There ain't nothen better than a real bone!

I normally do not give our dogs real bones. I am so afraid they will splinter and pierce their innards. But, I have been doing some reading lately and real bones are much more preferred by the professionals. Joe loves to get the rawhide bones which are great for chewing, but Miss Pattykins tends to want to swallow them, and that is not a good item. So he bought some of those real bones wrapped up at the store.





Yo Mama.......yum yum



Tongue licking good





Meanwhile silly Sophie didn't know what to do with her tasty treat.



She has a habit of waiting until Patty finishes her treat and then she can tease Patty with hers.



But Patty could care less. She was chowing down on her bone.



Going to town with it



Look at those eyes......I believe she thought she had died and gone to Heaven





Daddy, you did such a good job!



Oops, was I chewing with my mouth open Mama?



"Heaven, I'm in Heaven"





Yeppers, I'm a happy camper



I am happy to report she did very well with her bone. I really don't know if Soph ever ate hers. I was too busy laughing and taking pictures of Patty I forgot to look.

By the way, we have decided to neuter Patty. I really wanted to breed her when she turned 2, but Joe and I have decided not to breed. The only way I agreed to it was for Joe to agree to buy another puppy in 2 yrs. I don't want Patty going through what Sophie did when Annie died. Plus we both want a fawn with a black mask which would probably not happen with Patty's pups. There is mostly brindle in her family tree so the chances of having the color we want would be pretty rare. Also, I think it makes dogs healthier to have them fixed. Maybe PetSmart would take back the bag of diapers I have already purchased!

My Precious update

I am thrilled to let yall know that Abby is doing much better. She is on 2 antibiotics and breathing treatments 4 times per day. We went to see her Saturday and she was so much like herself.

After Joe and I had been there for a bit I asked Abby how her room was looking. She didn't want to look at me, which of course meant it was horrible. Indeed it was. She came in there with me and I said "Abby, there is no excuse for this and you're going to clean your room." At first she was moving soooooooo slow and saying "what do I pick up? I don't see anything." HA! So I told her to pick up her dirty clothes first and put them in the laundry room. That took about 3-4 trips because she is lazy! But she did it. Then we started on the little things that her sister would immediately put in her mouth and perhaps swallow if she were allowed in there. Again she was slow in moving but I kept softly encouraging her. I suggested that she pick up 6 at a time, then put them in the container for small stuff. We compromised on 5. So she picked up 5 and we both counted together. Then she put them where they belonged. Then we went to the things that belong in her big dollhouse that her Nana gave her a couple of years ago for Christmas. We stopped and got a drink then started back again. She ended up picking almost everything in the room. I told her she had done enough because after all she was sick and she was getting short winded. Her mom had wished me good luck in getting her to do any of it but Abby really did listen to me. I praised her and told her how proud I was. Afterwards she wanted me to play with her dollhouse so I did. We had so much fun. I would have kept on for a much longer time but Joe wasn't feeling well and needed to go home. Party pooper! After much praise and tons of hugs we left to go pick up my new glasses.

Sunday, I made breakfast for myself and Joe. At 2pm we all 3 went to the high school for the Project Graduation meeting (we completely forgot about the first one!). We want to be there to help and have fun with Steph and her friends. Naturally I will be sporting my camera and will take oodles of pictures. It is on 5/21 from midnight until 5am. I think it will be a good idea to take that day off and catch a nap or 2! It will be fun and I am excited about it. Joe has volunteered to solicit many of the Paducah business'. He has so much more time than most of the parents plus he loves to talk! Some of the places he will go to have people that he knows that own or work there so that will be a good item.

I hope everyone has some great weather in your area like we are supposed to have this week. Absolutely gorgeous!

My Precious

I was so looking forward to seeing Abby this weekend. I was texting with her mama last night and found out she is still sick. She was worried because she had not eaten in 3 days. I told her that was very common with strep throat, and that as long as she is drinking she'll be fine. That was when the phone rang. I guess Beth just needed to hear me say it. Her fever was 101.3 and since she has been sick for an entire week she is taking her back to the doctor today. I can remember that feeling of a new mother....why isn't she eating....do I need to take her to the doctor.... All of the things that we, as new parents, worry about. When I was raising Ryan my parents lived in Kentucky and I was in Texas. I just had to figure it out myself. It is kind of a strange feeling to remember how things were back then. Long distance was quite pricey so I didn't pick up the phone every time I thought of it. Unlike these days where a cellphone is always close by and the call is free. I used to call Mom every Saturday without fail. She and I both looked forward to that call.

Leah is starting to sit up by herself. That girl is growing up way too fast! Her mama said she will probably be crawling within the next couple of weeks. It seems like she should only be a few weeks old!



I can't wait to have her out for the weekend. She will be a lot to handle but definitely worth it!



Now, about that pony.................

