying but its still harsh to hear those words come out of his mouth. He looked really gaunt today to me too. You can see the bones in his chest (not his neck or collarbone areas) too. I've never seen my Daddy this skinny.

First Line Friday

My friend Kathy loves books and bags and Bon Jovi. Not in that order necessarily but she has a love for first lines and came up with the idea for First Line Friday. You can find her here
http://bagsbooksandbonjovi.blogspot.com/2010/03/first-line-friday.html


First lines have always intrigued me since I heard an author say that writing the first sentence is, by far, the most difficult part of writing a novel. The reasoning was that a first sentence can make the reader continue reading or cause the book to be tossed aside. So, go to your To Be Read Pile, choose as many books as you want and share the first line. Be sure to include the title and author so that if your reader also finds it intriguing, they can find the book. Also, share your thoughts about the first line. Does it draw you in? Is it...exciting...thought provoking...scary...funny?

Today's book is a Kathy recommended author by the name of Simon Brett. The name of the book is Cast, in Order of Disappearance. It's a Charles Paris mystery and Charles Paris is a down and out actor who is always involved in solving crimes set in theaters. At least that's the gist of it that I got out of one of Kathy's post about this book series. Forgive me if I'm wrong Kathy. I immediately pictured him as a Columbo type but without the bumbling. By that I mean he's always stumbling onto a mystery of some type in the plays he's in. It's an out of print book but I was able to find it at my other favorite site which is www.Paperbackswap.com. I love going and finding books of all types there. From for my family to my weird taste in some Science Fiction books. Anyway, here's the first line of the book that Kathy recommended.

"Charles, Charles love, its your cue." Can't get much more theatrical than that! I'm going to start it this weekend. Can't wait.

Wildflowers

I had to make a trip to town today and finally, finally we're having some wildflowers blooming along the highways and bi-ways. I'm itching to get out and take our annual wildflower/bluebonnet pictures this year. We missed last year because the weather didn't cooperate plus it was a bad crop too. We didn't get enough rain or cold weather at all. This year though we've gotten plenty of both. 'Bout time I say! Just warning you all that wildflower pictures will be on here in the next week or so. Yeah!!!

Dreams.....

I went back to bed after the kids left for school and I had one of our family prophetic dreams. It was a nice dream til I woke up. I dreamt I slept with Willie Nelson (I know.....eeeeewwww) but he's always played an important part of family lore. Anyway I got pregnant and went to tell him and talked to his extended family about how my Granny knew Willie's Mama and was really close to her and kept up with Willie over the years til she died. So when I woke up I was sort of okay with the dream because I didn't think it had all the parts that was needed to be prophetic for us. When you dream your pregnant it means a death is coming but only if you have all the parts to it. Depending on who is pregnant is who it portends to and you have to dream about someone else in the family who has already passed on. Well I thought I only dreamt that I got pregnant by Willie Nelson so it just means somebody is going to be really sick especially since I only talked about my Granny to his extended family but no I realized I did see her in the dream and she had a huge smile on her face. She looked so happy. She was in the background of the crowd so hopefully that means it'll be a while before anything happens. I'm worried because of my Dad's condition of course but I haven't mentioned anything lately about my brother Patrick. A couple of years ago he was in the hospital with a bad staph infection that ate part of his back bone. Now he's having that pain again and the doctor wants him to have a T11 and 12 bone biopsy done if its possible. Nobody has called him back about it yet and that really worries me even more. I guess its not possible. He goes back to the doctor on the 12th so maybe they'll be able to tell him what's what then. He definitely has something bad going on we just don't know what exactly. My biggest fear for him is cancer especially since our younger brother told us he went through prostrate cancer this past year. He survived thank God. It's weird what you do to be mad at family but what it takes someone going through to get over being mad is even weirder. Okay, I'm through rambling but what it boils down to is it was a prophetic dream like what we have in our family and it will be a close family member this time.

Easter

We had the family over for Easter today. Just my Mom, brother Patrick, sister Cheryl and nephew Todd with his fiancee and new baby. It was a nice day. They were here for about 6 hours and I think my Mom spent most of the time holding the baby. I think it really helped her make it through the holiday without my Dad. This is my favorite new picture of her now.

Christ is Risen!

Tomb, thou shalt not hold Him longer;

Death is strong, but Life is stronger;

Stronger than the dark, the light;

Stronger than the wrong, the right;

Faith and Hope triumphant say Christ will rise on Easter Day.

Author: Phillips Brooks, D.D.


Happy Easter to each and everyone. I hope you all have a glorious Easter and lots of time to spend with family and friends.

