A CHRISTMAS PIC

Miss Francis took this pic at the "company" Christmas party. Nick brought it home today from work. We won a ham that night as a prize. OK, stop laughing, it was a GOOD ham! We ate quite a few meals from that ham too!

WE DIDN'T LET THE RAIN STOP US

Even though we went out on the cycle yesterday, I told Nick, we HAD to go today. I was NOT wanting to post school work and it was so pretty outside. The minute we got on the bike, we heard thunder in the distance. As we headed down the "4 lane" sure enough. Nick asked if I wanted him to stop to put the rain gear on - we did and just in time. It opened up and it was like a FL shower, you go a few feet and it's dry. So we kept on going to Helen and it was beautiful.

We had packed a picnic lunch and a blanket and I took my school books. We went to a State Park near Helen. It was so relaxing. Finally had to give it up. My back can only take so much of the hard ground and I knew I needed to get home and post my research paper.

We hit some major curving highways today. We took a turn around spot at the end of a street and hit a pothole, I quickly jumped off cause I knew it might go down. Fortunately Nick was able to keep it up and we didn't dump it. We weren't doing but 3 mph but it was enough to scare the pants off me.

Tyler John

Never wake a sleeping baby. Only gramma's are allowed to pinch them and wake them up to hear them cry.

Had to Haul these ones off Sissy's Blog

Wow, they are growing up!

He's looking blonde headed like his mom

Look at these little princesses!

ROSES IN JUNE

Today, June 9th it would have been Robbie's 25th birthday. Every year is very different. When Robbie died, he was 3 weeks shy of his 6th birthday. For his 5th birthday, I (being the good "homemaker") for all my kids, had ALWAYS made their cakes. That year we were in the middle of settling into our house in Quakertown. So Robbie got a store bought CARVEL ice cream cake for his day. I remember so distinctly the drive home from the store. He sat in the front seat of the car, holding that boxed cake ever so proud. For my kids, that was a thrill. Sure mom baked these cakes that looked like buses, trains, dolls, you name it but "An ice cream cake". He didn't care that it was bought, in fact he was thrilled. I of course felt guilty for having "bought" a cake.

The first year after Robbie died, we didn't know how to celebrate his birthday. How does a family sit at the table on "his" day, when the one who you are celebrating is gone. So we went to the store and got a CARVEL ICE CREAM cake. We continued to do that for many, many years. Some years we didn't and on the years we did, we cried or laughed and ate it wishing him HAPPY BIRTHDAY.

It amazes me that he would be 25 today. Where has life gone? As you see by the title of my blog, I love Roses. Rob was my Rose so to speak. We planted a huge rose bush in our front yard one year in FL in memory of Robbie. That rose bush was as tall as the roof and yielded hundreds of flowers. It was sad to leave it.

Today, I went to the store and got the ice cream cake. It says Happy Birthday. Today, I bought a rose bush and planted it in memory of his 25th. As I looked at all the different colors to choose from, I saw this yellow one. It was bright and cheery, just as I imagine Robbie to be when I see him again at Heavens gate. His happy cupid bows mouth, a smile that made your heart sing. If I would have had enough money, I would have planted a rose bush for every year of his life that we have been blessed with and without. I will start with one. It's just the beginning of many to come.

MAKING MEMORIES OF ROBBIE-HAPPY 25TH BIRTHDAY

THE POLE BEANS ARE GROWING PATTI

Here they are, Patti, we took lots of time to set the strings to make the "pole" beans have somewhere to climb. And no, they aren't poles either. Boy, was this a job for superman. We could have used a dozen more hands to help.

Nick said and when their all done growing, we tear it down and have to redo it next year. That is so WRONG. It should be like Christmas lights and some contraption to wind it all up and put it back out in one piece again. Maybe I will invent something and become rich and famous. Yeah right! Just be buying more twine I am sure.

Oh and as a side note, Kim, Terri & Beth, I got out to the garden, got one picture and guess what? The %$%## rechargeable batteries died. I am gonna hang batteries around my neck from now on.

PRCRASTINATION AND WEEK NUMBER 7

Alright, I am in week number 7 of my second set of 9 week classes. These have been terrible to say the least. AND I can't wait to get them over with. I have a 2000 word Research Paper "draft" due this Sunday. I HAVE 57 words on paper. I think I am gonna cry. What was I thinking by waiting till the last minute. I should have been using my "Critical Thinking" skills and haven't been. I have NOT liked these two courses from the start. No interest in them whatsoever. I am basically winging it.

My only saving grace is that when I open my grade reports, I am still pulling A's in my classes. GOOOO Figure. But the real test (no pun intended) will be that final Research paper grade.

I am writing on Anorexia Nervosa and Self-Image. And NO I am not Anorexic. But Natalie had it when she was a teen, so I decided to research and write on something I was pretty familiar with. It's been interesting but alot of work and I have NOT A CLUE how to write this thing. And we have 2 houses to clean this week as well. God has a sense of humor!

Betty Crocker She Ain't

Ok, I ran to the Dollar General to get seeds. Mind you, this girl CANNOT go into a store without buying at least one other thing other than what she went into it for. So I had a "cookie" craving - imagine that. They had packages of "bake your own' ready make Pillsbury peanut butter cookie dough. It even had a 30 cent coupon off on it which brought the price from $1.00 to $.70 and if you divide that by 12 - well, it was a steal.

So I ran home, preheated the oven and made decaf coffee. I was so cold from riding the motorcycle in the damp air that coffee sounded great. Put the cookies in the oven and went out of back porch. THAT WAS ALL SHE WROTE.

Came in 20 minutes later, the minute I stepped inside, I could smell BURNT cookies. Yes, BURNT. They take 8-10 minutes and not only did I forget to set the timer I didn't even remember I had put them in there. I sat on the porch enjoying my coffee gazing at the "garden". So, Yes Patti, I was desperate enough, I ate them burnt. 3 to be exact. I took a knife, scrapped off the black (ha) it was like a hockey puck - and ate them while watching a dvd. That's bad when you want sweets so much, you will go to extremes. Then I got this wild hair to make a picture from the remaining ones on the tray! Hey, when life throws a curve ball - laugh right!