Rainy days and Mondays always get me down

Here I sit at work hearing the rain hit the metal roof of my warehouse, eyes getting heavier and heavier, just thinking of going back to bed. I wish! It was difficult to get out of bed this morning. It was so comfy and warm, Patty was right beside me all stretched out and happy. But, I managed to drag myself out and into the bathroom just like I always do Monday - Friday.

I have discovered a new radio station around these parts. It is 95.9 and they play songs from the 60's and 70's. How fun! I listen to it all the way to work, or as long as I can actually pick it up in my car. They must not have a very big tower because as I get closer to town it starts fading out. But I can hear it best at my house. If you live around here you should check it out. I love hearing songs from my teenage years early in the morning. It puts a smile on my face.

I am a bit depressed these days. So many of my favorite bloggers are quitting. I can understand it but that doesn't mean I have to like it. One of my absolute favorite bloggers is more than likely shutting her blog down. I will miss her so much. Hers is the first blog I read every single day. But that is her decision.

We were going to have Abby for the weekend but the poor baby is sick again. Fever and all that jazz. I have missed her so much. I can't remember the last time she spent the night with us, and that is not right! We'll have to wait until after vacation but maybe by then the weather will be good outside. After all there are bubbles to blow and a golfcart to ride. Oh, and pictures to be taken. Indeed.

The first day of Spring

The girls and I spent as much time outside Saturday as we could. Rain was predicted for Sunday (true, it's raining outside)so we made the best of the first day of spring.













They just went on and on playing










Patty is slowly getting to know Jones. They have a similar color pattern don't you think?





She still doesn't know what to think about this large animal that lives outside.



I have noticed that Jones is much more loveable since we sold Dakota. I know she is lonely. I am hoping to find something this spring to keep her company.

The pups continuted their playing



















I finally put them inside for a much needed break. The trees are starting to bud with the promise of another change of seasons. Everyone I know has been so ready for Spring.



But for now, it still looks like winter outside



But I have a feeling that in a couple of weeks there will be a lot more color around Kansas. I can't wait for that.

He's home!

And feeling much better. Joe got home about 11am yesterday. I stopped by the house on the way to pick up Steph. He was glad to be home and was just getting ready for a nap. He slept from 2:30pm to 6:30pm. He needed it badly.

Steph and I had a great time at the photography studio. She was tickled that her name was on the door to her dressing room kinda like she was a star. We had 2 really great girls to help us, Lacy and Lacy. Easy to remember. One was the photographer and the other the assistance. They really made her feel special and complimented her on her hair and eyes. They also said that she was great to work with because she did what they suggested and wasn't demanding like so many of their clients can be. I can only imagine what they have to put up with sometimes. Steph took the attitude that they knew what they were doing much better than her and she was more than willing to do as they suggested. I could hear them laughing and talking quite a bit as they moved from site to site taking various pictures in various outfits. We go back in 2 weeks to see the proofs and place our order. I can't wait to see them!

I am so grateful to have a daughter that likes to include me in her life. We almost always have a great time together and we can be so silly sometimes. Well, I am the one that is silly more so than her. She calls me crazy but in the same breath will say she wouldn't want it any other way.

She was so glad to see her Dad was home. We all had a pretty quiet evening. I cooked me and Joe some cheeseburgers and he said that was the best burger he had eaten in a long time. That I had cooked it just right. The fact that he had gone without any substantial food for 3 days really showed then as the burgers I made were frozen patties from Kroger simply thrown on a non-stick griddle seasoned with kosher salt and fresh ground pepper. I smiled and hugged him anyway. Anyone loves to hear something good said about their cooking.

Life is good.

Update on Joe

The doctor seems to have finally figured out the best medicine for Joe. It appears he has Shingles AND a kidney infection. This makes about the 30th time he has had Shingles. He told me last night as we were sitting on the side of the hospital bed that he wished GAF would stop making shingles because they keep dropping on his back and it hurts! He was a bit silly from some of the medicine they are giving him and we sat there like a couple of teenagers giggling and trying not to be very loud as he has a roommate who has had a stroke.

I haven't talked to him yet this morning but last night he called right before going to bed. He had just received his medicine and was a tired puppy. He had not slept a wink since he admitted himself in the hospital on Monday. It's a shame that the very place a person goes to get better, you can't get any rest or sleep. It never fails that as soon as you are dead asleep a nurse has to take your BP or a respiratory tech just has to have you take a breathing treatment. UGH! I am starting to really not care at all for a hospital. Maybe that is because betweene me and Joe we seems to have spent more time there in the past couple of years than ever. I guess that's part of getting older.

I am leaving work early today to take my daughter to get her pictures done. She has been putting this off and it got down to the very last few days before we wouldn't have them back in time for her graduation invitations. She is such a country girl. I wanted to take her shopping for some new clothes but she chose not to. Said she had plenty. She reminds me so much of myself when I was her age. Mom tried to get So to encourage me to go shopping for clothes and I never wanted to. Later on you couldn't stop me from shopping. Things change don't they?