First Line Friday

My friend Kathy loves books and bags and Bon Jovi. Not in that order necessarily but she has a love for first lines and came up with the idea for First Line Friday. You can find her here
http://bagsbooksandbonjovi.blogspot.com/2010/03/first-line-friday.html


First lines have always intrigued me since I heard an author say that writing the first sentence is, by far, the most difficult part of writing a novel. The reasoning was that a first sentence can make the reader continue reading or cause the book to be tossed aside. So, go to your To Be Read Pile, choose as many books as you want and share the first line. Be sure to include the title and author so that if your reader also finds it intriguing, they can find the book. Also, share your thoughts about the first line. Does it draw you in? Is it...exciting...thought provoking...scary...funny?

Yeah! I'm doing another First Line Friday. I had my daughter grab a random book out of my TBR pile...er...make that box. It's definitely bigger than a pile. LOL. She grabbed Pieces of My Sister's Life by Elizabeth Joy Arnold. I don't think I've ever read anything by her and I didn't buy this book but I got it from my Mom and/or sister Cheryl so I'm hoping its a good one. We'll find out. Here's the first line.

As the winter solstice approaches, the Beast of the Atlantic Nor'Easter awakens, like the Vampire rising from dormancy, to menace our Island.

Okay so it isn't the real first line of the book but a prelude about something that happened to the Island the book is set on way back in December of 1798. Here's the real first line of the book.

There's a photograph I keep in my bottom drawer, buried beneath the strips of wrapping paper that haven't yet found a gift that fits them.

And again, its still not the real first line but the beginning of the Prologue. LOL, I've never seen a book that has so many first lines.

Now for sure the real first line of chapter 1.

I glanced discreetly at the wall clock above the ballet barre.

Well the first two false starts are way better than that first line so I'm going to say the real first line is actually the prelude note from 1798. All I can say is this sounds like a mystery of a different kind for sure.

New Reads, A Site Recommend and a Blog Award

My friend Kathy (find her here http://bagsbooksandbonjovi.blogspot.com/) gave me a really lovely blog award today. Thank you Kathy. She got it from Carin at http://carolinebookbinder.blogspot.com/. This award is passed on to bloggers who are kind-hearted individuals. These bloggers regularly leave comments, answer questions, offer support, and in general are superbly kind! The blogs that these lovely individuals write are resourceful, knowledgeable, and just plain awesome! For a new blogger, these people are invaluable. I really appreciate the thought that Kathy put into passing this award on to me. I'll be passing it forward myself in a few days.

Now as to new reads Kathy posted about a wonderful author named Simon Brett and her favorite series of mystery books he writes involving Charles Paris, a down and out actor who has only small parts in productions but the starring role in these mysteries. She can really sell a book to read. LOL. I went to www.paperbackswap.com and found out that there are a few of his earliest books on there son I grabbed book one - Cast in Order of Disappearance and book two - So Much Blood from there. I love www.paperbackswap.com. It's my favorite book trading spot on the web. I've only had one bad experience there and it was on my end. A man requested a really old, old science fiction paperback and since it was actually very small I had put it into a large envelope and didn't check it out before I sent it to him. I also sent him the companion book to it free without getting the extra credit for it. Well come to find out the book he requested was falling apart. He demanded I refund his credit which I would have done without his demanding but he never thanked me for the extra book or even suggested sending it back to me either. I understand some people collect books and want them in great condition but you don't go to a site like paperbackswap and expect a paperback book that was almost 20 years old and very well read to be in excellent condition. Anyway that's the only really bad experience I've had there. Oh wait I had someone complain about the wrapping getting torn up by the post office. How that was my fault I have no idea. The book was fine and there was no damage to it so I still can't figure out how it was my fault. LOL.

Family Pictures

As important as pictures are to me you'd think I'd have found a bunch of my Mom and Dad with all of 5 of us. But nope. This is the only one I've come across and this was scanned by one of my uncles so its not a good one at all. We have a bunch with the parents and the oldest 3 of us when we were little and then a bunch from when Cheryl came along 6 years after my youngest brother Terry was born but since it was 12 years between Cheryl and Kelly there's hardly any of all of us together. Of course by the time she came along we older 3 were finishing high school and I was already out and working my first job. We were scattered with jobs and school and busy with friends after so it was hard getting us all together at the same time even though we were in the same household still. That and my Dad being an on the road trucker didn't help either. Still at least I have this one badly focused and badly scanned picture. I'm going to ask my uncle that scanned it if he would send it to me so I can scan it too. I'd love to be able to give each of my siblings and Mom a nice print of this one at Christmas.