I'm still asleep

I swear I drove to work this morning still asleep. For some reason, I slept really hard last night and naturally overslept. But I did manage to make it to work on time. I can't stand to be late for anything, especially work. I am grateful to have a job that allows me to be myself, work in an office with no one else and if I need to I can comfortably put my steel-toed boots on the desk and take a nap with no fear of being fired or being written up.

Joe has been sick for over a week now. He finally went to the doctor last Thursday where he was diagnosed with a kidney infection. The dr gave him antibiotics and sent him on his way. 5 days later he was still in a lot of pain so the dr suggested the hospital was the way to go. He needed some strong antibiotics and pain relief that is found only at the hospital, so that is what he did. I talked to him on the way into work today (I think)and he wasn't feeling any better. Didn't get a wink of sleep due to the strong pain medicine they gave him. He did ask them to cut back the dosage or change it all together.

Stephanie made dinner last night which was nice. I didn't really feel like cooking at all and since we had bought a bag of dinner (I don't know what else to call it)she cooked it up quite nice. It was full of spinach which she insisted was parsley. I suggested that it was spinach but she disagreed. I chose to not say anything else about it since she was eating it and not complaining. No need to rock the boat. However, I can't wait to tell her what it was someday when she is an adult.

She is having her senior pictures taken tomorrow afternoon. She is literally counting down the Mondays until school is out. She is so ready to be done with high school. It is, well, it is high school with all of the drama and antics that drove me crazy too. I'm not so sure she is ready for the real world though. We shall see.

Ryan is having some stress dealing with his current situation. He lives about 13 miles from his place of employment which makes it difficult to get to work when one doesn't have a couple of things. Namely, a valid drivers license and a vehicle. Not to mention he doesn't have a washer/dryer in his apartment. I picked him up after work and took him to a local laundry mat in order to get his clothes washed. He was planning on going to his dad's house afterwards but come to find out his dad fell off of the wagon yet again and had to be hospitalized. Needless to say he didn't go there afterwards. He called his good friend Olivia who gave him a ride home. I talked to him about the fact that if he didn't do anything to change things, nothing would change. He listened to me but I don't know how well he will remember. So, once again, I turn him over to God. I am not going to help him with this. He has to do it himself. Sometimes I truly do wonder if he is capable of it. It weighs heavily on my mind every day but I know that I can't and won't do anything to change it. He is a 28 yr old man and it's time to grow up.

I sure do wish I was still at home with my sweet puppies. Relaxing (or still sleeping) without a care in the world, but that isn't the real world. The real world can really suck sometimes. But, it can be wonderful too. It all depends on how life is approached. I am hoping that someday soon Ryan will realize that it is up to him to make his own destiny. In the meantime, the Lord will take care of him. I truly believe that.

My Precious is 5!!!!!

I can't believe Abby just turned 5 yrs old. I keep telling her to stop that growing up and she always says the same thing "I can't help it Grandmother!" Gotta love her. She had her birthday party this year at YaYa's Island. We had never been there and let me tell you it is a huge step above Chuck E Cheese. But here, see for yourself





That is a lionfish



I don't know what those are! I just know I don't want to touch one...ouch!









Blurry but I don't care. They loved it!





Cousin McKenzie arrived



Isn't she a doll?

This one stole my heart. Look at that hat!



Someone has become quite the ham





Speaking of stealing my heart....Miss Leah sporting her SpongeBob hat





The kiddos ate their pizza while the YaYa Pirate man waited patiently



(see him in the background w/the orange shirt on?)





Then it was time for some games!



How low can you go?















Then it was Hokey Pokey time!











More later. It's lunchtime!

Well, lunch is over and Abby's mommy is waiting on more so here I go!

After the cool games it was time to have cake







Abby and Rady...her next door neighbor and good friend







Time to open the presents! Look at all the loot



My precious wasted no time in tearing into the goodies













She has been wanting a globe!



and she got one....

Then she opened the present from us



As she pulled the Sorry Slider out of the bag all of the kids started hollering "I've got that, I want one of those" and pointing at it!







That was about the time Abby's mommy said "Grandmother did good!" Actually Beth told me that she wanted it so I guess I did do good!

I just had to throw in some of her favorite bubbles too



I didn't get the picture but Abby looked at me and smiled so big when she saw the bubbles. She knew exactly what it meant. Bubbles galore!!!!

I couldn't resist taking a picture of the cake toppings that were feeling so neglected



Abby had a great time as well as all of the kids. She got a lot of presents that she loved. But most of all she was surrounded by love.

Speaking of love.....







Whoo hoo! Another one to spoil and blow bubbles with. I can't wait until this summer!!!!!